Franklin had a colleague who had been a Professor in Psychiatry for some two decades before finally retiring. He lived on campus and was often seen doddering about. He was viewed as eccentric but, as is often the case with eccentricity, wildly intelligent. Before becoming a Professor he had been a psychiatrist, with an emphasis in the school of Freud.
He was a great hypnotherapist.
Nigel and Lizzy had cleared some more space in the tiny office. Fred had offered to help by threatening to fling everything out of the window, but they declined his generosity.
Now they had the table pushed further back, the piles of books pushed to the sides of the room, and three chairs facing towards the one Fred had been reclining in.
As Franklin entered, he sat on the far right, the Professor sat in the middle chair, and Nigel sat on the left. All three men faced Fred. Lizzy sat up on the table, closer to where Fred sat.
Unconsciously he twisted in his chair so that he was slightly closer to her. His leg tapped incessantly and he chewed his fingernails, all whilst watching the men with an untrusting frown.
"All right Mr. Fred," began the Professor with a voice like dust, "let's begin your journey into the past, mmm?"
"Just get on with it," muttered Fred, rude as ever.
"I can see you are worried Mr. Fred, but you needn't be. Despite the stereotypes I cannot force you to do anything you do not wish, and you are always in full control."
Fred relaxed a little and gave a curt nod.
"My friend here says you wish to recover some lost memories? Very well, this can be done, but it is difficult. I do not wish to implement any false memories." Fred froze again, as this had been a fear he'd had. The Professor smiled once more, "do not worry. I've done this for a long time. Normally I would speak a little longer, but as time is of the essence and I know you are somewhat groggy," he gestured to his head, "then I shall begin with the induction."
"Try to relax Fred," whispered Lizzy, "I'm here. It'll be ok."
He nodded and sat further back in the chair, gripping the arm rests and attempting to still his tapping leg.
"Close your eyes," instructed the Professor. Fred scowled, but obeyed. "To start I want you to focus on your breathing. Take a deep breath, in, out. In. out."
He continued, guiding Fred to focus on where his breathing was. From into his chest, to into his stomach. Slowly Fred's breathing became deeper and deeper.
Lizzy stared in amazement. He was so still. The jittery anxiety and hyperactivity was fading. Unlike before when remembering his past, he was not stiff and up-tight. It was as if he were asleep. She stared at his face. She'd never noticed before but it…he was actually quite nice looking. His face, much like the rest of his body, was slim, defined but also delicate somehow, as if to make up for the vividness of his colouring.
Lizzy felt herself go red and looked away. She tended to fall for guys easily and falling for Fred was, well, a little embarrassing and pretty weird. She didn't want to think of him as good-looking. He wasn't even a man. He was her friend and had the mind of a child.
She brushed away her temporary lapse in judgement and began to listen to the Professor once more.
"Now relax. As you breathe in slow and deep, a good, pleasant feeling comes across your body. Your arms are limp. Let the tension flow out of them. Your nerves are relaxing. Your body softening."
Fred's arms fell from the arm rests. His head slowly lolled forward. His breathing was still slow and steady. The Professor's voice fell into a low drone. As he spoke, she even felt herself beginning to relax and her eyes beginning to close.
"You can feel yourself slipping deeper into yourself. Darkness creeps upon you. It stalks you slowly and begins to cover your mind. You can hear your heart beat. You can feel your heart beat. It beats. Beats. Beats. The beat thrums through your body. You can feel the gentle pulse in your neck. The gentle pulse. Slower. Darker. Your breath stays deep and low. In and out. In and out. In and out. Darker and darker. Deeper and deeper. Leaving here and going inside…going back… going back. Deeper and darker…"
He continued on for another ten minutes or so, his voice becoming a deep and low whisper. The atmosphere was one of deep quiet. Everyone had been beginning to relax, but as the Professor stopped, all but Fred slowly felt themselves coming back to attention.
The Professor lifted one of Fred's arms. He let it go and it dropped heavily.
"We are ready," he said, "time to begin the therapy."
Franklin nodded and leaned forward, "Fred, we need you to go back. We need you to go back to when you were taking children away from humans. Why were you doing that?"
Fred's head lifted slightly. "I am not Fred."
A pause. Surprise thrummed through the group.
"Who are you?"
"I am Fride." Fred's eyes opened. The blue was a shade deeper than normal and completely vacant. He looked down towards his lap, unseeing. "I am Fride. And they tricked me. They needed the worship. But the people were not giving it anymore, so they bullied them. I didn't know. The Seer punished them. They lost their power."
