The Clan Hakon Series

3. Chapter 2

“Are you worried Freya is going to put your bride out of commission?” Delvin asked as he lunged forward with his sword. Allete and the shieldmaidens were currently laboring up the Devil’s Anvil. Freya’s muffled shouts at them could be heard even from this distance. Once the women had cleared the training area, I’d ordered my own men to the corral. Not because we needed the additional drills, but because I had to take out my frustration on someone who wasn’t the captain of my shieldmaidens.

It was true Allete needed the training in the worst way. Growing up a princess, she had no clue what real battles were like. For her, they were something that happened far removed from her castle walls, carried out cleanly and dutifully by her father’s soldiers. She couldn’t fathom the horror that might await her. The sights and sounds were terrifying. The screams of dying men—the vision of their heads severed or entrails removed. The thick of battle wasn’t a place for a princess. But Allete wasn’t a princess anymore. Now, she was the queen of Clan Hakon. As a northern queen, she couldn’t afford to be squeamish. Despite this understanding, I still tensed up every time Freya’s sword connected with Allete’s shield or Freya’s boot connected with Allete’s midsection. My bride would be covered in bruises, and she would groan in her sleep tonight.

“I’d advise against asking about my wife being in or out of commission, Delvin,” I snarled, whirling and arcing my sword over my head, then bringing it down with a two-handed grip atop my sparring partner. Delvin got his own sword up just in time. The metal clanked loudly, and my arms shook with the force of the connection. We both took a step back, eyeing one another.

“I meant no disrespect, Torben.”

“I know, Delvin.” I shook my head. “I’m just a little stressed right now. Seeing our clan so decimated…our homes destroyed…my mother gone…” I lowered my sword.

“You know we will do anything you ask of us, right?” Amund said as he stepped toward us.

“I do, and I appreciate you all.” When I shifted, I saw the others circling me—my six closest and most trusted warriors. I met each of their eyes, hesitating for several seconds upon each one. “I have a feeling I will be asking much of you very soon.”

“And we will answer your call,” Kjell offered.

“I’m tired. You don’t have to butter me up to get me to call an end to the training.” Chuckling, I re-sheathed my sword.

“Told ya he was getting old,” Siv said. “Now that he has a woman, he can’t even spar past dusk anymore.”

“Shut yer mouth, Siv,” Brant growled. “If you want to stay out here and freeze your nuts off, then fine, but don’t expect the rest of us to hang around.”

“You’re getting old, too,” Siv teased. “Pretty soon, I won’t have any competition with the women. With Torben taken, Brant aging, and the rest of you lot dragging your feet, I’ll have the pick of the bosoms.”

“And when you finally do settle down,” Amund said, “I am going to take great pleasure in regaling your future bride with all your conquests. I’m sure she’ll appreciate hearing the stories behind each and every one of those notches on your bedpost. Let’s see…first, there was Ingrid. That was the lass—”

“You’ll be long dead before I settle down,” Siv barked. “You’re even older than Torben and Brant.”

“You boys are giving me a headache,” I muttered, stretching to rub the back of my head.

“Luckily for you, I see Freya has finally called an end to the shieldmaiden’s training,” Brant said. He pointed toward the slowly dispersing crowd of women.

“Finally. Get some rest. Don’t stay up drinking all night.” I directed my comment specifically at Siv. He would be the one who would most likely have to be carried to his bed.

At one time, the warning would have been given to both him and Brant. But Siv was right about one thing. Since Dayna had come into Brant’s life, his carousing days were all but forgotten. I wasn’t entirely sure if this was a good or bad thing. Before, Brant had been like a mountain of balled-up energy. He’d had no purpose, like a ship without a rudder. His lack of focus led to a shiftless mind and idle hands. This, in turn, led to countless fights in the mead hall, along with brokenhearted women scattered throughout our clan and many others.

But the one thing that could always focus my best friend’s energy—battle. While wielding his great war hammer, Brant was a man possessed. All that restless energy, that power, was redirected to a single destructive purpose. And woe to the poor soldiers who stood against us. No one could stand against Brant when the bloodlust of battle was upon him.

