The Lost Valyrie

Author's note: This fantasy story contains very little sex, and the sex it does have is more romance than erotica.

However, there is some (light) sexual activity - of the reluctant variety - in this chapter!

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There was no telling how long she was out. However much time it was, it wasn't so long that Rune didn't still have a splitting headache when she finally awoke.

At first, the pain was all she really noticed. But soon, as she became more fully conscious, she began to remember what had happened! She'd been taken captive by two men from the village, stuffed in a sack, and hit over the head!

Now, Rune was presumably back in their village. They were going to offer her as a sacrifice to the demon! By the Gods, how had she let them fool her?

The young woman could make out voices talking. One male and one female, the man stern, the woman almost pleading.

"We cannot do this thing to this poor girl. It isn't right, and you know it," she said.

The man replied. "And what is 'right?' Shall we give the demon our own daughter? Or maybe your sister? Or you? Is THAT 'right?' Better her than one of us!"

"But she's so young!" The woman sounded close to tears. "There has to be another way!"

The man laughed but didn't sound happy about it. "You tell me another way!" He sounded like the older man she'd met on the road.

"The girl is a shieldmaiden. Anyone can see it. Look at all the weapons we found on her. Give her a chance to fight the demon, at least."

Rune could almost feel the man shaking his head. "If we do that, the demon won't honor the agreement."

But despite the man's doubt, the listening Valkyrie saw the wisdom of his wife's idea. She opened her eyes and spoke for the first time.

"I AM a shieldmaiden. I have fought demons before, and I've come to your land to fight yours. You should let me."

Having her eyes open hurt after being in darkness for a long time: the day looked brilliantly lit at first, but she soon saw it differently. While it was still daytime, the shadows were lengthening. Sunset would not be far away, and demons loved to work in the dark more than any other time. Rune didn't have a lot of time!

She saw she was back in the village, as she suspected. Trying to move her arms, Rune found she could not. She was bound to a stone pillar, her arms fitted with metal cuffs that were sunk into the stone. Tugging at them showed her quickly the futility of her situation.

Valkyries were strong, but not that strong.

And she was dressed all in white, in some sheer nightgown or dress. She could see right through it! The girl blushed to think of all the people who'd seen her naked or nearly naked body while she was unable to resist them.

Speaking of which, the younger man was nearby. Now Rune could see the guy was not only young. He was barely a man, probably the son of this couple, who continued talking back and forth while she looked around.

The young guy was still looking at her, his hunger more apparent now that she was barely dressed and helpless. Meanwhile, the couple continued debating her fate.

"You see? Give the girl a chance! Don't leave her like this," the woman continued.

The man was looking at her doubtfully. "How could you defeat this demon when it swept aside our strongest warriors so easily? After the evil creature does the same to you, it will punish us!"

Rune could see the man was not being swayed. "You could tell the demon I managed to break free," the captive Valkyrie suggested, trying to stay calm. "I could play along if it would help."

The woman had given it her best shot. She had nothing to add, and now only looked at her husband hopefully.

But he was still shaking his head as Rune saw the sun starting to slip down behind the hills. It was like one of those vampire movies! Night was coming!

In desperation, the Valkyrie offered something else. "I'll even fight the demon in this silly dress. Please. I promise I can slay your demon, but I have to be free to fight it."

The man looked at Rune, and at his wife. And back to Rune. She knew his answer before he spoke.

"No. Now come with me, woman." And he dragged his wife off to their hut, her still protesting. "Bjorn, you come, too," he added, speaking to the younger male.

"In a minute, father," the young man replied. He was still looking at Rune.

"Don't wait too long. It's getting dark," the older man said before closing the door to his hut. In the background, his wife could still be heard, now almost wailing at him. "Shut up, woman," he said to her.

Now seemingly alone with the girl, Bjorn was sitting not far away, looking unhappy but also still with desire. Rune was struck again at his youth. She frowned. How could she convince him to set her free?

Well, duh. Rune might not have any experience with guys, but even she could figure that one out.

"Bjorn," she whispered. "That's a nice name. I'm Rune." And she smiled at him, hoping she looked pretty, rather than desperate.

"Please let me go. I can fight the demon. I'll do anything for you. What would you like?"

