Frosted Dreams (NaNoWriMo2020)

Tricat' shest'

Jaak picks at his lefse, tearing a strip from it to pop in his mouth. The flavor brings back memories. He lets them wash over him for a few moments before he sets the lefse down on his plate. His mother looks up, frowning.

"Jaak? Is something wrong? You love lefse."

Hika stills from beside Jaak, settling her cutlery down. She gives him a tiny, reassuring smile, and Jaak takes a breath. "Can I ask you something?"

Skadi tilts her head, curious. "Of course you can."

"What was Pappa looking for before he changed?"

Skadi's expression darkens. "Why do you want to know this, Jaak? You've never asked before."

"I have, actually," he points out. "You were in a rage when I asked then. But Mamma, it's been a century and I want to know."

She sighs and he can see his mother begin to cave. It only takes a moment longer. "I don't know what he went to look for, but I know there was something that was bothering him and he went to see the Norns. That's all I know, Jaak."

"Why were you arguing?"

"Loki wanted me to keep you here while he was gone."

"Why? I was going to the city then, Uncle had summoned me."

Skadi shakes her head at Jaak's confused expression. "I don't know why he wanted you to stay here, but I was against it. You may have been a youngling, but there was no reason to coop you up on the mountain."

"So if I want to know what he was looking for . . ."

"Then you should go to see the Norns. But Jaak, whatever it was, it sent him insane. I don't think you should look for it."

Jaak shakes his head. "I need to know what happened, Mamma. Maybe there is a way to reverse it?"

"Do you really think that's possible, Jaak?"

"I don't know. But is it really a bad thing to find out if it's possible?"

"No, it's not. If there's a chance that you can have your father back . . . you deserve the ability to grasp hold of that possibility." Jaak smiles. "But-" Jaak's smile disappears. "Just wait til morning. And eat your lefse."

Jaak laughs and tears another strip from his lefse. Now that he isn't riddled with nerves, it doesn't take him long to finish the piece. He grabs another and slathers it with butter, sprinkling it with sugar before rolling it up and taking a bite.

~~~

Jaak watches as Hika trails her hand along one of Ygddrasil's roots. She's circled it once, now she's going around it the second time. She turns to him, her eyes bright.

"How big is the trunk of this tree?"

"What would you say if I told you that's not the trunk?"

Her mouth falls open. "Then what is it?"

"A root. The trunk is that way."

Jaak points to the tall, dark column in the distance. It's shrouded by the mist seeping towards it from the spring the root is leading towards. It seeps past the two of them, trailing ice crystals from Jaak that burn up into steam when they spiral past Hika. She glances between the root and the trunk.

"Are we supposed to go to the trunk?"

Jaak laughs, shaking his head. "No. We're following this root here, which goes quite a ways further."

Hika laughs and looks up to her star, still floating above her head. It bobs in the air once and splits into many that circle around Jaak's head.

"Touch them."

He frowns up at the cluster of stars. "Why?"

"So that they can light our way. I don't know it, so I need you to direct them. To do that, you need to form a link. You can't do it mentally, that's why you have to touch them."

"Will it hurt?"

"I doubt it."

He raises an eyebrow at her. "That doesn't sound very reassuring."

Hika laughs, giving Jaak an expression of mock exasperation. "Oh, just touch one of the stars!"

Jaak laughs and shakes his head, raising his hand to brush a finger against one of the lighter stars. It's warm at his touch, tingling. A shiver runs down his spine at the strange feeling, but he's distracted from it when the stars group together. They brush against each other and then explode outward, forming a line along the root of the tree, even marking the places where the root sinks into the ground. He could have followed the root without the path of stars but he has to admit, this makes it a fair bit easier.

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tricat' shest' = thirty-six (Russian)

I apologize for missing posting a chapter yesterday, I had some chaos with my classes(there is an exam for today and yesterday morning my professor decided to suddenly switch it from open book/internet to closed book) but that's all taken care of now.

What do you think Loki was looking for? What will the Norns tell Jaak? What do you think of this chapter? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~ Goddess of Fate, signing out