Amber Curse

by TSValing

In a time of gods and giants, there was no escaping the fate woven by the Norns. A young woman with a mysterious heritage flees an oppressive Jarl, only to find herself in the possession of another. But is the Berserker truly as cruel as the man she's hiding from? Rated for violence, gore, and sexual content. Kid x Nami. One-sided Arlong x Nami.

27. Chapter 27

Warning: Some mention of violence.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.

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Ensam är stark

Her first night in the king's hall, she fell asleep muffling her sobs with a fur blanket so her handmaiden wouldn't take notice. Loneliness sank onto her heart like an iron weight as she grieved the losses she faced that day. When she ran out of tears, exhaustion dragged her into a miserable sleep with only a single dream for her to remember.

She dreamed of a wolf that night. Rusty brown eyes glowed with a red fire. A frothing snarl bore white toothed anger. Ravenous growls echoed in the dark, mixed with the rattling of heavy iron chains.

She woke to a knock on her chamber's wall and bolted upright in her bed to see Enel standing in the door wearing wool trousers and not much else. He stared down at her with his empty eyes, a brow raised in curious interest. Conis groaned beside her, drawing the king's attention to the woman as she stretched and burrowed into the furs on Nami's new bed.

"The hour grows late and you two still sleep?" Enel asked, turning back to Nami. His curly blonde hair was unkempt, disheveled from sleep. He looked like he had only just woken, too. He had no room to lecture her, but she doubted he would take kindly to hearing that from her.

"I didn't sleep well last night," she gave as an explanation. "Nightmares plagued me."

"What visited you in these nightmares?" he asked, his head cocked to the side.

She sighed. "A wolf."

Enel chuckled. "I will put him down soon enough. You have no reason to fear his wrath."

It was not the wolf's wrath she feared, but she would not tell that to the king.

"Wake your handmaiden and get dressed," Enel ordered as he turned away. "I will find another servant to bring you your meal. I will be escorting you around the village today before we begin your training."

He walked off before she could ask what training he meant to give her.

With a resigned sigh, she shook Conis awake and set about getting ready for the day. A servant brought a plate of cheese and fruit and a cup of warm goat's milk as she washed her face. She nibbled on the light meal while Conis combed out her hair and tied it into two coils that roped around her head from her temples and met to form one long rope she let hang over her shoulder. They searched the chests of clothes Enel had given her until Nami found an overdress made of lighter wool dyed green with simple embroidery of a darker green than the dress. It was another long-sleeved dress like the one she wore the night before, unsuited for her brooches. The king apparently preferred the style as most of the dresses he gifted her were cut the same way.

It was too warm to wear a fur, so Nami set aside her brooches to wear another day. Conis secured a golden coil into the roping length of her hair to help it stay in place and pulled out a shawl made of loosely knotted wool for Nami to bundle in as she walked around the village with Enel. The shawl was a swath of color, a rainbow of blue and green and yellow and red, and soft to the touch. The beauty of it made her smile and wonder when she would see a rainbow in this storm she walked through.

She left Conis with a few meager chores to keep her busy so Enel would not think she spoiled her handmaiden. She wanted a bath later, still craving the warm water to soothe her aching heart, and her lynx lined cloak was filthy from the previous day's battle. She asked Conis to see to those two things, and hoped she would find other chores to keep her busy and out of trouble.

Nami found Enel waiting for her in the main hall. He was dressed in his swaths of fine wool and silk and gold, lounging on his throne, his eyes shut as though dozing.

"You ate?" he asked without opening his eyes.

"I did. Thank you for the meal." She bowed her head in gratitude and wrapped the shawl a little tighter around her shoulders. "I'm ready to leave if you are."

Enel grunted and finally opened his eyes. His gaze swept over her, distant and emotionless. After a moment, he gave a nod of approval and pushed himself out of his throne. "Did you discard the rags you brought with you?" he asked as he walked toward the door.

"Not yet," she answered, following a few paces behind. Enel had a lazy gait for a king. His back was straight, his head held high, but there was a sway to his walk, a carelessness in every step he took. It was a slow amble that was easy to keep up with, though his long legs still carried him faster than most, and he did not tend to stop and wait for someone to catch up.

"Are you keeping them for sentimental value?" There was a condescending chuckle in his tone that made her hackles raise. He was teasing her, but she would not rise to his bait.

"Of course not," she huffed with her own air of arrogance. "They will be useful come washing day. Or perhaps I can gift them to my handmaid, or any others that come into my service. They are at least finer than the rough spun wool you clad the slaves in. I would rather my servants be dressed in something better than literal rags."

Enel laughed. "If you say so, Nami. Do what you want with your belongings, even if I doubt you will need them. You will want for nothing in my household, after all. I can dress your handmaids in even finer garb if that is what you desire, and give you dresses made of gold."

"I believe I saw one already," she idly commented.

"I'm surprised you have not worn it yet."

"It was too beautiful," she said, earning a quick look from the king over his shoulder. "I wish to save it for a worthier occasion," she added with what she hoped was a pleasant smile.

Enel grunted in understanding and turned forward. He led her out the front gate and down the path leading to the main square. She noticed a man strung up to a pole, freshly battered but alive, judging by the raspy breaths he took. His face was tattooed, as best she could tell through his bruises. Knots of blue ink trailed down his neck and bare torso. She grimaced at the weeping cuts over his stomach that left the intricate design in tatters. She recognized the lashes of a whip, felt her stomach roil at the thought of the agony the man must be in. She wondered what crime he might have committed, but feared to ask after seeing the king's brutal slaughter of Chew and his men the day before, as well as the easy murder his priests committed to the fleeing villagers in Drafn. This king's rule seemed vicious and cruel enough to provoke harsh punishment for even the smallest of crimes.

She ducked her head and hurried after Enel. She could not interject herself too much in the village's day to day affairs, at least not yet. She had to focus on protecting herself. Once she felt safe, she could think about helping those suffering under this king's unjust hand.

"Where are we going?" Nami asked as she caught up to walk beside the king.

"I commissioned another gift for you five days ago, when I heard you might be near. I tasked the goldsmith to work at it day and night, without rest, so it should be ready today. After, I will take you to my ship yard," he explained as he abruptly turned down another path, leading away from the main marketplace by the docks.

The thought of a commissioned piece by a goldsmith would have normally excited her, but hearing that the king forced the man to work without rest until it was complete left her feeling hollow. He treated his free people like slaves, and she imagined he treated his slaves even worse.

The villagers they passed avoided the king's gaze as they respectfully bowed their heads to him. She wasn't foolish enough to believe these people respected their king. She recognized the cowardice in their slumped shoulders, the fear in the quiver of their eyes. They were biding their time, thinking of their survival and nothing more. It was just as the people in Tingstad behaved when Arlong walked through the village, though a few were bold enough to wear a contemptible sneer. Arlong forgave sneers with a sharp backhand and nothing more. But if talk of an uprising reached his ears, he was merciless.

If the rumors Kid told her were true, and judging by all she witnessed in her short time with the king—they were, Enel was worse than Arlong.

Enel stopped at the entrance gate of a fenced in house. "Wait here," he commanded as he walked through the gate. She watched as he welcomed himself into the home and hollered for whoever he expected to find inside.

Left to wait alone, Nami observed the area around her. The place he took her was tucked away, off the main square, but people still milled about. The dirt path was too narrow for carts and horses, but ideal for foot traffic; a shortcut for any that wished to avoid the congested market. A shop sat beside the building Enel went in, likely taking advantage of what little traffic passed.

The shop was merely a cart without wheels, a single counter with an awning to shelter its customers. A woman sat behind the counter, busying herself with her needlework, while two other women browsed. Nami's eyes caught a sparkle of gold glint in the morning sun and let her feet carry her to the shop to see what was being sold.

She wasn't sure how she would be greeted by the villagers, not when she was supposed to be the king's new priestess, so she kept her head low and pulled her shawl up to cover her hair. She didn't want to scare anyone, or draw more attention to herself than necessary. She just wanted to see the pretty jewelry.

