I nearly forgot how cold Fimbulwinter can get… Snow everywhere. The Lake has been frozen, the mountains covered in white snow and an irritating breeze in the air…

I laid down and rested for those winters… There was nothing for me that needed to be done. Everything I and Faye did, required the actions of Farbauti. We setted the ground, so he would be the one to end Odin and Aesir’s tyranny.

A detail I forgot to mention to my friend Ratatoskr. I regretted leaving him unnoticed. But, I guess it would be a matter of time before he reaches out to me. I long waited for his next visit in Midgard. But. lately I had not been sensing him appearing in Midgard at all… I am worrying.

Suddenly I heard him calling for me… Loki… He shouted in my speech and asked for assistance.

I did not turn him down. I rose from the mountain where I was sleeping and turned and looked towards him…

I expected this time would come… That is the reason I asked Faye about a possible girl named Angrboda. That time Faye came back to me and replied that indeed there was a girl named like that in Jotunheim, in Jarnvidr specifically.

Remembering that, I answered Loki now, only that…

“Jarnvidr…”

He was asking questions and wondered what I meant…

“Is this the only thing you are going to say?” he said irritated… In which I replied with only

“You’ll be there…” 

He doesn’t understand what he was looking for. But I know what that would lead… Loki possesses the knowledge of ancient Jotun sorcery. Only he does not know that. He will look for this place, Jarnvidr and in his sleep he will dream of it… Leading him to transport right there!

This was the way my father used to visit us back in my time. This kind of magic leaves no trail and is the best traveling way for Jotnar who were not allowed to use the Bifrost like the Aesir did… 

My plan turns out to be a success… He will travel to Jarnvidr and there he will meet Angrboda, the person who would be the ‘mother’ of the future Jormungandr… That is what I was hoping at least…

*

After Loki’s visit, I was left alone in Midgard… It seemed to me that every move of both the Aesir and Farbauti were happening across the other Realms… So, I was left with peace and quiet…

“Jormungandr! Wake up!”

I opened my eyes and Ratatoskr was in front of me!

“Ratatoskr, my old friend, how are you!”

“We have a problem, Jormungandr! Oh my I am panicking!”

“Calm down… Tell me what happened!”

“Mother Nithhogg! She is dead!!!”

“What? How it this possible?”

“Master Farbauti’s doing… Though I cannot blame him… She was the one attacking him, while protecting the roots of Yggdrasil… She was bewitched by Odin!”

“What?! Odin holds the power to control Yggdrasil creatures?”

“It is a little more complicated than that, he rather used her, while provoking one of her duties… But we have more serious issues!”

“What do you mean?”

“With Nithhogg dead and Hraesvelgr trapped in Helheim, the Yggdrasil is left with to overseer! No ruler!”

“Could you not take that position?”

“Well… I suppose I could oversee the tree but I do not possess the powers of timeshifting like they do… What I am trying to say is that… This would be the last Ragnarok ever!”

“Do not worry I made sure that it would be the most beneficial one for all the creatures!”

“Are you sure this would be the case?”

“Farbauti will lead this war against Odin… He will defeat him… where is he now?”

“I am keeping them safe in my realm… In a branch of Yggdrasil.”

“You protect them and help them even though he killed Nithhogg?”

“It wasn’t his fault… I also need him to find Nithhogg’s offsprings, the Lindworms… With no parent to look after them they will subconsciously eat wrong roots in Yggdrasil”

“I do not understand you…”

“Basically they will eat the realms if someone does not control them and show them the way!”

“I guess that could be you!”

“Me?!”

“Yes you, remember telling me you wished to settle down some time? Well this is your opportunity to teach the next generation of Yggdrasil, starting with the Lindworms…”

“I guess you are right”

“Do not say that didn’t cross your mind…”

“Ha ha, it did, I confess… I also came here because I missed our small talks… And also to check on you… Since you haven’t really taken a big role in this timeline at all…”

“Me too Ratatoskr… Me too…”

“What do you think will happen in this Ragnarok?” Ratatoskr asked me

“What do I think? I know already the outcome my friend”

“You do?

“Yes… Faye revealed it to me, when she foresaw it… I told them things that happen in my timeline and ways we could alter the prophecy in this one… We tried many things… But utterly her death would change it…”

“Her death?”

“Farbauti had to find motivation to care about this world and also to bond with his son. That way he would end up protecting instead of destroying… The way to do that was for them to go on a journey across the realms… Faye gave a small hint to the Aesir gods of her position, right before her death… That way, Odin would send Aesir gods, possibly his best tracker, who was Balder, or Baldur as he is called in this timeline… Farbauti woud of course beat him… leading everyone into the Fimbulwinter… which would lead to Ragnarok…”

“Wow! You really orchestrated everything!”

