Then I felt myself frown when the realization she’d be there in a few hours sunk in. I hadn’t even considered what to make her. I wasn’t even sure what she liked. The only things I really knew about her pertained to her role as my warband leader, and they definitely didn’t involve fancy dinners.
I’d pined after Eira for years, ever since I’d been assigned to her warband, and now my dream was becoming a reality. She’d soon be at my home eating food I made for her, and my stomach turned just thinking about it.
I had to impress her, which meant I needed something delicious and extravagant. Eira was a difficult woman to impress, so I’d have to work extra hard to earn her affection.
“I’m going to run down to the water,” I said decisively. “We’ll have some shellfish with our Kingsbird.”
“Sounds delicious.” Asta smiled. “I can make some tea to go with dinner, too, if you’d like?”
“That sounds great,” I assured her. “And I’ll make sure there’s plenty of mead for all of us.”
I didn’t know if I could have my warband leader at my house without needing a drink or two.
“Thank you, Rath,” Asta said sweetly.
“I’ll be back soon,” I told the girls. “Keep an eye on the dragons.”
“Of course,” Kas assured me.
Uffe was curled up in Kas’ lap while Inger and Blar flew around the courtyard and played. I wouldn’t be gone long, and I was sure the girls would be able to handle the little dragons for a while.
I went into the cottage and pulled out the box where I kept my coins. Then I pulled several silver ones out and put them into my pocket. I’d catch our shellfish myself, but I thought I’d go by the market and see if there was anything special I wanted to get for dinner.
I grabbed my fishing net, and then I was off toward the ocean near Asgard.
The walk down to the water wasn’t too long, but I kept up the pace and enjoyed the sunshine on my face as I went. Once I got to the water, I found a spot with no one around and cast my net. While I waited, I looked out at the water and admired how beautiful it was.
The late afternoon sun reflected on the deep blue of the ocean, and the waves gently crashed against the shore at my feet.
I took a deep breath and breathed in the salty air.
Nothing was in my net yet, so I sat down, took off my sandals, and pushed my toes into the sand. The tiny damp grains covered my feet, and beneath the surface they were cool and bumpy.
A few minutes passed, and I pulled my net out of the water to reveal three large crustaceans. It was a good start, but I’d need several more so I had plenty for everyone. We’d have Kingsbird to go with dinner, too, but I didn’t want to come off as stingy. Besides, I was catching our dinner, so I could afford to take a little bit of extra time.
I pulled the shellfish out of the net, put them into my bag, cast the net out again, and then sat back down in the sand.
While I waited for the net to get full again, I gripped my amulet and closed my eyes. I tried to focus on harnessing my abilities, but I didn’t see anything like I had last time. I wondered if the dragons knew I could see through their eyes, if they could sense my presence. Did they have to be open to my magic for me to see through them, or was it all up to me?
I shook my head and focused back on the sea in front of me. I needed to distract myself, or I would overthink and block my own abilities. It was like the time someone asked me how I flipped my sword in my hand, so I’d tried to figure out exactly how I did it, only to not be able to do it at all for an entire day. I couldn’t think about it too much, I had to feel it and let it come naturally. Nidhug had told me to trust my abilities and my intuition, and that was exactly what I planned to do.
It wasn’t long until I had a few crustaceans each, for Asta, Kas, Eira, and myself. I’d even caught enough for Inger, Uffe, and Blar to have their own. I didn’t think the little dragons would be too happy about sharing since they tended to eat as much as a full-grown adult, if not more.
I constantly caught Blar stealing fruit or vegetables from the garden, but I knew he was still growing, and he needed as much sustenance as he could get his paws on. I wasn’t sure exactly what dragons ate out in the wild, but Blar did a lot of fighting and walking and playing, so it made sense he was hungry all the time. Besides, fruits and vegetables grew in my garden constantly, so it was never a big deal for him to eat as much as he desired.
