Chapter 580 A Mother’s Plea

Chapter 580 A Mother’s Plea

Inside of a rather large nordic longhouse, there was a young woman lying inside of a bedroom, tossing and turning underneath the covers.

Eventually, whatever nightmare was occuring in her dream seemed to have finally gotten the best of her, as she awoke with a yelp and immediately paid the price.

She winced as she brought her arm to her heavily bandaged midsection.

A subtle sickly feeling crossed over her face, ad she hobbled out of bed.

A small nightstand was stationed in her room with a mirror in front of it, and she could finally look at herself once more.

Even if some of the features she inherited from her father made her seem a tad bit masculine, she was still beautiful.

Fair skin that was twinged with splashes of rosy pink, thick and wild auburn hair that fell down her back, and a pair of crystal blue eyes that were inherited from both her father and mother alike.

As far as musculature went, Thrudd had attained a physique that would put men who'd been working out all their lives to shame.

That couldn't be hidden just because she was covered in bandages from the sternum down.

Eventually, she stood up and began the process she'd been repeating for the past few weeks now.

Ever so gently, she picked up a pair of scissors and began snipping away her bandages.

When the last of the wraps fell to the ground, she stood nude in her room as she stared into the mirror.

Beginning right underneath her left breast, almost the entire left side of her body was covered in scarred, unsightly, black tissue.

A few spots were oozing a gross yellow pus, and one or two were even bleeding.

Flexing her back muscles, one large brown wing emerged in all it's glory, and another half wing emerged beside it.

Looking at herself in full... she couldn't help but cry silently.

Because she knew that she was practically already dead.

The black flames of the death dragon didn't seem to heal with time, prayer, or even magic.

Day by day, more and more of her body was being consumed by the black burns running across her stomach and leg.

She was weak, feverish, and she hadn't been able to cast magic to do so much as light a candle.

Even when in diapers she hadn't felt this helpless.

She reached for a jar that sat on her nightstand and opened it delicately.

Inside was a green ointment provided by Panacea of the greek pantheon.

This was the only thing capable of slowing the spread of the necrosis, but it still wasn't stopping it completely.

Thrudd wasnt sure how much time she had left, but this medicine was the only thing that she had that could give her more.

Ever so delicately, she rubbed the salve all over the burns along her body.

She winced a bit from the tenderness, but the moments of cooling relief that she felt were ensuring that she wouldn't stop.

When all affected areas were glistening from the gelatin-like concoction, she grabbed more medical tape from her dresser and began wrapping herself up like a mummy once again.

For the moment she was almost fine, even if she still couldn't move around too wildly.

She re-dressed herself in clothes that were not soaked through with sweat and wiped her face of tears.

Only when she was presentable did she finally step out of her room.

To keep her father in good spirits, she tried not to appear so weak in front of him and forced herself to put on a smile so that he wouldn't worry.

Opening the door to her room, she hobbled outside to the common area where she cold usually find her father drinking or polishing his hammer.

However, right now he was nowhere to be seen.

The house was cold, and she could clearly smell the stench of alcohol in the air from her father's grieving process.

Thrudd walked over to the empty fireplace and began piling wood inside, log by log.

Striking up a fire with two stones stationed by the opening, she sat in the empty chair by the fireplace and watched as the flames sparked to life.

With the room finally starting to warm up, Thrudd was actually beginning to feel rather comfortable.

She closed her eyes thoughtfully as she absentmindedly ran her fingers over the arms of the chair she was sitting in.

This was her mother's favorite seat.

Sitting here like this... it was hard to keep hit all together.

So many narratives were flying around about Sif.

And naturally, she didn't want to believe a single one of them.

"N-Nothing. Do you have anything that you need, my child? We're about to go on a little bit of an adventure."

"Ah... Will I need my mace?"

Sif smiled at her daughter beautifully as she cupped her daughter's face in her hands.

"My brave girl.. please know that I will never take you anywhere that you could fall victim to harm.

But if you would like to bring your weapon with you so that you will feel more comfortable, I will not attempt to dissuade you."

Thrudd wasn't sure how she was supposed to feeling this moment.

Somehow, her mother just seemed warmer, more compassionate, and... vulnerable.

Not to say that Sif was not those things before, but again, Nords are famously strict.

"...Are you sure you are my mother?" She asked suspiciously.

"Where in the world did that come from??"

"N-Nowhere."

Rolling her eyes, Sif started to head to Thrudd's room to retrieve her mace and shield when suddenly she heard her daughter ask a question that she wasn't prepared for.

"Are we taking father with us..?"

Sif immediately froze in her tracks; unable to look at her daughter.

For a while she wondered what words to use to get her point across, but eventually she just elected for the honest approach.

"I wish that we could, but... your father will not see reason where we are going.

He will act erratically and likely get himself killed in the process.

I'm bringing you and your brother because I believe that you two will listen and understand the frivolity of this war.

Perhaps then... can come back and try to convince him together. And spare many lives in the process."

Thrudd was loved by both her parents tremendously.

However, she was under no false pretenses about their relationship.

Her father was a rambunctious man, and saw her mother the same way that one might see a prized trophy.

And Sif was a textbook dutiful wife.

She did things for her husband because she felt that it was her role, not because she loved him.

Never once had Thrudd seen them being openly affectionate with each other, unless of course one counted the nights Thor drunkenly pulled her into their room.

But she certainly didn't see it as such.

Thrudd honestly didn't even know if her mother had ever even been in love before.

The combination of all of these thoughts made her remember Thor's latest series of drunken ramblings.

"Have you... broken your covenant with father? Have you lie in bed with our enemy..?"

Thrudd could not see it, but Sif's ears went red at the thought of lying in bed with Abaddon.

"I have no-"

"Please, be honest with me, mother."

Sif swallowed her pride and turned around to tell her daughter something that she hadn't had the courage to tell anyone before now.

"I truly have not slept with him, nor have I engaged in anything close to that nature with him... But there is not a day that goes by where I do not wish to."

"What..?" Thrudd asked hollowly.

"I hated him at first, the same as... well, everyone else. But through circumstances you will learn later, I ended up spending a great deal of time with him.

He is infuriating, at sometimes thoughtless, and at others a saint. He is intoxicating...carefree, gentle, and even amusing... though I will die before I tell him that.

I cannot begin to explain the strange impulses he fills me with, or the fantasies I imagine when he calls my name affectionately. (Or that stupid nickname)

But I can say that even though it is wrong and I never meant for it to happen, I have fallen in love with him. And I can't do anything about it."

- Inside of Sif's shadow.

"Ninja man, are you going to tell the master about this?!" Camazotz asked impatiently. "He must know!"

Zheng plucked the bat out of his hair and stuck him headfirst in the breast pocket of his vest.

"Not unless he should ask... I will simply pray that he forgives me for my transgressions if he ever learns the truth."