by Audra Hart
“Mom, don’t take this the wrong way, but I was glad you weren’t here. It forces me to be brave when my Mama isn’t around to hold my hand. It went well. Don’t forget to tell Luca everything Micah and the other guy said. You were broadcasting again. Love ya mom, but I am sleepy.”
“Rest well son. I will be nearby when you wake up.”
Morna paces around the healing room for several minutes when Thor, who had arrived to check on Morna, comes up to her and says, “Baby Girl, you are making everyone nervous. Come outside. You can get some of that exercise the doctors wanted you to get.”
Morna laughs and says, “Thor, I really am not interested in getting my butt kicked today.”
“Who says I won’t get my butt kicked?” Thor says with a chuckle.
“I am distracted.” Morna admits.
“Yes, and you need to practice focusing on battle and other challenges when you are worried about other matters. You have long been away from real training. Your roles as wife, mother, sister, and friend have been dominating your focus. You need to stretch.”
“You don’t think battling a Troll/vampire hybrid while crazed with blood thirst was enough of a challenge to my focus? Fine. I could probably use the exercise.” Morna concedes.
Aideen approaches her mother and Thor. “May I join you?”
“Honey, we have abandoned the plan to kill Kyera.” Morna reminds her.
“Seeking revenge against Kyera wasn’t my only motivation for wanting to become a Warrior of Airendell. I want to protect my homeland, our way of life, and humanity. I want to serve with my mother and father.” Aideen tells her mother honestly.
“Good!” Says Morna happily. “I was hoping that was the case.
Kyle says, “Mom? Can I come too? I know you think I am just a kid…”
“Nonsense Kyle. You are well past the age you should have begun training. If you wish to be a Spell Weaver, training to defend yourself is part of it. Come along.” Morna says without looking over her shoulder as she walks out of the healer’s hall.
Luca comes up to his son because he is chuckling and shaking his head. “What is it son?”
“Her emotions don’t match her attitude and actions. She does want me to stay out of training. She does see me as too young, as her baby, but she forges ahead because she thinks it right that I begin my warrior training.” Kyle informs his father.
“She doesn’t let her personal needs or desires get in the way of doing her duty. At this moment, her duty is to prepare her children to protect themselves.” Luca says honestly. “Let me warn you kiddo. The woman you deal with on the training field will not be the same woman you are accustomed to. Morna the warrior is tough, driven, and very blunt. If I were in your place, I would dampen your empathic abilities or her actions and her emotions will probably confuse you.”
Kyle shrugs and follows his mother out of the healer’s hall. He joins the group in Thor’s chariot and they go to the practice fields. Once they arrive at the sparring field Thor enters the shack there and comes out with a bag and tosses it to Morna. “When I told Sif about your recent bout of modesty, she sent these along for you.”
Morna opens the bag and chuckles. It contains several sports bras and exercise shorts. She laughs again, selects a set and tosses the bag to her daughter. The women enter the shack and don the training apparel. Thor laughs when they come out. “Morna, you won’t like this, but I find a woman even more appealing when she is trying to cover up her assets.”
Morna and Aideen laugh. Aideen starts stretching and warming up. Morna eyeballs her son, he‘s wearing a tee shirt, cargo shorts and running shoes. “Kyle, take off your shirt and start warming up like Aideen is doing.” Morna turns away and picks up a sword. She stretches a minute and then turns towards the God of Thunder, “Shall we, brother?”
The pair spar for almost ten minutes. Kyle tries to watch as he follows his oldest sister around doing the warm up routines. Finally Thor laughs and throws down his sword. “Morna if you insist on holding back, why bother?”
“Thor I am using the iron-lion to protect the baby. It would hardly be fair to not hold back.” Morna explains.
“Poppycock! You just don’t want to intimidate your son. Let him see what a true warrior can do. Give him something to aspire to.” Thor thunders.
“As you wish Thunder God.” Morna says quietly and takes him down with one blow. He jumps up quickly and dives for Morna’s legs and takes her down. She twists away and kicks him so hard he flies twenty five feet. Morna is up and on top of him before he can blink. She has him pinned with her knees and her sword to his throat.
