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Redemption and Ragnarok (TouketsuSafaia & Caspian)

Aasta looked up at him as he had given her the food. "Thank you.." She spoke while taking it and looking down into her lap, where she had set the food, before she let it cool off a bit. She then began to eat while sitting, slowly of course. She was in no hurry to eat, before heading to bed, a yawn escaped her mouth sending out a puff of warm air into the cold air around her. She finished eating her fill and looked over to Kjeld.

"Will you be sleeping in there tonight?" She asks softly while staring at him.
 
Kjeld saw the steam escape Aasta's mouth as she yawned and realized it was going to be getting colder and colder. Eventually they would have no choice but to share shelter in the night. He closed his eyes in thought for a moment. He knew that he wouldn't be doing anything he did with his wife, but sharing shelter with a stranger was something he hadn't done in a long time. Sharing a small shelter with a woman was something he hadn't done since his wife was alive.

Surely it wasn't that big a deal, Kjeld thought to himself. Why would I worry about such a thing. He didn't believe the rumours that Aasta was a sorceress or a witch, but at night when it was dark, the mind raced with ideas.

He reconciled with himself for a moment and finally nodded. "Yes, I will sleep in the shelter tonight, but after I have kept watch for a while. Perhaps after you are asleep." He didn't want an awkward discussion when he crawled into his skins as he slept. It was awkward enough having to sleep in his furs. At home he slept in nothing but his skin. He sighed and chewed his venison strips, thinking of his home and his life before he lost his family.

"So tell me, Aasta, whatever happened to the people who took care of you? There were... rumours, but I would rather hear it from your own lips."
 
Aasta looked down a heavy sigh escaping her mouth, she chewed on her venison strip, letting her mind roll around in her memory's of her adoptive family. "They had been old, I did all I could around the house to stay in their love longer, I cooked, I cleaned, I hunted, I sewed, I did as much as I could to keep them healthy. But as old as they were one winter morning, they were found asleep, cold as ice though they were next to the fire." She sighed again while looking out into the forest, these were all painful memory's, she wished to forget about them, mostly because when they died it left her aching for someone else to love. She did love them, its why she had done so much for them to keep them going for so long, she had been lucky they lasted until she had been 15 summers old, she smiled softly remembering the way the had treated her, full of love, calling her daughter.

So many promises had been broken though, but at least in Vallhalla she would see them again, she would hopefully find her true mother and father as well, she hoped to know her true self. And in the end she knew she would go back to the couple that raised her, being her only true family, the one who showed her everything she knew now. She finished off her strips of meat and stood up, she pulled her mind out of her thoughts. "I'll be going to bed now.. good night Kjeld."
 
Kjeld nodded and propped his feet up by the fire. The water in his boots heated, drying from the outside in. He leaned back and looked up at the starts. He could see the plow and the great bear in their constellations. Perhaps he would see them in person in Valhalla. He longed to see his son. His poor son who had defended his mother in his last breaths on earth. A tear rolled down Kjeld's eye and he huddled his furs against himself as a chill traveled through his bones.

He waited for the sound of Aasta's breath to slow, telling him that she was asleep. He waited a few minutes to ensure that he would not wake her as he stepped into the shelter.

He wrapped himself in his furs and nestled down into the furs. He could feel his own warmth growing in the fur nest he had been cocooned and soon he fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of his wife and his son.
 
Aasta fell into a deep sleep, she did not dream, she did not wake, she hardly moved while in her sleep. While she laid she felt lonely in the dark nothingness, the deep blackness in her mind. It was always there when she slept, a loneliness, sad, wanting and waiting for her eyes to close. She woke up, almost frantic, something startled her awake, whether it was her own mind or something actually outside. She sat up her eyes stayed closed as she slowed her breathed, her eyes heard everything. Nothing crunched outside, no wind blew, everything seemed to be alright, it was just her mind that had frightened her.

She opened her eyes before laying back down, trying to sleep once more.
 
Kjeld shuffled in his furs. The extra heat in the shelter was enough to make him a little restless, not being used to the additional warmth. He heard the soft rustling of Aasta and woke for a moment. He spent the next 20 - 30 minutes drifting in and out of consciousness, hoping to fall back into that deeper sleep.

