Warning

I must warn you. English is not my native language, so from time to time you will find some peculiar (as in outrageous) uses of the English language. Please, be tolerant and let me now to fix them. Then, try to enjoy the Story.

The Order of the Mortal Knights
by Elnauhual

Fan fiction, based on the characters and universe of
-Oh my goddess- by Kōsuke Fujishima.

Chapter II

The Enchantress

Keiichi had finished his breakfast, and was waiting for Belldandy to sit next to him. The aroma of tea that was being prepared fitted perfectly the moment. Belldandy was humming a joyful tune while she cleaned and ordered the kitchen. It did not mattered how much work she did, the time for cleaning always matched the time for the tea mix to deliver the optimal flavor. She neither need to think about it, simply, it was they way it should be.

Keiichi enjoyed watching her moving around. Like a well-rehearsed piece of dance choreography, at the same time it was so natural and spontaneous. He was delighted just watching her to collect, wash, dry and store everything properly. She always looked so perfect, so elegant and yet she finished it all in a quarter of the time he would have taken.

Finally, she sat next to him in a delicate and elegant movement. They had time to enjoy some tea, before leaving to their work at Whirlwind, the small motorbike workshop they worked.

While technically Keiichi wasn't still and engineer, he already had acquired great skills thank to the opportunities to design, play and explore he had in the workshop. Chihiro, his boss, had recognized his talent and was helping him to develop. Maybe in the future he would need to choose between this little workshop or to work for a big company, but at this moment none of this was on his mind, he just watched the goddess that lived with him.

Belldandy as a goddess, did not need to eat but enjoyed tea and have developed an art at making her own blends. There was perfect balance in the aroma of this blend, one of her specialties. This blend had sharpened Keiichi´s senses, since it was filled with Belldandy´s presence. He could feel the warmth of her body and the sweet scent of her presence as if they were part of the blend. It seemed that it would be a perfect day. He cast his eyes over Belldandy without saying a word, they were unnecessary.

When he met Belldandy for the first time, he felt awkward during those silences. He had felt like a fool with nothing to say, but now he knew that sometimes words were not necessary, so now he just smiled at Belldandy and she corresponded with her smiling eyes, then she rested her head on Keiichi´s shoulder. Keiichi smiled with pleasure, because he treasured those briefs contacts. Yes, it would be a perfect day!

Suddenly he remembered something.

-Belldandy, I noticed Urd is not in her room. Has she been called to heaven or something?.

By experience, Keiichi already knew that Urd disappearances were signs of problems. To Keiichi´s the disappointment, Belldandy straightened and smiled gently at him. She knew where his thoughts were going at.

- No Keiichi-san, this time it is somewhat less dramatic. Urd got up early today because she was going to Chiba university, there is a book she needs and she found it at the University´s library.

-Urd went to a library? To a University library?

Keiichi was surprised, since usually the only thing that Urd seemed to read were shōjo manga, although recently she had begun to use Keiichi´s computer to visit some Internet sites.

A couple of months ago, Keiichi had enjoyed a few moments of fun, as he had to explain the operation of "that primitive machine" to the Sysop of what was possibly was the most powerful computer system of this and other universes. Once past the initial frustration, however, Urd had mastered the computer and showed to Keiichi things he never thought his old model would be able to do. His battered computer was now unrecognizable after Urd´s "optimizations".

At his surprised look, Belldandy felt necessary to provide further details. With and innocent grin she said:

- You might have noticed Urd's potions not always work as planned- Keiichi gasped indignantly! More than once, he had suffered from the side effects of her potions, which he considered dangerous and unstable. Though he acknowledged that occasionally, they could be useful. - I know what you think, that all the failures are due to her impulsiveness, and that she does not measure consequences. That is not the only reason they occasionally fail. Since my childhood, I was impressed by Urd's potions and how powerful and precise they were. It was not until she came to earth to live with us that they slowly began to fail and become unstable. She has a talent for potions and she is very proud of it, so this problem has caused her great frustration.

