A/N: As promised, I have updated before friday and I must say that this was one of my favorite chapters because it took me so long to finally get here when I wanted to spill all this info almost the moment I thought of it but I'm aware that a story needs a good structure and so I had to hold back. In the end, I really liked the outcome. If there are any doubts you can always PM me or ask in a review. I will gladly explain anything you might not have understood. :3

Enjoy!

The great banquet was absolutely perfect. Wines, fruits, meats, vegetables, there was nothing more people could ask. The atlanteans were ecstatic with all the variety, so much different than their own cuisine but delicious nonetheless. There was so many people in the hall. The guesting royalty was acquainted to the lords and ladies of the council as well as some of the main heads of Vanaheim's most important families. So much noise, turmoil of colors, scents, tastes. Kida was delighted.

Yet, what Eydís actually enjoyed was the next day's dinner. This was a very small and intimate hour which was welcomed after so much energy the previous day. Both royal families along with The Warriors Three and Lady Sif were among the few invited that day. The chat became less official and much more familiar until a certain Prince asked.

"Eydís, I remember you once told us you would tell us the whole tale of your arrival here in Asgard. Would you tell us tonight?"

The Princess blinked as all eyes were suddenly on her.

"That is true Loki, she did promise and now seven years have gone by without actually hearing the story", Thor supported.

"It was not that I had failed to remember but rather that I was waiting for the perfect occasion", Eydís tried to excuse herself.

"In that case, what better chance than today little sister", Loki continued.

"You are right brother", she sighed. "Just give me a moment to place correctly every thought".

The Princess crossed her arms in front of her chest, head bowed, meditating for a moment. All the present looked at her expectantly, some more patiently than others. When Eydís finally looked up, her voice was solemn.

"Tabtop, Kida do you remember what I told you about the infinity stones?"

"I believe I do sister", Kida answered.

The King only nodded.

"In that case, you remember as well how I told you the Great Crystal came to be, do you not?"

Again, both nodded but Volstagg spoke up:

"Wait, what do the infinity stones have to do with anything?"

"Well my dear Volstagg, everything. See, the powers of the original Being after the universe came to be, eventually were known as the relics. Yet, there were remains of It unable to forge into concentrated ingots like the rest. At least not in the beginning. The essence of this Being traveled far and wide, getting to know what was created by Its sacrifice and in truth, favored Midgard the most, finding a special village to which it gave its power and knowledge, but here is where the story you told me father diverges from the truth.

"It went directly to the cave, hid in it, for the view of the village from that mountain was perfect. The Being lived there for many human lifetimes, watching, seldom going out terrorized by the idea of being feared or rejected but slowly, beginning to fade away. That is, until Its curiosity could not be handled anymore. One night It got out and went to the village in the shape of mist. It wanted to be near the people, to know what they wished for, hoped for, what made them happy and what saddened them. It wanted to feel closer to them.

"The fog went into each one of the tents, filling the people's nostrils and allowing It a look into everyone's minds. It was astounded by their dreams but there was one particular person that caught Its attention. Originally, the Being wasn't sure what to make of this images so, as dawn drew near, the fog retreated. It got back to the mountain and mused over all It had learned that night. It had to know more", Eydís made a pause to look at Odin, "Here is where the second deviation of your story takes place Father. The person that caught Its attention was not a man but rather a woman. A young woman with incredible dreams. Different from the simple minds of the rest of her village.

"For this reason, the Being made it Its ritual to go down at least once every new moon to look into this person's dreams. After a short while It got down more often. At first it were the crescent moons. Then, the waxing moons were added. Then the waning moons until, eventually, It came down every night just to look into her dreams. These dreams were more consistent yet much more creative than any other human he had encountered so far. Selfless and always looking for a way to help others.

"After a year had gone by, It decided to take a shape in order to communicate. It needed some sort of disguise that would not scare this person. It chose the figure of an old lady he once saw during all those solitary years and presented Itself to this woman at night. As expected, the old lady was welcomed very much into the dreamer's mind, she became the mentor and guide and their bond became stronger with every dream that the woman made come true. Also, the Being could feel Itself become stronger when It was in the dreams. Something about this girl needing and accepting Its counsel helped It regain the lost strength little by little.

