fic: Two Goddesses Of Thunder
Jan. 20th, 2022 12:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bonnefoisTitle: Two Goddesses Of Thunder
Series: Fire Emblem Heroes
Character/Pairing: Reinhardt/Ishtar, Thorr, Loki
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 6,853
Summary: Ishtar is summoned to sunny beaches of Askr with her bodyguard. Her title of the 'Goddess of Thunder' angers the resident goddess of war and thunder, who descends upon the beaches with Loki in tow to seek retribution.
Author's note:
It's divergent AU (or at least the Ishtar here is from a universe which diverged from canon FE4/5) in the fact it says Julius and Ishtar's engagement eventually fell through (specifically because she refused to dismiss Reinhardt) both Ishtar and Reinhardt survived the war, (Ishtore and Ishtar's other family members survived as well) and also the whole summoned in swimsuits to beaches. *gestures hands.*
I want Thunder knight and thunder lady to be happy, and also to be wearing as little as possible.
Note that Reinhardt's profile at Serenes Forest makes an interesting side point of Reinhardt becoming a general at a "very young age." Also, his last name is Schutaeze.
This was the first time in many months since the end of her engagement and the end of the war that she had gone out on such an endeavor. Being summoned away to Askr, and to such lovely beaches was a welcome diversion from the rebuilding after the war, and the absence of the man who had once been her fiance.
And, of course, Reinhardt was by her side as always. She would never leave anywhere without him. She'd picked out the perfect attire. A gold, metallic and shiny one-piece which was low cut, with matching gold bracelets down her arm. She toyed with them, somewhat listlessly as she looked out at the waves.
Gilded barrettes and flowers were braided into her hair ponytail and kept her bangs from her face. The flowers were pale white, and contrasted against her lavender colored hair.
She wore gilded sandals, though sand got beneath them. The lacings went all the way to her knees.
The white, perfect beaches almost made her forget that the man before her was the very reason she was here. Not simply because he had protected her through it all, but because when Julius had demanded she dismiss him, she had refused.
As it was, it had been a long time coming. She had been too forgiving for too long.
And so went her engagement. Julius had been so kind at one time, and she had loved him so deeply. But something had changed, and no matter how much she tried, she couldn't reconcile the man she had loved so with the man he had become. Julius had been replaced by someone given to the kind of violence that the Julius she knew and loved would have abhorred.
Reinhardt spoke, and it brought her from her reverie.
She noticed that Reinhardt carefully kept his gaze upon the waters, and not her.
"Do you wish to go and swim, Lady Ishtar?" Reinhardt said.
"The water is likely still cold at this hour. Perhaps later," Ishtar said.
He wore his usual peerless and immaculate suit of a mage knight of Friege. The dark suit, the cloak and gloves. All perfectly coiffed. However, he was very overdressed for such a place.
"You will surely overheat dressed like that. They sell swimming attire for men out there. I just saw one of those...what are they called, kiosks. Yes, those. Run by a woman named Anna with red hair. She will have what you need."
Reinhardt pursed his lips.
"I would not wish to leave you alone. Especially now."
"You know better than anyone that all who would come at me will meet the might of my thunder. Should any dare attack me, they would be left as little more than ash in the ground. Besides, there are dozens of other heroes here. If Askr is attacked, whoever foolish enough to do so will face the wrath of many of the greatest heroes from many nations."
He glanced down the beach, calculating time and distance surely. Everything with Reinhardt was calculated and measured.
"Yes, my lady. I will return with proper attire. A knight must always remain formally dressed. Even in such an occasion. And I promise I will not take long until I am by your side again."
She nodded, and he left down the beach.
*
In a place far away, Thórr paused in her endless machinations of war as a visitor arrived. Clouds floated beyond them. Loki's smile as, as always, disarming.
Thórr was used to such things.
"Ah, the mortals have gathered at the beaches of Askr. Quite entertaining," Loki said.
"Little concern of mine. This beach is entirely an uninteresting affair. Splashing about in the water like pathetic beached fish."
"Oh, look there...it's the Goddess of Thunder," Loki said.
"I am right here. There is no need to point out the obvious. Unless this is a game, Loki?"
Loki smiled. "A game? Never... You did not know? That is her title. Ishtar of Friege, the Goddess of Thunder. She is the heir to Mjölnir."
"Goddess of Thunder....A mortal would dare claim such a lofty title? And to claim a mere book as the name of my hammer?"
Thórr looked down upon the insignificant mortals. The humans lived such short lives, but so many believed themselves to be as gods.
They were interesting to toy with, and occasionally, to help, and challenge.
Humans had underrated potential, but were quite fragile, too.
As it was, it took much to rile up the goddess of war. Humans were fascinating, and often worthy opponents. But, this insolence of mortals was one step too far.
"Such hubris to claim such a title, and spit in the face of the very gods."
"Who knows, perhaps she deserves it? Perhaps she could even challenge your title. You never know with mortals," Loki said. Her voice was playful, even teasing. But there was an edge beneath it. One that Thórr did not miss.
Loki always caused trouble; it was her very nature. Usually, Thórr did not let herself be riled up. Loki would play her games, and that was that.
Even if this was a jab by Loki solely to inflame her, the challenge could not stand. Some mortal had declared herself a goddess, and even more, a goddess of her weapon and title. And now, she must be taught the consequences of such an action.
"I do believe some mortals need to be taught some humility."
And so, just like weaver women cursed to be spiders for daring to claim power over gods, she prepared to descend upon the world.
"Not quite yet, now. You'll have to be properly dressed. But I've got just the plans...Don't worry, I'll take care of everything..." Loki said.
When the trickster said not to worry, it was surely reason to be cautious. But, Thórr did not let such things bother her. She was war incarnate. Loki's machinations meant nothing to her. The trickster shapeshifting god could play all the tricks she wanted. None of them would match Thórr's prowess in the end.
*
"Lady Ishtar, I am back. Do you need anything?"
"I--" she broke off when she turned.
Lightning might as well have shocked her, because nothing prepared her for the sight of him.
He wore tight shorts of the deepest black that fit his form quite snugly, and nothing else. Even upon the beaches he couldn't bring himself to dress down. He was shirtless, and of course, as any knight of Friege, was quite muscular and covered with many scars from battle.
From behind, a cascade of water hit him. Reinhardt frowned and gave quite a fearsome glare to the swimmers. A pair of young heroes from another land. One with an F name, she believed.
"Be careful."
His voice held a low and dangerous edge. Enough to make the swimmer flinch back.
"Sorry!"
His dark hair was slicked back and wet. He ran his hands through his wet hair with a faint sigh. He'd removed his gloves as well.
Droplets still were upon his neck, his chest. Quite distracting, those little bits of water.
(She wondered how they would taste. She instantly banished that thought as preposterous and found herself blushing.)
She recognized pride, yes, in her bodyguard. But there was something else. Something she couldn't quite define.
She tilted her head. She wanted to keep looking.
Very much so.
Of course, Reinhardt was fine to behold. He was the very finest of Friege, and utterly fitting and worthy to be her bodyguard. No other in Friege could compare to him, both on the battlefield and the dance floor. He was peerless, and she held a certain pride in him.
And even though his usual dark suit fit him well, it hid just how trim and muscular he was.
She was struck with the realization that her bodyguard was quite, even intensely handsome. Something which had never really affected her before. She had been in love with Julius, and Reinhardt was always there.
That had drawn Julius's ire, and made her have to choose. Though, Julius had been mistaken; there was nothing between them, expect the bond of a devoted vassal and his lady.
And she reminded herself as she looked him over. They were lady and bodyguard, Julius was wrong, and that was all.
She had never seen him bared quite so much, as were the swimming customs of this place. But, that he was strong should be no surprise.
Unfortunately, she was not the only who recognized his talents. Before Reinhardt could even speak, more heroes came up to him. Some were quite flirty, too.
She found herself grimacing, even petulant at this interruption. How very rude, to simply barge in when she was about to speak with her very own guard.
Reinhardt was vexingly popular, it seemed. While his fame was known far and wide in Friege, within the land of Askr he gained even more attention. It seemed most of the beach was quite taken with him, men and women alike.
