The four of them were eating, Rhoar besides his weapon, near the door of the cottage and the three women together in a circle chatting only little. They all seemed deep in their own thoughts. Jeanne tried not to show it but sometimes when she adjusted herself, her face would give away a hint of discomfort from her still sore behind. Lise had heard thoughts about what she had caused by her actions and how quickly a situation had gone from her thinking this would be easy to things taking a turn to the opposite. Belle had her thoughts too, torn between anger for the man that had them captive, who dared to punish them. And thoughts of how she felt betrayed when this man showed his attention, and especially affection, to someone else than her.
Suddenly, Rhoar got up his mighty axe hefted in his strong hand, and he was standing at the door when the three women all became aware of it.... sounds of combat. Then screams, yells and howls could be heard. It was a mixture of voices but clearly orders were yelled in French but also in the Norse language of the Vikings.
"You stand...!" he ordered the women as he looked at Belle, a look of irritation formed on his face as he knew he wasn't being clear, not saying it correctly. He thought for a second and then found the plural form of you and ordered sternly "YOU stay" and he motioned to the three women and then he was out the door. Sounds of combat could still be heard but sounded like they were coming from the square or near the water. Shortly after Rhoar was outside, sounds of combat nearby could be heard and sounds of weapons hitting armor and flesh rang through. A death rattle, a few yells and a single growl and heavy steps.
Rhoar was inside the door, a cut on his left forearm dripping blood as he pointed to the bundle of things Jeanne had gathered and brought with her. "Follow... silence" he ordered Belle and looked around clearly expecting her to pass the order. Combat was still going on as Rhoar more herded than guided the three women away from the village. It happened to be toward the small wood that Belle had been in when the Vikings had arrived the day before. It seemed so long ago already but was not even a full day ago. Rhoar was vigilant and looked this way and that... moved quickly ahead, then towards the side as he checked out if anyone could see them or if anyone was following. He got them all into the woods and moved forward. He did not make them run but just walk at a very high pace,
A few minutes later they could no longer neither see nor hear the village or the sounds of combat. Rhoar was still dripping blood but seemed unaffected where clearly the two younger women thought it gory to watch a trail of blood after him. He stopped to give them a chance to breathe and to listen, but also to calm down himself. His alertness was up, and he was more aware of everything else. But he noticed Belle looking at him, at his arm and he became aware. He shrugged but then just reached towards her, and without hurting her he gave the fabric of her dress a yank and tear, and one of the sleeves of her already torn and dirty dress was ripped off. He was about to try to bind the wound one handed but Belle just interjected and grabbed the sleeve from him. He looked surprised and just for a second looked like he was ready for her next move, like he imagined she was attacking. But he calmed down and managed to smile as she a little clumsily put the sleeve on as a bandage.
They moved on shortly after, now still walking fast but not so much with an urgency, more like with a plan to make distance from what they were leaving. Rhoar seemed to slowly relax more and seemed less alert. He had mostly been moving with the axe almost ready to swing instantly, now he moved more easily and slung the axe over his shoulder.
"Silence..." he suddenly said and the calm that finally had come over the three women was again turned to alarm as Rhoar slightly roughly pushed the three with him into the bushes and shrubbery beside the path they were following. Sound of horses could be heard, not fast but slow trotting of hooves from behind coming from the direction they did.
In French the women could hear "I tell you the blood trail was fresh... but yes it stopped a little distance back, but it was moving this direction... we must be close to whoever is bleeding" a man was saying this and a couple of men made various remarks. One wanted to just get back to the village, to see what prices there were. The other was just annoyed at them having to work more than they had to.
The horses came up to where the four of them were hiding. And they stopped again and listened. Rhoar made a gesture toward the women, a finger over his lips, clearly the same sign everywhere... be quiet. He saw the look in Belle's eyes when she put her hand over her mouth and coughed. He knew from the look in her eyes that she was faking the cough but clearly was showing the men on the horses where they were. He felt disappointed, and his look said so looking into her eyes. Belle and the other women looked towards the men that were dismounting and quickly approaching. When Belle looked back, Rhoar was nowhere to be seen, it was like he had vanished into the ground.
