Topic: Light Touched

Elin · Date: 2017-10-15 06:04 EST

She watched and waited through the long night, listening to sounds of Siv being settled to bed, to the much later sound of Katla dragging Aiden down to sleep, watching over her charge by the light of the flickering torch until finally she fell to sleep herself, lulled by the safety and quiet of the hold at rest.

No sound came from the sleeping man, but a few mumbled and incoherent words while he dreamed - no feverish nightmares or screams in his sleep to awaken the hold. He rested like the dead, nearly quiet until morning when the first rays of sunlight made themselves known and his eyelids fluttered open.

Though his eyes obeyed him, his head was slow in remembering what had happened. It all seemed like some horrible dream, and yet, he did not recognized his surroundings or the woman who was curled up on the chair beside him. And then, he remembered. All of it came flooding back with terrible swiftness, and he heard himself just barely stifle a sob of grief.

For all that she slept, Elin was aware, dark eyes snapping open at the first sound of his grief. No doubt he had never seen a woman with her coloring before, a true lowlander with dark hair and eyes, smaller in stature than any Amarri woman could claim, but her differences did not mean much in that moment. What mattered was how swift she was to slip from her seat to kneel beside the bed, gathering his hand into hers as her palm smoothed between his shoulders.

"Easy," she murmured softly. "You're safe here."

If he'd known what an angel was, he might have accused her of being one, blue eyes turning to meet hers, eyes widening with wonder. He had seen someone else with that same coloring, that same dark hair. Who had it been" His eyes were bright with tears, though he blinked them away, pride not allowing him to shed them in front of a stranger and a pretty one, no less. "Where am I?" he asked, voice strained, sounding distant to his own ears.

"You're in Dawn-Shadow Hold, in the Heart of the Mountains," Elin told him softly. "You were brought here for healing by Katla Dawn-Rider and Aiden Shadow-Walker. You are healed, I promise you, and you are safe here."

He closed his eyes as the memories continued to flood back. So many faces of the dead - of those he'd once called family and friends. He still heard their screams in his head and then, even worse, the terrible silence. What right did he have to still be alive when so many others were dead" Oh, his body was healed, but it would take time before the same could be said for his heart. He could not help the tears that leaked from his eyes, hoping she would not think him any less a man because of it. And then, he remembered how he must have come to be here. He remembered the man and the woman he had tracked through the woods - a dark-haired man like her, and a bright-haired woman, like himself. Aiden and Katla.

"You are kin," he said, sliding his eyes open again to regard her. Or at least, she was kin of the dark-haired man. That much was obvious.

"He's my brother," she told him, still speaking softly as she gently wiped his tears away. "He and I, we were accepted into the clan when this hold was established just a few months ago. There is another hold, Mountain-Hawk, half a day's journey from here."

"Mountain-Hawk," he echoed quietly. "Legend says we once came from there, but nothing has been heard from this side of the mountains in many years." Since long before he'd been born.

"They didn't know you still lived, either." She pulled away just long enough to wet a cloth with cool water to wash his face gently. "They thought they were alone out here. If ....if my brother hadn't come to the mountains, they might not have been here for you to find."

He was grateful that she hadn't mentioned his tears, more so that she had wiped them away. Her touch had been gentle, but then, if she was a healer, it would have to be. "Your brother," he said quietly. "The Shadow-Walker." He thought he caught a glimpse of something on the palm of her hand as she washed his face, grateful for the cool water after the heat of the fever he'd endured for so long. "Another legend."

"A living legend," she smiled, not volunteering her own part in it at all. "He joined with the Dawn-Rider when this hold was established - they were the ones who cleansed the Heart and made it whole again. Is it any wonder the hold is named for them?"

"Here, perhaps," he said, a shadow crossing his face at the mention of that cleansing, knowing without asking what it was they had cleansed the heart of the mountain of. "Stone-Bear Hold has fallen. I am the last," he said, his voice grievous, as his heart.

"Of that hold, yes," she said gently. "But you are not the last of your people. The Amarri hold the mountains still, and they will continue to hold them, I swear to you. We'll reclaim the mountains from the dead, and make it a worthy place to live again."

He didn't say anything for a moment, not trusting his voice, turning away even to master his emotions before looking back at her. "You speak as if you are one of us," he said, despite the explanation she'd given him. She was clearly not Amarri, nor was her brother, and yet they had been accepted into the clan as though they had been born to it.

Elin stilled, rising from where she knelt to sit back in the chair she had abandoned when he woke. "I have nowhere else to go," she told him, her voice carefully quiet. She did not want Aiden to hear her say this aloud. "My brother is all I have, and he has chosen this place to make his home. He's mated, and happy, and I ....I would not last a month in the world on my own. I was never taught to fight. I ....was intended for something else."

"For healing," he guessed, though he did not know her true purpose. It seemed clear enough to him that she had been left here to watch over him, to make sure he lived through the night. The mention of a brother made his heart ache, but he was not yet ready to speak of that. "Is it you I should thank for bringing me back from the brink of death, then?" he asked, as he met her gaze.

Well, she was a sort of healer. It wasn't a lie. "The augur did the work of healing you," she told him, deflecting his thanks easily. "I assisted, that's all. How did you keep going with such a terrible wound, if you had no idea there was anyone here?"

He chewed at the corner of his lip, unsure just how to answer that. "I saw ....a light. Like a beacon to guide me. Even when it disappeared, I could still see it in my mind, and I knew it would be my death or my salvation. I could do nothing but follow it, to find where it might lead. Such a light could not be evil. And it led me here," he said, or very nearly here, stopping just short of saying, "To you."

Elin sighed, a rueful smile curving her lips. "Of course you did," she murmured. "I think everyone saw it, from coast to coast. Well, then ....this should come as no surprise to you." She showed him her palms, the closed eyes marked in the center of each betraying what she was far more accurately than words could.

He didn't have to say the words, to name her aloud. He knew without asking what she was - another legend he had long doubted had ever existed. Just a story told to children to help them sleep at night. How could the legend be real when he'd never seen any proof of it ....until now. His eyes widened with wonder once again, and he dared to lift his own hand toward her palm before pulling away, not daring to touch her. There was no mistaking she was a Light-Bringer, and to his wonder, she had been the one to call him back from the brink of death.

She curled her hands tight once again, drawing them into the folds of her shawl as she hugged herself. "The dead came for me, in the lowlands," she explained softly. "I was brought here, to the Heart of the Mountains, where the demon tried to turn me. If my brother, the Shadow-Walker, hadn't come for me, our whole world would have changed. Katla's kin gave their blood to save my life. I owe them a debt I can never repay. But we will clear the dead from the mountains, or die trying."

Elin · Date: 2017-10-15 06:05 EST

To his credit, he listened quietly, knowing when it was time to speak and time to remain silent. He could sense something in her, some pain or regret. People had died to save her. Well, he could well understand that. She had drawn away from him now, and any chance he'd had to touch her was lost. There was one thing he could give her, whether she wanted it or not - one thing besides his thanks. "I will help you, if I can." Not only because he owed her his life, but because he wanted revenge and justice for those he had loved and lost.

"It is likely they will ask you," she admitted quietly, an apology in her eyes for what he would have to face in order to find his revenge on the creatures that had destroyed his home. "The group that goes will not be a large one, and ....I am the most useless of that group. I exist, that is all. No one will risk me with anything but what I was born for. You do not want to hitch your wagon to mine."

He arched a brow at her warning, wondering just what she meant by it. "And if I do not heed your warning?" he asked, revealing some stubbornness that, no doubt, had helped him survive - too stubborn and willful to die just yet.

"I do not want any more deaths on my conscience," she told him, anguish in her face for the knowledge that the young apprentice augur who had accompanied her brother on his quest to save her had willingly given up his own life to preserve hers. "I couldn't bear it."

"Perhaps it is not your choice to make," he pointed out, as gently but seriously as he could. But then he was smiling, as if they hadn't been discussing anything so morbid as death. "But if I am to follow you, I would like to know your name."

His smile was something she had not expected, an expression that transformed his face from something serious to something breathtaking in a single moment. Elin's eyes widened, her throat working to swallow before she attempted to answer his request. "I-I ....I'm Elin Owensdottr."

"Elin," he echoed, liking the sound of her name on his tongue. "It fits," he told her, still smiling. Her name even sounded like light, and if she was indeed a Light-Bringer, it was likely her light that had guided him here. "I'm Bjorn," he told her, without sharing a surname. Just Bjorn would do, now that he was without a clan.

