Reposted previous Ostara holiday tale

[nachtjaeger]

The Return, or, No rest for the Wicked (reposted by request)

An Ostara Holiday special

M,F,QS, rated R (V,L)

(Editor's note: This story picks up where "end of the line" leaves off.)

Hey, deep sinkers.

Ostara here. I'm back. Like the old saying goes, "reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." I suppose I owe you folks an explanation (and a good story, I hope.)

Blackness. Oblivion. No pain, no fear. It was all finally over. I had poisoned myself and given my body to the tar pit. Nothing left to chance.
Then, suddenly, pain. I was in agony. My lungs were burning and I couldn't breathe, couldn't move. Was this the domain of darkness? I realized my nose and mouth were clogged with tar. I could move my head a little, so it wasn't buried in anything. I retched, coughed, and with the last stale air in my exploding lungs I forced the tar out of my throat and mouth enough to gasp for air. Cold, pure air. It hurt as bad going in as the tar had coming out. I choked, and screamed- much as I could with my mouth still half-full of tar. I finally caught my breath. The pain-tears welling in my eyes finally let me force one of them open. When I got used to the brightness, I could see where I was. I was on my belly, lying on a marble floor. The tar on my body had me stuck fast. Ahead of me, I could see some marble steps. I looked up, and saw the legs of someone sitting on a chair on top of them. The figure was wearing fur boots, cross-tied, and a fur-trimmed felt skirt, kirtled up in front to free her legs for running or fighting. And beside the boots was the butt of a spear. I knew- or thought I knew- where I was. If I hadn't already been lying flat on the floor, I would have been there in an instant. "Maaa! All-Mother!" She laughed- a deep, throaty laugh, that of a woman of power and majesty. "As I recall, child, you once said that the first thing you did in this hall would be to take Agnir from my hand and pin me to my throne. Would you care to try that now?" I gulped. I had said that once, hadn't I? "No, All-Mother." I said as meekly as I could manage. "Very good. Now, if you promise to mind your manners, I'll get that tar off of you." "Leave her there." said another voice. This voice was feminine, but deep, and harsh. "We'll make her immortal, and keep her there as a living reminder of the fate of those that displease their gods." Only one being I knew of could be that cold and heartless. "Thendara! Sword-Sister! Always have I honored you. . ." A hard boot kicked me in the ribs- hard. And again- I felt two of them snap. "You worthless slut! How could a warrior, blood-sworn to me, sink so far? I should make your fate so terrible that it will be spoken of in fearful whispers for the next thousand years!

I cringed at what would come next. "Unfortunately, the fates aren't through with you yet, _____." She called me by my birth name- a secret known to no one still alive. "She is Ostara now," the all-mother said, "and it is Ostara's skills we have need of." Suddenly I was hit by something- I don't know what, but it felt like a waterfall full of shattered ice and smelled like lamp oil. I screamed as it pounded my body, finally ripping me free of the floor and driving me to the far end of Maa's throne room. When I stood up, I was naked and clean and dry. My ribs weren't broken any more, and I seemed to be missing a few scars. I felt a bit weak, but I could walk. I found a rug and prostrated myself before the all-mother and the goddess of warriors. "Rise, child." said Maaa in a gentle voice. Thendara gave only a derisive snort. I finally got a good look at them. I won't describe it- bit of a personal religious experience, that. "We have a quest for you" Maaa told me. Wonderful. To me, 'quest' means high danger, low reward. And a god-quest likely even worse. Thendara continued. "The outcast demoness Purgatori and her band of lesser demons and enslaved now plot to capture the most powerful human mage and subvert his great power for evil. They plot an ambush for him as we speak." Yep, just like I figured. Maaa waved her hand negligently, and I was dressed in my armor, with Manslayer at my hip. "Do you require anything else?" Thendara asked impatiently. I thought for a moment. "How about a lance and a war-mount that won'd get bogged down in a swamp?" Thendara started to scowl at me, then suddenly smiled. I wasn't sure which made me more nervous. "Done." I suddenly remembered the old saying "Be careful what you ask for- you might get it. There was a flash of light, and suddenly there was a war-mount standing next to me. What it was, I never will know. My first thought was lizard, but it had short fur all over it- made of tiny feathers. It stood on two legs like a wading bird, but with claws on the huge webbed feet. It's shorter front legs were the same way. Each hind leg had a long claw, like the spurs on a rooster, only the size of large daggers. It was wearing a saddle and bridle. It made a strange bugling growl, and I saw a lot of sharp teeth. Slung in straps on the saddle was a serviceable lance- just the kind I liked to use. "His name is Roho." Thendara said matter-of-factly. "He is well trained, but headstrong. I suggest you not turn your back on him." Small chance of that, I thought. On a whim, I scratched a likely-looking spot on the back of his neck, and he purred. I remembered where I was, and dropped to one knee. "All-Mother, Sword-Sister, I owe you a debt I can never repay. I shall fulfil this quest, or die in the attempt." I stood up, put my hand on Roho's front shoulder and swung up into the odd saddle. Maaa spoke a single word, and a shimmering portal appeared. "Make haste, Ostara my daughter. The fate of many worlds may hang in the balance." Thendara handed me what seemed to be an empty leather pouch. I looked at her curiously. "It's a bag of tricks. A common magical item, but it may prove useful to someone as headblind as you are." That annoyed me. I am NOT headblind- I have seven perfectly good senses- I just can't DO magic. Roho stirred restlessly. I saluted them with my sword, and rode through the portal to what I thought was certain death. But it would be a warrior's death.

