Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Beneath Thy Feather Wings ❯ A Visitor From the Sky ( Chapter 1 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Falconess 
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Drama / Romance / Samurai / Suspense | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.15.2004 | Pages: 1 | Words: 3.6K | Visits: 367 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Drama / Romance / Samurai / Suspense | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.15.2004 | Pages: 1 | Words: 3.6K | Visits: 367 | Status: Work In Progress
NOTE: This story incorporates a lot of Norse Mythology; anything with a Roman numeral overstrike has a description at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!
Joyous laughter, sounds of clapping. Frivolity and peace flowed through the walls of the vast room. The ceilings were high, painted with intricate gold and silver designs. The large arch doors loomed ominously, the entrance to the halls dark and foreboding. It was not safe to venture there, leaving the room without the permission could lead you right to the domain of Hel[i]. Moreover, the young men that resided here in this ballroom had no desire to face the cold fury of the queen of death. They had met her once and never again wished to do so again. It was a vast Dining Hall, in a sense a ballroom.
Laughter was heard, echoing off the walls. It was a man's paradise, games, duels, feasts, and plentiful wine. In a sense, this room could have been dubbed heaven. However, the Aesir and Vanir[ii] preferred to call it.. Valhalla[iii], which belonged to the supreme god, Odin[iv]. There was also a similar hall, Sessrumnir[v], where some of the chosen men resided as well, except this was Freya's[vi] hall. Here the dead resided, well.. the men that had earned their place in this paradise that is. All others, who had not been skilled enough in the art of combat, lived in the cold dreary world of Helheim[vii], the realm of the dead, whilst Hel looked over them. This place was where the men stayed, until the time of Ragnarok[viii], the worlds end. And in the mean time, women, in flowing dresses, served them dutifully. Magnificent swords lay by their sides, they were the valkyries[ix]. None had any doubts that if provoked, these women could slaughter. However, instead, they served, pouring wine from the pitchers in their hands. Red wine that would never deplete, a pitcher that could never run out.
The valkyries were not only servers. They were not mere doting women to pamper the men. Rather, they did this out of generosity. Only a few of the Valkyrie group would even think to serve. The others, had delivered these men to the halls, guided them through the dark halls. A Valkyrie was one or the other, never both, save one girl. All others, who did not have the honor to be either server or a guide, thought them selves accursed, and wished that they had been more compassionate and pure when they had still lived, for they now served Hel. There was only one girl who had the honor of both server and guide. She was the most beautiful of all the Valkyrie's, save for Freya. It was not that it was because she was better then the others, but because she had earned the position. The other Valkyrie's could careless, their lives were good. They had friends, family, and never ending feasts and parties. But, this girl did not have the former two. And parties were no fun without any friends. The reason? She was still alive. Because of this small fact, the other valkyries hated her, they had once been mortal.. but lost their lives, and Freya had granted them the honor of serving her. But, this girl.. Kaoru had been raised in the world of the gods. In addition, being different was rejected. Thinking if she became the best of her kind, they would agree with her more. That was not to be the case.
She had a small frame, that of an 18 year old. Raven black hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, a circlet of braided hair crowned her head. The hair within the ponytail was soft, ending a little below her shoulders. If it were put down, it would be a lengthy curtain, down to midwaist. Beautiful blue orbs, like that of a night sky filled with stars and an illuminated moon. She wore a simple outfit, a sleeveless dress that parted in the front, right between her abdomen and knees, and the material flowed down, just to ankles. Beneath that, she wore a pair of shorts. The top of the dress was made of two different materials. One overlapping the other beneath was a soft fabric, pure white, silk like even. Overlapping it, was silver web, a small mail, thin but not destructible. It was a metal unknown to the mortal world, for the heavens use only. Light, but not easily pierced. The chains were small, but large enough so that the fabric beneath was visible, but not so an arrow or a spear could penetrate. The bottom half however, seemed to be made of pure white feathers-that of an angels. The shorts were silver as well. Her arms were gloved, the material coming up to her elbows, white. On her feet, were silver sandals, fletched with white feathers. Surrounding her in a veil, was a white cloak, currently, it hung loosely, half way down her arms, the bottom trailing the floor in a small train. It too was white, lined with the soft feathers of an angel. Hanging loosely around her waist, down to the side of her hip, was a silver belt, hugging her thigh, like a child to its mother, a magnificent katana rested upon the belt.
