Choices

Chapter 83
Over the last 3 years they exhausted their resources trying to discover who had been playing with Thor. For once, Loki was not to blame for that mischief.
Loki and his mother spent countless hours searching for the herb used and came up with nothing, not even a souce of where it might have come from. Either the entire species of plant had been used or it didn't exist. Seeing as it was impossible to use anything that didn't exist they assumed the person covered their tracks by using it all.
It was the main reason for the search going on for as long as it had. Odin was concerned about the lengths this person had gone through to cover their tracks and also of their knowledge of the magic used. He was worried that this was just the beginning.
Loki was convinced that the beginning started with his children. At this point he was sure, without proof, just sure from the heart, that whoever was responsible for taking over his body was the same person still playing with them.
Cephera didn't agree. She felt the stranger had done what he set out to do and was gone. Perhaps she was in denial. Maybe it scared her to believe it.
Still, as the 3rd year since the wedding came to an end and they moved into the 4th, nothing new happened and everyone began to calm down, and most even seemed to have forgotten about it all together.
For Thor it had made things awkward. Even now in the halls he'd greet Cephera by saying her name, giving her a nod, an awkward smile, and then walking away. The proud prince hadn't apologized for all his idiocies and without it there remained a broken bridge between them.
To his credit Thor had fully accepted the children and he no longer had mean words for his sister-in-law. Cephera just shrugged off the still remaining gap between herself and Thor. Insisting that he just needed his own time to sort it all out.
"Have you found anything?" Loki asked Hela. He'd incorporated her assistance in helping him research the herb. She seemed accepting enough of the task.
"No father," she replied. Cephera was next to him. Hela only ever addressed him this way when she was there. Loki guessed Hela enjoyed rubbing it in that Cephera was not her mother. Not once had Hela ever called Cephera that, but Cephera had built up an immunity to Hela's malicious ways.
"Everything is starting to look the same after all these years." Cephera groaned rubbing her eyes. They were finally reaching the last of the tombs and scroll documenting all herbs. What they found on the desecrated herb was simply what kinds of climates they grow in and the things it was most used for.
"For once..., I agree." Hela nodded sitting back and cracking the knuckles on skeleton hand only.
Cephera didn't react to the agreement. If she did it would only cause Hela to find a reason to say something nasty. Loki knew Cephera secretly was jumping around on the inside of her own head.
"We are almost done." Loki assured his impatient daughter. She'd grown so much. Now fully a woman, even her voice had transformed into a more exotic lure, overcast with an echo.
There were some concerns for the rest of them. Jör was having trouble finding deep enough waters to hide within each year. The oceans of Asagard only stretched as far as the black void and he was outgrowning even their deepest pits. It was borthersome as no place on Asgard had any ocean big enough for him.
There had been talks of transporting him to Mechanova's ocean, until they'd found out that animals even larger than Jör lurked in those vast waters. Strong and possibly harmful, they were a little panicked for a solution.
As for Fenrir, he had outgrown the palace, just like everyone knew he would. A large structure had been built for him out in the far left of the palace fields. He had been going on and off to the mountains to become aquainted with the rest of the Valkyrie.
He didn't want to go that far from home, but even Fenrir was realizing that a change would be needed.
Loki watched Hela and Cephera half sigh and go back to their work.
(Seraphina)
"Again," she told her son Rorik. Now 5 1/5 he was old enough to begin his battle training and Seraphina didn't go easy. She didn't believe in going easy, in fact, no one in Mechanova did.
Fandral had been a little hesitant. It was one aspect he worried over, but they didn't hurt Rorik anymore then he could handle and he gave it almost as fiercely as it was given. He would make a great warrior.
Rorik dove at his mother again. At this age weapons were not allowed, but bare fisted were. Today it was all about maneuvering through the enemies dodges. To predict the movement before it happened. A slight tilt to the left could mean they were ready to move that way and Rorik was training to notice these signs.
Seraphina, however, had her feet placed a certain way to fake the transition to the left and angled instead to the right. She didn't tell that to her son, it was up to him to figure it out, he'd learn quicker that way. His teachers taught him the basics, but, like King Yorin did with them, Seraphina taught her son hands on.
Roriks attack missed and he howled in frustration and Seraphina tapped him across the back of the head. "We don't physically show or sound out how we feel. Emotions distract you on the battlefield. When you fight you fight with a face of stone, when you feel pain you do your best to ingore it and push on like nothing can harm you." She instructed. "No enemy must see your weakness."
Rorik went red, embarrassed. "Yes mother," he said.
"Perhaps we should get something to eat and resume tomorrow." She offered. He'd been working very hard and she was proud.
