Urien Rheged's Kin and Sins
War:
Here comes Camelot's threat drenched in blood. A blade in his hand and demons under his command. Here comes Arthur's nightmares embodied in a single man. Here comes a king of no land. His horse with bloodred eyes, and his men with claws and fangs. He is immersed in a calm anger yet wields a passion for magic that makes Merlin's pale in comparison.
Beware this threat. Beware Urien Rheged.
Four months and at least four-thousand knights dead, Camelot wept and nobles fled. Arthur led his men to their demise. He carried the burden of their widows and fatherless sons on his shoulders, yet he still didn't understand why?
Why had this unknown King Urien appeared with the fog of harsh winter nights to drag Camelot's men to their graves? The armored man never spoke a word nor did he care to elaborate on his demands. He did well with spells and better with his well-crafted sword.
Arthur felt nauseous by King Uther orders. He tasked Arthur to return with the sorcerer's head in tow.
Such orders were hard to follow when one's opponent is Urien Rheged.
The morning after the battle, the savior of the mages from Camelot took to a walk. He followed the path to the forbidden river. Children cheered when he appeared and witches flirted to no benefit. Urien Rheged wouldn't return their affections for he had no use for them. A boy with curls as yellow as sunlight rushed to the hero. He thrust his little hand forward to deliver the letter, the armored leader gently withdrew the parchment from the child's sticky fingers. His heart would soften at the mere sight of an innocent child.
The King of Nowhere proceeded to the river and sat against a thriving tree. He peered over his shoulder then pulled off his helmet. Cheeks red and eyes covered in a collected layer of dust had the warrior thankful for the seclusion of the woods to wash.
Head dosed in the river's water when an agitated witch yelled;
"What have you done?!"
Morgana reluctantly pushed away from the river. Water dripped from the tip of her nose as she ran her armored fingers through her soaked hair.
"I've defeated Uther's army yet again. Shouldn't you be celebrating, dear sister?" Morgana replied with a superior grin.
Morgause threw a battered braid at her sister's lap.
"What's the meaning of this? You stupid girl! " Morgause fumed with her hands on her hips.
Morgana reached out the touch the long braid but snapped her hand back as if she had received a burn.
"It is only hair, Morgause." She answered with a shrug.
"It isn't simply that! It is your beauty, femininity, and a sign of your youth which attaches itself to a woman's fertility." The blonde pointed out.
"Haha, how silly. I have no need for it. I swear to you that it has caused me more harm than good, especially when I'm in my armor. Believe me sister when I tell you that on countless occasions that thing went so far as to wrap itself around my neck like a malicious snake." Morgana paused and crept closer to her sister to whisper, "Or a noose!"
Morgana then proceeded to rub the prickled skin along her neck.
"You're reckless."
"Sister, you've never spoken to me in such a manner. Hair will grow back; I promise you that." Morgana replied in a mellow tone.
"It isn't the hair that concerns me. It is the name you've called yourself these past few months." Morgause confessed.
"Urien Rheged? " Morgana said carelessly.
The blonde clasped her right hand over her ignorant half-sister's mouth.
"Are you mad? He will punish you for your sin."
"Who is He? " The brunette mumbled under her sister's palm.
She lowered her hand from Morgana's lips.
"HE, sooner or later you shall reconcile with your Magpie and he won't be happy."
"Morgause, you're worrying over naught."
Morgause caressed her sister's butchered locks that ended at Morgana's shoulders.
"I've failed you little sister. You're clueless to the power a name holds in the world of sorcery."
Morgana fetched her helmet and slid it on.
"Let the bird knock at my door if he desires a fight! My magic has improved these past months. Now, I must return to my men. The drinks won't flow till their commander is there to toast."
Morgana dressed once again in armor from head to toe shattered a jug of liquor to commence the victory celebration. The pub was filled with her army of demons and lost men. The crowd couldn't hold back their cheers when the one known by the name Urien Rheged spoke of Uther's defeat.
All were gathered to occupy their time with joy and drinks, yet one soul was not. Mid-speech a calmness sucked the life and laughter out of the pub.
Morgana swallowed hard when it dawned on her that her men weren't responding. Motionless and frozen in place. They were lively a mere second ago. Stiff as trees and lifeless as the dead.
