Chapter 6-
'Reunion'
Ragnarok is Coming...
Liogoo knew she was in trouble. If not for the look in his eyes, then it was the chill in her bones. Her mind was too fuzzy to contemplate much, nevermind the man that stood above her.
She closed her eyes, her breaths came in short rasps as cold air claimed her bare flesh. With effort, Liogoo managed to shift into her human form. Every muscle in her body began shivering uncontrollably. Opening her eyes, she saw Tannis, the man who had just saved her. He wore a large, heavy, white cloak with dark splats as water droplets fell off his stark black hair and onto the material. Unfocusing her vision, Liogoo took in her surroundings.
They were on a small shore and behind Tannis she could see an overflow of towering vegetation; a forest. If she was to guess, Liogoo would say they weren't actually that far from The Edge. Before she had near frozen to death, they had been making steady progress and would have arrived before sunset.
Now, Liogoo had no idea where Avrid even was. He could have gone on without her not noticing she wasn't in the waves beneath him, he could even be at the Edge already.
Shivering and bare, Liogoo pulled herself up and, using her essence, willed the wind around her to warm, but it wasn't much use; the air was too fridged. She scowled at Tannis as he turned away from her and jogged into the forest and away from the beach. Moments later he came out with a large leaf, almost the size of her entire body. Liogoo let out a small bitter chuckle.
"Seriously? A leaf?" She mocked, raising her eyebrows and looking pointedly at Tannis.
Avoiding looking at Liogoo's general vicinity, Tannis shrugged. "At least use it to cover yourself."
Grumbling, Liogoo stood and snatched the leaf from him. Its veins were bumpy and, she could almost imagine how pathetic she looked holding the thick stalk trying to cover as much as she could.
Tannis was a man Liogoo knew well, they had grown up together. He was a brother of a brother to her family's court and so, as a royal, they had grown up playing and were close friends, he too was a Siren.
When they were younger, Tannis was skinny and lanky with a bruise on almost every visible part of his skin. He had a squeaky voice and was overly sensitive to the point his parents had once wondered if there was something wrong with him. In front of Liogoo now, he was no longer her Tannis.
He had muscles she could make out even behind the cover of his cloak. Although he was still visibly rather tall, he had somehow grown into himself; no longer looking like some god had stretched him at birth. He reminded her now of a great oak tree. Strong, sturdy, and confident: not her Tannis.
He stood in the colour of her mother's royal guard, the same royal guard that was sent to recover Liogoo. It was not a fate she had expected her best friend would take. To become another one of her mother's lapdogs, although it did not surprise her; Tannis had a thirst for adventure much the same as Liogoo. He had always been handsome in her eyes, but then it had been a delicate beauty. One that not many could see, but it was in the bright blue of his eyes and the small contours of his face that gave him his attraction. By now he was no doubt married. A small sliver in Liogoo's heart ached at the thought but she pushed such emotions away and focused on her anger at him.
Tannis was supposed to be her friend, not sworn to her mother, and therefore, sworn to find and bring Liogoo back to a kingdom she did not wish to rule. He knew of this, it was the reason she was so furious at him. Liogoo had never made it a secret how little she wanted to be the next ruler in the watery kingdom. Yet, Tannis had sworn his soul away to do her mother's bidding which happened to be caging Liogoo in her own hell.
Tannis seemed ignorant of her anger. "You know why I am here?"
Liogoo pressed her lips together and had to physically restrain herself from saying something very vulgarly and rude.
"Of course." She smiled back bitterly. "So you may as well leave empty-handed. I am not about to be lugged like some prize back to Nidavellir."
Suddenly, Liogoo's sensitive ears picked up the familiar sound of strong beating wings, as did Tannis, and he looked to the sky to see a Night Fury soaring towards them. A smug smile replaced her bitter one. Liogoo's heart fluttered in anticipation at what Tannis' reaction would be to Avrid.
Quietly he moved to block Liogoo's body from the Night Fury as if he was scared Liogoo would be unable to protect herself. As it descended onto the beach in a whirlwind of sand, she could barely see past Tannis's tall frame.
