For the second time in as many days, Aela was awoken by the close visage of her mother; though this time there were no bears in her vicinity - human or otherwise. She groaned, wiping at her face and no doubt smearing the makeup she'd worn last night across her pale skin; looking up at the familiar woman with bleary eyes.
"Mother, are you aware that I cannot have been asleep for longer than 4 hours?"
"I am" she laughed "and perhaps, oh wonderful daughter of mine, if you were as talented at restraint as you were at revelry you would already be dressed"
"Dressed for what?" Aela asked. "Morning prayers aren't for another 5 hours at least! What time is it?"
"Dawn is a couple of hours off yet, and will be uncomfortably close if you don't shift yourself out of bed soonish, young lady"
Aela shoved herself upwards, hefting off the soft lambswool blankets as she all but climbed out of the bed. Morning prayers were a rare oddity, in the northern countries. Aela found them frightfully boring, to tell the truth; though she often found many of the things they were supposed to do as nobles boring. She knew that the other areas of Niflheim observed both morning and evening prayers, and so her family always ensured they kept up the pretence when they had guests visiting. Her sister attempted to observe as often as she could, that much Aela knew - but she herself mainly used them as a time to quietly meditate over her aches from the night before - so common during festivals such as these.
She tugged on the leggings and thick woolen top, tightly knit and fitting snug as a glove. Her coat came afterwards, a gilet crafted as a gift earlier in the season in a beautiful shade of emerald green, matching the dyed leather gloves and boots the bears had given her for her birthday. The colour was her favourite, and a specialty of Eirik's clan. By the time she was dressed; the fur scarf and hat warm and cosy; her mother had already thrown open the tower window, a bracing draft filling the usually cosy room.
"Hurry Aela, before your father notices we've gone"
"Sneaking out are we mother? I thought that was against the rules?"
"And when has that ever stopped you?" the older woman laughed as she checked her hair was securely in it's bun before hooking the grapple into position and launching herself out of the window.
Aela shook her head as her mother's much smaller horns vanished swiftly out of sight, striding over to the window herself and checking the line before following her down. The two grinned, breath huffing out into billowing clouds in the night air, and her mother pointed, taking off at a jog. They scaled the outer wall of the compound with ease, entirely unseen, and made their way through the forest swiftly. They moved away from her favourite diving spot, away from the jarldome itself; far past her standard hunting spots. Far past even her lesser used hunting spots. She thought she'd explored every inch of their surrounding forest, but as they moved under the stars and falling pine needles she was very aware that this place was entirely unfamiliar. Magic hummed through the air and spurred her on, the power feeling as if it were seeping into her very bones. It felt as if she were flying across the ground now, carried forwards by both its power and her own curiosity.
Until they began to slow. Heart beating violently within her chest, Aela looked on through wide eyes at the scene before her. Huge trees, carved with faces that felt like they were all watching her, a neat path, as if any debris had been swept from it moments before, and finally - a grand stone building, crumbled and almost melted along one side... She wanted to believe that it had collapsed with time, that the 'melt' was actually just lichen accumulation, but everything around it was the sheer picture of perfection, and so the once grand building had to have been ruined by violence.
"It was fire"
Aela turned, thankful to her mother for answering her unvoiced question, but curious all the same as to why she had been brought here. Her mother was apparently out of psychic answers though, as she was ignoring Aela's mental pleas for information and walking through the great ruined doors. It would have been useless anyway, as far as Aela was aware only the bjornlings' had psychic abilities like that.
She blinked, taking a moment to appreciate the remaining beauty of the building before following; fluidly stepping over the discarded rocks along the snowy ground. She expected to find her mother climbing the side wall or picking through debris; but instead she was kneeling, forehead pressed to the ground in reverence to the being before her.
Aela stumbled backwards in shock, breath catching as she struggled to take in the sight before her. She had always believed in the ancestors in an abstract fashion, but here before her was what could only be the skeleton of such a being. It's wings had long since collapsed; their long spindling bones discarded on the ground around it. It's skull was enormous, each tooth easily the length of her leg and just as wide. She fell to the ground, knees stinging at the force of the impact, and began chanting the morning prayers she'd been planning to mostly ignore back at the Jarldom
"Oh great ancestors,
Give me the vigor to take down my opponents
The strength to remain standing in times of hardship
And the wisdom to believe in my own choices.