The young man dragged his gaze away from her nearly naked breasts to look her in the eyes.

"Anything? Like what?" Rune was amazed to see the boy, Bjorn, looking shy. She'd just assumed boys knew all about "things" and what they wanted. The warriors of Valhalla all acted as if they did. Now, here was this young man seeming much less sure of himself. The Valkyrie found it sweet in a way.

"Have you ever kissed a girl," she asked, blushing.

And HE blushed, looking away. "No," he confessed, looking even unhappier than before when his parents were arguing over her fate. It seemed that telling her he'd never kissed a girl before was worse than thinking she was about to get sacrificed to a demon. Huh.

"Well..." she replied, still blushing, "I never have, either. Kissed a boy, I mean." Maybe she'd not mention the times she'd kissed her friend Äse!

"But..." Bjorn said, still shy. "You're so beautiful. You must have guys following you around."

Oh, my Gods, he was SO sweet. She could almost forgive him for stuffing her in a bag. But really, she understood how afraid they were. Fear was as much their enemy as the demon.

"Oh, well, Val... um, shieldmaidens spend their time training to fight, not kissing boys," she said, this time with a shy laugh.

The young man laughed with her as the tension they were both feeling eased a little.

After a few moments just sitting there, Rune spoke again. "So..."

Bjorn didn't seem to take the prompting. He seemed almost mesmerized by her. She wondered if it was a Valkyrie thing. And, if it was, could she harness and use it? But that would be for later. For now, she tried again to get his attention.

"So... can you get me out of this, Bjorn? As much as I'd like to kiss my first boy, I'd also, you know, really prefer not to be torn apart by a demon tonight."

This seemed to startle the young man out of his trance.

"Oh, right. Hmmm, well..." Bjorn paused for a moment and looked a little furtive. "I'll see if I can get you out. I'd have to get the key from Father. But I'm kissing you FIRST."

Wow. So much for not knowing what he wanted. Had he fooled her, again? As Rune watched the sun sliding down behind the hills, it seemed to her she had little choice but to trust that he'd try to get the key.

"OK, but please hurry. The sun is setting, and you don't want to be here when the demon shows up," she replied.

As he gazed at her, Rune felt he was trying to enjoy taking in the view she presented. Bjorn didn't WANT to hurry this, and it crossed her mind that part of what he found so attractive was how she was restrained and couldn't resist him effectively. This realization gave her a shiver.

Now he moved closer, standing in front of the young woman and looking into her eyes.

"So beautiful," he said as he looked her up and down. It wasn't as creepy as when one of the Valhalla warriors did it, but the intimate attention still made Rune blush. Looking down, she could see her nipples through the semi-sheer gown she wore, and she knew he could see them, as well. It gave her another shiver to be on display.

It was confusing. Was she enjoying this, or did she find it repellant? From old, sweaty, drunken, dirty Asger, it had been disgusting. From this young guy, Bjorn... it felt different.

His kiss, when it came, was a welcome distraction from being examined, and she extended her chin out to receive him as he leaned in, his lips pressing to hers and then moving over hers.

She could tell he really WAS inexperienced, but he seemed to learn quickly, mimicking what she did, his lips starting to catch hers lightly as he pressed them forward and together, tugging at them gently as he pulled back before moving back in for more.

It was nice, and it reminded her of how sweet she'd thought he was when they first started talking. Rune kissed the boy back, and let him kiss her more, moving in closer until his body was lightly pressing against hers. He was firm but gentle.

Plus he smelled good, another big difference from Asger.

When he broke the kiss, Rune was 1) feeling fluttery and attracted to the young man and simultaneously 2) ready for him to deliver on his half of their bargain: to get the key and set her FREE.

Bjorn, however, wasn't ready. "I like kissing you, Rune," he said softly, still gazing into her eyes. He paused while she wondered what to say, feeling torn between the need to hurry and the need to kiss him MORE.

"I like kissing you, too," she replied. "But, the demon..." The young Valkyrie trailed off as Bjorn moved in to kiss her again, more assertively this time, but still gentle. He pressed her head back some as his lips moved over and against hers.

When Rune felt his hand move up to touch her breast through her gown, she wasn't really surprised, but she broke the kiss anyway to complain.

