Back in Asgard from her New World trip, Nanami silently stealthed her way past the guards on duty with ease. Like a phantom with no real identity, she jumped between each flicker of torchlight, hiding inside the darkness invisible to normal eyes. Even the watchful eyes of the Valkyries failed to notice Toreii's youngest daughter, as Nanami's presence was nothing more than a gentle breeze through the stone hallways. Slipping by the guards, she only stopped once she was inside of Toreii's shared bedchamber.
Frigga was alert and ready with her red-tipped blade drawn directly at the sudden intrusion. Born and raised as a warrior at heart, marriage and motherhood did little to slow her trained instincts. Despite not being able to see who had entered their sacred bedchamber, the Queen of Asgard knew well enough the only person's identity brave enough to enter without notice. Sighing inside and silently mouthing, 'Forgive me…' to the shadow standing at their doorway, Frigga put away the demonic sword back into its icy sheath after her realization.
Although there was a chance it could not have been Nanami, but an actual assassin, Frigga doubted there could ever be anyone capable of concealing themselves as well as Odin's own daughter. Getting out of bed with as little movement as possible as to not wake her beloved, her bare feet shivered at the cold chill of their stone flooring. Greeting her newest daughter at the door, Frigga welcomed the quiet girl back.
Getting close enough to see Nanami's proper form, she continued their silent conversation after learning the girl's ability to read lips several nights ago. Although they could continue communicating, it would very much be a one-sided talk. Still, wanting to get along better with the girl, Frigga gently led her by the hand to a small table with a tea set. Normally, she would have had the maids prepare refreshments for their guest, but given the circumstance, Frigga did not mind doing it herself.
Since visiting her beloved's second home, she has received a variety of gifts from Viridi. From fresh fruits to dried fruits, nuts and mushrooms, or even tea leaves, the angelic elf had a natural talent for picking the best produce, better than the best merchant in all of Álfheim. Given the busy schedule of both husband and wife, Frigga barely had the time to formally write a letter expressing her gratitude to the elf.
With Nanami seated, Frigga wasted no time procuring the special blend of tea leaves gifted by Toreii's eldest daughter. Having hidden the gifts in a place the maids would not discover, the ceremonial tea procedure was similarly performed as silently as possible. Placing the tea bag into the white, porcelain teapot, she poured water into it from an enchanted pitcher which would never run out or get cold, maintaining the not-quite-boiling water forever as soon as she closed the lid on the teapot with no need for an open flame.
Bringing over a small lantern, Frigga's eyes slowly adjusted to the yellow glow of its light. On the lowest setting, the lantern's light barely covered the end of their small table, but it was enough to peel away the black shadow Nanami seemed to be always covering herself with naturally. The girl's bright purple eyes were attentive as always, matching the monk robes she always wore. Unlike their last meeting, however, the quiet girl left a piece of parchment on the table. Held shut by a ribbon of white silk, Frigga guessed it was probably addressed to her beloved.
Even though Nanami had come for business reasons, Frigga beckoned for the girl to at least stay for some tea. Seeing as the girl did not move from her chair, she was somewhat relieved her newest daughter was not outright avoiding her. To switch from such an outgoing son — the likes of Thor — to someone who avoided words like the plague like Nanami was a rough start to their relationship. She did not know how to handle their little interactions very well, but she chalked it up to Nanami's shyness and her own rigidity.
Pouring for Nanami first, and then her own, the hot steam of their brownish tea wafted in the air, filling it with an earthy scent. Judging from the smell alone, Frigga would have given Viridi's brew solid remarks, on par with even Álfheim's finest. Taking her first sip, her drinking posture was typically socially-appropriate. Under the guise of drinking her tea, she watched anxiously for Nanami's reaction.
Noticing the familiar scent of her older sister's tea leaves, Nanami knew for certain the quality was assured. Taking her own sips of the tea, she quietly enjoyed the moment with her new stepmother. It was a new and unexpected venture for her, but Nanami was willing to give the benefit of the doubt to Frigga, if only for her mother's sake. There was no denying Toreii's dependency on the Queen's talents, as she was more than capable of doing any kind of busy work with due diligence every time.
