WARNING: This fanfiction is NanoFate and it is rated M for strong, disturbing, violent, and explicitly sexual, content and situations, as well as intimate scenes between women. If this type of content is not to your liking, or if you are underage, please do not read it.
DISCLAIMER: MSLN Characters belong to their rightful owners. All the situations and characters presented in this work are fictitious, any similarity with real, historical, or present situations or individuals, is not intentional.
RD'S NOTE: There's a really amazing feeling when developing and ultimately publishing a chapter of this joint venture. I'm very happy to see the interest in readers to continue reading about this story. Each and every comment is truly food for the writing soul. Thanks Aleksei for all the encouragement, I know it's a challenge to balance and fusion our visions and I'm grateful for the opportunity and thrilled to see it come together.
Special thanks to Sammie-chan, Darshes, bubble duckie, Sylph-kun, miniberto, and Guest that left 5 hearts that cannot be shown in FF but are appreciated nonetheless! I hope you all enjoy this new entry.
− X −
"Threads of Destiny"
by Rogue Devlin & Aleksei Volken
Chapter 2: Omen
− X −
Dinsmark, Capital City of the Belkan Empire, Twentieth Day of Dumannios, Year -1053. Alban Arthan Eve, Winter Solstice.
"¿So why not?"
More than a month had passed since the night of Samhain. The days had swiftly slipped by in the midst of intense preparations for the long-awaited celebration of the winter solstice.
As anticipated, winter had come earlier and harsher that year, but everyone was in good spirits; They felt safe despite the inclement weather and everyone was looking forward to those days of celebration that warmed their bodies and spirits. This year, Dinsmark would not have as many visitors but that did not dampen the festive mood.
The last item that remained pending to clear on the eve of the solstice was, as usual, the selection of the jousts that would be held in the coliseum after the ceremony in the cathedral.
Nanoha, with her arms crossed over her chest, looked defiantly at Fate and repeated the question one more time.
"I asked… why not, Fate-chan? ...Is there a reason that forbids it?"
The Imperial Counselors Shamal, Alicia and Hayate, Signum and Victoria Dahlgrün Daughter on behalf of the Imperial Guard, Victoria Dahlgrün Mother and Mégane Alpine for the Council of Noble Families, and the high priestess of the Belkan doctrine, Carim Gracia; All of them almost in unison and very sneakily, they took a deep breath, avoiding looking towards the powerful Hegemon of the Belkan Empire.
Nobody wanted to be in Fate's shoes right that moment.
Fate stared hard at her wife.
The 'argument' had arisen because Fate had commented with great enthusiasm that it was time for the Hegemon of the Belkan Empire to participate again in the inaugural joust.
Since Fate's ascension to the throne of the Belkan Hegemon, she hadn't participated in any more combats, or rituals, or of any kind. The warrior within her craved combat in the arena like a thoroughbred colt… It seemed like an excellent idea to all of them to start Fate's symbolic third year of rule as Hegemon.
Immediately, all those attending the organization meeting presented candidates to contend against her in the celebration of the solstice. Few times, the Hegemon was seen in a joust and few Hegemon had such certainty in victory as Fate did.
And then it happened.
"Fate-chan…" Nanoha insisted upon the Hegemon's silence."Why can't I be the other contender in the inaugural duel?"
And there it was, the 'little' detail.
Nanoha had volunteered for the opening duel with Fate.
"It's unusual, Nanoha..." Fate tried, "I can't remember a single ritual duel where the imperial couple has... faced each other... Do you agree that it can be somewhat... awkward?"
"Why? ... Are you afraid of losing?" Nanoha asked with the same defiant attitude.
The imperial couple was famous for their intense and passionate interactions from the beginning of their relationship.
Though they had toned it down since that first solstice celebration they had shared and everyone around them was one hundred percent sure of their love for each other, the intensity of their interactions hadn't dimmed over the years. Hayate had a theory that the heated and impetuous temperament of both was reason more than enough for those 'lovingly confrontations' that used to happen between them in the most unexpected situations.
Over time, those close to them had learned that in the middle of the storm, you had to lower your head and wait for it to subside. Which usually subsided when Nanoha finally got her way.
Fate tensed, straightening in her seat, and glared at her wife sternly. That was not an intimate conversation between them. IT WAS an official meeting, with several Belkan dignitaries to deal with a serious matter. Sometimes Nanoha could be VERY stubborn.
They were all gathered in the boardroom adjacent to the Great Throne Room.
"Your Majesty," Hayate said in a soft voice after clearing her throat slightly and after quickly exchanging glances with Alicia, "Taking into consideration that this celebration of the solstice is very special since it marks the beginning of your third year of reign, I think we could revitalize... the traditional duel after the new fire ceremony. Usually, it consists of individual duels… this time, perhaps we could integrate a Belkan team and a Nihon team to honor the support received at the time by our eastern neighbors… It would be as a part of the celebration itself."
"That's a great idea, Fate," Alicia put in at the time, "Nanoha as Heiress Regent of Nihon, and you as the Hegemon could lead the teams and have an opening duel like it has never been seen before in Dinsmark."
Fate frowned at her twin sister.
"The idea of Hayate-chan and Alicia-chan seems fantastic to me, but that does not exempt you and me from having a duel, in teams or individually…" Nanoha kept insisting, "I have improved a lot with Arturia-san's techniques and Vita-chan's training."
"Victoria and I could be in the Belkan team with you, Testarossa," added Signum after a light nudge from Shamal as an indication that it was time to help, "Arf and that other ninja girl... Mikami... from the guard of Her Highness Takamachi could be on Nihon's team."
"Three and three sounds like an excellent omen, whoever wins, Your Majesty," Carim interjected softly.
Light knocks were heard at that moment at the door of the small room, Hayate immediately rushed to see what it was about to find the surprise that Olivie Sägebretch had already arrived for the solstice celebrations and to spend that winter with her family.
Alicia screamed with excitement and ran to greet her aunt.
