A Bride For A Barbarian

Aurora slept for quite some time, unaware of any moment from the barbarian next to her. She didn't even feel the touch that moved her hair or the hand that tugged the blankets up higher on her small frame. She had apparently gotten less sleep than she even realized. Eventually she woke again though, this time rested and awake as she sat up. Rubbing her eyes, she looked around to find the tent empty save for herself, Garik no longer sleeping in his own bed.

Moving over to her shoes, she quickly pulled them on along with her shall before making her way out of the tent. Garik had moved to sitting near the fire with a few other men who had finished resting from the long night before. Approaching slowly, she also noticed the lack of young boys. Had none returned at all yet? That worried her quite a bit. They were training to be warriors and all but still...they were also children. Noticing the figures, she looked over them quietly as she stood nearby, her hands tucked under her arms to keep them warm.

"So...None of them have returned yet?" She asked softly as she looked up at his face.
 
Light footsteps sounded just barely over the crackling fire, although Garik kept his eyes on his task. Every second that passed had him smiling just a little more, happy that she was close to him instead of keeping her distance. How happy that made him, though he wasn't about to admit it. And when Aurora spoke, he finally glanced up from his handiwork and shook his head. "It's still too soon, siren. They have until the morning, so don't worry just yet," he mumbled, pale gaze falling back to his hands as he continued on with his work.

The sun had only just set, which meant the boys still had several hours left before the barbarian men packed up the camp and left them behind. Garik wondered just how Aurora would react if they were to leave a boy behind. Probably badly. There was still so much about the Hrithgar way of life that she didn't comprehend, or agree with.

Callused fingers worked the fabric and carved items along with a thick needle. From a small pouch, Garik drew a handful of fluffy wool and stuffed it into the dog shaped bag he'd created, filling the limbs and body and head, then sewing it shut. Then he set it aside and began on a second one, sewing the carved wooden eyes and nose onto the face of a rabbit shape.
 
Watching him work on the stuffed dog thing, she stood there next to him in silence as she thought of his words. She wondered what would happen if not all of the children made it. Would they leave them behind? Would they go drag them out from the cold snow before they left them behind? She hoped that they would all make it back, so she did not have to find out what really happened to those left behind...She was not sure if she could take it.

Eventually she started to wander towards the camp edge, looking over the forests edge to see if anyone was coming through the brush. He was probably right, it was far too early for any of the boys to return, but she wan'ted them all to come back safely, it was just in her nature. Crossing her arms over her chest, she returned to Garik's side, Aurora's eyes wandering over his other work before she paused and spoke softly to him yet again.

"What are you making?" She asked him softly.
 
Although she didn't voice her concern, Garik could easily tell that Aurora wasn't about to stop worrying about the children. He smiled a little more, a lopsided grin on his face as he paused in his craft to watch the woman skirt the edge of the camp. He wondered if she thought that being closer to the forest would somehow magically help the boys find their way back. The other men were just as curious because they were all watching Aurora now, murmuring to each other. When she turned back toward the camp, everyone glanced away again, acting as though they hadn't just been staring and discussing her. Garik finished with the stuffed dog just as the woman returned to him.

"Toys. There are two children due, and should already be born by the time we arrive back, or soon after," the barbarian leader explained, holding the dog up to Aurora for her to take and inspect. No rough seams, the wooden eyes and nose had been carefully polished into a state of smoothness. Obviously he had been thinking of the newborn's safety while he'd crafted the gift. "Tell me, siren. Do your people have the same customs for children?"
 
"Hand out gifts for the newborn baby's family? Yes. Take children from their beds, blind them and toss them into a forest? No." She said simply as she looked over the small dog doll in her arms. It was very nice craftsmanship, small and perfect for the hands of a newborn child. Running her fingers over the small wooden parts she glanced over to him as he started on the next doll for the other baby, her hand pausing as she held the dog to her chest. He seemed to be so caring when it came to this simple things, but other times he was so cruel, why did he make such a change?

"He have other customs though, such as sending them into the fields at a young age. We don't have very good schools like many larger cities, so children get to work sooner than most places. Other than that though, there isn't much difference in the children, though you happen to be training them to be warriors while we train them to be good farmers." She finished as she looked back down at the doll.
 
Different walks of life. It was as simple as that. And Garik had intended to point that out to her but it seemed as though she had come to that conclusion all by herself. He licked his lips, dry from the cold wind, and gazed down at the snow under his feet. "You don't approve of this trip. But these boys can not afford to remain a 'child' for much longer. We know that and so do they. This is why they've been training ever since they were old enough to hold a wooden stick." Telling her not to worry was probably pointless. Her and that bleeding heart.

He paused in thought, then seemingly decided against said thought with a small shake of his head, then rose to his feet. He didn't have to, but he wanted to help distract her from worrying about the children. And he had an idea on how to do that. It might not be a good idea in her opinion, but it would surely amuse himself and his warriors. "Bundle up a little more, Siren. You won't be cooking today."
 
