A Bride For A Barbarian

Aurora slept rather well the rest of the night, able to wake up early and dress to make a simple breakfast for the men. They headed out rather quickly though, packing up and heading right to these training grounds that everyone was talking so much about. After setting up a more permanent camp after reaching the grounds, Aurora got to work cooking up some food and preparing for dinner, deciding on a stew as that would cook slowly and would be done by the time they got back. Dinner was really quiet this evening though, as the young boys were completely drained from the training.

She could see it on their faces, both in expression and in some bruises and cuts. Garik was working them hard. They didn't complain though, just head into their tents much earlier than the night before. It seemed that many were rather tired, as only three were left in the end. Aurora, Garik and the man known as Jormund. As she was saving the remains of the left over stew by chilling it in the snow, Garik caught her attention with his words. It took her a moment to realize what he was asking before she quickly started to nod her head.

"Ah, Yes, I still do. I was very warm after the wind was blocked....thank you for that." She said softly as she buried the pot in the snow, sticking up the handle and typing a string to it so that she could trail it into the tent and find it in the morning to reheat. It would stay very fresh in this cold and would reheat well in the more. "How are you? You were training them all day mostly..." She asked as she glanced back to him.
 
He was coming to a realization, that barbarian, and it was one that could have saved him a lot of trouble if it'd arrived sooner. He was fine-tuning his skills, learning how to speak to Aurora, figuring out how to bring her out of her shell. When they'd first met, he'd been cruel to her. And it was mostly just for show, so that she wouldn't tell her townsfolk upon returning that the barbarians weren't anything less than what they believed the tribe to be. But also, when they'd met, he was under the impression that she was a simple idiot and a weak little thing.

He was wrong. And it was fine to admit mistakes to oneself, as long as no one else heard it. The realization was that he had to treat Aurora with the kindness shown to a child, not that he saw her as one. But she was vulnerable and emotional like one. Her skin was not thick like the barbarian women and she lacked the short temper that so many of those women never bothered to keep in check.

The men were worse though, so easily angered, and it was Aurora's complexity that had caused Garik to make stupid choices early on by letting his temper and frustration get the better of him.

As he considered all of this, his face took on an irritated look. He was irritated with himself, of course, but when Aurora spoke, the expression quickly vanished. An eyebrow cocked just for the briefest of moments at her words of thanks before Garik's face became stony and impossible to read once more. "Didn't I tell you before?" he replied, stuffing the last of the boar meat back into the designated satchel. "The cold doesn't affect me much. Especially when I'm moving around. Keeps the blood flowing."

"There are things besides training young boys to fight that will keep the blood flowing," Jormund piped up thoughtfully, though there was a definite underlying teasing tone nestled between his words.

Garik grunted in response, scooped up a handful of snow, packed it down into a ball, and whipped it at Jormund. The ball of cold exploded against the back of the man's head, knocked the pipe from his mouth, and spilled down the back of his tunic. Garik smirked.
 
"I see..." Aurora said softly as she looked to him.

Jormund's words caught her attention and she blinked in confusion. What did he mean by that? Well, he was right that there were other things such as work or cooking that got people's blood to flow, even anger could do that. However, with his tone, she wasn't exactly sure what he was getting at. It was probably something that was related to tribe life that she just didn't know about or understand. However, the snow ball to the back of the head that Garik gave him was something interesting, causing her to give a small giggle as the hit caused him to lose his pipe.

She quickly caught herself and looked back to the pot she was burying in the snow. She didn't want to make anyone angry by laugh at an improper time. Especially a barbarian man she barely knew. Also, she didn't want to make Garik mad at her for laughing at the expense of one of the men, just in case he got mad at her for that. Still, it had been funny, reminding her of her childhood when the children would run out in the snow at winter and throw snowballs and build snowmen...It made her think of home and how much she missed her parents.

Starting into the white dust she was crouched in, she gave a small sigh before going back to work. She was going to melt some of the snow for water so that they could drink it. Any streams out here were more than likely frozen over with ice or not deep enough to allow them to collected water properly...and who knows what could have been in it before they came along. As she started to collect snow in a smaller pot, she thought of her parents and hoped that they were doing better than when she had left them.
 