Since Precia Testarossa's death and Fate's subsequent coronation, Olivie had self-exiled from the Belkan Capital on the Sägebretch family estate on the outskirts of the city. That was her first visit since then and it would be her first official appearance with the imperial family.
No one knew, until that point, that Carim had managed to convince her to attend after months of long talks and conversations.
Megane and Victoria Mother greeted her with equal enthusiasm.
Needless to say, the idea of the encounter between Nanoha and Fate seemed fantastic to Olivie as well.
"It's something never seen before, Fate," Olivie said hugging her niece, "Congratulations, it's an excellent idea and a great way to celebrate the beginning of your third year... whoever wins, the royal family wins! ... It's magnificent."
"It was actually my idea, Aunt Olivie..." Nanoha tried to insist but Hayate interrupted her.
"Excellent! Since everything is decided, we have many things to organize... Alicia and I will organize with priestess Carim... Will Lady Sägebretch come with us? ...Signum and Victoria can make all the arrangements for the subsequent events... Lady Victoria and Lady Megane…"
"Hey… I still haven't…"
"Let it go, Testarossa," Signum whispered standing next to Fate. "Remember… lose a battle to win the war… You do not want to extend this discussion..."
Fate turned to look at her grand marshal. Signum certainly looked imposing in her guard uniform; wearing uniforms had always suited her friend very well, but the grand marshal one, in particular, gave her a regal bearing, just like the current Hegemon at the time.
"But Signum…." Fate snorted in a low voice, "What if I accidentally hurt her? We have never faced each other in a duel... we have practiced but it has always been more of a game than a serious practice... also the arena will be FULL... You know how they are... They surely will be placing bets!"
Signum arched an eyebrow and looked at the imperial consort. She HAD seen Nanoha practice for the past few years.
"I have my doubts that you are going to hurt her, Testarossa, calm down... Vita has taught her well. Also, remember what she did to Veyron. She didn't need any help for that."
The Grand Marshal had a suspicion that Fate was going to break a sweat the night of the solstice in that encounter with her beloved wife and she avoided telling her that the stakes would be very, very even.
− X −
The rest of the day went by with an atypical peacefulness for the imperial family, taking care of the last pending matters before starting the days of celebration. Alicia, Nanoha, and Hayate left to their chambers to finish supervising some preparations for the solstice while Fate, along with Signum, attended to the adjustments in the military supplies and the preparations for the winter military activities.
It was not until Shamal came to the quarters of the guard looking for her wife that the two Belkan warriors realized how late it had gotten and that they needed to get enough rest for the celebratory duel.
"Are you ready for your duel, Testarossa?" Signum asked with a very faint smirk. "And no, I do not mean tomorrow's."
"Signum!" Shamal exclaimed, surprised at her wife's impudence with the Hegemon. While it was true that Fate and Signum had practically grown up together and maintained a close friendship, Shamal never ceased to get embarrassed that despite her insistence on her to maintain a formal tone, Signum continued to treat the Hegemon with the same naturalness as ever.
Fate, who had only observed Signum arching an eyebrow at the question initially, snorted in amusement at the clarification of the 'duel' she was referring to. Although she did have a point, she had also been considering all afternoon what she would say to her wife when she got to their room.
"Nanoha-chan is very excited with celebrating the solstice duel, Fate-san," Shamal chimed in softly before Signum could make any other insightful comments, "I think she is very much looking forward to showing you how much she has trained to be a worthy contender of such a significant Belkan event."
Getting ready to leave, Fate got up from the table where she had been working, looked at Shamal as she nodded slightly, and hurried to pick up her things with an irrepressible desire to hug her wife at that moment.
"I give you back your office to you, Signum, both of you go and rest, I need you at your best tomorrow."
Without waiting for any answer, Fate strode out to her room.
Night had already fallen and as she crossed the courtyard she noticed that the temperature had dropped considerably, which apparently had not affected the couple of well-known figures who could be seen chatting animatedly and walking towards her.
"Counselor Yagami, Counselor Testarossa," Fate said when she stopped in front of them.
Hayate bowed her head slightly to greet Fate, but Alicia greeted her directly with a question.
"Don't tell me you're still sulking, sis? You should be in your room by now."
"And that's exactly where I'm headed."
"If you were there you would know then that Nanoha-chan isn't there," Alicia replied with a slightly disapproving look, much to Fate's confusion.
"Where…?" Fate asked, frowning slightly.
"I already saved you the part about finding your room empty, Fate," Alicia replied with an enigmatic smile, as she linked her arm with Hayate's, who had remained completely silent while the sisters spoke, to continue on their way.
Fate watched as her two counselors walked away as cheerfully as they had arrived and trying her best to prevent a sudden bad mood from taking hold of her, she considered the options of why Nanoha would not be in her room and more importantly, where she would be at those hours. Shamal was already with Signum, Hayate and Alicia were together, which left her with few options. If Nanoha was with Vita, they could be in the arena together training.
She rushed into the arena where she did indeed find Vita keeping maintenance of several of her weapons.
"Vita, isn't Nanoha with you?"
The little warrior just shook her head.
"She left a while ago," Vita replied as Fate turned around to go to the only place where she knew then that she could find Nanoha.
The watchtower.
What had been her favorite place to hide in her childhood had also become one of her wife's favorite places at Stier Castle to think and watch the sky. Sometimes at very unusual hours.
Every time she thought about the tower it was impossible for Fate not to smile and remember the time Alicia had come over to surprise her, bringing Nanoha with her and acting like a professional matchmaker, if such a thing existed, and she had left them alone in what they both finally realized that it had been their first date.
As unlikely and unconventional as it had seemed after their sudden marriage and everything that had happened afterwards, they began properly dating when Fate had already become Hegemon, getting to know each other in a way they hadn't been able to during the first few months of their lives together as an imperial couple.
Fate's sudden bad mood had been completely dispelled by those memories as she walked towards the tower and quickly went up the stairs torch in hand.
As she climbed the last steps to reach the top of the tower, the reflected light of another torch told her that she had undoubtedly been right. The sight of Nanoha, leaning on the ledge looking at the clear, starry sky above made her stop and smile.