"No, once more. I almost had you that time." He insisted, his eyes wide with worry of walking away without mastering what it was she'd been doing to avoid him. He got this trait from her, Seraphina was known for not giving up.
"Alight," Seraphina agreed with a smile before getting back to position in the sandpit and facing her son again. Rorik looked her over. His eyes searching for anything that might help him. He knew he'd never usually have this long to look, but once someone knew what to look for they could easily glimpse to find it later.
He set his left foot behind him. He would push off with that and aim for her right, he forgets to mix it up sometimes and she was a seasoned pro.
When he launched this time he slipped in the sands as he veered to the left. Seraphina was caught around the leg, not quite what they were looking for but they both landed in the sand laughing.
"Close," she told him messing up his hair.
"I would have caught you if I hadn't of slipped. Not every battle field is full of sand." He told her confidently.
"You're right. You know why we train in the sand?" She asked.
"Because not only does it stop us from getting badly hurt while training, but it develops our balance in rough, uneven terrane."
"That deserves a large melon pie." Seraphina told Rorik. Melon was his favorite kind of pie so he began clapping uncontrollably. Seraphina grabbed his hands to calm him. Rorik got easily excited.
"Sorry," he said going all bashful.
"Come on." She led him up over the hill of the pits to wash up. Fandral had been stood at the top watching silently.
"You had her." Fandral grinned, putting a hand to his sons shoulder.
"I did didn't I!" Rorik's excitment returned but before he could clap, Fandral hoisted Rorik to his shoulders and they all made there was to the palace together.
(Sif)
"My mother fights better than you." Thor yelled to Sif as their weapons clashed together.
"Ha!" She mock laughed. "That's hardly an insult as I'm sure it's true." She replied shoving Thor backward.
This light playful banter is what filled the arena training grounds today. It was a relief to have Thor back to his usual calm self. Whatever feelings he might have he was containing them as he always had.
"I'd say you fight like a girl, but that would be insulting myself." She ducked Thor's swing and her training polearm hit his legs with a crack.
Thor jumped in surprise and the sting. He jumped out of her range and struck out with his own polearm striking her in the arm. Today they trained with only cloth wraps on. No armor which is why they used wood. The blunt wood still stung as it hit flesh and left welts across them.
Thor was covered in sore red spots and she had just as many. Since her return and their constant truthful chats they'd come close. It wasn't how it had been, there was none of the same tension and no sexual pull, but that was what made it easy.
A roll and a swipe meant to take Thor off his feet failed. Thor jumped her move with ease, he was getting used to fighting against her. They didn't just fight together anymore, they spent time together going on hunts, usually accompanied by Fenrir, and walking the halls chatting.
"I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back." Thor boasted.
Sif stopped what she was doing, looked him dead in the eyes, "Prove it," she dared him.
Thor stopped as well, caught off-guard by her eagerness to take on his boast. She grinned knowing he hadn't meant for her to challenge it. Then he smirked back, "Hogun, fetch me something to properly tie my hand up and then we shall show Sif who she is dealing with." Hogun let off a grin of his own.
"I'm gonna need another sandwich." Volstagg commented. "No one starts until I get back." He announced, walking away.
"This should be interesting, don't get angry when I beat you." Sif told thor.
"No need to get angry, for it won't be I that will see defeat." Thor ensured her. Sif knew he was joking just like all their banter. This was the new way in which they got along. She liked it, it was carefree.
(Cephera)
She'd taken a break. Cephera couldn't handle the books any longer today. The had just about 20 more to go, but they all read the same to her now. Loki was so determined that he'd stay in there all day.
Hela had stayed with him, not willing to agree with Cephera twice in one day. So Cephera walked the long halls of the palace alone. The hallway she was currently in had no one around, no guards along it and no staff.
This wasn't unusual considering they were the upper levels and the entrances to that were heavily guarded. The staff might be off elsewhere cleaning.
What was unusual was the shining something laying on the floor up ahead. Cephera approached it like she approached everything, with sheer curiosity. As she got closer she stopped midway, the object was shackles. A single chain linking two cuffs together.
Magical in nature, she'd seen them put on people to contain their powers. Her stomach flipped, how did they get here, abandoned on the floor? Had someone escaped the prisons?
Deciding to take a closer looked she moved forward once more, but before she'd made it to them they disappeared. Cephera shook her head wondering if all those books had her seeing things.
"Where did it go?" Frigga asked coming down from an intersecting hall.
"You saw them too?" Cephera asked.
"I did," Frigga nodded.
"I thought I was going crazy." Cephera admitted.
"Very strange." Frigga looked to the floor and then back to Cephera. No trace of the cuffs where left behind and it left both women confused and curious. "I'll have the prisons checked for any escapes, though it's doubtful anyone could escape it, let alone do it without sounding the alarm."

Notes