Disclaimer: I don't own any POTC characters, only my OCs.
Chapter 51: The Complicated Truth
We sat opposite each other.
Beneath me, the right arch curved along my thighs, smooth and gold, a pale fair, sandy dust licking at its arched body, golden grains scattered atop its length. Metal boots grinded down against the fair sands, blobs of water dotting the pale a darker shade. Hair dripped cold, wet and naked.
I swallowed thick.
In front of me, upon the left arch facing the door, Balder had slouched back upon the stone once more, body stretched out against the fair stone, legs drumming, muscular hands loosened together, atop his broad bare chest. Golden curls laid flopping around his head, flat against the rock, a trailing pale halo crowning his angular face, his bronze face, his handsome face. Sweat glistened, gold and pure on his naked limbs.
His flute twirled in those slim fingers.
Silence.
"Well?"
"Well what?" he was staring at the ceiling, thinking, a sharp profile in the golden light, nose slim and long, curls kissing soft and tender, his voice wistful, playful. At this angle, I could no longer see his eyes, his bewitching eyes, but his lips no longer shook in that irksome smile; instead, they were flat, drawn still, eyes staring quietly up to the black stalactites, thinking, pondering. Ribbed muscles rolled with each quiet breath.
Water laughed, rich and thick.
I sighed.
"Well, tell me. Tell me about everything."
A shake of curls, and then a flippant smile at me, at the twist of neck, pearl teeth shining, dimples flashing, dusky skin lighting up with the beam of that irritating grin, of his trademark, mischievous smile.
I sighed again.
I don't have time for this.
"What?"
"Tell you everything?"
"Yes, that's what I said. I want to know everything."
"Everything?"
"Yes-"
"And where exactly would everything start from?"
"The beginning," I nodded once, looking at him, at those loose curls, that naughty smile, those dancing blue eyes springing with pure life, his heels drumming against the golden stone, flute dancing among his fingers, smile snaking white, "The very beginning of everything."
A widened smile.
A choked sigh.
And then, with a roll of golden muscles, the god turned away from me, the smile dropping from his lips as he once more looked up at those golden ceiling, face sinking away into a pondering thought. Blue eyes faded away to the ceiling, smile dying, lips pulling into a stern line. Toes wiggled, golden and big.
Water gurgled like a beast.
I shivered.
Crap.
For a moment, I just sat there, boot shuffling, staring at the silent man, at his golden profile as he laid back against the rock, eyes staring, lips quiet for once, curls licking gold as slight shivers began to make their way up my skin, crawling like thousands of insects, the medicine man's eye chiming against my cheek, reminding me of another place, another world-
He spoke.
"I suppose I should begin with who I am, what I am, and how I came be, no?"
In the silence of the golden cave, there was suddenly something quite dreamy with his voice, something faded, something lost, that simple, firm accented voice softer, quieter, a man stuck in a fog.
A small smile pulled his lips.
I cleared my throat.
"I suppose."
Silence.
And then, with a soft, sweet breath, Balder began, talking softly, talking quietly, talking up to the ceiling as his eyes dreamed away of another place, another world, golden curls laughing rich and deep.
His voice was like a dream.
A dream.
I could barely breathe.
"Once upon a time-"
Moment gone.
"Balder-"
"Fine. I won't begin with that, though from what I heard, you mortals seem to adore that particular phrasing-"
"Balder-"
"Yes, yes, yes…I heard you, child…. by the way, has anyone ever told you how annoying you are, really-"
"Balder-"
"Fine, fine, you little sourpuss. If you must insist, then I shall begin with a simple fact."
Finally.
"Which is?"
"Simply that you, Joanna Wolfe, are not from the future, but from another world."
Silence.
Pure, pounding silence.
For a moment, I just sat there, staring, gaping, dripping wet, waiting for Balder to crack up his smile again, to twist his head and grin stupidly through his glossing hair, blue eyes dancing with mirth, with laugher, with unneeded humour, possibly hearing a laugh from between those flashing white teeth, a cracking joke-
Nothing.
