There was only seconds to act, Mystina feeling her brother's barrier crumple. She had only the briefest moment of regrets, knowing her actions had surely done him harm. It was never easy for one to destroy another God's magic, and the act did not come without cost to them both. Lezard would be in pain, and Mystina was winded, her own powers near exhausted from the effort it had taken to bring down the barrier her brother had erected.
And yet she didn't hesitate, lunging forward, her feet already taking leave of the ground, even as her hands shot forth a rapid burst of ether. That ether charged forward through the house, surging up the stairs, and breaking down the door to Lezard's treasure room. Mystina was fast on it's heels, her arrival being heralded by a million sparks, golden energy cascading off her in waves.
She barely got more than a foot into the room before she stopped up short, Mystina's eyes going huge as she stared at the scene before her. She looked not at her brother, or Lezard's collection, but at the girl besides him. The HUMAN, whose own eyes were on Mystina, blue and bright with fear and shock. Her lips had parted, but no sound followed her initial scream, the girl was just gaping aghast at her.
Mystina felt her own face must echo that expression, she could barely think of what to say as she stared at what was Lezard's latest acquisition. The girl was lovely, even in her fright, her ankle length hair bound back in a loose braid. Her hair was colored a silver blue that seemed to shimmer in the lights of the room, favoring one hue more than the other, depending on how the light hit it.
Mystina quickly looked past the girl's beauty, looking for signs of abuse. She didn't see any, nor did she taste much of Lezard's ether signature upon the girl, leaving her to relax slightly as she realized he had at least behaved himself as far as romancing the girl. Not that it made things any better, just the act of taking the girl from her world was a crime, one whose punishments she didn't even want to imagine.
She closed her eyes, feeling the tremble go through her, Mystina wondering how and if she could fix this sin for her brother. She refused to contemplate what the other Gods would do, what Lord Odin would decree, Mystina trying to see how much damage control she could do for the situation. She let out a shaky breath, not at all pleased to hear how hoarse her voice sounded in the moment.
"What...what have you done?"
Her voice seemed to galvanize the pair into action, Lezard attempting to sit up while the girl took a step back. Mystina watched her like a hawk, fearing the girl's actions, not trusting that she would not try to leave this room. Mystina knew that for the human to leave the room would only invite disaster, especially now with the barrier cast down.
"Mystina..." Lezard said, but she was shaking her head, not wanting to hear what he had to say.
"I knew!" Mystina continued, eyes narrowing at the girl. "I knew there was something different about the latest theft of yours. I could feel it! Not just in the way you acted, but in the energy that was in this house. Energy so different from all the other things you've stolen." She suddenly raised a hand, pressing it over her mouth. "Oh by the holy realm...if I was able to sense it, so will the others!"
Her brother looked startled at that, and she nearly moaned. "You didn't even consider that a possibility, did you?"
"Well, no..." Lezard admitted, making Mystina want to scream. "But you don't understand..."
"Of course I don't!" A humorless laugh, Mystina shaking out her wild, waist length blonde hair. "How could I even hope to understand you, when you've clearly taken leave of all your senses! What were you thinking? Bringing a mortal here?"
"There's outside factors that influenced this decision..." Lezard admitted, slowly rising to his feet. He still seemed shaky, swaying in place as he looked at her. "But sister...trust me, this was no idle fancy that moved me to do this..."
"It would be worse if you had done this on mere impulse!" Mystina snapped back. "I always thought your thefts were getting out of hand, but to take a human from her home?" She abruptly made a decision, wondering if it wasn't too late to save her foolish brother. "She has to go back...back to where she belongs!"
The girl took another step back at Mystina's sudden advance, and then Lezard was between them, her brother glowing faintly with divine energy. Mystina gasped and stared at him as though he was a stranger, recognizing the display of his aura as a threat.
"She's can't go back there, Mystina." Lezard told her, voice low and dangerous sounding. "Not as things currently stand."
Mystina stared at him aghast, barely taking in his last words. All she could register was that he was taking a defensive stance against her, as though he was preparing to fight his own sister in order to keep the mortal. A mortal he had no right to, Mystina glaring back at Lezard, and allowing her own divine energy to flare up. She didn't want to have to fight her own brother, but Mystina was prepared to knock some sense into Lezard.
"Stand aside brother." Mystina ordered, advancing until she was toe to toe with Lezard. "I'm doing this for your own good..."
"I'm touched by your sisterly concern." There was no hint of sarcasm in his words, though his amethyst colored eyes gleamed with menace. "But I won't let that concern allow you to just take Lenneth from me."
The girl, Lenneth as she had been named, made a sound then, a kind of strangled gasp that drew Mystina's eyes to her. Lenneth had her hands clasped together, and was staring at them both with wide eyed fright. She wondered how much Lenneth was understanding of what was going on, and of what if anything her brother had told her about where she was, and who-what he was.
