I Want My Soul Back (GxG)

20. You thought nothing!

I step outside into the night, the pathways are all lightened up with torches. My mother has made it a tradition that everyone in this village has to come to the evening celebration of weddings. I think it is a good way of bringing people together. 

I follow my mother through the maze of torches until we meet up with the rest of her family. Her husband smiles to her and wraps his arm around his queen's arm. They walk together to the celebration. 

Ivar comes in front of me. Even though it is a wedding, he still wears his armour as if it's holy for him.  

"Join me." He asks nicely, holding out his arm for me to take. I ignore it and keep walking forward. He runs after me to be by my side. 

"You are hard to get, aren't you?" He chuckles.

"You have no idea," I tell him, stopping to observe the party. They are all gathered around the big bonfire in the middle. Smiles are being shared as they fill up their cups with drinks. Songs being played by instruments, and people moving around along with the rhythm. 

"It was your mothers' idea," I turn to Ivar, confused.

"That I would go with you to the celebration." He says, which makes me raise my eyebrow.

"Let me ask you one thing," I walk closer to him, looking deep into his brown eyes.

"Did my mother read you fairy tales before you went to sleep at night?" I ask him, he looks around completely confused, taking him really of the guard.

"Yes, sometimes. Why?" He wonders, crossing his arm over his chest, showing that he is uncomfortable. His answer makes me almost laugh.

"My mother believed those stories more than I did," I tell him and walk down to the rest of the people. Apparently, my mother is trying to set me up with Ivar. I can't stand that guy. I have only been here for a few days and already my mother expects me to be with Ivar.  

I search through the crowd to find Erika, my so-called mother. Everyone here is dressed nicely, in dresses in colours like blue, green, white and other ones as well. They are all having a great time, except for me. I wish I was somewhere else. Maybe I should run away. I don't feel like home here anyways. Don't think I will ever find a place where I feel like home. Loki was my home. 

After a little while, I find my mother through the maze of people. I take her by the arm and pull her a little to make her look at me. Everyone looks at me shocked as if I did a huge crime. 

"I know what you are doing," I warn her, but she seems confused.

"What I am doing?" She question. 

"Ivar." I just say and now she realize what I am talking about. 

"I thought maybe..." 

"You thought nothing!" I say, irritated.  

"But I thought that was what you wanted." She explains herself.

"What?" I ask.

"When I read you all those stories..."

"I was a child!" I shout so loud that everyone stares at me. My mother tells everyone to go back to what they were doing before she gives me her attention again.

"I'm sorry, you are right." The sad look in her eyes makes me feel bad for shouting at her. 

"You as a child is the only memory I have of you. I don't know anything about you since then." She tells me and lay her hand on my shoulder. 

"We talk about it later okay? I have something important to do." She winks to me.

"It's a surprise." Erika smiles and I watch her walk towards the bonfire, standing in front of the dancing flames. She asks for everyone's attention, but the sound around is too loud compared to her voice. 

I cover my ears after the loud noise is blown from a horn. Now, everyone is quiet and paying attention to their queen. Even my eyes and ears are all hers.

"I would like to say some words." She smiles to her people in her wonderful white, golden dress. 

"I want to congratulate the couple who got married today, Erika grins, I try to set my eyes on them, but I can't see. 

"It's nice to see that we still keep on with the tradition that was made more than thousands years ago," Erika clears her throat. 

"A few days ago I found my daughter, who I thought I had lost with the rest of what I had. I am happy to know she is alive and well," Her blue eyes stars down at me.

"And I would like to give her a gift," I star into her eyes confused.

"If you could all follow me." Erika steps down and reaches out her hand for me, but I ignore it. She takes the hint and just moves on. I follow after her until we stop in front of two trees. From each of them, there is a chain holding a human being from its arms, who is covered with a blanket over itself.  

"What is this?" I ask my mother with widen eyes, disgusted with the view I am looking at.

"This is your gift." My mother says, and watch my stepbrother, sisters and even Ivar gathering around us. 

"My gift?" I question, with narrow eyes. 

"What makes you think I want a human being handing from chains," I look down at the ground, seeing the floor covered in red. I feel my stomach turning of the view.

"Not to mention a hurt and a bleeding one," I say, but the grin on my mother's face doesn't go away. 

"This is not right," I tell and turn my back to walk away. 

"Trust me on this one." My mother's word makes me stop. 

"Fine," I huff, turning around, but stand my ground. Erika nods to Ivar, signing him to take away what's covering the person hanging from chains. 

He takes it away exposing a familiar face, but blood and dirt make it hard to tell. Clothes are ripped, full of blood and mud. The chills that went down my spine freeze my legs. I think my heart skipped a few beats. 

"We found her in the woods, a few days before we found you." My mother says I hear her words, but I can't react. My eyes are stuck on the one I never thought I would ever see again.

"Loki!"