Collection of stories and drabbles; companion pieces to two longer stories, Kasbaarg: Beginnings and Kasbaarg: Legacy.
If you read, please try and leave a comment
If you would like to send a prompt or see a story about specific characters, feel free to ask and I'll see what I can do.
77. Test:
Octavian wondered, as his sister thudded against the wall with a sharp grunt and his Da took stance again, which one of them was being tested...himself or his sister? It was hard to sit by and watch as much as it was hard for her to get beaten down by their Da. Maybe they were both being tested.
78. Drink:
They all had their choice drinks. Alek liked his coffee, Epona preferred blood. Laurie and Rolf both enjoyed their tea's. Octavian liked hot chocolate, Fricka found that the best drink was vodka paired with cold sweat of torture victims.
79. Starvation:
Octavian knew how it felt to be starved...starved of pulsating, hot, fresh from the source blood. He had said she didn't understand starvation. Perhaps at the time she hadn't, but as she curled up, alone in their bed...her heart ached, starved for affection.
80. Words:
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words, will never hurt me." Hans snickered, unaware of the second twin danging above him with a 20 pound dictionary in her hands.
Yeah, so I lost my writing muse as well as got super busy with spring work. So here's some new ones I've gotten done.
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71. Obsession:
She was wearing a new perfume. He took a whiff and wrinkled his nose.
"What is that?"
"It's called Obsession." she replied.
He snorted, "You don't need to wear perfume for me to be obsessed with you."
72. Mischief Managed:
The twins managed to make mischief no matter how hard Rolf tried to keep them out of it. Put each of them in a empty room, apart from each other and Fricka would still manage to cause some sort of disaster.
73. I Can't:
"I can't do this Da....I can't do this alone."
74. Are You Challenging Me?
She growled into his face and Laurie narrowed his eyes, "Are you challenging me? Because you won't win."
75. Mirror:
Sometimes he saw himself mirrored in her eyes; brown on blue. A traveling priest they had come across said that the eyes were the windows to the soul...but he thought they were just a mirror in which you could see your true self.
76. Broken Pieces:
Laurie was the one who cleaned messes up, stitched wounds, preformed minor surgery, kept the castle in order. Dolph however was the one that put together the pieces of her broken heart.
I've mentioned Hans several times now. Hans was one of the original Fifteen and kinda the 'cool Uncle' to the twins, giving them treats, teaching them all sorts of things Alek wished he hadn't. Fricka had a massive crush on him.
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60. Rejection:
She was afraid of being rejected because of what she was. He loved her all the more for it.
61. Fairy Tale:
She was sitting in the patch of sunlight in the library, reading intently, long red hair shining like red gold. Alek thought his little girl looked like a fairy tale princess. Until she rolled over and sank her teeth into her brothers neck and started a fight.
62. Magic:
Alek hated magic. Growing up with an abusive mage father had taught him that magic was evil and caused pain. But he couldn't deny that something magical happened when she touched his shoulder or gave him a sideways glance at the dinner table.
63. Do Not Disturb
Dolph quickly back-peddled out of the tent as three throwing knives flew through the opening after him followed by a string of cursing. He marched to his saddle bag, pulled a piece of parchment out and wrote, then pinned it on the tent opening. "Do NOT Disturb."
64. Multitask:
She would never figure out how he could draw up battle plans and drive her crazy at the same time.
65. Horror:
Octavian would never forget the horror of waking up completely bald.
66. Traps:
As Hans stalked after the oblivious twins and evaded yet another punji trap only to nearly walk into a snare, he instantly regretted teaching them about how to make traps.
67. Playing the Melody:
The two of them sat on their mounts on the rugged, wind swept mountain top, surveying the valleys below. The wind played a subtle melody, howling around the rocks and singing through the scrub brush; spiraling upwards to jingle the horses bridles and Fricka barked a laugh when it pulled her hair loose and whipped it about like a flag.
68. Hero:
He pulled her from the dungeon, sweaty, blood splattered, wounded and mud streaked and smelling like he had just wallowed through a pig sty and she realized that hero's didn't have to be knights in shining armor.
69. Annoyance
She was standing on the rungs of his chair, munching a cookie loudly in his ear, spilling crumbs down his shirt collar. Laurie twitched, but continued writing in his journal. Now she was brushing the fine hairs on the back of his neck with her grubby little fingers and nibbling on his shirt. He sighed and closed the book, turned and snatched the red head with a smile. An annoyance, yes...but a really cute one.
70. 67%
She told him that she was 100% sure he was going to be a Father. He was 67% sure he was going to pass out.
So it's a little different than the Theme I posted but it's close. I also couldn't write Dolph's POV because I've never done that before.
