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The Fight
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Tova's Four Kingdoms Taken
ERIK I heard a knock at my door. I checked the time. Birgir was prompt. “Enter!” I shouted. The door to my chamber opened a little and Birgir slipped in. He bowed his head. “My Grace,” he said, respectfully. I smiled at him and held out my hand. “Don’t be so stuffy. When there’s no one else around, please call me Erik.” I smiled ruefully. “You changed my diapers, my companion. There are no secrets between us.” He laughed and took a seat in the chair that I indicated. “How can I help you, my friend,” he asked. I paused, unsure how to broach the subject. “I want to get your opinion on Tova,” I said. “I know that you must be diplomatic when around anyone else, so I wanted to give you the opportunity to be honest and upfront with me.” He looked at me shrewdly. “Are you having feelings for her, Erik?” he asked, forgoing all pretense. “I am,” I admitted. “I am finding that I admire her. She is different than the other women I have had opportunity to surround myself w
Tova's Four Kingdoms Swim
TOVA I woke up soaking wet, in the bottom of a boat that had been hewn out from a log. It bounced on the waves, tossing me around. None of the three men in the boat with me made any attempt towards my comfort. I pretended to still be asleep, trying to figure out who they were and what they wanted with me. I knew that I was on the lake and that terrified me. I have crossed the lake quite a few times, but the ship was always large, and the weather was always fair. This was a tiny boat, and the rain was lashing down at us. Waves threatened to swamp us at any moment, and I was freezing from the spray. My hands were tied behind my back and my feet were bound together. I thought about throwing myself out of the boat and attempting to swim, but I knew that I would need all my limbs to battle the surf when it was this choppy. I would drown with my hands tied behind my back or I would succumb to the cold temperature of the lake. It was better to wait. I decided to continue to play
Tova's Four Kingdoms Taff
TOVA The pain in my head threatened to cause me to lose consciousness the moment I regained it. I could feel the blood trickling down the side of my face, and I realized that they had hit me much harder than I had originally thought. I carefully opened my eyes. I was bound to the center pole of a meager hut. Huts in this part of the country were built raised since the ground is permanently frozen eight inches under the topsoil. A log is driven into the ground, eight inches deep, and then cemented into place with a combination of animal hair, saw dust, gravel, and tree sap from the Bidor tree. Then a hut is built around the log. First, stones are laid on the ground as a foundation. Animal hair, wool, dried grasses, and branches are put on top of the stones as insulation and then a floating wooden floor of halved logs are laid on top. Depending on the riches of the person building the hut, the logs may be smoothed and sanded. Walls are built around out of stone and a thatch r
Tova's Four Kingdoms Safe
TOVA I had braced myself for the first lash of the whip. My torturer barely used his arm, instead flicking his wrist to have the tails of the whip dance across my back. I involuntarily screamed, the pain feeling like hellfire had been poured on to my back. He pulled back and whipped again and again, flicking his wrist into a morbid movement of pain and blood. He was right; my blood spattered around the room with each strike of the whip. After the tenth stroke I was standing in a puddle of my own blood, bits of my flesh on the ground around me. My knees were wobbly, my throat was sore from screaming and my vision swam. I thought I heard voices over the thundering rain, but I couldn’t concentrate on anything but the pain. “Get on with it!” I heard Sala scream. I saw the man cock back his arm, this time ready to put his weight behind the stroke and I closed my eyes turning to the pillar with a sob. I knew I would not survive this. The stroke hit with as much force as I had im
Tova's Four Kingdoms Brother
ERIK I watched Tova drift off to sleep. Birgir went to the fire and gathered a bunch of herbs, tying them together in a bundle. He lit the end on fire and then blew out the flame, creating a smudge. He wrapped a stiff piece of bark around the bundle, making a little cornucopia with the smoking end at the large end of the cone. He sat in front of Tova, holding the smudge in front of her face. Her breathing deepened as she drifted into a deeper sleep. Satisfied, he stubbed out the smudge on the dirt floor and then went back to the pot that was boiling on the fire, the herbs and roots inside turning the water to a noxious shade of green. I watched him dip strips of linen into the water and pull them out, letting them cool slightly in the air before bringing them to Tova’s sleeping form. I braced myself for what I was going to see. He removed the light sheet that was covering her body and gently pulled off the used strips of linen, setting them aside to be cleaned and used again
Tova's Four Kingdoms Punishment
ERIK I paused before I went back into the cave, knowing that my arrival with the needle and tendon was just going to cause Tova more pain. I smiled to myself ruefully. If she had been any of my men, I would have sewn it up myself and judged them for making any sort of noise. I did have to give her credit. She has barely made a sound even though the pain must be intense. I went into the cave and saw Birgir bending over the fire, tending another pot that was starting to smell delicious. I realized he was making a soup to feed the girl and probably ourselves. I silently handed him the items he requested and then left the cave again. I began walking towards the village and I was soundlessly joined by two of my guards. Once on the outskirts of the town, I pulled the hood of my cloak up over my face. I had left my seal skin cloak back at the cave and was wearing a very modest cloak made of wool that would easily pass for one of the villagers. I looked at my guards and they unders
Tova's Four Kingdoms Rumors
TOVAWe spent a week in the cave. Erik came and went, speaking quietly with his guards, but Birgir never left my side. He was an excellent nurse, even helping me with my personal business and cleaning me afterwards. I never knew what King Erik talked about with his guards; he gave Birgir the updates after I had gone to sleep.After a week my back was scabbed, but nothing was bleeding and I wasn’t in an undo amount of pain. I was starting to get restless and said as much to Birgir when the opportunity arose.“How much danger is King Erik in?” I asked. Birgir looked up from his concoction of herbs that he was boiling. “King Erik can take care of himself. There are many that are loyal to him that will help keep him safe.” He looked at me curiously. “Why do you ask, my lady?”“Are we here, then, on my account?” I didn’t understand why we were hiding in a cave instead of trying to figure out who the traitor was and hunting him down. “Yes,” he admitted. “When King Erik realized t
Tova's Four Kingdoms Wash
TOVAErik came back a few hours later bearing packages. He tossed a parcel at Birgir and then put a larger one on the pallet that I slept on. I looked at him questioningly. “A dress, cloak, and some toiletries. We are returning home in style.”“Thank you,” I said, fingering the package. He inclined his head and spoke to me softly.“I would be honored, my queen, to help you get ready.” He chuckled softly. “I am no lady in waiting, but I can help.”I looked at Birgir with a little bit of alarm, but he refused to meet my eyes, busying himself with the package that he was given. “Oh, okay,” I said in the silence. Birgir tried to hide his smile of amusement and I let out the breath I was holding, looking Erik in the face. “I would like that, your grace. I am moving slowly and raising my arms is still a little hard.”Erik suddenly got serious. “When we return to the castle you will move into my chamber and only Birgir and I will attend to you. I do not trust anyone there right n
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