Avrid, donned in his signature black attire, slid off Toothless and Liogoo could see Tannis' shoulders tense; ready in case either dragon or man decided to attack. Liogoo tried to see Avrid as Tannis possibly saw him now.
A black cloak that swirled and swiped around in the singing wind with the hilt of a blade poking out from beneath as if demanding attention. Avrid had always held an aura of something about him, before, Liogoo had once thought it was a mysteriousness that he had intended or even an intentional dangerous look. As she knew him now, Liogoo saw it was a mask of some sort. Something he used that veiled whatever he hid and it made him look unpredictable, menacing, and dangerous. Black gloved hands reached up to pull down his hood revealing a furious face as he looked over to Liogoo. A small telling of a tattoo curled around the base of his left ear, jaw, and down his neck. Even without having seen it herself, Liogoo knew the tattoo went further than that.
Although Tannis did not have a weapon to fight this stranger and the dragon he had tamed he was prepared to flee to the frigid waters if that is what he needed to do to keep the princess safe.
"Do you know this man Liogoo, or do you want me to kill him for his arrogance to leave you naked while he wears a bedsheet?" Avrid sneered. Liogoo could hear the anger in his voice as he took in the pathetic leaf she used.
Growling, Tannis crossed his arms. "I have come in the name of Queen Lael Forgenni Huil who has summoned her daughter back to the palace to take her rightful place as Princess to become Queen. If you refuse this then you make an enemy out of the Queen, so I suggest that you get back on your dragon and leave, Gúigráìn."
A tense silence followed as Avrid stood still and Tannis watched the other man wearily. There was no doubt Tannis knew he could not fight this man. Not only was there a Night Fury at his right but the way he stood made Tannis nervous of him.
Tannis knew exactly who this was, he was a sight many were either familiar with or warned of. Avrid Gúigráìn Oläńń, a simple human but a Kohuru to the Radox and one with a reputation. In his eyes, Tannis did not understand how a human with no advantages was able to not only be accepted by Radox, but become one of the most feared warriors they ever had.
He hoped that Avrid would take his warning and not call his bluff. Finally, Avrid's mouth broke into a smile and he let out a grumbling fake laugh; this only put Tannis' nerves into even more of a flurry.
"Your queen calls her daughter, but does her daughter want to return? I suppose if you have come like a hound to fetch her then she does not. I can assure you taking this woman without her consent is not something that you will achieve. There have been many before you that have tried, but I suppose I need not tell you they didn't succeed." Toothless let out a taunting grumble.
"I suggest that you move so I can give the princess something to wear." Without an answer, Avrid walked to Lioggo, shoved past Tannis and took off his own cloak. He wrapped it around her still shivering body before turning to Tannis again.
"Why does her majesty request Liogoo?" Avrid questioned the guard as he crossed his arms. Toothless glared at Tannis with slitted eyes and began circling the three of them murderously, even to Liogoo, who knew next to nothing about dragons, saw it was clearly a warning.
Gulping, Tannis tried to ignore the menacing beast.
"The queen requests Princess Hild because she is dying and in need of a successor."
Tannis' face was set in an irritated frown, he did not like nor trust Avrid and was certainly not about to tell the man of the frightful situation of his court. Although, it was true and if the crown did not fall to Liogoo's head then another would claim the throne and that other was not someone anyone wished to be king.
Irritated that she was being spoken of as if she wasn't there, Liogoo let out an exasperated sigh.
"If you wouldn't mind me interrupting, I would like to make it clear to you Tannis, that I am no longer Princess of the watery kingdom. I have joined Radox and I intend to stay loyal there."
Tannis nodded his head in acknowledgement but looked conflicted. "Rumors of such a thing had carried and if so, then the queen requested your services as a asks that you find a suitable heir to her throne in hopes that you can make the right decision as Miko, son of Huilson is the rightful heir but not a favourable one."
Liogoo knew exactly who Miko was: a man of greed and without vision. He would destroy the kingdom and wage wars that he could not win but it did not sway her decision.
