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Atreus knew he shouldn't have returned to Alfheim.
He remembered years ago when he first traveled there with his father. How his father had entered into the Light, disappearing for days before Atreus had the strength to pull him out.
Now, Atreus walked down the path of light towards the Light. His father had said years later that he'd told him what, or who, he'd seen. Faye, Atreus' mother. His father never uttered what she'd said or anything more. He'd been jealous that he'd been unable to speak to her once more but he understood and eventually made peace with it. But now it played on his mind like a screeching brain-worm. He'd traveled the world, seen and met various people.
But on his last trip, he'd lost her to rouge troops from a foreign land. His dear, Angrboda was gone. When he returned to Midgard, alone, his father knew from his distant eyes what had happened. His father hadn't said anything, just held him closely. But Atreus' heart felt broken and heavy.
Which was why he'd left the familiar cabin in the Wildwoods and traveled to Alfheim. He wanted to see her again. He needed to speak to her one more time. His boots felt violent as they stomped against the Light path's. He paused his steady beeline when he approached the large beam of Light. Atreus outstretched his arm, his fingers fazing through the light burned as if he was dipping them in lava from Muspelheim. His arm reacted before his brain, flinching back away from the pain.
He gritted his jaw and slammed his other arm up to his elbow into the Light. His eyes watered and he groaned in pain as he fell back, holding his arm to his armored chest. Atreus stood back up with furrowed brows and anger in his eyes. He stepped towards the light once more.
"Don't!" A woman's melodic voice called out from behind him. He glanced behind him and saw a Light Elf.
This Light Elf's veil was thinner than he'd seen on the others of her kind. When he looked at her he could just make out the outline of her feminine features. Atreus ignored her and turned back around, talking another step closer to the Light.
"Please!" Her voice called you, closer than before. Atreus turned towards her with a glare directed at her. She hesitantly stepped closer to him despite the obvious fear it brought her. As she came closer to the Light, it shone through her veil slightly, letting him see her clearer.
He could see the vibrant colour of her eyes that held a pleading look within them and her hands fiddling nervously with the sides of her white dress. "Please, don't" She spoke again, making Atreus let go of his hurt arm.
"No." He said defiantly and began turning around once again, silently hoping she'd leave him be. "You don't know what you're doing!" She yelled quieter than before, as if trying to scream a hidden secret.
"Yes, I do. Now leave" He bluntly stated and he saw her face scrunch together in either frustration or anger, he didn't know. All he did know was she began muttering curses and swearing at him in her language that he tuned out.
He stepped into the Light, pain searing into his leg but he continued, going to step the rest of the way when a pair of cold hands grabbed onto his arm, pulling him out. Atreus staggered back, forcefully pushing the Light Elf away from him in anger. The Alfheim woman landed on her back awkwardly, and crawled back with scared wide eyes. He glanced back at her, making her scurry back faster. Atreus felt guilty as his anger simmered but he didn't drift from his goal. He turned back towards the Light and heard the pattering of soft footsteps disappearing behind him. Atreus stepped into the Light uninterrupted. He felt the pain erupt all over his body like a burning heat until all of a sudden it stopped. For a moment he thought the Elf had pulled him back out but when he opened his eyes he gasped.
He was back in Jötunheim, staring up at his prophecy.
"Atreus" Angrboda's voice called out and he quickly turned around. Her voice echoed off the walls and he rushed towards it, walking down the large stairs. "Angrboda!" Atreus called out, racing down the bridge.
The mist onto the mountain momentarily blinded him but when he walked, the ground felt different. "Atreus" Angrboda spoke again, closer than before.
As he kept walking the mist dissipated and he was somewhere else entirely. He was back in those foreign fields, in the middle of a battle he didn't intend to be a part of.
"Angrboda" Atreus' voice broke as he saw her, standing there unharmed and peaceful unlike the day she died. She smiled when he saw her, and he rushed towards her, holding her hand tightly in his.
"You came" She whispered and he smiled with tears in his eyes. "Of course I did" He answered, as easily as breathing.
