Unraveling the Truth

“You seem to be having some trouble, elskan mín. Perhaps you need a break?”

“Fuck you.”

Baldur didn’t actually seem to be mocking her, not that Saffron was currently in the mindset to notice that. Or care about it. If anything, he was merely making an observation, and the truth was that Saffron was having some trouble. She should have been overwhelming him by now, but she was getting absolutely fuck all from sparring against him and it was driving her absolutely batty.

The blonde had half a mind to start chastising him about how infuriating he was to fight, on the verge of demanding answers, when she found Cedric deftly slipping in between them. He’d split his scythe into two smaller ones, using both to hold back a swing of Baldur’s spear. Saffron used the opportunity to step back, looking to find a way to adjust her strategy, but it seemed Cedric had that covered too. He must have realized that something about Baldur was interfering with the way her magic normally worked, and as such Cedric took it upon himself to give her a hand.

Agonizing pain ripped through her as his Hades Cowl transferred itself to her, something the blonde wasn’t even aware he could do. She shrieked in surprise and dropped to a knee, growling through gritted teeth as she took a moment to adjust. Her body felt like it was on fire, which was no surprise given how greatly her muscles had expanded. Power surged through her faster than she normally absorbed it, causing a temporary immobilization as she fought to get herself under control.

For his part, Baldur continued his fight against Cedric, but surprisingly there was a frown of concern on his face. He seemed to trying to keep himself from flicking his gaze over to the woman, knowing that any slip would give his now pink haired opponent an opportunity to deal some real damage. “Not a very nice vey to treat your friend,” he remarked, parrying one scythe away with his spear before deftly swinging it back around to do the same with the second. He was still keeping up surprisingly well with Cedric’s movements, though any cursory glance at him would be enough to confirm he was having to put more focus and effort into it than he was before.

That only doubled when Saffron rejoined. Now fully energized, she raced back in to flank the Iser, her fists and feet flying furiously to pummel him. He tanked several hits to his back from her before he was able to adjust, his spear whirling like crazy to block and deflect anything that he wasn’t able to dodge or evade outright. Yet somehow, he was still not put fully on the defensive, able to sneak in swipes with the bladed tip of his weapon almost in the same motion that he used it to protect himself. He danced expertly – if not necessarily easily – between them without losing his stride, even when they successfully landed hits on him.

But it became harder and harder for him to keep up with the two front assault, especially considering that the near constant pain Cedric’s ability was putting Saffron through was also constantly fueling her own magic and making her exponentially stronger. In fact, he seemed to be more concerned about her attacks than Cedric’s, despite the fact that Cedric was the one that was armed while Saffron was merely throwing superpowered fists at him.

With a calculating expression, he made the surprising move to turn away from Cedric completely, giving the Dread Master a full and wide opening to bring both scythes down to bear on him so he could put all his attention on trying to deliver a decisive strike on Saffron. Flipping up the butt end of his weapon, he attempted to smack her across the face with it. Saffron stepped back and out of the way to evade it but Baldur was already taking a step of his own to follow, bringing the polearm back around for a downward slice at the crown of her head with the sharpened tip. Once more Saffron leaped back and out of the way, both strikes missing completely.

It was all Baldur would have a chance to do before Cedric’s scythes landed home. Or at least, sort of did. Much like what had happened when Baldur had caught the scythe earlier, both energy blades would come into contact with his body, only to come to a complete stop without actually cutting or harming him in any way. It was a resounding confirmation that the weapons were completely ineffective against him, and likely had been through the entire fight thus far.

Saffron could only stare at him, bewildered and annoyed on Cedric’s behalf as much as her own. “Dude, what is your fucking deal, bro?!” she asked him, fed up with how annoying this fight had become, her feelings of which were only compounded on from the strain that Hades Cowl was putting on her. “You’re like a walking, talking cheat code, and it’s really starting to piss me… off…” Her voice trailed off, purple eyes shifting focus as something caught her attention and completely derailed her train of thought.

