"Mmmh...you are really nice to snuggle up to."

"Ahm..."

"Mmmh~~~"

"Goddess?"

"Hm~~hmm~~~ I think I can understand Syr."

"G-Goddess?!"

"Hm, yes, Bell?"

"Wh-What are you doing?"

"Just cuddling a bit with my beloved follower, isn´t that allowed?"

"Kuuuh..."

While the carriage was still on the way to the party, Freya used the chance to cuddle a bit with Bell. Before she had just leaned against him and put her ear onto his chest, to listen to his steady heartbeat. Said heartbeat got faster and faster when Freya snuggled more up to Bell. He didn't react to her body the same way other people, especially men, did. But Bell was getting visibly nervous and his heart was pounding just from the fact that Freya was a woman and cuddling with him. While his heart only beat for Syr, Freya was his goddess, whom he really liked. In a way he loved Freya, but in a different way than Syr.

For Bell, the gods were something to be worshiped or recognized rather than something to be lusted after. But even when he didn´t look at Freya like other people did, even when his eyes weren´t glued to her curves, he couldn´t help but to be embarrassed. He was still a young man and the most he ever did with a woman, was to kiss Syr. So he couldn´t help but get flustered now, all the more so since Freya's body touch reminded him of Syr. At the moment of their third kiss, when Syr in her exuberance had pushed him to the ground and was half lying on top of him.

"Oh my~. Bell you are quite red, is something wrong?"

"N-Nothing!"

Freya chuckled. "Don´t tell me...are you having...naughty thoughts?"

"No! No I don´t!"

She chuckled again...a very cute sound actually. "I´m just joking. I know that you have only eyes for Syr."

"H-Huh?! How do you know that?!"

Bell never told Freya about Syr, he didn´t know if that would be unpolite or maybe worse. Since for nearly every member of the familia, Freya was everything. The only exceptions were Mia, Anya, Syr and he himself.

"Oh my. Didn´t Syr tell you?"

"What do you mean?"

Freya slowly let her right middle and index finger wander along Bell´s right thigh. She used the tips of her fingers as if her hand was walking around. It was really fun to tease Bell a bit, but she knew where she had to stop her hand, she never went further as half of his thigh, going closer to his crotch would make him feel uncomfortable.

"Bell, do you know where Syr´s room is? Where she lives?"

"No, so far we didn´t talk about that."

"Hm, yet she asked me if it would be okay to show you her room."

"Huh? Does she live at Folkvangr?"

"No, Syr isn´t going close to our home. Bell do you know where I have my room when I´m not at Folkvangr?"

"Actually I wondered where you would sleep then, I heard you aren´t often at home in the night."

"Correct, it is a bit too loud for me at Folkvangr sometimes. And since I want to be honest with you, sometimes it is a bit too much to have everyone around me. So when I want a bit time of my own, I sleep in my room at the top of Babel."

"The top of Babel?!"

"Yes, the highest floor is my personal area. A few other gods also live in Babel, but further down."

"Wow...the view from up there must be amazing."

"Hmm, yes it is pretty nice. But not for someone who is afraid of heights."

"Makes sense I guess."

"And this is where Syr has her room."

"Eh?"

"Hehe, surprised? Syr´s room is next to mine, a bit smaller, but still pretty big."

"She also lives up there?"

"Yes. To be honest, Syr is as special to me as Mia and Anya. She never wanted to be an adventurer, but we got along pretty well. And as you might have noticed, some of my children tend to get a bit jealous when I treat one of them different from the others. Syr can be pretty delicate. So I gave her the room on top of Babel, she really likes it there."

"But goddess...is it okay to tell me this?"

"Why not? Syr already asked me if I would allow it that she shows you her room. Since the floor belongs to me she wanted to ask first."

"And..."

Freya chuckled and slightly pinched Bell´s thigh to tease him a bit. "I said yes of course. I can´t separate two lovebirds."

"L-Lovebirds?!"

The goddess giggled and then...she moved her left hand into her dress...into her cleavage. Bell immediatelly looked away.

"Wh-What are you doing?!"

"You will need this to get to the floor."

Freya pulled something out between her breasts, it was a special silver coin.

"Why are you keeping it there of all places?!"

The goddess looked down on herself. "Well I don´t have any bags with me. So, here. Take it."

Bell was bright red when Freya offered him the coin.

"Ehehe, Bell, I said take it, not me."

"H-Huh?!"

She giggled again. "Hah, it is so refreshing to spend time with you. Here."

Freya didn´t wait but put the coin in Bell´s hand. "With this coin you can enter the highest floor of Babel whenever you want. So when Syr invites you, you can come over. But please inform me in case you have a sleepover."

"That would be a bit to soon for us..."

"Hm. So Bell...how far have you gotten with my dear Syr?"

"Mmmh..."

"Oh my?~~ I smell development!"

"G-Goddes..."

"Awwww, come on Bell. You are my beloved child and Syr is my friend."

"Friend?"

"Yes, Syr and I aren´t really goddess and follower. She is one of my few friends. Did she never told you?"

"She only said that you are someone special to her."

"Oh, that is really sweet. So as I said, Syr is one of the few friends I have."

"Only a few friends?"

Freya leaned her head against Bell´s shoulder and gently stroked his thigh. "Maybe I shouldn´t say this...but it isn´t easy for me to find friends..."

Bell looked perplexed at her, Freya raised her face slightly and looked into his eyes. They were very close to each other, if that was Syr at his shoulder, Bell would have...foolish thoughts now...like kissing her. But right now, he looked at his goddess. And he felt a bit different from normal when he saw her now. Freya looked more vulnerable and a bit lonely, was it just his imagination?

