Chapter Text
Hestia
“Thank you all so much for coming to my little celebration tonight,” the voice of Aphrodite was as melodic as church bells, captivating the audience in an instant. “While I have lots of exciting events planned for us this evening, I’m afraid that none of them will be as exciting as declaring a War Game.”
Hestia flinched at the reminder and shoveled a meatball into her mouth. That was the last gathering the Gods had like this — the one hosted by Apollo, another informal party like this one… and that was where her life had ended.
Hestia wasn’t really sure why she was here — she hated these parties, and Aphrodite’s always were the worst. She was a goddess of lust, and didn’t pretend otherwise like Freya — instead making sure her entertainment was always as salacious as she could get away with. It had only ever made Hestia uncomfortable.
That wasn’t true, Hestia knew exactly why she was here. Her gaze moved over to glance at Apollo, seated as far from her as possible, a blonde elf boy on his arm… the same one who had destroyed her home to force her to accept that loathsome War Game. Had he not mocked her enough already? She had hoped that it would be Bell, as painful as that would’ve been, Apollo had always loved to flaunt his favorites. She hadn’t exactly been allowed to see him, not even allowed to apologize since she was forced to transfer him to Apollo.
Should she have resisted? Refused even when it meant being forcefully sent back to Tenkai? She would never see Bell again, but at least he couldn’t have been forced to go to Apollo. He could have gone to another familia of his choice… although she suspected that choice would have been Loki and Wallen-whatsit.
Perhaps if she was actually the Goddess that Bell had thought she was, capable and kinder than any other, she would have. He would have been happier if she did, she knew that – but Hestia was far too selfish to give up on having him back.
She glanced down at the food piled in front of her, that was the other consideration in coming, of course. Free food — high quality and loads of it. She hadn’t seen anything so decadent since before the War Game - her familia had never been wealthy, and the debt to Hephaestus did not help with that. They had also lost Bell and now instead of trying to provide meals for just her and Bell, she had three others in her care… and no Bell. Three others who did not care about Hestia and had only joined the familia for Bell – all of whom seemed to be regretting their decision. She knew that nobody would complain if she took the leftovers home with her, and the little savings from those meals could go to repairing the roof so that they didn’t wake up soaking wet when it rained, it was the least she could do for them.
Her Familia.
“Aphrodite, darling, don’t make promises for the rest of us,” the syrupy sweet voice of Freya spoke from next to Hestia. Hestia had honestly not noticed she was there — that explained why Loki had yet to come torment her though. “I have a grievance I would like to address.”
The room stilled at the sound of her voice, Freya instantly captivating everyone with simply a word. Everyone but Hestia that was, who could not care less about whatever grievance Freya had, not anymore. “Apollo,” her voice tensed and suddenly Hestia cared very much about what the Goddess had to say.
“Your Captain, I believe his name was Hyakinthos Cliio attempted to rape my personal attendant, Horn three days ago. Thankfully, Allen was in the area and killed him before he could go any further, but an attempted assault on my darling Horn is not something that I will forgive.”
Perhaps, it was horrible of Hestia but she cheered at that internally. Hyakinthos had been the one who knocked Bell out to bring an end to the War Game — with a cowardly attack to his back after Bell had defeated him and turned to face the 12 members who had attacked his back during their fight on his lonesome.
“Surely the debt is repaid then… Hy-Hykinthos paid it with his life,” Apollo was sweating profusely, his voice squeaky and the confidence he had shown against Hestia deteriorating into nothingness. If it had been Hestia who killed his captain or even Hephaestus for the same alleged crime, it would have meant war… But just like Hestia had been, Apollo was powerless when compared to Freya so he had no choice but to accept such an injustice and pay whatever recompense she would demand. That was the way it was in Orario – might made right.
“Do not insinuate that the life of your Captain is worth a fraction of any of those of my children,” Freya scoffed. “His life was forfeit the moment he laid a finger on Horn, but that does not save you from your own culpability Apollo.”
“Mine?” Apollo was aghast.
“Yours,” Freya repeated. “He was your Captain, your top representative among your familia and he behaved so deplorably. What does that say about your own inadequacy if he was so poorly raised. You bear as much blame as your Captain — well former Captain now,” Hestia could hear the amusement in Freya’s voice, she was savoring this.
“Which is why I have no choice but to challenge you to a War Game, Apollo.”
Hestia’s jaw dropped and hers was not the only one. Pandemonium and excited chatter erupted around the room, discussing the news with the same impersonal excitement that they discussed her own War Game - it didn’t matter to them what the odds were, how bullshit the cause was, or anything but the drama and excitement it brought.
But nobody was more excited than Hestia. Watching that berk who dared to steal her Bell get taken down and driven into the mud where he belonged was going to be incredible. Now she just had to figure out how to convince Freya that the most suitable punishment for Apollo was for him to be sent back to Tenkai, and as such all of his familia members were free to choose a new familia. She would swear her life over to Freya or take on another 200 million valis of debt if needed.
And Bell would be back where he belonged!
“L-lets be reasonable here Freya,” Apollo stammered under her calm gaze, she looked at him as if he were no more than an ant at her feet, not a fellow God. “Surely, we can come to an alternate form of compensation? I can’t possibly compete in a War Game with you… I mean you’re…” He dropped to his knees and pressed his face to the ground, shaking all the while. “I apologize for my failures to control my captain, it won’t happen again. Please forgive me, oh great Goddess.”
“No.” Freya shut him down in an instant. “We will have a War Game, I will accept nothing less.”
Apollo leapt to his feet at her refusal, face twisted into a snarl that showed how ugly he always had been under the pomp. “I refuse! I will not accept a War Game that I can not possibly win!”
“Very well then, there will be no War Game,” Freya shook her head slightly and let out a slight sigh in what appeared to be disappointment. “I suppose that I shall send Ottarl to your mansion in order to raze it to the ground and attempt to kill each of your children… Afterall, that is what you did when my dear friend Hestia refused your demand for a War Game.”
“Gaah!” Apollo stared at Freya in horror as Hestia laughed openly. “Surely, the rest of you see how unreasonable - no, tyrannical this is. This can not be allowed to stand. She has a level seven! My strongest member is a level two!”
“Level three,” Hestia hissed. “You stole Bell from me.” And despite the loss, his feat in personally taking out seventy adventurers had been enough to level up once more, this time in less than a month.”
