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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
- 16
- 17
- 18
Tension had begun to take root inside Lenneth. It mounted in intensity by the minute, unraveling all the good the morning's ride had done her. She hadn't been entirely relaxed, nor had she been happy. But after spending time on the horse Obsidian's back, for one brief moment Lenneth had felt very much like her old self. She had enjoyed the freedom of the ride, the wind in her hair, the strong horse beneath her. She might not have been riding into battle, but Lenneth had felt the same kind of exhilaration in that moment.
It wasn't dulled by the fact that riding might be one of the only outlets left to her. The only thing that might bear a resemblance to her old life as Valkyrie. She had been free in the moment, uncaring of any duties and obligations she might have had, to Odin and to Asgard.
Of course, reality had come crashing back once she had returned to the stables. Her betrothed had actually put his arms around her, though the embrace hadn't been done with seduction in mind. That was perhaps the only reason Lenneth had kept from overreacting at Lezard's touch. She understood he had been frightened for her, for her safety and well being. Lenneth would even grudgingly accept that she had been taking risks riding Obsidian at such a fast speed. But she didn't understand why Lezard cared so much.
Lenneth wondered if she was fooling herself. Perhaps Odin's love spell made her misread the situation by the stables. Perhaps Lezard didn't give a damn about Lenneth as a person, and just saw her as a means to an end. The token meant to seal the alliance between the underworld and Asgard. Thinking that way didn't make Lenneth happy. Any happier than when Lezard had excused himself from the dining room.
He hadn't tried to hide where he was going, or to whom Lezard intended to meet with. Lenneth wouldn't have been pleased either way, though her agitation increased to know she was in the same building as the Goddess Hel. Every fiber of her being screamed in protest, Lenneth loathe to idly stand by when Hel was near. Lenneth knew what her own presence here in Flenceburg was supposed to signal, but the Valkyrie maiden was unable to accept it. Nor could she accept that Odin would so foolishly ally with the Goddess of Nifleheim. Anymore than she could accept that Hel had been defanged, becoming friend not foe to the Asgardians.
For all the riding she had done this morning, Lenneth had never forgotten the purpose she had given to herself. The reason she needed to make her life here in Flenceburg have meaning. But searching for proof of Hel's betrayal would be difficult, Lenneth having little leads she could follow, and even less people she could actually trust. She was alone, friendless and without back up in an enemy's domain.
Lenneth didn't even have her King's sanction for what she was attempting to do. She could have sighed then, though Lenneth kept her outward expression even. Certainly she could not betray her true emotions to the people at this table. All of them were loyal to Hel, sworn to do her bidding. Perhaps Lezard's as well, Lenneth sure her behavior and reactions would be reported to the man.
Lenneth knew she had to appear accepting of her fate. To appear as though she was making the needed adjustments to her way of thinking. Nor could she throw herself wholeheartedly into the act, having to straddle a fine line between too much enthusiasm and not enough. It was almost as draining as fighting the love enchantment, Lenneth knowing her talents lay not in the act of deceptions.
Conversation had not stilted with the removal of Lezard from the room. The group at the table continued their talk, gorging themselves on the feast laid out before them. The people gathered here was calm, hardly showing emotion in response to just who had called upon their Lord. Lenneth took it to mean it was a typical occurrence in the house, one she could use to her advantage.
She had to fight not to stand and make excuses. Lenneth knew Lezard had asked her to remain at the table. But the Valkyrie wanted to leave, to sneak after Lezard and spy on his conversation with the Goddess. All in the hopes that Lenneth could learn something useful through her spying.
But it was obvious to Lenneth she wasn't about to get away from the table so easily. Mystina was watching her, her eyes dark with interest. That sorceress' regard served to further spoil Lenneth's mood. She didn't like that Mystina was so interested in her, nor did Lenneth want to tolerate much of Mystina's tongue. She had yet to say anything too offensive, but Lenneth could sense the malicious intent festering inside the woman.
