[ussbansheec] The Prince and the Butterfly
- From: Andy Maluhia <CaptainAndy@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: mutantx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, ussbansheec@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:58:00 -0500
_The Prince and the Butterfly
_by Magni Asgardson and Maria Wagner
Despite the wonders and beauty of Asgard, even a god could become bored,
especially when that god was an intelligent, active child. Fortunately
for that particular child god, there was never a lack of people who
minded keeping young Prince Magni occupied. His most frequent
babysitters were, aside from his grandmother, were the Warriors Three.
They, along with his father and grandfather, taught the young god prince
most of his fighting skills. It was a skill learned from the Warriors
Three that Magni was engaged in when his visitor arrived. Nimble
fingers cut and bent impossibly thin pieces of metal into rings,
attaching successive rings to the prior ones until a sheet was formed.
When the sheet was large enough, Magni would drape it over a form,
shaped at his size, to be made into chain mail and making chain mail,
like any other art, took time and patience, both of which he had in
abundance.
When the knock came at the front door of his house, he put down he wire
cutters and picked up a short sword. He wasn't expecting any visitors
and no one should have been able to find the place to begin with. Well,
he thought with some amusement as he opened the door, except for one of
them.
"Oh!" Maria said with a gasp and a step backward. Eyeing the sword, she
added. "I didn't mean to startle you."
"You didn't, Maria," Magni chuckled, lowering the sword. "I just wasn't
expecting anyone. Come in and tell me to what I owe the pleasure of
your company."
Maria beamed up at him. He was always so warm and pleasant to her, to
her entire family. "Would you be terribly offended if I told you that
Vati said I should check up on you?" she asked with an impish smile as
she was ushered in.
"Maria, I love the man like a brother but he worries too much. He always
has. Come in, though, and make yourself to home. I was just working on
a new set of chain mail," he told her with a casual wave toward the rest
of the house.
"I have something for you," she said, holding up the bag she held in her
right hand, "but it can wait. Would you mind if I watched? I've never
seen anyone make that stuff. I didn't know anyone still did."
Broad shoulders shrugged. "It's an art I learned long ago but, if it
isn't going to bore you, sure---why not? I'm a bit surprised that
something with such a martial use would interest you, though."
"It's a craft like any other," she said serenely. "I may not appreciate
the use but the artistry I can."
Magni's workshop, like the rest of the house, was rather neat and clean
though every flat surface was covered with metal or tools, leaving no
place for a guest to sit. "Just give me a minute, Maria," Magi said as
he began moving things about. A four-legged stool was finally cleared
but that created another problem, the solution to which made mischief
twinkle in his eyes. The stool was obviously made for someone his size
and he dwarfed Maria by more than a foot in height. Large, muscular
hands simply settled at her waist then lifted her as if she weighed
nothing, setting her on the stool gently. "There you go."
Maria giggled at being lifted so easily, fighting back the thought that,
in a quick moment of closeness, Magni smelled very nice. "Thanks, I
forget how strong you are."
"God of strength," he said with a theatrical bow before turning back to
his metal work. "You may be substantial of heart but certainly not of
weight."
She watched quietly, tucking her ankles around the stool legs. She had
known him all her life but she'd never seen this side of him---the
meticulous craftsman. The look in his eyes was not the same as when he
was the Starfleet captain or experienced warrior. The sky blue eyes
were focused on the deceptively delicate metal, the bright auburn brows
furrowed in a different type of concentration. "No magic?" she asked
softly.
Magni hmmphed softly. "No, not until it's done," he told her, turning
to look at her over his shoulder. "I learned a long time ago that magic
is not the answer to everything. As much as I trust my skill at magic,
I also trust my skill at this craft. Between them both, this set of
chain mail will be quite formidable."
He turned back to his work though he did watch her occasionally from the
corner of his eye. She was a sweet woman, a very pretty one, too. That
doctor better be treating her right, he told himself. She's a treasure
and he's a lucky man. "The thought of magic doesn't bother you?" he
asked eventually.
"No," came the simple answer. "It's part of who you are and I would
never expect you to be less of who you are."
"You, Maria," he said as he put down the clamp in his hand and grinned
at her, "are an absolute doll. Thank you. For that, I owe my lovely
visitor my complete attention, which I should have been giving you the
entire time."
