The air was cool. I could feel everyone`s burning gaze trained on us as we circled the arena slowly. My opponent seemed calm but I could see the edges of his lips curling upwards in a poorly concealed smile. I couldn`t blame him though. He was only one fight away from being the next Regent of Vinter. His pride was on the line here. There was also the fact that he would become Princess Freya`s prince consort if he won.
He fastened the leather belt around his battle robes. He rested his hands on the saber that hung from his hip. He was tall and skinny compared to the average male in Vinter. His short brown hair was dusted with snow but the look in his eyes was defiant, almost feral.
"The final round of The Regent Crown will begin shortly. On the left, representing the province of Thorshofn; The Giant Killer himself, Baldur!" the referee announced to the thunderous applause of the entire arena.
"On the right; we have a new surprise challenger. From the province of Visgard, The Dark Horse himself, Rollo!" his hearty voice boomed.
The cheers were muted except for the hearty cries from my mother and sister in the stands.
"Now. I want a clean match! No horseplay! No ballkicking! If you get KO`ed, you`re gone! If you can`t go on, then you`re gone! Alright?" the referee said meeting both our gazes.
"Now. Let. The. Violence. BEGIN!!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. He scurried off quickly and jumped over the protective barrier.
Baldur threw off his shirt to reveal sprawling blue wavelike runes running along his right arm up to his elbow. The crowd cheered. I knew this was going to be harder than I thought. He was marked while I was not.
I reached into the back of my cloak and shrugged it off. I unhooked the twin axes that hung along my hips.
Baldur struck first. The ground shook. A pillar of ice shot toward me. I jumped out of the way just barely avoiding the icicles that tore through the ice wall behind me. I unhooked the chains attached to both axes. I threw one axe toward Baldur. He threw up an ice wall next to him and the axe thrummed into it harmlessly.
"Is that the best you got Dark horse?" Baldur sneered.
He drew his blade slashed around him. A flowing streak of water flowed toward me. I ducked forward as it cut through the wall behind me. I pulled myself forward using my chains. He stomped sending a pillar of ice behind me. I pulled back the axe and swung for his head. He parried it with his blade but he didn`t see the second axe slamming into his thigh. He screamed in pain and a sphere of water pushed me back. I pulled on the chain and he fell to his knees grimacing in pain.
I threw the other axe at his head. He parried it to the ground. I pulled back on the chains and jumped forward with all my strength. My knee smashed into his chest sending him tumbling across the arena. I pulled back on the chain and he stopped awkwardly as my axe ripped free of his leg. I spun allowing my momentum to guide the trajectory of both axes sending them on an arc towards his head.
He threw up an ice barrier at the last second but his concentration was off. The axes smashed through the barrier and dug into his right arm. I pulled them back ripping through his hand making it hung limply at his side. He struggled to stand using his blade as a walking stick. I struck the sword sending it clattering away and pushed the edge of my axe up against his throat.
"I…I yield." he stuttered painfully.
The audience was silent. I could hear my family cheering loudly, the only sound in the arena.
"Well… how about ladies and gentlemen!" the referee shouted as he appeared next to me. He took my right hand and thrust it into the air.
"I present to you, the next Regent of Vinter...The Dark Horse himself…Rollo!" he screamed.
The audience roared this time although I still caught some sour glances mixed into the crowd. Several people were helping Baldur walk out of the arena. They kept shooting me disbelieving glances as they helped him out of the arena. I felt an arm around my shoulder as the people from Visgard crowded around me singing their praise. I knew almost none of them believed I could win the Regent`s Crown and I couldn`t blame them. There had only ever been one other regent who was unmarked so to them, me pulling off a victory was well beyond the realm of possibility.
"You`re alive! You`re not hurt are you? You seem a bit tired. Are you sure he didn`t hurt you at all sweetie." Raya Isbjorn( my mother) gasped as she kept checking my body all over for any kind of damage.
I didn`t know what was more impossible for her; the fact that I`d won against a marked opponent or the fact that I did it without a scratch.
"Don`t worry I`m okay mom. I promise." I said trying to ease her unrest.
"Better hurry up bro! I want to live in a castle as a princess." May joked as she threw her hair over her shoulder.
"Nah. I think I`ll make you my personal maid." I joked back
Her face went slack, "You`re kidding, right?"
"Maybe."
She gasped sharply
"I mean no one can make stew like you do so I want to eat it everyday."
"Ooh yeah. Then I demand payment for future services. But come on. Tonight I`ll make it for free." she said as she pulled me toward the exit.
"I`m sorry May but can I borrow Rollo for a bit?" a sultry voice said making May stop in her tracks.
