*3rd POV*
*Location: Midgard, Denmark(Baltic Coast) (Future)*
*Year: 4300 BCE*
Two hundred years, that is how long both Níð and Rømme have run for, finding no home nor safe place on either side of the war, both for their cowardice in the eyes of their former allies and because of their partner, an Aesir/Vanir whom they warred against. So they simply ran across Midgard, all day and all night for years on on, never truly resting, never having a place to be welcomed by anyone who heard their tale, only by those who were alone in the world.
Even then, that was such a rare occasion that it was to be celebrated as Rømme blessed their homes, or if they were hunters/warriors, then Níð would bless their weapons, minor/weak as it was. For them, though, just to be in the presence of the gods was enough even...even if they did not know of the ongoing war between the two clans.
Yet it was two hundred years later that they were finally allowed to rest, finding a safe place on the very edge of the Norse Faction territory, at least in what would become known as the Baltic Coast in the future more specifically in Denmakr near Norse territory, a place where two pantheons titered on the edge of conflict ocnstantly, the Slavic and Norse Pantheon. Although for now peace was kept, at least to those who belonged in the Salvic Pantheon, as the Norse waged their war that would soon come to an end.
As for our two gods, they would be joined in Kostar, or as most modern folk would call it, a wedding. Two gods with no domain of their own, with names that represented cowardice and retreat, found themselves a place to call home, a place to start anew in the world, even if they were despised by both sides. It was at this place that both would be reborn with new names given by humans. Níð would become known as Villr, a great hunter to the common people.
Rømme would be renamed Rigna, as her spells and minor power over nature helped grow the various villages' crops, or at least those that wished for their help. During the last five years or so of the two hundred that have passed, they didn't need to run, believing themselves to have finally escaped the sights of their family. During that time, something strange began to happen around them. Rigna's magicks would go out of control randomly for some reason, and the weapons blessed by Villr would never harm animals with newborns.
Soon enough, it became clear that Rigna was pregnant with their first child, a child born between Aesir and Vanir. A union between the old world and the new world, with nature and civilization, one that was forbidden between the two clans. Yet the emotion both felt in that moment, in the moment they knew a child was on its way, it was a momentous occasion, and one that would be celebrated in a normal home; this was not that, as both simply began to ready themselves.
In a way, the couple knew this child would not be normal, as the magicks both commanded changed as the month passed. They did not grow stronger but rather more... wild. Rigna's minor control over the weather brought snow, sunshine, and lightning in that order. Villr's blessed weapons began going off their mark, the hunters, and warriors' aim no longer in their control but rather at the behest of the chaos of the world.
On the eve of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year on this day Rigna would give birth to a new god. Through her pain and labor, the world heard her cries as both nature and civilization watched over them both. Villr stood by his wife's side, his tall and athletic frame being a beacon of protection to her, his short, graying hair that once shone a dark brown. Currently giving birth and in tremendous pain was his wife, Rigna, her skin almost oak-like, and her long, whitening hair sprawled over the pillow she lay on, her hair once the envy of her siblings for its beautiful blonde color.
Now, though, as they were banished in all but name from both of their realms, they had no access to the worship and the apples of Idun. So they age, slower than a mortal, far slower and less noticeable, but they still age nonetheless, as all things do. Almost like a tree, whilst their abilities and the minuscule worship granted by the local villagers helped them grow in their own way.
Either way, the worship that normally would've gone to them, though, did not during the nine months Rigna was pregnant. No, it instead went to their child, one whose body grew strong alongside its soul/magic. Though that was not as important as the soul was already strong, it's the magicks and their physical form that were not yet at full force. Whilst a god, when compared to a mortal, was no contest in the physical world, the soul was another story, as the older a soul was, the more powerful they were; that didn't mean they could access that power.
Now, though this old mortal soul had a body to return to, it was reborn anew with a mind that was now fresh. Either way, Rigna was in pain, pain far beyond what most gods or mortals could bear, and yet when the process was done, she smiled alongside her husband. As Villr held the child, a newborn boy, he saw his bright eyes that shone like gold, his hair that was as white as the clouds, not of age but of the sky itself.
