A story in the Grains of Time Saga. For an introduction to this saga, I recommend reading my mini-guide
Amanda felt the Presence of an old Immortal enter her mind, and immediately reached for her sword. Her long coat flapped around her as a gush of wind came through the room and Loke entered.
She knew it had to be him. His light blue eyes were expressionless as he lifted his own sword. He was a handsome man, short, blonde hair framing a finely chiselled face. He was large, and his white clothes were smothered with mud.
Erik was dead then. A pang of sadness came over her, even though she had not known him long. He had done much for Nick, and thereby for her.
She lifted her sword challengingly and met his eyes with defiance.
“You must be a friend of Erik's.” Loke looked her up and down, clearly measuring her. She didn't bother with a reply, just calmed her own breathing and prepared herself.
He lifted his sword and directed a swing at her, but she easily sidestepped it and lashed out. He was quick enough to block her attack. They circled each other for a few seconds, their steps echoing through the large hall.
Loke came at her again, and she spun around, meeting his thrust. He was strong, but she was fast. Her best chance was to move fast and look for an opening. She took care not to get too close, to avoid his most powerful thrusts.
They danced down the hall, their shadows playing on the wall. His complete focus on Amanda, Loke didn't hear the hurried footsteps through the hall. But he saw something in the corner of his eye as he met Amanda's thrust. She noticed something too, and her eyes flickered from him just a second.
It was all he needed. He swung the sword around hurriedly. His aim was slightly off, but the tip of his sword made contact with her neck.
Nick called out as Amanda toppled over, coughing up blood before she fell lifeless. He stared in horror, wanting to run over. Raven grabbed hold of his arm and held him back.
But Loke was staring at Raven with half a smile on his lips.
“Hello, Frigg,” he said and lowered his sword somewhat, taking no notice of Nick.
“I'm not Frigg anymore,” she said coolly, “I have not been for a while. She died when the peace did. I have had no need for her since, but now you wish to fight her.”
“I wish to be loved by her.” He lifted his sword and suddenly came at her. She spun away, but not before he'd cut into her side. She didn't even blink.
“This is our fight. I will fight you, but alone,” she said through clenched teeth and gave Loke a hard stare. Finally, he stepped away and into the other end of the room. Nick immediately ran to Amanda's side.
“Take her out of here!” Raven let out a groan as she clutched her side.
“Will she..?” He didn't dare finish the sentence as he lifted her body from the ground and saw the nasty cut in her neck.
“She might wake up, there was no Quickening. I think so, but wounds to the neck are always tricky. Now go!”
He gave her one last look before beginning the to run in the opposite direction. Amanda felt light in her arms, and he carried her like she was made of crystal and would break if he dropped her.
Heading down the corridor, he ran until he spotted a bedroom.
“Please, please, please..” he muttered, not quite sure whom he was asking. Slowly, he put Amanda's body on the bed and kneeled down beside it. And he waited, for what felt like an eternity but was actually just a few minutes. He kept wavering between desperation and certainty, until finally, she groaned.
It was the sweetest sound he'd ever heard. The wound on her neck had closed somewhat, but there would be scaring. It didn't matter. She was alive.
“Amanda,” he said, leaning his head on the bed and against her stomach. She let a hand rest on his head, feeling the Immortal healing tingle through her body.
“I love you,” she heard Nick whisper. “Don't you ever, ever do that to me again.”
“I was just..” she said weakly, but he cut her off.
“You keep so much from me sometimes I wonder if I can trust anything you say!” he got up, feeling his anger surface. “Lying is second nature to you, but I can't live like that.”
“It's how I've survived!” she snapped back, swinging her feet onto the floor and getting up to face him. “The world is not black and white, Nick. Goods guys and bad guys. It's not like that. The world is shades of grey.”
“You put me in this damn world! You *killed* me!”
“I couldn't stand to see you die!”
“Then why do you make it so hard?”
“I don't make it hard, you do!”
He shook his head. “You are the most stubborn, stubborn, stubborn..!”
“Oh, shut up! I don 't know why I bother, you're impossible!”
She staggered suddenly, feeling dizzy and nauseous. Nick reached out to support her without thinking.