Apollo’s teeth barred at her as he let out a wordless snarl. They both knew Bell didn’t count because he didn’t care if Apollo won a hypothetical War Game with Freya, if anything he, like Hestia, would fight to ensure he didn’t.
“I don’t know,” Loki drawled, interrupting Freya for the first time from her place leaning against a marble pillar. “I don’t think your odds are that much worse than Hestia’s when you challenged her one level two as her sole member with a familia of 114 members, including a level three.”
Hestia stared at her. Loki was speaking up for Hestia? And for Freya? Was she dreaming? If so, she wasn’t sure she wanted to wake up.
“118,631,049 valis,” Freya spoke up.
“I don’t have that kind of money to spare!” Apollo snapped, his jaw tight. “I can offer you 30 million to drop this War Game business, but no more than that. And even that is entirely unreasonable extortion!”
Freya smiled at him and shook her head slightly. “You are mistaken Apollo, that was not a demand for a bribe, that was how much I stood to make if Hestia had won your little War Game. All of that for a mere million valis bet. That was how poor Bell Cranel’s odds were in what you deemed a reasonable request for a War Game. You are the last person who has the right to complain about being reasonable. The fact that you almost lost does not change that the odds were equally as unreasonable for your last War Game.”
Freya leaned forward, folding her hands in front of her, a very slight smile tugging at her lips.
“As an impartial observer, I think it’s only fair that we follow the same template as the last War Game,” Loki sounded oddly strangled as she interjected once more. “No allies from outside of the Apollo Familia will be allowed to come to your aid. No adventurers from outside of Orario will be allowed to participate either. No higher level members will be banned. It will be another Castle Siege War Game, not a contest of champions, and take place in three days' time from the rules being decided… which is right now. Would any neutral parties like to protest?”
Of course, there were no protests — no one was ever going to oppose the two strongest familias in Orario for Apollo of all people. Hestia grinned viciously, this was even better than she had hoped for.
So that was what this was about then, Hestia realized. As the Queens of Orario; Freya and Loki couldn’t let a lesser familia pick on a weaker one like Apollo had on Hestia without any consequences. It would reflect poorly on her governance if they let Apollo get away with it. So Freya was making an example of him, to dissuade future attempts by lesser familias to consolidate power against her by ravaging the weak she didn’t care about, setting up a war with the exact same unfair conditions she faced to the letter… and one he had an even worse chance of winning.
Good, it was karmic retribution and the least the bastard deserved.
“If there are no protests, then I hereby declare this War Game official. Freya and Apollo, you both have three days to prepare.”
Hestia felt a hand on her back, and looked over to see Freya’s silver eyes staring down at her, her gaze heavy. “I’m sure you wish to speak with me, shall we go for a walk?”
Hestia stared for a moment, and then nodded enthusiastically, her entire body shaking. She followed the much taller Goddess out into the gardens, unsure of exactly what to say. So many thoughts were racing through her head after that takedown of Apollo, and with Bell so tantalizingly close… it was all paralyzing.
“You really bet a million valis on me?” It was not the first thing she had meant to say, but it was the thought that she found easiest to voice. It was an unfathomably large sum to gamble so casually on impossible odds. If Hestia had been allowed to gamble on her own familia she would have done the same, of course, she had complete confidence in Bell but… For Freya to do that without having ever met him… it boggled her mind.
Freya giggled, showing zero offense at the query. “Not on you, on Bell Cranel… Although perhaps I should have factored you into my consideration more. I thought you would secure slightly more favorable conditions for him, or at least the ability to get the help of an adventurer outside of Orario. I had also thought you perhaps would be desperate enough to swallow your pride and to come seek me or Loki out and ask us to give you one of our Familia members while taking on more debt… Apparently, your desire to help Bell was less than I thought.”
“That’s not true!” Hestia shook her head in refusal. She had never considered it… and she had tried to secure more favorable conditions, but it was hard! “...Would you have given me one of your Familia members if I had asked?” She couldn’t help but need to know if victory had been an option.
“Not an active one, but yes. Anya Fromel left my familia for reasons I won’t share with you, but she was a level four at the time. Since then she has been serving as a waitress at the Hostess of Fertility and is already friends with Bell from what I’ve been told, I’m sure she would have taken the opportunity to help him out if I asked her to.”
A level four… Hestia really had screwed up as a goddess. Sure, the offer was insane and impossible to imagine but… If Freya was telling the truth… They could have destroyed Apollo with a level four fighting alongside Bell and Lili’s strategy directing them. And she had failed in her job of recruiting so badly that she never knew they were there.
“Sorry you lost a million valis because of me,” Hestia grumbled, her guilt overwhelming her.
“Don’t be,” Freya laughed. “I made twice what I could have on you winning the War Game when Bell reached level three faster than he did level two – the day he hit level two I gambled on that outcome. I also had already earned a favor from Loki when I was proven correct on our wager that he would reach level two faster than the Sword Princess did — A favor I cashed in tonight, that was why she supported that farce if it wasn’t obvious.
“Why do you believe in Bell… You’ve never even met him?” Hestia’s voice was hoarse, her throat tight as the emotions crashed over her. And if you knew he was so special, how come you never moved to steal him from me? She never could have stood in Freya’s way, no matter what, if she decided she wanted Bell. She would have tried but…
“It’s true that Bell has never spoken with the Goddess Freya, but I have observed him from afar. Do you remember monsterphilia? What am I saying, of course you do - you were there. When Bell fought that Silverback, I could see everything from afar. The way he took hits and kept pushing forward, that cold determination to protect you no matter how outmatched he was, and that keen mind to actually find a way out of the impossible decision.”
“It was a splendid sight, one that had me unable to look away. When I saw him kill that Silverback, I realized that Bell truly was different from other adventurers. Not just his soul, but everything. And I knew that day that he was the sole person in Orario who had the potential to surpass my Ottarl as the strongest. I knew that he would be a Hero, just like he strove to be. I’ve been fanatically following his progress since.”
When Freya was finished her cheeks were slightly flushed. When she noticed Hestia’s look, she frowned. “If you tell anyone I said any of that about Ottarl, I will deny it until my dying day, of course. But I do believe in Bell, I’m sure you can understand that. There is something about him that is different and has me assuming that he will never fail to surpass a challenge, regardless of the odds.”