She certainly had heard her coming, but Nanoha made no move.
Fate put down the torch and approached her wife, to stand tall and straight behind her. She delicately took her hair and brushed it aside over her shoulder. She caressed the back of her wife's neck with her lips as her hands slid down her sides to fit her body to her wife's back and Nanoha leaned against her letting out a barely audible sigh. The little kisses ran through her body with very specific sensations that would prevent her from speaking if she didn't start already.
"Aren't you upset, Fate-chan?"
"You ambushed me this morning," Fate said in a very serious tone as she continued placing small kisses on Nanoha's neck.
Nanoha sighed more deeply. She was wishing that Fate would not continue with the argument, but at least, she had to thank in this case that due to her Belkan upbringing she answered the questions plainly and straightforwardly about what it was that had bothered her. And for the same reason, Nanoha could not help but respond in the same way.
Fate tightened her embrace on the red-haired.
"I think I did… and I'm sorry... Everyone seemed very excited about the idea still..." she replied as she turned around in the embrace to look at her proud wife, who released her and crossed her arms over her chest. She had no doubt that they could not face each other properly in the ceremonial duel if they did not clarify the situation. She needed to know that Fate had no doubts.
But that didn't mean she couldn't work and make her case more compelling.
"And I was thinking that I can.. make it up to you after our encounter..." Nanoha's tone of voice had become lower and more sensual when she said those words and her intensely blue gaze locked with Fate's crimson one.
Fate watched Nanoha closely, still with her arms crossed. The cold night air slightly ruffled her hair and her flushed cheeks gave an almost mesmerizing image to Fate, but Nanoha's words piqued the blonde's interest considerably.
"What... how...? I mean…"
"How am I going to make it up to you?"
"Aha, tell me, Your Highness," she answered seriously.
Nanoha lightly bit her lower lip and looked Fate up and down before taking her arms and uncrossing them first, then reluctantly bringing Fate's hands to hold her firmly by her hips and when she was satisfied with the position, she crossed her arms over behind the blonde's neck.
"It occurs to me that afterwards, I can give you a long and hot bath…" she whispered while now she ran her lips over the blonde's neck, "We can bathe together while I relieve the pain of your tense muscles…"
With her lips she grazed Fate's skin from her neck to her chin and up to her lips where she stopped to barely brush them as she spoke, Nanoha continued detailing how and where she would touch her to give her pleasure as Fate's breathing became increasingly heavy.
"...I'll take very good care of you, especially... after I defeat you," she finished saying before capturing Fate's lips in a passionate kiss.
Fate intensified the kiss as she ran her hands up the back of her wife.
Nanoha's last words were spinning in her head but the rest of her body was busy with other ideas.
"You seem to be very sure that you are going to win, Nanoha," Fate murmured as they kissed.
"I am."
When they finally finished kissing, Nanoha met the crimson gaze of her wife who looked resplendent.
"I like your confidence. It makes you look even more attractive."
"I thought that was my line."
Fate smiled completely fascinated with Nanoha and her ideas.
"So that's what I win if I lose..." Fate replied with a thoughtful expression, "What do I win when I claim my victory over you?"
"Her Majesty needs not to be concerned about that…"
The formal tone with which Nanoha answered her almost fooled her for a second. Arching an eyebrow, she looked at Nanoha hoping for a better answer.
"Very funny, Your Highness."
Nanoha held Fate's face in her hands, "Let's go to our bed, Fate-chan."
Without hesitating for a moment, Fate took Nanoha by the hand and with the other one of the torches to go down again and they went as fast as they could to the imperial room.
Once they were in their room, Nanoha was already settled on the bed when Fate simply stayed on the side of the bed and kneeling next to it, she leaned her arms on the bed and her face on top of her hands to watch Nanoha.
Nanoha felt she blushed at the intense gaze of the very silent Fate; she could guess that many things were going through her wife's mind as she watched her.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Fate-chan?" She asked when she couldn't take it anymore.
Fate sighed contentedly and still from the edge of the bed she extended her hand palm up towards Nanoha who immediately reached out to take it.
"I was thinking how worried you were the first time you heard about duels. Of my confrontation with Saber and that now you are the first in line to want to participate in one."
"I guess I've changed."
"You are still the embodiment of the fiery determination that took my breath away the first time I saw you."
Nanoha smiled. Over time they had started talking more and more about the first months of their life together. What they had thought and felt. What they had done differently from what they really thought or felt and that had caused them so many misunderstandings and confrontations.
However, there was one thing that was coming to Nanoha's mind with increasing frequency lately about those first moments of Fate's arrival to her life and she hadn't had the courage to mention it.
Fate, noticing that Nanoha's smile had slowly thinned and then disappeared almost completely, slowly got up to climb onto the bed and approached Nanoha, who was still absorbed in her own thoughts.
"I'm sorry Nanoha, I know those times are not very pleasant to remember and I'm sorry I mentioned it…"
Nanoha blinked and realized that Fate was already next to her, and she snuggled into the blonde's body pressing a kiss to her lips before answering.
"Please, you know that you don't have to apologize, Fate-chan... We already apologized for everything that happened back then, the two of us for what we did to each other and what hurt us then... It's not that…"
"But it is something then…" Fate asked, genuinely worried.
Nanoha nodded with uncharacteristic shyness and Fate tenderly stroked her hair before asking her, "What is my wife worried about, is there anything I can do to make it better?"
Nanoha let out a long breath and decided that it was better to say it than to drag it out longer and worry Fate unnecessarily.
"Uhmm, I have been thinking about some things that one said once, that Huckebein."
Fate stiffened and settled on the bed in a half-sitting position still with Nanoha in her arms. What she least expected was for Nanoha to mention the Huckebeins in those moments.
"Nothing Veyron ever said had a shred of truth or good intentions, Nanoha…"
"Not him... Your mother's advisor... Fortis…"
Fate frowned. Fortis had been much smarter than Veyron, but that didn't mean his words hadn't been filled with poison as well.
"What could that traitor have said that has you worried after so long, Nanoha?"
