1. Hand mirror, arrow, cross interlocked in a white knot

“Four meads coming.” Rory put the mugs on the table and performed a pirouette. Their lilac dress’ edges twirled along their waistline, and within the same breath, Rory sat on the seat next to Gerard and crossed their legs. Only fishnets covered them, and a navy-blue high heel rocked against their left verse.

“Thanks, sis.” Gerard grinned.

“Thank you,” said Marcus and Dawn.

“If you have to thank someone, thank Dawn.” Rory loosened their tie and put their blazer on the chair’s back. “It’s her promotion to Captain, after all. Though, you should have invited more people.”

Dawn let her head hang. “I didn’t want to celebrate. You dragged me out of my room, Rory.”

“Yeah. Because how would we’ve celebrated otherwise?” Rory smirked.

“Online without any human contact or having to see each other. Or even better, not celebrating at all.”

“And ten years later, you would have ended up all alone with only an army of cats for your company.”

“What’s wrong with having cats?” Dawn pouted and crossed her arms.

“It’s a problem when you spend more time talking to cats than to humans.”

"That not a problem. That's being smart."

"Hah. Future Dawn Nakk will thank me."

Rory looked around.

Every table had patrons sitting on them, and the number of free seats decreased by the minute. The guests were talking, chugging down drink after drink, eating food, or playing darts and other games. No one paid attention to them. The Gosforth was one of the many pubs in Midgard whose income came from the members of the Einherjar. As such, no one bat an eye when a Valkyrie drank alongside them or that Gerard broke his supposed vow of abstinence.

The plan was to invite the other Valkyries below the captain rank, some of their high school friends, Princess Aurelia, and that shooting star Altera Xion. It would have been a great opportunity to scout out her potential before other Captains could snatch her away. But thanks to Dawn’s attitude, they could only organize a party on short-term notice, and most had other plans. They had decided to tag along with their brother and Marcus, who had ordered a table at the Gosforth.

“While I disagree with the methods, Rory’s right. As a Valkyrie, you need to be more open. Even more so, now that you’ve become a Captain. Or else you might end up like Mystel.” Marcus raised his mug. “But let’s forget it. I don’t really want to badmouth our colleagues, and there’s no point in arguing about Rory’s actions. You’re here now, so let’s enjoy the night.”

Dawn nodded, and like everyone else, she raised her mug.

“To Dawn!” The glasses clinked against each other, the mead edged around the rims, and all four let the liquid rinse down their throats.

“Still, sis, you need to be nicer,” Gerard said. “You need to think about how others feel and not just how you think they feel.”

“What are you talking about?" Rory blew their nose. “I’ve become nicer.”

“Rory’s right.” Dawn folded her hands as she put them in front of her forehead and looked down. “She’s become nicer since high school.” Her face darkened. “A lot.”

“I shudder at the implications.” Marcus took a sip from his mug.

“By the way, weren’t you supposed on a date, sis? This would have been the third, right?”

Rory shrugged. “I dumbed him. He was stingy with the Wert and would only talk about ruins. Plus, I think he wouldn’t want to sleep with me unless I’m a girl.”

“He didn’t know?” Dawn tilted her head.

“He knew. I would never hide my current gender or that I might switch.”

“Then why did you think he wouldn’t want to?” Dawn took a sip.

“It’s hard to explain. He had that…that quality.”

“Quality?”

Rory nodded. “Yeah. I sensed that quality in him that he would only be interested in one gender. It’s something you can feel.” They pointed at Marcus. “Like how I sense on Marcus the opposite.”

“Your radar’s clearly broken.” Marcus put no emotions onto his lips, and the others laughed.

“Anyway.” Rory drank from his mug and let out a moan. “There’s nothing wrong with spending quality time with my comrades or my big bro.” They leaned forward and kissed Gerard on the cheek.

“I guess that’s true.” Marcus took another sip. “Ten years ago, you would’ve no other choice but to pretend you were a woman. Forty years ago, you wouldn’t be allowed to sit with us at the same table. It’s by far from perfect, but the world’s always improving as a whole.” He raised his glass. “It’s our job to ensure that this will continue. Let’s pray that these days when we can laugh together will never end."