The other valkyries considered her odd, they would simply fly down to the earth with mail, and armor. Blue and gold, the color that most of their kind wore, unlike her, they wielded not Katana's but straight swords, heavy and intricate. They resented her for being different, and mortal. For you see, Kaoru was not like the other Valkyries. She was raised by Freya herself, and was considered her daughter.
It started long ago, before Kaoru was a Valkyrie. She had only been a small elfin[x] girl, whom lived on the outskirts of Midgard, far away from the humans. Her parents had been adventurers, combing the land for treasurers and thrill, and they always brought their most precious jewel with them, Kaoru. However, on their last adventure, bringing the girl would have been their greatest mistake. They had decided to take sail, to explore the many islands in that vast crystalline ocean. One day, they came upon a small remote island. As they stepped foot upon it, they could tell. here was a great adventure. The ground rumbled time to time, as they explored. And if you listened closely, you could here the sound of something striking the ground, and low growls that resembled wolves. As they neared the center of the island, they were bestowed a frightening sight. There, was a wolf. Not any insignificant wolf, but a massive, giant. This.. was Fenris[xi]. The giant wolf of the trickster god, Loki[xii]. He was bound to the earth, by coils of rope, soon to snap. However, this site did not stop the family. For beyond the wolf was a cave, and in the father's eyes, it said treasure. As they approached, Fenris struggled, tossing and turning, hoping to fling off the coils that bound him. His teeth screamed blood. Years it had been since he last had food, ever since the gods bound him here. The last taste of flesh was the hand of a god whom tried to tie him. Finally, just as the family was about to reach the cave, which was just above his muzzle, he ripped his head free, jerking back, he snapped at the family.
The father didn't think that the monster would become loose, but it seemed, that their presence provoked it. As he was approaching the cave, he saw how much Fenris struggled, and watched as he broke free. Quickly, he drew his sword, but was no match, and became the wolfs meal. The mother tried to fight vainly as well-- Keeping her back to her daughter to shield her. Arrow after arrow was released, to no avail. Finally, as she knew that she to could not escape, she turned and picked up her daughter, shoving her into the cave, before she was swallowed up and died within Fenris' gullet.
The gods were in an uproar. Chaos had ensued; the mere snap of the coil could bring devastation upon the world. Odin, the great god, sent Freya down to soothe the beast, and bind him once again. Freya was a beautiful goddess. in fact; she was the goddess of beauty. Like Aphrodite in the Greek gods, however, she was also equivalent to Aeres, the Greek god of war. She to was a warrior goddess. As she descended upon the island, everything seemed to loose it's beauty. The wolf was drawn to her, mesmerized, as Freya sang, A soft tune-lullaby. It wasn't long until the wolf fell into a deep sleep, and Freya rebound the coils that kept him imprisoned on this island. Afterwards, as she watched the beast sleep, she could see that his teeth were newly stained with blood. She was remorseful, for she could not bring those souls to her halls, nor to the realm of Helheim. They're bodies were lost within the wolf, and the souls could not be released until the wolf was slain. However, a small cry drew her attention. There, hunched over, and hugging her knees, in a fetus position, was a young girl. Freya approached tentatively. The girl was obviously asleep, but nightmares plagued her dreams. Upon her head was a large gash, from whence blood seeped. She had thought to wait for this girl to die, to deliver her soul. But as she watched the silent pearls fall, she couldn't help but feel sympathetic. Even in death, this girl could not be with her family. She had always wanted a child herself, and looking down unto this girl, convinced her. She would raise this girl as her own, and name her. Kaoru.