That smirk of his was quickly replaced with a strange look; defined as so because it was a mixture of surprise and satisfaction. Aurora had giggled and Garik was pleased to have caused it. To receive something more from that girl than just a monotone agreement to her chores or quietly voiced concern for his health honestly felt like some kind of rare gem. She was unhappy with her situation, that much even a village idiot could discern. And as he'd realized earlier, the barbarian leader was particularly unhappy when Aurora was. So at that moment, just because of the girl's little giggle, his stomach felt like it'd been invaded by several hyperactive butterflies.

This, of course, had costed him. His distraction gave Jormund not only enough time to recover from the snowball but also to counterattack with his own. One second Garik was gazing upon Aurora's face lit up with a warm emotion, the next he had a snowball exploding against the side of his face and filling his ear. "Argh!" he shouted, a hand shooting up to hastily brush away the cold, slushy ammunition before it could trickle down his jawline and invade his tunic. Another snowball hit him on the shoulder and with a grunt, Garik rolled out of the way of a third and ducked behind a pile of snow.

Jormund changed his target then, grinning from ear to ear as he eyed Aurora. "And you, siren! Giggle at my expense will you?" he cackled, lobbing two snowballs in succession. The first burst against her hood, the second thumped her square on the rump and stuck there.

Suddenly two grown barbarian men were doubled over with laughter.
 
Aurora had been looking the other way when Garik was staring at her, not noticing his expression as she continued to collect snow into the pot. However, the small cry of distress caught her attention as she turned to see him with a scrunched up face and a snow ball in his ear. She moved back a bit, first in shock and then just to avoid getting hit with the exploding show. A small giggle left her as he dodged out of the way, reminding her of the children in the village who would treat snow ball fights as if they were a great battle of good against evil, and the evil being the other team.

She jumped a bit though and stopped her giggles and Jormund spoke at her, her eyes going a bit wide before she turned away from his throws. One snowball smacked her in the back of her head, making her stumble forward a bit just so another could hit her back side and stick there. As the men toppled over laughing, her face was a bright red of embarrassment. How mean! She didn't mean to giggle at them at all! Still, if they were laughing then it must have all been in good find, it certainly wasn't as bad as the pig pen.

Crouching down for a moment she gathered up snow into her hands quickly and formed two snow balls. Though she did not have the strength they did she did have decent aim. Throwing the snow balls she smacked each male in the face, a smile slipping onto her face as she giggled again.
 
POFF! Jormund coughed and sputtered, hastily wiping away Aurora's snowball from his eyes and nose. Garik roared with laughter, only to earn himself a mouthful of snow! He, too, coughed and spit out the snow and both men were grinning from ear to ear at each other once they regained their composure. "So she has some bite?" Jormund chuckled, to which Garik replied with a shrug and a smile.

Of course there was the urge to retaliate, to get that woman back for her actions. But it was truly something that she was even playing and laughing to begin with and Garik was learning that not everything could be acquired through intimidating and bullying. Patience was something most barbarians lacked, himself included, but if he wanted to satisfy his heart's craving, he would need to adapt and better himself. This was something he was already used to. It was the way of the warrior - adapt and overcome.

Still with a gentle smile on his face, which really helped to soften his rough appearance, Garik approached the young woman. "Enough games for now, siren. You should get yourself some rest. Jormund and I will be taking the first watch."

He thought about reaching out to touch her, perhaps just her shoulder or her cheek. But then he decided against it and stepped aside for her to pass by.
 
Aurora was flushed in the face, and not just from the cold. As much as she was quite and obedient, it had been rather...fun to hit them with their own medicine. Still, she found herself giving a small smile at Jormund's words before looking to Garik quietly. He seemed to be smiling as well, a rare site on the usually grumpy mans face. Then again, he had been more...relaxed in the past days around her. Maybe he was trying to be nice...or at least he was done scaring the life out of her.

She looked up at him as he approached and simply nodded her head at his words. Her voice seemed to catch in her throat at that moment, not because there was any trouble, but because of the smile he was showing her and his gentle voice. Nodding her head a bit at his words before she past him, heading towards the tent slowly.

She paused there in the tent opening as she looked over the men, seemingly hesitant as she stood there. Aurora wanted to say...well, something to the men, but she wasn't sure what or even how. Opting for the simplest thing possible, she looked to the men once again and spoke softly.

"Good Night..."
 
The wind had died down and now there was an eerie calm in the little camp. There was no fire; Garik and Jormund had let it die out, but not without reason. There was not a single sound in that camp and even if there had been, the thick snowflakes that were steadily falling would have stifled it. For a moment, Garik imagined that it was the thickness of the flakes that devoured all sounds. He imagined them growing larger with each sound they swallowed up.

