Eleanor Ch. 15

Thank you to everyone who has given me helpful suggestions, I know the last chapter was a bit short, this one is a little too; but I hope you will still like it.

Thanks again,

Sacrificedangel.

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Bruni lost the breath from his lungs at her whispered words, his heart taking a plummet to his stomach, before rising back with hope once more when she said she loved him; his heart ached, it beat so feverishly he thought he was going to fall dead to his cot.

In his lap sat the most enchanting creature he had ever met, even bloodied and torn, her cool hands ran over his heated and dirt covered skin, soothing him; he desired nothing more than to have her back with him on Auden lands, in his chambers relaxing with him in the wooden tub. Surrounded by warmth instead of this biting cold, bathed clean of the blood and sweat that coated them both, he could picture her now resting back against him in the water, her naked body pressing intimately against his own.

He wanted to bathe her and sooth her sore muscles, he wanted to press kisses to every inch of her bruised flesh, he wanted to gut the Gaul who had tried to rape her.

Bruni closed his eyes as her gentle palm caressed his stubble covered cheek, groaning slightly as he imagined her in his bed, surrounded by the softness of his sheets as opposed to the rough wool they lay upon now, he wanted her lain back against fur so soft it rivaled the smoothness of her skin; he wanted to be on top of her, under her, inside her with a ferocity that scared him, shook him to the core.

He knew now that if he took her, even if he pledged himself to her as his heart was screaming at him to do; he would never be able to let her go.

She caressed and stroked him, not with passion, but with care; care that he seemed to look so ill. His skin was fire beneath her fingers as a light sheen of sweat blossomed on his skin. Eleanor began to get worried when he was finding it hard to breathe, his broad chest rising and falling as though it were weighted heavily. Eleanor panicked, tears she refused to shed brimmed in her eyes as she realized it must have been her words of her love for him that put him out of sorts.

"Bruni, I..." She swallowed, finding her voice hoarse and her throat dry. "...I do not expect the same feelings back, I mean, if they are not there. I will not blame you; I will forget what happened on the way here if you wish."

Eleanor slowly disentangled herself from Bruni's tight grip, attempting to rise, and escape before her tears made a fool of her. His grip was strong, his body unyielding as she tried to escape, her body becoming more frantic when she knew that her tears were close; she needed to escape, needed air to calm her, anything to be away from the source of her pain at that moment.

"Bruni, please, let me go."

"I cannot."

His lips were swift and brutal as they made the connection with hers, he could not hold back, her sweet words were slowly infusing within him, stirring him; making him plead to Freya that the Goddess help him and his love to somewhere secret so he could be with her as he was aching to do now.

He cradled her against him, one arm holding her at her back as she sat across his lap, his other hand tracing idle circles over her thigh on the outside of her torn dress. His mind raced with all the stimulation, her soft hands grazing him, her sweet taste enveloping his senses, her lithe body pressed so intimately against his own with only mere layers of fabric separating him from the heaven of her hot body.

Gods how he wanted her; he was debating within himself, Loki toying with him, suggesting to throw her to his cot and make her his there and then, and the Goddess herself begging him to take care with her subject, take his time and be gentle. His conscience begged him to be true to her.

Swallowing the lump of panic that raced through him, Bruni savored the bruising kiss as though it would be his last, imprinting her taste, her beauty to his memory; her willing form tucked against him would forever remain with him. He had no doubt he would never be allowed this liberty with her again.

Be Honest.

"Eleanor. I have something to tell you."

***

They were chasing them, fast, furious, relentless over the vast forests of the Haur lands. The darker colored Gauls and other foreign men, with their curved swords, and vicious daggers, covered the ground wise emmense ease, like the wind covering miles in seconds.

The thunderous sound of their hunt was deafening as he carried his precious bundle through the night, desperate to escape them; the foreign curses of their enemy were so close, he was sure he felt breath on his neck as he searched deep for the energy to run faster; the need for safety was paramount.

Varin felt the burn in his legs, the sweat that coated his body as he ran, the score of the bushes and trees as he ran through them, unheeding of the blood that bloomed on his skin; he ran for the cliffs, ran for the safety Ragnar had created, he could see them now, the swift descent to nowhere...if he just got their quick enough, he could descend enough to make them think he had jumped rather than be caught.