The leader began to panic at the thought of foul play. She raised her sword above her head and demanded ;
"Show yourself!"
A faint rustle near the fireplace tugged on her senses. The wind whistled into the sheltered cabin which sent a chill down her spine. Morgana reluctantly lifted her gaze and saw a knight in an armor similar to her own. The familiar figure breathed out a cloud of cold air. On such a warm day the sight was an odd vision to witness. Morgana reasoned with herself that he must have come from the white mountain tops.
"You!" She shouted with clenched teeth. "What is the meaning of this?"
"I've missed you, my dear Sigyn. Don't you - -" He said as he rose from his seat near the warm fire.
"No, begone!" Morgana yelled at her former savior.
He laughed in such a hollow tone that a shiver ran through her. She gazed at her beloved Magpie in this human form. His height towered above her while his features were beneath a dusted layer of freckles to match his locks. His hair resembled the roaring fire with hints of red, orange and yellow yet not settling on any one color.
"Imagine my surprise when I'm informed that my favorite witch is waging war on Camelot under the name she gifted me." He spoke softly yet eerily while he walked towards her.
"Why should you care? It is a false name." She answered.
"Wrong, Sigyn! It is your offering to me and you desecrated it by dragging it through the mud with this battle of yours!" He thrust an accusing finger at her.
A long pause followed. Neither spoke in a room filled with frozen soldiers between them. She gulped at his piercing stare.
"The name Urien Rheged is associated with greatness due to my sweat and blood! Who are you to dare and say otherwise?" She spat.
"Have you forgotten? I am your Magpie, your ally!"
"My only true ally is my sister!"
A crushed expression knitted itself on the sorcerer's face. He stared at the hidden warrior before him. He wished to tear the witch out of her armor. He thirsted for her to reveal her true self yet he wouldn't consider exposing his identity. For he too hid behind a disguise.
"Then so be it. Heed my warning, I shall go as far as the gates of Hel to sink this destructive little quest of yours."
Morgana's fingers dipped into the collar of the man's armor.
"You mustn't! Don't interfere, Uther must be punished!" She pleaded.
His brow quirked up at the mention of Camelot's king.
"Interesting. Whatever for?"
"That doesn't concern you." She responded in a cruel tone then withdrew.
"Very well. Expect the worst, witch. You've gained an enemy."
Peace:
Loki tried to make peace with the elaborate puzzle his life had morphed into. He was in a constant power struggle with his internal beliefs and external knowledge about the man he saw reflected in the mirror.
Everything he understood about himself was magnified before his eyes and set ablaze. The fact he was a pure prince of Jotunheim was evident due to his habitual nature. In Asgard his usual ways had been labeled peculiar, yet here it was the customs of Jotunheim's royal family.
The life he led in Asgard differentiated him from Thor, Baldr and Tyr; however, in this realm of white it pulled him closer to the other two princes; his new brothers.
Loki deliberately began to lie about his preferences to his new servants; because he became enraged whenever they'd point out that he was similar to Býleistr in his likes.
Býleistr was the older brother Loki gained once he stepped into the icy kingdom. Thor's replacement was an uncivilized prince who took pleasure in mocking Loki's self restraint.
The ritual of fathering a child became evident the moment the realm's coldest winter neared.
Weddings were widespread at that particular time of year. They were crucial for the young couples who wished to spend these cold nights sheltered in each other's arms.
Býleistr went to great lengths to secure himself another wife. The Jotun argued he needed a second wife to satisfy his natural urges.
The people of Jotunheim appeared to be well accustomed to the idea that these upcoming weeks were meant for mating. They fully embraced their carnal needs without shame. The citizens considered the second prince a prized spouse and believed he'd soon succumb to instinct.
He shocked them when he rejected the numerous women who approached him. Loki publicly declared that he wouldn't be taken for a fool. He vouched that myths which involved frost giants' bodies aching IF they chose to reside in Jotunheim and be celibate during such nights were fabricated to increase the population.
"These stories are poorly executed lies that the feeble minded swallow without question." Loki stated in the company of the king and counsel.
"Mocking our traditions, you wretched rat! I look forward to the nights when your heart rattles and your skin burns for a woman's touch." Býleistr slammed his fist against the table sculpted from solid ice.