It'd been a while since his imaginaton had been so active and vibrant.

Snow was collecting on all of the adults, minus a certain siren. Each man was quiet and stoically still, awaiting the signal from their leader. Hair and beards and clothing were gaining a coat of white, but still they remained as they were.

Garik's mind returned to earlier that night. What a treat it had been to see Aurora act like she had. Even now, it had the barbarian smile just a little bit. But he was worried. Would she approve of what he and his men were about to do? Probably not. He would most likely lose progress with her, but this was something that needed to be done.

It was the barbarian way.

He nodded his head sharply and at once, they all began to move. Like silent assassins, they crept toward the boys' tents. Not even the snow under their feet protested too loudly, nor the tent flaps. Carefully, the men positioned themselves...

A clump of snow fell from a nearby tree, disrupting the serene silence. A boy sat up in his bed, startled from the noise, and just as his eyes began to adjust to the darkness, a hood was thrown over his head. He screamed and immediately began fighting, his distress waking the others.

One by one, the boys were blinded and dragged from their beds, kicking and screaming out into the snow to be bound by their hands and ankles.
 
Aurora had fallen asleep far more quickly than she had the last time she was in the tent, this time packing the bag against her side to block out any wind that could slip from the side of the tent. Curled up tightly in her blankets, she was sleeping the best she had so far on this trip. It was possibly because of the little snow ball fight she had had with Garik and Jormund just before bed. It really was relieving to have a nice game without fear of being hurt or worse.

It seemed that her peace would be short lived though as a scream filled the air. Stirring a bit, she sat up and yawned, hearing the other screams and making her blink in surprise. Quickly she wrapped a shawl around her shoulders before standing up and peaking her head out of the tents, only to see the adults bagging and tying up the young boys roughly in the snow.

She wasn't truly sure how to react, her first thought was to help the boys, but at the same time these weren't strangers, these were the men. If they were doing this they much have had a reason to do so. Still, a small explanation wouldn't be completely out of line either. Stepping out into the snow, her feet bare in her rush to check things out, she stood out there and watched in silence to see what would happen next.

She doubted she could stop them anyway, she could hardly lift pots and such! She felt terribly guilty though as she watched one boy after another get pulled from the tents, faces covered and their limbs tied like cattle.
 
Like sacks of potatoes, each boy was carried away by one of the barbarians, all in different directions. Like wraiths, they vanished with their burden into the surrounding treeline, spreading away from the camp like a ripple in a pond. Now only Garik remained, and while he watched the rest of his men disperse into the forest, he stood silently, arms crossed, a wriggling young man at his feet.

Grey eyes scanned the camp like a wild wolf, convincing himself that Aurora would be fine by herself until the morning. But as he made a sweep of the tents, his gaze landed upon her and his demeanor immediately softened. "What are you doing awake, siren?" he said to her through the thicken curtain of falling snow. They were a good distance apart but with little other sounds to compete with his voice, he was easily heard. "You should go back to bed and get those dainty bare feet out of the snow before you lose them."
 
"I...I heard the screams..." She said softly as she looked up at him, not seeming to notice or care about her bare feet. "What is going on?"

Aurora was not certain what was happening at the moment but it must have been apart of tradition. It made her a bit nervous though, those poor boys must have been terribly frightened by all of that. It sort of explained why the barbarians of this tribe were so strong and harsh, things like this happened in their youth! She didn't say anything negative on the subject, it was none of her business what was going on but she still felt that she should know exactly what it was. After all, she wouldn't want to accidentally get in the way of anything important.
 
Her concern for the boys was evident, so what else could he do but assure her that it would be fine? He was constantly reminding himself while in Aurora's presence that she was fragile and far too kind and obeying for her own good, and even that he could not be as rough and wild with her as he could with the Hrithgar women.

Leaving the boy where he lay, barefeet and shivering with fear just as much as the cold, Garik strode through the thick snow to bring himself closer to Aurora. Once he reached her, "The final test," he replied softly, as it wasn't necessary to speak any louder. Placing one strong, callused hand on the woman's cheek, he could feel how quickly she'd grown cold in just such a short time. "Go back to bed and," he said, his free hand tugging a large, sheathed dagger from the belt at his waist and pushing it into one of her hands, "we will be back by morning."

He kept his eyes on her, and though they were a cold gray, his gaze was rather warm instead. For a moment, he remained there, brushing his thumb gently across her cheek. Then he withdrew and returned to the boy, hoisting him up onto his shoulder and turning for the treeline.

