Even as Zelo’s mind seized up at the abrupt reality upon him, his body took over without conscious thought.  When heavily armored knights moved to close in on him, he backpedaled, raising his sword defensively, swinging it in a broad swath to keep the area around him clear of opponents.  “I didn’t do it!” he yelled frantically, unable to see the faces of the knights for the helmets and visors covering their visages.  It made them far more intimidating than he would have thought, to look upon the nameless entities in a sea of bodies surrounding him on all sides.  “It was the Valkyr!” he defended, having to fight the impulse to smack himself in the face with his palm after the unbelievable statement, never mind that it was true.

                Fortunately, the knights weren’t the only ones closing in on him and he became aware of the rest of his teammates coming to his aide mere seconds later.  When he felt a hand grip his shoulder firmly, he nearly panicked and started to bring his sword around defensively before he heard a shout in his ear.  “Zelo!  Come on!”  It was Jaeseop, hastily dragging the younger boy away from the pavilion and towards what they both hoped might be some path of escape.

                “Seize them!  Don’t let him get away!” the King roared over the din of clashing metal and boisterous cries as genuine fighting broke out among the men, fierce and unhindered.  Shouts of pain joined the roar of combat where blades found flesh and bones were bruised and broken under the assault of weapons that cleaved and bashed through armor of all kinds.

                “Captain!  I swear I didn’t do it!” Zelo promised, the words tumbling out of his mouth in a rush as he tried to clear his name.  He grunted with a grimace under a heavy blow from a broader opponent wielding a heavy bastard sword who managed to breach the wall of fighters around them.  The weapon was shorter than his but he managed to bring a lot of momentum behind it, making the block difficult but not impossible.

                “We’ll sort it out later!” Jaeseop growled, stabbing one of his short swords into a chink in the armor near the knight’s neck, finding flesh as he drove the blade in and kicked him away, weapon stained red while the other man stumbled back, favoring his left side.  Their brief pause lasted less than a couple seconds before he was leading the way again, shoving through the crowd while the struggles around them grew increasingly violent.

                “But-!” he yelped, frightened of what was going to happen when they heard yet more fighters arrive.  He paled slightly when he saw that a section of the mounted guard had made the field, wearing heavy armor and sitting astride their fierce war steeds; monstrous horses with massive hooves and heavy bodies perfectly suited for trampling over men on foot.

                “If he gets you now, he’ll have your head, Zelo!” Jaeseop snapped, grabbing the younger male by the front of his armor and jerking his face close to meet the uncertain gaze with his hardened eyes.  “Come on,” he growled again, dragging him after while they bolted for an opening in the field, aiming for the first line of horsemen, a calculating gleam in the Captain’s eyes.

                Jaeseop flipped one of his short swords over in his hand, grabbing the tip of the blade before he hurled it at the rider in the front.  It hit him awkwardly, smacking into the helmet with the hilt and part of the blade with a muted clang, doing no real damage but it forced the knight back so that he pulled on the reins, yanking the horse to a stop when it reared in surprise.  The gray stallion neighed shrilly, pawing at the air with dangerous, sharp hooves while the rider fell off in a thunderous clatter of metal and an indignant cry.

                “Now go!” the Captain yelled, giving Zelo a shove towards the recovering horse who shied away while he sprinted on foot beside him, bypassing the creature and partially spooking the ones following immediately behind it.  “Yah!” he roared, feinting at the faces of the horses that were trained to fight in the heat of battle.

                When yelling and trying to spook them was less than effective, he nicked the nearest horses across the nose with the tip of his sword.  It startled them more than anything else, angering others to attack him directly, but it was enough to throw the front riders in disarray.  The horses shied away and bumped haphazardly into their closer allies, making it difficult to regroup and focus on their original target.

                With only a hint of hesitation, Zelo sprinted for the horse he’d been directed to, taking time to grab a handful of the lengthy mane before he hauled himself into the saddle with a hasty leap.  Unused to the new rider, the horse sidled under him, tossing his head in agitation before he settled enough to control with a severely heavy hand.  The stirrups were too short for Zelo and they were nigh on impossible to set his feet in anyway so he ignored them, clamping his legs down firmly on the thick torso, and used the flat of his blade to smack the horse across the rump.

                “Yah!” he yelped when the creature leapt forward with a vicious kick towards the back as it struck out at the unseen assailant.  Zelo narrowly managed to keep it from whirling around to try and find the attacker by hauling drastically on the reins with his free hand, keeping the mount on a relatively straight course.  It practically ran over a few of those on foot in front of them and slammed forcefully into another horse and rider, nearly knocking them over before they made the outermost edge of the fighters.

