As always, ALL the reviews humble and amaze me. 123a456e, RSkarFr, Valkubusbluey, Jess1ca, Traci, and guests. Seriously Thank you for your consistent support. and Krazysweett1, I totally get it and appretiate you candor. I used to agree. However, Life (and my mother's passing) has since, taught me differently but I do intend to address that very thing in upcoming chapters. Twice that I can think of offhand (one subtle, in this chapter, and one not so subtle later)
I added some personal-ish details to my profile if anyone wanted to know more about me, you know the writer me. LOL!
Thanks for reading, everyone. :)
When Cara and Acacia arrived at the tavern, Kenzi, Bo, Ciara, Naomi, and Hale were sitting at the group's usual table, in the corner. They didn't immediately go over, but it didn't stop Cara from glaring at Bo or Bo glancing at Cara. Bo wanted to try and talk to her, but Kenzi kept stopping her, telling her to give it a little time. With a sigh, Bo would relent back to the conversation.
Their conversation caught Cara's attention only when she heard Kenzi say, "So, give me the deets on you and my Little T! How did you two finally break that triangle barrier? Oh, and be warned wondersnatch, I WILL be threatening you with my 'if you hurt my baby' speech, at some point!"
Seeing Tamsin earlier had calmed Cara greatly, but it still stung hearing that Tamsin and Bo were actually together now. Of course, it was what she wanted, but after today and that feeling of emptiness she felt when she could no longer see Tamsin's face, she started to feel angry again.
Acacia had spoken to Cara on the way over and reminded Cara that Bo was still mortal and that Tamsin was VERY protective of her. She would not have sent her to Valhalla if she had thought that there was a chance that Cara would hurt her. Tamsin had to have trusted Cara to not harm her. So, Acacia suggested she keep her anger in check, especially since "the Succubus is completely infuriating."
Acacia and Cara finally joined them at the table. Acacia jumped right in with her usual insults, while Cara leaned back into her chair. She was still sorting through her emotions. On the outside, she seemed brooding, yet calm. But, on the inside, she was fighting a raging battle within herself.
She leaned back into her chair and simply observed.
She listened to the banter back and forth as they went on talking about their lives together. Cara was torn. Knowing that Tamsin had found a family again and was amongst people who cared for and who protected her contrasted greatly with her own personal feelings of loss, the anger that followed that loss and a new feeling of what she could only guess to be jealousy.
She stayed in her thoughts and memories, barely paying attention to the conversation, until she heard Lauren's name.
Between Kenzi and Acacia, Cara knew all about Tamsin's current situation and all of the people involved, and when she heard Lauren's name, she snapped.
"Lauren… Isn't that the human?" Cara asked in a curt tone as she sat up straight.
All attention at the table suddenly shifted to the previously silent, brooding Mord'Sith. Bo was just as surprised to hear Cara finally speak, as they were. Especially with the tone she used. She studied her for a moment before answering simply, "Yes, she is."
Cara leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. Her tone rose with almost each word she now spoke. "The human who had you so enraptured that you were oblivious to everything around you?" Bo glanced at Acacia, having heard those same words from her. Acacia merely shrugged at her. Bo looked back to Cara, who was beginning to stand. "That you were so oblivious to how Tamsin's feelings for you tortured her, every time she was around you?" Cara stood, walking slowly towards Bo, keeping constant eye contact as she spoke. "Tell me, Succubus... How long before you treat Tamsin the same way you did your precious human doctor? Showering her with your affection, until your attention is pulled elsewhere? "
Everyone around could hear the anger in Cara's voice as she continued to advance on Bo.
Bo didn't like the line of questioning. It was a sensitive subject being broached by someone who cared, probably as much as she did, about Tamsin and it made it all the more potent. Bo had been secretly angry with herself for all of the wasted time, and for hurting Tamsin in the process. Cara was turning the proverbial knife in her chest. Bo knew now, the difference between what she feels for Tamsin and what she felt for all the others before. There is no comparison. She still couldn't understand herself, how she had not seen it before. How she had not seen her love, when everyone else had. She even was able to ignore her own feelings for Tamsin and she had no clue how she was so oblivious. So callous. As Cara got closer to her, Bo rose from her seat. She felt the defensiveness rise again. She could see the fire in Cara's eyes and Freya was nowhere around to calm Cara this time. She stayed those instincts and tried to diffuse the situation, instead.
