The terrible truth
Chapter 29: The terrible truth
You couldn’t sleep, not after what you had seen. Forni, the sweet boy, was now haunting your nights and sometimes even your days. There had been nothing anyone could have done to save him or so you were told. None of it mattered though for Forni was now going to Valhalla even though he had been so young. His body had been embalmed and was now being transported on a wagon that had been provided so that his family could send him off to Valhalla with the proper rituals. Prince Loki had been outraged when he had heard of the tragic accident. Even more so when the elven boy who had been with you and Forni had told him you had been there as well and had seen it happen just as he had. Prince Loki hadn’t left you out of his sight after that and you were sure he had told his mother to keep an eye on you as well. You were never alone anymore as you rode from Andlang to Ýdalir and exited the Silverwood without feeling a shred of excitement. You felt awful, but at the same time you felt nothing. As if you were simply too tired to feel. Forni’s death sure had left a mark on you, but the reason why he had fallen was even more frightening then you could have imagined and it filled you up with guilt. You had heard prince Loki talk with the queen a small distance away from your bed at the healers wing at Andlang where they had ordered you to remain for a night to rest. You believed they thought you to be fast asleep otherwise they wouldn’t have said a thing, you were sure of it.
“I don’t understand how this could have happened.” The queen said and for once her voice didn’t sound so sweet, but rather exasperated.
“Neither do I.” Loki growled.
“Do you know who could have done this?”
“If only I did!” Prince Loki hissed. “Why would anyone risk such a thing? Surely they must have known we would see that the straps had been cut?”
“Shh, don’t be so loud. What worries me is why someone would do it. They clearly meant for the girl to get harmed or were they truly after the boy?”
“It’s more likely the former. Svinnr wanted to ride, but I ordered her to stay with you in the carriage the very morning of our departure. They must have cut the straps before that and so it is Svinnr they are after.”
“But who would want to hurt the poor girl?” A hard silence followed.
“I don’t know, mother, but I hope they never find out they failed.” And then they stopped talking about it altogether. You, however, couldn’t stop thinking about their conversation even long after you had left the Silverwood behind and were on your way to the little tea village. You were once again stuck in the carriage with the allmother and the lady Fulla and even though you really liked them both, they hardly ever talked to you and when they did, they had this terrible look of pity in their eyes. Even Fulla who always had time for witty remarks now refrained from making even the tiniest of jokes. And as if prince Loki could sense your loneliness and sour mood, he rode more with you in the carriage then he did at the head of the party to lead them. The lady Sif now took over the leading role as she made sure no one was left behind and you all went the right way. That’s exactly what the situation was today. Loki was once again seated next to you while no one said a word. You didn’t know why he bothered to ride with you, Fulla and the queen, but he did it anyway. You were just entering the village when you felt prince Loki shift beside you.
“We have arrived.” He said to no one in particular.
“Finally.” Fulla muttered as she stretched her legs out a bit. You did the same as you were finally free from your swollen foot. When the carriage came to a halt and prince Loki had crawled out of it to help his mother, the lady Fulla and then you, you were surprised you were not greeted by the balding elf. The carriage was led to the shed it had been in the last time you were here while the horses were taken to the stables.
“Come, my dear. Let us get to our room.” The queen said as she grabbed for your hand. Prince Loki, however, wasn’t having any of that.
“No. she will stay with me.”
“No, Loki. Not here where everyone can see.”
“I can stay with them if you wish it so, my queen.” Everyone turned to see lady Sif approach.
“You don’t have to, Sif. She can stay with us.” The queen replied.
“I’d rather have my squire close by. Besides Sif needs a chamber too and now that the warriors three have stayed behind with Thor, it’s perfectly acceptable for her to stay with me and Svinnr.” The queen didn’t seem all too pleased with the arrangement, but eventually she nodded and you all went inside where the balding elf was already directing a few nobles to their chambers. You followed prince Loki and lady Sif up the stairs and into a room that either looked identical to the one you had shared with the queen and lady Fulla or it simply was the same one.
