SFL 3 - Defiant Heart - Chapter 1

And now we are on to Steelforged Legacy 3: Defiant Heart!
These chapters will run like normal, up through the Friday before release with them being pulled down the Monday before release. Tentative release date is 7/16/25 right now, pending the finalization of the cover.

Enjoy!

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Previously

Not content to simply live in this new world after his abrupt departure from the previous, Casey Sullivan has traveled far and sought to learn more while growing in strength for both himself and his companion, Maude Sigynsdottir.

During that time, Casey has made both friends and enemies. Though on occasion he still doubts that befriending the Gladewalker Elk later christened Magnus was wise, mostly due to the elk's bad attitude and penchant for adding his own special odious punctuation to arguments. Despite the issues, Magnus has remained a staunch friend and companion to Casey.

In the process of rescuing and befriending Magnus, though, Casey inadvertently set off a series of events that have sent two neighboring clans cascading towards a clan-war. The Bronze Fist have long raided the Oaken Horde, but the animosity between the tribes has grown to the point that the Bronze Fist overreached themselves in pursuit of vengeance while Casey tried desperately to escape a misunderstanding in their lands.

Specifically, the Bronze Fist attacked a transport owned by a far larger clan, the Roaring Mountain, that was bringing fresh aspirants from the lands of the Oaken Horde to the Roaring Mountain itself.

At the time, Casey was still working to evade capture when he stumbled upon the burning wreckage of the flying longship that had belonged to the Roaring Mountain besieged by members of the Bronze Fist. Refusing to leave them behind to be overwhelmed, Casey, Magnus, and Maude joined the battle and were able to turn the tide.

With Casey’s group assisting, the still-living aspirants and last few guards of the Roaring Mountain made an escape for the border, fighting a running battle with the forces of the Bronze Fist who worked desperately to stop them.

When they were finally almost into the lands held by the Roaring Mountain, they were disheartened to find that the Bronze Fist had gotten ahead of them and were waiting aboard their flying longships to block their path.

With their goal in sight, Casey resorted to a desperate tactic: riding on Magnus to draw their enemies away and allow the wounded to cross the border, counting on their speed to send assistance back should he be caught. The gamble paid off, but only after Casey was forced into a mockery of an honor duel to sate the personal bloodlust of one Lord Damien, the uncle of the man Casey had been forced to kill to protect Magnus.

After succeeding in the holmgang, the forces of the Bronze Fist tried to turn on Casey anyway, only for the Roaring Mountain border guards to finally arrive and push them back, allowing Casey to get over the border to safety.

Having finally reached the Windsong Valley, home to the Roaring Mountain and his goal, Casey can only hope that the worst is behind him. With allies at his back and the hope of training and knowledge in front of him, now is his chance to grow personally as well as help Maude to blossom to her full potential.

Chapter 1

The sensation of something sharp prodding him in the nose was the first thing Casey felt as he drifted up and out of the dream world.

After spending several days as the running rear-guard for the group of aspirants and fighting the frantic battle against Damien of the Bronze Fist, sleep had claimed him as soon as he’d lain down and allowed his injuries to be bandaged.

Casey could remember the musky scent of his companion, Magnus, as the Gladewalker Elk had fussed over him in turn, as well as the familiar touch of Maude before he drifted off to sleep.

That memory of Maude’s skin on his did more than the poking in his nose to push Casey out of his sleep and into the waking world once more. He still needed to keep the reality of what Maude was a secret from everyone, as he definitely wasn’t strong enough to fight off those who would take the goddess bound in material form from him if they knew.

Casey sat bolt upright, and the sudden motion sent a black-feathered bird that had been standing on his chest fluttering away in surprise.

Cawing in reproach, the raven wove in a deft circle between the cut log beams of the ceiling before landing on one to glare down at him.

“Rude!” the bird croaked. But rather than the harsh voice of a raven, the word emerged in the tone of a woman in her late twenties.

“I warned you to not harass him, Hel,” said another voice from behind Casey. This one was the voice of an older woman, and Casey twisted to look towards the speaker, his eyes widening in awe as he beheld her.

Dressed in a leather riding skirt and a close-fitting shirt with short sleeves, the woman exuded confidence as she strode across the room. The thick heels of her riding boots clacked on the dense wood of the floor. Bright, sky-blue eyes twinkled in a stern face, giving it just a bit of levity to let him know that he wasn’t in trouble with her—whoever she was. But the billow of raven-black hair that surrounded her like a cloak should have told Casey who this was, even if he didn’t spot the familial grinning face of the redheaded troublemaker that had sent him to this world right behind her.

