Logan lifted Freya up in a fierce hug. She wrapped her legs and arms around him like a spider. It must have been awkward for the rest of the people watching the reunion, but Logan could care less. And in fact the Faelves cheered.
Before Logan could get out a word, Freya gave him an intense look and grabbed his hand. She tugged Logan along with such deft ferocity, that Logan barely had time to tell the Faelves that these people were his friends. Scilla waved at Logan slowly with a confused look on her face, before Logan was pulled behind a corner.
Logan and Freya took their time in Snoff’s apartment. They each had many things to say to one another. They both knew that. Many stories to tell. They could wait. They enjoyed the closeness in silence. After the third time, Logan was about to open his mouth, but Freya’s lips closed in on them as she pounced on her man once more.
After they were completely spent, they came out of the house. To their chagrin, Snoff had been standing outside as a watchman to their privacy. He congratulated the blushing young couple for their stamina.
After King Sluikumar had greeted the new and old guests, they all washed in the waters of the Spirit Goddess. The statue which seemed to breathe and watch stayed still, but Logan could feel there was something inside.
The water was cold, but Freya knelt in the water and asked for the Spirit Goddess’s blessing and soon the water glowed with a pure blue light, and soon the water became a cozy bath to ooh and aah at when Logan’s group stepped into it.
After they washed, they joined the Faelves in a feast. Logan and especially Freya being accustomed to baked goods and seasoned soups enjoyed their meal and started recounting their stories to one another. Logan sometimes took a glance at his group who was so engrossed and enchanted in their eating that they rudely ignored the Faelves sitting next to them, asking questions. The Faelves but laughed and jibed at their hungry guests with Logan and Freya. At Tumor’s request, Logan had a double serving of a warm, hard crusted pie with soft nuts and bright red berries inside of it.
When the stars filled the night sky and the air grew cold and stomachs grew full, King Sluikumar announced the feast to be over. He thanked his new guests and after answering many of their questions over wine and select fruits to go with it, he had gained the trust of the people Logan had brought. They toasted to new friendships and promised to abandon the ways the Dorves had taught them. King Sluikumar gave a glance at Logan at that point, but his porcelain face was unreadable.
Eventually the tables cleared and Snoff gave his abode to Logan and Freya and said he would sleep with a friend. Logan thanked his friend and by the end of the night the two lovers fell asleep in each other’s arms.
That morning, Freya brought Logan to their Numa Fruit Trees. As their tree quality was exquisite, this was deemed an important event by the Faelves, and so even King Sluikumar came to the procession with his court and many of the regular Faelves going about their day also participated. This was not a formal occasion, as they sat around on the lush green grass and talked and ate of the Numa fruit trees.
“They’ve grown so fast!” Logan exclaimed and gently touched at the sapling’s olive green stalk, which was already as thick as a wrist and reaching four and a half feet in the air.
Freya smirked. “You do not know the depth of my power yet, love.”
Before Logan could say a word, Snoff chimed in. “I am sure Logan will explore your depths—”
“Snoff!” Logan and Freya exclaimed in unison.
One of the female Faelves, a friend of Snoff’s called Luuva, bonked Snoff on the head with a spoon. She went on to explain to Snoff his faux pas, as Logan continued.
“So how does this [Bless] work exactly?”
Freya took a munch of a [C-grade Numa fruit], which was given to her by the King himself. Even Logan got one, which was a high honor. Freya hummed thoughtfully. “I haven’t ironed out the kinks yet, even though my skill level in it is 12.”
Logan whistled.
Freya flashed a smile at him. “But She will basically strengthen anything that is good and pure. I blessed this grass and the land beneath it, afterwhich all the trees have grown a more vibrant green. And look at all these pretty flowers. They came after the [Bless] too.”
In the grass were indeed patches of fresh flowers of myriad colors, giving the grove a vibrant and pure feel.
“Could you bless this Armor?” Logan asked.
King Sluikumar interjected sharply, flew a few feet into the air and grabbed his luxurious beard. “Logan, please explain this armor you are wearing.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Even though Freya had heard the story, Logan told the King of his capture, descent into the depths of the ruins and the black metal and the natural Numa crystal. The King regarded him sharply and weighed every word.
“The attacks of the Great Thief have grown numerous. There are so many of you Tall Folk here. Dozens of camps. We have not even scouted them all. Most of them have had dealings with the Dorves and the scourge of our world slowly grows stronger.”
Logan nodded solemnly but said nothing.
“And you come to us with this work. ‘Tis a masterwork beyond compare and the way your soul-companion uses it… ‘Tis spectacular innovation. But I fear this is an evil work.”
“It was made by me from a natural Numa deposit,” Logan said, more hotly than intended.
The King regarded him coolly. “I fear this is another trick of the Dorves. What is this black metal. It looks like the equipment the First Folk used in their machinations.”
