Hey everyone, I'm so frigging sorry I took ages to get back into this. I was so busy with uni, and then I decided to be a normal human and actually spend my break catching up with people. I haven't tried to catch up in this chapter though, instead I am just going to continue as usual. Once again, I am sorry for being gone for so long.
I own nothing associated with Once Upon A Time.
The Valkyrie brought her spear up, pointing it at the deformed humanoid and then threw the weighted weapon, knowing it would strike true. The creature screamed out, staggering towards her as the spear protruded from its stomach. Its jerking approach halted mid-stride, gnarled body toppling to the ground, breaking the spear under its weight, before dying.
Hladgudr shook her shield, adjusting her grip on it, as she studied the motionless creature. When she was satisfied that it was truly dead, the woman walked away and plucked a different spear from another fallen body, flicking the end of it away from her, ridding it of blood and flesh.
"Where's Scatty?" the white haired female asked Hladgudr, darting her head about in search of her sister.
The Valkyrie attacked a moving body near her, ending its life with a quick stab and then turned around, eyeing the woman for a moment. "She was located to the east, the last I saw her," Hladgudr answered, ripping the spear back out of the dead enemy and marched towards a new creature.
The other female fighter quickly joined the Valkyrie, readying her broadsword. "What is that?" she asked, cautious of the horned beast coming towards them.
"Dead, that's what it is, Aoife, it is dead," the Hladgudr replied. She snarled and pulled back the spear, aiming it up the creature's skull, knowing she wanted the tip to land true.
Hladgudr's armour chafed her as she flung the weapon, but she ignored this minor irritation, knowing she would only have to put up with it for a little longer. The Valkyrie sensed her end was near, could taste her demise in the air, like many others, so what was a little physical annoyance compared to ones of death, she reminded herself.
The large half-bull half-man wailed and then gurgled as the spear impaled into its neck. The weapon had hit the main vein within the muscled walls, and caused it to spray a cone of blood across the grassy field. It then buckled on the spot, reaching for its gushing wound, but passed out before it could.
Aoife gave the scene an unpleasant glance, before she turned away and looked back out at the battlefield, searching for Scathach. "Where the Hel are you, Scatty?" she mumbled.
"We have to keep moving, it's not safe to stay still in the middle of a battle," Hladgudr commented as she pulled the bloodied spear from the beast.
Aoife gave the mortal Valkyrie a quick nod, and then peered around, until her eyes caught what they had been searching for. "There! I see her!" she yelled, taking off across the body-scattered and crimson-splatted field.
The Valkyrie watched the woman dart away, racing towards a shadowy looking Scathach, who was fighting like she had her own death wish.
Hladgudr continued to study both females, and was reminded there had been a many a time, where Scathach had been asked if she wished to become a Valkyrie, but each time she was given this opportunity the redhead would turn it down. The All Mother had also asked that none of the Valkyrie were allowed to approach and discuss this matter with the warrior either, or influence her decision in any way. It baffled Hladgudr as to why Scathach would pass up such an offer, as the warrior would clearly be a good candidate as a Chooser.
Hladgudr was suddenly pulled from the speculation, as she plunged her serrated spear tip into a solider to her right, leaving there the thought of Scathach with the forcible strike. The reflection was unimportant as of now and the Valkyrie had to keep her head in the fight, making every kill count.
Hervor, Hladgudr's sister, ran up beside her along with Eir, and stopped to grab a spear close by.
"We're losing Svanhvit, we're going to lose this battle and Zeus will take our Mother's merkistjarna," Hervor said with a panicked look.
Eir bat her wings out once, defying the given news in her own way. "You can't know that for sure Alvitr, you and your sister are mortals, yet you have killed more of the Lightening God's men without your powers, this is not as bleak as it all appears," she pointed out as she sheathed her sword and went over to Hladgudr, checking the female for any injuries.
"We're outnumbered Eir, and you can't deny that," Hervor rebutted, stepping towards both of the women. "And even if Svanhvit and I don't have our Chooser abilities, we both can still taste death and defeat in the air, and I know you can too," she finished as she stood in front of them, despair etched across her exhausted features.
"I'm fine Eir, please stop checking me," Hladgudr narrowed her green eyes at the Valkyrie before continuing, "Look, we have to keep moving. The more time we spend chatting, the less time I have to kill Zeus' bastard men," Hladgudr jerked her uninjured arm away and strode back out into the thick of the fight, driving her currently equipped spear into a soldier's skull not far from them.
The winged Valkyrie looked hurt by Hladgudr's unthankful and abrupt departure, frowning at the mortal. Hervor took a small step towards her, almost placing a thoughtful hand on her immortal sister's arm. "Eir, you know you can't save my sister, you know what the All Mother has planned-"
The Valkyrie shot Hervor a stern look, cutting her off from both speaking and touching her, "I know this, Alvitr. The All Mother has filled us all in on the plan, but this doesn't stop me from preforming my duties," she said in a heated tone, turning away at the end to close her eyes for a moment.
Another wave of lightly armoured men stampeded towards the two female, cries filling the death drenched air as they readied themselves for combat.
Eir gave a heavy sigh with the sound and opened her eyes. "Stay close to me Alvitr, I may not be able to save Svanhvit, but I'll be damned if I let you fall, before you get your powers back," she said, flaring her wings out in a protective manner, shielding the mortal behind her.
Although Hervor wanted to argue that she was more than capable of keeping her own on the battle field, there was a deep element of truth to what Eir had said. Hervor nodded, agreeing to stay near and readied her own weapon.
"I can taste all of your lives on my tongue, and your bitterness offends me, thus you all shall not meet my hand of choosing, but my blade of death," Eir said sternly, flaring out her massive wings to intimidate them for a moment.
Hervor admired how her immortal sister had no fear. She wished she could do the same, but due to her current statues, it was best for her to remain more apart of shadow of the Valkyrie in front.
Eir unsheathed her sword, gripping it with such strength that she felt her blood cut away from her fingers, and lashed out at them. Each stoke, each timed slash contacted a soldier's vital point. The Valkyrie had already wiped out half of the group within a matter of seconds, before they knew what was going on. The rest of the soldiers were easily slain, their bodies flopping over and falling onto the blood soaked grass, adding to the count of endless others who had and would die that day.
"Bear arms my sister, fear not your mortal life, for I will ensure your safety," Eir said loudly, straining against the last man's sword. While she wanted Hervor to be careful, she didn't want her standing about doing nothing.
Hervor sprang to life, stabbing the spear she was holding into the soldier's ribcage, listening to the air of his lung seep out through the punctured wound as she withdrew it. She grimaced at the noise and turned away, thinking that war was more disgusting than glory filled.
Eir laughed at the woman's reaction as she kicked the dying man away from her. "You were a Chooser of the slain, sister, yet you still flinch at death," she said with a smirk, eyeing the scale-armoured female.
Hervor turned back around and eyed her for a moment. "It's not death I recoil from, Eir, it is the dying I dislike, and as you know well enough we Valkyrie weren't created to kill and then reap," she said.
They stared at each for a brief moment, letting the truth of the statement settle silently inside them.
"We should meet back up with Svanhvit, she will need our help," Eir said as she continued to study the other woman. The Valkyrie's outdrawn wings slowly folded at the wrists, returning to a more workable position, but also revealing a large man coming up behind her with a net.
"Eir, look out!" Hervor cried out, grabbing Eir's arm in haste.
The Valkyrie swung her head around, seeing a partly leather armoured man with a weighted net, and a strange looking helmet that covered his entire head. She had seen these brute-like men before, and could vaguely remember someone telling her they were called Gladiators. The winged woman pushed Alvitr back a little, while holding her sword in a defensive pose, sizing up the large target.
He flicked the net out and made a move to throw it at them, giving Eir a moment's chance to react.
"Move Alvitr, he's going to throw the net!" Eir exclaimed and shoved the mortal away from the webbed projectile. The Valkyrie brought her sword up and swung at the strange material, mistaking it for being dyed rope at first. Eir had assumed she could slash her way out of the problem, but she had quickly come to realise, as the net covered her, that she had made a terrible mistake. While she was immortal and had the potential to live forever, it did not mean she couldn't die under the right circumstances.
