Valkyrie Profile:
Lenneth Novelization AU:
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Chapter Twenty-Five:
Midgardian Interludes VI
"Oh, Lenneth. Welcome. What brings you to my office this time?"
Loki backed up, letting Lenneth step inside while he held the door for her. She curtsied to her host, making slow and smoother movements.
"Good morning, Lord Loki," she greeted evenly. "I just have a couple of things to ask. I promise not to be a bother."
"Oh, balderdash," Loki assured her. He closed the door behind her and then quickly walked past toward his desk, pulling up a cushioned chair for her. "Please, sit, even if this is only a quick visit."
"Thank you, Milord," Lenneth graciously complied.
While he went around to his side of the desk, she sat down across from him. Lenneth had to resist the urge to correct his conduct when he leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up on his own counter.
"His office, his rules," she had to remind herself.
"You said you had questions," Loki stated.
"Yes," Lenneth replied. "Do you remember our discussion about the state of Midgard? 'Twas shortly after the incident with the Skara region, or the 'Forest of Woe'. Have you been able to present the accounts of Midgard's sickness to Lord Odin and Lady Freya yet?"
"Ah," Loki hummed. He slid his feet back off the table and sat forward. "I managed to get it on the docket."
"Only on the docket?" Lenneth was visibly disappointed.
Loki shrugged apologetically. "Lenneth, you must understand, I also had to collect the various accounts of Midgard's sickness not from just you, but also Idunn, Hlin, Sága, and even Frei among a few others. Then I had to choose how to organize them once I had them all compiled."
"Organize?" Lenneth inquired.
"Yes. How to organize them. By goddess, or by type of corruption," Loki replied. "And believe me, I am also displeased with not having Lord Njord and Lady Jörd's input."
Loki shrugged again with a slight air of exasperation. "Alas, with us at war with the Vanir again and as always in conflict with the Jötunns and Fire Giants, having a friendly chat with either of them was out of the question."
Loki noticed Lenneth subtly begin to droop, and knew to change gears.
"But yes, I have presented the case," he added. "And Lord Odin agreed to have it put on the schedule. They will be taking up the case as soon as the other matters of court which were already on there have been dealt with."
With an air of unhappiness, he threw up his hands. "No promises how soon. That is out of my hands."
"So, there is nothing to do about it until then," Lenneth said with a sigh.
She was troubled. Why was it so difficult to even speak to Lord Odin and Lady Freya these days? She and Hrist were their eyes and ears upon the mortal realm, and the source of their army recruits. In the past, the lord and lady of Asgard always gave them their ear. Now it felt as though they had been regulated far lower than they'd ever been.
"Unfortunately," Loki agreed. "But hey, they could have just refused like they had in the past. As for the wait… These things can be unpredictable, but they will send for you once the case is up for review. Your name is listed as one of the petitioners alongside yours' truly."
Loki pointed at himself with a crooked smile.
"Thank you, Lord Loki," Lenneth bowed in her seat.
"Did we not go over this? Just Loki will suffice," was his laidback reply.
Lenneth gripped her dress in her fingers.
"Now, then," she thought. "How do I put this?"
"I have but one other thing to ask, if you would be willing to indulge me another moment," the Valkyrie told him.
"Indulge you?" Loki muttered through a laugh. "You take your duties so seriously, 'tis almost painful to watch sometimes, and you think yourself the one being indulged? If anything, 'tis the other way around easily!"
Lenneth smiled back. "You are too kind, Lord Loki."
"Hey now, not so loud," Loki motioned for her to quiet down. "I still have a reputation to live down to."
Lenneth tried, and then failed to suppress a giggle.
"Anyway," Loki said. "Ask away."
"Of course," the goddess replied. "If I were to… begin looking into the matter of Midgard's woes, myself…"
Loki as about to object, but Lenneth raised a hand, urging him to hear her out.
"But only did so without interrupting my duties," she quickly added with emphasis. She took a breath, and asked more quietly, "Do you have any recommendations for a good place to begin?"
Loki stared back as though he'd been asked to get a sample of the roots of Yggdrasil from Nidhogg. He leaned back in his chair almost laboriously, scratching his hair around where his antlers grew.
"Well now, that is an interesting question," he heavily muttered. "The realm is covered with distortions and blemishes these days, so that is difficult to answer right away."
Lenneth sat silently, waiting intently for his answer. Loki scratched his cheek as he considered what bone he could throw her, but came up empty. He puffed out his cheeks as he let out a whooshing breath.
"Truth be told, Milady, I would need to review the testimonies I've been given already," he confessed. After another pause, Loki made a decision. "And I will. This matter is serious enough to warrant a closer look."
"Oh, Fates bless you," Lenneth elatedly replied. "Thank you so much."
Loki bowed his head in return.
"I will look for corrupted locales near key focal points in the flow of Yggdrasil's energy through Midgard while also keeping an eye out for any discernable patterns," he explained. "Come back in four days' time, after you have finished your monthly review with Brother Odin and Freya. I will have a list for you readied."
"Thank you, Milord," Lenneth said.
Loki's eye turned stern, and he pointed right at her to lay out an ultimatum, "Remember, you have promised you will not fall behind in your duties if you take this on. I will only continue to help if the einherjar are collected at their designated times, and their training remains on schedule."
"I understand, and you needn't worry. My duties will be carried as though nothing has changed," Lenneth promised.
Loki's demeanor became amiable again with her vow reaffirmed.
"Excellent. Now, I know you rarely hear this said to you directly, Lenneth, but we really do appreciate the services the Valkyrie sisters provide," he said.
"Thank you once more, Milord," Lenneth replied. Then she stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt as she did. "Now, I will take up no more of your time. I have some other business before I set out with my einherjar."
"Oh, certainly!" Loki also stood, and then proceeded to leap over his desk, landing next to the office door.
He opened it for Lenneth, standing beside it casually. Lenneth allowed a tiny smirk at his antics, uttering a 'Thank you' as she left him. He watched her go a moment before closing the door, giving a smile of a different kind no one saw.
"Hmm," Loki thought in his office. "She's not heading towards the training grounds. Is she skipping her einherjar's morning training? Eh, whatever. If she says this little side project of ours' will not interfere, I believe her. Ol' Silver-Locks is the reliable one."
Indeed, Lenneth walked Odin's palace not towards the training grounds, but towards the dining hall. She had been invited for tea by some of the other goddesses. Among them were Sága, Hlin, Idunn, and Frei, four of those who had given accounts in the case she and Loki were building. The Valkyrie was initially going to politely decline, but the mission down into the Cave of Thackus and the encounter with Hræzlyre the Undead Dragon made her reconsider.
"I must speak with Idunn and Frei, especially," Lenneth thought. "With their connection to nature, they might have heard something new, and give me a lead."
As she turned the final corner toward the dining hall, the battle goddess organized her thoughts.
"Alright, I only need to ask if there have been any new developments on Midgard before everyone begins leaving," Lenneth told herself. "I can allow idle chatter as long as I do not get so swept up in this short respite. Ah, I've arrived."
The wide doorway into the upper floor of the dining hall where the gods ate separately from the einherjar was big enough to drive a horde of angry bulls through. Or a hungry pantheon of Aesir. Lenneth stepped through, pausing as she was so unused to seeing either part of this place so empty and quiet. A few einherjar milled about the tables down below in their section, and only a single table in the Aesir's half of the hall was occupied. Around a dozen or so goddesses had gathered, and were just getting settled in while a pair of elven maids walked the sides of the table putting out the teacups for them.
"Good, good," Lenneth was pleased to see who she needed to speak with. "Idunn and Frei. All the better if I get a seat near them. Now who else…? Lady Nanna our host, along with Hlin, Sága, Eir, Sigyn, Snotra, Lofn, Vör, Gefjun, and Ilmr."
