The roof of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense was vast and currently covered in a thin layer of snow. It had been a cold week and the dark clouds that had hung low over the city had recently decided to sprinkle the area with frozen precipitation. A dark sky sprinkled with stars greeted the trio as they opened the thick steel door that led out onto the expanse. A full moon complimented the sky, glowing eerily. It was chill, but the Valkyrie's eyes lit up and she ruffled her feathers in pleasure as she followed Nuada out into the open. Nuala came after her.
The city could be seen sprawled around them to the north, east, and west, but behind the bureau lay a dense forest filled with tall, looming trees. The wood stretched out as far as the eye could see and ended at the horizon where a large hill blocked their view.
"This is better," the Valkyrie murmured as she walked slowly out onto the middle of the roof. Nuada watched her carefully, but did not expect her to try to fly off. He and Nuala had cast intricate spells around the bureau to prevent her from escaping and he sensed that she knew about them—at moments she would pause and tilt her head as if suddenly catching an unknown scent and she would raise her hand hesitantly as if she thought she could touch it. He knew Valkyries were highly skilled at sensing magic, and had no doubt that she knew she was earthbound by a spell.
"Does he know you're here or do you need to call him?" Nuala asked politely. The Valkyrie, gazing up at the sky, merely smiled.
"He knows," she said simply. Nuada looked uneasy, and kept his hand on his spear.
"No tricks, Valkyrie," he warned. She made no reply.
After a moment, there was a gradual shift in the air that both Nuada and Nuala sensed acutely. The far off beating of great wings could be heard in the distance, but the sound seemed to come from a dream. The twins decided to just look in the direction the Valkyrie was facing, for she seemed to know which direction the sound was coming from. Nuada paused in scanning the empty sky for a moment to look at her.
Her wings were almost fully open—a rather alarming sight, for they were easily fourteen feet across—and a look of anxious anticipation was washing over her face. Her yellow eyes seemed to burn in the darkness and her lips were parted slightly to reveal her pointed fangs. She seemed tense, but not uncomfortable.
A loud braying ripped through the air and Nuada whipped his head back up to the sky.
An enormous black horse, far larger than any of the horses Nuada had ever seen in his lifetime, was bearing down on them with startling speed. It was wingless, but flew through the air weightlessly on ebony hooves that beat the wind as if it were tangible. Its long mane and tail were white and glowed with an unearthly sheen, a glow that matched its white eyes. It reached the roof and descended gracefully until it was in front of the Valkyrie, whose eyes were glimmering with tears.
"Venir," she whispered as she stepped up to it, "how I have missed you, my friend." She wrapped her arms around its heavily muscled neck and buried her face in its mane. It snorted happily and swished its tail, sending up some of the snow that lay on the rooftop. Its glaring white eyes rolled in its head as it turned to look at Nuada and Nuala, who hadn't moved since the creature's arrival. The Valkyrie sensed this and looked at them as well.
"He is very happy," she smiled, "but he wishes to know why you stole me away," she finished, stroking his side. She did not look upset in any way, and didn't even look as though she wished to know the answer to the question. Her face was blazing with happiness and her eyes were alight with joy. It was obvious she only cared about the creature she was embracing, and it was obvious that it was protective of her. It kept casting both Nuada and Nuala hostile looks and pawed the ground.
"Please, we did not steal her," Nuala answered tentatively, taking a step forward. The giant horse stomped the ground in dissatisfaction and made a low, frustrated sound.
"It is not that way to him," the Valkyrie said, still stroking his neck, "He considers it as taking away something that was once there, and not supposed to be taken. Even I do not fully know the extent of my capture. All I remember is riding into battle and then suddenly a great blackness washed over me. I awoke in the room with the painting of the two First Ones, and that is all." She seemed to be talking to both Venir and the twins.
"We found you on this roof," Nuada said. "You were unconscious, as though you had fallen from a great height. We knew little about Valkyries, and decided to hold you until we knew more about your kind. We did not mean to steal you."
Venir looked a little more pacified at the prince's statement. The Valkyrie smiled.
"He forgives you. We, too, understand the need for knowledge and the drive of curiosity. He is merely glad I was not harmed, although I have already assured him that it would have been impossible."
Nuada raised an eyebrow at this, but both the horse and the Valkyrie missed the expression.
"I will talk with him now," the Valkyrie said softly, running her fingers through the horse's silky mane. "We have much to discuss."
"Very well," Nuada replied. He considered adding that she only had an hour to spend, but thought against it. He knew that if he had been parted with Nuala for several days, he would appreciate as much time as he could get upon their re-acquaintance. Nuala sensed this and touched him on the shoulder.
"Let us leave them alone," she said quietly, looking into Nuada's eyes. "I believe she would do the same for us."
xXxXxXxXx
I spoke softly with Venir for the whole allotted hour while the twins stood a respectful distance away on the bureau's rooftop. He informed me of a great many things; apparently he and my sisters had spent weeks without me, even though I had only been gone a few days. We came to the conclusion that I must have fallen through a realm-rift and ended up on the human plane. They were rare in my time, but we Valkyries had heard of them happening before. Venir also explained to me that he knew where the realm-rift was, and that was how he had been able to locate me. It was a mere hour's flight north, and he was ready to bring me back home.
"Nay, drút," I said quietly, looking into the beast's white eyes, "I shall stay with these people, and perhaps learn what I can from them. Thus far they are proving very interesting objects of study, especially the taller pale elf standing yonder. There is something specific about him that I cannot place, but I find him more captivating than the rest. I plan on furthering my observations and acquiring more knowledge about him. If it is not too much to ask, I will return with you in a few more days."
Venir, although disappointed that I was not going to be leaving with him directly, agreed to my decision. He also declared his interest in the surrounding woods, and was eager to explore them. I was glad that he had something to interest him while I concluded my own research, and parted with him soon after.
I watched him leap into the sky and disappear among the tops of the trees. I smiled and turned to my companions, who had been watching with avid interest.
"I am done," I said.
xXxXxXxXx
Nuada was in his meditation room. He had been there for the better part of four hours, sitting in the exact same position in the center of the floor. The round room was illuminated only by a few sparse candles set about the walls and cast long flickering shadows over Nuada's still form. He was wearing his traditional loose black pants complete with a black silk sash—his upper half was devoid of clothing.
His eyes were closed, but he did not see darkness behind them. The face of Valkyrie stood out sharp and vivid against the shadows, pale and brilliant. She was smiling calmly, her bright yellow eyes alight and gleaming. That was all he had been focusing on, the image of her face. She was such a mystery to him, such a puzzling being. One moment her expression conveyed intense aggression and in another the sweetest tranquility. He could not stop remembering the wave of emotions that washed over her face when they were on the rooftop—when she had first seen the great horse, absolute serenity had passed across her features and Nuada had found himself deeply moved by it.
He opened his bright orange eyes and smiled slightly in the darkness.