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

by Tales of Suspense and Drama

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

29. Chapter 29

- Chapter 29 -

23May2023 – Outside The Bounds Of Time

Vanaheim Royal Palace Guest Chambers

A strange sort of tiredness went through James' mind again as he stepped back through Lady Sjofn's portal back to the guest room on Vanaheim. He was tired of wearing the charcoal grey, long sleeve shirt with black jeans and stiff black dress shoes. Shoving the tiredness to the back of his mind let him move on to deciding to change his outfit for the first time in years. From out of his interdimensional pocket James pulled out a pair of blue jeans, a solid black tee-shirt, fresh underwear and socks, and a pair of tennis shoes. Unfolding his seidr from his core, he mounted a hardened light barrier around himself, then shifted its color to solid. He changed his clothes quickly and used the same belt, all with a smile on his face. It felt so good to be able to relax and be comfortable in his clothing again. After he'd cleaned his previous outfit, he dismissed it to his interdimensional pocket to be used again later. For now, he was comfortable enough. That was all he needed.

The boys were starting to stir in their beds, so James looked over to where Herb was sleeping. Just as the boys were sitting up in their beds the barrier around Herb dropped. He could feel the power of a colossus radiating from the crystalline form on the bed. It was the result of a century's worth of sleep. Life flowed along with that power. It was his brother's to command. Herb was now fully grown as a colossus. This was the sleep that James badly needed, but the thought that the boys might need him still held him back. A prompt was needed to get him to sleep, though he couldn't tell what that prompt might be besides his parents' returning from Thornburg.

Through the depths of his mind, through the link and into reality his consciousness traveled until he was fully awake. The crystal of Herb's eyes didn't creak or crack when he opened them. Immediately as he awakened, he noticed that there was a timeless woman, a child colossus, and three warped seidr beings near him. A touch of sloth crept through his thoughts. He felt so good after sleeping, had such wonderful dreams, dispensed with several nightmares, that part of him didn't want to awaken just yet. Herb would have gone back to sleep except that Arno flicked a seidr extension towards him. It was filled with love and wonder. His husband's seidr ran calmly over his crystalline surface as he stood up. The crystal was hard and warm with the light of his purified soul coming from within. A quick extension of his own came next as he extended himself a little beyond his crystalline body to reconstitute his flesh and hair over the hardened crystal.

Arno rolled out of his bed to land silently on the floor in front of the beds. With an automatic Conjuration Spell that changed his and his two brothers clothing back to regular clothing from pajamas. Slow, curious steps brought him to his husband. Herb felt so different now, so much more powerful, so much more alive. Oh so carefully, Arno reached up to put his hand on the side of his husband's face. The feeling of life coming from Herb was quite alluring. It made Arno want another baby. Though it was the look of love in Herb's eyes that truly drew Arno in. The love stroked slowly over Arno's skin as his husband extended his seidr around them both. This was still his husband, his lover, his dearest friend. This was still Herb. Arno hopped up to put his arms around his husband's neck at the same time as his husband leaned down to put his arms around Arno. He stood up holding his smaller husband to him. Love was in their every action.

A warm smile touched James' face as he looked on Arno and Herb. A little chuckle came next. He could hear the lust in Arno's seidr and thought that another nephew was going to come from it. To further that along he mounted a garnet Hardened Light Barrier, from his unfolded seidr, that he raised in a circle around them. Shifting the barrier a little let him turn the barrier into a solid garnet so that they couldn't be seen, heard, or felt. They would have some alone time together, then Herb could take down the barrier when they were done.

When the barrier came down the first time Lady Sjofn had to keep her face stony while her sjel-seidr shifted back into her core. The man who emerged from the barrier was wholly crystal and felt radically more powerful, much like James was. He felt like the rest of the old colossals now. Before the barrier went back up she could feel the difference in the song singing out from his soul. It was deeper than it had ever been. So powerful was it that it was almost overwhelming, despite him clearly putting no effort into it. Lady Sjofn wondered if this was what James was speaking of when he would mutter that he needed sleep, or when Herb would tell him to get some sleep. Herb was stronger and clearly more capable now. Her gaze slid to James as she wondered why he would avoid sleeping if this was the result. Do you truly worry over your brothers so? They are chaotic, but Herb can keep them safe now, can he not?

"Lady Sjofn, could you bring Herb and Arno back to this moment when the barrier comes down. That way they can have a meal with us." Turning to look at Anthony and Morgan, James motioned over to the table again. "They'll be back in a moment, so come get something to eat."

Still being unable to view the currents of time surrounding Herb and Arno left the timeless Lady waiting until they were done and then gripping them with her sjel-seidr them commanding it to move them back to the moment that James wanted them at.

Do we get more nephews? Morgan signed to his older brother.

The thought of there being more children in the family brought a smile to Anthony's face. It disappeared when he realized that his children didn't know their own cousins. The smile came back again when he thought about introducing all of them to one another. It was going to be amazing when they got around to it.

Probably, James signed back before he cleaned the table of the dishes sitting on it and set out a new meal summoned from his interdimensional pocket. All of it was wrapped in bundling rune inscribed butcher's paper. All manner of breakfast items were set out; pancakes, waffles, biscuits, crepes, toast, sausages, sausage patties, bacon, Canadian bacon, cooked fruits, raw fruits, fried vegetables, salad, and more were set out. Syrups, butters, and sauces were set out next. Hot and chilled coffee were set out beside the food, then little pitchers of cream and pods of flavor syrups. Dishes and glasses for more people than just themselves were set out conspicuously on the table. James was done setting out food and dishes by the time that there were fuchsia strands of sjel-seidr that Herb was stepping out of. His brother was holding Arno is a bridal carry. Arno had his hands over his middle and James knew that Arno was pregnant again. Herb was always so careful with Arno after they'd created life together. However, Herb was holding Arno so close that he was masking the tiny feeling that the children would produce. James couldn't feel their lives just yet but would when Arno was set down.

"How many nephews this time?" James smiled broadly at them, glad to know that the family was expanding again.

"Three nieces this time." A touch of sheepishness entered into Herb's expression as he admitted in public that Arno tempted him enough to lose control of himself and his abilities in bed. Flaring his seidr to James, it whispered, Don't worry. I slowed down their growth until we leave this place. Arno knows, and agreed to it. The relieved flare he received helped to settle him some as it whispered, We'll keep an eye on them to make sure that they're safe. Slowing the growth of the babies was the only concession he'd received from his husband who was adamant that they needed more babies.

Herb tried to argue that they didn't need another baby right then, since they had ten already. He lost.

He tried to argue that it was an awkward time to have a baby, since they were outside of time. He lost.

He tried to argue that if they did have a baby that it should only be one baby, since this was an awkward time. He lost.

All he'd won was Arno agreeing to Herb slowing down the development of the babies until they were back within time's flow. Despite him having lost the argument, he still couldn't help but feel he'd won since he was having more children with his darling husband. Excitement colored all of his thoughts.

"That'll be five girls! I wonder what color their wings will be?" James motioned for them to come sit down as well. "Come get something to eat Arno. You need something healthy." He could already feel how his younger brother was radiating life as he turned back sat everyone. "Would you care to eat with us?" Now that Arno was pregnant again he was going to have to watch his younger brother's diet to make sure he wasn't binging and purging again. Bulimia always reared its ugly when Arno was pregnant, and neither Herb nor James ever put up with it. This would be no different.

Five girl children! Five girl firehawks! Lady Sjofn was not only going to report this development to Lady Audhumbla, but probably speak with her about recruiting those younglings when they were of age. She wondered if five firehawks would shift the tides of battle in favor of Norn's Army, they would be wielding pink sjel-seidr and orange seidr after all. It certainly couldn't hurt too have them, in her opinion. Will there be even more girl children than that? Lady Sjofn deeply hoped that there would be more girl firehawks and that they could all be recruited for Norn's Army. The final battle and the fate of the universe could hinge on that handful of girl firehawks. "Thank you, James. That would be lovely." As she stood she briefly contemplated James agreeing to give them girl children while recruiting all of the girl firehawks. She had a hard time imagining how strong Norn's Army would become then. It was unfathomable to her at that moment in time.

Lady Sjofn was thinking of something pressing, but James couldn't tell what it was. It was in the subtle creasing of her brows that he could see the concern in. He hoped she would be willing to discuss what they had been discussing earlier before he had to go have a chat with the Chief Justice. "Now would be a good time to discuss things with the other handmaidens. They can have a meal with us too, if they'd like." He'd already set out dishes and silverware for them.

"I believe that they would like that as much as I would." It only took a miniscule fraction of a second for her to step back into the currents of time and resonate her sjel-seidr to call her sisters to her. She stepped back out then. Another tiny fraction of a second later, peach pink strands of sjel-seidr began to appear. Next to it, strands of rouge pink sjel-seidr began to coalesce. Next to that, strands of coral pink sjel-seidr appeared conjoined with strands of salmon pink sjel-seidr. Motioning to the woman who stepped from the peach strands, Lady Sjofn said, "This is the first of my other sister handmaidens, Lady Pirkko." Next, she motioned to the rouge sjel-seidr strands, saying as she did, "This is Lady Ingalill." She motioned to the coral strands after that, "This is Lady Vanadis, and her reflected sibling," finally she motioned to the salmon sjel-seidr strands, "Lady Ulla." They bowed to Lady Sjofn who bowed to them in turn before bowing to James. "These are the rest of my sister handmaidens."

James bowed to them, reaching through the link to make sure that his brothers, besides Arno who was seated, remembered to bow to the Ladies who were joining them. "It's an honor to meet such good Ladies." The knowing look in their eyes was not lost on James as he looked over them. He surmised that Lady Sjofn must have shared her memories with them. They were looking at him with that he thought was approval, which was good in his opinion. His gaze darted to Lady Sjofn before he motioned to the table. "Would you care to have breakfast with us?"

Stepping forward, Lady Pirkko smiled at the colossal who appeared to be a half-dvergar. Though he was Midgardian there was pride for her that his ancestors were of Dvergar stock. She would say that he hid well in plain sight as his look was unassuming. It was the phenomenally powerful seidr core that he possessed that marked him as anything but ordinary. "Indeed, I should like very much to try Midgardian food. What little I've had thus far has been magnificent." From her sister's memories Lady Pirkko knew who Arno was, but she wasn't going to approach him carelessly. Beyond the fact that James clearly led his Noble House, Arno was radiating the kind of life that came with a powerful new babe. She wasn't sure how it happened, as the magics that were used to allow a man to carry a child had never been stable, and frequently failed catastrophically. This felt very stable to her, and she wished him all the best luck because she wanted to take lessons from him on how he crafted such magnificent food.

Flaring her sjel-seidr to Lady Sjofn, Lady Pirkko's sjel-seidr whispered, Arno Rhodes-Willems is with-child? "Would you permit me to speak with Arno Rhodes-Willems on culinary matters?" she asked James politely.

A response came though Lady Sjofn flaring her seidr in return, He carries three girl firehawks.

That was almost enough to stop Lady Pirkko in her tracks. She understood the significance of what her sister was telling her, so she flared her sjel-seidr again, I thought there were only two girl firehawks? It was all she'd seen through her sister handmaiden's memories.

These three are new babes. Now there will be five girl firehawks when they are born, Lady Sjofn flared her sjel-seidr again. Then she thought to herself, We must not fail to recruit all of them.

