The Last Marigold

Under The Oak Tree

Su'a returned to Uppsala for some weeks before Wolfgard. He was at Durham called to meet the King. He sent word that he would soon return and celebration would ensue for his victory over Cnut. They'd not been alone since the day of the battle. The night before he left he'd kissed her many times with a tenderness she did not imagine he could possess. He was as patient and understanding as she was hesitant and inexperienced.  He did not demand relations but she did not dare suppose that he could mean for them to share more than a moment or two of passion. 

Her father had often warned her about the appetites of men. He'd said that she should never give up her virtue without the promise of marriage. Most men were likely to abuse a thing obtained easily and treasure something that hard work had obtained. She sighed, letting her head drop to her knees as she sat under the shade of a great oak tree, along the main road. She was alone in the world with her beloved father gone. Her mother had abandoned them years ago when she was still very small. She knew not if she still lived. Su'a would not remember her if she were to pass her upon the road. She had no other family and she was hundreds of miles from the land she knew. If she was going to survive this world, she would need the protection of a family. This meant acquiring a husband and then sons. A man like Wolfgard had position, power, and prestige. He had already shown his interest. It was a matter of getting him to see that for himself.

She sat erect hearing the rhythmic drumming of hooves against hard earth. She peered in the distance. It was Wolfgard with his men, they'd finally returned. She stood, nervously dusting her clothing, and patting her curly hair to ensure it fell perfectly into place. Wolfgard pulled forward first, smiling as he noticed her. Alrik acting as his guard was not far behind. 

"Doth my eyes deceive me? I see the Goddess of beauty herself waiting by the roadside," Said in jest. Wolfgard dismounted his horse. Flustered, Su'a gave a tight-lipped smile, as her eyes remained fixedly upon him. Wolfgard was a breathtakingly handsome man. With no one feature making him so dangerously handsome, though his eyes came close. Others often spoke of the color of his eyes as if it were important. His eyes would be beautiful in any shade. From them came intensity, honesty, and lately gentleness. Perhaps, he was the embodiment of an honorable man, not one of weakness or trite politeness, but one of great spirit and noble ways. What he is, what is beautiful about him came from deep within. It made her want to feel how his lips move in a kiss, how his hands feel following the curves of her body.

"Not many men could ride passed a woman like, Marigold," Alrik said, snapping her out of her fantasy, his green eyes winking at her. 

"Not any man in sight, at any rate," Wolfgard closed in on her. Her back pressed against the mossy bark of the tree. "Alrik, lead the men on. I shall return presently." He said with his back facing Alrik. 

"As you wish, Lord. Do remember that you have guests," Alrik stressed as if there was a thing of some importance that Wolfgard should remember.

"Yes. Yes," Wolfgard repeated dismissively. Alrik wheeled his horse about and took off with the greater part of the riders.

The heat of steel-blue eyes framed in lush blonde lashes were suddenly upon her. There it was, a crackling, unbearable tension which happened whenever he was within a foot of her. It was enough to make all the hairs on the back of her neck rise; enough to make her a little afraid for her life. As if the moment his hand brushed her skin they'd both perish in a blaze of passion.

Wolfgard leaned in, his forehead pressing against hers. No matter how he tried he could not fight the thoughts in his head nor the feeling that consumed him. Her smell flooded his senses driving him to the brink of madness. He pressed his lips to hers and the world fell away. His lips were slow and deliberate in their instruction, in a way his words could never be. His hand nestled below her ear. His thumb caressing her cheek as their breaths mingled. Her unsure hands rested lightly against his firm chest. He pushed closer until there was no space between them forcing her to wrap her arms around him. He could feel the rapid fluttering of her heart against his chest.