Chapter Nine

     "You've got to be kidding!"
     Candy was pacing back and forth in front of Dolph, who lounged
on the field-bed, smiling at her anger.  He had known that she wouldn't like
the rules, but she would have to accept them anyway.
     Ah, she was so beautiful, with her hair flowing down to the sweet
curve of her backside, her eyes flashing blue fire in her anger.  He would
have to try harder to keep his mind on the conversation, or he would lose
control and pull her beneath him.
     "I warned you that our rules might seem harsh."
     She spun toward him, her hair a silver cape flying about her
shoulders, and took several steps in his direction.
     "'Harsh?'  Is that your word for it?  You obviously have a penchant
for understatement.  'Slavery' is more like it!  Dogs have more rights!"
     "Dogs are better armed and able to protect themselves."
     Candy narrowed her eyes, gracing him with her 'glare of death.'  His
answering grin showed that he was not suitably impressed.  Pushing aside
the urge to strangle him, she continued.
     "Let me see if I've got this straight."
     She held her hands in front of her, counting off the rules on her
fingers.
     "I obey," this through gritted teeth, "any warrior in this camp.  I do
so without question because, of course, he knows more about everything
than little ol' me."
     Dolph started to speak, but Candy wasn't finished and she was not
in the mood to be interrupted.
     "Second, I'm supposed to keep this tent spotless, making sure that
all of your gear is ready at a moment's notice.  Third, I take care of Silky -
feed him, see that he has water.  Fourth, unspoken, but definitely implied, I
should be available for your entertainment any time of the day or night that
you choose to stop playing warrior and come home for a little R & R.  And
last, but not least, if I disobey or if I don't do any of the things that I'm
supposed to, I get 'punished', whatever that means.  Did I forget anything?"
     Dolph shook his head, trying to keep the smile from his face. 
Candy's voice had risen with her ire.  She started pacing again.  She was
nearly yelling at him now.
     "You're completely out of your mind!  I think you picked up the
wrong species, you wanted a Cocker Spaniel.  I am an intelligent modern
woman.  I graduated high school, I can read, I can even walk and chew
gum at the same time.  You're treating me like a two-year-old!"
     Dolph stood and grabbed hold of her shoulders, effectively stopping
her pacing.  She glowered up at him.  He kept his voice level, trying not to
anger her further.
     "None of your independent woman trappings matter here.  You are
as a child in this camp.  You know next to nothing.  You must do as I say to
keep safe."
     Candy slapped his hand from her shoulder, her hair brushing the
length of him as she spun away.  With her back to him, she took several
steps, then turned and threw her hands into the air.
     "Right, so the big, bad Vikings, as opposed to the good Vikings -
now there's a mind-boggling concept - can't get me.  It sounds like a typical
male plan to keep the little woman barefoot and pregnant, if you ask me."
     Dolph raised his hand, pointing at her face.  His eyes flashed green
ice.
     "Do not take this lightly, woman!"
     Candy glared right back at him.  Exasperated, he walked to his war-
chest, opened it and removed several items, which he placed on the bed. 
Then he tossed something to her.  Surprised, she caught it.  It looked like a
book.  Opening it, she saw pictures, paintings and something that might
have been words.  Dolph's irritated tone brought her attention back to his
face.
     "Modern woman, read that to me.  Tell me what it says."
     Candy frowned at him and threw the book onto the bed.
     "That's not fair and you know it.  I'll bet you couldn't read
Cosmopolitan either."
     He raised another book, this one bound in fine leather, from the bed
and began reading.
     "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.  And the
earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the
deep."
     With a superior smile, he tossed the Bible to her.  She caught it,
glaring at him.
     "My mother taught me to read and speak English, French, Spanish
and a little German.  If 'Cosmopolitan' can be found in any of those, I
assure you I would have no difficulty reading it."
     Candy raised her chin, tossing her hair and, if possible, deepening
her glare.
     "I'm sure that I could learn to read your language.  Besides, I don't
think this is exactly the kind of situation that will require much reading.  I
doubt the enemy is going to demand that I compete in a spelling bee.  I
think I can handle the practical stuff."
