Chapter 20

Sophie woke the next morning feeling stiff all over, her neck in particular being extremely painful. Eirik had already left to take a patrol out after the Myrce but had left a message with Alta telling her to be ready to go with Astrid. Crawling out of the furs she groaned and once again wished that she were back in the twenty first century with central heating, doctors and a hot bath. The swelling in her throat had gone down a little so she unwrapped the bandage and removed the poultice, it had stuck to the little cuts on her neck and she winced and felt slightly sick as she pulled it away. She had no mirror to see how it looked but as she touched it gently she realised that she’d probably have a ring of small scars around her neck forever. The thought brought tears to her eyes but as it was difficult to breath through her mouth and her nose started to block up she determinedly blocked out the self pity, blew her nose and wiped her eyes.

Dressing in tunic and trousers she splashed water over her face, cleaned her teeth and went out to the meal fire. Alta was there stirring the porridge cauldron and she asked “Can you swallow some porridge and would you like some of that camomile tea you make, with a dollop of honey?”

Sophie swallowed and tried to speak but it hurt too much so she smiled and nodded.

“Sit by the fire and keep warm, it’s icy today.”

They sat in companionable silence as Sophie ate her porridge and drank the tea, enjoying the way it soothed her throat.

“You’ll need to pack your things ready to move in with the shield maidens, I’ll help if you like.” Alta offered.

Biting her lip Sophie fought away the tears that would keep rising and nodded her thanks. An hour later Astrid found them folding her things into two sacks. “Ah good, you’re almost ready, how are you today?”

Sophie grunted and Alta spoke for her “She’s moving stiffly and can’t talk, although the swelling in her throat has gone down a bit, and she’s eaten some porridge and had chamomile and honey.”

“Well it could have been a lot worse.” Astrid said, “at least your head is still attached to your body. Are you ready? We need to get you out of here before Ubbe or Ivar are told you are in Eirik’s house.”

Sophie nodded and picked up her sacks, then looking at Alta she put them down again and hugged the old woman tight before grunting “‘An yu.”

Then picking up the sacks she followed Astrid out of Eirik’s house and through the city to the long hall the shield maidens had taken over as their home.

***

The next few weeks were harder than anything Sophie could have imagined. From the very first day she was expected to train and learn how to fight. No allowance was made for her stiff back and the fact that she could hardly talk, a shield maidens life was hard and her life depended on being a faster, more lethal fighter than the men she would face. Because she was so petite she would never be as strong as a man so she must strike first and never get into close combat, or she would lose her life.

Astrid, as good as her word, helped train her personally and every night Sophie retired to her bed sporting more and more bruises. Some of the women were friendly and supportive giving her useful tips on how to survive, but some were unfriendly and churlish, delighting in seeing her knocked to the ground and bruised by a punishing blow.

When she wasn’t training she made ‘herbal teas’ and lotions as well as the scented soap, which the women loved, and sold them to shieldmaidens and warriors alike. She also managed to make some small pots, for the lotions and salves, which she fired in the kiln Eirik had made for her. She didn’t see Eirik who was nearly always away on patrol, and missed him dreadfully. Their old life together, which at first had seemed so hard, became her greatest desire. Goldhill and her life in the twenty first century appeared to her to have been a strange dream.

Her throat had healed and she could speak again, although with a huskier voice, and her back was completely healed. She was fitter, stronger and in better condition than she’d ever been, glowed with vitality and was becoming a hard and dangerous fighter. She’d learned not to pull her blow’s as the women never pulled theirs and was becoming very fast. Astrid had been very interested in the blow she had used to kill Hilde and had her show the other shieldmaidens how to use it, as well as some other self defence moves she knew. Accepted by even the surliest of the women, she was settling into her new life, apart from missing Eirik dreadfully.

One morning she was sparring with Astrid, and had overcome her, knocking her to the ground, when she became aware that she was being cheered and egged on by male voices.After offering her arm to Astrid and helping her up she turned to see Eirik, Leif and some others lounging against a wall holding tankards of ale.

“Well fought, Drang!” Eirik said grinning at her.

“Thank you, Merkismathr,” she replied in her new husky voice, as her heart turned over at the sight of him.

“Have you finished sparring, Aesir?” he asked Astrid.

“Yes, we are done for the day Eirik. Do you want to steal my shield maiden away?”

“I would ask a word with her if her commander has no objections.”

“A word? I see. Then make sure that word is not too exhausting.” Astrid said, raising her eyebrows at him.

Eirik held out his hand to Sophie who took it gladly and led her out of the city towards the village.

“I have moved out of the city back to my old house, away from Ivar’s gaze,” he said.

