Captured (Closed)

[Scriven]

Shocked by her words, Nate froze for a moment. "What?" he asked, aghast and appalled. Her voice had been much closer that time and he turned toward it and spotted her sitting in the undergrowth, her knees pulled up to her chest. Frowning, he went and crouched a few feet away from her.


If he'd had to guess, he never would have come up with that being the thing that had upset her. She had run away because she thought she was going to be forced to lie with him? He felt a slight sting to his pride, but tried to push it away. That really wasn't the issue here, he told himself firmly, and it was irrelevant anyway. He'd never had any intention of bringing Fey to his bed, so why should it bother him that she didn't want to?


"I have no interest in sleeping with you, Fey. I wish you would have asked before running off."

 

[Captainsassypants]

Fey cast a quick glance at him as he crouched beside her but then shifted her eyes to look past him at what she could make out in the darkness. She regretted speaking because if she hadn't then he wouldn't have been able to find her. Now that he knew where she was she felt like she was in a much more vulnerable position.


"And your brother?" She asked still not looking at him. She was not entirely sure that she could trust him, but he was not the only one she had to worry about. She then recalled the way Nanook had showed her off like some sort of prize, the thought of it made her feel sick. He was married with a pregnant wife and still he needed other bedmates? What she really didn't understand was why Tabby would allow it. She felt if it had been her, she would have never tolerated such behaviour.

 

[Scriven]

Fey didn't meet his eye, causing Nate to sigh.


"I can't speak for other people. Why don't you ask him yourself?" Nate suggested. Where was all this coming from so suddenly? If Fey had been with Luned, he wouldn't have been surprised to find that the Welsh blonde had put all sorts of ideas into Fey's head and told her something to make her run off. Luned was always causing trouble with other girls, especially any he happened to accidentally glance at. It was no secret that she desired him. He had found her lying unclothed in his bed often enough, though he always made her leave. He had no interest in her, or any other woman for that matter.


Nate was certain he was the cause of Luned's disdain for Fey. When he had met Fey in these woods he hadn't realized she was going to be living under the same roof as him. He'd unknowingly created an enemy for her just by associating with her. Then again, he was sure it wouldn't have taken long for Luned to find some reason to cause trouble for Fey anyway. She alienated anyone she saw even remotely as competition.


The fact was, she hadn't been with Luned though. Luned had been filling the tub for Tabby's bath with him. Fey had been helping Camille fix supper. Camille wouldn't try to drive the girl away.


She might warn her of the truth though, Nate realized. There were cultural difference between the British and the Vikings, and this was one of them. Viking men didn't hide their affairs with other women and they weren't prohibited by custom. To a Viking, there was nothing wrong with a man having a wife and also sleeping with an unmarried thrall every once in a while. For Nate, who had grown up with such customs, it was difficult for him to understand why Fey was so appalled. Perhaps she thought she had no say in the matter and that she would just be taken against her will any time a man in the house felt the urge. It generally wasn't like that among most Vikings, though a thrall was property. If a man wanted to have his way with one of his thralls, it was within his rights. Most Viking men preferred a willing, welcoming partner though, not someone frigid and hostile.


He had a feeling Nanook had probably brought Fey back with him because he wanted a healer for Tabby, not because he wanted her for his bed. "I don't think you have anything to worry about. I don't think my brother is interested in bedding you. He just wants someone who can help Tabby."

 

[Captainsassypants]

"Ask him?!" She exclaimed. Why on earth would she ask if he planned on forcing her into his bed. She would rather not give him the option in the first place. "Suppose he says yes then what do you suppose I do?" She asked it wasn't like she could just walk up to him and ask and then run away again if she didn't like his answer. That was just absurd. She was sure if she went back now there wouldn't be much chance of her getting out again, at least not as soon as she would have liked. The way he acted like it was such simple matter that could be resolved easily bothered her. Maybe it didn't matter to him since this was his people's custom but it wasn't hers and it was a very big deal to her.


Her brows then furrowed as she contemplated what he said. Nanook only wanting her to be a healer for Tabby did make sense but she couldn't be sure. She had only just met Nate and she had no reason to believe a word he said. It wasn't anything personal, perhaps if they had met under different circumstances they could have at least maybe have been friends, but under the current conditions she could never be anything but a piece of property to serve him and his family.


Despite what he said making sense she definitely didn't feel she could trust Nanook. He had forced her on a boat and taken her away from her home who was to say he wouldn't force her to do other things as well.


"I'm not going back unless you can guarantee it." She affirmed finally. She didn't know what she'd do if he didn't agree but she needed some sort of reassurance before she would ever agree to return with him.

