Heart's Conquest; A Viking Romance

by Andromeda -

  "I highly doubt you wish to hear what we have planned," Canute answered as he smacked the girl in his arms bottom.

  The girls were screaming, tears sliding down their cheeks. They barely seemed older than 18 years old themselves, and it didn't take Rashida long to realize what the two brothers planned to do with them.

  "No," she said flatly. "Release them."

  Boden and Canute looked at each other, then turned to her. "W…What?" Boden asked.

  "I said to release them," Rashida repeated. "They are mine."

  "Like hell they are," Canute growled. "We got them from the village nearby."

  "Oh, I know," Rashida said coolly. "And as queen, I get a share of the spoils. You can have everything else, but when it comes to women, I claim them all as mine."

  The two brothers were flabbergasted and looked to Alrik for confirmation. "My king…?" Boden said slowly. "Surely…you do not agree with this…?"

  "I am not one to question my wife," Alrik said simply as he knew how Rashida felt about such things. "She is queen."

  "And you are king!" Canute snarled. "Not just that, but I refuse to take orders from a woman!"

  Rashida looked at him, her eyes narrowing as they began to glow. Canute coughed and blood sprayed from his lips as he clawed at his throat, trying to pull away the invisible rope that he felt tightening around his throat. Blood began to slowly pour from his ears and eyes.

  He let go of the girl and dropped to his knees, coughing and heaving, trying to pull away the invisible rope he felt at his throat. "P…Please…" he choked.

  "Please, my lady," Boden pleaded for his brother. "Please! We…We are sorry!"

  Rashida’s eyes turned back to normal and she looked to the elder brother. "Let this be a warning to you both. Do not question the mouthpiece of the gods. When I say that those two girls are mine, then they are. Am I understood?"

  "Yes," both brothers said, bowing their heads.

  Rashida nodded and turned her horse around, riding off and not looking back.

  ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

  A messenger arrived that night from Paris, sent by the French King, who wished to try to keep the Northmen from invading his city. The king had heard of them and knew what they were capable of. Thus, he didn’t want them ransacking his city. So, he had sent a messenger to them to see what they wanted.

  Alrik was not Henrik. While his father would have wanted gold and material wealth, Alrik was looking for something else: mental. Through his father’s note, he had heard that Paris was a gateway city. Many kinds of people from all over the world traveled to it and he wanted to know why.

  The messenger swallowed as he looked from Alrik and then to Rashida, who was looking at him curiously. "T…That is what my king is offering you."

  Alrik frowned. "That isn't enough," he remarked, noting that the king was offering them only ten pounds of gold and silver between them. He was no fool, and he and his men didn't come all this way to be cheated.

  "T…That is all my king can offer you," the messenger repeated.

  Alrik banged his hand on the table before him and stood to his feet. "Then inform your emperor that we will be invading at dawn. We both know that isn't all he can give us."

  The messenger hurried off, running to his horse to get away from Alrik’s anger. Gerik, who stood with Rashida, looked at his nephew with an arched eyebrow.

  "Shall I alert the other warriors?" he asked him.

  Alrik nodded, sighing ruefully. "I do not want to invade…but I must know what brings people from all around the world here."

  "I understand," Gerik said as he gave a small nod to Rashida before leaving.

  Alrik took Rashida’s hand and led her out of the camp, as he wanted to get away from the warriors a moment. He could see their eyes always on him and knew that this test would be the one to decide if he was worthy of being called the successor of King Henrik Ironside or not. As he led her to a large, empty field, he sat down in the grass and pulled her into his lap, holding her in his arms.

  "I am so nervous," he whispered in her hair.

  "About?" Rashida asked.

  “You know," he sighed. "Everything. From Boden and Canute to the battle tomorrow…and my father…"

  Rashida looked at him. "You still don't feel worthy?"

  "Yes," he sighed. "It’s like…I don't know if he would want this…or if he's even in Valhalla watching me."

