I love you. Don’t ever give up your fire. That flame is what shall ignite change in the world. Everything is yours. The kingdom, the land, the money. Anything with my name on it, is yours.
I didn’t tell you this, but I went to a psychic when I first found out I was sick and did you know she told me a Viking would come and claim your hand? Funny, isn’t it?
Yes, I know, I went to a psychic. I know how much you hate them, but I needed to know you’d be fine. It was the one thing that has kept me alive for so long. I had to know you were taken care of. I have a feeling you are now, and that’s why I can finally be with the love of my life.
You are the brightest light, Sassa. My little lavender.
Always watching over you,
Your father.
I fold the paper back to its original state and stuff it back in the envelope. I wipe my tears, place the letter back in my mother’s journal I thought was lost forever, and grab the blanket around my father’s hips. “I love you. Tell Mum I say hello.” I bend over, place a kiss on his cheek, and cover him up with the blanket.
And I break.
Grim catches me and lifts me into his good arm. I hide my face in his chest and sob. The day is far from over. My father wants a same-day traditional funeral. I feel as though the turmoil will never end. Grim carries me down the steps and out the front door, where the entire village is waiting.
I gasp when I see Grim’s village here, too. “They are only here for the funeral. There is no pressure to decide.” He kisses the side of my cheek.
We walk to the end of the aisle the people made. There is a carrier made of wood and flowers. Then, Einarr, Grim, and Lord Troy will carry him to the river and set him on fire, letting his ashes travel to the ocean just like he wanted.
Grim sits me on my feet, holding me steady by my arms. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“No, I’m not. But I will be.” I take his hand in mine and squeeze. Einarr comes down the aisle next, holding my father’s body. He lays him on the carrier, and one by one, everyone lays their own flower or says their own words of kindness.
It feels like seconds, and then it is my turn to say the farewell order. I clear my throat, trying to gather the strength I need to do this.
“Thank you everyone for being here. I know my father would appreciate it. He was sick for a very long time, and knowing he had so much support; it would probably make him well again.” I smile through the pain and take out my father’s knife. It’s tradition for the next of kin to say goodbye with blood.
It’s similar to marriage, only it’s tying my kinship to him after death, in hopes that he will be there waiting for me when I die.
“In blood, in bone, I sacrifice my flesh. In pain, I sacrifice my love for you to journey on in the next life. In time, I’ll meet you again.” I hold my hand over his body and drip my life essence onto the flowers, staining the white cloth he is rolled in.
Everyone kneels and holds a hand over their hearts as Grim, Einarr, and Troy take him and walk him to the place where he and my mother fell in love. So that was the boy she was talking about through her journal. She never mentioned a name.
So that’s where I get it from.
I wrap a cloth around my hand and sit on the ground. Everyone is heading inside for the feast to celebrate his life, but I don’t want to. I just want to stay out here and smell the lavender. I don’t feel like being around a lot of people walking up to me to offer condolences or giving me a hug and kissing my cheek. No thank you.
“You shall miss all the food, your Highness,” Aala says as she sits down next to me.
“I’m not that hungry.”
“Are we doing that again, ma’am?” she teases by nudging me with her shoulder.
“No, no. Really, I’m actually not hungry, and I don’t feel like being around all those people.”
“I understand, my lady. It’s hard to celebrate their life when you’re mourning over their death. Can I ask ye something?”
“You just did.”
“Oh, that smart mouth of yours, your Highness! I ought to go get a bar of soap.”
“That wouldn’t work,” I smile.
“It didn’t when you were little, I don’t expect it would now,” she says, and then she winks. “What shall you do now that your father is gone? The people need a leader.”
“I don’t know. I’m torn. It’s something I need to speak to Grimkael about. He is a Warlord, and to be a Warlord in the North… well, that’s unheard of. This isn’t Viking territory.”
“But it can be, my lady. It’s the change your father was talking about.”
“I’ll think about it.” I tap my foot on the ground, weighing all my options. His people could have a better life here. No one would grow hungry; everyone would have a home; we have an army. It makes sense to stay, and his people could grow our village into a city. Something that we Northerners know nothing about.
Grim, Einarr, and Lord Troy come out of the woods. And my eyes zero in on Grim right away. He exudes strength and leadership. He is a beacon. He looks like a warlord with how he commands attention.
He waves at me, and I give him a smile in return, placing my hands on my stomach. I have started to really show for being so early. The midwife said I shall be fine, but I can’t help but wonder if something is wrong. I haven’t expressed this to Grim because so much has happened lately, and I didn’t want to add worries to the worries.
“Hello, beautiful.” His deep voice cloaks me like a shield.
“Hello, yourself,” I say. “Everyone, may Grim and I have a moment alone, please?”
“Yes, Queen Hohlt,” Lord Troy says as he bows, and it makes my breath catch in my throat. I stare at him with disbelief, and I almost correct him when I realize he is right. I’m the next in line. And that would make Grim a warlord king.
“Thank you, Lord Troy,” I whisper, wrapping a fur around my shoulders a bit tighter as the breeze sends a chill.