 

[Scriven]

"I could make you go back, you know," he told her wearily. "I could drag you back kicking and screaming and when we got back tell my brother what this whole thing was about- which you'll be punished for, no doubt- or you could be sensible and just come back on your own, and I'll lie for you and say you suddenly remembered something you had dropped in the woods."


He didn't want to drag her through the woods, but he wasn't going to make her a guarantee that wasn't his to make. "I can't guarantee you anything Fey, at least not things that are beyond my control. I can promise you I have no intention of ever forcing any woman into my bed, you included. I can't make guarantees about other people though."


Fey didn't seem like she planned on going anywhere anytime soon, so Nate settled himself down on the mossy ground, his back against the trunk of an ancient tree. It was getting really cold outside, so he wrapped his arms about himself as best he could to hold in his remaining warmth.


"So what are you going to do?" Nate asked her. "Run away and hope no one finds you? You'll freeze to death in these woods, or break your leg and become prey to some animal, or maybe if you're really lucky you'll make it out of the Elveness woods and into another Viking settlement. Perhaps you'll find them more to your liking."

 

[Captainsassypants]

Shock showed clear on her face as he threatened her, her eyes growing wide as she finally looked at him. "You wouldn't dare" Would He? She wondered. He didn't seem like the person who'd do that. Maybe he was more like his brother than she thought. Either way she didn't want to find out...


She was just disappointed with his answer. "Couldn't you do something to stop it" She asked meekly. She was probably asking too much, he had no reason to want to help her but she refused to give up. She was willing to do whatever housework they wanted her to do as long as they treated her like a normal human being and didn't expect anything else from her.


She then looked hard at him for a long while when he asked her what she was going to do. She had gotten so cold at that point she was beginning to shiver a little but she just wrapped her arms tighter around herself, trying to make it seem like it didn't really bother her.


"Fine" She begrudgingly agreed and pushed herself up off the ground so she was then standing above him. She hated the idea of going back to the house so much she wanted to cry and she had to do everything she could to keep from doing it. It was the idea of freezing to death, being attacked by animals or even worse, being found and taken by someone else, that was enough to make her decided going back with him would be better.

 

[Scriven]

Fey pushed herself to her feet, standing above him. Even in the darkness the distaste on her features was apparent. Nate was glad she would go willingly, albeit begrudgingly. He would have dragged her back, mostly for her own safety and well being, but he wouldn't have been happy about it. He was happy enough to leave acts of brutality to the warrior vikings in his village, and though Nanook considered it a bit of an embarrassment that his only brother had no interest in going a-viking, Nate was content to stay on solid land and craft the vessels that carried his kith and kin across the seas.


"Everything'll work out," he assured her, standing. He brushed the moss and bits of leaves off his clothes and offered what he hoped was a reassuring expression. He refused to speak for Nanook, but knew his brother wouldn't lay hands on Fey if he asked him not to. He was also pretty confident in his initial assessment that his brother probably hadn't taken her for that reason anyway. "Let's go back before they start worryi-"


Nate's voice stopped abruptly, his sea green eyes widening slightly. He had heard a noise, like shouting in the distance. He turned and saw the flicker of a torch moving among the trees, slowly getting closer. It was still at a distance, but he saw the faint gleam of a drawn sword and heard the pound and crunch of heavy boots on the forest floor. He looked at Fey and put his finger in front of his lips, then pulled her quickly behind a large tree.


"Danes," he whispered, moving close. The Danes had been the enemy of the Norse for hundreds of years and the battle waged hot between them still. It seemed they were making a secret raid in the night, planning on killing people in their beds while they slept. It was a vile tactic, Nate thought. "I'll boost you up into this tree and you hide, alright?" he whispered urgently. "I'll draw them away. If you can, run and tell my family, but if it's unsafe just stay put."

 

[Captainsassypants]

Fey was not convinced when Nate told her everything would work out. She could only hope that they would but she would just have to wait and see, which drove her crazy. She smoothed out her clothes while she waited for him to get up so they could head back . She heard him cut off mid sentence while she was still fixing her clothes. "Wha-" She began to ask and looked up her eyes landing on the same thing that seemed to have alarmed him.


"What's happening?" She whispered as she squinted her eyes trying to get a better look at the people in the distance. She didn't quite understand what was going on but from the way he was acting, and the sight of draw swords, she figured it wasn't good. When he then pulled her behind a tree she couldn't help the small squeak that escaped her lip. She seemed surprised but the suddenness of the action and the closeness between them. If she could have backed up without hitting the tree she would have.