Now, Kaoru was older, when she had reached the age of 18, her "mother" gave her a special gift. Freya was eternally young, just as all the other valkyries in Asgard, for when they died, they reverted to the time in their life, when they were strongest, and most energetic. This was around the age of 16-25. As a birthday gift, which was the day that Freya had found her, she was given a necklace. The charm was carved from a pearl of Freya's magical golden necklace, Brisingamen[xiii], into the shape of a falcon. It preserved Kaoru's age, so that she, like the others would stay eternally young. She was also given the outfit she now wore, so that she could descend upon earth, and be unseen. When she donned the cloak, no mortal could see her, unless she allowed them to. Moreover, when they lay eyes upon her, they were soon to die in battle, and she guided their soul to Valhalla or Sessrumnir. Years passed, and the valkyries had more work then ever, particularly in Japan, as they had just gotten over a war. A man, Battossai, had slain many, and many of those men had to be delivered.
Now there was a time of peace, and most of the Valkyries had nothing to do put play in the halls of the dead. This caused Kaoru to be particularly bored. She had grown tired of serving men, even in death, they were all lustrous. She hated the greedy glances of men, and their want to be with her. The other girls could care less.. flaunting their bodies, they enjoyed it. However, she, was not like them, nor ever would be. Therefore, she spent the majority of her time with her mother. And Freya told her many stories, one of her favorites, was of the god Balder[xiv], whom rested in Helheim at the moment. With each story, she grew even more intrigued about Balder, it is said that he was wisest and most kind of all gods. And could not have been killed by any weapon, besides mistletoe. His mother had asked that he be protected from everything, but forgot to mention mistletoe, which was so small. The god Loki, being mischievous, found out what mistletoe could do, and had Balder's brother slay him with an arrow made out of mistletoe.
It seemed to Kaoru that the days were growing longer, and each day that passed, there were fewer to bring into the halls. She longed for adventure; it was part of her blood you see, though she was oblivious to that little fact. Deciding she would go visit Helheim, she wanted to see for herself who this Balder was, and what he was really like. It had been said that Hel had agreed to release him, if every creature, mortal, or god wept for him, however. There was only one being who failed to do so-was Loki. And so, Balder was forever trapped with Hel, until the god Loki would shed a drop of remorse. The small thing that Kaoru chose to neglect was, however, that she was not allowed to visit Helheim, without Hel's permission. And she granted no one the sight of Balder. Nevertheless, Kaoru snuck down there, and visited the god. It was all true, what her mother had said of Balder, and soon, she found herself visiting the god everyday, and gradually, came to love him. That coupling was not to be however, months later, her secret endeavors to visit Balder had been discovered by Hel, and now, Kaoru suffered the consequences. Upon Freya's request, Kaoru would not be condemned to Helheim, but sent to earth. She was given a mission, and could not return until it was done. There were souls to be delivered, many great fighters, however, only a pure soul could be sent. She was to stay upon the earth, and watch the mortals, dove who was worthy, and who was not. Occasionally, if there were not valkyries there, she was allowed to deliver a soul to Asgard, but could not stay longer then that. The sentence was to stay until a certain man was delivered to his rightful place, Battossai. He was the most confusing of all the men, he had slain many, but it was unclear whether his soul was pure or evil.
Now Kaoru stood in front of her mother, to bid her farewell. Pearls fell from her eyes. She had not thought about the consequences of her action before hand. Watching her mother now hurt, she could see the disappointment in her eyes, and that caused the pain in her heart. She didn't know what to say.
Freya stood looking down at her daughter, pain laced her heart, and her voice was ready to crack as she spoke. "Take care.. Kaoru.." a small smile graced her lips, "deliver the Battossai as soon as possible.. I await you return." Approaching, she enveloped her only child into a motherly hug. "Don't worry.. I'll be here.. watching over you" with those words, she left a small kiss upon her forehead, and let her go.
Kaoru could not stop the tears from coming, this was home, her family lived here. She didn't know what she would do without them. How long would it take to for the Battossai to die? He was a great swordsman, it could be years. "mother..I love you.." with those words, she left, and mounted her steed. It to, was white, a magnificent horse, in truth a Pegasus. Pure wings graced her back, a strong mare. As they flew down onto the earth, Kaoru couldn't help but glance at her home, she didn't notice the arrow coming her way, until it was to late.
