Chapter 54
Awhile later they both rose from the bed, her body already starting to feel sore from his size but she didn’t care. She would take that type of soreness over what she felt from training any day.
She grabbed a cotton shirt and pants from her drawer, knowing they would work best out of all her clothes to keep her from overheating. After arranging her clothes, she quickly braided her hair and glanced to see Kaden staring at her against the main door.
“What is our plan now?” she asked cautiously.
“That is what we are going to go figure out.” he sighed and when she met him at the door, he opened it into the main hall.
She could see the others sitting at the table talking, their bodies kind of tense but looked towards them as they walked in.
Finnley and Raine sat opposite of them, both smiling as they approached and even Xander let his lip pull up on the corners.
When they got closer, everyone instantly went rigid and eyes widened as their nostrils flared.
“Congrats you two.” Finnley chuckled.
She looked at him with a confused look.
“You accepted the bond.” Finnley gestured towards Kaden. “We can sense it.”
“This stays between us.” Kaden snapped, everyone's demeanor changing slightly at the command.
“You can’t hide it.” Xander barked back. “As soon as either of you get close to Emris or anyone in his court, they will know.”
“We are not going to hide it,” she said hesitantly, her eyes glancing at Kaden. “We are just going to keep them finding out as long as possible.”
Irritation ate at her skin and she knew it wasn’t from her but her mate next to her. She placed a hand on his arm and took in a deep breath to soothe her own thoughts.
“What is our plan?” Finnley asked, his arm draped around Raine.
“I’m sure word has gotten to Emris of the attack in Bromel, the question is whether we were reported as Valkyrie or not,” Kaden answered, his voice full of annoyance.
“If the masked man was Silas, I doubt he would say anything because of the circumstances he saw us under.” She moved to sit on the bench next to Boone. “It would ruin his plan, whatever it is.”
Kaden sat next to her and she leaned back into him, her skin burning for his touch needing some kind of comfort. He must have felt her need and wrapped his arm around her, his hand resting on her stomach.
“So, do we go back to Elnora to see what the rumors are or sit here and wait till it comes tumbling down around us?” Boone questioned.
Kaden stayed quiet behind her and she looked around at the rest of the group that all had the same exhausted look on their faces. They all knew it was only a matter of time before Emris found out about Mydalsa, and now with the masked person seeing them, so would Mavros.
“I need to train.” she sighed. “I need all of my power if we have any chance.”
“Let me think of a plan on what to do unless anyone has any ideas.” Kaden added behind her.
“Boone and I should go scout tonight, see if Elnora is safe to return to.” Xander spoke. “If we return, we can say we escaped the attack and laid low for a few days before returning. It would give us more time here to prepare and for her to train.”
The rest of the group nodded and she let out a long breath.
“Let’s get started then. If almost dying and saving Finnley won’t break my wall down, not sure what will at this point,” she said, her voice defeated.
“You males go train, we will plan our scouting mission and finalize plans.” Xander mumbled and stood from his seat, disappearing into the hall towards the library.
“Let’s go.” she groaned and stood, stretching her arms above her head. “Now I really can’t die so I need my powers as soon as possible. There would be no way you could survive without me.” She smirked over her shoulder at Kaden who was still sitting behind her.
“Yeah, now we are all done for if you both die. Did you really think this whole bond thing through?” Finnley teased.
“I didn’t hesitate.” Kaden smirked. “It was fate.”
Hearing the bench creak behind her signaled Kaden standing behind her and she whirled around to face him, smirking.
“I felt you hesitate,” she breathed playful.
“I did not!” he growled.
“Go train you two.” Finnley chuckled. “You’re getting nauseating.”
She turned and gave her red-headed friend a playful glare, her eyes then landing on Raine.
“You’ve been quiet,” she said, her voice now hinting with concern.
“I’m just tired.” Raine smiled back. “We had a long night.”
Red colored her friends cheeks and it seemed they had not been the only ones in the house wrestling in the sheets since returning.
She gave her friend a playful look, acknowledging she understood and started to head towards the door, Kaden following close behind.
She needed her full power, and if she failed to figure out how to break her wall down, everyone she cared about was going to die.
That couldn’t happen.
Being slammed onto the ground in her old training grounds seemed poetic, and ironic all at the same time.
Long ago, she was training with her fellow warriors to become the best she could be in this very spot. They didn’t train casually, but broke and bled to be a great warrior.
She had thought she would never have to come back here, but fate seemed to have its own funny way of proving someone wrong.
“Still need to block better on your left side.” Kaden sighed, holding his hand down to help her up.
“I think we have established that.” she groaned.
They had been at it for hours now, the sun bright above them and she took in a deep breath.
They had been decent at keeping their emotions at an even level, only a few times her anger reflected in him. Anger of not being able to beat him at hand to hand combat and her blockage from her power still nagging at her.
Running footsteps could be heard behind her and she spun to see the same messenger boy from last time they arrived coming towards them. Kaden went rigid, which meant she felt her heart start to race and muscle tighten until the male got to them.
