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...For love is Immortality.; Hetero, James as Thor/OFC Valkyrie, AU
Topic Started: August 15, 2012, 1:22 pm (15,393 Views)
MetallicaObsessed
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Some Kind Of Monster
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I am intrigued! I want more! :heart: :heart: :heart:
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Olyamet
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Jäger.....

Thank you Tiff! :heart:

And I want to thank all the girls who don't post here, I haven't had a chance to thank you all in e-mails, PM, FB. I simply haven't been on line lately. Sorry, I want to say here that I greatly appreciate all of your comments!

I love you all!!! Thank you so much for reading and taking your time to let me know
:heart: :heart: :heart:


So, I had a few hours to myself and I have an update, the continue of this chapter. Shall we see what Loki and Sigyn are doing?













(Loki's POV)





I saw Sigyn's hands shaking when she lifted the vase to catch another drop and brim filled vessel tipped to the side, spilling green, burning liquid on her forearm. She bit her lip, holding in a wince and pushed her arms up for the next drop. My eyes stopped on the red marks and the fresh blisters on her skin and a wave of anger washed over me. She is exhausted, and she will not stop, getting more tired every minute and spilling more drops on herself. I have to come up with something that will make her stop! Come on, think of something! When did you get so soft with all these mashy-mushy feelings that your mind stopped working?

Another drop landed in the vase and I hurried my mind, trying to come up with anything I could use. I can't make her to stop, lying didn't work. Come on, there has to be something that will work! Something that will make her leave... What would make me leave her here alone? Nothing... nothing in the universe would make me leave her to suffer. Shit!

No wonder Thor was willing to risk everything to go to Midgard. He does love his Valkyrie.. Sigyn was right. I can't imagine what he must've felt... when he found out... Good thing her mortality is not permanent...

Wait... that's it! I can bargain with Sigyn! She loves secrets and always wants to know everything! I can use it! She doesn't know that part of my plan. I never told her the rest of it... I was planning to do that after I defended Asgard. I hid my smile and was about to start my game, when Sigyn sighed and looked at me, then lowered her eyes.

“Loki... now when we both know we love each other... I don't want to have any secrets between us...” She bit her lip, returning her eyes to mine.

Was she reading my thoughts? No... the way she's looking... she's talking about herself... She has a secret from me?

“You've kept something from me?” I frowned and she sighed again, but the snake moved its head and Sigyn quickly looked up, catching another drop. When she turned back to me I read clear guilt in her darkened to warm green eyes.

“I'm sorry... but... I felt... I felt very uneasy for what we did to Astrid... it wasn't right, she did nothing to me... I mean yes, you were a bit angry with her for spoiling your hunt, but... the price she paid was too high... I couldn't stop thinking about it... and...”

She sighed and rose her hands, catching another drop, before continuing. “I wanted to help her... in any way I could... and I didn't tell you... because I thought you would think I'm weak and.... not worthy to stand by your side... but I couldn't let that Valkyrie perish like that. Not after I talked to her...” Sigyn hid her eyes from me, then sighed again.

“Loki... I felt connected to her when I was playing that bodyless spirit. The way she talked and cared about true love... and what I found when I reached deep in her subconscious... I didn't know that before... she hid it so well. She never showed her love... never told anyone what she was truly feeling for your brother. She pushed it so deep into her heart, masking it as a friendship... she worked so hard not to let it out, that even her mind believed that it was gone... but it was there... hopeless... locked in the deepest corner of her heart...”

“What did you do, Sigyn?” Please tell me you didn't do something stupid.

My girl lowered her eyes again and then looked back at me.

“That Satyr who was helping me... Gemon. He was my father's servant for a long time and when I was born, he took on the role of my protector... my personal bodyguard. But he was more than that... he became my teacher and in a way he was more of a father to me than my real father ever was. He was always there for me from the moment I was a toddler... I went everywhere with him... and his home was so much more welcoming than my own. My parents were glad that someone was teaching me to communicate with nature and breathed at ease that someone was there to answer the never ending questions of their curious child. As I got a bit older, Gemon started to take me with him to other worlds, to meet other nature spirits... Those gatherings were so much more fun than the formal parties my parents had. We used to make a camp fire somewhere in the forest, share stories... and not just Asgardian stories, in fact, most of their stories were about other worlds. The gatherings were full of other satyrs, nymphs, dryads, fairies, centaurs... a few times we went to the ocean to meet with the mermaids...”

“What did you do, Sigyn?” I tried to pull her back on track, feeling impatient.

“I'm getting to that... I can't explain it all without telling you how it all came into play.” Sigyn caught another drop and looked back at me.

“So... As I said, I heard all kind of stories, many were from creatures that were here from the beginning of creation... When you told me about the lost seed I couldn't get the feeling that it reminded me of something... it sounded so familiar. Later that day I saw Gemon and he was upset with his father, saying that he would never have anything as fascinating as father's star story, and that's when it hit me. The story that old Zev was always bringing up in those gatherings, the story I heard thousand times about the star that fell in the mountains of Midgard. How that force was so great that it split the peak, forming a huge crater. It was the same story! The scenarios were absolutely identical and the time matched. I knew it had to be the seed Gemon's father was talking about, he just didn't know what it was and since Odin told him that it was a star, he never doubted the word of the God of Gods. But the fact that Odin was there himself, telling Zev to leave it all as is, not searching for the star and the fact that old Satyr insists that he felt the pain of the star... as if it was a living thing... I had no doubt it was the seed.”

I wasn't really counting on Thor finding the seed... it was too far fetched... plus, they can't use it. My poor Sigyn... she thinks that it would work...

“Sigyn... it wouldn't help...”

Sigyn rose the vase and after the drop splashed into it she turned to me.

“I found the way it would. I know you said that mortals can't use the seed... but Thor is immortal. He can use it. I thought a lot about it and... I know, he can't simply ask for her immortality or her powers back, you said it can't be used to give someone powers. But what if he simply ask it to cancel the wish Astrid granted to that mortal? The human would die and the powers that surround him in a protective cocoon will return to their source. I couldn't tell Gemon anything. As much as I trust him, I couldn't risk exposing you... plus he's not fond of you... all he knows for now, he is he's helping Thor. When I asked him to do this, I mentioned that after all this would be over he would have his own story, as good as his father's. I knew, with all this in his head, I could count on Gemon to blabber Zev's story to Thor. I know you think that I give too much credit to your brother, but I also knew you talked to him about the seed. Those stories have almost the same exact words in them. The story about the seed would be in Thor's head and when he hears the fallen star story, he has to be an absolute idiot not to put those two together.”

“Even if Thor would find the seed, he wouldn't be able to figure out what to do to make it work....”

“That is why I asked Gemon to give Thor his summoning flute, so he can call for help if needed. But... there was another reason why I needed that flute with your brother. You see... It's a Satyr's flute, it will vibrate in a tone only he can hear in the presence of anything that came from the Tree of Life. Gemon has an order to open the note I gave him if his flute calls for him. In that note I wrote instructions on what to do next. Once your brother and Astrid find the seed, Gemon will read my order and appear by the seed with the solution. He will simply tell them what they need to do, and being a Satyr he has the power to heal all things that grow, including the seeds. He can take that energy when it returns and heal Astrid's seed.”

“I doubt he can... her seed burned out into nothing.”

“The shell, not the essence of it! The essence is absolutely indestructible, like a soul.”

