For those of you that are continuing my story from this chapter just a little note. I have changed the name of my OC from Laila to Theia as i have done some research and this name fits her better for that. This has been changed in all chapters, so i hope its not to confusing :)
The world is too heavy, too big for my shoulders,
Come take the weight off me now,
Thousand of answers, for one simple question,
Come take the weight off me now.
Theia wandered back to Loki's room. Her head was sore and her mind torn as she tried to process what she had just seen and heard. It was impossible for her to have seen what she had. There was no logical reason occupying her mind at the moment, she was empty, a shell that had no place, no meaning, and then this was thrust upon her. Crazy, impossible visions of her mother's death… and upon blinking they vanish and she is left where she sat moments ago. The impossibility of this was too hard to comprehend; she had yet to receive her gift, her goddess ability. Whereas Loki had receives his years ago, Theia was left, a late bloomer compared to her friends who all possessed their abilities. Was this her gift? Traumatic and crazy visions? She had to find out, her curiosity was taking a grip on her heart as she walked back to Loki's room.
Theia was almost positive that Loki would not be back from his meeting with the Allfather yet, but that depended on how much time had passed since her visit to her mother's room. Theia glanced out of the window as she turned the corner, the sun was hanging lazily in the sky, it had only risen ever so slightly since she had left Loki's room.
Loki's room was always dark, darker than many rooms she had seen. Even when the light did cascade through the windows the floor and walls were always shadowed by the enormous bookcases and other obstacles that cluttered Loki's room. She entered quickly and walked straight over to one of the bookcases on the far wall. There were many books on the shelves, they were stacked neatly and not a speck of dust fell on them. The spines were worn and tattered as most of them had been read hundreds of times. Theia's eyes wandered across the hardbacks, her eyes scanning every word that was printed in gold across the spines.
Theia wouldn't be surprised if Loki owned a book which could explain what was going on with her. If not then the Library was always a good second option. Her eyes fell on many titles that intrigued her, Midgardian Customs, Stories from Valhalla, Magical Arts, The rise and fall of Jotunheim, but none of them so far gave anything away about gifts and how they are bestowed. Theia wondered, if this was her ability, why she had not been gifted with something else, like Greta who found out she was the Goddess of sea creatures, or Aria who was gifted as one of the many Goddess' of the storm winds.
Their abilities, in comparison to Theia's (if this really was her gift), were extremely normal. There always happened to be more than one Goddess that had the same gift as another at one point. Theia's hand trailed across the spines of the many books, her mind lost in the pits of thought, she had never even heard of an ability such as this before. Surely, if this gift was well known, she would have learnt about it at school.
Theia jumped as a pair of hands blinded her vision, she wasn't expecting the sudden action as she had been too involved in her own thoughts. Loki chuckled at this and she removed his hands before turning to face him.
"You've cut your hair," He observed, moving a long piece of her messy bob out of her eyes.
"Well observed, Loki." She quipped, smiling a little, a sigh left her lips before she could stop it and Loki's brows furrowed.
"You went to see him, didn't you?" Loki asked, placing both of his hands on Theia's shoulders. Theia nodded, "But that is not what troubles you." Theia cursed his capability of reading her thoughts. It was almost impossible to hide things from him at the best of times, but her emotions always betrayed her to him.
"No, that is not what troubles me." She replied, turning back to the bookshelf. "When did you first discover your gift, Loki?"
"I was very young, just a child. I believe it was when I was playing hide and seek with Thor out in the grounds. I wasn't quite sure how I did it at first, but I imagined myself sneaking up on him and scaring him whilst he was looking for me. And I did. It gave Thor quite the fright when it happened, especially as I disappeared when he tried to chase me. Ever since then I have practiced my magic whenever I could get the chance."
Theia's eyes drifted over a book about magic and she gently pulled it from its place on the shelf. Theia then turned to face Loki. "Did you find your gift in a book?" She asked, holding it out to him.
"I did. At first I was worried that there was something wrong with me, but my mother assured me it was just my gift beginning to show itself. But what brings these questions?"
Theia hesitated and then took Loki's hand and lead him to the table in the middle of the room. His gaze followed Theia as she sat on the chair opposite him. "You remember my visions of my father, do you not?" Loki nodded swiftly and Theia continued.
"Today, after I visited the prisoner, I went to my mother's room. I was sitting in front of her mirror, and I saw her, and Rorek, the prisoner. The events that transpired were almost identical to those that I had heard when I was eavesdropping outside the door the day she died, only I saw things before and everything that lead up to her death.
"After the elf had killed her, I moved from my place on the stool to catch her, but she fell straight through my grasp and when I blinked I was back on the stool. It was if what I had saw never really happened at all. I just thought… maybe… that this was my gift. I just want to know."
Loki looked in thought, he said nothing for a few moments and then his eyes widened a little. His head shot up and he looked directly at Theia, her dark eyes were swimming with emotion. "It's impossible…"
"What is?" Theia asked, her head tilted a little in confusion.
"Your gift, it cannot be possible." He said again standing from the chair and walking over to his bookshelf. Loki reached up and pulled a large green book from the top of his shelf, the spine was tattered and torn. He brought it back to the table and Theia watched him eagerly as he flipped through the pages.
