Right to a Bear's Arms, Ch. 18 (Patreon)

Hera looked after Kelin as he hurried out of the room after Jeremy.  Her chest was tight and she had to swallow hard as she attempted to rein in her emotions.  She turned back to her plate, nose twitching at the delicious smell of the large cut of sirloin still in front of her.  She guiltily looked away from it.

"You ok?" asked Erik, sitting back down nearby.  She met his eyes and she saw his small smile.  His brother had left to go refill his cup with a different beverage in the fridge.

Hera nodded.  "Just...lot to process," she admitted.  "You all are nothing like I expected, or even Kelin told me about.  That is not to say anything bad!" she hurried to add, but everyone present just smiled.  "I always thought that true kindness was rare, and world was otherwise rather dark, unfriendly, or thoughtless place.  My adoptive family, the Dorings, were only experience I ever had with kind of love I see and feel here."

She heard someone sniff and she glanced up to see Idona wiping at her eyes.  The teenage girl was miserably poking at her plate.  Her mother looked at her concerned as well.  "Feeling all right, dear?" the matron asked.

Idona sullenly stabbed a roast potato.  She said something in a foreign language, muttering underneath her breath.  Hera couldn't understand it, but she had a distinct feeling she knew both who she was talking about and the less than polite phrase she no doubt had used to describe him.

"Young lady," her mother gently reprimanded.  "Just because you swear in Old Norse doesn't make it any better."  All the same, Ingrid was grinning, as were several other faces around the table.  "But yes, he very much is."

Rolf cleared his throat then.  Looking up, Hera saw that the large man had picked up his plate and deliberately shuffled along the table closer to her, taking the now empty seat that Kelin had vacated.  He put his plate and drinking horn back down once he was settled and grinned over at her.  "Not going to eat?" he asked, winking.  "Wouldn't want that much meat to go to waste would we?"

Chuckling, Hera looked back down at her food.  "Sorry, wasn't sure how I was feeling," she said softly.  She picked up the tiny seeming knife and fork in her paws.  She took another bite, steak melting in her mouth.  She chewed slowly, savoring the flavor even though she wasn't sure she felt like eating right then.  "It is delicious, Ingrid," she at least added, turning and nodding to Mrs. Leod.  "One of best steaks I have ever eaten.  You could swap techniques with my Poppa."

Ingrid grinned, leaning forwards in her chair.  "How does he do his?" she asked, seeming genuinely interested.

"He uses seafood seasoning," admitted Hera, grinning at the memory.  "It gives unique flavor, and then cooks it in special sauce recipe he learned from his mother."

Everyone chuckled.  Rolf stroked his beard contemplatively, "Sounds fascinating..." he rumbled.  "Like surf and turf without the lobster."

Hera nodded emphatically.  She glanced then at the door once more, unable to keep herself from worrying about Jeremy, but sure that Kelin had it well in hand.  She only wished that there was something she could do as well, even if she had no idea what that might be.  When she turned back to look at the others, most of them had resumed eating, chatting softly.  The happy air had been dispelled but it seemed that they all wanted to focus on the good times instead of everyone sulking or brooding.  Idona had pulled out her phone and was scrolling through it.

"Is it all right if I ask question?" Hera piped up then.  Ingrid, Rolf, and Idona looked up, being the closest to her now.  Bryan and Dylan were involved in a serious debate with the newly returned Cory and his brother.  "What was Kelin like at younger age?  Jeremy too?"

Smiles lit up their faces.  "Inseparable," announced Ingrid fondly.  "They went to the same Elementary school.  Jeremy was a grade above Kelin, but that didn't stop them from becoming thick as thieves.  It helped that they literally grew up together.  Both of them were small for their age, Jeremy never seemed to grow as fast as other boys so I think it helped for them to be at the same size for so long.  I can't remember a day they weren't running around outside, playing with plastic swords and making up whole worlds and stories together."

Idona smiled as well then.  "I actually played with them a lot.  Kelin was pretty laid back even as a kid, but Jeremy was a ball of energy.  Still, he had no self-confidence.  I ran right over both of them all the time."  Hera could see it, imagining a tiny but ferocious little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes shrieking as she chased two older boys around the huge ranch.

