Claimed by the Viking

Chapter 7 : Trust and Hold

Tharn had just finished training with his men for the day, but it was afternoon already. In the morning, they had bid their goodbyes to Jarl Nottolv and his men. Afterwards, the midday meal had came and he had had to tend to some justice affairs in the Clan before finally going into training with his men. It was nearly night. The days were getting shorter, and the evening meal would be served in an hour at most.

He sighed. The golden-haired woman was definitely occupying all of his thoughts. The night before was still vivid in his mind.

He decided he would drop by the nursing house for his daily meeting with Adelheid, even if his shoulder honestly didn't really need any more bandages. He just wanted an excuse to see her and be close to him in private. This morning, he had left his little goddess sound asleep in the bed before leaving for training, and he couldn't wait to see her again since he had only had a brief moment with her while saluting Nottolv away, which had not lasted since she had very fast returned to the nurse house and he had had affairs to tend to.

He secretly hoped that Hilda wouldn't be here so he could have a moment with her alone. He definitely wanted to steal a kiss from her, maybe more. He truly felt like a young lad who was fidgeting about meeting the one he loved.

The one he loved? His brows furrowed at this thought. What was going on with him? As he chased those thoughts away from his mind and opened the door of the nurse house, he was surprised when the handle resisted. There was noise inside, he could hear some sounds.

Frowning, he forced the handle more, but the door didn't open. Worried, he then heard a distinct cry from the house. Adelheid! Taking a few steps back, Tharn threw himself against the door violently, which finally opened on a scene that brought fury to him.

In front of him, Adelheid was held facing the wall, one of his men, Birgir, holding her wrists in a twist that must have been hurtful in her back, preventing her from moving. His free hand was under the skirt of her dress while the young woman was crying out in pain and fear, begging him to stop. Obviously, Birgir let go of her wrists and pulled apart when he saw the infuriated Jarl in front of him.

Without even thinking, as Birgir was trying to find excuses, Tharn took large steps to him and grabbed him by the throat away from his little goddess before throwing him against the wall. Unable to stop himself, he hit him with his fists, enraged. In the back of his mind, he heard Adelheid's cries and dropped the unconscious body of Birgir on the ground before rushing to the young woman and gathering her in his arms.

He brought her out and barked orders in Norse at two men getting out of the bath house to put Birgir in isolation and to call Hilda to his house before rushing to there.

He was so pissed he didn't know how he even managed to bring back Adelheid to his house. But Birgir was no priority for him. What mattered was the state of the broken woman in his arms. It wasn't any woman, it was Adelheid. Had it been another, he would have fetched someone to take care of her, but since it was her, he wanted to be the one to chase away the look of pure terror that was written on her face.

Once arrived in his bedroom, he sat himself on the bed and brought her closer to him, shushing her by holding her and stroking her back and hair. He was desperate. The fury he felt towards Birgir was still there, but the feelings of helplessness he had because of Adelheid's state overcame any other thought from his head. Then she wrapped her own arms around him, and he felt his heart burst with an indescribable feeling as he kept on trying to appease her.

A long moment later, her sobs seemed to have calmed down, but he knew she was still not alright. How could she be after that? A thought in the back of his head reminded him that he had forced himself on her too before. Maybe not in the same way, but he had still forced her to do many things she would have refused on her own free will. This thought made him disgusted of his own self, but he pushed it away as Adelheid sniffled and dried her cheeks with the back of her hands.

"What happened exactly? Was I too late? Did- How did he hurt you?" Tharn asked her as gently as he could in a strangled voice as he pressed his thumbs on her cheeks, hoping his gesture would bring back her smiling face even if he knew it would not be the case.

Adelheid stared deep in the Jarl's eyes, noticing it was the first time he showed so much care and concern about her well-being in such an opened way. She tore her eyes from him, ashamed of what had happened in the nursing house.

"I cannot tell Jarl." She croaked out, feeling tears rise once more in her eyes.

He frowned when he heard her answer, ready to tell her she could tell him anything because it wasn't her fault, but that's when Hilda barged in, a very concerned look on her face as she approached them.

Tharn gently sat Adelheid on his side as Hilda took her in his arms, the woman once again crying silently.

Hilda made a gesture towards the door, indicating that he should leave them alone. Feeling like Adelheid might need some feminine company, he reluctantly left them.

Once the door was closed, Hilda placed her hands on the golden-haired woman's shoulders.

"What has he done?" She asked in a soothing voice.

"I can-cannot tell." She said once more, shaking her head.

"Sweet Adelheid, I swear I won't repeat it and won't judge, tell me so that I can help you." She answered with a motherly tone as she pressed Adelheid's arms.

After taking a heavy inhale of air, Adelheid cast her eyes downwards.

"He touched me in the- the back. He said no one would be able to tell and I wouldn't give birth to bastards that way." She explained in a voice that cracked at the end, biting on her lip as her face fell down once more.

Hilda couldn't hold a gasp. She knew some men used this way to avoid pregnancy, some couples even did it with pleasure, she had heard married women talk about that. But to imagine someone forcing that on the gentle Adelheid made her sick.

"Do you want me to check on you?" Hilda asked gently after soothing the young woman.

"He didn't have time to... penetrate." She said the last word in a rush, feeling humiliated to have to say so.

Hilda nodded and advised Adelheid to put herself under the covers and try to let sleep calm her down.

"Could you ask Jarl Tharn to come back?" She asked in a small voice as Hilda retreated away.

Once back in the jarl's entrance, Hilda immediately saw him pacing in circles in front of the hearth.

"How is she? What happened?" He came to her, looking at the closed door behind her, ready to join her once more but Hilda prevented him from doing so, staying in front of it.

"Wait. I need to talk to you before you join her. He didn't rape her. He had no time to do so, but he tried. In the back. She has no physical damages; you came in time." She told him in a dry voice before keeping on talking. "Do you realize that nothing like that happened since you are Jarl? Do you understand why it happened now?"

Jarl Tharn felt ashamed, he knew exactly what Hilda was insinuating, and he knew she was right.

"Yes. I have to clarify that the rule on women's consent is still vivid and that I made a mistake."

Hilda nodded and finally stepped away from the bedroom's door.

"She asked for you." She added before finally leaving.

Tharn rushed back in the bedroom, finding Adelheid cuddling her legs in her arms, trembling still and eyes wide opened.

"My little goddess." He whispered as he joined her on the bed.

She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and cried herself to sleep as he desperately tried to soothe her, lying next to her.

When finally, exhaustion took her to sleep, her eyes puffy and her cheeks dry from the saltiness of her tears, he kissed her head and made her a promise.

"I will make things right. I'll do anything do make sure this never happens again. To you and to anyone else." He swore as he craddled her in his arms.