Hestia wasn’t sure what there was to say to that, she believed the same, of course. She knew Bell would achieve his dreams… even if that dream was Wallen-whatsit, because he was Bell. He was capable, kind, and gave his everything into everything he did. But for Freya to have as much confidence in him from just watching him… It wasn’t impossible, but it felt off…
“Wait a minute… Your former adventurer works at the hostess… That’s the place where Bell found the grimoire… Was that your doing?” Had she actually been helping them all this time? And that grimoire was a nagging mystery that had her trying to meet that Syr girl who gave it to him, but she was never there when Hestia went looking.
“It was,” Freya turned away from her, and for a moment Hestia thought she had been blushing at being caught. “Although none of that was on Anya. I visited the Hostess and left it behind with a charm on one of the waitresses to give the book to Bell after I heard her whispering about him with her friends. It was an investment in his future and a reward for his performance against the Silverback.”
Perhaps she had misjudged Freya. She was still a bit suspicious that she just wanted to steal Bell from her, but she was seemingly actually looking out for him… And she was going to get him back from Apollo for her — and even offer her the tools to protect him from this happening again.
Hestia bowed to Freya. “Thank you Freya, I am forever in your debt.”
“You aren’t,” Freya turned her back to Hestia. “You seem to be under the mistaken idea that this War Game was designed just to punish Apollo for his unfair behavior and restore balance and Bell to you. That this is all politics. If it was anyone, but Bell at stake, I would not have done a thing to Apollo. You are probably my favorite Goddess in this city Hestia, so I will not lie to you.”
She turned and met Hestia’s eyes, her tone cold. “Bell Cranel will never again be a member of your familia. When I win this War Game, I will demand Bell as compensation and he will become a member of the Freya Familia.”
Hestia trembled at the declaration, fighting the urge to collapse. “And why not? That’s not fair - he belongs with me. He wants to be with me!” Hestia growled. “Just send Apollo back to Tenkai and let Bell choose where he wants to be.” With me.
“You really are quite stupid, Hestia,” Freya laughed loudly. “Let’s imagine the scenario where I do as you request. Apollo as he’s dragged back to Tenkai will loudly declare that Bell has that Liaris Freese skill of his that is the key to leveling up so quickly, more out of spite than anything. And every God in Orario will desire to possess him, you will be bombarded with requests for War Games. And there are some matchups that not even Bell can win.”
“Let’s imagine that loathsome Ishtar sets her eyes on him and demands a War Game, with a familia that consists of a level five and is just as large as Apollo’s familia. True, I could step in again and force him back to you for a second time, but by the time that occurs, Ishtar will have taken him to bed and shattered his mind through her reckless use of her unrefined charm.”
Hestia flushed at the image and tried to push it out of mind. “I’ll protect him then… and how do you know about that skill!?” She had not told a single soul about it – not even Bell, and while Apollo undoubtedly knew now, as long as he had Bell, he had no reason to ever share that information when it would leave him vulnerable to the same poaching he had pulled on Hestia.
“You can’t protect him Hestia,” Freya sighed. “I hate to be so cold, but you showed that much with your inability to gather the resources to defeat Apollo. Apollo is the weakest challenger you could have faced for Bell, mere quantity with no quality to match. In a perfect world, he would stay in that warm environment with you, but that world can’t exist after your defeat. The only two familias capable of keeping him safe from outside challengers are Loki and I.”
And Freya was undoubtedly better than Loki… It just wasn’t fair. He was supposed to be hers! She was his Goddess and eventually lover… He couldn’t… She needed him… But…
“I…I…” Hestia sniffled as it dawned on her. Bell was truly gone. She was never going to wake up to his smiling face again. She was never going to get to hear him ramble for an hour about how he had defeated a singular goblin. She was never going to get to go back in the dungeon to serve as his supporter again or be in the rescue team for him when he got stranded on the 18th floor. She was never going to get to straddle his back and update his status.
Freya pulled Hestia against her chest, and wrapped her arms around the much smaller Goddess. Her sobs stifling and her breathing got more even as she was held there. It would be Freya who did those things now… Freya who Bell called his Goddess…
No.
Hestia ripped herself out of Freya’s warm embrace. “You’re just like them! You only want Bell because of his skill and how powerful he will be, the only difference is you know about it before all of them!” Somehow. She wagged her finger at the senior Goddess.
“I gave Bell that grimoire before I knew about his skill,” Freya reminded Hestia, her voice dry. “But also while I believe Bell can reach level ten, I do not want him for that. If he never progresses past level three, then I will still value him just as highly. For her is my Odr, and I love him.”
“What,” Hestia’s brain short circuited at that declaration. “What do you mean you LOVE him?” She changed her mind, Loki would be better.
Wait, Wallen-whatsit was there, uh… Ganesha’s familia was strong and there was not a beautiful lady in love with Bell there!
“Exactly what I said, I know you think it foolish, and I can’t say I blame you. But he is my Odr, I’ve watched him from afar and come to love him more than any other. He is kind and compassionate and I adore his conviction. And his soul… it is exactly as I was told my Odr would be. Like arcanum to the eyes. It is radiant, most souls are dull and hollow, but his is so full, bursting with a colorless light and spilling over, as if there is too much of him for it to contain. I can not look away from it, it’s like none that I have ever seen before because he was crafted to be mine. “
Freya flushed and bit down on her lip. “Sorry… But Bell is my Odr that I have spent an eternity waiting for, if you trust nothing else about me, trust that I care for him and only what is best for him.”
“Can you promise me one thing?” Hestia asked quietly, trying to ignore her jealousy and protect Bell. “Don’t ever use your charm on him. It’s his choice who he loves, not ours.” And Bell would never choose Freya, especially not if she went on about her stupid beautiful soul thing, he would tell her that’s as stupid as it was and refuse to be bound by her… Okay, maybe not the calling it stupid thing, Bell wasn’t that rude, but he would certainly not care about her general crap.
Which made Freya a better choice than Wallen-whatsit, even if both were awful.
“Of course,” Freya agreed easily. “I would not dare to tarnish the love I’ve been waiting for by doing so.”
Right… “Will you at least allow me to see him? Or will you turn me back at the gates like Apollo?”
“I can not allow you into Folkvangr,” Freya at least had the decency to sound contrite. “But Bell is not going to be a prisoner, if he wishes to visit you then he will be permitted to do so whenever he has free time.”
