A Queen Named Victory

Chapter Twenty-Two

Grendel called upon the royal advisors soon after Sabre notified Ochre of her father's death. War generals and nobles alike raised the same concerns. Would there be war between our nations? Grendel knew the tolls of warfare all too well. After all, his father sent him onto the battlefield soon after he caught him playing with humans. He lived, breathed, and drank from the blood of his enemies at such an early age. His reign deviated from its violent roots into a better future.

Well, we all hoped it would stay that way.

I had not met Ivar, nor a single frost fairy since my arrival. They were a mysterious bunch, much like the Dimikyrs were before I entered this world. The other fairies I met thus far were kind, though slightly uppity. It was hard to tell if their kindness was genuine or not. At least with Dimikyrs, they called you stupid to your face and refuse to lend you a hand if they did not deem you worthy.

"I think I've made a terrible mistake," I worried aloud.

Grendel cocked his head while he spooned heavily seasoned rice into his mouth. He was right about my family's safety. Keeping them within the mountain offered the best protection. Ivar's head may have been a warning for our soldiers' posts in Geriset.

He disagreed, "I doubt it. Deinoth faced the consequences of being a fool's hat."

His words barely consoled me. Why did fey folk have to be so riddlesome? Ivar should have sent a direct message or threat with clear intentions.

Or was that his sick satisfaction?

"Worry not," said Grendel. He placed the goblet down after downing his wine. "Tolkniat is one less problem now that Deinoth is out of the way. Ivar is merely brooding."

His act encouraged his advisors, but it did not deceive my eyes. Ivar's message troubled him too. He spoke again after seeing my unwavering concern.

"I'll send more guards to keep your family safe."

It was not just about my family. We sent a handful of Dimikyrians to Geriset, and the locals there did not expect to be a part of a magical war. They did not know about the Dimikyrians living among them. Geriset's farmers accepted the glimmered newcomers with welcome arms and eagerness for a growing population.

Ochre isolated herself according to Dimikyrian mourning traditions. My garden yearned for the mage's return while Sabre trained newly selected cadets in the neighboring section of the castle grounds. Tolkniat's attack launched Montverians of all ages and genders into raising their defenses. Their old ways had not died. It was a sleeping beast beneath the calm surface, waiting for the King's call to break free when needed. Sabre's powerful growls, alongside clanking swords, were heard throughout the garden.

Another sound beckoned to me. It was as faint as a breeze and far beyond Montver's walls.

"And what are you up to on this fine day?" Grendel appeared from the forestry. He casually leaned against a tree trunk with crossed arms, stretching his tunic until it tightened over his biceps.

"Noting that needs your concern. How are the trainees?"

He delved into a more pressing concern, "Your family's safety is secured. Our defenses reached Geriset." I squeezed his hand with relief.

"And my sister?"

"Her letter returned with me," he pulled the parchment out of thin air between his fingers.

"I'm so happy I could kiss you!"

"Please do," he said with a luring smile.

A light kiss grew into touch-starved exploration. Grendel hoisted me onto the thick low hanging branch of the oak tree. His waist pressed between my thighs as our hands felt exposed skin. It was easier for him to maneuver around my two-piece dress. His thumbs traced circles around my hardened nipples.

"This is hardly fair." I broke from his deep kiss to prompt him to undress.

"And if someone sees us?" he chuckled. His claws sifted through the linen and wool skirts.

"They'll face my wrath— Oi, you'll rip the fabric like that," I fussed. I smacked his boorish hands from my skirts. He slowed his pace, letting me guide his hands around the layers of linen between himself and my sensitive skin.

"Patience is a virtue."

"Oh, virtuous one, lead the way."

The oak tree's branch bobbed with the gusting winds. Chattering starlings masked our moans. A busy woodpecker pounded deeper into a birch tree trunk until its beak tasted the tree's secretions. Many holes lined the tree as the spotted bird prepared for winter. Thick flowing dribbles of sticky sap spewed atop the tree's outer bark like the scrape lines along my upper back where Grendel held me while he thrust.

"When we first made love, I called you by your true name. What is mine?" I asked between heavy breaths.

Grendel paused with his erection still throbbing inside of me.

"Your name?"

"Say it before I finish," I beseeched. The warm tremors grew as I arched my hips. His smile mocked my frustrated arousal.

"Beg again."

"You're cruel...Grendel." I slowed my breathing to gain some more control over the wildfire between my legs.

"Please?"

"Do you love me?" he asked.

The gods poured vials of pride, excitement, lust, and delight into my body. I looked upon the man I married. Grendel's bare chest pressed against my breasts. His pounding heart raced faster than mine, and his hair dimmed like the sky before sundown. The sugary words watered my mouth. We had a lifetime to enjoy each other's love. Jutted waves pulsated from my lower body, forcing me to tighten my legs around his waist until my ankles touched.

"I love you!"

Vera

The howls called to me again. Distant cries from a past forgotten rang in my ears. My legs dropped from Grendel's sides as he slid out of me to drain himself elsewhere. My knees gave in as I landed on the floor, and I rolled over dirt and fallen oak leaves.

"Sigrid?!"

"I'm fine," I breathed. "I-I'm still...in ecstasy."

My innards repeatedly lurched with fulfillment. Cackling fire spit sparks down my lower body.

Vera.

It was a name for his mouth alone. Grendel laid beside me. Antlered branches dressed in rippling oak leaves and teeming ferns stilled above us. Grendel interlocked my left hand with his right and vowed:

"I loved you then, I love you now, and I'll love you until my body turns to stone."

"I love you, Ursus."