God of War - Atreus x Reader - A Forgotten Link

Chapter 33

The inside of the Town Hall was cozy, there was a small fireplace in the middle of the far wall. It's light glowed across most of the room. There was a window on each wall mirroring another.

The left of the building had a few small tables and benches for people to sit. Near the right was a desk acting as a counter. There were scrolls and pens spread across it. A blonde boy sat at the chair behind the desk, writing something down on a scroll.

Atreus walked up to the desk and put a hand on it. He leaned to look at the boy's face with a small smile. The boy looked over at him and put his pen down quickly.

"Loki!" he said happily as he stood up, greeting Atreus a brief handshake. 

"Hey Skjoldr." Atreus replied with a bright grin. "Seems like you've done a lot with this town."

"I didn't do all of it though; Thrud did most of the heavy lifting." Skjoldr said expressively. He had quite a lot of enthusiasm. (Y/N) took note that he was about their age. She caught his eye and gave him a small wave, stepping close to the desk.

Atreus looked back at her and then back at Skjoldr. "(Y/N), this is one of my friends we came here to see!"

(Y/N) smiled and nodded. "I figured that out the moment you both started talking." she teased him.

Skjoldr held his hand out towards her to shake. "(Y/N)? Loki never mentioned you in Asgard. You must've met him in the past couple months." (Y/N) shook his hand as she replied.

"Actually, we were friends when we were kids." (Y/N) felt a bit hurt that Atreus had never spoken about her, but it made sense; they had drifted apart over the years and Atreus was preoccupied with literally saving the world. "We got separated back then but found each other a bit over a week ago." Saying these words got (Y/N) thinking. She had to admit, they got together just days after meeting each other again, maybe they rushed it?

"Huh! No shit!" Skjoldr said lightly, crossing his arms.

"Yeah..." (Y/N) said back. "...no shit?" She shrugged slightly with an awkward grin.

Atreus looked around the Town Hall. "A villager named Endre told us you and Thrud would be here." he mentioned as he looked back at his friend.

"Well, he was half right." Skjoldr joked. "Thrud's out hunting, something that you guys seem to have done already." He gestured to the dead rabbit tied to a stick. (Y/N) still held it on her shoulder as it dangled behind her.

"Oh yeah," (Y/N) laid the rabbit on the desk, forgetting about how unsanitary it was to put a corpse on a desk for paperwork. "It's something we brought to share with you and this Thrud."

(Y/N) guessed that "Thrud" was Atreus's other friend in this town.

Skjoldr smiled. "Awesome! She should be back soon, I'm sure you'll love her... everyone does!" 

"Some more than others." Atreus droned, looking at Skjoldr. He looked at Atreus weirdly in a playful way but said nothing.

"In the meantime, why don't we go somewhere more suitable for catching up?" Skjoldr suggested as he walked around the desk. "Follow me." He motioned with his hand and began making his way towards the wall furthest from the entrance.

(Y/N) and Atreus followed him towards the wall. Now that they were up close, they noticed a trap-door in the floor, blending in with the boards. It was locked shut, but Skjoldr knelt by it and pulled out a small key. 

He unlocked the door and opened it, revealing a ladder going down. "Thrud and I have a small place to live." he explained, beckoning for them to climb down. "It's not a secret to the villagers, but they get that we need time to take a break."

The three all climbed down the ladder and into a large room. Although it was underground, there were a few windows placed around the walls; they had a crystal-like shine to them. The room was divided into areas by walls, but none of the walls closed to make separate rooms.

There were two bedrooms on opposite corners of the far wall with a dining area in between. the left and right walls had desks and supply crates lined against them. It was a mix of messy yet organized.

(Y/N) was most intrigued by the windows. "What's up with these?" she asked, poking her finger onto the hard surface of a nearby one.

Skjoldr stood next to her and looked at the window. "They're made of Bifrost crystal. Y'know Freya, right?"

(Y/N) nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"One time she passed through here with Loki's dad." Skjoldr explained. "She wanted to help Thrud feel more at home, so she offered to do some fancy Vanir magic and make these windows. Most of them show images of Asgard."

"I knew they looked familiar." Atreus exclaimed. "Freya had a window like this in her old house in the woods- it showed Vanaheim, her home."

"That's nice of her." (Y/N) remarked. She didn't know much about Thrud, but she must've lived in Asgard before Raganrok. No wonder the windows showed the destroyed realm. 

They walked deeper into the room, more towards the dining area. (Y/N) took the rabbit off the stick it hung on and placed it on the table, setting the stick on the ground. 

"So, what's it like being in charge of a town?" Atreus asked his friend. Skjoldr shrugged.

"It's been alright," he replied. "I solve most of the disputes the villagers have with each other. Split the resources evenly, keep everyone in line, that sort of stuff." 

He suddenly reached into his pocket. "Right, I almost forgot!" he said energetically as he pulled out a small coin with an intricate design.

"What's that?" (Y/N) asked, stepping forward to look at the coin.

"An Aesir coin." Atreus grinned at Skjoldr. "You actually went out to find that?" he laughed as Skjoldr handed the coin to him.

"Yep!" Skjoldr said proudly. "And after 5 days of searching, I found it in some ruins. Your dad must be really strong if he threw it from your house and it got stuck in a stone pillar."

(Y/N) looked between the two. "What are you talking about?"

"Odin gave my father and I this coin to pay for the holes he put in our roof." Atreus explained, passing the coin to (Y/N). "My father threw it away; I guess it flew out of the woods and into the ruins Skjoldr found it in."

"He actually found me while I was trying to get it out." Skjoldr added. "Multiple times. I definitely looked stupid."

(Y/N) held the coin in her fingers and examined it. "What's so special about it?" she asked curiously. "Looks like a normal coin to me."

"They can't be made anymore because, well, Asgard got destroyed. And it's been touched by at least three gods. The All-Father, Kratos, and Loki!" Skjoldr defended. "It's gotta be worth tons, and with the money I can get from it, I can buy a boat and sail off to explore!"

(Y/N) gave the coin back to him. "Hopefully your effort pays off. Maybe keep it somewhere besides your pocket, you wouldn't want to lose it."

"You... are right." Skjoldr chirped. He made his way to one of the bedrooms, presumably his, and put it in a box under the bed. "I'll find a way to sell it once this town is running properly."

The sound of the trapdoor opening could be heard. "Is that Thrud?" Atreus questioned, looking over at the ladder.

A stocky girl climbed down the ladder. she stepped onto the floor and turned around. She had fluffy orange hair with a streak of red in it and sharp blue eyes. (Y/N) noticed the tattoos covering her arms. When the girl saw Atreus, she looked a bit shocked, then pleased. "Loki!" 

"Hey Thrud!" Atreus said with a wave as she walked over to them.

Thrud looked over at (Y/N). "Hey there." she greeted. "Who are you?"

"(Y/N)." (Y/N) replied. "You must be Thrud?"

"That's me." Thrud nodded before lifting a rope from her shoulder. A dead rabbit was tied to the end of it. She placed it on the table next to the rabbit (Y/N) and Atreus had caught from the trap. "Huh, we'll be eating good tonight."