The Journey to Find Mimir

Chapter Fifty-Two: Cornered

"Howea, if you don't mind I need to talk to my daughters," said the girls' mom.

"Yes ma'am," Howea said.

I heard footsteps, and the sound of the door closing.

There was a long moment of silence. 

The mother spoke first.

"I woke up this morning, expecting a lovely evening," she said. "Instead, Adalbjorg runs off without a word; I haven't seen her since. Then, I found out from gossipy Mrs. Jordahl that some women of age were running amuck in the private area of the castle. Can you imagine my surprise when I found out their names?" 

Rannveig spoke quickly. 

"Mom, let me explain--"

"No," said the mom firmly. "I truly don't know what has gotten into all of you these last few months. Especially you two. Sneaking around. The bedroom door closed all the time. What is happening?"

"Well," said Rannveig. "You see-"

"Not you, Rann," said the mom. "I want to hear from Greta."

Greata made a choking sound. She tried to pass it off as a cough.

"Mom! It's not a big deal. Greta and I-"

"That is enough, Rannveig! I want to hear the whole story from Greta."

Poor, honest Greta began to stutter. "N-nothing has been happening, mom. I don't know what you're-"

"I know my daughters!" she interrupted. "I know that something is going on, so tell me what it is. Now."

Silence.

"Fine," said the mother sharply. "If you have nothing to say to me, then you have nothing to say at this ball tonight. Head straight home. Your dad and I will talk to you once we return."

"But mom!" cried Rannveig.

"No!" said the mom. "Whatever mischief you two are participating in will end right now. If you don't leave, I will ground the both of you until next year's ball!"

Rannveig began to fight with her mom, begging her and Greta to stay at the party a little longer.

I began to panic. If the girls left, there was no way that Hearthstone and I could get to the fountain. Even if they could secretly drop us somewhere, how could Hearthstone and I make it across a ballroom filled with hundreds of giants?

As the arguing continued, with Rannveig on the losing side, my last bit of hope slipped through my fingertips. 

Reality set in. The future locked into place.

I was going to live.

Hearthstone was going to die.

Hearthstone couldn't hear any of this. But he could see the look on my face. Gods, he is so smart.

I watched a slight shift in his expression. My stomach turned as I recognized it.

Acceptance.

Hearthstone angled himself in my direction.

It's okay, he signed to me. His signs were small and close to his chest, like a little fire flickering in the hearth of a home. We tried. Maybe you can still make it to Mimir.

A tear made its way down my cheek. Hearthstone reached out to brush it away. His hand was gentle against my skin. 

Suddenly, a furious flame flared to life inside my chest. What did Hearthstone do to deserve this fate? The fire was fueled by each injustice in his life. The loss of his brother. His abusive father. The debts he thinks he owes. Guilt. Grief. Each one was another rock piled on top of his brother's grave.