by D. R. Grady
Raene nudged her. “She’s an Aasguard warrior.”
Eyes widening, Stefana gasped. “Are you certain?”
“If she had a dragon, then she’s an Aasguard. She also wouldn’t still be alive if she wasn’t Aasguard.”
“I want to learn to fight.” Stefana gnawed her bottom lip.
Lajos must have overheard them. “We will be teaching you all the skills you require to defend yourself.” He brushed a commiserating hand down Ari’s back. “And yes, Ari is Aasguard.”
Stefana gazed at this accomplished woman and wanted to be just like her. “She’s my hero.”
A small laugh broke from Ari’s throat. “Thank you. Although I’m feeling discouraged and sad right now.”
“Of course you are. You’re mourning your companion.” Raene welcomed their visitor and new guest with all the graciousness of the queen she was.
“You can help me guard Stefana.” Satisfaction laced Lajos’ words.
“Maybe we should give her some time to sleep.” Stefana didn’t like the way the woman swayed.
“I do need sleep.”
“And food.” Vidar tapped the crystal console to signal a servant while she and Raene steered the swaying woman to a nearby chair. Ari adjusted her sword in the exact same manner as Vidar and Lajos. As though she’d been doing so for so long, she didn’t even need to think about the movement any longer.
“Three of you from your family were chosen to be Aasguard warriors?”
“Yes. A great honor for our family.” A peek of misery wafted off Ari.
Stefana rubbed her hands.
“You need to meet Aern and Fricassa.” She didn’t know where that had come from.
Ari swung toward her brothers. “Your dragons are here?”
“They are. And they will very much wish to meet you.”
“They’re in love, so it shouldn’t be too much longer before you can have a new dragon companion.” Mischief emanated from Raene in waves.
Everyone smiled at Ari’s laugh. “Thank you. That gives me much hope.”
“Right now, little sister, you’re needed here.” Lajos’ tone brooked no argument.
A knock sounded at the door. Vidar ushered in a servant wheeling a cart piled with dishes.
He parked the food in front of Ari and Vidar assured the man they’d ring for him again when she finished.
Both men uncovered dishes for her and urged her to eat.
Stefana couldn’t resist leaning over to whisper to Raene, “What’s the opposite of hen pecked?”
“Rooster pecked?” They both dissolved into giggles.
“We heard that.” Lajos speared them with a pretend frown.
His mock displeasure set them off again.
Their lightheartedness appeared to wrap around Ari because while she didn’t eat as heartily as they expected, the tense line running through her body did ease. She finished before her brothers thought she should, so Raene inserted herself between the men and their sister.
“She needs sleep. There will be a meal awaiting her upon her awakening.” Raene appeared ready to escort the woman to a bedchamber herself.
“Is there room in Stefana’s bedchamber for another bed?” Lajos asked the room at random.
“Yes, there’s a small alcove in my chamber that I don’t use. It would fit another bed. But why?”
“If I bunk with you, I’ll be able to protect and defend you during the night. Where it sounds as though you’re still vulnerable.” Ari’s shoulders straightened. She stood and while lacking a spring in her step, she did walk a little lighter.
Raene tugged out her crystal and sent a message. “Stuart will have someone set up and make a bed for you. It makes sense for the two of you to share a room.”
“This doesn’t seem hospitable at all.” Stefana couldn’t quell her protest.
Four sets of determined eyes landed on her. Her shoulders twitched, as she lifted her chin. “She is a guest of the queen and king. Shouldn’t her comfort be our first priority?”
“I’m Aasguard. We don’t worry about comfort.” Ari’s tone matched Lajos’ at his most firm.
Since Stefana banged into that tone frequently, she recognized when to back off.
“Our priority is the safety of others or whatever we’re guarding.” Vidar was more kind.
“This is what we do.” Ari must have picked up on Stefana’s discomfort. “We’re trained to do our job. I’ll be sleeping in a castle. It’s been ages since I’ve had this privilege.”