Hestia sighed. She hated everything about this, but it was the best she would get. Her promise of charm was worthless and not at all enforceable, but… it was something. And Hestia didn’t think she was lying, even if she couldn’t know like she could if they were a mortal. And Freya hadn’t had to actually offer her anything - she could have offered her nothing and done everything just by forcing Bell and her, but she hadn’t…
Because she was in love with Hestia’s beloved Bell…
Sigh. She missed when Bell was just a level one no one but her cared about and things were simple. Why did he have to care about getting stronger?
—- —-
Bell
Bell had not been expecting to be drawn into a second War Game so soon after the first. He had harbored hope, of course. Hopes of Hestia somehow building up enough strength to challenge Apollo and from the inside he could take them down and fight his way back to her. More shamefully, he had dreamed of Aiz and the rest of the Loki Familia declaring one to free him and let him stand alongside Aiz.
But it wasn’t either of them who had declared war on Apollo, on Bell’s new familia. Instead, it was Freya, a goddess he had only spoken to once before. A war that seemingly had nothing to do with him – but instead his Captain who had attempted to rape one of Freya’s girls — an act three level 1’s who had been with the Captain at the time had testified really did happen but they had somehow outrun the furious level six who killed Hyakinthos.
And he was supposed to fight to what? Defend his innocence? Protect the God who he hated? The one who would tell him of his desire to bend him over the desk, the one whose eyes always followed Bell filled with lust. The one who would rub Bell’s thighs when updating his status and offer him private dinners with just the two of them under the candlelight.
He had never actually crossed the line, but he was the furthest thing from Hestia possible and Bell wanted to be anywhere else. Yet, apparently he didn’t get a choice when Apollo decided he wanted Bell; he was forced to transfer to his familia.
But his dreams were gone, he was stuck here. There was no standing next to Aiz - it had been a dumb reason anyways. He should have wanted to be stronger to not be sold like cattle and be able to protect Hestia from pricks like Apollo… Or maybe he should have stayed weak so that Apollo never set his eyes on him.
He would be happier if that was the case.
But that was in the past, and he had to move forward now. As a member of the Apollo familia. And that meant fighting Freya, the most powerful familia in Orario. They were both outnumbered and outpowered; Bell now being the strongest member of the Apollo familia and yet he was rewarded with the least freedom of them.
Their new Captain Lissos, a level 2 had placed him outside the gates as the frontline of the defense to avoid another situation like Lliiruca’s infiltration supposedly. But the actual reason was clear, none of them trusted his loyalty and they weren’t willing to risk another disruptive element within their walls. It was seriously impressive how much Lili’s scheming had broken their coordination and left them scarred.
Sigh… He really missed her. He hadn’t seen his supporter since he was ripped away from Hestia.
He tightened his grip on the Hestia knife, the sole connection he still had to his Goddess, a weapon too valuable for Apollo to take away just to claim sole ownership of him.
Freya’s vanguard was approaching, although they didn’t exactly seem to be treating this seriously. They were led by a woman with pink hair done up in twin tails who shuffled in front of her companion, passing a staff between her hands without any fear of danger. “Do you think I’ll get to cast a single spell today?” She asked curiously, “Or are they all too weak to even put a scratch on any of us?”
“Fight evermore, lightning warriors, Caelus Hildr!” Without warning three lightning bolts rained down from the sky, striking the three guards who had been stationed at this gate alongside Bell. They were on the floor before Bell had the chance to even think to move, the quick chant magic making short work of them. It was like nothing Bell had seen before.
And they weren’t moving. The Elf who had chanted the spell looked at them impassively, blonde hair billowing about in the wind. It was clear he was a high level adventurer, more than a match for Bell just based off that one spell, and that was ignoring his companion.
He would never have done something like it a week ago, but once again he was tempted to throw his knife on the ground and surrender. He didn’t agree with Apollo or his cause… did he really want to lose again, because that was inevitable just because?
He drew his knife instead. He would lose but it could still be good practice to fight such a higher leveled adventurer going all out…
“You’re Bell Cranel, right?” The girl called out
“Y-yes?” Bell stammered.
“Wow, that was somehow even easier than I expected,” she muttered, before waving jovially at him. “Nice to finally put a face to the name. I am the leader of the Andhrimnir, Heith Velvet. Looks like the infiltration mission is a success.”
How was it already a success? They had yet to even open the gate.
She then frowned at him. “Actually, do you want me to knock you out and drag you or will you come willingly?”
This was very different from the last War Game. “You’re here for me?”
“Of course we are, you idiot boy,” the elf spoke up. “What else could Apollo possibly have of value?”
“What he means to say is that Freya doesn’t want her Odr crushed under rubble, so she’s ordered us to make sure you are safe before we proceed,” Heith explained. “So do you want to come willingly or get beaten up first?”
Her Odr? What did that mean? But one thing had been made clear in that exchange, the goal of this War Game was Bell, she had changed her mind and now wanted him in her familia apparently. He was no longer going to be stuck with Apollo. He didn’t know a thing about Freya - he had never even met a member of her familia before now, but… it was better than Apollo.
It wasn’t Hestia or even Loki or Hephaestus, but it still had to be better. The corner of his lips tilted upwards. “I’ll come willingly,” he decided after a moment, putting his knife back into its sheath.
“Great!” Heith leaned back, red eyes sparkling. “If you would follow me then.” She didn’t wait for a reply, taking off back in the direction that they came from at a brisk pace. Bell followed, his steps somewhat unsteady as he tried to keep from getting overwhelmed.
From Hestia to Apollo to Freya now apparently, all in the span of a little over a week.
It was just the two of them now, Bell realized, the Elf having remained behind, outside the walls. “You didn’t take my knives?”
Heith turned back to look at him and tilted her head. “Why would I have done that? I don’t really have anything to fear from you, do I?”
“Aren’t you a healer?” Bell asked. “I could attack you.” It felt like an obvious conclusion, given her outfit’s similarities to that of a nurse, and her staff that seemed to be her only armament, even if it looked a bit hefty.
“So?” She shrugged. “Go on and stab me, see what happens.”
Bell obviously did no such thing, merely gritting his teeth at the insinuation that she would be able to stop him if he actually wanted to hurt her.
“You’re not very fun,” Heith stopped and took a step towards him as Bell continued to walk towards her. With surprising swiftness she moved inside and snagged the Hestia Knife off of his belt.
And plunged it into her own stomach.
…Or at least she tried to.
“Heith!” Bell cried out in alarm, racing to reclaim his knife before she could do something dumb, but she was just as fast as him, and had caught him off guard with the very stupid maneuver.
