https://youtu.be/RuGJjNyOmb0

Five long days passed ever since the clash in the cave, with the witch left alone with Oz. Thankfully, Svafrlami didn't try and claim revenge, evidently understanding that he still wasn't yet powerful enough, which left her free to take care of her patient. Since it was thanks to her that he'd gotten so injured in the first place, she absolutely was not going to leave him to die.

So, the moment Svafrlami was gone, she had first made sure the bodies of his henchmen were intact before transporting them out safely. Immediately afterwards, she got to work drawing a valknut symbol on the ground in chalk and laying his body across it. While healing was not her forte, she was determined to help him make a full recovery, using the valknut to channel her magic and heal his wounds.

Five days was how long it took for Oz to regain consciousness, slowly opening his eyes and feeling a lot less pain than he had been in before falling unconscious. He looked around, seeing the roses growing in the edges of the walls, the torches fixed up, and his surroundings made from that pale pink stone. "...ah, I'm still here." he murmured, his voice a little weak, beginning to sit up and looking in the direction of the witch, who at this point was sitting in front of a big black cauldron, pouring a large spoonful of an effervescent pink liquid into a spherical glass bottle. Raising an eyebrow at the sight of the witch's brew, he waved at her. "...hey, stick your tongue out if you can see me."

She looked up from the potion, her eyes lingering on him for a short while before she winked at him, sticking her tongue out as requested. He sighed in relief. "Okay, so I'm not a ghost..." he murmured. "But...what happened? I thought Svafrlami killed me? ...do angels not die when they're killed?"

"They do." the witch confirmed, shaking her head as she looked at him, sealing the bottle with a cork. "You must be feeling rather tired, no?"

Oz nodded at that, having just woken up, and though he felt magic inside him energising him a little bit, he still felt like he'd just gotten up after a bad night's sleep. She confirmed this before standing up, walking over to him and handing him the potion. "Drink this. It'll make you feel better."

"...and what's in it?" he asked, taking it and opening it, before sniffing it. He found it smelt rather sweet and fragrant, like a bundle of roses, and it instantly gave him memories of his garden under a nice sunny day. Very pleasant, indeed.

"Eye of newt, toe of frog. Typical witch stuff." she replied jokingly, relishing his disturbed reaction for a bit before quickly shaking her head. "I'm kidding, don't worry. It's just a little concoction I made with the energy of an athlete, the song of birds chirping at sunrise, the warmth of a hearth and a tiny sprinkling of love."

"...that doesn't make any sense."

"You're dealing with a witch, in case you forgot." she wagged her finger playfully at him. "Now, drink up."

"O-kay." Oz nodded quickly, taking a deep breath before drinking the potion. He started out cautiously, as he'd never been too big on medicine, but to his surprise, it was actually very sweet. Like rose pudding, with a light hint of strawberry for some reason, and its texture was light and fizzy. He drank it slowly, savouring its flavour. Once he was done, he gently placed the bottle down and sighed, feeling his energy slowly returning to him. "Ah, now that's the good stuff."

"Feeling any better?" the witch questioned, to which Oz nodded, slowly rising to his feet and giving his limbs a good stretch.

"Of course I am." he replied, taking a bow. "You're a talented brewer."

"Only the most talented."

"I'm sure of it." he chuckled quietly, smiling at her. "Now, then...I don't suppose Svafrlami is still present, is he?"

"Hopefully not." the witch shook her head. "I sent him running just as you passed out, so I don't think he'll be back here anytime soon. Good thing, too, because knowing him, he's not likely to just let you off."

"Speaking of letting people off..." Oz murmured, looking back on the last words exchanged before their duel. "...I appear to be out of a job."

Svafrlami hadn't said it explicitly, but the way he declared him a villain, an enemy of the heavens, made it pretty clear that he wouldn't be welcome as a knight anymore. Truly, Thor would be thrilled to learn about that. Oz sighed to himself, crossing his arms and looking up at the ceiling.

The witch looked at him sympathetically, and after a short while, he immediately snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her. "Oh, but enough about me!" he exclaimed, putting on a bright smile. "I don't think I know anything about you!"

"You know that I'm a witch."

"That I do." Oz conceded. "But I don't know anything else. What are your ties to Svafrlami, for instance? And I don't think I got your name, either..."

