A/N: Sorry this is kinda late today! I was busy and totally forgot it was Valhalla Thursday 😂 IM SO EXCITED FOR THIS ONE!!! Here comes a big lore drop!
Characters: Dafne Arcano, Dayamanti Arcano, Dielle Arcano, Merla Varangr, Mjöll Ymir, and Rikke Ymir
Warnings: None
Song: The Lonely Mountain
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Chapter 5: The Gifted Three
“Hey, wake up,” Dafne whispered as she shook her sleeping companions. “C’mon. We are going to enter that mountain, no matter what. I don’t care what Rikke says.”
“Just give it up, Daf,” Dayamanti groaned and rolled over, pulling the furs back up.
“Fine. You can go home if you want. I didn’t want your help anyway. But I’m going,” she hissed quietly and then started to pack up her things as quietly as she could.
Dayamanti was quiet for a moment, but reluctantly got up too after seeing Dielle and Merla follow Dafne.
“Why must you two always be such a headache? Stubborn Arcano pride,” she muttered more to herself and unceremoniously started to shove her bedroll back into her bag.
A noise at the threshold to Rikke and Mjöll’s bedroom made the girls jump, thinking it was Rikke. Instead, they saw Mjöll tip toe out of the room and quietly latch the door behind her. She was already wearing full leather armor and a heavy cloak with a bag thrown over her shoulder.
“Oh good, you haven’t left yet. Please let me come with you! I haven’t seen anything but this damn cabin my entire life.”
“How’d you know we would go?” Dayamanti questioned.
“Nobody has ever shown up here. If you’ve come this far, I doubt my mother telling you ‘no’ would be enough to stop you.”
Dafne let out a soft chuckle, but then her smile faded. “Are you sure you can handle this? We could get killed.”
“Being trapped in one place your entire life has its advantages. I had to pass the time somehow, so I learned to fight. Also, I do have the Gift like you guys.”
“What is it! Can you show us?” Dielle excitedly whispered.
“I already have,” Mjöll lifted her head proudly. “I can control the wind and air. That storm you encountered was of my making. It keeps us hidden.”
“Not hidden enough, apparently,” Dayamanti scoffed.
“That’s because I let you in. Don’t tell my mom, but I was curious and wanted to meet you. I’ve never seen anyone else in my whole life.”
“That must be really lonely. I’m sorry, Mjöll,” Dielle approached and laid a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder.
“Thanks.”
“Sorry to interrupt, but we have to get moving. Rikke could wake up any second,” Dafne motioned and they rushed out into the midnight snow.
——
“It’s over here,” Mjöll waved from a ways ahead of the group, the snow around them gently glowing from the conjured orbs of light drifting in the air.
“For centuries, there has been a powerful illusion enchantment upon the mountainside to hide the door. Follow my steps and keep going.”
Mjöll continued walking straight towards the snowy cliffside. She was just about to hit it when Dafne blinked and she was gone. Dafne followed next, breathing deep as the ice and rock got closer and closer. The moment she expected to feel ice and snow meet her face, she instead felt a warm energy as she passed through it.
A laugh escaped her lips and joined the laughter of the other girls. They were now in a small cave with the biggest set of doors they had ever seen. Nearly 20 feet tall, the doors were carved out of solid stone. Upon it was a large tree, its branches and roots spreading out at the base and the top of the door. In the space between was three carvings of shields, each one displaying the family crest of the Gifted Three.
On the right was the Varangr crest that consisted of various runes around the outside with a large animal paw print right in the center. Dafne had seen this crest a few times in her life, but not very often.
The left side of the door had a crest that Dafne was very familiar with. As with the Varangr crest, it also had runes around the outside. Dafne read them again, as she did every time she saw it after learning to read Nordic runes. “The brave shall live forever in the halls of Valhalla.” In the center of their crest was a vegvisir, a symbol used for navigation which also meant guidance and protection. Her grandfather Alatar always used to tell her that Norse magic originated from runes. This was the Arcano family crest.
In the center of the door rested a crest that Dafne had never seen. She guessed that this was the crest of the Ymir family. It had, yet again, the same carved runes and decoration around the outside of the circular shield. The center of this crest contained a smaller version of the same tree that was carved upon the door it rested on.
To each side of the doors, the walls of the cave were decorated with elaborate carvings and runes. At a glance, most of the carvings depicted fierce Viking warriors and what she guessed to be the Valkyrie Guard.
Above the door were the biggest runes of all of the writing.
ᛏᚼᛁ ᚴᚱᛅᛏ ᚢᛁᛋᛅᚱᛏ ᚴᛁᛏᛁ ᚬᚠ ᚢᛅᛚᚼᛅᛚᛚᛅ
“The Great Wizard City of Valhalla,” Dafne translated instantly, a shiver going up her spine as she finally said those words out loud.
Dafne started to move, as if her feet had a mind of their own. She stood in front of the massive doors, her hand instinctively reaching up to touch the Arcano crest. The stone beneath her hand was freezing, but she didn’t mind. All she could think of was Iolanthe. She too once stood at these doors. How could she witness something like this and not tell her family about it? Even with her promise not to publish her research, she never even told her family the truth about it. A piece of their history has been missing for centuries. It was time they reclaimed it.
“So, how do you expect us to open it?” Dayamanti sighed. “If our ancestor couldn’t manage it with all her magic, I doubt you could.”
Dafne turned around with a scowl, her mouth opening to tell off her sister but closing when she saw Rikke standing in the entrance holding up a lantern.
“Step away from the door,” Rikke demanded with a hiss. “I did not give you permission to see it. I granted you shelter, but you have broken that trust. You need to leave. Now.”
“You have no right to forbid us from it. It’s our birthright too!” shouted Dayamanti.
