4 comments/ 4865 views/ 4 favorites Jotunn Ch. 01 By: takrim + He was running through the dark forest. The hunters were closing in. He must survive. He tried to look behind while running to see if any hunter was in sight, but saw no one. May be they lost him. May be its time to stop running and look for a shelter. Or is it? The hunters are very cunning. They can hide in the shadow eyeing their prey and then come out of nowhere. They are trained to do so. Suddenly something whizzed past his ear and missed him by only a couple of inches. It was an arrow! No, it's not the time to stop. They hadn't given up yet. He increased his speed and started running toward the river. He is an excellent swimmer and maybe he could ditch those hunters. Running and jumping over stones made him really tired and he certainly realized he cannot outrun them. After all they are using horses and the forest is not deep enough to complicate horse riding. On the other hand he is depending only on his tired legs. 'It is time to improvise'. He thought to himself. He heard the sound of the river. Usually the stream is very fast and people can hear it from a fair distance. He also heard the sound of horses. A second arrow went past him. Almost got him on the knee. But he moved swiftly enough to avoid it. Then he saw the river. It was wide enough to adjust a battle ship. The current of water was making a grave noise. He accelerated toward it and intended to jump in the water. The water should drive him fast enough and far enough from his attackers. Plus, the hunters can't follow him by riding horses. But, his jump was brought to a halt when the third arrow hit him on his left leg. He screamed and fell down. He felt sheer pain and it raised right up on his head. For a moment the world seemed pitch black. But he regained his vision. And then he saw the three horsemen, the hunters. They were silent, watching him laying on the ground just a feet from the water. They were only watching or maybe enjoying his pain. They will put him to death eventually. For a moment he thought he should give up, but his surviving instincts kept him alive. He reached for the arrow stuck on his leg with his left hand. He grabbed it tightly and pulled it with enough power. Pain converted to agony. For the second time, he saw blank. Blood poured out of the wound, but he managed to pull the arrow out. He tried to stand up and did so on his second attempt. The hunters stepped down from the horses' back. One of them carried the arrows. He took his arrow and bow and aimed at him. As soon as he had locked his aim on the target, he released the arrow. But the arrow wasn't quick enough. He slightly shifted his body to his right and missed the incoming attack and quickly motioned himself and threw the bloody arrow he held in his hand just like anybody would throw a spear. It hit his attacker in a flash. The man dropped his bow and fell down instantly. The whole thing happened in a moment. The death of the fellow huntsman suddenly brought the other two in real anger. They took their swords in their hands. They had been too slow and lazy to finish their job. But, now it had to be done. Quickly. They sprang forward and one of them slashed his sword at his prey. But he missed. His prey already stepped aside and made his move. He grabbed his attacker's hand and gave a knock on his jaw. The punch felt like a hammer blow. The other hunter took his time and then attacked from the side. But even with injured leg he was quick as a cat. Once more he managed to avoid the sharp blade and went for a counter attack. But the move didn't work. For a single moment he became vulnerable and the hunter took his chance. He almost sliced the air and aimed for the head. He tried to recover and almost succeeded, but felt the sharp metal on his left arm. But that was it. He swallowed the pain and went for an ultimate attack. He beat the sword off his attacker's hand. Now he was up against two unarmed men. It still looked like a handicap fight. But in reality it wasn't. He was almost a feet taller than his attackers and had a huge figure. They wrestled for a bit and got locked in death fight. But he was way too strong for them and finally he finished them off. Without the weapons they are nothing. Since the struggle was over his body collapsed. He felt so weak and tired. He tore his shirt and wrapped his injuries on the leg and the arm. He was so thirsty. He tried to drink from the river. After one sip he couldn't even keep his eyes open. The bleeding made him weaker and weaker. He fell into the river. He used his last bit of strength to fight the torrent but his struggle was worthless. The stream was to strong. His body was dragged along the river. He closed his eyes for the last time and waited for death. Death in water. Maybe not so bad. + Iona took her basket and went outside of her house. It was the biggest one in the village as her father was the leader of her tribe, the artarians. She went passed two houses. Suddenly someone called her name, 'Iona'. She knew the voice. She looked behind. It was Erim just as she thought. Erim came closer to her and asked, 'where are you going?' Erim was a handsome guy, probably the best looking guy in the village. He had a tall figure, silky black hair and broad shoulders. He was 25 and on his prime. He was an excellent warrior and one day he would be a hunter. The most feared group of warriors there were. Iona kinda liked him but she was not going to answer the question. She said, 'nowhere'. 'You have a basket in your hand and you're directed to the forest. I'm sure you are off to somewhere.' 'That's none of your concern, Erim.' 'Okay. Can I come with you?' Erim knew she was reluctant to reveal where she was going. But he insisted. 'No. I am going wherever I'm going and I am going alone', she gave a disturbed look and then added, 'and don't you dare follow me.' 'Okay, but be safe', Erim didn't press anymore, 'Remember, you're going to the forest. It's not a safe place. Last night three hunters didn't return. Everybody thinks they got engaged with another jotunn.' 'Why didn't they return? What happened to them?' Iona asked with a furious voice. 'No one knows. Maybe they're still hunting that jotunn.' 'You don't sound so confident.' 'No, I'm not. Maybe that jotunn is still at large. That's why I'm worried about you.' 'Don't worry; I'm not going to the deep forest where jotunns roam. Also I can take care of myself. Jotunns never come out of the deep forest.' Iona turned around and started walking again. She made sure Erim wasn't following her. She took the ususal muddy road to the forset. The road leads to the outskirt of the forest and then turning towards the market place. But she didn't go all the way to the turn. When she reached the birch trees cushioned with a chunk of bush. She stopped there and looked around to make sure nobody was watching. She carefully segregated the bush and entered the tiny space. There are still some thick bushes ahead of her. She moved forward for some time and then reached an open place. The place was covered with green grass and at the end of the soil and grass there was a natural reservoir of water. A small part of the jungle river created this. The other end of the water became narrow and went straight inside the forest, probably got connected with the river. She never went that far. Because it was deep forest where still one or two jotunns roam about. She found this place when she was a young girl. She liked it so much that she told no one about this. Sometimes she comes here and enjoys a little leisure. Erim always asked her, 'where are you going?' But she didn't even tell him. She called it "Iona's Eden". She put the basket on the ground and thought nobody knows I'm here, nobody's watching, so why shouldn't I take a bath? it was a hot day after all. Iona didn't know a pair of eyes was watching her. They were Erim's. Erim always follow her to the forest. It's like a rule. He could never let this girl be alone in the forest. He loved her so much and never let anything happen to her. Erim loved her since forever. She was the daughter of the Masterman Clan, the leader of the artarian tribe. So, it's a bit a difficult for him to accept that he may never get his love back, because he was farmer's son. But now as he had grown older and became an young apprentice hunter, maybe he can show some charm to her love and get her. He knew she came here alone a moment or two and she liked it that way. So he never told anybody about her little Eden. Only he knew. He was a apprentice hunter. That made him a master of camouflage and Iona never suspected him of following her every time. There she was. Her love. She was heading towards the water. he knew what was going to happen. he tried not to look. But he kept staring eventually. Iona was wearing a pair of thigh long leather sock that she slowly removed. She put the socks beside her basket. Next, her white cotton dress was quickly removed over her head. She went over the waterside and dipped herself at waist height. Her rosy-pale slender body was motioning in the crystal clear liquid. Her pink nipples became hard with touch of the cold water. Golden hairs were spread around her back. Erim couldn't look anymore. It was too much for him. He wanted to go there and kiss her and make love to her. She was so gorgeous, so elegant that he wanted to cry. He looked away and waited