Loki had always been mischievous and misdeedful. He hated all that was good, especially Balder. When Kaoru came, he thought she was an angel. Watching her grown was like being able to witness you love's life. However, when he saw that she had fallen for his mortal enemy, Balder, it enraged him. He didn't want her to leave, and decided, she would not reach the earth alive. Once she was dead, she would become an immortal Valkyrie, and would not have to suffer the ill treatment of her peers, and have to go down to the earth. With those thoughts, he drew the string back, fingers tightly grasping the fletched mistletoe arrow, and released. He watched as the arrow pierced through the air-a knife through butter. Slightly, he grimaced as the tip embedded itself within her shoulder, he had missed his mark. However, this would do. Satisfied, he returned to Asgard, the last glimpse of his angel, was her, falling off he steed, and plummeting to the earth below. He would wait in the halls of Sessrumnir, for; there was no doubt that she would be delivered to Freya.
TBC
Alright.. this story was inspired by a manga I collect, Ragnarok. I'm sure a lot of you have heard of it, well, at least the game. Anyways, the basis of it was Norse mythology. When I had read Ragnarok, I decided to look up the myths and legends that were weaved into it, resulting in this fic. I hope you enjoy. And below are some little facts that should help a bit.
----------------------- [i] Hel- Queen of the underworld, Helheim.
[ii] Aesir and Vanir- The two types of god, Odin created
[iii] Valhalla- Vast feasting hall where Valkyries delivered the souls of the dead, which were chosen by Odin. Most of the souls had been great fighters.
[iv] Odin- Supreme god, who had helped to create the world from the body of a giant, Ymir
[v] Sessrumnir- Vast feasting hall that souls, chosen by Freya resided in
[vi]Freya- Goddess of Love and beauty, she loves fighting and warriors as well. Most beautiful of all goddesses
[vii] Helheim- realm of the dead that Hel rules over, though not like Hell, it's not fire a devil, but more like the Greek underworld, cold, and demorbid.
[viii] Ragnarok- The worlds end. Evil and good shall collide, and the gods shall war with one another, that's what the souls in Valhalla and Sessrumnir are for, they to shall fight when the time has come. Several gods shall be killed, and eventually only a few shall survive, and those few will create new humans, to repopulate the world. (also a Manga, by Myung-Jin lee)
[ix] Valkyries- in the halls of Valhalla and Sessrumnir, only men were chosen to stay there. The occasional women, who were dubbed a worthy warrior, could be accepted as a Valkyrie. They descended the earth, invisible to the mortal eye (they're already dead.. so sorta like a ghost). If a mortal did happen to see them, it meant that they were chosen, and in the midst of a battle, would lose and be killed. It was supposed to be a great honor to die in battle, and see a Valkyrie, once dead; the woman would deliver their soul to the halls. According to some myths, they rode upon white steeds, in others, they had feather cloaks. I incorporated both into this fiction.
[x] Elves- they did exist, according to Norse Mythology, living in Midgard (Not quite sure what Midgard is.. might be one of the 6 realms that Odin created.) Freya, was particularly found of them, explaining why she would instantly like Kaoru.
[xi] Fenris- A giant wolf, supposedly the son of Loki. He, being so destructive and fear provoking, was bound to an island by the deities, until Ragnarok, where he would swallow Odin up, then be stabbed to death by another god.
[xii] Loki- god of treachery and trickery. He was very spiteful, being the one who killed Balder, the most loved god of all.
[xiii] Brisingamen- magical golden necklace of Freya, given to her, and made by four dwarfs (err. it could've been 3 >.>, one or the other!). It is said to be the Milky Way.
[xiv] Balder- Son of Odin and Frey (note: not Freya). His mother loved him so much, she had asked that he be protected from everything, but, as she took the time to name off all specifications of what everything was, she neglected to say Mistletoe, because it was so small. Everyone made a game of it, his immortality. As he walked down the halls, gods, and men would throw anything imaginable at him, and it would do him no harm. Until, one day, Loki found exactly what Balder weakness once, and forged a arrow of mistletoe. He convinced Balders blind brother, to shoot the arrow at Balder, and it killed it. Now, in Helheim, a messenger was sent to ask Hel to release him. She had said that if every creature wept for him, she would do so. And so, every god, soul, men, women, tree, rock, cloud, elf.. and thing imaginable wept for him. The only thing that stopped his return was one person, who refused to shed a single tear of remorse. Loki.
