191 CHAPTER 191(Happy Anniversary)

Please read the author's notes. (Examples and explanation of moves and appearance+ Monster Sources)

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pat.treon:/Keanu_Eugene

CHAPTER START---

"Are you still pouting about that?" Freya asks.

Sitting in a fancy carriage wearing a long blue gown she plays with the ring on her finger. Across from her sits Yang Shen, wearing a formal tux with a blue undershirt to match her gown, currently looking out the window with a bored expression as they approach Ganesha's familia home.

"I'm not pouting," Yang says.

"Yes, you are, try to lighten up and at least enjoy the gala."

"Neither of us like parties so that's easier said than done," Yang argues.

With a slight frown, Freya shakes her head, "your Chaos Mark rejected the Grimoire's influence and destroyed it before you could get any new magic, but that doesn't mean you'll never have a third spell. It'll just take time...maybe this is for the best."

"Excuse me?" Yang's head snaps to look at the goddess, "what do you mean 'for the best'?"

"All I'm saying is maybe it's better to just take things a bit slower, that's all. Your third magic will appear eventually," she says.

"Or it could have appeared yesterday and solved The Bug Jar problem."

"Well, I'm glad it didn't!" Freya says. Lips moving before she could stop them.

A deafening silence fills the carriage as they look at each other.

"What do you mean?" Yang asks in a somber voice.

"What do you really expect from me?" She releases a deep breath, calming herself down and showing a more tired side of her. "Do you want me to cheer every time you reach a new floor? To get excited at the thought of a new and powerful magic to help you?"

"What's so wrong about being happy for me?" Yang asks, completely missing her point. "The sooner I'm done the sooner I can get back to my family, that's all."

"And the sooner you can leave me, right?" Her questions completely shut him up. The most powerful man in the world leans back into his seat without an answer as she continues. "Every step you take into new floors means you're that much closer to being ready to leave, and I never want that to happen. I gave you my word I wouldn't interfere with your adventure but...that doesn't mean I need to be happy about it."

"Freya... it's not that simple, you kn---"

"No, I don't know that!" She almost growls as she gives him a hateful glare. "I can't make sense of it no matter how much I try. You have everything, money, fame, power, women, safety... love. You have the entire world at your feet, and you'd give it up to run back to people who seem like they'd be happy for you if you decided to stay. Help me make sense of that..."

Yang releases a tired sigh as he looks across at the red-faced goddess, "do you think I don't know that? That I haven't tried to just make peace with it and let go. Stay in Orario and make a new life, enjoy myself, stay with you."

"I've never seen that," she says.

"Well I've tried, but the moment I think about it. The guilt just starts to eat at me." Yang runs a hand through his hair and stares down at the floor as he continues, Freya adopts a worried look as she sees him, for the first time look truly defeated. "Every time I think about giving up it hurts, like the guilt actually burns, I hear them calling out, I can see them trying to reach out for me and it just... it just feels wrong to stop... so I can't stop, no matter how much I want to, not even for you."

The carriage comes to a stop in front of Ganesha's home as they both sit in silence for a moment.

Freya almost feels physical pain at his words but puts on her bravest face, ready to face the public as she speaks to him. "That's the difference between you and me I suppose. My love for you means there isn't anything I wouldn't do," she says as they both school their expressions and enter the gala.

As they enter the ballroom the couple immediately makes a beeline toward Hephaestus and Welf, the pair standing awkwardly at the far end of the room in obviously uncomfortable silence.

"You two having fun?" Yang asks as he and Freya approach.

Before either redhead can even respond Freya struts forward and grabs Hephaestus's hand, muttering a quick, "we're gonna go dance," both women completely abandon their dates.

"So..." Welf takes a glass of champagne from a nearby server and hands it to Yang, "guessing I'm not the only one who had an awkward ride over here?"

"Mhm," Yang takes a sip of the drink as he looks around. Seeing both women making their way to the dance floor hand in hand.