It's fluffy. So ridiculously fluffy.
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Heavy storm clouds hung over the mountains as the Fifteen and Fricka plodded up the valley, heading for home after a long battle. Fricka hadn't wanted to wait a day to rest before returning, so they had set out, tired and each sporting various wounds and aches.
Soon it started to rain with a rumble of thunder; a cold, steady rain that soaked the skin and crept into already aching joints, numbing immobile limbs.
Fricka had taken two arrows to the shoulder and Dolph could see she was in pain, although she said nothing and rode on through the steady downpour as if nothing was wrong.
He rode up beside her and pushed his dripping blonde hair out of his face, "Fricka, are you okay?"
"Fine Dolph." she replied. Her voice was tight and her hair was plastered to her face and back...he noticed that a cut on her cheek was still bleeding a little.
"We can stop you know...make camp and continue in the morning." he suggested, leaning over and setting his hand on her thigh, waiting for her to bat it away.
"I want to get home."
She couldn't deny how good that big, warm hand felt though and finally looked at him tiredly,
"I just want to get home..."
She looked so exhausted and it was all Dolph could do to not make her stop for the night. She had broken the arrow shafts off but left the arrows themselves in and he knew they needed to be removed and properly bandaged.
"Alright.." he said quietly, knowing at this point she would just fight him and they would both end up hurt worse.
The group plodded on through the forests, deeper and deeper into the mountains, getting colder and wetter with every passing moment. Dolph continued to keep an eye on Fricka and noticed when she started shivering, hunched down in the saddle, reins laying untouched on her horses neck. He didn't miss much when it came to her.
After several hours, Kasbaarg finally came into view through the downpour and the horses summoned some untapped energy and picked up the pace, working their way up the steep, narrow trail that lead to the castle and finally clopped into the courtyard, stopping in front of their respectable stalls.
Dolph quickly dismounted and un-saddled his horse, setting his gear under the eves of the stable while he fed him, then turned to Fricka who was still mounted, eyes closed.
"Fricka, come on. You need to get down and move a bit." he said, going over and patting her leg worriedly.
Her eyes cracked open and she looked down at him blearily.
"I don't think.... I can feel my legs." she said, then met his eyes, "Help me?"
He smiled despite the rivulets of water running down his face and into his eyes as he reached up and caught her waist, tugging her down and into his arms, holding her until she got her feet under her. He kept expecting her to shove him away sharply, muttering things like 'I'm fine, I can take care of myself' but instead she stood there, face against his chest, shivering.
Carefully, mindful that she was fully armed, he cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her head up, kissing her softly.
"We're home...you can get warm and dry now." he whispered.
"Don't let me go.." she murmured and he smiled.
"You know I won't."
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I tried to keep it short. Short stories are hard because I tend to end up with chaptered epics. Hope you like it Karmira.
One of these isn't Alek and Epona but rather another woman. Bonus if you can guess which one.
Also, if you haven't noticed it yet, Dolph has had a crush on Fricka for forever but she just sees him as a friend with benefits and her second. *Second in command-zoned.*
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51. Sport:
He ran through the woods in hot pursuit and she laughed over her shoulder at him. This was his favorite sport and the men in the village could take their hunting and put it where the sun didn't shine.
52. Deep in Thought:
Octavian was sitting at the table, untouched tea cup in one hand, chin resting in the other, deep in thought. She draped her arms around him and slid fingers down his chest.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked.
"You." he smiled.
53. Keeping a Secret:
Alek knew the children were up to something. Their giggles and shared looks across the dinner table had been proof enough of that but he had never known either of them to be any good at keeping a secret from him. He was pleasantly surprised when they ran to the kitchen after the meal and returned carrying (between the two of them) a birthday cake.
54. Tower:
Dolph wanted to be her hero. He wanted to slay the dragons, kill the villain, storm the castle and break down the tower door to have her jump into his arms. She preferred doing it all herself.
55. Waiting:
She had been waiting for what seemed like forever. In reality it had only been a few months; but now he was home and as he slid off his horse, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. The waiting was over.
56. Danger Ahead:
As Laurie froze and glared from under dripping hair at the twins belly laughing on the floor at him, he decided that there needed to be a sign on their door that said 'Danger Ahead.'
57. Sacrifice:
Epona would never know how many times Alek sacrificed himself for her sake...to keep her safe from the evil of the world.
58. Kick in the Head:
Fricka had been dozing in front of the fire when Octavian had walked in, nose stuck in a book and kicked her in the head. She sank her teeth into his leg and down he tumbled, book and all.
59. No Way Out:
He searched every corner of the steel room, attacked the heavy door and screamed for his sister until his head ached. The Commander had been right...there was no way out.
