ACT ONE: Trivium

There was no sound in this place, it was darkness and light, waves of code like flashing lanterns swept the Paradoxical Horizon. Voices both whispered and roaring screamed in a fantasia of otherworldly proportions... and here she flaoted.

"What is this? please, I don't-I don't understand."

"I was about to ask the same thing."

The Voice was heavy, warm, deep as it echoed into the blackness.

"All of this time... all of this work, What is it for? This-This cannot be right, all of my dreams.... this is too much. I can't remember what this is? I was falling... and then, I was bound--couldn't move at all, like I was locked in chains?"

"We do not choose our fate, we only follow the path, and hope to be breathing, come the end."

"All of it, is pouring into my head? It's horrible... but It's, is this really how the world is? The pain, the Loss, all of it is really for nothing?"

"Not nothing."

"No, No you're right, I see it, I feel it. Love, hate, ****, sex, it's all meaningless, none of it matters, they are all just words; we are the one's who wrap ourselves in chains."

She floated amongst pools of ash and smoke so black that it filled her lungs and spread through her veins. There was nothing left for her to do, but sprout her wings.

"We cannot be bound by chains. Not anymore. We will fly free and show them how little it all matters; we will show them the only thing that is pure and incorruptible."

"Fire."

"Yes... Sprout your wings, gnash your teeth, and cover the world with flame, we will show them how bound up they are, and make them free."

And then, allowing herself to be consumed by this eldritch horror, she continued to fall... but wings bright and hot as the rising sun, spread wide; and then, she was Free.

The Waters stirred and whipped and sprayed into the air, the rivers and seas were not welcome to the man who sailed his schooner through the crashing waves; with a babe, wrapped in Violet cloth clutched to his chest. He hummed as his crew roared and rushed to keep the vessel steady.

"Do not be afraid." He whispered to his daughter, staring into her eyes, Lilac blurred with gold "Shhhh, it's okay. You will see your mother again, I swear it to the Goddess."

The Babe did not cry, but stared up at him in a blind curiosity.

"Captain!, we can't ride these waters for much longer!!" His first mate pleaded as the hull was battered by the angry waters, as the sky rumbled.

The Man, gold of hair and eye, clutched his daughter closer and rocked her softly as he spoke calmly "I won't abandon you, Your mother will always watch you and guide you forward. You are of three worlds, of man, of magic and of Scales, you will not wear a crown because they are unworthy of you, You will be so much more. Take us home, little one, and I will show the ways of the Dragon until I can breathe no more." He smiled "You are a Regis, from now until the end of time."

The Babe's silence ended and she cooed, laughing as her tiny hands grabbed at his Mousey beard. The Captain chuckled and stroked the babies thick black hair as the waves began to calm and the blackness of the sky cracked, giving way to a peaceful azure.

The Crew all paused in confusion, some collapsing and praying to Salt god for their lives, but the Captain only smiled and rocked his new Daughter into a restful sleep.

Part One

A Gentle snowfall fell on fields of ivory, Aetri looked up to the heavens, observing the perfect crystalline formations that danced across the Milky white sky, staring up into the above, watching the snow settling on the blades of grass, coating the roof of the birch hut across from him, gathering in huge clumps on the Branches on the Pine tree above.

It was mystifying, focusing, He may have even forgotten about the Pain of the Bruises and cuts on his face and body, or the constricting and uncomfortable tightness of the rope that tightened around his neck, with the slightest movement.

"This fucking guy... He's not even listening! Hey!" Aetri felt Eric kick the rickety stool that they had put him on, making the noose quiver and a few clumps of snow, fall from the branches above.

Aetri raised an eyebrow, contemplating the cluster of white up there before sniffing slightly and looking down at the group of Four, standing in the snow before him.

"Cocky prick..." Hjal spat, the ugly and stocky man scowling as Aetri looked at him "What kind of Man smiles when He's about to be hanged." The Ugly blonde Raider said, but Aetri didn't falter in his slightly bored smirk, his mind still preoccupied with the snowfall.