Thor laughs happily and says, “Where’s my kiss, Baby Girl?”
Morna kisses him quickly on the forehead and leaps off of him. She does a backwards somersault and lands five feet away facing him. “Better?” she asks softly.
“Yes, but you are still holding back. You could do that when you were thirteen years old and nearly as tiny as Nora.” Thor complains.
Morna looks over at her son. “Kyle, what Thor just said is true. At age thirteen I had been training, officially, for over a year. Unofficially, for five years. Good training and determination can beat superior strength. Now, I have the training, the determination, the size, the strength and the speed to really be a competent warrior. However, with the right training, hard work, dedication, and mindset, you or Aideen could easily take me out.”
Kyle laughs and says, “I find that hard to believe, Mom.”
“Out here, when we are training you will call me One. Not Mom. Out here, I am your trainer. Our tradition dictates the trainee calls their trainer, One.” Morna informs her son in a flat voice. She clears her throat and says, “As trainee, you are referred to as Zero.”
Aideen looks at her Mom and says, “Seriously? Agnar and Thor don’t do that.”
“They do not need our ways. They are Norse ‘gods’, however, you and your brother are not. When you train with me, you will follow our ways. You will be zero.” Morna informs her trainees.
“Who did your training mother? I mean One? Who did you call One and who did you allow to call you Zero?” Kyle asks curiously.
“Brian’s father, Kylor, the Eldest. He was a tough old bastard and his training probably saved our lives hundreds of times. We named your oldest brother after him.” Morna answers simply.
Morna spends the next two hours running her son through some simple hand to hand drills. She is pleased that he has a lot of potential. She teaches him how to take a punch, and how to avoid a punch. And how avoid injury when he is thrown to the ground. She pushes him beyond the point where he thinks he can go no farther. Thor runs Aideen through endless defensive stave maneuvers. Finally, Morna picks up her bag and walks off the field calling over her shoulder, “Come along Aideen and Kyle. Your brother should be waking up any time.” When her children catch up to her Morna turns to her son, “You still have the iron-lion spell on your body?”
“No,” Says Kyle, “I thought we were done for the day.”
“I am, but you are not. Weave the spell.” Morna says simply. Once he does, she says, “Carry me to your brother. Run!”
When they arrive at the healer’s hall a couple of minutes later, Morna hops off her son’s back and kisses his forehead before whispering. “Nice job today, baby!”
Luca watched them arrive and chuckles. “Kyle when she trained me, she used to make me carry a huge rock around.”
“I was too small then to pose enough of a burden to strengthen your spell. But now at one hundred and eighty pounds, I am a burden.” Morna chuckles.
“Dad, Mom trained you?” Kyle asks in surprise. “I always kind of figured it might have been the other way around.”
“No way, kiddo! Your Mom is the First Warrior of Airendell. It’s her job to train new warriors. She is older than me and had many years of training and experience before I ever came along.” Luca says with pride in his spouse.
Luca reaches out to put his arm around his
mate. “Do it at your own risk. I am a smelly, sweaty mess. I put our son through the wringer today.” Morna admits. “Kyle, next time you will work with Brian or Bronwyn. They are both excellent trainers. I saw some bad habits when Aideen was sparring with Thor, I want to correct them before they are so ingrained she won’t be trained out of them.” Aideen groans, but smiles happily at her mother. Morna turns back to Luca, “Is Aiden awake yet?”
“No, he is still sleeping soundly. Let’s go find a shower for you guys. You are a mess.” Luca says with a chuckle. They follow Luca into the hall and they find someone to lead them to a shower.
When Morna and Aideen are showering, Morna spots a nasty bruise forming on Aideen’s shoulder. “Why weren’t you using the iron-lion when sparring with Thor?”
“I never use it when just sparring. I don’t need it.” Aideen says lightly.
