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"No, no, no. You need a clean finish stroke, don't you know that? I would have thought you would know that." The lioness above him paused in her motion.

"What are you talking about?" Her eyebrow lifted and her ears swiveled forward.

"Well, I mean, it just looks like you're about to try to hack my head off is all." She lowered her axe and continued to look at him, her foot paw on his chest holding him down, not that he was struggling.

"Well, yeah. That was the plan."

"Exactly, and I am telling you, that wouldn't work. I mean, do you see this mane? Not to brag but it is pretty thick, no way you would be able to chop my head off. You need a clean shot through my chest. My fluff protects my head too well. But then, you are ill equipped for a piercing shot too, aren't you? That is why a short sword or spear is a much better weapon." She put more pressure on her foot, causing him to grown a little and blood to spurt from the cuts she had inflicted on him during their battle.

"Shut up. I will just take you as my slave then."

"You will do no such thing. Regulus Caelius Terentius is no slave." She threw her head back and laughed loudly. It sounded sweet until it turned into a low growl.

"You are now. I defeated you in battle, which by rights allows me to take you as my slave." He opened his mouth to object, but she was right. He himself had taken many slaves in his lifetime. He couldn't argue, she had indeed beaten him in a fair fight.

"Now get up and let me put this rope on you, don't try anything funny, or I will try to chop your head off again." He put his hands up in a nonthreatening manner.

"I'm telling you that wouldn't work, but I am an honorable man, I will try nothing."

"Where are you from, anyway, Regicaeterentie?"

"Regulus Caelius Terentius."

"Yeah whatever, we'll get a better name for you. Anyway, you are not from any clan around here, that is for sure. You are far too strange."

"I am....I am from Rome, but I have been traveling."

"Rome? Never heard of it. Is it grand? Is there plunder there? Where is this place?" She looped a rope around his neck and lightly tugged it as she started North. He huffed.

"How have you not heard of Rome? And there is...was plenty of plunder. It was the greatest of cities, the greatest of empires the world has ever and may ever see."

"Hmph, sounds made up. But perhaps you will take me there one day when I am Queen."

"You are a princess?" His ears flicked towards her as his interest piqued he might could do something if that were the case.

"Well, no..." She fingered the axe on her belt. "But I plan on becoming Queen one day nonetheless." His eyebrow raised and he slowed his pace a bit.

"And how do you expect to do this?" She growled and tugged on his rope. He was satisfied.

"Not that it is any of your business, but I am a practitioner of seidr and I pray to Freya every day to aid me." She turned and winked at him. He chuckled. Perhaps he did stumble upon something after all. He might could be of service here before his time ran out.

"Who is Freya?" She stopped and looked at him.

"You do not know of Freya?" He shook his head, his mane fluffing out around him. "What of Odin, the all-father, or Thor? Loki? Hel? Tyr?" He shook his head. "You know nothing." She continued walking and tugged on his rope. He obliged.

"I know of Juno, Minerva, Apollo, Mars. I know of Zeus, Bacchus, of Isis, of the Buddha and the Eastern Gods and their rituals, I know of the strange Aegyptians. I know much, little princess, but I know not of your Gods. Tell me." And so they marched back to her village as she told him of her gods and customs. There was a wealth of culture that was unknown to him and he soaked it up. These people did not seem wholly unlike his, though they were undisciplined. With her help he could perhaps fulfill his mission here.

"I will be buried with many different artifacts, denoting my status as a shield maiden and practitioner of seidr. However you are a slave."

"Interesting." There was a pause. "A coin."

"Hmm?" Her ears swiveled towards him.

"A coin. I must be buried with a coin. In my mouth preferably. But it must be the case." She looked at him and laughed. He smiled halfheartedly. He did not know when or where he would die, but he hoped he would get a proper burial so that he could see his people again.