Of course, he was peerless. Friege would not stand for any less standards. Still, must they be so rude as to ogle and even dare to even flirt with him right in front of her?
As if she were nothing to him, and would simply stand aside as her very own closest bodyguard was taken from her. The utter temerity and gall of these heroes, though she would hardly use such a word for them. 'Dastard thieves' more like it.
Reinhardt had scarcely come to her side when another would approach him, and another and another. The line of men and women who would vie for even a moment of his attention was seemingly endless.
And Reinhardt was polite enough, if not somewhat curt. He would not outright insult them, though they clearly crossed their bounds. He would steer the conversation back towards her, and his loyalty to her, and how he must return to her side right away.
Which was balm in the wound, but not nearly enough.
It was like sand in her sandals, a constant, grating annoyance. The utter gall of these people to think they deserved even a fraction of Reinhardt's time. He was her bodyguard, and would stay by her side for the entirety of their lives.
As if she would let him go so easily. She had chosen Reinhardt over the will of her fiance, which had ultimately made the engagement end. She wouldn't lose anyone else. She'd nearly lost Ishtore, lost Tailtiu, and lost Julius, and nearly lost her Reinhardt by her own actions.
(On Julius's command, to save his very life, but still.)
But, things had changed. They were reunited and in this castle. She and Julius were no longer betrothed, and her ex-fiance was not here. At least, not yet.
It was all too much.
Even as she knew he would refuse their advances, she still fumed. She crossed her arms over her chest, as huffy as a child with a tantrum as yet another stole away Reinhardt's attention.
Reinhardt let out a soft sigh. He returned from the endless inquires. Some were quite blatant in their attempts to get just a moment of his time.
"You are displeased, Lady Ishtar?"
She took a breath and tossed her ponytail back.
"The heat is unbearable," she said.
She couldn't admit the real reason of her irritation. Even though she knew his reaction would be likely amusement, that he could ever be stolen away so easily.
He had sworn his lifelong loyalty to her. And even within Askr, he had never said a harsh word for what had transpired in Friege in those last days.
"Shall we move to the shade?"
"Fine," she said. She knew she sounded petulant, but she could hardly help herself.
She couldn't admit something as petty as what, jealousy? Not only was it unbecoming of a lady of her station, she knew it was hopeless. Reinhardt would reject their advances, politely and curtly, but he would.
...Wouldn't he?
There was no one who could take him away from her...right?
As they walked towards the shade, she kept giving him side glances. He was unreadable as ever.
*
Reinhardt frowned as he looked to the skies. Where it had once been sunny, even too sunny, now dark clouds had quickly come in.
"A storm is on the horizon," he said.
The beach began to empty of heroes. She and Reinhardt didn't fear storms quite as much. They were accustomed to bending lightning to their will.
"Perhaps we should go back," she said.
The rest of what she said was cut off as gale force winds rose up, and caused the palm trees to flail above them. Reinhardt moved instinctively to take any blow which might come for her.
She noticed then, that two women came near on the beach. New heroes, she would presume. She did not recognize them, so perhaps the summoner had just brought them to Askr.
They walked through the growing storm with little care of the rising winds around them.
Ishtar could scarcely keep herself from very rude thoughts. Oh, joy. Two more to join the adoring crowd in gazing at Reinhardt. As if there hadn't been enough today.
The first was a tall woman, with an aura unlike what Ishtar had ever seen. Fearsome and stern, a long green braid was pushed across her large shoulders. Her eyes were filled with an unfathomable coldness.
She had broad shoulders, and thighs so thick and muscular that they could kill a man.
She wore a shimmering green one-piece, with a shield across one arm, and a massive hammer within the other. Despite the weight, she never seemed to tire.
A loose sheath of an filmy overdress was over her bathing suit. The skirt was sharply cut to allow her better movement.
The voluptuous women beside her had a much skimpier two-piece purple bathing suit, and held a large intricate staff. Her long brown hair fell down her back in a complicated hairstyle, and she had some kind of crown, was it? Ishtar couldn't quite tell.
"Then it is her? The one we seek," said the first woman.
"Yes, that's her. Ishtar, the Goddess of Thunder," said the second woman.
The woman with the ax faced her down. Lesser ones would've cowered. Ishtar had loved a man whose soul devoured by a dragon, bit by bit. She'd seen more fearsome, horrific things in her lifetime than some could even imagine.
"Mortal, you would dare call yourself a god in my domain? By my own title? You have some temerity."
Ishtar lifted her chin. "It is my title, one which I have earn thoroughly. Who are you to challenge the heir of Mjölnir?"
"I am Thórr, goddess of war and thunder, wielder of the true Mjölnir. I am war incarnate. Who are you to challenge the goddess of war, and lay claim to some facsimile of my hammer?"
"Is that so? I have never heard of you. If you are a goddess, then you are not our gods and I certainly do not worship you," Ishtar said.
"My lady," Reinhardt said. Even his composure was ruffled at this. And little ever broke Reinhardt's composure.
Perhaps it was too much. Losing Julius as he turned into someone--something she no longer recognized. Being forced to choose between the man she loved--had loved--and her guardian, her closest companion, and the war...Almost losing her brother in battle, and almost losing little Tine as well. And these people, all who wished to take Reinhardt away from her.
Even her manners could be tested after all this.
"You will worship me on your knees when this is all over," Thórr said.
"We shall see about that. I have Mjölnir as well," Ishtar said.
"A book named after my hammer. How quaint. It's so small and cute. But those pages won't survive a single drop of rain," Thórr said.
Thórr lifted up her hands. Rain pelted the sand below, and the waves began to crash violently against the shores.
Reinhardt rose up, and stood before her. Within his hands was a book of magic. Even upon the sandy beaches, he was not unprepared.
"Oh, another challenger approaches me?"
"He is mine. I go nowhere without him at my side. And so it shall be until he, or I dies," Ishtar said.
"Then I'll bring more to test your mettle," Thórr said.
Thorr lifted up her hand, and suddenly snapped.
Thorr lifted up her giant hammer to the skies. Massive bolts slammed down upon the beaches. She floated towards them, storm clouds followed with every step.
And with her came an army.
"Is that all?" Ishtar said.
"Reinhardt, with me," she said.
He nodded. "Yes, my lady."
The first swordsman was clad in black armor, with a helmet which made his face imperceptible.
She spread her hands out, and the bolt of lighting cut right through him. He fell back into the sands and dissipated into dust and ash. All along, they'd been fighting puppets molded from clay, not men.
But there were so many more before the two of them would even reach the gods.
Reinhardt kept before her, and refused to allow a single enemy to come near. The moment they came closer, Reinhardt would pick them off with a strikes of dire thunder brought down on these unlucky soldiers.
The storm increased, and from their hands, lightning met each crash of waves.
"They made quick work of our little pawns. Guess it's time to do the job ourselves. Leave him to me, Thórr. You deal with the cute little usurper," Loki said.
She moved quickly, alighted through the air. With a smirk, and a toss of her braids, she lifted up her staff. The light that emanated from it was no gentle and healing glow, but as harsh as winter.
Reinhardt shaded his eyes with his arms, and her body from any attack.
"Oho. You think you can protect her so easily? How sweet," Loki said.
Reinhardt summoned massive bolts of lightning that strike in two devastating blows. Loki flinched and drew back.
"Ouch! Her boytoy hits hard!"
Loki smirked then.
"But, I always get the last word."
Loki came closer, staff in hand. She lifted it to attack, and the staff began to glow. Wind gathered about him, and pulled him from Ishtar's side. But, before she finished this strange spell, he struck again.
Loki was caught in the air, her eyes wide as electricity coursed through her. Her bikini was ripped in several places.
"This has been fun, but I can't stay."
Loki smirked as she looked back, like she'd won in the end.
"Not bad, for a mortal," Thórr said.
She floated near, and held out her hand. Lightning surrounded Ishtar's hands, ready to strike.
Loki's last gambit ensured that Thórr wasn't in range, however.
"Mortal man, you are worthy to serve me."
