Breaking the window: Expedition to Hyperborea
Chapter 21: A dragon is confronted…
"When you're in the moment, there is usually little time to think. There is a dire need. Something must be done immediately. And you are completely focused on the task at hand. It isn't until after or something much after, that you stop and think yourself that it might have possibly been the most foolish thing you have done. There were many such moments during this voyage, but this one absolutely topped everything else. Still proud of it, though, and will always be."
- Bellatrix Black, Expedition to Hyperborea, published 2006
Bellatrix was still stroking a rather sleepy Hermione's hair as they lay together in bed when her stomach suddenly started rumbling loudly. Hm, what time was it even? Hard to tell with daylight always shining in through the portholes, barely kept out by the tiny curtains.
Thankfully Hermione had calmed down somewhat and she hadn't cried for a while. Those lovely brown orbs of hers fluttered open, gazed upon her groggily until she stretched. Bellatrix shifted to kiss her on the lips. "Are you going to be alright if I pop out for a bit to fetch us some food?" said Bellatrix. "You won't have to leave the cabin if you don't want to be around people for a bit, we can eat right here."
"Sounds nice," said Hermione softly, her voice groggy.
"Oh," Bellatrix smirked. "Haema's always got something cooking, no matter the time of day. I could ask for those chocolate covered strawberries again! Oh, I hope there's some strawberries left in the ship's stores. Dipped in the sweetest of chocolate. Hmm, chocolate covered strawberries… I'm mad for it!"
Hermione laughed briefly, her face still smushed into her pillow. "You've been eating a lot of strange things lately."
Bellatrix shrugged. "Just broadening my horizons, as with everything else going on on board this ship. And it's not as if Haema has a rotisserie kebab in her kitchen, so I am rather forced to diversify my discerning palette," said Bellatrix. "Are you really sure you'll be alright on your own?"
Hermione half-smiled. "Yes, mum."
"Good, good," said Bellatrix as she reached for her clothes and put her kit on. After getting dressed, she motioned for Zipper to come down from his hutch. The wasp landed on the bed and gave her an expecting look. "Zipper," said Bellatrix, motioning to Hermione who was still lain under the covers "You have one job."
No more words were needed. Zipper teleported right into Hermione's waiting arms. Her girl lay on her side and smiled when she wrapped her arms around the wasp while Zipper curled up against her, fluttering his wings until he sounded like a purring cat.
Satisfied that Hermione was in good hands… or rather wings, Bellatrix took a moment to kiss her girl on the cheek before she stepped out of the cabin and gently closed the door behind her after promising that she wouldn't be out for long.
On her way to the galley, she passed and spared a look to the staircase leading topside. It had been a while since she'd had some fresh air and, while hungry, she could spare a moment to go outside. After pulling her parka from the coat-rack and zipping it shut, she put on some gloves and her earmuffs and stepped on deck. The biting cold did send some shivers down her spine, but still it was oddly refreshing. Weather hadn't changed much: still snowing and windy, just as it had been for days, but at least she could see into the frozen wastes somewhat with the snow-laden fog clearing up a little. The ship still seemed to be making progress, carving through the ice with sails powered by the eolic magic from the sanctum stone a few decks below her.
She spotted Sunniva and Tahki chatting at the railing, apparently looking out over the waters. A drakkar could be seen sailing away in the distance. Ah, so things had definitely been happening while she'd been minding Hermione. Time to catch up, then.
"Heya," greeted Bellatrix as she plopped against the railing right next to them, certainly not missing the fact that Sunniva had her hand on top of Tahki's. "What's been going on?"
"A Viking funeral," said Tahki, her cousin who was clad in an equally zipped close parka looking much like a tiny dress-up doll next to the impressively bare-skinned Neo-Viking woman. "Impressive sight, really."
Bellatrix made a face when she realized she had missed a sight few people outside of the Thule borders would ever get to go. "Oh, bother! And I missed it?!" Bellatrix exclaimed with no small measure of frustration. Shit, that would have exactly been the kind of thing she would have wanted to document for her book. Seriously, you take one day off and all manner of interesting things happened while you were gone. It was, most of all, quite vexing.
"Tahki has made photographs," said Sunniva.
