Chapter Eight
Masterlist
When did things get so bad?
How did you not notice that this was yet another of Odin's traps?
So Tyr was indeed dead
Your Tyr…
He was never your Tyr.
You felt something break inside you.
The little hope you had left, from all those years of waiting for your husband's return. That tiny hope had just shattered into a thousand pieces.
From the beginning, you and the others had been deceived. You were taken for a fool. Odin had tried to take advantage of your love for Tyr to try to take advantage of you. You felt your stomach churn at that thought. If you hadn't been so disgusted by this "Tyr," he probably would have…
"(Y/N)," Freya called, placing her hand on your shoulder, breaking your train of thought.
You looked at Freya, finally noticing that some people were missing. Sindri and Brok were no longer there. Neither were Kratos, Mimir, and Atreus. The Vanir goddess had the Gjallarhorn while her brother had the mask. Seeing your shock, she led you to the armchair and made you sit down. Freya took your hands in hers, squeezing them tightly.
"(Y/N), I promise you I'll kill that bastard with my own hands. I swear it to you," she said through gritted teeth. "We're going to unite all the other Kingdoms. We're going to take up arms, go to Surtr, and kill Odin. Even without Kratos' help."
Kratos?
Ah, that's right. He and his son had returned to Midgard.
Midgard.
Why had you decided to leave your home to come here?
Your home.
You had to go back. You had to go home.
Without saying anything, you removed your hands from Freya's, standing up before walking silently to the door. Freya and Freyr looked at you in surprise as you left Sindri's house without saying a single word. You passed through the gate of Yggdrasil, returning to its familiar woods. You walked through the woods without saying a word, finally arriving home. The deer you had butchered for meat had completely gone moldy, and crows and probably hungry wolves had eaten most of it.
Without saying anything and without really thinking, you went to unhook the carcass and throw it into the water, letting the current carry it away before going home.
You slowly closed the door, making the hinges creak. You carefully observed your small house.
Almost everything was Tyr's size. The ceiling was high, half the dishes were bigger, there were bigger chairs and smaller ones for you.
You moved closer to the table, sitting down on your chair.
Your gaze was lost in space.
This place was so quiet now. No, this place had been silent the moment Tyr disappeared. You had simply decided to ignore the silence, focusing on your daily tasks to forget the damn silence. For a hundred winters, you had followed the same routine. You got up at dawn, cleaned the house from top to bottom. When you were done cleaning, you would go and tend to your vegetable garden. Around noon, you would prepare your meal. After that, you would either go fishing or hunting. After that, you would take care of storing the meat. At the end of the day, you would eat your second meal of the day. After your second meal, you would take a bath and then go to bed to start the same day all over again the next day.
An endless loop to forget your solitude and the silence.
Your gaze fell on the corner where Tyr usually cooked. He had always loved to introduce you to dishes he had discovered during his travels around the world. You remembered the Indian dish he had made you try. You had been sick for two days because the spices were too strong for your stomach. He had apologized for a good week.
"I've told you before: once you're around, it's hard to break away from you. And besides, what kind of husband would I be if I abandoned my wife?"
You clenched your fists as you thought back to his words.
What kind of husband was Tyr to abandon you when you told him not to go to Asgard?
You told him, and he didn't listen.
You felt something break inside you.
You began to wreck everything in your house. You threw dishes and other objects that fell into your grasp against the walls. You slammed your sword into the furniture, tearing it to shreds.
You smashed absolutely everything.
You stood in the middle of this battlefield, your breath coming in gasps, your hands trembling. You dropped your sword to the ground, falling to your knees. A howl of rage escaped your lips. You screamed until your throat ached. You slammed your fist against the ground several times. You felt the bones in your fingers crack, but you didn't care. You continued to slam your fist against the ground, repeatedly. Blood flowed from your fingers. But you didn't care. Tears blurred your vision and soaked your cheeks.
You didn't know how much you'd had this crisis. You lay on the ground, defeated, defeated, with hope. Your fingers were numb and swollen, but you didn't care. You stared at the ceiling, remembering the moment "Tyr" drew his dagger and plunged it into Brok's heart without a moment's hesitation. You saw Odin abandoning the illusion to take the little boy hostage. You saw the look Odin gave you.
How could things have gotten so bad?
How could you have let yourself be fooled by Odin again?
You sighed, closing your eyes, sinking into darkness. You didn't know how long you had been unconscious. But something strange had happened. When you opened your eyes, you saw that you were no longer in your house, but in a ruined place. You sat, looking around, lost, when your eyes fell upon a fresco.
Tyr.
You stared at the fresco for several minutes, without saying anything. Not a single thought crossed your mind. You were just looking at that fresco.
A depiction of Tyr with that woman, Laufey the Just. He had helped her secure the Kingdom of Jotunheim.
Laufey the Just…
You had met that woman only once. And it was when you were at your worst. You were looking at the image of Tyr. Alone. In that old, ruined temple.
You didn't know how many times the sun and moon had set and risen. You didn't know how many days had passed.
