FREYJA
I sat there and tried to fight down my desire to rip Loki's head off as he and Leif negotiated the terms of the challenge.
Stupid, arrogant, reckless, son of a bitch. I thought as I glared daggers into Loki's back. The muzzle was too cold against my skin, but with the burning rage inside of me, the temperature didn't even register.
It completely baffled me that he would agree to this. He may as well have signed his death warrant. He just agreed to fight a ten foot tall blue popsicle to the death, and all because of me.
We never should've come here.
"And no one will so much as come near Freyja until after the challenge is over?" Loki asked for what felt like the ninth time.
King Leif grinned, giving everyone a flash of those awful teeth. "You have my word."
For a moment, Loki studied the king's face, undoubtedly searching for a lie in his expression. But, after a moment, he seemed to find none. "Excellent. I will see you this evening."
"This evening it is." Leif chuckled. "Get these two out of here."
Steiner grabbed my wrists, still bound behind my back, and dragged me roughly out the door. I let him lead me out. The last thing I wanted to do was stay in that throne room any longer.
We came to a halt just outside the doors. Geir was leading Loki out with a bit more dignity, allowing the prince to walk by himself instead of being towed.
The moment the door slid shut, Loki turned to Steiner and Keld, leveling them with his commanding gaze. "Give me her sword and my daggers."
"No." Steiner replied flatly.
"Why not? We aren't prisoners and currently neither of us have a good reason to run any of you through, but keep treating us like slaves and we may damn well get one."
The three giants went quiet, exchanging nervous glances before Geir finally nodded. Reluctantly, Steiner released the bonds on Loki's wrists and offered him the hilt of my precious weapon, as well as his own knives.
He immediately walked toward me, pulled the muzzle off my face and cut the ropes away from my hands.
"Your sword, my lady." He said jokingly as he handed me my blade.
Just feeling the curve of the handle in my hands, I felt a little bit safer. With a weapon, I could protect myself. I wasn't utterly defenseless in a place surrounded by enemies.
I shoved it into its sheath, the familiar weight settling on my hip. "Why would you accept the challenge?" I asked him as I rubbed my wrists where the ropes had been.
"We can discuss this later." He said in a hushed voice. I understood his meaning. We can argue about this somewhere private.
"Alright." I nodded. "Now what?"
"Eh, excuse me?" A voice said from down the hall. I turned to see the giant named Farbaudi coming down the hallway towards us. He stopped in front of Loki and smiled.
Loki went so rigid that I thought he had turned to stone. He stared up at the large giant with wariness.
His father... or, one of his fathers... turned to Geir and the others. "I can take them from here."
"You aren't qualifi-" Steiner began, but Geir cut him off with a firm stomp to the foot. His sentence turned to a cry of pain.
Geir smiled then grabbed Keld and Steiner. "They're all yours." With that, the three hunters took off back down the stone corridor and disappeared from sight.
That left me, Loki and Farbaudi in a very awkward silence.
It was broken by Farbaudi, who tried for a strained smile. "I know you probably have questions..."
"That's the understatement of the millennium." Loki snapped. "Starting with how in Helheim am I even biologically possible? I thought most giants can't shape shift, so unless one of you can secretly turn female..."
"I can answer all of your questions, I promise you." Farbaudi said quickly. "But this is not the place. Do you want food? You two must be starving."
Nice try. I have developed quite a knack for not eating for long periods of time, but at this point we needed both answers and a place to get off of our feet. My legs felt like they were made of lead.
"Yes, that would be lovely." I tried for my best diplomatic smile and looped my arm through Loki's. The whole 'pretend to be married' facade was already getting tiring, but it was what needed to be done.
He sighed and pulled me a little bit closer. The action made my stomach flutter. "Fine."
"Alright." Farbaudi sighed in relief. "Follow me." He turned on his heel and retreated in the direction he came from. Loki and I had to power walk to keep up with his massive strides.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
Farbaudi turned his head and smiled, revealing significantly better teeth than Leif had. "You'll see, little lady."
"I have a name, you know. I'm Freyja." I gave him my name.
"Freyja." The way he said it was strange. He put more emphasis on the 'Y' than on the other letters, and he seemed to growl the 'A'. "It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet a Frost Giant with manners." I joked.
