Canute POV:
The next day Canute woke up with a clumsy smile on his face. He excitedly jumped out of bed and called the palace servants to his bedchambers, to help him get ready. As his robes were being tied around him, Canute looked at himself in the mirror. He was awake all night, thinking about one person only. Canute should've been thinking about taking down King Sweyn, but the only person on his mind was Thorfinn. Canute's cheeks turned rosy pink at just the thought of touching Thorfinn's coarse hands, and looking deep into his brown eyes. He realized last night, at the feast, that he was in love with Thorfinn.
Canute couldn't wait to meet Thorfinn in the basement of the palace for their very first English lessons. Once his long hair had been thoroughly brushed, Canute walked out of his room and rushed towards the basement while two palace guards trailed behind him. When Canute got to the bottom of stairs, he turned to the hallway that lead to the basement. While walking, he passed the bedchambers where the palace guards lived. He knew that Thorfinn had been told to live in one of those rooms for as long as they stayed in the palace, but Canute wasn't sure which one of the rooms were Thorfinn's. He made a mental note to ask Thorfinn later.
Canute arrived at the basement doors, and told the palace guards to stand outside. Canute walked in and there Thorfinn was, in a darkly lit room sitting on a wooden chair in front of a long round table, his legs crossed. Thorfinn held his short sword in his free hand, flipping it and tapping it against the table. His other arm was still wrapped in bandages, and his head was held down low, not looking up or standing up when Canute entered the room. Canute cleared his throat loud enough to get Thorfinn's attention. Thorfinn turned his head and looked at Canute, giving him a glare.
"You do realize you're supposed to stand and bow when a noble is in your presence." Canute said, walking towards Thorfinn, with a smile on his face.
Thorfinn sighed. "I'm not bowing down for a princess like you." He coldly stated.
Canute bit his lip and walked to the left side of Thorfinn, where a chair was waiting for him. He sat down and placed his satchel on the table top. He hastily opened the bag and pulled out two old books, a scroll, and two quill pens. Thorfinn was quietly observing Canute as he pulled out the supplies, which made Canute nervous.
"By the way," Thorfinn abruptly said. Canute glanced at him, waiting for him to continue speaking. "Don't tell anyone of this." He said, his eyes looking at the prince sternly.
"Why not?" Canute questioned, and Thorfinn scoffed, not answering. It didn't matter because Canute knew why. "Is it because you're embarrassed?" Canute teased. Thorfinn turned to look at Canute, gritting his teeth. He clutched Canute's long leather sleeve tightly, and gave the prince his dagger eyes. Canute laughed and picked up a quill pen and handed it to Thorfinn.
"A pen? For what?" Thorfinn asked, holding the quill pen like a sword.
"To write English." Canute replied, picking up a quill pen for himself. "How can you learn a language without writing it out?" Canute began to write sentences on the scroll of paper for Thorfinn to practice with.
Thorfinn slumped in his chair and looked up at Canute, his eyes wide and brows furrowed. Canute couldn't help but think that he looks like a cute puppy. Canute nodded his head, wondering what Thorfinn wanted to say. Thorfinn sighed, and looked the other way out of embarrassment. "I don't know how to write or read, idiot." Thorfinn murmured, clenching his tiny fists. Canute gasped and then smiled. "Stop laughing!" Thorfinn exclaimed. "I'm not a pretty princess like you, okay? I don't have access to all the books in the world. I don't care about books in the first place."
"Not even Norse?" Canute asked. Thorfinn shook his head, his scruffy blonde hair flying about.
"That's why I think it's better to speak to me in English, instead of writing it down. I'll learn it better that way." Thorfinn explained, scratching his head.
Canute nodded his head and grinned at Thorfinn. Canute spoke to some sentences to Thorfinn in English, using the books he retrieved from the library upstairs. Then he translated it for Thorfinn. To Canute's surprise, Thorfinn was actually quite a good listener. Then, he made Thorfinn repeat the English sentences. Canute couldn't help but blush every time Thorfinn spoke in English, because he had an accent and his pronunciation was horrible, which made him seem cute.
While they went through the lessons, Thorfinn would tug at Canute's sleeve excitedly every time he got something right, which made Canute's heart soar. Sometimes their knee's would touch, and sometimes their hands would brush over each other as they both pointed to the same thing on a page. Canute was glad he got all this time alone with Thorfinn, because they got to know each other a little more. The more Thorfinn opened up to Canute, the more Canute fell in love with Thorfinn. He wondered if Thorfinn reciprocated his feelings. Probably not.
"How are... you today..?" Thorfinn said, following the words written on the scroll.
"No," Canute noticed that Thorfinn was pointing at the wrong sentence. Canute grabbed Thorfinn's hands and guided him to the right sentence. One arm was around Thorfinn's shoulder, and the other was guiding his hand. Canute rested his chin on Thorfinn's shoulder and he could feel Thorfinn's neck heating up. Canute's heart thumped rapidly in his chest. "It's this one." Canute corrected.
The moment only lasted for a second, because Thorfinn quickly and roughly shook Canute off him, and then glared at him. "I think I'm done for the day." He said, gruffly. Canute's heart dropped and he drooped his head. He suddenly realized that move was probably too much for Thorfinn, and Canute blushed in embarrassment. He watched as Thorfinn left without saying another word.