Loki's eyes scanned several pages before he came across the one he wanted. Theia glanced at the image of a beautiful woman with long brown locks that was drawn onto the page. She wore a beautiful golden dress that flowed out around her body and her hands were lifted towards the sky which shimmered with thousands of stars. Around her there were many jewels that floated in thin air, they each shined with their own light as did the body of the woman.
Loki glanced back up at Theia and then back down at the woman on the page, "You look very much like her…" He noted, "I wonder if it is possible…"
"Who is that?" Theia asked, leaning across the table to get a better look at the title of the page.
"This is- was, Aithre, the last Goddess of sight and the lights of the sky. She was an Oracle." Theia's eyebrows furrowed, as she stared down at the page. She did look very much like Aithre; well she did, before she cut her hair.
"It was said that she could see the future through precious gems such as Amethysts and Rubies," Loki continued his eyes scanning down the page. "She went on to Valhalla many years before I was born… but I believe that my father still has her gems. I believe they are in the relics vault… We must consult with him immediately, if this is your gift he would want to know."
Loki stood quickly and Theia followed him without question. Could it be possible that she shares the gift of the late Goddess Aithre? How on Asgard was she gifted with such a thing when her friends who were far fairer than she had average talents? The idea of this gift seemed entirely preposterous and completely insane. How would she use her gift if it was what Loki seemed to think it was? How could she, a mere warrior's child, be blessed with such a gift as sight?
Loki said nothing to Theia as the pair walked towards Odin and Frigga's chambers. Two burly guards were stationed outside of the royals room but they didn't bat an eyelid as Loki rapped on the door. The great golden doors opened with a protest, they creaked greatly as they swung into the room. Theia had never before been in the royals chambers and she felt severely under dressed. Without a moment's hesitation the great doors to the royals chambers opened with little defiance, and allowed Loki and Theia into the presence of the Allfather and Queen Frigga.
Loki's strides were swift as he walked quickly towards his father, he bowed his head and Theia did the same. The room was large, every inch of it shined and was spotlessly clean. Odin looked every bit as powerful as he did on the day of her mother's remembrance. Frigga was dressed in a flowing golden gown that pinned round the back of her neck, her hair was pinned in ringlets atop her head, she smiled warmly at her youngest son as he entered.
"My son," She said warmly, "What brings you to us on this day? You are usually training, are you not?"
"Yes, mother, I am usually at my training." Replied Loki, his voice took on a different manner now that he was speaking to his parents. "However, a matter has come to my- our," he gestured to Theia who was standing silently next to him. "-attention, and I really must discuss it with you and father."
"Of course," Said Odin. "What is this matter, my son?"
Loki glanced at Theia who now had her eyes trained to the ground. He stepped closer to her and gave her hand a small squeeze for reassurance, something which made the Queen smile softly.
"I am sure that you remember Aithre, the last Oracle?" Odin nodded at his son, his brows furrowed for a moment. "It is said that once the Oracle passes on, her gifts are bestowed upon another who is deemed worthy by the existing Oracles in Valhalla. I believe that those who have passed have chosen Theia as the next Oracle."
Theia glanced up at the moment Loki finished his sentence. Odin was looking down at her, his brows furrowed and his mouth set in a firm line. Frigga's eyebrows were raised, a meek smile was on her rose lips.
"Then we must test this theory, my son." Spoke Odin, his voice booming throughout the chamber. "We must retrieve the Stones of Sight from the relics vault."
Theia had never before been to the relics vault, so she kept behind Odin and Loki as they walked. Her mind was blank of all but one thought. Could it be possible that she was the next Oracle? The next Goddess of sight and lights of the sky? Could it be possible that the previous Oracles in Valhalla had chosen her? Why? Why did they deem her worthy above all others?
The trio were silent as they walked to the relics vault. Those they passed in the hallways bowed their heads at the Allfather and his son, Theia only received fleeting glances. Odin nodded his head at the two guards that were stationed just outside the doors of the relics vault. They too, bowed their heads and allowed them entrance into the vault.
Theia's eyes never stayed on one object for more than half a second. The objects in there were desirable to everyone in the nine realms who knew about them. Theia's eyes rested mainly on the six items that she had heard about from her father.
Sitting on a silver podium off to her left was a silver object that resembled a large goblet. A glittering golden flame flickered inside it. The Eternal Flame of Destruction was stolen from the demon Sutur by Odin and his warriors to stop the enemy of Asgard lighting his sword and starting a war that would end the people of Asgard.
Next to the Eternal Flame was a golden armoured glove that also had its own podium. Intricate markings were cut into the gold armoured plates and six gems sat, one on each knuckle and one in the centre of the back of the hand. The Infinity Gauntlet was easily one of the most desirable objects in the relics vault. The item, as Theia remembered, was formed when Thanos, another enemy of Asgard, placed six Infinity Gems into his gauntlet, thus creating the Infinity Gauntlet. The item would grant the wearer power in basic terms, God-like powers and control over the universe. Yes, it was easily one of the most desirable items hidden in the vault.
