The Viking's Wife

Chapter three

Edited by: _bat_woman_

Arne glared at the man beside him. "Tell me once again why ye met us half way Eirick?" Arne asked Katra's eldest brother. The spring thaw had come and all was well on the way. For vikings, Arne was surprised how much his men grumbled about the cold and wet since they spent so much time on the longships.

Eirick gave his brother in arms and marriage a small smile. "I was sent to get ye by father until Katra was attacked. Now it is to make sure if an attack comes at from behind ye'll be ready."

It made Arnes blood boil thinking of his wife being attacked in her bed. When Eirik had met up with Arne and his men a fortnight ago and told him the news about his wife's attack and the blaze that had been started in the hut that he and his wife were to start their marriage in. The man was killed by Katra who sensed him when he entered through window. Eirik had said that she had reached down for her dagger that she kept beside her bed and sliced the man hands when he reached for her. Then she rolled herself off the bed and was ready to protect herself. When the attacker had screamed at Katra's attack he had woken the king who had ran to his daughters room with his sword drawn. By the time he had got to Katras the the attacker had left.

"Who does King Sigurd think it was?" I ask Eirik.

"Jarl Ovves and his son." He replied.

"They have been gone a trading all winter, ja?" I ask even though I knew they were the most likely to do something of this nature. It just did not feel right in my gut.

"Ja, they have and that is why it cannot be proven. Father was furious that this is happening once again. After the wedding it seemed they had given up and moved on. We are nay sure how they are doing it." Eirik said with anger flashing through his eyes .

The rest of the ride to the village was silent. When crested the top of the hill we saw the village at the bottom. Arne stopped and looked at the place his wife had grown and noticed the burnt remains of a hut at the edge of the forest. Tightening his fingers on the rein of his horse knowing that Katra could have been in there. Eirik had said she went there for peace since her mother had started to plan the gale.

Arne looked at the prince and Eirik nodded, agreeing with the anger he saw on his sister's husband's face. Also in understanding that the bastard who wanted to hurt his wife needed to die. That is when Arne saw movement out of the corner of his eye fly by his shoulder and felt the air move in its wake. Hearing a 'thwap' as it hit the tree behind him. Arne looked and saw an arrow sticking out dead center of a knot in the tree. The end of the arrow had a red and white feather pattern.

Getting off the horse Arne walked over to the arrow and pulled it out of the tree. Eirik stopped beside him and grinned. "Why do you smile?" One of the men asked.

"I do believe Arne's wife is angry at him." he replied to the question. Eirik started to laugh as he walked back to his horse when the other men caught on to what he had said there was amusement all around. As all the men began to move Arne felt his lips twitch into smile. Walking to his horse with the arrow in hand, he noticed a ring tied near the head. He realized he was looking at the ring he had given his bride when she was six winters old. Finally breaking out into laughter Arne got on his horse and raced to catch up with the others.

Katra looked at the creation that her mother had made for her. It was like nothing she had seen before. It was off the shoulder with the sleeves all the way down stopping just below her wrist. The top of the dress was tight and would show off her bosom and waist to the best of its ability. While the bottom of the dress came straight down to her feet. Beside the bed laid the gold chain belt that her father had given her on her eighteenth winter with a gold krasten that Arne had given her.

Looking at the dress she felt pleasure with it but at the same time she was angry that she was goin to be wearing this for man that she didn't even know. Turning from her bed she stormed out Of her room and grabbed her bow and arrows beside the door as she left. Storming out of her parents hut she headed to the stables. The stable master saw her coming and had her horse ready for when she arrived. Not caring that she was not wear trousers she jumped on and had her horse moving out of the gate in minutes.

Sigurd and Ingrid watched their daughter leave with frowns on their faces.

"Did we do the right thing all those years ago?" Ingrid asked her husband.

He was thinking the same thing and came to the same conclusion from all those years ago. "Ja, we did. Our daughter is safe and strong. Arne must now prove he is worthy of such a bride." He brought his wife close to his body and walked back into the long house.

Katra turned her horse off the path leading up the hill and took the one leading to the forest. Stopping at a tree she found as a child she climbed it to the and sat on the thickest branch at the top.

Taking deep breaths to control the anger she looked at the sky and closed her eyes. Breathing out slowly Katra let the anger go with it. Fiddling with the ring around her neck she was tempted to rip it off and throw it.

Noticing movement on top of the hill she saw her brother arriving home. Which meant the blond man beside him was her husband, Arne. Katra felt a jolt at seeing the man she has been dreaming about for the last fortnight. Katra's mother had said she had dreamt of her father.

Sigurd and Ingrid had met when she was a child. Sigurd had saved the young Ingrid from a falling out of a tree. Sigurd had brought the young girl home to her family and moved on. Later on the years Sigurd would think of the girl with fire in her veins and wonder what had happened to her.

Ingrid was eighteen springs when she started to dream of a dark haired man laying with her in the grass with his hands on her pregnant belly. They would laugh together when they felt the kick of the child that was protected on her womb. When Ingrid was nineteen springs she saw the man that had saved her from a fall an the man she ha been dreaming about. Knowing instantly that he was hers.

Katra looked at the man that was to be her husband. With all the anger she had harboured alone for so many years, Katra yanked her ring from around her neck. Grabbing an arrow she tied the ring around it using the now broken band of leather. Putting arrow to bow, Katra took aim and let it fly.

Not having any doubt that her arrow hit it's mark. Climbing down she got on her horse and raced back to the village.