Her Gilded Dragon: A Norse Warrior Romance by Susannah Shannon (17)

Chapter Seventeen

She began to think of her time with Armund as ‘lessons,’ although he always referred to them as their ‘little chats.’ Hanne set down her tray of refreshments and took in the state of Armund’s usually tidy desk. His cloak was thrown over the back of his chair, a pile of open books teetered ominously on both the desk and the floor. A number of arcane instruments winked at her from the piles of scrolls. She lifted one up; it seemed to be some kind of spyglass. Looking through it, she was astonished to see that it allowed her to observe an otherwise invisible spider web of minuscule cracks that spread across the floor of the chamber. The cracks seemed to glow; perhaps the vein of magic was leaking up through them. It was an uncomfortable thought. She set the spyglass down. A spinning orb twinkled daintily from a shelf. It was heavier than it looked and Hanne had no idea what it might do. Returning it to its place, she decided to look for the elderly knight. She did not need to look far.

He was running down the stairs from the turret, with a spryness that belied his age. “It’s a snow flood! That can only mean one thing!”

His dame had no idea what that might mean, and her expression must have shown it.

“Hammocks!” he cried when he saw her confusion. “Quickly now, raise the hammocks!”

“Sir Armund,” she began quietly, hoping to calm him.

“No time for that now, where is our paladin?”

He stepped around her and continued his race down the stairs, calling to everyone, “Hearth shields! Hammocks—they need to be twenty feet up! Quickly, now! We have an hour or less!” His words had no impact on Hanne but they certainly did on everyone else. Classrooms emptied.

She saw Wilma running through the halls and called out to her, asking what was going on.

“Hurry, my lady, there is going to be an avalanche.”

“An avalanche! How does he know?”

“He’s Sir Armund,” was the young cook’s answer. The keep and its denizens astonished her. With smooth practiced movements, heavy iron shields were placed in front of each fireplace. Almost immediately, they began to glow. They would radiate heat while containing sparks. The current of people carried her into the main hall and she was relieved to see Agnes and the children there. Ropes had been thrown over the exposed beams. A network of hammocks lay flaccid on the floor. Jonis gave the order that all women and children and pages were to be lifted first. There was much grumbling from the pages at being designated ‘children.’

Hanne found Agnes and they each chose a pocket of ropes. She gathered Benny and Lilja. Sera reached for Agnes.

“She will go with me, the hammocks can’t be too full,” Agnes said. Hanne was in no position to argue; she knew nothing about surviving an avalanche.

“I’ll be right next to you,” Hanne reassured Sera, who seemed very aware that her stepmother was probably going to be useless in the coming crisis. It was all the dame could do to keep her voice steady. There was no time to ask anyone exactly what was going on. Dortha hurried by and handed Hanne a bear fur. “Wrap up tight now,” she urged.

As the knights began to pull on the ropes, the hammocks rose up around their occupants. Hanne held on to her two smallest children as they were lifted higher and higher. They hung suspended nearly at the ceiling. Sera nestled against Agnes. A ring of squires was lifted next. Hanne realized then that the most vulnerable people were put in the safest place, the center of the keep, far off the soon-to-be tilting floor. She had to blink back tears; if the strongest were on the outside of the circle, then her husband would be very far away from her. The hammocks began to sway. The most senior knights threw open the shutters and doors and hoisted themselves aloft. A cry reverberated through the crowd; there were two empty hammocks.

“It’s Sir Armund! He went back to find Bjorn.” A voice she recognized as belonging to Mattias rung through the frigid room. Hanne wasn’t sure what they would do with two people unaccounted for. It was only by twisting herself that Hanne could find Jonis.

“Douse the torches,” he commanded as his knife sliced through the hammock that should keep him safe and he leapt onto the violently shaking floor. Without the torches, even with all of the shutters open to the bright white snow, the hall was plunged into darkness. The fortress itself began to move. As they were tossed back and forth, she dug her fingers into the children, desperate to keep hold of them. She sent up terrified prayers that Jonis would somehow survive. The keep rumbled and lurched. The cold snatched at her breath and she kept running her hands over the children, making sure they were still there, still quaking under the furs. She cursed herself for not having Sera with her too. She should have insisted, she thought. It doesn’t matter that Sera preferred Agnes, she reprimanded herself. You are her mother; she should be with you. That thought along with her terror made her stifle a sob. She suddenly understood why they had opened the shutters and windows. A blinding brightness hit her face as the hall filled with snow and ice. The avalanche would have shattered the wood and glass; as it was it just flowed into the hall. The fortress heaved and lurched, as if it would never be still again.

The keep seemed to right itself at the last minute and Hanne found herself aloft with a hillock of snow pressed up against her rump. Knights unfurled themselves from their ropy cocoons and emerged onto the ice. With practiced movements, they began to release everyone else. “Leave us!” she cried. “Go find Jonis and the others!”

“We will find them, lady,” she was reassured. Strong hands helped her down and she gave the children over to Agnes. “Take them upstairs and get them warm. I will help look for our paladin.”

No one dared argue with her. The hiss of shovels slicing through the snow was interrupted. A loud clanging echoed up from the depths. Every able body threw themselves into digging toward the noise. Hanne had dropped to her knees, not caring that her dress had become wet and frozen. With her bare, blue hands she dug. “We’re coming to get you,” she cried into the silent mound of snow. The knights dug with even greater speed than before. The ice seemed to be melting away, such was their strength. A silver dragon lay on a field of green. Hanne recognized Jonis’ shield. Careful lest they dislodge ice that would fall onto their comrades, the men dug around them circumspectly. They discovered a table was laid on its side; Jonis had sheltered Armund and Bjorn against it and held his shield over their heads. The knight who reached for the shield yanked his hand back with burned fingers.

“Give me a shovel,” Hanne commanded, holding out her hand. As gently as she could, she slid it under the shield and flipped it up onto the snow, which hissed and immediately melted under the searing metal.

The old man was breathing. Bjorn was pressed between the two knights and his eyelids began to flutter. Somehow they hadn’t frozen to death. Armund and the young boy were easily lifted out and carried up to warm beds. It would take several of the men to lift Jonis. Hanne found herself pulling them away and dropping onto her husband’s chest. She tore open his shirt. Her tears fell on her husband’s skin. The exhausted dragon opened one weary eye. With a shout the paladin was hoisted out of his icy grave and carried upstairs.

No one but Hanne regarded the avalanche as being particularly noteworthy. It was a very potent avalanche, but an avalanche was nothing to make a fuss about. In a matter of hours, the keep was shoveled out and the fires were banked high to warm the stones of the keep.

Supper was a simple affair, since the ovens had recently been filled with snow. Hanne checked on Armund and Bjorn, who were both back in their own room. Armund was propped on a pile of fur-covered pillows. His red flannel night cap was firmly on his head; with spectacles on the end of his nose, he was reading a book.

Bjorn was surrounded by an excited audience of boys of all ages, eagerly listening to his story of what had happened. “I wasn’t even that cold!” he insisted. Good-natured teasing followed this. “The paladin grabbed us and tipped over the table just in time. He hoisted his shield over us and I could see the eyes of his dragon tattoo. Through his tunic! They were burning.” Mattias reacted by bonking Bjorn on the head with a pillow.

“Oh, shut up! What next—he turned into a dragon and breathed fire?” Mattias said sarcastically. This was greeted with appreciative howls from the assembled boys. Hanne thought she saw a thin white eyebrow arch over Armund’s spectacles, but the knight composed his face almost instantly, leaving her unsure.

The children had gone to bed in Agnes’ room so that Jonis could rest uninterrupted. This had proven to be totally unnecessary. When Hanne tiptoed in she found Jonis, clad only in breeches, standing in front of a window looking at the massive drifts that now engulfed his keep.

“You should be in bed,” she chided him.

“Should I now? Is that an invitation?” Hanne felt alive. Alive down to her toes; the fortress had weathered an avalanche, and she wasn’t having to plan his funeral.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” she teased him back.

“Like doesn’t even come close to how I would feel about that.” He was grinning. The dragon was curled up on his belly. Even asleep, the tattoo radiated power. She crooked a finger at her husband. “Come sit in your chair.”

“Your wish is my command, wife.”

She would never have thought herself capable of it, but she shimmied closer to him and removed a brooch pin. Laying it on the arm of his chair, she removed the other. Her overdress fell to the floor and she stepped out of it. There was a word for what she was feeling, but she couldn’t quite remember what it was. Placing a foot on the arm of his chair, she rolled down her stocking and slipped it off of her foot. Jonis bent to kiss her white ankle. She repeated the maneuver with her other leg. This time Jonis grabbed her hips and did not kiss her ankle. The warmth of his face pressed between her legs made her gasp. His tongue darted in circles over her innermost nub. She ground her hips and clenched her fingers in his hair. Her moans echoed through their rooms. Hanne kissed him and tasted herself on his lips. Jonis had undone his breeches and she straddled him, amazed at her own brazenness. Sinking over him, she gasped as she impaled herself on his cock. Jonis cradled her bottom in his strong hands and lifted her and then lowered her forcefully onto himself. He was nibbling on her ear, and she surprised herself by throwing her head back and laughing. She had remembered what this feeling was called. It was joy.