Well, that improved her mood at little. "Ah, good, good! I want to see those once Hermione feels better and can use that lappytoppy muggle thingy of hers," said Bellatrix. Of course, she would expect full and detailed accounts from any and all whom had witnessed the event.
Tahki smirked. "You know, they've very easy to use. You could do it yourself. Put the photos on the laptop and watch them, I mean."
"Ew, no!" Bellatrix shook her head. Besides, it was not as if Hermione would even let her. Too afraid she would break her precious little computer thingy.
"You're just lazy."
"Guilty as charged!"
Something changed in the air, a tingle of magic as it moved around them. She felt it in the pit of her stomach, but couldn't really place the feeling. Bellatrix watched her cousin freeze as if she was trying to figure out what was happening when, suddenly, her head snapped towards the drakkar sailing away. Bellatrix barely had time to look when she saw water, ice and wood splinters being thrown into the air as something stupendously huge exploded from the sea and took to the skies.
She stood there gobsmacked when a huge shadow fell over the ice and the ship.
"DRAGON!" sounded Daelia from the crow's nest. "It's a dragon!"
Next to her, Sunniva expression was one of abject terror as her chest heaved and her jaw trembled. "Níðhöggr…" she whispered. "He has found us… NÍÐHÖGGR HAS FOUND US!"
What Bellatrix saw was an impossibility. Something which could not exist.
Undeniably a dragon, but far more serpentine in its appearance. Its neck and tail both were longer than they should be, a sets of wings sprouted from its back and spread to blot out the very sun. Its limbs were equally serpentine and more muscular than they should be, and still didn't look as they would hold the weight of its massive bulk. As it stood, they looked to be more suitable for swimming than for standing. Odd blue spikes jutted all from scaly skin all over its body. With its grey-white hide, it almost disappeared into the snowy storm, a storm which had whipped up considerably since this thing appeared.
And its size. Oh, Merlin, its size. No dragon should be this size. Though its body itself was staggeringly large enough, its wingspan would be wider than the entirety of Hogwarts. And yet it moved with the beauty and grace of any dragon.
"HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" sounded the voice of Tahki, absolutely gobsmacked.
"THE END TIMES!" shouted Sunniva, and for the first time she heard abject terror on the Neo-Viking's normally so reserved voice. "IT'S THE END TIMES! ODIN PRESERVE US!"
If Sunniva's people had encountered this thing before and carried stories back home, well… Bellatrix could easily understand why this beast held such strong mythological meaning for them, enough to have a warrior like Sunniva tremble and sink to her knees in prayer. The creature seemed to have noticed them by now and slowly turned around in the sky above them. For the first time, she got a good look at its head. Massive, great horns seemingly made from glass or enhanced ice. Three sets of eyes, shining blue light, set close to each other. And a jaw of ragged teeth which stretched on longer than it should. Flashes of Unicornis Rex floated in front of her eyes. And then the dragon started to dive.
How could this thing exist? How could it even fly? What did it even eat to stay alive?!
Questions without answers. Questions which ultimately weren't even important as it glided down directly toward the ice and swooped over it, headed straight toward the ship. All around her, the crew stood frozen like a deer faced off with a bear running towards it. That is, until Kirk snapped them out of it.
"Protego! PROTEGO, DAMN YOU!"
As one, the crew snapped out of their stupor. All of them reached for their wands as the massive Ur-dragon drew ever closer. Together, they channelled their magic into a shield bubble surrounding the ship, Bellatrix included. She grit her teeth as she poured all the power she could muster into the shield. Next to her, Sunniva had dropped her axe and cowered on the ground, shivering in fear and praying silently to whatever Norse god would listen. A nice sentiment, but Bellatrix would have preferred her to help with the shield.
The Ur-dragon opened its massive maw and, for a moment, all the crystals jutting out its body lighting up. The back of its throat started to pulse with orbs of blue and yellow energy, right before it spewed forth in a beam the size of its maw. A strange sensation came from the pit of her stomach as the beam sped towards them and collided with the shield. She felt the impact in the very core of her being. All of them did. All she could do was to push back with all her might and will, forcing the shield to try to absorb the blow of raw magic. The assault seemed to go on forever. Seconds turned into days in her mind as she and the others stood their ground. Until it was over. The Ur-dragon flew over the ship, the air-displacement of its wings being enough to throw everyone on the deck around as the ship heaved. Hell, if it didn't fry them first, that thing could simply capsize them into the frigid water through the mere act of flying overhead.
