"As long as we are under the stars, we are home."


She was heavily bundled against the icy winds. The bulk of the clothing, itself, had become too cumbersome for her to continue. Her very bones ached from the climb. She paused right before she crested the final ridge of the mountaintop, and turned to take in the path behind her, as she caught her breath. She shivered as she internally cursed herself for stopping. She was so close. In the peacefulness of the isolation around her, she could feel her heart beating strong and fast. She could almost hear it. She was filled with the anticipation and the dread of what she would find. She glanced once more at the trail behind, took in a deep breath and lifted her heavy feet once again.

Step by step, until she was finally rewarded with the sight she had hoped for, yet had steeled herself against seeing. She was standing on the edge of a depression on the mountain top, shielding what lay in the middle from the outside world. She was transfixed by the beacon of flames before her. Her loose auburn hair flitted unnoticed around her. The cold. The exertion. All was forgotten as she moved forward. Not since the age of lore had the fire burned. Not since the ancients had fought amongst themselves and divvied up the world, had this mountain top felt this kind of heat. The ancient alter was ablaze. The carved runes at the base almost glowing. Flames reaching into the sky. The air was warm, but not hot. It cascaded around her, warming her to her core. She moved toward its base, pulled towards it. Shedding the outer layers of clothing, as she went. Finally, she dropped to her knees near the edge. Her voice was low, filled with astonishment and awe,"it's true", echoed in the vastness around her.


Most of the patrons of the Dahl turned towards the door. The power of her current station, ruling Valhalla, seemed to radiate off of her. Acacia ignored the eyes following her as she scanned the room for her purpose there, this night. The blonde head turned to see what the others were looking at. Acacia's heart clenched for a moment when their eyes met. Her Tamsin. The resemblance was unmistakable. She sauntered up to the bar right next to her, and leaned her elbow against the dark, rich surface of the bar top. Oblivious to those who were moving to stand closer to the young Valkyrie, Acacia maintained eye contact with only the young Valkyrie. She quirked up the corner of her mouth, her voice filled with bravado, confidence, authority, and a little mirth as Acacia said, "So, you're the little brat."

Dagny smirked as she looked the woman up and down, "Brat? Who the hell are you."

Acacia's hearty laughter punctuated her words, "You are your mothers daughter!" She slapped the bar as she turned to Dyson, "Wolf. Make yourself useful and pour me something strong."

Dyson eyed Acacia warily but nodded as he sat a glass in front of her. Standing in Tricks stead had taught him to observe. To allow things to unfold, but the wolf in him always remained vigilant.

Acacia allowed her attention to move from the questioning young Valkyrie to the dark brown eyes glaring at her. Without breaking eye contact, she moved her hand over the glass as Dyson was about to pour the amber liquid into it. "Better just leave the bottle" remaining relaxed, leaning against the bar.

Dyson nodded, but leaned over towards Acacia, who slowly turned to face him as he spoke. "Tread lightly Acacia, she under the protection of us all."

The rest of the patrons had lost interest and gone back to their activities. Acacia simply nodded to the wolf as she turned back towards the others. She internally settled herself, able now to focus only on those that were surrounding Tamsin's daughter and herself. Tamsin's "family". As much as Acacia was glad that Tamsin had found the strength she had need through these people, she couldn't help but forget the pain they had also caused her.

The succubus had moved to position herself between her charge and Acacia. She turned towards the young blonde put her hand on her shoulder and smiled at her, "Dagny, this is Acacia." She paused a moment and glanced back at Acacia before turning back to Dagny. "She is the leader of the Valkyrie."

Dagny had already been subjected to a great deal since she was brought into the bar, earlier that day. Bo couldn't help but smile broader as she saw the confident look on Dagny's face as she inspected Acacia. The look she saw on that young face echoed that of her mother. But, under her fingers on Dagny's shoulder she could feel the young Valkyries heart beat picking up speed. Bo knew that the worst part of being new to the Fae, was not truly knowing what she was dealing with. But, as Dagny glanced at Bo and then back to Acacia, Bo remembered that they had given Dagny the safety of growing up amidst humans, but they had always made her place, and her heritage known to her.

