The Path We Travel

It was becoming a wonderful morning, as Ingrid strolled through the small town that she called her home.

The air still maintained the chill of the winter winds, yet the sun had gained enough strength in the past few days to leave the the skin feeling warm and comfortable.

This far South, the climate of Thule was quite livable most of the time, and this point in spring was Ingrid's favourite time of the year.

She had lived here for decades, even before she had married Thorod and settled down to raise a family, and she had walked the path through town many hundreds of times in that span.

As she passed the familiar houses, she could almost recall the day that she had first come to the market, shortly after she had arrived in Osfjoll.

Ingrid loved the town, and felt connected to all of the people who roamed its sometimes busy streets. Perhaps, in part, she felt so connected to the place because she could remember no others.

She had no memories at all of her of her life before coming to Osfjoll, and her mother had never wanted to discuss it with her. She had asked many times where they had come from, or what had become of her father, but her mother would never say. It had upset her more and more as the years passed. When her mother became very sick and died, she had become bitter, realizing that she would never know where she came from.

In the few years after her mother had passed away, Ingrid had been left feeling very angry and alone, which she had dealt with by leaving this place. While it had been her home for as long as she could remember, those very memories were what brought back the pain of losing her mother again and again. She decided to follow her dreams of traveling the world, and becoming a renowned warrior, and had asked to join the raids – despite the many risks. She ventured off to far-away lands, and fought thousands of other warriors, some of whom nearly ended her life. In honesty, she wondered if her broken heart had wanted an easy end in those days.

Now was different, though.

Despite all that had happened, she loved her mother very much, and had eventually forgiven her. Ingrid often told herself that whatever her mother had experienced before coming to Osfjoll, it must have been very difficult for her to live through Perhaps in some way, she was trying to protect Ingrid from that same pain. Whether isolating her from the past had been the right choice or not, her mother had been a beautiful woman, in both body and spirit, and had inspired Ingrid to become the woman that she respected herself for being.

Ingrid looked around at the happy faces all around her as she entered the market, people smiling to her and greeting her as she passed them by. These days, she found solace in the connection that she had to this place. She knew nearly all of them, by name, by face, and by deed, and knew that they also knew her.

The fishmonger, the hunter, the breadmaker, the butcher... she thought, letting her eyes wander over the people of her town.

When her eyes met those of Erland, the smith, she felt herself swell with heat.

 Even after all these years, seeing him affected her as if they were still the young lovers they had once been. Like her husband, Erland had the strong and full figure of a man who worked metal, which was the type of man who had always been able to affect her body. From his broad shoulders, to his strong arms, to his tied-back river of dark hair, he had been the man of her dreams growing up in the small town.

Even back then, she had felt like this whenever he was around, and had spent years without telling him how she felt about him. As the familiar warmth spread down from her face and through her body, she began to feel shame and arousal. When the sensation reached the crux of her legs, she knew that she should continue on without speaking to him. Since last year, her body had been reacting to him more than ever, and she had almost entirely avoided speaking with him – out of respect for both her husband and their family friend.

Glancing back, however, she saw him waving to her, and knew that she couldn't walk away without at least saying hello.

As Ingrid approached, Erland's smile widened and he called out to her.

"Ingrid, good to see you!" he said with a grin.

"Hello Erland" she said, finally reaching him.

He stepped out from behind a large rack of tools, and came even closer to her.

"Oh, I--" she began as she realized what he was doing, but she was cut off as his large frame encircled her and pressed all around her gently.

She felt her resolve wane for a moment as her pert nipples were gently squeezed between her large breasts and the firm muscle of Erland's chest, but return as her mind drifted to the memories of how the same thing felt when their bodies had been bare.

As their bodies parted and she could see him in full view, she couldn't help but notice the large shape that snaked down the leg of his pants.

"I wanted to ask you something, but I haven't seen you around lately" Erland continued. Ingrid was trying to remain reserved, but didn't want to be rude.

"Yes?" she asked.

 "Well I have to head Northeast on a shipment, and I need someone to come with me. Someone I can trust to help guard my goods, and someone who knows the area" he continued.

Ingrid knew exactly where he was headed, but simply waited for him to say his piece. "

I was hoping that you would come" he finally suggested, smiling.

Ingrid's heart started to beat fast, despite her urging it to stop.

"I couldn't do that, Erland" she said with an air of finality.

Erland looked upset, and immediately raised his hands in protest.

"It would be worth the sacrifice, I promise!" he objected. "You won't need to fight off more than a single wolf – a pack at most" he joked.

 Ingrid laughed, then kicked herself for being so easy to charm.

"I really shouldn't" she said firmly.

 Now Erland's smile broadened again. "I can see the glimmer of adventure in your eye, just where it's always been."

 Ingrid tried not to smile, but Erland could tell that she was doing so.

"I can tell that you want to, even if you swear otherwise" he said assuredly. "I'll bring some of that ale that you liked, and we can catch up like last time."

Now her heart was pounding, surging her blood around her body, as the memories of that night came to the forefront of her mind. She could see the shape in his pants moving at his suggestion, the way it had moved against her thigh.

"I can't" she said, filled with embarrassment at how her body was betraying her. Despite every drop of her spirit knowing it was wrong, she wanted to play with the chance that she might be weak and give in to temptation.

"Consider the thought, at least" Erland appealed to her.

Ingrid paused, knowing that she shouldn't give the thought any room to grow, but wanting it to.

"Alright..." she said, causing Erland to beam at her. "I'll think about it..."

Erland seemed to be finally satisfied with that, and simply thanked her for considering his proposal.

"I swear that if you join me, I'll make this trip just as enjoyable as the last" he promised.

 Ingrid ignored the suggestion, telling him that she needed to head further into town, and he finally let her go without another word. Still, she knew that he would ask her again, and that she would be tempted again.

 Thorod is a good man, and I love him she thought to herself. I couldn't betray him again.

As she walked away, Erland took a few moments to take in the beauty of her form. He could still remember how incredible she looked bare, her body completely exposed to his gaze. The gentle sway of her hips reminded him of how sensually they moved against his, as they laid together. He knew that she wanted to feel that again.

When she finally rounded a corner, he gave a deep sigh. This night, he would once again have only his memories of her.