More time had passed as the Dygn Dial continued its descent. We found ourselves standing before a wide entrance, shaped circularly, almost like a portal to another dimension. Yet, from the outside, it just looked like an ordinary cave entrance.
"Do you think we should go in?" I asked.
Horsey responded, asking if I was scared, to which I snapped, "Of course I am!"
But amidst the chaos of this bizarre forest, the cave seemed strangely inviting. Stepping back to take it all in, I couldn't help but double-check it wasn't the gaping mouth of some giant beast we were entering. Thankfully, it wasn't.
"I think it's safe for us to go in," I told Horsey, who nodded in agreement, and we entered together. The moment we stepped inside, everything around us plunged into darkness.
"What the?! Did everything just go dark?" I exclaimed, noticing even Horsey seemed spooked by this strange turn of events. Looking up, I saw no solid ceiling; instead, countless tiny stars in various colors illuminated the space, as if competing to shine the brightest. Among them danced a vast rainbow, while nearby, a moon wearing shades snored loudly, fast asleep.
"Why did I ever assume this place would be peaceful?" I muttered to myself.
Horsey continued walking, and I hurried to keep up. "Hey, wait for me, don't leave me behind."
As I walked, I glanced back and saw the entrance still there, but on the other side, daylight shone through from where we had come. Walking through the nighttime scene, neon lights began to shine around us, emanating from plants and flowers about to blossom.
"In a way, this looks beautiful. What do you think, Horsey?"
"Yeah, you think so too, huh?"
"Okay, I think this place seems calm for now. I guess we can rest here, so why don't you gently put Magni and Modi down."
Suddenly, Horsey threw off Magni and Modi, sending them crashing to the ground, completely ignoring what I had just said.
"Hey, Horsey! That was uncalled for! I said put them down GENTLY!" I reprimanded, but Horsey just looked at me and then brushed his head away.
I'm starting to realize that Horsey has quite the attitude.
"Ahh-haaa, is it morning yet?" Magni woke up with a yawn.
"Hey, Magni, I'm hungry. Make breakfast," Modi added as he scratched his backside.
As both of them slowly opened their eyes, they suddenly exclaimed in unison, "HUH?! IT'S NIGHT TIME?!"
"Yeah, me and Horsey found some sort of entrance that led us to this cave, but it's strange because it's night in here while on the other side of the entrance it's still daytime," I explained.
The brothers were still confused by what I meant, but I don't blame them. I'm still confused too, but just too tired to care about this confusion at this point.
"By the way, Horsey carried both of you here," I said, but both Magni and Modi continued to stare at me.
And they kept on staring. Maybe they didn't hear me, so let me repeat myself.
"Ahem! I said Horsey was the one who carried both of you here," I reiterated.
"Why are ye repeatin' yerself? Ye alright?" Modi responded, still scratching his backside while lying on the floor.
"What do ye want us to say? Horsey carried us, aye?" Magni said nonchalantly as he continued to yawn.
The nerve of both of them! Didn't Odin teach them anything about manners?!
Then I felt the sensation in my chest, indicating that Horsey was communicating with me. Horsey just told me to forget about it as he doesn't care if they thank him or not, as it means nothing to him. He only carried them because I said so.
"No! I'm not going to allow this from them!"
"What do you mean you don't care? Well, I care, so how about that!"
"I'm not going to argue with you, Horsey, so you either shut up and let me do what I want to do!"
As I got into an argument with Horsey, the brothers kept throwing frown glances at me.
"Hey! Have ye gone mad?! Why do ye keep talkin' to yerself?" Magni exclaimed, arching a skeptical eyebrow.
"Talking to myself? Ohh! Nah, I'm speaking to Horsey. Oh right! You guys won't be able to hear him,"
"Eh? Ye talkin' to yer horse? How's that? I knew the horse ain't as daft as others, but who'd've thought it could gab?" Modi gasped, his astonishment evident.
"I wouldn't say it's actually speaking, but it's more like I can sense its feelings due to finding out that me and Horsey share the same soul," I explained.
"Ye share the same soul as yer pet?" Magni remarked, his tone curious.
I bristled at the mention of Horsey being referred to as a pet. "Horsey isn't my pet! He's a friend—no, more like a brother now!" I retorted, surprising both the brothers and Horsey, whose reaction I could sense in my chest.
"Tha' horse is yer brother? Tha' don't even make sense! Ye're a headless being, an' he's a horse! They don't match!" Magni objected.
"It doesn't matter! It's like the same with you and Modi," I argued.
"Nah, me an' Modi are brothers 'cause we share the same blood! Are ye an idiot?" Magni snapped.