Princess Freya. She looked stunning as always. Her orange hair braided with blue flowers falling down her shoulder always seemed to glow. She was dressed in half her armor with only the boots, greaves, kilt and a bear pelt draped over her shoulders. She had on a simple white shirt that did little to hide her cleavage.
"Princess Freya!" May said nervously.
She bowed her head awkwardly. She pushed me down roughly into a shallow bow despite my protests.
"It`s okay. My regent doesn`t need to bow to me." Freya said with a smile
"S..so..sorry." May stuttered as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"I would like to speak to my regent now if you don`t mind." Freya said.
May pushed me forward roughly and bowed awkwardly, again.
"Oh and May? I`d like to try your stew too. Save some for me?" Freya asked as she flashed her a smile.
May almost collapsed. She nodded curtly and sped off before she exploded in joy.
"Psychopath." I said.
"What? I`m just doing princess things."
"Princess? More like a hired goon."
"Say that again and I`ll show you what a real goon can do."
"You don`t have the balls to do so."
Freya bit her lip. She grabbed my ear and pulled me along like a little child.
"Is this why you can`t get married?" I retorted
Biting cold spread through my ear. " Ow ,ow ,ow. I`m sorry.'' I pleaded
The cold stopped.
"Will you let me go?"
"Nope. You have soft ears. I like them."
"Well you have man hands. I can feel them scraping off my skin."
She suddenly let go. She looked at me with a shocked expression on her face.
"I…I..I have…man hands?" she asked quietly. She stared at her calloused hands in shock.
"Meanie!" she cried and turned away to sulk.
"Don`t cry. It`s not your fault. It shows that you`re a very strong and powerful warrior." I said gently.
"And?" she asked
"And any man would be lucky to marry you. In fact if they refuse they should be thrown in to the sea. They are just spineless babies." I said quickly.
"So why are you a spineless baby then?" she asked silently.
"Because I`m not strong enough to protect you yet. I`m unmarked. I`m just a regular human." I said through gritted teeth.
"You know you don`t need to protect me."
"I don`t need to. I have to." I said clenching my fists.
She turned to give me a worried look. Freya could look scary but every time she looked at me I could feel the fear behind those blue eyes. The wavelike runes that ran up her neck glowed faintly. She sighed and trudged on through the thick snow.
"Are you mad?" I asked gently.
"Nope. I`m totally okay. Just okay." she said carefully.
Suddenly a figure came into view. He was running as best as he could through the thick snow. He stopped when he saw Freya and threw himself at her feet.
"Fireborn! Washed up! Crazy! Help!" he stuttered.
"Calm down. Breathe." Freya said smoothly.
He took several deep breaths but that seemed to do little to help him calm down.
"Okay now tell me what happened." she said.
"There`s a fireborn at the docks. She`s out of control." he said quickly
"Wait why is a fireborn in our territory?" I wondered.
"Took the words right out of my mouth." she muttered.
A large fireball shot into the air in the distance. Freya pulled me close to her. The snow around us started rising and shifting to form a vortex around us. We shot into the sky above the snow-covered forest. The sea stretched out into the distance but right below us on the pier was a pillar of flames. We landed harmlessly on the snow.
The dockworkers were all huddling behind walls of ice to shield the from the heat.
"She just woke up and started blasting everything." A burly fellow huddled nearby explained.
He was clutching a poleaxe tightly but I could see how badly he was shaking.
"What does she want?" I asked him.
"She keeps going on about an heir to Nidhogg." he said.
"Nidhogg? But that`s just an urban legend." I wondered
"Rollo. Stay here." Freya said as she strode toward the flame pillar.
"Like hell I am." I said as I unhooked my axes.
I moved to stand in front of her but she froze me in place with a cold glance. All my instincts screamed danger.
"You`re too weak for this." she said as she strode to the pillar.
The flames subsided to reveal a woman. Her skin was a rich brown with glowing red flame runes dotting her right arm up to her shoulder. Her two-toned curly hair flapped in the wind. One side was matte red and the other an ashen white but it was her eyes that made me shiver. They were yellow and feral like a predator on the hunt. Her black battle attire flapped around her. Too thin for the weather.
"Move aside carrot head. I have business with the royal family." the woman barked in a dangerous tone.
Freya was unphased. She kept walking towards her until she was right infront of her. The woman`s runes glowed brightly as flames danced across her arm as she thrusted it in Freya`s face. Freya grabbed her hand and the flames flickered out like a candle in a storm. The runes lost their light and frost spread up her skin to her shoulder.
"W…what?" the woman said. The fear in her eyes was almost palpable.
"I heard you were looking for The Heir to Nidhogg. Here I am." Freya said her voice a deathly whisper.
The woman groaned in pain and crumpled into the snow at Freya`s feet.
"Bring her to the castle. We have a lot to discuss." Freya ordered.