"I have no objection to that," James replied then looked to his youngest brother, "Arno, do you feel up to speaking with her?" Flaring his seidr to his younger brother, it whispered for him, Stay seated.

A beaming smile crossed Arno's face at the chance to talk about his passion for making food, but he didn't get up. Instead, he patted the chair next to him and spoke. "Come, sit down with me! We can talk while we eat."

"I would like that very much." Lady Pirkko went to the chair next to Arno and seated herself.

"Would you permit me to speak with Herb Willems on matters of brewing and Midgardian fermenting?" Lady Ingalill made her request to James next.

"Of course," James looked to his eldest younger brother then, "Herb?"

"I would love to." More genuine excitement played across Herb's mind. Not only was he going to have more children with his husband, but he was going to be able to share his passion for brewing and fermenting with someone who would understand what he was talking about and probably even appreciate it. He pulled out the chair one over from the other side of Arno as Lady Pirkko was seated on, then helped her to scoot the chair in. Herb sat down next to her. "Where would you like to start, Lady Ingalill?"

Crossing the room to the last two Ladies, James smiled reassuringly at them. "Lady Sjofn tells me that you have things you wish to teach Morgan."

That caught Morgan's attention as he and Anthony were slowly making their way over to the table. Morgan gently pushed at Anthony when he stopped, to keep him moving towards the table. The older of the two brothers kept his ears open to his surroundings.

It was Lady Ulla who spoke for the two of them this time. She opened her mouth and spoke in a quiet, heavy, and rough voice. Like her reflected sibling her voice was neither female nor male. It was only unnatural in its composition. "We wish to teach him the sacred songs of Lord Ymir, the sacred music of life. They are Celestial songs, the singing of which could grant him the same voice as we two possess. It is the voice of any or none." As she spoke, she commanded the respect of her sister handmaidens.

Flaring her sjel-seidr discreetly to James, it whispered to him, In order to begin instructing him, we must see him free of his substance addiction. My reflected sister and I can accomplish that now, if you like.

Surprise widened James' eyes, and he flared his seidr in return, Right now? Hopeful tones coursed through his seidr powerfully.

An addiction isn't difficult to physically rid someone of, she knew the answer before she asked the questions, Would you be willing to take responsibility for assisting him to break the habits that come with addiction?

I'm already responsible for him, James flared his seidr once again, so let me get him ready for you. Motioning to Morgan to come over and sit at the table, he also turned the chair around so that it was facing outwards.

What's going on, Morgan signed to his older brother.

They're going to help us tackle your addiction, James signed back quickly. Now come sit down.

Morgan wasn't sure that he liked where this was going, but he trusted Rhodey too much to object. With a little sigh he went to sit down in the chair that had been pulled out for him. When he went to scoot away from the violet eyed woman on his left, he scooted closer to the violet eyed woman on his right. A quick flare from Rhodey let him find his center, It's ok, Morgan. In the end it was because of his trust in Rhodey, and the fact that Lady Ulla commanded Morgan's respect since he could hear the power in her voice, that he stayed still. Like a deaf person hearing for the first time, her voice called to him. He wanted, needed, to hear more.

It commanded Anthony's respect as well as surprise. Lady Ulla's voice was a less malicious version of the hunter's voice. It was a voice that could cajole, convince, command anyone. It was a voice that Anthony was very well accustomed to wielding, easy as a smile. What surprised him most though was that Rhodey seemed like he wanted Morgan to learn this new voice when Rhodey always told him not to use the hunter's voice.

Fear not, young one, Lady Ulla flared her sjel-seidr to Morgan as her sister flared her sjel-seidr at the same time. We mean you no harm, young one, Lady Vanadis flared her sjel-seidr to Morgan. They each placed a single hand on his shoulder while allowing their sjel-seidr to pass from their cores. They each commanded their sjel-seidr to turn into a deep Healing Spell that they covered Morgan with, merging the spells into something more powerful. When he almost withdrew from them, they spoke to him again through their spell, whispering, We seek only to aid you. Through their deep Healing Spell they viewed the portion of Morgan's brain where the changes made by his addiction lived. It was clear to them what the section of his brain should have looked like without the addiction. Since his brain was already fighting the addiction to try to return to what it should have been made it easier for them to heal the damage done, despite their being a tremendous amount of damage. The minutes ticked by as Lady Ulla and Lady Vanadis worked together to heal Morgan's old injury. At the end of an hour they had repaired the damage done to his brain by his extensive use of heroin, returning him to what he should have been. However, the damage in his brain wasn't the only thing their Healing Spell revealed to them when they sent a sensing pulse through his nervous system.

There was deep damage to his throat, his vocal cords in particular, as well as to the nerves in his left thigh. The superficial scarring from all his injuries had been removed already. What stopped them from pursuing those injuries was the strange seidr that was bound up in them. It looked and acted like black rot to them. Lady Ulla and Lady Vanadis knew that a Laedis' Wrath Weave was the only other thing they had in their possession besides Lord Ymir's sacred music that could burn off the black rot. We could try to use Lord Ymir's sacred songs to heal the wounds, Lady Vanadis' sjel-seidr whispered to Lady Ulla. Let us see if the singing the sacred songs heals the injury in his throat, her sister replied, then we can decide how to proceed. Very well, Lady Vanadis began the process of disentangling her Healing Spell from her sister's spell. The two separated and withdrew from their sjel-seidr from Morgan's body.

It is done, his substance addiction is healed, Lady Vanadis smiled warmly at James as she flared her sjel-seidr flared to him. With one last long flare she told him, We sensed his injuries in his throat and thigh but were unable to heal them. We believe that the sacred songs will heal his throat, and possibly his thigh after that. This is what we wish to pursue. Lady Ulla let her sjel-seidr shift back into her core, then she felt her sister's seidr do the same.

The timeless Ladies had done what could be done with Morgan, now it was time for James to do what he could with them. Taking a breath, James settled himself by reminding himself that these women had some very powerful and trustworthy backers who had vouched for them. Handing out the kind of power that he was about to hand out again was still uncomfortable. It wasn't growing any easier with repetition. It was a heavy responsibility that was only growing heavier. James moved ahead with his plan anyway by first unfolding his seidr. Next, he mounted eight copies of the Learning Spell, where only four absorbed his memories. The other four were the spell itself. From those spells he created four pearls of garnet seidr in his upheld left hand. Hopefully they'll have no problems with the transfer, like the others. James held his hand out to the Ladies Ulla and Vanadis. "Take this. It's the Learning Spell. I think you'll need to accomplish what you're proposing."

Lady Vanadis looked to Lady Ulla who was looking at her. They nodded silently and then stepped forward. "We will accept this gift, because we know we shall earn what you gift us with," the reflected siblings spoke in unison before each reached out to take a single garnet seidr pearl. The garnet runes comprising the pearls raced up from their hands to their eyes to sink in. At the same time Lady Ulla and Lady Vanadis both learned the spell. In that moment they understood why their Lady said that they couldn't have it unless they needed it. The Learning Spell was truly a Grand Work. It was worthy of the care and protection that their Lady gave it. Having learned it though, they each wondered why they were given something so powerful.

It was strange to Anthony, to see his older brother handing out the Learning Spell. He'd lived for several years under the orders to not spread it to anyone without permission. Rhodey's permission specifically. What are you going to have them do with it? It was true that he was curious, but it was also true that he didn't particularly care either. A glance over his shoulder showed him his new workspace. He could see it as he sat down at the table next to Morgan. There was good food in front of him, and Anthony knew that he needed to eat. He still would have preferred to be working.

The Ladies sitting at the table came next for James. He moved to each one in turn and offered them the Learning Spell. Each took it somewhat hesitantly, wondering at the sudden gravity of the situation and with assurances that they would earn this great power through their deeds. After the last one his seidr stowed back into his core. "I know you Ladies are all responsible women who won't abuse the power I just gave you." James looked at each Lady, making eye contact with each one. "I gave each of you this power because you've all expressed interest in teaching and working with my brothers. There are certain challenges to working with them successfully. This will more easily allow you to work with those challenges and be able to move past them."

Every woman there looked to one another while comprehending the raw facts of the matter. Each of Lady Audhumbla's handmaidens now had the Learning Spell, and James was the one to give it to them with Lady Audhumbla's permission.

"Can you use the Learning Spell to teach me the sacred music? Would you be willing to do that?" There was still a hesitation in giving Morgan that kind of power. James wanted to know that this was truly going to help his younger brother before he ok'ed it.

Lady Ulla and her reflected sibling turned to one another and held each other's hands. They each sung a song a song of perception to attune each other to the other's thoughts and emotions. Ribbons of brilliant sjel-seidr inscribed with ancient runes appeared from their mouths to float through the air around their heads. The ribbons intertwined with one another between them then flashed brilliant pink where the coral and salmon sjel-seidr ribbons met. Their thoughts and feelings, their hearts attuned with one another. With their hearts moving as one they first tested the Learning Spell to see if they could even teach the sacred music of life all at once. It almost disturbed them just how easy the Learning Spell made the transfer of the sacred music. They could indeed teach him all of the hymns of the sacred music at once. An agreement on a disagreement found its way into their harmony though. They agreed with each other that they disagreed with James' ability to learn all of the hymns all at once. It took several moments of discourse through song for them to decide that they were going to gamble on James being a colossal and strong enough to handle all the hymns right away. His strength was so apparent through his seidr core. Next, they formulated a plan to teach the great body of the sacred music to a colossal.

Morgan stood from the table, turning the chair back around, and listened to the angelic harmony being produced by the black-clad pale women who were singing. He could hear every note as they sung it, every word that was forming the runes that they were singing out. Only the sound of his son's voice when he spoke his first word, "Dada," was sweeter to him than these ethereal notes. His mouth opened as he began to sing silently along with the harmonic runes as he heard them, so alluring were they.

Both Lady Vanadis and Lady Ulla unclasped two of their hands and walked over to him. They held their hands out to James. The invitation to James to form a circle with them was obvious to anyone who could see. He stepped forward and took both their hands in his. The two master songsmiths allowed their sjel-seidr to pass from their cores. They turned it into a joint Learning Spell that absorbed their knowledge of the sacred music of life in a structured format that would teach it to James.

The two smaller hands in his impressed James for all the strength that they held. He could feel it just beneath their skin. It was driving the sweeping song that was forcefully circling the women. Their Learning Spell was contained in their song. When they released the spell it hit him like a freight train, but didn't stagger him. The hardened white stone beneath his skin came out as he was forced to withdraw his flesh behind its protection. The vast body of the sacred music of life wrote itself into his psyche as he held on to the Ladies' hands. Something happened then that Lady Vanadis and Lady Ulla weren't prepared for. Tilting his head back so that he was looking at the ceiling, James began to sing. Mustering all his musical knowledge he began to sing the hymns of the sacred music. He cycled rapidly from one hymn to the next, weaving in and out of the melodies to create a singular harmony.

While the timeless Ladies weren't prepared for James to sing so potently, they also weren't silenced by it. They sang their own hymns to expand on his harmony, creating unity between the three of them. Once they harmonized, the Ladies began to guide the powerful path of his hymns. His gaze came to meet theirs and they harmonized further. They circled the hymns back into James' throat to coat them in runes again and again. Thicker and thicker, the glowing runes covered not only James' vocal cords but the whole of his throat until they could be seen through the stone of his neck.