Hervor jumped into action, coming to her Valkyrie sister's defence, and threw her spear at the gladiator. She gasped as the brutish man grabbed the projectile in mid-air, tossing the weapon away to his side, as if it was so little of a threat. It was then Hervor noticed his right hand had a gauntlet-like mace fashioned to it. She gritted her teeth, thinking how much it would hurt if she was struck with the fisted weapon.
The metal-masked gladiator strode towards the trapped Valkyrie and punched her in the face, driving his gauntleted hand into her partly helmeted cheek.
Eir was knocked to one side, but remained standing, showing the might a Valkyrie possessed, which in turn caused the gladiator to reapproach her in a different way. He grabbed one of her wings, and wailed the heavy fist on the feathered limb, stopping only when he heard a snapping noise.
Eir screamed out and buckled to her knees, dropping her sword with the act. She tried to reach out to her mauled wing, in the hopes she could heal it, but the net made it almost impossible to do anything.
Hervor gritted her teeth and was about to run at the man, hoping in her haste she would catch the him off guard, but it was she who was caught off, as a flash of almost blinding light erupted in front of them.
A young and spirited woman appeared from the illuminated explosion, slapping her hand against the gladiator's chest, taking him by complete surprise. The partly armoured woman grinned at him for a second before his body was blasted apart, fracturing into many small pieces of stone. She then spun around and grasped the net that was still covering Eir, changing its webbing into water.
The Valkyrie awkwardly stood up; accepting the help of Hervor's guiding hands, before she reached out and willed herself to be healed.
"Greetings, Eir," the young woman said with a smile and then turned, seeing the Valkyrie had another person with her, "oh and greetings to you too, Hervor Alvitr, it's been sometime since I saw you last," she added.
Eir gave the Norn a shocked look, not expecting to see the weaver of the Wyrd amongst the battlefield. "Skuld, why are you here?!" she asked.
"Really, you're surprised that I'd come to help my fellow sisters? Surely you know me better by now?" she remarked and glanced at the bodies around them, reflecting on the vast number.
"Does this mean we win, if you're here?" Hervor asked with hint of hope.
Skuld's curious eyes darted away from the carnage and rested on the mortal, studying her for moment before answering. "No. We lose and Frigg won't be able stop it, at least not on the battlefield," the Norn said with a slight sound of disappointment. She tipped toed over a rather bloodied corpse and stroked Hervor's face in an affectionate manner.
"Have I ever told you how much you look like Svanhvit?" Skuld said, while ignoring the fact she was in the middle of a raging combat zone.
Eir slapped the Norn's hand away, drawing the weaver back to the importance of the situation. "We don't have time for your reminiscence of love past, as we have a bigger problem that needs dealing with," the Valkyrie remarked.
"Oh – no, you can't go after Zeus," Skuld answered, knowing the question before the Valkyrie could ask it.
Eir sighed and cracked her neck in annoyance. "Will you stay out of my life-strand, Norn, I don't appreciate it," she said bitterly, flicking the tips of her wings out with the comment.
Skuld's lips curled, as she smiled at the Valkyrie's outburst. "Are you still jealous I chose Svanhvit over you?" she said in mocking tone, before turning away to grab a spear where the gladiator once stood.
The Valkyrie replied without thinking, hoping it would throw the Norn off balance. "And look how that relationship turned out for you," Eir remarked, flinging her body around and leapt into the air, batting her wings to take to the sky.
The Norn shot her a bitter glare, but knew it was lost as she saw the Valkyrie fly away.
"Eir is right though, we have bigger problems that need dealing with than to reflect on the past," Hervor said, avoiding the agitated look of the Norn. She took the spear form the Skuld's hand and gave her a quick smile, thanking her.
The Norn's face softened as she observed Hervor's features. "Why did she leave me Alvitr, why did you and your sister choose to be mortal?" Skuld asked with a sad face, her violet eyes widening in question.
Hervor glanced away from the Norn's gaze, not liking the way the weaver's eyes pierced her very soul. "You know the answer, you're the one who can see what is to pass," she answered, darting an uneasy look back at her now and again.
Skuld nodded and drew her features into a sadder state still, accepting the truth, no matter how painful it might have been at that moment.
"Skuld, I – we, appreciate your honesty, but there is a fight to be fought and I can't help if I'm standing around," Hervor said with a gentle voice, and reached out to pat the weaver on the shoulder, before departing to join the fight.
The Norn stood in silence for a moment, appearing to be in a rather deep thought about something. She then turned to face someone, who was watching the whole scene, to gaze at the faceless bystander to the past. "You think you could forget me that easily, Swan? Did you think you could run away from your past, forever?"
The bodiless blonde suddenly felt her skin turn to ice and her heart stop.
xxx
Emma sprung awake, heaving in fear, and pushed Regina, who was curled up next to her off the bed. The brunette lashed out instinctively, as she was forced awake, and grabbed onto Emma's green cloak, pulling it and the blonde towards her.
They tussled about for a brief moment, grunting and huffing in an odd dance of balance. Emma finally jerked herself back onto the bed, while Regina remained clinging to her cloak. Unfortunately, in this abrupt action, it caused the clasp on the material to shift loose, allowing it to become free. As the princess appeared to be falling back, again, Emma flung her hand out and grabbed her, jolting the young woman back onto the bed. The blonde couldn't keep her body upright though, as her heavy wings were released, sprawling across the moderate sized room to clash against the walls.
Regina's eyes went wide with the sight of the limbs on each side of her, but they also bulged as she realised that Emma was collapsing onto her body. They cried out as the blonde was forced on top of the princess, semi crushing the brunette under her weight.
"Emma! Get off me!" Regina yelled, shoving at the blonde's shoulders.
"Ugh – you think, grr, you think I'm not trying!" Emma growled back, pushing her hands against the bed, which were placed on either side of the princess. The blonde's wings did little to help in her efforts, and had seemed to have gone slack, hanging themselves lazily on each side of the mattress, making no movement to curl back towards her body. Why were her extra limbs defying her will to move them?
Regina narrowed her eyes and gave the blonde one last shove, before giving up. "Get off me, Emma," she said in a heated voice.
They both peered at each other for a moment, until Emma's amulet slipped from its resting place behind the blonde's tunic, and swung back and forth, drawing in the brunette's displeased gaze to look at it. She was about to reach out and touch it, but Emma barked out a 'no', stopping Regina from doing so.
"I beg your pardon, don't you order me," the brunette snipped back.
Emma grimaced and thinned her lips. "Sorry, I just, you shouldn't touch it, it kind of has a habit of burning others," she explained. There was another reason why she didn't want the brunette to touch the amulet, but couldn't explain this part to the princess.
Regina peered at the blonde and then the circular amulet. She ignored Emma's warning and reached up, firm in the belief she would not be harmed, even if she could not explain why she knew this.
Emma screwed up her face, forcing her eyes shut, waiting to hear Regina yelp in pain, and then blame her for it. But when nothing came, she slowly opened them.
"Emma, you're amulet is fine," the brunette said, still admiring the simple design between her fingers. Regina didn't know why she was strangely drawn to it, but did not bother to ponder it anymore at that moment. She pulled her hand away, looking at the cautious eyed blonde and shot her another annoyed look.
"Swan, get off me," she said in a steely voice, making sure to use the blonde's last name, to drive home her desire to have Emma off her. She wasn't repelled by her presence; she just wanted to be free, and while having Emma on top of her wasn't displeasing, she didn't want to be crushed by the blonde's defiant wings.
Upon hearing the command, Emma's feathered limbs drew themselves back towards her body, folding up to settle along her back. Emma could now manage to pull herself away from the brunette, kneeling back on the messed up mattress.
Regina let out a sigh of relief as she sat up, pulling herself to sit across from Emma. The brunette glanced about at the mess, tsking once at the sight. Her testy demeanour soon faded though, when she saw Emma's remorseful expression. She reminded herself that she had to stop snapping at the blonde, no matter how annoying her blunders were.
