Two days had passed since I had left the Kingdom and reached the North. In the short time I was here, I had found the base camp for the Knights. They had created a tunnel under the barrier and into our world, they had been rotating, 10 Knights here at a time. They patrolled the forests and watched the Kingdom carefully, hence why they knew when and where to attack. I haven't found my companions still, they seemed not to be in the Kingdom anymore. I have been watching the camp everyday, nearly 24 hours a day to see if they might use the tunnel to bring my brothers back. I laid in the cold now, my fresh white wolf skin as a new fur coat. It pained me to do it, but the sacrifice was all in good intention. The white fur blended me into the heavy falling snow so I could watch the Knights in cover. I watched as they rejoined the camp site, the site consisted of Knights sitting in a small circle, some maintain their weapons. They had no emotions or sensations, they felt nothing. My days consisted of watching the circle of Knights, waiting for any usual movement. Two teams would leave in the morning and return late afternoon, one would patrol the Kingdom, the other team would patrol around the camp.
I took a deep breath, about to sink into the snow and slither away unseen when I heard unusual sounds coming from the Knights, I looked back over to them to see them forming two lines facing each other. A walk way. My heart rate quickened, this was new. Shock hit me when I saw a huge crowd of Knights enter the realm, this was an army. A second attack maybe? At the end of all of the Knights, was a human walking slowly behind them. As soon as I saw her hair, disbelief filled my heart and eyes. I needed to warn the others. I sank into the snow and crawled away, once I was safe to stand and run I did. I headed for a clearing near my cave, at least two miles away. Within ten minutes I arrived and begun to shift, over the past two day my dragon had grown once again. I was beginning to fear that the growing would not stop, but my newly found powers were a gift for the wars to come.
The shift was completed quickly, I turned my large head back to where I had came from, my eyes sensing the large group of heat signatures through the trees and snow. The thick snow fall will cover me for when I leave. I stood on my hind legs and jumped into the air, my black wings carrying me higher into the sky. I flew to the tops of the snow filled clouds to make my travels easier, a forty five minute fly into snow was difficult. I didn't know what to expect once I arrived back to my Kingdom.
As I saw the Kingdom approaching, I dived out of the cloud cover and down towards my castle. The winter snows had come, the kingdom was laced in a beautiful white snow. Earl Bereke loved the winter snows. I slowed my body as I circled around the Kingdom, the heat signature below me called out and cheered, the villages. I small touch of relief touched my body, I had left them all suddenly. The burnt building of the once long house, was under construction as many of the townsfolk had already started fixing it. I continued my circle around and flew over the training fields, our army had grown in numbers. They trained through the cold snow, they looked up and raised their weapons as I flew over, but my eyes didn't met the man I wanted to see. I let out a growl in disappointment as I flapped my wings and carried my body higher into the sky and towards the dome that was already open. My large wings landed me softly onto the stone floor, my wings came forward and acted as my front legs as I walked towards the swarming crowd of people. I growled as a warning for them to all back away, in which they did. Keon pushed his way through the crowd and towards me, his eyes full of relief.
"Freya.." He said as he walked towards my beast, I lowered my head and allowed him to touch my large snout. I pulled my head back after a moment and started a shift. Within seconds I was standing in front of Keon, he looked at me and smiled as he embraced me in a strong hug.
"By Odin's beard, I was worried." Keon said as he continued our hug. After I broke our hug I looked up at him with concern in my eyes.
"Can we go talk?" I asked, he looked down at me and nodded, his eyes started to fill with the same concern. We started walking back towards the entrance of the dome, my people greeting me as we walked past. I walked straight across and towards my chambers with Keon at my toe, to some it would of looked suspicious but at this point I didn't care. We reached my chambers, a strong fire was lit. Keon closed the door behind us as I walked towards the fire place and sat in front of it, I haven't felt this warmth in days.
"What's going on Freya?" Keon asked as he walked towards me.
"Sigi." Is all I said, Keon sat by next to me as he started at me momentarily confused. I looked up into his eyes, and that's when reality hit him.
"No..." Was all he managed to say as his heart rate quickened.
"I spent two days watching their camp, I found out they're entering the realm through tunnels under the barrier. Before I came home, an army crossed the tunnels, Sigi was controlling them." I said as I looked at the fire in front of me. Keon fell silent for some time.
"Swords, laced in purple." He said, my heart panged, that's what Earl Bereke said to me before he passed.
"The same purple liquid she tried to kill us with." I said, Keon fell back into the seat with a thud.
"How do we fight them now? They have weapons that can clearly kill us." He said as he looked over at me.
"I will deal with the army that has entered the barriers, they cannot fly. But first, Earl Bereke?" I asked, Keon's eyes filled with sadness as he looked at me.
