Bifrost: Chapter XI

XI - Clashing Titans

Tiere

Aztrit took her time as she stroked Fora’s mane with the soft bristled marble brush, her coat beginning to shine as she happily neighed. As she pressed her muzzle against Aztrit’s face and chest in gratitude, she laughed, “I know. I’ve been neglectful.” She patted her soft black cheek, her hand not encompassing as much as Kirk’s had.
She looked to the other horses standing idly in the vast gold stables, buckets of roots and berries in front of each gold plated steel door. Cold wind pushed against the wood, creaking its hinges in the winter hinted air.
She continued to pat Fora, opening her hand to give her more of the root she had promised her for good behaviour as she cleaned her. “What time do you think it is, Fora?” She looked up at her, hoping she would give her an answer. She looked back to the sad horses, knowing that if she timed it right, she could help feed and stretch them all before dinner. As if sensing her determination, Fora nudged her, turning her head to their observer.
She looked over her right shoulder, where a cloaked figure covered in a black hood at the entrance, stared undoubtedly at them both. Chills travelled up her arms and her mind began to pulse with pain, as if under Hel’s pressure once more.
Aztrit stayed quiet, unsure if he needed assistance. But as the staring match continued, she began to feel uneasy. Fora had her own reservations pressing into the gate as she tried to advance in protection, showing her teeth in aggression.
Aztrit turned her attention back to her, stroking her muzzle again to quiet her. “Settle Fora, I’m in no danger.” She assured as she turned her head back to the entrance, not wanting to turn her back in case it was untrue.
Not seeing the figure any longer, she turned back to the bucket of berries, lifting the dark blue and red mixture up to her horse. “Kirk told me I could find you here.”
Aztrit jumped as she quickly looked to her left, where an elf taller than she stood close. She caught her breath as she looked at Angeana, her platinum blonde hair braided down to her stomach, royale blue ribbons through it to match her elaborate silk gown. Her sky blue eyes seemed to look through her, searching for a silent answer.
“I’m sorry, you frightened me.” Aztrit said, hoping to be excused. As she saw the delicate silver leaf crown on her head, she knew who she was speaking to, the new King’s wife, Angeana. “Why would you want to seek me, Your Grace?” She gave her her title, knowing its worth.
Angeana waved a hand, “Please, you do not have to call me so. Lord Verdulke has already made me aware of who you are. It is I who should be addressing you.”
Aztrit gave her a small smile. Was there anyone he wouldn’t tell of her secret? But hadn’t she broken her own rule? Kirk himself was not supposed to be aware of her abilities, and she had given the information willingly in the first few moments of looking into his metallic eyes. “I assure you, Aztrit is just fine.”
Angeana nodded, not stopping her awe as she looked at the Goddess’s horse. “Your horse, it is... beautiful. Or perhaps I should say... large?” She questioned as she smiled at her. It reminded her of the war horses sung of in stories, their mass greater than the domesticated beings they had now.
“Yes, she is. Settle, Fora.” She commanded as her horse attempted to back away. “She can be shy. With Kirk, she ran right to him, eating right out of his palm. I have never seen her behave that way.” She giggled with the Queen as she continued to try to draw her out.
Angeana smiled as she recalled her personal memory, stroking her horse in affection. “You are deeply in love. Your eyes light up when you speak of Lord Verdulke.” Angeana herself felt that same wonder when she looked at a man, never tiring of the way he looked back at her, said her name.
“When I met my Lefelgd, I was not tame like your horse. I was a dancer, my father nobility. I remember the celebration like it was yesterday. It was after the beginning of the Great War, Derkot was determined to welcome back the Prince with as much grandeur as he could provide. I was not supposed to attend because he was due to find his queen, and I was not eligible.”
Aztrit came closer, enthralled by her story. “But you went anyway?”
Angeana nodded, laughing lightly to herself. “Aye. My plan was not to win the Prince, but to bed him. He had quite a reputation and my promised was not a very attractive man, and I was Vénëa, unbroken. Then I would return to the life I had not chosen, satisfied that I lived it at least for a night.”
“Love at first sight?” Aztrit inquired, not wanting anymore pauses.
Angeana shook her head. “Not at all. First, he did not attend. It was said that he was exhausted from his war efforts. Only his men came, and they were greedy and desperate. I could have taken one of them, many were handsome. But they were not my goal, I was to do it as I planned or not at all. I snuck away from the hall, and sought out his chambers.”
Angeana closed her eyes as she recalled the way he looked undressing, pushing the door open slowly. His golden hair loose against his bare back, light scarring up his shoulder blades. His chest rippled from his efforts, his pink nipples matching his lips.
