Macha's Journey

She stared into Freyr"s eyes and argued, "His partic.i.p.ation in Jarnvid"s escape was not entirely his fault. His guild approved his mission. Fenrir tactfully hired him under the guise of accompanying her while traveling." Her face held determination and conviction in Dailen"s innocence.

The situation had grown complicated. Dailen turned his head and stared at the blonde-haired woman who argued on behalf of his life. He remained silent and reflected on how unusual this female was. Although they had just met, she was willing to request an audience with the King for him.

Aila continued on, stating all the reasons she believed they should not punish the man for a.s.sisting an escaped convict. Freyr listened with half his attention. His eyes kept trying to determine this person"s character. This case was not black and white and he could easily identify the reasons for killing the man and not killing him.

On the trip back, Aila talked with Dailen about ideas and personal codes of honor. They got along well and she found him to be a lawful man, who had a strong sense of following the established rules. She truly viewed him as a good person. As soon as they defeated Fenrir, he surrendered willingly, not wanting to impede Tyr"s mission.

Aila"s speech was long and while she talked, Dailen"s thoughts trailed to his sister. While he grieved his sister"s death, he held no ill will against the party. Both of them understood what they got into when they joined that line of work. What happened to Eeva was part of the job.

When Aila finished pleading Dailen"s case, she begged Freyr for a lenient sentence. Having poured her heart into stopping what she perceived as a senseless execution, she stood next to her new friend and awaited the King"s decision.

The marbled room was cold and quiet as Freyr contemplated the facts on his throne. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the arm of his chair.

Aila scanned the King"s face and saw that he did not seem angry. He gave the situation a lot of thought, which gave her hope. Her body tensed as she stood, waiting for the outcome.

Freyr had spent the last hour studying the man before him. Although he would normally have Dailen executed, Aila seemed to have a lot of faith in his character. She pleaded for leniency when she could have let the man die. He did not personally know her well, but Tyr had always held the woman in high regard.

One thing bothered Freyr, once Dailen found out about Jarnvid"s escape, he did not stop giving aid. Now this man stood tall, without any regret in his eyes. He did not beg for forgiveness nor did he fear for his life.

Freyr"s rich voice resounded throughout the room, breaking the silence. "Dailen, are you willing to give up being a mercenary?" From all accounts, the man appeared to be a strong fighter. He wanted to keep him alive, but not unless he had direction.

If the man were truly lawful and respected the rules, his cousin Tyr would allow him to join his guild. In that guild, Freyr knew he would not have to worry about what missions Dailen accepted because his cousin filtered out the dubious ones.

Dailen never considered doing anything other than mercenary work. He tilted his head down and gave the question careful consideration. Mercenary work was something he did for the past five hundred years. All his life, he dedicated to fighting, and could not live a life selling trinkets in a shop if that was the King"s plan. Looking up he replied, "It would honestly depend on what I did after being a mercenary. I love a life of adventure and cannot foresee myself happy living a normal life as a shop attendant."

His voice held a conviction that made Freyr respect the man. Freyr nodded because he understood what Dailen meant. He did not like the life he lived and wished he could break free from the palace. "I will give you a choice. Either you accept death or you try out for a spot in the Obsidian Dragons guild. If they allow you to become a member, I am fine with you living that life."

Aila"s eyes lit up upon hearing Freyr"s decision. A loud thud echoed in the room as she slapped Dailen"s back congratulating him. She was pleased that the King did not sentence her new friend to execution.

****

Later that week, Macha looked over Dailen"s resume. Tyr had approved him to become a member, but she still worried about him joining the guild. They were laying in bed and she rested her head on his stomach. Wiggling her head between his chest and a paper he read, she asked, "Are you sure about this guy? You just fought him recently..." her voice trailed off.

Her apprehensions were understandable. In an effort to ease her troubles, he explained, "There is a difference between personal ideas and work. Sometimes we fight and kill for reasons we don"t agree with. Although he fought with us, that was for work. I don"t sense any ill will coming from him. Also, Aila believes he"s a good person." As he revealed his reasons for accepting Dailen, Tyr stroked Macha"s cheek.

She understood that, but because the new member was strong, he would probably go on missions with Tyr. In the end, she just nodded with acceptance. Aila had a good sense for people and she wanted to trust her friend.