Nada.
Zero.
Zilch.
The man remained as he was, staring up at the golden ceiling, eyes thinking, eyes far, eyes completely lost, the small smile tugging at his lips, his voice echoing with the faintest of humours, a whimsical humour but as if he himself was lost in the pool of his memories, his blatant amusement gleaming his dark face. Heels rocked back lazily, fingers drumming against his naked chest as the flute twirled in an endless, mindless dance, it's owner lost away in the depths of his mind. Curls giggled wistfully.
Eyes laughed to the golden sky.
Silence.
Pure, pounding silence.
"WHAT?"
"You heard me."
"Heard you?" I widened up my eyes, still waiting for the punch line, for that smile, my voice rising up against the golden rock, the black stalactites, brows scrunched together, tight with burning incredulity, "Heard you? I must be mistaken, because I did not hear you just babble about me coming from another world-"
"You don't believe it?"
"I came from the future-"
"No, me dame, " a simple shake of head, curls flipping, eyes silent, voice distant and quiet, "You are from another world, another universe, another dimension altogether."
"No-"
"Yes."
"No."
No.
No.
No.
No.
It was impossible.
No.
No way.
No way.
Time travel was a myth, yes.
It has always been a myth, a sci-fi fantasy.
But this was earth.
And this was the year 1712.
This was earth.
I was on earth.
I had always been on earth.
I never moved anywhere else.
I just fell, back in time, to the 18th century.
I fell through time.
I time-travelled.
I didn't go to another world.
No.
No way.
No way in hell.
Impossible.
"Impossible."
"Says the girl who just killed a dragon."
I straightened my back.
"No, no, t-that was different," I raised a single finger, calling for pause, calling for a full stop, shifting on my cold seat, voice cracking, mind whirling, twirling, spinning and churning, black and grey storming the fortress, my tongue suddenly so very sour, "C-Circe said there were obstacles…t-that the dragon and t-the…um…d-d-daemon was some sort of…I don't know…something to do with the gods-"
"To understand the gods, Joey, you must first understand that this is not your world, nor shall it ever be," he was still in that fog, that thick, white fog, smiling vaguely up to those black stalactites, "You will not be born in another 300 years, not you, nor your brother, nor anyone you ever you knew in your life-"
"Wait, I don't understand-"
"I thought I was making perfect sense-"
"You're saying that I'm from another world-"
"Yes…why do I have to keep repeating myself around you?"
"Maybe because you aren't making a lick of sense!"
"And why not? I'm speaking quite clearly, you know-"
"Balder-"
"You are from another world," he twisted his head around, golden curls kissing, and with a whoosh of flashing azure eyes, he spoke slowly, mockingly, the small smile dropping from his striking face as he frowned over at me, body stretching lazily, flute twirling a waltz with his clever fingers, "A parallel universe, if you will, a separate self-contained reality moving upon a completely different and foreign timeline than the one we are now on. You-"
"But the time-"
"Time is irrelevant, sweet, completely irrelevant at this point."
I tried to breathe.
"So your saying I'm from another planet? I'm an alien?"
"Alien?"
"That's what you're saying-"
"What I'm say-how on earth had anything I just said suggested that I thought you an alien?"
"But-"
"Don't be stupid," he shook his head, the frowning sinking deeper into his bronze face, golden locks brushing as the fog in his voice dropped away into a more annoyed tone, the whimsical, dream-like fog dissipating as fast it had first appeared, irritation lancing through his words, "You're not from another planet; you're from another universe, another reality, another world altogether-"
"I don't-"
"If you were from another planet, I would have said it. I would have said just that. Besides, I never said 'planet'. I said 'world'…. did you even go to school? Can't you tell the difference?"
It took all in me not to grit my teeth.
"No."
A flippant roll of leaping blue eyes.
"Of course not."
I tried to breathe again.