"Who are they?"
"The twins, Freyr and Freya, and their Mother, Nerthus. She is the All-Mother."
Nigel jolted slightly. It made sense! Freya was generally seen as a replacement of Nerthus, another (more successful) reincarnation of the Mother Earth Goddess that Nerthus once was. On discovering that these deities were actually real at one point, it was logical to assume that one actually begot another.
"And where are the children?"
"Depends who took them. The twins take them to Alfheimer. They're the lucky ones."
"And the unlucky ones?"
Fred's face became somewhat distressed, "they go to Nerthus. They become Shades."
His breathing became harder and more rough as the panic began to set in. Inside, he could see the pale skin of the dead children. He saw their purpling lips, their scalps were the hair grew, the deformed bodies sprouting tentacles of shadow where limbs should be.
He leaned forwards and began to gag. Nigel and Lizzy rushed to surround him, both wrapping their arms around him as Franklin put a small bin in front of Fred. The Professor began to repeat sections of the induction, slowly calming Fred back down.
"All right," he said, once things had settled a little. Fred was sitting back up, his head still bowed and eyes still glazed. Lizzy and Nigel crouched either side of his chair, both watching with concern.
"Come away from there Fride," instructed the Professor, "come away. Do not let it haunt you. Come away. Come away. Instead, tell us how they were stopped. How was the thievery of children ended?"
Fred blinked, "I am Fred now," he said, "my name is Fred. I am older. I am taller."
Lizzy and Nigel looked up at each other in shock. Fred aged?
"There was a meeting," Fred continued, settling back into his chair. He sounded more alert now, even if his eyes were still blank. He blinked slowly, "There was a meeting and someone finally put their foot down."
He smiled softly.
xxXXxx
Mid-Medieval England
The heavens were awash with soft, chalky pastels of blue and pink, stretching down to the glowing, golden sun that dropped slowly behind the forest horizon. The forest canopy was rich and thick with emerald green foliage. Red berries and bright apples hung upon the powerful boughs of these ancient trees. On the forest floor Deer roamed, grazing gently at the nibbles of hardy, southern grass. Their bodies were thick and glossy.
It was midsummer's eve. Fred, dressed in all green and sitting high on a tree branch watched the village down below. The hamlet was very small and was situated near a vast lake which supplied the inhabitants with most of their food during the winter when the forest no longer bore fruit. As the sun set, the people were lighting lanterns. There was music and women singing softly. The children in particular was excitable.
Fred was aware of time now. He had seen children grow old and die. He watched their children, and their children's children go through the same process. Faces and names and personalities he had known so well became faded. He had been in this forest for as long as he could remember. He spent his energies on keeping it and the people relatively safe and happy. He wasn't even sure how he could do most of the things he did, he did not remember being taught, but he did it all anyway.
A procession of lights travelled through the village. The people, carrying lanterns, bought food and drink to where their village ended and the thick, heavy forest began. They arranged them prettily on large leaves and moss. Between the offerings of food, a rosary and a number of twigs arranged into the fashion of the crucifix were placed carefully. Church candles were lit and the Priest sang out a prayer in rich Latin verse. They stayed a while afterwards, all whispering their prayers and thanks and wishes.
As they walked away, Fred saw the children all looking back curiously, wanting a glimpse of the Forest Elf.
Dark blue eyes blinked. He was taller now, his line of sight no longer was on par to the younger children, he needed to bend down to look at them closely. Which was something he rarely did. He generally stayed away from the villagers, but he watched them often. Almost as much as he watched the animals of the forest.
He swung down from the tree, just as the villagers were disappearing into their humble homes. He heard the squeals of excited babes who had seen his shadowy image dropping down to where the offerings lay. He smiled softly. He liked children. He liked them naughty and silly. That was them at their best. It gave him a dim reminder of something…something from his past. What specifically he did not know, but the it was there and the nostalgia was strong.
He sat cross legged and munched on some of the food. As he did he felt his core brightening. His body tingled and the warm, green glow began to irradiate from within, lightening his skin and hair. The people said he was a member of the fair folk, and he guessed that was true, though he had never met anyone like himself before. He was the only one of his kind.
Fred didn't eat much, but he lapped up the bowl of milk and wrapped everything up. He climbed back up into the canopy and travelled along higher, wooden paths made of branches until he got to his favourite tree. It was an old Beech tree right in the centre of the forest. It was ancient; the first tree to appear in this place. The others had spouted up around it, going on and on and on until this huge forest was the Beech Tree's legacy.