The witch listened to his words and nodded slowly, giving him a wink as she said, "Promise not to get shocked?"

"I can promise nothing!" Oz announced, spreading his arms widely before clearing his throat and giving her a quick nod as he stood up straight. "...but I can try."

"That'll do." the witch shrugged, standing before Oz and performing a graceful curtsey. "My name is Freya. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Oz."

"Freya...like the goddess, you mean?" Oz commented calmly, eyeing her closely. "I must say, meeting you in these ruins is quite coincidental..."

Freya stared at Oz blankly for a time, leaving the einherjar curious as to whether he'd said something wrong until at once it dawned on him. "...ooooooh."

"Finally caught on?"

https://youtu.be/Jk4P10nsq4c

"Freya, goddess of love, beauty, sex, death and witchcraft..." Oz mumbled, recounting what he knew. "That's you, isn't it?"

"In the flesh." Freya giggled quietly. "And this temple - or what remains of it - is mine."

"Wow, uh, I definitely came here expecting a witch, but..." he said, eyeing her closely. With her looks, her being a goddess of beauty definitely didn't seem too far-fetched. "...meeting the progenitor of the concept of a witch definitely wasn't on my agenda."

"I don't think you came here expecting to be almost killed by your commander, either." Freya pointed out, to which Oz simply shrugged. "Sometimes, things in life will surprise you."

Oz nodded in agreement, before looking at Freya with a more serious expression. "There's just one thing I don't get, though." he said. "Svafrlami had to have known who you were, right? Why would he ever go after you?"

"He's gone after me many times over the years. Each time getting stronger, but never strong enough." Freya explained, sighing. "This probably won't be the last time, either. He doesn't let things go easily, as you may have observed."

Oz nodded in understanding. He still wasn't quite sure what it was that Svafrlami had against him, but in all the months he'd known him, he evidently hadn't let go of that one bit. So he could understand where she was coming from. "So, then, how did you even meet? What'd you do to hurt him?"

"I didn't do anything wrong, per se." Freya shook her head, putting her hands onto her chest. Oz began listening closely, sensing exposition coming, as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I've always had certain standards for Guests. One could say I'm rather picky. Over the years, I've had many people from all the nine realms approach me with offers to form a pact with me."

At that, she sighed almost wistfully as she looked up to the rocky ceiling. "The few I've accepted didn't quite make it, so I had to raise my standards. And now, I've turned down so many of them, I don't even remember most of their names or faces."

Internally thinking this was a little callous but ultimately understandable, Oz nodded slowly and continued listening as Freya now faced him. "And then, one day...he came along. I could never forget him. 'I'm an archangel' he said. 'I'm in the royal family'. 'It's only right that someone as brilliant as me works with someone as radiant as you'." she said, briefly mimicking his voice as best as she could before audibly groaning. "He was strong enough, but for how utterly pompous and persistent he was, I was ready to add him to the reject pile right away."

"...oh dear." Oz winced, and Freya nodded as she looked him in the eye.

"Yep. Svafrlami always gets what he wants." she scowled. "So by denying him, I'd become his enemy. One denial too many, and he let me know exactly what he thought."

"What did he do?" Oz asked, both curious and genuinely beginning to dread. "I assume he tried to kill you?"

"At first." Freya sighed. "But soon, he decided to take it out on my followers instead. He began mobilising his knights, uniting them against a new cause. And thus began the witch hunts."

"Ah...I knew something smelt fishy about those."

"Indeed. And the Lufe Ruins...well, you can't have ruins if they didn't use to be something else." Freya commented. "This was once a temple, at the heart of a town dedicated to my worship. But, thanks to my rejection...it is no more."

Oz was quick to catch on, a deep sadness filling his being. "You aren't saying..."

"One day, Svafrlami was feeling particularly spiteful. He came here with a host of angels and got to work. You wouldn't ever suspect they were agents of the heavens the way they killed and destroyed everything in their path." she shuddered, a sentiment Oz shared with his suspicions confirmed. "I wouldn't have even known to intervene if not for the dying prayers of the townspeople...but by the time I arrived, I couldn't save anyone."

"...so that's what happened to the town." Oz murmured, looking back to all the ruin and nothingness that had been left of the ground surrounding the temple. He had seen that horrible sight in the sky, and knowing that the whole time he had been travelling next to the conductor of such destruction sent a deep chill down his spine. Quickly trying to take his mind off it, he asked her, "And I take it you haven't accepted a Guest since?"

