Satyr Play 04 Pt. 01

"My final thanks go to my best friend Sigrid, who took me in when I first escaped from the monster's captivity, gave me a home and a purpose, and asked for nothing in return. I am so happy to share my home with you for this most special event. The birth of a new generation of Valkyrie!"

Huge, thunderous applause from the Valkyries erupted, and the rest joined in.

When sanity returned, Mary whistled again, and Meixiu instructed people to get their plates and fill them at the tables.

Camila slipped up next to Henry and guided him to a table, and put a plate in his hands as she took the next one. Then she gently moved him with the gathering crowd to the line forming at the table.

"I want to make sure you eat. You missed lunch today, didn't you," she asked.

He realized he had and nodded in surprise. "You take too much onto those broad shoulders of yours. Your new abilities with magic seem to be consuming you. I'm very impressed that you've become so adept so quickly, but it is a little worrying as well."

He nodded. "It's almost like there's some form of compulsion to become proficient with magic in a short time," he said quietly, and Camila's eyes locked on his as her smile slipped away. He nodded and touched a finger across his lips. "I'm aware."

They moved a little closer to the table, and he noticed Camila was leaning against him a little more firmly. He hugged her, kissed her temple, and whispered into her hair. "Don't worry. It'll be okay. Soon."

She looked up at him with worry. "Soon?"

He just nodded with a smile. "We'll talk with Roy after the birthing ceremony." He frowned. "Uh, where is that supposed to take place anyway?"

Camila shook her head. "I'm not exactly sure. Outside apparently. Hilda said Valkyrie births are always outside."

Henry nodded, then noticed Camila had unconsciously wrapped her finger in his hair as she rested her left hand on his shoulder. He chuckled and gently tugged his hair by tilting his head.

She released his hair, and her face went a little red. She gently punched his arm.

It was finally their turn at the table, and Henry's eyes widened when he saw the variety of food available.

"This is incredible!" he gushed and saw happy faces smiling back at him. So many people had contributed to the meal. Henry would have to come back for seconds and thirds to get to try most of the dishes.

Sigrid was passing by on her way to her table, and her plate was piled high. "Shut up! I'm eating for two!" she pouted at Camila's grin.

They finished loading their plates and went back towards their table. Henry stopped a few times along the way to talk to his friends and confirm all was good. Finally, Camila got him seated next to Sigrid, who'd already made it halfway through her meal. Camila sat on his other side.

Sigrid reached over and plucked a chicken wing from Henry's plate. "These are really good!" she said after she took a big bite of it.

"Hey! I only had one of those!" Henry complained.

"Don't be a cry baby," she teased.

He stuck his tongue out at her, and she giggled.

Henry set his attention to his plate as he discovered he was really hungry.

Camila rested her left hand on Henry's leg under the table, but he noticed she was just doing it for comfort. He realized it might have been premature to let her know. He was sorry he worried her.

He managed to finish his plate just as Sigrid finished her meal. They got up for seconds, but Camila just waved her hand to indicate she wasn't ready. Sigrid cleared her plate into the waste bin and rejoined the line, which was shorter this time. Henry stepped behind her once his plate was empty.

He spotted Aadiya and Mahali sitting with Layla and Felicia. The twins were watching the two girls very closely and mirroring their gestures and mannerisms. Henry worried this might not be the best situation. Laughter from a nearby table drew his attention away.

"Do you think your Valkyrie friends are having a good time?" he asked as he realized the warriors had joined the tables with Tish's family instead of clustering all together.

"We're a gregarious bunch. I'm sure they'd be even more delighted if there was wine, beer, or hard liquor available, but I let them know we're alcohol-free this weekend," Sigrid said.

Henry nodded. "Camila told me the birthing ceremony will be outside."

Sigrid nodded as she plucked a few more chicken wings from a tray. Henry stole one from her plate, making her squeak and attempt to get it back, but he successfully blocked her hand. She replaced the missing wing with another from the tray and stuck her tongue out at him.

"So... the gazebo or on the front driveway?" he continued.

She huffed then looked around in embarrassment. "I don't know. Apparently, I'll just know and go there. It could be in the woods. It's instinctive."

He looked at her in surprise. "Huh! That's fascinating!"

"Shut up," she pouted.

He smiled. "What? The big bad Valkyrie doesn't like being pushed around by her own biology?"

