#A complete reimagining of Lezard's Triumph

[lotornomiko]

Triumph’s Tribulation Chapter One (Worksafe)

Archive of Our Own Link!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18554539/chapters/43979635

There was the labored sound of panting, those desperate breaths a harsh rasp for air that seemed to drown out all else, the agitated swish of the silver blue braid at her back, the slam of her armored foot falls striking against the pavement, and the rapid beat of her heart. She felt it though, that pounding inside her, the woman’s chest tight with that panicked emotion. With that fear, each sliver of that potent terror, driving her forward. Each and every step determined, the woman never faltering, moving as though she could outrun the despair that was bubbling up inside, moving as though there was still some slim chance of escape.

She had been running for what felt like days, like weeks, maybe even whole years. An entire eternity of this never ending pursuit, the chase extending across realms and through time, with countless lives lost and irreparable damage having been done. Having born witness to it all, she had never once stopped, not even at the loss of her sword. She had fought and clawed her way through the soulless, those monsters that populated this otherwise desolate world, learning well the taste of despair, losing her hope bit by bit, and still she had persisted. Over and over, past the dormant volcanoes, through the withered forest, and finally to this land of ice. She’d have crawled on her hands and knees if that is what it would have taken, the packed snow and shards of crystal an endless sight that extended in all directions.

It had to be here! That thought repeated in her head, again and again, the desperation inside her growing. Moving through her and translating into a wild energy, her steps almost clumsy as she pushed through the remaining reserves of her dwindling strength. Her ragged breath became even harsher, the woman one step closer to hyperventilating. She kept up that relentless pace, past the snow covered monuments, and into the bitter chill, fighting against the wind that would have thrown a lesser being back.

“There!” The energy sensed, the hope that had been dying then exploded inside her, lighting her up with it’s warmth and relief. She all but fell to her knees, clawing at the tightly packed snow with her bare hands, feeling the shock of it, the icy discomfort, but she kept on digging. Deeper and deeper, until it lay revealed, the tiniest sliver of a shard that could have been just another piece of ice, if not for all the power within it.

Her hands shook, the shard held almost reverently between them. It gave off a warm glow, it’s power pulsating faintly, but it was more than enough. It couldn’t do do anything more than act as a gateway between worlds, but that would then buy her some time. To rest and recover, and more importantly regroup. Then and only then would she stand a chance at mending the rifts etched into destiny anew.

With her heavy breathing barreling out of her, she then closed her eyes as though in prayer. She brought the shard close to her chest, feeling it pulse in time to the throbbing beat of her heart. It was responding, resonating with her desires, and when her eyes snapped open, the cobalt blue color positively blazed, the shard reacting, sending out the last waves of an immeasurable power. Those ripples tingled upon her skin, seeping in past the shattered remains of her armor, all that warmth and vitality a most welcome caress. With that energy came the queerest of sensations, a kind of wrenching pull as the world around her began to shift.

She didn’t fight the pull, all her trust and her hoped place in this single shard’s power. The white around her took on a hue of color, such bold golds, and earthy browns. There was even a splash of vibrant green, life itself in full bloom. She let herself be embraced by it, by that warm power, and then the cold slap of reality hit her hard.

“No….” A protest whispered out of her. “NO!”

It was the Heavens in all their twisted grandeur, that golden shower from up above, the leaves of a gigantic tree. It’s branches extended in every which way, forming a twisted canopy of it’s limbs,  with just barely enough space for the light to seep through. That of the light of a moon made fat and full, hanging in a sky that she knew would never change, never lighten, the perpetual twilight upon her.

Beneath the canopy of that tree, was the remnants of a battle field, blood having splattered and dried, sculpted into a pattern she knew all to well. It left it’s wound marred deep into the ground, the faded remnants of a power that made her skin crawl to remember.

With that shudder running through her, she  then forced herself to look away from the spell’s remains. To the stairs to the south, that led down a far too familiar path. To the world that was ever so terrifying in it’s warped attempt at beauty, that perversion a mockery of all that was balanced and light in the universe. It was dark, and it was forbidding, and she wanted nothing more than to turn from it. But the stairs to the north were NOT an option, not with what---WHO they led to.

With the softest of moans, she started to get up off her knees. Staring out at the world when the only light was that of the gold leaves falling off the tree, she saw that grotesque creation spread out, extending even further than she had remembered of it, the land and it’s monsters taunting her with the inescapable nature of her circumstance.

Her grim expression nearly crumpled, and with it that last remaining bit of hope, the shard abandoned, the last of it’s power completely exhausted on her desperate attempt to escape. Her breaths continued to come out in uneven pants, her body so tired and beaten down, all that endless running and fighting catching up with her.

“Now do you see?” She refused to startle at that quiet voice from directly behind her, the woman continuing to stare out at the world that was seemingly without end. ”The futility that there is in the act of running from me?”

She didn’t dignify that with a response, merely curling fingers into fists, when strong arms enveloped her. The tremor that made her body shake wasn’t outright fear, but ANGER, the hopelessness of the situation birthing a violence in her.

“Will you try again?” The man asked.

“Yes.” She hissed, and felt the arms tighten around her.

“Lenneth.” Her name sighed out of him in an almost chastising manner. “Lenneth, why must you persist in such foolishness? You know there is no escape. Not in this world, this reality I made for us both.”

“I WILL find a way.” The woman, Lenneth, answered, with a stubborn set to her jaw.

“Why waste so much effort and energy? There are other, far more pleasurable endeavors to be had.” His voice had gone husky, the man breathing out his words against her ear.

“No.” She shook her head with that answer, ever defiant, ever determined. “I’ll not give you what you want.”

He sighed then, as though the words she had spoken had inspired his pity. “I’ve an entire eternity to change your mind….here….in this world where there is only you and I.”

That was what made this world of his, ever more terrifying. Not it’s endless nature, the inescapable roads that all led back to here, not the monsters with their blood lust and relentless hungers. It was that desire, this world both a paradise and a hell, created with one thought, one person in mind. Her, Lenneth the entire reason for this world’s warped existence, the woman, the GODDESS, the motivating force that had driven this man to such extreme lengths.

She continued to look straight ahead, to the south, determined to run this world’s gauntlet all over again. He kept his arms around her, as though to take this one remaining choice from her. That embrace squeezed tight around her, letting Lenneth be aware of the solid mass of male muscle behind her.