“She’s not joking. The conditions in which we live are not of concern to us.” Both Vidar and Ari’s affirmative nods confirmed Lajos’ pronouncement.
“Very well. We shall see to your comfort while you’re here. We do appreciate your service.” Raene’s gentle bow was matched by Ari.
“I’m thankful to have family to come to during this time.” Ari was as formal, but as sincere as Raene.
“Since I sleep there, I shall show Ari to our chamber.”
Lajos followed them, which she had suspected. He fell silently into step with them but didn’t interfere. His eyes remained restless as though he expected more kidnappers to drop from the arched ceiling. If she were honest with herself, Stefana would admit to a similar imagination.
She did not wish to repeat the hideous experience.
Her newest companion strolled through the hallways and corridors as silently and gracefully as Lajos and Vidar. Stefana envied Ari’s warrior garb. Her hair was long, but that appeared to be the only concession she made to being a female.
“I am a woman, so I do give in to one bout of female vanity.” Ari sent her a rueful smile.
“Did you just read my mind?”
“No, but Aasguards can read intentions and the like. Yours were very close to the surface.”
“I would enjoy wearing warrior garb. Not that I don’t enjoy wearing court dress, but these long gowns do hinder.”
“Such as when you’re kidnapped.”
Her heart rate increased. “Yes. Warrior clothing might have made the experience more bearable.”
Ari’s snort remained completely feminine. “Court dress is certainly not designed with ease of use in mind.”
Stefana wished the warrior woman would go into further detail, but by then they had reached the bedchamber. Her rooms appeared crowded.
Stuart must have called every available man in the castle.
“Princess.” One of the men caught sight of her and they all paused.
“Hello, and please carry on.” She tried to remain unobtrusive. “This is Ari, King Vidar’s sister. Like our king and his brother Lajos, she is Aasguard.”
Respect flared in the room as all the men continued setting up the bed. It fit into the alcove perfectly and would offer the woman some privacy, but still be close enough in an emergency.
Her stomach roiled at the very thought.
Then she glanced at the tall, silent warrior at her side. He wasn’t about to allow anyone to snatch her again. Lajos had taken her abduction as a personal insult. It hadn’t been his fault. This chamber had been safeguarded. The betrayal continued to sting.
No one else would be permitted to snatch her ever again.
Her stomach stopped the gyrations as two chambermaids snapped fresh sheets onto the bed with the air of women who had done this sort of thing before.
The blankets and comforter that followed made Ari’s eyes widen. “Those are luxurious.” She fingered the material. “This is far too nice for me.”
Stefana placed a hand on her arm. “Welcome to Montequirst.”
The woman’s luggage consisted of a small sack containing a few changes of clothing, the most basic of hygienic items, and sword cleaning materials.
“This is all you’ve brought?”
“It’s all I own. At least for clothing and the like.”
Lajos indicated the sack with his chin. “This is how we live. None of us have need for more than a few basics.”
“Minimalis
m is taught us from the moment we began training as warriors.” Ari stroked the comforter again.
“We all earn plenty of wealth, but there’s very little need for it.” He exchanged a look with his sister.
Stefana struggled to wrap her mind around that. “What happens to your wealth then?”
“We pass it on to family or charities.” Ari’s shrug was nonchalant. As though it didn’t matter.
As soon as the bed was set up, the men cleared out of the room. Once the maids finished making the bed, they also exited.
Now the two warriors and she stood awkwardly looking at each other. Stefana remembered her manners.
“Oh, do excuse me. I shall show you the bath and the wardrobe.” Stefana led the way into the bathroom. While not fancy, it was a nice space. She had seen Vidar and Raene’s new luxurious bath, and this didn’t compete, but she liked it.
“This is amazing.” Ari gazed at every surface, gawking. “I’ve never seen so nice a bath.”
