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Chapter Text

What brought you here? To this house with its frigid walls and distant past that felt more like Hel than home.

Maybe everything was written the day your mother and Kratos first met in the Midgardian woods. Blood and bruises were replaced with tender kisses and endearing looks. Given the lives each of them had led up to that moment, such a thing seemed almost impossible. But it was just the right time in just the right place. Perhaps that was the beginning.

Perhaps it was the day you were born into this world. You were unfamiliar with its ways and were oblivious to the path it would lead you down. But when a mother's loving arms were around you, none of that mattered.

Or perhaps it happened gradually, like the memories of your youth. Warm was your mother's demeanor, a woman who was never anything but the sun in your universe. Cold was the avoided stare of your father, a man who you saw in passing moments and in staring shadows. Always silent, always out of reach.

Maybe the day you were finally old enough to leave, free and eager to see the world. Your mother was never far behind you as you took each step. You grew on your own, but her hands were always there to guide you, and her wisdom knew no bounds. The two of you grew closer than ever before, separated only by circumstance and duty.  She confided in you the secrets of her past, the stories of who she had been. A renowned warrior among her people. Though who those people were was never something imparted to you.

Or perhaps it was the birth of your brother. By then, you were much older. In fact, you were already well on your own. The second child of the two seemed to shake your father but for what reason you never knew. You wondered if that was how he was when you were born, or if his avoided eyes had always been there.

Or maybe...maybe it was the day you had returned home. After so long away spent exploring new worlds and meeting both friend and foe alike you had decided it was time. With excitement brimming at being able to see your mother again you made haste to that old home of yours. But when you returned you found no trace of the woman. Instead you found your brother, older by a few years now and predictably not recognizing you. After that you found your father who, upon seeing you, dawned an even more serious look than normal. He told you of your mother's death along with a letter she had left behind for you.

It had been so sudden to you. Your day had been so full of anticipation and excitement but all of it drained from your body as those words processed. Yet the reality of it could never be denied. Your father would never lie about such a thing. 

He told you of the coming long winters and the now unsafe lands along with your mother's wish for you to stay upon your return.

Yes, that must have been it. That was how you ended up here. You learned that not only had your mother been sick for months and never sent someone to seek you out in that time, but that she had been rather keen on avoiding seeing you all together. Your father and brother had been able to hold and care for the last remnants of her dying spirit and she had left you nothing more than a note. A note you would never dare to open.

Upon being faced with this you sought out the peak of Jotunheim yourself. You followed in the footsteps of their journey through icy cold and reminisced in familiar stories of your mother's past. You had learned by the end that the journey had been planned for your father and brother from the start. Each road and each step known by her. She had left a path for them to follow, a way forward to carry them through a life without her.

But you found no prophecy held on the walls that mentioned you. No mention of your very existence could be found on them. You found no picture, no name, no symbol or sign that would allude to you.

And it was then that a dark, irreparable scar had been slashed over your soul. Because you had found no spot for you on the walls of her people, but the continued etchings of your brother. And you found no guidance left for you, as your father gained in many paintings. It was as if you had been forgotten.

Upon returning home, unable to deny the last wish of your mother even as this deep scar formed, you chose to stay. And in the few years you had returned you saw your father, a man once so cold and distant, start to show a side of him to your brother that you had never seen on his best days. It was then you realized that your fear came to be solidified and your suspicions were seen true.

You truly had been forgotten.

You were overwhelmed by a new form of grief as you watched your brother gain something you never had after you had lost the only thing you did. You felt the absence of your mother burn a hole through your very being. 

You had nothing else besides her. No painting, no shared memory, no growing care, not even the etching of a name. And now she is gone, leaving nothing behind that could guide you through this horrible fate.

Despite how deeply this grief settled and how it spread through every fiber of your being in waves of constant numbing pain, you pushed it down. You buried it deeper, you ignored even the heavy waves of it. And every time it slipped, every time it seeped out for even just a moment, you would quickly push it down even further until it was nothing more than background noise in your mind. Always buzzing, always there, but only ever heard when it was quiet. When you were alone.

So that was how you ended up here. Sitting in front of the fire sharpening an ax not too dissimilar from your mother's. You had modeled it after hers after all. It only lacked its more magical capabilities of returning when called, but you could hardly complain. 

You settled in the silence of Mimir as he read from a book in the other room, but the silence didn't last long as you heard the familiar barks of the wolves and the distant voices of your two remaining family. You didn't move from your spot, the voices fading slightly but only for a few more moments as they were likely checking on Fenrir. It was a few minutes later that your father opened the cabin door. He walked in alone and after so many years of knowing him you could easily read the frustration on his face. The lack of Atreus following behind gave away the reason.

"Well. I'd recognize that dour expression anywhere" Mimir commented. Kratos went to hang his weapon, not looking at Mimir for more than a glance.

"Another fight?" You asked, not looking up from your sharpening. You got an annoyed grumble from him to which you only shook your head slightly. You were all but surprised. 

"The wolf is gone" he finally spoke. You stopped what you were doing almost immediately upon hearing his words, soon turning to look at him. 

"Oh no…not Fenrir…" Mimir spoke with a tone soft and hurt. The tense air in the room quickly thickened at the sound, the seriousness of the situation hitting all of you.

"I assume he isn't taking it well?" You asked, placing your weapon down for the moment. Your father's eyes glanced over to you but soon turned to look anywhere else. His silence was answer enough.

"He goes to bury him" he spoke as he walked towards the candles, snuffing a few of them out.

"Do you think he's going to need any help?" you proposed as you stood, moving to put away the tools you had been using. Your question sounded simple enough, though the implications were that the boy might need company right now.

"No. That is not necessary." he quickly stopped you. You gave a hum of acknowledgment in response, assuming that Atreus might have asked for space. You moved to put away your weapon beside his as well as before continuing with a few other miscellaneous tasks you needed done before bed.

Kratos soon sat in his bed. You had thought he meant to sleep but you were all too aware of the eyes that stared into you instead. If the lack of movement didn't give it away the heat of his eyes on your back always did.

"Something you need to say?" You asked, not turning to him as you spoke. There was a long silence before you heard another grumble and he finally turned to head to sleep. It was then that you realized you weren't that tired. In fact you could hardly think of sleeping right now. No. No, you couldn't sleep. 

"You worried about the boy?" Mimir spoke. You wondered why he would think that for a moment before you looked to realize your hands had been shaking. You quickly steadied them with a deep breath, soon occupying yourself with a knife and a small piece of wood by the minimal amount of candlelight. You began to carve at it.

"No. He can handle himself fine" you answered, still never looking at him. 

"Then what's gone and got ya so on edge?" He asked with his unending curiousness. You gave him a few seconds of silence in response before finding something to tell him

"...nothing in particular" you answered, though it was clear that you were all but honest. Even worse was Mimir’s ability to sniff out a lie faster than a boar looking for a truffle.

"Y'know you can talk ta me. My lips're sealed even ta Kratos if need be" he pushed a little bit, his words finally catching your eyes. You once again mauled over your words for a moment before finally speaking what was on your mind. If for no other reason than to shut him up.

"It's-...It's really not that big of a deal or anything I just-" you got lost in your words for a moment before stopping. You took only a few seconds to pull them together again.

"I don't think I can do this for much longer" you admitted. Mimir remained silent, but his face told you to keep going. So, having already opened the floodgates, you continued.

"There's just so much...death here. Everywhere I look in this place all I see is death. The forest is so quiet now, everything's quiet. There's no life here anymore" you finally admitted. Mimir looked rather taken aback by your words. It wasn't often you let the words of your mind slip out, let alone speak them so plainly. He didn't take long to recover though, quickly pushing past the surprise.

"Well I uh…I can't say I disagree with ya" he gave a reply and, though he meant well, his words did very little to calm you. 

You knew that whatever similarity he might have felt wasn't the same. He couldn't have known the significance of these walls or how each familiar smell sent daggers through you day in and day out. He couldn't have known how strange it was for you to return here without remembering everything about her. He couldn't have known how much all of this hurt. 

So you remained silent, hoping to avoid another slip of the tongue around someone your father confided in. The last thing you needed was to give him another chore to deal with. Atreus was enough.

You went back to whittling down the small piece of wood in hopes that it would take your attention away from everything. 

It rarely ever did.

-

Hours passed quickly and as they did you began to wonder what was taking Atreus so long. Slowly you began to grow more and more concerned, especially as it only continued to get darker. You left the cabin briefly to see if he had decided to be somewhere else for the moment, but when he wasn't anywhere around a deep dread began to build. Returning to your home you quietly spoke to Mimir.

"He isn't anywhere around. I saw footprints leading out to where he buried Fenrir, but there's no sign of him after" you explained, clear confusion and worry written on your features. 

"Well it's best we go look for the boy. Couldn't have gone too far" he suggested, to which you gave a nod in return. Your eyes quickly fell onto the sleeping body of Kratos though, a hesitation passing for a moment too swift for even Mimir to notice before you spoke again.

"We should wake him" The words left even with them being entirely rhetorical, your feet already approaching him before Mimir could say a word.

Your movement paused a good distance away before you called.

"Kratos" your voice carried just a bit louder than normal. He shifted a moment but remained still.

"Kratos!" You yelled a little louder, causing even more of a stir. Yet, to your dismay, he remained asleep.

"BROTHER!" Mimir yelled with all he had in him which caused Kratos, as you had expected, to jump awake screaming as he called his ax to him. His eyes were already fully awake as they searched for the closest sign of danger. With heavy breaths the amber color quickly landed on you, his face wrapped in confusion as he was clearly distraught. You quickly looked over his state as it was all but rare for him to have nightmares. That's why you had kept your distance after all. You only needed to learn the hard way once.

"Atreus hasn't returned. He's been gone for much longer than needed and he isn't near" you quickly explained as you watched him move from whatever had been troubling him before into what he needed to do now. With a couple more ragged breaths he stood. Quickly walking passed you he grabbed Mimir and headed out the door. You grabbed your ax and followed without hesitation.

"The footprints lead down to the Frozen river. I got a little bit further before they stopped" you explained. He nodded along, showing he was listening. A few steps later he came to a sudden stop before turning to you.

"Stay. In case he returns" he asked, or more so demanded of you, before walking away.

And for that moment, that small enclosed space in time, a deep hurt exploded within you. And you almost denied the reasonable request like a child who didn't want to complete a chore. You almost reached out to him; a plea to follow on the tip of your tongue.

But you caught yourself just as quickly, nothing more than the slight raise of your open hand showing that moment of pure reaction to being told to stay. You swallowed your plea and, with nothing more than a nod, returned to the cabin. 

You waited a long while in silence. A silence that burned in this place you saw only great loss in. This place was no home to you, no. It felt as if each day things grew worse. But nothing, nothing, hurt worse than the severe isolation that grew. Because each day you looked on as your brother and father grew so close. Each day you watched as Mimir and him grew to be friends. And each day you were reminded of how he could barely look at you.

How proud he seemed of his youngest child. No matter how many arguments or how tense the frustration made their conversations, you could see it every time he looked at him. That glint of something special, that shine of warmth you'd never seen on him besides when he'd look at Faye. It was the look you remembered only ever receiving from her. And now you watched from a distance as he did the same for Atreus, but could hardly say more than a few words to you. 

You felt alone, your only semblance of care found in the boy who was far too focused on his future and father to pay you much mind. And even then that care grew not from a strong root, but from a similar frustration found in the ways of your father. You two hardly ever talked of anything else.

Time passed as you once again found a knife in your palm and wood in your hands. You carved away, the wood slowly coming into the shape of a bird. A crow to be exact. You had seen more of them around recently hiding in tall branches. You had wondered when you saw them if perhaps they saw the four of you and believed you would all be dead soon. You almost laughed at the time the thought had arrived in your mind, knowing your family to be persistent enough to outlast death itself. You weren't sure if that thought comforted you anymore though. 

After a time you could hardly think to keep track of, the voices arose again, gaining your attention immediately. They were through the door before you even stood.

"As evenings go, that was entirely too eventful. Though I admit it was a bit like old times there. For a moment" the sound of Mimir's voice carried in the cabin. Kratos walked in before setting him down on the table with Atreus followed in quickly after, relieving you immediately.

"Care to tell me about it?" You asked, your eyes shifting to the head once more with a short glance to the other two who moved to get situated for the night. Mimir hesitated a moment before speaking again.

"It's a bit of a story. Might be better ta explain it in the morning" he answered. You nodded as you quickly noticed the hastiness of the two to get to bed. You quieted yourself, allowing for them to do so without any further disruption. A bit of small conversation followed between Atreus and Mimir but you had largely zoned out by then. You were instead more focused on that bird you were making. Anything to occupy your mind. 

A few moments passed and quiet began to slowly fall. Atreus and Kratos wasted no time in getting to sleep. It was just before it got too quiet to speak when you heard Mimir once more.

"Still not tired?" Mimir asked, gaining your eyes for a moment. His expression was hidden from the other two by the slight wall, but sitting just across the room from him allowed you to see it just fine. His eyes shined with worry, the intention of his words clear. Just as quickly as you met his eyes did you turn back to the wood in your hands.

"No..." You answered back as you miscalculated a movement, ever so slightly slicing your hand. However it was enough for you to quietly wince, pulling the knife away. A small drip of crimson fell from the tiny wound as an overwhelming and burning sense of irritation overtook you. It was hardly noticeable from any onlooker, but you were nearly about to explode with built-up frustration.

With a quiet huff you stood, placing the knife down on a nearby table as you went to put on your boots and jacket.

"And where are you headin' off to?" Mimir asked, his words gaining the attention of Atreus who you saw just out of the corner of your eye as he perked up. You ignored his stare though, continuing to put on your winter clothes.

"To check on the wolves" you answered, though it was clear the moment the words left your lips that you were all but believable. Thankfully Mimir wasn't about to ask you twice. Atreus on the other hand-

"It's storming out there though" he called in a semi-loud whisper that let you know your father must already be asleep.

"Which is why I'm going to check on the wolves" you reiterated, your tone a slight bit harsher this time. He quickly backed off after that. You grabbed your bow and ax, placing them on yourself just in case.

And into the bitter cold you went.

Chapter Text

You traveled long into the cold night in hopes of escaping the burning of the dead thing you called home. Those walls once warm now so incredibly frozen. 

You hadn't lied when you said you were checking on the wolves. You made sure their little home was warm as you started a fire for them along with making sure they were calmed in the strange weather. However, you finished tending to them far too early for your liking, the frustration you were trying to escape still lingering. So you left for a long walk. You made sure not to travel farther than the stave, but you had often found yourself at the edge as you walked. And each time you did your eyes would catch on it for a short time, the magic so incredibly familiar to you. 

It reminded you of when she first brought you here. How you were so scared to go near it and how your fear had formed an amused smile on her lips. You remembered her walking through it first, like a doe showing a fawn that the field she brought them to wouldn't harm them. It had been warm then, maybe mid-summer. Thinking about it almost made you able to feel the warmth of the sun on your skin. It had been so long since you'd last seen a summer sky, let alone felt it's warm glow.

The comfort of the memories were fleeting, soon replaced with a bittersweet tinge as you felt the wound shoving that grief so far down had created, the blood of your soul spilling over in growing frustration and anger. You tried to calm the feeling, pulling the snapping strings of yourself back in with each breath. But with each time you found yourself here in the past you had found it grew harder. This time you had to practically strangle the strings back into place-

You paused. Your body had processed a sudden strange presence before your mind had even a moment to. Before you could blink you found your bow held tightly in your grip with an arrow drawn. It was only after you had done this that you were fully conscious of the presence of another. Your eyes scanned, not knowing where the feeling came from or what your subconscious saw that you didn't, but you knew something was there. Call it a sixth sense or just a skill from years of training with two of the best warriors these realms had ever seen. Whichever it was, you didn't doubt it for a second.

You pulled your bow back and stared in all directions. You waited with your ears open and your breath soft and steady. Your eyes narrowed as you turned to the trees, hoping for a glimpse, but seeing nothing. 

Suddenly a loud strike of lightning hit a few miles away. The flash and thunder temporarily weakened your senses as the static of the bolt dissipated in the air. You hardly had time to register it when you heard something rapidly approaching from behind. 

You went to dodge but felt a hand grab your wrist in a tight hold. You released the tension of your bow before quickly grabbing the arrow with your free hand and trying to stab it into whatever grabbed you. You felt whoever it was release, avoiding the cut completely and instead sending a knee into your stomach. It knocked the air from you, your breath catching. Even with no air you didn't stop. 

You instead moved to shove the person away, only to find that your hands didn't even land on anyone. Not even a moment later you felt a strike to your face, lucky enough bare knuckled. They tried to swing on you again but you swiftly dodged before you tore from their grip and quickly moved a few steps back, your bow once again trained on the figure who had also taken a few steps from you.

"My my, a little ways from home aren't you?" The man asked. Your face turned to a quick snarl as the smell of blood filled your senses, the warm liquid falling from your nose. 

"Who the fuck are you?" You asked, your teeth bared and your tone aggravated. To your fury he gave you a few short tsk’s, mocking you.

"Oh I think you know full well who I am" he spoke with an almost amused tone. Your glare intensified at the audacity of the stranger. Nothing is more irritating than an inflated ego on a man who looked about as breakable as a twig. However, given a second more to stare you suddenly noticed the man's clothing lit by the shine of your bifrost. The gold drew your attention to his importance, whoever he might be, which convinced you to take a closer look. It only took a second glance to notice the horn attached to his hip, its significance instantly recognizable to you.

"Heimdall" you whispered under your breath. A laugh escaped the man, the glowing magenta if his eyes staring with a smile soon written on his features.

"I'm glad I don't have to explain that to every idiot I come across!" his tone spoke as if his tongue was only built for ridicule. Your glare deepened once more before you lowered your bow, placing it back over your shoulder. You seemed to have confused him for a moment, but he didn't even need to open his mouth to ask when his annoying smile returned.

"Oh look at you! Smarter than the average lowly god. But who have you heard of me from? I know I haven't met your father yet and I hope I never have to see the tiny half-breed-..." he paused, his face falling from its smile in a way you hadn't expected. A look of contemplation fell before being followed by a smile even more sickeningly twisted than before.

"My what a pitiful little mind you have. What? Still missing mommy?" he commented in a rhetorical question, a shine of horrifying curiosity following. As much as you hated the words that came out of his mouth and were irritated by his tone you knew you couldn't let it get to you. No no no. You couldn't. You couldn't.

You had to find some way out of this.

"Do what you want. You won't get far!" he warned as the idea began to form.

Suddenly another flash crossed the sky, though now you knew the lightning was all but natural. A glance up showed the horrifying sight of two forms flying by at a significant speed, one of which you knew must be Thor and, knowing no other reason for it to be anyone else, the other was more likely than not Kratos.

"Oooo we're growing quite worried now, aren't we? What's your plan? Oh let me guess...run away like a little coward? Oh but you don't like that idea too much do you? You'd rather make a fool of yourself trying to hit me! Well! Come on then!" He poked and prodded at you and, to your dismay, you felt a slight panic begin to form.

You knew all too well that he couldn't be hit. He was untouchable no matter how hard anyone tried. He knew what you would do next, what your plan was. No matter what you did next he would expect it. It didn't matter.

Yet you couldn't just give up. If the Aesir gods were here then it wasn't only you that was in such grave trouble. If Thor was with your father and Heimdall was with you...

Well that didn't leave many ideas left on who might be with Atreus.

You took a breath to calm yourself before you did the only thing you could really attempt. Even though your built up frustration was growing, even though his words dug further into deep wounds. You couldn't, you couldn't.

You ran. 

He was already coming at you the second your foot lifted from its planted spot. Your feet were swift and you knew the land better than anyone. You had grown up here, you had lived in this forest. It was due to this that you managed to outrun him at all. But despite your best efforts, you were no match for an Aesir. You were wholly unprepared and far too concerned with other things to focus any of your mind. Not here, not now. No no, it would only end in more death.

He managed to get just the smallest bit closer, quickly tripping you once he had. You tumbled to the ground, flying over yourself. Your bow snapped as you fell, the pieces tumbling away once it did. Before you could even stand you got another sudden kick to the stomach, sending you right into a tree.

"HA! Didn't get very far, did you bunny?" He mocked, standing over you. Gashes formed where you had sliced against rocks, the red of your blood staining your now ripped clothes.

You shook it off, back on your feet in no time at all. He stood close to you, almost asking for you to swing at him. Cornered, desperate and unable to grab you ax with your back pinned, you did the only thing you could. You swung at him with bare fists. nothing but adrenaline and worry and fear-

Fear...you were scared.

Swing swing swing

Miss miss miss

Each attempt was more pitiful than the last.

"Keep trying! Maybe you'll get me the twentieth time!" He yelled with dripping sarcasm. He soon grew tired of ducking though and instead pushed you to the ground once more. You didn't tumble this time, instead moving into a roll and landing on your feet. You stood, a burning annoyance found in your eyes, an attempt to cover your fear as you hastily swallowed the feeling.

You couldn't lose control.

"Ooooh that one really upset you" he pointed out, a low tone similar to a growl leaving you before you pulled your ax and ran at him again. Logically you knew this would do nothing, but by this point you weren't working with logic. You were moving with the instincts of a cornered animal.

Swing swing swing

Miss miss miss

He landed a hard hit against your jaw. You took it without pause.

"Care to try again?-" He barely got the words out before you were moving at him again.

You felt the tinges of it beginning. The ink of tattoos hidden under your clothing began to heat up against your skin, your blood seeming almost heavy as it flowed through you. You saw it in the golden sparks of your hands along with the blurring of your vision. You pushed it down, further and further. You buried it under everything you could. 

It melted you from within, but you were no stranger to the searing pain. 

Swing swing swing

Miss miss-

He grabbed you, knocking your feet out from under you before shoving you to the snow. You laid a hard stomp against your stomach before he kicked you away, your body flying off a nearby cliff. 

You grabbed on the ledge at just the last second, though that was anything but a comfort when you heard his feet begin to approach.

"You giants just don't know when to stop, do you?" He commented as you tried to pull yourself up. That was hard to do when your entire abdomen was exploding with burning pain. Your stomach fell when you felt his hand grab your arm.

"It's pathetic" his voice deepened. For a short moment his sarcastic and exasperated stare instead flashed with a burning hatred. All previous attempts to keep it concealed were gone as his genuine loathing of you showed on full display. It was only a brief second before apathy took him over once more.

"Yet highly amusing" he stated before, to your utter astonishment, he pulled you up from the cliff. You didn't have any time to process the gesture when you were turned onto your back, his sword held to your throat.

"Don't take this for kindness. If it were up to me I'd happily send you to your death" he declared calmly, almost too calmly, his eyes searing into you. You felt the tip of the sword dig into your skin ever so slightly, just enough to pierce. He smiled to himself once it did, seeming to enjoy the look of pain that grew in your eyes. He then, once again to your shock, stepped away.

You stood, not allowing a hint of your weakened state to show to the man. He let out a short and almost muffled laugh, his eyes staring at you as if he saw nothing more than a lowly creature not fit to stay in this world.

Suddenly though that looked changed, the loud cawing of a crow catching his attention. His eyes glanced at it before a relieved sigh left his lips.

"Finally" he whispered tiredly as he put away his sword and began to step backward. 

"Well now jötunn. As excruciatingly boring as this was, I simply must leave. I would apologize but-...well actually I would never apologize to the likes of you" his voice radiated with such an incredibly annoying tone that you swore that if you ever got your hand on him that his tongue would be the first thing you tore from his body. He clearly knew that, as seen by the upward turn of his nose before he walked into the murder of crows.