Holding Mystian's gaze, Lenneth reached for her goblet. She refused to cower away from Mystina's blatant stares, Lenneth's own eyes holding a challenge to them. She almost missed the turn in the conversation, one of the nobles whose name she did not yet know asking a question of Lenneth.
Drinking slowly, she gave him time to repeat himself. "How does Flenceburg compare to life in Valhalla?"
"It doesn't." She set down her cup. They had drawn the attention of the others, some frowning in response to the blunt answer she had given. She was slow to explain the reasons behind that answer. "With the undead's constant press against Asgard, we do not have the time to linger between meals. My days are busy, as are my nights. I find in Flenceburg I have had the chance to think about things beyond battle and the tactics needed to stay alive."
"You make it sound as though the Valkyries have a hard life." Pointed out a woman, whose face was just beginning to line with age.
"I did not find it difficult, just different." Lenneth told her. "I enjoyed being a Valkyrie. The sights and sounds of battle, there is no other experience that can compare. Fighting Brahms' undead gave me purpose...I was protecting the realms, helping to make the land just a little safer for the people of the world."
"Noble work." Murmured the woman, and others agreed.
"Will you find it difficult to make the adjustment from warrior to wife?" Before Lenneth could answer, another was speaking.
"Does she have to give up her sword? Surely she could do both..."
"Come now!" scoffed Mystina. "As if Lezard would ever let her risk herself in that manner! She is his Valkyrie, a prize many covet. He will not allow her to throw her life away no matter what she may desire." Mystina said nothing Lenneth hadn't already expected, but still it was disheartening to hear. But she would not show her upset to them, Lenneth's expression cool and distant.
"I will do as countless Valkyrie before me." Lenneth said out loud. "If it is my husband's wish that I not fight, than I shall heed his desires."
"Well, that's boring." Grumbled Mystina. "I had not realized Valkyries could be so docile." Anger might have flashed in Lenneth's eyes, for suddenly the blonde sorceress was smirking. "Or do you like being the object that cements the alliance between our two kingdoms?"
"You have never faced a Valkyrie in battle, or you would not imply that." Lenneth allowed her teeth to show in her own little smirk. "Of course...if you had faced a Valkyrie in battle, you would not be here now."
"Oh? And just where would I be?" demanded Mystina.
"You'd be dead." Lenneth couldn't help but take pleasure in the way the women next to Mystina seemed to shudder in response. Mystina's smirk had faded, her own eyes flashing with anger.
"You will find I am not easy prey, even for a Goddess to take down."
"I've fought spell slingers before." Lenneth was calm. "They've yet to impress." Another pause, her smirk remaining. "You've yet to impress."
The nobles were looking back and forth between the two women as though this was a spectator's event. No one was trying to interject themselves into the conversation, content to let the two have at each other with their words. Lenneth herself felt a perverse pleasure in bating Mystina, though this battle of words could not compare to the clash of swords.
"It wouldn't be a fair fight." Mystina said in response. "Not now with you a mortal. I could easily overpower you with my spells."
"If anything the fight would be more fair now that I am no longer a Goddess." Lenneth retorted. "I did not lose my swords skills just because the nature of my being has changed. I still possess brains, agility, strength. You would not find me an easy target."
"You are overconfident."
"I have a right to be." Lenneth told her. "You are just a child. Where I have lived for centuries, honing my skills. I have the wisdom and maturity of age, without any of the disadvantages."
Mystina's lips pressed into a tight, thin line. She appeared not to have any rebukes to what Lenneth had said, and yet the sorceress still spoiled for a fight. Lenneth half expecting the woman to challenge her to a duel, so potent was Mystina's displeasure.
Lenneth wasn't the only one to notice the mood coming off of Mystina. In an attempt to diffuse the situation from becoming even more explosive, a question was asked of Lenneth. "You've mentioned centuries. Are you really that old?"