Lenneth almost smiled. "A good selection of nature goddesses here. If there are anything to learn, I will hear it here."
She suppressed the urge to rush over to the table, and walked with the perfect pois of a lady of the court. Lenneth could already overhear some of the talk of the other ladies of Odin's court. They were chatting about all manner of recent happenings, and it wasn't until she was almost there that someone noticed. Hlin happened to look up and see her. The brunette goddess's brown eyes met Lenneth's blues, and they exchanged a smile. Then Hlin turned to the host of this gathering.
"Lady Nanna, Lenneth has arrived," she said.
"Oh?" Nanna looked behind as the Valkyrie approached. "Ah, there you are, Dearie!"
Then she then stood, raising her voice slightly as she spoke to get the rests' attentions, "Lenneth has arrived, ladies."
The other goddesses also stood in greeting as Lenneth came up beside Nanna.
Before Lenneth could reply, she was suddenly pulled into a hug by Nanna more quickly than she was prepared for. She made an uncomfortable noise, but was quick to return the quick embrace, looking past Nanna as the other attendees of the gathering also stood to welcome her.
"Hello, everyone," Lenneth greeted, and then greeted each one individually.
"Hi!" Frei excitedly cried from the other side of the table, raising her hand in a childlike wave.
"Frei!" Eir scolded her.
"Eep!" the ever-youthful Spring goddess shrank back from the healer beside her.
She gulped as Eir loomed over her authoritatively.
"Remember yourself, even among us," the healer goddess told her.
With that stern warning given, Frei turned to Lenneth with in more proper fashion.
"Welcome," she said in a more subdued fashion.
"That's better. Welcome, Lenneth," Eir said.
As some of the suppressed chuckles from the other goddesses reached her ears, Frei felt very self-conscious and flushed.
"Thank you, Frei," Lenneth replied.
Idunn then spoke up, "We're all glad you could make it. Lord Odin keeps you so terribly busy. We barely get to see you."
"The feeling is mutual," Lenneth answered with a smile. "But thank you."
"Yes, you have been oddly absence from even my clinic," Eir said.
Lenneth replied with a chuckle in her voice, "You say that as though you wish I were injured more often."
"On the contrary, 'tis nice to know you at least take better care of yourself than Hrist does," Eir said.
For an instant, the healer's shoulders sagged before proper posture was reasserted. Lenneth caught that little crack in Eir's veneer, but chose not to comment on it, pushing back the questions about her sister.
Frei giggled at Eir's comment. "Hrist does love to dive right in, doesn't she?"
"Perhaps not the best topic for tea," Eir quickly responded. "Forgive me for mentioning it."
Then, as everyone sat down, Lenneth sound a spot near one of the ends across from Nanna's side. It wasn't beside any of the nature goddesses like she would have liked, but Lenneth decided she'd manage. One of the maids pulled the chair out for her.
"I feel as though I'm being coddled," the Valkyrie thought as she sat down.
All the same, she thanked and maid. A teacup was set in front of her. She was the last goddess on the right with Sigyn, then Idunn, Hlin, Frei, and Eir all on her left. Directly across from her was Lofn. As she got comfortable, Lenneth happened to catch Lofn's gaze upon her. The goddess of marriages and forbidden loves seemed to be studying the Valkyrie closely.
"Oh, good morning, Lofn," Lenneth said to her. "Can I help you with something?"
Lofn just smiled back in a knowing way which unnerved her a little.
"Everything's fine, Lenni-dear," she answered. "I was just thinking about how Fate can be quite fickle, weaving romantic bonds in the most… forbidden of places."
Lenneth was about to ask what she meant, but then one of the maids rolled out the tray with the teapot, breaking her thought cycle. The battle goddess watched the maid pick it up to serve her some of the beverage.
"Oh, forgot to ask," Lenneth glanced towards Nanna. "What kind of tea has been brewed for our little party?"
"Red tea," Nanna answered.
As one of the maids filled Lenneth's cup, she enjoyed the flora, sweet aroma it came with.
"Delightful," Lenneth happily said.
As she stirred her cupful, and added a pinch of ginger, the Valkyrie listened to the chatter which started around the table. Before she knew it, Lenneth herself was drawn into letting off some steam concerning her einherjar.
"I swear… if Arngrim is not the end of me, 'twill be Jelanda," she vented. "The man's idea of tactical thinking half the time is to jump out of a hole dozens of ells above the ground into a monster-infested ravine to activate his Soul Crush."
Lofn and Sigyn both covered their mouths to hold back laughs at the image.
"Arngrim, he is the one who I always hear demolishing things at the training grounds, yes?" Sigyn asked.
A forlorn look from Lenneth as she sampled more of her tea proved to be a sufficient answer. Before anymore could be said, their attention was drawn to another part of the conversation.
"Your field of Dancing Lillies are growing in nicely, Idunn. Their peddles are almost like snowflakes on the breeze," they heard Gefjun praise her fellow nature goddess.
"Thank you," Idunn cheerily accepted the praise. "And speaking of things that grow, what do you have planned for this year's harvests?"
"Harvests? As in plural, across all Nine Realms?" Gefjun giggled as she replied. "A bit of a big question there."
"Well, if the grapes from breakfast are any indication, you have already outdone yourself in your own fields," Ilmr said.
"Well," Gefjun modestly confessed. "I am planning on giving bountiful harvests across the board. One more generous reaping before the final curtain call."
"Even on Midgard?" Idunn asked.
Gefjun golden brown eyes fell with an air of disappointment. "Well, I try, but with the mortal realm in the condition it is, there's only so much even I can do. Certain regions eat well enough, but many will be tightening their belts this year."
"So, the crops do not grow well in the soil?" Lenneth asked.
Gefjun nodded, "Yes, 'tis as though Midgard is suffering a wide scale drought, but I have no idea why. The soil's good, and the rain plentiful. 'Tis like life just does not grow there right anymore."
Then, as an afterthought, she added, "Especially towards the west, in places furthest away from Yggdrasil's branch."
The goddess of the plough then gave a little shrug and smiled. "Oh, well, at least the elves, the dwarves, the giants, the Vanir, and of course us Aesir will not be wanting."
"The dwarves?" Frei asked. "I thought they liked meat more."
"They still use vegetables as garnish," Gefjun said.
"You still keep the harvests for the giants and Vanir plentiful?" Ilmr asked with a judgmental air.
Gefjun looked back with a aggravated glint, and Lenneth knew at once this argument had come up before between the two. Nanna butted in before another could begin.
"Ilmr, please. 'Tis our job to manage the realms," the widow of Baldur said. "It all hangs in a balance that must be maintained, even for the races that work against us."
"I know that," Ilmr retorted.
Nanna looked back with an icy stare which made the elm tree goddess gulp. There were suppressed giggles from around the table, which were cut short under when Nanna's authoritative stare turned towards them.
"Watch what tone you take with me," Nanna told Ilmr.
"A thousand pardons, Your Ladyship," Ilmr said. "I merely suggest Geffy could afford to make the giants and Vanir tighten their belts to dissuade warring with us."
"Or perhaps make them war with us more desperately," Lenneth said.
Ilmr gave her a look, but silently conceded the point.
"In any case, please, dearies, not during teatime," Nanna insisted. "We all know your reservations about how your fellow nature goddesses do their work, and you know we must be impartial about certain things. You should not be so harsh with your peers, anyway."
Ilmr backed down, and Nanna received a few thankfully looks from the other nature goddesses from around the table. As Lenneth watched, she was surprised at how quickly the conversation turned back to more pleasant subjects.