-But ... Are there no books or whatever they use in Heaven, much more advanced than we possibly could have on earth?

Belldandy's expression got a bit more serious. Keiichi´s words had apparently touched a nerve.

-Keiichi-san. In Heaven, you will find very little information about potions. Gods are proud to use their magic directly, and for most of them, indirect use, like the using potions, is seen in a similar way as using home remedies on earth. Do you remember how Peorth messed one of Urd's potions? -Belldandy flushed slightly at that memory since that potion had messed wit her sexuality, then continued - She thought it was something easy to do. Almost all the gods think they know everything about them. I myself have hurt my sister expressing similar opinions, but I have witnessed the power of her potions.

Keiichi pondered a bit as he digested this information. There was one aspect of Urd that he did not know. After the passion she showed for her potions he thought they were very important in heaven, and it turned out that gods considered them trivial. Now that he considered it, her actions were actually very consistent with her lack of respect for the opinions of others. It reminded him of Skuld...

-But if the gods consider indirect methods as unworthy, then how about the Skuld's mechanical inventions?

This time, Belldandy close her eyes for an instant, like meditating, and then got closer to Keiichi and began to speak in a slightly lower voice, implying that this was a secret, since she knew that Skuld was near.

-It's the same with her inventions, despite Skuld's constant talk about returning to Heaven. I think she is really happy here because their inventions are admired rather than ignored. Please, do not make a fuss about it. She is very proud, even more than Urd. Now that Skuld is beginning to develop her magic powers, in heaven it would be expected she would stop making inventions.

Keiichi was silent a moment. As an engineer, he had at times marveled at Skuld's creations, but also he felt a bit that although she was able to build some of the most complex devices, sometimes they would just fail because of some basic engineering oversight. He recalled how his sister Megumi had entered a duel of robots with her, just because she pointed out some basic design flaws when Skuld rebuilt his motorcycle.

Keiichi was an engineer who loved the simplicity and elegance of design, something that requires attention to detail, always trying to prevent the unexpected. If he only could teach something to that headstrong young girl ... but, unfortunately, she did not have any respect for him and his "primitive technology"...

Belldandy looked at him quietly with smiling eyes. She no longer needed to read his mind; she knew which direction his thoughts were heading ... and simply told him very quietly...

-Just give her some time, she has more respect for you than she dares to express.-

Belldandy straightened and comment in a normal voice.

-About Urd, you do not need to be concerned. There seems to be a man, a respected teacher, who has collected many ancient potions. From references she found on the Internet about his book, some of the potions are very similar to Urd's. She wants to compare them, and meet the book's author. The author works at Chiba University, just nearby. I'm sure that will not cause any problems.-

Belldandy rarely had been refuted so quickly. Suddenly they heard a noise from Urd's room, and then a worried voice.

-Keiichi, Belldandy, I need your help!-

They got up and ran to Urd's room. They uttered a surprise cry at the sight...Urd was on the floor, holding a man with a bleeding head. When she spoke, her voice was anxious, but at the same time, certain of the situation.

-Keiichi, please help him into my futon and then bring something to wash his wound. Belldandy, I need you to do a healing spell, and I ... I have to prepare something. I do not think that will be easy to explain him what is he doing here, away from University...-

The commanding voice of Urd and the vision of the bloodied man gave no time to ask questions. Keiichi helped put the man on the futon, and then went to fetch water, clean rags and bandages. Belldandy approached and took the hand of man in order to feel and assess his state, and to learn what she need to know about the nasty head wound, but it seemed superficial. More serious was that a brain inflammation was in progress, and it needed to be reversed to avoid damage.

Once she had her diagnosis, she started a Healing song. This was something she enjoyed, as the human body's healing process is like a mob, reluctant to release their resources, often hindering itself, but under the effects of her song, the mob became an army, all body systems began operating in perfect order, and like an army, they could do their job in a fraction of time that a mob would take... the result, well it seemed almost like… magic.