"What do we have here?" one man said, the voice that had talked about getting back to see what prices there were. "Now this is a fine price, don't you think Alec" he said toward the next man, who was taller but very lean. "Sure, thing Francois..." he chuckled as both looked the three women up and down. Not in a polite manner but like appraising the goods. Francois, the first guy that had seen them took Lise and Belle by either hand and dragged them with him, while Alec took a hold of Jeanne and all were soon out on the path and could see the last man standing there with the horses. He had a sword in hand, as had Alec.
"Denny.... you set us on the track... you pick yours... there is one for each of us... our own prices... I will never doubt you again" Francois laughed evilly. Belle who thought that they had been saved, the men sent to free the village would keep them safe. She now understood only too well, what the three men planned to do, what prices they were talking about.
She started to object, but even as she opened her mouth to form harsh words at these brigands, Francois, who had been dragging her, expertly let go of her arm and the very next second Belle felt her cheek burning as she got slapped harder than she had ever been slapped before.
"Francois, don't damage her pretty face, I want her... you can have the skinny one" Denny chuckled and Alec laughed along and said "good... I like this one... more mature... more meat... more ass" he laughed as he rudely felt Jeanne's body. The men started to slowly each drag a girl in a direction like they wanted some alone time. Not like far away but more like finding a spot nearby, like how you might find a spot to relieve yourself. And the way they looked and touched the women, it was clearly no different, they wanted to relieve them too, with the women.
They were all still in range of each other, when suddenly cracks of branches could be heard behind Denny and Belle, as he was moving her towards a little patch of grass that he clearly meant to be the bed where he had her. And then Denny was dead. His hand had held her wrist roughly but suddenly it just went limp and spasmed and he fell away from her, like a tree that was cut down in the forest.
Francois and Alec both drew their swords and let go of their women. And started to move forward slowly. Rhoar made a single movement forward and threw his big axe. It wasn't really made for throwing and not very precise. But it was heavy and had the right direction. And even if it didn't hit where he had planned, Alec had no defense for it, he was taken by surprise and didn't have time to jump aside and his feeble attempt to use his sword to deflect the axe that came flying had no effect. He fell and could just see that he was lying next to his leg and then saw no more, life had left him.
Francois that had been the loudest of the three, and talked about prices, was getting scared but when he saw he was just up against a boy without a weapon he smiled to himself. He made a skillful lunge forward attacking Rhoar meaning to give him a small wound if he didn't move away. And he was surprised that it went easier than he had planned. His sword cut Rhoar's upper arm and blood flooded from Rhoar again. But this was Rhoar's plan, one cut was his payment to win the fight. Francois saw a huge fist moving at incredible speed towards his face. He heard his nose crushed before he felt it. He felt the second hit before he understood that he wasn't winning. He never felt the third time the fist hit him, he never felt again.
Rhoar turned around and looked at each of the three women in turn and then roared loudly. Like he was challenging not just the three women but the world. His eyes fell upon Belle, and she saw not so much anger in the eyes as disappointment. As he gestured for her to come to him, the horses that had been there had moved away. They weren't warhorses trained to be in combat, just horses used by soldiers to get around. And the loud sounds and especially the strong smell of blood had spooked them, and they were gone. First Rhoar tore the other sleeve off Belle's dress, and he made her bind the cut of his upper arm. Then he sat down and with a rough and hard pull she was on the ground... on his lap. His strong rough hand feeling her. Rudely searching for her ass under the skirts. With rude and rough tugs of the fabric he pulled the dress down from her breasts and up from her ass, so all the fabric was swept around her belly and all her female beauty free for Rhoar to see... but also for Lise and Jeanne.
