These Things We've Gained: Eternal Love, Building Hope, Just Honesty

by Tales of Suspense

In the aftermath of "These Things We've Lost" people strugggle to create a new normal. (Slice of Life)

23. Chapter 23

- Chapter 23 -

Outside The Bounds Of Time

Lord Njord's Secret Office In Vindrvelsignet on Vanaheim

Standing, Frey offered a hand to his brother to help him up as well. It brought a smile to his face when Odin clasped his hand and pulled, letting him counterbalance his Elder Brother. It felt to Frey like they were moving together on the path to healing. It struck him then that he'd done this before. He could remember it then. The first time he'd met Odin was at a ball just before the war. He and Odin sat out on a balcony, away from everyone else at the ball and chatted for a few hours before Lord Borr came to take Odin away. Frey stood before the Asgardian Prince and offered his hand to help Odin up. The younger King could remember the smiles each of them had from that brief interaction. He remembered asking if Odin could come and stay with his family, to visit them. Here, in this sanctuary of the past, Frey could remember how he wanted to get to know Odin because he was such fun to talk to. It would have prompted anger in him, that Lord Borr truly had stolen Odin from him, but he didn't want to accept the gift of Lord Borr's anger into his life.

When Odin was standing, he asked something simple. "Do you remember when we first met?"

A curious look entered Odin's eyes. He wasn't sure what to make of the question. It took him a moment to think back to before the butchering of Frey's parents. "It was at Earl (nobleman) Austrhaugen's annual ball. I was avoiding Lady Austrhaugen asking me to dance again. We spoke for…quite a while before Borr found me." A little smirk touched his lips. "You were more interesting than the Earl or Lady Austrhaugen."

"They were good times." Frey reached out and put a hand on Odin's shoulder. "We're going to heal from what Borr did. We're going to go back to those good times. I can see it happening. I know you can too."

The very sanctuary around him should have driven Odin to his knees in shame. The fact that Frey was offering to uplift him, to heal with him, to forgive him, brough tears to his eyes. They were tears of hope, of happiness, instead of shame and self-loathing. He wiped them away until his eyes were dry again. The smirk returned and he spoke his mind. "You're still more interesting than Lady Austrhaugen."

Giving Odin's shoulder a quick squeeze, Frey chuckled. "I certainly hope so, she only ever wants to discuss is how to turn anything into a basket."

"Conversations with that woman are interminable." Frigga shook her head lightly, smiling at her two favorite men. Both Odin and Frey chuckled at that.

Turning, Odin looked to Sean. He didn't want to stay there any longer than they needed to. "Are we done here? Do we just need to clean up these things?"

"There are still two more matters that need to be attended to after the contents of Lord Njord's and Lady Nerthus' interdimensional pockets have been cleaned up." Sean kept a reassuring expression on his face.

"Let me get them. Frigga, let's handle this quickly so we can move on." Frey unfurled his seidr to touch at everything on the floor. He lifted them up to form a cloud around them. Some things went to Frey's interdimensional pocket while other things went to Frigga's interdimensional pocket. Books to Frey, jewelry to Frigga. Alchemy tools to Frey, throwing knives to Frigga. Between the two of them they were able to easily decide who would get what and what would be held in trust to be shared later. There was something so relieving and soothing for the two of them to go through their parents' dearest possessions. It was very much like having their parents near them again. Each of them was left with smiles on their faces and rosy nostalgia in their eyes. As they went through the various items, they explained the significance of the piece and stories about each item to Odin. Many of the stories were short interactions but they helped Odin to feel more comfortable in being in the room that was permeated with Lord Njord's presence.

A book, the last of Lord Njord's and Lady Nerthus' items, was gripped in Frey's seidr and dismissed to his interdimensional pocket. With their inheritance settled somewhat they turned back to Sean. "What next do we have to attend to?"

"Do you know who the Minnisvörthur are?" Sean smiled as his gaze darted to the strange dagger behind the three monarchs then back to Frey.

Looking between Frigga and Odin, who were shaking their heads negatively, Frey looked back to Sean. "No, we don't."

"Let me tell you of Vanir and the Keepers of Memory. This tale begins with Ymir and his wife drawing life from the earth of the Elder Realms. They gifted Vanaheim with Vanir, who in turn brought forth the free peoples of Vanaheim to fulfil his father's wishes. But they weren't the only peoples to live on Vanaheim. The Minnisvörthur, the Keepers of Memory, were a race of wraith-like people who already lived peacefully on Vanaheim, and it was they who Vanir befriended as he traveled across Vanaheim to grow his kingdom. Their friendship was essential to Vanir because they didn't trade in coin, they traded in memories and knowledge. This trade became essential to the peaceful ruling of his kingdom as well. Vanir befriended as many of the Minnisvörthur as he could to learn from them as much as he could, but none was a better friend to him than Ominni, the first matriarch of the Minnisvörthur clans. Initially their friendship was based on the fact that Vanir was willing to feed Ominni and she was willing to educate him. As time went on it became a relationship of respect and affection. Vanir married and Ominni attended the wedding ceremony. When Vanir and his wife had children Ominni watched over those children. Ominni was present at the founding of Vanir's Noble House, the House of Gimle. Harmony flowed from their relationship. Unfortunately, the Minnisvörthur slowly went extinct. Their habitats changed as Vanaheim became more suited for Vanir's kind. They faded away until there was only a single Minnisvörthur left. Ominni was the last of her kind. Vanir didn't want to let Ominni go, so he created a permanent home for her by his side. When the home was done, he offered it to her, and she proposed a bargain. So long as his bloodline would feed Ominni of themselves, then she would watch over his line and lend them her power when they needed it. Ominni is the dear friend of the Vanir's line and the House of Gimle." Looking to Frey he continued. "Ominni's friendship and the use of her powers is the birthright of every Lord of Vanaheim. Are you willing to feed her of yourself? She'll need to be fed every day."

Of myself? It sounded sinister to Frey, but Sean was the one proposing it so he was less nervous about it than he would have been otherwise. "What do I need to feed her?"

A knowing smile spread across Sean's face. "Five minutes of boring memories, like you staring at the floor, is all she needs. In fact, the more boring the memory the more she'll like it. It won't hurt to feed her, and it only has the side effect of you forgetting those five minutes. For those five minutes you'll be granted access to her abilities, which include being able to influence the whole of the Nine Realms' memories. Ominni is the reason why no one knew about your great-grandfather's many lovers and the rebellion in the palace they once staged; why no one knew about your grandfather's two wives that he paraded about the palace; why no one knew about the …special nature of your parents' relationship. Ominni has been shielding your Noble House by making people forget for millions of years."

"Five minutes, for such power?" It seemed like such a paltry price for a power that seemed so absolute in its effectiveness. Frey wasn't sure what to make of this.

"Will it leave holes in Frey's mind, like disconnected links?" Odin worried about Frey donating his memories, worried that it might undermine the integrity of his Little Brother's mind.

"No, the Minnisvörthur don't remove a link. They drain it of the color of memories without removing the reality of what was lived. The link becomes blank while the mind stays intact. The memory chains are left unbroken and stable." Sean was happy to bring Ominni back to the House of Gimle. She had done so much for his lover's Noble House; it was a shame for her to be discarded and abandoned. Someone as loyal as Ominni deserved better than that in his opinion.

Sean wouldn't lead me to a bad end. "Did my father feed this person?"

Nodding, Sean answered. "Every Lord of Vanaheim since Vanir has. It's been an unbroken line so far."

"Unbroken?" Frey's voice faded away and his gaze dropped to the floor as he was reminded again of what Lady Audhumbla said to Loki in the recording he saw yesterday. He shall have no children by blood. He considered that for a moment before looking back to Sean. "My line will end with me. Who will feed Ominni then?"

Walking over to stand in front of Frigga, Sean angled out his seidr to bend into the Learning Spell. He let it gather his memories and formed it into a pearl of deep violet seidr in his hand which he held out to her. She took the pearl of seidr curiously, absorbing the information with alacrity. He angled his seidr back. Frigga's eyes flew wide, and she quickly used a Healing Spell on herself. When she gasped and looked up at him, he smiled wider. "I don't think that's going to be a problem."

With all haste Frigga turned to Odin and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh beloved, I'm with-child! We'll have another babe!" Deep and thrilling excitement poured through Frigga burning away all of the bitter anger she felt towards Lord Borr. This felt like a tremendous victory to her. She and Odin were truly moving on with their lives, leaving Lord Borr behind in the trash heap of history where he belonged.

With-child?! It couldn't be right; Odin knew it couldn't. Wait, Frey healed her. Nervousness spiraled through his thoughts. His heart was suddenly hammering in his chest. He couldn't help but respond in a particular fashion to having accomplished as an old man what he couldn't as a young man. "Ohhh…" His knees went weak, his eyes rolled back into his skull, and he slumped unceremoniously to the floor.

