Chapter Thirty

"Thank you," the auctioneer said as he dressed.

Freyja checked over her shredded nightgown and grunted in reply. This encounter had been very unsatisfying. She quickly pulled on the dress she'd chosen for the day, and turned to see the man still staring at her.

"You can go now." She suggested helpfully.

He dithered for a few minutes, looking awkward, before heading out of the door in silence. Freyja sighed heavily, and went to fix herself some toast before heading to the tournament which would begin in an hour or so. Maybe Idunn will bring Sigyn, and I can talk to her...

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Arriving at the field in which the contest would be held, she made her way to the tier of seats reserved for royalty and nobility. Idunn, Bragi and her other daughters were there, with the obvious exception of Syn, who remained on Vanaheim at present, but there was no sign of Sigyn. Freyja looked around at the already-partially filled stands, puzzled. She caught a glimmer of blonde hair over near the royals' box. At first, she assumed it was the older prince, Thor... until she recognised Sigyn's laugh. Her daughter was sitting beside Prince Loki! Frowning, she began to stride over there- Sigyn would sit with her family for once! She kept her eyes on her youngest as she walked, and as such didn't notice when she accidentally barged into someone. She gasped, startled.

"Oh! I apologise, Lady Alti." Freyja tried to sound penitent, though she felt anything but.

Alti snorted. "Why in such a hurry, Lady Freyja? Spotted a new conquest?"

Freyja resisted the urge to slap the woman. "I am merely retrieving my daughter-"

"Sigyn? She's settled herself into the royal family nicely, hasn't she? It's a good thing she's nothing like you or Odin would have to be worried about his boys."

"You're one to talk, with that wild girl of yours," Freyja snapped back. "Where is Sif these days? Sigyn told me that you had her under practical house arrest and yet she's been at the palace every day. Maybe instead of worrying about my daughters you should keep an eye on her virginity!"

Alti's face went red. "You are the most foul-minded - you're unfit to be a mother, your children should have been taken away from you at birth!"

Freyja was inches from launching herself on Alti and making a scene when Snotra and Sjofn were at her sides, flanking her.

"Mother, Idunn needs you. We'll get Sigyn," Snotra said nervously, carefully positioning herself between Freyja and Alti.
Alti sneered and turned away without another word.

"Mother!" Snotra said, more focibly as Freyja opened her mouth. "Please."

Freyja took a deep breath. "Alright," she agreed grudingly, though she knew it was only a ploy. She returned to Idunn, who gave a lame excuse about needing her sash fixed and then pulled Freyja to sit beside her. Freyja watched Snotra and Sjofn like a hawk; Sigyn steadily ignored them as they approached and then shook her head staunchly when they reached her. Several minutes went by and then they returned alone. Freyja was nearly bursting with anger, but guilt flashed through her as well. I need to find some way of apologising... I can't expect Sigyn to say sorry every time, espiecially when I'm the one who made the mistake!

Of course at that moment Odin stood up and gave his usual blathering speech, annoucning that Frigga was pregnant and what this tournament was all about. Then Tyr walked into the field. He glanced at the crowd, bowed to Odin... He didn't even look at her.

Good! Freyja told herself. "I'm going home," she said aloud. "I'm feeling a bit ill."

"We'll tell you how it ends," Idunn told her, squeezing her hand.

Freyja managed a small smile before she took her leave. She considered going to her dwarves, but was still too angry with them for that. Eventually she decided to just go home. As soon as she got there, however, she heard Sigyn's voice shouting after her.

"You always ruin everything!"

Freyja turned. "Do I?"

"Yes! All the time!" Sigyn's normally pale cheeks were flushed with anger. "I was just going to enjoy the tournament with my friend and then you just... You always make me feel guilty over things that are your fault!"

"I'm sorry."

Sigyn blinked. "What?"

"I'm sorry. Sigyn, you have every right to be mad at me right now. I have behaved disgracefully towards you. I haven't treated you like a mother should treat her daughter. It's not your fault. It's mine."

Sigyn's lip trembled.

"I'm sorry."

Sigyn dragged her palms over her eyes. "Who was he?"

"Who?"

"The man you were with this morning. I came home to apologise and you were in there with some man!"

Freyja's face went white. "You saw that?"