"How is Forseti these days, Lady Nanna? I almost see him even less than I do Lenneth," the Valkyrie heard Hlin ask.
"He's fine. In fact, he has just been given a case by Lord Thor, and that has kept him busy this last week," Nanna answered.
Amongst the chatter, Sigyn turned the Valkyrie sitting next to her.
"Speaking of Midgard…" she said with an impish tone. "So, Lenneth dear, you have been going to see my husband quite a bit lately."
A tremor moved up Lenneth's form, and she found herself paralyzed under the other goddess's question. Her spoon scratched the inside of her teacup as she tensed up.
Finding herself backfooted, Lenneth scrambled to defuse the situation, "Sigyn, I, I… uh…"
"Sigyn," Idunn chided her.
Sigyn covered her hand with her mouth as she began to laugh. Lenneth just stared back like a deer with a bright light shining in its face. Loki's first wife stopped laughing and her look became apologetic while still amused. She reached out, placing one of her hands on Lenneth's.
"All in jest, dear," she assured the Valkyrie. "He's told me of your interest in Midgard's welfare."
"Uh… Oh, I…" Lenneth managed to utter.
Lenneth's flustered state received a few quiet chuckles, which caused the Valkyrie's face to heat up even more, which did not help her stop feeling frazzled by Sigyn's little joke. In neither of her visits to Loki's office had she considered how that might look to the outside observer.
"…Especially considering Loki's… amorous ways," Lenneth thought.
Even having it pointed out for a laugh currently left her mind in tatters.
"Y-yes. My talks with Lord Loki has been strictly professional, I assure you," Lenneth firmly replied. "'Tis just in regards to my duties."
"On Midgard?" Lofn asked. "Is that not usually Freya's responsibility to brief you?"
"The recent developments in the war with The Three Kingdoms Alliance has made it difficult to stay in contact with the queen as often as I would like," Lenneth answered. "Loki has been more available, and as Lord Odin's Blood Brother and Chief War Advisor, he is the next best thing to receive council from."
Frei's eyes fell downward, feeling a bit guilty on behalf of her older sister.
Sigyn smiled with a rueful air. "Well, I am glad to hear someone around here appreciates my husband's efforts."
Lenneth recalled coming on Loki being accosted in the halls by Vidar and Hermod, and his own words about how that was a common occurrence.
"'Tis a wonder he remains so loyal," she thought.
The Sigyn's curiosity had been piqued as she regarded Lenneth.
"'Tis unusual for the reigning Valkyrie to need council so soon in her era, though," she said. "What has Loki been helping you with?"
"Oh, I am unsure that is really appropriate discussion for teatime," Lenneth said.
"No, no, please," Sigyn smiled amiably at her.
"Oh, why not?" The Valkyrie thought.
"I have encountered several out-of-the-ordinary, and very dangerous, occurrences in the mortal realm, and I've only been the active Valkyrie for less than a month," Lenneth explained.
"Well, Lady Freya has said that realm's time is ending. It makes sense that all manner of distortions would occur on Midgard," Sigyn said.
Idunn, Hlin, and Sága all gave her keen looks in response. Some of the other goddesses took notice of the conversation and started to become interested as well.
Lenneth took a sip of her tea as she collected her thought.
"Perhaps…" the Valkyrie muttered softly.
"You think Our Queen is incorrect in her summation of the situation?" Sága asked.
"I did not say that. Not exactly," Lenneth answered. "Perhaps Midgard's time has come, but after seeing how freely the Undead and Hel's forces run amuck upon it, among unusual weather patterns and plant life being unable to grow correctly in many places, I cannot shake the feeling the problem is more than just that."
"I can concur," Idunn said. "I've already been to Midgard more times this year than any other and we are only at the cusp of summer, to tend to its flora. 'Tis more like the land is poisoned by some kind of imbalance."
"What else could the problem be?" Ilmr asked.
Lenneth quickly did a reading of the room, seeing the mood begin to get dragged down. She felt herself relenting.
"A topic for another time, perhaps," Lenneth suggested. "This is not really a good issue to speak of over tea."
"Well, now, I'm curious," Frei said with a slight pout. "You can't just drop that on us and then change the subject, Lenneth. That's just mean."
"Besides, we are more than happy to hear about your work," Nanna offered. "With Freya so busy, your chances to talk to someone about it must be limited."
Lenneth couldn't help but be tempted.
"Well…" the Valkyrie thought about it.
Sága seemed content to make the decision for her.
"There is something I have been meaning to say to you when I said the chance, Lenneth," the Seeress said. "I've had visions pertaining to something on Midgard. Someone, actually."
"Oh?" Lenneth was now intrigued. "Do go on, by all means. Please."
"Great evil grows there, too," Sága said. She closed her eyes as she focused. "I see a dark man encroaching himself in dark magic, perverting nature as he sees fit for his own vile purpose. Lust and obsession drive his actions. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants. What the object of this obsession is, I do not exactly know."
That had Lenneth's attention right away.
"That… sounds too familiar," she thought.
Sága hummed slightly as she wrinkled her brow in concentration.
"He's quite unassuming in appearance. Average build… seems an academic sort, bearing thick, round eyeglasses, a fair handsome face, and wavy brown hair. He dresses in dark clothing and has a long black cape. Books of magic hang from his belt in pouches. At first glance he's just some wizard, but the power this dark sorcerer wields is both forbidden and dangerous," the Seeress continued.
Both Lenneth and Nanna stared at Sága astonishment while some of the other goddesses seemed incredulous. A few became fearful.
"Scary," Frei said.
"How loathsome," Eir muttered.
"That sounds like…" Lenneth and Nanna both uttered at the same time.
Then they both stopped and looked at each other in surprise.
"You know of this man, Lady Nanna?" Lenneth asked.
"I could ask the same of you," the peace goddess stated. "Do go on, please."
Lenneth cleared her throat, and spoke plainly, "I only met him briefly, but based on Sága's description, it can only be him. His name is Lezard Valeth. In our short meeting, he used another man's corpse as the catalyst to summon a Hel Servant into the mortal plane."
Gasps erupted from around the table, accompanied by a few looks of fear. Only Sága and Nanna were not shocked by this revelation.
"He was part of a conspiracy against a mortal kingdom to topple it from the inside," Lenneth explained. "He had been enlisted by another necromancer named Lombart to assist him. The incident ended in the procurement of my first two einherjar of this era. I know not the extent of Lezard's involvement, but he at least bears some responsibility for their lives being cut short."
"Ghastly," Idunn disgustedly muttered.
"If I am not mistaken," Lofn said. "One of your two first einherjar is but a child, is she not?"
"Jelanda, yes," Lenneth's voice was low. "Fourteen, just now of marrying age, but still very naïve of the world. She was given ghoul powder disguised as medicine."
More murmurs from around the table.
"I had to put her down," Lenneth rather unhappily confessed. "Then my other inaugural einherjar, Arngrim, went off to avenge her. She had been in his care, however inadvertently, and he felt responsible for her fate."
Nanna looked on with a thoughtful stare.
"But what of you, Milady?" Lenneth asked her. "Surely you have not had a direct encounter with this defiler."
"No, not I, but the elves of The Forest of Spirits have, and recently," the widow of Baldur answered. "Close to a week ago, the man Sága and you described stole into the forest accompanied by a large green ogre-like monster and abducted an elf woman named Liana."
Lenneth looked back in shock.
"Oh, I heard about that. Poor thing," Ilmr commented.
"'Tis already been a week. We must fear the worst if we're being realistic," Gefjun murmured.
"Still such a shame," Eir insisted.
"Why is this the first I am hearing of it?" the Valkyrie asked.