for her to finish her job. He leaned back on a tree and waited. All he could hear the comforting sound of the water splash. Iona bathed herself for a short time. It was time to go home. She took a long piece of clothing and dried herself with that. Then she put on her white cotton dress and her long black leather socks. Before going home, she wanted to pluck some fruits. There were some trees along the waterline that had various fruits that she often took home. As always she went to the trees to grab some fruits and it was then see saw it. A shadowy figure laying on the ground not far from where she was standing. Is it a man? She moved forward for a better sight. The trees that were bending on the water created shadow and it was hard to see. When she was near, she ensured herself it was definitely someone. She slowly neared herself to the unknown person. It was a man, but definitely not a human. It was laying on the ground on its bare back. Its lower half was dipped in the water. It looked like it was carried here by the stream. It had dark skin and short hair. It had a torn trouser on it. It possessed a huge figure. Even the largest man on her village would be at least six inches shorter than it. It was motionless. She was sure it wasn't a human, because there were a faint hint of two horns on its forehead. The horns were probably cut down and not cut down smoothly. She was staring at this muscular figure and a word immediately came to her mind, 'jotunn'! She was about to run, but then she saw the bandages on its left leg and left arm. Is it dead or is it only injured? She took a step closer. She was both scared and curious. It was still motionless. Therefore it increased her courage. She stopped only a foot from the creature waited for a brief moment and then reached out for its body. She only touched its face, just only. And all of a sudden it came to life. It grabbed her hand in swift motion and tackled her and pinned her to the ground. Now, its eyes had opened and stared straight at Iona's eyes. 'Stop, you monster', she said in a broken voice. Her first thought was that it will kill her instantly. But it just held her and looked at her without even blinking. And then suddenly it released her. She quickly stood up on her feet and was about a make run for it. But the jotunn didn't even chase after her. It lay on its back again. It didn't look dangerous or angry or anything like that. Instead it looked tired and weak. She suddenly realized that its wound was bleeding at a slow but constant rate. The jotunn was badly injured. Maybe because of the fight last night. She looked at the thing from a distance. It didn't look that scary as everyone always described to her. She didn't know why but she felt a soft corner for the creature. She slowly went near it and examined the bandages. They were not in good condition. Those must be changed. She took the piece of clothing from her basket and tore to several portions. 'What the hell am I doing?' she thought. She looked at the huge creature. It eyes were slightly opened. It gleaming, but not in a lively way, rather more than a last sparkle before death kind of way. She really felt sorry for this giant creature which actually looks a lot more like human. She removed the old bandages and saw the long wounds. She wrapped the injuries with fresh cloth and then stood up. That's it. She had done enough bad things for one day. If her father knew she had just helped a jotunn he would be very disappointed. She was to leave and then stopped again. She grabbed some fruits off the trees and placed them beside the creature's hand. She waited for a moment and saw a glimpse of gratefulness in those amber eyes of the jotunn. It felt really weird. She went back in a hurry to the village, but not running. Erim was anxious as he couldn't see her for some time, but then he saw Iona heading fast for the village. He released a deep sigh and followed her hiding in the bushes. Jotunn Ch. 02 + Masterman Loki was standing on the top of the small hill just outside his village. He was staring north at the village of the Artarians. Artarians were neighbor of his tribe, Tiberians. But their relation was the worst one anybody can imagine. A war had been going on for almost a decade and it was getting worse each day. And at this point the feud between these two tribes had reached its peak. Three weeks ago, two of artarian troops attacked a group of tiberian hunters in the deep forest. They killed the hunters with sheer brutality and send a clear message to Loki that it was time to end the bad blood, either by making peace or by destroying each other. Masterman Loki, as the leader of the tiberians, made his decision. He will destroy the artarians for good. But it wouldn't be easy just to walk up to them and defeat the whole tribe. They are very good warrior. He was planning something, something clever to make it easy for them. He heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw Liam, his eldest son, walking at his direction. `Son, do you have any news?' Loki was patient. He wanted to hear the good news. But there was no hurry. `Father, I was able to meet with our spy', Liam started talking, `We met at the market place just as you told me.' `So, what did he say?' Loki was still showing patience. `He said artarians are going to the windvalley for hunting. A large number of soldiers are joining. But, they will leave enough guards in the village just in case.' `And which day they will be going hunting?' `7 days from now and they will take 100 soldiers and 20 hunters with them.' `How much they are leaving?' `He doesn't know the exact number. But he guessed 200 soldiers and 50 hunters.' `That's good enough for me', Loki thought for a moment. He must attack the smaller unit of soldiers, but he must conquer the village. How will he do it? `Father, what's our plan?' Liam couldn't cope with his father's silence. `The plan is simple my son', Loki recalled how it all started, the war between artarians and tiberians. Once they were part of an alliance. The artarians, tiberians and the serenians. Almost hundred years ago, a scepter with a golden triangle seal on it was placed in the temple of amalur. It resembled the unity of these three tribes. But ten years ago, the scepter was stolen and all three tribes blamed on each other and it started a war that lasted almost ten years. The serenians were destroyed along the way as well as the temple of the amalur. Only the temple could end this war, but now all of these were gone. There was no scepter, no peace, no coalition, no justice. Just an unfinished war between two former allies. They were divided and now the time had come for the tiberians to rule all. `The plan is very simple', Loki chuckled, `divide and conquer'. + The air was cold and showed the sign of winter coming. Winter is the most difficult period of time for the artarians. There were fewer preys in the jungle. The water in the river and ponds turned into ice. Surprisingly artarians grew less vegetables in winter than any other tribes. So, that was a problem too. So, they had to gather as many food as possible before winter. Iona looked outside the window. A troop of soldiers were gathering weapons and instruments. It was almost dark out there. And they did this all day long. Gathering weapons, selecting instruments and preparing troops they did. This was the preparation for the upcoming hunting. Every year they went to the windvalley for hunting purpose. It was a non-warzone where a good amount of animals can be found. There was a pact among artarians, tiberians and serenians that windvalley will be a no man's land. Lots of pacts were broken during war, but this pact wasn't broken as both of the tribes made sure the pact was intact. Food was the number one priority for both of them. So, at windvalley both tribes keep peace. When they come in each other's way while hunting, they silently moved away and tried not to make any trouble. Hunters join the soldiers when they go hunting and most of the times led them. Windvalley was far from the deep forest. There were no jotunns there. But hunters were needed there as they were much better predator than the regular soldiers. Iona saw Erim through the window. he was giving a hand to the aid of the tired soldiers. But Erim was not the one who was in her mind. Rather her mind was visualizing the weird event that happened in the morning. A jotunn. Shit, it was a jotunn. Iona thought about that creature all day long. Since her childhood, she was told that jotunns are the fiercest and most scary looking creature there ever was. They had two long horns on their forehead, long black hair, dark skin, pointy ears and a tall structure. Her grandmother always told her stories about jotunns that were at least 10 feet tall and had the strength of a bear. She used to say that jotunns' long black hair and scar filled faces made them look like the most hideous beast in the jungle. They would kill you the moment they get their hands on you. There were lots of other stories, descriptions and anecdotes about jotunns that she heard in all her life. The whole 19 years. But most of them turned out to be wrong today. Mostly wrong. The jotunn grabbed her without even giving any chance. It pinned her down. Didn't it? That was its instinct. It almost killed her. But didn't, because it was too weak. Nah, that can't be it. She rejected the thought. She felt