Silently sipping away at the tea, the yellow glow of the lantern was slowly replaced by the sun's. Red and orange streaks lit up the sky as dawn finally broke. For Asgard, a giant floating city in the sky, first light would always hit them before anyone else. Clocks were not always employed by the Asgardians when most would rise and fall with the sun. As for Toreii, it was not the bright yellow sun which awoke her, but the imaginary grumbling of her stomach.
As Ai was no stranger to waking up well past noon on days she could, her only alarm clock on those days was her hunger. Today was also such a day, but since her involuntary starvation was more than a month long now, sleep was an afterthought. Gently rousing from her warm and comfy bed sheets, there was a lapse in her memory of how she even got to bed. Driven by her most basic instinct, Toreii rolled out of bed without any consideration for her whereabouts out of habit.
Had Nanami not intervened once more, the young deity would have surely landed on the hard stone below face-first. Groggy and hungry, Toreii fumbled aimlessly in Nanami's grasp, still half-dreaming of all the food she never ate. The faint sound of Frigga's voice echoed in her ear, as the gears in her mind slowly began working again from their nightly rest.
"Are you alright, my beloved?" Frigga asked, knowing well enough of Nanami's capabilities by now.
Forcing herself to focus through rubbing the tiredness out of her eyes, Toreii saw the admiring eyes of her youngest daughter. Holding her softly in a princess hold, Nanami let her stabilize before the deity touched the ground again. Of all her senses to wake up the fastest, her nose quickly picked up on the tea's strong aroma. Having neither the time or luxury to try it in her own world, the earthy smell was a new sensation for her.
"I'm… fine," Toreii yawned with tears in her eyes. Still trying to shake off her half-asleep mind, she floated to the freshly poured tea cup Frigga had ready for her. Although it was not solid sustenance, anything to fill her stomach was worth her entire fortune at this point. Unfamiliar with the ways of tea, Toreii gulped half the cup without consideration for the taste or temperature. Bitterness twisted her taste buds while her throat suffered in burning agony from the unexpected chug. Launching into a coughing fit, Toreii wondered if she should drink again to calm her throat.
"My beloved, are you well?" Frigga gasped while lightly patting the tiny deity on her back. Never once had she watched anyone down tea in such a manner, and wondered why the Allfather, of all people, would put himself through such pain so early in the morning.
Unable to speak yet, Toreii merely waved her hand in the air to reassure her wife she was, in fact, not dying. There were many stupid things she had done in her life, but choking on hot tea was the newest thing added to the long list now. Drinking the rest of the tea properly this time, she calmed her throat enough to ease the worried glances Nanami and Frigga looked at her with, as her body's natural resistance to heat damage superficially kicked in immediately.
One surprise after another – Toreii noticed for the first time her usually quiet daughter drinking tea with an Asgardian without her asking them to. Despite her earlier apprehension of mingling her own NPCs with the Asgardians after seeing their first interaction together, it was a nice surprise to see them getting along without causing any trouble. All in all, ignoring the tea fiasco, it was a great start to her day.
Getting her mother's attention, Nanami obediently handed off the neatly-tied parchment to the deity. Proud to be of use to both her mother and older sisters, Nanami silently watched Toreii's reaction and waited for the praise to start flowing… any second now. However, her smile slowly weaned after Toreii continued to read in silence, flipping the parchment over to the other side to see if there was more to it, rereading it several times, but still coming to the same conclusion.
Hoping she was only getting punked by her daughters, Ai searched desperately for some kind of sarcasm hidden within the report. Furling and unfurling the scroll again and again, each time, more of her pool of hope evaporated into smoke.
With emotions running high inside of her mind, she spoke her train of thought aloud, "YOU DID WHAT?!"
The Shinto Deity maniacally paced in a circular loop around the guilty party. Her eldest and second eldest daughters both had their heads closely pressed onto the ground in a regretful bow. Fear easily surrounded them along the pitter patter of their mother's footsteps, like a shark circling a struggling fish. Right behind them, also bowing with shame, were Vy and Nanami, unable to look Toreii in the eye as they awaited her judgement.
Hiding behind the Parthenon's alabaster columns were the other elves, silent and unable to breathe, lest they drew attention to themselves as well.
