#harmony-empire

Stigandr, Margot, Menja and Fenja are all enjoying a lazy, sunny afternoon in Asgard. It has taken Stig quite some time to convince Margot to let the twins, who are ten years old at this point, come to Asgard, mostly becaurse Margot has little trust for Odin. He eventually succeeded, mostly becaurse he suggested that she could entertain the girls by turning Thor into a rabbit. Again.

So right now, the liaison, fylgja and the twins are having fun playing with an infuriated, fluffy white god of thunder, while grandmother Loki sits on the side keeping the thundergod's foul mood in check.

As time went on, the girls starts exploring the meadow on their own accord, while the adults have their conversations.

Hunting for small animals and insects, Fenja walks further and further away, into the forest itself. Menja follows her, constantly keeping an eye on their surroundings; being a smart girl, she makes sure to keep the meadow in sight as they continue exploring. Eventually, they come accross an unusually dark spot in the forest, covered in heavy shadow. In the middle of the darkness rises an old oak. Its branches long since broken off, leaving the top a sphere of wrinkled bark. On top of it sits a man, his chin supported by his hand as he observes the dancing dust in the rays of sunlight. He seems to be in deep though and does not notice the girls.

"Lets go back. I don't like this." Menja whispers to her sister.

Fenja ignores her and walks closer. "Hello?"

Menja sighs. "What did I just tell you?"

The man turns his head. His eyes are covered under his unruly brown hair , and his beard sticks out like needles on a fir tree. "Good afternoon children. What are you doing in the forest all alone?" 

Menja  rubs her hands together and looks over her shoulder, making sure that she can still see the meadow from where she is. Fenja meanwhile lifts her chin "I'm exploring and hunting for cute animals." She crosses her arms. "What are you doing?"

The man chuckles "I'm here gathering ingredients for my spells. Some herbs is best picked when the light is right."

"Oh." She walks closer. "Are you a trickster like granny?"

"A trickster? No. I am a master of sejdr, and moulting." He adjusts his seating on the tree so that he can look at her without twisting his neck too much. "Who is you granny?"

Menja looks at the man now. She likes magic and know that Sejdr is a kind of magic from her fathers home-realm. She would like to know more, but her paretns hasn't given her permission to learn it yet. She was about to ask the man more about Sejdr, but her sister cut in. "Loki is our granny. What do you mean by moulting?" 

The man nods. "Loki, eh? Then you must be Sleipnir's kids."

Fenja nods, a bit annoyed that her question is ignored. "Yeah. What do you mean by moulting?"

"Oh, yes, well, it means that I can turn into animals by taking on their hide. Another word for it is Ham-shifting.

Fenja's eyes lit up. "You can turn into animals? I can do that too! But, I'm not that good at it..."

He looks her up and down. "The skill is common in these lands, so I'm sure you can find someone who can teach you."

The girl pout. "I know, but mom won't allow it. She says that empress Audrey and king Odin made a deal that means, that I have to grow up before I can learn it." She kicks the dirt. "It's no fair."

The man shrugs. "Why don't you ask your father to teach you? Dosn't he possess the skill, being a horse and all?"

"Yeah, but there's only so much he can teach me. He was born with the ability, whereas I has to learn it."

"Ah, I see. Well, I'm certain that you can persuade your granny to get you some hides you can practice with. He's well known as a moulter."

Fenja blinks. "He never told me that."

"You parents dosn't allow him to say it I'll presume. Probably waiting for you to get older."

She shakes her head. "But... why?"

The man leans back. "Probably something to do with that deal Audrey and One-Eye have. They probably don't want you to pick favors before you're old enough."

Fenja kicks the moss of a rotting branch. "That's not fair!"

"I know." He looks over at Menja, who has been silent during their conversation. "What about you? You like animals as well?"

Menja looks down and starts scrabing her shoe over the soft moss on the forest floor. "Uhm, not really. I prefer magic."

The man sends her an understanding, sad smile. "But like your sister, your parents won't allow you to study before you're comming of age?"

Menja nods. "Yeah..."

The man looks at the girls, then rubs his beard in thought. "You know... Odin has a room rull of old hides and bokk. I'm sure you could, ah, borrow, from him."

Menja looks up in shock. "B-but, that would be stealing!"

The man shakes his head. "If he dosn't need it, then he would not miss it. Besides, you're not keeping it for yourself, are you? You'll giving it back once you're done with it. Once you've learned what is it be learned... Right?"

