Claimed by the Viking

Chapter 6 : Give and Take

The following week, Adelheid acted accordingly to the agreement they had made. The first day, she had been able to notice how men were ogling her even if they didn't dare to openly admire her in fear of their Jarl getting mad. They had all seen his reaction of possession towards the young maiden on her first night there.

One week later, when the evening came, it was time to act for real. Adelheid had changed into a moss green dress she had found on a bench in the bedroom. Hilda had advised her to change into it before the dinner and Adelheid had not protested. The quality of it was nice, probably too nice for a woman like her, considering her actual status in the Clan : she had agreed on being the Jarl's concubine and on accepting him as her Jarl, therefore she was a free woman of some sort, but her act of rebellion should probably have been punished and she feared that might happen someday if she didn't respect the arrangement between them. She honestly didn't think she'd be brave enough to face any sort of punishment from him if it was alike the one she had faced for not recognizing him as a Jarl.

During the whole week, he had left her on her own, trying to give her some space, but he came every morning before the midday meal at the nursing house to have her treat his shoulder's wound. In complete honesty, it didn't really need any more tending but he used that as an excuse to have at least a small moment alone with her, even if it was spent in complete silence.

Every evening, she sat next to him and he made it his obligation to always share with her his first portion of the meal, since he always had the finest pieces as a Jarl, after what he accompanied her back to his house and left her in his bedroom, which she apparently thought was hers, while he went to sleep in the guest one.

She had heard women snicker in her back when she had gone to eat her midday meals with Hilda every day. Hilda had told her to ignore them. Bit by bit, she started to understand a few of the Norse words around her, mainly understanding their ways of saying yes, no and unfortunately, whore, as more than one person insulted her when she passed by. The two women she had seen hugging the Jarl were apparently sisters who had been fighting over him. Hilda had explained that the Jarl had never married and had only taken concubines over the past years, who mostly had remained by his side for a few months before being rejected. The blonde woman who had been on his armchair on her first evening here had been one of them previously apparently.

Hilda had told her that to assure her his heart was free, but Adelheid had taken it in a completely different way : she only saw that as a way for him to have some distractions. And she believed she was just one more woman on his list.

The dress she wore that evening was new. It was made of blue cotton, had a nice shape and had probably not be worn many times before since its color was not faded and it looked fairly clean. It also fitted her chest better, which made her less uncomfortable as her breasts were not spilling out of ir so much.

Hilda had told her that some representants from a neighboring Clan would be staying by their Clan this night, Jarl Nottolv and his men, which was why Adelheid had given her a better dress to wear she supposed. She had warned her that their rules were different and not so respectful towards women than the ones Jarl Tharn had imposed here. They should behave since they were not on their own territory and their Jarl was quite sensible apparently, but she should still be cautious. Also, Hilda had gently reminded her of the role she had to play since no mistake would be allowed with the other Clan present, while the previous days, she had just had to sit next to Tharn, tonight she would probably be involved in conversations.

People had whispered when she had entered the banquet hall, the Jarl beckoning her to come closer. She had been warned that she would have to sit wherever he wanted her to and to not talk unless spoken to. For the moment, she would apply those orders.