Prologue
During the great war with Jotunheim, there were not only male warriors fighting against them, as many will have you believe, but female as well. Some women had been trained since birth to fight for the glory of Asgard, and could not imagine a life outside of its army. Some were more reluctant to join, but did so anyway. One of these reluctant women was Lady Serah. She had not had as much training as some of the others, but none the less she went along. She would not leave her husband to battle the Jotuns alone, and together they marched towards what could be their doom. Fortunately-or unfortunately- they both kept their lives, but it came at a price. In the heat of battle the spouses were separated. And Serah was chased by a Frost Giant deep into a cave far away from the battlefield. There they fought for a long time, but she was getting weary while he was still standing strong. In a short moment she had lost both her sword and her balance. As she lay at his feet he took advantage of her. Her screams and cries for help did not reach the surface. When he was done, he left her there to join his brethren on the outside. Gathering her strength she left as well, not long after that. From what he had done she had gotten frost bite on her thighs and nether regions, but she tried to ignore the pain, as all she could think about was finding her husband. When she did, she told him what had happened. He did not blame her, and stood by her side as a loving partner should during hard times. They had no choice but to keep the child that they discovered was growing inside her, for if they tried to remove it, it could mean dire consequences for the mother. After all, Jotuns were not built the same why as Asgardians were. But that did not mean they had to love it as their own child.
Soon it was time for the birth. Once again Serah suffered from horrible frost bites that meant she could never have another child, and that did not help improving her mood. It was a girl. Once she was born, the man and woman looked down into her crib with disgust. Before them laid a blue creature with red eyes and tribal marks covering her skin. This was not their child. This was merely something they were stuck with.
The little baby was crying, but Serah had not touched her daughter since she came out of her body, and nor did she intend to. A wet-nurse was hired to feed her, and they made sure she was located in the far end of the mansion so they would have to see and hear her as little as possible.
At first they thought about simply killing her and claim she had been stillborn, but that would be a great disgrace for the Lord and Ladyship. The solution they came up with was simple: whenever they had company or someone asked about their daughter they would state that she was terribly ill. They would say she had been born with a condition and was in no state to see anybody. This was a sufficient enough lie. The girl was alive but no-one would have to see her.
They had a wizard put a spell on her, to make her skin pink, so they didn't have to be reminded of that horrible day every time they looked upon her. The wizard was then bribed not to say a word to anyone of what had transpired.
Growing up she was taught not to go into certain parts of the house, and not to talk to people whom she didn't already know, and those weren't many. Her wet-nurse was let go as soon as she didn't need her anymore. The other servants were ordered not to speak to her more than absolutely necessary. She learned how to talk form observing and listening to the people around her. Reading and writing she had to teach herself. She didn't mind though.
Books became her salvation. Most days she was confined to her room, but the books she'd managed to get a hold of kept her company. The characters became her friends and her mentors. They taught her about the world and all the things she missed by being locked up in this miserable house.
They made her want to experience all that was out there. So she did. On a quiet night, when she finally was tall enough to reach up, she snuck out though her window and climbed down the vine on the wall outside. It was hard work but it was worth it. When she was down on the ground, she looked around in awe. In front of her was a whole new world waiting to be discovered.
She started with exploring the large garden. That alone took her two nights. Later she ventured outside of her parents property. She went into the forest, and to the plains, and she went a short distance up a nearby mountain. She even walked through the streets of a village not far from her home. She found her new favorite spot. It was a small hill surrounded by tall trees, about ten minutes from her house. There she would lay at night and gaze at the stars, wondering if this was all life had to offer her.
How wrong she had been.
One day she was in the library of the house when she came across a section she had never been in before. It was a small room in the back and the heavy door was sealed, but the lock was very old and easy to force open. The room, she discovered, was filled with books on magic. All sorts of it: dark and light, spells and potions, forbidden and forgotten. She figured it was locked for a reason, so she took as many as she could carry and returned to her room.
During the next few days she barely ate or slept, not that anyone checked up on her. For this she was grateful. The time she spent with those books was more educational than anything she had studied before. She learned so much in such a short time. If she thought going outside had given her new possibilities, this made her ten times as excited. She quickly learned to master the art of magic, and found it most useful in many situations.
However, with her newfound powers, it didn't take long before she discovered the truth about herself.
In the secluded area with the magic books there were also books on different species across the realms- most importantly on Frost Giants. As she read up on their anatomy she found that she had several similarities with this frozen race. Their skin was always cold and they were weakened by the rays of the sun. This she could strongly relate to. Also, as it turned out, Jotun females did not have monthly bleedings. She was well into her teens and had not experienced it yet. Instead, they bled in that way only once a year, and this gave the result that their chance of becoming with child was lessened. And somehow, she had better eyesight during the night than the day. Apparently the largest male could become up to 12 feet tall. Even though she was quiet tall for a girl of her age, she had not yet reached that height, but she was eagerly awaiting the day she would see if it was possible for her to be of that remarkable size.
When she cornered a maid that had been with her parents since long before she was born about her suspicions, all she received in answer was a few mumbling word before she excused herself. So she decided to use more drastic methods.
She sneaked out during the night as usual, but this time she had a goal. She collected the correct ingredients she needed, and returned to make her potion. When she mixed this into that stupid maids drink it would make her talk. And talk she did.
Thanks to the maid, who would not remember anything in the morning, she now knew of her true heritage. She knew it was not her fault her parents hated her. She wondered of her real father. After what he had done to her mother, he did not seem like a very nice person. But after what she had experienced so far in life she doubted anything could be much worse. She could not quiet be sympathetic for her parents. How could you be towards people who had kept her locked for so many years and done nothing but ignore you?
But she felt something else as well. Putting a spell on the maid and seeing the fear in her eyes had done something to this once sweet little girl. That was the first time she knew what power truly felt like. And she wanted more. Her outer shell remained, but she would quietly, almost secretly, start to terrorize the servants. It started small, giving out simple orders, but soon her demands grew. She would claim that she was technically the young mistress of the house and that they would do well to obey her, lest they wanted to take the punishment should they refuse.
Scaring the staff was all in good fun and she enjoyed how they cowered for her when she came too close, but she still dreamed of freedom. Almost every night she would leave her room and venture to the outside world. She often went to her hill to look at the stars up above. They were so bright, but unlike the sun, it did not hurt her eyes when exposed to their light. She liked to fantasize that she would one day run away from all this misery. But she knew she could never do it. At least not all alone. She had been alone all her life, and for taking such a big step she would like to have someone with her.
Come to think of it she had never been touched. Of course she had been beaten when she was a naughty little girl who would not follow the rules, and she had slapped back once she had the strength and the confidence, but she had never felt a gentle touch on her skin. She had never held someone's hand or been given a hug. Not even from her parents. She she had never even spoken a word to either of them. But she didn't need to. She had her power and that was all she required, or at least that's what she told herself.
Soon that would all change.
When she had reached her teenage years she met a boy. Some would say he was a strange boy who they would rather keep away from. But it was their loss and her gain. She would make her first friend, and possibly even open her heart in a way she had never imagined she was able to. That special boy would be her future and would lead her to her destiny.