The Verdant Prince

Chapter 11: Vomiting Vanguards

We landed with a heavy thud, and within seconds a wave of nausea hit me. I rolled off of Bjorn's back, falling to the damp ground abruptly. Bjorn clomped around anxiously as I vomited once.

"Never done that before?" Orgnar asked. He shook his head but he smiled ever so slightly. I groaned loudly before standing up on shaky legs, leaning on Bjorn for support. I blinked a few times, straining my eyes to see what was around me.

The sky was not dark like Asgard's had been. Instead it was a charcoal grey- still dark but not nearly as dark as before. Snow capped mountains scattered the vast land, forming a basin shaped terrain. The ground was littered with tall dry grass and sprouts of exotic weeds and herbs. I leaned Bjorn towards Orgnar further, making room for more people.

Jotunheim suddenly didn't feel so different from Asgard. Yes, it was a whole different realm but the air and atmosphere didn't feel too different. I guess I didn't know what I expected. It was oddly beautiful, in a simplistic way. There was no giant wild golden buildings that could blind you in the mid morning sun. The sky painted itself lazily over the mountains and the air smelled fresh and clear.

The ground beneath my feet was damp, most likely from light rain not long ago and the grass tickled my knees gently.

Suddenly, another pair of warriors fell out of a mid-high gap in the sky. They fell with the same heavy thud as I had. It was Heskell and Asmund. Heskell rubbed his head and lead his horse slowly forward. Asmund on the other hand was a vomiting mess on the ground. I could only see his heaving back peeking out of the tall vegetation. I couldn't help but smile a bit, at least I hadn't been the only one.

Finally, Asmund hauled himself up onto Az's sturdy back and led her over to the slowly growing bunch of warriors.

Asmund had dark bags under his eyes, making his face look even more pale and sunken than before. He sat up straight however, knowing we had more to worry about. I pat the back of his calf comfortingly as if to tell him I knew how it felt.

With time, all twenty of us had landed in Jotunheim. The bile scent of what we had eaten throughout the day rose and had made its way to the group.

"Alright, stay close and do not separate under any circumstances. We head for the mountains and hopefully will make it there before first light. Expect to get colder and more rainy as we ascend. Be alert for any Jotuns, we have landed a little of course." Orgnar grumbled, those of us who had been walking now mounted our beasts. Eight of the regular warriors would be trudging away by foot, only two of them leading pack horses.

We all trotted beside each other, Orgnar leading the way as the Princes rode on either side of him.

I glanced to the side to see Sif. Her eyes darted around as if expecting to be attacked on all sides at once. She held her reigns tightly in her hands, her face stern.

"Not as bad as I thought it would be," I observed softly, turning Bjorn more towards her. She snapped her attention to me.

"Jotunheim or the Bifrost?" Sif asked. I give her a soft smile.

"Jotunheim." I replied. "It's fairly quiet." Sif's face was firm again.

"Just wait till we reach the mountains. There can easily be mountain dwellers and once we are through the mountains we meet with one of the camps, which will certainly be resulting in bloodshed." She hissed. I nibble at the inside of my cheek, the sickly nausea from the Bifrost bubbling in my stomach again. I decided it was best to not speak again to Sif, for my own safety. I was simply trying to ease my own anxiety towards the situation.

I slid in next to Heskell and Volstagg and form a triangle. For the rest of the way, I remained silent, letting my mind wander even though I knew it would be a mistake.