𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗦 || 𝖭𝗂𝗄𝗈𝗅𝖺𝗂 𝖫𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗌𝗈𝗏

𝘹𝘷 - 𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘮

THE SHIP'S SWAY on choppy waters was enough to keep Freya from sleep, but she didn't mind that much. She was more than content to lay in bed beside Nikolai with her head resting on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. Unlike her, he had crashed almost immediately after returning to his cabin that night. It had been a difficult day. The sun was too hot and blistering, and the wind was rough, pushing the ship in the wrong direction if he tried to take a break and let go of the helm. He'd stayed awake long enough to pull her close to his body and offer her a few lazy kisses.

His arms weren't as tightly clenched around her now that he was relaxed, but Freya enjoyed the hold just the same. It was warmth and safety, and it was Nikolai. She'd have him in any way she was allowed. The pads of her fingers rubbed over the skin around his clavicle, sometimes dipping beneath the loose-fitting cream shirt he always wore to bed. She had a similar one that she stole from him because she didn't have any clothing of her own. Many of the female sailors on board had lent her a few pieces, so she had enough to make do, but she took extra comfort in being wrapped in Nikolai's scent as she slept.

It was peaceful like this, lying in the dim room beside him. If there was ever a sanctuary, this was it, and she never wanted to leave. She'd just been lulled into a state close to sleep when a crash and a bang behind the door abruptly broke her peace.

With a sharp inhale, Freya shot into a sitting position. There was a dagger that she kept at her side since she'd escaped the drüskelle. And her brother. She grasped it tightly in her hand. Nikolai was up in a second, grabbing onto her shoulder and curling an arm around her waist even as her head spun and her ears rang.

"It's alright," he breathed right beside her ear. No, it certainly wasn't because it would only take a second for whatever attacker was behind the door to bust in and try to take her away. Nikolai dropped his head to her shoulder and kissed the spot where it met her neck. "You're alright, you're safe. It's just my idiot crew."

Freya stilled at that but didn't take her eyes off the door or lower her dagger by even an inch. She strained her ears and listened. Sure enough, she heard another bang, followed by a loud fit of drunken laughter and a voice she thought she recognised. She exhaled shakily, letting Nikolai take the dagger from her hand and set it aside. His arms returned to their place around her immediately.

"Alright?" he asked, even though they both knew the answer was a firm no. Her heart beat painfully in her chest, so quickly that she felt like a rabbit caught in a snare. A pinching pain burst at the base of her skull, feeling more like fire spreading than an actual headache. Nikolai pushed her hair behind her ear, then kissed her cheek and temple. "You are safe. I will protect you against anyone who would want to hurt you."

"My brother said something similar to me once. Then he clamped chains around my wrists and tried to drag me to the Ice Court." The words hurdled past her lips before she could think and her heart stopped. She hadn't told him that yet. From her peripheral, she watched as Nikolai's face twisted and curled with a dozen different emotions all at once. Shock, confusion, anger, frustration, sadness and then pity. She hated that one more than anything. Pity wasn't something she wanted from him.