Chapter Nine
The four young Asgardians looked around curiously at the human village. None of them had ever seen such primitive dwellings! The structures were all made of wood, and the roofs were thatched with straw. Some of the houses were nearly round in shape, while others were square. Many of them had fire pits dug outside, being tended by women. A group of men were in the woods nearby, seemingly returning from a hunt, as they carried weapons (bows, arrows, spears, clubs and swords, none of them very finely made) and several animal carcasses. No-one had noticed the godlings yet.
"Mortals actually live like this?" Sigyn's high, clear voice sounded appalled. "How do they survive in these conditions?"
"Mortals in other parts of this world are more advanced. However, these people," Loki gestured at the mortals in the village, " who refer to themselves as Norsemen, are fierce warriors, at least by mortal standards. They have even mastered the art of sailing, which few other mortals have."
Thor blinked at him. "How do you know all this?"
Loki shook his head. "Just because you have never opened a book in your life, Thor, doesn't mean no-one else has!"
"Well, excuse me if I have better things to do than pore over musty books all day every day!" Thor laughed.
"Boys?" Sif interrupted quickly. "We may have a problem..." She was looking warily at the mortal men, who were rapidly approaching them, weapons in hands. Sif moved so Sigyn was safely behind her. Thor and Loki quickly stood either side of Sif, so they formed a line.
The men, all of whom were wearing tunics and trousers made of rough, undyed hide stared at them for a long moment, before one, with tangled greying blond hair and an uncombed beard- presumably the leader among them- stepped forward, and addressed Thor. His accent was strange, but his words were understandable.
"Who are you? We do not welcome strangers here. And we seldom receive travellers in winter."
Loki spoke before any of the others had a chance to. "My brother and I merely brought our friends to explore your fine village. None of us have ever seen a place like this. Would you be willing to show us around?"
"Tonsberg is the same as any other village, boy. Your own homes cannot be much different."
A younger russet-haired man stepped forward, addressing the elder.
"Father, perhaps we should let them explore?" His dark eyes looked over Sif and Sigyn suggestively, leering. "We might get some enjoyment out of it later."
Sigyn gasped, going pale. Sif glared at the man who dared to make such a suggestion. He took no notice of their reactions, stepping forward with a swagger.
Thor's expression darkened, and he stepped into the young man's path. He narrowed his eyes in concentration, and the sky darkened. Thunder rumbled, and a swift flash of lightning shot across the sky.
The young mortal man stumbled backwards, a look of sheer terror on his face. The other villagers looked as though they wanted to run. As soon as Thor was confident that his message had been received, he relaxed and the skies cleared. The village elder stepped forward, his face ashen.
"Your forgiveness, my Lord. We did not know that gods walked among us this day. I beg you to pardon my son's insult to you." He bowed his head in supplication. "We will have a feast in your honour. If I might ask your names, so that we know who we praise?"
Thor beamed, his chest puffing out with pride. "I am Thor, eldest son of Odin Allfather. This is my brother, Loki, a celebrated master of magic." Loki bowed his head silently, smirking. The mortals thought them gods?
Thor continued, gesturing at Sif and Sigyn in turn. "The Lady Sif, one of the most celebrated warriors of our people, and Lady Sigyn, the fairest daughter of the Lady Freyja."
"We are honoured that you graced us with your presence, my Lord. I am Alrek, the leader of Tonsberg. Feel free to explore where you will until the feast is prepared." Alrek bowed once again before walking away, barking orders at his people, arranging for a great feast of celebration to commence at sundown.
The four young gods exchanged looks, all trying not to laugh.
"They truly believe us to be Gods? How strange." Sigyn's voice was amazed.
"Well, they are a fairly primitive people. Thor's display would have seemed godlike to them, I suppose."
Sif nodded in agreement with Loki, frowning at Thor. "Since when can you make storms like that happen deliberately, anyway? I thought that only happened when you were really angry or upset. When did you learn to control it?"
Thor shrugged. "It seems easier here on Midgard, I'm not sure why."
"Perhaps it is something to do with your relation to Jord?" Sigyn suggested. "Though I do not know if Mother and Uncle Frey gain different abilities on Midgard..."
Thor looked away, uncomfortable with the subject. "Perhaps. Now are we going to explore, or not?"
With that, they began making their way through the village, speaking with various mortals, and telling stories of Asgard and its people.
Loki approached a group of scholars, and began explaining the Nine Realms, and their places on Yggdrasil. He wasn't sure they understood everything, but it was amusing to listen to their speculation. Especially when he conjured up a small image of Yggdrasil itself- the mortals were awestruck, and demanded to know how he did it. Trying to explain magic was problematic, and he eventually came to the conclusion that mortals were incapable of performing such feats themselves.
Thor and Sif were sparring in front of a group of young warriors, explaining the techniques that they had learned from Tyr. Sigyn was wandering here and there, accompanied by a group of younger girls who hung on her every word. As sunset approached, and the feast was made ready, she slipped away, and returned accompanied by Frigga and little Balder. Thor quickly introduced Frigga to the mortals as the queen of Asgard, and the name 'All-mother' was murmured respectfully, even though Frigga had never borne any such title.