She swirled around and saw the thing take up to the skies again, looking to be circling them. At least it didn't turn or move very fast due to its bulk. Small mercy there, since it meant they had some time to prepare for the next attack which would undoubtedly be coming.
The very air was charged with magic, her very skin tingling. It was then that she noticed that Tahki had fallen unconscious, her expression one of agony. Of course, someone with her abilities would be overwhelmed by so much magic in the air. She turned to the cowering Sunniva and slapped her in the face. Hard. The tall Neo-Viking looked at her with incredulous surprise with those deep blue eyes, even more startled when she saw Tahki's state. "Hey!" said Bellatrix, holding both hands on the woman's cheeks. "I know you're in love with my cousin! So get her to safety below deck! Take her to the doctor and guard her! You can do that, right? So DO IT!"
The Viking nodded and got to action, now having something to focus on other than her fear. So she gently picked up the fallen girl and hurried below decks.
Alerts started blaring from the wheelhouse, a signal for everyone on board to prepare for battle. "This is Captain Kirk!" sounded the magically amplified voice. "I want EVERY capable wand on deck, no exceptions! This is life or death!"
"SURVIVORS OF THE DRAKKAR IN THE WATER! TWO SURVIVORS!" sounded Daelia from the crow's nest. Kirk rushed to the side of the ship and looked towards the aft, into the ship's wake. One motion of his hand compelled two of the ship's wasps, Infinite Corridor and Anchor, to buzz over to fetch two life-preservers and fly out to the water carrying them to the swimming Neo-Vikings. "Chiputec! Copperhead! Take a broom and fish them out of the water! Put them to work on the shield! Hurry! That thing is making another turn."
The two sailors rushed to the cabinet next to the wheelhouse containing the service brooms and hurried to fetch the Neo-Vikings in the water, just as the Ur-dragon was halfway through its turn to make another pass towards them. "I think we know what happened to the Orpheus!" sounded Beodul. "Must have been that scabrous flying cunt! Well, ye ain't getting us! Ye hear that?! CUNT!"
Bellatrix wasn't so sure of that after taking another look at the Ur-dragon above.
Meanwhile, Chandra, Eleanor, Haema and Nymphadora came rushing on deck. Good. That would help with the shield. After their exclamations of disbelief passed, Kirk shouted more orders to the wheelhouse. "Full speed ahead!" Kirk ordered. The Kingfisher lurched forward, crashing into the ice ahead and carving a path. An agonizingly slow path.
"Turn the ship around!" Eleanor suggested fearfully.
"We can't!" yelled Eliam from the wheelhouse. "We're too long to make a turn inside the trench. Icebreakers can't turn on a dime! We can only move forward!"
"We need to outrun that thing!" Chandra yelled.
"Lady!" Beodul yelled back. "Does it look like we can outrun that flying sky-cunt?!"
Two wet and freezing Neo-Vikings were tossed on the deck, axes still in hand and still clad in their scale-mail bikini armour. Wet as they were, the exposed skin wouldn't do wonders even for their cold resistance. Bellatrix recognized the two of them as Svari and Gudrun, Sunniva's former jomsvikingr. Poetic they were the ones to survive, really. But for how long? That was the question. Especially as the Ur-dragon had finished its turn and was again barrelling towards them. With all her might, she and the others raised another protego in a desperate effort to protect the ship. Again she felt the power of the impact. Again the ship shook.
And, against all odds, again the shield held.
Bellatrix did notice one thing easily: the Ur-dragon was pouring more and more power into its attempt to breach the shield. It was dead serious with its attempt to destroy and wouldn't stop until it had succeeded. All they were doing was delaying the inevitable at this point. She needed another plan. But what?
"ELIAM!" shouted Kirk. "Full power to the sanctum stone! We can't outrun it, but I bet it will be harder for him to hit a moving target!"
Sanctum stone.
Another glance at the still-open locker containing the service brooms gave her the idea she needed.