May my path honour you in its pursuit of glory
And my boons line your hoards with glittering light
We thank you for the power in our blows
And the protection in our shields
May we always have the swiftness of wings
And the light of your embers within our eyes
We are your humble children"
Together, their words echoed through the ruined chamber, bouncing off the stone walls and back onto the dragon's corpse. She hadn't felt power like it; the magic that made the air feel like warm honey against her flesh; the awe and fear from standing before those ferocious teeth and claws.
This was her ancestor
This being of fire and anger and wisdom and peace, of freedom and magic and…
And it was linked to her.
She could see it in their identical horns, spiraling like rams, ridged and sharp. She could see it in her mother's eyes, burning with the same ruby fire as her own; and in the pure feeling of kinship she felt in this room.
"You understand why I've brought you here" her mother finally said, wiping the tears from her eyes. Aela felt lost, feeling as if she should know but entirely uncertain.
"You will be leaving us tomorrow Aela, and I wanted to share something personal to myself with you, a piece of myself and our culture"
"I won't forget where I come from" Aela promised, wrapping her arm around her mother's shoulder and pulling her in close.
"Yes and no. I wanted to make sure you didn't forget your own gods as you dally with theirs, but also I wanted to remind you where you come from; the power that lies within you. You need to be both the noble, and the dragon. Whilst you will need to use your gentle side more often, never forget your strength, your determination...your fire. If you need to, look back to this moment, to the proof of your own ferocity. You've often asked how I manage to balance the two, and this is how. This ruin, this idol - this is what I think of in the darkness of troubled times"
"Mother" Aela gasped, feeling her own self well up at the emotional words coming from her matriarch.
"You and I are so alike Aela. We are both beings of fire and passion, and I understand the troubles you'll face. We have never found the niceties easy, but you will have to learn as I did to make it second nature, if you wish to not only survive, but thrive. This dragon rests, and has done for almost a millennia; but do you feel the magic in the air?"
"I do"
"If it so wished, it would pull that magic back and become whole once more"
"And live and breathe?"
"It's heart would beat as ours does"
The words resonated within her for some time afterwards; and she knew that not only had her trials only begun, but that she would face each head on as she always had; and come out victorious. She felt calm, more so than she'd felt all of last night and that morning, the plush wool of the bed comforting as she played with the new charm around her neck. It was her mother's, given to her before leaving the shrine - a small tooth, carved intricately with protection runes. She'd seen her mother wear it often, the piece so at odds with her usual finery, but so perfectly fierce.
Staff moved around her, concerned for her unusual silence but letting the young woman simply sit, long fingers gently tracing the runes on the carved piece. They folded clothes slowly, taking care to not snag or crease the more delicate pieces. Within their own country, embroidered wool dresses and furs were commonplace, but the Jarlessa had obviously pulled items from her own wardrobe for the journey, the pieces beautiful and much better suited for the warmer temperatures, and Aela's eyes had shone with tears as they were brought in from her mother's extensive wardrobe. It was an unexpected quirk, for Aela to be so entranced with fashion whilst living a life most requiring function, and Astrid focusing on function whilst spending her days in the relaxed indoors, where fashion would have most suited. They carefully lined the boxes with light sheets of fragranced cotton, ensuring they remained fresh during the journey.
Aela watched them work, contemplating that her trials had already begun, her mind flitting back to the night before, to drinking and dancing and celebrating. And then being pushed behind a column by a glaring Eilen and two rather terrified looking young girls.
"You bitch" the smaller woman spat, entirely at odds with the gentle, perfect demeanor she always gave off. Looks like she wasn't the only one to hide that inner ancestor...
She leaned back, looking down at Eilen with a purposefully bored expression.
"Something the matter?"
"You know full well that contest wasn't fair!"
"Not fair? How so? I brought in the better kill, I secured the better trophy. Second place isn't bad though" she teased, allowing her eyes to flit up to the plain black lines on Eilen's face.
"Oh yes. A husband whose parents happen to be friends with yours! Oh don't you think we all see now why your parents lobbied so heavily to have this years hunts in your territory?"
"Please don't debase yourself Eilen, you know for a fact I beat you in your territory last year, or have you forgotten the eagle climb? How about four years ago when I made it to the top of that waterfall long before you did- do you not climb that in your spare time?"
"Why would I climb waterfalls in my spare time?"
She leaned down, levelling her lips with the others pointed ears "And there you have it Eilen"
She pulled back, frankly surprised to see the other woman's face in a sneer. Interesting…
"I'm not a barbarian like you Aela; we spend our time hunting normally, in groups for a couple of hours-socialising, playing music, making our families proud by being upstanding ladies in society. We don't debase ourselves by spending half of our time galloping through the forests on those...beasts for weeks on end and the other half sequestered in the library"
"This is ridiculous. If you don't push yourself how can you be expected to win?!"