"I know better now. I know what love, truly, is." Bo responded calmly.
She broke the eye contact, not wishing to challenge Cara by maintaining it. She had no problem deferring to her. As far as Bo was concerned, she owed the woman that. After all, when everything was all said and done, Bo would return to Tamsin and Cara could possibly have to go for all eternity without ever seeing her again. Bo could have Tamsin for centuries, while Cara only had decades. Bo did not mind deferring to Cara, at all.
Cara was now standing right in front of Bo, completely invading her space. She laughed at Bo's answer.
"Oh that's convincing. I feel so much better now." Cara said as she looked around at the others. She looked back at Bo, tilted her head slightly as she taunted, "So, you are saying I should just trust that you, a sex demon, will do right by the woman who means the world to me?" She leaned into Bo. So close Bo could feel her breath. She could feel her anger as if it had substance.
Most of the group was watching this confrontation with growing alarm, sensing its deadly potential. Cara was a force to be reckoned with in a calm demeanor, but the ferocity of Cara's mood made the situation much more dire. Kenzi and Naomi looked at one another, before Kenzi began to stand. Acacia stopped her. She shook her head. Kenzi stood anyway, despite Acacia's protests, as the two women circled one another in front of them. Acacia held fast to Kenzi's arm. Kenzi looked at Acacia and said quietly, with clenched teeth, "If you don't do something, I will!"
"Fine!" Acacia huffed out. She quickly stepped around to the two women and said, "Weapons on the table, now."
Without taking their eyes off of one another, Bo removed both of her daggers, placing them on the table. Cara took one of her Ageils out. She held it up in front of her own face, her eyes moving from the Agiel to Bo. A devilish smirk played on her face as she imagined how good it would feel to see the look in her eyes as she shoved it into her side. .
"Cara, put them on the table!", yelled Acacia. Cara breathed in, rolling her eyes, as she reluctantly placed it and then the other on the table, alongside Bo's daggers.
Without another word, a satisfied smile on her face, Acacia moved back to her place beside Kenzi who was staring incredulously at her. Acacia finally relented and looked over at her. The look on Acacia's face screamed 'what?' without uttering a word. Seeing Kenzi's expression not change, she rolled her eyes and said quietly, "You don't know Cara the way I do. She loves Tamsin too much to kill the succubitch, but she is a warrior first. She is an alpha and unless Bo can prove to her she is worthy, she will push Bo her entire time here. What's the matter, smurf? Don't you have faith in Bo's abilities?" Acacia didn't even wait for an answer, before turning her attention back to Cara and Bo. She added, "we are in for one hell of a show, that's a fact."
Kenzi was torn, Naomi put her hand on her arm and leaned over to her. "Acacia's right, you know. I've heard about Bo. She can handle this."
"You chose a human over those like you." Cara said as she pushed Bo's shoulder. Bo held her ground, even though she didn't respond in kind, she was starting to feel the reaction to her words as Cara continued relentlessly taunting her.
"You chose a human who couldn't sustain your…" Cara's eyes darted around Bo, a smirk on her face as she finished "..needs, over those who could."
Cara pushed her again. Bo's nose twitched, her eyes flashing for a moment to blue before returning to brown. It was then Cara remembered what she could use as a weakness, the succubus. The sex demon. Sex was her weakness and Cara knew all about using her sexual energy. If she wasn't so angry, she would laugh at the irony of it. It was almost identical to the weakness Tamsin had with her. Cara continued her taunting, "You selfishly chose…"
"And what about you?" Bo yelled out, interrupting her. She had reached her limit. The anger she felt towards herself now focused onto the woman in front of her, "Before you DIED were you not a human, too? It was inevitable that you would leave her. Did it occur to you at any point that your life would be short compared to hers and yet it didn't stop you from letting her love you? It didn't occur to you how cruel letting her love you, a human, was? So, Don't get in my face and call me selfish when everything you did was selfish! You…"
Bo was stopped abruptly as Cara punched her. Bo shook it off, her eyes turning blue. Cara had a satisfied smirk on her face. 'Game on' she thought to herself.