With glee she felt herself hover near climax. “Would you touch me?” she asked.

“Hmmm, I think I could do that,” he smiled. A twitch of his thumb over her throbbing womanhood and it was upon her. There was no longer any hesitation; she arched her back and allowed the sparks to consume her.

He stood while still deep inside her and carried her to the table. Laying her on it, he whispered, “Roll over, snow dove.”

She did so as his hands brushed her hair off of her shoulders. She was rewarded with gentle kisses beginning at the nape of her neck and carefully moving down her side. He reached her bottom, and lifted her up to his eager mouth. His tongue swirled over her depths as the cold table teased her tender erect nipples.

“Please, please,” she gasped.

She couldn’t see his face, but she could swear she could hear his smile. “Please?”

“Don’t tease me, I need you to fuck me,” she panted.

Again, she could sense his smile. “Is that how a lady speaks?” He expertly ran a thumb over her throbbing depths.

“When she belongs to you, it is.” He loved her response, she knew because he hammered into her like a stallion. Grinding against him, she came, and then before she was done quivering, the climax roared to life again. Hanne clasped her hands into her own hair like a lunatic and screeched with unbridled pleasure. Jonis followed, collapsing over her, but careful to catch his own weight on his mighty arms. Spent, they climbed into bed. Nestling in each other’s arms, Jonis whispered into her hair, “You are a wonderful wife.” It was sweet, but it made her even more aware of what he hadn’t said, what she was afraid he would never say. She murmured back, “You are wonderful too.” A gentle snore told her that he had fallen asleep.

* * *

Over her protests, Jonis was out of bed early the next morning and life returned to what passed for normal on the North Wall. It was as if the avalanche had never happened. The keep bustled on, busy with training and molding young soldiers. There were days when Hanne almost felt on top of the things required of her.

This feeling of confidence was shattered when she realized how quickly Yule would arrive.

Frantically, on top of her daily tasks, Hanne found herself preparing small gifts for her new community. A search of the Keeper of the Keep was most unsatisfying. There were lists of provisions needed, suggestions about spicing the wine to be served with the wild boar, and a reminder that care must be taken to keep excited boys focused on their lessons. Nothing about presents. Hanne would have thought that anyone responsible for preparing for the holiday with forty boys in mind would have some ideas about practical, easy, and desired toys for them. Not a solitary word.

A thorough search of the keep had turned up no gifts, seemingly the one gap that her predecessor had not filled. She was getting a late start. She began to knit, incessantly squirreling away warm mittens for each boy. She would make some sweets and that would have to do. In the Southlands she would have decorated her castle with holly and bay gathered in the forest. There was certainly nothing like that anywhere near Pinnacle Keep. She met with her women who were amused by her ignorance of their customs. There would be a Yule log, roasted boar, presents, and dancing. When she asked if they were all busy preparing gifts, she was met by bafflement. She asked them about decorating the keep but they seemed to think that it happened by itself. Hanne found herself wondering about Ana, the former dame. She must have been a magnificent woman. On top of all the other things she did, she had secretly decorated the keep and made gifts for everyone. Hanne was not at all sure how she would accomplish that.

Hanne was cutting out a new dress for Sera when the note arrived in Sir Armund’s beautiful script. “Dame, three of my lads have a fever. I would appreciate your checking on them when you have a free moment.”

Hanne chuckled to herself; she couldn’t imagine ever having a free moment again. She could finally make her way on her own to the youngest boys’ dorm. The halls no longer seemed identical. She passed a classroom where a math lesson was in progress. Some older boys gave her a happy greeting as they hurried up to the studio to spar. It pleased her that the keep was a cheerful place. Miri suddenly appeared and asked if she needed directions. She did not, which pleased her immensely. Miri noticed when Hanne did not trip on the stairs. Somehow this increased her mistress’s affection for her.

“I have to go check on some sick boys, why don’t you come with me?” With a confident step, the dame approached the dorm of the youngest pupils. She could hear the coughing while she was still in the corridor. Three boys were tucked into their beds. All three looked miserable. She could tell they were feverish without even touching them. She sent Miri to bring her some things from the pantry, and to ask Wilma to make chicken soup. While the maid was gone, Hanne rolled up her sleeves and tried to cajole her young charges into better spirits. She failed. Asgar seemed the most miserable.

“Look at it this way,” his dame said, trying to be cheerful. “Lots of time to read in your nice warm bed.”

Six sad eyes met hers. “Tonight they bring in the log.”

“The log?” she asked.

Asgar used the very slow cadence he would use to tutor his fellow students that were much closer than he was to stupid. “The Yule log.” He spoke so slowly that he added syllables; Yuul laah-gg.

“You might feel well enough to go to the main hall,” she said, knowing that would not be the case.

Asgar fixed a baleful eye upon her. “Inside? Pffft.” He miserably turned away from her and closed his eyes. Hanne was about to ask the boys if at Pinnacle Keep they burned their Yule log out in the bitter cold. She hoped not; she already suspected that this was exactly the sort of contagion that would spread through a group of boys like wildfire. Before she could ask, Miri arrived with the things her dame had sent her to fetch and they set to work, administering tincture of sage mixed with honey to soothe coughs and applying cool cloths dipped in vinegar water and then wrung out onto feverish brows. There was a basket with rolled woolen blankets. Miri laid an extra blanket across the foot of each bed, anticipating that chills might follow the fevers.

Hanne turned to go and said reassuringly, “The log will burn for two weeks; you will get to see it.”

“We don’t want to see it, we want to go get it,” Asgar explained peevishly.

“We will see how you feel later then,” she said, counting on the cough remedy to have the boys long asleep by then. She stopped in the kitchen on her way back to her apartments. Some of the older women had encouraged Wilma to make a very large pot of soup.

“It’s the sniffle season, dame,” Dortha told her solemnly. “Some years it doesn’t come till after Yule, but it always comes.”

Thus spurred Hanne on to double check that she had all the medicines she might need. As always she was impressed by the provisions left for her. A very large alembic, a device to extract essential oils from plants, stood on a shelf surrounded by stoppered bottles labeled ‘spearmint,’ ‘clove,’ and ‘lavender.’ There was an enormous pot of comfrey growing in the infirmary; she had heard it could grow anywhere, and apparently that was true. It was more commonly known as ‘knit bone’ and she could well imagine that it would be very useful in a place dedicated to turning young boys into warriors. She was glad to see a large supply of elderberry syrup, willow bark tincture, and the remedy to top all remedies—ember cider. Hanne carefully lifted the stopper and the aroma of vinegar, horseradish, garlic, and ginger immediately filled the small room. It made her eyes water. She did know how useful it was though. Somehow the pungent elixir helped a body fight fever. Hanne made a point of making a note reminding her to gather everything she would need to make next year’s batch. She was having to learn to plan ahead by the year.

Supper was served earlier than usual. The excitement of the boys was palpable. There was hearty rye bread and stuffed cabbage. The boys seemed too overwrought to even taste it. A smile played at Jonis’ lips throughout the meal. Suddenly with a wink to Sir Armund, he stood. “Snow Force! Bundle up!” The boys were off like rockets. Armund as always was wearing his cloak, and went to open the front doors. Agnes appeared with an already wrapped-up Benny and Sera. Bringing in a Yule log hardly seemed like enough excitement to have the entire keep lose their collective minds, thought Hanne. She tucked Benny’s scarf around his neck tighter. “Stay close to Agnes; I’ll go check on the sick boys.”

She carried a lantern with her to the sickroom. Echoes followed her as she moved down the hall. She had never heard the keep so loud. Even after she had shut the bedroom door, she could hear them. The boys chattered like monkeys and even some of the knights seemed to be yelling. As she had expected, the sick boys were soundly asleep. Curiosity got the better of her and she opened the shutters to see what the commotion was. The oldest boys stood along the wall holding torches. All of the younger boys were straddling a log that was the size of a very large tree. Jonis and the other muscle-bound knights were dragging the laden log by chains.

She could make out Jonis’ voice booming, “Pull, men! Pull!” It was astonishing that they could move it. The youngest boys took up the chant. “Pull! Pull! Come on, pull!” Hanne gave a fond thought to Ragnifer driving his sleigh of reindeer. The festivities brought a happy laugh to her lips. Tucked in among the log-riding boys was a delighted Agnes who had Benny and Sera between her knees. By the time the happy procession had made its way to the main entrance, the children were nearly frozen. Hanne hurried down to shoo them all in front of the fire. With much melodramatic groaning, the knights carried the log into the grand hall and deposited it in front of the enormous fireplace. The boys immediately repositioned themselves along its length. It would be lit the next day, but needed to thaw a bit first.

Armund reassured his dame. “It’s far enough away that they won’t catch.” That horrific thought had not occurred to her. The elderly knight seemed to be studying the Yule log intently.

“Is something wrong, Sir Armund?” she asked.

“Hmmm, the ice seems unnatural,” the dotty academic said, more to himself than to her. What looked unnatural about it, she thought, was that it was thawing and dripping all over the floor of her keep while boys who should have been in bed got soaked climbing on it. There was clearly no point in her protesting this tradition. Better to find a way to join in. Hanne brought out a long-handled iron skillet and put the larger boys in charge of roasting chestnuts. She nervously stood between the younger boys and their encroaching immolation. A wheeze behind her caused her to whirl around. One of the younger boys had red cheeks that did not appear to be from the fresh air. His eyes were glassy.

