“Get up,” Dyre’s stepmother screams at the guard that Dyre knocked unconscious but didn’t have time to finish off. I look around quickly, shocked to find he’s the only guard left still alive. The young queen edges across the room toward her dagger but Dyre and the last living guard block her path. Through the black eye makeup streaking and marring her face from sweat the queen narrows her eyes and sneers, “she’s just a silly young girl she isn’t that hard to kill.”
“Is that so?” I demand as I stalk across the room. “What are you going to do? Your magic is no match for me.”
Dyre’s stepmother stumbles, tripping over her feet and falling onto her back. I place the tip of my sword’s blade at her throat, taunting her. “Who’s helpless now?” I demand. “I want you to beg for your life.”
I feel Dyre’s warmth at my back, but he makes no move to defend his stepmother.
“Look, we can work this out,” the young queen holds up her hands in surrender. “I will allow Dyre to keep you on as a mistress after we marry. I won’t even complain if he spends some nights with you.”
“I’m not interested in sharing,” I reply coldly as I drive the blade through her throat without hesitation or remorse. The young queen gurgles as blood bubbles around the blade through her throat. I yank the blade from her throat as blood gushes from the wound. Her eyes turn glassy and unfocused as I sense the life leaving her.
My chest heaves as the reality of what I’ve done in these past minutes wash over me. I don’t have any time to react when I hear a scuffle behind me.
I turn just in time to see the last surviving guard sneak up behind Dyre's back, wrestling his weapon away and holding the blade of the queen’s dagger to his throat. "Drop your weapons or I will slit his throat."
"Don't listen to him, Hel," Dyre protests.
My eyes widen helplessly as I ponder how to handle the situation. If I get any closer the guard will kill Dyre, of that I am sure. The way he is holding Dyre in front of him like a shield prevents me from throwing my axe at his head. Dyre might get hurt in the process. And my sword is likewise useless. My last hope is my bow, but it was lost at the beginning of the battle and I can’t see a sign of it anywhere on the blood covered and body strewn floor.
With no other option, I lower my weapons to the ground and take a step back.
“No, Hel,” Dyre argues. “Don’t do that. Forget about me. Run, get out of here. Get as far away from this place as you can.”
“I’m not leaving you,” I protest as helpless tears trickle down my face.
Something whizzes through the room, too fast for my vision to identify, and before any of us can move or react, the guard holding the dagger to Dyre’s throat loses his hold on the weapon and falls to the floor, an arrow protruding from his left temple. His eyes are frozen in a wide-eyed stare.
Dyre stumbles to my side as we scan the room for the archer. Standing before the remnants of the crystalline doors is Frigg. Dyre raises his arm cautiously to block me, but Frigg lowers the bow to her side to show she is no threat.
“She’s a friend,” I tell Dyre.
“A friend,” Dyre echoes as his forehead creases in confusion. “You did not mention making a friend here in the palace.”
“No,” I shake my head, “but I did mention ‘a palace witch’ assisting me when I arrived here. You were right; she really was a goddess in disguise. Magda turns out to be Frigg after all.”
Dyre strides across the great hall with me running tiredly alongside him to match his larger steps.
“You are Frigg?” Dyre asks the goddess, “truly?”
Frigg nods, the awkwardness I encountered when she portrayed herself as Magda is gone, replaced with a sense of regal fearlessness. “I am.”
Dyre drops to his knees and bows his head, “Thank you for assisting, Hel. She would have been in much worse shape without you.”
“We had a lot invested in her,” Frigg explains, smiling at me. “We would not have allowed her to fail so easily after all she’d done to get here. She is a fighter after all – Hel, Daylight Cursebreaker.”
I blush at the goddess’s high praise, pleased at the title after my name.
Dyre stands and folds me into his arms, “I have never met a woman as fearless as you. You amaze me.”
“You would have done the same for me,” I reply, feeling embarrassed by all the attention, “it’s what anyone who loves another would do.”