“Le...Lezard!” His name was squeezed out of her in protest, his lips having touched upon her skin. She couldn’t stop the involuntary reaction then, doing a fitful squirming in an attempt to escape him, and still the man held on. She felt his growing excitement, felt it being pressed against her body, Lenneth choking on an infuriated scream. She trashed about, and kicked back her legs, and suddenly was free.

She had no sword, and still went for it’s place upon her hip by instinct. Her hands grasped at the air, the woman spinning around, that fierce glower lost to her confusion to find the man was gone. Only his laugh remained, that sound and that of the words that hissed out of him with a sigh.

“Very well. I will be here waiting.” He said. “Waiting for the precise moment when you are tired enough to fall.”

“That will NEVER happen!” She shouted to the sky.

“Never is a long time to ones such as we.” He pointedly reminded her. “But run Lenneth. Run as far and as fast as you can….I’ll still catch you in the end.”

She let out such a scream, all her fury and fear in that expression, trying to drown out the smug sound of him. He just kept on laughing, that mocking note to his voice, giving way to that feral response, Lenneth spinning, making a stumbling bid for the south staircase. Her weary body burned with it’s exhaustion, her legs barely having the strength to hold her upright, let alone to move. She still kept on trying, taking those shambling steps forward that sent her flying downwards. The laugh that mocked all of her efforts, followed, the lower levels of this world filled with that sound for day upon days.

The Heavens were in chaos, the Gods that presided there all caught up in an uproar of fights and fear, each desperate for that of their own survival. The world that they ruled over was falling into ruin, Yggdrasil’s decay spreading to each and every corner of the nine realms. Wars had broken out, famine and despair touching everywhere, even down in Nifleheim. With no stabilizing force, Asgard itself would soon follow, the islands maintaining their equilibrium but for how long?

It was a pure and unrivaled hell, this nightmare of destruction carpeting the world. The preordained Ragnarok itself, paled in comparison, for little if anything stood a chance of surviving this, this unlawful and mindless devastation. He found it to be absolutely glorious, reveling in the chaos that had bloomed on the heels of Odin’s usurper.

The world full of it, all that despair and utter lack of hope, all that desperation and greed, and he was drunk off it, off the misery of them all. The humans of Midgard, the elves of Alheim, and all the people of the realms in between.  The Gods however, were a different story, their brand of panic a special flavor that he now savored. He practically shook with satisfaction, practically purred with his contentment, the laugh inside him barely able to be contained.

It made him wild, and it made him giddy, both halves of his nature alive with the chance presented before him. The opportunity that he had already made moves to take. The power was almost within reach, just a few pushes, and then? Then he’d be the one in control, Creation remade to suit HIS image. So hot and eager for that moment, that glorious start to his reign, the Gods themselves, so high and mighty would be crushed beneath his unforgiving heels. Both Vanir and Aesir, it mattered not just what side they allied themselves as, nothing would spare the Gods from his revenge.

“Loki!” A wasp sharp voiced snarled out his name. “Are you even listening!?”

It pained him to have to continue to simper and fall in line, especially to this bitch of a Goddess, but then destiny had not yet aligned so completely in his favor. To survive long enough for THAT, Loki would have to cater and play the devoted fool, so as to be far removed from suspicion.

“Ah, a thousand pardons, Lady Freya.” He gave the slightest incline of his head. “I was merely thinking on all that we already know, on any and everything that might be able to help answer our need.”

She was the golden Goddess, clad in form fitting emerald green, an imperious look to her face, as she glared down at him. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, fingers drumming an impatient beat against her flesh, Freya floating just out of reach. She wasn’t as untouchable and as perfect as Freya normally was, the Goddess absolutely besides her with despair. With the loss she had suffered, Odin’s abduction, her lover’s possible death, hitting the blonde haired woman hard. That unflappable female was now a study in pain, her jade eyes made turbulent with it, and still she tried to think of herself as better. Better than those humans that felt so much, and better than Loki with his mixed blood.

She wasn’t. NONE Of them were, as they were now all learning, reason and rationale given way to panic and the very feelings that they had mocked the humans for. They’d learn humility next, might even be made to grovel, but the one thing they would never have is that of Loki’s forgiveness.

“Then...what answer if any, have you stumbled upon?!” Freya demanded.

He gave an even lower bow, as though begging most sincerely for her forgiveness and tolerance. “None yet...none that can make any sense of what has happened.”

“Damn him!” Freya snarled, dismissive now that Loki had proven of no use. “Damn that man and his insufferable magic!”

“I just don’t understand how a mere human could make off with our Lord and Master!” grumbled the God of Thunder, Thor. “How could he have attained such power!?”

“Silmeria was helping him no doubt!” Another God, one with red hair as fierce as the darkest of flames, now spoke. “Odin should have moved to neutralize her the second she became a threat, regardless of the Lord of the Undead’s interference!”

“Careful now...” Warned a female, a Goddess with blue eyes and the palest of yellow to color her long hair. “Brahms is no idle threat. Even wounded...”

“Even wounded should have made no difference. Finish them both off, says I!” The red haired God of War pounded a fist against a crystal that had floated by. It had cracked, but did not outright shattered, as though even this God had lacked his full strength to do more.

“Tyr!” Freya snapped out his name. “There is no use lamenting what should have been done...we need concrete answers that can actually help us!”

“You mean SAVE us.” Loki couldn’t resist the taunt, even as every eye was brought upon him, that of every God and Goddess turned to glare his way. “Trying to pretty up the truth won’t change the ruin that we face. Without a way to stabilize the realms...well...I’m afraid even we Gods won’t last every long.” He shrugged his shoulders with that. “If only we had a power source...”

“If only we had Odin!” Was the cry that the other Gods took up. “If he and Gungnir took their rightful seat on the throne of Creation, the chaos would be pushed back. Diverted long enough for us to reclaim the divine treasures, and use them anew as the cornerstone foundation of this world!”

“Have we had ANY luck in locating the four?” Freya asked the question, though that tired look in her eyes spoke that the answer was one that she already knew. “Any at all?”

“No.” sighed the Thunder God, Thor. “We know of WHO has the divine lance, but we don’t know where that mortal went with it...OR with Lord Odin.”

“The Dragon Orb has been missing, ever since Hrist betrayed us.” added Tyr. “She cost us not just one, but two valuable power sources, in helping those vermin abscond with Brahms.”

“What of the Sylvan bow? And Levantine?”

“Not a clue.” admitted the Goddess with the pale colored hair. “The elves whisper of theft, and turn a mistrustful eye to us. While the Vanir make claims of a great beast having swallowed down the demon sword.”

