Hreif Vatn gistihús
Hreif Vatn gistihús
You didn’t see much of prince Loki after he had turned away angrily to the front of the travel party, were he still was. You had seen prince Thor try to get some conversation going with him, but it hadn’t looked like he was responding to anything his brother was saying, so eventually prince Thor had given up and rode with the warriors three instead. Which left you striding along on Léttfeti’s back at the tail of the party. You didn’t know the men that were ridding beside you nor did you know if it would be considered rude if you began talking to them, so you had kept your mouth shut for the better part of the hour that had gone by.
But as soon as you spotted a difference in scenery, you couldn’t help but sit up straighter and strain your neck to look above the heads in front of you. The ever green fields were finally coming to an end and in the distance you could see something puffy and white rising in the air. Smoke perhaps and where there was smoke there had to be a village! You couldn’t help yourself from leaning into the man ridding closest to you. He was an older fellow, but he rode with such excellence that you had no doubt that his strength hadn’t lessened with the years.
“Excuse me sir, but do you know if we are close to any villages?” The man looked at you quizzingly before he too looked over the heads before him to see the puffy substance rising up in the air.
“Ah, we must be close to the tea village! I thought we wouldn’t reach it before sunset, but we did leave earlier than usual.” His voice sounded a bit grating, but his eyes were kind.
“So, you have been here before?”
“Oh, many times, child! I have attended more feasts than I can count and I am proud to say that I am a welcome face at king Njörðr’s court.” He gave you a proud smile. “He’s prince Frey’s father. The king of Vanaheim and what a man he is!” You chuckled a bit to yourself.
He didn’t have to explain who king Njörðr was to you, given that he had been your king for a while until you moved to Asgard. Of course king Odin was the king of all and all the other kings had to answer to him, but that hadn’t stopped them from building their kingdoms in their own image. That’s why Vanaheim had different laws than Alfheim for example, apart from the Asgardian constitution that was followed by all of the nine realms. “Have you ever been to Vanaheim, dear?” The man asked with a hopeful look in his eyes.
“I have, sir. In fact I was born there.” His eyes widened and just like that you had found yourself into a long conversation about your homeland all without either of you knowing the other’s name.
You were just telling him that you had only recently found out about the double meaning of the golden berries of Vanaheim when you reached the village. It was small with a tick white wall around it for protection. The gates were out of wood, but instead of them being brown, they had painted them white to match the wall. When the gates opened to let your party enter you were struck with a feeling of nostalgia even though this village didn’t necessarily look as resembling as the one you grew up in back on Vanaheim, it still reminded you of it somehow.
Perhaps it was the skewed, homely houses that were build out of wood and painted in various colours or the children running around the streets while chasing away the flocks of chickens. You didn’t know nor did you care for the warmth that spread through your heart felt too divine to dwell on questions of its origin. Prince Thor led the party through the streets all the way up to a big building that stood out of all the others. While the houses you had seen so far had their facades painted in soft colours, this building was painted in a rich blue with big glass windows on the top floors. Prince Thor dismounted his horse and went inside, only to return a moment later with a balding man with pointy ears.
“Well met my lords and ladies!” The man shouted with a big smile on his face. “The stables are to the right and I will personally make sure that your horses are well taken care of. Please follow my son Folas, while I prepare dinner for you.” The man gave another big smile and a slight bow before getting back inside. The party suddenly moved again to go to the stables even though you hadn’t seen the son the man had spoken of who was going to take you all there. You figured why when you dismounted Léttfeti to tie him up to a pole under a thatched roof.
The son was just a small boy who was eagerly helping prince Thor with taking the saddle of his steed’s back. When he was done he walked over to prince Loki who sent him such a hateful glare that the boy quickly moved over to others who might need his help more. The carriage of the queen was given its own shed while the horses were taken to the stables to be fed and watered. You took the saddle from Léttfeti’s back and patted him on the side of his neck like you knew he loved. He nuzzled your back with his snout as he neighed happily which made you smile.
“You seem to have a very lovely companion there, dear.” A warm and pleasant voice said and you knew instantly who it was. The mother of all, queen Frigga.
