Part 21 (1/2)

”If you are not happy with the pace I set, go off on your own.” Thorn snarled back in undisguised ill humor. He was also tired and sore, but he wanted to get home and the quicker the better. He badly needed to see Aura in his home. None of what happened would feel real until he could see her in the house he had built for them to share.

”Thorn, look at Aura. She can barely stand. Signi fares little better, although she does not try to hide it as your wife does. You keep on at this rate and you might as well just start digging her grave now.”

”Drop it Edwin. Aura is my wife she travels as I say we do. Just like everyone else.”

Sillgrim broke into the argument, growling as he did. ”Had I known this was how you actually felt about Aura, Thorn, I would have asked Vernon to disallow your vows and I would have offered for her myself. Aura would have made an excellent peace settlement.”

Thorn's frustration fed rage snapped and he lunged at Sillgrim. He had noticed how the man watched Aura and he had been looking for an excuse to take him to task over it.

”Aura is mine, do you hear me? MINE.”

Sillgrim sidestepped as Thorn rushed him, which caused Thorn to overbalance and land face down in the mud. Sillgrim considered it a good indication of how out of control Thorn was, for he knew that there was no way Thorn would have made such a move if he would have been thinking straight. He placed his foot on Thorn's back to hold him down as he snarled.

”I am quite aware of the fact that Aura is yours, just as Signi is mine. Signi is also your sister and you owe them both more consideration than you have given them. I have no intention of allowing you to treat my wife like this. As for Aura, hurt her and you will pay. She saved my life and I owe her a debt. I offer, in return, the consideration and protection a sister, like Signi, would expect to get from a brother, like you. She has no one else to depend upon for her protection. I want you to remember this Thorn, like you, I am also a great warlord. I have no reason to fear you. Even if you have beaten me in the past.”

”What do you mean?” Thorn asked as Sillgrim eased the pressure on his back and he rolled over to face him.

”It was through injuries suffered at the end of your sword that I laid in that field. I recognized you the moment I saw you at the banquet. I doubt if you even noticed who you fought, for the fury burned deep within you at the time.”

”I felt fury only once, at the trampling of Aura's wolf. He was a part of her, the only part of her I thought I had left.”

”It was my horse that trampled the wolf. I did not know whom he belonged to, nor would it have mattered. He was a danger. He had just ripped out the throat of one of my finest warriors. He fought, as we did, against an enemy, and like any other he took the chance at losing. He died an honorable death, now he sits at the right foot of Odin in the halls of Valhalla.”

Aura heard her name being brandied about in anger, as well as the news about Wolf. Thorn had not told her wolf was dead. In her overtaxed state, she thought they argued over her. That was not why she had come back. Tired, and with nerves stretched to the limit, she backed off from the men, turned and ran, while they continued to argue. Signi noticed her distressed form of departure and rushed to her bother's side.

”What do you think you are doing? I just saw Aura run from here, looking as if someone had just struck her.”

”Aura!” Thorn yelled, as he scrambled to his feet. ”Where did she go Signi?” He grabbed her by the shoulders as he blurted his question, with an emotion filled voice.

Signi pointed the way then stumbled against Sillgrim as Thorn shoved her out of the way.

Thorn chased after his wife, although he had no idea where she might have gone. As luck would have it, she had not traveled far. She crouched at the bottom of a tree and cried. It was there that he found her.

Aura turned on him, even as he knelt beside her and took her in his arms. ”You did not tell me. How could you have kept something like that from me if you really loved me?”

Thorn shook visibly as Aura spoke and as she finished he held her even closer as he rasped out his reply. ”I could not. I did not want to hurt you. We have just gotten back together I thought to give you more time. He died protecting me, although I think he knew you had returned. He tried to tell me, the night before, but I refused to listen. You did return the evening of the battle, am I right?”

”Yes.”

”And now you want to leave again. Please, Aura don't go, I could never stand it if you left me again.”

Thorn's mouth closed over Aura's in desperation. She understood, she was needed, he did love her after all and wolf had died trying to keep her love safe for her. He had died a valiant death. The kiss began to change in its intensity, becoming more demanding and Aura felt herself spinning out of control as she clung to him. A moment later she fought to retake possession of her feelings, despite a burning desire to go along with what she was feeling. She could not let their need for each other to get out of hand, not now, not like this. Thorn held her, hugging her close and she relaxed against him, shortly after she fell asleep.

Thorn felt her go limp as he held her, still pressed against his chest. He rubbed his cheek against hers, feeling the velvety smoothness of her skin, and he kissed her tenderly. He did not want to wake her. She was so tired. He held her until he quit shaking then with a tired sigh he rose to carry her back to the camp.

Perhaps Sillgrim and Edwin had been right. Perhaps he was pus.h.i.+ng them all too hard, but wanted, and needed to get her home. He needed to be sure she was not a product of his imagination.

Edwin, Sillgrim and Signi met him by the edge of the encampment and before they could ask any questions, he spoke.

”You were right. I have been pus.h.i.+ng too hard. Tomorrow we will travel at a more relaxed pace.” Thorn then took Aura to his tent and put her to bed in his own blankets, before crawling in beside her so he could hold her close.

Signi would have followed her brother to check on her friend, but Sillgrim put a hand on her arm to stop her. ”Signi, Thorn will let no harm come to her. He would rather die than to see her sad, never mind hurt. Things will work out if we leave them alone.”

