NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17: Boundless Knowledge
(WARNING: Non-Con Elements)
(Restored the scene for this one and 'Rumours')
Thorfinn didn't know how long he spent inspecting the room. The candlesticks were made of silver and there were crosses made of gold hung on the wall. This room had more riches than nearly the entirety of Kattegat put together, and they just expected their guests not to take anything. 'Well they'll be disappointed if they think I won't add this to my collection,' he thought to himself with a grin on his face. His treasure had slowly been growing as of late, the silver from the farm combined with his share from the monastery, he had a good amount, but he wanted more. He wanted wealth like this castle, ever since he saw it his desire burned within him.
"Lord I am ready..." Eowyn said from behind him as she took off her dress and stood bare before him. Thorfinn licked his lips as he approached her, when he touched her she didn't flinch as she did before but instead leaned into his touch. Thorfinn knew immediately it was part of whatever plan she was forming, he did find her intelligence attractive, but he did hope one day she wouldn't try to use it on him.
Arywn watched from a seat in the corner as Thorfinn leaned down and pressed his lips to Eowyns mouth and started to kiss her roughly. She felt pleasure shoot through her body at the sight, but she desperately wished it was her who was on the receiving end and not her sister. Thorfinns hands ran down her back before grabbing her cheeks and lifting her off the ground. Her legs automatically wrapped around him as she was taken over to the bed and plopped down, the servant had told him that supper would be served at sundown and someone would be there to direct him.
He had no intention of going as it wouldn't be too hard to find that he did not belong there. Instead, he would enjoy Eowyn and then start to explore the castle, he hoped he could find where the silver is kept or perhaps find other treasures or secret knowledge of this land. His tongue dragged down Eowyns neck to her breast where he took a nipple into her mouth making her gasp involuntarily. She tried not to move and just let Thorfinn use her body, she didn't like the fact he could make her feel such strangely wonderful sensations; she hated Thorfinn, she wished the wolf creature had taken him to hell. She still needed to break whatever spell her sister was under. With her help, they could run away and he wouldn't be able to catch them, but for now, she would wait and let him use her body as he wished and serve him dutifully.
Thorfinn pulled down his hosur's and gripped his hard cock, lining it up with her hole. While it wasn't soaking it wasn't dry either, Eowyn couldn't help but feel pleasure from what Thorfinn did to her body, he wasn't rough with her from the start, he would always begin softly before he went harder. She was grateful for that as it allowed her a bit of time to adjust to him, she had been a maiden until Thorfinn had taken her; her hole was still very tight and every time Thorfinn put his cock inside her it was like a spear entering her stomach.
She turned her head as Thorfinn started to suck on her ear. She hated the small moans that would sometimes escape her mouth as he touched her. She bit her lip as pleasure kept on invading her body, Thorfinns cock pushed into her nub every time he moved from kissing her neck to her ear. He smelled good, clean but with a hint of his sweat that made him even more attractive, but despite this, she would stay strong, no matter how much pleasure she received she wouldn't forget the image of her brothers and father being killed.
Thorfinn inhaled Eowyns natural scent and felt himself get harder. Grabbing his cock he pushed himself inside of her, he heard her inhale sharply, despite taking her more than a few times already she was still tight, she was so tight that he struggled to push in any further than his head. But he managed to, applying more pressure he sunk into her inch by inch; Eowyn covered her mouth so any moans of pleasure wouldn't escape her mouth, but Thorfinn moved her hand away and pinned it to the side of her head, he captured her lips with his own and snaked his tongue into her mouth. Eowyn moaned into his mouth as he slowly bottomed out inside her, sometimes he would have to thrust aggressively as he would not be able to go further, she spread her legs wider for him and he was able to engulf his cock inside her.
Arywn watched this from the side, her breathing was heavy and her hand was between her legs. Her loins burned with desire and she couldn't help but touch herself, every time she brushed against her nub with her fingers she had to bite her fist to stop herself from moaning. Her feet curled against the stone floor as she tried to satisfy herself, but she couldn't, her hands only worsened the situation and all she was left with was an intense throbbing, her womanhood was gushing juices and she nearly cracked the arm of the chair at the frustration she felt. She didn't know how to get rid of this but she knew that Thorfinn could do it; Arwyn was very close to begging Thorfinn to take her.
Thorfinn grunted as he drew his cock out of Eowyn, she was just as tight and even pulling out was difficult. He grabbed her legs from beside his hips and spread them wider to give himself better leverage. He started thrusting, the warmth of her body combined with the tightness of her hole made the whole thing pleasurable, if not for her wetness he didn't even know if he'd be able to move. He kept thrusting inside her at an increasingly faster pace; Eowyn felt like she was being crushed underneath him and yet she found that she felt the whole thing pleasurable.
