Mist & Moonlight

Chapter 22 | Fires of Truth

The fire crackled in the hearth, casting flickering shadows across the great hall of Kattegat. The feast had long since ended, but the weight of the night's revelations still pressed heavily on Rorik's chest. He stood at the head of the table, his hands gripping the edge so tightly his knuckles whitened. His jaw clenched, his mind racing with the truth Freydis had finally shared.

Across the hall, Meryna approached quietly, sensing the storm brewing within him. She could see the tension in his shoulders, the rigid line of his posture. She knew what was coming—Rorik wasn't one to let something this important go without confronting it head-on. But even she wasn't prepared for the fire she saw burning in his eyes when he turned to face her.

"You knew, didn't you?" His voice was low, but there was an unmistakable edge of fury simmering beneath the surface. "You knew all this time, and you didn't tell me."

Meryna kept her composure, though her heart quickened. "Yes, I knew," she admitted softly, standing her ground.

Rorik's eyes blazed with anger. "And you didn't think I had a right to know that my daughter was pregnant with Erik's child?" His voice rose, the frustration and betrayal clear in every word.

Meryna sighed, her voice steady. "It wasn't my place to tell you, Rorik. Freydis didn't want you to know."

Rorik's temper flared, and he slammed his fist onto the table, the sound echoing through the empty hall. "She's my daughter, Meryna! You let her run off with that monster of a man when you knew the truth all along! Do you have any idea how that feels? To know you could have stopped it?"

"I do know," Meryna said, her voice rising to meet his. "But I couldn't take that choice away from her, Rorik."

Rorik shook his head, pacing back and forth in front of the fire. "She married a man who laid hands on her, who could have—" He cut himself off, the words too painful to finish. He stopped, his back to her, his voice strained. "I could have protected her."

Meryna took a deep breath, stepping closer to him. "And what would you have done, Rorik? Forced her to stay? Tried to control her decisions? That's not what Freydis needed."

"She needed her father," Rorik snapped, turning to face her, his expression pained and angry. "She needed me to save her from that."

Meryna's eyes softened, but she didn't back down. "She needed to find her own way, Rorik. And as hard as it was for us, we had to let her. And she's come home to us. That's what matters now."

Rorik let out a frustrated breath, running a hand through his hair. "And now what? She's carrying Erik's child, and I'm just supposed to accept that all of this happened because I wasn't told the truth? You should have trusted me, Meryna."

Meryna stepped even closer, her voice firm but filled with understanding. "You know I trust you, my love. But Freydis also trusted me to keep her secret. She's not a little girl anymore. She has the right to decide her future, even if it's not the future you imagined for her."

Rorik's eyes locked onto hers, the anger still simmering but now mixed with something else—something deeper, more vulnerable. "I would have fought for her," he said quietly, the fury giving way to the pain he had been holding back. "I would have protected her from all of this."

"I know," Meryna whispered, her voice softening as she reached up to gently cup his face. "But you can't always protect her, Rorik. And now, she's home. She's safe. Erik protected her when you couldn't."

Rorik's breath caught in his throat as Meryna's touch calmed him, her presence soothing the anger that had been raging inside him. His shoulders sagged slightly, the weight of everything finally starting to settle. He looked into her eyes, seeing the understanding and love there, and it was enough to stop the storm brewing within him.

"I don't like it," he muttered, his voice rough with emotion. "But I'll accept it. For her."

Meryna smiled softly, brushing her thumb across his cheek. For a long moment, they stood there, the tension between them easing as Rorik leaned into her touch. The fire crackled softly in the background, but all Rorik could focus on was the steady presence of the woman before him—the one who had calmed his fury, as she always had.

And then, without another word, Rorik closed the distance between them, pulling Meryna to him in a sudden, passionate kiss. The intensity of the night, the emotions that had boiled over, seemed to culminate in that one moment, as if the storm that had raged between them found its release. Meryna responded in kind, her hands tangling in his hair as they clung to each other, their shared frustration and love meeting in the heat of the moment.

When they finally pulled away, both of them breathless, Rorik rested his forehead against hers, his anger now fully replaced with something softer. "I'm sorry," he murmured, his voice barely audible. "I just... I hate feeling powerless."

Meryna smiled, brushing a hand through his hair. "You're not powerless, Rorik. You're her father."

He nodded, holding her close.

They stood together in the dim light of the hall, the fire crackling softly beside them, their hearts still racing from the argument—but more than anything, from the love they shared.