"Goddess...I..."

"Bell..."

For some reason, his heart started to race for real, he wasn´t used to have such a beautiful woman cling to his body like that.

But instead of doing something foolish or try to flirt further with Bell, Freya smiled gently and just nudged her body against him.

"Bell, please always stay the way you are, okay?"

"I intend to."

"Hehe, good. And Bell?"

"Yes?"

"I know that you love Syr, but would you allow me to cuddle with you now and then?"

"S-Sure."

Freya beamed all over her face for a moment. "That means a lot to me."

"Hm."

"So, Bell...you haven´t answered my question."

"Hm?"

"How far did you get with Syr?"

"Mmmh..."

"Hehe, we will still need a bit to the party...you won´t escape~~~~"

And so, Bell told her. Freya was really surprised about the kiss and she wanted his promise to never trick or hurt Syr. After that she asked him how he got along with the other members of the familia. There wasn´t much interaction to begin with, the only people that he talked to were Heith, Hedin, Hogni and rarely Ottar. But even with Heith he had his problems.

"Mh, yes, Heith can be a bit extreme sometimes. But she is always working so hard that I can understand her a bit. Don´t think too much into it."

Freya guessed that Heith was really frustrated from all her work. What she needed was to let go a bit and relax. If Bell had a different mindset, he would probably be the perfect man to help Heith getting rid of her stress.

Hmm...maybe I should help Heith a bit, we will see.

"And how is your party going on?"

"Very good! Welf and I make a really good team and Lily is just the best supporter I could wish for!"

"Hm, you sure are full of praises for your supporter, I would like to meet her some day. To be honest I´m quite surprised that she stayed with you after finding out that you belong to me."

"Well we talked about that. She told me honestly that she was a bit hesitant, since she heard mostly bad things about our familia. Some people think that many of our familia members are a bit...extreme."

Freya smiled slightly. "I can understand her. And? How did you convince her?"

"I told her that I will never betray her trust or treat her bad in any way. That I will help her when she is in trouble, that this has nothing to do with me being part of your familia, goddess. That I want to be her friend."

Freya already knew that Bell´s nature was the reason why Lily stayed with him. In the pub, she had seen Lily´s soul. That poor girl didn´t have a nice life and she longed to have someone she could trust, that she could call her friend.

As long as she isn´t falling in love with Bell and trying to make moves on him, I will allow it. Hmmmm...

"Say, Bell."

"Yes?"

"How would you like it if I talked to Soma?"

"You mean lord Soma? Lily´s god?"

"Yes. What would you think of it if I would talk to him to take Liliruca into my familia?"

"That would be really nice of you, she is so unhappy in her familia. But...wouldn´t she get in trouble in our familia too?"

"Not when she stays in her room...or maybe...hmmmm~~~~~"

"Goddess?"

"Hehe, how do you think would Liliruca look in a waitress uniform?"

.

.

Hiiiiii!

Somewhere in the city, Lily felt a chill running down her spine.

Is someone talking about Lily?

.

.
"I think Mia could need a new part time waitress and she would surely look adorable."

"But goddess, why would you do that? I don´t want to offend you, but you don´t seem to be someone who does something like this."

Freya put her hand from Bell´s thigh to his chest. "For you, Bell."

"For me?"

"Yes~~...I would do it for you...if you would just ask me. I would do everything for you~~~"

"G-Goddess?"

Freya smiled amorous, Bell wasn´t sure how exactly she meant that.

"Also, I´m sure I would be able to get her full beauty out of her. To show the world how pretty she can be. Ooooh that would be so much fun!~~~"

"Ahm...as long as Lily will be happy."

"Hehe, I´m beginning to look forward to that. But Bell...I want something in return."

"What is it?"

"Hug me."

"Goddess?"

"Don´t make me say it twice. We still have five minutes until we arrive at the party, so hug me."

"Mmmmh..."

Bright red in the face, Bell was about to do as his goddess asked. His problem wasn´t directly to hug her, but the fact that she was half naked.

"Irgh...ey!"

And just because he didn´t try to look, Bell didn´t see where he moved his right hand. But he felt something really soft around his hand. Something...divine.

"Oh my~~ I didn´t think you would be so bold.~~"

Bell looked down...and realized where his hand was.

"Eeeeek! I´m sorry! I´m sorry! I didn´t mean to put my hand in there! I swear!"

"Hehe~~Were you curious if I had any more coins? But this is a no-no. You should do this with Syr first."

"Wh-What do you mean first?!"

Freya snuggled up to Bell and enjoyed the skinship, this time Bell put his hands and arms where it was safe. Which wasn´t easy due to her dress. Bell didn´t know how happy this small accident Freya made. Yet, the mind image of Syr was bright red, but also pouted a bit.

Hehe, sorry Syr. But this is how adults play this game. You have to wait a bit to get to this point with Bell. But you will surely enjoy it.

Freya winked in her mind and Syr got even more red, she was a pure, untouched maiden after all.

"Bell, that reminds me I wanted to ask you something."

"Y-Yes?!"

Hehe, he is so cute when he is flustered.

"I would like to train with you combat sometimes."

"Eh?"

"Hmmm~~ Have you forgotten what kind of goddess I am?"

"S-Since it is you that is asking."

It was easy to forget that Freya was also a goddess of war.

"But goddess...wouldn´t it be unfair, since I have a status?"

The answer that Freya gave him was a very challenging smirk. Bell didn´t know what awaited him.

.

.

Eventually they arrived at their destination, one of the banquet halls of the gods. The building was enormous and pure luxury, even Folkvangr wasn´t decorated to such a degree. But then again, his familia was filled with warriors and Freya was also a goddess of war.