"Have a horrible rest of your life. May it be short" was the last thing he said before disappearing into the black cloud of feathers. You didn't chase him, knowing better than to do so. Soon the black cloud disappeared and the world grew silent once more. And as if caught in the hands of a troll you felt the pain of your fight begin to radiate across your body, your adrenaline leaving in droves. You leaned onto a tree, the sudden silence consuming you once more. You tried to breath, as hard as it was. Slowly you let your emotions calm, the heat of your heavy blood cooling with each breath. But your mind was too distracted to remain for more than a second. Despite the sudden and intense pain that burned through you a single goal grew in your mind. So you took one last deep breath before beginning to run back to the cabin. 

Each step was excruciating as a soreness that felt similar to your body being torn apart fell over you. You were confused by its intensity, as wounds such as these never seemed to hurt this much before. Yet you didn't stop for more than a few staggers. You couldn't, not when you knew Atreus could be in such grave danger.

Step after step you continued through the snow as you rubbed away the blood that trickled down your face and neck. You only succeeded in smearing the color across your skin and irritating the open wounds. 

Slowly the building came into view, a strange silence found outside of it compared to the thunder storm from moments ago. You picked up the pace, tearing through the snow at this point as you swiftly made it to the door. You didn't hesitate to slam it open, your eyes fixated on whatever was closest as you raised your ax.

However you found nothing but familiar faces on the other side as the eyes of the trio all turned to you. You took in the scene as you slowly realized that none of them were harmed, at least not that you could see. 

They were...they were fine...

Upon realizing that there was no longer a threat your shaky hands lowered along with your ax. You were able to stand for a few more seconds before, having no other goal to keep your body moving, you fell to the ground.

"Y/n!" Atreus called out as he almost immediately made his way to you. Your world grew dizzy as you tried to keep awake, the sound of feet hurriedly approaching though it was barely audible in your ears. You stopped trying to focus on the world in order to heal yourself but, to your absolute horror, you found that no matter how much you focused, the pain in your body didn't leave.

"Focus Y/n, you gotta heal" Atreus spoke, worry clear in his voice. You tried a second time upon his saying that, but it was no use.

"I ...can't. I can't" you admitted in a whisper as you tried to keep yourself awake, your eyes blinking in an attempt to do so.

"What? What you mean you-...what's that?" Atreus stopped himself, his eyes turning to the wound on your neck. It drew Kratos'  attention to the small but deep slice Heimdall had left against your throat where he found a golden color began to spread under the skin of the wound, glowing in the veins that were infected. Kratos eyes seemed all to knowing of this situation.

"We will find the dwarves" he declared as he kneeled down to help you up.

"But-" Atreus attempted to speak, a dagger of a glare sent to him once he did so, promptly shutting the boy up. Kratos then carefully pulled you to your feet. He tried to carry you, but you quickly stopped him.

"I can walk" you stated, your arm wrapped around his back as he held you upright. He paused all movement for a moment as if to make sure but didn't push any further beyond that. The three of you left the building, stepping back into the cold. You wobbled a bit as you walked, each movement feeling incredibly painful. 

"Well brother, what's your plan? Wait till they come back?" Mimir questioned. A short 'hmph' left your father as he continued to walk. 

"They show up when they are needed" he explained, moving until he made it back to where Brok had just left him.

And not more than a moment later did the door to the Yggdrasil form and glow, a golden-plated dwarf stepping out after.

"Ah!" He jumped, clearly not having expected the presence of all of you there. Quickly realizing who it was he went to regain his composure but did so to very little effect.

"Well hello! I didn't know you would still be...here..." He trailed off, his eyes falling on you. He didn't seem to realize what was happening, possibly confused by the unfamiliar sight. 

You stared back at the dwarf, not turning from meeting his gaze as curiosity grew within you. The three seemed to not only recognize but know this dwarf pretty well, which led you to assume he was the other half of the two dwarf brothers. You had heard much of him, mostly from Brok as you had met the blue dwarf many times on your travel up the mountain, not to mention that Atreus also often mentioned him. 

You tried to think on anything else you might know about him and found that in the further parts of your mind you did remember your mother briefly speaking about him. She had always been reluctant to tell you anything more than the basics. It was almost strange to meet him after hearing of him for so long. 

You couldn't delve into much of any deeper thought about it at the moment though, the pain numbing most of your critical thought processes.

"They cannot heal" Kratos tried to answer the question clearly seen in Sindri's eyes. The response took a second for the dwarf to process, but when he did his eyes widened.

"That wasn't my question- but that can wait until later! Let's get you all somewhere that isn't this cold abyss first" he spoke back with worry clear in his tone before turning right back around and heading into the Yggdrasil once more. The four of you followed behind, your mind only occupied with the hope that this stupid magic would fade as soon as possible.

Chapter Text

Slowly you all walked through the bright purple branches of the Yggdrasil, it being even more beautiful than you had remembered it. Granted you'd only been here a few times, courtesy of Brok. But still, you had always found the place so...calming.

Maybe not so much when you were covered in blood, but you'll take what you can get, even if it's with a dash of searing pain.

"Where are we going?" You heard Atreus' voice, not as upbeat as normal, speak up.

"The cleanest cabin in all the nine realms" the dwarf boasted.
"And I'd prefer it to stay that way. Not looking at anyone in particular...Kratos" you stifled a small laugh at the comment, regretting so when another shot of pain was sent through you.

"Hrmph" Kratos glanced to you as the familiar sound of his grumbling met your ear. You didn't look to him, more so focused on keeping pace. His eyes thankfully left you not so much as a moment later.

"After that Thor incident, we thought we should make up some rooms. 'til you can figure out your next moves" the dwarf explained further. You perked up at the mention of Thor. 

So the Aesir gods really had come to the cabin. But for what reason? What business did they have with the three of you? 

Perhaps because you all were gods. Did they feel threatened? Or was it to do with stealing Mimir? You had heard of the story of Mimir's beheading many times now, perhaps they simply wanted to get even? Or steal him back-?

"Nearly there!" Sindri called from up ahead, quickly drawing your attention back out of your head. Only a few steps later did you and Kratos walk through the glowing rift before coming out the other side to see the shining gold of an until now unknown home in the Yggdrasil.

"As you can see, we've settled here in the Realm Between Realms. It's nothing much, but it's safe from Fimbulwinter, safe from Odin's eyes, and you really can't beat the view if you're into shimmering gray voids" Sindri continued to rattle on, though you were once again too distracted to pay much attention. You were far too focused on the amazing building that stood in front of you.

After spending years staring at bright white snow and crumbling architecture encased in ice, it was nice to see something that was both intact, colorful, and made with a clear thought for its beauty instead of a soul focus on just the basic necessities.

"That's amazing Sin" Atreus complimented, clearly as awe-struck with the view as you were. You could even hear the joy of his smile through the words.

"Come in come in! Let's find somewhere you can rest" he spoke, urgency slipping back into his voice once more. 

Kratos made his way into the building without a single other thought for the dwarf that had been standing in the doorway, nearly pushing him aside. You glanced to Sindri as he did so and could clearly see that he had wanted to say something, what with the slight raise of his hand and the general discomfort easily read on his face. However at Kratos' rush he chose to restrain himself, instead tightly pressing his lips as if to try and hide that he would have said anything at all.

"Right um, the- the chair over there. You can lay them there" Sindri spoke, moving just a bit quicker to catch up and direct him. Kratos moved in the direction that Sindri was showing him and, to your absolute relief, you finally got to sit. Though not without a slight struggle as you groaned and winced with every sudden adjustment. You let out a breath once you were able to finally lay, the searing of your wounds being allowed to fade into slight burning instead. 

"I'll go get you some bandages. Hold on just a moment!" Sindri announced as he left with no hesitation to grab what was needed. His feet faded into the distance, and so the room grew into silence. 

A silence that never lasted long.

"So...ya wanna tell us why yer beaten ta all Hel?" Mimir asked to which Kratos hummed in agreement and Atreus gave you an expecting look. You turned to the three with a look that asked if they were serious, considering all you wanted to do now was relax and wait for everything to fade. However they stared back and you knew that meant they weren't going to leave without an answer. So you sighed before attempting to give them what they wanted.

"Heimdall...he attacked me in the woods" you explained, though with some difficulty as your mouth felt dry and your body felt more likely to give out than stay vigilant. 

"Really?! Like the Heimdall" Atreus asked with a strange excitement. You gave him a stare that showed your disgruntled state at his excitement in your misery. He caught it quickly as his eyes widened slightly.

"I didn't mean it like- I just-" the boy stumbled his words a bit before ultimately giving up on trying to defend himself, instead taking on the look of a kicked puppy.

"Sorry" was all he had left to say, his head slightly lowered. You were far too tired to deal with speaking any more than you had to, so you gave a small wave of your hand to show that it was okay. 

"Why were you out there?" Kratos asked, your eyes immediately falling to him at the sound of his voice. 

Now was one of the rare times he met your gaze and with even just a second of staring you were able to recognize the strangeness in his eyes. That look you rarely caught, that fiery stare that somehow warmed even his stone-cold features. You knew that stare. He was always the protective type.

"To check on the wolves" you stated flatly, not stepping down from him. You watched his eyes flare at the blatant lie.

"Sorry it took so long! I couldn't find where Brok had put them last" Sindri's voice cut through the air, stopping whatever Kratos was about to say as his eyes once again turned from you. Sindri soon walked over to you, standing with the bandages in hand before he took one glance at the blood and-

"Ugk" he turned away, clearly sickened by it. He must have been avoiding it before. It would explain his strange behavior upon seeing you. 

He outstretched the items, Atreus quickly grabbing them with a short snicker before turning to you. You sighed, soon recognizing the problem.

The boy was clueless when it came to bandaging wounds, Sindri was too disgusted by it, you wanted nothing to do with whatever Kratos might want to talk to you about right now and Mimir had no hands. 

"Here" you asked, taking the bandages from the boy before sitting up once more.

"Hmm" Kratos grunted in clear disapproval as you went to bandage your bleeding wounds yourself. He then tried to take the bandages away from you. You moved away with a sudden wince before shaking your head slightly. 

"I can do well enough to stop the blood. It's only temporary anyway" you explained, much to his annoyance, before moving to do so. It was a bit sloppy sure, but it would do. After you did you relaxed yourself back into the chair, your exhaustion clear as you closed your eyes, letting out a heavy breath.

"Are...they going to be alright?" Sindri asked with a slightly more hushed tone as he tried not to disturb you from your state, even if you clearly weren't asleep.

"They'll be fine...I think" Atreus answered, though not very convincingly. 

"We will talk later" Kratos spoke to you, slight irritation in his tone. You could hardly argue right now so you resigned yourself to silent agreement. Whatever he needed to speak about was a problem for future you.

You then heard the sound of feet as they began to walk off, their voices fading to you. Once the world grew quiet you took a shaky breath, trying to ignore the strikes of pain moving through you. You felt the weight of your body pull you as some strong force dragged you down further and further into the surprisingly comfortable chair.

Sleep. That's what was tugging at you. It had been so long since you'd been tired. Groggy sure, your body did need sleep after all and staying up days in a row would get more than a few yawns out of you. However, you rarely did ever find peace enough to allow tiredness. Your mind was almost always moving too rapidly to slow into any sort of state that allowed the gravity of the world to feel heavier than before. However your mind had left you long before you had fallen into this chair so it could no longer hold that barrier.

And so, too exhausted to carry on, you succumbed to the world of dreams, the already faded voices soon leaving entirely.

"We uh, weren't quite prepared for you all to be here just yet. Brok went out to grab a few things that we'll need for what we were going to show you all. So feel free to relax for a moment. Are you two hungry? I could-" 

"No" Kratos cut him off, his demeanor all but friendly. It caught Sindri a little off guard, though he supposed he should have expected it from him. Atreus took a slight step forward, an apologetic look covering his features.

"We actually had something we needed to check out back in Midgard" he explained, earning a curious and yet cautious look from Sindri.

"Are you sure? It might not be safe with the Aesir tracking you all down" Sindri tried to rebut, his worry evident. 

"It's important" Atreus reiterated, showing his persistence in the issue. Sindri glanced up at Kratos as if to ask if he was as sure as his son. He found the same hesitance in his stare but he gave no protest to Atreus' words. 

"I can give you all a way there but you'll have to wait for Brok before you can return" Sindri explained as he began to walk towards the doors of his home. His eyes caught the floor a moment, the tracked in mud and blood immediately sending a wave of incredible discomfort through him. Despite every bit of his brain wanting to stop to clean the mess he walked past it while trying in vain to shake the feeling of disgust.

"And how long'll that take?" Mimir asked, skepticism held in his voice.

"I have no clue. Depending on how long this little mission of yours takes, you might even get there after him. If not then he will help you back in when he arrives" Sindri continued to explain as he finally made it back to the doorway that helped them back to Midgard. Activating the door he chose Midgard before turning to the two and waiving them onward. Atreus didn't waste another second before jumping into the glowing portal. To Sindri's surprise though, Kratos was rather distracted. The towering god's eyes wavered toward the home as his irritation melted slightly. Whatever emotion took its place was beyond whatever Sidnri could decipher, but it did strike a bit of intrigue.

"Ahem" Sindri gained his attention, Kratos lingering for a second longer before finally turning to him. Sindri caught the reason behind Kratos' behavior just a moment later.

"They'll be safer here than anywhere else" Sindri tried to comfort the man. He didn't quite know if it worked, Kratos' emotions always being so incredibly hard to read. It did get him moving though as Kratos finally stepped through the portal though.

And so the dwarf was left alone. Well, besides the new stranger he had in his home who he hadn't been privy to-

He shook the thought from his mind. He was sure he'd be filled in when they returned. Whatever they were off to do seemed important so their hurry was warranted. He supposed he'd have to stow away the curiosity for the time being. He instead began to walk back to the building with a thought of what he'd do to occupy his time alone. Perhaps a nice meal was in order.

After he cleaned up the mess the three of you tracked in, that is

Bright. Blinding, but unfathomably beautiful. You tried to stare through it, to try and understand the meaning of it, but you saw nothing more than blurred movements as you looked at a scene you couldn't quite understand. Despite the comfort of the scenery with a shine you had long since forgotten in your normal world of cold, you instead felt a strange feeling. A feeling bubbling and tearing. The world gleamed and yet you were so extraordinary-...

Scared

You didn't know why, you could hardly understand it. You didn't know where you were or what this was. 

"Y/N!" A voice yelled, horror in its tone. Yet it was somehow still faint in your ears. You couldn't see them, you couldn't see anything. You were blinded, beautifully blinded. Golden and warm yet so wrong. So so wrong.

"GO AWAY" you felt yourself scream back in response, though the words left despite your confusion. You hadn't chosen to speak, no. But it was what you had said, you knew it. But it all felt so distant now-

BANG!

You were startled awake, your body shooting upright as your eyes instantly began searching for whatever had made that sound. You winced at the sudden movement, a more mild strike of pain moving through you. It wasn't as painful as earlier and it certainly didn't deter your eyes from seeking danger.

However you instead locked onto the stunned dwarf you had met earlier, a wooden bowl found fallen on the floor nearby as his tense body stared at it. His eyes then slowly turned in your direction, a look of dismay falling when he realized he had awakened you.

"Sorry! Sorry I uh- I didn't- sorry!" A string of apologies left him as he, with clearly nervous movements, went to pick up the bowl, his eyes having turned from you long ago as they alone showed his mortification.

You were taken aback by his entirely unexpected demeanor. You hadn't ever seen someone so...well it was hard to think of a word. Anxious? Worried? Generally terrified? Over something so small. You would have laughed at it if he hadn't come off so genuine.

"It's fine" you answered, hoping to cool down whatever stress had caused the behavior. It seemed to work as some of his tension left and he grew just a slight bit calmer as he moved around. Silence grew, though that was to be expected. You two were strangers to each other.

You took the silent moment to fully wake up, trying desperately to rub the tiredness from your eyes. Your body felt sore with each movement. Thankfully though it wasn't so much painful as it was annoying now.

With a gentle touch on your throat you were able to tell that the wounds had at least stopped bleeding. You took a deep breath once you had finished analyzing your situation, allowing your shoulders to fall from their tightened state. However your mind was soon grabbed by the dream the sound had quickly pulled you away from, which didn't allow you to relax long.

It was hazy when you tried to think on it but you didn't need very many details to know what it was. You had gone without the memory for a long while, though you were already aware of what had triggered it to run once more through your mind. It didn't take you long to shake it, even if it stayed as a quiet buzz in your head. Old mistakes always did seem to linger, but with time they became easier to push away-

"Would you like some?" His voice snapped you from a trance of thought you hadn't even noticed you had been so caught up in. You blinked back to existence before looking over to find what he was talking about, only to see him in front of a large pot.

"Yeah. Sure" you agreed even if you didn't feel all that hungry. Or maybe it was more so that your mind could hardly think of food. Your mind was in far too many places.

Seconds later he had poured a bowl and walked over to you.

"Careful. It's quite hot" he warned to which you nodded and gently took the bowl from his hands.

The instant the smell of the food hit your nose you suddenly felt your previous hesitation to eat snap away, soon realizing it had been days since your last full meal and weeks since your last warm one. Your eyes were practically glued to the bowl

"Thank you" you spoke gratefully, eager to eat. It grew a smile on his face, though a bit of caution was held clearly in it. 

"Not a problem!" He answered back with maybe a bit too much enthusiasm before walking off to complete some other miscellaneous task. A few moments of silence passed once more before, having to wait for the food to cool down and knowing that if your mind went unoccupied for much longer you might just lose it, you decide to strike up some conversation.

"Where is everyone else?" You asked. Looking up from your bowl you noticed that the place had been far too quiet for far too long at this point. The dwarf had gone back to attending to the food, likely keeping it warm but not burnt for when the others returned. He was startled by your voice but quickly recovered, his eyes falling back onto you with the same nervous smile as before.

"They said they had business in Midgard. They wouldn't tell me anything else" he answered, a slight tinge of annoyance found in his words. You nodded with a short hum before silence fell again.

Gods how you hated the silence.

"So you're Sindri?" You asked, hoping it would lead to anything but the quiet. He seemed to perk up a bit at the question, his eyes soon looking toward you.

"You'd be right on that. Did Atreus talk about me? I'm his favorite dwarf you know! At least I hope so" He rambled a bit, once again taking you a bit off guard as he went from silent to talkative with only a small prompt. You had to admit though, it was a little entertaining to watch.

"On occasion" you answered his question which, judging by the way his smile grew, seemed to be of great importance to him.

"Really? what-?" he paused, shaking his head slightly.
"Sorry, my manners! What's your name?" He asked as he continued to stir the pot.

"Y/n" you answered before finally taking a bite of your meal. You were a bit surprised by the flavor at first, having gotten used to the bland foods of your home. It was quite a big improvement. You'd go as far as to say it was the best food you'd had in quite a long time.

"And how do you know the trio?" He asked. 

And oh boy did that question sting.

Had you truly not been mentioned? Not even in passing? Not by Kratos, not by your mother? Not even Atreus? You had known him and Sindri had been sneaking off for months now and he hadn't thought to mention you once.

You swallowed your food with a bit of struggle as you dealt with the thought.

"We're...close" you answered, though it was quite a struggle to make it sound convincing. He seemed to buy it. That or he simply didn't care enough to dig into it.

"Oh. Well it's nice to meet you then! Any friend of theirs is a friend of mine" he spoke and though you were still dealing with yet another string snapped from your tenuous mind, you found solace in the fact that he sounded genuine in his words.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" He suddenly jumped up, leaving the simmering pot in a hurry. Your eyes followed him as he walked, soon seeing him grab an item from the table before approaching you again. When he got closer you quickly realized it was what you had been carving earlier. The crow made of oak.

"I found this. Not sure which one of you dropped it but I figured you might know" he spoke. Your eyebrows knitted at the object as you stared for a moment longer than you should have. 

You could have sworn you left it in the cabin. In fact you distinctly remembered you had cut your hands and in pure frustration you nearly threw the thing. Why was it here? How was it here? Had Atreus picked it up? Kratos? 

"It uh...It's mine actually" you reluctantly answered to which he looked a little surprised.

"Oh! Well then here" he laid the item on a small table beside you. One you hadn't even noticed was there. When had that been moved there? 

You shook the thoughts away. A lot had happened and it was not only jumbling your thoughts, but keeping you too distracted to even notice your own surroundings. You had to focus.

"I-If I may ask though- and if I'm stepping over any lines feel free to stop me, where did you find it?" He asked, his tone catching your attention almost immediately. It was one of intense curiosity and as you stared you could tell the curiosity was not a fake reaction. He had stumbled a bit, sure, but this didn't seem like any act. You had rarely ever seen such unabashed interest shown on anyone before. You gently picked up the carving, letting the feel of the wood distract you a little.

"I made it" you announced to him and for a moment you thought he might actually explode with excitement, his eyes shining brighter than you'd seen anyone who stared at your work. Granted you never had much of an audience. The one you did have seemed more engulfed in too many other things to care for your little creations. Hel, you weren't free from fault either. You often burned them when you finished. You had found no reason to keep them. After all they were 'useless toys', as your father had often said when you were younger. You should have really used the time you spent making them doing more important things. You'd never been able to kick the habit though. It was always a good distraction.

"Really? It has an interesting shape to it- very unique! Not in a bad way, I admire the handy work. Where did you learn to do that?" He rambled slightly, moving through sentences with a struggle to string them together smoothly, though you still somehow managed to easily follow along. 

You had to admit, his excitement was rather contagious. You hadn't expected this demeanor at all from the brother of the confident and crass blue dwarf, though you most definitely weren't complaining. You did wonder how he managed to not be killed by your father yet though. If not for his bursts of excitement then most definitely for his indecisive way with sentences.

"A lot of places. I picked it up from my mother though" you answered back, your tone quite a lot lighter than it had been when you first began talking to him. After all you never did get to talk about these things often. 

It was then that the doors to the home opened once more, the commotion drawing both your attention away from the conversation and instead to the four who had entered the room. 

It seemed the two of you would have to stop the conversation for now. You could tell just by the way Kratos stared that he was anything but calm at the moment. In fact you'd go as far as to say that he looked more pissed off than you'd seen him in a long while.

Chapter Text

"You've returned! Now if you'd just-" Sindri barely got more than a few words out before he realized he was being completely ignored as Kratos simply strided in, ruining the floor the dwarf had just cleaned once more. Sindri stopped the steps he had been taking to meet the three, his eyes momentarily held on the tracked in dirt with a look of clear disgust and annoyance. He was pulled from this only when he realized that Kratos was quickly overtaking his personal space. So we went to take a few steps back, his nervous smile invading his face once more. Though by the way he seemed so willing to approach Kratos in the first place you quickly realized that he hadn't caught on to his agitated state. Not that the stoic man made it easy. Frankly you didn't blame the dwarf. Moreover, you felt rather bad for whatever was going to be taken out on him

"Well uh um- anybody need a snack? Kratos? Snack?" The man, rather uselessly, attempted to play the good host. You silently winced back a little when Kratos' stare deepened on him.

"I do not need a snack" his voice carried more monotone than normal, his eyes glued to Sindri. You wondered what he could have done to deserve his anger. Whatever it was it certainly couldn't be good. 

Then you watched as Atreus, always one to play the diplomat and rarely ever doing it successfully, stood between the two.

"What we need is your help getting to Svartalfheim so we can try to rescue Týr" Atreus managed to string together a set of words that nearly gave you a damn heart attack as it opened several different boxes of questions in your mind. They wanted to waltz right into Odin's territory as if the only known living sons of Odin hadn't just shown up at your home? To save a presumingly dead god of war? When did all of this happen?!-

"T-Týr? Al-Alive? I mean that's...whaaat" oh no. Oh that had to be just about the worst lying you'd ever seen in your life. You felt even your sore muscles tense at the pitiful display-

Wait...