Nanoha looked away trying to remember the exact moment and the exact words that she at that moment had not caused her the concern that she had begun to cause her not so long ago.
"Almost at the beginning... in Nihon... when we were just explaining that I was Nihon's heiress and not Kyoya as you all thought…"
Fate remembered the conversation clearly but still wasn't sure where Nanoha was going with it and what had her so worried about. She let her fingers link with Nanoha's encouraging her to continue explaining.
"I remember... but what does that…"
"When my dad tried to dissuade you from the idea of the marriage because we were both women... it turned out that the Belkan traditions and laws were very different from what we know in Nihon…"
Fate took in as deep a breath as she could. That was probably the second statement that laid the foundations on which their marriage was built upon. The first, being the unwavering Belkan vows, the second, that of the ongoing resolution of their conflicts over the upbringings they received, despite having both been educated as imperial heiresses, they could not have been more different between each other and therefore a constant challenge.
"My dad at that time asked what would happen to the heirs of both empires. For me and Nihon, it was very clear since we got married, but in the case of the Belkan Empire, Fortis was very clear when he said that 'The Hegemon can have the in concubinage as many heirs as necessary when the time comes' ... and well... lately I've been thinking that I don't know what you're going to do about having heirs…"
Fate had let Nanoha speak without interrupting her and it was until the redhead left the unfinished sentence that Fate made her look at her and to Nanoha's infinite surprise, found her smiling tenderly for her when Nanoha was waiting for Fate to answer.
"I do not intend to have any heirs in concubinage. You have nothing to worry about if that's what ails you."
"But the empire... the heirs?" the redhead asked again in just a small voice.
"We will figure it out. When my father was chosen as heir, he was not the son of the Hegemon. Neither legitimate nor illegitimate nor did they have any blood ties. So we will find a suitable heir. Or maybe we won't even have an empire with this kind of government by then… I don't know… What I do know is that I won't share my bed… our bed… with anyone. I'm only yours."
Fate could swear that she had never seen Nanoha smile like that before.
Nanoha snuggled up to Fate even more and pressed her hands against her flushed cheeks before speaking to her.
"Repeat it."
"I'm only yours."
Nanoha kissed Fate for a long time, melting into her warmth as she felt that weight disappearing from her mind and her heart until they just stayed very closely hugged, with Nanoha lying on Fate's chest until she fell deeply asleep while Fate caressed her until she also fell asleep shortly after, while she did not stop thinking that without a doubt a very special day awaited them.
− X −
The day of the Solstice dawned, like all the previous ones since Samhain, with the atmosphere charged by an imminent storm and slightly dark. On that day, additionally, a light mist that seemed to arise from the earth itself, floated around providing a distant and ethereal quality to the atmosphere of the city.
In the middle of the day, it was impossible to tell if it was sunrise or sunset. Dinsmark looked like a quiet, peaceful limbo covered in white.
Shortly before leaving for the cathedral ceremony, Nanoha watched the city from the tower of Stier Castle draped in a warm fur cloak. The image in front of her of the city with the surrounding mountains and forest seemed like something out of a dream. Everything seemed to float and the boundary between the ground and the sky seemed to be no more.
"Concerned about our confrontation... Your Highness?" a voice that she knew very well suddenly asked behind her back.
Nanoha turned with a slight smile to meet her wife's crimson gaze.
"Not at all, Your Majesty..." she replied with a slightly teasing tone, approaching Fate to take her by the elegant and warm ceremonial cloak she was wearing, pulling her for a light kiss on the lips, "That is your good luck kiss."
Both were already wearing the elegant armor that they would use for the duel in the coliseum after the ceremony in the cathedral. Only Nanoha was wearing a not very elegant cape that happened to be her favorite because it was the same as Fate's and who had gifted it to her for the winter.
"With that cape, you almost look like a full-blooded Belka," Fate said, corresponding to the smile and the kiss of her wife, taking her by the waist.
The two remained embraced like this, observing the landscape at their feet.
"That sweet talk won't make me have any compassion for you in the arena... Your Majesty," Nanoha added, wrapping herself in Fate's embrace.
In response, Fate separated from her to look at her intensely and then kiss her passionately.
Despite what she had said to Signum the day before and the slight uneasiness she felt, Fate was proud of her wife. Nothing made her happier than her people seeing her wife as a warrior, strong and powerful.
And just because of that, she couldn't have any consideration for her in the arena.
The imperial couple, as tradition dictated, were the last to leave Stier Castle for the great Belkan cathedral.
Despite the fact that she had already seen the Belkan solstice ceremonies before, Nanoha never ceased to be surprised.
Since Fate had become Hegemon, they were the last to arrive at the atrium of the Cathedral of Doctrine, and at the very moment that, with extreme precision, they took their places, the ceremony began without further delay.
This year, the ceremony gave her an unexpected chill in addition to the fascination that this particular ceremony always caused in Nanoha.
The crowded atrium immersed in an unearthly silence, only illuminated by the four cauldrons at the cardinal points had an ethereal and ghostly quality as everything was painted in gray and surrounded by mist. Alicia had already explained to her that it was an effect of the earlier arrival of a harsher winter and the humidity.
"Today… we celebrate the resurrection of the light…"
The figure of Carim, clad in her official ceremonial mantle, was almost completely engulfed by the icy mist that surrounded them. Her words were stifled, as if the mist absorbed them, muffling their intensity and impact.
"In the eternal cycle of life and death… Today in the longest and darkest night… with the remnant fire of the death of the light… the new fire is born again…"
The lighting of the main cauldron was perfect as always, however, the path of fire that surrounded them did not feel as intense and scorching as in previous ceremonies. The mist seemed to muffle everything, the sound, the heat ... and even the light, leaving everything in an ever-darker limbo.
"We pray for the blessing of the new fire to be with us..."
With those last words, the priestess typically ended the ceremony marking the rebirth of the sun. Everyone rejoiced and the popular celebration began. Alicia, flanking the imperial couple along with her aunt Olivie, was apparently the only one who noticed the worried expression with which Carim ended that sentence.