When the carriage stopped, Bell opened the door and went outside. He then offered his hand to the open door and smiled. Freya returned the smile when she appeared, putting her hand on his and coming out of the carriage in a very elegant manner. Most of the mortals that acted as the staff for the banquet gasped when they witnessed Freya, which was quite the normal reaction.

A red carpet lay on the way to the hall, even when it was thick, Freya had no problems to walk. Bell offered her his right arm and she was all too happy to link her arms with him.

"Shall we go, goddess?"

"Gladly, Bell."

A few of the staff members murmured, more surprised to see Bell instead of Freya. Normally she was accompanied by one of her high executives, but no one knew him.

"The hall is really big, are all banquets held here?"

"No, that would be too boring, but it is one of the bigger halls."

As they stepped through the main door, Bell saw just how grand the hall really was. The floor was tiled with a white veined stone, somewhere he had read the name marble. The walls were paneled with white floorboards edged with gold. On one side of the hall there was a huge balcony. On this side there were no doors, but round arches, which were also chased with gold. Long tables were laid out in rows, filled with all sorts of delicacies and dishes. Another part of the hall was the free dance floor, hung above it by truly enormous chandeliers adorned with crystals.

And there were many people in the hall, gods and mortals alike. Most of them walked around as a pair, Bell guessed that the followers sticked to their gods. He noticed with a wry smile that a few of the followers looked like the felt to be in the wrong place.

"Woah, amazing."

"Do you like it?"

"It surely is a sight."

"Shall we get ourselves something to drink?"

"Sure."

Freya just loved it when Bell chatted so normally with her.

They went to one of the tables and Bell filled two glasses for them with an exotic juice. Since she noticed that Bell didn´t drink alcohol, Freya also did that.

"Bell, are you thinking you are too young for alcohol?"

"Ahm, a bit. And I don´t want to make a fool out of myself when I´m here with you, goddess."

"How considerate of you. Oh, come, I see a few people that I would like to talk to."

Bell slowly got used to the suit that he wore and he noticed all the eyes that his goddess drew in. Many people looked at Freya as if they were in love, some turned immediatelly away, looking flustered. As long as no one looked with lewd eyes at her, Bell had no problem with it.

"Hehe, I´m happy that you are with me tonight, Bell. When Ottar is there, no one really dares to talk to me."

"But I have the feeling that our captain isn´t trying to intimidate anyone on purpose."

"Well sometimes he does, but normally this is just how Ottar looks like. You should see him when he smiles."

"Our captain can smile?"

Freya started to chuckle at first, then she laughed. Her happy laugh was a sound that enchanted many people around them.

"Ahahahaha! Awww, Bell. I really love to spend time with you."

"Huh? Did I say something funny?"

Freya giggled again while they walked. Bell saw the group of people that they were heading towards.

"Oooooh! Mylady Freya, I wish you a good evening tonight!"

The man that greeted her had a dandy like aura around him. He wore a white suit that was opened at the front a bit, which gave him a casual look.

"Good evening, Hermes. Is your work going well?"

"I can´t complain, there is always much to do!"

Freya´s eyes wandered to the blue haired woman next to the god Hermes. "Oh my? I thought we shouldn´t bring our captains tonight?"

"Aaah, it really breaks my heart. But no one except my beloved Asfi had time to come with me tonight. All of them were quite busy suddenly. And when no one else has time or you just have one child, the captain is allowed to come. But isn´t that quite the luck actually?! Just look how beautiful my Asfi is tonight! She surely shines above all the other mortal women here! Ahahaha!"

The blue haired woman looked more than a bit flustered. "S-Stop it...Lord Hermes..."

The god grinned and now looked at Bell. "And who do we have here? I don´t think I have ever seen this young man at your side before, Freya."

"Ehe. This is the newest member of my familia, Bell."

Bell bowed down slightly. "G-Good evening, lord Hermes."

"Oho, what a polite young man. Be very welcome Bell. Are you enjoying the time in your familia?"

"Ahm...yes?"

"And, is Freya nice to you?"

"Of course! Goddess is just the best!"

"Oho, looks like you got a new admirer, Freya."

"Ehe, not at all. Bell actually has a girlfriend."

"What?!"

Bell was surprised to see the god so shocked.

"It´s true."

"Wow...now that is something."

Bell was confused why that was such a big thing. Sure, his girlfriend was the most beautiful, cutest, best, most perfect and cheerful in the whole city!

A small group of three gods and their followers came walking towards them now.

"Now what did you do to the poor Hermes, Freya? I have never seen him so shocked."

"Good evening, Hephaistos. I just chatted with him and introduced Bell, nothing more."

The red haired goddess of the forge wore an elegant, dark blue dress, that somehow complimented her eyepatch. "Is that so? Good evening, Bell."

"Good evening, lady Hephaistos. You really look wonderful tonight."

The goddess raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You are able to say something like that with Freya next to you?"

"Ehehe, Bell isn´t that fixated on me, don´t worry."

Hephaistos was of course accompanied by someone, it was Welf. Welf...wearing in a suit. A very unhappy looking Welf in a suit.

"Irgh..it itches..."

"Welf, stop complaining."

"I´m not complaining."

Bell noticed that Freya smiled a bit wryly and didn´t look into Welf´s eyes directly. He had the feeling as if she was holding back somehow.

Hephaistos sighed. "Don´t worry, Freya. Keep yourself under control and nothing will happen to Welf."