Suddenly the patch under his eyes that had been anointed with Wolverine's blood began to burn slightly. Something was nearby, something that lived in between the land of the living and the land of the dead. A wispy figure came into view. It's feet did not come in contact with the ground, and yet it appeared to be walking more than floating. Plants that it stepped on held the specter's weight and did not bend or fold. Kjeld sat stock still, watching the creature through slitted eyes as he rest on his side. He had Aasta behind him in the shelter, he hoped the smokey figure would pass them by.
 
Aasta had almost fallen back asleep until she just felt uneasy, she opened her eyes while laying in the dark, she didn't dare to say anything, she tried not to breathe as much as possible. She laid in the dark, she knew Kjeld was also awake now, she could just feel something close by, she realized this might have been what woke her up the first time but she hadn't seen it. She shivered, something was happening around them, she didn't think she wanted to know.

"Kjeld.." She whispered just under her breath, she couldn't say it any louder as she turned over to face him, he was facing the opening in the shelter, she gaped at the wispy figure. She closed her eyes, something about it reminded her of something, something long forgotten, something she shouldn't remember.
 
Kjeld couldn't quite make out the shape of the ghostly specter. It was neither a man nor a woman and it certainly wasn't a god. It was something that did not belong in the land of the living or the dead. It was something from in between. The Norns ruled the forests of the North. This was their territory.

The specter didn't exactly sit by the red coals of the fire, so much as melt down beside it. It seemed to be looking from side to side, but there were no eyes or ears by which it could see or hear. "It must be the Wolverine's blood Aasta." Kjeld whispered as quietly as he could. "I think these things are around us all the time, but we seldom realize they are there."

The center of the amorphous shape suddenly twisted and a face that had previously been undetectable suddenly turned to them. Kjeld's mind could not decipher a language, so much as feel the emotions and thoughts of the form in front of him. He could see that they were being observed just as plainly as they were observing the phantom in front of them. Perhaps far, far more closely.

I have been sent by Verandi of the Norn, the goddess of necessity. I am here to guide you to her. We are going to the middle of the forest.

Kjeld felt the sentiment ringing in his head. There was a compulsion to understand and to believe the specter. There was no choice in the matter. The fates were controlled by the Norns and could not be avoided if you were fated to meet them.
 
Aasta sat up after hearing, or more like understanding the words, she pulled on her cape. "Then we should follow." She says softly while pulling her boots on again. She was excited to find out what Verandi could want with them. She stepped out of the tent carefully, slowly and softly, she pulled the hood up over her dark hair a smile alight on her face. She paused outside waiting for Kjeld to come out along with her, she waited patently.
 
Kjeld wrapped up the sleeping furs and tied them to his packframe. He wrapped up some of the well-smoked deer meat in a leather pouch and bundled it tight. He kicked snow onto the fire and the two began their trek into the deep woods.

The forest path was clear of large stones and any debris. It was as if it was worn smooth and constantly swept, like the dirt floor in Kjeld's cabin. There was no way to explain how the path could be so flat and smooth as it ascended, cut into the rock as smooth as knife cutting through wood.

Squirrels scurried across the path on the ground and above them in the trees. There was a constant chatter among them, like they were discussing the travelers. Kjeld thought he could have reached out and grabbed one, at one point, but didn't dare. The specter floated ahead of them, far enough that Kjeld didn't think he could hear them talk, but close enough to be seen at all times.

"I am worried Aasta. Whatever the Norns send us to do, we have no choice, but I don't like my fate and my path being tampered with."
 
Aasta nodded listening to Kjelds words, she felt about the same. "I understand, but we really can't do anything about it, we can't just stop. Who knows what would happen. We can figure out what to do when we get to it." She says softly.

She looked above them in the tree's, she could see nothing but she could hear that chattering of the voices, she couldn't understand words. But she could hear the tone in each of the chattering, they were being watched and talked about. It made her a bit uneasy, she took a step closer towards Kjeld, not even close enough to touch, but just a step closer and she felt safer, a bit more relaxed.
 
