Story 3: Dacina's Sacrifice

The next morning didn't come easily for Dacina. She was still upset about her friends death. She knew for a fact, however, he wouldn't want her to mope around about her all day. She pulled herself together and turned into the old, cruel, and seemingly not caring Dacina.

"Are you better, Dacina?" Corren asked.

"No," she answered and he got out of her way quickly. She was mad and she was not above shooting someone.

"Corren, we are in big trouble," Aiden said.

"What do you mean?" He asked her and she sighed.

"Dacina is our leader. If she falls, we all fall!" she answered and Corren nodded. She was right. If the leader of the group falls, then the group plunges into chaos.

"What should we do?" He asked.

"There is only one way she will be happy and that is to kill Grunel," she answered.

"So, we have to help her defeat him," Corren sighed.

"Yes. I have a plan if you want to hear it," she said. Corren nodded. She proceeded to tell him her plan.

Meanwhile, Grunel looked at all of the other grendels. "Did you get anything done?"

"We killed Torl!" One of the grendels said. Grunel's growl turned into a smile. He walked over to them.

"Well, it seems I won't have to kill you after all," was what he said.

"Thank you, sir," the grendel answered.

"Don't thank me! Just go get me that that no good norn witch!" He said and turned away from them. All he wanted was one good chance to kill Dacina. He had been a fool to let her live, but he was determined to rectify his mistake!

At this time, Dacina had not stopped training. If she wasn't practicing her targeting, she was practicing self-defense. Corren and Aiden's plan was being set into motion.

"Aiden, may I ask you a personal question?" Corren asked finally. Aiden looked over at him.

"Yeah, what do you need?" She asked.

"Your name, it's masculine. Why?" Was his question. Aiden sighed and turned to him.

"My name was Aisha, but I didn't want it. Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely name, but that was the problem. It was too feminine. I preferred men's names. I chose Aiden which means fiery. I wanted a name that I knew was strong," she replied.

"Oh. Do you regret your decision?" He asked.

"Nope! Even when I am asked by other people, it never bothers me as much as living with a feminine name," She answered and she nodded.

Dacina, on the other hand, was too busy training and doing other things to notice the grendels sneak past her. One of them stopped and hit her over the head with his gun. She fell to the ground in pain. Blackness was all she could see.

"Corren, did you hear something?" Aiden asked. Corren shook his head yes. They quickly got all of the other norns out of there.

"Let's go check," he said and they started out. Aiden went behind her friend.

"No so fast, my young ones!" A grendel said and nodded to the others. Corren and Aiden turned around and ran for it. The other side was getting closer. Corren could feel them at his heels. They were like a pack of wolves!

Aiden could feel them catch up. One grabbed her waist and the hunt was over. Soon after, Corren was caught. They were both handcuffed and given to the head grendel. He chuckled at the sight of them and even had the nerve to slap Aiden.

"Back off!" Aiden had growled and she kicked him in the stomach. The grendel had stopped laughing at that time and pulled out a whip.

"This will teach you!" He started and another grendel stopped him.

"Wait! Grunel wants them alive!" The soldier reminded him.

"Very well," the grendel nodded. He lifted Aiden's head towards him. "I will have my revenge!"

Aiden was shoved back to the ground and Corren stayed with her. That was when they saw Dacina. The norn was in a cage, her arms chained to the side and her legs to the bottom. There was a chain collar around her neck.

"Dacina!" Corren yelled and tried to reach her. Two grendels stopped him and Corren gave up. He wasn't getting anywhere here. He let them take him without anymore arguments.

"Where are we going?" Aiden asked.

"To Grunel. He knows how to deal with rebels," a grendel said and sneered at her. Corren held her with a protective grip.

"Corren," a voice whispered.

"What is it, Dacina?" Corren asked.

"Come here," was her reply. Corren did as she asked. She winced and dropped down. "Why did you give up?"

"We were outnumbered," was his reply. She nodded and tried to rest again. Her rough exterior and her determination was gone for the moment. He pitied her. A thing he never thought he would have to do.

"We're almost there," Aiden muttered. The palace was huge. There were a row of 400 stairs to be climbed. The outer part was an escalator. The grendels never had to climb, only the norns did. Aiden gasped and Corren ruffled her fur.

"Come on! There is no use in stalling!" A grendel said and let Dacina out of her cage. She was weak and it scared Corren. The grendels brought their whips out and began to use it towards the trio. They had no choice but to run.

Aiden and Corren both helped Dacina get up the steps. 1,2,3... It seemed to take forever. Corren began to count, tired as he was. Dacina almost fell down a couple of times, but the other two helped her even more. When they got to the top. They stopped for a few seconds to rest.

