Even from the deck, Sigvid can tell his little Queen is out of breath.
“Uncle Sig is obviously obsessed with you. I’m not dumb, Auntie V. I saw your arm.”
My ownership has some meaning.
“I might as well get comfortable with it all now.” Thora shrugs.“Again!”
They square off, circling one another. Thora swings first and meets Avina’s block. She aims again, but Avina pushes back and manages a strike on her side.
“Excellent!” Thora’s excitement is tangible.
“Nice hit, Avina.” Sigvid strides out into the packed snow.
“Sigvid!”
“Uncle, Sig!”
Avina and Thora abandon their swords and rush to his side. Eight days away, he would have thought he is returning from war. He tries and fails to restrain his amusement.
“I have something you may be interested in.” He pats his cloak, where a tiny meow emanates.
Avina stops in her tracks, rocking in the heavy snow. “Goddess, is that?” She takes hesitant steps until she is so close he can feel her warmth.
“I have your furry child that does not listen well.” Sigvid pulls a shaking Nellie from his cloak. “But, she has missed you.”
“Nellie!” Avina squeals as her fingers gingerly wraparound her tiny cat’s body. Her knees sink into the snow as she cradles Nellie to her cheek like a long-lost child. “Nellie Bell, I am so sorry it took so long for us to be reunited. I hope they treated you well.”
Sigvid cannot help but cherish this reunion. A nagging affection grows in the core of his chest as the cat’s grumbly purrs increase with Avina’s tears.
She and that cat might melt my cold heart.
“A maid informed me she stayed in a cabinet in the kitchen. She received attention and food and was kept safe.”
Usually, he would care less about sharing details of a journey, as if it is someone else’s concern. Like everything with Avina, her mere presence quiets the beast clawing under the surface. And, in this tender moment, he wants nothing more than to hold her in his lap and regale her.
He withdraws the sack of supplies the servants sent, and drops it at her side. Sigvid caught Joetta slip items for Avina into the bag, including a tiara in the Timber style of silver twigs and leaves, baked treats, and a crocheted scarf.
“Did Joetta take care of you, Nell Bee? Did she?” Avina lathers her with love and kisses. The cat’s eyes are little slants, and her head tilts side to side in delight at the adoration.
Thora watches them with interest. “You traveled to Timber with two Drengr to save a cat, Uncle Sig?” Her eyebrows knit together, and she glances at him with borderline disapproval.
“Yes.” Sigvid’s lips tug. “And we disposed of a certain Hound Master.”
“I always enjoy a good story where you slay some asshole.” Thora smirks.
“I will tell you later, kid.” He pats her on the back.
Seeing them both outside training churns a foreign feeling in his chest. He never imagined he, Sigvid Thordsson, would demand the presence of anyone longer than necessary. But this woman, this fucking woman, is unlike any he has ever encountered. And fuck if she does not belong to him.
“I told you, Aunt V, he is obsessed.” Thora sings her words while skipping through the snow and into Blackwood.
Aunt V? Well, they have gotten close.
“Is the Hound Master really-?”
“I cut off his hands and fed him to his tortured creatures who savored every last bite.” He responds before she can finish her thought. “We also released the cats and hounds.”
Her eyes close, and a content smile perks her lips up. Avina tickles a purring Nellie behind her ears. “It’s surreal to know you were at my… home.”
