Worship of the Gods
"I'm reminded of a book my father used to read me," she said. "A bunch of elves and things get into a huge war over a piece of jewellery that everybody wants but nobody can wear."
Lemony Snicket, Who Could That Be at This Hour?
Chapter Ten: Epistemic
Cecelia held the gown up to Ellie. "The Queen Mother presents you with silk made of mistletoe. Finery which will impress his holiness Freyr."
"May I touch it?" she asked gently.
"You will be wearing it. Of course." Ellie touched it and felt sinful for doing so. It was smoother than water, almost delicate enough to make her believe she was running her fingers through a river. Nervouness crept inside of her and she pulled her hand away.
"Does it have sleeves?"
Cecelia shook her head with a smile. She was much more pleasant that evening, nearly giddy with excitement. "The silver will bring out your eyes and hair. You are to wear beads of opal and Midgardian pearls. Frigga ordered for them to be collected two moons ago."
"Why do I need it? Freyr will judge me for the task, not how I look." Ellie hadn't forgotten her impending doom. It lingered like a foul smell. "Why does Frigga waste so much money on me? On extravagances which I don't need?" How much did it cost for her to live here? What was money like on Asgard at all?
"Freyr is the God of prosperity," Cecelia said as she unravelled the attire. It shimmered in iridescent shades, appearing like woven starlight which reflected hues of pink and red. Ellie stared at it and swallowed. "He judges appearance, wealth and personality. He is also an old friend of King Odin who would rather you not turn up in training gear and a sword."
Ellie remained silent as Cecelia pulled her daywear over her head and helped her into the bath. It was steaming hot which made the back of her neck sweaty. She sunk into the water completely.
Cecelia washed Ellie's hair, gently combing the knots and tangles. When she was clean, Cecelia helped her into the bedchamber. She soaked oils and balms into the curls and used a denman brush to spring the coils into a perfection Ellie could never manage. The strands shone in the glistening sunset.
For the most part, Ellie's hair remained down. There were three braids on either side of her head interwoven with precious gems and runes. All of them led into the curls.
Cecelia dabbed herbs onto her wrist and neck and then slid the gown around Ellie's body. It was wispy and light, nearly feeling as if she wore nothing at all. Barely touching her figure at all, it vastly compared to the dresses she used to wear on her nights out in London town. Against Ellie's complexion, the gown seemed almost angelic. Almost.
She ran a hand down her cheek and felt the tired skin. It was dull. Undeniably human.
Cecelia stepped in front of her. "You must remove your bracelet," she said as she applied a balm to Ellie's lips.
"I can't," Ellie replied, holding her wrist up. "I have to keep it on."
"Odin has requested you do not wear it."
"Odin can kiss my ass." Cecelia stopped and shot back with a startled look. Ellie immediately felt terrible. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I'll… What if I wear it somewhere you can't see?"
"Odin will be furious with me."
"No, he won't and if he found out, then, I would take the blame. I'm an insensitive cow. He knows this. Please."
"Well, I… if it would cause you to stop using such language."
With the apostle strung around her ankle, Ellie slid a pair of sandals onto her feet and straightened. Her wrist would've felt naked if not for the golden bangles which jangled when she walked.
Ellie met Cecelia's molten eyes and smiled apologetically. It wasn't returned, she only lowered her gaze respectfully and continued tugging at the gown and braids.
A great clambering of bells rang across Asgard. There was a roar of surging energy which shook the ground beneath Ellie's feet. She inhaled sharply and met Cecelia's startled gaze. The pair hurried to the balcony and stared in disbelief. The sky was illuminated by bright purple and pink for a single moment and then the sound of horses, chanting and cheers arose.
They poured out of the Bifrost and onto the Rainbow Bridge in a ribbon of green and white and polished steel, under two hundred proud bannermen and knights, and followers of Freyr. Half a dozen banners swung the sigil of the Light Elves, emblazoned with the symbol – a ribbon of vines intertwined with the stars.
Ellie leaned over the balcony, focusing on the faces of the beings. They were startlingly beautiful and smooth, gliding across the ground with their long capes floating behind them. Their skin emitted a gentle glow, enticing and full.