“Casey!” the god known as Loptr to his family, and Loki to many more, boomed as he hurried in the wake of the dark-haired woman that looked so much like Maude to him. “Good to see you are awake. I was worried you’d sleep right through your whole visit.”

“And if he did, that would be his right, Father,” croaked the raven again, as if it hadn’t been just standing on his chest and nipping at his nose. 

The longer sentence from the raven and the way the woman had called her ‘Hel’ earlier finally got Casey to remember the last time he’d seen a speaking raven.

He glanced up at the bird to see it watching him with an uncanny intelligence, so he inclined his head respectfully to the bird as he sat up on the familiar couch and surveyed the simple log cabin.

“I didn’t die, did I?” Casey asked urgently. “Last time I was in this place was…” He turned to look towards Loptr.

The redheaded god shook his head with a broad smile, immediately laying Casey’s worries to rest.

“No, you are not dead, Casey. Your body still lies in that tent, and my youngest stands watch at your side. You brushed the edge of my eldest’s realm, though, and she took the opportunity to fix a mistake of mine.” Loptr gave him a sheepish look and shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

“Which was?” Casey asked pointedly, turning to stare suspiciously at the former trickster god.

He knew that he shouldn’t be flippant with beings so much more powerful than himself, but it was hard with someone like Loptr. The easygoing man made Casey comfortable enough that he struggled to take him seriously.

Probably exploits that perception every chance he can get, Casey thought wryly.

“He does,” said the black-haired woman, making Casey twitch and wonder if she had read his mind. She settled into one of the overstuffed leather chairs that sat across from Casey. “But my husband is getting better. With the birth of our youngest, he has finally grown up some, too.”

She shot Loptr a loving smile that got her another sheepish grin from the redheaded god before he settled in on the arm of the chair. Hel winged down from the rafters to land on the arm of the chair opposite Loptr, bouncing carefully in place until it could look at Casey, too.

“That would make you his wife, then? Maude’s mother?” Casey asked, trying to be diplomatic. Maude had told him some of her parents, but rarely did she give their names, so the goddess’ name was escaping him at the moment, and his confusion was added to by the fact that she had apparently read his mind a moment ago.

“Yes, I am Sigyn,” the woman answered pleasantly, a fond smile on her lips. “My daughter takes after me so much that I would not have been surprised if you’d recognized me even without my tagalong.”

“Wife! You wound me,” Loptr teased playfully, bending to plant a loving kiss on the crown of Sigyn’s head. She rolled her eyes, but the smile on her lips grew wider at his affection.

“You two are ridiculous,” Hel croaked from her raven form. “Please, return to his earlier question. Casey the Sullivan has a limited amount of time that he can remain here before I must return him to his body.”

That statement made Casey tense, and he immediately looked to the raven. The animal ruffled its feathers smugly at him, calming when Sigyn’s hand settled onto her back and began combing through the feathers affectionately.

“Yes, Hel is right. As you strayed close to her realm from the gravity of your wounds and the stress on your body, she was able to bring you here to speak with me,” Sigyn said firmly, turning her attention back to him. “And as to your earlier question, my dearest and loving husband decided all on his own to take it upon himself to send our youngest into the world with an unknown man. Without consulting me or his other wives.” Iron was in her voice, and the goddess’ eyes slipped to one side to glare at her husband.

Loptr winced and looked away guiltily. Casey half expected the redheaded god to start making excuses, but he didn’t speak. Instead, he just bore his wife’s irritation with grace, as if he knew he’d overstepped.

“Luckily for him, you have exceeded any expectation that I might have laid upon you,” Sigyn continued, her voice dropping back into the pleasant and confident tone it had held before. “I trust my husband. But after everything that our little Maude has gone through already, it wouldn’t be right to not do my part.”

“You did your part when you sent the meteorite to her,” Casey said confidently. “You have ensured she had every bit of assistance that you could. I’m already on a second chance here, so it is only right that I do my part to help her, too.”

“And if, in that process, you can strike back against the creature that wronged you?” Sigyn’s tone was still pleasant, but Casey swore he could feel the barbed hooks in the question.

“Then it will be easy enough to take that opportunity. Maude and I are partners. We share power and knowledge so we can both grow and realize our goals. I am sure she agrees that something needs to be done about that… thing.” Casey grimaced as he remembered the unsettling feeling from his encounter with the Orange-Suited Man and how disturbing everything had been after the man’s cool exterior had shattered.

“There are limits to what we are able to share, but know that none of the Aesir or Vanir would be upset should that creature finally receive its reward. It has done untold damage with its meddling, but we are unable to act against it at this time,” Sigyn said gently, and Casey nodded.

