Semper Invictus Ch. 02 - Quartered

"We have her and she is in good hands, Steve," he said. "I'll contact you when she's ready to come home."

"Thank you, Svan," I said.

...

The next 30 days were rough. For starters, I missed having Noei in the house. I had gotten used to her smiling face and her shapely form as she tended to her plants. I enjoyed our banter as we ate together or worked together. But with her gone, the place felt... empty.

I took care of her plants as best I could, following her directions as closely as possible. The last thing I wanted was for her to return to dead foliage. But I also had a job to do. There were six other creatures that had to be dispatched, and I had no backup, which meant I had to do things the old-fashioned way, the way I used to do before Noei came back into my life. Svan was a bit shocked when he saw my planned itinerary.

"Are you sure about this, Steve?" he asked. "This schedule is a bit... aggressive. You're close to breaking the Rule of Six here." The Rule of Six was a guide the Errnocht developed to keep operatives like me from getting too much exposure to temporal anomalies emitted by the beasts.

The idea was to ensure at least six days between encounters to let the body and mind heal. Yes, there were times the rule was broken, but only in situations when it couldn't be helped.

"I can handle it," I said.

"Listen, Steve, I know what you're trying to do here," Svan said. "I understand how you might feel. But there's no reason for this. We're not in a time of war. At least not yet. I want you to re-do this schedule. Add a couple extra days between encounters."

"But the victims," I began.

"Another few days won't make any difference at this stage, Steve, and you know it," Svan said. Thing is, I knew he was right.

"Okay, Svan, I'll reschedule," I said.

"Good," he said. "Run it by me when you have it finished." I reworked the schedule and submitted it to Svan, who reluctantly approved. I kept tabs on the creatures, who were now scattered across the country. Over the 30 days Noei was gone, I managed to eliminate four of them -- with extreme prejudice.

By the time I returned from my last trip, I was actually glad Svan made me revise my schedule. I was quite tired -- and not just from the time spent traveling. I finished my activity report and took a shower, hoping to relax for the rest of the evening. I had just popped open a beer when I got a notification of an incoming message.

I went downstairs and fired up the communications console. Soon, I was looking at Svan.

"Good news, Steve," he said. "We've completed Noei's preparation and we're getting ready to return her in just a few minutes."

"How is she?" I asked.

"She is doing quite well," Svan said. "And she's anxious to get back to you. Go easy on her for a day or two. Let her get adjusted back to your dimension. She's been in stasis for the last few days. You know how you feel after your regeneration periods."

"Got it," I said. "Anything else?"

"I know the two of you still consider yourselves married, but I might suggest you make it, er, legal. Just so there's a valid paper trail. Nothing fancy -- perhaps a quiet ceremony," Svan said. "I understand there's a pastor in Noei's family and they've always wanted to see their daughter get married in their back yard."

"Are you sure that's wise?" I asked.

"Given the reporting authorities of your current time, yes," Svan said. "Half a century ago, we might've been able to get around it. These days, it's not so easy. Look, you both have had a rough month. Take a couple weeks off, get some rest, have a bit of fun. Take her to Hawaii for a nice honeymoon."

"That actually sounds nice," I said. "I haven't had a real break in a hundred years or so."

"One last thing, Steve," Svan said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"I'm resetting your biological clock so the two of you can regenerate together," Svan told me. "I thought you might appreciate that."

"Yes, I do. Thank you, Svan," I said.

"You're welcome. Now, go upstairs and get ready to welcome your wife home," he said with a smile. We ended the connection and I rushed upstairs. When I got into the room, I saw a green flash as an orb appeared in one corner. There was another flash and Noei was back in the bed. When the orb disappeared, she began to stir. I took her in my arms and held her.

"Arte, is that you?" she asked as she wiped the sleep from her eyes.

"No dear, it's the milkman," I said jokingly. She laughed as she looked at me through half-closed eyes.

Oh, okay," she joked back. Soon, we were holding each other tight in the bed. It felt so good to have her back in my arms. We dozed off and woke up when the sun began to shine in the window. I helped her up and we did our morning business before going downstairs.

"Something's on your mind, Arte," she said over breakfast. "Talk to me, sweetheart." I held her left hand and looked at it before saying anything.