"I think Jeremy probably knows the old place as well as any of us," added Rolf, sipping again at his drinking horn.  He had a wrought-iron holster for it, but she had noticed that whenever the device was filled with drink, he just linked the dragon-head capped tip over one forearm and held it until it had been drained.  "Scrawny boy though.  Him and Kelin.  I tried my best to bulk them both up but they didn't enjoy working in the forge with me like my boys did.  Still, my wife Ulla adored Jeremy.  She related a lot to him, I think."

"She was like that with everyone," agreed Ingrid.  "But it's true.  I never was sure how Jeremy would react to a motherly attitude, so I always preferred treating him like an adult from a young age.  I thought it would show him the respectful deference that he should expect from others; those who wouldn't give him the same would thus not be worth his time.  Ulla, however, just acted like he was a pureblood member of the family: mothering him every chance she got.  I'd like to think we did as good a job as we could, knowing the household he was going back to."

Hera blinked.  "Is his family that bad?"

Ingrid quickly raised her hands.  "I didn't mean that to sound like it did.  Helen is a family friend and we always liked her.  But when Jeremy's birth father was gone for so long, she struggled a lot to provide for him and his little brother.  I think the stress she felt bled over to her children and they grew up anxious and uncertain.  When Garrett..." Ingrid paused, taking a deep breath.  "When we found out what happened to Mr. Micheal, we were all devastated.  Jeremy took it hardest.  Helen struggled even more and we tried to help, but I always worried it would never be enough.  And after what felt like no time at all, although it may have been a few years, she had remarried."

There were several scowls.  Hera looked back at the entrance to the dining hall.  "I...do think he cares," she growled, not wanting to but she had seen many things lurking in Mr. Conners' eyes that he had been too emotional, uncomfortable, and feeling cornered to say.  "Theo said it best.  He tries, but not hard enough, or not in ways Jeremy needs most."

Rolf grunted.  "Hard as it is, I can't help but agree.  Jeremy rebelled a lot at home, from what I heard from Ulla.  He didn't feel heard, resented his mother for marrying someone else, struggled with depression and his...issues.  Kelin tried to be there for him.  We all did.  He did the same for us when Ulla got sick.  He took it hard though.  It was like he felt he wasn't enough to help us the way we had done for him."  He swirled his drink around in his horn and then drained it.  He stowed it back in its holster, then returned to cutting up his steak and chewing on it.

Hera looked down, eyes burning.  "That is lot to put on young man's shoulders, especially self-imposed.  I know that feeling."  Everyone seemed to withdraw a bit, poking sullenly at their food or sipping from their various drinks.

Idona cleared her throat, helping to dispel the slightly dismal mood that had settled upon the table again.  "Want to see a picture of them when Kelin was sixteen?" she asked, leaning in across the table and swiping a finger across a gallery of pictures.  Hera beamed immediately, taking the phone delicately in her huge paw when it was offered and holding it across her pads as she leaned in towards the screen.  Idona had stood by then, standing directly behind the Ursid, head not even level with her shoulder, and reached over to swipe again.

Hera's breath caught as she looked at the pair of boys, posing beneath a flower and ivy-covered archway.  Both were incredibly young compared to how they looked now, yet she could still clearly tell who was who, and not just by the hair and eye colors matching.  Kelin already had his small ponytail in the back, although the rest was much more noticeably messy.  Jeremy actually looked much older than just sixteen despite his perpetually youthful face, his real age resting behind his heterochromatic eyes.

A heavy sniff built up in her nostrils and she had to put her other paw to her muzzle, stifling a quiet sound of emotion that threatened to burst from her.  Kelin looked exactly as she had always hoped he would as a younger man.  He had a smile that lit up the entire picture, vibrant and warm, while Jeremy's was more sedate and reserved, but no less joyous for the company they shared.

Idona wordlessly took back the phone and tapped something.  A second later, Hera's own phone chimed and she gave the young girl a grateful smile.  Idona just shrugged it off, looking smug, until Hera had abruptly reached around with one arm and pulled the teen in for a quick, gentle, but firm one-armed bear hug.  Everyone laughed, Idona buried in Hera's chest, to see the teen's face bright red.  She let go quickly enough and Idona smoothed her hair, clearing her throat.

"Yeah well, you're welcome," she grunted, not looking at anyone.

