Chapter 5 Bjorn Beowulf

The sky had been cloudy the morning they set for Orion, the late afternoon they arrived, and the early evening she set foot on the wide streets of the Grime clan. This led to Mel wondering if the sun ever rose in this part of Orion.

Mel was faced with a large domed concrete structure and she faltered behind Eustace. Anna was standing at the closed entrance of the building and her mood visibly brightened when she caught sight of Mel.

Other servants moved around, carrying whatever luggage from the caravan into the building. From the corner of her eyes, Mel could catch sight of the peeping masses through the surrounding homes, along with passers-by bold enough to linger out in the streets and stare at Mel with rapt attention and excitement.

Mel blushed, not used to all the attention at a go. Anna hugged Mel to her side and gingerly urged her into the building. Eustace walked in after them and paused almost immediately. From the floor to the walls, to the spiralling staircase leading upstairs and underground, a round polished wooden hall swallowed her whole. Her eyes widened. She had never seen so much of a wooden surface. The ship cabin had been small, but a hall of this magnitude was so immense, that Mel was dazed.

There were no windows in the interior of the structure, but soft white light from glowing crystals embedded into the domed ceiling beamed off the polished wooden surfaces in a pure white sheen.

Mel's low expectations before Eustace explained the underground to her had been thwarted by the dazzling interior. If this was how the buildings alone were, she wondered how the structures underground would be. Then again, what were those crystals? They were nothing like she had seen before, not even in the noblest houses she had visited in Sprite.

"No words can express how much it pleases me to see you this happy," Eustace whispered at her ear and Mel snapped out of her reverie, the blood rushing to her cheeks in embarrassment.

She had been openly ogling the building like some peasant! As if she had never seen beautiful things before.

She spluttered, "It's-I-"

A heavy footfall caught everyone's attention, Mel included. It sounded like a step made to purposely announce the new arrival.

Mel looked up and her eyes stopped on the huge figure standing on one of the steps. A heavy fur coat draped an immense build. A build far more domineering than Enmel's. And Enmel was one of the tallest and largest men she had seen among the Orion so far.

A gloved hand extended from broad shoulders to rest on the handrail of the staircase.

Mel couldn't see his face clearly from the wide distance, but he was close enough for her to make out a well-set face, striking white hair, and sharp blue eyes.

There was a stillness in the air and Mel's heart caught in her throat. He was staring right at her. He held her gaze for so long that she felt the air being sucked out of her chest. Catching her breath she looked away, clasping her hand to her chest.

"Bjorn," Eustace called out, a tense smile on her lips as she walked to the bottom of the staircase.

The man took slow steps down to meet his mother, the heels of his heavy boots echoing off the wooden floorboards of each step. Mel hadn't heard him coming from the top earlier, or had she been too engrossed in her sightseeing to notice any other presence in the room?

A frightened Anna stood beside Mel, rigid. Her hold on Mel's arm tightened a little bit.

Mel's heart thundered. She didn't know what to feel. The only thought that ran through her head was that this was him. Her husband-to-be. She couldn't decipher his age from the long distance but the brief encounter was enough to tell her that he didn't carry the demeanour of someone within her age range.

It then dawned on her that it hadn't occurred to her to ask just exactly who she was to wed.

He stopped right in front of Eustace, towering over her. There was noticeable displeasure deep-set in his turned-down lips.

'Wait. She had said we would get here before him. Unless he came earlier than usual...' Mel pondered.

Eustace's smile only evened out to a genuine one and she reached out to pat his cheek. The grown man squeezed his eyes shut and his facial features eased as a relieved sigh escaped him. The displeasure in his face was gone.

'What was that all about?' Mel mentally asked herself, her feet glued to the floor.

He raised his head and turned towards Mel. She flinched as he walked towards her. His steps were agile for such a large build, and he walked which such grace unexpected from a were-beast.

Bjorn stopped right in front of her. Anne stepped back, leaving her lady defenceless in front of the domineering figure.

Mel stood transfixed, staring at the dashingly handsome features of the were-bear. He had a defined jawline complemented by a dizzying shad of silver-blue eyes which was further highlighted by the presence of well-set cheekbones.