She turned and leaned her forehead against his as she looked into his eyes. "Exactly!"

He kissed her and got a hand under her plate before it slipped from her fingers.

She blinked as she returned from the kiss. She bit her lip gently as she collected herself. She glanced down and took a grip on her plate once more.

Then she stole the chicken wing back from Henry's plate.

"Wha—I saved you from dropping your plate, and you steal from me?" he gasped quietly in mock outrage.

She looked down her nose at Henry with a little smile on her lips. "A dropping almost caused by you and your naughty lips."

"Oh! I'll show you naughty lips!" he growled playfully.

Roy stepped between them to reach for a dinner roll. "Less dinner theatre and more dining," he grumbled.

Henry and Sigrid glanced at the tables and saw most eyes were turned their way. Instantly their faces flushed with embarrassment.

Henry grabbed another wing from the platter and another portion of lasagna as Sigrid headed back to the table.

As he left the buffet table, he saw Kristie looking at his plate and smiling. He raised a brow in question.

"You like the lasagna?" she asked.

"I love the lasagna! Did you make it?" he asked, and she nodded. "It's delicious! Best I've had," he gushed, and she chuckled happily as she nodded to him, accepting his compliments.

"And the wings?" a voice said from behind him. He turned to see Steph looking up at him with a hopeful expression.

"They are incredibly good! Quite possibly addictive and definitely the root cause of the upcoming battle between the Valkyries over the last one," he teased.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, then burst into giggles.

Two nearby warriors heard Henry's statement about the wings running out and immediately leapt to their feet to rush the table to get more.

Henry leaned closer to Steph to whisper. "See!"

She smiled up at him and trembled. Her voice failed her, so she just nodded. He smiled and continued back to his table. He lifted his fork to fend off Sigrid's encroachment and missed seeing Camila lift a wing from his plate.

He looked down, then his head whipped around to stare at Camila in shock as she nibbled the wing. Sigrid burst into laughter as her mother watched her happiness with a loving smile.

Camila smiled victoriously with the spicy-sweet barbeque sauce on her lips.

Henry dipped his face to hers and cleaned the sauce away with the tip of his tongue. Camila felt that zing from her lips to her intimate areas and gasped.

"Damn good wings," Henry said with a pleased smile as he turned back to his plate. He had to fuel his big body, after all.

Dinner was filled with laughter, excellent food, great conversation, and anticipation for Henry's big surprise. Felicia was first to wander by Henry and drop a subtle hint that she could keep a secret if he wanted to tell her. He just chuckled.

Henry spotted Raymond and Eleanor King arriving and Meixiu jumping up to greet them. He wiped his mouth and joined them by the entrance.

"Merry Christmas, Henry!" the Kings said in unison, and he shook Raymond's hand and dipped forward to kiss Eleanor's cheek.

"Could I speak with you three upstairs for a second?" he asked, and they all nodded with a curious look.

He led the way up to the formal living room where they could be alone and turned to face them with a smile.

"We're busy stuffing our faces with a magnificent meal Meixiu and others prepared for us, and she doesn't get to partake in it. I thought it only fair to offer you a meal as well," Henry said.

"It never stops feeling both strange and charming to be offered a meal," Eleanor said with a bashful smile. "Thank you so much for your generosity," she said as Henry raised his left wrist to her.

She took a drink and healed the spot. "Ooo! I think I'd better sit for a moment. I have a bit of a head rush."

Raymond helped her sit, then accepted Henry's left wrist as well. He took his meal and trembled after he licked the spot to close the bite. He thanked Henry then carefully sat next to his wife. She leaned against his shoulder.

"Best. Christmas. Ever," she sighed. Raymond chuckled.

Meixiu approached Henry, and he wrapped her in his right arm, pulling her back to his chest as he lifted his wrist to her mouth. She kissed the soft skin there first. "Thank you, Henry." She drank.

After, Henry sat the sleepy woman in the chair across from the couple and kissed her tenderly. He turned to the Kings. "When you feel up to it, please join us. The kids are doing light show presentations after the meal." They nodded, so he headed back to the cavern and rejoined his table.

Near the end of the meal, he added a medium-sized flame orb by the cavern wall waist-high, and Michelle added a strand of silk from it to the nearby lowest strand that supported the large fireballs. He turned to the tables.