"They're beautiful…" Ellie murmured. Cecelia nodded, her gaze flickering to the human.
"Yes. Elves are."
"Can we… Can we get any closer?"
"Their Ruler is here to see you, my lady. You shall be as close as your heart's desire if the Völva's prophecy was true."
Gulping, Ellie felt her heart flutter. Her mind whirred with the lessons she had been taught: bow, lower your gaze, royal address, smile, do not speak out of term, eat with poise. Some of the others included: do not mention the wargs, battle, death or heritage after the council meeting. Ellie's hands felt clammy. She didn't want to brush them off on her dress and used a towel.
"Come, my lady," her handmaiden asked.
Cecelia led her out of the chamber and down to the entrance hall where the King had requested Ellie be; ready and waiting for their guests. There was commotion throughout the castle, servants ran past her and guards hurried to and fro. Some of the royal guests chattered amongst themselves as they sped towards the destination of Ellie and Cecelia.
Ellie watched two women, arm in arm, lapse into giggles. She craved a friend in that moment, a close companion who could make her laugh. It had been too long.
Lord Freyr's arrival began at dusk and it would end at dawn, after dancing and drinking and laughter. According to Cecelia. Ellie couldn't understand how so many could be happy when their home was destroyed.
Mighty tapestries hung along each corridor, showing Odin and Freyr battling their enemies, and the light-elves in their natural element. She had never seen so much elegance.
They entered the Great Hall, a golden room lined with tables and an open space in the middle for performers or dancers. At the top of the hall, on a raised step was a table with seats taller and more extravagant. Soldiers beside the archway led Ellie towards the King and Queen.
Odin stood beside Frigga in front of the table, on either side were Loki and Thor. Frigga's apprehensive eyes found Ellie and she remained passive in her facial expressions. Cecelia remained at the door and bowed gracefully before leaving the room.
Guests continued to enter around Ellie, staring or throwing her confused expressions.
Still sweating, Ellie approached the royal family and lowered her head. "Allfather. Queen Mother. Prince Thor and Loki Odinson. Thank you for allowing me the honour of being a royal guest," she recited.
When she lifted her eyes, Frigga bowed in return and Odin nodded his head. There was an air of calmness about them.
"Come," Frigga said. Ellie stepped into the space beside Lord Aelfred.
"You're late," he muttered as Ellie straightened.
She shot him a look. "I couldn't stop staring out of my window."
"Then you shall faint when they are within arm's reach, won't you?"
Ellie scowled. "I'm civilised, not a giggling school girl."
"Hm. If you do pass out, alert me. I need some entertainment."
Odin coughed and Ellie shut her mouth. She held her hands in front of herself as Cecelia instructed.
The tall Great Hall doors opened gracefully, introducing the Vanir in all of their ethereal glory. Ellie held her breath as the sight of a huge man at the head of the column, flanked by two knights in silver armour, snow-white cloaks hanging on their backs.
Taking Ellie by surprise, the huge man vaulted off the back of his horse with a hearty roar and walked towards them with rosy-red cheeks and a toothy smile. He crushed Odin to him in a bone-crunching hug.
"Odin! My oldest and dearest friend!" He looked the King over and laughed. "You are wider than last we saw one another!"
"I believe this time, you are one step ahead of me," Odin replied with as much amusement. Ellie couldn't relax as she watched the arrangement. "Frigga – the stardust of the Nine Realms." He pressed his lips to her hand, and they shared a laugh. "Thor and Loki, the sons of the King. How are you fairing?"
Loki tilted his head politely, a grin on his lips. "Very well, good Freyr. How was the journey?"
"Too long, my boy. If Heimdall is praised by Valhalla with a doppelgänger… send it to me." Loki tensed at the word 'boy' but continued smiling regardless. Thor bowed at Freyr with enthusiastic pride.
"I have been studying your war strategies," he said. "It would be an honour to show you."
"Yes! Yes, of course. For now, let us look to the reason of my visiting." All eyes turned to Ellie. She stared at the ground fearfully. There was a lump in her throat which threatened to choke her. Here she was, a tiny Midgardian, bowing in front of the Vanir leader.
