Marriage Plans

This flash piece is a rough draft of a scene from the prequel novel of The Prophecies of Ragnarok, a Norse mythology based new adult series I'm currently writing with Meri Benson. It may or may not end up in the final version of the novel. This was also written in response to 8Letters' #31Letters challenge, an invitation to write every day for the whole month of January.

Here are the shorts we've written so far for the prequel, in chronological order:

• Birthright
• Ice Queen
• Tyr Lends A Hand
• Prison Break
• Escaping Asgard
• Marriage Plans (this story)
• Brother's Keeper
• Final Hour
• Resistance and Steps
• Forsaken
• Revenge Served With Rage
• Goodbye, Good Friend
• Inheritance
• A Winter's Bargain
• Death Finds All
• Homecoming
• Reconnection
• The Hour of the Wolf

Hotel Fen, the first published book of the series, follows after this point.

---

In Norse mythology, Hel is said to preside over an underworld realm where she receives a portion of the dead. She is referred to as a daughter of Loki, and is described as having been appointed by the god Odin as ruler of a realm of the same name, located in Niflheim. Her appearance is described as half blue and half flesh-colored, and further as having a gloomy, downcast appearance.

Hodr is the blind son of Odin and Frigg, who is tricked and guided by Loki into shooting a mistletoe arrow which was to slay the otherwise invulnerable Baldr, his twin brother.

(Wikipedia)

---

"My queen."

Geiravor looked over her shoulder at her guests, nodding to grant them permission to approach. She'd been watching the sun set from the tower of the abandoned fortress they'd occupied and converted into their base of operations, mulling about their next steps.

Odin hadn't chased after them. Not yet, anyway. "It's a good thing the boy didn't come with you," Loki had said when they arrived, for Geiravor had been distressed that Hodr did not follow her, "or his father would have set this world to the torch. Willing or not, Odin would have claimed we kidnapped his son."

But even without the Aesir breathing down their necks, there was still the matter of rallying the Jotnar houses. After Laufey's death, one by one the heads of the surviving houses declared themselves kings and queens. There had been a few attempts to strike back at Asgard to avenge Laufey and all those they had lost, but most houses had been content to rule over their respective corners of Jotunheim.

Skadi had urged Geiravor to travel to each stronghold and demand the houses' allegiances. And while the houses did not question her lineage, they doubted her loyalty, in the same manner they suspected Loki's. She had been raised in Asgard, after all. Ten years was a long enough time for someone like Odin to successfully mold a child into his own weapon — as he had done with all his children.

"Thrymr agrees with the plan," Loki began, moving to stand beside her, though his gaze was likewise trained on the horizon. They still were not close, but the rift between them was slowly healing. There was nothing like the threat of death and the quest for vengeance to bring a family together. "But stealing Mjolnir will not be an easy feat. He wants a reward."

Fenris slipped to her other side, putting an arm around her shoulders. He was now a head taller than her that it was a little hard to believe he used to be a scrawny little kid who could barely stand up to the likes of Thor, Tyr or Vidar.

Skadi remained standing vigilantly behind them, on the lookout for any trouble.

"And what does he want?"

"He wants you to marry his son, Bergfinnr," Fenris answered. But while his voice was cool and almost deceptively unconcerned, his hold around her tightened, and she could feel his anger in the way his muscles tensed.

Geiravor snorted. "They all want me to marry their sons. Who has yet to send me a proposal?"

"Aegir." Loki grinned. "His proposal was for Fenris." Aegir only had daughters, after all.

Fenris scowled at that, and Geiravor laughed, pinching her brother's cheek teasingly. Marriage was no laughing matter, especially when complicated by war and politics, but she couldn't help being amused by her sibling's ruffled expression. Even Loki was trying not to smile.

Although after a while, he pressed gently, "You will have to make a decision, daughter."

She sighed, the full weight of her crown once more on her head. "I cannot just choose one and alienate the rest of the houses," she reasoned, though deep down she knew that wasn't why she objected to the idea of an arranged marriage.

"If so, then you will have to think of other means of appeasing them." She felt Loki's gaze on her and she pretended to ignore it, staring resolutely into the distance. She didn't need to look at her father to understand the point he was trying to make. His true message for her lay not in his words, but in his tone. "Or, perhaps... forge an alliance elsewhere."

"Elsewhere," she repeated, almost absent-mindedly. Then she shook her head. "Where else? There's only Alfheim." The Vanir were allied with the Aesir. Nidavellir was out of the question, as was Midgard.

Loki patted her shoulder. "Consider it, at least." Then he winked before slinking off, Skadi on his heels.

She leaned into the ruined wall in front of them, folding her arms on the surface and resting her chin on top of them. She stared at the horizon as if she was willing the darkness of night to swallow what little was left of the day, but in reality, her mind was almost entirely somewhere else.

"Do you still think of him?" Fenris asked suddenly. He hadn't departed, instead he'd turned around and leaned with his back to the wall. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked expectantly at her.

The question surprised her. After all, the last person she expected to remind her about her old flame was her brother, especially after he'd reacted so badly to her most recent marriage proposal.

"No." She winced as soon as the word left her, for how unconvincing she sounded. "Sometimes," she amended. Better, but still with the telltale trappings of a lie. But how could she admit that she thought of Hodr Odinson still? How could she confess that her heart remained his, in spite of everything? That at night, when she closed her eyes, all she could think about was the taste of his lips, the feel of his body on hers, the sound of his voice as he called out her name and told her he loved her?

A part of her continued to believe that he would've gone with her that night, if only they had more time. She'd tried to go back for him, of course, but it had been impossible to get into Asgard — or even to get any message into Asgard — after their escape, as Odin had locked his realm down. She could only hope that one day their paths would cross again, and she could apologize.

"Wouldn't it work?" She wasn't sure what Fenris was getting at, but he was not letting the matter go. "He's Aesir. You and him, you could bring an end to all this fighting..."

Geiravor sighed, shifting to rest on the wall on her side and face her brother. "If only he was king," she answered with sadness and regret. "But he will never have a crown as long as Baldr lives. And Baldr will never sit on a throne as long as Odin is still on it."