This one is a bit long, it was a pain to edit, if you see something, write me. I am actually quite proud of this peace. It is clean, but the next chapter (which will be up on Saturday or Sunday) will feature a steamy scene.
Okay, you can do this, Neris. Just go. The prison was behind her and her temporary parting from Loki left her with a bitter taste. His eyes had held such sorrow when as he watched her leave, it was unnerving. She wondered, as each step she took carried her further from him, if he was losing himself. He had to be. Her heart twisted when she was away from Loki and only the new, thrilling sights of Asgard eased and distract her from the pain. Loki had nothing.
Neris hurried behind the guards, ignoring the golden light that poured into the halls as she ascended to the surface of Asgard. She would be abandoned by the Einherjar when they reached the first pillar outside the prison. Clutching at the satchel she wore she was reminded of her mission; the bag also fueled her overwhelming desire to run from the palace to do what she needed to do.
"Neris," came a voice so sweet that she momentarily forgot that the person it belonged to was real and in Asgard. Tarandis stood by one of the great pillars supporting the massive palace. He looked small against it, but no longer as weak as he had been several days ago. He was healthy, and bright; the radiant pink of his skin peeked from beneath dark green robes. As Neris gazed upon him, she thought he looked regal, as if a small spark of the Caela elder he had been on Caelandis had returned.
She sprinted towards him, leaving the guards to wander off. "Grandfather!" she exclaimed. Tears fell from her amethyst eyes. "How have you been? What do you think of Asgard?" Neris spoke quickly, like an eager child trying to tell her parents about all her exciting adventures.
Taking her hand in his, he addressed her. "Caelandis ta Rís'a Neris." (1) His other hand cupped her face. "Lonely without you, little one. But you are upset?"
He looked well. Tarandis was rested, bathed, and fed; he had been treated kindly. Neris was glad for the noble hospitality of the Asgardians. "I am away from my husband. He is alone down there, no one but me goes to see him." She paused, trying to control her emotions. "He wants me to gather wildflowers for him. Would you like to come with me?"
Her grandfather smiled brightly at her. With his fuchsia color lips peeled back, Neris realized that many of his teeth were missing. How many times had her grandfather been hit before his mouth relinquished its hold on his teeth? A frown appeared on Neris' face.
"O'at, o'at, Rís'a Neris," (2) he said in Caelas. "None of that. What was done, was done." He smiled with his mouth closed. "I would like to go with you. Does Rís'ai Loki desire more than flowers?" (3)
Quickly, Neris took her grandfather by the hand and led him down the long hall. They rounded several flights of stairs before entering another great hall. The length of it ran for several miles. Neris offered herself as support for her grandfather as they continued past the watchful eyes of meandering Asgardians. Guards and civilians alike roamed the great hall, speaking in low whispers. The Caela knew they were the topic of conversation, that the new wife of Loki was the latest gossip.
"There is someone we must visit in the forest. Someone with a book about Caelandis," she whispered.
Once they journeyed a mile of the hall, the columns opened to expose an adjacent path that led outdoors. Neris steered her grandfather from their original course and down the new hall. She quietly greeted the Asgardians, some she knew, some she did not as they passed them throughout the hall. Together, the Caela descended a series of polished marble steps to a transport deck.
Tarandis gazed upon the transport with awe and marvel. His old eyes widened at the sight of winged boats. "They sail upon the air! The old tribes would have loved this!"
The Tribe of Wind; they gave life to the trees and lifted the wings of birds. Paradins were large birds that lived on Caelandis and they were to the Caela what horses were to others. It was through the Paradins that the tribes, especially the Tribe of Wind, could embrace the elusive element known as air. The Tribe of Wind inhabited the peaks of trees, living in harmony with Neris' tribe; on cliffs, or in the etched out caves on the cliffsides, anything to feel the breeze. They carried messages along the wind and their song could be heard like an echo in the great expanse of the universe. Freedom, they embodied its very definition.
