Ragnarok Unwound: The Awakening

Chapter 9

Her eyes shot open and she found herself in the middle of a large meadow. As she sat up she could see a mansion off in the distance. An alarming sense of peace washed over her. What was this? Where was she?

"Keir..." A voice in the distance called. Keir rose quickly to her feet and followed it. Something about it was so familiar, she knew that voice, but she couldn't recognize it. Kathryn? Skadi? Freya?

Finally she came to a small pond where the voice seemed to be. It was coming from the water. She watched as a pair of familiar arms reached out from it and beckoned her. Keir kneeled, in her mind she knew that something was wrong, but her body acted on its own accord. She looked down into the dark waters only to be greeted by her reflection. Or at least the reflection of her disguise. It smiled warmly as a figure emerged behind it. It was Freya, her cloak of feathers spread out like she was ready to take flight and a sword in her hand. Keir looked back to see that nobody was standing behind her. In confusion she reached out to touch the reflection. A small jolt of shock ran through her when it shattered like glass upon contact. The image vanished and gave away to one that made Keir freeze in horror. There was the image of her true giant form drenched in blood, holding a glowing golden heart in her hand with Freya's body in the background. A figure emerged behind her once more. He smiled darkly and leaned into the bloody reflection's ear.

"This is what you really are..." His wicked green eyes lit up and the reflection's once carefree smiling face broke into a truly evil grin. And for the first time Keir could feel its feral eyes staring right through her.

"A monster!"

The sound of shattering glass filled the air and the everything around her died and a thin layer of frost froze over it. Keir quickly jerked away from the pond. As she stepped back she felt herself collide with someone behind her. She whipped around and was greeted by an odd site.

It was a man dressed in pure white and glowing, almost, if not, brighter than Heimdall. He had such a sense of purity that Keir could feel it. His platinum hair looked as though he had just risen from bed and his dreamy pale eyes lit up upon seeing her. He smiled in a way that was in between sleepy and content. Without a word he grabbed Keir by the hand and pulled her as he turned and walked towards the mansion in the distance. Upon the contact Keir realized who this man was, Skadi had told her about him. Baldur.

But that could only mean one thing.

"Am I dead?" Keir asked, a sense of dread overtaking her. Baldur shook his head silently. They continued to walk for what felt like hours. They finally stopped when they appeared to be halfway to the mansion. Baldur pointed off into the distance, where Keir saw two women wearing flower crowns, sitting by a tree surrounded by flowers.

One looked like she belonged there. She was dressed in thin silk with her golden hair pulled back, allowing it to cascade down her back. She smiled, and laughed, her blue eyes landed on her companion. The other woman looked severly out of place. She was dressed in a dark purple dress with ornate metal accessories underneath a black cloak. Her hair was long and as black as death, save for a few ends that were hollow white. Keir couldn't help but marvel at the woman's incredible physical appearance. Half of her skin was ghostly pale and the other half was blackened, there was something deathly about that half. And her eyes were equally as interesting, one was white-blue and the other was an almost glowing red.

"You need her." Baldur spoke up. Keir snapped her attention back to him, confused by his words.

"Why?"

"She is your only hope against the sorrow bringer. You must come, you, Keir. You must convince her to stop her father's act of hubris before it kills us all. She will hear you, for she is not of the same cruel cloth as her brothers. Just as chaotic, but not without compassion. From the blood of your enemy is your greatest ally. My dearest friend." Baldur spoke cryptically. Keir thought for a moment, then gasped in realization. She knew the woman, the goddess. Keir attempted to speak the name but nothing came out. There was a sudden odd feeling, as though some invisible force was pulling her away from the area. She tried fight it and speak the name again, to no success. Finally Keir felt herself incapable of fighting the force, before it could pull her away completely she turned her gaze on the goddess one more time. She found that Loki's daughter's eyes were now upon her, staring deep within her. And with that the force pulled her away.

"Hel..."

Keir shot up from the bed, gasping for air. Her eyes darted around the room. She was greeted by both Skadi and Tyra who looked alarmed by her sudden movement. Skadi let out a breath of disbelief and smiled, tears in her eyes. Keir ignored it knowing it was going to be short lived when she spoke.

"Freya," Keir's voice was hoarse and caused Skadi's smile to vanish into confusion. Keir would apologize later for it.

"I need to speak to Freya!"

.........................

"Dammit!"

Freya's voice boomed through the training yard as she threw her man over her shoulder. He let out a loud cry of pain but that wasn't enough for Freya. In her frustration she kicked the man over and over again. She could feel a bitter sting in the back of her pure blue eyes.

Three weeks! For three weeks, Keir has laid in the medical wing, showing no signs of improvement. Tyra had awoken two days after the attack, but she refused to leave Keir's side. Rem stood guarding the wing every night, not trusting anyone else in the school. Neither of these bothered Freya. What bothered her was that Skadi would rarely let her in to see Keir.

"Freya," a thick French voice carried to her ears. Freya whipped around to see the girl, Allison, standing behind her. Freya bristled; this girl had been allowed along with Skadi and Tyra to stay with Keir at all times. Freya had to tell Skadi about the Norns in order for Tyra to stay in the room. But this girl, this insignificant girl, just entered with her eyes filled with tears (which Freya doubted were real) and they let her stay.

"What?" The word was cruel enough to make even Freya forget that she also served as the goddess of love. Though Allison's expression was a mix of courtesy and worry, Freya could see hidden intention in her eyes.

"Keir... she keeps calling for you." Allison said. Freya snorted in a very cruel manner and folded her arms over her chest.

"That's nothing new." Freya responded coldly, remembering Skadi's icy glare when Keir spoke her name. Freya had to expose the truth about their secret training. Allison looked visibly upset by that. In a flash her hand flew across the goddess' face.

"You wench, how can you be so cruel? All Keir did was talk about you, all she wanted to do was impress you! She's like this because of you! And now that she could be dying, you treat her like she is just some sort of toy. Angry when others play with her but uncaring if she breaks!"

Freya snapped, striking the girl with the back of her hand. She grabbed her by the collar and sneered viciously. How dare she say something like that! Save for Skadi, there was probably nobody in the entire school that cared about Keir as much as Freya! Who in all of Hel was this pathetic broken doll to say otherwise? Freya cocked her fist back and growled threateningly. For a brief moment something in the back of her mind told her that the girl was right. Freya was always aware of how desperate Keir was to impress her. Maybe she did drive her to this condition...

"You have some nerve speaking to me like that mortal, I am not the goddess of mercy!"

"Freya!"

The goddess shot her gaze to the side to see Tyra standing there. She had obviously been running because she was slightly bent over and breathing heavily. Apparently she didn't understand the situation because she smiled widely and pointed in the direction of the the medical wing.

"Keir's awake and she's asking for you!" The word's made Freya freeze and release Allison. Tyra frowned, obviously expecting something from the goddess.

"What?" Freya was suddenly aware of why wisdom wasn't one of the things that she was in charge of. She found herself unsure of what to do in this situation. For as much as she wanted to see her student, something that Freya couldn't shake in that moment that Allison was right. Tyra smiled again.

"Keir's awake."

Shit.