Hanne bent to press her cheek against the lad’s forehead. A rustle at her elbow told her that her husband had seen the winsome gesture. “Another one for bed, I’m afraid,” she said. Jonis lifted the boy as if he weighed no more than Lilja. His wife followed him as they went to the youngest boys’ dorm. “Wait out here a minute,” Jonis told Hanne. Her thoughts about how to possibly make sure that this did not spread to the entire keep were cut short by Jonis calling her in. He had changed the wan boy into his nightshirt. Hanne filled a mug with hot water at the sink and added honey and ember cider. The boy swallowed it and seemed to relax against his snowy pillow. Hanne checked on the three other charges. All were tossing in the half sleep of a feverish child. “I think we need to put the boys who aren’t sick in another room,” she said.

“Of course, we can set up pallets with the older boys.”

“Is there a place where they could sleep that isn’t with the other boys? I would like to contain this.”

Jonis looked thoughtful. “Yes, they can go in our anteroom.”

“Have our children go to Agnes’ bed with her, and although he won’t like it, I think Armund needs to go somewhere else, too.”

The paladin agreed. “He will not like it at all.”

“Remind him that his boys are fine. I will be here.”

“You are staying here all night?” he asked solemnly.

Damnation, she had probably gotten herself into trouble. “I’m sorry if you are angry, but I really think the boys need me.”

Jonis gathered her in his arms. “Angry? Of course I’m not angry.” They kissed goodnight tenderly and Hanne returned to her charges. Asgar’s fever seemed to be going higher and higher. She gave him willow bark and he tried to push her hands away. “I don’t want it, it’s awful.”

“I know it’s awful, absolutely terrible. Take it anyway.”

She administered the bitter potion in small sips with drinks of sweet spruce tea in between. Ember cider helped a body fight off an illness, by temporarily raising the patient’s temperature. She had felt her face flush every time she had to take it. She was afraid to risk that with Asgar. His body roiled with sweat and he spoke to people who weren’t in the room. She dipped the cloth in the basin and thoroughly wrung it out. Folding the comforter back, she eased the sodden nightshirt over the boy’s head. She had always heard that you stroked the damp cloth down the limbs, away from the body to draw the fever out. It didn’t seem to be helping. She did it again and again. “Mother, Mother, where are you?” he called out.

“Shhh.” She made soothing noises. “Asgar, you are at Pinnacle Keep, I am right here.”

“Will the dogs bite me? Mother, there are dogs.” he cried, his young voice growing shrill with fear.

Hanne slipped him small sips of the bitter willow bark. She held his hand. She smoothed his sweaty bangs back from his flaming forehead. “Asgar, I promise you’re safe, no one will hurt you. I am right here.” She prayed to the All Father. For good measure she threw in some prayers to the stars, and every saint she had ever heard of. She called on her grandmother and her grandmother’s grandmother. Any entity that might be of help was repeatedly invoked. She felt the weight of her responsibility. So many sons, so many mothers counting on her… Her prayers moved from articulate, reasoned invocations to a frantic repeated, “Please, oh please, oh please.” Hanne noticed that all of the boys had a distinctive wheeze. She listened to it with dread growing in her chest. As it worsened, she gathered up the sheets and blankets that she had previously stripped and folded one and laid it along the gap under the door. She made sure the shutters were tightly shut. She pushed as hard as she could, planted her feet hard onto the floor, and using all of her strength, finally budged Armund’s bed.

Finding the valve that Jonis had mentioned, she did all she could to turn it. It wouldn’t budge. She would need to go get someone to help her. Asgar’s breathing became more labored; he made a horrible barking noise as he gasped for breath. Frantically she resumed her efforts to open the steam pipes. Tiny bit by excruciatingly tiny bit the valve began to loosen. Her hand slipped and the valve cut deeply into her palm.

A glance at Asgar’s ashen face spurred on her efforts. There was a clang and then she leapt back, barely escaping burning her face. The steam gushed out under great pressure. It filled the room. Hanne ran to each of the cupboard beds and made sure they doors were all the way open. She propped the boys up on pillows she had scavenged from the other beds. Each breath was slightly less tortured than the one before. Her hand was badly in need of bandaging, but she was afraid to leave the boys. Even if she felt comfortable leaving them, opening the door would allow all of the healing steam to escape. A thought occurred to her. She opened a drawer and found an unmatched sock. It looked clean so she wrapped it as tightly around her hand as she could. Slumping against the door, Hanne felt the moisture fill the air. Her hair was glued to her neck. When the room was billowing with steam and she could barely see in front of her, she used a fireplace poker to nudge the steam valve until it was almost closed. She held Asgar up and gave him medicines and fluids in tiny sips.

Finally, the willow bark broke his fever. She felt his breathing ease. His bed was drenched in his sweat. She rolled him onto his side and with a great deal of tugging and twisting put fresh sheets on his bed. Rustling in the drawer labeled ‘Asgar,’ she found a clean nightshirt. Soon she had the boy tucked into a warm clean bed. He was soothed. “It’s all right, Mother, try not to worry,” he whispered. “I have a dame to take care of me.”

* * *

Jonis had to shove the door hard since the damp blanket was wedged under it. When he burst into the sickroom, he found his wife asleep on the floor with steam-frizzy hair and a bloody sock tied tightly around her hand. He was relieved to see that the four boys seemed to be doing better. The paladin arranged for Armund to watch over the boys and insisted that his wife get her hand properly tended to. Then he escorted her to their bedroom and ordered her to get some sleep.

Hanne slept for a few hours. She awoke when Jonis slid naked into the bed beside her. He stroked her hair. She opened her eyes as he lifted her shift over her head. She responded to him with delight. His face pressed into the curve of her neck, and he ran his tongue down and across her shoulder. His hand slid between her legs, coaxing her to readiness. He was rigid with desire and entered her with a decisive stroke. His hand reached for hers and their fingers twined tenderly. “My sweet wife,” he murmured. “I love you.”

The words resonated within her. She thought of his strong shoulders and the tender way he treated the boys in his care. “I love you too,” she whispered. She touched him like a blind woman who had just been given sight. Her hands ran over the powerful muscles of his arms, amazed at their strength.

He entered her with power and sweetness and she gasped with delight. Her hips moved up to meet his strokes and she was carried along by his rhythm. Once, twice, three times she came to the precipice of orgasm but couldn’t quite be launched over it. Jonis reached for her hand and moved it between them.

“Touch yourself, my dove,” he commanded. As he thrust within her, her fingers found her most sensitive nub and she stroked until she climaxed, drenched with honey. Even the air seemed to shimmer around them as she exploded with wonder. He thrust harder, his fingers digging into her flesh as he lifted her hips up. He growled as he exploded within her. Hanne closed her eyes while Jonis wrapped a strand of her hair around his fingers. He lifted her palm to his lips and kissed the bandage. “I can’t believe you managed to open that valve.”

“Asgar was struggling to breathe; I didn’t have time to go get help,” she said, afraid that he would be displeased with her. She might be intrigued by the idea of being spanked over his lap, but the idea that it could actually happen was sobering.

“You did well,” he said quietly, just as he had on their wedding night. Just as it had before, the words made a part of her that had long lain dormant begin to bud into new life.

The next morning, Hanne had opened her trunk and selected a frock to wear when she went to check on the boys when Wilma arrived bearing a tray with soup and some warm cider. “We are worried about you, dame, you mustn’t get too worn down.”

Hanne was touched, and sat down at the table without closing her trunk.

Wilma gestured toward the pile of red mittens. “Why do you have so many of these?”

“Doesn’t Thor come to bring gifts to the boys on Yule?”

“Of course he does.”

Hanne was struck by the naiveté of her young chief cook. Barely a teenager, of course she would think Thor and his flying goats were real.

How best to answer?

“In the Southlands sometimes mothers help him,” the dame said gently.

“Huh, that’s strange,” was Wilma’s reply. “Bet you’re happy to be up here where things are so much better.”

With a small smile, Hanne agreed. Wilma was not wrong.

* * *

The fever plowed through the youngest boys. By the end of the week they had each been moved back into the sickroom. Hanne worked day and night to make sure they would all come through. The pestilence seemed to be winding down, when Hanne awoke with a cough and a sore throat. She wasn’t surprised. She had been taking ember cider, but she had cared for many sick boys and she had expected she might turn up sick. Although she was insisting that the sick boys stay in bed for several days, that was a luxury she did not have. She stood on shaky feet. Jonis laid a hand on her brow. “You are burning up, get back in bed.”

“I can’t, honey. I have too much to do.”

He firmly moved her back toward the bed. She must be feverish, she thought, it seemed that Jonis’ hands were shaking as he pulled a blanket over her shoulders. “I have to go for a little while. You stay in this bed and rest. I’ll send Wilma up with some tea.”

“No, I have to make some more cough syrup and check on Asgar and the others.”