"Your holiness," she choked out.
Freyr bellowed a laugh, his cheeks going redder than ever before. "Yes, yes!" He roared happily to Odin. "Freyr the decider of the sun rising and rising, from whenst doth the rain fall and where does thou faithfulness of Earth appear! Freyr, the God of peace and plenty! Plenty of ale, and feasts, and music! Tell me, little Midgardian, do you see the God of prosperity sat before you?"
Ellie's cheeks went pink and she looked up quickly, nearly cricking her neck. She stared at the God and struggled to find her voice. "I..." she looked at the many guests behind him, trying to find a slither to help, but their stares worsened her embarrassment. Ellie swallowed, "yes. Of course, my Lord. You are the God of Prosperity and…" He raised a thick, white brow and suddenly burst into more laughter.
"Taught her well, haven't you my King?" he roared. He focused back on her. "How long were you given to learn all of this?"
"Not long enough," she blurted, definitely against the better judgement of Frigga and Odin.
Freyr cackled. "I can tell, little Midgardian."
By then, the rest of Freyr's company had dismounted, and grooms were coming forwards to greet Odin. Freyr's fifth-wife, Coydis, glided on foot with her three children. Even as small toddlers, they moved with grace.
Frigga embraced Coydis with a generous smile and shook the hands of the little ones.
No sooner had both families formally greeted one another and the introduction had been completed that Freyr said to Odin, "let us discuss the formal matters of our being here. I wish to witness the truth."
Odin nodded, appreciating Freyr's ability to joke and be a man of honour in the space of a minute. No other words were needed. Coydis attempted to protest. They were all weary and wanted to refresh before the feast. Freyr looked at her and then to Eurelia Adams. She missed the guiding hand of Aelfred, who all but attempted to push her towards Freyr.
Ellie followed Odin and Freyr out of the hall, through a door which existed behind the throne. Entering a small room, Ellie's heart swelled at the atmosphere. She felt breathless and powerful in the same moment. Her gaze fell to the Àlkar stone sat on a small table in the middle of the room.
She pulled the collar of the dress as it threatened to choke her.
"I never thought we'd make it to Asgard, your grace," Freyr grumbled, walking to the other side of the room.
Odin raised his eyebrows. "The journey was not well?"
Freyr shook his head, the laughter stripped from his red cheeks. "Nay," he said, "through bogs and rot we travelled. We were attacked by vicious beasts of Hel."
"Why did you not send word?"
"As soon as the ambush began, it was over. They ripped several guardsmen apart and threatened the rest. They know we have the Àlkar stone, your grace."
"It is as much assumed they have known since Frigga's mishap on Midgard. There were no survivors, they were cleared by my men shortly after the incident."
Freyr rubbed his temple. "Forgive my lie, but I thought it best not to frighten your people in the first moments."
"Were you attacked by wargs?" Ellie asked, envisioning the creatures.
Freyr looked back at her. "Indeed. Cruel bastards. They swarm Alfheim now."
"Alfheim which is where the stone needs to go back to, right?"
There was a pregnant pause and Freyr approached the Àlkar. He reached out and pressed a finger to the object. Its green glow dimmed. "What do you truly know, Ellie Adams?" he asked, his voice distant.
Ellie looked to Odin, asking for silent permission before she blurted a truly wrong thing. With his curt nod, she told Freyr about the night on the bridge. She left no details spared; reliving the malice of the warg, the Àlkar in her hand and how it failed to work again. By the time she finished, Freyr's face was pale and unnerved.
The air became heavy. Freyr shared a dark look with the Allfather. "For once, my King, I prayed your letters were lies for the sake of my entertainment."
Odin said, "yes. Indeed, a sinister form of entertainment, but making light of a situation is what your people do best."
"Usually when we should not, I believe." Freyr turned to Ellie. "Come here. Let me see you."
The ruler of Alfheim took her hand in his two massive ones. He was warm and large, like an overly strong teddy-bear. As he stared down at her, Ellie felt like a squashed bug between two sheets of glass; squashed and breathless. After several seconds, Freyr let go and frowned. "Shame," he murmured.
