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OSVP	By : LotornoMiko Category: +S through Z > Valkyrie Profile Views: 1214 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Valkyrie Profile or the charcters from it. I make no money off of the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-OSVP
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Six
- 7-Seven
- 8-Eight
- 9-Nine
- 10-Ten
- 11-Eleven
- 12-Twelve
- 13-Thirteen
- 14-Fourteen
- 15-Fifteen
- 16-Sixteen
- 17-Seventeen
- 18-Eighteen
- 19-Nineteen
- 20-Twenty
- 21-Twenty One
- 22-Twenty Two
- 23-Twenty Three
- 24-Twenty Four
- 25-Twenty Five
- 26-Twenty Six
- 27-Twenty Seven
- 28-Twenty Eight
- 29-Twenty Nine
- 30-Thirty
- 31-Thirty One
- 32-Thirty Two
- 33-Thirty Three
- 34-Thirty Four
- 35-Thirty Five
- 36-Thirty Six
- 37-Thirty Seven
- 38-Thirty Eight
- 39-Thirty Nine
- 10
- 11
- 12
Lenneth felt as though there would never be a time when she could truly be at peace. Never a time when her thoughts wouldn't be troubled, her mind endlessly examining the information that was revealed to her in bits and pieces. Those pieces weren't enough to give her a full picture of just what was going on, but what they did reveal was disturbing.
The revelations left her restless, Lenneth pacing back and forth about the room. She wasn't used to this inaction, this feeling of helplessness. Lenneth was used to reacting, to assessing a situation, and making a decision to right the problems of it. Lenneth very much wanted to do that now, and yet did not know how she could ever hope to fix the problems presented to her. The problems of Odin considering an alliance with the underworld.
It was horrific. It was unthinkable. And yet it had to be true, for Lenneth presence here in Flenceburg was proof of what Odin was considering. What he may have already decided to do. Lenneth didn't believe Odin would lightly enter into an alliance with Hel, anymore than he would hand over a Valkyrie to one of her minions. Not without Odin weighing the risks and benefits of such an act. It had to be more lucrative than damning, the things Hel offered him. Lenneth wondered and worried just how badly the war with Brahms had become. Wondered how she hadn't realized how desperate Odin must be getting to finally win a battle that had waged for what seemed like millennia.
She knew they all wanted victory over the vampires. That they all wanted the many races of the undead to be destroyed, thoroughly exterminated so that none of the monsters could ever threaten the realms again. But there was few if any among the Valkyrie and einherjar that would want Asgard to align itself with the underworld. With a Queen who was so cruel and callous, she enjoyed corrupting mortals to the path of darkness.
Lenneth was not a young Valkyrie. She had existed for centuries. Had even once fought in a war against Nifleheim's forces. The underworld wasn't as a great a threat as the vampires continued to be, but Nifleheim had caused enough trouble over the years. It was through Hel, that Brahms had gained control of the undead, of the many monsters that existed apart from the vampires. Lenneth could never understand why Hel would give up such a powerful tool, but the fact remained that Brahms had made use of it.
How many misguided mortals had Hel lured to the underworld? How many souls corrupted, whole destinies rewritten at the whim of the Queen? Hel was a greedy, grasping Goddess. She was not content with her underworld kingdom, wanting more than was her right to have. Lenneth had always privately thought that once the threat of Brahms was exterminated, Asgard should set out on a path to ending Hel's reign.
Now it seemed that would never happen, Asagrd and the underworld poised on signing a truce. On forging an alliance, one that came too late to do her sister Silmeria any good. Or Lenneth herself, the former Valkyrie feeling as though she was the first to be sacrificed for Odin's ambitions. Other Valkyrie would surely follow. Lenneth was certain they would feel as repulsed as she did towards the alliance. Towards the thought of making children that would one day follow Hel's teachings.
Regardless of what Odin decreed, it would be difficult for the Valkyries to forget their struggles against Hel and her forces. Even harder to forgive them, Nifleheim's crimes many. The Valkyrie had lost einherjar to the queen, and Midgard itself had been divided, whole kingdoms given unto Hel's possession. Flenceburg was just one of those lands, the people here devotees whose ancestors had faced off against Lenneth and her einherjar.