"Well, you are very busy," Nanna answered. "Aside from that, my son and my nephews were placed in charge of apprehending this 'Lezard' by Lord Thor. Forseti has informed me they've already set a trap for him in case he returns before they track him down."
Lenneth took another sip of her tea as this all sunk in. She was so deep in thought, she barely noticed the flavor now.
"Sága, you said this man is driven by an obsession," Hlin spoke. "Perhaps if Lord Forseti, Lord Magni, and Lord Modi knew what he was after, that would aid in their hunt for this felon."
"Well," Lenneth thoughtfully said. "What goddess was this Liana girl soul-bonded to receive?"
"No one," Frei answered.
Lenneth turned to Frei, staring in confusion.
"Unbonded?" The Valkyrie was baffled. "If she was not taken to deprive a goddess of her spare vessel, then why?"
Nanna's grip noticeably tightened on her teacup.
"Calm down. Try not to think about it," she instructed herself.
"What do you mean? If my husband has been slain, bring in his spare vessel and get this procedure under way! Quickly now! You know what will happen if we cannot get my Baldur into his new body. I will not surrender him to Hel!"
"A thousand apologies, Lady Nanna, but as we were attempting to tell you, we did go to fetch your husband's spare vessel first thing."
"Then where is he?"
"He was found dead in his own home. With no other spare vessel soul-bonded to Lord Baldur, there is nothing we can do. We are afraid… we have truly lost him."
"No. No, that cannot be!"
"Take heart, Lady Nanna. The All-Father has sent Lord Hermod on Sleipnir to go fetch your husband's soul from Niflheim. If anyone can bring him back to you, one of Lord Baldur's own brothers will."
"What a false hope that was," Nanna bitterly thought.
Back in the present, Sága had more to say, "It would seem discerning the object of this defiler's obsession will solve that mystery of that poor girl's abduction, and not the other way around as was initially hoped."
Then the Seeress turned to Lenneth, "The cloud of doom I spoke with you about before still hangs over you, my dear. I cannot verify it, but my instincts are telling me this Lezard is involved somehow. He may even have intentions for you."
Few times had mere words filled Lenneth with so much dread. A shudder escaped her as she remembered the feeling of Lezard's hands upon her when she was briefly snared by the Hel Servant. The memory of his gloved fingers running up her thigh made her feel violated and ill. Apparently, it showed on her face, because before she even knew it, the other ladies of Odin's court were all looking at her with concern.
"Lenneth, are you feeling alright?" Idunn asked. The nature goddess had actually stood up and was leaning forward to see past Sigyn. "You shivered a moment."
Lenneth quickly composed herself, remaining silent for another moment as she shoved the memory of her encounter with Lezard into the back of her mind.
"Yes, I am quite alright," she said.
The Valkyrie looked around the table and then stood, herself. She looked at Nanna and bowed.
"Forgive me, but I must leave you all prematurely," she spoke almost timidly. "Please do not think me rude, but this discussion has convinced me more than ever I cannot put off my duties a second longer."
"Oh, must you? We so rarely get to speak with you," Hlin said.
"I will make time for all of you later, but right now I have just learned I hold a valuable piece of information that may prove useful to Lord Forseti, Lord Magni, and Lord Modi," The Valkyrie told them all. "The sooner I give them Lezard's name, the better. Someone on Midgard will know how to find a fiend of this magnitude."
Nanna smiled. "Then, by your leave, Lenneth. Do give my son my regards when you see him."
"I will," Lenneth replied as she smiled back. Then she regarded the rest of the table again. "Ladies, adieu. And I do apologize for bringing down the mood."
"We were the ones who asked," Sigyn contritely answered.
"Even so," Lenneth sighed.
She stopped only to take another sip of her tea, attempting to enjoy it for even a moment. All the while, Lofn stared at the Valkyrie intently as she set her teacup down and hurried off.
"That girl…" Eir watched her with a somewhat exhausted look. "Every dutiful."
"I may need to have a word with her later," Lofn thought.
"I count twenty-eight from up here, Arngrim."
"Alright. Get down," the large man quietly ordered.
The archer, the scarred mercenary, and Lawfer were on a high ridge overlooking a little valley. The hill was steep, and the three men were behind a natural lump of dirt along the side of the edge. They sat with their backs to it, which kept them out of sight of those below.
"How many melee fighters?" Lawfer asked.
"About twenty," Llewelyn answered. "Seven archers, and one sorcerer."
Both the warriors grunted as they considered their strategy.
"The archers and seven of the fighters are positioned around the edge of the camp, keeping watch right now while the sorcerer and the rest are sitting around the campfire," Llewelyn reported. "The girl's in a cage near the fire."
"We will need to make those numbers matter less," Lawfer said.
"Ay," Arngrim muttered.
"We should all take a look," Llewelyn suggested.
Without another word, the three men all pushed themselves up to get their legs under them. Once they were all crouching behind the mound of earth, Arngrim and Lawfer both moved to the edges, where they peered around the sides while Llewelyn slowly poked his head over the top again.
Right below them at the base of the sheer dirt hillside was a small clearing in which a band of kobolds had made camp. It was bordered mostly by trees. The furry, bipedal doglike creatures had rolled logs up to their large campfire where they cooked fish over that flame.
Arngrim stole a quick look at their quarry, the child in the cage. She appeared to be unharmed. Then the three men ducked back behind the dirt mound before they were spotted, turning to put their backs to the knoll again.
"The archers and the sorcerer will be the main problem," Arngrim kept his voice low. "We gotta take care of them before we approach that camp."
"Do not forget, we have also been instructed to ensure the safety of their captive," Lawfer told them assertively. "This operation is delicate, but nothing we cannot handle."
"I could take some shots at those archers while you two attack from the woods," Llewelyn suggested.
Lawfer peeked around side again, and then shook his head. "Nay, if there were more of us, that might be feasible. We need a bigger distraction. It would not take much for that sorcerer to stop you, assuming he has not already cast an enchantment to stop us from ambushing them that way."
"Hmm…" Arngrim bowed his head. "A bigger distraction."
He looked around at their surroundings until his eyes found their way to their right. He smiled when he saw a boulder near the edge of the hillside not far from them. Arngrim let out a prolonged grumble as he considered the plausibility. He leaned over to look at the slope below the rock, trying to gauge where it would go.
"If it veers to the right too much on the way down, that'll take it through the middle of their camp. That'd be just fine normally," Arngrim thought. "It'd flatten their sorcerer and good chunk of their fighters, but it would also probably plow right over the girl in the cage, too."
He examined the slope again, starting directly under where the rock sat, and then slowly trailed his gaze down. The slope was fairly smooth, which would keep it rolling almost perfectly straight until it came to big bump halfway down.
"It's just dirt. It'll probably just go right through that, or maybe bounce on the way down, but if it glances off that, it'll turn aside one way or the other. 50/50 chance," Arngrim calculated. "How can I make sure it turns away from the middle of their camp?"
"Arngrim, what are you looking at?" he heard Lawfer ask.
The scarred warrior pointed right at the large boulder in the grass. He hadn't even looked at them, and he could already feel the apprehension in his companions. Llewelyn reflexively opened his mouth to ask if Arngrim was being serious, but the question died before it even became a vibration in his throat.
"Arngrim, if it hits that bump below it," Lawfer pointed out. "That could send it…"
Arngrim held up a hand. "Already figured it. Come on and help me. We'll have to push it over the edge from an angle, so it rolls down towards the left, anyway. Kid, watch our asses while we get over there."
"Yes, sir," Llewelyn replied.
Lawfer moaned. He was decidedly unhappy about this as both he and Arngrim got onto their stomachs and crawled across the grass to avoid being seen. Even so, they were as quiet as they could be as they left the safety of the dirt mound. They kept away from the edge of the ridge to their right by a good few feet as they went to stay out of view.
