Chapter 16
When the knock sounded from the front door first thing in the morning, Sleipnir was the only one available to answer it. His mother was in the bedroom with Fenris, trying to get the little boy into his day clothes while Fenris squirmed as much as possible. Jorgumand was in the bathroom washing his face, as well as his hands, arms, and neck. Somehow his brother had gotten jam everywhere. Sleipnir liked jam, but apparently not as much as Jorgumand.
Sleipnir himself was sitting on the sofa, gazing out the window when he heard the knock at the door. At first he waited, usually Mama liked to answer the door. But then he heard the sounds of Fenris making a fuss from the bedroom and Sleipnir decided that Mama wouldn't be upset with him if he answered the door this once.
Steve was on the other side, and he looked down at Sleipnir with a small smile. "Hey Sleipnir, how are you doing?"
Suddenly wishing he'd waited to let his mother answer the door, Sleipnir met the tall man's eyes. "I'm well, thank you," he answered, remembering his manners. "How are you?"
"I'm ok, is your mom busy? I was hoping I could talk to him for a sec."
Sleipnir nodded and moved the door open some more so that Steve could step through, and then ran towards the bedroom. Inside he found a fully dressed Fenris sitting on the edge of the bed with their mother kneeling in front of him.
"Steve is here." Sleipnir announced and Mama turned to him with a startled look. "He said he wants to talk to you," he added.
His mother sighed tiredly and rose to his feet. "Very well, was he alone?" Sleipnir nodded. "Alright, I will speak with him now, Sleipnir can you please take your brother and play quietly while I do?"
Sleipnir nodded again and Mama stepped around him, brushing a hand through his hair as he passed, and walked into the main room. Now it was just the two of them, and Sleipnir moved to stand in front of his youngest brother. "Come on Fenris, if you want I can read you a story," he offered.
Fenris seemed to consider that, and finally held out his arms to be picked up. Sleipnir shook his head. "No Fenris, you can walk." He watched as his little brother pouted but held his resolve. His mother had told them that Fenris shouldn't be carried everywhere, but their little brother was unhappy with the change.
"Want up Sep-nir." his brother pleaded, his hands still outstretched.
"But if you walk you can hold my hand," Sleipnir tried. "And I'll read Green Eggs and Ham for you."
The bribe worked, and moments later Fenris was climbing off the bed and taking his hand eagerly. Sleipnir didn't exactly understand why, Fenris must have had that particular story book read to him at least a hundred times by now. But for whatever reason, he was never in the wrong mood to hear it again. Leading his brother into the main room, he found Jorgumand kneeling by the small table by the sofa drawing in one of his books. Their mother was in the kitchen with Steve, talking in voices too low to overhear. Fenris had noticed Steve by this point, and the grip he had on Sleipnir's hand became vice like. Knowing better than to try and pry his brother loose, he simply pulled the familiar red book from the shelf and directed Fenris to climb up onto the sofa with him. Jorgumand looked up to see what they were doing and made a sound of dismay when he saw the book.
"Again?" he asked as he abandoned his colouring and took a seat next to Fenris. "Why do you like this one so much?" he asked the smaller boy but received no answer. Fenris had relaxed a little when Jorgumand had bracketed him from the other side, but eventually his thumb was raised to his mouth and Sleipnir decided to start reading. He hardly needed to look down at the words anymore, he knew the lines so well, and despite his initial complaint, Jorgumand stayed to read with them.
About halfway through the story, the voices in the kitchen became loud for a moment before silence fell. Sleipnir paused in his reading, and looked up to see Mama glaring at Steve who began talking quietly again. Feeling unsure as to what he should do, Sleipnir glanced over at Jorgumand, but his brother looked as confused as he was. After some deliberation, he decided it was best that he keep reading, unless he wanted to see Fenris become upset with him.
When the story finally came to a close, Sleipnir pondered what they should do next, but was saved from having to make a decision when Steve came out if the kitchen to kneel down in front of them.
"Hey guys, what are you reading?" the mortal asked them.
"Green Eggs and Ham." Sleipnir answered.
"Are you staying to play with us?" Jorgumand asked excitedly.
Steve smiled kindly at them. "Actually I am! I thought I'd stay here until lunch, while your mom takes a quick nap. Is that alright?"