His jaw was dotted with a film of hair and a stubble moustache showed signs of regrowth.

To Mel's surprise, he looked little to nothing like his mother!

Bjorn politely offered her his hand. "Welcome."

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Mel went to bed early that evening, not just exhausted from the trip, but disrupted by an entirely new feeling.

She never saw Bjorn again for the rest of that evening, but she could clearly recall the shivers that ravaged her whole being at the sound of his voice. A light shiver coursed every surface of her skin and she tightened the covers around her. The fur of the bed covers did little to nothing to alleviate the strange sensation.

She could remember the silken white strands of his hair, cut short at the nape of his neck. They hadn't seemed that impressive until he had stood before her. The way his eyes studied her made her giddy. The memory of his deep, rich voice enveloped her with a vague warmth.

Her heart ached. She had maybe expected her future husband to be fair-looking, but not this...

Mel sat upright, unable to sleep from her burning cheeks. What was wrong with her? She had to get a hold of herself!

She slapped her hands to her cheeks and winced at the stinging pain in both of them. Her palms remained glued to her cheeks, but the sting couldn't ebb the emotions brewing within her.

She knew this feeling all too well. It was nothing new. She had been attracted to a few nobles from back home but had never had such a striking encounter. There had literally been nothing special with Bjorn's greeting and here she was, abashed like a maturing child.

Mel closed her eyes in the dark and took slow steady breaths to calm herself down. It worked, but just a bit. Eustace had taken her into other chambers of the dome. She would have loved to see the underground, but her fascination had shifted somewhere else upon meeting Bjorn.

Thoughts of him filled her head ever since then. Focusing on Eustace's introduction into Bjorn's abode had been a struggle. The man was in the same structure as her. Was her underground or above ground? It was a useless question but it bugged her at the moment.

"No. No. No." She vigorously shook her head and laid back down. "I need to sleep. I can't behave like this."

She recalled Eustace saying something about wedding preparations.

Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

Mel shifted and the exhaustion took over her excitement. The young woman eventually drifted off to sleep, tossing and turning all the while as her consciousness left her.

___________________________

Bjorn strode into his study, with Eustace right behind him. She closed the door and stood near the entrance, a deep gratifying sigh escaping her lungs.

"You're home early," she finally said.

Bjorn didn't answer her at first. He took off his fur coat in a fluid stroke and placed it on the chair at his desk. He looked at the wall, taking off his leather gloves and flinging them with a smack on the wooden table.

He pulled off the second light jacket on him to reveal a short dark tunic shirt. Bjorn lifted his head and drew in a lengthy intake of breath. He rubbed the back of his neck, his other hand planted on his hip.

"We had this talk," he grumbled, turning around to face his mother.

"Yes, we did," Eustace calmly replied, stalking forward to ease herself into the chair facing Bjorn's table. "And you never followed through."

His jaw flexed, an annoyed frown taking over his features. "I said more time was needed-"

"Time." Eustace shook her head and slapped her hands on the armrests of the chair. "Bjorn. For how many years? I understand you have been busy taking up your duties after your father, but you are breaking the one promise your father laid down."

"Promise?" Bjorn scowled. "That was utter foolishness. Not even great-grandfather approved. Introducing a rule into the tablets out of spite..." He pointed at the door, emphasising each word he spoke, "That wo-" he shook his head "-girl shouldn't even be here." Eustace's face wrinkled up in offense and she opened her mouth to speak to Bjorn but he continued, "This affects all of us. She isn't even from a decent clan so what do we gain? Absolutely nothing!"

"Bjorn!" Eustace sprung to her feet.

"No." He rested his hands on the table and leaned forward. "Despite our agreement to wait, you still went ahead to bring her here. I leave for a few weeks and you've already shipped off to Urn to bring her over."

"An agreement?" Eustace's brows shot up. She crossed her arms across her chest. "Are we really talking about an agreement here, Bjorn?"

He frowned and tensed. His mother may have a smaller figure but she had an imposing constitution that not even his father could fight against. One of the very reasons Mel's family had been spared.

