Chapter 10

Thorge glared at the black cloud wall that was building up in front of them.

Cursed! So the gods did not want to make it easy for him.

Around them was only the open sea. No island was near. They could not get to safety and wait for the storm.

"Get the sail in and tip the mast. We have to go through it! "

The men got to work. The mast was tilted and the tarp placed over it, that they could find protection. The others secured the chests and boxes. Only when everything was safe did they cower under the tarp and wait.

Thorge stopped at the tiller and looked at the lightning that Thor sent. He turned his head. Lasse was close, but the other two were already in the middle of the storm.

The boats looked like nutshells that were driven back and forth. But they were still doing well. But Thorge was not worried either. Heftan and Roar were experienced mariners who had experienced such storms many times before.

The wind became a storm and the boat began to rock violently. Water spilled over the planks.

Thorge called into the tarpaulin.

"Einar! Look for Naya and the boy. "

His little brother nodded and crept to the tent. Thorge hoped he would stay there.

The rocking got worse and everyone who had no grip was thrown back and forth. But the men tried to hold on somewhere.

Thorge wrapped a rope around his waist, for even he had difficulty.

Loah came out from under the tarpaulin.

"Get the tiller! You can not steer the boat anymore. We have to trust in the gods! "

Thorge cut the rope around the tiller and dragged her into the boat. Then he crawled under the tarp and crouched down to the men.

The noise around them was deafening.

Sometimes he could hear the trembling voices of the younger men praying to Thor or Njörd. The others stared ahead, clinging to a rope.

A huge bang could be heard and water poured into the boat. The men roared, but Thorge looked around and immediately found the leak. He crawled to the box containing the tool Raik had given him. Quickly a box hit small and hammered the wood firmly. Again and again, the hammer slipped from his hand, until Loah held the board and he could work better. However, there was always water in the boat, even if it was less than before.

"Draw some! Draw the water! "

He himself took a bucket and scooped like a possessed water.

"The gods do not want us to reach the new land," one of the men shouted, and Thorge smelled that he had pissed in his pants out of fear, dropping the bucket and gripping his face with both hands very young and you could read the fear in his face.

"You are afraid. I have it too! But the gods do not believe in cowards. So pull yourself together and defy the wrath of Thor. That will impress him! Not your whining! "

The young man stared at him. But then he nodded and picked up a bucket.

Thorge took a deep breath.

Once again he looked to the tent.

He thought of Naya, Kjell, and his brother who were in it.

Damn it! How was he supposed to protect them all?




Water sloshed into the tent.

Naya picked up the furs and fur from the floor she had laid out, then shook Einar, who lay in a corner, asleep. No sooner had he come to them than he had lain down and fallen asleep immediately. Naya had wondered how he could fall asleep in the crash, but he seemed to have been really exhausted.

"Einar! Help me! Water comes in the tent! "

He looked at her sleepily for a moment, then grabbed Kjell and tucked him into one of the small wooden cages where a chicken had been before. Kjell cried softly and tried to get up. But Einar shook his head.

"Sit, Kjell! You must be a good boy now. "

As if he had understood him, Kjell sat and lifted himself by the struts. But his crying did not stop.

Naya stuffed a fur in the back and grabbed a bucket.

"I'm going out. Stay with Kjell! "

Einar straightened to full height and looked down at her arrogantly.

"I'm a man! I should go outside! "

Naya knew that Thorge would not forgive herself if Einar did something. He should stay here, otherwise Thorge would never have sent him to her.

"That's why you stay here. You are strong! You can stack the boxes and chests if necessary. "

Einar did not seem quite convinced, but he nodded.

Naya went out of the tent. Chaos reigned out here. The tarp had been torn away by the storm, and there was still a lot of rainwater in the water, which probably came from a leak. She drew water and dumped it off.

At that moment, the boat tilted to the side.

"Go against it!" Thorge shouted and the men ran to the other side to keep the boat in balance, and Naya ran as well, clinging desperately to the railing, slowly returning the boat to equilibrium.

Naya kept fuming until a hand grabbed her by the hip.