None of them lived. Even with the connection through her mating with Loki, Neris could not sense them. Would they ever return? They had to, there was no unification without them. The Chitauri had taunted their desire to fly, allowing them freedom to soar before striping it away. With the meat of the Paradins all but consumed to the last, the Tribe of Wind was given their greatest desire: to fly freely. . . in the vacuum of space. Their bodies crystallized within seconds of being exposed, they could not cry before their beautiful souls fled the land of living forever.
"Yes," agreed Neris, "they would have. Sadly, I do not hear their songs anymore."
A young palace servant greeted the Caela warmly and asked where they wanted to go. Giving the young man Loki's directions, Neris and her grandfather boarded the vessel. During the majority of her time on Asgard, Neris had found that her liberty to travel the realm was restricted, but having cleared the trip with Frigga beforehand, she was permitted into the forest at the base of Asgard's mountain range.
They zipped through Asgard, marveling at the enormity of the buildings and status of ancient heroes. Bronze plating shimmered off each building and some mirrored the rainbowed Bifrost Bridge leading out of the palace. Neither Neris nor Tarandis had seen Asgard in all its glory before. There were throngs of people shopping in the market as they flew past them. Sourceless fires mesmerized children and the two Caela. People waved from the ground while the Caela waved in the air.
The city disappeared behind them as they passed over pure blue water. Bridges connected small islands lined with spiraling towers to each other and then to the mountains of Asgard only a few miles away.
"Those are the healing chambers. Oh, Neris it is a wonderful place to relax."
Tarandis had spent his week in the safety of the Asgardian hospital, recovering from recent injuries and receiving treatment for old ones.
Their transport continued on until they reached a deck at the base of the mountains where they would be deposited. Beyond the deck rose Asgard's diverse forest. Neris breathed in the scent as if she'd been denied air for far too long. Neris helped her grandfather out of the transport and bid the servant boy a temporary farewell as they traveled the path into the forest.
"You will hear their song again," declared Tarandis. The transport deck was now far behind them. "The Tribe of Wind, I mean."
Neris said nothing. Her mind was devoted to the sights, sounds, and smells around her. Bird fluttered from tree to tree, shaking leaves with their movements. Without hesitating, Neris spun into the leaves, catching them as they fell before throwing them back into the wind. She could hear the chittering of other woodland creatures, but hoped that they would make themselves visible. The world seemed to come alive around her.
Her nostrils flared as she inhaled the scents around her. It was pure and thrilling. She then ripped through the woods, swinging herself through the branches of the enormous trees. Her body ached from being twisted in ways it had forgotten. Within moments, she could see the rippling waves of Asgard's great lake from her perch at the top of the trees. Birds burst through the tree canopy when she invaded their secret hideaways. Purple eyes drank in every sight and committed them to memory.
Below her, Tarandis clapped in delight. He danced and began a Caela chant. Not too far from the path, Neris saw the Asgardians looking their direction. She assumed they were embarrassed on their behalf or appalled by their display, but the Caela felt nothing of the sort.
"Gwyra Caelandis! Talni vash'a é Asgardis!" (4)She sang out, her arms wide. She opened her heart, allowing Loki to feel what she felt though he was far from her. All the Caela saw their world as their mother, the nurturer. Now, she was alive once more on Asgard. Laughter filled her ears and tears stained her face. For a long while, she stood, poised in the tree, staring out at the great expanse of the realm and its forest.
When Tarandis grew quiet and rested at the base of the tree, Neris finally descended the trunk and, less than delicately, landed on the ground. She shrugged at the landing, it had been a long time since she had had the opportunity to climb a tree.
"Grandfather, are you well enough for travel?"
Tarandis lifted his heavy eyes to her. He nodded and took her hand. A stone path took them deeper into the forest, as they continued, the stones disappeared and gave way to a dirt path. They were one with nature and the technologies of Asgard were far behind them. As they continued on their path the forest seemed to move for them. A branch would seemingly sway with a windless movement so they would not be forced to duck or push it to the side. Soft whispers called to them, but the Caela were focused on their tasks, they would soon return to tend to the forest.
Neris removed her light boots and placed them into the bag at her hip. A grin spread across her pink face as she basked in the joy of feeling the earth beneath her feet. It was a strange sensation that she felt as she walked. Her time on Asgard had healed her feet and left them soft, and unaccustomed to the terrain she had once graced. Rocks that she found hurt as she stepped on them, but she would not relent, it would take time but she was willing to retrain herself to understand the forests once more.