The woman tending the shop acknowledged her with a short nod without looking up from her needlework. The other women paid her no mind as she looked at the looping gold bracelets and woven chains. None of the pieces had any jewels, but were beautiful enough without, and Nami's hand itched with the desire to pluck them all up for herself. She resisted the urge by tightening her hands where she clutched her shawl and contented herself with just looking.

She supposed if she asked Enel for more gold, he would give it to her without much thought. She didn't have to steal or barter for the jewelry.

"Did you see the man in the square?" she heard one of the women whisper.

"I did," the other responded with a pitying tut. "When will those people learn it's best not to fight him?"

"So, he is one of the berserker's?"

Nami perked up at the question. What berserker? She knew the man was not one of Kid's. That meant there was another berserker warring with Enel.

"He was caught stealing goats from one of the king's farms last night," the second woman explained. "He is fortunate to be alive. I thought that whole tribe was exiled. He could have been killed on sight."

"I'm sure the king will make an example of him later," the first whispered. "Especially now that he has begun to war with another berserker. If that jarl to the south thinks to retaliate soon, there will be more dead and dying men on display. The king will not let his rule be threatened by any of them."

The second woman groaned. "We are steadily becoming surrounded by his enemies. They should just do as we have and keep their heads down. We just want to live in peace, not be thrust into their pointless wars."

"Why do you think he attacked the jarl yesterday? And killed those men who were his guests? Is his madness worsening?"

"McKinley will not answer anyone straight, but I saw that he returned with a woman hostage. She might be—"

"Nami," Enel called to her, cutting off the women's gossip.

Nami jumped in surprise and backed away from the cart as Enel approached her. The women took notice of her and the king, their eyes widened in surprise. Their lips thinned as they gave the king a trembling bow, eyed her with unveiled suspicion, and then scurried off without another word. The woman tending the shop had tossed her needlework aside and stood with her head bowed and hands quivering.

"Come," Enel ordered once he was a few paces away. "I have your gift and it's far finer than those trinkets."

The thought of anything finer than the gold on display excited her, despite knowing better, and she hurried to where Enel stood waiting. He chuckled at her eagerness and she supposed it would not hurt to be a little greedy while she was in his keep. The more she showed her appreciation for his expensive gifts, the more he would think her agreeable to his cause.

A thick gold chain wound around his fingers and tucked into his palm. It shone with a polished luster unlike the plainer bracelets and armbands and necklaces on display. She could tell by the way he held his fist closed, that there was a pendant attached, but she could not see what it was.

She stood still and waited for him to present the gift, but Enel did not open his hand. Instead, he reached for her shawl and gently pushed it off her head. Her back straightened and she held her breath as he stepped closer, his hands disappearing behind her neck. His proximity was unnerving, his manner too intimate for her liking, but she held her tongue and remained perfectly still as she stared at the chest directly in front of her.

It was then she realized that he was taller than Kid, though built with lean muscle and a trim frame. She wondered how they would match in battle. She had not seen Enel fight, only indiscriminately slaughter. She had no thought of how strong he was, only had rumors and the fears of the locals to go by. Instinct told her that he should not be underestimated, but she hoped that somehow Kid proved stronger in the end.

"There," Enel hummed as he pulled away, tugging her roped hair free of the chain he placed around her neck. His fingers grazed over the chain as he set it in place with a glimmer of pride in his blue eyes. She glanced down to see what pendant he had hidden from her and stared in wide-eyed wonder at the golden hammer hanging over her breast. It was larger and more intricately carved than the hammer his other priests wore, with a similar design to the king's. "You should have been wearing this since infancy, dear cousin," he said. "Even if our clans were not married together, you were still born from my family's blood. You should have inherited this symbol as your birthright, regardless of your clan's laws."

The pendant fell against her breastbone once he released the chain, making the weight of the hammer more apparent. She might as well have a purse stuffed with gold coins hanging from her neck for how heavy the pendant was. The hammer was carved with detailed vines and knots from the pommel to the grip to the head, and set with white and yellow stones that glistened like rain drops in the sun. It was a beautiful gift, but… It was heavy.

And it was yet another mark, claiming her for a man's ambitions.

"I think it suits you," Enel said as he turned away, waving her to follow along. She dropped the hammer as she skipped after the king, ignoring the new weight that tugged at her neck. "What were those women discussing?" he asked once she fell in step beside him.

A nervous thrill ran down her spine as he glanced down at her, but she forced a smile and pretended to be braver than she felt. "They were talking about the man tied up in the square. They said that they wished your enemies would not bother you so much, that they should learn to bow their heads to you as they have. It's futile to keep fighting you."

Enel grinned. "That it is. Most in this village have learned to listen to their fears, just as you have. It is wisest to fear God, for God is fear. There is no victory to be had in battle against me."

"They mentioned another berserker," Nami prompted. "I hadn't heard of any others, only Jarl Eustass. Then again, I have not been in Noreg very long."

"You have no need to worry about the other berserker. He's just another annoying dog, yapping about lands that no longer belong to him," Enel said, brushing off the subject with an errant shrug. "His people occasionally make the mistake of crossing into my territory, but they are slowly learning that it is pointless to resist me. I wonder how long it will take for your wolf to learn that same lesson?"

The flippant remark filled her with dread. She wanted to hope that Kid would be victorious, but every time Enel boasted of his strength, she knew it would not be that easy. Kid would need to keep a calm head and approach this war tactically. He could not let rage drive him.

She decided it was best not to discuss Enel's growing list of enemies further. He would only continue to remind her of his invincibility and make her doubt the strength of the friends she left in Drafn. They walked in silence through the village. It was hardly any sort of formal tour, nothing like the one Killer took her on when she first moved into Kid's hall. He introduced her to no one, failed to point out any place or person of significance. She supposed to him, there was nothing more significant than himself and his ambitions.

"There is only one story the Christians tell that I can appreciate," Enel said as he led her along the eastern coast, far from the village. He had been silent for so long, she nearly jumped at the sound of his voice. He didn't notice her startled reaction—or perhaps he ignored it—and continued with his story as they followed a path of deep gouged ruts, evidence of a well-used cart path. "I understand they share this story with the Hebrews and Moors, though I have not heard their versions for myself. They tell of a great flood, brought upon a sinful humanity by their God. His anger and disappointment with His creation drove Him to wash the world clean of everything, but He sent a warning to a single man and his family. He urged Noah to build a great ark, one capable of surviving the mighty storm that would be unleashed, and told him to gather two of every animal so that he could replenish the world's creatures once the flood waters receded. When the storm came, Noah was prepared, and he and the animals he gathered survived aboard his ark, for forty days and forty nights. The ark bore them through the worst weather, the roughest waters, and when the floodwater receded, they were free to repopulate the cleansed lands. Or something like that." Enel shrugged as he led her around a bend. Nami stopped short to stare at what greeted her, her mouth gaping in awe at the ship standing before her. "I only cared about the ark. The rest of the story is drivel to me."

Enel was building an ark, a ship nothing like the sleek longships their people had been building for centuries. The ship he was constructing took up a whole inlet set just off the bay, buttressed by whole trees between steep hills that were as tall as the ship. The length of the ark disappeared into the valley further east, but she guessed that it was the length of nearly six longships, maybe even more.

Hundreds of men, slaves with shaved heads and clad in tattered, thin wool, were working on the ark that appeared to be near completion. The inlet echoed with the sounds of their hammers and voices hollering in a cacophony of different languages.

The ship looked heavy and cumbersome by its size alone, but the glimmer of gold upon the prow and wale would weigh it down more, assuming it was genuine gold. Considering Enel's hall and attire, she had no doubt that was real gold on his ship.

This ship could not possibly be seaworthy. She had seen some of the oared ships from the south, but the galleys were unstable in rough seas and the route beyond Iceland was said to be even more dangerous than the journey to the Norse island. The sailing ships of the south might be strong enough, especially the hulks, but they were not as large and cumbersome as this great ark Enel had built, and they had their own limits in the northern seas. The weight of this ark would present more problems than any other ship she had seen. It couldn't possibly carry anyone to Vinland.

"Remarkable, isn't it?" Enel said, grinning wide as he craned his neck to stare up at the monstrous ship's uppermost deck. Judging by the shuttered openings, she counted three levels beneath the main deck, though the lowest had no windows to speak of. "I anticipate they will have it completed by the next midsummer, if not sooner. I've worked them year-round on this for five years. It has to be completed soon."