To her dismay, she felt herself blushing, glancing away in embarrassment. "Thank you, Bjorn." She bit her lip, moving to rise. "I-I should find you something to eat, something to wear. You're, um, your clothes were burned. We saved your boots, but everything else was ....I didn't look!"

So transfixed he was by this wisp of a dark-haired girl who had saved his life, he hadn't even realized he was naked beneath the blanket that covered him. What in bloody blazes was the matter with him' He'd just lost his entire clan, and all he could think of was how lovely she looked when she blushed. Suddenly, he seemed to remember himself and he frowned, unable to deny he was hungry and feeling suddenly guilty for that, too. "I would be grateful for some clothing, lady," he admitted, not wanting to shame her or himself by his lack of clothing.

"I-I won't be long," she promised, rushing from the chamber in acute embarrassment. What was wrong with her" He'd lost everyone he knew and loved, and yet she was feeling the beginnings of something that could easily get out of hand. No man deserved to be shackled to a Light-Bringer. Her brother was finally free of her; she could not be contemplating inviting another to take responsibility for her. It was wrong.

He furrowed his brows in confusion, none too sure what he'd said or done to send her fleeing from him so swiftly and with a reddened face. She had to have known he was naked, if she'd been there when the augur had tried to heal him. He was comfortable with his own body, with his nakedness, and yet, the thought of her looking at him with embarrassment not only puzzled him but did things to his insides he did not quite understand. There was nothing he could do really but wait for her to return, and yet, now that he was awake and healed, his body was reminding him of certain bodily functions he had ignored. He bit back a groan as he rolled to his side and swung his legs over the bed, bringing the blanket along with him to cover himself. Dressed or not, he needed to make his morning ablutions before he wet himself.

At least the pot was in easy view of the bed; he didn't have to go hunting for it. Unfortunately, Elin kept her promise not to be long. "Oh, my ....I'm sorry!" She shuddered to a halt in the doorway, pressing her brother's pants and shirt over her face, a jug of ale and plate of last night's stew in her other hand.

Thankfully, his back was turned to her, and he was almost finished, though he was startled by her quick return. He drew the blanket around himself again, before he turned to face her, almost entirely covered, except for his head and the upper part of his chest. "I'm sorry," he echoed. "I-I couldn't wait any more!"

"No ....no, it's fine, I-I should have made some noise or knocked or something!" This came out a little muffled, but at least it was discernible. Keeping her eyes firmly closed, she waved the clothing in his direction. "These should fit you. I-I'll just wait out here."

"Thank you," he said, reaching for the little pile of clothing, but not before he waved a hand in front of her face as if to check if she was peeking. "I will just be a moment," he told her, turning his back and dropping the blanket back onto the bed to get himself dressed.

She didn't quite make it out through the door before glancing back, opening her eyes to let her gaze rake over the toned muscle of his back, and to admire a rear end she was pretty sure she could break rocks on if she really wanted to. Shy she might be, but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate a body made for the world it lived in.

Though he was young, he wasn't so young that he didn't have a man's body or the scars to prove he was a warrior in his own right. There upon his back were the claw marks he would wear as a reminder of the attack upon his people for the rest of his life. It was just as well he couldn't see them for himself. As he'd promised, he didn't take more than a moment or two to get himself dressed, the clothing not quite to his liking, but comfortable and warm enough to make do. When he was finished, he strode to the door to find her again, his stomach grumbling loudly.

Thankfully, Elin had managed to pull her eyes from him before he turned around, hearing him coming into the main chamber. His meal was set out at the table - stew from last night, the last of yesterday's baked bread, a jug of ale - and she herself was bent over the fire, urging it into life after a night of banked embers. There was also a small child watching them from the door to the other sleeping chamber, a very reluctant cat wrapped in her arms.

He glanced from the woman to the child, wondering if she was hers, but no, there was no similarity there between their features. The child belonged to someone else. The simple domesticity of the scene made his heart ache, remembering his own home and those he'd lost there - those who'd died there, but he dared not let his thoughts linger there too long. There would be time for grief later, after he had his revenge. "Well, good morning," he greeted the girl.

Little fingers waved at him from the cat's middle, but Siv didn't say anything, unaccountably shy. But then, it was first thing in the morning, and she was used to waking up in bed with Elin, not her parents. She shuffled across the chamber, letting Cat go to hide her face in Elin's side.

Elin laughed softly, dropping her shawl around the little girl's shoulders. "Siv, this is Bjorn," she introduced the two to one another. "Bjorn, this is Siv. She's Katla and Aiden's daughter."

Bjorn arched a blond brow, seeing none of Aiden in this small child. No, she was wholly Amarri, but he didn't argue the fact. "I am happy to meet you, Siv," he said, pushing away the memory of other children, of another place and what felt like another lifetime. "And who is that?" he asked with a nod of his head toward the cat.

"S'Cat," Siv informed him from where she had wrapped her arms about Elin's hips, watching the stranger with curious, shy eyes. "Did you have dreams" Elin did the magic and the eyes and everything, and you was all better. Mamae says you came from ages and ages away."

"Shhh, Siv, let him eat," Elin told her gently, stroking the blonde head hugged against her side. "Go and get the milk for me."

Bjorn took a seat at the table at last, famished after so many days of wandering. He'd taken whatever he could carry, hunted what he could, survived on whatever he could find in the wilds, but it had never been enough; and once he'd become feverish, it was difficult to keep anything down. He broke off a bit of bread and hungrily gulped it down, as if he was half-starved.

Elin · Date: 2017-10-15 06:06 EST

As he ate, Siv fetched what Elin told her to fetch, and finally climbed up into a seat at the table with Bjorn, watching him with that curiously intense way most children master before they start walking. He was like her, but not from anywhere she knew; Elin had used the magic on him, but he was awake and talking; he was wearing her Papae's clothes, but they didn't fit him very well. "Is you a prince?" she asked eventually.

He hadn't had a chance to answer the little girl's question about dreams before Elin had sent her off on an errand, but now that she was seated at the table with him, she was hard to avoid. Whatever it was she thought of him, she reminded him a little too much of someone he'd lost, so much so it made his heart ache. He pushed those thoughts aside for now; he'd deal with his grief in his own time. "A prince?" he echoed, as he dipped a hunk of bread in the stew. "What makes you think I'm a prince?"

"'Cos you're from a far 'way land like in the stories with the Lady and the Father, and you made the magic happen, and Elin's sort of a princess," Siv informed him sweetly. "Uncle Svarn is the Fane here and that's like a king, so I'm a princess, and so is Mamae, and that means Elin's a princess, so you should be a prince."

He could have claimed to be what she said he was, but it would be a lie, and he was no liar. "I am a warrior, not a prince, little one," he replied, taking a bite of the stew-soaked bread. And the last of his people, or at least, the last of those who had called Bear-Stone Hold their home.

"Is you cursed, then?"

Elin glanced up from where she was stirring the porridge, the scent of honeyed oats filling the living chamber. "Siv," she warned. "Don't be rude. Bjorn is a guest."

Bjorn winced at the question, though he did not blame her for asking it. "I hope not," he replied, knowing in his heart that it was not any fault of his that brought destruction down upon the hold, but an old and insidious evil. "I would not wish to bring any harm to you or your family."

"It's not rude," Siv objected to being shushed. "Papae was cursed, everyone says so, 'cos he's a Shadow-Walker, but then he did a good thing, and he has you, and you're not cursed, and that maked him all better, and he married a princess, so there."

Bjorn knew that not all stories ended so well, but he didn't want to point that out. He didn't think his own story would end as happily as that. It would likely have a bloody end, but so long as he avenged the deaths of his people, his own end hardly mattered. "I do not think I will be marrying a princess," he replied, with a brief glance at Elin.

"Why not?" Siv demanded, bending down to gather Cat up onto her lap once again. "She's a pretty princess. And she's teeny, too, almost same as me, but I'm growin', and Elin's more shaped like a wimmins." She leaned close to him. "She has to hold her boobies up with a special cloth thingy -"

"Siv!" Elin was absolutely scandalized by this loud intimation to their guest, her cheeks burning dark with embarrassment.

Bjorn bit back a bark of laughter, but at least a smile had found its way onto his face. "She is very pretty," he agreed, despite or because of Elin's embarrassment. "And she is a good cook, too," he said, as he continued to make quick work of his breakfast.

"You can have some of this as well," Elin told him, her face still bright with shy mortification at Siv's inability to censor herself. "Siv, why don't you go and wake your parents" Gently, please."