Most of all, he saw something that most, if any, newborns didn't have, something that they were never truly born with, a smile. The smile of a truly innocent being, one that had not yet seen the world and would only show up on a baby's when time passed by, but not for this child, though.
As Villr handed the baby to Rigna, she looked at him with a smile on her face, a calm and peace that neither had truly felt in a long time.
"What should we name him, Níð? Should we use a new name, one created from the words of humans and mortals, or should we try to keep close to our roots, to Asgard and Vanaheim?" She asked using her husband's old name in the privacy of their home.
Villr, however, looked at his child and remembered something one of his brothers told him. Of a land to the far east, one that spoke in an entirely different language and yet welcomed him all the same, if only temporarily, and while he was unable to fully learn the language, he did learn one word.
"My old brother, Þrek, there is a word in the east that I believe perfectly describes our child and what I hope he grows up to be as well."
"He said the word was 'Nika', a phrase or something like that, that means an open-grin smile much like what our child has." Villr said as the child laughed, allowing its joy to be heard by the world, as an old soul now, almost like a newborn, is reborn anew, allowed to live once more in a world that welcomes it, as the threads of fate shift alongside it.
"I think that's a wonderful name, my husband." Rigna said as she handed the newly named Nika to Villr, now able to rest and sleep soundly without a hint of pain.
*Nika POV*
*Location: Midgard, Baltic Coast (Future)*
*Year: 4295 BCE*
When I woke up in this new world, I greeted it with a smile, a smile that my new mother and father said shone upon the world like a small sun. It was...a little odd, but what parent didn't speak of their children fondly and embellish stories of them a little bit?
Although if I were being honest, in the first five years of my new life, I was afraid, afraid that I would not love them. Afraid that I couldn't view them as my new family, as people I could rely on. Those fears were dispelled the moment I spoke my first words, which were mama I believe, although I could barely remember anything from my time as a baby beyond one thing, the love they had for and the love I now felt for them as well.
Beyond that, though, I made sure to smile every day, to let my new life not go to waste and instead greet it with a smile. I laughed whilst I was in pain from stubbing my toe, I laughed even in the coldest and most snowy of days (which was often), I was happy during all that time. I had no reason not to be; I was alive again and could feel the cold on my skin, the warmth of the sun, and the softness of a proper bed/pillow.
Even now, I ran through the forest with a large grin on my face, my eyes wide open to the world and free. Although I suppose I had a few rules I had to follow, one of those being to never go beyond the trees with golden leaves, which formed an odd wall that surrounded our house. I always felt like I saw something like this before, from my last life, I think, but I couldn't remember where.
Right now, though, I was content with where I was, and in the future, I would explore this new world to see every inch of it and live my best life. As I played around with a stick, I saw something from the corner of my eye, a shadow. At first, I thought it was a trick of the light or perhaps some random bird passing by and flying to make a nest. So I shrugged it off and continued my games in the woods, honestly, I couldn't remember what I called it or even what it entailed, in all honesty.
A few minutes later, I would see this same shadow, only this time I saw a hint of brown fur, menaing that it wasn't a bird but rather a mammal of some kind. Normally, you wouldn't see many mammals out here for some reason, but this was perhaps one of those rare times. So I tried to get closer to it, to see the creature, but I was not able to.
I tried a few more times after that, getting a bit more frustrated each time, but doing my best to maintain my smile, believing this to be a new type of game. Well, to me anyway, to the animal I was essentially hunting, it may as well be stalking them. Was it a bit cruel, yes it was, but I wanted to get a peek, just a single peek of the beast's form to see what animal besides a bird found its way here.
That day would not be today, however, as night began to set on this land, meaning another one of the rules I had to follow had taken effect. The rule being both curfew and bedtime, aka me still being a kid and needing all the rest I could get to properly grow up and be strong like my parents wanted me to.
Oh well, I suppose there was always tomorrow, if the creature wanted to be here anyway.