The Reckoning of Asgard

by James Malcolm Elrick

  It had better not take my wife.

  I will not let it take my wife.

  CHAPTER 87

  The Summoning of the Norns

  “Listen,” said the first Norn, stopping what she was doing, scissors in one hand.

  The three Norn sisters were sitting in the branches of Yggdrasil. And hanging from a branch was a massive Tapestry that shimmered and moved, images shifting across its surface.

  “What is it, sister?” The second Norn held a long string in her hands.

  “Gunghir summons us,” said the first Norn.

  “We knew this day would come,” said the third Norn, putting her scissors down. “It was woven into the Tapestry.”

  “Yes,” said the second Norn, “but the Tapestry does not show us who wields Odin’s spear.”

  “It must be one of those old Norse gods, Galdr perhaps,” said the third Norn.

  “It was a woman’s voice,” said the first Norn.

  “Freya, then,” said the second Norn. “That makes sense. She is wisdom, she will guide the Norse realms well.”

  “It did not sound like Freya,” said the first Norn. Her furrow creased in worry. “A child, no, it cannot be. A child of Midgard holds Gunghir.”

  “Impossible,” said the third Norn, standing up straight, fixing her dress, readying to visit Asgard. “Brunnhilde held Gunghir in safekeeping. She is the finest warrior maiden in all the Norse realms. She would only concede defeat to one of the Norse gods.”

  “It was written as such in the Tapestry,” said the second Norn.

  “Just because it was written did not mean it was prophesized,” said the third Norn. “It was never written in such a way that it was truth. It was written in such a way that it was adaptable.”

  “But a child of Midgard,” said the first Norn. She cocked her head to one side as if to listen better. “A daughter. A princess. She of Aarlund. She who wears Freya’s circlet.”

  “Perhaps that is how she was able to fool the Tapestry,” said the third Norn. “Freya’s magic is strong in her.”

  “Remember,” began the second Norn as her hands lightly ran across the Tapestry, gossamers of thread sifting through her fingers. “She is the one who slaughtered our favorite assassins.”

  “She is not the Sorceress,” said the first Norn.

  “Nay,” said the second Norn, “but they know each other.”

  “I sense a trap,” said the first Norn.

  The third Norn laughed aloud, causing her sisters to steal nervous glances at each other.

  “Of course it is a trap,” said the third Norn. “But she thinks it is she who has built the trap. She does not realize it is we who control it. We will spring the trap when we want, when the time is right.”

  The other two sisters giggled now, but it sounded forced.

  “It has just been so long,” said the second Norn, “I have forgotten what it is like to meet someone who wields Gunghir.”

  “It was a long time coming,” said the first Norn. “But it was time.”

  “Then we shall not ignore the summons,” said the third Norn. “To Asgard with the three of us!”

  And with that, the Norns disappeared.

  CHAPTER 88

  The Ravens and their new Master

  Farling looked around, his head jerking from one side to another. Margret had just earned Gunghir in battle and summoned the Norns. Even though his sword was enchanted, he knew he was powerless against the Norns, yet he still clutched it in the vain hope it would help.

  And with no warning, the Norns appeared in the center of the circle, each facing a different direction, with their backs turned to one another, the corners of their shoulders touching. To Farling, they gave the appearance that they were one Norn with three heads. Unbidden, he remembered how he had once met one of the Norns, but he could not determine which of the three he had met.

  The Norn who faced Margret smiled knowingly. Said: “Gunghir returns to Asgard, but to a daughter of Midgard, that we did not foresee.”

  So they were not all knowing. Margret had guessed correctly. It was impossible for the Norns to know everything, there was simply too much happening in all the realms for them to be aware and knowing of every detail. She gave a small prayer to Odin, hoping against hope that the Norns were not aware of what Queen Astrid was doing. Perhaps they were blind to the doings of the Sorceress. She did not yet feel any shift in the magic of the realms. She had to stall, buy Astrid more time.

  Sensing Gunghir, each great raven flew to Margret and landed on a shoulder, their talons gently holding them in place. It looked ridiculous, the ravens were so massive, but Margret’s regal stature made it look natural, that the ravens belonged there and always had.

