Sun of Winter, Part 5
Pairing: Tormund Giantsbane x OC
Summary: Running away from her own wedding, Davina Karstark finds herself in a different predicament when she’s taken captive by Wildlings. How will a noble born girl who’s in way over her head adjust to living North of the Wall among a group of people she had been taught were savages worth fearing? How will she adjust having traded one husband for another of a different kind?
Warnings: Canon typical violence, dub-con, explicit sexual content, kidnapping, typical Game of Thrones stuff.
MASTERLIST
Davina’s hands are blistered and burning, her muscles so stiff every movement is excruciating. They had to get to the trees. Once they were under the cover of the trees, they could rest. The snow that had fallen during their climb only made it harder, Davina’s feet unable to lift above the meager inches that dusted the ground. Tormund had told her how cruel the winters were North of the Wall. The last winter that had come had been six years ago. Davina had been twelve and had prided herself in her tolerance of the cold. She had spent most of it in a warm castle, however, not North of the Wall out in the open where winter never seemed to leave. You would have never guessed that it was summer in Westeros, looking North of the Wall. This was her life now, though. This was her home.
They finally make it to the trees, a fire already built by the time Davina gets there. She sinks down into the snow, unsure if she’ll be able to get back up. The Wildlings move around her, setting up camp and beginning on dinner. They hadn’t eaten since that morning, though Davina hadn’t noticed. She peels off her gloves, sticking her hands in the snow to try to calm the burning. She would be glad to never have to experience it again.
The cold bites at her skin but it soothes the burn of her blisters, Davina tempted to just lay back and bury her whole body in the snow. She had never ached like this before, not even after her fight with Tormund and her uncomfortable ride on the horse. Nothing she had experienced could compare to the pain she’s in now, and she could think of very few things that would ever compare.
Tormund joins her after a while, sitting down next to her. “How do you feel?”
“Like my body might shatter if I move too much.”
Tormund chuckles, taking one of her hands out of the snow, inspecting it. “You’re delicate. But slowly the delicate lady will be chipped away and we’ll make a proper northerner out of you.”
Tormund is right. She can’t stay the delicate lady her mother had shaped her into up here. She would have to harden herself, channel the strength she’d found when she killed the man who attacked her. The strength she’d felt when she attacked Tormund in the village. She’d have to keep that strength until it became second nature to her. She’d never make it if she stayed the way she’d learned to be all her life.
*****
Tormund doesn’t touch her again for the next week. They continuously make their way north, the geography of the lands beyond the Wall unknown to Davina. The only map she’d been concerned with growing up had stopped at the Wall. It was a map covering the Seven Kingdoms and their houses, sigils and words. She had spent months pouring over it, learning every house, every sigil, every set of words knowing one day she’d be a lady of some castle, sharing the words of her husband, and her own house. But now she had no house, no sigil, no words. She was no lady now, either. The Free Folk frowned upon the ideas of lords and ladies and, so it appeared to her, manners as well. Though they had their own version of a hierarchy. They had their leaders that they recognized and respected, though not quite the level of respect her own people had for their Lords. Or, at least it seemed that way to her. She still had a lot to learn and she would be learning for a long time.
It takes them a week to arrive at Ruddy Hall. It’s not at all what she had expected, though she’s not quite sure what it was she expected. All the things she thought she knew about Wildlings had been wrong. Of course some of them had been true as well. The village isn’t much different from those she had passed on her journey north. Not unlike the one she had spent the night in so long ago.
One large building sits in the center of a clearing, other small homes forming a circle around it. There are people moving around, going about their daily lives as they make their way into the small village. Tormund takes her hand, leading her towards the largest building. Many of the people stop and stare at her, watching as Tormund leads her inside.
It’s warm in the building, a fire burning in the center of the room. Tormund leads her past rows of tables towards a door in the back. There’s a staircase that reminds Davina just how much her body is aching before they come to a stop on the landing. Tormund leads her to the door at the far end of the hall, opening it and leading her inside.
She knows instantly that this is his bedroom, a fire already burning in the hearth, a welcome warmth to the bitter cold outside. There’s a huge bed in the center of the room, facing the hearth, many layers of furs covering the bed. There’s a washbasin against one wall, a trunk on the other wall. A single window looks out into the trees, the sunlight quickly disappearing.