"Something is missing from this hand," I said. She looked at it, confused.

"Oh? What?" she asked.

"A wedding ring," I said. It took a few seconds for it to register what I had just said.

"You mean..."

"Yes," I said. "Will you marry me... again?" She smiled as she looked at me.

"You know I will, Arte," she said. "But why? We're already married."

"Yes we are, but not so far as the current authorities are concerned," I said. "And I hear your family has always wanted to see you get married in their back yard."

"You talked to Svan, haven't you?" she asked. I nodded my head.

"Yes," I said. "He says we can take a couple weeks, get married, go to Hawaii for a honeymoon. What do you think?"

"I think that's the best idea you've had since we woke up," she said. "Tell you what. I'll give Mom and Dad a call and get things set up. I love you so much, my Celtic warrior."

"I love you more," I said, giving her a kiss.

After we ate, she made the call and the rest, as they say, was history. Her parents were thrilled to know their daughter was getting married and insisted we fly out to see them. We packed for two weeks, and made sure we each had our transectors and tracking devices, just in case. We didn't expect any trouble, but figured it was best to be prepared.

Her parents met us at the airport in Colorado Springs and drove us back to their house, a rather large place that sat on five acres in the suburbs. I found her parents, Max and Diane, to be very nice and personable. Max was a lawyer who worked for a large firm in the nearby town and Diane worked in the administration office of the nearby college.

"So, Noemi tells me you're an investigator," Max said. That was the cover we had decided on before she contacted her parents.

"That's correct," I said.

"Anything interesting?" he asked.

"Well, other than an invasion of the space-time continuum by evil creatures, not really," I said in a joking tone of voice. Max laughed at that.

"A man with a sense of humor," Max said as he slapped my shoulder. "I like that. Come on inside. I'd like to introduce you to my mother. She's retired and needs a bit of help getting around, so we let her stay with us. You know, Noemi was named after her."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes. It's some kind of tradition. Never fully understood it myself," he said. I followed him into a large family room and saw an older woman in a chair. She looked very much like Noei when I first saw her in Noreia over two thousand years ago.

"Mom, Noemi's finance, Steve, is here," Max said.

"Please. Come closer, young man," the old woman said, holding out her hand. "My eyes aren't as good as they used to be." I walked up to the old woman and accepted her hand. She put her other hand on my face and I saw her expression change.

"Oh, my," she said quietly. "It's... you."

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"You came back. It's all true, isn't it?" she asked.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what you mean," I said.

"Something my grandmother told me just before she died," the old woman said. "An old family legend says that an ancient warrior would one day return to claim his rightful bride. And here you are."

"Oh mother. Please," Max said. "Not the old legend again." The old woman looked up at Max.

"Maximilian Schlager, have I ever been wrong about anything before?" she asked firmly.

"No, mother, you haven't," he said.

"Then kindly humor me this one time," she said. She leaned into my ear and whispered something. It was an old Noric blessing for long life and happiness, last spoken during harsh, brutal times when people didn't live much past 30 years of age. She spoke it in the old language and I felt a tear come to my eye. When she finished, she smiled and wiped the tear from my face.

"Do you understand, young Celt?" she asked. I nodded my head.

"Yes, ma'am," I said quietly. "Thank you."

"You have made an old woman very happy," she said. "And I understand it's not the first time." She looked at my fiance.

"Take care of this man, Noei," she said. "He's very special." I was surprised to hear her use the old name.

"I will, Nanna," Noei said. "I promise."

"Good," she said with a smile. "Well, Diane. Come, we have much work to do." With that, the women left the room. Max looked at me, stunned.

"I'm really sorry about that," he said. "By the way, what did she say to you?"

"It's an ancient blessing," I said. I could tell Max was confused, so I continued. "I'm a bit of an amateur historian. I've always been fascinated by ancient cultures."

"Ah, I see," Max said. "Well, thank you for humoring an old woman. She seems to like you."

"She seems to be a very nice woman," I said.

"Yes, she is," Max said. "Why don't we step into my parlor for a bit, get to know each other a little." We went into his "parlor" and he poured us each a small glass of whiskey.

"Bottoms up," he said, clicking his glass with mine.

"Nice," I said after taking a sip. "So, what's this about a legend?"

