Story 5: The Gifts

The norns were beginning to fall. Hope was already an adolescent and pregnant with a child and Peace had four children already: Tranquility, Victory, Precious, and Beauty. All of them were as smart as Tranquility. Peace was also pregnant with a fifth.

"How are you holding up, Peace?" Love asked as he came in. They may have been losing, but their spirits were still high.

"I'll be fine. We have other things to worry about," Peace mentioned.

"We are running out of options, Peace," he whispered and she nodded.

"If we don't do something quickly, will we lose?" She asked.

"Yes," he answered.

"Where is Intelly?" She asked and Love nodded over towards a corner.

"Peace!" Intelly said with a bit of a surprised tone.

"Intelly, have you finished the assignment I gave you?" She asked and he nodded.

"Why, Peace?" Love asked with a bit of suspicion in his voice.

"We are going to destroy Albia's ecosystem!" She answered. The other two looked at her.

"Are you insane?!" They asked and she sighed.

"No. It's the only way to win!" She said angrily. Love turned away from his mate.

"We have come so far on this planet! We can't just blow it up! Albia should have someone to care for!" He disagreed.

"Albia is dying because of US! Not because the of a natural problem, but because of us! If we destroy this place and make it unable to sustain life, then we are helping Albia! It will eventually get new life, but we were not supposed to be there!" Peace cried and Intelly sighed.

"You said yourself that we have no hope of winning, Love. Peace is right!" Intelly agreed.

"What about the new boss? How are we going to beat him?" Love asked.

"While Intelly finishes getting everyone aboard, you and I will go stop him!" Peace decided. Love looked at her and sighed.

"If you both believe it will work, then we will try it! I just hope you are right!" He said. "But, Peace, why are you going to come with me?"

"Somebody's got to erupt the volcanos and start some earthquakes," was her answer. The two of them started out. The opposing side jumped in their way.

"Get out of our way!" Love growled.

"You are going to come with us," one of the norns said.

"Think again!" Love yelled and pulled out at sword. He started at them. Peace grabbed her sword and began to help him.

"You fight well, my dear norns," a voice said and Love looked up. A tall, yet not handsome Shee stood there. Peace gasped at him and he laughed. "Ah! That's what I like to see!"

"I suggest you leave them alone!" Said a new voice. A projection of a human girl stood in front of the norns.

"And what are you going to do to stop me?" He asked. The human looked over at Love and saw the cape.

"This!" She yelled and injected herself into Love then she came out. "I was a champion fencer! He knows everything I know! The one with cape will fight as the prophesy foretold!"

The Shee laughed with delight at the small norn who didn't seem to be at all afraid. The Shee jumped down to face him. They both pulled out their swords and began to fight. The swords clashed like the mighty thunder in the sky. Each of them taking their wins and loses. Finally, it happened. As the Shee went in for the kill, Love plunged his sword threw the other's heart.

"We won!" Said Love with more than minor excitement. However, when her was hit, the other lost control of the sword and it sliced Peace's belly.

"Mmm," she winced. The human girl came over to her.

"Will she live?" Love asked.

"Yes, but the baby is almost dead," the human said.

"Who are you?" Peace choked out.

"You know me as the hand. My name is Catalina, though," she answered. She sighed at the sight. "I can help it, but I will need your consent."

"Anything! What is it you want?" Love asked.

"I believe I can inject my life force into it. If it was a boy, it'll be a girl. It will possess all of the knowledge of a hand as it grows. It will live for a much longer period of time than the rest of the norns and it will need to be cared for as long as it is a child," Catalina answered.

"Of course!" Peace said and Love nodded. Catalina smiled and closed her eyes. She injected herself into the child.

"Are you well, Peace?" Love asked and she nodded.

"So is our child," was her reply. The two of them went to the parts of Albia that they could use to destroy all of the life on Albia. They set the time and ran for the ship.

"Let's go!" Peace yelled and Intelly nodded. He got the thing to work and they were off. The earth crumbled beneath them and they prayed the could get out of there.

"Come on!" Intelly yelled at the ship in hopes that it would help. Finally, they rose into the atmosphere and away from the planet.

"Good-bye Albia," Peace whispered. "And good luck."

The norns, the grendels, and some hitchhikers called ettins all waited for their next home to arrive. Each of them not knowing what dangers their next home would bring.