Good Parenting
Chapter 2: The Deeds of Children
"The deeds of the children are a testament to the
upbringing they received from their parents."
~ Christopher Paolini
~O~O~O~O~O~
"Watch thyself younger brother! Remember… one foot in front of the other!"
Hela walked, her arm firmly about the waist of the young boy next to her. His legs trembled, and he nearly fell twice, but despite his obvious difficulties, she had a hard time holding back her laughter.
"I'm sorry, dear one, but I must admit… Seeing the great steed, Sleipnir having problems walking is quite amusing."
The boy shot her a pout, but she only returned it with a smile.
"Are you sure you're up for this trip?" she asked, "I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."
Sleipnir gave an insistent shake of his head.
"No! I want to help make Mommy happy!"
Looking at the boy's expression, she knew nothing would change his mind. She adjusted her arm around him. The once great, grey steed of Odin was now a little boy with ash-colored hair, peppered with black; though his green eyes shone with the same, childish awe that they always did.
Even Hela modified her appearance to hide the bony, decaying flesh that usually hung from her features.
Passing a mirror, she took a sideways glance, sneering as her own eyes took in her features.
"Ugh… I look hideous!" she hissed, touching her clear, smooth skin.
Sleipnir, oblivious to the teenage disapproval of her sister and her appearance, only gave a wide grin.
"I think you look really pretty, Hela."
She looked down, managing her own smile, though it rapidly disappeared when the sound of loud footsteps caught their attentions.
"Hey! Lookin' good, sis!" A voice called to them, followed by a loud laugh.
Hela held back an audible groan.
"I see not what you mean…" she muttered irritably, "So thou should shut his tongue and keep quiet! The last thing we need is you messing everything up, Fenny!"
Fenny grinned.
"Ah, there's no need for such an expression. Remember what Grandpa Odin always says! If thou makest those expressions, your features shall remain as such!" the older teased.
Sleipnir gasped.
"Dost thou really mean it? Is it true?"
The boy looked horrified as he looked between his siblings for an answer.
Fenny laughed.
"I don't know… but perhaps one day you'll find out, brother!"
Hela slapped his arm, though she looked down at Sleipnir.
"Don't worry yourself with his lies, dear one." She comforted, "They are but stories."
The eldest scoffed, and continued walking alongside them. With every step they took, Fenrir's grin grew wider.
"I feel the adrenaline pumping through my lifeblood, sister! I can almost taste the fear of those mortals!" he exclaimed, still walking on.
Hela looked at him.
"I swear, I'll have none of that! We need not to cause more problems for our dear father!" She protested, "Promise me that you'll leave the humans' blood unspilled."
"But as the eldest, I-"
"Promise me!"
Her purple gaze faded to an intense red as her anger rose. The lives of the Midgardians wasn't something she was about to fool around with. She waited until he backed off, settling back with a disappointed look.
"F-fine…" he muttered, "Let's just get down there…"
Hela nodded, satisfied.
"All right, we should speak with the All-father first before we make our way to the Bifröst."
The bridge was still regenerating itself, and though there was still a large gap, with a good pair of legs (or eight, rather), one could make the jump through the portal necessary to travel to the various realms.
"You're strong enough to make it, right, Sleippy?" Hela asked.
Sleipnir gave a nod.
"Mmhmm! Of course! It'll be a piece of cake!"
Hela smiled.
"Good. Then we only need to get permission from the All-father, get Jorry, have Heimdall direct the bridge, and we get to Midgard!"
She repeated it in her head for a moment, just to remind herself on the various things she needed to do. All too often, she felt like the one who kept everything in line.
Though, she paused for a moment, as the door to Odin's throne room came into view. Mentally, she prepared herself for the adjudicative glances awaiting her and her siblings.
Taking a deep breath, she glanced between them and continued walking. As they entered the large, gathering room, all eyes were upon them in an instant.
They passed the other deities, eyes pinned to the floor, as they felt the disappointment follow them in waves.
"Come on, just keep walking." Hela urged, pushing her siblings on.