As Fred put the food in a hole in the tree, he heard music striking up in the village. It was light and airy. No doubt they'd all be dancing. The children would be allowed to stay up late. It was a good evening for it. The celebration of Midsummer was always fun. There was a delay in sunset, prolonging the evening time. Fireflies and moths were beginning to buzz about the forest, adding to the melody.
He sat on a branch and listened to the music, going deeper and focusing until he could hear the smaller things; the forest rabbits shuffling about for grass, going nearer to their burrows as night set in; the birds evening-song as the owls began to blearily open their eyes and shake out their feathers; the susurration of the warm breeze billowing through the trees and grass.
This was his home.
This was England.
The northern star peeked out of the night sky first, before her friends began to join her, twinkling and winking in the black canvas that stretched across the heavens. The laughter and music of the village grew a little more raucous as the ale began to do its work on the inhabitants. It was all good fun; everyone would just have a headache tomorrow.
Fred smirked, emitting out low levels of goodwill and contentment which would keep the animals of the forest calm. He protected the people of the forest by keeping the wilder animals far from the village and its inhabitants. He focused on making sure there was nothing but positive energy, they'd be no fights, no animal attacks, no upset. Just joyous celebration. It was only fair, as it seems their offerings were only making him stronger.
His light slumber was disturbed when he heard the rustle of wings and a soft landing beside him. He looked down and saw a raven at his side. He raised an eyebrow, the ravens were messengers of death. They told him if a child had died and was having trouble getting to the afterlife. He couldn't take them all the way, but he could take them to The Cave at least. He never went in himself.
Your presence has been requested.
"My presence?" he asked, almost laughing at the officiousness of it all, "requested by who?"
An important Man.
"I don't know any important man," sighed Fred, looking away, "I don't really know anybody. The only people I know go away in time."
He knows you. It's imperative that we go now.
He shuffled on the branch, leaning closer to the tree trunk. He was nervous, never before had he been asked to interact with someone. And what kind of man could speak to Ravens, or send them to do his bidding?
"This man, is he like me?"
The Raven cocked its head, looking at Fred from the side with a beady black eye.
No one is like you. Follow me now.
The Raven opened its wings and swooped away. Fred jumped from the branch all the way down to the forest floor. It was night, but fireflies lit up the forest. He could see the Raven flying slowly and low through the trees. He followed it, running sprightly in a way only a wild creature could.
A river, which fed in and then back out of the lake the humans used, ran a steady path through the forest. The Raven led Fred down south, deeper and deeper into the woods. The floor became damp and marshy. The smell of various summer plants mingled with over-ripe fruit that softly decomposed on the floor. The breeze of fresh, warm air could not be felt here. Eventually they made their way out to where the river, quite broad here, drifted slowly.
You need to go into it.
Fred looked at the river. Water was a sacred thing. He could sense the Otherworld lurking just below.
"What happens if I don't do what this man says?" demanded Fred, sounding annoyed and petulant. He crossed his arms. "I don't know who he is. Who says I have to obey? I never obey anyone!"
You must go. Even you know this.
Fred looked into the water again, his bravado sinking away. Yes, he could feel the pull. He had felt strange all evening but passed it off as it being midsummer and a holy time. But perhaps it was really this all along.
"Alright I'll go." He grumbled, stepping into the river. Any human as slight as Fred would have been knocked down by the current, but with unnatural and unassuming strength he cut through the water easily until he reached the centre of the river. The water reached his shoulders here and was very cold, but as Fred always ran a little hotter than a normal person, he did not feel it.
Slowly he bent his legs, bringing his body further under water. He sank beneath the flow, his legs crossing as he allowed himself to sit on the riverbed. He stopped breathing and felt himself drifting into death…
Blue eyes opened. He was in a desolate place. Long stretches of land with green-grey coarse grass that grew long and wild. The sky was metal grey. Behind him was a stony path that led up to a deep cave on a hill. He knew that was death. It was here that he would lead the dead souls of children too afraid to go alone. He had seen souls left wandering on Earth, and it was a sad thing. It was a kindness to bring the children here.
He never went in the cave himself though. He often wondered if their god was inside waiting for them; a melancholy man with kind eyes bleeding on a cross. It was a strange god, but Fred accepted it. There had been stranger ones in the past.