Without saying another word, she abandoned the deck and ran downstairs. On the passenger deck, she stopped for a moment to glance at the direction of their cabin. There was no time to see Hermione one more time, but if her idea worked, it would save her girl along with the rest of the crew. Bellatrix ran to the crew deck and onto the orlop deck, deep within the bowels of the ship. There, in the aft section, in its protective copper bell, lay the sanctum stone. The bell hummed slightly from the sheer power it contained inside. Bellatrix ignored all the warning signs on the bell and started to open the service door, only be roughly reminded that the bell was there to protect the crew from the sanctum stone rather than the other way around, when the door opened with such force that it shot her across the deck. She yelped and managed to hold on to the beam while the eolic magics from the stone bounded through the orlop deck. Hair whipped in the winds as it threatened to crush her against the hull. Bellatrix grit her teeth and looked at the bell: inside was the end of a small rod firing magical energy into the sanctum stone from the wheelhouse to agitate it. Bellatrix willed a ball of energy to form in her hand and she threw it at the rod. It took a try to two, but finally her aim was true. The rod shattered to bits and, almost immediately, the sanctum stone fell silent.
Wasting no more time, Bellatrix rushed inside to grab hold of the stone. It was surprisingly light and warm to the touch, yet brimming with nascent eolic magic. With a grin, she put it under her arm and ran into the orlop deck, only to be thrown about as the ship shook violently. It seemed as if the Ur-dragon had just hit them again. Felt even more powerful this time around. Few more hits and they'd be done for, she was sure of it. Bellatrix needed to act.
Once she reached the deck, she found the crew in disarray to the point of panic. Kirk was yelling into the wheelhouse. "ELIAM!" he shouted. "Why isn't my ship moving?!"
Bellatrix wasted no further time, seeing the Ur-dragon in the distance making another turn towards them. She rushed to the locker, grabbed one of the brooms and mounted it in a single flourish of a move. But now Kirk and the others had noticed just what she was carrying under her arm. Before any of them could respond, Bellatrix simply yelled: "Tell Hermione I love her!"
The young witch took to the skies, shooting straight up.
As the frozen wind and snow slashed across her face, one thing became abundantly clear: this was a working broom and not a racing broom for Quidditch. As such, the thing handled like a flying brick and moved frustratingly slow for her liking. Still, a broom was a broom and she had to play with the hand she'd been dealt. Fingers were already freezing as she held on to the agitated sanctum stone. Merlin's ass, it was so cold flying at this speed.
She told herself that this was just like Quidditch and the device under her arm was just like a quaffle. As she raced through the falling snow and winds, she couldn't help but admire the beauty of these frozen wastes. Snow-covered ice as far as the eye could see, the mountains of Prince of Wales Island set in the distance while the clouds darkened the skies to protect it from the merciless rays of the daynight sun. It would be perfect if it wasn't for that bloody Ur-dragon trying to kill everyone. She was high above the Kingfisher now, the ship looking almost like a model in a bathtub as it sat in a long cleft it had carved through the ice. The Ur-dragon still loomed in the distance, and with Bellatrix gritting her teeth, she turned her broom to move towards it.
The Ur-dragon looked to be getting ready for another dive at the Kingfisher, she knew she had to attract its attention somehow. Merlin's arse, couldn't this useless piece of driftwood move any faster?!
When she felt she was close enough to the Ur-dragon, she clamped her legs around the speeding broom to remain seated as her hair whipped in the wind and drew her wand. With one hand, she conjured a ball of fire and shot it forward. Her aim was true and the fireball exploded against the dragon's hide, on his back. And… nothing. The Ur-dragon, huge as it was, hadn't even noticed. It flapped his wings once, the air displacement almost knocking her out of the sky. She came to the conclusion she'd have to do something far more drastic.
The Ur-dragon set his six eyes upon the ship and it was then that Bellatrix made her move. Another fireball exploded against the side of its head, very close to his eyes. Now, that got the thing's attention, alright. The Ur-dragon let out an angry bellow which almost blew out both of Bellatrix' eardrums. Stowing her wand and grabbing hold of the wooden shaft, Bellatrix willed her broom to veer away with ears still ringing, just as the Ur-dragon aborted his dive and started to turn its massive body to chase the gnat which had dared attack it. Bellatrix, now feeling very much exposed, had only one option left: she pulled up sharply and dove into the clouds above.