Hmm... Not bad... not bad at all! I always knew she was a smart girl. I never thought of simply canceling the previous wish. The idea is good, but... her plan... it's weak. Too many if's... You have much to learn from the master. I held my smile, looking at my girlfriend and pulled on my best 'I'm hurt that you went behind my back like that, but I may forgive you' look.

“I can't believe you lied to me.”

“I'm sorry... I planned to tell you everything later... I knew once you got your glory moment you would be satisfied and you would want to help your brother and his girl... you are not that cruel in your heart.” She bit her lip and I smirked to myself.

She wasn't kidding when she said she knew me better than anyone else, was she? She even foresaw the next part of my plan... makes me feel a bit... exposed... but, not completely. I did plan to help my brother after I got my triumph.. and not just because I feared that if he ever found out that it was all my doing, he would kill me. I do love my brother, plus to see him moping miserably for the rest of our endless lives... no thank you.

I planned it all from the beginning, to bring his girl back to Asgard. And that part of the plan had already started to unravel... My lips slid into a wicked smile. Now, my plan was foolproof, complete and perfect. Oh... I'm just too good sometimes... and now that will also help me to have it my way and make Sigyn stop and rest.

“If, and it's a very big if, all that would fall into place and work, it would only bring Astrid back as she was, a Valkyrie, a Demigod. Now... If you would've told me what you were planning behind my back, it would've saved you the trouble, because my plan to bring her back is already set in motion. And it will bring her back as a Goddess, equal and worthy of my brother.”

I bet you didn't see this coming. I let a self-praising smile play on my lips and Sigyn's eyes widened.

“A Goddess? How is that possible? And more importantly, why didn't you tell me anything about it?” She gasped, but the snake's hiss made her pull her eyes away and when another drop of poison safely landed into the vase, Sigyn's attention returned to me.

“Tell me everything.”

Here it comes. I smiled and wiggled my eyebrows.

“Gladly, but only if you put that vase down and promise to rest for a few hours.”

“Not going to happen.”

“Then you will never find out my glorious master plan.” I smiled, predicting that my girl would start begging, then ending up surrendering and doing as I ask, but Sigyn's face lit up with a wicked half smile instead.

“Oh, yeah? Okay, lets see... You tell me everything, or I will put this vase down and lay on top of you, covering you completely and letting the poison drip on me. Your choice.”

I almost choked on my smile, hearing her answer. “What?”

“I learned a few things from you. So... Going once, going twice...” She started to lower the vase.

Is she threatening me? She's using my feelings like that? Oh that is soooo wicked and mean and brilliant! But I know she's not going to do it, she's bluffing! She knows now much it would hurt, she felt a few drops! Meanwhile Sigyn let go of the vase and stepped closer, stretching her arm over my body as if ready to climb up.

“I know you are bluffing!”

“Really? How well do you know me, Loki?”

I looked at the blue at the moment eyes full of determination and as her knee stepped on the rock between my legs, the snake rose it's head and opened its mouth. The drop appeared on the tip of the fang, growing, and Sigyn moved her other knee, clearly meaning to do as she said and I broke down.

“Fine! I can't believe I'm in love with a crazy woman!”

She stopped and looked at me. “Start talking.”

“I will! Get the vase or move!” I panicked, watching the greenish drop dangling right above Sigyn's shoulders.

“Only when you start.”

“Okay, okay, pick up the damn vase! I'm starting! The first step that would make Astrid a Goddess came into play last night.” I waited for my girl to pick up the vase and when the drop safely slashed into the vessel, I sighed and continued.

“As you know, I spend some time in the realm of mares. When I was there I learned a lot about them. In the real world they are just harmless, ghost like, little shadows. Very vulnerable, very fragile... but they do have another side. A powerful side. First of all, unlike any other creature, they can travel to every realm, with no limits. They have portals to all realms hidden in their little world, but there is one realm that belongs to them entirely, the world where even the most powerful Gods are defenseless against them. Mares rule the dream world, causing nightmares and not one living creature in the universe is safe from them.”

“I don't know where this is leading, but I trust you have a point there and you're not just fooling me with some long story.” Sigyn narrowed her eyes at me.

“Not this time, you proved you are absolutely mad and I gave up. You won, I will tell you my plan, just have a little patience and you will get where I'm going with this. As you said before, it's hard to understand how it would work without knowing it all.”

I waited for her to catch the next drop and continued.

“So... as I said, mares rule in the dream realm, they can bring anything into the nightmares, anything they want to. It could be the past, people we know, places we never saw, monsters from other realms, there are no limits. They're truly masters of our dreams. But since they feed on our fears, they love to dig inside of our minds to find what scares us the most.”

“Those bastards! I may have to march up to Svartalfheim when this is all over and kick a butt or two for my horrid dreams!”

“It wouldn't help... and pissing them off will guarantee you many, many sleepless nights. They listen and answer to no one... but... they can be grateful for help. One day a long time ago I found one of them pinned down by a broken tree. At first I wanted to just ignore him, but he said he would pay me back for help. He said he will bring a nightmare to one specific person who I chose, and that I would be able to say what I want that person to see.”

“Not very generous of him... I mean... it's not real, just a dream... it's only useful if you planed to terrify someone for one night...”

“Back then I thought the same and had no idea if I'd ever use it, but I also didn't want to anger any of them for the obvious reason. So I agreed, saying that I would collect on that deal some time in the future. He said all I have to do is come here and leave a little note on that tree where we met. I have to write a name, the place where that person lives and what I want him or her to see and it will be carried out on the third night.”

“I still don't get it... Did you ask that horrid creature to send a message to Thor or Astrid?”

“Nope.” I smiled and Sigyn rose her eyebrow and started lowering her arms with the scaly vessel.

“I knew you would try to fool me!”

“I'm not fooling you, I did send a nightmare.”

“To who?”

“To Rodimir.”

“Who?” She scrunched her nose, clearly baffled.

“Rodimir, son of Slavs. The puny mortal who's wish cost Astrid her immortality.”

“Did you lose your touch or are you just kidding me... or am I that stupid, that I have no idea how that would turn mortal Astrid into a Goddess?”

I couldn't help but smile with a little victory. She might know me and she's definitely very smart, but I've still got it. No one can ever follow the witty ways of my mind.

“Loki, answer me!” Sigyn raised her voice and frowned.

“Do you know how Gods came into existence?”

“I do and that is why I know it's impossible to make one from a mortal or even Demigod.”

“Nothing is impossible.” I smiled again and she rolled her eyes.

“Gods were born from Ymir's body, and unless you have some part of him hidden somewhere, you can't create a God.”

“Correction. Odin created the worlds from his body. The Gods were born out of the Divine energy that was sealed in him. He was more powerful than my father and than all the Gods together. When my father killed him, he made the worlds out of his body and bodily fluids but he didn't use the energy. As you know, nothing in the universe just vanishes. The magical energy that's left Ymir's body was so enormous, that only a small part of it moved into my father, making him the God of the Gods. The rest... some moved into my father's brothers, some into the surviving Jotun and his wife, part became Yggdrasil. Part of it spread over the worlds, creating dark and light Elves, and other beings with lesser powers. When father created mortals, he used the rest of it creating their souls. That is why only their souls are immortal. Time went on, and all the created beings multiplied... spreading in their realms and sometimes mixing the blood, falling in love or just fooling around with mortals and creating half-breed offsprings. Most of those poor bastards will never know who they are, and although they are standing above humans in physical strength and other outstanding abilities, they aren't born with immortality or powers. Some of those mongols were lucky and were given that by my father, when he rose them to Asgard to be God's helpers. That is how we know it was done, how the pantheon of Gods and Demigods was created... but... our universe is not the first one and not the only one in existence. Take my mother's world for example. It was much older than ours and although it all was done almost absolutely the same way... My mother told me that there were Gods in their pantheon that weren't born from the Divine, or came from other Gods. They were made by mortals.”

