The Journey to Find Mimir

Chapter 26: No Worries! It's Not My First Time Being Absolutely Mortified

The spell between Hearthstone and I was broken. Before we knew it, we were being dragged into the clearing. The goddess of love was surprisingly strong. She was only a little taller than me, but her toned arms forcefully guided us forward. 

"I found them! I told you they were coming!" she called to Sjöfn.

"How did you know we were coming?" I asked, nearly tripping on a rock. 

Lofn didn't answer. Instead, she pulled us into the clearing. The air in the clearing sparkled with good vibes. The fire was so cheery I was surprised it didn't ask me how my day was going. For the first time since walking into Jotunheim, I felt at home. Being there gave me the same feeling I got when walking into my apartment or going through the front door at Bilì's Best. 

Lofn sat me and Hearthstone side-by-side on a rock near the fire. 

"Perfect!" She grinned. "Sjöfn, you talk. I just want to look at them next to each other for a moment. Gosh, this is the best pair I have had in a long time!"

Still grinning, Lofn gracefully fell onto a smooth rock opposite of us. A glowing pink aura faintly shimmered around her. Hearthstone and I shared a confused look with one another. This made Lofn clap her hands. 

"Sjöfn! Look!" she called.

"Yes, Lofn. I see," she told her sister. She turned to us. "Please give my sister a moment. She has always been a bit, well, excitable."

Sjöfn gave us a smile that was genuine and apologetic. Her welcoming demeanor was like drinking a hot mug of tea in a single gulp -- it warmed me inside and out.

"It's nice to meet you both," she said. "I am Sjöfn, goddess of affection. This is my sister Lofn. She is the goddess of forbidden marriages." 

"Nice to meet you," I said carefully. Hearthstone signed hello. Lofn continued to stare with a big grin on her face. Her sister continued to talk.

"A dwarf and an elf walk into Jotunheim." Sjöfn laughed softly. "How did you two end up here?"

I angled my body towards Hearthstone, so he could read my lips, then stopped. I realized it would be difficult for him to see and understand my words in the flickering half-light of the fire. I began to rummage through our supplies in search of the notepad.

"Uh, hold on a moment," I told the goddess. "Hearthstone is deaf and my ASL is not great. I need our notepad." 

Hearthstone, who had not taken his eyes off the goddess since we sat down, put a hand on my shoulder. He shook his head. 

What? I signed. 

I don't need the notepad. She knows ASL. 

What?

I turned to look at Sjöfn. She hadn't made a single sign since coming into the clearing. 

"You know ASL?" I asked her. 

She nodded. "I know English. And ASL. Old Norse. All dialects of Jotunese. Every human tongue." Sjöfn smiled. "I know every language that has ever been used in the history of the Nine Worlds. From languages lost to time, to the secret babbles of twins -- I am fluent in them all."

Her kind smile radiated warmth and light. "As the goddess of affection, it is natural for me to communicate in the way people feel most comfortable."

This time, I saw it. Sjöfn's hands looked solid to me. But as she spoke, a second set of see-through hands moved. They were faint, barely there, but signed fluently as she spoke. 

I was so surprised, I said, "Oh!"

Suddenly, something my mom said back in Folkvanger popped into my head: As my child, you should try a bit harder to master more languages. The language of love is every language!