The Heavenly Hell — 41

Everyone knew we came from Asgard. Many would ask me or Garaam about how Valhalla felt like, and both me and Garaam always ignored this kind of question or directed to a different topic. But the best answer I usually said would be “Not something that you were expecting”.

Garaam would be a different case, she would entirely ignore the topic that people would understand and stopped asking entirely. For me, while I hated Asgard, I knew these people had hopes and dreams of being there. I did not want to reduce their dreams, and after all, I still knew manners, I was given shelter there for the past 2000 years, not the best place to stay, but I could at some point appreciate it.

The commotion was wild, in fact I never thought they still had so much desire to be in Valhalla, mostly the men. Some people reassured others that we somehow reached a better place with all these warmth, but ultimately, they still could not believe that Freya was such a villain.

Honestly, villain was such an ambiguous word. For the Einherjars, Freya was their heroine, their light of hope, the one who gave the Einherjars their second chances, a purpose to keep living, a purpose to serve. I also believed what Freya did to Niflheim would be supported by the Einherjars too if they knew, while I knew that many Einherjars were also pure souls that would not harm simple villagers. But for both the good and the bad Einherjars, Freya was the ultimate Goddess, they even respected her more than they ever respected Odin.

“Ahem” Adam faked his cough to make the room quiet, and everyone followed. “Please, take your seat”

The commotion of people repositioning their chairs filled the room for a few seconds.

“I knew you had doubts, but I could assure you that was the very Goddess you were looking up” said Adam.

There were lots of Gods and Goddesses, each have their own hierarchy, belief systems. Niflheim and Valhalla belongs to the hierarchy under Odin and Freya, and for the people of Niflheim, worshipping them was what they have been taught even as a baby. There were also Lord Zeus, Lord Osiris, Lord Enlil, and each of them had their own hierarchy, their own Heaven and Hell, and their own sets of agreements on how to reach it.

Alaric raised his hand, and Adam let him speak. “Lady Anabel” he said. I knew he would ask me, I saved his village, but he was also one who raised his disbelief about Freya’s misdeed during the commotion. “Yes” I answered. He was silent for a moment, he tried to speak several times, but he did not know what to ask. “Uhmm..” “May I?” Gyl asked. I nodded.

“Lady Anabel, you have lived in Asgard for a very long time I believe. Please tell me how Asgard is, how Valhalla is, and ultimately how the God and Goddesses we worshipped are” That was a lot of question, but I answered either way. I answered how Asgard was, the same like all the stories they knew and were taught as a child. How Valhalla was with the daily battle and nightly feast. I also added that outside of Valhalla there were Aesirs living as commoners, as farmers, maids, blacksmith, cook, librarian and more. And finally I added, that Einherjars are chosen purely by strength alone, means even those who murder for fun would be an Einherjar should they die in battlefield, though I did not deny there were good Einherjars.

They knew, they knew that was how Einherjars were selected. That was the fact hidden from them or they knew but they hid it for themselves, that all you needed to do is die in war, but being a good person was not necessary.

“But…” Alaric again wanting to say something.

I finally added, how Freya believed that strength would be the most important thing that would shape Valhalla, that Valhalla should be the grandest. But she was jealous of our community, that she destroyed Mira’s civilization and murdered them all. No one should be grander than Valhalla that our hospitality hurt her pride.

“That cannot be!” Alaric unconsciously raised his voice as he bumped the table with his fist. I could see some people resonated with him. They wanted to deny the fact that their beloved Goddess was such a character.

A few moments passed without anyone saying anything, until someone stood up. Someone I wished never stood up, but I knew I could not stop her. “May I tell my stories?” said Garaam as she stood up and gave a small bow to all. All eyes now went towards her graceful bowing. “No you..” I wanted to stop her, but she gave me a soft smile. Even Adam wanted to stop her.

“I was a maid, from a farmer’s family. I served daily in Valhalla, I cook food, I prepared and served the drinks. Every night me and other 50 maids worked hard to serve Valhalla for we and our family believed that was the greatest honor we could do for Valhalla”

Everyone listened to her deeply, because everyone knew she rarely spoke.

“Everything was fine. Like in human world, we had our own gold coins and being a maid at Valhalla paid us good. I was happy to work, even my parents told me to stop working at the farm to focus helping at the halls” she said. For 2 years, Garaam had always controlled her breathing, such a natural breathing that would be too unnatural due to the consistent rythm. But her breathe grew heavier and she lost her rythm as she spoke.

“Then that night, as I was doing extra work as we were taking turn to close all the doors..” she stopped for a moment, her voice echoed deep in her own throat, she already shivered deep down. “That night… an Einherjar..” before she finished her sentence, I rushed to hug her. She was taller than me, I could barely hold her, but she was breaking. “Stop it Garaam, it’s okay” Tears already flow on her cheek, the mood of the room changed dramatically. “No, My Lady. It’s okay…” she cried, her controlled breathing had been broken, but she gave me a smile, as if someone trying to be strong. “Let me finish” she said.

I could do nothing but nod, but I did not let her go.

“I was raped” these 3 words, echoed like a thunder. Everyone knew that was what she was about to say before I stopped her, but the fact she said that destroyed everyone. Silence came as she stopped for a moment, until she continued. “If not for My Lady here, I would have ended my life” she took out the knife from that night and put it on the table, she always held onto that knife.

“And eventually, for Freya, that was something I should just do, serve her Einherjars and I should be proud of that. And..” she stopped, she could no longer stand, she cried so loud. “My parents, also said the same thing” I hugged her deeper. Then suddenly without anyone asking, all the ladies there also started to come one by one, and they offered Garaam a hug. No one said anything that night, we just let Garaam cry, and we all also cried hugging her.