Authors: Charlotte Sloan
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Short Stories & Anthologies, #Short Stories, #Romance, #Contemporary, #Multicultural, #Romantic Comedy, #Contemporary Fiction, #Single Authors, #Lgbt, #Bisexual Romance, #Multicultural & Interracial
Without thinking her body went into combat mode and she felt herself rising up to her feet, reaching for a knife on her belt that her father had given her. Pulling it out she caught a glimpse of the man that she tackled.
He was tall and muscular, she could tell even though he was covered in armor. In the midair collision she had knocked his helmet loose and he tossed it aside as he attempted to catch his breath. When he threw it aside he revealed that he was stunningly handsome.
Long chestnut hair that was tied back in a braid fell over his shoulder and his clean shaven face showed his chiseled jawline. He turned and she saw that he had piercing blue eyes, but all he saw was her knife. He raised his hands and seemed to accept defeat, so Siv lowered her weapon.
The man pounced then with a speed that she had never witnessed, especially considering the armor that he wore. It was over in a second as he mounted her, her lungs devoid of air so she gasped with no hope of gaining any kind of respite. His armored fist came down hard and the last thing she thought she remembered was him apologizing.
******
“Oy, there’s another one alive over here.” Siv heard the voice before she opened her eyes and the voice sounded strange. She felt as though there were a body resting on top of her. Siv struggled to open her eyes and as she did so she saw a long spear poised over her head.
In an instant she felt her life flash before her eyes and didn’t know how to respond. She felt blood coursing through her veins and she felt as though her lungs were punctured. The weight of the body seemingly crushed her spirit and, against her better judgement as a Viking, she calmly accepted death.
“Hold, don’t kill that one.” The voice sounded nearly angelic at that moment. Her eyes eased back open in time to see the spear move from the position of hovering over her head to return to the ground next to the armored guard that stood over top of her. In that instant the faceless armored man who was nearly her angel of death was replaced by the blue eyed man.
He looked down on her and his face was a mix of pity and respect. He reached down and pulled the corpse of one of the other armored men off her body and helped her to her feet. She felt as though her leg was broken, but didn’t want to appear weak in front of these new soldiers.
“I apologize for your face,” the man said as he reached out and gently touched her face. His fingers touched a delicate spot and caused her shoot back a few steps. The pain shot through her face like a bolt of lightning and the man reached out to hold her in place as she staggered.
“I meant no disrespect, I assure you.” Siv stared at the man in confusion. His words almost sounded slurred. The language was abstract to a point but with the man his body conveyed itself she was able to understand his meanings.
“It’s fine, I wasn’t offended.” She touched the same spot on her face and shook her head. “It just hurts.” Siv looked up and saw that the look on the blue eyed man’s face had changed to one of confusion and an attempt to understand what she was saying. She touched her face and winced, trying to make it obvious what she was saying.
His eyes lit up and he began to nod with understanding. Siv felt herself blushing when she saw him smile, which only caused the bruising on her face to throb even more so she reached up and applied pressure, hoping to stop the throbbing.
“Here, we’ll take you back to get you cleaned up, we have many things to discuss.” The blue eyed man reached out for her hand and Siv hesitated, while she wanted to go with him she was terrified of what he would do to her.
The other raiding parties that had come back in the past years told stories of how they ruined funeral pyres for their dead and had used underhanded traps to capture the Viking’s. Let alone the fact that she had just stared down death at the end of a spear. “My name,” the man tapped his own chest, “is Peter.”
“Peter,” Siv said slowly, trying to get her mind and tongue around the strange word. “My name is Siv.” She tapped herself on the chest as he had done and he once again smiled. Siv smiled in return as he slowly said her name the same way. He stood up and reached out his hand once again but this time Siv took it and they shook.
“Well, Siv it’s lovely to meet you.” He led her through a few of the dead bodies and towards a large stone structure that she hadn’t noticed standing on the top of the hillside. Siv stared upward at the tall stone walls as they approached and attempted to figure out how she or any other Viking would even begin to think of how to scale that.
The stone was smooth and didn’t offer many grooves to use their climbing gear. Not to mention the stones seemed slippery from being so close to the ocean spray. “This is my home,” said Peter. “It is an outpost and I promise you the structures are even more incredible the further inland you go.”
Siv continued to stare up at the high walls as Peter led her through the large gate and she came upon the large inner sanctum of this structure. In an instant she was confronted by a reality that was not far from the one she had left. There was a small market in the corner that was clearly being utilized by the nearby villagers to sell their wares and she saw a blacksmith making horseshoes for a few of the horses that were idling in a stable.
She saw archers on the wall and she saw a hustle and bustle that was akin to the feeling she had when she walked through her community back home. Peter watched her, a smile pinned to his face, as she walked awestruck through the market. She turned to look at him and motioned at herself once again.
“This is just like my home.” Peter nodded and smiled as she spoke. “We had heard terrible stories, but your people are just like mine.” She continued to watch as men with beards, their skin hard and calloused from work made their way around the flow of people and Siv felt herself burst out laughing, which Peter joined in with. “There’s no difference except this language.” Peter nodded knowingly and motioned toward himself.
“This is what I have been saying, we need to work together, not against each other. There are larger threats out there.” He motioned out further towards the East and Siv nodded, although she didn’t know what threat he spoke of. “There are bands of other men that want to strike out against us. If they break through our defenses then your people will be next.”