"Bjorn, that wasn't part of our deal. I let you kiss me, you get me out of this. Look, it's twilight now!"

It was true. the sun had disappeared almost completely behind the hills as they kissed. Rune wondered how long it had taken. She twisted her body as his hand moved over her breast and then under to hold the soft weight in the palm of his hand. But she couldn't evade him with her arms tightly bound to the stone pillar behind her.

The young man smiled with an appropriate look of wonder that soothed her quite a bit. "Please don't fight. I just want to see what it's like to touch you. You're AMAZING."

It was flattering in a silly way. Almost worshipful.

And he continued to gently - to his credit, Rune thought - handle her breast.

"Oh my Gods," the girl said in exasperation, looking away from him as he moved to cup her other breast in his hand. "You like this, don't you? I can't stop you, and you like it."

"I do," Bjorn admitted with a smile that was a bit sheepish.

The worst part was, that some part of HER liked it, too. It didn't feel like Asger at all, though Rune could see how it might turn into that. Maybe Asger had started out forcing his girls "just a little," too. That made her frown. She hoped Bjorn wouldn't be like that.

The young woman shivered again, partly at his touch, and partly thinking about all this. She shook her head as whatever remaining shadows there were deepened into night.

"Get the key and let me out. After I've killed your demon, MAYBE you can tie me up again and kiss me more," she offered with another blush.

Bjorn pulled away from her only reluctantly. As he looked at her, the girl couldn't help but notice how pretty his eyes were. "OK, that's fair," he said with a smile.

Rune resisted the urge to scoff openly. None of this was "FAIR."

But the young man was leaving already. "I'll be back with the key."

Finally! "Please be quick," she pleaded.

After that, Rune waited, trying to be patient, as the minutes passed and the night got darker. And colder. Valkyries seemed to not get cold, at least not easily, and Rune as much or more than any of them. Maybe it was her heavenly fire keeping her warm.

So the cold just reminded her the demon was coming, and Bjorn had not returned. The girl's worries grew with each minute of his absence. What if his father had caught him? What if he was just planning to watch the demon have its way with her?

After 15 minutes, the worried Valkyrie risked calling softly for him.

"Bjorn! Where are you?"

There was no answer. Rune dared not call for him more openly. That would bring her the wrong sort of attention.

After 20 more minutes, she was twisting hard against the stone pillar, trying desperately to pull herself free of the metal cuffs. But they were too tight to get her wrists out, and they were too securely sunken in the stone to come out. It was futile.

Rune wondered if she could melt the metal with her heavenly fire! But she was pretty sure the heated metal cuffs would badly burn her long before she could melt them.

"Bjorn," she called again softly. "I need you!"

The silence around the village deepened and felt ominous. Rune cast out her danger sense as widely as she knew how, like a fishing net. While she didn't detect a specific threat, she felt a general sense of dread. And it was growing! The Valkyrie was running out of time!

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He was cloaked in shadow as he moved silently through the dark evening forest. Where he hid (usually during the daylight hours), nobody knew for sure, and that was just as he liked it. The more he was an UNKNOWN, the more fear and chaos he could instill.

The demon had a name, but he kept that to himself, too. Let his hapless victims make up whatever names they might like for him! The more frightening, the better!

He'd filled this whole little country with the stench of fear. Top to bottom, young and old, great and small, all the people were huddled near their little fires in their little huts and houses tonight, dreading his next appearance. He'd already slain many of their best warriors without getting so much as a scratch in return.

Because he was a Power Demon, he was much stronger, more powerful, and more difficult to slay than a typical demon from the horde. The humans and the Asgardians didn't know it yet, but they were in for a rude awakening. Well, some of the humans knew, but most of them also happened to be dead. MUAH-HAHAHAHA!

That was the way evildoers laughed, after all.

He was going to enjoy fulfilling his mission and then killing every last person in this kingdom. By the time he was done, this land would be so soaked with the fear of him, that it would remain dark, desolate, and empty forever. A cautionary tale parents told their children to keep them obedient: "The Tragic Kingdom of Bollurgard. Go to bed or the demon will get you!"