"It's something that's been passed down by the women in our family for many generations," Max said. "It's a silly little story, actually. Supposedly comes from the time of the old Celtic kingdoms. I've never put any stock in it myself."

"I like hearing old stories," I said. "What's it about?"

"Well, according to the story, there was a Celtic warrior who disappeared for many years," Max said. "His wife waited for him for some 30 years or more. He finally showed up, but by then, she was an old woman. He, on the other hand, hadn't aged a single day. How silly is that?"

"Yes, it does sound a bit silly," I said.

"Well, the legend has it that he held her in his arms as she took her last breath," Max said. "No one knows what happened to him, but the legend says that one day, he would return to reclaim his bride. It also says he would recognize a certain blessing."

"I've heard it said there's a bit of truth in nearly any legend," I said.

"Yeah, but who would recognize a blessing in a language that hasn't been spoken in two thousand years?" Max asked.

"Good question," I said.

"Yes. A very good question," Max said, giving me a look that suggested he knew more than he was telling. "And another question. Why would my mother refer to Noemi by the name of the woman in the story?"

"That is very curious," I said.

"That piece of jewelry on Noemi's arm," Max added. "It looks to be quite old. Where did that come from, by the way?"

"I picked that up in a shop overseas," I said. "I've had it for years and thought it would look good on her." Max nodded his head.

"Sounds plausible," he said. "It almost looks as if it was made for her. Strange, isn't it?"

"I can see your point," I said.

"Look, Steve. You seem like a really nice young man. My mother approves of you, and I can tell Noemi loves you. Don't take this the wrong way, son. I just want to know that she's in good hands."

"I love your daughter more than anything," I said. "I intend to spend the rest of my life with her."

"I hope so, son," he said. "She's my only daughter. And I don't want to see her hurt."

"Neither do I, Max," I said. "I'd be lost without her." He nodded his head.

"I'm glad to hear you say that, son," he said. "Welcome to the family," he added, raising his glass.

...

We didn't want anything fancy, and Noei's parents understood. Noei's younger brother, Karl, agreed to stand as my best man, and her uncle, Arnold, agreed to officiate the small ceremony. Somehow, the women managed to put together a nice ceremony in a very short period of time. They even got a wedding dress ready for Noei in record time. Her best friend from college, Linda Harrison, agreed to stand as her maid of honor.

Karl, Max and I got fitted for tuxedos. I offered to pay for everything, but Max wouldn't hear of it. Noei and I went to the county courthouse, jumped through all the hoops and secured our marriage license. I breathed a sigh of relief when they didn't ask for a birth certificate.

A week after we arrived, Noei, her family and I stood in their back yard as Arnold went through the ceremony. It was a bit anti-climactic after the whirlwind of activity that had taken place over that last week. Nevertheless, I was overjoyed when Arnold said, "you may kiss the bride." I lifted Noei's veil and took her sweet face into my hands before kissing her lips.

We all celebrated the wedding with song, drink, dance and of course, a wedding cake. When the celebration was over, I carried Noei upstairs, where we made mad passionate love. Later, we collapsed on the bed, exhausted from the day's activities. Our flight to Hawaii was set to leave the next day and we wanted to get a good night's sleep.

"What a day," I said.

"What a week," Noei replied.

"Tell me something," I said as I turned to face her. "Did your grandmother ever tell you about this legend?"

"No, she never did. She wanted to, several times. But Dad would never let her. Said it was just a silly fairy tale," Noei said. "Why do you ask?"

"I get the feeling she and your father know a lot more than they're letting on," I said.

"I'm sure Dad is just trying to look out for my best interests," she said.

"Of course," I said. "You know we still have two of those creatures to hunt down when we get back from Hawaii."

"Yes, I know," she said. "But right now, I just want to lay in your arms and forget about beasts and ancient legends for a little bit."

"I can understand that," I said. "It's been a while since I've had anything resembling a real vacation. You know, it feels so good to just lay here with you in my arms."

"Yes, it does feel good. Semper invictus, my husband," Noei said quietly as she snuggled into me. "Ours is a love that can never be defeated," she added when I looked at her, a bit confused. "Not even by death."

"I like the sound of that," I said as I kissed her face.

...

More to come... Stay tuned.