And, Merlin's arse, it was even colder in the clouds. Near-freezing water-vapour bit into her skin as literal icicles started to form on the broomstick. With clattering teeth, she willed warmth to emanate from her holstered wand to keep herself from freezing to death then and there. She'd have to get out of the clouds and soon. The lack of visibility in the clouds, once her saviour, almost became her doom. It was only a sheer moment of reflex that saved her from the Ur-dragon's gaping maw as she pulled sharply through the right. The dragon passed her so close that she almost collided with the jagged crystals embedded in its hide and she almost lost hold of the sanctum stone as one of those sharp crystals cut through her parka and tore a gash through the flesh of her upper arm.
Bellatrix let out a cry of pain and was swiftly rewarded for her transgression with a mouth-full of freezing snow and vapour. She pulled up and emerged from the clouds, the light of the sun almost welcoming after that horrid cold she'd just endured. She zipped high over the cloud cover, the sun her only companion as it bore down upon her. Bellatrix looked left and right, to see where the Ur-dragon had gone. As it turned out, she didn't have to wait long. The Ur-dragon burst out from the clouds much like it had from the water, letting out another ear-piercing bellow. Its six eyes locked on her and, with its two massive wings flapping, the gargantuan beast turned towards her. This might be her chance.
Bellatrix grit her teeth and willed the broom to change course, sending her hurtling towards the Ur-dragon. Closer and closer, it opened its massive maw.
Too far away, she was still too far away!
The energy started to gather in the creature's maw, all the crystals lighting up with power.
Almost… almost…
Six eyes brimmed with power.
Bellatrix realized she wasn't going to make it in time.
A beam of unimaginable magical power shot out from the dragon's maw. Bellatrix veered to the left right in time to avoid being seared into cinders. The massive heat from the blast stood in contrast to the cold air. Again she flew past the Ur-dragon far too close for comfort, narrowly passing under those flapping leathery wings. It was a miracle that she was still alive.
Bellatrix grit her teeth and was determined to try again. This time, she steered a bit closer to the Ur-dragon as it was turning, looking the thing in its six eyes until it was barrelling towards her again.
She willed the broom to increase speed a little and found herself speeding towards the dark Ur-dragon's maw as it slowly opened. She was closer now, close enough to be able to do what she wanted to do before the Ur-dragon would have a chance to sear the flesh off her bones. Just like she had with many a Quidditch match, she sped towards the hooped goal with quivering quaffle in hand. "Smile, you bastard buggery!" Bellatrix shouted to the dragon as she swerved her broom, changed her speed and direction and tossed the sanctum stone right into the Ur-dragon's gaping maw. For a mere second, she had actually been inside the Ur-dragon's mouth, her broom narrowly flying her back out before the massive jaws could calm shut and trap her into a forest of jagged teeth larger than she was.
Good.
Good!
Bellatrix let herself and the broom drop into the clouds again, bracing herself for the biting cold to engulf her once. Thankfully her ordeal didn't last all that long due to a kind hand from gravity and she burst from underneath the clouds before she could freeze. Now with two hands around the broom-stick, she found the Kingfisher in the distance and set course of it. The Ur-dragon was hot on her tail, bellowing angrily as it burst from under the clouds far too close behind her for comfort. Bellatrix cursed under her breath and pushed every little bit of speed this worker broom could muster.
The Kingfisher drew closer and closer. The Ur-dragon drew closer and closer. Bellatrix grit her teeth, hoping the Ur-dragon would do what she wanted it to do.
"Come on… come on!" Bellatrix yelled, looking over her shoulder to see the Ur-dragon opening its maw. Merlin, it was so close to her. It could just swallow her whole if it wanted to… But then, what she had hoped for finally started to happen. Her heart almost leapt from her chest when she felt the crackle of magic building up in the air uncomfortably close behind her. Again, over her shoulder, she saw the crystals start to light up.
She was almost at the Kingfisher now, so close she would splatter herself against the protego shield if she didn't slow down. But no.
Not yet.
NOT YET!
The Ur-dragon's maw started to glow with magical power. And then, as sudden as a snap of the fingers, impossible amounts of concentrated eolic magic exploded outward at once when the power hit the sanctum stone in that beast's throat. The Ur-dragon's head exploded in a hail of blood and bone and the wave of wind hit Bellatrix like a brick wall. The young witch was sent hurtling off her broom, letting out a cry as she almost instinctively crossed her arms in front of her and rolled into a ball while making a protego shield appear around her.
