by Trina Bates
-Wait till she sees your other form. We can definitely have some fun then.- I tell Cynide making her laugh in my mind.
“Those are pretty awesome actually,” I say, lifting my hand up and pointing to his beautifully, unique eyes. “If you want to manifest, I can help you. It's not the greatest thing in the world, it might come in handy while we’re gone, but that’s totally up to you. Don’t choose it for the benefits. Chose it because it's something you want and can live with,” I tell Gor who looks at me thoughtfully while standing there with his hands on his hips.
“I would like to talk with you more when we enter your world about it. That is not something that will be taken lightly. Thank you for the truth,” he nods to me with an adorable smile taking over his handsome features and making his eyes crinkle up at the sides.
“Okay Torunn, the way I see it, everywhere in every world is a place of power, some might have more, but don’t take away from what's already there. I’m in a place of power right now because we’re all here, together. It might not be what you need, but for my kind, well our kind, it's easier and less of a necessity when you think of it.” She nods in understanding and looks away, thinking of what I said. “Now, I need everyone touching while we do this,” I tell them, reaching my hands out for them to take, watching as the rest do it too.
They all hold onto each other, and I grasp Blue and Gor’s hands in mine, they’re connected to Torunn and Cynide is woven between my legs, like always.
I picture home, my men, the inside of the cabin in front of the fireplace and will myself and my family there.
Everyone falls on their asses but Cynide and I. The loud noise rouses a sleeping Rhydian on the couch and Merrick is rushing down the stairs with a very alert Ebbin hot on his heels. Rhett is there with bottles of water for us all, which surprises me that he had enough for everyone. But he’s laughing at my companions that are on their butts.
Mira:
“Stop laughing, it’s their first time teleporting, as I recall we all ended up in the same position when I brought us to Yggdrasil,” I point to Rhett who’s standing there with his hands in his pockets, he keeps kicking at the ground like there’s something interesting in front of him. He knows better. “You were on your ass just like the rest of us, aren’t you supposed to be the master at portaling?” I tease him further.
Helping everyone up to a standing position, I glance to each of my men and see faces of understanding and relief. They’re happy I brought along reinforcements.
“Portaling is way different than teleporting or pulling on some crazy tether,” Rhett says with a smug look on his face as he walks to the couch and takes a seat.
“Torunn, it's good to see you again. Blue...no funny shit with anyone’s drinks while you're here.” Ebbin is smiling at her and when I turn to see her face she’s putting her hand to her forehead with a giant smile on her face.
“Shut up, you ass. That’s your faults,” she says waving a hand in the air at both Ebbin and I. “You weren’t supposed to share, BinBin,” The use of the hated nickname had Ebbin wincing and coming up behind me, sliding his hands around my stomach holding me close.
I snuggle into his arms with a content sigh leaving my lips.
“BinBin?!” Merrick jokes making Ebbin and I laugh and Blue snicker.
”Don’t fucking ask man,” Ebbin says holding his hands out in front of me in mock surrender.
“That’s rich, I think I might keep that for my own arsenal,” Rhydian says rousing another set of laughs from everyone including Torunn and Gor.
“So, let's address the literal giant in the room.” Rhett's eyes take in every inch of Gor. He has a hesitant and slightly fearful gleam in his wide eyes as he looks him up and down a second time. His eyes pausing on the giant of a sword I hadn’t even noticed, that is sticking out of the top of his pack.
I swear, that wasn’t there when we left Yggdrasil I think to myself.
“You don’t remember the man that sold you your mate’s armor? That is slightly offending,” Gor jokes as he crosses his bare arms making his huge muscles bulge and Rhett’s eyes get larger.
Glancing to Merrick, he’s the one I’m most worried about with bringing Gor in. They’re of the same race, I’m worried if Gor tries to take over, Merrick will either go off, or be offended enough to shut down. I don’t think Gor will mean it in a bad way, more to try and show Merrick more of what he, himself is capable of, that he hasn’t already figured out with his own gifts.