Freya nodded slightly and then greeted Welf. Welf´s reaction towards Freya was unlike all the other men in the hall. He greeted her politely, but he didn´t have the same expression as the others.

"I´m sorry, Hephaistos."

The red haired goddess just waved her hand. After Welf fell accidentally under Freya´s influence, the goddess of the forge made sure to "overwrite" Freya´s charm. The young couple hadn´t planned to progress this fast, but it was pretty nice in its own way.

Welf grinned when he looked at Bell. "Man...this suit doesn´t suit you at all."

"Right back at you, Welf."

Both grabbed the other´s wrist and grinned. .

.
Freya then turned to the other two gods and their female followers.

"Takemikazuchi, Miach, good evening."

"Good evening, Freya."

"You are as beautiful as alway-Irgh!"

For some reason, the Chientrope woman next to the god Miach had pinched him from behind. The raven haired beauty next to the god Takemikazuchi and the Chientrope looked both pretty flustered and tried not to look at Freya. It wasn´t just her divine aura of beauty, it was also the dress that she wore. For both young women, this was more than a bit daring.

Bell smiled when he saw Miach and Nahza. "Lord Miach, Ms. Nahza, good evening."

Both greeted him in return.

"Miach, I see you have your captain with you as well."

"Well I only have one follower, but I think Nahza deserves such a nice evening with all of her hard work."

Now Nahza looked really happy and Bell saw that her tail wagged.

His eyes wandered to the woman next to the god Takemikazuchi. She looked a bit uncomfortable in her dress as she looked around. The young woman was one of the people that looked like she felt very out of place.

Then Freya looked at Bell. "Do you know Miach and his follower?"

"I buy my healing potions and other stuff at their shop."

"Is that so?" Freya looked at Miach, she smiled. "I hope you aren´t ripping my dear Bell off."

"Of course not, Bell is a well liked customer."

At first Nahza had indeed tricked Bell a bit, but when she learned to which familia he belonged, she immediatelly stopped that. Now the small familia enjoyed a form of protection, since a member of the Freya familia was a regular at their shop. Bell wasn´t even aware what kind of influence he had just because he belonged to his familia.

While they chatted, Freya looked a bit at Mikoto, who looked more than just flustered.

"Oh my~. Takemikazuchi you really got yourself a pretty, young woman."

"I would be glad if you wouldn´t phrase it like that."

"I mean as part of your familia, of course. Yet I don´t think that a relationship between mortals and gods is wrong. What do you think of that, Bell?"

"Huh?" Bell thought for a moment about Welf and Hephaistos, then the quite obvious feelings of Nahza for Miach. "I think it is okay when both sides love each other?"

A happy gleam appeared in Freya´s eyes...as well as in Mikoto´s.

Freya was in a very good mood tonight, since she could see Mikoto´s soul and how she reacted to Takemikazuchi, she thought about playing cupid a bit.

"And what do you think about that, Hephaistos?"

The red haired goddess shrugged her shoulders. "What is there to say? My answer should be obvious to you, Freya."

Bell only noticed now that Welf and Hephaistos had entangled a few of their fingers.

"Love is love, being a god or a mortal means nothing against that."

Freya leaned closer between the heads of Nahza and Mikoto, she whispered so softly that only the two understood what she said. "Go for it, don´t waste the time you have."

Both young women got more red, but they somehow looked encouraged. A part of Freya wanted to see them succeed. A part that had gray hair and eyes. Syr couldn´t help but play her little games and bring people together. She was the polar opposite in that matter to Freya. Freya cared about her own love, Syr wanted to see love blooming everywhere.
Two sides of the same coin of being a goddess of love. Then again, Freya herself started to change without even noticing it. The aspect of lust got cleansed out of her bit by bit.

She knew Bell for a while now, Syr got in a relationship with him, she liked to tease him now and then, like when she moved on purpose so that his hand had slipped into her cleavage in the carriage.

And yet...Freya felt no feelings of lust or the desire the rip off Bell´s clothes and go for it until they would be worn out. Not only did she have this feeling with him, ever since he came into her life, Freya had even slowly stopped thinking about sex.

The only thing she thought about most of the time, was Bell. Her love.

"Hmm, Takemikazuchi?"

"Yes, Freya?"

"Your children go into the dungeon too, right?"

"Yes they do."

"My precious Bell and h-...Bell is close to leveling up and he would like to go deeper into the dungeon."

Freya stopped herself in the last moment to mention that Welf was also close to level up. If she revealed this information it could make Hephaistos angry.

"How about his party and your children try to go together for a bit? A bigger party has it´s benefits."

Takemikazuchi scratched his chin, Mikoto listened carefully. "A party of your familia?"

Freya shook her head. "Bell´s has a party of three people, one of them is Hephaistos´ child here. The other is a supporter of Soma´s familia."

The far eastern wargod didn´t look that happy. "Soma´s of all people?"

Before Freya could answer, Bell did it first. "Lily isn´t like other people of her familia! She is really kind and hard working."

Welf nodded. "I have to agree...well except for the part about being kind."

"Welf!"

"Sorry, Sorry." He grinned.

"So, as you heard, the little Liliruca is different from her familia. Just like Bell is much different from my other children."

Takemikazuchi looked at Bell with a serious face. "I don´t mind to offend you, but having my children group up with a member of Freya´s familia can be dangerous. Their are people in the city that don´t like your familia and this could cause trouble for my children or bring them into danger."

Freya showed Takemikazuchi a certain smile, a smile that all gods of war had at some point in their live. "And whoever would bring them into danger would awaken my...anger."

Mikoto had a strange expression. "Lord Takemikazuchi, you teached us to never judge a book by it´s cover. I think a warrior should be judged by his own actions and not only by these of his lord or lady."