Without a word, to avoid interrupting, Keiichi had begun to clean up blood and could testify how the wound started to heal and how the man's face went slowly from unconsciousness to an easy sleep. He inspected the man's head, and to his surprise, it would not even necessary to put on a bandage. He looked at Belldandy and smiled at her in admiration.

Keiichi, since it seemed that the emergency had disappeared, felt encouraged to ask Urd:

-Who is this man? What happened to him?-

-Oh... this is Dr Shugahara from…

-What? ...You mean, Dr. Shugahara Kenji! The profesor from the Chiba University! Did you kidnap him?-

-No! First, I did not kidnap him, I am helping him, and... -Urd suddenly stopped in surprise at Keiichi´s words -Hey! Do you know him?-

-He's a local celebrity. The Chiba University administration is very proud of him. His is a specialist in ancient remedies and healing plants. I have heard he has managed to develop or improve various drugs which are so effective that they work like magic...

-You say they works like magic? Oh! It seems that this man has many mysteries. Keiichi, I think you know more than me about this man.-

- Not much. I have heard he is also great scholar of Norse mythology and that he also that he has a highly disciplined mind that he uses to learn about many subjects with an ease many of his colleagues and students envy.-

Upon hearing the latter, Belldandy and Urd exchanged questioning glances. In the meantime, Urd had begun to search through her potions. But then she seemed to recall the words of Belldandy that her potions were not working well, and hesitated for a second before continuing.

Urd finally selected a couple of bottles and started to prepare something, but froze when Belldandy suddenly interrupted her song, and spoke with a serious and authoritative voice.

-Urd! What have you done to this man?-

Urd knew that her sweet sister used that tone of voice to get the obedience she wanted. Urd's mother was able to produce the same effect with an amazingly similar voice...

-I didn´t do anything, it was an accident. A bookshelf fell on him.-

-I do not mean that, Onee-sama, this man is in love with you, and it is not the illusory love of your potions, it is something ... something...- Belldandy paused, as she placed her hands on his face -It's something deeper... -She stopped speaking for a moment as if she doubted what she felt. -I sense a very deep feeling into his heart. He is filled with your image and presence.-

-But I have never seen him! I only know him because he is the author of a book about- She paused to think, -ancient potions ... and ... Viking magic?-

Urd stopped talking. She recalled something she had seen while on the laptop, which had darkened its screen in sleep mode, so she reactivated it and to the surprise of Keiichi and Belldandy, her face appeared on the screen. On a second look, it was a drawing made in an antique style, similar to the Roman paintings, and it was a younger face, like a teenager Urd.

Keiichi was the first to ask

-Where did that came from? And who did it?-

Urd replied, but her voice was trembling.

-I think I recognize that style. I once met a man who painted like that. His name was Fafnir, and he lived 1,200 years ago.- Urd's face showed pain at the mention of that name.

Belldandy also was surprised to hear the name, and after meditating she told Keiichi, somewhat abruptly:

-I think we should leave these two. Urd will have to fix some things from her past.- And turning to her sister, said in a serious voice -And please Onee-sama, do not hurt this man. He loves you very much.-

Keiichi wished to protest, but the determined attitude of Belldandy silenced him. It seemed that there was a family problem here, so it was safer not to intervene, yet experience told him that sooner or later, he would be involved.

Urd meanwhile, was left confused. -Deep love? From this stranger?-

It seemed ironic, but she who called herself the goddess of love, with one big exception, had only had affairs. This state seemed infantile compared to the love between Keiichi and her sister.

Even now she was aware that her romance with Troubadour had actually been superficial, and it had been a mortal child who had helped her to regain the illusion of a true love... but this man... and that image... Would it have really had anything to do with Fafnir? A name she tried to forget.

