Valkyrie Rising

by GR Griffin

  "Do you think I do not know that?!" Lezard was agitated, some of his anguish slipping into his voice. "And even if she learns to love me, once the betrayal happens, even love might not be enough to get Lenneth to forgive me for my role in it."

  "She might try to gut you." Mused Randolf. "Heck, she might still try even if she has feelings for you."

  Lezard sighed, his expression sour. But it was Sameer who spoke. "Love is a fickle, funny thing. We cannot predict for sure what the lady will do, how she will react upon learning of your deceptions."

  "She won't be happy." Insisted Lezard. "If she learns..."

  "Then we keep it from her." Randolf said, eyes bright with determination.

  "Keep it from her how?" Lezard demanded plaintively. "She's not an idiot. She will figure it out!"

  "But we can delay that discovery. Buy you even just a little more time to be happy with her." Randolf decided. "Hel doesn't plan to actively engage her troops in fighting just yet. Her plague will come first. It is a sickness that will for all intents and purposes be of natural causes...For the time it runs rampant, killing off many of Odin's followers, many will not be the wiser to it's true origins. Lenneth included."

  To Lezard it felt like each day, things only grew more complicated. And all because of the deceptions he practiced. And not just to Lenneth, but to everyone around him. As for as these men were concerned, Lezard was still on their side. That he was their capable and willing leader, ready to charge off into battle in the name of their queen. Lenneth would believe similar, and Lezard did not think he could dare risk telling her the truth.

  How Odin must be laughing at him. How foolish Lezard must seem, risking everything for a woman who would end up hating him. A woman who would never know Lezard's true role in the protection of her heavenly home. Lezard sighed, suddenly thinking a drink was indeed a good idea, though he managed not to reach for a cup.

  "It's something to think about at least." Randolf answered, misinterpreting Lezard's sigh. Lezard just continued to wear his depressed expression, leaving Sameer and Randolf to shift uncomfortable. "Hey now!" Randolf grinned. "I know what will put the smile back on your face!"

  "Do you now?" Lezard asked, wary and eyeing the blonde man suspiciously.

  "Yes, of course. Something that is guaranteed to cheer you right up." Randolf's grin grew bigger. "What say we go check on the bridal party? I'm sure the sight of Lady Lenneth in her new gown will help do away with any fears you have and last minute nerves!"

  Lezard could admit to himself he was very much tempted by Randolf's suggestion. It would do him good to see Lenneth, to be reminded of the reason he was putting everything he valued on the line for. Even if it was only for a few seconds, seeing Lenneth would be a calming influence on him.

  "No, no! He mustn't!" Sameer protested. "Tradition is strict. The bride and groom must be secloistered from each other, until the ceremony is underway. To do otherwise is to invite misfortune onto the marriage!"

  "Do you really believe in that old wives' tale?" demanded Randolf.

  "Yes!" snapped Sameer. "Lord Lezard, do not risk it. Not when this marriage is already troubled by so much."

  Lezard sighed, knowing Sameer was right. His marriage had enough plaguing it, without him openly inviting misfortune to it. "I can wait to see her." He said out loud, Sameer visibly relieved while Randolf was disappointed. "It's only a little longer until the wedding..."

  "Hmph. You may not be able to see the lady, but there's nothing stopping me!" decided Randolf. He was already heading for the door.

  "Randolf wait!"

  "Do not worry so much Lezard. I'm only going to find out if they are ready for the ceremony to begin." Another grin from the blonde man. "The sooner we can start, the better you'll feel!"

  "It might be a good idea to start the ceremony sooner rather than later." Sameer said, then took Lezard by the arm. Lezard was still glaring at the door Randolf had left through, hardly paying attention as the other man guided him over to a corner table. There was a long, rectangular case laid out on it's top. It was made of polished wood, the dark mahogany inlaid with gold fastenings. The inside of the case was lined with a blood red velvet, in which a fashionable dagger lay on top it.

  The dagger was more ornamental than was practical, the type used only in important rituals. Sameer lifted up the case to Lezard, allowing the mage to remove the dagger from it. Lezard stared down at the clean blade, seeing his face reflected in the shiny metal. The dagger was a good weight, it's blade sharp enough to split skin.