Siv sighed exaggeratedly, but got down from the table. She wiggled at finger at both of them. "No doin' magic or kissin' when I'm not here."

"Not without your permission, little princess," Bjorn assured Siv, with a hint of amusement on his face. Children really were just children, no matter where they were from. So much for the little girl's shyness. Once she was gone, he turned quiet, introspective, his thoughts his own.

"I'm sorry," Elin apologized for the little girl, moving to set the table with bowls, cups, and spoons. "She seems rather ....enchanted with the romanticism, rather than aware of the reality. Which is better for her, right now. I wasn't expecting her to besiege you with questions, though."

He blinked out of his thoughts to glance over at the young woman again, unable to hide the grief and sorrow from his eyes, at least from her. "She reminds me of someone who was dear to me," he told her, leaving it at that, at least for now.

Her hands paused in their busy work, one reaching to gently curl over his fingers in silent understanding. Her dark eyes were soft for a long moment before she drew away. "We can ask her to be careful what she says around you, if that would make it easier."

He wasn't expecting her to touch him, but then he wasn't surprised either. She was like a gentle spring flower breaking through the long cold snows of winter. And the child" He would not want her to be anything but who she was. "No," he told her. "I would not ask anyone to change for me." After all, what had happened had been no fault of theirs, and they were only doing what they could to help him.

"We will avenge your hold, Bjorn," she promised him softly. "It is not something we speak about in front of the children, but I know my brother. He and Katla will already be making preparations, with the Thane's blessing."

"But it will not bring them back," he said, knowing he shouldn't have said it as soon as the words left his mouth. He exhaled a heavy sigh. "I should be dead," he said further, not really wanting to admit that either. Perhaps the Lady had spared him for some reason, but was it only to exact revenge or was there something more to it than that"

"No, it will not," she agreed softly, withdrawing to stir the porridge in the pot once again. "But it will give them peace. The dead will not let them rest, you and I both know this." It was an awful thing to contemplate, but he could well have volunteered himself to lead a small strike force against an army made up of those he had lost, possessed and used by spirits under a demon's command.

"I know this, but there is little comfort in revenge," he admitted, well aware that the demons would enslave the souls of his loved ones and use them against him. It was why he knew he had to go back, but he was not so sure he'd survive it a second time.

"Then don't do it for revenge," she said gently. "Do it for them. They deserve to rest in ....in a land made clean." She was glad he couldn't see her face as she said this - cleansing the mountains could kill her, she was very sure of that. Being a conduit for the Goddess' power was not an easy job.

He had already decided to do it. It was in part what had brought him here - to seek help, not only for himself but to cleanse the mountain hold of the evil that now resided there, but he could not do it alone. "You would do this for people you do not know and have never met?"

"It's why I was born," she pointed out. "It would be wrong of me to spurn the Goddess' gift when it is so needed. Why should I not aid you, and your kin, if I can?"

"It will be dangerous," he pointed out, though if she had lived through this once already, she must be well aware of this. He paused a moment, as if considering something, studying her silently a moment before going on. "I will do what I can to keep you safe."

"And you will not be alone in that," another voice interjected - Katla, ducking beneath the curtain that separated her bedchamber from this main room, buckling her belt about her waist. "It is good to see you well, Bjorn. Welcome to Dawn-Shadow Hold."

Well in body, but perhaps not so well in heart and mind. It would take more than healing the wounds of his body to heal the wounds of his heart and mind. "Thank you," he replied, not only for the welcome but for everything. He would have died if not for their help, and he knew it, but it was awkward putting those thoughts into words. "I owe you a debt I can never repay," he told her, looking at Katla, though his words were meant for Elin, as well.

Aiden emerged from behind Katla, with Siv in his arms. "You are Amarri and owe us nothing," he assured the other man.

"I am Katla," the blond woman introduced herself, since he had passed out before they could exchange names the day before. "My mate here is Aiden; you've met Elin, and Siv. My brother, Svarn, is Thane of this hold, and he has offered you a place here, if you wish to take it. Whether you take that place or not, we will help you set your kin to rest."

Elin · Date: 2017-10-15 06:07 EST

For some reason, Bjorn's gaze went once again to Elin, as if she was integral to his decision whether or not to make this his new home, but he did not have to make that decision today. "I am grateful for your help," he thanked her again, with a nod of his head in the general direction of Katla and Aiden. "I will stay here for now," he told them further. After all, he had nowhere else to go, but he did not know what might happen in the future, or even if he'd survive.

Just like that, he was openly accepted into their group, offered porridge to round off his meal as Elin served each of them the thick mixture to keep them fed until a more substantial lunch was provided. Siv tucked in with enthusiasm, barely noticing the blush on Elin's cheeks as she took a seat beside Bjorn to eat her own breakfast. Katla didn't miss that flush, though, nudging Aiden discreetly with a faint smile.

Aiden didn't notice anything out of place, until Katla nudged him and brought his sister's flush to his attention. Odd. He'd never seen her react that way before to anyone. He glanced between the pair, realizing that Bjorn was sneaking peeks at Elin between spoonfuls of porridge, but was Elin doing the same back"

Surprisingly, she was. Not only that, but she had set herself at the table so that Bjorn was between herself and Siv, forced to talk around him with the little girl who was so desperate to get his life's story from him over the course of a single meal. Elin's eyes flickered briefly to her brother, startled to find him watching her, and abruptly looked down into her bowl, fiercely concentrating on each mouthful.

Caught watching his sister, Aiden didn't so much as blink. He wasn't so blind that he couldn't see the subtle attraction between the pair, even if they didn't notice it themselves. "Elin, why don't you show Bjorn around?" he was quick to suggest, turning from his sister to the newcomer. "I'll talk to Svarn about finding you a place to stay, but for now, you are welcome to stay here."

"Oh! I have le -" But Aiden was already turning his attention to Bjorn, and Elin stuttered into silence.

Katla could see that her new sister was torn between duty to the children and a true wish to spend more time in the company of the warrior who had come to them from the broken mountains. "I'll take Siv and the children for the morning," she volunteered, laughing as her daughter cheered excitedly and scrambled around the table to throw herself into Katla's lap.

Aiden knew very well that his sister's usual daily routine consisted of lessons with the children, but he didn't think one day spent showing Bjorn around would hurt anything, and it might be good for both his sister and the newcomer. He knew what it felt like to be a stranger and so did his sister. Who else could help the newcomer feel more welcome than someone who knew what it was to be alone"

"Good! That's decided then," Aiden said as he rose to his feet. "I need to speak with the Thane," he said, leaning over to touch a kiss to Siv's head. "Be good for your mother," he told her quietly. "I will see you both later," he said, touching another kiss to Katla's cheek before straightening. Who needed Sigrun to match-make when Aiden was capable of doing it all on his own"

Katla chuckled as Siv threw her arms around Aiden's neck for her kiss, and then watched closely as her parents kissed one another before parting. She didn't even try to hide her grin when that curious look was turned onto Bjorn and Elin.

"You gonna kiss, too?" Siv asked hopefully.

Elin's cheeks stained with red once again. "We've only just met, Siv," she pointed out shyly, glancing at Bjorn uncertainly.

Whether Bjorn was mourning or not, he couldn't help but tease the little girl, who was proving to be more mischievous than expected. "Perhaps I should kiss you!" he teased back, leaning toward her and making a face that resembled a fish more than a kiss.

"Ewww!" Siv lurched backward into Katla's arms, pulling a grotesque face at the thought of being kissed herself. That, thankfully, saved Elin's composure - the dark-haired woman laughed, rising to tidy away the dishes they had used for their morning meal.

Katla rolled her eyes, laughing with her sister. "I think you should kiss Bjorn," she informed the little girl. "You did peek under his blanket last night."

Siv looked horrified to have that shared. "I didn't!"

Bjorn didn't have much to say about that either way. Or at least, he couldn't confirm or deny it, as he hardly remembered anything after he'd passed out in the woods. He knew he'd been brought here, that he'd been healed, and that he'd slept through the night, but he didn't remember any of it. He'd been naked under that blanket, and if Siv had peeked, he couldn't be blamed for what she might have seen. "And what did you see?" he asked, turning his attention to Siv again, that hint of amusement still obvious on his face.

"Nothing, because I didn't look!" Siv insisted, turning a scowl onto her mother for sharing that little tidbit. "You're a poo, Mamae."

Katla laughed, hugging her close. "I know, sweetling," she assured her daughter. "Let's go and show your friends how much of a poo I am."

