Valkyrie Rising

by GR Griffin

  "Are you really?!" She demanded, and he let out a loud yes. Lenneth made a hmph of sound, clearly not believing him. Lezard turned desperate, trying to plead.

  "Last night was a mistake...."

  "A mistake?!" Why did Lezard get the feeling he had used the wrong words?

  "I never meant to do that!" He blurted out. "I never meant to take advantage of you in that way. To force myself on you when your heart is so unsure. Lenneth, I...I value you. I value you and your feelings. I never want to cause you distress...I...." He looked away from her, and scowled at the nobles who quickly averted their eyes. "Damn it all, we're too out in the open. Here, put down that sword and come with me...."

  "Why?" She answered, still fighting with her imaginary opponent. "So you can try and seduce me again?"

  "Damn it, Lenneth, no!" He made a wild gesture. "Do you really want to have it all out here? Now? With the others so obvious eavesdropping on us?"

  Her sword slowed, Lenneth taking a good look at the nobles who remained in the courtyard. Her lips frowned, and then she nodded stiffly. "Very well." But Lezard noted she didn't put that the sword, actually carrying it with her as Lenneth followed him into the castle.

  He would take her into the empty tea room, pausing only long enough to make certain the door was closed against eavesdroppers. With the door and windows closed, sound shouldn't carry. At least not loud enough for the words to be clearly made out. Even knowing that, Lezard was tongued tied, not sure what to say exactly to Lenneth. He still had little idea of just how far they had gone, and Lezard actually feared admitting to that. But Lezard had to know, else he would be driven mad wondering just what had happened between them.

  "I'm sorry." He said again, hoping the apologetic words would go over easier this time. Lenneth did not look soothed to hear them, the woman weaving the sword about in complex patterns. Lezard wondered if Lenneth had kept the sword because she need an outlet to express her anger. Or if she brought it as a way to ward him off from her, keep Lezard from approaching too close.

  "Truly I am." He continued. He didn't begrudge her use of the sword, so long as she didn't turn the blade against him. "My behavior was deplorable...I...I shouldn't have kissed you."

  "No, you shouldn't have!" agreed Lenneth. She met his eyes with hers, blue flashing with her stirred up emotions. "Not when you know how I feel. Not when you know I won't be content to be nothing more than some...some toy to you!"

  "But you are not! Never that!" Lezard insisted.

  "How can you make that claim after what you did last night?" Lenneth demanded. "When you ignore everything I tell you, and try to force a closeness between us? A closeness you have not earned the right to, no matter what my King might say!"

  It was like a slap in the face, to hear her say that. But Lezard didn't sag his shoulders in defeat. "I know I can probably never meet up with a Valkyrie's lofty standards of what is worthy..." Lezard began. "But the truth of the matter is, you were given to me! By your King no less! I may not be what you wanted, but now I am what you have! We shouldn't spend this time fighting, we should be trying to get to know each other."

  "How?" Her tone was tart now. "By stealing more kisses?" He shook his head, trying to say something more. But the words were slow to come, Lenneth talking over him. "By claiming to understand my struggles but alternatively planning to seduce me?"

  "No. No, of course not!"

  "No? You would deny what you tried to do to me?" Lenneth demanded.

  "I told you, I had too much to drink!"

  "Being drunk doesn't excuse your behavior. It only makes the situation that much worse!" Lenneth exclaimed. "Lezard....you HURT me with your actions. With your carelessness."

  "I don't mean to." Lezard whispered. He took another good look at Lenneth, wondering if she was bruised elsewhere. Somewhere where her clothing would hide it from sight.

  "Then what did you mean to accomplish last night?!" She demanded, her sword twirling to a stop. Her gaze held him riveted, Lezard doing his best to recall the feelings he had, the intentions that had propelled him forward to kiss Lenneth. But try as he might, he wasn't remembering enough, retaining only those bits and pieces that had been stirred by her nightgown.

  Lenneth looked ready to scream in response to his silence. "You kissed me!" She reminded him, eyes flashing with anger. "You kissed away my resistance, and carried me to that bed! I asked you to respect me, to respect the love enchantment I am under. Instead you tried to use me..."