The was a loud 'caw-caw' and a shadow shot past Fred's shoulder. It was a large Crow.
"Are you my new Guide?" he called after it. The Crow flew in a circle a few times for an answer, before flying away in the direction opposite to the Cave. Fred followed it.
They came to a place in the wasteland where two trees grew so close that it would seem at first glance that they had once been one tree that had somehow torn themselves in two.
"They're called the Twins," said a voice.
Fred turned to see a friendly man smiling. He had brown skin and black curly hair.
Fred smiled warmly.
"I'm Fred."
"I don't have a name!" said the man happily, "but the people called me Eshu!"
"Hi Eshu!" Fred grinned happily and then shook Eshu's hand. Eshu seemed a bit confused by the gesture but smiled all the same. Fred was happy at making his new friend. The man, Eshu, was smaller and seemed younger than he was, but that was just fine as all of Fred's friends were younger than him.
"Were you sent here also?" Eshu asked.
Fred nodded, just as there was a loud call above them. The men looked up and gaped. In the sky were giant Eagle-like birds. Ones by one they began to land on the soft earth with loud thumping sounds. The men huddled closely together. The birds looked vicious, with sharp yellow eyes and large talons.
One of the birds saw the trees and let out a scream. Then it's head began to de-feather and hair and white skin sprouted up in their place. Soon, there was a female human head on the bird's body. Fred's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Heresy!" she screamed, "heresy! It is the bastard twins that bring us here."
"The Mistress will hear of this!" cried another bird, this time with the torso and head of a woman. Seeing her topless, both Eshu and Fred began to giggle hysterically.
This bought attention onto them.
"You!" cried another creature, "ELVES! You all still live? Heresy!"
"What's heresy?" whispered Eshu.
"No idea. What's an elf?"
"Not sure."
Now all around more creatures were appearing, they were all very different. Trolls dragged themselves from out of the Earth, grunting and moaning as they did. From the crags of rocks Dwarves began to appear, grubby from hours of mining. Beautiful men and women with the tails of foxes and wolves came from behind the hill, their skin glistening and wet so Fred assumed they'd come the same way he had. The Beautiful ones smirked at Fred and Eshu gawping at them. From all directions were various young humanoids, they all could run very fast and were quite sweet looking. Fred looked at them and felt an odd kinship with them, but stayed by Eshu's side. Many of these were looking and smiling at one another, so he knew it was a shared feeling. Were they the same as him? The Raven said none were like him, but maybe the Raven had gotten it wrong?
By the time hundreds of creatures had arrived, the sky turned an angry black as clouds rolled in. Lightening began to strike, but without the following sound of thunder and without the downfall of rain. A shard of lightening hit the direct centre of the two Trees;
Once!
Twice!
Thrice!
On the third strike a figure had appeared. It looked like a Druid, only his outer garments were black.
He took down his hood. Around his head was a crown of mistletoe. He carried a twisted and gnarled staff made of very old oak. His skin was a light brown and his eyes were hazel and burning.
"Hear me!" He called out, his voice clear, "The world is changing. A new dawn is entering. You are the last of your kind. Before the end of the century, there will be even less of you. However, death and extinction may be avoided if you decide to choose your fate. The time of the Old Gods has passed. Their gluttony, cruelty and disorganisation has ruined them."
"Heresy!" Fred could hear the bird-women shrieking, "heresy!"
"Accuse me not foul beasts!" bellowed the man in such a way that all the creatures quivered and backed away from him, "I am The Seer! I am higher than your false gods! I, like Time and Space and the Universe, will continue on even after their demise. Their time is over. They squandered their time here. Every god dies eventually; all lose their crown. If you side with them, you will die alongside them.
"Those who side with The Fairy Queen Mab and those who side with the Vanir Fertility Twins Freyr and Freyja, stand before me. But those who wish to make their own way in this world, stand behind me and the twins," he gestured at the trees which he stood between.
The creatures began to look at one another, steady uneasy murmuring through the ranks. Fred could hear whispers of 'treachery' and 'punishment.'
The names that the Seer had called out sounded familiar. He knew Mab. He had told the first person he'd met on Middle-Earth that she had been the one who had sent him. He couldn't remember anything before that first meeting; it was all a haze of anger and bitterness that he decided not to look too deeply into. The names of Freyr and Freyja jolted something inside of him, a sort of unpleasant pulling of the intestines; part nostalgia, part fear.
