During the celebrations, Felicity took a moment to check in with herself. Mostly because a cloud of internal gloom disallowed her to fully enjoy this moment she never imagined would come. She should be happy and excited for this progress for her people.
And she was.
So this lack must not be due to the school opening and all it meant for them. Felicity delved into the trepidation simmering within herself. Long ago she had learned to take this path when unsettled and it was familiar after all these years of traveling it.
Ari and Kellen’s marriage had not opened that portal. Yet she discerned her niggling sense of concern or whatever limited her excitement in these wonderful moments must stem from this news.
That could only mean…
With reluctance and mild protests she sank into herself. Here lay her greatest awareness and Felicity never lied to herself.
What she eventually encountered was an emotion long forgotten, but not unfamiliar. She had enough experience with this one that she recognized panic when she slammed into it.
Panic.
Now she needed to deduce what had caused this disconcerting reaction. The cause made himself known. He stood right beside her, nearly in her personal space, enjoying the festivities and all the people who had come from far and wide to join this momentous occasion.
The opening of an Aasguard school had offered so many new options for Aasguards and mages alike. And now healers from all over their world flocked to the school after learning that there would be an entire facility built for them.
This marked only the beginning of this school. Felicity guessed it would span far more ground and offer far more learning. Not only for their people but for other under represented peoples who would benefit from a place such as this. Who could improve the lives of many by simply collaborating and sharing knowledge.
But the news that two Aasguards marrying did not open portals into horrific realms had caused this terrible sensation within her. They had no reason to hold off joining their lives.
And her lungs threatened to close off, her heart hurt, and sweat coated her body. These symptoms indicated panic ensued and she had not experienced this emotion in so long she wished she had never encountered it again. Yet the emotion crept forward to terrorize her again.
Felicity tamped the visceral parts and explored why this particular emotion attacked her. The root of the problem did not lie with Rykert. He was content within himself and with her place in his life. These woes stemmed solely from her. The warrior way was to figure out why she felt this way and take the necessary actions to correct the problem. She could do this. She would do this.
Examining her reaction from every point she observed and weighed the ramifications.
Yes and there lay the root. Fear.
She feared not being enough for Rykert. Feared failing him in some way.
A long sigh at her silliness later and she met his concerned gaze.
“Are you okay?”
“Now I am.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. At herself. Now that she had located the cause of her frantic emotions, her long years of living offered a reward. She had no difficulty in realizing how ridiculous emotions could be and how much simpler life was without them. Now that they had come to call and apparently stay, she would need to examine them and discard what was not worth keeping.
Panic being the first she discarded.
Fear quickly followed.
“I felt the flare of whatever it was.” Rykert tugged her out of the crowd to a secluded area of the vast training field.
“Emotions are not helpful.” She curled her arms around his neck to draw him close for a kiss. The man tasted of all her favorite flavors.
His warm hands cupped her hips as he drew her closer still. “I am certain they have their place but I am glad you are perfectly capable of dealing with them.”
“Our long years have advantages.”
“That is true.” He stared into her eyes and the last vestiges of the panic and fear faded into nothingness as she gazed at her future. “You are feeling better now?”
Ah, he had caught snippets of her panic. In true Aasguard form, he gave her space to deal with the issue, but stood by her side to offer aid if needed. A surge of love swelled.
“I love you.” This emitted with dawning wonder.
Rykert’s face blanked before a bubbling grin burst across his face and he snatched her off her feet to twirl her around in a dizzying circle.
“I love you, too.” He set her on her feet again to trace a finger down her cheek. His expression raw and unfiltered as he spoke those beautiful words.
Hope and love streamed through her, much nicer emotions than the pesky ones that had no part in their lives.
“I am grateful. I feared we might not reach this point.” Her internal self had made herself known and she was working on herself now inside as well as outside.
She had noted that Rykert and many of their colleagues did the same now.
“I knew we would.” A fleeting note of angst quicksilvered through his tone. “I hoped we would but also through experience knew we are capable of combating anything that arises.”
“Including desampus?”
“Desampus, vaspiris, and anything else nasty that comes. If we fight the upcoming battles together we are so much better off.”
“We are.” She slid a finger across his lower lip. Really, the man had the most luscious lips she had ever tasted. The sunlight danced in his red-gold curls and she was entranced. No other man would ever do.
“You are not afraid of joining our lives now?”
“I am not. I do not feel the need to rush into marriage, but I am ready to do so when the time is right.”
“That is exactly how I feel.”
“We know it will happen.” Rykert had reached this point before her, but now Felicity had arrived at this conclusion and it did not set off any fight or flight reactions within her.
A victory for both of them. She could see her life spread out before them with wonder and eagerness.
“We know we will be together but we are not entirely certain what we are going to do when we leave here.”
Okay, so there was that…
‡‡
Relief and a cauldron of other emotions spiraled through Rykert at Felicity’s long awaited admission of love. He had hoped for it for a few days now. But he’d learned long ago to bide his time. Aasguards could outwait anyone. And they perfected this trait over their long lives.
Never in the past had he been impatient, until Felicity. He would admit to alarm that she had not been aware of her growing feelings the way he was. He opened himself to the idea before her.
