Claimed by the Viking

Chapter 8 : Rights and Wrongs

The feast hall was so full they had taken the tables and chairs out so that everyone could fit in, standing. Tharn had stepped up on a platform so that everyone would be able to hear him, since he was the one who had asked the whole Clan to gather.

It had been three days since Birgir had tried to force himself onto Adelheid. Soon enough, he had been locked down in a small shack, given only some bread and water every day.

Adelheid looked like she felt better, but one glance towards her confirmed to the Jarl that it mostly was a way to shield herself. The deep scared look she had on her face sometimes when her mind brought her back to the events proved that she was not yet completely over it, and surely it would take some time. Some women never got over it, but fortunately enough, Birgir had not had enough time to go until the very end.

Also, Adelheid had confessed to him that she felt alright as long as Tharn didn't go too far from her, which had made him at the same time sad she was scared in his own Clan and happy she felt secure with him.

Now was the time to make things right, and the best way of doing that was making the rules clear for everyone. He didn't want such a thing to ever happen again to Adelheid or to any woman of the Clan. He had long ago made it his mission that everyone living under his protection would not have to fear their neighboors.

Tharn stood straighter and called for attention. The general hubbub went quiet. His charism was always very impressive, Adelheid noticed once more.

"If I gathered all of you here today, there is a reason." He was speaking in Norse, and Hilda was quietly translating as best as she could to Adelheid what was being said, as the Jarl had priory asked her to do so.

"We have to clarify what rules are to be followed for those who want to live here, under my protection. Those who don't want to follow them can leave and go against them as they wish, or stay but respect them at the word. When I became Jarl a few years ago, one of the first rules I imposed was about respecting each other. Because in order to live peacefully and to be prosperous, our Clan needs to provide security to everyone here. And security comes from mutual respect."

He took a pause.

"I realize that my own behavior must have had some of you confused. For that, I apologize. What I did during the feast celebrating our return from months sailing was against my own rules. I was in the wrong. My pride outdid my reason at the idea that I couldn't get attention from a woman." He took a glance with a smile at Adelheid, who blushed as people looked at her. "Those feelings don't excuse my behavior though. My ways of imposing this woman to become my concubine seem to have given the idea to some of you that all the rules I had created were no longer effective. It's my own fault for making you think so, and I will endure the consequences. As I stand before you, I say it as I used to do so: rape and anything forced on a woman or any other person without her consent is forbidden. The consequences of disrespecting those rules are strict and we chose them with my advisors." A rumble of whispers came from the crowd and Tharn reacted immediately by answering it in a booming voice. "Once again, I repeat that if you don't want to go by those rules, you are free to go. Now."

The assembly went silent once more.

"And to prove that those aren't meaningless words or false punitions, I will myself indulge in the punishment imposed to the one who disrespect those rules."

Gasps and whispers could be heard, but they eventually shut down, waiting for the punition to be explained.

"As a woman should never be forced against her will, and as it is a proof of disrespect towards her and towards me who is supposed to guaranty safety, when a man will be proved to have acted that way, it is the woman he tried to rape who will chose his punishment. It can be banishment, food deprivation, lashes or even death. Any punishment deemed fit by the woman will be applied."