He looked around, no one had moved yet. He frowned. Change was always a good thing. For as long as he could remember he had been living in that one tree in that one forest, watching a small group of Anglo-Saxons living and dying over and over, like the seasons. He couldn't stand it anymore. He needed and craved something new.
"I'm joining the Seer," he said to Eshu, determined.
Eshu grinned, "good. Me too. I just want to annoy those birds! That and to see how the twins react."
"The Twins?" he looked over at the trees.
Eshu laughed, "come on, let's go."
The joined a group of creatures slowly moving behind the Seer. Fred looked up as they passed the Man. He looked down at them with burning eyes, catching Fred's own. Fred looked away, feeling unnerved.
"Who are the twins, if you did not mean the trees?" he asked Eshu.
A hushed quiet had come over the land as everyone began to choose where they were going to stand. The air was electric. Something was going to happen; there would be consequences to all this.
"The Twins are the Fairy Queen's two children. You smell of them," Eshu answered, his nose wrinkling, "you're from Alfheimer."
"I am?"
"Yes."
"I don't remember."
Eshu laughed, "you guys are known for your bad memories. It isn't your fault. You weren't made to remember so much. You weren't made for this at all."
"What do you mean?"
"Shh!" Eshu pointed up at the top of a distant hill facing them, "look!"
The wind had picked up and there was a smattering of cold rain water. It was like a prelude to King Lear's storm.
On the hill stood several figures, including two very golden people each sitting upon white Shetland ponies. They began to travel down the hill. The couple were a man and woman, slightly taller than most humans, and surrounded by a bright aura. The woman had large hips and breasts. Both she and the man had long blond hair, blue eyes, and full sensual lips.
The smelt of spring rains, of flowers and of newborn babes. "Fertility gods," breathed Fred, his mind suddenly flashing back to the first settlers of the small village. They'd worshipped these gods for good harvest, good marriage beds and for healthy babies. "I know these people."
"Of course you do," said Eshu with a secret smile.
Fred picked up something sly in Eshu's tone. He pulled his gaze away from the twins for a moment to look at his friend and ask, "what are you?"
Eshu shrugged, "just a trickster from the sunny lands."
"Are you a god?"
"None of us are gods anymore Fred." Eshu looked up at the twins who now entered the circle of Fantasy Creatures and stood before the Seer, "and I think they know that as well."
"Great Seer," the golden haired man called out, "I am Freyr and this is my sister Freya. We thank you for summoning us and giving us the opportunity to speak for ourselves. We offer you and the others no ill will. We're here to defend our creations and to perhaps encourage you to let us carve out new lives in this new world."
"Your creations?" The Seer repeated with a sneer in his voice, "you mean the remnants of what souls remain in the human babes you stole?"
"We were kind to them," the woman, Freya, answered immediately as if they'd known the Seer would challenge them so, "that's more than what our contemporaries did."
"Contemporary?" a cold voice spoke out, seemingly echoing from all sides. Everyone began to look about in wonder, apart from the twins who suddenly looked pensive and the Seer who stayed as emotionless as before. Fred felt his insides grow cold and a sense of dread fell over him. He found himself starting to shake as the voice continued.
"Is that what I am to you now, a mere contemporary? How laughable, you ungrateful little swine." The sky was very dark as the grey clouds turned black and stormy.
"Fred?" whispered Eshu, noting how distressed his friend looked, "are you all right?"
Fred shook his head, feeling like he was going to be sick. Eshu gripped Fred's hand tightly in his own.
The earth, just beneath the grassy hill, began to break apart, tearing open as cold, blue-hued bodies of pale dead children scrambled out, their bodies moving like puppets. A number of the fantasy creatures recoiled in horror. There was a buzzing sound and blue orbs flew out of the ground. They whizzed around the creatures, biting and pinching.
Fred grabbed one and flung it to the ground before stamping on it. The little orbs avoided him after that.
Before the crowd could even get over this assault, the gap in the earth grew further as a petite woman with ice-white hair pulled into thick, beaded braids and black insectoid wings flew out of the hole and landed daintily on the moor land.
"My," sneered the blonde girl, "how small you have grown mother!"
"You are not quite as tall or as radiant as I remember either," the woman hissed, her voice like ice. The blond twins scowled.
"Queen Mab," called the Seer, "Queen of the Fairies. I welcome you. For this new world order pertains to you as well."
"New world order," she repeated disdainfully, "new world order! I recognise no such thing!"