"Hello! Can I have your attention, please!" he called out loudly to be heard above the Valkyrie's laughter. Heads turned in his direction. "Just a heads up, we're going to let the kids do some light shows with the overhead orbs. I'll add a light to each table to ensure you can see each other and see your desserts." He noticed the food trays were being replaced on the table with new trays of cookies, cakes, and pies.

Henry walked from table to table, touching the edge and tethering a softball-sized orb of white flame that floated to the center and hovered two feet above the surface. He greeted the people at each table, and the Valkyries were always surprised by his little magic trick. The Kings were impressed as well.

He spotted Talia, and she still had her red orb resting on her shoulder. It cast its light against her red hair, making it glow. She smiled at him with a nod.

He had to pause by the dessert table to end a squabble and inform Aadiya and Mahali that Dotty's coconut squares were for everyone. Dotty was deeply flattered and let them take three each. They thanked her and rushed away with their treats.

Once all the tables had a glowing centerpiece, Henry gave the signal, and Layla touched the wall-mounted orb with her eyes closed. Starting at the lowest one and working their way up, the large flaming ball popped into a shower of sparks, which fell amongst the diners. The audience was suitably impressed, and all of the lights came back to full brightness once the show was done. The gathering applauded for Layla, and she bowed with a broad smile.

Felicia was next and stuck to what she knew. Each of the large globes became a big red heart from bottom to top, with each pulse sending a shower of smaller red hearts floating down to the tables. More applause for the girl, and she skipped away happily.

Each of the kids did their best, and Henry was very proud of Tommy's effort, which had all of the orbs become large blue water drops at once with rain falling on the tables below. There was a round of applause for all of the kids once they'd all had their turn, and suddenly Sigrid appeared at Henry's elbow with a frantic look on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing. I-I know where I need to be!"

He waited, but she just looked at him. Hilda walked up to her with a concerned expression. "Sigrid, you have to say it out loud."

"EDEN!" she shouted as her body trembled. Henry's eyes widened at her intensity.

"Where's Eden?" Hilda asked.

"Now!" Sigrid said, and Eleanor rushed over to join them with Dayshia at her heels.

Henry faced the crowd, who were now all on their feet. "This wasn't exactly how I was going to do this, but my surprise for everyone is a trip to another dimension... if you want to join us." At Sigrid's tightened grip, he turned and walked deeper into the cave.

"Aadiya! Mahali!" Henry called out, and moments later, they dropped down in front of him, having flown over the others.

"We're going to Eden. I need you two on sky patrol." Henry instructed, and they hopped up and down excitedly with wide grins.

"Henry! Where are we going?" Sigrid asked desperately. "Can't you just open a tear?"

He shook his head. "Not for this many people! Don't worry. We're here."

Henry reached forward and touched the rock wall before them, and it disappeared. A short corridor appeared before them with a set of heavy wooden doors at the end. He released Sigrid's hand and added light orbs to the walls. He turned back to the crowd in the hall. "What you are about to see is quite possibly the most sensitive secret on the planet. Keep it to yourself. Don't tell anyone." At Sigrid's frantic look, he turned, closed his eyes, grasped the handles, and launched the spell. The crystals in the wall behind the doors flared to life and glowed iridescently. He pulled the doors open, and behind them was a field of tall red grass.

Sigrid cried out in relief and surged forward, but not before Aadiya and Mahali shot through the door and leapt into the sky, hunting for ribbon creatures.

Henry looked over his shoulder at the doors, which appeared to be embedded in a flat rock face that rose another ten feet before becoming a wooded hill. He anchored two flame orbs to the rock on either side of the doors then felt his hand gripped by Sigrid.

She immediately began marching then toward the small rise in the distance where they'd conceived their child.

Hilda, Eleanor, and Dayshia were directly behind them. The Valkyries were coming out of their state of stunned awe and were beginning to hustle to catch up a short distance back. Further back, Roy and Mary were guiding the families inside.

Sigrid tugged his hand, and he saw she was tiring, so he scooped her into his arms and began to run.

They crossed the field as Henry's powerful legs pounded the ground between big strides. He carried her to the spot they'd enjoyed each other in the grasses.

"A little further," Sigrid said with her eyes closed.

He slowed, but he knew where they were going. He stopped before the tree as Sigrid opened her eyes with a relieved smile. "Yes. Here."