The brunette quickly tried to change the mood between them, to show Emma she wasn't trying to push her away, and wanted to be her friend. "They are magnificent, by the way," she said in a smooth tone, waving a delicate hand at the blonde's wings, as they were hidden, somewhat, behind the blonde's back.
Emma's wings twitched at the compliment, and then eased slightly. The worried look on her face shifted to a tiny embarrassed smile, causing her to look away for a moment, to recollect her herself. It was then Emma realised she had slept the whole night in Regina's room, in the same bad as her, and it wasn't a dream. The blonde's features went from shy, to a look of shock, as turned her head about, eyeing Regina for a moment, but decided not talk about it, unless the brunette brought it up first.
Regina studied Emma, unsure what was going through the blonde's mind. She smoothed her hair back, adjusting her own tumbles of curls and waves, so they sat neatly. This simple action gave her time to think of what to say next, but Emma beat her to breaking the silence between them first.
"I'm sorry about – um – about everything, the bed, and my wings-"
"It's fine," Regina interrupted, shaking her head at the apology. She pursed her lips, turning her head away from Emma and looked about. Although, if this had been her room, she may have felt rather upset, but this was not the case. She turned her gaze back and eyed Emma's white wings, and then gazed into the blonde's green eyes.
"What were you dreaming about, that caused you to wake up so abruptly?" she asked, smoothing out her nightgown this time. Was she nervous? Regina asked herself. Was this why she felt the need to keep her hands busy?
Emma thinned her lips, as her brows came together slightly with the question. She tried to remember the string of events that she had dreamt about, but some of it was still fuzzy, except for the woman's face at the end. The mysterious woman's violet eyes pierced her with their memory. Emma shook her head, ushering away the sight and peered up at Regina. "It was a nightmare – I think, I mean I don't remember it clearly, other than it scared me," she said.
Regina's concerned glare softened at hearing this, and she then decided to lean over the bed to collect Emma's cloak. She passed the thick green material to the blonde, watching her take the cloak with a thankful but quick smile, and then flipping it over her head, causing her wings to disappear.
They sat glancing at each other, letting a very pregnant silence fill the room. Regina rubbed her arm, not enjoying the awkwardness they seemed to encounter so easily.
Emma was about to say something, but she paused as a knock came at the door.
Regina frowned and then turned her head to face the noise, calling out for the person to enter.
The door creaked open, displaying a two curious faces to appear at the entrance. Red and Aureate waited at the opening, unsure if they should wander further in, until Regina asked them to stop gawking and to get into the room.
Emma gave the brunette an unimpressed glance, but knew to say nothing. The blonde looked over at her friends, watching them mumbling something to one another.
Red elbowed Aureate, letting her know she was right about smelling Emma in Regina's room. The shape-shifters had started a secret competition between one other, challenging each other's abilities on different things.
The guardian gave Red a friendly growl and then walked around the bed, eyeing the scattered sheets, wondering what had been going on previously. She continued to dart her eyes at the strewn out blankets, and then at the Swan, until she reached a conclusion.
Emma glanced at Regina, noticing she was busy with helping Red, fixing a tie on her gown, so she took the chance to whisper to the guardian.
"What, Aureate? Why are you looking at me and the bed like that?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
Aureate flicked her puzzled gaze at her, eyeing Emma for a moment, and then frowned. But she did not ask the question; instead she flicked her eyes back and forth, between the Swan and Regina, and then narrowed her gaze at the blonde in the end.
They squinted at each other, until it clicked, and Emma gave Aureate a small shove, gasping at the implication that was given. The guardian shot her a toothy grin and then shoved her back.
Emma smiled at the banter, momentarily forgetting the fact both Red and Regina were in the room. She grabbed at Aureate, to pull her in and pin her to the bed, showing the guardian she had learnt a lot from her. It was these moments Emma enjoyed most, where she could forget about the massive responsibility she had to carry out. In these moments, she was an average seventeen year old, playing with her friend.
Aureate growled at Emma and then tussled about, fighting to pin the Swan down instead, with a counter grapple.
Regina shot them both a very disgruntled glare, as did Red, but the teen's was more targeted at Aureate.
"Will you both take you're childish behaviour off my bed, and out of my room," Regina ordered, getting up off the bed, while finishing the knot on Red's gown.
"Aureate, leave Em alone," Red added, seeing her blonde friend losing the competitive tussle.
They both ignored Regina and Red, grunting and growling as they flipped and pushed each other. Aureate wrapped her arm around Emma's front, pulling her into a lock, but the blonde countered and spun around to slap her hand against the guardian's face, squashing it in her right palm.
Regina huffed and ordered for them to stop again, becoming increasingly irritated when they both continued to ignore her. "Don't make me use magic," the brunette threatened, lifting her hand up to ready a spell.
Red rolled her eyes as she saw her friends roll off the bed, and thud onto the hard floor. She was kind of happy to see them playing though, for it had been ages since they last wrestled.
Regina gasped as she hurried around the bed, worried that Emma might have hurt herself. But her uneasy expression faded when she saw the blonde pinning the loc'd haired woman into place. "Emma and Aureate, honestly, do you both have to do this right now?" she asked in a heated tone, not pleased with either of their juvenile display.
Emma leaned in and whispered for Aureate to tap out, as she grinned with delight. This was the first time the blonde had successfully conquered the guardian, and she wasn't about to give it up for anyone, even if it was Regina, who sounded quite cross with her.
Aureate smirked, as she wasn't quite done yet. She eased her body and with an almost lighting-like speed, she rolled over Emma and grappled the Swan from behind, locking her strong legs around hers, and placed her arms up and around Emma's, and finally brought her hands to rest at the back of the blonde's head. "You tap out," Aureate chuckled, knowing she had trapped Emma.
Regina rolled her eyes and decided she'd had enough, so she spun around and asked for Red to join her, as she wanted to leave to get dressed, taking her garments with her. The dark haired youth nodded in agreement and left with the brunette, closing the door them.
Emma went slack, knowing she was stuck, but also because she didn't want the princess to leave. "Aureate?" she said in a small voice.
The guardian tightened her grip slightly, waiting for Emma to say she was done. "Yes, Swan?" she answered back.
Emma sighed. "Do you think Regina likes me?"
This question took the guardian by surprise, causing her to ease her grasp. She gave it a small thought though, weighing up a certain amount of things. "You and her are friends, no?" she asked.
Emma bit her lower lip, and nodded. "Yes, I think we are, but I don't mean it like that," she corrected.
Aureate could sense this conversation was turning serious, and so she let go of Emma, helping the blonde to sit up, so they could look at each other.
"You want Regina as mate," the guardian stated, hoping she was right her assumption.
Emma sighed and rubbed her face, feeling it heat up. "Yes, I suppose I want Regina to be my mate," she said. It wasn't the word she would have used, but it was evident that Aureate knew what she meant, and didn't want to confuse the guardian, mostly due to the nature of the conversation she wanted to have.
"Then ask her to be mate," Aureate said bluntly. She pulled Emma's hand away from her face, so she could look at the Swan in seriousness with her answer.
Emma's forehead creased, as she closed her eyes. "Aureate, it isn't that simple," she opened her eyes and stared at the naïve guardian. "You just can't outright ask someone to be with you, it doesn't work that way."
The loc'd haired woman frowned. "Then how you ask?"
"Well, I suppose you have to get to know someone first, and then go from there. But what do you do when you have passed that part? Like if you've gone backwards in the process, in a sense?" Emma's face constricted, knowing she was going to confuse the poor woman soon, if not so already.
Aureate continued to frown. "Past part, the know each other, you-you know Regina, you are friends, but backward? You not friends now?" she asked in a contemplative tone, becoming lost.
Emma thinned her lips and quickly jumped in to ease the guardians vexed expression "Regina and I started off liking each other – um – like mates, but now…" Emma rubbed her arm, feeling hurt. "But now, we are the opposite, it's like we have to start all over again, and I wish I could tell her how I really feel."
