Chapter III

The darkness seemed to be the longest prisoner of this place, all around she stood and strangely Haldora’s eyes were getting accustomed to this darkness, though, she never let got of the ever lit candle holder, she took from her room, whenever she was investigating her surroundings. The screams were still heard, but always at a distance, they seem to come from the other side of the walls, though no door or passage were ever to be found. Haldora found other people roaming the halls of what seemed to be a grand palace, they were mindless faces, walking from side to side, saying nothing, and staring at nothing. The world of the living was no longer in their heads and she found it increasingly hard to recognize them as people or spirits, everything seemed to be nothing, to her eyes although she knew what everything was. Soon she knew she sensed nothing, no smell, no touch, no aroma, nothing. She did not starve for food or thirst for water. She did not even breathe as much as she should. Her nails and hair stopped growing after a time and the only change in her was the slowly healing scar on her chest.
- I should have told you this is a timeless place. – Said Hella, appearing from thin air, no longer did her moldy smell troubled Haldora. – I have seen you wandering around all this time and you seem not to understand how this place works.
Haldora rose from the floor and stood in front of Hella
- When you said start again… What did you mean?
Hella grinned.
– What did you think I meant? - She asked, lying on the bed.
– To go back… to the living. - Haldora explained.
– Is that what you want?
– Yes. - Hella looked her straight in the eyes, hers were piercing colorless eyes. - Then I am curious as to why you took your own life?
Haldora could not answer this. She sat on the throne-like chair and stared at the ground.
– Come on, Haldora! Tell me your story. - She requested, as she cuddled on the bed.
– I thought the gods knew all. - Haldora stated, raising her head in defiance.
Hella smiled.
– Insolence, I like that. News does not travel fast to this part of the territory.
– So you are as rejected as all of us.
Hella’s expression changed to serious.
– Insolence is entertaining, have a care it does not turn annoying. Haldora remained defiant.
- Don’t you want to tell me your story? - Hella asked nicely.
– I though I was meant to forget.
– But before you do. Entertain me.
A silence was followed. Hella smiled to Haldora, and she confessed nothing through neither words nor gestures.
– All right, I will tell you what I know. When I found you, you were dead next to the body of a man, who I believe is the ‘he’ you mentioned earlier. I noticed he was wearing a different sort of armor. He was not an enemy, otherwise Freya would not have taken him, so… who was he then?
– An ally. - Haldora answered, looking to the ground.
– And I assumed it was his axe you took to your bosom.
Haldora nodded
- The question remains who was he?
Haldora lifted her head slowly.
– He was a brave warrior from the south, who died defending our banner.
– Your banner fell.
– Yes and he died trying to rescue it.
Silence was again instilled, Hella got up from the bed.
– You must tell me everything. You will never see him again and soon you will not remember him at all. You must let me carry your story. Maybe one day it will be told among the living.
- I will tell you the story, if you show me where he is.
Hella laughed, her laughter echoed through out the halls and sounded like the walls were crumbling down. Haldora was unaffected by this noise.
- Why would I do that?
- Because you want to know my story and my condition for telling it is that.
- That is blackmail. I like that, but not enough to grant you your request. Besides I do not trust you.
- Why? You are a Goddess, you are powerful and he is in a place of Gods. What could I a mere mortal do? What’s there not to trust? I can do nothing.
- You have courage, challenging me like that. I can arrange it. Tell me your story first. - Hella lay back on the bed, getting ready to hear the story.
- He came from the south, and I never knew his name. He has fought many battles. He is considered one of the richest men in all of the land. I watched him train for the battle every day. He has a different sort of sword, it broke the night before the battle, and he said it was a bad omen. He fights with his right hand but does everything else with his left; his right shoulder does not seem to work well. I left medicine for him at his door. I sewed his clothes in the dark and kept his fire burning each night. I always watched him from a far and I promised I would tell him… before the battle… I would… I would tell him.
- Tell him how you watched him? Tell him why you watched him?
- I was just going to try and talk to him.
- And then he died and you never got the chance to tell him anything. And he never knew you were there. – Hella seemed to mock Haldora’s story.
- No.
- Did he never suspect anyone?
Silence. Long heavy breaths.
- Yes, he did.
- Just not of you.
Haldora nodded in sadness.
- You prepared his body and called the Valkyrie. Then you attempted death so they would take you?
Haldora took a deep breath, as Hella tried to understand Haldora’s actions.
- I thought they would take pity on me.
Hella sat on the bed, she smiled as a mother smiles to her child.
- It’s not how this goes. You committed a terrible sin. You took the only gift the gods ever give you and you threw it away. Life is only yours to live, not to take. No god will take pity on you. And you will never leave this place.
- Will he leave Valhalla? - Haldora shyly asked.
- Yes. When Odin no longer needs him, his soul will go back to the living, and he will live there until his soul is full, then he will return to Valhalla where he will live forever.
- He will be happy, then. - Haldora concluded.
- That is really up to him. But you need not concern yourself with that. - Hella got up and walked to the door, as she passed Haldora, she touched her shoulder. - Tomorrow I will grant your wish. - Hella whispered and then walked away.
Haldora looked up with victorious eyes. She smiled.