The sun was settling on the horizon when he could smell meat cooking and fire. The village came into view not long after they arrived. They emerged from the trees and there was a line of houses on the coast and farther in there was a longhouse and beyond that farmland. It was a picturesque scene. To him, this place seemed pure, untouched almost. It had grandeur, a different kind than his Rome had, but it was no less impressive to him. She tugged on his rope and he followed, still taking in the scenes around him. She led him to a house by the shore and pushed open the door.

"Now, start a fire. The materials are over there." He looked around and walked to the stone hearth. He knelt and whispered a quick prayer to Vesta and then struck the flint. He nurtured the flame softly till it took and warmth began emanating from it.

"You live alone?"

"My father was killed in a raid a few years ago. My brother has walked off into the wilderness to fight bears or something. My mother passed with a creeping illness not too long ago."

"I am sorry to hear that."

"Doesn't matter. I will see them again in Valhalla." She walked over a cast iron pot full of water to hang above the fire.

"As my slave you do anything I ask of you. In return I shall feed, cloth, and provide you shelter."

"May I know your name, at least?" She pursed her lips for a moment and thought.

"You may call me Mistress. But if you must know, my name is Myrelliah Valcyn." He nodded and went about tending the fire.

"Good name. Strong name." She shrugged and walked over to a wooden counter next to the window and began chopping various roots. He took out a small bundle from the pouch on his belt and unwrapped the oil cloth. He set the two figurines on the mantle above the hearth and bowed his head to them.

"I think we have found home again." He whispered and then watched her as he kept the fire alive.

It wasn't wholly unpleasant being her slave. She was fair, and never beat him, which he found odd. He was rather insolent, but she took it well. And in time it became more a partnership than anything else. She allowed him to train with her and her shield maidens. He learned of their fighting style and shared much of the knowledge of his own. They were skeptical at first but Myrelliah had a mind for battle, and knew the strengths in what he was teaching. Soon adopting many of his techniques into her own style.

"The next raid we go on, in a few moons, I shall petition to bring you. We would do well to have your aid, Terenty." He growled at this but smiled as well.

"Regulus Caelius Terentius." It would please him to taste battle once more, even if it was with a bunch of undisciplined barbarians.

"Oh whatever. I will talk to Brynjar. He will give me almost anything I want." He was a steely gray timber wolf. He came by every day and give Myrelliah a gift of some sort; a flower, or a trinket, or a sweet. She would take them politely and make conversation with him. It was clear what the wolf's intentions were, and he did not like having another Skoggkatti around her and made no effort in hiding the distaste for the slave.

"Why do you not embrace him and his wishes? He is a strong man, a renowned warrior." She grimaced.

"He is..strange. I do not like the way he looks at me. It makes me feel as if I am prey. The thought of allowing him to touch me makes me want to slit his throat. I would sooner let a slave like you do so than him." He raised an eyebrow.

"Yet, he is the Jarl's son. He will be Jarl when his father dies. Which will be soon so I hear." She looked at him for a moment.

"It is true. Jarl Brynoff is old and frail. His last raid was summers ago. Brynjar will soon be Jarl." He gestured as if to say then there you go. She grunted.

"Get back to work Reggi-oculus"

"Regulus."

"Yes, yes, back to work."

"Caelius"

"Yes whatever."

"Terentius." He looked her straight in the eye as she turned to him, a fire in her eyes.

"I should beat you for that."

"And yet you do not." He was a full head taller than her, and he knew his mane made him intimidating but she stood right up to him, glaring at him as her tail flicked behind her; her violent eyes piercing through his. The tense silence stretched on.

"You may call me Cae, I suppose." She smiled and gave him a punch on the arm and then turned back to what she had been doing before her suitor had come. The next day when he visited her entire demeanor towards Brynjar changed. She engaged with him, and smiled, giggling softly at things he said. Cae had trouble not chuckling to himself as he watched her performance. The wolf was utterly taken aback and enthused. It would not be long before he proposed a marriage.

