The Last Warrior Queen

Chapter 12

My eyes shot open the second I realized Halvor had his arm around me. I tried to move slightly so that he would maybe remove his arm. It seemed locked firmly in place. I tried to gently grasp his arm and move it myself, but that only resulted in Halvor tightening his grip and pulling me closer to him.

I sighed in exasperation. I guess I’ll just have to wait until he wakes up and realizes his mistake. I’m sure he thinks I’m a different woman - one of his mistresses.

After a few minutes that felt like an eternity there was a loud knock at the door. Good, now Halvor will wake up. He groaned next to me, still half asleep.

“Come in!” He called. What? No, don’t come in!

The door opened and Gunnar entered. He quickly looked around and then saw Halvor and I in bed. My face flushed red with embarrassment, but Gunnar didn’t seem phased.

“The wagons are prepared my King. We are ready to depart when you are.”

Halvor turned his head toward Gunnar and nodded, making no effort to move from his current position and leaving his arm tightly wrapped around me. He must still be half asleep, otherwise we would have moved immediately once he realized who I am.

Gunnar left and closed the door behind him. I attempted to shift away from Halvor, but it proved impossible. Halvor was too strong.

I cleared my throat and half whispered “Shouldn’t we get up? They’re waiting on us.”

“They can wait for their king and queen. I am comfortable here for now.”

My eyes widened in surprise. So he did know that it’s me. Why the hell does he have me so close to him? I sighed in resignation to my plight.

Halvor chuckled and said “It seems you are anxious to leave your husband and this warm bed. I should maybe be offended.”

“Oh, no! I mean…I’m just anxious to leave House Regan” I stammered out my excuse. I certainly didn’t want to get on Halvor’s bad side first thing in the morning.

“Hmmm yes that makes sense. I’m not fond of this place either. Well wife your logic has won out.” With that Halvor quickly got out of bed. My heart skipped a beat when he referred to me as wife. I couldn’t figure out why. Maybe it was just strange hearing it out loud.

I made my way back to my room to dress and quickly pack. I would need to find some servants to carry my trunk down. When I opened the door I was shocked to see Halvor standing behind it. I took a couple steps back in surprise.

“Are you ready?” He asked.

“Yes, I just need to find some servants to carry the trunk.”

“You don’t need to find anyone” Halvor replied as he brusquely made his way over to my trunk and picked it up himself.

I stood staring at him speechless. It usually took at least two grown men to carry my trunk. Halvor picked it up as if it weighed nothing. He walked past me and I quickly snapped out of my amazement to follow him.

When we arrived at the wagons Halvor lifted up my trunk with ease and placed it next to the other provisions. I was still astonished at his strength. He looked like he had barely broken a sweat.

I noticed that there wasn’t a carriage. I wonder if they want me to ride on one of the wagons or if I’ll be given a horse. I glanced around to try and determine what was expected of me. Halvor made his way back to me and said “Come, you will ride with me for the first part of our journey.”

He grabbed my hand and led me over to a large black warhorse. The horse looked like it might also be part bear with how large and menacing he looked.

“Wait here with Bjorn while I finish making sure we have all our supplies.”

Bjorn must be the horse. The horse became uneasy when Halvor walked away, bobbing his head with nervousness.

“Shhh, it’s ok, I promise I don’t weigh very much” I murmured in a low calm voice. Bjorn immediately settled and stepped towards me, nudging me gently with his head. I chuckled and pet his head gently to help keep him calm.

After a moment I noticed it had become oddly quiet. I turned to see what was going on and I noticed the warriors had stopped to stare at me. Oh no, was I not supposed to touch the horse?

I lowered my hand slowly and stepped away from the horse slightly. I didn’t want to startle him with any sudden movements. Bjorn still wanted attention and kept nudging my shoulder. Halvor walked over and placed a hand on Bjorn to quiet him.

“I…I’m sorry. I should have asked before touching your horse…” I stammered out.

“Bjorn has never let anyone but me touch him. He’s the one who grants permission, not me. If Bjorn is fine with it then nobody can stop you.”

I nodded and glanced back towards the wagons where everyone had resumed their activity.

“Come, I’ll help you up” Halvor said as he reached down and lifted me onto the horse without any trouble. Halvor positioned himself behind me in the saddle and I instinctively moved forward to allow him room. He pulled me back into his chest.

“How will you expect to balance so far away from me?” He asked.

I nodded and did my best to settle in a comfortable spot. Surprisingly sitting close to him was more comfortable than I thought. Soon the other warriors had mounted their horses and we began the long journey to the north.