the strength of the jotunn when it grabbed her. It was still too strong. It could kill her in a moment if it wanted to. It wasn't that weak. But it didn't. If she was a jotunn she would kill any human that would come in contact with her. Still it let her go. May be it gave up hope. Suddenly an old question popped into her mind. Why do humans hunt jotunns? Just because they kill people or is it something else? Her grandmother said that the hunting started long before her birth. Arguably the hunting process started hundred years ago. it was then the newly formed alliance formed a group of the bravest and fiercest warriors to hunt down jotunns. The actual reason behind this had been lost. Iona also heard that even just before her birth the deep forest was full of jotunns, but now their numbers were decreasing at a higher speed. The forest is much safer place than it was before. Where do jotunns live? what do they eat? She didn't know. Do they eat human flesh? If not, why do they kill human? Sometimes dogs chase after cats. But they don't eat cats. Is it like that? Or may be jotunns just kill human because humans kill jotunns. Seems like a paradox, Iona thought. She was still looking through the window. The warriors finished their job for the day. They will be heading for the windvalley after seven days. Iona saw Erim with some other hunters. She sighed. There was a fat chance that she might be wrong. The three hunters really didn't return that Erim was talking about. Jotunns are not friendly at all. She didn't even know why she was fantasizing that way. She wanted to talk to someone about this. But who? Anyone would tell her to take the hunters there and let them finfish their job. May be Erim? No, she rejected the idea. He would do the same as any other hunters would do. Even though he was attracted to her very much. She suddenly blushed. She always knew that Erim liked her. Or worse, loved her. Erim was a farmer's son. In that way he lived in a lower social hierarchy. But now he was a hunter, he topped the hierarchy. What rank should be counted if he would propose to her? She tried not to think about Erim anymore, but failed. She never admitted to herself, but she kinda liked him too. `Iona, honey, supper's ready', Iona's mother Lady Elen called out to her, `Your father's waiting for you. Come downstairs and grab your brother along.' Iona rushed away from the window. They eat their supper as soon as it was dark. They slept early as well as woke up early. It made them industrious. She went to the next room where her brother Derik sleeps. Derik just came back from work. He was a regular soldier, but will replace his father when time will come. He worked hard all day long. `Just came back, no?' Iona asked standing on the open door. Derik was putting on a shirt. He looked back at her little sister and smiled. `Father and mother are waiting for us. Supper is ready.' `I'll there in a minute.' Derik smiled again, `Just putting on some layers. It's getting cold day by day.' `I'm not going downstairs without you', Iona told. `Okay. Just wait a second.' The supper was nice and slow. They took their time enjoying delicious foods and each other's company. Clan told his family that the preparation for the hunting was almost ready. They will start their journey in a week. It might take at least two to three weeks to collect necessary amount of meat. It would be the last hunt before winter. He also said that this time Derik was also going with him on the hunt. Derik seemed to be very glad about this. After the meal Iona went straight to her bed. It was already too cold and she tucked in quickly. She actually barely listened to her father during supper. She was thinking about only one thing. In her mind she made a decision. She was going to see the jotunn again. + Iona vanished inside the birch trees and the bushes. She moved onward to "the eden". She looked around for any sign of the jotunn. Slowly she creeped in. The water side, as she looked at it, she found out there was no one there. The place was empty. My god, the jotunn is healed and it is up again. Iona literally panicked. Where the hell is it? And why have I come back here? Why? She was so scared that she couldn't even think or see clearly. It could be anywhere, she thought, and right now it might crawl up to my back and grab me. And then kill me instantly. She gave a nervous look behind. There was nothing there. Her panic slightly decreased. She turned around and stared at the waterside again. And then she saw it. The jotunn was just a few yards ahead of her, staring right back at her silently. It was hiding in the bushes. At first Iona's feet turned into stone and she thought she couldn't move them ever in her life again, but they came to life again. She tried to spring forward, but a pair of strong hands grabbed hers. She screamed, `help!!' But then a hand moved on her mouth to stop her screaming again. Iona fought hard to get herself free, but it was useless. It was as strong as before, probably a bit stronger. She stopped struggling and looked at it. In spite of its immense strength still it looked very weak. The bandages were still in place and they were red with blood. The jotunn held her strongly, but also with a soft touch so that the strong grips didn't bruise her. And when it was sure that the girl was not gonna run away it let her free. Iona was trembling with fear and contained her desire to run again. It would be useless. The jotunn stared at her curiously and examined her. It saw other female humans before, but never saw as beautiful as this one. And she was very kind too. It reached its hand to the bushes it was hiding and brought something out. It was Iona's basket. She left it here the other day. It stretched its hand with the basket to Iona. She hesitated for a moment and then raised her shaking hand to take the basket. The jotunn was not going to kill her. It was showing her gratefulness and respect. It is showing human emotions! She thought. They looked at each other for a brief moment and suddenly got interrupted by a shout. `Iona, step aside.' It was Erim. How the hell Erim found her? She was in for a surprise. Erim charged down to the jotunn with an open sword. Iona stepped away as Erim went past her to attempt an attack on the jotunn. The jotunn swiftly moved and avoided the sharp metal. But it was weak, too weak to balance itself after a hasty movement. It slipped and fell on the ground. Erim was going for a repeat attack. The jotunn didn't even try to resist. It was waiting for its last moment. But at Erim's biggest surprise, Iona quickly came between them and shouted hard, `stop.' Erim stopped his attack and screamed in wonder, `what are you doing?' `Don't kill him, Erim', Iona said in a strong voice. `Him?' Who are you calling him? It's a jotunn', he kept an eye on the jotunn while talking to Iona. `Don't kill him, He's too weak to resist and he didn't try to harm me anyway.' Iona begged. The jotunn was at least a feet taller than Erim, but he showed no fear. Erim must be very brave to save her from it. But, still somehow she felt she needed to save the creature. `What? Are you serious?' Erim looked at the jotunn and discovered it was badly injured. He could easily finish it off, right here, right now. As an apprentice hunter it was his duty. But... But Iona was telling him to stop. How can he say no to her? `Won't you listen to me, Erim?' Iona's voice had something in it that melted Erim's urge to kill the jotunn. `Alright. But I can't let it leave here. It may get well soon, I mean they do get well soon enough and then will pose threat for us again.' `He won't' `How do you know?' `He didn't hurt me. I told you before.' `Okay, how about this? I'll let it live, but I'll take it to the village as a prisoner. Then the elders will take the decision about its sentence.' `Fair enough.' Iona relaxed a bit. `How will you take him to the village?' `I'll blow the horn and other hunters will come. They will help us.' Erim took the horn hanging on a thread down his neck and blew it. But he kept his sword on the jotunn all along. The fellow hunters came after some time following the sharp sound of the horn. Iona and Erim were both silent during their arrival. The fellow hunters were very surprised to see the scene. But they didn't say anything. Erim told them what to do. They tied the jotunn tightly and walked him to the village. During the way back Iona asked only two questions to Erim. The first one was, `How did you find me? You followed me there?' `Yes', Erim hesitated to answer, `but only for your safety.' `DO you always follow me there?' The second question was inevitable and Erim had no answer for it. If he said yes, then Iona would know he saw her there, always. He saw her singing, plucking fruits, undressing and bathing. So, he kept silent. But Iona got her answer. She felt very angry. + The villagers exclaimed in surprise as they saw a group of hunters approaching the village with a tall figure that appeared to be some kind of creature. It looked like a man, but wasn't a human. It was at least seven feet tall, had dark skin and pointy ears. Its hair was medium sized, but very silky. It was wearing only a trouser of some kind. The bare footed, strong figure was limping, because it had a bandage on its left leg and its left arm. They were sure it was a jotunn, as they discovered the faint hint of horn on its forehead. It