Midgard

Ard did not know what to do. It couldn't be. She was dead, or so he had thought. Her death had ultimately resulted in his banishment. His righteousness had been his downfall. It was the reason for him being right here, staring through the window like a fool. But her face, her hair, her eyes; those blue eyes would haunt him forever. Should he enter the bar and make sure that it was really her? He decided that it must be her, and that he had to find out how she managed to survive the aether.

Thinking about the aether, his thoughts lead to the Norns. If the girl wasn't dead, then the Norns would have known about it the entire time. After all, the aether was blessed by them.

He recalled the words of the Wyrd on that day she appeared to him on the cliff.

Trust the judgement of the three fold goddess...it is time to fight for what is right.

Suddenly, everything started to make sense. What if the Norns weren't on Asereth's side, supporting his power trip? What if, instead, they were trying to find a way to oppose him? But if that was true, why didn't they tell him?

A wave of adrenaline rushed through Ard's veins. His heart was beating fast, it was a mix of excitement and unnerving premonition of something much bigger than he had anticipated coming his way. Of course, it made more sense. A lot must have been at stake for the Norns to personally get involved. This wasn't just about Asereth ruling over Asgaard. Too many questions and no answers. Yet.

The god searched his brain for stories, where the Norns made a physical appearance to aid a cause. There were none. Never had he heard of such incidents in his history lessons. Not even during the wars did the Norns get involved. The soil of Asgaard was covered in blood, gods were strung up on gallows and bled out by the ice giants, whilst the Norns presumably sat around the well of Urd, weaving the threads of new souls as if they were completely oblivious to the slaughter. What had changed?

Ard tried to calm his racing thoughts. His banishment might have well been part of the Norns' plan. Even if he didn't know the ins and outs of what was going on, his intuition told him, that he was on the right track. There was hope for him - the warrior. There was still a purpose to be found and fulfilled.

He had to keep a level head. First of all, he had to get as much information as possible, and the girl seemed to be a key player is this twisted game.

Entering the bar was not an option. He would attract too much attention and confuse Amar even more. After all, he had threatened the mortal not long ago, and demanded from Amar to forget all about him. He would watch from the rooftop and wait for them to leave, then follow the girl, not sure what he was hoping to find.

Back up on the roof, just above the bar, Ard took cover by lying flat on his stomach, just his head poking over the edge of the building. The people down on the street were busy going from bar to bar, no one looked up. He imagined himself sitting at the top table of the feasting hall, together with Hera and Lugh, drinking sweet mead and celebrating the end of yet another long day of training. Those times seemed so very far away. He wondered what happened to his friends, and whether they were safe. He hoped, that one day it could be like this again.

After what felt like hours, Amar and the girl emerged from the bar. Ard watched Amar holding the door open for her. They were chatting and laughing. It was, as if nothing had ever happen.

The two mortals walked up the main road and Ard followed them with a safe distance high up on the rooftops. As they turned, so did he. Ard had to climb up and down several buildings in order to not lose sight of them. Luckily, he was sheltered by the dark curtain of the night as he stalked them, from tree to tree, from bus stop to bus stop. The side streets were deserted, and the two were too deep in conversation to look over their shoulders.

After a slow thirty minute walk, they stopped in front of a red door. The girl searched her bag for her keys. This must have been her place. Ard tuned into their conversation, standing behind a tall, wide stemmed oak tree.

"Funny to bump into you earlier," she said.

"Well, I'm glad you did, and I'm glad you asked me out," Amar replied with his distinct crooked smile.

"It was a fun evening," the girl smiled.

"It would be great to do it again," Amar said, hopeful. "Next time I won't be late, promise."

"It was only fifteen minutes and you have apologised about a thousand times already."

Amar gave the girl a guilty look. Ard knew too well, why he had been late for his date.

"And yes, it would be nice to go out again. You've got my number," the girl added.

"I will get in touch, but chances are I'll bump into you before that," said Amar with a wink.

She chuckled.

Ard grew impatient. If only they would hurry up saying goodnight. He wasn't sure as of what to do next, or what exactly he was hoping to discover. He would have to climb up to whatever floor she lived, and if possible, enter her flat and search it for any clues, once she was asleep. He hadn't even finished the thought, when he realised how wrong this was, but he didn't have a better plan.

Amar and the girl hugged, and she went inside.

As soon as Amar was out of sight, Ard came out of his hiding. The night was clear and the waning moon hung low in the sky. A cool breeze blew, Ard had to brush his hair out of his face. He didn't even have a chance to grab a leather tie to secure a braid before he was banished. Tomorrow he would take care of his appearance. He looked too wild and otherworldly – something he needed to change.

For a little while he just stood there, lost in his thoughts, in this quiet road, surrounded by the wind and the distant city noises. Then, something awoke him from his day dreams. A whisper. The wind had suddenly quietened down. Ard looked over his shoulder, but he couldn't find anything suspicious.

