Andlang
Chapter 23: Andlang
Prince Loki was seething with anger and was ignoring and avoiding you completely. You thought you were stubborn, but the prince seemed to create a whole new meaning to that word. He hadn’t said one word to you the following morning and had even left to take his breakfast somewhere else, you assumed. You were trying to understand why he was so angry, you really were, but it only seemed to be angering you to the point of raging frustration. You hadn’t done anything wrong! So then why were you feeling this horrible kind of guilt? You wondered if the prince too was struggling with this senseless battle of emotions, but then again he hadn’t looked like it nor did you believe he wouldn’t know what was going on given that he is a master of masking his emotions. You sighed once more and shifted in your saddle. You had left Ýdalir for a few hours now and your saddle pain was back again, but it wasn’t as bad as before. You wondered if your body was getting used to the pain or if you were simply getting tougher or better at riding a horse.
The lord of Ýdalir, Ullr, had joined your travel party and was busy laughing and bantering with prince Thor at the front, while the other elves, that had come along too, formed their own company at the tail of the party. You were somewhere in the middle next to a noble you didn’t know and Forni who had asked you politely if he could ride alongside you. You couldn’t really see the sun through the tick leaves of the silver trees, but it was undeniably hot which made you guess it was somewhere around midday. You had caught a few words from a conversation between lord Ullr and prince Thor before your departure, where lord Ullr had said that you would reach the Dökkar Varnir later in the afternoon and Andlang just after sunset. You were a little nervous about the dark road or the dark hedges. You hadn’t asked anyone about it given that the last time you did something like that, the queen had spoken of the dangers that lurk in the forest during the night and that had been the same forest that you were going to wander through at night. No, you didn’t want to know why they called it the dark road or the dark hedges, because anything with the word dark in it was either evil, bad or frightening. Speaking of dark: the dark prince looked like a statue as he rode high on his black steed while everyone avoided eye contact with him as if they would turn to stone if their eyes would lock with his.
You sighed and shifted in the saddle once more, before you urged Léttfeti to go forward into a trot, leaving the noble and Forni behind. You only slowed Léttfeti down when you reached prince Loki’s side. You didn’t really want to do this, but you were pent up with frustration and guilt and not talking about it would only make both of you suffer more.
“Good afternoon, my prince.” You said and cringed at your words. Prince Loki too seemed to be unamused as he shot you a hateful glare. You waited for him to say something back, but when he simply kept staring at you, you quickly realized that he wasn’t going to indulge you so easily. “Look, I’m really sorry if I have offended you in some way. It really wasn’t my intention.” Again you waited, but more silence came from his part. You sighed deeply. “I’m not going to apologize for wanting to have danced at the feast nor for snapping at you for not letting me finish my dessert, but I do not wish for us to argue. I am grateful to you for helping me and keeping my secret. I just wanted you to know that at the very least.” You said and waited another moment while you kept your gaze focused on your hands holding the reigns. He was still holding his silence, so you nodded in defeat and gave up, but before you could guide your horse back to your place next to Forni, he finally spoke.
“I also do not wish to argue.” He said it rather stiffly and his jaw was set, but he was finally speaking to you at the very least.
“I guess we are both a little stubborn, hm?” That earned you a snort from him and all of a sudden his stiff posture, hateful eyes and the threatening energy that had been radiating off of him, disappeared like snow in the summer.
“I am stubborn, yes, you on the other hand are insufferable because you didn’t get your pudding.” That made you laugh which in return made prince Loki smile a little. You were glad that the tension was finally gone even though you still were confused why it had been there in the first place. Surely it had been something innocent? You decided to let it rest, because it was not worth to have another argument about.
“Are you nervous for the Dökkar Varnir?” Prince Loki asked and your eyes snapped up to meet his. How did he guess that? He seemed to sense your question as he chuckled. “I assumed so, because you had been nervous about the Silverwood and the Dökkar Varnir, I imagine, sound more terrifying.” You nodded your head.
“Yes, it certainly does, but if there is some kind of story which involves the tormented souls of the slain that still haunt the road, hence the name, I’d rather not hear of it.” He chuckled again.