I did worry about when he got larger, but I’d concern myself more with that when the time came. He grew by the day, and I knew it wouldn’t take long for him to get as big as I was, and then even bigger. I thought about when he’d first hatched and how he’d fit inside my satchel. Those days were long gone, and he would soon be as massive as Ove or Nidhug, I could feel it.
I gathered up my net, and then I picked up my satchel full of crustaceans so I could head to the market. It would be evening soon, so I hurried up the hill to the vendors and looked around.
The market was bustling with people just then, and it appeared to be dinner time. There were families and couples all gathered around the food vendor booths, and I could smell the delicious aromas they exuded as I walked.
“Hey,” one of the vendors called out to me.
I nodded hello, but the guy waved his hand for me to come over.
“Oh, I’m not interested.” I shook my head. “Sorry.”
“You lookin to sell those?” the dark-haired guy asked with a point at my satchel.
“No, sorry.” I smiled. “These are for my own dinner.”
“I’ll give you five pieces of copper a piece,” he offered.
“Maybe some other time,” I chuckled.
“She must be a pretty girl.” He grinned. “Too many for just the two of you, though.”
“She is,” I laughed. “But so are the other two ladies I’m eating with.”
“You’ve gotta have almost a dozen in there,” he pushed, and he spread his arms out slightly and gestured at the bag. “Come on, just sell me a couple. I ran out just earlier, and people are still hungry.”
“I’m sorry,” I repeated. “My dogs have to eat, too.”
“Alright,” the man chuckled. “But those look good, so you bring me one of your catches anytime. The offer stands.”
“I appreciate that,” I told the guy with a wave, and then I continued down the street and looked at all the wares for sale.
I thought about using the money to get Eira something, but I didn’t want to come across as too eager. I was already making her dinner, and the last thing I wanted to do was make her feel uncomfortable. If she didn’t consider this to be a date, then I didn’t want to make things awkward by acting like it was.
Instead, I found a vendor who sold specialty herbs from different realms. The woman was very kind, and she picked out a couple different bunches and said they would pair well with my crustaceans.
The herbs smelled delicious, just their scent was enough to make my mouth water, so I bought the bunches she’d picked out for me as well as a couple more I picked out myself. I could already tell they would be a great addition to the dinner I was going to make. Eira may be difficult to impress, but I’d learned over the years that good food was one way to impress just about anybody.
It didn’t matter where someone was from, or what lineage they had, everyone appreciated a good meal.
I smiled and whistled to myself as I made the trek back home, and when I arrived, I found Asta and Kas in the grass where I’d left them. Uffe laid between them curled up into a ball, and Blar and Inger had clearly tuckered themselves out because they were asleep in the yard near the apple tree. Judging by the size of their bellies, though, it was also possible they’d taken advantage of the fact that Asta and Kas were so distracted, and they’d managed to eat their weight in fruit.
“Rath,” Kas said when she looked up and saw me. “Back so soon?”
“I’ve been gone for a good chunk of the day,” I chuckled. “You two must have been stud
ying hard.”
“We were,” Asta assured me. “But we also washed the suit Preyna gave you. It’s inside.”
“Yes.” Kas nodded. “We thought you might want to look nice.”
“I see.” I smiled. “Thank you.”
“You should take a bath, too,” Asta suggested. “You have plenty of time.”
“I was going to start dinner,” I said.
“It’s not evening quite yet,” Kas countered. “I think Asta’s right. You have plenty of time. Go, wash, you’ll feel better afterward.”
“Alright,” I agreed. I didn’t want to start dinner too early and have Eira show up when it was already cold, so perhaps it was better if I waited for a while.
Besides, a bath sounded nice.
I went into the cottage and got the fire going to heat up the water. Once that was done, I undressed, took the braid out of my hair, and turned the water on. The tub filled with steaming hot water, and I waited until it was halfway full already before I stepped in and sunk down.
The hot water on my sore muscles felt amazing, and I leaned back and allowed the water from the faucet to fall onto my head for a moment to wet my hair.