“Leave us, Sif.” Prince Loki said when he had closed the door behind you.
“Why?” Sif asked as she dropped her travel bag onto the middle bed while you sat yourself down on the bed by the window.
“You don’t have to question everything I say, Sif. Go downstairs and get our dinner.” You could see Sif roll her eyes, but eventually she did what her liege had asked of her and so, when the door had closed behind her, you were left alone with Loki.
“We need to talk.” Prince Loki said after a while. When you held your silence, he sighed and moved to sit next to you on the bed. “You hardly spoke to me or anyone for days now. You’re wasting away, Svinnr.” You didn’t even have the heart to get defensive like you always would. “You need to talk about it, otherwise you will never heal.” You took a long while to speak, but once you did you surprised both yourself and Loki by how bitter your voice sounded.
“What am I to say when you won’t return the favour.” Prince Loki seemed to be struggling with himself before he ever-so-slowly grabbed hold of your hand.
“My dear, …. I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“How about the truth, Loki.” You saw and even heard him swallow. It was silent for a long while, before prince Loki opened his mouth again to speak.
“The saddle had fallen off with Forni and so I had it looked at. The strap that holds the saddle in place over the belly had been cut to leave only an inch to hold everything in place which must have snapped after the morning run. Svinnr, someone must have done this to hurt you or worse. If you have any idea who might wish to harm you, you must tell me.” A lone tear rolled down your cheek while you softly shook your head. “Think. Is there anyone who you might have angered?” You shook your head again as your lip began to tremble. “How about Frey?” Your eyes snapped up to meet his. Prince Frey might have been different than you had hoped him to be, but you couldn’t believe he would do such a vile thing. Yes, you had definitely angered him, but having you killed or terribly wounded was a bridge too far.
“He couldn’t have done this.” That seemed to anger him as his grip on your hand tightened.
“He was the one who-“
“I know what he said, but I cannot believe he would do such a thing. No, whoever was behind this, they had nothing to do with prince Frey.”
“How do you know for certain?” You were silent for a moment as you thought his words over. You didn’t know, but to think that it was someone who had up to recently been nothing but kind to you, was too painful to be true.
“I just know.” Your voice had gone weak as fresh tears started to form in your eyes. Prince Loki remained silent for a while before he gave your hand a squeeze.
“You’re not alone, little spitfire.” He said as he draped his arm over your shoulders and pulled you close to him. “I will protect you.” He whispered and then placed your head softly under his chin. “Make sure that you are safe.” The door suddenly opened and in walked the lady Sif with the young elf who had taken care of the horses before. They had their hands full with dinner as they placed it on the table. You were slightly embarrassed by the state they had found both you and Loki in, but the rumbling of your stomach and the aroma the plates of dinner brought with them, were soon all you could think about even though you weren’t very keen on eating. The young boy soon left the three of you behind to enjoy your dinner which you were about to do, when the lady Sif spoke.
“Have you finally told her the truth?” She asked Loki while your jaw dropped. Had you been the only one who had been left in the dark? Prince Loki rolled his eyes which the lady Sif chose to ignore. “I told him to be honest with you from the beginning, but he didn’t want you to quiver in fear.”
“Thank you for your commentary, Sif, if I ever have need of it again, I will let you know. Now if you don’t mind, I would like to eat.” Prince Loki said dryly as he reached over and filled your plate, rather than his own, with all sorts of vegetables and meats.
“I never took you for a mother, Loki.” That made him stop pilling up your plate as he paused to glare at Sif hatefully. “Then again there is the rumour of Sleipnir’s birth.”
“I advise you to hold your tongue if you wish to keep it.” The tension in the room heightened, but Sif didn’t mention this Sleipnir again. You didn’t know who that was, but apparently it angered prince Loki when you mentioned them, so you refrained from asking about them further. Besides, you were sure you could ask prince Loki whenever you had him alone and he was in an agreeable mood.
