A Viking's Catch (Book One of the Sogn Series)

Chapter Twelve

When the skies were bright blue and the fields outside the gates of Sogn seemed to be fading in color, Clare found herself enthralled by the changing of seasons. She was so drawn to the scene that she went out to lay in the tall grass, but she could easily tell that their were many watchful gazes on her, and she feared that one of them belonged to no other than Roald himself who was in town. Carelessly, though, she ignored all of them and tried to enjoy herself while looking up at the clouds.

It had not been long before another presence acquainted her, but she greeted Torsten with warm eyes, despite her solemn mood, "How are you, Torsten?"

"I am quite well," He breathed, looking up at the clouds as well as he took a seat next to her, "but I fear for my brother."

"And why do you fear for Roald?" She snapped a bit more harshly than she would have liked.

"Do you not see it? He is becoming all the more frustrated with not being able to have what he desires most. Do you not see the look he gives you every time you near him?"

Clare rolled her eyes and made sure that Torsten could see the gesture, "I do, but it does not change what he has done to my town, my loved ones, and myself."

"Ah, come now." Torsten's voice became lower as he said his next words, "He is not as bad as he may seem."

Clare bit her bottom lip and looked away from the sky to Torsten who was watching her with a scrutinizing gaze, "I have heard those words before," she said with apprehension, "Roald himself had said them."

"Then maybe you should take those words for granted? After all, he knows many things that you do not." Torsten seemed regretful from saying that, and Clare caught onto his uneasiness.

"Why do you say that?" She retorted.

"Because," he queried once more, "There are many things that we all know that you do not. Maybe in time Roald will enlighten you, but only after you give him your trust."

"How can I give a man my trust when he has done so much wrong?" She snapped again.

"Perhaps, he only does wrong to make the purpose of right."

Clare sneered then, saying, "That does not even make sense."

Torsten gave her a stern look, "But it will."

He began to get up after that, and Clare did not object when he began to walk down the hilly fields and back towards the gates. She glared after him, disliking his vague answers.

She lay in the fields for a moment more, until Roald himself approached her. He did not say anything at first, and instead took a seat next to her and lay down in the grass with his arm resting below his head. His brown hair blew in the wind, the sun streaking the honey tints to it. Though, he did not look at her and instead only at the sky, as if he were thinking.

Clare watched him awkwardly for a long time, before putting her head back down and lying down next to him. The silence drew on, but unlike all the other times before, it did not become tense, and instead it became relaxing. It was probably the calmest the two had been since their meeting, that is, until Clare broke it by saying quietly, "Why do you keep things from me?"

His eyebrows rose and he turned his head to look at her, "To protect you."

"Protect me?" she gawked, "Is that all you have to say?"

"Yes, it is."

"Well," she breathed out irritated, "That is not even a real answer. Protect me from what?"

"Why, yourself of course." Roald said, turning his head back to the sky.

Clare's jaw dropped a bit before she eagerly replied, "So you keep secrets in order to protect me from myself? That makes absolutely no sense."

He grinned lightly at her response but only shrugged. Clare jolted up and glared at the man, "You are insufferable."

His grin quickly turned into a frown, and his eyebrows furrowed, "I am not."

"But you are!" She yelled a bit too loudly.

Clare was about to get up then but Roald grabbed her arm and pulled her back down, "Do I need to remind you who is insufferable?" He said, bringing his lips down to her cheek and letting them graze her skin there, "For it is you who kisses me but holds back. I know you must feel something for me that is more than lust, and one day you will come to learn the love that I feel for you, but by then it may be too late."

"Oh," she said condescendingly, "It will never be too late because they will never come, as they are inexistent."

"I cannot wait," he gritted his teeth and pulled her back so that he was looking straight into her eye, "for the day that you are proven wrong about me."

She lost her demeanor for a bare instant, looking into his eye and questioning if he was being honest about his wrongdoings, but then she thought better of it and snapped one word before storming off.

"Insufferable."

vvv

The red-haired beauty stood out amidst the brown and blonde-haired people of Sogn, and anyone could easily make out her appearance as the suitor of their Jarl from the fiery look in her eyes. She stood out so much, that she only half-expected to be yanked around the corner, but it was who pulled her around the building that surprised her most.

Birla sneered at Clare, and she seemed to be panting slightly from her rage, and then she finally said, " The leaves are beginning to change and there is only so much time for the warm weather. The summer raids are ending, and Roald wants to make a final move towards your land before he ends them completely. He will leave in nearly a week for his last raid."

Clare jerked her wrist away from Birla, "Why are you telling me this?"

Then, Birla smirked and it seemed that Clare's world would change from what the blonde said next, "I will help you escape when he is gone."