Frey grabbed one of Odin's arms and went to the floor with him. Before his Elder Brother could lose consciousness Frey unfurled his seidr to form a Cooling Wave Weave which he released towards Odin's flushed face. While that was taking effect, he formed both a Healing Spell and a Calm Heart Spell with his unfurled seidr and covered Odin with the Healing Spell. His Calm Heart Spell was released into Odin's chest. Next Frey looked through his Healing Spell to see how swiftly Odin's heart was beating. Both Odin's pulse and his adrenaline production was too high for the younger King's liking, so he adjusted both downwards into a safer range. Then he handled the excess hormones from Odin's blood, breaking them down and cleaning them from his blood. "Brother?"

With his head still spinning, Odin looked over to his wife to see the ecstatic anticipation covering her face. She was so happy about being with-child. It was an infectious sort of anticipation that was overwhelming his doubt about the wisdom of this course of action. "I'm, I'm too old."

Clutching her husband's hand tightly, Frigga replied before he could finish. "We are not too old. We will have more children." She cupped the side of his face and looked at him with all the love that she felt for him "I'm going to give you the gift that you gave to me. Flesh of my flesh and blood of my blood. All for you, my beloved."

Newfound determination filled Odin's mind at the thought of his wife giving him more children. She was offering him such gifts as he had once offered her, except that she was doing it without the pain and shame. Those treacherous emotions briefly crossed his face. He knew she could see them but didn't know what to do about them.

"Our new children will not make our older children less magnificent. It will only make them Elder Brothers, or an Elder Sister. I won't love them less. I know you won't either. There's no reason to hesitate." Frigga stroked her hand down the side of his face before cupping his face again. "All of our children will be magnificent."

The desire to protest waged a brief struggle to take over his thoughts but the sheer volume of love on his goddess' face gave it no chance to win. Odin doubted how well he would parent this new babe but didn't doubt that he was going to show more love for this new child than he'd shown for his first two children. This child would never doubt that they were loved. "Magnificent? Yes." He put his hand over Frigga's on the side of his face. "They'll come from you. How could they be anything but magnificent?"

"More nephews and nieces! This is wonderful!" His beloved sister was finally with-child and his Elder Brother had accepted that there would be more children. Frey pulled each of them into a strong hug with them each putting a hand on his arm to return his hug. The younger King set aside his anger at Lord Borr to embrace joy instead. This was a wonderous moment for him.

The three monarchs were putting themselves back together again and it brought a wide grin to Sean's face to see it. Since no one was looking, he let that grin stay on his face for a few moments longer. It was a happy moment that was thousands of years in the making. The three monarchs stood with Frey going between Odin and Frigga giving hugs. The younger monarch was so excited to have more family. Today you lose, Lord Borr. He put his professional expression back into place on his face as they pulled back from the group hug. He wasn't part of their family yet, nor were they a part of his clan. Decorum still had to be maintained.

"This is going to be so wonderful!" Frey had one of Odin's hands in his and one of Frigga's hands in his other one. He put their hands together and held them there, looking meaningfully between them. "More so than it already is. I'm so happy for you both."

As she looked to her husband, Frigga's smile was brilliant. "We must find a the right name for our babe."

That was something that Sean thought he could help it, so he angled out his seidr and bent A Mage's Questing Eyes Spell, a Conjuration Spell, and a Learning Spell, then he gripped the pearl of sjel-seidr in his core. It frothed and foamed through his own seidr. He commanded it to retrieve the information that he needed. When it did, he released the spells to create a thick book bound in vibrant purple leather with gold edged pages. The crests for the House of Margloth and the House of Gimle were branded across the cover in shimmering, hardened crystal that had swirls of red and swirls of blue. Inside the pages were printed names and their meanings as well as a brief description of the person it belonged to. The A Mage's Questing Eyes Spell ensured that they could search the book easily enough to consider the names in it for their new baby. When the book was done being conjured it dropped down into his hands. He released the pearl of sjel-seidr so that it stopped foaming through his core, and angled his seidr back in. Sean stepped forward to Odin and Frigga who had turned to face him. "This book has every name of every Lord and Lady of Asgard and of Vanaheim. It has the names' meanings and a short biography of the person who bore the name. The book also has A Mage's Questing Eyes Spell attached to it, so that you can search through it easily." He held it out to them. "Hopefully this can help you to find a good name."

Frigga reached out and ran a hand over the beautiful cover of the new book. She appreciated how the Noble House crests were blue and red coming together, and how the book of names itself was a lovely, blended purple. This was a marvelous bit of history that she was eager to read through just to learn more about the Lords and Ladies. "So many names."

"All but one." Sean said quietly. He didn't put Lord Borr's name in for consideration. He wasn't a fool.

Her gaze snapped up to meet Sean's gaze, a predatory happiness tinging her joy at being with-child. "All but one?" she asked and smiled when he nodded, "Excellent." Her smile grew even brighter then. "Thank you for this Sean. It's just what we need."

"Indeed, it's perfect." Odin looked from the handsome book in his wife's hands to Sean with a grateful smile on his face.

"You're both very welcome." Sean bowed lightly to them, then looked to Frey. "You could make five minutes of bland memories for Ominni while Frigga and Odin look through the book? It would get you ready to meet Ominni and," he smiled warmly, "give them a few more minutes. Is that acceptable?"

"Very." Flaring his seidr out to his young lover, Frey stroked it down Sean's back and over his backside and down between his cheeks. "What do I need to do?"

It was only by the discipline he was raised with and the grace of his ancestors that Sean didn't let a little moan loose as Frey touched him boldly with his seidr again. Touch me again! The young Satska Soledras got himself back under control as the urge to jump on top of Frey came and went. "Just stare at the floor for a few minutes, or the wall, or ceiling." He took a breath and continued. "The Minnisvörthur prefer bland, still memories given willingly to anything else. Memories with actions in them add a spice to their meal that they don't normally like."

A light feeling of foolishness hit Frey, but he was willing to do what Sean asked of him. He set his gaze to the floor and his hands on his hips. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Frigga and Odin beginning to look through the handsome book that Sean created for them. The minutes passed in a weird sense of being slow and swift at the same time. Soon enough Sean was stepping over to him.

"You're ready now." The strange, swirled metal dagger was behind Frey, so Sean pointed to it. When the younger King set eyes on the dagger Sean explained. "That is Ominni's home. I would pick it up and present it to you, but Ominni will attack anyone who isn't of Vanir's line. Pick up the dagger and speak to the pommel. Ask her if she would wake up now. She should come to you. When she does, then you can offer her sustenance."

Unraveling her seidr, Frigga gripped the book in her hands with it. The book was dismissed to her interdimensional pocket. She watched her brother carefully after that.

Hesitation tried to cling to Frey's actions, but he banished it back into the depths of his mind. Reaching out, his fingers brushed across the smooth surface of the dagger. The metal was cold as though it was left in ice for a while, yet no frost clung to it. He held up the dagger and looked at the marble in served as the pommel. There was a scene within it. A thicket in the middle of a stand of trees with beautiful flowers unlike any he'd ever seen before. They were pale white with a silvery frost in the air around them. Black frost clung to the stems and leaves of the flowers. "Ominni," he called quietly, "Ominni, awaken." Nothing happened immediately, nor in the moment after. He was about to turn to Sean to see what he'd done wrong when he felt it. There was a crawling itch at the back of his neck, like someone was watching him from right behind him. Spinning quickly, Frey's eyes went wide when he saw his new friend.

Ominni stood several feet away from Frey, tilting her head from side to side, observing him silently. Her body was a thin, transparent condensation of black light in the form of a naked, sexless young child. She held her hands at her front. The only clothing she wore was a square shawl made of what looked like spun moonlight. It was resting over her head and shoulders, though she had no hair. No hair, no skin, no defined features on her flat face. Thin pinpricks of midnight blue seidr lit up where her eyes should have been. Ominni's mere presence sucked the heat out of the room. Frost formed around where her feet touched the floor. She took a step towards Frey and paused, then took another step, and another. "Remember ...you." Her voice slowly echoed from the front of her unmoving face. "Little... Frey. Little... no... longer."

"You know me?" Frey wasn't sure what to do with Ominni since she wasn't what he was expecting. He wasn't sure what he was expecting of a being that fed off the memories of others.

"Watched... over... you…, with... Njord... with... Nerthus. Why… for... Njord… Nerthus... are... missing?" She tilted her head to the side again.

"Father and mother are gone." Frey spoke softly to her to not frighten this little being.