"I should have seen this coming." Mystina said at last. "I should have known your obsession with the mortals wouldn't stop at just taking the things they create. Why be satisfied with just their things, when you could own a person as well. But Lezard! It is not your right to take a human from that realm. You can't keep her, you can't treat her like you would these other things!"
"I realize that now!" Lezard snapped back, voice coming out louder. "But I also know I can't return her, can't turn a blind eye and send her back to the fate that awaits her."
"You're meddling in human affairs!" Mystina shouted back. "A thing that is expressly forbidden to us! How many taboos have you broken in this act? What other lives have you altered in bringing her to this realm?" A shifty eyed look from her brother that let her know he knew exactly what he had done, and the damage that had followed. "Lezard!" She cried out his name in exasperation.
"I'm sorry Mystina..." He began, but she cut him off with another shout.
"NO! You're not! Not at all! You're just sorry you got caught!"
"I'm sorry for the distress I'm causing you and Lenneth." Lezard retorted. "But if you'll just allow me to..."
"To what?" A sound from behind him had them both turning towards Lenneth. The girl had dropped to her knees, as though unable to stand on her own anymore. Her eyes were wide eyed with wonder now, and she looked back and forth between them both. It was no surprise to Mystina when Lenneth suddenly dropped herself to the floor, the girl prostrating herself before them even as she began murmuring in a reverent tone.
"Oh Gods forgive me!"
Lezard quickly knelt down, attempting to touch Lenneth. "There's nothing to forgive." He said, and she gasped, and seemed to flinch back from his touch. If anything she pressed more firmly against the floor, practically burying her face in the carpet in worship. Lezard stared at the human girl with frustration in his eyes, and Mystina could only gape as he began talking to her.
"You have nothing to be frightened of Lenneth." He was saying. "You yourself have done nothing wrong..."
"But I..." came Lenneth's whispered answer. "I must have! I must have done something..."
"Why would you say that?" Lezard wanted to know, and without looking up, Lenneth continued.
"I tempted you into taking me!"
"Lenneth, no! You did no such thing!" Lezard insisted in protest, which only caused Mystina to let out a disgusted snort. That earned her an angry look from her brother, but his attention was focused on the girl, trying to get her to get up off the floor. "Lenneth, there's no need for this.."
"But...you're Gods." Came Lenneth's whispered answer. "I shouldn't even look at you, let alone stand as though I am your equal."
"Lenneth...no...don't think like that..." Lenneth still refused to get up off the floor, leaving Lezard to stare up at Mystina in helpless frustration.
Mystina let out a deep sigh, and joined her brother and Lenneth on the floor. "He's right you know..." She said softly, reaching out to touch Lenneth's braid. "You've done nothing wrong..." A sharp look at her brother, Mystina making sure he knew she placed the blame of this situation solely on him.
"But..."
"But nothing." Insisted Mystina. "It was my brother who did this terrible deed to you. If anyone should be blamed, it's him. In fact..." Her lips twitched then, Mystina amused at the thought in her mind. "If anyone should be down on the floor, begging for forgiveness, it should be Lezard and not you." She heard her brother grumble something under his breath, but the man was otherwise silent.
"After all..." continued Mystina, managing to draw Lenneth to an upright position. "You didn't ask him to take you, did you?"
"No." Lenneth shook her head no, flinching a little when Mystina touched both her cheeks.
Mystina gave the girl a gentle smile, and stroked her cheeks. "I thought so. It's all on him, this sin of his."
"Gods can sin?" Lenneth asked, amazed.
"Oh yes, even Gods are not infallible. My brother most of all." Mystina glanced at her brother, much of the fondness of her expression eaten away by her annoyance.
"You're the Goddess Albina aren't you?" Lenneth asked, and Mystina paused.
"Is that what the mortals are currently calling me?" She wondered out loud. Lenneth looked so confused then, Mystina stroking back her stray curls over her ears. "I've had so many names...Albina, Milda, Oshun..."
"But you're sister to Coeus yes? The God of Intellect?"
"Yes, but I bet right now neither you or I think my brother Lezard is very smart." Lenneth didn't so much as giggle at that, looking too serious in the moment. Mystina sighed, realizing the human probably thought it would be blasphemous to laugh at a God, even if another one made fun of him first.
"If you're done insulting my intelligence..." Lezard began, tone dry and sarcastic. "I would have a moment to speak to you alone."
"Fine. Because I want to speak to you too." One last caress of Lenneth's hair, Mystina making sure the girl wasn't about to throw herself back to the floor in reverent worship. "I won't be gone long. Trust me when I say I will..."