  "Tried to?" He questioned sharply. She gave him an odd look, then horror dawned in her expression.

  "You don't even remember, do you?" Lenneth asked, her fingers clenching hard on the sword's hilt.

  He wondered what would be worse, to lie or to be truthful. Feeling sick, Lezard slowly nodded. "I'm afraid much of it is a blur. There's a few moments but otherwise..." He shrugged, wanting to lower his eyes to shield himself from the hurt of her expression. But Lezard had a hunch that if he looked away, Lenneth might try to run him through with the sword she held.

  "What do you remember?"

  "You." Lezard said. "How beautiful you looked in your night gown." Just the memory of her dressed like that made his heart twist in pain. "I remember talking to you, feeling both our distress. Though I can't for the life of me remember what was said!"

  "Is that all?" Lenneth asked, her voice sounding odd, as if she was trying to keep from screaming.

  "There was a moment in the bed. You beneath me....you smelled good..." Heat warmed his face at the admission. "But other than that..." A shrug then. "You weren't fighting in my memory." He added. It might be a foolish thing to ask, but Lezard felt he had to know why Lenneth had been so docile. "You didn't look happy, but you weren't trying to get away...."

  Lenneth didn't say anything, just stared at him. She didn't even blush, but her expression hinted at some hurt Lenneth felt. Lezard shifted in place, uncomfortable. "Why didn't you fight me if you hated it so much?" Still nothing, Lezard inching closer to Lenneth. "I need to know. I have a RIGHT to know." Suddenly her arm lifted, the sword being thrust before his face.

  "You have a right to nothing where I am concerned!" Lenneth hissed. He didn't bother to correct her that she was wrong. Not when it would only serve to further her anger.

  "Then indulge me this one last time." Lezard begged. The sword did not lower, did not so much as shake in her grip. But Lenneth looked away from him, considering his request.

  "I...I've already told you how the enchantment makes me feel. How it wreaks havoc on my emotions." Lenneth said, her words coming out a whisper he had to strain to hear. "It makes me want to love you....makes me yearn for something more than you can ever give me." He knew she was talking about love then, and felt like a fool punched in the gut. And all because Lezard knew he couldn't reveal the truth of his emotions to her.

  "You should have pushed me away...."

  "Don't you think I wanted to?!" Lenneth demanded. "Don't you think I tried at first?! But then you kept kissing me...suffocating me with your very nearness....overwhelming me with new sensations." The sword started to lower, Lenneth looking shaken. "Your kisses had a drugging influence on me...made it difficult to think of anything but the emotions surging in my heart." She shook her head then, sighing. "I didn't think I would be able to bare having you touch me like that....not while I am in the grip of the love spell. And I was right!"

  Lenneth glared at him now. "Odin's potions are potent, and only become more effective when I am placed under such a sweet assault! How could I fight you when longing filled my every being? I wanted more of your kisses, wanted to touch and be touched. It was all I could do not to make a complete fool of myself. The only fight I could manage was to lay there and do nothing!"

  "Lenneth..." His guilt had increased with every admission, he could barely stand to look at her now.

  "I know what my duty is." She continued as though he hadn't spoken her name. "I am to be your wife....but do me the courtesy of respect! Keep me from fa
lling for you any further than I already have!"

  He couldn't even make that promise to her, for Lezard wanting nothing more than to have this love he felt for her returned. But he wasn't thrilling to her words, guilt choking him. "I...forgive me..." He whispered. He didn't tell her out loud what he begged forgiveness for, Lezard offering Lenneth a tortured look of his own.

  "I had doubts to whether or not you are a cruel man..."

  "And after last night, do you still doubt?" Lezard asked.

  "I am more confused than ever." She admitted to his surprise. "I can't help but wonder who the real Lezard is. The side you presented to me these last two days, or the side I saw last night when you kissed me...."

  "That wasn't me! That was the drink!"

  "Drinks only lower one's inhibitions." She pointed out. "It makes one all the quicker to act on desires."