I found myself on a windswept hilltop. The weather was chill, but it didn't seem to bother my new mount. Suddenly my sixth sense gave me a warning, and I threw myself forward on Roho's neck. A team of- reindeer? pulling a large sleigh passed just over my head. Flying. Before I could quite figure out what was going on, a streak of fire came up from a hill in front of me and struck the sleigh next to the driver. It exploded in a fireball. Trailing smoke, the team and rig plummeted to earth in a controlled crash. I spurred Roho ahead. "Come on, boy- time to earn our pay." He bugled eagerly and ran down the hill. I watched the sleigh circle, the driver trying to control the team. One of the reindeer hung in the traces, not moving. He managed to find a stretch of clear ground and brought the team down. I suddenly knew what was about to happen. Why is it always bogs? I spurred Roho faster, shouting to the sleigh driver and trying to warn him off. The sleigh touched dowh, and immediately the runners sank into the ground. The team, too- the reindeer closest to the sleigh were soon mired to their belles. The front of the team seemed to be on solid ground, though. My sixth sense stood the hair up on the back of my neck. This was the ambush. I pulled the lance from it's socket and leveled it. Sure enough, up from behind bushes and hummocks came a pack of lesser demons and orcs. I never slowed down, never gave a war cry to warn them. Roho was a lot quieter than a horse, too. I cut through them like a whip through air. I made a few passes, taking down a lot of them. They had trouble moving through the swamp, but Roho seemed to like the mud. Finally they managed to form up a bit. I hurled my lance at the largest, then drew Manslayer and with my fiercest banshee scream we charged them. They broke and scattered. I turned my attention to the sleigh and it's driver. Now that I was closer, I recognized him. Red suit, white beard- the Winter King. He brought new year presents to the good children and rock coal to the unruly, using the long dark of the Solstice night to sneak into homes and fill stockings. Rumor had it he was one of the mightest wizards of all time. He didn't look so good right now. The heavy felt suit had protected him somewhat, but he was a little toasted. A chunk of the sleigh was burned away, and one of the reindeer looked like it would never fly again. The sleigh was sinking slowly under it's heavy load of solstice presents. He saw me as I rode up and dismounted, sinking to my calves in the soft earth. "Save the team!" he shouted at me. He was in no immediate danger, so I decided not to argue. I detached the harness pole from the sleigh. If that had broken, things might have ended badly for the Winter King. I detached the harness from the wounded reindeer, which was still breathing. I grabbed the reins, knee-deep in the sucking mud, and shouted to the team. "Git on there! Hah!" They struggled. The four at the front had solid ground under their hooves, and they struggled forward, dragging their teammates along. Very slowly, the team made it's way to the ankle-deep muck at the edge of the swamp. I turned back to the Winter King, and it was then that I saw her. She was on the other side of the swamp, sitting on a black mount that looked like a horse but I somehow knew was something else. "Hey, Purgatori!" I shouted, trying to distract her from her prey. "Listen, you bat-winged cunt, next time get some minions with balls. I didn't even break a sweat with this bunch of sawed-off little pricks!" She turned to face me, rage flashing in her eyes. She started chanting, and a ball of fire grew between her clawed hands. Oh, shit, I thought. But that was all the time the Winter King needed. He stood up in the sinking sleigh and faced her. "You have been a bad girl, Purgatori," he said in a booming voice, "A VERY bad girl!!" He gestured, and she and her mount were suddenly buried under several wagonloads of rock coal. He slumped in the seat of the sleigh. He seemed to have shrunk slightly, his suit fitting him looser. So that's how he does it, I thought.