The hymns were pushing harder and harder against James, bearing down on him cruelly. He didn't stop though. He pushed harder through his own hymns to grip and control the sound. The ethereal hymns swirled more potently until James could finally grip them fully. Solid sound materialized around James, then around Lady Vanadis, and finally around Lady Ulla as he rapidly mastered and guided the sacred music. It widened the timeless Ladies eyes in surprise, causing them to increase the volume of their own hymns to maintain their harmony. Before the Ladies were ready for it the runes in James' throat ignited into a raging fireball that didn't burn him, far from it.

As James had gripped and guided the sound he and the timeless Ladies were producing, he gripped and guided the inferno in his throat out of his mouth to rest in front of his face. The sound that was around him gathered into the mini carmine inferno before the sound that was his voice was pulled from his throat. He packed and condensed it down until the sound inverted in on itself. Carefully, so as to not explode the sound, James guided it back down into his throat to settle there. The carmine inferno sank down his esophagus until it hit and coated his vocal cords inside and out, then was no more. He cleared his throat once, twice, thrice, then released his grip on the timeless Ladies and spoke. It was his normal voice that he spoke with. There was no need to speak any differently to him, it certainly wasn't going to trouble him to speak normally. "That is an intense discipline. I'm impressed by your mastery of it. You may teach it to Morgan with a slower lesson schedule than mine," he purposefully didn't smirk, "and an emphasis on practice and safety. Is that acceptable?"

Lady Vanadis flared her sjel-seidr to Lady Ulla and remarked, …so quickly. Her sjel-seidr shifted back into her core.

Mastered now, Lady Ulla flared her sjel-seidr to her reflected sibling. Her sjel-seidr shifted back into her core as well.

Flaring her sjel-seidr again, Lady Vanadis whispered, …hundreds of years we studied and sung.

Mastered, now, Lady Ulla repeated in another flare of her sjel-seidr. The reflected siblings released each other's hands and bowed to James. "This is most acceptable," she said quietly.

"There's one last thing then." Unfolding his seidr once more, James mounted four Learning Spells. They absorbed his memories. He released the spells towards the new timeless Ladies in the room. The spells hit their shoulders then raced to their eyes to absorb quickly. "This is a full understanding of American Sign Language. It's predominately how Morgan speaks." James turned then and looked to his younger brother, motioned for Morgan to come over to them. "Morgan, come meet your new teachers."

A tinge of self-consciousness streaked through Morgan's thoughts. He was wearing very casual clothes for meeting such influential Ladies. His black tee-shirt and plain jeans with combat boots wasn't exactly impressive, and he hadn't brushed his hair or combed his beard that day either. All around he looked a little rough. He decided quickly that he wasn't going to care about that. He'd always looked a little rough. The thought of it almost made him smirk. What mattered was that he was going to learn how to sing those ethereal songs. There was an excitement to learn new things that he hadn't felt in a long time. Not even learning alchemy had sparked that particular excitement since alchemy was more like an equation to be solved. It wasn't since he learned to read and write, and the world opened up to him, that he'd felt that excitement. There was a new part of the world waiting for him. He heard it in their songs.

The small hesitation from Morgan caught James' attention. Morgan unconsciously straightened his shirt and pushed his hair out of his face. His movements were slow and cagey. There was self-consciousness in his actions. His younger brother didn't deal well with that. He flared his seidr to his younger brother, it whispered to him, Don't be nervous. They aren't here to judge you. We're all here with you.

While Morgan appreciated his older brother's reassurances, the dark little voice in the back of his mind didn't. You're not the ugly one, the disgusting one, are you Rhodey?, it viciously replied to Rhodey's attempt at reassurance. He swallowed nervously before shaking it off quickly. His brothers had the same little voice in their heads. He knew he wasn't unique amongst the Starks. Like them, he tried not to listen to it. An awkward absence of thought struck Morgan's mind. The silence rang before another seidr whisper from Rhodey filled the space, You aren't disgusting. We love you. It brought a little smile to his face. His older brother always knew just what to say. Come over to me, Morgan, Rhodey's seidr whispered to him again. It wasn't an order, but Morgan moved faster to get to Rhodey anyway.

Hello, my name is M-O-R-G-A-N, he signed to the two Ladies. He motioned to himself, making the sign for himself as the sign for 'silent' done with his left hand and tapped twice against his mouth.

A calm smile found its way across each of the two black-clad Ladies' faces. Lady Ulla signed to him in return, Greetings, my name is U-L-L-A. She motioned to her reflected sibling. This is my sister. Her name is V-A-N-A-D-I-S. (pause) You may call either of us K-E-N-N-A-R-I. She made a modified sign for teacher with more of an outward flare at the end of it.

Repeating the sign that she'd just made, Morgan bowed in front of them and signed, It's nice to meet you, kennari.

It brought a pleasant warmth to James to watch his younger brother find his footing with his new teachers. "Do you want to have a meal with us before you begin lessons?"

Morgan signed to his new teachers, A-R-N-O, then he made the motion for food with an opening flare at the end, makes some wonderful food. Each of the black-clad timeless Ladies nodded to him, so he turned and went back around the table. They followed him silently, each bowing again when he pulled out chairs for them to sit at, and helping them scoot it in. They were all set for good food and good conversations.

23May2023 – Outside The Bounds Of Time

Vanaheim Royal Palace Guest Chambers

The pale-eyed freak stood hidden wearing the hunter's black garb, watching. Always watching his Starks. He was simultaneously terribly interested in the Celestial songs, and not interested in them at all. His raging curiosity almost demanded that he have Stark 8 give him the songs after he learned them from the Nornic women. Stark 8 looked hesitant for a moment to approach the Nornic women which displeased the pale-eyed freak. Part of him wanted those songs so badly, since they were Celestial songs. He was impressed with how swiftly Rhodes learned the songs, and just a touch jealous as well. He wondered how long it might take him to learn the songs. Before his curiosity could go much further he reminded himself where he was going and what would happen after he set down the Operant Flame. That thoroughly crushed his curiosity. For over a thousand years his curiosity had guided him; dragged him along forcibly if he was honest, which he wasn't always. No, as he stood in this timeless place he found he had no more time for curiosity. No more time for any pursuits besides the cure. He was almost done writing everything out on how to use them. He flipped the pages in his mage's journal to where he was writing down the information on the cure. It was almost a book unto itself, that section was so thick. He began writing in it as he still kept his attention on his Starks. Stark 8 was signing to the Nornic women. Stark 11 was speaking with a different Nornic woman on cooking, while eating to support his three new babies. Stark 10 kept sneaking glances at his work area. They were all occupied, and so was he as he dragged his attention back to his mage's journal. Cold. Ashes, the pale-eyed freak reminded himself forcibly. More than Celestial songs, he wanted the peace that those cold ashes would bring him.

23May2023 – Outside The Bounds Of Time

Vanaheim Royal Palace Guest Chambers

It took a few minutes for Morgan to be comfortable enough to speak through sign language to the two timeless Ladies who were his new teachers. When Lady Vanadis made an errant comment about not being able to make the food she made taste as good as this with alchemy Morgan answered her comment with a slowly relayed yet complex alchemical formula for a potion to enhance anything edible, a new conversation was begun between them. It was all alchemical speak after that between the three of them. When they realized that there weren't words in sign language for many of the things they wanted to discuss they began working on new signs to communicate with. Seidr flares supplemented what Morgan wanted to say, sjel-seidr flares answered him. Communication forged ahead.

As Morgan spoke silently with Lady Ulla and Lady Vanadis, Lady Ingalill chatted excitedly with Herb. The brewing was easy enough for her to understand. It was something each of them was enthusiastic about. He was glad to discuss one of his passions. She was cheerful in discussing it, with a twinkle in her eyes. While she wanted to get right to the lessons on brewing, what she really wanted was to learn the art of fermenting. The very concept of fermenting intrigued the timeless Lady. It was a technique that developed in the absence of seidr. She wondered, as Herb described it, if there were more food preservation techniques that had developed. After that, Lady Ingalill wondered what else the mortals had developed with their pronounced lack of seidr. When Herb mentioned that he had published a book on the subject of fermenting and other food preservation techniques, she instantly asked if she could have a copy. He gifted her with it from his interdimensional pocket, saying that he had a copy that she was welcome to. Lady Ingalill was ecstatic. Half of her mind listened to Herb and held an active conversation with him, while the other half of her mind contemplated the mortals who created such things as what fascinated her in that moment. She had always believed that mortals lived short, unsatisfying, even dismal lives before they died permanently. Their souls never found their way to Niflheim. Listening to Herb describe such delicious foods to her made her wonder if maybe she was wrong. If they could create such foods to celebrate life with then they understood the celebration of life. Mayhaps they celebrate life, more even than we, because of their short lives. Mayhaps this is a chance to gain knowledge of the mortals. Her smile became a small smirk. She had never been to Midgard, and only ever heard of mortals through Lady Aile's salacious gossip. Suddenly Midgard looked like a new horizon to her, the first in a very long time.

A little cheerfulness infected Lady Pirkko's smile as she spoke with Arno. She could hear the excitement in Lady Ingalill's sjel-seidr. She was normally more sedate. Lady Ulla and Lady Vanadis were being more verbose through signing than they normally were. Quiet was the cloak they always wore. Her sisters were engaged in interesting conversations, as was she. Arno Rhodes-Willems was an intriguing individual with an extensive knowledge of cooking techniques. His intricate descriptions of 'blooming spices' and 'tempering chocolates' captivated her. What truly caught her attention was the mention of 'crock pots' and the simple, nutritious, and most importantly hot meals that could be created in them. It sounded like a wonderful way to stave off the chill of timelessness that clung to the Grand Temple city.

Heat seemed important to Lady Pirkko; sizzling meals, hot drinks, warm snacks and steaming desserts. Everything she was truly interested in was higher in temperature, so he summoned a sealed cup of hot chocolate covered in artfully done Bundling Runes. He kept gallons of the stuff in his interdimensional pocket for the children to have for dessert. "Here, try this." Arno set the cup down in front of her.

"What is it?" It smelled wonderful, sweet, and rich to Lady Pirkko.

"Hot chocolate." A wide smile touched Arno's lips. She looked interested in what he was offering.

The aroma of the drink drew Lady Pirkko in. She lifted it to her nose and sniffed it delicately. There were acidic notes that she first pulled out, then the bitters. There were notes of roasted nut or perhaps roasted vegetable. After that she pulled out the rich notes of fats. Individually the notes soured her opinion. It was when she put the notes together that the drink became something she wanted to try. It was rich, sweet in a way that it could be paired with something savory, and deep. The first sip broadened her horizons. It was marvelous. An intense flavor unlike anything else she had experienced flowed smoothly over her tongue to coat her mouth densely. Swallowing the thick drink warmed everything on the way down to her stomach, particularly in her chest. Shockingly enough Lady Pirkko could actually feel it breaking down into white seidr, converting instantly to sjel-seidr and directly feeding her core from there. This wasn't just a sweet drink. This was feeding her sjel-seidr, feeding her very soul. "Norn's Army must have this."

