I was a good girl.
I was the perfect girl.
The perfect daughter.
I don’t know what it was, but I had always been like this.
I had a nice life with great parents.
Life wasn’t that difficult for me. I mean besides my hearing loss, and the fact that I wasn’t the top figure skater like I wanted to be, but that just humbled me I guess.
I mean, I won gold in couples with Otto literally a few months ago.
Me…gold.
I wanted it again.
But instead of practicing, we were getting married.
Apparently that’s what gods did.
They got married.
Right away.
What? Who would have known? I thought they were eternal anti-marriage whores. But no. Marriage was an important union for the gods.
“Every marriage between gods decides the fate of the world Blaise.” My mom Arlette had told me softly, when I had sat down with her, after having gotten proposed to. “And your marriage to Otto Lightwing, is going to ensure the fate of the world remains in the proper hand.”
I nodded. But everything was so confusing. Everything happening at once. I didn’t understand anything. And I knew it pained my parents. For some reason, I feel if they could have kept me from learning about myself, they would have.
My parents were peaceful. I knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt. I knew that growing up, and maybe that’s why I am, the way I am. They were kind, they loved nature and they were protective.
I tried so hard to live like them.
“We just want you to be safe.” My father Alevine had told me. “You’re a very special child. Were you to fall into the wrong hands, that could be detrimental to life itself.”
What did that even mean.
I had just nodded.
Be a good girl.
Listen to your parents.
Keep your hedonistic ways on lock for only when you’re around Kelly. The only person I’d ever truly been myself around.
So since I was living in a foggy bubble for the past couple of months, I figured why try to understand now?
Especially when I didn’t feel like my life was in danger.
I mean who would even believe me.
He looked like Otto.
He talked like Otto.
He had the same laugh as Otto.
The same mannerism.
Was I mistaken?
Did it even make sense?
Everybody else around us at the gathering couldn’t tell the difference so why could I?
Because he didn’t fuck me like Otto?
Who would believe that?
Besides my parents and ‘Otto’ with me, I knew nobody else on this secluded island off the coast of Iceland.
So many faces, so many names, stares, laughs, gossips.
I was lost.
But that made me cling to ‘Otto’ even more.
My parents, seemed as uncomfortable as I did. They’d purposefully avoided all these gatherings of the gods hadn’t they? They tried to send me reassuring smiles.
‘You ready?’ ‘Otto’ signed to me. I blinked quickly. Otto had learned to sign? No wait, it’s not the real Otto…this person. I nodded.
He smiled knowingly and pointed to his ear.
I reached up and adjusted my ear. Turning the volume up a little more. I locked eyes with him, wondering when he’d seen me mute out the noise.
He was exceptionally attentive.
Otto was a great guy….but Otto ignored my ‘disability’ as if it didn’t exist.
Who was this?
“All you have to do.” ‘Otto stepped in front of me talking low but moving his lips in a manner that made it extremely easy for me to read.
I liked that.
“Is focus on me. It’ll be quick. 2 minutes top.”
I stared at him in shock. That’s it. That’s how long the ceremony would last?
Oh I see. I looked around as everybody moved to the beautifully decorated grand hall. The actual marriage was 2 minutes. The rest of the day long wedding was for partying. Not necessarily for us, but for themselves. Oh that sounded a lot more godlike like I had imagined.
A very tall and slim woman dressed in green with long black hair and green eyes passed us before entering the hall, but then stopped in her tracks.
I know because I was admiring her, not just her height, but her face and eyes had given off a semblance of familiarity.
I smiled at her, but her expression remained serious as her eyes quickly looked Otto up and down, and then again slower, before turning to me. I kept the smile on my face. She tilted her head and gave me the briefest of nod, before giving Otto one more look. I don’t know what she was looking for, but she must not have found it because she gave us a dismissive look. “Congratulations.” And kept walking towards the hall.
The thing is…it wouldn’t have been such a big deal if the smile on Otto’s face hadn’t twitched into a small smirk as he watched the tall skinny lady disappear in front of us.
Did he know her?
“Who is she?” I whispered.
Otto fixed his face and smiled at me as he took my hands in his. “I’m not sure, but I think she’s a giantess.”
“A giantess?” I responded.
Otto shrugged. “Or a goddess….depending on who you ask.” He shifted his eyes to me. “She’s nobody.”
“She’s beautiful…in a different way. She seems very different to the other gods around here.” I replied.
Otto squeezed my hand, and I don’t think he noticed, but he was staring down at me with an unreadable expression.