He knew? Is that what Atreus and him had been sneaking off to find out? And here you thought Atreus had just been getting tired of the restricting ways of your father.

"It's okay. I told him everything" Atreus spoke as if he didn't just sign away Sindri's lease on life.

"Everything" Sindri's eyes showed the sudden fear he had coursing through his system. That and betrayal.

"You aided my son in disobeying me" Kratos finally spoke, taking a few threatening steps forward. It surprised you a little. It had been a while since you'd seen him this threatening-

"Well I'll be damned, you're still kickin'!" Your attention was suddenly drawn away from the conflict at the sudden appearance of someone. Upon realizing who it was though you couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corner of your lips, even with the tense situation happening just over at the front door. You weren't too concerned with it though. If your father wanted to kill the dwarf he would have done it by now.

"And you still smell like shit" you teased lightheartedly as he stepped closer, a hardy laugh leaving the man.

"Least I don't look it! What'n Hel's ice gone and got you alls fucked up? Dancin' with Draugr or somethin'?" He asked, motioning to just your generally disheveled state. Despite the way his words might sound to anyone else, that being offensive and rude, you knew the man well enough to take it as a kindness that he had asked at all.

"No, though that does sound like a good time" you commented back, moving away from your more tense posture into a bit of a slouched one as you grew more comfortable.
"I actually had my own little date with the lap dog of sir All-Fucker himself" you relaid, though your words moved from joking to a bit of weariness.

"Heimdall? And ya survived that?" He asked, his normal cadence slipping a bit though not enough for you to point out. More so just a bit more of an intense look in his eye than anything serious. You faltered slightly at the question, though you didn't leave more than an extra second of silence before answering.

"He wanted me dead but...I don't think he was allowed to kill me" you responded, the questions you held in your mind now shown in the uncertainty of your statement. He seemed to notice this with the way questions brewed in his eyes as well. 

Brok then suddenly turned toward the door having heard something you hadn't. Quickly following his eyes you then heard the voice of an overly smug man speak.

"Oh-ho! The Huldra Brothers finally require the services of the smartest man alive" He announced with the sound of his grin dripping in every word. Glancing back over to Brok you had expected a burning to show in his eyes, a sense of utter hatred at needing the services of anyone, let alone someone as self-congratulatory as Mimir. However, you instead found an almost sinister smirk take over, the only remnants of displeasure shown in the slightly annoyed upturn of his nose. 

He was planning something.

He glanced back at you to see he had been caught. He didn't seem too worried about it though, instead sharing the smile with you before striding up to the group, dropping the look entirely.

"s'bout enough yappin'! You dumbasses ain't ready for no picnic, let alone any fightin'! 'specially you" he butted in as he pointed out Atreus before walking over to the workbench. Not without an offended stare from the boy though. For what reason you weren't quite sure, seeing as the boy most certainly wasn't equipped after having fled from home. But you didn't really give it much mind. You instead focused more on how-

"Excuse me-" you nearly jumped from your chair, the voice having startled you from any sort of temporary piece you had found in the crude dwarf's company. You nearly fell from the chair as you whipped around to see who it was.

"Oh uh! Sorry! I uh, didn't mean to frighten...you..." Sindri spoke, the familiar voice numbing the sudden scare quite quickly. You instead focused on the way his eyes glued to yours, staring with a bit of...well you weren't quite sure. But it didn't make you uncomfortable so much as it made you confused.

Suddenly though you caught on to why, especially as you noticed your vision had grown brighter. You quickly blinked away what you knew only from other's retellings was the golden sheen over your eyes. As you did you watched his face turn to clear curiosity. You felt a pit grow in your stomach, dread building as you wondered what he might ask.

"I...see you've met Brok?" Relief fell over you the moment those words left him. You hoped he'd convinced himself he was seeing things, as harsh as that might sound. You hesitated for a few seconds as you processed what just happened before quickly shaking yourself back to reality.

"I know him actually. He's worked on my stuff a few times before" you explained, your eyes turning back to the wooden item in your hands, your thumbs once again carefully drifting over the wood. It was because of your change in attention that you didn't notice the utter shock on his face.

"Oh..." He suddenly couldn't find the words to speak.
"Well um...-" whatever Sindri might have been able to say to save the conversation was made mute when Kratos moved towards him, his eyes as intense as ever. He must still not have gotten over the whole 'my son constantly left to go on dangerous journeys without me knowing and you helped him" thing.

"Oh uh- Kratos! Done gearing up already-?"

"How do we unlock the realms?" Kratos went right to the point, skipping any of the pleasantries Sindri had offered him. Though if they had known each other enough for you all to be allowed to seek refuge here, then the dwarf was surely used to it by now. Judging by the slight look of relief on Sindri's face you'd go as far as to say he was comforted by it. Or at least, comforted by the escape from the conversation he had started.

"Right right. We'll just need something from back at the workshop. Follow me! And be sure to bring the head" he explained, the disgruntled sound of Mimir following not long after, before beginning to make his way to the workshop. You were tempted to stay in your chair and rest a little longer but knew that if left with nothing to do for any longer you'd fall to boredom. Not to mention that the only pain left now was a mild sting. So, with a bit of annoyance, you stood. You stretched a little and rolled your shoulders before following the two. Atreus started approaching the group only a few short moments later.

"So. Where exactly is Týr being held?" Sindri asked, his head turned to Atreus. Your interest peaked at the implication that the god was alive, let alone trackable.

"He's imprisoned in a mine somewhere...that's all we know so far" Atreus answered. You sent him a confused look, but he seemed too busy talking to Sindri to notice.

"Hm...the realm is full of mines, you realize. You'll need help narrowing it down- oh! You should talk to Durlin!" 

"Who's Durlin?" Atreus asked. The name sounded familiar to you.

"He's a cousin of ours, sort of...works for the city on safety issues. Should have access to all kinds of information on mines. And I know he's no friend of Odin. That's why your mother sought his help when she was trying to whip up a rebellion. Ready?" Sindri explained, though the detail that caught your ear the most was the mention of your mother. A small smile fell at the mention of the old story she had told you in your older years. Of a fight for freedom that was struck down by stronger forces than even she could handle. Though the mention of those involved was something she never did share.

"A rebellion? Did you know about that?" Atreus asked, turning to his father. 

"I did not" Kratos admitted. It didn't surprise you that Atreus didn't know. He was too young to have heard the story when she passed. However, the fact that even your father didn't know was a bit surprising. Then again you had known your mother to keep many secrets.

"A rebel leader who knew mom?" Atreus started.
"Ta-da!"
"Sounds like exactly what we need!" Atreus spoke over Sindri, fully missing the dwarf's anticipated reveal. You held a small laugh back at this, Sindri turning to you with slight embarrassment but an overall happy smile. He seemed to appreciate you paying attention, as that smile faded when he turned to the other two.

"I think you missed the 'ta da'...well nevermind. I'll have this oiled up in no time. Meet you at the gateway outside!"

"'Rebel leader'? Durlin? Phuh! If that ain't givin' a hound a haircut" Brok mocked the idea but Kratos was already on his way out the door

"Atreus" Kratos called for his son

"Alright...see you out there Sindri!" Atreus followed. You, however, hung back just quietly enough for the three not to notice. Or rather, that they wouldn't notice you anyway. You soon turned your head back to the dwarves, both looking in your direction expectantly.

"I have to know what you two are up to" you answered the silent question from the two. Sindri looked confused and more than a little worried but Brok gave you his usual toothy grin.

"Well you's is about to find out ain'tcha?" Brok countered as he leaned back over the table, his grin never falling.

Whatever it was, it must be good. You hardly ever saw Brok with such a persistent smile.

"Fine...all I ask is that you warn me if something's going sideways" you requested from the blue dwarf who nodded, though it was a bit begrudgingly.

"Yeah yeah. Won't be nothin' ya need ta worry about" he answered, moving from his leaned position with a wave of dismissal. Sindri looked between the two of you rather surprised. At what? You didn't know, though you frankly couldn't find a reason to care. So you gave a nod and left out the doors. You barely made it to the three when the dwarves followed behind. You weren't too surprised though. Brok had always been quick with any help he'd given you.

"We'll just need the Bifrost and the head. Brok, do the touching" Sindri ordered with disgust showing in his voice as Brok took the head from Kratos' hip.

"Ah, this would be the part requiring my assistance then?" Mimir spoke proudly as you took a spot next to Atreus. Both you and the boy seemed equally weary. He must have picked up on the dwarves' behavior as well.

"You said it" Sindri chimed with just the slightest bit of sharpness to his tone. You looked on intently, trying to catch on to what was happening.

"This device here has been crafted to your measurements. It'll help you get a better look at the problem, with those bifröst eyes of yours" he explained, though his attempt to hide the mischief in his tone was slipping. 

"So, I...do I control this thing somehow then?" Mimir was catching on. 

"Oh, no, no, no no no no no- this is just to hold you in place while we- shine this light in your eyes!" Sindri finally revealed. You barely had a second to react before-

"Argh! Sindri, you sodding bastard!" Mimir called out in pain, a bellowing laugh bursting from Brok not a moment later. You looked on a bit wide-eyed before turning to Atreus who turned to look over to you with the same concerned look, though with less of the surprise.

Hm...the three must have some bad history.

"Open, open now" Sindri spoke with urgency.
"I was really hoping not to use the eyelid clamps" he murmured next. It further surprised you, considering how kind he had been since you'd been here. You didn't take him for the type to enjoy such violence, especially from what Atreus has told you about him. Then again it wasn't like you really knew the guy. And he was Brok's brother after all.

"Do it!" Brok suggested before bursting into laughter once more. Mimir, seeming to find that idea to be horrifying, instead finally opened his eyes to the burning light with another yell of pain that made you wince again. You had to admit you felt kind of bad for the man.

"That's it! That's it! Good!" Sindri cheered on, getting more excited by the moment.
"Now release!" He yelled, his arms raising as if in triumph.

"Still unpleasant!" Mimir, in the ultimate understatement, yelled out as the light moved from his eyes to the door.

"That's our cue. C'mon, hurry!" Sindri called for his brother.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'" Brok replied as both of them quickly moved their hammers to the door.

"Hrævelgr's EGGS man, what was that for?" Mimir complained. Taking a few steps forward you leaned to look at the man. To no surprise to you, he was trying to blink away the pain of the sudden 'unpleasant' light. But besides the pained expression you didn't see any real damage.

"You'll see soon enough. Just need to adjust...there! That should do it" Sindri spoke before the brothers slowly took a few steps back, admiring their work. What they had achieved? You hardly had a clue. It wasn't like anyone had taken the time to explain anything to you. All you knew was that it had to do with opening the realms.

"See? No permanent damage" the gold-plated dwarf coyly commented and judging by the fury that took over Mimirs face you knew he didn't take too kindly to the dwarf's behavior.

"I'll show you permanent damage, ya wee fuck! Kratos! Throw me at him! Horns first!" Mimir yelled and, had he had any form of movement, you swore he'd willingly bite the dwarf. However, with no such movement, he got nothing more than another laugh coming from Brok.

"Aww, can'ts ya takes a joke, ya old goat!" Brok quipped back. You took this time to move back to Atreus, your attention on him as Kratos grabbed Mimir.

"You think he's gonna be okay after that?" Atreus asked, his worry still evident. You gave him an uncertain shrug before speaking.

"Physically? Probably. Emotionally...he might be upset with those two for a while. You know how he likes to hold grudges" you attempted to comfort the boy with a bit of realism which seemed to work quite well. If you had learned anything from your time with Atreus it was that he hated sugarcoating. He was an honest kid when given the chance to be. It was hard to maintain that under the iron fist of Kratos though.

"Yeah. I think that's why they hate Mimir so much. They all have a lot of grudges" Atreus explained, further solidifying your suspicion of their bad blood from earlier. 

The both of you quickly stopped talking though when the door glowed, signifying it was time to leave. You both quickly followed, Sindri first, then Atreus then-

You were stopped by Kratos, his arm keeping you from entering the glowing door. You stepped back, confusion soon contorting your features, your eyes turning to meet his.

And you knew, the moment he didn't look away, that something was very wrong.

"You will stay here" he announced, or more so demanded. Your eyebrows tightened further, your surprise still not faltering even with the tinge of anger that came from him leaving you behind once again.

"What do you mean?" You asked, hoping to get any sort of explanation from him. He was quiet for a moment too long and it left you to push further.
"The two of you are off to find a long thought dead god in a realm controlled by the gods who seem to want us dead and no one has told me why any of this is happening. I was attacked by a son of Odin and no one has explained why he nearly killed me! And yet you want to leave me here? For what reason?!" Your voice rose as the tinge of anger grew. Just the sheer audacity of him to think his commands could be given without your thoughts as to why. That you were just supposed to stay and either be fine with not knowing or read his mind as to why. His eyes looked more intently into yours as you saw the world glow brighter. You blinked once again, pushing away the feeling once more. But it was too late. He had already seen it. Judging by the look that came over him it was likely he had known long before now.

"Your power, it has been left unchecked" he finally explained, your prior confusion vanishing in an instant at his words, his reason. A pause came before you spoke again.

"I'm fine" you shot back with a harsh tone as your eyes narrowed. He must have noticed the line he was crossing, judging by the hesitation that grew. That didn't seem to stop him though.

It never did.

"You are not. You were nearly killed" he tried to persuade you with a rather harsh reality, his presence suddenly growing more intimidating. You had to admit, a part of your spirit always shriveled away when you saw him like that; upright and with that slight snarl. It was as if the long-faded child you had once been returned to simply cower before him. You stood your ground well in spite of that part of yourself, but it wasn't without the movements of your hands to grip onto whatever was closest to you, this time being the wooden carving Sindri had returned to you.

"I was fighting an Aesir god alone and unprepared, not to mention his ability to avoid any of my attacks. It was hardly my fault. As far as I'm concerned the fact that I didn't lose control then is restraint enough" you explained as you tried to defend yourself. But it never worked. He never listened.

"That is not my concern" he quickly shot back, his body seeming closer without having even moved. The heat of his frustration was always obvious. You were silent for a moment as you glared, but you soon found your words.

"What are you implying?" you asked, your voice quiet but intense as you tried to find an answer in the way his eyes stared at you. As if you were still a child trying to understand him. Trying to understand what you had done wrong. Trying to understand why his eyes only ever felt scalding when they stared at you.

"Do you think I do not notice when you leave at night?" He asked, the question faltering your glare for a moment.

If you were being honest, you really thought he hadn't. 

Your glare soon returned though, frustration at his behavior causing deep discomfort in you. A want to hide, to leave, to just simply go. But you couldn't- you couldn't because- because he would win!

And you would still be a child under his burning gaze.

"What I do when left to my devices is mine to deal with. I am not your child to order around. That relationship died with my mother" you spoke back with venom. You hated the way he made you like this. A snake hoping to slither out of a conversation but finding the only way out was to bite. He pushed when you told him to stop, stepping over lines you'd drawn a million times. Yet he dare ask if you didn't think he noticed when you left? Of course you thought he didn't know. How could you ever believe he cared to notice when your words felt so useless to him?

"You will watch the way you speak" his tone turned deathly, haunting even. That child hidden in the deepest part of your soul grew louder in your mind as you stared at what you'd caused in Kratos. A wave of anger you knew too well and a face burned deep in your mind. But you were stubborn- no not stubborn, at least not with anyone else. You were more so full of a dignity others never saw. One that would allow you to stare into the face of death itself and have the audacity to ask what more it could ever want from you.

But you were done. Done with this conversation, with his control he tried to trap you under as if you hadn't lived a life of your own. As if still a child, his child. Frankly you just wanted out, away, to be gone, to stop feeling so small under the eyes of the rageful god. So you tried to walk past him and into the glowing door. 

You had expected him to allow it as he often gave up whatever he was trying to stop you from doing at this point. However you felt him stop you once more, the strengths of the sudden movement along with your push causing you to take a few sloppy steps back in order to keep your balance.

"We will finish this later" he spoke decisively before stepping into the glowing void. It took a few seconds for you to register what was happening when you suddenly dashed forward.

But you were met only with empty air, the sound of the rocks falling behind you as you stopped just before the edge. Fury boiled in your skin as you realized you were stuck here, that he had trapped you. 

You had never felt more defeated.

Chapter Text

You paced for a while outside, curses and rage-filled words falling off your tongue in murmurs. You had never felt so small, so useless, so discarded. 

It hurt

It hurt to be left here, to have no way out. As if you were an animal. You didn't deserve this. It wasn't your fault- IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT!

After a few minutes of the held-back anger bubbling and brewing under your skin, you let out a fury-filled scream before taking the ax on your back and throwing it at a nearly tree-shaped branch of the Yggdrasil. 

In a crackling sound the ax left your hands, glowing yellow and white flecks of light following it before it landed in a sudden bright explosion that sent you flying backward with its sheer force. You quickly covered your head as you landed and bits of the tree splintered and shot in all directions. It was seconds later that the clanking of your ax was heard a few feet away as the remnants of the explosion ended. 

Slowly your arms fell, your eyes glued on the place the Yggdrasil once stood. Instead, there was nothing more than flecks of yellow light and a crack of gold that stood alone in the air. You knew it would soon fade, but that didn't make staring at it any less stomach-dropping.

Your anger was gone, overtaken by the shock of what you had caused. You didn't move, you couldn't.

You hadn't meant...

You had never, not in so very long at least. Even if it showed in small shines you had never been so out of control of that part of yourself. Like your grip on it was weakening, falling out through bursts of emotion you usually controlled so well. 

You sat stunned on the ground, your mind slowed and quiet now. So quiet in fact that the only words you could hear were the ones usually so silent against the others.

This was why your name never graced the walls of the Jotnar. 

You were their unnamed monster. A name better left unwritten to those who would hear the story of the giants. You were no savior, no child of their kind. 

You were a monster marked in gold.

"Hey! For the love'a- pull yer damn self together!" you were suddenly pulled from your stunned shock when Brok shook you, where upon you blinked back into existence before immediately pushing him away. You quickly stood to your feet and stepped back, your throat tight as you looked at the dwarf who, despite the destruction you had caused, didn't seem fazed.
"Ain't no needs ta go pushin' me every fuckin' time" he commented as he stood. You didn't move for a long moment. Your shock still held strongly onto you, those previous words once so quiet now echoing through your head. Brok brushed himself off before turning around to the destruction. He shook his head a bit.

"What went and blew yer fuckin' lid?" He questioned before turning back to you. You couldn't find the words in your throat, let alone have any fall off your tongue. After a long pause a solemn look soon took over your features. You shook your head slightly as if it would shake off the reality of what you had caused before turning to go grab your ax. 

With the shock still flickering through your shaky hands you simply couldn't bring yourself to address anything that had happened. You had gone so long, had controlled it so well, only for it to come out in accidental destruction caused by your inability to stay calm. 

So you numbed. You let all your shock and disgust and hatred and- and anger. You felt it leave though not in any way relieving. It instead fled from your body like the ocean before a tidal wave.

"That bad huh? Well c'mon then. S'go get all them splinters off ya 'for Sindri gets back" he continued as he waved you over. You were confused a moment before you noticed the slight gashes that covered your skin, the pain numbed. You blinked away your confusion, grabbing your nearly destroyed ax before following Brok back inside more out of a need to find any sort of distraction than any actual want to return into your temporary prison.

The place was quiet besides the sound of yours and Brok's feet along with the crackling fire left simmering. You continued to follow Brok into the workshop where you quickly took a seat, setting your ax beside you. 

Your face was cold, empty. It was familiar, this emptiness. At least you assumed so given the nonchalant way Brok disregarded your clearly dazed state. He instead took the ax at your side with a whistle.

"Banged this one up bad didn't ya?" He commented, your eyes falling from him and instead to your wounds. Glancing to your right you noticed the bandages he had left beside you. You promptly went about dressing your cuts. They still didn't feel all that painful even with bits of glowing gold dripping through the crimson red. It made you cringe a little, seeing the glow. But you dealt with the wounds quick enough.

Slowly the silence of your mind came crashing down, cascades of such loud sounds running through your head. You attempted to breathe, to numb further. You had to. You had to choke down all that was burning through you. Numb it. Just numb it all.

Your attempts at apathy were the only thing keeping any of them alive.

It...it wasn't your fault. None of this was. You weren't like this, like him. It wasn't you when those explosions came. When you couldn't swallow it all down anymore. Why was it that you weren't allowed to feel like others did? Cursed to calm yourself or risk harming those around you, harming yourself. You never asked for any of this.

You wouldn't have been pushed this far if he would just listen-

You stopped yourself at the thought, guilt overtaking the moment you let it set in. You weren't sure if it was because deep down you knew you had no right to blame him. Not after all he'd been through, not after he had grown so much in your absence. Or if maybe you did blame him. Because he never changed fast enough for you, he never grew into who you needed. Because it was too late. Because you would always know him as the ghost your mother loved. The shadow you never stepped near. The monster that never needed to speak to instill deep fear in you.

But mostly...mostly the guilt came from the fact that you needed someone else to blame. That you needed a reason for what could have brought this on to you. Because in the absence of anyone else, who else was there but you? A monster among monsters, yet you dare judge those among you?

"...feelin' a bit better now?" Brok suddenly asked as he broke the silence you hadn't even realized had formed. You looked up from your spot to see his back turned as he worked. His voice was softer than his usual flippant tone. While it had been years now since the last you'd seen him it seemed almost as if nothing had changed. Nothing but the fact that his already strange voice felt even more painful now as it asked that silent question. That question he had never gotten the answer to even on your journey up the mountain and through the many passages your mother painted onto rock faces.

He'd seen you like this more than once, all those years ago. You had been pieces then. Shattered at your mother's death. You traveled alone but he had always been there. Always around the corner, always a few steps ahead. You weren't sure why he had taken such pity on you in those moments. In fact, you had tried to keep him away in fear you might hurt him with your outbursts. But he never listened, as stubborn as he was. You supposed he didn't like being told what to do and helped purely out of spite. 

But that question. It always caught you off guard no matter how many times in how many different ways he phrased it. Because you couldn't catch this man speaking much of any sort of comfort, no matter how distraught you were. So when his voice grew softer and he couldn't turn to meet your eye, it always felt so...strange. As if you weren't supposed to have heard him. And you'd respond as if you hadn't, holding onto your silence. Because how could you ever explain it? 

You only turned back down to your bandages, continuing the tedious motion of covering your wounds. Silence suffocated the air and it somehow was harder to breathe than any other of these moments you'd had with him. 

Thankfully said silence didn't last long as the front door flung open, frantic feet flooding in.

"Brok! Brok are you in here?!" Sindri's voice called out in almost a panic. 

"Over here ya panickin' tilat!" Brok yelled, his usual tone returning immediately as if nothing had happened. Sindri's head turned towards the workshop, relief falling on his face as he did.

"Did you see what happened outside? There are pieces of Yggdrasil all over the place! What happened-" his eyes paused as they fell on you, bandages still held in your hands with the final wound just covered.

"To you!" He exclaimed, his hands motioning in a way of shock and confusion with a look that asked if you were alright.

"They went ahead and met one of them young Lindwyrms s'what they fuckin' did" Brok didn't miss a beat with the explanation, his tone showing no indication of his lie. Sindri didn't even think twice about it.