Tyr remembered how he needed to see his mother. Ever since he canceled Ullr"s tutorship, he had been on edge. Now he wanted to contact her before she contacted him. Macha went through most of his mail and he direly wished to keep his mother"s threat a secret.

The masquerade was coming up, and they talked about going together this year. Unfortunately, it did not look like he could make it. "You look beautiful tonight," he cooed.

Flattery was always nice to hear so Macha tossed Dailen"s resume to the side. She sat up and leaned on her arm, "Oh? Go on," she requested with a smile.

"Yes, I"m very lucky to have such an understanding girlfriend. I know you"ll forgive me for missing the masquerade this year," he leaned in to place a light kiss on her lips.

Macha moved her head away and pouted. "You said we would go together this year...." She had been looking forward to the event. Last year Ivan ruined the whole thing and now she wanted to build positive memories surrounding this event.

His compliment did not work as well as he planned. It had been a move that always worked for Krystof and he did not understand what he did wrong. Tyr rubbed his lips with his forefinger, thinking of an excuse. "I wanted to see my mother." That was the truth, and he had no reason to hide it from Macha.

If Tyr wanted to visit his mother, then that meant they were getting along. The news excited her and she gave him a kiss on his lips as a reward. Bubbling with happiness for them she declared, "Why didn"t you say so? I can"t wait to go."

The smile he had from the kiss disappeared. In a rushed voice, he lied, "You can"t come this time. I really need to focus on family business... things. As much as I"d love for you to join me, you would only distract me. Please forgive me this time." He searched her eyes, hoping she would not argue.

This was the first time he ever requested for her to stay behind. Macha did not believe she would be a distraction, but he seemed desperate to leave her this time. Something felt off, but she decided to let it slide. If she did not go, he and Hrod would spend some quality time together. In a reluctant expression, she replied, "All right. I can try and schedule something with some friends. Maybe I"ll squeeze a mission in and get some field experience."

Her easy acceptance made him give a sigh of relief. It would have been hard to deny her if she had insisted. There really was not a reason she would distract him and she could have easily pointed out that they worked together just fine.

The notion of not seeing Macha even for a day sounded like torture for him. Tyr grabbed the papers that were strewn around the bed. Tossing them on the ground he murmured, "How shall I reward you for being so understanding? Perhaps we can do some more training."

At first, she thought he was going to reward her with affection because he tossed the papers off the bed. When he mentioned training her brows furrowed. Extra training was nice, but hardly a reward. She already worked hard every night to become a better fighter.

The moment confusion crossed Macha"s face, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her up against him. His green eyes darkened as he stroked her cheek and tilted her chin up. "I want to work on our grappling," he breathed seductively.

Tyr stared hungrily at Macha before giving her a deep kiss. His tongue swirled around hers and he savored the taste of her soft breath. An animalistic need to possess her took over him and he turned so he could be on top of her. He loved the feeling of her delicate body beneath him.

When his muscular body pressed her down into the mattress, Macha wrapped her legs around him. She reached around his broad shoulders, pulling him closer.

Brushing her silky hair away from her neck, Tyr saw the faint mark he left the night before. It was her sweet spot and she loved being kissed there. He traced the pleasure spot with the tip of his tongue, teasing her. As he did this, he liked how she let out a soft moan and guided his head down.

Macha leaned her head back so Tyr could kiss her neck easily. She always became dizzy when he kissed her there. Whenever his lips sucked her skin, it would cause her to shudder with arousal and the antic.i.p.ation made her wet. When the heat of his lips descended on her, she felt him spread her legs further apart.

The cool night air momentarily touched her as he pushed her thong to the side. She felt his warm hand start to caress her, spreading her wetness around. His fingers glided in and out and he murmured sinfully against her ear, "Come for me."

She ran her fingers through his dark hair. His deep voice ordering her to come increased her arousal. She loved how demanding he was.

As she came closer to coming, her nails dug into his shoulders. "Tyr, I"m..." her voice was lost in his mouth.

The vibration of Macha"s moans of pleasure against his mouth excited him. When she caught her breath, he nibbled her lower lip and whispered against her lips, "You need to hold on to me tighter next time."

He slipped his pants off while he kissed her again. Between the kisses, he teased, "Now let"s work on your stamina."