So, Bo wasn't surprised at all when Dagny, stepped forward and queried, Acacia. She tilted her head as she spoke, "The leader of the Valkyrie, huh? Does that make you a Queen?"

Acacia took a huge swallow of her drink before replying, "That you even have to ask that is why I'm here." She nodded towards the succubus. "I appreciate all that you've done, but I believe it's my turn to teach this girl about who she is."

Bo, had hoped for Acacia's simple curiosity. She knew that Acacia had been important to Tamsin, but she could never make herself trust Acacia fully. She ventured that at some level, neither had Tamsin. Seeing that it wasn't curiosity, she moved herself back between the young and old Valkyrie. "What do you mean, teach her who she is? She knows exactly who she is, and who her mother was and who she chooses to be is entirely up to her"

Acacia had been as hopeful as a weathered Valkyrie could be, but she knew that the task before her was not going to be an easy one. She stood from her laxed position against the bar "Entirely up to her. Now that's a novel idea." Raising her hands and rolling her eyes, then slapping one hand down on the bar. " It took Tamsin several lifetimes, far more than the rest of us, to find herself. To become her strongest. To finally reach the place to leave behind this child. Her legacy. But, before all of that, before all of you, she didn't get there by frolicking around with humans.." She rolled her eyes slightly as she glanced at the human doctor whose mouth had opened a little. Acacia quickly added "no offense". Lauren closed her mouth and Acacia sighed heavily turning her back to them as she refilled her glass, speaking as she poured. "Tamsin…. Hell! All of us, got there by learning our role. Learning our history. Fighting the battles. By learning the hard way" she glanced at the wolf before turning back to Bo, lowering her voice to a less combative but patronizing tone, "So Come on now, Succubus. Now that she is of age, don't you think Tamsin would want her daughter to know how to use her own powers, to be amongst her kind? To know all of those little things about her kind that the world around is not privy to?" She glanced around at the others in the little family. " I couldn't even fill a thimble with what you all know about Valkyries."

She finally settled her full attention back to Dagny.

In the young Valkyries eyes, the woman before her seemed to grow in stature. Her eyes seemingly sinking into shadows, as she asked Dagney, "Do you know how to enter Valhalla? How to collect a soul? How about something simple like, I bet you don't even know how to use your doubt!"

Dagny could feel the anger welling inside her, amidst the doubt seeping into her mind. What was Acacia doing to her? She stepped back under the pressure she felt in her head as she continued to stare at the older woman before, entranced by those dark eyes. All of the very same questions she had asked herself, her self-doubt welling up. She aggressively shook her head. She didn't know any of those things. What kind of Valkyrie was she? How could she live up to the legend that was her mother?

Dagny only vaguely felt Bo put her hand on her arm. She couldn't even make out what they were saying around her. Words. Broken sentences. She felt the hand on her arm. Bo's hand. The woman Kenzi had told her that her mother had loved with all of her heart. She felt anger begin to grow inside as she shrugged Bo's hand off. She felt disconnected but could feel the power burning inside her. She brought her attention back to Acacia as a smirk grew on her own face. She could suddenly see the woman before her in a different way. Almist as if she coluld see her thoughts, her fears. Dagney had no idea that shadows were now surrounding her own eyes. Her voice didn't even sound the same coming out of her own mouth, but it all felt good. It felt powerful. It felt right as she spoke to the older Valkyrie, "and who are you to teach me anything? Some jaded old Valkyrie. How can you be so old and yet still be alive? Did you cower to protect your own precious life?" On instinct, Dagney reached out and grabbed Acacia's hand.