Llewelyn scooted over to one of the ends of the mound, where he carefully peered around the side, always pulling back quickly as soon as he had a decent look. He glanced over to the crawling warriors. They were almost to the big rock, and so Llewelyn took another peek down at the kobold camp. Down below, there was a changing of the guard going on, but no indication they had been seem. Meanwhile, Arngrim and Lawfer reached the rock. Arngrim got up on and his hands and knees, quickly crossing the final distance to get behind it. Lawfer did the same.
"Alright," Arngrim muttered.
He drew out Dáinsleif, keeping it as long to the ground as he could, hoping the beasts below could not see it's shine. He gave the sword an apologetic look.
"Sorry, but I'm going to have to dishonor you for a moment," he told his tool of the trade.
He looked back at Llewelyn, who nodded back, indicating the kobolds below were still oblivious. Then the large warrior moved around the boulder so he was angled behind it. He motioned where he wanted Lawfer to step in beside him so they'd both be pushing it to move away from the center of the kobold camp. When both warriors were in position, they jammed the end of their weapons under the large rock. Then they both crouched perfectly still while listening to the creatures at the base of the steep hillside. Llewelyn remained hidden by the dirt mound, unwilling to take another peek too soon.
After a moment of only having heard a couple of curious barks from the doglike creatures, Llewelyn slowly leaned to the side to peer down. He instinctively withdrew as soon as he had, and then leaned over again. The kobolds were not looking up the hill nor sending any up to investigate. The archer hid again, leaning against the side of the dirt mount, taking several large, relaxing breaths. Then he waved, signaling the warriors to begin.
Arngrim and Lawfer threw all their weight against their weapons, pushing them down. Neither worried about them breaking, since they were both holy weapons blessed with enchantments to prevent that. After several, grunting goes at making the rock lift loose from the soft earth, there was a satisfying crunch as it pulled free. The two warriors leaned on the sword and halberd, practically doubling over on them. As soon as there was enough space under the rock, both turned their weapons on their ends to prop the rock up. Then they slid their hands onto its underside.
"A one, a two, and a three…" Arngrim counted off.
Then both men with their combined might, pushed against the rock. It was so near the edge already, they just needed the ground to give. It inched forward, and then moved a bit back as the earth wasn't quite ready to give yet. So Arngrim and Lawfer pushed against it again, and it gave even more. By now, bits of dirt were falling over the edge towards the kobold camp.
Clack-clack-clack-clack! The tiny but audible sound of small objects hitting the ground caught the ear of a lookout standing near the slope. The noise made the creature's floppy ear perk back. It looked over and saw small bits of soil fall into the grass. Then the kobold looked up, and the rock came down. On instinct, the doglike beast backpedaled, letting out a hound-like howl, which made those sitting around the campfire jump up and the other lookouts whirl around to see what the problem was.
The boulder rolled faster than they could react, falling at angle which made it glance off the lump in its path making it veer left, away from the middle of the camp. Several barks, howls, and yelps broke out, filling the air in a near-deafening cacophony as the kobolds scattered in their panicked scramble to escape being flattened.
"Yes!" Arngrim shouted triumphantly as he watched the chaos unfold. Then he glanced at Llewelyn. "Llewelyn, get the girl!"
Then, before Lawfer could stop him, Arngrim jumped over the edge and allowed himself to slide down the steep embarkment into the fray. Lawfer sighed, and jumped down as well. Llewelyn was about to do the same, but then he saw the sorcerer and two of the kobold knights darting towards the cage. He aimed and pulled the bowstring tight, preparing two simultaneous shots, and let them fly. He held his breath, hoping no anti-arrow barrier was in place. The arrows passed through the air unimpeded, striking the kobold sorcerer and one of the knights dead-center in the back.
The remaining kobold knight saw its companions fall and spun around, looking for the archer that had felled them. It looked up toward the top of the ridge by their camp, and the sight of a yellow energy arrow flying straight towards it was the last thing the creature ever saw before joining its comrades dead on the ground.
"Bullseye!" Llewelyn whispered victoriously.
Then he too jumped over the side, sliding down on his back. On his way down, he notched more shots, letting them loose. Under the cover of his arrows, Arngrim reached the bottom of the hill. Instead of simply letting himself slide to the bottom, he stamped his feet against the slope and leapt from it with Dáinsleif already flying. He beheaded the first three kobolds he landed beside in one stroke and then ran like a madman through the camp chopping them up almost sooner than they could notice him.
Lawfer then reached the bottom, opting the turn into a roll when he got there, because that allowed him to bowl over some kobolds which managed to avoid Arngrim. They stepped right into the young knight's path as he rolled into them, knocking their short legs out from underneath them. In midroll, Lawfer threw himself up onto his knees, sweeping his halberd out against two more of the doglike creatures, knocking them both on their backs with the flat of his ax-blade.
Behind him, the trio he'd rolled through were picking themselves up and he already heard the first of them running up behind him. Lawfer thrust his halberd straight backwards, leading with the blunt end, slamming his enemy in the stomach. Upon feeling the contact and hearing the agonized yelp of pain, Lawfer turned on his heels and, swinging his weapon around quick, took its head off.
Llewelyn slowed his own slide down the slope with his feet and then landed lightly on them when reaching level ground. While the two warriors tore through the remaining kobolds, the archer sped through the middle of the camp towards the cage housing their captive. One of the remaining kobold knights ran to intercept him with its crude spear drawn back to skewer him.
The young archer did not turn aside or slow down, nor did he try to ready a shot. His opponent was too close for that. Instead, when the short creature's jab came, Llewelyn jumped over the blade, curling his legs in close under him as he flew towards his opponent. Then he snapped one of his feet forward in a frontal kick, bashing the furry beast right in the face and knocking it out cold on the ground.
Llewelyn landed on his feet beside the fallen kobold, but before he could progress, a second kobold charged him from the side. Again, the boy had no time to use his arrow, and simply fell back.
"Too close!" he thought in alarm as the spearhead flew right past his face.
Acting on instinct, Llewelyn grabbed his bow in both hands and swung it like a club, catching the kobold knight in the right temple, also felling it. Now, with nothing between him and the girl, Llewelyn ran the final distance to the cage.
"No worries, miss. Help has arrived," Llewelyn announced.
He trained his bow on the padlock of the wooden cage door and loosed the energy arrow at pointblank range, exploding the lock. Llewelyn flinched, turning away as sparks flew everywhere.
"Ugh! Sorry about that," he said.
Then he pulled the cage door open and stepped inside, grabbing the girl up and then quickly retreated. As he ran, Llewelyn looked around and saw the kobold forces had been thinned considerably with just a dozen left. There were still two archers remaining, forcing Lawfer and Arngrim to duck behind trees while they and the kobold knights regrouped.
"I have the girl! Let's go!" Llewelyn shouted as he ran past.
With one final look to check to see if the kobold archers were still shooting at them, Arngrim and Lawfer took off after their archer, sprinting at full pace into the trees. Llewelyn ran at the head with the two warriors close behind him, covering him for a change. They weaved their way through the trees until the end of the woods came into view. Then they burst from the tree-line, only stopping once all three were out.
"Excellent time!" a lone figure congratulated them. "31 minutes, and I daresay Lady Valkyrie would commend you on the bold tactic you used. I'll see to it she is informed when she comes to collect you einherjar. You've completed your mission faster than the other team. I would normally wait until they also returned before I gave my assessment, but that performance I think warrants immediate praise."
None of the three men could answer right away, as they all stood panting and trying to catch their breaths. Behind them, the simulated battle they had just completed changed form, becoming just a simple open field within the training grounds of Valhalla's back castle yard once more. Even the kobolds faded from existence.