Rory chuckled. "Are you always on?"

"Of course." Marcus pointed at himself. "I'm an endless well of soliloquies."

"Well, Dawn needs to be more open, Rory nicer, and you gotta relax more. Looks like you all gotta ways to improve."

Gerard drank from his mug.

The other three at the table looked at each other and back at Gerard. In their mind, they nodded in unison.

"And you need to use your brain more," they said together.

"Hey!"

And all four started to laugh while they clinked their mugs.

2. Different but same

Aura lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling. The lights from the lamps had turned her periwinkle room into a bright magenta.

She raised her hand and snapped her finger, and the colors shifted from magenta to yellow. Sighing, Aura retreated her arm.

Why did she feel such unease? This wasn’t like her. Since when did she get stage fright?

In about three hours, she would hold her speech, which meant that she had about fifteen minutes before getting styled.

No, she didn’t get stage fright. It was a speech like any other, and she had spoken in front of the world many times before.

The lights shifted again, and a cyan tone colored her room.

Yet, why did she have these feelings of unease? She didn’t harbor any resentment towards the queer community, and it was unlikely that she would say something that the masses could construct as hate speech. Years of observation and training had allowed her to avoid such pitfalls.

Aura raised her arm and snapped her fingers. The lights faded away, and the room turned back to its original periwinkle color. The untrained eye wouldn’t have noticed that her chambers had changed. On her bed, the lights conglomerated, and, next to Aura, a woman was sitting.

Aura rolled over her bed and faced the illusion. She had a face that resembled hers, and the untrained eye would mistake the mirage for Aurelia Adler.

“Even if I waver, I can cast a fake veil over me.” Aura smiled. “Whatever I feel, whatever I think, whatever I am, I can decide what the world sees.”

Her Fylgja had improved since the one month she had found it. And she had to admit it was a useful one. It took her ages to discover her ability, and the spirit still refused to communicate. She used to delude herself into thinking that she never needed one. But she never stopped, never wavered, and her diligence paid off. She studied the science behind Mana and forced her abilities to activate.

“How the world’s supposed to be doesn’t matter. Don’t you think? All that matters is what we make of it, how we want it to be.” Aura’s smile disappeared, and she started to frown. She rolled again and lay her arm over her forehead. “I shouldn’t be feeling like this. If something exists that gives me anxiety, I should remove that reason from the world and change it into something beneficial.”

Perhaps her unease was because today was an important day for the community? It had been fifty years since Midgard had stopped outlawing queer relationships. Why did humans ever put such emphasis on social or biological constructs? Why would anyone care to the point of suffering from it or causing others to suffer? The more she observed the society she lived in, the more alien it became. Humans were a bundle of contradictions. Yet, they imposed rules based on these contradictions.

“Thinking about gender and sex, isn’t that a waste of time? If you want me to fall in love with you, then offer me something equal to me offering such feelings. I’ve to feel indebted, you know. Well, even if I don’t understand why it’s important for others. Even if this society could never accept the being behind the persona of Princess Aurelia Adler, they had granted me the privilege of living in luxury. I never had to worry about hunger or whether I could live to see the next morning. For this, I’m indebted to my kingdom and will dedicate my life to improve the world.”

She faced her illusion again. “From an intellectual standpoint, I can conclude as for why it’s important to them and getting rid of intolerance will increase the overall wellbeing of the world. Besides, not understanding something is hardly a reason to judge and dismiss it. I wouldn’t be better than those who had called me an outcast or monster. Humans can sure be obsessed with eliminating all that’s different.” She shrugged and stood up. “Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s time, and they've been dead for a long time.”

The illusion dispersed, and Aura left her room.

֎

“…There are those who wish to hurt you. There are those who cry out when you express your desire for freedom, for love, for acceptance. For them, your very existence is a sign of danger. Of course, they would never say that out loud. They know that such talking has become taboo. But would that stop them? No!”

Aura shook her head. Her eyes stared at the cameras that streamed her speech across the world. And back at her looked millions of eyes, from all of Aes. Some had gathered in the golden hall of Castle Gimli, most watched from behind their computers.