"Dead? Feared... as... much." Her gaze drifted down to the floor in sorrow. For all the years that she'd waited for Njord and Nerthus to return to her she had suspected that something sinister had happened to them. They wouldn't just abandon her. Each of them held love in their hearts for her, as she did for them. Before her stood their offspring. If he would offer sustenance of himself then she was bound to uphold the bargain she made with Vanir, for the good of his bloodline. Looking back up she asked a simple question. "What... offer... make... you?"

"I offer you sustenance." The longer Frey stood in Ominni's presence the older she felt to him. It wasn't the sort of overbearingly powerful age that Lady Audhumbla or Lord Gin exuded. This was a simpler, and strangely smoother, form of aged power. Like a sweet incense lingering in the air this power felt ephemeral but lasting.

Holding her arms out and up, Ominni beckoned to Frey. "Come... forward."

The younger King knelt down in front of the small being. Just a touch of nervousness entered his thoughts. He didn't know what to expect when she gripped his face between her chilled hands. Feed... this one, she whispered to him. All he could see was the light of her midnight blue seidr filling his eyes.

Frigga had to restrain herself when Ominni inhaled deeply, and her face opened to reveal a maw blacker than the void. She wanted to go to Frey but was nervous to interrupt what was happening. Silver frost bled through his skin to cover his face. As it formed Ominni inhaled it off of him, eating her fill of Frigga's brother's memories. Just a few seconds after it began the maw closed and the silver frost stopped forming on Frey's face. The old Minnisvörthur leaned over, touching her forehead to Frey's forehead. A silver starburst appeared on Frey's skin where they touched. It faded away as soon as she stopped touching him.

After many long years of worry and hunger, Ominni was finally sated. She released the young one in her grip, grateful that he had set aside such delicious food for her as that. Vanir's line was always so good to her. None of them could replace Vanir, but there was none among them that she wasn't proud to hold affection for. This newest one reminded her of Avhimmelen, Gisle, Frode, and many others with how tall he was. She wondered briefly if he would find the same solution to his problems as they had. She would hide that as she always had, if he asked.

The midnight blue light of her seidr faded from Frey's eyes leaving him looking at her, at his newest friend. A light confusion spread across his thoughts when he couldn't feel any changes to his mind, or pain from those changes. "Did you take my memories?" He hoped that he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Yes, …Frey. Many... thanks. What... memories... to... seek?" She waited for an answer patiently.

"What memories?" Frey didn't understand what Ominni was asking him.

"What memories would you like to make the Nine Realms forget? You offered her food of yourself; her abilities are now at your disposal." Sean stood with his hands at his front with an almost smirk of a smile on his face.

No jealousy tinged Odin's thoughts. This was an immense power that he wasn't sure should be in anyone's hands, even Frey's hands. Only briefly did he wonder what Vanir did to so thoroughly befriend Ominni. The curiosity came and went when he thought about the amazing acts each of Ymir's sons performed. They were mythic beings, and the legends about them were all larger than life.

"…oh…" Frey was going to tell her that he didn't need her right then but thought better of it swiftly. There was something he wanted the Nine Realms to forget, something important. Hesitation returned to his actions as he wondered if he truly had the right to steer people's thoughts so brazenly. It was a wicked thought that he wanted forgotten though, one that had cost people their lives and happiness. In light of how many lives forgetting this could save, he began to feel obligated to steer people's thoughts away from such wickedness. It was a wicked harm that he himself had assisted to grow. Borr planted this seed, and I nurtured it along. It's time to rip this plant out by the roots. "There is one thing. Can you make people forget the thought that there can't be peace between Vanaheim and Asgard? Can you do that?"

Surprise expanded Odin's eyes wide before genuine affection warmed his smile. Frey was making it easier to bring peace to their realms. Despite not thinking that this was a power to be used he still appreciated what his Little Brother was doing.

"It... will... be... forgotten." From the center of Ominni's chest came the light of a midnight blue seidr star. The starburst on Frey's forehead reappeared then. She burst into a moonlit streaked black frost that swirled around the younger King's head. The star in her chest came to rest against the starburst on Frey's forehead. It siphoned out his memory of what he wanted forgotten, feeding it to Ominni without erasing it from Frey's mind. Silver frost coated the pale monarch's face again. Blue seidr shined from within his skin. He could feel his mind melding with Ominni as it expanded out into the cosmos. There were secret routes between the realms that he hadn't known about until he was flying down them with the old Minnisvörthur. Every route they flew down took them to more and more little windows in the routes. Through every window Ominni whispered in hers and Frey's voice, "Forget... there can't be peace between Vanaheim and Asgard ...forget," then she moved them along. Faster than he thought it ever possible, Frey and Ominni had flown down all of the secret routes between realms that they needed. Trillions of minds were whispered to, influenced, and moved by the time their minds withdrew back to their bodies. Ominni's body reformed into the figure of a child with a flat face with a moonlight shawl. The starburst on Frey's forehead faded away again. Her midnight blue pinpricks-of-light eyes looked into his sky blue eyes. "Forgotten." She withdrew back into her home in the pommel of the dagger. The next day held anticipation in her thoughts. For the first time in thousands of years she was no longer alone.

Out of respect for Ominni's connection to Vanir's bloodline Sean didn't focus on the sparkling blue seidr that was flowing through Frey. Despite not wanting to breach the connection, he was still quite curious about what Frey was seeing. He'd seen bits and pieces of what it looked like through Lord Njord's memories. It helped him to maintain a respectful distance. Having something to do while he waited helped him as well. Sean began to create a permanent portal stone for Frey to reach this office. He extended his seidr quickly and condensed it down into a thick, oval disk of a stone. He gripped the pearl of Lady Audhumbla's sjel-seidr in his core and let it froth through his core. Then he commanded the sjel-seidr to retrieve the information that he needed. When he had that information, he let go of the pearl. Sean then aligned half of the stone to take Frey to this office, while the other half of the stone would take him to his personal chambers. With that done he angled his seidr back into his core.

Odin worried as he watched Frey's skin glow in midnight blue seidr, a fae's seidr. It took over half an hour for the glowing to stop. A thought and a feeling took root as he watched Frey and kept glancing down at Frigga. There was something he wanted to do, but he wasn't sure he could do it with Frey there. It was something that he'd tried to keep forgotten, but now wanted to bring it to light. Part of him doubted that he could do it with Frigga and some privacy. I have to try though. When the half an hour finished Ominni reformed herself and Frey came back to himself then. His Little Brother looked well enough, but he couldn't be sure. Frigga worried over her brother, but not overly. Sean was well with this, and it was something that her father used to do. It helped her that there was something familiar about the feeling of Ominni. It was a soothing feeling.

A tingling satin feeling soothed along Frey's nerves as his mind came back into his body. He wasn't sure what to think of what he'd just experienced. It took a moment before he realized that he was staring blankly at the wall in front of him. He wasn't sure how, but he knew that Ominni had gone back into the dagger pommel. His gaze traveled from the wall down to the ancient dagger in his hand. The sheer volume of windows they'd visited was overwhelming to think about, so he didn't. There was really only one thing on his mind. "Thank you, Ominni. I'll see you tomorrow." Frey stood quickly and gently replaced the dagger onto the pillow on the pedestal. Turning to Sean, Frigga, and Odin, he smiled at them. "That was amazing," he shook his head lightly and looked to Odin, "We'll have an easier time of bringing our kingdoms together now."

"Thank you, brother." Warm gratitude filled Odin's thoughts. He had to admit that despite the room being distressing, it was still very much worth coming there. "I promise you; I'll work to make a real peace between Asgard and Vanaheim."

"We both will, I promise you that." Frey smiled brightly and looked to Sean. He was eager to see what his father had created that Sean felt was a Great Work. It was something that would have aided Frigga in carrying a child. "Now, what Great Work did father craft?"

"Before I show you that, I want you to have this. It's a permanent portal stone. The rounded half will take you here. The flat half will take you to your personal chambers. You can access this place whenever you want now." Sean placed the permanent portal stone in Frey's hand, and he placed it in his vest pocket with a "Thank you.". Moving over to the black Soul Forge with red accents Sean bent down and opened a drawer at the bottom. Out of that drawer came a thick, heavy bound, black leather book whose pages were edged in ruby dust. Holding it out, he smiled reassuringly again. "This is the instruction manual to the Lifecode Forge. This is what your father meant for you to use to heal Frigga's inborn injuries. He was going to assist you, however, he always intended for you to be the one to heal her." He held the book still as all three monarchs reached out to lightly touch the instruction manual while wanting to know. Runes in their seidrs traced swiftly up their arms, over their shoulders, past their necks and into their eyes from their faces. The knowledge from the heavy book sunk into their minds through their eyes.

