Phoenix Orientem [Fanatsy/Mature - Open]

"Not really good at hiding, cause...I found you. I wasn't even looking" Hero muttered under his breath. He snickered once more at this god's misfortune. "I take it that you have grievances with Odin as well? Asides from not saving your talents for Ragnarok...which he kind of set things in motion by what he did to my father, but you know cause dreams!" he ranted. He then looked at Sera oddly. "I have many homes...just no wives..." he told her before he crossed his arms over his chest. "Your brother isn't at any of my homes though. He's in Hel's guestroom...I think you know where that is don't you?" He asked Achron. The crowd went silent horrified where he took the prince.

Achron let out a low snort, crossing his arms over his chest. "I was blessed to be reborn in the body of a tiger shifter, and a rare breed at that. Easier to hide from the fucked up family I have." He glanced at Sera out of the corner of his eyes, and he saw that she had turned her head for a moment, hiding her face with a raised sleeve. "He's right. I could get something out of this, as much as the people will. Imagine being the commander of the royal force of the Queen married to a grandson of Loki. Giant fuck you to the asshole."

Sera coughed slightly behind a hand, laying her hands on her lap as she returned his expression to a neutral state. "You need to return home, yes? This is something that must be carefully considered."

Hero kept a mischievous grin upon his lips knowing full well on how the story goes. "Space Rock sounds a little better than a blindman hitting you with mistletoe tipped arrows. Don't you think?" he asked. He laughed at Achron's rant, which he then said. "Yea, I'm surprised he actually hit you at all yet alone in the heart, no wonder why you changed your name" He added. He rubbed the back of his head. "Well, at least you learned from it...I hope" he remarked before he took one more glance at the Queen now in a better mood. "Oh, and do consider courtship with me" he told her.

Achron let out a sarcastic laugh, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked over at Hero. "Ha. Ha. First off, I wasn't showing off. The whole big event was the chance my father had to show my power off. Not my choice. Second, it wasn't a space pebble. It was mistletoe. Your grandfather gave mistletoe tipped arrows to a blind man." He scowled at the memory. "Still annoyed about that. Who's idea was it to let a blind man participate in the archery competition?"

The crowd glanced over at Achron knowing full well that what he said made sense, but Fenrir the god of destruction and killer of Odin? It was hard to believe that god was capable of having...romantic relationships. Hero laughed to himself at that name. "Oh yea, Baldr. Wasn't he the one who was immune to any object on Earth and showed off to the gods of his power? The one that my grandfather killed with a small pebble of space rock? That Baldr?" he asked. He was very amused with this circumstance indeed. "This will be fun" he stated.

"Are you honestly so shocked?" Achron said as he looked around at the assembled the nobles. Sera watched as the commander's clothes turned into a black and gold affair, golden fur around the neck of a black cloak that hung around him. It was extravagant and foreign, something only seen in the old murals in the ruins to the north in the mountains. "We have magic of many kinds. We have creatures and people of supernatural origins, and the existence of a creature, a being of godly descent shocks you?"

"Achron?" The man looked over at her and let out a chuckle. "My name upon my rebirth is indeed Achron. I used to be known by another name though. My name... was Baldr." The man watched as a fresh wave of shock washed over the people in the room. He turned and gave the now Queen a bow, an arm crossed over his chest. "Watch over Lady Luna. I will bring the prince back, you have my word."

The barbarian took not of Achron's physical changes and that with his aura, which this intrigued him. He listen to Achron's explanation to the new Queen, which he stated, "I am Magnus Edric Hróðvitnir Fenrisúlfrson. Foreigners just call me, Hero, son of Fenrir" he said before there were a gasp in the room at the mention of Fenrir. There were chatter amongst the aristocrats, lords, and staff. They did not know of any Hrodthvitnir or however you pronounce it, but Fenrir's name anywhere gave a sense of dread. They could not believe this to be true, something of myth and legend about a giant wolf killing gods, swallowing the sun, scorching lands, was something too good to be true, but how could they make sense of this brute embarrassing the royal guard? There was skepticism, but it was being silenced in fear of this guy leaving the whole castle. He had already destroyed one door.

He looked between the Queen and Achron. "I already told you what state he's in. He'll probably be ready upon the birth of his child" he told him; although, he paused for a moment thinking they did not trust him. He took in a deep breath and sighed once again. "Fine, just mourn the loss of your father. There's no need to morn for your brother anymore" he told her.