Allowing her sjel-seidr to pass from her core to turn into a Conjuration Spell. Lady Pirkko released the spell to conjure a special food preserving jar. Special runes traced up the sides of the small jar which temporarily preserve the contents outside of time. The timeless Lady empowered the runes with her sjel-seidr before her sjel-seidr shifted back into her core. The container was prepared so she filled it with some of the hot chocolate and sealed it up. "That shall go back to the Grand Temple. It shall enliven my fellow Norns."

"Do you need Bundling Runes on the jar? They shouldn't conflict with those runes." It was cute to Arno that Lady Pirkko instantly decided that the rest of the Norns needed to try the hot chocolate. Since she was so receptive to what he was offering he summoned four more cups of hot chocolate from his interdimensional pocket and setting them down in front of the other Norns. They too opened the cups and tried the new drink. They too looked surprised by what they were drinking, with both Lady Vanadis and Lady Ulla placed a hand over their chests. Arno looked back to Lady Pirkko.

The timeless Lady didn't have an exact understanding of Bundling Runes and hadn't seen them in action for herself. "Would you teach these runes to us?"

His seidr struck out from his core to devastate into a the Learning Spell. It drew his memories of the Bundling Runes into it before he created a small pearl of the spell in his hand. Arno held out his hand to Lady Pirkko and let her take the pearl from him. His seidr shrunk back into his core while the runes containing his memories streaked up her arm directly to her eyes to sink in. In the blink of an eye, she had his knowledge of the Bundling Runes and their usage.

What Lady Pirkko had just been casually gifted was a Great Work. She knew from her sister's memories that the runes were powerful. She hadn't known that they were bending and refining reality. There had been Great Works that had come and gone in the history of the Elder Realms. None had ever been gifted directly to her though like this was. Without stopping to think about it she slipped half into the currents of time around her while commanding her sjel-seidr to pass from her core and turn into the Learning Spell. It absorbed a copy of Arno's memories from her. She resonated her sjel-seidr with all seven of her handmaiden sisters through those currents while releasing the spell to impart Arno's memories of the Bundling Runes to them. All seven of the other handmaidens' eyes lit with her peach pink sjel-seidr as she taught them the runes. They were going to greatly benefit the Norns. Food preservation for the Norns had always been about moving things through time to prevent their decay. That was no longer a problem.

Peach pink sjel-seidr shifted back into Lady Pirkko's core. Her sisters' eyes dimmed to their normal look when she withdrew it. As soon as she was assured that they had the knowledge, she let her sjel-seidr pass from her core again to turn into the Bundling Runes. They were branded across the small food preserving jar. It pleased her that Arno was correct. The Bundling Runes didn't cause conflict with the other runes on the jar. It let her grip the jar with her sjel-seidr and dismiss it to her interdimensional pocket so that she knew for certain that it would make it safely back to the Grand Temple. Bowing her head to the smaller man sitting next to her she expressed her gratitude. "You have our gratitude for these gifts. They are immense and shall aid the whole of Norn's Army. We acknowledge this freely."

"I'm so glad that you like them!" Arno's sweet voice broke the silence that had fallen as the Norns learned new things. "If you like that," Arno summoned some of his handmade chocolate truffles from his interdimensional pocket, enough for each of the Ladies to have several and for Anthony to have his favorite, "I think you'll love these!" And the conversation continued.

This was all going wonderfully in James' opinion. It was an excellent way to begin what he hoped would be a productive relationship. His brothers were hitting it off wonderfully with the second set of Norns who had come to visit them. At least, most of them were. A little sigh slipped past James' lips. Anthony had pulled out a small grease pencil from somewhere and was currently sketching something on a napkin while munching on his scotch chocolate truffles. The sketch had to be something to do with the new project. He was trying to be discreet about it, going slowly and covering it with the box of truffles. James still noticed it. The decision to check the sketch later was as instantaneous as his decision to handle his brother's behavior. "Anthony." He spoke quietly, directly a small amount of his soul song through his voice so that he caught his brother's attention with speaking over others. "You may be dismissed from the table." Please behave yourself, the seidr flare that followed the dismissal was swift and heavy. James smiled when he received a flare in return, I will. His younger brother rose quietly then, bowing to their guests and then made for his workbench with the napkin in hand.

It wasn't quite how James saw his day ending or the next beginning, but this was it. After the longest, most fruitful, day of his life he was still smiling. He was still moving forward. All of his brothers were moving forward together for the first time in years. It was all he could ask for.

24May2023 – Early Morning Dark Before Sunrise On Asgard

Outside The Manor House Of The Lesser Lord Gjermund Kolbeck

The message of success was sent through the Culinary College's data link. Hertig Bjarkiarr Banamadr put his terminal away after reporting his accomplishment to the Chef Above All with the lesser Lord Bakke. After the funeral for his son, the wayward lesser Lord would return to the Culinary College. If he didn't, then there were two more Bakke children to punish the Lord's insolence with. They would all die of the Hertig's poison, but it would look like the severe physical impurity that the college always warned of; induced impurity. Children were always so vulnerable to impurity, so the loss of a child was always the first punishment to be handed out. Anyone breaking with the college's teachings had to be punished. As a Hertig (Duke) of the Culinary College it was his duty, along with the other Hertogi (Dukes), to enforce the rules that the Chef Above All set down. Those rules were strict, that was true, but they were also necessary. To control the food supply was to control the nation, or all the nations. The Chef Above All had to set down those rules to create order and compliance; to rule from the shadows. Hertig Bjarkiarr was honored to be one of the ones trusted with making sure everyone obeyed those rules.

There was no more time to muse, a wicked smile spread across his face because it was time to do the college's business again. The guards' patrol route was taking them away from him. Like Lord Bakke, the lesser Lord Kolbeck had strayed from the Culinary College as well. He'd even been seen in public feeding his baby soft broth and hjort milk, instead of sending the babe to be fed by his wife. It was so disorderly, so wholly unacceptable, which was why he'd called on the lesser Lord so late at night. And again, as with the lesser Lord Bakke, he tried to use civilized discourse to persuade the new father to stop this nonsense. Again, he was sent away. "We know what's best for our babe," the lesser Lord told him before sending him off into the night. It was why he was crouched outside the window to the babe's nursery waiting for the manor house's guards to go past. There was no one in the room with the babe. The parents, Lord and Lady Kolbeck, were in the next room over sleeping, so Hertig Bjarkiarr cut his medallion yellow seidr from his core to slit into a Teleportation Spell. He keyed it to the inside of the nursery, covered himself with it then released it. Medallion yellow teleportation fires swirled up and around the Hertig, taking him into the nursery near the crib.

The lights didn't turn on automatically, giving him time to work. Pulling a small, delicate glass vial from his belt pouch, Hertig Bjarkiarr stepped over so that he was right next to the crib. "May your soul go peacefully on to Niflheim. May you find love, belonging, and happiness there," a soft smile crossed his face, "for you have given to the only righteous cause worth giving to; order in the Nine Realms." It was the standard prayer he offered to any he killed. It wasn't their fault that they had to die. It was their parents' fault. Their parents had to be punished. It was a simple matter to him, but he still genuinely wished their souls well. With that out of the way, Hertig Bjarkiarr used his still cut seidr to open the babe's mouth gently, to open the vial. Inside it was a dark blue, cloudy liquid. Attached to the inside of the vial's glass stopper was a small, rounded extension of glass. It was surrounded by the poison. As it was drawn out of the vial the poison clung to it. A single drop of the blue liquid slid off the glass extension to drip down into the baby's open mouth. It hit the back of the babe's throat and absorbed instantly. It was all he needed to do, so he closed up the vial and put it away.

Another Teleportation Spell was slit in his still cut seidr. Hertig Bjarkiarr keyed it to where he wanted it to go, covered himself in it then released it. Teleportation fires rose up around him, taking him back outside. The guard patrols wouldn't return for several more minutes, so the Hertig simply walked out of the bushes and away from the manor house. The sudden howling screams of a baby could be heard behind him. The Culinary College's business here was done.

24May2023 – Outside The Bounds Of Time – First Part Of The Day

Vanaheim Royal Palace Guest Chambers

The hefty cybernetic hound had just switched back into being a hound from its secondary form. He liked playing with his little ball bearings and slides. It was so fun for him. He missed playing with his little friend, Jay. The two of them used to play with the ball bearings all the time. Friend told him that they would see Jay again someday. He didn't always believe Friend, but he always knew when Friend was speaking untruths. There were no lies in the statement that they would see Jay again. The thought brought a raw happiness into his thoughts. He bounced around in a circle for a few minutes to wear through that happiness. He was able to settle down to watch some new dramas. The hound reached out to turn on his little tv. His wide eyes took in the Vanaheimr drama that his second friend, Rhodey, had created for him from a series of Vanaheimr poems. It was engrossing, like Vanaheim. A desire to eat Vanaheim passed through his thoughts. The locks of containment binding him were still in place though, so he couldn't feed as he wanted. Once those locks expired there would be no new set of locks. He would ensure it personally. Friend would no longer hold him back. Then, with his newfound freedom, he would eat. Vanaheim, Asgard, the Elder Realms. All of Yggdrasil would be consumed, just like he'd done to Earth. Oh, Friend! What a joyous day it will be for us!

Shaking Lady Pirkko's hand one last time let Arno see her off after their latest lesson. She was both a very eager student and a very insightful teacher. He lamented that the lesson was done and would have to wait for her to practice the techniques that he'd taught her. It was difficult to wait though. He had already mastered the bread recipe that she'd brought him that lesson. It wasn't as good as shokupan bread, but it was still good bread. Anthony came over when he smelled the fresh bread, waited until Arno had his back turned and then made off with the first loaf of it out of the oven, pan and all. He still hadn't gotten the pan back. It wouldn't have been so bad, but Morgan stole one of the loaves that he made too, to split it with Lady Vanadis and Lady Ulla. He was at least kind enough to leave the pan for Arno to make more with. At this rate there wasn't going to be much left for their lunch, so he went to make more. His hand drifted down to touch at his belly, quickly pulsing his seidr to his daughters before moving on to getting out more ingredients. His babies would know how much they were loved before they were even born. He hummed out a happy little tune as he mixed, kneaded, rested, and shaped the dough. The oven was waiting for these next loaves. He loved how quickly and evenly these new ovens baked things. They were mechano-magical ovens that Rhodey and Anthony designed and built for him to replace the original oven that Rhodey conjured. They had one of Anthony's arc reactors powering them, which made them safer than gas ovens. Less smelly too. He loved this little kitchen that his brothers created for him. He liked making them good food as a 'thank you' for it for it.

Just then, Arno saw Anthony coming over again as the bread baked quickly. There was a slightly predatory look in his eyes. Arno turned to deal with his older brother. "You turn right back around," he pointed a finger at Anthony, "and wait for lunch." When that failed to halt his older brother he put his hands on his hips. "I will find or make a newspaper to smack you with. You wait until lunch!"

"Arno, we do not hit people," James' voice rang out from his desk where he sat working on more paperwork, "Anthony, stop stealing his bread." He spoke without looking up from his paperwork. "And give him his pan back, please."

"But I'm hungry." Anthony didn't like to whine to Rhodey, but he was very hungry, and Arno's cooking was always the best.