The knife hit her stomach and bounced off. “Ow,” she complained. “That was supposed to be so much more dramatic,” she extended the knife back towards him and Bell immediately took it. “I take it that the knife is only sharp for you? That’s an impressive enchantment.”
“Heith, what were you thinking?” Bell demanded. “You could have gotten seriously hurt!” It was only because of the unique nature of the Hestia Knife that had once made Liliruca unable to sell it at all. The knife was made solely for him and would only ever work as one for him… Proof of the bond between him and his Goddess… Former Goddess.
“It would have been much cooler with the demonstration,” Heith pouted, her cheeks flushed slightly. “I have an auto-heal spell active that was applied to me, Hedin, and Hogni. I will until we are back with the rest of the Einherjar and not at risk of a theoretical stray arrow from those weaklings. Even if you tried to attack me, anything that is a few steps short of death and I can reverse it.”
“Auto-heal?” Bell whispered in a daze. Could a spell like that actually exist? He had never even heard of such a thing.
“Hmmm,” Hedin nodded. “I might not be able to beat you in a straight fight - although as a level four, I’d certainly come close, but if you tried to turn on me, I’m more than capable of staying on my feet long enough for backup to arrive. I might only be considered the second best healer in Orario, but the magic Lady Freya gave to me is meant for the battlefield, the entire Einherjar could get beaten and I’ll have them all on their feet again a minute later. I can do that about a dozen times on my own for all 157 members of the Familia—” her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Bell. “Well 158 now.”
Bell blinked, the implications of her statement were staggering. Was this really how far he had left to go? That a Healer could be that powerful? Was all of the Freya familia monsters on the level of Aiz? He knew that Freya and Loki were the two most powerful familias, but he hadn’t realized just how large the mountain he had to climb was.
And just how powerless he was.
“Come on,” Heith grabbed his forearm and tugged her to follow her again before letting go. “This War Game can’t proceed until we’re back with the Einherjar and the last thing I want is to hear Allen complain about us drawing this out.”
Bell walked directly alongside her this time. The Freya Familia, once the familia he had wanted to join the most, only to be turned away. The strongest of Familia’s… And soon to be his.
They came across the encampment a few minutes later, an army at the base of a hill. They all wore matching uniforms, white and silver with gold tassels. They all carried a weapon in hand and were lined up in a triangle like formation, a black haired cat-person at the tip of the triangle facing towards them. Behind them were the healers at the base of the hill, wearing a lighter version of the same uniform, but with the same kind of nurses hat that Heith wore.
And there were probably close to 30 of them…
“Is that Bell Cranel?” the cat grumbled, breaking formation to come greet them. “He doesn’t look like he’s much.”
“Don’t pretend like you haven’t observed him before Allen,” Heith grabbed Bell’s hand and pulled him past Allen. “And Lady Freya has deemed that Bell is her Odr, it’s not our place to question her decision.”
“Tch,” Allen clicked his tongue before racing past them so quickly that Bell struggled to see him.
There was that word again. Bell flushed at the contact, but managed to avoid stumbling as the army parted for Heith and him to walk through. That did not stop a hundred different people from glaring at Bell though, even as they complied. They didn’t stop when they reached the healers either, instead moving past the equally irate Healers, even as they greeted Heith with a smile — none of that affection was held for Bell though, instead he was met with open hostility.
They moved to the top of the hill, just the two of them… and a giant of a man, standing at over 2 meters in height, with biceps as thick as Bell’s torso, and hair the color of rust. He needed no introduction for Bell to recognize him, this was Ottarl, the strongest adventurer alive.
Heith sat down on the grass, and patted the spot next to her for Bell to do the same. His gaze flicked back to Ottarl, standing just three paces behind them. Bell swallowed nervously before taking a seat. “What is all this?” Bell asked quietly.
“This is a demonstration of the Freya Familia’s might,” Heith explained. “Lady Freya wished to put on a performance for you to celebrate your engagement. One that demonstrates the power of your new Familia.”
“A performance?” Bell asked.
“The Einherjar like you are just going to watch the show. No, she means to show you just how one man can take out an entire familia on their own, a proper response to Apollo’s attempts to poach her Odr. Now that we’re here, it’ll start soon.” She pointed her hand past the canopy of trees and towards the front gate of the castle Bell was supposed to be defending. “Just watch and enjoy the show,” Heith told him, grinning ear to ear.
Unlike Bell who even when three others gave up their own Familia’s to help him was unable to beat the same Familia… He still had so far to go.
He watched as a dark elf stepped out onto the field, his white unkempt silver hair hiding his facial features, behind him was the elf who had accompanied Heith to rescue him. Blue bolts of lightning arced through the sky, intercepting the Apollo Familia’s attempts to hit him from afar.
The dark elf broke in a sprint towards the castle, his sword, a long jagged black longsword held behind him. “Burn Dain!” He roared at the top of his lungs and swung his sword. A swirl of flames rose around his shoulder and raced down the length of his arm. They followed the blade, and kept on going on the straight path created by the blade of his sword, and struck the castle.
BOOM
The sound made Bell’s ears throb as an explosion erupted at the point of the collision, a massive fireball colliding with stone walls.
And the walls came tumbling down.
“Burn Dain!” He shouted once more, racing in, and striking the back wall this time, causing it also collapse.
Smoke filled the air, the castle was on fire, and the dark elf stood without a scratch on him as he looked at the ruins of what had been their defensive stronghold. He flicked his cape over his shoulder and ran a hand through his hair as he surveyed the destruction.
Could Bell have done that? The answer was probably no, but also maybe? He was clearly not at the same level as the dark elf, he had no doubts about that. But he had his own fire magic with an explosive component in the firebolt spell — and with Argonaut to charge it for the full three minutes as their position as the one conducting the siege gave him the luxury of setting the pacing… Could he have taken down a wall? Maybe two? Even with what would probably be a weaker spell? It at least could have forced them from the castle.
They had thought to have Welf carve a hole in the wall for Mikoto using his magic swords, but Bell could have done more… And maybe that would have been the difference maker. Maybe that would have let him remain with Hestia. And if he could collapse an entire wall, he could have taken out everyone on said wall at once…
Why hadn’t he seen it, damnit?
“And that should do it for the easiest War Game ever,” Heith sighed. “Let me be the first to welcome you to the Freya Familia, Vanadis Odr.”