The lines on the blonde's forehead deepened as they grew with the confession. Emma wanted nothing more than to grab Regina, and tell her she loved her, that she didn't know why she did, but she did, and sometimes it was with such an intensity that it scared her.
Aureate stroked a rogue lock of the blonde's hair away from her face, feeling hurt for the poor Swan, seeing the pain on her friend's face.
"How you feel, Swan?" the guardian asked, pulling her hand back after the action.
Emma slowly brought her green eyes up and stared at the guardian's golden globes. She wasn't sure if the woman knew what love was, or could even understand the concept, but as she stared at her, Emma couldn't keep the confession in any longer.
"I love her, Aureate. I'm in love with Regina."
Milah smiled and rolled over, spreading her arm out to feel for the redhead's strong body, but when the space next to her was empty, the captain sat up in a hurry. She gazed about in the lantern's light, searching for Sascha, but couldn't see the warrior anywhere.
The pirate pulled the sheet and blanket away from her naked body, and slid out of the bed, wandering around her cabin in a slight panic. She tried to calm herself, reasoning to the redhead's absence as a matter of something simple, like she needed to go and relieve herself, or needed some fresh air.
Milah got dressed and tided up the room, before she ventured out and asked one of her men if they had seen the currently elusive redhead. After the question was asked a few times, to different crew members, the captain's worry came back, and worsened when Morcant said he had seen the warrior leave not too long ago.
"What the Hel? Why didn't you come and tell me this?!" Milah boomed in an agitated voice.
Morcant stumbled back with the captain's bite, not understanding why she was so angry. "I-I thought you would have known already, she's-she's done it before, and I thought you already knew," he rebutted, trying to save his hide as he saw her features darken.
"What?!" Milah barked, grabbing her first mate by his collar.
Morcant gulped and placed a hand over the captain's, noting her knuckles were turning white with the grip. "Captain, please, I didn't know," he begged.
The dark haired woman released her grasp, thudding away against the wooden floorboards, and paced about for a moment before she wandered back towards him.
"Where did she go?" she asked in a steely tone, flicking an expressive hand out in question.
Morcant shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure, Captain. I mean, I could assume where she went, due to the direction, but assuming isn't exactly the same as knowing."
Milah shut her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose, she had little to no patience at this moment. "Morcant, just tell me where she was headed?" the captain asked in a strained voice, opening her eyes as she drew her hand away from her face.
"She went towards the south, Captain, and the only thing out that way is the Shrine of Woden," he answered quickly.
The small extravagant ship contained no other, but Tamara and Ethan, giving rise to Maleficent's worry on where Regina was. She couldn't, for the life of her, think of where the princess was, and in her haste to exact revenge, she hadn't asked either person where the princess was.
The sorcerous colossal serpent body glided through the salty water, nostrils flaring as she took in every scent she could muster, hoping to find the young woman's scent, not matter how faint it may be. But after hours of non-stop searching, the sorcerous knew it was a hopeless task.
What was she supposed to do now?
After a few more hours of seemingly endless travelling, Maleficent decided she should do what Cora had requested her to do, and head towards the Island of the Gods. Perhaps there, she could find someone powerful enough to help her, and perhaps even find information on the princess' whereabouts.
Mulan stared out into the crowed room, letting her mixed state of emotions rise and then settle, as she tried to figure out what to do next.
Merlin had suggested, after the surprising, yet disappointing news that they go to a quiet place and regroup. It was late at night, and the only place open was the tavern to the south of the city.
"How do you know it's Eos?" the wizard asked again, unsure if the officer heard him the first time around, when he had asked the question.
Mulan's fixed state melted away a she shifted her eyes, looking at the frowning man near her. "Because, the name Aurora means the dawn, and that's who Eos is," she explained. How could he not know, or put that together? Or was Merlin double checking her own confidence in the assumption?
The wizard stroked his beard and eyed the people around them, taking in the sullen and tired faces, within the odd establishment. He then turned his wandering gaze back and gave her a gentle nod. "Fine, as long as you're sure, then I will trust your judgement," he said.
Mulan thinned her lips and looked away from him. This situation was terrible, as they had a mission to finish, yet she dearly wanted to chase after Eos and find out what in the Diyu was going on.
Merlin watched her, seeing the internal conflict he was sure she thought she was hiding from him. "You should go after her," he said and stretched back, not enjoying the type of chairs the dragon's people used.
The officer shot him a surprised and confused look, not sure how she should react to his offer. In one heartbeat she would have flown out of her chair, racing off to find Eos, but in the other heartbeat, she knew she had an obligation to see this through.
"I can't Merlin, and you know this," she replied, after a long pause. The dragon pulled her hair back and started to loop and weave it, creating a faux-mohawk, giving herself something to do as the urge to chase after her love amplified.
Merlin stopped stroking his beard, observing her technique, and reflected. Since the officer had come to know of Eos' arrival, she was displaying a level of nervousness and agitation he had yet to witness, until now.
"If the reports are indeed true, then she is in no danger, as I see it. I mean someone who doesn't know anything else, other than their name, surely is of no worth to anyone?" Merlin said with an open hand, questioning his own thought as he spoke it.
Mulan looked him dead in the eyes, and pulled her hands away from her hair, placing them down onto the table.
Merlin shifted his eyes uneasily, watching the dragon's methodical and smooth movement, sensing she was about to say something with a heavy air of seriousness.
"You, of all people, should know what value a hidden memory has," she said. "And you know of the consequences it can have, when someone regains those lost memories."
He narrowed his eyes and leant in, reading between the hidden line the dragon was not saying. "You're not referring to Eos, are you?" Merlin asked.
"What you, Frigg, and Odin have done to both of those women is terrible," Mulan answered. Her hardened features did not falter as she stared back at him. Her dark eyes almost burning a hole into the wizard.
Merlin narrowed his keen gaze and licked his dry lips, giving himself a brief moment to mull over this wordy attack. He knew she was referring to Emma and Sascha.
"And you suppose those painful memories are needed? That they both deserve to remember how awful their existence was before they had a chance at life again?" he questioned.
The dragon's gloved fingers curled in, as if they were claws, scrapping along the wooden top. "For someone who can remember all of their past, I would think you'd return this gift in full," she said and then pushed her fingers back out, flattening them onto the table.
They observed one another quietly, until they were disturbed by the sounds of patrons, who were talking about something rather loudly.
Merlin could hear the odd twanging noise of an instrument to his left, and then the strange, almost siren-like song spill out from a woman's mouth. He swayed his head around and watched the muses for a moment, before he looked back and Mulan, readying himself to explain his actions.
"Scathach told you about her past, yes?" he asked, hoping the officer would elaborate on more of what she knew, this time around.
"The warrior told me about her vile father, and how she trained at the Fortress of Shadows, when she lived on Midgard," Mulan said, and then picked up her cup, talking a long sip.
"Is this all?" he asked, now starting to stroke his beard again.
The dragon narrowed her eyes and then eased the cup back down onto the table, still holding it, as she let her fingers roll it around, thinking back on the conversation she had with the redhead.
"Is the part about her father, about how he scarred her face, true? And if so, why did you leave this memory intact?" Mulan asked, as her eyes remained in their slit-like state.
Merlin continued to stoke his beard. "I couldn't take away her earlier memories, as it made up most of who she is," the wizard said with a sigh, adjusting his sore back on the uncomfortable chair.
"Yet, you think it's perfectly fine to wipe away the rest?" Mulan snapped, tapping the bottom of the cup down onto the table.
"No, it was not fine, Mulan, it was necessary," he remarked, not liking her tone with him, but tried to remain calm.
Merlin did not stroke his beard again, instead, he cross his thin legs and cupped his hands in his lap, before continuing to speak. "Do you know who Ankou is?" he asked, changing the subject somewhat.
The dragon leant back, mimicking the wizard's more relaxed pose, but her eyes remained stern, narrowed in question. "No, I do not know of this, person?" she replied.
"Ankou is not a person, he is Death," Merlin deadpanned.
Mulan slowly frowned at him, and then leant in, eyeing the wizard. "What does Death have to do with Scathach?"