“By mortals? That's absurd! How can the limited in every way humans, with no magic and no powers, make a God?”

“By coming together in glorification of someone to Godlike status. You see, when humans start to believe in something, start praying, their souls get sort of connected and the energy that's sealed in their souls recharges and expands. The energy of hundreds of human's souls is stronger than the power of a supreme God. That great energy enters and empowers the one they're praying to, raising them to Divine level. Of course those 'human made Gods' were not as strong as the ones who were born from Gods, they were only mortal heroes after all, but nevertheless, they had powers and became immortal. They entered the Gods' pantheon as equals.”

Sigyn looked into my eyes and her face lit up.

“So if Rodimir... starts praying to Astrid... and she is a Demigod to begin with...” Her eyes darkened as she pulled her eyebrows together in a thought. “But you said many mortals have to pray to raise someone to Divine level... he is just one man... you think it will be enough energy?”

“No, but he is one scared and compassionate man. The man who last night saw a horrid nightmare about all the people in his village dead... only he and his wife were spared. The man who asked his Goddess why she didn't save those people and heard that the only reason she didn't is because they haven't asked her. That man is now feeling guilty for keeping a new Goddess to himself. You can be sure he will go out of his way to make everyone he knows acknowledge Astrid. He will spread the word to his relatives, to his friends... to everyone in his village. Humans travel a lot, they share stories, share Gods.”

“How many mortals do we need? I mean... it could take a long time.”

“Yeah... I wasn't planning to be stuck here...” Shit... I forgot about that... I guess Sigyn's plan it is... for now. Then I can open to Thor mine when he comes here to kill me for what I did. At the very least I will have something as a peace offering for him...

“Were you planning on doing something else?” Sigyn's voice pulled me back from my thoughts.

“I was planning to speed it up. Pour oil on the fire, so to speak. After the victory and Thor's return mother would've taken her forbidding spell off and I planned to make a few appearances as Astrid in Midgard, starting with that village Rodimir lives in. Scare them a little, then show them the power of a new Goddess in fake battles of 'Astrid' and some horrid creature. Reinforcing the believe, and since they are always full of fear and always looking for protection, the word would've spread with the speed of a wild fire.”

“Loki... we can still do all that, and I will be happy to help you. As soon as we're out of here, we will start all of this.”

She looks very into it... I could try something... but I doubt it would work... but it's worth a try. I sighed and made my voice sound sad.

“See... the more time pass, the higher the chance it could go wrong... the point of making an appearances as Astrid as soon as possible after Rodimir starts talking about her was the most important part.” I released a fake sigh and looked aside.

“Who knows when I will be able do that now... most likely I will be stuck here until Thor is back. And now, when he is looking for that seed, it could take forever. And when he finally returns we could try to start all this again... if my brother won't kill me first...” I looked into Sigyn's eyes, and breathed out.

“Hey! You can make it all happen faster. You can start this right now, without me. It will be easy, you are a woman, and mother's forbidding spell was meant only for her sons, so you will have your powers in Midgard. All you need is some Valkyrie's attire, you don't even have to fake a battle, just appearing out of thin air would make those peasants drop to their knees in fear! Humans are stupid, plus none of them would ever dare to look at you anyway, most likely, and you--”

Sigyn smiled, shaking her head, and I felt a bubble of my faint hope burst.

“I know what you're trying to do, but as much as I want to help to undo the harm we did, I'm not letting you suffer here alone. We do that when we walk out of here. Sooner or later your mother will let us out. For now, we just use my plan, and when Astrid is back as a Valkyrie, we can add to her powers.”

I sighed and closed my eyes. I knew it would never worked... She won't leave me... I wouldn't have left her to suffer alone even if the whole world was in trouble... I looked back into the now ocean green eyes of my girl and as her eyes gazed into mine, my lips mouthed.

“Marry me...”

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Metal_Psyche
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Blackened
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Sweet update - I love any Loki and Sigyn stuff!

Looking forward to what comes next :horns:
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lusy_orion
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To live is the most rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.
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Two updates...two updates...and WOW!!!
This is amazing and I know I am always saying the same but this is amazing!!! :heart:

The beginning of Elayne's POV brilliant.Brilliant!! She's like a curious little girl...her conversation with Grundroth, huh..will she tell more than she should??!!...and what will happen once she tells him..??
I want to know more....

Loki and Sigyn..Oh my...They are perfect. Deep inside they care as much as they try not to show it...
I want more..MORE!!!
:heart:
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Olyamet
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Jäger.....

Thank you girls!!!!
:heart: :heart: :heart:

Sorry for the delay... too much is going on right now.
The good thing, all this extra time for writing made up a longer update.


I know, you are waiting for the Thor and Astrid, but... I need more time with our sunray.

I hope you like it.













XXVII.






(Elayne's POV)





I returned to Sol's chariot just as the sun was leaving the gloomy icy realm, moving to the next world. No one noticed my absence and I sighed, wondering if Sol would even care if I'd never returned. Honestly, there were way too many of us for her to worry about one, even one privileged to be a sunrise ray and her personal maid. She would've just picked another among the thousands. The only one who gave me a 'where the hell have you been?' look was my best friend Eos, and I was itching to tell her what happened, but as soon as we moved on, sliding our rays over the beautiful forests of Alfheim, Aline flew to us.

She started with 'oh, my Sun, I was looking for both of you at Jotunheim, where have you been?' and without waiting for an answer, continued with 'you have to hear what happened to me!'

Again, without stopping, she told us about the fun game she played with a young beautiful human in Midgard. Then she went on and on about how that mortal was admiring her, how he stared at her reflection in the clear waters of the creek, what he said, praising her beauty. I felt like I was going to blow up, looking at her 'eat your heart out' smile, but kept quiet. But as soon as her story was finished and Eos said that is how her love with a mortal started, gasping at Aline's adventure, I gave up and blabbered out.

“Pfff... words are nothing. I had the prince of the Giants decorating a huge cave with beautiful statues and making a breathtaking crown for me!”

Aline eyes widened with envy. “A prince?!”

“A crown?!” Eos gasped with clear jealousy.

The burning eyes and shocked looks of my sisters opened the gates in my mind and my story floated out of me. Of course I changed it in my favor, telling them that the prince of giants himself was in love with me and trapped me just so he could spend a few hours gazing upon my beauty. The gasps and enviousness of my sisters pushed away the remaining fear and I forgot all about the horrid dagger, fully enjoying the made up grandeur of my adventure. The ice crystals in my story were changed into real diamonds, and the whole conversation between me and Grundroth was completely made up, turning into the words of a hopelessly love stricken jotun. I told them that although I was very flattered by all the presents, I had to decline his proposal of becoming his princess, because he is, lets face it, even though a prince, very ugly. And that I left him with a broken heart and he said he will love me forever. Both sisters started nodding their heads in agreement and I saw their eyes shine with sparks of 'you lucky bitch, I hate you.'