She stared blankly at the couple strands of blonde hair as they drifted slowly down in front of her to land almost invisible in the snow. Then, she completely and fully lost it. Her eyes turned the brightest shade of crimson they’d ever been before, flames spewing forth from the side of her irises as she roared. The kinetic power she’d been building up all this time from Hades Cowl exploded off of her, her body and hair fully enveloped in flames. In the process, a large pair of wings burst from her back in the form of pure golden energy, the limbs towering up above her head nearly twice her own height.

As she leveled her gaze on him with a feral, almost crazed growl, the magical appendages snapped out to their full span on either side of her body, as majestic as they were terrifying. Indeed, Baldur seemed to be in complete awe of the sight, fully entranced as he simply stared at her. The only sign of any fear in him was the involuntary step he took backward. The rest of him was wide eyed in near rapture. "Engill…” he breathed softly.

Saffron moved so quickly that the sound of her exploding from where she stood took a split second to catch up to her as she rushed forward and punched him hard enough that he went flying across the town. Before he had a chance to even crash through any buildings, or even process the pain from her attack, she was already waiting for him. The blonde swung a leg and kicked him high up into the air several hundred meters before once again interrupting his trajectory in the sky in the blink of an eye, the wings keeping her aloft when she typically was unable to fly at all. With both hands clasped together above her head, Saffron slammed them down on top of him, sending him hurling back to the ground so fast and so hard that when he hit it, his body bounced back up into the air a couple feet like it was partially made of rubber.

Then, before he could land again, the Fairy Tail mage was already back on the ground beneath him with her fist cocked back. Funneling every ounce of reserve energy she had into increasing her strength, she let the robotic limb fly, clocking Baldur so hard that he was sent soaring across the landscape for miles, far over and past the mountains on the western side of the valley and out of sight.

Saffron stared in the direction she’d launched him, her anger nowhere near spent… but even in her rage, she understood that he was long gone and the fight was over. Her aura, along with the wings, glittered and faded away into nothingness. Once more, the pain from Hades Cowl hit her, driving her back down to her knees as her body trembled in pain, the ability now doing more harm than good since she’d spent nearly all of her energy. She’d continue to twitch even after Cedric released her from its hold, her muscles spasming violently as Saffron struggled to stay somewhat upright. Yet none of that was important to her.

“Does it look okay?!” she begged to know in a wide eyed panic, trying to reach up her arms to feel her hair, which she couldn’t check herself without a mirror.

Objectively, Saffron knew that it had only been a few strands and that there hadn’t been any real damage done to her hair. Unfortunately, this was one of the few matters in which objectivity held no sway. Damaging and abusing her hair was always a moment of instantly seeing red for her, though she’d never held this level of power in all the times it had happened before.

Cedric had hurried over to where she’d collapsed, dismissing the Cowl and kneeling beside her, using a knee to keep her propped upright out of the snow. She reached up to feel the locks but he took her hand in his own instead, assuring her it was fine and there was no visible damage. Instead, he insisted that she relax as she needed time to let her body come back down to size – literally. Both from the effects of his cowl, and the wings. “I did the wing thing again?” she asked, more to keep her mind distracted from the pain that was spasming her muscles. Then, with a weary grin, added, “Did it look badass?”

“That’s a verd for it.” Katla and Viggo, along with a few haggard looking Iser warriors, approached. All of them showed signs of battle, with sweat and dirt and blood caked to their bodies. From the looks of awe and even outright trepidation on many of their faces, it was clear that they had caught at least the ending of the battle. Her men hung back a bit, eyeing the pair and the carnage of the scene around them, but Katla and Viggo closed the distance.

Viggo knelt beside them. “Are you alright?”

“We’re fine,” Saffron insisted. “Annoyed, but fine. That Baldur jackass was a real piece of work, but frankly we’ve survived far worse.”

“You should be proud. There are very few who can boast to have beaten Baldur as soundly as the two of you just did. The only other person I’ve ever seen defeat him is Viggo.”