I waded back into the swamp to see what I could do for the wounded reindeer. She was bleeding pretty bad. I wondered what to do. Then I remembered. On a slim chain around my neck was a glass vial full of water from the sacred spring at Salisbury Tor. It was precious, and I had been saving it for when I might be badly wounded. Standing there in mud almost to my boot tops, I wrestled with my concience for a second, and for once I lost. I pulled it out, cracked it open and spread the healing water on the reindeer's wounds. I watched as the bleeding stopped and burns healed under my touch. There wasn't nearly enough to heal her completely, but it looked like she would pull through. I looked back at the Winter King. The sleigh was going down by the stern, and it looked like it would take it's load of presents- and it's round-bellied driver- to the bottom of the swamp. "We have to save the sleigh and the toys!" he said. I looked around, but there was no solid ground handy. Roho could never shift that load by himself, and if I brought the team out here they'd bog down for sure. I stood there, slowly sinking deeper as I pondered the situation. The chill mud against my bare thighs brought me back to reality. If only I could pull the sleigh out of here- yes! I pulled out the pouch that Thendara had given me. Against all hope I reached inside. I really need a good rope, I thought. I felt something inside the bag. I pulled it out, and it was the end of a rope. It was purple rope with green stripes, but it looked sturdy. I kept pulling until I thought I had enough rope piled on the ground, and at that moment I found the other end of the rope. I looked the situaton over. "Tie this to the bag!" I told my red-suited charge. He complied, tying the odd rope around the closed top of the huge sack in the back of the sleigh. I struggled free of the mud, with more than a little trouble, and crawled towards the team. At least the wounded reindeer wasn't moving or she would have sunk out of sight. I made my way to the team and tied the rope to the harness pole. It was no trouble to skid the bag across the swamp to solid ground. I untied the rope from the bag, whistled for Roho, and rode him back across the swamp to the sleigh, which seemed to have stopped sinking. He looked at the bogged reindeer with keen interest, but I slapped him with the reins. "Bad Roho!" I told him, and he hung his head and gurgled at me, actually managing to look guilty. The Winter King laughed, a hearty laugh from deep in his belly, "Ho ho ho ho!" I tied the rope to the sleigh's tongue, and rode back across the swamp. I decided to tie Roho a safe distance from the reindeer. Then I went to the team. "Giddyap! Hah! Hah!" The seven of them strained, but the sleigh didn't move. I grabbed the rope and added my own strenght to theirs, my boots sliding in the ankle-deep muck. Slowly, the sleigh began to move. With a noisy sucking sound, it began to come up out of the mud. "Gee! Gee! I shouted at the team, and they shifted sideways, dragging the sleigh just around their wounded comrade. The Winter King looked back at the trapped reindeer. "We have to save Blixem!" he said. I started to argue, but I guess you can't buy flying reindeer at every horse trader's corral. Again, I waded into the quivering mire dragging the rope. I tied it around the wounded reindeer's harness. At my signal, the Winter King guided her teammates to take up the slack. They pulled, but she wouldn't move. I started digging and tugging at her legs. I was sinking fast myself, but I knew we had to get her out. Finally she freed one front leg. I dragged myself out of the waist-deep muck and crawled to her other side, repeating the process. Then I worked to free her back legs. Her right hind leg was badly stuck. I dug and heaved, sinking deeper myself. Finding a root or rock under my foot, I grabbed her leg and heaved with all my strength. I screamed with the effort, and her leg came free. With the help of the rest of the team she made her way to solid ground.
I tried to crawl out myself, but my foot suddenly slipped off of whatever it had been on, and I sank to my armpits in the hole the reindeer's leg had left. I pushed at the mud around me, but the reindeer and I had done a thorough job of churning it up. I tried to swim, but I couldn't move- the mud was too thick. Not now! I didn't have time for this! Suddenly I heard a thud, and the end of a muddy purple-and-green rope fell near me. I tied myself to it, and the team of eight- seven, now- reindeer dragged me free.

