Møyfrid was alone and it was with this piece of knowledge that she knew she was alive. She felt her soul knitting itself together as she slowly gained more and more awareness of herself and the world around her. She kept her eyes closed not wanting to wake up too quickly. Something still bothered her. Something felt wrong. She felt her heart flutter as she tried to understand.

There were no sounds, no smells. There was no birds singing or sounds of people moving nor speaking. There was no breath but her. There was no sound of wind through the trees or bending around buildings or buckling tent fabric. She couldn't smell the earth or smoke or the light scent of tree sap.

She could hear and feel her heart beat pounding, pounding in her chest and ears. Her finger twitched and her slow adjustment ended. The missing pieces were set aside and her mind focused all its energy on her surroundings. She was laying down. The surface was hard but covered with cloth. Her finger twitched she felt the fabric she lay on. She pressed her palm against in and enjoyed experiencing the feeling as it faded from her senses. She filled her lungs until she couldn't hold any more air and exhaled opening her eyes.
She wasn't outside and there were no light sources , no sunlight, or candles. She could see but she could still see clearly, above her stretched a dark grey ceiling with patterns etched in the surface. Other than these patterns it was smooth. She felt like she was looking into a metal pot, the ceiling was flat in the center but curved where it met the walls and floor.

The room was empty except from Møyfrid and the thin mat she was lying on. The etched patterns continued on the walls and floor and she saw something that looked like a door but she could see no way to open it. She sat up slowly and realized there was another door on the right wall between where she sat and the door opposite her but it too was closed.

Her armor was gone. The weapons that had hung on a thick leather belt and the belt itself was gone. She was still wearing the apron,tunic, pants, and boots she had been but everything over it was gone. The beads and charms strung between the two brooches holding the apron up tinkled as she moved. She reached to her neck and felt for the cords that she always wore. It was still there she pulled it out from her shirt. On one, the shorter string was the iron circle Bjørn had given her and the other a small pouch holding her most prized possessions. She pulled her legs close and balanced before carefully standing. Her legs felt a little weak but otherwise she felt fine. Her head tilted and her brow knit together realizing that that too was wrong.

She reached her hand around remembering the wound the little girl had given her. She felt nothing. There was no tear in her apron or tunic. She reached under and felt the slightest difference in the skin but no wound. Her hand fell slowly. She knew she had been hurt. The proof was the scar on her back but she didn't know how it had healed. Not sure what to do she focused on the room. She walked around the perimeter of the space letting her hand graze the wall and feeling the etchings as she passed. She closed her eyes as she walked around and around.

Her heart wasn't pounding in her ears now, letting her hear new sounds. She noticed a low hum and immediately felt calmer knowing some sound existed other than the beating of her own heart and her own movement. A small sound caught her attention. She stopped opening her eyes looking towards it.

One of the doors was open. She could see there was another room and walked towards it. It looked exactly the same as the room Møyfrid had been in but the occupant was still sleeping. Møyfrid recognized the girl she had hurt. She almost ran over and kneeled down next to the girl. Møyfrid could see the smallest sliver of a scar near her collarbone but like Møyfrid her clothing wasn't damaged. She looked carefully at the girl. She looked about eight years old. Her hair was a light brown and braided falling past her shoulders. Her face was pale but peaceful. Without thinking Møyfrid let her hand touch the little girl's face dragging her figure slightly near her temple. She smiled glad to know she was alright and glad to know she wasn't entirely alone here. The touch woke the girl who sat up and backed away from Møyfrid.

"It's okay," Møyfrid said showing her hands. "It's okay," The girl watched her .

"I won't hurt you," Møyfrid said.

They sat for what felt like hours. Møyfrid continued to repeat her reassurances to the girl but she didn't even know if she understood. She eventually dropped her hands and looked away. Then the girl spoke.

"You won't hurt I" she said rearranging Møyfrid's earlier statement.

"No" Møyfrid said. She girl relaxed a little and Møyfrid continued, "My name is Møyfrid." She said gesturing to herself.

"E-Ethel," The girl said.

"Ethel" Møyfrid repeated smiling.

There was no way to measure how much time was passing but she and Ethel focused on each other. Møyfrid wanted to know if Ethel had experienced anything different than she had. But that was an impossible goal considering the differences in their languages. As time ticked on Møyfrid grew more and more frustrated. She stood and started pacing the room to help her calm down eventually going to sit back with Ethel. They fell into a tense silence because of the mystery of the whole situation. She began tracing the etched patterns she dozed in and out slowly falling asleep but quickly refocused when she heard a new sound. She looked over at Ethel and saw tears running down her cheeks. Møyfrid wrapped her arms around her trying to comfort her. But every time she heard Ethel sniffle and heave Møyfrid felt the same feelings gather. Eventually she couldn't handle it and filtered her own worry into anger. She kissed Ethel's forehead before standing.

"What is this?" She screamed into the empty room. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

She let out a shrieking bellow in her frustration become beginning to pace back and forth again her eyes focused in the unopening door. A hissing sound, like something hot being placed in water filled the room. Møyfrid felt strange and stumbled back a few steps trying to move towards Ethel. She fell to her knees then slumping to the ground and falling into an unnatural sleep.