He needed to see the girl. There was no light in any of the front windows. Ard decided to try the back. He quickly climbed up the front of the building. It was one of the easiest tasks to get from window sill to window sill, over the roof and down the back. There was movement behind the curtains of the third floor balcony doors and they opened. The girl walked out onto the balcony, dressed in a silky nightgown. For a split second, Ard thought she would see him, standing in her garden like a creep. But the girl's eyes were fixed on something much higher up. She was gazing at the moon.

As she walked out, her arms lifted as if she was reaching for the bright white crescent in the sky. A silver beam of light appeared, seemingly directed at her. It became wider and wider, until it engulfed her like a translucent cocoon, connecting her to the moon. She walked closer and closer to the railings of the balcony, until her hips were pressed against it.

Ard was watching her, not sure what he was witnessing.

She then lowered her arms, placed them on the railing and pushed herself up. She brought her right leg up, then another push and the other leg went up too.

What for the Wyrd's sake was she doing?

To Ard's horror, the girl was now standing on the railing of her balcony, arms raised up again towards the moon, entranced or sleepwalking, he wasn't sure.

She took yet another step, as if she was trying to step onto an invisible platform and fell.

It happened so fast and hadn't it been for Ard's godly speed, the girl would have crashed 30 feet to the ground.

She screamed and Ard caught her.

Her scream was ear piercing. He had to act fast. With the distressed girl in his arms and one hand pressed over her mouth, he ran behind the bushes that wear neatly planted in the communal gardens of the house, just in time before the first curious heads poked out of the window, trying to identify the source of the scream.

The girl tried to fight Ard off, kicking and jerking, but he held her firmly on the ground. He felt bad for doing so, but if the neighbours would discover them now, things would get rather complicated.

After a few minutes had passed, the last windows closed.

"Please listen to me," Ard whispered to her. "I won't harm you. You've been sleepwalking and fell over your balcony. I happened to be there and caught you. You are fine."

She stopped kicking, but her heart was still beating dangerously fast.

"I will take you back up to your rooms now. If I uncover your mouth, do you promise not to scream?"

She nodded.

Ard lifted his hand off her mouth.

The girl's face expression changed from terrified to furious.

"Why did you drag me into the bushes?" she hissed. "If you have rescued me, as you claim, then why hide?"

The god didn't get a word out. What would he tell her? He hadn't planned to directly engage with her.

She looked him up and down. Now that she had calmed down a bit, she started to realise that he didn't look like a guy from her neighbourhood.

"Who are you?"

There it was, that old familiar question.

"I can assure you, that I mean no harm. Please believe me."

He tried to smile his friendliest smile to put her at ease. They were sitting behind a bush with thick, leathery leaves. Ard leaned back against the brick wall surrounding the gardens, trying anything to appear less threatening. She relaxed slightly.

"You didn't answer any of my questions," she said.

He suddenly realised, that the girl was only dressed in a thin, barely there night dress. It was slightly distracting.

"You should go back inside. It is chilly and you are not wearing sufficient clothing."

"I have no keys," she realised, immediately stressed.

"I will take you back, come on."

He got up and held his hand out for her. She hesitated, but eventually took it.

"Jump on my back."

"What?!"

"Jump on my back," Ard repeated and turned his back towards her, bending down to make it easier for her to hop on.

"No!" she said. "I definitely won't climb on your back! This is crazy! I will not take a stranger into my flat. I'm going to climb over the wall and then ring the doorbell of one of my neighbours. They will call a locksmith for me."

"Listen," Ard said, now with a pleading in his voice. "I need to talk to you somewhere safe."

He tried to think of something to say that would gain her trust.

"If I really was up to no good, I could have thrown you over my shoulder about 10 minutes ago and climbed over this fence. No one would have ever known. I will explain everything to you. Please, let me take you back inside."

Ard watched her weighing up her options. His words must have seemed plausible, because she took two steps towards Ard and clung to his shoulders, her legs wrapped around his waist.

"Hold on tight," he told her and with his unnatural speed, he jumped over to the house, climbed up three storeys and over the balcony rail.

"Oh my days," she whispered, in disbelieve of how effortlessly this stranger managed to climb up to her flat.

Within seconds they stood in her bedroom. It felt awkward. Elizabeth went to grab her morning gown and put it on.

"So, explain."

Ard switched on the lamp on the bedside table and drew the curtains. The girl looked a bit unsettled but didn't comment on it. He sat down on her bed, trying to think of where to start. It would be better to avoid that part where he stalked her for weeks, for now.

"I'm a g –"

The shrill sound of the doorbell interrupted him.

He stared at the girl, the girl stared at him. They both seemed to share the same thought. Who would visit at this time at night?

Ard was alarmed.

"Don't open the door!"

It rang again. And again. Whoever was down there, pressed the button many times in short intervals. The noise of the bell echoed through the night.

"I have to see who it is," she said.

Ard had two options in mind; it could be Amar coming back for whatever reason or some less wanted visitors, some for whom Ard was not prepared at all.

As the girl walked to the speaker system next to the door in the small hallway, Ard prayed to the highest power, that it was just Amar.