It made her uneasy to be in the heart of what she viewed as enemy territory. And no amount of signed treaties would ever get Lenneth to relax and think of Hel's holdings as otherwise. Nor could she be entirely at ease around these people, around the man that was meant to be her husband. Lezard had admitted to being part of Hel's inner circle. To being so closely associated with the Queen, that she confided in him. Once she would have taken great pleasure in using Lezard, in leading him on in order to learn of Hel's plans and relay them to Odin. But that was not the mission that had been given to her, Odin's only command that Lenneth give herself over to Lezard as his wife.
She rebelled against that, against it all. She wanted to do something to change her fate, to curry favor with Odin once more. Was it possibly for a Valkryie to regain her Godhood once she had been rendered mortal? Lenneth did not know. Such a thing had never before been attempted, the Valkyries dying on the battlefield, or living out the rest of their lives as mortal. But if she could, Lenneth would gladly play spy and ferret out some dastardly plot of Hel's. All to give that information to Odin, stop the alliance, and any back stabbing betrayals Hel might have planned.
Lenneth had a good idea where to begin with her spying. Access to a high ranking member of Hel's council was readily available to her. Lenneth's lips did not quite quirk in a grim smile, the woman thinking of the man who was to be her husband. But it was difficult to think of Lezard, and not remain unaffected by Odin's love potion. The enchantment was always working, always looking for an opening to slip into. It wanted to lock onto her heart, onto her thoughts and feelings and make Lenneth give herself wholly unto Lezard.
It was difficult, and Lezard's attempts at kindness made it more so. He wasn't acting mean or depraved, actually friendly to her. He wasn't giving her a reason to hate him beyond the simple fact of what he was. Once that would have been enough to get her to kill him, Lenneth despising those who toyed with the dead and defiled souls. But Odin's enchantment wouldn't allow her to actively hate him. It left her in a conflicted state, Lenneth both longing for Lezard and wanting to despise him. It might be enough to drive her insane, Lenneth at constant war with opposite emotions where Lezard was concerned.
It left her tired, a mental weariness she could not afford to give in to. Any weakness would be played open, the love spell taking full advantage to force her will to give in to it. To love Lezard. Lenneth was sure he was unworthy of her love. And all because he was in Hel's employ, a damned soul that would one day reside in the underworld.
Of course Lenneth didn't think many men were worthy of her love. Of any Valkyries' love. But the men who allied themselves with Hel were doubly unworthy. But Odin's love spell didn't care about a person's worth, it just cared about making the match. Lenneth was more than hesitant to engage Lezard in any manner, a sliver of fear in her at the thought that to use him for her purposes was to open herself towards becoming more susceptible to loving him.
She'd just have to be strong, Lenneth decided. She wished that strength could come to her as easily as the decision. But something in her melted every time Lezard smiled at her. It was a nice feeling, but one she did not want. Anymore than she wanted to become familiar with him, with Lezard's mannerisms and way of behaving. But already some of him had imprinted on her. Lenneth could easily conjure to her mind the way he looked, the way his bangs fell in messy disarray across his forehead. The way his eyes twinkled constantly with his amusement, and how often he had smiled at her even when she was surely disappointing him.
The love enchantment surged stronger in her, Lenneth shaking her head no to dispel it and Lezard's image. The enchantment urged her to go to him, to seek him out. Lenneth would do exactly the opposite, refusing to step out of this room. Some part of her thought it pure cowardice on her part, Lenneth seeking to avoid that which would magnify the effects of the enchantment. But it was as she said, Lenneth was tired. She needed the time to recuperate, to prepare herself for the battle of not giving in to love.
Sometimes thinking of Silmeria situation helped ground Lenneth in reality. But there was a different kind of danger to spending time on thoughts of Silmeria. And all because the thoughts brought despair rushing through her, Lenneth thinking she might cry for the first time in years. As she struggled with the love enchantment, Lenneth also had to deal with her grief over failing her sister. That left her just as vulnerable to mental exhaustion, Lenneth sighing. But she couldn't stop from wondering what was going on with Silmeria, hoping the girl hadn't yet fed.