     She threw the Bible back on the bed.  Dolph walked to the door of
the tent and turned toward her.
     "Very well, a practical situation.  I am an enemy warrior.  We have
taken the camp and I have a gun.  What do you do?"
     Candy arched an eyebrow sarcastically.
     "I thought you guys were strictly in to sharp metal material."
     Dolph shook his head.
     "Vikings generally fight with blades because we prefer the personal
touch.  However, if the people we fight use other weapons, we will take
them as booty and use them as we desire."
     Dolph's expression changed from that of instructor to that of
antagonist.
     "I am the enemy, I have a laser weapon.  What would you do?"
     Candy looked at the bed.  On it were the books that they had dealt
with earlier, Dolph's shield, and a small dagger.  Looking sly, she jumped to
the bed and pulled the dagger.  Quickly regaining her feet, she held the
small blade in front of her.  Dolph was shaking his head, looking
exasperated.  Candy sighed.
     "What?  What did I do wrong?"
     "You must never pull steel on a Viking warrior.  An unarmed
woman will be taken and put to good use, but an armed woman will be
hurt, and might be killed, depending on the patience of the warrior. 
Besides, what good would that be against a gun?"
     Candy grinned.
     "You Viking warriors are all cocky as hell.  You wouldn't shoot me. 
You'd have to prove your manhood by taking this little knife away from me. 
When you tried, I'd let you have it with my knee.  That'd make you sit up
and take notice."
     "Then you would have a very angry warrior, armed with blade and
gun, desiring nothing more than to hurt you.  Not a very clever battle
strategy."
     He had her there.  Candy hung her head dejectedly, tossing the
dagger back on the bed.  She looked up when Dolph moved.  He came to
the bed and held up the shield.
     "Lasers cannot penetrate a Viking shield.  And a Viking will not see
it as a threat, only as an attempt to protect yourself."
     He put the shield back on the bed and pulled her into his arms.
     "You see, my love, you are a great deal like a two-year-old.  You
know very little of the world you find yourself in.  I and my men will
protect you while you learn the ways of your new home and people.  You
must obey the rules."
     Candy stamped her foot, narrowly missing his.  She felt very much
the child, and she didn't like it.
     "I hate rules!  Especially your rules."
     Dolph stepped back a little so that he could see her face.  His smile
was very humoring.  She realized how childish she sounded right about the
time he started to chuckle.  With a mumbled, "Oh!" she balled her hand into
a fist and hit him softly in the chest, enjoying the hard thud her knuckles
made against the steely muscle.  Giving in to the urge to giggle at herself,
she placed her forehead against his chest.  He was so warm, so hard, so
very sexy.  And here in his arms, she felt safe, wanted, loved.  Was it worth
obeying all his stupid rules, performing all his mundane tasks to have this
feeling?  Maybe.  The jury was still out on that one.
     His hands were beginning to make little circles on her back, sending
the most delicious chills down her spine.  Candy shivered and, wrapping her
arms around his back, raised her face to his.  He took the hint, slowly
caressing her lips with his own, coaxing her with his tongue until she parted
her lips, allowing him entrance.  The tip of his tongue flitted over her teeth;
then, when she parted her teeth, did sensual battle with her own.  This was
one war that Candy didn't mind losing.  She felt herself being lowered to
the bed, Dolph's strong arms holding her safe and secure.  Heaven was just
around the corner.
     The tent flap was suddenly thrown open and Felix appeared in the
entrance.  He paused, realizing what was taking place inside, then continued
into the tent.  Candy decided at that moment that some day, when he least
expected it, she was going to kill Felix.  Or at least maim him!
     Dolph raised his head and scowled at the intruder.  Seeing Felix, he
quickly stood and faced his friend.  Once again, Candy was a nonentity. 
Dolph sounded alarmed.
     "What is it?"
     Felix's tone was equally grave.
     "One of our scouts has just returned.  He is in his tent."
     "What news does he bring?"
