The esteemed ambassador
Chapter 5: The esteemed ambassador
“Explain to me, girl, how you have managed to get not only one but two requests to become a personal servant?” Blekk Sturluson yelled as he smacked the request forms on the desk you were using to write some notes for the librarian. “I didn’t give you the day off just so you can flirt your way to a better pay check!”
“I’m sorry, my lord! I never meant to-“
“I don’t have the patience to hear your excuses! By the Norns, girl, if it had only been lord Fandral, I wouldn’t be as upset. The Norns know that man only thinks with what’s between his legs. But the ambassador?! How in all of Yggdrasil, have you managed to get his attention?!”
Your eyes widened at that. You had expected the prince to have done so as some kind of sick joke. You had asked Djúpvitr about the prince when you had returned back to the servants-wing after working for lord Blekk. She had explained that prince Loki had definitely earned his title of black prince. He was dangerous, mysterious and a master of witchcraft. She even said that he was accused of being a shape-shifter, which was one of the most difficult aspects of seidr. You had been absolutely sure that by morning lord Blekk would either send you home or an army of Einherjar would drag you down to the dungeons for speaking so carelessly to a prince, but now it seemed that lord Blekk had been agitated by something else entirely.
“Please, my lord. I swear I didn’t do anything! I wanted to become your help, not a personal servant to anyone! Please, I haven’t spoken a word to any ambassador.” Lord Blekk sighed loudly before sitting himself down on the desk with a thud.
“I can’t tell you how insulted I am for this request to demand such a thing. He knows full well that you are under my employment! Things such as these are to be expected from lord Fandral, but I had hoped for a little more respect from a man as celebrated as the Ljósálfar ambassador.” Lord Blekk pretty much spat the words.
“Isn’t there anything you can do, my lord?” You asked a bit panicked.
“Don’t assume I am without power, child! Don’t look to me for protection! This was your fault in the first place! What did you do yesterday?” Lord Blekk was beyond reason. He shouted at the top of his lungs while his face reddened with each passing syllable that fell from his lips.
“I-I accompanied lord Egil to a tavern to enjoy a hot meal. He was trying to cheer me up and make me feel better to resume my work in the morning. Please my lord, I swear I didn’t do anything! I don’t want to be a chamber maid! I want to remain your help and stay here in the archives!” You were sobbing by the end. “I didn’t even want to be a maid.” You mumbled out before losing control over your sobs. To your utter surprise you felt arms reluctantly come around you a moment later and hold you while lord Blekk’s deep voice uttered words of comfort.
“I shouldn’t have yelled at you, you’re only a child. You must understand however that attracting attention to yourself is not going to be in your favour. Especially where people of high nobility are concerned. The Ljósálfar ambassador is not to meddle with.” A shiver ran down your spine at the thought. Djúpvitr had explained that prince Thor was quite known among the maids, same for Fandral and a bunch of other nobles, but never had she ever mentioned an ambassador. You felt lord Blekk’s arms tighten around you in a protective manner.
“You don’t have to concern yourself with this for now. I will take care of it, I promise. To be honest, I am reluctant to lose my help so soon. You clearly have a love for knowledge that I don’t wish to see being wasted as a chambermaid to that poor excuse of an elf.” You nodded and couldn’t help but feel relieved and happy that lord Blekk seemed to care for your wellbeing. He held you until you had calmed down significantly.
“Now if you would please get me that book on the chronicles of the Dark Elves from Svartalheim and copy it.” He said when he let go of you. For the rest of the day you kept yourself busy with copying down the words of the book that was already falling apart. You had no idea what time it was, given that the archives were always dark and under the ground so sunlight could not reach it. You figured it had to be hours given the pain in your neck when lord Blekk finally told you, you had done enough for the day. You curtsied for lord Blekk and were about to leave when he stopped you.
“Where are you going?” You looked at him confused.
“To the kitchens to report to lady Rydigg and then to the servant-wing to sleep?”
“No. Egil will escort you to the library where you will stay. You can sleep on one of the couches, but you will not leave the library. Is that understood?” By the tone of his voice it was clear that he would not tolerate any arguments.
“Yes, my lord.” You said while looking at the ground, but that seemed to displease lord Blekk as he sighed loudly.
“I’m not punishing you, Svinnr. I just assume that the ambassador will not be overly happy when you don’t show up at his door in a bit. My guess is that he will come and find you at the servant-wing or at least on your way to the archives the following morning. The library is connected with these archives, however, and therefore you will be safer to move from there to here without having to face him on your own. Don’t make the mistake to think you won’t have to see him, because you will. Only I will be talking to him and I do not want you to intervene. You will stand behind me and lower your eyes, but that’s it. Do you understand?”
“I do, my lord.” You said, Looking at your feet a bit awkwardly. What else were you supposed to say or do?
