by Garnet Hart
“You mean Lior is using a vessel?”
“No, Lior’s a Lycan. They are special. They could take their physical form anywhere, be it Asgard or Midgar or even Hell.”
“Then how can I go to Asgard?”
“Kill yourself. Then let’s hope that a Valkyrie will come get your soul and send it to Asgard.”
Desperate, she almost dissolved into sobs.
“And don’t ask me to kill you. Don’t be foolish.”
Asra realized she had almost thought of that. But how else could she go see Lior? “I need to go. The Lycan tradition gives me the right to assert myself as his bride.”
“So what do you want to do? Challenge the daughter of Odin?”
Just the thought of challenging a goddess made her tremble, but she was ready for anything. “Yes.”
Bran sighed. “I don’t know what you saw in that cowfucker. But if you wish to go, then fine, I’ll take you there.”
“How?”
“The wedding will be in Vanar, not in Asgard. So don’t worry about killing yourself. You can enter Vanar as you are. But we’ll have to find Yggdrasil.”
“Haven’t we just walked out of it a week ago?”
“That’s ten days ago to be exact. It probably went somewhere else. How did you get out of Alfheim?”
“The queen opened a temporary portal for me.”
“And you chose to come out here?”
“So I can come see you, yes.”
Bran sighed more dramatically. “Why is everyone depending on me?”
“When will we go?” she asked.
“Tomorrow, after the shooting. It’s the last day of filming, so I can have the rest of the days to rest. Unfortunately, you’ve come to ruin my upcoming vacation.”
Asra was grateful, but worried. “The wedding’s three days from now. We might not make it. If you’re too busy just tell me the way and I’ll go alone.”
“What are you? Crazy?” Bran scolded. “I can’t tell you the way because the mazes inside Yggdrasil are random, and there are too many creatures lurking in there.”
“We have made it before.”
“Because you’re with two Vampires and one Lycan. You’d be lucky if you can take ten steps inside that tree without being attacked.”
“What if we can’t find the tree on time?”
“Well, at least we tried.”
Asra wanted to protest but she knew she didn’t have the right to. If she were the princess she once was, she’d order this man to accompany her right now or she’d cut his head off. Alas, she was just an ordinary person now.
“Why don’t you just take your castle back and forget about him?” Bran suggested.
She shook her head. Before, that had been her goal, the only thing that kept her fighting, but things had changed now. No castle, land, nor money could give her the happiness that Lior had given her. She wanted him back… back in her arms. That was all that she wanted.
“There’s a portal to Vanar at the basement of lord Lior’s house in Skye.”
Asra turned around and was surprised to see Ginny standing at the doorway. “Ginny!”
“Who told you to just barge in here without my permission?” Bran asked, annoyed.
“I did,” Ginny casually answered as she approached them. “I taught your bodyguard a little lesson, by the way. He talks too much.”
“Hey, don’t come here assaulting my employees. I thought you’re in Vanar?” Bran asked.
“I stayed behind.” Ginny paused and glanced at Asra. “I came to ask Bran to go get you in Alfheim, but I dinna expect to see you here.”
“Why?”
“I’d like to know if you’re interested to attend the royal wedding.”
Asra’s eyes widened. That was precisely the reason why she came to see Bran. “Really?”
Ginny nodded. “All the Lycans in Skye decided that we’d rather have an Elf for a queen than a goddess of Asgard. You know the Lycan tradition. You can challenge the bride to a duel. If you win, Lior will have to reconsider the wedding, and the Aesirs will be too ashamed to object considering that their goddess has lost a duel against a mere half-Elf.”
Asra was filled with hope. She can do this. She had one skill where a spoiled goddess couldn’t possibly beat her. “I’ll challenge her in archery and I will win,” she said with conviction.
“Good.” Ginny smiled. “But I will have to go ahead. I don’t want anyone suspecting me of letting you inside our world without the king’s permission. I’ll leave the portal on, but it will deactivate on the day of the wedding, so you must enter it at least a day before because the exit area is a bit far from the capital of Vanar. You will have to walk for a couple of hours.”
“We will.” Asra nodded. “Thank you.”
Ginny smiled again. “So, I’ll see you in Vanar.”
Asra smiled back and took a deep breath of relief as Ginny walked out. Finally, there was hope. She’d see Lior again and she would take a shot at his heart.
She knew she’d win. She had to.
Lior stared at his reflection before the life-size mirror. His hairdresser had just left him so he can have a moment of peace in his room.
He was wearing a grey tux. This garb, which came from the human world, was something the Vanirs decided to adopt. The Vanirs used to have fashion of their own, but under the rule of Asgard, all of that had long been gone and forgotten. Now, instead of sticking to the Asgardian manner of dressing, where clothes were made of fine silk and flashy colors, the Vanirs opted to switch to Midgar’s fashion.
Tomorrow, the whole of Vanar is looking forward to celebrating three very important ceremonies — his wedding with Var, the declaration of Vanar’s freedom from Asgard, and his coronation as the new king of Vanar. But today, he and his bride would have to stand before the Council of the Elders to receive their blessing.