“You’ve stayed away from me for a long time. I thought you didn’t want me anymore now I’m not your slave.”

Eirik frowned “I have been away chastising the Myrce and Astrid told me to leave you alone to get used to your new life.”

By this time they’d reached his house where Geri, on seeing Sophie bounded out to greet her enthusiastically. After patting him and giving him a hard hug, she looked up to see Eirik looking at he quizzically.

“The dog gets a better greeting than me,” he complained.

“The dog didn’t beat me with a belt then abandon me for weeks!”

Eirik pulled her into his arms, hugging her to him “You cannot hate me more than I hate myself for what happened that night.”

Laying her cheek against his hard chest Sophie said “I don’t hate you. I know you did what you did to save my life, since then I’ve seen re-captured slaves flayed almost to death and know that if you hadn’t had the strength to punish me yourself, I would probably have been dead or crippled. I panicked and killed Hilde when I should have just knocked her out. I know better now and can fight coolly and calmly.”

Lowering his head Eirik kissed her then still holding her mouth captive he kicked open the door and carried her inside to the furs. Slowly as he kissed and licked his way over her entire body he undressed her, revelling in the new hardness of the muscles in her arms and legs, as he admired the soft roundness of her breasts and belly. He kissed each scar on her throat and the bruises that dotted her creamy skin as he set about driving her wild with want.

Sophie, the feelings passing through her making her forget her aches and pains, pulled at his tunic and breeches, trying to lay her hands on his hard muscular body and thick throbbing shaft. They both felt as if it had been years since they last made love, not just weeks, and were as desperate as each other. Finally Eirik’s clothes were gone and her hands roamed over his firm chest, causing him to gasp as she tweaked a nipple, then down over his flat stomach following the narrow line of hair down to the root of his rampant shaft, which was throbbing with the heavy beat of his heart. Before she could take him in her hand his fingers parted her curls and slid inside her, causing her to arch her back and beg “Please Eirik, I need you inside me.”

Removing his fingers he positioned himself over her and guided his shaft to her soaking wet cleft. Rubbing his velvet soft head over her nub he caught her as she arched against him opening herself wider. A he sank into her creamy depths he groaned with pleasure and with one strong thrust buried himself to her core his heavy sacks hitting her bottom and causing her to scream his name.

As he rode her to an almost painful orgasm he reclaimed her mouth and his tongue mirrored his thrusts. Pulse after pulse surged through her body and he couldn’t resist her as she milked him dry. Collapsing to his side he held her to him and murmured endearments into her ear, telling her how it had almost killed him to hurt her, and that he’d stayed away because he dreaded to see the hurt and condemnation he thought he was bound to see in her eyes.

Sophie lay there weightless and drifting, thanking god he hadn’t been able to stay away any longer. The physical pain he’d inflicted was nothing to the pain of thinking she’d lost him for ever, and would have to live her life here in his world, never feeling his body one with her’s again.

Finally Eirik freed himself from her embrace and left the furs to pour them both a tankard of ale. Handing one to her as she leant on an elbow he ran his gaze over her body and lay down beside her.

“In only a few weeks your body has strengthened and your muscles have grown hard. Astrid must have inflicted a punishing training regime on you.”

“Yes, the first couple of weeks I didn’t think that I was going to make it. I went to bed every night praying to wake up without any pain. But slowly as I grew to understand what Astrid was trying to do for me, I embraced the training and strove to get faster and harder every day.”

“You’ve succeeded” he said stroking her cheek, “Astrid is not easy to put down and you did it without too much effort.”

“I know I can fight, but whether I’d be able to kill someone I’d disarmed and knocked to the ground is another matter.”

“In the heat of battle things are different, your blood is wild and it’s kill or be killed. You will do what you have to do.”

“Mmm,” she murmured hoping that she’d never have to find out.

Eirik’s fingers had strayed to her neck and traced the line of scars that ran right around it. “If you hadn’t killed Hilde. I would have, she has marked you for life.”

“Yes they’re awful aren’t they? I try to cover them with a piece of cloth but Astrid won’t let me when we practice.”

“Not awful, nothing about your body could look bad,” he said leaning in to kiss her neck.

“I’m self conscious about them, but I don’t suppose I’ll ever be able to hide them so...” she shrugged.

He thought for a while examining her neck, then he said “You know they run in a fairly straight line, you could have a very fine tattoo put over them.”

“A tattoo?” Then remembering Leif’s tattoos and the ones she’d seen on the shield maidens, she said “Oh yes of course, some of the shield maidens have their arms and legs tattooed. Do you think I could have one? How much would it cost? I’ve been selling lotions and things and have saved some gilt.”