Aala gives me a kiss on the cheek, and even with her old age, she is a sassy thing. She slaps Einarr on the ass, causing him to shout, and she disappears through the door.
“Damn you, old mad bat! Stop smacking me ass!” Einarr grumbles.
I giggle, and Thyra waves at me from the doorway, eyeing him as he walks to the entrance of the palace. It looks like she is putting on a brave face, but then she decides to flee instead. I shake my head, causing the dark brown strands to fall in my eyes. One of these days, they will talk to one another without her father around.
“It’s just you and me now, Princess.”
“It’s Queen to you, King. Or Warlord King? I don’t know what to call you.” I lean back on my elbows and look up into the sky. The sun is painting everything in oranges, pinks, and golds. “I want us to unite the kingdoms.”
“You realize I’m not blood royalty? It’s just some fucked up Viking tradition.”
“Still, you’re a King. My King.”
“You want to stay here?”
“I do, I just want us to do one thing first.”
“And what is that, Princess?”
“I want to see your special spot.”
“Just me and you?” he asks with a low, gravelly voice.
I place my hand on his leg and work it up his thigh. “Just me and you.”
“Can we leave now?” he asks. “It’s a two-day ride, at most. We might as well get a head start.”
“We can’t leave my father’s celebration party. That’s just rude.” I laugh.
“Tomorrow?” he asks, tracing his finger down my jawline.
I lay my head on his shoulder and sigh. “Tomorrow.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Grim
I must take her the long way around since she can’t climb down the cliffs. I don’t want her to risk falling while being pregnant. We walk hand in hand down through the woods, and she keeps one hand on the swell of her belly.
She’s so beautiful pregnant. I can’t imagine her another way. I
want to keep her pregnant, but I know how she will feel about that. Her feet are already swelling, the morning sickness ruins her day, and she is always horny.
Which I love. I fuck her up to three times a day, and she is still wanting it. Pregnancy hormones are the best.
“Where are we going?” she asks.
“My spot. You’re going to love it.” We are about to come up on it. I can feel the heat billowing from the hot springs already.
“Oh, wow. It just got really hot, Grim.” She pulls at the collar of her nightgown.
“That’s because of this,” I pull away some vines, and her eyes widen when she sees the large pool in front of us bubbling. She looks from, side to side, taking in the natural beauty of the environment. The trees are tall, surpassing the sky it seems, brushing against the stars.
“If you told me this was here before, I wouldn’t have had us move.” She pouts her bottom lip.
“I wager there is another one near you. I just must find it. Come on, let’s get in.” I shuck off my sandals and my cotton pants. My cock is semi-hard laying against my thigh as I watch her pull her gown off. Once she tosses it on the ground, my cock rises to full mast, and she reaches for me, but I stop her.
Shite, I don’t want to stop her, but I want to take her in the spring. “Let’s get in first.”
“Right,” she whispers, not even dipping her toe in, but walks right in the steaming water. She moans, and the sound goes straight to my cock. She closes her eyes and floats on her back, something she loves to do every now and then. “This feels amazing.”
“Doesn’t it?”.
“I can’t believe you hid this from me,” she sighs, floating around in a circle from the force of the bubbles.
“I didn’t hide it. I forgot to tell you about it. You were kidnapped and my village burnt to a crisp,” I remind her.
“I know, I know. I’m just kidding.”
“You better be. I know where you sleep, Queen,” I tease. When she stands up, she holds a hand to her head and sways. I catch her and pull her out of the hot spring.
“Are you alright?”
She rolls her head back and forth. “I don’t know what happened.”
“I don’t think we should go in those again. Not until you aren’t pregnant. This might hurt the baby. I didn’t even think of that. I’m sorry.”
“Hey, don’t do that. This is amazing. I love everything about your special spot. Let’s go back to the village, which if you don’t mind me saying, is a little creepy since we are the only two there, and play a game,” she says with a bite of her lip.
I crawl over her, sliding my body against her. Our skin is still hot from the spring, and her chest is flushed from the heat. “What kind of game?” I ask, intrigued.
“Whoever orgasms last is the winner,” she says with a gasp and widened blue eyes.
“Now that sounds like a game I can get behind." I bend forward and take her mouth in a brutal kiss. My tongue invades her lips as I push through the plush clouds. She moans into my mouth and wraps her arms around my neck, grinding her pussy against the skin of my cock.
I grab my cock by the base and plunge it into her tight, hot cavern. “Fuck, you feel so damn good,” I groan.
She wraps her legs around me and digs her heels into my ass, pushing my cock deeper in her pussy.
“This will be fast,” I say, grabbing her chin with my fingers and pounding my hips fast, until she is skidding across the ground, shouting and moaning my name. Her nipples beg for attention, and I wrap my lips around the sweet-tasting morsels.
She nods, slithering her hand between us to rub her clit. My balls are already pulled tight to my body. Just taking her out in the woods, having her writhing under me and calling out my name, it brings me to the brink fast. I take her nipple in my hand and twist, and that’s all it takes now for her to spasm on dick.
“Grim, yes! Oh, more! I want more of you.” She grabs the thick of my ass and pulls me deeper into her body, squirming to try to get every inch of me.