In a matter of minutes, he had been swallowed up by the forest.
 
Aurora only nodded a bit as he answered her, his hand pausing the motion as it warmed her cheek. She had no realized how cold she had gotten until he touched her, his warm fingers instantly feeling like they were burning hot. Looking down at what he placed in her hands, she blinked in surprise as it was a dagger. Did he expect something to come and try to hurt her? Or maybe he just wanted her to feel safe in case something happened while they were done from camp.

Looking back up into his gentle gaze, she blushed a bit at his touch. She was thankful the cold hid her embarrassment well as her cheeks had been pink since she stepped out into the snow. With a small nod of her head, she gripped onto the dagger tightly before speaking softly.

"Alright." She mumbled softly.

Once he pulled back and disappeared with the boy, she stood there a bit longer just holding the dagger to her chest before she turned and slipped back into the tent. She would do as told, though she could not promise that she would sleep well at all.
 
He had to admit that his mind was slightly elsewhere while he trekked through the forest. The canopy of trees overhead was so thick that it blocked out even the moonlight and made each step he took a possibly dangerous one. But Garik was far from afraid of the dark or anything that might have been lurking within. What he was afraid of was leaving that woman alone, leaving her to defend herself if a bear or another beast wandered into the camp.

She would be fine. Or at least that was what he kept muttering to himself. Little animals skittered just out of his sight while he cut through the snow, although he could clearly hear their movements. The boy on his shoulder had passed out from exhaustion, which would make his task easier in the end. And after nearly three hours of his brisk pace, he came to a suitable location.

Stopping, he gently set the boy down so he wouldn't wake him up. He took another dagger from his belt and lodged the blade into the closest tree trunk, then he spent a half an hour making false trails, just in case the snow wouldn't quite cover his over. He was sure it would though.

As the sun began to rise from below the treetops, the men began to return to the camp. One by one, they appeared out of the treeline as if they'd just popped into existence and grouped around the fire pit. Garik was the last to return, shaking snow off of his shoulders and his head as he grew closer to the group. There was a head count, then the group dispersed. Half returned to bed, but some remained awake and sat around the growing fire that seemed to be holding up just fine against the heavy snowfall. The men talked quietly with each other. Garik however simply sat on the log with his legs outstretched, right hand mindlessly toying with the woven bracelet around his left wrist.
 
Aurora did her best to fall asleep, she really did. However, the idea of being alone out in the woods had her heart beating quickly enough to keep her blood pumping and her eyes open. She wasn't afraid, no certainly not about being alone, she was just concerned. The longer it took for them to return the more she wondered if anyone had gotten hurt or if they had gotten attacked. Eventually, tiredness won out over concern and she fell asleep, sitting up with the dagger in her lap, her body resting against a stack of blankets and bags to keep her sitting straight.

When she woke again, she blinked and heard the sound of a fire going and soft talking. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she didn't get out of the tent as quickly as before, this time dressing and putting on proper clothing. Stepping out of the tent, she saw all the adult men had returned, but none of the boys were to be found. Glancing over to Garik, she seemed to hesitate and wonder if he wished to speak, he seemed to be thinking of something. Still, she did wish to know what was going to happen from then on out.

Approaching, she stood next to him quietly as she spoke. "Is everything alright?" She questioned as she looked at his wrist, noticing that he was holding onto a simple looking bracelet.
 
The camp was much more peaceful, more serene without the energy of the young boys romping around. As for their fate, Garik didn't feel very sorry for them; this was the natural order of things. So he put the children from his mind for now and instead took a few minutes to simply relax without thought or worry.

At least he'd intended to, but when he heard the light crunching of snow drawing near, he knew it could be no one other than Aurora. Her footsteps sounded nothing like the others - they were gentle and light, though lacking in the ability to disguise the owner as something else. The barbarian listened as she drew close, a bit of a smile playing on his lips for a brief second, one of relief. So she'd been alright after all. Good.

She spoke then and he lazily lifted his gaze, turning his head to look at her with his dark eyes. "Everything is fine..for now at least. I suspect that if some of the boys don't make it back, I will have to deal with an angry mother or two." It didn't happen very often though.

Garik kept his gaze on the woman they'd all taken to referring to as "siren", coarse fingertips spinning the bracelet on his wrist. By the look of it alone, one could tell it was old and worn down. And yet the way the barbarian leader toyed with it, it was obvious that it held some sort of meaning to him.