looked kinda scary, but not as scary as they would imagine. Most of the villagers never saw a jotunn before. Those who saw one always described it as a hideous monster that was 10 feet tall and having a wild appearance. But this seemed entirely different. To add to the surprise, Masterman's daughter Iona was walking with them. She was walking just beside Erim. Masterman Clan came out of his house and saw the scene. The group of hunters was stopped in the middle of the village where the big gillyroot tree was located. Clan came towards them and asked what was going on. `We caught this jotunn in the forest.' Erim said instantly. `I can see that. But why have you caught it? Why didn't you kill it?' Clan showed a tinsy bit of anger in his voice. `I... We...', Erim was confused about what to say. But he was saved by Iona. `I told him to.' `What?' `Yes. I saw him injured in the riverside. He had the chance to attack me, but he didn't.' `Iona, this is not a human. You can't call it "him".' `It looks like... a human', Iona was indecisive about her sentence, `Or looks more like one, only bigger.' `That is not the point', Clan sounded impatient, `and what were you doing in the deep forest?' `Not deep forest, I was in the riverside, I told you. And you need not to worry about me; Erim has been always there for my protection.' Erim heard distinct anger in her voice. He felt his throat drying. `Whatever. But we have to kill it.' Clan's decision didn't suit Iona. She neared to her father and said clearly, `I beg you to think this through as a true human leader, this jotunn had the chance to kill me, but he didn't. He is badly injured and he may not be as harmful as we are thinking. Don't kill him. Just lock him up in a cell or something. Please. Clan clearly observed as his daughter was referring to the jotunn as "him". What is she doing? He looked at the jotunn and thought about her proposal. The jotunn was vulnerable. It might get dangerous. But, there would always be a chance to kill it, if necessary. They can lock the creature up in a cage and keep it here, under the big gillyroot tree. Why she doesn't want it to die? He thought to himself and then ordered the hunters to bring out a metal cage and lock the monster up. They would keep him here. It would be a good show for the rest of the villagers, especially the kids and the girls. Iona monitored the whole thing along with his father. The job was done quickly and perfectly. Clan went back to his unfinished work as well as the hunters. There would be no need to guard the cage. It was strong enough to hold the beast. Villagers gathered around the cage. They never saw any jotunn before. Iona stood there with them for a moment and then started walking to her house. Erim followed her as he called her, `Iona, listen.' `Don't you ever talk to me.' Iona looked at him furiously. For the first time she showed her anger on him. `And don't you dare follow me again. You have done enough following.' She turned around walked fast. Erim felt someone speared his heart; can't she even listen to him at least? Not far from the village, the tiberians were preparing themselves for an attack on the artarians. They will go hunting this year. But, they will not hunt animals, they will hunt artarians. Soon enough. Only seven days remaining. + Iona fed the jotunn last seven days. It ate anything she brought. From fresh fruits to fried chicken to raw meat. It ate vegetables too. And boy, it ate a great deal of food. It never showed any kind of violence in the cage, just sat down all day and looked outside at the curious viewers. She saw something very strange in the creature. It didn't make any kind of sound all these days. Even though some naughty boy threw little rocks at it, it kept silent. She punished those boys well, but then suddenly remembered the injuries it had. She looked at the old bandages and threw a fresh clean cloth inside. It didn't even touch the piece of clothing, but the next day, she found out that it removed the old bandages and used the cloth as new bandage. Iona didn't talk to Erim all these days. She felt a little bit of sympathy for him, because she knew that he likes her. But her pride and anger always prevented her from talking to him or even listening to him. The three hunters who didn't return weren't found anywhere. Were they killed or were they lost? They didn't know. This is the first time in years that hunters didn't return from their duty. But life goes on. Finally the day had come to go to the windvalley. 100 warriors and 20 skilled hunters marched past the village and went to windvalley to hunt down animals, their food for the winter. They will bring just enough food, no excess. Jotunn Ch. 02 Two days passed as the hunters went away. Iona was standing in front of the cage. She was looking at the fierce creature. She gave it some vegetables and some fruits on a tin plate. But it didn't touch them. It doesn't eat while anyone's watching. Is it shy? Suddenly she heard a sound of horse running wildly towards the village. It was Zohan who was riding the horse. Zohan was an outsider. He came to the artarian village only six months ago. He proved himself as a good warrior and placed him inside the artarian amy. Zohan stopped his horse just beside the gillyroot tree. He stepped down and shouted intensly. he was calling out to the leader of the remaining soldiers in the village. People gathered around. When the army leader came, Zohan told him that, a large troop of tiberian soldiers attacked the artarian hunters in the windvalley. They were almost twice as size. They attacked hard and fast. The artarian hunters were in big trouble. Masterman Clan ordered him to come to the village and bring help. The leader was furious hearing the story. The tiberians broke the ultimate pact by attacking them in the windvalley. What is happening there right now? Is Masterman Clan alright? He thought to himself. He took a little time to gather a troop of soldiers. He must go to the aid of his villagers right now. He took 100 soldiers and 20 more hunters with him. He left some soldiers to guard the village and rushed out. Zohan also went with them. Iona went to her house to give the bad news to her mother. Erim went with the hunters. For the first time in seven days she felt for him. She was also scared about his father and brother's condition. Are they okay? Are they hurt? But the worst was yet to come. At afternoon Iona heard screaming and moaning of the villagers along with horses and swords. What was going on? What was going on? The tiberians made a fool out of the artarians. They sent a false message to the village to weaken the artarian troops. They never attacked the hunters in windvalley. But, they attacked the soldiers who were going to help. They were defeated by the tiberians on the road. Tiberian Masterman Loki brought a huge army of 400 soldiers, they were gonna destroy the artarians for good. Now, they will capture the village, kill the soldiers, imprison the weak and the girls and just wait for the hunters to return. It will be as easy as baking a cake. Divide and conquer. They slaughtered anyone who came in the way. The remaining artarian soldiers were unprepared and outnumbered. They were defeated instantly. Rest of them surrendered. Masterman Loki and his son Liam was standing beside the small waterfall. They were watching tiberian soldiers taking control of the village. Half of the artarian soldiers were dead or imprisoned. So, the resistant will be brought down soon enough. Zohan was approaching them with an open sword. There was blood on it. Blood of betrayal. He was the spy of Loki. `Zohan, you did a great job, my friend.' Loki was very glad. `I will reward you once all this will be over.' `Yes, we have done it, leader', Zohan said with a grin on his face, `Your army commander is waiting for you. He awaits further instruction.' `good, I'm going there. Come with me, son.' Loki sounded happy. `I'll be right there, father.' Liam spoke to his father's response. Loki went to his army commander. When he was out of sight Liam spoke to Zohan. `Where is the daughter of Clan, what is her name, again?' `Iona? She is probably in her house with her mother.' `Bring her to me. I'll make a bargain with Clan using her.' `How?' `I'll tell him to let me marry Iona or let her die. Thinking about the safety of her daughter, he will surrender instantly. And he will accept my humble offer.' Liam gave a crooked smile. `Are you sure about this?' Zohan wanted to know. `yes I am.' Liam answered, `It won't be bad, I heard she is very beautiful. It will be a good bargain.Bring her to me right now', Loki ordered, `I'll take her as my prisoner and as my bargain doll.' `As you wish, Liam.' + He was watching the murders right in front of his eyes. Tiberians had attacked. War spread at every point of the village. Nobody's watching him. It was time, time to get out of the cage. Artarians knew nothing about his strength. If they knew they wouldn't keep him in this poorly constructed cage. May be they thought that the cage was strongly built. He gripped two of the metal bars of the cage. Then he exerted his immense power on those. If anybody would see it! He didn't' try to break out this seven days. Because there were hunters everywhere. They blended in the bushes and trees. He was afraid of the hunters. But now, they aren't here to watch over him. He pulled the bars with