Her Gilded Firebird: Book Three in the Norse Warriors series

by Susannah Shannon

  Liv reached for her. "You will do what you are destined to do, and then you will go home, " she said firmly. "And you will make good friends here."

  “I believe you," she said sincerely. "I should be getting back."

  There must be no fanfare, so each knight came into the smithy, which was the temperature of an oven, and quietly took his real sword, tossing his wooden fake into the brazier. Most of them gratefully clasped Gunnar’s hand. Any spies might have noticed a very tired giant covered with tiny burns, but those within the keep knew that a miracle had happened. Gunnar kissed his wife, “I need a bath and something to eat." She accompanied him to the bathing room. The woman who opened the door assured them that everyone knew that the blacksmith was using the room and no one would bother them.

  It was a large room with several tubs. Kneeling in front of him, she unlaced his boots. He stepped out of them. Elin helped Gunnar out of his breeches, they were stiff with sweat and soot. She turned to fill a tub. “Don’t make it very hot,“ he said.

  She made it barely warm, and he still winced as he slid in. He was covered in tiny burns. Elin didn’t want to hurt him, but she did think it best to make sure they were clean. She gently massaged him with soap and poured cool water over his skin. He had to bend his knees to lay back in the tub, and he had to twist his shoulders to rinse them off one at a time, his bulk was too vast even for the big tub.

  He hoisted himself out of the bath and went over to a shower. Elin had never seen such a thing. He braced himself against the wall and allowed the cold water to run through his hair. Elin gathered up a towel. "I know how tired you must be." The cold water had refreshed him. He grinned. "I might not be that tired."

  "I am not getting under that cold water!”

  He reached up and turned the water off. He crooked a finger at her. Elin dropped the towel onto the wet ground and dropped to her knees. He was already erect. Greedily she sucked his cock. HIs hands tangled in her hair. She ran her tongue down the length of him and made little dirty licks to his underside. His groin felt like music to her ears. She cupped his balls in her hand and pumped her mouth forcefully up and down. She had no thought to her own pleasure, she wanted to feel him come deep in her mouth. He would please her soon enough, and she wanted to savor him. She dug her fingers into the back of his thighs and devoured him with her lips and tongue.

  He gave himself over, and she tasted his salt as he came forcefully. He braced himself against the wall so that he wouldn’t fall on top of her. "Let me catch my breath," he whispered. With a coy smile, he flipped the cold water tap on and splashed her. She stepped back with feigned indignance. “Keep that up, and I will spank YOU,” she said

  A sudden knock on the door made them spring apart, “Blademaster, dinner will begin in 5 minutes."

  Gunnar grinned and pointed at his wife, “I will deal with you later, young lady."

  "Promises promises..." she teased as he slid into some clean breeches. As he turned away from her, she noticed that the tattoos scar on his back seemed to have moved. It had run straight up and down before, and now it appeared to arc like a bird’s wing. She could only imagine that had pulled a muscle. Or maybe it was the wall magic that Armund spoke of, the thought made her giggle. She took a second to smooth her hair and straighten her dress. She applied some ointment to his burns and helped him into a clean tunic.

  Dinner was served in the large hall that Liv had shown her earlier. They were greeted warmly. With all the shutters closed the knights stood, and Elin and Gunnar walked under an arch of blades. Dinner was not a drawn-out affair. The food was served quickly amidst many toasts wishing Gunnar strength and health. Liv walked to where they were sitting on the arm of a handsome blonde knight. "This is my Erik," she said. The man grasped Gunnar’s hand. "Terrible thing to say, but my new sword is much better than my old one,” he said. Gunnar smiled.

  "Let's hope most of the force thinks so too."

  Liv gave a cheerful little hop and whispered,”We are coming with you! Erik will be in the honor guard and and I am coming to keep you company!”

  Chapter 28

  All too quickly, dinner was over. Gunnar went ahead to oversee the packing of his tools. Armund held out an arm, and Elin took it. They walked through the fortress while everyone they saw fell in behind them. Elin had not expected them to go up so many staircases. She knew the wall was tall, what she hadn’t understood is that the top of the wall was a road. It had stone sides that came up almost to her shoulder.