“Maude explained. You have your own battle to deal with, and one far closer to home, relating to why and how you and the other powers came here. The Fomori.”

“Yes,” Hel croaked, the raven bobbing its head. “You have faced Fomori already, and can understand their twisted natures. And they are but the weakest of the spawn that battle with the gods and their forces even now. But we will turn the enemy back and strike them down.”

“But again, we stray from the reason we have brought you here.” Sigyn patted the raven gently with one hand, and Hel fell silent. “I wanted to learn more about the man who is my youngest daughter’s partner.”

The stress the goddess put on the word would have made Casey sweat, but the confidence he had in his relationship with Maude allowed him to bear up under her scrutiny with nothing more than a nod of acknowledgement.

“Please ask, then. I have nothing to hide from my partner’s family. Not that I could if I wanted to, anyway.” Casey tacked the last part in with a look at Loptr, who just grinned at him.

“Nope, you couldn’t. Our little one might be able to conceal some things, but not you. Not at the level you are at right now.”

“I wanted to know more about your encounters with the elementals,” Sigyn said, ignoring her husband’s statement and leaning forward, her elbows on her knees now. The close-fitting shirt clung to her body in a way that Casey had been trying to ignore, but given his encounters with Maude, he now knew where his lover got her figure.

“Anything specific about them?” Casey asked, doing his best to keep his eyes locked on the familiar sky-blue shade of Sigyn’s eyes. That they matched Maude’s exactly actually helped him to relax some.

“I understand why you declined their gift of cores. You saw it as robbing another elemental of a chance at life.” Casey nodded vehemently at that, to which Sigyn smiled slightly before continuing. “But there were other things that they offered you. I am curious if you realized it, or not.”

Casey opened his mouth to argue but hesitated. The woman in front of him was a goddess after all, and she had no reason to lie to him. If she said that the elementals had offered him something else that he had missed, then it was entirely possible that the gesture had gone right over his head.

“I did not,” Casey said after a long moment. “I can only claim ignorance, as there have been so many things for me to learn while growing accustomed to this new world. Maude and my training have been my primary focus.”

“Yes, that much was obvious,” Sigyn replied with a grin, leaning back to lounge in her chair while Loptr chuckled in amusement. The redheaded god was clearly entertained by something, but Casey couldn’t quite put his finger on what.

“Mother Sigyn,” Hel grumbled, her feathers fluffing up again. “You should not tease him too much. My mother is already on her way. I told you I could not hide this from her.”

Sigyn’s amusement faded slightly, and she let out a gusty sigh. The gesture reminded Casey of Maude when she wasn’t sure if she should be amused or annoyed at something he’d done, so instead she was both at once.

“Yes, little Hel. That is a good point. Casey, what you did not realize was that both the trio of elementals you saved from the Fomori, as well as that cherry dryad, offered themselves to you as concubines. I was curious if you refused them intentionally or not, and if you were tempted by them?”

Casey just stared at the goddess in front of him, the mother of his current lover, who was asking him if he’d been tempted by the unearthly beauty of the odd elemental women that he’d encountered.

“I think that answers your question, dear wife,” Loptr snickered, brushing his knuckles over his mustache to hide his smile.

“Yes, it does,” Sigyn said with a small laugh as Casey blushed.

“Ahem,” Casey said to clear his throat, fighting to keep the color down from his cheeks. “No, I am wholly devoted to Maude as my partner.”

“And what about that cute spearwoman who’s been following you around like a lost puppy?” Hel asked, the raven’s eyes narrowing.

“Vibeke? No, she’s just a friend to me,” Casey responded quickly.

He didn’t even hesitate. Vibeke was a wonderful woman, and he already counted her as a friend much like he did Einar, but thinking of her didn’t make his heart sing like it did when he thought of Maude.

Though he did wonder if maybe it was a family thing that had caused Maude to press him to accept other lovers, at least beyond the reasons she’d given him. She hadn’t pointed it out to him at the time either, so he wasn’t sure. 

“Interesting, but not unexpected. How could mortal women compare to our daughter?” Loptr asserted with a proud twist of his shoulders. “And with the speed of his growth, Casey will help our Maude to finally rise to the level she wants to!”

“Exactly,” Sigyn said dryly, not looking away from Casey. “How could mortal women compare?”

Before Casey could decide how he wanted to take the goddess’ pointed statement, a thunderous boom came from the door to the small, rustic cabin they were inhabiting.