His voice was firm. “Other people will do that, you need rest.” The pillow felt cool on the back of her neck and she was really too tired to argue, so she closed her eyes and let him think that she had surrendered. She dozed a little. She awoke when Wilma brought the tray of tea to her. She opened her eyes and asked Wilma if anyone else was sick. “Benny has a cough, he’s sleeping now though,” the maid said before she closed the door behind her.

Hanne forced herself upright and swung her feet to the floor. She grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her shivering shoulders and went to check on Benny. Just as she reached his bed, everything went black. Unfortunately, it was not the sensible Wilma who found her; it was the excitable Agnes, who responded to Benny’s frantic crying. While Hanne was helped to her feet, trembling and dizzy, a boy ran to fetch Jonis. Amid the scurrying and fussing, Hanne insisted that she was fine. Bracing herself against the bed frame, she checked Benny’s forehead. He was slightly feverish and his cough had a deep croupy echo to it.

She was thankful when she heard Jonis’ firm step outside the door. He would set things right. Lifting her easily, he carried her back to bed over her protests that Benny needed her. The paladin’s harsh voice seemed to echo.

“I told you to take care of yourself.”

Hanne tried to sit up. Was he angry with her for getting sick? That was insane. She tried to focus her bleary eyes on him, but he was pacing too furiously for her to be able to do so. Sinking back into the pillows, she gave herself over to feeling miserable. “There’s no reason for you to be angry with me,” she snapped.

Jonis opened his mouth, and without saying anything shut it again. She could hear his teeth grinding. Finally, he said, “You promised you would rest.”

“I had to check on Benny.”

“Well, how does it do anyone any good if you collapse in a feverish heap?”

“You are being crazy,” she said snippily and turned to face the wall.

He was furious. “Don’t you turn away from me. When I tell you to do something I expect for you to do it.”

“Fine! I am sorry I disobeyed you and got sick. Except, it’s not my fault! You are not the only one who has a role here, you know,” she yelled back and as she did so the black spots swarmed in front of her eyes. She felt herself slipping into a feverish sleep. Forcing herself up onto one elbow, she insisted that they needed to mix some ember cider with warm water and honey and get it into Benny. “If he keeps crouping like that, take him into the baths and let all the hot water run. He needs to breathe the steam, but don’t let him stay in his damp clothes. Bundle him up warm,” she pleaded.

Wilma promised that they would do those things. Jonis was pacing around the room like a caged bear. The dull ache spread from her temples around her eyes and she felt her eyes close against her will. She slipped into a lake of restless dreaming. Several times she was sure she heard voices of people who should not be at the keep. She argued with Friedrich, she was scolded by her mother, the unpleasant Dag relentlessly circled her consciousness.

Slowly, she began to emerge from her fevered state. Her head hurt so much that she felt as if she could feel the currents of air moving around her. She lifted a shaky hand to her brow. “Ow, even my hair hurts,” she whispered. Whispering hurt her throat a lot so she vowed to not try again. Jonis sprang to her side. Resting a cool hand on her cheek, he bent to kiss her forehead. She had to ask, never mind how much it hurt. She licked her lips. “How’s Benny?” she croaked.

“He only ever got a slight fever, he’s fine. You, however”—he dropped a kiss onto her feverish hand—“scared us all to death.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, I only took a nap,” she chided him.

“It’s been two days, sweetheart.”

Her mind boggled. “It has? Is anyone else sick?”

“Everyone is getting better.”

“You yelled at me,” she said. “Being so mad at me for being sick is…” she struggled for an appropriate term, “swinish.”

“I wasn’t really angry. I was afraid.”

“Afraid? It was just a fever. You were storming back and forth like a berserker.”

“I was not.”

“You were,” she insisted. She waved her arm in a wide arc. “Over here and then over there!” She lowered her voice to a comical growl. “When I tell you to do something I expect you to do it!”

He laughed. “I see you’re feeling better, if you are prepared to risk a spanking to tease me.”

The door opened and Agnes came in with Sera. The little girl threw herself headlong into Hanne’s arms, sending the bed sailing in a way that made Hanne distinctly queasy. “I thought you would die,” she cried.

“Oh, poppet, shh. It was just a mild fever.” Hanne stroked the little girl’s hair and held her close. Looking over Sera’s shoulder, she caught Jonis’ eye and she suddenly understood why he had been so upset. The paladin and his daughter were all too aware of the havoc that a fever could wreak.

Hanne recovered rapidly, but was still weak. The next time that they went to wish the boys goodnight, they had to pause so that Hanne could catch her breath. Jonis sat in Sir Armund’s chair and propped his stockinged feet up on the table. Hanne laughed and shoved them off. “Boys, if you are ever not sure what the polite thing to do is, I want you to think of what your paladin would do.” Jonis looked smug. His wife continued, “And do something else!” The boys laughed until they wheezed. Jonis winked at her. “I will deal with you later, madam.”

With a bang the door suddenly slammed itself shut and turned the lock. The shutters were already shut, but the bolts flew across them, seemingly of their own accord. The boys were frightened, so was their bewildered dame. Jonis seemed more curious than afraid. When he couldn’t open the door even by unlocking it, he resolved to take it off of its hinges. “The keep must have shifted, frozen ground does that sometimes, you know,” he said as if to comfort to other occupants of the room. “Who sleeps in bed number three?” he asked.

Learning its occupant, he addressed the boy. “Have you found the secret paneling in the headboard?” The boy had not. The giant paladin barely fit on the boy’s bed. His legs stuck out awkwardly as he twisted his enormous shoulders to fit into the lower bunk. Jonis deftly rapped on the wooden paneling and a small door popped open. Reaching into the compartment, he gave a cheerful laugh and removed his hand holding a small hammer and chisel. “My friends and I wanted to carve our initials into the wall. We could never do it, though. That rock is as hard as, well, rock.” Removing the door was something of an ordeal. Jonis removed the lower hinge. He held the monstrously heavy door while a boy stood on the table, pushed up against the door and hammered away at the hinge. Even with both hinges removed, the door was stuck fast. Hanne was beginning to be afraid. Suddenly the door began to fall into the room. Jonis caught it and with some struggle was able to lean it against the wall.

Sir Armund entered the room. Without sparing a glance at the occupants he addressed the window shutters. “Opna,” he murmured and the bolts flew back to where they should be. Armund seemed to suddenly notice the door off of the hinges. “You can put the door back up, it will behave now.” The bespectacled elderly knight hurried out through the doorway. “Lots of doors to see to,” he muttered to himself.

The door was remounted. Hanne had a million questions, but Jonis was clearly determined to keep things as normal as possible for the boys. Settling back into Armund’s chair, he continued, “Now, lads, what sort of story do you want to hear tonight?”

“Thor and his flying goats!” was the unanimous answer.

Hanne checked foreheads for fever and warmly tucked boys in as Jonis told a lively story about how Thor rode through the night at Yule time. “On a sleigh pulled by… frogs?” he said in an exaggerated question.

The boys gave a collective howl, “Goats!”

“Goats? That’s ridiculous. Goats can’t fly. It must be… bears?” He did an imitation of an enormous bear clumsily pulling a sleigh. A chorus of boyish voices insisted that Thor’s sleigh was pulled by flying goats. Hanne was reminded of her first day at Pinnacle Keep when Jonis had wrestled with the laughing Bjorn.

At the lad’s insistence the paladin told the legend of Thor driving a sleigh pulled by flying goats. The dragon had swum around to his back and it looked to Hanne like he was resting his head on Jonis’ shoulder listening in rapt attention to the story. Not only would Thor visit, but if you had been a credit to your ancestors, he would bring you a present. “What will he bring you?” he asked Asgar.

“A bow and a quiver of arrows,” the boy answered with certainty.

“Have you done your best in all things?” the paladin asked.

“Almost always,” was Asgar’s very truthful answer.

“Then I believe Thor will recognize that with a bow and arrows,” Jonis said. Hanne thought of the trunk filled with red mittens with a pang. She was going to have forty very disappointed boys to contend with. By the time they made it back to their cozy bed, Hanne immediately lost herself in its softness. She was asleep before Jonis even had his boots off.

At breakfast the next day Jonis was nowhere to be seen. She tried to speak to Armund about the events of the night before. Armund shook his head anxiously. “The poor wall is worried.” Hanne could not imagine what she could say to that, so she tried a different tack.

“But what happened?”

Armund looked at her startled, as if it was the oddest question he could imagine. “The doors and windows shut themselves.”

“I know, but how?”

He flicked his hand at her as if he was brushing away dust. “How is not the question.”

How was very much Hanne’s question, but she didn’t press the old man.

He was muttering to himself as poured cream onto his porridge, “It’s the why of the thing, that’s the question.” Hanne wondered if he was prone to drinking wine at the break of dawn.

Jonis came in, smelling of snow, and dropped a chilly kiss on her shoulder. “I was out measuring ice,” he said, helping himself to an enormous bowl of oats and dropping a large handful of dried blueberries into it. He seemed to speak around Hanne as he directed his thoughts to Armund. “You were right, the sea ice is twice as thick as it should be. What a bizarre winter,” he said.

