I was brought in wrapped in delicate silver chains, they were as thin as a necklace, but I could not break them. The silver chain was wrapped from my shoulders, down my sternum, across my much abused back, and down and between both legs. I had a collar around my neck, cuffs on my wrists, ankles, and my thighs. My 5'4 body was badly bruised, cut, and scraped all over my very naked body, I ached all over. My long brown hair was matted from blood, sweat, and tears, not all was mine, but most was.
I was dragged by thicker chains attached to my dainty ones through the ice caves somewhere in the northern hemisphere, I knew where I was, I was exactly where I was meant to be, where I had agreed to be, where I wanted to be. This was the assignment I agreed to take, I was going to get to see him again....... No, I had to keep my mind on what I was here for. All this pain was my sacrifice God will have to see, he always sides with love I will wear my new scars like badges. I finally got to see why I was here, my assignment, and he was beautiful.
Sitting on a throne carved of ice and stone he sat, easily 6'5 blond hair enshrining him, he looked up and stabbed me with his piercing blue eyes, blue as the arctic glaciers at night. He was broad and muscular sitting with menacing power radiating off him. The creature carrying my chains smiled at him and its jagged teeth shown through those black lips, its wrinkled greenish gray skin all over, and its red eyes shining because it knew the Viking would pay handsomely for its capture. That's the way of Orcs: war, gold, and sex are their only concerns. I have been lucky I had not been raped. The Viking would be upset if I was soiled, I know that, but black and blue would be fine I was already healing so nothing permanently damaged.
"What do you have there creature?" The Viking demanded blue eyes stared directly at me. For a moment I almost thought I had seen a spark of recognition, but only for a moment before his face refroze into a snarl. I knew he could smell what I am, but then again I have spent a week being beating by orcs maybe their filth was covering my smell.
"Ain-gel milord." the creature said with a slithering tongue, he said gel with almost a 'sh' sound to it. I couldn't help but be amused in the slightest his words slithered instead of grunted and with the pig nose on his face I thought for sure his words would come out a grunt or oink. I tried to hide my amusing thoughts.
"Are we amusing you?" The Viking asked with venom in his tone. Well I didn't hide that well enough. I quickly dropped my gaze to the floor and held my arms around myself. I started to shake I was terrified, I reminded myself that my wings are gone I could be injured severely, even destroyed and the Viking didn't remember me.
"Are you what he says?" The Viking got up from his throne still staring daggers at me. I began to cry and shake even harder. I couldn't pull off stoic. "ENOUGH! You child are beginning to piss me off. I know you can understand me. I know my words are coming through. Are you an angel?" his scream startled me and he walked towards me with thunderously loud stomps.
"I have no wings, I nothing, Viking." I said with tears in my voice, this was a bad idea, I shouldn't have come, Af was right this was a foolish game and I was bound to lose. My heart broke a little. I knew that he wouldn't remember me, but I still had hoped.
"What makes you think she is an angel?" he asked looking over at the creature snarling. The creature gave me a hard kick and I heard a fleshy thud, the air that was in my lungs blew out suddenly. Not that I actually needed it, but it still hurt.
"My mensss they ripped her wingssss off themsssselvessss, ssssee looksss" the creature grabbed me forcing me up to my feet and spun me around to show the gashes that were on my back where my wings once were.
"What have you to say 'Nothing'?" the Viking asked while inspecting my wounds. Calling me nothing was meant to be a type of tease, but at that moment the truth of the situation hurt.
"Once you remove an angel's wings they are no longer angel, they are nothing. Once an angel falls from grace they have no worth. I am not mortal or immortal, I am here between, my father cannot hear my cries, and now I bleed" I tried to explain.
"How much do you want for her creature?" The orc said something I was no longer listening, I was thinking on my words, 'my father cannot hear my cries' neither can my brothers or sisters. I am alone here. As much as I wanted this now that I was here facing him I was beginning to doubt I could actually do what I was sent to do. I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the Viking scream curses.
"You are insane creature! I will NOT pay top dollar when your men have destroyed her! I will pay a quarter of what you ask; if you bring me the wings AND ALL THE FEATHERS I will pay half."
"We could not capture her otherwise, she is strong. It took 10 of my best men, 4 no longer walk this plane." the creature said.
"What type of angel are....were you?" he asked me.