Henry's heart was in his throat, so he couldn't tell her the significance of this spot for him. Once he got control again, he realized he needed to keep it to himself. This spot was special to Sigrid for her own reasons and should remain so.

Hilda landed and knelt next to Sigrid. "How are you doing, sweetpea?"

Henry looked at Sigrid in delight. "Sweetpea? I love it!"

She pouted, but he could see the smile in her eyes. She looked to her mother. "It's time."

Eleanor finally caught up, but Dayshia was still a way out.

"I'm going to go get Dayshia," Henry said to Sigrid, who nodded.

He ran down the slope and charged across the field of red grasses. Dayshia stopped moving when she saw him returning so she could catch her breath. He reached her and immediately scooped her into his arms, and headed back at a run.

"Is everything all right?" she asked.

"Yes, it's just time, so Sigrid says," Henry answered.

They looked up as the Valkyries flew by overhead. Looking to the skies to their left, Henry saw Aadiya and Mahali ripping a medium-sized ribbon creature to shreds. They only needed to do that once to make all ribbons in a ten-mile radius make themselves scarce. The twins would be returning shortly.

Henry set Dayshia down on her feet then moved to Sigrid. "What can I do?" he asked.

"Nothing! This is a Valkyrie rite!" Hilda scolded, and he frowned at her.

Sigrid smiled up at him. "Stay close." He nodded to her and moved to stand by Eleanor and Dayshia. The Valkyries had all landed fairly close and were either watching Sigrid with intense concentration or were casting their eyes around this strange new world with its red vegetation and orange sky.

Hilda was kneeling between Sigrid's bent knees as she watched the baby's birth progress, speaking soft instructions to Sigrid, who was doing her best.

Henry looked back across the field and saw a group containing Camila, Tish, and many of her siblings and their spouses making their way closer. A second group, mostly the kids, remained close to the doorway. The kids seemed to be having fun running around in the red grasses.

Sigrid lifted her hand in his direction, and he immediately knelt next to her and took her hand. He felt how low her energy levels were getting. This was taking too much out of her. He gently pushed the Wild Magic into her body. It was much harder for him to do it here as the rift wasn't under pressure. He realized he could implement a stronger control on his rift if he did it here. That was a thought for later. For now, Sigrid needed energy, so he gave her as much as he could.

"That's better, sweetpea! Keep pushing! The head is crowning!"

Sigrid's wings suddenly extended, and their brilliance, powered by Henry at the moment, exploded across the field.

Henry squinted as he could see Hilda doing something, then he heard a slap and a baby's howl of shock and outrage. Hilda turned and held the baby up for all of the gathered Valkyrie to see.

"Born this day on a world none of her kin has ever seen, behold the wonder of Ylva Gunderan! Vow your shield to defend and your spear to avenge!"

An enormous battle cry rolled over the hillside. The gathered Valkyrie were suddenly in the battle armor, banging sword, hammer, or spear against their shields as they raised their voices to the heavens, unfamiliar as they were.

Henry watched this in shock, then looked to Sigrid, who looked exhausted. "Put your wings away, Sigrid," he said as he gently touched her tummy. He froze and looked down as he felt something pushing back.

"Uh, Hilda?" he asked, but she was walking down the slope to show off her new granddaughter when he looked.

He looked to Eleanor. "Help?"

She and Dayshia rushed to his side. "What's wrong?" the surgeon said.

"I think she has another baby!" Henry said and looked to Dayshia. "What do you see?"

The woman's eyes flashed softly. "Yes! Another baby! Uh, it's breech."

Sigrid moaned. "Henry, I cannot..."

He was getting worried as she was seriously weakening. "It's okay, sweetpea—Ow!" He held his ear as it stung from Sigrid's slap.

"Only mother calls me that..." she sighed and winced.

He kissed her hand as his mind raced. Baba had no useful spells as they all ended up with someone dying. He needed to get the baby turned head down then out of Sigrid, but no one would be strong enough to reach inside a Valkyrie—

He looked to Eleanor. "Get Sandy here, now!"

The surgeon turned and raced down the hill as fast as her Vampire abilities allowed her to move. Henry saw her meet the blonde then they were both running back at high speed, Eleanor towing and Kesini keeping Sandy on her feet.

By now, their actions finally caught Hilda's attention, and she was returning with the baby in her arms and a concerned look on her face.