To say Kratos was annoyed was an understatement. This task required them to set off explosives because regular weapons would not work on them. He did try many times, but nothing happened to them. But now, since they figured that out quickly, they could clear out the once-beautiful garden. They put the spirit to rest and found a piece of broken armor.

It was odd that the armor was scary across this place, but the dwarfs could walk threw realms and go anywhere they pleased. They didn't get that luxury, so they had to use the unique gateways they designed and the seeds. Kratos did wonder, since she was friends with that beast if she used her to travel threw realms to get to Midgard. It would make sense, but she seemed very much tied to Midgard.

They traveled more to find the orb, but he couldn't help but be suspicious of the woman. Why leave it behind if it was so important? That question kept resurfacing in his mind, like the worry his son was doing things behind his back again with Hilda or leaving without Sindri knowing about it. Hilda had to be helping him, and with Odin not showing up again, he had a bad feeling that she was somehow keeping him away.

Kratos knew she had no idea she was connected to Odin because that's how her bonds were broken, but that didn't mean she wasn't helping him now. He didn't want to believe it, especially since she had done so much for them, but Odin was crafty. Who would suspect a child helping Odin, certainly not one whose mother was murdered by him?

They fought nightmares along the way as they explored the new area that they were in. It wasn't new to Fraya, but things changed over the years she was away, so they had to be careful and keep a lookout for Odin. There were beautiful plants everywhere, and the place was warm, a lot warmer than Midgard. At least the cold air of fimble winter didn't corrupt this place. Hilda would be looking at all the homes, maybe even seeing if she could turn some of the sites into medicine. Time passed, and the silence was becoming uncomfortable for Mimir. He was about to say something when Kratos decided to speak instead.

"Something your brother said the Aser set him on fire?" Kratos asked.

"They did; Freyr thought he could ease the tensions behind them by sharing their magic with them," Mimir began.

"They didn't like how slow it was and when things went wrong, they blamed their teacher for it," Fraya informed.

"So he was a guest? Kratos asked.

"No, not exactly. Odin wanted to learn more about the magic to improve crop yields to feed their entire population. Getting burned by the lesser Aser was the reward. He was never the same after that. His once carefree nature was replaced by paranoia and nightmares. He also lashed out for a time, but that doesn't excuse his behavior at my wedding. I understand why he was angry," Fraya explained, "Do you think that Odin wanted his daughter back so he could marry her off for peace? Your son had taken an interest in women, jas he not?"

"I will not let my son marry just to bring peace. If that is what Odin's plans were for Hilda, he should have gotten her sooner and helped her instead of almost killing her several times. She has suffered greatly do his lack of care for her. But that has made her strong in many ways; without her, we would not be here, or at least Atreus wouldn't be," Kratos informed.

"I never knew of her existence or even what he did to her mother until it was too late. I feel responsible in a way, I could have prevented it, but I was stuck here in Midgard," Fraya sighed.

"There was nothing you could have done, I'm afraid. At least her mother was happy with Hilda and didn't kill her when she was born. I don't know she could find compassion for something she didn't want," Mimir explained.

"Her mother understood her child did not ask to come into the world like that," Kratos informed as they continued exploring the woods.

They came across a bridge and took it down to cross it. More monsters came around, and they quickly them. Fraya looked deep in thought and chose to leave her be until she looked at him. Everything was falling apart, and it seemed better to take this down. It wasn't safe, and no one used it; the plants were reclaiming it, and so were the monsters that loved here.

"I used to be able to recall every one of my people's faces. I have been feeling God's love for too long," Fraya informed.

"I once felt the same; at the time, I thought my wife was mortal. But I loved her anyway and married her," Kratos informed.

"All the pain we go through watching people die, our children, our friends. The Dwarfs won't live long either, and Hilda will be without parents again," she sighed as they took out another bridge, but it turned out to be a dead end.

"This place used to be another place of worship; how did this place get mistreated?" Fraya asked, seeing a chest.