If...he...could...just...get...there...quick...enough.

Few more steps, few more to safety.

As Varin reached the edge he stopped abruptly, only slightly aware of the burning pain in his stomach. Acutely aware of his little Loki staring at him with wide and accusing pain filled eyes that brimmed with tears when he looked down at the red pool that spread from her, that spread from him. The Gaul placed his heavy boot in the small of Varin's back, and pulled his curved blade free of the bodies...sending them crashing to the sea below.

"ANIKA!!!!"

Varin screamed as he woke himself from his nightmare. Drenched in sweat, beads blinded him as he swiped at them, frantically trying to clear his vision. He needed to make sure she was alright; needed to assure himself he had not lost her.

Feeling around the floor for the blanket she had slept on, Varin felt the pit of his stomach try and escape him further as he found nothing amidst her blankets, no Anika, no warmth to indicate she had not long left it.

Grabbing the linen of the shirt he discarded during the night, Varin hurriedly wiped his eyes; the sting in them remained as he grabbed his sword and ran from the cave; tears threatening to spill over his mind's frantic assumptions.

"Anika!!" Varin called, as loudly as he dared; he did not want to draw attention to the caves if those hired guards were up there. His mind slowly clearing from the fog of sleep and the panic of his nightmare, as he figured they would not have left him alive surely if they had taken her.

"Anika, where are you!!??" He called a little louder this time, the adrenaline beginning to pump once more as his hope of her just being outside began to dwindle.

Varin opened his mouth to holler her name to the heavens, and halted, hearing voices talking quietly not far from him. Readying his sword, he followed the sound in the bright moonlight, out of the mouth of the cave and along the narrow ledge that separated the risen cave from the next inlet. Peering around the corner, Varin felt his heart soar, relief flooded his system and he felt dizzy from the sudden lack of energy in his body.

"Varin, come here!!! Esme is teaching me to catch little fish!" Anika's childlike glee was infectious as she stood smiling and waved him to come to her. "We were going to cook them and bring them to you for evening meal!"

"Thank you Anika, and Esme." Varin spoke softly as he approached them, suddenly feeling like a fool for his overreaction.

"Anika, I need you to tell me if you go somewhere, it is not very safe right now."

Varin kept his voice steady, calm and unthreatening, the last thing he wanted was to see her child-like light go out again, he wanted her happy and smiling. Taking her into his arms, he gave her a hug, kissing the top of her head before taking a piece of sinew himself to help catch some fish. His hand shook as he tried to get used to the feeling of calm wash over him once more, flushing out the fear and the cold sweep of panic.

Was this how his older brother's had felt about him? Whenever he had managed to disappear into the fields, and his brothers had found him, their expressions had been taut with worry even through the stern façade and the smack on his hand they gave him for his wandering.

He was so much younger than his brothers were. He had always felt protected by them, and now he wished they were still alive, to come and help him; to protect him so he could feel safe, and the horrible churning of his stomach could dissipate.

Varin found himself wishing he could have that child like innocence back, the ability to find good, and playful imaginings all around him; and he wanted to cry with anger over the loss of his childhood.

He had felt honored when Erick had regarded him in such high esteem and trust to place him as head guard to watch over Matilda and Anika. He had been only twelve then nearly thirteen, built big and strong even by that early age; other guardians of lands and self serving men had tried to attack them then, thinking a mere whelp of a boy was the only guard between them and the ethereal Matilda.

They had not expected him to be so large.

Just over two years had passed since Erick had left him as their protector; the endless infighting had left its marks, its scars on both his body and his soul. His mind felt like he had aged a thousand years passed fifteen. He needed to rest, he needed escape and peace. When this was over, and Ragnar was back; Varin would leave. Anika needed her brother, her family, and people capable of keeping that angelic smile on her face.

Varin was not fit to protect her.

*** Kate and Ragnar lay in absolute silence, what had been sweet words of affection between the pair had now halted, and with Bruni's last statement, Kate and Ragnar's breath hitched. Their eyes widened when they realized what he was about to do, and could do nothing but lie there as still as the dead as he told Eleanor about the contract.