"The Eastern gods are here to stay," sighed Freyr, bored already, "we will include ourselves where possible and make do."
"They like our culture," continued Freya cheerfully, "and so we will live on. It may be nice to take a step back, it has been a long, long time. But," she turned to the Seer, "this is why we ask about our elves. We want them to continue also, but their powers are so low. They are still so human."
"You dare ignore me!" Queen Mab shot out sparks of blue, her wand in her hand. It was a long crooked thing, with carving etched into it of bulls and wagons. "If not a goddess I am still a Queen and I obey no one, not even the Seer!"
Blue lightning bolts shot out from her and into the turbulent sky, creating an electric storm. Static and barely contained panic filled the air. The creatures all backed away, except for the Bird-women who shrieked in the air, hiding behind the Seer who still stood strong between the twin trees.
The twin gods, or former gods, dismounted their ponies and stood before their mother.
The time had come.
"We never should have let you live so long," said Freyr.
"I should have eaten you both when you were newborn," Mab hit back, "I never wanted children!"
"Then why did you have them then?" cried Freya, before flying towards her mother without letting her answer.
Mab raised up her hands to the sky, the lightening began to spin unnaturally curving into a ball, before hurtling towards the earth and hitting Freya. The Fertility Goddess fell back with a shriek. Freyr, her brother, was immediately at her side.
"You villainous bitch!" he spat at his mother, who laughed in return.
"Enough of this," bellowed the Seer, "The world is weary of your tricks and games and cruelty. It is finished now."
"Never!" screamed Mab, flying towards the Seer with a shocking amount of speed.
He calmly raised his staff and cracked it against the Earth.
The twin trees suddenly began to move, writhing as if alive. They shot out their branches and grabbed Mab. He stepped out from beneath them, the rest of the creatures surrounding them backing away anxiously.
Mab struggled, but only became increasingly tangled in the hard branches. Then the trees began to sink into the ground.
Fred looked away, the sight of such a thing binging up some sort of horrible feeling, like a memory lost, within him.
He could hear her screams, first in rage but then evolving into real terror. He could hear the bubbling and squelching of wet mud, that she was being sunk into a muddy, watery grave. He shuddered and covered his ears.
Eventually, all became silent; the storm was gone and the sky had returned to a uniform grey. Even the bird-women in the air were quiet; shocked by the disappearance of their goddess.
Fred opened his eyes and looked back at the scene. Where the two trees had been was now a small mound. In front of it were the twin gods, both looking shocked and quite frightened. Behind them were the Shades, each one sinking into the ground, becoming a shadow.
"You will go to your mother's realm," said the Seer to the twins, "and you will remain there, unable to leave. You will not return to Alfheimer for you do not deserve it."
The twins teared up and looked horrified, but said nothing.
"That is the price for fighting at my meeting and for the thievery of innocent human souls for your own benefit," he continued. The twins looked down, defeated, but said nothing. "I will honour the request you made on behalf of your…elves."
Eshu suddenly took hold of Fred's hand. Fred looked at him perplexed, but Eshu smiled. "You do not remember me," Eshu said, "but you and I are similar. We started with them," he gestured to the twins. "Come on, we need to join the others."
He began to walk to the twins, and Fred followed. He felt confused, what was happening?
The pair joined the group of green clad elves who had travelled down the hill with the twin gods. From out of the huge semi-circle of creatures more and more individuals, all humanoid, joined the group. Eventually around a hundred people stood, all human-looking and all quite young. Some were even children.
"You have a choice," the Seer addressed them directly, "to become Light Elves, the ones who protect humanity, or Dark elves who will live in the shadows with their gods. Choose now."
Fred gulped and looked at the twins. They were defeated and low. Their glow was gone and their skin seemed very human and slightly dirty. Their hair, still long and golden, no longer shone, but was the colour of straw and hung lankly. They were holding hands, finding solace in one another. He felt bad for them, but hated the idea of living down in a cold, dark hell with them. Besides, he had his village and his forest.
Fred had made his decision.
Feeling a strange sensation, he found himself looking directly at the Seer, who, frighteningly, was looking straight back at him.
"There was a curse put upon you," the Seers voice resonated quietly in his mind, "a curse from Nerthus. You will wonder the human realm and Alfheimer, never truly belonging to either. You will connected to the line of your sister. That is your pain. It will act as punishment for your hand in the theft of children."
Fred felt his mind crack slightly as he was suddenly flung back to Midgar, home of the humans.