For only a flutter of a moment, something akin to shock flowed through Acacia. It wasn't even detectable to the others. She pulled, almost jerking her hand away from the young Valkyrie's. Her eyes still focused only on Dagney. In somewhat of awe, she shook her head, her voice low, "aren't you just full of surprises?" She quickly shook off her own amazement, as she rubbed away the tingle still running through her flesh. She leaned back against the bar as her laughter began to vibrate from her throat. "Lesson number one, young padawan. Anger. Pride. Doubt. All tools to defend yourself. To call upon your power within." She raised her glass in a toast as she continued to speak, "and very good for your first try, I must say. Very good indeed" before once again draining her glass.

Dagny finally came out of the haze she was in and realized the concern in the faces of those around her. The words spoken from those around her became clearer….

"what did you do…."

"…Acacia!"

a deeper voice shouting, "Out! I said everyone out!"

"Dagny are you ok…..Dagny!...Dagny!"

She finally looked at Bo, whose eyes were darting around her face, her features etched in concern. "Dagny. Are you ok." She could only nod as Bo pulled her into a hug.

Bo's now glowing blue eyes locked onto Acacia's over Dagney's shoulder

Acacia rolled her eyes as she watched them surround Dagny. After a few moments, she stood. "And this is why she should go with me. Look at you people, coddling her as if she's an infant! She is the daughter of a proud warrior, a sister of a powerful race and you are all afraid of her feeling the effect of her own power."

Bo continued to glare at Acacia. Her eyes were determined and hard as she stared at her. "Tamsin asked me to look after her. Not you! That's what Tamsin wanted." Bo's eyes softened at the memory of that moment. Her voice began to waver. "I promised her that I would do everything to protect her and I will not pass that responsibility…..that honor over to you. I will learn." She stepped out of her embrace with Dagney and glanced around at the others as she finished her thought… "We will learn!"

Acacia laughed again as she scrutinized the sudden change in the Succubus' demeanor. It had been years since Tamsin had risen and yet the emotion she now saw in the Succubus' face showed it still hurt her as if it had been yesterday. 'Curious', she thought to herself before responding, "Is that how it is? And how do you plan on doing that? Did Tamsin tell you all of our little secrets?" her eyebrow raised rhetorically. "Of course she didn't because we are all honor bound through our own blood, not to."

Lauren suddenly perked up and ran down to the library, Trick's old lair. She quickly returned and proudly laid the worn leather book on the bar in front of Acacia. "We will learn from this. Tamsin left us everything we ever needed to know." She stepped back and stood proudly beside Dagny.

Acacia chuckled as she flipped through the book before her, murmuring under her breath, "well that little shit." She felt the others step on each side of her as she glanced through the pages.

She stated out loud, "A diary. Why doesn't it surprise me? Tamsin was always good at getting around the rules." She smiled proudly as she continued turning the pages. She breathed in deeply, stopping on one page, nodding her head, murmuring under her breath again. "why, you little bitch" and then chuckled out loud again. She finished off the rest of the bottle and slapped her hand down on the open page. Leaving the open book on the bar she turned around and faced the others. "I will never understand what it was that Tamsin saw in all of you…." Glancing at Bo "…and especially you. But, in her honor, I will give you your chance." She pushed through them all and turned to face them when she reached the door. "But! I will be watching." She settled her gaze on Dagny who was standing tall with her arms crossed over her chest in a pose very reminiscent of Tamsin's. Acacia grinned, shaking her head as she turned to leave "so much like her mother"….. and she was gone.

As soon as the door had closed, they all breathed in a sigh of relief. Dagny looked at Dyson, her nose scrunched up, "can you beer me now? I used my powers after all." Dyson laughed as he sat a filled mug on the bar. He still couldn't believe how very much like Tamsin she was.

Dagny coughed out after drinking a sip of her drink, "Dude! Root beer? Are you kidding me?"

Dyson grabbed the cloth and began rubbing down the counter while he put away Acacia's empty glass and bottle. "I told you! You underage. Not much longer, I'm sure. You'll live." Dagny rolled her eyes while Dyson laughed.

Lauren had sat down in front of the open book and was reading through what was on the pages. She was still learning the language Tamsin used in her diary, but she got the gist of what she was reading. "Ummm guys? I think you need to see this."