"What are you doing here?" Thorge roared against the wind.

"I help!" She answered.

He wanted to say something, but again the boat tilted and he reached for a rope without letting it go.

He yelled, throwing Naya aside as she came up threateningly, clinging to the wood until the boat had regained its balance.

She quickly looked ahead and saw the next wave approaching. Terrified, she opened her eyes. She had never seen anything so huge. The wave looked like a mountain and rolled right up to swallow its boat.

Startled, she screamed and tried to hold on again. But the wood had slipped through the water and her hands slipped off. The wave caught the boat and whirled it up.

Naya lost her footing and fell into the water.

She heard Thorge scream after her, but then she was dragged underwater.

Desperately she tried to surface again, but she knew herself that it was impossible. The waves were too high and she was whirled around in the water. The dress was soaked with water and made it difficult for her to come to the surface.

Once she was lucky that she came to the surface briefly, but she could only gasp once before she was pulled down again.

There was a loud roar in her ears as she tried to swim back upstairs. It was a desperate attempt to stay alive, but she also knew she would not make it. Not even the strongest men survived such a storm in the water. She closed her eyes and prayed to the gods.

Please! Let me live!

Suddenly it became quiet. Very quiet. Startled, she opened her eyes again. She saw the waves raging around her, but she felt nothing. It was as if time stood still and she was only an observer.

Suddenly she lifted something gently. Naya felt that a huge hand lovingly caught her body and pushed her up. She felt strangely protected.

So brave!

So smart!

The right woman for the descendant of the Gunnarssons!

She was pushed up faster and faster, but she was not afraid. She was protected by the gods! She knew that now.

The Gunnarssons!

Loved by the gods! Even the one who doubts the most about himself.

The surface came into view and Naya felt something hard on her hip.

An oar!

She clung to it and was moved on.

"There she is! We have her, Thorge. The gods have protected them! "

Strong arms tore at a hard body. She felt kisses on her face.

"By all the gods! Never do that to me again, girl! "



Thorge held Naya firmly in his arms and pulled her into the boat.

She coughed wildly, trembling in his arms. But she lived!

He carried her to the bow and sat with her on the lap. Again and again he kissed her and never wanted to let her go!

When he saw her go overboard, he felt like rushing after her.

Nobody could survive that! She was lost!

Desperately, he had sat on the bottom of the boat and rested his head on his hands.

Naya!

His wife!

She was dead!

Something else was not possible.

But then he heard Kjell again.

He was not allowed to despair. Kjell needed him more than ever!

He had risen awkwardly.

The waves were still roaring, but the storm seemed to be getting darker.

He took a deep breath and grabbed the bucket to scoop up the remaining water. When that was done, he would go to Kjell.

"We see you! Give me a rudder! "

He heard Loah and ran to him.

There really was someone in the water.

Loah lowered the helm into the water. For a moment, it seemed as if Naya was dead because she did not move. But then a jerk went through her body and she clung to the rudder.

"We have her, Thorge! The gods have protected her!"

Loah and Ingvar pulled on the oars while Thorge bent down to grab them. He felt the hands of the men holding him. He grabbed her by the dress and pulled her into his arms.

She was actually alive.

"Never do that to me again, girl!"

She gasped and gasped, but she was alive and he held her in his arms. He was still amazed how it was possible. But why would he question it when she was back with him?

"Gods ... helped ... it's true!"

He looked at her in surprise for a moment.

But when he raised his eyes, he saw that the storm had died down. The rain had stopped and the clouds cleared.

"I do not care who helped you, but I thank him!"

She laughed slightly breathless.

"You really should. And me too!"

He kissed her lightly on the mouth.

"You should drink fresh water. I do not want you to get sick because you swallowed too much salt water. "

She straightened up.

Then she took a bucket and put her finger in her mouth.

Thorge looked a bit confused, but then she vomited a barrage of salt water. Exhausted, she leaned against him.

"Now I'll take the water!"

He laughed and kissed her again.

"I do not know if a man could do it that way. I would not have thought of it! "

She closed her eyes.

