บท 19: Chapter 19 – Troublesome Family!
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*Any images in this chapter don't belong to me! It belongs to their respective artists/creators!
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- Location: Niflheim / Éljúðnir (Castle / Hall of Hel)
Pov. Thor.
I will not lie, I have never seen my 'cousin' Hel in all my 100 years of life.
After all, I only learned of her existence after my bloodthirsty adventure in Jotunheim.
So seeing that she was already being revered as 'Queen of the Underworld' was a little...worrying? I don't know if this is the best definition...
As soon as I entered the palace I followed the instructions of the man and woman from before, who introduced themselves as Ganglati and Ganglot respectively and found myself in a kind of throne room.
The 'throne', for some reason, looked more like a... bed? I think Ganglot referred to Hel's throne as Kör.
And I could see that someone was lying lazily on the bed, and it seemed to be sleeping... What a laziest reception...
"*Coff*" I coughed, intending to clear my throat and wake the person sleeping in the bed/throne.
The person lying down seemed to have woken up, as soon she got up and looked in my direction, I assume she's Hel, but... Is it too much of a coincidence that she looks like her younger version of Marvel?... Without the ridiculous helmet of course.
"Ah?... A visitor!" she exclaimed.
She then snapped her fingers and the 'throne room' seemed to 'respond' to her command, as a green flame emerged from the torches and chandeliers in the hallway, her 'bed' seemed to 'change' into a kind of throne worthy of royalty...
"Greetings Visitor! I'm Hel! As much as I want to welcome you into my house by the law of the guest... Were you not accompanied by one of my servants?" Hel asked, confused.
"Ah... If it's the man and woman outside... I left them there and asked for directions, because... They were walking too much... Slowly?" I replied uncertainly.
It wasn't a lie, a baby crawling was faster than those two...
"Ah, these two…" said Hel, putting both hands to her face and wailing.
... Seeing her mourn is kind of... Disappointing? I honestly expected more from the 'Queen of the Underworld'.
"Ah... Excuse me..." I stopped... How am I supposed to reference her?... Queen? No, she is not my queen... Cousin? Well... She 'Is' the daughter of a 'prince', as Loki is Odin's brother by a blood oath and not by birth, so would that be wrong?
My thoughts were interrupted by Hel.
"Only Hel is fine…So, could you please introduce yourself? I don't get many visitors… At least not visitors who are still breathing…" Hel said, muttering the last part.
... Well... This 'queen of the underworld' is proving more reasonable than I thought she would be.
"My name is Thor, son of Odin, and…I'm on a quest" I replied.
I don't know if I can say that I'm looking to reduce her brother, the 'god slayer' himself, to a guard dog...
"Um… Son of Odin? So you're my cousin!" said Hel in... Happiness?
"Err... Kind of... Yes? I guess…" I said, shrugging.
When I confirmed that I was her 'cousin', Hel stood up from the throne quickly and ran towards me... I won't deny it, I was on alert quickly, I was ready to draw Mjolnir if necessary to defend me.
But what happened next was... weird.
The reason?... Hel, the 'queen of the underworld', and 'princess' of Asgard by blood oath... Hugged me.
"I'm so glad someone from the family came to visit me!" said Hel, hugging me.
... Huh?
"... Don't you get many visits from our family?" I asked.
When she heard my question, Hel stopped hugging me and stepped back a bit, and began rubbing her left arm.
"Well…not exactly. You see... When I was a child I always had the company of my older brothers, but one day... Odin came to us with open arms to welcome us in Asgard, but one day... Jörmundgander was sent to Midgard by Odin, I don't know what they did to him, but he never came back... According to my father, he was growing too much and too fast. After that, for a while it was just me and my brother Fenrir…until my 'powers' manifested and, because of my 'affinity', Odin sent me… to here" explained Hel.
I got it... For some reason... These answers were reeking of prophesy paranoia.
Hel then continued to speak.
"Of course I was lonely for a while…But I had visits from my father and Fenrir, accompanied by an Aesir named Tyr, so it was…tolerable? But... That changed when I got the news from my father that Fenrir killed Mimir, a great adviser of Odin, in a fit of rage. Fenrir was then chained and sent here so that I could keep an eye on him... One day I went to visit him, but... As I approached... He tried to attack me," said Hel, looking at the landscape out through a window.
So... They didn't tell the whole truth to her... Typical.
I knew Fenrir was arrested because the gods feared him... Tyr and Loki were the only ones who opposed the arrest.
But Tyr is too loyal to Odin, and he soon gave up trying to convince him to stop Fenrir's arrest.
Loki was more persistent, according to my mother Frigg. But he was soon silent when Odin compared Fenrir to a wild dog capable of killing gods without 'control'.
The ironic thing is that, like me, Fenrir was tricked by Odin and... His father.
The first two attempts to arrest Fenrir? Odin and Loki tricked him by convincing him that breaking chains was a way of showing his 'strength'.
Due to Fenrir's mind being a bit…primitive… He fell into the conversation perfectly.
And then came the turn of the third chain called Gleipnir... According to Frigg, who was watching, when Fenrir realized he could not break the chain, he soon began to cry for help, but... The gods ignored the 'crying' and celebrated the 'victory' over the 'Beast of Ragnarok' and the 'God Slayer'.
When I asked Tyr about Fenrir, he told me that Fenrir no longer trusted the gods so much after Dromi's attempt that he managed to break down into an excess of rage and accidentally kill Mimir. So, to convince Fenrir, he offered to put his hand inside Fenrir's mouth.