“What?”
He sighed and looked away. “She’s weak. None of the other gods care about her. You don’t have to either.” He pulled me closer with a big smile. “Let’s get blessed by that ol’ one eyed Magnus no?”
I nodded and followed him. For someone who said he didn’t know her, he seemed to know a lot about her.
“Tell me Blaise…” ‘Otto whispered as we walked down the shimmering hall towards the throne where a tall burly man with a long white beard that didn’t match his youthful face stood. He had a golden eye patch and held on to a tall scepter. On either side of his body hovering were two ravens perched staring deeply at ‘Otto’ and I. One raven kept twitching his head as he beamed his gaze on us. Creepy. By his feet were two large wolves sleeping. One grey, the other black.
Otto smiled proudly. “How does this end? Do I marry you today?”
I stared at him in confusion as we kept walking. But I somehow knew the answer to the ridiculous comment. “Yes.”
Otto chuckled. The first time, his laugh did not sound like his own, but still sounded familiar. “Good.”
“Welcome!”
I covered my ear at the loud explosion. ‘Otto’ looked to me with a frown. The whole room seemed to vibrate as different melodic pitches resonated from everywhere around us. I saw my mother who stood off to the side with my dad grimace at my expression.
I tried to smile, and let her know I was okay. But the ringing was too loud, stumbled. My shaking hand went up to my ear, but ‘Otto’ got there before me. His hand covered my ear. My eyes widened as I stared at him in shock. My heart racing as his thumb adjusted the volume to drown out the noise.
Otto had never touched my ear.
‘You don’t have to hear.’ He mouthed to me. ‘Sorry, I forgot about this part. It’s my first wedding after all.’ He grinned mischievously. ‘I’ll let you know when to say forever and eternity.’
I nodded, feeling my knees grow weak.
I shot my parents a quick look of comfort. They were already so nervous standing a few feet away from Otto’s parents.
‘Otto’ was doing things to me that I didn’t understand. That simple gesture stirred in me, a dire need in the pits of my belly. When he touched me…I shot him a look…when he touched me….i looked down at the translucent platform seeing the sea below us.
I was a good girl.
I gave my parents one final warm look as we stopped at the edge of the platform.
I looked up to Magnus, his entire frame seemed almost blinding. I couldn’t really define his features except for the obvious. I quickly snuck a look around but everybody was focused on Magnus and his speech. About love, about trials. I looked to ‘Otto’ who was watching me.
He smiled.
I smiled back.
I’m a good girl.
But…
I took a deep breath as an old scroll appeared before us.
‘Otto’ handed me the quill. ‘Sign your name at the bottom.’
I took it and signed. He watched me.
Blaise Signy Garnier
‘Otto’ smiled brightly as he took the quill from me. He didn’t hold back his smile as he turned the scroll towards him and signed. I tried to look over, but he chuckled and closed the scroll. It disintegrated in the air and everybody clapped.
The tall lady again. She was making her way through the crowd, a confused expression on her face. I could see her from over ‘Otto’s’ shoulder, it wasn’t hard she was easily a head taller than most of the other people around her.
‘Otto’ grabbed my arm tightly. “Now, say it now.”
I snapped my attention back to him.
“Say it Blaise.” His fingers dug into my skin. For a moment he almost seemed panic, desperate.
“For-forever and eternity.” I spoke out feeling a strange warm sensation pass through me.
I moved my head. What was the commotion? I could hear the slight noise and a faint calling out, I turned my face towards the back of the room.
‘Otto’ grabbed my face, turning my attention back to him, his eyes turning a beautiful teal green. “Forever and eternity.” He said quickly before smashing his lips against mine.
I would have kissed him back except something was happening, the noise louder.
“No!” The shout sounded so far away from me.
Otto released my lips, turning my face allowing me to look behind us.
There in his black trousers, ruffled torn white button down, and scuffed leather stood Otto. His mouth open in anguish, arms reached put towards me.
“Oh no.” ‘Otto’ pouted as he pressed his cheek against mine. “He looks devastated.”
I moved my head to look up at ‘Otto’ and then to Otto.
I quickly brought my hand up to adjust my ear.
“Blaise, Blaise!” I heard my mother’s panic cry from behind trying to reach me amidst the moving crowd.
“What? What’s going on?”
“Why is there two of them?”
“Blaise, move away from him!”
“Who are you?”
“What’s going on.”
“It’s—-“
The tall woman in green broke from the crowd. Her expression a mixture of sadness and anger. “Luke Liesmith!”