Nodding happily, the easily-pleased little girl slithered down from her lap to scurry over and hug Elin for a moment. "We're coming back for lunch," she declared, whether Katla agreed or not. Then, after a moment's hesitation, she screwed up her face and launched herself at Bjorn, slamming a kiss onto his cheek before scurrying for the door.

Bjorn smiled a little wistfully as he watched the girl make her rounds, more than a little surprised when she stopped near him and unexpectedly smooched his cheek. "She doesn't hate me, then," he said, rubbing a callused finger against the place where Siv had kissed him.

Katla whisked the little one out through the door, leaving Elin to field that comment. The brunette woman smiled, shaking her head. "Siv likes everyone," she assured him. "You would have to hurt someone she loves to be hated by her. She's the most trusting child I've ever met."

"She is well loved, then," he said, his heart aching as he was once again reminded of another child who'd been near and dear to his heart. Any child who was a friendly as Siv had to be well loved by those who cared for her. He took a swallow of his ale before moving to his feet to help her clear the table. It wasn't men's work, but he needed to be doing something other than sitting.

"She lost her father before she had a chance to know him," Elin told him softly as they worked together to set the place to rights. "But she's had Katla, and Svarn and his wife, their son, and Hakon, her other cousin. Aiden and I are only recently a part of their family."

"I hope it was an honorable death," Bjorn said, just as any Amarri clansman might. It was not death they feared so much as was dying without honor and courage. A warrior's death was one of the most revered ways to die, so long as you died bravely. Those of his clan had died fighting an ancient evil. There was honor in that, at least, but it had been a losing battle, and not a single life - man, woman, or child - had been spared, save his. He was not sure why he had been spared, but perhaps the Lady had had a hand in that.

"It was," Elin assured him quietly. "But I'm told it was senseless as well. Halvar should have been the next Thane of Mountain-Hawk, had his father not been challenged and killed for the title. Katla and Svarn seem sure that their brother was removed."

"Halvar?" Bjorn echoed the name, brows furrowed in confusion. "I was asking about Siv's father," he pointed out, assuming they'd been talking about two different things, or people.

"Oh!" Elin bit her lip. "I'm sorry, I ....the stories are all tied together," she tried to explain. "The Thane who killed their father, who had their brother sent to his death, forced Katla to go through the joining with his own son. Jerrick only got one year with her, but it was long enough for Siv to be conceived. Once she was born, he thought he could take the Thaneship from his father in Halvar's name, and instead, his father had him executed."

Elin · Date: 2017-10-15 06:07 EST

Bjorn's frown deepened. "He killed his own son?" he asked, though it seemed the son might have been planning to do the same to the father. What sort of men did such things as this and for what reason, other than selfish pride and a lust for power"

"I only know what Sigrun told me," Elin admitted, "but as Svarn's mate, she has no reason to lie. That is partially why Katla helped Aiden come to find me - they needed somewhere to establish a new hold, with the people who supported them in Mountain-Hawk. The old Thane tried to keep Katla from reclaiming her daughter when it found out, but ..." She hesitated, glancing down at her marked palms. "Well, it seems I am good for more than killing demons."

He listened, studying her quietly while she told him her story, reaching for her hands as she glanced down at her palms, not because he wanted to see the markings there, but because he wanted to offer what comfort and reassurance he could with that simple touch. "You brought me back from the brink of death. And it is obvious how much your family loves and needs you. You are good for much more than killing demons, Elin," he assured her with a soft smile.

There was no way he couldn't feel her hands tremble in his grasp, but could he tell it was because no one but those she called kin had ever touched her" Dark eyes lifted to his with shy longing; she wanted to believe him. "I was born to be this," she told him in a soft whisper. "Our parents knew what they were doing. A Handmaiden of the Goddess, and a Shadow-Walker ....they knew what we would become. I was never intended to be a daughter, a sister. I was intended to be a weapon."

"And yet, here you are. A sister, an aunt, a friend ....A healer. There are worse things to be," he assured her further, tipping her chin upwards to meet his gaze. "You are special, and not only because you are a Light-Bringer. I do not say this only because you healed me, but because I see in you a gentle soul and a good heart. The world would be a much darker place without you in it, Elin. We need someone like you. I need someone like you."

"You need me?" she asked, not sure she could believe such a thing. "Bjorn, you ....you hardly know me. I'm a strange woman who watched you sleep all night, whose family seem to have decided that we're meant for one another because I ..." She trailed off, not really wanting to point out her interest plainly. "I meant what I said. This is what I am, but it is my choice how and when to use it. I will help you set your people to rest, Bjorn, I promise you."

"And you hardly know me," he reminded her, thinking perhaps she was denying the obvious mutual attraction between them a little too vehemently, but then she was talking about his clan again and how she had promised to help put them to rest. "I have lost everyone I ever loved or cared for, but I swear on my life I will die before I let any harm come to you."

"I will not let you die," she answered him fiercely. It was perhaps a little strange to see - this quiet, shy little woman standing her ground in defense of his life, no matter where he chose to take himself. "No one else will die if I can help it. You just have to get me close to the demon; the Goddess will take care of the rest."

He winced, not really liking the sound of that. Though he had not known her for more than a day, he was quickly growing fond of the quiet, shy little woman who had saved his life. "I dread going back there," he confessed quietly. Not because he was afraid of facing the dead and the demon, but because he knew it would be the faces of family and friends who made up the ranks of the dead, and he would no choice but to kill them again.

"You do not have to go," she reminded him, unconsciously turning to lay her hand on his arm, to face him with dark eyes that shone with concern for him. "There is nothing that says you have to face what is waiting there, and no one will think less of you for choosing not to enter that hold until it is clean once again."

"I am the only one who knows where to find it," he pointed out, though he supposed he could draw them a map. The problem was he felt personally responsible for those he left behind - not only for their deaths, but to put them properly to rest once and for all.

Elin sighed softly, wishing she could make this task somehow easier for him, but knowing she could not. Letting her hand fall from his arm, she glanced down at her feet. "I ....I should put my boots on, if I'm to show you around the hold."

"Elin," he said, reaching out to touch her arm and keep her there a moment longer. "I meant what I said. I will not let any harm come to you," he repeated. That was another reason for him to go along. How else was he supposed to keep that promise"

She paused, held in place as much by his promise as by the warmth of his hand through her sleeve. Her fingers brushed his without thinking. "Why should you take such a risk for me?" she asked, shaking her head with a smile. "I'm not like you; I'm not Amarri, or a warrior, or anything useful, beyond the Goddess' eyes. I'm just ....me."

"Is that not reason enough?" he asked, almost challenging her to argue with him. Yes, she was the Light-Bringer, chosen by the Goddess, but that wasn't entirely why he was so determined to protect her. He owed her a life debt, but that wasn't it either, and he wasn't quite sure he could put his feelings into words and explain properly.

"It shouldn't be," she protested softly. "I'm not your equal. I'm not the equal of any Amarri. I will always be weak, I will always need protection. You shouldn't lay your life alongside mine, Bjorn. It's a sentence you will never see an end to."

"And you should stop trying to convince me," he told her, smiling a little, but then the smile faded as another thought came to mind. "Oh," he said, realizing his mistake. "I'm sorry. I thought ..." He shrugged, assuming she was already promised to another and was trying to let him down easy.

"What?" The fading of that smile, however small it had begun, was more distressing than she cared to admit, sparking a fear in her that perhaps she had convinced him not to pursue her. "What is it?"

He pulled his arm away, worried he was crossing some unproclaimed boundary. "I did not realize you might be promised to another," he admitted with an embarrassed and disappointed frown.

Elin's mouth dropped open, astonished that he would think she was spoken for, or that he would care enough for the thought to destroy his smile. "Oh, I ....I'm not," she told him in amazement. "I ....Bjorn, who would want me?" She laughed, shaking her head.

"Who would not want you?" he countered, doing his best to hide his relief that she was not already promised or spoken for. "Has no one shown an interest?" he asked curiously, finding that hard to believe. There had to be someone.

"If they have, I do not know about it," she told him, amused that he thought she would be drowning in offers of marriage at all. "And my brother would tell me if someone had asked through him. So no, no one has shown an open interest in me. I spend more time with the children than I do with the grown men of this hold, anyway."

"And if someone were to show interest?" he asked further, not naming any specific man, though he was thinking of himself. Was it absurd that he found himself drawn to her after only a day' Was it just grief and loneliness, or was it something deeper"

Elin hesitated, blinking as she looked up at him. "It ....it would be my choice, not my brother's," she said, uncertain quite how they had come to this topic in the first place. One thing she was certain of was that she wasn't going to make it obvious that the only man she would choose in this moment was him ....or at least, she thought it wasn't obvious. If he had any knowledge of women at all, Bjorn likely already knew he had her attention.