Year-round? Nami could not believe that he would make them work through the winter, but he had just tasked a free craftsman to work night and day to create her new necklace. His own goals and desires would always be prioritized above others' well-being, and he was not the only ruler she knew that was cruel to their slaves, though even the worst usually saved them from working outside during the frigid winter. The hundreds of slaves before her had likely seen hundreds more perish just to meet Enel's demands.

"You have very dedicated builders," Nami forced herself to say when she caught Enel staring at her from the corner of his eye. "Braving the cold and snow and darkness for your ship, I'm impressed with their work ethic."

Enel laughed. "I suppose it is impressive now. It was not always that way. I hanged any that dared to question me in the beginning and left them as a reminder to the rest that I will not tolerate insubordination." He pointed off to a set of trees with a dozen empty nooses swaying in the breeze. "I have not had to hang any others recently, but the rope continues to foster that fear in their hearts, even among the newest who did not witness the first hangings."

Nami rubbed her neck and willed her stomach to settle as she imagined those nooses occupied by slaves. Her throat threatened to close when her mind conjured a man with blood red hair at the forefront. Her eyes stung as she tore them away from the nooses and focused on the impossibly large ship before her.

She cleared her throat. "I hope the ship is ready ahead of schedule," she said, unable to hide the tremble of her voice. "I'm eager to see this new world with endless land you speak of. Is this ship truly sea-worthy, though?"

He slanted a harsh glare toward her that made her spine straighten with a nervous tremor. She laughed despite herself.

"I'm not questioning your decision, I have just never seen such a large ship," she rushed to explain. "I'm so used to our longships, I cannot imagine any others sailing half as well. I would not want your journey to be crippled by a ship, even if it is so magnificent."

Enel's glare eased with a thoughtful hum as he turned his gaze to the ship. "I have seen it sailing upon an ocean of white, cresting foamy swells and tempestuous seas."

"Will it fit through the fjord?" she asked quietly, more to herself than to Enel as she thought of all the islands dotting the narrow inlet and the shallow bed further out in the straits.

"It will fit," Enel answered, his tone flat and impatient. "My fleet of knarrs will also join to bring additional supplies and slaves. This ship is solely for the army you will rule over and whatever servants we desire to keep in our company as we sail. We shall have all the comforts we would have in my hall—food, wine, mead, gold—and when we land in the new world, this ship will strike terror into the hearts of the natives and see that they bend their knee quickly. If they do not, the height will give our archers an advantage."

She could find nothing to say on his reassurances, not with the pity she felt for the unsuspecting people he intended to terrorize. This king-that-would-be-God seemed to leave war and death in his wake. That was hardly anything she desired to worship. At least their gods in the north, while warriors in part, brought blessings for peace and harvest and wisdom. They may not be perfect, but they were not unnecessarily cruel.

The cry of a falcon distracted Nami and she watched as the bird that followed from Drafn swooped onto the deck of the ship. Its appearance created chaos among the slaves as it flew between them, knocking one man off balance to nearly fall over the side. He was caught by a rope tied around his waist and hauled up by his fellow slaves while the falcon perched on the dragon head decorating the ship's prow. It raised a wing to groom beneath, apathetic to the commotion it had left in its wake.

Enel hummed beside her. He sounded annoyed, but said nothing as he spun on his heel to walk back to the main village. Nami glanced at the falcon one last time, glowering at the bird, and then hurried after the king.

"That falcon has been watching over you," he remarked.

Nami laughed nervously. "It is only a bird," she said.

"It is not as wild as a bird should be."

"Maybe it was a lord's pet once," she suggested. "They are often tamer."

Enel grunted, unwilling to believe the possibility. She could not let his suspicions be roused any more than they were. If she was going to find a way to work around him, she needed as much freedom as he would allow.

She quickened her pace and reached out to snag her arm in his. The king jerked back in surprise, but she merely grinned up at him with as much sweetness and innocence she could muster.

"Maybe it's a sign that I need a falcon of my own," she said. "My grandmother has her falcon cloak, perhaps a pet falcon will grant me more access to my gifts."

He relaxed, easing into her grip and giving silent permission for her to hold onto him. Humming, he turned his gaze up in thought. "I suppose. I will see if Ohm can capture it for you. If it is a lord's former pet and tame, then it should be easy to train for you. It would be a fine symbol of your status once you are queen, as well."

She nearly sighed in relief at his easy acceptance of her reasoning, but she hid it with a wide grin and squeezed his arm in gratitude. She doubted that falcon would be easy to capture, unless it desired to be caught. For the time being, she had diverted Enel's ever-present suspicions, and that was all that mattered.

"You said you would be training me today, as well," Nami said, turning the conversation away from any gods or birds that might be working to subvert Enel's plans. "What exactly am I to be trained at? You haven't even told me what my duties in your hall will be."

"I thought your training would be obvious." Enel chuckled, his bored expression cracking with a hint of amusement. "I have felt you in the tree, seeing the storm that I have seen, but I doubt you have much control of your visions. If you are to be my priestess and the authority on my word as our peoples' God, then you need to master the magic that runs in your veins. Tell me, do your visions usually come to you in dreams? Or have you conjured them in waking moments?"

"They began as dreams. Jarl Eustass had his healer teach me with runes, at least what little he knew of them. Since then, I've had some visions come while meditating." She pursed her lips as she thought back to all her visions in Britain. "One while in a thunderstorm, completely unbidden."

Enel grinned. "Thor was calling to you. As he should. His lightning and storms are in your core. Have other gods tried to call to you?"

She heard the falcon cry overhead and a shudder went down her spine. "I believe Rán helped drag me to Noreg and broke the seal Jarl Arlong placed on my magic. And I have been told that the reindeer that guided me to Jarl Eustass was herded by an old woman they suspect was Eir."

"What of Loki?" Enel glowered. "He was the one who triggered this calamity at the start. Has he sought you? Has he tried to interfere in your path at all?"

"I cannot say," Nami said. "If he has come to me in a disguise to interfere in my path, then I would say that his interference is what brought me to you."

He hummed. "You were questioning Corazon's history at supper last night. Do you suspect him of being a threat to you? Why did you believe him to be someone else?"

Nami wasn't sure of this line of questioning. Did Enel suspect Corazon to be connected to Loki as she did? She would have to be careful with how she answered. Corazon might prove to be her only lifeline in this village, though she was reluctant to trust him, as well. She could not have him killed solely because she was suspicious.

"There was a monk in Britain that spurred an attack on our camp," she explained. "Before the attack, I had a vision of a man clad in black, his face hidden by a shadowy hood, his hands dripping with blood, and surrounded by flies and death and decay. The next day we were attacked and learned that the monk had sought to capture me, though we never learned the reason for it. We have been worried that he might follow me north, if his desire to capture me was so earnest. When I saw Corazon, my hairs stood on end and I felt a flash of recognition. I feared he might be the monk, but he is no Christian and does not seem interested in my capture. I was just paranoid after seeing him shrouded in dark shadows."

"He came to me with an interest in seeking you," Enel told her, his lips pulled in a deep frown. "He did tell you the truth about his exile from Denmark, but he had told me that he heard tales of you and was interested in meeting you. He was also aware of whose protection you were under."

Nami came to a halt, forcing the king to stop and gaze back at her shocked expression. "He had heard of me? How would a man from the Mediterranean know of me?"

"I cannot answer that. He did not know the stories of your mother's family, only fleeting rumors spread by your father's people. He had clearly heard tales of you, though he did not fully explain how he came to know of your presence in Noreg or the knowledge he had of the wolf protecting you."

"That's impossible," she snapped. "Arlong saw fit to keep my existence a secret within the northern countries, and he rarely took me raiding to garner a reputation in Francia. And Bellemere told me that no one was spared in the slaughter of my village. Anyone connected to my father should believe me to be dead."