Eustace shook her head, disappointed. "You, my boy, are the one who kept pushing and pushing and pushing this agreement from time to time. Promises to bring the poor girl over years back turned to 'we will do it the following week' or 'we will do it when she comes of age until it got us to where we are now.

"She was supposed to have been here long before she was of age so she would have been raised in the proper way befitting of a Grime heir, but the moment your father passed away, you deemed it unnecessary, offering your selfish 'sympathy' for the woman to be closer to her family."

Bjorn's eyes narrowed at his mother's words, unable to deny the truth in them, but she didn't stop there. "Need I remind you how disappointed I was to learn of all the interactions you made the with Urn head nit once did you make mention of the union and you shunned the man the second instance he brought it up, how is any of that proper?!"

"I would have appreciated it if you had told me of what you were about to do-"

"What?" Eustace grumbled. "So you can push it off again? I don't believe you even have a choice in the matter after all the postponing you have done. Even if your father made that promise in an unsuitable state it doesn't change the fact that it has been set in stone and agreed upon... or do you really want to blame a woman who had no hand in any of this?"

" No." Bjorn straightened and sat down, resting an elbow on the armrest of the chair and placing his chin on his raised hand. Cocking his head slightly to the side, he regarded his mother. "I won't complain, but need I remind you that I also am affected by this."

"Says the man who doesn't get to leave his home," Eustace snapped and a gentle frown coursed Bjorn's features. As much as he hated it, she had a point. "That young woman felt so distraught about leaving, but she did it anyway. Imagine how it was so hard for me to tell her her parents wouldn't be attending the ceremony." She eyed him. "The ceremony, Bjorn. When will it be?"

He stared at her for a while before washing his hand absentmindedly. "I won't press any further, so whenever you see fit."

"Tomorrow night-"

"Too soon!" Bjorn cut in with a worrying glance. "For her at least, she just arrived here. Push it till the week's end."

"That's-"

"That's just in three days," Bjorn mumbled. "That should give her enough time to be accustomed to our domain."

His mother narrowed her eyes at him.

"What?" he questioned.

"Nothing," she answered. "You're awfully compliant all of a sudden."

"While I am in no rush to marry, you gave me quite a scare when you left with one of my ships to bring her here during my absence. I didn't like it," he finished with a growl.

It had truly irritated him to learn of Mel's arrival, but he had been unnerved when he finally met her youthful countenance. She had appeared far too young for his liking. And she was so small. Along with her naive look, would she even have the strength or even be capable of handling some of the affairs of the clan?

The way she even carried herself... was she lacking in any pride?

"Still doesn't explain the fact that you withheld such information from the Urns," Eustace's words broke the train of his thoughts. His eyes flicked from the table to his mother as she kept talking, "If you wanted it postponed, you could have kept reminding them with the same ease you did with me. You can't speak of me doing such a thing behind your back when you deceived me all this time."

Bjorn grunted.

Eustace's face mellowed and she walked to the door. "I don't want to bring this up as you're a grown man and all... but Lori has moved on, it's time for you to do the same."

Bjorn's brows drew down in a hardened glare. "Do not mention her name," he warned, drawing out each word. "That was decades ago. She has no relevance in this issue."

Eustace sighed and opened the door slightly. "I hope that isn't the case," she said without looking at him and leaves the study, closing the door behind her.

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Mel stared at the mirror in a daze, with Annie attending to her hair. Eustace had arrived with some maids to further furnish the guest room and add a vanity for Mel. The young woman had thanked Eustace for the help and when the maids had helped her into an Orion attire, Annie had stayed behind to help her mistress take care of her.

As she ran the large brush down the smooth waves of Mel's dark hair, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in the odd silence of the chamber. Mel would usually be relaxed at the soft strokes flowing through the strands of her hair, and her eyes would be closed, on the near verge of falling asleep.

But this time... it was different.

Mel's eyes weren't just open, they stared at her reflection in a far-off gaze. Her mind wasn't in the present, and it was far from Annie's comforting brooding of her hair.