She leaned over the doctor, who looked peaceful with his old-fashioned suit, his hair cut in a conservative way, his thick glasses that made him look like a much older teacher. All the furthest she could think of a possible love. At least, she though as she smiled, he had a beautiful aura. Then she thought aloud.

-Sensei what should I do with you? If what my sister says is right, none of my potions will be able to make you forget, I cannot mess with true love.-

Finally, after much thought, she decided to use an energy potion to reanimate him, merged with another that would make him feel somewhat confused and gullible. This way she would be able to invent a dramatic tale. She gently opened his mouth and dripped in a few drops of her potion.

The Professor suddenly opened his eyes. At first he had a vacant stare, but suddenly he became aware, and rose up at once ... He looked at Urd with incredulous and wondering eyes.

-Where am I? What am I doing here? And most importantly ... Who are you?-

Urd winced ... it seemed the confusing the potion was not working. Indeed, these were exactly the questions she did not want to answer!

Then she noticed that the professor was really making an effort to stay focused, he seemed in the midst of a struggle. He was fighting the potion and was winning. His mind really did seem to be impeccably disciplined.

-Professor Shugahara, please calm, you had suffered a blow to the head, and you must be confused.-

The Professor looked around, trying to identify the place, watching and noting every detail.

-I am not at college, that is clear, it seems this has been the room of a temple, maybe Shinto. I remember there is an inactive temple near, I think near the city ... of Nekomi? Nekomi? Urd... you must be Urd from Nekomi... you wrote me that e-mail? Is this your room?-

Definitely...the potion was not working. Then Urd noticed the professor looked at her with dreamy eyes, and then the questioning words of that the professor made her tremble...

-But... could it be...?. Are you Urth Hétu eina? 'The one named Urth' the 'Darraðarljóð', the enchantress, who lived over 1,200 years ago, the woman who brought joy and dreams to the world, who wove myths and legends, and magic. The one who left magic potions and knowledge that was claimed as supernatural?-

Urd gasped, she had not heard those titles or that language for a long time, and besides that, they fit her description perfectly. Her plan to weave a fantastic tale to a confused teacher, it seemed that was not going to work... The doctor continued his description, as if trying to see what impact it caused.

-It was said she defended women and brought joy to children, but also she enjoyed the sound of the shields and swords in combat, the legends said, that along her sisters, she wove the fates of gods and men in a special cloth, and 'Sjá er orpinn vefr ýta þörmum ok harðkljáðr'- the schollar suddenly uttered those words in ancient tongue while he watched Urd with curiosity.

By then Urd, or to be more precise 'Urth'... was doing a perfect imitation of a fish out of water... gasping ... yes she had written those words... -The cloth was spun with the intestines of warriors killed in combat...-

-Intestines of men? ... Ugh, no I would never do something like that...-

-Aha! So you also understand the Old Norse language...-

Urd realized she had fallen into a trap! Suddenly, the doctor saw his laptop, and then stared at her, and his eyes filled with moisture...

-I must be dreaming, you cannot be could it be really possible that you were one of the Norns... and ...-

The doctor approached Urd, and with great tenderness, ran his fingers over the marks on her beautiful face, but without touching them, as if he feared they would vanish.

-Urd ... How many times have I dreamed of being in front of you, meet you and hear in your voice those fantastic stories, filled with myths ... I ... I wish...-

Urd began to understand. This man was in love with... Urth, legendary character from 1,200 years ago. That young, impulsive, sensitive, wild girl... who had killed a man...That Urth she tried to forget, but this man seemed to know everything about her former self. She looked at the doctor, and was surprised... his aura had grown, sign of a very deep emotion, but she needed to stop it...

-Doctor, I'm no dream...-

Impulsively, Urd took the hand of man, who was shaken by her contact, and put his hand on her chest.

-I am a real woman...-

The doctor froze for a moment, feeling under his hand the warm and firm flesh, and felt assaulted with an unexpected wave of sensuality...The feeling was unexpected and he almost felt that his hand was burning, but he did not withdraw his hand...