Fenja's eyes lit up like a christmas tree by the idea of her getting her hands on some hides. Menja meanwhile seems uncomfortable with the idea. "But, what if mom and dad finds out?"

The man shrugs. "I didn't say there wasn't a risk, but as I see it, you can either remain victims of whatever deal Odin and Audrey has decided for you... Or you can learn what you can by yourselves." He runs his fingers through his beard. "After all, the deal concerns whether you choose to belong to the Empire or Asgard. And borrowing from Odin hardly seems like joining neither. Consider it... Research. So that you can easier make your decisions ofcourse."

Fenja almost jumps on the spo from pure glee, but Menja remains sceptical. "But, wouldn't this mean that we would know more about Asgard than the Empire, and thus are more likely to join the Asirs?"

The man is silent for a short while. "You are a wery smart girl. Well, if you borrow from Odin, then surely you can borrow from Audrey as well? That would be fair I'll say."

Menja is uncertain. "Uhm, maybe... A little?"

The man weaves his hand. "Besides, I find the idea of you being forced to join one or the other to be rediculus." He leans over. "After all, you have the choice fo choosing neither."

Menja nods. "Well, that's true..." Fenja grabs her hand "Come on! We have to do it! Or do you wanna wait for mom and dad to decide when you're ready?" Menja shakes her head. "No, no, I wanna learn now, bu-"

"Then lets go!" Fenja pulls her sister along with her. Menja holds back. "Hold it! I wanna know how he knows about this!" Fenja lets go of her reluctantly and pouts. Menja turns toward the man once more. "Daddy always says that I should make sure that who ever I'm talking to, I should know who they are. So... how do you know about that room?"

The man smirks. "I've worked for old man Odin, as an adviser, back when his kind were at war with the Vanir. I'm a guest at his house from time to time, but mostly I walk my own ways. I know about those bokks and hides becaurse I have seen them."

Menja nods, still not fully convinced. "And where is this room?"

"In the west hall, close to where Odins private rooms are located. Go up the stairs, then down the hall. It is the third door on the left."

Menja rubs her chin. This is all well and good, but it didn't tell her who the man really is. "Who and what are you?"

The man sighs. "My name is Kyrrkyn, and like Loki, I joined the Asirs a long time ago." 

Menja wanted to ask one last question, but Fenja pulled her away "Come on! Lets get back before mom and dad starts looking for us." She pulls her sister back to the Meadow, leaving the man behind. He chuckles to himself. "Cute girls."

When the coast is clear he jumps off the tree and lands softly on the ground. A raven flies down and takes a seat on his shoulder. "So, what do you think?" the man asks it.

The raven looks at the spot where the girls were a few moments ago. "The one who likes animals is sure to accept. The other one, well, that's harder to say. Her curiosity will likely prevail over her better judgement, but she may wait to act upon it untill next time she visits. That way she can wait and see if anyone comes asking about the hides."

The man nods and pulls off his hair and beard, allowing his real grey to show. "As I suspected."

The raven looks over at him. "With all due respect Sir, isn't this tempering with the deal? What if the Empire finds out?"

Odin packs away his fake hair and beard in a bag that until now was hidden behind the tree. "I would be surprised if Audrey hasn't tried something like this already. Besides, I encuraged them to 'borrw' from the empire as well, if they wanted to. And, the deal states that both the Empire and Asgard is to offer their support and resources if needed. Well, margot and Sleipnir has been good to -not- accepting that offer, but on the cost of their kids' independence and growth. One day, they'll need their powers to stand against what the future has in hold for them, and denying them the chance to hone their skill early on is neither in the interest of Asgard, nor the Empire."

The raven moves on his shoulder, seeking a better spot to sit. "Fair enough, but what about the whole 'joining' thing? Both girls seems to favor Asgard. That ought to bring trouble down the line."

Odin shrugs. "I know that they'll favor Asgard more than the Empire, but it's in their genes. Or rather, the genes of their father. Don't worry though, the second pair of twins will be much more like their mother, and have a natural affinity toward the Empire. The Empress' going love that I bet."

The raven sends him  a glare. "A second pair of twins? And you know this?"

"I have seen it in the future. I may not be able to tell their names ,nor gender, but their abilities and affinity for the Empire has long since been set."

The raven shrugs. "If you say so."