Odin was not sure if Loki was just unstable, a liar or was an unstable liar. They’ve already had a short yet serious conversation of whether or not Loki understood that he should not be carried away. Loki had made it clear that he knew his place and yet, his trips to Midgard did not lessen by any point or percentage.
Who was this woman that Loki was so obsessed about that he was putting everything – even the life of that woman – on the line? Loki had sworn he had not made any acquaintance with the female mortal and that she was oblivious of his existence around her. And yet, he kept on visiting Midgard. He knew Loki was hard-headed and his incorrigibility was close to unbearable in this situation. Maybe the only way Odin could understand was to see this woman with his own eyes.
“Make sure you don’t end up liking her.” Loki muttered as they flew towards Midgard.
“Loki, is she that beautiful?” Odin responded absent-mindedly, his thoughts still a bit clouded with random ideas. Loki was saying something now but he was too busy thinking to even hear it.
“So, where is she?” Odin asked as his foot touched the grassy clearing that they had landed on. Loki, as if ignoring his brother, started off towards the sound of gushing water. There was a huge waterfall hidden behind the large, robust trees providing shade. It was a wonderful work of Gaea and Odin gulped.
“There she is.” Loki was saying now and Odin shifted towards the direction Loki was looking and there was a woman with blue hair and donning a white hunting dress as she slept on the grass. Beside her were her sword, bow, arrows and there was a dagger hitched on her hip. Before Odin could say anything, Loki started off towards her. The God of Knowledge opened his mouth to say something but decided not to in fear of somehow waking up the mortal and forgetting that normal mortals don’t see Divinities unless allowed to. It was at this point that Loki came to a stop and stooped beside the sleeping girl.
“What are you doing?” Odin whispered as he tapped Loki’s shoulder.
“Isn’t she adorable?” Loki sighed, resting his head on a hand propped on his leg as he looked at Nataku breathing softly.
“What are you saying?” Odin raised an eyebrow. It was the half-hypnotized zombie look. Loki did not care to respond. Odin looked at the girl. Her face was gentle. Her hair was short and blue. She had a creamy tone for her skin and cheeks that were rosy. She had a wondrously slender and proportional figure that her dress complemented very well. And yet, Odin could not find what made Loki so attracted to her.
Odin was about to ask if Loki was sure that this was the same woman that could virtually turn anything into a weapon when his younger brother’s hand moved. His fingers gently brushed away the wisps of hair that the wind had blown on her face. At his point she moaned and Odin gasped and quickly dragged Loki towards the nearby bushes. Her eyelids fluttered and she opened them to meet the sun and shade. She gasped at the small yet sudden light entering her eyes and a hand came to cover them. She sat up not long later, looked around, found nothing and stretched.
Odin sighed out a sigh of relief.
“She couldn’t have seen us and you can let go of me now.” Loki grunted in short breath at Odin who was crouching behind the bushes. He was pinning Loki’s back with one knee and pushing his head down with one hand.
“Well, I just wanted to be sure.” Odin said as he still looked at Nataku and released his brother who took a large hail of air. Loki blinked at Odin and whispered, “Hey, I told you not to like her like I do.”
“I don’t.” Odin shot a half-glare at Loki. Somehow, there was some sort of paranoia taking control of his brother at this moment, thinking that all men were attracted to this woman. And yet, the older brother let it pass.
“What’s with that woman that you like so much?” Odin said thoughtlessly and added, “Never mind. Don’t answer that question.” He was sure Loki would rattle more senseless sighs that would barely answer anything.
“Odin, she’s leaving!” Loki gasped.
“So?”
“Get up! Let’s follow her!”
Odin grunted.
He was not sure if he would regret wanting to see this woman with his own eyes. Sometimes, his curiosity cost him and yet, he had already gotten himself into this situation and if he were to go back to Asgard now, he would never understand why his brother was acting such. And if there was something about his brother he could not understand, Odin did not want this to be it.
Time seemed to drag itself by the whole day and Odin wondered how Loki was able to keep on following this woman without boring himself. Loki was not someone who insisted on permanence and liked something new every once in a while but his insistence on this woman seemed to stray away from that personality of his. Was this a stage to be undergone by everyone? By all males? By all male gods? Truly, it was very interesting.
Loki continued to trail her, praising her so much that Odin lost count of all the names he called this girl. The God of Light wanted to complain and yet, Loki’s face was beaming, his smile was exhilarated and his enthusiasm unparalleled than Odin had ever seen in him. He could not ruin the moment for his brother regardless of how many times he had swept down from Asgard to Midgard for this woman.
They were on a roof when Loki heard the sound of flapping wings and as he looked up, he saw a falcon and an eagle, Odin’s Beholders – Munin and Hugin – swooping down towards their master. Loki watched as the birds perched, its necks arching towards Odin as if to whisper something. The God of Knowledge’s eyes widened and he stood up vigorously as the birds flew up and away.
“We have to go.” Odin started towards Loki even before he could ask what was wrong. He grabbed the younger brother by the arm and said, “Mother is becoming suspicious. She sent the Valkyries to find us.”