“My queen.” The male said between heavy breaths. “Scouts have reported an army ready to attack heading this direction.”
“That’s not possible.” Kaden snapped.
“No one in Mydalsa would attack another village, let alone my capital.” she hissed.
“It's not from within Mydalsa you majesty, it's from Mavros.” The male's eyes looked terrified and she felt her stomach sink.
“What did the scouts see?” Kaden barked.
“Those creatures, a few hundred of them, leaving Mavros’s territory. They had wings this time.” The males quivered in fear and she wasn’t sure if it was from the news, or Kaden’s deadly stare.
She could feel his anger swallowing their bond and she tried to counter it as quickly as possible before she was swallowed too.
“We need to act now,” she said quickly, instantly moving towards her home a few yards away.
Kaden and the male followed, all rushing into the longhouse to find the others in a cheerful conversation while finishing their lunch.
“They’re coming.” Kaden roared, everyone jumping to their feet in shock. “Mavros has an army heading to us, all with wings and will be here in a few hours.”
Xander rushed towards them, fury filling his eyes. “We need to get the town people to safety. No doubt they will attack here first.” His voice was deep with anger.
“There are caves a few miles from here, hidden from outsiders but the elders should know how to find them.” She added.
“We will leave to evacuate, and send word to the outlying villages,” Finnley said in a hurry.
Raine, Finnley, and Titus all charged out the door towards her people in hopes to try and save them. War had never been fought in Mydalsa other than Odin and Loki’s feud millennia ago. Even then, no outsider ever attacked them.
She ran to her room and pulled open her bottom drawer in her dresser, her battle armor still untouched inside it. The silver carved steel reflected the sun coming from the window and her heart started to race at the thought of wearing it again.
She was in Mydalsa, her home, and she was their last hope to protect it. Full powers or not, she would fight for her people again or die trying.
She grabbed the gear and started to dress in it for the first time in a century. Leather laid under the steel breastplate and she pulled it over her head like a shirt. It covered her breast and stomach down to her naval, straps holding it up over her shoulder.
She yelled for Kaden, who stormed in seconds later staring at her with wide eyes.
“I need you to tie this in back for me.” she sighed and watched him walk slowly to her.
“You’re wearing your armor?”
“Figured if I was going to possibly die, I’d rather die a warrior than a coward.” She turned away from him, his hands lacing the leather straps quickly.
“You were never a coward, Alyra.” he snapped.
“I hid away for a century and now because of it, my people might die.” She snarled and stepped away from him to grab the bottom of her body armor.
That familiar wave washed over her and she glared back at him, his eyes studying her intently.
“We won’t let Mydalsa fall.” he reassured her, his voice struggling to be calm and she figured her anger was passing to him.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled on her leather and fabric skirt that fell just below her knees from its resting place below her naval. Next she grabbed her iron shoulder covers and had Kaden help her secure them in place.
Steel plates were strapped to the outside of her forearms and lastly, she put on her knee high steel boots lined in leather.
Kaden stayed to help dress her, having to tie straps and fit plates as she donned her armor, and when she was done she took a deep breath.
Quickly she twisted her hair into long twin braids that fell well past her breast and looked to Kaden for her final armor pieces, her headdress, the steel crown with wings on either side.
The sapphire jewel pulsed as she touched it, the twin to her blade.
When she placed it on her head, she felt a shift in her power.
Another large crack in her power formed, and she had to steady herself from the impact.
She could do this; she had to save her people.
Glancing at Kaden, she saw his eyes glassed over with a stunned expression on his face. His features still as stone and she could feel their bond humming violently between them.
“What?” she sighed.
“You look ready to fight,” he said casually.
“Good, because I’m about to give them one.”
“Glad to hear it, my Queen.”
She paused at his words, the full weight of everything sinking in around her and was thankful Kaden was there to help steady her.
It was time for her people to know their queen, whether she was fully able to protect them or not. She hid away and lost sight of who she was or what she was supposed to be.
Not today.
The humming of her sword called to her, the two sapphire jewels brought together. When her hand wrapped around her sword's hilt, she smirked.
A recharge in her power surged through her, only the amount she had fought to get back in the recent months, but it was enough to calm her nerves that had been causing her grief.
“We need to protect all sides of the village,” she said, her back to her mate. “I’m going to head down there now and help evacuate, looks like you still need to get changed and I will meet you down there.”
Metal lightly clanked as she turned to walk towards her mate, her free hand reaching for his face and grazed the side of it gently. He dipped his head in response, his lips soft like their first time and she could feel what little magic she had pulse.
There was no need to rip each other's clothes off from the inferno of heat that tried to submerge her. It was just them, calm and in the moment like they had been many times.
When he pulled away, she leaned into his touch and took in a deep breath, he himself mimicking her and they both emptied their lungs at the same time.
“Ready?” he asked.
“As much as I can be.”