Once the tub was full, I shut the water off and closed my eyes as I leaned back. Then I allowed myself to just enjoy the water for a few moments before I scrubbed my body clean and washed my hair. I didn’t want to spend too much time in the bath since I wasn’t sure when Eira would arrive, but the girls were right, it felt good to get nice and clean.
After I got out of the bath, I shaved my face and the sides of my head, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and put on the clothes the girls had cleaned for me. Beyer’s robes fit nicely, and the gray and black matched my eyes well.
I felt good, and my mind was clear, which allowed me to focus on dinner.
First, I gathered some fruit and vegetables from the garden, and then I formed some flour, water, and lard into a dough and lined the bottom of one of my pans. I filled it with some freshly peeled fruit and a little bit of water before I covered it and set it on the coals of the fire to cook. The pie would need the longest amount of time, and I wanted to make sure it was ready in time for dessert.
After that was finished, I cut up my vegetables, sauteed them over the flames, and then added in the herbs I’d bought from the market. The dish came alive with the scent of them, and my mouth began to water instantaneously. I added the Kingsbird meat to the vegetables and covered the pan so it would cook slowly, and lastly, I brought a large pot of water to boil and added the crustaceans along with the other bunch of herbs I’d bought at the market.
“Yum,” Asta said as she and Kas walked over. “It smells delicious.”
“Yeah, how come you never cook for us like that?” Kas teased.
“He cooks for us every day.” Asta blinked at Kas.
“Asta, I was teasing,” the Valkyrie laughed.
“Oh, yes, that’s right.” The elf girl smiled and tried to pretend she knew it the whole time.
“You look very handsome,” Kas said as she sat down across from me. The twilight had begun, and the sun cast a golden glow all over the land so her strawberry-blonde curls looked extra shimmery.
“Thank you.” I smiled. “So do you.”
“I look handsome?” Kas laughed and raised an eyebrow at me.
“You know what I meant.” I smirked.
“Thank you,” the Valkyrie chuckled.
Uffe walked over and plopped down by Kas’ feet, and a moment later Inger made her way over and climbed up into Asta’s lap. Blar found his way to us as well, but instead of laying down like his fellow little dragons, he instead walked over to the dessert dish on the coals of the fire and sniffed at it.
“Blar,” I warned. “That’s for after dinner.”
The little dragon rolled his eyes at me and laid down right by the dish. Apparently, he thought if he was closest to it that meant he’d get served first.
“Oh, Rath,” Asta giggled. “I think our guest has arrived.”
Asta looked over my shoulder, and I turned to see Eira standing near the break in the trees that led to our home.
“Eira,” I said, and my eyes widened as I took in the sight of her.
The redhead’s long hair hung down to her waist, and it seemed to glow with the gold of the twilight. Her beautiful tan skin was luminous, and the dress she wore showed it off well. Until today, I’d only ever seen her in warband outfits, but tonight she wore a long green strapless dress with a slit all the way up the thigh. It was tied at the waist with a golden rope that matched her gold sandals, and she wore the red owl pendant she’d bought from Ramir earlier in the day.
I wasn’t sure if it was makeup or not, but her green eyes looked extra large and beautiful, and her plump pink lips glistened and beckoned to be kissed.
“Hello, Rath,” the warband leader said with a half-smile, and she walked across the courtyard to where I sat. “Are you going to get up and greet me?”
“Oh, I…” I stood up but couldn’t take my eyes off her. It was hard to think with her standing in front of me looking absolutely stunning. My heart rate was out of control, my palms were sweaty, and my stomach was in knots.
“You look beautiful!” Asta exclaimed as she bounced over to us. “Please, come sit. It smells like dinner is nearly ready.”
“Asta’s right, you look gorgeous,” Kas agreed as Asta placed Eira on the bench next to me.
“Thank you.” The powerful warband leader smiled, and her green eyes caught mine as she leaned down to fix her shoe.