Armund seemed to go even deeper in thought than he usually was. Jonis reassured her, “This crazy weather causes things to shift around.” Hanne very much doubted that any sort of foundational shifting could make doors and shutters lock themselves. Arguing with her husband about it in the presence of the entire keep was a very bad idea. She would bring it up later.

* * *

Hanne was terribly behind with her Yule preparations. There would be two weeks of celebrations. The log they had brought in was so enormous, Hanne believed it might actually manage to burn for the full fourteen days. Thor, with some help from the exhausted dame, would deliver gifts and treats and then they would have two busy weeks of feasting, games, and songs. The winter solstice would signify the end of Yule and remind them all that even at Pinnacle Keep, winter couldn’t go on forever. Although the blizzard outside seemed to belie that fact. Hanne had finally finished the mittens and scurried to the kitchen to double check that, food-wise, they were ready for the holiday. She was pleased with what she found. Wine was steeping with expensive spices, a boar had been hunted and was ready to spit roast. There were meat pies, barrels of pickled herring, and raisin cakes. She was going to make some sweets for the boys and then she would visit her nice warm bed and her even warmer husband.

Hanne was going to make pynade, a candy made of pine nuts, honey, and cinnamon. She had made it with her mother when she was a small girl and vowed that next year she would involve Sera. She had no time for that now, though. While the honey, water, and cinnamon sticks boiled, she prepared the table. She began by scrubbing it with salt. After a thorough rinsing and drying, she grabbed a handful of butter and greased the table top. Hanne had incorrectly estimated how long it would take such a huge amount of liquid to boil. With such expensive ingredients at stake, she didn’t dare take her eyes off of the fire for a moment. Finally, when she dropped some into a mug of water, it immediately congealed into a small hard ball. As rapidly as she could without burning herself, she stirred in the pine nuts, a great basket of them, and as soon as it was combined she tipped it into the center of the greased table. It easily spread to cover the surface. She kept an eagle eye out to make sure that none of it careened like lava off of the table. It would take several minutes to completely cool and then she would break it into pieces. She sat down to wait.

“Dame, Dame Hanne!” Her shoulder was being jostled. Dortha’s voice slowly penetrated the fog in Hanne’s mind. She had fallen asleep. She shifted her sore limbs. Oh, no! Of all the nights to have fallen asleep. Thankful that someone had cleaned the candy off of the table, she dashed the grit from her eyes and hurried toward her apartments. Perhaps she would be able to give the boys her gifts at their midday meal. It wasn’t how things should be, but she couldn’t think of another option.

Delighted voices sailed through the keep. Hanne decided to follow them. Hesitatingly she peeked into the grand hall. Somehow the enormous log had been moved into the fireplace and set alight. Greenery was draped from the ceiling beams and around the doors. The tables of the grand hall were piled high with packages wrapped in brown paper tied with red wool string. Boys were descending still in their nightshirts and falling over each other like exuberant puppies. Many of them were carrying small cloth sacks and joyfully smacking their candy-filled lips. None of it made any sense. Wilma was leaving the kitchen with a large tray of saffron buns.

Hanne caught her arm. “Wilma, who left these gifts?”

Wilma looked bewildered. “Why, Thor, of course.”

Hanne noted that the cook was wearing a new frock. Hanne was terribly confused, but she couldn’t exactly ask any of the boys about it and Jonis was in the center of them, kicking a new ball back and forth while Benny delightedly perched on his shoulders. Hanne hurried to her apartments. She would find the packages she set aside and then she would figure out who had saved Yule for her.

She hiked up the lid of her wooden chest. The mittens were gone. She scrabbled through the chest looking for them. They had somehow been transformed. In their place was a warm red woolen gown with flying goats embroidered around the hem. There was also one for Sera, one for Lilja complete with a tiny matching cap, and an even smaller one. Hanne was startled. She didn’t think she was expecting, and she still had no idea who had made and distributed the gifts, but the thought that that person might know before she did about an impending baby was unsettling. When Sera came skipping into the room cradling a new sturdily sewn doll, her stepmother was hugely relieved. She had no idea what was going on, but it seemed safe to assume that the smallest dress was for Sera’s new playmate.

Miri arrived to help Hanne dress. While her maid laced her into her new tunic, Hanne broached the subject of the festivities. “Did you do secret things for Yule?”

“Why would anyone do that?” was the baffled reply.

The scent of the roasting boar permeated the keep with its deliciousness. All of the fine food that the ladies had so painstakingly prepared was laid out. Dressed in bright new clothes, the entire keep gathered. Hanne noticed that Asgar sat down still carrying his bow and arrows. Armund wore a new cloak of rich crimson wool with a fur collar. Hanne wondered if she should worry about him; how anyone could be that cold inside? Her thoughts quickly turned to happier matters. Benny had spent the day playing with his new wooden dog sled, lining up the chunky carved dogs and then ‘driving’ it all over the floor. He happily sat next to his sister. Sera and her doll were darling in their matching dresses. Lilja perched on the paladin’s lap and pulled his hair with a chubby fist. “Papa,” she proclaimed. “Papa.”

Hanne could see the delight in her husband’s eyes. Jonis led them in a prayer of gratitude and then hesitated dramatically, a small smile played on his lips. He appeared to be about to say something to the eager boys and then stopped himself. He did this several times and each time the boys surged forward just as he was about to speak and then froze. Finally, he called, “Snow Force! Load!” and the boys began filling their plates with the sumptuous meal. “You, sir, are a tease,” Hanne lovingly chided her husband.

“You love it,” he responded, squeezing her knee.

“I do,” she answered.

Wilma, or whoever had been delegated the task of making the glogg, had done a very good job. The warm sweet wine had softened all of Hanne’s edges. They had all lingered over the meal while the fire crackled and the children called with delight to each other across the many tables. With a nod from Jonis, the knights stood and everyone shoved tables against the walls. The music master and his students began a spritely reel and soon Hanne was whirling with Jonis amid the stamping and clapping crowd. She danced with Asgar and Bjorn and then with a delighted Benny. Jonis gave a courtly bow and escorted a blushing Wilma into the dancing circle. They circled around and it was with genuine delight that Hanne found herself partnered with her handsome husband again. More than once she kissed him, and he did not turn away from her. Her hair had come loose and when she went to re-braid it Jonis stilled her hands. “Leave it, it’s so beautiful in the candlelight.” Hanne was struck by just how much she yearned for her paladin. Not wanting to seem unladylike, she waited until the dancing slowed down, and asked if they should insist the boys go upstairs to bed for the night.

“Of course not,” was Jonis’ reply. His wife was disappointed, so she poured some more mulled wine. She had just assumed that her husband would want her as much as she wanted him. Before she could feel too sorry for herself, he stood. “Lads!” He pointed a dramatic finger toward the staircase. “Go!” The boys were off like a team pulling a dog sled, although with much more falling over and tripping each other up. Agnes appeared with Benny, Sera, and Lilja dressed for bed, followed by the blacksmith’s apprentice who was laden down with pillows and blankets. He quite clearly was smitten with Agnes, Hanne noticed. Why he was carrying her bedding was an altogether different question. Before she could ask about it, the chattering stream of boys returned, all in nightshirts and carrying their blankets.

Sir Armund settled down closest to the fire and the boys settled down to slumber, or more likely not, Hanne suspected, in the presence of the burning Yule log. Lilja was already asleep when they kissed Benny and Sera who were tucked tightly beside Agnes. Jonis gave a stern look to her young swain. “You sleep over there.” He pointed to the far end of the room.

Jonis sat in his chair and propped his feet up, pulling Hanne into his lap. Astonishingly, the boys settled down quickly. With only the light of the fire, Hanne felt emboldened to kiss her husband while the soft breathing of the keep surrounded them. Pressing her face into his throat, the desire crashed over her like a wave. “I don’t know the rules for Yule here. Do we have to sleep here?”

“Hmmm, I might know someone in charge,” he teased her. He stood and slung her over his strong shoulder. She began to giggle, and hoped that all of the boys were asleep. He strode up the stairs. She struggled to make herself upright. “Jonis, wait.” He pressed her against a wall and she slid down the length of him. “I have an idea,” she whispered.

“An idea?” he whispered with delight.

Her heart was hammering underneath her collarbone. “Could we go to the room where you spar?”

He understood immediately. “Does my naughty girl want to see us in the mirrors?”

She nodded. He tossed her back over his shoulder and took the stairs two at a time. He turned his head and gave her upturned bottom a playful bite. She squealed and would have reared up if she wasn’t afraid of bumping her head on the torches that lit the stairway.

Jonis used one of the torches to light some candles, which soon danced in the mirrors. They began to undress each other hungrily, the muscles in his shoulders throwing shadows onto his skin. Standing before him naked as the day she had been born, she was aware of how small she was next to him. With a knuckle under her chin, he lifted her eyes to his. He would not allow her to hide from him in any way. His gaze penetrated to her deepest self. She was overwhelmed by her own conflicting feelings. He was so strong and she was so vulnerable and yet she felt so achingly powerful. He caressed her breasts and claimed her mouth with his. His eyes were warm and playful. She became shy. He would not allow her to slip away into herself and she became brave enough to respond in the same spirit. “I have been naughty,” she whispered. A delicious shiver moved through her entire body.