When I finished scraping most of the swamp mud off my carcass, I walked over to the sleigh. The Winter King was looking at it with a tear in his eye. "What's wrong?" I asked him. He pointed to a spot on the footboard where something had been attached. I looked and saw fine silver wires connecting jewels across it. Magework. He pointed to the hole. "Without the gem that goes there, the sleigh won't fly." "What kind of gem?" I asked him. He pointed to a spot on the other side of the sleigh. There in a silver mounting was a flawless squre-cut sapphire. I froze. I knew exactly where to find a gem like that. He looked at me strangely. "Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked, sternly. I reached into Thendara's bag of tricks, but it was empty. I thought about what was at stake here- all the sad children, and maybe we would never make it out of whatever this place was without flying reindeer. And I didn't really think a pile of coal would hold a demoness for too long. The Winter King is the symbol of hope and joy and wonder on my world. I knew what I had to do. I brushed away a tear as I reached down between my breasts. Clipped to a ring pierced in my skin was a silver locket. A gift from my royal father to his tavern-wench mistress, it was adorned with a flawless square-cut sapphire exactly the right size. Inside the locket, I knew, were a few strands of hair. Some blonde, from my father, some red, from my mother, and a few baby-fine wisps of blonde hair. The locket was the only thing I had to remember them by. I freed it and placed it into his hand, closing his fingers around it. "Joyous Solstice, sir." I said through my tears. He placed his hand on my shoulder. "This gift is beyond price, Ostara." he told me. How did he know my name? Right- magic.

I won't stretch out the story. My mother's locket was sacrificed to repair the sleigh's magical workings. We rigged a harness for Roho, and with help from some fairy dust he led the team, giving us enough pull to get the toys, the Winter King and myself airborne. The Winter King was strong enough to drive the team, but in no shape to creep through doors and slide down chimneys. Luckily, as you here know, I have yet to stand in the dock for any theft. I still had my skills, and wearing only my undertunic and boots I could move silently. That night seemed to go on forever. Down chimneys, through unlocked windows, even through a thatched roof once. I lost count of the number of stockings I filled. Finally, the huge bag that had seemed bottomless was empty. He whistled to the team, and we rose up from that last rooftop into the winter sky. I wrapped myself in the lap robes from the sleigh, and fell asleep with my head on the Winter King's shoulder as he sang a solstice carol, the jingle of the sleigh bells keeping time, with occasional bleats from Roho.

I awoke in a warm bed. I looked up, and outside the window of the cozy room was more snow and ice than I had ever seen. My armor was on a stand at the foot of the bed, looking like new. The Elves who serve the Winter King must have seen to that. I rose, and found myself wearing a very warm flannel gown that reached from my throat to ankles. Hanging on the bedpost was a glorious red felted cloak trimmed in white fur. On it was a note, in curious antique script, that read "To Ostara. Joyous Solstice." I grabbed it and put it on against the chill outside, even though the room was only cool. There was a mirror there, and I turned to admire it. The nightgown was unbuttoned, and as I went to button it I felt something. I opened my gown, and there in it's usual place was my locket. I grabbed and opened it. Impossibly, it's precious contents were still there. I stood there, on the verge of tears, when I smelled bacon and eggs and other wonderful things cooking. Wrapped in my new robe, I followed my nose to the Winter King's hall as the solstice sunrise wrapped his castle in a golden glow.

Joyous Solstice, Deep Sinkers all.