"Phew," Llewelyn was glad that was over. He looked to their substitute instructor, "Thank you, Captain Broti."
Then Llewelyn looked down at the life-sized straw doll representing the hostage of this rescue mission and plopped it on the ground to his side.
"Ay," Captain Broti bowed graciously in response. "'Tis a mere statement of fact. Now, as soon as I discern the progress of the other team, I will give you my evaluation."
Broti and the three einherjar turned to another large square within the training grounds, simulating the same forest and mission which Belenus had gone on with Jelanda and Nanami. Lawfer and Llewelyn looked on astonishment as flames billowed up from within, indicating a much larger fire than the kobold's campfire.
"Eh, should we go check on them?" Lawfer turned to their instructor for direction.
"Bah!" Broti waved a dismissive hand. "I am certain they are alright."
"AI-EEEEEEE! HOT! HOT! HOT!" Nanami's distant voice rang out from within.
"Whose idea was it to start this fire?" they heard Jelanda cry.
"YOURS'!" came the angry replies of both Belenus and Nanami.
"Eh…" Arngrim uttered.
"'Tis fine! Worry not!" Broti insisted. "The simulations are set to end before participants are actually harmed. Now, then… attention!"
The three men stood up straight with their arms firmly at their sides. Their chins were high and eyes were forward. The Aesir captain who'd agreed to oversee their morning drills in Lenneth's place looked them all over.
Then Broti folded his hands behind his back and approached them, walking centered and poised. However, watching this particular god walk so was almost too humorous for Arngrim to withstand. He was a short, squat crushed little square of a man who more resembled a dwarf than a member of the proud faction of gods Odin commanded. His dark violet pants and lighter purple tunic fit loosely, hiding his compactly-muscled form. His face however was like a wide rectangle, and his facial features were as broad to fit that face. His dark brown hair was nearly combed back, leaving not a single hair hanging over his large forehead. His long mustache stuck out straight to the sides like a long vertical bar attached to his upper lip which had bushy ends.
Captain Broti stopped at the end of the short line comprising the three einherjar, and then turned to pass in front of them as though inspecting them.
"However, such a bold strategy could have also led to disaster," the instructor's booming voice almost hurt their ears this close up. "Although you did well to ensure your enemy was thrown into a panic before you made your move to make up for your lack of numbers, such tactics will not always work. After all…"
Broti stopped at the other end and about-faced to look at them again. "Not every enemy is as dull-witted as the common kobold. Had your enemy been another breed of creature, possessing superior cognitive faculties, the plan would have likely failed."
"No kidding," Arngrim drolly thought. "For being so high an' mighty, these stuffy old gods are just as boring as human nobles."
"That said," Broti looked right at Llewelyn. "Well done, young Llewelyn, for focusing on removing the kobold mage first and foremost. The steps you took to level the field for your companions who must fight in close quarters and to prevent the captive from being used as a hostage were the right ones. You even applied yourself well against two armed opponents by yourself. Well done."
"Thank you, Captain," Llewelyn enthusiastically.
"Indeed," Broti said. He walked up to Llewelyn, placing a hand on his shoulder. "'Tis must be vindicating for Lady Valkyrie to know her efforts in training an unsanctioned einherjar such as yourself have not been wasted."
Lawfer and Arngrim looked at their instructor in their peripherals, both thinking they did not like where this line of talk was going.
"…Oh, thank you again, Captain," Llewelyn made himself smile.
"Not at all, not at all," Broti folded his hands behind his back again. "All thanks should go to her for being able to elevate even an unworthy soul such as yourself. She is truly a credit to…"
That did it. Whether it was the Aesir captain's words, or Llewelyn's visible hurt wince, or Arngrim's own innate distaste for the officer, the mercenary's last thread of patience broke.
"What the hell?" Arngrim shouted.
"Unworthy?" Lawfer's offense on his comrade's behalf caused his tongue to slip.
Broti turned, raising a brow in confusion. "Something bothers thee, humans?"
A sneering Arngrim stepped out of line, getting right into Broti's space as he glared down at him.
"Soldier, get back in line or I shall be forced to use force," Broti ordered.
"Arngrim, no!" Lawfer held out a hand to try holding him back.
But Arngrim was having none of it.
"Listen, fancypants," he growled at their substitute instructor. "I can take a lotta things, but callin' one of my comrades "unworthy" even though he's been bustin' his ass as much as the rest of us just tears it!"
Broti scowled and then reached for the massive Warhammer hanging from his back while Arngrim grabbed Dáinsleif. Lawfer and Llewelyn looked between them with panic in their eyes.
"Last warning, soldier. Stand down, and you will only receive another punishment from Lady Valkyrie," the captain warned.
A cocky smile graced Arngrim's face and he was just about ready to let the arrogant, squat god have it when Llewelyn jumped in between them.
"No, he's right, Arngrim," Llewelyn insistently said.
"What?" Arngrim reflexively answered in disbelief.
The young archer spread out his arms to the sides as though that would prevent a man twice his size from pushing past him.
"I am an unworthy soul," Llewelyn claimed. "I wasn't even supposed to be chosen, remember? Making me an einherjar was just a convenience to solve a problem. I'm easily the least useful out of us all. I don't know why I'm even being allowed to remain among the rest of you."
Arngrim and Lawfer's mouths both fell open in shock to hear him putting himself down so.
Llewelyn wasn't finished just yet, "Even if I'm not supposed to be dead, by all rights, I should have been sent off to Niflheim already."
A righteous anger boiled up from the pit of Arngrim's core. It wasn't directed by Llewelyn, but at the sentiment these Aesir had him believing.
"What a load of crap!" Arngrim angrily retorted. "You've watched our backs and saved our hides plenty o' times with your aim! And you do it while scared stiff! Don't you give me any of that unworthy bullshit!"
Llewelyn was suddenly and roughly pushed to the side by Broti's Warhammer, who didn't even give the boy an "Pardon me," even as he knocked the boy over. Lawfer caught Llewelyn before he could fall to the ground. The young knight then glared at their substitute trainer, whose eyes were only on Arngrim.
"Captain!" Lawfer protested.
"Silence!" Broti barked back at him.
"Wait, everyone just calm down," Llewelyn raised his hands haltingly.
He was ignored as Arngrim and Broti stared each other down.
"Soldier, I have had just about enough of you," he warned.
"What a coincidence! I'm had just about enough of your face!" Arngrim shot back.
Both warriors readied their weapons as Llewelyn and Lawfer froze, unsure of what to do.
"HALT!" the familiar, stern voice of Lenneth sounded. "STAND DOWN, BOTH OF YOU! AT ONCE! I DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE!"
"Don't stop! Keep running!" Belenus ordered.
"No argument here!" Jelanda cried as she ran as quickly as she could.
Nanami shrieked as a flaming branch fell past her as she ran, holding her arms up against her chest as they fled what little remained of the kobold camp into the burning simulated forest. The girls took the lead while Belenus intentionally trailed them with the singed straw doll swung over his shoulder.
"I dare say, I cannot possibly fathom how we will receive a passing evaluation for this," Belenus said.
"Why not?" Jelanda called over her shoulder. "We got the doll!"
"Yes, we retrieved the fare maiden from the cage, but if this were a deal battle, we'd be fleeing through a forest fire that'd spread and devour the entire countryside," the nobleman replied. "Additionally, we are only still able to run because we are already dead. The smoke from the flames would have suffocated us by now otherwise. On top of everything else, our rescued damsel has received burns."
"Alright, so I might have gone a little overboard! Gah!" Jelanda ducked a flaming branch which fell towards her.
"Just a bit," Belenus dryly muttered.
Nanami meanwhile was still letting out a series of terrified screams as they fled the infernal.
