Her Viking Saviour (Lore & Love Trilogy #1)

Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Wynflaed felt like she was back home in Northumbria, standing at the edge of one of the craggy cliffs that rose above the rough seas. She had gotten too close when she was little and remembered the terrifying feeling one misstep would send her falling over the edge into the crashing waves. That sound echoed in her head as she considered her choice. One step would decide whether she prospered or went to her demise. Her future was on the precipice, this decision would shape her life.

She knew she did not want to stay here, in this Kyivan Rus. And while she yearned for the comfort and security of her life back in Northumbria, something drew her to Torben. Her saviour. Never had a man looked at her with such intensity. It was not the simple lust of the boys she knew at home. It was something more, something hungry. She struggled to find a word to aptly describe the heat that spread through her body. And the worst thing about the feeling was it excited her more than it scared her. Since her capture, she had blossomed from meek and mild to rash and tempestuous.

Was this who I always was? Who I am? Can I trust myself to make this choice? She turned to Hilde for wisdom.

“Hilde, what shall we do?”

“I will go wherever you choose. I am indebted to you,” the older woman said in assurance. But this did not help Wynflaed decide. It only increased the burden that loomed over her.

“We have repaid each other, Hilde. You protected me, and I protected you,” Wynflaed gently reminded her. Hilde gave her a nod of understanding but still offered no opinion.Trust shone in her kind brown eyes as she placed her life in Wynflaed’s hands.

“How many summers have you seen, Hilde?” she asked.

“Thirty-seven, child.”

Wynflaed had recently passed her twenty-second. By common standards, they were both old maids. What kind of life did they have waiting for them back in Northumbria? But what would they do in Klavik?

She looked back at Torben who still watched her as Leif spoke to him with gesturing hands. Leif clearly thought this was a bad idea and she could not blame him. They were strangers in every way.

A ray of sunlight poked through the grey clouds and caught Torben's fair hair, highlighting his rugged handsomeness. She spied a faint scar through one of his brows and another on his cheek. The sides of his head were shaved, and the rest of his hair was long—longer than her own now—and pulled into a tight plait at the back of his head. She lifted her hand to her tresses, feeling the short uneven length. While she knew it looked unsightly, the missing hair gave her a lightness. She had never realised hair would hold a noticeable weight. Hilde, who was watching her, gave her a look of guilt. Mistaking Wynflaed's musings for distress, she wrung her hands.

“I am sorry about your hair, Wynflaed. I only sought to protect you when I cut it. You are very fair, and I had hoped cutting your hair and the smell of fish and dirt would disguise your beauty and keep them from looking at you too closely. Men are drawn to your beauty and some men, like those who captured us, will seek you out against your will.”

Wynflaed nodded, the gravity of their current circumstances not lost on her when Hilde spoke of savage lust-filled men. And there was no man here she trusted save for Torben, even though he was still a stranger. He had already proven his kindness in rescuing them. That action showed her he was a good man. Her decision would have to be based on faith and instinct. She had ruled out Kyivan Rus, which left her the choice of risking a ship back home or travelling to a new land with a stranger.

Cola caught her attention, his sister Cynewin close at his side. They were siblings, both younger than she. Cola had dark features that belied the meaning of his name. Cynewin was a wisp of a girl with mousy hair and huge brown eyes who had barely spoken a word and clung to her brother's side. The others were all men of different ages who had been intent on looking out for themselves. Wynflaed did not judge them but did not hold feelings for them either. The siblings, though, were sweet and they now looked to her for advice.

“Wynflaed, what are you to do?” he said. “The others are going to return on a ship back to Northumbria. I do not think that is wise for my sister and me, but I do not wish us to stay here either.” His dark brown eyes flashed with indecision and a plea for guidance.

Wynflaed took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She pictured the sky, the ocean, the green earth. She pictured freedom. A freedom not guaranteed if they returned home to Northumbria. Their path was clear. She would decide the fate of them all and face the consequences, come what may.

“Hilde, Cola, and Cynewin, we will go with Chieftain Torben back to his home in Klavik. Of all our choices, this seems the safest option where we may survive and have a chance to live out our lives.”

All three of them nodded. They still looked a little nervous but also relieved a decision had been made. Wynflaed watched Torben head over to the three men. He nodded and pointed them towards Leif, his expression resigned, but holding bundles of clothing. Torben turned and their eyes locked again. Her pulse quickened as he approached them with the intensity of a wolf circling its prey. Instead of making her feel frightened, she was excited. The flutter in her heart was like a butterfly in flight, and it signalled the stir of passion deep inside her.

“Wynflaed, what choice do you make?”