A Heart of Fire (18 page)

"'Tis
not as though the looks of this dress shall change anything," Finna said.
"The dress shall not make him desire me as a wife, nor I him for a
husband."

Though
she did not see them, facing the wall as she was, Finna sensed their hesitant
stares on her back. Stares of empathy.

"Marriage
to Valdrik shall not be all that bad," Surguilde said. "You are a
woman. Were your situation any different, had you been raised here with us,
your father would still have wed you to a man of his choosing. He has chosen
well. Hadarr may not have gained your trust yet, but I feel you shall find
peace with his choice."

Her
refusals throughout the fortnight had done little, as Valdrik had told her they
would. All too soon, she would be his wife and no longer a woman of her own.
She would belong to him.

Like
a piece of property.

Finna
shut her eyes, squeezing away the unpleasantness to come.

Only
a heart of fire could withstand his glacial coldness. It was good she possessed
such a heart. He might think to treat her as no more than a burden or less than
he would treat his horse, but she would not have it, and soon the thickheaded man
would come to realize that.

A
knock came at the door then, and a serving girl stuck her head through.
"'Tis time," she said.

"We
shall be below in a moment," Surguilde called, rising from the hem of
Finna's dress, pushing off her knees with a puffed breath. Finna turned around,
and both she and her sister helped their mother to stand. Geera smiled and gave
Finna a kiss on the cheek before she followed the serving girl from the room to
wait at the stairs.

Surguilde
straightened her dress and then poked at one of Finna's braids, tucking it up
in an elegant sweep. "I am sorry 'tis not spring and there are no flowers
to weave onto your crown," she said. She smiled tenderly and clamped her
arms around Finna in a tight hug. "I've only just gotten you back, and I
feel as though I am to lose you again already."

"I
shall not be far," Finna said, her forlorn feelings etching their way into
her voice.

When
her mother let go, Finna bit her lip and shut her eyes tight.

How
was she to bear this?

"‘Twill
be all right," Surguilde said, taking her hand and pulling her along.

****

Valdrik
scanned the room, searching for his bride, unsure if she would willingly come
or force him to chase her down again. He hadn't realized he was holding his
breath until a flash of white caught his eye from above as the hem of her dress
kicked out with her steps. White, like a flash of lightning in a night sky, a
symbol of purity to their people. Valdrik swallowed hard at the thoughts of her
questionable purity as Surguilde led Finna down the stairs, her sister trailing
behind them. For a moment, Loki stole that very breath.

Surely
the gods played an evil trick upon him, for this could not be the same woman he
had abducted a mere fortnight ago.

Try
as he might, Valdrik could not tear his eyes from her, not until Stieg slapped
him on the shoulder.

"Try
not to look so stricken," his friend said low, gruffly. "She might
claw your eyes out for looking upon her overlong."

Valdrik
gave the man a hard look. "It does not do for you to speak of my bride in
such a way."

Stieg
laughed. "'Tis only the gods’ truth."

The
ceremony went very quickly for him from there. The exchange of swords, one
forged new from her and one to hand down from him, which Finna would keep
safely for their son. They exchanged rings on the tips of their blades, and it
was done.

Valdrik
stared at Finna strangely, and she even more strangely at him.

He
would give her time, he decided. He cared not for an unhappy wife,
even
if his wife was Finna.

But
what he would not give was any more leniencies for her antics. There would be
no more fighting, no more escape, and no more leggings. Though, he had not seen
her in any since Surguilde had done away with Finna's clothing, he was certain
his bride had sought out a pair elsewhere.

He
held out a hand to her, to lead her to the dais where they would feast
together. Her fingers trembled in his as he handed her into her seat.

"For
a moment, I thought you would deny me," Valdrik said once seated at her
side. "Or run that sword through my side."

Finna
leaned in his direction. "For a moment I thought about doing just
that." Her eyes flicked up to his. Valdrik smiled, and then he laughed.
Finna did not appreciate his humor, even if she had been jesting.

There
was a good reason he'd had both swords taken and put away where his wife would
not be able to use them.

"You
have done me a great service by becoming my wife," he said.

Finna
reached for her ale and drank, looking daggers at him from the side until her
head tipped back and the horn was empty.

Valdrik
eyed the horn with a raised brow. "Do you think you need to get yourself
drunk for some reason?"

"Perhaps,"
she said, her voice ragged and deep.

The
sound, along with the knowledge that she was now his to do with as he pleased,
stirred his desire for her.

For
whatever reason though, she was not as pleased with him as he was with her.
"You are very beautiful with evening," he said, reaching to
smooth back a piece of her hair at her temple.

Valdrik
stopped short, inhaling sharply at the piercing sting at his thigh. His stare
flew downward to his leg and then back up to Finna. She held the tip of her
eating knife at his inner thigh under the table where no one could see.

He
swallowed uneasily. "What is this?" he asked darkly.

Slowly,
she turned narrowed eyes on him. "Do you think I am a simpleton? Do you
think I do not see through your shrouded words? You spoke of me as a burden a
fortnight ago, but come the time you think to bed me, you offer honeyed words
to ease your way." She gave him a sharp poke, twisting the tip into his
leggings painfully.

Valdrik
grunted and squirmed in his seat, trying desperately not to let on to the rest
of the hall that his wife had him at knifepoint.

"Well,
that shall not happen, Viking." She removed the blade and set it back by
her trencher, out of his reach, and lifted her ale horn to a serving girl,
tottering it between her fingers to catch the girl's attention.