"Do you remember that day you meet her, in the tavern?" Merlin asked, avoiding her question, as he wasn't ready to answer it just yet.
"Of course I do, I even remember the day I meet her, when I was Panlong, before I made my sacrifice for the tablet." She replied, frowning more so than before.
"What could you taste in the air, when you were around her, when you were still the Coiled Dragon?" he asked, tilting his head down a little.
Mulan flicked her questioning gaze away, recollecting the memory of that day. She darted her eyes back and forth, remembering their brief encounter, and tried to draw on what her other senses recorded at that time. The officer closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, as she tried to relive the moment again.
There was no underlying smell to the warrior, only the odours of leather, sweat, and copper, was all she could pick up. Mulan opened her eyes and shook her head. "I don't recall anything out of the ordinary, and I can't understand why you asked me to try and remember how she smelt, either."
Merlin sighed and scratched his chin. "That's okay, as I didn't entirely expect you to have picked it up. I only hoped you could," he said and then tugged on his silken robe, billowing air along his heated body. How did the room get so hot all of a sudden? Shouldn't the cool of night stop him from sweating?
"So what does Death have to do with the warrior, Merlin?" Mulan asked.
The wizard wiped his brow, ridding it of the perspiration that built atop of it, before he answered her. "Scathach isn't entirely human. Oh, she is by all means mortal though, as she will die from age, but there is an underlying factor that makes her very different. My friend is in fact, a child of Death," Merlin explained.
Mulan shook her head, not accepting this piece of information. "That's not possible, Merlin, Death could never bear children," she pointed out, pushing the upper of her body closer to the table's edge.
Merlin stroked his beard, almost tugging on it as he prepared to explain this part, not liking how the Otherworld god had managed to accomplish this task. "Yes, you're correct, but Ankou found that in the cusp, between life and death, he could reach in and taint someone's soul, thus giving some of his powers to another being."
This didn't sit well with the dragon, and she showed her discomfort as she recoiled back into the chair, eyeing him in silence, waiting for the old god to continue.
"He could accomplish this transfer only, and I do mean only, if he knew a birthing mother would die from a weakened constitution, as she gave birth. Scathach was born after her twin sister Aoife, and their mother was already near the end when Scathach was due. Unfortunately, their mother died just as my friend entered the world, thus giving Ankou a moment's chance to turn the innocent into a harbourer of death. Ankou made Scathach a Feigdargreip."
Mulan didn't move, as all she could do was allow this horrific information to seep into her mind, wondering how she had not made this connection to the redhead sooner. Small things started to make sense now, each piece falling into place, answering a number of questions, while creating new ones.
Merlin cleared his throat, as a trail of smoke floated past him, from the table to his right. He waved his hand back and forth, ridding the nuisance and coughed once more. "This is why I asked Odin not to return all of my friend's memories, as she was less of a danger to herself, or others, if she didn't know what she was."
Mulan clenched her jaw, and then smacked an open hand down onto the table. "Merlin, that was completely foolish of you to do – of all of you to do!" she spat, as her brows slid closer together with the outburst.
A few dopey patrons glanced at the pair, causing the wizard to feel a little uneasy. He adjusted his belt and leant forward, lowering his voice as he spoke. "If Scathach was returned, with every memory, she would have never allowed herself to make friends, have a family, or fall in love. You have no idea how I've watched her over the years, hoping she could have a chance at a normal life. This is why she wanted to die, Mulan, this is why she sought her redemption in battle, thinking that if she was close to the Valkyries, then she would be taken to Valhalla. But in truth, a Chooser cannot take what has already been taken."
The wizard wiped his face, catching the sweat that had collected along his wrinkled skin. He hadn't let anyone else know this before, not even Odin. Although his nephew had asked why the old god had taken to the mortal, Merlin never revealed this part. In truth, Scathach wasn't just a friend to him, she was like a daughter, and as he let this thought flow forth, he felt an enormous amount of pain, missing both Scathach and Emma.
"But by taking away what she has a right to know, you have made her life worse," Mulan argued. "If she finds out what she is, that she is a Feigdargreip, then you have caused her more pain than before. By your selfish actions you have single-handedly put Scathach in line of a greater pain than before, because she will now lose more than what she had before."
Mulan then stood, no longer wishing to look upon the wizard's face. She was almost beside herself with disappointment, and disbelief that Mimir had done something so horrible to someone. She collected her helmet and pushed the chair in forcefully.
Merlin frowned at the officer and placed his hands onto the table. "Mulan, why are you leaving?" he asked in a confused tone. He could tell she was upset, but where was she going to go at this late of a night?
The dragon clenched her jaw, looking away from the wizard and tried to think of something to say. But her mind was blank, as she just needed to be away from him.
"Mulan?" Merlin asked, as worry lined his voice.
She shot him a heated glare, and then answered him before marching off. "I need to go for a walk, don't leave this tavern."
He watched the dragon wandered off, dodging the collection of tables lain about the establishment, and then disappear out the wide doorway. A few members looked over at the wizard, murmuring to each other, and then laughed.
Merlin blinked a few times, not quite understanding the female's abrupt departure entirely. But the longer he sat and thought, pouring over the dragon's judgement, the more he started to understand where Mulan was coming from. But even so, the wizard was sure that both Scathach and Emma would remain ignorant, and burned free. Emma wouldn't ask for her past to be returned, for he had brought her up not to dwell in the past. And on the other hand, Scathach would be fine, so long as… Merlin paused in mid thought, sitting upright in the chair. What if Freyja had given Emma her memories? What if the blonde youth had asked for them? What if the All Mother gave back Scathach her memories?
The wizard wiped his sweaty face, feeling very ill all of a sudden. He had planned everything centuries ago, and now… Everything was going to Hel in a wagon. Merlin tried to assure himself that everything would still turn out, as he foresaw it. He just hoped Emma would choose right, and trust in herself to preform her part, when the time came.
David watched Snow show Emma how to use one of her favourite bows, noticing their daughter was starting to look bothered by the raven haired woman's closeness. Although his wife was very endearing and loving, she did tend to have a habit of overlooking certain things, when she was enthralled in something. So while he may have seen Emma growing tired of the attention, which Snow was pouring onto her, he knew she had not.
The king walked over to the duo, giving them both a friendly smile. "Snow, dear, would you care to walk with me for a bit?" David asked. He held out his arm for her to take, giving her a knowing look.
Snow arched an eyebrow at him, but took the offer. She glanced at Emma, and then looked back at David, slowly understanding she had been encroaching on her daughter's space. "A walk would be nice, how about we go to the gardens?" she suggested.
David gave the idea a nod, and started to guide Snow away, but paused to say something to the blonde youth. "Emma, both Snow and I still need to discuss a few things with you, but we can do all that later today, for now, go and explore, this is your home too."
Emma eased the readied bow, giving them a small nod. "Okay," she replied in a soft voice.
The blonde had been whisked off earlier in the morning, as David and Snow wished to spend some time with her. And while she wished she could have spent more time with her friends, with Regina, Emma couldn't deny her parents from trying to get to know her.
The blonde let out a long and relief filled sigh, as soon as David and Snow disappeared around the corner of the courtyard. It had taken all her strength to keep up an interested demeanour, and also not to run off and be with her friends. She thought it strange how much she missed them, when they were not around. It was these strong feelings, for her non-blood kin, that made her realise that a family wasn't simply made up of a father and mother. It was far more complicated than that, and had many different facets she hadn't quite realised in full. For so long she had wanted, even yearned, for the normality of a family, but in truth, what she had with Merlin, Sascha, Red, Belenos, and Aureate, was far more normal than what she had discovered now.
All these new revelations and emotions were taking their toll on the blonde, demanding her to understand and work through them as fast as possible. She had little time to contemplate everything thoroughly though, because even with all this, the one thing that always slammed back into Emma's consciousness was the fact she had to find the tablet. Like Regina had pointed out to her, Zeus was going to try and stop her, and she needed to start taking it all very seriously.
