Ch. 4 Little Red

I thought about refusing her request, even as I changed my clothes and headed down to the dining hall. As I rounded the end of the hallway that led to the dining area, I stopped. 'I can still go back up to my room… going to bed without dinner sounds better than facing whoever else is in there. I hesitated for a moment, before turning on my heal to head back to my room. 'I can't face them right now… Not my mom, nor Eirik or his men.' But as my feet sprung into action, I felt my body slam into a wall. 'Wait… not a wall…. a man. Eirik!' He caught me around my waist before I hit the ground and righted me on my feet.

As I stood frozen in shock, he looked down at me, a small smile on his lips. "S-sorry. I was…" He raised an eyebrow at me, "Running away?" He asked. I shook my head. I wasn't about to admit that facing him scared the living daylights out of me. "No… I left something in my room. I wanted to grab it before dinner." I tried to step around him, still hoping to escape. He took my arm and started walking me towards my room. My heart pounded in my chest. "No, really, that's okay. I don't need an escort to my room." I tried slipping my arm away, but he held it tight. He patted my hand like I was a child, giving a soft laugh. "I'm more than happy to accompany you. I wouldn't want my Little Red skipping dinner." I shivered at the possessiveness of his voice. 'Am I really going to marry this stranger? He acts like he owns me…' I stayed quiet, knowing I wasn't going to get anywhere by arguing. When we got to my door, I paused, wondering how he knew where my room was in the Keep. 'His father built it, he probably gave him the blueprints so that one day he could kidnap his bride-to-be.' I waited for him to let go of my arm so I could slip through the door and lock it, but he still held tight.

"Normally I'd say 'ladies first,' but you've got a look on your face Little Red. I'm sure you'd love nothing more than to give me the slip and slam the door in my face… but I'm a bit smarter than that. Come on, I'm interested to see what item you 'forgot' to grab before dinner." The corners of his mouth turned up, as if he was trying not to smile. I sighed, hating how he saw right through my lie. "I'd love to have you follow me around like a lost puppy, but there are rules at the Keep. No men are allowed in my room. Sorry. My mother wouldn't be happy. After all, we aren't married yet, and we are unchaperoned. It would be inappropriate." I tried to sound as sarcastic as possible, which only made him laugh. "Little Red, I'm glad to hear you are so modest and pure. I'm thrilled to be the first man to visit your bedroom." With that, he opened my door and pushed me inside, closing it behind him and placing his back against the door. I felt like a mouse being caught by a cat.

My eyes scanned my room for something I could have 'forgotten,' landing on my bookshelf. I walked across the room, painfully aware that Eirik was watching my every movement. My face was still red from his last comment. I grabbed a random book off the shelf and turned to face him. "OK. Ready to go." I tried walking up to the door, but he stood still as a statue. I looked down at the book I had picked- my sketch book. His eyes followed mine. "How sweet. You couldn't make it through dinner without a book?" I took it from my hands and flipped through the pages. "Impressive. Maybe you can draw my portrait after dinner?" He tucked the sketchbook under one arm and held the other out for me to take. I shook my head. "I'm not that good… you'd wind up really looking like a mon…" I stopped. 'What am I saying? Am I trying to make him mad?' He took my arm in his, continuing to smile. "A monster?" My face burned, matching the color of my hair.

We walked in silence back down to the dining hall. I was aware of his eyes on me as we walked, but continued to look straight ahead. "You are suddenly quiet. No sarcastic remarks? No arguments? What a sweet little wife you will be." He laughed at his own joke, letting me pull my arm from his. I walked ahead of him trying to reach the door first. I didn't want to be alone with the man any longer. "I was just joking, Little Red. I don't want a docile wife. I want a woman with spirit. I've been told you have a burning temper to match that red hair of yours." I felt him take a large step closer to me, I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. His arm circled my waist, turning me to face him. My body froze as my mind tried to find a way to escape him. I took a step backward, my back pushing against the doors to the dining hall. His body followed, mere centimeters from touching mine. I looked up at him, unsure of what he was going to do. My face was red with anger and embarrassment.

"Settlers are docile creatures, I'm sorry to disappoint you." I whispered. Eirik tipped my chin up and grinned, rubbing his thumb gently under my lower lip. "You are not a Settler. You are from Viking blood. It's a good thing too. That fierceness bubbling up right now would be wasted here. I can't wait to get you out to the wild, to see what my Little Red can do." He leaned down, like he was going to kiss me. Panic rose in my mind, and my body went into fight or flight mode. Since there was no escaping this man, I quickly headbutted him in the nose. He laughed and stepped back, unfazed. My ears were ringing from the impact and I wobbled. "Careful, you'll knock yourself out. On second thought… then I'd get to carry you back up to your room and tuck you into bed…" He chuckled and I shivered at his suggestion. The door behind us opened. "Mother! Is dinner ready? Great! I'm starving!" I retreated into the dining hall, leaving my mother looking confused.