Kjeld nodded and grunted in agreement with Aasta. "Yes, you are right about that. Even if we did stop, we'd be fated to do so at this point. So we might as well meet our fate face-to-face. I must confess Aasta, I am glad you are with me. I would hate to face the Norns alone."

Kjeld surprised himself, openly admitting his fear to a girl younger than himself. Then again, if they were to travel together, why hide things? They had worked well as a team thus far.

Kjeld could feel a force other than his own coaxing him up the hill towards a massive cedar tree at the top of a hill. It was still an hour's climb away, but he did not feel like he could get there fast enough. He felt as though his feet and his soul were operating in different times. He could almost feel himself coming apart at the seams as they walked up the hill. Gooseflesh broke out over his skin. He felt as though he was stepping into a world of in-between the world of the body and the world of the soul. Nothing was logical, but it all seemed to make sense on a deeper - more primal level.

"I can feel them, the Norns. I can almost see the threads they weave and I can almost see the way they cling to our bodies and hang off of us like Lichen on a tree."
 
Aasta shivered as they walked up the hill towards the massive ceder tree, each step felt like something was brushing up against her, it made her jumpy. She paused slightly to gather her breath before grounding herself and following again. "I understand. I'm frightened as well.. but then again as a foundling nothing should frighten me." She jokes softly, a half smile on her face while she walked with him.

"Not much farther... I wonder what the Norn's have in store for us.. why were we brought all the way up this way when we were sent to go to Valhalla." She says softly.
 
"I don't know, perhaps it was all planned before. Fate is always a tricky thing, I've never understood it." Kjeld just softly shook his head and shrugged.

As they climbed the hill their burden of packs and water and gear became almost nothing. It was as though everything worldly was left behind. It felt like they no longer possessed flesh and bones. Everything was just a reflection of themselves. Climbing became easier and easier. The world of material was gone, now they were in the world of the fates.

They climbed that final hour and stepped into a large meadow. There were no trees in the ring around the top of the mountain except one. The meadow stretched all around the crown of the mountain for at least two miles. Out of the ground at the very top were knots of rooms and rock, climbing up into what had to be the largest tree in the world. Around it's base several animals and critters the likes of which Kjeld had never seen nor heard of before. They could feel the beckoning of the Norns, though they could see no-one but the playful animals skittering about the base of the tree.
 
Aasta could do nothing but stare at the lovely tree before her, the animal caught her eye as they skittered and ran along, they looked to be playing, a smile came to her face. She looked back up at the tree, she fought the feeling of walking toward it while she continued to look around, she looked up into the clear sky, it was beautiful up here. Before she had even realized it, she noticed she was walking towards the tree, her eyes widened in surprise, when did she start walking?
 
Three figures descended down from a great bough, far above the ground. The floated down to the rooted base of the tree slowly, as though they were being lowered by rope; but there was no rope to be found.

"Welcome Aasta and Kjeld. Finally, we are met by the two foundlings. You both carry a great burden with you, though you do not know it. You will be responsible for making hard choices, the two of you, and your fate is intertwined with all of the threads in this forest, though you cannot see it. The two foundlings will rend the earth or stop it's tremblings."

Kjeld pondered for a moment. "Two foundlings? Surely there is only one of us."

"No, both of you are foundlings. You are both not from where you lived. Aasta was born far away in warmer lands. Kjeld, you were born in the North. We are sorry you did not know."

Kjeld was bewildered with the revelation. "Who were my parents then, and for that matter, who were Aasta's parents?"
 
Aasta wasn't sure how to feel, here Kjeld was now found to be a foundling just like herself, she blinked softly her parents, she was from a warmer land? She smiled softly while listening, these Norn's knew about her parents, and about Kjeld's as well.

She sighed softly sinking down to her knee's to sit and listen, Kjeld wanted some answers, she did as well, but she was the one who knew all along about her being a foundling, now she knew, she came from lands warmer then this place. That was more then good enough for her right now, she wad finally starting to find out about herself.
 