He chuckled. "I assume you aren't from around here?"
"Not quite."
"Then we must seem barbaric."
An involuntary shiver ran down my spine as I remembered the battle against the rogue Frost Giants all those years ago. Frey dying in front of me with a stab wound given to him by a Frost Giant not so different from Farbaudi. A large hand closed around my throat, ready to take my life...
I forced away the memories. "Slightly."
"Well, not all of us are slobs." He concluded. A passing giant gave me a lingering look before walking onward. Farbaudi and Loki both caught the expression on his face. "Also, Freyja, I don't recommend traveling anywhere unaccompanied."
"I don't plan on it." I glanced at Loki. "I've already got a pretty good body guard."
The tips of his ear turned a deeper shade of blue. "You're blushing." I taunted.
"No I'm not!"
"Here we are." Farbaudi interrupted us before we could begin bickering. He took a small stone key from the pocket of his vest (which was the first upper body clothing I had seen on any of the Frost Giants) and raised the object to a stone door cut into the wall.
With a turn of his hand and a soft click, he unlocked the door and pushed it open.
Loki and I hesitantly stepped into a single room living space complete with a pile of furs on the floor for a bed. There was also a simple stone table and chair, a little spot for a fire in the corner and a pile of pots sitting next to it.
I couldn't find a single light source in the room, but the entire place was illuminated. "Where is the light coming from?" I asked curiously as Farbaudi dragged the chair away from the table and over to the fire pit.
"Our spell casters." He answered. "They light up all the caves. Please, sit. Would you like tea?"
Loki and I exchanged an uneasy glance before he nodded once at his father, who promptly began lighting a fire.
"You can have the chair." I offered Loki as I caught his eye.
The prince smiled warmly. "That's alright, you can take it. I insist."
"Thank you." I replied, gently easing myself onto the cold, stone seat. It was like sitting on ice, but I wasn't about to say anything about it.
Farbaudi had a flint and steel in hand and was sending a spray of sparks over a handful of tinder. It must've been dry, because it only took him a few tries to get it lit.
"So," I began, pulling my knees up my my chest to rest my chin on top of them. "You're Loki's father."
"One of them, yes." The giant answered. He sat down on the floor and began stacking larger sticks on top of the flame.
Loki took a seat directly in front of me on the floor and leaned back against the chair. "How? How is that even possible?"
"It's..." Farbaudi searched for the right word. "Complicated."
"Complicated how?" Loki's tone shifted to something darker and colder. He was losing his patience, and I could feel his fraying temper like a physical presence in the room.
Farbaudi sighed. "When Odin wiped out all the females," He began. "The kingdom and everyone in it was in despair. Despair and panic. He killed them off a bit before the war ended, you see. Not after. With our numbers dropping like flies, we thought for sure we would be driven to extinction."
Below me, Loki was holding his breath. Every muscle in his back was taut as he listened to his father with rapt attention. Without thinking, I slid my hand down and rested it on his shoulder, and one by one his muscles relaxed under my touch.
"Laufey got desperate." The giant continued. "He needed an heir, and now he had no possible mates. So he turned to magic instead." He lifted his head and focused on Loki, a heart breaking sadness in his eyes. "It took three giants to make it happen: Two parents, and a spell caster. It took so much magic. So much. The spell caster died from the strain, but in the end, Laufey got you."
"What went wrong?" Loki's voice sounded more outright hostile than I had ever heard it. Though I couldn't see his face, he sounded as if he were contemplating how to torture the answers out of his father a bit quicker. "Why did I come out wrong? Why did he abandon me?"
"I'm not familiar enough with magic to tell you why you didn't come out... like other Frost Giants." He wisely avoided the word normal. "All I know is that at the end of the process, there was the corpse of a spell caster and a strange looking infant on the floor."
"Strange looking?" I asked, feeling somewhat like I shouldn't be in the room.
Farbaudi nodded gravely. "For a male infant, he was remarkably small, and he looked more like, well, like a female giant.
"Of course, Laufey was furious." He continued. "He had just spent the life of one of his best spell casters on creating a mistake child. Or at least that's how he saw it. So he cast you out and left you to die in the wilderness."
"Then my adoptive father found me." Loki whispered. "And took me in."
