Author's note: Hi guys! First of all I wanted to apologize for this long unwilling break. I've been very very busy and when I haven't been busy with school I just could not find the inspiration.. This is not a very long chapter but I wanted to publish something for you, to show you that I'm absolutely not giving up on this story. I will finish it. Anyway, this one was difficult to write and I really, really hope you'll like it. Please leave a review or send me a pm to let me know what you think about it :)
Enjoy!
"Tamsin, what is the bond?"
Bo's question caused Tamsin to stop breathing momentarily. Her heart started beating faster and she knew neither what to say nor where to point her gaze.
Realizing that her question embarrassed the Valkyrie, Bo quickly added: "Look, Tamsin, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it, I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable, I shouldn't have asked. I'm..."
"It's just that I don't even know how to answer that question, Bo," the blonde cut her off, looking like she was lost in thoughts.
The brunette examined the other woman's pensive face for a second. "How's that?" she finally asked very calmly, as if she was afraid she might scare the Valkyrie.
The blonde turned her head to look at the Succubus and sighed. "I guess you'll learn about it one day or another so I'd rather be the one to tell you about it now." She paused a second before continuing. "A Valkyrie's bond is… is like a legend to Valkyries, literally a myth to us, a mystery if you prefer." She stopped again, wondering what to say next.
Bo had many more questions in her head that she wanted to ask but did not say anything, so as not to put any pressure on the other woman and allow her to explain herself. Tamsin took a deep breath and spoke again.
"You know that we, Valkyries, are created for war. We follow orders, we lead armies, we fight, we kill, and we do all of that over and over again. But sometimes… Rarely, well apparently, once in her many lives, a Valkyrie can find someone, a warrior more precisely, and bond with her or him," she finished, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding since she had started speaking about the subject.
"How does it work? I mean how can you bond with this person? Is there a ceremony to do or something," the brunette asked, unable to stay silent anymore.
Tamsin let out a chuckle. "No, it's not like a wedding or anything like that. A Valkyrie doesn't choose who she bonds with... It just happens like that. However, the bond practically never happens, because the connection between the two has to be incredibly strong. The Valkyrie has to..." She cleared her throat. "Hmm, she... she has to be in love with the warrior."
Silence filled the room. Bo suddenly couldn't talk. All the questions in her head suddenly disappeared only to be replaced by more. 'Falling in love is rare for them but… but Tamsin said she was in love with me... What does it mean?'
Seeing that Bo wasn't going to speak, the blonde decided to explain more.
"This is why the bond is a simple legend, because Valkyries… we see love as a weakness so we never get too close to anyone, ever." The blonde gulped and added in a whisper that Bo almost didn't catch, "At least, that's what we're supposed to do."
Bo felt terribly nervous about her next question and for a few seconds, she wondered if she should ask it. Eventually she decided she had to if she ever wanted to settle things between her and the other Fae.
"I… um I have a question but if you don't want to answer, I'll understand, okay?"
Tamsin frowned but nodded.
"Okay so… If a Valkyrie has to fall in love in order to bond with the... warrior... um... Does this mean that... you bonded with me? I mean, you did tell me you loved me a few days ago so, did you bond with me?"
Bo had never felt so nervous in her entire life. She was so afraid of the way Tamsin might react, as she knew very well that the other woman wasn't the type of person to speak openly about herself and even less about her feelings. Bo was terrified that the Valkyrie might run away again and leave her, all alone, the very moment she needed her the most. The moment when she finally realized what she wanted in her life. Tamsin. She wanted Tamsin, she wanted to be with her, to talk to her, to spend time with her. She couldn't lose the Valkyrie, she was not ready to let her go, not without trying everything in her power.
After what felt like an eternity to Bo, the blonde finally answered.
"Honestly, I have no idea. I don't know how this bonding thing works. What does it mean? What does it imply? What are the consequences? No one really knows. Apparently if a warrior and a Valkyrie bond together, they become more powerful than any other Fae. However, like I said, the bond is a legend, I've never met anyone who actually bonded with a warrior, all I've heard is rumors. Nothing concrete. So, I don't know. The only thing I know is that when a Valkyrie starts bonding to someone, it's unstoppable. But, if what I've heard is true, the bond is a one-way street, in that the warrior can choose if they want to be with the Valkyrie or not. That's his or her choice to make. But when the warrior has chosen, there's no turning back."
"Wow that seems like a huge thing, right?" the brunette responded, totally amazed and impressed by the entire story she had just heard.
"It is indeed," the Valkyrie said seriously, hoping that would put an end to the intense talk.
The succubus however couldn't stop replaying in her head everything that had been said, and a question popped up in her mind all of a sudden.
"What happens to the Valkyrie if the warrior declines the bond? Can that just stop the process?" she wondered.
"No, like I said, there's no turning back, no one and nothing can stop the bonding process."
"So what happens to the Valkyrie?"
"Well, she is still bonded to the warrior, even if the bond isn't complete so… I guess she has to live the rest of her life in love but alone."
"What? But that's awful! No one can live like that, and no one should! Tamsin, how can we know if you started bonding with me? What if when I rejected you I've cursed you or something? What are we gonna do if…"
"Whoa calm down, I'm here, alright? I don't know if I started bonding with you, so let's just live our lives, and enjoy our fresh start without thinking anymore about this stupid creepy legend, okay?," she finished gently, trying to calm down an increasingly panicked Bo. She didn't even notice that she had unconsciously placed her hand on Bo's knee when trying to reassure her.