Bell exhaled, breathe, he reminded herself. He was free, no longer subjected to Apollo’s unwanted touches for constant innuendos. No longer held a prisoner. Free, or at least mostly… It was at least something he could learn to live with though.
“Heith,” Bell asked quietly. “What does Vanadis Odr mean?”
Heith grinned at him, and leaned in so that her face was only inches from him. “It means that you are to be Lady Freya’s husband,” she whispered.
Bell blinked owlishly, his brain trying to catch up to what his ears had just heard. “Aaaah!” He panicked, scrambling away from her, his face ash white. She was joking right… Even Syr wouldn’t be that cruel in her jokes… probably… but… but…
So much for freedom.
— —
Freya
“Well congratulations Freya, you won this farce,” Apollo grumbled as they met in Babel after the conclusion of the War Game. Not a single one of her children had even been made to bleed in the time it took for Hogni to dispatch his entire familia. Well entire familia minus one, but she hated to even think for a second of Bell as one of his. “What is your demand for your reward?”
“Hmm, that’s an interesting question,” Freya tapped her chin, pretending to think about it. “I could order you sent back to Tenkai, or I could have all of your children gelded — and you, of course to prevent any further attempted sexual assault.” She took pleasure from the flinch that caused out of Apollo.
‘But I think I will be merciful today, I’m sure that your children have learned their lesson. All I will take from you is Bell Cranel. Give him to me and your debts will be forgiven. He’s far too innocent to be with a familia like yours.”
“Wow, Lady Freya is so merciful,” one of the Gods in the peanut gallery commented, and plenty of those surrounding them said something similar to echo the sentiment. She had more than enough practice to hide her scoff. That was her charm as a Goddess of fertility at work, whether she wanted it to be or not.
Apollo narrowed his eyes at Freya, clearly unhappy with her demand, but then sighed. “Fine, I’ll go fetch him.”
“Don’t take long on your farewells.” Freya commented, before turning to her reflection in the window. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and then adjusted the one of her flowers tucked in her hair as well so they were perfectly symmetrical. She had to look perfect for this, it would be the first time she spoke to Bell as Freya, and first impressions were everything.
The sound of footsteps approaching caused Freya to turn around, and there he was. Bell. Her Odr. He walked behind Apollo, his feet dragging against the ground, his head facing the ground, not towards her.
“Bell!” Hestia exclaimed from her place in the stands, waving enthusiastically at him.
At the sound of her voice, Bell perked up in an instant. His posture no longer looked so broken, his eyes filled with the joy that made her fall in love with him. That enthusiasm and hope was infectious. “Goddess Hestia!” He cried out happily.
Freya smiled at his joy, even if it wasn’t directed towards her. That would come in time — for now she could be content with receiving it only as Syr. Still, it wasn’t time for Bell to be given access to Hestia yet, not if she wanted him to fall in love with her.
“We’ll head to my chambers to perform the transfer,” Freya declared, forcing Bell to look away from Hestia and at her. For a moment, the grin was still on his face, and Freya blushed at seeing that joyful expression directed towards her. But it was gone after a moment, his expression turning downcast as he met her eyes.
Freya bit the inside of the cheek to hide her frown. “Come with me, Bell,” she extended a hand slightly, but when he made no move to take it, she instead raised her arm to adjust her hair once more, trying to hide the gesture. She took a step forward, and walked past Bell, her arm brushing against his as she passed him, and she shivered.
She didn’t have to look back to know that both Bell and Apollo were following her… But to her surprise, Bell didn’t stay behind her, but actually walked next to her, just a half-step behind. He didn’t look at her, but he was still close enough to reach out and grab his hand if she wanted to… and she very much wanted to, but she shouldn’t. Apollo trailed behind the both of them, separated by about 2 meters.
They came to her room and Freya pushed the door open, waiting for Bell to step inside before she did, Apollo the last to enter. “Go ahead and have a seat on my bed,” Freya told Bell, her voice soft. “We’ll do the transfer there.”
Bell took a seat on the edge of the bed, his eyes shifting between Apollo and her, his hands clenching at the blanket he was sat upon. “You have to remove your shirt, Bell,” Freya reminded him, a giggle escaping her lips automatically.
Bell hesitated, his thumbs stilling over the buttons as he looked at the floor. It was adorable how shy Bell was when it came to any form of nudity — even with the offensively large amount of times he had accidentally seen various women in states of undress. And perhaps more offensively, none of those times had been Syr!
He slowly removed his shirt, fingers shaking, and cheeks burning. She was tempted to offer to help him, but she had no desire to let Apollo bear witness to their intimacy. “Apollo,” she snapped, her voice cracking like a whip.
He moved to the bed, and pushed Bell forward so that his back could be more easily reached, his hips brushing against his.
“Ah-hem,” Freya gritted out. “Remove your falna as quickly as possible and get out.” She knew wfhat Apollo was like, of course. His comments about Bell during the last War Game as they watched Hestia’s defeat had nearly caused her to send Ottarl directly to deal with him and his familia in a proper war the first night he had Bell. She had started planning for this moment with Ottarl and Hedin immediately after the War Game ended.
There was not even a possibility that she would have left Bell with Apollo. She had been more than happy to leave him with Hestia until he was at least a level 5, more than enough to protect himself from her familia and be given the executive position he deserved. Hestia, as an eternal Virgin Goddess, would never actually make Bell hers or do anything she couldn’t tolerate — yet, her own feelings for Bell would have helped steer him away from any desperate sluts.
The actual process was remarkably short, a drop of Apollo’s blood dripping onto Bell’s back and a muttered incantation, and then it was done, that wretched symbol bearing the shape of a sun, no longer stained across his back. Apollo rose from the bed and exited the room, the charm compelling him to do so, and the door clicked shut behind him. Leaving her and Bell together.
Alone.
Freya walked over to the bed slowly, sitting next to Bell, and placing her hand over his, ever so gently. “You’ll never have to see him again,” Freya promised.
Bell pulled his hand away from hers, although not far enough that she couldn’t shift slightly to see their fingertips touch once more, even if only slightly. “Would you like to join my Familia, Bell?”
“...no,” his voice was barely a whisper, but she still heard it. “Sorry… Uh, I meant, yes Goddess Freya!”
Freya’s expression twisted at the admission, even if it should have been obvious. She also would have known it was a lie, if he had claimed yes. “Ahahahahahaha,” peels of laughter escaped her unexpectedly. “Oh my, in all my years, how many have ever thought to reject me?”
