Chapter Twenty-Six Mist

M y world was a haze. A thick blanket of desperation and unimaginable sadness hung over my senses, drowning out the world around me. I barely felt the heat of the sun anymore or the touch of Baldr’s hand against my skin. My gaze followed him as he got up and pulled out his mother’s spellbook, casting a simple spell to guide us along the path that would take us home. However, it wasn’t until he physically lifted me to my feet that I really began to notice anything again. Even then, the world had turned gray to me once more. Despite the wildflowers in the fields and the lush greenery around us, I could feel no joy.

My mate was going to die. The man I loved more than anything, that I’d only just gotten to touch for the first time two days ago, was being ripped away from me. There was no greater cruelty I could think of and I couldn’t figure out how to stop it from happening either. Baldr wasn’t going to stay in Asgard, not with his family in danger. And I couldn’t blame him. But I didn’t have enough control over my power to save him. I was as good as useless and then some. The weight of that realization threatened to crush me to death. And for a moment, I wished it would. At least that way I wouldn’t have to watch Baldr die right in front of my eyes.

HIs arms steadied me as I swayed on my feet, his grip firm but gentle, as though he feared I might shatter beneath his touch. His eyes flitted over me, bright and unrelenting, the way they always were when he was trying to read my thoughts. But this time, I didn’t meet his gaze. I couldn’t bear to let him see the defeat in my soul, the hopelessness carved into every inch of me. So, with nothing more than a soft nudge, we gathered up our things and headed out of the forest.

Before we left the cover of the trees, I noticed a small golden thread connected to Baldr’s chest. It took me a moment to realize it was the magic he’d cast, the one that would show us the way home. The power it took was almost negligible and even through the bond, I couldn’t feel it draining either one of us. However, the fate that tiny thread connected to was more powerful than anything I’d ever witnessed in my life. How would I learn to live without him? And would I even want to?

Out in the sunlight the thread was harder to see, but Baldr followed it, nonetheless. It seemed to follow the river, which didn’t surprise me considering what the spirit guide had told me the day before. The river was the key to going home. I caught myself wishing it would suddenly dry up so we couldn’t return at all.

Baldr glanced back at me as we walked, his silver hair catching the light in a way that made him seem almost unearthly. Even now, with shadows of fate looming heavy over us, he radiated an effortless strength, a quiet resolve that only made my torment worse. He had no idea how deeply it hurt to look at him, to see the life still burning so brightly in his eyes while knowing it would be extinguished far too soon.

“You’ll trip if you keep dragging your feet like that,” he said softly, the corner of his mouth twitching into a faint smile. He was trying to lighten the moment again, though I could see the cracks in his facade. Not even Baldr could hide the worry pooling behind his eyes as much as he tried. I could feel it seeping into every corner of my brain thanks to our bond.

“I don’t care,” I muttered. My voice felt hollow even to me.

He stopped abruptly and turned toward me, his hand reaching out to gently cup my cheek. The warmth of his touch startled me—it always did—but this was different.

“Mist,” he said softly, the hint of a plea in his voice. “Don’t be like this. Not when we have so little time left together.”

I choked up immediately, tears forming in the corners of my eyes. Baldr, without missing a beat, wiped them away with his thumbs, putting on a smile for me.

“I want my journey to be full of laughter and smiles,” he said. “I know it’s hard… but this is all the time we have. So let’s make the best of it, okay?”

I stared at him for a long moment, wanting to scream, to argue, to tell him he was asking the impossible. But what kind of mate would I be if I forced him to live his last few days or even hours in a melancholy haze?

“O-Okay,” I croaked, forcing myself to speak at last. “I… I’ll try.”

He smiled, placing a soft kiss on my lips. “That’s all I can ask, baby. And thank you.” He pulled me into a firm hug, squeezing me tight. “I love you so much, Mist.”

“I love you too, Baldr.”

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to smile. With some effort, I managed to stamp down a few of my emotions, letting the more positive ones rise to the surface.

As we continued our journey along the river, I made a conscious effort to focus on the present moment, to soak in every detail of Baldr's presence beside me. The way the sunlight caught his hair, the rhythm of his breathing, the gentle pressure of his hand in mine—I committed it all to memory. I found I loved the way he glanced at me now and then with those beautiful golden eyes and the bond between us surged with affection. It seemed he just liked to look at me and that made me feel more loved than I thought possible. My very existence made him happy.

“Tell me about your favorite childhood memory,” I said, breaking the silence that had settled between us. Baldr looked at me, surprised but pleased to carry a conversation as well.

“Well,” he began, a nostalgic smile spreading across his face, “there was this one time when I was about seven. My father took me fishing down in one of the hollers at an old pond. It was just the two of us, no pack duties, no expectations. Just a father and son.”

As Baldr recounted the story, his eyes lit up with joy. He described how they'd spent hours by the water, talking and laughing the day away. At one point the seven-year-old Baldr had managed to hook at catfish bigger than himself and it had nearly pulled him into the pond. However, thanks to his father’s intervention, they were able to land the beast.

“It could have swallowed me whole!” Baldr laughed, his eyes glimmering in the sunlight. “Dad told that story every chance he got. He was so proud of me.”

“What about your mother?” I asked, grinning beside him. “Any good memories with her?”