"My little girl," chuckled Ingrid.  Everyone soon returned to finishing their last bites of food, the levity helping restore the family's appetites.  After that came the clean-up.  Ingrid tried to stop her, but Hera was adamant about helping.  No dish was left unwashed, the Leods forming an orderly chain of stacking, washing, rinsing, drying, and putting away the various plates, bowls, saucers, utensils, and drinking items.  Food that had been uneaten was either saved or mashed up using a blender to be fed to the dogs, although this mostly consisted of the spare meat and such.  Then came the bestowing of the mightiest of honors at Leod Hall: taking the meal to said hounds.  "As our guest, I vote Hera gets to today," stated the matron.  No one disagreed.

So, Hera found herself hoisting a full seven bowls of blended meat into the garage, exiting the kitchen through a side door, and, aided by Idona, scooping actual dog food along with it into stenciled doggy bowls.  As they worked, Hera kept glancing at Idona, who had fought vehemently to be allowed to go with her.

"May I ask something, Idona?" she asked, pouring another cup of dog food into the bowl labeled 'Skadi'.  Idona hummed, showing she was listening.  "Do you have crush on Jeremy?"

The teen stiffened hard, face going flat and her bright eyes bugging out of her skull.  She almost shook as she fought to contain the immediate reaction she had to Hera's question.  "What?!" she sputtered, smiling and trying to play it all off, but her rapidly flushing face giving away exactly what Hera had been suspecting.  "No!  That's ridiculous!"

Hera chuckled.  "Can tell me, if you want.  Just us girls?" she probed, hoping this wasn't too forward.

The teenager turned away, hunching her shoulders as she seemed to take incredible interest in making sure that Bjorn and Viggy had equal shares.  "It's...not like that," she snapped vehemently.  Hera winced, hoping she had not upset the girl.  Her shoulders slumped a moment later, making Hera's ears stand up straight in surprise.  "I mean...yeah, we've been close all my life.  I used to have fun teasing him and such, you know..."  She put the two bowls down in their proper places.  "I'd kill any woman who hurt him," she growled a moment later.  "He's been through enough, with plenty of shitty people who've taken advantage of him, bullied him, put him down, or just plain not given him a chance.  He's my brother."

Hera stayed quiet.  She suspected that Idona wasn't saying everything that she wanted to, but that was to be expected.  She was new to the household after all, a newcomer in every aspect of the word.  Idona was a mystery, one that she was sure she might never fully figure out, or that even the girl herself may never truly know how much she wanted others to.

"But..." Idona said suddenly, her head ducking down slowly, almost as if receding into her shoulders.  "I mainly just know that I could never be enough for him."

Hera blinked.  "Why do you say that?" she asked gently.

Idona chuckled, turning around.  She was wiping at the corner of one of her eyes.  "Because...he and my brother share the same kind of...kink, I guess."  She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Not sure what she meant at first, it took Hera a moment or two to puzzle out what Idona meant.  Then she got it.  Her fur fluffed up and her ears folded down against her skull.  "Oh..." she breathed, nose wiggling.  She scratched at the back of her head awkwardly.

Idona giggled, winking up at the much taller adult woman.  "So, do I get a question back?" she asked.  Hera nodded, feeling it was only fair.  "Have you two...?" she cocked her head to the side, eyes once again having returned to that mysterious, unreadable expression.  Hera wasn't sure why, but she sensed equal parts curiosity and danger in those bright, crystal blue orbs.

If she had been flustered before, it was nothing compared to now.  She wasn't even sure why; she had discussed much the same but just that morning with Dalton, thought about it constantly the last few days, hell, even been planning on ravishing him upon returning from the karaoke bar before things had gone to hell.  The outfit she had planned alone...  Strangely, however, when asked by Kelin's younger sister, a complete enigma of both youthful arrogance and incredibly adult-level maturity, it made her feel like her adoptive mother bailing her out of jail for getting caught in the park as a young teen again.

Idona cackled.  "That tells me everything I need to know," she chortled, dusting off her hands.  "Well, as Mark Antony first said in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, 'Let loose the dogs of war'!"  She crossed her arms, looking up at Hera with a smug grin.

Hera stared down at Idona in shock.  "You are...actively telling me to...?" she asked, incredulously.

Idona blinked.  "What?" she asked, arching an eyebrow, then caught on.  She cackled again.  "Oh!  No!  Not that!  I meant summon the dogs!"  She wiped at her eyes, still giggling, and crossed to the door leading to the backyard.  "I'll do it, don't worry about it."  She paused at the door, turning and giving Hera a very serious look.  "I'd get away from those bowls.  Even as big as you are, these pups don't distinguish who they have to knock over when it's supper time."  Hera took her advice, backing away from the polished row of bowls now filled with food.  Cracking open the door, Idona took a deep breath and then bellowed, "Hunden! Tid spise til!"  She then leaped out of the way, pulling the door open wide and hiding behind it.