“We will keep looking.” Freya decided. “Send out all remaining einherjar, to every last corner of the realms. I don’t care how many have to die, it is a sacrifice worth making, if we can find a way to save this world!”

“What if saving the world requires a different kind of sacrifice? What then?”

“Eir, you know I’d pay almost any price to restore order to this world...”

“Any?” questioned Loki sharply, seizing upon the green clad Goddess’ words. “Even if it meant exploring other avenues?” He paused a beat. “Ones that would see that A Creator was restored to the throne?”

“Of course! I want that more than anything.” snapped Freya.”I want Odin back, hale and hearty, and safe!”

“What if that Creator wasn’t Odin any longer?” Loki posed the question to the gasps and outrage of the room.

“Don’t even joke about that!”

“I am NOT.” Loki assured her. “But neither will I turn a blind eye and hide from an unpleasant truth. The facts as they are, Odin displaced, his body and his power taken, along with the divine lance. And with it, his life perhaps forfeited, to satisfy one madman’s desires, whatever they may be.”

“I will NOT accept that HUMAN in Odin’s place!” Snarled and seethed Freya, gold energy sparking off of her body. The jade of her eyes had narrowed, pure hatred in that look. “Nor will I allow anyone else to!”

“We might not have a choice….” It was Eir who spoke up then, her voice soft and without reproach, as though trying to gentle the harsh truth that the golden haired goddess tried to deny without every fiber of her being. “If things keep on as they are….not even Gods will survive.”

“We WILL survive.” insisted Freya. “This is not our Twilight! It is merely a...set back.”

“Some set back.” muttered Loki with a snort, though inside he was fine with Freya’s stubborn inability to be reasoned with over this. It just bought him more time, time to plot, to plan, to scheme and to do, Odin’s power out there and within reach. He just needed the right tools, to find and catch it, to not only seize hold of that strength, but to make it a part of himself.

Soon. The words whispered in his head, though Loki knew even a second more was too long a wait, when his ultimate triumph was nearly at hand. Till then he’d keep playing the role, that of the weak mixed blood that he was, craven and cowardly with no right to dare dream of attaining something--anything more.

She knelt over the hastily put together fire pit, the dry leaves and broken twigs eager for a spark of any kind. They were left waiting, the sharp rocks being ground together again and again, her breath escaping her in a frustrated sigh.

“This was a lot easier with magic.” She grumbled to herself, and the thought was laced with a pain and a bitterness, the remembered feel of betrayal strong in her mind.

“Yeah, I suppose Lezard did come in handy with that.” Some more wood was added to the fire she had failed to build, the gathered twigs and fallen branches almost mocking her with their presence. “But I much rather deal with some cold, then have to worry about a knife stabbing into my back!”

“Rufus.” She wondered what expression her face showed him, all that conflicting emotion churned up inside her. The green haired man smiled and knelt down beside her, though he made no move to take the stones from her. “We’ll have a lot more to worry about than cold, if we don’t get that fire going!”

“Don’t worry so. The monsters all know to stay away.” Rufus gave a meaningful jerk of his head, in the direction of one of their comrades, a man who was as tall as he was rippling with muscles, looking very much like the physical embodiment of the strength needed to wield the long sword strapped to his back.

She stared at him, at his profile, his long dark hair, pulled back in a messy pony tail. He had a grim glower on his face, and a map laid out before him. His one finger was tracing along the lines, learning the runes there, the roads and the cities, and more importantly, the paths not often traveled on. It was a great deal of concentration that the Lord of the Undead gave that map, the hundreds of years he had spent hibernating inside his current host’s body, leaving Brahms woefully unprepared for all the changes to the land the humans, their many wars and their bid for civilization, had wrought.

He had much to learn, and not enough time to do it all in. Ironic that, given that the man, the vampire, should have had all of eternity at his feet. Instead he was made victim, hurried and harried by the blight and devastation that was fast spreading over Midgard. Brahms felt the weight of it, they ALL did, this world gone mad and made desperate in these last days of surviving.

“The monsters know...” She began carefully, resuming her efforts with the stones. “But without the fire to hide the true reason behind their sudden wariness, we’ll risk bringing suspicion down on us.”

“Heh...like anyone will care enough to notice, Alicia.” Rufus was far too relaxed and unconcerned for her liking. “Everyone from humans to elves to giants, are too busy panicking, too busy trying to make the most out of what might be the end of ALL our days.”

“No, the princess is right.” It was another large man, with enough muscles and scars to rival the impressive form of Dylan. “If we’re not careful….”

“Not you too, Arngrim!” groaned Rufus.

“You know as well as I do, that THEY are looking for a power source. One they won’t hesitate to launch a full out offensive to take from us.” The warrior known as Arngrim chided the green haired elf.

“Is his power really that great?” Rufus asked, after a surreptitious look Brahms’ way.

“Strong enough to save Asgard for a time.” It was Brahms who had answered, his sharp ears picking up on that not so whispered conversation. His eyes remained on the map, the vampire king intent on his self appointed studies, trying to commit as much knowledge as he could, in as a short a time as possible. “The rest of Creation however, wouldn’t be anywhere as lucky.”

No one questioned it, not his strength, and not the idea that the Gods would be so selfish as to sacrifice the rest of the world, so that their own hides could be saved for even a short amount of time.

“You know who will be looking for us.” Brahms continued. “You know the lengths they will go to, to seize a power source…”

Alicia shivered at that. “We are all in danger. From them and from that madman we once called friend.” She was almost vicious then, the way she slammed together the stones, grinding them together, until that one reluctant spark fell from that clash. The twigs and the leaves eagerly caught hold of it, the princess working the stones harder, more furious sparks coming to join the first in the pit.

She felt no joy in her heart to hear the crackle of the newly lit fire come alive, not when the pain was still too raw, and too deep. Even weeks later, the sting of that betrayal was as fresh now as it had been then, all that hurt and confusion alive and inside her.  She was torn, Alicia mourning the friendship, while hating the man, unable to accept, to reconcile and understand his many twisted choices. Everything from stealing Silmeria, to letting Dipan’s fate play out to a t, Lezard had run roughshod and wild over destiny, all in the pursuit of his own lust.

Alicia couldn’t forgive him for that. For Dipan and for Silmeria, for the world that had fallen into decay as a direct result of that madman’s doings, the princess hated Lezard. She thought he might hate them too in turn, given the way he had expelled them from his twisted world tree. Leaving them to die a slow death in a world that was rotting.

