When she awoke two mornings later, Felicity opened her eyes to a new day and a new realization.
She rolled over in the comfy bed in the Aasguard wing of the school. The clock showed the dawn had yet to arrive. Shoving aside the covers, she exited the bed and quickly remade it. Then padded into the bathroom to start the day.
It it took little time to strap her sword around her hips and pack the few belongings she owned. Maeze would be in the dragon area, and other than the small pack Felicity carried, Maeze was all she would not leave without.
Actually, she would be fine if she left without the pack. But it would make her life a tad challenging. Leaving without her dragon would occur only if one of them died.
She left the bedroom and strode down the gently lit hall to the kitchens. There she should find a beverage and a muffin to see her through the rigorous training session every single Aasguard performed through rain or shine.
A crack of thunder echoed. Speaking of rain, it appeared they would be training through the storm. Aasguard warriors did not train with their swords during storms. They worked on their combat skills and keeping their bodies in peak condition.
Only a fool would wield a large bar of metal in a lightning storm. They did ride their dragons with the swords, but mostly out of necessity. Often an Aasguard and dragon found a safer place than the sky during such a storm. They rested until the lightning part passed. Then they took to the skies again during travel.
She paused at a window as a truly spectacular lightning show broadcast the storm. Rykert joined her. He stood too close, not crowding her, but less than a step away. Felicity’s heart rate increased, as did her respiration.
Sensations she didn’t normally have to contend with.
His sunshine and leather scent made her draw in a deeper breath. No other man’s scent had the power to make her long to keep breathing deeply. Only this one.
He bent to drop a kiss on her neck. Right at the spot under her ear. “Good morning.”
She shivered. And turned stern eyes on him. “What are you doing?”
“Greeting you this fine morning.” Thunder crashed for several long notes outside the window.
Her eyebrows both rose. His lips twitched. “It is a fine morning.”
“We are going to get wet.” Not that any of them minded.
His shrug said it all. They did not care about the weather conditions, except for lightning. Even a blizzard failed to faze them. They could find their way without difficulty.
Dragons had extra senses that enabled them to navigate through such conditions and Aasguard warriors were nearly as adept. Weather conditions simply were—they barely noticed them.
“You did not greet me yet this morning.” Minor rebuke resounded in his tone.
“Good morning.” Her droll response made his smile fully bloom.
“You are lovely, mate.” And his lips crashed onto hers. While he took her by surprise she fully participated in the kiss because the man blanked her brain and made her forget all about why they should refrain.
Reason fled into the storm and she didn’t miss it.
Voices from farther up the hall splintered the moment. Felicity had to blink several times to return to reality. She did not wish to return. Rykert muttered something dire under his breath as he glanced toward the people heading toward them before he reluctantly released her.
She had herself composed by the time Vidar, Stefana, and Lajos joined them. All of them likely intent on training. “Where is Raene?”
The three exchanged looks before Vidar pointed toward their rooms. “She is not planning to participate today.”
Felicity’s eyebrows rose. Ah, was I right? Is Raene in the family way? She did not comment because Vidar and Raene had their reasons for keeping their impending heir a secret if they were doing so. Raene could be experiencing complications or they might be silent due to security reasons.
That final thought brought her up in shock. What if they kept Raene’s child quiet because no one had any idea what an Aasguard’s pregnancy looked like? This errant notion clapped a proverbial hand over her mouth.
They might not feel the need to share because Raene would be the first of their kind to ever give birth. She had passed from human to Aasguard at least a year ago. She had been a full Aasguard long enough that she and Vidar were both Aasguard when this child had been conceived. This little one was their kinds’ first foray into birthing a child.
She would never press for information and even understood their trepidation at sharing their exciting news. If Raene was in fact with child, she had no business training in this storm. The lightning strikes blasted farther away now but they remained a present danger. Storms shifted all the time.
“I am happy to train with Raene inside.” Felicity had no idea where that had come from but she did also not regret offering.
Vidar and Lajos exchanged glances. “Ari has also offered. You could speak with Raene and see what she prefers.”
