Chapter Text
“It wasn’t all bad, was it, my dear?”
Wasn’t life full of surprises? Who would’ve guessed that after all this time, after everything she had been through, after everything he had put her through, Odin would feel nostalgic?
Caught between surprise and weariness, Freya stood perfectly still. Whatever could he mean by that? Posing such a question here, now, under the current circumstances. Not knowing how to proceed, the Vanir chose to remain silent. Whether for the petty pleasure in denying him or avoiding saying things she couldn't fully make sense of, Freya kept on reading the book at hand.
Had there been sweetness between them?
Yes. Alas.
Regardless of how things came to head between them, it was undeniable that there had been a period (brief as it may have been) of affection and sincere cooperation in their lives.
"Some of it was sweet, was it not?"
You and I remember very different stories.
Who could tell the reasoning behind this line of questioning? Now, of all times, here, of all places? Under such peculiar circumstances.
I should have learned by now. Sacrifices seldom go unpunished.
The spell she composed in order to shackle the Aesir to her and her will was a masterpiece, if she did say so herself. Combining ancient Vanir magic and Atreus’ Jötunar runes, she was able to summon and craft an incantation that far surpassed anything any god or mortal had ever seen before. Odin himself hadn’t been able to best her genius witchcraft back when they were on opposing sides of the field. Now that those lines were clearer than ever, her ingenuity was put to test once again. And once again, it came through.
Still.
Such was the nature of innovation: one couldn’t always fully predict its outcomes. Freya had yet to discover and catalog all the drawbacks that came from never before used spells. So far, the biggest and most annoying hitch was: her ex-husband was constantly around. Mission accomplished .
And from that, came this newfound (not really) sense of domesticity, for the lack of a better word. Sharing time and space was bound to force them to interact. Frequently. And by the looks of it, maybe he’d inflict some punishing of his own. Dragging back memories better left buried.
She was brought back to the moment by the shocking sensation of touch . Out of the corner of her eyes, Freya saw the glare of the light bouncing on golden ringed knuckles making the way up her arm. So he was steadfast in his resolve to draw a response from her.
“Yes. There was once sweetness in our marriage.”
The limb currently in contact with her softened even more in its path.
Oh, husband.
“You made a point of shattering it.”