Thorfinn looked down at Eowyn and saw her cheeks were red and a thin sheen of sweat graced her skin. He started to thrust faster as he felt his end coming closer, he let her legs down where they instinctively wrapped around him. Eowyn felt something weird start to happen, her pleasure started to rise higher than she thought it could and then all at once a wave of pleasure crashed through her body like a cart horse. "MMMMMMM!!!" She moaned as she bit her hand.
Not long after that Thorfinn growled out as he started spilling his seed inside of her. Rope after rope of his seed entered into her and filled her up completely. He pulled out of her and stood up from the bed, before he could do anything else Arwyn was at his knees with his cock in her mouth. She licked and cleaned all the juices and seed off —even the bit of blood. Thorfinn thought about chastising her but he was going to clean it anyway 'Might as well have her be useful some way,' he thought to himself.
After he was finished he grabbed a wet cloth and wiped the sweat from his body and then got dressed. He looked over to Eowyn who was still breathing heavily on the bed, her legs were spread and he could see his seed spilling out of her hole. "Take care of your sister I am going to explore, if a servant comes request supper to be taken here," He instructed and Arwyn nodded. Once he left the room Arwyn set by her sister on the bed who was still in a daze, she looked down between her legs and scooped up some of Thorfinns seed before placing it in her mouth. A shiver ran through her body as she did and she felt like she'd almost explode in pleasure at the taste.
...
Thorfinn walked down the castle corridors carefully, he wanted to avoid people as he didn't want to get into a fight just yet and the more people encountered the more likely that possibility would be. He looked through various rooms but a lot of them were just empty guest rooms while some seemed to be a private place to shit and piss. He couldn't help but laugh as he reckoned Mikael would shout and rage if he saw this place, an outhouse that was better designed than his house.
He kept going, running his hands against the wall and even tasting it. He wondered if this is what the hall of the Aesir would look like, and if not how much more grand would it be. "Lord, are you lost?" He was brought out of his thoughts when a beautiful servant addressed him.
He turned around and smiled "I am lost in a way, but I am quite enjoying exploring the castle," he replied.
The woman before him smiled "I agree, half the fun of somewhere new is the opportunity to explore," she replied. The woman before him had long black silky hair and thick lips which were on a beautiful face. She wore a fine green dress that unfortunately hid most of her body. Thorfinn quickly realised he was not talking to a servant 'She must be one of the other guests,' he thought to himself.
"I've never been inside a castle before, I wish to learn all I can about it," Thorfinn said as he looked around aimlessly.
"Then would you like some company on your journey? I have some experience with the layout of Bebbenburg but there is a lot I still wish to see," she offered.
Thorfinn knew it would be best to decline, but he considered the fact she might be helpful in giving him information. 'It would be better than roaming around aimlessly...' he thought to himself. "I'd be glad for your company but if the feast not starting soon, I wouldn't want to make you late," he said to her.
She waved him off "I very much do not like those events, it is mostly just my father bragging and shouting, I'd much rather the peace exploring offers me," she explained.
"Then let us go and explore," Thorfinn said gesturing with his hand. She giggled before joining him in walking side by side, as they walked Thorfinn noticed that she would often steal looks at him only to look away when he faced her. "Is something wrong?" He asked.
"Forgive me, but I just wish to know if that is your real hair colour?" She asked.
Thorfinn shook his head, he knew his hair was unusual, it was a snowy white that almost shined; not like the dull white and grey of older people, his was truly unique and this often made him stand out, something that was a large disadvantage considering where he was. "It is simply a dye, I hope it helps me gain recognition for when I become a famous bard," he said to her to which she nodded in understanding.
"A bard I see, will you sing me a song then?" She asked with an amused smile on her face.
"Perhaps later, for now, I am more concerned with what is behind this door," He said as he pushed it open. His hopes were soon dashed as he discovered it was merely another guest room. The woman couldn't help but laugh at his distraught expression "Perhaps I could help you find what it is you are looking for," she said.
Thorfinn leaned against the wall in thought "In truth I do not know what I'm looking for, what I seek is that which I do not know," he replied.
"That is quite the riddle, even I am unsure as to where to find that which you do not know," she said with an equally thoughtful expression.
"Perhaps we could begin in the chapel, it has been a while since I have prayed since I've travelled for so long," she suggested. Thorfinn wasn't much interested in the temple of a dead god but right now he was masquerading as a Christian so he had little choice or he'd appear suspicious.
"Very well, lead the way," Thorfinn said and he followed the woman through the corridors. There seemed to be a lack of servants around as they only passed two or three on their way to their destination. When he entered the chapel he was impressed by its design but felt such a place was wasted being dedicated to a man who was nailed to a cross. 'This should be a temple to Odin or Freyja,' he thought to himself.
