---

Olaf looked at his daughter with a stern expression. She just blinked owlishly back at him, and the silence stretched between them. While the sounds of the wood continued on, ignoring the awkwardness.

"What?" He asked, his mind was spinning in place.

"Am I going to get a sibling." It was a question, but her tone made it sound like a statement. Olaf was completely thrown when she asked him the first time his brain just shut down.

"W-Why would you think you would?" A flicker of anger coloring the edges of his words, yet the girl just ignored it.

"Cause you have been spending a lot of time with Elder Ragna. The kids say that's how you can tell if you are going to get a sibling." The restarting brain of Olaf went through another shut down and he just started laughing.

While he had laughed at jokes and stories from the various people he had met. There was something manic within this laugh, and something truly freeing as well. This was a moment of purity he decided he would cherish forever.

Ingrid growled before grabbing his shirt in her small hands. Trying to shake him even though he weighted many times what her force could move. It just made him laugh harder, and tears began to pour from his eyes.

"Stop laughing at me!" The girl's face was red now and she was beating, ineffectually, at his arm. While he was sure she would leave bruises on those her own age and even older. The body of a Warrior wouldn't be hurt that easily.

It took a full minute for him to settle enough to wipe his face. Before turning towards her to grin at her sulking form.

"You are not getting a sibling. Though, I will have to share the idea with Ragna." He chuckled as he saw the old man's face, and tried to imagine the horror twisting it. The man was clever and wise, but he doubted he had been the center of such a scandal.

"So maybe later?" Her tone evened, but Olaf howled with laughter again. It was just too pure to not be amused by her. As her face puffed up with indignation it just set him off again.

"Stop, you will kill me!" He said through the spots in his vision, as the laughing took it's toll.

---

Ingrid awoke with a strangely light feeling in her heart. No nightmares had filled her dreams, and, while she couldn't remember it, her dreams seemed to be kind. Perhaps the Fates had rewarded her for making it this far.

Looking around the room, she had to admit that it was comfortable. The hay was well stuffed in the cloth so there wasn't any bunching that would be painful, and the fresh air smelled wonderful to her.

Then, she felt guilty for feeling so good. Her home was gone and all the people she had known were gone. Even if, now, she was sure that some had been taken instead of killed.

The more she had played through the memories of that day. The more odd gaps appeared in her recall. Like something had ripped pieces of the picture away, or smudged the paints.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

She hadn't come to any conclusions about it yet, but she decided to blame the Fae for it. She also realized she needed to apologize to Astridr.

It wasn't clear WHY she had been, but after a night in the inn and being around people again. She realized how childish she had been acting. Not the actions of a leader to be proud of, or a hero from some stories, just the ranting of a child not getting it's way.

Before she went too far, she took her time to stretch and to look within herself. The flows of power had...settled she decided. They seemed calmer and smoother than they had been before.

Her father had told her that Megin reacted to emotion and could make it much worse. Yet, she always thought of herself in control of such, but looking back made her realize just how much she didn't.

Releasing a long breath, she pushed the blue and crimson light from her body along her arm, and suddenly she found herself twisting in the air. The speed of her empowered arm had almost dislocated it, but also moved at beyond Drang speed.

The sound of her crashing to the floor brought stomping footsteps from outside to her attention. Looking up from the floor she found Astridr looking down at her with raised eyebrows. Amusement seemed to dance in her eyes.

"I hope you weren't trying to fight yourself this morning." To the woman's obvious surprise, Ingrid stood up with a serious look on her face, and then knelt before her.

"I, Ingrid daughter of Olaf, offers my solemn apology for my behaviors." The girl looked up at her with an intense but steady gaze. It unnerved Astridr enough that she forgot how to respond.

She thought she had a measure of the girl and what it would take to help her out of the state of shock she clearly was in. Yet, now she knelt before her, seemingly improved after a single night of sleep?

"I accept your appology," Her eyes wandered over the girl, "However, I think it's time to tell you what I learned last night, as I promised." The small form didn't change it's body language at all, but stood up.

"Alright, and I think it's time to tell the rest of my story..." Ingrid looked out the window, "Perhaps as we walk into the city proper?" Astridr blinked again, it was like she was seeing a different person than she had been travelling with.

It raised her hackles as she knew about the Fae, and they would sometimes make such a swap. Though that was usually only for babes, it had been known to happen to those who yet reached adulthood.

"Yes, for now let me explain what I have learned." It wasn't a long conversation after that. Astridr just told the highlights of the stories and rumors she heard last night. Ingrid nodded along and asked a question here and there.

It was mostly about Astridr's read on the attitude of the people though, and it sent off alarm bells in her head. This wasn't the girl at all, unless she was suffering from extreme stress, and maybe head trauma, there was no reason a night of sleep should have this effect.

"Alright then." Ingrid grabbed her pack off the floor near her bed, "Let's get moving then. There is so much to plan and explain." Astridr kept her Seidr moving around herself.

There was a chance it would make the air around her move oddly, but it was a small risk compared to the chance that the girl was a Changeling.

As they left the inn, the owner nodded to them and took the offered key from Astridr. His eyes flicked to the girl before a frown crossed his face. It didn't remain long, but it seemed like even he was confused or concerned.

The first few minutes along the flattened road into the next set of walls was quiet. Causing Astridr to tak e a closer look at the girl, and even attempt to touch her with a thread of Seidr. The result was like putting a toe in calm waters.

The swirling and twisting energy that had been there were now all flowing smooth. Megin was always wild and looked like a blazing fire, while Seidr felt like a whirling storm and was hard to hold onto. Within Ingrid both had become something different.

Her Megin was flowing like blood and only flared to the beat of the Heart. While the Seidr seemed to float in gentle spirals and along the edges. It likely made it easy to use either power, and Astridr relaxed a bit.

Perhaps the change in her behavior was this odd reaction of the two energies within her body?

"I suppose I should start with losing my mother..." Ingrid's words slammed Astridr to a stop, not just mentally but her body stopped moving. Right, they were going to talk about her story.

"I am listening."