every bit of strength he got. At first nothing happened. But then, The bars started to bend. It was working. Soon, he broke out of the cage. His brutal power totally crushed the bars and made a decent path for him to get out. The cage wasn't strong enough to hold him after all. Now, he will go to the deep forest, his home. He ran towards the riverside, but kept himself out of sight of humans. Along the way, he saw the sheer brutality of the tiberians. They almost got their job done. While running through the trees, he thought of one person. What happened to her? His eyes were circling around for any sign of her. When he reached the village boundary, he felt a familiar smell. A sweet smell that he liked. It was hers. She was somewhere near. He followed the smell and finally saw her with another middle-aged woman. Both of them running through the wood. Is someone after them? He got his answer soon enough. He spotted four horsemen chasing after them. They were getting close to them. He followed them while keeping a distance. Those horsemen, are they hunters? He was afraid of the hunters. They were the best group of warrior and they were evil. No, they probably were not hunters. They looked and moved as regular soldiers. Hunters always use camouflage and... His thought was interrupted when he saw the horsemen caught the other woman. She was way too old for running away. `Mamma', the girl screamed. She stopped for a moment. She was still far ahead. Her mother was caught by the enemies. She was confused. Should she run for her life? Or should she stay with her mother? `Run, Iona', her mother pleaded, `save yourself. Run' There were tears in her eyes. Her heart wanted to stay with her mother, but her instinct pushed her. She started running again. She must survive. She must save her life. Three horsemen chased after her. Iona ran through the forest. She was heading for "the eden". She didn't know where else to go. But before she could reach the birch trees, she was surrounded by the horsemen. `Don't run, little girl.' One of them said. Other two chuckled. `We'll let you live. Don't you worry.' One of them grabbed her hand. `We'll take you to our Masterman. But first, we'll have some fun of our own.' Suddenly Iona twisted her hand, freed it from the rough grip of the horseman and smacked him hard on his face. The resistance came as a shock to the horseman as well as the others. But they quickly recovered. `We wanted to be gentle, but I guess you like it rough, little bitch', He grabbed her hair and pulled towards him, `You'll be sorry for this. No one's going to save you.' He pushed her to the ground; unluckily her head hit a big rock. She saw blank for the moment. She didn't try to stand up. What's the point resisting anymore? She can't handle three men. She was fainting. She closed her eyes and prayed the Lord for death to come. She wouldn't be able to take what was going to happen next. But nothing happened. Instead, she heard some muffle sound and noise of bone-cracking. She opened her eyes. A tall dark figure was standing in front of her. It was beating the hell out of the three horsemen. The jotunn!!! It came to save her! But how did it come out of the cage? And how did it find her? She couldn't keep her eyes open. She closed them, heard some more noise of struggle. Her own head was throbbing and aching because of the hit she took. She opened her eyes again and saw the jotunn was coming towards her. The three horsemen were lying in the ground, dead. The jotunn carried her in his arms. What was it doing? Anyway, it didn't even matter. She was hurt too much. She needed to close her eyes again. Whatever happens, I don't care anymore, she thought. She passed out. The jotunn looked at the beautiful girl he held in his arms. He would save her from any danger. This place was not safe. He needed to take her somewhere else, far from danger. Far from here. Jotunn Ch. 03 ***Thanks everyone for leaving comments. I am really trying hard to improve my writing. Any suggestion is welcome .Anyway, here's the third chapter. Hope, you'll like it.*** ------------------ The young warrior came to Masterman Clan and gave the news. `We can't find Zohan anywhere. We've searched the whole windvalley.' `Where'd that outsider gone now?' wondered Clan. Erim was standing near. He took a couple of steps forward and said, `should we send anyone to the village to see if he went to there?' `That's not a bad idea. Do it and give me the news.' + She slightly opened her eyes. Her head was aching a little bit, but manageable. Iona woke up and discovered herself on a huge soft bed. She took her time to lift herself and sit on the bed comfortably. The bed was really large. At least five people could easily fit in it. The bed cover was as white as it can be. Her body was covered with a blanket. She pushed it aside and looked around. There was only one window in the room. It was on her left. There was a door in the far corner too. The whole room was bigger than any average room she ever saw. Two statues of stone-made fantasy creatures were standing on two different corners. The building was constructed by stone only, she thought. The floor was so clean that she could see her own reflection. The temperature was neither cold nor warm. She looked at her body. She was wearing the same cloths when she was running away in the forest. Only her long socks were gone. Someone took those off her legs. The room was slightly dark. The only source of light was the window. The glass on the window was much dustier than the rest of the room as if no cared about it. The only other furniture in the whole room was a wooden table and a chair. `Where am I?' She murmured. She didn't know what to do. There was pin drop silent. `Is anybody there?' She spoke in a low voice. No one answered. `I need to find out what is going on.' She decided. She was talking in an audible voice to push away the scary thoughts she was having in her mind. She was scared. She got off the bed. The bed was too high so she climbed down carefully. When her feet touched the floor her whole body shivered. `Damn, it's cold.' Cold or not, she forced her feet to stand on the floor. She got to find out what was that place. She moved to the window. She cleaned some dust off the glass and tried to look outside. But there were only trees outside. She could see the sky. It was grey and cloudy. ` What time is it?' She wondered, but couldn't even guess. She moved away from the window and looked at the open door. The other side of the door was dark. Should she go there? `I think I need to, I just can't stay here forever.' She said again. She took each step carefully. Passing by the bed she reached the table. The door was just a few steps ahead. She took a deep breath and stepped outside of the room. She discovered herself standing on a dark corridor. At the end of the corridor light was coming through a slit. The door was probably slightly open, she assumed. She started walking there. Now, she was feeling cold. Her only white cotton dress refused to keep her warm. She reached the door on the other side and opened it. Bright light hit her eyes. It took a moment to adjust her to the daylight. In front of her was a small yard. She came out in the yard and looked behind. She came out of a building of some kind, more like an ancient dormitory. She looked around. On the other side of the yard, there was a large stone construction that seemed like a temple. On her right she saw the entrance of the compound. On her left there was another construction made out of stone and wood. At first the thought of going out to forest came to her mind, but she refused it instantly. She wouldn't survive in the deep forest more than a minute on her own. There were mountain lions, bears and other wild animals in the forest. And also jotunns. Did the jotunn bring her here? What happened to her mother? Her village? The artarian hunters? She swept her thoughts aside. She needed a way out of here first. She went to her left where the stone-wooden building was standing. The door was open and seemed like it invited her to go inside. She didn't stop and made her way into it. There was a small lobby and several doors all around. She hesitated. She didn't know what was on the other side of the doors. But she couldn't stop there. She went to the closest door and found it locked well from the outside. `I need a key to unlock the door', she said to herself, `and a large key of course.' She tried the second and third door too. Both of them were locked. But the fourth one opened without any force. Two torches were illuminating the room inside. She spotted two wooden benches at one side and a basket where there were some dresses in it. There were some broken ancient furniture scattered here and there too. She heard splash of water. Someone was bathing. So, people bathe here, Iona thought. People or anything else? She moved silently to the right side where there was a partition dividing the room in two portions. Whoever was taking a shower was on the other side. She stood on the edge of the partition and took a peek. She saw the familiar tall dark figure of a jotunn. It was him! The jotunn was standing on a pool of water. The water level was knee height. He was standing on such an angle that Iona could only see him sideways. The thing was, he was completely naked. She stopped breathing. His dark skin was all wet. Water was dripping from her slightly bent head and chin. Each of his movements showed his bulging muscles. His broad shoulders, strong legs and abs enthralled her. If only he were a human, she thought. He moved slightly. And then she saw it, his member. It was massive and looked heavy. It wasn't erect. But still it looked almost as long as any erect male genitalia. How long would it be if.... Iona stopped staring. But her mind was still visualizing the tall dark figure she just saw. She shook her head and stopped thinking. She realized her heart was racing a little bit. She redirected her thought. So this is where the jotunn lives. And this is where he bathes. The sound of water splash stopped. She heard a faint footstep behind her. The jotunn was standing just behind her. He looked at her surprised face. He grinned. Any girl would be awestruck to see his immense stature without any cloth. She turned around and took a step to the door. But she stopped. She stopped because the jotunn spoke to her. 