  "There now." Sameer said, as Lezard put the dagger in a leather sheathe that hung from the side of his waist. "You have everything you need for the ceremony."

  "Everything except the cure to what ails me." Lezard grumbled.

  "You may find some of your nerves appeased, once you have your bride standing next you." smiled Sameer.

  For one brief moment, Lezard said nothing. And then his voice lowered, the mage staring at Sameer. "Can I really do this?" He asked him. "Can I really force her into a marriage based on so many lies?!"

  Sameer looked startled. "But if she knew the truth....she would NEVER marry you."

  Lezard lowered his gaze, wondering about that. The real truth of what he was doing was nowhere as horrible as Sameer and Randolf believed. But it wasn't a truth that painted Lezard in the best light, the mage motivated to help Asgard only because he had demanded a reward from Odin. Lenneth was that reward. Lezard was positive Lenneth wouldn't like knowing the truth that the fate that had brought her to Asgard, had been premeditated. That Lezard had played an active role in her banishment from the heavens. He might not have known that Odin would deliver Lenneth under the pretense of punishing her, but the fact was the God probably never would have sent the Valkyrie away if not for Lezard brokering that deal.

  It was cruel, and left Lenneth believing she had been punished for failing to rescue her sister. Lezard couldn't begin to imagine how much that had hurt Lenneth, to be suffering over Silmeria's loss, only to be delivered the news that she was being given away. Lezard had never put much thought into what sort of excuse Odin would come up with to retire the Valkyrie, but he was properly horrified at what the God had led Lenneth to believe.

  Even worse, he felt like a heel for continuing the lie! But he felt locked into it, trapped. As though he had no other choice but to keep on letting Lenneth believe what she believed. It wasn't an easy thing to do though, Lezard slowly being consumed by the guilt he felt. A guilt that only increased whenever Lenneth lamented her fate, the Valkyrie upset that her choices had been taken from her. What's worse, the choices had been stolen not so much by her king, but by Lezard's hand!

  Lezard had not put much thought into things before Lenneth's arrival. But now that she was here in his home, he couldn't STOP thinking. If possible, he'd worry himself into an endless grave! He didn't even know if he could be truly happy, so long as he was burden by lies and guilt.

  "I....forgive me." Sameer said at last, misreading Lezard's silence as proof of his dissatisfaction with what Sameer had said.

  "There's nothing I need to forgive you for." Lezard told him. "It's not you who have put me in this awkward position."

  Sameer looked like he wanted to say more, but what could he? As far as the man was concerned, Lenneth was here through Hel's arrangement with Odin. Lenneth was a token of good faith, her marriage to Lezard meant to bind the two kingdoms into a long lasting alliance. To speak against what Hel had done, would be akin to blaspheming against the Goddess, and that was something Sameer would not do.

  "She's ready!" Randolf had burst into the room, his voice booming loudly. His brown eyes twinkled, his smile big and infectious. "And Lady Lenneth looks absolutely beautiful. You are a lucky, lucky man Lezard."

  Lezard smiled weakly. His guilt didn't make him feel lucky, Lezard feeling terrible for all he was doing to Lenneth. And yet it didn't stop him from walking across the room, the other men getting up as they realized the time of the ceremo
ny was drawing closer. Randolf would sling an arm across Lezard's shoulder, hauling him towards the ball room with a laugh.

  "There's no backing out of this now!" teased the blonde. "In just a few moments time, Lenneth will come here. And here she will pledge herself to you, become your wife for the rest of your lives."

  Lezard tried not to shiver, thinking the rest of their lives was simply too short a time, especially for a woman who had once been an immortal Goddess.

  Sameer and the other men were following the pair, Randolf still pretending he was dragging Lezard forcibly into the ball room. The people gathered there laughed, amused by the sight of their Lord being manhandled by the blonde.

  In the middle rows, Lezard caught sight of Mystina and her entourage. The sorceress looked at him, narrowing her green eyes as she scowled. She surely blamed Lezard for her exclusion from Lenneth's wedding party, but he didn't care. He was just glad Lenneth had taken his warnings to heart, and chosen to freeze out Mystina.