"Draw them away? How are you going to do that without getting hurt you're outnumbered" She questioned she felt like her brain was delayed and it took her a few seconds to process everything her was telling her. She glanced up at the tree he wanted her to hide in. The lowest branches had to be at least ten feet from the ground. "Also what am I supposed to tell everyone?" She asked drawing her eyes away from the tree branches and directing her gaze back at him.


Peeking back around the tree she could see the glow of the torches growing even closer now. She could almost make out the faces of the men carrying them, the sound of their foot steps and voices growing louder. In the next instant she had turned back keeping herself out of sight. "Couldn't we both just run?"

 

[Scriven]

Anxiety made his stomach feel like it had suddenly dropped out and Fey was wasting time with talking. "Shh!" he hissed urgently. They didn't have much time. "Just tell them we're being invaded!"


Stronger than he looked, Nate bent his knees and picked Fey up, hoisting her upward so she could grasp the lowest branch. He didn't have time to explain to her that he knew he could get hurt but had to do it anyway. If they ran they would be caught. He would be killed, or if he was lucky taken as a slave. Fey would face a similar fate, and probably one far less kind than the one she would have met with Nanook and Tabby.


When Fey had taken hold of the branch, Nate was able to let go. The Danes were getting close now. Nate waited a moment, then bolted, running parallel to the village. He didn't want to draw them any closer to his people, but maybe, just maybe, someone would hear him and it would be enough warning for his village to meet the invading Danes head on.


"Attack!" Nate yelled as he ran, hearing the pounding of feet behind him as heavy men armed with swords and axes pursued. "We're under attack! Danes!"

 

[Captainsassypants]

"Hey!" She gasped, taken aback to say the least when he hissed at her and suddenly picked her up thrusting her up towards the tree, ignoring everything she had just said. She stretched her arms up as far as she could reach grabbing onto the lowest tree branch. Once in her grasp she nimbly pulled herself up on to it. She didn't much like being handled like that but it wasn't like she was being given much choice and they were running out of time so she complied.


Once she was safely balanced on the tree branch the looked back down to where Nate was standing on the ground. She gave him a weary look as she was not so sure this plan of his was going to work. She had a very bad feeling he was going to end up hurt or worse and she really didn't want to see that happen to him. "Be careful" was all she could manage to whisper before he took off running.


Once he started yelling she could see the small army of men suddenly veer off path to chase after him. She held her breath as they seemed to run right underneath her, her heart threatening to pound out of her chest. As soon as they were a decent enough distance away from her she dropped to ground with a small thud before she broke out into a sprint heading back towards the village and Nanook and Tabby's house to warn everyone and get help.

 

[Scriven]

The Danes were chasing after him, their weapons drawn. Nate ran faster than he would have thought himself possible, but it wasn't enough. They were coming at him from all sides and he was outnumbered. They would surely cut him down, he thought, and hoped that this one act of bravery in his life might earn him a seat in Valhalla.


He saw lights in the village as people emerged from their homes with torches. They had heard his call! Nanook was screaming with fiery rage, a war ax in his hand. He was running to meet the Danes in battle, as were others from the village.


From the corner of his eye he saw the lithe figure of Fey running through the knee-high grass toward the town. A man was chasing after her though, quickly gaining on her. Before he saw if the man caught her or not, Nate felt a sharp pain, then his world went black.

***

​

"No ye don't, girl!"


A large man with blonde hair and beard grabbed onto Fey, yanking her roughly off the ground. "Thought ye'd get away, did ye?"


He held her tightly, making it hard for her even to struggle. In the distance he saw men running from the village. That boy had alerted his people and given them time to arm themselves! He said a foul curse and spat on the earth, then heard his leader call for them to retreat.


Well, at least he'd have one small consolation. He'd be bringing a girl back home with him. The Dane started running back with the others, retreating into the forest as the Norsemen stood armed and ready to defend themselves.

 

[Captainsassypants]

Fey shrieked when she was grabbed harshly and lifted off her feet. "Let go of me!" She screamed and kicked her legs violently as that was the most she could do. She tried to angle her legs so that her kicks would hit him instead of her legs just flailing wildly in the air but the way she was being held made it difficult.


"Get Off! Help! Someone help me!" She continued to scream at the top of her lungs until her voice began to give out. She didn't even understand how they had caught her. She had seen all of them go running after Nate. She saw it. So why was she now in the grasps of this man. And Nate what had happened to him? She wondered fearing it was probably not good as she could no longer hear him yelling.


