Claimed by the Viking

Chapter 10 : Alive and Unsure

"Impossible. I would have never let you find someone else my little goddess."

A flight of butterflies burst in Adelheid's heart. Even wounded, he managed to make her blush.

"I guess you are the one who healed me?" He asked as he looked down on his torso and shoulder.

Adelheid got out of his arm unwillingly but kept his hand enclosed between hers before she explained everything that had happened since their ship had been back. Tharn hang on each of her words, enjoying the sound of her after all this time apart. He was captivated by her beauty, by her mesmerizing green eyes when the door burst open and interrupted their conversation.

Hilda walked in, shortly followed by Regan who carried some things in a basket, muttering how Hilda would be the death of him.

When both of them saw the scene in front of them, Regan dropped his basket: never before had he seen his friend glare at him because he interrupted something between Tharn and a woman.

But he soon recovered from his shock and smiled, glad his friend and Jarl was alive and seemed alright.

Hilda helped Adelheid change all of Tharn's bandages and recommended that he would need at least one more week of rest to recover completely before she left them: his wounds were scarring quite well and if he didn't stir on them, they should be only scars in no time.

Adelheid then helped Tharn eat and drink lots of water since his throat felt so rough. When he was done, she was about to leave him to rest but Tharn asked her to stay and they talked for a long time about what had occurred in the village and what had happened to him in the battle and afterwards.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to handle my sword as well as I used to." He said as he rubbed his shoulder which ached a bit. "But I am glad little goddess: the men whom destroyed your village are dead. Your family is revenged, that's for sure. And no place will suffer from the hand of those scavengers anymore, rest assured of that."

Adelheid considered his words for a long time. Should she tell him that except for her nursemaid, she had no one she cared for at her former village? Should she tell her that her whole family, his father, was definitely alive and probably not looking for her at all?

She decided against it: she wanted to remain by his side from now on, whether he wanted her as a concubine or not. Because she loved him. This last week of nursing him had confirmed her doubts about that. She was so in love with him that she'd happily remain by his side, even as a mere servant, as long as she could help him.

Also, she had no desire to go back to her former country. If her father found her, he would marry her to the first nobleman with a title and enough money he's found and that would be it. She would go back to her life of a Lord's daughter then Lord's wife and never be able to help people as she had been able to do while living in the Clan.

She admired the man sitting on the bed, his long black hair which was completely disheveled and dirty, his dark eyes that made her insides twirl, his face marked by tiredness but also so handsome. Therefore, Adelheid only smiled at him and kept that secret hers.

Soon enough, some men brought a large bucket, which seemed to be a tub and filled it with warm water.

Even if she was embarrassed to see him naked, Adelheid helped Tharn get it and washed his hair and torso, being careful around his wounds.

Once they were done, she helped him get dressed back again and she put some balms on his wounds without adding bandages since no infection was possible anymore before he sat back on the bed, his back leaning on the wall behind as she took place on the side.