Hephaistos smiled. "I also think it is a good chance for Welf to meet more people."

Takemikazuchi nodded. "Alright, I will talk to my other children."

.

.

They continued to talk, it was rare to see Freya this chatty. And eventually another god and her follower joined the group.

"Hephaistos, Take, Miach, Freya, long time no see!"

"Oh, Hestia, good evening."

The other greeted the small goddess too. As usual when it came to a banquet, Hestia had her plate filled to the brim. When Hestia noticed Bell, she winked and grinned, he bowed a bit.

Then Hestia turned halfway around.

"You don´t need to be shy, everyone here is really nice."

Hestia´s follower was even smaller than the goddess. It was a girl of about ten years of age, she was a Chientrope with cream colored hair and fur and with brown eyes. The girl wore a simple yet cute dress. She always stayed close to Hestia, overwhelmed by the banquet.

"Ehe, Fina, don´t worry. No one will do something."

"Mmh..."

Hestia smiled to the others. "May I introduce you all? This is Fina, one of my followers. She won in a competition of rock, paper and scissors to accompany me."

The small girl clung to Hestia, intimidated by all the adults and young people.

To Bell´s big surprise, Freya crouched down until her eyes were on the same level as Fina´s. "Good evening, Fina."

"G-Good evening..."

"You are one of Syr´s friends, right?"

"Eh?!" Fina´s ears and tail perked up.

"Ehe, Syr is one of my children."

"Really?!" Fina smiled bright.

"Yes she is."

Hestia gently patted Fina´s head. "It was Freya that introduced me to Syr."

The small girl beamed all over her face. "So because of you lady Hestia came to us?"

"Ehe, if you want to call it like that."

"Thank you!" Fina surprised them when she stepped forward and hugged Freya.

The goddess blinked surprised, then she giggled softly and returned the hug for a moment.

"And Bell here is a really good friend of Syr."

Fina looked to Bell, who crouched down too. "Hello."

Bell smiled. "Hello, Fina."

Freya chuckled. "Bell is actually Syr´s boyfriend."

"Syr has a boyfriend?!"

Fina´s eyes shone when she looked at Bell. "The others won´t believe this!"

"Ahahaha..." Bell smiled a bit embarrassed.

Miach, Takemikazuchi, Hepahistos and Hestia looked shocked.

"F-Freya, are you telling me a member of your familia is loving someone else than you?!"

"Is that so strange?"

The four gods looked at Bell, who was a bit confused.

"Wow, he really seems to be something special."

Fina smiled to Bell. "Will you come and visit us with Syr?"

"If lady Hestia allows it."

Hestia grinned. "Of course! Come along whenever you want! Syr is a honorary member anyway! Hah, she is such a good kid. Such a shame that she belongs to you, Freya."

"Hoh? Are you planning to take my precious child away, Hestia?"

"Of course not. Thanks to you and Syr I have so many lovely children now."

Bell noticed that Freya had a really warm smile on her face. He continued to chat with Fina for a bit, she was too curious how he got to know Syr.

Freya smiled when she saw that. Bell is really good in handling children, hm? Hah...I wished you could have this too, Syr.

In a corner of her mind, Syr smiled a bit sad. But since she was a goddess, they could never have this.

.

.

"Hephaistos, Hestia, Takemikazuchi, Miach and your children of course, I wish you a good evening, but there is something I want to do with Bell."

Freya had noticed that the others held a tiny bit back, except for Hestia. She wasn´t really friends with them so she noticed when she was in the way. Also, the music had started to play. She gently patted Fina´s head a last time, which let the girl giggle.

"Bell?"

He knew what was expected of him and if he was honest, he looked forward to it.

Bell bowed down lightly, his left arm politely held behind his back, the right hand towards Freya.

"Would you give me the honor to dance with you, Goddess?"

Hedin had teached him well.

Freya smiled happy and put her hand on Bell´s. "Gladly."

Bell gently led Freya to the dancing area.

When he saw that, Miach smiled. He turned to Nahza, went down to one knee and held his hand towards her. "Would you dance with me, Mylady?"

Nahza smile was really beautiful when she put her hand on his. "With pleasure."

Hephaistos looked at Takemikazuchi and nodded to Mikoto, before she pulled Welf to the dancing area too.

When the others were gone, Hestia smiled to Fina. "Shall we go and have some fun too?"

"But...I don´t know how to dance."

"Neither do I, but who cares, come!"

"Okay!"

Hestia and Fina were a bit clumsy when they tried to dance, but they watched Miach and Nahza, who showed them how to do it. They both had a lot of fun this evening.

And Freya...she only had eyes for Bell now.

"You know how to dance, Bell?"

"Mr. Hedin was very...thorough. But I don´t think I can dance that well."

"Bell, as long as I´m with you, I don´t mind it."

His heart grew warm, her smile looked so much like Syr´s now and he really liked his goddess. Since she wanted to dance there, Freya secretely guided Bell to the middle of the dance floor.

They looked into each others eyes while they walked elegant to the middle of the dance floor. Bell held left hand behind his back, the right raised. Freya had her left hand on Bell´s right, her right hand at her side.

When they reached the center of the dance floor, they swung their arms slightly to the sides. Bell bowed in perfect courtesy while Freya nobly curtseyed. They then stepped towards each other, Bell raised his left arm and gently cupped Freya's right hand in his. His right hand gently wrapped around her waist while her left hand came to rest on his shoulder. The first step was a bit awkward, but Freya gave him an encouraging smile. Whatever happened, as long as she was here with him, Freya was happy. Both of them moved back and forth carefully and gently, rocking to the side in time to the music. Bell smiled, his goddess really was a beauty, he could easily lose himself in her eyes. Not because it was her nature, but simply because Freya was...Freya. His goddess who had given him everything and whom he liked very much.
And Freya...she really got lost in Bell's beautiful ruby eyes. She was on cloud nine already.