Joyous laughter, sounds of clapping. Frivolity and peace flowed through the walls of the vast room. The ceilings were high, painted with intricate gold and silver designs. The large arch doors loomed ominously, the entrance to the halls dark and foreboding. It was not safe to venture there, leaving the room without the permission could lead you right to the domain of Hel[i]. Moreover, the young men that resided here in this ballroom had no desire to face the cold fury of the queen of death. They had met her once and never again wished to do so again. It was a vast Dining Hall, in a sense a ballroom.
Laughter was heard, echoing off the walls. It was a man's paradise, games, duels, feasts, and plentiful wine. In a sense, this room could have been dubbed heaven. However, the Aesir and Vanir[ii] preferred to call it.. Valhalla[iii], which belonged to the supreme god, Odin[iv]. There was also a similar hall, Sessrumnir[v], where some of the chosen men resided as well, except this was Freya's[vi] hall. Here the dead resided, well.. the men that had earned their place in this paradise that is. All others, who had not been skilled enough in the art of combat, lived in the cold dreary world of Helheim[vii], the realm of the dead, whilst Hel looked over them. This place was where the men stayed, until the time of Ragnarok[viii], the worlds end. And in the mean time, women, in flowing dresses, served them dutifully. Magnificent swords lay by their sides, they were the valkyries[ix]. None had any doubts that if provoked, these women could slaughter. However, instead, they served, pouring wine from the pitchers in their hands. Red wine that would never deplete, a pitcher that could never run out.
The valkyries were not only servers. They were not mere doting women to pamper the men. Rather, they did this out of generosity. Only a few of the Valkyrie group would even think to serve. The others, had delivered these men to the halls, guided them through the dark halls. A Valkyrie was one or the other, never both, save one girl. All others, who did not have the honor to be either server or a guide, thought them selves accursed, and wished that they had been more compassionate and pure when they had still lived, for they now served Hel. There was only one girl who had the honor of both server and guide. She was the most beautiful of all the Valkyrie's, save for Freya. It was not that it was because she was better then the others, but because she had earned the position. The other Valkyrie's could careless, their lives were good. They had friends, family, and never ending feasts and parties. But, this girl did not have the former two. And parties were no fun without any friends. The reason? She was still alive. Because of this small fact, the other valkyries hated her, they had once been mortal.. but lost their lives, and Freya had granted them the honor of serving her. But, this girl.. Kaoru had been raised in the world of the gods. In addition, being different was rejected. Thinking if she became the best of her kind, they would agree with her more. That was not to be the case.
She had a small frame, that of an 18 year old. Raven black hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, a circlet of braided hair crowned her head. The hair within the ponytail was soft, ending a little below her shoulders. If it were put down, it would be a lengthy curtain, down to midwaist. Beautiful blue orbs, like that of a night sky filled with stars and an illuminated moon. She wore a simple outfit, a sleeveless dress that parted in the front, right between her abdomen and knees, and the material flowed down, just to ankles. Beneath that, she wore a pair of shorts. The top of the dress was made of two different materials. One overlapping the other beneath was a soft fabric, pure white, silk like even. Overlapping it, was silver web, a small mail, thin but not destructible. It was a metal unknown to the mortal world, for the heavens use only. Light, but not easily pierced. The chains were small, but large enough so that the fabric beneath was visible, but not so an arrow or a spear could penetrate. The bottom half however, seemed to be made of pure white feathers-that of an angels. The shorts were silver as well. Her arms were gloved, the material coming up to her elbows, white. On her feet, were silver sandals, fletched with white feathers. Surrounding her in a veil, was a white cloak, currently, it hung loosely, half way down her arms, the bottom trailing the floor in a small train. It too was white, lined with the soft feathers of an angel. Hanging loosely around her waist, down to the side of her hip, was a silver belt, hugging her thigh, like a child to its mother, a magnificent katana rested upon the belt.