All of them knew their shame… the sons and daughter of Loki: God of Mischief and Lies; the one who nearly destroyed Asgard, who single-handedly brought the Frost Giants into their realm, and caused more than enough troubles in Midgard.
Oh yes… they understood very well that they were the children of a failure.
They walked in the direction of the great Bifröst, though, standing in their way, were three men and a woman; familiar faces to the three children. They were their Uncle's friends; the most loyal of Odin's warriors.
"Where do you think you're going?" A large, bearded man asked, his brown eyes gleaming.
They looked up, though, before Hela had a chance to open her mouth and answer, Sleipnir lit up.
"We were going to visit Uncle Thor down on Midgard!" he chirped, "We haven't seen him in an eternity!"
Skeptical glances were cast all around and the usual muttering started. Each of the children were used to this... from their beginnings, the God of Mischief's children were never free from the gazes of their fellow deities. Only their family looked upon them with any love, but they'd take it; or at least, Sleipnir would.
The youngest, being sheltered and treasured as the greatest horse in all of Asgard, he was Odin's prized steed, so he lived with pride and a reason to hold his head high. Though it always puzzled his siblings why he always chose to stand next to them and hold his gaze downcast along with the rest of them.
Hela tightened the arm she held around her brother, pulling him close as the Warriors 3 continued their cynical interrogation.
"Why should we trust you, sons and daughters of the great trickster?"
The golden-haired one spoke next, his hand firmly planted on the hilt of his sword.
"With such disguises as well. It seems as though these children have inherited their father's silver tongue." He commented.
Fenny bared his teeth, hunching his shoulders as he took a step forward.
"And what if we did?" The wolf challenged, his eyes glowing red with anger, "Even a silver tongue can taste the blood of their opponents."
The warrior smirked.
"Is that a challenge, Lokison?" he retorted.
Just as fur began to sprout from her brother's skin, Hela past her arm in between them; trying to settle the tension that was rapidly filling the air.
"I don't believe that our father's sins have anything to do with us. We go to visit our Uncle in Midgard. Surely our duties given to us by the All-father have been more than enough to pay for our peaceful passage." Hela stated, "But we haven't come to shed blood, but rather speak with our Grandfather. Surely there's nothing wrong with that."
The warriors watched them, doubt filling their noble eyes, as their gaze drifted to their ruler.
Odin sat at the head of the room, his gaze peering through the parting crowd.
"Step forward, children." He said, motioning weakly.
Hela looked at her brothers, pushing them forward, as they then found their places, kneeling at his feet.
"What is this, I hear? You want to go to Midgard?" Odin inquired, "What business have you there?"
He looked at each one of the children individually, judging their trembling forms.
"Fenrir? Hela?" he asked, looking at the eldest children first.
Fenrir hesitated, growing uneasy under the great, All-father's stare. Even Hela felt her eyes go downcast.
Sleipnir, however, stood up, and with wide eyes, he threw his arms around the great, All-father's neck. The Warriors were quick to unsheathe their weapons, but Odin held up a gentle hand to calm them. He could give his grandson the proper chance to speak.
"Oh, please Grandpa! Please oh please! Just this once! I've never been there and Uncle Thor says it's awesome, and there are buildings that almost reach the heavens, and people travel without the use of horses! Without horses Grandpa! Can you believe it?" he ranted excitedly, only pausing to take a deep breath, "So can we please go? I'll be good, I swear! Thou trusts me, right? I mean, I go on trips with you all the time!"
The boy looked up with pleading, green eyes and the biggest smile his jaw would allow him.
Odin remained quiet for a moment, before breaking into a grin.
"Ah, my dear boy and trusted steed… You know I could never say no to that face." He chuckled heartily, wrapping his arms around his grandson, "I suppose one trip wouldn't hurt."
Sleipnir nuzzled Odin's face affectionately.
"Oh! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" he cheered, nearly bouncing with excitement.
So much so, that he lost control over his human form, and transformed into the large, eight-legged horse he was born to be.
Odin gave a throaty gurgle from underneath his large body.
"Sl-Sleipnir… Grandpa…can't breathe!"