That was when Corren saw it. He knew why Dacina seemed to be more tired than she should have been. Beside her was a small egg. Aiden noticed it and hid it. Dacina seemed to have her strength grow. She was physically weak, but emotionally strong.

"Dacina?" Corren asked and she turned to look at him.

"Yes?" She asked with a sly grin.

"Are you better?" He questioned her. She just grinned. He knew what the answer was. They were still lead to Grunel who took a look at each of them.

"I'll take it you're Corren," he said to the male norn. He turned his attention to Aiden. "So, who is she?"

"We don't know, Sir, but she was with them," one of the grendels answered and Grunel grunted. "What are you going to do with them?"

"We shall have a hunt using the younger two. I have my own special plans for Dacina. Prepare them!" Grunel yelled and the grendels grabbed them.

"What are you plans for me, Grunel?" She asked.

"I want your egg," he said to her.

"What egg?" She replied. He growled at her.

"Yours! I know that you were pregnant, now where is the egg?!" He yelled. Dacina was silent. He slapped her. "You will change your mind. In the meantime, we will watch the hunt."

Dacina closed her eyes in pity for the younger norns. No one came back from a hunt. It was a norn, or in this case two, against 15 to 20 grendels. The garden they were in was a labyrinth. The grendels were murders and thieves. No one cared if they died.

Aiden's chains were finally released. She had heard about these hunts and quickly explained it to Corren. The two adolescents were in an embrace. Corren had one arm around the female. Aiden was ready, but she didn't want to die.

"Run!" Yelled Corren. They both took off when they were thrown in. The labyrinth was full of vines and plants that seemed to grab at them. There were animals leering in the dark, waiting to pounce.

"Corren, we can't keep this up forever!" Aiden reminded him.

"There must be something to eat, look around!" Was his reply. Aiden touched something that seemed to be food. She made sure it wasn't poisoned and took a bite. She offered some to Corren.

"Thanks, Aiden," he thanked. "We have to move now."

They could hear the grendels and knew that they never split up. There seemed to be a few missing however. Aiden ducked into a hole. "We'll be safe in here!"

"Stop this, Grunel!" Dacina yelled. "I'm the one you wanted, not them!"

"Perhaps, Dacina, but you won't give me the information I need!" Grunel reminded her.

"I don't know where it is! Honest!" She pleaded to him and she had been so disoriented that it was most likely the truth.

"Then I don't know how to get them out," was his reply. "Slave! Where is my food?"

A male ettin slave turned to him. "I'm not sure, Master. I shall go find it."

"Good! As for you, Dacina, I plan to keep you alive long enough, Dacina, for your child to kill you!" He told her and she glared at him.

"I thought that was your first mistake!" She reminded him.

"My first mistake was not killing you when I should have, but now is not the right time!" He yelled and his eyes went back to the hunt.

"Corren, I have an idea," Aiden whispered. She pointed to some of the vines. "There is quicksand up ahead."

"I get it," her companion nodded. He picked some vines quickly and they tied the vines to the trees. Then they stood back and waited for the grendels to come. The grendels tripped over them since they were to occupied to notice and about five were in the quicksand. There was 9 left, though.

"Come on," Corren said and they ran for a new cover, dodging the quicksand. They waited until they were far away before they slowed down and began to talk.

"You know, this is how our ancestors lived. They never ate though. Lucky for them, the hand appeared," Aiden said and Corren turned to her.

"How do you know that?" He asked and she grinned.

"I love history," she answered and then continued. "This is where they mainly lived. It's just overgrown with vines now."

"Did they have anything of importance here?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Just a computer. But if I could get to it, I might be able to help us get out of here."

"Let's find it then," he said and she grinned.

"Glad to see we agree," she said and they began to get rid of the weeds and the vines. It was taking more time than they had, but Aiden was beginning to see the resemblance to the old Albia.

Corren looked down at the ground for a moment and frowned. "Aiden, you're in my light."

"What are you talking about, Corren? I'm not near you!" Was her reply. Corren looked behind him and saw three grendels. When Aiden didn't hear a response, she called him again, "Corren?"

"Aiden...run!" He yelled and Aiden whipped her head around. She tripped a grendel and he fell into the Venus Fly Trap. Corren got another one to follow him and trapped her in some of the vines. Corren accidentally broke another one's neck.

"We got them," Aiden said and got back to work. She didn't have Dacina's rough attitude and it soon betrayed her.

