Oopsy-Daisy

God of War and all associated characters and interpretations are property of Sony Santa Monica. Kingdom Hearts and all associated characters are property of Disney and Square Enix.

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"Welcome to Vanaheim, Sora!" Mimir declared after they exited Tyr's temple to the realm of the Vanir. He was in the grandest, happiest mood Atreus had ever seen him in. Probably because he'd been given free leave to question Father about his homeland and the gods that once dwelled in it. By contrast, Father had become so surly it was almost as if he'd stepped back in time and become the haunting figure from Atreus's childhood.

Still, Sora's sheer wonder blew Mimir's glee out of the water. The otherworldly youth walked over to the edge of the bridge to get a better look of the landscape. "Wow! It's so colorful!"

"That's a jungle for you," Mimir said. "Have you never seen one before?"

"I've visited two," Sora replied, stepping away from the edge. "And a handful of jungle-like islands."

"Come," Father said, jerking his head towards the other end of the bridge. "Let us make haste to Vanaland."

"Vanaland?" Sora repeated as he fell in step beside Atreus.

"The capital city of Vanaheim," Atreus supplied. "It's where Freya lives, and where the majority of the displaced Aesir settled in."

Sora nodded. "Okay. But…Vanaland? In Vanaheim?"

Mimir chuckled. "Aye, Njörd, the founder king of the Vanir, named it himself. Not the most creative fellow, if I may say. But an able enough ruler when it came to it."

"King, huh?" Sora clasped his hands behind his head. "So, that makes him Freya's husband?"

"No, her father," Mimir corrected. "And he abdicated his throne to her once she returned to Vanaheim in full." Father grunted dismissively. "Oh? Something to say, brother?"

"It was irresponsible of Njörd to leave the responsibilities of his throne to Freya alone," Father stated.

"She has a host of advisors," Atreus countered. Although, really, only Hildisvíni and Sif were worth their salt.

"Advisors are not rulers," Father said with a shake of his head. "Nor are they family. That he left so shortly after her return…."

"Well, there are a host of old wounds between them," Mimir gently added. "To say nothing of the gaping hole left from Freyr's death."

"All the more reason for him to stay," Father said gruffly.

"But he also led the war against the Aesir ages ago," Atreus replied. "And he lost a lot of friends and family thanks to them—I don't think it's unreasonable to want to shy away from hosting them. Prevent any of his biases and past grudges from influencing his decisions."

"Then it is better to leave Freya along to juggle two groups that have cause to dislike her?"

Before Atreus or Mimir could respond, Sora chuckled. "Man, Kratos, you must really like Freya, considering how hard you're arguing on her behalf." There was a teasing suggestion in Sora's tone that Atreus…didn't want to pursue right now. Based on the way Mimir's lips pursed, he also heard the teasing tone and came to the conclusion Atreus would not name.

Father just hummed. When he spoke, he spoke softly. "Freya has suffered greatly. And lost two people very dear to her in a very short amount of time, especially for a god. I…merely object to the fact that the last link to her family she has forcibly removed himself from her presence." Atreus was about to correct him, stating that Nanna and Forseti—Baldur's wife and son—were alive and well in Vanaland. But then he remembered that the pair wanted nothing to do with Freya after what she did to Baldur.

Sora tilted his head down in thought. After a moment, he said, "Well, she's got you three, doesn't she? I've seen the way you all interact—she trusts you guys. And you trust her."

Father grunted. "She deserves more." The melancholy in his tone made it really hard for Atreus to ignore the inferences and insinuations running wild in his head.

"Probably," Sora replied with a nod. "But for the moment, I think she'll be happy with you giving her all you can."

Father looked over his shoulder at Sora, appraising him.

He shifted his gaze to Atreus, who shrugged. "He's not wrong, Father."

"…No, he's not," Father said, before turning to face the bridge once more.

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The walk to Vanaland was shrouded by the heavy topic of Freya and what she 'deserved'. Still Atreus and Mimir answered whatever questions Sora had about Vanaheim that he asked on the way to Vanaland.

Finally, they crested one last hill, and Vanaland came into view.

