Her Viking

Chapter 1: Norway

A tattooed hand grabs her face harshly and speaks with ice. "That little stunt you pulled earlier, trying to get away in the airport... almost got you killed. You don't know how bad I wanted to take my gun out and shoot. You're lucky there were too many people watching us when I yanked your hair."

"Please, let me go." The woman pleads in tears.

"Never," he declares. "You're mine forever. The next time you try running away, I'll make sure I'm the last face you'll ever see."

Mariana finally landed in Norway. Her second major attempt at freedom being successful. She looked around in amazement. Her eyes roaming with curiosity filling them. She stepped off the plane and into the airport. Mariana reserved for someone to pick her up and take her to her new home. She spotted many drivers holding up signs. Looking at all the names, she finally found hers.

The drive there is quiet. Mariana had never been much of a talker. She's lost in her thoughts. Leaning on the door, watching the scenery pass by. Huge trees, lush grass, rich soil, and rabbits pass. After an hour and a half, she finally sees the sign of the village she'll be living in. The sign read 'Welcome to Loen'.

Butterflies erupt in her stomach. Her heart beats a little faster and her breathing comes out harsh than she expects. She rubs her palms on her jean covered thighs. Trying to calm her anxiety. This is it. She is going to live in Norway. New life. New home. New people.

The town is quiet overall. A few kids here and there playing outside. The elderly talking amongst each other. People working or taking a stroll. The scenery begins to show more homes. Until the car comes to a halt. Turning her head to the left, Mariana's new home greets her.

This home is relatively bigger than expected for someone who is living alone. It's a log cabin with a wrap-around deck. It's a two-story with 2 bedrooms and 1 1/2 bathrooms. The kitchen and living room are connected as one. As well as the laundry room seeing as the washer and dryer were stacked on top of each other in the corner of the kitchen. Overall it was a great size for Mariana. She can live in comfort. Having enough room, but not to the point where it isn't cozy anymore.

Mariana steps out of the car and grabs her backpack and luggage, as the driver is carrying a suitcase in each hand. Taking out the key, Mariana unlocks the door for the first time and enters. Setting her stuff down, Mariana examines the place. She had ordered furniture ahead of time and had it put in place before her arrival. At the moment she wanted to cry. She felt like she was finally living.

Thanking the driver, Mariana opens the curtains. The driver takes his leave and Mariana closes the front door. She paid him in advance as well. Taking her luggage upstairs to her (master) bedroom one at a time. Mariana begins to unpack.

Two hours, she puts her last piece of clothing into her drawer. Shutting it, Mariana grabs her light brown, leather crossbody bag. Quickly checking her wallet to make sure she has enough money before she starts her journey to downtown.

Locking the door, Mariana goes in the direction towards downtown. Some of the neighbors are looking at her suspiciously or curiously. No way says a word to her while she walks. Norwegians are known to be quiet in public and only talk to those who they already associate with. One of the reasons for Mariana's move across the world.

20 minutes later she makes it. There are many small shops. Walking a few more minutes Mariana finds the grocery store. A sigh of relief escapes her lips. She originally thought she had mistaken where she has seen it on the way to her house and got lost. A smile that isn't noticeable at first makes its way onto her face.

Walking every aisle, Mariana slowly fills up her basket. Pork, chicken, rice, vegetables come first. Then, water, milk, eggs, a few canned foods, and bread. Lastly, a bag of chips, a pack of cookies, and a bag of pretzels. Find everything she needs and can afford, Mariana rings it up. Paying for her groceries, she walks out with five bags in each hand.

The sharp breeze quickly snips at her face. As Mariana took steps forward she is stopped. A woman in her mid to late-forties, who works at the grocery store, comes up to her. She couldn't have been any taller than 5"3'. Black hair that puffs out in contrast to the thinness. Slight wrinkles are prominent. Her dark brown eyes connect with Mariana's chocolate ones that shine hazel in the sun.

"Do you need help? Those are a lot of bags to carry." The woman asks concerned.

"No. I'm fine. Thank you."

"Oh okay. Should I find a ride for you?" The woman persists to help in some kind of way.

"No, I'm fine really." Nodding the woman wishes her a farewell.

Mariana walks and is about to turn left and carry in the direction on the way home when something catches her eye. Across the street is a bay that connects to the river far out. Men are loading and unloading boats. A person in particular flares her curiosity.

"Excuse me," Mariana calls out to the woman.

"Yes." The woman walks over to Mariana with a smile.

"Would you mind tell me what they're doing?"

"Oh, of course not. They are the men who run the dock. It is one way our supplies and orders come in. Not only that, that's also fish during a certain season, sell and ship them out. Some of the farmers sell their product out of town and so the fishermen ship them to other docs."

"Thank you-"

"No problem, sweetheart."

"-but, who is that?" Mariana points out the man who caught her attention.

He had long, brown hair that got lighter towards the end. He is ripped. Muscles covered his body. He isn't wearing any shirt, displaying his fitness model body. He is 6"5'. A giant compared to her if they stood side by side. His face is impassive. Mariana can't tell the color of his eyes since he is looking down.

"Oh," the woman chuckles knowingly. "That is Kage. He runs this town. He helps out the dockmen all the time. He owns a few things and the dock happens to be one of them. He is not much of a talker."

"Thank you once again."

"Yes. If you need anything else, come to me. My name is Jean. Kage is like a nephew to me. So if you need any fixing let me know and I'll tell him." Jean throws a wink, causing Mariana to be confused at her action.

"Okay." Giving a small smile in 'thanks', Mariana takes her leave.

Mariana decides to take a closer look at the dock, so she crosses the street. Mariana now stands on the sidewalk watching all the people working. Most of them are all elder men, a couple of middle-aged, and of course him. All were too busy to notice or didn't even care about her staring. To which she is happy about. Mariana never liked much attention.

She overlooks her staring. It catches someone's attention. Lifting his head, Kage looks right at Mariana. Caution immediately floods him. He has never seen her before. Mariana turns her head to look at Kage and her eyes connect with his blue ones. She freezes unsure of what to do or how to feel. He truly is a man of beauty. She can see he is trying to figure out who she is.

After a moment his eyes become sharper. Piercing through every inch of her. Starting to feel uncomfortable, Mariana diverts her eyes and turns. Her steps her stiff as she can still feel his blue orbs on her. At a good distance, Mariana looks back. He stands tall and straight. She redirects her focus on the way home. Kage watches her until she is out of view.

Mariana finds herself in front of her house's front door after a while. Setting her groceries down carefully, she takes her keys out and unlocks the door. Mariana rubs her red hands together. Trying to relieve some of the soreness. Grabbing her groceries Mariana enters and goes to the kitchen. Putting the bags on the counter she walks back and locks the front door.

That night she sits on her couch with a mug of hot chocolate in her hand. She already ate dinner. The seasons are starting to change. Autumn will arrive shortly. Though Mariana kept thinking about what clothes she will need to buy and to get more groceries, she couldn't help but wander back to Kage. He just drew her in so much. Not wanting to think further, Mariana heads to bed.