Now, given a new target for Brant’s attention, would he still be the same ferocious warrior he always was? Or would he lose his focus? Would Dayna be a distraction, one that would cost us in the most crucial of times? Shaking my head, I tried to push the anxiety caused by Brant and Allete’s sister out of my mind.

Without another word, I took off at a trot, searching for a limping princess. As soon as I spotted her, I rushed up behind her and swooped her into my arms. Her laughter rang out into the purpling dusk sky, and it brought a smile to my weary face. Holding her lithe form was never a burden, not even when I was exhausted. I began marching toward the river.

“I need a bath,” I said.

“You know where the river is,” she replied.

“I do, and that’s where we’re going.”

“I don’t see why I should go.”

“You don’t smell so sweet yourself, Princess.” I nipped her ear playfully as I walked. The river was more of a glorified stream that ran alongside our village. It wasn’t terribly wide or swift, but it did contain a few pleasant pools deep enough for a proper bath.

She took a heavy sniff. “I can’t smell myself, so I don’t really care. Put me down.”

“Can’t do that, Allete,” I said, continuing to march. “I cannot let you into our bed while you smell like a dog that’s wallowed in the carcass of a three-day-old dead animal.”

Her brow drew down, her lips tightening. “That’s a little extreme. Surely I don’t smell that bad.”

“You wouldn’t know. You just said you couldn’t smell yourself,” I challenged. The river was growing close now. I could hear the water bubbling over the rocks. A few more strides would bring us to its banks. Allete’s face grew flushed with irritation. She didn’t realize how attractive I found her when she got all worked up. I probably shouldn’t mention I often aggravated her for that reason alone. I was taking her to the stream for a bath whether my bride wanted it or not. Despite her protests, she’d feel better afterward, even though the bath itself would be quick. The evening air was crisp, and the water would be frigid. Even the hardiest of warriors couldn’t tolerate the water for long this time of year. Still, there was nothing in the world better for tired, sore muscles than icy water.

“You better make it quick,” she sniped. “If important body parts freeze off, I will not feel sorry for you.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that bellowed out of me. Allete never ceased to surprise me. Just when I thought I had her figured out, she would make an outrageous remark like that. If she would have said that in front of anyone else, she’d have blushed as red as a ripe apple.

“It will be the quickest bath you’ve ever had,” I said.

“You mean the quickest bath you’ve ever had. I’m not getting—eek!” Her words were cut off by a squeal as I dropped her out of my arms. Flailing and gasping, Allete hit the surface of the water. She came up sputtering and cursing. There was murder in her eyes as she struggled, cold and soaking wet, back onto the bank.

I reached down, grabbed her hand, and helped her out of the water. Her breath came in gasps. “I’m…going to…cut you. You’ve…been warned.”

I tried not to laugh. I really did.

“I’m serious,” she said, recovering. Her beautiful body shivered, and I couldn’t help but notice how nicely the wet clothing clung to it. This was going to be fun. “You won’t know when it’s coming,” she continued. “Might be tonight. Might be a year from now. I’d suggest you sleep with one eye open from now on, warrior.”

I helped her undress even as I tried to suppress my smile. I didn’t hurry. I was pushing my luck, but seeing her golden hair wet, plastered against her body, and the little goose pimples forming on her supple skin was doing something to me. I wanted to savor this moment. “Okay, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to toss you in fully clothed,” I said, frustrated when I tried to peel the pants from her damp skin.

“Far from your best idea, Viking.” She huffed.

“Don’t be so angry. You look like a feral cat that’s been dropped in a watering trough.”

“That’s basically what I am! And just like the cat, I should claw your eyes out.”

“Quit your bellyaching and help me undress, then I’ll let you return the favor.”

“It’s not quite the same since you’ll be ready for it,” she grumbled but acquiesced.