"No, what's ridiculous is that you are the future queen of Asgard. Thor is said to be quite battle-hungry himself-what on earth are they going to do with you, barbarian oddity, at his side?"
They'd gestured to her tattoos, her much larger horns, her sword still strapped to her back. "Asgard is full of real ladies, not fakes like you. They'll chew you up and spit you out, kicking you on your ass til you have to run back to daddy"
"Astrid…" Aela began, glancing over to where her sister was directing the packing.
Taking Astrids silence as an invitation, Aela slid the carved tooth back under her tunic and met her sisters stoney eyes.
"How should I act in Asgard?"
"You don't usually worry about such things"
"I...find myself troubled"
Her sister raised an eyebrow, and Aela reached out to pull her over to the bed. "I want this, more than anything. And you know how hard I work when I have my heart set on something"
"You've been wielding weaponry since you were old enough to stand, I'm well aware of your drive" her sister chuckled, relaxing onto the bed. Aela was struck by how weary her sister appeared, obviously lacking relaxation over the last couple of weeks.
"What if I shame the family in Asgard? What if I stand out too much, or I'm too brusque and forward, or too careful and then bore him"
Her sister observed her warmly. "Look at you, my sister, the famed she-devil that runs headlong into combat, being scared at the idea of a palace"
"Small talk Astrid, small talk with royalty"
"Just because you can't headbutt it doesn't mean it's outside of your grasp. You are calculating, you are careful, your words tie up your enemies, just as mother has taught us"
"You're right"
"Of course I am. I shant rule the Jarldome being sweet and naive after all"
The two smiled as their mother entered, hands clasping a well known jewelry box. "Look at you two, it warms me to see you getting along" she cooed, settling onto the low sofa opposite the bed, relocating the axe that sat atop it onto a cabinet to her left.
Aela laughed at her mothers reaction, leaning over to loudly and sloppily press kisses against her sister's brow "Mother, tell us the story of how you assassinated fathers betrothed again"
"Again?"
It was Astrid who answered, knowing what Aela was doing. "It is my favourite"
The older woman laughed. "Of course"
And so she did, swapping the jewellry box for the dagger that rested on her side; needing it to better tell the gorier parts of the tale, ensuring she didn't accidentally stab a servant as they efficiently packaged Aela's life into boxes. Between them her wardrobes were sorted, and the necessary items removed - jewel toned blues and greens and golds, light velvets and wool dresses with long weighted sleeves and her finest summer furs. Whisper soft organza nightdresses with feather patterned embroidery and matching sheer overcoats. Boots in an array of colours, leather and fur and wool; all found they way into the carved mahogany chests.
As her mother finished the story, fire in her eyes, Aela looked across at the array of tall dark chests, armour stands, weapons chests and velvet lined secure jewellry boxes and laughed. "Mother, I think we'll need a third Lodhaffen"
The older woman pondered for a second before nodding. "Then you'll take four"
It was a week after the announcement, the final day of the festivities that her family loaded her upon the Lodhaffen, along with her belongings; the four immense beasts a sight to behold. Each had a large embossed saddle, atop which sat a luxurious leather and fabric tented structure that housed herself, her companions, and her many belongings. Akin to elephants, they sported both trunks and tusks; though their four tusks were each large enough to hold a person. They had six legs, each wider than a redwood - necessary for beasts larger than most houses.
For trips she normally travelled light, but this was much more for show than convenience. Chests of pearls and furs to serve as dowry; more clothes than she could possibly need to showcase their wealth and power within their own domain. Her companions and belongings were split between the other three Lodhaffen, whilst she had her own. She waved off her family, their goodbyes having taken place in private, and set off upon her journey, along the tundra to the portal leading to her new home.
As soon as they were out of sight she slipped out of the tent, climbing down the steed until she rested on one of it's four enormous, silver sleeved tusks. Avoiding the embedded jewels and defencive spikes, it was as comfortable a place as any to settle for the next hour or so and read, her thick ermine coat and enormous fur boots keeping her warm against the elements - not that the cold particularly bothered her, as used to it as she was. Her companions had had a similar idea apparently, as Eirik jumped from lodhaffen to lodhaffen in his human form, settling down with his most recent carving to keep her company.
"You know Eirik, I hear that the capitol is warm; as if summer all year long"
He shuddered, pointing the carving her way as he spoke. "Why are we going there then, why couldn't you have been promised to a nice frost giant, and we could have rolled around in the snow for the next few hundred years?"