Sleipnir looked over towards the kitchen where their mother was standing watching them with a worried expression. "Why is Mama taking a nap?" Jorgumand was asking. "Is he sick?"
"Oh no, your mom isn't sick or anything, he just hasn't gotten a lot of sleep lately, so this is just to catch up. It's nothing to worry about."
Jorgumand apparently believed the man, because he was then asking if they could watch movies together and Steve was nodding looking a little relieved. Their mother stayed in the kitchen watching over them as a movie was decided upon and they began watching. Fenris seemed to be doing better with the mortal man's presence, but he still clung to his bear and remained either at Sleipnir's or Jorgumand's side at all times. After some time had passed, Sleipnir watched out of the corner of his eye as their mother slowly moved from the kitchen to the bedroom. The door remained open, likely so that Mama could hear them, but eventually Sleipnir got caught up in the story on the television.
After the movie Steve showed them a deck of cards, and taught them how to play a game with them called Go Fish. There weren't any fish that Sleipnir could see, but it was still fun. Fenris couldn't play by himself so he sat between Sleipnir's legs and pointed at the numbers and letters printed on the waxy papers when he heard them being called.
After they grew bored of the cards, Jorgumand and Fenris began playing with the small collection of stuffed animals. Jorgumand was happily recreating the sounds the animals made, inventing new ones for the animals he did not know of yet, and Fenris seemed content enough playing along silently. Steve had gone into the kitchen to start making food for lunch and Sleipnir considered what he should do next. For once the sight of his Lego did not call to him. He felt unsettled, and a little anxious, though he didn't know why. Despite the fact that he quite liked Steve, he didn't want to go to him in the kitchen to seek comfort that he knew the mortal would be happy to give. Steve gave very good hugs he'd learned, but right now he did not want one. In the end, Sleipnir waited until he knew that Steve was head deep in the fridge and his brothers were occupied with the toys before heading straight for the bedroom.
Sleipnir crept silently into the dark room, and the noises of his brothers became muted as he closed the door, leaving it open a small amount. In the dim light afforded by the doorway he could just make out the form that made up their bed and the figure that slept in it. His socked feet were silent as he padded across the floor and peered over the edge of the bed to see his mothers sleeping face. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he could see his mothers eyes were closed in slumber as he slept on his side. Leaning on the mattress, Sleipnir considered what he should do next. He didn't feel much like playing with Steve today, but he also knew better than to wake his mother when he'd spent most of the morning looking so tired. Eventually he decided to go back out to the main room, maybe he would just tell Steve he was tired as well...
Mind made up, Sleipnir pushed off the mattress and started back towards the door. He made it perhaps half a step when two arms shot out, hooked him under his armpits and pulled him under the warm covers if the bed. He didn't have time to yelp in surprise before the arms that had grabbed him turned him about and pulled him into a familiar embrace. Sleipnir grinned and curled his own arms around his mother, laughing when he felt fingers dance on his sides.
"Tell me, when did the captain become so boring that watching me sleep is a more interesting activity?" his mother asked in a sleepy voice near his ear.
Sleipnir shook his head and pressed his face into the soft fabric of his mother's shirt. "I'm tired too," he explained and he felt fingers slide through his hair.
"I suppose that's fair." his mother hummed. "I doubt any of us have had much sleep as of late."
Sleipnir relaxed as his mother continued to stroke his hair, and he closed his eyes. If they had been open he might have noticed a shadow appear in the doorway, but it only lingered long enough for his mother to see it and give it a slight nod before disappearing again.
"Do you have nightmares?" Sleipnir asked looking up at his mother, suddenly curious.
"Yes," was the quiet reply.
"What are they about?"
The hand in his hair paused for a moment before resuming its soothing motion. "I dream that Thor never broke the spell on you and your brothers," his mother confessed.
The room was quiet for a while after that, and Sleipnir closed his eyes again. He curled up against his mother's body, mindful not to knee his stomach where his newest brother grew. He felt warm and safe, and perhaps that was why the words came to his lips so easily.
"I remember my dreams sometimes," he said quietly.
His mother replied in a voice just as quiet. "What do you dream, Sleipnir?"