"Is there no priest?" Thorfinn asked.
"He will be at supper with everyone else, will you join me?" She asked as she sat down on the bench. Thorfinn did so as well, their legs pressed against each other and he watched as she clasped her hands together and brought them close to her face. He mimicked her and did the same, he wondered if this was how they offered thanks to their god. If it was it was pathetic, no sacrifices, no offerings, what was the point? He looked at the large cross that hung by the altar, he couldn't help but feel a bit of unease as he did.
Thorfinn stood up and started to walk down the aisle towards the altar. The woman he was with looked at him in confusion but didn't say anything and just continued to watch. When Thorfinn arrived at the end of the aisle he looked up at the cross; he almost paled when a light started to shine on the cross but when he turned he saw it came through a circular window by the entrance. "Look!" The woman said as she grabbed him by the arm.
Thorfinn looked up and saw that the statue was bleeding, from its hands, feet and head. "What is this..." he said with disbelief and concern.
"It's a sign, a sign that god is with us right now," she said excitedly as she still gripped his arm. He did not understand what was happening, he understood what she meant, he could feel a presence with them, but it did not make him happy it made him feel cautious and unwelcome. If there was a god here then it was not Odin or any of the Aesir. He kept his eyes on the cross and nearly fell over when he saw the head move slightly.
'Do they worship Hela under another name, a god with dominion over death,' he thought as he backed away.
"I think I would like to explore somewhere else," Thorfinn said with an uneasy smile. The woman looked at him strangely but nodded nonetheless. Thorfinn in his desperation to leave went through the wrong doors and they ended up in an old dusty room that looked like it hadn't seen the sun for many winters. Thorfinn frowned before grabbing a candle from the chapel and going inside. "Do you know what this place is?" He asked
She nodded "I believe it's a scriptorium, we have one in my home as well, and it is just about as unused," she explained. Thorfinn walked inside and started looking around, he saw shelves and shelves of the strange thin material that Eowyn had told him was parchment and books as well.
"Who drew these?" Thorfinn asked as he took one off a shelf and unravelled it.
"The people that came before us, they built these castles and chapels, they knew much that we no longer do," she said as she walked up next to him.
"I wish I could read them," he said as he held the candle next to them, they all just looked like strange symbols to him but he knew that there was deep knowledge within.
"I could show you how if you wished," she said which made Thorfinn look up at her in shock.
"You can read this?" He asked.
She nodded "Me and my sister were educated in Latin at an early age," she replied.
"Latin... I would like to learn if you are willing to teach me," he said. They both then walked to a table with chairs and Thorfinn dusted them off before sitting down. The woman closed the door so they would not be interrupted and she began teaching Thorfinn Latin. They had only been studying for two or three hours and yet Thorfinn seemed to be picking it up easily, both written and orally. To say she was amazed would be an understatement, she had never seen such a skill with languages, even to this day she hadn't fully mastered Latin and Thorfinn was doing months of learning in mere hours. It was late when the woman decided that it was best she returned to her quarters as she didn't want her father to send a search party for her.
"I believe it's time for me to retire," She said to Thorfinn who looked rather disappointed that it had to end.
"If it is agreeable to you then I can join you again tomorrow to continue teaching you," she said with a smile.
"That is agreeable, rest well lady," Thorfinn said.
"Judith, my name is Judith, may I have your name?" She asked.
"Edward, Lady Judith," he replied.
"Rest well Edward," she said before walking out of the door and leaving him in there. Judith took a breath again as she walked out of the chapel and towards her quarters, she had not expected to meet such an interesting person when she first decided to not attend the feast. At first, she just wanted to escape the dreary atmosphere, as well as the stares she was receiving from Lord Uhtreds son. She knew that there were talks of marriage between her father and Lord Uhtred but she didn't much want to marry him. He wasn't very comely and was quite boring to talk to, he only liked to talk about himself and his training with a sword and bow.
She hadn't expected to run into Edward when she left her chambers but she was glad she did. At first, she thought he might be the son of another lord, or perhaps Uhtreds second son, he was simply beautiful. From his face to his hair to his body, there was nothing that wasn't perfect about him, the scars he had that seemed to have not healed yet did not take away from his attractiveness but instead took away any femininity he might've had and made him more manly.
They hadn't talked much about each other during their time together. Judith hoped to rectify that soon, she found him very interesting and she enjoyed the time they spent together. Perhaps it was the god who brought them together, why else would they both experience a sign in the chapel. As she opened the door to her room she found that it was occupied by none other than her sister Blaeja.
"What do you want sister?" Judith said with a sigh as she closed her door.
