The plan didn't work out in the end. It had changed into a different plan. But it had the ending that Bragi wanted. He couldn't choose a world where she was gone. After months of sinking, he'd started floating, and that gave him enough guilt to write another play, but Bragi knew if he could go back he wouldn't change anything. Even if she didn't come back, and he had to be stone forever. If he'd died, and Idori hadn't, Idun wouldn't ever stop being in danger. He couldn't have guaranteed that the dual would have made a difference in the end. It had just been Bragi's only option at the time.
“I'll send the messenger a thank you card” Bragi said. “But let's try not to do this again, alright? Even if the messenger is good. I kind of need this hand.” He held up the left. His tone sounded light hearted. But he meant it. She wasn't allowed to have any more murderously ambitious brothers. She also wasn't allowed to fraternize with frost giants, and play around with their nets. Eventually they'd have to establish rules. He'd told her he loved her. She'd told him. It was too late to not risk anything. Bragi had already risked his life. He'd somehow gone from calculating to all in. He just hoped he'd turn out better at this game than he was at hnefatafl.
In the pause, Bragi looked at her. She looked....shocked. She probably hadn't heard his love declarations. She hadn't heard any of the others, and he'd been making them for months. He just hadn't used words, and when he had, Bragi hadn't used the right address because she hadn't told it to him. Now he could say her name whenever he wanted. He couldn't for the three months, or even after he'd learned it. But now he could say Idun. He bit his lip, while she recomposed herself. They probably still had a ways to go. It was a good thing they had a very long walk ahead of them. He raised an eyebrow. “Yelled at you? Why?”
The finger pointed, and Bragi stopped immediately. Transfixed. Angry and giddy was an odd combination. He had a hard time focusing on the words when all he wanted to do was grab that hand. But Bragi was a good listener. The terrible love and the things associated with it made him smile, before the part about Jondi sent him out of whack and nearly made him fall back into stone territory. Jondi. He looked confused.
“Jondi's dead” Bragi said, “She died three months ago.” He'd been telling himself that nonstop for all three months that it had become almost completely ingrained in his psyche, but then his eyes met Idun's again, and he suddenly realized that maybe she wasn't anymore. He frowned. “At least I thought she was. Her brother had wanted her property. The orchard I told you about. They tracked her down and killed her for it. Someone tried to stop it, but Jondi died anyway. A little ways up the road from an alley.” He paused and looked at Idun. “At least I thought she did. Until you showed up today.” Jondi wasn't Idun exactly. She was the Idun that believed in love. At that moment, Bragi realized he'd met Jondi for the very first time on the day he'd killed her brother. Not the best start. He'd try to make this a better one.