“EGIL!” Lord Blekk suddenly yelled with such force that you were positive you had heard a few books fall to the ground. You didn’t hear the doors open, but before you knew it Egil was standing at the bottom of the stairs with a concerned look in his eyes.
“You called for me, my lord?”
“I want you to escort Svinnr to the library where she will stay with you come morning. Then you are to escort her back here.” Lord Egil bowed his head slightly and then looked at you.
“I thank you, my lord. You’re a good man.” You quickly said and before he could reply you turned around and followed lord Egil down the hidden door to the library.
“What happened? I heard lord Blekk shouting.” He said when he had closed the door behind you.
“He had good reason to do so. Apparently both lord Fandral and the Ljósálfar ambassador want me as their personal servant.” Egil looked taken aback, but then his face changed from surprise to anger.
“He has not agreed to give you away, has he?”
“What? No! of course not! He wants to help. You are to escort me to the library so I can sleep there. He believes the ambassador will come and look for me in the morning and he wants to make sure I don’t have to face him on my own.” Egil clearly relaxed after that.
“I take it you’re not very keen on switching career paths?” Egil said with amusement in his tone. Bless the Norns for Egil and his humour even in serious situations. Even though you tried not to show your own amusement, you couldn’t help but smirk.
“You’re just jealous that no one offered you the job.” You shared a small laugh, but you both knew just how bad this situation could become.
“How are you really, Svinnr?” He asked after a while.
“I don’t know, Egil. I-I don’t understand what the ambassador would want with me. I am also scared for lord Blekk. He was very upset when the ambassador requested me, his help, to become his personal servant, but I fear he might get in trouble for standing up to him and not give him what he wants. Although it would be a lie if I said I wasn’t relieved that lord Blekk wouldn’t just give me up.”
“I admire your honesty, Svinnr. I hope you know that I will not allow any harm to come to you or lord Blekk.”
“I know. You’re a true friend, Egil.”
That night you couldn’t find sleep, no matter how hard you tried. At one point you even considered using your seidr to cast a sleeping spell on yourself, but eventually you chose to remain awake and stare into the flames of the fireplace. Egil kept watch at the door of the library to give you some privacy while you slept, but since that wasn’t going to happen, you got up and roamed the various aisles of books. After a while of looking around the aisle dedicated to seidr, you returned to your comfy couch with a handful of books on different kinds of spells. You picked up the book you had been reading when prince Loki decided to barge into your personal space. You really wanted to learn as much as you could about seidr, because it was dangerous not to be able to control it and in order to control it you had to use it. You read the spell to levitate objects again and memorised the runes, you then concentrated for a minute to relax your body and mind. When you reopened your eyes and repeated the runes in your mind, the book of spells levitated in the air where it hovered a few inches above the table. You said the runes for the counter spell and with a soft thud the book returned to the table. Proud with yourself you skipped a few pages to read how to levitate bigger objects and hold them in the air for longer.
This you kept doing until you had mastered all the spells, tips and tricks that the book had to offer. You were more than exhausted and felt drained, but at least now you wouldn’t be at risk of unleashing uncontrollable seidr for a little while longer. You were just about to crawl back under your blankets that rested atop a royal blue form-less couch when the sun crept up behind the hills and coloured the library orange. There was no point in going back to sleep now. With a flick of your hand you made the books return to their original places, just in time for Egil to enter your section of the library.
“Good morning, Svinnr. Lord Blekk wishes me to escort you back to the archives where you will take your breakfast with him and then…. Well, you know what will come next. I’ll be there as well, so don’t worry and I’m sure lord Blekk will give lord Skírnir a piece of his mind.” Egil said with a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He looked just as awful as you probably did, with purple bags under his eyes and an unhealthy pale complexion. You followed Egil through the hidden passageway back to the archives where you were met by lord Blekk who was already seated at a makeshift table loaded with various fruits, breads and meats.
“Good morning, my dear. Take a seat and eat.” Lord Blekk greeted you surprisingly happy.
“Good morning, my lord.” You replied back and were shocked at how hoarse your voice sounded. Lord Blekk noticed and when he looked at you, you could see something akin to pity in his eyes.
“Don’t worry, Svinnr, I will take care of this. I know I don’t always show it, but I have become fond of my little help and I wouldn’t want to give up on you so quickly.” He said and you nodded.
“I thank you for your kind words, my lord.” Lord Blekk gazed at you again with such pity that you couldn’t bring yourself to meet his eyes, so instead you lowered them and looked at your empty plate. Lord Blekk sighed but said nothing else. He then motioned for both of you to eat and so you did, all in an uncomfortable silence. You were just about to drink your second glass of milk, when you could hear the creaking of old doors. You quickly glanced at lord Blekk who stood up and gave you a reassuring smile. He then motioned for you to stand up as well, lower your eyes and move to the side, just out of sight. A few seconds later Edgard and a tall man with platina-blond hair and slightly pointed ears descended the stairs.