All that lifted my mood, leaving the horrors behind and the rest of the day passed in carefree happiness as our rays moved on, highlighting the delicate lacy silver towers of the beautiful world of Elves. The sun rose higher, and we ran free, flirting with clear blue lakes and playing hide and seek in the waters of silver waterfalls. Soon Sol's chariot pulled to the horizon, turning the sky of Alfheim orange-red, and reminding us to return to Asgard.

As I let go of my ray, letting it melt into the sun, I looked at the dark sky and shivered with the sudden remembrance of the black blade. Thank the Holy Power of the Sun that freak never touched me with it. I told him everything, I had no reason to hide anything. When he found out that he was just a game piece in Loki's plan and got pissed, breaking icy statues and growling like a mad man, I got a bit frightened. But he calmed down and started asking questions. As soon as he found out that Thor was in Midgard, and powerless, he started asking where he was going and who he was with. The fact that even though the Valkyrie is by his side, she is a mortal and without her memory made him very interested. And after I told him that they were going somewhere North to the mountains to find someone in some viking village as far as I knew, he sat down in his chair and stared into the wall, deep in his thoughts. He sat like that for ages, ignoring me completely. He didn't move when my ray floated above the ground, finally free of the ice. He didn't even blink when I darted to my safety net, quickly returning to the sun.

As I walked through the main square, my eyes stopped on Odin's palace and I froze. What if all that happened would come back to bite me in the ass somehow...? I shook my head to my own thoughts. No, it shouldn't... It's not like that giant icicle would run around telling everyone about it, he's in hiding from his own people, from his father, banned from the castle! I did tell Eos and Aline that I spoke with him... but all they know is that he's in love with me. I breathed out at ease and smiled. I have absolutely nothing to worry about. No one will ever know the truth.

I fixed my hair, deciding to forget about Grundroth forever, and stepped into the brightly lit hall of the Sun. My other eleven sisters, all personal maids of our Goddess where already there and I saw Eos and Aline waving me over. I quickly made my way to my friends, and Eos had already opened her lips, ready to whisper something, when the loud voice of Sol pulled our attention.

“Everyone! Look what one of the best masters or Elves made for me! Isn’t it the most beautiful thing you have ever seen? Besides me, of course!” Her laugh broke a wave of giggles and gasps and everyone gathered around her as she rose a silver crown in her hands.

I looked at her present, that was made from silver and was covered in green, like the forests of the Elves' realm emeralds and couldn't help but smirk, lowering my head to my friends.

“It's nothing comparing to the crown I wore in the cave of Jotunheim, not to mention that her's only has emeralds, mine had diamonds.”

“And it's just silver, you said yours was made of platinum!” My friend whispered with an amused smile and I nodded, ready to add that it was also more delicate, but felt the burning gaze of my mistress on me and quickly gasped with a wide smile.

“It suits you perfectly, my Goddess!” The wicked smile still made its way to my lips as my mind sang. 'I looked so much better than you in my crown!'

As the commotion went down and Sol settled in her throne, listening to the stories that my other sisters brought her, Aline and Eos moved closer and started asking more questions about my adventure. I went into even more detail of the cave decor and how many nights and days Grundroth spent working nonstop to make it all perfect for me.

Watching the eyes of my sisters glaze over with the jealousy made my mind leap, pulling more out of my fantasy and I paid no attention to the talks around us, submerged in the almost palpable green sea of envy from my sisters. When I heard Sol's anger-filled voice somewhere behind me, I felt chills crawling on my back.

“How dare you hide this from me?!”

I swallowed and held my breath, turning, but breathed out in relief, when I saw Sol looking at Mitraya. My unfortunate sister pulled her head into her shoulders, shaking, and quickly bowed.

“I'm sorry, but I thought you were over him...”

Eos' voice whispered near my ear.

“Here we go again. We tell her what we saw and she gets pissed, we don't tell her she gets pissed. Like we're supposed to read her mind and know what she wants to know.”

Sol tilted her chin up, glaring at Mitraya.

“I am. And I forbid his name to ever be mentioned in my presence! He dared to question my status as the brightest and the most beautiful Goddess in all the realms! ”

Aline smirked with a quiet whisper. “He questioned it alright. I believe his exact words were 'brainless, egotistic cow'.”

I couldn't help but snort, remembering how much I laughed when Aline told us the whole thing. Sol took her to Thor's place that evening and ordered for her to wait outside in case she'd need anything in the morning after a steamy night with the God Of Thunder. Aline was standing under the open window of Thor's bedroom and heard every singe word. I covered my smiling lips with my hand as Sol's eyes turned to me and quickly made up a shocked expression, gasping loudly.

“How dare he! He must pay for this!”

My Mistress pressed her lips in a tight line, and then spat out.

“He did! And I thought it was over with! Now I find out that he is in Midgard with that diminished to a mortal halfbreed, and more than that, he is happy!? This is unacceptable!”

Sol stomped her foot on the floor and a few maids surrounded her with their shock ridden faces while Aline snorted into my ear.

“Now our hot airhead will really blow up with anger! To know that she not only lost The God Of Thunder to a Valkyrie, but that he is happy with her, especially because he said that Sol isn't worth one of Astrid's fingernails.”

Mitraya placed her hands on her chest and pleaded. “She doesn't remember who she or he is, she keeps him tied up as a prisoner. He is unhappy but can't get away without his powers...”

“Yeah, right... he's so unhappy that he simply can't stop smiling when he looks at his Valkyrie.” Eos giggled.

“I know, right? I saw them this morning, both were laughing!” I whispered lowering my head to my friend's shoulders and Aline joined in with another whisper.

“And the other day when they were on that boat, he wasn't tied up and he didn't make one move to escape! He just sat there, staring at her with an almost euphoric gaze!”

“Well to be honest, I can't blame him. Even in that horrid mortal attire she still looks pretty good.” Eos smiled.

“Can you imagine Sol in Astrid's place?” I giggled and Aline rolled her eyes, then snorted.

“In those clothes? She can't even dress without us!”

She pulled back, mimicking Sol's voice.

“Elayne watch my every move and hold my cape slightly up when I walk, I hate when it gets crumpled. Arida, make sure the tail of my dress floats perfectly behind me and not in front of my feet if I need to step back! Aline, place my locks on my shoulders and back in perfectly equal parts, with the ends in each part all flawlessly curled in the same direction and fix it every time after I turn my head! Aura, can't you see that a fingernail on my left pinky is a fraction longer then the others, fix it immediately!”

“Oh my Sun! Imagine her as Astrid when she was surrounded by armed vikings!” Eos cracked up, covering her face and shaking with laughter.

Aline pulled back again and mocked. “How dare you point those shiny metal sticks at me! I am the most powerful Goddess in all the realms!”

“Fall on your knees and worship me at once!” I joined my sisters with my best impersonation of our Mistress' voice.

Suddenly, Aline's smile vanished off her face, Eos bit her lip, lowering her head, and almost immediately I heard Sol's voice behind me.

“Is there something funny about my problems? Would you like to share with the rest of us what you're all laughing about?”

“Nothing, My Queen... nothing is funny...” I turned and bowed down while shaking a fist at my accomplices behind my back and feeling my heart jumping in my chest.

I'm finished... I will be forbidden to come to the parties, I will be forever diminished to a chariot cleaning slave! No one will ever look at the sky to see me as a first ray of the sunrise and say that I'm beautiful!

Sol suspiciously narrowed her eyes at me.

