Shame rippled through her frame, tensing along her spine and into shoulders that he had forced down. He left her open to prying, greedy eyes and when his rough hands opened her for further investigation, his fingers licking at her folds seemed of little consequence now. Until this moment, such intimate exploration had been reserved and left to her own discretion. Rare and uncommon for the young woman as it was. Round, plump breasts brushed the heated ground as he tucked the curtain of bright hair behind her ear.<br/><br/>When he released her, relief returned to her body as it had when he let her throat free. From the corner of her eye she saw the large man come forward and drop the axe. The massive, sharp wedge sliced into the earth only a few feet away from where she had been forced to bow in submission.<br/><br/>She ignored the men then, lifting her head, and so her shoulders, to focus on their leader. His question hung heavy in the air, and silence fell over the crowd of men who had had offered their wants of her body as if they’d all get a taste. Her heart thumped strongly in her chest. His knees hit the dirt and she was certain she felt the weight of it through her arms.<br/><br/>It didn’t even dawn on her what would happen if she succeeded in burying the axe between his eyes. Eithne didn’t think that far ahead. The need for revenge returned, igniting her anger once more, multiplied by the way he’d touched her and his men’s brazen comments concerning her feminine attributes.<br/><br/>Slowly, fully aware of each person surrounding them, she gained her feet. Her head pounded where his fist had made contact and one hip ached while her ribs did the same. She paid them no heed as she stood to her full height - still dwarfed by each male form nearby. If she had been thinking straight, she would have known that he was mocking her.<br/><br/>Instead, she moved towards the axe, finding confidence in the absurd notion that she would find it a new home in his skull. Just as he had done to her mother. Suddenly unaware of her nakedness or that every pair of eyes followed her, she set her hands firmly on the handle of the battle axe. The weight of the weapon unknown until she attempted to lift it. Frustration overcame her as she tried again and again to lift the formidable tool, needing so desperately to cleave it at the man who now knelt before her.<br/><br/>They were mocking her - their leader most of all.