***

"THERE IS A WHAT ON ME??"

"Eleanor...please...listen to me."

"You are telling me that there is a contract of marriage upon my head?" Eleanor sprang from Bruni's arms as his words sank in. "To your brother? By the Gods Bruni!! To your brother!!"

She was pacing now, angry tears threatening to spill as she replayed Bruni's confession. She was trapped again, she was not going home to a family she never knew; she was going to a foreign land to be a wife to a man she had never met.

The same damned prison, albeit made with different bars, Eleanor thought, shaking with her rage.

"What would you have done Bruni, if Kate and Ragnar had not been in the room?" Eleanor stopped her pacing, focusing the livid green of her gaze on the man she had declared her love for not but a few minutes ago.

"Would you have taken me? Would you have continued to kiss me, and stroke me until you had taken what innocence I have from me?"

She was shouting now, she knew her friend and her lover could no longer be asleep and would be hearing every word she let free; but she did not care, she could not care. She felt betrayed.

"What then Bruni?" She stammered, choking back the sobs that sought to steal her voice as she sank to the floor in the tiny room at his feet. "Would you have handed me over to your brother? Would you have sat back and watched not knowing whether your seed had planted itself inside me, or whether it was your brother's?"

Bruni's rage was mounting, not at Eleanor, but at the thought of Nikolai's hands on her pale skin; his expression turned dark, feral as he thought on her words; if he had taken her and given her to Nikolai, would he be able to see her swell with child and not wonder whether what rested there was his niece or nephew, or his own child? He did not want Nikolai's hands on her, did not want to think of the things his brother would be entitled to do to her body. He wanted her; he wanted her body, her love; and only him.

Growling in his anger, Bruni grabbed Eleanor's arms and hauled her beneath him on his cot, pressing one leg between hers and holding her hands high above her head, before his mouth descended on hers; rough and ravishing as she surged beneath him.

He raged against her soft form as she resisted him at first before softening under him, her hips beginning to undulate against the hard muscle of his leg as his tongue toyed maddeningly with her own. Breaking away from her mouth, Bruni sucked a long breath into his burning lungs.

"Eleanor, I could no more hand you over to him than I could harm you." Bruni whispered to her, releasing her hands and cradling her head as he planted soft kisses against her swollen lips. "I love you, I want you for my wife; but I could not lie to you, I could not go further without you knowing the truth."

He kissed her gently this time, lightly smoothing his lips across hers in a gentle caress that had her head tilting upwards for more.

"I will not be a liar to you Eleanor." Bruni murmured, unable to stop himself from moving his mouth across the gentle curve of her neck, kissing and licking the creamy flesh there. She tasted beautiful beneath the scent of fear and blood of her escape; he knew he could easily spend weeks just abed kissing each inch of her skin.

"But what of this contract Bruni?" Eleanor's voice sounded hoarse, so many tears and hurt reflected with each strained word that hit his ears.

"Damn the contract." Bruni moaned against the hollow of her throat, his hands beginning to move from her face, tracing the graceful curves of her shoulders over her ruined tunic, parting the ripped sides to bare the delicate swell of her breasts, the rose colour of her nipples stood in stark contrast to her pale skin and the bruises from her captor's hand.

"I cannot let you go to Nikolai."

***

Kate sighed as Ragnar pulled the door silently behind them as they escaped into the recess beneath the platform. Pulling blankets out from the chest, Ragnar made a comfortable bed for Kate, before sitting with his back against the hard wood and pulling her against him.

"Eleanor deserves someone like Bruni." Kate smiled slightly. "She has been through so much."

"Kate, there is more to this than that; remember that there was a contract signed, so there is still disagreements to come. The Haur child, as my grand mother used to say, was meant to be a peace-weaver, through the bearing of children, the warring families would be joined through blood. I had hoped we would be back in Bergen by now, where all of this could be settled."

And that damn contract burned. Ragnar added silently.

"If she marries Bruni, then they are still fulfilling the contract Ragnar. They are just doing it through a different son." Kate said, slightly worried over Ragnar's unconvinced expression.

"Let us hope that it all it takes."