"Really? Strange" Sindri spoke in an almost befuddled tone 
"They usually keep to themselves quite well!" He added, almost as if he was trying to convince you of something. You gave no response and his eyes quickly fell back to his brother. 
"In any case, I'm glad neither of you are dead" he stated as his previous panicked tone calmed, a huff leaving as he finally caught up with the situation. Or at least the version he knew of.
"I'll just uh...head back to work" he spoke slowly, a bit hesitantly you might even add, before walking off. He looked as if he had meant to say something, but hadn't. For a moment you thought maybe Brok's face had given away his bold lie, but you severely doubted that. Especially as the golden-plated dwarf didn't share the same short pause towards you as he walked off.

Brok turned to you, a look all too familiar in his eyes.

"I'm fine" you answered before he could say anything. But there was still that air of knowing he always gave off. As if he'd always be able to see through you, to stare through your being and still give so little away as to what he had gained from such a search. Your eyes prodded back with their own recognition of him, but with as much as the two of you had been through you still had such a hard time figuring him out. He never let anyone see anything he didn't want them to and considering how easily he was able to lie to his own brother, you knew he was quite capable of deceiving you. Or was it more so that no one really suspected him of anything more than what he always so blatantly showed? 

"I know you are" he answered, walking past you and further into the shop, his eyes finally leaving you. You breathed a bit of relief at that, but his words set you further on edge. This had to be one of the more strange encounters you'd had with him. Fimbulwinter had changed him. Hel, it had changed everyone. So you weren't sure why his change felt so much stranger. Or why his sharp tone as he passed felt so much worse.

Your lips parted to say something. Anything. Just a word even. But there was only silence that followed as your lips slowly closed once more. What even was there for you to say? Nothing he would care much to hear. He had done you service enough bringing you down from the sudden violence that had consumed you. That was enough. That was more than most were willing to do. That was more than you could have ever asked out of him. 

"They's gonna be gone awhile. Best find somethin' ta occupy yer time while they ain't here. Don't know whys you even fuckin' stayed-"

"I didn't want to" you quickly spoke back, a sudden sharpness on your tongue as you felt your anger flare at just the mention of it. The moment you noticed it you froze yourself, swallowing the feeling with a breath. You couldn't afford to have another of such events.

Brok's movements stopped for a moment as he took a short glance over his shoulder to you. He then soon went back to his work, turned away from you all the while.

"S'that what happened?" He asked, implying the reason for the explosion of the Yggdrasil branch. You once again only found silence as an answer, too afraid that any words to leave your mouth would only bring the potential for danger. You didn't really need to answer though. It was easy enough to assume. After all, you were fine before you started talking to Kratos.

He said nothing.

Hours had passed. Excruciatingly boring hours. Hours with nothing to do and no one to talk to. The dwarves had been so busy they hardly took note of you as they moved around. You didn't mind it, they were pretty busy people After all. Then again it wasn't like you liked the silence either. Nothing to occupy your mind as all of your equipment was either damaged or left at home. So you aimlessly roamed hoping that maybe you'd come across something while simultaneously wanting nothing there at all. You were driven by a need to occupy your mind but a fear that any task you take up would somehow be dangerous. It was times like these when you'd begin a new carving. 

Knives against wood had always calmed you, but you had left your satchel full of supplies at home, a place you currently couldn't go due to being trapped here. You had thought to ask one of the brothers but thought better of it since they were so occupied. So you wandered.

That was until you noticed Sindri in the forge. He paced back and forth as he grabbed things and, seeing as he looked to be preparing to leave to somewhere, you approached. But he had been so absorbed in his task that he hadn't seen you, nor did he as he turned back and forth. So, after a bit of silence waiting for him to notice you standing at the bench, you spoke up.

"What are you doing?" You asked, causing the dwarf to jump nearly ten feet in the air at the sound of your voice. His head whipped toward you, relaxing a little once he'd seen you, though remaining a bit tense.

"Oh! Well, I was uh- I was about to head out! Why? Do you need something?" He asked before slowly turning back to the task of preparing for wherever he was heading off to. You shrugged your shoulders a bit, even though he wasn't looking at you anymore.

"No. Just looking for something to do and you looked busy so..." You trailed off as he nodded to you. The conversation died for a moment before you decided to ask another question.

"Where to?" You asked as you leaned on the table a little. Maybe he'd let you come. Maybe you'd even be lucky enough to get your stuff from home.

"Niðavellir" he answered simply though his answer greatly piqued your interest. So much so that your relaxed posture changed to go upright, your eyes fully staring at him.

That's where the three had headed off to.

"Can I join you?" You asked, your voice a little too eager. He stopped what he was doing, turning to you with a stiff movement. His face was cautious and his hesitation had you quickly hoping to convince him.

"I can give you something in return if you'd like. I...I don't have much, but I've got some hacksilver at the house. Not a lot but some. Or if you'd prefer I'd be willing to do a favor of some kind. I'm not any sort of god killer but I can stand my own where I need to." You rambled on, trying to pursuade the still mostly stranger to allow you to join him into what was likely more than a few secluded areas. Which, you know, isn't exactly easy.

Finally Sindri was able to manage a response.

"That won't be necessary. I can bring you-"

"Hold your fuckin' horses now" Brok spoke up as he appeared and walked into the forge.
"You's ain't prepared ta step one fuckin' foot in no place, let alone Niðavellir. You's better get some damn equipment first" he chastised and you shot him a light glare, one more full of annoyance than any sort of anger.

"All of it's back at the house. A place I didn't have the luxury to look through before being brought here" you shot back sarcastically, a smile finally cracking itself on his face at the comment.

"Well I'm sure ol' numb nuts here ain't got's a problem takin' ya ta go grab yer lil' toys then" he replied, his usual self returning finally. It relaxed you a little. You didn't like the way his eyes stared when he was worried. You turned back to Sindri with an expectant look.

"Do you?" You asked, it seemed to fluster him a moment as he stumbled a bit before he spoke again.

"Well I um- well- of course not! Sure thing!" He spoke, swiftly pushing a whole table of tools into his bag. As he did Brok handed you the ax he had finished. It looked better than it did even before the explosion, though that was to be expected from the dwarf. However what had changed was a new rune held on the top of it. You eyed it down before turning to him with a questioning look.

"Just in case you go blowin' yer lid again. Should help" he murmured before quickly walking off. You hardly had any time to stop him when Sindri stood in front of you.

"After you" he spoke, gesturing to the door. You gave a nod, moving towards said door as he followed. You took a final glance over your shoulder towards Brok who, despite the smile on his face, gave an unfamiliar apprehensive stare. 

You quickly turned forward as you decided it better than seeing such a foreign look in his eyes.

Chapter Text

The first few moments of your walk were held in complete silence. Not that you didn't feel like talking and, judging by the way he kept glancing at you, not for a lack of his wanting either. But more so out of a hard time to find anything to ask or say in the first place. So it was quiet as you walked through the Yggdrasil and stepped into the frozen wasteland of Midguard. 

The cold immediately whipped against any exposed skin as you two trudged through the deep snow towards the cabin, a bitterness you don't think you'll ever grow to love. You quickly opened the door, shoving away the bit of snow that had piled even in your short time away. As you stepped in your eyes were immediately drawn to the holes in the roof, the draft making them quite obvious. You sneered a little at your inability to escape the cold. You hoped Niðavellir would be warmer.

It was only a second after walking in that you realized you were alone. Turning around you saw Sindri waiting just outside the door, shivering in the freezing cold. Confusion passed your face for a moment before you spoke.

"You can come in. It's too cold to sit in the wind" you called. Even at the invitation he seemed unsure. Yet soon enough he got over his hesitation, be that because of cold or obligation at your invitation you didn't know. Either way he entered, his eyes immediately scanning the place. You turned to busy yourself with grabbing your things. 

"Would you mind if I stoked a fire?" He asked, hands rubbing together in hopes to fight away the endless cold. You shook your head.

"Not at all" you allowed. Even if you two would be here a short time you felt that, given his mortality and your shared half of it, you would both probably need it.

You went collecting what you came for; starting with a corner so untouched it had collected dust. You were sure it would have collected webs as well, if the cold hadn't fought the insects away. In it was a variety of small items stored away once, never to be touched again. Old armor pieces and salvaged bits of broken arrows. But past them and the layers more of other rusted and useless pieces, you finally spotted what you were searching for. Pulling it away from the cluttered mess you had made while retrieving it, you opened the old box. Inside laid a greyed cloth that, once you dusted it off, revealed the white fur beneath. You stood with it in hand, the cloth still reaching the floor as you did.

It had been long since you had last worn the fur, the surge of sealing magic felt beneath your finger tips. You took a deep breath before placing it over top your layer of worn clothing, making sure to face away from the dwarf to hide the slight shine it emitted once you did so. Immediately the inner seams glew a deep black, a slight sizzling hitting your skin through your clothes with a quiet grimace. 

You turned from this always unpleasant experience to see the dwarf had the fire lit and had taken a seat beside it; his attention now engulfed with something near him. You figured it was nothing and went to grab some of your carving tools now that you were able to place your bag back over your shoulder.

"May I ask you something?" Sindri's voice spoke, gaining your attention quickly in the silence and causing you to glance at him again. But his eyes were still transfixed on whatever he had found, so you went back to your own task while you answered.

"You just did" you responded lightheartedly, the words almost natural in the way they slipped your tongue, like they had hundreds of times before. A silly joke, a stupid one really. But it reminded you of better times.

He, however, was thoroughly confused by it, his eyes glancing with his nose slightly scrunched. Luckily it seemed to click a moment later, though he struggled for a response anyway. You let out a half-hearted laugh, a little amused by his expressive features.

"Yes you may" you calmed his minor panic as you reached for an old bow, one clearly worn over years of no upkeep and lack of use. It wasn't the quality you would prefer but it would have to do. Hopefully it would hold better then the other.

"I was wondering how you had come to meet them?- Kratos and Atreus I mean. I didn't know they knew much of anyone else in these realms. Anyone close, anyway" he questioned. For a brief moment your body froze, the question bitter as it reached your ears. It was a short pause that you fixed the moment you noticed it, but a pause nonetheless. One you hoped he hadn't noticed.

"If you feel like saying, of course!" and it seems he did. That or he was impatient. You wished you could convince yourself it was the later of the two.

"We have history. They were close with someone I once knew" you finally spoke, your throat tightening slightly. You knew the answer wasn't what he was looking for.

"Oh..." Was all he could say. There was a question he held back on his tongue, you knew it. But you didn't dare to pull it from him. You preferred to move on.

"May I ask you a question?" You turned to him and his eyes finally caught yours.

"Of course" he answered. He seemed to have little to hide which made you a little more comfortable.

"What were you looking at?" You watched as his eyes widened slightly before he held up what he had picked up from the ground.

In his hand was a warped and strange piece of wood. It was slightly singed to a charcoal black on the left side of it, most of it's features left to ash while the other was cracked and splintered. It hardly held the detail it once had.

"This is...yours?" He asked. Your eyes focused on the small carved wood, a little bit confused as to why he even had it.

"Yes?" Your tone asked him his point and he looked perplexed himself.

"It was in the fire" he reiterated, as if you couldn't see the blackened side of it. You pulled your quiver over your shoulder once more before walking to where he was.

"I can see that" you answered as you began to pull small items from the floor, placing them in your bag. Mostly dried meats and the rare herb that grew in this now desolate land.

"Did you put it in the fire?" He asked, his tone strange in that it seemed shocked.

"Yes" You answered, your attention mostly on finding where in the freezing Hel Atreus had placed your extra set of arrows. That was until a nearly choked sound rang out, your eyes immediately snapping to him

"But the craftsmanship! How could you just throw it away?" He seemed almost offended and given the way he stared you might have even believed you had actually upset him...or perhaps you did believe so. Either way you chose to speak carefully.

"They are wood and it is cold. There's no reason to keep them. They'd just take up needed space" you tried to explain it the best you could, which is to say the way the Kratos always explained it. It had convinced you after all and you were sure he had much better things to be worrying about then some half-singed waste of time...

Right?

Unfortunate for you, it seemed he was anything but convinced. In fact, he might have even been more offended by your explanation.

"But the time this must have taken. It truly doesn't mean anything to you? You don't have any keepsakes?" He was growing increasingly frustrated with you and it was obvious. You didn't really know what you could say that would calm this strange stance he's decided to take, but you figured you might as well indulge him. The last thing you wanted to do was upset someone your brother would call a close friend. If nothing else you can at least say you tried.

"I have no issue making you a new one, if you are so bothered by it" you hoped that your offer would suffice. You didn't have much else to answer him with.

You watched as his indignation melted immediately and replaced itself with eye-widening surprise. He sputtered on his words, somehow baffled that you would offer exactly what he was complaining you ruined.

"Well you don't need to!" He finally managed a sentence.

"Unless you wish you" you mumbled afterword. Despite how quickly this change in demeanor came, or maybe even because of it's speed, you couldn't help the short laugh that left you at his nervous and flip-flopping behavior. On top of that, you managed to find your extra arrows. So you were feeling much better.

"I'd be happy to" your tone was light; amused even. He took your words with a wobbly and crooked smile before standing.

"Well..." He started, looking through the hole in the roof towards where the sun sat in the sky.

"We should really get moving" he suggested before hesitantly turning back. You gave a nod 

"Probably" you agreed and he quickly began to walk towards the door. You went to follow, standing from beside the fire when a glint caught your eye. You quickly locked onto the objects, your face silently wincing at the sight.

On the table sat two rings. One made of metal; it's design crossing at the side with the front side flat and a hagalaz letter engraved on to it. The other was a ring made of an unknown wood with a metal streak held in the middle throughout the ring. Engraved on the inside was the word 'light'. 

They taunted you as they laid there, the shine of the snow from the now open door turning them colder shades. Their intended purpose burned a sort of distain you never could quite place. Because even though their effect was everything you sought, it somehow felt so innately wrong whenever you had used them. As if they were not built for your hands, for your blood. Yet they were. They were finely crafted and tuned to you by beings you had never known and given to you by the mother you had always believed to want you safe-

"Are you coming?" Sindri's voice quickly caught your attention as your head swiveled to him, his head peaking in from the door.

"Yes, I-...feel like I've forgotten something" you answered, your voice as natural as it had been moments ago.

"Oh. Well whatever it is we can get it later. We're going to be late" he accepted your answer before waving for you to follow as he left once more. You gave another nod before, with the most reluctance, you took the rings into your satchel pocket and followed him into the Yggdrasil.

Another bout of silence ensued, though it felt much more peaceful than before. Or, at least, more comfortable now that the two of you weren't complete strangers. Soon enough you two were walking back out of the ethereal purple scenery and into the warmer but similarly silent place of Niðavellir. 

Looking around you saw many buildings, the city sprawling for longer than you could guess. Despite that, and it being the middle of the day, there wasn't a sound to be heard.

"Welcome to Niðavellir!" He exclaimed as he gestured around what you would wager to be his former home. He began to walk and you decided it best to stay beside him. You continued to look around the seemingly abandoned place as you did.

"It's been a while" you spoke, Sindri turning to you with a curious glint.

"You've been here before?" His stare was expectant of an answer.

"Yes. Many winters ago" you answered plainly and to the point. You were somehow unsurprised to find him unsatisfied by it.

"I can assume you were looking to make something? Us dwarfs are known for our superior craftsmanship" He pried further but you were used to it after spending so long with Mimir. Though you supposed the situation was at least a little different, given that you felt a little more inclined to speak with the golden-plated dwarf than your father's confidant.

"My mother brought me. I was young then, Atreus' age I think. We had been looking for someone to make me a...a ring. It didn't work out though" you caught yourself a bit at the end, realizing your sudden slip of the tongue. Hel, the only reason his brother knew was by pure accident. How had you let yourself grow so comfortable?

"It must have been an important ring then, to come all this way" his tone made you uneasy as he spoke. It was a question in disguise, yet you knew you wouldn't be telling him any more than you already had.

"I don't remember it being so quiet" you quickly changed the topic as your eyes continued to look for any sign of life. He finally turned away from you, focusing back on the path.

"I would wager a guess that our companions have already made their way to the city. And, knowing Kratos, they didn't look for a quiet way in" you felt a bit of dread build within you at his words. You had hoped they hadn't attracted too much unwanted attention. Though at this point you probably should have expected it.

Soon the two of you stopped at a small workshop in a corner of the city. After which Sindri got to work setting up shop and you, having nothing better to do, took a seat.

The air was thick here, almost suffocating. Clouds of smoke billowed in a direction but that hardly caught your attention among the other wonders of the city. It had changed quite a lot since your younger years, though it had to be the silence that unnerved you the most.

You tried to distract yourself by sharpening and cleaning your axe while you waited but that only helped for a while. It wasn't long before you turned back to Sindri, your curiosity caught when you notice that he worked with strange magic. Despite not wanting to bother him too much, you figured he wouldn't mind a few questions. After all, you were sure he must too be unsettled by the silence here. 

"What are you working on?" You asked with minor caution. His eyes flickered to you before turning back to his work, a green glow showing from the string he held.

"It's a project of mine. I've been looking into the structural sensitivity of sonic vibrations" he explained, placing the string down gently, as if he'd break it if he dropped it too suddenly. When he caught a glance of your utterly lost features, he gave a second shot at explaining it.

"I'm trying to find a way to use sonic vibrations to create a larger scale of destruction to certain sensitive materials" he reiterated and though it wasn't all that different from his initial explanation, you gave it your best shot at understanding him.

"Oh? So...a sound explosion?" his head tilted from side to side to imply that you were almost correct.

"A bit reductive, but sort of. More of an implosion if anything...Or at least that's the theory" he spoke before moving around his little shop, searching for something.

"You haven't tested it yet?" You asked, your intrigue now much more clear. The question seemed to gain his attention as he paused his movements to fully look at you once more.

"No. No I have. It's been rather...temperamental, to say the least. Working with new magic isn't exactly easy. I'm sure I have it down, but I'm not all that tempted to try it out again after the uh...last incident" he spoke with a more grave tone towards the end. You nod along, finding this to be quite interesting. At least more interesting than sitting in silence as you waited. In fact his words sprouted an idea in your head, one that would hopefully help you pass the time better than weapon maintenance.

"I can test it out, if you'd like" you inquired. The idea gave him pause as he seemed to maul it over a moment.

"Well, I had planned on doing it myself but...if you think you can handle it" he spoke skeptically which, you had to admit, was a bit amusing. It had been too long since you'd met someone who didn't know what you were. It was almost refreshing to have the expectations so low. 

"I think I'll handle just fine" your small smile broke which seemed to wean away his previous hesitation. Confidence begets confidence after all. 

"Your bow then" he outstretched his hand and you pulled the bow from your back and handed it to him. He began an attempt to take off the right string which you had to say was a little funny to watch. Even more so when you realized he very much wasn't going to ask for any help. But you bit your tongue well enough.

"Do you...need some help?" You spoke up gently, your voice stopping him for a moment.

What you hadn't expected was for him to look at you as if he'd seen some higher being descend upon him. Relief and thanks spread across his face as if you had asked to help him carry the weight on his shoulders. You were a little bewildered by it, the expression one you hadn't ever seen so blatantly on anyone before.

"Yes, yes, that would be great" he accepted with complete gratitude. So you placed you axe down and grabbed the bow. With only a bit of resistance you were able to hold it down for him and he didn't hesitate to take the string off, replacing it with the new one soon after. Once he did he stepped back and your grip loosened. A second passed before you gently picked it up once more, as if any sudden movement might irritate it. Turning it over in your hands showed that it seemed stable enough.

"Doesn't look too dangerous so far" you explained. He gave a cautious nod.

"Yes. However it might be smart for you to test it away from the workshop" he suggested and you quickly agreed. You stood before taking a good few steps away from the shop. When you felt you were a sufficient distance away you raised the bow carefully, as if to aim it, but didn't pull on the string. You instead gave one last look to Sindri who you noticed had ducked under his workbench. However his head quickly popped back up, clearly looking like he had forgotten something. 

"Oh and uh- when you shoot! Just say the word, skjálfa!" he ducked back under the bench as you gave a nod. 

Turning back to the bow with quite a bit of hesitance now, you brought your hand to the bow string. You watched the string hum with a bit of green light at your fingertips, the power of it evident. Knowing there was no avoiding the inevitable, and that an injury you might receive could be healed quick enough, you finally plucked the string and...

No explosion. Nothing more than a faint flicker of more green magic. You hummed in cautious delight before plucking an arrow from your quiver, swiftly pulling back the string as the glow reappeared. You aimed the arrow in a random direction before Sindri's voice called again.

"The gate! Aim for the gate! Where the green ore is!" He yelled to you, your aim quickly fixated on the target. When you were sure your aim was true you released.

"Skjálfa!" You yelled, watching as it quickly left your hand with a resonating thump of energy before flying into the metal. No familiar clink was heard as instead the metal compacted in on itself, crinkling like paper before falling with a small thud. 

"It worked-!"

You didn't get to celebrate long, a skittering sound meeting your ears followed by a loud billow as you realized you must have disturbed a swarm of wretches. Only a glance showed a grim not far behind.

You quickly sprung into action as a group of the tiny creatures charged for you like overgrown bugs. You began to quickly step back as you pulled an arrow from your quiver just in time for one of them to jump at you, impaling itself on the arrow with only a bit of force on your part. That didn't seem to deter the other six as they then all came jumping at you in a thing reminiscent of skin crawling nightmares. You managed to dodge, shoot and stab without so much as a bite when-

"Look out!" Sindri yelled, your body dodging a disgusting green acid-like spit ball flown in your direction before you even really fully registered his words. Afterward your eyes flicked in his direction as he, to your surprise, was throwing an assortment of strange things at the grim that had just tried to boil you in bile. You were almost impressed, surprised to see the dwarf standing his own.

At least until he caught the attention of said grim who, unsurprising, begin to run at him.

"Ah!" You turned and sprinted towards him the moment he yelled and in doing so allowing a wretch to jump and latch on your arm. You hardly felt it as the grim lunged over the bench and at Sindri who had tried continuing an assault of whatever strange things he could pull from his endless bag from behind said bench. However the creature was only successful in knocking him to the ground as you pulled the grim near out of the air, wrapping your bow around its neck and pulling it. The creature yelled in anger and pained fury as you hopped onto it's back to tighten your grip. It clawed at you, ripping your pants a little, before-

Snap

There went your second bow, the creature escaping your grip and throwing you off of it. You hit the ground with a thump and just barely rolled out of the way of it's hands. You were thankful when a slight glance showed your ax now beside you. Without hesitation you reached for it.

You felt fury dare to grip at your throat again, that horrible feeling of thickened blood sinking in once more. However, unlike before when it had shown in glowing eyes that blurred your vision or in the golden flakes that surrounded the movement of your hands, it instead showed in the form of just pure burning. The fur held on you was anything but a comfort now, as it began to sear. 

Knowing you didn't have much time before it would truly begin to burn, and driven fully by the panic of that thought, you swiftly grabbed the ax and moved to your feet. With the pumping of your adrenaline you let out a yell before lunging at the creature with as heavy a swing you could manage. You found relief when it's head hit the ground, it's body following shortly after.

Silence fell, a few deep breaths cooling the heat of your skin and the beating of your heart. A feeling so strange for such a common encounter. You hadn't had such a loose grip on it in so long, its signs usually showing only when your blood boiled over in messy golden ichor. But it seemed that over fimbulwinter your grip must have grown weaker. That or it somehow grew stronger in the inhospitable environment.

It wasn't long after you calmed that you registered the wretch that had yet to let go of your arm. You carefully unhooked it's jaw from you before throwing it onto the ground, a heavy stomp killing the pesky thing. You were confident by then that there were no more, though you glanced around just to be sure. 

It was then that you met the wide-eyed state of Sindri, his elbows propping him up on the ground he had not stood from quite yet.

"Are you hurt?" You asked as you approached. He remained silent for a moment too long and you began to grow concerned, quickening your pace. Once you stood above him you looked him over, relived to see no bloody injuries. 