It wasn't enough that the entirety of these heroes and others wanted her Reinhardt, now even so-called gods tried to steal him away? Coming to Askr only made things worse.
"Leave her behind, and lead my armies instead. I will grant you power beyond your mortal imaginings."
"Such things are meaningless to me. She is the only one I will ever serve; my life is hers as long as she wills it," Reinhardt said.
The only thing colder than his voice was his dark eyes as he stared down a goddess with no fear.
Thunder and lightning crashed across the skies as the storm intensified over them, about them. Thórr and Reinhardt were in the eye of the storm as the winds raged about them.
Even through this, Reinhardt stood tall and immovable as stone.
"You'd turn down immortality and power for one who betrayed you? Even when she cast you aside, as if you were common trash, all for him? Loki told me much about her on the way here. What has your loyalty ever gained you, mortal man? Certainly not her affection."
His lips parted, but he said nothing in that moment. His face hardened.
"Reinhardt? What was she saying?"
He didn't respond to her.
"It matters not what the outcome is. I swore an oath."
"An oath you swore when you were young, and could easily be broken. Swear it unto me, and I will take you as my very own champion."
Julius was wrong. Whatever had taken him over had turned him to wild jealousy.
There was nothing between Reinhardt and her but loyalty. ...Right?
"I'd die before I ever serve you," Reinhardt said.
"A shame to waste a knight such as yourself. Perhaps you will reconsider when I send you to Valhalla personally."
She lifted up her axe. Everything was so slow. The rising thunder. The crash of the waves. A bolt of lightning lit the dark skies. It was summoned neither by Reinhardt, nor her.
Reinhardt took the blow.
"Reinhardt!"
Blood dripped from his mouth. Even his dark pants had been shredded in Thórr's attack. A large gash of red was across his chest. He looked back with such fierceness. When Reinhardt was hurt, he was even more dangerous. He had the reflexes of an apex predator with his magic and swordsmanship.
She was too far to reach Thórr, too far away to help. The wind prevented her from coming closer, even as she tried to press on. Even as she crossed the dunes as fast as she could, there was too much space.
"Impressive to survive that first blow. Let's see if you can last the second," Thórr said.
"I'll drag you down to Hel with me myself before I ever let you touch her," Reinhardt said.
He stepped back to brace for the blow. Waves brushed against his foot. It was as Thórr came in slow motion. Thunder crackled across the skies.
His dark eyes were filled with rage, and something else, too. A kind of sadness.
He grabbed Thórr's wrist. His other hand was deep in the sudden wave. Electricity came from his fingers as his mouth silently spoke the last of the spell.
Thórr's eyes widened. From the very skies came a massive bolt. It hit the waves, and electricity crackled across the waters, amplified. The lightning struck from his call, his last prayer.
No, no....
A different form, but the same source of pure storms.
Ishtar lifted her hand. The winds rose, and the skies darkened above.
Even her clothes were blackened by the attack. Thorr's one piece was ripped in places, but she still lived.
The utter gall of her to still live, after all Reinhardt had done.
"I didn't foresee that he would sacrifice himself. A shame he wasn't strong enough to finish the job."
Thorr pushed her braid back.
Ishtar trembled.
"No, he....Reinhardt!"
Her retainer, her very vassal was face down in the waves. Crumpled down, his last breath surely spent.
"I'll avenge you," she said softly. "If it takes me killing the very gods themselves, I'll do it."
The pages of her book shifted in the sudden wind. Her anger was a storm. She glowed with growing power as the heavens erupted at her call.
Thórr turned to towards her.
"The storm that cross the skies and wind are my element. I was born within them. From my very first breath, I was called 'the thunderborn.' You think such a thing could fell me, human?"
The hammer descended. A bolt hit the ground.
The wind rose, rain pelted down upon her. And the entire eye of the storm surrounded the goddess.
For Ishtore and Tailtiu and most of all for Reinhardt. Who she'd regained only to lose again.
Massive arcs of electricity surrounded her. It was more power than Ishtar had ever commanded. Here was her rage, her sadness, her loss, her grief, all in one howling storm.
She took the storms from the goddess of war and made them her own.
The gale force winds sounded like the sound in her head the moment she lost Reinhardt. A hurricane of thunder and lightning surrounded the goddess of war. How long it lasted, Ishtar couldn't have said. Every last bit of sadness, rage and power was extended to this attack.
The skies were suddenly calm. A single shaft of sunlight fell through the clouds.
The goddess had fallen from the sky. Her grip on her hammer was tenuous at best, and her clothes were ripped.
She flinched.
"Tch. These mortals have proven their mettle for now. I suppose for now, there will have to be two Goddesses of Thunder," Thórr said.
She rose back up into the sky slowly, with effort.
"You are a worthy challenger. Until we meet again, human," Thórr said.
The last of the storm clouds dispersed as Thorr left back to the clouds, like a bolt of lightning.
Ishtar fell to the sand. The waves came in, and out, like a heartbeat. Tears stung her eyes, but she couldn't cry. Not now.
She forced herself to stand, and move towards him. Even as she was spent, and nearly ready to collapse from calling forth such power.
Waves crested about her feet as she knelt down before him. She pulled his battered and bloodied body up from the waters and over her lap.
"Reinhardt... Why would you....Don't leave me. Please...I already lost you once. I can't bear losing you again."
She clutched him tight against her chest. He body was still warm.
"Please...."
She thought of fairy tales, of true love kiss which saved sleeping princesses and princes turned to stone alike.
A kiss hadn't saved Julius, and it wouldn't save Reinhardt.
She heard a cough. He let out a low groan.
"Reinhardt?!"
"It.... will take more than that to finish me," Reinhardt said.
She gasped.
"Reinhardt! Y-You lived through that! Just hold on...I'll get a healer."
How could he have survived such a storm? He was truly the greatest knight of his generation if he could face the very fury of the gods and survive it.
"No...get yourself to safety."
"The gods are gone. Driven back. What is more important is you..."
Reinhardt smiled. "You beat the very gods yourself? I never should've underestimated you, even for a moment."
She smiled softly. "I had some help."
"I must admonish you for such a reckless act. What do you think you were doing risking yourself like that? I thought I had to watch you die."
Her voice cracked.
"I can't bear to lose you too, Reinhardt. It seems a miracle that I have you back in my life at all."
"Sorry...for worrying you."
He coughed.
Wait, in her things. She pulled out a vulnerary she had packed.
"D-drink this. Q-Quickly, now!"
He lifted the drink to his lips.
"Mmm. I'll live another day yet. Challenging the very gods..." Reinhardt shook his head. "What am I to do with you?"
"To be fair...they challenged me. And I kept my title, at all costs," she said.
Reinhardt sat up. For a moment, he said nothing, only to suddenly bring her into a tight embrace against his bare chest.
She was wide eyed at the feel of his strength, and the firmness of his warm chest against her. His hand brushed the back of her head so gently, she was still even more surprised at the softness and tenderness of his touch. Her cheeks reddened at the sudden knowledge of her guard, more than she'd ever known and dreamed.
"...Reinhardt?"
"My lady...forgive my imprudence. I have almost lost you once. I could not face losing you twice. I...acted impulsively."
She looked up to him. Her bodyguard, her constant companion, her right hand man. She relied on him daily. To be without him would be unthinkable. She'd taken it for granted that he would always be there with her.
"Never risk your life like that again. If I lost you, Reinhardt..."
She couldn't even finish the words.
She could not say which of them leaned in in first. Only that it was like a jolt of lighting when their lips met. He gripped at her shoulders with such sureness and firmness as he kissed her. She felt dizzy, and stunned at the sheer force of the pleasure of his lips upon her.
Reinhardt was calm in all things. He was not a man of passions. But, oh, he knew passion as as he made her breathless with this kiss, and the feel of his firm body against hers.
His arms about her was all that kept her steady. His eyes were closed, yet hers were open in sheer shock at the electricity, the passion between them.
He had been her closest companion and guardian for so long, and yet it was a complete surprise how she molded against him.
When he pulled back, she was flushed cheeked and nearly asked him for more.
"Reinhardt, you are my very own bodyguard! You serve me, how could you be so skilled..."
