Dear Reader,
I am truly overwhelmed by the support and encouragement i have received over this story. Thank you all so so much, I'm really bouncing off the walls when you all tell me how much you enjoy it!!
*
Harriot wasn't sure what it was about the sight of him standing there glistening with sweat. The strength of the emotions that stirred inside of her was like getting hit by lightning, and struck down by the gods for her traitorous mind.
She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and ran her tongue along its softness in a nervous gesture. He had noticed how she stared at him and he stared back at her without blinking. Oozing with confidence she didn't share, she was convinced the edges of his lips had tilted upwards with his amusement, so she looked away.
Her attraction to him was inappropriate and confusing. Never before had she stared at a man with such unbridled desire. She did not even understand that desire, and it was useless for her to try to. When he stood there looking like that, she couldn't think of anything at all. Beneath her feet, she could feel the steady thrum of men working hard to maneuver the ship away from the dock.
Harriot's stomach lurched and her heart throbbed painfully as her eyes drifted from the object of her desire, and onto land. How long had they been docked and she hadn't noticed. It could've been minutes, hours, or even most of the night. She could feel him watching her, any moment now he was expecting her to become delirious. But what use was there? It wouldn't help her any. She couldn't swim, so she wasn't about to spontaneously throw herself over board.
If only she had woken sooner, she might have been able to manage her way onto land. She could have gotten away; except last night had taken its toll on her body. Even now as she stood there looking out over the bustling dock, heading back into that small dark room was all too tempting. At least there, she could close her eyes and forget about everything.
A command ricocheted off the wood of the ship. It was Ivar barking orders at the other men in his own language. He was thoroughly in his element as he navigated the ship further and further away from the dock. In the distance, she could see a steady stream of smoke rising from the roofs of the houses. There was the faintest orange glow pouring out into the street from the shop windows. The smells of fresh fish mingled with the saltiness of the sea.
An unusual feeling of calm had settled over her. It probably had everything to do with the relief of knowing these men weren't about to hurt her for no reason. If they had wanted to do that, they would have done it already. They wouldn't have helped her last night either, because it would have been easy enough for them to just walk away from her. Especially when they realized they weren't about to capture her father, or get any of the information they needed on Ivar's brother. That still left the question of why they had taken her with them. It made absolutely no sense to her at all. It still scared her to think that their motives were to keep her in one piece after all.
Perhaps they were going to treat her the same way they felt Ivar's brother was being treated. They would make a slave out of her. Her mind didn't want to think of what that might actually entail, and the deeper her thoughts became with her speculation, the more frightening the situation was becoming.
Letting curiosity get the better of her, Harriot busied herself with other things, the same way as the men around her busied themselves with the tasks they had to do. She had to take her mind from the fear bubbling about in her veins. No good would come from her simmering on all the little details of what could be, and what was.
Ivar had turned his attention back to the ship. In his hands, he held a bucket that was tied to some rope that he was lowering it to the men beneath them through the hatch. Wandering over to the side of the ship, Harriot risked another glance in Ivar's direction to see if he was watching her. His attention was still firmly fixed on what he was doing. Harriot took advantage of that moment alone. She leaned her body over the side to take a look at the water as it brushed the edges of the hull.
The wind caught her hair, and the black strands frayed and twisted. The smells of the sea, the cold sensation that kicked up from the water even at her height, was intoxicating and unexplainable. It was a sensation she would never forget. The beauty of it as that water frothed and skimmed outwards from the edges of the ship, was overwhelming.
The ship rocked back and forth with the current of the sea. It's movement would take forever for her to get used to. It was like walking on a platform that was constantly unbalanced. The faintest bit of color caught her eye as she dangled herself on the side of the ship weightlessly. She leaned over and captured it in the palm of her hand.