“I heard what you said. 'Fall on your knees and worship me at once!' You dare to mock me?”

I felt my heart pounding in my temples and swallowed, having no idea what to answer, but Aline stepped to my rescue.

“Oh, no my Goddess! We were just talking about today! Eos was telling us that when she was taking care of the sacrifice from the Sun Worshipers in Midgard... how they all stood around when she reached into the cave to burn the offering... and... they just stood there all waiting... and watching...”

Aline mumbled the last words, clearly not knowing where she was going with that, making eyes at me, and I continued.

“And as soon as her ray went through that magnifying crystal and touched the offering they all dropped on their knees, all as one! Eos said it was as if they heard a command, and I said that they must've heard 'Fall on your knees and worship me at once!'”

I felt a drop of sweat sliding on my back and swallowed. Aline gasped at my side with a wide smile.

“They've really outdone themselves this time! Eos said they brought a beautiful ram, it had absolutely flawless golden fur and huge horns!”

I frantically started nodding my head, hoping that words about the offering would soften the angry Goddess, but instead Sol's eyes flared up with sparks of fire.

“A ram?! Their offering to me was a stupid ram? And you dare to say they've outdone themselves?! I will burn their village to crisp for that!”

“They live inside of rocky cliffs... rocks don't really burn...” Aline started but quickly added. “But you're absolutely right, my Goddess, you deserve better!”

“You deserve what other Gods get!” Mitraya stepped closer, taking the chance of better herself in the eyes of the angry mistress.

“What do they get?” Sol turned, moving her eyes among her maids and Mitraya started.

“Well... they all get different things... depending on the God...”

“Like what?” Sol narrowed her eyes at her.

“Like... um.... animals... plants, fruit...”

“Other humans...” Arida added and Sol's eyes flared up, turning to Eos.

“Do they ever sacrifice a human for me?”

Eos hand painfully gripped into mine as her lips pushed out an answer. “That tribe isn't that big... and they are peaceful people... they have no war prisoners to sacrifice for you... it was very hard for them to get that ram... they had to risk their lives... two men fell to their death catching it...”

“Two men died while getting an offering for me? So, they technically did die for me?” Sol's lips slid into a smile.

“Yes, my Goddess, they died for you.”

“But it wasn't really a sacrifice... plus I would rather have a young beautiful virgin... That is it. I want their most beautiful virgin to be burned alive in my honor, every year, starting now!” Sol tilted her chin up.

Eos gasped, her lips shook, but Aline suddenly stepped forward.

“My Goddess, if you start killing a beautiful virgin from that tribe year after year... you will end up with the... well, not very good looking worshipers, not mentioning their numbers would quickly diminish... What if instead they would offer a beautiful girl not from their tribe... That would give you what you want, and at the same time slowly diminish the ones who don't worship you.” She gave an encouraging smile to Eos and I saw my sister's eyes filling with tears, as she whispered to me.

“That stupid cow thinks she is helping! She is not! Stop her!”

I pulled Aline arm, yanking her back, while Sol looked up, putting a finger to her chin.

“Hm... I don't know... it's not the same devotion if you kill some stranger in my honor...... instead of your own child...” Sol smirked looking right at Eos and I glanced at my friend, watching her face turn ghostly white. A child? Shit... I completely forgot about Dawn... Oh crap...

Eos was on duty to take care of the offerings from that tribe for ages, and fell in love with one of them... she spent a lot of time admiring him and then took over the body of a girl he was interested in, just to know how it felt to be with him. She could only do it once, since it took almost all of her energy, but she never regretted what she did. And that would've been the end of it, but a child was conceived by that girl after that night. The baby was born blonde, despite the brown locks of her father and mother. Her eyes were light brown, almost golden. She looked just like Eos... not to mention that it turned out that she could see and easily communicate with her solar half-mother even in her ray form. Eos loved her as her own daughter and was so proud when Dawn was chosen to be tribe's high Sun priestess. She is the most beautiful virgin among them... and Sol just basically asked for her head on a platter. Son of a Fenrir!

Eos rose her hands in front of her chest and pleaded.

“Trust me, My Goddess, they are absolutely devoted to you and only you! They haven't ever worship or acknowledged any other Gods! They're offering you the best of what they have! If they start sacrificing humans it will be the end of them. Even if they take virgins from the nearby villages... neither viking or slavs would take it lightly, it would bring a war upon that tribe, they will be destroyed and you will have no worshipers!”

“Not to mention that only the major Gods get human sacrifices. Aiming too high as always, sis?” A man's voice made everyone turn to the entrance and Sol greeted her brother with a smirk.

“You're just jealous of me, little brother. You're not even included properly in the pantheon of Gods. You're not invited to the gatherings and you're only remembered when your moon shines with the reflection of my rays.”

“I do less work than you, if that's what you mean. Yes. I'm not in view all the time unlike attention-crazed you, because I like to be in the shadows. Not to be watched closely. See it's time for the moonlight but here I am, having a drink. Unlike you I don't have to be there all night.” Mani smiled and I sighed.

“He is sooo hot... and so cool... Why wasn't I chosen to be one of the rays that reflect from the moon... I would love to reflect all over him... I mean his moon.... I mean... well, you know what I mean. Be there by his side every night... Plus everyone always admires the moonlight, they would've admired me every night! Oh, that would be the job to die for...”

Aline smiled back with an 'I know' look and giggled. “You mean the job to kill for.”

“You're not a God! You have no powers but one, making wolves and dogs howl when the moon is full.” Sol spat out and Mani smiled back.

“Oh, I have more powers than that, sis. Did you forget that we were born from the same parents? We are equal. I just don't like to show off. I like the mystery, makes everyone guess and wonder...”

“We are not equal! I shine light on all the worlds, I have worshipers who pray only to me, they do not acknowledge any other Gods! I have my own religion! You have nothing! No one even takes you seriously! They only know you as my brother!”

Sol went on and on about how important she is and I lowered my head to my friends. “Mani is so hot!”

“He's not just hot, he has brains too! Lets hope he can change Sol's mind about the stupid human scarifies, and Eos' precious tribe will be safe.” Aline whispered back and I looked back at the object of my dreams, sighing.

“I don't care if he has brains... when a man looks like this, he is already perfect...”

Meanwhile Sol continued her monologue about her importance. “...Without me you would be worthless, you would perish! Everyone would perish! There would be nothing but darkness without me! I'm the most important Goddess! I deserve to be worshiped on the same level as major Gods! I'm more powerful than they are!”

“Sol has no idea how the world works, does she?” Aline sighed, rolling her eyes and Eos hissed.

“And to bring her worshipers into it? She never cared about them, never helped them, never even looked at the offerings! All she cares about is herself.”

“She doesn't even care about us, like we doesn't exist and all this is done by her. It's all me, me, me. We are the ones who do all the work!”

“I know! I was missing all day and she didn't even notice!” I looked back at my friends and quickly added. “I mean, I'm glad she didn't, I was enjoying myself there, but seriously she could at the very least worry about us a little bit.”

My eyes returned to the Moon God and I sighed. I'm sure if I was a moon ray he would care, he would know where I am at all times... not like I would ever wander away from a guy like that... but really, if I was a moon ray and was missing, stuck in that cave, just imagine him showing up to save me from that blue monster... ahh... that would've been so cool... and so hot...

“I am the most powerful Goddess!” Sol finished her verbal diarrhea and Mani took a sip of his drink, then smiled.

