for "mini_nanowrimo" hence no friends lock 29
20140 ♥ 18000 (111.89%) so sad, so sad.
Hornstrandir, Iceland. Present Day: Nissa is picking petals off of flowers, humming to herself. Odin is preparing for battle. He is restless while he waits for dusk. He would like to have access to the Norns but knows he cannot leave. Huginn and Muninn fly down and Nissa lets out a squeak, running over. She holds out her little arms for them to come to her, to be pet and cuddled.
“Stop that,” Odin snaps at her. Huginn hops away, lands on his shoulder and whispers into his ear. Muninn stays put and peers at Nissa, much to her delight. He makes a small but deep noise. It is a word, but in no language Nissa has ever heard. It is sobering and makes her afraid, the hairs on her arms and neck standing off her flesh. They fly away then and little Nissa looks up to her Odin. He is standing and staring out over the cliffs edge.
“Is it more witches?” she asks when she is sure he has forgotten about her.
“Yes. . .” he answers, voice far away. He coughs and gives a small shake to his head. “Yes. Yes. Many more witches.” He sounds so sure and certain of himself but Nissa shifts with unease.
“Do you have more magic to use against them?” Odin laughs at this, much to her annoyance.
“I am a God. I am a God and there is a never ending supply of magic and wealth of knowledge and mysteries: just for me. For my kind. I will defeat these witches as I have the ones that came before them and the ones before them and before even them.”
“Well now. . .That was lovely. Good speech, dear. Very good.” Nissa pats his arm in a comforting manner and sets about starting up another fire. She is muttering about warm bread and butter.
Dusk falls around them. Nothing happens. They are still alone.
Odin wakes with a start to the sound of a cracking branch. He does not remember falling asleep, but he did. He does not remember having any dreams, but he did. He is alone and the fire is only red hot embers. Nissa is gone and he stands then, on guard, as he remembers the sound the woke him. The air is eery and still, full of silence. He knows he is surrounded by many witches, because Huginn told him they were waiting for a vulnerable moment. He is angry with himself for giving it to them. He is angry with Nissa for letting him sleep, although he told her no different way to behave.
“I told you we would come back. I told you that we would take from you.”
“You can take nothing from me!”
“Oh maybe, maybe. . .” two dozen witches step from the darkness toward him. He has to turn his head to see them all, past the rainbow shimmer in his peripheral, standing in a row holding hands. The witch who is addressing him, stands forward and she is hold a broken tree limb. Even in the dim light he can see the rune symbols etched onto it, painted with their blood. He laughs then, mockingly. The witches bristle.
“You are too old now!” she shouts, arm hold the tree branch above her head and shaking it. Odin can smell the blood in the air. “You see nothing!” She hurls the enchanted branch at him and he catches it easily. There is a pause and then Nissa comes charging out from the darkness.
“I’ll kill all of you! You dare hurt my love!” She snarls at them and then whips around and throws herself at Odin’s legs, clinging. “Oh don’t you die now. Please don’t leave me!” she sobs. Odin pulls her away, looking down at her. He pats the branch roughly, showing it can do him no harm. Nissa breathes deeply, calmly and nods. She takes it from him and stands beside him to face the witches once more.
“Stupid little girls. All the witchcraft you know and you attack this old God with a branch. You have done nothing but doom yourself. There is a charm I know-“
”Yes, yes.” The witch in front cuts him off. “Any spell sent to harm you be will only rebound and destroy the sender.” Odin feels ice freeze his marrow. “But that curse was only for you symbolically.” She nods her head to the spot beside him. Nissa is laying on the ground, pale and twitching. She still clutched the branch tightly to her chest, a foam and blood mixture rise from her throat. She gags on it, once and then the twitching finally stops. Odin can do nothing, feels nothing but kneels at her side.
“But she was charmed,” he says to no one.
“You did this. You’ve killed her. You know all. See All and still you passed the curse right into her arms. In her devotion she would never refuse you. She couldn’t help but take it. She had no choice.”
He lashes out at them, screaming nonsense, but they’ve all gone. It’s over now. Blood, death and sorrow, they won this battle. He gathers up Nissa’s body in his arms. It is still faintly warm, and so very small with all the life it contained emptied out. He walks to the shimmering entrance of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge and begins his final trek home.