“Let me go!” she hissed. He let go of her arm suddenly, looking at her with an expression she couldn't quite read.
“You can go if you want to,” he said, and she knew he meant it.
For a second she actually thought he'd let her go. Then he threw out an arm and grabbed hold of her. She stood still, her eyes squeezed shut, waiting until she felt him stand in front of her. She could feel his eyes on her, her face felt like it was burning.
“Do you want to go, Amanda?”
“No!” she wanted to scream with all her heart, but she just nodded, her eyes still closed.
“I'll go,” he said softly, and let go of her arm. Seconds later, she heard his footsteps trail away. Only then did she open her eyes and realised her cheeks were hot with tears.
Animals die
Friends die
You will die in the same matter
But the words glory
Will never die
In honourable reminisce
(Håvamål)
~~~~~
Slowly, Raven took out her sword and threw her coat on the floor. Loke watched with interest, waiting patiently until she was ready.
“I remember that sword,” he remarked. “Odin gave it to you. He loved you. We all did. Did I not do great deeds in your name? Have I not earned your love?”
“By breaking the peace and burning the tree?” She shook her head. “You did what you wanted to for no other reason than that.”
He smiled. “You always saw far and keenly. I have missed you. You will stay forever this time, inside of me.”
And with that, he attacked. She easily dodged his first blows, keeping her sword at her side. Blood dripped onto the floor from her wound as she moved. She didn't bother with it, just kept on dodging blows until he grew impatient.
A thousand years, and he had not changed. That was his undoing. When she saw the little twitch of his eyebrow she knew his patience was wearing thin.
He swung at her again, and she finally lifted her sword and blocked it. Their sword clashed together with such strength both dented slightly along the edge. Spinning around while holding onto her sword, Raven kicked Loke hard in the back and he fell face forward.
He was on his feet in a matter of seconds, attacking her more fiercely. She met him thrust for thrust, moving so fast she was like a shadow. Her short sword shone in the light. He cursed and swung at her. But suddenly she wasn't there.
A faint hiss of air was all he heard when she swung her sword around and separated his head from his body. It was a trick she had learned from Rebecca, moving in your opponent's blind field when he was most frustrated. Loke had swung too widely, and left her room to move. Lowering her sword, she waited.
She screamed as the Quickening struck her, screamed in agony and grief and anger until she was out of breath. Bolts of lightning danced around her. Filled with energy, she lifted the sword high over her head. The sparks of lightning dazzled around the edges. Glass broke around her. Carpets caught on fire. Light bulbs sparked and blew.
She stood unsteadily even after the lightning stopped, pushing away the essence of Loke. She did not want him, and he had no power over her. He had long since stopped being the man she had loved.
Her steps echoed through the hall as she walked out. Nick came walking towards her, his face drawn.
“Loke is dead,” she informed him. “I'll clean up the mess here. You and Amanda an return to Paris.”
“She's not coming,” he said flatly, but his eyes betrayed him. She felt her face soften somewhat.
“Oh,” was her only comment, “Well, could you clean out Erik's apartment? There's a sword there I think he intended for you. I might drop by in the nearby future.”
“Sure.”
She turned to walk away, but paused after a few steps.
“Thank you, Nick. For taking the Quickening, I mean. In a way, Erik will live on within you and I'm glad for that. I could think of none better.”
And with that, Raven walked out. There was quite a mess to clean up. It would take some time, and she had some other pressing matters to check as well. But once that was done, she would find a quiet place and howl in grief for a decade or two. And remember, always remember.
She found Amanda in one of the bedrooms, looking tired, but alive. A dark red scar ran across her neck.
“Amanda. I know you feel you owe me something because I once saved Rebecca's life, but let's call it settled now. Rebecca was a great friend to me, and that makes you a friend as well.” Raven paused a second, regarding the other woman. “So I mean this in the friendliest manner. Amanda, you're an idiot.”
*** Paris – a week later ***
David woke from his dream to find Raven in his bedroom. He wasn't alarmed; he had waited for her ever since Nick came back from his trip.