She felt all hope of being saved by anyone in the village slip away as the Dane carried her off farther and farther away from the village.

 

[Scriven]

It took little effort for the giant, fair-haired Dane to carry the girl he'd captured off into the woods, even with her kicking and screaming. A few times her heel came in sharp contact with his shin, making him jerk her upward, and once her foot even came heart-stoppingly close to his groin, but she managed to do little actual damage.


They were retreating back to their ships in the darkness of the night. That night's attack was supposed to be a raid that would catch the Norse of Elveness unawares. The red-haired boy had ruined that.


It took a few hours for them to reach the shore where their ships waited and the Dane carrying the grey-haired girl was tired and irritated. She was a light, spritely little thing, but carrying her while she twisted and kicked was tiring nonetheless. He threw her roughly into one of the ships. Someone else had deposited the boy there, who still laid unconscious, an angry gash on his temple and blood smeared across his face. If he ever awoke, he'd face their wrath. If he was lucky he'd never come to.

 

[Captainsassypants]

Fey could not believe that this was happening to her not once, but a second time. She felt as if the universe must be conspiring against her. She continued her kicking the entire time he was carrying her with the hopes she hit him or he'd get tired and loosen his hold so that she might have a chance to run away, but she had no such luck.


She was regretting having ever run out into the woods in the first place, but then they wouldn't have been there when the Danes arrived and Nate wouldn't have been able to warn everyone. Then the Danes would have made it to the village and it would have ended in much the same way for her. At least this way they avoided all the bloodshed.


By time they reached the ships Fey was tired from kicking and screaming but she put as much effort as she had left into it until she was finally thrown into a boat and her fate was sealed. Hitting the floor hard she cried out and then pushed herself up to sit her hands rubbing her sore arms and side for a moment while she took in her surroundings.


She nearly gasped when she caught sight of Nate there, bloody and unconscious. Quickly she moved to sit on her knees beside him, two fingers checking his pulse. A pulse was present although a little faint, but she was just relieved there was a pulse at all. After that she tore a strip of fabric from her skirt and held it against the gash on his head in attempt to stop the bleeding. she wished she could have done more, but being where they were she didn't have any of the proper things needed to help him. She was just doing the best she could.

 

[Scriven]

It wasn't long before the long, wooden ship set sail. The Danish warriors were tired and in a foul mood. What was supposed to be a surprise raid on the village of Elveness had backfired. They hadn't come prepared for a full battle; besides, the Viking warriors had apparently returned. The Danes were outnumbered and at a disadvantage so they had turned, but the cowardice burned like acid in their throats.


Only two had been captured, and they were barely even grown. The boy looked weak for a Norseman, though he had bravely risked his life to warn his kin. The girl didn't meet the Danish standard of beauty. They preferred tall, golden haired women with voluptuous figures and the grey-haired brat was thin and girlish in form. She'd be sold off as a slave somewhere though, and earn her keep with hard labor. The boy's future wasn't as certain. He had cost them a victory that night and the Danish warriors were calling for vengeance.


At the back of the boat, Nate slowly opened his eyes, blinking up at the dark, starry sky. His vision swam and his head painfully pounded. He squeezed his eyes shut again as the world began to spin all around him, making him feel ill. Reaching up weakly, Nate touched the painful spot on his temple and found cloth there. He opened his eyes again- just a little this time- and saw Fey sitting there with him, not far away.


"They caught you," he whispered mournfully. "Did they--" he stopped, afraid to even ask. "What happened? Did they attack the village?"

 

[Captainsassypants]

If she was being honest, Fey was frightened. She was unsure what would become of her now. The Danes seemed worse than the vikings. At least when she had been captured the first time it was with Aggie, to be a healer, something she enjoyed doing. She had only just started getting used to the idea of living in Nanook and Tabby's house, under their rules. Now something entirely new was to come and she had a very bad feeling about it all.


She was sick and tired of being handled and forced into things. She cursed her body for being so weak and twigley. Even if she couldn't fight her way free she would have felt a little satisfaction if she could have gotten one good kick at the beast that put her there. She thought of trying to escape the boat somehow but those thoughts left her when she caught sight of Nate. She couldn't just leave him there and she felt partially responsible for the current predicament he was in.


Resigned to stay there, she kept at the back of the boat with the fiery haired boy while the last of the warriors loaded the boat and they set sail. She watched the men cautiously feeling on edge and worried they would come near her. For the most part they hardly even looked her way, being in too terrible a mood to even notice.