“I think so as well, my queen.” You said as you patted Léttfeti’s muzzle softly before kissing his head tenderly.
“Come, dear. Let’s get inside.” The queen said warmly so you kissed Léttfeti’s head one more time before grabbing your travel bag and following the queen to the main building. There was a signboard that hung above the entrance that said ‘Hreif Vatn Gistihús’ in elegant golden writing on a crimson red background.
“Hreif Vatn?” You asked the queen who stepped over the threshold and into the inn.
“Yes. The village is called enchanted water, because most of the villagers are tea farmers. You will see the tea fields tomorrow morning when we leave for the Silverwood.” She then chuckled. “I always admired the Ljósálfar for their way of describing things so eloquently. They are very philosophical.” You didn’t really know what to say to that so you nodded your head and followed her all the way to the counter where a big, muscular elf was cleaning some mugs.
“I believe the lady Fulla has ordered a room for us.” The queen said to the man whose eyes suddenly widened with recognition.
“But of course, my queen! Right this way, my queen.” He quickly stepped from behind the bar and kept bowing as he motioned for her to follow him. You couldn’t help but let a smile escape at the man’s nervousness for meeting the queen and having her speak to him. That was until said queen turned to look at you and spoke.
“Come along, Svinnr.”
“Bu, I-“
“You’ll be staying with me and Fulla of course.” The queen said with such a warm smile that immediately kept you from protesting, but then again you were but a commoner. You had no place sharing a room with her majesty and lady Fulla. The queen seemed to notice your internal struggle as she cocked her head slightly to gaze at you like one would do while looking at a cute fluffy bunny. “We’re women, dear and having you share a room with men you hardly know is highly inappropriate.” Well, you hadn’t thought about that, you realised and your cheeks reddened with embarrassment. Before you knew it you had taken a step forward followed quickly by another one. The queen’s smile widened as she turned around to follow the elf up the stairs to your room.
Fulla was already there, grabbing a nightgown from a bag when you entered. You had expected a little more luxury for this being the room given to the allmother, but it looked rather plain. Everything was carved out of wood. The beds, the small table, the closet in the corner, the floor and the walls, …. There was another door that probably led to a bathroom and you wondered whether it would also be carved out of wood just like the bedroom was.
“Choose your bed, but not this one because I have already claimed it as my own.” Fulla said with a smile as you stepped inside so the man could close the door with a final bow. You looked at the queen to give her the choice of beds instead of yourself.
“Well, let me just take the middle one.” She said and walked over to sit upon it to test it out. You were left with the bed next to the window which reminded you somehow of your bed at the servants-wing.
“Don’t unpack anything unnecessary for we are set to leave again tomorrow morning.” You hesitated to ask, but the queen did seem like she had travelled this way before, so you forced yourself to speak.
“Do you know when we will reach the Silverwood, my queen?”
“I believe we will reach it somewhere in the afternoon, but I hope we will reach Ýdallir before the night falls. The Silverwood is beautiful at day but treacherous at night.” The queen warned and you sat yourself down on your own bed.
“Have you travelled there before? At night I mean?” You asked and then remembered once more that you were speaking too freely. “My queen.” You quickly added which made both the allmother and Fulla chuckle.
“I have, yes. On all the times I have accompanied my husband and my sons to Alfheim, I always felt more at ease when we reached Ýdallir well before it truly had gone dark. You see the Silverwood has trees that are very unique to the nine, even to Alfheim. Terth Skógur is the only forest that has them and by the Norns are they a sight to behold. Their bark is smooth and silver in colour which twinkles when the sunlight reaches them, but their height is truly extraordinary. They would make a rock giant look like an ant! It’s exactly that which makes the forest so dangerous and notorious throughout the nine. Many souls have been seen wandering into it, never to be seen again. The smooth silver bark reflects whatever bit of light it can reach at night which can play with your mind if you’re not careful. Men have wasted away in it, not knowing if what they have seen is real, or even possible.” You went quiet after that. Even Fulla had stopped trashing about with her bag. You had looked forward to see the mighty Silverwood, but the queen’s wisdom made you unsure of that. You didn’t want to get lost in a forest where people had gone mad or had lost their way, never to be seen again.
