A/N: Another long chapter, sorry! Also there is another pic of Rowan up top. I of course do not own the photo (or any photos I have used) it is just what I view her as :)
The sounds of birds chirping and faint laughter awoke Rowan from her slumber. Last night had been one of the best nights of sleep she had ever had and she wished she could sleep a few more minuets and decided she would take advantage of the warm and comfortable bed. "They can get breakfast started without me," she thought.
She inhaled and nestled down into her pillow and after a few moments she froze. Instead of smelling cotton and down feathers of her pillow, she had smelt a mixture of pine, soap, and a hint of something she couldn't place. And instead of her pillow being soft and plump she felt herself laying on something hard and...moving?
Rowan's eyes shot open when she remembered last night and found herself resting on Bjorn's bare chest with one arm draped over his torso. In return, he had one slightly around her waist and the other was holding her hand that was laying across his torso. "Oh my..." she whispered, not wanting to wake him up. She did not remember when they had gotten into this position and figured she had done it unconsciously. Looking at his face she noticed and how peaceful he appeared. He was no longer the boy who despised her that she had first met and in his place was a caring and humorous man. One that you trusted enough to sleep in your bed and now look at you she thought.
Slowly she removed his arm from her waist, trying to untangle their bodies from one another. But when Bjorn stirred she panicked and threw herself off of him, rolling out of the bed and crashing onto the floor in the process. She fell onto her injured side and winced, a dull ache forming.
Bjorn sat up when he heard a loud thump and looked around the tent in a panic. When he spotted Rowan on the floor he gave her a concerned look. She quickly stood up and sputtered, "I..I woke up like this. On the floor I mean." He pressed his lips together, knowing that she had just fell on the floor considering the loud thump and that her side of the bed was still warm.
Raising his eyebrows and tilting his head to the side he let the mater go, then threw his legs off the side of the bed and stretched.
Rowan couldn't help herself but to stare as his back muscles rippled under his tan skin as he did so. She knew her back didn't do that or any other woman's for that matter. Something about Bjorn's strength and toned body did something to her that she couldn't explain. She felt it was almost primitive, something that her kind had forgotten long ago and could only be awakened by a man. Seeing his body in such a way... it was just so...manly. Every inch of him was so masculine, from his abundance of hair that covered his arms and legs to his deep voice. She notice his was not as husky as some of the other men's or that he was as hairy but to Rowan it was just the right amount.
"Good God just listen to yourself", she thought. Before her mind could continue such thoughts she collected herself from the floor and quickly went over to her chest, grabbing a long sleeve tunic and another pair of tights. This was her go-to outfit when she was not wearing her armor though she would much rather be in the familiar confines of the constricting leather and metal.
Slipping on her clothing for the day, she styled her hair and in a simple braid, letting it fall over her shoulder.
Meanwhile Bjorn made the bed all while thinking about last night. It was not as uncomfortable than he would of thought and hoped that she would invite him again tonight. If it was the cold that had given him the chance to sleep next to her then he hoped it the weather would stay this way. Just then, thunder rumbled in the distance. His shoulders sank as he tucked in the blankets as he hoped it would stay away from the camp. They still had a few stables to build and many of the horses were growing restless being harnessed to trees.
After he was done with the bed, he too changed and got ready for the day and together they headed to eat breakfast. He noticed Horan and Darsa were no where to be seen and figured they were still in their tent asleep and made a mental note to talk to him later that day.
Once they got their food, they sat down at the farthest table and began to eat. "What are you going to do for today?" Bjorn asked curiously as he scraped his oatmeal with his bread. Rowan swallowed her food and shrugged, "Now that you mention it I am not sure. We've no more clothes that needs to be washed and it looks like Tursa already has a few of my Sisters to help her with lunch and dinner. I think I will practice my reading and later on attempt to make amends with Darsa," she said, the last part begrudgingly. She didn't want to be the one to give in and apologize but she knew her cousin well and she would continue to give Rowan the silent treatment until she did so.
Bjorn scooped up the last of his oatmeal and picked up both of their bowls, "Well I guess I will see you later today?" He knew he needed to get started on the stables while he could. Rowan nodded, "See you."
For the next few hours Rowan practiced reading in the confines of their tent. She had learned a few more words on her own but she had to admit that it was much easier when Bjorn was there to help her.
Every once in a while a crack would sound making her jump. Soon it started to drizzle and then all of a sudden the wind picked up and it was pouring outside. Knowing this meant that Bjorn would soon take shelter in the tent rose her spirits.
Moments later he burst through the heavy maroon flaps absolutely drenched. His hair stuck to his face in swirls and his clothes clung to his body. A large puddle soon formed at his feet and she stifled a laugh.
"You do not want to go out there," Bjorn said, peeling out of his shirt.
This time Rowan didn't look away and didn't care too; he was too tempting to do such a thing. She was thankful that he was too busy to notice her as he attempted to dry himself off.
Bjorn shook his head, causing water flying all over the place as it fell from his hair. The air was cold and covered his body in goosebumps. Next he bent down and unlaced his boots, pulling the waterlogged shoes off and laid them next to the tent opening. Then he padded over to his chest and quickly stripped off his trousers, leaving him in his undergarments for a moment until he could put some dry pants on.
This was when Rowan decided to look away. She felt her face flush at what she just viewed and internally scolded herself for being so depraved.
She had heard Tursa and the other women who had attended the Skabelse talk about such desires around the small campfires on the way here and cringed at the though of thinking about a man in such a way. But as she pretended to practice reading it was the only thing she could think about. Such thoughts made her feel as if she was dirty and needed to bathe.