“That will be Mother,” Hel sighed, ruffling her wings and looking like she was about to take flight. Sigyn scooped Hel off the arm of the chair and set the raven into her lap. 

“None of that, now. You can stay for a bit longer.”

“But Casey needs to—” Hel began to argue even as Loptr bounced to his feet and strode across the small room to the doorway. As he walked, Casey spotted the growing, happy smile the god was sporting.

“Casey needs to meet her as well. I’m sure she had a reason for dropping what she was doing and rushing here when she found out we had borrowed him,” Sigyn countered before looking up to Casey. “Now, Angrboda might be intimidating, but she is a good woman and loves Maude as much as her own children. Don’t let her scare you.”

Not sure what to say, Casey’s attention was yanked back to the door to the cabin when Loptr opened it and was promptly yanked out the front door by a massive, ice-white hand.

“Husband!”

The single word shook the entire house, and Casey winced as he felt it echo in his very bones. Hel cawed in annoyance, and Sigyn rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“Hello, love!” Casey heard Loptr say distantly before a loud, wet sound of kissing followed.

“Mother really misses him,” Hel said by way of explanation. “She spends a lot of time on the front, helping to corral my brothers.”

Though the amount of Norse myths he’d learned was limited, Casey grimaced. Her brothers—and by proxy Maude’s as well—were Jormungandr the World Serpent and Fenrir Odinsbane. Two massive monsters that would have helped bring about the end of all things if the fate seen by the Norns hadn’t been changed when the Fomori had attacked.

Now, those monstrous creatures of myth fought alongside the gods they had been fated to kill in an uneasy truce that had lasted for centuries now.

“That makes sense,” he said lamely, getting a chuckle from both women still in the room.

“Where is the little bastard? My Hel can’t hide that she brought a still-living here, despite your tricks, husband!” the loud voice boomed outside and Casey winced at the volume.

“He’s inside. Be nice to him, wife. He’s doing his best for our Maude,” Casey heard Loptr respond through the ringing in his ears. He missed the goddess’ response, as it was mixed in with an odd cracking and crumbling noise that reminded him of the sounds of ice breaking up on a river.

Moments later, a titan of a woman strode through the doorway with Loptr under one arm like a bundle of laundry. Casey immediately shot to his feet when he saw her, every cell in his body screaming that this woman was dangerous and deserved respect—much like one might feel seeing a grizzly bear walking across a road and knowing it could tear your car open if it wanted to.

Angrboda towered over eight feet in height. Her skin was as white as new-fallen snow, and her blonde hair fell in an avalanche down her back, contrasting sharply with the thick bearskin cloak that was her only piece of clothing. The cloak also fell to her ankles and blocked most of her body from view, but with Loptr under her arm, it left one titanic breast exposed and enough of her hip that it was obvious she was naked underneath it. 

Eyes as blue as a polished sapphire immediately locked on Casey, and he felt an icy chill rush down his spine in time with her glare scanning him over. The absolute mountain of a woman kept her eyes locked on him, studying Casey from his crown to the soles of his feet as she approached. Each step made the floorboards tremble underneath her. 

Casey was confident this woman could have picked up the troll he’d witnessed doing battle with the Bronze Fist as contemptuously as she currently carried her husband.

“Angrboda,” Sigyn’s gentle voice finally broke the spell of the giantess’ approach. The glare in her eyes faded away and transformed into an affectionate smile when she turned her gaze to Sigyn.

“Sister. It is good that you are here and our little ruffian is finally doing what he should have before.” Angrboda shook Loptr like he was a naughty puppy, making the redheaded god whine pitifully. Casey could see the amused grin on Loptr’s face though and knew it was an act to placate his much larger wife.

“Yes. I was just learning more of Casey when you arrived. He’s remained steadfast in his assertion that he is devoted to our youngest,” Sigyn replied with open affection for the big woman. The tone of her voice made Casey blink, as he heard love there that he hadn’t expected between two women who shared the same husband.

I wonder if it’s the same for the third? What did Maude say her name was? Casey thought before pushing the idea away, remembering how Sigyn had spoken aloud to answer his thoughts in the past.

The last thing he wanted was to offend any of these people—not just because they were divine beings, but because they were Maude’s family.

Loptr made a subtle gesture with his hand that caught Casey’s attention, and he realized the redheaded god was shooting him a subtle thumbs-up.

Shit, Casey thought before bottling up that thought, too. He focused on the mostly naked giant in front of him, pointedly ignoring her bare breast and muscled torso to focus on her face and the intense blue eyes that watched him and the small smile twisted her lips.

