The Arctic Ch. 07

"The dungeons my lady; please, let me accompany you..." one of the men pleaded and she recognized him as a son of one the noble families; Thrand Svensson.

"Alright, the rest of you please make your way into the dining hall, there will be food, water and healers made available to all of you. I will be joining you there shortly," she promised. She didn't wait for a response, she made her way to the dungeons with Thrand in toe. The Dungeons were located down a long spiral staircase at the end of the corridor. The cells were overcrowded and after unlocking the first one, she gave the keys over to Thrand to release the rest. She was directing them all to the dining hall when someone in particular caught her eye. She took a few tentative steps forward, the woman was shrouded in darkness in the corner of the cell.

"Lady Ingrid?" It looked like the Elder, but she didn't respond; she didn't even move. She was unnaturally still and she wondered if Ingrid was even breathing until she saw the rise and fall of her chest. Her hair was free now, nothing but a tangled mess atop her head; she had numerous bruises in varying colors, her eyes were blank as she stared at the wall. Eira moved closer, the sight of one of her mentors so broken made the reality of it all sink in. She placed a gentle hand on Ingrid's shoulder and the woman finally turned.

"Ingrid?!" But the older woman just continued to stare at her with blank eyes. She reached for Ingrid's hand but the woman looked wary of accepting it.

"She's broken." Eira whipped around and glared at him as he stood in the doorway, his face an unreadable mask.

"That is on you," Eira spat angrily.

"Everything I have done was necessary," he growled. He means me , she thought to herself. She was what was necessary; to fix the barrier; to save their Islet. She wondered briefly just how much she actually meant to him, if she meant anything at all. Or was she just another means of survival? What if that was all his pretty words were?

"Eira!" She looked up to see Runa pushing her way through the other prisoners, making her way over. She threw her arms around the shorter woman and was promptly squeezed so tightly it knocked the wind from her. Then she found the woman's hands roaming her body as she was inspected for wounds.

"Are you alright? Where have you been? What has that savage man done to you?" Runa demanded. She took the woman's hands and pulled them away from her body.

"I am alright. Is this everybody?" Runa nodded, holding Eira's hands tightly

"I've instructed my men to release every Elf that is being held prisoner." Nicholas announced.

"Just as you instructed Jerrick to take care of my Kingdom?" Eira spat angrily. Her words were like daggers and he stopped his advance. He opened his mouth to protest but she held her hand up to silence him.

"We don't have time for this conversation; I need to attend to my people." His hand slammed against the doorway of the cell, blocking her exit and he stood tall, the air fogging with his every breath. Eira could feel the sudden chill in the room but in only made her more angry.

"You dare to flex your powers against your own wife, your Queen!?" She demanded bravely.

"There will be chaos if we do not stand before them united. They will want blood for what my men have done under Jerrick's command."

" My people are a bit more evolved than yours; they will see reason. You cannot blame the actions of a soldier who is simply following orders. I will pardon whomever bends their knee and swears loyalty to the heir of Sol." She replied coolly.

"And I agree, if any of my men protest or refuse they will be executed."

"What are we going to do with her?" asked Runa softly as she approached the Elder.

"Take her to my old bedroom, bathe her; make her comfortable. Can you do this for me?" Runa hugged her again, wiping away the stray tears.

"Of course M'Lady." She coerced Ingrid to her feet and led her out of the cells, leaving Eira and Nicholas alone.

"You nearly died, again." He announced with a slight growl. He was angry but she could tell he was desperately trying to rein it in. He closed the distance between them, and she could see the smears of blood he had tried to wipe clean. She looked away from the intensity of his gaze, feeling like scolded child. She hadn't given it much thought, her anger had consumed her, pushing away all reasonable thoughts.

"Astrid let him get away," Eira grumbled between clenched teeth.

"If she hadn't been there you would have died." He emphasized the word, hoping it might help her see the seriousness of the situation. Her hands curled into fists, the image of all those decapitated heads floating around in her mind and they were all blaming her for their deaths. She had surrendered and married a wolf, she had left the Kingdom to be run by his second in command.

"Then I would have died peacefully knowing I tried." Nikolas sighed and sat beside her on the bed. He grabbed both her fists into his hands, holding them, despite the fact she kept them clenched so tightly and had burned him only moments ago.

"You would have died for nothing! While he may have escaped, but he is not going to get away with the things he has done; I promise you that." Her lower lip trembled slightly, tears threatening to spill as she pulled her hands free with a jerk.

"Do not lose focus here snowflake, what Jerrick did was because King Olaf declared us traitors. All because he doesn't want to admit that the barriers are failing. Then he would have to admit he can't fix it. Only you can fix it. This is much bigger than you and I, bigger than this kingdom even. If that barrier fails, there will be nobody left." She could feel the weight of it all resting on her shoulders, a heavy burden that she wasn't nearly prepared for.

"I need to go talk to my people," she announced.

