Kaisa had missed home. As much as she loved Asgard and everything around it, there was something about Vanaheim that just wasn't in Asgard. It was stepping into an entirely different realm, and she knew that from the very beginning. She had never thought she would miss her old home so much, but here she was in the same carriage that had carried her and Takumi to Asgard in the first place, the two of them arguing the entire time about Asgard and the new Princes, both of them nervous about the new experience. It all seemed like centuries ago, when Kaisa still had a sister.
She closed her eyes and rested her head against the wooden frame of the carriage, feeling the bumps of the road underneath them. Oh, how much they had grown since then! It was only regrettable that their differences would set them apart, and that Kaisa's grandiose night had been ruined by that spiteful little bitch. She sighed and rested her gloved hands in her lap, letting her shoulders relax a little bit. After all, she was in here by herself, and she had no reason to uphold her appearance when she was alone. With a sigh, she glanced out the small window and saw the landscape of the two merging realms pass by, the rainbow bridge underneath them melting into a wormhole that would lead them right back into her home realm.
There was no regret in leaving so quickly for a visit back home. After the last few horrible weeks she felt as though she deserved it. Now, she only planned to stay for a few days, if everything went the way that she planned it.
Of course, there was no telling what would happen. She knew that.
Kaisa straightened herself and brushed back a lock of hair that had fallen from her elegant bun. At least her Father would be happy to see her home for a little while, perhaps holding open wide arms to greet his Princess as she strolled from her humble carriage. It would be a definite relief from the hustle and bustle of Asgard, surely. No more Thor, for a little while. She sighed and stared at the wood jostling back and forth.
Oh, Thor. Her golden-haired Prince. He was nothing like she thought he would be. In her dreams, her Prince was mighty and noble, bold and brave without so much as a hint of fear. There was nothing he couldn't do, nothing he wouldn't do, as he fought for the love of his life. That should've been her. But instead, she got a meek and cowardly ruler, one who would rather make his evil brother smile than the beautiful woman he was supposed to marry. Kaisa could hardly believe it when Thor had defended Loki during the moments of his sour tempers. It was one thing to protect your brother, but it was another to protect your love! Kaisa was utterly frustrated by his lack of care and sophistication.
Not to mention the fact that he was so willing to defend Takumi too, which floored Kaisa beyond all belief. He was supposed to support HER, not her damned sprite of a sister. Kaisa always silently watched as Thor would talk to her in a soft voice, always putting his hands on her shoulders and giving her a hug, comforting and calm with her and even laughing on some occasions. Takumi wasn't such a hoot- in fact, she was nothing more but a mere little nuisance. Kaisa scowled at the remembrance of it all. Especially after the fiasco wedding, when those disgusting creatures had burst in and ruined the entire evening, she had expected Thor to fight them to the death for intruding such an intimate occasion. They had grabbed Takumi and turned her into her true form, the missing daughter of a Muspelhiemian and being of the fire realm. Kaisa remembered her deep disgust at seeing Takumi's true form, her normal facade melting away. Kaisa herself had run off after the wedding, sobbing, expecting Thor to be right on her trail and comforting her all throughout the night. Except he never came, except once to check if she was okay. And it was a meager attempt at consolation too, there was no romance, there was no pity that the wedding was canceled, and there was no talk of rescheduling. Kaisa had spent the next few days sobbing hysterically into her pillow, not even bothering to do her hair or her makeup, hoping that Thor would come and put an end to all her troubles and pain by saying those three little words: "I have rescheduled". But no, there was nothing. To make matters worse, she had heard that Thor was trying to visit Takumi in her own chambers across the palace hall, coaxing her to come out from her chambers and breathe the fresh air, and to talk about what had happened.
Kaisa had gotten so angry that she couldn't stay in the realm of Asgard for one second longer. She left with only a few bitter words: "Speak nothing of this to Takumi. I will be home before she even realizes I am gone."
She scoffed to herself and brushed the wrinkles from her dress. It didn't matter if Takumi knew she was gone or not, anyway. The main goal was to leave without Takumi wanting to accompany her. The last thing her plan needed was to have the Queen Spoiled herself to tag along, complaining along the way that she wanted to run off and explore. No, this trip was for Kaisa only, and she'd finally get some things done. She closed her eyes again, wanting to get some rest before she showed up in her kingdom.
There was only the sound of the carriage moving around her, and that lulled her to sleep.
When she opened her eyes again, there was someone knocking on the carriage door. It was the driver telling her that she was at her destination, and it was time for her to exit the carriage. Sleepily, she stretched and got up, letting her beautiful silk dress fall to her feet. Moving gracefully through the carriage, she opened the door and stepped out into the air, feeling the coolness of the air around them.
