FACING DESTINY
The Young Patron
Flashback: Asgard, year 1758
Asgard, home of the Norse gods and goddesses, was having another prosperous day. The sun was shining, the men went to hunt wild boars for tonight's feast, laughter was within the divine streets, and children were having fun playing war games with their ponies. Every god and goddess seemed to enjoy the outdoors today.
Well, there was only one immortal who preferred to enjoy the indoors on this warm, sunny day.
Up in her room in the royal palace, Kaïra sat by her vanity mirror. She wasn't a vain young goddess in training, as some claimed. And it wasn't because of her mysterious heritage as a half-Frost Giantess that she stayed inside to protect her pale skin from the sun.
"Show me the Batrishan that I seek," she told the mirror. The mirror's glass vibrated with life as it showed Kaïra what she wanted to see.
She saw the baby Batrishan that she had placed in front of St. Alejandro's Chapel last year and that the All-Mother Friga tasked her to patronize. The baby had been adopted by the Denada Cortés family, an aristocratic couple with great connections to the Aldoradian royalty and military. Hernan and Geneva Denada Cortés had proven so far that they were loving parents to Fitzgerald (the name they had given the lucky child).
Today was supposed to be Fitzgerald's first birthday, but since the Aldoradians were unaware of it and chose to keep Fitzgerald away from his past (Kaïra was grateful for that), they had decided to that his birthday would be on the day he was adopted. The little Batrishan was seen playing with his foster mother in the nursery of his home, the Denada Cortés Estate. At first, the infant was crawling towards Geneva, whose arms were wide open and waiting for her son to come embrace her. The cute thing was so eager to reach his mother that he managed to lift himself up on his feet and toddle towards her.
"Fidget, look at you!" Geneva said in excitement as she saw her son walk. "Your first steps!" The nursery's door opened and in came Carmen, the Denada Cortés' black maid.
"Is everything alright, mis...Lord bless me! Is the young master toddling already?" Carmen asked in bewilderment as she saw Fidget toddle and fall into his mother's happy arms.
"He sure did." Geneva smiled at her son, who was laughing in her arms. "He learned his first steps a week before his first birthday! Oh, wait until Hernan sees it!"
The mirror vibrated once more until Kaïra could only see her own reflection in the mirror.
"Happy birthday, Fitzgerald," she said as her reflection showed her swirly green eyes shedding tears.
"You're still thinking of last year, aren't you?" A voice caught Kaïra's attention. She looked up and saw the reflection of the All-Mother Friga standing in front of the closed door of Kaïra's chambers.
Friga walked towards Kaïra and placed her two motherly hands on the young goddess' shoulders. "I know you still wished you could have protected him by raising him as your own, my dear. But keeping him in Asgard would have caused trouble between the Aesir and the Evil One. And you don't want people to see you as a troublemaker, right?"
Kaïra nodded in understanding. Almost like Fidget, she herself had been abandoned by her own biological parents and found by the shores of the icy river connecting Asgard to the realm of the Frost Giants. Odin had been merciful despite how the last he raised someone from that species turned out wrong; besides, the baby was barely a day old and full of innocence. He and Friga had adopted the infant and named her Kaïra after the river where she was first seen.
"Shed those tears, my dear," Friga said kindly as her fingers wiped off the tears from Kaïra's eyes. "You mustn't be seen with them at tonight's feast."
Kaïra took a calm deep breath. The All-Mother was right, for tonight was going to be important: when the sun sets in the horizon and the Aesir troubadours enlighten the gods during their festivities, all the sixteen-year-old gods and goddesses in training like Kaïra would be summoned by Odin to go on quests to prove their worth among the Aesir. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity that Kaïra knew she shouldn't blow. If she came out of whichever task she received dishonored, how could she ever patronize the young Fitzgerald as he grows up towards his destiny?
As if reading her mind, Friga had Kaïra look her in the eye while saying these words:
"I know what you're thinking, Kaïra, and you don't need to worry. No matter what obstacles come ahead, the Batrishan will live up to the Fates' expectations."