"Wow!" Sora exclaimed in wonder at the sight of the Vanir capital. "This place looks amazing!" It really did.

Even years after his first visit, Atreus couldn't help but admit that Vanaland was impressive. The city itself was built on a series of crisscrossing canals, and the buildings were all made from tress raised from ground and carved out with Vanir magic, painted with wide, swirling patterns in a variety of different colors

It was easily the most beautiful city in any Realm Atreus had visited.

"Ah, Vanaheim," Mimir said with a pleased sigh. "There's just an air about this place that puts you at ease. You wouldn't think these were the people that bloodied Odin's nose as often as they did." Sora made an inquisitive grunt. "Oh, right. I've not informed you of the Aesir-Vanir war yet, have I?"

"Not at all," Sora said as they walked forward once more. "Another one of Odin's evils?"

"Actually, Odin was not the start of the conflict, believe it or not."

"Really?" Sora asked.

Mimir nodded. "Aye, that honor belongs to a rash group of Asgardians who are not with us anymore—they died during the first charge into Vanaheim, if I remember correctly. Of course, things could have deescalated if Odin had simply handed his men over and made proper reparations. But he had his bloody pride, on top of the chance to simply take Vanir's secrets by force."

Sora hummed, staring out at Vanaland. "Looks like he didn't succeed."

"Thankfully, no. By the end of it all both sides were just limping along, fueled by hatred and spite."

"So…what made everyone stop?"

Mimir grew bashful. "Well…you know that I used to work for Odin, right?"

"Until he started getting crueler and you tried to stop him," Sora replied. "And then he trapped you inside a tree and tortured you for years until Kratos and Atreus freed you."

"Correct. See, back then, I advised Odin that the best way to start mending bridges would be through marriage. Specifically, the princess of Vanaheim marrying the king of Asgard."

"The Princess of—wait a minute." Sora's eyes widened. "You suggested that Freya marry Odin?"

"I did more than that," Mimir said with a heavy sigh. "I made the marriage happen, no matter the cost."

"But, why?!" Sora exclaimed. "The way you talk about Odin, he was a monster!"

Mimir winced. "In my defense—weak as it is—back then Odin wasn't nearly as horrible. Granted, he was an arrogant bellend that always had to have his way, but that's not really all that different from any god." Sora just hummed. "Believe me lad, I beat myself up over the things I did in his name every day."

Sora nodded. "It's fine. That was all way before we met, I can't judge you for it." He sighed. "Man, being a god sounds complicated."

"It's not all bad," Atreus cut in with a smile.

"It can be more trouble than it is worth," Father countered gruffly. His features softened, however, when he shifted his gaze to Atreus. "But there are certain…benefits, that come with it."

"Like turning into animals?" Atreus supplied, smile growing sharp with mirth.

"Like turning into animals," Father said with an amused huff.

"If you say so," Sora replied, hands clasped behind his head. He opened his mouth to say more, only to pause and tilt his head up. "Hey, what's that?" He said, jerking his head up at the sky.

Atreus looked up just in time to see a Shield-Maiden fly down towards them—Kara, specifically.

"Greetings," she said, wings flapping as she hovered just above the ground. "Queen Freya is expecting you."

"Has Ratatoskr informed her of how to repair the World Tree?" Father asked

"One of his aspects informed her of the situation and is currently searching for the Niflheim seed," Kara replied. "The skittish one." Atreus could sense his father's mood drop a touch. While he was cordial with all of Ratatoskr's aspects, Anxious tested his patience the most.

Kara's wings beat harder, lifting her higher in the air. "I shall inform the Queen of your arrival. Just head into the palace and to her court—do you remember the way?"

"It hasn't been that long since we were last here," Atreus replied with a roll of his eyes.

Kara chuckled. "I suppose not." And with that, she was soaring off into the sky once more.

When she was little more than a speck in the sky, Sora asked, "So, what's those winged-ladies deal anyway?"