Eira marched past Nikolas and back up the stairs and towards the dining hall. The room was filled to the brim with a few hundred previously imprisoned elves. The noise level died down as she approached and she took a few minutes to look at her people. They were filthy, from the nobles to the commoners; their clothes were tattered ruins, many were bruised or nursing other injuries. She could see Astrid, her hair pulled back to reveal her once elvish ears; her brow furrowed as she healed a child's broken arm. The mother had reservations, but once Astrid finished, the elfling jumped up and wrapped her arms around her in an embrace. After everything she had shouted at her, Astrid was still here helping her people. Eira felt ashamed, she was trying to help; and if Astrid was using her magic, that meant she'd cut through her rune to do so; she made a mental note to apologize when she got a chance. But now all the eyes were on her and her mouth suddenly felt dry. What was she to say to all her people? No words would take away the tragedy that had befallen them. She had married the enemy and it had been his pack that had done this to them. What could she even offer them when her life didn't seem to be her own? Then an elf stepped forward, it was Thrand, his wife now by his side with a baby in her arms.

"Why are these mongrels still here?" he demanded, pointing at some of the nearby warriors who stood like statues against the walls.

"I have learned a great deal these last few months," she announced slowly, drawing everyone's attention. There wasn't any better way to say it, so she decided for the truth.

"The barrier is failing." There was a collective gasp and when they quieted back down she continued.

"I have seen it with my own eyes; there are areas that are already weakening and the Jotunn have gotten through. It is only because of the Alpha Tyrst and his pack, that they have not made it this far in."

"Let them come, we don't need a pack of heathens to protect us," Thrand announced bravely.

"And how many Jotunn have you fought, Thrand? There is much we can learn from the wolves; we have relied on magic alone to save us for far too long." Thrand took a threatening step forward and several things happened at once. Almost every nearby warrior drew a weapon, a thick sheet of ice spread around Nikolas in a large circle and the crowd of elves erupted in loud protests and arguing. Eira held her hand out, as if she could stop Thrand and shouted for them to halt.

"There will be no more fighting amongst ourselves! We have already lost too many people!" she shouted as she fought back tears.

"We lost people because you left the throne in the hands of one of these brutes! Why should they be free to roam about after slaughtering our people?" Thrand demanded, jaw set defiantly. She was losing control of the situation and fast.

"I could name several of you in this very room that have been fighting, killing and breeding wolves for generations? Shall I call them out and let them stand trial as well? We need everyone if we are going to survive the dangers that are coming our way. Now, I have already appointed a new council of Elders, although there are not as many of the Noble houses as there once was." His voice went soft, he'd grown up with the nobles, he knew them just as well as Eira, probably better even.

"Which Houses?" Eira demanded as her eyes scanned the crowd.

"Daran, Turgis, Carnelis and Osulf." Four families, gone. She could feel the overwhelming grief threatening to consume her. Four families she was supposed to protect; her marriage to Nikolas was supposed to have stopped the slaughter. That left only six noble families in the whole Kingdom. Had Jerrick realized he was killing entire lineages? Or had they all been at random? It meant he had even killed children. Eira took a few deep breaths pushing the grief away. There would be time to mourn later.

"Is that supposed to be some small comfort!?" Thrand demanded.

"Those who refuse to swear their loyalty to the crown will be executed tomorrow morning in the courtyard. There will be peace among us, but we have to work together. For tonight, please rest, eat and heal. If you will excuse me, I must speak with Lady Ingrid." She turned and left, running into Runa as she made her way down the hall.

"I need to speak with Ingrid." Eira announced.

"Prepare yourself Lady Eira, Ingrid is not quite herself." She took a key from the pocket of her apron and opened the door. There was light coming in from the window and a few lamps around the room were burning bright, casting away most the shadows. Ingrid sat on the foot of her bed, her knees brought up to her chest and she stared out the window, watching the snowfall. She didn't turn her head upon hearing the door, instead she continued to stare out the window, lost in her own little world.

"Lady Ingrid..." Eira called out. She approached slowly, not wanting to startle the old woman. Eira swallowed past the lump in her throat, what had Jerrick done to Ingrid to break her so badly? Ingrid was one of the toughest women she knew, and to see her like this was heartbreaking.

"Please be careful Eira, she lashes out if you get too close." Eira walked around so that she was approaching from near the fireplace, Ingrid's eyes darted her direction for only a moment before returning to gaze outside. Eira noticed the broken basin near the window, shards scattered across the floor.

"I am going to approach you now." Ingrid glanced her way, a feral look in her eyes and Eira froze, keeping a safe distance between them.

"Are you hungry? Perhaps thirsty? I can have something fetched for you." She finally turned to face Eira.

"I eat only when He brings me food."

"Who? Jerrick? Lady Ingrid, Jerrick is far gone; he ran away like a coward. You do not have to worry about him anymore, you are safe now." Eira promised.