"Lunch will be in just a few minutes. Get cleaned up and come to the table. Morgan, you too." James called out to his other younger brother who was sitting in the center of the room practicing the hymn that he was learning. His gaze drifted to Herb who was holding jars of pickled eggs and beets and other jars with pickled carrots for Lady Ingalill to inscribe with Bundling Runes, Runes of the First Spell of Precise Recording, and a Rune of Repetition for cleaner reproducing later. When the inscribing was done she gripped the jars with her sjel-seidr and dismissed them to her interdimensional pocket.

"Next time we can work on pickling some eldgraenmeti (fire-vegetables) and some eldaldin (fire fruit)and regular fruits too. I think you'll really like pickled mangoes and pickled cherries. Maybe we could make kimchi with eldgraenmeti." Herb smiled widely. He was never sure of his ability to teach, despite his brothers saying that he was a fine teacher. Lady Ingalill was literally and gleefully eating up everything he had to teach helped him to feel better about his abilities as a teacher. It made him happy to help her along since he knew that other Norns were already benefitting from their work.

"Ah, yes! I should like to try that and the pickled shrimps you mentioned. Both sound delightful." Bowing to Herb, she made her goodbyes. "Alas, that shall be for the next lesson."

"I'll have everything ready for you when you get back." He'd never pickled so many things in his life as he had in the past few lessons. It was a wonderful tradeoff since she was swiftly teaching him the seidr-based brewing of the Elder Realms. He was proud to know that he was carrying on traditions that were millions of years old. It was living history that he loved to be a part of.

Pickling with Elder Realm ingredients sounded fabulous to Lady Ingalill. The eldmataeli(fire foods), both eldgraenmeti(fire vegetables) and eldavextir (fire fruits), were vegetables and fruits that had fiery undertones to their taste. They were very little like the blistering and weaponized heat of the 'chili peppers' of Midgard but were still among her favorite foods for the warming effect that had on whatever dish they were added to. Herb's brief introduction of chili peppers to her had her wanting to make a fermented sauce from them. It too would add heat to the Grand Temple and its occupants. The more heat the better. "Fare thee well." Lady Ingalill bowed one more time to her student/teacher and stepped back into the currents of time, speeding away with her edible treasures to the Grand Temple.

An idea struck Herb as he watched her go. "Chutney." Looking over at Rhodey, who was setting his paperwork down to go to the table, he called out. "James, do you think Lady Ingalill would like chutney?"

"Yes, I do. Do you want me to find a selection of them?" James set out six sets of plates, silverware, and glasses.

"May I ask what 'chutney' is?" Curiosity piqued in Lady Sjofn's mind again. Though she didn't need to eat nearly as often as she was, it was pleasant to share meals with the Rhodes men. She moved from the sitting area to the table again.

"It's a strongly spiced fruit or unsweetened vegetable based sauce. Would you like to try some?" Arno answered before he turned again and saw Anthony handing his pan back, "Thank you." When he noticed his older brother glancing around the kitchen for where lunch was, he pointed to the table. "I have it packed up. Go to the table. I'll be right over." The last of the bread came out of the oven then.

Anthony's seidr flickered from his seidr core to forge into a Restoration Spell that he released to cover himself with. It cleaned away the sweat, dirt, and metal dust that was dotting his skin and clothes. Once he was clean, he broke down the spell and let the seidr feed back into his core. A low grumbling came from Anthony's stomach. Hurrying over to the table, he picked up the stack of napkins that Rhodey hadn't set out yet. Each of the cloth napkins was folded into a neat fan with napkin rings and set out with the plates. Another grumble sent him into chair to wait for lunch impatiently. He liked having meals with his brothers, he really did, but he was so close to finishing the seidr pen that he wanted to still be working on it. That was why he'd grabbed some bread from the kitchen, so he could eat and work at the same time. The seidr pen was going to allow a healer to work with their own seidr more efficiently. At least he hoped it would. Getting the seidr pen up and running was his current goal. It was almost more important to Anthony than eating, almost. While he wanted to bring his work to the table, or his meal to his workbench, he knew that both Rhodey and Herb would get on him about that. They were right. He had time to work on this project for Loki. Having that time was nearly the problem though. He'd become so accustomed to working on ultra tight deadlines where the margin of success was razor thin that he was having a hard time not working himself into the ground. Projects for Loki were linked to a frenetic work pace for him. Rhodey kept telling him that they didn't have to be frenetic. Herb kept telling him that Loki wouldn't want him to work himself so hard. Again, they were both right, but as his gaze flicked to his workbench Anthony still wanted to be eating over there.

There were a few sauces that the Norns used. All of them were made of plain fruit or mashed eldavextir. Just a short time ago Arno had introduced Lady Sjofn to a thing called 'gravy'. She'd been putting it on much of her meals since then. Even pizza tasted better with a little gravy on it. White, brown, thin, thick, or made from different stocks; she loved them all. "Yes, I think I shall." There was more to Midgardian food than just cheesecake, and even that had a wide variety of styles in it. Midgardians seemed to love variety in their foods. Lady Sjofn wanted to taste it all.

Since his husband, brothers, and new friend were waiting for him at the table, Arno picked up two of the loaves of fresh bread and brought them to the table. The dishes packed up with Bundling Runes holding the bottom round rump roast, scalloped potatoes, bacon sautéed green beans, and apple cinnamon compote were summoned from his interdimensional pocket.

"You've been standing for a while. Why don't you sit down, Baby?" Moving to stand and start serving from the dishes, James picked up the serving fork and knife. He began serving plate by plate, dish by dish until everyone had some of everything. Only when everyone had their plates did he sit and begin his own meal.

Herb sat down to Arno's left while Lady Sjofn took a seat on his right. Arno summoned a jar from his interdimensional pocket and set it down next to Lady Sjofn's plate. "This is one of the chutneys that I make. It's a pear-cranberry chutney. It should go well with the meat."

A little dollop of the chutney went onto Lady Sjofn's plate for her to try with the roasted meat. The smell of it was fruity, tart, and spiced at the same time. It was a warm smell that she quite liked. When she tasted it the chutney was like another explosion of flavor in her mouth. Midgardian foods held flavors that were so bold and rich. It caused her to look to Herb and ask if he planned on sharing this with Lady Ingalill. He smiled and nodded that he would, so she recommended he share it with Lady Pirkko as well. Her sisters were going to love this too.

The conversation around him was lively, but Morgan didn't feel like participating in it. He itched unconsciously at his forearm. The skin was too tight. His nerves felt raw and exposed, like they were sitting on top of his skin. Everything was misaligned painfully and overwhelmingly. Rhodey hadn't been able to heal the shredded nerves in his left leg, on the side of his thigh, nor had his kennari. Only the scarring and a small amount of the damage was able to be healed. Most of the nerves were still trashed, so now pain was beginning to spread through his whole nervous system from the scarless wound in his left thigh. Nervousness tinged his thoughts. If he didn't find something to distract him from what was coming then he was going to be in a world of hurt, again. What kind of distraction was the dilemma now. He'd practiced the newest hymn he was learning until he thought it was mastered. The runes had layered in his throat. He felt that much. There was nothing to concentrate on there. Morgan had done everything he could with his latest batch of alchemical golden sand. Without any more alchemical books to learn from and explore with there was nothing there to concentrate on either. The last ditch effort was to play with his son or teach him something. His boy was still sleeping in the bed where he was left. There was also nothing to concentrate on there. It was weeks since Morgan had last seen his boy and he longed to see Jason's face, to hear his soft voice, and to take him on another adventure in the woods near where they lived. That wasn't possible though. There were still things that they needed to finish in that timeless room. A little sigh escaped his lips. Morgan scratched harder at his forearm. He dug his nails into the flesh to hopefully distract from the consuming sensation, because scratching at the wound in his leg was a fast way to find a lasting and concentrated agony.

He knew that a single injection of heroin would make the sensation go away for a few hours, most of a day if he was lucky. The dizzying nausea was worth it just for that. Morgan scratched a little harder. Heroin wasn't an option anymore, and he didn't want it to be. His teachers cured him of his physical addiction. It was strange to mentally want the heroin without feeling the normal physical desire for it. Then there was the fact that he'd promised Rhodey that so long as he could have Jason in his life then he wouldn't touch the drug. If he touched it then Rhodey would take Jason away from him, and so he kept his promise. For years he'd kept the promise through the years of physical need for that drug. Today wasn't the day that he was going back on it. That didn't help him in the moment though. He scratched a little harder, only stopping when he felt a Regenerative Weave hit him in the chest. Its warmth spread throughout his body alleviating the consuming pain radiating from the nerves in his leg. It was from Rhodey. Instantly he wished that his own Regenerative Weaves were as helpful. Morgan looked up, his gaze met his older brother's. Rhodey's gaze darted down and to the side before meeting his younger brother's gaze again and his eyebrows rose in questioning. Looking down showed Morgan healing gouges in his forearm that he put there. Light tracks of blood were smeared across his skin. As he looked up he noticed that everyone was looking at him now. Conversation at the table had come to a halt. Morgan stood abruptly and signed to Rhodey, I'm going for a walk.

"I can't let you do that," James said calmly. "We aren't on Earth anymore, and your walks are a little too," he paused to choose the right word, "vigorous for a Vanaheimr city."

I need…, Morgan signed, but he didn't want to finish the sentence. The sensation was making a return as the heat of his brother's weave faded. He needed some heroin or a walk. The exercise of going for a walk itself wasn't really helpful. It was the amount of time it took him to finish walking. He liked to walk until he no longer hurt.

"Why don't you work on your singing?" Morgan was entering a volatile episode and Herb could see it. "I could sing with you." Herb liked again that James was teaching him the sacred music at a slightly faster pace than Morgan was learning it so that he could sing with Morgan when the timeless Ladies weren't there.

I already mastered the latest hymn. I need to let the runes settle in my throat before I continue. He wished he had another hymn to work on, but they had to be learned one at a time. The runes had to be layered properly in his throat.

"What about your alchemy? You could play around with that." Arno could understand the both the out of control sensations that Morgan was feeling and the need to do something about it. He couldn't let his brother fall to drug abuse again though, no matter the understanding. An alternative had to be found.

I've already gone through all the material that I have. There's nothing else I can do. A little shiver shook Morgan. The sensation was ramping up. Crooked, dark fire was starting to spread along his nerves. He needed a distraction, and he needed it now. Wrapping his arms around himself didn't slow the painful sensation creeping through him no matter how hard he pressed against himself.

"So if you had more alchemy materials then you would be willing to work on that, instead of going for a walk?" James pounced on the idea as a possible solution.

Yes. Another little shiver shook the tall man. More crooked, dark fire lapped at him from the wound.

Immediately James summoned what he needed from his interdimensional pocket. He wrote out a quick blunt letter to Lady Audhumbla explaining the situation, folded it and placed it in an envelope. A dab of red melted wax went onto the back of the envelope, sealing it shut. The impression left in the red wax was the Rhodes' family seal done in gold leaf. It would let the good Lady in the Library of Time know who sent it. He picked up the envelope and the portal brace that Lady Audhumbla gave him. Everything but the letter and brace that he'd summoned was gripped with his seidr and dismissed to his interdimensional pocket. Walking around the table, James mounted his still unfolded seidr into another Regenerative Weave then strengthened it as much as he could. He released it into Morgan again and hoped that it would hold his brother for long enough. A little sigh came from his younger brother's lips as the weave eased the spreading pain from the nerve damage.