Lenneth shivered, remembering the dreams she had suffered during her enchanted sleep. Were the dreams close to becoming a reality? And what of Hrist? Did she even now journey to put an end to their sister, to save Silmeria before she damned her soul for good? Lenneth had no way of knowing, cut off from Asgard, and both of her sisters. That was perhaps the worse torture of all, to not know what was going on, what was happening to her family.
Would she ever know? Lenneth knew she could never be at peace so long as she didn't know what was Silmeria's ultimate fate. Or for that matter, Hrist's. Lenneth was well aware of the danger, knowing Brahms might easily overpower her older sister. Shame filled Lenneth as she recalled how easily Brahms had beaten her. It was that defeat that had led to her being in Flenceburg, left to endlessly wonder and worry.
The enchantment could take away all her problems, do away with her worry. Lenneth understood that. She knew if she gave in, the love would fill her so completely she wouldn't have room in her head for thoughts of anyone but Lezard and the family she would make with him. But she refused to take such an easy way out, even if she was driven to collapse from the constant fighting she was doing in her mind.
Her mind was always moving from one source of anguish to the next. It had been hours since Lezard had excused himself, leaving Lenneth alone in the chamber she had first awakened in. And all throughout the hours, she had constantly agonized over Odin's plots, the love enchantment, and her sisters' fates. Not even the temptation to explore the room had distracted her for long.
Of course she had taken stock of her surroundings. It was a Valkyrie's nature to assess the area, and be aware of any and all things she could use to her advantage. But the room was a typical bedroom, depressingly devoid of any sharp implements and weapons. What it did have was a few dresses in her size, equally frilly and frivolous gowns that were ill suited to the battlefield.
A stool showed more promise, Lenneth thinking she could break the legs of and use them as a club if need be. But Lenneth had reminded herself she would play snoop and saboteur, ferreting out secrets rather than charging blindly about. But a sword under her pillow would help Lenneth to relax just a smidgen more.
At least the chirping of the songbird had a somewhat soothing effect on her. The pretty blue bird was vocal, constantly singing as it fluttered it's wings and paced it's cage. Lenneth thought the bird as restless as she, the little creature constantly trying to squeeze through the bars of it's cage. Lenneth had more room to roam than the songbird, but the castle was just as true a prison for her as the cage was for the bird.
"At least one of us should be free." Lenneth decided, voice soft as she walked towards the songbird's cage. She would take it off it's hook, and carry the delicate cage over to the window. The window was unbarred, curtains stirring in the soft breeze of the coming evening. The sun had yet to set, but already the moon could be seen. The sky was brilliant in it's sunset colors, the day had been nearly cloudless. It was so different from the day her entourage had been ambushed by Brahms people.
Below her window, she could see the inner courtyard of the castle. There wasn't many people walking it, most had already gone inside for the evening's meal. She was glad they were gone, not wanting to be stared at. Lights were beginning to flicker on, the white globes some sort of magical construct that sensed the coming darkness and reacted.
The lights would keep many predators away, but Lenneth sensed there was additional protection beyond the globes. She made a note to ask Lezard about it later, the woman unlatching the bird cage. The little songbird immediately tried to dart out, Lenneth cupping her hands protectively around it. Her head bowed, she was sending a prayer with the bird though to who she addressed that prayer to, she no longer knew.
As she whispered words over the bird cupped in her hands, she heard the door to the bedroom open. She didn't raise her head, not immediately. She could feel the trembles of the songbird, the tiny creature unsure of what was to happen to it now. To the right of her, she heard something being set down on the room's table. But she didn't look to see what, instead turning, ready to release the bird.
"I wouldn't." A hand close over hers, preventing the bird from escaping. She didn't mean to, but Lenneth reacted startled at that sudden and unexpected touch. But more than that shock, she liked the warmth of the hand on hers. Her face turned to look at the one who touched her, but Lenneth had already known it was Lezard.
"Wouldn't?" She echoed, letting her confusion show. "Why shouldn't I set it free?"
"All it's known has been this cage." He began, but Lenneth quickly interrupted him.