"And if someone were interested, how would they go about saying so?" he continued. Though he knew the clan customs regarding such things, she and her brother were not born Amarri and might have different customs regarding such things.

"I-I ....I am not sure," she admitted softly. "I would hope, if a man were interested in me in-in that way, that he would tell me before he spoke to my brother. But the marriage customs of the Amarri ....I do not know them, myself."

Elin · Date: 2017-10-15 06:08 EST

"What of your own marriage customs?" he asked, as he waited for her to put her boots on, so that she could show him around the hold. It seemed they'd be spending at least a little more time together - plenty of time to ask more questions.

It took a moment for her to fetch her boots from the second sleeping chamber, bringing them into the living area to sit and begin lacing the sturdy leather about her feet. "In the lowlands, if a man wishes to marry a woman, he asks her nearest male relative for permission," she told him. "It's rare that she is actually asked; she is expected to do as she is told. They usually have to wait about a month before they are wed - there's dancing, and flowers, and they exchange vows for life before a priestess."

"She has no right to accept or reject the offer?" he asked, brows arching upwards. He knew it was too soon for him to pursue her, but at least he knew there was no one else who'd shown any interest - at least, as far as she knew.

Lifting her head, Elin brushed her skirt back down her legs as she rose to her feet. "I would assume that most fathers, most brothers, don't allow a man to pay court to their women without her agreement," she offered with a faint shrug. "I know Aiden wouldn't. But there are some who believe their word is law, and there is no protection for a daughter under her father's roof."

"I would never force myself upon a woman," he said, neither physically or by an unwanted marriage. He knew Lowlanders considered them barbarians, but barbarian or not, he had his own personal code of ethics.

A faint frown knitted her brows as she eyed him in concern. "I never said you would," she assured him softly. "I don't believe you would. If you were that sort of man, you might have had me before anyone woke up." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she blushed, her dark eyes widening with comical dismay. Not only had she admitted to noticing his interest, but she'd made no mention of whether she would fight such an advantage taken.

He smiled, mildly amused at the blush that betrayed her embarrassment. "I do not think your brother would look kindly on that," he said, with or without her consent. Little did he know just how that brother had ended up joined to Katla and how quickly it had come about.

"My brother wouldn't exactly have much room to talk," she heard herself say. "He wedded Katla within three days of meeting her." She bit her lip. "Not that I ....I don't mind it, of course. He's, he's happy here. He has a home."

He seemed to catch something in her voice, in her words, that she was not saying. "And you? Are you not happy here" Is this not your home?" he countered, curiously. Three days. Well, he could certainly wait three days.

"I ..." She hesitated, glancing away as her hands smoothed over her hips. "It is strange, for me, here," she confessed softly. "I am ....very different from the Amarri, and I-I do not fit. I will, in time, but for now ....for now, I smile because Aiden needs me to. We have never had a home, and now he does. I will not mar it with my own uncertainties."

"It is your home, too, Elin," he reminded her, though he was even more a stranger here than she was. He frowned a little at the thought of his own home that was no more. They were both of them orphans and refugees. He did not know what the future held for him, but he knew he would have to go back there, and until then, he could make no real promises, even if he wanted to.

"It will be, some day, perhaps," she agreed softly, fingers plucking nervously at her skirt. "I am very small in this world, yet the people here treat me as though I were twelve feet tall." She laughed a little, shaking her head. "I am unused to being wanted because of these marks on my hands, and on my soul. The lowlanders fear me and what I can do. Your people ....It is strange to be revered for something I have little control over."

"You are touched by the Lady. There is no one else like you. That makes you special," he explained, though she probably knew that already. "Is it not better to be revered than feared?" he asked, though she would have likely preferred to just be like everyone else.

Elin bit her lip, a shy smile blossoming on her face as she glanced away, nervous of daring to show more than the placid sweetness most people knew of her. "I would rather be loved than either," she confessed in her quiet way, drawing in a swift breath. "Shall we go' What would you like to see of the hold?"

He opened his mouth to respond to her confession, but decided against it. Her brother obviously cared for her, and it seemed Katla and her family considering her one of their own, but perhaps that wasn't the kind of love she was talking about. There was something sad in the way she sighed that he couldn't ignore, so instead of answering the question posed him, he remarked on her confession instead. "I am sure you are already well loved and will find a love of your own in the future," he told her quietly.

"Or perhaps I will have to content myself with loving my children, rather than the husband who claims me," she shrugged, accepting that as her possible fate. From the lowlands where love was rarely an inducement into marriage, it was not such a terrible thought, but here in the mountains, where the Amarri thrived on love in marriage, even if those marriages did not last more than a year at times, it was unthinkable. "Come," she told him, raising a smile that lit up her face, yet barely touched her eyes. "Come and see the Heart of the Mountain."

He would have argued with that, too, knowing any man - including himself - would be honored to claim her as a wife, but honor was not quite the same thing as love. It was far too soon to speak of love, but he could hope. "And here, I thought I was looking at it," he countered, a soft smile on his face, for her alone.

And there it was. The smile Aiden had not seen in years, a smile that lit up her dark eyes and animated her pretty face, shining with truthful delight and shy pleasure at a gentle compliment that had truly taken her by surprise. "You may change your mind when you see the real thing," she warned, but her voice was warm with happy mirth as she gestured for him to come with her.

"Where you lead, I am glad to follow," he told her further, secretly proclaiming himself her shadow, her protector, her guardian for as long as she'd let him. He owed his life to her, after all, but that wasn't the only reason why.

And she lead him everywhere. To the augur, Halleth, who had saved his life; to the Thane's hall, so he could put a face to the name he had already been told; to the training grounds, the stables, the wide kitchens; to the stockade that surrounded the space before the opening into the mountain itself; back inside to the large bathing rooms used for laundry; and finally, after what seemed hours, to the Heart of the Mountain itself. A wide space, lit without the need for torches by the sheen of glowing crystals embedded in the rock face, the spring that was the source of all water in these mountains sparkling in the gentle luminescence.

Bjorn had greeted everyone he'd met with polite words and a friendly smile. He was not so shy and quiet as Elin, but he was not overly outgoing either. There was a piece of him that was still in a state of shock over the horrors he'd witnessed at Bear-Stone Hold, but he said nothing of it, burying that grief deep inside for now, until he was forced to face it. But it was the peaceful serenity of the Heart of the Mountain that touched someplace deep in his heart, sensing the sanctity of such a place. "This is a holy place," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"Katla calls it the Heart of the Father," Elin murmured softly. She did not yet know the Amarri gods herself, but even she could feel the presence of this Father of theirs here in this grotto. And someone else, too. "I think the Goddess is here, too ....the one you know as the Lady. Look." She raised her hand, laying her marked palm flat against the rough hewn rock beside her. The veins of glowing crystal brightened, filling the space with warm light, and there, etched into the stone around the little pool that had formed about the spring, were suddenly visible the faces of his gods. Father Earth, Mother Sea, and the Lady of the Skies, their hands joined about this trickle of water that was the life of these mountains.

Both of Bjorn's brows rose in curiosity as she explained, and then turned to find faces etched in stone that hadn't been there before, and he audibly gasped in surprise. "How?" he asked, glancing from Elin to those faces and back, unsure how she'd made them appear out of nothingness like magic.

Elin · Date: 2017-10-15 06:09 EST

"I don't know," she admitted quietly. "The others seem certain that those faces were not there before Aiden and I came to the mountains. Perhaps it is a sign that your Lady and my Goddess are one and the same. Perhaps we were always meant to come here."

"I do not know much about ....about Lowlanders or their Gods," he admitted, struggling a little with the word used to describe those who weren't Amarri and didn't live upon the mountain, afraid he might offend her. "But I think it likely the Lady and your Goddess are the same. It is said there was a time long ago in our history when those who lived on the mountain and those who lived in the valley were allies. Perhaps we share the same Gods, but know them by different names."

"Perhaps we do." She raised her eyes to the crystal-lined stone all around them, gently easing her hand from the smooth surface. Slowly, the bright illumination faded to the gentler glow once more, the faces of the gods hidden as though never there. "You are the first person I have met here to say such a thing. To tell me that my Goddess real, rather than try to say I have been praying to the wrong face all my life."