  Lezard wanted to growl, to howl out Randolf's name. But he knew the blonde man wasn't entirely at fault, even if he had helped to get Lezard to the state he had been in the night before. None of the men that had been present in the dining room were truly to blame, the fault for what happened entirely on Lezard's shoulders. He wondered how Lenneth could bare to even look at him now.

  "I do desire you." He said out loud. "That I will not deny or try to hide. I've wanted you since the moment I first laid eyes on you." That much was true, though Lenneth wouldn't know just when that first sighting had been. "But I...I would not have had our first time be some drunken coupling. You deserve better...our marriage deserves better. If I could do over again that first time, I would cherish you...worship you the way you deserve."

  She gave him the strangest look then. "I wish my actions could be changed, that I hadn't caused you such distress." Lezard continued. "I can only hope in my clumsy attempts, I did not hurt you during love making."

  A slow blinking of her eyes, Lenneth looking confused. The moment passed, understanding dawning in her eyes. "You think we....you think we slept together?" Now it was Lezard's turn to blink owlishly in confusion.

  "Didn't we?" He asked.

  She shook her head no. "You certainly wanted to though!" Hope started within him, Lezard not quite breathing as he waited for Lenneth to finish what she was saying. "No. We did not make love. We didn't even get that far, you hadn't even stripped me of my gown before you toppled forward." She didn't smile, but he swore he saw her lips twitch with amusement. "It appears the drinks were too much even for you, Lezard."

  "I fell asleep?" He was relieved, but oddly disappointed. Why couldn't he have passed out before he had visited Lenneth last night? Then all of this upset and awkwardness could have been avoided!!

  "Out like a light you were." Confirmed Lenneth. "I dare say not even the Gods themselves would have been able to rouse you." He opened his mouth to say something more, but Lenneth was pointing the sword again. "This doesn't excuse you from making the attempt!" She chided, eyes narrowing into a vicious glare. "And I think you'll not find me so easy a conquest next time."

  His confusion must have shown, Lenneth allowing a small, smug smirk. "You caught me by surprise. I'll be wary of your kisses and touches from now on. Perhaps I'll even be strong enough to overcome both them and Odin's love potion."

  "Perhaps you will." He agreed. "You have a strong will. It's served to keep you free of loving me thus far."

  "A pretty way to say I am just too stubborn to fall in love." Lenneth retorted.

  "Stubborn is not the word I would have used." Lezard told her.

  "But you must have thought it!" Lenneth insisted.

  "Not yet I haven't." Was he reply. "It doesn't mean I might not have that thought sometime in the future. But for now I am content to admire you, and your perseverance against the enchantment your King cast upon you."

  "You'll have to do your admiring elsewhere. I have a sword to return." Lenneth said. He as pleased to note she walked past him without any sign of wary caution in her movements. But then again, she was armed, and Lezard had no doubt Lenneth would be quick to use that sword if he made a sudden move towards her. He sighed softly, following after Lenneth out into the hall. But it was there they went their separate ways, Lenneth intent on her errand. Lezard himself would head towards his private quarters, intent on bathing and changing into cleaner clothes.

  Thoughts of Lenneth accompanied his every action, Lezard thinking on the conversation they had had. It had been upsetting, worrisome even. Lezard knew he had come close to committing a great wrong to Lenneth, one he would have had no hope of atoning for. It was only through a twist of fate that he hadn't been able to take things any further, Lezard embarrassed but relieved he had passed out on her.

  But even as he thought over their conversation, remembering Lenneth's distress, other memories pressed in. He kept flashing back to that moment in the bed, when Lenneth had been beneath him. When he had buried his fingers in her hair, and leaned in to sniff her pleasing scent. He grew heated from that recollection, and even more so of the memory of how Lenneth had looked in her pretty night gown. Not even a splash of rapidly cooling water could cool him down completely, Lezard grumbling and wondering just what would happen on the night of their wedding.

  .....