"Well if you have a request with Radox then you should go to a First, but don't hold your breath. Your kingdom is on the very bottom of their agenda; or have you not heard? Loki is on the run and he is our main priority." Liogoo spoke with acid in her voice and she watched as Tannis grew even more frustrated. He raked a hand through his wet hair and exhaled sharply.
Although he tried to keep a political attitude he felt as if he was losing the battle. With an Elder of the Radox backing her up, Tannis didn't have high hopes of persuading Liogoo to do anything with him around.
"I have news Princess Hild, that may sway you but I cannot say in the company of another who isn't of the royal court."
Tannis looked suggestively at Avrid. Although she didn't think Tannis would attempt to just grab her and run, Liogoo wasn't sure whether she wanted to be left alone with him.
"I'll call if he attempts anything." Liogoo nodded at Avrid, she knew that if Tannis wouldn't say whatever it was out in the open then it was something of importance.
Taking the hint, Avrid and Toothless simultaneously began walking further down the beach. When they were a safe distance away Liogoo looked back to Tannis.
"Speak." She snapped. She did not care for what Tannis had to say and would rather he just hurried it up. Although Avrid's cloak was warm and soft against her bare skin and covered every inch of her in dark, black fabric; Liogoo would rather not have to stand naked in the view of anyone. She also hated the idea of Avrid thinking she was a burden with her past catching up to her.
"Your kingdom is in ruins. People are rebelling against your mother everyday and we suspect her illness was not a coincidence."
"Someone poisoned her?" Liogoo asked in surprise.
"It is what we suspect. The people of the kingdom do not accept your mother's rule, especially without a king. They think she is unfit for the crown because she is a woman and a widow."
"Then why does she not just marry again? I know my mother, she would have no quarrels with re-marrying." It was true, Liogoo knew her mother was not exactly a white dove and had in the past seeked out the company of many males after her father had died.
Tannis tilted his head and grimaced. "There have been no proposals of marriage, no one wants your mother on the throne; no matter if it would make them king. She needs you to come home."
Liogoo clenched her jaw. "I'm not coming back, you don't understand, Radox is my home now. When you return, tell my mother that she needs to forget about me coming to save her because it will never happen."
"So you will just leave everyone to the fate of Miko? That is selfish and cowardly of you."
"Watch your tongue." Despite knowing he was speaking the truth, Liogoo still refused to believe it was her responsibility to solve her mother's problems. "
What about my sisters? They are just as fit to rule as I?"
"Really?" It was his turn to mock. "You think Ara or Jyno could run a kingdom? Ara spends her days as a lovesick teenager going after any male that gives her attention and Jyno does not have a touch of the leadership that you possess."
"Remember your place guard, that 'lovesick teenager' is still your princess." Liogoo snapped.
"You prove me right! You were born to rule, to be queen. Why can't you accept this and save us all?" Tannis sounded exasperated but this was nothing she hadn't heard before. Throughout the four years Liogoo had been a Kohuru, she had bumped into many of her mother's Royal Guards and each of them pleaded with her the same thing.
Shaking her head, Liogoo ran her hands through her hair. It was mostly dry now and the wind whipped the strands in her face. She was exhausted of this part of her life constantly dragging her down. Exhausted of the countless guards that had been sent to bring her back. She sighed and put her palms over her eyes, willing Tannis to just disappear and leave Liogoo and Avrid to their mission.
"Why did you leave?" Tannis murmured.
Liogoo sighed. It was best to tell him what he didn't want to hear. "The life that was planned for me was not going to work. I would be miserable. I had nothing there that needed me and although the crown needs me now I cannot go. I am a Graduate in Radox. I am a Kohuru."
"You had me." He said quietly. "We were together when you left, do you not remember? Do you feel no remorse for abandoning what we had?" Hurt flashed in his eyes and guilt ate at Liogoo's heart.
"It was not enough." She pretended to admit.
