I awoke slowly, rolling off the massive bed, and was confronted by the sight of a large blonde man sleeping on the chair next to the bed, barely fitting. He was as tall as me, maybe even an inch or two taller, like Ripken, and built just as strong.
His skin was badly scarred, all over, but what wasn't scarred was covered in marks, penned into his skin.
An odd, skinny dragon with twig legs wrapped around his left forearm, and a large striped cat was on his bicep, roaring at the dragon who faced him as if in battle.
His right forearm was covered in a circle, made of rings of Runes I didn't understand, and a single symbol in the center, which I couldn't read, but I at least recognized the character, from one of Ripken's merchant friends, the captain of the ship that brought us here. Arabic? I think it was Arabic.
His chest was likewise covered in more marks, geometric patterns that were impressively complex, depicting animals, weapons, and ocean waves.
His right shoulder, and the skin around his chest was all covered in one, glowing mark, in layers, with a perfect match on each part, darkly colored in. His feet and calfs, (openly visible, as he only wore a pair of shorts,) were likewise covered in this type of patterning.
Long, shaggy hair covered his face, and a dark blonde beard was barely visible. Then I looked at his hands, and my realization was complete. Talons curled from his fingertips, flexing slowly in his sleep.
I gripped his shoulder, and caught his hand when he swung at me. "Well hello, my son. We need to talk, you and I." I said sternly.
He grinned sleepily. "Hullo, mother... been a while. Mm... and Bryn! Hullo, mother. I missed you..." he started to fall back asleep, and I shook him. "Lemme sleep, I've been on a ship for a month..." he grumbled.
I picked him up, and dropped him on the bed, despite his being covered in brine, and smelling of the ocean.
He groaned in relief, and then the door opened, and a blonde woman came in, and growled at him. "MAXIMUS!!! NO SWEATY, STINKY SAILORS IN THE BEDS, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT?!?" She snapped authoritatively.
He grumbled. "Talk in the morning..."
"It's NOON." She snapped again.
He covered his head. "Noooooooo..."
She grabbed his ankles, and bodily threw him out of the bed, onto the floor. "Hmph. Good morning, m'ladies." She said primly, gathering the now-destroyed bedding, and walking out, stepping across his back to gain access to the door.
He grumbled, but fell asleep anyway, on the floor.
I laughed. "Who was that?" I asked the air, thinking about it.
Maximus squinted one eye. "Mm?... tha's Maria... she's a Valkyrie, I tell ye... strong as an ox, and just as me-AN?!??" She'd returned, and was now standing on his shoulders.
She crossed her arms. "If you took a bath before you came up, there wouldn't be a problem, would there be?"
He grumbled and stood up, while she kept her balance, standing on one of his shoulders like a Raven. "Fine... bath..." he grumbled, and stumbled out, ducking the doorway excessively so she didn't get knocked off.
I laughed again and followed, with Bryn. "She's cute, huh?" I grinned.
Bryn grinned. "Maybe. But a bath sounds glorious."
We entered the forge, and then kept going down, surprising me, until we reached the bottom, and were standing in a lush marble bathhouse. Maximus sat down in the water slowly, and groaned at the heated water hitting his muscles.