“Everyone can say big and loud words, sis. Care to prove it?”

I sighed. He is so cool... I can't even imagine him ever losing his temper or screaming, unlike his sister, who steams up in seconds about nothing... Sol's laughter broke my string of thoughts.

“I already did! I burned Thor with my fire! Haven't you heard about that? Oh.. wait, I forgot, you're all alone and don't have your own rays to deliver the news to you...” Sol smiled and I sighed again.

Oh let me be his... ray... I can be his forever...

Mani finished his drink, looking absolutely untouched by Sol's acidic remark. Then moved his empty glass in his hands in a circular motion and its walls clouded. Blue sparkles lighting the fog inside of it, lifting the cloud up, and it crumbled, falling back into the glass in the form of blue glistening sand, turning into liquid mid-fall. Mani rose his other hand, opening it above the glass and dropped a few star shaped pieces of ice that shined like diamonds, watching them release foamy bubbles, and I gasped.

“He is so awesome...”

I barely said it, there was no way he could've heard what I said, standing that far. His head stayed down, but his lips stopped just an inch from the edge of the glass, sliding into a crooked and absolutely dirty smile. His eye suddenly rose up, looking right at me, and I almost passed out, gripping Eos' hand and breathing out.

“He looked at me! Did you see? He looked right at me! With those silvery-blue bewitching eyes... and he smiled... oh mighty power of the Sun.. he is so hot, I'm going to die!”

“Stop drooling on Mani and help me figure out what to do if that power hungry maniac starts talking about those stupid human sacrifices again!” Eos hissed into my ear and I pulled my mind out of the fog only to hear Mani's voice.

“Oh, I heard all about it. The whole realm is talking about that tantrum of a rejected woman. You were pissed off and didn't do that intentionally, more like your.. um... mind short-circled. I'm talking about the real deal, real proof that you are the most powerful and the best... and the rest of the blah-blah-balh... Prove that you are not afraid of The God of Thunder. I saw him and Astrid last night, they are happily traveling in your worshipers territory right now... You want a human sacrifice? Order them to kill his Valkyrie. If you really aren't afraid of Thor's fury, as you said, of course.”

My jaw dropped and Aline gasped. “What the actual fuck?”

“Sol will be fed to Fenrir wolf for this! And she is too stupid and too full of herself to back out!” Eos gasped and I saw silvery-blue glowing eyes winking at me.

Oh... he is smart! Very smart! My lips breathed out a whisper.

“Yes she will and guess who will become the sun God... rest in peace.. or more like in pieces, screaming, overheated queen. Long live the King!” I smiled and Aline elbowed me in the side.

“I can't believe you are happy! Eos is crying and you are celebrating? Some friend you are! Don't you get it? It also mean the death penalty to the Sun worshipers tribe! Thor would execute them all for his girl! He would exterminate them!”

Eos bit her lip and I saw a tear falling out of her eye. Shit... My mind started to work, pushing the happy thought aside.

“Okay... we can tell Thor that it wasn't them, that it was Sol's order and they had to do it... and...” I started but Eos sighed.

“Have you seen Thor in a rage? I wouldn't step anywhere near him when he is in his fury!” Aline hissed.

“Okay... you right... Maybe we can hide your daughter and her family?” I took Eos' hand in mine, but my sister pulled out.

“From Thor? Are you kidding me? There is not one safe place where his lightning can't reach, not one place in the whole universe!”

I looked back at Mani and sighed, letting go of my dream of a hot King.

“The only way is to make Sol see a way to retreat... but in a way that doesn't make her look weak in the eyes of her brother...”

“It's impossible! He is smart... and she's as dumb as a rock, not to mention she's craving revenge on Astrid! Shit...” Aline whispered and as an answer to that Sol hissed.

“Me? Afraid? Nonsense! And it would be my pleasure to get rid of that half-blooded bitch once and for all!”

“That's it! The Impossible part!” Eos looked at us and stepped forward.

“My Goddess, there are no warriors in the Sun Worshipers' tribe.. as I said they are a peaceful people... they have no weapons, just whips that they use to catch mountain goats with... they are no match for the Valkyrie's sword! They wouldn't be able to catch her, that's simply impossible!”

With mixed feelings I prayed to the Holy Power of the Sun that Sol would get the escape route we just handed to her out of the trap set by her clever brother, and I thought that I saw a spark of mindful thought in my mistress' eyes when I saw Aura stepping to her side.

“They have to do as their Goddess commands them, even if they all die trying!” She glanced at Eos and quickly turned, whispering something into Sol's ear.

“Look at that brownnoser, can you be any deeper into Sol's ass?” I lowered my head again, whispering and Aline nodded as Eos narrowed her eyes, hissing.

“What is she saying to her? I hate her! From the moment she spied on me in Midgard and then ran and told Sol everything about Evan and Dawn. She wanted to see me diminished, but Sol never did anything about it, she wasn't even that angry, she just didn't care. But I still truly hate that bitch!”

My friend's eyes started to glow with yellow fire as if she was ready to burn a hole in Aura's head. I lightly elbowed her in the side and she lowered her eyes, just as Aura stepped back, looking at us with a smirk, and Sol turned to us.

“Eos, I want you to deliver my order to those mortals. Tell them that I wasn't happy with the offering they sent me, and to soften my anger at them I want them to capture the woman with black hair, who is traveling in their land with a prisoner.” Sol's face started to burn red, her eyes burst with fire flares as she continued.

“I want her to be tied up and told that she will be burned alive in my honor! I want you to lead me there, so I can personally see her begging for mercy! I want to laugh in her face! I want to hear her screaming in agony as my fire turns her into a pile of ash!”

I swallowed, stepping back from the steaming red face of the infuriated Sun Goddess and saw Eos lowering her head.

“But my Queen...”

Sol turned her head to the side, and smiled. “Oh, and Eos. Tell them that if they fail, I will personally kill every single one of them, starting with that High Priestess, what is her name again?”

“Dawn.” Aura smiled, watching my friend close her eyes and lower her head.

“Yeah, that one. Who knows, maybe that will make them work harder... or get them a little extra help in the task.” Sol's lips slid into a evil smile and Aura mirrored it.

“It most certainly will, my Queen...” I saw Eos' fists tightened, turning her fingers white.

“It's all settled then.” She turned to her brother. “In two days I will get my long overdue revenge and you will get your proof.”

“I can't wait to see it.” Mani smirked.

“Meanwhile, care to join me for a feast? You have to try the pie baked form the sacred apples of the Alfheim, it's simply marvelous. I know it's very rare, but I can't help myself, I have it daily, I just love it... and over there we have the meat of a golden lamb, roasted on a slow fire over the lava lake in Muspelheim... oh, and those are...”

I gave Aura an 'eat shit' look and she answered with an evil smile, following her Mistress, and as the rest of my sisters moved to the dining room, I sighed, turning to my friends.

“Shit... there is no way out of this. They kill Astrid, they're screwed, they don't kill her, they are still screwed! No way to hide from either danger. Aura will make sure to find your daughter for Sol even if we try to hide her.”

Aline sighed, lowering her head and Eos rose her tearful eyes to us.

“We have to help them catch Astrid, at least then we will have more time to figure out what to do until Thor has his powers back... there is no other way...”