The door creaked, causing him to turn his face to it, pulling his knife from his waistband as he threw it, almost catching her as she closed the door again. As the knife thudded against the wood, he pulled the door open, catching her wrist before she had a chance to run. “My heart was beating out of my chest. I gave him an earful. I was surprised that no one came from the screaming. We just stood there, not realising we were holding each other as we shouted back and forth. And when we were done–the anger–and the frustration had built between us, and we used it. We made love for hours unstopping, not caring who could hear.”
She felt his hands cradle her hips as he thrusted into her, standing behind her as her cheeks rested on his pelvis. She felt her face setting aflame, missing her husband as she spoke about him in the quiet stables, rain beginning to fall around the structure. “I knew he was the only man I would ever be able to lie with. And he fought our fathers relentlessly for me. Eventually, King Derkot agreed to appease him. Once the King said his word, we were married within the week.”
Aztrit listened as the patter of the rain on the roof sounded through her words, adding depth to her emotions. Her heart warmed. “It sounds like a dream.” She whispered, feeling self conscious of their own story. How could she explain the way they had crossed paths?
It was a dream. One that she had woken up from only a few months later. “It wasn’t all so. He was… reckless before we married.” Angeana looked out to the entrance, where Orion held his small hands out, catching the rain in his palms. As Aztrit looked at the child with her, she noticed her hesitation. “Orion is his oldest, but he is not of me. His mother came to us after we were married, heavily pregnant and dying. We have not told him because he already feels like an outsider. His ears–” She let her notice that they were curved towards their peak instead of the straight tip that they all bore. “They are Ulundo. Deformed. This can happen when our kind is only half elvish. The speculation brings talk, teasing around him and has made his youth difficult. The others don’t know of his mother, and I would have it no other way. I love him just as I do my other children.” She watched him step into a puddle that was forming.
Aztrit looked at the child, the same one she had saved in the forest. She wondered if she should tell Angeana the danger he had been in weeks ago. “Angeana–”
“My son told me you saved him that night our men went to battle. He followed my brothers, Thoroux and Gliker. It is unacceptable that I am only getting to thank you now. But with the funeral, and the war, my children have been my focus.” Angeana noticed as she came closer, Fora placed her muzzle between them, seeming to lower her neck to Aztrit’s belly. “You are preparing to have children yourself.”
Aztrit nodded. Touching her small bump as she shooed Fora away. “My first. It is strange for me. I am worried...” She shook her head, not finishing her thought. She had often thought about it, but never said it out loud. Not even to Kirk.
Angeana touched her shoulder, still stunned by her golden eyes. “It is best to speak your worries while the men are convening. They try to fight their obstacles instead of talking them through.”
If there was anyone who could understand her, wouldn’t it be another mother? She started again, still hesitant, “I am worried that our lives will not be fitting for a child. My father, if he knew… he would kill Kirk himself. Doesn’t our daughter deserve love in her home as she grows?” She looked up into her eyes as she questioned her, fighting tears. She knew stability was not something she would be capable of providing.
Angeana understood. “Lefelgd tells me of the battle brewing in the heavens.” She wouldn’t know what to do if she was expecting, and being ordered to fight for her home. “Lord Verdulke is a part of our home, our family. If you are ever in need, that feeling extends to you. Idunn forbid it happens–but if you must be separated from your daughter, she is more than welcome here amongst her family.” Angeana thought for another moment as she offered. “It would be nice to have another girl around. Four boys is more than enough.” They laughed together as the rain continued to pour.
Kirk approached the stables with Lefelgd and Eric, walking unhurried through the rain, feeling uneasy as he thought more about their agreement. But now, there was more at stake. He would do anything to protect them both.
He reflected Aztrit’s smile as he saw her laughing with Angeana, Fora going back and forth between for pats. The green velvet on her body fluttered on her hips. Viridescent ribbons circled from her feet to her brown thighs. Her loose curls tucked behind her ears as her cheeks brightened from her laughter.
As Fora began to buck excitedly, Aztrit looked over to Kirk, sharing his gaze. He eyed her body, smiling as he saw something he liked. The warm fall rain matted his hair, drops catching on the black arms of his tunic. She envied the water as it slowly dripped down his scarred arms, wanting to taste it on his hardened body. She bit her lip as she thought of kissing the pink lips that pulled over his white teeth.
She felt honoured, consistently thankful that she had been assigned to him, even if it had presented challenges, there was no other for her.
Aztrit turned back to her horse as he came closer, anticipating the way his wet hands would feel on her scorching skin. She hid her blush, not wanting Angeana to witness her body betraying her, readying for intimacy.