She froze when she realized her position and tried to quickly withdraw her hand in an attempt to avoid an awkward situation but was stopped by Bo delicately laying her own hand over hers. The blonde blushed slightly and they both looked at each other before the brunette smiled gently and said, "Thank you. For everything. I'm glad you told me about what I have to admit is a pretty crazy legend."
They both let out a chuckle.
"You're welcome," Tamsin replied softly.
When their hand holding became a little too weird, Bo cleared her throat and got up from the bed, causing Tamsin to immediately miss the contact.
"I think someone is very impatient to see you," the Succubus changed the subject.
"Who?" the blonde asked intrigued.
"Oh you know, just a tiny little Russian who is probably eating and drinking everything she can find in the kitchen as we speak."
"Kenzi's here? Seriously?!"
"You sound surprised," the brunette let out a chuckle. "Actually she left Spain as soon as I called her, after you left the clubhouse. She was worried, and she cares about you more than you know," Bo explained with a smile.
Tamsin didn't say anything and just smiled back. It was crazy how much she could love this human, she was definitely unique.
"So where is that annoying human?" Kenzi suddenly heard from downstairs. She jumped a little, surprised, and turned her head only to see her favorite Valkyrie descending the stairs. She was still feeble and moving with difficulty, immediately followed by Bo who was obviously worried that Tamsin might take a tumble.
The little goth got up from the couch and went to hug the person she considered her best friend. She wanted to hug her tightly but was careful not to hurt the blonde by pressing on her bruises.
"What are you doing up? Last time I checked on you, you looked awful," she said sarcastically.
"I tried to make her stay in bed but she's too stubborn to listen!," Bo chimed in.
"That's because I am not an invalid, thank you very much! And it's nice to see you too, Kenz," she laughed.
"Good to see you too, blondie. I missed you," Kenzi responded sincerely and hugged her again.
Knowing that the two needed to talk alone, Bo decided to excuse herself.
"I gotta go to the precinct and Dyson, I have to tell him that you are okay and apparently he needs me for a new case or something. I'll be back in an hour or so, see you two later!" she said before grabbing her jacket and her car keys and ran out, leaving Kenzi and Tamsin alone to talk.
"So how are you doing T-sin?" the short brunette asked the Valkyrie as soon as she heard the door closing behind Bo.
"I'm good," the Valkyrie replied lowering her eyes. Becoming increasingly aware of the little brunette's accusing glare she looked up at her again and sighed. "Honestly Kenz, I'm good. The real question is what are you doing here? Has something happened in Spain or whatever?"
"Uh-uh, no way you can just change the subject like that! And I'm here for you, you idiot. I came as soon as Bo called me."
Tamsin just frowned.
"She called me... after you... you ran away and she sounded pretty worried and devastated," Kenzi continued, feeling her throat tightening instantly as she remembered how Bo's words had impacted her.
Seeing how Kenzi suddenly looked sad even if she tried to hide it, only made Tamsin frown harder and wrap her arms around the other woman. Kenzi immediately returned the hug, and gripped the blonde as if she was afraid she could vanish at any moment.
"I'm sorry I scared you Kenz, I didn't mean to," Tamsin whispered in the brunette's ear, before quickly pecking the top side of her momz head.
After a minute of just enjoying each other's presence, Kenzi finally ended the hug. "Hey it's not your fault, but I'm so glad to see you."
"I am too, Kenz," she replied earnestly. Indeed, ever since Kenzi had gone to Spain, Tamsin felt as if a piece of her was missing. The two girls shared a special connection, something that the blonde had never encountered even after living her many lifetimes, and especially with a human. Kenzi was her best friend, her confidant, her drinking buddy, she made her feel safe and free at the same time. Tamsin was not ashamed to admit that the little brunette had changed her considerably. The blonde was finally able to enjoy life again, and to let herself feel all sorts of emotions, to feel love and care again. She owed Kenzi her life, she was thankful to have her, especially after the human took care of her and protected her after her rebirth.
Noticing how the Valkyrie seemed lost in her thoughts, looking almost sad, Kenzi tried to gain her attention. "Tamsin? Are you okay?" she asked quietly.
And that was all it took for Tamsin to finally let it all out. She looked up at the shorter woman and blinked a few times, trying to push back the tears that were now freely running down her cheeks. She has been holding back those tears since from the moment she woke up and now she needed to let them out. She felt safe with Kenzi and knew that she was probably the only person who would be able to comfort her, even if just a little.
"I told her, Kenz... I told her everything. I opened my heart for her! I shared my most intimate feelings with her. I told her that… that I loved her. I was so nervous but also so happy to finally tell her," she cracked out a small sad smile. "I was so, so stupid Momz…. She broke me, she rejected me and it hurt me so bad... I could literally feel my heart breaking into thousands of pieces."
The blonde was sobbing so hard that Kenzi thought her legs were about to give way, so she rushed to hug the Valkyrie again and support her.
Then she took the blonde's face between her hands, softly caressing her cheeks before looking into her eyes and speaking firmly. "You are not stupid, Tamsin. You are the exact opposite. I'm proud of you, you hear me? I'm proud because you finally told her what you have been trying to keep buried inside you for months and months. You are one of the bravest people I've ever met."
She took the Fae in her arms again and let her cry on her shoulder for what felt like hours, simply caressing her back and whispering soft words of comfort in her ear. She had never seen Tamsin like this, so broken. And it broke her too, but despite everything there was one thing she was absolutely sure of: "T-sin, everything is going to be okay."
Author's note: I hope you enjoyed it ! Thank you for still reading this, for the follows/favorites and of course the reviews. It keep me motivated. Thanks.