Asgardian Angst: Day (Does it even matter?)

Asgardian Angst: Day (Does it even matter?)

Goodbye beloved brother.

It's been one year since Balder died. Father and Mother still refuse to look me in the eye. He isn't coming back. Of all the gods and beings in Asgard, Balder was the only one who wasn't immortal. How was I to know?

I will go down in legend the way of Cain of the Hebrews, forever known as the one who slaughtered my brother. And for what?  A foolish, yet fatal, prank.

"It's just a bit of fun," I said. I choke on those words now. They stick in my throat like knives.

I could take it all back if I could. I would have never told Holder that Balder had kissed his wife. I would have never climbed the Great Oak to retrieve the mistletoe. And I would have never dared Balder to prove his invulnerability.

I would leap in front of him and allow that arrow to pierce my heart.

The pain would be so much less than what I carry now.

It is so hard for me to face the others in the Great Hall. Despite my younger brother's death, I am expected to wear a smile, to play the part of the jester.

They'll be sorely disappointed today. To be the clown is just not within my heart now. Maybe someday, but not now.