§ § § - March 26, 2000
Athena had been by late Saturday afternoon and mentioned a massive storm to Roarke, who at the time had been alone in the office. "Why?" Roarke had asked blankly, with a quiet sigh. All they needed was another storm; there'd been enough strife within his own household that day.
"I've encountered some skeptics, and they need convincing," Athena said. "I've consulted with Thor and a few other gods who have some influence on the weather. Since that young man of your daughter's is nominally a subject of Thor's, he very kindly agreed. Said he needed to make sure Majalner still works."
"What?" Roarke said, feeling unusually foolish.
"You know, his hammer. Whatever the name of the thing is. I could never pronounce those peculiar Norse words. Give me Greek any day."
"Mjolnir," said Roarke wearily, with a creditable accent that would have impressed Christian. "Well, at any rate, Athena, I thank you for the warning. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"I suppose not," Athena had said and smiled. "I'm off, Roarke. Batten down the hutches." She breezed through the French doors. Roarke had shaken his head and gone after her to secure the shutters. One thing was certain: it had not been a dull weekend.
But he had never had a chance to forewarn Leslie about Athena's planned storm, so she was caught rudely by surprise around one-thirty in the morning when it descended upon them in an abrupt and terrifying explosion of lightning and thunder. It was as though bombs were going off; the storm seemed to be seated directly over the eastern end of Fantasy Island, where the resort was primarily centered. Petrified, she curled up in as tight a ball as she could squeeze her body, plugged her ears with her fingers, screwed her eyes shut and waited grimly.
It took only a few minutes before she felt someone touch her arm, and she cautiously cracked one eye open to see who it was. The strobing lightning revealed Christian, who wore a questioning, gentle smile, kneeling beside her bed. "Would it be all right with you if I stay with you?" he asked softly, lifting one of her hands from the ear it was stopping up so that she could hear him.
"Are you still…well, drunk?" Leslie asked warily.
"No, but I do have that hangover you so fervently wished on me," he admitted with a self-deprecating smile, and she had to grin at him. He brightened and settled onto the bed, gathering her into his arms and holding her very tightly. Despite the cacophony outside, she began to relax in his embrace, feeling safer.
"I'm surprised you didn't sleep through this. Father always does," Leslie remarked presently.
"Oh, well, I've always enjoyed storms…the bigger, the better," Christian said. "They wake me up because I'm always excited to see them. In that monstrosity of a castle back home, there's a room with one wall made entirely of sheets of glass, facing west across the ocean. There's an unobstructed view from there. As a child, when a storm came through, I'd run from my own room all the way to that one and curl up in a chair there, and watch the storms in all their magnificent fury."
"I wish I had your courage," Leslie murmured wistfully, cringing at another deafening explosion of thunder.
Christian laughed softly. "I don't mind. I rather like holding you. My darling, I really have to apologize for my foolishness yesterday. I don't drink much, but aquavit does the very same thing to me…brings out all that princely snobbishness that my siblings and I were raised with. I turn into a real despot, and no one can stand to be around me. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised you didn't punch me out."
"It was tempting," Leslie said, and they both laughed and tightened their hold on each other. "I guess I know not to keep liquor in the house with you around, then. Where on earth did this storm come from? It wasn't even supposed to rain tonight."
"No?" said Christian. "Ah, well…that's all right, it gives me an excuse to come to you." He began to rock back and forth a little, resting his chin atop her head and falling silent for a few moments. She nestled her head into his shoulder, arms firmly around him and head tucked under his chin, absorbing his warmth. She was going to be very sorry indeed when the time finally came for him to leave; she could get used to this brand of comforting all too quickly.
Over her head Christian began to murmur, voice sounding a little faraway. "…And yet the storm can never touch us / For we are Thor's disciples…" Leslie tuned in, curious to hear more, and listened with fascination. "His mighty hammer yields protection / Never flinching, striking true / All around us, fallen foes / Tempest wild! We call upon you!"
When he paused, she asked, "What was that?"
She felt Christian's chuckle, more than heard it. "One of our poetic sagas. It's called 'Battle of the Storm', and it was always my favorite. In school I memorized the entire thing and recited it in a presentation. I still remember some of the stanzas, although most of it seems to have evaporated from my memory now."
"How apropos for the moment," Leslie commented.
He chuckled again, and this time she felt his voice resonate through her. "You're right, I didn't think of it that way." He shifted his hold on her, and she felt him drop a kiss atop her head. A moment or two later he began to recite once more.
"And my Valkyrie rides the heavens / On a gleaming horse of white / Steadfast by her man in battle / Charging bravely through the night / Strength and courage drive her forward / Worthy is she at my side / Two invincible together…" He paused long enough to slip a finger under her chin and tilt her head back, then completed the final line: "For we are Thor's disciples." And he kissed her, driving his hand into her hair and making her all but forget the storm.