  "You know he is," she said softly. "I know he is. He was worthy of being seated at Odin's table, just like I know you will be."

  He smiled softly and stroked her cheek slowly. "Thank you, love… You know…I am still a bit worried about you."

  She huffed with mock annoyance and rolled her eyes. "Alrik, I'm not missing that fight…"

  "But if something happens to you or the child," he said, as he remembered when she told him that she was with child again. He was angry that she kept it from him, but knew that he couldn't send her home, even if he tried.

  "Nothing is going to happen to us," she said firmly. "Just like nothing is going to happen to you."

  "How do you know that?" Alrik asked.

  He smiled as she looked into his eyes. "The gods gifted me with visions, remember? You are meant to live a long, long life. You will see our children grow, you will see their children grow. You shall not die until you see the birth of your first great-grandchild."

  "And…and you?" he asked.

  "The future is cloudy for me," she confessed. "I know not what it holds, but I am not afraid of what might happen to me. But I am not meant to die in something as simple as childbirth. You and I both know that I am too strong for that."

  He smiled. "So…true…"

  ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

  He pressed his lips to hers, needing to feel her touch. She responded, turning herself around so that she was straddling his lap as she tangled her fingers in his hair to bring him closer. Alrik’s desire rose instantly and he pressed closer.

  "I want you…" he whispered between kisses.

  "I thought…you wanted to wait until after the battle?" she reminded him.

  "Not anymore," Alrik said as his hands already worked to pull her gown out of the way. "I need you now…I need to be inside you."

  Her hands fumbled with his belt, working to get it open. Once she did, he held her dress out of the way as she spread her legs and grasped his shaft. Slowly, she slid down, both groaning until he was fully inside her. Alrik’s hand went to her hips to hold tight.

  "S…So tight," he groaned softly. "Even…after four children."

  She smiled at him. "My body will always retain its youth."

  He held her hips and pressing his lips back to hers, Alrik began to slowly thrust into her. Rashida held the ground behind him, her hips moved in time with his thrusts, moaning with approval. Not being able to touch each other for so long had fueled their desire. They were always a couple that couldn't ever keep their hands off each other to begin with.

  Alrik missed being inside her and the way she was perfectly wrapped around him. The feel of her heat always made him want more than just one round. Their tongues wrapped around each other in a sacred dance as Alrik began to move his hips faster. His hands moved from her hips to her plump bottom for a firmer grip.

  "Damn it…" he panted. "Damn, I've missed this so much…"

  "That…That makes two of us…" she said as she felt him thrust deeper. She stopped trying to move her hips, and let him take control.

  Alrik slammed her down on himself, pushing himself deeper and deeper into her. Months without her touch had driven him to the primal need to claim her. Rashida didn’t mind, as she loved it rough, and she was as hungry for him as he was with her. With a soft groan, he rolled them over so that she was under him, and pushed her gown up higher to her mid-waist. His hands spread her thighs, as he threw her legs over his shoulders to give him better access. Pounding into her at a furious pace, Rashida could see the sweat dripping from his brow as he thrust deep and hard. His powerf
ul strokes seemed to push deeper than before.

  "If you weren't already with child…" he whispered huskily.

  She couldn't help but release a half-moan–half-laugh from her lips. "I…Is that your plan?" she panted. "Keep me with child?"

  "But of course,” he said with a smirk. “Now be quiet…”

  "Y…Yes, my king…" she teased as her legs locked around him.

  "Say it again…" Alrik said.

  "Say what again?" Rashida asked.

  Alrik withdrew and turned her around on her stomach. His body pressed her against the ground as his hips slammed against her repeatedly. "My king…" he whispered in her ear.

  "My king…" she panted.

  "Louder," he commanded. "Say it louder…I want to hear you scream it…"

  "My king!" she cried out, her hands clawing at the ground as she felt her release nearing. "You are my king! You are my king!"