"However, some villagers grew suspicious about the girl. They could not understand how their comrade did the things she did. It was even harder for them to accept the idea that an old lady in a dream was responsible for such wonders so they kept harassing her for hours. At the end of the day, the woman was very tired, sad and even a little scared that the other villagers would do something to harm her.

"Once again, It came to her in her dreams. The young one voiced her thoughts and fears to the old lady, who said that if the woman wanted to meet her in person, there was a way. The old lady said that it would require lots of courage and an open mind but that the girl had to trust that she would be safe. The girl thought it very odd but accepted the offer. In that moment, It showed the human a path to reach the top of the mountain and the entrance to the cave. The female absorbed everything a bit scared that she could forget any important detail but determined to find the old lady.

"The very next morning, before anyone else got up, she took some supplies and up she went. She traveled for hours, always upwards. The path was steep, the water supply limited and the predators always near but she managed to endure. What kept her going was her dream and the curiosity to actually meet the old lady. It was beyond her why anyone would like to live up there all alone and have the power to get into other people's dreams.

"It was almost nightfall when she finally arrived at the entrance, tired, scratched and worn. She got in though she did not get too far away from the opening. A sudden weariness filled her, her legs wobbled. All she could do in order not to fall too violently was to hold on to the wall but eventually she ended up on the floor, soundly asleep.

"The old lady came to her once again. Told her that they were about to meet face to face. Old pleaded the young to be brave and not run away for she would never hurt her. The girl promised and only then did she woke up. It was very strange indeed for her to wake up as suddenly, as she had collapsed but she noticed that, judging by the light at the entrance that could still be seen, it was most probably midnight. Still, there was something bright shining just around the corner.

"Standing up, she walked towards the glow. Once she turned the corner, she noticed how much brighter the light was but she could not see a soul other than herself. She kept going on to the end of this new corridor. What she saw, astounded her. The passage opened into a huge, beautiful, cavern filled with natural, transparent quartzes. It had a natural, high ceiling where a huge, blue light floated. She was breathless as the light of the ball above was reflected on the crystals below, dancing and twinkling as if the night sky had descended on Earth.

"The old lady had warned her that she might not see precisely her but rather something unbelievable. She asked of the young one to believe in her words, to trust her and so, the human remained there, sitting on the ground, shaking a little but not wanting to run away. Despite everything, she felt at peace and she would wait for the old lady for as long as she needed to show herself.

Eydís took a sip of wine from her goblet, eyes low. When she raised them, everyone was still staring at her. It was quite a hilarious picture to her. The eldest royals' faces were pretty much unreadable but the others were simply too funny. All had wide eyes on their faces, some had been caught up doing something. For example, Volstagg had a boar's leg mid-air, mouth slightly agape, ready for the bite that never came. Fandral, Sif and Thor were holding their respective goblets a little over the table. Milo was caught with a mouthful of fish that he hadn't swallowed. Kida, Loki and Hogun were leaning forwards, barely even blinking. Finally, the few invited members of the court had expressions similar to either the elders or Loki. Eydís smiled internally.

"But I have strayed a little too much from my original story, have I not?", she commented. "So, going back to how I ended up in Asgard…"

"Wait!", everyone was surprised by the loud voice that interrupted the Princess. Out of all the invitees, this was one of the few which actually surprised the crowd under the present circumstances. "So, what happened to the girl?"

Some of the present smiled, some snorted, a few more actually laughed at the innocent question.

"Were you not the first one to complain about the story's course Volstagg?", Loki wondered.

"Well,… I mean… is it not wise to change our points of view?", he said with a blush.

Now everyone laughed lightly and the Princess proceeded.

"There is not much left to tell really. At first, the girl was quiet but as time went by, her restless mind began to get bored so she began talking to the crystal none stop. She talked and asked and wondered out loud until she fell asleep once again. The old lady came to her again showing a glowing smile and a huge disposition for answering her questions. Still, time went by very quickly, making the night turn to day and thus, awakening the young one.