"Circe told me that Jared and I came from the future-"
With a long deep sigh, Balder rolled back towards the ceiling, the bright blue eyes staring back up at the golden roof, heels kicking back lazily, golden curls sprawling idly, glowing like a halo. His sigh was sweet and long, echoing off the golden walls as he drummed the flute against his naked chest, muscles rolling, sweat gleaming, his eyes fading up to the watching ceiling. Lips pulled tight, humour long gone.
I was no longer humoured myself.
Not one bit.
If he doesn't start making sense in the next five minutes, I'm leaving.
I don't care anymore.
I'll take up his offer and swim down that brook, down that tunnel.
I'll come up to the pool, hike a bit through the dark, and go back to the world above.
I'll return back to the surface.
I'll go back.
I'll leave him, and his stupid cave and his stupid flute…
And I'll find another way.
Another way to get out of here.
Another way to get Will back.
If he keeps on talking shit like this-
"A parallel universe is a reality created when a person has to make an important choice."
Now, he just sounded bored.
I stared.
"What?"
Another long, thick sigh.
"Choices, you little brat, choices," he exhaled dramatically, staring up at the ceiling, voice quiet, lazy, golden curls shivering along his fine bronze jaw, arms heaving with each slow breath, "It's all about choices. A person's historical choice creates a whole new universe in accordance to that choice, a divergence from the original timeline."
What?
"I don't-"
"People make choices, alright?" an exasperated sigh tore from his lips once more as he waved his hand into the air, the flute dancing in his loose fingers, golden curls shivering with each irritated breath, "Choices, every time, everywhere, every single day until the moment they die-mortals, immortals, daemons, spirits, monsters, about everything that was ever created, everything that ever lived. A life is not considered a life if the form never had to make a choice, to choose an alternative, to make a decision. Everything that has ever existed has always made choices. Simple choices, tough choices, heart-breaking choices…the works. Doesn't matter. I make choices, you make choices, even the ants at our feet are always making choices-"
"You mean like if I choose to have my hair long or short."
"Yes! That's it!" all of a sudden, the weariness, the agitation fled away from his voice, his face, his head twisting around to show off a wide beam tearing through his handsome face all over again, the keenness, the eagerness leaping back into his eyes, blue dancing with reenergised strength, golden curls laughing away the spent irritation as if it were never there, "That's exactly what I mean!"
His teeth gleamed bright and unnerving.
Irritation prickled at the back of my neck.
What the hell was this guy up to?
"I still don't get it-"
"Though I don't think that particular choice will actually create a parallel universe."
This time, the sigh was from me.
I swallowed in contained frustration.
"Balder, simple English. Simple words: what the fuck are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about choices," the smile stretched, beaming like a crescent moon, eyes laughing brightly among the fallen golden locks, his change in mood so swift, so unnerving, his handsome face gleaming gold in the glow of the small cave, water singing a rushed tune, "Choices, important, historical choices."
"Well, like what?"
"Like you coming down here, Joanna Wolfe."
"I do-"
"Think about it this way; you had the choice to get off this island. You could either try to find me, or you could leave, back to the safety of your friends. What did you choose?"
"The former, obviously."
"Yes, exactly that. You chose to find me, and here you are, sitting beneath the Enfal with me, hearing this tale. You made this choice, dictating the events that has come to past."
What?
My head ached.
"I still-"
"Don't you get it?" and then, just like that, the smile faded away, back into his dusky skin, laugh lines receding, the laughter, the joy in his blue diluting to the usual humour, the mild humour, the excitement in his face slowly pulling back the reins as his fingers played with the slender wooden flute, silver filigree gleaming, "Don't you? At that moment, that very moment when you made the choice to stay, to stay and find me, an alternate universe was created, branching out from this one."
"An alternate universe."
"Aye, one where you had made the other choice."
What?
Water screamed.
"You mean leaving for the ships?"
"Yes."
"What are you-"
"The parallel universe, another reality was created with that choice. Now, as we speak, another timeline has begun, another world where you left for the ships, Joey, where you abandoned the island, weary but victorious, back to the sobbing arms of your brother, to your pirate friends, forsaking the memory of Circe, deserting Will-"
"I never deserted him!"