“I’d be more happy about it if I’d been able to properly use my magic.” Saffron winced again, her body tightening momentarily as another spasm caused her to twitch, but it didn’t last long. Already, the pain was starting to recede and the throbbing in her limbs was becoming more dull. “Honestly, I’m just mad I didn’t get to see what I looked like with the Cowl. Please tell me somebody snapped a picture…”

Viggo chuckled. “‘Fraid not, kiddo.”

The blonde groaned in resignation. “What a fuckin’ waste. So what was up with that asshole, anyway? Why was he attacking?”

Katla crossed her arms, a look of annoyance on her face. “Most likely he vas just trying to veaken us. Haukrsvik is one of the largest Iser settlements in the country, and our success and vast resources is coveted by a number of other tribes. Very few of them have the capability to take us on, however. Baldur and his ilk are at the top of that list. He probably learned that Viggo vas supposed to be out of the town and thought to strike vhen he thought us at a disadvantage.” A heavy frown drew her brows together. “But something about this attack vas… off. His varriors vere not up to his usual standards. They vere sloppy and uncoordinated, and underskilled for the task at hand. Suspiciously so.”

“Oh good, I’m glad we weren’t the only ones thinking that. You think they were just a distraction or something?”

“Presumably, though to vhat end I am not sure. I vill have my men sweep the area and the town to see if anything or anyvan is missing. In the meantime…” She took a few steps away. Reaching into the snow, she pulled out Baldur’s spear which the man had dropped at some point during Saffron’s final onslaught. With a smirk, she hefted it up. “...This vill make a fine trophy to add to the valls, no?”

“Vee can hang it over your seat in the dining hall,” Viggo agreed with a grin. Then, he turned back to the pair. “Are you able to valk?”

“Yeah… I may need a little support, but I think I’m past the worst of it.”

“Good. Let’s get the two of you patched up.” Standing, he offered a hand to each of them to get them on their feet. From there, Saffron used Cedric to help her hobble herself back toward the longhouse beside her parents. The warriors from the village, at Katla’s instructions, spread out to start the work of combing through the village for anything that seemed out of the ordinary.

The Iser were a people that had no shortage of mages, and as such Katla had a couple mages at her disposal that were capable of healing. Saffron attempted to decline assistance, insisting they focus their talents on the warriors and villagers that had been injured in the fight, but Katla was having none of it. She and Cedric had played their own part in protecting the settlement, so they would receive healing and that was that, the warchief having already met her limit on allowing defiance that day. Thus, Saffron let the healer work some magic, though notably only enough to patch up the bigger injuries and wipe away most of the pain so she could function like a halfway normal human being.

The investigation into the attack turned up suspiciously empty. Once they were patched and had gotten a chance to rest a little, Saffron and Cedric joined in to help clean up the damage from the battle and to keep an eye out for evidence of anything nefarious. But by the end of the day, it was confirmed that there was nothing missing, and all civilians and warriors were accounted for. It was a mystery that was unlikely to get solved that day, or possibly even at all depending on if Baldur had survived the one way flight Saffron had booked for him.

In the end, the two of them wound up staying a day longer than previously agreed so they could help get most of the debris from the battle cleared and help with repairs to some of the villager’s homes and businesses. If there was work to be done, Cedric and Saffron were hardly likely to just sit by and let everyone else take care of things, or to just leave entirely, particularly when civilians had been affected. So they stuck around for another day to help them get through the worst of it.

When it was finally time to go, they exchanged contact information with Katla and Viggo, if only so they wouldn’t feel the need to have to use drastic measures to contact her in the future. Saffron wasn’t ready to wash away her concerns about them entirely, but… they had given her plenty to think about and to follow up on. At the very least, she promised she would let them know once she’d gotten a chance to reflect over everything and speak with the man she’d always thought of as her father. Where things went from there would depend entirely on what she found. They were very understanding, and promised to wait for when she was ready to speak to them again, expressing how happy they were to just get the chance to spend time with her after all these years – and to meet Cedric as well.

With the goodbyes out of the way, and a new goal in mind for moving forward and getting to the bottom of things, Cedric teleported them back to Fiore.