"I've been too busy dodging Svafrlami to look into that." Freya lamented, though somewhat doubting she would have found many Guests in that time. "Sometimes, I wish I could just kill him...but he's Odin's grandkid. I don't want the king of the Aesir on my tail, so I can only settle for stopping him whenever he acts up."

"Sounds like you're in a pretty tough spot." Oz sighed, feeling the utmost sympathy for her. "I lost my job to him, but it seems you've lost a lot more..."

https://youtu.be/HDlGXfnK6pA

Freya gave a slow nod, placing her arms behind her back as she looked at him closely, curiously, even. "Tell me, were you happy working under him?"

"Oh, certainly." Oz replied, almost too casually. "Daily condescension is my kink, you see, and almost being skewered for even mildly questioning him? Sign me right up!"

Freya laughed a little to herself. "Alright, so, not a fan." she noted, and at once she leaned a little closer, her demeanour becoming more gentle. "But if you hated it so much, why stick around?"

Oz smiled a little, looking around the room before looking back down at her. "Well, I saw the knights doing all sorts of heroics, like fighting monsters and saving towns, and I figured, why not?" he asked. "I wanted to be like them. I wanted to make a positive difference in the world. I was even willing to ignore Svafrlami's contempt, and he didn't make that easy."

Freya nodded slowly, beginning to step towards him and close the distance between them. "What if I offered you a new job, then?" she asked, earning Oz's curiosity and interest in an instant. "One where you could make all the difference you want, without being skewered by your employer?"

Oz raised an eyebrow at that, not entirely sure where she was going with this, but interested in finding out. "Continue..."

"I'll get to the point." Freya grinned, standing directly in front of him. "I want you to be my Guest."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Be my Guest, Sir Oz." she repeated, looking into his eyes and placing her hands onto his shoulders. "As mutual enemies of the Knight Commander, we should stick together, shouldn't we?"

"I suppose..." Oz said, averting his eyes as he tried to come off as composed. "But what about your standards? I didn't even come here for that, you know..."

"I'm glad you asked." she told him. "I think it may be worth staying with you."

"And how come?"

As Freya spoke, she gently rubbed on his shoulders, smiling up at him. "Watching you today, I can see that you're...well, kind of a fool." she giggled, watching as he raised an eyebrow. "But you're a fool with a golden heart, and I find your strength most attractive. I find it's that very combination that makes the bravest heroes."

She then watched him closely, getting her hands off him. "Besides, Svafrlami almost killed you because you stuck up for me. And I let it happen, because I wanted to test those qualities." she explained, sighing slightly. "Consider this my way of repaying you for that."

Oz remained silent for a little while, considering this before deciding to go with it. "...as long as you don't 'test' me again." he mumbled. "I really thought I might die, you know."

"And for that, I'm truly sorry." Freya hung her head low. "So...what do you say? If you'll forgive me, then I'll do all I can to protect you."

"Then we have a deal." Oz smiled, holding his hand out towards her, which she was quick to accept. A quick handshake later, they parted from one another, and he sighed. "Just in time, too. I'm on...something of a mission, and I think your help would be most appreciated."

"Ooh, a mission?" Freya questioned, raising an eyebrow as she stepped a little further, staring at him with interest. "Think you could tell me?"

"I've recently learned of a group, the Hel's Angels, and they're conspiring against Odin." he explained, seeming a little more serious than before. Placing a hand to his heart, he faced her. "I may not be a knight any longer, but I still wish to protect my realm and king; and Midgard, too! As my Patron...will you help me?"

"I'd be more than happy to." Freya told him, and at once a smile spread across his face. "You can count on me, and in return, I'll count on you. Together, we'll protect the king, and sow the seeds of love and peace wherever we go!"

"Now you're talking my language." Oz smiled contently. "With that settled...I think I'll be headed home."

"Right, of course." Freya nodded slowly. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. Please, stay safe."

Oz nodded, giving her a thumbs-up as he stepped away from her, beginning to move towards the end of the cave. In the distance, he saw a light, one he hadn't remembered seeing there five days ago, and figuring this led to the exit, he turned back and waved at her one more time before advancing towards his home.