“He won’t get away with it!” Alicia muttered fiercely to herself. She was staring at the fire, feeling as though it was a mirror to the burning resentment inside her soul. That force just one of the many that drove her forward, Alicia determined to not only save this world, but that of Lenneth’s, destiny needing to be set back on it’s correct course. No matter the cost, she’d pay it herself, to ensure it was a world that not only survived, but one that thrived under Lenneth’s rule. A Creation where Alicia’s friends would be welcome and safe, where Rufus would never again need fear for his freedom, no one able to take that from him.

It wouldn’t be perfect, but then no world was. Not even Lenneth’s could lay claim to THAT. But hers was born of a benevolent heart, the many beings of existence given free reign to make and choose their own fates, rather than toil under the heel of cruel and uncaring Gods. Lenneth’s world was as close an existence as possible to a world free of the selfish dictates of Odin and his lessers. The kind of world that Lezard had claimed was only possible under HIS rule. All he had asked for in return was complete obedience and turning a blind eye to all of his evil misdeeds. That had made him no better than Odin in Alicia’s mind, Lezard in fact even worse for the wanton destruction and violence of his actions.

He was a force to be reckoned with, as a human and as a God, his magic and his divine strength a potent and lethal combination. As Alicia now was, so frail and undead, left her with not a single chance of succeeding. Those odds weren’t much improved with the three men at her side, but then that is why they were on this mission. This journey to find the help that might just give them the hope needed, Silmeria and her sister Hrist’s souls, still out there somewhere. They just had to find them…

To Be Continued…

And so roughly begins Triumph’s Tribulation, which is a revamped and reimagined Lezard’s Triumph. I know I answered that Tumblr ask saying I wasn’t probably gonna work on LT ever again, and I kinda am not. Lezard’s Triumph is a very bare bones basis for what became Triumph’s Tribulation. Hoping to remove a lot of the elements I was unhappy with. Ironically what I was unhappy with the most, was most of the Lezard Lenneth side of things. I liked a lot of the Alicia Rufus side, though some of it I am not sure how to work into this version...or when….like when they got married. But I hope I could fit that in some way some how! XD

I’ve been excited to work on this for months, but had been stuck on how to get it started. My initial attempt was a Loki POV traversing Lezard’s world tree, to spy on the in game events...but I kinda really hated that attempt. Like this one much better, though I am not too thrilled with the third act, the Alicia POV…..X_X

Also can’t promise fast updates, as this is not the me of 2006, and I just don’t have as much time to write as often as I did back then. Plus OSVP is my number one priority as always. But sometimes it’s good to take a break from those monster sized chapters!

---Michelle

[lotornomiko]

Triumph’s Tribulations Chapter Two (worksafe)

It’s an almost all Alicia chapter, except for a brief Lenneth interlude....but I enjoyed myself. 

There was something inside her, a wicked and wild energy that tingled through her every nerve, that restless power fighting against the cage of her bones, the trap of her flesh. It rippled with awareness, with hunger, that odd play of power needing an outlet of some kind. That inexplicable need is what had led to her current predicament, Alicia finding herself surrounded by no less than five monsters. Great, brawny beasts, with mud brown fur that was streaked with dried blood, with saliva soaked fangs, and dirt and bits of fleshy grime caught on their claws. Crimson eyes gleamed malevolent with intent, low, excited growls escaping the feral beasts, the circle around her narrowing, as the monsters each closed in.

Sword drawn and at the ready, Alicia stood absolutely still, her blue eyes on that of the leader, the largest of these five brutes. It seemed to lick its chops in response, then abruptly it lunged at the second most boldest of the group, the message clear. This puny little human was HIS. The other beasts growled and whined, and one of the half starved creatures looked as though it would challenge it’s alpha on this. That wouldn’t do, not for the ruler of this pack, and not for Alicia either, the young woman wanting the challenge, wanting to fight them all.

With that intent in mind, she let out a low scream, a harsh, defiant sound, her body coming alive with movement. She ran towards the largest, and the others broke the circle, for one all too brief second the pack having been made alarmed by their prey’s boldness. It wouldn’t last, the monsters too desperate, too hungry to hold back for caution, the smaller ones all charging her. Alicia screamed again, a vicious expression on her face, that twist of lips shaping a grim smirk as her swung sword clashed with fangs. That beast tried to snap her blade in two and got a taste of the divine power in the metal, a pained scream erupting out of the monster.

Her boot then kicked it, Alicia then flipping over backwards, freed sword in hand as the space she had occupied just seconds ago was cut through with claws. The monster almost stumbled as it’s attack missed, Alicia landing hard on the ground, so that her one of her knees almost touched upon the dusty dirt surface. Her other hand moved automatically, the divine energy gathered in the palm of it, the shot then erupting forward, to strike at the leader, crystallizing flesh in a bid for time.

The monster screamed but was frozen in place, most of it’s body encased by that crystal. Big, brawny arms tried to batter it’s way free, but Alicia was already bounding forward to fight the smallest of the pack. There was no hesitation, even though the creature’s small stature was still nearly double Alicia’s size. She dodged and weaved in close, aware of the other monsters nipping at her heels, the woman swinging and stabbing her sword about, an explosion of guts and gore causing an upheaval amid her quarry. They turned on it, lured by it’s injury, by the blood and the weakness exposed, savage maws tearing into skin. There was the sickening squelch of fat flesh being ripped apart, and then the crystal shattered, the incensed alpha immediately going for Alicia.

The other three distracted with their meal left the young princess devoting her full energy to fighting the giant. Leaping over it’s swipes, rolling through the space between it’s legs, to then thrust the tip of her sword into it’s belly, this fight had never been a life and death situation, not for her anyway, the monsters finally having realized that this weak prey that they had hunted, was in fact the real threat to them all.

Her victory leaked into the cold expression of her eyes, Alicia doing bloody battle, wild and vicious in a way that she had never before been, something inside her screaming for this. For this violence, an excitement inside her, one that grew with every body that fell, her sword coated red with the grime and gore of her kills.

It was not enough. That thing inside her wasn’t satisfied, that restless energy demanding more. She wanted to scream then, awash with a cruel hunger that Alicia was in no way capable of understanding. A need that was getting worse instead of better, driving her from the camp, from the relative safety of the fire, from her friends, her partners, from RUFUS.

The nights were always the hardest. Whatever was inside her, came alive then, as though the darkness itself lent it power. Tortured by it, Alicia hadn’t had a good night’s rest in weeks. WEEKS! She could count the days to the exact moment it had started, something in Lezard’s twisted world tree having boosted her curse, so that the ghoul powder bit by bit was rampaging further out of control inside her. Not even the ring that she wore, that powerful relic of the elves, could hold it back in it’s entirety, Alicia scared. Frightened of what she was becoming, of what she might do, and of who she might one day hurt.