“I’m surprised you are this well informed about its history.” Your eyes widened at that. You had been jesting! Prince Loki full on laughed in your face and you instantly felt your cheeks redden in embarrassment. “You are so easily tricked.” You pressed your lips together so you wouldn’t say anything that would be considered as unbecoming. Prince Loki however softened his voice after a moment of uncomfortable silence. “In truth, the Dökkar Varnir are simply called so because dark, dead trees stand on either side of the road for many miles. No one knows why that part of the forest has died and how long the trees have been that way, but it must have been for many eons given that no soul remembers it nor are there any records on it.” He explained and this time there were no tricks involved.
“Do you think I might be allowed to look through the archives at Andlang? Perhaps there are no records on when it started, but there must be some on the phenomenon growing larger in time.”
“I’m sure they would allow it given that you are the representative of the Asgardian archivist.” A smile formed on your face. You had hoped you would be able to finds some books you could take back with you, to show lord Blekk and add to the collection.
A few hours later in the saddle next to the prince and it suddenly grew colder while the density of the trees became sparser and soon enough the silver bark of the magnificent trees turned obsidian in colour. There were no more leaves on the trees you passed, no more sparkling light, just darkness and decay. The trees were also no longer straight and smooth, but rough as they bent over the road as if their thick black branches were reaching for its companion on the other side in a final embrace. You couldn’t feel anything other than sadness as if the sorrow of the forest laid heavy upon your own heart. Something horrifying must have happened here. A disease that is slowly spreading over the rest of the forest. How long more before the proud Silverwood would be turned into an obsidian sea of sad, suffering trees?
“Where are the animals?” You wondered out loud. Apart from the sound of hooves hitting the forest ground, there was nothing other than silence.
“There hasn’t been an animal that has been spotted in this part of the forest, for centuries.”
“None?”
“The hunters of Ýdalir do not venture here. The Silverwood stretches over many acres of land, so there is no need to come here. Yet they fear that one day the Dökkar Varnir will take over Terth Skógar completely and put an end to the long tradition of Ýdalirvar hunting.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Do you…. Do you feel such sadness as well?” You asked and then bit on your lip. Prince Loki was looking at you quizzingly as if you were some kind of enigma that he couldn’t seem to be able to solve.
“Why do you ask?” You sighed and shook your head.
“No reason. Forget I said anything.” It had been stupid to ask and terribly sentimental, but you were wondering if you were the only one who truly felt this kind of dread while wandering through row on row of blackened dead trees. Then you heard prince Loki move in his saddle to lean towards you and whisper to you.
“There is powerful seidr in this forest and while the Silverwood is ruled by light, the Dökkar Varnir is definitely ruled by dark. Given that we are seidr-wielders and therefore have seidr coursing through our veins, we respond to the magic around us to which a normal person would be caught unawares. That’s why your outburst two days ago was so powerful. You weren’t only tapping off energy from Yggdrasil, but also from Terth Skógur as well as your own. It is possible that your seidr is now reacting unfavourable towards this form of dark and corrupting seidr that you are not used to.” That was a lot to take in. You had no idea that a forest could possess seidr nor that your own seidr would have some sort of problem with another aspect or side of it.
“Is your seidr also reacting to it?” You whispered back to the prince. He gave you some distant look before answering.
“Not in the same way as yours.” You had so many questions after that statement, but the look he was giving you was stopping you from posing them, so you kept your mouth shut and travelled down the long road in silence.
When you finally reached Andlang and were greeted by an older Elf dressed in purple silks, you and prince Loki hadn’t spoken one single word. The sun had already hid behind the horizon and the moon had begun her ascend in the sky when you arrived at the vast fortress that was Andlang. It was thrice the size of Ýdalir, but it lacked its beauty as the stone walls seemed to be decaying over the course of time. It felt fitting given that you had travelled down a road that was doing much of the same. The forest however that stretched behind Andlang seemed to be unaffected as the trees were green and strong.
“Ah, my friends!” A voice suddenly called which you immediately recognized as prince Frey’s and sure enough, when you turned your head, he came towards you with a big smile on his face. “And Ullr! I’m glad to see you have changed your mind about going on the hunt with us!”
“Yes, well, when else am I going to get the change to shoot a golden boar?” They both laughed as they hugged each other like brothers would. Next came prince Thor, Volstagg, Hogun and Fandral as they too received a warm greeting from prince Frey. The queen too couldn’t escape his embrace while the other noble lords and ladies, both from your travel party and the elven welcoming committee, gaped at them in astonishment. It was highly improper to embrace a woman who was married to another, even more so when said woman was the queen. You were just smirking to yourself and handing Léttfeti over to a stable boy, when his attention turned to you. He strode towards you with big steps before lifting you up in the air and spinning you around. You hadn’t expected him to do such a thing, so you couldn’t help but let out a squeal and when he finally let your feet touch the ground again, your cheeks were flushed bright red and everyone was looking at the both of you. Prince Thor looked horribly shocked as his mouth hung open while the queen looked at Frey with reprimanding eyes.