“Just take the compliment, love,” Dyre laughs as he kisses my cheek. The stubble on his chin scratches softly against the side of my face.
“Taking compliments has never been something I’m particularly good at,” I admit, “but I suppose I’ll have the rest of our lives to work on it.”
“Speaking of which,” Dyre’s face lights up, “now that the curse is broken, my stepmother gone, and we are finally free; can we please get married now?”
“If that’s your idea of a proposal, it’s no wonder it took so long to find a woman to fall in love with you,” I tease him.
Frigg snorts, amused, “careful Highness, this one has a fire in her.”
“That’s what I love the most about her,” Dyre laughs as I shake my head at the two of them.
Chapter Twenty-One
Just because Dyre’s stepmother and the trolls are gone, doesn’t mean we can so easily leave the crimson palace that lies east of the sun and west of the moon. Since the kingdom now technically passes on to Dyre, the psychotic queen’s stepson and only living heir, he will be bound to spend the rest of his life traversing between his own kingdom and this one. We shall make the gold palace our primary home, with Dyre ruling over both kingdoms through a series of magic mirrors to aid him when we are not at one or the other.
Dyre’s first act as King of Aldavellir is to free all of the prisoners his stepmother imprisoned in the island castle. Some chose to leave at once, others offer to stay on as palace attendants giving their loyalty to their new king; all the prisoners are grateful to Dyre, and to me for ending the queen’s cruel regime.
With calm waters and clear skies, the freed prisoners set sail for their homelands, never to return again. Those that stay behind help Dyre and I clean up the great hall, setting it to rights after the bloody battle. Somehow I feel as if I will never feel as if the blood is truly scrubbed clean of my hands. A fierce warrior I may be in Dyre, Frigg, and the gods’ eyes but I still have a heart and a conscience underneath.
It turns out, so does Frigg. The day after the bloody battle Frigg appears to me where I sit in the palace library, which pales in comparison to the library at Dyre’s palace back in Midgard, and explains to me that just like the father of Arika's baby was a sacrifice to the gods, so too was my former love, Ulrik a sacrifice - this time from the gods to bring Dyre and I together. I feel bad that Ulrik’s life had to end to bring Dyre and I together. He was an innocent man and he deserved a full life, but Frigg assures me that Ulrik was deemed worthy of entering the halls of Valhalla where he dines with Odin nightly.
As Dyre tries to settle in, rebuild and understand his strange new kingdom it only makes sense that Dyre and I marry here in Aldavellir. Neither of us can stand the thought of waiting until things return to normal or we return to Midgard. We’ll visit my family and tell them our happy news once we’re married. Eventually.
On the night of the next full moon, I slip into the wedding gown Rana created for me after Dyre abolished the ban on the wraithlike servants from crossing into Aldavellir. The gown is the color of the cream I pour over my porridge, made with a soft flowing material that kisses my skin in all the right places with sleeves that end just below my elbow. Lace and beaded embellishment make me look soft and feminine and Rana weaves flowers into my hair, braiding the rest back away from my face.
“I am very pleased that all worked out as it did for you and Master Dyre,” Rana murmurs as she helps me finish dressing.
“It would not have without the help of Siglynn and everyone else who helped a girl they didn�
��t even know along the way,” I answer.
“Aye,” Rana agrees, “but I had faith in you.”
I smile at her distorted reflection in the vanity mirror in front of me. Standing and smoothing out the folds of the dress I ask, “How do I look?”
“Like a goddess,” Rana jests. “Now you go out there and enjoy the first day of the rest of your new life.”
I hug Rana as Gustav arrives at the door to the bedchamber I’ve been using to prepare for the wedding. “It’s time,” Gustav grins as he holds out his arm for me.
He leads me through the palace down to the underground river. A small boat waits to ferry us to the ceremony. Gustav hops down into the wooden boat and lifts me down. I kneel down as Gustav pushes us away from the dock, paddling us onward with an oar.
The canal below the palace is lined with torches to guide us on our way. From the passage, we burst onto an inlet that takes us up to a smaller island off the main one that holds the castle grounds.