Fate and Nanoha, already both elegantly dressed in warm capes, led the way to the coliseum, greeting their subjects along the way.
No one knew yet about the new form of initial duel that they would have that year, but they all watched the couple with barely contained curiosity.
The few who knew, starting with Nanoha and Fate, were respectively too excited and concerned. Nanoha couldn't help but think that it would be her first official match! ... in the arena of the coliseum.
Olivie, noticing Alicia's apprehension, stayed by her side until they both approached Carim while everyone else left the atrium of the cathedral.
"Is something wrong, Carim?" Alice asked in a low voice.
After the end of the ceremony, the high priestess of the doctrine had stood by the main cauldron while the church assistants lit all the torches. Light and joy spread to every corner of Dinsmark even amid the unusual ethereal haze, the snow, and the cold.
Although there should still be some rays of the sun at that time of day, the presence of the mist and the dense dark clouds that had been covering the sky for several days before, caused the night to arrive much earlier even for the winter Belka.
Carim turned to look at the Hegemon's sister with concern as if suddenly awakened from a reverie.
"Stor Lysglimt."
Alicia looked at her puzzled and Olivie was startled by those words.
Carim directed her finger to a point in the sky discreetly. For the first time in her life, the priestess found herself not knowing what to do.
Despite the mist and clouds, a small area of the sky was supernaturally clear.
"The great lightning bolt," Olivie muttered, looking back at Carim with concern.
Olivie's mother used to tell her and Precia the old folk tales when they were little girls. 'Stor Lysglimt' used to be one of Precia's favorites. And one of the ones that frightened Olivie the most.
It had been decades since she had last heard those words.
In that area of clear sky, between the deep blue and purple of the sunset that was happening high above their heads, beyond the dark clouds and mist, the Great Lightning glowed, ripping through the sky.
For the Belkans, all the great forces of nature were sacred. The sun was one of the main ones. But many other symbols occupied a place of consideration. The lightning bolts that streaked across the sky in great summer storms were a symbol of great power.
The lightning was quick and deadly, a mixture of fire, sound, and air that surprised you with its unexpected magnificence and then disappeared leaving you with a shudder. The encounter with the lightning bolt was unpredictable but surely deadly.
In the forests surrounding Dinsmark, thunderstorms in the summer were epic.
The great lightning bolt, unlike those mighty storm thunderbolts, streaked across the sky silently, ripping it but staying still and hovering in it.
At that moment, Carim, Alicia, and Olivie seemed to be the only ones noticing the astronomical wonder in the sky over Dinsmark.
"It appeared the moment I lit the cauldron," Carim said without looking at the other women as if she couldn't look away from the luminous rupture in the sky.
Alicia refrained from asking if the priestess was sure and she swallowed heavily.
"At the same time, Olivie," Carim continued, directing her attention to the older woman, "As the circle of fire for the solstice lit up, the clouds parted and the great lightning spread across the sky… At the same time…"
At that moment, Hayate and Shamal approached the three women. They were practically the only ones who remained in the atrium of the church.
"The carriage awaits us, High Priestess, the Hegemon must already be on her way to the coliseum for final preparations," Hayate informed, looking at Alice with curiosity.
For several seconds no one answered her.
"'Stor Lysglimt' is not something that can be hidden Carim," Olivie said with surprising serenity, "Now everyone is distracted by the celebrations but if it does not disappear, we must take action... Fate has to know."
Alicia briefly explained the situation to Shamal and Hayate.
"A comet?" Shamal said looking towards the point in the sky indicated by Alicia Testarossa, "Wow, what a great coincidence... it is an impressive phenomenon, right?"
Carim, Alicia, and Olivie looked at her as if Doctor and Belkan Counselor had suddenly lost her mind.
"You... do know what a comet is, right…?" Shamal asked cautiously before the bewildered looks of the Belkan women.
"A comet is an astronomical phenomenon," Hayate explained, giving her older sister a light tap, "Like the moon or the stars, only less frequent. Nihon has several records of this type of apparition... In the prehistory of our country, it was a symbol of great power, the first scientists called them 'the red-tailed pheasant stars'... Although we know that such events do not hold a very pleasant meaning in certain cultures."
"'Stor Lysglimt' is not only a bad omen," Carim said very seriously without looking at any of Nihon's counselors, "It is the worst possible omen…"
Hayate and Shamal looked at each other not knowing what to do or say. The priestess as well as Alicia and Olivie seemed seized by an inexplicable and supernatural fear.
"It is not only the fact that it has appeared tearing the sky right at the moment of liberation of the new fire," Carim continued, "Look at its position…"
From where they stood, in the atrium of the cathedral, the comet appeared to be about to hit Stier Castle like a ruthless sidereal projectile.
Shamal could understand the terrifying fascination comets produced, especially in cultures that, like the Belkan, did not possess a scientific background like Nihon. However, even for the doctor, it was very strange to note that, regardless of the position she was in as an observer... The comet always seemed to be above the castle of the Belkan Hegemon.
− X −
Fate was anxiously waiting at one of the side exits of the great Belkan Coliseum. Nanoha would be in a similar position at the opposite exit.
The Hegemon wondered what was taking them so long in the cathedral since Carim had not yet arrived.
With each passing moment, the blonde was feeling more and more nervous.
Usually, duels were offered as a sacrifice on the longest night. And the first had to begin when the last ray of sunlight was fading. Granted, those strange days there wasn't much sun anyway but they already knew when night fell. Soon the crowd would be just as nervous as Fate.
Almost as if she was invoking her, at that moment, a Belkan trumpet announced the priestess coming out to the arena, and as if by magic, a deathly silence spread throughout the room.
Fate saw Carim step out through the side door that was in front of the Hegemon's box carrying the small ceremonial vessel and she got ready. When the priestess reached the center of the arena, the Hegemon flanked by her two best Belkan warriors, Signum and Victoria, wearing gold and black, the Belkan colors, came out in perfect sync with their drawn swords.