“That is not all… Everyone would ally against the Aesir and Odin… Since he is the one behind every cruelty and every injustice in all the timelines and all the Realms… Asgard will fall, leaving everyone with time and peace to create something new… something good… something better”

“I really do hope it works out, as you and Faye have foreseen… But it’s all in the hands of Farbauti, Loki and their allies… You are taking no part in it?”

“I am tired, Ratatoskr… I already tried to change the Ragnarok, to fight in it, to observe it, to intervene in it… I have nothing to fight for here and now… All I could do is to assist my kin to have a better outcome than mine… Once I did that with Faye, there was nothing left for me to be done”

“Yeah, but when Loki asked for your help you immediately responded!”

“That time… It was like I heard my father calling for me… I acted spontaneously with no thought at all. And I do not regret it… After all, when asked for help why wouldn’t I answer?”

“Ha ha ha, you speak truly! I still remember when I first ever met you…”

“So do I… So much rage, pain… I make myself harder to recall”

“Yeah… You were abducted from your home as a child… Not knowing what became of your brother and sister…”

“Fenrir had a cruel fate… Being prisoner for so long… I cannot believe what that felt like… I guess lonely… sad… Rage and lust for revenge!”

“Something like you, no?”

“I was left alone… wandering the Midgard oceans…No one understood me…everyone feared me… No Jotun, no Giant was living in Midgard thanks to the cruelty of the Aesir… The thunder god, Thor always looked for a fight, while I was a symbol to despise… I suffered as did my family… Then Ragnarok came… I fought in it like to time before, but I got sent back in time…”

“I am sorry for that…”

“I do not regret it, Ratatoskr… It was an opportunity to change the tides of destiny and fate… I hoped to create something different…”

“Well a lot of strange things happened on that timeline… the mask of creation for instance!”

“True, I almost forgot about it… a weird turn of events, that was…”

“Well, I have seen many more, Ragnaroks that were difficult to process…”

“Oh do tell!”

“You have no idea, the number of Ragnarok’s that have already taken place… Nithhogg and Hrasvelgr have been changing the timelines and the outcome of the war ever since the beginning of their rulership… But now I guess this will be the last one…”

“I am sure you have never witnessed something like what is going to happen on this timeline’s Ragnarok! The one that is foretold on this one is the most appropriate one!”

“Anyway do not tell me more about the outcome of it! I would very much love to see it firsthand! I will come visit you once it is done!”

“I would be waiting!”

.

.

.

EPILOGUE

The war has ended…

Asgard is no more…

The Gjallarhorn was blown by Farbauti, Ragnarok took place and hours later, pieces of Asgard started falling from the sky across all the other Realms!

The world was safe from the cruelty of Odin and the evil Aesir… Farbauti and Freyja, the Vanir Queen, ruled together and made sure that a peaceful and full of prosperity world would follow!

Farbauti was worshiped by mortals as the Leader of the Gods and was named as the God of Protection and peace. Father to all, the new All-Father. .Something he was not used to… But he followed this path with unexpected emotions and thrill. He was a just ruler, quiet and efficient… 

Loki became the champion of the Jotnar and was set on a mission to save them. And rebuild Jotunheim from the destruction that it suffered from the Aesir… 

Ratatoskr together with the Stags of Yggdrasil made sure that the tree would always stay in healthy and stable condition. While teaching the young Lindworms their duties and role in the circle of Yggdrasil life.

The squirrel had something more to do… He visited Midgard to find Jormungandr for a final conversation

The serpent was resting on a mountain and appeared to be sleeping. 

Ratatoskr did not wished to wake him so he stood there until he would wake up, which he did moments later, since the serpent sensed the squirrel’s presence

“You are here…”

“Yeah Jormie… It is done… You were right before… This Ragnarok is nothing like I’ve ever seen…”

“Ha… told you…”

“Both Hraesvelgr and Nithhogg are gone from Yggdrasil’s rulership… We could continue on and enjoy the stability… finally!”

“I … am happy… things turned out… great for you…”

“I was a pawn into something much bigger than myself… Yes, Nithhogg and Hraesvelgr had it coming with their indecisive choices. The course of history would never end! They loved conflict, you see, they are creatures of chaos and war… Until that very war took from them their position in the world-tree… Nithhogg died and Hraesvelgr is eternally trapped in Helheim”

“Do not give much thought to the past, Ratatoskr… It took me a long time to realize that… “ Jormungandr had a pause in his speech and then continued, “You… are the keeper and caretaker of the Yggdrasil, the world we all live in, you are important! While I… am just a relic of a conflict no one will remember, or ever know… But I rest assured, as I see the final outcome of this story and I regret nothing…

This world will thrive under the godship of Freyja and Farbauti, as Loki will become the hero and rescuer of the Giants…”

“ You did well my friend… You did well…”

Ratatoskr whispered with tears dropping from his eyes onto his furry cheeks, while the World Serpent, Jormungandr, a child robbed of his childhood, who witnessed three timelines of Ragnarok and war, closed slowly, peacefully his eyes.