Fenrir believed as Tyr was considered his longtime 'pack friend'... And he thought Tyr would never betray him.
Big mistake Fenrir... Big mistake...
But I give you a discount on account of your rather 'primitive' mind.
Hel soon pulled me out of my thoughts.
"Anyway, you said you were on a quest... May I ask what kind of a quest would this be?" asked Hel, curious.
What should I say? Should I lie? Should I tell half-truths?... But again, the truth is more valuable for a first impression.
And being on the good side of the future 'goddess of death' can be advantageous for plans... Because I was also interested in knowing about my 'destiny' in this world, and if I changed anything due to my 'birth'.
And if there is one person who knew about the location of the agents of 'destiny' of the Norse pantheon, it is the goddess of death.
After all, 'fate goes hand in hand with death'.
After some consideration... I made my decision.
"I won't lie…I know Fenrir is trapped here in Lyngvi, I came to you to find out his location and…In a way…release him," I explained.
Initially, Hel received the news in happiness, as it meant her older brother's freedom... But when I said the last part, Hel seemed to eye me suspiciously.
"...What do you mean by 'In a way'?" Hel asked suspiciously.
Here comes the truth.
"…It won't exactly be 'free'… It will be more like a…semi-open regime" I explained.
Hel looked confused.
"... What is... 'semi-open regime'?" asked Hel.
Ah... Fuck... I forgot I'm out of my time.
"... Simply put... He will be transferred to another location, which will be my home in Midgard, he will be watched by me and on 'my terms'... It may just seem like a prison change to you, but I guarantee he will have more freedom than what is being offered here in Lyngvi" I explained.
"... Odin knows this?" Hel asked uncertainly.
"Yes, he was the one who allowed me to actually do that...Don't worry, I can take care of Fenrir in peace" I said confidently.
"Very well then... Fenrir has been arrested in the valley closest to the north of here, perhaps two hours' walk..." said Hel.
Okay... This was simpler than I thought.
"Well...thank you cousin...I'll leave immediately," I said turning my back to leave the room.
"Hang on!" shouted Hel.
I turned and looked at Hel, who looked…sad?
"…Are… Are you leaving already?... Do you want to stay a little longer? Perhaps for the feast? I have the best cooks because, well... They died and came here... Anyway, you must be hungry! Would you like to stay for the feast?" asked Hel excitedly.
She looked like someone who's only known solitude for a long time... and who craves company.
But I was in the middle of a personal quest.
"Look…I'd like to stay…But I'm pretty busy and my time is short…So…" I started to explain.
But as soon as I said those words, it felt like the excitement she'd had before disappeared...
"…When I bring Fenrir to Midgard… Feel free to visit us" I said.
I couldn't be upset with her... She just wanted company from people who were alive as well as seeing her family again...
Maybe I'll catch Jörmundgander again, so Hel says hello to her long-lost brother.
"Midgard?... Would I have to leave here?… I… I don't know…Dad always said no one can hurt me while I'm in the land of the dead…" explained Hel.
She looked… scared.
But what was she afraid of?... Of disobeying her father? Or fear of leaving her 'comfort zone'.
"I guarantee it won't be a big deal, it's always good to have a change of scenery… Wait a minute" I said.
I then took from my necklace a piece of parchment with a custom teleport rune.
"Here," I said, handing Hel the piece of parchment.
As soon as she took it, I started to explain.
"As you can see, this might look like an ordinary teleport rune... But it will take you to a small wood in Midgard, follow the path and you will find my home... When you come out of the land of the dead, put the rune in the palm of your hand and then drop the piece of parchment on the ground to embed the rune... The rune in the palm of your hand will serve as a key to the ground rune, so don't worry... Come visit your brother Fenrir later, maybe Jörmundgander does show up either," I said, shrugging.
Hel smiled and held out her hand.
"Thank you… cousin…" said Hel, taking the piece of parchment.
Well... I have a clear conscience now... It's time to adopt the ultimate pet!
"I think that's it…Remember cousin, you are always welcome at my house. And this isn't 'goodbye' it's just 'see you later'" I said, smiling.
I then walked towards the exit.
Before leaving Hel's 'throne room', I even heard a voice muttering...
"Yes... 'See you later'"
... Think I did a good deed? Well... It doesn't really matter.
It's not like Santa Claus is real and gives me a present… right? After all, the Christmas celebration doesn't even exist!
Hum... Maybe I should create a kind of celebration since there is no Christmas?
Anyway, I stopped thinking about these things... After all, they weren't important at the time.
I then activated the *Lightning Armor* and ran towards Fenrir's location...
It only took a few seconds to reach the valley.
And there he was...
And it looked like he had noticed me... because he was looking at me and growling.
Well... I'm not surprised by this hostile attitude on Fenrir's part.
After all, he was betrayed by the people he trusted most.
Betrayal hurts because it never comes from our enemies... But from the people thar we most consider and love.
It was time to extend the hand of friendship…and not lose it as Tyr did.
"Hello 'cousin'... Beautiful day in the underworld don't you think?" I asked smiling and approaching slowly.
He just growled.
... That's... Maybe it will be more difficult than I thought...
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Well... That's it, folks!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Until next time, and don't forget to leave your comment!
The next chapter will likely be published on Saturday or Sunday. I might even be able to post Friday night, but Saturday and Sunday are more likely.
Title of the next chapter:
Chapter 20 - The most dangerous guard dog in the world!
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