Godgifu crept closer to the small fire where the two men slept, hidden behind some low bramble, wondering what she was doing there. If she had any sense, she would have stayed home in Coventry instead of changing into leather hunting pants and a tunic and following Leofric after they argued in the stairwell. Instead of going to her rooms and crying, she had fixated on something he unthinkingly said in haste, "I'll probably die before I get a chance at the prize...." Whatever else had happened between them, however much she might want to pelt his stupid handsome face with acorns as he slept right now, Leofric had expected to die on this errand with Cnut... and she refused to let that happen.
With Cnut's sonorous snore providing cover, Godgifu crept closer to the fire on Leofric's side and watched him sleeping. He was a different man when he slept. His keen eyes closed, no longer making her feel like her secrets were unraveling before her. His mouth soft and relaxed, his dirty smirk only a memory.
He slept on his back, with his head propped on a rolled horse blanket and his hands folded over his torso. His achingly handsome face bore the marks she had given him when she escaped his manhandling in the stairwell. The swelling on his cheekbone, purpling already. She clutched her hands together to keep from reaching out and brushing her fingertips over the bruise, telling herself she had to do it to stop him, but doubt and guilt filled her. He wouldn't have hurt her. Not really. Sure, what he did was crude and improper, but she knew that Leofric would have died before ever seeing harm come to her from his own hand and yet she had done this to him. How was it that a man with long years at war could have a gentler soul than her own?
Leaning over him, she brushed her lips across the bruise, her kiss softer than breath, allowing him to sleep on. A slight sound of pleasure came from his throat as he slept, and she bit her lips to keep herself from kissing him again.
His neck beckoned to her, the place she usually snuggled her face into as she slept, breathing his reassuring scent. That was her place and fucking Cnut took it away from her without even asking! How was she supposed to sleep without it? Leaning in again, she inhaled him, unknowingly tickling his face with the hairs that had come loose from her braid.
When she tried to pull back, she found that she couldn't because his hand was hooked through the neck of her leather tunic. Sleepy eyes wandered over her. "You're here..." he mumbled, a smile playing on his lips.
"I couldn't sleep..." she whispered, leaning down again and brushing her lips softly against his.
Leofric smiled and pulled her closer against him, wrapping his arms around her. "I looked for you. I didn't want to leave things between us like that," he murmured.
"I know. I was hiding, watching you. Angry. It was so stupid. I didn't want to talk to you, but I couldn't let you out of my sight. I don't know what's wrong with m-- what are you laughing at?" she said, frowning down at his smirking face, her body jiggling as he laughed under her.
"Don't you get it? It's just like I said -- you would never really know I was yours until I was taken from you. Now, a bigger kid takes away your toy and you completely lose your sh--" Leofric whispered, laughing so hard now that tears were leaking down the corners of his eyes.
Godgifu growled and tried pulling out of his arms, struggling against him angrily. Leofric rolled her under him, pinning her down, still laughing. "Let me go! Cnut can have you! I'm going home!" she growled.
"Oh no, little one... you came all this way, I think you at least need to come, first," he chuckled, reaching his hand under her hunting pants and running his fingers through her slit. "You're always so much nicer after you come... approaching pleasant, even," he said, toggling her clit gently as she squirmed and tried to head-butt him, his ease in restraining her making her even more furious.
"No! You and your king can go fuck yourselves! I'm leaving! Get off me, you big... big... oh... oh fuck!" she gasped, her hips bucking against him as her jaw clenched tightly, shaking her head, trying to refuse the pleasure he was giving her.
Leofric growled with pleasure as her slit became positively slippery with her excitement. "Good girl... It's not so easy to take a man down once he's got his full weight on you, is it? Just relax and enjoy it... you'll be seeing sense soo--OOF!" he grunted in sudden pain as she landed a blow to his crotch and scrambled away from him.
Godgifu jumped to her feet, intent upon running to Elva and riding off into the darkness, but was surprised to find that her feet left the ground soon after she regained them. She kicked the air in bewilderment as she watched the ground slowly move further away from her. Since she saw Leofric in front of her, slowly getting to his feet with an irritated expression, she had her suspicions as to who was lifting her bodily by the waistband of her pants. Furious beyond reason, she grabbed a short knife from where she'd stashed it in her sleeve and began trying to reach back to jab it backward into Cnut's outstretched arm.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's not commit treason," Leofric said, quickly taking the knife away from her.
"Hah! So cute! Like little... what is word? Pindsvin! You have this word? Tiny, sweet and then poke, poke, poke!" Cnut chortled, making little stabbing gestures with his free hand, not even noticing when Godgifu landed a kick to his ribs.
"Dit fjols! Lad mig gå!" Gogifu yelled, trying to lift her legs to wrap them around Cnut's arm and somehow subdue him with it.
"Ah! She speak Danish, too. This is good. Vær godt, pindsvin!" Cnut ordered, giving her a shake.