The Vanirs might have been under the control of Asgard for six hundred years, but despite that, they had managed to keep their traditions intact. In Vanar’s tradition, the Council of the Elders must always be consulted in every decision that was significant to the majority. Just like now, they must approve of his upcoming marriage with a goddess whom they despised.
It wasn’t like they would have any choice this time. He knew, and everybody knew, that this marriage had to take place or they can never have their freedom.
Garr, who was over a thousand years of age, could have been one of the Elders. But Vanar had a law that even him, as their king, could not overlook. Although he had forgiven the rebels and had welcomed them back to Vanar without being punished, it would not save them from being stripped off their ranks and positions.
“My lord.” A woman, one of his personal assistants, stepped inside his room. “The Council is waiting.”
He nodded. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
When he stepped out of his door, three women and two guards greeted him. All of them escorted him through the corridor and down the stairs.
According to his father, this castle was built three thousand years ago, when the Vanir gods still existed. Throughout history, this had been the home of the king of Vanar, but was occupied by an Aesir general for the past six hundred years. Now, it was back to them, and will remain to be the home of the king of Vanar.
This castle was older than any Lycan alive. He remembered playing around here when he was still a toddler, before the Aesirs came to conquer them. But despite its age, it remained standing, unscathed from all forces of nature. Unlike the castle of Dunvegan that now needed total renovation after eight hundred years of existence, the castle of Vanar would never seem to need any repairs, because it was made of the finest marbles that can only be found here in Vanar.
He sighed as he remembered the domineering Miss of Dunvegan. He wondered if she had returned to her beloved castle now. She was such a big pain in the ass, but from the moment he laid eyes on her bathing naked in the river, she had changed his life… and his heart.
Giving her bac
k her home was the least he could do to compensate her for all the pain he had caused her, even if it had caused him his mother’s jewel.
He was just in Midgar a few days ago to convince his people to get back to Vanar and to say goodbye to a few people whom he considered as friends, especially the Rochfords. Ceres, who was obviously filled with sympathy for Asra, asked why he had to leave the Elf and marry another.
He could not answer her question, even if he knew the answer. Because it pained him to say anything about it. It hurt him deep inside to talk or even think about how he had broken Asra’s heart.
A loud applause greeted him as he descended the stairs. A large crowd had gathered around the hall. They all looked very delighted to see him. Eversince their freedom from Asgard was announced, this was the first time he appeared in public.
He waved to all of them as the guards escorted him out of the castle and helped him into a waiting carriage.
Transportation would be one of his priorities when he became king. It was a shame that Midgar had gone far more advanced than Vanar. Thanks to the Aesirs who had halted their progress when it turned its dwellers into their laborers. But the Lycans were intelligent creatures. They’d learn the human technology soon, and instead of carriages, they’d soon be driving automobiles and planes.
The carriage took off and he realized they weren’t that left behind actually. Horses here ran a lot faster than the ones in Midgar, almost as fast as a car.
In a few minutes, they had reached their destination.
A guard opened the door and he jumped out of the carriage. A bigger crowd awaited him in front of the Council’s court. Unlike in the castle, the people here were wild as they tried to make a run towards him, to shake his hand and to hug him. Some were even crying, thanking him for finally freeing them from slavery.
With the help of a few more guards who came to clear his way, he made it inside the court in one piece. All the elders were there, and they all stood up to welcome him.
They closed the huge door and silence quickly prevailed inside the wide courtroom. He motioned everyone to be seated while he looked around, searching for Var.
The door of a private parlor opened and a beautiful auburn-haired goddess in a long pink gown emerged into view. He smiled at the beauty he now beheld, and in return, she shot him a stare that seemed familiar. It was that same seductive gaze that had lured him in the arms of a human after two hundred years of celibacy.
He did not have much time to ponder when Var came to him and kissed his lips. Unlike Asra who had to rise on her toes to reach his mouth, Var, who was a lot taller, around the level of his ears, could do it easily.
“You’re beautiful,” he told her, same words he had told her many times before.
“You still think so? You’ve never told me that for the past two hundred years.”
Lior had nothing to say. Indeed, it had been two hundred years since the last time he’d seen her. However, he did not want to make some lame excuses about it. It was better to drop the subject.
He offered his elbow and Var proudly held onto it as they marched out of the back door going to the garden where the guests and Lycan dignitaries were waiting.
He was amazed when he saw hundreds of them filling the vast rectangular garden.
They were greeted by a loud applause as he walked her to the podium where the chairman of the Council of the Elders was waiting for them. Lior did not expect this. He thought that this marriage would be met with outrage, for none of them could possibly accept the daughter of Odin for their queen, as it would remind them of their six hundred years of slavery in the hands of Asgard.
Today, if the Council approved this marriage, and if none of the Lycans would oppose it, then the first part of the wedding ceremony shall commence.
Suddenly, he felt his heart beating wildly. Last night, he had felt this as he had anticipated his upcoming union with Var, but it was not as difficult as this one. He could hardly breathe. Something was tempting him to just walk away, forget about this wedding, forget about being king, and forget about his people.