This was amazing to Frey. This Lifecode Forge was capable of manipulating the lifecode in much the same way as the Transmutation Spell was. This would have healed his beloved sister; he was sure of it. The similarities were so close that he wondered if his father knew Transformative Magics. He marveled at this mechanical solution to what he thought was solely a magical issue. Frigga could see, even with her mid-level knowledge of Healing Magics, that this would have been able to remake her womb to be able to carry children. She wished that they'd discovered this office sooner for so many reasons. The Lifecode Forge making their lives so much easier was chief among them. For Odin though, this wasn't just a magical marvel, it was another point of sorrow for him. His father-by-law was clearly a brilliant man whose loss was a tragedy for many reasons.

This was going better than he expected. Sean put the book back into the drawer for safe keeping. The book and the Lifecode Forge belonged together. A few minutes later the light in the three monarchs' eyes faded away.

The seidr in Frey's eyes faded and he knew that, "This is just what I need to heal them." Initially he thought that it would only be Odin and Thor's lifecodes that would need healing, then he remembered his sister's newest babe. That babe would probably need healing too.

As soon as the seidr in Odin's eyes faded the young man was hit with a swift seidr flare carrying a blunt request from the elder King, I wish discuss Thor's birth mother with Frigga, I need to take her back to the ship. Can you inform Frey of the situation here? Of who the stone-cold wench is?

With his own flare, Sean answered Odin, I can send you and Frigga away to Frey's guest chambers inside of time, so that you have privacy. Would that suit your needs?

Another flare from Odin brought another message, Yes, that would be perfect, thank you.

As soon as the light in Frigga's eyes dimmed Odin gently turned her to face him. "There's something that we must discuss." Something I wanted to forget, wanted you to forget. It's time to remember it now. He grimaced at the thought that, "We should have discussed it many years ago."

After more than a thousand years of asking Frigga knew the look on her husband's face. It only made an appearance when she asked after Thor's birth mother. The knowledge wasn't going to make her love her husband or her son any less. All it was going to do was allow her to determine if her husband had injuries from that as well. "Odin, beloved. Tell me who she is."

Cupping the side of her face with one hand, Odin pulled his wife in for a hug and looked to Sean. "Could you send us away now?"

Nodding, Sean answered. "Of course, I'll handle everything here." Sean angled out his seidr then gripped the pearl if sjel-seidr in his core, letting it froth. He commanded the sjel-seidr frothing through his seidr core to grasp Odin and Frigga and take them back to the guest rooms in Frey's chambers on the Skithblathnir, inside of time. Dusky rose teleportation fire swirled up around them, carrying them away through time and space. Letting go of the pearl, it stopped frothing so that he could angle in his seidr. He turned back to Frey, who had a questioning look on his face. In response Sean angled out his seidr and bent it into a Wavering Visions Weave and a Learning Spell that absorbed his memories of Odin's memories. He released them together to create a small movie next to him which was paused. There was a journey they needed to take together so that understanding could be their destination.

"Let me tell you an ancient tale; the tale of 'The King of Four Stars and the Great Mother'." Sean began his tale, narrating what was happening in the little movie beginning with Frigga, Odin, and Asgard. "There once was a great and powerful kingdom. It was a beacon of light and hope to any who looked upon it. This kingdom was ruled over by a mighty King. He was the kingdom's greatest benefactor and protector. He was powerful, wealthy, and loved by his people as a great warrior and ruler. Most importantly he was loved deeply by his wife and Queen. She was the fairest of the fair, a beauty without rival. Their lives revolved around each other. Their love was obvious to any who saw them. They lived in happiness until the day that the Queen fell gravely ill. All his power, all his wealth, all the love his people held for him couldn't cure his beloved wife of this illness. It threatened to tear them apart, but he wasn't going to let her go so easily."

When Sean finished speaking the movie unpaused to show Odin, young and full of life, gently but vigorously courting Frigga in secret until the day she told him of her inability to carry his children. Without children there could be no legitimate Royal Marriage. After that he was seen frantically searching through libraries. He sought out caches of ancient knowledge and spoke with anyone who he thought could help him. He did anything he could to discreetly find a cure for Frigga's inability to carry a child. Interspersed in those memories were more memories of Odin going to visit Frigga and the obvious love each of them had for each other.

"All his advisors failed to find a cure, so this desperate King sought out an old legend; the Great Mother - the mother of rock and tree whose voice whispers through the leaves. Only her great power could heal this illness, so he went to throw himself on her mercy."

In the movie Odin could be seen reading through the books of another cache of knowledge. It was clear that an idea had taken root from a particularly old memory cube. The next thing Odin did was to ask Frigga for a single hair so that he could create something grand for her. Frigga handed over a single golden hair and Odin went to find the Great Mother. Piloting a small spaceship to Midgard, he looked for a black mountain in the middle of a forest, spewing fire from its middle instead of its top, with a river passing by it on the back side flowing into a lake which he could land next to. He landed, exited his vehicle, and began his midday journey on foot. It was towards the mountain spewing fire, melted stone, and raging seidr from its side that he headed directly towards. It stretched up into the sky beyond the clouds.

"To the lands of myth, the King went to seek out a cure, going to the gatekeeper of the Great Mother's lands who resided beneath the southern star. Night had fallen by the time he reached the gatekeeper's home in a cave at the midpoint of the mountain. It was filled with fire and brimstone. Ash crunched beneath the King's boots. The fumes burned his lungs. A great fire lizard with glowing red eyes crawled out of the deeps and asked why he'd come to its cave. What did the King need from this old Eldedla? The King answered that he needed to pray to the Great Mother to have his prayer granted. To do this he needed the Eldedla's aid to find the Great Mother, but the great fire lizard was skeptical. For several hours the King worked to convince the great fire lizard that he had a need of aid. Finally, the King proved his need to the Eldedla. It said, 'Come, show me your hopes and prayers then. Let me feel them.' And so, the King showed the Eldedla his hopes and prayers." Sean kept an even tone as he told the tale.

Worry crossed Frey's face when a wingless dragon crawled out of the depths of a volcanic cave to chat civilly with Odin. The blasted beast could swallow Odin whole in one bite and Frey knew it. He could see that Odin knew it too. When the beast asked to see Odin's hopes and prayers, Odin offered up his seidr to the beast as Frey frowned at the wingless dragon. It breathed in the seidr, tasting it as it did.

Sean continued his tale, "The Eldedla could feel the weight of the King's hopes and prayers like a stone against his left side. It reached for that weight and pulled out one of his own pointed, curvy scales. It had a deep indentation in the center of it like a bowl. His blood flowed from the small wound in his side. It spurted onto the scale that he removed. He handed the bloody angular scale to the King. The blood dripped down over the King's hands and marked the King with the crimson supplicant's mark. He marveled at the shining scale, wiping the blood away. It regrew instantly on the Eldedla's side. Turning his head to the top of his cave, the great fire lizard roared that the way to the Great Mother was open, then he looked at the stunned and nearly deafened King and said, 'but only for a single day.' It said, 'If you fail to find the Great Mother by the time the sun sets tomorrow evening, then the way will be closed to you. Forever.' The King accepted those terms, so the old Eldedla told him, 'Climb to the top of my mountain. By the light of the silver moon will my scale illuminate your path forward. You must catch the wind that lives under the northern star.' The great fire lizard leaned down to be almost face to face with the King and said one last thing. 'Fail to make it to the top of my mountain, …and I will eat you.' With that, the great fire lizard retreated back into the fiery comforts of his home, and the King put the scale in the bag he had slung across his back."

Frey looked between Sean and the movie from time to time, but he was more engrossed in what he was seeing. "What are you doing, Odin?" the pale monarch whispered to himself. This looked like a fine adventure to him, and part of him wanted to be there when it happened.

"From the home of the Eldedla, the King walked up the side of the mountain for as long as he could. Eventually he had to start climbing the mountain. As he was on a cliff face traveling up, a vicious storm fell on the mountain. The tempest of frozen winds ripped at the King's clothes. They slashed at his lungs until the very act of breathing pained the King. Icicles formed in his hair and froze to his skin to tear free a moment later. Hours passed as he climbed and continued to be battered by the tempest in the night." The storm looked perilous to Sean.

This was a storm like what would be found on Jotenheim. It was lashing at Odin and Frey worried even more. This was a dangerous climb with little equipment and Odin didn't seem to be using his seidr. A worried wince crossed Frey's face as he watched Odin endure the storm's wrath.

"Finally the King was able to pull himself up onto the summit of the mountain. In an instant clear skies surrounded him. The storm was beneath him then. With shaking hands he pulled out the curved scale and placed it in the moonlight. Here and there, all about the mountain top he shone the moon's silver light off of the scale. No path could be found though. In frustration the King eventually turned the light upwards back into the night sky. A rapid rustling began to approach him, so he returned the curved scale to his bag. A second later he was knocked violently from the top of the mountain by the wind that lived under the northern star." Sean wished he had better news, but he didn't. There were too many secrets in Frey's family, too many secrets in Odin's family. They had to be revealed as they were, not to be summarized without detail, trivialized or ignored.

