The Runaway Mother

Brain Freeze

Seth felt her heart drop as they got further and further away from the palace. Her grandmother had never taken her out this far, let alone at night.
"Won't papa wonder where we are?" Seth asked as she glanced up at Frigga, usually if she wanted to see her father, her family members would do their best to make it happen.

"Loki is busy with his friend remember?" Frigga commented blankly.

At that Seth's brow furrowed. Grandmother never called him Loki when she was talking to her. She looked up at Frigga's face. She was focused and stern, not looking down at her to reassure her. Seth couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
"Take me back. I don't want to go for a ride anymore." She said seriously. Seth carefully watched her grandmother's reaction to her request. She had never had reason to doubt her before, but in her heart of hearts something was wrong. And she knew her Grandmother would never take her somewhere that she didn't want to go.

"Relax, Sethyana. It's an adventure and you'll love it I promise!" Seth's heart skipped a beat, her grandmother never called her that unless Seth was upset or being scolded. Seth looked at her more closely. Her eyes... Her eyes were the wrong color. The butterfly woman!
Seth immediately began to struggle and she pushed off of the woman hard. The force of her shove threw her off the horse and against the ground. Seth got up and began to scream. "Father!!! FATHER!!! PAPA HELP!!" She ran as fast as her little legs would carry her. It was pitch dark but she could see the glow of the palace far on the horizon.

"Damn, you little pest." Lyna dropped the disguise and turned the horse around abruptly heading back towards the terrified little girl. Seth continued to cry and scream for her father, running as fast as her little legs would take her. Lyna quickly caught up and jumped off the horse, catching Seth by her arm. The horse bolted, heading back for the palace. Lyna growled and gripped the girl's arm tightly.
"Now look what you've done." She hissed. She clapped a cold cruel hand over Seth's mouth, silencing her cries. "We were going to have some fun but now you've gone and spoiled it."
Seth struggled, panicking at her sudden inability to speak. She bit Lyna's hand which caused the woman to release her grip. Seth took advantage and bolted, continuing to scream for her life as she called out to her beloved father.

"This girl is stronger than I gave her credit for."
None the less, Lyna could not have the child alerting any guards. She quickly caught her and gripped her by the shoulders. "If you stop screaming I'll get you back to your parent." Lyna chose her words carefully.
Seth continued to struggle but she stopped screaming. "I want my papa." She sobbed as fear and sadness filled her heart. She hadn't felt this kind of panic since she was lost in the village. Seth thought back to that day. Her father's calming voice and strong hands had been her only life line. Whenever she was scared he would always come running. Her father always played with her and laughed with her, she was his queen.
But now she was scared and trapped by someone who had taken her away from her home and lied to her. Tears blurred her vision as she pleaded again with her captor. "I want to go home...please take me home."

Lyna realized that she wasn't going to be able to win this girl's favor easily. She decided that the easiest way to keep the girl was to block her memories. She held both of the child's wrists with one hand and then pushed her palm against her forehead. "Sethyana you are home now." With that she used a deep magic to suppress all memories of her father and her former home. She supplanted false memories that would keep Seth attached to her and loyal to her. As she pulled her hand away Seth fell limp in her arms.
Lyna chuckled and pulled the baby up over her shoulder.

"THE SCREAMS CAME FROM THE FIELD!" Lyna looked up to see guards off in the distance. She gripped the child and stole away into the forest.
Lyna scrambled through the trees, she would have to make it to her jump point on foot. Her mind was racing. This girl was destined to have the most powerful magic in all of Asgard and if she could harness it she could take back the throne for her own.

No more second best.

She crept through the underbrush and inched her way towards the rift in the cliffside ahead of her. If she could make it through the rift, no one would be able to follow her.
After almost an hour of running she made it to the gateway. She looked back towards the palace and smirked. "My vision finally payed off."
And with that, Seth was gone.