Emma felt her chest tighten, her breathing become shallow, and her pulse quickened as her head started to spin. What the Hel was going on with her? She questioned, trying to walk back towards the entrance to the castle.
xxx
Aureate watched, wide-eyed, as Regina cast a spell that caused the flower to wilt and then blossom back into life. The guardian had seen magic performed before, but this was the first time she had watched it this close, observing it without having to be preoccupied with fighting.
"Is using magic hard?" Red asked, looking up at the brunette. The youth was leaning on the table, elbows placed on the surface, arms propping up her head as she examined the flower.
Regina pursed her lips, giving the question a thought. "It depends on what spell or incantation you wish to use. There are a great many levels to magic, some harder than others," she explained to the curious teen. "So to answer your question, yes, using magic can be hard, very hard in some cases."
Aureate poked the flower, unsure if it would feel different after it had been manipulated. To her surprise, the plant felt normal. She then took it a step further and leaned in to see if it smelt normal as well.
Regina frowned at the guardian's queer behaviour, but shifted her gaze back to Red, seeing the teen roll her eyes at Aureate.
Red slapped a hand against the guardian's face, pushing it away, not bothering to look at her with the action.
"Why you do that?" Aureate grumbled, rubbing her face, as if Red's touch had marked her.
"Because, I could see you trying to eat the poor thing next," she rebutted, shooting the loc'd haired woman a wolfish grin.
Regina let a small smile slip. If she hadn't known they weren't related, she would have guessed they were sisters; just by the way they acted towards each other.
Aureate grinned back at her, but it faded as she turned her features into a more serious tone. "I no eat flower," she said bluntly.
Red chuckled with the change in her character. "Oh, I think that's a lie, I've seen you eat flowers before," she contended.
Regina leaned back, crossing her arms, as she let herself ease, deciding not to interfere with the duo. She would, however, break them up if this conversation was going to turn into an argument.
Aureate rubbed her face, knowing Red was right, but she was trying to say she wouldn't have eaten the flower in front of them. "No, they are for eating," she grumbled and then eyed the flower that sat on the table. "You no eat this one, it make you sick."
Red shook her head, smiling still. She was pretending not to believe the shape-shifter, teasing the guardian as the woman tried to explain herself. "I bet you would have tried to lick it though," she bantered, grinning widely at the end.
Aureate flicked her head to the side, narrowing her eyes. The guardian gritted her teeth and flexed the muscles in her arms, reading herself to pounce at Red.
Regina quickly interrupted, hoping to throw the guardian off with a question. "Aureate, what is it like to be a bear?" the brunette asked in haste, placing a gentle hand on the shape-shifter.
Red continued to grin, seeing how Aureate was about to lunge at her, and placed her arms onto the table, no longer propping her head up anymore. This was an interesting question though, and while she knew what it was like to be a wolf, she hadn't really thought about what it was like to be another animal.
The guardian's golden eyes darted from each female, and then to the brunette's hand, watching it sail away and rest on top of the table. Aureate slid her eyes back and forth, ushering up words to say that would explain the feelings of her true form.
Aureate hummed and stuttered, stumbling over how to describe what it was like to be large enough to push small trees over, or how she could feel her heartbeat, thudding in her chest with such a power, unlike a humans. In the end she shrugged and grimaced at the brunette.
"I think you asked something that is too hard for her to explain," Red commented.
Regina shifted her dark eyes from the confused looking guardian, eyeing the dark haired teen across from her instead. "Then perhaps you can tell me, what it's like to be a wolf?"
Red rose from leaning on the table, glancing at Aureate for a moment and then looked at Regina. "Um, well…" she paused and rubbed her arm as she thought. "There are lots of things that are different between being a wolf, and being a human. For one, when I'm a wolf, I can smell a lot of different things around me."
Regina's face went blank; becoming less interested in what she could already guess, and then decided to refine the question. "I understand the basics, Red, what I meant was, what do you feel when you're a wolf? Do you think differently?"
A few women entered the dining hall, starting preparations for lunch, as they talked amongst each other, glancing at the trio of girls to the far left corner of the room.
Aureate looked over her shoulder, eyeing each woman and then turned her gaze back to look at Red.
"I don't think that much differently, I mean, I sometimes get the urge to run and hunt, but I am in control of what I do," she explained, now rubbing her hands together. How did Regina have the ability to make you feel like you were being judged, on everything?
"Pain," Aureate said bluntly, breaking Red's uneasiness and Regina's questioning gaze.
Both dark haired females turned their heads and looked at the guardian.
Aureate shifted her golden eyes, observing both of them. "I feel pain, like I am not right. I am not bear. I am not human. I do not know what I am to be."
Red's eyes darted to look at Regina, and then back at Aureate. This was the first time she had heard her friend say this.
"The All Mother asked me to choose, I do not know what to do?" the guardian confessed, slumping her shoulders with the memory.
Regina frowned, not understanding what Aureate had just said. She peered at Red, as she shrugged, and hoped the youth would fill her in on what was going on.
Red's eyes grew, as she started to think over what Aureate had meant. "Freyja asked you what? What do you mean, Aureate?" she asked, taking a step towards her friend.
By Red's body language, Regina could guess what Aureate had said was news to her as well. This conversation had turned rather serious now, and she felt like something important was about to be exposed amongst them. So she opted to remain quiet, and let the guardian explain herself, no matter how long it may take.
The sound of the women in the background, still setting up, made the guardian looked behind her. She watched the women smiling and talking to one another, and unconsciously studied them placing down plates and cups, losing herself in their ordinary task.
"Aureate, what did Freyja say to you?" Red asked, edging closer again.
The guardian turned her dejected state back, and eyed the other shape-shifter. "Don't tell Swan, please," she asked with a pleading gaze.
Both Regina and Red nodded, agreeing to say nothing.
Aureate sighed and continued. "All Mother asked if I want to be bear again, or to be human, to be Gudligr, like Swan is," she explained, trying to make sure she got her point across.
Red slowly shook her head, still not understanding what that meant. "Aureate, what do you mean to be human or bear? And what do you mean like Emma?"
The guardian rubbed her face, and then her neck, becoming frustrated in how to be clearer than what she thought she had already been. She slapped a hand against her chest and spoke slower this time. "I, I am bear, before a human. Artio gave me her form, made me human. Now I have pain, until I choose to be bear or human. If I choose bear, I no longer be human, but if I choose human…" Aureate let her words fade, as she tried to solve the problem, as if she was trying to make up her mind in this moment of reflect and explanation.
Red grabbed the guardian's arm. "What, Aureate, what happens if you choose to be a human?" she asked in a high voice.
Regina's brows somehow crept closer together than before, as she leaned in, features becoming tense as she started to piece together the loc'd haired woman's words. It sounded as if the shape-shifter was given two options, and somehow this added up to two very different scenarios from unfolding.
Aureate looked up at Red, letting her golden eyes remain fixed on her green. "I become like Artio, I become a Gudligr. I become real Guardian."
Red's features drew in and then widened, and then in again. She wasn't sure why this wasn't something Aureate didn't want Emma to know. She made an 'o' shape with her mouth, ready to ask a series of questions, but they each seemed to become stuck, fighting each other on which one should go first.
"Wh-why," Red paused and shook her head, shaking the crescendo of questions to separate so she could snatch and ask one. "Why haven't you chosen yet?"
"If I become bear, I cannot help Swan, I can no longer follow her. But if I become human, I am no longer a true bear, I can no longer be with my brothers," Aureate said, as her eyes begun to well, tears threatening to tumble out.
Suddenly, as if Red was struck by a bolt of lightning, it all made sense. The things that Aureate had talked about in the forest, and aboard the ship, all of it added up now.
"Oh my gods…" Red murmured, eyes widening from the realisation of what it all meant for her friend.
"What?!" Regina blurted, as she saw the shocked look on the teen's face. The brunette stepped towards them, her frown deepening, while the vein across her forehead stuck out more so than before.
Red eased her hand away from Aureate, her mouth opening and closing. She flicked her eyes up and stared at Regina. "Freyja has asked Aureate to choose between going back to her original form, or to become like the goddess, Artio."