Annie did not want to admit what she had noticed the previous evening, but now that she was seeing her mistress in full focus... Mel was smitten with that man.

"Annie," Mel whispered, and Annie flinched as her concentration was broken. The brush fell to the floor.

"Please, excuse me!" Annie piped, bending to retrieve the fallen brush. She shifted to Mel's side at the vanity and replaced the brush with another.

"Did you see him?" Mel kept staring at the mirror, as if oblivious to Annie's mishap.

Annie paused and stared at Mel, holding the handle of the brush with both hands to her chest. "My lady..." she eventually whispered.

Mel straightened and faced Annie with a startled glance. "Oh, forgive me. I'm not myself." She turned back to the mirror, angling her head from side to side to admire Annie's handiwork. She touched her cheek. "I must have made a fool of myself too yesterday. The lord greeted me and I didn't return the favour..." her brows creased upwards with worry.

'That should be the least of your worries,' Annie was about to say, but she stopped herself. Giving Mel more cause for worry would be the last thing she would ever do. Annie didn't want to trouble her mistress, and she doubted it would be a good idea to tell Mel her troubled thoughts.

After all, it had been sad enough for her to depart from home and leave her family. It would be unwise to dash whatever faint hope the young woman had in Grime.

"Everything will be fine, my Lady," Annie said instead, stepping back to peruse her handiwork.

Mel shifted on the stool and faced Annie, a warm smile spread across her lips. "Thank you, Annie. Your words give me such comfort." She looked back into the mirror. "I wonder if I'll get to see him today."

"I-I don't know, my Lady," Annie whispered. "He might be busy."

"Ah. You're right." Mel stood and stalked to the bed, the right glow of the crystal lights embedded in the wooden ceiling lit up the lofty chamber, leaving a healthy sheen on Mel's hair.

Annie arranged the instruments at the vanity and her mind wandered. She had seen Bjorn Beowulf just as her lady had, but the only thing was that their perspectives varied. And oh, was it different. Annie couldn't understand what Mel found pleasing about that man, but it had been through a rose-tinted lens. A fearful chill ran through the maid and she clenched her fists on the furniture. She had cowered at the monster's presence and she had felt the maternal instinct to drag her mistress away from him.

No matter what praises Mel had given this man, his eyes had been anything but welcoming. The annoyance in them spoke volumes and his size... Oh, the size of that man. Would her lady really be alright?

Annie muttered a silent prayer only to be interrupted by a sudden knock. Mel faced the direction of the door and Annie stepped forward to open it when it was pushed forward, nearly smacking the startled maid in the face.

"Oh! I am so sorry about that!" A young exuberant woman peeped in, her hazel eyes wide as she directed an apologetic glance at the both of them. "Are you alright?"

"Ye-yes," Annie mumbled, her hands clasped to her beating chest. This stranger had given her a fright.

"Do I know you?" Mel spoke up, slightly annoyed and puzzled at the same time at the way this woman had barged in. She had just knocked and came in without even waiting for a response. Even if she happened to be sent by Eustace, it was still inappropriate. Not even Eustace came into the chamber anyhow no matter how many times the woman visited her.

The tall woman straightened and cleared her throat, an embarrassed smile on her lips. "I sincerely apologize for the intrusion." She closed the door behind her and directed a short bow in Mel's direction. "I was so excited to meet you, I didn't consider how inappropriate my action right now must have been."

"Oh." Mel stood still, no longer annoyed, but baffled instead. What was she supposed to do next, and who exactly was this woman. Her ruffled dress was an earthy brown, dotted with golden embroidery that seemed too lavish for a servant. The maids Mel had encountered were few, and none of them were this well dressed. Neither did they have beautiful hair braided and adorned with golden rings and ornaments.

Or was she related to the clan head? His sister perhaps? Mel realized Eustace had never mentioned the existence of another child of hers.

'No. She would have while showing me around the building.'

"And you are...?" Mel questioned.

She stepped towards Mel and grabbed her by the hand, startling the young woman. The newcomer beamed, her cheeks a rosy tinge as her brown eyes gleamed in excitement.

"My name is Lori, my lady. It is an honour to finally meet you."