Liogoo was aware of the pain she caused Tannis by simply dismissing what they were but if he hated her then why would he drag her back? She needed Tannis to hate her, to forget her and then perhaps her responsibilities would follow. Fury replaced his pain and Tannis tensed his jaw.
He spoke bitterly "And he is? Gúigráìn, is he your man now?"
Liogoo contemplated lying and saying yes and she nearly smiled simply at the idea of it, but thought better of it. There was no doubt Avrid could hear everything they said.
"No. Merely a friend." Liogoo avoided his sour stare.
"The sun is going down and the waters are too cold to travel, I will stay with you if you allow it until the sun rises again." He spoke coldly but Liogoo ignored her guilt and cleared her throat.
"I think it's best you leave the way you came. I can cast a temporary Rune to keep you warm until you reach home."
"You can do Essence Magic?"
"Of course. Every Kohuru can."
He nodded knowingly. Liogoo understood why he had asked. The Sirens hated Essence Magic and instead were like the Elven folk; they believed in summoning power from nature. At first Liogoo had been the same and vowed that she would choose to not study it when the time came, but she grew to love it. To love the power tapping into her Essence gave.
"I won't leave without you. If that means to follow whatever murderous path you seem to have chosen, then so be it. I have promised my queen to bring you back and I will not break that promise."
"You hardly think you can come with me? With Avrid?"
"I will not hide my… aversion to your choice in mates, but I believe I can follow you and while I do, possibly save your soul from the black path you have chosen."
Liogoo rolled her eyes. Some thought the Kohuru were cruel and murderous. People without souls and mercy and killed because they could. Those people would never be able to see the Radox for what it was.
"He is not my mate and he will not allow you to come to Midgard. Not only do you have no idea how to realm travel, but this is Radox business and has nothing to do with the Sirens"
Tannis put his hands behind his back and shrugged, "then I shall request to speak to the Radox and when they tell me that I have no business coming along then I will stay away, but as you said, you are a Graduate. From my knowledge, and correct me if I'm wrong, but a Graduate has only just passed Initiation?"
Liogoo pursed her lips. She wondered how he even knew so much about Radox in the first place but he was indeed right. Liogoo had no authority to make Tannis leave and if she was caught to have ignored the Siren Queen because she simply didn't want to deal with it, Liogoo would end up in big shit with the Elders. But then again, Avrid was an Elder. If he ignored Tannis, then so could she.
"Yes, unfortunately your right. I can't make you do anything, but Avrid can." She smiled at Tannis' confused stare.
"Avrid?"
"Oh yes" she feigned innocence. "Avrid is an Elder and correct me if I'm wrong. His word, I think if I'm getting my facts right, is indeed law. At least when I'm concerned. And know that I say this with regret, but he has specifically requested that I go with him on this mission; after all I am his partner Kohuru." Liogoo smirked at her lie. Tannis didn't have to know Avrid had barely let her come along.
"What is wrong?" Avrid's voice from behind her startled Liogoo and she cursed his ability to make his footsteps silent.
"Nothing. I was about to send Tannis on his way and then we can go again. We aren't very far from The Edge are we?"
Avrid shook his head, "No not at all."
Tannis took this as his sign to leave and began walking to the sea.
"Tell me this, Siren. Will you stay away?" Avrid called to him.
Tannis turned to look at Avrid. He stared at him for a while, then answered.
"Never." He declared.
"Well then, you can come with us, Toothless and I are invested to hear how you will convince Liogoo to go with you." He said casually and then hopped on Toothless.
"We go now and make it to The Edge before night. Cast a rune on him Liogoo and let's not waste any more time."
Liogoo was cast utterly dumbstruck but before she could say a word he took off into the sky and slowly continued on. She looked to Tannis who looked equally confused. Liogoo all but stomped over to Tannis and glared at him in anger.
"Give me your arm." She barked.
"Liogoo, I-"
"Give me your arm." She interrupted fiercely. Complying, Tannis held out his arm and watched in mixed disgust and wonder as Liogoo began chanting foreign words. As she did so, a pale purple substance stemmed from her palms and began circling around his wrist. When she was finished Tannis could already feel the cold wind turning warm. Liogoo glared at him angrily, then continued to stomp into the waters casting the same rune on herself seconds before she hit the water.