"Then, me and Horsey are brothers because we share the same soul! Case closed!" I declared, ending the argument. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Horsey trying to hide his embarrassment, yet I could also feel a warm sensation in my chest.
"Now that me and Horsey are brothers, I'm not going to let you guys get away without thanking him," I asserted.
"Thanking him? For what?!" Magni exclaimed, clearly shocked.
"Are we in trouble?" Modi added.
"Are you guys being serious? Horsey carried you guys on his back, and you don't have any sense of gratitude or even want to thank him?" I admonished.
"Grateful for what?" Modi asked, genuinely puzzled.
"It's not like we asked him to," Magni reasoned.
Odin, what did you teach your boys?
"Okay, it seems like you guys aren't making this up, and you genuinely don't know what to do, so I'll tell you," I relented.
"You tell us what?" Magni asked, his confusion evident.
"Hold on, are ye goin' to tell us how we can be a hundred times stronger than our father?!" Modi interjected, taking things out of context.
"Wait, really?! Alright, alright, I'm listenin'." Magni said eagerly, sitting before me and crossing his legs, his index finger over his mouth as he stared intently, waiting for me to speak.
"No, you guys! What I'm going to teach you is manners!"
Instantly, Magni and Modi both tilted their heads sideways, frowning in confusion, simultaneously uttering, "Manners?"
"Yes, manners! When someone does something good for you or gives you something, you always have to say 'Thank you' in return," I explained.
"Thank... you?" Magni and Modi repeated simultaneously, once again tilting their heads.
"Don't act like you don't know what that means!" I said, feeling slightly annoyed.
Magni and Modi exchanged glances, then Magni turned to me, opening his mouth to speak.
"Okay, I get it, but I want to ask a question," Magni began.
"What's the question?" I asked, curious about what he was going to ask.
"How come ye didn't say thank you earlier?" Magni questioned.
"Earlier? When? What are you talking about?" I said, puzzled.
"When I gave ye what ye're wearing," Magni clarified.
What I'm wearing? What is he talking—
Then, as I put my hands on my head, I realized what Magni was talking about. Suddenly, I could feel Horsey laughing, which irritated me.
"Why are you laughing, Horsey?! I'm doing all this for you!" I exclaimed, feeling increasingly exasperated as Horsey continued to laugh, disregarding my efforts.
"What do you mean 'never asked'?! You ungrateful horse!" I scolded out loud.
"So are ye not goin' to say 'thank you' to me for givin' ye that head?" Magni inquired.
Did I really forget to thank him for the head? But at the same time, wouldn't it be weird to thank him for something like that, especially since he killed a creature for it? However, if I don't say thank you, I'll look like a hypocrite. It's embarrassing that I'm telling them to say 'thank you,' especially when I didn't say it myself.
Okay, come on, me! All you have to say is two words... 'Thank... you.'
But at the same time, my pride won't let me, especially now that I've been caught out and am being a hypocrite. However, I shouldn't let my pride stop me or how can these boys learn from me? I took a deep breath and exhaled.
"I'm sorry, Magni, and you're right, I should've said thank you for what you did back there. Especially since you noticed how insecure I was, and just for that, I really would like to say thank you," I expressed my gratitude from the bottom of my heart.
Magni, who was slightly blushing, didn't expect me to thank him like that as he scratched his head.
"All ye had to say was only 'thank you', the extra stuff wasn't needed," Magni expressed as he muttered under his breath, still flustered.
"Okay, now that I've done my part, it's your turn, boys!" I said.
Both boys turned to look at Horsey, who had his back towards them as he lay down, relaxing.
As the boys attempted to thank Horsey, they became slightly irritated at the fact that Horsey was paying them no attention.
"Hey! If we're gonna do this, at least look at us!" Magni said.
"Yeah! Ye think we wanna do this ourselves!" Modi added on.
...
FRAAAAAP!
Although Horsey didn't turn to look at them, he responded with a fart that came from his rear end, causing the boys' faces to turn red as veins bulged from their faces, hurling out dozens of insults to the point that I couldn't even understand them due to their tough accents.
"Alright, Horsey, you can see they're trying their best to apologize to you. The least you can do is face them and allow them to do it properly," I said, which finally got Horsey to listen, and he turned to face them, causing the boys to begin to calm down.
"Okay, boys, Horsey is looking at you. Now, what are you going to say to him?" I prompted.
"Thank..." Magni started off saying, "you," Modi finished.
"Nope! Don't count, do it again," I said.
"What?! We said it!" Magni protested.
"Yeah! We shared the word since we're brothers," Modi added.
