Bifrost: Chapter X

X - Look at Me

 

Aztrit woke slowly, feeling a hard wooden table beneath her head. She sat up, groaning as she held her stomach. Dressed in white silk with suns winding over her shoulder and around her waist; she looked to the halls of Valhalla still in disrepair as she settled her bare feet on the cold floor. Several of her sisters appeared before her, fawning as she struggled to stand by herself. “I’m fine.” Aztrit said as she struggled to speak, continuing to get down from the raised table. She sipped tree mead from a wooden cup handed to her in passing, feeling her insides calming in response.  

“Allfather is here to see you, My Lady.” A sister said to her as they retrieved the empty cup from Aztrit’s shaking hands. 

She felt her stomach turn. Would her father be able to tell? How had Hel been able to place her so quickly? 

Aztrit nodded her thanks, taking a seat on the bench before her. She knew she was healed, but she was exhausted. She felt herself repeating the word.

“Daughter.” She heard Odin’s voice say to her as she felt him sit next to her. “Are you feeling well?” 

Aztrit sat straighter, not wanting to disrespect the Allfather with her slouching. “Yes. Thank you.” She lied as she felt uneasy. Being around Odin was becoming increasingly difficult, knowing that she was inadvertently telling lies every time they existed in each other's presence, even if they said nothing at all. 

Odin stroked his blond beard, looking to the entrance of the candle lit hall as two large black ravens flew into the structure, their wings expanding and closing as they landed by his feet. He looked into the black button eyes as they relayed to him silently what they had seen. “Huginn and Muninn tell me Lord Verdulke has suffered a great loss.” 

So it would be unspoken that their relationship would remain revolved around her tasks. “Yes. King Derkot of Vertan. The Elven King was close to Kirk’s father, Lord Birau. They consider each other to be family.” She attempted to only make a general statement, not wanting to give the impression that they had grown close.  

Kirk? Were they so close she called him by his given name? Odin stopped his chuckle. Family? What did mortals know of legacy and loss? As the Allfather Odin himself experienced the ultimate loss. Nothing could compare. “This…passing is nothing to mourn. Ensure that it does not dissuade him from doing what must be done.” 

Aztrit paced her words. Narcissism so casually rolled off of Odin’s tongue. “Humans make strong emotional connections, mourning is only natural.” 

The Allfather paused. His daughter seemed irritated. “You sound as if you care about his emotional state. But, then again… you are half human yourself, aren’t you Aztrit?” Odin said to her without looking, allowing his words to imply several layers of messages. “You have grown on this clan in the last two months. They’ve done particularly well with you accompanying them.” 

Aztrit kept her lips shut, knowing her father would give long talks as he worked through the events as they reached him. Someone had spoken about how just far she had gone to give Kirk’s clan success. 

As Tihala appeared before them, kneeling as she landed from the gusts, Aztrit felt staunch betrayal. 

Odin continued. “You’ve gone as far to keep souls from aiding me, when I need them most. This, Tihala told me. You instructed her to not take every worthy warrior. You’ve been organising unauthorised patrols with your Valkyrie sisters instead of turning their focus to instigating battle as we discussed.” 

How many times would have to argue with the women who led his armies?

Aztrit sequestered an exhale as his accusations ended. All this she could explain, but laying with her enemy she could not. “We spoke about doing what we believed was right in the moment. Midgard is approaching their own war, I found it unnecessary to add to their aggression when they’re already killing themselves.” 

“You found it unnecessary?! I am Allfather, do not speak to me about the thoughts of a half-bred lesser goddess!” his commanding voice boomed throughout the hall, causing everyone watching to shrink in fear. Had he said that to his own blood?

Odin looked into the watching faces, feeling their judgement as he lost his calm. "Away." He commanded them all, and waited as the room cleared and only he, Tihala, and Aztrit’s second remained.

His ravens stretched their wings, their black feathers flurrying as they took flight and swept out of the golden hall.  

Aztrit clutched the cold stone ground. Was this tyrant her father? The same man that used to say that no one was as divine as she?

Odin stood as he wiped a hand down his face, toying with the ends of his beard. It was too late to retract his words now. “You will do what I say is necessary, I am King, I am protector of the realm you seem to have forgotten. The beings on Midgard belong to me, they will join me when I decide the time is right.” He spat, not honouring her with his gaze as she displeased him. "Are we clear?"

Aztrit cast her eyes to the floor, feeling intense shame as his voice grew thick with fury. This was not the man she knew to be her father. He was commanding, but never aggressive, underhanded. His tactics were forced and unusual, turning into a mad king instead of their honoured leader. He viewed himself as higher than the fates, a position that belonged to no one. "Yes, Allfather."

“And the souls?” he added, seeking her explanation. 

Aztrit bowed. “They will be yours after each battle, I swear it father.”  