"His funeral is tomorrow afternoon. I... I grated passage to the Island, we have placed a long ship on the island were he will be sent to the Gods." Keon said, I nodded. He did well to make a decision like that without anyone's council.
"Then that's where we will start." I said with a smile. As I leaned back into the chair. We both remained silent.
"Vili went searching for you." Keon said, I looked over at him in shock.
"You don't think you should have told me that earlier?" I said as I stood up in a rush, grabbing my furs.
"He left yesterday morning, he said something about a cliff face? If that means anything to you." Keon said, I rolled my eyes as I ran out of my chambers, leaving Keon on my chair in the warmth. I ran down the stairs from my chambers and towards the flight deck, the familiar sound of the dome closing caught my attention and I started to run faster. I crashed through the doors of the flight deck, ignoring the calls for me to wait while they closed the dome, I headed towards the edge where the dome hadn't yet reached and I dived head first off the edge. My cold body soon warmed as once again, I shifted. I swooped back up before reaching the cold crashing ocean and flew towards the clouds once again. My eye sight adjusted as I begun searching for Vili's heat signature and his scent. I flew for sometime before I picked up on his scent, he was heading North, I growled at the thought of him crossing paths with the Knights. My wings thrusted harder as I flew through the snow once again. After a thirty minute flight, I had picked up on Vili's heat signature, he had reached the cave safely. I flew cautiously towards the clearing as I went in to land, my wrong wings caused the snow covered ground and trees shake and unsettle the snow. I landed with a thud, scaring Vili's black mare, I shifted quickly to go ease his horse. After I shifted the horse visually relaxed, I gave her a quick pat, before listening to the singing that came from the cave above. I climbed up towards the singing, Vili's singing. As I reached the entrance, I immediately smelt the mead on his skin that he had brought with him. His crow like singing couldn't be missed, I smiled at the thought as I walked into the cave.
"Every Knight and beast in the area could hear that crow singing." I said as I walked in.
"I had to make it somewhat easier for you to find me." Vili said, not turning to look at me but I could sense the sarcasm in his voice.
"If i'm not mistaken, it was you who came looking for me." I said as I walked over and sat on the log seat opposite him. He sat drinking and poking the fire he had made.
"True, but when I saw you flying back to the Kingdom, I knew you'd come searching. A rescuer being rescued by the one he was rescuing." He said with a slur. He had one too many drinks. I stood and walked towards the barrels in the corner where I had some food stored. Grabbing a small back of meats, I brought them back to the fire and placed them on the pot above the fire.
"Have you got anymore of that?" I asked as I pointed at Vili's mead. He smiled and gave me a horn as he poured me a drink.
After we had eaten and both had too many drinks, we had danced around the fire and crashed onto the blankets by the fire, we laid side by side laughing.
"That time we went on a two week hike into the mountains, my father had sent the entire village to come find us. He slapped me harder than what you had ever done!" Vili laughed as we exchanged stories of his father. I laughed and smiled at the thought, we had gotten into a lot of trouble together. We both laid in silence as we thought of the past decades. Vili let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry for what I said, my fathers death was not your fault." He said, my mind eased at his words.
"And I'm sorry the companions weren't there to protect him, they will be punished for this." I said, my words stinging my own heart, the idea of punishing my own companions hurt.
"It wasn't there fault, Freya. I did some digging before I came to find you, they were poisoned and drugged. They didn't understand what they were doing." Vili said as he looked over at me. His words connected the broken paths in my mind, I finally understood why they did this. Sigi had poisoned them yet again, clouding their minds. Sigi's death would soon come, this I knew. I looked over at Vili, his bright blue eyes fixed on mine. His black beard was scruffy, his black hair was too. His eyes were still full of hurt, they will be for sometime, but full of playfulness as well. We both turned our heads back up to the roof of the cave, the sun had set sometime ago, nothing but the shadows of the flames danced on the walls.
"Do you ever wonder what would of happened the day we found this place, if we hadn't of been disturbed?" Vili asked, not turning his head to face me. I sucked in a quick breath at the mention of that day, if we continued, we would of been connected by body and soul.
"I have, too often." I said quietly, Vili turned his head to look at me momentarily before looking back.
"But that was a big commitment, one I don't think you're ready to make. Connecting with me, body and soul, you won't be able to lay with another woman again. You will feel everything I feel. I cannot change your life like that." I said as I focused my eyes on the dancing flames on the wall. Leaving silence between us.
"You're right. It is a commitment. But it is one I have been planning to make since we first met, feasting and fighting is all I have ever know and by the Gods, I am good at it. But I know, for certain, loving you is something I have also ever know." Vili said as he turned his head to me, my heart filled with warmth as his words reached it.