  Seeing the ravens treat Margret as they would Odin made the Norns twitch their faces.

  “Margret—” began a Norn.

  “Princess Margret,” she interrupted. “I am a princess and one day I will be a queen. I wear Freya’s circlet and I wield Gunghir, earned in fair battle with Brunnhilde.”

  The Norn gave the most imperceptible of nods. “Princess Margret,” she said. “What would you have of me and my sisters?”

  “Knowledge,” replied Margret.

  The Norn chuckled lightly, an unsettling sound. Then: “Knowledge is not cheap as Odin lost an eye in his quest. What are you willing to give up? And what knowledge do you seek?”

  One of the ravens whispered in Margret’s ear. She listened, then asked: “Why do you fear the Sorceress?”

  The Norns scoffed as one said: “There is no Sorceress. The runes on the Midgard Serpent and Yggdrasil did not align. It is not time.”

  “So why did your assassins try to kill her?” demanded Margret.

  “Those assassins have their own thoughts,” said Norn. “If I would guess, they thought they would please us by removing the realm of her perverted magic.”

  Margret scoffed. “A word you meddlesome Norns should not use,” she said. “If you ask me, you three are perverting the realms, over-reaching your boundaries. You three are meant to watch, not interfere.”

  One of the other Norns now made a scoffing sound. And like that, the Norns faces melted and blended and the Norn facing Margret had a new face. She said: “If I had not meddled not so long ago, the boy there would not have a sword enchanted to help you defeat frost giants. Back then, you welcomed my meddling; now you tell us to stop. Which is it?”

  Now the other raven whispered in Margret’s other ear. “I command you to stop meddling in all the realms,” she said.

  And all three Norns, despite themselves, laughed. Said one: “Child, you do not tell me and my sisters what we can and cannot do. You may hold Gunghir, but you do not know how to wield it.”

  Now both ravens whispered into both ears. And as Margret lifted Gunghir above her head, the ravens flew away.

  Margret cried: “Gunghir, heed my call, the Norns obey you, you who were forged from the flesh of Yggdrasil. Obey!” And as she pointed Gunghir at the Norns, the pearl in Margret’s circlet glowed brightly.

  And the Norns stopped laughing.

  Their faces melted and blended, and another face appeared before Margret. She said: “You wield Gunghir well, Princess Margret. I see Odin’s ravens have not forgotten. Still, you are not a Norse god, not even a demi-god. And while I can feel Freya’s magic through the circlet you wear, it is not the same. The blood of a Norse god must flow through you to properly wield all the magics of Gunghir.”

  One of the other Norns interrupted as she hissed: “Listen.”

  “What is it, sister?” asked one of the other Norns, worried.

  “Yggdrasil keens,” she replied. She went to one knee and placed an outstretched hand on the ground. “The Midgard Serpent, something is not right.”

  The final Norn rounded on Margret angrily. “What did you do, Gunghir wielder?” she demanded.

  Margret laughed, and the sound rang bitterly in the ears of the Norns. Said: “If you will not obey me of your ow
n free will, you will be made to obey me. What you feel is magic leaving all the Norse realms. Magic is your lifeblood. The people of all the Norse realms can live without magic. We will cope. There will be changes, but we will cope. You three, however, will perish without magic.”

  The three Norns turned and looked at each other and with a nod, disappeared from Asgard.

  But before they disappeared, Margret leapt forward and grabbed the dress of one of the Norns.

  CHAPTER 89

  The Norns and the Sorceress

  From the corner of Frederick’s eye, he saw movement. Off in the distance, but close enough that he could make it out, he saw three women. No, four. A fourth woman had now stood. The four women began walking towards him, and soon enough, he heard their words.

  “Tell your wife to stop,” said one of the women, who Frederick now, for some reason, recognized as one of the Norns. He noted Margret walked with them. Was she now a Norn?

  Frederick replied: “While you may be a Norn, you do not know my wife very well. Not only is she a queen, she is a Dennlander, and so is known for her stubbornness.”

  The Norns and Margret stood beside Frederick. Margret could feel the intense heat emanating from Astrid realizing the incredible amount of magic she must be channeling.

  Without warning, Margret tore her circlet off her head.

  Frederick looked at her quizzically.

  “So painful,” she said as an explanation. “Freya’s circlet hurt so suddenly, I had to rip it off.”

  One of the Norns said “It is the magic the Sorceress channels back into Yggdrasil. It is disrupting all the magic in all the Norse realms. This close to the Sorceress, she is causing all the magic, even items of enchantment, to be drained.”

  “Sister, do something,” hissed one of the Norns. “I feel it too. We are creatures of magic. If the Sorceress continues, we perish.”

  One of the other Norns looked almost sad as she glanced at the sister who spoke. Then: “We Norns are not infinite. Nor are we invincible. We do depend on the magics of the realms. We depend on the Midgard Serpent and Yggdrasil.” She faced Frederick. “Again, tell your wife to stop.”

  “I refuse,” said Frederick.

  “As I thought,” said the Norn.

  With all three Norns facing Astrid, their backs turned to Margret, Margret saw her opportunity. And with all the strength granted to her by her hatred against the Norns, she drove Gunghir towards one of the Norns, with the intent to kill.

  Instead, Margret stopped and gasped: “No.”

  Somehow, some impossible way, the Norn had turned and grabbed Gunghir below the blade.

  Margret had failed, she had tried to destroy a Norn, and all her training and skill had been for naught. The Norn, using some unbelievable blinding speed, had prevented Margret from hurting her, not even a scratch.

  The Norn, with a wink, pushed Gunghir back so quickly, it jabbed Margret hard in the stomach. She bent over and let go the spear.

  With a satisfied smile that was more a smirk, the Norn turned, and with barely an ounce of effort, hurled Gunghir at Astrid with deadly accuracy.

  ***

  In Asgard, the ravens cawed loudly then stopped. They stood on the ground where Margret had been, turning their heads this way and that, sensing where Margret had disappeared with the Norns.

  “To Midgard,” said one of the ravens.

  “To Freya’s ruins,” said the other.

  “Where Astrid destroys the magics of the realms,” said the first.

  Galdr said: “I thought I sensed something. It is a fight to end all fights, once again. This time with the Norns.”

  Loki nodded. Said: “Then I must be with Yorli, if the Norse realms are to be destroyed, or at least the links between realms, then I will be trapped with her.” And with those words, he disappeared.

  “Loki, always thinking with his heart,” said Freya. “Galdr, this is up to us, brother. And you, Magnus. To Midgard, for a final battle with the Norns.”

  Arastead screamed, then tore at the ring on his finger, and after a few agonizing seconds, ripped it off, flinging it to the ground. He shook his head, trying to clear the pain.

  “The realms,” he said once the pain subsided, “the magic in the realms is being destroyed, it is disappearing.”

  Farling pulled his enchanted sword from its scabbard. He brought it to his face. “I am no wizard, but if feels like all the magic is gone from this sword. It is now just a plain sword. It still has its edge though, as keen as always.”

  “I have enough magic left to take us all to Midgard,” said Galdr. “Even the ogres.”

  He clapped. A circle appeared on the ground, expanding wide enough so that everyone stood inside it. And with a flash of light, they disappeared.

  ***

  Time froze for Astrid.

  Even as she felt her body being torn apart by all the magics she was channeling from the realms back into Yggdrasil, an unnatural act, her mind noticed everything. It was as if as the magic passed through her, that she noticed what that magic was tied to. Most events seemed to take place in the realms of the elves and the dwarves, where great magic lay. She watched as some buildings, held together by magic, crumbled. Some elves, only kept alive by magical amulets, sputtered their last breath, and died. Dwarves, their great forges, enchanted by runes of magic, rusted. And the Norns, she watched as if in slow-motion, lines of age grow deeper and deeper on their faces, their voices croaked, their backs bent.

  Still, one of the Norns had managed to send Gunghir, Odin’s old spear, towards Astrid in a deadly throw. Even as the spear sped towards her, Astrid watched as the Norn aged greatly. Astrid thought she could hear their bones begin to creak and break. It had only been fractions of a second as the spear moved towards her, but the Norns aged so rapidly as they were so close to Astrid and the hole she had created that sucked in all magics and gave nothing back.

  Astrid turned and stood.

  A flicker of fear appeared in the eyes of the Norns.

  And with no sense of thought or consequence, with what little amount of magic still allowed, Astrid turned Gunghir mid-air, and hurled it back so quickly at the Norns, that the Norns had no time to react.

  The spear struck one of the Norns just below her neck. While no normal weapon could harm a Norn, the Norse realms now stood on the edge of a precipice. There had never been so little magic in the Norse realms. Just even that fact was practically killing the Norns. And now a spear, and not just any spear, but a spear fashioned from the flesh of Yggdrasil, had struck a Norn. And even though barely any magic remained, because Gunghir was still connected to Yggdrasil, it was still overwhelmed with magic.

  The combination of the Norn’s weakened state, and an overcharged magic spear, was too much for the Norn to bear.

  Usually a weapon would have merely bounced off a Norn, causing no harm. But Gunghir passed through her body, transfixing her. The struck Norn fell to the ground and did not move.

  More from shock at the change of events than anything else, Astrid stopped what she had been doing.

  And so Yggdrasil, filled with the magics of the realm and unable to contain it, gave back the magics.

  ***

  Margret felt as if everything had happened in the blink of an eye, because it had. One moment, Gunghir was hurtling towards Astrid, the next, one of the Norns lay dead upon the ground, her two sisters weeping over her body.

  Astrid approached the Norns. “I did not think the spear would hurt her,” she mumbled. “It is impossible to kill a Norn.”

  The two Norns ceased their weeping and looked at Astrid. The sisters wiped away their tears and one stood, while the other fetched something from the robes of her dead sister.

  “The Norns are not invincible,” said the standing Norn.

  The other Norn now stood. “In fact, we are not the first three Norns who welcomed Odin to the realms and gave him Gunghir, allowing him to rule all the realms from Asgard,” she said.

  Margret s
aid, confused: “But the realms have always had three Norns.”

  One of the Norns nodded. “And so we have a new sister,” she replied.

  Astrid gasped. “You mean Margret is now a Norn?” she said.

  Margret chuckled. “For being the Sorceress, Queen Astrid, there are still many rules you must learn. And now that you are a Norn, there are more rules you must learn. Rule wisely, Norn Astrid, for I will be watching you and your new sisters.”

  “Impossible,” murmured Astrid.

  Frederick, who had stood silently nearby, was speechless and could only weep. Astrid wiped away his tears with her robe.

  “I will always love you,” said Frederick once he found his voice. Now it was Astrid who cried silently as they kissed ever so gently and ever so briefly.

  “It is time,” said one of the other Norns. She held out a pair of scissors, the pair she had found in her dead sister’s robes.

  She handed the scissors to Astrid and said: “With these scissors, you take the measure of a person, and when it is their time, you will end their existence.”

  Astrid was mute, still dumbfounded by the turn of events.

  The other Norn spoke, said: “I was once as you. I too was a Sorceress, eons ago. And while I was not quite as dramatic as you, I too replaced one of the Norns, the eldest who was also the weakest. One day, you too will be replaced, but not for a long, long time. It is the way of the Norns. This way it prevents a Norn from projecting her interests on the realms for eternity. Just as Yggdrasil represents order, and the Midgard Serpent chaos, life is change. And since the Norns represent life, we too must change.”

  Margret glanced down at the ground where the slain Norn lay, and gasped. No longer was there a body. Now, nothing lay on the ground except Gunghir. She looked at Astrid, and covered her hand with her mouth. Astrid was now garbed as a Norn.

  “You must accept the gift of the scissors,” said the first Norn. “There must always be three Norns. Even now, with the magic returning to the realms, I feel the disturbance felt by there being only two Norns. Three Norns create stability. The realms crave stability. Even as events swing between chaos and order, depending on the runes carved into Yggdrasil and the Midgard Serpent, there must be a semblance of stability.”