?Must you simply stand there looking all melancholy and forlorn?? Sephina huffed as she regarded the sulking form trying to melt into the walls of the great hall.

The doe eyed mess of dark curls did not say a word as she escaped the shadows which failed to swallow her up. Her mouth twisted inwards, teeth chewing on the edge of her lower lip as she watched the statuesque blond eyed beauty standing before her.

?That?s a poor habit.? Sephina?s reprimand was mild at first, but soon sharpened. ?Stop that! You look revoltingly insecure. Do you not remember who you are? Do you not remember what you are??

Releasing her lip, her eyes lowered to the stone floor as the shame showed itself on her face. ?Yes Miss Sephina. I do.? Clenching her hands together in front of her, she was wringing her fingers in a tangle worse than muddy brown shade of her hair.

The disgust was clear in Sephina?s tone now as she spoke, ?How ever did you find your way back to Valhalla? You are too tainted with weakness to be of any use to us. Your rebirth is taking too long. You lack the voice to strike fear or command forces. You are even unworthy of that uneven wingspan of yours.? An abrupt jerk of a swift hand ripped dark feathers from her back, blood dripped from the plucked ends.

Choking back a cry out as she stared at the droplets of crimson on the floor, Grace lifted her head slowly to look back at the woman. No tears were shed, instead she simply stared at back her with wide eyes. ?I tried.? Grace finally managed an answer to the question given to her.

?You tried?!? Incredulous and outraged, a fist still clutching bloodied feathers was brought up and slammed into Grace?s jaw. ?There is no trying. You either do it, or you do not.?

Her head snapped to the right, long hair flying as she turned. A hand collected on her face as she released a bit of a laugh, much to Sephina?s surprise. Her surprise only grew when Grace lifted her head again and offered her other cheek while spitting blood off to her left.

When their eyes met, Sephina sneered and pointed to the massive doors at the opposite end of the room. ?Get out of my sight. Come back when you are worthy and act as the warrior you are.?

As Grace escaped with her lingering shame, her hand smoothed over the tender area where feathers were lost behind her.

Someday, they would respect her again. If only she could remember how it had happened before.

For now she was just a shy young girl who was awkwardly grasping at the lingering remains of her old soul.

Thursday, May 8th

?Hey, while you were out a package was left for you,? was how Sam greeted Grace as she walked back inside the gym.

Pausing with a blink just past the entrance, her hands suddenly tugged on the edge of her t-shirt before her feet began working in time with her mouth. ?For me?? The surprise was still registering within her as she reached the front desk and the long package in brown paper and white note attached.

?Yeah, never seen them before. Go ahead and put it with your stuff and clock back in. I?ve got a class starting up in fifteen and I?ll need your help with the ropes.?

?Oh, yes sir.? Releasing her shirt and nodding vigorously, Grace picked up the heavy package and moved to set it with her things. The curiosity concerning its contents would have to be pushed aside till later that evening.

After her shift, Grace found herself cradled within the confines of her hidden away hammock above the climbing platforms of the gym where she worked. The package was laid across her legs as her hands held the handwritten note to read it. An obvious frown rested on her features when the handwriting was not one that she immediately recognized and should have been.

Grace,

I hope this note finds you well. As soon as I discovered that Sephina had sent you from our home I made sure to obtain this from the holdings so no other could take it from you. Please keep Grim Farwell close to you, in hopes that it will stir up the forgotten memories of your past. It is a part of you and knows you well.

I am not surprised to see that you have found yourself a home in rings of combat or at a training facility. Do not limit yourself to just one form of combat, but all of them. That is also why I bring your sword back to you, so you can rediscover your skills. They are still there, though they may be lost in the fog.

No matter how long this process may take, know that I am certain of your return. Remember that your namesake is not only in reference to your poise, but your unyielding mercy and compassion. Both of which are things that Sephina has never understood in all of her lifetimes.

With all of my love,

Your Friend.

Upon opening the package, Grace discovered an old weathered long sword. The only thing she had from home that was truly hers. Immediately she scooped it up and held it close as though it was a security blanket tied with countless memories. But as she held it, nothing came flooding back to her.

The disappointment in that did not last long and was shortly replaced with thoughtfulness as she picked up the other item in the package. It was a drawing of a young woman in battle armor, spotted with blood, a wide eyed stare, faint smile and a mess of brown curls.

It was Grace, only older.

http://i1349.photobucket.com/albums/p745/coconnor730/Gracedrawing_zps86c2a59d.jpg

Saturday, July 19th

Standing at the bottom of the marbled steps that led into the massive Hall at the base of the pathway leading her to Valhalla, to home, Grace ran her thumb over the topside of the ring around her finger. It had been three months or so since she had been cast out from the world that she knew, from the world that she loved even though she could not remember all of it or her past.