Urd had to acknowledge that the doctor had a great control... she had almost expected him jump up and run away...

-You are real! Who are you really?-

Urd sighed. She had to make a change in plans, but what could work? Maybe she had to start with some truth.

-Doctor Shugahara, yes, I am called Urd. I am the girl who wrote an e-mail asking you to meet and get a copy of his book. I am a...-

The doctor looked at her; he seemed deeply disappointed ... and interrupted...

-I... I understand. You must be a young woman who wants to learn ancient magic. Like so many new age fans, you're passionate about it, you have learned languages, and you painted your face that way, and… and…

He turned to see the image on the laptop. The lovely face, the facial marks... the ancient language... everything seemed to match. But... it could not be... there was a struggle between what he could see... and what the reason told him. There was no way she could be a girl 1,200 years old...

-I wish so much that you were her... even when reason tells me it's impossible...-

Urd could feel the disappointment and confusion of the doctor, but this confusion was not caused by her potion but by his internal struggle ... She could feel and see his inner passion ... and knew that she was the subject of that passion ... She could not help but feel moved... and yet relieved. Apparently, the doctor was willing to convince himself, that she was only an extravagant girl...

Urd decided it was good time to find out more, and maybe distract him; there was much she did not know. She pointed to the image of the laptop and asked...

-Where does this image come from? Where did you obtain it? Who is she?-

The doctor sighed, trying to regain composure befitting a university professor, and slowly approached the laptop, watching that face tenderly, and then returning to see Urd's face. He doubted... yet he began to explain as if he were in his classroom...

-As far as is known, this girl, called Urth, lived in the seventh century AD, near what is now known as Jutland. It was a turbulent time, as the Emperor Charlemagne was expanding his empire, and was pressing Christianity upon on his subjects. He expanded toward the north; he conquered the country after country, and then…-

He paused, and then continued.

-The empire came to the border of a series of peoples we now call the Norse. They were pagan peoples, almost unknown to the people who considered themselves the most powerful empire in Europe and now they were face to face with that most powerful empire in Europe... Somehow, they managed to keep up their independence, and this young woman had something to do with that...-

Urd suddenly felt weak and trembled... as goddess she had been strictly prohibited from intervening in human conflicts, especially wars... But this man was telling her she was responsible for great changes...

-How she was able to do that?-

-That's the most extraordinary thing, she might not have realized what she was doing, and the details of her story are confusing. I have spent years following her trail...-

-Dr Shugahara … I know that Urth is a mythical character, a mythological goddess... you must be wrong...-

Shugahara opened his eyes, looked at Urd and smiled...

-My colleagues would have said that, so I haven't mentioned it in my writings. I have spent almost decade looking for proofs, information, data, facts, and I have finally found it...-

-I do not understand. That's only a drawing, what have you found?-

The doctor looked at the beautiful face of Urd, and into her beautiful eyes... then sighed and closed his eyes to continue his story...

-I... well, I never have told the full story- He gave a shy smile -I have a reputation to hold, but I feel that I can trust you, and I want to tell this to someone. Years ago when I was a young student, I found an old book about potions and spells... I knew they were mere fantasies, but I was curious, could some of them really work? After all, some traditional medicines really work and we have obtained modern medicines from them. Maybe if I looked into those potions, I could find some new drugs, so I tried those formulas and to my surprise, some of them worked and most important, they worked far beyond what it could be expected from the properties of their ingredients.-

Urd jumped with that simple statement, a mortal man ... making magic potions!