Worry tore into Frey's thoughts as he watched Odin fall. All Odin had been able to do was block the blow from killing him. The elder monarch was still sent flying from the mountain. He tumbled swiftly towards the ground. Frey knew that this was years ago, before Odin greyed with age, but he still worried over how his Elder Brother was going to get out of this without using his seidr.

Frey was invested in the tale now, so Sean continued. "For several moments the King fell before he was suddenly caught by the claws of the wind: the Örnljon. The mighty winged cat, with glowing red eyes in its eagle head, tossed him so that the King landed astride its back. They flew together into the night and to a wide land of ancient forests. The clouds sunk low into the trees. No animals could be seen from the sky. 'Little supplicant,' the Örnljon spoke to the King as they flew, 'You already have courage, since you came to this old Örnljon. Tell me, do you have the courage to continue on, or will you surrender?' Without any warning the Örnljon dove down heading towards the ground. The mighty winged cat dove, pulled up, spun side to side, and more. The Örnljon danced across the sky doing his best to shake the King off of him. 'If you fall, I will eat you,' the mighty winged cat taunted the King. Every few minutes the Örnljon would say to the King, 'Surrender'. The King never said anything but, 'No.' As they flew through the clouds and over the misty forests the mighty winged cat eventually stopped its erratic flight. The King had proven his courage. They flew on past the dawn." As he watched the mythical beast, Sean couldn't help but feel impressed with watching Odin ride it so skillfully.

A giant Örnljon had Odin in his grasp. Its claws were the length of swords, and sharper than star-felled steel. The mighty winged cat with a bird's head casually tossed Odin to its back and Frey winced worriedly again. A sharp inhale came with him watching Odin nearly be shaken loose to fall to his death. Frey's Elder Brother clung to the Örnljon because his life did depend on it. The shaking seemed to last for hours, but Odin never gave up. Instead, it was the Örnljon who lost the contest of wills. This is so dangerous!

Sean continued with the tale, "The Örnljon asked the King, 'What is your courage for?' The King answered easily that he had a prayer he wanted the Great Mother to grant. 'Ah, a prayer! Come, show me your hopes and prayers then. Let me feel them.' And so, the King showed the Örnljon his hopes and prayers."

Again, Odin was giving his seidr to a mythical beast and again Frey was frowning at it. The frown unhappily decorating his face was deeper this time. It was more of a full-fledged frown now. Feeding seidr to seidr wielding beasts that hadn't been befriended was a dangerous proposition that often led to maulings. The younger King knew this and knew that Odin knew it too. What did you seek from this 'Great Mother' that you thought this was acceptable? What does it have to do with Frigga?

"The Örnljon could feel the weight of those hopes and prayers like a stone against the right side of his neck. It spoke to the King, saying, 'Do you see the silver feather on my neck?' The King looked and found a single silver feather there, shining in the light of the new day. 'Pull it from my skin, let my blood mark your hands.' So the King did as he was instructed. Carefully the King let go of the Örnljon's mane with one hand. When he grasped the feather, he found it to be made of shiny metal. The King didn't hesitate, he yanked hard on the feather, ripping it from the Örnljon's neck. Blood gushed from the wound onto the King's hands, marking him in crimson." Sean liked how Frey was paying attention to what he was seeing.

There was something particular about being marked with the blood of mythical beasts that Frey couldn't put his finger on. There didn't seem to be any runes or enchantments in it that showed up on Odin, just a strange inactive mark. It was a grisly action that seemed to have no point or purpose.

"Over the misty forested lands, the Örnljon flew, higher into the clouds again. As the mighty winged cat breached the lower limit of the clouds he roared into the sky, clearing the clouds from around them. On his roar came the words, 'The way to the Great Mother is open!' The Örnljon's voice became quiet, just for the King to hear as he spoke again, 'but only until the sun sets on the Great Mother's lands, far from here.' The King accepted those terms again. They descended from the clouds then, heading towards a flowery field on the edges of the misty forests. The Örnljon landed roughly on the field, crushing the grass and flowers beneath his taloned paws. It shook its mane and the King slid off the side of the mighty winged cat. 'Now, little supplicant, take my feather and blow away the mists blocking your path. Deep within the forest you must tread the land beneath the eastern star.' With a powerful flap of his massive wings the Örnljon jumped into the sky, leaving the King behind."

Glancing to Sean then back to the small movie with a young Odin in it, Frey wondered what he was watching, and how it related to Frigga asking who 'she' was. Odin seemed hesitant to speak about this in front of him. He worried that his Elder Brother suffered some other terrible event that he couldn't speak on. Frey truly wanted that to not be the case. Considering the reality he found himself in, he didn't hold out much hope for there not being something else that was terrible.

"With a single wave of the feather the dense mists cleared away. A path through the forest emerged for him to travel down. The path was so long that the King began to worry about the sun setting. He moved faster along eventually breaking into a run, using the feather to clear the mist as he came to it. Eventually the path faded away and the King came to a halt in a clearing where thick steam leeched up through the ground. The King used the feather, then used it again, then again. No matter how he used the feather, the steam wouldn't be blown away. The land was different here. The steam clung ominously to the King. He looked up to the sky and saw that his time was running out. There was already a star in the evening sky, an eastern star. Just as the King began to despair that he was lost, a rumbling began in the distance. The rumbling became a pounding like massive hooves beating against the ground. It was headed straight for him, forcing him to dive out of the way as it thundered past. The King turned and as he did the clinging steam was blown back from the clearing. The massive black earthen horse with a single bloody horn and glowing red eyes reared up at the edge of the clearing. Its bellowing bray hurt the King's ears. It pushed at the King with the strength of its voice." Sean's reassuring smile waned as he too watched the little presentation he was putting on. This little quest was growing steadily more dangerous for Odin.

"An Einhyrningur!" Frey truly didn't like this. The Einhyrningur's black hooves looked like they were already stained in blood. The great hoofed beast trotted around Odin, sizing him up. Get out of there, brother. This thing will try to kill you.

Taking a breath for himself, Sean continued telling the King's tale. "The Einhyrningur spoke as it circled the King. 'Little supplicant, I have waited for you.' The King refused to let down his guard around the massive earthen horse who tried to run him down. The Einhyrningur smiled at the guarded nature being displayed. 'Good, good. Lower your guard before this old Einhyrningur and I will eat you.' A smile stretched unnaturally across the Einhyrningur's face, and it whinnied a soft laugh at the King. 'I have seen your need. I have seen your courage, but tell me …would it not be easier to give up here? I can give you something better, wouldn't you like that? I can give you great wealth.' An image of that great wealth flashed in the King's mind. 'I already have great wealth. I don't need yours,' the King said. The Einhyrningur spoke again, 'I can give you the power to rule over man.' An image all of mankind prostrating themselves before him flashed in the King's mind, and he replied, 'I already rule over man. I don't need more subjects.' Moving on to its next offer, the Einhyrningur said, 'I can give you the love of any person you want.' A hint of disgust soured the King's expression as an image of many clinging men and women flashed in his mind. He answered, 'I already have the love of the one most beloved to me. I don't need another.' The King stood firm against the Einhyrningur, saying boldly, 'The way to the Great Mother is the only thing I need from you. Please! Accept my hopes and prayers! Open the way for me!' The King didn't want to beg, but there was nothing he wouldn't do."

Watching Odin speak the same words that Sean had spoken made it clear that Odin truly was living through 'The King of Four Stars and the Great Mother'. Thinking back over what he'd seen there was only one conclusion that he could find. The beasts and their different elements, the things they asked for, what they gave combined with Odin being marked in their blood to leave only one conclusion for him to come to. "These beasts are a summoning ritual. Who are you summoning, brother? Who is the 'Great Mother'?" Frey's voice was a mere whisper as he continued to watch. As he watched, his eyes widened. This had to do with Frigga, and Frey thought he finally knew what he was watching. If Odin was summoning Thor's birth mother, then this was nothing like what Frey had expected. Shame hit the pale monarch's mind for suspecting Odin of having some tawdry tryst with an unnamed 'other' woman and then sculpting the boy to look like Frigga. That wasn't what he was watching. He was watching as his Elder Brother went on an increasingly dangerous quest, alone and under a severe time limit. He still didn't want to think that something terrible had happened to Odin. Once again, the realistic side of Frey cautioned against that hope.