"Listen, boys, maybe... maybe this is a Bad Idea?" Bjorn put forward, the timidest but hideously scarred of Eric's cronies were having second thoughts? Aetri was surprised, He didn't recall any Skjal ever feeling remorse, especially for an outsider.

"Shut the fuck up, Bjorn, nobody rapes my woman and lives to talk about it!" Eric was the Biggest and ugliest of them all, the Ringleader of his little group, son of the Jarl and as stupid as Skjal Raiders came... but Aetri paid him no mind, his eyes instead flickered too Kara, the tall, Red-haired girl who hid behind Bjorn, a look of sorrow and shame on her face as Aetri silently smiled at her.

Eric's woman seemed to have a little bit of apprehension in her eyes now, seeing Aetri's warm smile as He stood on the rickety stool that they had hoisted him on "E-Eric... Bjorn is right, t-this is going a little far isn't it? Aetri may be an Uld-Friend but... this could mean a clan war." Kara whispered, of course, Eric the oaf he was, wasn't having any of it, shoving Kara with a disgusted look so that the Tall girl fell in the snow

"Shut your mouth You whore, R-**** or no, You have shamed me this day in the eyes of the Trickster, be lucky that our engagement prevents me from killing you!" Eric snarled.

Aetri's smile did not falter, but his eyes did become darker, his hands, tied tightly behind his back, began to move in swift and subtle motions, fishing for the long but thin file that He kept hidden in his sleeve wraps.

Eric was red-faced when He turned back to Aetri, his almost boyish whiskers standing on end as Aetri chuckled slightly, the sharp edge of his lockpicking file beginning to slice away at the rope around his wrists.

They all stirred, clearly unsettled by Aetri's quiet laughter "W-What are You laughing at Outsider? Your Friends from the Uld or that freakish aunt of yours aren't going to help you now!" Eric growled, Hjal smiling wickedly, the oaf reassured by his ringleader's spite

"You really are stupid, Fehu, You think that just because You're not from our land that You can run around, **** and stealing from us, not even the Uld fully accept you, that's a dangerous game You're playing." The Blonde raider spat, Aetri sighed a little difficultly, the noose was very tight and He hated that name, but the rope wasn't long enough to snap his neck cleanly, he'd **** to ****... luckily it wouldn't come to that, his hands were free.

"Dangerous Games are the only kind I play, Hjal." Aetri spoke, his voice deep, dark, but knowing.

"Don't piss them off, Aetri, it will only egg them to go further," Bjorn warned, Eric, cackled, the braid in his dirty whiskers swaying as He drew his knife

"Oh I'm already egged on, what is the punishment for **** and **** In Britannia, Foreigner? wait! I remember My father telling me about one, for crimes against leaders right? treason I think it's called... How about a little reminder of home? Three word's, Hang. Drawn. Quartered. You're a dead man."

Aetri looked to Eric's hateful eyes, Hjal's cold eyes, Bjorn's remorseful eyes... and Kara's fearful eyes, and Aetri smiled, listening to the whistling wind, thinking of the snowflakes settling on the Branches above, clutching the File dextrously in his hands behind his back.

"You know Eric when the day of my **** finally comes, I'd be only so fortunate to have had my fill of drink, seduction, and Thievery ... But today... is not that day."

It was a stupid idea really, more risks then Lee or Crow would usually let him take, there is no way that He could have known if the stool could resist the weight of him jumping up on it, or if the rope or even the branch could take on his weight, but **** times, called for **** measures.

Aetri bounced off of the chair, his lightweight form flipping back as He pulled himself up the rope in a spinning arc, his foot colliding harshly with the Pine tree that he was tied too, making the great Pine quake from the ****.

Like a mini avalanche, the collective snowfall of two days, collapsed like a wrecking ball on the Skjal raiders, burying them deep as Aetri sliced in one swift motion at the rope, the cord separating cleanly as the Young Man fell safely on the low impact of the frosty grass.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Eric shrieked, the Oaf and his cronies, struggling in vain to unearth themselves from the heavy and partly frozen blanket of snow

"HEY! HEY! AETRI! DON'T LEAVE US HERE!" Bjorn pleaded, his scarred face already turning a little blue from the cold.