"Why would I say such a thing" It is not my place to tell you what to believe or who to pray to, and if your Goddess is the same as our Lady, then I do not see the difference," he replied. True, he seemed to differ in his thoughts from most of the other Amarri, who believed in their own gods and scoffed at all others, but he had seen firsthand what her Goddess was capable of and there was something else. "If your Goddess is not the same as our Lady, then why are you able to ....to do this ..." he said, with a sweep of a callused hand around them at the display that had only just faded.

"You are more tolerant than anyone I have ever met," she told him, surprised and pleased to hear him speak so well of simply allowing others to believe as they wished. "In the mountains or the lowlands. As for this ..." She shrugged, shaking her head. "I do not know how or why. It simply is. Her eyes don't need to open for the light to shine in here."

"And you do not think this is proof that our Gods are all alike, all connected?" he asked, reaching for her hand and turning it over to stroke his fingers against her palm, against the eye of the Goddess that rested there. "When did this appear?" he asked, curiously.

She shivered as his fingers crossed her palm, a touch no one had given her in her lifetime. Not even her brother had dared to touch the closed eyes of the Goddess emblazoned on her palms. It felt ....beautifully intimate, something to be shared with only one person. "I-I ....when I first bled," she answered in a hesitant whisper. "It ....the power was always there, but ....She did not mark me until I was a woman."

"And the marks just appeared there?" he asked further, seemingly unaware of how intimate that touch was, or perhaps he was just that bold or that trusting. He felt almost as if they had shared something during that healing, when he'd awoken from death to find her watching him. He'd almost thought he had died and that she was the Lady come for his soul, before he'd realized the truth. It was not hard for him to understand her connection to her Goddess when she had brought him back from the brink of death.

"Y-yes." She could feel herself trembling in the grip of a feeling she'd never felt before; a longing that seemed to rise from inside her, something all her own, a desperate desire for him never to stop touching her. In the lowlands, such a wish would be ripe for shame and humiliation; here, where they embraced life with such abandon, it simply was. Without quite understanding why or how, she swayed toward him, her breath short in her throat, her gaze focused on the motion of his lips as he spoke.

He could feel her trembling beside him, and he turned his gaze from the palm of her hand to her face, lovely and foreign as it was. There was something in the look on her face, in her eyes, something in the way she swayed toward him that caught him off guard, and he turned to catch her in his arms as though he feared she might fall. He met her gaze and found something there he had not expected or even hoped for, though he had no word for it. It was not love, no. He dared not hope for that yet. What was it then" Whatever it was, he was feeling it, too, drawn to her like a moth to a flame. "Lady," he whispered, as he leaned closer. "Elin."

"Bjorn ..." His name was barely a breath from her lips, as natural as her heartbeat as she leaned into him, welcoming the wrap of his arm about her waist as he caught her against falling. What was happening" Was this real, or was it some magic from the Heart itself" Despite her shyness, her inexperience, she did not care to ask aloud. For the first time in her life, she wanted something, someone, for herself, and she was not going to be denied ....

"Light-Bringer! Are you well?"

He leaned a little closer, almost as if caught in a spell, so close he could taste the sweetness of her breath and peer into the depths of her eyes. Closer and closer, almost close enough to kiss her, and then a voice interrupted and he let go of her waist and pulled himself away before anyone noticed.

The spell broken, Elin staggered just a little, careful not to reach out to steady herself on the rock or Bjorn. She turned her head as the familiar shape of Ansel ducked into the grotto, his bearded face set in a scowl at the newcomer in their midst.

"Are you well, Light-Bringer?" he asked pointedly. "This stranger has not harmed you?"

Bjorn clenched his jaw and bristled a little at the insinuation that he, of all people, would ever do her harm, but he said nothing, allowing Elin to reply for herself. Bjorn marked that whoever this man was, he did not know her well enough to call her by her name, only by her title. And Bjorn reminded himself, too, that Elin herself had claimed no one had shown any interest in her.

Elin herself flinched at the title, drawing herself up to frown at the man who had entered. "Lower your voice, Ansel," she reminded him. "And I am perfectly well, thank you. Bjorn has been kind enough to take care of me."

Ansel's scowl deepened. "Take care of you?" he repeated, forcing his volume down even as he turned angry eyes onto Bjorn. "A stranger comes to our hold and steals the right to take care of my claim?"

Judging by the shocked gasp that left Elin's throat, that was news to her.

Bjorn's eyes widened, as he looked from Ansel to Elin and back, scowling to mirror Ansel's scowl. "It is my understanding that the Lady has not yet been claimed," he said as calmly as he could, though the tension in him was obvious.

"The claim is unspoken," Ansel growled, but Elin shook her head.

"Then it cannot be a claim, can it?" she asked, her eyes distressed by this sudden realization that not only did the slightly greasy rogue want to claim her, but that he seemed to think he already had.

"As a man of this clan, my right supersedes this jumped up outsider's!"

Bjorn didn't need Elin to tell him that she did not wish to be claimed or joined to this man, who seemed intent on doing just that. He could not see her with him, not even for a year, and certainly not for a lifetime. He had already declared himself her protector in his heart, but unlike Ansel, he did not wish to claim her against her will. "Perhaps the Lady would make a claim of her own," he countered, subtly offering Elin a way out, if there was someone she might prefer over Ansel.

"Aye, choose wisely, Light-Bringer," Ansel snapped. Whatever his intentions, he had clearly forgotten just who he was speaking to.

Elin glanced between them, her eyes wide, unhappy with the sense of confrontation that was happening because of her, in this sacred place. Even if she made a claim, Ansel would be able to deny it through lack of witnesses, unless ....She bit her lip.

"I claim," she said, her voice soft but firm. "I claim Bjorn." Her palm touched the stone, crystal flaring to brightness once more as her other hand rose to curl intimately to the strong line of Bjorn's neck, illuminating the grotto so brightly that Ansel staggered back, shielding his eyes.

Bjorn, too, seemed stunned, squinting in the light. He had not expected her to choose at all, much less choose him. He certainly wouldn't have forced a choice on her, as the other man seemed to be doing. But there was something about the way she looked at him, the way she touched him, the certainty in her voice when she spoke his name that had him feeling - knowing even - that her choice was a true one. Perhaps even meant to be, chosen by the Gods, for some purpose neither could as yet understand. He turned to face her, finding the light did not hurt his eyes as he sought her out, and dared to reach out to lay a hand atop hers, which rested atop the stone. "And I claim you, Elin Light-Bringer."

Elin · Date: 2017-10-15 06:09 EST

There was no way the sudden eruption of light had been missed by the rest of the hold. It was unusual in its qualities - those who bore no ill-will to hearth or hold could see it clearly with no pain; those who harbored ambitions beyond the well-being of hold and clan were momentarily blinded. Ansel swore, cowering away from that burst of brightness as footsteps approached at a run, yet at the heart of the illumination, Elin met Bjorn's eyes without even flinching. "Done."

Bjorn smiled, a gentle brush of fingers against her cheek. Despite all the tragedy and horror of the past weeks, a strange sense of peace and even belonging came over him like he'd never felt before. He knew it was because of her, but how and why, he didn't know. She had healed him in body; was she now healing him in heart' "Today, tomorrow, whenever you wish," he told her quietly, unaware of the others who'd been drawn to the light.

Slowly, the light faded back to the gentle glow of the natural ambience in the grotto as Elin's hand turned beneath his, linking her fingers to his own. A faint smile flickered over her face, a little aghast at what she had done, at how her Goddess - his Lady - had blessed this choice made without thought.

A low growl erupted from Ansel at the entrance to the Heart. "You stupid lowlander bitch," he snarled, rising to his full intimidating height. "You'll regret -"

A large fist hit him in the temple, knocking him down, and Svarn, Thane of Dawn-Shadow, bent to step into the grotto. He was a very big man, and despite the wide space that was the Heart of the Mountain, it was beginning to feel quite small, especially when Aiden and Katla pressed in behind him.

Nothing Ansel said could diminish the peaceful feeling that had come over Bjorn in the moment he and Elin agreed to claim each other. He was only vaguely aware that others were watching, witnessing the claiming that was taking place in front of them and with it the joining of two clans, too long apart.

Aiden swung an appraising gaze around, taking in the couple - his sister and the newcomer - hands joined, eyes locked - and Ansel, sprawled senseless on the ground and quickly sorted out what might have happened. But that hardly explained the light that had drawn them there.

"Elin, what ..." he started, trailing off, for lack of words.