Signi nodded and they left to retire to their own bed. Signi and Sillgrim, however, were not content to sleep. They found that despite their fatigue they could not rest until they had exhausted the pa.s.sion that had grown between them. When they settled within each other's arms, their desires fulfilled, she found that she had a few questions for her husband.

”How is it that Thorn can lay with Aura as he does, feeling what he does for her and not want to do what we do? Are not all men naturally l.u.s.ty?”

”I would say no more than most women, not all men are the same. Thorn and Aura have just found each other again after being apart for a long time. They will work it out between them.”

Signi snuggled closer to her husband and murmured, as she hugged him to herself. ”I am glad that you are mine and I need not worry about being mistreated.”

He placed a soft kiss against her forehead and replied. ”Any man fool enough to beat you would deserve the death he would receive at Thorn's hands.” He then rested his chin on the top of her head and went to sleep.

They woke later than usual and found both Thorn and Aura missing. No one commented, or went in search of them, as it was a.s.sumed that they would be together.

Thorn and Aura were together, but not in the way anyone thought. Aura had woken and had, as was normal for her, slipped away from Thorn for her morning bath. He had felt her leave this time and had followed her. He now guarded her bathing time from the edge of the forest, in case someone happened to come upon her by accident. It was at times like this when he missed Wolf. Thorn felt bad about the wolf's death. He had proved himself to be a faithful friend.

Thorn found himself watching Aura, as she cleaned herself and swam, more than he watched for danger and he frowned at his carelessness. Of course he had a portion of an army within a good stone's throw from them, but that meant little sometimes. Experience had taught him that anything was possible. He was definitely going to keep an eye on his wife. It would take them another two and a half days of riding to get home. He had already been shown the error of moving too aggressively. He was not about to make the same mistake twice.

Aura rode seated before Thorn for most of the day, held against him by an arm that curled about her waist. Signi looked askance at Sillgrim several times before she got him to comment.

”Why do you never ride with me in such a manner?”

”Because Signi, we would hold up the speed of our travel. We would not make a mile before we would be out in the woods, otherwise occupied. Perhaps Thorn feels secure with Aura in his arms and finds comfort in it, but I could not do the same thing. Not without stopping to pull you under me several times a day during the trip. You would wonder if you were sore from riding, or from being ridden.”

Sillgrim had remained awed by Thorn's control. How could the man; feeling as he did about Aura, hold her all day and not feel driven to drag her off to be by themselves for a while? It was simply not natural. Sillgrim rode beside Thorn, as an end to the day was announced and watched as he dismounted to help Aura down. He then gave a smug smile at what he noticed.

It had taken a lot of control for Thorn to be that close to Aura all day without succ.u.mbing to urges to relieve his need, but he had done it. He had every right to be proud of himself. After Thorn had seen to his ch.o.r.es, he went to a secluded area of a stream and doused himself. The water was cool and managed to sooth his inflamed desires to a level that he found controllably comfortable. He was determined that he was not going to use Aura as Sillgrim did his sister, so that other men could hear them at night from a distance. There were only two more nights until they got home, he was sure he could wait until then, perhaps even an extra day or two, if he had to, until she recovered from the trip when they finally arrived at their home.

Thorn had already decided that Signi could use the cottage to live in, until things got started on their home. That way the couple would have the privacy they would need. It would also allow for Sillgrim to retain a bit of his shattered pride. Thorn was sure that losing the war had cost Sillgrim in more ways than one. It would do them good to be on their own. Thorn wanted Aura to move into the house he had build for her, even in its state of incompletion.

Thorn had seen Signi return the jewels she had worn on her wedding day to Aura and had not commented about them. He had wondered how Aura had gotten them and from who. Was she a Princess who had gotten lost somehow? He remembered asking that question before. He had not received a satisfactory answer. He then decided it did not matter who she had been. She was his now and that was the way it would remain.

Aura rode her own horse the next day and Signi decided to ride beside her. She chattered in excitement about her future plans and what she expected her life to be like as Sillgrim's wife. She seemed pleased and Aura was happy for her. Towards the middle of the day Signi turned the subject on to a more personal topic and Aura quickly grew uncomfortable with the coa.r.s.eness of the conversation.

”Sillgrim says that your relations.h.i.+p with Thorn is next to non existent. Is that true Aura?” Signi asked too loud.

”This is not the place to discuss it.” Aura whispered as she tossed her sister in law a disapproving look. She wondered what Signi was thinking. This conversation was not something Signi would have started in the past.

”Perhaps Thorn no longer desires you in that way.” Signi gave a smug sniff, speaking in retaliation for her set down. After all, who did Aura think she was anyway? Telling her, Signi, that she was not behaving properly.

Aura made no comment about the remark, hoping that if she remained quiet Signi would catch the hint. She didn't. So Aura picked up the pace a little until they were riding beside their husbands. Thorn had heard several of Signi's barbed remarks as they had joined him and he shot her a warning look. Signi turned up her nose at him and gave a petulant sniff. She was now a married woman and not subject to reprimand as a child would be.

Thorn leaned over to pluck Aura from the back of her horse, and transferred her onto his own. From his place behind her he whispered something into her ear and smiled as she gave a short musical laugh. They then moved off to join Edwin, leaving Sillgrim and Signi alone.

Sillgrim moved his horse closer to Signi's so no one else would overhear them and he snapped at her.

”Even with my background I could tell that the subject you were attempting to force Aura to talk about was crude and not fit for a lady.”

”The ladies at court speak of these things, I have heard them. I thought that as we were both married it was a subject we could speak freely of.”