[ ... continued ( Skarthheim territories) ]
The outer courtyard was always a place for madness,but it had never looked more insane before.
There were some kids throwing popped cereals all over the place. A dwarf was riding a giant rooster while screaming war cries. Somewhere near the far corner, a feathered man was singing a lullaby into a fishbowl while someone...no one knew who...kept releasing chickens into the crowd ( it was supposed to be part of a magic trick, until some Skarthheims decided to feast on those chicken...raw) .
The audience? Enraptured.
Even the guards were clapping along, their weapons bouncing in rhythm as the parade of misfits juggled, flipped, twirled, or just tripped around the torches.
It was unthinkable Skarthheim would ever have such a spectacle... yet it was all for that one person... all for that one promised heir.
Kieran stood behind a cart covered in fake hay and real manure, arms crossed, jaw tight, a torch in one hand and the glittering cape draped like an added insult across his shoulders.
He was not watching the show.
He was watching the window.
The one Velor had subtly pointed out hours ago, the one with the open wooden panel just beneath the royal chambers.
His eyes were glued and it seemed his feet were too... he wanted to bolt... to have a glimpse... See if it was really her, if it was real... but he could not move yet... Damn fuck!
Velor’s exact words still echoed in his head."If she is anywhere, it’s up there. I am getting her scent alright." He had paused scaling Kieran up and down, maybe wanting to insult Kieran for not even getting a whiff of his own mate’s scent or his pup’s. Fortunately,Velor held back. Didn’t even mention that as he continued his lecture. "...But if you barge in like a lovesick moose right now, she might never wake up. You want to get her killed? Then go ahead and smash in that door."
That was the only reason Kieran hadn’t already torn the building stone by stone... yet. That was the reason he was still counting down every minute.
He stood tense, eyes locked on the broad silhouette behind the curtain.
Thorgar! He could tell by the structure of his crown! What the fuck was that motherfucker doing in the same room as Autumn?
A dark shadow crossed his face. " Did he...did he do anything to her? Why didn’t she scream? Did he touch her... " Kieran didn’t know when his feet were dragging him towards the window, "I swear I will sever his limbs from his body if he even thinks of touching my Autumn... That bastard... "
"Kieran," Velor hissed from behind a stilt walking orc, "Focus." He literally dragged him back by the collar. " You are next.Where the fuck do you think you are going? "
Kieran didn’t answer.
His fingers were twitching.His mind was racing.
He didn’t hear the crowd cheer when a woman balanced a torch on her tongue. He didn’t flinch when a baby troll farted lightning. He didn’t even react when Velor danced past him with two gigantic snakes wrapped around his arms like sleeves and shouted, "FEAR NOT, FOR ANASTASIA HAS NOT EATEN ANYBODY SINCE TUESDAY!"
"Goddess help me," Kieran muttered. "If Autumn is even watching this from the other side, she is going to think I have lost my bloody mind."
Velor’s voice cut through the commotion in his head. "NOW!"
And someone shoved him from behind.
Kieran stumbled forward. The spotlight found him. The crowd quieted just a little.
And then up at the window.
He thought of her smile...of the way she used to scowl when he said something she didn’t like...of her laughter.
A wall of fire exploded from his mouth, unfiltered, wild, primal...an inferno that lit the air gold and roared like a beast caged too long.
The crowd cheered...but soon it turned to screams.
A juggler’s wig caught fire. Someone fainted. Two witches began screeching incantations in panic, flinging powder into the smoke trying to subdue it. But making it even worse.
"KIERAN!!" Velor’s voice cracked somewhere in the chaos. "I SAID TAME IT...NOT SUMMON HELL!You can’t literally burn everything down, big mutt!!!"
The smoke billowed like a hurricane. People tripped and fell, some crying, some clapping...most confused whether this was still part of the act.
It was commotion... it was chaos... and Kieran needed just that. A perfect cover.
With the smoke covering his trail, he ran full speed...then leapt.
His claws found the stone wall. His boots struck hard, but he didn’t slow down. He climbed fast on all fours.
A sentry spotted him and was about to alert the others.
Kieran tossed a small flash pellet Velor had handed him earlier...it exploded with a blinding purple poof.
"You are welcome," he muttered sarcastically as he scaled the last ledge.The sentry would be out for at least a few hours.
And then...He reached it.
His hands trembled as he caught the stile, his pace slowed down all of a sudden.
His heart stopped beating.
And then his eyes found her
Inside the room lit with lanterns and curling incense...There she lay.Too still.
Frozen in sleep, in silk sheets ( very unlike anything Skathheim. The room basically looked like a piece stolen from the New lands and fitted there.Totally out of context).
Her curls fell over her face. Her hair was shorter...barely shoulder length. Her hand rested delicately over her belly. Her lips parted slightly, as if caught mid-thought in some dream far, far away.
Kieran gripped the stone tighter, knuckles whitening.
Everything else vanished.
Even Velor’s screams of "Kieran!Don’t do anything stupid.I know you would...you have already caused enough damage...oh damn! No Kieran come down,you big fat buffoon! "
But his ears heard nothing.
All Kieran saw was her.
"Autumn..." he whispered.
He stayed there,unable to move, unable to step inside or go any further...half crouched on the stone ledge like a man between worlds.
His voice cracked. "I came for you... I... I am...here."
But something inside him splintered and breathed at once.
And more beautiful than any memory.
He pressed his palm gently to the wood.
"I am going to get you out," he murmured, voice so soft it could have been the wind. "I swear on the blood in my veins. I am going to bring you home.I am going to bring our babies home..."
A sudden burst of laughter echoed below. Someone screamed.
Eyes on her.A man reborn in silence... and then his heart suddenly started beating at an alarming rate.
He looked at Autumn all over again.. Her stillness... her shallow breath... the mark on her chest ( their Mate bond) fading... little by little...
Kieran’s grip faltered. His hand slipped.
It was as if he was struck by thunder. His entire body stiffened. He couldn’t even move as he fell... in slow motion... everything slowed down... except for a single thought that pierced his heart at bullet speed, like a poison thorn... " Was it me? Did I do that to Autumn???! " And the worse part... he knew the answer was... yes!