Dragons of Asgard

by Logan Jacobs

  “Twenty-five,” the woman grunted, and she crossed her large arms

  over her chest.

  “Seventeen?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Twenty-two,” she countered, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

  “Twenty.”

  “Deal,” she agreed, and she grabbed the tunic from the wall and

  handed it over to me when I passed her the money.

  “Here,” I said as I handed the cloth to Asta. “It’s yours.

  “Oh, thank you, Rath,” the elf girl gasped, and she looked as if she

  might cry. “This… none have ever been so kind… Thank you.”

  “No problem,” I chuckled. “Now, let’s go find you some armor.”

  I wrapped my arm over Asta’s shoulders, and then I led the slender elf

  to one of the vendors with armor. Once we were there, I watched until her

  eyes fell onto a pair of dark metal colored forearm guards. The set hung

  neatly on the wall, along with a matching chest plate, shin guards, and headband.

  “It’s too much,” she sighed before I even looked at the price tag.

  “It’s fine,” I said as I gestured to the smith to come and assist us.

  “Hello, warrior,” he said with a short bow, and then he turned his eyes

  toward Asta and raised his bushy eyebrows.

  “This Ljosalfar is mine,” I growled as I flexed the bicep I still had

  wrapped around her slim shoulders. “I claimed her in combat, and she is

  bound to me.”

  “Ahh, very well,” he murmured as he bowed to me again.

  “This armor looks to fit her,” I said as I nodded to what Asta had been

  eyeing.

  “All of it?” he asked, and his eyes flickered uncertainly. “For her?”

  “She is special,” I growled. “Do you wish to make a sale or not?”

  “Fine, fifteen gold,” he said.

  “Seven,” I countered.

  “I couldn’t part with it for less than twelve.”

  “I’m a banner warrior, on a mission for the council. They approve of

  my elf-woman. She will wear it for Odin. Ten.”

  “Very well,” he sighed before he bowed to me, took the armor down,

  put it in a bag, and then accepted my coin.

  “Thank you!” Asta gushed as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

  “This… You are a good man. You are protecting me with armor. It is more

  than anyone has ever done before for me.”

  “It’s fine,” I chuckled, but she kept her arms wrapped around my neck

  as she pulled away, and her yellow eyes drifted down to my lips.

  “It’s more than fine,” she whispered just above the sound of the crowd

  around me. “You called me your woman… Is that something you want?”

  “I--”

  “It looks like you two are getting along,” Kas suddenly laughed from

  behind me, and my answer to the elf’s question caught in my mouth.

  “You’re back,” I said, and then Asta dropped her hands from my neck

  so Kas and I could kiss briefly.

  “Did you get the armor you wanted?” Asta asked as she smiled at the

  strawberry blonde Valkyrie.

  “I did.” Kas nodded, but she looked down at the large satchel on her

  hip with a frown. “There’s a bit of a problem, though.”

  “What is it?” I asked, and my eyebrows pulled together with concern.

  “My father told me this armor was specifically made for my mother,”

  the blonde explained. “It’s enchanted with her essence. I’ll be able to use it since I’m her daughter, but only for a short period of time.”

  “How long?” I inquired.

  “A few hours, at most,” Kas said, and she bit her lip. “After that, it

  could actually weaken me instead of making me stronger.”

  “That’s not good,” I replied.

  “I still want to use it, though,” Kas sighed. “It’s the only armor I have,

  and it was my mother’s. I’d like to feel close to her.”

  “You can use it for however long you can,” I told her. “But we’ll get

  you some new armor as well for when we go out traveling.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Kas muttered, and she looked down.

  “I want to,” I whispered as I lifted her chin up to look at me.

  “Thank you,” the blonde said with a small smile.

  “This will be fun!” Asta exclaimed and bounced on her toes.

  “We still need to find you a weapon,” I told her.

  “Okay,” the elf girl agreed. “But we should get Kas’ armor first, I’ve

  already got mine.”

  “Good idea.” I smiled.

  “And yours?” Kas asked as she dragged her eyes down my torso.

  “Have you gotten yourself new armor yet?”

  “Not yet,” I said. “But I will.”

  “Yes, you will,” Kas chuckled, and she turned to smile at Asta. “And

  Asta and I will help you pick it out.”

  “Ooh, I like market shopping,” Asta gasped, and she clapped her hands

  together a few times.

  I smiled at the girls and let them lead the way back down to the

  clothing section so we could pick out something for Kas and myself.

  Whatever the next day’s adventure would bring, I was glad I would have the

  two of them by my side.

  The next morning, I led Kas and Asta to the hall where my warband

  gathered before raids. When I walked in with the two of them, and Blar at my

  feet, of course, I saw several of the men’s eyes grow wide, including Hagar’s.

  The behemoth of a man looked like he was about to open his mouth to say

  something stupid, but Eira stepped up to me, then, and he closed it quickly.