They continued, following the trail deeper into the woods. Massive trees towered above them while vines twisting around the tree trunks reached out to them. Flowers slowly fell from the vines, their time was coming to end as the changing of the seasons was approaching. When Neris spotted a barren tree in the distance, she informed her grandfather that they were nearly to their destination: the sorceress Amora's house.
Eerie, twisted arms of the tree branches pointed them off the trail. Neris wrapped one arm around her grandfather's waist and supported him as he took shaky steps into the unknown. Their journey off the trail was significantly different than the one they had on. The trees seemed darker and unnatural, as if held in a sickness they could not escape. Try as she might, the trees would not answer her calls. What flowers grew were distorted and diseased, and smelled of magic. It was the same smell that Lorelei gave off, the same Loki had when she first met him. She never understood the smell, but it was there when Loki was in a foul mood, and when he performed magic in anger. Neris realised what it was and dreaded the woman Loki had sent her off too.
Before the two of them appeared a moss covered path. Smooth stones peaked out along the new trail. Neris trembled as she and her grandfather entered deeper into the surreal underbelly of the Asgardian woodlands. Fear took her heart when she spotted a structure likened to a temple. Two levels of the metallic and marble structure stared back at her. They watched as the structure grew as they drew closer to it.
Green flames danced from the suspended candelabras that hung around the perimeter of the structure. They grew brighter when the two Caela drew closer. Clouds above them thickened, making the clearing that housed the temple structure appear more ominous. Wind blew with pointed aggression. Loki had said Amora liked to show off her skills to make visitors fearful of her.
Neris and her grandfather stood at the threshold of the structure and waited. The odd magic smell filled her nose further. Growing annoyed, Neris called out for Amora to show herself. A menacing laugh erupted from the shadows within the building. Loki had instructed Neris to allow Amora to play out her antics, indulge her. But she felt annoyed by the theatricality of it all and sighed to herself.
"A Caela sigh at Amora the Enchantress! You insolent little slave!" She hissed. A large woman launched out from the shadows towards Neris. Her figure was commanding and fierce, like an Amazonian.
"Hætta." (5) Neris felt the power surging through her as she said the word. Pride filled her as she thought back to Loki's teaching, and all their practicing.
Amora stopped dead in her tracks. Neris could see the fury burning the enchantress' face. It was good that Loki had taught her that spell, but she feared that it might not hold much longer. The woman, like all the Asgardians, could easily skill her. Amora gritted her teeth at the Caela, the whiteness of her teeth seemed brighter against the olive tone of her skin.
"I have come on a mission for Loki, my husband. You have a book in your possession and I am here to relieve you of its holding. Surrender the book and I shall depart from your home."
"Why should I? Some halfwit Caela who learned a few parlor tricks and married a disgraced prince is suddenly giving me orders! I'll let you and the old man live for this intrusion only because I know Loki-"
"You know that he would kill you otherwise!" Snapped Neris. She held her ground and kept her arms ready to throw one of only a few spells at Amora. Neris hoped that she wouldn't have to use them and prayed that Amora would realize she owed Loki. "The book, Amora."
Rage circled the enchantress' features. Her breathing was deep as she fought against her fury and the tightness of her corset. "Do you think Loki will keep you around forever? Ha! When he has squeezed out all that he needs from you, you will be forgotten and left behind. That is the nature of the one you are married too. He schemes for himself, plans for himself, not for an inferior race of weepy creatures. Caela, your life would have been better if you had remained a slave."
Neris fought the urge to retaliate. Anger blossomed within her, and the stained heart of hers burned as she fought the darkness within herself. "I will take the book by force if that is necessary."
Amora laughed once more. Her voice filled the ominous forest. "How?" Her arms began moving, breaking Neris' spell. "Do you think you could defeat me? This is too pathetic!"
The spell broke with a loud crack. Amora charged at Neris, the Caela panicked, desperately trying to find her center once more. "Hlýða og hlusta." (6) Amora halted once more before being thrown back against one of the pillars supporting her temple-like home. "I know that you have been attempting to draw Thor out, to seduce him, and gain his throne. I'm sure Odin would love to know this information considering that you and he are not exactly friends. Now, get me the book."