Thankfully, Merrick’s demeanor is calm and his body relaxed. Merrick puts his hand out for Gor to shake as he steps closer to my giant of a brother.
“It’s good to meet the man behind the mask. I can’t thank you enough for the amazing craftsmanship and steel you interlaced into her set of armor. Maybe you can show me sometime, a little more about your craft. My family doesn’t practice much and there’s a lot of areas I’m lacking in.” His admission throws me off, but in a good way. I had him all wrong and feel a little shitty that I had lumped him into a totally different category.
“Anything to help keep my sister’s mates well protected and better suited when you come up against a foe,” Gor replies taking Merrick's offered hand and shaking once before letting it go.
“Wait what? Who, huh? Man, I’m so fucking confused right now,” Ebbin says surveying each person in the room with one eyebrow raised higher than the other, searching for someone to clue him in. He reminds me of Rhett right now, with his strange mannerisms and the way he talked right then, I want to laugh, but I can’t, not at him.
“In short?” I say, turning out of his arms so I can look at each as I tell my story. “I let him take a drop of my blood to make the spells stronger. I placed it on the metal block he had, when he pulled it into himself we found that we are the same. Well, kind of. We have the same father, not mother. He didn't have any idea about his parents but he said my blood called to him. That we were…” I was trying to find the right words but they were eluding me. Gor thankfully saved me, finishing what I had started.
“The women thought I was her mate, but I wasn’t able to get it out soon enough that her blood called to me because of the similarities of my own blood. I could feel her. Feel that she was a part of me. No one was more surprised than I,” Gor admits with a happy smile taking over his entire face, showing off his gorgeous straight white teeth.
“That’s amazing, Bugs! I’m so excited for you, you too, Gor. Mira has always wanted a large family. You gave her more than you will ever know. Thanks man,” Ebbin says, going to Gor with his arms open wanting to give my brother a hug.
Gor doesn’t hesitate. He might make my men look like Goblins in comparison, but his heart is as big as he is. He smiles while he hugs the love of my life fiercely and picks him up off his feet like he had done to me.
Laughing, Ebbin pats his back twice and is set back down.
“She surprised me the first day I met her, with her charm and her willingness to follow our ways. Her loyalty, determination, and love are admirable. I am honored I have such a young woman as part of my family,” Gor says, bringing a couple tears to my eyes. I try to wipe them away before anyone can take notice, but Gor does. He quickly comes over to me and hugs me with the same fierceness that he did with Ebbin. I shake my head, still sniffling in his arms and squeeze his large frame as tightly as I can.
“You're going to make a fine uncle,” I whisper to him. He still holds me, but ceases all movements and tips his head back to look in my eyes.
The gaze of wonder, happiness and amazement is evident in his smile and his tear filled eyes.
“You are with child?! How am I only now finding out about this?” he asks a little bewildered.
“Honestly, I thought you either knew some magical way, like everyone else, or that someone had told you. I think by now I am a little less than a week shy of being three months,” I explain to him with a smile of my own, mirroring his.
“I did not know, but now that you say so, I do remember a strange taste
in your blood that must be what that was about.” He sets me back on my feet and puts his large hand that takes over my entire stomach, closes his eyes and a small smile plays on his lips as he inhales a deep breath.
“I can hear her!” he exclaims proudly, “She will be so strong, fierce like you, my sister.” His praise is once again getting my little preggo emotions flowing, though this time, I let a few tears slip out.
We might have a long, tedious, and frightful road ahead of us, but now? Now I have my brother, my best friend and new one, along with my men and my Agathion. Nothing can stand in my way. We will defeat whatever is thrown at us.
-Can I get any more lucky?-
After showing the guys my new sword, Blade of Oblivion, which they all had to hold and swing around in the air, they shake Gor's hand and thank him for the fine gift. They follow me into the kitchen while I rummage through the fridge searching for something to eat. I scarf down a few pieces of cheese and open my pack to get out the chips that are now crushed to a fine dust. I feel like lately I can't get enough to eat, and that's all that matters now, food!