The other valkyries considered her odd, they would simply fly down to the earth with mail, and armor. Blue and gold, the color that most of their kind wore, unlike her, they wielded not Katana's but straight swords, heavy and intricate. They resented her for being different, and mortal. For you see, Kaoru was not like the other Valkyries. She was raised by Freya herself, and was considered her daughter.
It started long ago, before Kaoru was a Valkyrie. She had only been a small elfin[x] girl, whom lived on the outskirts of Midgard, far away from the humans. Her parents had been adventurers, combing the land for treasurers and thrill, and they always brought their most precious jewel with them, Kaoru. However, on their last adventure, bringing the girl would have been their greatest mistake. They had decided to take sail, to explore the many islands in that vast crystalline ocean. One day, they came upon a small remote island. As they stepped foot upon it, they could tell. here was a great adventure. The ground rumbled time to time, as they explored. And if you listened closely, you could here the sound of something striking the ground, and low growls that resembled wolves. As they neared the center of the island, they were bestowed a frightening sight. There, was a wolf. Not any insignificant wolf, but a massive, giant. This.. was Fenris[xi]. The giant wolf of the trickster god, Loki[xii]. He was bound to the earth, by coils of rope, soon to snap. However, this site did not stop the family. For beyond the wolf was a cave, and in the father's eyes, it said treasure. As they approached, Fenris struggled, tossing and turning, hoping to fling off the coils that bound him. His teeth screamed blood. Years it had been since he last had food, ever since the gods bound him here. The last taste of flesh was the hand of a god whom tried to tie him. Finally, just as the family was about to reach the cave, which was just above his muzzle, he ripped his head free, jerking back, he snapped at the family.
The father didn't think that the monster would become loose, but it seemed, that their presence provoked it. As he was approaching the cave, he saw how much Fenris struggled, and watched as he broke free. Quickly, he drew his sword, but was no match, and became the wolfs meal. The mother tried to fight vainly as well-- Keeping her back to her daughter to shield her. Arrow after arrow was released, to no avail. Finally, as she knew that she to could not escape, she turned and picked up her daughter, shoving her into the cave, before she was swallowed up and died within Fenris' gullet.
The gods were in an uproar. Chaos had ensued; the mere snap of the coil could bring devastation upon the world. Odin, the great god, sent Freya down to soothe the beast, and bind him once again. Freya was a beautiful goddess. in fact; she was the goddess of beauty. Like Aphrodite in the Greek gods, however, she was also equivalent to Aeres, the Greek god of war. She to was a warrior goddess. As she descended upon the island, everything seemed to loose it's beauty. The wolf was drawn to her, mesmerized, as Freya sang, A soft tune-lullaby. It wasn't long until the wolf fell into a deep sleep, and Freya rebound the coils that kept him imprisoned on this island. Afterwards, as she watched the beast sleep, she could see that his teeth were newly stained with blood. She was remorseful, for she could not bring those souls to her halls, nor to the realm of Helheim. They're bodies were lost within the wolf, and the souls could not be released until the wolf was slain. However, a small cry drew her attention. There, hunched over, and hugging her knees, in a fetus position, was a young girl. Freya approached tentatively. The girl was obviously asleep, but nightmares plagued her dreams. Upon her head was a large gash, from whence blood seeped. She had thought to wait for this girl to die, to deliver her soul. But as she watched the silent pearls fall, she couldn't help but feel sympathetic. Even in death, this girl could not be with her family. She had always wanted a child herself, and looking down unto this girl, convinced her. She would raise this girl as her own, and name her. Kaoru.
Now, Kaoru was older, when she had reached the age of 18, her "mother" gave her a special gift. Freya was eternally young, just as all the other valkyries in Asgard, for when they died, they reverted to the time in their life, when they were strongest, and most energetic. This was around the age of 16-25. As a birthday gift, which was the day that Freya had found her, she was given a necklace. The charm was carved from a pearl of Freya's magical golden necklace, Brisingamen[xiii], into the shape of a falcon. It preserved Kaoru's age, so that she, like the others would stay eternally young. She was also given the outfit she now wore, so that she could descend upon earth, and be unseen. When she donned the cloak, no mortal could see her, unless she allowed them to. Moreover, when they lay eyes upon her, they were soon to die in battle, and she guided their soul to Valhalla or Sessrumnir. Years passed, and the valkyries had more work then ever, particularly in Japan, as they had just gotten over a war. A man, Battossai, had slain many, and many of those men had to be delivered.