Throughout the entire room are gods dressed in their best tuxedos and pearls, everyone trying to show off their status with their 'dates', which in most cases was simply the most powerful adventurer in their familia for whatever gender they preferred. Exactly why Loki was currently sitting at a table across the room pestering Riveria to feed her, much like she did last year with Ais.

"So what's up with you and eyepatch?" Yang asks Welf.

"It's...weird. I think..."

"'You think'?"

"Well I did all the talking and she did all the ignoring, for the entire ride I mean. And now she won't even look at me, did yours go any better?"

"Considering we woke up as a happy couple today and now we're...in a disagreement, probably no better than yours."

"True," Welf downs his entire glass of champagne. "So what should I do?"

"Hmm, well if she's ignoring you..."

As both men were left standing across the room Freya was dragging her sister to the dance floor.

"What are you doing, neither of us likes attention, or dancing," Hephaestus says as she falls into step beside Freya.

"Just shut up I'm rescuing you," Freya mutters as they arrive on the dance floor. Wrapping an arm around Hephaestus's waist and holding her other hand up they begin to sway around the dancefloor in sync with the music and other guests. Most eyes glued onto the duo, although most people were simply captivated by Freya.

"What's the matter with you?" Hephaestus asks, puzzled by Freya's eagerness to abandon Yang. "It usually takes an army to pry you away from him..."

"We had a disagreement, that's all."

"Obviously that's not all if you're going this far to put some distance between you two."

"Can we not talk about my love life for once," Freya says bitterly. "Let's talk about your non-existent one."

"Excuse me?" Hephaestus narrows her one exposed eye to the woman.

"You heard me, from what I've heard Welf is seriously considering taking things to the next level with you, why are you shutting him out when you should be letting him in...at least a few inches in..."

Hearing those words Hephaestus's face suddenly feels much warmer as memories of dreams she's been having for quite some time rise to the surface. "You know why, we've had this discussion before. About his goals and all that," Hephaestus says.

"Yes, and Yang found a solution, because no offense but, you two are genius smiths but completely morons when it comes to other things. Like I've seen animals that are better at this whole courting thing than you two," Freya says.

Hephaestus frowns at the insult before she giggles quietly, "you've picked up his habit."

"What habit?"

"When you say 'no offense' then completely offend someone," Hephaestus points out. "Next thing I know you'll be saying 'Jesus Christ' whenever you're upset."

"Well, that's happened a few times," Freya shyly admits. "If you live with someone it's inevitable I suppose. It's been over a thousand years Hephaestus, at least take him to bed to make sure your parts still wor---ACH!" Freya feels Hephaestus crush her hand with all the grip strength of a professional smith.

"Don't even go there," Hephaestus glares at her. "My bits work fine and that's all you need to know. But fine I'll at least hear him out, happy?"

"No, but you may be for a change," Freya says.

"Mmm, alright I'll at least hear him out. Now, what's up with you and---"

"Mind if I cut in?" Welf interrupts them, both women turn to see him offering a hand to Hephaestus.

"Sure," Freya says as she passes Hephaestus's hand to Welf before the woman can speak, "but be careful, she has two left feet..." the woman jokes as she leaves both the smiths to have some much needed time together.

Stepping off the dance floor Freya ignores all the men lurking around, tempted to approach her but scared enough to know better than to do that.

Appraising the room she spots Yang properly distracted, pulled into a conversation with Shakti and Asfi. While he was talking with Shakti about who knows what, Asfi was caressing his exposed metal hand, admiring the finer details of Welf's prosthetic. Had most other women been so hands-on with Yang, Freya would have seen red. But Asfi was still deeply charmed by Freya, this was simply a craftsman admiring fine work.

With a devious smile on her face, she rushes across the hall to a sparsely occupied table, due mainly to the simple fact that Loki's company was, an acquired taste, to say the very least.