"Yes! Why do you have to act like that? Why do you have to prove them all right? Even Grandfather calls you a whore, Mother, and I hate it! I don't want them to say it but it's true! And how long is it going to be before they start assuming I'm just like you?" Tears were pouring down her face by this time. "How long before they think that a smile is an invitation? Or that a neckline that wouldn't be glanced at twice on another girl is viewed as a reason to stare at me like they stare at you?"

Freyja hesitated for a long moment. "Sigyn, will you come inside?"

Sigyn sniffled, but she walked into the house without another word. Freyja followed after her, trying to think of what she could say. This talk had come with all of her daughters at one point or another, but it was always difficult and different with each of them. Gently she led Sigyn to the sofa and sat down with her.

"You're old enough that we should talk about this."

Sigyn waited.

"It started... a long time ago. When Hnossa was young. You know that she's not like you and your other sisters. That she's mortal. That she'll die-"

"I don't want to talk about that!" Sigyn cried.

"Sweetheart, please." Freyja knelt before her daughter. "After Ve's death, it was up to me to try to find a cure for her mortality. I was desperate, I would have done anything. And so when I was promised a cure in exchange for... Of course I agreed. I thought, at least it would save Hnossa. I sold myself a hundred times for a hundred false promises. It didn't matter to anybody why I did it. They just saw me as the woman who would lend her thighs to any man. And so... I decided that if I had that reputation already and they all saw me that way, why shouldn't I just do as I want? Why shouldn't I take the men I found pleasing the way they took women? Use them and discard them."

Sigyn's eyes were overflowing. "You don't have to."

"If I stopped it wouldn't change anything."

"You don't know that!"

"Don't I?"

"You could get married again."

"No," Freyja said firmly. "I can't marry again. Marriage demands love and I will never give my love to another man."

Sigyn lowered her head. "I'm sorry for calling you a whore."

Freyja kissed her daughter's forehead. "I don't blame you for it, Sigs. I'm sorry that I am a whore. I'm sorry that I was so angry. I should never have walked away from you. Forgive me?"

Sigyn nodded. "I love you, Mor."

"I love you, too. Now chin up. Let's get back to the tournament, shall we? You can sit with Loki if you want."

Sigyn shook her head. "No, I want to sit with you."

Freyja smiled as she stood, but she couldn't help that sinking gut feeling that said she and Sigyn were far from being alright.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Commander Frey, there is somebody here to see you."

Frey tried not to groan as he sat up in his gently swaying hammock. He hadn't gotten more than a few hours' worth of sleep in three days. It was amazing how much happened in this outpost where nothing happened! Svartalfheim was as quiet as it had been for the past five thousand years. This unfortunately led to boredom among the men and fights had become more frequent.
I really must ask for certain men to be transferred to new locations, Frey thought, shaking his head. Odin must have been very angry with me, putting me in charge here after years out of service!

He dressed quickly and headed out to the open-aired platform where the men spent their off-duty hours. He was immediately drawn to the gaggle of soldiers clustered around a golden-haired woman. Frey stifled a sigh. Freyja! What was she doing here? But as he pushed through the men, he realised with a shock that it wasn't his twin sister.

"Mother?" he asked, blinking. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check on Svartalfheim and decided to see you," Gaea replied smoothly. "These men were kind enough to tell me about the state of the realm. It's a shame. This ground really should be bursting with life. Something is wrong."

"Oh," Frey mumbled. "I can take you out in a ship if you want a closer look at it."

Gaea smiled. "That would be lovely, son."

"I can go with you!" One of the men volunteered.

"Oi! That's my mother," Frey returned sharply. "So keep to yourself."

Gaea laughed as she stood. "Such friendly young men," she commented. "Shall we be off, Frey?"

Frey nodded and guided her to the docking bay, where he quickly prepared an airship and informed his second-in-command that he was going to be gone for an undetermined length of time. Gaea sat primly in the bow of the ship as they moved off of the dock.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

"Well. It's been good for me to get away from Asgard. I'm a little rusty at a few things, though. The men have a hard time taking me seriously at times. I've been out of the game too long."

"I didn't know that war was a game to you."

Frey wisely didn't respond. "Where are you wanting to go?"

"Right here is fine."

He landed the ship in a small rocky canyon. Gaea stood and brushed off her dress. "Wait here."

