DIVINE CHAMPIONS 6: A FINAL CONFLICT

SKY: HOME TO CATS, LOVE AND PASSION

Surtr must have seen them jump into a portal. He let a fireball go right as they jumped, which joined Rishi and Aitri through the portal, before striking the ground and burning the grass around. Aitri was the first to get up, and helped Rishi get back to his feet. "I'm fine." She said, before Rishi could even ask. She had a little black soot on her face, which Rishi wiped off. "Come on, let's get going." He said.

The place around was a familiar one. This was the place where Hnoss had sent Rishi off to win Aitri back. He looked around and found the beach where he had that fishing competition with Njord. He told Aitri how he had beaten her patron in a fishing competition thanks to Aegir, as they walked passed the beach and reached the backside of the palace. And as soon as they did, they were welcomed by a white Siamese cat. It was a girl, apparently, quickly noted by Aitri. She had blue eyes, and a blackish face. She was the size of a regular Siamese cat. She meowed cutely and ran the other way. "Think she got scared?"

"Not sure." Aitri replied. The cat stopped, turned, meowed, and ran again. "She is asking us to follow her." Aitri confirmed.

"Maybe Freya sent her."

"She knows we are here?"

"She feels all the love, baby." Rishi said.

They followed the cat who led them to the same courtyard with two fountains with the clearest water ever. Here was where Rishi had met his divine bestie (that's what he called her). And there she was, his divine bestie. Sitting beside a fountain, running her right hand fingers through the water, and singing Lavender Blue (you know, the song Cinderella was singing? The Dilly Dilly song?). Her voice was definitely cute in terms of singing. She became aware of their presence when the cat meowed, calling her mistress. She wore a long gold coloured dress with a lot of net work, or whatever. She turned to see the couple, as she smiled. "No no, don't stop. Finish the song. We wanna listen." Aitri said.

And so, Hnoss continued.

After she was done, she stood up and opened her arms. Rishi hugged her, and so did Aitri. "I've waited for you guys. We have work to do, but is it so good to see you two."

"Yeah, the ingredients..."

"Yes, I know. Mom is on it. She might have one with her. Let's see."

They walked behind Hnoss, who nearly galloped her way through the corridor. They reached the throne room, a familiar place for Rishi. The beautifully decorated walls, the amazing curtains with stupendous embroidery, the majorly expensive carpets, and a powerful aura, Freya sat right at the far end, in close proximity to a Eurasian Lynx, as Aitri pointed out, on her golden throne, ten feet tall. "Okay, I know you." She said, as she got up and reduced herself in size. Freya was just as beautiful as Rishi remembered. The lush brown hair, the pale glazy skin, and the beautiful blue eyes.  She came up to the two, put her hand on both their heads, and looked at Rishi eye to eye, and suddenly, Rishi could hear her in his head, saying, "I see what you are planning, Rishi. It's gonna go really well for you." Rishi, in order to keep his secret, just nodded. Then, she spoke, "Alright, who's here for some rope ingredient?"

"Too direct, Mother?"

"Kids are short of time. They don't need to linger here."

"Mother!" Hnoss seemed hurt.

"You have to excuse the hospitality I'm showing you, kids." Freya said, faking apologetic, "I hate it, but there isn't much time." Rishi realized that she was right. There just wasn't time. There were other places to go, and other things to do. So, he nodded. Freya gave her a cute smile, and turned. She spread her right arm, and called one of her lynxes on. "Come on, girl, come on." The big lynx jumped on to the ground, and came at her running. Then, with her left hand, Freya conjured a jar, and put it upside down on the ground. And as the lynx ran on, some sort of airy wave got accumulated to the jar. The lynx stopped and got up on Freya's lap, as Freya took the jar, and turned it over, and put on a lid. "Here, one cat's footfall sound coming up." She carefully handed the jar to Aitri. "Two done." Rishi said.

"Yes. Don't feel at ease." Freya said, "Heimdall and I are the easiest people to get the ingredients from. The next ones won't be easy at all."

"Give us an idea?" Hnoss said, "What is their route?"

"We leave for the top of Yggdrasil." Rishi started, "To Hraesvelgr. He has some sort of ingredient. But he's, as Heimdall said, uncharted. Not many know how he does what he does."

"With love, everyone can be won. All you have to do is know what he, or she, loves most." Freya said.

"Hraesvelgr loves nothing more than taking the mick of Nidhogg. We must use it."

"You are right. Go ahead. Next?"

"Ran and her fishing net." Aitri said, "She's been nice to me the last time. But we've heard she's unpredictable too."

"She's moody. She is very moody. And she loves her fishing net. There's always a huge price to pay to get something from inside it. Though I believe that she might consider lowering all of that for the sake of the situation."

"Would she, Mother?" Hnoss asked, "Isn't she and her family the benefiters from Ragnarok?"

"They are." Freya said, walking towards the throne slowly, as the others followed her, "But Aegir isn't that horrible a person. He is nice, welcoming, not very sweet mostly, but his family is an ally. So, I don't think Ran would do much to cause trouble. Other than that, I suggest that you stay away from that net, and let Ran do the net work. That net is a deadly weapon."

"It is." Aitri said, "I've seen it with my own eyes. She had strangled that fossegrim with it."

"Yes." Freya said, as she bent down near the throne to scratch the lynx, "Next, I believe, is the mother of the one you are collecting these ingredients for?"

"Angrboda." Rishi said.

"Oh no." Hnoss said, her face turning to disgust, "Odin's beard, she's so gross."

"But she is very old." Freya said, "You can beat her in a second."

"But Mother, she's gross."

"Oh yes, she is disgusting." Freya said, "If you are planning a hygienic trip to Jotunheim, cancel it. And carry some nice tissues. She's like..." Freya mimicked throwing up.

"We'll keep that in mind."

"And the last one?" Hnoss asked, "Let me guess. Skadi?"

 To that name, Freya's eyes turned red. Before she could get mad and all, Rishi saved the day. "Ullr. Mik's patron."

"Oh!" Freya calmed again, "Hold on. He's gonna make it long for you, you know. He's the god of sports too, so he loves to play. He'll play games you can't. He is a troublemaker."

"He is stupid." Hnoss said, "He is an idiot."

"Oh, someone has a crush on him." Rishi said, noticing Hnoss's redder than ever cheeks.

"Shut up." She turned away.

"Wow!" Freya said, "I never knew this. How did I not know this?"

"She's your daughter, Lady Freya." Rishi said, "She hid it well."

"Okay. I think I'll have to do something about it. You two, Ullr is a sweet boy. He'll help, as long as he gets his game. Now, off you go. I'll take to this." She pointed towards Hnoss, as Rishi opened a portal back to Midgard.