"Nope! You have to say it again individually," I insisted.
Both boys threw a tantrum but still ended up trying again to say it.
"þökk," Magni said.
"Margar þakkir," Modi said.
"Huh?! What the hell did you boys just say?" I asked, confused.
"We said thanks in our Asgardian language," Modi clarified.
"And I said 'thanks very much in Asgardian language," Magni stated.
"Nope! Don't count! Do it again," I insisted.
"What! But all you said we have to do is say thank you!" Magni exclaimed, growing frustrated.
"Yeah! You didn't specify what language we have to say it in!" Modi chimed in.
It's ironic that these idiotic boys are trying to play smart with me.
"You have one more chance. If you don't thank Horsey properly, I won't tell you how you guys can be a hundred times stronger than your father." As I uttered those words, the boys' jaws dropped, and they began to sweat as if their whole lives depended on this 'thank you' of theirs.
It is ridiculous, to be honest, and I kinda wish I didn't have to say that, as now this 'thank you' they're about to say won't sound genuine but only as a means to know how to get stronger.
"Hey, Horsey."
"If it were me, Horsey, I would've given you a better name."
Woah, that's the first time I heard the boys even call Horsey by his name. And what does Modi mean by that?! I think Horsey is a cute name.
"Actually, Modi, let me take it from here," Magni said, which shocked me and even Modi.
"What do you mean? He carried me as well," Modi protested.
"Yeah, I know, but as the eldest brother and grandson of Odin, and son of Thor, it would be a disgrace to not repay a debt or even acknowledge it. As the older brother, I will thank him for the both of us."
I think this is the first time I've seen Magni acting like an older brother to Modi, and from Modi's face, he might be seeing this for the first time too.
"Thank you for carrying me and Modi here despite us being heavy. You see, not to make any excuse that will taint my father's name or honor, but me and my brother we're stupid. All we know is to fight and argue. We want to get stronger, stronger than grandfather and even stronger than our father. In Asgard, if we do that, then we'll earn everyone's respect. If learning manners is the way forward to do that, then... thank you very much for helping us. And I say this for the both of us."
Right now, in this moment, I can't express how proud I am of Magni's growth, and I'm sure it's not just me; even Modi is gobsmacked, his tongue hanging out from his mouth in shock. Even Horsey is surprised, feeling embarrassed as I could sense it.
"Okay, now that you've said that, then the proper manner for Horsey to respond is, 'you're welcome.' So, Horsey, why don't you respond like that to Magni," I suggested, giving Horsey a wink and a grin. After all, even Horsey should understand that Magni deserves it, especially after that unexpected, genuine gratitude.
"But how would I be able to hear him say that?" Magni asked.
Suddenly, I felt what Horsey was feeling, which brought a smile to my face.
"Don't worry, he already said it, and some extra stuff too."
All of a sudden, my chest began to feel heavy as Horsey was filled with anxiety that I might blurt out what he felt, which was nothing but cuteness and adorableness about the brothers.
"What are the extra stuff he said?" Modi inquired.
"Okay, okay, I won't tell them, sheesh!" I said out loud as I couldn't bear the feeling anymore.
"Huh? Wha' do ye mean ye won't tell us anymore?! Tha' isn't fair, 'specially since I thanked him!" Magni said, feeling annoyed.
"Also, I've got somethin' to say too," Modi added.
"Oh really? What is it?" I asked.
"Thank you, Headless Knight."
As Modi said those words to me, I was really caught off guard. Why would he thank me?
"For what?" I responded.
"A while back, when me brother was mockin' me 'bout me weapon, ye defended me. At the time, I was confused 'bout what to say, but now that I know, I want to thank ye," Modi explained.
Wow, I didn't expect that.
I stayed silent, as that really caught me off guard. I think that's the first time anyone thanked me here for anything. Suddenly, I felt a sudden jealousy in my chest, which came from Horsey as he said to me, "Hey! I thanked you when you tried to shield me." To be clear, he didn't thank me, and secondly, he ended up jumping in front of me, which ended up protecting me. But aww, someone is jealous, and it's so cute.
Then I felt what Horsey just said to me sink in.
"You think they're changing because of me?" I quietly muttered under my breath.
"What are ye mutterin' about? Isn't this the part when ye're meant to say 'You're welcome'?" Magni said.
Hearing Magni say that made me chuckle, as I don't really think that I changed them but it's more of Modi just copying what his older brother is doing, since it's natural.
But...
"You're welcome, Modi!"
If they are changing because of me, then I can say I'm changing because of them. Right now, I'm no longer as afraid of them as I was before.