Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

A giant, curved window occupied almost the entire front wall and the light coming from it was so strong and sudden that it forced Dag to close his eyes for a few seconds.

In front of the gigantic window, a large throne with its back facing the door stood in all its magnificence: formed by a simple square stone block, dug in the center and embedded on all sides, the Hlidskjàlf was there, in front of the window overlooking the sky of Asgard.

In addition to the great throne, several people were in the hall, but due to the strong light, Dag could barely see the contours of their shapes.

Keeping to hold a hand before his eyes, which gradually regained sensitivity, Dag took a few steps forward, making sure that the Alfather, certainly present among those figures, noticed his presence.

"My Lords! I led the Midgardian here, as I was ordered!" Fulla exclaimed aloud, noting by everyone, who turned to her.

The girl bowed and held her arms backward and her head down, taking a few steps back from Dag and stopping next to the door as if she was not worthy of being in the same place as Asgard's highest representatives.

When Dag's pupils got used to the almost afternoon light entering unfiltered from the throne room window, the figures in contrast to it finally became visible.

Frigg was the first to advance towards them, walking elegantly and with a slight smile drawn on her face.

Behind her, a blond-haired, good-looking man stood next to a woman very similar to him, also characterized by overwhelming beauty.

The man, who wore light leather trousers and was bare-chested, had a tight belt at the waist to which a one-handed sword was attached, elegantly inserted into its leather lining.

The woman next to him, on the other hand, had long blonde hair, so long, that the braid in which they were gathered reached up to her legs.

Behind them, the Alfather was turned the other way, looking outwards the window, focused on admiring the view.

"You were impeccable Fulla, as always. I knew I left young Dag in very good hands. Now you can go" Frigg said in a kind voice, politely inviting her handmaid to leave the room.

After one last friendly look between her and Dag, Fulla obeyed and walked out the front door.

Dag, not knowing how to react before all the Gods in front of him, knelt down, lowering his gaze as a sign of respect and submission.

As he stared at the luxurious floor of the hall, a sound of nails similar to the one Thalos made when he walked, echoed in the silence.

Unable to figure out where that strange sound came from, getting closer and closer, Dag looked forward and noticed that two large wolves were threatening-looking in front of him.

He felt a sudden fear, but the sounds made by the wolf getting closer made him think of Thalos, who remained in Tungvek to watch over Claire and this was enough for him to calm down.

The grey wolf was approached his nose to his head, intrigued by the new smell, different from that of the Gods, while the other wolf, completely white, was a few meters behind as if he was studying the situation.

Relying only on his instincts and knowing that neither of those big beasts would hurt him, Dag held out his hand forward, allowing the grey wolf to smell it.

The animal approached it and with its large black nose touched it, trying to obtain as much information as possible.

After a few seconds, Dag, as if he had forgotten the existence of the other people who were in that room, stroked him, scratching his neck and head.

The white wolf, seeing his companion bask in Dag's cuddles, approached them, demanding the same treatment.

"Odin, look what your faithful wolves are doing... it seems that they betrayed you" Frida smiled, who did not look away from Dag for a second.

The young warrior returned the smile and stood up, noting that both wolves were still close to him: despite their appearance as ferocious beasts, both looked like two cubs, with low ears and a thick tail that did not stop wagging.

The scene caught the Alfather's attention, who stopped looking out the window and approached Dag, making room between his two blonde-haired guests.

"Look at that... I'm not surprised Freki came close, but Geri... it's hard for him to give anyone so much confidence..." Odin said in a low voice, positioning himself beside his wife.

Dag, who had not immediately realized that those two wolves were the Alfather's most trusted companions, after hearing those names, marveled that he had easily managed to caress divine beasts like them.

"Geri, Freki... come here, I need to talk to our host" Odin said again, ordering his two four-legged friends to leave Dag alone.

They obeyed immediately and sat next to their master, continuing to look at the young warrior in front of them with a playful air.

"They are magnificent, they remind me of my Thalos. He stayed in town watching over a dear friend of mine, otherwise, you would have met him too, Alfather" Dag answered, smiling and turning his gaze towards his interlocutor.

"Wolves are only fond of humans with a pure heart. It is impossible to convince them or buy their trust, they are incredibly intelligent and lonely beasts, they always know how to behave" Odin replied, resting one hand on Freki's head, the grey wolf, and another on Geri's, the white one.

"Thank you again for saving me, Alfather. If I'm still alive, I owe it to your attentiveness" Dag continued, nodding his head as if he wanted to formalize those words.

"It wasn't just my decision. The people in this room supported my hypothesis and convinced me to get down on Skjold to help you when the Frostsinner was about to get the better of you. Freyr, Freya, step forward and introduce yourself to our host" Odin exclaimed, inviting the two blond-haired siblings to approach.

"Are they Freya and Freyr? I can't believe I'm really in front of them! I feel breathless!" Dag thought, who was evidently excited and speechless.

"Good morning, Midgardian and welcome to Asgard" Freyr exclaimed, while his blonde hair floated naturally, giving his face an appearance that bordered on perfection, like that of his sister Freya, who spoke soon after.

"What the Alfather says is true. My brother Freyr and Queen Frigg encouraged the King of Asgard to come to your rescue so that in our opinion, you represent our only hope" Freya said, trying to get to the point immediately without making too many mince words.

Dag tried to stay calm and reason lucidly in front of all that beauty, while his mind thought about what his friends would do to be in his place at that moment.

"I have made a promise, my Lords. I promised that I would avenge all the Aesir and Gods, killing the Xis and showing them that the era in which they dominated the human race will soon come to an end. However, I sinned with pride and, believing that I was already up to defeat one of them, I stupidly risked dying, jeopardizing the great plan that the future has in store for me" Dag explained, looking at Freyr and Freya with conviction and knowing that also the King and Queen of Asgard were listening carefully to his words.

"You were going to avenge your mortal father and help your new allies regain possession of their kingdom. Your goal was noble and pure, you couldn't have known that one of the Frostsinners would descend on Skjold to take a piece of your power. This is the first time this has happened in thousands of years..." Freya continued, reflecting on that detail.

"My sister says the truth. No Frostsinner has dared to walk on Skold's surface since that day... but you didn't give up, and even though you knew you could die, you persevered and managed to go beyond your limits" Freyr added, referring to the day when all of Asgard's Gods were driven out of Earth.

Before Dag could answer, Frigg took the floor.

"No matter how you managed to survive, the important thing is that you are here now. Remember that for a mortal like you, it is a privilege to be able to walk through the streets of Asgard and meet in person the Alfather, the father of all Gods." 

"I'm aware of it, my Queen. It's a real honor" Dag replied, nodding his head again.

"My friends..." Odin interrupted, beginning to walk back to the window, followed by his wolves and attracting the attention of all present in his throne room.

"The real reason I brought Dag here to Asgard is that now the Frostsinners know his true power, they know how far he can go. If that enemy had any reinforcements, maybe I wouldn't have been able to protect him either. However, when I personally went to Skjold, some of the allies of this young Midgardian warrior, made me complicit in their great discovery" the Alfather continued, who had never spoken to Freyr and Freya about the prophecy.