Hearing her brother's voice, Elin dragged her gaze from Bjorn's eyes, a flicker of guilt touching her expression. "I ....Ansel tried to ....and then Bjorn suggested ....so ....I ..." She bit her lip, trying not to feel like a scolded child. She knew Aiden had no intention of scolding her for her impulsiveness, but the memory of their father's stern lectures about being careful with her abilities was still very deeply ingrained. "I claimed him," she said finally, her voice very small in the quiet.

Svarn snorted with laughter. "I should think the whole hold knows that, little one," the Thane chuckled, glancing down at his own sister.

Katla was fighting to hide a smirk; her warning about Ansel hadn't been necessary, after all. "It seems as though the gods agree with your claim, sister."

Of all of those gathered, it seemed Aiden was the only one who wasn't laughing or grinning from ear to ear, but then, it was his sister's life and future that was at stake here. He stepped forward, and to Bjorn's credit, he did not waver or step away, remaining where he was at Elin's side, hands still clasped together.

Aiden looked first at his sister, his expression softening. "Is this what you really want, dear heart?" he asked her gently.

Elin's dark eyes met her brother's with the searing honesty they had always shared. Without her mind to get in her way, this was what her heart wanted, but she had no way of saying it in words that might convey that. So she didn't try, instead simply nodding her head as she showed her twin the truth. "I have never wanted anything as I want this, dear heart."

Though no one else heard those words, Aiden heard them as clearly as if she had spoken them aloud. Was it so hard to believe that his sister had found her heart's desire in Bjorn when she had been searching all her life" He had only needed three days to know Katla was his life-mate, and he had not had the Goddess to guide him. He smiled warmly back at her, nodding silently, though his heart answered her in return, "If this is what you truly want, then let it be so."

The little woman's face lit up in a bright smile, abandoning her grasp on Bjorn's hand to throw her arms about her brother and hug him tight. "Thank you," she whispered against his ear, knowing how much that must have cost him to allow for her.

Behind them, Katla smirked to herself, reaching down to wrench the unconscious Ansel out through the little opening to the grotto, heedless of the way the rocks scraped at his flesh.

Bjorn looked a little lost beside Elin, unsure exactly what was going on between her and her brother, but realizing that Aiden seemed to be giving them his blessing. He turned to Svarn and Katla, an almost shy expression on his face. "With your blessing, of course," he said, with a respectful nod of his head.

Svarn grinned at the newcomer to his clan, reaching out to clasp a heavy hand to the man's shoulder. "Lad, we've been blessed with a Light-Bringer," he pointed out. "I've not been a Thane for long, but even I know when the gods have chosen to touch a person lightly. You're going to be a legend."

Bjorn arched a brow at the Thane's declaration. He had never set out to become a legend, had never even desired it. He had only ever wanted to honor his family, his clan, and his Gods and to do what was right and expected of him. He had never expected or asked for any of this, but he could not deny the proof set before him or the fact that the Lady seemed to have chosen him above all others. He looked from Svarn to Katla and finally to Aiden, whose trust he knew he needed most of all. "I swear to always honor and protect her, for as long as I live."

Aiden paused a moment, as if to consider that statement. He had found no fault in the man thus far, but he did not know him well. And yet, he could not argue with his sister's choice or with that of the Goddess. The man was clearly blessed, and he seemed adamant about his promise. "I shall hold you to that promise," he assured the other man, before looking again to his sister. "And just when do you hope for this joining to take place?"

Elin bit her lip, glancing between the two men. "We should set Bjorn's hold to rights before we ....do what we want to do," she offered quietly. "They deserve peace before we have our happiness."

Svarn nodded in concern. "Aye, true words," he conceded, tilting his gaze to Aiden. "You'll lead those who follow?"

Aiden looked between the small group again before his gaze settled on Bjorn, who it seemed was destined to become his brother. He could not know that in a way, he was replacing another brother Bjorn had lost to the demon. "I think Bjorn here should lead the way, but aye, I will do my part," he replied, taking Svarn perhaps a bit too literally.

Svarn nodded. He hadn't been here to witness what happened when a Shadow-Walker and a Light-Bringer cleansed a place together, but he'd heard it in excruciating detail. "Work together," he told the two men. "We can't spare a horde, but you'll have good fighters at your back."

Bjorn nodded in agreement, but Aiden only studied him a moment longer before looking at his sister. "How soon will you both be ready to travel?" he asked, knowing Bjorn likely needed a little time to recover and they would still need a little time to sort out who was going and make sure they were ready, but this needed to be soon. It gave them a few months, but not long if they wanted to be home before the first snows fell and the passes were blocked for the winter.

Elin · Date: 2017-10-15 06:10 EST

Elin glanced at Bjorn thoughtfully. "I can be ready within hours," she admitted easily - her recovery from the Goddess' touch was faster than most might think, despite the strain it put on her body. "You may need another day to fully recover your strength."

Bjorn frowned a little. He had just arrived, after all, and the thought of making the return trip after struggling over the mountains was an unpleasantly daunting one. He was healed enough, but he wouldn't mind another day to rest and prepare for the journey. "I can be ready whenever you like."

Elin turned her eyes onto her brother, a flash of something fierce in her eyes. "Three days," she informed him, making the decision for all of them. "Time enough for healing and preparation together?"

"Three days," Aiden confirmed with a nod of his head to both his sister and her intended, before turning to Svarn and Katla. "It is time for more lessons, wife," he told her, the tiniest hint of a smirk on his lips, as he moved to lead the way out of the heart.

Katla raised her brow, her own smirk decidedly more pronounced as she followed him. Her words floated back to those behind them. "And what was it you were hoping to learn this time, husband?"

Whatever reply Aiden gave was not heard by those left behind, but perhaps the sound of his hand smacking Katla's backside was.

Elin giggled behind her hand; she enjoyed her brother's sometimes contentious relationship with his mate. It was good to see him challenged on so many levels and clearly enjoying all of it.

"They are an interesting match," Bjorn remarked, noting Elin's giggle, even as she tried to hide it.

"The best matches often are," Svarn mused, glancing over his shoulder at the pair of them. "I suppose I'll have to find you both quarters to share when you return. Young Siv will have to get used to sleeping alone again now."

Bjorn frowned at that, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Siv would have to get used to sleeping alone eventually whether he and Elin were joined or not. "She does have her Cat," he reminded them both, though he supposed a cat hardly substituted for a person.

"It will be an adventure for her," Elin predicted. She'd been sharing her bed with Siv for at least a month now; she thought she was in a good enough place to be able to make an accurate guess.

"Aye, well, for now we'll have a bed set up in the living chamber of the Dawn-Rider's quarters for you," Svarn added, nodding to Bjorn as he lead the way from the Heart. "Promised as you are, there's no shame in sleeping close to."

Bjorn arched a brow, a little surprised by the Thane's suggestion that they share a home, even though they were not as yet joined, and yet, it would make it far easier for Bjorn to keep his promise to protect the Light-Bringer. "What about Ansel?" he asked, concerned with Elin's safety more than for his own.

"Ansel." Svarn came to a halt with a heavy sigh. He turned to face Elin. "Speak truth, little one," he told her. "Did he seek to force you to accept a claim on your being?"

Elin bit her lip, unconsciously tucking herself just a little behind Bjorn. "H-he said he'd claimed me," she said uncertainly. "That-that his claim made me his."

Svarn scowled. "I know of no claim," he growled, his eyes narrowing. "What of you, Bjorn" If he challenges, will you accept?"

Bjorn needed no explanations. The customs of the Amarri were the same throughout the clans. Distance had not changed that fact. He believed the Lady had smiled on their claiming, but whether Ansel chose to accept that was another matter, and Bjorn didn't need any time to consider before answering. "Yes, I will accept, if he challenges," he replied, though he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Svarn nodded. "Then he has one chance," he said firmly. "He accepts that he never had a claim, or he challenges. If he does not accept and does not challenge, he is exiled. I will not have this hold falling apart because of one idiot."

And if he challenged, then it could be Bjorn's life or Ansel's, depending on which of them yielded first, if at all. Elin was likely not aware of this particular clan custom and probably wouldn't like it, but there it was up to Ansel now. Bjorn also knew Ansel had few choices in the matter and was more likely to challenge than back down. "I understand," he said, in reply to the Thane's decision, frowning as he looked to Elin.

"What does that mean, a challenge?" she asked, concern flaring in her dark eyes as she glanced between the two men.

"If Ansel wishes to challenge my claim, I have the choice to withdraw my claim or fight him for it," Bjorn explained, knowing she would not like that explanation, though he had little choice.