Looking down to the ring she had been given for her success in the Duels of Magic, Grace bit her lower lip in uncertainty. Is the Ring of Klytus enough of an offering to regain my position and home in Valhalla? The question rolled around in her head continuously and her insecurity left her feet feeling as though they had been carved out of stone, too heavy to move and leaving her a statue at the bottom step of her home.

?Take every chance. Drop every fear.?

Alert and confused, Grace looked around for the source of the voice with wide eyes and came up with no one. Her confusion was still apparent when she looked up to the top of the stairs and saw Sephina sneering on her way down the marble steps.

?What are you doing here? You are not welcome here.?

?I want to come back home Sephina.? Still confused, but pleading her case to the Valkyrie. ?Please.?

Hate me when I?m gone, I?ll make it worth your while when I?m successful.
But when I?m here I need your kindness cause the climb is always stressful.
Clumsily gassed myself by thinking I?ll be better off alone.
I?ll leave my peace in pieces all around the decent people back at home.

A sound of disgust dropped from Sephina?s mouth as she closed the distance between her and Grace. ?Begging to come home? What has it been? A few months and still nothing has changed about you.? Gesturing to the seemingly younger woman as her laughter, manic and dismissive followed. ?What makes you think that you?re worthy now??

Aware that they were starting to draw a crowd, Grace looked up and saw others standing off to the side, blonde hair and white feathers fluttering easily in the faint and pleasant breeze. It was a clear struggle, but she somehow managed to speak.

?I am not begging. I am asking for you to reconsider my banishment. I am?.I am fighting down in Rhydin and I have showed promise in their dueling rings. The leaders have given me this ring for my success in their magic duels.? Grace looked down to her hand and then attempted to remove the ring, but it would not budge from her finger. Masking her confusion with a frown, she looked back up to Sephina before continuing. ?I am starting to regain memories of battle, of how to fight. And I am eager to return and continue my transition here.?

Cause I?m a big girl an adult now or nearly.
If I pull the wool back from my eyes I can see clearly.
The world is at my feet and I am standing on the ceiling.
And I fall, fall, fall, when it comes down.
And I won?t be crushed by the weight of this town.
I fall from the sky, but I won?t fall forever.
I fall but when I?ll rise I?ll be stronger than ever.

?A little ring? That cheap man made artifact is hardly a good enough reason to allow for you to return. I think it?s obvious that you?ve become foolish and delusional if you believed such a trinket would allow you to unlock the door for your return.?

Unlock the door? Do I need a key?

Grace?s shoulders sank at the clear rejection, but her hand adorned with the ring curled into a fist. ?It is not a cheap or common artifact, but grants additional strength. Sephina, it would be better if I was at home with such a ring where my own kind can teach me how to control this. Let me return. Please.? Her voice was now solid and unwavering, but her last word still held an edge of eagerness.

?So what you?re telling me is that you?re weak. And that the humans gave you a ring for a few minor successes in a game.? Sephina rolled her eyes and waved her hands dismissively to Grace. ?Ova, Rota. Get this pathetic sight away from me. Her presence is tainting the Glory and Honor that was carved into these very steps.?

Official man, delusions grand and now I?m a free agent.
I?m here to make a stand for causes I don?t understand and make a statement.
I fall short on knowledge, I don?t even watch the news.
Can?t be arsed with college, it?s nothing but a human zoo.

The twins grimly moved closer to Grace, one on each side and nodded to her as they spoke in unison, ?Miss Grace, we think you should go.? Their touch was light and firm on her arms and attempted to coax her away from the entrance and away from the others.

?No! I deserve to be here!? Her shout was unexpected, more so was the jerk away from both of the twins as they pulled their hands from her.

?Sephina! You will not keep me from my rightful place. I belong here!? Shoving the twins aside further with a sudden flare of strength, Grace lunged forward for Sephina at the base of the steps.

Slamming immediately into an invisible shield, the realization that Grace couldn?t return home now was made evident, there was more than simply Sephina in her path. The woman?s laughter echoed in her ears.

?You see? You are not strong enough. You are not worthy.?

I?m not defeated, I believe that I can turn this ship around.
Destroy the status quo until I know I found a common ground.
I?m not alone, I?m just focused in my zone, this is easy.
I?m fine, I just need time to turn this into home, I?m good, believe me.
Believe me when I say I?m gonna be
Big explosions crack through thunderous mountains
Hearts exploding, minds, volcanoes pop and blow.

