Claimed by the Viking

Prequel : Lost and Found

The air was thick, still smelling strongly of the fire which occurred a few days prior. 

A tall Viking with hair as black as the night stood on top of the ruins of the destroyed village. His men and him were not the ones who had burnt it, yet they knew it was the result of another Vikings' Clan attack. He had no idea which yet, but he well intended on finding out.

"Tharn!"

His right-hand man, Regan, was calling him from afar with large motions.

Tharn went to see what was going on. A circle of men had formed. Around what, he had no idea yet, and as he came towards them, his men immediatly created a path for him to get in front the subject of their interest.

It must have been a goddess. That he was sure of. In the middle of those dark ashes, a body was laid down, wrapped in a cape that must have been green before but which was now covered in brown because of the ashes. Her face was strikingly pale, of a rare whiteness, but it was also dirtied by the ashes, soiling her cheeks and forehead. But despite those ashes and these dark smudges, one thing was absolutely certain: she was divine. She had a beautiful face with a straight, small nose, lips that were plump even if they were dry and a blue from the cold. Her eyes were closed, but her lashes seemed to be long and thick, resting on her cheeks like she was sleeping peacefuly.

But all of those traits were not what attracted the Jarl. What did was the streak of hair that rested on her forehead, which had leaked from her hood. Its color was so unique and uncommon for a girl from this country that Tharn remained fixated on it. It was impossible to decide if this girl was a red-head or a blond. It seemed like the gods had not been able to chose in-between those two hair colors and had to give her the tone right in between : gold.

What a waste for such a heavenly creature to be dead, Tharn thought as he contemplated the inanimate body. Well, was he sure she was dead?

After kneeling down, he bent over her, placing his fingers on her throat to check if her heart was still beating and placing his cheek in front of her mouth to see if he could feel a breath against his skin.

As faint as it was, a light breeze touched him and a slow beat came under his fingers. She was barely alive, but at least she wasn't dead.

A sigh of relief escaped him. He had no idea why he was so glad she was alive, but he was sure of one thing : she was coming back with him, and she would be his.