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Gyda Swan's burgundy red hair danced in the warm desert wind as she stood atop a hill overlooking the small town of Forks, Washington. Her piercing blue eyes scanned the landscape, taking in every detail, from the winding rivers and the tall and lush green foliage to the rocky outcrops poking out of the mountains surrounding the area. The ancient Valkyrie had lived for over a millennium and seen the world change countless times.
"Another day protecting my kin," Gyda murmured to herself, her voice barely audible above the rustling leaves as she thought about Charlie and his new wife, Rene Dwyer. Gyda was happy for them and glad they were happy together as they moved into their small house on the outskirts of the small, dreary town.
For centuries, Gyda's primary focus had always been safeguarding her descendants from afar, ensuring their safety while also maintaining her duty as a Valkyrie in keeping the secrecy of the supernatural world intact from rouge supernatural's that pushed the bounds of exposure, erasing memories of humans that came into contact with creatures of legend, fixing the destruction left behind when she battled monsters that came to close to civilization, and on occasion stepping in when Vampire covens started wars with other covens over territories and feeding rights just before it got to the point where the Volturi stepped in to contain the issue.
For over a thousand years on the mortal plane, she had honed her skills in escorting souls to the realms of the gods. She now used those same abilities and runic magic to watch and shield her family.
"All I want is for them to be safe." Gyda thought quietly, her mind racing toward Charlie and Rene. "They'll never be safe," an intrusive thought flitted through her mind, "you'll have to be better than you ever were for what's coming for her..."
"Of course," she replied firmly, pushing away any lingering doubts.
"Who am I talking to?" she chuckled, shaking her head at her own idiosyncrasies, but what she didn't know was that the Norns were busy weaving a tapestry for a special and unique girl that was going to be joining Gyda's family tree in a year. They had put that thought in her head, trying to steer her and prepare her to follow the weave of her own destiny.
"It's just me, myself, and I," she answered, rolling her eyes playfully up to the sky, where she let her head lean back. The tresses of her burgundy hair fell like a waterfall down her back as she soaked up the smattering of sun that peaked through the thick gray clouds. "I have got to get some friends, so I quit talking to myself," she spoke aloud to the birds and the trees.
As Gyda continued her secret vigil, she couldn't help but feel the weight of her responsibilities that rested upon her shoulders; she was tired. She longed for something more, and after a thousand years, she was afraid that she'd never find it; Gyda longed for a sense of normalcy, something that seemed increasingly scarce in her life. Her connection to Charlie, her descendant, kept her grounded, giving her a reason to stay close and protect the young man, especially as he worked in law enforcement. She worried that he might be the next soul she escorted to Valhalla, for he was certainly brave, if not outwardly visual with the trait; Charlie was noble because he was willing to place his life on the line for his community, and Charlie was kind and welcoming to those around him.
"Maybe one day I can lay down this burden," Gyda whispered into the wind, knowing deep within her heart that it was unlikely; she couldn't shirk her responsibilities just because they became tiresome and monotonous.
She also knew that she wasn't the only one watching over the small town; the Quileute tribe also took on that responsibility because in their bloodline lingered the ability to change into wolves when supernatural threats were nearby, which gave her comfort. There hadn't been any wolves in the tribe since the thirties when the vegetarian Vampires had lived nearby and established a home.
Gyda didn't travel far from Forks those years until they left sometime later to keep an eye on Charlie's grandfather and his family.
"Unlikely, indeed," she stated, thinking about all that was out there in the world that could hurt her family; steeling herself for yet another day of watching over her Charlie and Rene from afar, she launched herself out of the tree, she had been sitting in and hurtled herself down the side of the mountain engaging her speed, balance, agility, and sight runes so she could navigate the bumpy and rocky terrain.
"Stay focused, Gyda," she reminded herself sternly, aware that even a momentary lapse could cause her to slam into a tree and knock it down or run right into a bear and ask for more trouble than she bargained for.
"Focus," she repeated as she just barely engaged her invisibility rune and missed being seen and hit by a car barreling down the winding canyon road toward town; her gaze returned to the town below.
Charlie Swan, his kind, innocent eyes and warm smile were captured in Gyda's mind; he and his family would be worth every sacrifice she had and would make for them as they lived their lives oblivious to her looking out for them. The Valkyrie would continue to do whatever it took to keep them safe, even if that meant living a life of solitude and secrecy.
"Stay strong, Charlie," Gyda whispered, her voice full of love and determination. "I'll be here, watching over you."
Gyda sat by the window in her kitchen in the house two doors down from Charlie and Rene, her fiery burgundy hair was a stark contrast to the pale gray sky that blocked the sun from reaching the earth on Midgard. Rain pattered against the glass, casting distorted reflections of her blue eyes back at her. "Thor must love beating his hammer and causing rain in this area of the world," she thought forlornly as a lightning strike raced through the sky, lighting the atmosphere with light and electricity.
She stared at the clouds, lost in thought, until a raven perched on the windowsill. She began to caw and beat its beak against the windowpane, drawing her attention. As she looked closer, the bird was no ordinary Raven; it was bigger, and she could see the faint markings of runes on its beak, telling her it was a messenger bird from Valhalla. She picked herself up from the chair she had been sitting in and wandered towards her floor-to-ceiling length mirror in her family room of the spacious three-level house; it was a museum of her thousand years on Midgard.