***

Bruni pulled Eleanor up as he went to his knees on the cot, bringing her hard against his chest while his mouth sought comfort from her own; trying to calm his hands from the urge to rip her remaining clothing from her body like some kind of animal.

He felt her hands move beneath the laces at the top of his linen shirt, her warm hands trembling ever so slightly as they smoothed over his skin in a fluttering caress that had him fighting not to surge against her to demand more.

She was so hot, the skin at her throat felt like fire on his tongue as he teased the flesh there, drawing her into his mouth with a long, hard pull, leaving a mark of his kiss on her soft white skin. One hand moved around to her back, supporting her as he leant her back over it, and hardening instantly at the view of her body.

Her back arched, her breasts offered up to him as a blessing from Freya herself, he could not resist dipping his head to the dusky pink flesh. He drew it into his mouth as he tongued around it, suckling gently on her before blowing cool air lightly across her wet flesh; marveling at how it tightened under his touch. She was exquisite.

Bruni pulled a soft pelt from the chest before he lowered Eleanor back down to the blankets, if he could not have her in his bed, he was damned if he would take her against the scratchy wool.

"Do you accept me Eleanor?" His voice was quiet, unsure if she would refuse him or not as she lay mused upon the black and brown of the fur, her vivid green eyes half lidded as she looked over him.

"Yes Bruni, I do."

Bruni smiled, quietly letting out the breath he did not know that he had held while waiting for her answer. His hands went to the tie at her waist, pulling on the rough rope until it opened from its knot, before taking the two edges of her ruined tunic, and ripping it the rest of the way, opening her to his eyes like unwrapping a present.

Bruni's breath caught as he slowly moved the tunic apart, exposing inch after inch of creamy flesh, the beautiful handfuls of her breasts, the gentle slope of her ribs down to her belly, over the smooth stomach that told of a number of days where she had not eaten as much as she should, or not eaten at all.

He smoothed his hand down her side slowly, her hot skin burnt his hand as though his limb were ice; he followed the smooth line of her side, down over her slight hips, smoothing his hand then over the creamy skin of her stomach; tracing patterns around her navel, even as his eyes drew lower still to the blonde curls that hid her sex from him.

Lowering his body to hers, Bruni moved her thighs apart to accommodate him, as he kept one hand on her soft leg stroking the entire length of the perfect limb as he began to rain slow kisses over her chest. Moving his hand from her leg to beneath her, Bruni lifted her light body enough to pull the ruined tunic from beneath her, moving up from her chest to pull it from her completely.

"Eleanor, raise your arms."

Bruni's voice was so deep, husky, that Eleanor could not help but comply when he looked at her with fire behind his blue eyes, his body as flushed with heat as her own.

Eleanor breathed deeply as his rough hands moved over her body with achingly slow leisure to grip the tunic at her back, lifting it gently from her body completely; she felt exposed to him, self conscious in the light glow of the candle as he looked down over her naked form while he still knelt there fully clothed. Bringing her arms back down, Eleanor crossed them over her breasts, hesitating as to how to cover herself more from his intense and silent gaze.

He was looking at a goddess lying naked on his cot, pale legs attempting to draw together at her thighs to conceal the pink flesh of her sex, slender arms crossing her chest as a sunset blush crept across every inch of her creamy skin.

Lifting his arms to the fabric of his linen shirt, Bruni pulled the material over his head to his front, before drawing it from his arms slowly; unwilling to frighten her with the dangerous arousal that was pulsating through his veins over how much he wanted her...how much he desired her.

How much he was restraining himself not to rip his own clothes from his straining body and bury himself between her thighs.

Letting the fabric fall to the floor, Bruni took Eleanor's hands, still trembling slightly against her flesh as she still lay there self consciously, and pulled her up to her knees in his arms, kissing her mouth when she gasped.

By Freya he could not get enough of her taste, enjoying every tentative movement her tongue made against his own, he reveled in the little moans that escaped her as he nipped her lips and then soothed them. He could not resist pulling her tighter against him, her beautiful breasts crushed up against the muscle of his chest, her hands resting on his shoulders lost their fright as he kissed her deeper, and he felt them tangle in his hair, bringing his head closer to her own.