"Mother-"

"Wait here. I need to be able to concentrate on the land. Now just wait and be quiet, alright?"

Frey smiled fondly. "Alright."

Gaea stepped out of the airship and soon disappeared into the canyon. She breathed deeply the ashy air and her heart sank. This realm had once been beautiful, until Chthon had convinced the Elves living there to worship the darkness. Then came the wars and the desolation. Odin's father Bor had waged a terrible destruction on the elves, and then they themselves had broken their land.

She shivered, suddenly realising that she was cold. The ground was damp under her bare feet, and the wind almost seemed to be... hissing?

Set. The realisation came too late. Hands grabbed her, turned her. Threw her against the rock wall. She stared up at the blue eyes of his stolen host's body.

"Hello, sister."

"Set-"

"Atum hasn't been seen around for a few years. I wonder if he could make it back in time?"

His hands wrapped around her throat. Gaea didn't have time to gasp.

"Please!" No sound came from her mouth, but she kept repeated the plea regardless. In an instant, a million memories flashed through her mind; finding her younger brother, caring for him, singing with him, working in her nurseries with him, telling him stories. "Please!"

She saw nothing but hate in his eyes as he twisted her to the ground.

"You left me behind, with him!" he hissed, trapping her kicking legs under his. "You deserve this!"

Gaea managed a gasp as he released her throat, but lost it quickly as Set struck her face hard. She cried out, trying to shield her face as his balled fists slammed into her repeatedly. And another memory came, so vivid that Set's fists were the least of her hurts.

"You're a dirty whore, you deserve this!" Chthon was shouting at her. "Say it!"

"I deserve it!" she cried back, shielding her face, wanting only for him to stop, for the pain to go away. "I'm a dirty whore!" She peered between her arms. His face was lit with mania. "I'm a filthy, dirty whore." His fist started to lower. She ached so much that she could hardly breathe. "I deserve to be hit, I deserve to bleed. But-" his fist rose a little higher. "But I want you inside of me, Chthon. I want you to thrust into me."

He dropped to all fours atop her. "You want me to make you scream."

And then Set grabbed her wrists and fell over her, pinning her hands above her head and she knew what he was going to do. His breath was hot in her ear. Gaea stopped thinking, instead falling back on old memories- Chthon would always go easier on her if she co-operated... Set couldn't be much different. She arched her body against his stolen one, feeling a sick sort of relief mingled with disgust when he stopped beating her to respond to her actions. He released her wrists, tilted her head to one side so he could kiss her neck. Repressing a shudder Gaea pulled his head into her neck so she wouldn't have to look at him. He had just brushed his mouth on hers when he jerked back away from her.

Set's gaze was confused and furious. "Disgusting whore! Did you think that you would seduce me into not killing you? I am your brother!"

Gaea blinked, stunned by this. Comprehension finally dawned, and she burst into relieved sobs, hardly daring to believe it.
"You're not..."

"Not what?"

Why did Set appear confused? Gaea wondered. She had thought his intent to be obvious, in his actions, but...

"Gaea?" His voice sounded almost gentle, almost afraid, almost like the child he had once been. His hands brushed her temples, and she felt his mind probing hers. She tensed, resisting. Tears soaked into her golden hair as she stared up at her young brother, the brother she had once loved more than life itself...

"Let me see," he whispered.

Gaea closed her eyes, unable to stop the memories from flooding between them. She whimpered as Set witnessed just how Chthon had humiliated her... She gritted her teeth, prepared to hear his slew of insults, for him to tell her she should have stopped Chthon, or not encouraged him in the first place...

Set's expression was utterly horrified. He recoiled – and a sword pierced through his chest. Frey's face was twisted with fury as he withdrew his sword from Set and snapped the host's neck. Gaea cried out in protest as the dead body fell back over her. Frey quickly hefted it off of her.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked in worry, helping her to her feet.

"He was going to listen to me!" Gaea cried, pushing at Frey. She knelt over Set's host body. "He would have listened."

"Mother, what I saw- He was going to rape you!"

Gaea shook her head emphatically. "No. No, he wasn't. He just wanted to kill me-"

"Kill you?" Frey's furious expression didn't change. "Mother-"

"But he was going to listen to me. This time he was going to." Gaea hid her face in her hands and began to sob. He'll never listen again... and now he knows.