“Good.” He walked in front of Tihala, touching her head, alerting her to rise. Aztrit watched as he touched Tihala with affection, noting his granddaughter in rare accord. “Thor’s family is working actively to prove their loyalty.  I am ashamed that I misplaced my trust. I want Tihala trained to be your replacement. Another discrepancy and you will be stripped of your title.” 

As the Allfather flashed away, Aztrit looked on in surprise. Her replacement? 

Aztrit glared, looking directly at her niece as she cowered, still kneeling on the floor. Silence reigned, forming a sheet iron curtain between them.

“Craitol.” Aztrit called as she stood, preparing to leave. As her sister appeared, Aztrit nodded to Tihala.  “You will take Tihala with you on every dispatch.” She gave her niece an unwavering stare, finding herself struggling with her anger. She was Thor’s daughter, loyal to Odin no matter the expense. “If she is let out of your sight even once, I promise that you will pay for every second you allowed your watch to lapse.” She gave only a gaze of warning, wanting to forget her emotional attachment to the girl in front of her.

“Yes, My Lady.” Stuttered Craitol as she bowed along with the other Valkyries, not watching as their leader ended her brief visit.

✴

Kirk opened his eyes as he felt Aztrit climb into bed with him. 

She laid her head on the pillow, turning on her side as she faced away from him. Keeping himself quiet, he listened to her sniffle, her body shuddering from her quiet sobs. Not understanding what he should do, he stayed still, feeling the anger he was harbouring towards her melting away. 

Kirk was upset that she hadn’t been there for him while a piece of his past faded to nothingness, and for hiding her condition from him. But her current need for his support was clear. 

His own feelings could spare a moment. He was only glad that she was present now; the three days without her after battle weighed heavily on him. 

“I know you’re awake.” Aztrit said in an exhale as she briefly stopped her cries. “He’s gone isn’t he?” 

Kirk brought his body closer to hers, wrapping his arm around her as she continued to cry. “Aye. Derkot is dead.” Feeling the pain in her chest, he sat up, wanting to see her face as they held each other. “Forgive me if my assumptions are untrue, but I don’t believe you are crying for Derkot’s memory.” 

Aztrit shook her head as she began to cry harder. How could Allfather have said those terrible things about her? Had she not worked hard enough for his love? His recognition? 

Was it her? Was her father different now because he had already recognized her betrayal? How long until the many who knew would inevitably alert him?  Was she the one that had fallen from the strength of their family, their home? Did she no longer belong? 

“Things are not well at home, Valkyrie?” 

It was no longer her home. Soon, she would not even be Valkyrie. But try as hard as she might, attempting to convince herself that falling from grace was not worth Kirk’s love, she could not ignore each second he was spending to support her in his time of need.

She turned over, looking up into his face, running her thumb down the scar covering his silver eye. She shook her head once more, tears slipping from her eyes. “If they die during Ragnarök, it will have been my fault. I’ve turned my back on them.” 

“No.” Kirk said simply, touching her wet teary face as she fingered his. Her lip quivered as tears moved down her full cheeks. “Everything you’ve done is because you love your home. The path your family is following is one that will lead it to its end. They may not understand, but when you have completed what it is you feel that you must do, they will be better for it.” It was then that he was reminded that she was not only going against her King’s explicit orders, she was disobeying her father and questioning where her loyalties lay. Kirk was thankful she was still choosing to side with him. 

Aztrit buried her head into his shoulder, continuing her sobs as he held her. Every word he spoke was covered in truth. She did love her home. She did love her family, her father. And she was going to save them. Her father’s way would not keep them alive when their enemies surrounded them. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t know, not until–”

“Dahlia has already made me aware. But I thank you for your apology.” He rested his lips against her strained forehead, feeling the tension her worries had placed on her. Wanting to alleviate her pain, even minutely, he chose to focus on the humour of the situation. “The Allfather and Hel. They will be horrible grandparents.” 

Aztrit smiled slightly from his misplaced comforting. She couldn’t imagine her father finding out, and willingly wanting to recognize their child. “Did Dahlia tell you what we’re having?” 

Kirk's brows lifted in shock, “She is already aware?” It had been three long days of thought for him, attempting to understand how exactly they would move forward. Two wars, and welcoming a child on the horizon. Every fibre of his being hoped that the madness would end before they did.

Aztrit nodded slowly. Dahlia was a wonder. 

After letting her inhabit her body for only a moment, she had the answers she needed. After her injury from the fates, she had wanted to know immediately of her condition, hoping that her recklessness would not be the end of her sprouting hopes. 

The Well’s reflection had been correct. A girl, black of hair and silver in iris, was well on her way.

“Do you want to know?” She felt Kirk’s breath stop for a moment. She brought her legs closer to her body, touching his chest as she curled against him. His breathing settled her. He only nodded his head. “It’s a girl.”

 

To be continued...