“Sister Skuld?”
“What is it, child?”
Child. That still smarted. She might still be the youngest Norn, but Aevi still yearned to be seen as their equal. She was never going to become that in their, however, if she kept asking questions the way she did. Sometimes, though, you really had to.
“What happens if something goes wrong? In the weaving?”
Skuld stared at Aevi blankly. “Wrong? How could something go wrong? A Norn would never allow the weft and warp of Fate to go sullied from our looms!” The old crone shook her head. “Such a thing could never happen, for we would never let it happen. Who can imagine what chaos would befall if we lost control! That is our function, child. We are all that stands against chaos. – no matter what that upstart Óðinn might think!”
The elder Norn turned away. Aevi replied anyway.
“You’re right, sister. A silly question. Think nothing of it.”
Aevi turned back to her loom and stared at her weaving. Specifically, she noted the gap where her shuttle had briefly jumped from the loom before she got it back under control. They said that a stitch in time could save, but what would a dropped one do?
It was best not to think about it too much, she decided. She kept the shuttle moving back and forth, letting its motion drown out the din of battle just on the edge of her hearing.
Author’s Note
This story was written as part of my October 2021 Writing Challenge. The prompt was “Weft and Warp”.
Do you enjoy my writing? There’s even more available (with illustrations!) in my monthly zine, Endless Otherwheres. Alternatively, you can buy me a coffee.
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