His voice was tighter than a taut rope, and when I gently brushed against his mind, I found a torrent of swirling rage buried in it. I hopped off the side of the chair and sat down beside him as his hands clenched into fists.
I could tell he was about to lash out, and I knew he needed to keep it together for us to not blow the mission. My hand found his back, and I began rubbing small circles on the lower section of his spine. His reaction was immediate. His anger dissipated somewhat, and he relaxed enough to lean into the touch.
Thank you. His thoughts were barely a whisper in my mind, but I heard him loud and clear.
I'm here if you need me. I replied then withdrew.
A melancholy frown was set into Farbaudi's face. "I know this isn't easy to hear, but look on the bright side!" He gestured to the cavern as the fire crackled happily beside him. "You're home. You found a mate," I stiffened as he pointed at me. "And if you win the challenge, you get to become king!"
"Tell me about the challenge." I cut in. "What does that entail?"
"It's pretty self explanatory." He stirred the fire with a small stick. "No regulations, and no rules except you can't leave the arena. The two opponents fight until either one is dead or yields."
"I don't suppose Leif will be too interested in sparing my life?" Loki remarked as got the remainder of his fury back under control.
Farbaudi sighed. "He is your uncle, but no. If you get in the way of his rule, he will crush you like a bug."
"Ah." Loki's throat jumped, and it was this small gesture that let me know just how terrified he was. Killing King Leif would be no small feat.
"So if he wins, he gets handed the throne? Just like that?" I probed.
"Just like that." Farbaudi confirmed. "But if he loses, more likely than not he will be dead and you will be forced to become Leif's mistress. Probably more giants than just Leif, too."
My stomach flipped over, and I had the sudden desire to vomit. I tried for a chuckle to hide my discomfort. "Loki if you lose, I'm going to revive you and kick the shit out of you myself."
"Now that gives me more incentive to win, doesn't it?" He flashed me a strained smile, and the anger I felt earlier flared up again.
Why did he decide to do this?
"Well," Farbaudi stood to his feet with a popping in his knees. "You don't have long until you start getting ready for the challenge." He strode to the door. "Please wait here and don't go anywhere. As long as you're in here, I can guarantee your safety. Not so much if you decide to leave, though."
With that ominous message, the giant left Loki and I alone.
"Odin's beard..." Loki groaned, tilting his head back and running a hand through his raven hair. "What just happened?"
I decided to grace him with a minute or two to process his heritage before I started yelling at him.
"I..." He stared at a spot on the floor with wide eyes. "I have two dads, which shouldn't be biologically possible. And I was made using magic."
"Uh huh." I stood to my feet and began pacing the floor, back and forth and back and forth in an attempt to burn off my fury. It didn't work.
He's going to fight an impossible battle. And I told him not to!
Loki blinked a few times then glanced up at me. "Are you alright? You seem..."
"Agitated?"
"Yes."
"Upset?"
"Yes."
"A little pissed off?"
"That too."
The fragile barrier holding back my wrath finally shattered. "What in Hel were you thinking, Loki?!" I shouted, stopping my pacing as he stood to his feet. "You're going head to head against a Frost Giant!"
"Why are you worried?" He asked, genuinely confused. "You've literally slaughtered an army of Frost Giants almost by yourself."
"Yes, I have." I shot. "But you are not me! I have trained as a Valkyrie for years! You have not." I swallowed hard and tried to get a grip. I didn't know why I was so upset, only that I was.
"Honestly, I'm a little hurt that you would doubt me." He didn't seem very bothered. He was clearly just trying to make me calm down. "You have nothing to worry about, I promise."
"I don't doubt you." I said quickly as he walked over to me and placed a warm, steady hand on my shoulder. "I just..." Some part of me that had been drowning in worry and the thought of losing my only friend left finally snapped. I lunged forward and wrapped my arms around him before I could think better of it. "I can't lose you too. I can't lose the only person I have left to care about."
For a moment, he just stood there with his arms held out to the side as if he wasn't quite sure what to do. Then he snapped out of his stupor and returned the embrace in full, pulling me into a fierce hug.
There was something about being wrapped in his arms that made the knot of worry in my chest pull itself tighter, and I tightened my grip on him as if he would disappear as soon as I let go.