He had kissed before, maybe even loved before. She suddenly resented all who had known him like this. How dare they think they were entitled to even a moment of his time. He was hers, now and always.
And how hypocritical, when she'd almost married Julius. But, the feelings still were there.
"A knight of Friege must be talented at all things in order to serve his lady," Reinhardt said softly.
"....My lady."
He drew away.
"I am your very own knight; I would do most anything you asked. But, I am not strong enough to be yours for only a short while, to console your broken heart. Please do not ask me to do such a thing."
"You think that's what you are to me? A plaything that would be cast aside when I tire of you? Even to speak of such things is unfitting of my, and your station. I would never do such a thing. I am appalled you would even think as much of me, and hold me in such regard."
"No, I have been unclear, and I apologize. I would never even think such things of you. But it has only been some months since the end of your engagement. Should we go further, it could be simply....a distraction from that pain, until you found another suitable to marry. I would never wish to act in such a way that put a strain upon our relationship in such a way."
She glanced down at the sand beneath them. It had returned to her fiance. Ex-fiance, now.
"My engagement was over for much longer than that, far longer than I realized. I simply clung to hope that the Julius that I knew would return. He was already gone by then, but I did not realize. I thought I could save him, save us. I couldn't. I cannot return to what has already transpired. I can only heal and move on."
Reinhardt remained silent.
"The Julius I loved, he would not have hunted down children and waged wars. He was kind. But Loptous devoured him, until there was nothing but a shell left."
"How long have you been in love with me?" Ishtar said softly.
"Even I am not sure. We grew up together, knight and lady."
He was the youngest general Friege had ever known. A prodigy who had won the right to be her very own knight with his skills. A fact which caused quite a bit of friction among him and the Gelben Ritter. Many of the men who answered to him were much older than him. Though Reinhardt had weathered that storm as well, even as so-called rivals had sprung up, determined to tarnish his reputation with their jealousy.
"It is only befitting a knight of Friege to value his lady above all else. When I first became your guard and swore my life to yours, I was still young as well. But, when we grew up, something changed within me. ...I told myself I would never voice such words, that they would go to my grave. It is not the first promise to myself I have broken, and shall likely not be the last."
"...I am sorry, Reinhardt. I never meant to be so cruel to you, or take you for granted. You were always there. I did not realize you held such feelings for me."
Reinhardt rose up, and brushed the sand from his knees.
"Had you not said anything, had this not happened...I would have taken these words to my grave."
He looked to the waves, which had calmed now.
"I have never hated you, even for a moment. I accepted you would never love me in return. You do not apologize for loving another, for I never held such things against you. It was simply...a fact of life. The sky was blue, the forests were green, and you were never to be anything but a liege to me."
The sky lightened. The last of the overcast disappeared.
"I would never hold that against you. Even more, I would fight anyone who ever said such things about you."
"While I appreciate it, I must face some of the wrong choices I made," she said softly.
"...Let us return to the castle, and forget this has ever happened. We shall never speak of this again. It will be nothing but another impulsive moment. Almost as impulsive as challenging a goddess herself."
She frowned. "No, I will not forget. I could not forget even if I tried. Perhaps it is selfish, but I do not wish to ever see you taken away from where you belong. You belong by my side for as long as I draw breath. That is an order from your lady."
"Lady Ishtar...I would always remain. I swore an oath and dedicated my very life to you," Reinhardt said.
"Not merely as my knight. But as my love."
In one thing, Julius was right. He'd sensed something there. Something she didn't even know herself. In Reinhardt, and in her.
The way he looked at her was so soft, so tender. He hesitantly lifted his hand up. Not with crackling thunder and lightning, or to clasp a sword, but to gentle take her hand.
"I think, these feelings have always been here, but they were buried so far beneath the surface that I did not recognize them in the least. I was so used to you being there, as my ally, my right hand man and guard. I relied on you so much that to be without you was unthinkable. Yet I took you--and them--for granted. I did not realize the depth until today. Perhaps Julius was onto something in the end when he reacted like that towards you. Now, I think I shall turn to dust any who tries to take you away from me again," Ishtar said.
His grip tightened.
"My lady, but...your station. This will cause a scandal that rocks the entire houses of Friege. I would never do anything to harm you...even this."
For a few moments, the only sound was their breathing, and the beaches about them. Then, she spoke.
"You are a knight of noble house, and considered among the best generals of the land. It is not as if I have brought a criminal to wed. Yes, those of Friege would prefer I make a better, more politically advantageous match. Mother was very happy about me and Julius. But, that is over, and what I want is you."
He brought her hand to his mouth in a courtly, adoring gesture. His lips were faintly soft and warm against her knuckles.
It was more than simply kissing the ring. It was a gesture of sheer devotion. Of how once again, he was sworn to her in every single way.
"You have it, my lady. My life has always been to serve you. My body, my very being belongs solely to you," Reinhardt said.
"Good. I...."
Suddenly, she felt woozy. She never hit the ground, because Reinhardt held her tight to him.
"Lady Ishtar?! Is it the heat?"
"Perhaps. We have been through some storm. I...have never called forth such magic before. I am not sure I ever could again."
He smiled grimly. "And come out through the eye to the other side. The heat must have gotten to you. Allow me to take you to somewhere cooler."
He lifted her up so effortlessly. She was carried like a bride across the sandy beach. She rested her head against his chest.
It was quite something, to be in his arms. She planned to be there quite a bit more.
He laid her down in the shade.
She reached for his arm as he moved to go. She held onto him tight.
This time, she wouldn't let him go.
"Reinhardt, please stay....I want you near me."
"You need some cool water more than anything to brave the heat. And a cleric to be called for any lingering injuries."
He was the one who needed a cleric more than her, yet here he was worrying about her. How like him that was.
"Ask someone else to fetch them. Please stay. I don't...want to be parted."
His face softened.
"All right, my lady. As you will it."
The heroes had returned to the beaches, as the sun returned.
He only left the shade of the palms to fetch a hero to call for a cleric, and another to bring her a cold drink.
The waves came in and out. Here in Askr, at least, there was still hope. And Reinhardt was here with her.
*
Thórr had not quite left the beaches. Loki had used her staff to heal them right up. And as Loki said, the best thing to recuperate after such a battle was refreshments.
Still, Thórr kept repeating the battle in her mind. Like a game of chess, she counted the moves, and where everything went wrong.
"A drink to feel better?" Loki said.
Thórr, however, was still caught up in her thoughts.
"Perhaps I will make her my champion. He would come with her. Both contain thunder's might....Hmm... If I could make them both my champions, then..."
"Good luck with that," Loki said cheerfully.
Loki held out a goblet.
"Now, more wine?"
*
The haze of being overheated passed. With lots of cold water, and the light of a healing staff, she felt less dizzy.
"One day we will return to our land. Friege awaits us. There is much to rebuild," Reinhardt said.
The war had left many wounds to be healed. She would have to be twice as strong to rebuild what was left of her country. But, with Reinhardt by her side, she knew it would be no impossibility.
"Could we stay but one more day at these beaches? There was not much time for relaxing yesterday. I daresay it was rather chaotic, complete with vengeful goddesses."
"Of course, my lady. Anything you wish. ...Certainly if anyone needs some rest after everything, it is you," Reinhardt said.
She sat in the shade with Reinhardt's cast off coat about her shoulders.
He returned with a refreshing fruit drink in a glass covered with condensation.
She couldn't believe it had eluded her until now. Yes, he had the perfection of a knight of Friege, but her appreciation of his body was hardly so distant. She had some pride, and yes, even smugness as Reinhardt's admirers were politely ignored. His gaze was entirely fixated upon her.
He was hers now, and forever. Just as it should be.
Author's note:
Build notes, for fun and profit:
Reinhardt has Miracle. Also his Summer Dire Thunder edition has an effectiveness towards fliers.
(Summer Loki is a flier as well as Thorr.)
Summer Mjölnir has a note that if allies within x number of spaces are hurt, power is doubled.
This actually takes place in the same time frame as Warm Up. (Reinhardt even hired Kamui to get something near the end.) However, neither is required reading and it's only obscure points that they're even connected.