He was never in an agreeable mood as you quickly found out the longer you journeyed back home. He did travel with you, the queen and Fulla in the carriage from time to time, but only for a little while before he went back to leading the travel party to the connecting point with the Bifröst. You didn’t know whether you were happy to go back to Asgard and leave Alfheim behind. This had been your very first real adventure, given that you didn’t count the move from Vanaheim to Asgard as one. Yet you were leaving this realm on a dreadful note. Your friendship with prince Frey was over and someone or maybe a group of people wished to harm you or worse, to kill you. You didn’t want anyone to know, but you were sure that the fear was evident on your face. It was a terrifying thought to know that somewhere out there, there were people who were after you and as long as they weren’t caught, they would remain a threat. You just hoped that getting back to Asgard would mean your safety was insured. With that thought you went sad again. Here you were thinking about your own safety when Forni had died because of you. He had so many hopes and dreams and just like that it had all been for naught. Whatever happened now, you always had to live with the knowledge that poor Forni’s blood was on your hands. Maybe not directly given that you had no idea who might have wished such a fate upon you nor did you give the order to have the straps cut yourself, but the fact remained that he died while it should have been you.
Your head was still filled with gloomy thoughts when the carriage came to a stop at the connecting point with the Bifröst.
“I wish to warn you, Svinnr. Travelling through the Bifröst while in a carriage is a very strange experience.” Fulla told you as she all but braced herself.
“What do you mean?” You asked her tentatively and then you felt yourself being pulled on by an invisible force. Even though the first time had been fast, this time felt as if you were travelling twice the speed of light and everything inside the carriage started to morph together while different colours shone through the curtains. You suddenly felt like you were no longer yourself, but a combination of you, the queen and Fulla. You desperately tried to close your eyes, open your mouth to scream and get your rapid beating heart under control, but it seemed as if you were frozen in time and place. Everything became nothing and nothing became everything until you suddenly fell on the wooden floor of the carriage and emptied your stomach forcefully. You couldn’t have thought of a worse return home as you realised you had just emptied your stomach so gracefully in front of the queen of the nine realms in her very own royal carriage while the gatekeeper was surely waiting outside with the king of said nine realms and an entourage of noble lords and ladies.
“Are you alright, dear?” Your face must have been the shade of a ripe tomato again as you felt the queen carefully laying her hand onto your back.
“Oh, Norns. The smell!” You heard Fulla say as she covered her mouth and nose.
“Fulla! Can’t you see you’re embarrassing her? May I remind you that you became sick more than once after your first time with the Bifröst?” The queen’s voice had such a bite to it that at first you hadn’t been sure whether it had been the queen who had spoken.
“Forgive me. You are right of course, your majesty.” Fulla said and to your utter surprise she looked rather ashamed.
“It’s not me you ought to apologise to.” Fulla then turned her guilty eyes your way and genuinely apologised. You were a little lost for words at first, but eventually you accepted it with a hoarse voice. The queen then waved her hand and the sick that had been soiling the polished wood was gone. She then gave you a handkerchief and asked Fulla to open the door. You were right in guessing the gatekeeper to be standing there with the king and various lords and ladies. The king quickly came to the carriage to help his wife out of it with an affectionate smile on his face. As soon as her feet had touched the ground he had her enveloped in a tight embrace. You smiled at the sweet display, almost forgetting that these were the most powerful beings in the nine. The noble lords who had travelled with you were also greeted by their wives, their children and their friends. It was nice to see how a spark lit up in the eyes of some when they were able to hold their loved ones close to their hearts once more.
You were just wondering if you would ever see that same flick in someone’s eyes when they waited for you to come home, when your name was called. You no longer needed to wonder when lord Blekk approached you, followed by Egil, Snotra and even Djúpvitr, who gave you a warm smile and a wave.
“Lord Blekk!” You squealed and all but ran into his arms while the other lords and ladies and even the royal couple gave you strange looks. You didn’t care one bit about any of them.
“Missed me that much, hm?” He said with such amusement in his voice that you couldn’t help yourself but laugh. For once in your life you understood the meaning of the phrase: ‘there’s no place like home.’