Queendom 《Norway x Reader》 [SEQUEL TO THE TROLL HUNTER]

Chapter 1: Nearing the End of a Decade

It's been nearly a decade since you've graduated college. Journalism was hectic alright, but it didn't stop you from trying out new things that gave you a gateway to a new career. You were now a renowned photojournalist around Europe, and soon in Asia. It was truly a dream you didn't expect. The moment you graduated and decided that path, you thought you couldn't make it. You knew that you couldn't just waltz in that field without the proper knowledge and the skill. So you worked hard to thrive in that department, and now you're working for various magazines, productions, and organizations around the world ⁠—with this dangerous job your Uncle Henrich would've fainted from, if you told him all the details.

"You ready for this job, (Y/n)?" Nick zipped her bag and looked at you.

Nicole, or commonly known as Nick, was your partner in the field. A small, but feisty, Filipina with a very bubbly attitude. If you needed any assistance with what you're after for, you call her. Besides, she got some camera lenses that you couldn't afford yet and you've got lenses that she hasn't purchased herself. 

"Shouldn't I be asking you that, Nick?" You retorted and looked outside the plane window.

"Psh, I am no longer that girl you've seen four years ago that lost her entire camera bag in the Amazon." Nick rolled her eyes as she folded half of her short hair up in a bun. 

"Ohoho, what about last month at Antarctica?" 

"It wasn't my fault that a polar bear just magically appeared next to my tent!"  You laughed and shook your head. "I thanked God that my Switch wasn't inside the fucking tent, like, it was a good thing you stole it the other night for some Mario Kart."

The both of you were on your way to Japan. A growing travel magazine company was beginning to have its name across the world, and they decided that the best way to create their worldwide debut was by hiring the both of you and sending you to Japan.

You could probably tell everybody that you were living the dream ⁠—travelling around the world and taking amazing photographs as a job with matching paid expenses by your employer, but you couldn't say that your life was fabulous. 

What stood in your way was seeing the unseen. You tolerated it over the years, hell you had a roommate in college who can see things like you, but it kept on getting worse since graduation. You weren't just seeing them everyday out in field, it was in your dreams as well. The worst encounter was waking up from a nightmare only to be greeted by a kelpie trying to drown you inside your apartment in England. You wanted to tell your uncle and cousins about it, but they couldn't see them—a flash of white wouldn't be enough for them to believe you. 

"Hey," You snapped out of your thoughts, "is it bothering you again?"

Nick knew. She just couldn't seem to catch an encounter of the supernatural around her in different countries. The last time you visited her in her hometown, she had TONS of supernatural beings surrounding her house as if she was a refugee camp for the creatures there.

"Yeah, I guess." You rolled your neck and looked out of the window. "I can definitely see the phoenixes here."

"Ohhh!" Nick's eyes sparkled as she immediately looked out of the window. It's probably a good —no, the best chance for any one like Nick to come to Japan. The entire country lives side by side with magical creatures and the urban.

Which is both good news and bad news for the both of you. You silently prayed that no one has died in the family hostel you guys booked for yourselves. You didn't feel like dealing with ghosts or poltergeists right now. 

Your sight had some small perks you liked though. You can see plants that are supposedly myths to a local area or country, you can see hidden clues on a treasure hunt paths, you can find a friend out of thin air when you're alone.

But the best part was that you could see your past life. Well, you weren't sure if it's a past life of yours or someone else's memory, but it was an adventure. It didn't feel dreamy like the random visions you had while daydreaming before a banshee attacks you, it didn't feel fake either. Whenever those visions were shown to you, you felt alive. You truly felt alive, but it seemed too impossible to feel alive in someone else's life. 

It felt too impossible to see yourself on a journey encountering mythical creatures for a living, and at the same time balancing it with a relationship. Hell, you had trouble dating Alfred and Amelia's Canadian cousin two years ago since you were on demand by National Geographic that year, and apparently Vogue got a hold of you somehow. You honestly just wanted to work for BBC or something, but you somehow turned freelance at a point. It made you happy, but something was still lacking. The visions you were having made you feel empty—somewhat missing inside. It made your heartache knowing that you could never live a life like that. Ever.

You poked your head into the aisle to distract you from those thoughts. Sure, you've been wanting to try out dating again, but it's been hard for you. It would've been fun if your significant other could come and travel along with you like Nick. You've considered dating her, but it just didn't feel right to date someone who has been a good friend to you for a good five years. Besides, you had no feelings for her like that. 

Lost in thought, you felt someone bumping behind your head.

"Oh, sorry." 

"It's alright, I wasn—," Your words were suddenly cut off by a tightness in your chest when you saw the stranger's face.

His platinum blond hair was a mess, as if he just woke up from a nap. His porcelain skin had a few scars against his neck, but none on his face. The dullness of his lavender eyes gave you a chill against your spine the longer you stared at them. He had delicate, pale pink lips that bore no smile. The man's face bore no expression at all. 

Until he faced you.

The man froze midway of acquiring his bag from the storage above. His eyes suddenly came to life—an Aurora Borealis inside with the sun shining against them. His lips parted and let out a small gasp. The stoic expression he had a moment ago shifted into something melancholic. He was out of breath. His heart started to ache badly as you looked back at him.

The more you stared at him, the more you heart began to hurt. More questions swirled in your head. It seemed unreal.

"Who are you?"

It seemed unreal to you that you felt love for this man who you've just met.