"You cannot stay" Angrboda said sadly and he furrowed his brows. "Yes I can, I-" He began but she cut him off. "You. Cannot. Stay. Atreus" She sternly spoke, not out of malice but of truth which hurt even more.
Atreus swallowed harshly. "There's nothing out there for me" He admitted and she let go of one of his hands, moving her warm one to hold his cheek. He closed his eyes and let his head rest against her.
"Yes, there is" She shook her head with a smile as if she knew something he didn't. "Besides, you haven't finished your dream" She gently reminded but he shook his head, looking deep into her eyes.
"I-I don't want to, not without you. I don't want to travel alone" He mumbled and felt his heart clench. Her thumb wiped a tear that fell freely from his eyes. "Who said anything about being alone? Hm?" She hummed warmly and he frowned, confused.
Angrboda shifted both her hands to hold his shoulders, she rested her forehead against his own. His tears ran rapidly down his face as Angrboda closed her eyes. Atreus leaned away first, leaning to kiss her. Just as their lips brushed one last time, Atreus felt himself being yanked backwards through the air. Pain enveloped him on every side and he yelled out.
He fell to the ground with a thud and he groaned, leaning into himself. Two cold hands held onto his arm, and he peered up at the sight of the familiar Light Elf. He huffed but laid still against the ground, letting his head thud against the cold floor. The woman's worried eyes searched his being for any damage that the Light may have inflicted when his gruff voice startled her.
"How long was I gone?" Atreus asked, opening his eyes after catching his breath.
"Too long" She answered in her gentle tone and he sat up, leaning back on his elbows.
"How long's that?" He pressed and she pursed her lips together into a thin line. "A week" She admitted and he sighed quietly.
He remembered how his father had sworn he'd only been gone moments when he'd been gone days and he'd never truly understood until now. Atreus nodded at the Light Elf's answer and sat up, sitting cross-legged, while she sat knelt beside him.
"I'm Atreus" He muttered after a moment of silence and the woman seemed surprised he'd willingly talk to her. She softly replied her name and he repeated it until he got it right.
"I'm sorry- For before. You were only trying to help me" He apologized and she nodded with a small smile that he could easily make out through the thin veil. "I was. The Light is addictive, and dangerous. I can't let you go back in-" She began but he cut her off, shaking his head.
"I- I got what I came for." He glanced at the Light and could swear he heard Angrboda's voice calling him again but this time, he knew it was just a trick of the Light.
The woman's arms gripped his slightly tighter and he glanced back at her with a nod. He staggered up, still feeling the Light's effects. He walked back towards his boat with the Light Elf trailing beside him, offering to make sure he returned safely.
As Atreus sat down in his boat, he looked up at the Light Elf, whose veil was thinner than before. "Why is your... Thing fading?" He asked plainly and without thinking. He chided himself mentally and she only glanced down at it, warily.
"It's because I'm refusing the Light. It has taken everything from me, my people, my family, my time..." She trailed off and Atreus' heart tugged. He knew what Ragnarök and other smaller battles had taken from him but a centuries long war? Too many loses on either side to count.
"Soon, the others will notice. I've stayed hidden for a while but eventually..." She trailed over and nervously glanced behind her.
Atreus shuffled in his seat, making more room on the boat. "Have you ever left Alfheim?" He asked with a hint of hope, something neither of them had heard in awhile. "No" She whispered as if not believing what he was offering.
"Would you like to? My home is in Midgard but-" He cut himself off and she tilted her head slightly. "But...?" She questioned and he swallowed his fear, Angrboda's words played in his mind.
"But my dream is to travel." He admitted, feeling somewhat like himself for the first time since he lost Angrboda, even if it was only a small part of himself. He watched as the woman glanced behind her, taking in the beauty of Alfheim before facing him with a smile. "I would like that very much" She spoke words full of delight.
The corners of Atreus' mouth twisted to a small smile as he reached out to help his new friend into his boat. He smiled to himself as he rowed through the blue rivers. Angrboda was right, he wouldn't be alone.