# Heresy-Online's Expeditious Stories 16-09: Divorce



## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

*Welcome to the year's eighth*
























​ 

For those of you that are unfamiliar with HOES, here's how it works:

Each month, there will be a thread posted in the Original Works forum for that month's HOES competition. For those of you interested in entering, read the entry requirements, write a story that fits the chosen theme and post it as a reply to the competition thread by the deadline given. Each and every member of Heresy Online is more than welcome to compete, whether your entry is your first post or your thousandth. We welcome everyone to join the family of the Fan Fiction Forum.

Once the deadline has passed, a separate voting thread will be posted, where the readers and writers can post their votes for the top three stories. Points will be awarded (3 points for 1st, 2 for 2nd, and 1 for 3rd) for each vote cast, totalled at the closure of the voting window, and a winner will be announced. The winner will have his/her story added to the Winning HOES thread and be awarded the Lexicanum's Crest award for Fiction excellence!

*Theme
*
The idea with the theme is that it should serve as the inspiration for your stories rather than a constraint. While creative thinking is most certainly encouraged, the theme should still be relevant to your finished story. The chosen theme can be applied within the WH40K, WHF, HH, and even your own completely original works (though keep in mind, this IS a Warhammer forum) but there will be no bias as to which setting is used for your story.

As far as the theme goes, please feel free with future competitions to contact me with your ideas/proposals, especially given that my creative juices may flow a bit differently than yours. All I ask is that you PM me your ideas rather than posting them into the official competition entry/voting threads to keep posts there relevant to the current competition.

*Word Count*

*The official word count for this competition will be 1,000 words. There will be a 10% allowance in this limit, essentially giving you a 900-1,100 word range with which to tell your tale.* *This is non-negotiable.* This is an Expeditious Story competition, not an Epic Story nor an Infinitesimal Story competition. If you are going to go over or under the 900-1,100 word limit, you need to rework your story. It is not fair to the other entrants if one does not abide by the rules. If you cannot, feel free to PM me with what you have and I'll give suggestions or ideas as to how to broaden or shorten your story.

Each entry must have a word count posted with it. Expect a reasonably cordial PM from me (and likely some responses in the competition thread) if you fail to adhere to this rule. The word count can be annotated either at the beginning or ending of your story, and does not need to include your title.

Without further ado...

The theme for this month's competition is:

*Divorce*
​ Entries should be posted in this thread, along with any comments that the readers may want to give (and comments on stories are certainly encouraged in both the competition and voting threads!) 40K, 30K, WHF, and original universes are all permitted (please note, this excludes topics such as Halo, Star Wars, Forgotten Realms, or any other non-original and non-Warhammer settings). Keep in mind, comments are more than welcome! If you catch grammar or spelling errors, the writers are all more than free to edit their piece up until the close of the competition, and that final work will be the one considered for voting. Sharing your thoughts with the writers as they come up with their works is a great way to help us, as a FanFiction community, grow as a whole.
*
The deadline for entries is Midnight GMT, 31 October 2016**.* Remember, getting your story submitted on 22nd will be just as considered by others as one submitted on 11th! Take as much time as you need to work on your piece! *Any entries submitted past the deadline will not be considered in the competition, regardless of whether the voting thread is posted or not.*

*Additional Incentive*
If simply being victorious over your comrades is not enough to possess you to write a story, there will be rep  rewards granted to those that participate in the HOES Challenge.

Participation - 1 reputation points, everyone will receive this
3rd place - 2 reputation points
2nd place - 3 reputation points
1st place - 4 reputation points and Lexicanum's Crest

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in this thread.

Without further nonsense from me, let the writing begin!


----------



## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

Can I do a tongue in cheek entry?


.


----------



## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Brother Emund said:


> Can I do a tongue in cheek entry?


The theme is "an inspiration for your stories rather than a constraint", so feel free.


----------



## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

*Divorce​**By
Brother Emund*
1068 words​
The fight had lasted all day.

The snow troll was a worthy adversary and had fought well.It had matched every move and every feint, every blow and every kick. They could have just passed each other by on the road, but it had been a matter of honour to test their fighting prowess and now it had come to this. He chuckled to himself over the absurdity of it all.

Honour.

He held up a hand and motioned to his enemy that he had had enough.
“It is over.” He had said wearily and then laughed out loud. The troll’s face had turned to thunder and then it had struck him, bowling him backwards as if his bulk and presence was that of an infant child. It was a rare enemy that could hurt a man such as himself. 
A rare enemy indeed. 

“My Lord…”, the words were distant, like the cry of fell beasts on the snow plains beyond The Fang.
He was dreaming. He bolted upright, scattering the pelt covers and furs that covered his bed, startling the new arrival to his chambers.
It was never a pleasant task to wake up their lord. Choler, it all depended on his moods. The arrival was not easily intimidated and bowed low, but was not daunted.