Yet he also understood she needed time. Time was something he could give her.
Holding her like this, with her warmth and sweet scent surrounding him, he admitted to appreciating that she had not made him wait longer. Their future looked far brighter with them spending it together.
The gathering on the large training field could only be described as impressive and Rykert looked out over the crowd to make note of the Aasguard warriors standing with him. Their number did not impress, but what did impress was the mages and others who dotted the field. Never intended to be a school for them, but they had come to celebrate and congratulate the remaining Aasguards and to add their own services should they be needed.
A lump formed in his throat. Another people whose numbers were dwindling because they also were never encouraged to marry. They also had not been known to intermingle and their numbers also shrank through the years.
Now, with the advent of the new healer wing, Rykert had heard talk of the mages also creating a building at the school. An internal smile later because the enthusiasm for this school grew by such lengths that Kellen and Ari both functioned in a stunned state.
The question he’d heard the most had been why no one had thought to open a school before now. A much needed endeavor and one that all of them embraced and expanded upon until Kellen and Ari’s dream looked far different now than it had how ever many months ago when they devised this in the Montequirst gardens. [Seeking: Warrior Mate - The Seeking Series - Book 3]
His gaze lit on Lukas the Next, their newest Aasguard warrior. The first to be trained in at least a millennia. He was Stefana’s twin brother and now an Aasguard warrior in his own right. Rykert took in the man’s larger frame and the quiet confidence he exuded. He had taken to his new role with the same calm as his sister.
He resided in Swiftland now with his sister and parents where he helped to build the nation. The women there thrived in their training. Rykert heard talk that he would soon leave for Chariovalda to teach those women. His guess was that the new Aasguard dragged his feet because he enjoyed spending time with his family.
The celebration on the field dispersed at that moment and Lukas withdrew his handheld crystal. He swiped something on the crystal and pocketed it again. Then spoke to his sister.
Their conversation did not last long. With both of them being Aasguard now, reading them proved less easy than before. Beside him, Felicity also focused on the twins. Her lower lip jutted ever so slightly as she peered at them. Then she glanced at him.
“What are you getting from them?” He indicated the siblings with his chin.
“I believe our plans are about to change.”
Lukas caught sight of them and said goodbye to his sister before he strode across the field. The lines of his body had changed. He had always been muscular and tall but now his added training changed his body to that of their ilk. He moved with an Aasguard’s grace.
It took him a little while to cross to them because the other warriors in their midst were eager to meet him. Their newest and youngest meant hope they had not experienced before. Drika from Chariovalda also experienced this as she began her training right after Lukas. She showed all the same marks of an Aasguard as well.
The difference lay in her lack of the final test. She still needed to prove herself in a battle. Therefore her transition could not be completed until then.
Once Lukas stopped to greet them, they reconvened to a less busy section of the field.
“Are you both still treasure hunting?” Lukas asked.
Rykert exchanged a look with Felicity before she explained their intention to continue teaching women to fight in conjunction with the occasional trip to search for treasure.
“I have not met Fergus the First yet, but I did meet Lucy the other day.” Lukas’s awe at even the prospect of meeting the very first Aasguard warrior radiated. His emotions would not mute for centuries so both Rykert and Felicity discerned the nuances.
“He will be thrilled to meet you.” Rykert looked for his friend, before realizing he might not be able to spot him in his chair.
“What did you wish to ask us?” Felicity also appeared to search out Fergus.
“Do you remember the Duke of Larkswallow from Montequirst?”
Larkswallow must be the older duke who conducted most of the ceremonies—marriages, funerals, and the like. Both he and Felicity nodded.
“He has asked me to come to Montequirst as he has a job he feels I am well suited for.” Lukas leaked no indications of how he felt about that and Rykert approved.
“You do not know what this job entails?” Felicity cocked her head to the side.
“I have heard rumors that his granddaughter is showing promise or has shown promise as a healer. She is training to be a healer mage. However, there is speculation that she might have landed upon a cure for blue fever.”
At this he and Felicity both sucked in surprised breaths. Blue fever drowned a person within their own body essentially and was no respecter of persons. Queen Raene had become the queen after her mother succumbed to it.
“A cure is amazing news.” Felicity stated the obvious. He was impressed she managed to speak. Rykert had yet to accomplish that feat.
“It would be a huge benefit if it is true.” Lukas adjusted his sword. “I believe he wishes to speak to me in relation to that.”
“If she truly has discovered the cure for blue fever you must protect her.” Rykert didn’t know how many people this tiny virus killed each year but even the promise of defeating it was worthy of an Aasguard’s time. No one had ever contracted this virus and survived.
“Yes. However, I am slated to travel to Chariovalda to teach the women there to fight.”
“We shall do that for you. We planned to aid you in it anyway.” Felicity offered their swords. He did not mind.
“We are honored to step in for you.” Rykert thought about Lukas’s potential new job. “We shall train for however long you require.”
“Thank you.” Lukas clapped him on the shoulder before he got called away by Raene.
His eyes met Felicity’s. “How is that for making plans?”
She laughed. “I was about to ask you the exact same thing.”
He took her into his arms and she settled against him with all the assurance of a woman who knew her place in the world. Beside him.