Chapter Five
Odin lurked behind a tree hidden from view and out of the wind’s direction. His left eye never loosing track of Hel. Curiosity peaked the old man’s interest the moment Vidar returned from The Glaciers. Thor would be back any day now, along with Tyr, Balder, and Bragi. His mind had been so preoccupied with the sudden appearance of Vidar that Odin had hardly any notice to Hel’s typically predictable activities.
It had been four blossoms since Thor and his bandwagon of hooligans have been home. And Odin missed his sons and their friend with a deep longing only the pits of the ocean could understand.
But the excitement of Vidar, now that was interesting. Odin always enjoyed a good scheme. Something that tested his brain strength along with his physical one. Freya was no fun as she often took it too far if one of her ‘morals’ was crossed. But not him; not for Odin.
Odin simply did what any seeker of knowledge, God of Communication, and warrior of Glory would do. He waited, observed, and critiqued. He stroked his white beard and recalled the last time he ever spoke directly towards Hel:
IT WAS RAINING. SHE JUST HAD SOME VISION AND PANICKED CAUSING HER HORSE TO LOOSE BALANCE AND FALL ON TOP OF HER AS THE TEAM WERE ESCORTING HER BROTHER TO THE CAVES TO BE LOCKED DEEP WITHIN THE MOUNTAIN. SHE INSISTED ON CONTINUING.
LOKI AGREED WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE PARTY IN THE OPINION OF LEAVING HEL; BELIEVING SHE WOULD INSIST ON SAVING HER BROTHER AND CAUSING A DISTRACTION FOR HIS ESCAPE. ODIN BELIEVED SHE WAS SIMPLY TOO WEAK TO CAUSE ANYTHING TO HAPPEN. HE ALSO BELIEVED THE LOCKING UP OF FENRIR WAS A NECESSITY FOR ALL THE NORTH TO HAVE PEACE. ODIN COULD TELL, HEL AGREED TO FENRIR TO BE LOCKED AWAY. SHE DID HER BEST TO FOLLOW ALONG ON FOOT. BUT LOKI HAD ENOUGH OF HER AND TIED HER UP TO A TREE BEFORE LIGHTING IT ON FIRE.
Odin closed his eye and shook his head in grief. All of Loki’s children seemed to be immortal. Hel, born of life and death, would never die in the same way humans did. And if Fenrir could die, there would literally be no evil in the North which goes against human nature.
Odin may have sacrificed his right eye for the World Tree’s knowledge, but he is still bound by the limitations of all Gods. The farther away from his domain the weaker he is. And this can woman Hel is following, is non of Odin’s descendants. She clearly comes from Ra.
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Odin smiled at the self righteousness of the cat Hel followed as she stepped onto the Red Bridge. Odina stood against the tree looking back at the mountains that defined the North’s border.
Cool air seeped form underneath the tress. He placed his knotted hands over his wooden walking stick and took a deep breath. She is out of my vision, Odin thought to himself, and maybe that is for the best. Still, as Odin started the long journey back up the mountains, he signaled for Huginn; the crow of Wisdom. Watch over her, Odin asked his dear friend.
One last glance at Hel before walking away, Odin felt gratitude for his children. They were all power houses of strength and skill. Handsome, feared, and loved. Odin’s kin were of something to brag about. His poor older brother Loki. Never having raw power to match Odin’s nor the courage to face the World Tree. One child needing to be locked away and never heard from again. And the other….. A monstrous girl whose meek demeanor brings only pity.
Standing in the middle of the bridge, Hel stopped and looked back towards the mountain. The water moved very fast. Wind blew her blond wispy hair all around her head making her look bigger and even more like a monster. She could see a man asleep under the bridge on the Southern end. Scared of the stranger she put her finger to her lips and indicated to quiet down to B. B cocked her head to the side in confusion and proceeded to continue walking. Water always made B nervous and she wouldn’t be at full power under she reached the end of the bridge. Ignoring the clear bum under, B started to meow very loudly ushing Hel to move faster.
Not trusting the lack of vision regarding what would happen should the individual awake, Hel limped dramatically towards B. Finally over the Red Bridge, Hel dragged onward trying to catch her breath. Annoyed at the difficulty moving and for her weak body. A cruel laugh made her breathing stop mid breath. Slowly looking for the source from her hunched position, Hel watched in horror as sand began to spin around and around in a mini blizzard. B’s face turned feral, her pupils thin as finger nails and fur picked out.
Not knowing what is going on, Hel reached her hand out as the storm of sand encompassed Hel’s body. It swooped her away as she got pulled completely into the sand wind. Each grain of sand felt as though it ripped through her being. She opened her mouth ot scream but before sound could escape, sand filled her mouth. Pulling her hands up to try and block the sand from fully suffocating her, Hel could feel each bone in her left side being sanded down by each grain.
No longer breathing combined with the feeling of being stabbed all over her body, Hel succumbed to her torture.