James should have expected this and he claws at the rope, trying to get it away from her, and he's surprised she has such a strong grip. He ends up reaching for her wrists and pressing in as hard as he could to try and get her to release. It would hurt a little, yes, but nothing permanent. He can't truly hurt her.
Truly hurting her would go back on his word and he's not that kind of man.
The dig of hard thumbs into her wrists sent her yowling, screeching like a feline as she was forced to relinquish her grip. The force of it knocked her off of her feet, and Natalia swore more vile curses with what breath remained as she tried to scramble back to her feet.
The crash of feet in the brush made her jerk up, heart sinking to see one of her captor's clansmen appear, a nocked bow drawn and an arrow aimed right at her throat. "Bloody fucking hell," the newcomer groused, giving his kinsman a dark look. "Keep her quiet, Wolf. She'll have half the Northmen on our heels before dawn, with all of this ruckus."
He lowered his bow, but arched a sardonic eyebrow. "Need a hand in gentling this one?"
She hissed at him, baring her teeth and recoiling once more. Barton snorted a guffaw, shaking his head. "The gods give you luck," was all he said before disappearing back into the trees, silent as a shadow. The girl watched him go without expression, and her gaze was flat and hateful as it fell back on her captor.
"Go to hell. Again." Snapping the words, she resolutely stayed where she was, bedraggled and filthy. She'd never felt more wretched in her entire life. "I despise you. All of you." She jerked her hands, snapping the length of rope. "I wish to the gods I'd have at least crushed your damned windpipe."
"Let me help you," James says again, a little firmer. "I know it's no castle but it will be good here, I promise. It won't be terrible. I'm not going to hurt you and I'll kill anyone who so much as tries, all right? Stay with me and you'll be safe."
"Why would I trust you at all?" she snapped right back. "You've abducted me, entirely against my will, and refuse to listen to any sort of reason!" Uncaring if she woke the entire forest, beasts and all, Natalia refused to budge, or even modulate her voice to a tone more suited to the night hours.
"It doesn't matter how kind you say you are, or how good you believe yourself to be, Wilding. I'm a prisoner, and you must be slow in the head if you'd ever believe that a prisoner would ever be a willing wife of any sort!" She tossed her head, tangled red curls tumbling down over her shoulders, not even shivering despite the chill in the air.
"So, no! I don't want your help, I don't need your help, and you'd be better off letting them have me, as doing so would hopefully put me out of my wretched misery sooner than being shackled to you!"
James sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. He'd thought abducting a wife was easier than this but other Free Folk understand the tradition and while there's a fight, it's understood it ends in a marriage. He guesses kneelers don't do it this way at all.
"I'm not going to let anyone hurt you," he says, firm on that point. He's said it many times and he's going to keep saying it until she believes him. Between him and his wolf, no one will touch her.
"I wish you'd stop saying that. It's not only insulting, but it's irritating as hell, too." She saw him rub his nose and prayed that he was coming down with a fantastic migraine. If she couldn't pummel him with her fists, maybe she could drive him to madness and make her escape that way.
"What the hell is a 'kneeler'? If you're talking about civilized folk, then men typically ask the woman they fancy if she'd consent to being his wife, they don't simply abduct her out of the blue and inform her that she's now a prisoner for the rest of her life!"
"Kneelers have to have lords and kings. We don't. We're free of all of that," James happily explains. She's still upset, yes, but she's asking questions and that's better than hitting him or trying to run away. If she'll just talk to him, he thinks he can win her over.
"You want that, then? You want for me to bring you flowers and ask you if you want me? Because I will."
He flashes her a bright smile, crinkling at the corner of his eyes.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Truly hurting her would go back on his word and he's not that kind of man.
no subject
The crash of feet in the brush made her jerk up, heart sinking to see one of her captor's clansmen appear, a nocked bow drawn and an arrow aimed right at her throat. "Bloody fucking hell," the newcomer groused, giving his kinsman a dark look. "Keep her quiet, Wolf. She'll have half the Northmen on our heels before dawn, with all of this ruckus."
He lowered his bow, but arched a sardonic eyebrow. "Need a hand in gentling this one?"
no subject
He doesn't want anyone to hurt the girl and he knows more than one of his clansmen would without a thought. He extends his hand to her.
"Here, let me help you up."
no subject
"Go to hell. Again." Snapping the words, she resolutely stayed where she was, bedraggled and filthy. She'd never felt more wretched in her entire life. "I despise you. All of you." She jerked her hands, snapping the length of rope. "I wish to the gods I'd have at least crushed your damned windpipe."
no subject
He doesn't know how much plainer he can make it.
"Can you trust me at least against the others?"
no subject
"It doesn't matter how kind you say you are, or how good you believe yourself to be, Wilding. I'm a prisoner, and you must be slow in the head if you'd ever believe that a prisoner would ever be a willing wife of any sort!" She tossed her head, tangled red curls tumbling down over her shoulders, not even shivering despite the chill in the air.
"So, no! I don't want your help, I don't need your help, and you'd be better off letting them have me, as doing so would hopefully put me out of my wretched misery sooner than being shackled to you!"
no subject
"I'm not going to let anyone hurt you," he says, firm on that point. He's said it many times and he's going to keep saying it until she believes him. Between him and his wolf, no one will touch her.
"How do kneelers do it? How do kneelers marry?"
no subject
"What the hell is a 'kneeler'? If you're talking about civilized folk, then men typically ask the woman they fancy if she'd consent to being his wife, they don't simply abduct her out of the blue and inform her that she's now a prisoner for the rest of her life!"
no subject
"You want that, then? You want for me to bring you flowers and ask you if you want me? Because I will."
He flashes her a bright smile, crinkling at the corner of his eyes.
"I'll bring you every flower I can find."