by GR Griffin
"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 slew 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!
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Chapter 18: Eighteen
The worst of Hel's mess had been cleaned up, Lezard using minor spells to dispose of the ruins of some of his experiments. The searing flames made quick work of them, slowly burning away the remains so that no trace existed, not even ash. He didn't like that some of his work had been destroyed by the Goddess' tantrum, but it was a minor annoyance at best. Nothing of real importance had been destroyed. The experiments had been mere curiosities on his part.
Of course some were dangerous if left unchecked in the wrong hands. Which is why he had had to clean up the mess himself. He couldn't trust his servants not to burn or disfigure themselves, anymore than Lezard could trust them not to report what they had seen to others. There were curious eyes all around him, ambitious minds that would eagerly grasp at his work, ready to claim credit in his stead.
But that was neither here nor there. Lezard had more pressing things to worry about. The recent visit from Hel weighed heavy on his mind, the Goddess impatient for results. That impatience might be the ruin of all she plotted, but
Hel would never accept the blame if things went badly for her. It would be Lezard who would be considered at fault. The kind of torments she would visit upon him made him shiver though he made no attempt at imagining it.
It was a dangerous game he had set into motion. There was much risk to himself, especially if he was to be discovered as anything less than faithful to Queen Hel. And yet he was locked into this path, Lezard having brokered a deal with Odin. One he could not wiggle out of. Especially now that he had his promised reward in his possession.
To displease Odin was to lose Lenneth. But more than that, the God would be ruthless and without mercy. He might even throw Lezard to Queen Hel, knowing no one was more inventive than the dark Goddess when it came to tortures. Again he shivered, knowing he had put himself between a rock and a hard place, and could only charge forward with the blind hopes that all would turn right at the end.
As such he had to handle Odin just as carefully as the Queen. It was an effort that took more energy from him than Lezard liked, the man weary after dealing with two deities in quick succession. Hel had barely left his workshop before Lezard was contacting Odin, though the God did not deign to appear before him in the flesh. No, Odin would never set foot in Hel's territory, not even during this sham of an alliance.
Instead he had sent a vision of himself, a hologram projection that flickered and wavered depending on the intensity of Odin's emotions. That projection was centered on an amulet in Lezard's possession, one he need only speak a certain phrase over to get in contact with the Lord of Asgard. They had been communicating for weeks through the amulet, Odin keeping Lezard abreast of things concerning the arrival of his Valkyrie bride.
But it was not about Lenneth that Lezard had contacted Odin about this time, though the God had expressed interest in his Valkyrie's well being. Lezard had dispensed with the niceties, trying to get straight to the point of the call. Odin had acted put upon, as though it was a great burden Lezard bothered him with. Lezard had fought his own impatience, stressing his need. A need Odin has seemed loathe to acknowledge, even as Lezard reminded him of their bargain.
