A/N: Hello, hello. I promise I'll update my other stories sometime in the near future but this is an idea that has been playing in my head for a bit and I just couldn't contain it any longer. It's a story that could either go extremely well or extremely horrid, so I am hoping that this plays out well. The idea is kind of...odd? But I think it's something I could possibly play around with for a good while to keep myself entertained. I'm getting a bit bored of Little Games, even though I know exactly what I plan to do next. I felt like starting something new. I'm going to kind of take this one a bit of a different route but you may see some similarities to Little Games...we'll just have to see. The M rating is for language and other reasons in later chapters.
Disclaimer: I don't own diddly squat.
It was business as usual at the Dal Riata. The air was filled with boundless energy and the atmosphere laughed with a comforting, carefree nature. Couples were scattered throughout, focused intently on their partners as if nothing else mattered or existed. Men and women, dark and light, were gathered, carrying on with their howling guffaws and drunken banters, ordering drinks and spewing stories around the stained, wooden counter that had seen so much in its countless years.
In the far corner of the warmly lit room, Dyson crouched over the pool table, setting up his shot with one eye squeezed shut and the other narrowed in on his target. Hale leaned casually against the adjacent wall, chuckling and shaking his fedora clad head as he watched the wolf completely bomb his efforts, sending a striped ball soaring over the side of the table.
"C'mon, man," the siren drawled, "I know you can do better than that."
"Yeah, well, my attention was...otherwise occupied..." the detective trailed off. Hale followed his school-boy stare until his eyes fell upon what was undoubtedly the source of his friend's distraction.
At the entrance of the lively bar, stood a woman more beautiful than one could imagine. She was tall with legs that seemed to go on for miles. She had pale skin apart from her pink tinted cheeks. The bones of her face were well defined and her eyes shone a brilliant blue. Her hair was a color too astonishing to even classify as 'blonde', rather, the only word to accurately describe it would be pure gold. Those shining locks tumbled down her torso to her hips in a well kept fashion. She was practically dripping with class – a rare find at the Dal, especially at this hour. She was dressed in a loose, royal blue top that hung off her boney shoulders like a drape and showed off her prominent clavicle with tight, curve hugging gray jeans adorning her legs. Large, golden earrings in the shape of elegant wings were barely visible beneath her hair and a matching, equally large and flashy golden necklace was clasped around her neck. The necklace was insanely intricate and had smaller versions of the winged earrings melded into its fashioning.
Both men dropped their pool cues – and their jaws – gaping at the incredulous creature that graced their view. After taking a moment to collect themselves, the two fae looked at each other like two children about to fight over the last chocolate chip cookie, and both began hastily making their way towards the captivating woman. Though they didn't get very far before someone beat them to the mark.
"Hi there," came a silky, seductive voice. "I'm Bo."
Dyson and Hale stopped in their tracks, cursing themselves, both fully aware that they could never win out over a succubus. Especially not this succubus.
"Can I buy you a drink, beautiful," Bo asked the newcomer sweetly. The woman in question turned her attention to the brunette, now standing in front of her gazing up at her.
The golden-haired beauty smiled graciously before answering, "I'm actually waiting for someone," her voice was like bells in the summer breeze when she spoke. Seeing the disappointment on the succubus' face, she quickly added, "but a drink would be lovely while I wait."
"Well then a drink, you shall have," the brunette grinned her classic Bo Dennis smile and motioned towards the bar, leading the stranger to a stool and motioning for Trick.
"What can I get for you ladies?" Trick asked with a smile as he approached the pair.
"Whatever you have on tap for me will be fine and a...?" she looked to her company expectantly, unsure of what to request for her.
"Whisky for me. And ah – leave the bottle, if you wouldn't mind?" the mystery woman responded. Bo cocked an eyebrow, impressed, as Trick wandered off to retrieve their drinks.
"Whisky, eh? Wouldn't have guessed that one," Bo chuckled, her admiration growing for the dazzling creature beside her.
"Oh? Well, you shouldn't be so quick to make assumptions, my dear succubus," the woman replied. Bo's head snapped around as she heard this.
"Wha- how do you-"
"Here we are," Trick interrupted with his always impeccable timing, "one beer and one serving of the finest whisky you'll find for miles – with the handle, of course." He grinned, placing the beverages on the counter in front of the women and walked back to tend to his other customers.
"So this someone that you're waiting for," the brunette deflected, "boyfriend or something?"
The woman laughed and it sounded like a thousand angels singing. "No, no," she said, "nothing like that." She paused to take a sip from her glass. "It's more of a...reunion, of sorts. A surprise, actually," she continued, suddenly becoming dazed.
"Ah– so you never told me your name," Bo stammered a bit, trying to veer from the subject, suddenly feeling rather uncomfortable. She took a long gulp of her beer and watched in wonder as her companion took an equally long chug of her whisky.
"Mm, did I not? How very rude of me, I apologize," the woman said. "My name is–"
"Freya," a monotonous voice breathed from behind them. Both women turned on their stools and were met by a tall, blonde, green eyed Valkyrie. Her mouth was slightly agape and her expression looked as though she was staring into the face of a ghost.
"Tamsin," the two at the bar said in unison.
"Hello, old friend," the newcomer's smooth voice sang. "It's been too long."
