Freyja forced Mabel and Lucas to return to New Bern. They left without arguing, but instead gave her a sad look. They sure didn't want to leave her alone, but nothing could pursuade her. Freyja walked along the road. She headed to the nearest forest. She intended to stay there for a minute. To rest, grieve, and think. Thankfully, the necklace was glowing. She would be able to attract them and keep them focused on her while Mabel and Lucas went back home.
She found a spring in the middle of the forest. She ducked her head right into the water and felt the flow of water around her face. It was fresh, clean, like it could wash away all her sins. Freyja wondered if she should keep on running away. It was inevitable, she had to face them some point in her life. Avoiding it was surely not helping. Freyja flipped her head out of the water. The water drops splashed and fell on her face and neck.
Soon she heard the noise coming from the forest. The Dvergrs were somehow already here and Freyja had nothing planned. She sighed. Maybe the facing-the-problem had to wait a while. First, she needed to plan. So Freyja forced her trembling legs to run. When she reached the field, she realized that the Dvergrs surrounded her and were getting closer. Their sound was heard all around her.
'Shit, shit, shit.' Freyja looked up to the sky. It was impossible to escape, not with her tired body. She tried to look up at something, no, someone out there.
'I know you can see me. Please help me this time.' She silently prayed. She took a deep breath and yelled, "Heimdal!" The noise came closer, "Heimdal! Please listen to me! Help!" She could now spot some Dvergrs coming out to the field.
Just when she was about to give up, a bright rainbow fell down on her from the sky. The sparkling light soon grabbed her and pulled her into the space.
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"What should we do now, sir?" one brave Dvergr asked. Venlingr grabbed his throat.
"What should we do?! She went to Asgard! We cannot strike Asgard again! Not with our force!" He let the poor Dvergr go and took a deep breath.
"We go back to Nidavellir. Let's just hope the girl is thirsty and stupid enough for vengeance." He gritted his teeth.
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Freyja fell flat to the ground. She groaned and tilted her head a little. The Bifrost didn't change much, nor did Heimdal. He stood like a statue, holding a sword. She picked herself up and stared at him.
"If you knew where I was and was able to take me all this time, why did you leave me on Earth?" she looked at him with resentment in her eyes.
"It was Odin's order. We knew you were safe there. But we never left our eyes on you." He spoke in a flat monotone.
"Tell me, if I go to Odin's palace now. He'll send me back to Earth, right? He doesn't like human in Asgard."
"Probably." He's eyes didn't even flicker. She could not see where he was looking at.
"Then why did you answer my call?" Freyja was genuinely curious.
"You were in danger."
"It wasn't the first time." Freyja turned around and headed to the Bifrost bridge. She didn't care about what Odin will say.
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Freyja managed to sneak into the palace without getting noticed. It was harder than she remembered. Maybe it was because she grew bigger, maybe it was because there were more people in the hall than she remembered. Everyone was moving around busily. Freyja retraced her memory and found her father and her chamber.
Though many years have passed, nothing ever changed. She wondered why Odin left this place be. Freyja found few of her dad's armor and weapons. When she was a little girl, she would play with them and get punished. She smiled at the memory.
Freyja walked into her room. It was covered with dolls and toys. Her room looked smaller than she remembered. But everything else, the bed, the toys, even the portrait of her mother was still there. She looked at her wardrobe and realized that those clothes won't fit her anymore. So she went to her father's room to grab some shirt, cape and pants. She got dressed quickly, she even put on her father's armquard and belt.
Freyja lied down on her father's bed. Though she was exhausted a minute ago, she could not rest. She spent her childhood there, but it didn't feel like home anymore. She jumped out of the bed. If she couldn't rest, she might as well get her stress out on something, maybe someone.
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Odin was sitting on the throne alone. Even the guards weren't there. Freyja assumed that Heimdal informed him of her arrival and he was waiting for her. She looked straight into his eye and walked toward him.
"You have changed much," he opened her mouth.
