She is gone before he can reach her. The portal closes behind her, dampening the draw of her power. With her magic gone, Asger reins in his dragon. Questions flow through his mind, but his dragon has no answers. He only know that he could not deny her call or her heartache. Danu, appears beside him, questions also fill her eyes. She probes his mind gently, examining his magic, her head tilting in ponderance. He watches the Goddess and listens as she speaks to his dragon. He does not understand the magic of it all but can tell that Danu might have an idea of what is happening to them. A few minutes pass before she is done with her inquiry. Finished, she turns her eyes to him and asks, “I wonder, warrior, if you are making any headway with my daughter?” The sudden change of subject makes him wary.
“Yes, Goddess, she told me this morning before Ylva appeared, that she wishes me to take her to where she was held but is still frightened. I told her I would give her a little more time to decide,” he answers while his mind whirls in confusion.
“Oh, no. I do not think she should ever visit that place again. Why would she wish to go there?” Asger recognizes this is a mother's love; he will have to argue this gently.
“Goddess, I suggested it,” his tone is gentle yet firm. Anger fills her face for a moment before he continues to speak. “I hae known warriors that found a measure of peace after they returned to a place where grievous harm was done to them. To observe it in a different light, as someone free. Someone stronger because of that torture.” She stands in silence, her face turned toward the gardens, searching for Beathag. He waits for her to speak.
Turning back to him, she sighs, “I must admit I am at a loss. So much despair and destruction happening, like our old planet, the very things we fled. I am considering contacting Odin. He may have advice on how we should proceed.”
“My Lady, ye picked me because of my strength, but I hope also because of my experience in battle. I mean no disrespect, but ye need to stay out of it now. Beathag must be allowed to make her own decisions and hae control of her life or she will never recover. Ye will hae no need of me because she will never leave this place.”
Hurt flares in her beautiful eyes. He recognizes her magic as it caresses against his skin. She is aware that she sounds bitter as she murmurs, “Do what you think is best, Guardian.” The next instant she is gone.
He stands staring at the closed portal, his heart wants to go after Ylva, the dragon demands it, but he accepts he cannot and he should not. Not only because of his duty to Beathag but also one should not approach a wounded animal straight on. If he chases her, she will run. War has taught him patience. It has also taught him to be wary of the unknown. Shifting when he had not chosen to is a loss of control one unknown to both him and his dragon. Sighing, he turns away, the dragon pacing in his cave.
‘What would ye hae me do? We cannot chase her. She will turn her power on us. I saw the looks of amazed feart on the faces of those that reside here; even they are leery of her strength. We are strong but not her match in this moment. She needs time. We need time. Why do ye feel this strongly about her when ye hae only just met her?’ His question causes the dragon to pause. In his mind, Asger is amused by the very dog-like tilt of his head as it ponders its reaction.
A moment later, the dragon growls out, ‘I do not know, but she calls to me, to my magic. I must go to her. I must ease her pain. We must ease her pain.’ Asger stops, frozen in place, wondering at the dragon’s reaction.
Unable to puzzle out an apparent reason, he continues to the gardens where he expects his ward is. He finds her beside the fountain. She jumps slightly as he sits beside her. “Hae ye made your decision? It has been quite some time and I need to know if ye hae need of me. If ye do not, I must speak with your mother about putting me with another who does.”
She turns her eyes to him, taking him in as he looks at the water. It is their ritual, him pretending not to note her scrutiny, her only looking at him after he looks away. She is saddened at the thought of him leaving; she has grown used to his gentle badgering and the calm wash of power from the dragon. If she is honest, she has grown to want him near. Sighing, she looks away.
Not wanting to give an answer yet, she broaches another subject, one she has learned he enjoys. “Did you catch Ylva?” she inquires. He cannot see the slightly mischievous gleam in her eyes.
“No, she vanished through the portal before I could reach her,” he grumbles. In the time that they have known each other, she has listened to the love in his voice when he speaks of her niece.