At the bottom of the steps was the only non-guilty party in this huge mess Toreii had deal with: Thassa, the Atlantean mermaid. The second-youngest Noble Sister was wearing a golden tiara with matching gold seashell bra, proud to showcase she was the most well-endowed among all her sisters. Resting her tail upon a similarly gold trident, she floated inside her magical bubble of water so clear it invisible to notice from afar, blending with the air effortlessly. Like her oldest sister, her ears were similarly pointy, but unlike the traditional depictions of a mermaid, she lacked any visible gills on her chest or neck.
Joining her was Frigga, sitting awkwardly at the bottom of the steps. From the moment they entered the Parthenon to now, no words were spoken besides the occasional grumbles Toreii accidentally let out, her anguish clearly reaching its boiling point. Every now and then, she thought to break the silence for the sake of her newly-discovered daughters, but the pacing Allfather made her reconsider putting herself on the line of fire.
No, she was mistaken earlier. There was another sound within the Parthenon: the gentle splashing of fountain water, and the muffled screams of a female elf, tied up and gagged struggling against her restraints. Other than the unknown new prisoner, no one made a peep.
The gears inside Ai's mind had stopped spinning a while ago. At first, she thought about what to say to her daughters, which eventually degraded to only thinking about what to say full stop. Not so long after that, her mind went numb and devoid of all legible thought. She was shocked and flabbergasted – never once did she give any orders to Viridi or Eos allowing them to do as they pleased in the New World. It was one thing to allow Nanami to observe the humans she was tracking… and it was another to fight in an all-out racial war!
Switching between tightly grasping her mouth shut and palming her frustration out onto her reddened forehead, all Ai wanted to do now was scream from the bottom of her heart. The only order she explicitly gave her eldest was to teach Vy some magic. How her NPC interpreted the command to 'finish this racial war' was beyond her comprehension.
She honestly did not know what to do.
In the back of her head, a tiny silver lining tried to cheer her up, 'At least it wasn't Thor!'
Her situation was now akin to losing a couple of city-wide destructive missiles and using the defense of 'I still have my nuke right here!' at her Hague trial. What exactly did she have to do? Viridi and Eos already spent most of their lives inside of the Parthenon anyway. She could not take away their levels, nor did she have any room to store their equipment if she were to do so. The biggest hit to her mental health right now was the loss of her cash item.
According to Nanami's report, her Super-Tier cash item had been used to wipe out the orcs invading the elven nation. She thought nothing of it at first, considering she used her own stash all the time during solo raids. The glaring problem which struck her like an ax to the head was the fact her NPC so readily used it… right in front of the New World natives. Without Yggdrasil's servers running anymore, restocking her cash items was unlikely, so what she had on hand would be her only supply. On the brightside, Vy was the only native left alive who saw Eos use her [Hourglass].
Most of the orc army had been wiped out by Eos while Nanami watched for deserters and escapees, killing everyone her older sister did not. It was troubling to think her NPCs were completely fine with wiping out millions of lives, as long it somehow fell in line with Toreii's orders. 'Mom said it's my turn to genocide!' kept playing over and over inside her head as she tried to rationalize what her daughters had done. She was not exactly a pacifist herself, considering her own killing of the hydra not too long ago, but it technically was only a single kill.
She was at her limit.
Breaking out of the infinite loop around her daughters, Toreii made her way to the water fountain. All eyes watched her closely, including Viridi's and Eos'. Ignoring the surprised look from the tied-up elf, Toreii dunked her entire head into the cooling water of the basin. Shocked gasps spread behind her as the deity screamed like a banshee. Letting out all her frustration at once, the water muffled her voice while air bubbles trickled up.
Ai had no experience being a mother. Gaining three sons, a daughter-in-law, and four of her own daughters at once made her life ten times more challenging. All of her children were gods in their own right, so how exactly could she punish them? She wished her own mother was here now. None of her self-help books had sections on mother-daughter relationships and it was not like she had online forums anymore.
A light tap on her shoulder brought Toreii back to reality. Bringing her head back up, Frigga's concerned eyes were the first to greet her strained sanity. Seeing the Queen of Asgard again slowly cleared the cobwebs in her brain.