Over the next week Cae watched as Myrelliah seduced Brynjar and exactly one week from when she began her act he arrived with several servants and friends to ask for her hand. She acted bashful and taken aback and then started negotiating property and belongings. It was agreed that she could bring all her property when she moved into the long house and it would remain hers in the event of his death. There was then a feast that she attended while Cae remained in her home tending the fire. He helped with the moving and the preparation for the ceremony. Myrelliah's fellow shield maidens prepared her in her dress and there were many days of feasting, after which Myrelliah and Brynjar were carried into a room in the longhouse by people carrying torches. Cae chose not to think too much about what would be going on that night. He resigned himself to the servants quarters of the longhouse which he shared with many other servants now. There was a weasel whose fur was surprisingly immaculate, a vixen with a scar on her face and a bad attitude and an older buck whose horns had been long filed off. The rest were busy cleaning up from the festival or tending to one of the many flocks that was under the ownership of the Jarl.

A few weeks after the wedding the river's swelling went down. This was apparently a sign to them that the summer was upon them and the Jarl made the announcement of where and when they would raid. It was certainly a sight to see all the banded men of the village gathered in the longhouse shouting and beating their mugs on the tables in excitement. After they settled down Myrelliah appealed to the Jarl for her and her maidens to accompany the men and the Jarl consented that any maiden who was not with child and wished to go would be allowed to, provided they did not get in the way during battle. The women accepted this with nods and smiles. Myrelliah looked at him and smirked. That night she called him out of the servants den and ordered him to accompany her to the coast. She was much more gruff with him since she had moved and they hadn't seen each other much. He mostly took care of other household duties, ordered around just like the other slaves of the longhouse, so he was eager to get a moment or two with her.

"We are going to check the crab traps." He followed along silently until they were well out of earshot of anyone else.

"It has been a while since we talked."

"I know. Fuck. I cannot stand that stupid wolf. Sharing a bed with him is dreadful. Did you know the Jarl pulled me aside after the feast tonight and asked me if I was with child? Absolutely not. Brynjar is too proud to tell anyone that I haven't let him touch me in that way." Cae sighed in relief he did not expect himself to feel. And then chuckled.

"I plan to kill him you know." Cae looked around them on the empty beach, it was ill omen to speak such words on a bright night like this.

"Quiet now, you do not need to be overheard."

"Oh I am fine. In battle, during the raid. It would be easy enough."

"People might see you. Especially the way you fight, you would not be able to give a killing blow subtly, darling." She looked at him, her fur fluffed up and her ears perked, indignant. "It would be better if he got a wound that festered and would not heal. An infection that spread." Her eyebrow raised and her tail flicked thoughtfully.

"I agree but there is no way to guarantee an infection. "

"Ah but there is. If only you could take me with you..." Cae turned around and swished his tail high, his tuft brushing her muzzle briefly as he teased her.

"I will bring you. I will claim you as one of my maidens." He turned to look at her, his ears perked in confusion.

"And how, exactly, will you be able to do that?" She smiled and walked past him on her way back to the longhouse.

"Just make sure you can get the job done. Oh...and don't forget to empty and rebait the crab traps." He couldn't see her face but he knew that she was smiling. He huffed to himself but felt content with things at the moment and waded into the shallows to fulfill his duty.

Cae had his weapons and armor all neatly packed up when the day came to embark upon the raid. And he walked confidently behind the other shield maidens. Paying no attention to the odd looks he was getting from the other male warriors. They walked in a loosely formed group down to the docks where several longboats waited and his pace slowed. He looked at the boats and the men climbing into them, stowing their belongings away and taking up oars and stopped. Myrelliah walked up behind him.

"What is wrong?"

"Boats? We are going by sea?" She laughed lightly.

"Well, yes, how else do you expect us to get to England?" He opened his mouth but no words came out. Now that he thought about it this was the only logical way, but he was not pleased about it.

"It is unnatural, floating, harnessing the wind in such a way. I am a foot soldier."

"Well, now you are a Viking Raider. So buck up." She slapped him on the back and walked towards the boat full of her maidens. He slowly followed and sat in the location she pointed to, stowing his own bundle beneath the benches. He gripped the oar so tightly that his claws left marks on the wood and muttered a prayer to Neptune, they had never really been on good terms.