"Because I wouldn't be quite as powerful rolling in the snow with a frost giant as I will be as queen of Asgard"
He winked at her, laughing. "You'd have fun though"
She snorted, and he couldn't resist a quip about her ladylike nature. She wished she had something to throw at him, but dressed for show like this she only had her good dagger, and she certainly wasn't wasting that on him. Her mind slid to the idea of it-even in summer they had flurries of snow that would melt soon after landing, crisp mornings where gentle frost crunched underfoot. She loved it, the way the air felt clean and the days felt bright.
"It's going to be a big change, i've got my summer dresses and armour though" Truthfully, the idea perplexed her; she had never travelled to an area where they had no winter at all. She was going somewhere so foreign, so strange…she felt 5 years old again, going to her first ball and being more frightened than she could imagine whilst watching their enormous, wood and stone home becoming small in the distance.
"I can't help but foresee that this will be a great test of self endurance"
She worried at a short, polished nail. "Gods, I hope you're wrong"
The next week was long, great swathes of time spent atop the swaying beasts. They stopped to bathe, hunt and sleep; and she found herself largely unnerved by the...warmth...of the pools they passed. They'd moved through the portal four days before, and had noticed the change immediately as they entered Asgard. The air itself heated, and stepping into rivers and finding them not entirely iced was a large change. They'd swum for hours that morning; everyone in the procession stripping down to enjoy the pools, and they dined on seafood caught during the fun. She'd quickly become sticky with warmth in the cloaks she'd left in, and Aela was pleased that they'd had the foresight to pack summer garments. Her hand selected maids had no issue prepping her for their daily hunts, and she happily mounted Eirik most evenings to take off into the scrub, armed with her bow and returning with all manner of game for the group.
It was on one of these trips, Eirik and two other bjornlings at her side that she first noticed their little...companions. They bid the intruders no notice, continuing their hunt as if they'd seen nothing; only sharing the news once everyone was secure and out of earshot.
"We're being followed"
The bears guarded the beasts, the rotation guards sitting cross legged with their lady in the confines of her travelling room. They weren't surprised by the lack of order; the weaponry dotted around or the lack of maids; but were a little perplexed by the lack of Eirik; the enormous brown bear usually not far from her side.
They didn't question how she knew, or whether her observation was correct, only their next steps
"Stay vigilant, ensure the civilian staff are safe; they have only basic training so must be your priority; do you understand?"
"But my lady"
She glared.
"Are you doubting my ability to defend myself?" she asked, fire in her eyes.
"No my lady, only that-"
"Only that?"
They gave up. Seeing her like this, grinning triumphantly; preparing weaponry and armor- she was a vision when violent. A vision they were happy to watch from afar; collectively unable to decide whether Thor was lucky or not to have her warming his bed in the coming future.
She gave them positions, disguising weaponry in dowry chests and moving it between tents, alongside maids. It was easy enough to create an alibi, all she had to do was lounge on the front of her lodhaffen and winge in the snootiest tone she could manage that she had no privacy anymore, and couldn't the maids just be moved alongside the luggage?
The staff giggled at her antics, happily dressing her as a true noblewoman for the act; knowing from their own private briefings what was happening. Her inner circle kept watch, spotting the observer a couple more times before the attack was sprung.
Aela was sleeping at the time, curled against Eirik when the horn blasted, but she was on her feet in an instance, glad she'd taken to hiding light, comfortable leather armour under her nightdress. She pulled the dress off and burst from the tent, running across the back of the beast and leaping down the great tusks to take in the sight before her. The warriors bore a familiar sigil and she laughed, stalking towards one of the attackers; her daggers spinning in her hands.
"Our lady sends her regards" he sneered; drawing his own sword from its scabbard.
"Eilen couldn't come through and do her own dirty work?" she replied, steadying herself for when he would inevitably charge. She could see it in the tension in his legs, in the bounce of his feet that he would spring at any moment.
"Lady Seithyond is above such dalliances"
Aela glared, holding in the urge to repeat the line back at him in the type of tone her mother called 'childish'
"I suppose she considers herself above many things" she snarled, leaping backwards as he darted towards her. She let him chase her first, feeling for his ability. He was quick, but off balance - he hadn't had the privilege of being as refreshed as she; of being looked after. Glancing around the clearing they'd conveniently chosen that afternoon, she could see that their men were similar. Weary movements of desperate men; who had obviously believed they'd have the upper hand by attacking at night. Familiar whinneys in the distance showed that they had horses at least, but you still had to concentrate whilst riding a horse. And to keep up with herself, they must have been riding at a gruelling pace.
