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Odin struggles to put down roots. Two dimension changes with nothing but friends at his side have left him aching for a home with nowhere to go.
Sometimes he envies Laslow, who he thinks would be content to never leave Nohr; sometimes he envies Selena, who stubbornly awaits their return to Ylisse. Odin wants both and neither. He wants his friends at his side and adventure at his fingertips.
Odin, Lord Leo, and Niles surround a small campfire located a short distance away from the Wind Tribe, where Lord Leo confronted Lady Corrin earlier in the day. Tomorrow they’ll return to the palace, where Odin feels suffocated.
Fearful would be a better word for most people, but Odin is comfortable with fear. He’d have died ages ago if he couldn’t live his life afraid. Nohr is a scary, dangerous place, but the Faceless are nowhere near as horrifying as Grima’s Risen, who may or may not be wearing the face of your loved ones.
Odin isn’t afraid of his residence, but rather it doesn’t feel like home. He’s restless when he’s stuck there, and he wishes for nothing more than for Lord Leo to assign him to Lady Corrin’s side.
A pop in the fire startles Odin out of his thoughts.
“You’re thinking,” Niles says, watching Odin come back to himself. “That’s dangerous.”
“Ah, my fellow comrade on this dangerous adventure,” Odin replies, easily putting a grin on his face, “I do apologize for instilling fear in your heart, but it is my nature to terrify and bewitch. I do hope you’ll forgive my dark tendencies.”
He’s heard Lord Leo and Niles arguing behind closed doors, their guards lowered because to this day they haven’t been able to track the presence he instinctively conceals.
“I told you to leave it alone,” Lord Leo has snapped more than once, “Odin will share the truth about his past when he feels safe to do so.”
“What if what he’s hiding is a danger to you?” Niles always answers, “He could be an enemy, and we would never know.”
“I trust him.”
“I don’t.”
“Then trust me.”
Niles shakes his head. “If you have anything to say about,” he gestures broadly, “all this, may I suggest sharing those dirty thoughts with the class?”
Leo frowns, but keeps his eyes on the papers in front of him.
“Alas, my dear friends, my lips are sealed,” Odin sighs. Not being able to share himself drags him down; he’s good at forging connections, at least, but not here.
“If you have insights than can help our situation, I’d appreciate it,” Lord Leo says. An invitation, not a command.
The truth is, Odin has many insights. Lady Corrin’s army disappeared around the bottomless canyon and resurfaced days later, near where Laslow, Selena, and himself woke up after Anankos sent them to find his daughter. The worse truth is he can’t share, because he’ll die if he does so, and if he tries to speak vaguely enough to survive they won’t believe him.
“I hope to share,” he says, relenting what he can since everything should be revealed soon anyway, “but on this night I am unable to utter the words I wish to.”
“Worth a shot,” Niles shrugs.
If he could just tell Lord Leo to follow Lady Corrin, he would. Lord Leo would decline for now, but he would also understand a little more about Odin.
But to be understood in this place, at this time, is to be killed, and Odin doesn’t intend to die in Nohr.