Nemesis
The Legend of The Ice People 7 - Nemesis
© Margit Sandemo 1982
© eBook in English: Jentas A/S, 2017
Series: The Legend of The Ice People
Title: Nemesis
Title number: 7
Original title: Spökslottet
Translator: Anna Halager
© Translation: Jentas A/S
ISBN: 978-87-7107-340-9
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchase.
All contracts and agreements regarding the work, translation, editing, and layout are owned by Jentas A/S.
Acknowledgement
The legend of the Ice People is dedicated with love and gratitude to the memory of my dear late husband Asbjorn Sandemo, who made my life a fairy tale.
Margit Sandemo
The Ice People - Reviews
‘Margit Sandemo is, simply, quite wonderful.’
- The Guardian
‘Full of convincing characters, well estabished in time and place, and enlightening ... will get your eyes popping, and quite possibly groins twitching ... these are graphic novels without pictures ... I want to know what happens next.’
- The Times
‘A mixure of myth and legend interwoven with historical events, this is imaginative creation that involves the reader from the first page to the last.’
- Historical Novels Review
‘Loved by the masses, the prolific Margit Sandemo has written over 172 novels to date and is Scandinavia's most widely read author...’
- Scanorama magazine
The Legend of the Ice People
The legend of the Ice People begins many centuries ago with Tengel the Evil. He was ruthless and greedy, and there was only one way to get everything that he wanted: he had to make a pact with the devil. He travelled far into the wilderness and summoned the devil with a magic potion that he had brewed in a pot. Tengel the Evil gained unlimited wealth and power but in exchange, he cursed his own family. One of his descendants in every generation would serve the Devil with evil deeds. When it was done, Tengel buried the pot. If anyone found it, the curse would be broken.
So the curse was passed down through Tengel’s descendants, the Ice People. One person in every generation was born with yellow cat’s eyes, a sign of the curse, and magical powers which they used to serve the Devil. One day the most powerful of all the cursed Ice People would be born.
This is what the legend says. Nobody knows whether it is true, but in the 16th century, a cursed child of the Ice People was born. He tried to turn evil into good, which is why they called him Tengel the Good. This legend is about his family. Actually, it is mostly about the women in his family – the women who held the fate of the Ice People in their hands.
Chapter 1
When King Christian passed away, his children faced difficult times. That is, his children from his morganatic marriage to Kirsten Munk did, since they couldn’t inherit the privileges of royalty.
The King had, however, tried to provide for his daughters by marrying them off to the men he had relied on, the bigwigs of the realm. He had promised that his eldest daughter, Anna Christiane, would marry Frans Rantzau, whom he had promoted to Lord Chamberlain. They were never married because both passed away at a very young age.
The second daughter, the unpleasant Sofie Elisabeth, was to marry Christian von Pentz – governor and prefect. He also served as what could be called Denmark’s foreign minister – had such a title existed at the time.
Leonora Christina was given away to the most prestigious and ambitious of them all, Corfitz Ulfeldt, who was by now Lord Chamberlain and the highest civil servant in the realm, so Leonora Christina became the first lady of the realm.
Elisabeth Augusta was given away to Hans Lindenov, who, as time went by, turned out to be a mere nonentity.
Christiane was luckier. She was given away to Hannibal Sehested, who became a successful governor in Norway.
And Hedvig was given away to Ebbe Ulfeldt, vassal of the island of Bornholm.
All the sisters considered themselves amongst the finest in Denmark. But then their half-brother, Frederik III, acceded to the throne with Queen Sophie Amalie – and Frederik implemented a thorough purge. The first one to go was Christian von Pentz. He had fallen out with Frederik when the latter was a young prince, and when he became king, he sacked von Pentz and banned him from showing up at Court.
Then it was Ebbe Ulfeldt’s turn. They investigated how he had administered his task as a vassal. It turned out that he bullied the peasants severely, so he was dismissed.
On top of all these insults, none of Kirsten Munk’s daughters were allowed to call themselves Duchess anymore. They were also denied the right to drive into the castle courtyard in a carriage, because this was a privilege which was only granted to the first ladies of the realm.
The daughters fumed and so did Kirsten Munk. Leonora Christina probably suffered the biggest offence. First of all, she was married to Corfitz Ulfeldt, who was still struggling secretly with the new king as to who was the de facto ruler of the realm. Secondly, there was a ruthless dispute between Leonora Christina and the young Queen Sophie Amalie of Brunswick as to who was the first lady of the realm. That bitter struggle lasted right up until their death.
There was much change during the new King’s reign. The Council of State wanted Hannibal Sehested removed as governor of Norway. He had amassed a great wealth – one-sixteenth of all Norwegian goods – and when he was exposed for fraud, the King had no choice but to strip him of his title.
This put an end to Hannibal Sehested’s career, for the time being.
But Corfitz Ulfeldt was the one who was truly a thorn in the flesh of King Frederik.