"Do not make promises you might not be able to keep." Grumbled Lezard in warning. Without batting an eyelash, Mystina altered her words.
"I will make sure to keep my brother in check around you." Was that relief in Lenneth's eyes? She wasn't sure, but she pushed up off her knees, taking Lenneth up with her. Lezard hovered close besides them, seeming to vibrate with impatience as he waited for Mystina to step away from the human. Right now she didn't trust her own brother not to do something stupid, especially where the girl was concerned.
"Come brother dear." Mystina said, snagging hold of his right arm, and all but dragging him out of the room. "We will have words." Lezard actually stumbled as she pulled him, the door swinging shut behind them at an insistent bit of ether. Even with Lenneth locked behind that door, Mystina could not relax completely, turning to stare at Lezard expectantly. "Well?" She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you have any way to explain yourself and the reason behind taking that girl?"
Her brother took his time answering, pausing to pull off his glasses and use a handkerchief on the immaculate lenses. Mystina bit back her impatience, tapping a foot in agitation as she waited for him to speak.
"I had to act Mystina." Lezard said at last, putting his glasses back on. "I had to save her from that fate she was facing!"
"Fate, what fate!" asked Mystina, and Lezard sighed.
"Her parents. They were going to sell her." She opened her mouth to protest, to point out that humans sold each other all the time, but Lezard was speaking once more. "They were eager to be rid of her, to consign Lenneth to a life as a whore! I couldn't allow that to happen!"
Mystina wasn't quite sure what to say to that, seeing the way his eyes blazes as he spoke, the passion and determination in his voice. Her silence was more than enough for her brother, he began pacing before her, muttering out things.
"That man who bought her, the one who owns the brothel is despicable. Almost as bad as her own parents." Lezard grumbled. "I actually don't know who I despise more...Lenneth's parents, or the brothel owner...all three are deserving of a good smiting!"
"Lezard!" gasped Mystina, dismayed. "You know it is forbidden for us to kill a mortal!" He gave her a bleak look, and Mystina thought she paled in response, seeing how strong his desire to break that law was. "Just what is going on with you?" She demanded harshly. "You're doing things that are extreme even for you. You've kidnapped that girl, you've locked me out of your house...and now you contemplate killing mortals?"
"I..." He fell silent, looking away from her. Mystina bristled with annoyance, and stepped up to him, grabbing hold of his face to force his gaze back to her concerned one.
"Why do you care so much? Why show so much concern over this one mortal?" Mystina demanded. "Lezard, you are too involved with her, your emotions too stirred up for this to be a completely random stealing. Just how long have you been plotting to take Lenneth?"
"I can say with all honestly I never PLANNED to take her." Lezard admitted, touching his hands to her wrists. "It just...sort of happened."
"Sort of happened?" Mystina asked with loads of suspicion in her voice. "How? How did you even discover this girl?"
"I don't remember the first time..." He then shook his head, breaking free of his grip. "That's a lie...I think I'll never forget the first time I saw her. She intrigued me...enough for me to start visiting her in her dreams...Oh Mystina, if you could only know her the way I do...you'd see the pureness of her soul, and why she doesn't deserve to be corrupted by her parents and the other humans of that realm!"
Mystina stepped back, shock apparent in her voice. "You've been visiting her in her dreams?" A rapid nod followed those words, Mystina sighing. "For how long now?"
"Just about two years..." Lezard admitted, looking sheepish in the moment. "I've had extensive time to get to know her..." He smiled then, eyes looking distant as he spoke. "She likes flowers...she loves being outdoors. She dreams often, even if they never come true. Lenneth is always thinking the best of everyone, even the people as cruel and abusive as her parents." He sighed then, but his eyes had turned angry. "Pathetic wretches, taking advantage of her like that, working her like she was their own slave. And through it all, she never complained, never thought an ill word about them. She's a good girl Mystina...nothing bad should ever happen to her..."
"Oh..." That was all Mystina could manage to say, Lezard was continuing.
"Nothing ever will happen." He nodded, as though agreeing with himself. "I will make sure of it. And if not me, then you!"
"Me?" Mystina squeaked out, and he nodded again.
"Yes. I know I will...have to pay for this crime. For breaking Odin's law. I'm prepared for it, willing to die even, so long as I can secure her future. A safe one, a happy one, one far away from her parents and Coriander. But to do that, I will need your help...you're right, I didn't think this through. If you could sense her energy, then the others will notice as well...we have to act fast, you have to promise me you'll look out for her. That you'll take care of her in my place."
"Lezard, why would you go to such lengths for a mortal, for any of the humans?" Mystina demanded when he fell silent. She saw her question surprised him, Lezard blinking owlishly behind his glasses. "You're willing to DIE for Lenneth, to risk facing the oblivion that awaits a God who has fallen from grace. Why? Don't you even know?"