The other patrons had begun to take notice of the raising voices, but now the entire bar was silent as the waited for the next move.
Pushed too far, Bo finally reacted.
She pushed Cara backwards forcefully. Cara caught her balance and flung herself forward, forcing Bo back into the wall. As she held her arm across Bo's neck, she leaned in, her lips close to Bo's skin. Her words dripped with allure. "Human or not, I bet even a sex demon can't satisfy my warrior, the way I could." She pulled Bo off the wall and forced her back hard, into the wall. She leaned back in, her lips hovering over Bo's. Her voice was husky now, "Because my warrior loves it rough."
Cara's lips lingered for a moment, hovering over Bo's. Bo was fighting the instincts of her succubus side wanting to close the distance between them. She knew Cara was baiting her with her energy.
When Cara saw Bo's pupils dilate, the corner of her mouth curled up into a smirk as she pulled her away from the wall only to throw her back again, harder. Her eyes darted around Bo.
"My warrior needs someone who can dominate her…" She released Bo in disgust and stepped back. Her expression was one of distaste, "I see nothing dominating about you."
Cara was about to turn away when Bo brought her knee up into Cara's stomach as she grabbed her shoulder. "Oh, you have no idea how much I please MY warrior. Over…" Bo punctuated the word as she backhanded her, "and over." She pushed her back further as Cara faced her again. Bo backhanded her again.
Cara stepped back as she slowly turned back to look at her, a smirk growing across her face as she licked at the blood in the corner of her lip answering, "Oh, we shall see…." As she brought her leg up in a roundhouse kick.
The battle began. As the two woman fought, they each exerted their dominance over the other until the tables would turn again.
It was exhausting for the others to watch.
Bo flung Cara through the door, knocking it off its hinges. Cara landed on her back outside.
The Succubus was feeling the sexual energy that Cara seemed to radiate, as she walked toward the woman on the ground. She crouched down on top of her, straddling her. It was Bo's turn to taunt her, as she leaned down close to her . "Is this the best the mighty Mord'Sith has? I really would have expected..." she leaned closer to Cara's face almost breathing the words out "...much more."
"Don't think because you have me beneath you that you are in control!" Cara laughed as she quickly flipped her over, topping the Succubus. She lowered herself down onto Bo, slowly grinding, her hips against hers. Her lips grazed her skin. As she grabbed one of Bo's hands, laying it on top of her own breast before dragging it down the side of her leather. Bo closed her mouth to keep the whimper in her throat from escaping. Cara leaned down to her, whispering seductively into Bo's ear, dragging each word out. "You can't even help yourself. Aroused during a fight with another woman and yet, I am to believe your love for Tamsin?"
Bo shook the arousal of the situation off as she threw Cara off of her, her attitude returned as she rose to her feet. "Tamsin accepts me for all that I am. I suspect the same way she did you." She lunged towards the woman again.
Acacia had convinced everyone to stay inside, promising them she would intercede should Bo's life be in peril. Acacia leaned casually against the wall as she watched the women brutalize one another. She hoped Tamsin had topped off the Succubus' tank, because being the only one actually living and breathing, nearby. She certainly wasn't helping if she collapsed from weakness. She was however, impressed with Bo's resilience, her fight. With some proper training and guidance she could see Bo being a very effective, skilled warrior, instead of the woman driven by emotion she was watching now.
Their fight drug on for quite some time.
Cara had Bo pinned to the ground. Exhaustion had finally extiguished the flame of anger and Bo silently thanked Tamsin for filling her up with Chi, but was intent on having a talk with her about not warning her about what was to come. It was thoughts of Tamsin that caused Bo to finally remember Tamsin's warning. Her eyes turned to brown again. She remembered that she was supposed to be understanding and yet she had allowed her own doubts to fester and let her anger take hold.
through heavy breaths, Bo said, "We can fight until we both pass out from exhaustion. We can continue to tear one another down, but the fact will still remain, whether you believe it or not, that with every fiber of my being, I love Tamsin. I would rather hurt myself than ever hurt her again. If I somehow screw up and do that? Then I will spend every day of my life, if I have to, proving to her that my impetuous nature does not overrule my heart. I may have sex with others out of necessity, but I will NEVER make love to anyone but her."