She was too busy reprimanding herself to notice Bjorn sit across from her at the small table and jumped when he spoke up.
"Well at least we finished one today," he Bjorn said, referring to the stables, then lightly sighed. "How is the reading going?"
Rowan swallowed hard, feeling as if she had been caught even though there was no way he was able to know her thoughts, "I guess you can say it's okay. I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what this means though," she said as she pointed to the list Bjorn had gave her to work on. "I have never heard of the word 'armyuh' before."
He leaned over and looked at where the tip of her finger was. "Oh that says army," he answered. Rowan frowned, "Army? I thought 'y' made the 'yuh' sound?" Bjorn shrugged his broad shoulders, "Not all the time I suppose."
She shook her head, "I'm done for now. I don't think I can take any more of this for a while," she said, then collected her materials and placed them neatly at the corner of the table.
He couldn't help but to find her frustration amusing.
"Well since we will probably be stuck in here for a while what would you like to do?" she asked, looking back at Bjorn. His hair was still wet which caused his curls to drop water onto his shoulders.
"Why don't we talk?" he suggested nonchalantly. Even though he had know her for a little over a week he didn't know much about her. Rowan's expression changed and she raised an eyebrow, "You want to talk? About what?"
Bjorn shrugged, "Why don't we get to know each other a little better? I figured if we were going to have a child together we should at least get to know one another," he explained with a crooked smile. Rowan thought this over and nodded. It made sense. "Very well. Shall I begin?" She asked. Bjorn motioned to her with his hand to continue.
"What would you like to know?" She asked unsure of what to say. "How about you tell me what the Glade is like?" Bjorn answered curiously.
She mulled this over in her mind. Was he asking her out of his own curiosity? Or was he inquiring to benefit him and Rorik were they to attack them one day? She decided to answer honestly; if Rorik were to attack the Glade they would regret it.
"Well most of the kingdom had to be rebuilt I suppose. Only some of the ruins are still used to this day. It sits in a large grassy plain which is how it got its name and has a very large lake behind us where we draw our water from," she answered plainly.
"Is it true that you believe that you draw powers from the moon?" Bjorn asked, wanting to know everything about her. Rowan's lips formed into a thin line. "Many of my Sisters do. I personally am not sure. It is true that it is very sacred to us and we believe that we are at our strongest when it is full. And how else do you explain this," she asked, pointing to her silver hair. Bjorn chuckled but said nothing.
"How about I ask you a question then?" Rowan asked. Then without giving him time to reply she continued, "What made your feelings towards me change? You were so malicious at first and now I think you might actually like me," she said teasingly. Bjorn chuckled at this, "Aye, I like you enough."
Rowan smirked at him playfully and waiting for him to continue.
He shrugged, "I don't know. There was just something about you that made you stand out among the other tributes. You are different than them and you weren't afraid to speak your mind that night we argued. In a way I guess you could say that is when you earned my respect. And from there I just tried my best to be as civil as I could with you. You made it easy for the most part. Much easier than I probably deserved, though there was times I had to hold back my tongue," he finished grinning.
Rowan couldn't help but to smile softly at his answer. She hadn't thought he was capable of having those types feelings for her. At most she thought he was only being nice to her because she thought he felt sorry for her about the bear attack. It warmed her knowing that it was more than that.
"Do you remember a few nights ago when you said Falkstan spoke with you and that you would tell me what he said another time?" She asked, suddenly remembering that night. Bjorn's demeanor changed and he slowly nodded his head. "I remember. I suppose you want me to tell you what he said then?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew he would have to speak with her eventually about the matter but hoped he could put it off just a bit longer.
"Very well then," Bjorn started, not sure how to even start, "Well while some women changed you into nightclothes after we had left Ubba's, Falkstan came up to me as I waited outside and said he needed to speak with me," he said with a pause as he tried to figure out the best way to tell the Gladeswoman. She waited patiently in her seat with her head slightly tilted to the right.
Bjorn exhaled, "He said he knew we had not....lay together, and that if we failed to do so and produce a child the High Kings and Queens would take us away to never be seen again. He asked me to keep that a secret for not many no the consequences are but I assume it wouldn't hurt to tell you," he finished, studying her face. She had an unrecognizable look on his face and he could feel his heart beat quicken. "She probably thinks I am some fiend or degenerate," he thought to himself. "Nice going Bjorn." He had a feeling he had just ruined whatever relationship they had had.
He quickly looked down to his hands and started fiddling with his fingers, "Look I know this whole Skabelse thing is.." he trailed off, afraid that he was making it worse, "And I know you were forced to come here just like I was and....well I guess what I am trying to say is that I'm sorry and I'll try to make this easier for the both of us I suppose. I don't want you to think that I am rushing us because I'm not. But I do have a kingdom to get back to and I want to make my father proud and-" he rambled until Rowan cut him off.
"Bjorn," she said more sternly then she had meant too. Before she continued she made sure that she spoke in a lighter tone, "I understand what you are trying to say and I appreciate your concern for me. I must admit that when I first arrived here I thought it would practically be a death sentence, especially when I was paired with the raven haired man who kept staring at me," she said before she cracked a smile, "but then he grew kind towards me and saved my life and I couldn't think of anyone else at this dreadful camp I would rather be paired with."
Bjorn was at a loss for words and blinked. So she doesn't think ill of me?
"And since we are being honest here, I think it is safe to say that I have grown to care for you," she finished. It was the truth and once she finally admitted it to herself it felt as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders.