A Twist in Fate
“Thud, thud-thud, thud, thud-thud.” I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as I raced after her trying to catch up faster and faster. Yet somehow getting farther away from her. The woman with soft black hair like mine, pale skin, and gorgeous violet eyes.
As I ran, the ferns and flowers whipped at my hands, when I pushed them away. I pushed harder to get to her, till I tripped on a root. Falling and sliding in the mud. Creating stinging wounds on my body as I went down the ravine screaming “Mother” into the abyss.
I woke up gasping in my bed, dripping sweat, tangled in my cotton sheets. I took a couple of deep breaths before getting up and stumbling outside. I got to the thick wooden door of my home and pried it open. “Gah, Hödr, fuck it’s cold” I muttered against the chilly air that blasted in. It was beginning to snow outside. You could see the occasional flake fall to the ground and settle amongst the dead leaves. Wrapping my arms around me, I shuffled to the barrel next to the door, and placed my hands on either side of it.
Looking into the thin layer of ice on the water I could see my reflection. Mussed up dark chocolate colored hair. White pasty skin, violet eyes, full pink lips, small nose. And a tiny smattering of freckles across my cheeks. I sighed and smashed the temporary mirror with two cupped hands. Tiny pinpricks swept across my fingers as I grasped the water and splashed it across my face to wake up.
It shocked my system, I gasped and did it a few more times before returning my hands to the edge of the barrel. I pushed off of it and stumbled back inside, slamming the swollen door shut. I stretched before I walked over to my hearth. Grabbing a few pieces of coal, I tossed them in with the kindling and let the leftover embers light them up. Sitting cross-legged in front of it, I held my frozen hands to the beginnings of the fire. The pins and needles went away as the flames grew. “Time to start the day”. I thought as I got up. Feeling every ache, I grabbed my tools, and headed to finish yesterday’s project. I was making a silver sword with a gold hilt. I had finally finished the gleaming blade late last night. I loved looking at the ripples called Damascus, where I folded it.
Gorgeous. Smirking to myself, I grabbed the beginnings of the zinc and gold mixed hilt. I hated mixing metals that were so beautiful, but gold is too soft by itself. I leaned over and placed my hand near my forge. It was hot enough to soften the mixed metal. I had to finish curling the knuckle guard on the hilt after I attached it.
A couple hours later, I had finished cooling the joined pieces, when I heard pounding on my door. “In the name of Odin, who is outside?” I muttered. Setting down my tools, I grabbed my dagger and held it up over my head. I crept towards the door, listening as the thumps got weaker and weaker. Till I heard something hit the door. Hard. Then slide down it. I set down my dagger and pulled that swollen door open again. It was snowing much harder outside than when I woke up. I looked around, and didn’t see anyone. I shrugged and went to turn to go inside, something brushed my leg. I looked down and got a shock.
There was a human, not some animal for once. I looked out again, I was quick to drag the person in and slam my door shut. “Shit, what in Hel’s name is going down out there?” I huffed and turned back to the person now laying on my floor covered in ice. Thin sheets coated the cloak and shoes of the mystery human. I hurried over an kneeled down beside him. Touching the hood of the cloak with a feather-light touch I checked to see if the person was living. The cloak was of ketia skin and fur, a creature that was cat-like with downy, soft, blue almost white colored fur. Their hand fell out of a fold in the cloak and I noticed it had a symbol of marriage on. A hammered silver band.
In my tribe it meant marriage, but I’m not sure what it meant for their tribe. I lifted my hand near their face and felt a breath of warm air on my hand. I flipped the hoodie back, it was a man. He has pale skin, rosy cheeks and nose from the cold. Also his hair was light, lavender colored. I sighed as I dragged him close to the fire and took off his shoes and cloak. “Dear Thor what have I gotten myself into.”