“I felt her power break free,” envy lacing her words. “If I had that amount of strength, I could have destroyed the one that held me. I would have never been captured.” Her anger beats at him, but he is glad to feel it. Finally, she is feeling something.
“It was not your lack of strength that allowed him to bind ye.” Her face swings to him, her anger coloring it a slight pink. Her chest heaves, outrage stamped across her delicate features. “Before ye get any madder, let me finish. It was not power, it was your nature. ye recognize the good in people. I will teach ye to look for the bad. It will better allow ye to trust your instincts. I hae never asked if ye had any misgivings about going with him that first day.”
She had been calming down but now a hint of shame colors her cheeks. “No, none. I would have never thought that someone would want to hurt me.” Closing her eyes, she draws in a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. He reaches out and takes her hand, she flinches but does not pull away. He says nothing, patiently waiting for her to speak. Slowly, she opens her eyes and in them he recognizes strength. “Take me to the valley. Let me look upon the place that haunts my every moment. I want you to burn it so that it is forever a wasteland. So those that would look to take me or another will know that we are no longer easy prey.”
Standing, she pulls him to his feet and begins moving to the portal. As they leave the garden, he turns and glances to the house where he surmises Danu stands. He is taken aback as her voice whispers through his head, ‘Protect her well, Guardian.’ He bobs his head, the barest amount in acknowledgment.
Just as they arrive at the portal, Morrigan appears, her heartache is etched upon her face. “It is good to see you leaving here Beathag, returning to your land, if only for a short while. I wonder if I might talk to your guardian for a moment.” Turning away she walks a short distance; he looks between the two women. “Asger, are you coming?” In that moment she reminds him that she is a Goddess and expects him to obey. He goes to her side. “I’m sorry for my tone,” she murmurs, looking embarrassed by her behaviour. Turning, she peers up into his face, studying it for a moment.
“I know you love my daughter.” It is a statement and when he opens his mouth to disagree, she stops him with a look. “Please do not argue. She also loves you, even though I warned her of the dangers of it. Did you feel her power before she fled?”
“Yes. It called to not only me but also my dragon. I think your mother might hae an idea why.” He observes her face to find out if she agrees.
A small smile curves upon her red lips, “I knew you were as smart as I had thought. Yes, she has an idea.” His dragon detects the tiniest of tendrils of magic flow from her and Asger cognizes she is speak to Danu. He waits, watching for a reaction. “We both feel we will have to investigate further before having a real answer. But, I need you to find my girl. Not physically, for I can and I am tracking her magic. I need you to reach her soul. You must understand that she is fully Berserker and magical, it is a dangerously potent mix. You have never completely changed to the Berserker; you have just a hint of the rage. The Berserkers were originally the Halflings of my father’s people. They had his tribes warring instinct, but over the years the blood has thinned. Do not misunderstand me because Berserkers are still feared; they just are not the ones that came to this land warring. But my Einar was born of a true Berserker and Ylva gained even his recessed abilities. You see, the Berserker is a living breathing thing the same as when you change to the dragon; the person fades into the background while the animal takes over. Ylva maintains her human form, but it is the beast looking out through her blue eyes. If you cannot reach her, she is lost. The Beast will have taken control, broken free of its chains. Combined with the powers she has from me, she will become a dark, beautiful Harbinger of Death. She will reign in death and destruction.”
Asger’s head moves from side to side; denial flooding his body at the thought of never having her back. His heart freezes as an image of a dark Goddess slams into his mind. “You hae my word, that I will find her. If whatever is happening to me is also happening to her, she will also find me. I will take Beathag to the valley, letting loose the dragon. Our combined power will alert her to our presence if she can feel the magic. She will come, Ylva will find me and I will reach her. The dragon suggests using animal instincts against her beast, asserting our dominance until she accepts us.”
He whirls around and strides toward the portal. Morrigan smiles as he shifts more quickly than ever before, the dragon roaring out in challenge. He gently picks up her sister leaping into the air, massive wings flapping. He circles once and then dives through the portal and just before it closes, she is hit by a blast of heat as fire pours from his mouth. Her daughter will not only survive this, but she may just find a mate.