But at one point, you heard commotion coming from the bridge. You heard several voices, several languages speaking.
You should probably go see what was going on, but you didn't have the strength. At that point, you didn't care at all. You closed your eyes, leaning back against the wall. You vaguely heard the sound of a horn and war cries, then nothing.
Complete silence.
Ah…
It was the Gjallarhorn.
They sprang into action.
The silence was a kind of blessing. You looked one last time at the image of Tyr.
"I don't know if you're in Valhalla… or Helheim… or in the light of Alfheim… I know I won't end up in Valhalla… I don't even know if I'll go to the light of Alfheim or if I'll rot in Helheim… But… I'm tired, Tyr. I've had enough… I've waited all this time for you to come back to me… you haven't come back… You said you'd come back… I'm so tired of waiting… of all this deception…"
You sighed, your breath shaky, tears streaming down your cheeks. You lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling before closing your eyes.
The days passed without you noticing.
The days turned into weeks.
Weeks turned into months.
The sun and moon rose and set without you noticing.
When you opened your eyes, you were still lying on the ground. Despite having been asleep all this time, you were exhausted. You barely had the strength to stand on your own two feet. You were about to close your eyes when you heard voices. You jumped when you realized they were the Einherjar. Had Odin sent them for you? You used the adrenaline to get up. But you had been inactive for so long, asleep, without eating, that you barely had the strength to stand. You walked, leaning against the wall for support as you headed for the exit. You were forced to shield your eyes from the glare of the sun. But the voices and footsteps of the Einherjars drew closer and closer. You descended onto the frozen lake, stumbling and slipping on the ice. You were almost halfway through the Lake of Nine when you heard a female Einherjar scream as Bifrost charges hit the ice.
They had found you.
You tried to quicken your pace, but a Bifrost charge hit you in the back. A cry of pain escaped your lips. You collapsed to the ground. The Bifrost weakened you even more. Low moans escaped your lips. You tried to crawl on the ice. The Einherjars closed in on you. The woman grabbed your ankle, beginning to drag you. You summoned your sword, managing to sever the tendons in the heel of the female Einherjar, who cried out in pain as she fell to the ground. One of the Einherjar men violently stomped on your hilt. You felt your bone crack, sending a wave of pain up your arm and causing you to lose your grip on your sword as you received a punch in the face. You were completely stunned and unable to defend yourself. You felt yourself being lifted from the ground and thrown onto an Einherjar's shoulder to be carried away by them.
So you were going to end up like this?
In the hands of the Einherjar?
Your vision was completely blurred from the punch you had received.
Suddenly, the Einherjar dropped you roughly onto the ice. You heard them screaming in rage and the sound of weapons clashing. You managed to crack open your eyelids to see the Valkyries, Kratos, and Freya fighting the Einherjars. You hadn't noticed there were so many of them.
By the way, how was it that there were so many Valkyries with Kratos and Freya?
Your aunts and your mother no longer had physical bodies. You were probably hallucinating because of the blow to your head. Someone leaned over you, and you were lifted off the ground. You felt the pain shooting through your skull, forcing you to close your eyes, groaning in pain.
After that, you fell unconscious.
How long had you been in his darkness?
It was strange, but it didn't scare you as much as before. You felt a strange sensation, familiar and reassuring. You felt yourself coming back to yourself. You forced your eyelids open. Your gaze fell on the ceiling. You weren't in Tyr's Temple anymore? Where were you? A noise reached your ears. You turned your head to see someone cleaning the house.
Who was this person?
You didn't have time to ask before the person turned to you. You felt your blood race when you saw it.
"(Y/N). You're awake…" Tyr said in a measured tone.
You sat up quickly, feeling the adrenaline pumping through your veins as you saw him take a few steps towards you. You had your back pressed against the wall as you glared at him, your breathing ragged, your chest rising and falling rapidly.
You were panicking.
"Go! Get out of here!" you shouted to Tyr. "I won't fall for your trap again!! Get out of here!!"
"(Y/N). I know what happened. Kratos, Mimir, and Freya explained everything to me. I-"
"Shut up!" you shouted, leaping out of bed and summoning your sword, ready to fight.
Tyr took a step back, getting into a defensive stance.
"I'm not going any closer. I'm staying here. Okay?" he said, remaining in the kitchen area. "I'll stay here, okay?"
You still remained alert, despite lowering your sword. You still glared at Tyr. He remained positioned near the table, which had been reduced to a pile of kindling. The silence in the house was palpable. Tyr knew that at the slightest misstep or the slightest outward word, you would bring your sword down on him. Kratos, Freya, and Mimir had explained to him, in broad outline, what Odin had done to you. And he had taken a risky gamble, taking over from Sigrun to watch over you.
You had been unconscious for three days.
Three days during which Eir and Freya had cared for you and made sure you were well hydrated and fed.
Sigrun and Mimir had stayed with you, but their duties to the rest of the Kingdoms that had survived Ragnarök had called them to order.