At the same time, Nanoha carrying a traditional Nihon katana and flanked in turn by Arf and Misato, wearing Nihon's colors of red and white, also came out into the arena.
Although the coliseum was plunged into the expected reverential silence, it could almost be heard how the entire crowd held their breath at the sight of the warriors in the arena.
There were not only two contenders.
There were six!
The Hegemon and her wife led each group.
When they reached their assigned places, everything was completely silent and still for several endless seconds.
Although in that atypical winter everything was surrounded by mist and gray, the Belkans knew. Light was the most important thing for their culture. Literally the difference between life and death.
As the last gasp of light was extinguished and the longest night of the year spread its mantle over them, Carim raised the vessel in front of her and all the torches and cauldrons in the coliseum burst into flames.
The crowd, their breath held until then, erupted like a raging sea in an excited roar as it had never been heard before during the solstice.
Carim waited until the enthusiasm died down to finish off the start of the joust to say in a more solemn voice than usual.
"Today, on the longest night, we honor and offer our sacrifice to the gods…"
Deep down, Carim prayed that this ceremony and the special sacrifice of the Imperial contenders would be enough to mitigate the bad omen that spread over Dinsmark.
That solstice night it would not be the voice of the Hegemon that would start the jousting, but the glow of her sword.
As Carim retreated from the arena in the traditional way, Fate and Nanoha took up their fighting positions.
The screams erupted from the crowd even more thunderous than before.
And of course, the bets did not take long.
"Who do you think will win?" Shamal asked her sister.
Hayate, despite showing a light and enthusiastic spirit, kept looking at Alicia and Olivie with some concern. The two Belkan women couldn't quite hide a certain worrisome expression on their faces.
"I'd bet the same amount on each…" Hayate replied much to Shamal's annoyance. The doctor's heart and cheers were of course where Signum was.
When the first violent clash of swords between Nanoha and Fate occurred, the crowd went wild.
The Hegemon's wife quickly earned supporters with her long and elegant style that reminded many of the renowned Warrior of Albion.
Nanoha moved with dexterity and skill, both in her attacks and in her defenses. Fate had a greater range and speed, but Albion's style, broad and bold, always managed to surprise her. Therefore, this time Fate would not make the same mistake.
In her first encounter with the Albion style, Fate had rushed to attack her opponent and ended up opening up her defense. This time, she would lure Nanoha into her turf and defeat her with her superior strategy.
Or so the Hegemon thought.
Fate took a while to realize that Nanoha's advantage over her, despite her greater speed, reach, and strength was that her wife fought with a mixed style that she combined with great proficiency. Albion's style was the basis of her combat style, but the warrior Vita had supplemented that knowledge with the Belkan style of attack and defense. And that night, Nanoha fought with a Nihon katana also applying Arf's ninja techniques and her guard.
Nanoha was, in short, an enigma that Fate could not yet manage to decipher.
During the combat, which had already lasted for several minutes, the crowd had not stopped yelling for an instant.
The first warrior to lose her fight was Victoria when she missed a block and Misato's katana came to a sudden stop, along with her heart, barely a breath away from her neck. The silence of that first definition was very brief and the howl of the crowd continued, increasing along with the amounts thrown to the bets.
Victoria and Misato looked at each other intensely in silence, then bowed in salute and retreated to the side of their team, while the fight continued.
Nihon's team had the upper hand.
But not for much longer.
The confrontation between Signum and Arf had escalated in strength and spectacularity. Spectators, overwhelmed with the display in front of them, didn't know which pair of contestants to watch.
Finally, in a mighty show of force, Signum's towering sword overcame Arf's katana, sliding over it to target her chest.
Arf knew that if that fight had been real… (and not counting her other ninja gadgets), she would have been seriously injured… or worse.
The howls of the crowd, if possible, were even more fevered after that result.
The combat was even.
Fate and Nanoha's encounter would decide the winner.
The imperial couple had not slowed down the pace of their confrontation for a second. Both were totally concentrated and focused on their confrontation, which was at the same time a duel, a dance, a game, and a love challenge.
Although they attacked and defended each other, neither lost detail of the other's movement and their gazes. None still managed to prevail, but neither yielded either. Exactly how the relationship between them had always been.
The fiery crowd was mostly surprised at Nanoha's unknown ability.
The rumors about her after that confrontation would become a legend.
Fate attacked and guarded like the Belkan winter, with relentless strength and dizzying gusts. It could be noticed with the vibration of the air in each clash of their swords. Nanoha in turn attacked and defended with the serene and deep security of the fire that spread like a blaze around Fate.
The struggle between them had become the embodiment of the Belkan sacred balance; night and day, light and dark, ice and fire... and its outcome, just like that as well.
With the swords of both reaching the point of maximum danger at the same time.
The scream of the crowd was interrupted in a contained gasp as Fate and Nanoha, breathing deeply and raggedly, looked at each other as if there was nothing else in the universe other than the two of them.
Nanoha's katana was resting on Fate's neck, exactly opposite where Saber had left a mark on her, while the tip of Fate's sword had stopped over the heart of her wife.
Carim approached at that moment, along with the other contestants to raise both arms to the night sky, as the crowd erupted in new cheers of joy.
The match had ended in a draw.
Although those who had bet on one or the other faction had lost, the augury of holy balance was the greatest reward for all.
Nanoha and Fate lowered their swords and greeted each other with deep bows and respect while still staring at each other with intensity.
By tradition, each contestant had to enter the coliseum through the door from which they had exited.
Almost begrudgingly, Fate and Nanoha led their respective teams back into the amphitheater but did not stay to contribute to the enthusiastic comments from their warriors or other observers about their encounter.
Both of them strode with determination as if attracted by an irresistible magnetic force until they met in the middle of the tunnel, under the Hegemon box. With the same force that their swords had collided with each other before, their bodies and lips collided in a passionate kiss.
Without exchanging a word with each other or with anyone, they only took a little breath to get into the carriage that would take them back to Stier Castle.
− X −
By the time Fate realized she had already been dragged, with absolutely no resistance on her part, by Nanoha to a carriage that was waiting to take them back to Stier Castle.