“I’m so happy you came along, Svinnr!” Prince Frey said, completely ignoring the judging and shocked eyes around you.
“I… I am happy to be here, my prince.” His smile wavered for a second before he turned his head and looked at everyone who had been openly staring at you both. He then placed his hand on the small of your back and urged you to walk with him.
“Come. I will show you to your room.” He sounded so much more formal now and you were wondering whether you had angered him or if he had realized he had been behaving improperly. He took you inside and walked through the corridors as if he owned it and knew it like the back of his hand. Andlang didn’t look much different on the inside than on the outside. While Ýdalir had been decorated with various tapestries, these hallways were as good as bare with an odd torch popping up every now and then. You wanted to ask prince Frey why it looked so neglected, but thought better of it. Afterall it could be seen as insulting as if a common girl would know what was and what wasn’t considered as luxurious. When prince Frey opened a door for you, you realized what he had said before and your stomach dropped. He wasn’t going to like the fact that prince Loki had named you his squire and that you were now to sleep in his room.
“My prince, I-“ You started, but were quickly cut off by Prince Frey who raised his hand for you to be silent.
“It’s Frey, remember.” He told you with a smile, but it didn’t exactly meet his eyes which made you even more nervous than you originally were.
“Frey. I-I’m afraid I have to tell you something.” You said and slowly raised your eyes to peek a glance at him. He gave you a patient look and urged you to go on with a tilt of his chin.
“Please don’t be angry”, you started again and his smile disappeared, “I don’t think I can stay here for I-“ And then the door slammed open and in strode a very angry-looking prince Loki.
“Yes?” Prince Frey asked with a voice that was dripping with annoyance. Prince Loki, however, ignored him and turned his hateful glare your way instead.
“Come.” Was all he said and he did it in such a low and threatening voice that it immediately made you shiver and goose bumps formed all over your skin. It was best to keep your mouth shut and simply go with him without a fuss, but that was against Prince Frey’s wishes as he laid his hand on your shoulder to stop you in your tracks. This was an almost perfect recreation of ambassador Skírnir’s wedding feast. Only difference was that Egil wasn’t going to save you out of it this time.
“We were having a conversation.” Prince Frey stated and then prince Loki’s glare did turn towards the fair-haired prince, ready to pounce on him at any second. In turn you felt Prince Frey’s hand dig into your shoulder harder, almost painful.
“Yes, you were and now we are leaving.” Prince Loki said in that low voice of his that meant nothing but awful things were about to come if he was provoked or angered more than he already was. He gave you an expected look and you quickly tried to get out of prince Frey’s grasp, but instead of giving in, he forcibly hauled you behind him. You hissed in pain as you hit the wooden floor on your knees and then in a blink of an eye, prince Loki had Prince Frey slammed against the wall with his hand around his throat.
“No!” You shouted and got up from the ground to reach the princes when an invisible source pushed you back. They were using their seidr, you suddenly realized and then you felt your heart quicken. This room was definitely not suited for two great seidr-wielders to unleash their powers upon each other! Too much of it might have dire consequences and the whole room might explode if they weren’t careful. You watched in horror when prince Loki got thrown against the opposite wall with such a loud crack, you feared he might have broken something. Then ropes appeared around prince Frey’s body, immobilizing him as prince Loki crossed the room with a shimmering dagger in his hand.
“ENOUGH!” You roared and the two men froze and looked at you in shock. To be honest, you were shocked as well for raising your voice against royalty, but if these men were not stopped they would end up badly injured or worse. “Is this any way for princes to behave? You look worse than a couple of squabbling children and for what?!” You were pinning them down with such a hateful glare, that you could feel that rage beg for your seidr to act upon it. You clenched your hands into fists at your sides and desperately tried to ignore it.
“He started this.” Of course it was prince Loki who spoke first as he stated that fact with a hiss.
“And you responded.” You said back and he gave you a look as if you had just struck him.
“And you?” You asked prince Frey next. “What is your excuse?” He gave you a hurt look and then looked down at his feet, trying hard to escape your hard eyes.