In the last century, they could be counted on one hand. And while in her bed? The answer was zero. Nobody had ever been able to resist her charm, and the allure of power in such a circumstance. “And in such a fashion? After I worked so hard to save them too? Ahahahahaha. You’re too funny, Bell.”
Bell flushed, clearly unsure of how he was supposed to respond.
Freya leaned forward and threaded her fingers through his again. Bell tried to pull away, but Freya refused to let go. “Look at me, Bell,” she commanded him, and Bell glanced at her eyes, before letting his gaze drift back to the sheets.
Freya sighed. “I know that this is probably not what you imagined things to look like, but I honestly want to help you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. Hestia is the Goddess who earned your admiration, but she cannot be your Goddess now. Even if I wanted to, I could not send you back to Hestia — outside of War Games, you must have been in your current Familia for a full year to transfer to a new one. Give me the chance to earn your love. I promise that being a member of my Familia will see you grow to new heights and achieve all of your dreams. I will not lie to you and say that it will be pleasant at first, but in the end I believe you will be happiest with me and my Familia.”
Bell shifted slightly at her words, his eyes, a luminescent red that caused her heart rate to accelerate when they met hers. “I’ll join your Familia,” he conceded – not that he had a choice, but she appreciated hearing him say it, even if he sounded a bit hollow when saying it.
If anything, she was glad that he wasn’t tripping over himself to give her praise or join her Familia — it was refreshing and proof that he had always been meant to be her Odr. Almost everyone else, except for her fellow Goddesses of Fertility — all of them awful, the eternal virgins, and certain high level adventurers with a high abnormal resistance skill could resist wanting to please her — and almost everyone who could resist, resisted by turning that feeling of love to one of hatred. And here was Bell, not rude by any means, but he was kinder to Syr and everyone else at the tavern then he was to the Goddess whose existence should have forced him to be kind.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Freya smiled at him earnestly. “Turn around please.”
Bell’s cheeks flushed as he realized that he had been shirtless in front of her and looked directly at her at that too. He was so innocent and precious. He rushed to turn his back to her.
Freya cut open the pad of her pointer finger with the nail of her thumb, causing blood to well at the tip. She placed the tip of her finger against his spine and Bell shivered at that intimacy. She smiled once more, and began to carve her runes in her divine ichor against his skin. “By mine blood, I mark thee. By mine eye, I claim thee. Thou art beheld, thou art chosen, you are mine Odr. You belongest to me now, thy victories, thy failures, everything until thou breathest their last.”
She completed the runes and the symbol of her familia formed automatically. A portrait of herself, with her arms held out to the sides, welcoming Bell into her embrace, standing in a field of flowers. She felt a rush of euphoria like nothing she had ever experienced before, flood her senses. Mine she thought possessively.
“Rise now as one of my Einherjar, dwell in the halls of Folkvangr, and know that thy soul shall never be parted from thee.” She couldn’t help herself as she finished the incantation binding Bell to her, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his shoulder.
Bell flinched at the feeling of her lips against his warm skin. He tasted of sweat, but Freya didn’t care, he was hers finally. “Just hold still, she murmured, her mouth inches from his neck. “I still want to check your status so we can build a training regime for you that is suited to your strengths.”
“I won’t just be going to the dungeon?” Bell asked, shifting back from her touch slightly. Was he scared of her? As Syr, he acted embarrassed when she grabbed him or hugged him, but never did he pull away.
“My familia does things a bit differently than most,” Freya explained. “While we will still make trips to the dungeon at times, in general, my belief is that the dungeon should be saved for expeditions. We’ve found that our members level up faster through being trained against other adventurers – they can suffer more pain without risking death, and my Andhrimnir are the best healers in Orario so battles will rage from breakfast to lunch without ceasing. It’s a more controlled environment to bring out the best results.”
“But some of my Familia naturally accumulate excelia at disproportionate rates. Take Heith as an example, I believe you met her today. Even when Heith was a member of the Einherjar – at level one, she never had the ability to develop her strength stat at all. So we shifted her training to be much more agility and magic focused rather than wasting time on chasing stat points for stats that would never be of use to her.”
“Ottarl opted to go in a different direction, he was a strength, endurance, and dexterity monster from the beginning - all of those stats hitting 900 before reaching level two. But, his agility was still able to get up to the 600s, so it wasn’t something I or the Captain at the time thought was worth neglecting – so we decided to have him spend most of his next level focusing on gaining agility, and he was able to get that above 900 as well for that level and every subsequent one.”
Bell turned slightly to look at her. “Why are you sharing this with me? Aren’t statuses supposed to be kept a secret?”
“Because you asked a question, my Odr,” she smiled at him as he flushed. “Most familias opt to keep statuses secret, but I have always done things differently. I believe in fostering a competitive environment. All stats are published in the Sessrumnir for every active adventurer. I want them to know where the mountain is. I want two level one adventurers to know when their strength is lagging behind that of their rival - so that they know they need to work harder. Skills I’ll keep secret, of course, but stats update on the board every time I perform a status update.”
Bell seemed nervous at that for some reason. She wasn’t sure why, when she had snuck a peek at his back with a status thief as Syr and read the runes, all of his stats had been in the 600-700 range as a level two, and that had come before the War Game. That perhaps was not on par with Ottarl, Allen, Hedin, or Hogni at the same level, but assuming he finished around 750 or so on average, he would still be outpacing almost everyone else in her familia.
“Hold still,” Freya instructed him, shifting slightly, so she could reach his back and place the parchment against it. The words began to automatically fill the paper.
Bell Cranel
Freya Familia
Level: 3
Strength: I 68
Endurance: H 101 -> 102
Dexterity: I 79
Agility: H 111
Magic: I 58
Skills:
Liaris Freese: Fast growth as long as feelings last. The strength of the effects correspond with the level of the user's feelings.
Argonaut: Allows the user to charge an action. The longer the charge is, the more powerful the action.
Developmental Abilities:
Luck: H
Abnormal Resistance: H
Magic:
Firebolt
Freya’s lip curled as she read the piece of paper, she knew that he had these skills already, but hadn’t been able to read the descriptions through the status thief. She had guessed that Liaris Freese was an exp skill when confronting Hestia, because she was certain he had one, and she had seen Argonaut in the War Game, but…
“Goddess Freya, is something wrong?” Bell asked after a moment of her glaring at the offending parchment with such an ugly expression.
Yes, everything was. “Not really, I just was surprised by one of your skills, Liaris Freese, can you tell me about it?”