It held things from when she was human during the tenth century, clothes and furniture from her time in France in the thirteenth century, jewels, art, and books from her time in England in the fifteenth. And when she came with her descendants to America in the sixteen hundreds, she added things from the newly formed colonies as well; all of it had been stored in her home in Norway until she built this house in the late 1890s. Gyda chose this area of Washington because it reminded her of her home in Norway, with all the rivers and forests. Even the cloud cover was reminiscent of the far north, where the sun barely shone.
Gyda had remodeled in the seventies but had recently redecorated to make it look more modern, not that she had a lot of visitors that would care. Still, it broke up her time between watching over her family, traveling to areas that needed her attention, maintaining secrecy, and escorting souls to the gods.
"Why I'm being called to Valhalla?" she wondered as she engaged the runes on the wood frame of her mirror, causing the glass to turn into a swirling vortex of rainbow colors which was the Bi-frost that would lead her to where the Raven wanted her to go.
When she stepped in, the Vortex closed. She was transported in the rainbow light to the base of Yggdrasil, where the Norns sat together in a dimly lit chamber filled with the soft hum of music and the rhythmic clatter of looms. Both factions of Norns, the good and the bad, sat side by side, their fingers deftly manipulating the threads of fate. Before them was a massive tapestry that stretched across the room, depicting the interconnected destinies of mortals and immortals alike.
"What am I doing here?" Gyda's mind questioned as she engaged her runes for sight and hearing so she could not only hear what the Norns were saying but see what they were weaving and how it could possibly pertain to her.
"She is here, sisters," the ancient voice of one of the Norns spoke; her voice was like the booming of thunder, but at the same time as soft as the wind on a lazy summer day; Gyda didn't dare speak because the Norns were powerful, ancient, and frightening.
As one, they all nodded, creeping Gyda out even more. Still, curiosity moved her legs closer to the deities that had her life in the palms of their papery, thin, gnarled hands. "We have summoned you, Gyda Swan, to our hall to give you a glimpse of the fate of your descendant, Isabella Swan, who even now is being conceived in the womb of Charlie Swan's wife, and to discuss your intertwined fate."
All six voices said as they sounded as one; the tone was so penetrating that Gyda wanted to reach up and put her hands over her ears to muffle the power of it and keep herself from going deaf. Gulping down her fear, Gyda took a breath and asked in a voice just above a whisper, "Bella Swan? what does her fate have to do with mine?" She wondered as Urd pointed to a section of the tapestry.
"Behold Bella Swan, Your descendant." Gyda walked ever closer, drawn as if she was a moth flying into a flame and burned in the fire, her hand reached out as she traced her own thread to that of Bella's and saw that it connected to a man named Edward, but his thread was the dark charcoal silver color associated with Doden the Norn of death, "What does it mean?" Gyda asked, worried that Bella would experience loss and go through her life without the person she was destined to be with.
Skuld, the Norn who weaved the present, smirked knowingly at her sisters unemotionally, "Ah, Bella Swan, a fragile soul who will find herself drawn to a vampire named Edward; he is a vampire with a complicated lifestyle."
Gyda expressed her confusion in her voice and through her question, "A Vampire? But what does this have to do with me?"
Kaoset, the Norn of chaos, laughed heartily in delight as she continued to weave with her sisters and said cheerily, maybe too cheerily, "Bella's path will lead her to the Cullen family, and in turn, you will cross paths with them as well."
"Unbelievable," she muttered under her breath. The Norns had chosen Bella, her descendant, to be a vampire's mate. It was a dangerous path that would put Bella in harm's way far too often for Gyda's liking. She clenched her fists, determination burning in her chest. "I won't let anything happen to you, Bella."
Gyda took a minute to think about what all was said. She couldn't help the niggling in the back of her mind that told her that there was more to this meeting than just learning that she was about to have a new member of her family, "I mean no disrespect, my ladies, but what is the true purpose of this meeting?"
The six Norns looked at each other and then turned towards Gyda, "Our intentions are simple. We weave the threads of fate, and in doing so, we reveal the path that lies ahead. Bella's destiny intertwines with Edward Cullens, but so does yours."
Gyda's eyes widened as she realized what the Norns were saying, "Jasper Hale... you speak of him?" She didn't know how to feel about the plans fate had in store for her.
"Yes," Skuld answered. "Jasper Hale is a vampire with a past as tumultuous as yours. Your paths shall cross, and destiny will guide you towards one another."
Gyda looked at the tapestry with a mixture of emotions; she was anxious for Bella, scared of what this path meant for her, what Gyda would have to do to keep her safe, how her association with Jasper would impact her ability to protect her family. But she was also curious and maybe hopeful that she might find happiness.
Gyda stood straight, pulling her shoulders back, and she flipped her fiery burgundy hair over her shoulder; her eyes were burning with the blue fire of determination as she stood before the deities of fate, "So be it. If this is the will of fate, I shall embrace the meeting with Jasper Hale. But know this, Norns, I shall forge my destiny, regardless of the threads you weave."
Gyda was surprised at the snickering of all six of the Norns; that is, the spirit, Gyda Swan. Fate may guide you, but your choices will shape your path. With that said, the Norns turned back to their weaving, their fingers dancing across the threads, the destinies of Bella Swan and Gyda Swan together. Gyda watched for a moment longer before turning to leave, her heart filled with anticipation and an unspoken hope for what lay ahead.