"Don't be silly," Maria chided, though silliness was not something she'd
ever seen in him. "I came to visit you and I have been enjoying your
company."
"You're also very diplomatic," he said as he offered a hand to help her
down from her perch.
He led her into the main part of the house, which, while not as ornate
as his home in Asgard had been, had much more personality than his
Starfleet quarters ever had. He dropped unceremoniously onto the sofa,
groaning as he stretched his arms over his head. "I don't think I
should have been bent over that long," he declared as he rested his head
on the back of the sofa.
"Tsk tsk, Magni," Maria tutted primly. "Don't they teach proper
kinesics in Starfleet?"
Magni looked over at the blue haired woman, a smirk on his face. "To
hell with Starfleet," he snorted. "And they do, by the way, but I got
too engrossed in what I was doing. I do know you aren't supposed to
maintain a position that long or engage in repetitive motions but..."
He shrugged. "The process requires exacting attention."
Maria knelt on the sofa next to him and shook her head. "You don't have
to explain, Magni," she said with a smile. "Vati and Grandpapa do the
same when they work on the trapeze."
Magni obediently did as she requested though he doubted she could do
anything but he didn't want to hurt her feelings by refusing. He felt
her hands settle on his shoulders where they began to knead the thick
muscles. To his surprise, those small hands were rather stronger than
he thought and the knots there began to unravel.
"Better?" she asked as he gave a contented groan.
"Much. I'm going to have t o thank Vanir and his dad for overdoing so
often," he chuckled, unconsciously leaning into her touch, eyes closed.
He opened his eyes, realizing how comfortable it was to be leaning on a
beautiful woman, and found himself looking into eyes almost as blue as
his own and at a sweet smile. Quite by reflex, he lifted his head
slightly and kissed her.
For a heartbeat, Maria was startled but then she felt the firm mouth on
hers and the whiskers of his beard. They weren't as wiry as she thought
they would be. After that beat, she realized he was a very good
kisser. She found herself returning the kiss, albeit a little stronger
than it had originally been given. She was lifted by the waist and
shifted to his lap, where Magni put his arms around her. One of his
hands reached to cup her chin, his eyes bright flames. Slowly, she
nodded, knowing he would have stopped if she'd hesitated for even a
second.
He kissed her deeply, his tongue dancing with hers. As she pressed
closer to him, his hand caressed the outline of her breast. Now she
wasn't his friend's daughter, a girl he'd held as an infant. Now she
was a beautiful and desirable woman, one with soft curves and pretty
blue hair, one who was returning his advances, subtly stroking his
growing erection as he squeezed her breast. He wanted her.
He was much stronger than her and he had to hold back his full strength
but it hadn't diminished the closeness, the utter joy and, he admitted
to himself, the relief at having sex, for the first time in years, with
a woman he actually cared about. Later, she lay snuggled against his
side, her blue hair fanned across his chest as her fingers played with
the fine red hairs there. His hand stroked her head and shoulders.
"Are you okay, Maria?" he asked softly. "Did I hurt you?"
Maria peered up at him and saw the genuine concern in his eyes. "No,
you didn't, Magni." A slow blush touched her cheeks. "It was wonderful."
"Good," he said before kissing her forehead. "You know, if your father
ever finds out about this, he'll do his damndest to kill me."
"I'm certainly not going to tell him. This is our business and no one
else's," she told him. "Will you be upset if I say I care about you but
I don't love you, not like..."
He picked up the fingers that had been tracing the outline of his beard,
kissing them before he spoke. "I know, Maria," he said. "I have no
preconceptions, no illusions. I'm a man and you are a beautiful woman.
Are you sorry, though? This was probably a sin of some sort for you."
"That is between me and God and I am do not regret this at all."
"Good." He cupped her chin in strong fingers then, smiling gently.
"Then listen to me, Maria, and forgive me if it sounds crude but you are
always welcomed here, to share your company or even just to make love
this way. No strings: just a beautiful, wonderful lady who happens to
be my friend."
Maria nodded. She didn't know if it would happen again but Magni was a
good man. He was her friend. She hugged him tightly. "Friends,
Magni. We will always be friends."
--
`Onipa`a (Stand firm.)--Motto of Queen Lili`uokalani.
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