Seeing Loki standing nearby with her back to the table, currently trying to aggressively hit on Demeter, the busty goddess trapped between Loki and the wall, Freya moves in on her target.

"Hello princess," Freya's gentle voice is almost captivating as Riveria turns to the side to look at her.

"Lady Freya, how may I help you?" The Elf asks, quickly rising from her seat to give a slight bow.

"Come with me, we need to speak in private," Freya says.

"I'm sorry but I can't leave my goddess unattended," Riveria looks over to Demeter who was beginning to panic as Loki was getting much more handsy, "something problematic can happen."

"That's not my problem," Freya says as she steps forward and leans in close to whisper to the Elf, "what is my problem, is some Elf woman trying to kiss my man. Follow. Me."

Riveria's eyes go wide, blood running cold as she tries to remain calm. Falling in step behind the most dangerous goddess in the world, the very woman she'd most certainly upset.

Walking up the stairs to the second level they're quickly met by a pair of guards, a purple sheen flashes across Freya's silver eyes as she immediately charms them. "Take us to a private room and make sure we aren't disturbed," she commands.

Moments later both women are sitting in what looks to be a lounge area, completely off-limits for the guests at this gala.

Looking down at her light green dress Riveria nervously kneads the fabric as she waits for Freya to speak. The goddess on the other hand leans back into the chair with her legs crossed, sizing up the Elf.

"Anything you'd like to say for yourself?" Freya asks.

"I'm sorry!" Riveria immediately begins her apologetic rant, "I was a fool, acting on a sudden impulse. I promise nothing happened, he only has eyes for you and could not be swayed Lady Freya. Please don't take out your anger on my familia, this was my selfish action and only I should be punished for it!"

"You have my word I'm not mad about it, stop looking so worried for nothing," Freya causally waves away the issue.

Riveria looks up in surprise, not sure if this is some kind of a sick game to get her to drop her guard. "Really?"

"Yes, really. I've known for months, my eyes are very good, remember, so of course I saw when you so desperately threw yourself at him, quite pathetic really. Not that I'm in any real position to judge seeing as I've done that a few times to get where I am with him," Freya shrugs as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Riveria blinks rapidly and shakes her head, as if trying to will her confusion away. "You're not mad? Then, what's this about?"

"Would you do it again?" Freya asks.

"Excuse me?"

"Would you do it again? Throw yourself at him, take the chance if he gave in, reach out and get everything you want. If he reciprocated your...infatuation?"

"I...I don't know," Riveria says.

"Liar," Freya narrows her eyes at the woman, "you know mortals can't lie to gods and yet you try. I can see it, you'd jump at the chance to mount him and make him yours!"

"No, I wouldn't!" Riveria argues, but Freya could see that she was still lying, perhaps in denial.

"You'd give in again if it were only the two of you in here!" Freya taunts.

"No I swear I wouldn't!" Another lie.

"You want him don't you!"

"NO!" Riveria shouts, shutting her eyes and keeping her head down as Freya continues.

"What do you want? Do you want the happily ever after? Marriage and children?" Riveria's ears perk up as she hears that, the seeds of a dangerous thought that's she'd been so afraid to even ponder, much less hope for. "You want little half-Elf babies running around with the last name Shen?"

Freya's suddenly calm and inviting voice caused Riveria to open her eyes and look at the woman, what she expected was anger, instead, she saw sympathy...

"We want the same thing from the same person," Freya says. "We can work together."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"I can literally see your soul, whatever you feel for him isn't going away, it's only going to get stronger. I'm giving you an invitation to get your happily ever after with him...with us," Freya says as she extends her hand for the woman to take. "Imagine it, we can just be happy, you can be yourself instead of 'The Queen' around him, you can give in to your desires unabated, you can even have some children of your own instead of playing mother hen to the familia. You can have everything..."

Freya's offer was perfect. Riveria immediately moved to take the woman's hand until her mind stalled for just a moment, 'anything this good has to have a catch' she thought to herself as she pulled back her hand from this deal with the devil.