"It's strange," he began, trying to recall the images that plagued his sleep. "There's always lots of people, more than I've ever seen. And they are very loud, and sometimes they are very angry and scary. And I want to find you but I can't. Or sometimes you are there, but you can't see me." Sleipnir opened his eyes and looked up at his mother through the darkness. "That's usually when I wake up."
"I can understand why you are so upset when you wake then, that would be a very distressing dream."
Sleipnir nodded. "Do you know what's really strange?"
"What's that?"
"In all of my dreams, I'm really tall."
Mama looked down at him with a confused face. "What do you mean?"
"I'm taller than everyone, that's how I know there are so many people, I can see over all of their heads." he pulled absently at his mother's shirt. "I don't like it, being that tall. That's why I didn't like it when Steve was playing with me yesterday."
He glanced back up to see that his mother was looking at him with a sad expression, and before he could ask what was wrong he was suddenly pulled into a tight hug.
"I am so sorry Sleipnir," Mama said in a sorrowful voice. "I had hoped that you would never remember..."
"Remember what?"
His mother sighed and pulled back from the hug just enough so that he could make eye contact. "I must tell you something, but before I do I must first explain that this was never a secret. I had planned to tell you this eventually, when you were a little older and could understand better as to why this happened."
Sleipnir felt confused. "Why what happened?" he asked.
His mother sighed again before answering. "I have told you how you slept the centuries away because of a spell that had been placed on you, but that is only half of the story Sleipnir. When the man cast his magic upon you, your mind went to sleep, but not your body. He turned you into a horse, and placed upon you a bridle that could not be removed by magic or any other force that I tried."
Sleipnir blinked. "A horse? But why?"
"I am a very powerful sorcerer my son, and one day you will be too, perhaps even more so. The man feared that, he was afraid of how strong you might one day become. So he transformed you into a beast so that you would no longer be a threat to him."
"But I didn't do anything!" Sleipnir protested.
"I know, but this man was afraid, and thought he was doing the right thing."
Sleipnir thought that didn't sound fair at all, but from the look of his mothers face, he wasn't alone in that opinion. "What about my brothers? Were they turned into horses as well?"
"No," was his answer. "Jorgumand was turned into a serpent, and Fenris, he was transformed into a wolf."
Sleipnir let that soak in, but it was hard to picture his quiet little brother as a wolf. Than a thought struck him and he felt a shiver of fear creep up his spine. "Mama? What if he finds us again? Will he turn us back into animals?"
Firm hands took hold of his shoulders and held him tight as his mother shifted in the bed so that they were eye to eye. "Sleipnir, if you believe nothing else than you must believe this. That will never happen. I won't ever let that man near you again, and neither will any of the Avengers. He feared you and what you may one day become, but he fears me more now. I promise you my son, if he ever tried to take you again it would be last thing he would ever do." The hands on his shoulders came up to stroke his face. "Do you believe me Sleipnir?"
Sleipnir nodded and closed his eyes as his mother leaned forward to kiss his forehead.
"You must promise me one thing though, you can not speak to your brothers of this. Allow me to tell them when they are ready to hear it. Alright?"
Sleipnir nodded. "Yes, I promise."
Mama smiled at him. "Good boy." A hand went back to stroking his hair again. "Does it bring you peace? Knowing the truth?"
"I think so," Sleipnir said slowly. "But are you sure I was a horse?"
Mama frowned a little at the question. "Yes, why?"
"You're sure I was horse, not another kind of animal?"
"I am quite certain Sleipnir, now why do you ask?"
Sleipnir shrugged. "Well, Steve and Bruce and everyone here always calls us kids, so I was wondering if my brothers and I were turned into goats instead of horses and wolves." he offered a smile which only grew when his mother snorted.
A hand tugged on his ear and his mother muttered "Cheeky," before pulling him back into a hug. Sleipnir allowed himself to fall into the comfortable embrace, and felt that he really might sleep this time.
Oh my gosh! 5 days until Avengers! I am determined to finish writing this fic before I watch it, and I'm so close too! If only real life would stop getting in the way!
Please let me know what you guys think of Sleipnir's characterization! And thank you so much to everyone who reviews!
Oh one last question, the last part I'm working on is basically a chapter to clean up any loose ends or questions (like whos the daddy…), if there is anything you guys were wondering about or something you'd like brought up, please let me know now and I'll try and get it in. Thank you so much!