Vanaheim was beautiful, as usual. The day was bright and sunny, the skies were different colors and the suns were shining bright. Kaisa stepped out from her carriage and politely thanked the driver before heading up the giant steps to the Vanaheimian palace. It was so shiny, so grand, so familiar and homely. Oh Gods, how she had missed this place. When she got to the top, she just stood for moment, basking in the wind and the warm sun that gently flooded her skin and dress. She closed her eyes and just breathed the familiar air, and when she opened her eyes again, she saw her Father standing in front of the palace doors. He looked more regal and strong than ever, his jaw set in a fine line. He relaxed ever so slightly as he greeted her.
"My daughter. My beautiful daughter." he said in a gruff voice, looking at her with soft shining grey eyes. A small smile flitted over his face, the corners of his mouth wrinkling. "How wonderful it is to see you again, Kaisa. Did the trip here fare well for you?"
Kaisa returned his smile and kissed him on the cheek in greeting. "Of course, Father. It was very soothing. I had much time to think, and I got to see the beautiful landscape of Vanaheim once more. The palace looks every bit as majestic as the day I left."
Sveigoir shook his head and smiled again, placing a gentle hand on her cheek. She felt herself blush a little underneath his gentle touch, as though she was a little girl once more. "Oh no, my darling, it has been so lonely without you here running through the halls and causing havoc with your playmates. And Takumi with her silly little book of outdated magic." He stopped, looking puzzled. "In fact, where is she? I thought she would've accompanied you."
"She has not." Kaisa felt her smile drop a little. Takumi, Takumi, Takumi. Is that all everyone wanted to talk about? Why was she so important? "She is still back in Asgard with Loki, retaining some aspect of comfort after her troubling incident. However, I will explain, Father. We have much to discuss this afternoon."
"Oh?" Sveigoir pulled back and resumed his stoic stance. "I do believe I know what this is about. You wish to speak about the night of the wedding. I can assure you, Kaisa, there is not much to talk about in that regard. It was an accident, a mere souvenir of the dying Muspelheim people. They had one last rebellion against the Asgardian empire before their people were banished from the realm, left to die out alone in another realm with the rest of their species. Your wedding will surely be rescheduled here shortly."
Kaisa's eyes flashed with subtle irritation. "Father, surely you jest. You cannot expect me to fall for something so short of a lie. Besides, I am not worried about another wedding. Thor will see to it that another ceremony is rescheduled, with absolutely no now, I am here to speak about Takumi herself. You were at the ceremony when those creatures invaded the ballroom, and you were there as witness when they had grabbed Takumi by the arm. You, as everyone else, witnessed her transformation. Now, I know nearly nothing about magic, Father, but I know that a transformation like that is only befitting of a spell." Her voice was cold and calculating, each word chosen precisely to have the most effect. And it worked; she watched as Sveigoir flinched for a moment, those grey eyes growing more tired by the second. Kaisa was always good at tearing her father down, even going so far as tearing into the bone to get what she wanted. If that's what it took, she would do it.
"Yes." he said shortly. Sveigoir shook his head and looked towards the door. "I will tell you what you wish to know. But not here, my daughter. There are too many ears and eyes for my comfort. We will go someplace secluded, where you may ask whatever you wish, no matter how private."
"Then lead me." Kaisa gave him a small smile, an innocent smile that held malice in them.
Sveigoir sighed quickly and turned to lead the way, and Kaisa followed shortly after.
Sveigoir had led her to his throne room, a beautiful chair decorated with metallic runes, a symbol of Vanaheimian beauty. The throne was padded with the finest pillows and silks, draped over the arm rests carefully with different embroidered colors from Asgard. Kaisa recognized the different and unique style of stitching. It was a very small room compared to Odin's throne room back in the Asgardian palace, but Sveigoir was much more humble than Odin ever was, and preferred to keep his throne room small so that it was his own private area. The larger arenas were for the public's use, where Sveigoir made many appearances and speeches. But his throne room where only for his closest servants, and of course, his daughters.
He walked over to his throne and sat down heavily, leaning on his cane for support as he took his seat. Kaisa took her own, in an elegant chair across the small room. They were staring face to face now, from Father to Daughter. Kaisa's eyes were cold and angry, her heart filled with bitterness. Would her plan work? She had no way of knowing, but she had to work her words carefully. She knew that anything could happen if she said one wrong thing. It was going to be difficult.