Morna doesn’t say anymore but she is thoughtful. When she works with Aideen next time she plans to show Aideen that she does indeed need the spell when sparring. She finishes showering and dresses in silence. She quickly leaves the bathroom and finds Thor. She takes him off to the side and asks if he has been taking it easy when he spars with Aideen. “I have always just played around with her. She’s pretty tough, but she doesn’t take it very serious.” Thor admits. “I was tougher with her today. She kept up pretty well though.”
Morna snorts and says, “Well, she will take it serious after she works with me, next time.”
Thor laughs and slaps his grandniece on the back. “I am glad I am not training with you. You take all the fun out of it.”
“We aren’t demigods, brother. Well I am, but they aren’t. It’s not about having fun. It’s about staying alive.” Morna says coldly.
“I am sorry Morna. I didn’t ever look at it that way. I will be tougher with her next time.” Thor says sincerely.
“Thank you Thor.” Morna says before she crooks her finger at him to get him to bend down and kisses his forehead again. She hugs him tight and says, “I am blessed to have you in my life, god of thunder!”
When Morna joins Luca, he asks what that was all about. Morna tells him about the bruise on Aideen’s shoulder and her refusal to use the iron-lion. Luca chuckles, “So you are planning on showing her that she really needs it?”
“Yes,” Says Morna flatly. “I will handle this situation exactly as I would with any other trainee. Do you object?”
“No,” Luca says cautiously. “But it might be a good idea for you to spend a little time reminiscing with Brian and other weavers about training under Kylor the Eldest. That way, perhaps, Aideen won’t take it personally when you are hard-ass with her.”
“She really wasn’t thrilled with me when I kept calling her and Kyle ‘Zero’ today. Training to be a warrior of Airendell is tough, there is no room for hurt feelings. I hope she can take it,” Morna says thoughtfully.
“How did Kyle take it?” Luca asks.
“Fine,” Morna says with a shrug.
Just then the healers come out of the chamber and ask Luca and Morna to join them. Morna waves Aideen and Kyle over to join them. Mordir takes them off to the side and says, “An unforeseen complication has come up. Aiden has lost his memory.”
Morna gasps and says, “Why?”
“I am not sure Lady Morna. I am hopeful that he will remember you. But I wanted to prepare you, just in case he doesn’t.” Mordir says kindly.
“Fine. Is he okay physically?” Morna asks.
“Yes. Much better physically than I expected.” Mordir says happily. “I am hopeful the memories will return on their own.”
“Well, let’s go see him.” Morna takes Luca’s hand and Kyle’s and turns toward the chamber where her youngest son is waiting for answers. Morna prays she can provide them for him.
Morna sees Aiden standing while Brigid conducts some neurological tests. Morna gasps in shock. She never thought to see him standing on his own two legs. Aiden turns toward her when he hears her gasp. “MOM!” he squeaks and takes two tentative steps toward her. Morna is beside him immediately, holding him in her strong arms. She picks him up and twirls with him in her arms. She sets him down and rains kisses on his face. Aiden looks at his brother and says, “Kyle! Help me man! Get her off of me.” Aiden looks at his Mom, “Geesh Mom I am not a baby. Please don’t embarrass me in front of all these people.”
Morna stands back and looks at her son. His speech is hard to understand, but it is intelligible. It’s obvious he recognizes her and Kyle, but he doesn’t seem to remember anyone else. “Aiden, do you know where you are?” Morna asks quietly.
“I am in the hospital. I was having a bunch of seizures. You brought me in, you were really scared.” Aiden says slowly, uncertainly. And then he asks, “Hey Mom, how come I can walk and speak?”
“This isn’t the same hospital I took you to that night honey. It’s been over a year since I took you to the hospital that night. You have been through a lot. But these healers,” Morna motions to all her friends standing around, “they have healed you. You still need some more treatments, but you are doing great.”
“Mom what happened to you? You look really different.”
“That’s a long story son. Let’s focus on getting you on solid footing, then we can talk about me and everyone else here. Do you recognize anyone besides Kyle and me?” When Aiden shakes his head no, Morna says, “That’s okay honey. We have time for all that later. Right now we should let Dr. O’Boyle finish her exam. I am not sure but the other healers may also need to do more tests or examinations. I will be right here.”