“She is here, My Lord, she awaits by your hearth,” he hesitated. “She is indefatigable.”
He raised an eyebrow and realised that it felt swollen. When he touched his face, he found the rough stain of dried blood.
“I shall see to her immediately. I need to sort this matter out.” He rose to his feet and shook his head forlornly. “We have received orders to embark. The pacification continues.”

He entered his throne room like a storm upon the high seas, smashing the great, ornate doors aside like a frag grenade in a boxed room.

She was not the least impressed.

_Ah, my lovely Hergerður, famed daughter of the ice giants, shield maiden of Fresosp and Princess of the great Pack. Your beauty still dazzles my eyes; your temper is my tonic._

Though she was passed her prime, she still held her figure and grace. Her long, blonde hair, now streaked with silver, still cascaded down her shoulders as it did when they first met all those years ago.
She looked up at him with eyes filled with tears. She raised an eyebrow.

“Your wounds have healed well.” 
He stopped a few paces from her and raised his hand to his chin. His jaw had broken in two places. Now it was fixed, the bones hardened and fused.
“They were but trifles.”
She placed her hands on her hips and her face changed to thunder.
“This cannot continue anymore,” she hesitated. “I cannot continue. What was it about this time?”

“What?”

“The fight? Don’t tell me. A slight, an out of place word, a passing comment?”
“It was a matter of honour…”
“For the sake of the Gods Leman, he is your brother. You are not cubs on the fringes of the pack, you are grown men, great kings and leaders both.”

“It was a snow troll…”

“It was the Lion, Leman. Both of you exasperate me, fighting like that and all in front of the men for all to see.” She shrugged her shoulders and sat down lightly on the ornate arm on his throne. She raised her blue eyes and stared into him.
“Now he has stormed off again, huffing and puffing and you two will hold grudges that will fester and fester until you call each other out again.”

“I will not let him surprise me next time…”

“Leman! Listen to yourself. You are Leman Russ, King of the Wolves. You are, what do they call you, a Primarch of one of the fiercest Legions in your father’s armies. You are The Great Wolf, not a squabbling fledgling…”

“Hergerður…”

“No Leman, no. I have had enough of it all. It has never been the same since he, your…”
Russ’s hand subconsciously moved to the pommel of Mjalnar, The Frost Blade, that hung from his waist.

“Be careful... my beloved,” he hissed. “Chose your next words carefully.”
Hergerður shrugged her shoulders and looked him right in the eye. She was as defiant as she ever was but there was a depth of sadness there that he had not seen before.

“Remember that I was there with you when your father arrived. I was there when he challenged you. I was there when you went down on one knee and swore fealty to him. I was there and saw the spark in your eye and in your soul. I have always been there… for you, even though your heart is now with someone else.”

Russ hesitated.
“I am loyal to you, I have never swayed...”

“You do not love me Leman, not in the true sense of the word. I do not think that you or any of your brothers for that fact, can love someone, a female that is, like normal, mortal men love their women folk. No Leman, I am but a distraction…”

“Hergerður….”

“You have found real love in your father, but above all, and above everything else it is your men, your pack that you love the most. You would lay down your life for the lowliest member of your pack, your Legion. You would not do that for me.” 
She stood up, unconsciously pressing out the folds in her skirt.

“You are off on a great crusade Leman, a crusade beyond the stars. I will not hold you back any more. I have spoken to the Rune Priests and they have agreed to let me have a divorce...”
The Russ scoffed, his face breaking into a wide grin.

“Ridiculous. On what grounds?”

“Separation. You are always off fighting. We only need to be apart two years.”
Russ rolled his eyes.
“Unreasonable behaviour is the second of the grounds.”

Russ smiled.
“I will give you that one…”
“Adultery.”

“I never laid a finger on anyone…”
“Sigyn, the ale maiden at the Slaughtered Lamb?”

“That was a rumour.”

Hergerður shook her head slowly and then abruptly turned.
“Good-bye Leman. I hope you find love and happiness out there with the gods.”

It was but a second, but felt like a lifetime before he clicked the commlink.
“My Lord?”
“Summon the Great Companies. We go to war!”


.


----------



## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Brother Emund takes it again.


----------



## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

Tough opposition this month!


.


----------



## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

Have you finally thrown in the towel Dave? :frown2:

.


----------



## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Brother Emund said:


> Have you finally thrown in the towel Dave? :frown2:
> 
> .


Nobody other than you was entering, so I thought I'd see if anyone noticed if it didn't happen.

If people want a competition I'll restart.

Save​


----------



## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

k:


.


----------



## Myen'Tal (Sep 4, 2009)

I'm ready to contribute again, I apologize for my absence, hopefully we can get this going again:smile2:.


----------



## Brother Emund (Apr 17, 2009)

Hurrah! :drinks:

.


----------



## Myen'Tal (Sep 4, 2009)

Brother Emund said:


> Hurrah! :drinks:.


:grin:


----------