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tuesday's gone
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Poor Twisted Me
[ * ]
My Thor, I missed so many updates!!!
Well, not actually missed them, you know I read them all :heart:

Where do I begin? OK, starting from the end - the sun rays. I love this development. I am simply fascinated by all the intricacies and complexities of this story's plot! And so excited to see where and how it all fits into place. I often picture you as Odin, seeing things as they are meant to be and knowing what no other soul, mortal or divine, knows or should know. Sol is so perfectly, wonderfully stupid, her brother is so intriguingly the opposite (and do I smell another love story here?), and all that brings us back to Astrid and Thor, putting new obstacles on their way, new tests and temptations, new ways for them to know each other better, to grow and develop, to learn, to fight, to win, to love...

Speaking of Odin, that scene with him and Frigg was breathtaking. What I love the most is how the setting changes with every character, reflecting his/her traits and moods, how everything is peaceful and solid in Odin's setting, how dynamic and emotional in Frigg's, how deserted and bleak and dangerous in Loki's, and sunny and happy and bright in Balder's... and so on and so on. It amazes me how you manage to handle all these different personalities (or deities :)) giving each their own unique color and sound. I cannot express my admiration enough.

Scenes with Loki and Sygyn. Wonderful! Her revelation and exposure, her sacrifice and a glimpse of conscience - just something Loki might need in future... His proposal to her... just beautiful. And yes, I still love him. I can't help it. He's the most lovable of villains the roamed the realms of fan fiction :) and of course, a spiritus movens of the whole thing. If nothing, you have to admire him for his brains (which actually means admire you for the incredible skill!)

Then Balder and Lana. Again, wonderfully done, such a beautiful juxtaposition to Thor and Astrid who have a background, a history, a shared context, even though one of them still does not remember it, but it's there, it's felt among them, that connection and a sense of fate, love that was meant to be. On the other hand there's Balder, fresh to the mortal world, fresh to the world of emotions, so wonderfully pure and untainted, just like his power of light, just like Lana, his love to be. I love those two. I cannot wait to see their own journey to discovering one another, and themselves, to their own immortality through love. Ah... I better stop there, or I'll just go all sappy...

Last, but by no means least... Thor and Astrid... no words there. :heart: :heart: :heart:

I love this story to pieces. Love it more with every new chapter, it is simply amazing, so wonderfully written and, I repeat, the best thing you have written so far.

:heart: :heart: :heart:
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lusy_orion
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To live is the most rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.
[ * ]
Things are starting to get even more complicated!!
Amazing update!

Totally in love with the beginning, that envy between them..it's a perfect reflection of humans. Then..oh, my Thor and Astrid even if there is just few sentences...to see them doing fine, perfect!!
Then Sol...She is blindly in love with herself, so much that she will do anything...and her plan is completely crazy.
Mani on the other hand is an interesting character, mysterious and smart, tricky for sure...

...and now I am wondering what will they do to help Astrid and Thor.

Perfect!! :heart:
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Metal_Psyche
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Blackened
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Wow, seriously, I don't know how you hold all these threads and details in mind! Amazing update as always. And like tuesday's gone, I'm so excited to see how all the components will fit into place over time.

:heart:
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MetallicaObsessed
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Some Kind Of Monster
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Olya, I haven't been on in a while, and I get the treat of this SUPER SIZED update! Wow, the level of intrigue has quadrupled! Love it!!! And with this update, you can smoothly transition into a Thor/Astrid update, right? *wink wink*nudge nudge* :heart: :heart: :heart:
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Olyamet
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Jäger.....

@ Bo. OMG!!! I'm speechless... and Woohoooo!!! You are back!!! I hope your life is less hectic now! I love you! :heart:
@ Željka. Well.... I never said who they are going to help.... hehehehe
@ Shiv. It will all fall in place! I promise!
@ Tiff. I was worried where you are! I hope it was just busy life, nothing bad... And yes, we are finnaly up to the Thor and Astrid!


Thank you girls so much!!! I love you all!!!
:heart: :heart: :heart:


And.. sorry for the short update... but my life was hectic... I'll try to write more soon!














XXVIII.





(Thor's POV)




I stepped on the narrow passage between the rocks, following Astrid, and looked at her back with a sigh. This morning everything had been almost perfect, we laughed, we had fun, for a second I felt like we were on one of our hunting trips... the one I was always dreaming off... just me and her, no one else. I sighed again when the rope jerked me to walk faster and let my mind return to the happy hours of the morning.

My hands were still free, as part of the morning routine we worked out. Hands free, with the rope on my waist still on, as Astrid turns away, holding the end of the rope in one hand, and her sword in the other, while I step behind a tree or a bush to relieve myself. This morning everything was the same, other than the part of the narrow sleeve of the river that we were by. Astrid wrapped the long rope around one of the huge boulders on the shore and, with short, 'You try to run, I'll kill you,' and a, 'And I mean it,' look, walked knee deep into the water.

She was washing her face when I joined her, stepping into the cold streams. As I cupped a handful of cold water my eyes caught movement just below the surface. A big fish passed right below my hands, and my move came as an impulse, gripping into the slippery silver body and pulling it out. The fish twisted, angrily flopping in my hands and slid out, flying to the side, and hitting Astrid on the head. It then dropped back into the water with a big splash, drenching the Valkyrie in an unexpected cold shower. Astrid gasped, wiping her face and slowly turned to me.

“Did you just throw a fish at me?”

“It slipped.” I couldn't help but smile, watching the wet fabric cling to her chest.

“Right... slipped.” Astrid's hands pulled on the bottom of the shirt, twisting the water out and tightening the fabric. My tongue got ahead of my mind, slipping though the wide smile.

“You look nice wet.”

She quickly pulled the shirt off her skin and glared at me, then hit the water with her hand, sending a splash at me. As I pushed my dripping hair off my face, she smiled.

“You look nice wet, too.”

“Oh, so you want to play?” I dropped my hands down into the water and she stopped smiling.

“James, don't you dare.”

My hands pushed a stream of water in the air, and submerged again for a second hit as she screamed, covering her face.

“James! I'll kill you! I'm serious! It's cold! Stop it!”

As soon as I stopped to see the result of my actions, she started to splash me back with both hands, laughing at my screams.

“You're the one who started it! The fish was just an accident!”

We were both too busy laughing and covering our faces from the streams of water, so the bear'a roar came as a surprise. We both froze, turning to the noise and saw a black bear just a few feet away from us on the other side of the narrow river. The beast smelled the air, standing up on its back paws and released another roar. Astrid came out of the stupor first and pulled out her sword, raising it in front of her. The bear sniffed at the air again and heavily dropped on its front paws, then looked at the water, completely ignoring us. As we slowly started to move back to the shore the bear jumped in, pouncing on something in the water. Astrid stepped in front of me and rose her sword in her hand, pointing it at the animal, but the bear didn't take his eyes off the water. In seconds he leaped again, almost to the middle of the stream, submerging his head. A few fishes flew up in the air, trying to escape, and one was caught by the bear's teeth, and he quickly retreated to his side, vanishing into the bushes.

“I guess we're having fish for breakfast... and lunch... and supper.” Astrid turned to me, and I saw a huge fish impaled on her sword. We looked at each other and both broke out in laughter.

“We have to climb up, there is no other way.” Astrid's voice pulled me out of my memory and I looked at the almost vertical wall of the rock in front of us.

“And how you propose we do that?” I looked at my tied up wrists and Astrid followed my eyes.

“I'm not letting you loose. I'll just climb first and then use the rope on your waist to pull you up.”

“While I'm dangling helplessly on the end of the rope?”