"Sindri?" You called and, suddenly, the man sprung back to live. He blinked rapidly, adjusting himself into a seated position as he looked over his arms and legs, searching for an injury but thankfully seeing none.

"I'm fine- fine! I'm fine! It's...It's just been a while since I've been attacked like that!" He almost yelled through a nervous laugh, clearly shaken up by the ordeal. 

"Well lucky you" you reached down, pulling the dwarf to his feet in an attempt the break his adrenaline. Unfortunately it did quite the opposite as he instead just stared at where you touched him on his arm with what you could only describe as poorly contained disgust. 

"Oh, sorry. It slipped my mind" you apologized, pulling your hand very quickly back to your body.

"It's...fine" it was clearly not fine and he hid it poorly. Especially as he turned to the bag on his hip, digging around for a moment before pulling out some sort of cloth and wiping down the armor you had touched. You found the sight a little amusing, considering he had gone up to his shoulders digging through the bag, but you kept that thought to yourself. Instead you quickly went and retrieved the string of your now broken bow before placing it back on the bench with a simple nod from the dwarf. Silence returned for a few rather long moments after, an opportunity you took to get right back to cleaning your now grim covered blade. Then, right when you thought the silence might settle fully, he spoke again.

"Thank you" your eyes turned to him at the suddenly sincere tone in his voice. You questioned if he was joking, as most people who thanked you often were, but his seriousness didn't falter even in the way his eyes stared. 

"For keeping that...thing off of me, I mean" You couldn't help the ever so slight smile that pulled at your lips or the slight swell of being acknowledged that grew in your chest.

"Well thank you for not letting me be melted by disgusting acidic mucus" you returned the thanks, his look twisting into one

half amused and half horrified.

"Of course" he answered, his tone once again matching his face. You held back a snicker at it.

It was then that voices all too familiar began to echo in the near distance.

Chapter Text

"Sindri!" Atreus yelled in greeting, his smile wide on his face. You were too distracted to turn to the boy as you watched Kratos' eyes try to melt you where you stand.

"I'd return your surprise but I did know you'd be here!" Sindri returned the greeting with a tone more cheerful than a few moments ago. And, once the two had gotten closer, he continued.

"I've got something for you!" Those words seemed to peak Kratos' interest. At least enough for him to slowly turn his eyes away from you and to the dwarf. 

"What is it dwarf?" He asked, his voice monotone in a way that you knew meant he was irritated. Looking back towards Sindri you see his hands fidgeting and nervous in his movements, especially as he began to walk away from the table and what you knew he was gifting them with.

"You know I'm glad I came back here at least once before Ragnarok" he spoke, turned away from all of you as he did. As if talking to no one.

"Oh, if these cobblestones could talk" he reminisced as he looked around longingly. It was clear he really did miss this place. 

"Then they'd have mouths...filthy disgusting mouths" he glances turned much more stiff, almost like he was imagining what it would be like and being quietly horrified with the thought. Then suddenly he turned back over, pointing towards Atreus.

"Do you mind if I fiddle with your bow?" He asked and without hesitation the boy handed it over. 

It was then that Kratos turned to you before motioning you away. You knew better than to fight the simple request, as bad as you wished not to speak with him, so you followed him.

"You should not be here" he started the conversation off on the worst note possible, though you knew him as a man of very little subtly.

"Given the way the entire city cowers away it seems neither should the two of you" you answered with the same energy as him. With a sudden movement he was looming over you again, this time his anger not so hidden as it was before.

"This childishness needs to end. This is reckless" he spoke in a poor attempt at a whisper through gritted teeth. You felt every inch of your body boil at him having put himself so close to you, his figure mere inches away. So much so that your glare turned snarl like with the sudden wave of rage that overtook you. You were sure, had you not gotten your cloak, that your eyes would be gleaming at him.

"I am aware you think so little of me that you believe I'm so unable to control myself. So I have taken precautions" you display the metal rings that you had placed in your satchel and gesture down at the white bear skin you had placed on your body lined in a magic hidden from plain view.

"I will have you know, though, that even without these my leave would have been anything but reckless, given that you left me behind with no clue as to what was happening. So my apologies for being so childish as to want to know the reason I was nearly killed the other night and why we must so suddenly search for a dead god" you spoke through your own set of gritted teeth and anger. You two remained standing for a long paused moment in utter silence as you stared at one another, as if waiting to see who folded first.

"Hrm..." he finally answered. Despite your growing anger his seemed to simmer and, thankfully, he took a step back from you. 

"Uh, if I may cut in here a moment-" Mimir tried to interject.

"No"
"No" the both of you answered in unison. After that it seemed Kratos had finished whatever business he had with you as he went to return to Sindri and Atreus. You followed not so far behind. 

"Skjálfa!" Atreus released an arrow into a nearby wagon, the medal there compressing the same way the gate did. The boy's smile widened at the sight.

"Cool-"

"Atreus, this way" Kratos called and the boy was about to follow, though not without a curious look at you.

"Are you coming?" He asked to which you gave a nod. To your surprise he looked quite excited.

"Awesome! Come on, I'll catch you up on the way" he waved you forward. You went to follow, though upon looking where the two intended on going you grew a little weary.

"It's a bit dark in there" you commented mostly to yourself. Right before you could take another step you heard Sindri speak up again.

"Oh! That reminds me! Hold on just a moment" Sindri stopped the two of you as he went digging around in his bag. He pulled out a few random things before he seemed to find what he was looking for.

"Since you all are currently lacking a light source, sorry, I went ahead and made these for you! I only made two, though. I didn't expect that you would need one. But I'll get right to it! It'll be done by the time you all make it back" he outstretched the glowing lights which you and Atreus gratefully took from him.

"I'll make due until then. Thank you" Sindri nodded and turned back to do whatever else he had come here to do.

"Atreus!" Kratos called again. You and the boy glanced at one another before quickly catching up.

Once the three were gone Sindri went about cleaning up shop, knowing that they most likely wouldn't return here for a long while. Frankly he didn't want to stay long either, not after what Odin had done to the place he once called home. 

It only took a moment later he was off again, back through the Yggdrasil and to the home he now knew. However, whatever comfort he had been looking for evaporated the moment he opened the doors. He was hit with disgust, his eyes catching each tiny stain and out of place chair. He wrinkled his nose at the sight before quickly setting off to tidy the place up. 

He zoned out while he was cleaning, for the most part. His mind was mostly on what his new project might be and how he would be able to keep up with the mess all the others seemed so keen on making. And soon enough the inside looked spotless and he was off to clean up the mess outside. That being the branch peices that had been shattered all over the ground earlier. So he swept and swept and swept. As he did, his mind wandered from projects and future messes and instead became caught on the stranger he had only recently met. He had to admit it stung a little, not knowing this person who seemed so caught in the lives of those he cared for. He knew it probably shouldn't, yet it did all the same.

He hardly had time to ruminate on the topic when he heard a set of feet he knew all too well, a glance behind showing his brother arriving back home.

"Brok!" He called, the blue dwarf turning his head almost immediately at the sound.

"The fuck you want!" He called back. Sindri took his opportunity to swipe away the last of the splintered branches before quickly making his way to his brothers side.

"I thought you should know the bow string worked! It was actually more effective than I had originally anticipated!" Sindri began his boasting, the project something he had largely worked on by himself. He got an eye roll in response.

"Well whoopty fuckin' do. Least I know yer done blowin' up all my shit" Sindri immediately regretted having said anything.

"It was one time! At least I don't nearly burn the house down every time I make something to eat!" He rebutted but Brok seemed hardly effected.

"If ya don't like my methods then you can cook yer own damn food!" Brok took a turn into the workshop to which Sindri didn't follow. Instead he stood annoyed on the other side of the workbench. Something Brok didn't seem to notice or care about either as he went to work on whatever he had planned. 

For a while longer there was silence between the two. That was until Sindri found himself thinking about the stranger again. He found that his curiosity only grew the more he allowed himself to think about it. 

"How long have you known them?" Sindri asked out of the blue. Brok's face twisted a moment, his eyes glancing towards his brother before back down to his work.

"Who're ya talkin' about?" he asked, striking his hammer once more.

"Y/n- you know who I'm talking about! You two seemed close" he asked again, this time Brok considered his words.

"What's got ya so curious?" Sindri took a moment to ponder exactly that. Surely it was just because of your shared company. But perhaps too it could be his intrigue in your work and his astonishment at your lack of care for it. Or even just the simple fact that he was curious for curiosity's sake.

Maybe it was that you just seemed so strangely familiar. Like the itch of a memory he couldn't quite grab hold of. A stranger he's somehow met before.

"Nothing in particular. I just find it strange that I didn't know about them until now" Sindri settles on the obvious answer but his tone was sharper than he had meant it. He wasn't sure if Brok noticed.

"I's told ya about 'em before. Just not in no detail" Brok explained which only brought more questions to Sindri.

"Why not?" Was the one he decided it best to ask first. 

"'Cause it weren't nothin' your nose needed stickin' in" he answered flatly.

"Well it seems to be plenty of my business now" Sindri countered and Brok huffed.

"Ain't nothin' important to tell you" Sindri was growing unsatisfied with his answers.

"But why not just tell me anyway?" Brok  was growing visibly frustrated.

"S'this some sorta interrogation?" He was openly indignant by this point but Sindri most definitely wasn't backing down. So, before Sindri could try to push him again and further delay his work, he answered.

"I mets 'em when they's was half dead fightin' off some Draugr at the start'a Fimbulwinter. Didn't know they's was involved with the other two until a whiles after. Now if yer done sniffin' my ass like a dung beetle on date night, I would like to get back to work!" Brok's frustration became more visible the more he spoke until he was eventually fully turned to Sindri, his annoyance more than obvious.

"Well if you would have just answered my questions I wouldn't have to ask so many!" Sindri defended against the clear wishes of his brother, causing him to turn back to his work in a huff.

"If ya don't get yerself somethin' better ta do I swear ta whatever god'll listen that I'll jump over this table and lick ya-"

"Leaving!" Sindri didn't hesitate to immediately vacate the area, knowing damn well that Brok's threat was anything but empty. Yet now he felt his curiosity nearly burn him, Brok's words having only left him with more to question. But he tried to brush it off as best he could. 

He had work to do after all.

The journey was longer than you had originally thought, but finally, after having met Durlin and walking yourselves through precarious machines, old maze like mine shafts and fighting frankly less creatures than you would have thought while looking for a maybe not so dead god, the four of you had made it to a final set of large wooden doors. Well, technically not so much the final door as it was the last one you all would be looking through, considering you could all spend weeks in here if you really wanted to search the place.

It looked pretty sealed, more than any other the four of you had gone through anyway. But it wasn't anything difficult for you all to figure out. A few shots from Atreus' new bow string took out the metal on the sides well enough and a good pull from Kratos' blades should-

"Hvat er at gerast!?" A voice yelled behind, your head immediately whipping to the sound and in so meeting the eyes of strangers. And oh boy, they didn't seem to friendly.

"We've got company!" You yelled, making sure the other two managed to pull themselves away from the task at hand. Thankfully, whether due to your words or the strangers yelling, they did.

Your movements were natural, planned. Kratos was quick to take his pick of the group and Atreus happily went to help, given that the two always did work so much better together. So you were left with the other. You didn't feel any need to complain though. As far as you were concerned you got the easy work. They had to deal with the bigger guy and you were pretty sure there were others heading their way.

"Alright, let's get this over with" you taunted your enemy, though you were pretty sure they couldn't understand you. Either way they didn't hesitate to charge.

The battle was as controlled as chaos got, as battles like this usually were. Every blow could have left you mauled, but such was the life you all lived. And, if you were being honest, they weren't really much of a challenge. A minor inconvenience at most.

Bodies dropped and it seemed that you all would get through this quickly. It lessened your hope that there was anything in the locked room if these were the people guarding it. Either way their numbers dwindled and soon only two remained. Given that you currently had your axe handle thoroughly wrapped around the throat of one of them, that would soon be only one.

You had thought to go through the effort of breaking his neck before a quick glance showed Atreus in front of you, his arrow waiting for a mark.

"Atreus! Over here!" You called. A second later the stranger fell limp, an arrow embedded in his skull.

"Behind you!" Atreus yelled as you dropped the body in your arms. You dodged at the last moment, the strangers weapon hitting nothing but dirt and rock. He hardly had a chance to look up before Kratos' axe met the back of his head. And so he dropped limp atop the other, the bodies piling up. 

Then, finally, it seemed that it was over.

"Clearly they don't want us in there. This has to be it" Atreus proclaimed with all the confidence and hope that you couldn't have imagined clinging to by his age.

"Back to it then" Mimir encouraged, though you couldn't help but feel a little bad for the soon to be dashed hopes of the boy.

"I don't know. I feel like if Odin was going to hide away a war god, it would be with far more than a few Einherjar..." you tried to caution them. This all felt far too easy.

"Agreed" Kratos spoke, but his blades dug into the wood anyway and soon he was pulling the door from its hinges.

You had to give credit where was was due, if there was one thing Kratos did well, it was tear things apart. So it wasn't a surprise when he did so easily. The door collapsed in a way similar to a tree; its movement slow at first before quickly colliding with the ground. 

Dust covered your vision, your hands trying to swipe the cloud away and coughing as it still made it to your lungs. But soon it settled, bits of light traveling through the remnants of it searching for a source other than the thin clouds to reflect off of. Your eyes squinted through the strange haze when finally you saw someone. Before a moment more could pass as the three of you approached, you heard Atreus call out.

"Tyr!" The name sent your stomach to your throat as you realized that you did in fact now stand at the feet of a once dead god. You couldn't find words. You hardly believed what you were seeing. By every sane metric it shouldn't be, yet here you stood, steps away from who you had long known as legend told in stories of great acts of kindness and mercy. A betrayer of Aesir, a god of war who fought for his mission towards peace. 

"What trickery is this, Odin? What game do you play with me now?" His head hardly moved and didn't dare raise to meet the eyes of any of you. He only sat, unmoving, uncaring.

"We're not with Odin. We're the good guys!" Atreus, ever the optimist, tried to convince Tyr that this wasn't some sort of trick. An attempt you knew was in vain just from a glance at the fallen god. It was then you noticed he was far from what he once was. A broken man with the fading visage of a legend among many.

You placed a hand on Atreus' shoulder to hold him back. The boy glanced up at you as you shook your head slightly, warning him to keep his distance.

Kratos wasted no time in getting behind Tyr and grabbing the rope that clung to his neck. With a pull the rope grew taught and a swift swing his blades cut threw it easily. 

Far too easily.

"This...Is the god of war?" Kratos asked the question, though by his tone you knew he was far from impressed. You gave him a sharp look. That was surely no way to address someone who had spent hundreds of years hidden away at the mercy of God's as cruel as the Aesir.

"Those blades..." Tyr spoke, his eyes transfixed on the red glow that had cut him free. But then the eyes fell again, acceptance covering him.

"I know you..." his tone was full of subtle disdain.

"God-killer" his disdain no longer subtle. His eyes finally met Kratos

"Have you come for me now?" He asks, his resentment clear. His words weren't empty; he knew of the ghost.

"Only to free you-" your father tried reaching a hand.

"Stay away!" Tyr quickly coward from him as he moved himself away, his tone a beg for mercy in its own. Atreus tried to step in but your hand held him back once more. His look to you was full of confusion that you cooled with a patient stare.

"Brother, let me try" Mimir spoke up and Kratos didn't hesitate to give the man a chance.

"Tyr- Tyr! Look...You know me, don't you?" Mimir's voice was jovial, friendly even. Like he was meeting with an old pal under far less dire circumstances.

"You...You killed Mimir!" Well that certainly wasn't the reaction you had hoped for.

"No, no! No, no no no!" Mimir frantically tried to convince.

"Yeah we- we brought him right back!" Atreus, in his own set of frantics now, tried to calm the situation in the worst way possible. You pulled the boy away from Tyr as you saw things quickly going south.

"You...stay away from me, you monsters!" Tyr cried out, whatever previous confidence he held staring down the god-killer now utterly evaporated as he stumbles his way to his feet, bumping the door frame on his way out.

"Stop!" Atreus pulled from your grip and began to run after him, taking only a glance back to the three of you as he went to catch up.

"We need him!" He justified before booking it after him.

"Wait!" Kratos called as he took a spot beside you. The both of you barely set to a run before more of the Einherjar came down from above and out of crevices. You hardly had the time to see one attempt a push and pull match with Kratos when you have two on you. You struggle against them a moment, shifting your weight around until one falls to your heel, a quick stomp knocking them out before you were able to throw the other to the ground beside them, your axe splitting their skull just in time for you to look up and see Kratos shoved through some unstable wood and out of sight completely. And worse yet, he left three more up here for you to deal with. 

Great. Looks like you've got to figure this out on your own.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Blood and viscera spilled in every direction as you continued forward, trying to find your way to where the others had run off. You were successful in fighting off the hoards of Einherjar with only minor injuries, but as you tried to run further towards the sounds of familiar voices in the distance, they only seemed to draw farther and farther away; Up until you couldn't hear anyone but yourself and the Einherjar that surrounded you. 

It was then you knew that you were in far more trouble than either of them were. Separated and lost, surrounded on all ends by endless hoards of enemies. So you soon abandoned the goal of finding them as you instead searched for any way out of this horrid place. For a while that too seems like an impossible task that stretched further and further from your reach. Then finally, just when you think you might not ever find a way out of the endless maze, you spot sunlight.

The way up isn't clear, frankly it seems it isn't a way one is supposed to get out of as much as it is a way to fall in. But at this point, covered in blood and bifrost, you're desperate to get out of this cesspit of Odin's army. And so you begin to scale the wooden and dirt walls. It is harder than you would have liked, and you nearly fall a couple of times when Einherjar notice where you've gone and begin to throw things at you. But be it by luck or pure endurance you somehow manage to pull yourself out of this hole in the ground. Scathed, tired and somehow still not regretting your decision to tag along on this trip.

Your relief was incredibly short lived, however, when the creatures of Svartalfheim come to get their piece of you. At this point your skin is near searing from both the heat of this wet, humid, dreadful place and the irritation that threatened to turn to bright golden anger. A metallic taste begins to take over your tongue as your vision mixes into a yellow color, a sure sign that your cloak was working even after all these years. 

When you beat the beasts away and finally manage to find a moment of calm in the violence, you make an attempt to calm the fire that had grown under your skin and near begged to be set free. You were almost dizzy with adrenaline by then, making the task more than difficult. All the same you found a way to silence the flame, even if only temporarily, leaving it as only a low simmer under your skin.

It's then you find the energy to stand, where upon you finally feel the many injuries that litter your being. You let out a huffed sigh, the soreness of your body quite the inconvenience. You can already hear Kratos' scolding, already beginning to see how he might plan to trap you back with the dwarves the next time he planned to leave. The thought alone ruins the peace you had tried to bring yourself, the golden flecks snatched by the shadowed insides of your cloak the moment they appeared. 

It was best you didn't think of this right now. You had other problems to deal with, mainly the fact that you had no idea where the others were and no way of getting back on your own. So you push the pain to the back of your mind, reminding yourself that you'd deal with it on your own later, before beginning to search the small island for the others.

You do this for quite a while, turning down many different corners and walkways, trying to find any sign of life that wasn't immediately hostile towards you. Eventually you hear arrows flying and creatures gargling their last breaths. You wander that direction, trying to stay out of view just in case it was more Einherjar. 

"What if they're still in there? What if they can't get out!" you hear Atreus' voice first, another of his arrows loosening into the neck of one those disgusting creatures, unaware that one is coming up right behind him. Kratos' back is turned, Tyr is no where to be seen.

"I'm sure they've made it out somehow lad, we just have to- behind you!" Just as the creature goes to attack him you throw your ax at full force, the blade spinning before lodging directing in the side of the creatures head, it's body falling limp as Atreus pushes the falling body away from him. You watch as each of their heads snap back into your direction. For a moment they both reach for their weapons, though its only a moment later that they realize it's only you.

"Y/n!" Atreus calls to you excitedly and you somehow find the energy to wave in acknowledgment of his words. His look falls quickly when he notices the sheer amount of blood that covers you. 

"Oh...looks like you had a rough time in there" he states the obvious. You catch up to them and try to avoid Kratos' stare.

"What gave it away?" Despite how much you try to hide it there is still a sharpness to your tone. 

"Maybe try not to run off like that in the future" you politely suggest before giving him a light bump on the shoulder. He looks immediately guilty. 

"Is the coast clear? Are they gone?" A frightened voice you hardly recognize calls from a set of bushes nearby. You are more than a little surprised to see the tall, goldened eyed old god pull himself to his feet and peak through shaking hands. Atreus must have seen the look on your face with strained smile he tried to comfort you with.

"Yeah, we should be good" Atreus answers him. With tentative footsteps this contradiction of a god steps forward, eyes catching yours as you desperately try to hide the utter confusion on your face.

"Ah, you must be the one we were looking for. Y/N is it?" He asks, the worry slowing leaving his posture.

"Yes. And you...are no longer running?" you announce your observation as a question, one that seems to make him a little nervous again.

"I was...unwell. my mind- it isn't what it used to be" he reasons and you can't help but feel a little bad for him. 

"We all lose ourselves sometimes. In all honesty I'm surprised to see you as well as you are, considering you've been thought dead for so long" you try to give him leeway, a hint of breathing room so that he might grow a little more comfortable.

"I appreciate the kindness" he returns your courtesy. It is then that Kratos makes his way over, pushing past Tyr without hardly any care and standing much closer to you than you would have prefered. His eyes glance over your entire being before staring straight into your eyes. Silence is all there is for a moment as your pull enough of your strength together to stand tall and proud in front of him, trying your best to hide away the soreness that covered every inch of your being. Eventually, thank Ymir, he speaks.

"You are well?" He asks, voice rough and perhaps a little agitated. You answer with a nod, still not backing down from him in the slightest. He stares for just a second longer before giving a firm nod, a slight grumble and turning right back around. You let out a quiet sigh of relief before the five of you move along, following Kratos' silent lead.

-

"The hell you doin?" Brok's voice makes the gold plated dwarf jump out of his focused state for just long enough to wave a hand and grumble at him.

"Busy" he manages a word, his hands moving quickly over a page, trying to keep his work consistent. Brok tsks at this.

"Oh. So when you're busy with somethin'-"

"Sh!" Sindri suddenly shushed him, his head popping up as he folds his work and pauses to listen.

"Oh yer really asking for-"

"Sh! Shut up!" Sindri yells, hands held up to silence him, an action that baffles Brok into actually listening for a moment. It's long enough for Sindri to hear voices.

"They're back!" He announces as he makes haste to the front door, Brok lingering behind at the workbench. When Sindri opens the doors he's met with a sight he truly hadn't believed was possible.

"Lord Tyr? You're really alive!" Sindri manages to speak past his astonishment.

"Am I, I wonder?" He answers and that certainly throws Sindri off quite a bit.

"Okay?" The word slips past his lips, his sudden hesitance not at all hidden.

"He's just tired," Atreus tries to assure him.

"I promised him some food and a room to rest in" the boys promise was expected, though Sindri couldn't help the small voice of annoyance that bit at him anyway. His home was becoming quite crowded and crowded meant more messes, which meant more cleaning, which meant more encounters with whatever viscera they brought in. He could imagine it already.

"Ah, of course you did" he tried his best to not let his annoyance show too much. He was, after all, in the presence of two Gods of war.

Best not to go stepping on any toes.

"Well, let's see what we can do. Please, come inside" he invites them all in despite the itch of disgust that comes with the dirt and grime that follows.