“It is the same,” Logan admitted.
A worried hiss was to be heard throughout the crowd of Faelves sitting.
“That doesn’t mean it's automatically bad,” Logan said.
“The First Folk were destroyed by the Great Thief in their hubris!” Sluikumar said.
“Because they used Numa wrong,” Logan said. “That doesn’t mean they couldn’t have done other things right.”
A murmur went through the crowd. The King looked at Logan with sharp inquisition.
Freya interjected. “I asked Her about the Armor and the way it uses Numa.”
“Oh,” The King said, seemingly placated. Logan scoffed to himself. Be it Malcolm Specter or King Sluikumar, they always loved grilling him and doting on Frey.
“As you Fair Folk know, through my [Priestess of Numa] class I have a skill called [Communion]. It allows me to ask questions from Her. But what I hear are still disjointed whispers and cryptic answers. I think it’s because my subclass is only 12 and the skill is level 4. But I do get the feel of what she wants to say.”
“Oh!” Snoff exclaimed and jumped up and down. “What is it that the Spirit Goddess wants? Do tell us! Oh please!”
The other Faelves joined the chorus and all jumped and skipped and tugged at Freya’s clothes. It took the snappy order of King Sluikumar to calm them down. Logan had rarely seen the King so regal and serious, but he understood. This was a question of his people’s safety. Oh, Logan understood well.
Freya gave them a disarming smile. “The Goddess wants me to attempt to [Bless] the Armor.”
Excitement started bubbling about the Faelves again. They grabbed each other’s hands and jumped up and down, whistling, dancing, exclaiming with joy and glee.
Even King Sluikumar’s hard expression softened back into the smooth porcelain placancy that Logan was used to seeing. He flew higher in the air so his voice could be heard. “I have no power to [Bless] as does the Beautiful One. but as a King of my people, I bless and lead this historical ceremony under the orange sun and the Two Trees. The machination of male designs and the blessing of feminine grace together might produce an union to defeat the evil which blights our lands. Please Freya Beckstein, please Logan Specter!”
Logan stood between the two saplings and Freya stood beside him. There was a reverent, almost holy silence to the moment. Logan felt shy.
Why does this feel so intimate?
Freya was clearly feeling the same. Gently she placed a hand on Logan’s chest and when Logan looked at her, she blushed and averted her eyes. Logan gently cupped her chin and her soft blue eyes looked at him in a way Logan had not seen before. There was purity, grace, trust and a promise that Logan did not quite understand.
*
Freya trembled before Logan. Her other hand was on Logan’s chest and the other clutching her white dress. There were implications here that went beyond just blessing a piece of armor. This was something strange, and Freya was both terrified and excited.
She looked at Logan under her lashes. He was so handsome and tall in that black armor, which shifted mysteriously.
Goddamn it, what is it with uniforms that makes them so sexy?
It wasn’t just that. It was this whole thing. Logan had come from the depths of hell and despair, and he had come back with this power. He had made his own camp and after spending time with Logan’s followers, Freya could see that they would follow him far.
This is not the same Logan I came to this world with.
Something melted inside Freya. Her mouth hung and she realized something. Yes, she had always loved Logan. Ever since they had met as a child. But now she wanted to rush to his side and be held by him. She was his woman, and now Logan was truly a man. Freya realized in that moment that she would go through fire for Logan, because this man deserved it. She swallowed and put her hand on the metal.
*
“[Bless],” Freya said softly.
Logan, who had been entranced by Frey’s demure beauty, got startled. His black Armor started shining a bright blue. The familiar minty feeling enveloped Logan and he was lifted off his feet. Tumor didn’t say anything, but through their strange connection, Logan could feel his companion’s excitement and fear. Logan was also fearful, for there was something powerful and strange afoot. But he looked at Frey, who smiled encouragingly at Logan. Something had changed with the Armor. But before Logan could guess why, Freya cupped his cheek.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered softly, almost intimately. “The Goddess is good and she accepts you.”
“This has very little to do with the Armor, doesn’t it?” Logan asked.
Freya smiled. God, Logan loved that smile. “It has nothing to do with the Armor.”
At that moment Logan realized it. He hadn’t known it before his teens, but he had been in love with Freya Beckstein for the longest time. But he had never quite deserved her. Such an amazing, gentle and patient person. Oh, she had been patient with Logan. But now it would be Logan’s turn. Logan wasn’t sure if he still deserved such an amazing woman, but he would do his best to earn her. She deserved at least that. Logan would protect and provide for her.
“I’m going to take care of you from now on, Frey.”
“I know,” Freya said softly. Then she smiled, still softly, but with a hint of mischief “And I do.”
Logan grinned and pulled her into a kiss. All the Faelves and humans cheered and the blue glow of the Blessing of the Goddess enveloped them and approved of their union.