"Freyja," He whispered softly, his breath tickling my ear. "Do you want to know why I agreed to the challenge?"
"Do enlighten me." I rested my cheek on his shoulder, breathing in the pleasant scent of eucalyptus that hung around him like a cloak. For the first time, Jotenheim didn't seem quite so cold.
"I agreed," He began, "Not only because it was the only way to get the mission going, but because I wanted to keep you safe." He pulled away and met my eyes. "And that's pretty good incentive for me to fight my hardest. It is touching that you would be concerned about me, but please, try not to worry. Alright?"
"Alright." I nodded and pulled on a smile. However, it fell away just as quickly.
It is touching that you would be concerned about me.
"Crap," I muttered. "Am I going soft?"
Loki threw his head back and laughed. "No, you're being less cold, snarky and generally apathetic." He smirked. "Trust me, that is a good thing."
"Shut up, Butter Knives." I smirked and rolled my eyes playfully. "I am a cold hearted, menacing warrior. There is no room in my dark, dark soul for kindness."
"Oh please." Loki scoffed. "You are mean to most people, but I've seen how you treat those you care about."
"Choose your next words carefully." A smirk tugged at my lips.
He grinned with mischievous glee. "When you're around your friends, you become one of the kindest, most caring people I've ever met."
"Ouch."
"Take it as a compliment." He walked away and sat down by the fire. "I count myself lucky to be one of the people who sees your warm side."
"And I count myself lucky to be one of the people who sees yours." I sank to the floor beside him.
He glanced up at me with one eyebrow arched. "Nonsense. I don't have a warm side."
"If I have one, you definitely have one." I remarked, staring at the dancing flames in the makeshift hearth. "Don't think I missed the look on your face when you hugged Sigurd the other day. Or the way you talk about your Mother." I tilted my head. "Maybe we're both just sweethearts disguised as psychopaths."
He chuckled. "Maybe." He smiled, showing off a row of immaculate teeth. "If that's the case, how about we both agree to not tell anyone about this conversation?"
"Agreed." I nodded gravely. "My reputation couldn't take it."
"Mine neither."
I offered him my hand. "Agree to never speak of this again?"
He took my hand and shook it once. "Agreed."
The moment was interrupted by the squeak of the door hinging open. We both immediately dropped our hands and pulled on the heartless masks we both wore.
Farbaudi stuck his head in the door with a grim look on his face. "Loki?"
"Yes?"
"It's time to go get ready."
Loki's shoulders slumped but he stood to his feet without complaint. "How long do I have?"
"Not long."
I stood as well, completely ready to follow them. Farbaudi gave me a confused expression. "Just Loki."
"Well, that's not fair!" I complained. "What do I get to do?"
"You get to sit here and wait for your escorts." He replied flatly. "Is that a problem?"
I glanced at Loki, who gave a near imperceptible shake of his head. "No." I answered with all the enthusiasm of a wet sock. "Not a problem at all."
"Alright." He gave one firm nod. "Geir, Keld and Steiner will come and get you when it's time. I figured some familiar faces might be nice."
"Ah yes, the familiar faces that shoved me in a game sack and kidnapped me." I nodded solemnly. "Such a sight for sore eyes."
His lips curled back in a grin, and he elbowed Loki. "I like her. You chose well."
With that last comment, they were gone, and I was left alone in a cold, underground room with nothing but my thoughts.
It almost felt like home. Almost.
Longing only to return to The Mountain Hold, I curled up by the fire and settled down to wait.
Time passed, but I wasn't sure how much. Farbaudi had never graced Loki and I with tea, so I found his stash of tea leaves and made it myself. With a steaming cup of something hot in my hands, the frigid temperatures in the room were almost bearable.
I found myself dozing off a few times, my eyelids heavy from the past few days of travel. It had taken a toll on me, but other than the physical exhaustion and the worry about the challenge, I actually felt very good. I slept better than I normally did last night, and I could probably make it another week, maybe two, without it if I had to.
The sound of the door being thrown open snapped me out of my thoughts, and I flinched as Geir, Keld and Steiner stomped into the room.
"Up you get." Geir said as Keld grabbed my arm and heaved me to my feet.
