The Hermit Herbalist

Chapter 14 - The Bedding

The feast lasted for several hours, but when the sun had set, suddenly both Clint and Loki were pulled away from everyone else. Loki was picked up by the men, and hoisted carefully upon their shoulders as they took her towards the inn. The ladies surrounded Clint and escorted him after her. Clint felt the women remove the fine vest and they were going to take his shirt, but he stopped them. "Sorry, can I keep this?" he asked as he was brought to the door of the inn. They all smiled, giggled, and winked. When he turned back to Loki, he saw the hunters had all put her down, and she was standing there, looking at him tentatively.

"Carry her to your rooms, Barton!" Ogen instructed with a smile. "The innkeep will take good care of you tonight and tomorrow morning." Clint nodded and gulped, slowly sweeping Loki into his arms.

"This way, my young ones," the aged innkeeper said, leading them through the empty common room. In preparation for their wedding night, the inn had been cleared out and closed from business for that evening. There would be no distractions and the newly married couple would have all the staff's attention. Up the wooden stairs, Clint carried Loki and followed the man to their room; the best room in the house. "There is some more wine and fruits and vegetables. A virile man like you will need to keep his strength up, eh?" he hinted and Clint stiffened ever so slightly. He gave the man a weak smile before stepping into the room with his precious burden. The bed had been prepared with clean sheets, and flowers were hanging from the posts. Bundles of herbs were dangling overhead.

"For fertility," Loki whispered to Clint as the door was closed behind them. He glanced over at a side table and saw the food and the wooden pitcher of wine. Two cups were there, and a little pouch was nestled between them.

"What's this?" Clint asked as he picked it up. Loki walked over, took it from him, opened it, and sniffed its contents. She smiled a little and handed it back to him.

"Trisetes; it's a natural aphrodisiac," Loki responded and Clint dropped the bag on the table like it was a hot potato.

"Look," he said as he turned to her, "we don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"But we do," Loki retorted without any guile as she slowly started removing her dress.

"Why?" Clint asked, maintaining his clothes for the time being.

"Because in most cultures of the realms of Yggdrasil, when a couple is married, they must consummate it, or the marriage is invalid," Loki explained. "If there is no proof of consummation, such as bloody sheets, another man may challenge the first for rights to the woman. If you truly wish to protect me from Kael (should he ever return), you must do the deed, and take my maidenhead," Loki informed him.

"Don't make it sound like it's nothing. Because it isn't. This could affect everything," Clint told her.

"I know," Loki said, slowly removing the rest of her clothes until she was only in her shift. "You've seen me in my natural form. You were aroused upon seeing me, Clinton," Loki stated and Clint blushed furiously. She approached him slowly and was soon standing right in front of him. She poured them both some wine and gave him the cup. "If you need me to shift back into that form to be aroused once again, I can do it-" Loki started to say before Clint put his cup down, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her passionately. His tongue moved against hers and he completely possessed her mouth. When they both finally pulled away so that they might breathe, he gazed into her emerald eyes, his heart pounding in his ears.

"You don't need to do that to arouse me, Loki. You're a beautiful, beguiling, sensuous creature no matter what color your skin is. I just don't want to hurt you or change your feelings towards me," Clint admitted. Loki smiled and reached up, brushing strands of his growing hair behind his ear.

"But you cannot do that. For I care very deeply for you, and would have this moment with only you," she concurred. Clint smiled as she revealed this. He pulled her back in for another kiss and they wrapped their arms around each other. When they separated for air, Loki pulled up Clint's shirt and threw it away. He let her reach down and begin to unlace his trousers. She fumbled for a second because they had started kissing again, and he finally got impatient. Clint picked her up, gently deposited her on the bed, and stripped off his pants as fast as he could. Climbing back on the bed, he fitted himself between her legs, kissing her languidly. Loki wrapped her arms around him, and was about to do the same with her legs, but Clint stopped her.

"Hold on," he whispered, holding two of his fingers to her lips. Loki frowned for two seconds, before she took them into her mouth. Clint resisted the urge to press them against her tongue, and instead, let her lick them until they were covered in her saliva.  When he pulled them out, he began to kiss her again and his hand traveled back between her legs.  Loki almost clamped them closed, but Clint left her lips and began to suck at the soft skin behind her ear.  Loki's hands grasped his shoulders and Clint licked her throat and latched onto her pulse point.  Loki gasped as that was when Clint breached her virginal entrance.  She moaned and Clint went a little lower with his mouth, pleasuring her.

"Clint!" she whimpered as he applied pressure to her nub.  Clint grinned a little as he licked and suckled, bringing her closer and closer to completion.  Loki's back arched off the bed as he pushed another finger in and simultaneously pressed on her clit.  Loki howled in delight as her orgasm overcame her.  Clint smiled, crawled back up to her and kissed her.  That was when she wrapped her legs around his waist.  "There has to be blood.  There must be proof," she whispered to him, and he knew what she was talking about.  He nodded his head, not feeling at all good about hurting her.  She smiled at him, reached down, gripped him in her hand, and set him at her entrance.  Clint braced his arms on either side of her head, kissed her deeply, and thrust forward.  Loki gasped into his mouth at the burning pain that spread from between her legs.  

"I'm sorry!  I'm so sorry!" Clint whispered as he suckled her breast.  Loki's whimpers of discomfort changed into moans of pleasure.  Clint was careful with her.  He felt guilty about taking her maidenhead like that, but he knew Loki wanted to make sure that nobody could contest their marriage.  Nobody.  He paused for a second, sat up, and pulled Loki back onto his lap.  She gasped and her arms went around his neck.  Their stared into each other's eyes as they continued to make love to one another.  "I love you, Loki.  I love you so much," Clint said right before he kissed her again.  Loki's tongue battled his, but he won out, dominating the kiss.  Suddenly, Loki clenched around him and sunk her teeth into the skin at the juncture of his neck and shoulder.  Clint hissed in pain as he came as well.  

The fire crackled in the hearth, and that was the sound that accompanied their heavy panting.  Clint carefully put Loki back down on the bed and his hand went up to touch where she had bit him on his shoulder.  "Jotuns have to claim their mates.  As the male copulates with the female, she has to bite him to mark him in her own way," Loki whispered, her voice very far away.  

"Yeah?  Warn a guy next time," he teased as he wiped the blood from his skin with a cloth, took a sip of wine, and looked back at Loki huddled on the bed.  She was already falling asleep, but he caught sight of the blood on her thighs.  He sighed heavily, got the cloth back and dipped it in the wash basin.  Coming back, he began to clean the blood from her legs, but made sure that some was still on the mattress for 'proof'.  "Glad we don't live in those times anymore," he mumbled as he flung the cloth back at the wash basin, climbed into bed, and snuggled with his new wife.  Wife?!  Holy shit!  Clint raised his head to look at Loki again.  Her head was now pillowed on his arm, and her black, curly locks were strewn all over the cushion.  Her cheeks had a pink color to them, and sweat was sliding off her skin.  Clint smiled.  Yes, this is my wife, he thought.  He leaned over and kissed her cheek.  After that, he slowly drifted off to sleep, holding her close in his arms.