The feast itself was meager and quite honestly, tasteless, by the Asgardians' standards, but they ate what they could to be polite to their hosts. When the platters had been cleaned off, crude instruments were brought out, and dancing began as evening fell, the figures lit up by the light of the fires nearby. Sigyn was invited to dance by many of the mortal men, and Loki's face grew more sullen every time she accepted an invitation. He did not care for dancing, and so remained seated. Sif was much the same, though she had danced with Thor when he asked.
He was having great fun, as many of the adolescent girls were competing for his attention, blushing and giggling every time he looked at any of them. Sif laughed at his embarassment when an older woman approached, whispering in Thor's ear- his face went so red as he stammered out a response! Sigyn finished dancing with her latest partner, and, breathless with laughter, looked for Loki, just in time to see him walking away. She followed swiftly.
"Where are you going?"
"Oh, you have remembered I'm here, then!" Loki sneered. "I thought all your admirers had driven all thought of me from your mind."
Sigyn blinked. "The mortals? I was only dancing because they insisted...why did you not join in? It was fun!"
"I do not wish to make a fool of myself, cavorting with humans."
"You could have danced with me! I was waiting for you to ask."
"You have not even looked at me all evening! How was I to know that you wished to spend time with me?"
Sigyn folded her arms. "If I did not wish to spend time with you, I would not have accompanied you to Midgard at all! I am beginning to wonder why I did, you are in such a foul mood."
Loki sneered at her. "I'm sorry, my Lady. Perhaps you would have preferred to have Theoric here? I would imagine he would be all too pleased to cater to your whims."
Sigyn was puzzled. "Why are you bringing Theoric into this?"
"Because it is so obvious that you prefer his company to mine!" Loki half shouted.
Sigyn looked at the ground, blinking back tears. "I assure you, that is not the case, my Prince, but as you seem to wish to be alone, I will oblige." She turned and walked swiftly back into the village, to attend to Frigga. Loki stood there glowering for a few minutes, before stalking off into the woods.
He walked for some time, always making sure he knew where he was, so he could find his way back to the village. He had no real destination in mind, but eventually he found his way to a dismal clearing. It looked as though every tree and plant in the place had burned in some sort of fire, for the place was barren. The charred remains of what might have been a one-storeyed house stood at the far end of the clearing, and something prompted Loki to explore. He clambered inside, and began sifting through the ashes. He found nothing salvageable, except a bound scroll, which inexplicably showed no signs of damage whatsoever.
Curious, Loki tucked into the front of his tunic, resolving to examine it later. What sort of parchment could be completely flame-retardant? A shadow fell over the clearing, blinding Loki for what felt like a minute, before it vanished. The skeletal structure groaned, and Loki crawled out quickly, fearing he would be buried if it collapsed. He glanced around- it was now fully dark, when had it become so late? He made his way back to the village quickly, hoping no-one had missed him.
Frigga had been on the verge of sending a search party after him when he returned.
"Loki, thank goodness! Where have you been?"
He shrugged off the question, uneasy. "I was just exploring the woods. You did not need to be concerned."
An aged mortal woman had been listening to them. "Exploring in the woods at night? I hope you were careful, my Lord. A terrible thing happened in a clearing a few miles away, years ago. The house there burned down with no cause, taking the lives of the family that had just built the place. Every living thing in the place burned, but the fire never spread beyond the clearing. Tragedy, even if the rumours of the daughter being a witch were true... No-one goes there now. People believe that clearing is cursed. Though such things as demons may be no threat to young Gods..."
Loki fought the urge to shiver. "I saw no clearing. I merely walked to a small stream and back." The lie came easily- he did not want his scroll confiscated because of foolish mortal superstition! There might be much to learn from a substance that couldn't be burned...
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Later that night, after the group of Gods had been given rooms in the village's finest house, despite Frigga's protests, Thor found himself unable to sleep. Loki was snoring beside him, and Sif and Sigyn were no doubt sound asleep in the room next door. He, however, had been tossing and turning for hours. A soft footfall within the house made him sit bolt upright, listening intently. Someone was making their way towards his room... He stood up quietly, trying not to disturb Loki, meaning to go and investigate. If one of the mortals had snuck in here, he wanted to know why. He hoped it was not the woman who had made the innappropriate suggestions to him earlier... Shuddering, he slipped out of the door.
A green-robed woman stood in the silver moonlight, watching him silently. Thor realised he recognised her, as she looked somewhat like him- golden hair, bright blue eyes. She smiled warmly at him, speaking softly.
"Thor."
"Mother." Thor greeted Jord softly, marvelling once again at how familiar her voice sounded. She extended her slender hand, plainly wishing him to accompany her somewhere. He went without hesitation- this was why he had come to Midgard, after all, to meet his birth mother. Jord led him outside, into the forest, to a lush meadow that looked beautiful under the light of the stars and moon.
Frigga watched them leave from the window of her room. "I hope you find the answers you want, Thor." She smiled sadly, wiping a tiny silver tear from her cheek, hoping Thor would return in the morning, and not wish to remain with Jord on Midgard permanently.
To be continued...
