Chapter One
It is said that, a long time ago, there was a beautiful princess named Kelda. When the princess was eight, she asked her parents, the King and Queen of Alfr, if they could place the North Star on top of their Yule tree. "No, my darling." The Queen said, sweeping the princess up into her arms and to the window. "You see, the North Star is very high up in the sky, that way it shines for everyone in our kingdom." Queen Idunn explained. "And my grandmother always said that the North Star shall always shine if you gave it your heart." Thereupon, the Queen bestowed her beloved daughter with a chain from which hung a heart of gold. "This way you will never forget, my love."
However, King Ívarr had a cousin whose one wish was to become King himself and marry Queen Idunn. And for that to happen, the King would have to die childless. So the Count Egil sought the help of an evil sorceress, and made a bargain with her. That evening, the Count enthralled Princess Kelda with the knowledge that she could indeed place the North Star upon the royal family's Yule tree, all she had to do was give it the golden heart her mother had gifted her. Later that night, Kelda ventured out into the Dark Forest to do just that, and the sorceress awaited her there and cast a spell that made the Princess vanish.
The King and his men searched the entire kingdom of Alfr for his beloved Princess, but to no avail. The Queen, overcome with grief, died of a broken heart. Thus the King damned the North Star, blaming it for the death of his wife and the disappearance of his daughter. The North Star then disappeared, and a cold darkness descended upon the Kingdom of Alfr. There was a prophecy, however, described by and ancient sage, that if the North Star could be found and returned to the sky before the tenth Yule had past, then the Princess would return to her father. That time quickly ran out, and soon the tenth Yule Eve had come, and the King's last chance to find the North Star and have his Princess Kelda returned to him.
Unbeknownst to the knowledge of almost the entire Kingdom of Baldr, there was a cabin that rested on the border of the Dark Forest, where a young girl named Freyja was held prisoner. Her greatest wish was to one day be free to feel the sun on her face, and not simply from through the barred windows of the cabin. She was the slave of Mama Grid, a woman who employed street urchins to steal from the Royal Village so that she could sell the goods right back for a higher price. But Freyja did not wish to steal, so she was condemned to polish silver, scrub floors and cook, as well as undergo the ruthless abuse from Mama Grid and her urchins. "Freyja! I told you to wash the floor!" The shrill voice of Mama Grid brought her out of her dreams of escape, and the young woman sighed. "As long as you refuse to work properly for your food, you'll never see the outside of these walls, you lazy good-for-nothing."
Freyja kept her head down and bit her lip and she scrubbed, the cold water from the bucket hurting her hands. After she was finished the floor, she needed to polish the rest of the silver, or else it was another night with an empty belly. The door flew open and a cold gust of wind slapped her in the face. "Mama, look at what we've got!" the oldest urchin, Agni, called as he sneered at Freyja. Mama Grid fussed over the score, a few pearl necklaces and other jewellery, more silverware and what looked like a picture frame.
"Oh look Freyja!" Mama Grid cried, earning her attention. "Look at what a great job they've done! Doesn't it just make you feel utterly worthless?" With a sigh, she turned back to the floor continued her scrubbing. Another gust of wind hit the house as Agni bragged about doing all the work, and Freyja spotted her chance. She scrubbed closer and closer to the door, until she decided to bolt and make her escape. She ran until she heard the shrill scream of Mama Grid telling the urchins to go after her, and Freyja burst into a sprint.
She weaved through the trees with little more than her memory to guide her. Cresting the hill, she broke free of a dense patch of needle leafs and rolled freely down the embankment, a natural landslide that served her purposes more effectively now that it was covered in snow and sped her escape. The sound of footsteps behind her only seemed to give her more adrenaline as blood pumped in her ears. "Freyja you miserable little wretch!" She heard Agni scream behind her. As the canopy overhead thickened, her steps grew muffled by the pine needles that blanketed the forest floor; the ground no longer cold beneath her soles. Reaching the entrance to the Royal Village, Freyja kept running and hid behind the iron of a blacksmith as she waited for her pursuers to pass by. The man told her to get out of the way, and she made a dash in the direction opposite of Agni and the urchins. "When I find you, you'll be sorry!" The older boy promise threateningly.
Seeing another chance at escape, Frejya ran towards a cart pulled by a large black horse that carried a lovely looking woman with light blonde hair. She jumped in the back and pulled a blanket over her as the urchins continued to make chase. She didn't know where the cart was taking her, but she didn't care as long as it was away from the urchins and Mama Grid. Freyja rolled out and under the cover of a larger cart filled with bags of grain.
She looked around, and he stomach dropped at the sight of Agni and his urchins running towards her. She saw men taking things out of a building and placing them in a cart, and slid past them while their backs were turned. She heard the door close behind her, and the young woman let out a deep breath. Walking further into the room and gazing, Freyja saw more food that she ever could have imagined. Sausages, cheese, apples, whole pigs hanging from racks, barrels of liquid, and bags of grain next to loaves of bread all stacked neatly. Thinking that the coast was clear, Freyja made her way back towards the door. "Freyja." A voice spoke intimately, and her breath hitched at the boy who leaned against the door. "Didn't think you could escape me so easily, did you?"
"Stay away from me Agni." Her voice shook but was firm. He laughed.
"I could never stay away from you, darling." He retorted, voice sickly sweet like spoiled fruit. "Fill up your sacks boys, I've got our little Princess." She watched as the younger urchins began to ransack the cellar, stuffing their bags with whatever they pleased. "It's time you learned how to steal, little missy. So take one of those hams over there and stuff it down your coat, Mama is expecting us."
They didn't hear the door creak open, nor see the eyes that watched them. "I won't." Freyja said, voice hardened and more resolved. "And I'll call the guards if you don't leave right this instant."
"Keep your mouth shut." Their noses almost touched, and Agni pointed a finger at her. "Or else you'll be getting our special kind of punishment along with the shackles." A voice from behind them shouted, and began to alert the guards of thieves on the castle grounds. So that's where they had ended up. Freyja made a dash for the door that lead further into the building as a young man chased after the escaping urchins.
King Ívarr was returning then for his consultation with the astrologer of Mandeen, and followed by his faithful hound Dagr. Every day for the past ten years, the King rode through his lands dressed in a red cloak with the royal family emblem embroidered on the back; however his searches always proved futile. He rode into the mountain that his castle was carved into, past the woodpile that feed all the hearths in the palace and towards the stables where his horse was kept and cared for.
Freyja made her way through the winding corridors of the royal palace, feeling a twinge of remembrance yet she had never been to the castle before. Opening a door, she saw a room shrouded by a fog of dust. There were two thrones covered by a white sheet, and one small stool with an elaborate cushion. The large candelabras were also covered in sheets, and the chandeliers hung low from the ornate ceiling. Lovely patterned rugs ran along the center of the burgundy floor towards the thrones. Portraits were covered but hanging pieces of fabric, hiding the faces that had been captured within. Moving to the next room, Freyja noticed that the candles were lit, the chairs uncovered by white cloth. A stairway lead to a door above and she wondered where it went.
She heard the door unlock, and Freyja looked around for a place to hide, and ducked behind a room divider in the corner just as guards and Count Egil.