Cara released her hold and sat up, considering what Bo had just said. Bo added with great emotion in her eyes, "She loves you , even now, and I will never expect or want to replace you in her heart. You helped to make her the woman that I love and I will forever be in your debt. Because she is truly incredible."
The exertion of their fighting and those final words dissipated the feelings that had controlled her since Freya spoke to her the day before. She had to admit that Bo had held her own against her. Even though Cara had trained daily for well over a millenium. Bo held her own. Even if she wanted to think otherwise, she no longer doubted Bo's feelings for Tamsin.
She rose to her feet and after a moment, she held her hand out to Bo, helping her to stand.
Witnessing the concession, and the obvious display of mutual respect, Acacia simply smiled and nodded to herself as she quietly walked back into the tavern. The babysitter was happily off duty OR so she thought. Returning to the table, she found a drunken Kenzi and Naomi competing to see who could touch Cara's Agiel the longest. She shook her head at them as they each jerked their fingers away with a howl, only for the howl to morph into sickening giggles.
Acacia shook her head as she called for the Barkeep. She walked over and grabbed each of the Agiels, grimacing at the pain radiating down her arms. She cursed herself. All those years of trying to overcome their affect so Cara would not have an upperhand on her and she still couldn't get past that first jolt of pain. She thrust them into Kenzi and Naomi's side as they jerked about in pain. She pulled them away after only a few seconds and said, "NOW go sit your asses down, the babysitter is OFF duty!" Everyone else at the table howled in laughter as more shots were placed around the table.
Tamsin walked away from Freya, to the shoreline. Where she stopped, the surf was barely lapping at her boots. It was night, but it was far from dark. She could see the midnight sun reflecting across the water. It was calming. The sounds. The smells of the ocean. Seeing the water, further from the shore, ripple in the orange and yellow glow of the sun.
Tamsin had not realized how much she had missed this place. The aurora borealis, the polar nights, and the midnight sun. The blue hue of the snowcapped mountains, and the warm glow emitted from the homes, even on the coldest of nights.
Tamsin closed her eyes and breathed it all in.
There have been so many things on her mind, as of late, and she reveled in those few moments of simply existing.
Freya stepped up beside her, she remained quiet as she too, took in the beauty that was around them.
When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet and soothing, blending into the surrounding sounds, maintaining Tamsin's calm.
Freya said, "I know your decision was not any easy one. I am very proud of you. I know your heart Tamsin and just as when you made that decision long ago, you did so because you are noble." Freya grabbed her hands and held them out beside her. "and I must say, that it is good to see you in all your former glory." She smiled up at her, as she jested, " I always hoped you would live to see your wings, although you worried me a few too many times. " She laughed as she dropped her hands and stepped back. "But, I still see her when I look at you, now. The Valkyrie of Legend. It is only a matter of time before you embrace her again."
Freya took a deep breath and then as she let it out she said, "Now, I will tell you what you want to know, but first you must tell me about Bo."
Tamsin inhaled deeply again. She was overwhelmed by the compliments Freya had just given her and thinking about Bo only added to the calmness she was feeling. However, with Freya's request, it was now tinged with apprehension. She opened her eyes and looked down at the water lapping against her boots. Feelings weren't something she was good at talking about. Even with Bo, it was sometimes frustrating. She was still learning, though.
Freya turned to her and reached out, putting her hand under Tamsin's chin, pulling it so she would face her. Tamsin met her eyes for only a moment before she, once again,closed her eyes. She breathed in as Freya's energy flowed through her, eroding away the apprehension.
"I know these are not things you find easy to speak of." Freya said. "You are taught that love is weakness. But Tamsin, I am the Goddess of Love, and you and I both know that love is strength. You have felt its power yourself. A Valkyrie is taught to avoid it because only the truest of love should pull you from your path, and honestly, that is as it should be."
Tamsin thought of Bo and Cara. Tamsin knew Freya was right. Loving each of them had brought her strength. Helped her to do things she never thought she could do. A genuine smile swept across her face as she thought again about Freya's question.