Following her quietly Tannis changed silently and continued to follow Liogoo through the now warm waters. Although Tannis was curious and, even though he would never admit it, slightly excited, he expected this 'mission' of theirs to be a swim in the corals. However he did not expect what was to come.
...oOo…
Astrid awoke to soft sheets and the morning light trickling in through an uncovered window. Shedding herself of the remaining glimpses of sleep, her eyes stayed shut as she soaked in the warmth of the covers before blue eyes opened to the glow of the sun's rays. For a blissful moment Astrid enjoyed the empty silence. The sound of absolute peace, but then a door opened and reality plummeted back unforgivably.
"You must get up, sleeping beauty." Came a familiar voice.
Astrid's heart stopped dead. She flung herself up and whipped her head over the back of the sofa.
"Heather?" Her voice came out in a shocked whisper.
Astrid had to blink a few times just to make sure she wasn't still asleep, but sure enough, no more than a few strides away stood the only person Astrid would be happy to see in this cruel place.
Heather. Although the girl was more of a nuisance than an actual person, Heather had been there for Astrid as the two spent day after day in that damp dungeon. She had been the only source of decent human interaction Astrid had. There had been times though, Astrid had thought Heather was simply just a figment of her imagination. That some part of her subconscious deemed the lonely silence of a dungeon was too much to bear so she had conjured up a friend to talk to. Yet here she stood, Heather in all her agitating glory.
Heather set down a tray Astrid hadn't noticed she'd been holding and came over to Astrid. She reached out and pulled the soft blanket off the sofa and began to fold it.
"Drago has requested you join him for tonight's dinner, so it's time you had a bath."
"How are you here? Is this what happens after the Hospitium? Have you seen anyone else?" Astrid threw questions at her but Heather just ignored them and gestured to the bathroom.
"Bath. Now."
Sighing, Astrid scrunched her face at the girl and trudged over to the bathroom. She didn't know what Heather expected her to do in there as the bath was actually bone dry, but she suspected it was to just shut Astrid up.
As Heather did whatever she was doing, Astrid opened cupboards and drawers looking for something she might use as a weapon. Even though Astrid didn't want to harm Heather, if she was all that stood in her way of escape then Astrid would do what she needed to do.
There was a small cabinet under a wash bowl so she knelt and opened it. Inside there was a varied selection of combs and brushes that looked way too expensive for their purpose. Next to them were all sorts of coloured, different sized cork-screwed bottles. Curious, Astrid picked one up and popped off the cork, the smell that erupted was sensational. It was like someone had managed to trap the smell of wildflowers and summer rain all into a glass bottle. She pulled out another and another, bewildered at the different smells that overwhelmed her.
Setting each one back carefully, she ended up keeping the first bottle and set it on the surface above her, in the wash bowl. She rummaged about for a little while more but came up empty and ended up taking a wooden comb. It wasn't that much of a weapon but if she snapped some of the bristles off and got creative then it could do some damage.
Finished, Astrid stood and scanned around her. Apart from the cabinet she had just been in, everything else was more or less completely empty. At the base of the bath was a small box with a soft looking cushion on top, really it was just what Astrid would call a 'fancy seat'. Everything in the castle was fancy and rich, like Drago was somehow trying to impress people but the only people that seemed to live here were stolen villagers.
Astrid sighed and went to wait on the seat for Heather, still holding the glass bottle of smelling stuff in one hand and a comb in the other. In Berk no one really cared very much about what they smelled like, in fact men only took a bath every moon or so and women about once a week. When she thought about it, Astrid didn't even think she had ever used a brush; she knew what it was but had never used one.
Putting the handle of the comb between her teeth, Astrid popped the cork off the bottle again, closed her eyes and took a huge breath in, enjoying the sweet, bitter smell. She smiled and carefully put the lid on and set it on the floor. She waited for Heather and started tapping her fingers on her knee.