Siv understood that and stared at him waiting for him to continue. “My people aren’t as prepared for combat as your people are, we could use your training.” Siv motioned to herself and shook her head. “Well, maybe not you in particular, but your other warriors.” Peter said this while chuckling.
Siv looked down at her clothes as he said this and saw that her garments and armor were torn and covered in blood. She looked back up and saw that there were a number of people gathering a short distance away that were merely staring at her. She felt herself blush again and Peter noticed that she was uncomfortable. “We can discuss all this later,” he said shaking his head. “Let’s go get you cleaned up.”
Peter motioned for the guards to stand down and Peter walked with her towards a staircase that was built into the wall. “My quarters are here and you won’t be disturbed there, I promise.” Peter led her up the staircase and through a large wooden door which he went to close after he had allowed her to enter.
“I don’t know where anything is,” Siv said quietly before he closed the door. Peter looked at her and into the room. He quickly glanced around to make sure no one was looking and he slid inside the room after her, closing the door.
He locked it quickly and turned back towards Siv who was standing awkwardly at the center of the room. Peter motioned to the corner where there was a small ceramic bathtub. Without a moment's hesitation Siv began to unrobe. Her armor fell off with metallic hiss as the chainmail pooled together at her feet.
Peter quickly averted his eyes and tried to look away but was seemingly paralyzed by her figure. Her undergarments were soaked with blood and sweat as she walked across the room she allowed the torn clothes to fall to the floor.
Peter watched as her ass swayed with each step. Her long hair fell down her back and he watched as she stepped into the bathtub. Siv looked over her shoulder and saw that Peter was still standing there obviously staring, so she took the opportunity and coyly called over her shoulder.
“I could use some help with the water.” Peter snapped to attention and quickly crossed the room, grabbing the pitcher of water off of the table. He delicately began to pour it over her body then. First her hair then onto her chest.
The water was ice cold, Peter could feel it through the pitcher, but she didn’t even flinch. As the water cascaded over her body Peter watched her nipples become hard. Something came over Peter and as he watched the water he reached out and grabbed her breast.
Siv didn’t rebuke him, but merely reached up herself and grabbed his hand, her fingers interlacing with his as they now both began to fondle her breast. Peter set down the pitcher of ice water and leaned in and began to kiss Siv.
She didn’t open her eyes but allowed his lips to lock onto hers. Their tongues found each other quickly and began to speak the same language. Words meant nothing as their skin connected. Siv felt an electricity coming from his body that she had never felt before.
Before she knew what was happening she was being lifted out of the tub, the water still sloshing around slightly in the bottom. Her wet naked body was pressed against his warm, clothed body and he carried her across the room towards the bed.
Peter delicately placed her down on the bed and watched as Siv was engulfed by the blankets and furs. Her hair was splayed out in a halo around her head and she looked up at him through half closed eyes. Neither spoke, but Peter leaned down and continued to kiss her.
He moved from her lips to her neck where his kisses left goosebumps in their wake and she felt a slight chill with each one. Peter then took a step back and moved around her body, his lips falling wherever there was a wound.
It was as though his lips could heal any wound as the pain of each dissipated as soon as his soft lips touched them. It was then that he took his clothes off and revealed his body. His sculpted chest and abs called out to Siv as she reached forward and allowed her fingertips to outline the crevices.
Then his pants fell and she saw his manhood which stood erect as soon as his pants hit the floor. After a few moments of preparation Peter leaned into Siv. The tip of his dick spread apart her lips and she felt a wave of pleasure rush through her body. His arms wrapped around her body and pulled her close, their skin melding together into a perfect mesh of the past and future.
Within moments Siv felt the feeling of an orgasm rush across her skin. Her thighs gripped at his waist and she felt his cock begin to throb. In an almost simultaneous elation, both Siv and Peter came. His cum filled her and she felt it warming her from the inside out.
Instead of separating, they both seemed to want to cling closer, this space in which words were unnecessary is where they both wanted to live. However, just as they began to sink into one another's’ arms Peter heard a commotion brewing outside. There was a loud rapping at the door which shook the very frame and from the other side they could both hear: “The Vikings are at the wall.”
******
Siv stood at the tower wall dressed in the clothes of these new people and looked down toward the ground where Bram and a few of the other warriors stood. They were all covered in blood and dirt and it was clear that they had a rougher few days than she had personally had.
However, looking down their figures, they still looked rather proud. Siv wasn’t sure who was going to begin first and she couldn’t take the tension of this standoff any longer, so she called down to Bram.
“Bram, there is no more need for bloodshed.” Bram took a step forward so that he could hear better and she continued. “I came here as your shieldmaiden and I want to leave as such.” She motioned towards Peter who stepped forward while she continued to speak.
“The only reason these men haven’t loosed enough arrows to kill you all is because this man has a way that we all can walk out of here alive, please, listen and think about life. This is no way to enter Valhalla.” Siv listened as Bram and the others audibly groaned, but Peter stepped forward to the wall and began to speak with Siv translating.
“Viking Warriors. We have nothing but complete respect for you and your people. We are envious of your combat and your ships and hope that we can come to an understanding.” Peter looked at Siv and continued speaking. “I have become infatuated with your shieldmaiden and believe that we have much to learn from one another.” A smile crept across both of their faces, but they quickly switched back to business.