"Loving you, fighting with and for you, feasting and ruling by your side, in this life and into the next, will be something I grow into becoming great at." He said, I turned to face him. I searched his face for any signs of lies or discomfort, there was none.
"I want you Freydis, your warmth, your touch. Right here, before the eyes of the Gods." Vili said as he sat up and looked down at me. I took a moment to admire the man before me, his black fur had grass and dirt on it from the cave, his black and red leather armour still suited him. His tattooed body looked strong and delicious, his wrists were wrapped in a faded red leather, his fathers wrist wraps they used for hunting.
"But once I start, I won't be able to stop this time. I am a bereserker by nature, I need to feed my beasts too." Vili said. I looked at him for a moment before rolling and standing up, I walked towards the entrance of the cave and stopping. I felt his eyes follow me, I could sense his fear, he thinks I'm leaving. I heard him stand and turn his back running his tattooed hands through his black hair as he thought he destroyed the moment.
I slowly undid the clip to my fur cloak, letting it hit the floor, I started on the leather twists that held my own leather armour in place. I stood untying my armour still facing the entrance to the cave, watching the snow fall lightly outside, Vili's eyes fell on me once again, his heart beat quickening. After the last leather tie was undone, I dropped the top half of the armour to the ground, revealing my large back tattoo to him. I untied my breeches and took my boots off, dropped them to the ground, I stood as naked as my creation day before Vili, I turned and met his eyes.
"Then feast." I said, his eyes hooded and full of lust, reeking of arousal.
He marched towards me with no desire to hold back. His faced collided roughly with mine as he took my lips on his, his hands wrapped around my naked ass and reefed me up into his grasp. I wrapped my legs instinctively around his waist as he carried us into the cave, never breaking the deep kiss we were sharing. He roughly pinned me up against the cave wall as we both frantically begun undressing him, almost ripping the armour from his broad body. He broke the kiss momentarily to take his armour off and untie his own breeches, I admired his naked chest as I ran my fingers over it. He lifted me up and he dropped his breeches and removed his boots, as he lowered me back down and carried me towards the bedroll, I felt his harden length tap against my thighs as he carried us. His touch was full of lust and urgency, he had wanted this for sometime, we both did. He laid me back gently onto the ground, he broke the kiss to look down at me. We both breathed heavily, our arousal and scents mixed, his blue eyes almost glowed.
"Are you sure you want this?" He asked as he held my face in his hands, searching my eyes for any sign of backing out. But he wasn't going to find any. I pulled his face back down into mine, he growled against my mouth as he broke the kiss and hooked himself onto my neck the down to my breasts. He licked and sucked my nipple as my hands went into his hair, grabbing it harshly as his teeth scrapped against my nipple. I once again started making all sorts of strange noises in pleasure. He made his way back to my neck, thrusting his hips towards me so I could feel his length against me. My skin covered in bumps as he did, he stopped our kiss as he looked at me, his blue eyes hooded and full of devilish ideas. He pushed my legs open with his hips as he grabbed his own manhood.
"I can't be gentle Freya, i'm going to devour every, inch of you." He whispered as he positioned him self at my entrance, it would take more than this to hurt me. I brought his face down for a quick kiss, biting into his bottom lip, causing it to bleed slightly. He growled in response and slammed himself into me. I screamed out at the sudden impact and sensation, how could something like this cause pain and pleasure? He thrusted in and out with force and depth, I could feel him in every part of me as he worked above me. My skin begun to sweat and I threw my head back and let out moans of pleasure, Vili let out moans, sounds that sent my arousal through the roof, he was true to his word about not being gentle. He grabbed my body harshly as he continued thrusting into my small body, kissing, sucking and biting all over my body. We continued for sometime as we both moaned in pleasure, the pain I once felt was entirely pleasure now. As Vili grabbed my leg and placed it over his left shoulder, I felt a sensation build deep within my core. The more he thrusted into me while I was like this, the further it built. My cries turned into desperation as I wanted relief from the sensation, it was abnormal. Vili begun to quicken his pace as his breathing became jaggered, his thrust were uneven and hard. I felt a sudden surge of relief and pleasure as I screamed out into the cave. Vili held my body as he too thrusted a few last times before slowing to a stop, moaning deep animal like sounds. After a moment Vili pulled him self out of me and collapsed on the floor next to me. I laid on the ground and became very aware of the new sensations I was feeling. Sorrow, sadness, relief, love, pain, it hit me with force. I looked over to Vili who's faced looked confused.
In this moment we both realised, we were now one. Joined by body and soul.