The air was warm, and a breeze blew from the north, carrying a tang of salt and a hint of something burning. The sky shimmered with silver clouds of smoke brought by the winds that had come in the night after a slight shiver that ran through the ground.
The road ahead of her was long and unrelenting. She made her way nevertheless, made it here and made it far from her home.
Through ancient paths she found herself in someplace of Scandinavia, something of the place of the old ones. There were no people to be seen and she wondered at what the old one had said, what he had seen. The air was moist and cool as she looked into the distance, to the tree line and saw what she had never thought to see again.
What could she possess that would bring such strange wonders, leading her in this entirely new world?
She danced through the forest and embarked on the journey that she had seen, a path that she had dreamed of for too long and had not hoped to see in her lifetime.
And yet, it was here, as if it had been waiting for her.
Destiny and fate, all the things she wanted that she could not have living with her coven. All they ever did was hunt, dance and play, over and over again. She wanted something more and yet, they would never allow it.
But they would not know until she had gone.
So she ran, away from the coven and the way that she had known, deep into the forest, hoping for a future she did not know.
Here, in some, Greenland, Iolanthe pressed her dainty feet along the soft grass as the world around her was scattered with large rocks with a streaming river beside her, making her feel small and yet, she liked it. She had travelled for a long time and the stars that glittered in the sky looked different to what she knew back home.
Everything about Iolanthe was different compared to mortals. She had a longer lifespan, did not age and possessed unique abilities. She was different and would be the first to go down this new path that she had forged.
With every step she took she felt a slight pull, a slight yearning for the life that she had known, the one that she had dreamed of and was leaving behind.
This large wall of stone in her path and she felt this source drawn just behind this massive structure. Could she climb this? Could there be a gap that she could slip there? Or perhaps it would be too far?
She would not know until she tried and so, she would.
With a large jump she leapt into the air and was caught by the strong breeze. She hovered for a moment before slowly gliding to the top and landed there as if she were made to fit in such a place.
Iolanthe looked at the large cliff that towered above her and saw what looked like the end of the world, something that she could never have seen back home.
Too low! She barely even bounced off the ground but then ended up land onto a platform just along the structure. This time, Iolanthe had no hesitation in continuing.
In this way, she leaped from one platform to the next, the wind catching her as she fell onto a platform upwards. The way up was too high and it could take a while until she could reach to the top, to the place that she felt that she needed to be.
With every jump she took, she was forced to leap into the air and felt that strong wind that always guided her and moved her in this direction. She was certain that she had reached the top now but this was no place that she had ever seen.
Iolanthe could make out a large arch of rock with two pillars on either side. Then, she stopped as she peered over the ledge, taking a breather until she could continue.
Iolanthe knew that she would never have been able to find this place on her own.
She looked down and saw the world around her, to the horizon and the thick clouds that surround it.
The water was not like she knew, it was more vast than anything she had known and there were places that she would not have been able to see from the ground. The horizon seemed to touch the clouds and she wondered what would happen if she walked out there. Her mind didn't wonder to far from as she continued her climb.
So close, a crack in the rock led a straight line upward that she could clamber on, and was grateful for this because she had tired herself out with her efforts.
Iolanthe grasped onto a boulder and lifted herself over the ledge, the coolness of this place brushing against her skin. The air was thick and it seemed to hold a certain weight that she had not known before.
And there, the source, the one that pulled at her from across the world. She looked out towards the edge and felt a sudden feeling of emptiness. It's gone. The source.
She was finally on top as if she was alongside the heavens from being so high off the ground. Distracted by the sights she had never seen before, she hadn't noticed that someone had been approaching from behind.
Two arms wrapped around her as she was thrown along the ground, facing a young man smirking at her.
"Sorry, did I scare you?" The man watched her with intensity as Iolanthe's heart pounded in her chest, crawling backwards as the man continued to pursue her.
"A foreign girl, who somehow managed to climb a towering wall.—- Though, it's obvious you're not ordinary."
Iolanthe didn't understand what he was talking about and couldn't respond.
This was the source, she had been drawn here and it seemed as if she had been caught in the middle of a chase.
Iolanthe made a run for it.
"Ohoho, no you don't." He chuckled and dashed in front her in great speed. Iolanthe felt threatened and furrowed her brows at him as she hummed. Everything around them began to duplicate in an iridescent glow as copies of her scattered.
The man was stunned as he widened his eyes in surprise. "What's this? The little witch wants to show and tell? How adorable!" He chuckled then rolled his eyes as he loosened his sword from hip as he struck it into the ground. A vibrant iridescent light erupted him from as Iolanthe's copies disappeared.