  Lanterns were lined along the road. Tall bulwarks ran along the wall, shielding much of the traffic along it from view. The only light was very low, from a distance it would be hard for anyone to see anything. There were two fine carriages, and some substantial bulky wagons, interspersed with what appeared to be very low closed carts. Armund led her to one of the odd carts. It was nearly as wide as the lane that ran along the top of the wall. It was squat, Elin knew that Gunnar would struggle to sit up inside of it. Even counting its wheels, it barely came up to Elin’s shoulder. It had been painted a dull, mottled gray. It was nothing like the colorful gypsy caravans she had imagined. Being surrounded procession with fine carriages and wagons laden with cargo made them seem even more nondescript. Perhaps seeing her disappointment, Armund threw the door open and bade her stick her head inside. It was a wonder. The entire wagon was a bed. The plump mattress swelled from side to side. It was adorned with fresh white pillows and colorful blankets. Just like a an ordinary bed there were curtains around all four walls. This struck her as odd, how much privacy could a couple need in a closed-up wagon? “They help keep it quiet inside, even as you are traveling. We need our Blademaster well rested” Only then did Elin notice the window in the roof. “It’s magical” she said and meant every word. “Isn’t it awkward for the horses to pull something so low?”

  “Horses make too much noise.”

  She had a revelation, “It’s supposed to not be seen! That’s why it is grey and so low.” The elderly knight smiled.

  “Correct. From a distance, no one will know that our savior is being bustled from fortress to fortress working his magic. This time of year, there would be carriages carrying boys to their keeps, so we are hiding you within that caravan. It’s impossible to hide that many horses, so dogs will pull these carts.”

  “Dogs?”

  “They practice pulling wagons when there is no snow, and any sounds they make will sound like a pack of wild dogs in the forest. It’s one of our better plans if I do say so myself.”

  Elin recognized the man that was harnessing dogs to her bedroom on wheels. “Viggo!” The man with the elaborate facial tattoos, winked at her and continued with his work. “You don’t drive horses you drive dogs!”

  “I like horses though,”he teased.

  A final wagon was pulled into place, and Gunnar grinned at her. “My tools are all packed, the ember box is secure.”

  A man Elin didn’t recognize approached them, he closely resembled both the general and the king, although he was clean shaven and wore a scarlet bishop's robe. Following Gunnar’s lead, she knelt beside her husband. “Thank you, archbishop,” Gunnar said solemnly. The cleric laid a hand upon Gunnar’s head. “All-father we ask your blessing on this warrior of the legion sworn to fight for you, the Snowforce. Bless his hands that he may forge weapons that will defeat the pernicious evil seeking to destroy us.” The archbishop took a small step and lay his hand on top of Elin’s head. “Bless this bride that she may find the strength and the joy to be our co redemptress. For the fortitude of the wife is the sinew of the husband. May their burdens be light as they strive to keep warmth alive in our world.” Elin felt a lump in her throat. The people around them gave a fervent “Amen,” and then Gunnar was helping her to her feet.

  Eerily quietly the teams of dogs moved into place between the horses..

  It was time to go. Elin felt a wave of affecting for the brave girl who was coming with them. “Where will you be?”

  “In one of the
carriages, pulled by horses. Sleep snug!”

  Gunnar and Elin climbed into their bed on wheels, it was large enough for them to sleep in, but Gunnar could never sit up in it. Elin was much more mobile in the small space, “Latch the door, my dove.” Said her sprawling husband.

  She did so and crept back up beside him. “How are your burns?”

  He shrugged, “I’ll get used to it. Laying curled on his side, he unlaced Elin’s gown. She had to help him undress since he couldn’t sit up in the wagon. She shimmied his tunic off his shoulders. “I believe I left a mission unfinished,“ he whispered.

  Elin delightedly feigned ignorance, “What might that be?”