The weather was calm and their journey was marred only a few times with some light rain, but he was thankful that it was nothing more than that. He had trouble sleeping during the night and his bench partner gave up trying to make enough space for herself halfway through the journey and had taken to just using his lap space as her own. He didn't mind too much, but she was very taken aback one morning. He had actually managed to fall asleep and was having a rather vivid dream when he was jerked awake by the rocking of the boat. All the ladies were looking at him bewildered and Myr was looking at him with a smirk on her face.

"What?" Their eyes shifted to his lap where he had a rather obvious erection and he blushed, immediately trying to cover it up. He turned to the woman he had been sharing the bench with.

"Uh, sorry about that." His ears laid flat and his tail swished around sheepishly. They all just looked confused and then Myr spoke up.

"That is how I got the Jarl to allow you to join us. I told him you were a eunuch." Cae almost stood but the boat rocking stopped him and he held his seat. He smiled rudely at Myr and tried to convey her upcoming punishment through his eyes, but she only laughed and then barked orders to the tiller to keep them on course.

When they finally saw land Cae thought he was going to cry. He could not wait for solid land under his paws again. When they all landed the beach was a sight to see with all the boats. They began setting up a haphazard camp that would have gotten his legion whipped had they been Romans. He did not understand how these people were feared throughout the North with sloppy habits such as this. There were no border defenses and no patrols to keep watch they all just converged around a giant fire and erected tents outwards from that. The natives of the land would certainly know that someone was down here now.

The next morning there was an entreaty party that walked into the middle of their camp on horseback. They were wearing very shiny armor and a lot of velvet. They attempted to speak with Brynjar but neither could understand the other's language and even if they could have, no treaty would have been reached. Ten minutes of pantomiming and the young wolf was no longer amused and pulled the nearest one off his horse and began to viciously hack at him. The men who had gathered around gave a loud cry and pulled the rest of the party off their horses, following suit. The steads were slapped and took off the direction they came and Cae shook his head. There would be a battle the next morning.

Cae turned in early, choosing to skip the celebration that the others were having. He slept easy on the solid ground and woke up long before dawn. He took his short sword and spear and set out to scout the terrain around the camp. There was a decent enough location for battle to the West of their camp. The trees cleared up and then the land sloped downward. In the distance he saw a large stone structure and in the pre-dawn he could make out a large mass of dark figures leaving the gate. They apparently thought that this was an ideal location as well. The tide of this battle could be turned based on positioning. They needed to prepare so they had the uphill advantage. He took off, lightly jumping over obstacles and feeling his blood begin to run with adrenaline. He padded up to the tent that held Brynjar and Myrelliah and burst in. The wolf was sleeping, but she had her eyes open.

"They are coming. We need to mobilize. I scouted a good location to set up to the West, but we need to move quickly." She nodded and then rolled over to wake her husband up. Cae went to where the other shield maidens were sleeping and roused them. They were ready to march within minutes and he was proud. They may be women, but out of all of these people he knew it was the maidens that would have made the best roman soldiers.

The sun had long since risen when they were finally in position. Brynjar wanted to rush towards the advancing army but Myrelliah, through guidance from Cae, convinced him that staying at the top of the ridge was a better choice. That way they had the high ground, and also most of their force was hidden in the trees, lulling the shiny soldiers into a false sense of security. The enemy forces halted at the top of the ridge in front of them and waited. They understood the tactical advantage that these savages had over them and were prepared to wait. Brynjar was difficult to keep calm but Myrelliah sated his impatience. They waited half a day, the men fidgeting and growing increasingly angry, they did not understand why they were waiting. Finally the enemy forces began marching down their ridge. At the bottom of the hill two calvarymen broke out in front and slowly made their way towards Brynjar, Myrelliah, and Cae. They thought their lack of attack meant an offering of peace. Brynjar set that miscommunication straight by lobbing the two men's heads down towards their army. The looks of horror were priceless as he lifted his head and let out a chilling howl which was responded to with several other battle cries from the rest of the men and they charge down the hill like a tidal wave, cutting into the organized enemy forces. Cae looked at Myrelliah who was smiling and then took off after them, his blood rushing as his body began dancing in a way he hadn't in decades.