                A small surge in the perimeter nearly blocked him off where the mounted knights solidified enough to temporarily block his escape path, bringing their weapons to bear on him with slightly muffled cries, their full helmets distorting their voices.  Zelo gasped and tightened his legs further, feeling the horse drive forward anyway, neighing fiercely as his heavy body crashed with those in front of him, biting and kicking as he was trained.  The strain on both his arms was intense and it was only hours of practice that kept Zelo’s blade in his hand as he blocked and struck out, seeing the glimmer of a path opening before them.

                “Hyah!” Zelo cried, deliberately whipping the reins while he leaned over the outstretched neck with his sword held defensively at his side.  Bent over the swiftly running creature, he felt the horse’s mane sting his face in their haste to escape, massive torso expanding and contracting with each deep breath.  Zelo kept casting worried glances behind him, sword ready at his side, rising and falling with each stride of the horse’s legs.

                For once, he was grateful for a decided lack of heavy armor which hastened his escape.  The horses that followed fell behind, struggling with the not inconsiderable weight of their riders, though he could see behind them additional reinforcements on more standard horses taking up the pursuit.  Still, his heart soared with his success at breaking free, and just as quickly plummeted when he realized the Captain, and likely all his teammates, had been captured in his stead.  It was not a pleasant thought…

                “Dammit!” he snarled, feeling anger wash over him.  None of this was his fault!  He certainly hadn’t made the Princess turn into a monster.  Nor had it been his hand that had summoned the Valkyr to kill her and steal… collect… take off with her soul.  So whose fault was it then?  He didn’t know but he intended to find out.

                Impassively, Daehyun watched the proceedings with a neutral expression.  He had figured the humans would react so foolishly; naïve and reckless creatures…

                The spirit beside him slowly transformed from the hovering orb she had been, resuming more of her human form once more; a slightly paler image of her formerly alive self.  In a matter of seconds, Princess Amber floated beside him, wearing clothes similar to what she dressed in while practicing, clean of the grime she’d marked herself with, crowned by her shorter haircut.

                If nothing else, she seemed moderately confused about what had happened and where she was.  That was to be expected.  Daehyun had seen it frequently with Einherjar who did not suspect this of happening or of even being possible.  Entranced, she looked at her hands and stared at the fact she was above the ground before noticing he was there.

                “You…!” she gasped pointing at him, a brief flash of recognition crossing her face while she took a startled step back.  “You’re a…?” her voice trailed off as she had a better chance to take in his appearance.  The mere glimpse on the field had been startling, leading to the injury she had initially suffered, but now, there was no mistaking it.

                He nodded in silent agreement.  “I am the Valkyr Daehyun, and you Princess Amber, have been deemed worthy of becoming an Einherjar.”

                “Me?” she frowned, glancing around curiously, trying to piece the puzzle together from what she remembered before…  “I’m dead!?”

                “Yes, Amber,” Daehyun nodded in confirmation, giving her a moment to absorb what was happening.

                It felt like she’d been hit in the head by a brick when she saw her body, lacking its head mind you, lying on the field with her father kneeling beside it.  She leaned closer to get a better glimpse of his face and felt her chest tighten as she saw tears glistening in his eyes.  Drifting closer, he looked so sad…  her lips nervously, she waved her hand in front of his face as he continued to stare at her body as if he couldn’t believe it, his fingertips pressing gently against her shoulder.

                “He can’t see you,” the Valkyr explained quietly, drifting into place at her side as he watched the King with a neutral expression.

                “Father,” Amber whimpered, clasping her hands close to her chest as she bit her lip to keep from crying.

                “Your death was… expected, but I did not anticipate being the one to deliver it,” he admitted nonchalantly, somewhat confused by that occurrence himself.  It was not usual for a Valkyr to actually dispose of the one they were going to collect…

                “Why?” she asked immediately, taking in the madness of the scene around them as she began to accept her new reality.  She remembered the competition and her own bout in it.  She knew she’d been injured by Geng and then…  “Why did you kill me?” she demanded, whirling on him with anger flashing in her eyes, lacking the memory of anything beyond the pain that had overwhelmed her shortly after being wounded.

                Daehyun regarded her for a long moment before he gestured with a gauntleted hand, “You were poisoned by the tainted blood of a draugr and were no longer human when I took your life.  Such things are not found or used lightly, Princess.  There is no cure for such a malady save death.  Had I not intervened, it is likely you would have slaughtered a great many more men today than have died already.”  He shrugged, though his expression indicated there was more going on in his mind than he was revealing.

                “But, how was I poisoned?” she asked, rubbing her chin thoughtfully with her fingers, going over everything in her mind where it might have been possible.

                “Your opponent’s sword,” Daehyun answered blithely, eyes scanning the field for the scrap of cloth that Geng had discarded after wiping the blade down.  He suspected the reason he did not notice the change before was because there was nothing wrong with the sword until he applied it just before his fight with the Princess.