It was a bright yellow flower that had somehow managed its way between the slats of wood. The soft texture of its petals rubbed against the pads of her fingers. It was beautiful and as light as a feather while resting in her palm. How something so fragile and beautiful could end up on the ship was unexplainable. The wind must have carried it when the ship had been docked, and it had somehow managed to get itself tangled up in her world.
A prisoner, just as she was, except she was now the one that held the flower captive. It was the same way that these men now controlled every aspect of her life. She set it free over the edge, and watched as the wind swiped it from her fingers. It carried it towards the water, before the yellow petals came to rest gently atop the current.
It had moved just like a snowflake would as it fell from the great height of the heavens. It was swerving and dancing just before it came to rest, where eventually its beauty would fade away. The water turned it over, and drowned it with the force of its current. Only to be helped by the rippling froth of the waves caused by the ship as it glided past then it was gone. It was nowhere to be seen in the dark blue swell of water.
It made her sad, because it reminded her of how quickly her life had also been turned over. Nothing and no one was familiar to her, which was slowly becoming more frightening as time passed.
"Excuse me"
His resonant voice brought her abruptly back to the present. The Viking that spoke to her looked younger in the sunlight, than he had when she had seen him last night. He had the biggest brown eyes she had ever seen, short dark brown hair and a scar to his left cheek. He couldn't have been any more than ten and eight. The sheer manliness of him outweighed most of the men she had met in her lifetime. He was so much taller than her, he must have weighed at-least three of her, but it was solid muscle and bone with a little pudginess around the edges.
"Miss...You're in my way."
She stared up at him blankly, before it dawned upon her what he was saying. She was in his way... and not only was she in his way but she was staring at him, wondering why he had looked at her so expectantly.
"Oh... oh I'm sorry."
"Don't stand there."
She had stepped out of his way what more did he want from her?
"What? Why?"
"It's dangerous."
"How is it da -" A large hand fixed itself around her upper arm. He pulled her forward swiftly and with ease just as the ship rocked violently. His balance was perfect upon the slippery wood beneath their feet, and he steadied her with a grin. Her mouth dropped open as the words died on her tongue. He had known that would happen and without him she would have ended up over the side. He tilted his head forward as he gave Harriot a slight nod, before a toothy grin spread the expanse of his face.
"It is fate... Stand some where you shouldn't... And something will knock you off your feet."
Why hadn't she thought of that? It was common sense for crying out loud. But yet, it hadn't occurred to her once. Perhaps that was why her uncle had never wanted her to board a ship. He had known how dizzy she was. Also, how much worse she would become on a vessel that never stayed still.
She watched as he placed some nets upon the deck, before he raised himself to his full height and looked down at her disheveled form. He let her go, but seemed to brace himself as though he was waiting for her to lose her balance again. This time Harriot knew better, so she stepped away from that dreaded spot, and away from him.
"Thank you."
"It's quite alright." Turning to look at him, she couldn't suppress how fascinated she was by his soft voice. He was so big...so monstrous. Beautiful...but deadly. His voice didn't suit his body, which no doubt he had already heard many times before.
"I'm Teare."
He gave her a gentle heartfelt smile, and Harriot felt her resistance melt a little, so she reluctantly offered him her own name.
"Harriot."
"Look out!"
The sound of his voice morphed into something new. Nervously she swerved and looked around for whose way she was in this time. A jarring force across the back of her shoulders hit the air clean out of her lungs. She yelped and grabbed automatically for the covering on her arm, which throbbed with her sudden movements.
Harriot braced her hands out before her body, and she tried her hardest to stop the forward motion as she headed back towards the side of the ship. Her stomach hit its hardness, and on a grunt, she felt her body tip forward violently.
The scream that skittered its way past her lips was deafening even to her own ears. She thought this was going to be the end. She would end up in the sea without the slightest clue on how to swim. Something flashed at the corner of her eye, and she didn't have time to see fully what it was. Then the rough fingers of a strong hand burned her skin with the force used to secure her and drag her backwards.