At the altar, Dyre stands beside Frigg, who graciously offered to preside over our marriage. Accepting Gustav’s arm, I glide to Dyre as if I’m walking on a cloud. The island is decorated with dozens of tiny flickering candles and strange little white flowers that bloom at night, seeking the light of the full moon above. Several of the freed prisoners beat rhythmically on drums as Gustav helps me down the broken path. In attendance Dyre managed to track down the witch sisters, Sage, Saffron, and Juniper as well as Grimsbird the dwarf; and of course all of Dyre’s attendants watch on with pride.
“Hi,” Dyre whispers to me as he grabs my hands. His eyes glitter as he stares at me appreciatively.
“Hi,” I laugh quietly as my own eyes rove over his fit body, dressed simply in a white linen shirt and gray trousers.
The words Frigg speaks throughout the ceremony barely register; my mind and body working on autopilot as she places swords in both Dyre and my hands. We cross the swords obediently as Frigg binds our wrists and hands with a golden cord and gives us a blessing from the gods. Frigg says a few words over the gold bands we’ve procured for our wedding rings and places the rings on the tips of our two swords.
To Dyre, Frigg asks, “Do you swear to the gods that you want to marry and make a life with this woman?”
“To the gods I swear, I love this woman and I wish to remain by her side for eternity,” Dyre vows without hesitation.
Frigg moves to my side, “and do you swear to the gods that you want to marry and make a life with this man?”
Tears well up in my eyes as I vow, “to the gods I swear, I love this man and I would travel to the end of the world to be at his side.”
“I think that’s been proven,” Dyre jokes.
“You may exchange rings,” Frigg tries to hide her smile.
Dyre and I pluck our rings from the points of our swords, he sliding mine on my finger and me sliding his on his finger after Frigg takes our swords.
“On behalf of Freya and myself, it is my pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife,” Frigg’s words cause a happy fluttering in my chest. “Dyre, you may kiss your bride.”
“Finally,” Dyre sighs as he grabs my waist, trapping my still bound hands to my sides as he holds me and pulls me to him. His lips come down on mine, burning me from the inside out and sealing our marriage. I can hear muted sounds of our guests howling their approval but neither of us wants to let go of each other. It’s finally real, we’re married and there’s nobody waiting to tear us apart.
“Congratulations dearies,” Saffron engulfs Dyre and I into a warm hug when she and her sisters approach us after the ceremony. Their eyes crinkle in the corners as they try to withhold happy tears, their mouths stretching into rare smiles.
The gifts Sage, Saffron, and Juniper gave to me on my journey are now displayed with honor in the bedchamber Dyre and I will take as our own. I tried to give them back but Sage, Saffron, and Juniper would not hear of it. In gratitude for their help in getting me to the palace in one piece, Dyre has named them royal consultants who will stay on after Dyre and I leave.
Dyre’s face was a picture of concern when the sisters first arrived at the palace for our wedding. Oh to them he was polite, but later he pulled me aside.
“Those are the women that helped you?” He asked at the time.
“Yes, why?” I reply in askance.
Dyre grins, “Oh no reason, just that I was right.”
“Right about what?” I ask, puzzled.
“I’ve heard stories about those three hag-witches, stories my father told to me that his father told to him. It was a well-known fact that Sage, Saffron, and Juniper were the darkest, most ruthless witches in all nine worlds. For years they lured unsuspecting men, women, and children to gruesome deaths.” Dyre explains.
“But they’re not like that at all,” I protest. “They were so kind, like grandmothers to me.”
“Now they are,” Dyre confirmed. “After they met you and you changed them. It is your gift, love. The magic in you, your inner power.”
Dyre was right. My magic wasn’t a physical thing, the true magic had been locked away, dormant and waiting, in my heart all along.
“Congratulations, sire, milady,” Gustav bows before us, interrupting me from the memory and bringing me back to the revelry of our wedding.
