The Wolf Queen (Book 2 of The Devil and the Huntsman)

Chapter 54

Lagertha saw her friend stand in front of the window with the wind blowing into the room. She could tell that she saved his life, and she was satisfied that it all paid off. Brant turns around and looks at her for a long while; his wounds were no longer visible and his mind was sharp once again. His heart and soul were alive, and his body was no longer broken from the fight with Mundis. As she enters the room, she immediately shuts the door to make sure nobody interrupts them.

Lagertha rushes towards Brant, and she wraps her arms around him as the morning sun is still visible. She hugs him and hears every man and woman tell tales of her victory against the night. Brant finds enough strength to hug her as the morning sun shines on his back. The two demon hunters understood that their task in Clegane was over, yet they needed a lot of rest. A fitting kind of rest was necessary for the ones who pushed back the night and survived.

"Lagertha, I feel better now. I have enough strength to fight another night," Brant said. Lagertha says nothing; her concern for the demon hunter was enough to make her warm him up.

The Wolf Queen understood how much power it took to lift the curse of a kingdom and set so many people free. The hour of peace was enough to allow Lagertha to save her breath from the long night.

"Lagertha, why do you say nothing? I am cured. No creature of the night will lay their hands on this body," Brant said.

"Brant, I've done the deed. The only thing we both need is a long rest from everything and everyone. Most of the blame falls on me," she said.

"What makes you say that? You are the demon slayer, after all. You saved an entire city and brought an entire kingdom back to the humans," he said.

"We both made a promise that we will let nothing harm us. It seems I've broken that promise. I am beyond forgiveness for breaking such an oath."

"All is forgiven and forgotten, Lagertha. We won't have to worry about these people and this city any longer. If you have anywhere else in the world you need to go to, I'll follow. Anyone who is your enemy is my enemy."

"Even though we're done here, we have a celebration to go to. The earl left this city and went to that castle to proclaim himself a king. We are both invited to attend it."

The idea of a feast and a celebration made for the Wolf Queen was something Brant never expected. He always liked a wonderful celebration and a fascinating feast after a long time of hunting demons. Truly something spectacular, as being given a feast would be a thing the two demon hunters would look forward to. They deserve to have a nice long break, yet they understood they could not rest themselves for eternity. The morning sun did not hesitate to make Lagertha and Brant feel better after freeing the city's curse.

"You like attending feasts, right? This one is planned for both of us. Nobody will stop us from going," Lagertha said.

"Oh, I never lost that loving feeling of being at a ball. Father used to make me attend, even against my own free will. I never miss a time where a certain woman would come and sing an opera tune," Brant answered.

"The opera never ceased to make me lose my taste. It's always been my favorite part of every royal ball and celebration. Don't you remember the first time we met?" She asked.

"Yeah. You and I were wandering around on the 2nd floor of Loftain's palace. We bumped into each other and my mother introduced herself to you. I never saw so much joy or happiness come out of my mother. That was a day I'll always cherish."

"You and I could recreate such a scene when we get to the castle. But the feast is a week from now. We both can do other things."

"Of course. But what are you thinking about? You look like you could use a nap."

"Aye... a long one. I could easily sleep until the celebration came. It doesn't take a whole day to get a castle reorganized. Especially if it is filled with the stench of demons. Thankfully, you won't be dealing with them in this city which is now protected by the new king."

Lagertha already sounded very exhausted from moving around too much during the night. The darkness itself was never merciful to demon slayers; they are forced to be on their feet against every horde. But Fate is that one thing in life that people like Lagertha will never escape from. She truly needed more sleep than Brant does, and he was the one who needed to move around. Brant places his hands on Lagertha's face, and he makes her feel comfortable in the room.

"Lagertha, I want you to sleep. I won't let anybody here bother you. If anyone here is gonna be with you, it's gonna be me," he said.

"I understand. But same for you. Even though you rested yourself while I was away, I need you to be awake for the feast," Lagertha said.

"You told me the feast was in a week from now. What makes you think I won't find enough time to sleep? Even if we both sleep together, who's gonna ruin the sleep for whom?" Brant asked.

"You're the one who snores the loudest. I never really took you for a heavy sleeper, but I didn't think you'd be the first to wake me up."

"Nah. You wake up, and the first thing that comes to your mind is me with my arms around you. I know you like that."

"I do not."

Brant laughs as he sees his girlfriend blush at his words, and he feels much better than usual. Lagertha walks to the bed and sits down on it, and she notices Brant giving her an attractive look. She knew more than anything that Brant wanted her, and she understood she was the only one who attracted the young hunter. Then Brant sits down next to her, and he takes her right hand and holds onto it. Lagertha's hands and body were the softest things he ever touched, and she had the prettiest face in his mind.

"You're acting like you've seen better days. Do you want some breakfast... or maybe something to drink?" Brant asked.

"Did you wake up as soon as I walked into this place?" Lagertha asked.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Can't say exactly how it felt getting up without hearing the sounds of people shouting your name. Don't you ever feel that way?" He asked.

"Well, it's hard to tell these things when you hunt demons for a living. Even harder to explain if you're a ruler of a city. If I'd known my blade was powerful enough to slice through demonic sorcery, we'd be out of here in a flash."

"Eh... we'll be fine. Everyone in that council will come to their senses and see you for what you are. You're that person who'll do anything for anyone. I know you'll do that, Lagertha."

She knew he was right; Lagertha understood she hunted the creatures of the night to protect humanity. But she mostly did so to keep those she truly cares about away from her. Brant was still holding Lagertha's hand as he sat with her, and he wanted to tell her what he truly thought of her. But it was too hard to do so when someone was very pure on the outside but demented on the inside. Then Lagertha places her other hand on Brant's cheek and switches the topic to something else entirely.

"I need you to know something, Brant. If I release the curse from these cities, the kingdoms of the earth will be restored. If I don't do this, the world will fall and nothing will save it," Lagertha said.

"The level of darkness with that much energy and magic will dominate the minds of anyone, even you. You'll die if you go any further, Lagertha," Brant said.

"If I don't do this, then who will take my place?" She asked. Such a question was nearly impossible for the young hunter to answer, yet he could not bring himself to say he will take Lagertha's place.

The Wolf Queen knew in her mind and her eyes that Brant was the only one who ever had any concern or sympathy for her.

"I'm getting tired. Do what you want to do. Just do nothing I wouldn't do," she said. And so, Brant allows Lagertha to sleep as he gets to do whatever he wants as the morning sun shines on the city.