One day in January 1649, Corfitz’s wife Leonora Christina, daughter of the late Christian IV, called on Cecilie Paladin. Leonora was pretty irritable. She was unable to sit down peacefully but was restless all the time.
“That German woman!” Leonora snapped, referring to Queen Sophie Amalie. “She does everything she can to humiliate me. But my husband has something up his sleeve. He’s leaving for the Netherlands, and his plans will show the whole of Denmark, including the new King and Queen, who has their head screwed on right. Then we’ll see who’s best suited to make decisions here!”
“I see. So the Council of State has decided that he’s to leave?”
“The Council of State? A Lord Chamberlain of Corfitz’s caliber does not need to seek the advice of anybody. Of course, I’ll accompany him, and he’ll have a magnificent entourage. This is why I’ve come here today, Margravine Paladin. You’ve always been kind and loyal towards me. My husband needs a personal man to serve him at Court. There are so few you can trust these days what with that German woman scheming all the time. So we immediately thought of your son, Tancred. He is well brought up and familiar with aspects of Court protocol and is extremely presentable ...”
Thoughts buzzed in Cecilie’s head. She did not want her son to be caught in the conflict between the King and the Lord Chamberlain – or the one between their wives. But then, on the other hand, she had taken care of Leonora Christina since she was born ...
Cecilie was completely neutral in the struggle between Leonora Christina and the Queen. Leonora Christina was beautiful, charming and worldly, whereas the Queen had her youth, grace and exalted position. Members of the h
ouse of Brunswick-Lüneburg were said to be intelligent, energetic and passionate – and Sophie Amalie was no exception. Yet she could also be spiteful – and Leonora Christina could also be sharp-tongued when she wanted to be. The envy and jealousy between the two women had already escalated considerably.
If it had merely been a matter of dealing with Leonora Christina, Cecilie probably would not have had so many misgivings about sending Tancred off to the Netherlands. But he was to be the servant of Corfitz Ulfeldt – and Cecilie couldn’t stand the man. He was definitely presentable and the people’s favourite – for the time being – but he was also arrogant and terribly self-centred. Besides, he was unreliable. He would take the law into his own hands when it suited him, which could put Tancred in conflict with the Royal Family. She knew that Alexander would never allow that.
If only Alexander had been here! But he was somewhere on the estate or someplace.
Before she had had time to think it over thoroughly, she gave a quick reply and maybe somewhat rashly said:
“Oh, Your Highness,” (Leonora Christina loved being addressed as such) “this is awful. Of course we would have accepted the honour, but Tancred has other plans. Right now, he’s on his way to help my sister-in-law in Jutland. She lives on her own and has broken her leg. She’s helpless and needs Tancred’s help for a few months. She can’t cope with the estate on her own and has no other relatives she can ask for help. I’m sorry, but we can’t go back on our promise.”
Leonora Christina looked slightly sour and said briefly that she was sorry that Tancred could not join them.
Cecilie for her part hoped that the King’s daughter would not meet Alexander or Tancred as she left.
Tancred was extremely disappointed when he and his dad returned shortly afterwards.
“But Mum! You’re denying me a trip to the Netherlands and to see a bit of the world – and on such a prestigious mission!”
Cecilie looked at her young son. He was very handsome. Twenty-one years with his shining dark hair in a pageboy haircut around his noble face. The women at Court were rather taken with him, which was why Cecilie wanted to send him away for a while. She didn’t want her son getting spoiled by adventurous ladies at Court. But so far he seemed pretty ignorant about his charm. He was focussed on his dream of being like his dad and having a career as an officer.
“And now I’ve got to go to Aunt Ursula,” complained Tancred. “She’s so strict. She always bosses me around and treats me like a twelve-year old.”
“Your Mum acted quite rightly,” said Alexander curtly. “Ulfeldt is travelling without the approval of the Council of State. It would be very dangerous to get involved in the struggle of prestige between him and the King. Anyway, you don’t have to stay in Jutland for very long. Shall we say two months?”
“That’s two months out of my prime, isn’t it?”
“I suppose so,” smiled Alexander. “You’ll have the chance for other experiences later on.”
Tancred wanted to say that he would be old by then. Only he did not know how far he could go before his Dad would get angry. So he said nothing and accepted his bitter fate.
“Has Aunt Ursula really broken her leg?”
“Not as far as I know,” said Cecilie lightly. “But I had to think of something, didn’t I?”
“Then I suppose I’d better trip her up,” said Tancred. “In case Ulfeldt has sent spies out.”
“That’s hardly likely,” said Alexander. “Don’t overestimate your importance.”
“It can’t be overestimated,” smiled Tancred.
Tancred was down with a bad case of the flu, so he did not leave for Jutland until early March. The large entourage for the Netherlands had already left by then, which meant that he could relax a bit. But in order to be on the safe side, Tancred still had to go to Jutland – in case anybody asked. He was so happy when he was promised that he could make do with a fortnight’s stay instead of the two months, which was the original plan.