Enel shrugged. "I once believed you to be dead, but all it took was one man to make me see otherwise. Even when Corazon spoke of you, I had no idea you would be of Freyja's lineage. I just assumed you were a lost noble girl, stolen from a southern lord. Your giants were the ones that gave you away. And from what I gather, this was not your first attempt at escaping them. In their searches of you, there is no telling how many people were told Rán's tale, or given any other story that might garner suspicion. And Jarl Arlong should have believed you dead, as well, but he found you, anyway. If, by some chance, your father's noble house is interested in information of your survival, I'm certain they have ample sources to track you down."

Then what reason could Corazon have of searching for her? What interest could he have in her? She needed to understand what he was after before she could even think to trust him as an ally as he offered. She would remain suspicious of any excuse he gave, but it was better to know all that were around her, enemy and friend alike, than remain ignorant of potential danger.

Enel tugged on her arm as he continued toward the village, forcing her to keep up with his long strides. "I saw Corazon as the trickster he is the moment he stepped onto my shores. But a trickster is easily dealt with. All it takes is one swift blow and he will be no more. For the time being, he is useful, but if that changes, or if he proves to be a threat to you, I will eliminate him. You have no reason to fear. But keep me informed of all your interactions with him."

"Of course," she agreed while wondering if she should betray whatever confidences Corazon meant to extend to her. She would have to ask Conis all she knew about the man, among other questions that were raised that day.

"When we return to the hall, you will show me the seal Arlong placed on you," Enel commanded. "Then I will know better what course you need to take so that your magic can thrive as it should."

That she could easily agree to. While she loathed being a captive to the king, she would take advantage of whatever knowledge he had. He might be mad and cruel, but he knew more of her family and their stories and magic. She was guided to this path for a reason, and she had no doubt that reason was the insight she could gain from the king. He had his whole life to learn and shape his skills while she only had a scant few months. If she had any hope of fulfilling her foremother's prophecy and saving Kid's life, then she needed to know the full extent of her magic.

Enel led her along a cart path that wrapped around the northern edge of the village so he could show her his forests and rivers. A swath of oak trees were tucked into a valley, a spot he preferred to go to meditate and listen to the world around him. It was quiet there. The only sounds came from the wind rustling through the leaves, the soft chirping of the birds hiding in the branches, and a rabbit scurrying through the underbrush.

Enel said he could hear the voices of those he ruled over from the trees. She heard nothing, but she did find it peaceful.

When they returned to the hall, she spied Ove standing outside the fortress gates with McKinley. He appeared to be deep in conversation with the militia captain, but spared her a harsh scowl and glare when McKinley noticed their return and stood straight to bow his head toward his king. A flutter of fear ran down her spine at the dark look from a man who had once been a friend, and Nami hurried to keep close to Enel's side.

In a village hall of strangers who she knew not to trust, she trusted Ove the least. His betrayal stung too deep for her to trust him. His motives behind leaving Drafn were confusing to her, only making her mistrust worse. If he found her existence so contemptible, blamed her for Kid's perceived downfall, then why did he ask to join Enel's priests? He may be a mercenary at heart, following the path of glory and riches, but he should have fled entirely and found a wealthy noble that wasn't set on possessing a cursed woman. Why subject himself to a king that was shouldering her curse if his jarl had already failed at the task?

She set those questions aside once Enel escorted her into his council room, just off the main reception hall. The priests were given orders to leave them alone, the slaves commanded to bring fruit and mead before being shooed away, as well. At the center of the room was a long table with several ornate chairs situated around it, the largest and most decorated obviously Enel's. Maps and figurines were strewn over the surface, and Nami couldn't help but glanced at the wolf that laid on its side in the region she knew Drafn to be. Another statue sat to the southeast that appeared to be of an ogre or troll, but she guessed that it was meant for Arlong based on its location near the Kattegat. A set of miniature goats surrounded the troll and left Nami to wonder what the king was planning for Arlong. Was he going to eliminate that threat for her? Or was he merely keeping an eye on the jarl? He had told her that he would deal with her former captor if he became a threat—perhaps he was keeping that possibility in mind.

A raised platform sat in one corner with furs and pillows nestled around a low table. The king waved her to sit there so they could talk in comfort, without the maps and battle plans to distract her. They spent the rest of the day drinking and eating while the king droned on about voices and dreams and the gods. He examined her tattoo and the scar slashing through it and offered to burn it from her skin to speed its removal. She balked at that idea. Her shoulder was in tatters as it was, she did not want to add a burn scar to the damage done. She preferred Heat's thoughts of allowing it to be removed naturally, not forcing it away. She told the king that she would think on it, afraid to reject his suggestion outright lest he lose his temper with her.

He bade her to share all her visions with him. She was careful to avoid mentioning Loki, and he didn't seem to take notice of any omissions as she told him of the vision that inevitably drove Kid away. He nodded and hummed and came to the decision that she needed a staff and a set of runes. Before she could question him on that, he rambled on to say that he would gather some amber stones for her to polish and carve. Amber was sacred to her family and the vision she had of amber stones in her hand told him that she needed their magical guidance. With her own staff and runes, he would turn her into a proper priestess, yet.

By supper, Nami had long finished reciting her visions. Enel had dissected each of them and agreed with the interpretations she had, though he felt there was much still missing. In the end, his counsel only provided her with the same suggestions that Heat had given to her. The one difference was the rune stones he would help her make and the freedom to practice without distraction. She would have no other responsibilities in his hall. She would study and meditate and sit with his priests during trials and meetings. She would be a figurehead and host to ceremonies and gatherings. She was to be his beautiful, regal treasure, sitting in humble repose at his side.

It all sounded utterly boring. The promise of an opulent life was a shallow lie. She was a prisoner in a gilded cage. She would have a warmer life in the wild, starving and cold and dressed in rags but free of the golden shackles and collar she might as well be wearing in Enel's hall.

She told herself it would only be for a short time. She would wait patiently and take care to move as she needed to regain her freedom. She would learn what she could, grow stronger, and see that Kid found one victory in this twisted fate they led.

She was forced to sit with Ove at supper again. He ignored her as he devoured the rich pheasant and warm broth they were served. Enel was too focused on the slave girl hand feeding him to spare her conversation, and the other priests sat at their table, eating as silently as Ove. The militia and army men spoke quietly at their tables, but were too far away to include her. The thralls wove through the room with their heads down and mouths shut. Only Conis whispered a word or two as she served her, but even she took care not to say more than necessary.

The silence was another weight on her shoulders, dragging her down into miserable solitude. Without any conversation to distract her, she was left to her thoughts, left to wonder on the state of Drafn and what Kid would do when he returned to find his people slaughtered and her gone. Tears stung her eyes, but she forced them back as she drank deep from a cup of mead. She would almost welcome bickering with Ove if it would keep her from thinking about her friends. She would even welcome Corazon's presence, even if she doubted his intentions.

She pushed her plate toward Ove after finishing half her meal. He spared her a curious look, sneered, and then took the food she no longer desired with hardly a grunt of thanks. As soon as Conis appeared to refill her cup, she grabbed her handmaiden by the elbow and pulled her closer.

"Is the bath ready?" she asked at a whisper.

"The thralls lit the fires for the tub not long ago. It might nearly be warm enough," she whispered back.

"I would happily take a cold bath," Nami muttered as she pushed away from the table.

"Finished with your supper already?" Enel called to her.

Nami turned to give him her brightest smile. "I'm too weary from my restless sleep last night to eat another bite," she explained with feigned politeness. "I'd like to take a hot bath and get to bed early, and then hopefully tomorrow I can rise early and focus on doing everything I can to become the priestess you need."

The king nodded in understanding and waved for her to leave. "Rest well, then. I will call for you after breakfast tomorrow."

She bowed her head politely and then hurried from the hall. Conis followed behind her, rushing to keep up with Nami's pace. She wanted to get out of that hall and its oppressive atmosphere as quickly as possible.

Outside, she turned for the walkway leading toward the bathhouse. It was still light out, though twilight neared as the blue sky gradually darkened and the white clouds became tinged with pink and red. The wood structure appeared inviting as night slowly crept toward them. Slivers of orange light glowed between tightly nailed wooden slats, wisps of steam curled through the crack of the door. The small building was built on a stone foundation, with a hearth built into the corner. The bathhouse was plain compared to the rest of the hall and fortress, its carved doorframe the only part decorated with knots and sigils but no gold paint to make the carvings stand out.