“Hey David,” she smiled, but the smile didn't touch her eyes. “Your mum went out, so I sneaked in. I'm just sort of stopping by and delivering something.”
“Another secret?” His face lit up.
“Yeah,” she put a finger to her lips conspiratorially, and he did the same.
“I have your magic piece,” he announced, jumping out of bed and taking of his chain. He hesitated only a faction of a second before handing it over. It gladdened her, because she had not been wrong about him.
“I have one for you to keep,” she lifted a slightly bigger piece of wood from her pocket. It had the same blackness, but it felt different when David reached out and touched it.
Raven watched him study it with distinct interest. Maybe she should have given it to someone older, but she trusted her instincts on this. As she had found it and stood with it in her hand, she had thought of David.
“It's a part of a tree called Yggdrasil,” she continued, and he listened with rapt attention even though the name clearly meant nothing to him
She wasn't surprised. There were few pieces of Yggdrasil remaining. Slowly, they disappeared, swallowed by time or destroyed. And sometimes they reappeared. She had a piece, as had Erik had, and Loke and a few other survivors from the destruction.
Ever since Erik had e-mailed her about his discoveries of Rachel's Immortality, Raven had wondered and pondered. It wasn't the first time she had heard of something like it, and there was only one explanation she could think of.
And two days ago, when she had found the little piece of burned wood imbedded in the stern of the Footloose, she had not really been surprised. Now Nick and Amanda would have a piece each, as Nick would get Erik's and Amanda had gotten Loke's. And David would have one too.
“It feels different,” David closed his fingers around it. It felt like a heartbeat in his hand.
“It is different,” Raven replied.
Her piece gave her dreams of what had happened, what could happen and what would happen. Often, she didn't know which the dream was. Idunn had possessed one that could heal. Maybe it was that one she had found again, as it had vanished in the sea long ago.
“Tell me about it.” David's eyes shone at her, and she found herself unable to refuse.
“There are legends from Scandinavia about the tree of life, Yggdrasil and the gods who watched over it. And like all legends, it started with the truth.”
She paused, memories flooding through all the walls she had created over the years. It was good to remember the past once in a while, for it was what shaped you. She remembered her first death, her first challenge, her first travel, her first love, her first time.
She remembered Loke and Balder and Odin, and the pact they'd formed. She remembered Rebecca and Ran and Erik, and a friendship which had survived time and conflict. She remembered all those who had died when the tree had burned.
She remembered Yggdrasil, when it was just a sprout barely sticking up from the ground. She remembered watching it grow and grow and grow until it was a grand sight. She remembered the power of it, making all of the country Holy Ground. She remembered the terrible smell of burned wood.
She remembered the peace, and she remembered conflict that had followed.
Fixing her glance at David again, she wondered why he was so easy to trust. There was something about him, a sense of knowing him already. Maybe she had known him in a former life, or rather his soul. It shone so brightly at her through his eyes. It remained her of Odin, she thought with a hint of sadness. Her beloved, whom she had stayed with for a millennia and they had accomplished great things together. He had died in the great destruction, and she had mourned him long until Erik had woken her from the dead again.
Now she would mourn Erik. As she looked at David, she felt a small smile form on her lips. No loss was too great to carry.
“Once upon a time there was a girl known by many names, and one of them was Raven..”
*******
Nick sat on a bench overlooking the Seine, watching the water drift by slowly. The sky was going from grey to blue as the sun began its climb to reach the horizon. Traces of orange on the sky promised it would come soon.
He felt empty. There was no other word for it. Paris didn't feel the same. None of the warmth seemed to reach him. God, he missed her already.
He didn't look up as Rachel slid down on the bench beside him.
“She's being an idiot, you know.”
He fought an urge to laugh. “Maybe.”
A long silence ensued. Despite his poor mood, Nick couldn't help but admire the sunrise. It was reflected in the Seine, and he felt surrounded by light.
“Nick?”
“Yeah?”
She bit her lip, and then decided she might as well say it aloud. It would sound just as incredible aloud as in her mind, she was sure.
“I'm pregnant.” He blinked, his face slowly giving in to shock.
“You're pregnant? But.. But you're Immortal!”