The horse instantly looked down, shifting awkwardly off the Norse God's lap.
"Sorry, Grandpa." The boy apologized, drawing imaginary circles in the marble with one of his fore-hooves.
Odin looked at the other two, taking in their genuflecting forms with wisdom of the ages.
"Stand up, you two." He commanded, watching as Hela and Fenrir did as they were told.
"You take care of him, understand?" Odin commanded, "If anything happens to thy younger brother, of my loyal steed, great punishments shall be suffered." He growled. Sleipnir he trusted, but these two, along with their other brother… they had always been full of their father's genetics: The love for mischief, of magic, and of lies. It was only through Loki's pleading and Sleipnir's innocence, that Odin gave them a chance.
The pair looked at their younger brother, shocked. Only Sleipnir could get away with such actions, but it worked towards their advantage. They'd accept their victory and move on.
The dark-haired woman stepped forward.
"Are thou sure, your greatness?" she asked, blue eyes widened with concern.
Odin took a deep breath.
"I trust my grandchildren." He stated simply, "I only wish I could give my son that kind of trust."
A regretful silence settled over them, filling the air as though it were an organic beast, burying itself into even the strongest wills of the room.
Sleipnir returned to his boyish form, looking up at Hela, then at Fenrir.
Whenever their father was mentioned, it had the certain air of a funeral and he didn't like it.
The boy tugged at his sister's sleeve.
"I-I wanna go." He mumbled.
She nodded, understanding the boy's discomfort.
On more than one occasion, Hela had tried to explain their father's wrongdoings; to explain why they were met with such cynicism and ridicule when speaking of their father with pride. Nevertheless, as hours were wasted, the colt wouldn't have any part of it.
She had eventually just given up, leaving time to be the teacher in her stead.
Glancing back to Odin, the young goddess wanted to address her grandfather, and ask him if they could take their leave. They had one more stop before the beginnings of their journey, and they wanted to make it as brief as possible.
Frigga, who sat at Odin's side, looked over at her grandchildren. Much preferring these forms to those they usually took. She'd be lying if she denied being frightened by them.
"You may go, children. I pray you be safe on this trip of yours." She said, her eyes shining with kindness.
They nodded politely, standing up and quickly heading to the door.
Out of the door, stood a part of the Bifröst, leading to Heimdall's observatory. They paused, looking at it.
Always breathtaking, the three gazed upon the shimmering, crystal bridge of legend.
"Come on, let's go retrieve Jormungand before he gets too involved with his books…" Fenrir muttered, quickening his pace down a large flight of spiral stairs.
Unlike the well-lit majority of Asgard, this stairway led to a pitch-black area of the main Kingdom.
All the children had their favorite places to hide from the judging gaze of the other Asgardians, and this was the favorite place of both their father and Jormungand; the second son.
Several stories down was a locked room; ornately decorated with serpents entwined in each other's bodies. Their tails closed between their jaws as they weaved in intricate patterns: The Forbidden Library.
The door was slightly ajar by millimeters, the lock already melted as it sat smoking and covered with green slime.
Hela and her brothers weren't exactly sure what was contained in their walls, but Jormungand did. Filled with spells that could make one do anything; bleed from the eyes, bark like a dog, anything that could come to the imagination, as long as one had talent and the right skills.
Stepping in, their shoes thumping against the marble flooring they couldn't see. A trail of lit candles was the only indication of his presence.
"Jorry? You in there?" Hela called, her purple eyes glowing dimly as she scanned the room for any sign of her brother.
Sleipnir trembled, moving closer to his sister, trying to conquer his fear of the dark.
"Come on snake-eyes, stop kidding around!" Fenrir barked, eyes narrowing as his eyes slowly adjusted; the yellow pupils reflecting the light from the candles.
They were answered only by silence for a few seconds, before a claw down descended upon the wolf's shoulder and he gave a yelp of surprise.
Turning around with a sharp snap of his jaws, the figure pulled back with a dark fit of laughter.