You were still a bit gloomy when you had come downstairs to join lady Sif for dinner. The queen and Fulla were going to eat their dinner in your shared room and had given you permission to join the others downstairs with encouraging smiles.
“What has you looking so down, girl?” Lord Volstagg asked as he turned his bearded face and friendly eyes your way.
“I-what?” He laughed loudly at your speechlessness.
“By the Norns, girl! You have been staring down your bowl of Kokt Svinmålla for the last five minutes!” He slapped you on your back with such force that you slammed forward against the table with a loud thud.
“For goodness sake, Volstagg! Does she look like she has the strength of a warrior?” Sif said as she helped you back on your seat. You knew it wasn’t meant as an insult, but for some reason it still stung a bit to be regarded as weak.
“My apologies, girl. I got a little carried away.” Lord Volstagg apologised as he lifted his mug as if to say that the ale was at fault here.
“That’s alright, my lord. No harm done.” You weren’t so sure about that, given that your ribs were still healing and being slammed into a hard surface wasn’t exactly helping along the process.
“Have a drink on me as a way of apology.” He suggested and your eyes widened. You had had a small sip of ale from Sif’s mug, but it had been so much stronger than the ale you had drunk with Egil at that tavern, so you had refrained from ordering your own mug. But here lord Volstagg was, offering you a drink which you could hardly refuse.
“I thank you my lord, but that’s really not nece-“
“Ward! Another round of your best ale!” Lord Volstagg shouted as he slammed his mug onto the wooden floor where it shattered into a million pieces, before you could finish your sentence, completely ignoring your look of horror. “I’m paying!” All the men from the travel party sheered and raised their mugs. Soon enough the ward, the slightly balding elf, came to your table to bring new mugs filled to the brim with ale. One for every person at your table which included you. You swallowed the lump that had formed in your suddenly very dry throat while looking at the mug that had been placed before you.
Maybe one mug wouldn’t be as bad as you thought. Lord Volstagg and Thor had been drinking for a long while now and they seemed to be relatively fine. You looked around the table. Fandral was fine, Thor was a bit red in the face, but still fine, Hogun seemed to be untouched by whatever he had been drinking, Sif was fine, Volstagg was on the same page as Thor, …. You gathered your courage and raised your mug like the others and took a swing of your ale, which you could immediately feel rising up to your head.
The ale itself was sweet and cool which made you take another sip of the drink, quickly followed by another one. You liked cider more, especially the one you had drunk at the capital once when you had helped your parents with the sale of some carpets and tapestries. Your dinner all but forgotten, your mind began to wander to the Silverwood once more. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as the queen had warned you about. The forest would be scary, yes, but it would also be magnificent.
What had the allmother said again? That the Silverwood was unique in the nine? You took another swing of your ale. There had been something about a giant too. A giant being an ant. At that thought you laughed and nearly spat out your mouthful of ale. You quickly began to develop a taste for the drink as Volstagg ordered you another one after showing you how to smash the mug just right to make it shatter. It took you another round to get it right and by that point you had begun to blabber uncontrollably to the others great amusement.
“No, no, hear me out! My mother used to tell me that elves got such pointy ears because they never listened to their mothers and they kept pulling on their ears to make them listen!” The whole table roared with laughter until it suddenly became very quiet again.
“I think you have had enough.” A silky voice spoke and you giggled because you immediately knew who it must have been that was standing behind you.
“Brother!” Prince Thor suddenly yelled as he threw his hands in the air. “Take a seat and make merry with us!” Prince Thor seemed to be eager to have his brother at his side, but that would make him the only one as you saw all the other smiles fade as the men shifted on their seats.
“Yes, your highness! The ale is really good here!” You said and you were proud to have said anything at all. If it weren’t for the intoxication you probably would have kept your silence and missed out on the shocked expressions on the other faces.
“I stand corrected. I know you have had enough.” He sounded the same, but the slight twitch at the corners of his mouth and the glint in his eyes betrayed his amusement. You giggled once more as you turned your attention to the whole table.