'Stop. Please stop.' It was grave voice. The jotunn, he was speaking! He was speaking the human tongue. Iona heard the first ever noise from his mouth. The jotunn picked his clothes from the basket lying on the floor and put it on. 'You can turn around, now.' Iona slowly did as he told. They both looked each other for a brief moment. They both felt a strange attraction to each other. May be, it's natural. They both saved each other from death. The Jotunn was the one who moved first. 'Come with me.' Iona couldn't say no. She followed him to outside. The yard seemed motionless and silent. Even the trees were not moving. The weather was changing fast. Iona felt a little hot now. But, she knew, soon it would be cold again. A storm was coming. A typical wintery weather. They went inside the first building from where Iona came. They went through the dark corridor and reached the room where she was sleeping. He hinted her to wait there and went outside. She sat on the soft bed. The weather was changing. It was getting cooler. She heard the sound of wind and trees moving outside. The storm had surely hit the ground. The light coming from the window dimmed a bit. The jotunn returned with something in his hand. He stood in front of her. 'I brought some food. You must be hungry.' His voice was low and tender, 'I also brought your socks. They were dirty. So I cleaned them. I hope you don't mind.' She shook her head slightly. 'Good. Put it on.' He gave her the socks, 'You are shaking. It's too cold to walk around without these.' He gave a smile, a warm one. She took the socks and waited for him to look away. But he didn't do it. So, she got on the bed and moved her back on him. He looked on as she put on her thigh long socks. Her feet finally felt warm. It was comforting. He gave her a wooden bowl full of fruits and a roasted bird. He also brought some water on a small chalice like pot. Iona realized how hungry she was. She took an apple and bit it. Soon, she finished the fruits and the roasted bird. The jotunn stood there and watched. When she was finished, he took the dish and the chalice and put them on the table. He returned to her and spoke in a clear voice. 'I know you have a plenty of questions. I'll answer them all. But, first, I want to let you know that your mother's alive. Tiberians took her as a prisoner, but let her live.' 'Thanks for letting me know. I was worried.' Iona spoke with an uneasy voice. How can she be easy? She was talking to a jotunn. But, she was relieved to know that her mother was at least alive. 'I got out of the cage. I saw you and your mother running. They captured her and returned to the village. I could save her. But you were in more danger. I decided to track you and those tiberians.' 'Thanks for saving my life.' 'That... I should be saying that. You saved my life in the first place. That hunter almost killed me on the riverside.' 'I thought... I thought I shouldn't let you just die. You were injured... and...' 'You helped me, helped me with my wounds, saved me from death, and fed me in the village. I would do anything to keep you safe. So, thank you for saving my life, I was just following my sense of duty.' Iona smiled for the first time. 'It's okay.' He nodded and walked to the table and grabbed a candle stand with seven candles on it. He lit the candles up to illuminate the room. It was dark already. 'So, ask me any question. Don't hesitate.' 'I... I don't know what to say. I never heard anyone saying that jotunns can talk like humans.' Iona said. 'That's because nobody knows. We talk, eat, sleep, cry, laugh... just like you people.' 'My grandma used to say that jotunns are 10 feet tall and look hideous.' 'Well, am I?' The jotunn raised one of his eyebrows.' 'No.' 'Speak honestly.' 'Well... to be honest... you are kinda scary... but only because you are so big. But you don't look hideous.' 'If my horns were long, you would feel different.' Iona looked closely at his face. His amber eyes were gleaming and reflecting light. He is just like a human but with a different stature. And she feels a strange attraction to him. Is it gratefulness? She actually is grateful to him for saving her life. But, she feels more than that. Something else. 'I think I should introduce myself.' The jotunn broke the silence, 'I am Darko. I am a jotunn.' 'And My name is Iona, the only daughter of the artarian Masterman Clan.' 'No way. So you are the heir of the artarian kingship.' 'No, my brother is.' Iona rejected his statement, 'If he is still alive.' 'I'm sure he is safe just as you are here.' 'I guess. So, tell me about your tribe. I guess all I've ever known about jotunns are totally wrong.' 'Well, how do I start?' Darko sat beside Iona, 'Jotunns and human have been living in this kingdom since forever. My forefathers were the guardian of the temple of amalur.' 'What?' Iona exclaimed, 'I thought the priests were the guardian of the temple.' 'You know nothing about the temple, at least not the truth. The truth was carefully hidden by some people.' Iona didn't leave any comments, but wanted to hear about it more. 'Well, let me tell you the whole story. The temple of amalur was found by a group of travelers almost a thousand years ago. They travelled from the far south. They built the temple as well as a permanent residence in the jungle. Before their arrival only jotunns lived in this country. We had a community just like you. The only difference was we lived in the forest. The hunting is easier here. The group of travelers was also a strong group of warriors. So, jotunns made peace with them. We are very peaceful, if you must know.' Iona felt strange. She always thought the other way. 'Yes, we are peaceful.' Darko continued, 'And we don't kill human as soon as we see one. Anyway, let me continue the story. The travelers had a scepter with them that is believed to have some magical power.' 'Magical?' Iona echoed. 'What? Don't you believe in magic?' 'Honestly, I've never seen any real magic. So I don't believe.' 'Neither do I except this one. Plus, it wasn't an obvious kind of magic. More like a supernatural power.' 'So, what magical power did it have?' 'Whoever possessed the scepter, ruled the others somehow or someway.' 'Coincidence?' 'I don't think so. The scepter was carried by their leader who was an old man. He didn't give it to anyone before he died. So, after his death, a war broke out among the travelers. Soon, there were three groups of people; all of them wanted the scepter. Each group was led by each of the old leader's son. He had three sons, if you must know. The scepter, whether it had supernatural power or it was just a symbol of rulership, was possessed by a fourth group. They finally placed the scepter in the temple and announced them as the priests of the temple. Jotunns joined the priests. The war caused us a lot of troubles. We were living a peaceful life, so war was not an option. It was destroying the forest. Jotunns volunteered to guard the temple and the scepter. The priests welcomed our decision.' Iona never heard this story from anyone. She intently listened to Darko, the jotunn. Darko stopped just for a moment. Then he started again. 'All of the three groups tried to steal the scepter, but failed. Peace returned, but each of the group started their own life separately. That led to the foundation of three tribes. The artarian, the tiberians and the serenians. We, jotunns, always had an eye on each of the tribes.' 'Hundred years ago, a man named Kalum successfully stole the scepter. The war broke out again. This time jotunns also took part in the war. But, soon priests in the temple realized they needed some other means to stop the war, as they didn't have the scepter anymore. They arranged a meeting in which all of the human tribes took part. But the jotunns were not asked to join. Because, in the meeting the priests revealed a secret. They said Kalum was not a man. He was a jotunn.' 'What?' Iona interrupted. 'I thought Kalum was a man. I heard that the alliance found Kalum and his associates and killed them. They brought the scepter back to the temple and that's it.' 