The battle was in full swing when he spied the steel fur from across the field. He worked his way to that direction, hacking down anyone that stood in his way. No one seemed to notice his purposeful route towards the timber wolf. Once he stood next to the steely gray fur he fought alongside him for several moments, watching his movements. His hackles were raised and his breathing was shortening. A few moments later he raised his head and let out a blood curdling howl and his movements became frenzied and much swifter. He had heard of this, from people in the village, that the young Jarl was a "beserker" but he had not fully understood what that meant until he say the eyes of that wolf. They were afire and unseeing. All he knew was the fight. Perfect.

Cae swiftly pulled a pouch from his belt and smashed it against his short sword, the tiny glass vial inside broke and soaked through the cloth, coating the side of his blade. He then stepped up and sliced the wolf on his arm. He barely even looked towards Cae. He let the pouch slip from his paw onto the ground and resumed fighting, now searching for the tawny coloring he had grown so accustomed to.

"Myrelliah! Behind you!" She whirled and her axe blade met the flesh of one of the assailants. She was covered in blood and her eyes were alive. Cae felt a growl rise in his throat and expand, growing larger and larger until it escaped from his teeth, his mouth stretched wide as a loud roar echoed across the hills. She answered with her own and even their peers looked a little frightened at their prowess. He smirked. That was good. They should fear the children of the Skoggkatti. These Vikings were not as organized nor nearly as tactical as his Romans had been, but they sure as Hades had the fighting spirit. He resumed his slaughtering of the feeble-armed men attempting to oppose them until they were victorious on a soggy battlefield. He was picking through a pile of corpses when a piece of jagged armor sliced his palm. He grit his teeth and looked at it. His fur was matted with brown blood and green. He grimaced.

When they had finished they made their way up to the gated city, they found wagons upon wagons full of riches and glittering things. The spoils were delightful and they feasted on roasted meat for three nights. He kept a smile on while they celebrated and it wasn't much longer before they loaded the longboats and began the long journey back home. Byrnjar growled that they would be back to this island next summer.

The journey home was long and difficult for him. He hated the longboats and the sea, and was prone to fever sweats, though the company was fine. Plenty of the maidens looked at him hungrily now that they knew the truth and Myrelliah smiled every time one of them "accidentally" fell onto his lap. When they finally spotted the little cove that they had departed from months ago he felt extreme relief. He considered that farmstead and longhouse his home now. He hadn't had one in many decades. He had watched peoples and times come and go, always feeling transitory no matter how long he stayed in one place, but there, with her, even with a collar around his neck, he felt accepted and at home.

Brynjar was carried to the longhouse, it turns out he had a wound that had festered and was not healing well. He had grown very ill on their journey home. Cae stood behind Myrelliah as she watched her husband being treated by several different women. First they cut away the rotten flesh around the wound, and then cauterized it, attempting to seal off the infection but that would not work. Cae had seen this particular poison work in the East. It was in his bloodstream and would simply latch onto other weak tissue and begin to rot it out as well. It was a slow and painful death, but it was one that appeared natural enough. Cae sat in the corner and bandaged his hand with a clean wrapping as he watched the wolf in agony.

In his fever Brynjar called for his father and wanted to know why he was not yet by his son's side. The servants all looked at each other frightened before one old hare finally told him. His father had died of wet-lung while they were out raiding. They had been waiting for the party to return before they had a proper funeral but they had been too long and the Jarl was now buried outside of town with many of his riches. Brynjar wailed and attempted to throw a jug at one of the servants, but he was too weak to lift it. Myrelliah, for her part, played the concerned wife and stayed by his bedside. Once it was late and it was apparent that his fever would not break, the longhouse was cleared and no one was left but Myrelliah, and the servants she allowed to stay and care for her husband. She leaned over him and had a whispered conversation. She soon then motioned for Cae.