"But you did, me dame," a small smile, a flickering smile, eyes hiding a precious secret, whispering a dear tale, "A part of you did. That unwanted choice, that valuable option now lays in another place, in another world, the cornerstone of another Joey's life taking another road, another alternative. It's really quite as simple as that."
Silence pounded.
For a moment, I just sat there, staring at him, at his soft smile, his playful smile, his tossing curls and his heaving golden chest, water slowly creeping down my back, fist clenched tight in my lap. My stomach was knotted, tight as hell.
I could barely breathe.
Impossible.
Impossible.
Completely impossible.
"You mean there are two of me?"
I couldn't even hear my own voice.
Water hissed.
"Hundreds, actually," a quick nod, a chirpy voice, Balder nodding against the smooth stone as if he was spilling simple fact, simple, un-crazy fact, "Hundreds of you, variants of you, one for each choice you make, one for each universe you created. A normal mortal creates millions of universes in their lifetime, of varying alternative counterparts, of identical clones in the distance, completely out of reach; of course, the identically would depend on the choice that the universe is governed by. It would-"
"Hundreds?"
"Aye, most likely. You're young, you see. In time, you will make millions more."
I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't breathe at all.
At all.
How was I suppose to accept this?
How was I supposed to handle this?
Was it even true?
Was it just all a joke?
A brief moment of insanity?
After all, how could it be true?
How could it be sane?
How could it be any sense of sane?
Time travel was ok.
Hell, time travel was feasible.
Acceptable.
Imaginable.
But alternate universes?
Millions of alternate universes?
Millions of me?
How the hell was I supposed to accept that?
How the hell was anyone?
Hear screamed.
"You're telling me," I spoke slowly, softly, breathing in the damp air, tasting cold stone and fresh spring at the back of my throat, my stomach turned to sawdust, my mind whirling like a hurricane, too numb to even feel anymore, "You're saying that out there, somewhere, there are hundreds of me, clones of me, living my life in completely different ways, the other options?"
A soft smile.
"Exactly."
My tongue was so dry.
"And you expect me to believe this?"
A wink of blue.
"Every word."
Fist clenched hard.
"What do you think I am? An idiot?"
"Why would I lie to you, Joey?" a little chuckle, quite sweet, like lovely passed between his lips, his head lolling back against the smooth rock, flaxen curls splaying, his cheekbones ruddy in the sandy slopes of his skin, blue eyes rolling back to the ceiling with a laugh, "Why? What would I have to gain from it?"
"I don't know-"
"So you're saying that I have spent much of my new energy over the last few weeks whispering into your ear, protecting you, saving you, making sure you stay in one piece so that in the very end of all things, you may come down here so that I could lie to you?"
Silence screamed.
For a moment, I just sat there, staring at his lazy form, mind screaming, grinding to dust.
The medicine man's eye chimed a hollow tone.
Great.
Just great.
"Yesssssss…"
Another melodic chuckle.
"Not the bright one, now are you?"
"You're insane. You're story's insane; it's all nothing more then a lie-"
"I have no motive, Joey, if you haven't noticed. Lying isn't going to get me anywhere with you. Besides, I'm the god of truth. I can't lie."
"Sure you can't."
"Ah. A sceptic. Always a winner."
"How on earth do you expect me to believe your story?" I bit down on my lip, staring at him as he grinned up at the ceiling, golden hair gleaming like a fallen halo, "Your alternate universes, your several versions of me-"
"Technically, several versions of everyone; every being that makes choices have alternate universes of their own, different versions of their being, different lives. So, if you add it all up, it's more then millions actually. More then billions. More than trillions. More then…. zillions? Is that what comes after trillions? Zillions? Is that what it's called? Back in my day, we didn't have that sort of money-"
"There are no such things as alternate realities, as parallel universes, as variants of me-"
"Compared to the lights of time-travel?"