"She is not of your own?" Odin enquired.
"Nay," he said. "There was no trace of Vanir. A real pity. You could've almost passed as one of mine."
Ellie swallowed. "One of yours?"
"One of my children. It is written that only blood of Vanir can restore the Àlkar if its charging is disrupted."
"Charging?" Ellie repeated. "Can none of your children do this?"
"The power of my people rests inside the Àlkar. Like a living being, it has tastes and desires. It eats what it eats and consumes what it must to survive." Freyr's gaze slid back to the stone. "But… words are just words. They are only stories in the end."
"In the end…" Odin echoed. "It is a human which will save you."
"Yes!" Freyr said, his voice brightening. "A human – the savour of the Vanir. Hardly what you were expecting your life to be, is it, little one?" He clapped his hands together. "Right. Let's see it, then! Have at it, child."
As she had done thrice before, Ellie approached the Àlkar and placed her hand on the stone. It glowed beneath her hand, swamping the room in a curtain of light. Warmth spread up her arms, down her legs and even a breath of energy rippled through her hair. She closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them, the Vanir was staring at the rock.
"Allfather in Valhalla…" he whispered; his eyes glassy. Odin placed a hand on his friend's arm and also watched the centre of the room. For several moments, Ellie stayed attached to the Àlkar. Something inside of her screamed that Freyr needed to see the glowing light and Odin was warming to the reaction of it. "Oh, my Odin. Look at what has been presented to you. I feel its power growing. In my soul… it lives once more."
"We will return it to your people and restore your realm."
Ellie took her hand away and the room went dim. Immediately, the warmth was gone as if the walls were a breathing body and she had stopped its heart from beating. She bowed her head and took Freyr's trembling lip as a reason for her to leave the rulers alone.
Ellie entered the hall escorted by a suited warrior whose face was hidden by a gold helmet. She thanked him, remembering her manners again. She was sat opposite Coydis, who was whispering to her eldest toddler. Reaching to the far width of the hall were councilmen and numerous Vanir. On her right was a Vanir-woman and to her left was Aelfred (much to her dislike).
The feast was beginning as she settled down. Dozens of servers flooded the hall, holding silver platters piled high with steaming food. Goblets swarmed the tables with the smell of sweet-honey ale. Ellie had never seen so many people in one room, nor so strange and beautiful. The Vanir wore fabric made of gentle silk and enticing perfume which reminded Ellie of honeysuckle. Despite being from a war-torn realm, they moved with benign grace.
The lady next to Ellie sipped her drink.
Coydis wore gold, matching her husband and children. She like company and feasts because they were bountiful affairs made for laughter and happiness. With her child's hand in hers, she tickled him and smiled at his giggles. She was nervous for her lover to sit back down and avoided looking at the human.
Ellie had never felt so lonely as she watched Coydis. Cecelia told her to look pleasant and happy, and she forced a smile onto her face until her jaw ached and her eyes became warm with tears. She looked away, trying to hide them from the guests, knowing it would cause a scene and make her out to be a pathetic human.
A roast boar was placed in front of her, surrounded by thick sausages and herbs just as Odin returned with Freyr. The hall erupted into praise and clapping.
More food was brought out, vegetables, soups and stews which Ellie had never seen before. She recognised one of the dishes from a dinner Cecelia had fetched for her and decided to have that. Even with the gurgling nervousness in her stomach, keeping it full would cushion everything miserable inside.
There was no one to talk to.
"It's so warm and welcoming, isn't it?" the Vanir said next to her. "Truly, it has been so long since we've feasted in one of our own great halls."
"I've heard whispers that the Àlkar has been recently found," another murmured to the she-elf.
"No, it has not!"
"Yes! I swear it. Some have claimed to feel its presence here."
"Well, I can't feel anything."
"If you didn't drink so heavily, you'd be able to."
With a chuckle, the she-elf said: "we are Vanir, not drunken Midgardians. If the Àlkar were here, I would know."