This time when she woke she didn't question where she was and instead she looked immediately to Ethel who was awake. Her eyes were wide and she have sat as far back into the corner as she could.

"Ethel," Møyfrid said looking at the girl. She sat unmoving staring at the opposite end of the room. So Møyfrid turned to look and stood. Across the room, half hidden in shadows, she saw the same mask she had seen out on the battlefield. She took a moment size the figure up.

It was unlike anything Møyfrid had seen before. Her first thought was it must be some kind of giant, but something about that didn't sit right and it didn't seem that tall. It's skin was smooth and multi-colored, the light green of the torso fading in to a dark greyish green flecked with a golden yellow. Instead of hair, long tendrils like woven leather whips fell from its head tapering at the ends. Ever tendril seemed decorated with gold, and silver rings and bands. Beneath the gold colored mask a wide high necked metal collar . Several more, longer beaded necklaces hung over her shoulders. Beneath that a doubled cloth was tied around her around her waist. And even folded over it was almost see through.

"Who are you?" She asked. The figure staid nothing but stood motionless.

"Who are you?" Møyfrid said again louder. The figure's head tilted and a voice filtered through the space.

"It's okay," "It's okay," "I won't hurt you,"

Møyfrid recognized her own voice coming from the figure. She took a step back confused. And again her own voice reassured her. Her skin prickled and she tensed trying to decide if she'd have any chance in a fight against the giant.

"Møyfrid" Ethel's tiny voice called.

"Yes," Møyfrid didn't take her eyes off the figure.

"I see food" She said after a moment of trying to decide what to say. Møyfrid's moved slightly but didn't take her eyes off the figure.

"Bring it to me," She said. Møyfrid heard Ethel move and pick up something by the wall near the mat she brought it to her offering it without turning her back to the figure. Møyfrid took a bowl carefully feeling the smooth metal surface. It was warm and her stomach growled as she smelled it. She held it for a minute then moved like she was going to try it bringing the edge of the bowl to her lips before lowering it again. She took a few steps forward and crouched placing it between her and the figure then took the other bowl and repeated the gesture setting it beside the first. She then backed away Ethel following her.

"I don't trust you," She said to the figure. Her head cocked to the side at Møyfrid's words and Møyfrid heard a strange clicking from behind the mask. She took a step forward out of the shadows approaching the bowl on the floor. She picked one up and made the same motion Møyfrid had feigning tasting before setting it back down and tapping on her mask and shaking her head. Again Møyfrid's voice filtered through the space

"I won't hurt you," then a new voice said "promise" the new voice seeming to belong to the figure itself, it was low and gravelly but still seemed distinctly feminine. She backed away from the bowls Deciding she had nothing to lose Møyfrid picked up the bowl and broke her gaze on the figure to take a long drink of the stew. It tasted like nothing she'd had before and she savored the warmth it spread through her body. She hadn't realized how hungry she had been. She waited a few minutes and then she called Ethel over. She gave her the bowl then picked up the other. She drank more deeply this time relaxing slightly. When she was done she set the bowl back down and questioned the figure again.

"Who are you?"

The figure was silent for a moment "Tiamat" Møyfrid heard her say . The word tinged with the metallic echo of the helmet as she placed a hand on her collarbone she then gestured to Møyfrid saying her name and then did the same with Ethel.

"Tiamat," Møyfrid repeated " Where are we, why are we here?" Tiamat said something but then after a moment shook her head again and instead took a step forward, Møyfrid stepped back. But Tiamat simply picked up the empty bowls and turned heading toward the door. It slid open disappearing into the wall and she motioned for them to follow. Ethel hid behind Møyfrid and they followed her. She led them through the first door into another that spanned the width of the two room they had been it and then through another door into a set the bowls down outside the door. She walked slowly occasionally looking back to make sure they were still following her. Møyfrid relaxed a little more curious now about the whole walked freely and Møyfrid hoped it was because Tiamat was extending the same trust to them. Not that the two of them had much of a chance even if they had decided to run. So far all the building was made of the same strange pattern-etched metal and was bigger than any Møyfrid had ever seen before. Tiamat stopped in front of a door and opened it. The floor of this room was covered in colorful carpets with the most elaborate patterns Møyfrid had ever seen. They covered every inch of the room's floor. Cushions and pillows were piled around the room in all different sizes and colors the walls to the right and left had two doors each but the walls were covered in various tapestries and objects. Some were weapons, masks, and jewelry. others Møyfrid had no idea what they were. The opposite wall however, was completely empty. There were no decorations no etchings, just flat grey metal. Tiamat raised her arm and fiddled with the metal bracer on her wrist and Møyfrid's eyes widened as the wall changed.

Møyfrid watched as Midgard appeared and even though she couldn't know that is what she was looking at her soul screamed it. And her first thought was how beautiful and delicate it looked. From here the waters looked so still. She could see the shapes of the land and see entire masses of clouds drift across spaces she didn't think she could cross in her entire lifetime. Her hand reaching out to touch the image. She knew the world was larger than her family, her farm, her community but this was larger than anything she could have imagined. Here was Midgard her home a little glass bead suspended in black .

I know this story is slow to start. I apologize for that. School has started back up and I'm hoping this will be my outlet for procrastination but we will see. Hope you're all having a wonderful day.