Tyranny of Steel

Linde shouldered a pellet gun as she competed for the grand prize of the local shooting game. What was this grand prize? It was a large stuffed fox. The fox's fur matched Linde's hair, and the woman wanted it more than anything. In fact, Berengar was shocked at how childish the love of his life was being, but he had to admit there was a bit of an appeal to that, just like every other aspect of the woman.

Linde was not by any means a marksman, and thus she pulled the trigger with jarring force. In doing so, missing the small steel ducks which were set up, and moving about on a machine. With each shot she would have to break the rifle in two, before inserting another pellet.

The strength required to do this was more than Linde could muster, and thus she was forced to pout each time, and hand the pellet gun over to her husband, who easily broke the action down, and reloaded the weapon before handing it back to his wife. 

One miss turned into five, and five into twenty. The amount of money Berengar was pouring into this stuffed fox was more than the thing was worth. But Linde seemed to be enjoying the challenge, and thus he could only smile and watch as she continuously failed. Eventually, the woman flipped out into a state of rage and stomped her foot on the ground before cursing the game itself.

"Urrgghh, this whole game is rigged."

Berengar smiled before making a comment which would change the outcome of the match.

"How about you adjust the rifle's rear sight?" 

The Kaiser had been silently observing his wife's attempts to shoot down the steel ducks. It wasn't simply a matter of poor marksmanship. There was clearly something wrong with the rifle that those who were unaccustomed to weapons would easily mistake. 

Thus, it was no surprise when the carney who was operating the booth gave Berengar a concerned glance. After all, the pellet rifles were set with their sights on maximum range, which would easily throw off any shooters' attempt who failed to adjust them. What Linde had said was true. The game was rigged, but it was an easy fix if one knew the basics of firearms. 

Linde did as her man had suggested, and adjusted the rear sight of the weapon so that it was in its lowest setting. After doing so, she took aim and led her target before squeezing the trigger. A loud clang resounded in the air as the steel pellet struck the metal duck and knocked it over. Upon seeing that she had shot down her first target since she had started playing this game, a wide smile emerged on the woman's pretty face while she jumped in the air with joy. 

After doing so, she handed the pellet rifle back to her husband, who broke down the action and reloaded the weapon once more. Within another five shots, Linde had successfully knocked down all targets. The Carny was especially cautious, as he had just scammed the Kaiserin, and was gazing upon her husband, who was also his monarch with a pleading expression. 

After handing the stuffed fox to Linde, who latched onto the lifeless object and hugged it with a loving smile on her face. The carney leaned over and whispered to Berengar something which caught the man's attention.

"I'm sorry, your majesty, I'm just following the rules my boss has set in place. Please don't punish me for scamming your wife."

Berengar merely chuckled and patted the man on the shoulder before reassuring him that nothing bad would happen to him.

"Relax, see that beautiful smile? That's worth far more than what I paid to get that stuffed fox. Besides, your little scam is nothing much. Anyone who is remotely familiar with firearms can fix it at first glance. Enjoy the rest of your evening, kid."

After saying this, Berengar grabbed hold of Linde's hand and led her on a journey throughout the rest of the carnival. The royal couple played many games, and rode many rides, all while enjoying an ungodly amount of unhealthy food. In the end, they ended up in line for the ferris wheel, where Linde had long since handed over her stuffed fox to her man. Who carried it on the back of his shoulders as if it were a young child. 

Berengar and Linde gazed up into the night sky, which was lit up by the rainbow lights of the carnival. There was a warm smile on their faces, as Linde leaned against her man's shoulder and said something under her breath that Berengar almost missed.

"Thanks for this..."

Berengar merely turned and looked at his wife with an affectionate grin on his face. He responded with a simple comment.

"No problem" 

He then grabbed ahold of her hand before leading her onto the ferris wheel. The woman was slightly shocked that he had heard her words, especially with all the commotion that was going around. As the Royal couple sat next to one another in the ferris wheel, which drifted further into the air. A series of fireworks exploded, causing the two of them to gaze at its brilliance with awe in their eyes.

While Linde's sky-blue eyes sparkled, Berengar reached over and grabbed hold of her dainty chin before placing a passionate kiss on her lips. The woman reacted with a slight bit of shock at first, but then quickly gave in to her man, and returned his gesture with her own. 

Under the bright moonlight, which was at its fullest, as well as the sparkling colors of the fireworks exploding in the air, Berengar and Linde shared a moment together, as a couple, that neither of them would ever forget. 

They had been married for close to ten years, and yet despite this, the spark of their love was at its brightest on this fateful night. On a mere whim, they went out on a date as a means to cover their acts of counter-espionage. In the end, they ended up having a date that was truly memorable. One that Linde would treasure until her last dying breath. 

After kissing for some time, the ride came to an end, and Berengar stood up with a wide smile on his face. Grabbing hold of his wife's hand, he led her out of the ferris wheel, with her prize on his back. A simple phrase escaped his lips as he led his woman back to the car.

"I wish this night would never end. But you know what they say, all good things, so on and so forth. Come, my love, let us return to the home that we have built together..."

Linde accepted Berengar's gesture, and was dragged into his embrace as the Royal Couple walked back to the armored car together. Where they returned to the palace. Entirely unaware that their evening together had been spied upon by a mystical being.

In the sky above, a pair of azure eyes gazed through the explosive fireworks and onto the scene below. They were completely invisible to the mortal plane, but they had witnessed everything that had occurred between the royal couple.

Deep within the black forest of Germany, a solemn sigh escaped the mists, which was followed by a sultry voice that resounded in the air.

"I truly envy their love..."

After saying this, the divine spirit's eyes faded away from the night sky. Upon doing so, a gorgeous red-haired woman who was oddly reminiscent of Linde regained her sight. She gazed into the woodlands of ancient Germania and sighed heavily before revealing her thoughts aloud. 

"The time is near. Soon the champion will visit my domain. Are there any words you wish for me to speak to him, old man?"

A single glowing red eye emerged from the mists, along with it a gruff, and elderly voice erupted in the air. Its tone was languid and fatigued, as if its mere presence caused its bearer exhaustion. 

"Tell the champion to meet me in the land of ice, on the day of the midwinter solstice. I'll be waiting for him there..." 

Freya nodded her head in agreement before licking her lips with a seductive expression on her divine face. Knowing that the All-father had ceased his line of communication, she let her true desires escape her lips, which echoed into the misty forest. 

"Allow me to taste this champion of yours for myself, old man! Berengar von Kufstein, I hope you won't disappoint me..."

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