---

It was a couple days after the attack. Saffron and Cedric had returned home several days prior, and the village was more or less back up and running. Katla had just finished a meeting with some of the village elders, though in truth she’d been a bit distracted through most of it. Her mind kept drifting off to her reunion with her long lost daughter. It certainly hadn’t been the smoothest reconnection, but she had understood going into it that things would get a bit rocky. Saffron had plenty of reason to be mistrusting after all these years… but there was little that Katla could do to help with that. The only thing she could do was put Saffron on the path of discovery and let her work it out on her own.

But still, it had been wonderful. Even if everything hadn’t quite gotten tied up in a neat bow just yet, the door for reparations had been opened. And maybe with time, Saffron would be ready to return for a longer stay, and possibly bring Senna with her as well. Her heart swelled at the thought, a wistful smile tugging on her lips.

“You look pleased, my love.” Viggo approached the dais.

“Just thinking about everything with Saffron. To have her home.. It vas… difficult, but vonderful. After all this time vithout them, I vas afraid to vake up and find it vas all a dream.”

The man smiled and took her hand, giving it a soft kiss. “Vee vill see her much more from here on out. I’m sure of it. Her and Freya both. She just needs a little time.” The couple shared an emotional look, and then he relinquished her hand. “Are you ready?”

Katla sighed, but nodded. “Bring him in.”

Viggo stepped out of the room leaving Katla alone briefly. When Viggo returned, it was with a large man that was heavily bandaged. They approached the dais, where the warchief looked down on her guest with a stern, unreadable expression as she studied him. Then, she smirked. “You look like shit.”

Baldur lifted his head from the slight bow he’d given her. Despite everything, he seemed equally pleased. “I feel like shit,” he admitted with a chuckle. “Your daughter packs quite de punch, and her friend vas not’ing to scoff at eit’ar. Vas the fight enough for vhat you needed?”

“Yes, it vas. I don’t think she got to use much of her true abilities; I did not anticipate that her magic vould mix so poorly vith your immunities, but it vas more than enough to see vhat she is capable of. Cedric vas unexpected as vell, of course… but he seems a strong and reliable ally for her, and vith any luck vee can turn that into our gain as vell.”

“And den you vill have far more den just de return of your heir.”

“So it would seem.” Katla nodded to Viggo, who procured a coin purse and handed it over to Baldur. “Your payment, as promised. Plus a bit extra to repay you for de loss of your men.”

The dark haired Iser tucked the purse away without opening it. “Please, Katla. Do not insult me. Hired mercenaries are hardly my men… They vere fodder, little more. My real varriors vould have been far more troublesome for you.”

Katla’s smirk deepened. “Then it sounds like this vas a profitable venture for us both.” Reaching to the table beside her, she picked up his spear and gave it a final considering look before tossing it down to him. Baldur caught it easily. “Our business is concluded. You may go.”[/color]

He bowed his head once more, then turned to leave. After only a single step, however, he stopped and turned back to her. “A kvestion, if I may?” Katla nodded. “I never did learn her name. Nor that of her companion.” Katla’s eyes narrowed on him. Baldur was one of the very few individuals that she could not read with her empathy, as his immunity to magic prevented her from prying such knowledge. Still, her mother’s intuition was twitching, particularly given that his request for Cedric’s identity was little more than an afterthought, his real interest being on her daughter.

Ultimately, she elected to answer. “She goes by Saffron, though the name vee gave her is Valkyrie. Her friend,” Katla continued putting some added emphasis on the word in the hopes of dissuading any hopes out of Baldur, “Is Cedric Thane.”

Baldur nodded. “My gratitude for your generosity, Lady Vonn Hawke. May de road rise up to meet you.”

“And de vind be ever at your back.”

The warrior left then without a backward glance, sneaking out through the back and into the woods where he was less likely to be spotted by anyone. After all, it would be quite problematic for Katla if the villagers discovered that she had hired him to attack them for the soul purpose of testing her long lost daughter to see if she was ready to assume her place as Katla’s heir. But there was quite the smile on his face, even in spite of his injuries, and as he stole away into the night to return home there was but one thought on his mind:

Valkyrie… De gods have surely shined dere favor on me vonce again. And vee vill see each other again soon…