"Look, sunlight! We're almost out!" Jelanda pointed ahead of them.
"Thank Wise Njord," Nanami cried.
A moment later, they crashed through some foliage, out into the open ground of the training area. The trio stood panting a moment. Jelanda looked over at Belenus, and was relieved to see he still had the stray doll, and that it had survived mostly intact despite being made of some exceedingly flammable material.
"Alright… let's just report in and get our score," Nanami muttered.
They all dusted themselves off the best they could, and before anyone of them had the chance to look for their substitute drill instructor, Lenneth's voice rang from across the field, giving them all a fright.
"HALT! STAND DOWN, BOTH OF YOU! AT ONCE! I DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE!"
"That was Lady Valkyrie," Jelanda gasped. "What could she be…?"
Then she realized it at the same time as the other two.
"Oh, what has Arngrim done this time?" she groaned.
"Come. Let us see what this is about," Belenus wearily muttered.
He started towards their group, and the magi followed. For all of them, there was a sinking feeling in their stomachs.
Arngrim and Broti backed away from each other as they both beheld the angry goddess staring them down with eyes so fierce, it felt like they were being sized up for a hunt.
"Valkyrie…" Arngrim began.
"Do not!" Lenneth cut him off.
Then she turned to Lawfer and Llewelyn, who knew to bite their tongues. After assuring the silence of her einherjar, she looked at Broti.
"Captain Broti, explain this at once," she ordered.
"Explain? Milady, you can clearly see this ruffian here is insubordinate and was ready to raise arms against me, one of the Aesir," Broti indignantly answered. "I dare say this mad dog might even need to be put down."
Lenneth almost answered right away, intending to agree with the Aesir Captain. After all, this was the second time Arngrim had had an outburst like this when she left her einherjar with a substitute trainer. However, before the words could pass her lips, Lenneth noticed Lawfer also giving Broti a hard look before turning a softer, sympathetic one to Llewelyn. The young archer, speaking of, was looking at her anxiously, and was clearly working up the courage to jump into the conversation instant he needed to. This all gave the Valkyrie cause for pause and she reconsidered what she was going to say next.
Then she heard footsteps and turned to her left, and saw Belenus's team returning from their training exercise. The Lassen noble looked like he'd rather be anywhere else in creation at the moment, and Jelanda was glaring grumpily at Arngrim with her hands on her hips. Nanami was worriedly clutching non-existence pearls, her hands balled into fists and pressed against her chest.
Given the moment to realize what she needed to ask, Lenneth spoke, "What provoked this reaction?"
"I've no idea honestly," Broti said with a sniff. "I was simply complimenting young Llewelyn here when…"
"You called him unworthy," Arngrim angrily butted in.
Lenneth reflexively snapped towards him, intending to give the scarred warrior a stern dressing down for speaking out of term, but then what he said registered and she stopped to process it.
"Well, how am I wrong, human?" Broti demanded. "The boy 'twas not meant to know the glory of Valhalla. An unworthy soul such as himself should feel truly blessed I am even acknowledging his existence. He does not belong here and knows it."
Arngrim growled like a beast while Belenus and Nanami's mouths fell open at what the Aesir captain had just said. Jelanda clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle any noise. Lawfer ground his teeth furiously. He looked at Llewelyn again, who just miserably hung his head. As fury overtook the young knight, he stepped out of line, pointing an angry finger at Broti.
"Now you just see here…"
"Lawfer!" Lenneth shouted.
The young Artolian looked at his commander, protest in his eyes, but Lenneth leaned her head forward slightly, unyielding in her own stern stare. With a sigh, Lawfer stepped back into line next to Llewelyn. By now, both the magi had also run over to the archer's side. Nanami a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, and he replied with a forced smile.
"Humph!" Broti puffed up proudly. "I can see your einherjar all need a lesson in discipline. If you did not need them for your daily duties, I would gladly have them all taken to the brig and given a good flogging."
Unable to take it anymore, the words just burst from Lenneth, "Ugh! Unbelievable!"
"Uh," Broti was a bit taken aback. "Well, I agree… This felon's conduct defies belief."
"Not just him," Lenneth sharply rebuked. "You, too."
"Buh… beg pardon?" Broti demanded.
"Captain, Arngrim, I am beyond disappointed that the both of you allowed this to escalate to the point of drawing your weapons on each other," Lenneth raved.
Arngrim just looked away belligerently.
"Me?" Broti balked.
"Yes, you," was Lenneth's displeased answer. "I asked you to run my einherjar through this drill while I attended to a couple of things, not to belittle and provoke them to anger!"
"Belittle? Be reasonable, Lady Valkyrie," Broti protested. "How am I belittling anyone? Because I called young Llewelyn what he is? He is but chaff in the wind among the grain you have harvested."
Jelanda seethed, about to have a go at the captain, but Nanami grabbed her arm. The former princess looked at her, and the shrine girl shook her head firmly. Reluctantly, Jelanda stood down. From the sidelines, Arngrim and Belenus were both ready to tear this Aesir man to pieces.
"Pay no heed," Lawfer whispered in the young archer's ear.
Lenneth firmly placed a hand on her chest. "I am the Chooser of the Slain here, Captain, not you. The one who judges souls and decides their worthiness is I. Whilst it may be true, I chose Llewelyn to mend a distortion which broke his spring of fate, I only chose that particular course of action because I saw his caring nature and potential for bravery. I would not have done so were he a craven coward or a villain."
Llewelyn looked up from his stupor in genuine surprise. After his foul up in the Cave of Thackus, he was sure Lenneth didn't think much of him at all.
"That hardly makes him…"
"Captain, I am not finished," Lenneth sternly stopped him. "'Twas never a matter of worthy or unworthy, but of necessity. There are many souls I would deem being worthy of becoming einherjar but were not fated to be for one reason or another."
Lenneth looked right at Llewelyn as she went on. "For every string, a place within a greater tapestry. That place may not always be glamorous, but it is still an important part which makes up the larger whole, nevertheless."
She met Broti's gaze with one final statement, "As it a matter of fact, Captain, I was instructed to recruit archers and scouts who can move silently behind enemy lines into Lord Odin's ranks. Among my current einherjar, it is Llewelyn who meets that criteria. If anything, I would call it a twist a fate I found him when I did. Llewelyn will be the first of my einherjar I will be presenting to Lord Odin to join the ranks of his army."
Llewelyn stared back at her in wide-eyed shock. Nanami and Lawfer both smiled at him, putting their hands on his shoulders in a more congratulatory manner this time. Arngrim finally looked at Lenneth again, face softening in surprise at how much she had just stood up for the boy.
"I was not going to reveal this just yet, but this ridiculousness has forced my hand," Lenneth added.
Broti gulped, unsure of how to proceed now. "…I see."
"Do you?" Lenneth asked. Before he could answer, she motioned him away with a few dismissive flicks of her wrist. "Now, you are dismissed, Captain. I will handle my einherjar from here."
"Milady…?" Broti questioned.
"Did I stutter?" Lenneth asked.
"Bu-but, what about him?" the Aesir captain jabbed a finger at Arngrim. "His raised his blade to one of the Aesir. Hard time in the brig with harsh disciplinary action is in order."
"I will deal with him. He is my responsibility," Lenneth answered. "Now, that will be all, Captain."
"Lady Valk…!"
"I said that will be all," Lenneth harshly rebuked him.
Captain Broti coughed uncomfortably, and saluted. "By your leave."
Then he hastily departed, his short little legs moving in double time to take him from the scene. Lenneth have him a passing glance, and just stood, centering herself to calmly address her team.
"Geez, what an unpleasant person. How did he get to be a captain, anyway?" Jelanda raved. "I can't believe he just said those horrible things as though he were appraising a tool."