He made his way towards his objective for the evening. The little village had promised him a girl as a sacrifice. HA! The fools! If she was especially lovely and had a nice scream, he'd consider not killing any more of them tonight. That counted for something, he supposed. He'd make them value every minute of life they had remaining to them!

The place was close, now. He could feel the life there, beckoning to him. It was like their mere existence pleaded with him for their destruction. He'd drink the life of their sacrifice and bathe in her fear!

He began moving faster, and he let a little of himself become visible through the shadows that surrounded him. He let his great feet thud over the ground, making a sound they'd FEEL and HEAR coming.

Reaching the village, he stood up to full height and strode into the center area like he owned the place.

"WHERE'S MY SACRIFICE???" The Power Demon's roars echoed off the village buildings and the surrounding hills. The foul creature loved all the drama!

The only response was complete silence. No, wait. He could hear the sound of muffled weeping from inside some of the houses. That was good.

And, of course, he could plainly SEE the sacrifice. She was cuffed to a stone pillar the humans had erected in the center of their pathetic little village. She was even dressed in white! Why did the sacrifices always wear white? Whose idea was that? Her life would taste just as good if she were wearing orange.

Well, she LOOKED great in white, at least. Damn, she was really beautiful, and the terrified look on her face as he approached just added to the whole package. She cringed away from him as he arrived right in front of her, and it only made her more adorable to him. He could imagine how she'd look with her intestines spilling out on the ground!

The demon looked around, talking to the people he knew were listening. "Well, congratulations, humans. You've offered me the most beautiful woman in your whole country! Are there more like this one?" And he laughed. It sounded very much like MUAH-HAHAHAHAHA! Because that's how evildoers laugh!

The monster bent over, close to the bound girl looking up at him, waiting for her to scream, or to plead for her life. Instead, she spoke to him.

"You promised these people if they gave you a sacrifice, you'd leave them in peace."

He laughed again, wondering if she'd volunteered to be the sacrifice, believing it would save her people. He hoped so. That would make his betrayal hurt that much more. It amazed the demon continually how naive humans were. They had so little concept of implacable malevolence.

"I lied. But you might be able to buy them some time if you're fun for me, girl." He knew the villagers could hear him. He simply didn't care. These people could do NOTHING to him.

He was so confident that the girl's smile in response didn't alarm him as much as it should have. She should be a lot more afraid.

"I can be lots of fun. You'll enjoy me quite a bit, I think," she replied, still smiling. Inviting. Almost a challenge to him.

"Oh, I will enjoy you, don't worry. Let's find out how well you scream. Will you scream for me, girl?" He leaned in closer and extended one great clawed hand towards her, planning to rip her gown off to see more of her nubile, young body. Then maybe he'd pull her free of the cuffs. Doing that might rip her arms off.

He never found out.

Suddenly the girl was on her feet, free of the cuffs! A long blade appeared in her hand - she must have hidden it between her back and the pillar - and she was thrusting it suddenly up at his abdomen, the sharp sword slicing into him as she pushed forward.

He'd never seen a human move that quickly, and she was skilled with a blade! The surprise blow seemed meant to either hopelessly cripple him or kill him outright, and the triumphant look on her face as he bellowed in agony and shock told him the girl knew JUST what she was doing.

The girl's face and body shone brightly now in the twilight, her light competing with his darkness and pushing it back.

"VALKYRIE," he growled in sudden realization. This had all been a trap for him! Sudden doubt assailed him. Did the heavenly powers also know the Power Demon's plan to remove the King of this little country?

Not that any of it would matter if the girl gutted the demon here and now!

"Die, foul beast," she growled in return, shoving her blade more into him before pulling it free of his body and preparing for another killer blow.

But he wasn't just any common demon, and it would take more than being skewered once or even twice to destroy him. Free from her blade, he cast his deepest, darkest shadow out to cloak him as he stumbled back, clear of her reach. When the girl struck again, she had to do it blindly, and she missed him in the almost inky darkness he used to cover his escape. Injured but not incapacitated. Not at all.

The next time they met, he'd have more surprises for the Valkyrie. How DARE they send ONE of those little bitches to try to deal with him! Obviously, they didn't know with whom they were dealing! But they'd find out. Oh yes, they'd ALL find out, starting with HER.