  He made a show of turning away from the sorceress, a blatant snub that was sure to have her scowling. Lezard would walk the rest of the way to the altar that had been set up in the front of the room. A large object was laying on top of the altar, covered by a dark sheet. It left the object a mystery as to what it was, though anyone with any experience with a wedding done in Hel's name, already knew. It was a sacrifice, a cage animal laying sedated under the sheet.

  Lezard studied the room, noting how it had been transformed. Red and white garlands of flowers were winding around the pillars that supported the room's roof. Those same flowers were crowded on the sills of the windows, and red and white petals made a covering on the floor between seats. The petals formed a carpet on which the wedding party would walk, a fragrant sea of them.

  Sunlight streamed in through the open windows, the light striking crystals on the altar behind Lezard. The crystals turned dazzling in response to the light, their colors bright and brilliant. The people present were just as colorful, all dressed in new clothing made just for this occasion. In the rear, near the eastern corner of the room, was a group of musicians. They were playing happy songs that could not drown out the conversation of the guests.

  That song would change, the first notes of a more traditional song being played. It would gain the attention of the guests, the crowd quieting down as they turned expectantly in their seats. To the rear of the room, the large ornate doors were being pulled open. The first of the bridal party would appear, women in pretty gowns hurrying to take their seats.

  It wouldn't be until Lenneth stood framed in the doorway, that the guests rose from their seats to honor her. Lezard hoped no one noticed the way he gasped, the sound soft but leaving his mouth hanging open in awe. Lenneth was beyond what he had expected, the white and silver gown only heightening her ethereal beauty. She had flowers in her hair, ones that were white with dark streaks of blue splattered on their center. She held no flowers, her hands hanging at her sides.

  Lenneth looked straight ahead, as though she did not see the crowd of people who were standing in awe of her beauty. Her shoulders were straight, her body stiff and then she began to move. Fluid grace accompanied her movements, any tension she might have felt no longer apparent. Her unbound hair flower like a cape behind her, Lenneth walking towards Lezard and the altar.

  He couldn't take his eyes off her, staring almost mesmerized at the beauty coming towards him. He had always known she was lovely, but seeing her dressed in the gown made specifically for the ceremony that would bind them together? It made his heart ache, Lezard thinking he was both damned and blessed in the moment. Blessed to have her, but damned to have deceived her.

  Lenneth was too beautiful, his heart would surely break before this ceremony ended. And then she was standing before him, her eyes not betraying any uncertainties she might be feeling.

  Somewhere behind him, a priestess appeared. She was dressed in red and black robes, and smiled constantly. She came to stand before the altar, slightly between Lezard and Lenneth. At a gesture from the priestess, they held hands, the woman beginning the ceremony as the guests retook their seats.

  The first order of business was for the priestess to invoke the Gods. Being as this was Flenceburg, there was only one deity they had to pay homage to. Lezard saw how Lenneth flinched when the priestess began calling out Hel's name, pleading with the dark Goddess to bless the marriage, to see it be fruitful. Somewhere, the smell of brimstone and sulfur leaked into the room. The people present took it as a sign that Hel was indeed blessing their Lord's union to the Valkyrie, an excited murmur going through the crowd.

  Lenneth actually tried to pull her hands away from Lezard when she scented the brimstone. Lezard gave a tight shake of his head no, eyes almost begging that she keep from making a scene. He tightened his grip on her hands, not letting Lenneth pull back from him. And all the while the priestess continued her speech, never suspecting the troubled moment between the couple she was marrying.

  "And now our Goddess demands tribute as thanks for her favor!" The priestess said, whipping off the sheet to reveal the cage. Inside it was a young deer, a fawn taken from it's mother for this dark purpose. The priestess was already working open the cage, gesturing for Lezard to approach. He let go of Lenneth's hands, and withdrew the ornamental dagger from the sheathe on his side.