“I have sacrificed my whole life to remain here to guard it. Just as my mother did, and her mother before her, and countless more of my ancestors going back centuries! I have the only claim!”
“I don’t want that life, mother!” Mjöll suddenly shouted back. “We are the only ones left. Even father left us. It’s not worth it! I want to see the world!”
Rikke turned to Mjöll, the anger upon her face changed to shock as a silence stretched on. Dayamanti slowly reached towards the hilt of her greatsword.
“How long is this going to go on, Rikke,” Dafne called out. “Eventually, whether it be days, months, or years, your line will end here. Mjöll will not stay.”
“Will you take my own daughter from me?!” Rikke hissed back indignantly in response, anger returning to her face.
“Whether I go or not will be my choice. But if you make them leave now, I’m going with them. You can’t keep me here!”
“Mjöll, we cannot let them unseal it and release the-“
“-the evil within,” Dayamanti mocked. “Yes, we get it.”
“Your family's sense of honor and duty has curdled into cowardice,” Dayamanti’s grip tightened on the sword's hilt. “We can do this the easy way, or you can die here doing your duty.”
Rikke’s eyes darted around, inspecting each one of them as if sizing up their skill and willingness to fight.
“Please, mother!” Mjöll pleaded. “..don’t make me fight you,” she whispered with tears in her eyes. Dirt started to kick up and swirl at Mjölls feet as her eyes flashed with gold light.
“We can do this,” Dafne breathed. “It’s time for your family to be free.”
Tension filled the uneasy silence as it stretched on. The lantern light flickered upon the walls, sending shadows of Valkyries and swords dancing across the cave. Dafne’s heartbeat hammered in her chest, but she stood her ground. Keeping her gaze locked upon Rikke, she tried to keep her expression confident and not let the fear show.
Rikke’s eyes passed over each girl. She took in the white hair of Dayamanti, Dafne, and Dielle. Her eyes just barely noticed the edge of Merla’s birthmark on her chest peeking out from her furs. Lastly, she turned to her own daughter who’s eyes glowed with the golden color of the sun. It was at that moment that she truly realized that the Gifted Three had finally converged again for the first time in centuries.
“She never would have been able to open it anyway, even if Ran told her how,” Rikke relented with a quiet whisper, the tension in her body melting away.
“Iolanthe?” Dafne probed and Rikke nodded.
“This secret has been passed down through the generations. It’s true, even I have had the temptation to open the city cross my mind more than once.”
Rikke turned to Dayamanti, “What you mistaken for cowardice is simply the inability. At one point in my youth I might have done it myself, as I’m sure countless Ymir ancestors before me would have too. If I wasn’t lacking the missing pieces, of course.”
“What are the missing pieces?” Dafne inquired.
“You are,” Rikke answered with a stare that sent shivers down Dafnes spine. The stare then shifted and landed on Merla and then Mjöll. “All of you.”
Seeing their confusion, Rikke sighed deeply before starting her story.
“Ever since that day the city was lost, the Three broke their familial bonds and scattered. A great argument started between them, as each family blamed the others for what had happened. For you see, rumors had started to spread beforehand about unrest among some of the male members of each family. They believed it was unfair that only the women could inherit the Gift.”
“So, the Arcanos and the Varangrs disappeared into Norway to find their own separate destinies. The Ymirs stayed and vowed to guard the city forever, for we knew the truth. It was a Ymir who performed the ritual. My ancestors felt that it was our duty to keep the evil contained so we could pay for the sins of our family. All those people were lost because of one of us.”
“What does that have to do with us specifically?” Dayamanti scowled.
“It is actually fortunate that Iolanthe completed her expedition, even if it didn’t reward her and her team with the knowledge they sought. A man on the team named Elidon Greyloc would end up returning to the mountain alone some months later, for he had fallen in love with my ancestor Ran, and her with him. He is the reason my daughter and I exist today, for without him Ran wouldn’t have had kids.”
“Many puzzle pieces had to fall in just the right ways to get us here today. The feud between the Arcanos and the Varangrs had to end and the Ymir line had to survive. For only the blood of the Three together can open the door,” Rikke finished with a glance to the three crests on the door behind them.
“What do we have to do?” the words barely a whisper as they left Dafne.
“Simply make a cut on your hand and place it upon your respective family crest.”
“Well there is only one Varangr and one Ymir here. But who will do the Arcano one?” Mjöll inquired out loud.
“Daf, you should do it,” Dielle suddenly spoke up. “It means the most to you, so you should have the honor.“
“Alright, if you are sure,” Dafne replied with a glance to Dayamanti who gave a nod of encouragement.
“You can come with us, you know,” Dafne suddenly turned back to Rikke.
“I’m sorry, but I think my youthful vigor days are behind me. Truth be told, I cannot say for certain what exactly you will find in there. But please, make sure my daughter comes back safe,” she finished, her hand resting on Dafne’s shoulder.
“I promise.”
With a deep breath, the three of them made a small cut on their palm and walked up to the door. Glancing at each other, they nodded and placed their hands upon their own family crest at the same time.
A few seconds passed and Dafne felt the stone beneath her hand steadily grow warmer. A burst of light lit up the small cave as a brilliant white energy gathered at the base of the tree's roots. The group watched in astonishment as it climbed up the roots and then converged at the trunk. Within seconds, the light then split off again, following the branches upwards.
The moment the light touched the top of the door, a deep resonant clunk echoed out from within. The large stone doors shuttered, dirt and dust falling off and swirling in the air. With the sound of loud scraping of stone and the rush of stale air, they slowly opened inwards to reveal an inky black void of darkness.
For the first time in over a thousand years, the Valkyries returned home just as the sun started to rise over the horizon.