"As far as he's concerned, we are just tools," Arngrim said.
Llewelyn shrugged. "You don't win wars being nice. We are here to fight for them, so we are kinda tools."
"Yes, you win wars with the men you were given to command," Lawfer said. "However, nothing kills morale like an officer who does not value those at his command, especially when it is because of their origins. Doing that is a great way to create division within the unit, which is the last thing any officer needs in the middle of a conflict."
Lawfer watched the departing Broti. "After so many centuries of war, I would expect an Aesir captain to know that."
Turmoil raged in Nanami's mind.
"The-they're the gods. Was it his right to say… that?" even as the thought crossed her mind, it felt wrong to Nanami. "That was just needlessly cruel of him."
Jelanda noticed the shrine girl looking like she was shaken to the core.
"Nanami?"
"I'm fine, really. Just… stunned, I suppose," she answered.
Belenus bit his tongue, keeping his opinion to himself.
"It was as though Llewelyn did not even register as a person to him," he found the thought haunting. "I know the gods are higher beings, and have the right to deem themselves as such, but…"
"Eh, don't pay no attention to that crap," Arngrim said. "They'd be in deep shit without einherjar, and they know it."
Lenneth meanwhile, finally left her thoughts, and approached her einherjar, possessing a similar dignified strut as the captain, though she carried so much better in their opinion. She had decided to on how to deal with the situation.
"First order of business, you, Arngrim," Lenneth said as she stopped in front of him. "A week's evening stall duties with the castle servants on top of your regular obligations."
Arngrim just grunted in displeasure, but did not argue. Lenneth almost made it two weeks for his failure to reply with a proper, "Yes, Lady Valkyrie", but stopped herself for his newfound lack of complaint. Instead, she stepped back, looking her team over.
"Fall in!" she ordered.
As her company formed a single line before her, she mentally readied her announcements for the day's duties.
"For our next order of business, Lord Odin and Lady Freya will be holding their first evaluation of you einherjar in four days," she told them. "As stated, I will be presenting Llewelyn as the first to transfer into the ranks of their armies."
She locked eyes with Llewelyn, then, "I fully expect you to pass and to prove to Captain Broti very wrong about you."
"Thank you, Milady," Llewelyn answered.
"Lastly," Lenneth said, "As usual, we head down to Midgard to continue the search for Count Orlok and Lady Beliza. The fact they remain at large is becomes worrisome for the time it gives them to plot another of their schemes. On our way out, I will be stopping by the home of Lord Elros."
Jelanda, Nanami, and Llewelyn's eyes all registered curiosity and confusion.
"Lord Elros is in charge of The Forest of Spirits," Lenneth said in addendum. "Presently, Lords Forseti, Magni, and Modi are on mission there, and I will be having a word with them before we depart, but first…"
A wry grin crossed her face. "Who won?"
"Well, Milady," Belenus hesitantly spoke.
He unshouldered the singed 'damsel' from the kobold camp simulation.
"Oh, and this is ours'," Llewelyn said.
He ran over to where he'd set theirs' down and presented a perfectly intact straw dummy.
"They also rescued their captive before we got to ours'," Nanami confessed.
"And we did it without setting the whole place on aflame," Lawfer added for his own amusement.
"Ah, well, then," Lenneth said. "Arngrim, Llewelyn, and Lawfer are today's victors in just about every way."
Belenus and Nanami both gave Jelanda irritated looks while the former princess shrunk into herself, laughing sheepishly.
"Take a short rest. We depart in ten minutes," Lenneth ordered.
Then she turned away from them, withdrawing into her thoughts while her team walked towards some shade to sit down. After a moment, though, Lenneth felt eyes on her and turned around to see Arngrim still lingering.
"You should take your breather while you can," she said.
Arngrim stared a moment longer before answering.
"Thanks for standing up for the kid."
"Humph. I did nothing of the sort. I simply spoke the truth," she answered.
Arngrim smirked as she turned away again. Then he sauntered off to join the others.
"Lezard Valeth?" Forseti repeated.
"Yes, Milord," Lenneth told him. "After speaking with your mother and Sága, I am certain the felon responsible for the missing elf woman can be no other."
"Very well, then," Forseti acknowledged.
He bowed his head to her respectfully, and then turned toward those behind him. Seated around the council room table were the elven lord Elros, Magni, Modi, and elves of various rank under their lord. Elros wore loose-fitting white robes over which was a long red and gold dress-jest. He stroked his chin as he considered this break in the missing person case. He had pronounced, sharp features and his green hair was a shade darker than the norm for most elves. Only his eyes displayed his true age at all.
"Lezard Valeth," Elros stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I almost did not believe the reports that a human had done all this, but if Lady Sága and Lady Lenneth both collaborate these claims, then I have no other choice."
"Fat lot of good having his name does us, though," Modi muttered.
Then, he took another bite of his chicken leg. The fact he was the only one eating at this table was either lost on him, or he didn't care. Just like how he seemed to be oblivious to his brother's annoyed stare.
"What are you talking about? This is great news," Magni argued.
"How? One human in a sea of humans. Even if he is a wizard, so what? They got a whole nation of 'em down here just across the sea to the northwest," Modi muttered. "That don't help us find one man."
Lenneth glared at Modi for his ungratefulness and dismissal of her input. Forseti also gave him a hard look, but like the Valkyrie, refrained from showing it overtly.
"On the contrary, cousin," Forseti said. "Lenneth has given us a perfect opportunity to flush this villain out."
"How?" Modi condescendingly demanded.
"Simple. I will return to Asgard and confer with the goddesses of prophecy," Forseti answered. "What this human has done is a great offense and I fear his intentions for poor Liana are darker still. We will send the Seers of Midgard a vision of this man with instructions to mobilize the church and whatever military resources they can muster to track him down. Our followers will find him."
Magni grinned. "With everyone looking for this fiend, there will be no place on Midgard he can hide forever."
"A satisfying answer?" Forseti asked his doubtful cousin.
"Alright," Modi threw up his hands, giving in. "That's not a bad plan, but how are the humans supposed to keep us informed?"
"Again, we shall utilize their Seers," Forseti replied. "Every finding in the case will be brought to the nearest available human soothsayer. They have a direct link to the goddesses of prophecy. If any clues are found pertaining to this Lezard's whereabouts and movements, we will know."
Then Forseti turned to Lenneth.
"We really cannot thank you enough," he said. "Now, by everyone's leave. I will depart to put this plan into action."
He gave a short bow and left.
"If Milords will excuse me, I have my own duties to attend upon this very realm," Lenneth said.
Then she also left through the opened double doors of the council room. Just outside, she found her einherjar waiting for her in the lobby.
"Come, my einherjar," she said. "I have finished my business in this place. Let us be off and see about tying up our unfinished business with those vampire lords."
Silently, her team fell in behind her, and as soon as she stepped out onto the nearest balcony, she took them skyward, leaving the elven city for the dark corners of the human world.
"Mystina…"
The words were a smooth drawl on Lezard's lips as he stood in front of a large stone building. His eyes focused specifically on the windows of a fourth-floor apartment within it which happened to be the abode of the very person he had business with this day. Then he stepped inside the establishment as though he owned it. There were things to discuss, a trade to be conducted, and something important to be gained from this visit, and he would not be leaving until he obtained what he needed.
The clerk at the front desk saw him and stood up, but only to extend an open palm. Lezard absently flicked a big gold coin in his direction. The clerk caught and pocketed it.
"Always a pleasure, Mr. Valeth," he said.
Lezard did not answer as he walked on past and up the steps. In the present, he was ignorant of the Aesir's movements against him, and of the visions Seers all around Midgard were receiving about hiim.