"Oh, I think you'll like this one," Mimir stated as they walked forward. "Those 'winged-ladies' as you so eloquently described were once the Valkyries of Asgard. The warrior-women that ushered in the souls of worthy mortals into the halls of Valhalla." When Sora asked what Valhalla was, Mimir continued. "Valhalla is—sorry, was, it was destroyed alongside the rest of Asgard during Ragnarök—a grand hall where those that died a warrior's death spend the rest of eternity feasting and celebrating."

"Warrior's death?" Sora repeated.

"Ah, you know, went down fighting. Typically, with a weapon in hand."

"But…what if you don't die like that?"

"Then you're ushered to Helheim—a cold and dreary wasteland where there's naught to do but reflect on what you could have done differently."

Sora crossed his arms and arched a brow. "So, your only options are either die 'like a warrior' or spend your afterlife shuffling around in a wasteland full of regrets?" He scoffed. "At least in the Underworld, Hades puts everyone on even ground before sending them off."

Father nodded. "Indeed. For all his faults, the Lord of the Dead did not deem those that die of old age as unworthy of a good afterlife."

"It's not like that and you know it," Mimir said with a roll of his eyes.

As the pair devolved into the familiar argument of what constituted a 'worthy death', Atreus stepped closer to Sora. "There's another afterlife for people to end up in."

"Is it a good one?" Sora drawled.

Atreus chuckled. "Well, Folkvangr was reserved for warriors—one's that didn't care for the eternal glory and battle, that is. But with the destruction of Valhalla, Freya's been in talks with Hræsvelgr —the ruler of Helheim—to renegotiate the rules of who can enter which afterlife." Mimir had mentioned it once or twice. Odin's spells to empower the Einherjar had twisted the letter, if not the spirit, of the afterlife systems, to say nothing of his corruption of the Valkyries leading to a surplus of souls in Helheim. Hræsvelgr wanted to redraw the borders, so to speak, before she retired. An act of kindness for her successor, whichever poor soul that ended up being.

Sora nodded. "Well, at least that's something." He hummed. "Do you think we'll have to visit those places? Helheim and Folkvangr? Are they connected to Vanaheim?"

"We might visit Folkvangr if that's where the seed ended up—it's held within Vanaheim, or something." Atreus said. He wasn't entirely sure how it all worked. "But Helheim is its own Realm entirely, and unless that seed in Alfheim miraculously changes places, I don't think we'll have to visit."

"Good. I've already been to three afterlives, and that's more than enough for me."

"Three?" Atreus furrowed his brow. "Since you talked about it, I assume you've been to the Greek Underworld, but what're the other two?"

Sora hummed. "Well, there's Davy Jones's Locker, which is supposed to be the final resting place for people that died at sea, but a bunch of alive, non-magical humans were able to get there just fine. Well, I guess they all had help from Tia Dalma. And the Final World is more of a…final stop before Hearts finally expire."

"What's this now?" Mimir sharply cut in, eyes zeroing in on Sora, abandoning his argument with Father.

Sora took a deep breath. "Davy Jones's Locker, or the Final World?"

Mimir considered the question. "…The Final World. I'm far more curious about things related to these Hearts you've informed me of."

Sora nodded. "The Final World—people's Hearts end up there if they've still got any outstanding desires or wishes holding them back."

Mimir hummed. "Ah yes, you've mentioned that place once or twice. It's where you ended up after bringing your allies back to life and your Worlds banished you, correct?"

"Yup."

Atreus frowned. "Then…wouldn't that mean you're dead?"

Sora shrugged. "I don't think so. I've died before—I couldn't forget what the feels like if I tried."

"The experience does stick with you," Mimir said sagely. Father grunted and nodded in agreement.

Atreus stared at his Father. "Wha—Father, you've died?!"

Father stilled, then sighed. "…Multiple times," he admitted, feigning indifference.

Atreus spluttered. "B-But the Giant's prophecy! The murals!" He rushed forward to glare up at his father. "If dying was such a little thing to you, don't you think it would have been nice to mention it?!" Father sighed deeply and stared down at him, eyes growing hard, yet gloomy.

"Hey, Mimir!" Sora said as he popped up behind Father and grabbed the talking head off his belt. "What are those to our far left? Trees?"