As it had also happened after that other memorable solstice duel, not a single word was spoken on the way back. But the circumstances now couldn't be more different.
Usually, after a duel or a confrontation of that nature, the feeling of energy and euphoria unleashed during the fight that kept Fate active and focused began to gradually diminish when the fight ended.
This time, Fate felt totally different. She still felt a great deal of energy contained in her entire being. It had been extremely exciting to have crossed swords with her wife, not in training as they had done before, but in a true display of talent. She had almost wanted to throw her sword and rip her wife's clothes right there when she saw her determined and brave, like the true fiery warrior that she was.
With each onslaught in which her bodies were so close to her that she could feel her warmth, while their gazes remained fixed on each other, Fate felt even more that compelling desire for her taking hold of her. Little could Fate know at that moment yet, that for Nanoha it had been equally difficult to contain the enormous desire to jump on top of her and have everything around her disappear.
And so, as soon as she closed the carriage door, it was Nanoha who caught her in a kiss that continued the one they had interrupted to get out of the coliseum as quickly as they could. In those moments, the discomfort of her position that was something between sitting and half lying on top of the blonde did not matter, feeling the fervor with which Fate reciprocated.
The redhead's hands were already aching to feel Fate's skin and the way back to Stier Castle seemed impossibly long. However, a trace of prudence in her mind summoned all her self-control so that as soon as they arrived, they could enter the castle in a respectable and dignified manner. That did not stop her, however, from kissing her until she was out of breath and keeping her hands focused only on the blonde's hair and face even though her whole being roared to find a way into her clothes and stripping her of her armor.
The sounds of their ragged breaths and restrained gasps were lost in the sound of the wheels on the cobblestone path, the rhythmic footsteps of the horses, and the general bustle of the streets with the noisy Belkans feasting happily.
Something had happened in that confrontation they had had. Nanoha could notice a different sparkle in Fate's gaze as their lips took a breath and they looked at each other with a new depth, feeling a new connection with her emerge.
What Nanoha was seeing was the result of a magic of her own. From that particular innate complicity that arises when one quality resonates in the other to be appreciated as equals. And it's not like she needed new reasons and nor did she think it was possible either, but that night, subjected to that complicity, Fate had fallen in love with her even more.
When they finally reached the gates of Stier Castle, Fate rushed out of the carriage first and as soon as the redhead was about to get off as well, Fate surprised her, grabbing her by the hips to then carry her in her arms.
"Fate-chan!" Nanoha shrieked knowing that Fate's intentions were undoubtedly carrying her to their room. She felt her face fill with an uncontrollable blush. It was already embarrassing that the coachman saw them in that obvious display and just by imagining the number of soldiers of the Imperial Guard that would be on the way to their room, Nanoha felt the heat even more. And even more embarrassment.
Fate could not help but laugh at the shriek with which Nanoha called her and sliding her down slowly but still very possessively against her body, she placed her back on the ground but not before stealing a short and very deep kiss.
Nanoha shook her head slightly from side to side, as she closed her eyes and put a hand to her forehead trying to regain her composure. Between the shame that had been imminent and the sensuality with which Fate had taken her in her arms and released her, her entire body was almost on edge. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes to find Fate still smiling in front of her with her hand extended towards her so they could walk the rest of the way together.
Fate was prouder than ever of Nanoha. Her wife. Many men and women had envied Nanoha when she married the future Hegemon. That solstice night, just as many envied the Hegemon for the brave warrior that Nihon's heir had turned out to be. Fate knew it with absolute certainty and that feeling was combined with the many other passions that her redhead aroused in her.
They walked faster and faster as they finally got closer to the privacy of their room.
As soon as they climbed the stairs that led to the last corridor that would lead them to the imperial room, Fate couldn't hold back any longer and again caught Nanoha in her hugs lifting her off the ground and holding her by the hips and butt, while Nanoha circled with her legs the waist of her wife and her hands tangled in the blond hair pulling her firmly. Nanoha felt her back collide with the wall as Fate pushed herself closer into her.
Fate was kissing her with overwhelming passion and Nanoha was grateful that she was being held in her wife's arms because the vibrant surge that came from her crotch would not have allowed her to stay on her feet much longer. The more she tightened her legs around Fate, the more intensely she felt the waves.
Feeling the tension in Fate's arms as she held her, Nanoha noticed how Fate finally carried her as she strode into their room.
Nanoha did not know, nor was she interested in knowing at that time, how they were able to open the heavy door with her firmly attached to Fate's body. As soon as they were finally in the privacy they craved, the speed with which their clothes were ripped off was mind-boggling for both of them.
It seemed that a flare had ignited in Fate's eyes. With the same intensity with which they had attacked each other, it was with which they kissed, grabbed, and squeezed each other. By the time they reached the bed, no garment had survived them.
Fate's hands took over each part of her body without giving her a break, until sitting on her knees on the bed and making Nanoha sit with her back to her, Fate continued to own her back with kisses and her breasts with fondles, while Nanoha gasped and leaned against her to increase the contact.
Fate felt how Nanoha contained a gasp when one of her hands left unattended the nipple that she had been caressing to go down her belly until she reached the moist fine hair that she gently caressed, stimulating her without going further... making Nanoha fervently wish for her to enter her and to let her know of her desire.
They had reached the point where Nanoha physically needed Fate's impending invasive contact claiming her. They had made love in countless ways, by day, by night, sometimes more passionately and sometimes more tenderly. But that night, Nanoha felt a unique energy in her feeding from the same energy that emanated from her wife. They needed to culminate in more than one way the passionate challenge they had started in combat, finally letting go of the impulses they had had to contain.
The ways in which Fate had looked at her as they faced each other in the coliseum kept coming back to her mind. That night they had discovered each other in a different way, making their own a composition of passion and strength that had been electrifying and was not going to end until their game reached the limits of their desire.
Both could sense that that day they had consolidated their relationship in a new way. Giving and receiving, in turn, a part of each other. A part that they could not have discovered in any other way.
