The Eternal Valkyrie: War of the Realms (HTTYD fic)

Part 35

Chapter 34

Loki sighed as the doors to the Springs of Creation shut, leaving him in complete darkness. Green eyes adjusted slowly as he held up his hand to conjure a ball of light. Yet nothing happened. Frustrated he tried again. Again, nothing happened.

"Oh, you can't possibly expect me to walk in the dark now can you?" Loki muttered incredulously under his breath to no one in particular. The entire area was devoid of light, he could be walking himself off a cliff if he went barging about like an oaf. He should know, he's seen it happen to Thor twice, to Tyr once.

Loki muttered a stronger light spell under his breath and frowned when that didn't work either. Then he tried switching magics since Asgardian magic didn't work. Vanir magic and even Jothun magic did not seem to work in this mysterious space either.

"Okay, so I am either in a room with pretty heavy magical seals on them or this door leads to a different dimension......" Loki grumbled. "But the magical seals would nullify the magic on the door as well...... guess it's different dimension then." He stated and then realised something. "And now I'm having a conversation with myself....."

The darkness seemed to stretch for miles and Loki frowned. Surely there must be some way to navigate to the Springs. "Another dimension....... Must have different physical laws. Maybe a different type of magic?" Loki mumbled to himself as he concentrated. "Can I just wish there was light?" He mumbled and nearly jumped back as his eyes widened when a small ball of light was finally conjured.

The ball of light grew larger and soon Loki had to take another few steps back because the light was blinding. The next thing Loki knew was that he was falling. The ball of light was still floating innocently in the air as he fell backwards like there hadn't been a solid surface to stand on mere moments ago.

Loki fell and hit the bottom with a resounding splash. The water wasn't cold and icy as one would expect on Jothunheim. Instead it felt quite warm as if it came from a hot spring.

The waters seemed to be very deep and Loki quickly started swimming towards the surface as he needed air. When he reached the surface he took a big gulp of air and then grabbed onto a flat rock outcrop nearby.

"To think that the first person to visit here after eons would be a wet rat," A deep voice chuckled.

"I am not a wet rat!" Loki growled as he shoved several strands of his black hair out of his eyes.

"Well you sure look like one," The voice chuckled again and Loki looked around for the source. The area he was in now seemed to be a large cavern with waterfalls on all sides. Large basaltic pillars decorated the area as moss grew against them from the dampness. The waterfalls emptied into the underground lake he had crashed into and in the middle of said lake stood a giant Ash tree.

The Ash tree was symbolic for many of the races within the Nine Realms and Loki's eyes widened when he spotted the source of the voice. There in the Ash tree was an etched face. The face looked old but wise. As if the man had seen countless events through time.

"I see you finally spotted me. Good, good." The voice said but the face on the tree didn't move. Loki swam further across the lake until he came to the small island where the tree sat.

"You're a tree." Loki muttered. "A talking tree,"

"Well of course I am. What did you think I would be? A talking duck?" The tree answered back with a huff. "But seriously, do I still look good? Do I still have all my leaves? It's been ages and I can't actually look up you know."

"But....." Loki was actually stumped this time since he hadn't encountered something like this before. Not even the strangest of magics he knew could explain this scenario. "Eh...... you're blooming......" He said with a raised brow.

"Oh now you are just being a flatterer." The tree laughed. "Quite the silver tongue."

"So I've been told." Loki mumbled. "I'm here for......."

"Ragnarøkkr," The tree stated as if it was obvious and maybe it was. "That's what everyone is supposed to come here for. At least entertain me a bit. I'm all bark and no bite."

Loki's eye twitched at the obvious tree pun and he pursed his lips. "You're awfully chatty for a tree." He remarked.

"Well what do you expect." The tree said and Loki thought he would have shrugged too if he could. "The only other person who came here was Ymir, and I tell you. Something just isn't right in her head. First she kidnaps me from my house, then she forces me to make her that damn bow and then she imprisons me in Yggdrasil while she and her lover do unspeakable things right here on the ground!"

"I did not need to know that part!" Loki groaned.

"And I did not need to see it!" The tree shot back and then Loki realized something.

"Did you just say Yggdrasil? This tree is Yggdrasil?!" He asked as he took a step back and looked up.

"Impressive aren't I," The tree preened.

"Honestly I would have imagined you bigger," Loki said.

"And honestly I would have imagined you falling a lot more graceful into Mimir's well." The tree shot back. "Dear Norns it is good to vent!"

"Okay..... Let's go back to the whole Yggdrasil thing," Loki said as he smirked. The sass had started growing on him.

"This is the representation of the Yggdrasil system." The tree stated. "Safest place in all the Nine Realms. Wonderful travel system too if I do say so myself. I can't believe I thought this up after twenty mugs of mead. Do you know what a pain in the neck it was to travel between realms when they were first created?"

"YOU?!" Loki exclaimed. "Are you telling me that you actually created Yggdrasil? Just who are you?!"

"Mótsognir of course." The tree proclaimed proudly. "Lord of all the Dwarves. And finest craftsman in the realms!"

"Well..... About the bow....." Loki pressed before the tree could start boasting again. "Can you tell me where it is?"

"In the well of course," Mótsognir said and if the face on the tree could move it would probably be rolling its eyes. "But I wouldn't recommend going down there."

"Why not?" Loki asked.

"Mimir's well is the Well of Knowledge, or in this case lake I guess. The deeper you go the more knowledge crams into your head. I doubt anyone can make it even twenty meters." The tree stated. "I said it before. Safest place in the realms for that darn bow."

"But Ymir can get it right?" Loki asked with a raised brow.

"Of course she can but she's long gone. Loooooong gone!"

"She's back," Loki deadpanned as he stared at the tree.

"SAY WHAT NOW?!" Mótsognir shouted.

"Now how about we get that bow?"

"I told you before, you won't be able to withstand the waters." The tree huffed. "What are you going to do? Evaporate it all?"

"Yes," Loki bluntly told the tree as he rolled up his sleeves. He needed to get dry anyways.

AN: Hey all. a new chapter is finally here. I had to take some R&R to recharge my writing batteries! ;)