"Ugh… there you are Jorry. Now stop fooling around. We're going down to Midgard on important business." Hela muttered, hiding a smirk at Fenrir's embarrassment.
Serpent eyes shone through the dim lighting and he slithered into the light. His forked tongue flickering out of his lips.
"Midgard? Why there?" he questioned, shifting into a human form, "Why not just read about it?"
He shook his head, remembering whom he was talking to.
"Nevermind, what does thou want me to do?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We want you to come with us so we can go see the tall buildings!" Sleipnir piped up.
Jormungand eyed his younger brother.
"And you need me, why? Honestly, I could be doing countless other things. I'm due for a trip to Jotunheim to gather more frost flowers." He muttered, looking displeased.
Sleipnir sniffled.
"B-but it won't be the same without you! Please!"
The Serpent gave a sigh, looking up at the ceiling.
"Honestly, I hadn't expected such an impromptu trip, but I suppose I could change my plans." He answered.
Sleipnir lit up, hugging his brother tightly.
"Thank you, brother! Thou art the greatest!"
Jormungand only gave a sigh.
"Yes, yes…" he answered, "Though, young one… hast thou come to terms with your heritage?"
Sleippy tilted his head to the side.
"What does thou mean?"
His green eyes showed his confusion.
"Don't worry about it. You'll figure it out eventually… when you're older." He answered calmly, "We all want 'Mommy' to find peace."
Sleipnir beamed, absolutely thrilled that his siblings were also thinking of Mommy.
The wolf looked around, tapping his foot impatiently.
"Are we going or what? This is taking way too long for my liking!" he snapped.
Hela sighed, shaking her head with disapproval, though she had to agree with him.
"Yes, let's get to the Bifröst before the time of Midgardian nightfall." She said, urging them out the door.
Sleipnir perked up, eager to leave the dark library, though he watched as his older brother blew out the candles, and replaced his current read to its place on the shelf.
It was only after that they returned up the stairs on their way to Heimdall's Observatory.
The young boy trotted alongside his sister, reaching for her hand happily.
"I'm so excited!" he exclaimed, watching as the bridge sparked underneath every footstep they took, "If Mommy wanted to rule over it, it must be glorious!"
Hela looked down, smiling softly at her brother.
"Yes, I'm sure it is." She agreed calmly.
Slowly, the domed entrance of the Bifröst grew larger in their sights as the hum of the bridge filled their ears.
Passing underneath the golden archway, the siblings entered the domed building where the familiar, bearded face of Heimdall stood, ever the sentinel as he held his sword in front of him.
Sleipnir gasped, releasing Hela's hand to look up at him with wide eyes, even changing into the form of a larger horse to get a better look.
"My King informed me of your request, and if thou art able to make the jump, thou are allowed to travel to Midgard." Heimdall stated, unfazed by the steed's fascination.
Sleipnir looked up and grinned.
"Thou shouldn't doubt that I can make it!" he said proudly, "Mommy always said that I can do anything I set my mind to!"
Fenrir rolled his eyes.
"Whatever…" he growled, "Just get us over the bridge and on our way to visit Uncle Thor."
Sleipnir, still in his large steed form gave a whinny, kneeling down and allowing his siblings to climb onto his back.
Once he felt that all three of them were settled, he glanced over his shoulder with a nosy snort.
Hela looked down at her brother.
"We're ready." She confirmed, patting her brother's neck gently.
Sleipnir gave a thunderous neigh, and galloped towards the end of the bridge.
Heimdall silently watched them as they left, questioning their intentions as they left. Their father's actions destroyed his precious bridge; he could never forgive that. He could only watch them, hoping that their intentions were much more pure.
As the edge of the bridge came closer, the others watched with wary eyes, and with a strong, rippling of muscle, their youngest brother leapt across the gap gracefully.
They were above oblivion for what seemed like an eternity, though with a crunch, they landed; the bridge sparking with static as Heimdall watched from the other side.
The siblings grinned, sending words of praise to their brother as they rode down towards the earth below.
The closer they got, the more their hearts pounded within their chests.
Finally, they were having the adventure all of them deserved.