"Well, that makes more sense then a fucked-up lie!"
"How on earth does time-travel make more sense than alternate universes?"
"Much more then millions and millions of universes-"
"Zillions-"
"-flung out there, out in god-knows-where, complete separate, completely lost-"
"Actually, they are sort of stacked up together quite nicely-"
"You're lying-"
"Why?"
I bit my tongue.
Why?
Why?
That was the million-dollar question, after all.
Why?
Why would Balder lie to me?
What would he have to gain from it?
How was lying that I was from another universe and not from the future going to help him a bit?
What the hell was he up to?
What did he want?
Why?
Why?
Silence laughed.
For a moment, for the briefest of moments, I just sat there, staring at the curls, mind whirling and twirling, screaming with agony as thoughts, as calculations screamed by, twisting, gnawing, clawing at all that I had. Temples pounded with an aching headache, my tongue dry as a desert. Heart hammered an aching drum.
Fists clenched.
Why?
Why?
I cleared my throat.
"Let's say you're right, " I spoke simply enough, swallowing back everything, every single thing, tongue dry and cold, water dripping slow and thick, golden curls laughing, "Let's say you're not lying. I don't believe it, of course, but let's just say you are telling the truth. These universes, these alternate worlds do exist."
A widened grin.
"Alright."
An inhale for patience.
My tongue was so very dry.
"Fine…if you're right, if I'm playing along….if….then where am I?"
It didn't take him long to answer.
"The original timeline."
I tried not to bite my tongue.
"Original timeline?"
"Aye," a simple nod as he stared up at the golden roof, the hanging dark daggers, golden curls laughing, the smile beaming across his face, radiant like the sun, sweat glinting that faint gold, "The original, the very first. Some call it the timeline of the gods."
Water rushed.
"Why?"
Another chuckle.
"Because that is what it is, Joey. That it is what it has always been. This world, this universe you are now in was the very first world that ever existed. The oldest world. This is the first thing that was ever created, the first universe ever to be born. This is the universe of the gods."
Universe of the gods?
"Universe of the gods?"
"Aye. Catchy. I know."
'That doesn't make any sense-"
"In the beginning, you see, before us, before you humans, before the spirits and the nymphs and the elves and the fairies and the witches and the shifters and the daemons and the shadows and the monsters…before everything, before life, there was nothing but The Void."
The Void.
Oh God.
The Void.
Circe.
Circe's tale.
Oh God.
Oh fucking-
"The darkness," I said out loud, unintentionally, voice loud and clear above the gurgling creek; with a swish of gold, Balder turned his head towards me again, my voice bringing him back down to the conversation, to me. A snaky golden eyebrow arched high in his forehead as he turned his head towards me, cheek pressed hard against the cold stone, a small smile filtering through his sandy skin, a playful look plastered about his face. Slim fingers danced with the wooden flute, dimples creaking with humour.
His heels stopped drumming.
I bit my tongue.
Great.
"You know it."
"Circe told me about it," I nodded simply, watching my words, watching each breath, staring at him eyes wide, still registering every thought, every action into the slow data of my brain, tongue very, very dry, "About it's eternal night."
"Did she now?"
"Yes…" I kept on nodding, mind racing back to that moment, to that conversation behind the cold metal bars of the dungeons, her dark eyes watching silently as she told her tale, heart screaming alert, "She told me…she told me it was a chasm. A black, lifeless chasm…she said nothing else existed, nothing but The Void and it's darkness-"
"She wasn't wrong."
"She never said anything about your stupid idea about parallel universes."
"She was a mere witch. I'm a god. Any guesses who was much more amazing?"
"Circe."
"Of course. Feminine power."
"She was creepy, and a real bitch, but she was hell of a lot better then you, and she was my friend. Well, she was Sparrow's friend, and I guess that made her my friend…. though I never really liked Sparrow, nor did she, by the likes of it-"
"That may be so, but I'm prettier, no?"