I turned back to ‘Otto’ who seemed unfaze.
I heard the name Luke being whispered throughout the crowd.
“Luke?”
“Told you, you belong to me.” He chuckled and put his hands out dramatically. “Watch this Blaise.” He winked at me and moved his hands quickly, the entire island began to shake.
“Blaise!”
I felt my father’s arms wrap around me as everybody moved all at once.
I cried out at the sharp ringing in my ear felt like my head was on the verge of exploding. I dropped to the ground. My parents now both cradling me. So much noise.
So much fucking noise!
“SSSTTOOOOOPPP!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, clamping my hands over me ears, squeezing my eyes shut. “SSSTTTOOOOOPPPP!”
**
A pillow hit my face
I groaned and opened sleepy eyes, towards my bedroom door.
My best friend and roommate Kelly stood at my door in her matching Calvin Klein underwear set. ‘Get up. You really want to be late to the first practice of your senior year. Zoe will fucking eat us alive.’ She signed quickly.
I groaned and sat up in confusion, looking around my bedroom. My bedroom. The bedroom I shared with Kelly off campus. Senior year. Our senior year.
I threw the covers off. ‘What the fuck, I had the strangest dream.’ I signed back
Kelly laughed. ‘I heard dreams to gods always mean something.’
I groaned touching my ear. It was more of a comforting gesture. I put the volume up as best as I could. I was quickly losing hearing but these implants were good enough. “Say something.”
“Ass outta bed Blaise!” Kelly yelled turned around, showing off her cute plump butt as she walked away
I adjusted, her voice sounded underwater. “I can’t even remember it. I think I married Otto.”
“Oh Otto wishes you would marry him!”
She still sounded underwater, but I didn’t care. I reached up and turned it off. I wouldn’t really need it until we were with other people anyways. “Kelly, I turned off my ears.”
She walked back by my bedroom and gave me a thumbs up. ’20 minutes’
“Shit!”
**
“What? That’s not fair?”
“Why do they always let the hockey players pick first!”
“Who cares if they got silver last year. They didn’t win the championship!”
“Zoe got gold!”
“Yeah and Otto and Blaise got gold!”
“Why is hockey the favorite?”
“We should revolt.”
“They should just build another rink.”
“Uggghh all they do is shove each other on the ice.”
Somebody cleared their throat.
Everyone of us turned around, Otto’s arms around my shoulder. Kelly by my side.
Brett, the hocky captain smiled seductively at Zoe. “Medecii, sorry sweetheart, I forgot to email you the new schedule for this year.”
Zoe moved from the schedule on the wall and turned to the 6’4 blond Canadian. She crossed her arms over her chest and moved her long strawberry blond ponytail back. “We went over it for weeks. Why the switch up Molier?”
“We got a new player.” He grinned and stepped forward, his arm looking massive next to Zoe’s small frame as he touched her chin. “Be a doll.”
Zoe smacked his hand away and he laughed. “You little girls can come back tomorrow.”
“Hey.” Otto put his hand up.
Alan, Chris, Tobias and Heath rolled their eyes at the captain in annoyance.
Brett chuckled and walked past us to open the door to the rink. We watched as the rest of the boys in their bulky get up and stupid sticks walked past….and then we all collectively stopped, even Zoe perked up.
There’d been rumors.
They’d signed on a rare talent to ensure the championship this year. Canadian born Swedish center Adam Larsson. 6’3, dark strawberry blond hair and piercing green eyes. He was strong but not as bulky as Brett. He didn’t wear his shoulder pads like the rest of his teammates so we all got an immaculate view of his broad and defined pecs underneath his black underarmour.
My mouth dropped open as he stepped forward with his teammates.
We were all staring at him. All of us.
Kelly reached over and tapped my chin up, so I could close my mouth. I looked at her and she smirked.
Otto looked at me.
Adam passed as he nodded at something Jorge was instructing him. He didn’t look my way but I fucking wish he had.
I even turned to see his back disappear behind the double doors, as did everybody else. It was a couple seconds of silence before the skaters all broke up into a frenzy.
“Oh my God did you see him.”
“He’s so fucking hot!”
“Oh he is fiiiiooooonnneee.”
Kelly nudged me. ‘Stop drooling.’
I chuckled.
“What did you tell her?” Otto asked.
My best friend sighed heavily. “How about you learn some ASL?”
“It’s hard. I tried.”
I ignored them, my heart racing.
Oh….oh he was so my type. I’m gonna fuck him.