"Indeed, they are!" Mimir stated. "Why don't we go all the waaaay over there out of earshot so I can tell you about them?" The two shared a nod—well, Mimir just blinked hard—and marched away.

Atreus barely paid them any mind, gaze locked on his father. Father grunted. "I did not tell you because the circumstances of my previous resurrections were irrelevant to the Giants' prophecy."

Atreus laughed in disbelief. "You died and came back to life! That seems pretty relevant to me!"

Father shook his head. "The Underworld is fundamentally different from Helheim. It is not a realm that anyone can freely enter or exit. I only ever escaped with assistance from others."

"And how many times did we venture in-and-out of Helheim without any trouble?" Atreus spread his arms out. "Seems a lot easier than the Underworld!"

Father's eyes twitched in that familiar way they did when his rage was building. In the end, however, he clenched his fists and said, "You forget, two things. One, until meeting the Norns, I had thought prophecy to be immutable. Having been the subject of multiple that I fulfilled in blind rage, I was not…confident in my chances of avoiding this one." A bit of Atreus's frustrations faded. He could understand that—he ended up running to Odin out of fear of the Giants' prophecy coming true, which ended up partially fulfilling it anyway.

"Also…" Father looked up to the sky and sighed. "…Odin was correct in that it is a mystery where gods go where they die. My previous deaths occurred when I was mortal—or at least, had been drained of so much of my godly energy that I may as well have been one." Atreus blinked—that could happen? "Had I died—truly died—you would have been…alone." He turned down to Atreus with sad eyes. "I did not wish to give you false hope regarding a potential resurrection."

Now all of Atreus's irritation died. He let out a breath. "Yeah that…makes sense." He hugged his arms across his chest. "I'm sorry for blowing up like that."

Father smiled softly and laid a hand on Atreus's shoulder. "It is fine. It is not an easy topic to discuss. Which is part of the reason I never did so." He grunted. "And I would not have, had you not brought it up. I suppose that is one aspect of myself I still must change."

"You're better than you used to be," Atreus smiled. "A few years ago you would have just said"—Atreus puffed up his chest and mimicked his father's voice—"Silence, Boy! You know not what you speak of."

Father chuckled as he stepped away. "I would not have even deigned to respond."

"Probably!" Atreus said with a snicker. Father chuckled alongside him, before nodding and leading the way to Sora and Mimir.

The latter was declaring to the former, "…why the same trees across all the realms can appear so different."

"Wow, amazing," Sora replied in a flat tone. He perked up upon seeing Atreus and his father. "Oh, there you are!" He eyed them warily. "Everything…ok?"

Atreus smiled up at his father briefly before returning to Sora. "Yeah, we're good."

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Vanaland, like always, was just brimming with a sort of natural energy. The air itself made Atreus feel lighter, and he had to fight to keep the spring out of his step and ignore the stalls and shops. This wasn't a leisure visit—they were tasked by Ratatoskr to heal the World Tree after Sora had, accidentally, damaged it.

…But maybe he could pick up a nice dress for Angrboda after they were done.

The people of Vanaheim—mostly Vanir and Aesir, though there were a few Dwarves, and even both variants of Elves—parted like water before them. Most stared at Father in fearful awe, but a more than a few were gesturing to Sora and whispering as they stared at him.

Atreus wondered how much about him people knew. For that matter had the other Realms felt the World Tree shake when Sora cut it off from Niflheim and Muspelheim? None of the mortals in Skjöldr's village had said anything. But then Jörmungandr made the earth shake every time he shifted in his sleep, and he carried Sora across the lake—which he was mature enough to admit he was still jealous of—so they probably didn't feel anything out of the ordinary.

Finally, they made it to the main palace—a large, gnarled tree trunk of a building painted with calming blues and greens. One of the Shield-Maidens, Gunnr, stood at the entrance to the palace with a few regular guards. She butt her spear against the ground. The tree split open in front of them, revealing the palace's entrance hall.

Sora looked around in wonder at the tapestries lining the walls. They detailed the accolades of the Vanir: Njörd and the eldest Vanir founding Vanaheim: the births of Freya and Freyr: their victories of the Aesir-Vanir war: even Freya's wedding to Odin.