Achron stood up and turned to look at the blonde man. The guy was quiet for a long time, before he let out a chuckle. A pattern of blue and black stripes, like that of a tiger ran across his skin. "Cowards, of a way."

"Achron." Sera said in a low tone. The man turned sideways, his right side facing Sera, and he looked over at her, his eyes turning a golden color, pupils thin and vertical, like a cats. "I hate to say it, but... you should consider the statement, even if it was made under pained duress. This war has been going on longer than you have been alive. Your people have lost their King, the only one with enough power and gravitas to keep the country together. You are his daughter, and your Elemental powers are strong, but to ally with a country of shape changers... You could bring the war to an end. A war of generations. Let me go, and see what state your brother is in. Let me bring him back, with a report... Think on what this man said. It would not hurt to contemplate it, at least."

The barbarian watched her expression to the whole marriage arrangement, which it amused him somewhat. "Hmph, I don't trust what a man says while being tortured. They just tell you what you want to hear. Still, it begs the question. Do you fully understand what this war is about?" he asked her. He noticed Lord Achron enter the room assuming this man was some sort of suitor. "Well...I'm going to take my leave now. My job is done" he said spinning around to leave the room. "Why, the hell did I have to come here? Waste of my time!" He muttered before se stopped just shy of the door and his eye twitched getting a sense that maybe the man was not a suitor. "Hmm, maybe I'm just tired" He said before he stopped and looked back at Sera. "Just so you know...the kingdom of the midnight sun has not aligned with anyone yet. My name carries a great amount of fear and respect in the Northlands. Look at what a flick of my wrist did to your guards. A Boreal raider would have gotten out of the way...much better fighters" he spoke bluntly.

Sera watched him with an even, somewhat blank expression, the only sign of her mounting annoyance was the heat haze that was warping around her tightly. Closing her eyes, she let out a soft sigh, sitting down on the throne as she took a minute to gather her thoughts. "Even if it was a formal offer, which it is not, our father died three days ago, and his state funeral is set for a week from now." She opened her eyes and looked past the man's shoulder. A man about six foot six and dressed in the formal dress of the royal commander walked in, walking past without looking at the other man, knowing better than to look away from Sera now that she had seen him. "Lord Achron." The man stopped at the foot of the stairs that led up to the throne, kneeling on his right knee. "You summoned me, Your Majesty?"

"Were you aware that Prince Lucien and Lady Luna had a real relationship?" The man barely twitched, and Sera couldn't help the scowl that came to her expression. "Did you know that she is pregnant?" This got a physical reaction from him and he looked up at Sera, shock written across his face. "Lady Luna is-" He jerked to his feet when Sera looked at him with a cool expression. "The prince lives. Barely. You will take up your position again, as of this moment. You will do your duty, and make sure Prince Lucien is returned home."

The barbarian watched on impatiently as the chaos commenced. He watched the maiden about ready to pass out, which he was tempted to catch her, but there was to many guards with pointy sticks nearby. When the Queen asked him where her brother was, he kept his arms crossed. "Your brother? He's comatose right now. He's not fit to be transferred from the Land of the Midnight Sun" He told her. He rubbed the back of his head. "Funny story how I found him. He was in a dungeon being tortured when I was raiding some castle. He was a human pin cushion when I got to him. Told me, he was a prince, he did. Told me, he had an unmarried fair skinned, beautiful, and fertile sister, that he did. He may have promised me a wife if I cut him down" he explained before he cracked his neck. "I promised him I wouldn't kill anyone today, and it was really hard to resist that urge!" He griped. He sighed heavily and looked back towards the guards groaning in pain. "He didn't say I couldn't cripple anyone" he remarked. The attendants were appalled with this barbarian, and thought he were lying about Lucien promising this unsophisticated lowlife his sister's hand in marriage he had total disregard of their customs and etiquette.

Sera looked over at Luna, who had a pale complexion and a slightly worried look on her face. “Luna?” Sera turned and made a movement, her eyes flashing a storm grey color, a faint heat haze settling in around her body. “All of you stay back. You.” She looked over at a guard, who stood straight in response. “Yes, my Queen.”