Their mother found out that Loki had been slacking from all his so-called godly responsibilities to visit Midgard. Izanami found it unsuitable for a god, especially their son and she became worried. She had him espied and she found out he had been following – stalking, in fact – a mortal woman. The Queen Mother was angered and worried. His last visit was with Odin and she was worried that the elder brother was acting the same – taking trips to Midgard for a mortal be it the same girl or not. And for this reason, she sent the Valkyries after them. Luckily, Odin’s Beholders were able to alert him before the Valkyries could take them like in-treason prisoners to Asgard. They had taken a good sermon upon standing before their parents and it was very humiliating. The whole of Asgard and Vanaheim heard of it by word of mouth. And the brothers were ordered not to swoop down to Midgard until told so.
Loki knew Odin would not agree to help him and yet he must try. He wanted to try. He had to try. Loki was looking at the large door of Odin’s room as he hesitated to knock, summing up his thoughts, excuses and explanations. There was no use trying to reason with the God of Knowledge but Loki would have to outfox him if he had to.
He just had to see Nataku even one last time.
“Come in, you.” Odin’s voice came from beyond the door and Loki gasped at the invitation that came even before he could knock. Loki took a deep breath and urged himself to push the door open. The moments seemed slow as he shoved the doors with the knobs. By and by, the picture came to his view. It was Odin’s room. There was a ten feet wall of books on one side, his wooden desk was set adjacent to it and on the far side of the room was a canopy bed. And in front of the door was a giant window from where Odin could see nearly everything though not so detailed. It was where he pondered, where he planned, where he solved and so on. And it was where Odin was facing now, in deep thought as he looked out.
“Come in and close the door.” Odin said. Loki felt his legs heavy as he entered and shut the door securely. He had never experienced being with his brother in a personality so superior. His thoughts rambled on how to ask help, on how to explain and yet somehow, Loki felt like Odin knew what he came for and he bit his tongue for some moments.
“Now come here, Loki.” Another command from his brother and Loki did nothing but comply. He made his light steps on the gold-embroidered red carpet spread across the whole floor. As he came closer, his heartbeat went faster, rapping against his chest as if to run away. His stomach churned in varied emotions as he stood beside Odin who still was not looking at him. His brother was upset and disappointed – Loki could tell.
“Her again, isn’t it?” Odin spoke, not wasting any time.
Loki nodded.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked again in a poker tone.
“I…” Loki hesitated, groping for words, searching the barrels of his thoughts and said, “I need to see her again. One last time.”
“At what cost, Loki?” Odin finally stirred towards him, a challenge in his face and the younger of the two stood frozen at the stare. It was a manly stare and Loki could not turn away from it no matter how much it seemed to mock him. He gulped as beads of sweat trickled on his forehead. His brother seemed composed as he always was and he knew what he wanted to say – what he had to say.
“Odin, please. One last time.”
“What are you asking of me?”
“Tell me what to do.” Loki sounded like he was begging and Odin blinked, his eyes finally showing some expression.
“I told you not to get carried away, Loki.” Odin said again, the superior tone replaced by a speaking brother, “I thought you understood. You said you understood. Do you realize how disappointed I am?”
“I promise not to do anything more, Odin.” The God of Darkness spoke, “Just let me see her one last time… And hopefully, let her see me… Even for the first time. I want to see her looking at me… Even just once and never again.”
Odin did not say anything immediately. He was sternly looking at Loki, measuring his brother, trying to make out something of the situation so that he might find out why his brother was acting such. It was odd that still he did not understand that up until now, he did not know what Loki did see in that woman to change him such.
“There is a way for you to see her.” Odin said with no change of expression. Loki’s face somehow lit up and Odin continued, “Do you know Mimir’s Well?”
“The well that sees all and knows all.”
“At the cost of something, which I do not know what, Mother and Father had taken water from that well with Mimir’s permission.” Odin continued, “And they turned it into a mirror… that sees not more than the well yet superior than the eye of the gods.”
“Where is this mirror? How do I find it?”
“Mother keeps it in one of her rooms.” Odin said again, lowly this time as if someone were listening, “Kuan Yin could get us there. But you have to understand, Loki, why Mother keeps the mirror unguarded.”
“Why?” Loki was whispering as well, his eyes moving shrewdly.
“Because the water from the well only grants knowledge to its master.” The elder brother slightly bent forward, ““For those without the permission of Mimir, it is impossible. And if so, the consequences are dire.”
“How do we use it then?”
“There are only three Aesirs capable of using that mirror and be its master.” Odin straightened and faced the window, his hands behind, “Mother and Father by Mimir’s permission. However, they are only able to use the mirror for sight. There is yet another Aesir who will be the only one to be able to use the mirror for sight and extract the knowledge it has.”
Odin paused.
“I am that Aesir.”
Loki gasped.
“I am the God of Knowledge. And this makes me different.” Odin continued as Loki continued staring with crunched eyebrows, “This exempts me from asking Mimir’s permission to use the knowledge of the water from the well. I have the right to use the mirror but, just like Mother and Father, the knowledge of the mirror has a price.”
“What are you saying?”
“For you to see Nataku again…” Odin was saying now as he slowly turned towards his brother, “…I will have to sacrifice something.”
Loki felt his heart skip a beat. It was beginning to be clear to him that nearly everything in Asgard had a price. He felt his cold sweat trickling down his back and his throat was feeling dry. Odin opened his mouth to speak again.
“I was saving this opportunity until I find myself worthy but I think now the situation calls for it. Now, I will ask you again, Loki. Do you understand?”
Loki’s back straightened, his shoulders stiffened, as he looked his brother in the eye. There was no exchange of words; Odin gave Loki a convinced nod and they started out.