Page 41 of Daddy's Justice

“That was unbelievable!” I all but threw myself off of Winter’s back and into Forseti’s waiting arms. “I have to figure out how to mount and dismount him a bit more gracefully.”

“Do you have grace?” Forseti teased me. “I mean, you’ve tripped over your feet at least half a dozen times in just the day I’ve known you.”

“Ha ha!” I poked his chest. “I get that from my mom. She’s a klutz too.” I instantly sobered, remembering belatedly that my mom was not my mom. Not in the biological sense anyway.

Forseti must have noticed the change in my demeanor because he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist and pulled me close, kissing the top of my head tenderly.

“I am so glad you like Winter, little goddess.”

“I don’t like him, I love him! Thank you, Daddy.”

“You are so welcome. Although, all I did was bring him to you. Your family on Asgard has been taking care of him.”

The internal conflict raged again at the mention of family on Asgard. Family. Two of them. One there. One here. One I had never met, and one that raised me with love and support.

“He’s glorious, isn’t he?” Edda interjected into the conversation. I was sure she could hear the war battling in the form of thoughts in my mind.

“He is, he really is.” I petted his nose gently.

“You can get him to stop just by commanding it. He understands you. You are his owner, so he will listen to you above all others,” Kara said.

I turned toward Forseti, questioning. A beast that didn’t have to listen to the all-mighty Forseti? Could it be true?

“Aye, it is so,” Forseti confirmed. “Winter will listen to you. But, let me warn you, little goddess, you will be held responsible for your actions no matter if you are on or off of Winter’s back. Got me?”

“Yes, Daddy.” Of course, I understood him. That wasn’t my thought. I looked around, remembering that Edda could read my mind and forced my thoughts to change over to learning more about my abilities and less about my plan to find Loki. “Do you think we can practice sparring some more? It is rare when I have an opponent who is up to my ability.”

“I thought we would try something else,” Forseti said. “I have a small target range set up. I’d like to see how you do with your bow and arrows.”

“I’ve never used a bow and arrow before.” I hadn’t. Archery had piqued my attention at one point, but I had gotten distracted, and my old-fashioned father had assured me that it was much more a male endeavor than a female’s. When I pointed out the same could be said for martial arts training, he confessed, it wasn’t so much that I was a girl but that he was trying to protect me from the possible dangers associated with sharp metal tips flying at my head.

“Valkyries are all proficient with the craft,” Edda explained. “We even have an all-valkyrie led troop that has never been defeated.”

I could tell from how her chest jutted out that she was a member of the troop. She smiled at me, acknowledging my thoughts.

Kara came out of the house carrying an extra set of weapons and handed them to me. She showed me how to wear the bow quiver on my back and how to draw. Reaching the course, Forseti stood back and observed while Kara and Edda showed me the ropes. The first shot I fired hit the dead center of the bullseye, so did the second, and then the third. It was almost as if the arrows had a mind of their own. I pulled back, imagined the arrow striking the target, exactly where I wanted it to, just like Kara had instructed, and then as if by magic, it did.

“I haven’t seen one with this great of skill in a long while,” Forseti said, complimenting me with a long whistle.

“I am speechless,” Kara agreed.

“Coming from her, that is quite a compliment,” Edda added, and they all three laughed.

I laughed too, mostly out of surprise at my apparent skill, and also, quite simply, because they were. It was easy to feel at ease with them, as if I had known them my entire life, instead of simply a day.

“Let us try something else,” Forseti said, walking over to stand beside me. “I’d like to check out your speed and agility.” He pulled Edda aside and spoke to her in a hushed whisper before he approached me again. His thumb went under the tender skin on my chin and lifted my face toward him.

“Do you trust me?”

“What?”

“Do you trust me, little goddess?”

“Yes,” I said, and meant it. I shouldn’t, for he was a stranger. But, something inside of me told me to trust him and trust him I did.

“Good.” He leaned in and kissed me softly. “We are going to play a game, of sorts. You and Kara are going to run across the field, shooting at targets and see who can get the most bullseyes. Okay?”

“Is that it?” It seemed too easy.

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