Tyranny of Steel

When Berengar returned to Kufstein, he immediately found himself in the arms of his loving wife, Linde. The woman had a wide smile on her face when she saw her man return from his journey. That is, until she noticed something peculiar.

The scar over Berengar's right eye was just slightly different from how it had been for years. Normally, one would not be able to notice such a minor change, even under the highest scrutiny. Yet Linde knew her man's body and mind better than anyone. The slightest shift in his appearance was immediately noticeable. Thus, she frowned when she realized this small detail, something which caught Berengar off guard.

"What is it?"

Linde pouted and turned around, no longer willing to look at her man, fearing he had done something foolish. She was quick to give voice to her inner thoughts..

"Your scar is different. Were you ever going to tell me what happened?"

Berengar could not believe his ears, he had just entered his home, and was greeted by his woman's loving embrace, and yet in the very next moment before he had time to say what had transpired during his absence, she had already determined that something major had happened.

One thing was certain, Linde's deductive skills were top-notch, for even he himself had not noticed the small difference in his scar's appearance. With a bitter smile on his face, Berengar forced his wife into his arms, and pet her strawberry blonde hair in an attempt to soothe her anger before proposing a solution.

"Come with me to my office, and I will tell you everything that happened in my absence. I assure you it is a tale you will find interesting."

With a heavy sigh, the redheaded beauty acquiesced to her husband's demands and followed him into his study, where the two of them had a long discussion about just what Berengar had gotten up to in his absence. After hearing everything, Linde was completely stunned into silence for several moments. She had to carefully think about just what she wanted to ask first.

"A Valkyrie? You married a Valkyrie? One who was, in a way, responsible for bringing you into this world?"

Berengar was slightly amused that this was the first thing the woman asked about. He smiled mischievously and nodded his head before insisting that the marriage was not something she needed to worry about.

"Although our union was blessed by the god Odin himself, it has no legal bearing in the Reich. So I think I will marry my fifth lawful wife for political purposes. Like I had planned in the past. You don't need to worry about Brynhildr. She's content staying hidden away in Iceland and waiting for my eventual return."

Linde bit her lip in frustration over the idea that her husband was connected to this other woman via the weave of fate. If there was one thing she always prided herself on, it was the fact that she was the most important woman in Berengar's life. However, Brynhildr's existence created some form of conflict in the redheaded beauty's mind.

The only thing she could take solace in was the fact that Berengar had secured a place for their family in a special afterlife all to themselves. Berengar could see the frustration on the woman's delicate features, and was quick to wrap his arms around her waist and kiss her neck from behind, all the while whispering soothing words into her ears.

"Though Brynhildr and I are connected by fate, you will always be my one and only soul mate..."

It was only after hearing these words that Linde's heart finally found some semblance of peace. After taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, which felt like they were set ablaze, Linde turned around and spoke of what had transpired during his absence.

She spoke for some time in discovering and eliminating the conspiracy, as well as Alvar's reaction to it. When Berengar heard how the man had acted so rudely to his wife, and insulted his son, he felt a deep sense of rage overtake his heart, which he was quick to give voice to.

"That fat bastard. He dares to make such trouble for you while I am away? Very well, if that's how he wants to behave, then I have no choice but to temporarily close our borders and halt all trade with the Kalmar Union.

Let's see how long he can act defiantly until he realizes just how much his petty realm relies upon my support. Soon enough Alvar will come crawling back to me on his knees, begging to be my dog once more."

There was a satisfied expression on Linde's flawless face as she heard the lengths Berengar was going to in order to protect the dignity of herself and her son. She could only nod her head in agreement with the man's words as he continued to vent his frustrations.

After cursing aloud for several moments, Berengar took a deep breath and sighed heavily before locking eyes with his wife. There was a look of passion on his handsome face as complimented Linde for her efforts.

"You eliminated a threat to our borders, and secured Iceland for our Empire all while I was off gallivanting in some foreign land. I am so proud of you. Come here, love, it has been too long since you have been absent from my arms."

A sultry expression formed itself on Linde's lips. She had noticed since the moment Berengar returned home that he had only become more handsome in his absence. And after hearing about his body's transformation in the magical pool, she wanted nothing more than to test the limits of his newfound stamina.

Since she first gazed eyes on his new appearance, Linde wanted nothing more than to have her man inside her, and yet she restrained herself for the sake of getting caught up. Now that there was nothing left to discuss, she could no longer hold back, and immediately threw herself into the man's arms. Where they would make love for the next three hours until Linde's body could no longer take the punishment any longer.

By the time the couple emerged from the Kaiser's study, it was already dinner time, and Berengar was more than ready for some nice food. Just as he was finishing getting dressed, Linde voiced a matter which was concerning her.

"I can't believe you had to fight Lambert again, and he even scarred your body to such an extent. Not that I have any complaints. Your body is a lot more masculine when marked with symbols of your many victories. Just promise me you won't be getting yourself into another fight any time soon..."

Berengar chuckled when he heard his wife's remarks and kissed her passionately on the lips once more. He was ready for another round, but unfortunately, it would appear that Linde could no longer match his newfound virility. The upside to this was that he would no longer feel spent pleasuring his many wives and concubines.

Thus, Berengar and Linde concluded their business, and left the study to visit the dining hall, where Berengar's many wives and children were all gathered. What was immediately noticeable was that Hans was sitting at the table. It had been some time since Berengar had seen his eldest son, and the boy just seemed to keep growing.

His fiancees, who were fawning over him, surrounded Hans, the same way Berengar's wives did to him. Veronika and Noemi were fully grown women and quite beautiful at that. While Natalia was roughly the same age as the boy, and was developing in to a fine young woman.

When Berengar and Linde entered the room, everyone jumped up from their seats and greeted them. Hans specifically walked towards his father and saluted the man, where Berengar responded by hugging the boy and rustling his hair. He then whispered into Hans' ears something which surprised him.

"I'm going to need some details later, but I'll leave it be for now..."

Naturally, Hans knew his father was referring to how his relationship had progressed with Ingrid to a point of physical intimacy, thus he could only blush and look away as he struggled out of his father's grip.

As for Berengar, he let his eldest soon go before he took his place at the head of the table, where he was greeted by his four wives, and his younger sister, who all welcomed him home with a kiss. He then shared a meal with his family and spoke with each member about what they had been up to in his absence.

It was only later that night, where Berengar was able to fully demonstrate his newfound stamina in the bedroom, when, for the first time in a long time, he took all his women into his bed. He finally fell asleep at two in the morning, after being fully satisfied, where he awoke four hours later with the dawn, fully refreshed. From this day onward, Berengar would work hard to prepare for the upcoming war with the Japanese Empire.