Astrid looked at me and smiled.

“Don't worry, you're still too valuable for me to let you fall.”

“What if you fall?” I looked up at the almost unclimbable wall.

“If I fall, you fall.”

“And that's supposed to make me feel better?”

Astrid smiled and pulled the spare rope out of her bag without saying another word, then pulled the sword and axe from her belt, tying it to her back together with the bag. After that she tied the rope from my waist to hers and looked up at the wall.

“Ready?”

I watched her reach an invisible to me ledge, disappearing behind the rocks, and a few seconds later my rope jerked and her face peaked down.

“Wait till I secure the rope over the rock for an easier pull and then grip the rope with your hands. As I pull, all you have to do is walk up the rocks.”

As soon as my fingers clenched around the rope I felt a pull, it took me a few tries to keep from twisting, but I slowly got the hang of it and a few minutes later my feet stepped on the ledge.

“See, nothing to it.” Astrid smiled, taking the rope off the boulder she'd used for balance, and I noticed her trying to hide her hard breathing. Yeah... we'll see how long you can last like this.

A few more climbs and she was visibly tired, but too stubborn to listen to my plea to let me pull my own weight in our ascend. As we reached the top, we both sighed with disappointment. What we conquered so far had been just a miserly part of the endless rocky nightmare.

“Now will you untie me and let me climb on my own, or will you let your stubbornness and lack of trust wear you into complete exhaustion?” I looked at Astrid and she sighed, looking at the road ahead, then turned to me.

“You try to run and I--”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, you'll kill me.” I stretched my wrists to her and she looked into my eyes, then slowly pulled the rope off.

The next few hours were spent climbing to the top of the next level, then making our way through the sharp ridges, trying not to fall into the deep, almost bottomless canyons. There was no time for talking, no time for thinking of anything but where to grip and where to place the foot. The ridge went up, then down, dropping to a small sandy patch and then went up again. The rocks under our feet were constantly sliding, crushed by our weight and the silent climb continued for the rest of the day.


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Metal_Psyche
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Blackened
[ * ]
AH! Not. Enough. Thor. And. Astrid!! :gah

I loved the update (goes without saying really) but I need a lot more than that!

Will please help??

:heart:

Oh and obviously I trust it'll all fall in to place. There are no doubts.
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MetallicaObsessed
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Some Kind Of Monster
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Olya, I have told you countless times how grateful I am for updates, no matter how long they are. AND you said this one was short. BUT this is UNACCEPTABLE!!! LMAO j/k Glad for the snippet! Hopefully you will be able to write more soon! :heart: :heart: :heart:
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Olyamet
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Jäger.....

Thank you girls!
Love you!!!
:heart: :heart: :heart:
Okay... now another short one... sorry...
This is continue of the one before, they were meant to be one update, but I didn't have time to finish it all the first time... so... here is more.
I promise, the next one will be longer!!!














(Astrid's POV)




Evening was approaching fast and we were still making our way through the unsteady rocks. The only place to have a brief rest were the narrow ledges, not big enough and too open to the cold wind for the night. I kept looking up ahead, hoping that I would at least see something like an indent in the wall or a small cave that we could use for the night, but all I saw was the same almost vertical stone wall.

Suddenly, I felt an eyes on me and turned to James, but he was too busy climbing the next level. I thought that he might've looked at me right before I turned to him, and continued on my way, but the strong feeling of being watched returned, making me shiver. I caught up with my prisoner on the foot wide ledge, clinging to the wall, and turned, carefully scanning the rocks around us. Nothing... just the motionless stones with a few green patches of small crooked trees, that had somehow managed to grow in this deadly place... canyon... more rocks... Well, unless rocks have eyes... My eyes continued on the wall that was wrapping around from the left and almost connecting with the stones that we made our way over on the right, making it look like we were on one side of a huge stone tube.

“What are you looking for?” James' voice invaded my thoughts and I sighed.

“Nothing... I don't know... I just… I felt like someone was watching us.” I bit my lip, realizing how stupid it sounds and he smirked.

“I hope they're enjoying the show of two idiots trying to climb this fucking mountain. I bet they're laughing their asses off and guessing why we didn't go around.”

“Because going around would take us off the path and add weeks to the trip. Weeks that Lana would spend in the hands of your friends.” I snapped back, more angry at the truth in his words than at him. He's right... but I had no idea that there were more cliffs behind the ones I saw on the other side. If I knew... I would've still went this way. I sighed and turned to the rocks, looking for a better place to get a good grip and threw over my shoulder.

“Just keep moving.”

“I am moving, but sooner or later we will have to stop. Sunset is closing in and I hope you're not crazy enough to continue this in the dark.”

“No, but so far I haven't seen anything suitable for the night. So unless you see something, we keep moving.”

James turned and leaned his back to the wall, looking around.

“Hmm... Lets see... Rocks... more rocks... more rocks... a goat... a canyon cutting though... and oh look more rocks--- wait... a goat? Am I hallucinating?”

I let go of the stone and quickly turned in the direction he was looking. A small black goat was standing on the almost vertical stone wall far on the left. I blinked, and it jumped up, sending a few small rocks down. A few feet away, on higher level, I saw a second goat, that was reaching to the greenery of a miniature tree.

“No, I see two of them! How do they live here?”

“I have no idea, but I wish I could jump like that! Just look at those little shits!”

I gasped, watching the black goat leap to the next rock and his friend joined him, jumping down on seems to be vertical wall.

“Hey! They have to sleep somewhere, and there is no way those trees are all the food they survive on! That means there's flat or at least less sloppy ground somewhere near!”

“What if they came from the same place we did?”

“For what? Why would you climb the wall for a few leaves if you have the whole forest?”

As I said the last words, I felt the rock under my foot crumble and slide. I tried to turn and grip at something and at the last moment, as my body slid past the ledge, I managed to clasp my fingers around a crooked branch of a tiny bush.

“Hold on!” James went down on his knees and tried to reach to me but couldn't. “Just hold on!”

As his face vanished behind the rocks, a waterfall of sand spilled on my face, making me cough. When I managed to blink my eyes clear I saw his hand reaching down, but it passed the hand I pushed up toward him and went over my head, to my back. I felt my heart drop. He... he's not trying to help me, he's after the sword!

As soon as I thought that, his hand grip the rope I tied my bag and weapon to my back with. One strong jerk pulled me up and I landed on the ledge, face to face with my prisoner. His blue eyes were looking at me with worry.

“Don't ever do that again!”

“Thanks... I... thanks...” I mumbled and slowly stood up. My heart was pounding in my chest and hands were shaking, but not because I almost fell to my death. I looked back at James, who was busy shaking the sand off his clothes.

He had a sword within his reach and I was helpless to do anything. He had a chance to get away, to be free... and he didn't use it...


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MetallicaObsessed
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Some Kind Of Monster
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Awww, is Astrid possibly beginning to trust James/Thor? Hope they find a safe place to pass the night! Keep it up Olya, I am LOVING this story! :heart: :heart:
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lusy_orion
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To live is the most rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.
[ * ]
Two updates..on my!!! :heart: :heart:

Quote:
 
He had a sword within his reach and I was helpless to do anything. He had a chance to get away, to be free... and he didn't use it...

...yes, any ideas why Astrid??!!! C'mon!!!!

Perfect. :heart:


Edit: I want more...
Edited by lusy_orion, October 6, 2013, 2:33 pm.
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