"Down past the stream to the East there is a hut. It houses the Seer. Bring him here, there is something to be taken care of. Make haste." Cae nodded and left, running in the direction she had told him. He sniffed the air and soon smelled something burning, but it was a sweet scent, much like the incense used in the East. Inside the hut there was a small weasel that was bent over and blind.

"Myrelliah has need of you." Cae said, panting slightly.

"Yes. I have seen this. I will come with you, but I move slowly. He might die before we get there." Cae stooped and picked up the small stoat in his arms and took off running back towards the village. He leapt over obstacles and ducked to avoid branches that would have caught in his mane. When they arrived he set the weasel down and he bent low over Brynjar. The young Jarl whispered things into his ear and then licked the palm of his paw. Myrelliah sat next to his bedside and shed a few tears when the timber wolf groaned out his last few breaths. She acted distraught as the servants covered his face. She stood and looked at him, giving him a sense that he was to follow, and then she retreated to her bedroom at the end of the longhouse.

When he entered he shut the door behind him. Her back was to him and she was unlacing her padded shirt. She had not changed since they had returned.

"He is dead." Was all she said. He was not sure how he should respond so he remained quiet.

"I told him I was pregnant. That was the only way. He wanted to send for his brother. So that Jarnuff could become Jarl. But I told him that it should be passed to his son." She paused and put a hand on her stomach.

"There was one night. He was drunk. He thinks he planted his seed in me." She turned to him in nothing but her light tunic and unlaced breeches. He remained silent and looked at her.

"I am not with child Cae. But he told the Seer I am to act as Jarl until my son comes of age." There was silence between them. She had maneuvered herself into a position of power but it would take more than that to retain it.

"So, what are you going to do?"

Suddenly she was in his arms, their muzzles together. Her fur was soft beneath his paws and he felt himself respond to her closeness. He was careful to not rub his injured paw on her too much but soon the tunic was off of her and she was messing with the laces on his pants. His tail swished impatiently but let her paws complete their task. He was hungry, hungry for her paws to be everywhere, for his lips to be everywhere. It seemed like they had been waiting for this for a long time; like he had been waiting for this for a long time. He began to push her towards the bed but she stopped and moved behind him, pushing him down. She held a firm paw on his chest as she slowly crawled until she was hovering over him. One of her paws was lightly scratching his chest, the other was stroking his length as she purred. Her tail was in the air behind her tracing patterns in the air and he moved his paws to its base, scratching right above where it connects to her spine, causing a shiver to run through her body and a soft growl to rumble her chest. He grabbed her ass and squeezed watching her face. Her eyes popped open and she bared her teeth. She held him steady and lowered herself onto him, keeping her paw firmly on his chest. He held her hips as she moved, guiding her until she took him by the wrists and moved his paws above his head, holding them there.

"Stay." She growled and then resumed her movements. Her paws cupped her breasts as she leaned back, her braids cascading down her back. He watched her as she moved, mesmerized. Her movements were long and fluid but quickly became rushed as her pants became shorter. Her claws scratched his chest as she used him for leverage. He smiled and chuckled when there was a puddle under both of them and her body relaxed. He gave her a moment before he used his strong legs to push her over and pin her down. He took her legs and lifted them over his shoulders before he entered her. A whimper escaped her muzzle as he felt her strain against his grip, but her paws were firmly held in his. He began slowly, taking full strokes, burying himself in her. She was tight and he could feel the small rough patch every time he thrust. He focused on that as he quickened his pace and her squirming became fiercer as she began to climax again. When she had finished a second time he pushed her knees into her chest, hovering over her. He bent down and kissed her lightly on her nose before he began to plow her. It was his turn and he was not gentle. It had been too long and she felt too good for him to last any longer. It was a wonder he had lasted this long. She whimpered and moaned and that just pushed him to go faster. He tensed up and exploded inside of her and she let out a gasp and then a moan. He held himself there for a few moments and then slowly slid out. There was a wet mess under them but he did not care. He lay next to her, both of them panting.