As they moved to the beat of the music, they both stepped apart, holding hands. Then Bell lifted his left arm wide, Freya raised her right arm a little and twisted gracefully under his arm. Bell put his free hand on his back, they moved apart briefly, Freya raised her arm, Bell moved underneath. Then he raised his arm again, she turned back and they went back to their starting position and slowly continued to dance.

Freya´s smile looked different from usual, her queen like behaviour had slipped a bit and she looked at Bell more like a maiden in love would.

And there was something else that only Bell noticed.

Freya´s eyes were glowing slightly.

It wasn´t the glow that happened when she used her charm, she didn´t need to charm Bell and it wouldn´t work anyway. No, this glow happened because Freya was just so happy.

Her happiness had to get out somehow. By their very nature, gods were very different from mortals. And since Freya would never scream or cheer with joy... her eyes glowed slightly. Nobody had ever seen this phenomenon, nobody who could remember at least. The only people who had ever seen Freya's eyes light up were those who fell under her charm. So Bell was the first and only one who ever saw this and would see it. Freya's eyes glowed slightly just for him. And would only ever do it for him.

Freya was...in love. Head over heels in love.

And for the first time in her life on the surface...no...even for the first time in her entire existence...Freya felt real love in her heart.

For her, Bell was the one, her Odr.

And knowing that Bell loved her too made it all the more wonderful.

They danced on smiling, forgetting almost everything and everyone around them.

More than one god and mortal watched the two. The dance was a bit awkward due to Bell's lack of time to practice, but Freya didn't mind.

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Heh, I have never seen Freya smiling like that or even looking like that at someone. This young Bell has to be someone very special.

Hermes stood at the side, he sipped his drink while taking a short break.

He wasn´t the only one that noticed Freya´s behaviour. After Welf complained that his feet hurt from dancing nearly half an hour, Hephaistos also took a short break. She knew that Bell was the one she forged the daggers for.

Hm, what an interesting young man.

Of course there were more than a few men that were jealous that Bell was allowed to dance with Freya like that instead of them.

And there was one goddess in the hall that had to do her best not to grind her teeth.

You stupid bitch! Stop showing off your man!

Ishtar´s blood was boiling, no one was looking at her, only at Freya and her newest toy! The time to finish her plans and completing the ritual was only a month away now.

I will show you who is the true goddess of love and beauty!

An idea started to take form in Ishtar´s mind, an idea about the white haired boy who danced with Freya.

Before I will end you, I will make him mine in front of your very eyes!

Ishtar had no idea what she would awaken with her plan.

A fury that would make even the One Eyed Black Dragon look like a harmless lizard by comparison.

Yet Ishtar´s bad mood would increase further the closer her goal came. Oh, how she hated Freya.

And Freya...she didn´t think about Ishtar at all.

Only about Bell.

Only Bell.

There was another goddess in the hall who didn´t hate Freya, but was a bit upset that her "rival" didn´t even notice her. A very flat chested goddess.

"Hah, I will show you! Ais, let us d-"

Loki stopped her words when she noticed that Ais was gone from her side, sitting at a table and eating happily all the food she could get. On the side she noticed that Hestia was accompanied by a small girl, who was bright red in the face as she helped her goddess to stuff as many food as possible into small boxes. Hestia didn´t care about her own dignity, her beloved children deserved some fine food!

They would find even more delicious food from the Hostess of Fertility and other amenities when they returned home. An anonymous donor had made sure that the things were brought to the former orphanage. Or rather an anonymous...female...donor.

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It was very late in the night when the door of the carriage closed behind Bell and they started to drive back to their home.

"Hmmm~~, that was a wonderful evening~~"

Freya hummed pleased while she snuggled up to Bell again.

"It was really nice."

"Mmmh...Bell, I feel a bit cold..."

Thankfully, Hedin told him what that "code" meant. Bell leant a bit forward, took off his suit jacket, put it halfway around both of them and gently placed his left arm around Freya.

"Mmmmh~~~ Better."

Bell had to admit that his goddess could be really cute when she wanted to be.

Freya sighed, cuddling more with Bell. "I must give Apollo credit for this wonderful idea, bringing someone along made this banquet more fun."

"Are there often parties like this?"

She leaned her cheek against Bell´s chest and listened to his heartbeat. Feeling his body warmth was really nice.

"At least once a month, but I rarely go."

"But why that?"

"It gets pretty boring after a while, today was different so it was fun."

"I´m glad that you had fun."

She tilted her face up so that she could look in Bell´s eyes. He noticed that her eyes were glowing again in the second that they went into the carriage.

Freya was even more beautiful than usual like this.

"Why that?"

"Hm, sometimes I have the feeling that you are holding back a bit, Goddess. As if you want to do things that you can´t do."

Freya smiled lovingly. "You are quite sharp, Bell."

"But why is that so, Goddess?"

"Ah, Bell... There are some things that I have to do as a goddess, a certain image that I have to show. I know that they just want to protect me and love me in their own way, but a few of my children would love it to lock me away in a golden cage and never let me out again, so that nothing can happen to me."

"Who?"

"Allen for example, but I know he doesn´t have bad intentions with that."

"Oh..."

Allen was one of the members of the familia that Bell just couldn´t get along with. Not that Allen wanted to get along with Bell...