'You've heard the wrong side of the story. Kalum was not a man. He was a jotunn indeed. There were three types of people in the temple- the priests, the guards and the high elders. The priests were all human while the guards were jotunns. But the ranks of high elders were a blend of men and jotunns. Humans never knew this. High elders always wore a cape and a hood. So, it was hard to identify them. But, the thing is the scepter was never stolen by the Kalum. Someone else did it, probably one of the high elders. The priests betrayed us to unite the three collided tribes. Anyway, we all thought that it was going to be alright again. But someone pushed the humans for a war against jotunns. Your people thought that we wanted to rule the country. They feared that we were planning an attack on human tribes. We knew nothing about these, until they attacked us one night. Their motto was offence is the best defence. They killed hundreds of jotunns in that night. Jotunns are good warriors, but the sudden attack made us panic. Before we knew anything, most of our people died. We were heavily outnumbered by thousands of soldiers and men. We were defeated in a matter of time. After the attack we were outranked as the guardian of the temple.' Darko stopped. Iona was silent too. The only sound was the heavy storm outside. It was getting stronger each minute. 'I never knew this.' Iona murmured, 'How do you know all these?' 'How? We, jotunns, kept the truth with us for past hundred years. After the attack, humans started hunting the rest of the jotunns who were hiding in the forest. Years after years, the hunting turned into a profession, a highly regarded profession in your society.' Darko looked at Iona. She was dead silent as if her ability to talk was suddenly vanished. 'Rumors and stories spread quickly. And now you people think that we are just some kind of savage beasts who kill humans when they see one.' 'Why you jotunns never told us anything?' 'The hunters never gave us a chance. Each tribe had their own horde of hunters. They were well disciplined and ferocious fighters; they still are. There are only few jotunns left in this forest. We're not gonna survive long. The hunt is almost over.' They both kept looking at each other. Iona never imagined she would hear a story like this. All the lies are destroying jotunns. For the first time in her life she felt sympathy for jotunns. She stretched her hand to Darko's and touched him. 'I don't know what to say. I'm sorry.' Darko couldn't speak for a moment. She is the only human who cared for her. She is really kind. And beautiful. Darko responded to Iona's touch and said, 'You don't have to be sorry. It's just the way it is. Since my childhood I thought Humans are evil. I was chased by hunters numerous times. But you are the only one who didn't show any hate for me, rather you saved my life. You are different.' They held each other's hand for a moment and then both let go. 'Is your head alright?' Darko asked, 'I mean the other day you bumped your head very hard.' 'It's okay. It doesn't ache anymore.' 'Still, you should rest some more. You can sleep here. I'm gonna be in the next room.' 'Thanks.' Suddenly a thought entered her mind. 'What is this place, Darko?' 'This place?' Darko stood up, 'It is my shelter. Only I live here, nobody else.' 'I understand, but what is this place?' Darko took a moment and then smiled. 'It is the temple of amalur.' 'What?' Iona was confused, 'I thought the temple is on the rainbow hill, where people used to....' 'That's not the original temple. That was built years after they built this one, the real temple of amalur.' + 'We found him ten mile from here.' The chief scout of the artarian hunters told Masterman Clan. Clan looked at the man. He knew him, a farmer from his village, named Naum. The man was heavily injured. 'We were going to the village, as you told us. But we found him in the road. He was wounded. So, we wrapped up his injuries and asked him what he was doing.' The chief scout hesitated to give the bad news, 'tiberians attacked our village.' 'What?' Clan was furious, 'How? I left enough soldiers to protect the village.' Naum explained how Zohan betrayed the artarians and how tiberians took control of the village. Derik, Clan's son was standing nearby. He was listening carefully. Suddenly he burst into anger. 'I will kill that swine, that ungrateful outsider.' 'He wasn't an outsider, sir.' Naum spoke with a heavy voice, 'He was always a tiberian spy, a rat in our village, from start to end.' 'What about my daughter? My wife, Elen?' Clan asked with a shaky voice. 'They took lady Elen as a prisoner. I didn't see lady Iona anywhere.' 'We have to save her.' Derik almost jumped up. But Clan signaled him to stop. 'Calm down, son. I am just as angry as you are. I worried about Iona and your mother too. But we have to think about the villagers also.' He looked at Naum, 'What about the villagers and the soldiers?' Jotunn Ch. 03 'The villagers are all taken as prisoners and the same thing happened to the soldiers who lived. But almost half of them died.' Clan was silence. The artaria has fallen. He needed to take a quick decision. He looked around at the soldiers and hunters who gathered to hear the bad news. But, nothing came to his mind. All he could think about his wife and daughter. Where are they? How are they? Erim was standing close. He was dead silent. But his mind was racing. He needed to save Iona. All he could think about is his love, he must save her. But, at first, he needed to know where she is. He looked at the sky. There were grey clouds gathering on the east. A heavy storm is coming. A sign of winter coming. Winter was always the worst season for artarians. But this was going to be worst one ever. + Iona looked outside the window. The storm was blowing over the temple. One day had passed. The storm didn't show any sign of stopping. She felt like a prisoner in the temple. Though, Darko had been the best of hosts one could imagine, it was always hard to spend time with disturbing thoughts going on in the head. She wondered what was going on in the village. How is her family? How are her friends? Or that boy, Erim? Iona stepped away from the window to see what Darko was doing. He was trying to make a drink out of some fruits with amateur hands. He never understood why those humans had to take out the juice out of fruits and drink them as anyone would drink water or milk. Iona came to help him. Smiling, she took the fruits out of his hands. It's a bit difficult to make juice without proper hardware, but it was manageable. When it was done, they both drank the juice and Darko became impressed. 'Well, it tastes good. I'll give you that.' He said with an excited voice. Iona chuckled. 'You never ever tried this before?' 'Not in my whole life.' 'So, there, you just learned a trick.' Darko stood up. It was night and time to sleep. He looked at the beautiful girl in front of her. 'I am going to sleep.' He had a thought in his mind, but waved it away. 'Okay.' Iona nodded. She was sleepy too. Darko walked outside of her room. He slept next to her room. Iona saw her leaving. I am entangled with a jotunn, she thought. I always thought it would be a terrifying experience. But it wasn't. Darko told him more about ancient history of the temple. He told her that this kingdom was a large one. So, the priest had to build another temple on the rainbow hill near the human villages. But the real temple had always been this one. Even the scepter was conserved here. Nobody knew that. Ten years ago, the scepter was stolen from here, not from the other temple. Now, as all priests and high elders were dead, nobody even knew about this temple. Therefore, Darko chose to live here. He told her that, he was still guarding the temple, doing his ancestors' job. Darko's father and mother were killed by hunters almost fifteen years ago. Now, only a few jotunns live in the forest. But they always hid themselves because of the hunters. Darko also told her how those three hunters chased him down the riverside and how he survived. Darko's wounds were almost healed. He could walk and work normally. Iona could feel what jotunns feel. They were homeless just as she was. Her village was occupied by enemies. Jotunn's community was destroyed. Nature avenged the imbalance. Iona tucked in. Before she went to sleep she stared outside and thought about how her life changed in a matter of time. There had been always a fight or two among artarians, tiberian and serenians for last ten years. It was never serious, she thought, except for the time when serenians were destroyed for good. But, now everything had changed. She fell asleep. She was walking in her dream. She was walking through a dark unknown forest. She couldn't see anything. She heard her mother saying from afar, 'save yourself, Iona.' She tried to look for her mother. But saw nothing. It was pitch black. Suddenly three horses rushed towards her. The horses were huge and they breathed fire. The horsemen were wearing hoods. One of them was holding a long scepter. He raised the scepter and pointed to her. An angry voice shouted, 'kill her.' She tried to move. But her feet were stuck. The horsemen closed in and one of them brought out an enormous sword that he slashed at her neck. Iona opened her eyes. She was about to scream. But, she contained herself. What a nightmare! But, she was still scared. She looked at her dress. It was all sweaty. She looked around and expected for any fire breathing horses to come. She got out of the bed and the room. Darko was sleeping in the next room. She needed some water and someone just to talk her fears away. She wouldn't go to sleep with the horrible memories of the nightmare in her head. She slowly stepped into Darko's room. It looked same as hers. Only a single candle was burning in one corner. But still it was dark in the room. 