"What do you get out of this?" Riveria asks, narrowing her eyes at Freya.

The goddess frowns and drops her hand, "Nothing really. I just need you to get pregnant as soon as possible," she says casually.

Riveria's cheek gains a red tint as her mind almost completely shuts down. "Wha... what?" she mutters.

"It's simple, after you send Loki off you come to Babel and we make this official. You get everything you want tonight, I assure you. There isn't a catch," Freya says. Loki always said Freya was an honest god, but this still seemed too good to be true for Riveria.

"What's in it for you?"

"A sister-wife and her child joining our little family in Babel, that's all."

"There are millions of people who would kill for the wealth and security that comes with bearing Yang's children, why me?" Riveria asks, narrowing her eyes at the goddess. Thankfully after two decades in Orario and semi-frequent meetings, Freya would actually have to put in some effort to charm this woman.

"Because you and Yang are at least interested in each other. He's loyal to the very end, won't so much as touch you without my approval, and he'll never ask for my approval because that's not the kind of man he is, but he does have a somewhat romantic interest in you, as much as he'd never admit it. And obviously, you want him, seeing as you're considering getting pregnant by him tonight."

"So he does like me..." Riveria quietly mutters, allowing a small smile to form as she gets some validation from Freya. "And obviously I am interested in him---"

"That's a very gentle way of putting it," Freya jokes.

"But that doesn't explain why you care. Why are you getting me to...to breed with him?" Riveria asks, a moment later a horrendous thought crosses her mind, the pieces falling in place. "Oh my gods... you're sick!" she yells at Freya.

"Excuse me?"

"You think he'll leave you because gods can't have children, that's what your play is! You need me so he can have kids without leaving you!"

"It's not that simple," Freya says.

"Then please, explain what else it could be," Riveria challenges.

"He plans to leave Orario," Freya says in a tired voice. "When his adventure is over he's leaving and going back to the hidden part of the world he came from, no outsiders allowed."

Riveria feels like she'd been hit by a ton of bricks as she leans back into the couch and holds her head, "he's just gonna give up everything he has and go?" she asks, trying and failing to make sense of it.

"His family is back there, it's stupid and childish but he refuses to let them go...he has the world in his hands and would give it up for them, give up everything we have...for them," Freya says bitterly.

Riveria immediately realizes the horrors of Freya's plan, "you want to use my child to keep him here?"

Freya doesn't even bat an eye at the question, looking directly at the Elf, "it's the only way he'll stay, and you're probably the only woman he'd even accept. I'd do it myself but, gods can't have children..." Freya places a hand on her midsection and looks down at it sadly.

A silent moment passes between both women before Riveria speaks, "women like you don't deserve to have children," she says. Her harsh and blatantly hateful words cause Freya to look at her in surprise, only to see a scornful look on the Elf's face.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, if he doesn't want to stay then let him go. Don't use a baby to trap him like that, you're sick in the head if that's what you'd do."

"Who the hell are you to judge me?!"

"The only hope you have of keeping him apparently," Riveria says bitterly.

"I gave you a chance to have everything you want and you'd spit in my face like this, you ungrateful bitch!" Freya shrieks. "I could charm you right now, force you to breed with him, or to go on a rampage in your familia home---"

"And cause Yang to hate you for it," Riveria says in a cold tone, cutting off the goddess. "That's why you're negotiating right? Because if you charm me or do anything like that he'd never forgive you, right?"

Freya slumps back into her seat and closes her eyes, "if you aren't going to take the offer just get out, and obviously, this stays between us."

"Hmph, right," Riveria says as she gets up and begins to walk away.

"I'll speak to him tonight," Freya's words stop her in her tracks. "I'll make sure this invitation is always open for you, no matter how long it may take for you to come around, you'll see what it's like to have someone you so desperately want to be with but know they'll leave. And you'll see I'm right," Freya says.