This left Stefana blinking. “Don’t venture into Raene and Vidar’s new one.”
Lajos spoke from the entrance into the bathroom. “They’re the king and queen. They deserve that nice a suite.”
“I agree. You do not wish to hear some of the meetings they must endure.”
“Did Raene remove that little man from her counsel yet?”
“Yes. A few days ago. He wasn’t happy about it, but Vidar supported her and forced the issue. She didn’t trust him. I’m not certain why Margina did.” Stefana tugged out a few things for Ari.
“She didn’t.” Raene’s voice floated behind them, from the bedchamber. “She kept him close because she didn’t trust him. He had been cheating her and she had compiled precise records. We have now rectified the situation.”
“It was time.” Lajos made this sound very final.
A small shiver swept over Stefana, but she refused to succumb to the chill. She’d be bundled off to bed with a hot water bottle, thermometer, and camphor rub before she had a moment to protest.
Ari herded them all out of the bath, and hefting her bag, shut the door behind them.
“Do you think she’ll be all right?” Stefana glanced up at Lajos.
He pondered the shut door, but eventually nodded. “I believe this is exactly what she needs.”
“I agree.” Raene hugged her and then left the room after a quick smile to Lajos.
That left her alone in her bedchamber with her bodyguard.
“Are you planning to join Raene and Vidar in the library?”
“I’m not certain. Will your sister feel better if we’re not here?”
“Yes.” He turned her toward the door and escorted her into the hallway. His hand was extra warm on her elbow. Her stomach turned over, but she couldn’t discern if her reaction stemmed from excitement or confusion, or something else entirely.
It would be excellent to remain in the company of others as she wasn’t certain how to interact with this man. This had never happened before.
Slanting a quick glance at him also produced another odd phenomenon.
Her heart fluttered in her chest as though it wished to fly to him.
That could not be normal.
Whoever he was, he was massive. Along the lines of Ari’s brothers. But he didn’t move like an Aasguard. Ari frowned out the window, watching the man approach.
No, he did carry himself like an Aasguard, but something was off. Her heart dropped as she jerked upright to really study the man.
Unless she missed the signs, he had been wounded.
Ari bellowed for healers even as she sped out the door, racing toward the man.
He held a hand planted to his side, but blood continued to ooze from the wound.
Ari nodded to the guards, who eyed him with wary respect. As they should. He had earned that respect.
“You’re Aasguard?”
“Yes.”
“Your dragon?”
A different sort of pain crossed his face. “He passed on to the next life.”
His statement might as well have stabbed her in the heart. She swallowed. “As has mine.”
Their shared look did much to bolster her courage. “You understand.”
“I do.” Except he winced and bled from more than one serious looking wound.
Her brothers joined them. “Kellen.” Lajos supported the warrior on one side, while Vidar took the other.
“Lajos. I heard you were here.” Kellen’s pained gaze moved to Vidar. “And I heard your brother married a queen.”
“I did. I’m Vidar, King of Montequirst. I served the late queen for nearly thirty years. Then married her daughter, the current queen.”
“Congratulations.” Kellen’s tone was dry as they eased him inside.
“What happened to you?” Ari asked.
He grimaced. “Encountered an entire army on its way here.”
“Coming to Montequirst?” Vidar’s question and his silver eyes pierced.
“Yes. They were from a far away land and hadn’t heard you were Aasguard.” They eased Kellen onto a sofa in a nearby reception room while Ariadne, a renowned healer, hurried up with two younger healers. “Don’t think they had ever heard of Aasguard warriors before.”
“Did you allow any of them live?” Lajos’ scowl was fierce.
“Two, so they could inform their countrymen it’s a bad idea to make war on an Aasguard.”
One of the younger healer’s eyes widened to the extent Ari feared seeing something she didn’t wish to.
The youngest looking healer ventured a squeaky question. “You fought an entire army?”
The other one took courage and added a daring inquiry. “By yourself?”
