This is the story of a girl called Astrid, and it starts with a prophecy.
A prophecy of a life that is not hers but one that will be forced upon her nonetheless.But prophecy are always up to those you believed them, and Astrid didn't think further o...
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Astrid didn't know what Esther would tell her sons, daughter, and husband when she inevitably returned to them. And she honestly didn't care. The only thing she cared about is making sure that her son survived whatever Esther had done to him.
Astrid spent weeks in that cave alone.
Just her and Loki.
And for the time, that is all she needed.
Days turned into nights, and nights back into days, blending into an endless stream of time.
Eventually Kol finds her, emerging from the gloom of the forest like an apparition. He is covered in grime and sweat, his face etched with deep lines of fatigue.
But recognition sparkles in his eyes as he steps into the dim light of the cave.
Astrid sits in the back corner, in the dark, as she holds the baby close to her chest while rocking both herself and him soft.
Her eyes seemed hollow to Kol, like two deep wells devoid of life, save for the faint glimmer of determination that was barely visible.
But in them, too, he saw the fierce protectiveness of a mother for her child.
Her once radiant hair was now unkempt and wild, streaked with ash and dirt.
Her hands, though shaking slightly from exhaustion, held onto Loki with a fierce protectiveness.
"Kol," she whispered, her voice as rough as the cave walls from disuse. She didn't move to greet him, didn't let go of Loki held tightly in her arms.
The small bundle shifted slightly, a tiny hand peeking from under a swaddle of patched cloth but it doesn't move.
Kol hesitated at the entrance, feeling the chilling aura of impending danger that shrouded the cave. His heart pounded in his chest as he took cautious steps forward.
His boots crunched against the rocky floor of the cave, echoing ominously around them. He seemed unbothered by Astrid's haggard appearance, "We have been looking for you and him for a week, Astrid."
His voice was a soft rumbling, heavy with concern and relief at finally finding them. The forest had been treacherous, filled with shadows that danced and deceived his eyes, but he had endured, pushed forward by the grim determination to bring them back home safe.
Astrid's eyes tightened at his words, a flick of anger and sorrow passes through her eyes, "I do not wish to return."
Her voice was like a broken whisper, woven with brittle defiance. She looked down at the infant in her arms, the baby's eyes reflecting the dim firelight with innocent curiosity.
Despite her apparent exhaustion, Astrid's frame held a quiet strength that came from a source deeper than mere physical power.
Kol watched, a throbbing ache of helplessness resonating within him. "Astrid," he began, his voice echoing through the desolate cave.
