Going to Midgard

Freya, the queen of the Vanirs, walked briskly through the halls of Sessrumnir, her residence and palace in Folkvangr. The tall blond woman was elegantly dressed in a blue gown and cape. Brisingamen, her favorite necklace sparkled as if on fire whenever the sun's rays hit it. The woman had an energy about her that never ceased to impress, and today was no different.

She was looking for Dreufey, a maid and loyal servant with whom she wanted to discuss an urgent matter.

After some asking around, Freya found Dreufey at work, pruning a rose bush in one of the palace's many gardens. The young woman was a fine example of a Vanir, with large blue eyes, a sultry mouth, and long blond hair. But in stark contrast to Freya, Dreufey wore a simple green dress and no jewelry.

Freya wasted no time on small-talk.

"I have an important matter to discuss with you in private,” she said. “Please come with me.”
"What is at hand, my lady?” Dreufey asked.
“Odin is here at my palace as a guest of honor, as you know. He's concerned about developments in Midgard and has come for my council in this regard.”
"And you need my advice?"
"I need your help. Now, put down those scissors and come with me."

Dreufey did as she was told, took off her garden glows, and washed her hands in a fountain.

"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Over to the pavilion."

“Loki is up to his old tricks,” Freya continued as they headed towards the pavilion at the far end of the palace grounds. “He's been to a city in Germany to stoke hate and division. Have you ever heard of Munich?”
“No, my lady.”
“But you've heard of Germany, right?”
“That's a country on planet Earth in Midgard.”
“Exactly, and Munich is an important town in the district of Bavaria, south in Germany. You'll like it there. The town is not much to look at compared to what we have here, but Bavaria on a whole is reminiscent of our beautiful Folkvangr.”
“I'm going to Germany?”
“That's what I want to discuss with you. Odin has identified a target that must be neutralized, and he has asked me to use my Seidr magic for this purpose. But I have other matters to attend to. I cannot spend time on this mission myself. However, I sense in you a strong ability for my craft, so I've decided to ask you to do me the service of delivering the spell I have in mind.”

They entered the pavilion, a simple structure with twelve pillars holding up a green copper roof. Perched at the edge of a cliff, it commanded a wide view of the surrounding countryside. In front of them lay a wide open valley. Behind them stood Freya's palace on high grounds, surrounded by lush gardens to all sides. Its majestic towers, large halls and tall spires had the same green copper roofing as the pavilion, and behind the, mountains with snowcapped peaks could be seen in the distance.

Freya and Dreufey walked over to the far end of the pavilion to admire the view of the valley.  A tapestry of green fields with patches of woodland lay before them. Two villages could be seen from their vantagepoint. One quite close and another one in the distance. Both nestled next to a narrow slow flowing river.

Freya turned to Dreufey to explain Odin's plan in more details. She told Dreufey that she was under no obligation to participate in his plan, but it was soon clear to Dreufey that she had little choice but to accept it. She couldn't very well say no to Odin, Freya's most powerful ally. To do so would be both disrespectful and a senseless waste of opportunity.

"I'm most honored, my lady," she said even before she knew exactly what the mission was all about. "I'll deliver that spell to the best of my ability."
"I'm glad to hear that my dear," Freya replied. "We're in a bit of a hurry, so let's waste no time and get to it. I will provide you with the essentials for your mission, later today. Be sure to be in your chamber and ready for me and my maids after dinner."
"It will be an honor, my lady."

Freya thanked Dreufey for her cooperation and headed back to her palace, leaving Dreufey alone in the pavilion wondering what on Earth she had gotten herself into.

When evening came, Freya appeared with two maids in Dreufey's upstairs chamber as promised. They brought with them garments for Dreufey, all in the style and fashion appropriate for where she was going. Dreufey was told to put on one of the dresses, and a matching coat. She was also given a small suitcase to carry other belongings, but she wasn't given a lot of clothes. She was instead told to go shopping for things to wear once in Munich so as to be as much in tune with the local styles and fashions as possible.

"We don't want any prying eyes nosing around in your life, do we?" Freya said. "Here's a purse with gold coins that you can use. But remember, they don't use gold and silver in Germany. You'll have to exchange the coins for local currency. My brother Freyr will meet you in Munich and give you further instructions."

One of Freya's maids asked about Dreufey's long blond hair. "Do we cut it short or tie it up in a bun?"
"Keep it long. One of the target's pet hates is the new fashion of short hair for women."
"So, a bun it will be."
"Absolutely."

Once fitted out, Dreufey was asked to stand up and walk about to let Freya and her maids have a look at their creation.

"That's splendid," Freya remarked. "That wide brimmed hat and knee length coat suits you well. You even look good in that dress. Who would have thought that a low waist would look good on anyone. But there you are, looking magnificent."
"I like the earth tones," a maid remarked. "Shades of brown and green. It's a tribute to nature, which of course is our domain."
"You're so right. I'd say she's ready for delivery. I'll tell Odin, and I'll contact my brother. Prepare yourself, Dreufey. Tomorrow will be the first day of a long adventure. We don't expect you back here anytime soon, so make the most of your last hours with us before we send you off to Midgard."

Freya left Dreufey's chamber together with her maids.

Dreufey went over to her window which was facing north, towards the mountains. It seemed strangely unreal to think that she would leave this place where he had lived in such peaceful harmony with nature. But Freya had assured her that Bavaria is almost as beautiful and that was a comforting thought.

The following morning, soon after breakfast, Dreufey was called upon by one of Freya's maids. Dreufey was to meet Freya and Odin in Freya's great hall. "They expect to see you ready to travel," she said. "So, put on your outfit and take your suitcase with you."

