“Alright! I’m ready to go!”
The daughters of flowers led a blind-folded Lady Parhelion out of the dressing room as the girl spun on her heels. The gown the tailors had made her was a simple white cloth, but the hem was sewn with stitching of dogs chasing each other. Despite the festive occasion and the smile on her face, it was still a bit unnerving.
“And you’re…sure about this?” “You could make a pact with any creature, you know.” “Fenrir is a bit extreme.”
“No, I’m positive!” Lady Parhelion laughed. “I’ve been waiting for so long! Fenrir has always been so nice to me, and I feel so bad that he has to stay out there in the arctic.”
The daughters exchanged looks among themselves, and then with the rest of the Nine.
“You know, he’s there for a reason,” Kida started. “He’s not exactly… a great pick.”
Lady Parhelion tried to turn towards him, but accidentally ended up facing Preston as she tried to scold Kida. She drew her sword blindly and pointed it a few inches from his face.
“I’ll have you know I’ve thought this through, I’m not just picking him because he gave me my sword.” She huffed. “Fenrir’s magic is perfect for me! I don’t want to be a cleric anymore, and Fenrir’s might will finally give me the attack magic I need to turn the tides of battles.”
“Right, because the last thing we need right now are capable healers.” Preston groaned, taking two fingers and pushing away the blade from his glasses. “Something tells me you made this decision a long time ago.”
“I did indeed.” Lady Parhelion turned to her right further, now facing a wall. The daughters behind her collectively facepalmed, with Maragan gently turning her back towards Preston. “I’ve wanted to meet Fenrir face-to-face for years now. I’ve thought this through-“
“I think what Preston meant to say was, you made this decision years ago-“ “Back when you were even more a child than you are now.” “Ten year-olds are not capable of picking their monsters.”
Lady Parhelion whirled around to face the daughters. “What’s wrong with you all? Why the dissent all of the sudden?”
“It is a special day.” “A day of rites-“ “And on this day, the first immortal beast you set eyes upon will become your quarry.” “A creature brimming with magic-“ “Which you will call your own.” “And wield, as one of the most powerful mortals of the North.”
“Which is why we’re all a bit on edge,” Preston sighed. “We may all be the Nine, but having Fenrir as your patron would definitely tip the scales more towards… Lord Snowdog.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” Lady Parhelion countered, “Last time I checked, my father was the only sane Chaotic around.”
“Last time I checked, he had abandoned the throne.” “Running off in the wilds.” “Sleeping with stray dogs.”
“He’s beyond the courtroom,” Lady Parhelion said, waving her hand.
“Not the point.” “Point is that we follow you, Lady Parhelion.” “Because you make sure we stay as a cohesive unit.”
“Speaking of which-“ Logan said, making his way up the stairs from the corridor. “Guess who I found! I didn’t realize we were inviting everyone to this shindig-“
Behind him trailed two cloaked figures, wearing a golden cat and silver rat masks. They made their way up the stairs in sync, and stood before the rest of the Nine.
“Who is it?” asked Lady Parhelion, still blindfolded.
“Who do you think?” Preston huffed. “I’m sure you’re the one who invited them.”
“The thieves?” Parhelion guessed. “We’re plenty more than theives, dear,” the girl in the cat mask cooed. “But thank you for thinking of us on this grand occasion.”
“Of course,” Parhelion said with a bow, accidentally bowing at Preston again. “Now, can we please get going?”
The daughters exchanged a look with Kida, who gave a knowing look and cocked his head to the side.
“Right. Let’s go.”
The Nine made their way across the branches of Yggdrasil carefully, keeping their eyes above and below the branch they walked on.
“It’s a hidden portal on the twenty-fifth branch,” Lady Parhelion repeated again. The daughters held her steady, guiding her feet and taking hold of her hand as she blindly navigated the tree. She had forbade them use the Sifstring on the journey, so every step was that of her own.
But from the distance, a short scratching sound was heard, and the party froze in place.
“It’s just Ratatoskr,” Lady Parhelion assured. “He won’t be any bother. Now let’s keep-“
The daughters spun Lady Parhelion around as the squirrel began to scramble down the tree, nearing the branch they sat on.
“It’s just… Ratatoskr,” Lady Parhelion tried again.
“Yes we know.” “Sorry Parhelion.” “It was unanimous.”
As the squirrel began to approach, curious of the procession, Tai ripped the blindfold off Lady Parhelion’s eyes. The girl whipped around in surprise, her eyes landing on the giant squirrel in front of her. In an instant, Ratatoskr screeched and a mark of two dogs chasing each other around the sun began to glow on its forehead. Likewise, Lady Parhelion recoiled as a glowing squirrel glyph began to press itself into her chest.
“Damn it!” she swore. “No!”
With a screech, Ratatoskr fled, but a trail of raw magic followed behind it, tying itself around Lady Parhelion’s arm. She looked down at her hand in disbelief as the demons began to laugh hysterically.
“Holy shit, I can’t believe that worked!” Preston howled, tears in his eyes from laughing.
“Daughters?! Kida?! How could you!” Lady Parhelion yelled, clawing at the glowing glyphs.
“A pact with Fenrir, are you serious?” “It was unwise at best.” “Dangerous to everyone.”
Lady Parhelion turned her accusing stare at Kida, who looked the most guilty of the bunch, even if he was still chuckling slightly.
“At least that means you’re stuck with me still? The world needs more healers, Lady. Ratatoskr’s magic is still magic…”
“I hate you all. It’ll take me forever to break this pact,” Lady Parhelion hissed through grated teeth.
“Just be glad you didn’t wind up like Preston.” “Ever wonder why he doesn’t cast magic often?” “His pact is with the deer.”
“Hey, hey, now-“ Preston said through stitches of laughter. “Lady Parhelion is tied to a fucking squirrel. It doesn’t get worse than that.”
“It keeps things even,” the girl in the cat mask agreed. “We may work together, but is still in everyone’s best interests that the Snowdog stay on the same playing field as everyone else.”
“Creepy way of putting it,” Logan shrugged, “but yeah. Lady, you’re way too goddamn strong already. Leave something for us to do on the battlefield, yeah.”
Lady Parhelion looked back down at her hand again. “I just wanted to help Fenrir…”
“Whatever Loki said to you, forget about it,” Preston said. “The man is a liar and a cheat. Any gift you get from him is just gonna tie you back down to him, call you in later for a favor or whatnot. Trust me, when the daughters pitched this plan I was in from the start.”
“Last time I trust you all with anything important,” Lady sulked, making her way back down the branch.
“Oh I doubt that, little pup,” Kida laughed, helping her down. “You brought us together, now we’ve gotta watch your back.”
“Even if you aren’t particularly fond of our choices.” “Know that we think these things through.” “So you don’t have to make the wrong choice alone.”