Kirk reached for Fora’s muzzle as he wrapped an arm around Aztrit’s waist, bringing her close to his body. “Good morning, beast.” He said affectionately to her horse as she pressed closer to his palm. He kissed the side of Aztrit’s face, holding her stomach in his palm. “How are you feeling?” He asked quietly, turning their bodies as Angeana and Lefelgd shared affection, kissing deeply.
“Tired.” Aztrit said heavily in a sigh as he kissed her neck.
“Do you want to rest more before dinner? Eric can stretch and feed the horses. Eric!” he called before she could protest, pulling him from feeding another horse. “Can you be sure to care for Fora as well?”
As Eric came over, he eyed the beast as she showed her teeth again. “I don’t think she would like that, brother.” He looked to Aztrit for help.
Aztrit nodded her head slowly as she agreed. “I can care for her, really I don’t have to rest anymore. Tell me about the meeting. When are we going to Hyatse?” She asked him curiously as he took her hand, walking with her to the far side of the stables, Orion running past them to his parents.
Kirk felt his smile fall. “Aye, soon. Kloi has sent a warning against it, but there is no other choice. We will go to Hyatse, and I will attempt to persuade him against breaking the treaty and continuing to supply the Orofarne with weapons. If it doesn’t work… I'll use other methods.”
She listened to the rain as she felt his confliction, she held his hand in both of hers. “You agreed to this?” What had caused him to turn his thinking? Had seeing his mother incentivised him to act by any means now that their threat was capable of killing them?
Kirk took their joined hands and gently felt her swollen belly with his knuckles. “Failure is not a viable option. If the Orofarne are aided by my mother, their significance has increased. Kloi is no longer the focus, only a tool.” It gave him every reason to believe that he was a coward, pairing with the outcasts because he believed they would be on the receiving end of the spoils.
“I understand. As long as it is something you can take comfort in performing. I’ll be there to assist you.” She touched his chest, noticing as he looked to protest. Silver eyes came to a stand still as he searched her. “Kirk?”
Kirk knew once he said what he was beginning to feel, it would draw fierce objection from her. But he was no longer thinking of just his wants. “I…things have grown complicated, and you pose too great a risk. I do not believe you should accompany us.”
Aztrit let his hand go as his eyes hardened, unwavering. “Surely you’re joking? You don’t expect to continue without me, do you?” How could he? Hadn’t they agreed they would continue on together? She understood the events between them had been accelerated, but they had promised to provide protection for each other, no matter the risk.
Kirk shook his head, not letting her delude herself into recognizing options where there were none. She would stay, he would go. For the safety of their child. “Kloi will not be welcoming. I should not have to worry about you during battle. You will stay here in Vertan until I return.” He said definitively, not giving her an opportunity to debate.
Still, she persisted. “If you return.” She stated quietly, curious as to what he believed that to mean in war time. When would that be? Whenever the battle ended, if there were not multiple, if he wasn’t brought to death’s doors, if Ragnarök didn’t come first? “You expect me to wait here, while you fight?”
“Yes.” Kirk said sharply as she narrowed her honey eyes at him. What was she not capable of seeing? In her state, combat was careless and fatal, never would he be able to forgive himself if she were to be injured in a crisis he had allowed her to attend. “My mother isn’t ready to attack, you saw it for yourself. That gives you time to rest until our child is born, until we need each other.”
She nearly choked on her disagreement, exhaling deeply as she balled her fists. “You need me now! You nearly died because they took you by surprise, if I hadn’t been there–”
He cut her off, it was easy to assume anything could happen, he would not continue to let her base their future on what ifs. “But you were, and I will no longer underestimate the threat they pose. So you will not be needed. With battle your sisters will come, they will see you as you progress in your pregnancy. Your father and your brothers will give us more to fear.”
Aztrit let the rain fill the momentary silence as she looked for a way to continue, not wanting to accept the words that fell from his lips. “I’ve lived long enough to know how to take care of myself, Kirk. I don’t need you to dictate what is too dangerous for me. More of your men will die without me there. They have no way of protecting themselves from the Gods. Odin is no longer showing mercy, and that includes his offerings. If I stay here, he will make Tihala our leader and everyone you care for will be taken before their time.”
Kirk shook his head once, frustration beginning to surface. This was not to be argued any longer, especially not where any passerby could hear them. He hated to do it, but it was time to end the discussion. “I am asking you to see reason, to stay here and be safe with our child, away from the battlefield.”
She scoffed, disbelief continuing to capture her. When did she give him an impression that she would follow his orders if they were not in the face of his men? “So now I’m under your control? I am not a servant of yours Lord Verdulke, you cannot order me as such!” She felt her anger rising, her voice beginning to ascend with it.
