Born Immortal

Born Immortal Chapter 20

The council of elders of the Aesir didn't meet very often, never more than once or twice in a millennium, but when they did, they were sure to discuss everything that was important to the Aesir and to keep each other informed of the progress of the humans and on their relationships with them. The last council meeting had occurred shortly before the start of the Industrial Revolution and so the members spent quite a lot of time talking about the advances in technology that the humans had come up with and on the population explosion that had taken over the earth.

They were sitting at the dining table in Frey Falkor's home and the nine members of the council were enjoying the hospitality of their host as they caught up with each other and heard the news from around the world and discussed various families that were now widespread and distant. They had spent the entire day talking about everything that was thought important but no one had had the heart to bring up the matter that had brought them all together today. As they finished eating the supper that Gerda had prepared for them they lapsed into an awkward silence; it was time to discuss Astyr and someone needed to start talking.

Tyr sat at the head of the table and he looked like the CEO of a major corporation with his dark cashmere suit that contrasted nicely with his tanned skin and mane of pure white hair. He had very few lines around his eyes and except for the white hair could have passed as someone in their forties. Aesir only got lines around their eyes from centuries of smiling and Tyr had had very few reasons to smile in the last fifteen thousand years. Ever since he had become the head of the council of elders he had faced problem after problem and he felt more tired than he could believe possible.

He had once been happy and able to live a normal life, he could easily remember those days. He had been married and his only responsibility was the running of his family's estate in what was now called Syria. It had been a good life and he had enjoyed being able to walk in his fields every day and teach his humans new ways to farm and raise livestock and work with metals and stone to make their lives easier.

It had been a simple life but Tyr had loved it, he had loved his wife and had been looking forward to starting a family with her when everything had gone wrong. His wife had betrayed him and in his pain he had run headlong into the war. Not caring over much whether he lived or not had given him an air of courage and he rushed into fights where others thought twice. Being over ten thousand years old then meant he had tremendous control of his powers and he managed to stay alive despite his best efforts and tales of his deeds were passed around by both sides in the fight.

Afterwards, when there were so few left, he had taken up his position on the council and had spent the next fifteen thousand years working to make sure there wasn't another war.

He hadn't been interested in finding another wife, he still felt heartsick at what his first had done to him, so when he had met Grima he almost took no notice of her quiet Alfar friend. But they say still waters run deep and Arianna had been a revelation to him. Behind her watchful countenance had been a wellspring of intelligence, courage and humor that had drawn Tyr in like a bee to a particularly enchanting flower. He had tried to resist, had tried to tell himself over and over that there were too many good reasons they should stay away from each other, but it did no good. She was just as drawn to him and in the end their reasons fell to pieces in the face of their love.

Tyr had done his best to protect her but his enemies were insidious and had no scruples when it came to getting revenge on him. If it wasn't for Tyr's belief that Arianna was still alive somewhere he wouldn't have had the strength to keep living these past fifteen years.

He had spent his time roaming the earth turning over every stone he could think of in his search for her but he had found no clues yet. His despair had momentarily fled when Grima had informed him that she had found his daughter, but then the fear had rushed in to fill the void. And with the fear came a crushing disappointment that the child had no leads to her mother. The poor girl didn't even know who her mother was. Tyr wasn't exactly hard-hearted against Astyr, he was just too absorbed in his grief for the woman he missed so much and too afraid that being anywhere near the girl would only bring her to harm and put her in the sights of his enemy. It was far better for her to stay anonymous and safely out of the way.