"The Einhyrningur spoke again, 'A prayer! Come now, hold out these hopes and prayers. Let me see them,' and so the King held out his hopes and prayers. The Einhyrningur could feel the weightiness of the hopes and prayers like a stone against the back of his throat. A few simple coughs and the massive earthen horse spat out one of its molars bloodily. It looked to the King more like a shaped stone than a tooth of any kind, but he picked it up anyway. The blood on the tooth marked the King's hands. The Einhyrningur smiled unnaturally at the King who placed the tooth in his bag along with the feather, scale, and single hair. It spoke loudly, 'I have seen your need. I have seen your courage, and now I have seen your conviction.' The Einhyrningur turned to the sky and roared out that the way to the Great Mother was open, then looked to the wary King and said, 'but only until the sun sets on the Great Mother's lands far from here.' The King accepted the terms for a third time, so the Einhyrningur instructed him, 'You must run north from this clearing, towards a pointed cliff. You must find a reason to jump from the cliff, lest you be provided with that reason. You will hold my tooth in your hand when you jump off the cliff. My tooth will let you see the water under the western star. You must ride this water west.' With that the Einhyrningur trotted calmly past the King. It tossed, 'You should hurry, little supplicant,' over its shoulder." Three down, one to go, then it all hits the fan again, at least Sean thought it was going to. He flared his seidr to his lover, I'm sorry, his seidr whispered.

Frey was pleased to see the Einhyrningur leave Odin intact. He wasn't pleased by Sean's apology. It was too short a warning. That only made it more ominous to the younger King.

Leaning into the fourth section of the tale, Sean kept his voice even. "The Einhyrningur was gone, so the King looked to the sky to see where north was. A new rustling began creeping towards him in the forest, so the King quickly took out the feather. He flapped it towards the north-facing forest to blow the mist away. What beasts he saw sent him running into the darkening woods. The forest was crawling with gigantic dokkongulo spiders that were all looking hungrily at him."

"Run, Odin! Run!" Frey's voice was quieter than his breathing that was speeding up. He looked at the peril his Elder Brother faced and knew it was time to not be where Odin was. Being surrounded by a forest of spiders who were as big as ten men and whose webbing turned to razor-sharp glass in the sun was not a place Frey was comfortable having any of his family be.

'The King ran through the forest as fast as he could move. He jumped over and slid under fallen trees, ran through the branches, and swung from the webs. It was all in a bid to get further north to the promised cliff. This cliff finally appeared in front of the King. Fast as he could, and without stopping running, the King put the feather away and pulled out the tooth again. He saw the cliff approaching and ran even faster. His lungs burned and his chest strained since he'd never run faster in his life. Then the King was away, flying off the side of the cliff and heading down towards the ocean. When he looked down he saw that there was a waterspout shooting out of the ocean below. It was going to catch the King, so he angled himself feet-down. The tooth in his hand began to shine brightly. It was so bright that he could see how the spout that caught him in its rushing waters wasn't empty. He wasn't alone. A creature in the spout with paper-thin deep blue scales tossed him out. It caught the King on its back. A Hafgufa was under the water. The giant tentacled serpent with glowing red eyes streaked off to the west of them at a speed to leave a high wake behind. The Hafgufa headed towards the western star with the King on its back."

Faster and faster the Hafgufa traveled and ever farther out into the deep, dark waters. It seemed more to Frey that the giant tentacled serpent was taking Odin somewhere to do something terribly untoward to him. Before he could ask about the Hafgufa, Sean started speaking again.

"The Hafgufa called back to the King, 'Little supplicant, I knew you would come to this old Hafgufa.' Despite the salty sea water splashing up into his face, the King kept both hands on the giant tentacled serpent. They were slipped under the paper-thin scales and held tight to them. 'What is it you want?' it asked the King. Being perfectly honest, the King answered, 'I want a cure for my wife.' He noticed that the sun was getting closer to setting. 'That isn't what you truly want,' the Hafgufa replied, 'What do you truly want?' The King didn't think he'd misspoken, so he tried again, 'I want my wife to be healthy.' Again, the Hafgufa said, 'That isn't what you truly want,' the Hafgufa replied, 'What do you truly want? If you cannot tell me with your next answer, …I will eat you.' The King took a few minutes to truly think about what he wanted. After a few moments of careful thought the answer came to him. It was the answer behind everything he did. 'I want to spend my life with my beloved. That's why I have hopes and prayers, so that the Great Mother will grant my prayer.' The giant tentacled serpent brought its head up. It opened its mouth and slowed down, 'Let me receive these hopes and prayers.' The King held his hopes and prayers aloft and the Hafgufa breathed them in, tasting them. The Hafgufa could feel the weight of these hopes and prayers. It felt them like a stone against its front, so the Hafgufa reached towards the weight with one of its tentacles, bloodily pulling a soft, pale blue, paper thin scale from its body. 'Accept this scale and be marked in my blood.' It handed this thin scale to the King, letting the smaller mortal be marked in its blood. The Hafgufa started swimming around in a circle. The King looked into the rapidly darkening sky and could see all four of the stars; south, north, east, west. They were all looking down on him, suddenly glowing red."

Frey was out and out frowning at what he was seeing. He suspected, to the point of certainty, that Odin feeding the mythical beasts his seidr was part of the summoning ritual. He still couldn't guess the identity of the person or entity being summoned. Why is the blood on his hands so important that he has to do this every time? Why are the stars in the sky red?

Taking one last breath for himself, Sean launched into the last part of this old tale. "Looking skyward, the Hafgufa roared out, 'The way to the Great Mother is open!' In the center of the circle the Hafgufa was swimming in the water bubbled and fizzed quickly. It boiled and steamed until the water turned into a circular crystalline disk large enough to hold the King. An altar rose up in the center of the disk. 'The sun is setting, little supplicant, go to the altar, send the Great Mother your prayers.' The King stepped off of the giant tentacled serpent onto the crystalline disk. He dashed over to the altar and took his bag from across his back. The curved scale came out first so that he could place his hopes and prayers in it. After that he placed the tooth and more hopes and prayers into the bowl of the curved scale. It glowed in a soft red. The tooth melted down into a white ink that was also glowing in a soft red. Next came out the thin pale blue scale which was set down next to the rounded scale. His hopes and prayers went into the paper-thin scale which caused it to glow in a soft red as well. The feather was the last thing that he brought out. More hopes and prayers were imbued into the feather until a soft red glow surrounded it. Using the feather as a quill, he dipped it into the white ink in the curved scale. Onto the paper-thin scale the King began to write his hopes and prayers. When done, he held them aloft and called out to the Great Mother. The last rays of the dying light fell onto the King. With his voice flowing through the thin scale the light dissolved it into a pale blue, red tinged steam that dissipated immediately."

This was the moment Frey had been waiting for. Odin was drawing a ludicrously complicated summoning rune and circle on the thin scale. As he wrote, Frey noticed that runes were appearing on his Elder Brother's hands in the blood of the mythical beasts he parlayed with. The marks were empowered now. There was a power flowing from those runes that was empowering the summoning circle. Odin held up the Summoning Rune to the darkening night sky and cried out, "Great Mother, hear my prayer!". The last rays of light fell on him then faded away as the scale dissolved. Frey opened his mouth to ask Sean a question when the ocean all around Odin and the crystalline disk he was standing on lit up in soft red light and began to bubble then churn. Something was rising to the surface, something bigger than enormous. Whatever it was it was disturbing the entire ocean.

They were almost done with this tale, so Sean went on to the beginning of the end. "The Great Mother heard the King's prayer and rose from the depths of the ocean she slumbered beneath. Whole islands linked together by mountain ranges, plains, and deserts formed the immeasurably large earthen woman who rose up. She was an island's length away from the King. A single step brought her to him. She looked down on the tiny King before her. Her massive glowing red eyes told the King exactly who he'd actually been parlaying with all day. 'What prayer brings you to this old mother?' she asked in a grinding whisper."

The vulgarly curvaceous earthen being before Odin was covered in all manner of trees and plants, in deserts, high plains, jungles and all other types of land. Its immense size made it clear what this thing was, what Odin had summoned. "A titan! That's a titan!" Frey immediately felt stupid for blurting out the obvious, it was just that he hadn't thought that titans were real beings. The Great Mother …it can't be! "Gaia, the mother titan!"

A quick nod was all the acknowledgement that this needed. Sean proceeded to the most important part of this tale, the end. 'The Great Mother, the mother of rock and tree whose voice whispers through the leaves, spoke to the stunned King in a gravelly voice, saying, 'You have summoned me with your prayers, so I have come. Little supplicant, I have seen your need. I have seen your courage. I have seen your conviction. I have seen your want. Now, let me see the full might of your hopes and prayers. If you wish me to grant your prayer, you shall show me everything!' The Great Mother's voice boomed, and lightning peeled away from her through the whirling clouds that crowned her head. One last time, the King held up his hopes and prayers, putting even his life in the balance. He would succeed or die."

Odin was using what looked like most of his seidr to Frey. This was suicidally dangerous but there was nothing the younger monarch could do but keep watching.