For a moment, silence thumped as we stared across at each other, my eyes travelling over his trailing golden curls, his broad gleaming shoulders, his massive, heaving chest, his long, fine legs, his bronze tanned skin, his massive rolling muscles, his crack of grinning white teeth, his flashing blue eyes…
"Hmm."
"Hmm? Seriously?"
"I've seen better."
"Better? Better? I'm the god of beauty! I'm the god of all that is pure and lovely in all the universes-"
"Wait, how many titles do you even have?"
"I lost count."
I just shrugged in agreement.
For a moment, neither of us said a word, letting the sound of rushing water envelop us, cover us, Balder turning his head back towards the ceiling, blue eyes beaming up towards the golden roof, fair curls a whipping. Water still blotted the sands around my feet.
Cold irked at the back of my neck.
I cleared my throat.
"You were telling me about The Void."
"You already know about it."
"I suppose," I nodded again, staring at him as he grinned stupidly up at the ceiling, beaming like an idiot, smiling for no apparent reason, his face wavering between the eagerness of his eyes and the proper aging of his face, "She did….Well, she did say that you, and the other gods were born out from The Void. Fully grown and all."
No arguments.
"We did."
A raised eyebrow.
"You just came to be?"
Creepy smile.
"Yup."
A harsh breath.
"No one knows how?"
A widened smile.
"No one cares."
I tried not to snap.
"So you're saying that you and the rest of the gods just appeared?" I said simply, not even trying to keep the disbelief out of my voice, "That you sprang out of The Void fully grown, fully ready?"
"That's about right."
"And that you actually destroyed The Void after that?"
This had me rewarded with a sneaky wink from the fair god.
"You have been paying attention."
"No more then I should."
"So I suppose you know what happens next?"
"You created the world," I nodded again, staring at him, watching as his breath shivered the soft tendrils of his tender blonde hair, "You and…your siblings, I guess, created the world. The universe."
"This universe."
"This universe?"
"Aye," a nod of golden curls, grin cracking like a whip of lightning, water rushing like a storm, "This universe. After I had defeated The Void-destroyed it really-my brothers, sisters and I began to create this world, this universe that you are now in. That you are trapped in. It was the very first thing we did, creating the world, creating this place, shaping the mountains, the seas, the stars-"
"Humans?"
"Yes, that too, along with every other thing that ever was, that ever will be. We created this world, Joey. This is our world. Our universe."
For another brief moment, I just sat there, eyes trailing away from Balder stupid grin to stare down at the toes of my boots, studying the grimy sand beneath the rusty edges, blood stained against the black. Fingers kneaded together, harsh against my lap.
My mind screamed.
Impossible.
How was this possible?
How was this remotely possible?
It can't be.
It shouldn't.
No.
No.
No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No-
"How did you kill it? The Void, I mean. How did you destroy it?"
"With that," with the tip of his wooden flute, Balder tossed back his arm and pointed blindly back, towards the door; there, just as I had left it, sitting in the golden dust, was the sword, bright and gleaming, glowing faintly in the golden tint of the cave. Ruby burned bright, blinking sleepily.
Gold beamed a reassuring smile.
I cleared my throat.
"The sword."
"My sword."
"How?"
"Is that really important?"
"Well, no-"
"Then, let's get back to the story!"
"What story?" I frowned again, the muscles in my face already beginning to ache from all the frowning and pouting, brows bunched tight, "I already know all this. Circe told me. There was The Void; you guys came out from it like a rabbit pulled from the hat; you destroyed The Void with your sword, apparently; then, you and your little family went about creating the earth-"
"The universe."
"Right. The universe."
"This universe."
"But what about the other worlds then?" the medicine man's eyes chimed against my cheek, stirring with each breath, Balder's gleaming smile still infuriating me, "The parallel universes you kept on rambling about. The choices people make, and the worlds that are created from it-"
"No, no," he shook his head against the stone, fair curls brushing, his eyes still dancing up to the golden roof, smile cracking a brilliant white, "We didn't have anything to do with those. After The Void, we created this world, this world, these animals and spirits and human beings-"
"What about the zillions of alternate realities?"