Regina's top lip curled, as she shrugged at the answer. "So, what is the problem? Why do you look like the world is coming to the end?"
Red shot her a stern look, not liking how little Regina cared about the implications this had on her friend's life. "Well if you haven't been paying attention, Aureate is being asked to choose between leaving her brothers behind, and her old life, or to leave her friends behind, and abandon Emma."
The guardian hung her head, letting a few tear drops fall to splash at her feet. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt her secret come to light. While it had felt good to get it off her chest, it also hurt knowing she still had to make a choice. There was no way she could remain as she was, unless she wished to live in pain.
Regina's eyebrows creased in and up, showing she regretted the way she had spoken before. The princess hadn't meant to seem cold, or uncaring, she had just misunderstood what was going on. "Oh… I did not know this," she said softly.
The teen eased her glaring gaze at the brunette, seeing Regina was remorseful, and then placed her hand on Aureate's shoulder, rubbing it in care.
xxx
Emma didn't know how she came to be running, but she was, down the busy streets of the city. All she could think about was finding Sascha, for some reason, as she panicked, all she could think about was seeing the redhead.
She turned her head, looking at all the people around her, and hadn't noticed the dark haired woman in front of, until she collided into her, causing them both to fall.
"Watch where the Hel you're going!" Milah barked, as she forced herself to stand, brushing off her now dirty pants.
Emma spun around, and stared up at the pirate with a shocked look. "Milah?!" she gasped, almost not believing she had ran into the captain.
Milah's bitter glare melted away as she saw the blonde youth. She reached out, without a second thought, and helped her to stand. "Emma? What the Hel are you doing running about?" the pirate asked, straightening the youths green cloak.
"I-I, I wanted to see Sascha, and I -" Emma cut herself off, and looked about, thinking that if Milah was here, then the warrior must be around.
"She's not here, in fact I sent a few of my men off to find her, but-" Milah paused, looking about, behind the blonde, as if she hoped to see the warrior appear. She then mumbled to herself that if she wanted something done right, she had to do it yourself.
Emma frowned, causing her forehead to crease in thought. "Wait, you don't know where Sascha is?"
Milah flicked her eyes back, and eyed Emma for a moment. "She went off towards the Shrine of Woden," she replied and then mumbled something else.
"You think?" Emma blurted in disbelief, after she realised what the pirate had said under her breath.
Milah huffed, not enjoying how the youth had spoken to her. "And what are you doing out of the castle's walls? Weren't you to stay there for a few more days, while you got to catch up with your parents?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.
Emma tilted her head to the side and gave a tired look. "Well I wanted to see Sascha, so I decided to do so."
"And you needed to run down the main street to get to her?" Milah quipped, popping her right hip out.
"I may - I wanted to see her right away," Emma affirmed, trying to sound certain, but failing to do so.
The captain narrowed her eyes, but decided to let it go, not bothering to delve deeper. If Emma wanted to share, she would have.
"Fine, then how about we both go and look for her?" Milah suggested, drawing out a long arm to point towards the direction they needed to go.
The cloaked blonde gave a small nod, and then fell in beside the captain, walking along with the tall pirate. Emma noticed her panicked state had ceased, and summed it up to being with someone she trusted. This caused her to smile, enjoying the familiarity of someone else close by.
"Milah, may I ask you something?" the blonde asked, adjusting the front of her tunic, as she continued to follow the pirate.
"If you must," Milah replied, and then let a cheeky smile slide across her face, when she saw the not impressed expression shot her way.
Emma huffed and pulled the hood of her cloak over her head, to escape the sun that was high in the sky.
"How did you tell Sascha you liked her?" she asked after a long moment.
The question threw the captain off slightly, causing her to snake her fingers through her thick hair. When she was done combing her dark locks, Milah hummed in contemplation, going over the time she spent chasing after the evasive redhead.
"I think I told her in a combination of ways," she answered.
As the duo passed by a tavern, Milah grasped the hilt of her cutlass, remembering that she had been attacked near this spot one night, many years ago. She eased her grasp when she realised she had reacted out of instinct, and made herself return to answering the question, hoping Emma hadn't seen her fret for a moment.
"I would smile at her, but in a way that I knew it was more than a friendly greeting. Or I would try to touch her hand, arm, and sometimes her knee. But in the end, I decided to kiss her." she added, averting her eyes from the Emma's. She started to second guess whether this was an appropriate conversation to have with her, but Emma wasn't a little girl, she was young woman.
"Do you love her?" the blonde asked in a careful tone. Emma wasn't exactly sure if it was allowed to ask such a thing, but Merlin's voice didn't seem to berate her, so she figured it was okay.
"Yes, I do, more than I had thought" Milah said in a reflective and honest voice. She glanced at Emma, to see the youth looking at her. "Why are you so curious to know all this?"
Emma flicked her gaze away from the captain, and creased her forehead in worry. "I think I love someone – but I can't be sure, I mean – I know I love her, but how can I be sure?" she rambled, closing her eyes for a moment as she internally scorned herself for sounding silly.
"Does Regina know this?" Milah asked bluntly, not wanting to beat around the bush.
Emma halted in the middle of the street, as if she had come in contact with an invisible wall. "Wha-what! How did you know?" she stammered in surprise.
Milah grinned at the blonde's innocence, and decided not to tease her for it. "Emma, you told me you dreamt about her, and that you both were quite close in those encounters."
Emma closed her eyes, remembering this part, and shook her head in disbelief at her own forgetfulness.
The captain placed her right hand on Emma's shoulder, ushering her to start walking again. Milah took advantage of the blonde's shocked state, to ask a question of her own. "So what is going on between the two of you? Why aren't you and her friendlier with one another?"
Emma swung her hooded head away, not wanting to explain the odd situation her and Regina were currently in. After a brief moment, she turned her head back and grimaced. Emma then begun to explain how Regina thought Freyja manipulated them into liking each other. That the All Mother must have used magic to get them together, and that the love Emma felt for the princess wasn't real, even if she thought it was. So they had come to an agreement to be friends, and wait for the magic to ware off.
Milah snorted at the explanation, thinking the whole thing was absurd. "Emma, that makes no sense," she rebutted.
Emma shot her a stern glare, cutting off the captain from continuing. "Freyja tricked us, Milah. And now I'm stuck, feeling – feeling this way, and I just…" she sighed, "I can't deal with this level of emotion I feel for her, for Regina. Yet I have to fight myself every day, I just-"
Milah stepped in front of the blonde, placing her hands on the youth's shoulders to hold her still. She peered into Emma's green eyes, as her brows slowly edged closer.
"Emma, the part that makes no sense, the part that disproves Freyja's influence, is the fact you and her were wearing a torc. If you both wore something that stopped magic from working, then why did you still feel for her?" the captain asked in a serious tone.
Emma's eyes widened as she let the pirate words sink in.
"I mean, I assume you still felt the same way for her then, as you do now, but even so-" the captain was cut off, as Emma slapped a hand over Milah's mouth, silencing her from continuing. The captain's eyes went wide, as her brows drew in, taken aback by the blonde's sudden reaction.
Emma's top lip twitched, and then she started to speak gibberish, muddling up what she wanted to say, but didn't bother to correct herself. She suddenly pulled her hand back and apologised, before she spun around and ran off, heading back from where she came from.
Milah yelled out to the rapidly departing youth, but knew her words had fallen on deaf ears. She turned around and was about to walk off, that was until she jolted back, watching a chest of draws crash to the cobbled ground in front of her. The shocked captain peered up, arms over her head, and observed the broken window above.
The pirate could hear a woman yelling from inside, and as she peered up at the sign, the pirate realised she was standing out the front of Marco's shop. Milah flung her arms down and stepped towards the shop's door, ignoring the 'closed' sign and barged her way in.
She raced through the shop, dodging various pieces of furniture, and ran towards Zelena's distressed sounding voice. The pirate started to panic that the woman was in trouble, and yet thankful she was there to help.