“I shall speak with her.” She glanced at Rykert who joined the other three to head to the training field. Most likely Kellen and Ari were en route.
She went the opposite way to find Raene. Felicity wondered how Raene’s body would withstand the changing and nurturing of pregnancy. Then she thought about the size difference between Raene and Vidar.
Really, what had the petite, human Raene been thinking in choosing a man so much larger than herself? Of course, she had based her decision to marry him on the fact that she respected him, unlike many of the other warriors in her land. Her choice had come down to the man she believed she could remain married to a few years later.
An excellent decision on Raene’s part.
Now Felicity made strides down the hallways until she reached the rooms Vidar and Raene shared. A knock later and Raene opened the door.
“Hello Felicity. What can I do for you?”
“I just passed Vidar, Stefana, and Lajos in the hall. They are heading to the training field. I came to offer my services.” Felicity stood still and waited for Raene to ponder her request.
Raene nodded even as she moved to the side. “Come in.” She shut the door before waving Felicity toward the comfortable chairs by the fireplace. “You must have picked up something different about me?” Raene’s tone gave nothing away.
Felicity saw no need to prevaricate. “You are with child.”
“I am with two children.”
“Oh.” Felicity’s eyes widened. “That is significant.”
“I am the first of our kind to be with child and then we discovered there are two of them.” Raene rubbed a hand over the small swell of her abdomen.
“Yes, that is going to change things.” Felicity thought on the subject. “You need to continue training.”
Raene’s nod was slow. “I believe that as well, but no one else has done this, so I am uncertain where to start. How much is too much, how little is too little?”
Felicity gnawed on her lip. “I expect we can modify the exercises to suit your changing body. How far along are you?”
“I am at five months now.”
“Five months with two. That puts you at closer to seven months really, but you are barely showing.” Felicity inspected Raene’s small abdominal swell.
“After becoming Aasguard, obviously my body changed. I am taller, which I very much wanted, but my body is far more muscular than it was. I believe those muscles are disguising my body’s condition.” Raene’s hand rounded her barely protruding midsection.
“Have you noticed your center of balance is slightly off?”
Raene’s eyes widened. “Yes. Now that you mention it, I am noticing a change there. That is likely what has made me hesitant to train.”
Felicity thought further on the matter. “I believe we can modify your training to accommodate your changing body. You will be able to continue training, but do so safely for your babes.”
“They need to come first.” Raene’s tone turned fierce.
“Yes. But you also need to keep yourself in shape. An Aasguard is only as good as her training.” Felicity needed Raene’s priorities to stay aligned. She needed to protect the little ones she was growing but also keep up with the rigors of her own training.
“How do we modify my exercises?”
“We shall figure that out as we go.”
Raene nodded. “Challenging.”
‡‡
Rykert watched Felicity speak with Vidar and Lajos and had to force himself to keep from growling. Absurd. Both men were happily married and friends. Nothing in her or their demeanor indicated anything other than friendship and professionalism. None of the three gave off different vibes and Lajos’ wife stood close to him without an ounce of suspicion on her face.
Stefana showed no signs of jealousy and he wanted a portion of that trust. How did he quell this ugly side? He had no idea he even had this depth of human nature within.
No one warned him that embarking upon a relationship would create this level of emotional turmoil.
Felicity did smile at him before she loped down the hall in the opposite direction. Questions erupted as she disappeared down the long corridor. He turned to Vidar with them on his lips.
“Raene is having some female issues this morning.” Vidar did not elaborate, for which Rykert was grateful.
“That is more than I need to know.” He raised a hand in the universal stop gesture and snagged a few chuckles from his companions. Stefana rolled her eyes.
This was amusing to him because he had never seen a queen do so. And this one was raised in royal courts all her life so technically she should refrain. That she felt comfortable enough with them and herself spoke volumes about this woman whom he barely knew.
He didn’t know Raene or Stefana well, but these small interactions made him aware that he should make more of an effort.
“We have been stuck in treasuries for far too long.” Lajos voiced his very own thoughts.
