Beneath the Surface

Chapter One: Horrible News

"You cannot be serious father!" Yelled Aija.

"But I am Aija, it is best for our people. We need to properly thank the Asgardians for their help in the War of the Nine Realms and this is the greatest gift I could give. It is final; I am sorry if you are upset, but there is no protesting this union" calmly replied Aija's father, Zander, king of the Vanirs.

"There are thousands of other valuables you could have sent! Do not tell me this is the best. You are only sending me off to marry that old decrepit fool because my presence in this palace is no longer wanted" howled Aija, face turning red in rage.

She walked closer to her father and slammed her hand on the table. "You could easily have sent him warriors or gold. He just lost his wife, I doubt he wants a new one so soon! It's not like he really needs anymore children, especially when he has a son men dream of. Why are you doing this to me father? Tell me why! WHY? Have I not done everything you have asked of me as a daughter?"

"ENOUGH!" Zander screamed as he stood up from the chair he was sitting in. "You have indeed done everything I have ever asked of you, and now you will do this last final task. As for why, it does not involve any disdain or abhorrence towards you as you may think. I have to put my people before all, even if it means losing a daughter. It does not matter if it was Thor or Odin who fought in our realm, Odin controls the power and his word is final. It is in our best wishes to be in a favorable light with the All-Father. This is our best chance of doing that. Now go to your room and prepare for the dinner tonight."

"But father…"

"I will hear no more from you Ajia. Now GO!"

Aija stormed off towards her room in a rage. How could her father do this to her? She was the youngest of all her sibling and yet she was the one who will soon be sent to marry a man her father's age. A man who is older than her father in fact! She was not one for power so becoming queen of Asgard was never on the top of her wish list. All she ever wanted was to be able to find her one true love and live happily far away from this retched palace. She was able to accomplish half of her dream from this arrangement, but she could say goodbye to her happy ever after. Maybe Odin would decline her father's offer at tonight's dinner. Aija prayed that Odin was still not over the loss of his wife during the attack by the Dark Elves. A thought suddenly struck her.

"What if I was so rude to Odin that he could not stand the thought of having me as his wife…but then I would enrage father and probably be sent to marry an ogre" thought Aija with a cringe. "Damn it! If mother was still alive today she would never have allowed this to happen… I think."

During labor, Aija's mother had passed away. Many had mourned the death of such a kind queen. Throughout the world, Sanna was revered for her compassion and thoughtfulness. She balanced Zander's fierce personality. They fit together like a lock and key, completing each other perfectly. Aija only knew her mother through the stories she was told by those who had known her mother. From what she heard, her mother was one of the gentlest being in all the realms. She can't help but feel slightly empty at the thought of her mother. Everyone around her knew Sanna and had their own stories about her. Aija longed to be able to hug her mother, talk to her about the problems she had, but most importantly have her own memories of her. Her favorite time when she was younger was when her father would come into her room and tell her bed time stories. She would always ask him to tell her stories of her mother and what she was like. Later in the night while she was fast asleep Aija would dream of her mother and what it would be like if she was still alive.

Aija used to be very close with her father, but as she grew older he became more and more distant. She did not understand it at first, but as the years went by, she understood what made him so distant. It especially became apparent when all the other children would tease her about her appearance. They always would pull her hair and call her "spotted freak" for her unusual freckles or "stumpy" because of her short stature. It was after such instances that made her realize that her father was ashamed of her because of how she looked. During her development stage in the womb she must have gotten a rare defect which caused her mother to have problems during labor and led to her eventual death. Her odd features are what must have come from the having this defect, for she should be as tall as her other siblings. She stands only 5'6 compared to her tall slender sister who is 5'11 and her behemoth twin brothers who stand at 6'3. She also oddly has a layer of freckles across her cheeks and nose, which are unheard of for her kind. She always wondered why she looked different from her siblings, but none of them would explain why. She had to come to these conclusions without the help of those close to her, causing a lonely, isolated feeling to rise within her. Her brothers seemed to be the only ones in her family that could look past her physical differences to see the person inside.

While deep in thought, Aija almost did not notice her sister Maisa, walking towards her. As they approached each other, they slowed their paces. Maisa stopped closely in front of Aija and looked down upon her younger sister with a look of exasperation. They had not gotten along for as long as Aija could remember. It always seemed as if she had always known that Aija was different even before anyone else had noticed and ostracized her for it. Aija tried to create a relationship between her older sister and herself, but Maisa always thwarted her attempts. She soon realized it was a lost cause and just tried to stand clear of her, otherwise there was always a snippy comment that would be made in order to belittle Aija.

"I see you had another one of your little talks with father. What have you done wrong this time little sister" sneered Maisa. "Did you throw another temper tantrum in front of one of the royal families again?"

"Oh ha quite nice of you to bring that up once again sister" Aija remarked dryly. "Glad to be able to amuse you my dear sister, but no it was a more serious matter."

"More serious than almost ruining father's reputation? What could ever concern you that would be of such importance?"

"Apparently I am to marry Odin" Aija smiled mockingly.

"WHAT?! Why on Earth would a disgraceful twit such as yourself marry the All-Father? Has father gone mad?"

"For once I may agree with you" one eyebrow lifted in annoyance. "Quite mad. I do not, however, appreciate your scornful words sister."

"Sister? SISTER! Ha barely" Maisa replied rolling her eyes. "You are not fit to be queen! If anyone deserves to be ruler of Asgard it should be me! Not you with your tainted blood."

"First of all, you are already married sister if you do not recall. Secondly, what in the gods name do you mean by tainted blood?" Aija was taken aback that her sister could say such things to her, even if their relationship was broken. "I am as much your sibling as Laus or Ludvik. I may not be the same height as you three and I may have odd freckles upon my face but we all come from the same parents" she whispered with clenched fists.

"Hmph if you say so. Father is a fool if he truly thinks marrying you to Odin will benefit our people. If anything he is condemning us to death."

Aija could only glare at her sister as she stomped past her towards their father's room. She had her fists clenched so tightly she could feel her skin tearing. She walked towards her room trying to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.

"She probably is storming off to father's room to complain how unfair it is that my possible future husband is more powerful than her current one. As if I wanted this! If I could give her this fate I would in a heartbeat. She is the one that yearns for power, not me. And what did she mean by tainted blood? Was she referring to my birth defects…"

Before she could make sense of what just happened, she arrived to her room where her hand maid was waiting to help her dress for the dinner later tonight.

"I have laid out your best dresses my lady. Which one would you like to wear?"