  "Good girl," Alrik chuckled as he kissed her behind the ear before pulling her up on her hands and knees. "Now…release for your king." He gave her rear a playful smack before holding her hips, pulling her against him with every hard thrust of his hips. "Release for me…"

  He didn’t have to tell her twice, as he slammed himself into her one last time, Rashida threw her head back and screamed his name, the word echoing across the empty fields. He roared, pouring into her, before he withdrew, panting heavily and pulling her to him in the grass.

  "Enjoy yourself, my love?" he whispered.

  "Of course," she panted. "How can I not with you?"

  "Good," Alrik said with a smirk as he pushed her onto her back and pulled her gown back up. "Because I'm not finished with you yet."

  Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Secret Plot

  "Don't hold back!"

  "Push forward!"

  "Odin waits for you in Valhalla!"

  "Prove yourselves that you are worthy of the title of Vikings!"

  Rashida could hear the battle from the camp; she could see it too. While her body laid in its bed in her tent, her spirit was within the body of a hawk that was perched on top of a pine tree. Astrid had taught her this trick, as she knew that it would be useful in the art of battle. She could watch Alrik and keep track of all that was going on while keeping her body safe. Astrid explained that using animals were easier as humans would fight over her control. She could 'split her soul' into more than one body, but it put tremendous strain on her mind. This power was both a blessing and a curse, and she knew that her daughters both possessed it, with her eldest daughter Isis being the strongest.

  As she watched through the hawk's eyes, Rashida could see the two armies, French and Norse, clash again and again. They had been in nonstop battles for the last week, a fight almost every day. The French must have thought that the Norsemen would be easy to beat, as people viewed them as nothing more than savages. However, with all the Jarls and Chieftains joining Alrik on this great raid, they had several thousand in their number. The French must have had almost three times that much, but what the Norse lacked in numbers, they made up in fearlessness and an unflinching non-fear of death.

  The battles were long, with small numbers of Norse holding their own against the swelling number of Frenchmen. The battles always ended up in a draw, however, as there was a bit of a problem. The Norse always chased the Frenchmen back into Paris and then they hid behind their walls, not coming out until the next day.

  As Rashida watched, her eyes fastened onto the form of a fat man commanding his armies on the back of a large war horse. She knew he was their general, the leader of the French armies, and he wasn’t one to hide his disdain for the Vikings. One time, she possessed the body of a cat that lived within the walls, and she could hear him call her people every horrible name under the sun. She secretly hoped that Alrik would run him through personally.

  A rustling nearby alerted her body to danger. A woman crept forward, a knife in her hand. She was one of the many women that Rashida had saved from being raped and abused, yet while the others had found sanctum, she had been nothing but troublesome.

  The young woman approached Rashida with the knife, her intent clear. She didn’t know what tie Rashida had over the Norsemen, but she knew that she was highly valued by their leader. If she were dead, then they would have no heart in fighting and leave her beloved land.

  Slowly, she raised the knife in the air and then brought it down with lightning speed. Almost instantly, she was frozen, the tip just inches from Rashida’s heart. Grunting, she tried to move, but was held fast by Rashida’s power.

  Unhurriedly, Rashida’s eyes opened, glowing green as she looked at the woman. "You tried to kill me?" she asked, her voice echoing.

  "I will kill you and every Viking in France!" the woman cried. "You do not belong here! You are nothing more than a witch!"

  "I saved you from a life of rape and abuse," Rashida pointed out. "And this is how you repay me?"

  The woman grunted as she cursed her in French repeatedly. "I will kill you!"

  "I would mistake you for a Norseman with your personality," Rashida said with a half-chuckle.

  "I am nothing like you monsters!" the woman yelled. "You are not human!"

  "We are very much human," Rashida said. "We have feelings and a moral compass. Something I cannot say for you. You try to kill an unarmed woman in her bed? That means death."

  All the color left the woman's face. "No!" she cried. "No, please!"

  Her pleading fell on deaf ears as Rashida summoned her power. The woman began to cough, blood pouring from her eyes, ears and mouth. Getting up from her bed, Rashida walked out of the tent, leaving her to her fate.

  ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯

  Later that day, not long after the battle, the fire crackled as the leaders sat together, as they talked about their strategy for the next attack.

  "We just need to get over those walls," Gerik said. “But how?”

  "They are too thick for our battering rams," Alrik remarked. "Not only that, but when we get close, they pour hot oil down on us. They have the advantage…"

  Rashida listened to them talk, her own mind in deep thought. The woman's body was disposed of not long ago, and she didn’t really care, but what she said disturbed her. The French weren’t that different than the Norsemen. They would fight these invaders with their last breath and yet…her head shot up with an idea. She looked to where Gerik sat and nodded to herself. She had a plan, but she couldn’t tell Alrik as he wouldn't approve. Yet with Gerik…it was perfect.

  After the meeting, she followed Gerik back to his tent to talk to him. The older man was surprised, as Rashida wasn’t one to be alone with a man other than her husband, but he listened to what she had to say. He had to admit, her plan was a bit improbable, but just might work. He wasn’t that much happy with his part in what had to be done, but he knew that in the end, everything should be fine.

  That night, after she and Alrik made love, Rashida told him that she wanted to go into battle at his side. Alrik was instantly against it, but the way she looked at him, told him that he didn’t have a choice in the matter. She did, however, know how to use her body to make him agree; a thing she had no shame in. But she knew that she must make Alrik agree for her to go into battle for the plan to work.

  The next day, Alrik himself helped her dress in her light armor. The Norse armor was nothing compared to the French. French armor was heavy, cumbersome and covered in many sheets of metal. Norse armor was lighter. Metal covered the most important parts, but the rest was covered in thick leather. They had stronger defenses than the French because of their thick wooden shields. They held up a lot easier than the thin, metal shields the French used.

  As he looked at his wife, Alrik frowned deeply knowing that she was with child and going into battle like a normal shieldmaiden. While he knew that she was more than capable of defending herself, he still worried. He gave her command of the archers, as none could match her with a bow. He hoped that it would keep her far away from the actual fighting goi
ng on.

  When they went out to meet the other warriors, Nakia threw Gerik a secret glance that she hoped was seen by no one. They had to work together for this plan to work, as well as for Alrik to not find out…yet. Bastet, who was never far from her mistress, already knew of the plan and was at her side as everyone walked to the battle ground. It was already torn up from the many battles before, crimson lines marking where many had fallen and would fall today. Rashida hoped to lessen the amount of blood that would be shed today.

  The ground began to rumble as lines upon lines of French approached, the general at the head. Rashida knew what was going to happen: he was going to ask do they surrender, Alrik would say no, of course, and then both sides would charge into battle.

  She threw Gerik another look and he gave a small nod, confirming that he knew what to do when the time came. When the general demanded a surrender and Alrik refused, of course, the general told his men to charge while Alrik looked to Rashida and gave her a nod.

  "Archers, to your marks!" Rashida yelled.

  The archers lined up and planted their feet before they pulled their bows back and fired their arrows. The arrows flooded the sky and within moments, they met their mark in the bodies of the French soldiers.

  Using this as a distraction, Alrik and his men charged in, their weapons ready. The battle was fierce like always, but Alrik should have known that Rashida wasn't going to stay in the background. She instead ran in with Bastet, letting loose arrow after arrow at anyone who dared get too close while the feline fought at her side.

  The Frenchmen hadn’t ever seen anyone like her before, and she made sure to cause a lot of distractions to draw the attention onto herself. It had the desired effect as the general noticed her and made a mental note to himself. When he noticed that the Vikings were seemingly overtaking them, he ordered his soldiers to retreat into the city to get the upper hand. The Norse followed them, and just like before, the Frenchmen began to pour hot oil down to scare them off.

  "Retreat!" Alrik yelled to his warriors. "We will take them another day!"

  The warriors did as instructed, turning away, and Rashida appeared to do the same thing. That was until Gerik appeared.