His blue hand around my bicep sent a sharp spike of panic running through me, and it was all I could do to keep from drawing my sword from its scabbard and beheading them. However, it wouldn't have made for very good first impressions for when Loki became king, so I allowed myself to be manhandled despite the adrenaline coursing through me.
"Where is the challenge being held?" I asked as I yanked my arm free, massaging the spot where there was destined to be a bruise.
Keld tried for a crooked smile. "The arena."
"Yeah," Geir laughed. "Thanks to you, lovely, we get good seats."
Being called "Lovely" made my skin crawl but I didn't give him the benefit of a reaction.
The four of us wound through tunnel after tunnel, each one seemingly the same as the last. Unlike in The Mountain Hold where almost every hallway was occupied, the corridors here were currently empty.
"Where is everyone?" I asked.
Steiner scowled. "They're already there. Don't be shocked if his majesty King Frowny Face gives you a special introduction just for sport."
Hmm, not a fan of the King, are we? Iiiiiiiiinteresting.
"Fitting name." I remarked, trying to get more information out of him. "Do you not like Leif?"
Geir cackled. "Lovely, Steiner doesn't like anyone."
"Fair enough." I gave up on trying to talk to them. They were no fun, anyways.
It was clear that we were in the right place as soon as the doors to the arena appeared down the hall. A cacophony of voices seeped through the stone and into my ears, the sound of a thousand giants waiting in anticipation of bloodshed. Just the body heat from the Frost Giants gathered seemed to raise the temperature of the caves by ten degrees.
My heart leapt up into my throat as we got closer, and I could've sworn it stopping beating entirely when Keld threw open the door and every face in the room turned towards me. A thousand, glittering red eyes pinned me to the floor. I couldn't even make my feet move.
"Oh, for the love of..." Steiner unceremoniously shoved me through the doorway. "Just go."
I had to give it to them, Frost Giants were very good at carving rock. Though it was somewhat crude, the large arena was probably fifty feet tall and easily as wide as some of the grander rooms of the palace on Asgard. Massive spires held up the ceiling, and rows of raised seats lined the walls, like the worlds biggest stadium.
And sitting on a massive throne against the wall, was King Leif.
He gestured for Geir and the others to bring me forward, and they complied with a bit too much enthusiasm for my taste. They corralled me so that the only direction I could go was towards the giant on the throne.
"Hello, Gorgeous." Armor made of a strange, black metal covered Leif's body, catching the magic light illuminating the cave. A battle hammer bigger than his head hung from his belt. "Are you ready to watch your tiny little husband die?"
"I'm ready to watch my tiny little husband kick your ass." I replied coolly, pulling on a calm expression despite the nervousness I was feeling.
He chuckled. "We'll see."
Well that felt strange to say, I thought as I tried to come to terms with the fact that pretending Loki is my husband would not be a one time occurrence. I would have to keep this up for weeks, maybe months. That is, assuming Loki won. If he didn't, he would be dead and I would probably run myself through with my sword before I let Leif lay a hand on me.
An advisor or general of some description separated from the nearest audience seats and approached the throne with long, even strides. "My king, it is time."
Leif nodded his massive head once then stood to his feet. As he did, the crowd roared in delight. I swallowed down a lump in my throat as the twelve foot tall giant descended a short flight of stairs and stepped onto the arena floor. It was a long, flat stretch of rock with a single, dark opening on the other end.
"May this be remembered as the day," Leif raised his voice and shouted to the masses. "That Laufey's last living heir dies!"
Another round of cheering and applause rose up from the spectating giants.
Loki won't lose. I told myself, grabbing a handful of my cloak and squeezing it until my knuckles popped. He said he won't, so he won't.
Right?
The maybe-general, maybe-advisor giant stood just in front of the throne and raised his hands up. All at once, the chatter between giants died out and an unearthly silence fell over the room.
"This is a historic day!" He boomed, the crowd hanging onto his every word. "Today is the day that King Leif, brother of former King Laufey faces off against Loki, son of Laufey. The winner walks away with the throne of Jotenheim!"
Down below, King Leif raised his sword above his head and roared. It was a sound that echoed off the walls and chilled me like a breath of winter wind. The audience roared back, like a pack of wolves preparing to descend on their prey.
"And now," The advisor continued. "May the Royal Challenge begin!"