"I am never safe as long as He is alive. He will come back for me, you will see." Eira could feel her heart ache. What had poor Ingrid endured to be so utterly broken? Eira tried to grab Ingrid's hand and that's when Ingrid finally snapped. The old woman let out a snarl and threw herself at Eira, catching her by surprise. She knocked her onto her back, straddling her waist as she wrapped her hands around Eira's delicate neck. She was strong for an old woman and Eira gripped Ingrid's wrists, trying desperately to pull them away. Runa tried to grab the old woman, but Ingrid shoved her aside with ease and returned to choking Eira. She heard the sizzling sound before the stench of burnt flesh hit her nostrils and Eira realized that it was coming from her. Her hands glowed a bright red, as if they were burning embers and it was Ingrid's flesh she was cooking. Eira let go immediately, appalled by her own actions, but Ingrid seemed indifferent to the pain. She was an Elder, they were some of the most respected among her people. She'd been taught not to even talk back to them and now here she was melting one. As her vision began to tunnel Ingrid's weight disappeared and her sight returned to the image of Nicholas, his arm wrapped around the Elder's neck, her chin resting in the crook of his elbow. She was clawing at his arms, but his body was healing the wounds almost as fast as she could make them.

Eira held out her hand, coughing as she tried to plead with Nicholas for mercy. It wasn't Ingrid's fault, she had been warned that the old bat had lost it.

"Please..." Eira begged. Nicholas threw Ingrid against the bed with a growl.

"Slave, Kneel!" his voice loud and demanding. Ingrid's eyes glossed over and she fell to her knees. Eira winced as they slammed against the stone floor but Ingrid remained unfazed.

"Runa, please fetch us a healer." The robust woman took off out the door, her hastened steps echoing down the hall.

"What did you do to her!?" Eira demanded with a raspy voice as she scrambled towards Ingrid.

"Jerrick has trained her to be a slave, one of the first things that slaves learn is to obey their Alpha."

"Can you snap her out of this?" Nicholas shook his head as he helped his wife off the floor.

"Slaves are lost without a Master to serve; we have to reverse her training. And it's not something that is going to happen overnight, snowflake."

"She thinks he's coming back for her." Eira announced sadly.

"We have been gone for several months, that was a long time for Jerrick to play with her mind. She was his Master for nearly a decade so I cannot say she didn't have it coming."

"How can you dare say such a thing!?"

"I told you she made him fight in the Pit. How do you think they got us to shift and fight?" He demanded, he sounded angry. It wasn't as if she'd forgotten, but admittedly she did push the thought away whenever it came up. She didn't want to think about the horrible deeds that had been committed under her very feet. How she had spent her entire life in ignorance of the cruelties of her own Kingdom. She had been raised to know the barbaric natures of the wolves, but nothing could have prepared her for the savage nature of her own people.

"They'd starve us first, making us weak and desperate; because when we're hungry we have less control over the beast. When that didn't work, they began to beat and torture us until we shifted, then once the beast took over we fought one another for the food they'd drop into the Pit. Lady Ingrid toyed with Jerrick with promises of freedom she never intended to grant him. Sold him to noble women's beds for their perverse pleasure. While it pains part of me to see her this way, it's only a really small part." Eira understood because it was the same part of her that had trouble empathizing with Jerrick.

"His betrayal must be hard to cope with."

"I considered him a brother; I would have never made it out of here without him." NIkolas confessed in a moment of vulnerability.

"He was swayed by the promises of power...the promises of your King."

"I think I have made it very clear that man is not my King! And I will have my vengeance, if it is the last thing I do."

"Let us hope it isn't, for all our sakes. Now, where is this old bat I need to fix?" Astrid was in the doorway and Nikolas turned towards her.

"Ingrid, you will allow this young lady to help heal you; is that understood? You will obey your Queen and do everything she tells you or you will be punished." Ingrid nodded and Astrid knelt beside her, cautiously reaching out and taking Ingrid's hands into hers. There was a bright light that shone from beneath her hands and before their eyes bruises began to fade, and the scorch marks around her wrists looked as if they'd never been there.

"Where are you going?" Nikolas had turned and was halfway out of the room by the time Eira noticed.

"Your father's study, hoping there might be some books to help us. Ingrid doesn't look like she's able to answer much of anything right now and we're running out of time." Eira glanced at her Elder, a shell of her former self.

"Will you tell me if you find anything?"

"Of course snowflake, you will be the first." Then he was gone and it was just the three women.

"Are you still angry with me?" Astrid demanded.

"If you hadn't let him go, would you have been able to kill him?" Eira asked in return.

"He's an Alpha now, so probably not."

"Then you made the right choice." If she had tried to take Jerrick out first, she probably would have ended up dying on the stable floor as well. Eira had been beyond angry at first but now with a little time to cool down she had a clearer head.

"I already know that, what I asked is if you were still angry with me for it?"

"No, I am not."

"Good, then as your friend I feel the need to inform you that you still reek of Jerrick. I can smell him all over you. And if I can smell it, Nikolas can too." Had she said friend? Did Astrid really consider them friends?

"He hasn't mentioned anything," Eira objected.

"Maybe he is waiting for you to tell him, maybe he is waiting until things settle down; my advice, don't wait too long. It is better he hears it from you than from someone else. Enjoy talking with the old bat." Then it was just her and the Elder. Well, this is ought to be fun, she thought to herself.