“I thought so,” he answered her, taking her hand. He settled himself on a chair and eased her across his strong thighs. She turned her head to watch their reflection in the mirrors. A dozen paladins spanking a dozen dames surrounded her. She could see the pale ivory of her skin, contrasted with the stronger, scarred body of her lover. The sight captivated her. His hands were gentle at first, caressing, stroking, cajoling. The first spank was firm, but not painful. Hanne shocked herself by arching her back and raising her bottom, yearning for more. He gave it to her, peppering her upturned bottom with stinging swats. Soon she was pink enough to see her skin glow in the reflected candlelight. She was gasping for breath and when his hand slid between her legs, she opened her thighs to him. His fingers deftly explored her and she ground against his hand hungrily. Jonis was murmuring his pleasure and Hanne could feel his erect cock pressing into her tummy. She slid a hand between them so that she could caress his manhood. Running a finger around the tip of him, Hanne felt him shudder in delight. Growing bolder, she moved her hand up and down along the length of him. He was groaning now, and she was ecstatic that she had this effect on the powerful warrior. She turned so that she could burrow her face into his throat, nipping at the base of it. Her hands strayed over his muscles, wondering at their sinewy strength. Their hands tangled together, hers pale and small and his large and capable. She ran her fingers over a small scar at the base of his palm, feeling the denser skin. Raising his hand to her mouth, she gently kissed it. With a small laugh she ran her tongue over his salty hand and pulled one of his fingers into her mouth. Sucking on the tip, she paused to run her tongue down the length of it.

“That gives me an idea…” she teased.

“Oh? Whatever can that be,” her warrior husband asked, with an erection the size of a mountain fir.

“Hmmmmm?” She daintily pressed a fingertip to her chin. “Is it this?” She ran her tongue over his shoulder. “That’s nice, but…” she gave a gentle bite, “not quite what I was thinking…” Hanne raised his arm and kissed the tip of his elbow. “Definitely not.” Sinking to her knees, she looked up playfully at him. “What’s this?” She gave the tip of his cock a dainty kiss. Continuing down the length of him, she dropped tiny little kisses all along his manhood. He dug his hands into her hair and groaned with delighted frustration.

She took pity on him and cupping his balls in her hand, engulfed him in her hot mouth. Hanne sucked him and ran the flat of her tongue over him. Somehow serving him increased her own pleasure.

“Touch yourself,” he commanded. She did so and immediately came so hard that she rested her face on his strong thigh. His desire couldn’t wait. She sank onto all fours, with her scarlet ass sky high. His powerful thighs slammed into her tender bottom as he pounded into her so hard she felt her world shake. The last thing she saw before her eyes closed in bliss was the glint of a dragon’s scale soaring across his broad shoulders.

* * *

With no lessons, the keep settled into a routine of gathering for stories after their midday meal. Sir Armund had told the boys stories of yore, stories of his own battle exploits and stories about their esteemed paladin as a boy. “Gentleman,” the elderly man said, holding his hands up in gesture of surrender. “I am out of stories. There are none left in this old man.”

Asgar asked, “Can you tell us about transfiguration?”

Sir Armund pursed his lips. “Go to the tapestry by the main door, and tell me what you see.”

The boys scurried over. Hanne had never looked closely at the tapestries that covered the stone walls. She followed them, offering the storyteller her arm as she did so. She was worried about Sir Armund; he seemed suddenly frailer. So low she could barely hear him, he whispered, “The wall belongs to Thor, and he visits us this time every year.” The boys were chattering excitedly, and surely, she thought, she had misheard the old man. Pausing in front of the bright wall covering, he resumed his tale. The tapestry contained a warrior draped in animal skins. Lightning flashed around the borders of the image. The tapestry also contained a polar bear with bared teeth. The last thing depicted on the tapestry was the skin-clad warrior with a tattoo of a polar bear that seemed to pace across his chest.

“This is the first record we have of transfiguration. The legend is that while we still lived in caves, a warrior defended his family at grave risk to himself and was rewarded with the spirit of an ice bear.”

Hanne raised her voice over the chattering boys. “I thought it was called gilding.”

“Gilding is the art of tattooing battle scars. Almost no one completes their Snow Force training without at least one scar.” The old knight patted Bjorn on the shoulder. “This cub will have a scar on his shin that will be gilded as soon as it is healed.” Bjorn beamed and Hanne thought that the other boys looked jealous. Armund continued, “When a warrior is transfigured, those disparate tattoos merge and become one powerful animal that is alive within his skin.”

“Does it happen very often?” Hanne asked.

“Almost never, once in every hundred generations.”

She had known Jonis was unusual, but she had not understood just how rare he was.

Asgar was full of questions. “Why do some brave soldiers die, and others get battle magic?”

Armund settled himself onto his cane. “We do not know. It’s a mystery. Magic inhabits the soul of some warriors. Certainly, a man’s death in battle does not mean that he wasn’t noble and brave.” It was an unsatisfying answer, but Hanne reflected that the world was full of mysteries, and this was just one more.

“Is it true that sometimes a transfigured warrior can turn into the creature shown borne on his skin?” asked Asgar.

“There are legends of that, yes. So few knights have transfigured that it’s hard to say. I personally believe it is likely.”

Asgar persisted. “Can our paladin become a dragon?”

Armund bent low and whispered with a wink, “He hasn’t yet, but I’d still be careful if I were you.” Asgar jumped and the boys all had a hearty laugh.

That evening as they clustered around the burning log, Hanne kept forgetting to ask how on earth they had gotten it into the fireplace, and how it was burning so long. The boys were happily singing a carol that struck Hanne as rather grim. “Lo, new life is slumbering underneath the ice and snow, we will water it with life’s blood as into deepest battle we will go.”

She nestled against her strong husband. “That’s quite a song.”

“Didn’t you sing carols when you were a girl?”

“Of course, but they were all about brave knights who drank too much wine and kissed the sheriff’s daughter.”

“How dull your life was before me.”

He was right. “I really need to send the general a bottle of properly aged whiskey.”

“Did it the day after you arrived,” he replied with a wink.

A boy appeared and handed Jonis a scroll. “This arrived by falcon, sir.”

The paladin read it quickly and Hanne knew by the tightness around his jaw that something was wrong. “What is it?” she whispered.

Infuriatingly he patted her knee dismissively.

“Needn’t concern yourself about it.”

“Well, I am concerned,” she said.

“The general informs me that they believe that the Ryska secret forces were behind the assassination of Prince Friedrich.” He showed her the scroll; it was written in code. The first symbol was the number eighteen written in the old style. Hanne had had a governess who thought anything ancient was better than anything modern, so she recognized it. “Why the number eighteen?” she whispered.

“The letter R is the eighteenth letter of the alphabet. There’s more, there are reports of suspicious activity along the wall.”

“Are they coming for me and Lilja?” Her voice sounded shaky and pitiful even to her own ears.

He squared his magnificent shoulders. “Let them try.”

Jonis locked down the keep. The number of sentries was increased and the smaller boys were kept busy in the center of the keep. Every window was shuttered, enveloping every room with dread and gloom. This at least served to help keep the place warm amid the frigid temperatures. Tempers were short. Hanne felt guilty that the entire keep was forced to live like this because it was sheltering her.

A falcon arrived, saying the wall has been breached at the halfway point between Novum and Pinnacle Keeps. The sentry summoned his paladin to give a disturbing report. He could see an army gathering on the vast snow plain. It appeared ready to storm the wall near the halfway point between Novum and Pinnacle Keeps.

Hanne was astonished that he could see that far. “We are the highest point,” Jonis reminded her. “We aren’t just named Pinnacle Keep because we are the best one.” He was trying to make her laugh to ease her worries. It didn’t work. She was worried about him being hurt in a skirmish.

“I wish I didn’t have to go, but Armund is the best tactician the Snow Force has ever had. He will make sure all of you are safe until we return.”

Hanne hadn’t even considered that anyone at Pinnacle Keep might be in danger; the thought was preposterous. If they could see anyone attacking the wall halfway between keeps, they could certainly see anyone coming at them. Jonis was taking most of the knights with him, explaining that the keep virtually defended itself.

Hanne kissed Jonis and surprised herself by walking down the line and folding every single knight, no matter how old, into her arms. Rolf and Lars were driving two of the sleds and it was all Hanne could do to not break down in tears and forbid them to go. Jonis tenderly kissed her lips. “Hush now, trust in Armund, all will be well. We will be back in two days.”

The stress of seeing them go had made her queasy. She went to the infirmary and drew a glass of water. She added a drop of spearmint oil and drank it down. Almost immediately, she felt better.

It was some comfort that she could watch their progress by going to the highest turret. It seemed such a foolish thing for the Ryska forces to do. The Novum Keep was well defended and once the Ryska forces came close enough, they would be picked off by archers. She could see the enemy forces gathering just on the edge of the forest, precisely where they could be seen.

Her eyes were tearing up from the bitter cold; she turned to go inside when something high in the air caught her eye. It was not a falcon. Its wings flapped differently and it seemed to be almost invisible whenever it flew in front of a cloud.

“Is that an owl?” she asked the sentry. The lad seemed almost as confused as Hanne was. “I have never heard of anyone training an owl to carry messages,” he said. The owl landed expertly on a perch and patiently waited for its message to be removed from its talon.