There was a moment of terse silence. Finally, Kaisa gave her Father a smile and folded her hands in her lap, letting them rest gently against the folds of her legs. "Now, Father. Where shall I begin? Allow my curiosity my Great King, for I do not understand. I now know that Takumi is adopted, but how did this slip by unnoticed? You have been clever in hiding this until now, and if those creatures hadn't attacked, none of us would know of Takumi's true form."
"Ah, yes." Sveigoir sighed deeply, stroking his grey beard with his fingers. His eyes were closed as he went deep in thought, his powerful and old mind flipping through thousands of memories. "You see, Kaisa, your mother died when you were very young. Vanaheim was at war, at the time, with Muspelhiem and Jotunheim. This is so very long ago, and I was still a young King, barely fit to rule. Asgard accompanied Vanaheim's aid, and Odin was no older than I when this war occurred. Despite our efforts, the warriors from the enemy realms had infiltrated this castle and was ravaging it through and through, for treasures or food, I am not sure which. But your Mother was trapped within the building, and with nothing to defend herself with. All she had was a squalling child, still a toddler and barely fit to walk. Your mother had no choice- she sacrificed her life so that her baby would live. The Jotunheim soldiers slaughtered her while the rest of the Muspelheim warriors killed off our servants and stole the rest of the riches from the palace.
"I had no inkling of where your mother was, or where you were. I was lost in a panic, trying to find the both of you. When I had found your mother's body, my sweet sweet Anastasia, you were gone. Nothing but blood coated the floor. I feared the worst. But not all was lost, for there was a young Muspelheim woman had been nearly trampled to death with all the violence. She was in the palace as well, her leg ripped apart from the thigh down. She had crawled into the doorway, looking for a safe place to allow her ember to die out when she spotted me. She beckoned me over with her hands, pleading for some help. Despite her being a part of the enemy, I couldn't stand to see such pain. I knelt down beside her and held her hand, which was so cool that it was nearly out. She was dying, Kaisa, her fire no longer strong enough to keep going.
"With a soft voice, she told me where you were. She had watched as your mother hid you away before she went to fight the Jotunheim soldiers herself, directing the attention away from you and to her. She told me it was most noble thing she had ever seen someone do. But then she asked me a favor. From her right arm she was holding a bundle, a very tight bundle squeezed to her breast. Pushing it to me, she said that her time was running out. There was no longer a life for her, but she couldn't leave her baby behind.
"And she hadn't been lying- I unwrapped the tight bundle, only to see a small infant swaddled in those blankets. A fire infant, one of the last Muspelheim children. The woman begged me in her final moments to shelter the child, to protect it, to raise it as my own. That this child didn't deserve death, because it was too innocent. She gave me one lasting smile before she died, her fire finally going out. And her baby cooed quietly and moved in my arms, reminding me of you when you were born. This child looked no different than you did when you were born; the only difference was the small fire that resided in it's small little chest. With my magic, I decided to cloak her as a Vanaheimian child, so that she wouldn't raise any suspicions."
Sveigoir stopped talking, his voice running dry and his eyes wet with tears at the memories. Kaisa felt nothing but cold shivers down her spine. Her mother had died so that she could live, while some old wench had begged her father to take a stupid dying child. She could only imagine her beautiful mother courageously fighting off the Frost Giants in an attempt to save her only child. How was that a fair trade? But keeping her mouth shut, Kaisa merely nodded, pretending to appeal to him.
"You are a hero." she said kindly, giving him a soft smile. "After all, you had saved me in the end, and an innocent infant's life. Surely you do not regret that?"
"No, I do not." Sveigoir shook his head. "Alas, the only thing I regret is not telling her sooner. I should've known that she would find out eventually, and that her reaction would not be a good one. After all, tis not everyday you hear the news of adoption."
Kaisa chuckled warmly, even though her veins pulsed ice. "Now, Father, why did the Muspelheim warriors wish to take her away? They didn't seem to be dying out, for they seem to fade when they die, correct?"
Sveigoir looked at her, and for a split second Kaisa was frozen with all too familiar fear. Perhaps she had stepped too far? But instead, her Father just relaxed into his throne a bit and cleared his throat, staring at her with his grey shining eyes. "I believe the woman who had given me her child had once been the ruler of Muspelheim. During the war, our soldiers must have defeated their palace and she had escaped with her baby, wounding her leg on the way. If this proves to be true, Takumi is the true heir to Muspelheim."
"But the realm is dead." Kaisa felt rising disgust in her chest. This cannot be true..