“He has more restraint than our husband,” Angrboda said a moment later, the small smile spreading into a broad grin. “I thought for sure his eyes would be locked on my tits the second I walked in here.”

“You are a beautiful woman, but you are also family to my partner. It would be disrespectful both to you and her if I stare,” Casey replied, deciding compliments would be the best way to keep the goddess in front of him from throwing him through a wall.

Jotunn, she’s a jotunn, Casey reminded himself, finally remembering the term from his conversations with Maude.

“Oh, he’s got a good tongue in him, too,” Angrboda cackled and finally set Loptr down, patting the smaller man on the head before allowing her cloak to fall shut. “If I didn’t love my half-daughters so much, I might regret demanding that you marry my sister as well, husband. I think Casey would have made a good match for her.”

“I do my best to keep all three of you happy!” Loptr asserted in an irritated stance, both fists on his hips.

“And you do a good job of that,” Angrboda soothed, patting him on the head lightly with one hand. “But that doesn’t—”

“Mother,” Hel interrupted the giantess, drawing the much larger woman’s attention. “You can tease Father later, but I do need to get Casey back to his body before the bond between soul and form begins to fade. You had something you wanted to ask him?”

“Ask him? Oh no, I had nothing to ask him. I already can tell he won’t hurt our Maude.” Angrboda’s words were full of such confidence that Casey felt a surge of relief race through him. “But her half-brothers are the ones that need convincing.”

The relief he’d felt promptly dropped out of the bottom of his stomach, and Casey grimaced, an expression both mothers caught.

“They won’t come after you directly,” Angrboda reassured him gently, leaning forward to study Casey with an intense gaze. “They’ve promised me that much, but I think that has more to do with not wanting to upset their little sister. I expect them to meddle and test you. I know my boys, and if you can prove to them you are worthy of their sister, you could have two powerful allies in protecting and nurturing her. You are already well on your way to proving yourself to our family and others, though, especially considering the choices we’ve seen you make thus far.”

“I just did what I believed to be right,” Casey sighed, doing his best to not let his worry show on his face. The idea of two titanic older brothers testing him was worrying, but he was confident that with Maude at his side, he’d be able to handle it.

“At every turn, you sacrifice to ensure our Maude grows. And I don’t even think that you realize you are doing it,” Sigyn interjected, still stroking the head of the raven in her lap that Hel was communicating through. “Before we were interrupted, I was trying to explain, though I don’t think you understood: that meteorite I sent wasn’t for my daughter.”

“What?” Casey blinked in surprise at her, and the goddess’ smile spread so wide that it made her eyes squint.

“My husband promised you a gift of power to help balance the scales after what that bastard did to you in your past life. The meteorite was my contribution. It empowered my daughter to assist you even further, but its power was meant for you. Yet when she demanded it, you gave it to her without hesitation.”

“How would it have helped me?” Casey asked, still confused at what she meant. The lump of star-steel had done so much to help Maude and allowed her to expand her form so she could be more than just a seax when he needed to fight with her.

“The power of the long dark between stars, it was something that you could have cultivated yourself, much like a core. It would have changed your Legacy into something more, and it would have accelerated you along the Drengr’s Road so that you would instead lead Maude. But you and she shared it.”

The proud smile on Sigyn’s full lips sent another thrill down Casey’s spine that he promptly stuffed into a box and hid away. It was a smile that was so very familiar and made him think of things that were inappropriate when he was around creatures so powerful they could read his mind.

“Look forward to further gifts to balance that scale,” Angrboda said, an amused smirk twisting her chiseled features. “Especially if you keep impressing us.”

“I know you refused initially,” Loptr interrupted when Casey began to protest, “but this is the way of things. When I gave you a place in that world, fate’s debt to you became ours to pay. Use it yourself or share it with Maude; none of us will complain if you spoil our little girl. Especially as she grows and changes alongside you to inherit her heritage.”

Casey grimaced. He really didn’t like hand-outs, so he tried to rally a protest. He also wanted to ask what Loptr had meant about Maude ‘changing.’ But before he could find the words, Hel wiggled free of Sigyn’s hands and flapped her wings sharply before launching into the air.

“You must return, Casey the Sullivan,” the raven said. “Your time is up for now, but you will speak to them again. Hopefully, you won’t need to almost die to get the next chance.”

The raven flew directly at Casey, and before he could react, it impacted his chest. But rather than feeling the sharp pain of a beak piercing his flesh, he instead felt a whirling sensation similar to being spun like a top.

A moment later, Casey’s eyes popped open to see the canvas roof of the tent overhead and the furry underside of Magnus’ jaw as the elk leaned over him.