Not too long later, Heather walked in through the open door carrying the same tray she had before. Now, Astrid could see there was a line of precious jewels and diamonds lined up meticulously. Intrigued, she set the brush down, stood and went to lift a particularly beautiful diamond necklace to admire it but Heather slapped her hand away. Astrid frowned and crossed her arms in annoyance but Heather simply ignored Astrid and walked to the bath. She set the tray down at the seat Astrid had been sitting on.
Heather spotted the glass bottle Astrid had taken. She lifted it and looked closely at the small bit of paper that had been wrapped around the circumference of it. Astrid had thought it was only a decorative add on but Heather sememed to find it rather interesting.
"Mhmm, lavender and honey-rose" she smiled and looked to Astrid "good choice."
Heather then opened and emptied the entire container into the large empty tub. Astrid's heart sank and she ran to the cupboards and searched frantically for any sort of fabric. She threw open drawers and doors, frustrated she couldn't find a single piece of cloth. Heather watched in confusion as Astrid ripped a piece of fabric from the bottom of her gown and threw it into the tub.
"What are you doing?"
Astrid glared at Heather and snatched the bottle off her, trying carefully to drop the liquid back into its container. Unexplainable anger surged in Astrid as she meticulously made sure every drop went back.
"It's bath foam, you're meant to use it in the bath." Heather explained, confused at Astrid's anger. She pulled the cloth off Astrid with ease and emptied the contents back into the bath, again.
Astrid glowered at Heather who shook her head. "Don't be so stupid. You will use it for the bath and that's it. Now, take that gown off, the other maids will be here with warm water anytime now and stop being so childish."
Astrid felt like slapping the girl but the small voice in the back of her head knew it would just make Heather even more annoyed. So, instead she untied her garment from the back and let it slip down her bare skin. She welcomed the cold gust of wind to her flustered body
Sure enough, maids walked through the doors holding big buckets of steaming water and started dumping them into the tub. As soon as the water hit the bath foam its aroma filled every particle in the room. When the tub was filled one last maid walked in holding a square object that appeared to be wrapped in parchment paper. Heather saw it and frowned.
"Not in here! The steam will ruin the silk! Dear Gods, do I have to do everything myself?" She ushered the maid out the room and instructed her to leave it on the bed.
Astrid stood with her arms crossed over her chest, suddenly self conscious. Before, Astrid loved her body and with good right too, she had worked very hard to build and tone her body. Now, she was sure she looked no better than a skeleton, especially compared to some of the other girls that had walked in. Heather ordered Astrid to get in the tub and she gratefully obeyed.
The water was gloriously warm and Astrid inhaled the strong smell of the sweet aroma. She closed her eyes and let her body completely dissolve in bliss, or at least tried to, but Heather rolled up her sleeves and dumped an entire pitcher full of water over her head. Astrid gasped and rubbed the water out of her eyes.
"Gods! Heather, are you trying to drown me?!" She spluttered.
Heather eyed her and shrugged. "You're filthy."
Astrid was washed in the same rigorous manner and at one point she thought Heather was trying to actually scrub the skin right off her bones. When she seemed satisfied, Heather called to a maid who waited outside the door to bring a robe and began voicing orders. Soon, two maids walked in and began drying Astrid from head to toe with the most fluffy, soft white towels that could ever exist.
When she was completely dry and finally covered in a robe, Heather started fumbling through some circular containers, chose a random one and brought it over to Astrid. She opened it and inside was some sort of thick, creamy substance.
Heather scooped a large amount into the palm of her hand, but then she glanced up and down Astrid's body and put half of it back into the container. She pulled open Astrid's robe and started rubbing the cream all over her.
Astrid stood uncomfortably and prayed Heather would finish soon and leave her the Hela alone. When she did finish and put the container back, she just ended up with another similar, smaller container and did the same thing, but only applied the cream to Astrid's face and rubbed it in softly.
"Are you a maid now?" Astrid asked, trying to pass the time a little less uncomfortably.
"I was always a maid, I just… disagreed with something my brother said and he thought to teach me a lesson."