“Save your gilt, I will pay as it was my sigil that marked you.”

Sophie considered and decided not to argue, he was right it was his collar that had done the damage. “Is there a tattooist in the city?” she asked.

“Yes, I’ll arrange for him to come here and let you know when.”

“I suppose I’d better go, as I think Astrid wants me to show her how well I ride this afternoon.”

“You haven’t ridden for a while, be careful.”

“Oh it’s like riding a bi--, I mean falling off a log, you never forget how.” Sophie got up flustered at her lapse into the twenty first century.

Of course he hadn’t known what she was going to say so didn’t notice and he rolled over and watched appreciatively as she walked to her clothes and started to dress.

“I’ll send you a message about the tattoo,” he said “ I don’t suppose you can get back here tonight?”

“I’ll try but I can’t promise. I haven’t been going to Ubbe’s hall for the nattmal. Astrid thought it best to keep a low profile, so I’ve been eating with the shield maidens who prefer to eat at our hall. I might be able to leave later but I don’t know.”

“Don’t get into trouble” Eirik warned her “I have a few days off from patrol, it’s Torstein’s turn, and can see you in the daytime.”

Dropping a quick kiss on his head Sophie made her escape before he decided to persuade her to return to the furs, and made her way back to the shield maidens hall, feeling relaxed and content for the first time since she killed Hilde.

***

Astrid was satisfied with the way Sophie rode and told her that as far as she was concerned Sophie was ready for her first patrol. It would be good for her to be ‘blooded’ against the Myrce before they marched on Anglia. However Eirik or Torstein would have to accept her into one of their patrols, as it was up to the Merkismathrs who they took out with them.

She managed to escape from the shield maidens hall after the natmal without anyone noticing and made it to Eirik’s house in the village. He hadn’t got back from Ubbe’s hall yet so she sat by the meal fire talking to Alta who wasn’t looking forward to the march on Anglia. She appeared old and frail and Sophie was worried about a harsh cough she had developed. She decided that she’d ask Eirik to free the old slave and give her some gilt so she could live out her life in some comfort.

When Eirik finally arrived it transpired that he’d been delayed by Astrid telling him that Sophie would be one of the shield maidens he could choose to take out on patrol with him. After he’d kissed her, delighted to have her back in the privacy of their house, he asked her how she felt about going out on patrol.

“I don’t know to be honest. I killed Hilde by accident but whether I am brave enough to stand in a shield wall while the enemy hack at me, I honestly don’t know.”

Eirik looked at her pensively for a while then said “Normally the shield wall is used in a pitched battle. When we patrol we are on horseback and only come across small bands of Myrce who are no match for us and easily dispatched.”

“That’s one thing I’ve noticed, why aren’t there any Myrce slaves?”

Eirik laughed “They make bad slaves, can’t follow orders, their language is impossible and every one of them, including the women would slit your throat and die laughing.”

“Oh, they are fierce then?”

“Yes they are a worthy enemy, but we diverse, if I don’t take you on patrol then Torstein will, if only to anger me, and at least I would keep you at the rear. So, my patrols start the day after tomorrow, and it is decided, you’ll ride with me.”

Sophie’s heart was hammering in her chest at the thought of going into battle, but she simply nodded her agreement.

“There is an Arab in the city, skilled in tattooing and he has agreed to come here tomorrow. I described what was needed and he said it depends how badly the skin has been damaged and whether he could tattoo around the actual scars.”

Sophie’s hand went to her throat and she asked “Do you think it will be very painful?”

Taking her in his arms Eirik said “Tattooing is painful but remember you don’t have to have it done, it is absolutely your choice.”

“I know” she shrugged “but if he can disguise the scars on my neck it would be worth it.”

Eirik’s hands had started to undo her belt and ease her tunic up “Come, my love, I need to be inside you, what we enjoyed earlier has only wetted my appetite.”

Giving herself over to his love making, Sophie revelled in the fact that this highly thought of warrior and man couldn’t get enough of her and joined him in every kind of sexual play he desired until she could think no more and her body thrummed like a well tuned instrument.

When he finally sank into her she felt that strange frisson that she’d experienced at Goldhill and she found herself crying and clinging to him in desperation, not knowing why but unable to get enough of the feeling of being one.

He was patient with her, kissed away her tears and moved gently inside her, as if, he too needed to make their bodies, one. Silently he spoke to Vror and Veroandi to weave their threads strong and reminded them how Sophie’s tears were filling the Well of Urer which fed the tree that supported this world.

They passed the whole night lost in the deep desire each felt for the other and as the cock crowed finally fell into a deep sleep.