She paled, not liking the sound of that one little bit. "Fight?" she repeated, one small hand gripping his sleeve. "To the death?" But she didn't wait for his answer. "No ....no, I won't let you. I made the claim; he should fight me."

There was a pause, and Svarn burst out laughing at the thought of the little Light-Bringer engaging in mundane combat.

Bjorn glanced at Svarn with an odd look on his face. Why was the Thane laughing, when this was clearly no laughing matter" But instead of saying something, he only turned back to Elin, touching her hand reassuringly. "It is not a fight to the death. Only until one of us yields to the other," he explained as gently as he could.

"It should still be me who has to fight," she insisted, fully aware of how ridiculous that seemed. "You didn't make a claim. I did. And ....and I know I'm small and weak and I don't even know how to hold a sword, but I would fight for you!"

"If I had known he was going to make a claim against your will, I would have made one sooner," Bjorn said, but as it was, he had only arrived a day ago. "I am not sorry to have returned your claim, Elin," he told her further. "I am only sorry that you were forced into it," he said, hoping she had not claimed him only to escape a joining with Ansel.

She frowned at him. "No one forced me," she told him, a little hurt that he might think her incapable of making such a decision without being prodded into it. "I made the choice. I could have chosen anyone. I chose you."

It wasn't so much that he thought her incapable of making such a choice, only that he didn't want her to feel she'd been forced into it by someone she clearly did not want. "Perhaps he will accept the claiming," Bjorn said, with a shrug of his broad shoulders, though he doubted it. He'd known men like Ansel before and those kinds of men never backed down without a fight.

"Or perhaps he will choose to crawl back to Old-Tooth," Svarn interjected, his laughter faded for now. "That, I would prefer myself. To be rid of his filth in my home without losing my own people to his schemes."

"Old Tooth?" Bjorn echoed, looking to Svarn for clarification as he'd never having heard that name specifically mentioned before.

The Thane's expressed drew carefully neutral. Though they all knew he despised the other man, it wouldn't do to be seen to openly hate him. "The Thane of Mountain-Hawk Hold," he explained. "Our ....former home. Ansel's one of his rats."

"Then why did he come here?" Bjorn asked further, though he had a feeling he knew the answer to that question already. Perhaps he had been sent here as a spy or even to somehow cause animosity within the new hold.

"To break us down," Svarn told him darkly. "If this hold fails, Old-Tooth will have all he needs to keep his people crammed tight into Mountain-Hawk for generations to come."

Elin · Date: 2017-10-15 06:11 EST

"There is Stone-Bear Hold," Bjorn reminded them both, though he stopped just short of suggesting they move the entire clan there. The mountain had to be cleared of dead and demons first, and then the dead had to be put to rest, but it would put enough distance between them and Old Tooth to solve any further conflicts.

Svarn blinked, straightening as he considered this. "That ....bears thinking over, Bjorn Stonesson," he conceded thoughtfully. "Aye, that is a thought that could well come to fruit for us."

"Once the hold is cleansed and the dead put to rest," Elin added, tentatively sliding her fingers into Bjorn's grasp. "There is nothing to insist it remain Stone-Bear Hold if Dawn-Shadow are the ones to hold it, is there?"

"No," Bjorn agreed, adding, "And I would not challenge you as Thane," he assured Svarn. Though he was the only survivor left of Stone-Bear Hold, he had no desire to be Thane there. He smiled a little as Elin's fingers found his, as well as at the name Svarn deemed to have dubbed him with. Both were good fits for him, in very different ways, and though he still had to grieve the loss of his clan, he was glad to have found a new place with this one.

Svarn nodded, a faint smile touching his mouth. "A challenge might be fun," he said wistfully. "If I didn't know for certain that Katla would scare the challenger witless before he stepped into the ring with me." He sighed with comic exaggeration, reaching out to lay his large hands with surprising care on their shoulders. "New hold, new joining," he said then. "It's a good omen."

A small voice piped up from his hip. "Now are you goin' to smooch?"

For perhaps the first time since arriving, Bjorn laughed - truly laughed, despite the possibility of a challenge looming ahead of him. "Perhaps we should smooch you," he said, turning a mischievous smirk on the small intruder.

"Can't, 'cos I smooched you when I went away this mornin', an' now I'm hiding from Mamae," Siv informed him, lifting her arms imperiously to her bear of an uncle. Svarn, well used to being around the children of his blood, lifted her up onto his shoulders without a second thought.

"And why are you hiding?" Bjorn asked, gaze following her as Siv was scooped up onto Svarn's shoulder.

"'Cos there was the magic noise and a pretty light, and then Mamae and Papae were gone, and now it's my turn to hide," Siv explained with the gloriously twisted logic of a child. She leaned down, clinging to handfuls of Svarn's hair to keep steady. "Elin, did you do the magic again and I wasn't there?"

Elin smiled, unable to stay worried around the child. "I didn't know the magic was going to happen," she assured Siv. "It wasn't on purpose."

Bjorn was frowning again, a little worried what Siv might think of them joining and more importantly, of her losing Elin as a roommate. There was little he could add to the conversation here, and so he remained quiet for the moment, only giving a gentle squeeze to Elin's hand. Things were happening quickly; perhaps a little too quickly.

"Shall you and I find a bed for your guest to sleep in while he's staying with you and yours, little Siv?" Svarn asked, tilting his eyes up to his niece.

She grinned down at him, nodding excitedly. "Yes!"

"I am most grateful for your help," Bjorn said, mostly to Svarn, but to Elin and Siv, too, in a way. They had all welcomed him here - all except Ansel, but it seemed the man was unwelcome here himself.

"I-I should probably begin lunch," Elin offered, laughing a little as Siv cheered, little hands waving as her uncle bore her away from the newly-decided couple. She looked up at Bjorn curiously. "I-I could show you where the training ground is, if you would rather train than rest."

"I thought she might hate me for taking you away from her," Bjorn admitted as Siv was borne away on Svarn's shoulder. He smiled at Elin's suggestion. "You did promise to show me around," he reminded her, and he had not yet seen all of the hold.

"You thought she might hate you simply for existing earlier," Elin pointed out to him in amusement. His agreement to her suggestion made her smile. "This way then, Stonesson," she said, taking the name Svarn had given him for her own use.

He did not bother to argue with that, as the name seemed to fit. Neither did he let go of her hand, but instead drew her closer, despite her offer to show him the rest of the hold. "Siv said something about a smooch," he teased, that playful smirk still on his face.

She squeaked as he drew her closer, her eyes blinking wide at the playful suggestion on his lips. "I-I ....you would want to?" That hadn't quite come out the way she had intended it to, but the words were there now.

Bjorn chuckled at her question. They had claimed each other and were to be joined, and yet, she wondered if he wanted to kiss her" Once they were joined, they'd be doing a lot more than that. "I would, if you would like me to," he replied, unable to hide the amusement from his eyes.

"I ..." She hesitated, biting her lip even as her eyes lit up hopefully. "I have never been kissed," she confessed, embarrassed to admit what she thought must be a failing in a woman of her age. "I will not be very good at it."

"I do not care," he told her, assuring her in no uncertain terms that he did not care how much or how little experience she might have in that area. "We will teach each other," he said, echoing something her brother had said a short while earlier. And with that said, he tipped her chin toward him and dipped his head to meet her lips in a soft and unhurried, yet chaste, kiss.

The sound she made was caught somewhere between a gasp and a squeak, her hands spread wide for a long moment as his lips touched hers. Then slowly she began to relax, her fear of not pleasing him fading as her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, as her eyes fell closed, rising onto her toes to savor that tender touch. Whether she was any good at it or not, she was certainly happy to learn with him.

There was no such thing as a bad kiss, not when one was kissing the one person who meant more to them than any other, and though it was a little soon for declarations of unending love, the truth was that Bjorn could no longer see himself with anyone but her. Despite all the tragedy, he smiled a little as their lips at last parted and he saw his feelings returned in the expression on her face.

It was a very soft feeling, something Elin had not felt before. She loved her brother; she knew he loved her. But this ....this wanting of more - more smiles, more talk, more time - it was wholly new to her. Yet it seemed her Goddess, his Lady, smiled upon their choice, regardless of how soon it appeared to have been made. "Was ....was that ....all right?"

"It was more than all right," he replied, touching a kiss to her nose, just because he could. "Come, show me the rest of the hold before your people demand your company," he said, taking her hand once again in his, fingers tangling with hers. This was a kind of joining, too, that only hinted at the joining yet to come ....if they survived.