A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

But when she looked at Erik, she paused. Suddenly, she felt a connection to him that she hadn't felt before. Immediately, she grinned and tried to jump up, but then a flood of foreign emotions crashed into her mind. She groaned and grabbed her head.

Erik smiled knowingly, and crouched down next to her, where he put a hand on her head, "Relax, little Spark. It takes a little time to get used to. Soon, it'll be like background noise."

Just like Elora, aka Little Ember; Emily, aka Little Shadow; and Emma, aka Little Glimmer, Astrid, too, received a nickname from Erik: Little Spark, for her sun affinity and impulsive nature.

It took her only a moment to stop groaning, proving her mental resilience. She opened one eye, and grinned joyfully at Erik, still working hard to ignore the tidal wave in her mind, "You love me."

Erik chuckled with amusement as he caressed his childhood friend's strawberry-blond hair, "Are you sure its not just your own love you're feeling?"

Astrid's grin widened, and she took one of her hands of her head to punch Erik's chest, "Shut up! You loooo~ve me~! Admit it! I can feel it!"

Laughing softly, Erik quickly planted his lips on hers to help distract her from the headache caused by his feelings. Erik didn't feel much. He had already trained himself to compartmentalize all these different bonds and channels in his mind, so adding more barely mattered anymore.

When they separated, he finally gave her what she wanted, "Fine, I love you to."

"Ha!" Astrid immediately laughed, and jumped up from her sitting position, now feeling far better already. Then she turned to Liv. "Hear that, Mom?! Erik loves me!" she laughed extatically.

Liv laughed indulgently, and nodded, "Yes, my little Angel, I can see that."

Meanwhile, the others in the group congratulated the two of them, before taking a few steps back to give the couple some privacy.

Excitedly, Astrid turned to face Erik with a wide smile, "Quickly, quickly. Show me!"

Erik rolled his eyes, but he knew what she was talking about, so he removed his shirt, and revealed his broad chest.

Just above his heart, there was a small tattoo of a fairy's wing, and surrounding that there three more tattoos that started to form something suspiciously like a circle. First there was a bright white light encircled by twigs and leaves, than a dark star with a crimson glow, and now, a yellow sun behind two crossed swords.

Astrid immediately zeroed in on the last one, and softly stroked with with her finger, looking happy. Finally, her dreams were coming true.

Well, more or less, anyway. It's not like she dreamed this specific event when she was younger, and pining after a wimpy version of Erik.

Seeing her excitement caused Erik to grin smugly, "Alright, I've shown you mine, now you show me yours."

"Right!" Astrid immediately exclaimed in excitement, before lifting her own shirt. She smiled softly when the ornate heart surrounding a howling wolf's head appeared below her navel. "I don't think I ever expected I'd be this happy to be marked by a man."

"We live in strange times," Erik laughed boisterously. "Just remember I'm marked by you as well."

Astrid rolled her eyes, "Yeah, together with a bunch of other women." Despite her words, she didn't seem unhappy, it was more as if she was teasing him.

Erik grinned and grabbed her chin as he looked into her eyes, "You know I don't like my women to be jealous."

Interest sparkled in Astrid's eyes, "Oh? Well, maybe you need to tame me again? Maybe I'm already starting to wonder if you're still stronger than me?"

Erik's grin turned into a teasing smirk, "Really? I think you just can't wait have sex again. You quite enjoyed last time, if I remember right."

Playful lightning sparkled between these two, but before it could get any further, Elora interrupted. "Alright, alright. Stop flirting, you two," she grumbled while rolling her eyes. "It's not like we're flush on time, and you still need to give her something, don't you?" Her last words she directed towards Erik.

For a moment, mischief sparkled in Erik's eyes, and he opened his mouth to say exactly what he wanted to give her, but Elora narrowed her eyes at him, "Don't you dare!"

Wryly, Erik closed his mouth, and pursed his lips. Strangely, it appeared like their roles of serious and playful had been switched for a moment.

Regardless, Erik sighed, before turning to Astrid with a fond smile, "Elora has a bunch of outfits stored that are very useful and stylish for Arcanists, but she doesn't have anything that would work well for a Runebound. Luckily, that's where I come in. I believe I did promise you an armour for our wedding."

Immediately, Astrid's grin widened, "I was afraid I was going to have to remind you of that."

"Absolutely not," Erik promised while his lips curled up proudly. Then, he waved his hand, and caused some pieces of armour to float in front of him. They appeared to be created from a combination of reinforced leather, some fur, and bronze-coloured metal.

"I'm afraid I couldn't create something as extensive as my own armour, simply because we don't have the means to create a sigil construct core, like this one," he explained a little regretfully while ticking on Eira's core, lodged in his armguard.

Astrid nodded with understanding, while she curiously eyed the pieces of armour floating in the air.

Seeing her expression caused Erik to smile as he continued, "But unlike my original armour, this one can be stored inside your storage jewellery, so you can still easily put it on or off from there."

Astrid's eyes sparkled, and she looked up at her new husband, "Can I…?"

"Of course," Erik chuckled and nodded. Discover exclusive content at empire

Grinning excitedly, Astrid waved her hand, and stored the armour in the ring on her finger. Then, she snapped her fingers, and suddenly, the armour appeared around her body. It replaced her clothes, and fit snuggly around her form.

Compared to Erik's armour, which was more focused on pure defence and striking power, Astrid's armour was light, and more suited to agile movements, which fit her dual-sword fighting style.

Her breasts were covered by a bronze-coloured chest-piece that looked like a metal bra, sleek pauldrons lined with soft, grey fur covered her shoulders, and metal armguards extended from her wrists to just below her elbow. Gauntlets covered her hands, but they left her fingers free for agility.

Below the chest, her stomach and lower back were covered with leather, but just like with Emma and Emily, the tattoo below her navel was left on prominent display.

The lower part of the armour consisted of a leather skirt, split into panels for ease of movement. Each panel was reinforced with bronze-coloured metal rivets and adorned with runes.

The skirt reached mid-thigh, offering protection while ensuring she could run, jump, and manoeuvre freely. Beneath the skirt, fitted leather trousers provide additional protection without restricting movement.

The armour was fastened with sturdy leather straps and bronze buckles, allowing for easy adjustment and a secure fit. Every aspect of the design emphasizes lightness and flexibility, making it ideal for Astrid, who relied heavily on speed and agility in combat.

Completing the look, a pair of knee-high leather boots, reinforced with bronze studs, ensure both protection and mobility.

Naturally, Erik had used materials that related to either the sun, or some kind of fire affinity, so that Astrid could easily channel her powers through the armour, and it wouldn't melt under the heat she could produce.

Astrid inspected herself with awe, before looking up at Erik, while one hand covered the tattoo on her stomach. "I love it," she grinned happily.