"There's no reason to cook right away. Most of us will return to bed soon," he muttered, turning his gaze toward the group of men still resting their legs by the other side of the fire. "Did you sleep?"
 
She watched him fiddle with his bracelet as she listened to him, smiling a bit at his relaxed words. If he wasn't worried about the boys then she was certain everything would be fine. He certainly would let them become hurt or die out there without at least trying to help them. That she was certain of. He seemed a bit absent minded though, but for what reason she could not tell. Whatever it was, she hoped that he would be able to clear his mind when needed.

"No...But yes...I mean, I did sleep, but very lightly. I was listening for your return to the camp...I was concerned for everyone." She said softly as she continued to stand next to him. "I shall wait to cook though, I am certain you all wish to rest. I'll sit out here and wait for the boys if you'd like to rest in the tent alone." She added.

She hoped that she wasn't being a bother, he really seemed to need some sleep. Hopefully he would be able to get some now. Walking over to teh fire, she stoked it a bit with a nearby stick before putting some more logs onto the fire. She had no intention to go back into the tent, however that did not mean she was alright with the cold. She planned on making this fire very hot, just to make sure that she wouldn't get too cold while sitting there. That, and she was certain the young boys would appreciate a hot fire and something to eat upon their return.

She stood by the fire silently, glancing at the tree line now and again to see if any of the boys were on their way.
 
An eyebrow quirked slightly upon hearing that the siren was concerned for everyone. Had she already grown attached to them as some of the tribe members had grown attached to her? Garik was a little surprised with himself for hoping strongly that Aurora was beginning to enjoy barbarian company.

"You should get some proper sleep as well, siren," he suggested, though not unkindly. "I do not expect the boys to return any time soon." Regardless of his words though, the barbarian leader rose to his feet and headed toward his tent. He'd let Aurora decide on her own. Ordering her around would only undo the progress he'd achieved. Yes, he was certain now that he wanted her, a thought that brought a smile to his lips as he wrapped himself up in his blankets.

It would be several hours before any of those boys returned. It might even take the full day. But a day was all they would have, for the next time the sun rose, the camp would be packed up and all in attendance would make the trek home.

Garik closed his eyes, though it was a while before sleep took him. Thoughts of the siren woman circled in his mind until he grew disgruntled and opted for thinking about anything else. Eventually he found sleep.
 
"I shall be fine for now...If I grow tired I shall sleep later." She said softly in return as he headed over towards the tent.

She would let him rest alone for now. It was probably for the best really. After all, she did not wish to bother him when he needed some sleep. She would want to speak, to ask him questions on this strange tradition of his. However, that could wait, even if her urge to know was much stronger than she probably realized. She sat by the fire in silence, watching the tree line as one man after another got into a tent and went to rest after their busy night. Hours seemed to pass and no one came, not a single sound...Though there had been a rather curious rabbit, but it was his luck that those that would hunt him were all resting.

Growingtired once again, Aurora returned to the tent in silence, allowing Garik to rest. She moved over to her own area of sleep and curled under the blankets, still dressed so she could keep warm. Looking at Garik, she wondered about that bracelet she had seen, the one he had touched so fondly. What was it? What meaning did such a thing have for a man like him? She wanted to ask but was not sure if that would be a good idea, knowing her luck she would be scolded again...and possibly with the pig pen. Oppting for silence, she just laid there and closed her eyes, letting a much more deep and peaceful sleep take here.
 
Sometime near the evening, Garik awoke to find Aurora laying next to him. In her own bed of course, but it was a surprisingly pleasant caress to his heart to see her there. Moving in perfect silence, he sat up and tugged on his boots, lacing them up while his gaze shifted from the task to the sleeping woman's face and back again. She looked comfortable enough, which was good news considering he was a bit concerned that she'd never adjust to the barbarian way of life.

A hard worker indeed, he thought to himself, his hands falling still after completing their task. And then, carefully he reached out and brushed a stray few strands of hair from her face and tugged the blanket a little higher up on her shoulder. Despite the snow never letting up, it was still very cold weather and keeping warm was a priority.

Without a sound, Garik exited the low-ceiling tent and stood up to his full height, stretched, then gazed around the camp. There were a few men awake already, but the fact that he'd woken up on his own meant that no child had returned yet. Thus, he was content to sit by the fire again, carving small items from a piece of wood and setting them beside him once he began to weave string.
 
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