"Yeah," Tamsin huffed out softly, obviously shocked to see the woman, "you could say that..."
"Wait, Tamsin is the 'someone' that you're waiting on," Bo asked incredulously, obviously confused by the entire situation.
"Don't you have something better to do, succubus? Go feed your human or something," Tamsin spat in the brunette's direction. Looking hurt and not knowing what to say, Bo slid from her seat and pouted her way to the pool table where Kenzi now stood and appeared to be trying to talk the guys into a game of pool. Tamsin took her place at the bar and sat in silence for a moment before leaning in and embracing Freya, who promptly returned the favor, wrapping her thin arms around the blonde gently.
"What are you doing here," Tamsin asked nervously after pulling away from the hug. Freya smiled and reached a hand up to stroke the Valkyrie's hair momentarily.
"I just came to visit, my sweet. Like I said, it's been too long," the goddess said sweetly. "How has life been treating you here, my darling?"
The younger of the two Nordic warriors glanced briefly at Bo. The succubus had since joined Dyson and Hale and was getting a kick out of watching Kenzi hustle the two at another game of pool. Freya noticed Tamsin's action, of course, frowning as it confirmed her suspicions – and the real reason behind her visit.
The goddess sighed and looked at the Valkyrie lovingly, like a mother would look at her little one before sending them off to their first day of school. Tamsin's expression would have been unreadable to anyone else, but Freya knew her all too well. The detective had spent centuries building her stubborn walls, determined to keep the world at bay and her feelings, her emotions, her thoughts, within herself.
This was common among Freya's Valkyries. They lived through so many horrors, so many trials, and saw what feelings and emotions could do to a person if they let them take control. These things had grown to be seen as weaknesses in their eyes and weakness is one thing a Valkyrie will never submit to. Freya knew this and such things pained her to the very depths of her purest soul.
She wanted her darlings to have love, happiness, contentment, and bliss. She wanted them to feel the warmth of another and the joy of living without fear. She wanted them to thrive without their walls. But she also knew that this was not her decision, rather that of someone much more powerful than she, so she was left with no choice but to watch in agonized silence.
"Tamsin," Freya said softly, breaking the blonde from the semi trance she had fallen into, "my dear you've fallen in love." Tamsin's eyes shot up and stared directly into those of her beloved superior, panic striking through every nerve in her body as a realization hit her.
"N–No, I haven't. I don't do all that gushy stuff, you know," Tamsin sputtered in a futile attempt to dissuade the goddess who merely smiled sadly in return.
"My child, there is no use in trying to deny to me what I already know. Just as your succubus can feel sexual desire and lust, I can feel the heart's desire and pure, unvanquished love and adoration. You know that in full, my dear," the goddess took the hand of the woman she knew as her own child.
"But I–," Tamsin tried to object, her voice soft and dazed as she looked down at her hand in Freya's.
"Tamsin," Freya said gently, "darling, I need you to know how much joy this brings to me. A Valkyrie's love is the most powerful weapon in any existence and will carry you through many blissful lifetimes..." She paused to brush a strand of Tamsin's hair from her face, tenderly caressing her cheek in a maternal way. "But you know as well as I that he does not see it that way. His law is clear: a Valkyrie lost is a Valkyrie gained."
The blonde's eyes grew wide at this, "Shit..." she breathed. She had heard tales of this phrase as a child but believed them to be nothing but mere bed-time stories.
"Make your preparations, my dear Valkyrie. Your final assignment will arrive in thirty days of this plane's calender. I wish you all the best and extend to you my greatest love. For now, I must take my leave. But I will return when the time comes to deliver your task," the golden-haired woman stopped and furrowed her brow. She placed her hand gently beneath Tamsin's chin, raising her head to meet her eyes.
"Tamsin, this is one thing you cannot fight. You have been fighting your entire life, through every cycle. Your fight is what defines you and you are proud of that, as am I. But you are tired of fighting, I can feel it. You have done your sisters and your superiors proud in every life you have lived. You have been our strongest warrior for centuries and I assure you that it is not overlooked in the slightest. But you don't have to fight anymore, child. You have already won this time." Tamsin had nothing more to say, for her mentor's words had stunned her into a sort of bashful silence.
Nothing more was said between the two. Instead, Freya curled her hand into a fist, crossed her arm over her chest, and rested her hand against her heart. Tamsin did the same and the two rested their foreheads against each other for a brief moment – the goddess and the Valkyrie – before Freya rose from her seat and exited the Dal, nodding to Bo with a dazzling smile as she took her leave.
Bo watched curiously from the pool table, as she had been doing through the entirety of the two Teutonic fae's conversation. Her brow furrowed as she took in the look of shock and deep thought plastered on Tamsin's face. What had Freya said that could send her into such an un-Tamsin-like state? She was pulled from her pondering as her best friend squealed in excitement beside her, apparently winning yet another game of pool against the wolf and the siren.
"Yes! Pay up dog breath," Kenzi taunted, waggling her fingers with her palm outstretched towards Dyson. Hale simply stood to the side shaking his head at the tiny human. By the time Bo had looked away from the amusing scene and turned her attention back to the blonde, Tamsin was nowhere to be seen.
A/N: I like this a lot more than I thought I would. I'm actually really really excited. Let me know what you think of the first chapter!
xRiver