When Nami opened the door to go inside, she was struck with a deep warmth and the soothing scent of salt and citrus. She stopped in the doorway to inhale, for the first time since she arrived, genuinely grateful for the king's wealth.

"The thralls brought water from the fjord for your bath," Conis explained. "King Enel typically hates bathing in sea water, he says the salt makes him feel weak. But before you arrived, he said that you would be bathing in the sea to strengthen your spirit."

She found herself appreciating the decision. The salt water would help soothe her aches, both in body and heart.

"And you mentioned that you liked the scent of the soap in your room," Conis continued, "so I had them sprinkle shavings in the water."

Nami smiled with delight for the first time in days and happily skipped into the bathhouse to disrobe. Conis shut and barred the door behind her and came over to help unpin her hair.

A large pool of steaming water sat in the middle of the room, easily big enough to fit four or five. It was built into the floor, cradled by the stone foundation and set beside the hearth that was filled with glowing embers. Golden sconces hung from the rafters, making the room glow bright against the light wood. The whole room was lined with smooth, polished planks of birch, save for the stone hearth. Benches were built into the wall to one side where another small stone hearth sat. Bundles of dried herbs were hung along the wall, the only decoration in the bathhouse that she saw.

"You don't see this style of bathhouse too often," Nami remarked as she slipped from her dress.

"The previous king traveled through the northern lands often," Conis said while she folded Nami's clothes and set them on the bench. "He visited the Rus and Finns to the north and east and grew fond of their saunas. He built this for his household and modeled it after the Finns' saunas, but with a bath included."

There was warmth in Conis' voice as she spoke of the former king. She did not have to look at her to know she was smiling. There was loss in her tone, as well. It pulled at her heart.

"Bathe with me," Nami suggested, grabbing the woman's hand to squeeze in hers. "And tell me about this former king. I hear he was a Christian, but that's all I've been told."

Conis' eyes turned somber, but she nodded and gestured for Nami to lower herself into the bath first. While Conis undressed, Nami settled onto a long wooden bench beneath the water and reclined back, dipping her hair into the scented water with a relieved moan. She could grow used to this luxury if she was not careful.

Conis slipped in beside her, causing the warm water to ripple around her and tickle her skin. She waited as the handmaiden glided to the other side of the tub to grab a wooden bowl filled with white linen and soap. She placed the bowl in the water to let it float in front of them and then slid back into the spot beside Nami.

"The former king, his name was Gan Fall," Conis whispered as she dipped a cloth into the water and beckoned for Nami to take it so she could wash. "He was a kind man, respected by all in his territory. It's true that he was a Christian, but he was unlike the other Christian kings and rulers."

"How so?" Nami asked, careful to keep her voice at a hush while she scrubbed the grime from her skin.

"I'm sure you have heard the stories of the kings that force their people to convert. Many take the sword to any who resist, but Gan Fall did not," Conis explained. "He converted for many reasons, not least of which was the good of his people. Some of the Franks and Saxons refused to trade with non-Christians and demanded we convert or lose vital trade routes. We would still have connection to the Rus and some of the old eastern routes, but the greatest riches are in Francia, and further south to the Mediterranean. The Moors would not make us convert, would happily trade, but to reach them, the safest and quickest routes need to pass through Christian lands and if we could not do that freely, then we would starve. Gan Fall made the decision to convert. He was welcoming of the Christian God and willing to worship him alongside the old ways, but the Christian book says that no man may worship another god, so to keep appearances, he became devout. The rest of us were permitted to worship our gods, but we had to do so in secret. We could still celebrate the spring and midsummer with our blots. We could rejoice the harvest and feast at Yule. But we had to wear the Christian cross and listen to their priests give sermons from their holy book. We were willing to do this because our village prospered with the open trade, and without losing our people to senseless war."

"And now, with King Enel, your people are forced to follow the old ways. If any of you continued Christian practice, you would be killed, is that correct?" Nami asked while lathering her hair with the citrus scented soap.

Conis nodded. "When Enel came, it was madness. His forces outnumbered Gan Fall's by three times, but he didn't kill as many as he could. He's known for senseless slaughter, but this war was tame compared to his others."

Nami saw for herself the slaughter he was known for. She couldn't imagine a battle where he might hold back, show mercy, and spare the lives of the people. "Why would he show restraint this time?"

"He needed people. He needed worshipers and slaves. He left his army to surround the village and set up a blockade with his ships at the neck of the fjord. Anyone who tried to leave to trade with other lands were either turned back or killed if they did not peacefully yield. He seized control of the farmlands and the routes to our allies, effectively cutting us off from our main source of food. If the king did not yield, we would have starved."

"So, he surrendered?"

Conis shook her head. "Not at first. He sent his own army to battle along the eastern front. We had a long-standing trade alliance with another region in Svealand that was vital to our people. He needed to free that road and hopefully find more support to battle the rest of Enel's forces. His army was beaten and captured. The heads of three of his generals were returned him and nothing else. He attempted to treat with Enel then, but when Enel came into the village, he stood in the square and shouted for everyone to listen to him. He proclaimed himself a god, a son of Thor, and said he was there to free us from our Christian shackles. He told us that if we kneeled for him, overthrew our Christian king and gave him the throne, he would bring us more wealth and fame than any other king before." She sank back on the bench with a sigh and shut her eyes. "He somehow knew there were people in the village that resented the new faith and mixed customs. He pitted them against the rest. The old gods versus the new. In the end, he hardly needed to spare a single one of his men to overthrow Gan Fall. We did it ourselves."

"What happened to him?" Nami asked softly.

"We had only thought to exile him. He had not been a cruel king, even those who did not want to practice the Christian faith could see that. We gave him a ship, his most loyal soldiers, at least those that Enel had not chosen to keep as slaves for his ark, and enough rations to see them to Iceland." Conis' lips pursed in a tight frown, her expression turned pinched with grief. "A few months later, Enel claimed that Gan Fall had returned and threatened to seize some of the lands that once belonged to him. He said he slew him, as he should have, and then captured any in the village that spoke favorably of the former king. He executed them as traitors, said they had been plotting a rebellion against him, and left their corpses to be eaten by ravens in the square for a month, until there was nothing left but bones."

Nami swallowed down bile. It was a familiar story, one she knew far too well. At least Genzo was still alive, though suffering at Arlong's hands. And there was no telling how long before Arlong's patience wore thin and he destroyed whatever was left for her to return to in Tingstad. She wished he had exiled Genzo, spared him the pain that came with a life of slavery, but Arlong would never be that merciful.

Conis bore the weight of her story without shedding a tear, though her expression said she held back plenty. Over the years, it became easier to feign apathy, to wear a stoic mask in the face of injustice.

"We had hoped that Enel's claim was a lie," Conis added. "We never saw his body, nor those of his army. We thought he used the claim to silence any potential dissent. Gan Fall might be out there still. He might be living a peaceful and happy life with the Christians in Iceland."

"I hope he is," Nami said. She could hear the hope in the handmaiden's voice. If their former king still lived, there was a chance he would return to reclaim his throne. Nami doubted he would ever come back, even if he desired to. There was too much against him in exile. He would need a strong, well-supplied army and the ships to carry them through the roughest seas. That would cost money, more than an exiled king could possibly attain. It wasn't wholly impossible, depending on the influence he may garner in Iceland, but unless he left with a hoard of gold, he would struggle to win over every heart and sword to his side. Some might join for the promise of glory and nothing more, others might join in the hopes the war would be won and they could be in the service of a king, others yet might sell themselves in the hope of returning from their own exiles, but there was no guarantee that it would be enough. She still had no idea how Kid would win this war, though she would do everything in her power to see he did. At least he had his wealth and whatever influence he might have with other jarls and landholders to build a stronger army. He was not working from exile.

Conis gathered her frayed emotions and managed a meager smile. "I just hope he is at peace, whether he is in this realm or another."

Nami took her hand and squeezed it in silent agreement. "There's another thing I am curious about—the man in the square. I heard some women mention he belonged to a berserker. Who did they mean?"

Conis cleared her throat and bowed her head. "There was a tribe far to the north that laid claim over a stretch of rich lands. Enel seized the lands, chased the people off, and destroyed the fertile grazing lands of their reindeer herds for his quarry."