A second later, a howling mass of furry bodies boiled into the garage.  Baying, panting, barking, and growling filled the room.  All seven dogs bustled around, sniffing around, and each somehow locating their individualized and stenciled bowls.  Hera watched it all, smiling, then looked up as, to her surprise, Kelin and Jeremy filed in through the still-open door.  Jeremy was wiping at his face still, Kelin with his arm around his friend's shoulders.  They both started to see Hera and Idona there.  Her boyfriend's eyes immediately lit up, making her stomach grow warm at that glowing look.

"Hera!" he beamed.  "I see you're the favorite tonight."  He winked and then leaned down to scratch behind one of the hound's ears, Torvalt, she thought she remembered.  "It's the best part of the day, getting to see these guys and gals."  Torvalt lifted his head then, licking his chops, and gave a happy 'woof', nuzzling up against Kelin's hand.  "Yeah, who's a pretty boy?!" he asked, scratching behind both of the fluffy ears.

Grinning, Hera turned her attention to Jeremy, who was busy gently petting Sigrun.  She wanted to ask how he was doing, but wasn't sure if that would be appropriate.  Idona, however, had no such hang-ups.  She walked over and punched Jeremy in the arm.  He winced and rubbed at it.  "What was that for?" he asked.

"Your stepdad's a jerk, and an idiot," Idona declared.  "You need to stand up for yourself more, dude.  You know we all have your back."

Jeremy's shocked expression melted away and he actually smiled.  "Thanks, Idy," he murmured.  He looked down then, still rubbing at the shaggy side of the dog.  "I really need to thank your guys' dad and mom, standing up for me like that..."

Again, Idona reached out and smacked Jeremy, who again grunted and looked at her, startled.  "Where's my thanks?" she demanded, sticking out her chin.  "I was ready to leap over that table and stab him with a fork."

Blinking, Jeremy turned to face the younger girl.  A small smile spread across his lips and he abruptly reached out and pulled her hard against his chest.  Idona's face went bright red, her sparkling eyes wide, as she started trying to push him off of her.  "Thanks, Idona," he said softly, making the girl freeze.  "I can't tell you how much that means to me."

Hera and Kelin both stood nearby, faces stunned, as Idona ducked her own down against Jeremy's shoulder.  She hesitantly lifted her shaking hands and hugged Jeremy back.  "No problem...bro..." she said softly.  She eventually cleared her throat, indicating the hug was done, and once released, she smoothed her shirt front and hair once again.  "Mom's calling," she declared, and then hurried from the room, closing the garage door loudly behind her.

Kelin shook his head, chuckling.  "Don't take it personally, Jeremy," he stated, leaning up against Hera's side.  "You doing okay?"

Tucking his hands into his pockets, Jeremy shrugged.  "I will be.  I'm just...not looking forward to going home and talking to them by myself.  But before you ask, no, I can't have you, or your uncle, or your dad and mom go with me.  One of these days, I have to be able to stand up to him, and mom."

Kelin sighed, looking upset.  "You sure I can't  help?"

Jeremy beamed, a bright smile that completely blew Hera away with the transformation.  "You've done enough dude.  And hey, this is supposed to be your birthday!  We should be celebrating more."  He rubbed his hands together.  "So, what do you guys say we go get the rest of the crew and head back downstairs to see what other horrors I can inflict upon you all?!"  He cackled, gesticulating with his hands, and then stalked out of the room like some exaggerated vampire.

Chuckling, Kelin looked back up at Hera.  "Thank you," he said as Jeremy left the room, leaving them alone with the half a dozen large dogs still chomping happily at their dinner.

Hera cocked her head to the side.  "For what, my little Tyr?" she asked.

"For making this the best birthday of my whole life."  He turned to look directly up at her, smiling brighter.  "It's been a really long day, and we've been through a lot together over the last 48 hours.  I know you're here because you want to be, but you mean the world to me Hera."  His face was glowing softly with the smallest blush.

