AUTHOR'S NOTE: A hundred bucks to the person who can decipher the prophecy at the end of the chapter! ;-)
Born to be a King
Chapter 5
Thor and Volstagg entered through the portal, accompanied by a small human female. The moment they emerged, she nearly fell but was caught by Thor's strong arms, and she gawked in wonder upon looking at the Observatory.
"Wow" she gasped "can we please do that again?!"
"Welcome to Asgard, Jane Foster"
She turned to the voice and smiled upon seeing the gatekeeper.
"Hi!" she replied warmly "you must be..."
"Allow me to introduce Ragnar Hjornnson, gatekeeper of Asgard and watchman of the Nine Realms. He was appointed by Loki after Heimdall fell in battle. I've told you the tale" Thor filled her in.
"Oh"
"It is an honor to lay eyes upon the next queen of Asgard" Ragnar said "forgive me for requiring King Thor's visit to your home planet to be so brief but there are urgent matters that called for his immediate return"
On that cue, Thor delivered Jane to Volstagg.
"I will be along" he said, then watched his most trusted friend escort his lady. Once they were out of hearing range, he turned once again to Ragnar.
"Tell me what you saw"
As Thor listened to the gatekeeper, a sense of dread began to overtake him. As King of Asgard, his duty was to ensure that no threats loomed in the shadows. On his shoulders, he carried not just the burden of protecting the citizens of his native realm, but protecting nine trillion souls in nine realms. The details of what Ragnar's all-seeing gaze had caught painted a picture of a realm that wanted to be discovered. They wanted to be found... or they were luring them. If the first, he needed to know why; if the second, he needed to know what he stood up against. But he could not go, nor were the fiercest warriors in the realm capable of such a task. Who better than to measure a potential danger with one of the most dangerous beings in the universe? This quest called for stealth, caution and cunning, and there was only one person that possessed the capability of traveling undetected. These were magical worlds, and there was only one unsurpassed Master of Magic powerful enough to tread a magical realm:
Loki.
Heira, the High Priestess of Idunn, watched as her queen and her son crossed the massive gates at the entrance of the temple. Dressed in a delicate white chiffon gown, Barbara held Arik's hand as she returned to the place where she had discovered who she really was and became what she had always been destined to be: A fearless goddess, a powerful being capable of defying Hela herself.
As Heira continued to observe Barbara who in turn took a golden apple from the altar and handed it to her son, she remembered the many times Loki had appeared to her in the temple, giving her instructions to keep a close eye on her. Heira had beseeched the king that he should reveal himself to her, to finally end her mourning and her suffering, but Loki had insisted that the time was not yet right. He would reunite with his queen, but before that could happen, everything had to be placed into motion and Barbara needed to be ready.
The priestess had kept the secret of Loki's survival from her, helping her master the gifts she had come to possess, creating the dangerous and powerful creature she ultimately became. Heira soon realized that Barbara was with child and had almost disclosed the glad tidings to Loki, but when he next appeared to her, he came with instructions for the priestess to find a way for Barbara to leave Asgard. It was time to reunite with his queen, but it was to be somewhere she could not be found. He needed to protect her at all costs from the enemies he used as allies.
And so, Heira had instead broken the news to Barbara, told her that Loki was still alive and trying to find his way back to her. She gave her the gift of a veiling spell that would keep her hidden from the view of Ragnar, and sent her to Earth. There, Loki had found her, and the rest was history.
"Heira" Barbara said in greeting as she came down on one knee and kissed the high priestess' hand.
"My queen" she said in return "I am surprised to see you here and not partaking in the welcoming of King Thor's promised"
"We don't have much time before..." Barbara could not finish. She looked at her son who was admiring the intricate work on the walls, oblivious to the fact that he was about to part ways with his parents.
"It will not be for long" Heira said, reassuring her.
"I know, but just the idea of being away from him is much more difficult than I thought"
"A sacrifice that will be rewarded with glory"
Barbara nodded. There was no turning back. She turned to Heira, a fierce determination in her gaze. The time had come. This meeting was a long time coming.
"Take me to them" she ordered.
"As my queen commands" the high priestess bowed.
Leaving Arik in the care of her attendants, Barbara followed Heira further into the temple and past the guarded hall where ancient relics were kept. They exited the temple through a veiled, secret gate to a large orchard where the sacred trees were always heavy with fruit: The golden apples of Idunn that had taken away Barbara's mortality. After crossing the orchard, Heira led her to a small, domed structure. Guards let them pass, and upon entering, Barbara was suddenly engulfed by total darkness. Instantly, a torch suddenly became lit, and Barbara's eyes widened upon seeing a staircase that led deep down into a cavernous pit.
"King Thor ordered that the Three Norns be kept in total seclusion until we can find a way to restore them to their former state" Heira explained, taking the torch from its mount "the well of Urd remains in Nornheim, but another was built here that transfers waters from the river so they can still be sustained"
After the restoration of Loki and Barbara into life, Thor's first command had been to imprison them; his second had been to retrieve the three oracles and keep them guarded at Idunn's temple. He had the ancient well dried and sealed, and Nornheim rebuilt. No more sacred artifacts and relics were to be kept in the province, and all Norn subjects who had any knowledge of magic powers were not allowed to return. Queen Karnilla was labeled a traitor, and all mentions of her name and reign were forbidden, her memory ordered to be wiped out from historical records.