Tyr wanted to get closer to you, to lay you back down in bed and rest, but he knew that wasn't possible right now.
"Lo- (Y/N)… you need to lie down," Tyr said, motioning slightly toward the bed. "You've been unconscious for a long time…"
"Shut up. You… you have nothing to say to me."
"Okay. Forgive me."
What could he do?
He couldn't risk getting close to you without you lunging at him. Maybe there was a way for him to regain your trust. Tyr was thinking for a long time when an idea came to him.
"(Y/N). I know you don't trust me at all, and I understand that perfectly. But… if you want to be sure I'm not Odin, ask me a question only the true Tyr can answer."
"A question only Tyr can answer…?"
"Yes."
A question only Tyr could answer.
You thought long and hard about a question. What could you ask him?
Where had he found you in Midgard? Too simple.
Who were your parents? Too simple too.
What were the runes on your wedding ring? No need, he had the same wedding ring to match yours. If Odin had seen it, he would know the answer.
What could you ask?
Your gaze fell on the bed. This bed you had shared for so long had a certain peculiarity that only you and the true Tyr knew.
When you built this house, Tyr had the idea of building it around a rather imposing tree that had a rather unusual shape, making it a bed without having to cut down or otherwise modify the tree. It was therefore impossible to move the bed. Only you and Tyr knew this detail. You looked towards Tyr, pointing at the bed with your sword.
"I'm tired of this bed. I don't want it anymore. Get rid of it," you said, glaring at Tyr.
Tyr was surprised by your request. His gaze fell on the bed in question.
"Do you want me to get rid of our bed…?" he asked softly.
"Yes, it bothers me more than anything."
Tyr looked closely at the bed, moving closer to it. You stepped back when you saw him looking at it with a certain sadness. Your grip tightened on the hilt of your sword as Tyr placed his hand on the tree trunk.
"I can't do such a thing…," Tyr said. "Even if I could, I wouldn't. It's impossible for me to move a tree rooted in the ground and part of this house."
"How can you know that?" you asked through gritted teeth.
"Because I'm the only one who made this special bed just for you. I remember perfectly well how you explained to me that Mimir and Sigrun had made you a bed that looked like a nest, because you couldn't sleep in a normal bed because of your wings," Tyr replied with a slight smile. "I also remember you telling me you didn't want this bed, but the first night you spent in it, you fell asleep instantly and slept for a whole day. I even had to wake you up several times that day so you could eat and drink."
You looked at Tyr, surprised by his words. He was the real Tyr. Is he really your husband?
Your grip on your sword loosened as you lowered your head. You felt your throat tighten, tears blurring your vision. You ran your hands over your eyes, wiping away the tears that managed to escape. But a torrent of tears escaped your eyes without you being able to control them. Seeing your state, Tyr approached you. He placed his hands on your shoulders.
"(Y/N)…"
You dropped your sword to the ground, throwing yourself into Tyr's arms. The God of War sighed, wrapping his arms around you, pulling you into a tight embrace. Unlike with the imposter, you no longer had that unpleasant feeling. In fact, it was the opposite. You buried your face in his shirt, pouring all your tears into it. Tyr knelt down, hugging you as you cried against his shoulder. But Tyr was surprised when you pulled away from his arms as your hand fell forcefully against his cheek. Your husband looked at you surprised, you looked at him, angry.
"Why did you go to Asgard?!!! I told you not to go!! Why didn't you listen to me?!!" you shouted at Tyr, crying.
"I'm… I'm sorry."
"No!! I waited for you all this time!! You told me you'd come back and you didn't! You're an idiot!! A moron!! You're the worst husband!!"
"You… you waited for me?"
"Of course! What did you want me to do?! I waited, day after day. I did nothing but wait for you! You're an idiot!" you shouted, grabbing your pillow and starting to hit Tyr with it. "Idiot! Idiot!"
Tyr used his arm to protect his face, but it didn't stop you from unleashing your anger on him. You had every reason to be angry. You continued to hit him with your pillow for several minutes before completely collapsing. You dropped your pillow on the floor, sobbing your eyes out, hyperventilating. Tyr cupped your face in his hands, testing your tears with his thumbs, telling you to breathe in deeply and out slowly. You swallowed hard, watching Tyr inhale and exhale. You began to limit your breathing, trying to control your breathing and calm your racing heart.
"I'm okay…," you said through a tight throat and swallowed hard.
"Are you sure?" Tyr asked worriedly.
"Yes… yes…"
"I'll get you some water," he said, starting to get up.
"No!" you exclaimed in a panic, grabbing his hand. "Don't go…"
"All right, all right. I'm staying with you," Tyr reassured, kneeling in front of you. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying with you."
You nodded, sniffling slightly. Tyr sat down next to you. He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you onto his lap, holding you close. You buried your face in his shirt, clinging to him as if your life depended on it. You finally fell asleep, exhausted from the emotion and your tears. Tyr took you in his arms, carrying you to the bed to lie down. He pulled the covers over you, lying down beside you, falling asleep beside you.