"The Great Mother heard the King's hopes and prayers and felt the weight of them like a stone in her chest. 'Place your offering on my altar. Come to me as you were born, and I shall lie with you to take my price. A third of your life shall I take. Your prayer shall be answered. Then you shall leave, never to return to my lands ever, for the way shall be closed.' The King took the final item from his bag, a single hair from his Queen. He then stripped down to his skin and motioned to the Great Mother, 'I am ready.' The Great Mother's four stars swirled down from the heavens to take up a place in the King's chest. Their light lit him from within. The Queen's hair sunk into the altar. From out of the crystalline disk hair-like roots began to grow. Those roots sank into the King's flesh and blood. They latched onto his right foot, traveled up his right leg, spreading across the juncture of his things, up from the back of his thigh to his lower back, up his right hip, and across the right side of his ribcage. The King was knocked down in pain as the roots spread through him. They soaked up most of his hopes and prayers before vibrating and withdrawing. The roots pulled back then, almost tearing out of his now battered and bloodied flesh. The stars departed his body. It left him nearly unconscious. The Great Mother spoke to him nonetheless, 'Your prayer has been granted.' A brilliant white light surrounded the downed King. It swept him away back to where he began. The still battered King fell flat into the dirt. He didn't know where the answer to his prayer was. He despaired that he might have failed in his quest. Without a way to heal himself he began to crawl away to find help. That was when he noticed a vine growing out of the dirt. It coiled around and around to create a heavy base. Upon that base a heavier flower grew rapidly. In only a few minutes the flower grew, bloomed, and sank back to the ground. Its petals desiccated as they withered. The King crawled over to the remains of the flower, wherein he found the answer to his prayer. The King picked himself up off the ground, picked up his answered prayer. It was exactly what he needed. With this cure in hand the King returned to his wife, the Queen, to cure her illness. The King and his Queen would live happily ever after with the gifts of the Great Mother."

Bits of Odin's hair greyed out from their vibrant red as he lay there. "No, no!" Frey could understand why Odin didn't want to discuss this with anyone but his wife. This was an impersonal assault that could still anyone's tongue. What hurt Frey the most was watching as Odin found a sleeping babe in the giant flower. It was Thor, Frey knew it. This was how his nephew was born, as the son of a titan and a guardian King. The look of shame that crossed Odin's face was so profound that it couldn't do anything but hurt Frey. The quietly muttered, "I'm so sorry, Frigga," hurt him even more. His nephew was a magnificent gift, and it was the pale monarch's opinion that his nephew's birth shouldn't have been tainted by shame. Neither Odin nor Thor deserved that.

The look of distress crossing Frey's face sent that distress to Sean easily. He went to Frey and pulled him into a tight hug. It relieved him that Frey returned his hug, curling closely around him.

"There's so much wrong." Frey wanted to cry at what he'd learned. He knew that his beloved sister probably was crying at that moment. It hurt more to know that he couldn't be with her when she learned of this. Odin needed her more.

Angling out his seidr, Sean picked them up and moved them back through the portal onto the Skithblathnir, closing the portal behind them. In that moment he just wrapped them in his angled out seidr. It let Frey feel viscerally that he was there.

23May2023 – Night

The Royal Library in the Vanaheimr Royal Palace in Vindrvelsignet

The past several hours had been filled with the most exhilarating finds. It was so exciting that the anxiousness that normally plagued Thor was entirely absent. He had been trailing his fingers over books discreetly absorbing what they had to share with him since he persuaded the Royal Guard his uncle placed on him to allow him to go to the Royal Library. It was even more exhilarating when he thought about how much he had absorbed versus how much more there was to learn. Loki was so right, he thought with no small amount of awe at the rest of the library. He had never been much for studying books and anything that might be in them, unless they were books on smithing. He was no book-nose. The Learning Spell changed all of that. Suddenly there were whole new worlds at his fingertips with every single book he found. Exploring them was so much more fun than any camping trip he'd ever gone on. Thor could feel his mind expanding but wasn't afraid of it. This was the progress that he wanted to have to show Loki when they met again. Just then he saw his next world to explore, The Asgardian Language of Paper Flowers. This was something else that he'd never heard of. It was part of his heritage as an Asgardian, so he was intensely curious. His fingers brushed over the spine of the book, and he desired to know what was in it. Chartreuse runes, that he was now certain were in his actual seidr color, streaked up his arm, over his shoulder, up his neck and across his face to his eyes where they sunk in. This was another book from the 2nd Era. The older the book the more fascinating it was to him. Thor smiled happily as he learned how the Asgardians of old had a silent language of folded paper flowers. Some of them meant happiness, others meant attractions, still others meant sadness and loss. There were so many that he thought it should have made his head spin, but it didn't. He learned the language in under a minute and wanted to use it already. Thor was so entranced by what he had learned that a sudden voice from his side startled him.

"Folded paper flowers? That sounds pretty." When Thor jumped and spun about James put his hand on the young Asgardian's shoulder. "Are you ok?" He aimed his soul song of stillness at the young Asgardian.

Calm washed over his thoughts. "Oh! James, it's so good to see you again!" Thor leaned forward and gave James a hug without thinking twice about it. "What are you doing here?"

A pleasant smile danced on James' lips. "I had a moment, so I thought I'd come check on you. How are you doing?"

"Good, good. Better than good!" A wide grin spread across the Asgardian Prince's face.

"That's wonderful to hear. Have you given thought to what we spoke about last?" James motioned to a set of armchairs in a corner near where they were. "Here, let's sit. We can talk for a bit."

"Yes, of course. I have thought about that, truly," Thor hoped that he hadn't unintentionally disappointed the good colonel again, he looked around at the books, feeling his face flush some, "I was a little distracted today."

"How many books have you absorbed?" James summoned his micro laptop from his interdimensional pocket. He began to set up the form for a check-in with Thor. The sound of his quiet typing filled the air around them.

"Many," a wide grin spread across Thor's face as he sensed that James wasn't disappointed with him, "though I haven't kept track of just how many."

"What sorts of things have you learned?"

"There are so many interesting things here! New languages, crafts, history, great battles. I learned a new type of smithing! I can't wait to use it." The last statement was true, but not whole, so the Asgardian Prince corrected himself. "I can't wait to use all of it." Meeting James' gaze he asked something that he thought he should know but knew that he didn't. "Does Loki like flowers?"

James had begun recording everything that Thor was saying, as well as his own responses. "She appreciates them. Do you want to pick out some for her?"

The hesitant Prince looked around and found them to be alone. I would have to get Loki a field of purple haesin for that apology. I probably should anyway. Even so, Thor's voice dropped. "I want to make some for him, her. If I can find some handsome paper, then I could make flowers for her." A hopeful light lit up his sharp blue eyes.

"That's a very nice idea. What kind of paper are you looking for?" James liked the idea of Thor making something for Loki. It would be something that she could touch and handle. She does prefer physical displays of affection.

"I need Asgardian folding paper. It's firm, but not too firm, and colored on both sides. Some of them come in two colors, one on either side. Other pieces have patterns. The book I read said that some of the patterns were like lace on the paper." A small crestfallen look passed over Thor's face. "I don't know if anyone makes it anymore. The end of the 2nd Era was hundreds of thousands of years ago."

Summoning one of Loki's art kit activity boxes from his interdimensional pocket, James pulled out the small squares of pretty floral patterned paper inside of it. He handed the paper over to Thor. "Will this do?"

Testing out the paper's ability to keep a fold made the paper look to be perfect. The fold was crisp and distinct like the book said it should be. Even though he didn't have the tools, he at least had the paper. "This is perfect, where did you get it?"

Handing over the box, James smiled. "I keep art projects on hand for Loki," and the children, "but you can have this one." Pointing to the small box he spoke again. "There's a small book in there, if you want it. It explains the basics of origami, which is Japanese paper folding."

More excitement trilled through Thor's thoughts as he reached into the small wooden cube to pull out a tiny book. The Asgardian Prince marveled at how the book itself was made entirely of folded paper. For being so small it was still a handsome little book. As he held it, he wanted to know its contents. More chartreuse runes sped up his hands towards his eyes where they sunk into his mind. The art form that was Japanese origami flooded his mind, found its place in his memories, and settled in. It didn't even take him a minute to learn everything in the little book. It was fascinating to Thor that the book could come undone and fold out into more extensive instructions. The whole thing was beautiful and practical. He loved it in an instant. Looking up at James, gratitude found its way into his grin. "Thank you!"

"You're very welcome. If you run out and need more, or want something with a different pattern or color, just let me know. I have no problem getting you more." James liked that Thor liked the thought of making something. It gave him another way to work with the young Asgardian.

The paper and paper book went back into the small box as a thoughtful expression came over Thor's face. "You couldn't have come here to bring me folding paper. What brings you here, James?"