"I...I care for her..." Lezard finally said, his voice a soft whisper. "I've always wanted to see her happy, to provide a better life for her. And now is my chance..."
"Even if you won't be around to see that happiness of hers?" When he nodded, Mystina felt a pang in her heart, her expression turning to pure sympathy. "Oh brother. I'm so, so sorry..." She was already moving to embrace him, needing a hug as much as she needed to give one. "To have fallen...and for a human at that." She felt his startled reaction, Lezard trying to pull back.
"What do you mean? That I've fallen?"
"You don't even know, do you?" Mystina asked, refusing to let him break the hug. "Oh Lezard, leave it to you to miss the obvious." A tsking sound followed those words, Mystina pulling back enough to gaze into his eyes. She wanted to see the reaction to her next words, sure it would be something unforgettable. "Lezard, it sounds like you are in LOVE with Lenneth."
His own eyes widened, he looked completely shocked, and save for a few sputtered out sounds he was speechless. She didn't laugh at his reaction, just continuing to show her sympathy, Mystina knowing what an impossibility this love surely was.
"Love..." He finally said, and she nodded. "Impossible."
"It is not impossible." Mystina insisted. "And trust a love Goddess, even one that is a minor deity, to recognize love when it blossoms." She sighed then. "I always wanted you to find love...I just never expected it would be with a mortal...!"
Lezard looked like he was still trying to process what she had said, and he abruptly pulled away from her to pace. She followed him, radiating her concern and sympathy, listening as he began to mumble things under his breath.
"I hadn't realized it...I used to never care about clothing until after I met her. It was when Lenneth came into my life, that I began stealing those gowns...I wasn't even aware of it, but they were all tailor made to fit a girl of her size." He turned, and nearly crashed into Mystina, but no apology was exchanged. "Could I have been...subconsciously taking those gowns for Lenneth?"
"I..." She didn't really know what he was talking about, Mystina shrugging.
"I used to spend so much time watching her too...Day and night, even the bad things, even the moments that upset me to see. I loved going into her dreams, trying to bring her happiness to combat the sad reality of her life..." A shake of his head, and then Lezard was moving again. "I never planned to bring her here, but when I learned what her parents were intending, it just happened. I knew I couldn't leave her to that fate...so I took her..."
"We'll have to bring her back to Midgard." Mystina interrupted and he whirled around to face her.
"Mystina, we can't!" His eyes were pained then, a hoarse moan escaping Lezard. "I can't let her go...I won't..."
"Even if it means your death and destruction at Odin's hands?" Mystina asked, her heart sinking when her brother did not so much as hesitate.
"Yes, even if that happens to me."
Mystina sighed then, running a hand through her hair. "Well, brother, I think it's time we start making plans then. For both you and your human."
"Mystina?"
"I think the first order of business is to bring Lenneth to the kitchens" continued Mystina, all businesslike. "Poor girl looks half starved." A chiding look then, Mystina tsking. "I bet you haven't even thought to feed her in all this time."
"That's not exactly true..." Lezard said with a guilty flush to his cheeks.
"Go!" Mystina laughed, pushing Lezard in the direction of his treasure room. "Go and fetch Lenenth. I'll be down in the kitchen getting things ready."
"Thanks sister." Lezard looked grateful, giving her hand a squeeze before hurrying back to the treasure room. Mystina didn't pause to watch him go, already heading down the stair case. Her mind was whirling a mile a minute, trying to think of all possible routes this situation could take. She tried not to let it depress her the fact that most outcomes ended with her brother dead or imprisoned, Mystina once again wondering if she could not somehow persuade her brother to return Lenneth to Midgard. Albeit with remarkably improved circumstances, Lenneth avoiding both her traitorous parents and the whore houses.
She worried about all these things but mostly, Mystina wanted to get to know Lenneth, to see the girl who had finally won her brother's heart. To see, and to judge her, to deem whether or not she was truly worthy of Lezard's devotion and sacrifice. Mystina wasn't sure what she would do if she found Lenneth lacking, but she prayed the girl would prove to be everything Lezard had said she was. Or the heavens help them all!
To Be Continued!
Michelle
God Emperor Nex, Thanks! And yes, that's the plan! Course Lezard doesn't tolerate such things when it comes to his favorite human. Hence the desperate kidnapping! XD
Lord Lezard Valeth, I'm giggling over the cliffhanger. It was quite the dramatic one, yes? Thanks regarding the dream sequence. I got worried it would seem too wierd and surreal when I was proofreading the chapter. So I am glad to hear that someone liked it! :) I originally tried to write 11 from Lezard's point of view, but it wasn't working out for me. So I switched things up to a Mystina point of view. I hope to have another Mystina point of view where she realizes her brother sucks at the love thing. XD
