Remember black skies

RISE AND RISE AGAIN

UNTIL LAMBS BECOME LIONS

Flakes of white snow where surrounding the king's garde and his other companions. The wind was cold and sharp and brushes roughly against their silver polished armoury. Small puffs of smoke left the nostrils of the white stallion beneath Larethian. A few weeks ago the jarls daughter had invited him to the north again. His last visit to the north had been brief and quick and ever since the king left the landscape he definitely wanted to return to this great land. The land of snow and vikings ships had triggered his mind more than he could ever imagine.

He wanted to know more about the land called Asgard, Odin and the large wolf Fenrir. The ships, the armour, the weapons... But not only the fancy ships they build or strong axes they made triggered his mind. Also the girl. not even older than 18 years had interested him. With her words, with her gaze, her pale skin and white hair. Even though she was so much younger she was well captured with her words and he wanted  to see her again.

And so, there he was. Making his way through the thick snow. The further north they went the more the air became crisp and the scent of leaves became stronger. Larethian twisted his hand and watched, transfixed, as the tiny flakes of snow fell down on his hand but disappearing into thin air as fast as they reached his warm skin. Leaving cold entrails running parallel to his veins. It had been months since he had travelled to Skorravir. The landscape has changed so much ever since. From this green scape with many flowers to a cold, sinister and dim gaze. It was almost as if eyes where looking right through your soul the whole time they made their way to the capital of Falkreath.

Larethian let his hand rest on the front of the saddle and as his blue gaze reached for the viking city he pinched his eyes slightly. Finally he growled deeply as he spurred his horse in gallop and made his way through the entrance of the viking city.

Delaney

LARETHIAN T. AKESH

RISE AND RISE AGAIN

UNTIL LAMBS BECOME LIONS

He felt the strong muscles of the stallion move under him and with every meter the companions travelled the larger his grin became. First only a small hint on the corner of his mouth. But as they moved the horses through the gates he smirked. The horses slowed down their steps. Seeing the village in all it’s glory again was an escape from the chains and boundaries he always found inside the castle of Archeon.

The vikings gathered some of them even more ugly than the one before. And between them he saw ‘her'. The white haired lady. The last time he saw her she was only a girl. A spoiled, irritating child. But she had grown. Grown into a woman. In all her fierceness and fragileness. He’s piercing his eyes into hers and sees the smile touching her lips.

Larethian commanded his companions to stop with one move of his hand. He stepped forward and stopped the horse a few meters before the lady and her villagers. His eyes deep and dangerous, he looked down at her. The blue tones had almost disappeared out of his gaze as his thoughts had turned back on their usual dark road. He would not consider himself to be an evil man, and from day to day he would never harm other beings on purpose. Nevertheless his mind was stormy and unpredictable - and being in his company could turn out a treacherous place to be. Larethian stopped the white stallion and let himself glide out off the saddle.

His tall posture turned himself towards the crowd and he made his way forward. His walk is slow yet confident and as he stopped before them he simply nodded at her welcoming messages. My lady, it is a pleasure was his next move as he stepped forward slowly moving his hand forward, grabbing hers and lifted it up to press a kiss on the upper part of her hand. It was definitely not the ‘viking’ way to greet a lady. But his plan was not to act like one while they stayed here. His plan was to find a way to simply “help” each other in times of need.

LARETHIAN T. AKESH

RISE AND RISE AGAIN

UNTIL LAMBS BECOME LIONS

Even with the viking blood that ran through her veins. Larethian still could not believe that the girl belonged here. She looked graceful, angelic with that white silk hair and her deer like eyes. It was almost as if the girl came from another world. As if a star had bashed it’s way into the northern ground and settled herself in this land, because she had no other place to go. The tension he felt when she pinched her strong eyes into his was wrong. It was so wrong in so many ways the he tried to shove the thought away. To save himself from going back to those memories he looked away for a second or so. Towards the other people that had gathered.

But as her angelic voice started talking again he could not help it but to look back onto the girl. The certain authority she hold in her voice made the hairs in his neck stand up. Larethian did not knew what it was or how it came. But ever since the two of them crossed their paths something snapped. And he wanted to know if he wasn’t the only one who felt that. He showed her a half-smile, his eyes briefly lighting up with an ocean of blue sparks. His stormy soul roughly hidden behind the veil of darkness. It was a rather eventful journey, my lady. The snow definitely gave us some hard times. But we managed to make it here in time. As he answered her words a maid dimmed up in his eyes and offered him a beer. Some northern tradition, it must be. Welcome your ‘friends’ with all of the villagers and then make them drink until their are drunk as hell… yeah.. it sounded as a nice tradition, maybe they should steal their idea to use it for their own acquaintances back in Archeon. The slightest smirk appeared on his lips as he raised the pint of beer and turned himself around towards his men and towards the vikings, back to Delaney. Me and my companions feel welcome and honoured to be invited to the feast tonight. We will definitely attend. After his words died into thin air he lowered the pint and took a sip of it. Letting the alcoholic fluid warm his body inside. The cold; it was never something he would get used to.

He saw the lady turn around after he finished his words and he decided to follow her instead. Letting one hand rest on his back and his other hand placed around the pint. Her advice of her to bring some fresh clothes towards the feast made his eyebrow raise up for a bit. He tilted his head and looked at her. Messy hmm.. he wondered and turned his gaze back towards the wooden houses. Luckily for him he brought some other warm clothes and some formal ones so there would be no problem at all. Whilst they walked back towards what seemed like Delaney her home he gazed back at her How have you been these days? he asked her as curious as he was.

LARETHIAN T. AKESH

RISE AND RISE AGAIN

UNTIL LAMBS BECOME LIONS

The more he looked at her the more his eyes got attracted by her presence. It was true that the only person he would ever love was Dacosta. He had been living with her for what felt like an eternity. And his feelings for her still hasn’t changed. Normally he had no eyes for other ladies, they where simply not handsome enough to tempt his affections. But this girl, this lady who became more of a lady everyday awoken something in his system that he could not explain. With every blink of her eyes she took he got more and more interested in her. She was not from this world that was not possible Was the only opinion about this he had figured out until now. With an interesting look on his face the two of them started walking to the estate of the Staekar family. She pointed out that her mother wanted to meet his familly and he nods slowly. I’d like to keep my family safe and well. He explained. Perhaps Dacosta and my daughters will come when the summer has began and the travel is a lot safer. He finally answers her statement. It was not that he did not want to take them with him. It just didn’t feel safe enough.

Delaney was talking about the parties they held and how their traditions where explained. He nodded slowly when she told him about the bloodshed and other happenings Which he became curious about. Do you choose the person “who had to die” randomly? Or do you just execute criminals? he asked her bluntly. The southern balls are actually a lot more dull when you describe yours now. Back in the south these feasts and balls where quite formal and sometimes even to boring too attent. That was also the reason why he skipped most of them. If he wanted something to drink he wouldn’t do it at a dull party. But with his lover on his side, sipping wine in their bed. And once that thought crossed his mind his eyes sparked and his lips where curled up. Oh yes, how he missed those evenings in an instant. The warm breeze the desert had to offer on their naked skins. His wife lying besides him with her arm wrapped over him. He holding her in his embrace. Those night seemed to happen in just an blink of an eye. Maybe it was because those moment where the only ones that made him truly happy, maybe there where other reasons for.

LARETHIAN T. AKESH