She felt the impact as it made her disoriented, to fall onto the ground but it was soon over as she felt nothing more.
Iolanthe looked up and saw that the man remained unfazed as he continued to wear his annoying smile.
"So easily defeated. I don't blame you. You're clearly oblivious."
He stepped closer to her. Iolanthe did not understand what he meant. What was this?
She remained silent, heaving her shoulders as she remained still. The man sighed then shrugged.
"I won't kill you, if that's what you're worried about. —-For now, I shall keep you tied until I can figure out what to do with you." The man smiled as he pulled her onto her stomach. That shimmering light from earlier emerged from his hand as the ribbon of glow wrapped around her wrists and ankles.
Iolanthe squirmed, but the bonds were strong and she remained bound.
"Dimitte me! D-Dimitte me.." Iolanthe croaked.
"What? You know you're in a completely different realm. Here, we speak our mother tongue. Are you even capable of that?"
She closed her eyes and shook her head.
The man sighed once more.
He was holding the binds of the light rope, looking at her intently. He pulled her closer and leaned in.
Iolanthe tried to pull away, but there was nowhere for her to go.
"Why do you think you can wander freely? What do you think is here for you?" He said.
Iolanthe was taken aback by the way he spoke, his voice was soft and smooth, but there was an edge to it, as if it was trying to be threatening.
Iolanthe struggled to keep her eyes open as she saw the man reach out for her cheek.
She shook her head, pushing him away from her face.
The man leaned in closer, watching as the light from the iridescent glow lingered on her cheeks.
The man held her chin as Iolanthe felt weak to his touch.
Iolanthe clenched her face at him, "Ego nocere tibi!" She spat.
"Don't know what you said, though I'd assume you are cursing your foreign threats to me. How adorable." He tightened the magic from her binds as it compressed around her wrists, causing her to feel the effects of the magic almost hurting her. Iolanthe let out a gasp of pain and took a breather.
"...Let me go." She said to him.
"Oh, so you can speak after all."
The man scoffed and then lifted Iolanthe with one arm as he dragged her to her feet. He had begun to pull her to a lift that seemed to reach the bottom. She looked around to see that there was a whole city beneath them, a whole village full of vivid green land and strange flying things in the air.
She wondered at what the world had been like before the first of the old ones had come here. She had always wanted to visit, but she had never found herself in this strange realm.
How did she find herself here? Once they arrived on the platform of the lift, the man slumped her against the wall carelessly as he drew the lever down.
The lift began to descend, and Iolanthe felt herself fall. Her eyes widened as she was certain that this was a death sentence.
She gasped, and yet, there was no impact.
"Who are you?" Iolanthe spoke, feeling uncomfortable in her position.
The young stranger smiled at her, "Who am I? Well, because you don't know anything at all. I am an observer, watchman, and scion of this superior realm." As he explained, Iolanthe just looked at him with a confused expression mixed with contempt.
"It's too much for your head. —-I'll keep it simple. I am the man that oversees this place and its people. My name is Heimdall. The guardian of the realm." He said with a slight edge to his voice, one that caused Iolanthe to raise her brow at him.
"Heimdall." She looked into his eyes as she spoke, trying to wonder if she knew anything valuable about that name but no, she didn't know anything at all.
Heimdall looked down at Iolanthe and let out a sigh as he placed her against the lift wall, straightening her posture.
The lift descended slowly and eventually, it stopped, lowering them to the ground. Heimdall pulled her up once more as he stepped out from the lift, looking around the area.
"Since you are foreign, the All-father will know what to do with you. I can see the disdain you have for me and possibly the misconduct you intend to do. You are a wonder." He said, "You are no witch, though, you possess similar powers as the others do."
Heimdall began to pull her away, Iolanthe trying her best to pull her hands free from her binds. "Sorry, I'm afraid that it'll be useless to break free from Bifröst. Don't bother trying."
"Bifröst?" Iolanthe said in a confused tone.
Heimdall sighed and pushed her forward, "Get going now Fairy Fiasco." He nudged her with his boot as he headed to a large animal mounted near some fences. It seemed that this man wanted Iolanthe to follow, so she would have no choice but to comply.
He then suddenly grabbed her by the arm and threw her on top of the animal's back and constrained the Bifröst around her entire body to ensure she didn't fall off.
"Me odisse vos!" Iolanthe shrieked.
"Settle down." He said and mounted his beast as they embarked through the city streets.
Iolanthe glanced at the people around her, noticing their confused expressions mirroring her own. They looked unfamiliar, pale, and resigned.
Heimdall didn't seem to notice as he guided his animal onwards to the path deep into the city.