The Bride of a Viking

Chapter Twelve

A date had been set. Three days from now Aila would be walking down the aisle and into the arms of her captor. She imagined a darkness lingering at the alter, waiting to consume every last part of her as soon as she spoke the words I do. She couldn't believe how soon it would be, especially after hearing Yrsa say there wasn't a date set.

Aila sat in a cozy chair, furs over her body to keep away the chill air. Tove was at his desk, reading important documents. He had invited her into his office for a drink when he blurted the news. She was appalled, her heart sinking into her stomach. Tove's mood soured after her horrified reaction. He wanted an heir, and it seemed like he wanted her to want to give him one.

"I thought you would've warmed up to the idea by now," he said.

No words came to mind. How could he expect his captive fiancée to want to do anything for him? The man was utterly ridiculous and intolerable. The only nice quality about him was his physique, but that wasn't worth having to put up with him. Nothing was worth being with the man who killed your entire family.

     "You can force me to live here and have your children, but you cannot make me like it. I will never want you." Aila's words were firm as she stood from the chair, letting the blankets fall from her lap.

"The quicker you learn to accept—"

"Oh I have accepted it, but that doesn't change the way I feel," she cut him off.

Tove inhaled deeply and sighed, suppressing the anger that threatened to surface. Aila was surprised he didn't jump out in rage and threaten to beat her. "The way you feel about me will change over time." Did he truly believe that?

"You killed my family, don't ever expect my opinion of you to change." Without waiting for a response, Aila turned to leave. Tove's chair screeched against the floor as he stood. Aila grew nervous, not wanting him to get physical.

"It is the way of our people," he said, as if that were enough. "We kill, we pillage and take what we want, what we've earned."

"Earned!" She practically screamed as she spun back around to face him. His face held surprise. "You didn't earn anything you took. You think being strong and taking from those who are weaker than you means that you've earned it?" She paused, taking a moment to catch her breath. "You stole! You raped and you took people from their families! You took me from my home and my family!" Her voice began to break as tears spilled from her eyes.

"Imagine one day you're happy and enjoying life with the people you love, and then all of a sudden everything and everyone is taken from you. There are no goodbyes. You're just taken from everything you know and expected to adjust in an instant." Aila wasn't sure why he continued to let her speak, why he just stood there and listened to her.

     "You let my family burn and then you killed my brother right in front of me." Her knees buckled and she landed back in the chair, her eyes staring at nothing. Ever since she had gotten onto that boat, Aila hadn't let herself think of her family. Not until now.

     Boots clacked against the hard floor as Tove moved toward her, kneeling in front of the chair. His hand landed on her knee, cupping it. "You do not understand the way we live, but you will." They were not words she wanted to hear.

     "You will have my children and be my wife. People will respect you and love you here. You will have a family." Aila could tell that he was trying to comfort her, but his words did little in that regard.

     "What about Yrsa?"

     "What about her?" His voice became surprisingly soft.

     "How does she fit into this?"

     "She is my wife in name only. I have no love for her and neither does anyone here. I cannot divorce her, she is Jarl Erik Nordskov's sister. To divorce her would be to start a war with the Nordskov clan."

"Why did you marry her? I heard you say a few days ago never trust a Nordskov." All thought of Aila's family disappeared as she became suddenly invested in the political arrangement between the Nordskov and Alverson clans.

Tove seemed pleased that Aila was taking an interest. "The Nordskov's are a very powerful ally, much stronger than my own clan. I benefitted greatly in our arrangement by marrying Erik's sister, he paid me handsomely. If I had known how delusional Yrsa is and that she cannot get pregnant, I would never have married her." Aila felt as though Tove were leaving important details out.

"Does this land belong to you, or are we on Nordskov territory?"

"This is my home," his voice became possessive. "The Nordskov's staying here was supposed to be temporary, but it has been many years now. Erik left his son here to watch me." His face hardened.

"Who is his son?"

"Colden."