“It is sad.” He shook his head and the others agreed, albeit with a few smothered grins. Rykert expected this. It had proved handy over the years to make people smile rather than draw their swords.
If they did so, he could take care of himself and any innocents in the vicinity in a matter of seconds. Still. His ability to see the humor in life had helped over the years.
Humor.
He reflected on that. While emotions had faded, his ability to laugh had not. Perhaps because he had nurtured that one emotion. Had made certain to keep a tight grip on it so this one had not faded.
The hall in which they strode turned a corner and Vidar shoved open a door a few paces down. This led to the training yard where they intended to practice this morning. Upon stepping outside the driving rain drenched all four of them.
None of them appeared to care or notice. Lajos and Stefana had been living in less than royal conditions throughout their marriage. The kingdom they took over had not been what anyone would call prime real estate.
It had been neglected for so many years that they had been able to simply wipe the slate clean and start all over again. To which they had done. Their kingdom was much improved these days but it would require additional time before it functioned to the level of an established queendom such as Montequirst.
The land where Raene’s family had reigned for centuries. He had personally known her ancestress Bronwyn, as had many of the Aasguard warriors he counted as friends. Vidar included. He couldn’t remember whether Lajos had known her. Ari’s mate, Kellen, had.
A rumble of thunder shook the training field. They all set their swords close by, but removed them from their persons. The lightning had not completely dissipated and none of them wished to be caught with a large chunk of metal in their hands or on them if struck.
While man could not kill an Aasguard, Mother Nature had no such compunction. Therefore, they respected her. The four of them paired to work on their hand-to-hand combat skills. He and Lajos paired, then he and Vidar. Finally, he and Stefana took a turn.
He was able to instruct her on a few key points, and learned a few things from this session with all three. It always helped to train with others. Rykert cracked jokes as they trained and thought perhaps the others appreciated that.
Rain dripped into their collars, soaked their tunics and trousers, and cooled their skin. After an intense training session, he appreciated this.
The entire time they sparred he wondered how Felicity got on. To the point that Stefana scored in an embarrassing way.
“Pay attention.” Her ability to joke with a new acquaintance made him like her all the more.
He laughed. “It’s probably easy to tell my mind is not on my training today.”
“I wonder why.” She said this tongue-in-cheek.
“She should be here, training with us.”
Stefana sobered. “I am guessing what she is doing is more important.”
His eyebrows soared. “What could be more important than training?”
“Helping someone else train.” Stefana spun in a low circle, graceful and fast, but he countered with ease. “I caught you out once, but I will not do so again, will I?”
“You should not. And shame on me if you do.”
By then lightning sizzled close and they all stopped to watch for the next strike, counting. The next one proved even closer and by mutual consent, they exited the training field.
Stefana frowned up the hall as they mopped the water pooled on the floor under them. “Ari and Kellen didn’t join us.”
“They already trained with a couple other Aasguards who arrived last evening.” Vidar wrung out a dripping towel.
“Who arrived?” Lajos asked.
“I did not hear who they were, but Ari and Kellen both knew of them at least. It appears word of the school has reached many of the remaining Aasguards and they are arriving to inspect the premises and potentially teach while they sort out their new futures.”
“Do you believe there is still a need for a census?” His heart deflated a tad at Vidar’s announcement. Then what will Felicity and I do? If we don’t seek out others?
“Yes, there is definitely a need. Some Aasguards are more mobile than others. Those who are mobile would hear, but those who tend to remain in one place for decades will not.” Lajos hung a still sopping towel over a drying bar. He eyed the dripping cloth.
A caretaker for the school entered the drying area and added the towels to a large basket. It appeared she was already used to them training in all weather. She hefted the wet laundry with no effort and entered a nearby room.
“Time to change into dry clothes.” Stefana, who would not be as used to dripping wet apparel, announced this and soon headed toward her and Lajos’s rooms.
He, Lajos, and Vidar exchanged glances. “Coffee?”
“Absolutely.” Lajos led the way.