Her sister who was still in her red dress looked up at her with a smile. "Father wasn't happy about you avoiding supper, and little Uhtred had to content himself by staring at me instead," she said as she looked intensely at Judith.
"Father will calm down, he could never stay angry at either of us," Judith said as she walked to her wardrobe and opened it.
Blaeja approached her from behind and sniffed her neck. "You've been in the scriptorium sister, who did you go with?" she asked.
"What makes you say that..." Judith said a little nervously.
"You hands, as soon as you came in I saw they had dust on them, your dress as some as well," Blaeja told her as her blue eyes looked deep into her own.
"Dust is everywhere I'm afraid, not just limited to a scriptorium," Judith replied as she started to remove her dress.
"But the musky smell of parchment can only be found in one place, at least to the point where the smell sticks on you," Blaeja stated.
"Your eyes were unfocused when you came in and your cheeks were slightly red, you were thinking about someone, a person you likely met today," she continued.
Judith just huffed and pushed her sister away "Stop it Blaeja you know how it annoys me when you do this," she said as she pulled her dress down and started to get into her nightwear.
Blaeja just smiled as she knew she'd figured out what her sister was up to. She could get more evidence but she knew her sister would get mad if she tried to sniff her private area. "I will let you sleep then sister," she said before walking out of her room and leaving Judith alone.
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Hours after Judith had left Thorfinn kept on studying and trying to learn the language on his own. He made progress, but not as much as he would've made if Judith had continued to help him. His cock started to go hard when he thought about the woman he had spent the evening with, she was a beauty and he could tell she was hiding an attractive body beneath her dress. Thorfinn wanted to take her but now wasn't the right time, and considering how helpful she had been to him he was reluctant to do it by force. 'Perhaps I can woo her,' he thought to himself but quickly cast these thoughts away as he focused back on reading what he could.
Right now he was reading a book he found on the shelf called 'De Medicina' it was a book written by Aulus Cornelius Celsus. To say this was incredible would be an understatement, from what he could understand this book was an instruction manual for a healer, or 'Physician' as it was written. It detailed many things Thorfinn didn't know. In Kattegat, they used various herbs around the land to pack wounds and treat sickness.
This book emphasises the importance of disease prevention. It wrote about how cleaning yourself before you eat can stop sickness from spreading and how a person needs to eat things in balance to maintain his health. Thorfinn was interested in the way Aulus classified Illnesses, using the terms Acute and Chronic. It described techniques for examining someone who was sick, such as Palpation and using something hollow to check the heart and breathing.
Thorfinn was in awe of the knowledge he now possessed, but what bothered him was there was still much to know. This was only the first book, there were more and he needed to read them. If he had his choice he would read everything in this scriptorium, but he knew he wouldn't have enough time to do that. He considered trying to take it all when he left but knew he wouldn't be able to take this and the silver. He chuckled to himself as he realised he was about to forsake his wealth for old books and parchments. 'But this knowledge is a wealth on its own,' he thought to himself.
Closing the book he left it on the table he felt it must be close to midnight and he should get some rest. His stomach also rumbled with hunger, he hoped there would be food waiting for him in his quarters. As he left the scriptorium and then the chapel he walked down the empty corridors back to his chambers.
Though he paused when he heard the sounds of what sounded like arguing. He pressed himself against the wall and looked out around the corridor, a guard was arguing with a man whom he couldn't see as they were at another corner and the man was out of sight. The guard abruptly fell to the ground grabbed at his neck as his throat had just been slashed by someone. Thorfinns eyes widened and he waited for the man to emerge from around the corner but he didn't.
Thorfinn crept against the wall and walked up to the guard who looked up at him with pleading eyes. Thorfinn just ignored him and looked around the corner, sadly nothing was there —the man seemed to have quickly fled the scene.
He wondered why a person would do that 'A bandit or criminal perhaps?' He thought to himself. He noticed that the man had a piece of fabric in his hands and he took it from him. 'the guard must've grabbed him before he slashed his throat.' He looked at the material it was a fine material, it looked expensive; Though this only confused Thorfinn more. He kept the fabric and quickly left the scene as he did not want to take the blame for his death.
He rushed back to his quarters and opened the door. As he did he immediately jumped as he did not expect Arwyn to be sitting by the door, but it seemed she was waiting for him to return and fell asleep. He breathed out trying to calm himself before picking Arywn up and tucking her into bed, right before climbing in himself.
It had been a long day and he was ready for sleep.
(AN: So Thorfinn is starting to learn Latin and already knows a good amount. This is also the introduction of Judith and Blaeja who might seem a bit OOC, but I wanted to change Blaeja as she's a bit of a bitch 🤷🏻♂️ anyway I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Also, I'm up for any suggestions on what you think Thorfinn should learn.)
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