For The Sake of Revenge

Chapter 4: Laws and Moral Codes

When I woke up the next morning, I felt something hard underneath my head that admittedly supplied comfortable leverage. My body felt overly heated and my face felt unnecessarily cold.

I hated the outdoors.

I wiggled, trying to move away from the source of scorching heat.

A hand came down forcefully on my arm.

"Stop moving," Ivar growled, "Or I swear to you I will take you right there and fuck my morning wood away like the animal that you think I am."

The fact that he guessed my thoughts didn't surprise me as I thought it would. There was no use denying it. It was also strange of him to not try and change the impression that I had of him--but that only showed how little importance he gave to my life--or rather, human life in general.

"It's too hot though," I complained pitifully. "And my face is freezing."

"It's better that way, turn around, face me," Ivar commanded me, his grip softening. I sucked in a deep breath of cool air, trying to ease my morning breath. I turned around and waited for his next move.

Surprisingly, he pulled me closer, my face was squashed against his warm chest. Ok, an improvement. How was this man so warm?

"Are we not supposed to be getting up?"

"In an hour or so, we will be moving; we pack up in fifteen minutes if we are being quick."

I shrugged and buried my face in his chest, the warmth making me sigh.

"Alof brought you clothes from the last village. You cannot keep wearing the same thing. You will stink."

"Alof?" I asked, surprised "She doesn't like me."

I felt Ivar sigh, "I had hoped you did not notice. You are right, she does not. But I give the orders here. If I will share a matt with you, I prefer that you did not stink."

I rolled my eyes. His way with words never did not fail to horrify me, amuse me, and repulse me at the same time.

Only a few minutes later, he ordered me to get off the matt. He sat up beside the mat and folded the quilt that covered us. My wrists were chaffing from the rope.

"Go to Alof, take what is yours and do not linger, come back to me then. Do not think of escaping. You have five minutes. Go."

I hurried, weaving through the groggily rising men, looking for the women, hoping to find Alof there. Thankfully, it was simple to spot her.

How do I address this to her? She will get offended if I breathe in her direction.

"Yes?" hissed Alof, hostility in her voice as she noticed my awkward, uninspiring presence.

"Um, Ivar told me to ask you for clothes"

"So, you call him Ivar now, yes?" Alof sneered, getting up on her feet as gracefully as a panther. I gulped.

"He did not tell me to call him otherwise," I said, resisting the urge to shrug as I cowered under her frosty gaze. Something about her made my insides freeze.

"He did not tell you his name either, how do you know?" Alof hissed, her face entirely too close to mine.

"I heard you say it when you first took me, I heard it around a few times," I said, trying to make it seem as ignorant as possible.

"You are not as stupid as you look then," Alof scoffed, sneering at me. She shoved a sack in my arms that I didn't notice before. The force of her shove sent me stumbling back.