Hanne unrolled the scroll from the bird’s leg. It was written in code. She blinked her eyes trying to understand it. There was the symbol for Ryska followed by three parallel wavy lines. Underneath that was a stylized set of antlers. Ragnifer, she thought to herself. He could coax an owl into delivering a message. So she knew who had sent the message, but she didn’t know what it said. She remembered Jonis telling her about the symbol for Ryska. Where had she seen the other symbol before? With a jolt of dread, she understood the message. Jonis had been led into a diversion. It wasn’t a tactical mistake that the attack on Novum Keep was so evident. Ryska was coming by sea.

She stared across the frozen landscape. The snow had settled on the ice floes and it rippled in hills and gullies. There were two parallel narrow paths traced through the snow, she thought, although they were very faint. Tipping her head a bit sideways, she stared harder. Skis. Not a few, either. While they had been readying to go defend Novum, a small army had skied across the frozen sea.

Hanne grabbed the sentry. “We have to get to Sir Armund,” she whispered. She had no idea where her adversaries might be. They could be in the keep already, or somehow climbing the outside wall.

The young knight drew his sword. “Stay with me, my lady.” It was a sweet gesture, but the sentry was no taller than she was and wouldn’t have an actual beard for some time. Still, he was armed. He led her down the spiral staircase. For the first time Hanne realized the advantage of these wretched spiral staircases. No one could surprise you on one. A shadow crossed in front of them and Hanne held her breath. Only when the boy soldier with her relaxed did she realize it was Sir Armund. The elderly knight held a finger to his lips. Hanne nodded her understanding. He moved his hand in a circle and pointed downward. Hanne was relieved to know that the rest of the keep was safe in the cellar. The three of them crept along.

A whimper froze Hanne’s heart. A terrified Wilma was held tight by a masked assassin with a knife to her throat. “You don’t need to hurt her. I am the one you want.” Hanne’s voice was much steadier than she felt as she recognized the man.

“Come here,” he barked. With feet of lead Hanne shuffled toward him. Wilma was roughly shoved to the floor and he grabbed Hanne’s wrist. “Run!” she cried. Armund moved with surprising swiftness. The old knight knocked the assassin away from his dame.

Urging the boys ahead of her, Hanne ran up the stairs with Dag on her heels. As Hanne’s foot hit each step, the one behind her gave a supernatural rumbling heave, leaving her pursuer to tumble down the stairs. They got to the roof and Armund began to ring the bell, using all of his weight. The loud clanging cut through the bitter air. Its effect on the battalion was immediate; they turned and began galloping toward Pinnacle Keep. Hanne slumped against the door, digging in her heels and hoping her weight could keep her attacker off of the turret, if only for a few more minutes. It was hopeless, she knew. Nothing she could do would buy them enough time for the knights to return. Wilma had joined her in pressing against the door. It was to no avail, they were both thrown forward when the door was kicked open. A group of armed interlopers pressed through the door and into the frigid open air. Hanne crouched in front of Wilma. “You don’t need to hurt them. I’m why you are here.”

Armund broke in. “Noble, my dear dame, but he will kill everyone else too. We won’t let you hand yourself over.” Armund and the young sentry positioned themselves and Hanne realized that anyone would underestimate Sir Armund to their own peril. But they were simply outnumbered.

“How much did you pay these friends of yours? They couldn’t be bought, not one.”

“Of course they couldn’t, they are Snow Force.” Armund gave an affirming grunt behind her.

“The arrogance,” Dag scolded. “Calling yourselves the Snow Force.”

Hanne noticed for the first time that Dag was not wearing a cloak and seemed not to notice the cold. Hanne reached behind her and motioned for Armund to take the others and step back.

“Even the lady’s maid wouldn’t give you up.” He moved closer to her with a menacing glare.

Rage coursed through her. “What did you do to Eidit?”

“She’ll live, the old hag is a tough one.” Hanne could sense Armund’s hesitation, but she insistently repeated the gesture.

“I know you.” Armund’s voice was firm and tinged with regret. The knight stepped closer. “You are Torsdag. The boy we couldn’t help. I have often thought of you.”

Dag reduced the space between them. “I bet you did, all of you sitting around up here laughing at me. If you hadn’t robbed me of my rightful place, I would be a paladin now,” he spat venomously.

“Torsdag, that isn’t what happened.”

“It’s Dag, damn you.”

Dag turned to Hanne, waving his knife around dangerously. “Did they tell you they just threw me away? Washed their hands of a boy who had lived with them for years?”

Armund said almost gently, “Torsdag, you killed a lad. It was no accident. It was murder.”

Dag continued to rage, “I could have been the most powerful mage the Snow Force had ever had.”

Armund’s response was steady. “I wish you had had the character to do that. The wall itself has been trying to keep you out these many months. You disgust it.” This surprising answer seemed to antagonize their captor.

“You have no right to even speak to me, you old mewling, piteous worm. I know you went to the table of regents and told them to take me away.”

“Torsdag, that’s not why I went. I went to prevent your execution. Your family was in Ryska, so they imprisoned you there; it was an act of mercy.”

“You’re soft, you make mistakes when you show mercy.” He spit on the floor. “While I was alone in a prison cell, a new master sought me out, one stronger than you, who wasn’t afraid of me.”

Armund gestured at Dag’s bare skin in the biting cold and said, “Hoor. You were taken in by the God of Winter.”

“It is amazing what people will pay you when you can do things no one else can. The Crown Prince of Ryska grows tired of waiting for his father to die. Once there are no heirs to the crown of the Southlands, then he will inherit both. He will inherit, but I will rule with him on the throne.”

Hanne could not grasp the larger picture, she focused on why he was in front of her now. “You’ve come an awfully long way just to kill a woman and a baby.”

“I wasn’t supposed to have to. The Crown should have executed you for murder.”

“Was that your plan all along?”

“Don’t be stupid, bitch. We couldn’t have imagined that we’d get that lucky. I was just gathering information, trying to get anything that could help the Ryskan forces. The chance came along when the moron let himself get sick; smothering a man with blood poisoning isn’t exactly difficult.”

Friedrich had been a hateful man, but the thought of him being murdered in his bed was a dreadful thought.

“You will never be able to get to Lilja. By the time you fight through the whole keep, Jonis will be here.”

“Like a man will risk his life for a child who isn’t his? You are so fucking stupid.”

Hanne remembered the smile on Jonis’ face when Lilja had called him Papa. She had no doubt that he would defend her with his life.

“You are wrong,” she said as he easily moved closer to her. The chill bit into her. A sudden thought occurred to her, delicate as a spider web. She clutched at it. “Was it luck that froze the sea?”

Dag gave a fierce bark and threw his arms wide. Funnel clouds of ice shards rose from each palm. “Your people are not the only ones who can harness magic.” She could see the snowflakes move under his skin. “You froze the puddle in the dungeon,” she blurted stupidly. “The star herders said that nothing was prepared for the sudden cold.”

He laughed at her. “I won’t freeze you first though; where’s the fun in slicing up a bitch who is already dead?”

Armund had his forehead and both hands pressed against the wall. Perhaps he was overcome with fear, she thought. He was not a young man.

A whistle along the wall caused him to whip his head around. Ragnifer and his reindeer were coursing across the icebergs, an army of wolves behind them. Stella was beside him with her hair streaming behind her in the frigid wind. Hanne was grateful, but she knew the brave crew could never reach them in time.

He ran a finger across his sharp blade. “Really, you should thank me, I’m being kind. I’ll kill you now so you don’t have to watch me kill the crown princess.”

Hanne stepped back. He was a skilled assassin but she wasn’t going to make it easy for him. Scrambling as fast as her shaking legs could go, she began climbing one of the turrets. Out of the corner of her eye, noticing the herd of mammoths lumbering along the north side of the wall, she wondered if she threw herself over, might she land on one of their backs and survive. She couldn’t do that, of course; she needed to protect the children. She said a prayer they were all locked safely away and she lured her attacker to the edge. Roughly he grabbed her by the throat. She thought of Lilja’s face and pictured her as a toddler, and then a young woman. The faces of all of her boys flashed before her eyes. Peace washed over her. She could not withstand him, but she could surrender and take him with her.

Before she could change her mind, she let go and threw both of them off of the turret. Time seemed to shimmer to a stop as the cold air hesitated to take them in. Far below them, the very earth seemed to split in two. The wall became an avalanche of stones. She closed her eyes. The force of it shook her bones apart. But instead of dying, she realized that something had caught her around the waist and was carrying her skyward. Somehow she was flying. With wonderment she saw Dag land as lightly as a snowflake onto a pile of rubble. She had failed. He lived.

Far away Stella stood in the sleigh and threw her arms wide. A star flew straight at Dag and knocked him head over heels to the ground, plummeting into the gap left by the broken wall. A crashing roar told Hanne that he had been crushed as the wooly mammoths stampeded through the broken wall.

Hanne somehow could see all of it. She saw Sir Armund and the single tear glittering on his cheek.

