Thorn Rose (PUBLISHED)

Chapter 3 - Defiance

WARNING: There is a little of violence on this chapter.

Chapter 3

The weather had favored the heathen's navigation. There were raging elements at work, the sea waves moving back and forth.

The sun had dipped below the horizon, and still, there was no sight of land. As Faylin lay besides Ahlis on the large bag made of skin, thrown at them not too long ago, her eyes followed the men's every movement, as agreed with Ahlis.

Both of them took turns keeping watch - it was a pathetic attempt at trying to keep themselves safe, seeing as the ship was filled with so many men and they couldn't risk being taken by surprise. To her relief, no one seemed to care about their presence. They kept calling each other names, or telling jokes, she assumed, and laughing. It was odd, but Faylin found a strange comfort in their actions.

She shivered as a gust of wind suddenly blew over her and nipped at her legs. She gasped sharply, going wide eyed as she looked down. Her flimsy gown had risen during her sleep, exposing her skin. Faylin hastily tried to cover herself by pushing the bottom of her gown down, using her feet.

Slowly raising her head, she looked around to see if anyone had seen her cover her modesty. And that's when she saw him.

The dark-haired man tilted his head back and took a long, slow sip from a horn. All the while, his gaze stayed fixed on her, unabashed. Although Faylin had never been this close to a man before, she knew those hands could cause destruction - of taking her virtue and dignity and leaving her ruined.

She tried not to let the flicker of disgust settle on her face but he could see right through her expressionless façade. Wiping away the liquid dripping off his chin with the back of his hand, he smirked at her before standing up.

"Tore! I need a whore! My c0ck aches for a warm p*ssy," the dark-haired man said.

Silence fell over the ship. Faylin's eyes shifted amongst the men as an uneasy tension settled in the air. She didn't know what he had said, but whatever it was, it didn't sound good. The way everyone's gaze fell upon her was impossible to ignore; she didn't understand their language, and she didn't like being left in the dark. As discreetly as she could she nudged Ahlis to wake her up.

The girl blinked her eyes open and mumbled something under her breath, unaware of the dire situation they were about to find themselves in.

"You can have another, from another ship when we reach land," a deep voice rang out through the silence. Faylin could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Despite her current predicament, she could not deny that his voice had a soft edge to it that drew her in.

Giving Ahlis a look that was part exasperation, she directed her focus back on the man who had spoken spoke. There, near the prow of the ship, he stood. With his back turned to her, Faylin could see he had a head full of dirty blonde hair and a red cloak that rested on his broad shoulders. On his waist, by his left side, hung a sword!

It was a beautifully crafted tough sword and Faylin knew that it could lop off a man's head with one stroke.

The dark-haired man took a few steps forward and obscured the blonde one from her view. His face was blood red, veins pulsing on his forehead.

"I cannot understand. What is the difference between these Christian bitches and those other ones?" the dark-haired man asked; spit flying freely from his mouth.

From his tone, Faylin gathered that he was angry about something. Whatever the blonde man had said, it had angered him tremendously. At his words, the rest of the men broke their silence and then slowly, their murmurs rose in volume. A few men were bobbing their heads. They all appeared to be in what looked to be a heated discussion.

Faylin breathed hard, struck senseless by fear of the unknown. She was on a ship, in the middle of an endless ocean, with wild men. All of whom looked more animal than human. It was like these - this one by far the worst - that she cursed her parents. If they had not gave her up...

If, If, If. The 'If's' were killing her.

There were endless possibilities; yet, she ended up with this one.

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly when she heard heavy footsteps approach her and a sudden cracking sound followed by a thud. She didn't know what to expect when she opened her eyes but the vision that met her had her gaping.

She never thought that a man as large as the dark-haired one could be able to be brought to his knees. The hand wrapped around his neck was making his face turn red from the lack of oxygen; his mouth hung open, emitting raspy breaths. Faylin sensed Ahlis move closer to her, both of them squirming as they watched the man's tongue being pulled out. It was an intensely disturbing moment.

"You dare to put my men against me? WHERE DOES YOUR LOYALTY LIE, HALLKEL?"

She and Ahlis jumped at the deep male voice. His words were overflowing with anger. Faylin felt her heart skip a beat as she craned her neck, seeing the blonde's face for the first time. The first thing she noticed were his eyes.

It were those sparkling blue orbs that made her recognize him.

He was breathing heavily, a dark expression attached to his chiseled face. The hair that fell down his shoulders and the small golden blond beard covering his upper lip and strong pointed chin made him look like the brutal warrior she knew he was. In that moment, Faylin knew that going against him was asking for a death sentence - a very brutal and pitiless death sentence.

Distinctive birdcalls echoed in the distance when a man shouted, breaking the sudden silence. "Look! It is the rock. We are close!"

Beside her, Ahlis let out a short, embarrassed yelp as everyone sprang to their feet and started singing; caught by surprise. The sound of their hoarse voices singing a somewhat melodious tune resonated through the air as they took the oars and rowed. Faylin's eyes just stayed locked on the two figures that remained motionless in their places, a flicker of something passed between them.

"Do you think he will kill him?" Ahlis asked her. When Faylin didn't reply, she continued, "I almost thought he would throw him off the ship..." The girl shrank back in fear, trying to make herself as small as possible. Being thrown off the ship wasn't comforting. But then again, neither was staying with these animalistic men.

Finally loosening his hold on the man and then shoving him away, the blonde man spared the offender one last withering glance before looking around, as if challenging someone to defy him. She watched the muscle in his jaw twitch as his gaze met hers.

Bravely, she held her chin high, looking directly into those ocean deep orbs. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly upward before he turned his back on her. It was then she saw it. Slowly, the thin, dark outline of land appeared far away.