Your heart was pounding in your chest as the carriage left the Bifrost Bridge and entered the great golden city. Asgard was more beautiful than you had read and heard; no piece of art you had ever seen had done it justice. You had been educated in all its customs, it was an advanced and enlightened realm ruled by Odin, a supposedly fair but firm king.
You watched as the carriage went through the streets looking at the stalls, the children playing and the people in general as they went about their day's business, some of them looking at the ornate carriage as it went by before continuing with their day.
The palace itself was the centre point of the city, a vast and tall structure, and seemingly made entirely of gold. The large gates at its entrance were opened for your arrival and shut again as soon as your convoy went through. The horses halted next to a large fountain feature outside the palace doors. You looked at the statue that the water gushed around with curiosity; it was an eight legged horse, a very peculiar centre piece. All the horses you had seen around the city were just like the ones of your realm, four legged.
"Sadhbh, are you ready?" your mother asked, her face telling you she understood your anxiety. You nodded silently and prepared to get out of the carriage. Your father exited first, followed closely by your mother, then your brothers, and finally you.
You took a moment to straighten your dress before looking around. You froze as you caught the eye of a very tall and elegant woman, dressed in a silver dress, her hair neatly tied, her smile small but welcoming. She stood forward and bowed slightly.
"Queen Frigga, we are honoured that you were available to meet us upon our arrival." Your father bowed.
"King Gaufrid, the honour is mine I assure you." She continued to smile. "I would not be much of a host were I not to greet you and your family after requesting your presence to begin with."
"You will recall my wife, Merida of Midgard?" The foreign queen nodded and bowed to your mother. And may I introduce my sons, Warin, our crowned prince." Your oldest brother bowed. "My son Erlendr." Your other brother bowed. "And of course, Sadhbh." He did not even turn to you. Frigga took a moment to look at you, her smile very natural as she took in your appearance, you curtsied and remained silent. "We were quite surprised by your invitation." Your father continued, taking her attention off you. "We understand you are looking for a suitable wife for the princes but I would never thought one such as my daughter would be one of interest." He scoffed.
You bit the inside of your cheeks as you looked away at your fathers words. Your mother did the same as your brothers followed suit and laughed with your father. When you looked at the queen she seemed less than impressed at your father's tasteless comment.
"Queen Merida, I assume Sadhbh has been taught as requested?" Frigga smiled at your mother.
"Of course, she is a very fast learner and took no time at all to perfect what was asked of her." Your mother answered proudly.
"Wonderful." Frigga smiled warmly at you, trying to coax a smile in response.
"It's not like she has much else to be doing." Erlendr scoffed to Warin under his breath, causing the older prince to laugh. The two queens glared at them as your cheeks turned crimson in equal parts fury and humiliation.
"Is King Odin on realm at present?" Your father asked, not paying any attention to his sons.
"Yes, he is in court at present, and wishes for both you and your sons to join him and the Prince's Thor and Loki on a hunt tomorrow." Frigga explained. "He should almost be done now as it is nearing the time for the evening meal. I shall show you to your rooms for your stay and you can get settled." She smiled.
You could not stop staring at the beautiful statues, intricate tapestries and exquisite paintings that were dotted along the different hallways as you made your way through the great palace. Frigga purposely fell into to step with you, startling you slightly when you turned your head to see her right next to you. "Beautiful aren't they? They were the first thing I noticed upon my arrival too." She commented. "Though there were not so many all those centuries ago."
"They are positively amazing. I have never seen anything like them." You answered. "Many of them are of Asgard's Great War with Jötunheim, is that correct?"
"Indeed. You have heard of it?" the queen queried.
"I have read extensively all I could on it I must confess." She looked at you in intrigue. "I love to read and history is a very important aspect of a realm, it explains the current affairs between different realms." You explained.
"You are a very wise young woman." She noted.
"It is merely sense your majesty." You dismissed.
The queen said no more as she led you all to your rooms. She directed your parents to theirs, then both of your brothers to theirs, and finally she walked up another staircase before directing you to yours. Though unlike with you parents and brothers, she entered yours with you. "I hope this is to your liking, I did not know how you would wish for it to be decorated, so I left that for you to do for yourself; it will be yours for the near future until it is decided which son you will wed." She watched as you looked around the room.
"It is beyond anything I ever imagined." You confessed. "The whole realm is."
"Asgard is a wonderful and beautiful place. I was overwhelmed when I arrived here. I recall that day so vividly. I was not near as confident as you are."
You failed to control a small laugh. "I fear you are very much mistaken your Majesty. I have not eaten or slept properly in days." You admitted.
"There is no need for worries child, you will do well here."
"If I may be so bold Allmother, why me?" She looked at you in bewilderment. "There are far more suitable candidates than I and all of which would be far more desirable than me."
"Dear sweet Sadhbh, your view of yourself is not in keeping with that of those who view you objectively." She smiled. "Your father and brothers do not hold you in high regard and as such it appears you have little regard for yourself, but I can assure you, you are an accomplished young woman by any realms standards and you are quite beautiful also. Either of my sons would be very lucky to have you for their wife."
You blushed deeply at the elegant woman's words of praise. "Now I will leave you to get settled, I am sure your belongings will arrive soon, and I look forward to introducing you to Thor and Loki at dinner. I am sure they will be delighted to meet you too."
You bowed as the Queen of the Æsir left you and you decided to was merely a sort of drawing or reading room, mostly to entertain visitors, the shelves were bare, but that meant there was plenty of room for your own books. The large oak doors off it led to your bed chambers which housed a monstrosity of a four poster bed with a large chest at its base. A vanity table like none you had ever seen beautifully carved wood and marble surrounding the mirror, a large chest of drawers and even a wardrobe the size of your bathroom in your parent's palace. To the side you notice another oak door, on the other side of which was a bathroom which was the size of your entire chambers. You found yourself wondering if there was a possibility you could spend more time than was really necessary in it. There was a ridiculously large bathtub that could easily fit a multitude of people within it; you could not wait to try it. Sighing deeply, you turned and decided to prepare for dinner. A servant arrived with your belongings and within moments, your maid Maya and several Æsir ladies-in-waiting came into the room to aid in your unpacking.
Looking at the dress you had chosen for the evening, you took a few deep breaths you assessed yourself. All too soon, you heard a knock on the door from Maya, to tell you that dinner was about to be served. Terrified and anxious, you checked over yourself once more before heading from your bedchambers to the rest of the quarters, preparing to meet you fate.