"We didn't create those."
What?
A finger snapped up to rub away the knot in my temple.
"Ok. So you're telling me that you created this universe, this world, but not the other innumerable parallel universes that you know so much about?"
A cheeky smile.
"Yup."
Another sigh.
"Then, who did?"
This time, Balder just shrugged his massive golden shoulders.
"Now, that's the question, isn't it?"
I wanted to punch him again.
For the next minute or so, we sat in silence, listening to the gurgling waters as my mind whirled with thoughts, churning with all the facts, still trying to understand. Teeth bit hard down against my lower lip as I thought and thought, my mind a clutter of whirling wind, of sandstorms and hurricanes, the facts, the newly-acquired facts pushing past the sceptic barrier, trying to verify with my logical side. Fingers numbed and boots drummed as I sat in silence, thinking so very hard, and so very long….
Balder kept smiling at the roof.
Finally, after a long breath, I spoke again, voice bitter in my throat.
My heart wouldn't stop screaming.
"Where am I from then?"
"What do you mean?"
"You said that after The Void was destroyed, you and the other gods created this world and only this world. This is your universe. The other alternative worlds are not your creations. Where does that put me than? Where am I from?"
His smile was like a brand of white against his dusky skin.
I gulped.
"One of the other alternate universes."
"Which one? Whose?"
"Don't know. Lost count."
I rolled my eyes.
"Do you even count?"
"It's not my fault!" he whined, his accented voice rolling about the golden cave as he pouted helplessly, sounding evermore like an irksome child, a brat, "I'm bad at numbers-"
"What kind of god doesn't know math?"
"I'm the god of light and peace! I'm not Thoth! If you want someone to play around with numbers for you, find him, not me- besides, he will never be as pretty as me-"
"Right. Because being pretty is extremely important."
"Of course it is! It's up there, just below bananas."
I began to rub both temples.
I'm going to kill him.
I swear, I'm going to murder-
"Ok," I cleared my throat, pushing back the pulsing annoyance, the boiling frustration that roiled beneath my skin, teeth clenched hard together, Balder still smiling up at that roof, "So let me try this again. There was The Void; you and your family came out of it; you destroyed it; then you guys created this world and all that lived in it, people and all-"
"Well, we took turns actually; my sister, Gaia, created you humans, while Hel had her own creations-"
"Yeah, yeah….but what happened after that?"
"Huh?"
"The story," I nodded my head, reining in my pulsing frustrations, biting down on my tongue, golden locks whishing like fair thread, "Your story. You had this new world, this new place. What happened to it?"
For a second, Balder didn't say a word.
Not one word.
His breath was so very sweet.
So sweet.
Then, in the quiet of the rushing stream, he spoke again, his plain, strong voice catching on that dreamy tone again, that whimsical nature, as if he had taken a breath and fallen right back into the thick fog of dreams.
The fog of memories.
His voice was just a whisper.
"Well, what always happens to new worlds; it prospered. It grew, " golden curls shivered, blue eyes fading once more the bright ceiling, smile spreading like a vapid fog, each breath like a dream, his voice gliding far away, lost, adrift over a pale sea of thoughts, "Together, my brothers, sisters and I created this garden, this playground; it was our home, you see. Our new home. We came out of the darkness and created a wonderland, a paradise, a place that we could live in, a place that we could love. We created life for our companions, our partners- some of my siblings wanted worshippers, really, and others like me just wanted companions, friends, comrades and alliances, life to share our world with, life to make it all that more grand. It was quite beautiful, really, quite astounding, quite peaceful. So many bananas."
"Sounds like the historical stories of my own universe."
"Every alternate universe shares the same stories and same history as this one. You all share our history, but you all have different outcomes."
"But why is your universe in the 18th century? Mine is in the 21st century."
"Time parallel."
What?
"What?"
