Tyranny of Steel

Upon returning home, Berengar was greeted by his family. The looks on Adela's and Linde's face when they found out Alexandros had stowaway'd on Berengar's journey were priceless. During the Kaiser's absence, his wives were anxious as can be, with Linde sending out a nationwide search for the missing Prince. It turned out that the boy had snuck into Berengar's supplies and joined his parents on their journey.

It was one thing to be lectured by Berengar, but to be scolded by all five of the boy's mothers at the same time, Alexandros swore he would never again in his life sneak out of the Palace. Naturally, the boy was grounded and confined to his room for the next sixth months, as Berengar had promised. He was only able to leave for classes and social events, such as family meals.

As for the Kaiser, he did not have the slightest bit of time to relax as his busty redheaded bride immediately sequestered him into his office, interrogating him about what he had seen in the sacred grove in Jutland.

Berengar pulled out three chalices of wine and handed one to Linde before telling the woman about his journey. Honoria was present for the meeting, but she sat by silently waiting for her husband to tell his tale.

"Well, we found the location you marked for us. I must say, I was surprised when I entered it..."

Berengar continued to tell everything he saw and witnessed, excluding the details about his glimpse into the fate of himself and his loved ones. After hearing everything, Linde nodded her pretty little head as if she had come to some form of understanding about these supernatural beings. After confirming everything Berengar said was true with Honoria, Linde had but one question in her mind.

"What did you see? After drinking the strange water, I mean."

Berengar's brain instantly hurt as his mind was flooded with the memories of what he saw that day. As a result, he took a heavy swig from his beverage in an attempt to dull his headache with alcohol before trying his best to explain everything to his wife.

"I saw a thousand lifetimes flash past my eyes. During my vision, I witnessed endless pathways that can change the world to my liking, or end terribly. It's hard to remember everything, even with a memory as great as mine. I feel as if the memories of my fate are rapidly fleeting from my brain."

Linde instantly understood Berengar's condition. Though the man had a photographic memory, and had seen a thousand potential realities that he could create in life. Such memories were not easy for a mortal man to access. After the effects of the starry liquid had ended, it was as if a dam was erected in his mind to prevent the memories from flooding his brain and drowning his consciousness.

She was hesitant to ask the question on her mind, knowing this was a potentially dangerous situation. Ultimately, it was Honoria who posed the question, as Linde feared too much for Berengar's safety.

"What did you see about these so-called gods and their plans for you?"

Berengar was visibly in pain as he tried to recall his memories of the fate he had witnessed. He forced himself to drink more alcohol in an attempt to alleviate his growing headache. In doing so, he was able to endure long enough to get an answer to his wife's question.

"It's just one pantheon that is looking after me... The great goddess of Teotihuacan took an interest in me because she was bored and lonely. The other pantheons seem to be competing with each other in the background of this world.

I don't know much about my fate, but I think the Germanic pantheon, specifically Odin, has chosen me to disrupt the stranglehold that the Abrahamic god has over the western world. What his exact goals are I do not know, but the Germanic pantheon appears to be pleased with my progress, hence why they are more open to showing themselves around me.

In my vision, I saw a few timelines where I encountered gods from other pantheons, and they were quick to strike me down. Apparently, summoning a being from another reality is rare, and those who are not within the Germanic pantheon will see me as a threat to their influence in the world."

Upon seeing that Berengar's headache had subsided for the time being, Linde sighed in relief and asked the next most important question on her mind.

"Did you see any paths towards meeting any other of these gods who are friendly to you? I don't want to have to wait my entire life knowing we can't be together in the afterlife!"

Berengar searched his memories once more, but the pain quickly blocked his ability to do so. He fell to his knees, gripped his head before vehemently shaking his head.

"I don't know. It's too much for me to handle right now."

Linde immediately responded to this by rushing to Berengar's side and placing his head in her lap. It was clear her question had forced him to overdo things and caused him great pain. She bit her lips in agony over the suffering she had caused her husband. After resting in the woman's lap for a bit, Berengar recovered his clarity and began to speak of an alternative option.

"I may not know how to find another deity at the moment, but I am sure that Wyrd has the ability to release the claim that the Abrahamic god has over your soul. If I ask politely enough, perhaps she can help us."

Linde immediately smiled when she heard this. Finally, there was a chance to end the chain that haunted her day and night. She planned to immediately prepare a journey to Jutland when Honoria rained on her parade.

"Didn't Wyrd say the next time you visited, she and her sisters would be far more hostile? No offense, but I don't think it's a good idea to go back to the Sacred grove. That girl was frightening..."

Linde pouted when she heard this, before questioning Berengar, who was still resting on her lap pillow.

"Is this true? Why would you mention it then?"

Berengar chuckled when he saw Linde's worry and stroked her pretty cheeks before commenting on Wyrd and her self-proclaimed hostility.

"I think Wyrd isn't honest with herself. For a thousand plus year old weaver of fate, she behaves like a child. She was just upset that I bested her expectations. I'm sure if she's given enough time to simmer down, she will allow us back to the world tree."

Linde immediately glared at Honoria when she heard this. Why must the girl mislead her during such a crucial conversation? Honoria noticed this fearsome gaze and responded by looking towards Berengar with a pleading expression. The man could only chuckle as he tried to dissipate Linde's fury by burying his head in her mighty bosom.

"I missed these titties..."

Linde immediately flushed with embarrassment. Though they were in private, she was not expecting the man to be so shameless. However, she quickly lost her previous state of fury, and smiled lovingly as she stroked Berengar's golden hair while clutching him to her breast. Honoria gazed at the scene and felt a tad bit jealous. Not only was Linde getting all the attention from Berengar, but she also wanted to nuzzle her head against Linde's rack.

She immediately responded with this two-sided jealousy by grabbing Berengar's head and stuffing it into her own chest. Ultimately, her jealousy about the attention Linde was getting from Berengar won over her envy of the man. Linde scowled when her little pet had stolen her man right from the clutches of her bosom, and responded by taking the man back while scolding Honoria's shameless actions.

"You thieving bitch! Berengar is mine, now and forever!"

Honoria did not back down and quickly pressed her own chest against Berengar's head. The end result was the man using both of the women's sizeable breasts as pillows, with a wide grin on his face. A brief thought flowed through Berengar's mind as he enjoyed himself.

"This is bliss."

Linde and Honoria were glaring at each other, and fighting over his affections. Honoria stood up to Linde for once in her life, possibly because she had Berengar by her side to defend her.

"He is not just yours, he is all of ours! Your possessiveness of Berengar is your worst trait!"

Linde scoffed when she heard this before speaking her own thoughts about her obsessive nature.

"I'm not possessive. I'm overly affectionate. Besides, Master loves that aspect of my character!"

Berengar noticed the two women were about to get into a catfight over him, and he decided to end things peacefully.

"Ladies, ladies, you're both pretty! Now we can either fight with one another, or get along together? Which will it be?"

The two women broke out into laughter as they realized how childish they were being. Wasn't the answer to this question obvious? Thus, Berengar was given a King's welcome by two of his brides after returning home.