Night was quick to fall upon the germanic lands, there was no light apart from the moon, the stars and the occasional torches that illuminated both the viking camp that had been laid just outside of the now destroyed town and the secret camp in the forest that belonged to the germanic people.
After a long week, the nordics had finally decided to have a rest before walking into the unknown terrain of the germanic forest where the dying warrior had admitted to be the place where his people were hiding along with (f/n).
A shuffle came from the bushes that consisted the entrance to the female's improvised cage; and from those same bushes emerged the familiar figures of 2 germanic females.
"Quick, dress this!" Katyusha said, showing a long dark-brown hooded cape as her little sister used a small blade to cut the ropes bounding (f/n).
As soon as the nordic found herself free, she got up and quickly did as she had been told, not forgetting to cover her head, pulling the hood down to hide her face.
They quickly and silently escaped the confined space as soon as Natalya made sure that there was no one watching. They swiftly made it to the border of the germanic camp.
"What do we do now?" whispered (f/n) to the other two.
"Don't worry, we have a plan." Natalya assured, nodding at her older sister who walked up to one of the guards with a smile plastered on her face.
"My father asked me and my sisters to go get some firewood!" Katyusha stated.
"Alright, miss! But be careful out there, the vikings are lurking around." he said with a nod.
"We will, thank you!" cheered the blond woman. "Lets go, girls!"
And so they managed to exit the germanic camp. But the hardest part was yet to come...
They had already walked a long distance, the camp was not on their sight anymore.
"Thank you for your help..." breathed out the nordic woman, relieved for being finally out of the germanics' grasp.
"Don't thank us just yet." stated Natalya. "We still have a long while until we're out of their reach!"
As if on cue, the alarm sounded loud enough to reach their ears; the germanics had finally take notice of the escape of their prisoner.
"We have to hurry!" shot Katyusha, starting to run as the shouts of people looking for the nordic female were heard in the distance. The other two immediately complied, taking off running after the older female.
In the viking camp, things seemed calm. The nordic males walked around the camp and the three campfires lit; in a particular tent stood the 3 jarls along with the oldest vikings of the crew, trying to make out the best solution to this whole problem.
"They know the terrain and they are more than us, the only thing we have is the strength!" Lukas stated.
They kept running at the fastest pace they could with their untrained legs and long dresses that did not help in any way, especially seeing they were running in a thick forest where lost branches, roots, stones and hollows stick everywhere almost as if waiting for them to fall in their trap. The girls ran carefully as to not fall in said traps. Luck was not on their side; Katyusha tripped on a hidden root, a strained cry left her throat as she fell to the ground, and hit her head on the rock, fainting; the other two looked back, rushing to the older female's side.
"Katy..." Natalya called softly, being interrupted by two arrows; one arrow scratched Katyusha's arm while the other hit (f/n)'s leg. Panic took over both girls' expressions as the sound of people approaching reached their ears.
"Go, otherwise they'll catch you!" shot Natalya.
"No!" stated the nordic, shaking her head negatively. "You helped me escape those guys, I'm not going to leave any of you behind! Especially not this close." she said, pointing the forest's limit that was only a couple of meters away. Looking back at the silver head, both girls nodded at each other, quickly getting up and pulling the older female with them.
Not long after, they exited the thick forest, moving at the fastest pace they could muster towards the viking camp that was already on sight.
In the viking camp, the nordic people walked around talking, drinking, eating.
Inside one of the bigger tents stood the 3 jarls along with the oldest members of the crew, trying to dissuade the danish chief from just go swinging his axe around like some sort of savage.
"Excuse me..." called a voice from the entrance of the tent, causing everyone inside to look at the source.
"What is it, Elias?" asked Berwald.
"There is someone coming towards the camp, though we don't know who." stated the warrior.
"Well, what are we waiting for then?" shot Matthias, grabbing his axe.
The limping shadow figure was now close enough for someone with a good eyesight to be able to distinguish the components. And someone with good eyes did distinguish and, more importantly, recognise one of the three people that composed the figure.
"(F/n)!?" Sigmund shouted. "Is that you?"
The female's head snapped up at the familiar voice.
"Sigmund, help us!" she called back, her throat a bit sore. "They're coming after us!"
As soon as the last words left the young woman's mouth, Sigmund and two other vikings rushed over to the female trio; one picked up the fainted woman, other placed a hand on Natalya's back to impel her to walk faster, and Sigmund supported (f/n) to help her walk. The women were guided to the large campfire where (f/n) and Natalya were sat on makeshift benches that were disposed in a circle around the fire, Katyusha was laid down on another bench.
"Stay here, I'm going to tell Matthias and the others where our supposed attackers are." Sigmund joked. "And also call someone to take a look at your leg, and at your little friend over there!" he added with a small smile as he walked away.
Once the male was out of her sight, the nordic girl grabbed the arrow on her leg with her hands and took a deep breath.
"Do you want help?" (f/n) looked up to see Natalya looking down at her with a soft expression. With a nod from the older female, Natalya kneeled down next to her and took one of her hands to the arrow and the other to hold down the girl's thigh where the weapon was craved.
"This may hurt a bit!" warned the silverette; (f/n) nodded and braced herself as she waited for the painful moment to come.
A cry was elicited from the (h/c) head as the arrow was removed.
"So we really don't know who this people are?" wondered an older viking.
"We have them with us!" Sigmund's voice came from the tent's entrance.