"Uh, we'll be right in!" Atreus waves him off before shutting the door behind Tyr. He sees the giant of a god turn over his shoulder for just a moment to glance at the shut door.

"Well I'll be!" Brok, hands on his hips and the widest grin on his face, speaks up.

"Hello" Tyr speaks to him, but it is an extra moment before the god actually turns to face Brok at all.

"Well get your ass on over here! I'll get those cuffs off ya" his brother beckons him and Tyr goes without any complaint. To Sindri's horror, Brok stands on the workbench.

"Brok!" He yells, the blue dwarf barely turning to meet his eyes before focusing back on Tyr.

"Get these off'n no time. You just gotta stay put" his brother completely ignores him and Sindri sends him daggers before he swallows his disdain and simply adds it to the list of chores he's racking up. His arms cross as he holds himself back from boiling over, his eyes instead turning to the front door as he waited.

A moment later Kratos and Atreus enter, though he notices that you don't. He goes to questions where you might be but he catches a glimpse of you just as the door shuts. His mind floods with questions, most of them curious as to what the three of you talked about and why exactly you decided you didn't want to come inside. It was getting late after all and he was sure you must be tired by now, or at the very least wanting to rest. Especially after that little escapade.

All of the questions are thrown out the window, however, when he catches a far too familiar look in Atreus' eyes.

"See? Sleep tight Tyr. I'm gonna turn in. Big day tomorrow" Atreus avoids turning to anyone in particular as he makes haste to his room. Sindri knows right then that he's up to no good.

-

You sit in the quiet of the outside as the others turn in for the night. Your body is worn and tired but you knew even now that sleep would not come easy. You didn't want to bother with trying, as you weren't particularly in the mood to toss and turn in silence. You decided it best to just start with the carving Sindri had wanted, hoping to distract yourself with the small thing. You had thought, perhaps foolishly, that you would find peace here. The others would sleep and you would be allowed to let your conscious waiver into pure focus. Just you, the swiping of your small blade and the slight chewing in the distance.

You really should have known the boy wouldn't stay put.

"Let's just go talk to the snake first and then-"

"Sh!" Voices, just a few feet away. Some horrible attempt at whispering, you think. You continue with your carving, hoping to figure out just what they thought they were doing.

"Oh...Oh well, looks like we can't go. Why don't we just turn around and-"

"Hold on. It's just Y/n" to their credit they did grow quieter. But still, not exactly the most discrete.

"I think I have an idea. Just play along," you simply can't wait to see what he's going to come up with this time. Somehow he still manages to surprise you, though, when he oh so confidently stands from behind the gate.

"Hey, Y/n!" He calls over to you, trying to get your attention, though he kept his voice just quiet enough to not be heard inside. You allow a second before you turn to him. 

His smile is lopsided: deceptive. A look you've grown to recognize quickly, considering how many times you've had to dig him out of the trouble he's made when that look crosses his face. He waves you over and you can only sigh before sliding the tools in your hands back into your bag and going to find out what he was going to get himself into now.

"Not tired?" You ask him. He laughs in a way too nervous for you not to miss.

"I was...going to ask you that" his smile isn't hiding anything well. You give a glance at Sindri who almost immediately avoids your eyes before turning back to Atreus.

"A little, if you must know. I can imagine you feel the same" you watch the boy grow a little more confident at your answer. He hadn't caught that you were just playing along yet.

"Yeah. I just wanted to check on you before going to bed. You need sleep too, y'know" you would have felt quite touched if he wasn't lying straight to your face right now.

"Oh? And what about you Sindri?" You ask, turning to the dwarf.

"Just coming to check in on me?" Your eyes are fixated on him as he just absolutely fumbles on his words. A mixture of half sounds and stray noises that might be considered sentences in the loosest term. Finally it seems he manages something coherent.

"I was just making sure he wasn't getting himself into trouble!" He blurts out. You almost feel bad with how nervous your stare had made him, so you turn back to Atreus.

"And I'm assuming you want me to head inside then?" You ask and he immediately lights up. He thinks he's gotten somewhere. He thinks you don't know him by now.

"I think it would probably be for the best. We've all got a big day tomorrow!" You watch him become even slightly convincing at the last possible moment. You smile as you cross your arms. You had to admit, it was a cute attempt.

"Was that your plan?" He's hit with confusion.

"What do you mean?" He shifts where he stands.

"You were going to try and send me to bed before sneaking off" you watch as he crumbles, utterly lost at what to say for a moment before he lets out a huff.

"No!" he retorts and he gets a raise of an eyebrow from you.

"Would you like to try something else, then?" you see him freeze, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He can't find his words and it seems Sindri couldn't take it any longer.

"We are going to find Jörmungandr!" he finally admits, Atreus turning to him as if he had betrayed him.

"That's all?" You ask, eyes turning between the both of them. Atreus seems defeated, his head hung low and his shoulders with it. He manages a mumbled response.

"And Freya" at that you are truly shocked.

"You...want to go find Freya? The woman that has been trying to kill us for all of Fimbulwinter?" You are beyond baffled. What possible reason would he have to seek her out? In what way could that ever go well in his head?

"That's what I was trying to tell him!" Sindri pipes in again and the boys face scrunches. His eyes meet yours with a sharp look only hindered slightly with the puppy eyes he so readily used against everyone.

"We need allies! And we used to be friends! I don't think she's beyond reasoning, she's just-..." the boy tries to defend himself and it isn't convincing in the slightest. You sigh, knowing that this couldn't possibly go well.

"You aren't going to let this go, are you?" Your answer is his continued stare at you, eyes fully ready to do what he must to get what he wants. If you had to describe this stubborn boy in one word it would be bull-headed. It seemed there were no amount of no's that could stop him. A glance down at Sindri shows he's just as worried as you are.

"I want you to know that this is reckless. And foolish. And downright stupid" your words have a bite to them that has Atreus looking away, avoiding looking at you all together. You take a deep breath before you continue.

"But if you must then I know you will. So I will do the bare minimum of at least accompanying you" they both seemed relieved at your words. You imagine for completely different reasons.

"And you're not going to tell father?" He asks, finally stepping out from the other side of the gate.

"Do you really think this is the first time I've caught you sneaking out?" his eyes turn as wide as a full moon.

"...well until you said that; kinda, yeah" You snicker at his reaction and begin walking to the gateway with them not too far behind. The boy falls into silence for a moment before he turns up, a question written in his eyes.

"How many times did you-?"

"More times than I cared to count. Now come on, we don't have forever" you speak over your shoulder as you wave the two along. You try to ignore the dull wounds that still hasn't fully healed themselves.

-

You had to admit, despite the odd Draugr and getting covered in Jörmungandr's disgusting slobber, this little outing was proving to be rather fun. You stayed quiet, for the most part, but enjoyed the babbling of the two as they went along with this little adventure of theirs. It was quite sweet, the relationship they had built. If you were being honest it was nice to see Atreus a little less tense, given how rigid he always was around his father. However, by the time the three of you were heading towards where Freya was last seen, you couldn't help but regret having let him get this far.

"All I'm saying, Atreus, is that she clearly isn't stable. You don't know what she might do. Just because she liked you before doesn't mean-"

"Look, I get the concern but you gotta trust me. She might be Hel bent on killing father, but she hasn't really tried to kill me yet. She's-...She just needs to understand we were trying to help her. And that the bigger threat is Odin" He must truly believe he's untouchable.

"In her mind she has every reason to kill you. To do the same to Kratos as he has done to her. Do you not worry at all that she would take every opportunity imaginable? She believes she has nothing to lose" you try once again to waiver him from this reckless goal. 

"She wouldn't. She's better than that" By all living gods was he stubborn. You hardly remembered a time he'd ever wavered from his convictions. A double-sided blade, that trait is. You hoped today wouldn't be the day he killed himself with it.

"You are impossible" you speak with a defeated sigh. Slowly the three of you walk to a sudden edge, a steep drop below. You have no problems bracing it, hardly even thinking about it. Turning back, however, you see the two of them hesitate. It's then you realize the jump might be a little steep for the dwarf.

"Perhaps this is a sign" he mutters, his eyes cautious as he stares into the opening. 

"Don't be a baby, I'll catch you! Promise not to drop you this time" Atreus' words catch your attention as he falls to your side, an almost amused look creeps on your face.

"You've dropped him?" You ask and the boy hardly hides his guilt with a nervous laugh.

"It was one time" he tries to defend himself. A glance up shows just how embarrassed Sindri is by this.

"It was the only time!" You fight back a short laugh, only allowing a small smile to take form as you stare up at the dwarf.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll also be here to catch you this time" you tried to instill even a slight bit of confidence in him, though he still seemed deeply uneasy.

"I..." his voice wavers, still incredibly unsure about all of this. You almost immediately catch the boy about to be a smartass and quickly knock the sentence from him with a light hit on the back of his head. 

"Hey-!" He turns to glare at you but your stare seems to disintegrate any resistance. Once you're sure he's going to keep his mouth shut you turn back up to Sindri.

"Worst thing that could happen is we both fall down" you try to reassure him.

"And I break my skull open!" He retorts. You huff a little.

"Look, I know Atreus' promises mean very little-"

"Wha- That's not true!" The boy speaks up and you fail to fight a grin when he shoves you slightly, but you continue all the same, even if a chuckle is heard through your words.

"But my promises are as solid as steel, and I promise that it will be fine" your eyes lock on his and even through your jest you know he sees that you're serious. So, with a deep breath and tense posture, he finally agrees.

"Fine" he speaks through gritted teeth and both you and Atreus hold your arms out. It's only a few moments later he jumps. With little effort the two of you catch him. 

"See? Was that so bad?" Atreus speaks to him and you send a smile as you help him back to his feet. It's clear though that he is still very unhappy with the situation.

"I sincerely hope I never have to do it again, if that's what you're asking"

Chapter Text

“My shop!” you jump a little at Sindri’s sudden outburst, your eyes soon finding the wreckage he’s yelling about. You're surprised to see Atreus hardly miss a beat as he continues, not so much as passing a glance to what had clearly upset the dwarf before scaling yet another wall. Sindri catches this and you don’t miss the tired look in his eyes.

“Well, if we can’t stop you then…this is as far as I go,” he announces to the boy before turning back to the wreck, arms crossed and clearly jaded by the whole situation.

“I’m gonna stay and…fix this,” he mumbles mostly to himself and you can’t help but feel a little sorry for him. The both of you had spent yourselves trying to get the boy to see reason and now it seemed he’d given up on trying. You couldn’t blame him. Sometimes Atreus was as unyielding as steel, making it impossible to get him to listen. You were sure the last thing he needed was a broken shop to top it all off.

“Suit yourself. You coming Y/n?” The boy asks. You turn to look back at him, hesitating for a moment. You feel the weariness of your body down to your bones. The fight from earlier had weakened you, the fur coat draining much of what was left of your strength just to keep it all under wraps. Looking at the wall the boy had so easily scaled made you even more sure you would be of little use here. So, meeting his eyes, you tried to find some belief that he would be okay on his own.

“Do you truly believe you can get her to see any reason?” You ask, your voice conveying just how little you believed in this reckless idea.

“I know it,” his voice is confident, though you would rather call it foolish. Yet despite everything you find it in yourself to trust his judgment. If against all evidence he truly believed she had the potential to listen, then there must be something he knew of her that you didn’t. Which was likely, given that you’d never truly met the woman before. 

“Then I don’t believe having me around would be helpful. She would likely consider it a threat,” your answer gives him a moment of pause, but he shakes it off quickly.

“Okay then,” his voice waivers, uncertainty finally bleeding into his tone. Yet even then he turns and continues towards his goal, undeterred. You turn around and notice that Sindri hasn’t started to clean yet, his face a mixture of desperate and annoyed as he continued to look Atreus’ direction. He seemed to be contemplating something before he spoke again.

“You sure you wanna go in there wearing the very arrow tip that killed her son?” the words strike away nearly all previous confidence you had in the boy, your eyes blown wide as you’re held at an absolute loss.

“Please tell me you’re joking,” you ask Sindri, though Atreus responds before he can. 

“I’ll wear it under my shirt,” he speaks oh so casually.

“And besides, it’s a reminder. To be better” you simply can’t believe the words leaving the boy’s mouth right now.

“You need a murder weapon to be a better person?” Sindri asks the question you were moments away from yelling.

“It makes me feel brave, okay? Is that such a bad thing?” You wish you were in hitting distance at that very moment.

“Yes actually! For the love of- this is so far beyond reckless!” You are far more than the word ‘worried’ can describe at this point. But as you said before, Freya would likely see your appearance with the boy as a threat and as strong as you knew you were, fighting off a former valkyrie queen with nothing more than an ax and an overconfident child simply wasn’t something you believed possible, at least not in your current state. Not to mention how risky it was with your loose grip on the golden menace that flowed through your veins.

“I’ll be fine! She won’t even notice!” his words did nothing to comfort you, even less to give you any more confidence in this horrible idea. But it’s too late now. Nothing you could do would stop him before he reached her. A moment later he encounters a draugr, blowing it up with a fire pot before continuing further. You try to find some comfort in his abilities, knowing that he’s gotten out of plenty of sticky situations before. It hardly helps.

“He’s going to get himself killed,” you mumble to yourself, Sindri giving you a sympathetic look of agreement before turning back toward the boy.

“You sure this is a good idea? You haven’t got a plan!” Sindri, clearly as distressed as you are, tries his last desperate attempt to get Atreus to just listen.

“Brok says some people run better on chaos. I think he’s right,” he’s indignant as he speaks now. You know that there is simply nothing that is going to pull him away from this stupid idea, not when he feels he has something to prove.

“What makes you think that applies here!? This is life and death-!” Sindri, bless the man, can’t seem to accept total defeat.

“And this is Ragnarök! We can’t just do nothing and we’re out of options,” there isn’t a doubt in that boy’s mind.

“Living! Living is an option!” Sindri near yells, so beyond worried. But no response is given, leaving only the whistle of wind.

“...He’s gone,” you break the silence. He turns to you and you both share a look of great concern. But there is simply nothing left to do. There is no getting him to seek reason now.

“Well then,” he speaks between slightly gritted teeth before turning back towards the broken pieces of what must have once been a shop.

“I have a mess to clean,” without another moment’s hesitation he gets to work. There is a second that passes before you speak up.

“Would you like any help?” You ask and he pauses his movements to look at you, his tense posture relaxing with a heavy sigh.

“Yes. If you would like to,” he allows and so the two of you quickly get to cleaning.

A few moments of quiet pass, though it’s filled with the moving of debris and the clanking of metal tools set back in place. You think it will probably remain like this, given the two of you didn’t know each other well enough to ask one another much of anything. But in the end he seems to find something to say.

“Did you know that Atreus was sneaking off tonight?” He asks. You pop your head up just long enough to acknowledge his sentence before getting back to work.

“No” your answer is simple and sure, but you’re beginning to notice a pattern of him not liking those types of answers when he can’t help but dig further.

“Then why were you out there?” your movements pause at the strange line of questioning. He must have noticed, as his quick glance showed sudden nervousness.

“If you don’t mind telling me, of course” he tries to give you an out, a way to avoid the question that has made you so suddenly aware of his words. But slowly you go back to cleaning. Finding little reason to lie, you answer honestly.

“I don’t sleep well and carving usually helps. Distracts me, at least” you don’t notice the sudden stare he sends you as you are far too distracted pushing a heavy piece of debris out of the way.

“Oh…Well I suppose that does make sense. You look exhausted” those words catch your attention again. You did, in fact, feel like slamming your head against a wall until you were able to pass out, but you had believed yourself much better at hiding that fact. When he turns and notices you staring he goes wide-eyed.

“Not in an insulting way. You just- well you- you are uh- um-” 

“Relax,” you tell him. His voice quiets immediately, though he didn’t look any less uncomfortable. You smile a bit as you turn back to your work once more.

“I promise I don’t pop peoples head’s off for simply stating the obvious,” you can’t help the slight chuckle that finds its way through your words. You hope it calms him as you don’t glance to check.

“Well good! That would probably be very inconvenient for you,” you can’t tell if that was a sentence born out of continued nerves or an attempt at humor, but you give him a short laugh either way.

“I wouldn’t get anything done with Atreus around” you continue to jest and do finally spare a brief glance to see that he seems far less tense now. He even smiles.

“You know, if you would like to try and sleep, I don’t mind keeping watch for you,” he suggests, and you are a little surprised by the offer. As kind as the sentiment is though, you knew you’d have to decline.

“I couldn’t. It’s hard enough to close my eyes on a good night, let alone one where Atreus is running head first into death-” The sound of sudden footsteps stops your words immediately. You hold your hand to your ax as both you and Sindri turn toward the sound.

“Is that you up there?” Sindri calls out. There’s a pause that nearly makes your heart drop before Atreus finally peaks over the side.

“Hello down there!” He finally replied. You breathe a sigh of relief and let go of your ax.

“Hey! Come to your senses yet?” Sindri asks. You know it’s pointless.

“Yes!” wait what?

“I mean- uh. I’m not changing my mind!” and just as suddenly all shock leaves your system.

“Ha! You do have doubts!” Sindri retorts. You hadn’t thought about it like that, but the possibility of Atreus reflecting on his actions was welcome. Any relief is washed out the window when you look up just in time to see Sindri get hit by a cloud of snow. Your head turns in the direction it had come from to avoid one heading your way.

“Hey!” 

“Hey!” the two of you yell in unison. You notice Atreus’ cheeky smile even from so far away.

“Like you never do? Better than having regrets,” he continues to try and justify his foolish decision.

“Not sure I agree with that! But by all means, keep going and you might find those too!” Sindri’s frustration was becoming very clear by this point. What he received was a wave of dismissal as the boy turned to continue on his way.

This time it was your turn to send him a sympathetic look, though he misses it as he turns back to fixing up his shop, now with much less finesse and much more of a rough hand. You aren’t sure what you could say to calm him.

“Was he always this reckless when the two of you were off on your explorations?” he huffs at your words as he rather aggressively scrubs at old tools that must have been left here however long ago.

“Not when we first started. He listened to me at least half the time then” his words are through a tight smile and to no surprise he ends up dropping a hammer against his foot, hissing as he hops and mumbles quiet curses. He throws another tool in frustration, the heavy thud cracking through an old piece of wood and snapping right in half, his eyes practically glaring at it. There’s a moment of complete silence before you speak again.

“...are you okay?” You ask as cautiously as you can. He takes a deep breath, letting the pain and frustration run through him before responding.

“I’m having a lovely time” his sarcasm drips into every word and you feel yourself growing a little weary of his well-being at this point.

“Maybe we should take a break,” you suggested and though he doesn’t glance at you, his movement does pause at your words.

“You’re…probably right,” he agrees, setting down the tools he had been organizing and slumping against his workshop and onto the ground. You take a second of pause before you decide you should take some of your own advice. Slowly, you take a spot next to him, leaning a bit against the wood for some relief from the sudden pain in your abdomen, hiding a grimace. You two sit in complete silence for a while, watching the snowflakes fall and the wind shift direction. It was often that you stayed awake on nights like these. The soft echo of night had always been a comfort for you; a reprieve from the sudden mess your life had become. It allowed you a moment of calm to clear your mind, even if only slightly. Sometimes it was the only way you found peace. Though then again, you never really could stand the silence too long.

After a while you began to set up a fire with some of the dry wood you had found. He seemed thankful for this, even if he still looked a little lost in his own mind. You hoped he wasn’t being too cruel to himself in there, though your gut told you he most definitely was. So you decided it might be best to start up a conversation again.

“You and him are a joy to witness together” you speak out of the blue, earning his attention quickly. He seems almost pleasantly surprised by the comment.

“Whatever do you mean?” He asks in a way that tells you he wants the details. You don’t hide the small smile the question gives you.

“You two bicker like you need it to breathe,” you clarify, watching as his previous joy is tinged with disappointment.

“We don’t argue that much” he tries to defend, though even he doesn’t seem to fully believe himself.

“No, no, not at all! The silence had simply filled itself the whole way here” your sarcasm drips and he rolls his eyes before turning back to the snow in front of him. You hide a chuckle in your throat, knowing that he got your point well enough. In the moment of silence that passes you manage to finally light the fire. You both begin to warm your hands before you speak again.

“It’s sweet” your words gain his attention again, though not his eyes.

“The arguing?” He asks, entirely unconvinced that you’d meant your words. You let out a short laugh at the question.

“No. I meant how close the two of you are,” you clarify. Even with him turned away, you can see the satisfied smile on his face.

“That’s not a word I would have used” you’re intrigued by his answer, shown in how you finally turn your head to him.

“And how would you describe it?” You watch the contemplation that takes over his features. He clearly takes his time finding the perfect word, but does manage to come up with it in the end.

“Painful,” he exaggerates with the wide roll of his eyes and a barely hidden scoff. You too roll your eyes at the comment.

“Fair enough” you lean back against the workshop, the warmth of the fire calming down your frozen bones. Moments passed and the silence grew ever thicker as the two of you waited and waited for the boy to return. You both shared worried glances every now and again as the minutes stretched on. Just when you were beginning to wonder if it would have been better to wake Kratos, you hear footsteps high in the snow. A glance up shows he has returned.

“Oh, thank Ymir. You’re alright,” Sindri’s relief shows openly as he stands. You think for a moment that you should probably join him, but the relief you felt on finally being able to relax your muscles tells you differently. So you decided to keep your spot for as long as the two of them would speak.

“How did it go? I was starting to think-”

“Sindri, I told you I could handle it!” Atreus speaks over him, as sure as ever as he climbs down from on high.

“But I don’t think she’s gonna help us” his answer isn’t a surprise. It would have to take quite the feat to win over someone who’s been trying to kill you all for the past three years. Frankly, the fact he left unscathed was an accomplishment in itself. The boy walks over to the table before Sindri speaks again.

“Uh…where’s your necklace?” Is the first question he asks. A question that has you quickly turning up to look at the boy. And lo-and-behold, the necklace is gone.

“Huh?- Oh! I was thinking and I, uh…got rid of it” you take a deep breath as you hold back the words you wanted to speak in that moment of utter stupidity.

“She took it, didn’t she?” Sindri immediately calls him out on the blatant lie. The boy can do nothing but stand there and try to find the words he doesn’t have. Sindri crosses his arms and you watch him take the same deep breath you had.

“Today was your lucky day. So tell me, how did it feel to run on chaos,” Sindri so politely puts it. 

“I-” before Atreus can find anything to salvage his mess, a screech cuts through the air. You snap your head towards the sound just in time to see a flame being thrown your way. You try to tumble out of the way, a surge of pain shooting through you when a piece of the destroyed wood flys your direction, hitting the back of your head as the shop is once again blown to bits.

“You okay?!” Atreus calls out. Your breath is heavy as you force yourself to stand, your skin already burning.

“I’m fine!” You yell back, forcing yourself to your feet as the sting of all your muscles fly through you. There is no time to stand still when the draugr charges at you.

“My Axe!” you call out as you dodge the behemoth’s attack. Your movements are sloppier than you’d like them to be, but it misses you anyway.

“Here!” Sindri calls out. You turn his direction as he throws the weapon. You move to the side to avoid another hit before you reach out. Thankfully when you do, you’re able to take the handle of the weapon easily. 

The next few moments aren’t your best work. You miss more than a few swings, your feet heavy and your stance having lost a lot of its strength. But even then you’re able to do some damage that, with a bit of help from the others, leaves the Draugr heavily wounded. Then, as luck would have it, a few other lovely guests are drawn to the noise.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me” you mumble to yourself, narrowly avoiding the downswing of a second Draugr’s fiery blade.

“Nightmares! Ugh, I’m gonna be sick!” Sindri calls out next, though a moment too late when an icy shard hits your shoulder. 

