Heimstaddr

Yrsa and Skadi came to arrive in front of a large wooden house that stood near the edge of a small ravine, in a snow covered clearing, that was surrounded by a dark forrest. Next to it stood an old mill and a stream gently flowed between the cold rocks, falling into the river below.

At first sight it might've seemed abandoned, but still it looked cosy and, above all, welcoming. It was already nearing night-time and the sky was a lovely shade of pale blue and rosy pink, slowly getting darker and darker. The snow had stopped falling.

With each step they took, Yrsa felt hazy memories creeping up in the back of her head. She used to spend hours here praciticing her magic and meditating.

As she neared the house, she could smell the pleasant smell of burning logs. Almost instinctively, she flicked her wrist and the torch at the entrance lit up, producing a warm light.

It was the house she lived in a very, very long time ago. She recalled the day she built it. Her powers weren't limitless as far as she knew, but they allowed her to create this place. She had seen it in a dream once and searched for the clearing for years until she found it.

No matter what had happened, she would always come back to it. Unbeknownst to her, it was a place of great power, standing on the source of a layline, that drew her in.

The two goddesses entered the house. Despite its outside appearance, on the inside it was very well kept. There was a fire in the centre of the house, surrounded by soft hide rugs and chairs. On the left was an entire wall decorated with weapons - bows, swords, spears, you name it. On the right was a kitchen filled with food and dishes. There were two ladders on both sides leading to upstairs where two large beds and a few chests stood. The chests were well filled with riches and clothing. Relics hung on the walls, along with old, some even extinct, herbs. Books and scrolls laid on a large table.

Yrsa approached the wall full of weapons and gazed at each one, remembering all the battles she had fought with them even before she had aquired her magic. All the bloodshed and death. The flutter of a valkyrie's wings was something she could never forget either. The mortals couldn't see them until they passed on, but the gods could. The black-feathered creatures with sinister skulls for heads and no eyes. She remembered their screams too.

"I think I will go to sleep now, my head aches terribly from all these memories," said Yrsa, laying next to the fire. Skadi nodded and laid on a bed upstairs. She wasn't really fond of warmth being the goddess of winter and all. She prefered the cold, or that's what she convinced people to believe. In truth, she knew she would have a restless night and wished not to bother the other. Truly, she could not remember the last time she had a dream that had not included some terror.

It was a nice morning, at least. It wasn't snowing or even that cold for early winter. They started off by having breakfast, discussing what they would do. Since magic was much harder to practice, they decided to start with that.

There were a few simple, basic things most power wielding beings could do. Yrsa decided to start with water magic and by the end of the day she had already mastered almost all of her abilities. She felt confident enough to try and summon a portal. Skadi thought it was a bit far-reaching, but Yrsa was sure she could do it.

She took a deep breath, chanting under her breath, as she moved her hand clockwise above the ground. From the tips of her fingers dripped a blue liquid-like light that fell into the snow, melting it instantly until it reached the ground. Then it started to form and swirl until it found a shape and created a perfectly even surface, much alike to a puddle.

The portal was ready, but the destination they did not know.

"Are you coming or not?" Yrsa laughed before jumping into the swirling pit. Skadi panicked, reaching for her, but she was already gone. She instinctively went after her, not thinking of what could be waiting for her on the other side and the two found themselves in another realm.