"Yes." A curt reply, Lenneth not taking her off eye Mystina. She didn't trust the woman as far as she could throw her, especially not in this moment.
"I cannot imagine living that long!" exclaimed a woman. "The things you must have seen, the lives you must have lived."
"Lives?" Lenneth frowned. "I had but one life, and that was spent in dedication to my king."
"But surely..." A hesitation. "You did something besides fight?"
Lenneth had to think, to try and remember the quiet moments where she had done something other than fight. Other than sleep and eat quick meals. There wasn't many, but thoughts of her sister Silmeria came to mind. "I enjoyed listening to my sister sing." She said out loud.
"Somehow I can't imagine Valkyries singing for pleasure."
"We don't. But Silmeria was gifted in that regard, and it gave Lord Odin pleasure to hear her sing during the funerals we held for the fallen." Lenneth explained. It felt life a millennia since she had last heard Silmeria's song, even longer since she had thought of her sister without pain and fear coloring the memories.
"Ah...for the Valkyries who died in battle?" asked one of the men.
"And our einherjar." nodded Lenneth. "Death is an unavoidable part of war, even up in the heavens..."
"And what of the heavens themselves?" Mystina had regained enough of her composure to speak. "Surely there must be something to Asgard beyond the fighting..."
"Yes...what is Asgard like? Please, tell us." Begged one of the women sitting near Mystina. "Your descriptions might be the only chance we get to know of true paradise."
Lenneth hesitated. "My descriptions would pale in comparison to the true beauty of the realm." And still they urged her onwards, some openly pleading with Lenneth. It made her ill at ease, Lenneth slow to speak. "I did not spend much times in the lands beyond the plains of Idavoll. The heart of the fighting takes place on those lands, the territory that leads to and surrounds castle Valhalla."
She sighed then. "You would not find the plains a pleasing sight. There is too much war, too much blood shed on that land. The tall, golden stalks of wheat? An effective cover for ghouls and zombies. They are a poison, ravaging the land. The Valkryies and their soldiers work to keep it from spreading, keep them from reaching to other parts of the realm."
"We have managed thus far." Continued Lenneth. "The warrior's paradise is undisturbed." She called to memory the image of that paradise. To the emerald green fields where the retried souls played. "It is a fertile land...beautiful. Green as far as the eye can see, broken up only by crystals. There are dwellings inside the crystal, homes for the souls that have come to rest at long last. The souls of those people lead a carefree life. Loving, and laughing, at peace finally."
She didn't mention how empty the warrior's paradise had become. How Odin had had to call upon the souls there, disturb what should have been their final rest in order to force them back on the battlefield. The war with Brahms was draining Asgard of it's soldiers, einherjar sometimes dying quicker than the mortal wars could produce replacements. Lenneth didn't understand why that was, didn't suspect that there was another reason as to why Asgard was being denied new soldiers.
"The life they lead in paradise...it is often similar to life here on Midgard. But there is no death to be feared, no sickness or old age."
"It sounds wonderful." Sighed one of the nobles, the others voicing their agreement. "A life without stress, a life without pain!"
"Far different from what we can expect in the underworld..." One man muttered darkly.
"Is it really that different?" Lenneth inquired. "I mean, I understand there is rest for those who have earned it." But she also knew there was torment for those who souls had been tainted. Hel was quick to punish those who had sinned in life, and rumors had it that not many souls were granted a final peace, free of the demon's torture pits.
"There exists many different levels to the underworld." Came the answer at last. "The deepest is said to be granted to those who are too pure for the torments our Queen enjoys giving to the damned. But no one among the living has ever been allowed to see that world."
"No one?" Lenneth tried for careful surprise, casually reaching for her goblet once more. "Not even Lezard?"
"Not even he."
"But..." Puzzlement colored her expression. "It is my understanding that he is part of Hel's council."