The herd he had summoned trod the snow down to the earth. There was nothing left of the ice mage. With a gasp she realized that the wall had sacrificed itself for her, and for all her children. The abbess had wished her this good fortune, and Hanne was grateful for it. She glanced at the talons clutching her waist. What should have been the most terrifying thought of all did not frighten her. It made perfect sense. She was in the talons of a dragon. His strong wings carried her aloft, circling the keep as Hanne watched the wall restore itself as if nothing had ever happened. The inhabitants of Pinnacle Keep dashed onto the roof and quickly overpowered the would-be assassins.

One of the Ryskans had made it out of the fortress and as he ran toward the sea, Ragnifer caught up to him and easily leapt from his sleigh, tackling his quarry deftly. The dragon carried her over the top of the world and she saw the sea that surrounded the polar icecap. Returning from this vast sky, the dragon landed on the south side of the keep. Gentle as a raindrop, she was set onto her own feet. The majestic, sinuous dragon landed next to her, closing its fiercely purple eyes.

Hanne knew this dragon. She had seen him underneath her husband’s skin. He had warmed her, and now he had saved her. She lay her forehead against the dragon’s snout. “Jonis, thank you. Thank you for everything.” Lightning flashed all around them. The electricity coursed through her hair, a warm breeze ruffled the snow banks, and standing in front of her was her very human and very naked husband. She threw her arms around him and felt the dragon swim between them. She bent down and kissed Jonis on the belly, exactly on the dragon’s face. “I love you too,” she whispered. A large cloak was wrapped around the paladin’s shoulders by Armund.

“I figured it would leave you naked. Thought we’d best be ready,” muttered the old knight.

The three of them made their way to the doorway. The assembled keep gasped and Hanne turned to see why. The trio had left footprints in the snow. Hers were dainty. Armund’s were larger, and Jonis had left dragon footprints. In front of Hanne’s eyes they changed to the shape of a man’s foot. Bjorn and Mattias caught him under the arms. “We have you, sir,” they said. Their paladin was grateful for their help. The transformation had left him weak as a kitten.

The ever practical Miri had run ahead and filled the largest bathtub with torrents of warm water. Jonis was so exhausted that Hanne wondered if she should get help, but he found the strength to haul himself up and into the hot water. The water roiled around him as if the dragon in him was causing it to boil over. He lolled back. Hanne stroked his face and poured hot water over his hair. She lathered soap between her hands and ran them over his shoulders, under his arms, and over his chest. There was no nice way to say it, but her husband smelled terrible. A sort of musky, sulfuric smell filled the cavernous bathroom. Jonis shook his head decisively. “What is that smell? I stink!”

Hanne helped him wash several times. “I think it must be dragon,” she said. “Did you know you could do that?”

He leaned back and let the sudsy water lap at his chest. “Gods, no. I heard the bell and I realized that I would do anything to save you and the keep. For a moment I thought I was dying of a heart attack and then I was flying toward you.”

She knelt beside the sunken tub. His dragon seemed to climb up onto his shoulder and peer closely at her belly. The couple followed the dragon’s glance and then looked in each other’s eyes.

“Benny’s little brother?” Jonis whispered.

“Or Sera’s littlest sister,” she whispered back. She kissed him tenderly. A longing pulsed through her. “Wait here,” she said. As if he might climb out of the tub and go gallivanting around the keep naked and dripping wet. She locked the door and returned. “I’ve never been with a dragon.” The dragon on his chest gave her a haughty glare. “Sorry, I guess I have.” She pulled her gown over her head and was about to slide down into the hot water.

“Wait,” he said lifting himself out of the tub. “Not in this one.” A layer of ash seemed to hover in the tub.

“I have an idea,” she said conspiratorially as they began to fill a different tub.

“I love that idea,” he said.

“You don’t even know what it is yet.”

“Well, I know I’m going to make love to you in every tub in this room.”

“Good idea,” she sighed.

He placed his hands under her hips so that she floated on the top of the warm clean water. He bent and feasted upon her while she moaned with pleasure. He lifted her out of the tub and hovered over her. “I won’t hurt you, will I?” he asked tenderly.

“No,” she assured him, wrapping her legs around his hips and gathering him deep into her. They came joyfully, with her pressing her face into his neck to muffle her cries of ecstasy. They rested on the wet stones before moving to the next tub. In this one she sucked him as skillfully as she could, relishing his thrusts and running her tongue over the length of him. She tasted his salt and smiled up at him, reveling in her power. He turned her away from him in the hot water and slid a hand between her legs. Skillfully his slick fingers brought her to the brink of orgasm again. He suddenly launched himself out of the tub and reached back a hand to help her out.

Laughing, they dashed to the next tub.

Jonis had her stand on the bench inside of it and bend over so that her chest was on the stones. As the tub filled with yet more of the keep’s glorious hot water, he gave her wet skin a playful stinging swat.

She jumped. Being spanked on wet skin was intense. She gave herself over to it, wiggling her bottom as his hand danced spanks down upon it. “I should spank you for throwing yourself over the turret,” he murmured.

“Oh, no, you should not!” She was indignant. “I was trying to save everyone else.”

He shook his head with a grin. “Are you arguing with me? That’s five.” He held up one strong hand and spread his fingers.

“That’s not fair!” she exclaimed happily, but a little nervous.

He looked at her with a pondering expression on his handsome face. “I don’t think I have to be fair, I am your husband.”

“But you have to be just, because you are a paladin.” Her cheerful argument had clearly caused him to think.

“Hmmm, you are right.”

“I know I am,” she sassily responded.

“Alright, that’s ten!” He had her bent over the edge of the tub with his left hand holding her hair at the nape of her neck. She gave a happy wiggle and proceeded to resist. This was fruitless, but delightful.

“You are so cute when you try to get away from me,” he teased, landing a spank on her thigh that left her breathless.

“Count.” The next spank landed.

“Two, you are crazy.” She giggled when he gave a mock roar. He drew his hand back over his shoulder and she cringed, seeing it out of the corner of her eye. He brought it swiftly down and at the last minute controlled it and gave her wet bottom cheek a measured smack. She felt her bottom dance under his hand and knew it pleased him.

“Three, you hit like my grandma!”

“Now you’re really in trouble,” he growled. The next swat was harder, and it made her jump. She was quick to get back into position because she was aching for more.

“Four.” She couldn’t come up with a sassy response because he slid two fingers between her legs, removed them slowly, and licked his fingers. While she was gasping, he landed the next three spanks.

“Five, six, seven, maybe you aren’t the very weakest guy in the keep…” She giggled at her own impudence. The eighth spank was harder and Hanne was feeling her emotions begin to swirl. She was so grateful that he was alive, and that he had saved her and that they could laugh and make love.

“Eight. I really, really love you.”

“I love you too, there is nothing I won’t do to keep you safe.”

“I know,” she wept happily.

He took over the counting. “Nine, ten, you belong to a dragon.” She could sense his hot handprints emblazoned on her tender skin.

“I do. I do and it’s what I want,” she whispered.

He took her from behind, with his hand clutching her wet hair. The orgasm appeared out of nowhere and left her shaking and crying.

The three orgasms left her wiped out. She nestled against her husband’s wet chest and eyed the other six tubs. They were going to have to catch their breath first, but she had no doubt her paladin was as good as his word.

* * *

Armund now had a new story to tell. Around the dinner table he was regaling them all with the tale of how he had always known this would happen. The boys never tired of hearing how their very own paladin had transformed into a dragon to save his wife and keep.

Hanne settled against her husband’s strong shoulder and rested a hand on her belly. They hadn’t told anyone yet; it was a secret that they would share for just a little longer.

The bell clanged and everyone jumped. The sentry had seen sleds approaching the keep. Jonis lay his napkin on the table. “Come on, it’s one of ours.”

“How do you know, Papa?” asked Sera, holding Hanne’s hand and skipping to keep up.

“By the pattern of the bells,” Hanne answered.

Jonis gave a happy laugh. “I’m surprised you knew that.”

“I am not,” said Sera. “Mama knows a lot of things.”

“She knows she loves her sassy girl,” Hanne replied with a tender smile.

The first sled pulled up and the first warrior off of it had a beard strikingly darker than his hair. Of course, it made sense now; Erik was with the Snow Force. He had been protecting her when she was in prison.

Hanne hurried over to him. “You must allow me to thank you properly. Please come in where it’s warm.”

“Hello, Princess. I must say dame suits you better.”

“Thank you, I prefer it.” She did, to her very bones she did.

The second sled was being unloaded and Hanne saw Jonis hug another large man wrapped in furs. “General!” she exclaimed. He bent to kiss her cheek and paused. “May I?” he asked Jonis with a chuckle.

“You may,” her husband said firmly. “We are so glad to see you.”

“We were already underway, when we heard about Torsdag. I bear precious cargo.” Hanne was looking at his empty hands when he stepped aside and she could see Eidit and her husband. She threw her arms around her friend. “Oh, Eidit!” She whirled to face Jonis. “Did you know they were coming?”

“Your friends stood up to torture. I have granted them refuge at Pinnacle Keep. As long as you have no objections, my darling dame.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Shall they live at the keep with us and all of our children?”

With tears in her eyes, Hanne threw her arms around her friend. “Until the sun dissolves the top of the world!” she cried.

The End