Piece in Our Time

Chapter Sixteen

Asmund had to admit to himself he was beginning to think they should turn back. They had traveled far, and he was beginning to worry about his clan. But, he had come this far and he could not quit just yet. The horses were hauling the men up a snow covered hill in silence. Asmunds company had given up on convincing him to turn back and now followed without a word. Darkness was setting in when Asmund caught sight of a faint light ahead of them. A fire. A beacon of light in this bleak weather. Shadows danced across the snow as Asmund led his men towards the fire. The closer they approached the more Asmund could see clear. This was a company of only a few men, whom seemed to have stumbled upon the rubble of an abandoned camp. They had started a fire, and were digging through the broken pieces of what another clan had left behind.
As Asmund and his men came to a stop at the entrance to the camp the strangers stood from their fire and turned to them, their hands reaching for weapons at their hips. Asmund motioned for his men to dismount their horses and stand with him as they approached the group of strangers. "við erum að leita að konum." The men stared at him for a moment and then looked at each other, their eyes shifting before they answered in broken English.
"We have seen no women" One man spoke up from the front of the group. Asmund immediately held an apprehensive feeling in his gut and he nodded slowly "Are you certain?" His words were slow and he and his men stepped closer so they could now see the men's faces clearer in the light of the fire. They were savage looking. Their beards were unkempt and muck and mud smeared their faces. They had clearly been on the move for some time now, and Asmund could only hope they were not lying about having not seen Eva. She would be in serious danger with these men. Asmunds blood began to boil at the thought of what they could do to her fragile body. With that thought someone spoke up.
"If we had she would be a wonderful relief" The stranger in front spoke with humor and let out a lewd chuckle from deep within his bulging stomach, the rest of his group joining in on the laughter. Asmund smiled mockingly and turned to his men, they stared at him blankely before Asmund turned back around and in one swift motion had his sword pulled from it's holster blade resting against the mans neck. Asmund had not even let out so much as a grunt when he placed the blade to the mans neck. He watched from the corners of his eyes as his own men and the other strangers pulled their own weapons free.
"Þú hefur gert mistök" Asmund spoke low that this man had made a serious mistake, words thick with malice. When the words left the mans lips Asmund felt the adrenaline spike in his veins. He would slaughter any man who had touched Eva. She was his to hold. She was his to touch and worship. No mans lips would travel the smooth contours of her body. Eva was his to lay down and feel under him. To make her feel pleasure and a level of desire she would find in no other man.
A man emerged from the confines of a near by tent. A man, Asmund huffed he was a boy. He carried himself arrogantly. He was obviously the leader of this group. Asmund did not know why the other men were larger and older. This boy held his chin up as he came closer. "Who are you and these men?"
"Asmund Thorirson of clan Thorirson. These are my men. We are searching for a women whom belongs to me." Asmund spoke standing up straight pulling his blade away from the mans neck. The rest of the Thorirson clan kept their bows and swords up and pointed.
"We have seen no women. If we had, she would be ours now. Who lets their belongings get lost in the cold? A women could not possibly defend herself out in these times by herself. You must have been reckless or she did not want to be yours." Teirnen spoke as a matter of fact a smirk planted firmly on his face.
"I see the manners of your men is a reflection of their leadership." Asmund shot back. The deception was clear on Teirnens face and Asmund could feel it in his soul that Eva was close. The anger was evident on Terinens face and Asmund felt a pinch of satisfaction that he had hit a nerve.
"This is our camp you need to leave!" Teirnen yelled and with his hand motioned in the general direction that Asmund and his men had come from.
"Asmund!" It was not so clear, it was scratchy and hoarse but Asmund knew who it was and with one last look at the man before him he pulled his arm back and planted a bone crunching fist into his face before sprinting in the direction of Eva's call. But Teirnen stood before him.
A fight had broken out behind them, the Thorirson men had dropped their weapons and both sets of men were now rolling through the snow punches throwing , knees to groins and stomachs. Asmund only worried for his woman. She sounded terrible and he would strike this boy before him down if he planned to stop Asmund from retrieving her.
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"Asmund!" Eva continued to call for him. Her throat was sore and her mouth was dry but she could not let him forget about her. She needed him to save her. To stomp in in his large boots and heavy cloak, his long hair and neatly trimmed beard and scoop her up. She had started to pull at her bindings. Eva pulled at her wrist till the pain of trying to squeeze them free became to much and the burn from the ropes started to dig into her flesh. She let out a cry of frustration and fell back onto the cloths kicking and rolling.
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"That woman is mine" Asmund spoke slowly and pointed in the direction of the tent he could still hear Eva in. Teirnen had pulled his bow out and had it pointed at Asmund.
Tiernen smirked " I found her, she is mine now. If you wanted her so much you should not have let her get away" The straw that broke the camels back. Asmunds eyes darkened and pulling his sword out once more swiped it across the air knocking the bow from Teirnens hands before he slammed his fist into Teirnens young face, and as the boy leaned over to nurse his now broken nose Asmund gripped a hold of the boys shoulders and planted a knee into his groin letting him drop to the snow before stepping over him and into the tent.
Throwing back the opening his eyes land on Eva and his heart broke a little. He stalked towards her and in her fit of panic and picked her up standing her on her feet, leaning over her shoulders and cutting her bindings free. Finally, Asmund took a moment to scan her features. He let his hand roam her cheeks, bruised and her broken lip now covered in dried blood. Before the temperature in his veins could reach boiling point once more he landed on her eyes. They stared up at him in relief.
"Missti einn minn I have found you once more" he spoke gently.
Eva had wrapped her arms around his thick waist as far as she could. He reached for her chin and tilted it up so he could see her clearly. Her eyes shimmered with tears, and her lip quivered. Leaning forward Asmund met his rough dry lips with her own. Despite the blood she still tasted amazing.He had needed her. He needed to know she was still alive. She was, and with the kiss relief rolled through him like the wind outside. The kiss deepened and he felt her press her body into his. She was cold and needed his warmth and he would give it to her. If he could he would have laid her down right there and given her all the warmth he could.
When the kiss broke he could hear Eva breathing heavy and felt her chest heaving against his waist. He pulled her cloak around her tighter and guided her out of the tent. Stopping by Tiernen Asmund pulled a blade from his holster and sliced a long deep cut across the mans cheek as he lay passed out. He needed a scar. Eva was bruised, bleeding, starving and broken and Teirnen deserved much worse. But Asmund would not kill this man in front of Eva. No, he would take her back to his clan and keep her safe with him and never let her get lost again.
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So, I am not sure how I feel about this chapter.

I will be working on a new story pretty soon. Just wanted to let you guys know.

I hope you enjoyed this update !