The young woman stood silhouetted against the glimmering metal sphere that jutted up at the end of the Bifrost. She had walked the length of the Rainbow Bridge, and her sea of wavy red hair reflected the different colors emanating from the path beneath her feet. As she took in the city of Asgard in front of her, it brought back memories of the place she had just left, her homeland of Gareth.
She had been the only daughter to the royal line that ruled there. Her childhood had been charmed, certainly; that is, until the day it wasn't.
She could still remember all the details quite clearly. She had been playing in the nursery when she heard shouts and screams. Her Mother had told her to run and hide so she had fled with all the might her tiny legs could muster, guarding herself in a hidden chamber accessed through a closet in an old room. She had sat in terror for hours, listening to the sounds of battle and wondering what was happening in the castle around her. Only when the noise had died down had she dared to sneak from her hiding spot. A guard in golden armor finally caught her as she had turned to run away from the stranger. He had calmed her down enough for her to understand he was one of the good guys. A soldier of Asgard, sworn to intervene on behalf of peace if the realm of Gareth was ever attacked.
She followed him down a familiar corridor, wondering where her parents were and if she were being led to them. The guard had her hand and turned to leave the main hall, and she slipped free, feeling she had to look into the suite of rooms her parents shared. When she got inside their rooms, she had screamed. The sight before her would be burned into her mind for the rest of eternity. The bodies, for she couldn t comprehend them as being her parents anymore, were haphazardly tossed here and there in different pieces. She could feel the cold gel of blood starting to soak through her thin slippers as her feet sunk deeper into the stained carpet.
She had stood rooted to the spot as tears streamed down her cheeks. A man not in the golden armor of Asgard, who had been hiding from the numerous patrols who had traipsed through the room, came hurtling toward the Princess of Gareth. The purpose of the invading army was to kill all those in the royal line. He would sacrifice himself for his part in this massacre.
Startled, she had tried to move and slipped, feeling his sword run across the top of her hip. She cried out in pain as the assailant wrenched the sword back, the metal biting along the bone it had lodged in and he raised it above her once more. That s when the Asgardian arrived and ran the assailant through, adding to the number of dead in the room. She couldn't remember anything more from that day. Except for the fact that she hadn't been able to do anything about what had happened to her parents and her kingdom. She was taken to the healer and had blissfully blacked out.
It turned out her brother Raymond had been rushed in from the fencing yard where he had been practicing with the other nobles and had survived the invasion along with Draygo, the royal advisor. Her entire world had been turned upside down since that day. She tried to find solace in her brother but he was becoming more and more distant as Draygo's influence over him grew. Draygo was put forward to rule in her brother s stead until his coronation. Raymond was 1600 years, and would be crowned when he reached his seventeen hundredth.
I suppose for Midgardians (mortals) this could be seen as only the passing of a year. The age of 16 to 17. The young Princess Rosamond had been only 1300 herself. The years that followed that day had been hard on her mind and soul. Draygo counseled Raymond into a darker boy and then a darker man. Her brother had used to be kind, now she could barely tell if any trace of the brother she had once loved was in there. He had become cruel and thoughtless. Draygo wanted a puppet, not a true ruler who could govern and think for himself. She tried different tactics to win her brother back to her side but she was rebuffed constantly until a series of events had transpired, showing clearly that there was no getting him back. Magic ran in her family and Raymond inherited it, though never used it for good cause.
She herself had never shown any signs of inheriting the gift of magic. She wouldn t know for certain until she was past her own name day. That was something her Mother had told her once. She vowed she'd never be helpless again and took to sneaking out into the courtyards and training with all the other boys, learning the art of the sword. She was fairly talented and a quick learner. She had a custom sword made for herself when she felt she had mastered enough of the technique to warrant her own weapon.
When her brother at last became King, she suffered through a long stay in her home, waiting for the day she could apply for a job in Asgard. Raymond was never overly cruel to her but what he didn't take out on her, he took out on others and she hated to see it. Draygo was still helping control Raymond and at the time once or twice he had tried to seduce her to no avail. These occurrences only added haste to her escape plans. As soon as she secured a job in the other realm, and it was done quite easily, she was allowed to leave earlier than her actual name day and she stood now, looking out at Asgard.
She couldn't have been happier to see any other place in all the realms. Her brother was glad to have her gone and she was glad to be standing in this shining city. She started making her way toward the palace as she thought about the job she'd start in the morning and trying to ignore the pain from the scar on her hip. She had gotten a job in the palace due to her royal status and parentage. When she had heard she d be assigned to the crown prince that was locked in a remote cell in an isolated part of the castle, she had been surprised. She had been given no answers as to why, and she felt she couldn t ask the All-Father or the Queen. She just dipped a curtsy and thanked them for the opportunity.
During the remaining dialogue, the Queen Frigga had explained to her that Prince Loki was being held because he was dangerous at the moment, while Odin the All-Father told her stories of what he had done to be locked in the cell. She had almost decided to decline the position when she heard how he had invaded Midgard and people had died in the process. It reminded her a lot of what had happened to her own kingdom. But she wouldn't go back to Gareth now. She kept her head held high as the monarchs told her what her duties would be. She was to be responsible for bringing his food, books, and anything he needed really. Also to keep him company for a certain allotment of time each day, and was warned not to believe any lies he told her. She had agreed to all the terms and they had promised to house her in the palace.
She reached the side entrance she'd been told to utilize and a maid showed her the way to her new room. She set her sword next to her bed opening her travel pack that held her only belongings. She packed the clothes into a nearby wardrobe, hanging a couple garments up. Running a brush through her hair, she untangled it and set it at the small armoire. She crossed back to the wardrobe, putting the sack up, and took a long white nightgown out, pulling it on. It had the barest ripples of lace at hands and hem. She climbed into the soft bed and blew out her candle.