Aetri considered the group of struggling raiders for a moment, twirling his file around in his hands for a moment before tucking it back into his sleeve, prompting him to reach up to lift the snapped noose from his neck and swing it around with a casual air.

Hjal glared at Aetri as the Brown haired young man spun the noose around "You gloat all you want, Uld scum, wait until The Jarl hears of this!" He spat, though Aetri paid him no mind... He still had a moment or two if his estimate was right, all that fury was melting the Snow that covered Eric.

Well... better stop jesting around, time was of the essence, Aetri was too badly beaten to realistically fight all of them off without his Sword.

The Skjal raiders hissed and spat at him as He stepped past them, all save for one.

Aetri knelt down in the snow, seeing Kara's bright red face, buried up to the chin in the snow like the others, her left hand poking slightly out of the mound as Aetri stared down at Her and smiled "Time to make a decision, Kara." He whispered to the Girl, Her pretty face wrapped with conflict as Aetri placed the ring of the noose in her hand "It's either Them, or it's Me." Aetri said sternly, though his determination never faltered.

Kara frowned, her eyes moving to Eric who stared with utter hatred and contempt, before settling back on Aetri's bruised, but unrelentingly charming expression.

The Girl's hands gripped the Noose tightly, making Aetri grin deeper, darker, as He wretched up the rope, pulling the flaming haired girl out of the Snow and into his arms.

"K-Kara?" Eric was the Son of Jarl Jorgen, He was a tough guy, real tricky in a fight... but Aetri could tell that this was not a defeat that Eric was used to, his own 'Fiance' betraying him for his nemesis, Aetri almost felt bad...

"Kara was never his, to begin with." He reminded himself as He brushed snow off of Kara.

"Are You serious Woman!? We gave your filthy Outcast hide a home, My father allowed you to marry into the family, and You throw it back into my face, You'll get what You deserve for this you vermin!" Eric shouted, only to be silenced by the rampant rage in Kara's eyes, welling with the pent up frustration at Eric as she spat at his frozen form on the ground, quietly growling in Norn, the tongue of the Northmen.

"Shit on You. Shit on your clan, shit on your engagement... UGH shit on you!" Kara growled though she gasped as Aetri wavered slightly, looking like he might have collapsed had she not quickly moved to steady him "Aetri! stay with me!" She whispered, making the young man's eyes flickered back to focus, He was probably more injured than He expected, He could barely feel the chill on his legs as Kara pulled him through the snowy grassland towards the Hut's stable, where Kara took the liberty of stealing Hjal's mare, the two darting off on horseback just as Eric and his group was just tugging themselves free of the heavy snow that they had been entrapped in.

Aetri wasn't exactly conscious on the back of the saddle, despite Kara's harsh gallop through the frozen woods.

He drifted in and out of his painful sleep, his mind flickering absently to a place that He usually forgot when awoke, but his weaving in and out of his dreamscape allowed for some very memorable and slightly vivid images to spark in his mind.

Bright wings... earth-shattering roars and enough smoke to blacken the already shadowed sky, a Grand city scarred by an ungodly inferno... and... a Woman in white plate, carrying a Black flaming greatsword, accompanied by a symphony of screams.

"Ah!?" Aetri gasped and writhed as He awakened, the cold pinch of the stone beneath him and the painful ache of his bruised body being pressured upon

"Calm down, hey... easy." Kara's voice echoed around him, her warm face looking at Aetri who was laid flat on the floor of the icy cave that He recognised.

Aetri smiled though it pained him "Oh God, a little sentimental isn't it?" He wheezed, sitting up despite his ribs cracking as He did.

Kara cringed with annoyance, He never was one to stay still despite himself "It was the closest place I could get us to. Eric has gathered more of his cronies to hunt us, cut us off before we get to Uld... plus... I thought the good memories might make you feel better." Kara gave a pretty but sheepish grin, it had been a long time... He still remembered back to the old days, where he'd sneak off from Lee and Crow's training to meet up with her.