Torunn and Gor are hilarious as they run through the large cabin trying to take everything in. Torunn is in love with the indoor plumbing. The thought of a quick shower, instead of sitting in a pool is intriguing to her.
Gor is in awe of the fridge (and everything in it). I’m lucky enough to actually find some marshmallows in one of the cupboards, upon showing them to Gor his deep gravelly laugh rings through the entire cottage, making me laugh with him at his delight, over something so small.
“You were very accurate in your description, may I taste one? You said they were sweet, yes?” he asks with a hopeful gleam in his eyes, and his hand held out like a child waiting for a cookie.
I rip open the bag and hand him one before I plop an entire marshmallow into my own mouth. The sweet taste and sticky texture is making my mouth water, Gor sniffs his at first but then bites a small bit off. His eyes widening at the flavor. Throwing the rest in his mouth and asking for another, around his full mouth, I hand him one more and put the bag away. He frowns at that and I can't help but smile back.
Their world isn't one that is filled with treats like this. The sugars, dyes and chemicals might have an adverse effect and shock their systems, so I don’t want to overload him.
Torunn is standing by the coffee machine, pushing buttons. -This should be good.- I think to my men and Blue. They all come to see what I’m talking about, stand behind me, and watch the show.
When a cup is pulled from the side by the arm on the machine and the coffee maker starts sputtering at the coffee that is about to be poured, she jumps back with wide nervous eyes, glancing to all of us like she had broken her mother's fine china on accident.
Gor cocks his head to the side at the machine and quickly rushes over to her, but the rest of us are unable to contain the laughter at the situation.
A few moments after the laughter has died down and she’s seemingly more herself, I grab the finished cup, handing it to her with one sugar and a small bit of milk.
Her expression at her first taste of coffee is very much the same as Gor’s when he ate the marshmallow. Wide eyes and a giant smile graces her gorgeous face, making the entire show that much more worth it.
“This is amazing! It tastes like the yack we drink in the mornings on my world! Only sweeter like our fruits and more potent! How does this,” she pauses staring at the coffee machine in wonder and tries to tap another button. “Make such a delicious drink? It takes many days for the yack to cure and get to our desired consistency before we are able to drink it,” she asks, looking behind the machine and all around for what, I have no idea.
“Okay, one, why the fuck would you drink anything called ‘yack’!? Two, why would you drink anything that has to be cured before you drink it? That’s fucking disgusting,” Rhett exclaims with a disgusted glare and a shiver running through his entire body.
“Yack is very good. It is taken from the fruits. The ones that are similar in appearance to this!” Gor says holding up a banana. “Though ours are ridged and do not have this strange thing on the top. We crush them up in a large bucket and add in a few other ingredients, we seal it and let it cure for around forty days. Once that is done, we open the canister, strain the contents and there you have it! Delicious yack.” Gor’s explanation of their coffee sounds a lot like the way that alcohol is made.
-Glad I never tried it. Everything over there is so much more potent. Not only would I be laid out on my ass, there is probably some weird shit spelled in.- Rhett's voice is in all of our heads, they all glanced to an oblivious Blue who glares at them all when she sees them staring at her with distrust.
-Stop that shit. We already went over all that. And are you seriously going to stand there and be mad about it? I’m not. Look what it gave us.- I cross my arms and jutt out one hip at their child like behavior. This shit has to stop, with all of them.
-You're right, Gorgeous, though it still doesn't excuse what she did. I understand it was for Ebbin and yourself, but there are many more things that can be done to someone’s drink. I think that’s what we are angry about. Not what happened, or what we gained.- Rhett stares pointedly at my stomach with a fond smile taking over his full lips and making a dimple peek out on one side that I hadn’t ever noticed before. -It's the principle of the matter. She might be your friend, but we don’t know her like you do. It will take us time. Try to be patient with us.- As frustrating as it might be, I have to agree with him, I do have my doubts about her doing what she did, but with others, not myself. I trust her. I need to trust my men more too, though.