“I know.” She shook her head. “But I am. I went to see a doctor, and I'm three months along.”
“Wow,” he muttered, staring at her. “Does Frank know?”
“Not yet.”
He lifted his glance back to the sky, and eased an arm around her after a moment's silence. She leaned slightly against him and they sat watching the sunrise for a while.
After a while, Nick took his eyes off the colour feast in the sky. He let his eyes travel over the river, the bridge, Amanda, the boat docked, the house on the other bank, and.. He blinked. Amanda??
He rose as he saw her standing a few feet away, dressed all in white and almost shining in the first rays of sun. She was smiling, just a hint of hesitation in her eyes.
“Amanda?” he whispered, walking so close he could touch her.
“No,” she smiled.
“No?”
“No, I don't want to go. Not without you.” Holding out a hand, she flashed him two tickets to Tahiti. “You and me and an empty beach? We can talk.”
She smiled that smile he couldn't resist, teasing and promising at once. “We could talk.. And not talk.”
He stared at her for the longest time. Then he leaned forward and kissed her until they were both breathless and couldn't care less about who was watching.
“Think we should tell them to get a room?” Frank whispered into Rachel's ear, sneaking up on her from behind.
“Frank!” she thwarted him on the arm, and then let him kiss her lightly.
“We have to talk,” she broke of the kiss, and he detected something serious in her voice. And as the sun rose above the horizon to greet a new day, Francis James Holloway almost fainted for the first time in his life.
But just almost. He managed to steady himself against the bench and sat in stunned silence for the longest time. Not until Nick and Amanda finally managed to untangle themselves from each other and walked down did he manage to say something remotely intelligent.
From the window at the Sanctuary, Raven saw them and smiled slightly. She was glad Amanda had come with her. Nick and Amanda deserved a bit of happiness, and maybe even.. She smiled. Yggdrasil had been a miracle, a giver of life. The tree had given her a son, her and Odin. Maybe it could do so again. From death came life.
Her piece of Yggdrasil tingled against her skin as she fingered with it idly. Maybe Paris was as a good a place to stay as anywhere else for a while. She threw a glance at David, who'd fallen asleep again in the middle of her story.
The world never truly ended. She had thought it would when the tree had burned, yet from the ashes had come new life. She had seen the rise and fall of empires, and the births and deaths of thousands. There were no ends and no beginnings. Just life and death and ashes.
She sees arise,
a second time,
earth from ocean,
beauteously green,
waterfalls descending;
the eagle flying over
(Voluspå)
~~~~~
Fini
Author's Notes:
1) Odin's Ravens' Song is a rather diffuse poem from the Viking age. The exact meaning of it is unknown, as several parts are missing. Hugin (in the first line) is one of Odin's two ravens, the other being Muninn. The two served as Odin's eyes on the world, and flew over it every day and reported back what they had seen. Their names mean “thought” and “memory”.
2) “À màtt sìn ok megin” is ancient Norse and means to believe in your own strength and power
3) Håvamål means “The High Ones Speaks” and legends says these were the words of Odin to the humans on how to live. It contains advice on everything from beer drinking to how to treat a guest and how to fight.
4) Yggdrasil is The Tree of Life in Nordic mythology, on which the world rests (between its roots). According to the Voluspå, the tree will burn at Ragnarok, the end of the world (see references below)
5) Voluspå is a tale told by a foreseeing woman on how the world was created, and how it will end (Ragnarok)
6) Garm is the giant wolf that guarded the cave where Loke was chained for a while
Loke, Frigg, Odin, Tor, Balder, Ran and Idunn are all mentioned in Nordic mythology. Odin was the king of gods, and married to Frigg. Frigg could see into the future, but never shared her knowledge with anyone. Tor (English spelling: Thor) was the son of Odin, and created lightning by throwing his mighty hammer Mjølnir at the clouds. Loke (English spelling: Loki) was a trickster who stayed with the gods and got them into and helped them out of much trouble. He was responsible for the death of Balder, Odin and Frigg's son, who was greatly loved. The gods punished him by chaining him in a cave and dripping acid on him. According to the Voluspå, he will break free for Ragnarok and lead an assault on the gods.
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