Baldur x Reader

Forty

"Will you spit them out voluntarily?", he asked and locked eyes with the serpent. "Or do I have to help out?"

Fire lit up around his fists.

The serpents lowered its head to take a closer look at him. Again, the huge mouth opened and a voice sounded that was so unknown, it might as well could have not existed.

The vibration made the ground shake so much, stones and broken pieces of the bronze statues started trembling.

Threateningly, the creature lowered its head and came so close, it seemed like it was about to swallow the whole temple in one bite. A mocking shimmer lay in those yellow eyes.

His eyebrows drew together.

"If you insist...", he tilted his head. "I asked nicely."

With a leap, he jumped towards the creatures head. Fire was burning around his fists, heat made the air flicker.

The tattoos on his back shimmered as the magic started taking over.

His fingers wrapped around the sea grass that was hanging off the creatures throat. He climbed up on it, while the flames started burning the sea grass and spreading the smell of rotten fish and salt.

The serpent let out a world shaking growl. Its eyes tried to follow the parasite that was crawling up to the top if its head while leaving pitch black, burning footprints.

With a scream, Baldur squeezed his eyes shut and let all his rage rain down on the blue scales.

He felt furious.

Why did he feel this way?

Why did he feel at all?

The first time his fist hit, the serpent rolled its eyes and let out a painful sound that made the clouds above tremble.

Again, he reached out.

This time, the creature tried to twist and turn, tore its head into the air in an attempt to shake him off and disappear back below the surface of the freezing cold water of the lake. The huge mouth opened, wanted to swallow him in one bite.

But Baldur wasn't willing to leave so easily.

"You will give me what I want!", he screamed and let his fury run free. "Spit. Them. Out!"

With a deadly growl, the serpent twitched and turned. The movements made water splash up.

Waves formed and watched over the temple. For a moment, the roof was covered by a wave so huge, it seemed the lake tried to swallow it again.

Growling, the creature turned to the side and tore its huge mouth wide open to spit out whatever was hiding in its long stomach.

The impact as it crashes into the mountains tore Baldur off his feet. Like a puppet, he was thrown into the air and hit the icy surface with such force that his face started turning red.

With his breath held, he looked up to the rays of light that danced through the deep, dark water.

Two shadows crossed the sky before they disappeared again.

His eyebrows drew together.

The magical flames that still burned between his fingers flickered. They turned to ice, then melted with the heated water until the magic faded and left a feeling that he had never felt before.

With the darkest shadow that this world had to offer, he returned to the surface of the lake.

Not far, the stranger and the boy jumped back on their feet. They seemed surprised, raised their heads up to the sky and looked for the world serpent.

His hands clenched into fists. Water dripped down his slender torso as he set foot onto dry land again.

"I had a feeling that hurting the big snake would bring the two of you out in the open.", he did a gesture, unable to keep his mockery for all this aside for one moment. "Do have any idea, any idea at all, what you have cost me?"

In that moment he could feel nothing but all the different kinds of numbness he's ever felt through all these years.

In that moment, everything came crushing down on him. But the most unsatisfying thing about it was that he wasn't able to feel any of it. He knew he was upset, hurt, afraid even. He knew that the price he had payed for hunting these two down was way too high.

And now he would probably pay with your life as well.
But despite all these things, he wasn't able to feel any of it. He just struggled with the numbness, that made his chest pull together.

With raging fire in his bright blue eyes, he stepped towards the two.

Defensive, the man pushed the boy behind him.

The corners of Baldur's lips twitched. It amused him to see how the useless boy was still so precious to that man.

His own father had never been this way. And he would never be.

The memories only fed the flame of his raging anger.

He took another step towards them.

"My boy...", the voice of a woman suddenly gasped.

Struck by surprise, Baldur froze. A shaky breath escaped him.

For the breath of a second, his whole body let loose and relaxed.

Slowly, very slowly, he turned his head. As the eyes of his mother met his, Baldur stiffened again.

"Mother?", he frowned.

She smiled. Tears were shimmering inside her eyes.

"I'm here.", she said, as happy as a mother could be. "Don't run away."

He let out a breath. The expression on his face darkened again.

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere, mother.", he spread his arms, threateningly.

"I know that you're still angry. I know that... how you feel hasn't changed but I want you to-!"

He pulled a face, angered by the ignorance and incapability to admit she was in the wrong.

"How I feel..?", he asked and leaned forward, eyes widened and teeth bared. "How I feel?!"

With a sorry expression, she stepped forward but kept her distance as he backed away.

"I've spent the last one hundred years dreaming of this moment.", he chuckled, unable to hide his mad this curse had driven him. "I've rehearsed everything I ever wanted to say to you, every word. To make you understand exactly what you stole from me. But now... I realise, I don't need you to understand anything. I don't need you at all."