Twenty minutes later, both giggling and shivering to our core, Allete and I climbed from the water and dried ourselves with heavy furs Rainah, the clan’s non-magical healer, had left on the bank for us. The healer was a wise woman. Not only had she seen me carry Allete to the river and anticipated our need for the furs, but Rainah had also called out before approaching, ensuring she wouldn’t inadvertently see her new clan leader’s unsheathed longsword. Instinctively, she must have understood Allete hadn’t adapted to our custom of bathing, men and women, alongside one another without shame. Or perhaps she simply understood all women preferred their husband not be seen undressed, even for a moment. This was a lesson I’d learned the hard way after Allete had almost skinned me alive when she’d seen me bathing near Freya. Lesson learned.

“Here.” I handed her my tunic. “You can’t wear your wet clothes, and that’ll be better than mere furs until we get back to the hut,” I explained. I couldn’t help my disappointment as her creamy breasts disappeared from view when she slipped it on. She took one of the drier furs, then draped it around her body. I took my own furs and wrapped them around my waist, picked up the rest of our clothes, and took Allete’s hand. “Let’s go get something to eat and then go to bed.”

“You say that as if you’ll be sleeping in the same bed as me,” Allete said.

Raising a single brow, I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. “You don’t like our bed? It took me all day to make that bed. Where will you sleep then?”

She laughed. “Ha. No, I like it fine, and I’m sure I’ll sleep great it in it tonight. Only you won’t be in it with me.”

Now it was my turn to chuckle. “You’ve come a long way under Freya’s tutelage, my love. Your fierceness, Princess, cannot be doubted. Even so, you’re not yet strong enough to kick the jarl of Clan Hakon out of his own bed.”

“The jarl of Clan Hakon…is an arse.” She yanked her furs more tightly around herself before crossing her arms.

“I won’t argue with you there. You’re right. Get over it, Princess. We’re sleeping in the same bed, and I will be holding you. You can be spitting mad while I do or you can enjoy my embrace. The choice is yours.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I won’t be mad anymore. But only because I know I will eventually get even.”

“Whatever you need to tell yourself, beautiful.”

Reaching up, she pinched the back of my arm. “Ow, damn it, woman,” I snarled.

“Oh, did that hurt?” she asked, her eyes wide with childlike innocence.

“You’re lucky you"re cute,” I said.

“What happens when I get old and wrinkly?”

I shrugged. “That depends. Lots of old and wrinkly things are still cute. If you’re old and wrinkly, but still cute, then nothing. But if you resemble an arthritic hairless cat, well…then you’ll get your bottom swatted every time you irk me.”

Allete threw her head back, her laugh ringing out as we entered our hut. “You’re forgetting one thing, Jarl.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

“You’ll be old and wrinkly, too. You’ll be so old you probably won’t be able to catch me, much less give me a swat on my bottom.”

Unable to help myself, I tossed the clothes on the floor and then tackled my wife onto our bed. “You have a point. Perhaps I should just swat your bottom extra now in case I won’t be able to catch you in the future. You’re bound to do many things that get on my nerves, and I don’t want you to get off un-swatted if I’m unable to punish you properly.”

“Are you trying to distract me?” Allete asked suddenly, her head tilting slightly.

I’d wondered how long it would take her to catch on to my strategy.

“The river was part of it, too, wasn’t it?” she asked.

“I knew you’d be sore. I thought giving you something else to focus on would make it easier,” I confessed.

Allete leaned up. Pressed a kiss to my lips. “How am I supposed to plot revenge when you say stuff like that?”

“Don’t worry. You may feel fond of me, now, but I’m sure I’ll do something to anger you soon enough. As a matter of fact, I plan to do many things to annoy you, and I plan to keep doing them for an exceptionally long time.”

She laughed, her eyes dancing with mischief and love. “You’re right. I shouldn’t even concern myself with it. Opportunities for revenge will be plentiful.”

“Why don’t you put on something clean while I prepare us some food?”

She nodded. “Then sleep.”

“Together,” I reminded her with a light pat on her backside.

“Always have to have the last word, don’t you?”

“Always,” I said with a wink. After I stood, I tightened the fur on my waist. I went to the small kitchen to make my princess something to eat, hoping she wouldn’t already be snoring by the time I was done.