But he can’t. It had been his goal to free his people. Nothing should change that now.
The chairman joined the couple’s hands together and spoke to the crowd.
“Today, the Council of the Elders has approved of this union between Lior, a son of Vanar, and Var, a daughter of Asgard. We see no reason why the Vanirs, despite having suffered centuries of slavery in the hands of the Aesirs, should not accept peace and friendship from their enemy. But before we proceed with the ceremony, it is the right of any other females, under the law of Vanar, to challenge the bride and prove that she is more worthy to take the bride’s place. So if you have any objections, speak now.”
The crowd fell silent as the chairman riveted his gaze around.
Lior waited quietly. He knew all along that no one would dare object this marriage. They’d rather have Var as their queen than to be bound to labor forever.
He felt Var squeezing his hand. He turned to see her. She smiled at him, apparently pleased that no one was objecting.
“Since there are no objections,” the chairman said, “let us proceed with the ceremony.”
The Chairman turned to the table behind him. Just as he was about to pull the folded white fabric, an arrow came from nowhere, nailing the fabric into its place.
Lior quickly followed the direction of the arrow and found a couple standing at the upper deck of the court
“What the…” He froze when he recognized the culprits.
Asra was still holding her bow and ready to fire another arrow. She was wearing a green attire, the color of the Elven warriors. It looked like she had intended it to prove herself a real warrior, worthy to challenge the daughter of Odin to a duel.
Bran was standing beside her. His arms were crossed over his chest and smiling as if amused of the scene he just witnessed. They looked like those two stupid villains of that popular Midgar television series, Pokemon. He wouldn’t be too surprised if they’d start by saying ‘Prepare for trouble’.
The guards grabbed their bows and aimed at the newcomers. Lior quickly raised his hand to halt them from firing.
Chapter 29
“Let her speak,” Lior said aloud.
The guards lowered their weapons and the crowd fell silent to listen.
“I am Asra of clan MacLeod, a dweller of Midgar,” Asra announced loudly. Suddenly, she was back to the high and mighty princess of Dunvegan. It had been a while since he had seen her in such a way, and honestly, he missed it. “And I’ve come to assert my right to marry your king. I challenge the bride to a duel of archery.”
The crowd gasped in surprise, astounded of the gall of this crazy woman.
“You’re a human,” the Chairman said as he tried to take a better look at her, “or perhaps an Elf. You are not a Lycan to be given the right to challenge the bride.”
“Your law does not state whether the challenger is a Lycan or not. It only states that the challenger must have an acceptable reason to challenge.”
“Well then, tell us your reason.”
Lior watched as Asra lowered her bow and raised her chin, proud and firm like the MacLeod she was. He wondered what she was going to say, because to him, she had no reason to come challenge Var into a duel.
“I hold your king’s heart,” she said confidently, self-assured of its truth, “and he has mine.”
Lior’s eyes widened as his gaze met hers. As the crowd went berserk and all eyes turned to see him, he remained frozen, bewildered of her claim.
For a long moment, she stared at him, a stare daring him to deny the truth if he had the guts to do so.
He could not.
He could neither deny nor accept that he was indeed in love with her.
His heart pounded his chest. It almost felt like it was screaming at him.
He suppressed all emotions within him.
“Lord Lior.” The Chairman turned to him. “You have the discr
etion to assess her claim. Do you find the challenger’s claim acceptable?”
Lior gulped down hard to clear his throat. He must not say yes. To do so would mean his acceptance that he was indeed in love with her, and that would break Var’s heart, and all the Lycan’s heart, because certainly, the wedding would not take place and the Lycans would never have their freedom.
“That won’t be necessary,” Var said when he was unable to answer. She had probably done so to rid herself of the shame of being rejected, should he approve of Asra’s claim. “I accept the challenge.”
There was ruckus among the crowd. Var turned to him, her eyes telling him of the fact that there was something between him and Asra.
“You do not have to,” he quickly told her.
Var smiled and shook her head. “I am a daughter of Asgard. I won’t be defeated by a mere human.”
Lior knew Var had to do this to assert herself, to let everyone know that a daughter of Asgard was much superior to any other races.
He stepped aside and motioned everyone to do the same. An elongated area of around fifty meters was cleared, leading to a high wall where an officer stuck a circular target.
When all was set, Asra and Bran jumped down from the roof.
Var spent some time choosing from the set of bows brought to her by another officer.
Bran came to stand beside him while Asra took her stand fifty meters away from the target. “She’s fierce, ain’t she?” he teased.
Lior leaned closer to whisper to Bran. “What were you thinking?” he gritted. “Why did you bring her here?”
“I didn’t. I just accompanied her. You did not send us an invitation so we thought we would just crash your wedding.”
“You know that I can’t. The Aesirs will be here by tomorrow, and I dunna… don’t think they’d be pleased by the presence of the Vampires here.”
“So, I thought. This is discrimination, and you’re on the wrong side.”
Lior sighed and stood straight. He understood what Bran meant. Lycans belonged to the dark race and must choose the Vampires over the Aesirs. However, there were a lot of things to consider that Bran probably did not understand.