She opened it up and found some armor, making her look at it confused. It was Lúnda's armor, but there was nothing else there besides the cursed ground that was drenched in Nacromancey magic. The place was beautiful, though, even with the area covered in the swamp. They backtracked and went back to the boat Fraya looked at Mimir, and a question crossed her mind. Mostly she wanted to know if it hurt him to get his head chopped off.

"Did chopping off your head hurt you?" She asked, making Mimir scoff a bit.

"What do you want me to say? That it tickled, I will have you know I didn't feel anything but a scratch. Kratos's aim was true and swift, wasn't it, brother?" He asked.

"Shame," Fraya said as she looked out on the water.

"Fraya, there was something that I always wanted to ask you; what did that Hrimthur whisper to you?" He asked.

"Who?" Fraya asked.

"That Mysterious stone mansion that built the wall around Asgard," Mimir clarified.

"Oh, I had no idea about the bet since Odin didn't think he could lose. I wish I could say that was the worst of his husbandly qualities. The bet was that the mansion had to build the wall within three turns of the season; if he failed, he would be owed nothing. If he succeeded, he would be owed an audience with the queen," she informed as they came to another stretch of land.

"It was two! Two turns!" Mimir informed.

"Enough, we have a task at hand," Kratos informed.

"Did you know there is a tree of the dead? It's where all of the Odin ravens go once they are done looking around the realms. I haven't seen one raven since we started our journey; that isn't a good sign. If we see them, we should kill them," Mimir informed.

"They will be hard to spot, but you can hear them if they are close. I haven't heard them either. Do you think they are looking for Hilda?" Fraya asked.

"It is a possibility, despite Atreus's actions in Midgard, he still cares for you," Kratos informed.

"I know, I raised a son too, and it may be hard to believe, but he was similar to Atreus when he was his age. He looked up to his father and did everything Odin asked of him, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get his father's approval. It frustrated him greatly. He looked to me for comfort when his father held it from home. I wonder if your son could benefit too," she informed.

"He has befriended Sindri, the blue one's brother, and may have taken an interest in Hilda due to her hard life. But she is a reflection of Sindri," Kratos informed.

"Oh well, since Sindri and Hilda got it covered, I suppose there is no room for me in his life anymore, is there?" She asked sarcastically.

The water splashed against the boat as he paddled. He hoped they were going the right way this time. It didn't matter since he gave Atreus time to think about his actions. Hopefully, he was going to learn that he was wrong and that he needed to be on the path that Kratos wanted him to be on. Away from all the violence and needless bloodshed. He made several bad choices, and Kratos didn't wish Atreus to be like him. He wanted him to be better than him.

"That isn't what I meant," Kratos informed.

"That was sarcasm," Fraya smiled, "I'm glad he has her, but I'm still worried. Odin is a monster, and if Hilda finds out that Atreus is the cause of her suffering and actions, she may lash out at him. She may be calm and forgiving now, but Odin may use her in ways we don't see yet. Has she told you what happened to her before finding Sindri?"

"No, but she did say she was violent and aggressive. She told us how she took care of the cannibals. Even after all she has done and admitted to, Atreus would still allow her to sleep in his bed," Kratos informed.

"Did she say how long she was alone?" Fraya asked.

"Almost a year," Mimir informed.

"Plenty of time for Odin to kill her; why didn't he?" Fraya asked as they came across a broken bridge, and they went across it.

"I don't know; that alone is alarming. Hilda's powers are strong, but maybe those spells on her kept her safe," Mimir explained.

"The ravens would have seen her. Do you think it has something to do with her saving Atreus?" Kratos asked.

"It could be Hilda never slept; she went into people's heads. It could be why their bond is strong now. Her powers might be stronger than all of us realize," she informed as they went up some stairs to raise a gate that prevented them from passing. They headed back to the boat and continued on their journey.

"We are close to the spot where I got married, the waterfalls. There is a gate that I will have to open, but I have to open it from a different vantage point," Fraya informed.

"More climbing, lovely; I can look out over the land," he said as they climbed.