Victory or Sovngarde

Chapter Thirty-Two

"And that's another reason you're not ready to take up this fight again," I said as I lifted her into my arms and deposited her on our bed. "You won't even fight me."

In a small show of her former self, she scowled at me. "I thought you always wanted me to be more submissive."

I chuckled, bending over to retrieve the blankets. "Submissive, no. Less stubborn? Absolutely." Once I spread the covers over her, I crawled into bed next to her. "You are my fiery dragon, Ylva. I would never, ever dream of taking your spark away from you." Then, I kissed her forehead. "I just wish you would be more reasonable at times."

She sighed. "Why haven't you brought this up before?"

"Because, like any good husband, I've learned the value of the words, 'Yes, dear.'" I grinned at her, though she scowled at me again. "Those words are even more important when one is dealing with a hormonal mother-to-be."

"I was not that bad when I was pregnant."

"I wouldn't say you were a saint, though. Those days were rather hard on me." Before she could get angry, I kissed her forehead again. "Yes, I know they were harder on you. I'm not trying to start a fight. I am, however, trying to get your mind off the horrible things you've been through, so that you can relax and go to sleep. You need your rest, Ylva. Does that seem fair?"

Once again, she sighed, then, to my relief, snuggled closer to me. "Yes, Vilkas, that seems fair. Thank you."

I nodded and kissed her, first planting one to her forehead, then on her nose, then finishing on her lips. "I love you, dear one. Never forget that."

"Vilkas, I could never forget your love for me." She smiled before nestling deeper under the covers. "I love you, too."

As we both drifted into sleep once more, I tightened my hold around my wife and brought her closer to myself. It were as though I feared she would vanish again if I loosened my grip for even a second.

I was not about to give someone the chance to steal her away from me again.

If you want to take her, I said to myself as my dreams claimed me, you will have to take me, too.

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We awoke the next morning peacefully, without a worry in the world.

I snuggled close to my wife and kissed her temple gently, my nose burying itself in her thick hair. "Good morning, beautiful."

She groaned and held me tighter. "If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up. Can't we just stay here?"

"Well, we can, my love, if that is what you wish." I pulled away from her by a fraction so I could gaze into her eyes, content to lose myself in their cerulean depths. "There is nothing preventing us from lying here, just like this. You deserve a lazy morning in bed, I think."

She lowered her head and pressed the crown of her skull into my chest. "I need to talk about what happened to me."

Just like that, the room's atmosphere shifted. No longer was I joking with her, smiling with her. My body moved on its own accord, instinct taking over as I shielded her from the outside world. I held her to my chest, sitting up and hiding my face in her hair. "Ylva, are you sure? You don't have to tell me anything before you're ready—"

"I have to tell you sometime, Vilkas, and you deserve to know sooner. And... the longer I wait, the harder it will be to tell you. So... I'm going to tell you now." Her arms around me tightened. "Just don't let me go, okay?"

"I will never let you go, dear one. Never."

She nodded, then began her story. She spun a horrifying web of a tale filled with more anguish and torment than the darkest corners of my mind could have ever created. As a Companion, I had lived through many harsh trials, seen terrifying sights, lived through heartache and pain. But my wife... by the gods, she had endured more in the last month than any one person should ever go through in their entire life.