“Enough!” Kirk boomed between them, causing the others to look towards them. He saw her recoil, her eyes welling as he raised his voice. But it seemed to be the only message she would receive. “I will not argue this with you Valkyrie. Be angry–hate me if you wish, but you will be angry here–in Vertan!” He gave her one last parting look as he spoke, leaving no room to interrupt as he joined Lefelgd, forcing him to part from Angeana, walking back into the unceasing rain.
Aztrit held her breath as she watched him go. If she had to stay, how long would he be gone? She wiped a tear from her eye, hopelessness beginning to take over.

✴

“I hear congratulations are in order.” Kirk felt a firm pat on his back as he prepared himself to spar, binding his hand in cloths slowly as his men continued in the background. He looked up from his palm into Lefelgd’s warm blue eyes, only nodding once. He saw his smile spread as his excitement got the better of him again.
Lefelgd lowered his brows as Kirk turned back to his hand, flexing his palm as he checked the efficiency of the wrapping. He remembered when Angeana had been expecting for the first time, he had been elated to tell everyone who was capable of listening how full his heart had become.
He recognized that Kirk had always felt differently, not quite the person to revel in the happiness brought to him, having seen too much horror to ever form a connection with emotions other than fury and despair. But his willful attempts to not speak about his first child were worrisome, undoubtedly troubled by how much had turned against him in the few months that passed. Families, loves were weaknesses, and enemies would never shy from hurting you by targeting your own.
“I think you’re making the right choice. They’ll be safe here.” Lefelgd gave him his reassurance, knowing his word meant more to him than others. “Although I will find myself surprised if she follows your wishes. You always choose the wildest creatures to tame.” He saw Kirk’s lips curl in laughter as he stretched his back, the drizzle from the storm gently forming droplets on his uncovered chest. He watched his scars, like mosaics of his past fleshing against his body, unbothered by the soothing moisture from the sky.
Moving his laughter aside, Kirk continued stretching his body, knowing Aztrit’s power was what worried him. She could do as she pleased, go where she wanted. There was no way he could ensure that she did as he had told her, knowing at the first opportunity she would disobey. That hadn’t changed about her, and he had been wrong to command her as a King in place of asking her as her lover.
Kirk stilled as he took a deep breath knowing he had ruined a moment that could have been sweet, holding her waist as his warm tongue swept the cold rain drops from rose scented skin. Her breasts exposed to the rain as his wet hands pulled her hardened nipples through the velvet on her body. How lucky he had been to touch her soul much like her willing body, convincing her that he needed her more than those she had dedicated aeons to.
“Are you ready, My Lord?” Kirk turned to Eric, his hands wrapped similarly, choosing to keep his tunic on. He wasn’t as proud of the scars on his body, feeling instead they showed weakness, not what he had overcome.
As Kirk began to follow Eric to the room his men had made for them in the centre, eager to watch their leader, Lefelgd gave him what had just come to light. “Before you go Lord Verdulke, I thought you would like to know that Kloi has sent another warning against your arrival.” He handed him the scroll and he looked at it cautiously.
“Must I ask?” He muttered as he took it, opening as he kept his gaze. Unravelled he looked at it, the ink mixing deeper into the paper as the droplets clouded the words. But the message was clear, come and expect front lines, not open arms. Everything they had already known, the peace between countries had ended, there would be no compromise. “So it must be.” He handed the message to Eric, allowing him to read it, hearing him crumple it in anger.
“We have done nothing but aid that stubborn dwarf, try to rebuild Hyatse from its ruins, and this is the gratitude he shows us? Doesn’t he realise he is outnumbered?” Eric spoke furiously as Lefelgd and Kirk shared glances.
“He isn’t truly.” Lefelgd added, confirming with Kirk before he addressed his second. “With the Orofarne by his side, his numbers will have tripled. It seems they have also prepared themselves for this uprising. With their…” He looked for an opening to make them aware of the allies the Ash Dwellers had made, not finding one he continued. “...additions, each move should be made in caution. They will not be expecting an envoy.”
Kirk looked to his men as they listened intently, coming closer with each second they spoke. “We know what awaits us in Hyatse, so do the other clans in Karth and Vertan. We have known we would have to protect our home since the treaty began. It was formed with the knowledge that eventually, it would come to an end. Discouragement and fear have no place amongst us. We will fight for Karth and Vertan to secure the safety of those who cannot fight for themselves.”
As he assured them, Lefelgd felt pride growing in his chest. Now it was he who only saw Birau in him, with each direction he gave, only honour and valour exuded from him. A man who was born to lead. As shouts erupted around them, his warriors sounding off their support as they raised their weapons, Lefelgd stepped back, allowing them to return to the reason why they had gathered. He watched as Eric and Kirk began circling each other, crouching low to the wet grass, thunder clapping above.

To be continued...