  Her dress was still on, but hung around her loosely, since it hadn’t, He shrugged, “I’ll get used to it. Laying curled on his side, he unlaced Elin’s gown. She had to help him shimmied his tunic off his shoulders. “I believe I left a mission unfinished, “he whispered.

  Elin delightedly feigned ignorance, “What might that be?”

  Her dress was still on, but hung around her loosely, since the sides were unlaced. Gunnar slithered over her. "Wait," he had a thought. He curled an arm under her and lifted her slightly, by putting her on an angle on the bed, he had slightly more space. He moved down the length of her body and with a hand on the back of each of her thighs, lifted and spread her legs. She was open, exposed. He began with light teasing darts of his tongue. He swirled his tongue over her taut little pink pearl while a finger gently slid into her. She was in bliss. He paused for a second and put his fingers in his mouth, tasting her juices. When he returned to pleasing her, he slid his forefinger into her pussy, expertly pressing on her most sensitive spot. He gently but insistently slid his wet middle finger into her tiny bottom pucker. Elin was startled and would have tried to sit up or pull away, had she not been in the low wagon. Gunnar grinned at her from between her thighs, “Surrender, it will be nice I promise." She tried. Taking a deep breath, she tried to will her body to relax His fingers moved in tandem, filling every part of her while he gently sucked her clit. Her own juices were flowing liberally enough that even her bottom hole was well lubricated. Elin felt transported. The intenseness of it astonished her. She was floating, flying, galloping, every exhilarating experience she could imagine paled in comparison to what she was feeling. Frantically she grasped a pillow and held it over her face, biting into it as she screamed her husband’s name in ecstasy. He slowed down but continued to stroke her gently. She trembled, her pussy was so inflamed that the lightest touch sent shocks through her. Grasping his arm, she asked him to hold her.

  He did so, and she collapsed into him. To her astonishment, she began to cry. Deep heartfelt sobs. Gunnar rocked her, “Hush my dove, my snow queen... I’m right here."

  She poured her heart out. "I am afraid you will be hurt, I miss my mother, and I love you so so much" all came out in a jumbled, disjointed stream of words.

  "I love you too," he whispered over and over. Cradling her, he allowed his sweet wife to cry herself to sleep. He did his best to slip her overdress off her, just leaving the underdress on. He pulled a blanket up around her shoulders and fell asleep watching the night stars travel past as the dogs swiftly and silently pulled them towards his destiny.

  Chapter 29

  They woke up just before they reached the second keep.

  Elin was glad she had slept in her underdress. She was able to pull her kirtle on over her head and by rolling from side to side get herself laced in. She could sit up in the wagon, but only barely. She found her hairbrush in the little basket on the wall and went to work untangling her hair. It was hopeless. "My hair smells like smoke," she laughed.

  "I would imagine it does, probably always will a little bit. Lucky for you, you have a husband who likes the smell of smoke.“

  She worked it into a serviceable braid and wrapped it around her head. She tied her scarf on, but as she slid out the door of the wagon, she banged her head, and it got knocked akimbo. She quickly retired it.

  Erik and Liv greeted her. They looked much less rested than Elin felt. A carriage led by horses made for a much louder, bumpier ride.

  Liv, clearly felt that she was somehow responsible for Elin and looked her over. " You look fine. Now, this is the least friendly of the keeps."

  Elin felt her heart sink.

  Liv continued, "Old Brent is Paladin here, and it’s the only keep that hasn’t had a Dame in years." Liv continued.

  "Why not?" We assume no one will marry him, even it would mean being Dame of this place."

  Elin looked around. They were in a stone gated courtyard. By craning her neck she could see the top of the parapet. The jagged edges reminded her of an animal that was missing teeth. Erik noted what she was looking at, and informed her, "Those spaces for the archers." That was terrifying, but the vista was unimaginable. Winter came on so suddenly here that although everything was still green, it had frozen that way. The expanse of grasses and wildflowers had a shiny cast from being encased in a thin as a butterfly's wing layer of ice.

  Brent lived up to his reputation. He greeted Gunnar warily, barely nodded at Erik and ignored the women. "This way," he called over his shoulder as he led them up a staircase. "Do all Keeps have this many stairs?" Elin asked Liv.