As much as Aurora didn't like how he was treating this like any other training with adults, she knew better than to let it get the best of her. After all, she was smart enough to know her place among strong barbarian men. That, and she really didn't feel the urge to try and debate the properness of his customs or beliefs. That would be worse than being dumped into the pig pen again, that she was certain of. When he mentioned not cooking she was distracted a blinked, the doll now just lightly being held in her hand as she stood there next to him.

"What do you mean? Certainly you and the other men don't expect to just sit here and wait without getting something to eat in the mean time? You said so yourself that the boys wouldn't be back for hours!" She said with a bit of surprise as she stared down at him before looking around at the others to see their faces and hat expressions they had.
 
The men were all smirking just a little and it was probably because they had an inkling as to what Garik had in mind. "Do not worry about us men," Jormund spoke up with a flutter of amusement in his tone of voice. "We are capable of cooking our own meal since we are not busy today. Honestly, you should worry more about yourself, Siren," he teased.

Another one of the warriors gave a sharp, short whistle to grab her attention and with a grin, he tossed her one of the wooden training swords the children had used. "We will cheer you on, Siren," he said with a chuckle and tossed a second sword to Garik.

"Go bundle up," Garik ordered, giving the child's sword a little twirl. Really, with his build, the sword looked twice as small in his hand, like nothing more than a toy with which normal city children would use to play pirates. "You're going to learn how to defend yourself."
 
Blinking in a confused manner, it took her bit to understand what was really happening. The men around her weren't really helping, their words making her wonder why she was even here then if they could cook their own meals. Turning at the sound of the whistle, she turned around and looked just in time to stumble with catching the wooden sword that had been thrown at her. Looking at it in shock, she then looked to Garik who was also holding one, telling her to bundle up a bit more as he said he was going to train her.

For a minute, she thought he was joking, but when he didn't start to laugh or back down she got a concerned look upon his face. "Y-you can't be serious! I can't learn how to fight! I-I mean, I'm not built for it in the first place. Even if you taught me I'm more likely going to get hurt by you then taught anything at all!" She squeaked in worry as she stepped towards him, holding onto the sword with both hands as she stumbled a bit through the snow.

There was no way that she'd be able to do this without getting herself seriously hurt. It would be like the pig pen all over again, though this time around she wouldn't be covered in anything but her own blood. Nervous and worried, she stepped back again just in case Garik got any funny ideas, still clutching the sword to her chest as if it were a shield instead of a weapon.
 
"First rule!" Garik growled, his strong voice easily over powering Aurora's more timid one. He lowered the sword, though he took a step closer to the woman, easily moving through the thick snow. "'Can't' is not a word to be used unless it follows 'I' and comes before 'lose'. While you are here as your parents' payment, you will abide by barbarian life and the very first thing our children are taught is that they must never give up on or think themselves unsuited for the job. So, my timid little siren, you will stop your negative thoughts immediately or else they will control your life. Tell yourself not that you 'can' do something but that you 'will' do something and you will succeed."

Determination. Stubbornness. She had the makings for it. She only needed to be pushed in the right direction. Maybe she wouldn't understand his methods, nor why he was doing such a thing right now, but the truth was that he wanted her to learn how to protect herself. He wanted to know that she would always be safe. How fond of her he'd grown, and over such a short time. It was almost embarrassing. "As for your build, the children we teach with these swords are scrawnier than you are. You'll do fine, Aurora."

Aurora. Was that possibly the first time he'd used her name? Perhaps. He dare not let himself investigate the look upon that troublesome Jormund's face, for it could only be something akin to utter amusement. Annoyed now, Garik slashed at the snow with the wood sword, splashing cold spray on the woman. "Did I not say to go bundle up. A shawl is not cover enough for romping through the snow."
 
Aurora was silent as she listened to his words. They were strong and proud, just like she expected to hear from someone as strong and powerful as Garik. He always seemed to have this air of confidence around him, as if nothing in the world could take him now, not even a hundred men. She didn't have that kind of heart and strength though, no she was far weaker than him. He said she needed to say that she would and will succeed at things. Deep down, she just couldn't agree with him, she knew her limits, she knew them all her life. Why should she try to lie to herself now? When he used her name she blinked in shock, he had never used it before, not even when he had first taken her away.

Letting out a small gasp as she was splashed with snow, she wiped her face dry while he told her once again to go bundle up. Looking at his face, she gave a small pout before setting the sword to the side and heading into the tent. It seemed she no longer could fight this, he was going to make her fight him no matter what she said. Grabbing the thicker cloak he had tossed at her when they first started this journey, she pulled it on over her shall before stepping back out of the tent. She when picked up the sword, more than likely holding it in the wrong manner as she looked back to him. She didn't say anything but just stood there, nervous and uncertain as to what he might do next.
 