"How do you explain this?" Ellie looked over and caught a glimpse of the elf pick up a piece of rosemary. He frowned and stared at it. Suddenly, it grew an inch and began to shake. The elves gasped loudly and hurried to put the herb away.
"How did you do that?" the she-elf hissed. "Do it again!"
"I can't. I have to wait for my strength to grow back now. I only managed to get a sprig."
"A sprig! It must be here, then. Oh, Valhalla, do you know what this means?"
"Why else would Odin invite us?" her friend said, a grin in his voice.
Heat warmed Ellie's cheeks. When she looked up, she found Coydis' curious gaze on the elves and, suddenly, it was on her. Freyr said something in her ear which took her gaze away.
Ellie started drinking then, and didn't stop until the last drop of honey-ale slipped down her throat. There was a slice of ham on her plate. She reached for her fork and chewed a piece.
Opposite her, Coydis was scolding her children's manners. Their little faces were covered in red sauce. Ellie told herself she was fortunate that no one was watching her manners so intensely.
"Girl," a voice called to her.
Ellie turned to Aelfred, who sat with a goblet in his hand and a frown cutting up his wrinkled face. Up close, he was like an aged gremlin. "Your meeting with my Lord Freyr, tell me what was discussed."
"I really don't think I'm allowed," Ellie said. "It seemed private." Staring at the old man, she felt nervous and dropped her voice to a whisper. "I just had to touch the stone to show Freyr what I could do."
"And? What did he say? Any strategy plans?" Aelfred asked. "He will soon be too drunk to tell me. I am his council, you can trust me."
Ellie hesitated, then nodded. "He got upset when I showed him. I left him with Odin so he could have some privacy."
"Upset for the fate of his people?"
"Upset because, well, he asked me if I could be one of his children at the start. I think it disappointed him," Ellie said, swallowing the rest of her bite. "He said it is written that only blood of the Vanir – royal Vanir – can return the stone."
The councilman's gaze became distant, seeing through Ellie. "Why would he question your heritage?"
"To be thorough, I guess. I mean, he told me I have nothing… non-human in me. I think he was disappointed, but he didn't say how it could be possible. All of his wife's children are so young."
"You're an orphan, aren't you?"
Cold passed through Ellie. She tightened her jaw and didn't say a word.
"Apologies if I hurt your feelings, little Midgardian. I must be thorough when I recall information back to my Lord. I speak to many fools and many with less braincells than a silver fork." He said smugly. "You are an orphan, aren't you?"
"I was raised in a Catholic children's home. Yes," she said gently.
Aelfred's gaze fell to her wrist. "Yes," he said. "And no Catholic incantations on tonight?"
"I have it on. It is out of sight, so I don't offend the guests or Odin."
"Clever girl." Aelfed studied her face. "Are you sure nothing more was said?"
Ellie wasn't in the mood to be prodded for more information. "Not a word."
"You are the daughter of humans? Certainly?"
"Of course I am. Those close to my God do not lie to children."
"How do you know if that too was a lie?"
With a hiss, Ellie snapped a glare at Aelfred. "What do you know about lying to children?"
Aelfred leaned closer and nodded towards Coydis and Freyr. "Those children believe their home is being built by wildflowers and we must wait for the vines to build their beds before we can go back. Am I one to tell them their beds are ravaged by wargs and their bedsheets are blood-soaked in rot?"
With an embarrassment grimace, Ellie watched the little ones. They climbed over each other, fighting over the last carrot stick. So innocently lost in the world. How could evil seek the ruin of children?
Aelfred, pleased with the human's reaction, slunk back into his seat.
Feeling nauseous, Ellie put her fork down and rested her head on the palm of her hand. She knew she was human. Freyr proved it and even she felt nothing when their skin touched. Without Asgardian strength and Elven enchantments, the task ahead would be brutal. There was still much to learn, but she was further than she had been before
If she were to survive this war of knowledge, she would have to rely on herself alone. She would restore the Alfheim stone because she knew how her existence affected it. Odin would not be her God, but she could value his existence as a Ruler. Freyr's children would have a home to grow up in and the Vanir would flourish in their natural beauty once more.