The Ties That Bind Us

9

After a long day of riding and sparring with Hela—which might've been a mistake. Isabella is absolutely exhausted. Hela told her it wasn't a good idea for them to spar, albeit jokingly, but Isa insisted she could handle it. Hela, of course, was very easy on her; much like she would treat a child.

Even so, she still whooped her ass. Though the goddess was impressed that she had such good fighting skills. Nothing compares to her own but she surely wasn't an amateur either. Isabella enters her room after showering and falls into the bed. Just as she's drifting off her door opens.

She groans and turns over to see who it is. "Hi, darling" Hela chuckles and Isa just turns back over away from her. "Oh don't be like that. You said you could 'handle' it" she reminds her. "Well I forgot my girlfriend is a fighting machine" she grumbles, Hela stops in her tracks her body being momentarily frozen.

She knows Isabella doesn't mean anything by her comment but it still affects her. She knows it's only a matter of time before she uses those words with venom in her voice. "I just came to make sure you're ok" the goddess says, "I'm fine. Just sore is all" Isa sighs. "It'll go away soon, I promise" Hela states, stroking hair out her lover's face.

Isa smiles softly and moves her head to gently kiss Hela's hand. Hela smiles down at her and places a kiss on her forehead. "I've got some things to do now but you should sleep. I love you" Hela says. Every time she says it she fears it may be the last. Putting her whole heart into the words, hoping that Isabella will remember these times.

The goddess takes her leave and Isabella wraps herself in the covers. Soon she falls asleep while the goddess makes her way to the stadium. They'll be leaving in a few days for another realm and she needs to make sure she's in tip top shape. Unbeknownst to either woman, Odin was roaming the halls.

Waiting for Isabella to fall asleep so he could implement the next step in his plan. He slips into the young woman's room and quietly approaches her. Upon seeing she's deep in sleep, he places his hand lightly on her forehead. Muttering the spell he got from one of the ancient scrolls.

Isabella wiggles in her sleep as he transposes his selected memories to her. Visions of the fall of her home, her parents, her entire life. Odin had been watching her very closely prior to invading Dreake. His plans far surpass what he's already done. As he leaves the room, having completed his task, it's only just begun for Isa.

As the roots he planted start to settle, a storm brews inside the mind of Isabella. A play by play of the days leading up to the massacre, until the day itself. Stories of her parents' true identities flooding her mind like high tides. Flashes of who she thought she loved going across her vision. Emotions rolling through like thunder.

Everything she thought she knew, being struck to bits by the lightning. Once it's all played through her body settles for a moment. Until her mind comes to the realization of everything it's just been overloaded with. She jumps out her sleep seeing it's hours later. It all felt so quick, yet so slow in her mind.

She processes it all, running through it again like camera film. She pants and holds her hand to her chest. The pain radiating through her being a familiar one and yet so much stronger this time. She'd just started to believe again, that life is more than her past. Tried to trust and ended up falling in love.

Only to find out the one she'd give her all for, is the one that took everything from her. The immense love and feeling of comfort have drained out of her system. As if a faucet has been opened, depriving her of all positive things. She finds herself feeling even less than what she felt before. Yet the numbness has been replaced by something else.

A rage builds inside her as she feels the overwhelming sense of betrayal. Her mind recalling every subtle hint that they all knew. Their off behavior after she revealed her origins to Frigga. After sitting with it for a while—attempting to get the boil to a simmer—she springs into action.

Her first instinct is to run, to get away. She's never felt such anger before and is frankly afraid of what she might do. But something in her is fighting back. She wants answers, she wants the truth from her. She knows all there is to know now but she needs to hear it come out her mouth.

To know for sure if everything she's been feeling has been a lie. So she gets dressed and gets out of bed. Determined to get the answers she's seeking. Considering it's daylight and there aren't many people about, she knows it's early. It should be around breakfast time which means everyone will be together.

Perfect.