Dreufey did as she was told and followed the maid downstairs to meet Freya and the king of the Aesirs.

A manservant in a blue uniform stood guard in front of the door to the great hall. He greeted Dreufey and the maid, then told the maid to stay behind with him. The meeting was to be strictly private, and no-one was to enter but Dreufey. Having explained this to the two of them, he opened the door for Dreufey. She stepped in, and the door was closed behind her.

Dreufey found herself in the far end of the great hall, with its magnificent domed ceiling. At the other end stood Odin and Freya. He in a dark green hunters outfit with a hooded cape, and she in a matching green gown.

Dreufey felt at once lost and vulnerable. She felt completely out of place. Her attire was all wrong. Her suitcase seemed silly. She felt like a walking anachronism, and the distance to the two figures standing at the other end of the hall seemed enormous both in time and space.

"Come here darling," Freya said in a comforting tone. "This is Odin. Why don't you give him your hand to kiss?"

Dreufey hesitated for a moment, then she started on her walk across the hall with Freya and Odin observing her every step. Odin's rugged face was framed by a full beard. A leather patch covered his right eye. Strapped to his back in a leather holster, was Gungnir, the spear that he always carried with him.

"So, you are Dreufey," he said on taking her hand.

Dreufey bent her knee and head in reverence. On standing up again, Odin brough her hand to his lips. He kissed the back of her hand. The soft but firm touch of his lips, framed with the rough bristle of his beard sent a shiver down her spine as if the kiss had endowed her with special powers.

"Your name will from now on be Eva von Haven," Freya explained. "You are never to reveal your true identity to anyone until you return to us, many years from now."

Freya opened a velvet purse attached to her belt. She pulled out a delicate gold chain with a ruby pendant attached to it.

"This is for your protection," she explained. "The stone is taken from Brisingamen. Be sure to bring it back to me when you've completed your mission."

She asked Dreufey to kneel before her. Dreufey did as she was told, and Freya hung the gold chain around her neck.

"That should be it," Freya said with an air of satisfaction. "You got your gold coins, and your things safely tucked away in your suitcase?"
"I do, my lady."
"Well then, off you go!"

Odin took Dreufey by her hand. Then he turned his attention to a window set high in the wall.

"Hugin and Munin!" he called out in a deep voice.

The window blew open and two ravens flew in.

"Come my friends," Odin said, his voice soft and gentle. "We're off to Midgard."

As he said this, Odin transformed himself into an enormous eagle. A mighty talon grabbed hold of Dreufey, and once the bird set off for the open window, the other talon came in to cradle her.

"Don't you worry, dear Dreufey," the eagle said. "It's only me in my eagle form. I'll bring you safely to Midgard."

The bird soared towards the heavens, accompanied by Odin's two ravens.

As they rose higher and higher, Folkvangr became evermore distant until it completely disappeared.

"We are no longer in the realm of Vanheim," the eagle explained. "We're traveling between worlds."

Everywhere around them, there was darkness, but a distant shimmer from a huge structure in the shape of a tree gave direction to the travelers. The tree-like structure had three roots and six branches, and it shone red like embers in a fire. 

"That there is Yggdrasil. The world ash that keeps the universe together."
"It's enormous," Dreufey said with awe.
"It is the totality of all things."
"And where is Midgard?"
"Straight ahead. We're flying towards it."

One of Yggdrasil's six massive branches grew ever-larger ahead of them. It too glowing with a red shimmer. At its outer tip, a green ball could be seen, surrounded by a dark undulating line.

"That wavy line is Jormungandr, a monstrous serpent and a son of Loki," Odin explained.

"Earthly humans believe that Midgard encompasses the totality of existence, and that there's nothing beyond that green ball which they call the universe," Odin continued. "They have lost faith in the gods and are now ignorant of the greater universe and the eight other realms within it."
"It's a shame, don't you think?"
"It is, but what can we do?"

"And Jormungandr? How are we to avoid him?"
"It's tricky. But he moves in a predictable way. We need to time our entry into Midgard so that we don't get hit by him."

The green ball grew larger as they drew nearer to it. What had at first looked like a tiny sphere grew enormous, which made Dreufey realize that Yggdrasil was even more massive than she had first thought.

Jormungandr which had at first appeared as a thin line grew into a massive dark wave, sometimes blocking their way, sometimes not. But Odin seemed unconcerned. He flew in a straight line and at an even speed, and sure enough, they breached the outer perimeter of the globe at a moment when Jormungandr was at a considerable distance from them.

Once inside the globe, Odin accelerated to such a speed that they found themselves at their destination in what seemed like no time at all. Stars and galaxies whisked by in an instance. A planet with blue oceans, white clouds and land in shades of green and brown appeared in front of them.

Odin swooped in over the land. He crossed tall mountains. Then he came in for landing. With a forceful flap of his wings, he touched down at the side of a country lane. He let go of Dreufey. With a flash and a rumble, Odin transformed himself back into his human form.

They had arrived at their destination. The two travelers took in the sight and smell of their surroundings. A mist hung low over the fields. There was a scent of moist gras and earth in the air.

An old oak tree stood nearby, with Odin's two ravens perched on the tree's top branches. On seeing Odin and Dreufey safely at their destination, the two birds took to flight, swooped down towards them, and landed for a moment on Odin's shoulders only to take off again. But Odin seemed hardly to notice. He had other things on his mind. "Take my hand, dear Dreufey," he said. "We have business to attend to."

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