Series: Fire Emblem Heroes
Character/Pairing: Reinhardt/Ishtar, Thorr, Loki
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 6,853
Summary: Ishtar is summoned to sunny beaches of Askr with her bodyguard. Her title of the 'Goddess of Thunder' angers the resident goddess of war and thunder, who descends upon the beaches with Loki in tow to seek retribution.
Author's note:
It's divergent AU (or at least the Ishtar here is from a universe which diverged from canon FE4/5) in the fact it says Julius and Ishtar's engagement eventually fell through (specifically because she refused to dismiss Reinhardt) both Ishtar and Reinhardt survived the war, (Ishtore and Ishtar's other family members survived as well) and also the whole summoned in swimsuits to beaches. *gestures hands.*
I want Thunder knight and thunder lady to be happy, and also to be wearing as little as possible.
Note that Reinhardt's profile at Serenes Forest makes an interesting side point of Reinhardt becoming a general at a "very young age." Also, his last name is Schutaeze.
This was the first time in many months since the end of her engagement and the end of the war that she had gone out on such an endeavor. Being summoned away to Askr, and to such lovely beaches was a welcome diversion from the rebuilding after the war, and the absence of the man who had once been her fiance.
And, of course, Reinhardt was by her side as always. She would never leave anywhere without him. She'd picked out the perfect attire. A gold, metallic and shiny one-piece which was low cut, with matching gold bracelets down her arm. She toyed with them, somewhat listlessly as she looked out at the waves.
Gilded barrettes and flowers were braided into her hair ponytail and kept her bangs from her face. The flowers were pale white, and contrasted against her lavender colored hair.
She wore gilded sandals, though sand got beneath them. The lacings went all the way to her knees.
The white, perfect beaches almost made her forget that the man before her was the very reason she was here. Not simply because he had protected her through it all, but because when Julius had demanded she dismiss him, she had refused.
As it was, it had been a long time coming. She had been too forgiving for too long.
And so went her engagement. Julius had been so kind at one time, and she had loved him so deeply. But something had changed, and no matter how much she tried, she couldn't reconcile the man she had loved so with the man he had become. Julius had been replaced by someone given to the kind of violence that the Julius she knew and loved would have abhorred.
Reinhardt spoke, and it brought her from her reverie.
She noticed that Reinhardt carefully kept his gaze upon the waters, and not her.
"Do you wish to go and swim, Lady Ishtar?" Reinhardt said.
"The water is likely still cold at this hour. Perhaps later," Ishtar said.
He wore his usual peerless and immaculate suit of a mage knight of Friege. The dark suit, the cloak and gloves. All perfectly coiffed. However, he was very overdressed for such a place.
"You will surely overheat dressed like that. They sell swimming attire for men out there. I just saw one of those...what are they called, kiosks. Yes, those. Run by a woman named Anna with red hair. She will have what you need."
Reinhardt pursed his lips.
"I would not wish to leave you alone. Especially now."
"You know better than anyone that all who would come at me will meet the might of my thunder. Should any dare attack me, they would be left as little more than ash in the ground. Besides, there are dozens of other heroes here. If Askr is attacked, whoever foolish enough to do so will face the wrath of many of the greatest heroes from many nations."
He glanced down the beach, calculating time and distance surely. Everything with Reinhardt was calculated and measured.
"Yes, my lady. I will return with proper attire. A knight must always remain formally dressed. Even in such an occasion. And I promise I will not take long until I am by your side again."
She nodded, and he left down the beach.
*
In a place far away, Thórr paused in her endless machinations of war as a visitor arrived. Clouds floated beyond them. Loki's smile as, as always, disarming.
Thórr was used to such things.
"Ah, the mortals have gathered at the beaches of Askr. Quite entertaining," Loki said.
"Little concern of mine. This beach is entirely an uninteresting affair. Splashing about in the water like pathetic beached fish."
"Oh, look there...it's the Goddess of Thunder," Loki said.
"I am right here. There is no need to point out the obvious. Unless this is a game, Loki?"
Loki smiled. "A game? Never... You did not know? That is her title. Ishtar of Friege, the Goddess of Thunder. She is the heir to Mjölnir."
"Goddess of Thunder....A mortal would dare claim such a lofty title? And to claim a mere book as the name of my hammer?"
Thórr looked down upon the insignificant mortals. The humans lived such short lives, but so many believed themselves to be as gods.
They were interesting to toy with, and occasionally, to help, and challenge.
Humans had underrated potential, but were quite fragile, too.
As it was, it took much to rile up the goddess of war. Humans were fascinating, and often worthy opponents. But, this insolence of mortals was one step too far.
"Such hubris to claim such a title, and spit in the face of the very gods."
"Who knows, perhaps she deserves it? Perhaps she could even challenge your title. You never know with mortals," Loki said. Her voice was playful, even teasing. But there was an edge beneath it. One that Thórr did not miss.
Loki always caused trouble; it was her very nature. Usually, Thórr did not let herself be riled up. Loki would play her games, and that was that.
Even if this was a jab by Loki solely to inflame her, the challenge could not stand. Some mortal had declared herself a goddess, and even more, a goddess of her weapon and title. And now, she must be taught the consequences of such an action.
"I do believe some mortals need to be taught some humility."
And so, just like weaver women cursed to be spiders for daring to claim power over gods, she prepared to descend upon the world.
"Not quite yet, now. You'll have to be properly dressed. But I've got just the plans...Don't worry, I'll take care of everything..." Loki said.
When the trickster said not to worry, it was surely reason to be cautious. But, Thórr did not let such things bother her. She was war incarnate. Loki's machinations meant nothing to her. The trickster shapeshifting god could play all the tricks she wanted. None of them would match Thórr's prowess in the end.
*
"Lady Ishtar, I am back. Do you need anything?"
"I--" she broke off when she turned.
Lightning might as well have shocked her, because nothing prepared her for the sight of him.
He wore tight shorts of the deepest black that fit his form quite snugly, and nothing else. Even upon the beaches he couldn't bring himself to dress down. He was shirtless, and of course, as any knight of Friege, was quite muscular and covered with many scars from battle.
From behind, a cascade of water hit him. Reinhardt frowned and gave quite a fearsome glare to the swimmers. A pair of young heroes from another land. One with an F name, she believed.
"Be careful."
His voice held a low and dangerous edge. Enough to make the swimmer flinch back.
"Sorry!"
His dark hair was slicked back and wet. He ran his hands through his wet hair with a faint sigh. He'd removed his gloves as well.
Droplets still were upon his neck, his chest. Quite distracting, those little bits of water.
(She wondered how they would taste. She instantly banished that thought as preposterous and found herself blushing.)
She recognized pride, yes, in her bodyguard. But there was something else. Something she couldn't quite define.
She tilted her head. She wanted to keep looking.
Very much so.
Of course, Reinhardt was fine to behold. He was the very finest of Friege, and utterly fitting and worthy to be her bodyguard. No other in Friege could compare to him, both on the battlefield and the dance floor. He was peerless, and she held a certain pride in him.
And even though his usual dark suit fit him well, it hid just how trim and muscular he was.
She was struck with the realization that her bodyguard was quite, even intensely handsome. Something which had never really affected her before. She had been in love with Julius, and Reinhardt was always there.
That had drawn Julius's ire, and made her have to choose. Though, Julius had been mistaken; there was nothing between them, expect the bond of a devoted vassal and his lady.
And she reminded herself as she looked him over. They were lady and bodyguard, Julius was wrong, and that was all.
She had never seen him bared quite so much, as were the swimming customs of this place. But, that he was strong should be no surprise.
Unfortunately, she was not the only who recognized his talents. Before Reinhardt could even speak, more heroes came up to him. Some were quite flirty, too.
She found herself grimacing, even petulant at this interruption. How very rude, to simply barge in when she was about to speak with her very own guard.
Reinhardt was vexingly popular, it seemed. While his fame was known far and wide in Friege, within the land of Askr he gained even more attention. It seemed most of the beach was quite taken with him, men and women alike.