They fell asleep like that and when Cae awoke she was still sleeping soundly. He gently rose and crept out of her bedroom. Her late husband was still laid out, shrouded on the table. Cae tiptoed past it, suddenly ashamed of last night, and slipped into the servants quarters. He got more than one odd look from the others in there and a vixen gave him a derisive sniff.

"Wash before you make preparations. Quickly too! We must build the pyre and you're the strongest among us." Cae nodded his head and his mane floofed. He hurriedly moved to the wash hut that was located behind the longhouse and doused himself with cold water. Taking particular attention to the fur between his legs and then toweled off, donning his normal servants garb and then easily found where they were building the pyre.

They lit the fire around midday and rose high into the sky. Myrelliah was in a beautiful blue dress, with white flowers in her hair. She spoke of her late husband in a tone that would reaffirm everyone's belief that they were a happy married couple. Once others said a few words about the timber wolf Myrelliah raised her voice high and announced that she was to be the Jarl until such a time came that she was succeeded. Her wording was carefully picked and Cae was proud of her for that. She was handling this situation well. Her husband died thinking he had a legacy. The people lived believing there might one day be a successor.

People came up to Myrelliah and offered their condolences and then would shuffle off to continue on with their lives. There was a feast that night and they ate and drank in remembrance of the timber wolf and his father and her maidens made a toast to the new Jarl, wishing her strength and wellness. After the merriment had died down and the crowd started to disperse, Cae watched Myrelliah as she slipped out of the longhouse into the cool night air. He followed her slowly as she walked towards the beach and when he caught up he kept pace, staying silent, allowing her to direct the conversation. It was several swollen moments later she spoke.

"Your paw." He looked at the bandage he had wrapped around it, knowing what the flesh underneath looked like, even now the scent was leaking through the crushed flowers and herbs he had soaked the cloth in to mask the smell.

"Will you die as Brynjar did?" He shrugged and turned away from her.

"It is hard to tell. Probably not." His tail flicked as she moved closer to him.

"How....? Was Brynjar just that weak?" He shook his head, his mane flying.

"I....have a job to do. Had a job to do. With you I completed my goal. I think, I think it is time."

"What goal?" Her brow was furrowed and her tail swished curiously. He shook his head. She did not need to know what the Gods had told him to do.

"Well, you are my property. You are not allowed to die." He turned and grasped her shoulders staring at her and then collapsed on the sand.

"No, Myrelliah you don't understand." He put his head in his hands.

"I have seen...everything...die." He looked up and into her violet irises. "Everything. My family, my friends, my Emporers, my city, my empire, my people, my Gods, Myrelliah, I feel their power waning, inside of me. I am so tired." He ran his paws through his mane and grabbed a fistful of fur and tugged. The sharp tingling on his skin held him there, grounded him.

"Cae...." She put her hand on his shoulder and sat down next to him. Silence stretched on between them and she leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed. "You can't. Not yet."

"Myrelliah..."

"No. I told you, I will be Queen one day. Not Jarl, Queen." He shook his head feebly and tried to sniffle quietly. Could she sense what it was he needed to do?

"The moment I put that collar around your neck you agreed to serve me in all ways necessary and I am saying you need to live and help make me Queen." Her voice cracked a moment and she bowed her own head. The sea lapped against the beach softly as if it too was swollen with its own burden.

"I do not want to be the last Skoggkatti again." He sighed and flexed his paw, then sniffed. He slowly unwrapped it to see his wound gone, the rot healed, his paw unmarred. He looked towards the sky and shook his head. Jupiter I will fulfill thy will. He stood and held out his now clean paw to his princess and she took it, rising with him. They walked back to their home and into the Jarl's quarters. The fire crackled and echoed throughout the empty longhouse as they lay down. He had a mission yet to fulfill.