Tears of Amber

Chapter 4 For A Purpose

               As he bent outside his door and pulled on his boots, her cries began.  The sound of her wails disheartened him.  He had tried to speak to her, but she didn’t seem to understand any of the languages he used.  At a loss for what to do he just stared at the wood planks in front of him.  Should he go in and try to comfort her?  She had scrambled away from him like a rabbit when she realized he was in the room.  It would probably be better to allow her to adjust to her surrounding before he tried to talk to her again.  Even after he decided he wouldn’t go in, he couldn’t make himself leave while she wept.

               After a few minutes the wails began to fade.  He pressed his ear against the door to listen more closely.  When he heard no more noise at all he peered inside.  The silent beauty was asleep again in his bed.  Only when he saw her resting comfortably was he able to return to his duties.

               He climbed to the deck.  They were far enough into the sea that they could pull in their oars and use their sails.  The salty sea air did nothing to clear his mind, which was currently occupied with the girl sleeping in his bed. 

               His body still tingled where her curvy frame had pressed against him.  He awoke to her struggling to remove herself from his bed.  If only she had known the sheer torture she caused by wiggling her derriere against his groin in her efforts to free herself.  Aside from the sweet torture of her nearness he couldn’t believe how comfortable it was to sleep with her.  The way she fit perfectly against the grooves of his chest seemed completely natural.  His companionship with women was limited.  He enjoyed the company of a lusty woman when need demanded it, but he had never shared his bed with a woman for the entire night.  It was a comfortable feeling he could all to easily grow accustom to.

               He shook his head in disgust.  He wouldn’t get emotionally involved with a girl who couldn’t even speak to him.  Enough was enough.  The next port they stopped in he would find a pretty maid to ease his physical suffering.  It was too long since he last bedded a woman.  With a renewed sense of purpose he made his way to the deck. 

               His loyal warriors waited for him when he stepped on deck.

               Braggi was the first to speak, “Are you well rested, Randver, or have you finally tamed the maid?”

               “She is sleeping once again.”

               Always concerned for his well-being, Eric posed a question, “Will she try to harm you?”

               Randver pondered the question before he answered.

               “I have no way of knowing.  She doesn’t understand any of the languages I speak.  Since I have no way of telling her we mean no harm she may try to attack if she feels threatened.  I will keep my guard up while she is near.  As an extra precaution I want someone posted outside my door at all times.  I don’t want the maid to hurt herself or someone else if she tries to flee again.”

               Eric and Braggi nodded in agreement.  Braggi left all joking aside when he spoke of his lord and best friend’s safety.

               “I will see that a guard is posted.  With your permission I will delegate this task to the younger warriors.  They are most eager to impress you with their loyalty.”

               He nodded at Braggi.

               “Very well.  Make sure all the men know that she is not to be harmed under any circumstances.”

               Braggi and Eric set of to relay their lord’s orders.  Randver spent the day commanding his ship.  They were blessed with a rain shower that lasted long enough to fill their fresh water barrels.  He was weary from his day on deck and all he wanted was a bath.

               He instructed the men to warm him enough water for a bath and have it brought to his room.  He had all but forgotten about his unwilling capture when he opened the door to his chamber.

               The blue-eyed angel was sitting in the middle of his bath.  He silently shut the door behind him and watched her for a moment.  Her pale hair was slick with water.  It stuck to her bare back, outlining the soft curves of her shoulders and spine.  He watched, in awe, as she lathered herself with his rough soap.  She dipped her entire body into the water to rinse the lather away, and then relaxed against the rim of the tub. 

               He stood completely still when she rose out of the water with her back to him.  As the water dripped down her body he allowed his eyes to trail every inch of her.  Her behind was firm, shapely, and all together exquisite.  He watched as she pulled the drying cloth from a chair and turned.

               He had only just glimpsed the most perfect pair of breasts he had ever seen when she let out a scream of fury.  She flung the cloth around and startled him with her voice.

               “Give me your back, barbarian, have you no shame?”

               Randver turned around giving her a moment of privacy, until he realized she spoke his language very clearly.  He whipped back around to face her.

               “So you do speak my language.  I guess you silence was to see if you could learn anything useful.”

               She was too busy pulling her dress over her head to answer him immediately.  When she was fully dressed he crossed his arms across his chest and addressed her again.

               “I’ll have your answer now.”

               Her porcelain chin rose a notch.

               “Oh, and I suppose you are so used to having your orders followed that you think that stern voice is going to frighten me.  Why have you brought me here, Viking?  Ponder your answer before you speak, for if you think to make me a slave you will sorely regret it.”

               This thin wisp of a maid dared to threaten him.  If her words had come from a man he would have cut out his tongue for having uttered them.  He did pause for a moment before he answered, but only because he was so shocked by her insolence.

               “Dare you accuse me of doing you harm when I rescued you in the woods?”

               She gave a very unladylike snort.

               “Rescued me from what?  My horse?”

               In anger Randver uncrossed his arms and took a step forward.  She should have retreated a step when he showed aggression, but she stood her ground.  Her lack of fear baffled him.

               “You were alone in the woods, unprotected, and weeping.  What was I supposed to think when I happened upon you?”

               She grabbed a handful of her wet hair and slung it over her shoulder.  The wet mass had left the thin material of her dress clinging to her ample breasts.  She noticed him glance at her chest and quickly pulled at the material.

               “So is this your purpose?  You’ve spent your lust upon me once, but by Odin it will not happen again.  I will die before I submit to you.”