Thorfinn POV:
Canute's crew was back on the ship, around noon, for some stupid expedition. It wasn't going to last long, Thorfinn heard. They were just going to some neighboring town for the Prince to make alliances with. They would be back by nightfall, Askeladd said.He stood by Askeladd, his shield on his free arm. Thorfinn was closer to Askeladd than usual, actively avoiding Canute.
During his first English class with Canute, something happened between him and Canute. Canute had his arms around Thorfinn, and they were basically holding hands. The reason Thorfinn stormed out was because he was incredibly embarrassed, and didn't really know how to react. He was so sure that Canute didn't like him in the same way he liked Canute, so it shocked him when that happened. He had left the room with a red face, and his heart was skipping many beats. He felt bad for leaving so suddenly, so Thorfinn did the only thing he knew how to do: ignoring people. It was easier to do so because Canute was noticeably distancing himself too.
Canute was at the front of the ship, commanding the men, while Thorfinn was at the far end. He knew that he should be standing next to the prince, protecting him. Thorfinn shrugged off all these sudden urges, and sat down on a bench, legs crossed. On the bright side, Thorfinn had enough time to think about his feelings for Canute. Every time he was with Canute, and they touched, Thorfinn would always blush and feel a tingling sensation within his heart. He realized last night, at the feast, when he saw Canute's bright eyes and smiling lips, that Thorfinn was in love. He was in love with Canute.
Thorfinn smacked his head. If only he realized this earlier!
Suddenly, Thorfinn noticed the atmosphere around him change. Although everyone around him was moving about normally, the water was stiller than usual. Thorfinn quickly jumped up, and picked up his shield. Unfortunately, he could not use his short sword with his bandaged arm. Thorfinn raised his shield in the air, as he quickly ran across the ship. As he ran, arrows rained down on the ship. It was an ambush, as Thorfinn predicted. He didn't care to warn anyone, partly because there wasn't enough time, and partly because he had one objective in mind. Protect the Prince.
He reached Canute in time, right before an arrow hit him. Thorfinn steadily held the shield above Canute, and he shifted his body to protect Canute's lower half. The arrow instead hit Thorfinn in the shoulder of his arm that was holding up the shield, but he did not let that hinder his movements. Thorfinn continued to shield Canute as the arrows rained down on the ship. Some of Canute's men died instantly. Thorfinn was breathing heavily, and then nudged Canute, who was staring at him in shock.
"Hold onto me." Thorfinn ordered. "I'm taking you to safety."
"I'm safe when I'm with you." Canute muttered as he slumped his back and held onto Thorfinn's waist.
Thorfinn blushed and stood on his tip toes to reach Canute's height. They shuffled towards a trap door hidden on the floor, leading to the inside of the ship. Thorfinn opened the door and lowered Canute in, while Askeladd managed the situation above.
Once they both were safely inside the ship, Thorfinn fell to the floor and yanked the arrow out of his shoulder. "Stop!" Canute yelled, but it was too late. The bloody arrow was already in Thorfinn's hand, and he roared at the pain searing through his body. Canute sighed and quickly tied his hair into a low ponytail, he rushed to the side of the ship and grabbed an emergency medical kit. "Show me your shoulder, Thorfinn." Canute ordered, opening the kit.
Thorfinn sat on top of a barrel while Canute sat next to him, getting the medical supplies ready. Thorfinn watched as Canute's golden hair fell to his sides as he checked the supplies. "How am I supposed to show you my damned shoulder?" Thorfinn said, grunting at the pain.
Canute sighed and held up a cotton pad with some rubbing alcohol dipped in it. "Take off your tunic."
"I fucking can't, idiot! One of my arms is bandaged and the other is bleeding!" Thorfinn yelled, the pain getting worse. Tears streamed down his face.
Canute leaned towards Thorfinn and grabbed his upper garments. "I'm going to take it off for you, okay? Can I?"
Thorfinn blushed. "I don't fucking care!!"
Canute hastily unbuttoned Thorfinn's tunic. Thorfinn blushed as Canute pulled his garments over his head, and Canute's fingers briskly touched Thorfinn's abs. Once his upper garments were carefully removed, Canute rubbed the alcohol on Thorfinn's wound. Thorfinn grunted at the stinging sensation, so Canute placed a rag in Thorfinn's mouth for him to bite on. Canute gently wrapped his fingers around Thorfinn's strong shoulder, while patching up the wound.
Once his shoulder was successfully bandaged, Thorfinn leaned against the wall, his shirt still off. He could feel Canute eyeing his six-pack, which made Thorfinn smirk. "What are you looking at, Miss Nurse?" Canute looked up and blushed, although Thorfinn was blushing too. They both laughed.
Canute inched closer to Thorfinn, and they both sat in silence for a while. Then, Thorfinn turned to look at Canute. "Sorry about earlier today... I was embarrassed..."
Canute smiled at him, biting his lip. "It doesn't matter." He said, his cheeks rosy pink.
Thorfinn grabbed Canute's hand and held it firmly. "So are we officially friends now or what?" Thorfinn asked, guiding Canute's hand over his abs.
Canute blushed and rubbed Thorfinn's thighs. "More or less." He answered, resting his head on Thorfinn's shoulder, both of their backs against the wall. Thorfinn grinned and stroked Canute's milky hands, his heart beating rapidly. Yes. I think I am in love. Thorfinn confirmed to himself, smiling. He didn't care whether it was mutual or not, he just knew that he wanted to be with Canute forever.