"That doesn't mean she gives up all her secrets to him!"
"And yet she relies on him." Mused Lenneth, pausing to take a sip from her cup.
"That she does." Came the agreement. "It was Lezard, under the Queen's orders, that traveled to Asgard. It was Lezard who brokered the deal between Odin and Queen Hel." That was news to Lenneth, the Valkyrie having not realized that Lezard had ever set foot in Asgard.
"Lezard succeeds at the impossible." Mystina spoke now, jealousy in her tone. "It's no wonder Queen Hel cannot do without him."
"Mystina!" One of the nobles protested, a nervous expression on his face. "The Queen is not so dependent that she cannot make a move without a mortal. Even if that mortal is as capable as our Lord."
"Oh? Then why is she here?" demanded Mystina. "Why does she always turn to Lezard when she is in need of something? There are others on her council, even those who are not, who would gladly make themselves of use to her!" She was openly seething now, anger and bitterness competing with the jealousy. "She gives us no chance to prove ourselves worthy, and I am SICK of it!"
Mystina had knocked over her goblet with her angry gesturing, a servant hurrying over to keep the spill from spreading. Silence reigned at the table, none of the people seated there making eye contact with each other. Only Lenneth looked at Mystina, thoughtful as she projected an outward curiosity.
"Just how often does Hel summon Lezard to meet with her?" She tried for an innocent tone, as though she was merely curious about her betrothed's dealings with the Goddess.
"Far too often for my liking." Mystina muttered. One of the women besides the blonde started a nervous giggling. It almost drew Lenneth's attention away from the sorceress. "Lenneth, in time you will find you have a choice."
"A choice?"
"Yes. A choice over whether or not you can accept that fact that you will always be sharing your man with another woman." Mystina said, her expression mean. "Lezard will never, ever turn his back on Queen Hel. Not even for a former Goddess. And when Queen Hel comes calling, you will find Lezard abandoning you to go running to her side." Her eyes were cruel, her smile a mockery of everything good and kind.
"You make it sound as though...Lezard has feelings for his queen beyond that of mortal with his God." Lenneth noted, feeling dismay twist her heart. Was Lezard as taken with Hel as Mystina was trying to make her believe?
"Oh my, is that what it sounds like?" An unconcerned, airy laugh from Mystina. "No. I would not go so far as to say Lezard loves Hel." A flat expression crossed her face. "Lezard has no room in his heart to love anyone, not even himself."
"But..." Her uncertainty came out before she could stop, Lenneth remembering how in the stables Mystina had told her Lezard wanted her.
"He doesn't need love to desire." Mystina continued. "Lust can fuel a thousand wants, and they will all be meaningless." She didn't say it out loud, but Lenneth understood Mystina meant Lenneth would be meaningless to Lezard as well.
"That's enough Mystina." snapped one of the nobles, pounding his fist on the table. "You go too far."
"No." Lenneth's voice was soft. "It's fine. I need to hear this." Her heart needed to hear this, as if Mystina's harsh truths could somehow free it of the shackles Odin's enchantment tried to force on her. It would be better if she could free herself of the love spell entirely. Better if she was no longer weak and susceptible to Lezard's smiles. Or his touch and his nearness.
"No, my Lady. Mystina does you and our Lord a disservice." Insisted the man. "She is a bitter shrew, angry that her own skill and power has not been enough to earn Hel's blessings."
"Now who goes too far, Sameer?" Mystina's eyes were flashing, the green so dark and consumed with her anger.
Sameer wasn't cowed by her expression. "You've spoken out of turn. You've tried to upset Lady Lenneth. You've tried to make her doubt Lord Lezard's intentions towards her."
"This is a marriage of convenience!" Mystina snapped, her voice getting louder. "Not a love match. She would be deluding herself to enter into it thinking that!"
"It is not for you to decide if this will or will not be a love match!" Sameer roared over her protests. "Our Lord will hear about what you have done. Pray he will show you more mercy than I would in his place."