"A quarry? What has he been mining there?"

"Iron. He means to find gold in those lands, but the iron has brought him plenty of wealth in trade with the Danes. His blacksmiths have also worked tirelessly to use the extra ore to keep his militia well-armed. They have the best of everything because of that iron – swords, spears, axes, armor. The king has even crafted a halberd for himself that he has painted gold. It sits in his bedchambers, waiting to be used should his spear ever fail him." Conis frowned grimly. "The tribe is led by berserker chieftain that follows in the footsteps of his forefathers. He's vicious and short-tempered and sends his warriors to steal crops and cattle. Last autumn, we lost over a quarter of our harvest to an attack."

"And the king has only captured a soldier to torture in the square? I'm surprised he hasn't battled them."

"He says they're a nuisance, but easily ignored. He laughs them off most days. If they are captured, he tortures them before executing them and sending their remains back to their chieftain as a warning. He would rather not waste more resources than necessary on them, not until they prove to be a serious threat to his rule." Conis sighed. "I know many of the villagers just wish he would wipe them out. They bring more trouble to us than we need. But… they are trying to survive, just as we are. I cannot begrudge people only looking to feed their families. We're supposed to care for each other, share our hearth and home to those that need it. Perhaps if we invite them in, share our resources with them, then we can all live in peace again."

It was a noble and idealistic thought, but Nami knew it would not be so easy. Enel stole their land and has since treated them unjustly. If their leader was as prideful as the berserker she knew, he would not take that insult well. He would not willfully bend his knee for peace. He would fight for what was rightfully theirs, no matter who suffered in the meantime.

She turned to cross her arms on the side of the tub, resting her head on them as she hummed in thought. She wondered if Kid could make common cause with this other berserker. He could use every ally he could find, but prideful men did not always join hands so easily. They had a common enemy. So long as they did not let their personal grudges impede their ability to agree to an alliance, they might be able to join their strengths together.

How to send word of this other berserker to Kid, though? Enel would not permit her to send any messages to Drafn, not unless they would benefit him. She needed an emissary, but she had no one she could trust. And if she had someone she could trust with a message, she would not want to use them unwisely. If they were caught, they would be killed, and she would not have that blood on her hands.

She buried her face in her arms with a defeated groan. She couldn't rush for any answers. She had only been in Oslo for a day. Kid was likely still in Hedeby, and if he wasn't, she had more to worry about with him than sending a messenger. His reaction when he found Drafn in ruins would not be pretty. All her planning might be for naught if Killer and the rest fail to control him. He might be on the way to Oslo in a reckless pursuit to save her at that very moment.

She would rather see him in chains than rushing to his death.

Nami's eyes grew heavy as she lounged in the bath. The warm water and sweet scents made her weary mind turn drowsy.

"We should get you in bed," Conis suggested when she noticed her dozing off.

Nami grunted in response and let the handmaiden help her climb from the tub. She hoped she would find sleep that night. She would need the rest to think clearly in the days to come.

But she knew the rest she needed was far out of reach, for as soon as her head hit the pillow she was greeted with a furious wolf in chains.

---

Corazon rarely found sleep in life. Even as a child, before he lost his safe, comfortable world, he did not fall asleep as easily as others. His sister could find sleep on a bed of rocks while he tossed and turned on a bed overstuffed with down, swaddled in the warmest furs. After the deaths of his family and loved ones, his dreams were too torturous to endure, so he put off sleep whenever he could. Dark rings were ever-present beneath his eyes, but it was not often that he felt truly exhausted.

That night his sleep was not interrupted by dark, blood-soaked dreams. He could have happily slept with ease, lulled by the wind rustling through the trees outside his temporary home. Unfortunately, his new house guest refused to be silent.

"I'm beginning to regret sparing your life," he idly mused as Nezumi rattled the thick wooden bars of his cage. His iron shackles clanked together with his every movement, hardly a soothing lullaby to fall asleep to. "Perhaps I should cut your arms and legs off. That should cease your pointless efforts."

His captive fell still and Corazon rolled onto his side in the bed of furs he lay in. Squinting through the light provided by the glowing embers in the hearth, he glared at Nezumi's cage on the far end of the household. He had hoped the gag in the man's mouth would be enough to keep him quiet in his cage, but the merchant was a stubborn one. He should have left him to freeze and rot outside for a night. The threat of being a predator's late-night meal might have deterred him from making a racket. Then he would show some gratitude for Corazon's small mercies after he allowed him into the house.

The man had yet to prove himself useful enough to keep alive. When Corazon removed the gag to question him, Nezumi only spat and hissed at him, filled with vile contempt and unearned arrogance.

"Trafalgar, you monster, free me at once," he hollered, his slender fingers wrapped around the bars of his cage to rattle in some vain attempt at breaking them.

Corazon slammed his foot into those vulnerable fingers, trapping them around the bars. He pressed into them until Nezumi cried out in pain and wrenched his hands free.

"If you know what is best for you, then you won't use that name again," Corazon warned. "It's unfortunate I still have use of your tongue, otherwise I would have cut it out already. I could always satisfy myself with cutting other things off."

Nezumi snapped his mouth shut and glared. The threats of dismemberment had been the only things that got him to shut up. He knew Corazon's reputation, that those threats were not hollow ones.

Corazon had hoped his silence signaled his compliance, but when he began to question him about Nami and everyone connected to her, Nezumi returned to his blustering tirades of vengeance and wrath until Corazon shoved his gag back into his mouth. He was nearly bit in the process and considered removing some of the man's teeth in their next round of questioning.

"Your captivity could be much easier if you would only share what you know of her," Corazon mused.

Nezumi growled around his gag and rattled his shackles again.

"You must be furious right now," he continued, slowly smiling. "You were sent to fetch the Lady Nami, surely promised gold and jewels for your effort. Instead you are here, the captive of a monster in exile, starving and cold and bound in shackles. Your men are dead. Your title useless. And the giant that sent you powerless to help you judging by how easily the king slaughtered his kinsmen. Meanwhile, the woman you were sent for is sleeping warm and comfortable in an opulent bed chamber, tended to by a kind handmaiden, served the most decadent meals she could ever hope to sample, and lavished with all the riches you so desire."

Nezumi made no sound. Corazon took that to mean he was listening.

"I am your captor, that is true," he went on as he sat up and leaned toward the cage. "But I am also the key to your freedom. I spared you for a reason. I do not mean to see you die here, not if you can be of more use to me alive. The more agreeable you are, the better your chances of leaving here alive and… mostly unharmed."

The chains clanged together as Nezumi slowly lifted his hands to tug at the white cloth tightly bound over his mouth. He moaned when he could not pry it loose and rattled his cage door to signal for Corazon to let him speak. He stood from his bed and went to open the cage. He gave the man a sharp look of warning before he loosened the cloth and sat back, bidding him to say what he would.

"What is your interest in Lady Nami?" Nezumi asked, his voice quiet and hoarse, barely more than a raspy whisper.

"That is none of your business," Corazon said. "What is your interest in her?"

Nezumi chuckled. "My only interest is in what her family can do for my station."

"Which family?" Corazon asked.

"Her father's, of course." Nezumi smiled. "Like I care one whit about some old legend. It is nothing more than myth what her mother's ilk were. She is powerless, but not useless. She will disrupt the Norman folk and their duchy, even if she has no claim to their lands. She will incite chaos among the nobles. Bring war to their people. And when Arlong is the last one standing, I shall have a powerful and rich ally."

"All in the pursuit of wealth." Corazon chuckled. "Such a noble and gentile lord you are."

"Without knowing your own motives, I cannot abide such mockery," Nezumi said with a snide curl of his lip. "Wealth is power. Power is wealth. If one is to survive in this miserable world, one must have all the power they can have. Arlong understands this. Nami understands this. Do not be deceived by her somber complacency or kind smiles. She was raised by a monster of myth, a giant as greedy as they come. She cares only for herself. She will do whatever she must, sacrifice whoever she must, all for her own selfish desires and greed. She is a thief disguised as friend. A demon in the guise of an angel. She is cruelty and malice and her heart is cold as ice beneath all the warmth and beauty. Whatever you desire of her, take care to never trust her, especially if she is kind to you. She will stab you in the back as soon as you turn around."

