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[MMM: A Freed Woman]
MMM: A Freed Woman  How many times would they have to go through this? How many times would she need to explain herself and her whereabouts to a man who pointed dirty fingers in her face and raised his voice at her? Svan was growing increasingly tired of the man she called ‘Husband.’
Galin had never been kind to her. It was a trait that he didn’t seem to possess and most of their community was well aware of such. If anything, he brought her great shame. She knew that so many looked upon her as a strong and powerful woman, but where Galin was concerned, she felt weak. So many times behind closed doors had she been banished from their bed and condemned to sleep on the cold floor for actions he assumed were true, but were not. Her words made no difference to him. The more she denied the relations between her and her childhood friend, the angrier he became. Though she had always loved Ranvir, the two hadn’t acted on impulse since before her arranged marriage to Galin.
It was something that her father had set up before his death. As just a girl, Hermundr had promised his daughter’s hand to a friend’s son, dashing her hopes of being able to choose her own suitor in her future. Though disappointed with the arrangement, Svan respected her father’s wishes and when he did not return home, she knew it was the last thing she could do to honor him. It was only unfortunate for her that his friend’s son grew into the hate-filled man she came to know as Galin, her husband. He’d turned her otherwise cheerful and pleasant demeanor into a sour one.
After a long day of training, Svan returned home to find her husband waiting for her. The fair and freckled skin of his face had turned beet red when she walked in the door, her eyes taking in his obviously defensive stance. Her absence had brought on his rage yet again, Galin’s imagination running wild of all the things he believed she’d been doing while out training with the other warriors and shield maidens. She didn’t dare remove the belt where her weapons hung, keeping her distance as her eyes followed the oversized man approaching her.
“Where were you?”
His words bellowed across their hut in a deep bassy voice. She refused to flinch despite knowing the blow would be inevitable.
“Training, as I said I would be.”
Galin lifted his hand, striking Svan across the face with his open palm. Her head ricocheted off his slap, her skin stinging and turning a bright red, the imprint of his hand slowly rising to the surface of her pale skin. Enough was enough. She curled her hand into a fist, launching herself and her weight at the male to deliver a barrage of punches at his face, neck, and stomach. It was enough to send him reeling backwards to catch his breath to which she pulled the axe from her belt and brought it up to strike him again. The downward blow was interrupted by Galin’s swift punch to Svan’s chest, knocking the wind out of her lungs before prying the axe from her fingers. The next few hits were a blur to her as her husband proceeded to use his fists to bloody her face. Surely no man would want to bed a battered woman and that had been his goal, after all.
Later that night, once Galin had tired himself out, Svan escaped their hut and fled to the one place she always knew she would be safe and her secrets kept from the rest of the community. Silently creeping to Ranvir’s door, she let herself inside to find him seated at the table enjoying a meal. She knew instantly she shouldn’t have come, shouldn’t have interrupted his meal and burdened him with her problems again. He’d seen her enter though, and it was too late to turn back. Slowly stepping forward into the dim light of his hut, the flicker of candles illuminated her face and revealed the deep purple bruises and blood that still coated her lips. She didn’t want to discuss it, she just wanted the distraction of his company.
“Did he…”
“I’m here to help plan for England.”
The rage that crossed his face as he began to pace the hut was obvious. This hadn’t been her intention. She’d never come to a man to help solve her problems. She felt herself capable on her own and though Ranvir was a dear friend, she didn’t want him involved in her marital problems. Truth be told, she was concerned about how he’d fare if he were to go after Galin. Her husband was a large and vicious man.
“England is not my worry right now. I’m ending this right now.”
Without thinking, Svan’s hand shot out to grab Ranvir’s forearm tightly, holding her grip as her piercing blue eyes stared into his. She couldn’t let him run off and fight her battles for her and surely it would only result in further beatings if he were to intervene.
“He believes what he wants to believe. I cannot change that. I’ve already taken care of it and he did not come out of our fight unscathed. If you strike him, things will only be worse, I’m afraid. Swear to me that you won’t challenge him. Swear it.”
Though he did promise her, Svan knew better than to believe a man with such a look in his eye. It was better if she took her leave now rather than make anything worse for either of them. Galin could kill her, sure, but if something were to happen to Ranvir because of her foolishness, surely a punishment from the Gods would not be enough for what she believed she deserved.
She’d returned to her hut only to find that Galin had awoken from his slumber angry of her absence again. His wrath knew no bounds, striking her across the face and sending her to the floor. With her head bowed and prepared for another blow, she hadn’t seen Ranvir burst in, only heard the scuffle of the two and his voice. Finally lifting her head, she caught sight of the two men on their way out the door in a flurry of punches and blades. Clamoring to her feet, Svan took off outside after them, her eyes frantically following their motions in utter chaos. To separate them would surely be suicide, though she wasn’t sure who she would be helping if she did. Initially she’d thought that Ranvir would be in grave danger to challenge Galin, but she’d clearly underestimated his strength and endurance.
When he stood victorious from the water’s edge, she couldn’t resist the smile that began to stretch over her lips, her legs moving toward him before she even knew she’d taken a step.
“He’s dead. I killed him for you.”
The words only made her smile grow wider as she closed the distance between them, her mouth opening to speak and express her relief when she saw Galin emerging from the water behind Ranvir. Lifting her hand to point at the oncoming charging brute, she didn’t even need to say a word to signal Ranvir to duck. Svan proceeded to watch with a stoic expression as her husband was bloodied to death, her hands remaining still and clasped together in front of her. Not a single part of her felt remorse for her fallen husband. She’d never loved him and had only remained with him as it was her father’s wish. To say she was relieved to be rid of him was an understatement.
Reaching out to take Ranvir by the hand, she turned and led him back inside her hut so she could sit him down and tend to his wounds. Though she was certainly not a healer by any means, she’d seen her fair share of battle wounds and knew how to care for them. Fetching a bucket of clean water, Svan dipped her cloth into the water before gently dabbing it along the male’s face to remove the streaks of blood and dirt. Once she was satisfied that the cuts he’d acquired during their fight were properly cleaned, she draped the cloth over the side of the bucket and turned back to face him, her hands coming out to cup his cheeks on either side before leaning in to plant a kiss on his forehead.
“Thank you.”
Her voice escaped in a hushed whisper as she looked down into his big blue eyes, her heart swelling with the love she’d been harboring for years. Without another word, Svan reached for Ranvir’s hands, pulling him along as she walked backwards toward the small room where she’d shared a bed with Galin.
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