"No," Riveria argues. "Love and pain go hand in hand, you can't do heinous things like that and justify it by saying 'it was out of love', if you do this, use his child against him like this, he'll hate you."

"Maybe," Freya says. "But all I've known is pain, hundreds of billions of years of pain and loneliness, and it stops when I'm with him. I'm just desperate Riveria, I'm desperate and tired...I want the love that's supposed to come with the pain, I just want to be happy, I want him to tell me he loves me for once and I want my happily ever after..." Freya says in a tired, shaky voice. Unbecoming of the chief goddess of Orario.

Looking back at the broken woman Riveria can't fathom the pain and desperation behind those words. "I'm sorry, but I just can't be a part of this, for whatever little it's worth I hope it works out for both of you."

Through watery eyes Freya looks up at her, "you're a good woman Riveria, he deserves someone like you...he's too good for a bitter goddess like me," Freya admits.

Riveria shakes her head as she walks to the door, "a few billion years and I would be in your shoes," she admits as she leaves the room. The broken goddess now alone with her pain.

Alone with her thoughts, Freya reaches up to her face and feels a stream of tears flowing down her cheek. She wasn't even sure when she'd started crying, but the tears brought some comfort...at least she still had some semblance of a heart...

A few minutes later Freya calls Yang's ring, and moments later he enters to room.

"Freya?" he calls out, only to go completely silent as she sees the woman sitting on the couch still crying. "What happened? You ok?" he asks while rushing over to her.

Without a word the woman just gets up and wraps her arms around him in a tight hug, "let's go home," she mutters. Feeling him scoop her into his arms and walks toward the large window.

Flying back to Babel was a silent affair, as was getting cleaned up and climbing into bed. Making a call to Welf to inform their carriage that they'd already left Yang slides under the covers to lay beside Freya. The woman staring up at the ceiling, completely lost in thought.

"Do you wanna talk about what happened tonight?" Yang asks quietly, snapping her out of her daze.

"Do I have to?"

"No, but I'd like to know why I found you crying upstairs."

Turning to her side Freya looks at him through her bloodshot eyes, "I know Riveria tried to kiss you and you refused..."

"Uh, ok. So how does this explain what happened tonight?" Yang asks.

"I spoke to her, I offered her a...proposition."

"Proposition?"

"Like...sister-wives," Freya says with much hesitation, this was a joke of an idea Yang would always shoot down.

"Jesus Christ," Yang rolls his eyes. "Now you're with this crap too?"

"She's a good woman, better than me for certain," Freya admits. "She'd be good for you, she'd fit in nicely here," Freya pats the bed between them.

"One woman is enough of a headache, don't need two," Yang says.

"I'm not a headache, and you're being selfish. Think about her," Freya says.

"We aren't discussing this, I'm fine with our current arrangement."

"You're being selfish," Freya shimmies over and drapes her leg and arm across him. "Think about her for a change, she seemed very open to the idea, said she needed time to consider it."

"Still never gonna happen," Yang says.

"Well I told her you'd at least consider it, just...try it out once and if you like it then we'll keep her," Freya says.

"She isn't a car for me to test drive."

"Car?"

"Horse, whatever. Just, can we stop talking about it please, and focus on what the hell made you cry tonight?"

"I just," Freya hesitates for a moment, eventually deciding to be honest, "I just realized she's a better woman than me, that's all," she says in a somber tone.

Yang wraps an arm around her a pulls her closer, "well I think you're amazing."

"Mmm, thank you," Freya mutters as she rest her head on his shoulder and gets ready to sleep.

Seeing her looking like a kicked puppy Yang glances over at the walls clock to see the time is just past midnight and summons something from his inventory. "Happy anniversary," he says.

Freya opens her eyes, slightly confused, to see him holding a square jar with a crystal lid, the entire thing completely transparent.

"What's this?"