Corazon cocked his head and lifted a brow in curious amusement. "A contemptible opinion of a woman you are so eager to use for you own contemptible greed."

"Do not mistake my words as contempt, Trafalgar," Nezumi said, that rat-like grin begging to lose a tooth or two. "I have nothing but the utmost respect for her determination. She knows what she needs to do to survive. She knows to use everything in her power to get ahead, to win. Her ambition cannot be rivaled. She is not hindered by the rules of a civil society. She will not be held back by sentiment and weak persons. She will play her role of delicate lady to earn love and praise, to be treated softly and with kindness. And she will not shy away from cunning and deceit and trickery if her pretty smile is not enough to get what she wants. She's even abandoned her own family for her own sake."

"Her family?" He had not spoken with Nami long, but as far as he could tell, she was kind-hearted. Her remark on Conis being separated from her father for the first time in so long felt personal. She knew that pain, that fear. He could not imagine her lying in the sympathy she felt.

Nezumi tittered with laughter. "You don't believe me? Ask her yourself, then. Ask her about Nojiko. Ask her about the sister she left behind to bear Arlong's wrath while she ran off to play princess and lover to a pack of wolves. Those two have been inseparable since Nami was an infant, from what I have heard. Yet she left her without an ounce of remorse, knowing very well that Arlong would show the girl no mercy in his anger. She would be punished for her sister's sins—"

Corazon had heard enough and shoved Nezumi's gag back in place. It hardly muffled the merchant's tittering. He stood and kicked the cage door shut, locked the bolt, and spun for his bed.

Nezumi's remarks agitated him, though he could not understand why. The woman was a means to an end for him. She could be a saint or a sinner, a lady or a monster. It did not matter. He didn't even care if she was a trustworthy person. She was a pawn.

But he did not like hearing the vile rat call her a monster and demon. She didn't appear so monstrous. She seemed kind. Then again, he had more experience than he would like with kind-faced monsters. He was fostered by the cruelest monster with the largest grin, by a family that callously took from anyone they could, be it their wealth or their life. A family that was only stepping stones to the man that led them, a disposable army to his ambitions. He knew that a smiling face could be nothing more than a mask to keep you from seeing the knife they hid in their hand.

If Nami was such a witch, he would not let his guard down, though he had not intended to in the first place. She was a pawn. He was the deceitful one. But it would be wise to be wary, at least until he knew more.

A trickster watched over her, led him to intercept her on this path. Nothing and no one could be trusted in the madness that was on the horizon. Sometimes the kindest eyes were the cruelest.

"Ask her about Nojiko," Nezumi's words echoed in his head.

The next time he spoke with her, he would do just that.

---

Outside Hedeby

His amber dreams had taken him back to the sun dappled field and the chains binding him to cold, unforgiving stone. The forest was still, eerily quiet as he thrashed and hollered for his freedom. He knew they were out there, listening, waiting, watching. While his mind grew ever more frantic, they were a promise of peace and serenity kept out of his reach.

The sun glistened off the golden bristles of his boar. The trees rustled against a stag's mighty antlers. They were out there. Tormenting him with the peace he desired, driving his madness to new heights.

He woke in a chilly cave with yet more chains binding him to stone. His temple throbbed. His eye swelled. His shackles bit into his flesh. His rage grew.

They were not godly chains that bound him there and he swore he would shatter them and take the heads of all who thought to keep him from her. He thrashed and fought, ignoring every slice of metal through his flesh. Blood slicked his hands, but he did not care. He tried to use the blood to slip his hands through the shackles, but only earned more deep cuts for the effort.

His shouts for freedom echoed off the cave's imposing walls. He yelled for anyone who might be listening. He cursed Bonney's name, her family, her people, the very soil she grew her apple trees in. Surely, she had guards out there, laughing at his indignity. She would hear of the blight he called on her and come to him fuming. And hopefully with a key to end his agony.

Hours passed, as best he could tell, but no one came. He was trapped in solitude, only his own voice to keep him company. He didn't even have his men to console him and for a fleeting second a flash of worry broke through the madness. She wouldn't take his crimes out on them, would she?

He fought even harder, until he heard stone rattle and chains groan and give. A rock came free. A chain loosened. Footsteps came rushing in and with one swift strike to his aching temple the sun dappled field greeted him once more.

When Kid woke again, his limbs were stiff and sore. His wrists burned from his cuts, his face throbbed, and he tasted the metallic tang of blood on his lips. He could feel the blood trickle from the cut beside his eye, and his lower lip was tender when he ran his tongue over it. The guards had roughed him up this time. It didn't matter to him. He was more concerned with the new weight of chains wrapped around his arms. They had bound him even more, secured the chains he had loosened, and ensured he would not have another chance at breaking free.

It would have sent him into another rage, but his mind was foggy from the strikes and the hopelessness of the situation dragged him down. Restless energy coursed through his veins, yet he felt too tired and heavy to move as he slumped against the cave wall. This was his punishment for abandoning her. This was the fate he would live for turning away from Nami on the brink of a storm.

"Have you finally calmed?" a voice echoed from the entrance to the cavern that was his prison. He strained his tired eyes to see through the shadows as someone moved. Pink hair and a painted scowl met him as Bonney stepped into a slender shaft of light. "The guards swear you made the ground tremble in your rage."

He grunted and gave a half-hearted jerk to the chains around his chest and arms.

"You have not eaten in over a day," Bonney said as she eased down onto a boulder across from him. He heard the strike of flint and the flare of a flame and turned away as she lit a candle before the sudden light could blind him. "And you struggled so much in your sleep when my men were fixing your chains, they had to beat you down to make you sit still. You're probably too exhausted to break those chains now."

He blinked to clear his hazy vision to look upon the earl. Her expression was blank save for the annoyance simmering her eyes. She wore a simple blue dress, her waist and breasts bound with leather armor. A collar of brown fur wrapped around her neck, masking the bruises he knew were there. His grip had been tight enough to strangle a lesser being. Bonney was not strong enough to come away from his rage unscathed. He doubted anyone would have if she had not found a way to appease him.

"Why am I still alive?" he asked. His throat was sore from shouting, dry from lack of water. It hurt to speak, but he needed answers to all the questions swirling in his mind. "And where am I being kept?"

"I needed to keep your imprisonment a secret from the village, so I brought you to the caverns I keep more unsavory outlaws. If I had bound you in your room, you would have alerted the people with your shouting when you woke," she explained, a quirk of her lips giving away masked humor. "And I found it fitting to bind a ravenous wolf to a stone."

He hissed at the comparison, but could not argue the logic. He felt as furious as Fenrir surely must be.

"As for why you are still alive and not decorating a spike in the square," Bonney continued with a sigh. "You are not meant to die here."

Two guards entered the cave with plates of food and a pitcher. They set the food and drink beside the earl and left without another word, leaving the woman to torment him with the food as his stomach growled. He truly had not eaten in over a day. The drink called to him even more than the food. He would drink straight from a goat's teat if it would quench his thirst.

"My counsel argued with me all of yesterday about your punishment. They thought I should take an axe to your neck," Bonney said as she picked at her meal.

He glared as she tossed a slice of meat into her mouth and happily chewed, letting out a hum of pleasure that only made him hungrier.

"Why don't you?" he growled, sneering as she took a bite of cheese and washed it down with her drink.

"Have I ever told you the story of my birth?" she asked with a flippant air that annoyed him.

A flare of anger energized him and he lunged at her despite the chains binding him fast to the stone. "I don't care about your birth," he snarled. "Tell me why I still live. And what have you done with my men?"

"Your men are safe," she said, unconcerned with his thinning temper. "I have not robbed them of the hospitality they are due. They tried to help me, but you and I both know that there was nothing they could do to stop you from killing everyone. You were beyond everyone's control until my man brought me the amber you so desperately sought."

She sighed as she picked up another strip of meat. He whimpered at the tender sliver that looked like it might be venison. His stomach growled at how good it must taste. Earl Bonney had the best cooks, the best spices, the best food. And he was famished.