"Perhaps I was wrong." Sveigoir noted. "If they are thriving once more, then they will want revenge for what Vanaheim and Asgard had done to their kingdom. And they will surely want to destroy Jotunheim too, for betraying them near the end. Every realm had been against them, with the exception of Midgard. Earth is the only neutral ream now."
Kaisa sighed and settled further into her chair. "So what do they desire from us? Takumi? Done. We shall give her to them, and rid ourselves of this entire war."
To her surprise, Sveigoir only snorted and shook his head, leaning forwards on his cane. "It is not so easily solved, this puzzle. Merely just giving them Takumi will not suffice. In fact, it may make matters worse for us if we merely give her up to them. We don't know how powerful Takumi is, for she's just now learning the extent of her transformation."
"You cannot think of her as an ally." Kaisa argued. Her anger was starting to pulse at her temples, and with great difficulty she pushed it back down. There wasn't any room for mistake right now. She had to get everything correct. Sveigoir gave her a strange look at her protest against her sister, and Kaisa took a deep breath and explained herself. "She is too hot-headed, and too unstable. Her new abilities are strange to her, and to us. What if she hurts someone in the palace without meaning to? Odin will surely banish her from Asgard."
Sveigoir settled deeper into the chair and gave her a small smile, which only irritated her more. "Now, Kaisa. Odin has a son whom recently found out that he is the son of Laufey the Jotun. Do you really think he will banish Takumi for going through the same thing? If anything, he will understand."
"So you do trust her then?" Her tone was icy.
There was a brief silence, and Kaisa could see the sad look that crossed her Father's face. Her plan would not work, after all. It was a crushing disappointment, really, because it would've been so much easier to go this route. With her Father on her side, Takumi would have no choice but to step down from her royal status. But it didn't look like Sveigoir would lean towards that way. Despite it all, he still loved Takumi.
It burned Kaisa down to the very core.
"I do." His words were just as icy as Kaisa's strong and deep like the rumble of a storm. Sveigoir stared at her with grey eyes, the look on his face was one of stubbornness. It was the same look that Takumi always had whenever Kaisa denied her freedom. Perhaps they were related more than she thought. "I raised her as my own, Kaisa, and she is my daughter just as much as you are. Tell me, my daughter, do you not see her as your sister? You two have played together, fought together, grown up from little girls into women. Does it matter that her blood is different?"
Kaisa bowed her head with respect, even though every fiber in her body screamed out in rebellion. "Of course not, Father. She is my sister, my childhood friend."
"Then it is settled then. The wedding will go on as planned." Sveigoir closed his eyes and leaned forwards in his chair, grasping at his cane for support. "As for the Muspelheim issue, we will start to prepare for war. Jotunheim will be on their own, however, and Asgard and Vanaheim will work together to fight off the enemy. Perhaps we will finally settle on peace once and for all."
"That is what we all strive for." Kaisa stood from her chair and curtsied, folding her hands in front of her. "Peace, my dear Father, not death."
Sveigoir nodded and gestured towards her, his grey eyes sparkling again. "Enough of this chatter. Tis getting late now, do you wish to go back to Asgard Kaisa? I can arrange a chariot."
Kaisa shook her head and smiled, baring her teeth a bit. "No, no. I haven't been home in quite a while. I think I shall stay for a few days and recuperate."
"Very well." Sveigoir slowly got up from his throne and rested on his cane. With a gentle arm, he grasped Kaisa and pulled her closely, kissing her on the temple and bidding a goodnight. He shuffled out from the room, the door clanging softly behind him as he left. For a minute, Kaisa listened to the clanging of the door and winced, nearly growling in frustration. All alone in the dark room only made her angrier, her fury finally pouring out from being pent up for so long.
So her initial plan had failed. Sveigoir was not going to disown his daughter to take away her title. Takumi would still have everything she needed in order to stay protected and alive. Kaisa huffed and slowly walked from the room, deep in thought. She passed by the familiar halls and ballrooms, stepping down the stairs without so much as a single thought. She lifted her head and pondered, her head whirring at top speed. There was another plan, a Plan B, but it wasn't nearly so easy to perform.
Kaisa arrived at her old chambers and opened the door. Everything was the same, down to the dresser to the simply made bed. Everything reminded her of how things used to be. So much quieter, without all the pain. She sat on the bed and thought for a minute, before a smile stretched across her face. Oh yes, Plan B would surely work. There was no way that they would turn down a deal so sweet as this one.
She would have to stay longer than she thought.
Thank you, everyone, for all the attention this story has gotten! 90 reviews and over 100 followers now... I can't be more happy with how this is turning out! :)
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