“Pathetic. Both of you. Now if you don’t mind, I would appreciate it if you both left my room so I can rest before the feast.” They both looked at you in shock and maybe even guilt and regret, but you didn’t care. This display of power was uncalled for, childish and had been terribly dangerous.
“I’m sorry, Svinnr. You’re right that this is not supposed to be how princes act. I am deeply ashamed for my behaviour.” Prince Frey said as he magicked the ropes around him away and gave you such a pleading look that you could hardly refuse him. Yet this had been the second time the tension between the two princes had gotten too much and you expected it to happen again in the future. You said nothing as you turned your eyes towards the other prince, who was scowling next to Frey. He took a deep breath and then set his jaw.
“I will not take such insolence lightly, especially not when you expect me to execute your command. You are still my squire and as such you answer to me, not the other way around.” Your nostrils flared as you glared at the man before you. The nerve of him!
“I expect to be excused from that status after I tell the queen about this little outburst of yours.” It was petty to threaten him with his mother, but it worked as his eyes widened and then dropped down to the ground in explosive anger yet also in defeat.
“Squire?” Prince Frey asked and you rolled your eyes.
“I no longer wish to discuss this matter with either of you, so if you would be as kind to leave my room, that would be highly appreciated.” The two men gave you a pleading look, but you ignored them, grabbed your travel bag and threw it ungracefully onto the bed. When you turned back around, they were both gone.
Instead of doing what you had said you were going to do, mainly rest before the feast, you left your room to try and find the way to the archives. Surely that wouldn’t be so difficult, but you had been terribly wrong as you soon got lost in the maze that Andlang truly was. The lack of tapestries or other decorations on the walls made all of the corridors look identical to one another. You quickly lost your way and you couldn’t quite remember if you had taken a left or a right turn to get to the long corridor you ware now standing in. You growled at your own stupidity for not bringing that book you had taken along with you on how to use seidr to retrace your steps. That way you could at least find your way back to your room and try again when you could ask someone about the location of the archives, rather than look for it yourself in a place you didn’t know.
“Girl?” A raspy voice asked and when you turned to see who it was, because you didn’t recognize the sound of voice, you were shocked to see lord Hogun there. It was the first time you had heard him utter a single word and you were both confused and pleasantly surprised that he had done so to address you, even if it simply was as ‘girl’.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, my lord, but I’m afraid I’m terribly lost.” You tried to hide your embarrassment by chuckling, but it only made you look even more nervous and embarrassed. “I was trying to find the way to the archives.”
“You’re in the wrong corridor.” You blinked at him. Was he making a jest? But then again his face was stoic and his voice had been serious. “Follow me.” He said after a moment and turned himself around to walk away, not even bothering to see if you were following him. He took a left, then a right, then went down a flight of stairs, a right again, down as far as down could go and then he stopped in front of a set of large wooden doors that were inlayed with iron. When he opened them, you were met with a wave of a mouldy smell mixed in with that of old parchment. These archives seemed to be larger than the ones from Asgard, but then again there was hardly any light so you could only see a few meters in front of you. But that was enough for you to realize that these archives were not in any sort of room, rather in a kind of lair build out of dirt and something akin to iron ore.
“Close the door!” A voice yelled and then a middle-aged elf with braided platina hair walked into the light with a scowl on his face. Lord Hogun quickly did what the elf had ordered him to do and what little light that you had, dimmed even further. “What is your business here?” The elf demanded and you had to squint your eyes to try and see him.
“My apologies, my lord. I am the help of the esteemed archivist of Asgard, lord Blekk Sturluson and have come to see the archives and its treasures.” You stated and the elf’s eyes widened before he clapped his hands excitingly.
“Why didn’t you say so sooner? My master used to speak with such respect about lord Blekk! It would be a pleasure to work with his help and maybe we too could enter a favourable working relationship like they once had.” You smiled at him and nodded.
“I would very much like that, my lord.”
“Oh, please, you may call me Vulmon. And you are?”
“Svinnr.” You shook hands and went to follow him when you stopped and looked over your shoulder to see lord Hogun still standing there. “And this is lord Hogun.” You told Vulmon who looked at the man who stood behind you and then walked over to him to also shake his hand.
“Will you also be browsing through my collection of knowledge, lord Hogun?”
“Do you have anything on the subject of Vanir combat skills?” You gave lord Hogun a confused look which he must have felt as he turned his head your way and you swore you saw his lips give a slight twitch. “You’re not the only one who is from Vanaheim, girl.”