"But Goddess, aren´t you here to have fun and escape from what you usually do?"

"I am, Bell. All of us gods are, but.." She sighed heavily and snuggled a bit closer as if she was searching his comfort. "But that isn´t so easy for all of us."

"But why?"

"Beauty can be a heavy burden."

He looked confused.

"I will try to explain it to you. Have you ever heard about the charm of gods of beauty?"

"You mean that you are quite charming?"

Freya giggled. "Maybe that too, but I mean something different. For Ishtar, Aphrodite and myself as an example, it is in our nature that people feel attracted to us, men and women alike. The only ones that are completely immune against our nature are the celestial virgins, Artemis, Athena and Hestia. And of course people that aren´t capable of having feelings of love, those that have gone mad with rage."

"Does that mean I´m attracted to you because of that charm?"

"Mh-Mh. You are a very rare exception, something in your Falna makes you immune to the charm of a goddess of love."

"Oh?"

Freya smiled. "And I guess Syr is also a factor, since you are head over heels for her."

Bell got a bit red, Freya chuckled again.

"Where was I...right. So as I was saying, people are attracted to us because of our nature, it is hard to resist our natural charm. In heaven when we could use our Arcana, nearly no one could go against us. Only the three celestial virgins or the prime gods of the various areas."

"The prime gods?"

"The leaders of the different mythologies. Like Zeus of the Olympians. Amaterasu of the East. Or...Odin..."

"He is the leader of your mytholgy?"

"Yes..."

"Ahm, Goddess. I hope I don´t step too far. But judging from your tone and...that you are shivering a bit...did you have problems with lord Odin?"

Suddenly, Freya put both of her arms around Bell and clutched his body lightly, he felt that she really shivered, so he put his arms around her too.

"Odin never liked what I was capable to do with my Charm, if I did something with it or not. In heaven, the mythologies and the prime gods are pretty equal to each other, some stronger when certain conditions are met. Like when there is a thunderstorm or the bright sun. But we gods of beauty were an exceptions. We were a danger, how Odin called it."

"Oh."

Bell gently stroked Freya´s mostly bare back with his left hand to comfort her and calm her down.

"Most of the time I was separated from the other gods or locked away. Odin even threatened to kill me with Gungnir."

"Killing you?! But you already were in heaven?"

"We only get sent back to heaven when we are killed on the surface. In heaven, in case Odin had used Gungnir, he would have destroyed me. A complete death, he can kill a god with his weapon."

"But why?! Just because you could´ve used your power but never did?!"

"Yes...he was all too relieved when I went down to earth and had my powers sealed. He would´ve loved it more when I got imprisoned forever."

"But you didn´t do anything with it, or did you?"

"No. Only a few pranks here and there, nothing worse than what Loki did."

"But why did he wanted to punish you then?"

"Gods aren´t much different from mortals in some ways. When it comes to matters of the heart, people tend to get very emotional or harsh. I was a danger just because I could use it for my own goals some day."

"Were the other godesses of love and beauty also threatened like that?"

Freya shook her head slightly, which meant she rubbed her face a bit at Bell´s chest.

"Ishtar has a very high rank in her mythology and well...Aphrodite is an Olympian. I guess you heard enough stories about Zeus to know why he wouldn´t have a problem with her?"

Bell chuckled a bit. "Yeah, my grandfather told me stories about some gods that he read in books. According to him, Zeus was the coolest, charming, most powerful, best and most handsome of all the male gods."

"I´m not surprised that he is described like that in books. He indeed could be very charming and he was one of the few that didn´t care about me being a goddess of beauty. Of course he tried to confirm by himself if I really was such a beauty..."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He peeked on me when I was taking a bath in heaven."

"What?!"

"Yes, Hermes also tried that once, but only Zeus managed to do it."

"So he was a pervert?!"

"Of course, he is Zeus after all."

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.

Far away from Orario an old man sneezed while he tried to peek on a few female elves bathing late at night...and gave away his presence like that. He would need to run for his life now.

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.

"But wanting to imprison and kill you just because you were born like that...do gods even get born? Is it okay for me to ask this?"

"It is okay to ask, but I don´t know the answer."

Freya sighed and enjoyed the skinship with Bell.

"To get back to the topic. Due to mostly being separated in heaven and my "curse of beauty" on the surface, people rarely treated me for who I am, not what I am. The first one that treated me normally was my beloved Mia. She doesn´t care what I am and it was very refreshing to meet someone like that.
The next one were Demeter and Hestia, since Hestia is immune to what I am, she treats me normally or is even harsh at times."

"She is also harsh?"

"Only in a teasing way. I really like Hestia. And Demeter is partly immune since she also is a goddess of fertility. Among the gods...Demeter is my best friend...my real only friend."

"But you talked so nicely with the other gods tonight."

"That was just courtesy, Bell."

"Oh."

"Which brings me to you."

"Me?"

"Mh-hm. You always treat me completely normal and I can´t tell you how happy that makes me. I really love you for that."

"Love?"

"Yes. I hold you very dear, Bell."

He noticed that her eyes glew more, judging by her expression, what she meant wasn´t the love of a goddess for her follower. Freya looked at him in the exact same way as Syr did right now.

Bell felt her soft body against his own, she really felt a bit like hugging Syr. In the moment he even managed to ignore the fact that Freya was half naked, he just wanted to comfort her.

"But you know what is like a bad joke, Bell?"

"Hm?"

"I never found true love in my long life, not once... It is like the universe is making fun of us gods of love. While we represent it, it is hard for us to find true love. I never found mine."

"Never?"

"Mh-Mh. It´s really a shame..."

