Rainbow Bridge

The guardian of Bifrost, Heimdall, sat upon the Rainbow Bridge that leads to Asgard, gazing down on the sprawling land of Scandinavia with his dull, grey eyes. He had been commanded by Odin to protect Bifrost with his life and Heimdall was dedicated to serving Odin’s wishes. A dark brown beard covered Heimdall’s face, blending with the thick layers of his hair that fell just shy of his shoulders.  Every day and every night Heimdall would stay at Bifrost, never moving. Always keeping his guard up, he was always ready to blow his horn to warn Odin if any danger arose.

Catching bright, fiery flickers out of the corner of his eye, Heimdall’s hand twitched towards his horn, expecting to see danger or at the very least one of Loki’s tricks. Instead, Heimdall’s gaze rested upon a maiden that rivalled even Freya’s beauty. Flame red hair blazed down her back in a tight braid and her skin was as white as Skadi’s snow. Beautiful blue eyes shone from her heart shaped face. In her arms, the maiden carried a medium clay pot.

Discarding the pot, the girl dropped to her knees on the river bank in a crumpled heap. Teardrops fell down her flawless cheeks in small rivulets and dripped into the river, disturbing the calm surface. It tugged at Heimdall’s heart to see such a beautiful maiden have such sadness within her. Why was she crying? Had she been hurt? Giving her a quick examination, Heimdall couldn’t find any injuries. Longing to go to her and take her into his arms, Heimdall knew that he couldn’t defy Odin’s orders.

Pulling herself up off the riverbank, the maiden’s arm shook as she wiped away her tears. Picking up the discarded clay pot, she filled it with water from the river until it was brimming over the edge. Then the maiden was gone, but the image of her beautiful, sad eyes still haunted Heimdall’s thoughts.

Never before had Heimdall realised how lonely he was guarding Bifrost. It had been hundreds of years since he’d come into contact with another being and now he longed just to be able to touch her beautiful face with his hand. Heimdall was shocked by the strong reaction he had towards the maiden. For centuries he’d seen many humans pass near Bifrost, not once had he wanted to interact with them. There was something special about the girl though, she wasn’t like the other humans.

The following day, the maiden appeared by the river again, but this time she was without the clay pot. She knelt down beside the water and cried just as had done the day before. A part of Heimdall had wished that she’d stayed away from the river; the temptation to go to her had only become more intense. The other part of him was excited to see her again. It had been so long since he’d felt anything, he’d always been too focused on his task. The maiden evoked foreign feelings inside of him that he’d thought were buried for good.

Just as quickly as she’d appeared by the river, the maiden was gone again, leaving a trail of sorrow behind her. Even after she’d gone, the longing stayed with Heimdall. He wanted to follow her, to find out where she went and what was causing her such sadness so he could put an end to it. But Heimdall didn’t follow her; he stayed perched upon the rainbow bridge.

When the third day came, Heimdall eagerly awaited to see if the maiden would appear again. He wasn’t disappointed. She was just as beautiful as she was the first day he saw her and also just as sad. Today her hair was released from its braid and it blazed around her in soft waves, taking Heimdall’s breath away.

Once again, Heimdall gazed upon her as she knelt by the river and cried. Little hiccupping sobs escaped from her rosy lips. He resisted the urge to go to her side, but the longing seemed to grow inside him like an infectious disease and before he’d realised what he was doing, Heimdall left the Rainbow Bridge and entered the human plane.

Meanwhile in Asgard, Odin and his wife Fricka, sipped at golden chalices filled to the brim with ambrosia. Odin’s two ravens, Huginn and Munin flew towards the couple, perching on either side of Odin’s shoulder.

“Have you brought me any news?” Odin’s rumbling voice inquired of the two ravens.

“Yesss, master,” Huginn hissed.

“We carry news from Bifrossst,” Munin echoed his brother.

“Bifrost?” Odin questioned the ravens, “Is there danger? I didn’t hear Heimdall blow the horn.”

“Danger, yesss,” Huginn answered.

“Heimdall has left Bifrost unguarded. He has gone against your ordersss,” Munin finished Huggin’s sentence.

Fricka threw her husband a worried glance, which Odin replied with a simple nod. The matter had to be dealt with quickly, before something crossed the rainbow bridge and into Asgard.

 “Why are you crying?” Heimdall softly asked the maiden, causing her to whirl around in shock. She looked upon him with her large, frightened blue eyes that were filled with tears. “I won’t harm you. You’re safe with me,” Heimdall reassured her. She must’ve been able to sense that he was a greater being as she visibly relaxed her stance.

“Oh. I’ve been having terrible nightmares these last three nights. They feel so real,” she began, tears threatening to spill over the corners of her eyes. “I keep dying over and over again. They feel more like premonitions then dreams,” the maiden’s bell-like voice broke on the word as she burst into a flood of tears.

Pausing for a moment, Heimdall wasn’t sure of what he should do. Over and over again he’d dreamt of holding her in his arms, touching her face, feeling her soft skin, but now that he was able to do all those things, fear grabbed at him. ‘I am a god!’ Heimdall scolded himself, ‘I do not fall prey to my fears! I have no fear!’ Stepping towards her, Heimdall took the maiden into his arms.

“I won’t let any harm come to you,” Heimdall vowed. The maiden held onto him as if he was the last oxygen molecule on the planet.

Suddenly, a loud booming noise filled the sky. Glancing up, Heimdall saw the faces of Odin and Fricka manifest in the clouds. Dread filled him as he regarded Odin’s enraged expression. It was only then that the consequences of his actions dwelled upon him. He’d left Bifrost, anyone could go into Asgard and cause harm to the people there. What was worst of all though was that Heimdall had gone against his god’s orders and betrayed his trust.

“You have left Bifrost unprotected and therefore defied my orders!” Odin bellowed. “As punishment, I condemn the creature that clouded your mind to dwell in the lands of Holle!”

“No! Not the land of the dead!” Heimdall cried, tightening his arms around the maiden. “I was the one that defied you! She did nothing wrong!” The maiden looked up at Heimdall with wide, frightened eyes. He’d given her his vow to never let any harm come to her.

 Ignoring Heimdall’s pleas, Odin threw his spear from the clouds, piecing the maiden’s heart and striking her dead within a matter of seconds. Clutching at the girl, Heimdall knew that his efforts were to no avail, he could already feel her body begin to deteriorate, knowing that she would manifest in the lands of Holle. 

“Now return to Bifrost and never leave again! Otherwise I’ll let Holle do as she pleases with her!” Tears fell down Fricka’s face, it pained her to see harm befall one of her children.

Returning to his spot upon the Rainbow Bridge at Bifrost, Heimdall felt empty. Never again would he defy Odin’s orders. The maiden’s premonitions had only come to pass because of his actions. Sadness filled him, she was so beautiful. Beauty like hers should’ve been nurtured and protected, not thrust into the arms of Holle. The thought of the horrible treatment that was befalling his beautiful maiden stabbed at Heimdall’s heart. ‘As long as I stay here, she shouldn’t be hurt in those lands.  She’ll be okay,” He promised himself over and over again, hoping that it was true.

Once again, Heimdall perched upon the Rainbow Bridge, watching over Scandinavia. Never moving and never allowing his mind to wander from his task again. He’d learnt his lesson.