But the squirming is what sets me off. My eyes cross, and my back bends, shoving my spewing seed inside her.
“Wow, that was quick. But effective.”
“I’ll make it better for you later. You had me so riled up all day.”
“I haven’t even done anything,” she replies with a few chuckles.
“You just must be you. That’s all it takes.”
“Aw,” she says. “That’s actually so cute. I love it, but I love you more.”
“I love you, too, Princess. Come on, let’s get to that cabin and I’ll make us a fire.”
“Queen!” she reminds me. “Are you going to force feed me potatoes again? Madman.”
I lift one of my brows at her and help her up. “If you don’t eat I will, but I don’t think we shall have that problem, will we?” I challenge.
She lifts her shoulder and drops it, uncaring. “I don’t know. I’m not really hungry right now. So…”
“You little…” I reach for her, but she screams and runs away. We leave our clothes next to the hot spring. I let her get a head start. She can’t run fast with a swollen belly.
My cock twitches again from thinking about why her belly is growing. I growl with a curled lip and start my hunt through the woods. I’m going to catch her and show her what she can really do with that smart mouth of hers.
Epilogue
Sassa
Six months later…
I’m in the nursery folding clothes when a contraction hits. I’ve been having so many it’s time moments when it isn’t actually time, so I ignore it. I continue to fold the tiny little clothes the village banded together and made for us. I love them so much. They hold so much meaning and love.
Another contraction hits, but it’s gone as quickly as it came. I hum as I put the clothes away, but right as I reach for the drawer, yet another contraction hits me, and I’m screaming in pain. I clutch the side of my belly, and it is as hard as a rock. “Griiiiiim!” I scream. The shirt in my hand falls to the floor as I stumble against the wall.
A flood of water splashes onto the floor, and when I look down, I curse. My belly is so damn big that I can’t even see if my water broke. I’ll say it broke since I feel it on my feet.
A stampede of heavy footsteps comes up the stairs, and I roll my eyes when Einarr, Grim, and Lord Troy burst through the room. “Oh my goddess, you’re leaking!” Einarr points to the puddle between my legs.
Lord Troy, Thyra’s father, slaps Einarr on the back of the head. “Her water broke, you fool.”
“Right. I know that. I knew that.” Einarr shrugs.
Grim takes a step forward and swoops me up in his arms. “When did the contractions start?”
“Mmmm, I don’t know. Five minutes ago? I thought it wasn’t real this time. They felt the same.” I roar the last word when another contraction hits. “Oh my god, this hurts so much!” I sound like I’m being exorcised, which if you think about it, I guess I am since I have a spawn about to come out of a very small place.
“Everything shall be fine. I’m taking you to the midwife,” Grim says with a calm and controlled voice.
Another contraction rips through me, sending needles of pain and fury all up and down my body. I grab his shirt and pull his face close to mine. “You shall never get near me again. Do you hear me? You aren’t going to fucking touch me. You did this to me! You did!”
I’m drenched in sweat. From my hair to my back, a river flows, and I’ve never felt more disgusting.
“I know, Princess.”
“You know? Oh, so you know what being stabbed by a million hot knives is like? You are not getting near me. You did this. You are taking this evil spawn and getting it far away from me.” I do the breathing exercises the midwife taught me a few weeks ago, but they aren’t working. Nothing ever works.
He kicks the door open to the nursery, and the midwife runs to me, placing her hand on my stomach. “Oh, my goddess. It’s time,” the older woman say
s.
“No kidding. Really? The pain, fluid, and sweat didn’t give it away?” I shout. “Unbelievable.”
Grim lays me down on a bed and kisses my forehead. “It’s going to be fine. I can’t imagine the pain you’re in, but I’m here. I’m always here.”
“Always?” I repeat for clarification.
“Always.”
The midwife spreads my legs and whistles. “I already see the head. On the next contraction, I need you to push.”
I’m already so tired. I don’t want to push. I don’t feel like I can. Everything hurts. “Grim, I can’t. I can’t do this. I’m not strong enough.” My lip quivers from the cold, hard truth.
“You can do it. You’re the strongest person I know.”
“—You tried to drag me away when it was raining arrows, remember? This is nothing compared to that,” Einarr says. It surprisingly works.
“Right.” I smile, but it quickly fades when the next contraction hits. “Oh my goddess!” I shout, and my face turns red from the exertion. Grim lays a cold washcloth on the back of my neck, and it brings instant relief. I feel like I’m burning from the inside out.
“This one has a headful of black hair. I can tell he or she will be beautiful. I need another big push.”
I do what the midwife says and push with everything I have until I collapse in the bed. I’m gasping for air. I can’t see from the sweat blinding me. And I can hear the blood rushing through my ears.
“Right, don’t panic. The cord is wrapped around the neck. You’re going to feel pressure from my hands. We just need to get this little one untangled.” She reaches in, and I scream with pain. Pressure! Pressure, my ass. This is the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life.
“Is the baby alright?” I tug on Grim’s shirt. “Is it?”
The Viking's Bride (Viking Warriors Book 1) Page 23