  Chapter 24 : Twenty Four

  It was well past midday before the first of the Valkyrie's ships were spotted over the horizon. The large ship was speeding along the waters, rocking violently from side to side as waves crashed against it's wooden frame. It was a wonder it didn't capsize completely, the sea stirred up by the storm the vampire mages had conjured. That storm made the sky dark, the sun blotted out by the clouds that crowded together. A constant pelt of rainwater was falling, with, thick fat drops that hit hard and fast, soaking any and everything in reach.

  That first ship had been moving too fast given the conditions it found itself in. It seemed it's crew had no care for themselves or the ship they manned, plodding along at a rapid pace towards the island. The ship had been too far away that even as lightning lit up the sea, the vampires hadn't noticed the other oddity about it. They couldn't see that the deck was empty, that no one stood before the steering wheel. That ship was nothing more than an empty decoy, guided forward by magic's winds. It's sails were fully open, the wind a guiding hand that brought it to smash against the rocks.

  The remains of the ship became a marker, helping other ships to avoid the rocks that made it so perilous a journey to the island's shores. Other decoy ships were sent forward, and they too were smashed apart as they came across the rocks. The waters around the beach shore of the island was a mess of planks and debris, the sea working to break apart the larger remains of the ships.

  The Valkyrie ships continued to come, over a dozen ships plodding forward at a more sedate speed. One of the vampire mages would abandon his support of the storm spell, instead focusing on assaulting a ship with high cresting waves. The waves grew to be several feet high, continuously crashing against the ship until it had no choice but to flip over. This far away, they couldn't hear the screams, couldn't even see how many people had been sent to a watery grave.

  The Valkyries had their own mages. But they were limited in number, just like the vampire's own mages. The spell casters tended to be favored by Queen Hel, the dark Goddess loathe to give up even a single one. The mages made use of by the vampires had been stolen from the Queen, each one a small victory that might just give them the advantage in the impending battle.

  The mages that worked with the Valkyries were ones who had turned their back on Hel and her teachings. They tended to favor healing magic above all other kinds, and had never learned the more deadly arts of their craft. But some had enough knowledge to do more than act as support for the warriors, and these were the mages the vampires would be most wary of. But before they could make a move to neutralize the Valkyrie's mages, the hunting party had to set foot onto the island.

  Even at their slower speeds, it had been obvious the ships were having trouble. The mages concentrated their powers on the sea, try
ing to calm the waters. One of the ships began to glow with a blinding light, becoming a beacon for the others to follow as they navigated their way towards the shore. A few of the mages might even have attempted to put an end to the storm, testing their might against the vampires who had worked that particular spell.

  It would have been disastrous had the storm cleared up. There had still been hours of daylight left at that point, the sun would have sent the vampires fleeing for the safety of the castle. They wouldn't have been able to protect their island as effectively, not so long as they had to cower in shadows. Brahms had quickly ordered that every last mage work on supporting the storm's spell, not allowing them to do anything else so long as the sun was still a danger.

  The ships would take over an hour before they reached the island's shores. Many a lesser vampire had been tempted to teleport onto the ships, intent on bringing the fight to the Valkyries. Wiser heads had prevailed upon them the dangers of such a maneuver. The Valkyrie would surely be prepared should any vampires appear on their ships, ready to slaughter any and all vampires who dare approach them that way,

  The waiting was difficult. Not just on Brahms who wanted the fighting over with before it had begun. His people were spoiling for a fight, some of them overeager for the chance to taste Valkyrie blood. Others were incensed that the Valkyrie would dare invade their home, wanting to teach the battle maidens a lesson they would never forget. There was even some who reeked of their anxiety, nervous that they might die this day at the Valkyries' hands.

  Brahms did his best to appease and calm down his people. But privately he knew as well as they did, that losses would occur on both sides of the battle. It was simple unavoidable, good people dying so that others might continue to live. But that wasn't the real reason this battle was taking place. Brahms found it difficult to meet the eyes of his people without feeling guilt. And all because he knew it was his fault that the Valkyries had come to their island home. It was an invasion that could have been avoided, could have never have happened if Brahms hadn't stolen Silmeria from the Valkyries. And yet he could not regret what he had done, Brahms knowing he would not give up the girl, not even if his own life was at stake.