"Isn't that all the more reason to let it go? Birds were never meant to be caged, but to soar free in the sky. It's WRONG to imprison them, to take that chance from them..."
"I can agree it's wrong." Lezard said with a nod. But he didn't uncover her hand. "But sometimes these things cannot be helped. This bird has led a sheltered life, has never known anything beyond this cage. It was born in captivity, has come to depend on the kindness of humans for it's needs. It would not be able to exist in the wild, would soon fall prey to starvation or predators."
"I hadn't realized..." She allowed Lezard to gently take the bird from her, the mage returning it to it's cage. The little songbird would let out a questioning chirp, head tilted in confusion as it tried to understand what had just happened.
"It's a big world out there." Lezard continued, leaving the closed cage on the sill of the window. "It can be exciting but dangerous, overwhelming to those who do not know how to cope outside these walls."
"We're not just talking about the bird any more, are we?" Lenneth asked him, not quite frowning. She missed his hand on hers, and despised herself for that longing. "I can take care of myself..."
"I don't doubt that you can. But living on Midgard is a lot different from living on the battlefield." Lezard told her. "You're no longer a Goddess. You are mortal now, limited in some ways. You are susceptible to things you never had to worry about, and you know little of the expectations people would put on you. As a former goddess, and now as a woman."
"Expectations?" She questioned with an arch of her eyebrow. "You mean such as our marriage cementing the alliance between Asgard and Nifleheim?" She shook her head then. "I know what is expected of me. What my King would have me do. I will not disappoint on that front."
"You are as honorable as they say Valkyries should be." Lezard noted. But Lenneth didn't feel very honorable in the moment, plotting to use him to get back in Odin's good graces. It must have shown on her face, for Lezard was suddenly apologizing. "Ah forgive me, I've made you uncomfortable."
She didn't acknowledge that observation with words, instead looking out the window again. "Those orbs...they are more than just magic to light up the night, yes?"
"Why yes. But I am surprised you can sense that." Lezard told her, and she did a sidelong glance at him.
"I have dabbled with magic in the past."
"Have you now?" He asked, sounding interested.
"It's nothing much. Just a few healing spells." A wry twist of her lips. "Healing magic always comes in handy on that battlefield."
"That it does." He agreed.
"What other spells is enchanted into the orbs?" Lenneth asked again.
"It's a warding spell. One designed to keep out the undead." explained Lezard.
Lenneth went wide eyed at that. "I had not realized that you mortals were capable of such a spell."
"We're not." Lezard said, then quickly explained. "It is a boon granted to us by Queen Hel."
"Hel?" Lenneth tried not to growl out her name. The effort made her gasp instead, though she was sure a sneer was in place on her face. Lezard noted her reaction, his own flustered.
"She protects those who serve her loyally." Now he looked away from her, as though uneasy with the topic. "The entire city of Flenceburg is warded. We are safe so long as we remain inside it's borders. It's those who are foolish enough to venture out that run the risk of being prey."
"So you lead as sheltered a life as that bird?"
"Hardly." Lezard snorted. "Unlike that bird, many of us can and will protect ourselves."
"With magic..."
He nodded. "We are not the typical warriors you are used to in Asgard. We use mystical energy rather than swords as our weapons."
"But magic can be draining on one's energies." Lenneth pointed out. "It is better to team up a mage with a warrior. The one protecting the other."
"I suspect if we had made use of more swordsmen during our war with Asgard, the underworld wouldn't have been as easy to defeat."
"I suspect you are right." Lenneth agreed, wishing she could force more cold into her tone of voice.
"You were alive back then, were you not?" Curiosity filled his expression, Lenneth giving a grudging nod. "What would you say was the main reason for Hel's defeat? Did her armies really rely too much on magic to put up a good fight against Odin's warriors?"
Lenneth could remember there was several things that were the deciding factors in the war. Hel's forces had been superior where their spell casters were concerned, but ultimately the Valkyrie and the einherjar had been stronger when it came to pure physical force. With their own mages casting reflection spells, the warriors were able to cut down many a mage before the men and women could finish focusing their power. She acknowledged that if there had been more warriors on the underworld's side, the soldiers would have been able to defend and fight against the Valkyries.
