Viking Love Beyond Time (Time Travel Romance) (15 page)

“Ave ye got ‘er ready yet slut?” he barked, then glancing in Alodie’s direction, his mouth dropped open “by Thor” he whispered “wot a beauty, I’ve never seen the like in my life”  Leif appeared at the door behind him.  “Leif” he said, wiping his hand across his mouth “keep watch for that Danish bastard Harald.  I’m that pent for the wench I can ‘ardly walk, give me five minutes”

Leif’s big simple face fell “But Thorkil, you both swore not to touch her”

Thorkil smiled coldly “No one’ll know, I don’t think she’s too bright, she’s scarce said a word since we caught her and that only in Saxon so she ent gunna to tell him is she?  Up with yer shift gal” Thorkil advanced upon her like a huge bear, unbuckling his belt, whilst Alodie backed up until she reached the wall.  Terrified, she played her last card and said in perfect Norse.

“Yes he will know, because if you touch me I shall tell him” the big Viking’s jaw dropped, then grinning delightedly, he turned to Leif.

“A year did I say? We’ll get enough for this girl to last us a lifetime.  I’ve discovered from this old whore here that she’s not yet wed so she should be untouched.  This’ll end up a king’s wench or I’m a dunce” he turned back to her.  “Why did you not speak before, girl?”

Alodie drew herself up to her full height, straightened her shoulders and brushed a stray speck of mud from her cloak.  “I had absolutely nothing to say to scum like you”.  Snarling, Thorkil drew back his hand.  Alodie did not flinch.  “What?  Hit me and damage the goods? Tut tut what would Harald say?”

He gaped, then boomed with laughter  “Loki’s balls, if I didn’t need the money nothing would make me part with you” he turned to his companion “think of the sons she would make me Leif!   Come on Valkyrie” he chuckled, then  gripping her upper arm and pulling the hood of her cloak over her golden head, he pushed her roughly out of the door.

*******************

They had erected a kind of dais in the village square (Alodie recognised the door from the church supported by two tree stumps) and, to her dismay, the square was filled with Vikings, with more arriving every minute.  When it seemed that not another human being could be squeezed into the square Thorkil cleared his throat and climbed onto the makeshift platform.  “Brothers” he announced “I have asked you to come ‘ere today for your valued opinion of a certain piece of Saxon, er, workmanship, which I propose to auction”

“We propose to auction” hissed Harald, who was standing behind the dais, with his hand on Alodie’s arm.

“We
propose to auction” amended Thorkil, rapidly. “Milady, step up here”. Harald pushed Alodie forward and Thorkil pulled her onto the dais
Dear Lord
she thought
please do not let this happen.  I am Alodie Austen, starship captain, I have degrees in navigation, engineering and computer sciences and am one of the best pilots in the whole of the known galaxy.   However, I am about to be stripped and auctioned off as a plaything to some sweating, ignorant savage with about as much brainpower as a Doman tercep herder.  Let this be a dream, God, please!

Thorkil twitched the cloak away, Alodie took a step back and put her hands to her mouth.  “Straight girl, stand up straight, they can’t see the goods with you hunched up like that” he hissed.

Alodie opened her mouth to plead with him, to beg him not to put her through this nightmarish indignity but then a perverse worm of pride began to gnaw away at her fear, transforming it into anger. 
Damn them
she thought.
Yes, I
am
a starship captain, years of training and thousands of credits have gone into making me one, they’ll not see me grovel like some Saxon milkmaid!

She turned to Thorkil and, withering him with a glance, drew herself up to her full height, there was a slight breeze which caught her shift, moulding it to her body, showing each curve of hip, waist and breast.

There was a unanimous groan and a series of whistles from the assembled men “Guaranteed virgin” shouted Thorkil above the hubbub.  This was greeted by jeers and catcalls.  Thorkil held up his hands “Lads, I mean it, when we found this piece we thought first of our mates and their gold”

“Oh yeah” called out one of the men “you’ll ‘ave all ‘ad ‘er first” Thorkil smiled at the man, it was not a pleasant sight.

