𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝑳𝒊𝒆𝒔 (Thorfinn x Reader)

11. Fierce Duel

I hadn't even realized I had fallen asleep, but I guess I must've considering I'm currently trying to wake myself up. My body was stiff from lying on the hardwood of the boat. I finally sat up, lifting the cloth I was using as a makeshift blanket to reveal my legs. I really need to bathe. Just as I was finishing my thoughts, I heard footsteps coming towards me. When I looked up, I saw Thorfinn. He then crouched down to match my current eyesight. 

"So, how do you feel?" He said, with an expressionless expression.

"Well, considering it hasn't even been a full day yet. It's not too bad. Definitely sore and it hurts a lot when I move it even a little. But all in all, it's not too bad."

He hummed and looked down. I could see the guilt in his eyes. I lifted my uninjured arm and placed my hand on his cheek. He looked up quickly. His cheek felt rough. I could understand his hands but even his cheeks? 

"It's going to be okay."

Thorfinn's Pov

Her hand was soft. I can't remember the last time I felt soft hands like this. Probably when I encountered that woman and her daughter a while back. But even then, it didn't feel like this. 

"It's going to be okay." For some reason, I believed her words. I knew they weren't true. Nothing in this world was going to be okay as long as there were Vikings like us around. She moved her thumb up and down, almost as if she was trying to remove some of the roughness of it. Before I realized it, I felt my hand moving on its own towards her hand. Just before I could lay my hand atop of hers, I heard someone shout my name.

"Thorfinn! Where are you!" It was that idiot Askeladd. I cringed and put my hand down. I looked in her eyes once more and they held hopefulness. I thought I would see pity, but all I saw was hope.

"You should probably go. Askeladd isn't exactly the most patient man. Then again, you aren't very patient either." Her hand fell from my face and she gave me an urging smile. I got up and began walking to the helm of the ship where Askeladd stood with Bjorn.

"We'll be making it back to the village soon." Askeladd gave me a pointed look as if he expected me to respond. "How's Y/n's injury?"

"Better." I didn't really want to hold a conversation with him right now. I wanted to kill him. In a duel.

"That was pretty amazing Thorfinn. I didn't know you'd gotten that good at fighting." Bjorn spoke, breaking the awkward silence that was passing between me and Askeladd.

"We finally made it back to the village." I looked to see where Askeladd was pointing to huts popping up over the rolling hills.

"We survived another year." Bjorn seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

"And you still haven't died bjorn."

"We went pretty far huh." Some of the other vikings were conversing with themselves. 

Since it seems like Askeladd does not need to talk to me anymore, I head to where Y/n is perched on a bench, seeming to sew the tear that was made in her tunic when she got hit with the arrow. 

When I sat down next to her, I noticed her humming. She didn't flinch or react to my being there, instead, she just continued sewing and humming.

"We're almost to the village. Why not wait until we get there to finish?" I asked, pointing to her tunic.

"Because I'll have a whole mountain of chores to finish the second we hit land, and I only have a few tunics to wear. So I want to go ahead and fix this one so I can change it when needed." After she finished speaking, she went back to humming. Her answer wasn't harsh in the slightest. In fact, it sounded very soothing. Now that I think about it, I've always liked listening to her speak.