Bellatrix hit the ground so hard that she bounced several times, her shield holding. Even so, she found herself rolling over the frozen sea, finally coming to a stop in a very cold and very soft snow-bed. She lay there on her stomach, panting and drifting in an out of consciousness. The young witch was only vaguely aware that the Ur-dragon had crashed upon the ice, seeing its gored corpse laying prone. The world shook and the ice cracked. From her perch, she could see the body sinking beneath the ice until she could see it no more.
Her stomach and cheek were cold. So cold. But she knew she had to stay awake. She might be injured internally from the fall. Probably likely, that… from her Quidditch days, she had trained how to fall. One of a Quidditch player's most important skill was learning how to properly fall, after all. But a fall from high enough could still smash her insides to bits.
Time was fluid. Consciousness was fluid. She was losing the fight to stay awake. All she wanted to do was to sleep and then sleep some more. Then… voices. Footsteps cracking through the snow.
"There she is!" sounded a voice as if it was under water. Had she… fallen asleep? No. Can't sleep. Stay awake. Staying awake meant staying alive.
Vague sensations of movement. Of warmth. She was gone into darkness, and then her eyes fluttered open to see… the copper-plated skull of Copperhead, a smile on his face. Wood. Wasps. A mast.
"YOU!" he shouted in celebration, the noise making her cringe. "YOU ABSOLUTE MADLASS! YOU'VE GOT BIG FUCKING DRAGONBOLLOCKS, GIRL! TWO GIGANTIC MASSIVE DRAGONBALLS!"
"Ew?" was her response. Carried. Moving. She closed and open her eyes. Warmth. Comfort. Darkness. The creaking of wood. Someone had wrapped a soft blanket around her. Look noises. Cheers?
"Alright, alright, give her some space," sounded another voice. Soothing healing magic flowed into her body. Merlin's arse, that felt good. Bellatrix felt as if she could breathe again proper. There was more commotion around her as she slowly started to come to. It took her a few moments to realize she was on deck of the Kingfisher, happy faces of the crew all around her. Above her, it was no longer snowing and the wind had died now. Clouds were parting and the sun was shining onto the ice for the first time in two weeks.
Captain Kirk, with pipe in hand, gave her a curt nod while the crew was celebrating, singing her praises and generally being happy to be alive at all odds.
"Did you tell Hermione I love her?" Bellatrix managed weakly.
"Tell her yourself," smiled Kirk. Her eyes turned to see Hermione sat next to her, those brig lovely brown eyes brimming with tears. Zipper was sat on her head, looking down at Bellatrix poignantly before teleporting to sit on top of Bellatrix' curly mane for good measure.
"You absolute, wonderful fool," whispered Hermione before she hugged her tightly. A hug Bellatrix happily returned. "You could have hurt yourself!"
"I did, in fact, hurt myself," said Bellatrix, revelling in Hermione's warmth.
Nymphadora clapped her hands. "Okay, that was, uhm, you're bloody barmy, you are."
Bellatrix still felt a little wobbly while being sat up, surrounded by grateful faces of the crew as calm was returning to the ship. Though Kirk himself looked more pensive, there were two new faces in the crowd. Two Neo-Viking women. The two survivors from the drakkar, looks like. What were there names again? Ah, right. Svari and Gudrun. They stood tall and impressive, strong and femininely muscular though not as tall as their former leader. These two were undeniably warriors whom had trained for combat all their lives.
"Alright, alright," said Kirk. "Everybody, resume stations and inspect the entire ship for any damage. I expect a full report before the hour is out!"
"ALRIGHT, YOU SCABROUS LOT! YE HEARD THE CAP'N!" Beodul shouted as the crew were returning to their tasks. "Do yer jobs, ye scabrous layabouts!"
As the crew dispersed and Bellatrix was helped to her feet, she noticed that the two Neo-Viking women still stood their like statues, eyes wide as saucers and locked squarely on her. It started to make Bellatrix feel a little uncomfortable. "Can I, uhm help you at all?" Bellatrix asked warily.