“Instead, they try to carve their intolerance into our society. Most of them would never admit that you aren’t allowed to exist, but even the tiniest desire for more, they see as an affront against humanity. To them, you can exist, but nothing more. Don't display or express it. For them, it would be best if you went back into the closet so that they wouldn’t have to see you. And when you refuse, they try to gaslight you.”

Aura chuckled for a second.

O, how familiar this rang. Back when she was still a child before she had met Ragna, those who had stepped inside Gimli considered her a stain on the castle’s immaculate façade.

“They paint themselves as the victims, and you as the oppressors. Your desire to be accepted, to be able to live out without any stigma whatsoever, is an attack against freedom and decency. Trying to teach our children acceptance and tolerance is a sign of moral degeneracy and perversion. Your identity a fad, a cry for attention, or moral manipulation. They claim they’re tolerant, but they might as well say, “I'm not homophobic, but rape is inherent in their culture.” So, let me say it here right now. You shouldn’t be ashamed.”

Aura raised her voice. Her eyes widened, and her expression grew fierce.

Piece by piece, the illusion dissolved like a puzzle breaking apart.

How could she forget the hatred and fear? Those scenes she could see before her eyes. Their faces were clear like a lethal river, and their voices rang in her ears like church bells.

Monster. Sociopath, psychopath. She’s a changeling. The President should get rid of her. She’s not human. She shouldn’t live. Maybe we poison her? Cold iron should do it. Is she autistic? What girl does that? I don’t want to be in a room with her. She will kill my son.

How could they say that to a child? Had they no heart? But there was nothing she could have done. She was powerless. Only once she had observed Ragna could she learn to adjust her behavior to disperse these accusations.

“Why shouldn’t you be happy? Why shouldn’t you be seen as normal? Why can’t you be proud of who you are? Why can’t we be open? Why do we have to hide our differences? Why are we supposed to be wrong? Why? Why? Because we don’t conform to some inane strategy that allowed our ancestors to survive in the wild? What do they know about normalcy? Living is more than just existing. More than just surviving. There’s nothing wrong with us!”

Aura’s hand slammed against the podium. Her expression was seething with rage, her eyes fierce as lightning.

The audience gasped, and Aura took a deep breath. Her shoulders dropped, and she stared at the hall’s ceiling.

Those who had feared her died eventually, and these stories vanished from the earth. Only three people would ever remember them, and the rest of the world had been revering Princess Aurelia Adler as a goddess.

“This is ridiculous.” A smile appeared on Aura’s face, and she looked back at the cameras. “Why do I even have to say this? Honestly, why do we still have to tell the world that there’s nothing wrong with us? Why is it still necessary that one has to be proud of one’s existence? Every human being should be accepted, but we’re still far from it. We have explored the world, conquered the earth and the sky. We have developed weapons that could destroy the planet. We have cured diseases that plagued us for millennia. We have created artificial life and digital realities. We’ve lived for eons, and it took as nearly as long even to allow those who are different to exist. Can one be proud of such a humanity? It’s absurd, and I’m tired. But.”

Aura stared at the cameras. Her gaze sharpened; her resolve hardened for the world to see.

“That’s not an excuse to bury your head in the sand. Or an excuse to spread hate. I won’t lie. Some are acting out of malice. But more often than not, those that oppose you aren’t malicious. They don’t understand your struggles, don’t see the blood-stained past that cast its veil upon this day, can’t follow the science. The world is ever-changing at a pace they can’t or won’t keep up with. They wish for a simple truth, but reality’s complex. And that makes them scared. Even if they don’t realize it, at times, they’re lost, just like some of you are. Show them the tolerance you wish you should receive from them. Understand their position, help them in the dark, and guide them.

“So, let’s raise the banner of love against those clinging to unreasonable ideas of justice. Let’s show the world our true colors as we proclaim the values of unity, right, freedom, equality, and kinship. No matter where you are, no matter how bleak it seems, know that the world is evolving. We’re all humans! And it’s in our nature to evolve, to improve. With pride, we march on the path of progress towards the future. For hope springs eternal, and as we breathe, we hold these truths to be self-evident that we are all equal!”

The audience applauded and cheered, and flashlights drowned the hall. For a second, the world around Aura disappeared. She might as well stand in front of Godking Twice.