She smiled back down at him.  Her ears folded slowly down.  "Of course, Kelin," she murmured.  She swept a paw back through her hair.  "I'm happy to be here with you and your family.  This has been one of best days in my whole life.  Your family, your home, and you.  All of it, I will remember forever after today."

He looked down from her, hair slightly hanging over his face.  He looked over to the side, the cuts on his face showing through his dark tresses.  "Hopefully you don't just have to remember me?" he asked.

She grinned.  "Well, of course," she teased.  "It's hard to forget someone when you want to spend whole day, every day, with them.  When being with them makes you feel as young woman again.  Like...all songs on radio make sense now."  She looked away as well, feeling guilty for using his own words back at him.

"Hera?" he asked, drawing her full attention at how vulnerable he sounded.  "Have you ever...loved someone before?"

She looked back down into his eyes, her own wide.  "What do you mean?" she asked softly.

"I mean...really loved.  Like how Seres loved Simon, even after she found out he was a Prince?" he asked, looking straight at her without seeming to need to blink.  "Like how Westley loved Buttercup.  That all-over, taking over all your senses, scary, terrifying kind of love?  The one where you almost feel like you're losing yourself in the other person?"

Hera's breath caught and her senses sharpened, fixing all of them upon her boyfriend as he stared up at her just as intently.  "What are you saying, Kelin?" she asked, knowing what he meant but needing to hear it, desperate for it.

"I'm saying," Kelin breathed.  "I think I..."  He reached for her paw, taking it in his hand and stroking the fur.  "I think I love...no."  He shook his head.  "Not just love.  I think I'm in love with you."  He pulled gently on her paw, and as if connected by a string, she felt herself leaning down towards him.  He reached up with his other hand, stroking her furry cheek.  "I was so scared, for so long," he murmured up at her, their faces nearly level now.  "I was scared of loving someone again.  I thought I could never be enough for you, never give back everything you've given me.  But now, I know.  You stole into me, stole my heart.  I worried that when you did, you'd leave me feeling empty.  But you didn't.  You stole it, but I still feel full, almost bursting open every time I look at you.  Do you know why?"

She shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes.  She slowly kneeled down in front of him so that she didn't have to be bent over, and he wasn't having to strain to look up into her face.  Her heart was pounding and her face was hot.  She clasped his hand in her paw, leaning into his other one as it stroked up along her cheek to her ear.

"Because you stole my heart, and left yours in its place," Kelin whispered.  He closed his eyes and without needing the queue, they leaned their heads in towards one another.  Their foreheads met, softly thunking against each other.  She took a deep, shuddering breath, soaking in his scent.  His arms wove around her and hers did the same, engulfing him in her plush embrace.  They both sniffed, chuckling softly.  A heavy panting came at their side then, and both opened their eyes, glancing over.

All seven dogs were sitting on their haunches, staring at them.  Seven open-mouthed doggy grins greeted their eyes, tails wagging and ears perked up.  Skadi, the largest of them, barked once, sounding overjoyed.  The two of them laughed.

"Yes, yes," Kelin said, voice trembling with pent-up emotion.  He disengaged from her arms and opened them wide to the dogs, all of whom scooted closer and began snuggling into their beloved master's hugs.  "I also love each and every one of you."

Hera partook in the doggy cuddle-pile as well, receiving numerous sniffings, licks, nuzzles, and butt bumps as all wanted to enjoy her heavy-pawed scratches and pets.  They stayed like that for a while, taking turns petting and snuggling every single hound back to back, when the garage door opened again.  Erik poked his head inside the room.  "Hey, you two coming?" he asked, grinning beneath his thick facial hair.  "Jeremy is wanting to get this dungeon started!"

Standing, Hera reached wordlessly for Kelin's hand, finding it easily, and together they followed after his cousin back through the house, down the stairs, and back to the gaming room.  They arrived to see everyone present, save for Ingrid and Theo.  Idona gave them both a knowing look, flashing Hera a wink.  Jeremy looked overjoyed to see them both there.  Bryan passed them drinks from the fridge.

They jumped right back into the game where they had left off, about to infiltrate the abandoned fortress that Rrorl was basing his newest efforts out of.  They were just about to initiate the first combat when Ingrid entered the room, bearing a tray of freshly baked sweets for them to snack on.  Even as they played, Hera and Kelin did not stop holding hands, leaning against one another as their characters, Arna and Krieg, continued their own journey together, side by side.  It was a magnificent evening.  But the true event of the night was yet to come...