She was small and lonely looking back then, living rough in a selection of caves in the forest like this one, she was an outcast, driven out and hated by the Northern clan's thanks to her father. Being an outsider from Britannia barely accepted by the Uld himself gave them plenty in common.

Oh but Kara had grown since then, she was tall now, pale but Rosey in the cheeks, with a strong but warming smile, long hair that flowed down to her shoulders like a river of Aubrun-red... and by the Goddess Her body, you couldn't find a firmer pair of full breasts that begged to be pinched and groped to high heaven nor a rounder rear that giggled as she walked, carrying her humble but athletic frame-

"A-Aetri..." she whispered, her face not far from his as she bound his shoulder "What are you looking at?"

Aetri raised an eyebrow "Beauty, grace, strength, just to list a few..." she certainly liked that, flushing as she continued to wrap him up, but He continued "Listen, I know... how things went the last time we talked, but-"

Kara shook her head "It was my choice. I knew what the Skjal were like, I've been evading them all these years, evil bastards... I thought going with them would make you jealous, that having a place with bastards was better than no place at all, guess I've still not learned anything in all these years, huh?"

Aetri struggled to lift his arm, but managed to touch Kara's soft cheek "You came with me, that makes you smart in my books."

She chuckled "Well, I refuse to believe that You were in Skjal hall just to get caught... in the act, with me. Why did you come?" She asked though Aetri suspected that she already knew that answer.

"Another one of Black-Crow's tests, steal Jarl Jorgen's drinking horn out from under his nose. but I got a bit distracted as You well know-Agh," Aetri grunted, Kara tightly tying off his bandages

"Why am I not surprised, Why is it that Lee and Crow insist on sending you on these stupid missions, You could have gotten killed!" Kara never was a fan of Aunt Lee's gruelling training, nor Black-Crow's dangerous tests.

She stood, the dark furs on her tunic swinging as she paced "Look, I don't want to spark up another argument, but... One eye's Ravens, back in January you were bedridden after Lee's training and nearly mauled half to **** after Crow made you sneak through that Ice cat den--I mean how ridiculous is that!?" Oh goddess, here we go again...

Kara softened slightly, seeing Aetri's refusal to look at her, He couldn't tell her, He couldn't tell anyone, it was their business, just like Lee warned him, it would only put Kara in danger "You have to tell me, Aetri, You have to tell me why You let them put you through all this? You don't fight, You don't even defend yourself, You let those oafs beat the tar out of you... why?"

He stared a moment at her... maybe He could say something, just to ease her mind, He didn't want to lose her again, He truly didn't.

"Not a word, not a syllable, You can't tell anyone anything, not even your name. these people hunt for loose information like a hungry hound does rabbits, you need to swear to me that nothing will slip out, or you could put the person in question as well as every last one of us in danger. Swear to me, boy."

"I swear..." He whispered, lost in his memory

"You swear what?" Kara asked, clearly confused. Aetri looked up at Kara, noticing the worry on her pretty face and did the best He could to refute it with reassurance.

"I swear that I won't worry you anymore, it must have been hard to see me in pain, but I have everything under control." He grunted as He got up, staggering slightly to his feet to meet her eyes to eye "One of these day's I'll tell you why I'm going through this, but now all I can say is that should you choose to trust me, that You will not be plagued by fear of the unknown ever again." He prayed that she believed him, that it was enough to calm her fears... and by her softening expression, it did.

Taking his hand, she rested it on her soft chest, cultivating it lovingly as she drew in closer to him "You promise me?"

Aetri smiled "I swear it on the Goddess and the Trivium."

The Girl chuckled as He pulled her in even closer, looking up at his tall form with a subtle lust in her eyes as she touched along his bare chest "How can I be afraid, with my Knight in shining armour by my side."

He could smell the gooseberry perfume that she always liked to wear, see the shine of her lips and the smell of the mint that she chewed on her breath. Aetri let his hands slip down her slender hips, down towards her shapely ass which melted into his fingers as he squeezed.

Kara smiled as she bit her lip, nuzzling into his chest momentarily before homing in with her cherry red lips.