"Grigori."
"HA! Your men couldn't take down a watcher. You're damn lucky if I don't take my offer back."
"Vampire, we have done business many timesssss. We brought her ssssstraight here, we did not ussssse her. What we asssk isss a fair prissssse."
"Viking you should not let the creature lie to you, they kept me for a week, beating me" I said with a hint of laughter in my words. The Viking vampire roared with fury. The orc now realizing how screwed he is came at me with all the fury that was in the Vikings roar. I cringed knowing my words were fixing to come back and haunt me. I stayed huddled waiting for my punishment until I heard the Vikings next words.
"You dare lie to me! You come into my home and you dare lie to me. How many deals have we made that you have lied about?" I dared to glance in the direction that the creature was and he was hanging by his throat in the vampire's hand. "Did they use you? Are you soiled?" he demanded the answer from me with disgust. His eyes no longer blue but now red and he was staring directly into my light blue eyes his fangs now protruding out of his mouth. He looked so good like that I felt heated in ways that I had never before.
"Used as a punching bag, but I come to you, Viking, unsoiled" {I am positive that will not be the case if I am to leave with them though.} I thought directly to him. I knew he heard me when his fangs retracted and his eyes went back blue. {Most assuredly 'not angel' he thought back.}
"You must make amends, I will leave the deal at a quarter and to make up for your insolence you will bring all of the feathers from her wings. All of them and I will not kill you." said the Viking as he put the creature down.
"Why do you want her featherssss? They cannot be put back on, they are ssscattered to the windsss now."
"Then I suggest that you and your 'MENS' scatter to find them. I want them because I want them and once the deal is done she will be my property as will her wings be." the Viking's eyes started to turn red again as if to stress his point.
"Yesss of courssse. Thank you vamp....milord." the creature backed away bowing. Once he backed himself out of the room I was now standing alone with the Viking vampire I had came to see, the creature ran, stumbled, fell, picked himself up, and continued his run out of the ice cave he brought me to.
"Have you eaten? Now that you are no longer angel you should probably eat food your body will need sustenance." he turned away from me. I looked around for the first time really taking in my surroundings this looked so much like the castle he grew up in only lots more ice.
"No Viking I have not eaten. What do you plan on doing with me? I am not one of the arcs so I am not a warrior, I am not a reaper, I am not even a guardian, and I cannot be used as a weapon. I am fearful." I fell to his feet. Af was right, this was going to lead me to hell, and I should've stayed on my hill, kept watch as I was made to do.
"Why do you keep calling me Viking, Angel? I have not been a Viking in many many years, there are no Vikings left." he said with sorrow in his voice and his eyes closed as if not to allow the memories escape.
"Why do you keep calling me angel? I am no longer that I am nothing now." The realization hit me, I was nothing, I was nothing, nothing, nothing at all I was no longer anything. I have thrown it all away on old tales and memories on what should've never been.
"What would you have me call you? I will not call you 'nothing'. I could call you fallen." I hung my head and for the first time in many many years I cried a truly sorrowful cry, I am fallen, I have fallen out of the graces of my father. What have I done? I collapse on the floor, I know my mission was here, but I now knew Af, my brother, the angle of morning light, he said "this is a fools mission and there is NO way a good outcome can possibly happen." he was right. Even if I got what I was here after, there was no real eternity for me any longer.
"OK, ok come on let's get you up, get some food into you, get some clothes on you and see if we can find someone to get the silver off of you." He was being kind to me, he lifted me off the ground and allowed me to fall into his chest, and my head fell to the bottom of his sternum. He is monstrous compared to me, but he was being so gentle. "My name is........"
"I know your name Steinn son of Erlingr" I said interrupting him with my head against his hard body, his clothing keeping him safe from all the silver wrapped around me.
"No one has called me that in almost 1,000 years." he said shocked with his head tilted back holding me closer to him. "I think we are going to give you that bath first you smell of orc and as much as I hate to be rude to you, it's turning my stomach." he held me away; I noticed a twinkle in his eye. He was trying to lighten the mood I'm guessing. He is so beautiful.
"What do they call you now?" I wondered out loud, "You said no one has called you Steinn in almost 1,000 years. What do they call you then?"
"Master, my lord mostly" he cracked a smile, it's kind of funny how he amuses himself.