"That's the first ... or ... I do not know ... my head is ..."

Carefully, he picked her up.

"I'll take you to Kjell. Then you drink water and sleep. "

She nodded and leaned her head against his chest.

"That sounds good."




Naya slept for a long time. She did not notice what was happening around her.

She did not notice that Thorge had taken Kjell to sleep in peace, nor did she realize that the four boats were coming together again.

She just fell asleep.

At some point she was awakened by a shrill scream.

Startled, she started up.

Kjell stood shakily in front of her and grinned at her. He held on to the cages. A chicken had probably not been able to escape fast enough, with tiny feathers clinging to his fingers, and Kjell laughed as the feathers danced in front of his face.

"Mom!" He shrieked in delight as he realized she was awake.

She heard a soft curse and the tarpaulin was torn open.

"Kjell, you little devil roast ..."

Einar froze in the middle of the movement.

"By all the gods, I'm sorry, Naya. Thorge ordered me to take care of Kjell. But since he's figured out he can make headway, if he can hold on to anything, he's hard to hold. "

As if to confirm, Kjell approached Einar. He clung to the boxes and was really fast. When he reached him, he patted Einar against his thigh.

"High!" He demanded and Einar sighed.

She laughed softly.

"That does not matter, Einar. It is my job to pay attention to Kjell. And I'm going to sleep half the day. "

He shrugged his shoulders.

"You survived the sea. It's up to you to sleep a little longer. "

Again the tarpaulin was torn open and Thorge stood in the tent.

"I told you she needed rest ..."

He also stopped when he saw Naya.

"You're awake!"

She nodded, smiling.

Thorge turned to Einar.

"Take the little one and go outside!"

Einar muttered something, then took Kjell and left the tent.

Thorge sat down and stroked her face gently.

"How are you?"

She sighed.

"Surprisingly good. How are you?"

He took her hand and stroked lightly over her wrist.

"I did not go overboard. That's why I'm fine. Especially now that I know that our losses were not great. I have you again and you hardly have any injuries. Just a few bruises! "

She raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Losses?"

He nodded.

"I'm fine. Just like Jule and the kids. But they have lost a calf to the sea. Roar had no losses, just like us. The leak on our boat is already halfway repaired. Heftan was worse. He was the first to reach the storm. Three men lost their lives and they had to throw some chests overboard so they would not capsize. Your boat is more damaged. We have to drive to the nearest port so he can fix everything. "

She swallowed.

"Three men?"

Thorge nodded.

"Three good men. Experienced warriors. We will not be able to replace it. Nevertheless, the gods are well weighed. "

He picked up her hand and breathed a kiss on the fingers.

"I do not know what I would have done if I had lost you."

She grinned at him.

"You would have continued, Thorge. I know you so well by now. You would have mourned, but then you would have realized that there are still the men. And Kjell. "

He took a deep breath.

"I'm not sure you overestimate me."

She smiled at him.

"I do not think so! What is the next step?"

He hugged her and rested his head on her shoulder.

"We start the next port. That will delay the journey, but it has to be! "

She kissed him lightly on the temple.

"Why does it sound like an apology to you?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

She sighed slightly.

"Your self-doubts are inappropriate. Before that, you also did what needed to be done and everyone knew it was good. "

He grinned.

"Sometimes it works well if you do not have to be so stubborn!"

She smiled.

"I agree with that. But you can only do that with me! Otherwise, stay the stubborn goat you've always been! "




The nearest port actually did not belong to any city. It was only one of the Saxons' goods, which they regarded with suspicion.

But Thorge had convinced the people that they would stay here only for a short while and not want a fight. Despite the language difficulties, understood the Saxons and they allowed the Northmen.

They hurried with the repairs, but Naya soon became popular with the children and the women.

Thorge smiled and watched all the women sitting together gesturing to talk. Jule and Heftan's family also joined. Again and again the men heard the women laugh and with time the Saxons were not as suspicious as at the beginning.

When they said goodbye after a few weeks, the women gave them some small bags.

"What's in there?" Thorge asked her.