"So have you, you're older than I remember." Freyja didn't bother using formal words. Odin raised his eyebrow but didn't say a word.
"What brings you here?" he finally spoke.
"I was about to ask you something similar, why didn't you bring me here EARLIER?" Freyja felt a rush of anger build inside her.
"If this necklace is the key to your armory, I think you would have sent soldiers to retrieve it, but you didn't. What is this and why are the Dvergrs chasing after it? I believe I have the right to know after all my years of running." Freyja started to raise her voice.
"The Brísingamen has been guarded by your family for centuries. You are your father's daughter and you have the responsibility of defending it. If we thought you were not capable, we would have retrieved it right away." He spoke gently, to ease her anger. But it didn't help.
"ARE YOU INSANE?! SO YOU LEAVE THIS DANGEROUS THING IN THE HANDS OF A LITTLE GIRL?! WHAT IF I FAILED?" She yelled at him. Her angry voice echoed through the hall and she regretted immediately. Hearing her voice in rage was something to be ashamed of.
"…The Brísingamen is not just a key. It holds the power of the 6 materials formed in the early universe. It belonged to the Dvergrs until your family took it from them. The Dvergrs tried to use it to destroy Asgard. If it is handled properly, it could be more powerful than any other weapons in the armory." After a long silence, Odin finally spoke.
"At first, I didn't believe you could protect the Brísingamen and survive in Midgard at the same time. You were only half-Asgardian and I believed you were not capable. But Heimdal said we should give you a chance. He said you could be more powerful than I thought. I guess he was right." His eyes pierced through her like a sword. But it didn't hurt her, it just felt like she was vulnerable, week under his gaze.
"So I was an experiment. Okay, you people are assholes. No Asgardians ever accepted me as their own. You are no different. This doesn't justify your abandonment." Freyja spoke quietly. Suddenly it felt like all her tiredness flooded inside her.
"As you wish to believe. I see there is no point trying to explain it to you now."
Freyja plodded her way out of the throne room. She went to the garden where the soldiers were training. She noticed Frigga, the queen sitting under the tree. Without noticing it, Freyja joined her.
"Nice to see you again, deer." Her voice was sweet, but firm. Like a true queen.
"Hey." Freyja closed her eyes and felt the wind around her.
"I'm sorry you had to go through everything on your own." She said gently.
"Well, the 'All-father' called it was 'giving me a chance'." She still kept her eyes closed.
"I see you'll need someone else to speak. Loki is inside the palace." Frigga gave her a smile. Freyja tried to remember if Frigga was able to read minds.
"Okay. I hoped you'll tender me, but I guess I'm too pissed off for that," with that, she stood up and walked to the door.
It wasn't hard to find Loki, his slender and pale feature was easy to be seen. He didn't change a lot. Nothing in Asgard changed, only her.
"Hi," Freyja tried to speak cheerfully. It has been a long time since they met, anyway. At first, he didn't seemed to recognise her. But soon, he remembered and his eyes grew big and his jaw dropped.
"Freyja? I barely recognised you."
"I do grow up faster than you. Where's Thor?" She asked.
"Vanaheimr," Loki looked at her. "What are you doing here?"
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They sat down on some balcony nearby and talked. Freyja told him about everything that happened to her, and what she heard from Odin.
"Well my father can be cruel sometimes," Loki comforted her.
"What will you do now?"
"I have absolutely no idea." Freyja sighed, some strand of hair fell on her face. Loki gently picked them up and placed it behind her ear.
"If you stay here, the Dvergrs won't dare try to attack."
"IF I stay. Odin won't allow me. I'll never be safe as long as those monsters live. They'll try to steal the necklace and I'll probably die trying to save it. For your stupid KING." She frowned her face.
"Sorry," she had to control her tempers.
"So what do you propose?" he asked.
"I'll have my vengeance and peace." Her eyes glowed.
"I'm going to Nidavellir and put an end to this."
Another chapter for this week! She is finally back in Asgard...Please enjoy!
