Page 7 of Mastered By the Viking King

Tove did just that, then set the horn to one side and climbed into her cot beside the fire. She dragged the furs up to her chin and closed her eyes.

Her mind filled with the folklore her father had told her about love andinn mátki munr—the great passion.Tove thought of KingFairhard who loved his wifeSnøfrid so much that he paid no mind to his kingdom, his gaze only on her. When Snøfrid died, his love kept her intact, and he continued to gaze on her for three years, waiting for her to reawaken.

That was the kind of love Tove wanted. One that made her heart beat fast, her skin prickle, and her courage glisten. A love that would never die even when her body did.

To be married to a giant king would never make her glisten, and it would surely make her feel dead even when her body was alive. How could their marriage work? They were as different as fire and ice, as opposite as the moon and the sun.

Her father had told her about Skadi, the giantess from the mountains. When she’d visited Odin’s halls she was required to marry a god, choosing only from his feet and legs. She picked the cleanest and best built believing they belonged to Baldr—the most handsome god of them all—but in fact, they belonged to the sea god, Njord.

The marriage lasted just eighteen days.

Skadi couldn’t tolerate the awful constant crashing of the sea, and Njord feared the mountain wolves’ calls.

If Freya made a grave error and wedded Tove to King Njal, their marriage would be doomed the way Skadi’s and Njord’s had been. A poor, skinny peasant girl from the mountains and a giant, powerful king. How could it possibly be anything other than doomed?

She fell into a dream-filled sleep. Wolves, giants, and huge waves blustered through her mind. Her heart raced as she ran over snow-covered hills, and through frozen forests escaping an unknown enemy. She searched frantically for a weapon without success, then climbed a mountain, scrabbling on loose rocks that tumbled her into the arms of a king with wild hair and wilder eyes. He was naked, erect, and growled like a bear as he spread her legs, grasped her breasts, and set his weight on her, in her…

“Tove, Tove, wake up.”

“Mmm… what?” She opened her eyes and stared at her mother. Her heart was thudding so hard it was rattling against her ribs.

“It is time to go.”

Tove frowned and dragged in a deep breath. She hardly felt rested. The night had been full of terrors and turbulence. But still she sat.

This was it. The day had arrived. She must walk to Halsgrof and present herself to the king.

She only hoped he didn’t like what he saw.

It would save them both a lot of strife.

Chapter 2

The billowing crowd made Tove’s head spin. She was used to a solitary life with only her mother and nature for company.

Halsgrof sat in the bosom of a fjord, protected on two sides by mountains, the other by water. It was a natural harbor, and people had flocked to make it their home so they could trade and travel—and to rest safe in the knowledge they had the protection of land and sea.

It was busy and loud. The narrow streets between dwellings and places of trade were packed with people rushing about their business. Tiny wisps of snow danced in the air, but no one seemed to notice.

Tove sidestepped out of the way of three huge Vikings carrying enormous whalebones. They were talking loudly, deep bellowing voices that echoed around the timber walls.

When they’d gone on their way she carried on, her boots slipping on the icy, mud-churned walkway.

She’d been told to find Wanda—a maid to the king’s previous wife—and follow her instructions.

To her left, a smithy worked at an anvil, hammering a sword into shape, sparks flying. A furnace burned bright at his side, and he wore leather pants, but no tunic. Ink swirled over his chest, a detailed pattern that no doubt represented his heritage.

“Excuse me,” she said.

He carried on bashing the metal with his hammer, muscles bulging.

“Excuse me.” She spoke louder.

He paused with his hammer aloft, brow shiny with sweat. “What do you want?”

“I’m looking for Wanda. Do you know where I can find her?”

“Wanda? The banished queen’s maid?”

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