'Is there any problem?' Darko spoke in a low voice. But, Iona was so shaken with the nightmare that she jumped off. But she calmed her down. 'Aren't you asleep?' Iona asked. 'I was, but I sleep like a dog. A leaf falls on the ground and I wake up. Instinct I guess. Anyway, why are you here?' 'I need some water. I don't know where...' 'No problem.' Darko sat up on his bed. 'Wait here. I'll get you some water. Nightmare?' 'Yes.' Darko smiled. But Iona couldn't see it in the dark-lit room. He vanished outside the room and a minute later he came back with a chalice in his hand. She drank the water and felt a little more comfortable. But, she didn't leave the room. 'Anyhting else?' Darko asked in a tender voice. 'No. It is just that I can't go sleep now. The nightmare was horrible.' 'You can sleep here.' Suddenly Darko said. He didn't even think about it. The words just came out of his mouth. 'What?' Iona issued total astonishment in her voice. 'Don't worry. I'll not eat you. Or kill you.' Darko suddenly lifted her up and placed her on his bed. She tried to resist, but it was useless. This bed was soft and large too. Iona carefully slid to one side. Darko also got on the bed. Both of them were silent. Certainly, this was not a usual situation for them. The room was cold and Iona's dress was not sufficient to keep her warm. She shivered. Darko saw that and extended a part of his blanket to cover her. She intended to refuse again, but Darko pulled her closer and their body came in contact with each other under the blanket. It was a weird moment for both of them, but it felt comforting. They didn't talk for a while. At last Darko broke the silence. He whispered in her ear, 'Can I ask you something?' Iona felt her throat drying out fast. She could barely got the word out. 'What?' 'Why did you save me that day? By the riverside?' Darko was holding her in his arms. Iona suddenly felt her heart racing. 'I don't know. I... I... thought...' She gasped. Suddenly some strange feeling engulfed both of them. They didn't know what it was. The feeling was like an aphid attraction. They felt a strong pull to each other. Darko put one of his arms on her neck and moved his mouth closer to her. There was a moment of uncertainty. But the physical tension beat the hesitation. He kissed her lips. Iona didn't respond, but neither had she resisted. Her heart was beating like a drum. The second kiss was much stronger. Darko pulled her closer to his body. This time Iona responded. She was in a delirium. She couldn't think anything. She felt a high fever all over her body. Her body was burning up. It was the heat of desire. Iona slowly put her arms around his neck as he gripped her petite body firmly. They kissed passionately for a long time. And at last their lips unlocked. Darko started to kiss her face down to the neck. She was holding him tight. And for the first she was conscious. What am I doing? She thought. It is wrong. But it was so good. She couldn't resist such amazing sensation. It must go on. Darko stopped kissing her. He looked at her eyes and looked for a go-ahead sign from her, though at this point he couldn't stop this. Iona closed her eyes. The most strange and incredible thing was going to happen to her. Darko placed her on the bed. He moved his hand to her feet. He slowly removed her socks and unveiled her gorgeous legs. Those were shaking out of excitement and fear. Then he went for her dress. It was one fine piece of cloth. He pulled the dress over her head. She was exposed before him. Wasn't she a beauty? He thought. Her slender body was trembling now. Her breasts were not entirely full yet. But they were perfect. Her nipples were already erect. Darko touched her on the belly. The skin was smooth, smooth as butter. He slid his hand down to the gorgeous looking triangle. Her cunt was already wet. All in all, she was an angel. Her stunning naked body drove him crazy. He felt his cock getting harder each moment. Iona couldn't dare open her eyes. She tried to control her trembling. She thought herself, was she making a mistake? Was she gonna regret this for the rest of her life? But it was too late to stop. She grabbed Darko's head as he started to kiss her shoulders down to her chest. He took one of her nipples in his fingers and started to tease it. All the while he took the other nipple in his mouth. He sucked hard on the nipple. This sent an intense sensation in Iona's body. She tried to grip his short hair. All of a sudden a moan came out of her mouth. He just bit her softly on the nipple. He looked up to see if she's in pain, but then again started to kiss and suck on the nipple. But, soon he shifted his attention to the other nipple. He pinched it and watched the reaction on her face and then started to lick it. He wanted to do this all night, but felt a small pain in his throbbing cock. It was fully erect; it needed some loving. He removed his clothes as Iona could see his massive shaft for the second time. This time it was really big, bigger than she thought. She gulped. How could she take it in her? It was long and thick and had a big mushroom head. Too much for me, she thought, but didn't say anything. Because, Darko quickly brought his head down on her belly. He dipped his tongue on the naval and started kissing. His rough tongue was driving her crazy. His breath hot and his kiss needful, he made his way down to her opening. The kisses were getting rougher and eager. He found her opening. Her smell felt sweet. He used his fingers to locate the most sensitive part of her. He fingered her for a couple of seconds before finding her swollen clit. He grazed his fingers on it and then took it in his mouth. She tasted good too. He used his tongue and lips well as her sensation came to a peak. She couldn't hold it anymore. He stopped just for a second. They both stared at each other's eyes. The night was about to start. He inhaled succinctly and again started to kindle her clit. She moaned as her hands clasped tightly around his head. She came instantly. His hot breath and swirling tongue took her sensation to another world. She arched her back a little. It was ecstasy. He continued to lick and kiss her cunt. He licked some more on the inner part of her thighs. Then he raised his head rose upon her. He kissed his way back to her lips. They locked their lips one more time. She felt his stiffened penis brushing against her thighs and cunt. She held his arms and spoke in a shaky tone, 'Please, be gentle. It's my first time.' 'What?' Darko exclaimed in a lower voice. 'You are a virgin?' She didn't pronounce any word, but her eyes spoke. 'Hot, damn.' he whispered. He kissed her forehead and tried to relieve some of her tensions. He didn't presume it was her first time. She needed to be relaxed. He tried to calm her down as much as possible. 'Relax your body.' he whispered in her ears. He brushed her head as he held her generously. Then he reached for her pussy to make sure it was wet enough. He was huge. So, it was gonna hurt her at her first time. He positioned her well on the bed and took the pillow away. Her head was resting on the same level as her body. He spread her legs tenderly. He was careful not to scare her or cause her any pain. Iona felt the tip of his cock placed just outside of her pussy. He was gonna bury it in. She tried to relax. She was so aroused that getting relaxed was very difficult. Then suddenly she felt a push. She took a deep breath and ultimately gasped. He tried to be gentle, but his enormous size really tore her apart. He stopped for a moment so that she could adjust herself to the infiltration. He slowly moved up through her vaginal wall. Then he slid back down. Only his mushroom head was in. Iona firmly grabbed Darko's hands; she jerked a little as the penetration started again. He repeated the process and then suddenly pushed forward. She cried as she bled. Darko stopped the motion. His penis almost reached her womb. His thickness was too much for a virgin girl. He kissed her and started motioning his member. She was in pain, but also a pleasing sensation overwhelmed her. She tried to adjust to the rhythm of his pelvis. Soon, he picked up his pace. He couldn't hold any longer. Iona let go of his hands and gripped on the bed sheet. Tears came down her cheeks. But she tried to match the motion of his body. She felt tingles inside her, but, Oh! It felt so good too. There were more in and out and then they both reached the climax. He growled as he exploded in her. Her trembling body came in response. The contact between the rippling muscles of her vagina and his expanded member gave her an intense orgasm. It was pain no more. The sensation lasted for some time. Darko almost collapsed on her, but prevented himself from crushing her little body. He pulled out of her and placed himself right beside her. They both were panting. Darko took a moment to relax himself and then took her into his arms. 'You are an eager little girl, aren't you?' Darko gave her a wink. She only smiled. Darko went to sleep holding her. Iona kept her eyes open. She was thinking about this jotunn. She never thought she would make love with a jotunn. She looked outside the window. The storm became weker. What a weird and wild night it had been!