“Mom, could you give me a little room? You are making me nervous. You seem really, really tense. Kind of scared even.” Aiden says quietly.
Mordir steps up and says, “That’s fine, little man. Your mother needs to go in the other room for her treatment anyway.”
“Mom, have you been sick?” Aiden asks concerned.
“Not really baby, but I do have a special condition that requires special treatment.” Morna says calmly.
“Sure Mom. I get the feeling you are not telling me something, but we can talk later. Let’s get the medical mumbo-jumbo out of the way. Then we can talk. Man it is so cool! I can talk! And Walk!” Aiden says slowly. Morna hugs him again and starts to leave. Kyle turns to go with her when Aiden says, “Kyle, stay with?”
“Sure kid.” Kyle says and pats his mom’s hand. “He is gonna be fine, Mom. Just chill.” Kyle says so quietly that only Morna and Luca can hear. Morna nods and leaves the room.
Luca follows Morna and Aideen out of the room. Once the door is closed he takes Morna into his arms. “Love, at least he remembers you and Kyle. The rest will come.”
Morna nods and then turns to Aideen, silent tears are running down her face. “He didn’t even look twice at me, Mama.” Morna holds her oldest daughter in her arms. “Shush, I know love. I am sorry. But listen, Rinda and Breena can work with him, and maybe Daddy can mindshare some memories with him. It will come back. If not, you connected with him before, do it again. You two are meant to be close. It was right and natural before, it will be so again.”
Reagan clears his throat. “Lady Morna, you need to drink some blood and eat a meal.” He indicates that she should follow him into the next room. Morna, Luca and Aideen follow him. It’s an office. Very functional and minimalist in design. On a small table in a corner is a covered dish, an icy cold coke in a can, and an opaque white cup with a lid and straw. Morna and Luca know the white cup contains blood, human blood. “Lady Morna, I cannot stress enough the importance of what we discussed earlier today. Your body is not absorbing enough nutrition. You must make a committed effort to feed regularly. If you cannot do that, we can begin the transfusions now.”
“Dammit Morna, you didn’t tell me all that. Why did you play it down?” Luca demands.
“I didn’t, Luca. I fully intend to follow their instructions. You know I will do anything to protect our son.” Morna says honestly.
“I know baby,
but it sounds like they are more concerned about your well-being. You have to start putting your needs a little higher up on your priority list. Please.” Luca says earnestly.
Reagan clears his throat again. “Please Madam, sit and eat.” When Morna complies he hands her a file. “I have compiled some possible daily menu plans for you so that you will understand how many calories you need to consume each day. I have also included a list of foods that are rich in the nutrients that your body isn’t absorbing enough of. I will give you and your family a little privacy. Mordir knows where to find you if there is any change in your son’s condition.”
Morna eats in silence. She feels pretty angry that Reagan treated her like a thoughtless child who couldn’t take care of herself. Aideen has been looking at the file. When she finishes, she hands the file to her father. “Mom, I know this probably rubs you the wrong way, but I don’t think he was trying to put you on the spot or treat you poorly. I think he was honestly trying to help. I heard Reagan and Micah speaking earlier. Reagan was concerned that you might be too busy taking care of others to properly take care of yourself. We can give this information to Ingrid and she can help you stay on track. She is very efficient and already quite devoted to you.”
Morna just nods as she finishes her meal. Aideen feels very uncomfortable in the silence that follows and excuses herself. When she is out of the room, Luca leans down and kisses his wife’s neck and meets her gaze. “Please Luca, don’t start. I fully intend to follow their instructions. I am not an idiot.”
“Morna, no one thinks that you are. I wasn’t going to say a word. I just want you to know that I am here for you. You seem very tense, are you still in pain from the venom and injuries?”
“Somewhat,” Morna admits. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
Luca chuckles at her stubbornness. “Can I do anything to help? I know you must be very worried about Aiden getting his memories back.” Luca says as he gently rubs her shoulder and arm.
“If he is okay physically, I am not too worried about a few missing memories. We can bring him up to speed. But he will have a lot to accept, in a short time. Another complication.” Morna sighs.