"There was too much she wanted to know so, she decided to remain in the cavern for a while longer, making a routine for herself during day time and talking to the old woman at night. The biggest and most recurrent question of all: what was it like before? The old woman always smiled kindly and responded with different tales every time. After almost a month of concealment, the girl realized she needed to go back to her family, she had spent too much time in the cavern, but for the first time, she realized something important. She assimilated her finiteness as a human and the short span of time she would actually might have with the Being. She wished she had more time with It.

"The woman voiced her thoughts and, to her surprise, the being agreed with her. It had been so long since It felt whole, not alone anymore that the thought of losing Its first and only friend saddened It. 'Can you not do something about it?', the human asked.

'There might be a way, though you must understand that it will come at a price. Do you still wish to go on?', It responded.

"After a moment's thought, she nodded her agreement. 'What do you need of me?'.

'I shall grant you a spark of my power. This will, most likely, elongate your life though I am unsure of any other side effects. I have never attempted this before'.

"The woman trembled a little at the prospect but she really wanted this. She wanted knowledge almost as much as she wanted to keep listening to the old woman's stories. 'What do you need of me?', she asked again to emphasize her agreement. The old lady proceeded to explain.

'I am unsure your body would be able to hold even this spark inside it and I will not risk placing myself in you but there might be another way. See all this crystals around me in the cavern?', the girl nodded, 'They have been absorbing my power for centuries now, they might just be strong enough. Take one, craft it anyway you would like and hold it high above your head. I will do the rest. Once I am done, be sure to always have it near you.'

"She woke up and did as told. Considering she would have to have the crystal near her, at all times from then on, she opted for a small quartz that needed really very little working on. She spent the whole day on that until she created a small pendant that could hang loose over her chest. Happy with the results, the woman held the small thing high above her head and a single ray of light ignited on it. The quartz swallowed the power until it had a glow of its own. The woman was astonished with the result but felt blessed. She remained there for yet another day and began her way down the next morning after one last chat with the old lady.

"The lady pointed out what the exposition to her power had caused to her body but the girl discarded any apology for she was far happier to have taken the chance. She had decided that any side effects would be worth it if she could live a little longer to hear the old lady. Still, they agreed that given the physical changes she had gone through, she should have a new name. After all, how many times would a mighty change like this could happen to someone?

"They thought for very long about it, discussed it but, in the end, it was the human's choice. The old lady placed a kiss on the girl's forehead and said her farewells. The girl woke up and began the way down. All the journey back home she kept thinking about her new name and, suddenly, upon seeing her village, her mind settled. Somehow, now she knew who she was supposed to be and who she wanted to become. She embraced that feeling fiercely and walked resolutely towards her tent.

"Her family, having been worried sick, received her with a great smile. They were surprised indeed because, not only her hair had changed color, now she simply felt different. They tried to call out her old name but she stopped them and said: 'I am not that person any longer. From now on, my name is Atlantea'.

"Thereby, she became the very first of our kind. Our history began with her and thanks to her, the Being found its way out of the cave and into the hearts of humankind like It wanted. It began thriving on the collective emotions of everyone that accepted It. Its power grew and so did atlantean civilization. We are bound to It just as much as It is now bound to us because that was the silent pact Atlantea and the Being made long ago.

With that, Eydís finished her tale, having everyone actually quite interested but quiet. Absorbing all the new information, until…

"So, how did you end up in Asgard?", Volstagg asked again.

The Princess smiled.

"Simple. Because It is the Original Being, the Great Crystal retained some of the power of the other gems. It can manipulate space and time just as much as it could alter the reality. It is capable of expanding our minds just as much as It can empower our bodies so we can have a longer life. And that is also why It is responsible for the absorption of some of the souls of our people. Matim, for instance", she made a pause to let her words sink in and sharing a quick, sad look with Kida and her Tabtop. "In other words the Great Crystal sent me to where and when It thought best for me to grow up in. I ended up in that wood at the exact moment that the asgardian royalty was nearby because It knew that they would be there and I would be safe with them. But also because It says that I needed to be there at that time".

"Why?", Loki asked.

"That, It did not say brother. I am sorry".

For a moment all was quiet, that is, before Fandral, Volstagg and Thor began fooling like they always did in order to break the silence. The rest of the meal was uneventful but there was a lot more to think about now and much to add to the history books.