  “Volrath,” my warband leader greeted me by my proper name. Her

  long copper-red hair was pulled back into its usual braids, except for two

  small ones that hung down by her face, and she regarded me with cool green

  eyes before she turned her attention to Kas and Asta. “I was told you and two

  companions would be joining us.”

  “Three,” Asta corrected, and I quickly shot her a look that said ‘don’t speak.’

  “Yes,” Eira said, and she looked down at Blar. “Three.”

  “I presume the elders briefed you,” I said in a low voice so no one else

  in the hall would be able to hear.

  “Yes,” Eira agreed as she pursed her lips. “I know of your mission.”

  “They are skilled, I promise,” I told her with a slight bow.

  “I should hope so,” she muttered, then she stared right at Kas and Asta.

  “Rath vouches for you, but I do hope you prove to be as skilled a fighter as

  he is.”

  “We will do our best,” Kas promised as she inclined her head.

  “If you’ve seen Rath fight, then you know what is expected of you,”

  Eira said, then she turned to nod at me. “You got new armor.”

  “I did,” I agreed, and I looked down at my new outfit the girls had

  helped me to pick out. I wore a black tunic that fit nicer than any of my usual

  ones and a steel breastplate with leather and steel forearm guards. I’d also

  upgraded to a two-handed axe. Eventually, I would get an Ulfberht sword,

  but that would have to wait. I’d made sure to use our coins wisely so each of

  us gained a new set of armor and a new weapon. Kas wouldn’t wear hers

  today, since she’d insisted on wearing her mother’s armor and using her

  sword, but she’d need the new outfit next time we went adventuring, so I was happy to get it for her.


  Asta now wore the pale-yellow tunic she’d picked out the day before

  that matched her eyes perfectly. She had forearm guards, a chest plate, and a

  headband to protect her from potential blows while also hiding her pointed

  ears from the rest of the warband. All of her armor was made of matching

  dark gray steel that looked nearly black. It was a stark contrast against her

  white hair and pale skin, but it made her look all the more intriguing. Her

  long white hair was pulled back into a large braid that hung down past her

  waist, but a few flyaways framed her face and brought attention to her small,

  upturned nose and pouty, pink lips. She looked absolutely beautiful. Her new

  blade hung at her hip, a short sword that fit in her hands nicely, and was well

  crafted. It was nothing fancy, but it would help her protect herself, especially

  since I’d shown her a few moves the night before.

  Kas looked like an absolute goddess in her mother’s armor. The new

  tunic and armor I’d gotten her were nothing special compared to the

  enchanted armor that belonged to her mother, but even with all of our coins,

  there would have been no way I could have purchased her anything close to

  how valuable it was. The armor was pure mithril and extremely detailed. It

  consisted of two vambraces for the forearms, two bicep guards, and golden

  greaves that swirled around her shins. The most magnificent piece, though,

  was the headband. It came down in a V in the center of her forehead, then made its way into her honey colored hair, only to have a large golden wing

  spring out from each side of her head. Kas’ hair was in its usual mane of

  blonde sunrise, and it framed her face perfectly. She wore a simple white

  tunic underneath the armor that came to her mid-thigh, and her father had

  given her mother’s sword to use as well. It was a blade enchanted to be less

  heavy than it actually was, which was a good thing, because without that I

  wasn’t sure the small sorceress would have been able to pick it up.

  Since we were headed to Jotunheim, Kas had enchanted our clothes to

  keep us warm even in the harsh weather, and she’d made Blar a small jacket

  which she enchanted as well.

  We’d spent the evening practicing, which mostly was me instructing

  the girls on how to use their new weapons, and issuing commands to Blar.

  Asta and Kas had picked up on the moves quickly, so now I just hoped they

  remembered them once we actually went into battle. I wasn’t worried about

  Blar, though, because as long as he stayed on my shoulders, he would be fine.

  I didn’t want him running around the battlefield, but he refused to be left

  behind, so I figured shoulders were the best bet, even though he was slowly

  but surely becoming too large for them. It would work for today, and right

  now that was all that mattered.

  “I like the armor,” Eira said, which drew my attention back to the

  present moment.

  “Thank you,” I told her sincerely. She was even more beautiful every

  time I saw her, and she was a fearsome leader, so I was lucky to be a part of

  her warband.

  “And your… dog,” she said, and she glanced down at Blar. “He won’t

  be a problem?”

  “Not at all,” I assured her.

  “And your Ljosalfar?” she asked as she narrowed her emerald eyes at

  Asta.

  “She is fine,” I confirmed.

  “You’ll have to explain how you got an elf slave who will follow you

  into combat,” Eira said as she continued to stare at the snow-haired elven

  beauty.

  “Perhaps after this battle,” I said. “You do not need to worry about my

  women, or my dog.”

  “I trust you.” Eira nodded as she finally looked away from Asta. “Get

  your companions some shields from the pile. We leave in ten minutes.”

  “Thank you,” I told her as she turned to walk away, and she glanced

  back at me with a small smile.