"Your brother threw you in the dungeon?"
Heather smiled bitterly "yes, well we often have very different opinions on a lot of things. In fact, you met my brother."
Astrid racked her brain and tried to think of a man that looked similar to Heather but couldn't think of anyone. Before she could ask, Heather clapped her hands together.
"There, soft as a newborn babe."
Astrid lifted her hand to her face and was pleasantly surprised at how smooth and soft her skin felt.
"Those creams do a marvellous job. Now, we still need to dry your hair and get you in your dress before dinner so hurry up." Heather closed and tied the robe again and led Astrid out to the bedroom.
She sat her down in front of the vanity mirror and began fumbling with Astrid's hair. About ten minutes later, Heather had managed to partly dry and pin back her hair into a flawless flower design. She also applied a dark powder on her eyelids. Heather smiled at her work and ushered Astrid to the middle of the room.
"Drago had this hand made for tonight, so no matter if you hate the dress you will wear it." Heather warned, handing the square parchment into Astrid's arms. She gave her one last look and then walked out and closed the door behind her.
Astrid was slightly alarmed at how light this supposed 'dress' felt and gulped as she began peeling back the paper.
She had some sort of an idea what dresses were supposed to look like, but what she had seen were puffy, flowing dresses. This was not one of those dresses. When she held it out her face went completely white. This was not a dress at all.
The fabric was a magnificent, shining, dark blue, silk that cascaded glowingly in the evening sun. It was beautiful in every way, If only it wasn't see-through. The entire dress wasn't completely see-through, but it made Astrid's heart thump at the thought of embarrassment she would feel from wearing such a horrendous, beautiful thing.
Deciding it would be best to at least try it on, Astrid set the dress down, stepped into it and pulled the fabric over her. The silk felt strangely smooth and velvety on her skin and despite apparently wearing a dress, Astrid still felt naked.
Taking a deep breath, she walked over the mirror beside the bed. The girl that looked back at Astrid was not her. It was a woman with flawless pale skin. On her eyelids Heather had apparently put a dark navy and gold powder, paint that brought out the stunning blue of the woman's almond eyes. Although, this did little to distract from the fabric on her body - or lack thereof.
The dress had thin, rope-like straps on the shoulders that came right down to the top of her breast, leaving the small crest to show. In the middle the dress opened up and was shaped like a V, leaving the front of her stomach and cleavage open until it came to a point just before her belly button. The bottom of the dress flowed thankfully fully to the floor.
The woman turned slightly to reveal the back which was completely open save for thin straps that held the dress together. It closed just at the bottom of her back and had it gone any lower her entire behind would have been on show for the world to see. If it wasn't for the fact the dress was skin tight, she would have thought it was too big. It took a minute for Astrid to comprehend that the woman was in fact her own reflection.
She wanted to rip the dress to pieces and burn it somewhere. She also wanted to frame the beauty of such a thing. The care and work that went into the small gold patterns was flawless and beautiful, scary and horrendous. Despite how graceful the dress made her, Astrid was still too skinny; too boney and fragile looking.
Heather appeared beside Astrid, her face a storm of different emotions, pity, amazement, pride, dread. Everything that mirrored Astrid's own feelings. In her hand Heather held a stunning pair of pearl earrings and a simple silver chain in the other. As she put them on, Astrid felt numb. She wanted to cry, throw something, hide in a hole somewhere and disappear all at the one time.
When Heather appeared with two high heel shoes Astrid thought she might die. She looked to Heather, begging her silently for this to be some sort of wind up. A cruel joke, but Heather simply bent down and slid Astrid's feet into both shoes. She hated how perfectly they fit and how comfortable they were despite the height of each heel.
Normally, Astrid was rather small and beside Heather she was a head smaller, but now she was almost a head taller than the other girl.
"You look beautiful."
"I look like a whore." Astrid replied bitterly.
Heather sighed and grimaced. "It's only for tonight."