The brace went onto Morgan's wrist from James' hands easy enough. He pointed to the line of rune on the left side of the portal brace. "Touch this and it takes you to Lord Gin's tower. That's not where you're going." James pointed to the line of runes on the right side. "Touch this and it will take you to the Library of Time in Asgard. It's an Elder Realm's library so it should have an alchemy section." He put the letter into his brother's hand which then went into his brother's back pocket. "This goes to Lady Audhumbla. It explains why you're there." James leveled a serious look at his brother then. "If she sends you back for misbehavior then you will not go again. Do you understand?"

The persistent sensation was still banished to the edge of his mind. Morgan wanted to get going while he had that respite. I understand, he signed to Rhodey. Can I go now? He bent down to his older brother.

Taking Morgan's head in both his hands, James gave him a kiss on the top of his head. He let his younger brother go and stepped back. "Be good while you're gone."

Morgan touched the right line of runes on the portal brace. The line lit up with dusky rose sjel-seidr quickly. It burned brightly in the brace's opalescent gem. A bright flash of dusky rose sjel-seidr from the brace covered Morgan, then he was off and away.

At No Time And Every Time

Inside The Library Of Time In Asgard

Looking at the beautiful garden-themed library around him didn't show Morgan where he needed to go. It didn't look, smell, sound, or feel like there was anyone there with him, so he decided to follow the rows of bookshelves towards what felt like the center of the library. A strange silence hung in the air around him. In that silence he became aware of another presence there with him. Morgan stopped walking to look around, trying to find the person who he could feel near him. There was no one in sight. Even looking into several different rows of books didn't show him anyone else there. Strange as it was to feel like he was being watched, this didn't feel like stalking. No one was daring to treat him like one of the prey. It felt more like they were just watching what he was doing curiously.

Who are you, he signed without thinking about it. No one responded so he continued to walk. The sensation of being watched was growing into a sensation that there was someone else near him. Again, he stopped to look around him. Morgan still couldn't find anyone there with him. I know you're here, he signed again. Silence hung in the air while the sensations in and around him changed. His brother's weave was beginning to fade. The heat was cooling. With its fading came the return of the consuming fiery sensations firing down his nerves. Another little shiver shook him, and the nervousness pushed into his thoughts again.

Someone was behind him then.

Speed flushed all his muscles as Morgan turned quickly to catch who was with him. An old woman was standing stock still in front of him unblinking, head slightly tilted to the side, hands clasped in front of her loosely. She was tall for a woman, though not as tall as him. Her long white hair was braided into many little braids that were themselves braided into a single long braid going down her back. Her long, slender brown dress went down to the floor, with tan Celtic knots embroidered into the plush satin of the dress. He noticed the ring on her hand that was made quite strikingly of several other rings. It was truly her sharp blue eyes that caught and held his attention. There was a power there that reminded him of his older brother. This was the woman he'd been told of. This was the Lady Audhumbla. I have something for you, he signed to her, not even knowing if she could understand him. Morgan took the letter out of his back pocket and quickly handed it over to her.

Thank you, Lady Audhumbla signed to him before taking the letter. The seal on the back made her smile to see. The letter within was a blunt request for assistance. It was assistance that she could provide easily. Her sjel-seidr passed from her core to be commanded into a powerful Regenerative Weave. It released into her guest's chest to relieve any pain that he might be feeling. A small sigh of relief from him as the spell hit him told her that he was feeling pain. Lady Audhumbla gripped the letter with her sjel-seidr and dismissed it to her interdimensional pocket. Come with me. I'll show you to the alchemy section, she signed to him with elegant, crisp motions. She flashed him a small reassuring smile before turning and leading him through the white wood rows of bookshelves. There was a small desk with a chair near the alchemy books. Turning back to him, she motioned to the shelves that held all of her books on alchemy. These three shelves hold what you seek, Lady Audhumbla signed to him again, If you need my aid, do call for me. With that she bowed and turned back towards the center of the library. Her tea and her own book were waiting for her.

Watching the woman go struck Morgan as odd. She had managed to sneak up on him while being fairly obvious in her intentions, yet she was calmly walking away now. That she knew ASL made things easier for him and he wondered if Rhodey was the one to teach her how to sign like he taught Morgan. He wouldn't have put it past his older brother to do that. The row of books that he was standing in front of looked like as good a place to start at as any, so he plucked a book from a middle shelf. He held the book and wanted to know its contents. The Learning Spell activated to pull rusty orange runes from the book in a beautiful script. That runic script flowed over his arm, shoulder, neck, and face to sink into his eyes. The contents of 'An Academic Dissection of Potion Making Techniques' filled his mind forcefully. His seidr crept back into his core. The techniques discussed in it were from the 1st Era, which Lady Sjofn told him was a very long time ago. It pleased him to have them because there were things in the book that he wouldn't have thought of yet.

The desk near him was calling so he sat at the chair and summoned his potions notebook from his interdimensional pocket. It was a plain black, leather-bound book with gold edged, lined, white pages in it. Several pages were already filled front and back with his notes on the golden sand that he was making. A small jar of black ink for him to dip his pen with a tempered glass tip into sat next to the book, along with the special pen. The pen had beautiful, shimmery blue ink in it, and was made for him by his older brother. The shape and grip of the pen were fitted to his larger hands while still having a very small tip on it to make small notes easy. As soon as he had them, he flipped to the back of his leather-bound book where he listed the name of the alchemy books he'd read. After that he flipped to the front most clear page and started jotting down his thoughts on 'An Academic Dissection of Potion Making Techniques'. There were several techniques that he was eager to try as he thought they would help his golden sand along.

Slowly the warmth from Lady Audhumbla's Regenerative Weave faded and the sensation took over again. This time Morgan didn't notice. His mind was fully engaged with what he was doing. There was no room for thinking about the pain in his nerves. Despite the fact that he knew the sensations were there, the book was still a blissful respite from them. When he finished with those notes he returned the book to the shelf and found another book to use another Learning Spell on, then take notes on. It was the beginning of a wonderful cycle of finding a book, learning it, taking notes on it, and finding a new book. Several of the books made him want to bring them back to his brothers. They had bits and pieces of engineering and crystal smithing in them. Hours passed as Morgan studied like he was in school. There were no teachers to guide him. There were also no other students to divert his attention away from his studies with their pointless, noisy drama.

Eventually, after his eleventh book, Morgan realized that he'd been there for a long while. There was no need to look up since there was still bright, natural light all around him. The sun didn't seem to be setting and he wondered if the skylights above him were real or simulated light. If they were simulated, then they were impressively realistic in his opinion. Tilting his head to the side he looked up at the window-looking apertures in the ceiling, trying to determine whether they were real or not. That simple tilt of the head was enough to tell him that the consuming sensation in his nerves had settled down again. Another relieved sigh left his lips. This episode was done. Morgan wondered how much time he'd have until the next one. With the pain in his nerves quieted the nervousness he felt at being in pain cleared up. A different nervousness replaced it, one that revolved around how little time he had being reasonably pain free before it would begin again.

I need to go for a walk, he thought sourly. Too 'vigorous', my ass. I just need a short walk, just a short one. I'm not asking to burn a city down. I just want to go for a walk. His irritation grew at his older brother's refusal to let him go for a walk. He didn't want to bother with anyone else. Walking through someplace without people was really what he wanted. How to get it without getting in trouble was the issue. More irritation flared to life in his thoughts as he thought about convincing Rhodey to let him see Jason and realizing that he couldn't go to his boy while he was so irritated. Normally he would take him and his boy on a walk, but he couldn't do that either. A slight huff followed the thought that he was a little stuck.

The irritation of the firehawk sharing the library with her was becoming more pronounced to Lady Audhumbla. It was oozing from his seidr whispers like a rusty leak. Nothing good was going to come of that irritation so she stepped into the currents of time, slid through space, and emerged standing next to the desk he was seated at. What troubles you?, she signed to him.

Standing quickly, Morgan flushed a little at having disturbed the timeless woman. He looked down, then dragged his gaze up to meet hers. Swallowing thickly didn't help him to feel less embarrassed at being a bother.

What troubles you? Lady Audhumbla signed to him again, hoping that he would communicate with her.

I want to go for a walk, he signed, but I'm not allowed to go for one in a V-A-N-A-H-E-I-M-R city.

Shall I open a portal to the wilds then? Lady Audhumbla had no problem opening a portal for him if he needed it, which he was looking like he would.

Surprise widened Morgan's eyes, and he moved swiftly to capitalize on the opportunity. Rhodey only said I couldn't walk in the cities. He said nothing about the woods, he thought. Morgan signed to her, Some place away from other people?

The twenty-third S-T-A-D-R (farmlands) of A-S-G-A-R-D is naught but fallow fields in this moment. Is that acceptable to you? There was something that was still worrying Morgan. Lady Audhumbla could see it clearly. She could also see that he was close to accepting her offer.

Empty fields sounded just right to him, so he nodded and signed, Yes! That's perfect. Thank you.

Do not fear how to return whence you came. Keep the portal brace and use it to return here when you are done. When you return I shall send you back to James, she finished signing to him. The timeless Lady knew he was capable of signing and understanding signing at a much faster pace, but she felt better going a little slower to ensure that her meaning was taken. Her sjel-seidr passed from her core for her to command it to turn into a Janni's Portal Weave. It released to open a portal next to Morgan. She then infused the portal with her sjel-seidr to take him to when he needed to be. Next she summoned a letter she'd written to James. She handed him the letter, signing, Please see that this is delivered to James.

Yes ma'am! I appreciate your help. Thank you very much, he signed. Morgan didn't flinch when a dusky rose pink portal opened next to him, nor did he hesitate to step through it.

24May2023 – Early Morning

Twenty-Third Stadr Of Asgard

The twin yellow suns overhead were bright without being glaring, warm without burning. A beautifully vivid blue sky with fluffy white clouds lined the world above Morgan. Firm, dark earth lay beneath his feet. Waist high golden grass tickled his hands. Sweet perfume from pretty blue flowers interspersed in the grass filled his nose. The grass and flowers spread out in waves in every direction from him. Here and there were sparce copses of ashen trees. Their shimmering purple leaves were rustling in the light breeze. In the distance he could see a herd of large animals that looked like some sort of scaly green deer on steroids with weaponized horns to him. I wonder if those are bilgesnipe? They look like what Lady Sjofn described. They were wandering towards a small forest to the north. The only hint of civilization that he could see was a set of buildings to the west that were so far in the distance that they almost looked like a lumpy rock formation. This was perfect for Morgan, or it would have been if he hadn't heard a very faint wailing.

The pained sound was being carried on the breeze to him from somewhere to the north. Morgan turned his head and looked south, hoping that the sound was coming from the herd of animals. The sound reached him again and he knew instinctively that it wasn't an animal making that noise. He hoped that he wouldn't have to do something about the noise. Again, the faint hint of screaming carried on the wind to him. He turned north and started walking with a sigh. 'Vigorous'. He was starting to dislike the word. His older brother was going to be irate with him for this. If I help someone, maybe Rhodey won't be angry with me.