Nanoha pressed her back against her wife's breasts while her hips rubbed against her thigh until Fate could not contain herself anymore and straightening up made Nanoha flex her entire body forward, so that her breasts fell freely, swaying to the rhythm of her movements, and her ass lifted for her.
Fate's uneven breathing stopped for a moment as she watched her in ecstasy. Fate approached her and placed very gently her lips on Nanoha's most intimate lips, opened for her in a position of trust and absolute surrender. One of Fate's hands gently massaged one of her redhead's breasts and with the other hand caressed her butt while her mouth savored the sweetness of her arousal.
Nanoha was struggling to hold on to something, a pillow, the bed, whatever it was that would make her head stop spinning with everything Fate was making her feel. The more she gasped and moaned, the more Fate kept penetrating her. Her avid tongue and her eager lips were focused on her pleasure center and at times Fate's nose and the warm air she exhaled brushed against her at other points of pleasure that made her shiver even more.
Fate's rhythm changes, alternating with running her tongue through her intimacy and then continuing to kiss and drink from her finally made Nanoha cry out in pleasure in a combination of wet explosions and expansive waves of sheer pleasure as Fate stopped stroking her breast to insert her fingers into her, to the rhythm of Nanoha's hips urging her to thrust into her and press her body against her with increasing speed until she had to flop onto the bed, with Fate lying on her back and intertwining one of her hands with hers.
"I love you," Fate murmured in a sensual and slightly husky voice as they caught their breath together.
Nanoha, ecstatic almost to the limit, felt her desire grow again when she received Fate's panting and sweaty body on top of hers.
"And if you keep showing it? I want to continue… feeling… even more," Nanoha replied, letting go and turning so she could hug Fate and see her in the eyes.
Seeing her that smile of absolute satisfaction combined with those penetrating crimson eyes dedicating that look, made her feel not only the most beautiful woman in the world but also the most blissful, feeling so close to her soul with feelings that flooded her with incomparable peace even when her heart kept pounding frantically and her body felt incandescent with the remnants of the vibrations of her arousal.
Enmeshed in passionate caresses and kisses, they continued to demonstrate not only their love but their absolute mutual enrapture. That night they experienced endless sensations together until almost dawn that found them hugging and talking.
"Does that mean then that I'm not going to get the hot bath you promised me?" Fate asked playfully at some point while they were talking.
Nanoha widened her eyes and realized that the bath that had been waiting for them since they had arrived and that she had carefully planned with Linith so that it was perfectly ready, would surely be more than ice-cold by then.
"Mou, Fate-chan…" Nanoha replied pouting, hiding her face in the curve of the blonde's neck, "Yes, it was waiting for us, but... I completely forgot."
Fate laughed amused, "So you were that sure you were going to win, huh?"
"In any case, it was my reward too. Tomorrow. Right now I'm very comfortable like this," Nanoha answered, hiding a proud smile as she gently stroked the faint and other not so faint scars on her wife's chest with a finger.
They weren't in a hurry, they felt absolutely calm and either consciously or unconsciously they wanted to lengthen the moment as long as possible before going to sleep and closing that day.
Happiness, surely they would have called it if someone had asked them how to define what they were feeling in those moments of frail peacefulness.
− X −
Despite the mist and cold, the night was especially happy for everyone.
Except for Carim.
After the epic initial duel that she had to sanction and bless, and that thanks to all the deities had ended up alluding to the sacred balance, the high priestess of doctrine had headed towards the study of her in the Temple of Doctrine.
The temple was a building adjacent to the cathedral where the rooms of the permanent members of the doctrine, the service, and security personnel were located.
The temple was the austere and solemn, but no less imposing, castle of the main one in charge of the Belkan doctrine.
With much less ornamentation than the great Belkan Cathedral or Stier Castle, the temple was built with heavy, thick walls and columns. Its vaulted ceilings weren't that high but the whole building spoke of sturdiness like a dark and sober mountain.
The study adjoining Carim's bedroom was equally sober and austere, filled with a large number of books and documents.
Carim Gracia, like all her predecessors, had prepared herself from her birth for the position of high priestess. Soon enough, she, along with the Hegemon, would have to select her successor from among the candidates conceived and educated for that purpose so that her long education could begin.
As a priestess of the Belkan doctrine, her loyalty and commitment went far beyond the acting Hegemon. The reason for her existence and her position were directly tied to the very heart of the Belkan people: their ancestral beliefs and values of which the Hegemon was the primary guardian.
There were other protective tasks that exceeded the Hegemon's capacity and that could only be entrusted to the high priestess of doctrine.
The doctrinal belief was that Belkan power came from communion with their gods and their environment. Safeguarding and protecting the essence of doctrine went beyond the mere mechanical performance of ceremonies.
The high priestess not only represented power but was a power in itself.
Through her the benevolent power of fire and light is channeled in her ceremonies.
And for that very reason, she was the only one who could safeguard and protect the Belkans from dark and dangerous powers.
The first teaching of the priestess candidate novices was to learn that all gifts were double-edged. The greater and more powerful the gift, the sharper and more dangerous the edge.
Carim knew that of all the gifts of the Belka doctrine, the forbidden knowledge was by far the most powerful and, for that matter, the most dangerous.
Throughout the night, while everyone laughed and rejoiced, alone or in the arms of their lovers, Carim went through countless texts and manuscripts under the candlelight. Many of those texts were available only to the priestesses' eyes and some were age-old. They had passed from one priestess to another over the course of long decades.
Finally, when the first rays of gray light illuminated her room, Carim found what she was looking for.
Overwhelmed, she went to her window and despite the early morning cold, she opened it.
'Stor Lysglimt' continued to tear the sky, now totally cloudless, immovable over Stier Castle; its brightness surpassed that of the brightest star and its intensity deeply hurt Carim's heart.
The image that she was seeing in the engraving of the book that she held in her hands, was exactly the same as the landscape that unfolded in front of her eyes.
According to one of the most secret books of the doctrine, the prophecy most feared by the Belkan priestesses thus began its omen of destruction and death.
− X −