Naya smiled and stashed everything carefully.

"As I understand it, they are seeds for vegetables and herbs."

Thorge grimaced.

"Vegetables?"

She laughed out loud.

"Now do not tell me you do not like it."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"We did not necessarily have much of it. And I do not know if it thrives there either. "

She laughed again.

"We will see. We can not only feed on meat. "

His grin was mischievous.

"I would not mind! I'm a man. I need meat! "

Laughing, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him gently on the mouth.

"Do not worry! You get your meat! "

He held her in his arms and kissed her tenderly on the tip of her nose.

"Tonight I'll come to you in the tent!" He whispered.

She opened her eyes. He and the men spent the whole weeks with the Saxons on the boat, while the women were allowed to sleep in the village. Naya had assumed that this had been a precautionary measure by the Saxons.

"That would make me happy. I missed you!"

He grinned.

"I also you!"




Kjell lay in the padded box. Naya had noticed that he slept better when he was not with her. It only worked when Thorge slept with them and the boy lay in the middle. Otherwise he was always very restless.

The men had calmed down.

She sighed softly.

Probably Thorge did not come.

She slipped into the sleeping bag that had room for two people and rested her head on a pillow filled with leaves and hay.

The sea was calm again and you could only hear the water sloshing against the boat.

She sighed softly and turned on her side. She closed her eyes.

At one point she woke up as Thorge lay behind her and took him in his arms. He kissed her neck.

She smiled sleepily.

"You have come."

He grunted in agreement.

"That is what I said."

He stroked her thigh, pushing her dress up. Again and again he kisses her shoulder and neck.

"Thorge. What are you doing? "She asked breathlessly.

He smiled and turned her to him.

"Can not you think of that?"

He stroked her face and looked at her for a long time.

"It's really strange. Not long ago, I had not wasted a thought on a woman. But then you came and messed up my whole plans. "

She gasped as his hand went under the dress, his fingers stroked her breasts and he spread light kisses on her stomach.

"Is that so bad?"

She felt that he was grinning.

"I do not think it's that bad, like a few weeks ago."

He took off her underdress and stroked her body. His fingers moved down his stomach and came dangerously close to the pleasure center when he suddenly stopped. Astonished, he drove on a bit further.

"What did the women in Björgvin do to you?"

Now she was the smirk.

"It was very painful, but before we left, I did it again. They thought it was a lot of s ... "

He put a finger to her mouth.

"I like it."

He kissed her and his tongue touched her lips.

She sighed softly and wanted more. But he took his time. Again and again he stroked her body until she groaned. But then he did not let up until she turned in his hands.

"I need you, Thorge. Now!"

He chuckled and lay down on her.

He kissed her again, her hands sliding down his back. Slowly he spread her legs and she felt his hardness at her pleasure center.

Without interrupting the kiss, he slowly penetrated her. She closed her eyes as he filled them completely. Slowly he moved in her. His breathing slowed until he gasped. His hand went between her and he massaged her lust pearl until she cried out.

His movements became faster and he groaned.

He kept pushing her in and whispering her name. She reared up when a huge orgasm announced itself.

She felt herself close around him.

Again he groaned her name as he reached the climax with her. He turned on his back and put his arm over his eyes. She turned to him and put an arm on his hip.

"I was not paying attention. I just could not! "

She smiled.

"You will not have conceived a child."

He laughed.

"Lasse did it."

He turned on his side and smiled at her.

"But, you know what? I do not mind anymore. With you, I forget all my intentions. "

He tapped her nose.

"Besides, I have a reason now!"

She frowned.

"A reason?"

He laughed softly.

"You have my amber! I will take you to wife. The faster the better."

She stroked his beard.

"Mh ... do you have the most important person to ask for permission?"

He started.

"Your parents are dead!"

She laughed softly.

"Me! You should ask me! "

He laughed.

"I thought we had already cleared that up. But if you want, I'll ask you again! "

He stroked her face.

"Do you want to make me happy? Do you want to be my wife?"

She nodded.

"Yes, I want that!"




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