     Felix held out his hand to Dolph.  There was some sort of pouch
resting in his palm.  Dolph took it, opened the pull string and poured the
contents into his hand.  Candy could see the gleam of silver.  Dolph raised
his eyes to his second in command, a quizzical expression on his face.
     "Has this some meaning?"
     Felix sighed heavily, running his hand through his deep brown hair,
his discomfort apparent.
     "The scout was captured.  He was given a message to give to you,
tortured and released."
     Dolph stepped forward, grabbing Felix's arm.
     "Tortured?  What information did they seek?"
     Felix's complexion grew darker with his anger.  He raised his head
and looked Dolph in the eye.
     "Vierig is their leader.  He told the scout that the thirty pieces of
silver are in honor of your Christian mother.  The message was, 'By
tomorrow's sunrise, one of us will pay for their crimes.'  They wanted no
information, the torture was part of the message.  Vierig said that he would
send his most prized possession to you and replace it with one from your
man."
     Dolph looked at the small leather pouch that he still held in his hand. 
A look of horror spread slowly across his face.  He cast eyes filled with
agony to Felix, wanting the denial that he knew would not come.  Felix
dropped his eyes to the ground and gave one sharp nod of his head.  Dolph
threw back his head and roared, throwing the pouch, and the small pieces
of silver, so hard against the side of the tent that the whole structure shook. 
He began pulling on his armor, gathering his weapons.  When he spoke
again, his voice boomed like thunder, his anger building with each passing
moment.
     "Will the man live?"
     Felix shrugged.
     "The wound was closed, he lost very little blood.  But his pride...,"
he shook his head, "I don't know."
     "I will speak to him.  He will fight by my side and claim his
vengeance from the enemy tenfold!  What is their troop strength?"
     "As far as we can tell, equal to ours."
     Dolph had claimed all of his armor and weapons.  He was every
inch the fierce Viking warrior.  Slipping his left arm through the leather
strap of his shield, he turned to Candy, who had risen to stand next to the
bed.  His tone softened the tiniest bit.
     "You know the rules, Star.  Obey them!"  
     In two great strides he came across the tent and pulled her hard
against his armor-plated chest.  She could feel the edge of his shield against
her back, pinning her in the metal cage of her warrior's arms.
     "I swear he will never touch you.  Never!"
     His lips came down on hers in a kiss that, though anything but
gentle, still told of all the love and devotion he pledged to her.  She returned
it with equal passion, wanting him to know that she would be waiting for
him, even if she had to wait forever.
     How she wished she could tell him how she felt.  Say all those
mushy things like he did.  He was so open with his words.  He hadn't grown
up learning to be diplomatic, worrying about sounding stupid or being
rejected.  Candy looked up into his face and was suddenly struck with the
realization that she might be seeing him for the last time.  How she looked
to anyone but him didn't matter a damn.
     "I love you, Dolph.  I will love you forever.  If you get yourself
killed, I swear I'll follow you to Hell and fight the devil to get you back!"
     For just a minute, his warrior's eyes softened and a gentle smile
tugged at his lips.  His whispered words touched her heart as his breath
touched her lips.
     "I never believed in Hell, my love, until I thought of life without
you.  And it is I who go to fight the devil.  Your love will help Odin to
guide my sword.  I will return to you, sweet Star.  I swear it!"
     He kissed her once more, then released her.  As he turned to leave,
she could see his eyes grow cold and his back stiffen.  Felix bowed his head
to her.
     "I will guard his back, milady Candy, as you guard his heart."
     He followed in Dolph's footsteps out the door.  Candy ran to the
door and yelled, "Star!"
     Dolph was still within hearing distance.  He and Felix both turned. 
Candy smiled, trying to ignore the pain of unshed tears tearing at her throat.
     "My name is Star, Viking, and don't you forget it!"
     Dolph seemed to stand a little taller, a smile on his lips that didn't
quite meet his battle-ready eyes.  Felix bowed his head again, his smile
reflecting his respect for his friend's woman.
     "Milady Star, I stand corrected."
     Star nodded and, taking one last look at her Viking warrior, stepped
back into the tent so that he wouldn't see her cry.