But she didn't want to tell Lezard this, not trusting that he would report back her assessments to Hel. For helping the Queen of the underworld improve her army's efficiency was the last thing Lenneth wanted to do! She didn't think it showed on her face, but just the fact that she remained silent was telling enough for Lezard.
"Ah." He did a slow adjustment of his glasses, looking away from her. "Forgive me. I suppose war is the last thing you want to talk about." What she wanted was to question him, but Lenneth wasn't a fool. She knew Lezard would be suspicious if she started prying so early in their relationship. She would have to cultivate a closer friendship, to lull him into relaxing his guard against her.
"I'm sure you're hungry." Lezard continued, and stepped away from the window. She turned to track his movements, noting he went over to the table where a covered tray had been set down. He didn't tease or patronize her in the moment, simply uncovering the tray rather than chide her for skipping out on dinner. The food there was warm, the scents growing stronger as she approached the table. "I didn't know what you would like." Added Lezard, as Lenneth curiously looked over the contents of the tray. "So I brought you a little of everything."
"I see." A pause, and then Lenneth remembered her manners. "Thank you."
"It's no problem at all." Lezard said, but Lenneth wasn't paying attention to his words. She was looking at the food, trying to ignore the warm feeling that was spreading through her at his thoughtfulness. She told herself it was only a meal, that it didn't mean anything that he had thought to bring it to her. She feared Odin's enchantment would exaggerate every gesture, filling her with pleasured feelings for any scrap of attention Lezard might throw her way.
There was some kind of broiled meat, the pieces looking juicy and succulent, browned to perfection. There was an array of vegetables around the meat, potatoes and corn, carrots and peas. And some kind of golden colored liquid that just might be cider in a glass. But what stole Lenneth's interest, was the square pieces of brown on a cloth napkin. It was both familiar to her and not, Lenneth knowing it had been ages since she had indulged in such a thing.
Chocolate was a hard to find commodity on the battlefield. And it was as richly sweet as she remembered, Lenneth placing one of the squares on her tongue. She didn't close her eyes completely, enjoying the taste as the chocolate began to melt from the heat of her mouth. "Oh that's good." She breathed out in delight when she had swallowed the piece down.
Lezard was smiling, having noted her reaction to the chocolate. "I wasn't aware Valkyries had a sweet tooth."
She refused to blush or act flustered, though Lenneth did stop from taking another piece. ""Each one of us is different."
"I never accused you of being the same entity." He gestured for her to continue. "Please. Don't stop on my account."
She both wanted and didn't want the chocolate. And all because Lenneth felt she had revealed a part of herself to Lezard through her enjoyment of the candy. Even as Lenneth told herself she had to work to get Lezard to let down his guard, she was hesitant of doing the same. As though fearing any bit of knowledge he gained about her would be used against her. To weaken her, to thoroughly enchant her into loving him.
Lenneth called upon the discipline she had used on the battlefield, forcing her fingers to pass over the chocolate squares. Instead she gripped a fork, and none too gently speared a piece of the meat. Lezard wore an amused expression, as though he knew exactly her reasons for avoiding the candy.
"They were asking about you at dinner." Lezard tried to make conversation.
"Oh? And what did they want to know?"
"Just where you were, and if you would find time to join in on the meal." Lezard explained. "Someone even accused me of purposefully hiding you away."
"That someone wouldn't be that blonde haired girl from before?" Lenneth asked in between bites of the meat that tasted like lamb.
"You are correct." Lezard let out an exaggerated sigh. "Mystina is spoiling for the chance to spend time with you. I'm afraid she won't be put off with many excuses. I did speak to her, speak to them all about behaving around you, and conducting themselves respectfully...but I fear some people's curiosity will win out."
"I will deal with them." Lenneth's tone was firm, as though she was bracing for battle.
"As will I." Lezard touched her hand, Lenneth fighting not to jerk away from him. "I want you to be comfortable here, Lenneth. To do that, you need to be treated as a person and not a specimen of great interest."