"What is tonight? You said dinner, but no one can expect someone to dress like this for a simple dinner. What else is going on? What else haven't you told me Heather?" Astrid glared at her, demanding that this one time she answer a question.
Heather inhaled deeply. "Tonight you are a prize. Drago has men, chiefs, kings coming from all over the archipelago and further, to do what with I don't know, but you are the shining prize. You're what he will showcase like some magnificent beast he has managed to capture and the lions will salvate at your feet."
Astrid had no words. Was this her life now? Was she to become Drago's whore? Astrid didn't think she could survive such a fate, she knew she couldn't, wouldn't.
"Turn around." Heather instructed then started flicking what looked like water over Astrid and the dress. It left little splashes of liquid on her skin and left her smelling sweet.
"It's called perfume." She said to Astrid's unspoken question. "It's time to go, are you ready?"
"No."
Heather smiled lightly and put her arm around Astrid's and led her through to the front door. Outside, dressed in a smart, black, formal robe stood Paeton. When he saw her, Paeton's jaw visibly dropped.
"I trust you can take her to Drago without looking like that?" Heather pronounced with a stern stare.
Paeton turned all sorts of vibrant crimsons before he cleared his throat and nodded, muttering a 'sorry' under his breath. Leading the way Astrid walked on, trying and failing to not notice the other guards' faces as she walked by. Each one of them were dressed in similar robes to Paeton.
Heather watched Astrid's retreating form from where she stood and prayed to whatever Gods that cared to listen to take care of Astrid.
The door beside Heather opened and out strode Yrsa. As soon as the girl saw Heather she smiled and waved. Heather smiled and laughed as Yrsa did a small twirl, showing herself off. Yrsa was dressed in a simple gold dress that fit her perfectly and was nowhere near as revealing as Astrid was forced to wear.
The door across from Yrsa opened and Frode stepped out in a handsome gold robe that matched those of the guards but looked richer and divine against his dark tan skin. Frode caught Heather's eye and smiled at her to which she replied the gesture. Yrsa did another twirl for Frode to which he laughed and bowed.
"Why you look stunning, and seems we are matching." Yrsa giggled at the attention and then Bjorn came out of the last door. He wore the exact same gold glittering robe Frode wore and went over to join the other two.
"Gold seems to be the colour, I have to say I'm excited for tonight. There might even be some handsome gentleman worth looking at." He winked at Yrsa who rolled her eyes.
"If I find a decent looking man I'll be keeping him, so keep your hands off what'll be mine" Yrsa warned jokingly and then patted Frode's shoulder.
"And don't worry. Me and Bjorn will be on the lookout for a beautiful woman to whisk you off your feet." She smiled innocently. Frode rolled his eyes and held out his arm.
"We should be on then." Yrsa gladly accepted and held out her other arm to which Bjorn took.
Yrsa looked behind her and gestured to Heather. "Aren't you coming?"
Heather shook her head, "afraid I've not been invited."
"Nonsense. Straighten out your hair and pinch your cheeks. You'd look beautiful in rags so come on."
Heather was afraid Yrsa wouldn't take no for an answer so she giggled and followed behind the trio, but Bjorn let out a great laugh and pulled Heather beside him.
"At least until we get to the main doors." He offered with a wink.
'Oh if he wasn't gay' Heather thought. And off they went.
...oOo...
Well hello, so I have to say this chapter is one I quite like but I have had to chop it in half otherwise you would be reading for hours. Don't stress, this means Chapter 7 will be out a lot faster- hopefully.
Now, if you are confused a tad about the last section of the chapter where Yrsa, Frode and Bjorn have been introduced just know that all will be explained.
I have also come to the conclusion that 'Ragnarok is Coming' will be done in three parts. Call them arcs, books, parts whatever you fancy, but they will be separate. As in, separate 'stories', although tell me if this is a bad idea. This allows me the joy of having the story organised and I feel like it also gives better structure and one Hell of a cliffhanger. So, obviously this is Part one and I hope to have it finished before the end of the year.
Stay alert, follow the story and I hope you enjoyed.
P.s. make sure to tell me what you think!