"You know, if you're too mean to her, you'll make her cry," Jormund teased the moment Aurora had disappeared into the tent. The other men chuckled and Garik rolled his eyes. He waited quietly for the woman to return, though he was pleased that she didn't take more than a minute to do so. He watched as she took up the practice sword, stared at her as she held it ready as if he would actually attack her. It was difficult to suppress the smile of amusement creeping up onto his lips and with a sigh, the barbarian leader calmly moved through the snow toward the woman.

"Put this hand here," he muttered, setting aside his own sword to place Aurora's hands properly on the sword's grip. "Keep your strength in your wrists or the first blow will jolt them. I will show you the basic stances." He picked up his sword then and moved to stand beside her. "Copy what I do and be sure to study carefully."

He went through the stances, slowly, so that she could easily keep up with him. And after repeating a few times, he told her to keep going while he circled her, judging her form, looking for flaws. There of course were quite a few, but it was her first lesson and he was surprisingly patient when teaching these sorts of things.

After watching Aurora for several minutes, Garik glanced toward the fire where the others had seemingly lost interest and were now laughing over some story Jormund was telling. Crossing his arms over his chest, Garik turned his gaze back on Aurora, his cool gray eyes following her movements. "Do you understand why I'm making you do this?" he asked, sure to keep his voice down. It'd be a real pain in the ass if those men heard something like this coming from someone so grumpy and tough like him.

They'd think he was going soft.
 
She listened, even though she would rather not be doing this at all. Why did she need to learn to fight? Who would she be fighting? Certainly not any of the other men, it didn't make sense at all for her to be learning how to use a sword. Of course, she didn't really have much of a saw in any of this, she had no choice but to listen to Garik and try to learn how to fight, even if it was doomed to fail in the end. Blinking abit as he adjusted how she was holding the sword, she could only nod a bit at his words to show she slightly understood.

Watching him for a bit, she finally started to copy him while he watched, a rather embarrassing act in her mind for some reason. She was not good at all, and she was sloppy with her movements. There was just no way for her to learn this and be able to do any of it correctly. He could try to teach her, but in her mind it was just a fail attempt at trying to make her stronger...or a successful attempt at teasing her yet again. When he spoke once more, this time more quietly, She paused in her movements to look at him.

It was a strange question, and certainly not something she expected to come from him. She had no choice but to shake her head, hoping he would elaborate on the subject and enlighten her a bit...for she had no idea why he was forcing her to go through these stance and look like a fool in the process.
 
She seemed to think she was being punished somehow, or at least that's what the barbarian could see from the expression on her face. He supposed that this was fine, considering how he'd treated her the very first day she'd come into his possession. A bit of a smirk crept up onto his lips as he remembered dumping her into the pig pen. But then the smirk faded a little as he remembered the look on her face at that point, of how she looked like she'd drown the whole tribe in her tears. Actually, his chest tightened a little.

"Surely you at least understand that the strong prey upon the weak," he said to her, reaching out to grab the blade end of the blunt wooden sword she was swinging and hold it still. "I have no desire to see you remain one of the weak, Aurora. There are those who would try to harm you and I can not always be there to protect you."

He'd done it again - used her real name. Like this, it would become difficult to deny the fact that she was somehow worming her way into his heart. "So let's see how well you learn," he said and promptly scooped up his own practice sword. He moved to stand in front of her, lifting the sword up and taking stance. "Protect yourself. Block and counter. If you can land a hit on me, I will let you free of this training."

He moved forward then, purposely keeping his movements slow as he swung his sword at her.
 
Aurora only listened lightly as he spoke to her about becoming strong, and that he did not wish for her to remain weak. It was strange coming from a man that weeks before was enjoying causing her to spill tears and forcing her into uncomfortable situations. When he said protect she nearly looked to him in shock, but then as she thought about it...it made sense. He was always watching over her, making sure that nothing too terrible happened to her besides what he himself did. In fact, he was the only person to ever cause terror to her heart, whether it was intentional or not.

But why protect her? Yes, she was there to work as a servant while her parents worked to make enough money to pay the full price of protection. But why put in so much effort for a girl who was there to serve? Why not let the men play with her, make her serve in all ways instead of just the kitchen work that she was usually doing? She didn't get much of a chance to think about it though as he reached to pick up the practice sword once more and took a stance towards her once more.

Tensing a bit, Aurora blinked as he told her to attempt to hit him, something that was easier said than done. After all, she doubted that she would ever be able to do such a thing to someone like Garik, even if he gave her a great advantage over himself. Squeaking loudly as he swung his sword at her, she held up her own only to have it knocked from her hands. She had been ill prepared for that attack and now the toy sword lay in the snow as she stood there in a small bit of shock.

This would never end...