"Bo is…" She shrugged and for lack of a better word said, "Bo. She is the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing I know before sleep claims me. Her smile can brighten even the worst of situations. She filled a place I never thought would be filled again."
Tamsin took a breath, and finally looked directly at Freya. Her words flowed freely now, "After Cara and until I met her, I felt nothing. I wanted nothing. Her love poured into my battered, buried heart and rather than changing it and effacing the love that was there before, she instead filled the cracks and bound it together again. She embraced all that my heart has ever felt, and amplified it. She brought it back to the surface again. She doesn't attempt to recreate me, to erase the things that mold me. Instead, she accepts me for who I am, despite what I've done. Despite who I was. She loves me for exactly who I am… right now. She is a contradiction to anything and everything. She maddens me, and yet, at the same time, she soothes me. Inspiring me to do more. To be more. To want more."
Tamsin had returned to looking at the midnight sun as she spoke. She finally turned back towards Freya and looked into her eyes. "Bo makes me whole again. She makes me believe that anything is possible. I don't believe there is anything that I wouldn't do for her."
Freya was smiling at her, beaming with pride. She had already known how Tamsin felt, she was the Goddess of love after all. But she wanted to make sure that Tamsin had fully embraced it. She stepped forward and wrapped her arm around Tamsin's shoulder, nudging her to walk with her.
"You cannot know how happy what you have said, makes me. Now, I promised you information. But, to properly explain, I must tell you a little history of my kind… and yours. What I tell you, you won't find in any books and most of which is not to be shared. You will understand why, soon enough."
Freya looked out at the horizon as she began her story. "We, the ancient ones as we are called, were not born of this realm. We are not really Gods, but the first of the Fae. Our blood is pure. Back in the first days that we came to this realm, Midgard, there were only humans. But, the blending of my kind and the humans brought about the first Fae of this realm. In that beginning, the mating of the two resulted in a unique Fae, fully endowed with powers. However, as you know now, the mating of a Fae with a human results in a child with no powers."
Tamsin was taken aback. She had been around for a very long time. She had witnessed well over 3 millennium of human history. But, it had never occurred to her to wonder of the Fae beginnings.
"You know that there are many Realms. One of which is Asgard. It is the home to the tribe, Aesir, the Council that governs the Valkyrie. But, there is another that isn't as well known, Vanaheim, the homeland of the tribe, Vanir. It is in Vanaheim, that I was born as well as my sister. She is only a few minutes older than I and we are almost identical, but our powers are very different. While mine are based on love, hers are based on destiny. My sister, Frigg, married a powerful ruler of the Aesir, named Odin. It was an attempt to combine our two bloodines to bring about peace, after a war between the tribes. However, Frigg and Odin never had any children together."
"I'm sure you have heard of Odin in all manner through human history, Valkyrie lore, and mythology. But, none of it compares to the great cruelty and evil he was capable of. My sister had a miserable life with him. He ruled heavy handedly over this realm and Asgard, but he wanted more."
"He created the Valkyrie, to fortify his Army, bringing in the souls of the greatest warriors. Many of the Valkyrie, including Acacia are of his bloodline. At one point, before you were born, it was Odin who commanded the Valkyrie, instead of myself."
They reached an outcropping of rocks and Freya gracefully sat, holding her hand out for Tamsin to join her.
"My sister has the ability to change the fabric of destiny. It is similar to the ability of the Blood King. And just as it is with he, the use of that power comes at great cost to herself. She also has the power to envisage possible and actual events."
"There came a time when Odin decided he wanted to rule over all. Not only the Aesir and Midgard, but every Realm. He intended to use my sister's power of foresight to defeat his enemies. But, with her power, she saw the destruction, death, and chaos that he would cause. She saw that he would use me, our family, and every thing she held dear to force her to do his bidding. She was weary from his cruelty to her and she could no longer find any joy in her life. So, it was easy for her to accept that the only solution was to end her life to save all that she loved. She came here… To this very place."
Freya took a breath as she looked around. It had been so long since she had spoken of Frigg, and doing so now filled her with sadness. Tamsin was trying to take everything in. There were so many things she didn't know. She knew there was a purpose for Freya's story, but she couldn't figure out how Bo fit into it. She was studying Freya when she finally turned to look into Tamsin's eyes, she seemed to calm.