"I cannot kill you, but I cannot set you free just yet," Bonney said. "And the story of my birth will tell you why, so will you listen?"

He growled but grudgingly agreed. "At least free my hands so I can eat and drink, woman," he said, fighting at his chains one more time. "I'm starving."

"I know," she said, though did not move to free him. "And you will starve until I trust that you won't try to break your chains again."

"Heartless bitch," he grumbled under his breath.

That got Bonney to move. He howled when she took him by the nose, twisting it so hard that he feared she would rip it from his face. "And you are an ungrateful ogre," she hissed. "Show some gratitude for the woman who has not only spared your life, but is also protecting you from outlawry."

"Tell your story, bitch, and maybe then I'll be grateful," he hissed back.

She released his nose to smack him. The sharp slap was hard enough to make his ear ring and jaw flare with a fiery pain. His head spun and he blinked to reorient himself while Bonney stepped away, grumbling curses under her breath. Once she was seated with the last of her food and he could see straight again, she shot him a glare to warn him off angering her further.

As if he cared about her threats.

"Get on with your story, woman," he barked

Bonney ground her teeth together, but held herself back. He could see her hand tight around a loose rock, prepared to chuck it at him. She took a deep breath and then forced herself to relax.

"My parents had trouble conceiving me," she began. He rolled his eyes and sank back in his chains. He didn't care about her family or their troubles, couldn't imagine how this story could relate to him or explain why he was chained up and not a head on a spike. "They tried for five years to no avail."

"Your mother was barren. So what?" Kid grumbled, already impatient to get to the end of the story and the reason he was not dead.

She threw the rock at him, narrowly avoiding his head to strike him in the shoulder.

"She was not barren," Bonney hissed. "My father was to blame." Kid cocked his brow at that accusation. A childless marriage was often blamed on the woman first, though impotency was a valid reason for a woman to declare a divorce. "He tried to blame my mother," Bonney went on, "especially when she threatened divorce. He swore he must have children out there with any number of the lovers and mistresses and slaves he had bedded in his life, but when my mother sought them out, he was proved to have none. Not a single child was sired by him. That knowledge was nearly their ruin."

Kid could imagine it was. If her father was so quick to turn the blame onto her mother, he likely knew before that he could not sire any children. To have that knowledge made known would damage his reputation, his pride, and his standing in society. From what he knew of Bonney's family, her mother was the one of noble birth, her father was a warrior elevated by their marriage. Her mother was from a line that boasted ancestry to Idunn, the goddess that kept the apples of youth the other gods relied on for their long, youthful lives. Their family orchards were said to make an old man feel like a babe again, a tale that saw the family prosper for generations. Her father might not have lost much wealth in a divorce, but his name would be ruined and that would be as good as losing everything.

"Divorce was almost guaranteed. My mother had no shortage of potential suitors if she decided to let loose her husband, but their families tried to heal the growing divide between them." Bonney snorted. "My father was highly respected, a good leader, strong in battle. Their people felt safer with him seated beside my mother. He would keep them from unnecessary war. But if he could not provide an heir, it would not matter in the long run. They would end up at war with any neighbors that sensed their weakness. My mother needed a child, not a husband.

"They continued to try through one more winter, but the strain of failure reached a breaking point come the spring. It was worsened by a deluge of flooding rain. They had not seen the sun in weeks. The fields were nothing but mud, no crops taking root. The river swelled beyond its banks, swept away four children and an old woman. The roof of their stores leaked and the grain they had left from the last harvest developed a black rot. The first apples to grow in their orchard were diseased, filled with meal worms and rotten to the core. And finally, a flux hit half the village that took the lives of twelve. My mother called it a blight, a curse for their folly in trying to save an ill marriage.

"But just as she was preparing to kick my father out, a man came to visit the village. The day he came, the sun broke through the clouds for the first time that spring and the weather turned pleasant and warm. My parents had been bickering if they spoke at all, their divide had turned that chilly, but the moment their guest stepped into the hall, peace and light reigned."

Kid shifted in his chains, remembering the sun-lit field and the man who brought him a promise of peace. He was beginning to see why this tale was important to him.

"My mother swore this man brought laughter and joy that first night he was with them. His smile was captivating, his eyes as bright as the blue skies above, his hair as golden as the rye in the field. My father was as taken by him as my mother. He was always serious and stern. The only time he was seen smiling was the day he married my mother, but he said those tales weren't true, either. He did not smile. But that man brought a smile to his face with ease." Bonney chuckled. "He was a god. My mother knew it the moment she saw her husband smile. No one else could bring such peace and joy to their household.

"That night they feasted on meager offerings and gave him the last drops of their mead. When he seemed merry and content, my mother whispered in his ear of their torment. He nodded in understanding and set his hand on her belly. He said nothing, but smiled at her. She was reassured when he took her husband from the hall. They were not seen again until the next morning, my father filled with an odd glow as their guest thanked them for their hospitality. Before he left, he pulled my mother aside and whispered his instructions in her ear."

"Walk your orchards every dawn, when the sky is pink. When you come across the first red apple, eat it—skin and flesh, seed and core—then return to your husband and lay with him. Sow no discord. Speak no cruel words. Make love and nothing more. Do this every day, without fail, until the first winter chill sets in. You will be blessed with a strong daughter by the following autumn."

"His only condition was that they name their daughter for his beloved niece, for the jewels his dear sister loved, and their daughter would be born with the strength to bind a great wolf and protect his family's woven fate," she finished.

Kid growled as that information sank in. He was bound to protect the prophecy foreseen centuries ago by Nami's foremother. Did that mean there was a chance they would break the curse as they hoped? Or would he die no matter what Nami did? Would he still have no hope of living alongside her? Was the matter entirely out of his control?

"How long do I have to remain like this?" he grumbled.

Bonney shrugged. "A week. A fortnight. A month. I cannot say."

"Why?" he asked. "Why would Freyr see me bound? If his grand-niece is in danger, he should want me free to save her."

"I have not spoken to him, so I cannot answer for him, but I do know your lady is surely more valuable than you know."

"If she's so valuable, then I cannot let her fall into Enel's hands," he argued.

"It's too late for that. You left, and judging by the madness that claimed you, she's already gone. All you can do is trust that she has chosen the right way, and if you are here to fulfill the destiny Freyr claimed for me, then I think she is where she needs to be." Bonney stood and swept the dirt from her dress. "In the meantime, you should spend your time in chains contemplating what you hope to gain from her, and consider what you will have to give in exchange."

"You're just going to leave me here?" he snarled as she headed toward the cave entrance. She didn't look back, even as he jerked at his chains and loosened one. "Will you even bring me food?"

"You can starve to death for all I care," Bonney called back with a blithe wave. "Perhaps it will teach you some patience and humility."

"Bonney," he shouted once she vanished into the shadows. "You can't leave me here!"

His enraged bellows echoed in the empty chamber as he found the energy to fight his restraints. He heard a chain clatter to the floor before men ran in with spears and swords drawn. Light burst behind his eyes as the pommel of an axe crashed into his temple.

He woke in the sun dappled field with a voice whispering in his ear.

What would you sacrifice for her?

What would you give for the strength to keep her?

How deep does your love go?

---

A/N: Mostly an info dump chapter, but hopefully you all enjoy it. I don't think I have any notes on the lore I reference since I make it pretty obvious here (especially the whole Fenrir binding/ Kid binding bit) and spoke on most of it before. Freyr's reference are, again, the boar, sunlight, fertility, peace, good weather, and his generosity. He and Freyja are said to be the two most generous and easily approached in the lore. Freyr's ability to bring peace is of obvious importance to someone like Kid, lol. For that man to find peace in the middle of rage, he would need a god's intervention.

Freyr and Loki are very important this arc, thus why they are given direct involvement and voices... Also, they inspired it and I couldn't say no.

And now you all know why the image I made for this fic uses the panel of Kid beaten by Kaidou. I enjoying beating him up, honestly. And chaining him. It just makes him angrier. XD

I will try to be quicker with the next chapter, but the summer is a really difficult time for me to be productive. My mood fluctuates a lot and I'm easily distracted. Hopefully with winter nearing, I'll become consistent again. Thank you for your patience.