“Go inform Lord Achron that he is to come to the palace, by order of the Queen. Do not return unless it is with him.” The guard bowed and quickly left the room. “Lady Luna!” A guard ran over and Sera turned quickly to see that the woman had collapsed. “Take her to the infirmary.” The guard took off with the woman, and Sera turned to look at the man who had barged his way inside. “Where is he? What is Lucien’s condition?” The comment the man made about her brother speaking about a baby had her confused, but she couldn’t’ show weakness, not at this moment. Definitely not in front of a stranger.

As the crowning went underway, there was a bit of a commotion going on outside of the reception hall. "Stop! Where's your invitation!?", It sounded like guards were yelling at someone. "Psh, I don't need no invitation!" Whoever said on the other side of the door. "You're under arrest for trespassing!" a guard yelled which was followed by the sound of two human bodies hitting the door. "Reinforcements! Emergency! Secure the Queen!" they yelled. There was a loud sudden crash as the great heavy doors blew off their hinges and the cross bar shattered into splinters. There stood an imposing, seven foot tall, young, silver-haired high-class barbarian with a stern look on his face.

The guards surrounded him with spears drawn, which he saw them attempting to evacuate the Sera. "I have no time for this!" he growled out loud. To everyone's horror, he grabbed one of the spears with one hand and overpowered the guard spinning him around and knocking over all the guards encircling him. "Hey, princess! I come tell you that your brother, whatever his name is, is still alive...Feh, well barely" he told her before he crossed his arms over his chest. "I suppose you want some sort of proof that we have him?" He asked before he cleared his throat. "He said something about being there to see a baby and Luna. I don't know what he was talking about" he mentioned.

Sera sighed as she leaned on the railing of her bedroom balcony, which overlooked the front courtyard of the palace, giving her a clear view of the main gate, and the lands beyond. Three days ago her father, the king, passed away suddenly from sickness, leaving her the only one of her family in the palace. Her brother had gone missing during a battle two weeks ago, and they had been unable to find him. Closing her eyes, Sera could remember vividly how confident her brother had been. Sera had been feeling uneasy for days before, and had even had a rather intense seemingly real nightmare of him dying in it. She had tried so hard to dissuade her father on letting him go, but her cries had fallen on deaf ears.

"Your Highness... it's time." Sera turned to see her main handmaiden standing in the balcony doorway, her hands folded in front of her, a slightly somber expression on her face. "Luna...." The young woman smiled faintly, her tired expression lighting up a little. "Everything will be fine. The council has everything ready for you." Sera sighed, standing up straight and taking a minute to compose herself, before putting a smile on her face, following the handmaiden back inside. Brother... I'm not ready for this. Where are you? Please... Please still be alive.

- - - - -

Sera walked down the hallway with Luna, the woman’s rich red hair almost matching with the color of her dress. The princess often heard people whispering about Luna, wondering why the woman never wore any muted colors, but Sera thought that the woman looked best in tones of red. Once when Luna was in the city visiting her mother, she had been reading in the library when she heard a conversation between her brother and his guard Achron.

“Is that so, Your Highness? You like red and green combos? Like Lady Luna’s hair and eyes?”

Hearing her brother cough and stumble a bit on his words made Sera smile at the time. She thought that was a cute possibility, but she knew that there was no way that pairing would ever happen. That was until the day that word had come that her brother had gone missing during battle. That day, Luna had been highly distracted, and always seem to get tense and slightly twitchy whenever someone mentioned her missing brother.

“Luna-bee, I don’t know if Father is doing too well with my brother still being missing.”

The woman let out a soft sigh, her hands folded on her lap, as she bowed her head to hide her face with her hair. ”I don’t think any of us are, Your Highness.” The woman’s voice was subdued and sounded a little... sad, more than what most people would show. ”Luna?” When the woman looked up at Sera, the princess was surprised by the tears in her eyes. The woman was always so strong, always an anchor for Sera, but here she was... crying.

- - - - -

Shaking herself from her thoughts as they reached the doors for the reception hall where everything was ready for her crowning as Regent. “There will be a party after, Your Highness. Unfortunately, the messenger was turned away when they delivered the invitation to Lord Achron.” Luna told her, and Sera sighed sadly. Achron... The man had left shortly after returning from the battlefield, feeling as if he had failed. From what Sera and her father had been told, the battle had been entirely chaotic, and there had really been no way for Achron to keep up with her brother. The former guard hadn’t been seen in public ever since that day.