Mystina slammed her hands on the table, rising an instant later. "I am not sorry for speaking the truth!" She made an angry huff of sound, spinning away from the table. The ladies of her circle, hurried to follow, calling after her to stop. Mystina didn't cast so much as a backwards glance into the room, nearly knocking over a richly dressed new arrival.
"Lady Lenneth, do not put much stock into what that sharp tongued wench has said." Sameer was trying to be reassuring. "She is bitter, and much of what she has said applies to herself instead of Lord Lezard."
"Sometimes it takes a similar soul to recognize the same in another." Lenneth murmured sadly. Sameer's upset was apparent, his look dismayed.
"Please...get to know our Lord." He urged her. "Take the time to develop your own opinion of him, and not that of Mystina's."
Lenneth couldn't even promise him that much, looking towards the new arrival instead. He was about Lezard's height, with dusky blonde hair and brown eyes. His clothing was rich, intricate designs sewn into the fabric. He wore a sky blue cloak that was open over his front. It held most of the dust from his travels, the man not having bothered to get clean before coming into the room.
"It is a scorcher of a day!" The man said, as a servant hurried to help him with his cloak. "I won't say no to mead to quench the thirst the heat has given me."
"Randolf you rascal!" exclaimed one of the nobles. "Could you not have taken a bath before joining us? You stink of horse and sweat!"
"I was hungry." Randolf retorted, sinking into one of the seats left empty by Mystina's group.
"You're always hungry!" laughed the one woman who remained at the table that wasn't Lenneth. "You'd send a whole kingdom to ruin if we let you feed your appetites unrestrained!"
This Randolf took it all with good humor, already piling his plate high with food. He didn't even wait for one of the servants to do it for him, the man taking generous, hearty portions of food. Lenneth's own meal was forgotten, her appetite ruined after the words Mystina had spoken.
"Lady Lenneth, this is Sir Randolf." Sameer said, trying to draw Lenneth out of her upset. "He has been gone for little more than two weeks, traveling between Queen Hel's holdings."
Sir Randolf smiled around a mouthful of fried pig. "It is a pleasure to meet you my lady." He swallowed his mouthful, and downed half a goblet of mead. "And where do you hail from, my lady?"
"Lady Lenneth is Lezard's betrothed." Understanding dawned in Randolf's eyes, the man actually pausing to wipe his mouth with a cloth napkin.
"Forgive me...I hadn't realized a Goddess was among us." He was already getting up, intent on taking Lenneth's hand.
"Oh please. I am Goddess no more." She protested as he pressed a kiss over the back of her hand.
"You are still as beautiful as one, and you retain your divine pedigree." He said in answer. Lenneth refused to be flattered, quickly pulling her hand free of his at the first chance she got.
"What news do you bring us?" Sameer asked, trying to distract Randolf away from Lenneth. The blonde hair man chose to sit down in Lezard's seat, a servant hurrying to bring him his plate.
"Oh many thing, many things." Randolf said, still looking at Lenneth. "Our Lord will be pleased. The tidings from the other kingdoms have been fortuitous." He finally looked away, pausing to take another drink of his mead. "The Valkyrie are hunting."
Lenneth reacted to those words, eyes widening in interest as she looked at Randolf. The others at the table were also stirred, voice murmuring in speculation at the news.
"Hunting what?" asked a noble.
"Couldn't say." Randolf admitted. "But they are out in large numbers. The quarry's big, whatever it is they hunt." He glanced at Lenneth, who hadn't realized she spoke her thoughts out loud.
"Brahms." She had said, voice a low hiss. "They are hunting Brahms"
"The King of the vampires? Would they really dare?" asked Randolf.
"I thought Brahms would be on the battlefield..." Sameer murmured. "What is he doing in Midgard when his undead wage a war in Asgard?"