‡ ‡ ‡
By morning the storm had cleared away and the air was fresh and warm; there were puddles yet, and every leaf and structure glistened with raindrops. Roarke came out for breakfast and noted something out of place in his peripheral vision as he started down the veranda. Stopping to look, he found himself grinning at the sight of Christian and Leslie, arm in arm, meandering barefoot through the wet grass of the lawn at the side of the house.
"It appears you've worked your way through another disagreement," he called out.
They stopped and grinned sheepishly at him at the same moment. "You could say we weathered another storm together," Leslie said, evoking a loud groan from Christian. Laughing, she popped a kiss on his cheek and turned to Roarke. "What was that all about last night? It sounded like World War III had started right here on the island. Someone's weather forecast left a lot to be desired."
Roarke smiled apologetically. "Forgive me, child, but it was Athena's doing. She stopped by here long enough yesterday to advise me that she had consulted with various other gods to bring on this storm…apparently to impress a few doubting Thomases. Unfortunately, I never found an opportunity to forewarn you as well."
Leslie smiled. "That's okay. Christian came in and kept me company. He likes these things, believe it or not." She chuckled when Christian shrugged. "You know, I'm not altogether sure we should have breakfast here at home. After our confrontation with Mariki yesterday, there's no telling what we'll find on our plates."
Roarke laughed and observed, "If Mariki hasn't learned her lesson by now, then I daresay there's no hope for her. Why don't you two come up here and we'll find out what sort of mood she's in."
Before Mariki arrived, though, they were visited by Athena, who was in a good mood. "Well," she greeted them brightly, "what did you think of my storm?"
"Very impressive," said Christian. "I admire your efforts."
"You're lucky I didn't die of fright," Leslie contributed darkly.
Athena smirked, looking pleased with herself. "I was hoping for some good reactions. That gives me some idea of what I can expect from my followers." She focused on Christian. "Oh yes...Thor tells me he overheard you reciting some poem or another last night. Said to let you know he appreciates it, and it's nice that someone remembers him after all these centuries." She winked at an astonished Christian and smiled benignly at Roarke. "Well, then, enjoy your breakfast, everyone." She strolled off the porch.
"She…she spoke with Thor?" Christian blurted when he found his voice again.
"Oh, Christian," sighed Leslie. "I can't believe you're still so amazed. Although maybe I shouldn't be, after what you said yesterday about the crime figurehead." She saw Roarke's questioning look and explained hers and Christian's conversation the previous day just after they had left the main house with Athena.
Roarke merely smiled when Christian shot him a "please help me" look. "I seem to recall telling you myself, quite directly, that Teppo had been killed by an ancient Finnish god, and you never batted an eyelash. I thought perhaps it meant that you could take such things in stride, as only an extreme few can do." He considered what Leslie had just said, and the smile grew. "An organized-crime figurehead?"
"The Finnish branch of the Mafia," Leslie said, struggling to keep a straight face.
Christian threw his hands into the air. "Perhaps someday I'll have a good laugh over what you see as my ignorance, but you must forgive me right now. It was the only explanation I could think of, and I didn't want to come across as some ignorant fool who couldn't accept what seemed perfectly normal to you!"
Leslie and Roarke both burst out laughing, and she tipped forward and kissed Christian soundly. "Okay, okay, I'll let you off the hook, my love. I have to give you a lot of credit for trying." She hugged him, and he returned her embrace, finally beginning to laugh himself. "Let's have some breakfast," she suggested, and they all took seats.
They were served by a subdued and completely silent Mariki, who only gave a nod when she was spoken to and wheeled her cart away without looking directly at anyone. "She seems a little beaten down," Christian observed when she was gone.
"Let her be for now," Roarke said. "While I appreciate your concern for her, I'm afraid it's necessary for us to hurry the meal. There is quite a bit to do today."
After breakfast Roarke checked on e-mail and discovered a problem in the system that appeared to originate in the website, so Christian suddenly found himself delving into the problem. With the prince thus safely occupied and very busy, Roarke turned to his daughter and gave her some verbal instructions for the morning's duties. "And while you're at it, try to keep tabs on Athena," he said. "She's had much freer rein than I should have let her have, and I'd feel better if someone kept abreast of her progress. If there seems to be any serious trouble, come and get me. I'll be here until about lunchtime."
Leslie nodded. "Okay, Father. I just hope I can find her." She detoured long enough to distract Christian from the computer problems with a goodbye kiss, then tossed a cheery wave at Roarke and left the house, little knowing what she was going to encounter.