"But I knew my parents! They were nomads! They told me of my birth!" Kjeld insisted.

"No, you knew those who had stolen you. You were taken from a family of another tribe. They stole you in the hopes of trading you for ransom. As fate would have it, the village was raided and your parents were slain. Those who stole you were forced to take you with them. Your actual parents have been in the halls of Valhalla since you were weaned."

Kjeld stared in disbelief. "What can you tell us of Aasta's parents? What is their story? How did she come from the warmer climate while I came from the colder? Why, of all people, did the two of us become tied to each others fates?"

Kjeld turned to Aasta. "Perhaps we can discover more of your story as well?"
 
Aasta nodded softly, her smile grew larger, he was trying to help her gain her own truths about her parents. "Yes, please... What of my parents? What happened to them? From the beginning I knew something was off about things... of course the villagers didn't help." She says softly while glancing down at her feet.

She glanced back up, the two of them were fated for something, he was from a colder climate while she came from a warmer one. It was unbelievable, yet she knew it was truth.
 
The Norns' warbled voices pierced the two travelers as they stood in the presence of the fates.

"If only the other villagers knew about you, you would have been chased out of the village. You and your kind will pose a great threat to these people in the future. However, had they known the fate of Kjeld they would have murdered him. He will bring about the age of Ragnarok, though it is no more his fault than anyone elses. You and Aasta will go to Valhalla, you will both enter the halls of Odin and Balder. You will see when you arrive what the fates have in store."

Kjeld felt the blood draining from his face and his knees buckling. Truly, was it their fate to bring about the end of the universe? Was it their fate to call Fenrir to swallow the sun?
 
Aasta nodded, she had figured as much, at least on her part, did that make her bad? She didn't feel bad, Seeing Kjeld's face drain of color she softly set her hand on his shoulder while leaning close to him. "Kjeld, it is not your fault.. your fate does not make you evil.." She spoke knowing they were not evil, and if something bad came about from them, it still did not mean they in themselves were bad.

"It is fated to happen no matter what. Let us keep walking towards our fate with our heads held high, we won't be able to stop it no matter what.."
 
Kjeld fought against the nausea that crept up his throat, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. His mouth was watering and his eyes were still burning. Ragnarok was the dreaded age of darkness, when Fenrir would blot out the sun itself. Kjeld never really identified with the other villagers, but he was respected because of his skill and his physical prowess. "How, how will I bring about Valhalla? How will I cause the age of Fenrir and how can I fight it?"

"Kjeld of the North, you cannot fight it. Aasta will be the one who goes before you into Valhalla. You will follow and as you do, everything will end. Your fate is bound and Aasta is bound to you in a way you do not yet realize. Until then the two of you will follow a new path through the forest to the Village of Nordkapp in the North. You will be given a new direction into the deep North. Now you must go, re-enter the world of Earth and leave the world of mid-way."

Kjeld breathed in deeply. "What of Aasta and her family? You must tell us our stories!"

The Norns turned. Not physically, but the gaze of their attention lit towards where Aasta stood.
 
Aasta stood, her hand stayed on Kjeld's shoulder, she looked up at the Norn's. "Are my parents still alive?" That was the only question she could think of right at this moment. "Will I found out about myself, who and what I am?" She asks while looking at them, she was tied to Kjeld? In what way? They now had a new mission as well, what would become of them as they made their way forward?
 
Kjeld didn't know. His whole world was on it's ear, and he had no idea what the future would hold. It seemed that fate and destiny were their only true masters.

Yes, Aasta, your future holds the answers. You will certainly see your true parents, but whether it will be in the world of the living or the house of the dead is unclear, even to us. Your family hails from the south, far in the south where the sun is hot and high in the sky. You were born in the North, however, they were fleeing something.

Kjeld felt Aasta's excitement. At least she had something to look forward to, after all the years of cruelty and misery.
 
Aasta breathed out softly, her parents had been running from something and she would get too see them, she didn't care by what means, she just knew she would finally see them. "Thank you very much.. Is this all you need from us? Forgive me for being so blunt but I'm sure we should start on our new journey soon, unless I'm wrong.."
 
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