Ursula was very surprised to have her presentable nephew visit her.
“Oh, Tancred! How wonderful! You’ve arrived at the exact time of our annual get-together with the neighbours. Thank God you’re so tall because that means you can fasten these paper chains to the ceiling. But be careful with the chandeliers. They’re a bit loose here and there. Here’s a ladder.”
Taken somewhat unawares, Tancred began to put up the paper chains and the servant girls giggled with delight. They continued their job with much more glee.
“What a pity,” shouted the aunt from down below. “I’m off to Ribe to attend to my blessed late husband’s business affairs. It turns out that the man I’d asked to attend to the matter has cheated me exceedingly.”
Tancred did not doubt for a moment that her husband was blessed – after having escaped her everlasting grumbling.
“Yes, what a pity,” he said, trying to sound upset. “That you’re compelled to leave. I hope you haven’t lost too much from it all?”
“Not too much. There’s still a sufficient amount for you to inherit,” she said dryly. It was only a joke because she knew of Tancred’s half-hearted interest in wealth. It was the kind of indifference shown by those who do not know what it is like to be poor. “But I’m thinking of you, my dear boy, who’s travelled all this way to see me in vain.”
“Not at all, Aunt Ursula. I’ve just had a bad case of the flu and have been sent here to recover. I can take care of myself and mind my own business here. I don’t get the chance to do that at home because there’s always somebody who bosses me around.”
“Now, then. Have you thought of finding a girlfriend fairly soon?” said the aunt without noticing the sting in his words.
“No. Lots of people are thinking on my behalf, so I don’t need to. Here’s a confounding little paper chain that won’t ...”
“Tancred!”shouted the aunt in falsetto. “Don’t you swear in my house!”
He looked down at her in surprise and nearly lost his balance.
“Did I swear?”
“Yes, you did! You said ...” and in a whispering voice Ursula spelled the terrible word “c-o-n-f-o-u-n-d-i-n-g.
“Is that a swearword? It’s just a confounding good word of expression ... Oh, forgive me, I said it again! I’ll try to restrain myself so that I don’t besmirch this fine house with such foul language. When will you return from your journey to Ribe?”
“I’ve no idea. It may take a while. But I’ll hurry so that I’m back before you leave for home.”
“That won’t be necessary. You just take the time you need. Such matters should be taken seriously.”
“But I’ve just replaced my domestic staff – the previous ones were getting on in years. I don’t know whether they can wait on you properly.”
“Don’t worry,” said Tancred, giving the servant girls a pleasant smile. They giggled in delight.
Ursula didn’t notice anything. “And how are your dear parents, Tancred? I’m sure they asked you to send greetings to me.”
“Of course they did, I always seem to forget that. Anyway, thank you for asking. Dad is growing grapes at the moment but without much success, and Mum is working hard on not beating Dad at least once a week. In chess, I mean. Mum is such an eternally young woman in spite of her 47 years now. Dad’s 54, isn’t he?”
“Yes, you’re right. He’s my younger brother, I always took care of him.”
She began daydreaming.
“They’re so happy,” said Tancred. “I hope I’ll be just as happily married one day.”
“Yes,” said Ursula absentmindedly. “Your mum is a remarkable woman. She’s done more for Alexander than we can imagine.”
“Mum?” he said in surprise and nearly fell off the ladder once more. “I thought it was Dad who had raised her status when he married her? She was only half-nobility.”
Ursula sighed. “Well, you don’t know the full story... Now hurry, my boy. You’ve tied two paper chains together without fastening them to the lamp. How are they to hang across the room like that?”
“You’re quite right,” laughed Tancred. “Maybe some of the gracious widows will feel an urge to skip rope?”
After breakfast, Tancred took a break and rode out on one of the horses to see the surrounding area.
He had always liked the countryside around Aunt Ursula’s estate. The beech trees were still without leaves but small buds showed that spring was on its way. As Tancred rode into the big forest behind the estate, he heard the happy spring warbling of the great titmouse and the blue anemones bent under the horse’s hooves.
Spring is certainly starting earlier here than at Grandma’s place in Norway, he thought. His twin sister, Gabriella, had settled there, something which would require a strong love, he thought to himself. Norway was wonderful, but he preferred the milder Danish climate.
He rode through the forest along twisted paths with deciduous and hardwood trees. He was happy with life but at the same time had the restlessness of youth in him. Maybe he would not have the chance to experience something before it was too late. And too late would be around 30 years of age. You were ancient by then.
He stopped all of a sudden.
A fleeting brown shadow had quickly hidden itself underneath the bushes.
An animal? A deer or what?
Tancred spurred the horse and took up the weaponless hunt. He was curious, eager to experience something new no matter what it was. He had no intention of hurting the animal.
Where had it disappeared to? It could not be far away. He stopped the horse and listened.
Not a sound. The animal was probably lying flat to the ground.
Tancred stared into a mass of grey fir trees, bushes and roots ...
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