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'Could you ever be, really close to me?'
As Tyra approached the home of the four brothers, her hands shook. She never got nervous but today was different. Knocking on the door, she waited a few seconds before she entered when she heard someone calling from inside. "Oh," she said awkwardly when she realised it was only Ivar and Ubbe inside at the table.
They both stared up at her before the eldest brother spoke, "What can we help you with?"
"Where's Hvit?" Tyra's voice was quiet as she held her hands together in front of her.
Ubbe looked at Ivar before he returned his gaze to Tyra. "He's out hunting," he lied to the young woman hoping to spare her the truth.
Nodding her head, Tyra smiled. "I'll find him later then," she left the building beginning the walk towards the river. She wanted some time to reflect knowing her life was about to change.
At the river, she took her shoes off, letting her feet dangle in the water as she stared out at the surrounding land. This place had been her home ever since she could remember. Kattegat was a beautiful place and Tyra didn't ever want to leave, not if she could help it. She didn't know why she was wasting her time with this trip down memory lane.
Bringing her left leg out of the water, she put her foot on the ground before leaning her chin on the raised knee. Relaxing against her leg, she took a deep breath. So much had changed in her short life, there was still more to come.
As the day dragged on, Tyra had taken her foot from the water and laid on the rocks, just taking in the sky. She loved to just stare up at the clouds, watching them move by and change.
"I thought I would find you here," she heard the recogniseable voice of her friend, Hvitserk.
Turning her head to look at him, she smiled at him as he laid next to her, close so their hands touched as he followed her lead and faced the sky. "You've been looking for me?"
"Ubbe said you wanted me," he said making her smile fade for a moment as she looked back at the moving clouds. "I knew you'd be here."
"It's not important," she lied. "I just wanted to spend some time with you."
Hvitserk reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. Tyra hated how he made her feel, his touch sending sparks through her body as she tried to remain calm. "You know I'll spend time with you whenever I can." He let her hand go as he pointed up at the clouds, "That one looks like a wolf."
"Oh, yeah!" Tyra tried to remain normal. Turning her head, she gazed at her friend. He looked happy, like everything was perfect in his life. "I have to tell you something."
He turned his head to face her, they stared at each other for a moment just silently searching each other's eyes before he spoke, "What is it?"
Tyra took a deep breath, she didn't know how to sugar coat it, she just had to do it. "I'm getting married."
"What?" He sat up as he looked back at her. She remained lying down just turning her head to look at her friend. Hvitserk didn't know how to handle the words that came from her mouth. "To who? When? What's going on, Tyra? Are you in trouble?" He had so many questions to ask her, he wanted to know everything.
"I'm father has found me a suitable man to wed," she tried to make it sound better than it was. She wasn't happy about the situation but she couldn't disobey her father.
Hvitserk was visibly angry, his jaw was clenched as he shook his head and looked away from the girl. "You don't need to marry him," he spoke in a calm voice for a second. "I'll marry you." He looked back at her as she sat up next to him.
"We both know you don't love me," Tyra said as she looked at him before giving him a wistful smile. "Hvitserk, you don't need to marry me. I'm going to marry this man because it's the right thing to do. Once I marry Sten, I'll move to Hedeby. Everyone has a part to play in their life."
Her friend took her hands as he moved around to look closely at her. Sometimes he was sure she didn't know her worth. Her brown eyes shone a light gold in the sunlight and her brown hair had honey tones which made her different to all the other women here. He knew the fact that she was dark haired was probably another reason her father was marrying her off. Apart from the fact she was a brunette, she was a beautiful woman. Her skin was almost an olive colour but it looked amazing against the dark coloured clothes she wore.
"Tyra, you aren't leaving."
He held her hands tightly, tight enough that it was starting to hurt. "Hvit," she tried to pull her hands from his grip. "Please, you're hurting me."
Instantly he let go, his eyes widening as he looked down at her hands before looking back at her face. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
Getting up, Tyra pulled her shoes on before she looked back at her friend. "Please don't make it harder than it is. I don't want to do any of this, I don't want to get married, but I have to do this. I have to honour my father. He's my only family. I can't disappoint him."
Hvitserk stood up quickly, he looked at the woman who had been there for him when others weren't. "I'll speak to your father. Marry me, Tyra. Don't leave."
She looked at her best friend in the whole world. He was so handsome, so clever. Hvitserk was a skilled fighter, someone who was sought after. "You can't just marry me to keep me here," Tyra told him as she looked up into his eyes. "I promise, you'll find the woman you are meant to marry one day. You will have a large family. You'll forget all about me."
He leaned closer to her, placing a kiss on her nose. "I'll never forget you, Ty." Hvitserk reached for her face, his right hand brushing her hair away from her eyes. His eyes flickered from her eyes to her lips before returning to her eyes. Tyra put her hands on his waist, instinctively, before tip toeing up and placing a kiss on his lips. It was only a short peck, something she wanted to remember him by.
Using his left hand, he pulled her back into him. His eyes flickered to her full pink lips before he leaned forward placing his lips against hers once again. Tyra moved her hands, her fingers moving up his stomach before laying flat against his chest. She took the opportunity to do what she'd been hoping to do for a while now, she kissed him back.
Tyra had imagined this for a while but it was much better than anything she could have hoped. Hvitserk knew all the right places to touch her, how to move his hands perfectly against her exposed skin. His kisses were enough to make her forget everything. All she wanted to do as remain like this, to have him close to her forever.
Pulling away for air, Tyra opened her eyes and looked up at Hvitserk. "This is what you want?" She asked him as they held hands and studied each other.
Hvitserk nodded. "There is no other way I want to spend my life, Ty."
