The gremlin darted down an aisle of books, and I raced down the adjacent aisle, trying to outpace it.  I found it much easier to outrun it than I expected. These new legs of mine had some power behind them.

 

I popped out from behind the bookcase and scooped the tiny monster up in my right hand.  “Hah! Got you, you little fucker!”

 

Astveig held a pot open for me to stuff the little bugger into, then she slammed the lid on it.

 

“Where the hell did that thing come from?” I asked.

 

Astveig smacked me on the head with a wooden spoon.  “It came from you, you damned fool!”

 

Seeing the look of confusion on my face - one I can only imagine must be something these two were getting used to by now - Arey spoke up.  “When you took my place in the betrothal ritual, my destiny became yours. You are now the Mother Of Monsters. That kobold was created by your fear.”

 

As if on cue, the “kobold” seemed to redouble its efforts to escape the pot Astveig was struggling to keep it in.

 

“You can create monsters,” Arey continued.  “Hopefully, if you can control your emotions, you can also dismiss them.”  As Astveig was still struggling to keep the kobold in the pot, Arey went to the kettle and poured some tea.  “Drink this tea. It may help calm you.”

 

I took the teacup from her and sipped it, taking deep breaths.  I closed my eyes and tried some of the meditation techniques I’d heard of.  I never had any success with meditating before, but this seemed a little more serious.  I thought of a peaceful river and let my mind flow with it. After a moment, the clanging of the pot lid hopping up and down as the kobold fought to push it off stopped.  I opened my eyes and saw Astveig open the pot to reveal it was empty.

 

“Well, thank goodness that’s over with,” Astveig exclaimed.  “That thing could have eaten the books! Or set them on fire…”

 

“This is all so much…” My head was spinning from all this information. It was too much.  I had to keep a hold over my emotions, but how could I do that when literally the entire world I know had been taken out from under my feet?  I hadn’t had time to even process everything! And that’s not even mentioning the physical change I’d just experienced.

 

Suddenly, Astveig got a look in her eyes that I didn’t have time to puzzle out before she pointed a finger at me and uttered something I couldn’t understand and everything went black.

 

****

 

I came to laying in a strange bed.  Was this still the Library? What happened?

 

Arey stood over me, her pale eyes looking concerned.  “Easy,” she said. “Astveig hit you with a sleep spell because you looked like you were going to panic again.  She’s got to protect the Library, after all.” Her warm smile eased my mind.

 

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”  I have to try not to be afraid, I guess.  I chuckled. “Fear is the mind killer.”

 

I guess it was Arey’s turn to be confused, because she tilted her head like a curious dog.  “Oh, just something from Dune,” I told her. It had been a long time since I’d seen Dune, and I never read the book, but it seemed like people just wouldn’t let that line die.

 

Arey gestured to the bed I was now sitting on with my legs over the side of.  “Is it alright if I sit?”

 

“Oh, yeah, sure!”  I could tell she was only asking because she didn’t want to frighten me again.

 

Arey sat down gently beside me. She was so close I could feel her warmth brushing against my right arm.  We sat in silence for a while. Finally, Arey broke the silence. “It’s okay to be afraid, you know.”

 

I gasped out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding in.  “What!?” I squeaked. Apparently that was not the reaction she expected, because she giggled.  Her laughter was like the tinkling of bells, and I found myself smiling despite my concerns.

 

Arey took a moment to compose herself, wiping an honest-to-god tear from her eye.  I didn’t think anyone ever actually did that. “I mean, it is okay to be afraid. You just have to keep it under control.”  She let out a sigh. “I was always afraid, you know? From the day I learned my destiny, I was terrified.”

 

My eyes drifted from her to the floor.  It was some type of wood, but I knew as much about wood as I did about… whatever the hell all this was.  “But now you’re free of your destiny. What are you going to do now?”

 

Arey placed her hands on my shoulders and turned me so that I was looking her in the eyes.  “Hey, don’t you think that now that I’m free I’m going to just go on with my life. You understand me?  I’m going to do everything in my power to protect you. I know more than anyone how difficult this will be for you, and I owe you my life.”  She shrugged her shoulders. “Not to mention there’s that whole ‘end of the worlds’ thing,” she added with a smirk.

 

I couldn’t speak.  It felt as though there was a rock in my throat.  I could feel tears running down my cheeks. Trying to hold my emotions in check felt like a losing battle as the enormous weight of everything that had just happened to me threatened to burst the dam I was desperately trying to build.

 

Arey, seeing my tears, apparently decided that a change of topic was in order.  “Hey, you haven’t even seen yourself in a mirror yet.” She stood up and walked over to what looked like a full length, antique mirror, turning it toward me.

 

I was stunned.  Whereas before I had been a slightly chubby guy with a light tan - pretty much an inevitability for anyone living in Southern California - I was now an extremely pale young woman with stark white hair and pale green eyes.  I was a few inches shorter than before, but still taller than average, and my jeans and t-shirt had become much baggier on my slender body.

 

“I’m like you,” I whispered, seeing the similarity in complexion between me, Arey and Astveig.

 

Arey chuckled at this.  “You’re a jötun now, like me and Astveig.  In your tongue, it translates to ‘giant’ or ‘monster,’ depending on who you ask.  But don’t get the wrong idea. We’re no larger than mortals like you were.”

 

Trying not to seem like I was checking myself out in the mirror - even though I was definitely checking myself out in the mirror - I asked the first question that popped into my head.  “What makes you any different, then?”

 

“Well,” Arey began, “you’ll find we’re built a little differently.  We tend to be stronger and faster than mortals. Nothing like the gods, of course, but I imagine you’ll have an unfair advantage at arm wrestling your mortal friends.”  She flexed her arm for emphasis. I felt myself blush a little.

 

I examined my hair in the mirror.  It seemed to have grown a bit. It was by no means “long,” but it was longer than it was before.  It spilled out over my head like a shaggy, snow-white mop.

 

A mischievous grin spread across Arey’s face.  “Shall we see what you can do?”