-I promise. Now can we please get back to the hilarity of watching Torunn and Gor find more shit to mess with and get scared. After that, Merrick, Gor brought metals with him. He has a lot he could teach you. I need to train a bit with Torunn while y’all do that. Ebbin, Rhydian, can you both pack yourselves a few extra easy sets of clothes? I have a feeling you're going to be shifting a lot. That means ruined clothes. I wouldn't mind you naked but I would mind watching Blue and Torunn stare at what's mine.-
-Ooooh, kitty’s claws are coming out. This is going to be fucking hot!- I roll my eyes visibly at Rhett's immaturity and speak to him next. I feel a little bad for not giving them much choice, but this is about my mother and there are certain things I have in mind for the plan. The one I’m still trying to figure out.
-Rhett, you’re going with Blue.-
His shoulders drop, and he looks completely devastated. I smile at his actions and immediately feel bad. But he needs the extra training. She’s god knows how old and half witch. He has even said he would love the chance to train with her at some point. So, this is on him.
-I thought you loved me. She’s going to kick my ass. If I do this, you have to make me one promise.-
Gazing into his gorgeous jade eyes, I bite my lips trying to hold back another laugh and nod quickly to him.
-Remember, you already agreed! If I get any boo boo’s you have to kiss em’ better; all of them, anywhere.-
Rolling my eyes and shaking my head while trying to hold in my laughter, I walk away from them all and go to drag Torunn away from the microwave before she burns down the entire cabin.
“Torunn, would you mind helping me out a bit more? I want to learn everything there is about our kind. I know I’m missing so much and it's really getting to me. Also, I would like to learn how to use my new sword properly,” I ask her feeling a little shy at my lack of knowledge on pretty much...everything.
“Of course I can. Would you like Gor there as well to explain everything about your sword?” she asks me, but it’s in regards to my brother, as is a fond smile. She quickly averts her eyes to the ground when he meets hers.
“I would love that, only,” I pause, turning to Gor and waving a hopefully Merrick over. “Gor would you mind teaching Merrick a bit about what you can do? There is very little time, I know it won't be extensive, but anything will help us.�
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“I told you before I would, I will not go back on my word, little sister,” nodding to Torunn and I, he gestures for Merrick to lead the way.
Shouting across the island to the other people in the room, I annoy Blue, which makes me smile along with the men still left in the room.
“Blue, I love you, but you gotta teach the man-child some shit.” I grab Torunn's arm and rush out of the cabin before she can protest. I know Ebbin and Rhydian will get their stuff done, so I don’t even turn to ask them anything.
Cynide is with Torunn and me when I pull her outside and race to the gym the men had set up before we left, out in the big barn.
“What are these strange contraptions?” Torunn asks while she runs her hand on the railing of the stair climber that’s in the far corner.
“They’re machines that will keep us in shape, that one,” I gesture at the stair climber she has now put her foot on, “is a stair climber, it works our legs and makes it so we don't have to go out and find the stairs to do it, go ahead and take a step,” I tell her. When she does she jumps again as the stairs start to move under her weight.
“It’s alright, that’s what it's supposed to do.” The look of relief on her face is apparent, but soon enough she turns her attention back to the machine and starts to climb the turning steps. Still in all of her armor, it’s a sight to see.
A Valkyrie with wings, armor, and a giant sword hanging from her hip is using gym equipment. I shake my head to myself at the turn of the strange events that are taking place before me, I never thought in a million years that this would be something I would ever see with my own eyes.
Finally done with entertaining herself, she walks over to the middle of the room and gestures for me to sit in front of her.
“So, what do you know of what we are and can do? Let us start from there and I will fill in the blanks,” she tells me, sitting down across from me.
Huffing out a breath, trying to think of everything I have learned in the last week, I start to see how little I actually know.