Anger burned like a raging wildfire from her core and outwards as Grace stumbled backwards from the steps. One fist became two as normally wide eyes narrowed and glared with a raging fury up to the smug Valkyrie.

?I. Am. Stronger. Than. Ever.? A clipped tone escaped her tightened jaw.

Sephina only continued to laugh and it was enough to tip the scales and open the flood gates of the angered Valkyrie?s wraith. Grace turned her focus on her then.

Eyes faded into two deep black holes on her face while her features faded into the blank canvas of a skull with wild dark brown curls flowing from the top of it. Grace?s wings abruptly extended themselves, misshapen and off kilter but still massive, before the ground began to shake and rumble underneath their feet. The blissful and serene sky above was pushed back and gave way to dark rumbling clouds, blowing winds and crackled with lightening. Rippling in the air, black shadowy tendrils slipped from her shoulders and reached out towards the woman who was now backing up the stairs.

?Get her out of here!? Sephina shouted to the others.

Marble cracked and started crumble underneath Sephina?s feet as she screamed in frantic horror. ?I swear to Odin, you will never return here Grace!?

I?m not alone, I?m not alone.
Who am I kidding? I?m sad, no ideas coming.
It?s driving me made and I?m fighting it.
It?s turning me bad. I?m loaded, pages taking me over.
I just want to be home with all my friends and family.
Mum and dad, it?s closing in on me, I need recovery, coming home.
I?m coming home and I need closure, I need closure.

?Grace, please. You?re scaring her.? A murmured tone fluttered into her ear and Grace looked over to the source, confusion stalling out the phantoms of doubt and fear that had been forced upon Sephina. ?It is me, Eir, your friend?? Her gentle voice continued to sooth and attempt to calm the youthful Valkyrie. ?You need to release her.?

Though difficult to make out, Grace frowned as she turned back to Sephina, shaking horrified on solid steps as she struggled with the fearful images Grace had pressed upon her mind. The disconnect was swift, and Grace was already turning away from all of them as Sephina blinked and came to but was still stunned into silence.

?I just wanted to come home.? It came out as a soft whisper, nearly unheard before she took off and left.

(Lyrics from "Stronger than Ever" by Raleigh Ritchie)

It was the early hours of the morning, when the sun should have just been teasing the break of the horizon, but on Twilight Isle, it was not the fiery sun that Grace was staring at in the distance. Instead, her eyes were focused on the Tower of Fire as she sat perched on a jutted out cliff along the western mountains. Patches was curled up beside her, still sleeping quietly after all the long evening?s activities. The Valkyrie however, still found no sleep.

?You did well Valkyrie.?

?I don?t know about that?I lost.? Looking down to the Ring of Klytus still on her finger. ?It?s what I do.?

?You did not lose. Hope merely won.?

?I suppose that it one way of looking at it.?

?In the third fight, you started to shut down.?

?No?I??

?You may deny it, but I see the truth within you Valkyrie. You started laughing.?

?I laugh when I am having fun.?

?But we both know you were not having fun. And what happened? You turned her strong lead into nothing. Patiently. Slowly. And though you did not win the final round, who was it that was still standing at the end of the fight? You or her??

?Me.?

?Exactly. You have strength that she does not yet. It is time for Hope to learn how to master the fire. After your show in the rings last night, it is clear that you know what you are doing. While you may no longer be the Keeper of Fire on the Island, it does not take away any of your skill.?

?No, just my home. Again.? Getting to the root of her lingering sadness.

?Is that what you are worried about??

?Well, at first I was worried about all of the people I would let down. I know that the BBQs seemed like a party but?.I just wanted to make sure that no one had to go hungry anymore. Like I was when I first arrived here with nothing.? Grace released a sigh and a faint smile formed with her eyes starting to water once more. ?But Hope is going to have Ignis and the others continue the cooking. So I am very grateful for that.? Grace sounded relieved even, though her smile faltered as she continued to speak.

?But now? I don?t just need a home for me, but Patches and Wings.?

?I can help with that. Do you remember meeting Roderick Douglas??

?Yes.?

?He has stables in Rhydin. Get Wings and we will take her to him. She will be kept safely there.?

?Oh really?? Perking up instantly as her concerns were melting away. As Grace sat up straighter, Patches stirred awake with a slow stretch and quiet purr. ?That will be perfect.?

?Now in regards to a new home??

?Yes?? Listening as she climbed to her feet and picked up the waking kitten to hold her close.

?Let me show you some ruins not far from here??