"I doubt such an hour shall befall me, Býleistr. Don't hold your breath." Loki paused then tapped his chin. "On second thought, please do." He ended with a wide smirk.
"Haha your pity insults won't graze my skin. You will crack soon enough then find yourself discontent with your prideful choices and dissatisfied with your hand on those lonely nights, Loki."
Loki's nostrils flared as he sent a disgusted sneer at the brother he barely knew.
The said night washed over the land. Loki couldn't comprehend the pain that trembled in his muscles, especially along his torso. He considered himself poisoned at first, then cursed. His body thrashed from the agony and when morning came his chamber laid in chaotic destruction. He survived the first night but on the second, his father permitted him to leave.
"Your stubbornness will only reward you with pain. Be absent from Jotunheim for these 3 weeks then return to us when they've subsided." The king ordered in a gentle tone.
Loki Laufeyson decided to wander Midgard's spacious forests till the three weeks would pass. On the first week he crossed paths with Baldr who hunted for stray beasts. The estranged siblings exchanged glances then continued on their separate paths.
On the second week he healed a wounded wolf with an arrow deep in its shoulder blade. The suffering creature's teeth punctured bite marks into it's healer's hand.
On the third week the wolf embarked on the same quest beside Loki as a guard dog; to make amends for injuring the raven-haired man's left hand.
On a moonless night Loki arrived at a cabin and paid in gold for a place to rest. He entered his room for the next few nights. He requested warm buckets of water to be brought up.
Once the tub was filled, the servant excused herself and fled Loki's judgmental gaze.
The water wasn't transparent as a result of the minerals it naturally contained. A hand would completely vanish under the shallow surface of the liquid.
The second prince of Jotunheim peeled off his clothes from the harsh journey. His skin was layered in grime and filth. It was dirtier than he'd ever allowed it to be in the past but that was the consequences of brutal travel. The wolf covered one of it's eyes under it's soft paw and sat in the corner.
Loki dipped his entire body into the inviting water. He rinsed out the mud while he ran his long fingers in his raven hair. He then scrubbed his skin roughly till it grew crimson.
His hands grabbed at the sides of the wooden tub as he relaxed. His eyelids grew heavy and the burdens on his mind melted away. He felt light and tilted his head back. Loki settled the back of his neck on the edge of the tub. Soon his body betrayed him when it surrendered to sleep. He seemed to be in complete peace.
A faint murmur was heard in that chamber. Someone crawled towards the tub. A palm gently brushed the dark strands of hair away from the prince's shut eyes.
"Forgive me for using such a rude spell. In truth I had wished for us to part pleasantly though this should do." The owner of the soft voice reached out to caress Loki's cheek. "What other options did I have? I couldn't allow you to see me, I was forced to do this."
Loki pressed his cheek into the witch's palm.
"Are you resisting my magic? Are you listening?" She whispered sweetly.
He wouldn't react to her words and her shoulders slumped.
"Silly me, the spell has taken you to a world of slumber. My whispers fall on deaf ears."
Loki took a deep breath in. His chest rose with the inhale of the woman's scent. The slightest sound came from the back of his throat to which the witch smirked.
"My, my. The common merchant is stronger than I thought. I'm impressed, nameless stranger."
She stared at his hand that grasped the edge of the tub, the knuckles grew white while he fought to be set free from her magical entanglement. She lightly slid her fingertips over the veins of his arm.
"I should admit seeing you like this, battling my spell is rather exciting."
She stood and searched for his dagger amongst his clothes.
"The things I've witnessed lately has me both enchanted and mystified by you."
The witch returned to Loki's side and cradled his right hand to her chest.
"True misery was etched into your features the second night we met. When you retrieved your dagger from the freezing water. Do you recall?" She spoke gently.
"Won't you tell me why? That look you wore haunts me still. At first I reasoned you were pained for your hand turning blue from the lethally cold water. Perhaps you were hurt at the thought of severing your limb but soon it returned to it's natural color." She rambled on to him.
He was motionless and tight-lipped.
"If I go against my sister's teachings by releasing you, will you tell me? I want to know who cursed you! I promise to secure your revenge. Wouldn't you share your secrets with me? I've been such a loyal wolf to you." Her lips grazed against his ear when she made that revelation.
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