Bell´s heart nearly broke when he looked into Freya´s glowing eyes...she was crying. Freya didn´t even sob, silent tears were running down her cheeks. He tried to imagine a life as long as her own, never able to find true love for herself. She never did in the past and maybe would never in the future.

"Goddess..."

His heart got squeezed when he saw her vulnerable, frightened expression. To find Syr, falling in love with her and get that feeling returned was the happiest in his life. And to think his lovely goddess had never experienced this and maybe would never...Bell felt sorry for it.

But all he could to was to hold her until her tears stopped. Bell lacked the experience and knowledge to know what he should do.

Freya kept her face leaned against his chest, she still didn´t sob. "Bell...please promise me...don´t tell anyone what I told you just now."

"I won´t, I promise."

"Thank you..."

His feelings were in turmoil, to have a goddess...a deity...open her heart completely towards him a mere mortal...he never expected something like this to happen. In fact, he was the first person ever that Freya did that to. The only other one that knew about all of Freya´s problems and feelings...was Syr.

It was why Syr was born in the first place.

She was the truest form of Freya´s desires. To have freedom. To have friends. To get loved for who she was. That was why the pub was her sacred place, where all of her dear friends were.

Even when they were latelly very cruel to her when they played cards or another game...being in love really distracted her.

But if she was honest, not using her soul sight because her love distracted her, was actually nice. The games were more entertaining like this and even the feeling of defeat was precious. Syr gave her all in the card games and still could lose now. This made her friends even more happy when they actually won against her.

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Hedin looked from the shadows with a smile how the carriage drove away after Freya and Bell got out. Freya had Bell´s jacket around her shoulders and smiled serenely. It was very rare to see his goddess happy and relaxed like this. Hedin had made sure there were no guards waiting at the gate...no one was foolish enough to attack the Freya familia or try to sneak in anyway. So Freya and Bell were alone as they slowly walked into the vast home. Neither said anything, but that didn't worry Hedin, not when he looked at Freya's facial expression. As they neared the door of their private quarters, Hedin disappeared, smiling slightly.

100 points, Bell. 100 points.

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Freya stood in front of her door, Bell´s jacket still around her shoulders.

"Bell, thank you for this wonderful evening."

"I enjoyed it too. If you want to do something like that now and then, to get a bit fresh air, I will gladly accompany you, Goddess."

Freya´s cheeks turned pink, she was really happy.

"Before I forget it, your jacket."

She turned around to let Bell carefully take the jacket from her shoulders. When he leaned forward, Freya turned her face to the side and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"E-Eh?!"

"Hehe, my right as your goddess to thank you for the evening and a good night kiss. But don´t worry, I know that your lips are reserved for Syr."

Freya smiled mischievously and winked.

"Oh Bell, tomorrow you have a day off from the dungeon, right?"

"Yes, I will go and help at the pub a bit at noon."

"So you are here in the morning?"

"Yes."

"Hehe...how about you train with me for once?"

"Train with you? You mean fighting?"

"I am a proper goddess of war after all."

"But..."

Freya smirked. "Hehe, it´s a deal then."

"Eh?"

Freya lowered her face a bit and looked up to Bell with puppy eyes. "You don´t want to?"

Irgh!

"F-Fine."

"Hehe, yes! It´s a deal then!"

Then Freya looked like she got a brilliant idea.

"How about we spice things a bit up?"

"Hm?"

"The loser has to listen to every demand of the winner for a day, how about it?"

"E-Eeeh?!"

"I like this idea, so let´s do it."

"B-But..."

"Hehe...you can even order me to do something lewd, Bell."

"I-I would never do that!"

"Hehe, but maybe I will?~~~~"

"G-Goodess..."

Freya smiled brightly and entered her rooms. Bell looked at the closed door.

"G-Good night...Goddess."

He smiled and went to his personal room.

Behind the door, Freya leaned against it and smiled happy. She couldn´t resist to give Bell a kiss on the cheek, but it should be okay.

It was just the perfect evening.

She walked slowly to her bed, let the dress slip off her body, hung it on a hanger and climbed into her bed, sleeping naked felt really nice.

In her bed, Freya pulled a plushy towards her. It was a white rabbit with red eyes, the fur on the head was made to look like Bell´s hairstyle.

"Good night, Bell. Please protect me in my dreams, okay?"

She kissed the snout of the plushy, hugged it to her chest and fell asleep.

Freya really had wonderful dreams that night.

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Bell had a bit trouble to fall asleep, after hearing Freya´s story, the urge arised in him to make her happy.

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In the next morning, Bell got stunned by the sight before him.

Every single warrior in Folkvangr got stunned by the sight before them.

Bell waited at the trainings area, wearing his full armor, the Rabbit fangs at his sides...when she appeared.

Freya.

She wore a custom made armor that fit her body perfect, a sword hanging at her hip. Freya had her arms raised, like this her smooth armpits were visible and she was binding her hair up to a pony tail.

The smiled that Freya showed him was not the usual one.

Now she smiled like a warrior queen.

Suddenly Bell remembered one of Freya's many titles...the Queen of the Valkyries.

"Shall we begin, Bell?"

"Yes, Goddess!"

Bell couldn´t know what awaited him...

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Author`s Note: Hey everyone, I´m happy that so many of you like this story. I will do my best to make it a good one. Despite being a short story, I decided to take my time and build things more up. To let their relationship grow more.

HughJasz: Yes Freya and Syr are one and the same person, but a bit like two sides of the same coin. Her split and yet one personality will be the most important part of this story. But I don´t want to spoiler what will happen later.

I will do my best to make this story good. Freya also deserves some love.