  The young deer let out a baleful sound, rousing itself enough from the drugging influence of the potion it had been given. Lezard approached, and did not hesitate, knowing it was better to end it's suffering quickly. He slit the fawn's throat, the priestess catching the blood in a ceramic bowl.

  Lezard returned to Lenneth's side. She wasn't overreacting to the sacrifice they had performed in order to pay tribute to Hel. It wasn't that different from any of the other Gods, many of the deities demanding a blood sacrifice when their names were invoked for a ceremony. Sometimes, depending on the God, it was possible to not kill the sacrifice. Instead the animal would become a sacred beast, living out it's life pampered for all times. But such a thing was not possible with the Goddess Hel, the Queen demanding her price in a creature's life's blood.

  Young boys, dressed in robes that were nowhere as grand as the priestess, moved to carry the dead fawn and it's cage away. As per tradition, the deer's flesh would become part of the wedding feast so that no part of it went to waste. The blood gathered in the ceramic bowl was placed on the altar, the priestess standing before it once more. She would produce a candle, offering it to Lenneth. Lezard would use his magic to light the candle's flame, and once burning powder was mixed in with the blood, it was Lenneth who would set the sacrifice on fire.

  As the blood and powder burned, the rings would then be exchanged. These rings were inscripted with runes on the gold inside, vows meant to tide a man and woman together. It wasn't just the rings, Lezard and Lenneth would repeat the vows the priestess urged them to say, the pair making promises to each other. Lezard noticed how badly Lenneth's hand shook as she began to slide the ring on his finger. It would be the same for him, Lezard trembling as he put the ring on Lenneth.

  All smiles, the priestess held up their hands, showing off the rings on both their fingers. The gathered guests would erupt into cheers, rising to their feet in celebration. Flowers would be produced, each guest throwing them in the direction of Lezard and Lenneth, conveying their own blessings to them. The actual ceremony ended with the gathered blessing of the guests, each flower a wish for good fortune for the marriage.

  The people in attendance would leave their seats, each eager to welcome their lord's new lady officially into the kingdom. While this would go on, the servants would work to remove some of the seating, transforming the room instead into a banquet hall capable of feeding so many. Lezard stood with Lenneth on his arm, smiling nervously as people congratulated and shook his hands.

  The servants began sweeping up the flowers, the floor littered with them. Amidst all the bright and pure colors, was a wilted rose, one whose petals had been blacked by some
kind of tar. Lezard heard the gasps, saw the servants making holy signs to ward off evil spirits. None of the guests seemed to notice, but Lenneth did, reacting to the way Lezard stiffened with displeasure.

  "What is it? What's wrong?" She whispered to him.

  He didn't answer immediately, locking eyes with the smirking sorceress. Mystina gave a mocking salute to Lezard, her insolent manner making him certain she was responsible for the blackened rose.

  "It seems not all our guests would wish us well on our future..." Lezard murmured back to Lenneth. She followed his gaze, then frowned to see the smirking woman.

  "Does she really need to be here then?" Lenneth wondered out loud.

  "No, she does not." He raised his voice. "Randolf, where are you?"

  "I am here!" The big, blonde man pushed his way through the crowd. "What would you have of me?"

  "It seems Mystina is in need of an escort."

  "An escort?" Randolf frowned, not understanding.

  "Yes." Lezard smirked. "See to it that she's taken back to her room and kept there until morning."

  Randolf didn't bother to ask questions, merely bowing with a smile. "It shall be done my Lord." He glanced at Lenneth. "Congratulations on your match, Lady Lenneth."

  "Thank you Randolf." Lenneth said, polite in the moment. He would straighten from his bow, then disappear back into the crowd. Lezard would hide a smile at Mystina's outrage squeak, Randolf manhandling her much the way he had Lezard earlier. Lezard was glad to see Mystina leave, hoping that would put an end to any strife on this day. Or at least, most of the strife, Lezard glancing at Lenneth worriedly. He didn't know what would happen come evening. How Lenneth would react should he make a move on her. But he would try not to worry, and instead concentrate on the feasting and games that would soon take place. It was perhaps the only way he could keep his peace of mind, by allowing the day's festivities to distract him from his worries and problems.