Atreus had asked Freya why she hadn't torn down that last image down and burned it to ashes. She'd told him that getting rid of the image wouldn't erase the act itself. And, more importantly, to deny Odin would be to deny Baldur, who, despite everything, she still loved with all her heart.

Father easily led them through the palace, past long halls and up winding stairs. So easily Atreus was certain that he'd made more visits than even he was aware of. All at once, Sora's teasing words wound their way into his head once again. Ugh, no! He refused to think about that. There was no way—Father and Freya—it was absurd—the mere thought—!

"You alright, lad?" Mimir's voice cut through the fog. "You're gaining a glare something fierce."

Atreus flinched and tried to school his features. "Yeah, yeah. Just…thinking about something." He flicked his gaze to Father, who had slowed down and arched a brow. "It's nothing." His father didn't believe him, but just turned forward and continued.

They made it to Freya's court room, or whatever it was called, to find the Queen of Vanaheim standing around a table, her advisors—Sif, Hildisvíni, and a few other men and women Atreus didn't know—all murmuring to each other as they gestured to a map. Geirdriful and Gondul stood guard at the entrance.

Atreus and his father stopped to greet her and wait to be announced, Sora kept walking forward. It actually took a moment for them all to realize. And before anyone could stop him, he's raised a hand and called out. "Hey, Freya!" The woman jerked at the call, looking over her shoulder with a bemused expression—a much kinder expression than the glares her advisor wore.

"Sora!" Freya replied. That got an immediate reaction from the advisors—namely, their eyes all bulged, and they stared at Sora with trepidation. Freya continued with a strained smile, "I didn't hear you come in."

"It's fine," Sora replied, either unaware or uncaring of Freya's true meaning. "What're you doing?"

Freya blinked. "Well, we are currently discussing the development of the farm lands we've recently reclaimed from the wilderness." She gestured to Atreus and the others. "If you would retu—"

"Actually, your majesty, I think we've spoken enough on this topic for today," one of the Vanir advisors hastily cut in.

One of the Aesir advisors nodded vigorously. "Indeed! We should leave you to your…guest." Freya arched a brow at them, but when Sif and Hildisvíni agreed with the others, she gave them all permission to leave.

By then Atreus, his father, and Mimir had hurried over to Sora. The man himself just stared confused at the advisors. "Oh? Did I interrupt you or something?"

Atreus could practically hear the gears in Freya's head grind together as she debated her response. In the end, she just sighed and shook her head. "Nothing more important than repairing the World Tree." She beckoned them forward and unfurled a map of Vanaheim over the map of the city on the table. One area to the north—near the gorge—was circled in black ink.

"This is the area Ratatoskr's projection reported the World Tree's seed is located in." She tapped circled area. "I've tasked Olrun and Hildr with narrowing down the search field." She grimaced. "Fair warning, there's a roost of dragons in the area. I don't want to jinx anything but—"

"The seed will be with the dragons," Father bluntly cut in.

"Ah, c'mon, brother!" Mimir chuckled. "No need to be so negative!"

"He's probably right," Atreus replied. Sora nodded sagely, placing his hands behind his head.

Mimir scoffed. "Well, I for one refuse to be brought down by your negativity."

"Who's being negative?" Sora said. "I'd love to fight a dragon!"

"It is a rewarding challenge," Father agreed. "The hardest part is knocking them to the ground."

"The trick is to go for the head and any out of place horns—everyone goes for the wings, but those are tougher than the look, and unless the dragon's high enough to break something from the fall, it'll just get back up again."

Father grunted. "Those are small targets. The wings, though mobile, are larger."

"Get up on the dragon's back and size doesn't matter."

Freya blinked as the pair debated the best ways to bring down a dragon—even Mimir kept quiet in favor of letting them speak. She turned to Atreus. "When did they get so…chummy?"

"They had a talk last night," Atreus said. When she arched a brow, he just shrugged. "Apparently it was a good talk."

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A/N: When I first came up with this idea the friendship between Sora and Kratos was supposed to be a lot slower on Kratos's end.