Noticing movement out of the corner of her eye she looked to the boy beside her with more alertness as it seemed he was finally coming to. "You're awake" She stated surprised he had come around so soon. "You really shouldn't move if you don't have to" She then instructed. He may have been awake but that didn't mean he was recovered yet.


"No the village is fine. They retreated after you warned everyone and they came to fight." She assured him "They only got me and you.." She said looking down at the floor with a frown

 

[Scriven]

Nate hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath, but he suddenly exhaled, feeling a sense of relief. The village was okay. His family was okay. He looked up at Fey's pale face and realized everyone was safe but them. He could feel the boat rocking beneath them, heard the Danes grunting as they rowed. He could remember running, then the sharp pain of being struck. After that time had passed and now he and Fey were on a Danish ship. Nate closed his eyes. It would have been better if he had been killed swiftly. What sort of tortures did they have waiting for him?


"I'm sorry," he muttered, his voice hoarse. He shouldn't have told her to run. He should have just told her to stay hidden. "We're not safe he-"


"Quiet back there!" someone yelled, raising an arm threateningly. Nate opened his eyes and lifted his head a little, then laid it back down against the hard wooden bottom of the boat. He lowered his voice so only Fey would be able to hear him.


"I have no idea what they have in store for us, but Fey..." He paused, feeling a wave of dizziness. "These people are dangerous. You can't cross them." Like you did Nanook, he wanted to say, but held his tongue. Fey was spirited, and while he could appreciate that, it would only get her hurt among the Danes.

 

[Captainsassypants]

Fey shrugged when he apologized. He had nothing to apologize for. None of this was his fault, if anything it was her own fault. She was just glad everyone else was safe, Aggie was safe.


She didn't need him to finish to know that they weren't safe, but hearing the harsh voice yell back at them startled her and further emphasised the point. She glared in the direction from which it had come from not knowing it's owner. It didn't matter anyway she despised all of them equally for what they had tried to do and what they were going to do to her and Nate later on.


She turned back to Nate when he continued speaking her mouth a straight line as she looked at him her eyes fixated on the blood across his forehead and face. "Isn't there some way we could escape?" She whispered and glanced toward the men afraid they'd overhear her. She wanted to hope that there was some way out of their current situation but she feared deep down that there wasn't one.

 

[Scriven]

Mouth forming into a thin, straight line, Nate didn't answer immediately.


"I don't know. We'll have to wait until we reach shore to see what they do with us."


Why had they even kept them alive? Surely they meant Fey to be a slave, but what about him? Did they intend to enslave him, or worse? His head was swimming, his vision beginning to blur. He closed his eyes and wedged his arm under his head to put himself in a slightly more comfortable position.


Hours passed and the Danes continued rowing through the night. A water skin was passed back to them, but Nate had barely taken a sip before it was yanked away from him again. Eventually he fell asleep again and when he awoke it was dawn. A rough hand was yanking him up, making Nate groan in pain. He was wrenched by the collar of his shirt out of the boat, his feet plunged into cold, salty water. A Danish Viking dragged him through the water up to shore and he fell to the rocks, skinning his hands and knees.


"Up!" a voice ordered, and he felt a dull, steel blade under his chin. Nate scrambled to his feet.


"Where are you taking us?" he asked, looking around for Fey. He saw that she was being dragged up through the water as well. The dragon-prowed boats were too immense to take them to dry land. "What are you going to do with us?"


His questions were answered with a sharp crack from the back of a man's hand. "Quiet!"

 

[Captainsassypants]

A silence fell between. Fey was unhappy with his answer but had nothing else offer so she didn't try. Eventually she curled herself up in as comfortable position as she would find on the hard wooden planks and fell asleep.


She didn't wake again until she felt herself being lifted up roughly by the arm earning a whimper from her as she came back to consciousness. She struggled to get her feet on the ground as one of the danes held her up like she was a ragdoll. She struggled against the grasp on her arm but that only caused it to tighten making her cry and twist in pain deciding that fighting had been a bad idea.


She too was dragged along through the freezing water only a few paces behind Nate but when they reached shore she was not released but held firmer her arms twisted behind her back keeping her from moving much.


"Watch that one, she's a kicker" The man that had captured her the night before laughed. Had she not been quite so terrified she might had done something, wishing she could show him was her kicks could really do. However she was too preoccupied with what they were going to do with her and Nate now to pick fights, which was probably for the best.


"Stop it! Leave him alone!" She found herself yelling in Nate's defense as she fought against the hold on her arms before she could think about what she was doing.. To her surprise her arms were just slim enough to slip through the man's grasp when she jerked forward but she only managed to fall forward on to the rocks trying to scramble out of reach as quickly as she could.