“Liaris Freese?” His brow scrunched up in confusion. “I’ve never had a skill like that.”
Freya really wasn’t surprised by that response, she doubted Hestia would tell him given the behavior that it promoted. And then there was the fact that Gods could detect when mortals lied to them, and that meant that if Bell knew he had an exp skill, Freya and every other goddess would simply have to hear him answer a question about how he leveled up so fast, and they would know he was lying about how. And Syr had heard him answer that question.
Apollo was too stupid to think about that sort of thing, but she did know that he coveted the body of her Odr. And that skill forced him to choose between having potentially the strongest adventurer in Orario or indulging in his lust. It was understandable that he did not want to share that he would be making Bell weaker if he succeeded in the latter.
But Freya had no such compulsions, she knew what she wanted. To break Liaris Freese. It was very unfortunate that Bell would not continue to grow at such a meteoric pace, but all it said was that it accelerated the speed of growth, not the extent of it. She had no doubts he would still grow to be one of her strongest members, even if he progressed more akin to the rate of Wallenstein or Ottarl. She adored Ottarl, but she would trade a second version of him for her Odr without a second thought.
“You do now,” Freya handed the paper over to Bell. “See for yourself,” she offered. As Bell read over it, Freya leaned closer to him. “If you didn’t develop that skill until today, then it must be because we met today. I’m honestly flattered that you love me so much already, Bell. I must say I love–”
“Goddess Freya!” Bell exclaimed loudly, shaking his head vehemently in denial. “It uh only says feelings, surely it’s about something else… a desire…” he trailed off, refusing to meet her eyes.
“The translation to the mortal tongue isn’t perfect,” Freya laughed. “The rune for feelings used there translates closer to romantic feelings. It’s about a girl, Bell…” She trailed off, watching him turn as red as a tomato, and then just when his complexion began to return to normal, she opened her mouth again.
“Still, I suppose that it’s too much to hope that you fell in love with me so quickly,” Freya sighed. “It must be some other girl who stole your heart today… Heith is quite beautiful, isn’t she? I can understand why she would leave even a lasting mark on your falna.”
“No!” Bell exclaimed, steam pouring out of his ears.
“You don’t think Heith is beautiful? Freya gasped. “She’ll be very hurt when I tell her that, she takes pride in her appearance.”
“I-I didn’t mean that!” Bell stammered. “I just uh… don’t think the skill is tied to her.
“So you do think she’s beautiful?” She couldn’t help herself after seeing him look so adorably flustered and burst into a fit of giggles. “Oh Bell, I’m only teasing. You’re too easy.”
“Godddess Freya,” he murmured.
“I’m not sure where your skill comes from, but I’ll do my best to look into it, and let you know what I find.” He would almost certainly come to the obvious conclusion that his exp cheat had existed long before now, and that Hestia had lied to him but it was better to let him be the one to drive that wedge in himself. She would look into finding out who the skill was connected to, of course though…
“Thank you,” Bell ducked his head, and then reached for his shirt.
“Of course,” Freya tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Now tell me about your status at level one and two. Teeeechnically, I'm supposed to ask Apollo as the head of the last familia you were in for that information, but I really don’t want to talk to him,” Freya pleaded.
It was more that she just wanted to spend more time talking with Bell than that. If she really wanted to, she could just check for herself by rewinding his level and doing the same process as an update, but that wasn’t something Bell had to know.
Bell winced at her question.
“Don’t worry, I’m not expecting you to be at the same level as Ottarl, your level matters more regardless,” Frey offered reassurances. “Just go in order, strength at level one, then level two, and then move onto the next stat. I’ll write down what you say so we can build your training around that.”
“At level one, s-strength 1091. At level two, strength 1088,” Bell muttered.
Freya’s quill snapped as she pressed too hard on the parchment. 1091… 1088? If it was literally anyone else, she would have demanded to check herself and assumed they had learned to lie to a Goddess. The cap was supposed to be 999. Ottarl had hit 999 on strength six months ago, and had yet to level up - but it couldn’t rise to a higher level than that. He had hit 999 on strength at every single level… And never a point higher no matter what.
And Bell, her Odr, small and lean Bell, had broken that cap? It was preposterous. Hera had claimed once that Alfia had broken the cap with her magic, but that was once, and she hadn’t been inclined to believe Hera’s bragging… but she had been right about more than Freya thought so maybe…
But Alfia didn’t matter, regardless of the legitimacy of Hera’s claims, Bell had actually done it. And that would make waves… She would have to reconsider his training around that… She for a moment even considered covering it up, subtracting a hundred points from his strength stat on the public records, and letting him only look the part of a prodigy. She could charm Apollo into forgetting about his stats – she already planned on doing that for his skill.
But, she decided against it, let them all see that her Odr was worthy of her. How bright he could shine. Let them stop questioning her decision and recognize him as beyond them, he deserved that same reverence she would give to him.
But could it be caused by Liaris Freese… Would his stats be so high without it? She supposed she would have to find out. But it shouldn’t… right? It only said that it caused fast growth, not limitless growth.
“Sorry, do you mind repeating those? I got distracted by the fact that you are stronger than even Ottarl was at level three,” Freya flushed when she realized he hadn’t stopped at strength.
Bell winced at the praise but did as he was told. “At level one, endurance 1019. At level two, endurance 1029. At level one, dexterity 1098, at level two, dexterity 1094. At level one, agility 1337. At level two, agility 1302. At level one, magic 1001. At level two, magic 883.”
Freya’s jaw hung open, she couldn’t remember the last time she was this shocked. Was it when she lost to Hera in their competition? That didn’t even compare though. He had a stat reached 1337? How… Was there not a limit to how high her Odr could go?
“Goddess Freya?” Bell asked softly. “Do you need me to repeat them again?”
She shook her head slightly. “Wow Bell, you are truly incredible,” she replied breathlessly. “Atlhough, I must say that you were clearly slacking off. A magic stat below 1000 when you hit level three, tch.”
Bell scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment, but didn’t offer a reply.
“Would you like to go see your new home?” Freya offered after a moment. “It should be nearing dinner time.”
“Yes please,” Bell answered quickly.
Freya rose from the bed, rolling up the parchment, and tucking it against her breast. That drew Bell’s gaze before it quickly snapped away from her, his cheeks aflame. So cute.
She grabbed his elbow and threaded her arm through his. “Let me show you the way.”