"Thank you." Lenneth said, tone more gruff than she would have liked. But she was fighting not to be touched by his regard, and that fight made her gratitude sound almost hostile.
He didn't seem put off by her tone, Lezard actually patting her hand before pulling away. "It will be difficult for us all. At least at first." He amended. "Everyone is so excited to see you, so curious about you. I hope in time they come to see you as a person, and not this great mythical figure."
"But that is what I was." Lenneth pointed out. "I was a Valkyrie, a minor deity. I'm older than anyone in this city. I've had centuries of experience...several lifetimes' worth of memories."
"But have you ever really lived?" Lezard's question took her aback. "Lenneth, your life has been the battle. You fight the undead and any other foe that dares to defy Odin. When have you had the break to experience something other than fighting? To learn to be something other than a Valkyrie? To be the woman you were born as?"
"Maybe I don't want to be that woman." Lenneth countered. "Maybe I was happy being a Valkyrie."
"Were you?" He asked.
"Yes." She set down the fork, and locked eyes with him. "I was good at what I did. I had a fine rapport with my einehrjar, and my work had meaning. I was protecting not only Asgard but all of Creation from the undead. Being mortal, being a woman in love...it pales in comparison to the purpose I had as a Valkyrie."
His expression flickered, something like disappointment briefly showing. "I can't give you so grand a purpose." Lezard acknowledged. "But...love is not so bad. Nor is putting down your sword, taking the rest you have earned after years of fighting. Even the sharpest blade dulls after constant use."
"I wasn't anywhere near past my prime." Lenneth countered. "I could have continued in Odin's service for decades, maybe even centuries more before I'd fall."
"You feel you were retired too early."
"I know I was." Lenneth said levelly. "If that fiend Brahms hadn't taken my sister, hadn't sent me back to Odin disgraced by my failures..." Some unreadable emotion crossed his face, but it was gone an instant later. "There are many what ifs. If I had succeed, or if I had been killed, regardless, it would be some other Valkyrie who was sent to be your bride."
"I don't think any other Valkyrie could be half as good as you." He seemed sincere enough, and Lenneth tried not to feel flattered.
"You don't even know me. You're certainly not in love with me. Any Valkyrie would have done, any at all." She felt satisfied that Lezard didn't have immediate objections to what she said.
"I don't know you it's true. But I want to make the effort to get to know you. Regardless of how we became engaged to one another, we are each other's future. Would it not be better to get along than to fight all the time?" A hopeful smile from him, Lenneth's stomach doing a little flutter to see it. Lenneth thought she was entirely too susceptible to his smiles. But she didn't dash it, knowing she had to woo him back to better her chances at learning from him, Hel's secrets.
"I don't want to fight you." She said out loud, and his smile brightened even more. "I don't want to hate the man I have to wed."
"Nor do I want you to hate me." Came his reply. "Ours may not be the most conventual of relationships, but we can give each other the chance. The chance to have it be something more than a marriage of convenience."
She just nodded in response, wanting to take another piece of chocolate but forcing herself to instead take another bite of the lamb. If she couldn't resist something as small and inconsequential as chocolate, what hope did she have of resisting the love potion? Lenneth took satisfaction in denying herself both things, even as she began to quiver in response to Lezard unbuttoning his jacket.
"What are you doing?" Lenneth was pleased she managed to keep the alarm out of her voice.
"It's a bit warm in here." He explained, already attempting to shrug out of his jacket. His reason for disrobing reassured her, even as her eyes did a slow, contemplative look over him. Without the bulky jacket, she could better see his body, get a better feel of how large or small his frame was. He wasn't overly muscular, nor was his puny, being a pleasing in between. It was rather surprising, Lenneth expecting a mage to be a skinny weakling when it came to body mass.
Lezard had noticed the way she looked at him, his lips quirking in another one of his off putting smiles. This time heat flared in her cheeks, Lenneth quickly looking away. Lezard would lay the jacket on the back of a chair, close enough to reach but forgotten in an instant.
She was more than a little embarrassed over the way she had looked at him. And to cover that embarrassment, Lenneth's mind cast about for a topic to distract them both. "Do you know how long I was asleep?"
