With your eyes on the floor, you rounded a corner and kept on running. It was weird but the hairs in the back of your neck kept on standing up straight.

A shiver of icy fear crawled up your back and tied your throat. Hastily you threw a glance over your shoulder.

There he was, Tyr, the one and only Aesir who gave you comfort. His appearance reminded you of home. He felt familiar.

But in this very moment it seemed that this was the worst he could be.

A giant.

"What is troubling you?", he asked in a soft voice, fully aware that something wasn't right with you.

Even though you hasn't voiced it he was able to feel that you were upset. And he worried.

"You're such a caring man, lord Tyr...", you breathed with a smile and tried to banish the unsettling feeling from your mind. "Some might want to take advantage of it."

"I am soft because I can afford to be. However, I am not naive."

"Wise words from a wise man... As always. You... never fail to mesmerise me."

"So do you.", he said without missing a beat.

It was such a sincere thing to say that it took you by surprise. All of a sudden you froze, turned on your heel and looked up at him.

With your lips pressed into a thin line you glared up at him, your hands clenched into fists.

Calmly, he looked down on you. The gold of his eyes seemed to shimmer in the dark. Almost as if somebody had taken a pair of stairs to embed them in his skull for all eternity to be admired.

You liked those eyes, even though they weren't naturally given to him. They were gifts from your people. And yet you loved them just as much as everything about him.

Perhaps they even were your favourite thing.

Heat made your cheeks feel like they were on fire. It rose all the way up to your head where it made every thought spin. As soon as you caught yourself drifting off, you shook your head to regain control.

"You shouldn't say such things.", you finally said.

"Say what?", he asked, one eyebrow raised, head tilted to the side while some of the glass beads in his beard tingled.

You caught your fingers twitch. The desire to let them run through his soft, slightly messy hair crawled up your stomach.

"Kind words to a peasant.", you turned your eyes away to avoid further strange feelings. "I am a mere human to help you in your godly duties. It is unwise to treat me as if I'm..."

"Something better?", an old voice suddenly asked, a slight chuckle dancing through the shadows.

Blood froze in your veins. Your entire body felt like it was about to crumble to dust.

You were so caught up in fear that you didn't even notice as Tyr grabbed you by the wrist to gently pull you closer to him. His hands rested on your shoulders as you stood in front of him, your back pressed to his stomach.

He was calm on the outside, but you knew him well enough to know that his mind already searched for a way to resolve this situation.

The shadows around you trembled. It felt like the wind had disappeared and an icy breeze sweeped through the dark corridors.

"Allfather.", Tyr lowered his head in a respective manner as a man of old age stepped from the dark.

You didn't even know where he came from. All of a sudden he was just there, right in front of you.

With a hum and a nod, the old, white haired man in a blue and green robe bowed his head as well to greet his son.

"It's not often that I see you down here, Tyr.", Odin said with a glance at you. "You could have send a raven. I would have prepared a warmer welcome."

Your eyes refused to meet his. Frozen, you looked down to the floor while the feeling of death rose to your throat and lock you in a chokehold.

With more of a curious shimmer in his old eyes, the Allfather tilted his head to get closer to you. As if he was approaching a child.

"No word of respect for me?", he asked with a smile.

It gave you the chills.

Swallowing hard, you took a sharp breath and bowed so deep that your forehead almost touched your knees.

"My forgiveness, Allfather.", you managed to press out. "I didn't mean to disrespect you."

A soft huff escaped him.

"No worries. I don't feel disrespected. Please, get up. A friend of my son is a welcome guest to me."

"I am but a simple help."

"Please, no false modesty.", Tyr said with a smile, perhaps because he meant it but most likely since he felt just as uncomfortable in his fathers presence as you. "(Y/N) has helped me with... all sorts of things. I feel like my studies finally connect."

"Oh?", one of Odin's eyebrows rose.

As it moved, you noticed that there was a small scar visible on this pale skin of his. Or at least it looked like a scar. But as you squinted your eyes you noticed that there was a strange shimmer to it.

Almost like magic.

The Allfather seemed to be a man with caution. He noticed you stare so he turned to face you with a direct smile.

"You seem to have a good eye.", he said as he stepped closer so that you could see better and let two fingers rund along the spot.

You hated to be an arms length away from him. It made you uncomfortable and feel threatened.

But it was unwise to be rude to the god of gods. So you played along.

"You seem injured, king Odin.", you said after your eyes briefly had scanned the spot.

Indeed, there was a magical shimmer just above where his lashes started. It looked poisonous but you failed to pick up a scent that could have screamed warning.

"I am.", Odin rubbed his eye. "Not entirely, but still. It will be useless soon. I'll loose my eye."

"Have you been experimenting again, father?", Tyr asked. "I thought you had given up on it."

"Cut the fake worry, Tyr. Come. I'll show you."