Of course, he was peerless. Friege would not stand for any less standards. Still, must they be so rude as to ogle and even dare to even flirt with him right in front of her?
As if she were nothing to him, and would simply stand aside as her very own closest bodyguard was taken from her. The utter temerity and gall of these heroes, though she would hardly use such a word for them. 'Dastard thieves' more like it.
Reinhardt had scarcely come to her side when another would approach him, and another and another. The line of men and women who would vie for even a moment of his attention was seemingly endless.
And Reinhardt was polite enough, if not somewhat curt. He would not outright insult them, though they clearly crossed their bounds. He would steer the conversation back towards her, and his loyalty to her, and how he must return to her side right away.
Which was balm in the wound, but not nearly enough.
It was like sand in her sandals, a constant, grating annoyance. The utter gall of these people to think they deserved even a fraction of Reinhardt's time. He was her bodyguard, and would stay by her side for the entirety of their lives.
As if she would let him go so easily. She had chosen Reinhardt over the will of her fiance, which had ultimately made the engagement end. She wouldn't lose anyone else. She'd nearly lost Ishtore, lost Tailtiu, and lost Julius, and nearly lost her Reinhardt by her own actions.
(On Julius's command, to save his very life, but still.)
But, things had changed. They were reunited and in this castle. She and Julius were no longer betrothed, and her ex-fiance was not here. At least, not yet.
It was all too much.
Even as she knew he would refuse their advances, she still fumed. She crossed her arms over her chest, as huffy as a child with a tantrum as yet another stole away Reinhardt's attention.
Reinhardt let out a soft sigh. He returned from the endless inquires. Some were quite blatant in their attempts to get just a moment of his time.
"You are displeased, Lady Ishtar?"
She took a breath and tossed her ponytail back.
"The heat is unbearable," she said.
She couldn't admit the real reason of her irritation. Even though she knew his reaction would be likely amusement, that he could ever be stolen away so easily.
He had sworn his lifelong loyalty to her. And even within Askr, he had never said a harsh word for what had transpired in Friege in those last days.
"Shall we move to the shade?"
"Fine," she said. She knew she sounded petulant, but she could hardly help herself.
She couldn't admit something as petty as what, jealousy? Not only was it unbecoming of a lady of her station, she knew it was hopeless. Reinhardt would reject their advances, politely and curtly, but he would.
...Wouldn't he?
There was no one who could take him away from her...right?
As they walked towards the shade, she kept giving him side glances. He was unreadable as ever.
*
Reinhardt frowned as he looked to the skies. Where it had once been sunny, even too sunny, now dark clouds had quickly come in.
"A storm is on the horizon," he said.
The beach began to empty of heroes. She and Reinhardt didn't fear storms quite as much. They were accustomed to bending lightning to their will.
"Perhaps we should go back," she said.
The rest of what she said was cut off as gale force winds rose up, and caused the palm trees to flail above them. Reinhardt moved instinctively to take any blow which might come for her.
She noticed then, that two women came near on the beach. New heroes, she would presume. She did not recognize them, so perhaps the summoner had just brought them to Askr.
They walked through the growing storm with little care of the rising winds around them.
Ishtar could scarcely keep herself from very rude thoughts. Oh, joy. Two more to join the adoring crowd in gazing at Reinhardt. As if there hadn't been enough today.
The first was a tall woman, with an aura unlike what Ishtar had ever seen. Fearsome and stern, a long green braid was pushed across her large shoulders. Her eyes were filled with an unfathomable coldness.
She had broad shoulders, and thighs so thick and muscular that they could kill a man.
She wore a shimmering green one-piece, with a shield across one arm, and a massive hammer within the other. Despite the weight, she never seemed to tire.
A loose sheath of an filmy overdress was over her bathing suit. The skirt was sharply cut to allow her better movement.
The voluptuous women beside her had a much skimpier two-piece purple bathing suit, and held a large intricate staff. Her long brown hair fell down her back in a complicated hairstyle, and she had some kind of crown, was it? Ishtar couldn't quite tell.
"Then it is her? The one we seek," said the first woman.
"Yes, that's her. Ishtar, the Goddess of Thunder," said the second woman.
The woman with the ax faced her down. Lesser ones would've cowered. Ishtar had loved a man whose soul devoured by a dragon, bit by bit. She'd seen more fearsome, horrific things in her lifetime than some could even imagine.
"Mortal, you would dare call yourself a god in my domain? By my own title? You have some temerity."
Ishtar lifted her chin. "It is my title, one which I have earn thoroughly. Who are you to challenge the heir of Mjölnir?"
"I am Thórr, goddess of war and thunder, wielder of the true Mjölnir. I am war incarnate. Who are you to challenge the goddess of war, and lay claim to some facsimile of my hammer?"
"Is that so? I have never heard of you. If you are a goddess, then you are not our gods and I certainly do not worship you," Ishtar said.
"My lady," Reinhardt said. Even his composure was ruffled at this. And little ever broke Reinhardt's composure.
Perhaps it was too much. Losing Julius as he turned into someone--something she no longer recognized. Being forced to choose between the man she loved--had loved--and her guardian, her closest companion, and the war...Almost losing her brother in battle, and almost losing little Tine as well. And these people, all who wished to take Reinhardt away from her.
Even her manners could be tested after all this.
"You will worship me on your knees when this is all over," Thórr said.
"We shall see about that. I have Mjölnir as well," Ishtar said.
"A book named after my hammer. How quaint. It's so small and cute. But those pages won't survive a single drop of rain," Thórr said.
Thórr lifted up her hands. Rain pelted the sand below, and the waves began to crash violently against the shores.
Reinhardt rose up, and stood before her. Within his hands was a book of magic. Even upon the sandy beaches, he was not unprepared.
"Oh, another challenger approaches me?"
"He is mine. I go nowhere without him at my side. And so it shall be until he, or I dies," Ishtar said.
"Then I'll bring more to test your mettle," Thórr said.
Thorr lifted up her hand, and suddenly snapped.
Thorr lifted up her giant hammer to the skies. Massive bolts slammed down upon the beaches. She floated towards them, storm clouds followed with every step.
And with her came an army.
"Is that all?" Ishtar said.
"Reinhardt, with me," she said.
He nodded. "Yes, my lady."
The first swordsman was clad in black armor, with a helmet which made his face imperceptible.
She spread her hands out, and the bolt of lighting cut right through him. He fell back into the sands and dissipated into dust and ash. All along, they'd been fighting puppets molded from clay, not men.
But there were so many more before the two of them would even reach the gods.
Reinhardt kept before her, and refused to allow a single enemy to come near. The moment they came closer, Reinhardt would pick them off with a strikes of dire thunder brought down on these unlucky soldiers.
The storm increased, and from their hands, lightning met each crash of waves.
"They made quick work of our little pawns. Guess it's time to do the job ourselves. Leave him to me, Thórr. You deal with the cute little usurper," Loki said.
She moved quickly, alighted through the air. With a smirk, and a toss of her braids, she lifted up her staff. The light that emanated from it was no gentle and healing glow, but as harsh as winter.
Reinhardt shaded his eyes with his arms, and her body from any attack.
"Oho. You think you can protect her so easily? How sweet," Loki said.
Reinhardt summoned massive bolts of lightning that strike in two devastating blows. Loki flinched and drew back.
"Ouch! Her boytoy hits hard!"
Loki smirked then.
"But, I always get the last word."
Loki came closer, staff in hand. She lifted it to attack, and the staff began to glow. Wind gathered about him, and pulled him from Ishtar's side. But, before she finished this strange spell, he struck again.
Loki was caught in the air, her eyes wide as electricity coursed through her. Her bikini was ripped in several places.
"This has been fun, but I can't stay."
Loki smirked as she looked back, like she'd won in the end.
"Not bad, for a mortal," Thórr said.
She floated near, and held out her hand. Lightning surrounded Ishtar's hands, ready to strike.
Loki's last gambit ensured that Thórr wasn't in range, however.
"Mortal man, you are worthy to serve me."
It wasn't enough that the entirety of these heroes and others wanted her Reinhardt, now even so-called gods tried to steal him away? Coming to Askr only made things worse.