"He fears them" Barbara realized, looking apprehensively over the edge.
"King Thor has every reason to be weary" Heira replied "they were loyal to the Norn queen"
"Then perhaps he should kill them instead" she said with venom in her voice at the very mention of Karnilla.
They descended the steps in silence, their eyes fixed on the watery stone steps that led to the new lair of the Norns. As much as she hated to admit, Barbara's heart thumped faster the lower she went. If the Norns had been faithful to Karnilla, why had they not warned their queen that Loki was simply misleading her? Why did they ultimately help Barbara restore Loki back to his own body, thus saving them both from certain death?
"Ahhhhhh" a shrill voice suddenly drifted from the bottom "the Phoenix returns to us"
Heira and Barbara reached the underground lair. Narrow ducts dug into the rock bed provided minimal light from the surface, thus bathing the large chamber in very dim light. The three Norns were hunched over the edge of the well, their hands swaying in the crystalline waters.
"Princess Sigyn comes to seek knowledge" Heira spoke to the decrepit women "a knowledge you are ordered to provide"
One of the Norns laughed, her dry, wheezy chuckle turning into a fit of coughs and gasps. "Do not treat us as fools. We know why the queen is here"
Suddenly, the three Norns flew from their position and stood around the two women, circling them. Yet their gaze was fixed on Barbara. She drew in a breath when one of them ran a spidery finger down the length of her arm, another ran a hand through one of her long, spiraling curls, and the other caressed the chiffon material of the skirt of her gown. It was as if they were worshipping her.
"What joyous blessing be this, that we see and touch the one kissed by Idunn's grace..."
Barbara shrank from their touch, but the Norns did not relent.
"Unhand me!" she ordered "I am not your whore Norn queen that you can try to beguile me with such ridiculous adulations!"
"Oh, but you are a queen. A queen with no title, but a queen nonetheless" they spoke in unison as they continued to caress her "the dark prince, the once king will stop at nothing for a throne, and you will stop at nothing to see that he gets it. Both greedy and ambitious, you learned nothing! Do you really think Hel gives back that which it took? Death will not be cheated..."
At their words, Barbara advanced and grabbed one of them by the arm. They all shrieked as if in pain, cringing and lowering themselves to the ground, heads bowed and hands up in supplication.
"What do you mean by that?!" she nearly screamed at them.
"We beseech you, do not ask us to reveal truths that you have no wish to hear!" they pleaded.
"SPEAK!" Barbara's hold on the old woman threatened to tear her arm from her shoulder.
Suddenly, the screeching stopped, and the Norns went still. For a moment, the lair was as silent as a tomb, and a stifling, bone-chilling air fell upon the pit. Then the Norns raised their heads, and looked Barbara straight in the eye, but their gaze was distant. The one she held gently disengaged her arm from her grip, and together, the three oracles slunk to the well. They moved their hands over the water, hovering just above the surface, and the waters of the well went perfectly still. They sighed and their eyes rolled to the back of their head as they entered their trance. Heira moved to stand next to Barbara, and they looked apprehensively at one another. Then they both gasped and took a step back when the Norns suddenly whipped their heads and looked at Barbara, their red eyes wide and menacing.
The Norns spoke.
Barbara held her breath, each word burning into her conscious like the scorching quill of a scribe. Then with a grunt of rage, turned on her heels and ran for the steps. Heira ran after her, and behind them the shrieking, evil laughter of the Norns bounced off the walls in a loud resonance of mockery and scorn.
"I lyset avmånene, ogden brennavformiddagen,
Så gjørskattenlåstrødd.
Latterskalikke vare, smilerslåttforferdet,
Fremtidige og nåværendeblirotetefortid.
AvderasendesvellerkommerhundeneavHel
Og derhvordeten gangkongenhendte
Skaldagensattpå ny, ognattblirblå;
Loversslåttfiender, løfteogtrusselfortolke.
Fordekjeder avundergangvilvike fortungsinn;
Deblomstremanken, eller blomstreblomstrer"
("By the light of the moons, and the scorching of noon,
So does the treasure lay strewn.
Laughter shall not last, smiles turned aghast,
Future and present become muddled past.
By the raging swells come the hounds of Hel
And there where the once king befell
Shall the day set anew, and night become blue;
Lovers turned enemies, promise and menace construe.
For the chains of doom will give way to gloom;
The blossom withers, and the blossom blooms")
End of Chapter 5
Responses to guest reviews:
LisaF: Oh wow, thanks hun! That scene was very exciting for me to write as well! Glad my excitement transferred onto the chapter.
Anon fan: Badass is the correct word to describe our dynamic duo ;-) Sorry for keeping you on 'tenderhooks' but I have been very busy with work. But finally I have a few days off so I can relax and recharge. I also wanted to cement the plot of the story entirely before I continued on. Now that I've done so, I can update more often! Thanks for your compliments!