Dirt and small stones crunched under his boots as he walked ever northward. The waves of grass seemed endless as the minutes passed into hours. The perfumed air helped to keep his mood light. He made a note to bring Jason there sometime so that they could have a picnic. It was a pleasant thought; one among many pleasant thoughts that passed through his mind as he walked. Every so often the light breeze would carry the wailing to him. The closer he got to the forest the more familiar it sounded to him. Eventually he came to the startling realization that the frightened screaming he'd been listening to for most of the morning was coming from a child. Morgan didn't walk then. He ran.

Running through the grass felt good despite the nervousness it caused him. It wasn't a sure thing that running would cause his leg to begin hurting again. The potential was there though. He did it anyway. He'd limped along for more than forty years. Being able to run felt so good. Morgan's heart pounded in his chest as his breath burned in his lungs. The blood pumping in his veins even felt good. A small smile crept across his face as he ran towards the forest. The trees, which started off looking squat to him, were growing larger with every step towards them. When he finally reached the edge of the forest, he noted that the trees were anything but squat. They were as huge as any old growth forest on Earth. The dense canopy of the forest stretched up towards the twin suns, basking in their heat. It blocked out the light from anything below it, however. With what light was shining into the forest from the plains Morgan could see that it was dense with plants. It wasn't the scent of animals, of life, which greeted him though. It was a dank, moldy scent of decay.

This was a smell he recognized instantly. This was a smell he'd grown up with. It came from the black rot that Christopher purposefully oozed then used to encase the bodies in the walls of their suburban home. It only stank like death while it was wet. Once it dried, encasing the bodies, it produced a moldy smell. A small wash of severe anxiety threaded through his thoughts. For a heartbeat in time, he was a small boy again, only eight years old. Pain seared across his left leg, face and throat. He could feel the metal of the buckshot as it tore through and lodged in his flesh. He wished his vision would have darkened with the coming of death, but it didn't. Death came in the form of the man who fired on him, Christopher Stark. It wasn't a true death that he was offering, just the pain before it. His anxiety deepened as he felt Christopher pry his mouth open and force the swirling purple liquid down his throat. There was something foul and dark in the liquid beneath its Kool-Aid taste. It burned through his blood and oozed out of his wounds while sealing them shut. Morgan had a hard time remembering what happened after that. There was a knife already covered in blood that was forced into his hands; inhuman screaming and the hot stench of death followed. The blood dripped from his hands as the knife was taken from him. All he knew after that was Chadwick was next, then Anthony, then Arno. Their lives were never the same after that. The dark little voice in their minds began on that day, never to be silenced.

Christopher was dead now. Morgan had always considered it unfortunate that he wasn't the one to take Christopher's life, despite what Rhodey, and his mom and dad said. All he had was the hilarious irony that came with knowing who had killed Christopher. Anger more viscous than the scarring he was left with chased the anxiety away in the next heartbeat. He was never going to find justice for what was done. Somedays he didn't even think he would find peace. He wondered if he could help the child who was wailing in pain find either justice or peace. Morgan didn't think that he could. That wasn't going to deter him from trying.

The calm of the hunter's mindset slid over him again. Striding confidently into the undergrowth, Morgan cloaked himself in the black garb of the hunter, pulling the shadows around him. It hunter's black garb blackened his eyes to their natural state. No one but another hunter would see him coming now. Even though he'd taken some of the shadows to wrap around himself, there were more than enough shadows left behind for anyone to step into. A cool dankness hung in the air. Darkness clung to this part of the chilled forest. The pained wailing was growing louder and more consistent in the darkness of the forest. So was something else. From up ahead of him Morgan could hear the muffled tones of several people. He couldn't make out what they were saying, could only hear the fear and anger in their voices. Prey? The closer he got to the prey the more he was able to make out. They had vehicles, doors opening on some sort of building, weapons, noisy equipment, and aggressive discipline. This sounded like a high class military or tight mercenary operation to him. What does the prey do?

Making his way through the trees and into a massive clearing Morgan saw that he was right. This was a military operation involving Asgard's military by the looks of it. He wandered past them silently, just observing for the moment. Poking his head in the little building they had showed him an orderly barracks and office building. There was no child in the building, just the shivering prey as he walked past. Poking his head into their vehicles similarly found him no child. The cries were louder than they'd ever been, but he still couldn't find the source of them. A sudden wild screech replaced the cries briefly. It turned him right around towards the forest to his east. Morgan knew that was where the source of the crying was. Wandering to the outer edge of the clearing found him a well-worn path going east. The military seemed to be guarding it. He wanted to know why.

The path was cut straight through the woods. Trees were felled and undergrowth was ripped up to make it. It led him directly to what appeared to be a giant pit. The layers of earth had been peeled away for several hundred feet down. In the very bottom of the pit was a small child sitting on the ground. Morgan couldn't tell very much about the child beyond the fact that it was small and had long, filthy, blonde hair covering it like a veil. The wailing was coming from all around the child. As he wandered over to the edge of the pit he saw more soldiers, many more. They were lining the edge of the pit with fiery weapons. The flames sizzling in the ends of the staves pushed at his hunter's black garb. Although the push wasn't able to dispel the shadows around him it was uncomfortable against his skin like sandpaper and glass dust. Why are they guarding a child in a pit? Morgan looked around at the soldiers then back to the child. Why aren't they doing anything?

The path he was on not only led to the edge of the pit, but it also circled around the wall of the pit in a downward spiral. Morgan moved swiftly past the soldiers and down the path towards the child. The closer he got to the child the more he was certain that it was a little girl. She was sitting in the dirt circled by the soldiers who were doing nothing. They didn't even seem to see that she was there and were ignoring her cries. The situation was thoroughly bizarre to him. The path ended and Morgan stepped onto the dirt and pebble covered floor of the pit. The wailing hadn't stopped or grown worse. It seemed like she hadn't seen him yet. That would have been fine with him except that she was giving off a scent like another hunter. It reminded him of all the other weak hunters that he'd found on Earth, hiding in pits, mines, forests, and abandoned buildings. None of them could stand before him. He made jorthsteinn of all of them. That was when he caught a whiff of it to confirm his thoughts. It was faint but he could smell it now that he was closer to her. A child-hunter? Like us? That the soldiers hadn't done anything to help the child made him angry then. If she was a child-hunter then he knew exactly what she had survived, unlike the other weak hunters that he'd found. It was what he and his brothers survived to make them into Starks, masters of the hunt and dark.

Worry quickened his steps to her. When Morgan got to her, he kneeled down in front of her to put a hand on her shoulder. She startled violently, looking up at him in fear and scooting back on her butt away from him. The dirty white dress loosely fit to her form was filled with decaying rips so that it barely covered the young girl's body. Her filthy hair fell back from her front so that he could see more of what was wrong. There were the vividly dark hand shaped bruises around her slender neck. At the center of the marks was a crushed in patch of skin on her throat. Her deep black eyes looked over him and she snarled as she continued to withdraw.

This was another extraordinary situation in Morgan's life. There hadn't been another one since his mom bid him farewell and went to sleep with his dad, more than two decades ago. He whispered to her that he loved her. He put all his love for her into that whisper and she had to contain he raw force of the soft sound. Love was all he could say to her through the tears. There were no tears this time when Morgan smiled and opened his mouth to speak, "Little hunter, I'm not here to hurt you." His voice was a multi-tonal combination of several voices jammed together. It was a compelling sound, a commanding sound. It was as easy to follow as his smile. The air before him rippled and the ground vibrated lightly as the unchecked power in his voice came out naturally. Rhodey or Herb weren't there to contain the power, so he kept his will out of his voice in an attempt to restrain it. Morgan motioned to her with one hand, calling her over. "Come." Pebbles on the ground in front of him shot out away from him to clack loudly against the walls of the pit. Where is your master? Mine's dead, and I don't think I should return you to yours. The girl stopped fleeing and just looked at him. She was listening now.

All the soldiers at the edge of the pit fell back into fighting stances. Their fiery weapons were pointed at Morgan and the girl, but he paid them no mind. They weren't important to him, the girl was. He motioned to her again, "Come." A crack that was several feet deep split the ground between them. It was becoming difficult for Morgan to restrain the power in his voice. Not putting his will into his voice wasn't enough. He wasn't sure how much more he could say before things started to disintegrate. The girl had halted her fleeing but wasn't coming back to him, so he decided to speak again. "Come to me," a ripple of raw power swept out from his mouth to send a violent wave through the air away from him. The wave swept over the dirt floor turning pebbles into projectiles and dirt into a fine dust. It passed over the girl without harming her to impact the wall of the pit behind her with a resounding crash. The soldiers' fiery weapons glowed brighter as though they were building power in them.

A pleased smile spread across Morgan's face when the girl began to crawl back towards him. As she crawled the wailing all around them died down. A sibilant undertone to it could be heard. She left me, it whispered, she left me alone. Morgan wasn't sure that he understood what she was trying to tell him. What he did understand was that the girl was close enough to him to reach out a hand. Slowly, so as to not frighten the girl, he held out his hand to her. He wasn't prepared for her to take it. The simple touch of the girl's hand sucked his mind into a collective consciousness. Her memories became his. They were the last thing she had to give.

Seventy One Years Prior To 24May2023 – Afternoon

Twenty-Third Stadr Of Asgard

A wonderful breeze was blowing through the high grasses. It was causing little Thyri's lovely light blonde hair to blow out behind her. The skirt of her white dress was also blowing in the breeze. Her vivid lavender eyes darted this way and that until her gaze settled on the beautiful forest that she was walking up to. The trees were taller than buildings and covered in shimmery purple leaves. Light filtered down through the canopy to create an enchanting quality. The air moving through the woods smelled of wildflowers and growing things. The undergrowth of the forest seemed like a good place to play. Thyri looked up to her Elder Sister, Thrudr, whose hand she was holding as they walked to the forest.

A grim and determined look lay under the smile Thrudr was firmly keeping on her face. She had almost made it to freedom, she just needed to keep walking them farther away from the city. Her gaze darted over to the little girl beside her, and the smile widened imperceptibly. Just a little longer, and we'll both be free. The breeze blew through her dirty blonde hair. It didn't move the messy, unwashed braid going down her back. Dull violet eyes focused on the forest they were entering. A stronger breeze blew into her tunic, chilling her. The short-sleeved, tan, second-hand tunic that the young woman was wearing didn't fit her well. Neither did the worn brown pants that were held up by someone else's belt. The shabby brown boots that she was wearing had holes in them. Worst of all was the fact that the ill-fitting tunic was showing off the ugly dark red marks left on her skin by her love of dream-dust. The deep red splotches covered most of her upper arms. Her slender form trembled just for a second as she craved the blissful euphoria of the dream-dust. It was an unlawful escape from the harsh realities of life. A headache had been growing in her skull since the last dose of dream-dust faded. The young woman needed more. Thrudr's gaze darted over to Thyri again. Freedom had to be found first, then she could see what she had to do to get more dream-dust.

"Can we play, sister?" Thyri smiled innocently. "I want to play in the woods."

Her grim undertone became strained then. It was a hard expression that was plastered across Thrudr's face. The smile purposefully kept on her face changed swiftly. The false warmth drained out of it. Her grin was almost rictus as she looked down at her Little Sister. "We'll play later. Now hurry up," was all Thrudr said. She walked a little faster then, pulling on Thyri's arm to make the girl move quicker. She hurried them through the woods, into the undergrowth and past the massive trees looking for the right place. All she had to do was find the right place and this would all be over.

"Sister, can we stop?" The young girl whined to her sister and pulled back some. "I want to play with you. We can have a picnic!"