“I said guaranteed virgin” he fingered his axe almost lovingly.  “You calling me a liar Knud Knudssen?”  When the man did not answer he looked up at the assembled throng.  “I repeat lads, guaranteed virgin, money back if she isn’t”

“Tell you what, Thorkil” called out another voice from the crowd “give ‘er to me for five minutes and I’ll report back to you all!” more laughter.  Thorkil held up his hands and cleared his throat, noting with delight that Amund, Osketyl and Guthrum with their
hyrd
or group of personal bodyguards, had just entered the square and were pushing their way to the front.

“Right lads, down to business” he continued, bowing, slightly to the three kings, not too much and not too little, just the right amount, they were, when all was said and done, just warriors like the rest of the army.  Kings amongst the Norsemen, whether kings by inheritance or the much more respected sea kings, were not the absolute monarchs of the Saxons, rather first amongst equals.  The one thing they did have though, for which Thorkil was glad, was gold and to spare.  “This is none other than milady Alodie” he continued “the betrothed of the nephew and only heir of the thegn of this ‘ere vill who, as my Lords Guthrum, Osketyl and Amund will not need to be told, is a right ‘and adviser to King Alfred ‘imself.  We caught ‘er trying to escape through the forest, so as an ‘ostage if nowt else I’m sure she’s worth a coin or two”

“Belt up jawin’ and lets see the goods” shouted a voice from the crowd.

“Right” said Thorkil “although I’m warning yer, once you’ve seen this in the raw don’t expect to be able to get a stalk on with your wives and sweethearts again – oh, and by the way, she speaks our tongue and look” he pulled apart her lips “ever seen such teeth?”

“Bugger ’er teeth, ger on wi’ it” shouted a strangulated voice.

Licking his lips Thorkil unfastened the cord on her shift.  It slithered to her feet revealing her naked to the assembled men.  Alodie closed her eyes, she must remember the training; this humiliation was just another part of the expedition which would have to be lived through, breathe deeply, don’t let these savages get the better of you, don’t let them win, take yourself out of your body, leave them a shell.  But Lord, it was so difficult.  Alodie had never felt as alone in her life, she opened her eyes, the Vikings were staring at her as one man, glassy eyed and slack jawed.

There was silence for  a few moments, profound silence, then a voice at the front whispered. “Loki’s balls, look at that”

“Thor save me, I’m in love” croaked another.

“Five silver bracelets, twelve gold pieces and..................my axe” shouted a young lad.

“A coronet, one hundred gold pieces, a sword and an axe” shouted another.

“My snake ship”

“Two snake ships” shouted one of the jarls.

Grinning, Thorkil pulled the pin from her hair, it swirled over her shoulders, a heavy golden mass.  Alodie instinctively put up her hands to catch it and her breasts stood out like two ripe golden fruit  “Ooodin, my wife and steading!”

Suddenly Guthrum spoke.  “Three thousand in gold, three snake ships, a shield, a jewelled breastplate and my best axe”.  Silence fell, Thorkil felt faint.

“G – going to King Guthrum, once, twice....”

“One moment” said a deep voice.  “Six thousand in gold, three thousand in silver, four dragon ships, two shields, two swords, a jewelled ring and a blood ruby”

There was a collective gasp from the men as they turned as one to stare at a man dressed from head to foot in black, a late-comer who stood head and shoulders above most of them.  Thorkil ran his tongue across his dry lips and swallowed convulsively.  “S-sold to King Herger for the aforementioned price – get yer cloak on girl”

*****************************

Herger Sigvardson was not a man usually given to paying exorbitant prices for anything, especially women.  He was a sea king, he loved only his ships, and, at twenty nine years old, was reckoned by most of the men to be the greatest warrior in
Scandinavia
and, by almost all of the women, to be the most handsome.

He had been born the youngest son of the jarl of Seinshaven, one of the richest men in
Norway
and right hand man to Ragnor Lodbrok.