“Of course.” Kellen didn’t even wince as Ariadne cleaned his wounds before she stitched the larger ones.
“Aasguard warriors don’t quit. We don’t stop. We fight until the fighting ceases.” Kellen quoted their abbreviated mantra through clenched teeth.
The healer finished one wound and moved to the next. Her stitches were tiny and perfect, much nicer than anything Ari had ever accomplished. Nice to have a professional do the stitching. All Aasguards had trained how to do so, but none of them were as adept as an actual healer.
“Kellen’s dragon also went on to the next life.”
Both Vidar and Lajos placed commiserating hands on his shoulder. “You came to the right place. Lajos’ and my dragons will wish to meet you.”
Vidar made this statement with the authority invested in him by his new position. She still found it hard to believe he had married, much less wed a queen.
“Thank you. I fancied seeing an Aasguard king.” Kellen’s body appeared more covered with wounds than not. “Figured it would be worthwhile before I moved on.” He didn’t indicate where he intended to move on to, and she didn’t delve deeper.
“You’re welcome to remain for as long as you wish.” Vidar sounded firm. “We hope to be a refuge to Aasguard warriors who require a respite.”
Lajos snorted. “Clearly you require that.” He saluted the wounded man before returning to the library.
“He’s guarding the current princess. She’s been kidnapped once.” Ari helped the healers mop up blood.
“I do not understand how you’re still alive.” Ariadne sat back on her heels and inspected her patient again.
Kellen met her astonished gaze head on. “These injuries are part of life.” He didn’t shrug, but his manner indicated that extent of nonchalance.
Vidar tapped a nearby crystal panel and when a servant answered the summons, spoke in a low voice for a small length of time. “We’re seeing to a room for you and some sustenance.”
In answer, Kellen’s stomach roused. “I would appreciate both.”
“Rest will aid you greatly.”
“May I bathe?” He spoke to Ariadne.
“It won’t hurt you to wash off the dust and sweat of battle. Not to mention the blood you’ve lost.” She didn’t sound happy about his conditio
n.
“I’ll be fine by the end of the week.” He didn’t sound concerned.
To add credence to his statement, Ari nodded. “A few days of recuperation and he’ll be in fighting form and spirits again.”
“There are not many Aasguard women.” His tone remained neutral, although she noted he sounded interested in her answer.
“I have met a few. We keep in touch as we can.” She didn’t believe their numbers were dwindling—due to their longevity. But she didn’t know.
An expression crossed Kellen’s face that she couldn’t read. For some reason, Ari felt maybe he wasn’t satisfied with her response. She opened her mouth to ask why when Vidar returned from a second discussion.
He helped Kellen to his feet and she hasted to his other side. He remained upright on his own, but she could tell, through their abilities, his level of pain, weariness, and hunger threatened to overwhelm him. He would never allow this, but the sentiment pushed his levels of endurance.
Vidar led them to the guest wing of the castle and shoved open a door. The bed was massive, a must for a body as large as this one.
“Bathroom,” Kellen directed.
They steered him toward that room and she stepped away with Vidar when Kellen shut the door. The shower snapped on and they grimaced at each other. The first thing most of their kind wished for after a battle was to be clean.
He had likely traveled for several days after the battle, so it made sense he wished to bathe. In the time it took him to shower, his food arrived. They helped him to the bed. His climb in looked painful but he made it between the sheets with the same stoic manner they all employed.
It didn’t take him long to eat and by the time he shoved away the last empty plate, his weariness had grown. “You need sleep.” She eyed his drooping shoulders.
“Yes. Thank you for your kindnesses.”
Ari wasn’t certain to whom he spoke, so she murmured something inane with Vidar and they took their leave.
Her heart protested her leaving.
She paused on the other side of the door.
“What is wrong?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged as though she truly didn’t know, but she suspected the man on the other side of the door had cast a spell on her.
