The Ties That Bind Us

15

Isabella's pov
I woke up this morning with a heavy feeling on my chest. As much as I want to deny it, Hela means a lot to me. Even now I find myself missing her, her sweet touches, her sarcastic comments. The way she acts so tough but when we're alone she's the softest woman I've ever met. I have to help her.

I pack up a few things to remind me of my time here. Grabbing a little backpack Delia bought for me, after insisting that I can't carry everything. I slide the straps on my shoulders and exit the room, making my way downstairs. I enter the living room where some of the girls are sitting, Cordelia amongst them.

She sees me first and by the look in her eyes, she already knows. She stands up with a smile on her face, sadness lurking just behind her eyes. The girls turn to see me and they all greet me warmly. I tell them all that I'm going and some of them give me hugs. The others telling me to be safe and to come visit.

I promise to come back and Delia walks me to the door. We step onto the porch and she closes the door behind her. Standing with her arms clasped in front of her as she lets her smile drop. "So... you're going" she says, "you said I should think about it. I did" I reply. She nods solemnly and glances at the ground before meeting my eyes again.

"I'm so proud of you" she mumbles, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "I'm going to miss you so much. It was wonderful having you back here" she states, "it was nice being here" I agree. She pulls me in her arms, holding me tightly to her chest. I wrap my arms around her and bury my face in her neck.

My own eyes beginning to water at the thought of what's ahead of me. "I know you can do this. You've already made me so proud and I know your mom would be too. Just don't forget about me, ok?" she chuckles sadly. "I could never" I promise as I pull away and take a deep breath. "I love you, Isa" she states, "I love you too, Dee" I smile softly.

"Ok go, before I put a spell on you to make you stay" she giggles, "I'll see you later. I promise" I tell her. She nods and shoos me off as she wipes her tears. I remember hearing them talk about how they call out to come back home. So I make my way to a deserted field and decide to try my luck. "SKURGE, bring me back" I mutter, it takes a few seconds and I'm almost certain he won't.

Then all of a sudden I'm being sucked up in little beams of colorful light. I enter into the Bifrost, where I had been floating before. It seems like such a long time ago that I was in here. I know I went through to get to Midgard but I don't really recall much from that day. Soon, I'm stepping onto the gold floors of Asgard and I sigh.

I enter the palace with the intention of going directly to the source. As I make my way to the throne room, I bump into someone who pulls me into a room. "Hey! Let go of me, jackass" I yell at the unknown person. I turn to see Frigga standing there with a complex look on her face. She appears happy but also confused and shocked.

"For Valhalla's sake! I thought I might need to conjure an illusion to convince you to come" she sighs happily. I raise an eyebrow at her having no clue what she's talking about. "It's of no importance. I assume you took my advice" she presumes, "I did" I reply simply. She smiles and pulls me into a hug which I don't reciprocate.

"Just tell me what I have to do" I state, "well... I didn't exactly tell you everything" she grimaces. "What is it?" I groan, "Odin—he banished her to Hel" she informs me. "And how exactly am I supposed to get to this Hel" I ask. "You can go through the Bifrost but—I must warn you, Isabella" she heeds and I nod for her to go on.

"Hel is a very dangerous place. Souls are condemned there for unspeakable acts. Along with those Hela has killed over time. I, myself, have never been but... I've heard stories of it. You may never forget the horrors you see there, the things you hear. I just want you to be careful, darling" she explains.

"Right. When do I leave?" I ask tiredly, "whenever you're ready, I suppose" she answers. "Great. I'm ready to go now" I reply, "oh I've- I have some things for you" she stutters. She pulls me over to another room, looking over our shoulders the entire time. "Here" she says handing me a bag, "to ward of evil spirits" she smiles softly.

"You're sending me to Hel and you're worried about evil spirits? That seems a bit contradictory" I point out, "just please... take them" she urges. I nod and place them little bag in my backpack. She walks me to the Bifrost where Loki is just emerging. "So. You decided to do it" he states indifferently, "yep" I reply in the same tone.

"I hope you know you're practically sending her to her death" he says, turning to look at his mother. "Good luck" he states to me before walking off towards the palace. "Isab-" I put my hand up to stop her and gesture to Bifrost. "Where to, miss?" Skurge asks me, "to Hel I guess" I roll my eyes. "Are you sure?" He asks hesitantly, looking between me and Frigga.

"Just do as you're told, Skurge" I sigh and he nods, turning the sword slowly. It opens up and I take a deep breath, "let's hope I come back" I mumble under my breath as I step in. I have no idea what I'm heading into and it would be a lie to say I'm not nervous. I've never wanted to return to Asgard and yet, I'm praying for a safe return to the forsaken land.