It left her all the more desperate, Alicia determined to save this world, to see it set down a path of the just, of peace and enlightenment, and with the freedom of choice. It was a dream shared by many, a dream that had started in Dipan, her father and their people, all determined to free themselves from the whims and the rule of the Gods. They hadn’t lived long enough to see it, and Alicia might not either, but she was determined to set the wheels in to motion.

Rufus and the others would carry out the rest, Alicia positive they would hold Lenneth accountable should the Goddess herself break from it. From that promise of a better world, that benevolent future of a people who were free.  

“Free...” Alicia whispered, that thing inside her thirsting for it’s own freedom. She couldn’t let it, not in its entirety, battle the one and only time where she let the wildness take her over. While the others slept, Alicia prowled the surrounding areas, spoiling for a fight. The monsters were always quick to oblige her, confused by her looks, that of a frail human at odds with the viciousness inside her. Even now, that cruel energy had her hacking at a body, again and again, the dying squeals of the beast exciting that thing inside her. She couldn’t stop it, couldn’t keep her sword arm from it’s movements, flesh and blood flying, some of it getting on her clothes, and still she persisted, almost mesmerized by the gore.

Blood held a fascination for her now. Had ever since that first night in Lezard’s world. The answer whispered through her, but Alicia was so scared. Of it and the blood, of the unnatural, unholy desires that crimson fluid stirred within her. With a wild scream of pure panic, she flung her sword away, and leaped back, ready to bolt from the sight of it.

She tried, Alicia honestly did, but when she spun on her heel to turn away from the hacked up body, she ran right into the large and beefy torso of another. The princess couldn’t help herself then, so caught up in her wild panic, that she screamed. Her arms flailed about, hands not so much fists but claws, and woefully inadequate for the form she now faced. The apex predator that had seized hold of both of her fore arms, Alicia shrieking as her name was then roared out at her.

“Alicia!’ She was physically shook with that snarl, the woman startled to hear her own name given voice. It got through to SOME of her panic, her wild eyes focusing, allowing her to see, the monster, the man in front of her.

“Brahms!” She gasped, and couldn’t quite keep her mouth from gaping open with her shock. He gave her a look that said she knew better, the young woman coloring as though she had just painted a target on the man’s back. “Dylan...”

Brahms gave a gruff nod of his head, eyeing her steadily as he let go of only one of her arms. She colored even more, embarrassed to have been caught, to have been seen so wild and out of control. By him, by anyone, Alicia’s inner struggle one that she had kept private.

“It’s getting worse, isn’t it?”

Her eyes widened at that, and then she sagged all weak and exhausted in his grip. “Figure that I can’t hide it from YOU.”

The Lord of all the Undead smiled down at her, but it was a sad sort of sympathy expressed. “At the rate you are declining, you won’t be able to keep this from the others for much longer either.”

She had already suspected that, but still it was alarming to have HIM of all people confirm it. “How long would you say I have?”

“Little more than a month at best….”

“A month...” Alicia whispered it. “Is that enough time to….to set the world back on it’s correct course?”

“The bigger question is does this world even have a month left to it.” Brahms solemnly answered. “The decay is spreading, the ruins of Yggdrasil poisoning these lands and the people at a rapid pace...”

“We have to hurry then!” Alicia exclaimed, trying to pull free of his grip on her arm.

“We do indeed, but we must PACE ourselves.” Brahms advised her. “To push too hard is to the detriment of us all. You especially.”

“Me?”

“The change you are going through will be helped, not hindered if you continue to recklessly take the actions you did tonight.” She flinched as though struck, a shameful color spouting to her cheeks. “I am not without empathy.” He told her. “I remember too well what it is like to be on the verge of the transformation...long though the years have been.”

“Come, collect your weapon.” Her arm was abruptly released, an embarrassed Alicia almost meek as she went to find and pick up her thoughtlessly discarded sword. It was in the midst of a patch of tall grass, hidden and found only by her nose scenting all the blood on the blade. That raised her hackles, made her alarmed, the blood this seductive but repugnant smell to her.

She removed a cloth from her pocket to quickly wipe off the gore from her weapon, then sheathed the blade in it’s scabbard. Brahms shadow fell over her, the man wanting to talk a bit more.

“The fire alone won’t be enough to keep all the monsters at bay.” She reminded him, concerned for the sleeping Rufus and Arngrim’s safety.

“Which is why I commandeered a sentry.” Teeth flashed, but it wasn’t a happy smile. “It will keep watch over the camp….long enough for what I have to say to you.”

“What else could there be?” Wondered Alicia, more than a little uncomfortable at the thought. This was the first time she had ever been truly alone with Brahms, and for all that Alicia knew OF him, the woman couldn’t begin to claim to know it all. She called him a friend, but was that what they really were to each other? Or were they just convenient allies, working towards a similar goal together. Was it even the same goal that they had, beyond finding Hrist and Silmeria, and stopping this decaying world’s imminent destruction? Alicia simply didn’t know, Brahms a true mystery as to what kind of motive drove him.

She had none of the prejudice against him that other humans might, Alicia having spent her whole life under the tutelage of Silmeria. The Valkyrie Goddess had schooled her well to the truth, that woman having trusted in Brahms enough to not only save him, but to rebel with him. But even she had kept some secrets from her, the princess having spent all eighteen of her years unaware that the vampire lord had hibernated inside her, hidden away in the soul of one of the many einherjar that was Silmeria’s to call upon.

Those einherjar were all gone now, freed and lost to battle. It left her empty inside, all lonely and without the support of their voices and encouragements, Alicia having to do everything on her own. Even trust her own sometimes misguided instincts. That gut feeling inside her said to trust in Brahms, to believe in him, even though such things were now difficult, the princess thrice shy after being burned by both Lezard and the woman she had known as Leone.

She had yet to reconcile the anger she felt with Hrist over that betrayal, over her ruse as Leone. Over all the hurt and despair the black haired Valkyrie had caused in adhering to Odin’s decrees. The friendship lost paled in comparison to the family and kingdom that had been destroyed.

Alicia hoped she wasn’t setting herself up for even more heart break and betrayal, but there really was no other option left to her. They needed Brahms, SHE needed him, Silmeria out there somewhere, lost and waiting to be found.