Now there was a time of peace, and most of the Valkyries had nothing to do put play in the halls of the dead. This caused Kaoru to be particularly bored. She had grown tired of serving men, even in death, they were all lustrous. She hated the greedy glances of men, and their want to be with her. The other girls could care less.. flaunting their bodies, they enjoyed it. However, she, was not like them, nor ever would be. Therefore, she spent the majority of her time with her mother. And Freya told her many stories, one of her favorites, was of the god Balder[xiv], whom rested in Helheim at the moment. With each story, she grew even more intrigued about Balder, it is said that he was wisest and most kind of all gods. And could not have been killed by any weapon, besides mistletoe. His mother had asked that he be protected from everything, but forgot to mention mistletoe, which was so small. The god Loki, being mischievous, found out what mistletoe could do, and had Balder's brother slay him with an arrow made out of mistletoe.
It seemed to Kaoru that the days were growing longer, and each day that passed, there were fewer to bring into the halls. She longed for adventure; it was part of her blood you see, though she was oblivious to that little fact. Deciding she would go visit Helheim, she wanted to see for herself who this Balder was, and what he was really like. It had been said that Hel had agreed to release him, if every creature, mortal, or god wept for him, however. There was only one being who failed to do so-was Loki. And so, Balder was forever trapped with Hel, until the god Loki would shed a drop of remorse. The small thing that Kaoru chose to neglect was, however, that she was not allowed to visit Helheim, without Hel's permission. And she granted no one the sight of Balder. Nevertheless, Kaoru snuck down there, and visited the god. It was all true, what her mother had said of Balder, and soon, she found herself visiting the god everyday, and gradually, came to love him. That coupling was not to be however, months later, her secret endeavors to visit Balder had been discovered by Hel, and now, Kaoru suffered the consequences. Upon Freya's request, Kaoru would not be condemned to Helheim, but sent to earth. She was given a mission, and could not return until it was done. There were souls to be delivered, many great fighters, however, only a pure soul could be sent. She was to stay upon the earth, and watch the mortals, dove who was worthy, and who was not. Occasionally, if there were not valkyries there, she was allowed to deliver a soul to Asgard, but could not stay longer then that. The sentence was to stay until a certain man was delivered to his rightful place, Battossai. He was the most confusing of all the men, he had slain many, but it was unclear whether his soul was pure or evil.
Now Kaoru stood in front of her mother, to bid her farewell. Pearls fell from her eyes. She had not thought about the consequences of her action before hand. Watching her mother now hurt, she could see the disappointment in her eyes, and that caused the pain in her heart. She didn't know what to say.
Freya stood looking down at her daughter, pain laced her heart, and her voice was ready to crack as she spoke. "Take care.. Kaoru.." a small smile graced her lips, "deliver the Battossai as soon as possible.. I await you return." Approaching, she enveloped her only child into a motherly hug. "Don't worry.. I'll be here.. watching over you" with those words, she left a small kiss upon her forehead, and let her go.
Kaoru could not stop the tears from coming, this was home, her family lived here. She didn't know what she would do without them. How long would it take to for the Battossai to die? He was a great swordsman, it could be years. "mother..I love you.." with those words, she left, and mounted her steed. It to, was white, a magnificent horse, in truth a Pegasus. Pure wings graced her back, a strong mare. As they flew down onto the earth, Kaoru couldn't help but glance at her home, she didn't notice the arrow coming her way, until it was to late.