Lenneth didn't want to explain about Silmeria. Didn't want to go into the details of her own failure, and the shame that had befallen her youngest sister. Out loud she would only say this. "He normally spends his nights in Idavoll. But recently he has taken something from the Valkryies."
"Whatever he's stolen, they must want it back pretty badly." Noted Randolf. "The cities in Odin's holding were crawling with the battle maidens and their einherjar. No doubt making preparations to face the vampires on their island."
"How close would you say they are to the vampire's island?" Lenneth asked, She had dozens of questions, her curiosity overflowing with the need to know what was happening.
"If they get fast enough boats, and the weather remains clear, they should be able to reach the island by tomorrow." Randolf told her. Lenneth knew they would have no problem getting those boats. The mortals of the kingdoms that worshipped Odin, would fall over backwards to cater to the Valkyries' demands.
"Did you see any of the Valkyries up close?" asked the only other woman at the table.
"Not as close as I would have liked." Laughed Randolf, a leer on his face.
"If you had tried anything with the Valkyries, they would have gutted you like a pig." Noted another noble.
"Maybe, maybe not. They are women after all...and I have a way with females." Boasted Randolf.
"The Valkyries would not have welcomed you trying." Lenneth told him sternly. "If you had run into my sister Hrist..." She shook her head, leaving her thoughts unfinished. "Tell me. Among the Valkyries you saw. Was there one who resembled me? With long hair as black a a raven's feathers?"
"Wearing an armor that was a vivid purple?" Randolf asked her.
"Then you've seen her?" She didn't know how to feel about that. Lenneth had been expected Hrist to be put in charge of the hunting party that would go after Brahms and Silmeria. It didn't make things any easier to accept, Lenneth fearing by tomorrow night, one of her sisters would be irrevocably dead.
"If you have a sister among the hunting party, might they not come to Flenceburg?" A noble asked. "I'm sure they would like to visit with you."
"No." Lenneth said flatly. "I doubt they will come to see me."
"But..."
"They will not come unless on Odin's business." Lenneth explained. "And he will not send them here just to celebrate my impending nuptials. Not when he has need of them in Asgard."
"What if they slaw the vampire king?" Sameer asked. "Surely then the war would be over with. You would only have to deal with the remnants of his kingdom."
Lenneth fixed him with a bleak look. "If it was that easy to kill the vampire Lord, we would have done so centuries ago."
"Then why face the monster in his territory?" Randolf wanted to know. "If there is no chance of success..."
"Randolf think!" snapped another noble. "It is not about winning. Odin simply cannot allow this insult to go unchallenged, Even if his soldiers fail, an effort must be made. Else the vampires will assume they can walk all over his armies."
It was as good an explanation as any. The taking of Silmeria could not go unchallenged. Anymore than they could allow Brahms to think he had the right to do as he pleased, especially where the Valkyries were concerned. Lenneth knew all this, but it didn't make it any easier to accept that one of her sisters had to die and soon.
The nobles were still talking, the conversation drifting away from the hunting party. Lenneth did not try to participate, just sitting quietly besides Randolf. She wondered if Lezard was still with Hel. Worried for him, and hated herself for that fear.
"Excuse me." She said abruptly, rising to her feet. The nobles hastily rose as well, not wanting to be impolite.
"Leaving so soon?" Randolf asked her, and she nodded.
"Lord Lezard asked for you to wait for him here." Sameer reminded her.
"I am tired of waiting." Lenneth told him truthfully. "If Lezard wants me, he can come find me."
There was a few sputtered protests, but Lenneth hardly paid them any mind. She didn't know for certain if Lezard was still speaking with Hel. Nor did she know exactly where he had gone to hold the meeting with the Queen. But she wanted to track him down. Not because she wanted to see him, but because she wanted to know just what he and the Goddess talked about. Lenneth didn't know if this would be her chance to actually discover anything useful, but she was determined to try!
To Be Continued...
Michelle
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- 18
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