After addressing them, the two women fell to their knees and held out their axes on the flat of their hands. Their heads were bowed down, eyes to the ground. Svari spoke with trembling accented voice. "You… you have defeated the Bane of Yggdrasil."
"You have saved our people," said Gudrun with equal amount of reverence. "Your name shall be recorded in the sagas forever more!"
"You are a Valkyrie in human form," added Svari. "A goddess who walks among mortals!"
"We will serve you loyally for the rest of our remaining years!" Gudrun exclaimed. "We will carry the tale of your deeds to the far corners of Thule and beyond!"
"We will dedicate our lives to you wholly! We will obey your every command and serve your every need!"
Bellatrix felt her mouth from into a grin as she turned to look to a flabbergasted Hermione. A flabbergasted Hermione who quickly crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Well," Hermione huffed. "Don't look so pleased with yourself!"
"Everything, huh?" Bellatrix raised an eyebrow. "Every sordid whim for your Valkyrie in the flesh, hm?"
That certainly made Hermione's eyebrows both shoot into her hairline, just as Bellatrix expected.
"Come on," chuckled Bellatrix. "You know we talked about it, hm? Another girl in the mix sometimes to spice things up? And here we have two really good looking strong tall Viking women. So why not make it two?"
"That was just… in jest!" Hermione huffed, her voice cracking and full of righteous indignation. "Senseless pillow talk."
"But you were thinking about it just now," grinned Bellatrix. A blush was all the answer she needed.
Captain Kirk scraped his throat. "I, uhm, am still stood right next to you, Bellatrix. As for these two, I'll see they'll get quarters assigned. I suppose they're now along for the ride."
Both viking women completely ignored her. Gudrun with that pretty head of red hair, was still on her knees, focused only on Bellatrix. "Command us, oh great one!" said the woman. "No task is too great. Whatever you desire will be yours!"
"Desire, hm?"
"TRIX!" Hermione hissed and swiftly elbowed her in the side.
Bellatrix hissed. "Ouch! I'm still tender! Fine, fine. Prude! What to do… well, I still haven't had my chocolate covered strawberries yet," said she, her stomach rumbling something fierce.
"Look!" Hermione stepped in. "Just… just make yourselves useful around the ship for now, aright? We'll see what happens next."
"So a night-long fourway in our cabin might still be in the cards?" chuckled Bellatrix, winking playfully.
"Oh, shut it, you rotter!"
Svari nodded briefly, gazing upon the captain. "By the command of the Mortal Valkyrie, we offer our services as warriors of Thule."
Kirk snorted. "We don't need warriors. We need people who can hold a hammer. Or stitch a wound! Do that, and you'll be welcomed."
"We have many skills," Gudrun confirmed. Bellatrix could only cackle heartily: Oh, her much beloved girl was so cute when overcome with so much jealousy. The way Hermione was fuming to the point of steam about to burst from her ears also meant that her lovely girl was doing much better.
"I'll keep that in mind," Bellatrix smirked, earning herself a death-glare from Hermione. "Just start with… making sure you spell my name right in that saga of yours. That's Bellatrix. Bellatrix Black. With an 'X' at the end. The 'X' is important."
Hermione grumbled. "You're going to be an 'X' if you keep this up!" she said, suddenly grabbing Bellatrix by the wrist and pulling her to her feet. "Enough talk, we need to get to work!"
Bellatrix yelped as she almost toppled to the ground again by the steady determined pace of a steady determined Hermione. "Wait? Work?!"
The brown-haired parka-clad girl turned her head and gave her an incredulous look. "We have to get onto the ice and collect samples. Blood, tissue and whatever else we can find! This is a major scientific discovery, Trix! We need to study, document and analyse!"
The zeal in those brown-eyes were clear, but Bellatrix simply had to protest. "I was just in a death-defying chase with that thing and survived a hundred foot fall!"
"Well, we all have our little problems, don't we?" Hermione responded with zero sympathy. "Come, we need to study the corpse as well!"
"The corpse is at the bottom of the ocean!"
"We have a diving bell on board, don't we?!" said Hermione. "We need to convince Captain Kirk to deploy it before the sea scavengers have a chance to get to it! Come, Bellatrix, come!"
"Hermie!" Bellatrix wailed helplessly while being dragged along by an overzealous Hermione in full research mode. And to think people told her that Bellatrix was the obsessive one.