"Time parallel, Joey," his voice was still so lost, so very lost, his smile lopsided, carefree, fair locks bristling against his lost eyes as he stared up into another time, another place, "When we created this universe, we first let things carry on smoothly. Time moved. Human beings, the children of Gaia, grew; modelled after us, they began to spread, growing in size and strength. The nymphs had several too, but not as much as the humans, as the mortals. It really was a trial-and-error when it came to creating life, the different races of life, but after millions of years, my sister finally it got it right with the humans. The mortals. Your race. You were brilliant. Brilliant creations. Vulcan was often jealous but even he could not deny her creation; you mortals were the perfect companions, the perfect life."
"Perfect."
"Yes. Perfect. You were modelled after us, but were mortal, beings without a single shred of magic, completely vulnerable. A violent race, perhaps, brutal and evil, but admirable companions. Great companions."
I cleared my throat.
"Why?"
He sounded like a dream.
"Maybe because you worshipped us, all over the world. Unlike the nymphs and daemons and shifters and witches, you lot actually knew who your masters were. You were grateful. You worshipped us, honoured us in your several tongues, naming us and sacrificing for us. The northern people were especially kind to me."
"Europeans?"
"Aye. But the others too, all about the world. We were worshipped. We were loved. The ancients of the human race revered us."
I fingered the medicine man's eye.
"What does this has to do with the year?"
A sigh drifted through his full lips.
"What is it with you and time?"
"Just answer the question."
"It isn't really important -"
"What happened?"
"Time parallels, Joey, time parallels."
What?
"What?"
"Don't ask me," there was a languid drawl beginning to inch into his voice, gnawing at the edges of his wistful tone, golden curls pensive, "One of the rules."
"What rules?"
"You know. The rules."
"Balder-"
"It's just how it works, Joey, just like how the parallel universes exists, the different choices, the different outcomes. Things change in alternative realities, and so does time."
"I don't understand."
A long sigh.
"Time parallels; when life changes in the new alternate universe, time does as well, moving very differently from the universe it was created from and hence, from this original world. Time moves differently in all worlds, in all realities, some at hyper speed, some incredibly slow. You could have made that choice to come down and find me only a few hours ago, but the alternate reality created for the other choice, the one where you had departed for the ships, could already see you back on land, nursing you wounds-"
"I don't-"
"Time is a shape-shifter, Joey, moving differently for everyone."
Silence.
Clawing, gnawing silence.
"That doesn't make sense."
"Yes, it does."
"No, it doesn't. Where's the maths? There's got to be some calculations-"
"Would you just shut up about the maths?"
"It just doesn't make any sense!"
"Nothing does!" with a sudden whip of golden curls, Balder suddenly twisted his head around, his voice rising to crash against the golden walls, his blue eyes wide and bright, the distant fog that had coated his voice, his body, his mind dissipating, melting away, light and strength prancing in his eyes, waking again, "I have been trapped here for over 4000 years! You would think that I have been out of touch for a little while!"
"Fine!" I rose my voice to match his, a growl biting at the back of my throat as I returned his bright glare with my own, teeth grinding together, stomach churning tight, anger beginning to prick against my skull, "Then explain something you do know! Something that you owe me!"
"Owe you?"
"After everything you put me through-"
"You mean-"
"Fuck, just tell me something!"
For a moment, for a still, silent moment, my heart froze as Balder just stared at me through the shivers of his golden curls, eyes bright and alive, lips pulled tight, nose sharp. His chest heaved softly, breathing in the dank air in long deep breaths. Wooden flute twirled like a summer's dance.
Water giggled like a fairy's laugh.
Breath drew, ragged and raw.
Heart felt cold and dead.
His voice was a whisper.
"Want to hear about the time I died?"
OK!
So there it was.
Please tell me if you found it hard to understand and if my writing is too messy! I myself got quite lost half the time, so please leave reviews on wherether it was too complicated to be interesting.
Also, please leave any comments about how the story is going so far. Do you like it? LET ME KNOW! Thanks for everything and see you soon!
XOXO
