The days slipped past as the nights grew colder and darker and longer. It had been a week since the hasty departure of Freya's uncle, the Duke. No more words had passed between the Duke and the new King of the East, nor between the Duke and his niece. There was a subtle change in the castle. Apart from the green leaves turning golden and orange, evidence that summer was truly ending, there were more men in the castle. Soldiers moved in and Freya had an additional contingent of soldiers who acted as her bodyguard. There was more activity in the Great courtyard too as men trained in sword and refined their archery skills. The threat of war lay heavily on the kingdom and the people in it.

Freya had fallen into a routine of sorts in the three weeks since she had become the wife of Ewen the Cold. Her days were spent in the castle. Some days instructing the maids and serving girls in the management of the household, some in preparing the castle for the long winter ahead. Her evenings were spent in the Great Hall next to Ewen, having dinner as was customary with the nobility and those of significance. Her nightly couplings with Ewen continued unabated and she was finding that she had become more accustomed to the act. Most evenings Ewen took his time to fondle her breasts and suck her nipples before he used his fingers to prepare her for his entrance.

It had been a long day, with the feel of ice in the wind when Ewen found Freya seated in front of the fire in his chambers. She looked pale and tired. The weak sun was setting and darkness was falling around her with the only light from the fire.

'Are you ill?' Ewen asked her with concern.

Freya smiled up at him and shook her head.

'No,' she replied softly. 'Just tired'.

As she made to stand up, Ewen moved towards her. He sat down instead and pulled her onto his lap. For a moment Freya stiffened against the unexpected contact before she relaxed into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder.

Ewen gently rubbed her back through the heavy fabric of her day gown.

'I will only be gone for a week', he said softly.

Freya looked up at him. She knew that his visit to her home castle was necessary. After the abruptness and unpleasantness of her uncles departure she felt such a sense of foreboding. She knew that within her home she would be safe but she was concerned about her uncles potential for treachery.

As if he sensed her unease, Ewen continued to rub her back gently. His other hand slipped under the long skirts of Freya's dress and up towards her thighs. She gasped in surprise.

Ewens hands continued their path upwards towards the junction of her thighs. He pushed her drawers to the side to reach the tiny bud hidden there. Freya gasped as he started to rub it gently with his finger. As she relaxed herself and became accustomed to the tingle in her belly, Ewen moved his finger to her entrance. Shifting her weight slightly, he gently pushed his finger into her. Moving it slowly in and out of her, he felt her arousal grow as she became slicker. As he added a second finger, Ewen suddenly became aware of his own discomfort in his breeches. He dropped his hand from Freya's back and shifted again to untie his breeches. Released from its confinement, his manhood sprung free. Freya reached down and touched him, hesitantly at first and then with growing confidence. She found the drop of moisture at his tip and gently rubbed it around him.

Ewen hissed as she took the top of him in her hands and began to move her hands up and down slowly. He withdrew his finger from her and pulled her drawers down to her ankles and off over her shoes.

Turning Freya to face him, Ewen lifted her slightly before slowly bringing her back down onto his erection. She moaned in pleasure as he filled her completely. Ewen lifted his hips as he thrust into her, trying not too penetrate her too deeply. Too soon he felt himself unable to control his thrusts and the last few before he came were deeper than he intended. He groaned deeply and rested his head on Freya, trying to control his harsh breathing.

At dinner that night, Ewen watched Freya carefully. It filled him with regret that he had to leave her for a week but the situation in the east was too volatile for him to stay in his castle. Later, much later, after the traditional toast and their departure, after their coupling, when Ewen reached for Freya in the semi-darkness of the early morning he found her awake.

'Beware of my uncle,' she whispered into the grey light. 'There is a place, before you reach the approach towards the castle, where an ambush is possible. It is a narrow space where he can force you to break into smaller groups and hunt you down. Be careful there. It is where he and my father trapped enemies before you were king.'

Ewen pulled her closer to him in the half light. Gently he nodded before he kissed her softly on the top of her head. In the safety of his arms Freya finally fell into a deep sleep.