“I’ll get the draugr! Just get the nightmares out of here!” Your yell is harsh and demanding, but you can’t bring yourself to care when you manage to block one of their blades with your own. 

“Got it!” Atreus called out, his bow fixing on the flying abominations. With a bit of a struggle, you manage to get enough leverage to throw the Draugr on the ground before slamming down with enough force to shatter the creature’s head. You don’t get a second to recover before the other one is on you again, the burning of your skin fully ridding the ice in your bones. A few well-timed slices have the weaker of the two already on death’s door, something you are beyond grateful for at the moment. Though you can’t seem to get close enough to get a good final hit in. Worse yet, you aren’t sure you could handle another pushing match.

“Sindri!” you call, hoping that whatever he was throwing around might help.

“Step back!” you listen without hesitation, a burst of flames covering your vision not a moment later. The creature staggers and takes a few more dangerous steps towards you before, finally, it falls. Silence reigns for a moment, filled only by the breaths of the after battle recovery. That is until-

“Mph” your torso burns with pain, the adrenaline leaving you to deal with the consequences of your lack of rest. You try your best to hide it, to grimace and bear it just long enough to be alone, but it becomes harder to hide when you’re forced to lean on your ax to keep balance.

“Y/n?” Atreus’ voice echos across the walls in a way that makes it seem almost like a dozen of him have called out to you at once.

“Hm” is all you can bear to answer at first as you force yourself to stand upright. You know to give a full answer quickly after though, lest he try to pester you about your state.

“I’m fine,” you soon call out as you manage to hide your grimace. You can see shadows dancing on the inside of the fur that covers you, the constant burning reminding you of how unstable your magic is becoming. It’s a thought that worries you beyond imagining after years of having been able to quell the golden light that seeped out of your every pour. It isn’t so easy a thing to lose oneself, to be consumed by something you didn’t want to even consider a part of you. It was like some other being swam through your blood and betrayed your every attempt to keep yourself in control. No matter how hard you trained yourself, your emotions, your mind, it always seemed to slip through the cracks. And each drop that escaped your skin wanted nothing more than to destroy everything you were trying so desperately to keep safe.

But despite all of this, you seem convincing enough as you stand; your axe at your side and none of your magic escaping its shadowed prison.Atreus stares at you for only a moment before shrugging his shoulders and moving on, though you catch how Sindri’s eyes linger on you a little longer.

“I’ll fix this later,” Sindri speaks again, his stare finally turning from you to look upon the mess that was the shop the two of you had almost fully fixed.

“Let’s get out of here before something else tries to kill us,” he continues as he secures down his bag and eyes the exit.

“Yeah, good idea” Atreus agrees, the boy not wasting a moment more before catching the crack and the wall and beginning to make his way through it. You’re right behind him, though you wait for Sindri to make his way through before you follow. You try to ignore how openly the dwarf is staring at you, hoping that he might just simply ignore whatever it was he believed he saw. Thankfully he does seem to let it go, instead turning his focus back to the boy.

“Hate to bring it up, but are we telling your dad about this? Since you’ve come clean and all,” Sindri questions, though his tone clearly conveys that he most definitely doesn’t believe the boy plans to. 

“No way! He’d kill you!” Atreus nearly yells his answer, but you can’t really say he’s wrong. After how Kratos had acted when he’d first found out, you’d honestly be surprised if he didn’t rip the head right off of the poor dwarf the moment he found out they’d stuck away again.

“Right well um…” he paused, a glance tossed towards you before he quickly caught up with your brother, his voice quiet enough to blend in with the wind’s song. You most certainly don’t need to ask to know that you are uninvited from whatever conversation they're having. So you do what you do best and hang behind a couple of paces, keeping an eye out for danger and budding out of whatever they found important enough to keep from you. After all, they were much closer to each other than you could ever hope to be with either of them.

Chapter Text

Thankfully the walk was short and enemies were sparse and easy, though you do take note of the tense air. The looks on their faces aren't ones you can read well so you didn't try to speculate too much over what the two might be talking about. It very clearly wasn't your business and they made that even clearer with the distance they kept. Eventually, the three of you do finally make it back to the gateway, a sight you were surprised to be relieved by.

“Alright. Shall we?” Sindri invites the two of you and you can tell he's as ready to return as you are. You can imagine he is quite tired after the night the three of you have had and for that you could not blame him. With a shine the gateway opened, the three of you stepping through.

“I hate coming home empty-handed” Atreus complained aloud and you were maybe a bit thankful to be involved in the conversation again.

“After Tyr was such a failure, I just wanted to-”

“Now hang on, little Jötunn. Tyr might not be everything you expected, but a failure? You saved him from a terrible fate. That's not nothing” Sindri tried to comfort the downtrodden boy, something you would say he was actually doing quite well with at the moment.

“And hey, maybe he'll still be some help to us yet” you admire the optimism, but even you knew that the likelihood of that was very rare. Tyr seemed less than half the god he had been.

“Maybe…” Atreus’ voice waivers.

“But father's not gonna go along with this forever. He's probably got our next hiding place all picked out” he is fully convinced of the words he speaks after having clearly already accepted this as an option. Knowing Kratos you couldn't find a reason to doubt it yourself. He'd seemed adamant about secluding the four of you in that forest for as long as he possibly could. You wouldn't be surprised if he was looking to keep up such a streak.

“Well, let's not make it worse by getting caught” Sindri, seeming to know better than to deny such a possible reality, instead chooses to change the subject.

“When we get there, I'll cover our tracks at the gateway and slip around back. And you two just act natural. But…quickly” Sindri's plan is straightforward, though you can't help but see the gaping hole that requires the both of them to lie straight to Kratos’ face. 

“Foolproof” you mutter, Sindri's head whipping around to look at you, face tightened at your tone.

“Well if you have a better idea then please, I'm all ears” he implores you but you simply sigh, head slightly shaking.

“I’m only suggesting that the next time you two run off to some other highly dangerous and reckless mission, maybe you should have some plan for how you are going to get away with it” he lets out a barking laugh at your words.

“Well you can talk to him about that. Mister ‘runs better on chaos’ over here seems to think planning is a waste of his precious time” he retorts, both of you turning an eye to Atreus. The boy simply waves the both of you off with a slight crinkle of his nose before stepping foot into the portal. Despite Sindri’s ask of hastiness, the boy takes his time on a leisurely stroll towards the front door. You can only imagine his nerves at the thought of lying to his father again, so you decide it best to leave him to it. Instead you take a seat at the edge of the roots right next to the portal as you feel it much more natural than following Atreus inside. 

“And uh…what are you doing?” Sindri asks as he busies himself with quickly covering his tracks. You give a glance before turning back to start shaving away at wood once more.

“Acting natural” you answer as you easily spin the sharpened blade in your hands, soon angling it to where you need it most. 

“Right, right…” he answers almost absentmindedly as he focuses on his work. Though you do catch him continuing to glance over at you.

“Is there something you wished to say?” You ask, not turning from the work in your hands. The question causes him to jump a little, perhaps surprised that you had even noticed.

“No! No, nothing at all!” He tries to assure you, though it is a rather poor attempt; and one he gives up quickly at that.

“You just seem…” he starts, though he's reluctant to finish. You stop your carving and fully turn back to him, held slightly tilted at his curious behavior.

“Seem what?” You push him a bit. You regret doing so immediately when his eyes swiftly turn away from yours again.

“Nothing, nothing- I should get going! Wouldn't want anyone getting suspicious!” he finishes the gateway, walking off quicker than you could question him again. The interaction sits heavily on you, a strange twisting in your stomach sending waves of confusion through your system. What could he have been talking about? You had a suspicion of many things. Maybe your cloak was old and worn enough that the flecks of your power shined through, or perhaps your little stagger had still not fallen from his mind. It shouldn't really matter to you. It was the opinion of a near stranger after all, what could it possibly mean to you? Still, no amount of convincing got rid of the strange feeling that began to bubble. So in some attempt to distract yourself you return to looking natural, even if his words threw you off quite a bit. It isn't a moment later before the front door opens again and a voice calls out.

“Y/n!” Atreus’ voice is easily recognizable. You turn your head, catching both him and Kratos at the door.

“Food's ready!” He calls before turning back to Kratos. You nod and easily pack your things once again and head your way back inside. The smell of fresh food flows even to the other side of the door and you imagine if it's anything like your last here, that you would be happy to eat. Anything to break the three winter's long deficit of flavor.

“Is this sausage?” Tyr speaks at the table as you make your way forward. 

“Uh…sure, why not” Brok answers him not so convincingly. It seems everyone's already found their place so you pull up a chair and take your spot where you can. Perhaps a little unfortunate for you, it's beside Kratos. You do your best to hide the way your body wishes to fall into the seat, your weight held in your white-knuckled grip as you take your seat without too much of a grimace. It's one of the very few times you don't mind that he outright ignores your entrance. You begin to eat.

“I remember food tasting better” You nearly spit out your first bite at Tyr’s words, eyes blown wide at the side-ways comment. Brok doesn't seem to have nearly as much restraint when he spits out his bite directly into Sindri's face. You cringe a little at that, knowing that couldn't have been at all pleasant, let alone for someone with Sindri's…quirks.

“I suppose you'd like to try cookin’ for this lot” Brok nearly growls the words at him, taking high offense to the old god’s complaint. 

“I accept!” Tyr almost enthusiastically agrees, dropping his spoon in his bowl with a splash that manages to come back on both you and Sindri.

“...what?” Brok seems almost confused at the answer, though you hardly pay any attention to that as you're wiping away the steaming liquid from your face. You finish doing so just in time to see Atreus reach behind Sindri to grab something from next to him. The action was something you'd find rather innocuous if it weren't for the way Sindris eyebrows creased and his lips tightened to a line. It's then that he locks eyes with you, his posture straightening quickly as he fails to hide his discomfort. You offer him an unused cloth from close by, considering his was covered in Brok's spit and spilled food. His eyes widen at this, but he takes the cloth willingly, using it to wipe his face down. It is rather unfortunate, then, that in his haste to remove the grime he manages to drop the cloth in the food. You can practically feel the irritation building under his skin as he glared down at his now soiled food.

“Atreus, Y/n, we were planning our next move” Kratos, either oblivious to any of the situations transpiring in front of him or just simply not caring, address the both of you.

“Oh. So…where we going?” The boy questions with about as much enthusiasm as you'd expect after having his little late-night adventure. He is tired, almost obviously so, and is definitely not excited to be heading back into hiding.

“Alfheim, home of the elves” You raise an eyebrow at those words. Surely he couldn't be planning on moving to Alfheim of all places?

“Alfheim? You hate Alfheim! Why would we move there?” The boy is about as confused as you are. Worse yet is that even Kratos seems thrown for a loop.

“Move there? No. We are seeking information” Kratos clarifies, though that only startles you more. What could have convinced him to possibly go further along with Atreus’ plan? You were almost positive with how irritable he's been recently that he was more than ready to tell the boy that you've all done enough and it was time to find a new place to stay.

“The shrine of Gróa, young one. Your father tells me you found it there” Tyr leans in, maybe a little too close for your comfort. But then again you can't imagine sitting at the small table was easy on him. 

“Gróa? The knowledge keeper?” Atreus questions, not entirely following along for a moment.

“Ohh, maybe there's a secret there I can unlock!” the idea clicks and you have to admit, it's not the worst possible move for you all to make.

“Aye. Who better than the seer who saw everything?” Mimir pipes in and once again you're inclined to agree. You are sure there must be many more to discover with their own secret messages. But if any of them could reveal the truth about what was to come, it would be hers.

“I wasn't sure you um…” Atreus tries to stretch his luck. You lock eyes with the boy just in time to shut him up. You swear that he just had a knack for ruining any of the small wins he ever got with Mr. Grumbles.

“Nevermind. That's great, Alfheim!” Of course this would be one of the few times he ever listened to you.

“Hey, don't go forgettin’ this what'll get you there” Brok tosses a stone high and right towards Kratos. He catches it, though you're more drawn to the sudden sound of the table being slammed, your attention drawn to a not so happy Sindri.

“You know what?” He saids as all eyes fell on him, an airy and forced laugh poorly covering his clear frustration. 

“I'm gonna build a bigger table” he announces, looking at all of you before presumably leaving to do just that. You think of quietly following him for a moment, but decide that you would much rather finish your food first. You needed the energy after all.

The table speaks of how this plan came to be, along with a few other tangents that you aren't too interested in listening to. It isn't long before Kratos finishes his food and leaves his chair to prepare for the mission. Tyr follows soon after, obviously not quite liking the food, and Atreus shovels the food in his mouth as quick as he can to catch up with his father, leaving just you and Brok at the table as he scarfed down Sindri's share.

“So, you fixin’ to leave with ‘em?” He asks, his eyes fixated to his food bowl. You give no response for a moment as you consider the idea. It would be nice to see Alfheim after so long, though you do imagine Fimbulwinter might have destroyed some of its beauty. 

“Why do you ask? Do you need help with something?” You decide to question him. Perhaps if he had something for you to do you wouldn't mind staying here too much.

“Well I was guessin’ you wasn’t, considerin’ y’ain't got no good rest last night” The implications of his words take a moment for you to notice, though once you do you finally manage to look him in the eye.

“You know about last night?” You ask in a hushed tone and he looks entirely unamused.

“Course I do. Them’s two ain't exactly subtle” you manage to crack a smile at that, nodding along in agreement. A short silence casts over the two of you but he doesn't allow it to last long.

“So, you stayin’?” He asks again. His persistence on the question leaves you wondering if there might be more behind it. Your eyes must show it with how quickly he turns back down to his food. 

“I…” you start, still not entirely sure if you really want to let Kratos win and stay where he wants you. Before you can come to a clear answer a loud clank in the distance catches your attention. Your eyes are drawn immediately to the workshop where Sindri was now throwing around all the items he was using without much care, his lips moving in mumbled inaudible words. When he begins to turn your direction you very swiftly look back down to your food. In the end, the dull achiness of your body is the last push you need to make your decision.

“I think I'll stay” you finally answer and though he doesn't ever like to show it, you can tell the answer relieved him somehow.

“Good” is all he says as he finishes his food and leaves the table. It isn't long before they all begin to head out. Kratos and Atreus go first, a quick wave in their direction tells them that you weren't going. Though Tyr, the last to follow behind the group, is the one who asks why.

“You aren't joining us?” He questions beside you. You turn to meet his gaze before shaking your head.

“No, I've had enough adventure for the time being” you answer him, though for some reason that doesn't usher him out of your business.

“Are you sure? There aren't very many chances to head to Alfheim these days. From what I've heard, at least” he pushes and that does seem to sway you a little. You had quite a fondness for Alfheim-

“Alright, alright! Ain't got time for hangin’ around now, they're waitin’!” Brok yells from across the room and it seems like that's enough to get Tyr moving again, perhaps even a little startled by the intrusion on your conversation. 

“It seems I've overstayed my welcome. I will see you all soon…hopefully” he mutters the last word to himself and once his back is turned you can't help but send a questioning look Brok’s way. One that he pointedly ignores by the look of it. Soon enough their voices fade out and you finally finish your meal. You clean your bowl before deciding to finally find out what Brok is up to. However, upon turning around you see no trace of the blue bastard that had put it in your mind to stay. Figures. Instead, all you hear is Sindri’s frustrated mumblings just under the sound of clanking and cutting. By the looks of it, he really did hop right to making a new table. 

You decide it better not to just work through that frustration himself. In the meantime, you set to cleaning up the mess that the group had brought around in just one meal. You soon get to Sindri's bowl of food, having been eaten by Brok and left at the table. You frown a little at that, sending yet another glance in the grumbling golden-plated dwarf's direction. You take the bowl and clean it before putting it away. Eventually, you decide it's good enough, and instead find a spot to sit and pass the time with a bit of carving. It's only a few moments into this that you realize how truly and utterly exhausted your body has become. Your eyes, almost painful in their dryness, beg for you to close them. And your hands, as much as you will them to cut, seem almost reluctant to listen to you. Despite your resistance and unwillingness to simply allow it, sleep manages to take hold of you and you fall into the dark abyss of dreams.

Sindri allows his mind to become fully consumed by his work. His hands moved clumsily at first, irritation guiding them more than any practiced ease, but eventually it all melts into pure concentration and focus. His problems pour away as time ticks ever farther out of memory. This was his home, his sanctuary, a place where he could forget his every ailment and allow his spirit to bleed and infuse with every piece of wood and metal that met his hands. A master at his craft, a genius at his given field, there was practically nothing that could break this perfect, quiet, ethereal-

“When’re ya gonna learn not to waste good food?” Brok’s far-too-close-for-comfort voice shatters his focus immediately. He just about jumps away, his hammer dropping from his hands only to be quickly saved from the inevitable loud clank by none other than the irritant himself. Sindri quickly regains his composure and oh boy does broken focus set him ablaze.

“What are you-!”

“Hey- hey! Shut your damn yap! Finally got that fucker sleepin’” Brok uncharacteristically shushes him, which has Sindri blinking at him as if he'd grown a second head.

“What in all the nine realms are you talking about?!” Sindri near demands, voice lowered to a normal volume this time. Brok points a thumb to his side and when Sindri leans over the counter he sees you passed out on the chair they still have sitting out there. Sindri doesn't really get a good look before Brok quickly catches his attention again.

“Now’re you gonna eat this? ‘Cause I'm gonna if y’ain't, I am” Sindri looked at what Brok could possibly be talking about, only to see that a maybe not so fresh bowl had been sat down on the workbench. His bowl, as seen by the name etched on the side.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to touch my bowl- This joke isn't even funny-!”

“Hush yer damn mouth ya fuckin’ yapper!” Brok hushed him again, his eyes glancing to your sleeping form for a moment before turning back with a relieved sigh.

“All’s I did was pour another bowl for you. But if y'ain't gonna eat the fuckin’ food, I will” Brok’s clarification quickly turned his indignation back into confusion, eyebrows knitting and arms unfolding.

“Oh…” Sindri speaks softly, regretting his harsh tone even if only a little.

“Did you clean the bowl?” He asks and Brok seems to consider something before he lets out a huff.

“Sure did. Cleaned it extra for the prince in need. Made sure to leave it far away from his royal highnesses work too. All perfect for you, your majesty-” 

“Alright alright, you can stop now” Sindri waves his hands to stop Brok's sarcastic whining. With very clear hesitancy he goes to finally eat from the bowl. The taste of the food nearly doubles his already deep hunger, so the next few bites are without any pause whatsoever. Brok seems a little agitated, likely because he didn't get a third portion of food this morning, but he doesn't seem too bothered when he enters the shop. It's silent for a long moment as, to Sindri's complete and utter bewilderment, Brok sets up his work as quiet as a mouse.

“What’re you gawkin’ at. Look ‘bout ready to lose your damn jaw” Brok breaks the silence as he continues his quiet collecting of tools and resources.

“Since when did you start caring about anyone's beauty sleep” Sindri prods, a bit of contempt shown in the uncommon treatment. Brok simply waves a dismissive hand in his direction, never once even glancing at him.

“S’none’a yer business” is the only answer he gives, only further irritating Sindri. 

“Okay, no, this is getting a little far past being able to ignore” Sindri sets down his food, arms crossed again and eyes staring directly at his brother. Brok, a little taken aback by his sudden hostility, finally looks up from the task at hand.

“How do you two know each other?” The question comes with an accusation this time, something Brok simply rolls his eyes at, though there is a sudden tightness in his features.

“I'd done already told you, I met ‘em half dead fightin’ Draugr, the fuck else you want from me” his tone is rougher, or at least much less flippant than it was just a few moments ago. Sindri can sniff the bullshit of that answer about a million miles away now.

“And?” Sindri continues to prod, Brok huffing at the microscope Sindri had just placed on him.

“And the fuck what” Brok snaps at him a little, eyebrows drawing downward in a way that dared him to keep going down this path. Sindri obliged.

“And what else! We both know this behavior isn't exactly all that common with you. What, were the two of you a thing or-?”

“Of course the fuck not!” Brok swiftly shuts down that line of thinking, his nose upturned at the very idea of it.

“Then what is it!” Sindri once again pushes at him, digging for an answer. For a moment he's almost sure Brok is about to lay into him, quietness be damned, but he deflated just as suddenly, a loud sigh removing all the tension in his face in favor of a slightly defeated look. Brok turns his back to him, hands absentmindedly placing things where they need to be; or maybe just placing them wherever he feels like it like some sort of distraction. There's a long silence that more than doubles the sudden dread building in Sindri's chest. He wonders if perhaps he did finally push too far this time, that this really was something personal he shouldn't go digging around in. It almost startles him when Brok begins to speak again.

“They’re lost” he finally admits, his tone suddenly entirely unreadable. Sindri's tense posture loosened at his words, curiosity biting at his very being as he leaned ever closer. Brok's words could mean a million things, though not very many seemed all that great to hear.

“What do you mean?” Sindri's voice is much softer now, no longer needing to poke and prod to get an answer, though he is still clearly irritated. Another short bout of silence passes before Brok answers again.

“They're driftin’ through without a damn clue’a what's up’er down, can't get a grip without tearing something apart. Don't got nothin’ left to guide ‘em. Lost in every meanin’ of the word” Brok's words are quiet, almost like he's mumbling them to himself. Sindri is left a little stunned by his openness, the description more disheartening than he could have predicted. Still though, it does little to explain his behavior. The two of them have met hundreds, if not thousands of lost souls over the years. All on their own paths of pain and destruction, all with their own problems and issues that they needed help with. What was so special about you?

The question lingered with him for a long moment, echoing through his mind. Even though the sentiment of the question rang true, it still struck him negatively. He couldn't quite understand why you seemed so different. You stuck out, catching his attention practically since the beginning. Your connections dug into the roots of everyone he held close, wedging your way into every aspect of his life before he even knew who you were. And what was stranger yet was that you just felt so damn familiar. As if he should already know you; as if he did. It felt almost as if his mind had been wiped of your existence, but the presence of you still lingered. A reminder in your eyes; the ghost of deja vu written in your face. He wondered if Brok felt the same. If that was why he ever cared enough to get to know so much about you.

“So you've taken it upon yourself to ‘guide’ them then” his words come out perhaps a bit more harsh than he meant them. The mix of this strange feeling along with his brother's even weirder behavior has thrown him for a bit of a loop, if he were being honest. 

“Hel no. I ain't what they need and we both know it. I'm only doin’ for them what I've done for you your whole fuckin’ life” his voice is strained, a slight bit of animosity hidden in his breath as he finishes up and heads out of the shop. Sindri blubbers for a moment, the implication seeming not so kind.

“And what's that” he sneers at him, not even attempting to hide the annoyance Broks words brought him.

“Make sure you sons’a bitches don't work yourselves damn near to death” he speaks over his shoulder before heading out the front door, leaving no room for Sindri to speak back, though it isn't like Sindri even makes the attempt. After all, this isn't the first time Brok has ever made such a comment. Still though, it does manage to squirm its way under his skin. With all motivation zapped right out of him after such a tense conversation Sindri only finds the energy to finish his food. But it's hard to still himself for long as a heavy feeling lays itself in his chest. So he tries to distract himself with something else; a task he finds quite difficult when he realizes the house is almost entirely clean already. A miracle, considering the way they all had been eating. It isn't long before he realizes that it simply can't be that clean after such a meal, his eyes not too long after drawing towards the likely culprit that lay sleeping only a few steps away.

He finds that he almost can't help but study you for a moment, Brok's words ringing in his mind over and over again. He can't manage to hide the slight frown that falls on his face at the thoughts, though he soon manages to tear his eyes away long enough to clear his mind just a bit. He tried to put thoughts of you aside for now and found it a bit concerning when that took a little more effort than it should. He knows then that he should probably go get some air. So he packs a few things away before putting on his warmest hat and heading out to get some more wood for the table. 