Her full breasts nearly popped out of the top of her dress when she bent over, and I swallowed and tried to tear my eyes away.
“Welcome to our home,” I finally managed to say. “The girls are right, you look lovely.”
“I don’t get out often,” Eira said, and she lifted her chin up slightly. “I figured I should dress for the occasion. I see you felt the same way.”
The redhead gestured to my outfit, and I’d nearly forgotten I was wearing dress robes, but right then I was glad I was. Eira looked elegant, and if I’d worn my usual attire, I would have felt completely underdressed.
Blar walked over to Eira and sniffed her hand.
“Oh, hello.” Eira smiled and reached out to pet the little dragon. “Blar, right?”
“Right.” I nodded.
“You left the spell on,” the redhead pointed out.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Kas said, and she stood up. “I meant to remove it before you got here.”
“That’s quite alright,” Eira told her. “I’m sure you all are busy. Something is keeping Rath from the warband, so I figure you all must still be doing important work for the council.”
“Something like that,” I agreed.
Kas pulled out the dragon scales from her satchel and held them in her hands while she closed her eyes and whispered something in the old language. Red sparkles swirled around the scales and then made their way to the little dragons.
I watched Eira’s green eyes light up as the spell faded, and she was able to see the little dragons for what they were.
Blar was at her feet, and Uffe was at Kas’ feet still while Inger was on Asta’s lap.
“Incredible,” Eira breathed as she looked back and forth between all the dragons. “They’re marvelous.”
“They’re super cute, right?” Asta smiled and scratched Inger’s head.
“I suppose they’re cute,” Eira chuckled. “They are small now, but dragons are magnificent, ancient creatures, and they deserve much respect.”
“I guess I never realized what a proponent of dragons you were,” I said.
“It’s not something I speak about much,” the redhead admitted. “But it’s the reason the council chose me to assist you with your quest. I’ve gathered some eggs for them before on missions.”
“You have?” I asked, and my eyes widened with surprise.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” Eira smiled in the sexiest way, and the
n she absentmindedly reached up to grip the necklace that sat between her breasts.
I watched her fingers stroke her silky skin, and my stomach turned again.
“Yes.” I swallowed. “There is a lot I don’t know about you yet.”
“What’s your favorite color?” Asta asked, and she batted her yellow eyes with utter innocence.
“I’m sorry?” Eira laughed and raised an eyebrow at the white-haired elf girl.
“I just thought we could get to know each other better,” Asta explained. “My favorite color is yellow, but not because of my eyes, it’s because of the sunshine. But I like my eyes because they’re yellow, too. What’s your favorite color?”
Eira looked at me with narrowed eyes of amusement, and then she turned back to the elf girl. It was clear the warband leader hadn’t been asked her favorite color in a long time, probably since she was a child, and she found the bubbly elf girl’s question ridiculous but humorous.
“I suppose my favorite color is red,” Eira said with a sweet smile. “But not because of my hair, it’s because of the blood of my enemies. But I like my hair because it’s red, too.”
“Oh.” Asta stared at the warband leader with a combination of fear and confusion on her face.
“Rath.” Eira turned to smile at me. “What’s your favorite color?”
“Blue,” I answered concisely and confidently.
“Fitting you have a blue dragon, then,” she chuckled.
“Actually, he’s the reason for it,” I explained. “I didn’t really have a favorite color until him.”
“I see your new amulet is blue.” Eira gestured to my neck. “I’ve never seen you wear that before.”
“I just got it today,” I told her. “I’ve never seen you wear jewelry before, either, it looks good on you.”
“Yes, well, thank you.” Eira looked down and cleared her throat slightly. She tried to hide it, but I could see her cheeks were flushed slightly from my compliment, and that observation only made my palms sweat harder.
Blar walked over and sat in front of me. He looked back at the fire where dinner still was and then back at me.
“I believe he’s hungry,” Eira laughed.
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