"Leave her behind, and lead my armies instead. I will grant you power beyond your mortal imaginings."
"Such things are meaningless to me. She is the only one I will ever serve; my life is hers as long as she wills it," Reinhardt said.
The only thing colder than his voice was his dark eyes as he stared down a goddess with no fear.
Thunder and lightning crashed across the skies as the storm intensified over them, about them. Thórr and Reinhardt were in the eye of the storm as the winds raged about them.
Even through this, Reinhardt stood tall and immovable as stone.
"You'd turn down immortality and power for one who betrayed you? Even when she cast you aside, as if you were common trash, all for him? Loki told me much about her on the way here. What has your loyalty ever gained you, mortal man? Certainly not her affection."
His lips parted, but he said nothing in that moment. His face hardened.
"Reinhardt? What was she saying?"
He didn't respond to her.
"It matters not what the outcome is. I swore an oath."
"An oath you swore when you were young, and could easily be broken. Swear it unto me, and I will take you as my very own champion."
Julius was wrong. Whatever had taken him over had turned him to wild jealousy.
There was nothing between Reinhardt and her but loyalty. ...Right?
"I'd die before I ever serve you," Reinhardt said.
"A shame to waste a knight such as yourself. Perhaps you will reconsider when I send you to Valhalla personally."
She lifted up her axe. Everything was so slow. The rising thunder. The crash of the waves. A bolt of lightning lit the dark skies. It was summoned neither by Reinhardt, nor her.
Reinhardt took the blow.
"Reinhardt!"
Blood dripped from his mouth. Even his dark pants had been shredded in Thórr's attack. A large gash of red was across his chest. He looked back with such fierceness. When Reinhardt was hurt, he was even more dangerous. He had the reflexes of an apex predator with his magic and swordsmanship.
She was too far to reach Thórr, too far away to help. The wind prevented her from coming closer, even as she tried to press on. Even as she crossed the dunes as fast as she could, there was too much space.
"Impressive to survive that first blow. Let's see if you can last the second," Thórr said.
"I'll drag you down to Hel with me myself before I ever let you touch her," Reinhardt said.
He stepped back to brace for the blow. Waves brushed against his foot. It was as Thórr came in slow motion. Thunder crackled across the skies.
His dark eyes were filled with rage, and something else, too. A kind of sadness.
He grabbed Thórr's wrist. His other hand was deep in the sudden wave. Electricity came from his fingers as his mouth silently spoke the last of the spell.
Thórr's eyes widened. From the very skies came a massive bolt. It hit the waves, and electricity crackled across the waters, amplified. The lightning struck from his call, his last prayer.
No, no....
A different form, but the same source of pure storms.
Ishtar lifted her hand. The winds rose, and the skies darkened above.
Even her clothes were blackened by the attack. Thorr's one piece was ripped in places, but she still lived.
The utter gall of her to still live, after all Reinhardt had done.
"I didn't foresee that he would sacrifice himself. A shame he wasn't strong enough to finish the job."
Thorr pushed her braid back.
Ishtar trembled.
"No, he....Reinhardt!"
Her retainer, her very vassal was face down in the waves. Crumpled down, his last breath surely spent.
"I'll avenge you," she said softly. "If it takes me killing the very gods themselves, I'll do it."
The pages of her book shifted in the sudden wind. Her anger was a storm. She glowed with growing power as the heavens erupted at her call.
Thórr turned to towards her.
"The storm that cross the skies and wind are my element. I was born within them. From my very first breath, I was called 'the thunderborn.' You think such a thing could fell me, human?"
The hammer descended. A bolt hit the ground.
The wind rose, rain pelted down upon her. And the entire eye of the storm surrounded the goddess.
For Ishtore and Tailtiu and most of all for Reinhardt. Who she'd regained only to lose again.
Massive arcs of electricity surrounded her. It was more power than Ishtar had ever commanded. Here was her rage, her sadness, her loss, her grief, all in one howling storm.
She took the storms from the goddess of war and made them her own.
The gale force winds sounded like the sound in her head the moment she lost Reinhardt. A hurricane of thunder and lightning surrounded the goddess of war. How long it lasted, Ishtar couldn't have said. Every last bit of sadness, rage and power was extended to this attack.
The skies were suddenly calm. A single shaft of sunlight fell through the clouds.
The goddess had fallen from the sky. Her grip on her hammer was tenuous at best, and her clothes were ripped.
She flinched.
"Tch. These mortals have proven their mettle for now. I suppose for now, there will have to be two Goddesses of Thunder," Thórr said.
She rose back up into the sky slowly, with effort.
"You are a worthy challenger. Until we meet again, human," Thórr said.
The last of the storm clouds dispersed as Thorr left back to the clouds, like a bolt of lightning.
Ishtar fell to the sand. The waves came in, and out, like a heartbeat. Tears stung her eyes, but she couldn't cry. Not now.
She forced herself to stand, and move towards him. Even as she was spent, and nearly ready to collapse from calling forth such power.
Waves crested about her feet as she knelt down before him. She pulled his battered and bloodied body up from the waters and over her lap.
"Reinhardt... Why would you....Don't leave me. Please...I already lost you once. I can't bear losing you again."
She clutched him tight against her chest. He body was still warm.
"Please...."
She thought of fairy tales, of true love kiss which saved sleeping princesses and princes turned to stone alike.
A kiss hadn't saved Julius, and it wouldn't save Reinhardt.
She heard a cough. He let out a low groan.
"Reinhardt?!"
"It.... will take more than that to finish me," Reinhardt said.
She gasped.
"Reinhardt! Y-You lived through that! Just hold on...I'll get a healer."
How could he have survived such a storm? He was truly the greatest knight of his generation if he could face the very fury of the gods and survive it.
"No...get yourself to safety."
"The gods are gone. Driven back. What is more important is you..."
Reinhardt smiled. "You beat the very gods yourself? I never should've underestimated you, even for a moment."
She smiled softly. "I had some help."
"I must admonish you for such a reckless act. What do you think you were doing risking yourself like that? I thought I had to watch you die."
Her voice cracked.
"I can't bear to lose you too, Reinhardt. It seems a miracle that I have you back in my life at all."
"Sorry...for worrying you."
He coughed.
Wait, in her things. She pulled out a vulnerary she had packed.
"D-drink this. Q-Quickly, now!"
He lifted the drink to his lips.
"Mmm. I'll live another day yet. Challenging the very gods..." Reinhardt shook his head. "What am I to do with you?"
"To be fair...they challenged me. And I kept my title, at all costs," she said.
Reinhardt sat up. For a moment, he said nothing, only to suddenly bring her into a tight embrace against his bare chest.
She was wide eyed at the feel of his strength, and the firmness of his warm chest against her. His hand brushed the back of her head so gently, she was still even more surprised at the softness and tenderness of his touch. Her cheeks reddened at the sudden knowledge of her guard, more than she'd ever known and dreamed.
"...Reinhardt?"
"My lady...forgive my imprudence. I have almost lost you once. I could not face losing you twice. I...acted impulsively."
She looked up to him. Her bodyguard, her constant companion, her right hand man. She relied on him daily. To be without him would be unthinkable. She'd taken it for granted that he would always be there with her.
"Never risk your life like that again. If I lost you, Reinhardt..."
She couldn't even finish the words.
She could not say which of them leaned in in first. Only that it was like a jolt of lighting when their lips met. He gripped at her shoulders with such sureness and firmness as he kissed her. She felt dizzy, and stunned at the sheer force of the pleasure of his lips upon her.
Reinhardt was calm in all things. He was not a man of passions. But, oh, he knew passion as as he made her breathless with this kiss, and the feel of his firm body against hers.
His arms about her was all that kept her steady. His eyes were closed, yet hers were open in sheer shock at the electricity, the passion between them.
He had been her closest companion and guardian for so long, and yet it was a complete surprise how she molded against him.
When he pulled back, she was flushed cheeked and nearly asked him for more.
"Reinhardt, you are my very own bodyguard! You serve me, how could you be so skilled..."