At the age of twelve Herger had killed a thirty year old man in single combat because the man had made the mistake first of kicking Herger out of the way  and second, underestimating his opponent.  He had commanded his first ship at fifteen and led his first Viking raid at sixteen.  At eighteen his father had died and left all his lands and most of his gold to Ingvar, his eldest son.  Herger did not begrudge this, as his father had left him all but one of his ships.  Herger felt, indeed, that he had had the best of the settlement.  His home was his ship.  The gold his father had left him he did not need for material things; he liked good clothes and food but the majority of it went on buying and building ever more ships to lead on ever more raids, so adding to his wealth.  At the last count he had fifty ships under his direct command.

His main base was a large steading in
Northumbria
, just east of Jorvik, where he had settled his household and personal servants.  When he decided to leave the sea he would retire there.

With the passing years his reputation had soared to great heights.  Stories were told about him round the fires in
Norway
,
Sweden
and
Denmark
.  He was reputed to be able to wrestle bears and wolves and steer a ship to the edge of the world and back.  Strangely, in an age of barbarism, he was never unnecessarily cruel, he had taken women, of course, in raids but never killed them afterward, nor would he harm children and old people, or allow his men to do so.

He led by example and never asked any man to do anything he would not do himself.  He was so well thought of that he now had a personal following of some eight thousand men and thus, when asked by Guthrum to assist in the invasion of Wessex, had calmly agreed on condition that he received a quarter of the loot and an equal footing with Osketyl and Amund, Guthrum’s uncle and a kinsman of Halfdan, Ubbe and Ivar who, when the army had split in 871, had gone to subdue Northumbria.

As far as women were concerned, however, he was an enigma.  Due to his looks, wealth and power, there was hardly a marriageable maiden in
Norway
,
Denmark
and
Sweden
who had not  tried her hand at ensnaring him, to no avail.  His only love seemed to be
Freyja,
his chief ship, the fastest, largest and most stoutly built vessel in the whole of
Scandinavia
, and therefore one of the best in the world.  No woman meant anything to him, he had taken what was freely offered, of course, from both high and low born maidens and married women too but he had steadfastly refused to commit himself to wedlock.  Marriage he had thought of as something necessary, in due course, to get legitimate sons and for that reason his mate would have to be chosen with care, for his sons would have to command hundreds of men and gain their respect.  He would have to have incredible sons so it followed that their mother would have to be incredible too.  She would have to be buxom and healthy, fair and proud, wise and chaste.  Able to answer him back in an argument, yet sway him with her womanly wiles – an impossible woman and Herger had decided not to marry until he found her and if, by any remote chance he did, he would go to the ends of the Earth for her.

And she was here!
Here, in this tiny, dead end village in
Wessex
.  She had been captured, beaten, possibly raped (by Thor, if so he would have the genitals of that wily Thorkil) and paraded on a table, stripped before the lascivious eyes of hundreds of men and still able to look on them with disdain and pride, refusing to cower.

He had realised within thirty seconds of his arrival at the auction that she was the woman for him.  The most beautiful and proud who ever lived.  Their sons would be truly magnificent.

****************************

Eyes blinded with tears, Alodie was led, covered in a cloak, through the village.  She was numbly aware of being taken back to the hall and into the room from which she had run
(was it only this morning?)
to see who was contacting the ship.  Thorkil pushed her roughly toward the bed “wait here, someone’ll be along in a minute” he snapped.

Even in her distressed state Alodie knew she would have to get her bracelet back somehow, she glanced down at Thorkil’s wrist.  As he was a good head and shoulders taller than her and looked as though he wrestled polar bears before breakfast she decided against the idea of taking him on in unarmed combat and decided for once to rely on her womanly wiles – she was going to need the practice.

She dropped open the cloak slightly and moistened her lips.  Groaning, Thorkil turned away from her and headed toward the door.  “Thorkil” she called quietly.  “Did I get you a good price?”