Torvaldsland Mysts

Karun now surveyed those that still stood against the wall, their small and beautiful forms wracked with terror. Only one held his gaze, her chin upturned in defiance as her eyes shot blue daggers at him. He smiled but his smile seemed to freeze the defiance that stood within Karina and she shivered, feeling the coldness from the burly giant and lowered in gaze immediately. She had been crazy to single herself out by staring him down. Where would that get her? In a collar, no doubt.

She could see the edge of his great axe suddenly in the sand not ten feet from where she stood, the edge moving in a circular motion. “To the bondmaid circle!” he barked out and his strong voice boomed across the room. Quickly the maidens around her ran, weeping to the circle in the sand to kneel in a quivering mass of flesh. She could feel the shift of eyes that suddenly bored upon her as she, alone, remained at the wall. She quivered in fear, knowing that her blatant disobedience would be frowned upon but she could not … would not run to a bondmaid circle willingly.

Suddenly, before her, she could feel the presence of a strong man and, quivering, glanced up in stark realization that it was the Torvie that she had seen looking at her earlier in the day. She cried out in horror as his strong hand suddenly thrust into her loose tresses and drug her to the circle. She kicked and flailed at him piteously as she heard laughter rising from the other Torvaldslanders that stood around watching her plight. She threw her arms out to strike at them but it only added fuel to their laughter as she was suddenly thrown, arms flailing out in front of her to break her fall, into the bondmaid circle upon the floor. She glared up at him as she took in the circle in the sand that formed an everlasting ring around her trembling form. By Torvaldsland laws, her freedom was snatched that quickly away. She was now a bondmaid.

Aquinoth looked down at the proud blonde-haired beauty that lay sprawled out in the sands before him. Despite the glaring looks that she shot at him, her eyes had to be the deepest shade of blue that he had ever seen. They were like the Thassa Sea … dark and stormy but so full of life and in spite of himself, he smiled. He would enjoy seeing her in his collar, chained to his sleeping furs, her belly beneath his axe. He could see the flare of first shock as she recognized him from the crowds and then anger and he was silently pleased to see that her spirit had not been broken. She would need it.

Reaching down, he twisted his hand roughly to her hair and pulled her forward. She cried out in despair, her hands slapping at him futilely as he drew her close, his lips raping hers in a brutal kiss. He could feel her fight and then just as her lips began to soften beneath his, he roughly pushed her from him to stumble against the girls that were being locked into the coffle.

She hissed her hate at him as she spat on the ground. “How dare you touch me, you brute!” Hearing his laughter only made her angrier as she stamped her foot and then cried out in both surprise and rage as her hands were locked into the coffle of sniffling girls.

Suddenly, Karun pulled forth a torch from the side of the temple and raising it high above his head, yelled out in a loud voice, “Praise be to Odin!” The temple was filled with the shouts of his men surrounding the trembling throngs of people that remained on the floor in their cowering state. And then he tossed the burning torch up on the altar of the temple that people had come for years to offer sacrifice and worship to the Priest Kings. His men quickly followed suit and as the people cried out in horror, the temple began to burst into flame around them. Karun seemed content to order his men about, gathering loot and booty from the temple while the roof was set ablaze and only with the encouragement of Aquinoth did he seem to remember that they must begin to take their leave.

A strong one among them threatened to whip the coffle of girls and they quickly made their way out the door. “We must hurry, Karun … before the entire village is upon us.” Karina could hear their whispers and her head turned in desperation as the coffle of beautiful girls was quickly ushered to the dock and the ship that lay in wait. She suddenly realized that the life she had lived was coming to a quick end and she cried out, pulling futilely at the cuffs on her wrists as she strained to look back at the temple ablaze behind her. A long line of large, burly men laden with gold and silver prizes from the temple for the Sardar followed suit. With tears in her eyes, she glanced ahead once more and could only wander what lay ahead within the journey that was to come.