Chapter Text

In every direction you looked it all shined with the most iridescent shade. Blinding, unstable, a blurred mess of light. You think you might have been running, but your world held so little direction now that you might as well be falling into infinite gold. Every sound is so unbearably loud that it somehow loops back around to silence. You are lost in this shining maze, unable to decipher up from down, let alone left from right. You just want to get away, to find any peace from the light. Anywhere else please, anywhere else. You want to scream but nothing comes. Then suddenly you drop-

You shoot up instantly, breath quick and eyes scanning to take in your immediate surroundings. It takes a moment's breath and slowly calmed adrenaline before you realize where you are. With a deep sigh you rub your groggy eyes, allowing your heart to slow from that horrid memory your mind seemed to repeat over and over.

Why now? It had been so long since that memory came to haunt you. Others had taken its place, sure; you rarely knew peace in the land where dreams conjure your mistakes and fears so simply. But that dream? That memory? Old but never forgotten, a piece of your past that clung to you like lingering dread. But why now? So many other problems, world ending problems- ragnarök is at your doorstep! Yet still your mind caught on such an old past.

“‘Bout time you woke up!” you are startled by the presence of a voice, your head quickly swiveling around before landing on none other than Brok. The only answer you give is a half-hearted groan of annoyance, still too groggy to give him much else. You hear him snicker anyway as he places down a myriad of tools. The sudden clank of metal makes you jump a little, managing to barely hide a wince at the sudden noise. 

“How long was I asleep for?” You mumble, a long yawn escaping not a moment after.

“Long enough,” he answers vaguely, your irritation growing by the second. You try to alleviate it with a deep breath, your eyes glancing at the task you had accidentally abandoned in your sleep. Carefully you pick up the scattered tools from their places on both your lap and the floor, though you do have to look a bit longer than you'd like to find the wood you had been carving. 

It was coming together well, small lines starting to show the outlines of feathers, two large eyes staring wide into nothing. An owl – or as best as you remember one, anyway. The birds were few and far between nowadays, hunting scraps out of whatever creatures managed to survive the endless cold. A shame, really. You remember how deeply your mother's had adored the bird. ‘Such wide eyes must see so much’ you remembered her telling you one night. ‘Imagine what stories they could tell-’

“Ah, you're awake” another voice calls, your entire body pulling away from the unfamiliar sound. In one swift movement you look towards it, the unlikely face of Tyr meeting your eyes. You huff, a little annoyed you had managed to be startled twice.

“Oh! My apologies. I didn't mean to frighten you,” he speaks again, your nerves taking another long moment to calm before you're able to speak.

“It's fine,” you answer, your voice still scratchy with sleep. You begin to put your tools away, though your mind becomes quickly distracted when you fully process Tyr's presence.

“Wait,” you pause, turning back to him.

“You have returned already?” There is genuine surprise in your tone. It was a rare day that the boy and his father didn't end up losing themselves on some type of adventure when set loose upon the world. Always up to something. You had imagined they'd be gone for quite some time.

How long did you sleep for?

“Only me. They had their own things to attend to and I…” his voice trails, a look passing over his eyes that you can't quite place.

“Had my own things to attend to,” he finishes. You give him a side-ways glance but when his eyes avert you figure it best not to ask.

“Well, that makes sense. It was far too quiet in here for Atreus to be hanging around,” you make the snide remark with more teeth than you had expected, though you could easily blame that on the irritation your dreams brought you. Still, you didn't miss the way Tyr's attention peaked at it.

“Yes, the boy is quite a lot,” he agrees and you just can't help but wonder what possible impression Atreus could have made to get such well-placed words from another war god. You snicker at just the idea of it.

“May I ask something of you?” Tyr inquires. You wonder if he is leaning closer to you on purpose, or if perhaps you might just be imagining it in your groggy state. 

“If you need,” you reply as you stand, stretching away your stiff muscles as an excuse to create distance.

“I have been gone from these lands for some time, I was wondering if you would be open to filling me in on what you know happened in my absence?” He makes the request and it gives you a second of pause. You eye him for a long moment, more baffled than anything.

“Wouldn't you rather ask Mimir?” You question, eyes narrowing just a little as you do. If there was anyone to ask such things it was him. And they were friends, were they not? But he only smiles and gives a dismissive wave of his hand.

“He is far too busy with the boy and his father,” he counters, almost as if your response was a bit foolish. You try to ignore the bad taste it leaves in your mouth.

“Besides, I have no idea when they will return and there is nothing but time until then,” he pushes, though the point is a valid one. Unless the dwarves gave you something to do, you didn't have much else to occupy your time either. 

“Fine, if you insist. Though I must warn you that what I know of anything recent is secondhand at best,” you caution him, perhaps holding out the hope that it might dissuade him in the slightest. It backfires when you see another flicker of interest enter his eyes.

“That isn't a problem at all. It is quite rare to hear first-hand stories of these things anyway. Come, you can tell me while I cook,” his smile is wide as he begins to make his long strides over to the cauldron, his hand waving for you to follow. You shrug, accepting your fate as you follow him.

Sindri was sure, no, absolutely positive that if he had to stay in these mountains for any longer he might just throw himself into the first fire he sees. Stepping between realms he began to finally feel warmth hit his skin again, his body shivering at the sheer difference in temperature. He was glad he had what he needed but he was more than ready to leave that frozen wasteland behind for as long as he possibly could. When the dull purple path lays itself out in front of him he wastes no time shaking away the snow that stuck to him before beginning the short walk home. 

Despite the feeling of ice that creeped its way down to his bones, he was grateful he went on this little expedition. His mind was much clearer than it was before, the frustrations of his life ironically melting in the cold wasteland. It was mere moments later that his beautiful (and might he say absolutely immaculately designed) home came into view. Entering the wide doors his ears perk at the sound of conversation. Stepping further in he is surprised to find you sitting beside Tyr, conversation flowing between the two of you. He quickly tucks himself into his shop so as not to disturb the both of you. 

“So what is it you know of the giants?” Tyr asks, his voice bubbling with curiosity. There is a short but quite noticeable pause before you speak.

“That they are dead,” you answer almost entirely deadpan. Sindri tries not to focus on either of you, busy instead with his work. But his ears seem almost stretched to the echo of conversation, unable to ignore it in the empty room. Or perhaps maybe unwilling, given that he continued to remain quiet enough I hear it. On accident, surely. He wasn't meaning to eavesdrop. Or at least wasn't trying to.

“Dead…how?” Tyr's voice is almost a whisper, his shock evident, curiosity unsated. It isn't the first time it's been mentioned to him, yet it hasn't seemed to sink just yet. Unsurprising, given the loss was fresh for him. Though he was sure Tyr had already gotten an answer to that question specifically.

“Who else but the Aesir,” bitterness bled into your tone down to the way your teeth bared as you spoke. But you had more yet to say.

“I was of the assumption that at least some had survived when I first left my home, but Jötunheim is nothing more than a graveyard now. My mother lived on for a time after, exiled before the Aesir’s genocide. But she was mortal, bound for death. As far as I'm aware only three giants remain. Though I don't believe Thor really counts,” you explain yourself dutifully through your anger. Sindri couldn't help but be given pause at the new information.

“You're…a giant?” Tyr asks the question Sindri keeps himself from interrupting with. The silence that follows is loud as it draws on, dread building in suddenly empty air. Sindri dared to peek out only to see your eyes locked deeply with Tyr’s. 

“I am. But I would prefer if we don't mention this again,” Your words are a biting warning. The worn god raises his hands in surrender.

“Not a word from me, I promise you,” he swears. You nod, turning back to the work in your hands.

“I think I'm finished speaking, for now,” your voice cuts through, sharp and heavy in the tense space. Tyr nods.

“Of course,” he returns to the food he is preparing. Not wanting to look conspicuous Sindri quickly turns into the workshop and gets back to tinkering on his table. But he simply can't let the overheard conversation leave his mind. Why did being a giant bother you? Or at least why did others knowing that bother you? Was it another of your endless mysteries, or was he once again overanalyzing something simple? What were you hiding?

He is surprised when a while later you show back up, body leaning on the currently unused workbench.

“You've returned,” you call out to him, his eyes flickering to you for a moment before turning quickly back to his work again. He hopes you didn't notice how he almost dropped his hammer at your sudden presence.

“Yes! And with just about everything I need to finish this,” he answers you, expecting that you'd grow bored at the reply and hopefully walk away. Yet when you stay standing, eyes watching him in a way he couldn't ignore, he decides the silence is better filled.

“Did you sleep well?” He asks with a half distracted tone, back turned to you. It takes a moment longer than it should have before you answer.

“Well enough,” the words sigh out of you.

“Do you know where Brok ran off to?” You question before he can inquire on the strange sound of your response. Too tired to be true, spoken between breath. Still he is honestly relieved by your question. It explained your lingering.

“Sleeping; if I know him at all. He always takes a nap before dinner,” he answers quickly, almost sure that you'll leave now that you have the information you were clearly searching for. He's then agonized when silence returns again, your eyes still staring and warming his plated armor.

“...Did you need something?” He finally dares the question, turning towards you with tempered caution. Was he missing something? Did he not hear you? What were you looking for?

You blink as if you'd forgotten you had even been standing there, shifting on your feet when you do. Your finger taps lightly on the wood of the workbench, a thought caught behind your eyes. The tension in your shoulders is more than noticeable, parts of it even bleeding into your expression. He wondered for a moment if what you'd let slip earlier had left your mind just yet; it seemed important to you. Wait, maybe that's what this was about. Were you wondering if he'd heard? Were you nervous?

“No,” you answer plainly at first, only serving to confuse him further.

“Just curious about your process,” You finish your thought. It isn't the answer he was expecting, though he can't say he minds. He does wonder if you genuinely mean it though, given it had come after such a bout of silence. You straighten a bit more after you speak it, as if returning to your body.

“I used to carve random shapes in the wood of our tables back home when I was younger, though I can hardly say those were more than doodles. I was wondering if yours would look any better than mine,” you chuckle towards the end, half a strained smile on your face at the reminisce of an old memory. But there is something genuine there too, a lightness to your teasing, a curiosity. He dared excitement at it, a small delight growing at the hope that you might actually be interested in what he was doing. That it was the true reason you hadn't left yet. Yet still he freezes, a brief moment where he forgets you might want a response.

“I'm not bothering you, am I? I can leave if-”

“No!” He blurts out quickly.

“No! No, please stay! I'd love to show you,” he lets his glee show, hands held in front of him as if to keep you in place by sheer will.

There is a way you look at him at that moment, face soft and smile amused, your eyes gleaming with something, something, something. He can't place it, he can't name it. There is just something. His stomach twists at it, in rejection of it. But despite the way just your stare sends his mind spiraling he still manages to muster up a smile back. He could not have imagined your eyes could grow warmer yet, nor the way it made his hands just a bit unsteady. He is completely baffled by the strangeness of it. Only when he manages to shake away enough of this strange feeling is he able to turn back to the project with enthusiasm, hoping it was some strange fluke of the mind. A momentarily lapse.

He prattles on as he works, explaining the process in the most detail he can. The noise of his own voice is a nice distraction as his hands move on their own, practiced enough to not need his every thought to achieve what he desires out of the wood. But the longer he works the more he feels your eyes dig into him, a constant pressure on his back as he wonders how much of what your eyes sought were his work and how much of it was him. A strange thought, his tongue stumbling a bit when it comes to mind. But he continues anyway, trying to find solace in elated explanations and working hands. It was a rare day that anyone showed interest in the process besides his brother, and even then Brok sometimes didn't really try to understand his vision. ‘It don't help to mess with somethin’ that don't need changin’, he'd often tell him. A sentiment he never really understood. Wasn't that the point of their work, after all? To make something mundane into perfection? To tweak perfection into masterpiece? Always changing, a never-ending climb. There is beauty in the chase. It's what kept him awake toiling over blueprints, it's what made his best works! And it's what drove him to achieve more. Just one more breakthrough, one more peak to climb. And then another surely to go when he achieved that. Endlessly more, never enough.

“You are far more delicate than Brok is,” you speak up, his throat tightening at the sentence. Ah, so you were studying him. He couldn't quite tell how he felt about that.

“You've watched him work?” he somehow manages the words, still trying his best not to pay any attention to you. Avoiding your stare, hoping it lingered somewhere else.

“On occasion,” you answer, not a care in the world in the way you spoke. There is a moment of pause towards the end of his project, hesitation before the finishing touch. Or at least what should have been, but he kept replaying the memory you had shared with him, his eyes glancing to an old blueprint he'd been meaning to get back to. Patterns he'd reiterated a hundred times for a dozen different projects, but never found the one they fit. Leather didn't hold the designs well and it was too intricate for most metal working. But wood on the other hand. Now that just might work.

He picks up the tools before taking a slow turn towards you. Not a word passes the air as he debates whether or not he should even ask. The longer he waits the more interested your stare grows. Feeling his chest tighten he finally speaks.

“Would you like to try some doodling?” He quipped, though his voice is entirely unsure. He didn't even know why he asked-

“I could do with the practice,” you answer quickly, pushing away from the table to join him without a second of hesitation. He is a bit baffled at your quick reply, though not as much as he was at himself for even suggesting it. But all the same he hands you the tools, knowing you were skilled enough to handle them properly. He'd seen you use something similar on your own little project.

“Here's the basic idea,” he places a scroll on the table, the paper littered with detailed sketches. 

“You did these?” You ask, the question sets him further on edge almost immediately. He feels his hair nearly stand on end with how intensely your eyes fall onto the paper, hand ghosting over the designs. 

“Yes, but they're only sketches- outlines really! They need some changes to fit where we need them, of course, and I'm sure more than a few are inconsistent-”

“They're beautiful,” you mutter the words mostly to yourself, though he still clearly hears them. In fact he felt as if those words had shocked his soul still; once more baffling him. Of course they were beautiful- he'd made them after all! With his renowned skill such a simple compliment should truly be commonplace. A sentence to wave away with a quick thanks. But there is just this way your eyes burn across the page, absorbing details as if you would carve them into skin given the chance. It is wholly unfamiliar to him, an intensity no one has ever shown to the smaller details of his work. It doesn't help that your gaze is anything but an oblivious one, he was sure you knew such designs well. There is something to be said about a compliment from someone who understood the intricacies of his art.

“Oh! Well, I'm uh- I'm glad you like them!” He sputters out, utterly befuddled by the strangeness of you. He watches as your features soften again, that small smile showing through to once more throw him off of any attempt to understand this feeling. Hoping to somehow escape it he begins to carve.

You don't think you've found a dwarf quite so peculiar as the one knelt beside you, covered in flaked wood and with a concentration you could only dream to have. He was particular about his craft, careful to show you the ways in which he wanted the designs to bend and curl. Always perfect shapes built into bigger and better ones. There was an art in even the way he moved; careful and precise. Despite your frustrations with some of his strategies – and you were sure he had plenty of issues with yours – you couldn't help but admire how stunning the finished product is, hours having bled away like minutes as the two of you brought it to life. 

“Are you finished with yours?” He asks, and it's only then you realize you are staring. You blink a few times, returning from your thoughts before you answer.

“Yeah. I'm sure they'll need your finishing touch though,” you answer him, catching the way his hands pause and his concentration cracks. You are still trying to find out what exactly causes his sudden stops, but before another word can be spoken the doors swing open and in come the trio. You supposed you'd just have to remain curious. For now, at least.

“Ah! Glad to see you back, young one. Come help me, won't you?” Tyr beckons Atreus.

“Oh! Uh, sure,” the boy agreed quickly, taking no time in running off. Sindri finishes what he is doing, standing confidently from his spot. He goes to check your work as you walk to greet Kratos at the workbench.

“I heard you guys had some trouble out there. How did it go?” You pry. His eyes meet yours for only a moment before turning again.

“Well!” Mimir speaks from behind him.

“We hit a few of the ol’ bumps and snags along the way, but we did find it,” he continues.

“Hm,” Kratos hums in agreement as he takes the head from his hip and sets him on the bench beside you. Brok rounds the corner just as Kratos pulls out his weapons for their not so scheduled tune-up.

“And what exactly did you find?” You ask Mimir, his face twisting in pure joy at the question.

“Tyr hasn't told you?” 

“No. He didn't want to talk about it. It's kind of why I assumed it didn't go well,” 

“Oh you'll love this one,” he starts and a part of you almost stops him. His tendency for long unending rants that danced around what you were trying to learn could be irritating at times. But instead you decide to let him have his fun. You had some time to kill anyway.

“Turns out the giants have Odin runnin’ off a false prophecy! Or at least not a full one. Ol’ one-eyed tyrant doesn't have a clue what's gonnae happen!” He speaks through a delighted chuckle, one that managed to pull at least a smile from you. Though you are more delighted by how quickly he'd gotten to the point this time. You raise an eyebrow as you lean in, continuing to entertain him.

“Really? So what's the truth then?” 

“It's Asgard that falls. The other realms will be just fine…Minus the mass death, war and carnage, of course,” His words leave you stunned for a long moment before, gradually, a wide smile takes over your face.

“It's always good to know that the bastard is getting what's coming to him. Though I could do without the war and death, if possible,” You snicker the words. He laughs along with you for a moment but his dulls far quicker than yours, a sudden suspicion hardly hidden in his features. 

“You seem in high spirits,” He probes. You go to deny him, but find that he isn't entirely off base this time. You hum in acknowledgement of it, as if you had only just realized.

“I guess so,” you agree, leaning a bit against the workbench you catch the dwarves setting up the new table just out of the corner of your eye. Mimir tosses another look your way, but a shake of your head allows you to speak before he can.

“Anything else I should know about?” You ask without much expectation. One grand reveal seemed plenty enough – or at least more than you had dared to hope for.

“Ah well there's-”

“Atreus! Eat,” Kratos calls sternly, stopping whatever conversation was beginning to form.

“Another time. Take me with you, would you?” Mimir stops himself, urging you to join them at the table. You nod, allowing your question to go unanswered as you take the both of you to the newly built dinner table. Setting him aside you take a seat, Atreus following quickly after.

“Oh! Careful, careful!” Sindri calls after Tyr, quickly placing a cooling tray on the nearby counter before the boiling pot burns it.

“Thank you,” Tyr speaks as-

You lose your attention on him when Brok throws a fire poker just in front of you, your hands retracting for the table in an instant. It's hardly a moment later Sindri snatches it, mumbling irritation under his breath that you hardly hear as he puts it in its proper place.

“Enjoy! Enjoy, my friends,” Tyrs voice catches your attention again.

“Yeah,” Brok grumbles and you can practically feel the disdain radiate off of him.

“We'll see about that,” he speaks a little louder, never one to keep his feelings to himself. His eyes don't tear away from the old god and you almost can't help but hide a grin at his noticeable contempt and how it goes completely ignored.

“Here you are,” Tyr returns to place a bowl in front of Atreus. 

“A meal fit for a champion-”

“Enough” Kratos’ stern voice cuts through the moment, stopping all movement.

“I said we would speak no more of that,” he continues, leaving you once more in the dark. Trying to find answers you slowly turn to look at the boy and immediately feel that something is off. Tyr stands straighter, almost startled.

“Yes, of course. Didn't mean to offend,” he complies with no complaint, seeming sincere in his apology.

“Uh, I'm not offended. It's just a word,” Atreus blurts out. From the way Kratos’ nose crinkles you can tell that the boy is already on a path to saying something either entirely stupid or completely warranted.

“A word that clouds your judgment,” Kratos argues, tongue sharp and tone ready to argue. Atreus stands and begins to walk. A sign you knew meant the boy was up to no good. He never could sit still when stirring the pot of chaos.

“So…you really don't think it means anything? After the journey mom sent us on? Everything we saw in Jötunheim? What was it all for?” He wanders in a circle as he laments, but it isn't long before he returns to the table, eyes locking with his father's.

“Don't you ever think about that?” His voice almost accuses him. Despite this outright questioning Kratos remains calmer than you would have imagined. 

“Every day,” he goes so far as to answer him outright. Your food is placed in front of you, but you can only spare it a glance as you wonder where this tense conversation might lead.

“But I cannot believe her purpose was to inspire you to take foolish risks,” His words are succinct and purposeful. It was a point you had never disagreed with him on.

“But what if the giants are counting on me-?”

“What giants?!” the harshness in his voice thunders across the room, your grip tightening at the sudden noise. His words only cut deeper with the unneeded reminder. A silence lingers in the air a moment, Kratos seeming to calm in it.

“I am counting on you. To be safe. To be smart,” he speaks again, your chest twisting at the sincerity in it.

“But-”

“To use the judgment of a man and not of a child,” he pokes, your stare turning to catch the way Atreus’ eyes narrow and sharpen at the words.

“But what if Loki going to Ironwood is the only way that-” Kratos' slams his hands on the table, standing in an instant and causing you to back away. Your breath catches as the air becomes almost unbreatheably heavy.

“You. Are Atreus. My son,” he makes sure the boy hears every syllable, spitting the words out through gritted teeth and deep gravel.

“And nothing more,” he falls to a whisper, the sound almost a plea after such fierceness. 

“Do you hear me?” he finishes, the two of them not turning from each other for even a moment. You swallow heavily as you look between them, your stomach dropping when Atreus looks nothing less than furious. He throws his bowl with a clunk that makes you wince.

“I'm not hungry anymore,” is all he responds with before walking off. You are surprised to see Kratos make no attempt to stop him.

“Forgive me, Kratos. My words were chosen carelessly-” Tyr's apologies are left mute at the sound of Atreus’ door slamming. Kratos doesn't move for a long moment, eyes locked on where his son had run off to. Feeling rather suffocated by the now impossibly tense atmosphere you finally find the will to speak.

“Care to tell me what any of that was about?” Kratos turns to you, his stare nothing more now than a familiar burning flame across your skin. He holds you there, pinned under his intense gaze before he too walks off. He doesn't speak a word as he leaves, slamming his own door behind him. There is a long silence that follows, not a movement made.

“...Well that apple didn't fall far, did it?” Mimir breaks the quiet with something lighthearted but it does little to help you. At this rate you aren't even sure you're that hungry anymore.

“Is anyone going to explain?” You ask aimlessly around the room. Brok shrugs as he once more slides Sindri's bowl over to himself. You only notice the dwarf’s absence then.w23

“Beats me,” is all he speaks before digging into his second portion, even with his minor disgust towards it. You turn to Tyr who just about looks as guilty as anyone could possibly look.

“Part of the prophecy had to do with a champion bringing the realms together. We believed it was me at first, but given my current state of affairs that isn't going to happen. Unfortunately the boy seems to have taken that to mean he was the most reasonable second option,” he pours the words like a confession, the pieces of the scene falling into place. As it did you couldn't help the incredulous look you sent his way.

“And you believed stoking that belief would be a good idea?” You scrutinize his poor judgement, his eyes turning from you as you do.

“It wasn't my intention,” he makes his flimsy attempt at a defense and you can only cradle your head at the excuse. You let out a heavy sigh, unsure of what you'd be able to do about the ever-increasing tension being built.

“I’m sure it wasn't,” you mutter as you stand from your seat.

“I think I'm just going to excuse myself for the night,” you speak up before beginning to walk away.

“Aye! Wait! Don't leave me with this bobble-headed bastard! Take me with yeh!” Mimir calls after you, desperation in his voice. You hear Brok chuckle quietly to himself and that alone is enough for you to double back and grab him.

“Never let me have no fuckin’ fun!” Brok complains through a mouthful of food. You pay him no mind as you make your way out the back door.