"Just a couple of days from what I understand." Another small smile from him. "I did not procrastinate on waking you." Her face grew hotter, Lenneth recalling just how he had woken her. And with that memory, she could practically taste his kiss, Lenneth remembering how he had touched and held her. The kiss had been necessary to wake her, but it didn't excuse the way he had lingered over her mouth. Or the way his hands had caressed over her belly.
"If you woke me soon after my arrival in Flenceburg..." Lenneth began slowly. "It should be only three or four days..." She trailed off suddenly, not wanting to finish the statement. Three or four days since her sister Silmeria had been taken by Brahms. Time enough for Silmeria to have awakened as a vampire. Maybe not enough time for Hrist to stop her from feeding.
She was going to frown from her thoughts, Lenneth giving a fierce shake of her head. "Was a black haired Valkyrie among the ones who accompanied me to this kingdom?" She searched his face for any signs of recognition as she described Hrist's appearance. "She wears armor that is a vivid purple, not too different from the color of your eyes. Her hair is long, not as long as mine, and her gaze is often describe as piercing. She wouldn't have smiled at all, regardless of her duty." Her voice went softer, Lenneth remembering something else about her older sister. "Hrist almost never smiles..."
"Hrist?" A questioning sound from him, and then understanding dawned "Ah, one of the sisters you mentioned."
"The eldest of we three." Clarified Lenneth. "She wears a sword, though her favored weapon is that of the halberd."
"I saw no Valkyrie such as you described." Lezard told her. "Certainly there was none that shared a resemblance to your features."
Lenneth nodded, trying not to feel disappointed that Hrist hadn't deigned to see her to her new home. Lenneth told herself Hrist had a more pressing responsibility, the need to see to Silmeria, and set their little sister's soul to peace. Lenneth was more sure than ever that Hrist must be in the midst of the journey to the vampire's island, and she sincerely wished her somber sister good fortune in her hunt.
Still she wondered who had made the journey with her to Flenceburg. But Lenneth didn't expect Lezard to know their names, nor did she expect the Valkyrie and their einherjar to linger once they had delivered Lenneth unto him.
"Your escort arrived late in the night." Lezard told her. "Late enough that it was almost time for the sun to rise. But many in the castle were already asleep, missing their chance to see your entourage." A small smile then. "I think it better that way. I'm sure the Valkyrie and their einherjar would not have appreciated a commotion over their arrival, any more than you appreciated the group that surrounded you."
She nodded. "They might not have been as reserved as I was in response to such a fuss." A wry twist of her lips. "Depending on who was sent, I dare say weapons would have been drawn."
His own eyes widened, Lezard looking surprised. "Isn't that overreacting?"
"Perhaps." She allowed. "But this is an enemy nation...or was. And we Valkyrie are bred for battle, having little tolerance for idle curiosity. Especially when the questions become personal in nature." They eyed each other a moment, and then Lenneth confessed. "Truthfully, I was about ten seconds away from violence myself when you interfered with those women."
"Wouldn't that have made an impression!" His tone was light, but Lezard grimaced all the same. "But please...do try to restrain such impulses. They really meant no real harm to you, and I would much rather you make friends than enemies of the people that live in this castle."
She could make no promises. "I don't know if these are the type of women I can be friends with." She sighed then. "They are so different from the women that I have known. So...frivolous and care free."
"Maybe not as carefree as you think." Lezard murmured. She arched an eyebrow at him in challenge. "Yes, they can be a silly group of girls but don't underestimate Mystina. There are two sides to her, and while she rules uncontested over the women in her circle, she is concerned with more than just the day's gossip and the latest fashion. She is ambitious, and has a keen mind."
"You admire her." Noted Lenneth, and the look he gave her was interesting. Like an annoyed grimace, as though he was reluctant to admit to that admiration.
"I admire her accomplishments in the field of magic, and in her scholarly pursuits." Lezard hesitated. "In some ways, she is very close to being my rival. If I was just a little weaker, and she a little stronger, it would be Mystina who rules over this castle. But then..." A teasing look. "You wouldn't be here if that was the case."