"You know that I am practically immortal, as are the most powerful of my kind. But, what you don't know is that the most powerful of us were born with one innate weakness to something from our own realm. It is the source of our own power but when used against us, it is practically the only thing that will kill us. It is called an Origin. Most of us safeguard it. My sister's Origin was a rare metal alloy. Our father had it fashioned into a sword. Before she married Odin, she brought it here, one of her favorite places, and hid it away. She came here, that day, to retrieve it and end her life."
Freya was visibly shaken, and for the first time in Tamsin's lives of knowing her, she saw a tear fall from her eye. Feeling a desire to comfort her, Tamsin laid her hand on Freya's arm. This caused Freya to smile. When she laid her own hand on top of Tamsin's she said, "You always were my favorite, did you know that?"
Tamsin rolled her eyes and chuckled, "As if any of the others would have let me forget it!"
Freya laughed quietly as she nodded her head. With a deep breath, Freya returned to her story. "She stood here with her sword, intent to sacrifice herself for all, when she was interrupted by a very noble warrior from this region. He soothed her and treated her with kindness, something she was not used to anymore. They spent the day and evening roaming these shores, talking. She told him of her worries, and about what she must do. But, he was convinced there must be another way. By the end of their time together that day, he was enraptured by her and she by him. His kindness, nobility and spirit managed, in just that short time, to empower her to want to find another way to stop Odin."
"She entrusted her sword to him and left her warrior with promises to return. She went back to Asgard, intent on finding that way. Odin had always kept his Origin secret and killed anyone who knew of whence it came. In all her years with him, she never could decipher what it was. She observed him tirelessly, but to no avail. He was as prideful as he was cruel and he trusted no one."
"A great illicit love affair began between Frigg and her warrior. She returned here to be with him frequently. For some time, she was happy and it showed.." Freya smiled feebly. " But, Odin noticed his wife's change of mood. He followed her one day and saw them together. He did not love Frigg but he was enraged none the less. He killed Frigg's warrior, right in front of her. When one of his Valkyrie's, who happened to be Acacia, arrived to take his noble soul. Odin belayed her order and ordered her to return to Valhalla, without the soul. Thankfully, Odin had no control over the other realms of souls and the warriors soul went to Fólkvangr, where I held dominion."
"Frigg was overcome with grief, heartbreak and rage. She had considered the option before, but the cost had seemed too great. But, in her current state there was nothing she wouldn't have done to stop Odin. She had to use every ounce of her power because Odin was very powerful. But, then again, so was Frigg. She rewrote his destiny, changing its very fabric. She exiled him to a place more suited to who he was, where he could only rule over the dead. She banished him to Hel, with virtually no way to escape."
Freya paused and looked at Tamsin. She watched as the recognition washed over her face.
Tamsin looked directly into Freya's eyes and asked "Odin is the Keeper of Hel?" Freya nodded as Tamsin continued with a pained look now on her face, "And HE is Bo's father? HE is the evil that I met that day?" Freya closed her eyes, this time. as she nodded. Tamsin shook her head, "But if he was exiled there, how did he escape to wreak havoc during Cara's time? Or to be with Bo's mother?"
"Odin still maintained some of his power, albeit not as he had before. Because of the power he already possessed, there were limits to what Frigg could do against him. She stripped him of his ability to travel to other realms, but she could do nothing about his cruelty. He tortured and manipulated others, most of whom were very powerful, to do his bidding. I don't know the particulars of how he accomplished those tasks, but there are those who do. There was a reason he sent Darken Rahl to you, Tamsin and once Bo returns from Valhalla, we will be able to talk more about it.. There are things that the two of you must know.." Freya finished.
Tamsin wanted to protest. To know more. But, she was too overwhelmed to think. She had so many questions, but could not form one sentence to ask.
As if reading her thoughts, Freya smiled and with a soothing voice she said, "There will be more answers soon, my child. Be patient. You and I will speak again, very soon, but you know I must get back." Tamsin nodded, understanding what she had to get back to. "I trust you can find your way back?"
Tamsin simply nodded as she walked to the shoreline again. Freya smiled at her back, before disappearing.