On Theia's right was the Warlocks Eye. The golden metal was bent into a design that faintly resembled the Eye of Horous from Egyptian Midgard. A glowing blue orb sat in the centre of the design. This was one of the items that Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three had brought back from one of their many battles.
The Orb of Agamotto sat on the right of the Warlocks Eye. This object was also made entirely out of gold with a glowing blue orb positioned in the centre. The object offers a clairvoyance of sorts, as it is able to grant the user sight of where magic is being used, unless of course it's sight is being blocked by a powerful magic user.
Finally Theia's eyes found the Casket of Ancient Winters which was positioned right at the front of the room. It had its own podium, as did all of the other relics, but it stood furthest away from the entrance to the vault. The frosty blue cube emanated a chill which made Theia shudder uncomfortably. Neither Odin nor Loki seemed to have a problem with being in such a close proximity to the object.
Odin turned a corner just before the Casket of Ancient Winters. Loki and Theia followed him their eyebrows furrowed as they came face to face with nothing more than solid brick. Odin muttered something incoherently under his breath and placed his hand to the wall. The brick instantly changed, as if swapping from one element to another and allowed Odin's hand to pass right through it as if it was nothing more than water.
Theia glanced towards Loki who was watching his father intently. They watched as the Allfather pulled his hand from the wall, in his palm a glass bowl which held a bundle of cloth. He turned to face the pair and walked past them to a separate podium on the opposite wall. He placed the bowl down and turned to face Theia.
"These are the Seeing Stones of the Oracles. Nobody but an Oracle is permitted to touch them as they will taint the sight." He glanced to his son. "I trust my son, but I need to know, do you believe yourself to be the next Oracle?"
Theia glanced down, her eyes meeting the stone. She wasn't sure she was the next Oracle. Did she believe herself to be an Oracle? No, of course not, but Loki did. Loki believed her to be the next Oracle; he believed that her gift was certain, so why shouldn't she believe it? Theia thought back to the book… Her image was almost identical to the picture in the book. Her hair, before she cut it, was the same shade and fell in the same waves to that of the Oracle Aithre. Her eyes were the same chocolate shade and her skin the same olive tone. A coincidence maybe? Could it be a coincidence that her looks were almost identical? Theia pondered this, her thoughts bouncing round in her skull as the Allfather waited for an answer. Loki's hands found hers again; he laced his fingers through hers and squeezed it gently. Theia took a deep breath.
"I believe it could be true, My King." She said quietly. Odin nodded, and then pulled the cloth from the objects in the bowl.
The Seeing Stones spilled from the cloth and glistened in the light of the torches. They were cut perfectly symmetrical and almost every stone was identical right down to the number of corners, all apart from one. A large thinly cut piece of Amethyst lay atop the rest. A small silver chain ran through a small hole in the top of the piece. Theia stepped closer to the bowl as Odin stepped back. She could feel Loki's and the Allfather's eyes on the back of her head and she swallowed the lump in her throat.
What if she wasn't the next Oracle? What if at a single touch she would taint the stones instead of realising her gift? She didn't want to taint them. Would Odin blame her if she did? More importantly, would Loki?
Theia's hands reached forwards finding the crystal of the bowl. Her hands hesitated on the rim of the bowl before she stretched her fingers towards the silver chain that held the largest slice of Amethyst. Theia's hands plucked at the chain, accidentally brushing against the smooth surface of a smaller stone. That's all it was, a feather of a touch, but that was enough for Theia's eyes to roll back into her head and force her mind from her body.
It was blurry. Everything was blurred. Theia couldn't make out anything, only the fact that it was cold and that she was still in the relics vault. Her hands reached to her eyes and she rubbed them hard. She was sitting on the floor, just in front of the podium upon which the Seeing Stones sat only moments ago.
The small padding of feet met Theia's ears and she turned. The golden light of torches met her eyes, and then the forms of two guards. Didn't they notice the cold? The air was swirling in tendrils in front of her face, but they didn't seem to notice.
Theia pushed herself up onto her feet and she turned towards the men. They looked straight past her to the Casket of Ancient Winters and they continued walking. Theia glanced down; the square pool of water next to the guards' feet was freezing at a rapid pace. The first guard, the smaller of the two, bent down to look at the water, his hand coming into contact with the ice for a flicker of a moment. Theia could feel the coldness of the ice under her fingertips.
Red eyes met hers. A cold hand clamped around her throat. She wasn't herself anymore, she was the guard. And then just like that her neck broke and everything blurred.
Loki jumped forwards as Theia toppled. Her body was cold and she was trembling terribly. What troubled him more was her breath that was swirling in clouds from her slightly open mouth. Odin stared from the girl to the stones on the podium.
"Guards!" Loki shouted, his voice worried. "Someone fetch help!"
The doors creaked in protest as they were forced open. The pounding of feet came closer as Theia jolted her eyes flashing open as a gasp rushed into her lungs.
"Frost Giants."
I am so terribly sorry i have taken so long to update, i've had to write a short story for an English GCSE and thats been taking up most of my time as well as football practice. So i apologise terribly!
Anyway please review, cookies for all reviewers!