Loki had always been mischievous and misdeedful. He hated all that was good, especially Balder. When Kaoru came, he thought she was an angel. Watching her grown was like being able to witness you love's life. However, when he saw that she had fallen for his mortal enemy, Balder, it enraged him. He didn't want her to leave, and decided, she would not reach the earth alive. Once she was dead, she would become an immortal Valkyrie, and would not have to suffer the ill treatment of her peers, and have to go down to the earth. With those thoughts, he drew the string back, fingers tightly grasping the fletched mistletoe arrow, and released. He watched as the arrow pierced through the air-a knife through butter. Slightly, he grimaced as the tip embedded itself within her shoulder, he had missed his mark. However, this would do. Satisfied, he returned to Asgard, the last glimpse of his angel, was her, falling off he steed, and plummeting to the earth below. He would wait in the halls of Sessrumnir, for; there was no doubt that she would be delivered to Freya.
TBC
Alright.. this story was inspired by a manga I collect, Ragnarok. I'm sure a lot of you have heard of it, well, at least the game. Anyways, the basis of it was Norse mythology. When I had read Ragnarok, I decided to look up the myths and legends that were weaved into it, resulting in this fic. I hope you enjoy. And below are some little facts that should help a bit.
----------------------- [i] Hel- Queen of the underworld, Helheim.
[ii] Aesir and Vanir- The two types of god, Odin created
[iii] Valhalla- Vast feasting hall where Valkyries delivered the souls of the dead, which were chosen by Odin. Most of the souls had been great fighters.
[iv] Odin- Supreme god, who had helped to create the world from the body of a giant, Ymir
[v] Sessrumnir- Vast feasting hall that souls, chosen by Freya resided in
[vi]Freya- Goddess of Love and beauty, she loves fighting and warriors as well. Most beautiful of all goddesses
[vii] Helheim- realm of the dead that Hel rules over, though not like Hell, it's not fire a devil, but more like the Greek underworld, cold, and demorbid.
[viii] Ragnarok- The worlds end. Evil and good shall collide, and the gods shall war with one another, that's what the souls in Valhalla and Sessrumnir are for, they to shall fight when the time has come. Several gods shall be killed, and eventually only a few shall survive, and those few will create new humans, to repopulate the world. (also a Manga, by Myung-Jin lee)
[ix] Valkyries- in the halls of Valhalla and Sessrumnir, only men were chosen to stay there. The occasional women, who were dubbed a worthy warrior, could be accepted as a Valkyrie. They descended the earth, invisible to the mortal eye (they're already dead.. so sorta like a ghost). If a mortal did happen to see them, it meant that they were chosen, and in the midst of a battle, would lose and be killed. It was supposed to be a great honor to die in battle, and see a Valkyrie, once dead; the woman would deliver their soul to the halls. According to some myths, they rode upon white steeds, in others, they had feather cloaks. I incorporated both into this fiction.
[x] Elves- they did exist, according to Norse Mythology, living in Midgard (Not quite sure what Midgard is.. might be one of the 6 realms that Odin created.) Freya, was particularly found of them, explaining why she would instantly like Kaoru.
[xi] Fenris- A giant wolf, supposedly the son of Loki. He, being so destructive and fear provoking, was bound to an island by the deities, until Ragnarok, where he would swallow Odin up, then be stabbed to death by another god.
[xii] Loki- god of treachery and trickery. He was very spiteful, being the one who killed Balder, the most loved god of all.
[xiii] Brisingamen- magical golden necklace of Freya, given to her, and made by four dwarfs (err. it could've been 3 >.>, one or the other!). It is said to be the Milky Way.
[xiv] Balder- Son of Odin and Frey (note: not Freya). His mother loved him so much, she had asked that he be protected from everything, but, as she took the time to name off all specifications of what everything was, she neglected to say Mistletoe, because it was so small. Everyone made a game of it, his immortality. As he walked down the halls, gods, and men would throw anything imaginable at him, and it would do him no harm. Until, one day, Loki found exactly what Balder weakness once, and forged a arrow of mistletoe. He convinced Balders blind brother, to shoot the arrow at Balder, and it killed it. Now, in Helheim, a messenger was sent to ask Hel to release him. She had said that if every creature wept for him, she would do so. And so, every god, soul, men, women, tree, rock, cloud, elf.. and thing imaginable wept for him. The only thing that stopped his return was one person, who refused to shed a single tear of remorse. Loki.