  "Oh yes, they all do." Terrific. Liv whispered to Elin, ”My mother says that the wellbeing of a Paladin is reflected in his keep. She says that’s why every Paladin needs a Dame.”

  He led them into a kitchen, "I assume we need to feed you," he said ungraciously. There were a few women and young teenaged boys working in the kitchen. The table was large and spread with a lot of hearty food. Brent turned in his heel and left.

  His rudeness was not commented on, but Elin noticed the confused looks passing between Erik, Liv, and Gunnar. Plates were passed around and soon filled with food. It was simple, nothing as luxurious as the food they had seen at Gateway but filling even if mostly barely edible. Bacon fried with apples and onions wherein the apples were nearly raw, and the onions were burnt, baked eggs and dark bread. There was also yogurt and lingonberries. Elin tasted the yogurt, not expecting much. It was a revelation. Creamier than any she had ever tasted. "This is amazing, she exclaimed." "Who does the dairying here!" One of the women in the kitchen shrugged her shoulders, "I do."

  "How do you get it so perfect?"

  The woman seemed baffled by the question. "Nothing to it, leave the milk in the bucket and set it on the counter.” she shrugged again as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Elin was flummoxed. It was not so easy, and this was the best she had ever had. She decided that if she got the chance, she would corner the woman and press her for her secrets. Gunnar and Erik finished their food very quickly. They waited for a few moments, expecting their host to return and show them where the forge was. He did not. After lingering a few moments, they asked a nearby boy to take them to the forge. The forge was nowhere near as organized as the one at Gateway keep had been. Some knights were lingering around, and there was only one fire. Gunnar immediately set them to work assembling stations so that they could move as quickly as they had the day before. The room had no ventilation. Gunnar looked around. Taking his hammer, he pounded a few holes in the walls near the roof. The men kept apologizing for not being ready. They needed 35 swords. Seeing no water anywhere, Liv and Elin went to find some. They rolled a nearly empty barrel into the already abysmally hot and smoky room. There were some buckets nearby, and they women began to make the arduous trip to the well in the courtyard. It took several trips, both Liv and Elin got themselves soaked in the process. They comforted themselves that it would not take long in the hot forge to get dry and warm again. By the time the barrel was reasonably full, Gunnar had his system set up inside. Elin leaned against a wall to watch, but the smoke burned her eyes. She was about to step out to get some fresh air when Brent summarily appeared.

  "What the fuck did you do to my walls?" he roared.

  Gunnar did not turn his head, he was at a tricky part o
f hammering, and the glowing metal needed his full attention. Elin was not inclined to be silent. "What did he do? He made it useable, you worthless, lazy moose turd. How do you expect him to make a garrison’s worth of swords under these conditions!"

  Gunnar had put his hammer down, and she felt a warning hand on her shoulder. She shook it off, “You really don’t deserve it, he should just let you get killed if you can’t even have a halfway decent forge ready for him."

  The room had gone silent. A look of utter shock was on the face of everyone in the room. Except for Gunnar. Gunnar looked furious. "Paladin, forgive my wife. She doesn’t know how a keep works. I will make sure she learns appropriate behavior."

  The Paladin glared at her, “I could have you executed you know. The only reason I won’t is that your husband has vouched for you."

  Elin felt herself grow even more furious, “You mean because you need my husband!" Gunnar’s fingers dug into her forearm.

  "Let's hope you are better at running a smithy than you are controlling your wife,“t he Paladin turned on his heel and left. the next sword needed Gunnar’s attention. "There is a workshop two doors down, you go wait for me until I have time to deal with you." Elin turned on an angry heel and stormed out. She had no intention of going to the workshop. Liv caught up with her, “where are you going?"

  "I don’t know. "

  "I think you better do as you were told."

  "Well, you don’t know what is going to happen."

  "I assume your husband is going to give you a thrashing you will remember until your deathbed."

  “Well, that’s not just a thing people say. I mean my husband actually…” Elin let her voice trail off.