               He was completely taken aback by her ridiculous statement.  He sputtered as he tried to retort.

               “You dare!  You think I what?”

               He roared as he finished his retort.

               “Maid let me assure you if I would have spent my lust upon you, as you so kindly put it, you would have been fully aware and welcoming it while it happened.  I did lay beside you in the bed to warm you, but that’s as far as my trespass went.”

               The maid withered in front of him.

               “So you didn’t r**e me.”

               Only the relief and fear mixed in her voice could have calmed his raging temper.  He stepped closer to her until he stood directly in front of her.

               “I never have, or never will, r**e a woman in my life.  That may be the way of things in your land, but in my home such an offense is punishable by death.  I would never dishonor myself in such a way.”

               She bowed her head.  He had embarrassed her to the point that she would no longer meet his harsh stare.  His injured pride demanded he make one last point.

               “Besides, plenty of women are more than willing to share my bed.”

               He dismissed her and stepped around her towards the tub.  He ripped off his shirt and pants and sank into the water.  He enjoyed her shocked gasp at his naked body.  Good, maybe the sight of him was enough to keep her silent.  The water was barely warm, but it was all he had.  He wouldn’t ask his men to prepare another bath since the chore was so tedious on a ship.

               He relaxed against the tub and tried to calm himself completely.  Helping this maiden turned out to be more than he had bargained for.  After a few moments of silence he attempted to speak to her more cordially.

               “My name is Randver Ailmaer.  I am the Lord over a small earldom in Northumbria.  Have you a name?”

               The maid kept her back to him and answered.

               “My name is Dylla.  I am the daughter of Lord Freylaug.  He was an Earl until our lands in Wessex were attacked yesterday.”

               Randver rose from the tub and dried him self.  He pulled on his pants before he addressed Dylla again.

               “Did you land suffer greatly?  How is it that your father would let you ride out alone?”

               “My father is no more.  The leader of the Vikings who plundered our land killed him.  I had no choice but to ride out alone.  We had only a handful of warriors to guard our land.  The land is rich for farming so my father never kept many.  They knew our defenses would be easily destroyed.  They didn’t even spare the women and children.”

               Randver’s chest ached with the bitter sorrow he heard in her voice.  He knew of Viking tribes that conquered without mercy.  This poor girl had lost everything.

               “Knew you the men that did this to your home?”

               “No.  I had no knowledge of them until they came in the dark.  As I fled I heard them address their leader as Raum.  He will live to regret that they said his name in my presence.”

               Raum.  A more evil man he had never encountered.  He had fought along side him in several battles for the King, but never cared for his careless antics.  The King had cast him and his band of misfit warriors out when they disobeyed his orders.  He had been the one to expose Raum’s treachery to the King.  He regretted the King’s decision to let Raum live.  Randver knew one day Raum would try and seek revenge against him.  What a strange happenstance that he should rescue a woman whose life had been destroyed by his greatest enemy.  He couldn’t help but wonder if she had been placed in his path for a purpose.  He kept his thoughts to himself as he asked her another question. 

               “You sound as though you would seek revenge against Raum.  Have you no care for your own life?”

               She turned to face him.  Her face was set with hard determination as she answered.

               “What life?  I have nothing.  All I can hope for is a chance to avenge my father’s death, and find favor with Odin so that I may enter Valhalla and see my family once again.”

               “You still believe in the old ways.  What if you never find Raum to extract your revenge?  What then?”

               Her gaze never faltered as she answered, “Then I will die trying.”

               Randver knew that Raum had to have a reason to attack.  Why did he target this maid’s home?

               “Why do you think Raum chose your home to invade?”

               She shrugged her shoulders.

               “I know not his reasons, but as I fled I heard him shout ‘It’s the daughter, don’t let her escape.’  Mayhap he had some grudge against my father.”

               Randver questioned her further since she answered with honesty.

               “Have you any family to go to?”

               “I have an uncle that lives in Northumbria.  Mayhap you know him.  His name is Sorli.”

               Randver felt a sharp pang of regret stab at his insides.

               “Aye, I knew him.  He died four winters back.  I am now Lord over his lands.  He had no sons or daughters to pass his title to so the King bequeathed it to me.”

               Her shoulders sank lower and her face went white with despair. 

               “I fear I know the reason your home was attacked.  Raum was cast out by the King for having disobeyed his orders.  I exposed Raum’s disloyalty and he vowed revenge when he learned the King had given me lands and a title.  I did not know Sorli had a brother, but I’m sure he killed your father in order to get to you.  If he had successfully captured you and forced you to marry any heirs he produced could have challenged me for my title and lands.  It would have been the ultimate revenge.”

               She should have screamed or cried, but she just sat still.  Randver worried that his tale was too much for her to bear.  The way she sat quietly tortured made him want to reach out and comfort her.  Before he could think what to say she asked him a question.

               “Why were you near my home?  You were less than a day’s ride from my lands.”

               “We are traveling to trade Amber we mined from my lands.  We stopped only long enough to hunt fresh game in the woods.  It was pure happenstance that I found you in the woods.”

               She smiled a sad sort of smile as she answered, “I don’t think it was happenstance.  I believe Loki has made a mess of my life.”

               “Or maybe Odin sent me to protect you.”

               Her next words shocked him to his core.

               “Mayhap what you say is true.  When I lay on the forest floor and saw your face above me I swear you had the wings of a Valkyrie.”

               Randver knew from that moment on he would do anything to protect her.