Tormund comes up behind her, his breath warm against her neck. “This is your home now, my little wife.” He gently turns her to face him, tangling a hand in her hair, holding her in place. His eyes shine in the firelight as he stares down at her, a determined look steeling them. “I will protect you here. Provide for you. I will bring you more pleasure than you ever thought you could feel in our bed. Our children will be born here, raised here. You will be a true Northerner now.”
Davina feels something swell in her chest at his words, the doubts and remaining resentment melting away under his fiery gaze. All she can do is nod, unable to find the words to reply to his promise. Just a few weeks ago, her life had been so different. Now she was staring a life she’d never thought she’d have in the face. Tormund had been nothing but kind to her, proven he could care for her many times over. He’d made promises no man ever had before, speaking with nothing but conviction and truth. She’s not sure if she can say that she loves him, but she does find herself caring for him more and more every day.
“I will bring up water for a bath. Make yourself at home.”
Tormund leaves her and Davina takes a moment to sit down on the bed. She nearly cries, barely remembering what it’s like to be on a real bed. Davina pulls off the top layer of her clothing, laying the furs out on top of the bed. It’s warm in the room, the warmest she’s been since that night in the inn.
It doesn’t take Tormund long to return with buckets of heated water, filling up the basin in the corner. Davina watches him, a few trips needed to fill the basin. Davina works her fingers through her hair in the meantime, working the tangles out. She doesn’t remember the last time she had a bath. She had managed to ignore the dirty feeling, but staring at the steaming water across the room she was suddenly aware of how dirty she really was.
Tormund finishes filling the tub, closing the door to give them privacy. He turns to Davina, her hands stilling in her hair. She doesn’t know what she had expected, but her eyes widen as Tormund begins to undress himself. She had never seen him naked before despite their time together. She can’t hold his gaze, her eyes dropping to the floor as his clothes come off, and she can hear the slosh of the water as he climbs in.
“Aren’t you going to join me, little wife?”
Davina shyly glances up, finding him sitting in the tub. “Y-You want us...together?”
Tormund’s laugh thunders through the room. “You should get used to being bare in front of me. We are going to spend much time naked together.”
Davina’s heart is pounding in her chest. Not only had she never seen him naked before, but he had never seen her naked. She feels anxious at the thought of being bare before him, her hands shaking as they tug weakly at the ties of her clothes. She can feel his eyes on her, watching her as she slowly removes her clothes. She turns her back as she pulls off the last layers, shaking despite the warmth of the room.
She crosses her arms over her chest as she turns towards the bath, her eyes on the floor as she makes her way over, hoping for the cover of the water. Tormund’s hands are on her as soon as she’s within his arm’s reach, pulling her into the tub. The water is hot, heating her skin even more. Her back hits Tormund’s chest, his arms around her, holding her in place.
Despite the situation, the water feels good to Davina. Besides being cleaned off after she killed the man on the road, she hadn’t had a bath at all. She can practically see the dirt coming off of her just sitting there. Tormund moves after a moment, grabbing a cloth and gently running it over her skin. His touch is light and gentle, scrubbing her skin clean. Davina loosens up under his hands, letting him move her to better reach her skin. She tried to ignore his touch as it passes over her breasts and between her legs.
Tormund cleans himself after he finishes with her, staying with her in the tub until the water gets cold. He lets her climb out first, both of them dripping water onto the floor. Tormund steps up to her once he’s out of the water, staring down at her. She shivers under his gaze and the sheer bulk of him. He presses closer to her, leaning down and pressing his lips to hers.
Her hands find his shoulders, his own gliding down her sides before pulling her tight against him. His skin is warm against hers, the hair on his chest rough against her skin. His lips drop from her own, sliding down her jaw and neck. He kneels down as he works his way down her body, her hand reaching out to the wall for support.
She gasps as his mouth descends lower, Tormund’s hand lifting her leg over his shoulder. She tangles a hand in his hair as he mouths at her, his tongue tasting her. She moans his name, not caring anymore who hears as he brings her close to the edge.
Part 6
Taglist:
@hufflepuff25, @art-flirt