“My father would be furious if he saw me like this! He always says that ale makes people stupid, but he forgot to mention how much fun it is!” Again laughter was heard at the table, but it was less in volume than it was before. It almost felt as if they were unsure whether they should laugh or not.
“Your father is a wise man, dear, for speaking such wisdom. Now let me give you some wise words as well: go to bed.” Prince Loki said and the table went quiet again. Now you could simply feel the uncomfortableness radiating from your drinking companions.
“Let the girl have some fun, Loki.” Lord Volstagg spoke and gave you another slap on the back, yet this time it was less forceful. The amusement in prince Loki’s eyes disappeared completely as he glared at Volstagg.
“Was this idiotic idea to get a little girl drunk, yours, Volstagg?”
“Oh no. This is not going to end well.” You thought as lord Volstagg rose from his chair to return prince Loki’s icy glare.
“Idiotic idea you say? And that’s coming from the man who scared the girl to death on the way here!” Prince Loki laughed, but it was forced and there was no trace of mirth in it.
“It amazes me how surprised you still are that I like my tricks. After all the Midgardians have baptised me as the god of mischief, have they not?”
“Mischief, yes, not malice! Which would have been more fitting!” Prince Loki’s posture changed in a mere second as he looked absolutely murderous, ready to pounce on lord Volstagg at any moment.
“Careful. I’m still your prince and I will not tolerate insolence a second time.” The way he said it made you shiver and the tension in the room became more unbearable by the second. It almost felt as if the whole room was holding in its breath. Lord Volstagg too was quiet, but he kept his eyes locked on the prince, neither of them wanting to back down. You couldn’t keep your eyes off of them as they had their stare-down.
That was until you swallowed wrongly and a hiccup broke loose from your lips. When prince Loki’s eyes fell on you, you felt your cheeks burn up. Honestly the tension was so extreme and you had gone and ruined it by being a fool in front of everyone. Yet, prince Loki’s gaze softened.
“I believe Loki is right. It’s time for bed, girl.” Prince Thor spoke up. “I’ll escort you back to your room.”
“Oh. No need, my prince. It’s not far.” You quickly said and got up from your seat. That was a horrible mistake. It felt as if your entire body had forgotten it had legs and what they were used for. Your knees wobbled and your first step was not like you had anticipated in your mind as you all but stumbled forward into prince Loki’s chest. He grabbed your arm to keep you upright and you heard a gasp go around the table. You didn’t know why exactly it angered you, but it did and before you knew it you had expressed your not-so-humble opinion about it.
“What in all of Yggdrasil is wrong with all of you? What did you think was going to happen? That he would slice my throat because I fell on him in my drunken state?” Everyone’s eyes were on you and you could see them widen at your comment. “He’s helping in case you haven’t figured it out yet.” You murmured more to yourself than anyone else. You then sauntered with great effort towards the stairs to begin what looked like an impossible task: climb the steps all the way to the third floor. You heard a chuckle as you nearly fell face first because you misjudged the distance between the floor and the first step.
“You’re going to hurt yourself like that, little one.” You huffed at that.
“Please, I still remember how stairs work thank you very much.”
“Doesn’t look like it.” You send him a hateful glare and tried again. You made it three steps before you slipped and fell hard on your chest. The pain that shot through your ribs made you hiss. Even though your brain was all foggy and malfunctioning, you just knew that you would be feeling this even worse come morning. You were focusing so hard to keep the tears at bay that were threatening to fall, that you hardly felt it when strong arms hoisted you up. It was only when you started moving that you realised what had just happened and who was now keeping you firmly against his chest as he carried you up the stairs.
Prince Loki. The Dark prince, trickster, evil one and all of those other terrible and terrifying names. You could hardly believe it and you wondered whether this was something your drunk brain had fabricated or if this was real. When prince Loki laid you down in your bed by the window and tucked you in, you couldn’t help but say one more thing now that the intoxication was still making you brave.
“I don’t believe you’re very good at being dark and evil, Loki.” You muttered and if you hadn’t been this drunk you might have been better at reading his expression.