"You're upset we killed them, aren't you?" He asked her. "Why? What have they ever done for you?"

"Yes, I'm upset. They are still living creatures and there has to be some good in their species," Corren looked at the ground. He had never thought of that.

"You're right. I say we stop fighting and try to get them to help us. We could use the help," he said. "One thing, though, I thought grendels didn't split up."

"We usually don't," one of the grendels they had hurt said. It was the female from the vines. They ran over and helped her out. "We thought we had no choice. I heard everything you said. After all we have done for you, and you are willing to help us get out of here."

"Yes. I don't judge by the species, but by the creature within," Aiden said. "What's your name, Grendel?"

"Meka," was the grendel's reply. Aiden and Corren smiled.

"I'm Corren and this is Aiden," Corren said to introduce them. Meka was much stronger than the two and began to throw the vines off with a certain ease.

"What is that grendel doing?!" Grunel yelled.

"She's helping them and her name is Meka!" Dacina grinned and watched the other grendels find the teammate. Meka quickly told them what had happened and the other grendels began to help them. The leading grendel, Grane, nodded and started to help. Pretty soon the computer was uncovered.

Grunel had made the mistake of letting the entire planet watch the hunt. All of the grendels were suddenly furious. They stood up and released their norns. Others released the ettins. Dacina snickered at Grunel's misfortune. "What now? What are you going to do for entertainment?"

"I'm going to show them what happens when a norn becomes disobedient!" Grunel growled and made the camera follow his steps. He lunged at Dacina and she jumped out of his way. Trying to take the opportunity, she tried to drive him into the ground, but he is just as advanced as her.

"Come on, Aiden," Corren muttered and she shushed him. They were still trying to figure out that small computer, and it wasn't easy.

"This is an old computer. It'll take me a few minutes..." she said as the doors opened. All of them ran out. The grendels ran a separate way in hope of helping Dacina and the norns went a different way. They ran to help Dacina, not even knowing she was fighting to the death.

"Is that the best you can do?" Grunel said and he pulled out a knife.

"Never were one to play fair, were you?" She said, not actually asking.

"Why play fair, Dacina? You killed my sons!" He growled and threw himself at her.

"You killed my family, and Corren's!" She cried and flipped him.

While all of this was going on, Corren and Aiden still trying to reach their friend. Corren turned to the ettin slave that had been in the room with Grunel and Dacina. "Excuse me!"

"Yes?" The ettin asked. His face was full of sweat and anger.

"Can you tell us where Dacina is?" Corren asked.

"She's with Grunel. They're in a fight to the death. I do hope she makes it," he answered. The two of them ran even harder and faster.

"Now, Dacina, was that nice?" Grunel asked as he got up.

"Not particularly," was her reply. She pulled out a knife that she had been hiding and charged at him.

Corren could see the door in his site. He and Aiden charged at it. Corren looked stressed out. "Hang on Dacina!"

As she jumped, Grunel jumped. They both headed towards each other and they hit the ground right as the younger norns busted in. "Corren, Aiden?" She asked.

"Dacina! What happened?" Corren asked. Dacina was on the bottom, and it took them a minute to get the late ruler off of her.

"We were fighting, and we clashed. He's dead, right?" Dacina asked. Her voice was soft.

"Yes," Aiden replied.

"Then I fulfilled my promise to Torl and my family," she replied. Corren got what she was getting at.

"Dacina, no!" He cried. "We need you!"

"You'll be fine, Corren. I got what I wanted, Grunel dead and peace with the grendels. That's all I could ask for," she muttered. She looked into his eyes. "Look towards the future and not towards the past. Everything you want and need you have."

The old norn looked at both of them and smiled. "Take care of my child, will ya?"

"You've got it, Dacina," Corren said and Aiden nodded. Corren watched her slip away and began to cry. Aiden was not much of a comfort. They stayed with her until the coroner came. All they could do now was wait for peace.

6 months later...

"Aiden! It's hatching!" Corren yelled. She ran towards him. "What do you think it will be? A boy or a girl?"

"I don't know! I wonder if it'll have it's mother's spirit and it's father's emotions!" Corren said. He watched his wife rub her belly. Only two more weeks until the egg was laid. Two legs popped out. They were red.

"Come on!" Corren said. The hands finally came out. They were purple. Finally the rest of it popped out.

"It's a girl!" They both exclaimed. It had it's father's body and it's mother's head. Dacina and Torl's daughter was certainly a wondrous sight.

"What are we going to call her?" Aiden asked.

"Seryna!" Corren said proudly. They looked out of their window and grinned. Freedom was a glorious thing.