Chapter 2 (a)

Chapter Warnings: more confusion

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Avengers. Balder is still sort-of-mine, as is Helblindi.

AN: A shorter chapter now. More a part (a) of Chapter 2, haha. The second part will be coming soon. ^^

It's like a sickness
I'm powerless to stop it
My boring life, my little heart
Made misanthropic
Don't give me reasons
Just give me therapy
(But really just give me what I want)

The guards attempted to pursue for a good while, but soon found themselves lost in the woods, the horses of the Æsir struggling to pick their way through, and the Jotuns too large themselves to be able to navigate a Midgardian forest with any kind of ease.

"Damn it all," came an aggravated voice from the back of the party, and the soldiers all quickly bowed their heads and backed away to the sides as Helblindi stormed his way through, snapping branches as he went and cursing as he found himself unable to pass through.

"You will have no luck with that," came a second voice, and the next figure to pass through had the guards bowing even lower than they had for Helblindi. Balder kept his chin tilted up as he rode his grey horse through the path created by the soldiers. He kept his expression aloof, delicate features fixed and lovely. Helblindi may have commanded respect as a soldier and as a leader, but Balder inspired devotion with appearance alone.

Balder the Beautiful.

Balder the Sorcerer.

Balder the Warrior.

Helblindi glared back at his companion, not taken in by the youth's looks for a minute. He may have fallen for the pretty face at the beginning, but he had spent far too much time with the other prince since, seen his temper snap childishly one too many times to hold his in the same reverence as the soldiers did.

"And why, pray tell, will I be having no luck?" the frost giant sneered, and Balder slipped down from his horse, navigating the roots delicately to come to stand beside him, reaching out to place long fingers on the trees around them. A faint blue glow emanated from his hands.

"A spell has been cast to make these grow," Balder explained, bending down to push at the dirt further tendrils of his magic slipping out to search through the ground, to locate their target. "Be reassured, Helblindi. It is not simply your size that is making you struggle so with the terrain. Although the odds are already stacked somewhat against you." He murmured, eyes slipping shut and eyebrows furrowing as he pushed forward with his magic, desperately, and with an edge of panic, searching for any residue or imprint left behind for the runaways. Helblindi just scowled down at the mop of silky straight silver hair, tied back neatly. He hardly thought one who was already undersized for his own kind had any right to comment on the widely regarded impressive size of another kind. He experienced satisfaction as he saw Balder's fist suddenly clench in the dirt, knuckles turning white as his magic dissipated, clearly unsuccessful in his task.

"Having some trouble there, Balder?" Helblindi asked lightly, lips curling into a grin.

"It would appear the Jotun has been using his magic to quite the effective end," Balder said simply, although the crinkling of his eyebrows and the grit of his teeth gave away his irritation at the situation. He brushed a strand of silver hair back as he tried to focus his own magic on seeking out the fleeing couple, not one to sit back as his magic was outdone.

"That is obvious," Helblindi snarked, anger returning. He was just as annoyed that their prey had succeeded in escaping them, but still enjoying Balder's taste of failure after the Jotuns had been so disadvantaged by the trees. "And you would do well to refer to him with more respect than that. He is more than just any random Jotun."

"Not at the moment he isn't," Balder countered softly, his hands starting to glow once again with a faint blue light, "he is a stranger to both you and I at this moment, as is the other. But as soon as they have partaken in the apples," he murmured, extending his hand, and watching the glow leave it into order to indicate the direction they needed to next head it, "now, after the apples, that'll be a different story."