Electrostatic

Yggdrasil

Yggdrasil

"Wisdom is welcome wherever it comes from." - Bandamanna Saga

"Will you rest now lady Alison?" Thor placed me upon a large over dressed bed, I begin to take in the room, his chambers are much smaller than the Queen Frigga, nevertheless they are still grand in stature and wealth. Golden trimmings douse the room from edge to edge, and white columns lead to a grand arch, underneath lay gargantuan, iron cast doors.

Clusters of foliage made of cast and silver decorated the hinges and outer rim of the gateway, it was the most beautiful adaptation of a forest I've ever seen. The motif stretched through the expanses of the chamber covering every column and trim in sight. 

"I see you admire the design, do you like it?" Thor sat a distance away but took up most of the space on the oversized mattress. 

"It's beautiful, I've never seen anything like it. The rest of the palace is... well vague. Here, this forest is so intricate and well stunning." The words just tumble from my lips, what am I doing? Why would I converse with him?

"This my lady, is no forest. It is Yggdrasil." inching closer he lays his hand upon mine, like he was trying too hard to make an effort to talk to me. He is a Royal, I am a human slave why is he doing this? Paid or not this is bizarre.

I may have survived in Asgard for what feels like years now, but as slaves we do not interact with the Asgardian people, we don't know much of their beliefs, history or traditions. We only do as we're told and nothing more. Time is unequal here, it moves in clashing rates, some days take months to die to eventide. Where as some days follow a more earth like sequence with twenty four hours in the day. There is some sort of organisation in this madness but only the Asgardians seem to know, there are so many questions in this realm that I dream of answering. Maybe I... no. Could Thor be my answer? To everything?

"What is Yggdrasil?" His expression, is somewhat confused. 

"No one has taught you of the very universe's origins?" He inches forward

"We are denied of our speech let alone our right of knowledge, there are no schools or scholars willing to allow us insight into the history of this place. I am expected to do as you or any other Asgardian pleases not to ask questions." I can't possibly look him the eye, I feel for once beneath him. Throughout my time as a slave, I never allowed myself to be dominated, I may have not been as brave, strong or as smart as them, but I never felt lower than them. A sense of guilt flooded through me, I'd betrayed myself.

"Yet you speak as if you were Asgardian yourself." a small pause begins as he lifts my chin, never has eye contact made me feel so uncomfortable.

"Let me enlighten you on our existence, give me a chance to prove we're not so monstrous as you perceive." His smile lingered across his face, he had one of those rare smiles, it possessed a quality that concentrated on you with an irresistible biased. I couldn't resist but reply with a display of my own version of disbelief.

"So how did we all become, well as we are? Explain how the world came to exist?" Asking these questions, I never would have predicted the elegant way his following words would affect me.

"In the beginning there was nothing, not quite nothing. There existed an endless space, a extensive abyss called the Ginnungagap. Along with a god named the Allfather, he remained forever. Long before Migard, what was your planet Earth there came to exist Yggdrasil, the worlds tree." Thor examined my expression, trying to see if I was following, he continued.

"Yggdrasill, a suspended ash that links all of the nine worlds, created by the Allfather. It has three enormous roots, one in Asgard, the second in the south in a realm named Muspell and the other in Niflhiem the dark north. Muspell, which now prevails as Midgard it was the world before worlds, it was so hot that anyone who was not born of their blood was to be succumbed by the heat. Their ruler a giant named Surt..." He had risen across the room pointing out carvings of the different worlds, engraved on his wall. His fascination of the worlds was clear in his enthusiasm to try to reach out to me. I stood next to him as we moved along the story board of a mural. 

"Now Muspell being a place of fire and embers, it flowed down into the Ginnungagap, just as the raging waters torrentially pouring from Hvergelmir, a bubbling caldron within Niflheim the land of mist and darkness. As these two worlds met they collided to make the nine realms, each element created a different existence, skies lavished with stars, temperate oceans and lands of life and inhabitants." His long index trailed down the carved abyss, landing upon my resting palm as the site of collision.

Thor took my hand and guided it upwards to be placed on a carved, canopy of tree branches, standing directly behind me. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck, small irritable quivers ran down my spine and through my limbs.

"Now Ygggrasil, connects all nine world together and supports the cosmos, allowing the worlds to orbit each other, much like the earth orbits the sun. Now you see it everyday without realising, what you humans call the what was it... 'the milky way' is actually the root in Asgard." 

Turning to see his face, I can't help but admire his story telling abilities. His soft words and charming behaviour is irresistible.

"So this big... tree, is the star constellation I had as my laptop background for three years." I begin to laugh, like really laugh I haven't felt this light and carefree in years.

He begins to laugh along with me, although I certainly know he has no idea what a laptop is.

"Well yes, I think? Would you like to know of the nine realms? I could escort you to the gallery lady Allison, I could show you images of them?" His mood accelerated into a bemused, childlike passion.

"I'd love that." Would I 'love' that? What is happening, I can't control my emotions in his presence. I do want to learn more but I should be repulsed by his very actions towards me... the problem is I'm not.