                “Geng?” she frowned, turning to search the field for the mercenary with a furious expression.  “I knew he was bad news!” she fumed, stomping her foot on thin air, not noticing the lack of ground as they continued to hover a hand’s distance above it.  “I never should have crossed blades with him!  No.  I should have fried him on the spot!” she continued, not paying attention to the Valkyr.

                Daehyun didn’t respond to her tirade but rather continued to go over what he knew.  There was more going on here than just the simple murdering of the king’s heir.  Draugr’s blood was notoriously difficult to obtain and one had to have very dark ties to even come close.  Geng was arrogant and foolhardy but he did not have the malicious, calculating nature one would need in dealing with creatures that had access to it.  Necromancers topped the list, but there was also the possibility of a vampire lord, a lich, and Asgard forbid if Brahms was related to this debacle…

                “Amber.  What do you know of your Chancellor?” he asked aloud, letting his gaze linger on the elder male as he tried poorly to console the King.  It might have been more convincing if there was genuine sympathy there but it felt… flat.  Granted, there was little enough that anyone could do for him, but it wasn’t long before Chancellor Kranth took over the ordering of the knights as they corralled the mercenaries they’d managed to capture.  Not surprisingly, Geng was missing from their number, though Jaeseop had not been so fortunate.

                “Chancellor Kranth?” she remarked, confused why he was asking about him, her anger waylaid by curiosity.  “Only that he’s been in his position for as long as I can remember.  He’s always looked after father’s best interest and used to leave me well enough alone,” she commented, brow furrowed in thought.  “Actually, it is rather odd that he was helping me with the tourney.”

                “Indeed,” Daehyun murmured thoughtfully, watching the Chancellor with a sharp gaze.  He felt… wrong.  There was no other way to explain it.  Not inhuman; at least not yet, but there was a taint about him the Valkyr did not favor.

                “You don’t think he’s responsible for any of this?  Do you?” Amber questioned hesitantly, afraid of the answer.  It would mean considerably more was at stake than just her life.  What if her father was in danger?  What if Kranth wanted the kingdom for himself?  With no immediate heir remaining, he could manipulate whoever was chosen if he didn’t just manage to bully his way into stewardship until such a time as he could claim actual regency.

                “I think there is more to your Chancellor than any of you are aware,” Daehyun hummed under his breath while he watched the older male patrol the field, for all the world overseeing the roundup of the mercenaries, save for when he paused to retrieve something from the ground.  He was careful not to touch it with his bare hands and instead used a torn cloak located nearby to pick up what appeared to be the same cloth that Geng had used on his sword.  Idly, the Valkyr wondered what sort of repercussions that young man would be feeling before too long from coming into contact with the substance, even only superficially.

                “But, how can you tell?” she asked, staring at the same thing but seeing nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

                “You will see,” he nodded decisively, making up his mind in that moment.

                “What do you mean?” Amber retorted, confused.

                He turned steely eyes on her, peering out from under the bridge of his helm, and answered, “Unless you would prefer the cold presence of Hel, you are coming with me.  I’ll not send a warrior, chosen or not, to Valhalla with you as wet behind the ears as you are.  One sight of a Jottun now would send you running terrified for your continued existence.”

                “I wouldn’t- Wait…  Jottuns?” she asked, expression paling at the term.  No human had ever seen one but there were stories aplenty of the monstrous humanoids that waged war with the gods in the beginning.

                “Yes.  Jottuns.  What did you think you’d be fighting when you went to Valhalla?” he snorted, gesturing for her to follow along with an imperious wave of his hand.

                “I wasn’t supposed to be fighting anything!  I just wanted to prove myself!” she snapped, still shaken by what she’d been told, and irritated at being spoken down to.

                “Come along, Princess,” Daehyun called, gathering her soul to him, holding it within his person for protection and ease of travel.  “You’ll have your chance soon enough,” he explained softly, chewing his lip thoughtfully.

                Amber yelped at the sudden change, finding herself able to see all that the Valkyr did, but lacking any control to speak of, save for her thoughts and her voice.  Disgruntled by the newest arrangements, she couldn’t help but ask, “Where are we going?”

                “Since your Chancellor is very good at hiding his true nature, whatever it may be, I can’t interfere with him directly.  He is still human after all.  Your young friend however, has no such restrictions,” he smiled, the beginnings of a plan already turning in his mind, leaving his charge very confused about what he was referring to.

(a/n: I can't let Zelo get captured yet.  ;)  He's got too much work to do in the meantime!  hehe  Point of interest: Jottuns are basically giants.  If you ever watched the movie Thor and you saw the frost giants, that's pretty much a good idea of what the gods are fighting.  There are fire giants too for that matter and they all hate the gods.  >.>  Needless to say, they would probably be a teensy bit intimidating for even your most seasoned warriors, much less our recently recruited Princess.  So onwards to adventure and whatever new horrors I can dig up.  XD   Thank you for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy!)