He had kissed before, maybe even loved before. She suddenly resented all who had known him like this. How dare they think they were entitled to even a moment of his time. He was hers, now and always.
And how hypocritical, when she'd almost married Julius. But, the feelings still were there.
"A knight of Friege must be talented at all things in order to serve his lady," Reinhardt said softly.
"....My lady."
He drew away.
"I am your very own knight; I would do most anything you asked. But, I am not strong enough to be yours for only a short while, to console your broken heart. Please do not ask me to do such a thing."
"You think that's what you are to me? A plaything that would be cast aside when I tire of you? Even to speak of such things is unfitting of my, and your station. I would never do such a thing. I am appalled you would even think as much of me, and hold me in such regard."
"No, I have been unclear, and I apologize. I would never even think such things of you. But it has only been some months since the end of your engagement. Should we go further, it could be simply....a distraction from that pain, until you found another suitable to marry. I would never wish to act in such a way that put a strain upon our relationship in such a way."
She glanced down at the sand beneath them. It had returned to her fiance. Ex-fiance, now.
"My engagement was over for much longer than that, far longer than I realized. I simply clung to hope that the Julius that I knew would return. He was already gone by then, but I did not realize. I thought I could save him, save us. I couldn't. I cannot return to what has already transpired. I can only heal and move on."
Reinhardt remained silent.
"The Julius I loved, he would not have hunted down children and waged wars. He was kind. But Loptous devoured him, until there was nothing but a shell left."
"How long have you been in love with me?" Ishtar said softly.
"Even I am not sure. We grew up together, knight and lady."
He was the youngest general Friege had ever known. A prodigy who had won the right to be her very own knight with his skills. A fact which caused quite a bit of friction among him and the Gelben Ritter. Many of the men who answered to him were much older than him. Though Reinhardt had weathered that storm as well, even as so-called rivals had sprung up, determined to tarnish his reputation with their jealousy.
"It is only befitting a knight of Friege to value his lady above all else. When I first became your guard and swore my life to yours, I was still young as well. But, when we grew up, something changed within me. ...I told myself I would never voice such words, that they would go to my grave. It is not the first promise to myself I have broken, and shall likely not be the last."
"...I am sorry, Reinhardt. I never meant to be so cruel to you, or take you for granted. You were always there. I did not realize you held such feelings for me."
Reinhardt rose up, and brushed the sand from his knees.
"Had you not said anything, had this not happened...I would have taken these words to my grave."
He looked to the waves, which had calmed now.
"I have never hated you, even for a moment. I accepted you would never love me in return. You do not apologize for loving another, for I never held such things against you. It was simply...a fact of life. The sky was blue, the forests were green, and you were never to be anything but a liege to me."
The sky lightened. The last of the overcast disappeared.
"I would never hold that against you. Even more, I would fight anyone who ever said such things about you."
"While I appreciate it, I must face some of the wrong choices I made," she said softly.
"...Let us return to the castle, and forget this has ever happened. We shall never speak of this again. It will be nothing but another impulsive moment. Almost as impulsive as challenging a goddess herself."
She frowned. "No, I will not forget. I could not forget even if I tried. Perhaps it is selfish, but I do not wish to ever see you taken away from where you belong. You belong by my side for as long as I draw breath. That is an order from your lady."
"Lady Ishtar...I would always remain. I swore an oath and dedicated my very life to you," Reinhardt said.
"Not merely as my knight. But as my love."
In one thing, Julius was right. He'd sensed something there. Something she didn't even know herself. In Reinhardt, and in her.
The way he looked at her was so soft, so tender. He hesitantly lifted his hand up. Not with crackling thunder and lightning, or to clasp a sword, but to gentle take her hand.
"I think, these feelings have always been here, but they were buried so far beneath the surface that I did not recognize them in the least. I was so used to you being there, as my ally, my right hand man and guard. I relied on you so much that to be without you was unthinkable. Yet I took you--and them--for granted. I did not realize the depth until today. Perhaps Julius was onto something in the end when he reacted like that towards you. Now, I think I shall turn to dust any who tries to take you away from me again," Ishtar said.
His grip tightened.
"My lady, but...your station. This will cause a scandal that rocks the entire houses of Friege. I would never do anything to harm you...even this."
For a few moments, the only sound was their breathing, and the beaches about them. Then, she spoke.
"You are a knight of noble house, and considered among the best generals of the land. It is not as if I have brought a criminal to wed. Yes, those of Friege would prefer I make a better, more politically advantageous match. Mother was very happy about me and Julius. But, that is over, and what I want is you."
He brought her hand to his mouth in a courtly, adoring gesture. His lips were faintly soft and warm against her knuckles.
It was more than simply kissing the ring. It was a gesture of sheer devotion. Of how once again, he was sworn to her in every single way.
"You have it, my lady. My life has always been to serve you. My body, my very being belongs solely to you," Reinhardt said.
"Good. I...."
Suddenly, she felt woozy. She never hit the ground, because Reinhardt held her tight to him.
"Lady Ishtar?! Is it the heat?"
"Perhaps. We have been through some storm. I...have never called forth such magic before. I am not sure I ever could again."
He smiled grimly. "And come out through the eye to the other side. The heat must have gotten to you. Allow me to take you to somewhere cooler."
He lifted her up so effortlessly. She was carried like a bride across the sandy beach. She rested her head against his chest.
It was quite something, to be in his arms. She planned to be there quite a bit more.
He laid her down in the shade.
She reached for his arm as he moved to go. She held onto him tight.
This time, she wouldn't let him go.
"Reinhardt, please stay....I want you near me."
"You need some cool water more than anything to brave the heat. And a cleric to be called for any lingering injuries."
He was the one who needed a cleric more than her, yet here he was worrying about her. How like him that was.
"Ask someone else to fetch them. Please stay. I don't...want to be parted."
His face softened.
"All right, my lady. As you will it."
The heroes had returned to the beaches, as the sun returned.
He only left the shade of the palms to fetch a hero to call for a cleric, and another to bring her a cold drink.
The waves came in and out. Here in Askr, at least, there was still hope. And Reinhardt was here with her.
*
Thórr had not quite left the beaches. Loki had used her staff to heal them right up. And as Loki said, the best thing to recuperate after such a battle was refreshments.
Still, Thórr kept repeating the battle in her mind. Like a game of chess, she counted the moves, and where everything went wrong.
"A drink to feel better?" Loki said.
Thórr, however, was still caught up in her thoughts.
"Perhaps I will make her my champion. He would come with her. Both contain thunder's might....Hmm... If I could make them both my champions, then..."
"Good luck with that," Loki said cheerfully.
Loki held out a goblet.
"Now, more wine?"
*
The haze of being overheated passed. With lots of cold water, and the light of a healing staff, she felt less dizzy.
"One day we will return to our land. Friege awaits us. There is much to rebuild," Reinhardt said.
The war had left many wounds to be healed. She would have to be twice as strong to rebuild what was left of her country. But, with Reinhardt by her side, she knew it would be no impossibility.
"Could we stay but one more day at these beaches? There was not much time for relaxing yesterday. I daresay it was rather chaotic, complete with vengeful goddesses."
"Of course, my lady. Anything you wish. ...Certainly if anyone needs some rest after everything, it is you," Reinhardt said.
She sat in the shade with Reinhardt's cast off coat about her shoulders.
He returned with a refreshing fruit drink in a glass covered with condensation.
She couldn't believe it had eluded her until now. Yes, he had the perfection of a knight of Friege, but her appreciation of his body was hardly so distant. She had some pride, and yes, even smugness as Reinhardt's admirers were politely ignored. His gaze was entirely fixated upon her.
He was hers now, and forever. Just as it should be.
Author's note:
Build notes, for fun and profit:
Reinhardt has Miracle. Also his Summer Dire Thunder edition has an effectiveness towards fliers.
(Summer Loki is a flier as well as Thorr.)
Summer Mjölnir has a note that if allies within x number of spaces are hurt, power is doubled.
This actually takes place in the same time frame as Warm Up. (Reinhardt even hired Kamui to get something near the end.) However, neither is required reading and it's only obscure points that they're even connected.