The good colonel focused his soul song of stillness through his voice to impart calm to Thor as he spoke. This was a large and serious change that he was going to be asking for. Calm was almost required. "The family is coming back together after a period of conflict. Things are changing, and you have a part to play in those changes, but there are standards that we need to try to get you to operate under. Ultimately, that's what we need to discuss." James kept a neutral expression on his face.

Normally Thor would have scoffed at him having to conform to anyone's standards but his father's. This was different. He knew that James was probably just trying to get him to be a better man. It was a better man that Thor wanted to be, so now he was intensely curious, instead of deeply insulted. "What standards have you?"

"Illuminatio, cum honore, sapientia et misericordia." A slightly confused look crossed the Asgardian Prince's face as the All-Speak didn't translate the words. James didn't mind since he was going to translate them anyway. "It translates to, 'For enlightenment, with honor, wisdom, and compassion'. To accomplish this enlightenment there are nine principles that should guide your every action. Honor, justice, integrity, wisdom, intelligence, honesty, compassion, mercy, and charity. This is the standard that I live under. I'd like to try to get you under this standard as well. I think it will help you to make fewer mistakes and make it simpler to rectify the mistakes that have been made. What do you think? Is this something you might be interested in?" This was the standard he instilled in all the children in the family. Thor was no different.

The Asgardian Prince's gaze sank to the floor. The childish part of Thor saw the opportunity in this instantly. It was what he'd thought yesterday. The good colonel was indeed trying to make him into a better man, which was going to take time to accomplish. It was this time that Thor wanted. There was something so calming about being around James that it helped him to think clearer. What he truly wanted was more stable access to was being able to talk through his concerns with James and not receive any judgment or strife just for being of a 'weaker' opinion. Asgard valued strength, so he kept his 'weak' opinions to himself, to fester in the depths of his mind. He wanted that time, but he was unsure about how to ask for it. "That's a high standard for a single man to meet." Anxiety bloomed in his thoughts here and there.

There was a sudden disjointed darkness in the hesitant Prince's voice. It told the good colonel that Thor was anxious about doing this by himself. "Are you worried about having to do this alone?" Thor's gaze came up to meet James and a reassuring look came over the good colonel's face. "This is a high standard I'm asking you to meet. In order for me to make this request I need to be prepared to help you when you need it, which I am. Asking you to meet this standard without me assisting you to get there wouldn't meet the standard for me. You won't be alone in this. I'll be right there by your side, coaching you through this." The uncertain look on the young Asgardian's face lifted into one of gratitude and even excitement. It was what James had expected. Thor wanted someone to give him a direction to move in with standards and expectations to meet. He was fine being the one to give those things to the Asgardian Prince.

"I would like to try then." A grateful smile stayed on Thor's lips. It was like James knew what he wanted without needing to ask. He wasn't sure how James always seemed to know what he needed but was grateful for it anyway. "How do I begin?"

"I know how to begin, so the real question is; how do you think you begin?" The quiet sounds of typing still filled the air between the two men. The good colonel was comfortable waiting quietly while Thor thought this through.

Thor didn't mind thinking about what James said without being nervous about it. His gaze drifted downward again. He was being tested, he knew it, but he was being tested on how well he was thinking something through. He wasn't going to be judged on how 'right' his response was. It let the perpetually anxious Prince think through his answer calmly. After a few moments he thought he had a good answer but wasn't entirely sure. He looked up to meet James' gaze again. "I need to be those things."

Shaking his head lightly, James kept a reassuring smile on his face. "Anger, pettiness, wrath, rage, and many other 'negative' emotions are valid parts of a healthy mind. And so, you don't need to be the principles, you need to uphold them." When the Asgardian Prince looked skeptical he continued explaining. "I get angry at times. Sometimes I feel petty, or wrathful, or any other number of negative things. I deal with these things by doing what you need to start doing. I meditate on them and rid myself of them."

"Meditate? I've tried that." Sighing, Thor showed his frustration readily. "I can't make it work."

"That's where I come in. I'd like to try a method to help you quiet your thoughts and let you meditate on your feelings to remove the negative ones." Show me what you really are, James thought without malice, only curiosity.

"Does such a thing exist?" This piqued Thor's interest.

"It does. It's called 'the link'. It's a liminal neutral mental space that I can invite you into. It's a quiet space that we can meditate together in. If you can use the link, then we can work through your emotions together." Setting his micro laptop aside, James scooted forward to the edge of his chair. "Do you want to try it?"

"Yes!" a short embarrassed paused came, followed by a, "I meant to say that I would like to try this method." Anxiety tinged the edges of Thor's thoughts. He needed to behave like a Prince, but he was still so excited to have discovered why Loki was so in awe of libraries. That giddy excitement was still flowing in waves through his mind.

"Alright, let me inform your guard, and then we'll try." James went to the nearest guardsman that he saw.

Thor wondered how James knew he had a guard around him. He wondered if the guard was that obvious, or if James was just that attentive. He leaned more towards the good colonel just being that observant, since he was so sharp-eyed in other places. When he came back from speaking with the guard, Thor smiled broadly, ready to begin.

Sitting back down, James took a breath and centered himself. "I want you to sit back in your chair and relax. Close your eyes and then focus on me. Focus on calling out to me in your thoughts. I'm going to begin this meditation and invite you into the link." When the young Asgardian was relaxed back into the chair, with his eyes closed, James closed his eyes and waited for the call. It only took a moment before he could hear his name being called in Thor's white seidr. It was a childlike voice he heard. James created a neutral space in his mind then extended that space towards Thor to invite him in. The invitation was accepted, and James heard the familiar whoosh of his and another mind entering the link. When he became aware of Thor in the link he looked over and was immediately alarmed by what he saw of the Asgardian Prince.

Royal Guard member Hirdmen Helvig was uncertain what he was seeing. He was informed by James Rhodes that he was going to be meditating with their charge, nothing else. He appreciated this warning since the Royal Guardsmen rarely received warning before they had to react. This didn't look like ordinary meditating though. Both Prince Thor and James Rhodes had their eyes closed, which was normal. Both of their eyes were glowing bright enough to be seen through their eyelids, which wasn't normal. This didn't look like any kind of meditation that he knew of, but James Rhodes seemed very trustworthy. He looked to their drengr's leader, Formadr Aland, who he found watching this interaction very closely. There was a sedate smile on their charge's face that was only growing warmer as the minutes passed. Only a few minutes later the glowing in Prince Thor's and James Rhodes' eyes faded away, and their eyes opened. Each seemed well enough. The Prince actually seemed better that before the meditation. Their charge was in no danger, so Huskarl Helvig went back to scanning the area.

"How do you feel?" James wanted to take them right back into the link to do more work. Thor needed as much help as he could get as soon as he could get it. Unfortunately, the Asgardian Prince had used up most of his energy in this first meditation. The young Asgardian needed proper rest for the changes that were made to stabilize and settle in.

"Tired," it was the first thing on Thor's mind, but not that last, "but better. I don't feel so anxious anymore. I feel calm." He felt so much better than he normally did that his eyes widened as he realized it. "I feel so much better," he whispered to himself. "James, it worked!"

The happiness James felt at being able to help Thor was paired with his concern for getting the Asgardian Prince back into the link to leave him cautiously optimistic about the work they'd done. "I think we'll work more on it tomorrow, if you want. Daily meditation is essential to taking care of yourself. Do you think we could meet again tomorrow evening?"

"I would like that very much. I don't know what I'll be doing tomorrow evening though. I don't know what my father, or mother, might want me to do." He wanted to ask his parents at breakfast the next morning if he could have that time set aside.

"Don't worry about your parents, I'll speak to them if I need to, and find you when it's time." James didn't mind convincing Odin and Frigga, but he didn't think he'd need to. Thor needed help. He knew they would understand. They weren't the only ones who would understand though.

James stood and went to the guardsman he spoke with earlier. "I'm going to summon a portal stone from my interdimensional pocket. You'll feel the power from it, but it's harmless." When the guardsman nodded subtly to him, he went back to sit with Thor. It was with a desire to help Thor that he summoned a permanent portal stone from his interdimensional pocket that was black and red, and the size of a standard dice. He made it before coming to find the Prince.

"Here," James handed over the portal stone to the curious Prince, "This is a permanent portal stone, just touch the red side to activate it. There's no need to power it, it powers itself. Touch it again to deactivate it or wait five minutes for it to deactivate itself. It will take you to my second home. You're welcome there whenever you like. Actually, for the next few weeks, I want you to keep this on you. Ok?" It was actually Arno's home, but he wasn't going to mention that just yet. Next, he switched quickly to his soul song of blessings and stamped half a key onto Thor's hand before switching back to his soul song of stillness. The other half of the key was in the portal stone. Thor was the only one who could use it now. He was just that much safer now and he knew that Loki would be pleased by that. His family was safer, and it made James happy to do it.