-So I looked for more formulas in ancient books. Most did not work, but I found a group of them that really worked very well. They used similar plants; I used my botanic knowledge to trace the plants and found most were Nordic. I also realized that the language was related to old Norse, so I thought the authors had used the same basic text for their writings. Gradually I found more fragments. A few lines mentioned in books, other fragments in alchemist's texts, found a few in legends and ancient songs. I traced the plants, and their use in herbolary and myths, looking for their origin; Finally I concluded they have appeared between the Norse, around the VII o VIII century.-

-It was long, hard work, I had to learn old languages, old scripts, ancient history, and customs, and ethnohistory. After years, I concluded that they came from a woman, a remarkable woman, who as legends grew, turned into a goddess. I can only guess that, maybe, some of those formulas had existed. She then gathered, refined, and organized them, as she traveled on Norse lands, healing and teaching, but also, telling fantastic stories, which then would become the seed of Norse mythology. Usually myths are based in stories and other myths, but in the VIII centuries, many myths appeared suddenly... as if were created... I think it was her... I am convinced; she created the stories of the Valkyries, the tree of Yggdrasil, the myth of Loki, the myths of Vanir, the Jötnar, the Álfar and the Dvergar and others. My colleges would have thought I was out of my mind, so while I wrote about the things I have learned, I never published my hypothesis.-

-I worked with other scientists to recreate some formulas, to be used as medicines, and they worked remarkably well, so I became a bit famous. Nobody cared about where my ideas came from, only that they worked, so I had almost unlimited resources to continue my search. My mysterious woman had captivated my imagination. I do not know how she created those wonderful stories, but they were not only tales, they had also teachings, and as she traveled, people of very different origins learned and they began to feel identified with the stories. So those scattered people, over time, acquired a sense of unity and became one.-

-I can imagine. She went through the villages, teaching women to heal, playing with children, getting drunk and telling stories to the men... Her beauty broke the hearts of men and many tried to force her, but she was also quick-tempered and it seems she was also very strong, so sometimes...- In addition, Shugahara smiled as he imagined the scene -she broke some other body parts...-

Urd could not help but laugh... yes, she had broken more than a nose and at least a few bones... She had been too young, to impulsive and willful, and could not bear impertinent men. The doctor opened his eyes for a moment, discovering that the sound of her laugh filled him with joy, and then closed his eyes to return to his narration.

-And something more extraordinary, she knew how to write. I do not know how, maybe she had contact with the scholars of the empire, though she did not use the Latin alphabet. She wrote using strange symbols that later called runes. There are no runes before her; there is no Norse writing before her. And she used something in that time was still unusual, a notebook.-

Fortunately, the doctor was occupied trying to gather his story, or he would have noticed Urd's agitation. She thought

-My note-book ... can he know about it? I was sure it was destroyed!-

As if on cue, the doctor pointed to his laptop and told her,

-And now I think I have recovered her notebook, and I have it here, scanned on my Laptop.-

-What! How…?-

-Oh... it's a tragic story. She met a man- Urd noticed how his aura changed colors... it looked like jealousy, Then it returned to normal - He must have been an extraordinary young man in order to be accepted by her. They traveled together, and he learned to read runes. I can only guess, maybe he wanted to use that knowledge to have her power, so he stole her notebook...-

Urd shuddered, slowly the words of the doctor began to fade, as the memories began to come and replace them...

(End chapter II - rev5)

Notes:

1: Buddhist or Shintoist? In the text, the Dr. comments it a Shintoist temple, yet in the Anime we see Belldandy polishing a Buddhist statue. This is not contradictory. For what we can see of the architecture of Morisato Residence in the manga, it has details and layout of a Shintoist temple and in Japan is no rare a Shintoist temple became Buddhist and viceversa, so there is no problem.

2: Nekomi is a fictional city, but it has been mentioned is in the prefecture of Chiba, so I took the liberty to move it near Chiba University. Hope you do not mind.

3: Norn language. This language also known as North Germanic; it disappeared near the XV century, and was used by the old Nordic people. It managed to survive in poems and songs until XIX century, but there are no known texts in Norn language, so is comprehensible why it the Dr. was so happy with a VIII century text. The fragments I am using come from the Iceland tradition.