Sera hobbled from her lodge where she had been recuperating, into the warm summer day. It beautiful here. The idyllic small valley lay hidden away from the entire world in between the border mountains of the North Kingdom. It was hard to believe that just a short distance away, snow and ice ravaged the entry road where she and The Bard had fallen. The sheer mountain cliff rose above the valley protecting it from the wrath of the mountain winds and shortening its days. Their days ended when the sun had disappeared behind the mountains, but still lingered below them casting the entire valley in a twilight that lasted for hours.
Then the fires would be lit and the people would gather around and listen to the old men and Sven tell wondrous stories about battles between ancient warriors or with mythical creatures from long ago. Sera found herself gingerly stumbling her way to the fires every night. One night Sven noticed and started walking her to the main fire himself, holding on to her gently as she walked like she was made of glass. She came to look forward to the light ebbing away, the smell of roasting meat and fresh bread, and the shouts of the children as they ran playing through the camp after completing their chores.
Sera wished The Bard could be here. His songs would have fit in perfectly. She realized with a pang that she had forgotten about him until right now. Her hand gripped Sven's arm as he held her upright while they walked to the fire. He held her up with one arm around her waist and the other on her upper arm. As she looked around, she could see the women looking at her and Sven. Some exchanged knowing glances, while others stared at her with unbridled jealousy.
Looking up at Sven, Sera could see why they were jealous. Sven was well built, muscular and his 6',4 frame was often shirtless, showing off his blue-black northern style tattoo's. Swirls connected to runes and depictions of god animals ran all over his arms, chest and back, disappearing below his low beltline. Sera briefly bit her lip, allowing herself just for a moment, to wonder what was decorated below his waist and where.
The Bard's injured face flashed in front of her eyes startling her out of her reverie, causing her to gasp slightly and stumble again. Sven caught her misstep and pulled her in closer to his shirtless body. He exuded an almost animal heat, it felt like raw power mixed with the heat from standing too close to a fire. His face was very near hers and his grey eyes searched hers looking for signs of pain.
"Are you alright?"
"Yyes. I'm fine." Sera felt breathless as his body heat leached though her clothes and her entire body. She pushed on his hot chest with both hands to get him to release her. He resisted.
"You could stay, you know that right?" He peered into her soul, right through her defenses. His strong clean shaven jaw worked as he waited her answer.
Sera slowly reached up and ran her hands through his wavy gold blond hair, pausing to hold his face. "I can never say thank you enough. You know that, yes?"
His eyes clouded over for a second then cleared. He gently adjusted his grip and steadied her on her feet. "You are with him. Yes?"
"Yes." Sera breathed.
"Is he good to you? Does he give you what you want?"
"He gives me what he can. That's all I want."
"Do you want to stay?"
"Please don't ask me that. I have to go to him."
"Because you love him."
"Yes."
He gently released her, his defined arms dropping to his sides.
"I think I'd better skip the fire tonight." Sera avoided his gaze. To make eye contact, would let him see the conflict that raged within her between her destiny doomed relationship with The Bard and her feelings for him. The beautiful god-man that had saved her life.
Sera and stiffly walked back toward her lodge. She could feel his eyes on her back as she made her way painfully to the lodge flap of hide that covered the entryway.
She opened the flap and let it fall shut behind her. Before her eyes could adjust to the low light in the lodge from the smoldering fire, a hand clapped over her mouth stifling her scream before it could even get started. She was thrown face down on her bed, her legs were bent at the knees toward her back and her wrists tied to her ankles. The hand was replaced with a gag and a blindfold. Sera lay there trussed up, waiting for whatever was to come next. Each movement caused pain to shoot through her body which was already in severe agony due to her last few moments of being handled roughly.
"Now what? That's Sven the Bearkiller outside!"
"Just calm down will you? Lord Tamien wants her back alive, so all we have to do is get back to the horses, and we are going to be fine."
Tears were rolling down Sera's cheeks at the pain that was wracking through her. A slit in the lodge wall was opened, she could feel the draft of fresh air wafting in. Rough hands grabbed her shoulders and rolled her onto her shoulders.
"We can't carry her..... oh SHIT!"
The air in the room changed and the hands on her shoulders slowly released her.
"It's not what it looks like..."
Sera heard swords being drawn from sheaths.
"Lets not do anything rash here."
Sera heard the roar of what sounded like an enraged bear and blades being smashed together. The roaring grew louder as a man cried out when a blade thrust home.
"WAIT, WA..." a wet choking gurgling sound cut off the screamed words. The rattling drowning sounds finally stopped and a knife gently cut her ropes and slowly guided her limbs back into a more relaxed position as she was rolled onto her back. The gag was removed and then the blindfold. As she frantically blinked to clear her vision, Sven's worried face came into clarity. His chest had an angry gash in it and blood ran down to his stomach. His hands reached up and held her face while his eyes looked for for injury to her body, finally coming up to meet hers.
Sera burst into tears. Tears of pain, relief and something deeper. Some part of her that was overjoyed that it was him that had saved her. Again. Sven scooted closer on the bed and held her to his body. His blood soaked through her shirt but she didn't even notice as her heart was pounding so hard from his proximity that she was having difficulty breathing. He leaned back and began kissing away her tears one by one. His kisses moved to her forehead as she clutched her arms around him and sobbed with relief.
"I have you now. I have you." He murmured, his lips still on her forehead, hands still holding her to his bleeding chest. "You are safe now."
"They were going to take me." Sera sobbed out the words.
"They were never going to take you. The wind told me that you were in trouble. I would have found you no matter how far they would have gone with you."
Sera pulled back and looked at the gash on his chest. "You're hurt."
Sven ignored her comment completely. "You are going to stay in my lodge with me from now on. This will never happen again."
Sera's conflict in her mind flared to new life.
No, not a good idea!
We were almost kidnapped! It's safer with him! We can't get to The Bard if we are kidnapped or dead.
This is a terrible idea...
"Okay," Sera said. "Just until I can travel."