Reminded of her wife's place in Asgard and whom she had to raise, Toreii thought to herself, 'Frigga handled Thor and Loki by herself, didn't she? Maybe I should ask her! But… Viridi and Eos might think I'm a bad mom if I let someone else parent them…'
It seemed the time spent learning how to be a king severely hindered her ability to learn how to be a proper parent. Ever since her NPCs became her real-life daughters, Toreii was only ever concerned with ruling the Asgardians. By ignoring her children, it came back to bite her. As she was now the Allfather and mother to the Noble Sisters, she had to make time for all of them. Releasing a tired sigh, the throbbing of too many facepalms remained on her wet face.
Heading back to her daughters with a worried Frigga right behind her, Toreii gently rubbed the bridge of her nose like she was still wearing her real-life glasses. In and out, one deep breath after another, she closed her eyes to calm her nerves. These were not gods she was dealing with, but instead kids who took her credit card to buy fireworks to kill ants with — it was the closest real-world comparison she could currently make. The scale might have been off by a large amount, but Ai needed to normalize her problems right now.
Grabbing everyone's attention again by clearing her throat, she spoke first to the sisters, "Viridi, Eos." The duo lifted their heads to meet Toreii's gaze, worry and fear running through their eyes. Taking a load off, the young deity lazily stretched her legs while sitting on the lowest rung of the stone steps. What exactly was she feeling right now? Anger? Disappointment? Perhaps even scared… for the safety of everyone involved?
"I know both of you did what you did with the best intentions in mind, but… you should always tell me beforehand. I'm not saying you always have to ask for permission, but at the very least, I should know what you two are doing. Please also keep in mind I do not like to be surprised with news – good or bad. What you two did was for the sake of teaching Vy magic… and I understand that. What I will not condone, however, is the free use of your magic, skills, and my items. I know it was Eos who used the cash item, and it was also her who used the Super-Tier spell, but it was ultimately you, Viridi, who called her. Both of you will share the blame for this."
Undecided on how exactly to punish them, Toreii would have to ask Frigga later in private. For now, all she could muster was the groundwork of their newfound parent-child relation. All her experiences of motherhood were examples from her own mother… and mostly self-reflection of how cringy she was growing up. She had to be stern, but not overbearing. Her daughters needed to think for themselves, as Toreii was also needed by the Asgardians.
Looking now to Vy and Nanami, their involvement was not on the scale of the two eldest Noble Sisters. Toreii honestly felt bad for the elfling, considering the unexpected field trip took her right to the epicenter of her race's worst enemy. Starting with her youngest daughter first, she spoke in a gentler tone, "Since you were just listening to your older sisters, Nanami, I don't see the main fault falling to you, but… Please contact me next time, no matter how busy I may be or how insignificant you think the situation is."
The quiet girl was on the verge of tears while waiting for her mother's judgement. Relieved at the light outcome of her Toreii's wrath, she still prayed for forgiveness for her older sisters. Nodding her head in agreement, she ingrained her mother's words permanently into her memory.
Toreii did not understand why Vy had stood with her daughters like she was just as guilty as them. If anything, the princess was a victim who suffered from her daughter's misunderstandings of Ai's intentions. She wanted to put dealing with the New World and its natives off temporarily, but it seemed her plans had accelerated themselves. The elven kingdom was going to start asking important questions, and Toreii needed to be there to lie about all of them. If Nanami had truly eliminated every witness in the horde army, then only those left in the human alliance should have any knowledge of her daughters and their capabilities.
"Princess Vy," said Toreii. Immediately upon speaking her name, the child tensed up like a deer in headlights. Since the report was from Nanami, she expected some bias in her daughters' favor. Looking to get a second opinion, she gingerly asked lighthearted questions for the fearful elf, "Please be at ease; I know your involvement was forced upon you. Is there anything you wish to say to me?"
"Yes…" Vy barely squeaked out. Being on the frontline of the battle and witnessing what a demigod was capable of achieving, her imagination of Toreii's own might frightened her. Still, she was not blameless in all of this. Mustering all the courage her aching heart could handle, she spoke her own truth, "Please do not get angry at Lady Viridi or Lady Eos. Fault should solely fall onto me and me alone. It was my greed for learning higher-tier magic which pushed Lady Viridi to do what she did. I instigated all of this; therefore, I am the original sinner."