With these thoughts in her head, with the restless energy inside her, Alicia was almost impatient for Brahms to speak. He was taking his time in answering her, walking a slow, sedate pace back towards their camp. She had questions, but knew that it was useless to try and rush him. Brahms would give her no answers until he was ready, the vampire keeping his own thoughts and feelings closely guarded.

Five more minutes must have passed in silence before he finally spoke. “There is a way.”

Alicia did a rapid, repeated blink of her eyes, not sure what he was getting at. “A way?” She echoed, and the vampire didn’t quite hesitate, giving her a solemn nod of his head.

“A way to cure the ghoul powder.”

She couldn’t help it, Alicia gasped, staggering back a step and nearly falling, if not for Brahms quick move to catch her. His hand behind her back helped steady her, Alicia almost grabbing at the open remnants of his vest.

“A way! Why didn’t you speak of this sooner!?”

He seemed to struggle with the answer. “We needed to find Silmeria…”

“We still DO!”

“And to that, we need strength...more strength than an entirely human girl can give.” His face didn’t turn to the side, not even at her sudden slap, Alicia absolutely furious.

“So you what, think to sacrifice me into becoming a MONSTER to better aide you!?”

“I can’t make amends for it. I can’t even apologize.” Brahms was stoic. “I can however, realize that I have been going about this wrong.” He caught hold of her wrists this time, Alicia wild and trying to slap him again and again. “Listen to me...this world doesn’t have a lot of time….but neither do YOU! It was wrong of me to try to take the choice from you, but it is a choice that YOU have to make.”

“What choice!?” Alicia cried out, still struggling against his brute strength, a power he wasn’t even exerting in an effort to control her. “I WANT to be fully human again!”

“Even if it means the world might end?”

“What are you talking about?! How could restoring my humanity lead this world any further down the path of destruction!?” She was absolutely flabbergasted at the thought, but more than that, she was so, so angry, and giving in to the power inside her.

“It might...it might not. But to go after the cure means you’d have to abandon your quest for Silmeria.” That stopped her up short, and at Alicia’s gasp, Brahms gave a grim nod. “I have not yet pinpointed her exact location, but the disbursement of energy sensed, leads me to believe Silmeria lies far from where you’ll find your cure...”

She was torn, all her fight dying inside her, even that wild buzz of energy was silenced, as Alicia gaped open mouthed at him. “Wh…what?” She shook her head in denial, then crumpled to the forest floor, Brahms looming over her in concern.

“There is no choice for it then...” She moaned. “Silmeria...no the world, NEEDS...”

“Do not be so quick to make a decision either way.” His voice rasped out the advice. “It would be difficult alone, but I can and would press on to find her. To find THEM. Just as there is no guarantee that with or without you, the world would be saved...”

“Then WHY are you EVEN telling me all this!?” Alicia cried out in an anguished tone of voice. “Why!?”

“Because she would want you to have that choice...that chance.” Brahms answered. “And if the world cannot be saved, then Silmeria would want you to live out the last of your days, happy and at peace...” He sighed. “Or as at peace as this world gone mad can possibly allow…”

“I...”

“Rest on it.” Brahms advised. “Think and talk this way through...with the others, with that man of yours...”

“He’s not mine...” It was almost automatic, the response and the blush, Alicia trying to deny the feelings that were there between her and Rufus. There simply was no place for it, Alicia having no real time and no real right to nurture the growing affection into something more. It would be selfish otherwise, selfish to the world, and hurtful to Rufus, given the fact of her condition.

“Talk with him all the same.” insisted Brahms. “You might find the clarity you need, to make the decision that is best for YOU.”

She ignored the hand held out to her, Alicia slowly pushing up off her knees with her own power. She found herself nodding though, her heart needing to unburden at least some of it’s concerns to someone. To Rufus, Alicia resuming their trek through the woods, as Brahms began telling her everything else that she had need to know. It was maddening how much he had held back, and for how long, and yet Alicia couldn’t help but to understand his reasons as to why. With the world and Silmeria at stake, with all the help needed, the chance of salvation as slim as it was, she would have done no different. She still couldn’t, Alicia answer almost already solidified in her heart.

==

This world was in a constant state of flux, constantly evolving, changing with the whims of it’s creator. It was the very reason why escape was proving near impossible, this twisted creation a cage designed with one person in mind. Lenneth, everything that she did, every tactic that she thought to try, rousing a response, the very land and it’s monsters reacting. Working together to corral and contain her, Lenneth exhausted from the endless battles she waged near constant.

She hadn’t rested in weeks. She hadn’t dared tried, this land too quick too prove violent, deceptive in it’s warped attempt at beauty. The very trees could and had come alive, their branches like the tentacles of a kraken, reaching for her. Without her sword, the Goddess had had no choice but to outrun those monstrosities, feeling the dirt beneath her feet start to crumble apart, and suddenly Lenneth had been falling, tumbling through a twilight colored sky, the roar of the wind rushing past in her ears, the feel of a storm cloud dispersing as she fell into one.

It left her wet, Lenneth now able to add it and cold to the list of her current miseries. The shock of that unpleasant sensation didn’t hold the strength to combat her overwhelming exhaustion, so that upon impact with the downy soft feel of a grass that carpeted around a lake, she almost didn’t get up. The Goddess actually just lay there, sleep nearly pulling her under, the temptation there to just take five minutes to herself.

Her tired eyes actually started to droop close, a hot surge of anger at herself suddenly experienced when the Goddess realized just what she had begun to do. That fury inside her, it’s burst of energy wouldn’t be enough for long, Lenneth struggling to sit up. A strangled gasp caught in her throat, her surroundings again changing, the trickle of the lake’s surface becoming that of a roar. That violent sound cascaded liquid down over the entrance to the cave she now found herself in, the dark and dank cavern a hidden alcove built into the cliff side of an immense water fall.

She hadn’t yet stood, Lenneth just contemplating the view through the blurred curtain of the falling water. That of the world beyond, that sight taunting her with the sheer enormity of her impossible task. It was GROWING. Piece by piece, and by leaps and by bound, Lenneth could see the far edge that should have been the end of this world, instead taking on new additions, confirming her fear. It really was expanding, it’s borders endless. She’d never be able to outrun it, never be able to move fast enough to get ahead, this world malicious in it’s determination to keep her.

This world was a never ending nightmare, HERS, Lenneth tasting despair. It was more potent than that of the only other times that she had previously felt such a feeling, the Goddess having cried for her world, and cried for the love that had been slaughtered. A love she might never return to, trapped as she was by Lezard’s creation.