"I'm sure Odin would have found someone to give me to in place of you." Lenneth said, a hint of depression in her voice. She forced herself to reach out and tentatively touch fingers to his arm. "From what I have seen so far, if you have not played me false and presented the true nature of your personality. I have not done so bad when it comes to a husband."
His lips twitched, Lezard fighting a smile. "Why my lady. That almost sounds like a compliment."
She surely flushed then. "It was meant to be one." She started to take her hand away, and he caught it. Lenneth froze, not sure if she should jerk her hand away from his. Her moment of indecision allowed him to caress his thumb over the back of her hand, Lezard smiling at her.
"Somehow I get the feeling compliments from you are a rarity."
"Ah." It was hard to think with him touching her hand like that. "I acknowledge when someone has done something worthy of being praised."
"Duly noted." He continued to smile, expression warm as he gazed at her. Lenneth was unsure of how to react, unused to being gazed upon so openly. It made her want to fidget and turn away, Lenneth feeling her cheeks grow hot in response to Lezard's look.
Even worse, he still held her hand, Lenneth unsure of how to extract it without giving offense. "You mentioned earlier that I am now susceptible. Susceptible to what?"
His smile dimmed, his expression taking on a more serious look to it. "You are mortal now Lenneth. Time is no longer your friend, and even your body can turn against you. Your bones can break, and illness can befall you. And regardless of what you are, there are people who would try to take advantage of you. Use you, against me, against yourself..."
"I am not so easily manipulated!" She protested.
"If they cannot gain use of you through subterfuge, than there are some who may try by force." Lezard countered.
"They will find themselves on the wrong side of my blade if they dare try!" But then Lenneth remembered she had no sword now, shoulders slumping with that realization.
"I don't doubt that you will protect yourself. But you must be careful now." Advised Lezard.
"What would you have me do? Rely on you?" The last held a touch of sarcasm to it, but Lezard nodded, all the more serious.
"I would be your friend, your ally. As your husband it is my right to protect you." Now she pulled her hand away, Lezard realizing too late he had said the wrong thing. "I would guide you." He said instead. "Help you navigate the muddied waters of your new world."
Lenneth allowed a moment to think about this. It was true she didn't know much about mortal existence. It had after all been centuries since she had lived in the mortal city Crell Monferaigne, a holy kingdom of Midgard that was devoted to Odin's worship. That time had been brief, perhaps seventeen years spent with her parents and her sisters before Odin had called Lenneth to Asgard.
The times had changed since those years spent as a teenage Goddess, mortal customs altering into new ones. What she had known of mortal life in Crell Mongeraigne, would be vastly different from life in a nation that followed Queen Hel's laws. She really did not know how to get along in a mortal world, had no money to her name, no assets to sell. It left her dependent on her husband to be, for food, shelter and emotional support.
"Very well." Lenneth said out loud. "I will accept your help."
Another smile from him, Lezard pleased. "For now, that is all I ask."
Lenneth shivered at that, the words for now stressed between them. She well understood he had expectations of her, expectations that would become all the more apparent once they were wed. Lenneth could only be grateful Lezard hadn't insisted on an immediate consummation of their union, the man actually delaying their wedding to give her time to get used to him. Lenneth didn't think she would ever get used to the idea of being a man's wife, and she was even more leery of the idea of letting Lezard attempt to make love to her.
It might be foolish of her, but Lenneth was now harboring hopes that she could find out what she needed, and gain back Odin's approval with it. She might need never marry Lezard then, might even be able to return to being a Valkyrie. It seemed a better alternative then remaining in Flenceburg, suffering the love enchantment that would only grow stronger as Lezard touched and attempted to love her. Every touch, every smile, every heated look only served to make the chains around her heart grow tighter. How long before she started to become fond of him, and how long before that fondness developed into affection? It would only snowball from there, until Lenneth was hopelessly in love, and no longer willing to turn her back on Lezard. Not even to serve her king. It was something she couldn't allow, something she would fight against with every fiber of her being. But it didn't change her realization of how difficult that struggle would be, Lenneth looking away from Lezard as her heart panged in protest.
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*amazed the chapter ended up so long.* X_X
To Be Continued of course!
Michelle
- 10
- 11
- 12
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