  “She’s quite intimidating, isn’t she?” Asta muttered after Eira had

  gone. “I felt as if she would have cut me in half without a moment’s

  hesitation.”

  “She’s nice once you get to know her,” I said with a shrug. “You two

  wait here with Blar, I’m going to get you a couple of shields from the pile.”

  Before they could respond, I headed to the end of the hall where the

  discarded weapons and shields were. Some of them were broken or badly

  beaten up, but others were ones that had been stolen from rival tribes as

  backups in case anyone needed something on short notice. I started to pick

  through the pile until I found two plain wooden shields that were in good

  condition. I grabbed the two of them and turned around to head back to the

  girls, but instead I ran directly into Hagar.

  “Rath,” he chuckled. “I see you brought some friends with you today.”

  “I did,” I said calmly. “These shields are for them, and I’d like to make

  sure they get them before we leave.”

  “You can go in a second,” the giant man told me, “but first you have to

  tell me how a male of your status managed to find two such beautiful

  women.”

  “I don’t have to tell you anything,” I growled. Typically, I put up with

  Hagar’s bullshit because he wasn’t the brightest star in the sky, and he

  usually was harmless, but I refused to put up with nasty talk about the girls.

  They were ladies and deserved to be treated as such.

  “Aw, come on,” he laughed and shoved me playfully. “We’re all dying

  to know how you managed to get such pretty girls to go anywhere with a

  loser like you. Especially an elf. They are pure magic.”

  “It’d be better than going anywhere with the likes of you,” Kas’ voice

  chimed in from behind Hagar, and he turned around with a shocked face to

  see her and Asta standing nearby.

  “It’s true,” Asta agreed as she lifted her nose up into the air. “You are

  not very pleasant to look at.”

  “Alright,” I said as I watched Hagar’s face drop, and I walked over and

  pushed the girls back toward where I’d left them.

  “That guy’s a prick,” Kas grumbled, and she turned around to glare at

  Hagar, who still stood stunned while the rest of the men snickered at him

  now.

  “He is,” I chuckled. “But I think you two managed to hurt his feelings,

  so we’ll call it even for now.”

  “I can enchant him to look like an ogre or something if you want,” the

  sorceress offered.

  “That’s not necessary,” I laughed.

  I knew the girls meant well, and I wouldn’t have allowed Hagar to talk

  about them in any sort of derogatory way, but I didn’t mind his insults and quips. He was an asshole, but I’d overhead the men at the bar poke fun at his

  intellect. I knew he picked on me to make himself feel better, and since my

  own self esteem didn’t rely on the opinions of others, I didn’t put too much

  stock into it.

  Still, I appreciated the girls trying to help, but we had enough going on

  at the moment without having to worry about dealing with Hagar as well.

  And if Eira caught word Kas and Asta were causing problems, then it would

  be my head on the chopping block. There was no fighti
ng amongst brothers,

  and that included them.

  “To the Bifrost!” Eira announced suddenly, and she started to lead the

  men out the door.

  I held Blar, Asta, and Kas back at the end of the line with me. We

  would do our part in battle, but our top priority was to retrieve the egg, and

  there were always the men who rushed to the front anyways, so there was no

  use in trying to push our way in. On top of that, Asta and Kas were new to

  battle, and I wanted to make sure they would be safe and protected.

  Depending on how things went, they would have to be able to defend

  themselves somewhat, and they knew that, but I would do all I possibly could

  to protect them.

  We walked through the streets of Asgard with the rest of the warband,

  and as we passed by people, they hollered to us to show their support. Once we got to the bridge that led to the Bifrost, I called Blar up to my shoulders.

  Our warband had never been chosen to fight an enemy outside of Asgard

  before, and I knew Eira would consider this a great honor, but it would also

  be a new experience for a lot of the men with us. I looked forward to seeing

  how they did, but mostly I looked forward to finding the egg the elders had

  sent us after.

  It felt strange to use the Bifrost to look for eggs since we’d avoided it

  for so long, but it did make things easier. You knew exactly where you’d

  wind up when you used the Bifrost, and unlike the portals, you could come

  back through any time without the worry of being stuck there if the portal

  closed while you looked around. As odd as it was, and though I didn’t fully

  trust the elders still, I was still excited at the possibility of finding an egg,

  even if I’d have to turn it over afterwards.

  We waited patiently until it was our turn to step into the glittering

  rainbow bridge, then both Asta and Kas grabbed my hands, and with Blar on

  my shoulders, we stepped onto it together.

  For half a moment, the colors spun, the stars twinkled, and the sound

  of harps entered my ears as the rainbow bridge took us to the next world.

  Then it was just the howling winds.

  The Bifrost brought us to a completely different part of Jotunheim than we’d ended up at when we went through the portal in the countryside. Here,

  it was all rock and dark blue skies. I could see mountains in the distance with

  snow on them, but we were in some sort of valley, so even though the air was