She couldn’t even draw comfort from their memories, from the strength and support of those people. Their voices were too far away and fading faster yet, this warped timeline settling more into place. Every second wasted here, meant the future was more lost, the ripples of the paradox that Lezard had caused eroding away everything, even that of Yggsdrasil. She wondered then what effect it was having on this present era, if the destruction had yet started in the world outside Lezard’s direct sphere of influence. Was anyone safe? Past, present, and future, would anything survive?

She no longer knew. Lenneth lacked the answers to that, to those questions and to her doubts, the woman plagued with them. By her own worries and insecurities, by the fear that perhaps her own stubbornness and bad judgment had led them all to this destruction. A dozen what ifs and even more questions, swirled in her head, Lenneth wondering why she had ever let Lezard live long enough to get a chance to run this wild!

It had been her own foolishness, her own pride and belief, the Goddess having assumed that everyone deserved a chance. A choice, Lenneth as Creator, gifting her people with the freedom of their own will. For good and for bad, the destiny before them, theirs to then mold, it had been her own arrogance that had let Lenneth think that none would aspire to something more lofty than they had deserved. She had never anticipated Lezard, had never thought that madness inside him that powerful a force, his ambition not that of greed, but of lust.

She had been a fool, so blinded by her own confidence, her ability to handle anything that Lezard might have thrown at her. She had LET him live, even with that lengthy list of sins and blasphemies already staining his soul black. He shouldn’t have been suffered to so much as exist, his ambition towards her too great an insult, the mad man having outlined quite clear what he had wished of her, from that first time they had ever met.

Love. Her lip curled at that, the Goddess knowing it wasn’t that. It was obsession, it was lust, and it was control, Lezard having always sought a way to subdue her. She had been in a form he hadn’t a hope of overtaking, those mad schemes of making her a human, having been abandoned for the impossible. That of becoming a God himself, and still she hadn’t been able to believe it, not even at Mystina’s insistence to be wary. Lenneth wondered if she would ever get the chance to tell Mystina that  her instincts had been RIGHT, Lezard having found the way as had been feared. She owed her more than that, an apology being needed, Lenneth knowing Mystina had been right about so much, About this situation, about Lezard, and about the fact that Lenneth could not do it all alone.

Her own stubborn ego at play, Lenneth had not brought even one of the einherjar with her. Now she had no one, cut off from both the world and that of the time line, the Goddess left to flounder, unable to do much of anything except wallow in her regrets, and determinedly press on.

==

At first he wasn’t sure as to the reason why of his abruptly snapping awake, the camp and the surrounding forest, quiet but only to a point. Night owls hooted, while things crawled through the bushes, but it wasn’t anything atypical of what one could expect when camping out in the woods. The animals were about, both prey and predator continuing their cycle of life, their survival dependent on each other. On their deaths, flesh the priciest coin these creatures had, and always there was something bigger, meaner, hungrier than the last.

It was a sound that was not only expected, but one he was used to, given the years that he had spent living on the road. Alone or with companions, and it hadn’t made much difference to the animals and monsters prowling about. Rufus would have been more worried to find a sudden silence, only the most fiercest of creatures able to frighten so thoroughly an entire forest of wildlife.

The sounds were still there, the noisy buzz of insects, the bird calls through the trees, the scurrying sound of padded feet running about outside the camp area. So then what was the reason for his sudden uneasiness? What could possibly be causing such a reaction inside him, Rufus checking to make sure his bow and his quiver of arrows were still in reach like he had left them.

Slim arms suddenly eased around his torso, a slight weight snuggling into his back. With it came the awareness, of a young woman’s body, and that of her clean scent, the princess of Dipan never one for the thickly cloying perfumes that would have otherwise overwhelmed the half elf’s senses.

“Alicia?” It was a soft murmur, Rufus confused by her actions, by her sudden nearness. It had been weeks since their last true moment of closeness, the princess having become distant and aloof ever since they had left Lezard’s mad world.

“Pl...please...” Came the whispered plea, her voice sounded distorted with desperation. “Please, just let me be selfish this one time...”

He understood that even less, Alicia the least selfish person the half elf had ever met, and he told her so. A sound came out of her at that, a kind of choked out sob, that left the man trying to turn, Rufus alarmed.

“Don’t…!” pleaded Alicia, and to his surprise, those slender arms of hers, had real strength to them, squeezing him tight in an effort to keep him from moving. Whatever was the matter, Alicia didn’t want him to look at her, at least not yet.

“All right.” Came the easy agreement, though his heart beat a protest. Relief didn’t outright pour off of her, Alicia then touching her forehead to his back, to the part that lay between his two shoulder blades, and he couldn’t stop it, the elf reacting.  A heat to rival that of that time on Yggdrasil had colored his cheeks, Rufus blushing and feeling awkward.

He couldn’t help it. This was Alicia pressed against him, the fit and firm feel of her curves being made known to him, that clean smell sweeter than ambrosia to an elf that was all man. He could have died then and there, a happy man, Rufus caught in the enclosure of her arms. It was more than he had ever dared ask for, this quiet warmth finding a home within him. It was dazzling and real, this feeling capable of only being stirred to life by one other, by Alicia, the first, the only love of his life.

It was a love that he had started to think was unrequited, Alicia having pulled back from the closeness they had once shared. He hadn’t minded it much when in Lezard’s world, their quest too urgent, too desperate for a true romance to bloom, but afterwards? Rufus could admit to feeling hurt. By the rejection he had perceived, Alicia becoming damn near unreachable, and he had never understood WHY.

He had tried to make excuses, had tried to reason it out as Alicia needing time to grieve, to accept the betrayals and the comrades lost. The elf had even wondered if that distance was born out of the young woman’s own brand of shyness, the princess suddenly finding herself the only female in a group of rough men. He’d still be trying to puzzle it out, but then the sniffling had started. His eyes widened, Rufus feeling a new kind of alarm. Alicia was CRYING, and he didn’t know why!

“Alicia?” Again he tried to turn so as to have them face each other, and again found himself held in place. This was not the strength of a normal human, this wasn’t even the strength of a princess who had once hosted a Valkyrie, this was in fact something MORE.

His hand touched her right one, feeling the ring of Mylnn firmly in place. It was still too big a jewel for a hand as petite as hers, and yet it was a vital part of her now. The only thing keeping her curse at bay, the magic he had once hated for keeping him alive and perfect, now able to be the only salvation left to the princess.

