Mist & Moonlight

Chapter 11 | Behind Closed Doors

The moon hung high over Ekkila, casting a pale glow on the village streets as Freydis slipped out of the Jarl's longhouse. A heavy woolen cloak was draped over her shoulders, its hood pulled low over her face to hide her features. She moved with purpose, keeping to the shadows, her heart beating fast as she made her way toward the inn where Erik was staying. Each step felt like an act of defiance, and though fear gripped her, she couldn't let him leave while things were unresolved between them.

The inn was dimly lit and filled with the murmur of conversation. Freydis hesitated for a moment at the entrance, then took a deep breath and approached the bartender, her voice low and steady. "I'm looking for a messenger from Kattegat," she said, glancing around to ensure no one took too much notice of her. "He's staying here."

The bartender, a grizzled man with a bushy beard, gave her a curious look but nodded toward the stairs. "Second room on the right," he said. "But be quick about it, miss."

Freydis murmured her thanks and quickly ascended the stairs, her heart pounding louder with each step. She reached Erik's door and paused to collect herself before knocking softly. The door opened after a moment, and Erik stood there, shirtless, his chest bare and his muscles rippling in the firelight. His eyes widened with surprise when he saw her, his expression a mix of shock and concern.

"Freydis," he breathed, stepping back to allow her inside. "What are you doing here? I thought it wasn't safe..."

She hurried into the room, pulling back her hood as she spoke. "I couldn't let you leave me upset," she said, her voice urgent. "Not after everything... not after how long we've been apart."

Erik closed the door behind her, his gaze intense as he took in the sight of her standing there in the flickering light. "You shouldn't have taken the risk," he said, though his voice softened as he stepped closer. "But I'm glad you did." He reached out, his hand brushing a strand of hair from her face, his touch lingering as he looked at her. "I'm sorry," he continued, his voice thick with emotion. "I didn't mean to be so harsh with you earlier. It's just... it's been hard. Knowing that you're here, far away, and carrying our child while I'm helpless to do anything."

Freydis took a step closer, her gaze searching his. "I know," she whispered. "But you don't understand the situation here. I'm doing this for my family, Erik. For Kattegat. You have to understand that."

"I do," Erik said, though the tension in his jaw betrayed the struggle within him. "But it doesn't change the fact that you should be with me, not with him." His voice dropped to a low growl as he continued, his eyes locked on hers. "You should be my wife, Freydis. Not Jarl Arlick's."

The intensity in his words sent a shiver through her, and before she could respond, he closed the distance between them, cupping her face in his hands. Their lips met in a fierce, hungry kiss, as if all the longing and frustration that had built up over the months spilled out in that single moment. Freydis wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer as the kiss deepened, the world beyond the door fading away.

She could feel the strength of his body pressed against hers, the heat radiating from his skin as his hands slid down her back, pulling her tightly to him. There was an urgency to their embrace, a need to close the distance that had kept them apart for so long. Erik broke the kiss only to catch his breath, his forehead resting against hers.

"I need you, Freydis," he whispered, his voice raw. "I need you by my side, as my wife, not as someone else's possession."

Freydis's breath came in short, ragged bursts as she gazed up at him, her hands still clinging to his shoulders. "And I need you," she replied, her voice trembling with the weight of unspoken words. "But we have to be careful."

"I don't want to be careful anymore," Erik said, his voice low and fervent. "I want what's mine."

He kissed her again, and this time, there was no holding back. The fire between them burned brighter and hotter, consuming everything in its path as they clung to each other, desperate to make up for lost time.

With feverish hands he unclasped the medallion at the front of her cloak. It fell to the ground behind Freydis's feet. Erik worked hurriedly to undo her laces at the back of her dress. Freydis slipped out of her unlaced garments, letting them pool around her ankles. Erik looked over her for a long moment, noticing the changes in her body. Her breasts were heavy and swollen from pregnancy, her stomach round and tight against her slender frame.

He cupped her arse in his broad hands, then sunk his lips into the crevice of her neck. Her breathy sighs echoed in his ear. Her fingers brushed through his tangled hair, grasping it at the nape of his neck as he wandered further down- planting kisses along her collarbone.

When his lips grazed her peaked nipples, Freydis tightened the hold she had on Erik's hair. She elicited a soft moan of pleasure. His tongue made lazy circles with her nipple. Then, he sucked the bud between his lips. He took turns nibbling it lightly between his teeth and sucking the aroused nipple. When he broke free from her breast, he looked up into her hazy eyes.

"Does he touch you like that," Erik asked, his voice low and husky with desire and something primitive.

"Erik," Freydis said pleadingly.

He stood up to his full height, towering over her. Then he hoisted her up with his hands still cupping her arse. Freydis instinctively wrapped her slender legs around his taut waist. As he consumed her mouth with fiery kisses, plunging his tongue inside with sweeping circles, he pressed her up against the wall of his room.

Erik released one hand, reaching to pull his trousers down far enough to release his member. With no hesitation, he plunged himself into her- claiming her body as his. The months of separation, the pain of her marriage to Jarl Arlick, all poured out of him with every thrust.

Freydis buried her face in the crook of his neck, as she held onto his shoulders tight with her fingernails. He listened to her heavy breathing and her soft moans of pleasure.

"Tell me," he demanded. "Does he fuck you like this?"

He drove into her harder, faster- filling her to the brim. The frustration of their separation and lack of satisfaction with her husband had her pleasure boiling out of control.

"Gods no," she whimpered.

"I meant it when I said 'your cunt is mine'..."

Freydis wailed into his ear as he continued to pound himself inside her brazenly.

"Say it," he pleaded with her. He needed her to say she was still his. That the distance and the marriage did not matter. He could accept that she was married to someone else, but he could not accept her heart belonging to anyone else. That would surely be the death of him.

"My cunt is yours," she howled as her fingertips dug deeper into his shoulder. She finally exploded around him, finding sweet ecstasy.

Erik rammed his cock inside her. With a guttural grunt he came- filling her to the hilt with his release. Their skin stuck together from the sweat of exertion. They did not dare move for several moments as they caught their breath.

"I love you, Freydis," Erik whispered, looking deep into her blue eyes. Her eyes began to fill with tears.

"I love you."

He dipped down to kiss her swollen lips softly. She did not want this moment to end- not knowing when they would ever be together again. He lowered her down to the floor, then backed away slowly. Freydis dressed herself again. The air in the room was somber, but she had to go back before she was discovered. The risk was too great. She slipped out of his room without another word, her cloak tightly wrapped around her frame.