Amora stood up against her will and disappeared into the temple. A few minutes later she returned carrying a tattered, leather bound book. Its pages haphazardly poked out from abuse to the binding. Amora's amber colored eyes burned with intense venom as she handed Neris the book. When Neris took the book, she uttered the first spell once, causing Amora to freeze once again while Neris and her grandfather started to leave the temple.
"Loki has a birthmark on his inner right thigh and a series of freckles on his back that look eerily similar to the Cyrus Constellation." There was a smugness in her voice as she spoke. She grinned when she saw Neris stop on the mossy path. The Caela's shoulders sagged before her grandfather encouraged her to continue.
The witch's words cut her like a knife. She knew that Amora would say something about her past with Loki, but Neris had not expected it to be so specific. Tarandis set a comforting hand on her shoulder and they left the dark part of the forest and Amora behind. With each step Neris felt the tears well up inside her. Would she be able to look upon Loki's flesh the same way? Would tracing the pattern of Cyrus on his back ever be fun or playful again?
She wept beneath the bright forest once they were back on the trail. Pressing herself against a tree she cried and felt her heart shudder. It sickened her to know that Amora remembered the details of Loki's body, to know that his body had known hers. What if Neris was cast aside? When she was no longer useful to him, would she simply become one of the women floating through Asgard, watching him love another? Bile came up before she could stop it.
"If this was all for naught, grandfather, I won't survive." Her grandfather wrapped his arms around her and coaxed her into a muffled whimper. "I'll die if he abandons me. I will shatter, there will be nothing left."
"Neris, you are stronger than that. You have a destiny, you are Rís'a. And Rís'ai would never abandon you. The Caela are strong together as we have been alone." He brushed her hair with his fingers. "Shall we gather the wildflowers?"
Drying her eyes, Neris stood with her grandfather and the two ventured to a brighter part of the forest in search of wildflowers. The women Loki had been with in the past did not matter, she reminded herself. She was with him and she was prepared to accept any future that might manifest in her life.
Sweet perfumes of flowers filled her nose when they finally found the wildflowers. Her mind became at ease with the comforting scents . Before the Caela cut each flower, they asked the plant for permission. Some never responded but they were thanked regardless. A few eagerly surrendered their blossoms to the Caela for a song, while others, like the poppies, refused to be cut. Poppies were snobby, even on Caelandis, but Neris did not mind, she was delighted that they were waking up and responding to her.
When they had gathered enough flowers, they returned to their transport. Sleeping in the flying boat was their servant boy. Neris gently woke him and the three sped away from the forest. Returning to the city of Asgard was far different than when they were leaving it, but Neris could not bring herself to enjoy it. Her mind was on the book she had taken from Amora and what the sorceress had said. She was eager to reaffirm her status with Loki and forget her encounter. The Caela had never before been jealous, it was not in their nature, but so much of her had changed during the many years of her unstable life. Neris wanted nothing more than to be free, free to sing to the trees. She wanted to be free to love Loki in her fashion and to grow old with him.
The book held the answers, she was going to find a new Caelandis, and it was not going to be Asgard.
A/Ns
(1) Caelas for "Queen Neris of Caelandis"
(2) Caelas for "Now, now, Queen Neris."
(3) Caelas for "King Loki"
(4) Caelas for "Mother Caelandis. Again, you live in Asgard!"
(5) Icelandic for "stop" or "cease"
(6) Icelandic for " Obey and listen"
Caelas is a fictional language that I have made. It will continue to appear throughout the remainder of the story and if there is a sequel, it will also be featured there as well. I like to play with sounds, so Caelas is literally me playing with sounds, but I've had enough education in languages (not that I am any good mind you) to organize phrases and parts of speech.
Icelandic was chosen because of the Viking heritage. I chose their language because it sounded less like north central Europe and I wanted something a bit more "exotic" in terms of usage. For those who know, speak, read, and write Icelandic, message me if there are problems and I will consult you on accuracy. Thank you all!