Shocked by the confession, Toreii looked back to her daughters, "Is what she said true, Viridi?"
"No, Mother. There were a multitude of ways for me to teach Princess Vy higher-tier magic without involving her and the outside world. Had I used better discretion, all of this could have been avoided. Only I should be seeking your forgiveness," said Viridi stoically and without hesitation.
Although Toreii was proud to see the maturity her eldest daughter had, Viridi's student quickly shifted the blame onto herself again, immediately following the ancient elf's response. "That is not the full story, Mistress Toreii. My persistence for learning the 7th-Tier was what ultimately caused Lady Viridi to accelerate my lesson plan and to go to such extremes. Were it not for my selfish need for power, much of the bloodshed could have been avoided," interjected Vy.
"Please disregard the nonsensical rambling of my apprentice, Mother. As her teacher and mentor, all responsibility for her will rest with me. All parties involved started with me asking for their help, so only I am truly at fault," snapped Viridi.
As the princess was unable to see the bigger picture, Viridi was trying to limit the damage as best she could in a way she could somewhat control. If anyone could handle the full anger and wrath of Toreii's fury, as the deity's eldest daughter, Viridi should be the first line of flesh wall. Looking at her mother straight in the eyes, the ancient elf's main concern now was directing Toreii's attention to her.
Toreii watched Vy fumble through her own thoughts for a counterargument to Viridi, but Ai had decided she heard enough already. Halting any comeback the princess was formulating with a wave of her hand, Toreii went back to her silent mulling. She needed the punishment to have positive effects overall, while masking her intention of keeping a closer watch on their actions from now on. Explicitly restricting them to only the Parthenon would not change much from their usual lives, but Toreii feared resentment starting among the sisters if only Nanami had exclusive rights to the New World.
Worse yet, she still had no plans for the elven kingdom. Ten million orcs did not just magically disappear in a single day without someone noticing, especially when Super-Tier spells were involved. Toreii would have to make a statement sooner or later, lest someone else would claim credit for her children's efforts. Contemplating whether her children's existence would be the New World's downfall, Ai felt like a terrible mother for thinking so low of her own flesh and blood.
"Viridi and Eos, your punishments will be equal to each other's. I'll give you more details when I get back from the elven kingdom," a disgruntled Toreii announced.
As she was preparing to use the same sigil her daughter had inscribed onto the city limit, the Queen of Asgard quickly got Toreii's attention. "Pardon my intrusion, my love, but are you heading there immediately?" asked Frigga. A quizzical look from the inexperienced ruler told the Queen all she needed to know. "As the Allfather, your unannounced presence in another kingdom might be seen as a declaration of war, by either our people or theirs. If your attendance is truly needed within this elven kingdom, please let me send a messenger first. It should take only a week at most, I promise you. A King as great as you cannot be received without notice," beckoned Frigga.
Letting out a tired sigh, Toreii agreed, "Do as you wish. I trust your judgement." As someone who never got around to a problem once it left her mind, Ai hoped deep within her heart it was more of an official visit than a national event.
Since the start of the week-long wait, Toreii had been watching her daughters carry out their punishment with diligence. With the intent to keep a closer on them without either of them suspecting it, both of them were moved up to Odin's castle. Viridi had been tasked with becoming Frigga's personal handmaiden, following the Queen wherever she went and waiting on her. As for Eos, she had joined the ranks of the Valkyries, serving as a squire to Lady Sif.
Now being able to keep watch on their whereabouts without worry, all Toreii had to do was prepare for the visit to the elven kingdom. Although they were being punished, both of her daughters did not seem to mind as they were now able to see their mother on a daily basis. Still, Toreii felt a tinge of regret leaving Thassa to guard her Parthenon by herself, especially with the needs of the elf refugees. There was not much she could do beside visiting the Atlantean every time she returned to her second home.
On the day of their arrival, the tallest tower in all of Asgard glowed a rainbow of colors, and the [Bifrost] teleported the Asgardians to their first New World encounter.
A/N: Thank you guys for reading and your patience. I've been trying to keep the updates consistent and have read your feedback. I'll try to get new chapters out faster in the future.