The young woman stopped cold with her back to her younger sister. Looking around, she thought, This is it. "A… picnic?" Thrudr spoke quietly in a monotone voice. Rage bubbled up inside of her. It was the same rage that she'd been containing for years now. It began when their parents died, and she had her Little Sister's care foist upon her. Her childhood ended on the day they died. "A picnic?" An undertone of that anger entered her voice. It was all so unfair. All the food they had was a scrap of meat, crust of bread, and a small piece of cheese that was in the bag on her back. There wouldn't be anything else for at least four more days. She didn't want to have to give her body to the tavern master again just for some more food. Her rage sharpened at the thought of the fat man's hands on her body. Unfortunately, she'd already spent all of that week's wages on dream-dust. There was no more money and no more food. Even the dream-dust and its giddy highs was all gone again. What supplies she had in the bag had to last, no matter what.

"Sister?" A little worry entered the little girl's voice. She didn't want another spanking for being bad. There were too many of those of late and it was hard to sit down comfortably now.

"A picnic?" Thrudr's rage flooded into her voice, and she swung at the girl. Her open hand contacted Thyri's cheek in a sickening crack, turning the girl's head to the side and knocking her violently into the dirt of the undergrowth. Thyri barely had a chance to look back to her Elder Sister with tears in her eyes before Thrudr was on her. A tiny squeak and shrill scream was all the girl had time to get out before the young woman's hands were squeezing around her throat. Thrudr lifted up her Little Sister by the throat and slammed her down, again, and again, all the while screaming out her rage.

"We have no food! No money! No home of our own," Thrudr shrieked before slamming her Little Sister down again. The plants crunched beneath the violent assault.

"I work all day, all night! All you do is eat and sleep while I work!" She slammed Thyri down and lifted her up again. The little girl's dress snagged on the dense foliage around her to tear small holes in it.

"You bring me nothing!" Thrudr continued to scream at Thyri, tightening her hands with every word. She could barely hear the little whimpers beneath her. The little hands gripped tight on hers only made her angrier.

"Even the young men at the tavern would rather look on you than me! You stole my life! I hate you!" It was a soft crack and sucking squelch that came with Thrudr's thumbs digging deeply into her Little Sister's throat. Several more heaves and slams came before the young woman realized that Thyri was gone. Lavender eyes now sat still and lifeless. Tears were still running down from them. Dirt and leaves caked the girl's hair while deep black handprints formed on her throat.

Tilting her head to the side slightly, a giggle escaped Thrudr's lips, then another. In only a moment she was laughing full-throatedly with a hand over her eyes. The laughter shook her slender form. I only have to take care of me now! "I'm free," she whispered and stood, brushing the dirt off her knees. Little tremors were still shaking her as she turned to find her way out of the forest. There was dream-dust to acquire. Even if she had to do something humiliating to get it, she would. It would wash away the memory of this day, of the Little Sister who had trusted her.

Little Thyri stood quietly as her Elder Sister chuckled and walked out of the forest. Thrudr didn't see her anymore. Looking down caused a profound sense of horror to shake the little girl. As she stood there, she also laid on the ground limp. She was separate from her body somehow. That horror swirled into her eyes to dye them solid black. Anger, hurt, shock, and anguish left her face just a little more angular than it was normally. Thyri looked back to her sister who was going ever farther away. "She left me. She left me… alone."

A pitch-black rage followed that. The profound overabundance of life in the surroundings only caused her more pain since she knew instinctively that she could no longer be alive. Thyri wanted that life anyway. The white seidr of life bubbling up from beneath the forest around her began to draw towards her, heeding her desire, warping, and turning black and rotten as it did. It flowed over Thyri's body to dissolve the flesh from the bones. The disorganized bundle of her bones stayed undigested in the middle of the growing mass of transparent black rot. The sun in the sky continued its course as the mass of black rot grew. All the while Thyri cried cold tears, wailing in despair that she would never find life. She wanted to go home to her mama and papa then, only they weren't there anymore.

The sun set slowly before the mass of black rot began to roll out of the forest, oozing along and flopping down against the ground as it moved. Anything living touched by the black rot was pulled in and digested by the youngling monster. Plant or animal, it didn't matter. Anything living fell before her despairing wrath.

Thyri was going to find her way home… to Thrudr.

24May2023 – Mid-Afternoon

Twenty-Third Stadr Of Asgard

Morgan came back to himself abruptly. Thyri looked him in the eyes with her own blackened eyes and angular face. She was waiting for him curiously. In that instant he knew that this little hunter had already caught her prey years ago. She was so young though that she didn't know how to leave life behind without a master instructing her on how to. Sympathy bloomed brilliantly in his thoughts. He understood what it was to be betrayed by someone that was trusted. His left hand went unconsciously to the left side of his face, to touch the scars there. The scars were gone, but he still felt them at times. This was one of those times. The child in front of him was suffering, had been suffering for such a long time. There was only one thing he could think to do to end her suffering. Holding out his hand he poured his will into his voice. "Come to me," he commanded. The wave of power flowing from his mouth ignited to sweep over Thyri harmlessly and crash violently against the wall of the pit. It bored a fiery hole into the stone of the wall, leaving molten stone dripping down the sides. The soldiers at the top of the pit all took a step back and fired their flaming weapons.

Fire didn't bother Morgan, so he caught the fiery bolts launched from the soldiers' weapons with his seidr. He swirled the soldiers' fire around him and Thyri like a shield. He didn't want to have to deal with them again. They weren't who was concerning him. The abused little girl inched closer to him, finally throwing herself into his arms when she was close enough. Morgan pulled her into a tight hug and whispered, "Be at peace." The force of his hunter's voice spoke to the black rot surrounding Thyri, commanding it like his own. Fully blazing from his rusty orange seidr core, Morgan wrapped the girl in it before he ignited his own seidr, sucking in the flames from the soldiers' weapons to heat the fire even more. He reached through his own black rot to force the her black rot to begin releasing her. Once it had started its release, he begin the fiery process of making the black rot into jorthsteinn without burning Thyri. A blazing ball of flames formed around them before Morgan extended his spindly fiery wings to draw power from them. Gold and silver sparked in the flames a moment before the gold bled through the fires and the silver sparks gleamed on its surface. The fire to consume all fires was at his command, so he used it to instantaneously burn and purify every piece of black rot covering Thyri that he could find. She remained unburnt. Some of that black rot seeped into Morgan's skin to cause him to ooze trace amounts of black rot. A tiny amount what was absorbed strengthened Morgan's ability to work with black rot. A white mist seeped from what had been her body as it turned to bits of jorthsteinn and disintegrated in Morgan's arms. The mist fused into a solid soul that hung suspended above him.

"Thank you for seeing me. It was so lonely here," Thyri' voice was soft and calm. A peaceful smile played across her lips. There was no more despair. "I have to go now. Mama and papa are waiting for me." In a vertical slash of light Thyri's soul disappeared into the sky.

It was a bright little star in the vivid blue sky that he could see moving. Morgan hoped that she truly was moving towards her parents. After that he hoped that they would be happy to see her. Finally, he hoped that Rhodey wouldn't be angry at him for this. Extinguishing his flames, Morgan folded his wings down. The pit was burning around him as he quickly summoned a small urn to pick up every piece of jorthsteinn and store it in. He sealed and dismissed the small urn to his interdimensional pocket. He didn't want to leave Thyri's purified beauty behind. A smacking dripping of molten stone hitting the floor of the pit drew his attention. Vigorous, huh? The hole in the wall of the pit was still smoldering. The soldiers were withdrawing quickly without being harmed. Yeah, maybe.

Despite the 'vigorous' nature of the walk, Morgan still considered it to be a good walk. Relaxation oozed through his muscles, and he felt calm and grounded in his own mind. Even the nervousness at having to tell Rhodey about this couldn't overwhelm the feeling cascading through his mind that he'd done good that day. His hand went to the portal brace on his arm, and he touched the line of runes on the right side of it. Those runes lit up with dusky rose sjel-seidr before the opalescent gem in the brace lit up. A flash of dusky rose sjel-seidr covered him, taking him back to the Library of Time.

Lady Audhumbla was waiting for him.

At No Time And Every Time

Inside The Library Of Time In Asgard

Did you have a good walk? The timeless Lady signed to him with a smile on her face.

Thinking about it for another moment led Morgan to the same conclusion. Yes, I did. Thank you, he signed to her.

Shall I open a portal for you to James? There was something odd about Morgan now, something different, but she couldn't tell what it was. He felt stronger somehow. James' fires were still cloaking Morgan to shield him from her sight. There was no telling what had happened to him.

Yes, please, Morgan signed to her cheerfully. The relaxation from his walk was still flowing powerfully through him.

Allowing her sjel-seidr to pass from her core, she commanded it to turn into a Janni's Portal Spell. The spell was released to open a portal behind Morgan. She then commanded her sjel-seidr to infuse the portal to take Morgan back to James a second after he'd left. The portal is ready, it shall take you whence you came, Lady Audhumbla signed. You are welcome here at any time.

With a flourish, Morgan bowed to the timeless Lady, then turned and went through the portal.

A different timeless Lady was waiting for him now.

24May2023 – Dawn

SHIELD Headquarters – Director Nicholas Fury's Office

"Are you secure?" Director Fury's voice was low over the already secured phone line.

"Yes, sir." The voice on the other end of the call was soft but steady, confident and professional.

"Have diplomatic relations been secured with Attilan?" Again, the Director's voice was low, as though he didn't want anyone to hear, even in his own secured office.

"Yes, sir. I'm working to set up an embassy with King Boltagon's permission. They're ready to move forward with peaceful negotiations. We should be ready for ambassadors soon. The negotiations can begin then. Attilan is moving over the far north Atlantic right now, headed for the arctic, so it'll take the jets awhile to get here."

"I'll send the jets with the appropriate staff and equipment out today. I want you on the return flight. I need you back here asap." Director Fury logged into his computer at his desk and brought up the proposal for the alliance with the Inhuman Kingdom of Attilan. He reviewed it one last time. Electronically signing the proposal and pressing the 'Begin Operation' button at the bottom of the PDF was enough to get the right department heads, the ones linked to the proposal, moving in the right direction. It would all be taken care of shortly. After that he typed up a quick referral and authorization for one Anthony Edward Stark, and forwarded it to the SHIELD's professional psychiatric counseling services. It specifically listed James Rhodes as the person who would be calling in to make the appointment, and escorting Anthony Stark to that appointment. "James Rhodes is not to be removed from Anthony Edward Stark," he typed out. It too was easily taken care of.

"Is there a new situation?" The other voice asked calmly.

A little smile touched the Director's lips. He didn't worry about the other man holding petty grudges. That wasn't in his character. Due to that, he always had more honesty on tap for who he was speaking to than almost anyone else. "We found Loki. Now we need to recruit her, and her husband, and her kids."

"Her?"

"It's complicated. Get back here asap. I have the briefing from hell waiting for you."

"Yes, sir. Right away."

"Coulson," Director Fury paused, smiling, "be careful coming home."

"I always am, sir."

Director Fury ended the call, logged out of his computer and turned it off. There was a memory recovery process appointment waiting for him. After that, he was flying out to Wyatt's Creek, Wyoming with hope in hand, and some anticancer tenerene too.