"So...?" urged Matthias, gaining a confused from his cousin. "Who are they?"
"You may want to see that for yourself!" Sigmund grinned. "They're by the fire."
As soon as the location flew out of the male's mouth, Matthias stormed off the tent, quickly being followed by the others. What the danish jarl did not expect to see was (h/c) hair flowing around a familiar female form, he also didn't expect the pained cry leaving her mouth followed by low sobs.
"It's okay now..." Natalya assured, hugging her new friend who hugged her in return. But, unexpectedly to (f/n), Natalya moved a little away from her; following the silver head's gaze, the (h/c) head's eyes fell on the surprised form of several nordic males, her (e/c) orbs watered at the sight and she rushed to get up and ran with difficulty towards them.
She threw herself to Matthias who easily caught her and took her frail form into an embrace; (f/n) let herself melt in his arms as she cried into his chest.
"I'm glad you're okay!" whispered the danish chief, burying his face in his beloved's hair. Unfortunately for the future spouses, the loving moment was interrupted by someone clearing their throat.
"Who are they?" Berwald asked, pointing at the unknown pair of females as the lovers parted and his sister gave him a soft loving hug.
"They helped me escape!" she informed, her cheery expression turning into a depressed one. "But one of them got hurt... Come with me." she said, turning around to make her way back to her friends; that was when they noticed.
"You're limping." noted the swedish jarl.
"Oh, that... It's nothing!" assured the female.
"(F/n)!" her brother's voice had adopted the tone that she hated, causing her to flinch.
"F-fine!" she huffed. "I was hit by an arrow!" she admitted. "B-but Katyusha is much worse than I am!" she blurted before any of them could say anything and quickly showing them the state of her friend.
"I'm going to call Tino, he should know what to do!" Sigmund suggested, dragging Berwald with him with the excuse that the jarl could do a better job at talking to the healer.
"We have plans to make for the return to home." said Lukas, walking back to the tent with everyone else on his trail.
Natalya walked up to her sister, leaving the nordic couple alone.
"I'm really relieved to see that you're okay, apart from that wound in your leg..." Matthias murmured, loud enough for only the two of them to hear as one of his hands stroke his beloved's cheek while the other had it's fingers intertwined with the girl's.
"And I'm so happy to see you, I-I thought..." a tear ran down (f/n)'s cheek only to be quickly wiped off by her lover as he pulled her into a strong loving embrace.
"I'd never stop searching for you, I'd go to the domains of Hel to find you if that was what was needed!" Matthias assured, softly stroking her hair.
"I know..." she whispered, burying her face in his chest.
"You'll sleep in my tent tonight, I don't want you to leave my side anytime soon, understood?" he said.
"Ja!" she nodded promptly.
"Good, I'll come for you in a minute, I just need to get the tent ready!" informed the danish.
"Okay!" she agreed happily; Matthias grinned stupidly at her cheery attitude and tilted her chin up with one of his hands. The girl blushed profusely at the proximity of their faces; they were engaged, but they had never done anything, not even a simple kiss, now it seemed that that was about to change. Matthias, being a grown male had already have contact with the opposite gender, noticed the change on his beloved, but, nonetheless, didn't stop. The danish placed his lips softly upon the girl's, taking her lips in a sweet kiss that he had waited a long time to share with her; despite her inexperience in this kind of things, the girl slowly started responding to the male's kiss, her eyes fluttering close during the small moment of the loving exchange.
"I love you!" Matthias whispered.
"I love you too!" (f/n) breathed out.
"I'll be back in a minute!" he reassured, lightly pecking his lover's forehead before walking away towards his tent.
"So that's Matthias!?" Katyusha's voice reached the nordic's ears; the older female was still laying down on the bench, but her eyes were fluttered open and her mouth was opened in a small knowing smile; her sister was still down on her knees beside the laying blond.
"Yes, that is him!" (f/n) giggled.
"He seems... Nice." said the blond.
"He is!" nodded the (h/c) head. "And a complete airhead and many more things, but nothing can change the fact that I love him with all my heart."
"That's so sweet!" Katyusha cheered.
"Too sweet if you ask me." Natalya remarked.
A few minutes more passed as the females talked.
"(F/n)!" Matthias called, quickly running up to her; he appeared to be tired.
"What is it, Matthias?" she wondered curiously.
"Give me your hand!" he requested. Without a second thought, the girl quickly complied, only to have him tie a (f/c) cloth around her wrist.
"There!" he shot, a wide smile stretching on his face.
"Matthias, what is this?" she asked, confusion written all over her face. The danish took the swedish woman's hand on his own before he started talking.
"It's the bow I offered you, I found it lost in the woods after you were captured, and now I'm returning it to you!" he blurted, an almost unnoticeable blush spread on his cheeks; a bright smile crossed (f/n)'s face and she got on the tips of her toes, placing a feathery kiss on the male's cheek.
"Thank you!" she said.
"Anything for you!" he stated. "Come with me, you must be tired after all of this." Matthias started to pull her with him.
"B-but, what about..." she looked back at her fellow females, but someone interrupted her.
"We'll take care of them!" Tino said, walking towards the sisters with Sigmund and Berwald following.
"Brother, I'll stay with Matthias tonight!" (f/n) called out to her brother.
"Ja!" grunted the swedish jarl in response to his little sister.
And the two lovers walked away and towards Matthias' tent.