Things would have been different if Rufus had been able to become a God. Forget about Lezard, and the ruin he had plunged the world into, as the supreme deity, the elf’s first act would have been to completely cure Alicia of the poison in her veins. That wasn’t an option now, not with Yggdrasil in decay. Not with the Gods as they were, the current pantheon of divine, all selfish and needlessly cruel and without an incentive to cure anyone, let alone Alicia.

“Don’t worry, Alicia...” Rufus spoke in a hushed tone, as not to wake up the snoring warrior who lay closest to the fire. Arngrim didn’t so much as stir, the man having the utmost confidence in their undead companion’s ability to keep all the monsters at bay. Rufus didn’t know if Brahms ever even slept, the vampire studying always the last sight the elf saw before he inexplicably drifted off to sleep. Last to bed, and first to rise, that man always busy with something or other.

“Somehow, someway, we WILL break your curse.” He felt the flinch, felt the way Alicia’s whole body recoiled at those words. Now he was the one turning, grabbing at her, trying to keep her with him. She fought with an unnatural strength, that level of power a sign that something was very much wrong. “Alicia!”

There was an angry snort from the direction of Arngrim, the warrior rolling onto his side, so that his back was to them. It was the only privacy he could give them, the stubborn man refusing to be drawn out of his sleep so completely.

“Sorry...”

“No..no...I should be the one apologizing.” She was no longer fighting, as though conscious of disturbing Arngrim from his much needed rest. Her head was bowed forward, the sweep of her honey hued blonde hair, casting her face in shadows. “I’m being a bother...”

“You are NEVER a bother. Not to me.” His answer was immediate and fierce, Rufus hugging her against his front. Her fingers curled into the coarse cloth of his tunic, but Alicia didn’t look up. As though she was still trying to hide the crying they both now knew that she was doing still. “What is it….? What troubles you so?”

“Ba...bad dream...”

“This is more than some bad dream.” Rufus insisted. “Alicia...please….share with me...tell me what’s going on!”

Rufus couldn’t begin to know just how long the princess then hesitated, a small eternity seeming to have passed, before the young woman that he loved, slumped against his chest. “Alicia?”

“What...what if there was another way...” Came her hesitant voice. “A way that didn’t need a God’s miracle? Would you...would you take it?”

“If that way meant a cure for you? In a heart beat!” There was absolutely no hesitation in him, Rufus steadfast and determined in his devotion to the princess. “I would do ANYTHING to help you, Alicia. You KNOW that..”

She shook her head, but it wasn’t an outright disagreement. “The cost is too high...”

“Cost?” His eyes widened. “Did you discover another way!?

“It doesn’t matter...”

“Of course it does!” Rufus insisted. “This is your life we are talking about, your humanity! If there is a way to restore it...”

“We don’t have time.” The words snapped out of her with a harsh breath. “Not with things as they now are...”

“Well, sure, the world is in a bit of a pickle…” Rufus was trying to be optimistic. “But we’ll soon have that taken care of….”

“Not soon enough.” insisted Alicia, and she finally lifted her head, so that he could see the tears gleaming amid the color of her blue eyes. “Not for me...”

“Alicia?”

“Silmeria waits, in a land far removed from the direction of the cure.” He gasped at that, the implications that of another kind of cure actually existing dulling the shock of what else she had said.

“So there is a cure!” Rufus exclaimed. “Then we must...”

“I can’t do it!” She interrupted him. “I can’t risk condemning the world for my own happiness!”

He had an awful feeling, Rufus suddenly this much closer to understanding why she had been crying. Her hope had been dangled before her, and then crushed, Alicia’s own fist destroying it and all thought of salvation.

“Damn it, Alicia! For ONCE in your life, stop being so self sacrificing!” He hissed at her, hugging her tighter against him. She fought against him, not with her body, but with her words, Alicia telling him that she couldn’t.

“Why!?” Rufus demanded. “Why can’t you!?”

“We have no guarantees of succeeding, even if we find Silmeria and Hrist...and I…if the world is to end, I want to spend my last days at your side...”

“You can still have that!” Rufus told her, too heated to feel awkward. “I’ll go with you anywhere, whether it’s to find Silmeria, or the cure….Alicia, I...”

“You can’t!” Alicia tried to shush him. “You wouldn’t...”

“The hell I wouldn’t...we’re...” He hesitated, not sure what label to put on the complication that was the growing feelings between them. “Partners.” The half elf settled on. “My dearest...friend...No matter what it takes, no matter what it involves, I’d fight any demon, if it meant helping YOU.”

“Even if it meant having to face your own past?” He wasn’t even hesitating, wasn’t taking the time to try and figure out what that could mean, and his stubborn desires only made Alicia cry MORE. “Rufus I would never expect you to do that...I would never ever dream of asking you to risk it...”

“To risk what!?” He cried out, his frustration with the princess succeeding in finally waking Arngrim up fully.

“Get a room, or go to sleep!” Arngrim snarled, giving them both an evil look. “It is too early for this bull shit!”

Alicia flinched at that, but Rufus did not, the elf firmly gripping hold of her chin, to force her to meet his stern look. “Anything Alicia.” His voice was full of his earnest passion, Rufus sure his eyes were blazing a striking color with his determination. “No matter what!”

“The cure lies within the domain of the elves.” Her eyes were leaking tears again, the blue gleaming beautiful for all that pain and misery. She seemed to sag with that admission, and Rufus couldn’t lie, reeling for a moment in shock, at the thought of going anywhere near those people. Next to the gods, the elves were his least favorite of all the beings of Creation. For the tortures they had inflicted on him, the beatings, and the freedom they had tried to keep from him.

“That settles it then.” Rufus knew his tone was decisive, and Alicia was nodding as though in acceptance. “We’ll just have to go steal that cure TOGETHER.”

Her lips parted on a gasp, Alicia now shaking her head no. Arngrim muttered some nasty words at their back, but all Rufus cared about in this moment was Alicia. With her tearful eyes made wide with her shock. He gave her a crooked grin, ignoring all her protests of how she couldn’t let him do that, Rufus determined to prove more stubborn than his spirited little princess in this.

==

To Be Continued….!

I know, I know...I said not to expect fast updates, and yet here I am churning out the second chapter already. But I feel inspired so far..even if the characters keep trying to derail me.

The only thing I am not too happy about in this one, is that Lenneth’s interlude was so short. I also debated checking in on the Gods in this chapter, but decided it was long enough. May open three with one of those divine as the narrating POV...probably Freya OR Loki….But don’t take that as a concrete decision for sure!

Later!

---Michelle