Valdrik
took his time contemplating his next words very carefully as, by chance, Willow
came and refilled Finna's drink. A thought occurred to him then, probably not a
rational thought.

By
the gods, his
wife
would learn to
respect him.

One
way or another.

When
Willow handed Finna's drink back and his wife began to intoxicate herself
further, Valdrik snapped his fingers to get Willow's attention, and he crooked
a finger at the thrall. "Come," he beckoned, ignoring the hesitation
the poor girl suffered.

Finna
watched him warily over her horn before she lowered it and dragged her fist
across her mouth. As Willow rounded the table, Finna's cheeks reddened,
watching closely as the girl obediently came to Valdrik and he pulled her onto
his lap.

"You
see, Finna, it matters not to me whichever woman is beneath me sharing my bed,
sharing her body with me." His hand skimmed down the Willow's belly to her
thigh.

Willow
cast her gaze away from Finna. Out of fright or respect, he was not sure.

Finna's
cheek twitched with something Valdrik thought might be rage. He allowed his
wife to get a good, long look before he pushed the girl from his lap and turned
his attention back to Finna. "I wanted your sister because she was
biddable and kind, but mostly, as I've made clear, because of the position she
would bring me. You—" he shook his head "—you would do well for
yourself to realize you are mine, and you shall not tell me when, where, or how
I shall take you. I do not
need
sweet
words to take you or any other woman." When Finna jerked her stare from
him, he reached out and turned her face back to his. "I offered those kind
words to ease your nerves, to be kind to you, because I truly thought you
particularly beautiful this evening. Though I have tried, you have shown me
nothing but disrespect. I shall not tolerate it anymore, and you
shall
heed me." He paused, letting
go her chin and lifting a threatening finger to point at her. "And if you
ever
put a blade to my flesh again, you
will pray to the gods you had not." He sat back, taking up his own ale and
very much feeling the need to get drunk himself.

"I
hate you," Finna said quietly enough only he heard her words.

"That
is not my wish. You derive your hate for me from your own doings. I tried to be
kind to you, remember that." Valdrik drank heartily.

"
Kind?
" Finna asked. "I did not
want a husband who cared less for me than he does his desires for retribution.
For you
were
very clear, that is the
only reason you are marrying at all! I thought never to wed, but if I did, I
wanted to love the man I chose for myself. Cannot you see? That has all been
torn away from me by a father I scarcely know, all in the name of rewarding
you."

Valdrik
slammed his ale horn down and turned close to her.

"You
still do not get it, do you?" he asked. "Your father has done this to
honor
you. To protect you. Geera told
me what you did for her. ‘Twould be the same for you, no matter your
skill. The men here would toss you around as easily as I have. Do you think
these people would forgive and trust you if they knew your sword dripped with
the blood of their sons, brothers, husbands? Oh, nay." Valdrik shook his head
as his words washed over Finna. "Nay, they would not. You are my wife, and
I shall protect you. My name protects you here. So before you think again to
say your father has done you an injustice, you should think about what I've
just told you."

"Surely
there could have been another man," she said brokenly.

A
tremor of anger shot through him. "So 'tis only
I
you object to?"

"Aye,"
Finna said tilting her chin close and nipping her teeth at him, her eyes
flashing blue sparks.

Valdrik
snorted. "We shall see, wife." He gripped the back of her head so
suddenly she had no room to protest. Closely, so close his lips brushed hers as
he spoke, his words rumbling into her mouth, "After a long winter together
we shall see how much you despise me."

A
burst of shouting and commotion went up throughout the room, prompting Valdrik
to release her suddenly, his gaze darting out over the crowd. He gained his
feet swiftly, and Finna shot up beside him.

He
searched for the source of the commotion, but could not discern the cause
through the rising din and growing crowd.

"What
is this?" Finna asked.

"I
do not know," he said, searching the room for an answer, one hand on the
hilt of his sword, the other pushing Finna behind him.

Hadarr
rose then, too, and held out his arms to silence the throng of people coming in
their direction. "What is the meaning of this?" he shouted above
them.

"We
found these men trying to take down a portion of the wall," a man called
out, thrusting a battered man forward where the prisoner fell onto the rushes
and rolled over himself several times before coming to a stop. Blood spurted
from his mouth onto the straw covered floor as he coughed. Another man landed
beside him.

"Grahund,"
Finna cried, shoving past Valdrik before he had the chance to stop her.

"Finna!"
Valdrik started behind her. He was a mere step away when she threw herself
to the floor beside the man.

"Who
are these men?" Hadarr called. "Do they belong to my brother?"
he asked, fury racking his voice. Already he drew his sword and started from
the dais, Surguilde reaching to pull him back, but to no avail. Hadarr limped
down the steps to stand opposite Valdrik with Finna and the injured man between
them.

"Who
are they?" Valdrik repeated Hadarr's question as Finna smoothed her hands
over the face of the battered man. The captive was barely conscious, but the
man focused on Finna, tried to slur some semblance of words to her.

"Only
men doing what they have been ordered to do! Leave him be," Finna cried as
another stepped forward to haul the captive to his feet. She rose on her knees
and gave the man a shove. Valdrik stepped forward to stop him, gesturing for
the man to leave his wife to do as she wished.

Anger
curled in his gut that they dared disrupt his wedding. It was like a fist in
his belly when he noticed the man's blood staining Finna's new dress.

"If
these are Aldar's men, kill them at once. I want their heads on my walls,"
Hadarr ordered.

"Nay,"
Finna shouted. "Please! They've only come after me because they are my
family and care for me!"

The
room went still and quiet for a long moment.