The priests scrabbled together, trying to calm the mad woman as she slammed the sledge hammer against the statue of Odin, cracking and chipping pieces of the rock with each strike.
"SHOW YOURSELF, YOU COWARD!" Scathach yelled with all her might, calling upon the absent god.
The first priest asked the warrior to stand down and cease her actions. But he knew when she had ignored him, continuing to bash at the statue that he needed help.
"Brother Gymir, call for Brother Magnus, he will know what to do," Raumr called out to the crowd of men behind him, hoping the message would reach Gymir's ears. Once he saw the young man's robed body race towards the temple, he knew it had.
Raumr turned around and watched the red headed woman lose her temperament again. The priest hadn't come across a problem like this before, and so he kept the other priests away from the barbaric woman, as she seemed too unpredictable in her actions to warrant him from getting any closer.
The statue of Odin cracked and split, causing the right leg to fall away, as Scathach swung the head of the hammer against the stone, crying out in frustration with every strike.
"She's decimating the tribute to Woden, what she is doing is unforgivable," Jari said to Raumr, eyeing the older brother with shock.
"I know Brother, but we cannot approach her as she is, this woman is far too dangerous at the moment," the priest said in a strained voice, letting his own worries become evident.
Scathach continued to bash the sledge hammer into the stone effigy. She was furious, and wanted answers, but she was done with waiting, and had decided to take the direct approach on contacting the one-eyed god.
"I will tear down your statue, if you do not show yourself!" she growled out. The warrior paused for a moment, catching her breath and strength, before she swung the hammer back up and readied it again.
The crowd of priests watched, talking to one another in hushed voices and cautious looks.
Scathach could feel some sort of energy building, as if the air suddenly became thick. She dropped the long handled tool, listening to the heavy head slam into the ground, just behind her. The warrior turned around, as the hairs on the back of her neck rose.
The collective of priests gasped, each in awe of their god appearing before them.
Raumr rubbed his eyes, not believing that he would see Woden in his lifetime. "This cannot be possible, Woden, he defies the words of the Lightening God's rules," he whispered to himself.
"Enough!" Odin boomed. His single eye locked onto Scathach's half hesitant gaze, observing her for a moment, until he flicked his head around, looking at the priests.
"Leave us, I shall take care of this matter, my sons," Odin said in a deep and commanding voice.
All of the priests did as they were told, quickly shuffling about to return to the temple, which was not far off. A few would turn around and eye the duo, curious to see what would happen, unsure if the god would smite the woman for her arrogance.
Odin eyed his statue, looking somewhat hurt that it was damaged beyond a mortal's repair. He passed his hand over the stone, fixing the cracks and breaks caused by the warrior.
Scathach straightened up, regaining her composure and wiped her brow, eliminating the sweat that pooled there. "I know what you and Mimir did, Odin, I know you both kept my full history from me," she said coldly.
The god halted his hand over the stone carving. He blinked and then finished returning the statue to its former glory, adding a bit of colour to it, for good measure.
"So, Skuld visited you, did she?" he asked, turning his bearded face to look at the angry woman.
"You know bloody well she did, and she showed me who I really was!" Scathach said as she took a step towards him, not caring if he took it as a threat.
Odin watched the warrior, seeing the black shadow of her being mist around her, as it had done when he first brought her back. He could taste a hint of copper and smoke in the air, and noted that the redhead was close to uncovering her true abilities.
"Scathach, you have to remain calm, you know if you do not remain in control, you could kill many people, unwillingly," he said in a cool tone. The god wasn't angry at her for lashing out, as he knew she would react accordingly. He was more concerned she would do something she may not return from.
"Calm! You want me to be calm?" she said in disbelief, arms out in question at his suggestion. Was Odin trying to insult her?
"Scathach," he said, tilting his head forward, giving her a warning look to do as he asked.
The warrior gritted her teeth and glared up at him. "So, what am I to do now? How do I explain this to everyone?" Scathach racked her hands through her tangled hair, as she went over every possible scenario, explaining to Milah what she was, and everyone else for that matter.
Odin didn't answer her, for he could not think of an answer that would ease her internal suffering.
Scathach's teal eyes darted about, looking from each pillar to the other, running her eyes along the designs, giving them something to do as her mind spun. She was a tidal wave of emotions, ranging from destructive to almost lost with despair, and she wasn't sure which one she was from the next.
Odin studied the casually clothed redhead begin to pace, sliding her tensed fingers through her unruly mane.
"I knew there was something evil about me," she mumbled to herself, gritting her teeth.
Odin sighed and took step towards her. "You're not evil, Scathach, what you are, is not vile in any sense. In fact you're closer to being a Valkyrie than you know. This is why my wife offered you to become one in the first place," the one-eyed god said in a caring tone.
"I don't want to be a bloody Valkyrie. I want to die and be rid of this curse," she rebutted angrily.
The one-eyed god shook his head at hearing this. "So you wish to bring sadness to those who have come to love you, and see you as an important part of their lives?"
"Don't you dare throw that one on me! If you and Mimir had just let me be, then I would have stayed away from – from…" she paused, not wanting to continue.
"From letting yourself know what it is to love?" Odin said, filling in the words he knew she dared not say allowed.
The redhead's face sunk. If she had all her memories, she may have been able to dispute this, but as she was only half of her true self, she ignored the god's words. "I don't know what love is, Odin, how can I? How can I if I don't even know all of myself?" she asked back in a cold voice.
Odin gave her a small nod, understanding where she was coming from.
"Odin, why didn't you stop Mimir from masking what I am?" Scathach asked with a deep frown, biting the inside of her mouth, as she raked her own mind on how she was going to deal with everything now.
"I am afraid he did not think the idea through thoroughly enough, instead, he allowed his heart to make the decision in the end," Odin answered, straining his jaw at the end, seeing the pain in the woman's eyes. "I had hoped Skuld would not disclose this information to you, but at the same time I knew she might try to put things accordingly. Regardless of this, I allowed Mimir to continue in his plan. I'm afraid, while his heart was in the right place, his mind was not, and for this I am truly sorry," he added.
"That old god has gone and fucked up things, hasn't he?" the warrior remarked in a tired voice, staring out at the temple to her right.
"No, not entirely, he has merely complicated a few matters," he said. Odin then brought himself closer to the redhead, "Scathach?"
The warrior peered up at him, arms crossing over her chest as he approached her. "Yes, Odin?" she answered, as her brows slowly crept together.
"I can return all of your memories, but this would also include the ones from all previous times, the times you were not human," the one-eyed god offered.
Scathach noted two things about Odin in that moment, which she had not before. One; he was a lot more patient with her than the last time she had seen him, and two; he had not punished her for the outburst or the disrespective behaviour she displayed earlier. Perhaps this was because he was happy to be back with Freyja?
"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"While I do not agree with Mimir's decisions, I still respect them. But in saying that, you do have the right to know who you are, and seeing how my once uncle wants to make everything right, it would be in accordance with this, if I returned your memories in full," he explained.
Scathach unfolded her arms, and turned to face him. With all this new information, she knew she had to accept it all, so she could move on and deal with the bigger issues to come. And she would face the oncoming problems, when they came about. The warrior stood straight, and eyed the god.
"Then let's get this over and done with, I need to know everything," Scathach said.
Odin placed his wide hand over the warrior's head, and waited until the familiar sound of her screams filled his ears, before he released a deep and remorseful breath.
ShadowCub - Thank you for liking the picture, I thought it suited the story well. I hope you still enjoyed the chapter, even though it was a normal length.
True2YourHeart - I am honoured you like my story that much. I hope to not make you wait this long again for another instalment.
Kea - Thank you for getting in contact with me, and complimenting me on my work, that was very kind of you.
I want to also thank 'sheiragemini' for their constant encouragement and delightful PM's. You have saved my sanity at times, and given me something to smile about when I have felt down. Thank you for your friendship, you amazing person.
And a big thank you to all who have remained following, even in my absence. I don't mind people unfollowing, I just freak out if they assume I've abandoned my work, as this is not the case. I should be back into a more normal routine now, and will try to get a chapter out once a week, like I did before.