“How many times have I told you, you don’t have to call me sire,” Dyre rolls his eyes good-humoredly. “We grew up together; you’ve been like a brother to me our entire lives.”
“This is true,” Gustav nods. His eyes glitter mischievously as he turns to me, “I forgot to tell you how beautiful you look tonight, Hel.”
“Thank you, Gustav,” I grin at the jealous look on Dyre’s face. “Just think, soon it will be your and Siglynn’s turn.”
“Siglynn can hardly wait,” Gustav grins as he looks at his intended. She stands across the island, laughing with Frigg in the torchlight.
“And you?” I prompt, “Are you excited?”
“To finally spend the night with my woman? Most definitely,” Gustav waggles his eyebrows.
“Gustav!” I swat him playfully.
“That sounds like an excellent idea, Gustav,” Dyre smiles down at me. “If you’ll excuse us, I think we’ll retire early.”
Dyre slings me over his shoulder, laughing as he carries me to the boat in front of all our guests.
Later in our bedchamber, while Dyre holds himself above me and kisses the hollow of my neck I murmur, “Did you ever think we would get here?”
“I always held out hope that you would find your way back to me,” Dyre confesses as he dips his head, kissing my bare skin softly.
“I was afraid the night we were finally reunited would be the only night we shared together like this,” I admit.
“You should never have doubted you’d be victorious against the queen and her sister. I knew you would pull it off and we’d finally get to be together. It’s just the way the gods planned things for us. No matter what happens, we will always find our way back to one another.”
“I know that now,” I breathe as I run my fingers through his hair as his body begins to move with mine. Soon all thoughts and concerns from the past are forgotten and all I see and feel is Dyre.
“Are you ready?” Dyre asks as we walk out of the gatehouse the next morning hand in hand.
“To disappear on a month-long honeymoon, traveling the world?” I practically bounce on the balls of my feet, “of course I’m ready.”
Dyre laughs, “Where do you want to go?”
“Anywhere,” I reply, “as long as I'm with you.”
“Don't tell me my wanderer has lost her desire to see the world.” Dyre teases.
“Okay, I correct myself,” I pause, pretending to contemplate my options, “I'll go anywhere you think I'll like... as long as we don't have to walk there.”
“It's a deal,” Dyre laughs, pulling me close and kissing my forehead. Looking over his shoulder he calls, “come, Freya.”
A little black
kitten hops out of the gatehouse, trying to catch a butterfly with her paws. Dyre presented her to me when we retired to our bedchamber last night, although I don’t think he expected that I would spend nearly an hour cooing and playing with the tiny bundle of fur, nearly ignoring him altogether.
I scoop Freya, named after the goddess who granted my wish and brought Dyre and I together, into my arms and lean into Dyre’s embrace.
“You're not going to turn into a troll at night now that we're married, are you?” I tease as we walk down to the rocky shoreline where a ship sits, waiting to carry us back to Midgard and then to wherever our hearts desire.
"No," Dyre says slowly. A grin slowly spreads across his lips, "just a beast in the most primal of ways."
I laugh at that as he helps me onto the ship. Hand in hand, on a ship manned by a crew led by Gustav, we flit away from the crimson castle that lies east of the sun and west of the moon. There we will return someday, but for now the world beyond waits, holding even more adventures for Dyre and me to have.
As the ship pushes away from shore we set sail without looking back, the crimson palace becoming nothing but a blip on the horizon. The castle that I once thought of as such a formidable adversary we leave as nothing but a structure made of stone. It is not a living thing. Neither it nor anyone inside it can hurt us anymore.
Wherever Dyre and I go, whatever we do, whatever we face, we'll do it fearlessly and together.
Glossary
Uppsala: a religious center in the ancient Norse religion once located at what is now Gamla Uppsala, Sweden
Freya: Norse Goddess associated with love, sex, beauty, and fertility.
Odin: Norse God associated with healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, battle, sorcery, poetry, frenzy, and the runic alphabet.
Midgard: the name for Earth and specifically one of the Nine Worlds in Norse mythology.
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