His sword permeated the air beside her, and she sidestepped away, grinning as she played with her kill, knocking his legs with the flat of her own sword and laughing at the look of anger on his face. She span, getting behind him and slamming the pommel of her sword into the back of his neck, rocking on her heels as he staggered forwards.
He turned, spitting blood onto the grass and glaring at her through tired eyes. "A lady such as she is better suited for a prince; not a heathen thug like yourself!" He shouted, gesturing to her horns, and she could feel the immediate quiet from her companions. The bears knew her worries, knew that she fretted in the nights over how she would appear to the asgardians, and 'heathen thug' wasn't quite the appearance she was going for.
"I am proud of my heritage!" she screamed, twisting and slicing through the air. She had worked so hard, her entire life. Constantly training, perpetually bettering herself, working towards being the proud warrior her parents hoped she'd become. Working past the whispers of her 'friends' as she grew stronger, her horns twisting and strengthening alongside.
"A barbarian queen?" he gasped, sweat beading down his brow as he barely blocked her attack. He had made a mistake though, in getting so close. She pushed in closer, bringing up a bare foot and slamming it with all her might into his chest. He fell, gasping to the ground. She remained above him, kicking away the weapons that had fallen as he had.
"Excuse me sir, for you must be mistaken" she began, levelling her voice into a tone her mother would have been proud of and glaring down at him. She turned away, briefly looking back "for I am a lady".
He made a satisfying wail as she launched the slimmer dagger sheathed at her wrist, landing inches from his right ear. He visibly deflated, laughing in relief, ignoring the whistle from her rouge lips; unable to ignore the crunch of teeth around his skull. She sheathed her blades, switching to the bow on her back and picking off a couple of additional men who had obviously decided that hiding in the bushes was preferable to stepping into the fray. A smart choice, but a cowardly one. She aimed at the final enemy, and hesitated, changing her direction at the last minute and shooting for his shoulder, pinning him painfully to the tree behind. She bent, inspecting the body of their leader.
"His head's too mangled to send back…"
Eirik pawed at the corpse, flicking at the arm. Behind them, She could hear the soft grunts of their messenger as he attempted to pull the arrow from his shoulder.
"Good idea" she muttered, pulling a more jagged knife from her boot and moving towards the limb. The tattoos around the wrist and the signet ring would be proof enough, though she considered adding in the head for effect. No...that didn't quite negate enough from the 'barbarian queen' image that she apparently portrayed.
Honestly, huffed, looking down at the impeccable stitching on her armour. She was a warrior, not a barbarian…
A curious growl to her right got her attention, and she furrowed her eyebrows at the direction her comrades nose was pointing. The noise wasn't one of anger or fear, so she happily stomped through the brush, bears flanking her at either side.
"Aha" She breathed, bending to inspect the two men bound in ropes. She pulled the bag from the head of one, who stared up at her, blinking. "Who do we have here?"
His eyes widened at the sight of her, stuttering "We are soldiers of Asgard, on…" his words petered off as he took in the bear that huffed against his friends bindings.
"Please, pay no attention to my companions"
He turned his eyes back up to the woman in the centre. She was tall, with ruby eyes and horns that made him have to remind himself to breathe. She was gore splattered, and...holding a severed arm. He couldn't control the soft, fear filled whimper that left his mouth and she glanced at the arm, a flush covering her face. "Apologies...I don't usually make a habit of dismembering my enemies, but when needs must!"
She whistled, and he scurried backwards as yet another bear appeared, this one impossibly large. She handed him the arm casually, too casually, wiping her hands on his brown coat and returning to the soldier, whipping a dagger from...somewhere, and everything went black.
Aela paused, staring down at the soldiers unconscious form, prodding him lightly with her boot. She looked at the other, who shook as he stared at her.
"Demon!"
"I'm not a-"
And he was down. She clocked the cut on his arm, the blood pooling beneath him, but honestly had no way to tell if he'd passed out or fainted.
She turned to Eirik, snatching the dismembered arm from his muzzle and grumbling as she left the clearing.
"Get the guards, we'll take them home"
Even with the insult they just gave you?
"They'll soon be my men I suppose, I can't very well just leave them here. Please request that one of the maids stitches their wounds and then we'll stuff them with healing herbs"
"And you!" she stalked over to the pinned enemy, placing a foot against his chest and ripping the arrow from his shoulder, rolling her eyes at his screams. "Go tell your lady to mess with someone more on her own level"