Baldr nodded, his smile not losing its brightness for even a moment. “Yeah. When I first started having my visions… they came as nightmares. And she used to sit up and read me stories until I calmed down and went back to sleep. But when they began to grow stronger, we started meeting in the garden for witch lessons.”

“Witch lessons?” I laughed, raising my eyebrows. “I didn’t know there was such a thing.”

He nodded. “Of course there are! Mom had this beautiful garden tucked away behind the resort with a tiny gazebo in the center where she would read with her afternoon tea. I can’t tell you how many times I ended up right there beside her, playing in the grass or amongst the flowers.”

His gaze was far off, as if he were reliving those days in his mind. Through our bond I caught glimpses of happy summer days spent in the sun and a woman with bright silver hair like his staring down at him.

“And that’s where we had our lessons,” he continued. “Sometimes it was tarot, sometimes it was a crystal ball, and every now and then we’d do some magic spell together out of her book.” He reached out, caressing the golden thread that led us. “My brothers were always jealous of my power. They thought one day I might try to take over the pack because of it. But I didn’t practice to make myself powerful. I practiced because I loved spending time with her.” He pulled his hand away from the golden thread. “I didn’t know how precious those moments were until she was gone.”

I could hear the loss in his voice and feel it through our bond. It seemed a small part of him was missing, ripped away well before its time. The same feeling rose up whenever he talked about his father too. I couldn’t remember my parents, so I didn’t feel like I’d really lost anything. But Baldr had grown up with them, been raised by them, and formed an unshakeable bond with them. And now they were gone. It was cruel considering he was the youngest in his family. He’d gotten to spend the least amount of time with them and it seemed like he still needed them most.

“Remember when we first met?” Baldr asked, a mischievous glint in his eye as he changed the subject. “You were so flustered, you could barely string two words together.”

I felt a blush creep up my cheeks. “You were the first person beside Tyr that I’d met! And you weren't exactly Mr. Smooth yourself. I seem to recall you tripping over your own feet despite us standing still.”

He chuckled, squeezing my hand. “Fair point. But look at us now.”

The bittersweet irony of his words wasn't lost on me, but I pushed the sadness away. Instead, I focused on the warmth of his hand in mine, the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled. We walked in comfortable silence for a while, the golden thread guiding our way as the river flowed beside us.

As the day wore on, the landscape began to change. The lush forests gave way to rolling hills dotted with wildflowers. The air grew warmer, and I could smell the faint scent of salt on the breeze. When I asked him what it meant, he said we must’ve been nearing the coast. But try as I might, all I could see was tall green grass, the river, and the mountains growing ever closer.

“Look,” Baldr said suddenly, pointing ahead. “Do you see that?”

I squinted, following his gaze. In the distance, I could make out the jagged rock formation jutting out of the side of the mountain. But then I saw a bright gold shimmer. My heart skipped a beat. Was that where we were meant to go? Sure enough, as I took a harder look at the golden thread leading us on, I realized it was slowly tilting upward in that direction. The mountain was still a ways away, but no more than a day or two, which meant we were that much closer to returning home... and to Baldr's fate.

“Yeah,” I said, stamping down the fear inside of me. “That must be the way home, right?”

He nodded. “I think so. But it looks like we have a little time before then.”

“Right…”

We walked in tense silence for a while, the golden thread guiding our path. The river beside us burbled gently, its waters catching the sunlight in a dazzling display. I found myself ignoring the beauty around us, as if my senses had stopped working completely. The only thing I could focus on was Baldr.

“I never thought I'd find my mate,” I admitted suddenly, desperate for conversation to steady my mind. “Let alone someone as amazing as you.”

Baldr's smile softened, his eyes filled with tenderness as he glanced over at me. “I feel the same way about you, Mist. You're everything I never knew I needed.” He paused for a moment, lifting his nose to the air and breathing deeply. “You’ve never seen the ocean, have you?”

I shook my head. Of course I hadn’t. I’d been imprisoned for most of my life. It had made an appearance in several stories Baldr read to me, but I never understood what the big deal was. A big patch of water seemed like a silly thing to get awestruck about.

“Do you want to?”

“I guess,” I said tenuously. I didn’t know what to expect. All I knew is that we seemed to be in a never ending sea of grass. How we were supposed to find the ocean was beyond me. “What’s it look like?”

He pulled me up the rise to our left. “Come on. I’ll show you.”

As we crested the hill, my breath caught in my throat. Stretching out before us as far as the eye could see was an expanse of shimmering blue, meeting the sky at a distant horizon. The sinking sun glinted off the water's surface, creating a dazzling display of light that almost hurt to look at directly. I raised a hand to shield my eyes, but didn’t take them off the endless blue in front of me.

“Oh… It’s… really big,” I whispered, unable to find any other words.

Baldr squeezed my hand, a smile playing on his lips as he watched my reaction. “Beautiful, isn't it?”

I nodded, still speechless. The sheer vastness of it was overwhelming. I'd never seen anything so immense, so powerful yet serene at the same time. The gentle lapping of waves against the golden shore reached my ears, a soothing rhythm that seemed to calm my racing thoughts. For the first time that day, I felt some modicum of peace.

“Want to get closer?” Baldr asked, already tugging me towards the water.

“Yeah!” Then I paused. “Can… can we camp here tonight?”

Baldr looked at me, smiled, and nodded. “Of course we can.”

So, without a second thought, I allowed him to pull me toward the ocean, happy to have this memory with him to keep in my heart for all time.