"Anniversary gift," he says.

"We're doing that? I didn't get you anything," she says with a frown.

"Well, let's just say you tried to get me Riveria and call it even," he hands her the jar.

Inspecting the crystal jar she immediately realizes it isn't simple glass, whatever it was made of was extremely durable, but it was still empty.

"What is it supposed to be?" she asks.

"That's the fun part," Yang takes the jar and opens it. Holding his hand over to opening he releases a small bolt of purple lighting that immediately begins bouncing off the walls of the jar, bright enough to light up the entire room. With delicate but fast movements he carefully slides the lid back on, the crystal seal permanently shutting the container. "Here," he hands it to her.

"Lightning in a bottle?"

"Yeah, you said finding someone you can be with is like catching lightning in a bottle, well, doesn't seem so impossible now does it," he gives her a gentle pat on the head as she admires the dancing bolt.

"No...no it doesn't..." Freya mutters.

For the next half hour the goddess would admire her gift, and Yang would soon realize sleeping in a room where that jar wasn't below a thick blanket would be impossible as he'd essentially given her an extreme night light.

As Freya was finally going to sleep, leaving her gift in the living room so they could actually get some darkness, she glances over to where Hephaestus would normally be sleeping, peering through the floor and walls to see her bed occupying a second host tonight. A soul red as blood and hotter than most flames. The goddess stifles a giggle, she'd enjoy teasing her sister about this.

As she lay down to get some shut-eye Yang instinctively pulls her in, her back pressed against his chest as his arms wrap around her.

'Sorry, but I'm not a good person...I'll have to use that plan instead,' Freya thinks to herself as she closes her eyes, ready to get some sleep from this exhausting day.

---Folkvangr...

Across Orario, Freya's mansion was eerily quiet. The quiet whimpers and murmurs of Freya could be heard only in one room. The scent of sweat and sex in this large bedroom was pungent, Horn, Freya's handmaiden, the girl who shares the identities and thoughts of Syr and Freya with the goddess herself due to their connection and transformation magic was currently doing her nightly ritual.

Standing in front of a full-length mirror in the form of her goddess she aggressively touches herself, her moans and whimper sounding just as her goddesses would when her dreams of finally having the woman to herself are realized.

Legs shaking, a messy puddle below her as she looks at 'Freya' in the mirror. One hand feverishly playing between her legs, the sounds of droplets hitting the floor like music to her ears, the other brutally kneading her breasts. Leaving purple and blue bruises, a mix of pain and pleasure that she never grows tired of.

"Yes...uh...ah....ah...lady...Freya...yes!...ahhhh!" she crumples to the floor, falling into the puddle again as she climaxes, the orgasm wracking her body with quakes of pleasure, all the while she stares into the mirror, pleasure multiplying as she sees her goddess staring back at her, satisfied.

"Yes, thank you, Horn. I love you, Horn. I love only you, Horn," she chants. Seeing Freya praising her and declaring her love to her the girl feels invigorated for yet another round.

As she brings her fingers to her mouth, tasting the nectar of her goddess she suddenly bites down, hard enough to draw blood and tear flesh.

"NO!" she screams out, ignoring the blood on her lips and now open cut as she scrambles to her feet. A single, sinister thought had flowed through her magic.

Freya's backup plan had wormed its way into her mind through her goddess just before the woman went to sleep. Unlike Horn, Freya had no reason to hide her thoughts therefore she wasn't practiced enough to keep this away from the girl, something she wouldn't even realize until she later got word that Horn ran away this night.

Not just from the familia home, but she disappeared and fled from Orario, refusing to be a part of her goddess's plan, refusing for her goddess to love anyone but her...

CHAPTER END---

About the Grimoire....nope :/

I still won't be writing sex scenes but had to get across how 'devoted' Horn is, hope it wasn't cringe.

And with that Volume 5 is complete and needs a title, I'm open to suggestions. Only 2 more volumes to go :)