“My lord, ambassador Skírnir demanded entry and wouldn’t go away.” Edgard said with his emotionless voice which received a scowl from the ambassador.
“No matter. Thank you Edgard, you can go now.” Edgard gave a small bow, turned around and reclimbed the stairs.
“Lord Blekk, it has been a while.” The ambassador said as he stepped forward and shook lord Blekk’s hand. You just felt uneasy. This man, this ambassador, had a voice as slick as an eel and as treacherous as a snake. The smile he gave was also anything but genuine.
“The pleasure’s all mine, esteemed ambassador. Tell me, to what do I own this pleasure?”
“Oh, Blekk. I think you know very well why I’m here.”
“Enlighten me.” There was a pause where they both just stared at each other, but then the ambassador chuckled.
“I have been told you have a new help. A maiden whom can read and write. The odds of a servant to have a talent for it is already low, but a girl? Now that is truly rare. At least it is so here on Asgard. Makes one wonder where she might have learned to do so.”
“From an innocent source it would seem. A bookseller with a kind heart, but surely my help’s history is not what brought you here.” The ambassador chuckled again.
“In a sense it did, but mostly I am here because you didn’t deliver on my request.” A pin-dropped silence followed.
“May I remind you that the girl in question has recently been named my help officially. Therefor she is under my employment and I decide whether or not she takes on extra work and right now I have decided she will work for me and only for me.”
“How terribly selfish of you, Blekk. I was afraid you were going to be this way, although I must admit that it still surprises me. Never mind, I have already asked for the kings permission to settle this… little argument we’re having. Listen, old friend, I’m a reasonable man. I know I requested for your help to become my personal servant, but in truth I only wish to borrow her for a little while. I am being swamped with letters and I have to arrange my own wedding as well. On top of that prince Frey and his court wish to hold the greatest hunting trip the nine realms have ever seen. He keeps going on about a golden boar that has allegedly been spotted in his woods or something. Never mind, I will not bore you with the details. The fact remains that I find myself with too much work and in dire need of assistance, assistance that your little help can provide.” Another hard silence followed.
“I need her here, Skírnir. She’s copying a very important book.”
“I’m sure her writings will still be here when she returns, now about the kings permission. I have it here with me.” The ambassador handed lord Blekk a letter which he opened and quickly read.
“I see. However I wish to add a few things.”
“Go on.” The ambassador said as he sat himself down with a huff.
“One. She will sleep in the servants-wing and not in your side-room. Two. She will report to me daily, as soon as she leaves your study. And three. She will be escorted by one of my guards at all times.” The ambassador chuckled again.
“My, my. So protective. If I didn’t know any better I would think you don’t trust me at all. Would it make you feel any better if I were to promise not to lay a finger on your little servant?” You couldn’t see lord Blekk’s face, but you could almost feel the anger radiating off of him.
“Do you agree to these terms?” He said, not taking the bait.
“Oh, why not. It’s only a week or so after all. Now tell me, where is this lovely creature you keep hidden in this gloomy cave?”
“Svinnr! Come here.” Lord Blekk shouted and ever so slowly you crept into view. You had heard the entire conversation and knew what was about to happen now. You kept your eyes on the ground, but the ambassador was not having any of that.
“Look at me, girl.” Reluctantly you slowly lifted your eyes to meet Skírnir’s gaze. His eyes widened a bit at the sight of you which made you only more afraid.
“By the Norns, those eyes.” He muttered more to himself than anyone else in the room.
“Skírnir.” Lord Blekk said to break the ambassador’s trance and to tamper your fear a bit. “Now that we have come to an agreement, I must ask you to leave. We still have a lot of work to do.”
“But of course. I will leave you to it and child.” He waited until you met his eyes and when you did, he flashed you a smile that didn’t reach his eyes at all. “Your duties start tomorrow morning. You will go to my apartments to await your instructions.” You lowered your eyes again, but nodded. The ambassador gave some sort of mocking bow towards lord Blekk before ascending the stairs and leaving the archives. As soon as you heard the creaking of the old doors, you let go of a breath you didn’t know you were holding.
“Sit down, Svinnr.” Lord Blekk said softly as he quickly grabbed a glass and poured it full of water. “I know you don’t want to, but I’m afraid we don’t have a choice.” He said after you had drained the glass in greedy gulps. “The letter he showed me was authentic, bearing the king’s seal. Egil will be by your side at all times, I promise you that. And if he as much as glares at you, I want you to tell me when you come back to report to me, so that I can put a stop to this farce. I’m sorry, girl, but I promise you that you will be safe at all times.”
“I-it’s alright. There was nothing you could have done to decline his request and I appreciate the added terms. I will be fine.”