Hey I wanted to give a content warning for this chapter. Ragna speaks to Odin about what her halfling students face. TW for hate crimes, domestic violence, coerced abortions, and self-harm. She briefly touches on these with not very much detail but I wanted to give warning.
Visiting with the blacksmith's daughter, Ragna, and her family was a quiet affair. Odin had visited families in times of tragedy before but in this, he couldn't help but feel complicit.
He'd taken to wearing a neutralizing perfume that irritated his skin somewhat. It was magical in nature and he had made it himself to avoid any suspicion. Most Aesir wouldn't notice anyway. But Jotunn were much more likely to.
They took a simple carriage to not be so conspicuous. Any golden flyers from the palace were too distinctive and so was his trusted 8 legged stallion Sleipnir. The distance to Ragna's home was still within the city limits so time consumption was not an issue.
From within the carriage, Frigga wrung her hands minutely in her lap. Odin took notice and reached over to cover her hands with his larger ones. "What are you thinking?" Odin asked his wife, squeezing her hands softly.
"They must feel so unsafe here," said Frigga. "I do want to rectify it but it's just not possible. We must ensure we have more to offer than empty words."
"Aye," said Odin. "But as you mentioned earlier. We are here to listen. We will try to provide what they tell us they need."
They endured the short trip in companionable silence, listening to the clop of hooves on stone, hands still folded together. In a short while, the home came into view.
The home was sizable, for the home of a commoner. The family had clearly accumulated some wealth. The home was made of stone and had a smelting workshop accompaniment.
The stagecoach pulled into the driveway of the home. Odin exited the carriage and extended an arm to Frigga to assist her down to the ground. It wasn't a needed gesture but one she always appreciated none-the-less. The stagecoach went to tend to the horses. Odin and Frigga continued to the door.
Waiting at the entrance to receive them into their home was a couple who were of a similar age to themselves. One, whom Odin assumed was Ragnar, who had strong arms that were sparsely covered in scars which looked like they were left by the lick of flames. He was taller than Odin by half a head and had dark brown hair that was almost black. His skin was a woody brown in addition to having familial Jotunn markings. His partner, was approximately Odin's height and had a more slender build. Hir skin was a pale blue and ze had brown eyes. Both were dressed well, as they were expecting royalty as they were, and wore reserved expressions.
"Greetings your majesties," said one of Ragna's parents, "I am Thokk. You honor us with your presence." Ragnar, a man of few words it seemed, inclined his head in deference to his partner's words. Odin doubted it was such an honor given the circumstance. Nevertheless, he returned the greeting and Frigga and himself approached the couple.
"Please come in." Ragnar finally said after a moment of silence. He turned to enter the home and they all followed in after him.
The inside of the home was warm in the metaphorical sense but cool in temperature. It smelled like burned herbs inside. One of them must be a seidr practitioner, thought Odin. The scent was a familiar blend used in an elixir to aid in restful sleep.
Ragnar and Thokk took off their shoes at the entrance way and put on some worn house shoes. There were five sets on the rack, three with various designs and two new undesigned ones. Thokk's set was stitched with . Ragnar's were done up in starry constellations. The third pair had ravens that made him recall Huginn and Muninn. Those must belong to Ragna, he thought. Ragnar presented both Frigga and himself with a pair of house slippers. They removed their shoes and put on the house shoes before entering the main part of the house.
They then arrived in a decently sized sitting room. There were serveral art pieces, predominantly made of intricately designed iron. There were a few paintings that looked as if they had been done by a small child. There were several places to sit but they all remained standing.
"How is Ragna fairing?" Odin asked directly.
"She is healing quickly," said Thokk. "She is now able to sit up unassisted. We appreciate the healing attendants you sent us to help care for her. They've been very helpful."
"It's the least we could do," said Frigga. "And emotionally?"
"She rests poorly and suffers night terrors more often than she does not." admitted Thokk shoulders sagging slightly. Ragnar tensed and looked away, expression somewhat pained. "Last night was difficult. I've made an elixir to help her sleep so hopefully it will help her find rest."
"She's stubborn." Ragnar said fondly. "She refuses to take it til she gets to speak to you."
"She's just been given her midday meal," said Thokk. " If it is alright with you, I think you should speak to her now. She should have more of her wits about her now. The pain medications affect her lucidity somewhat."
"We will go right away." responded Odin.
"However, I must ask you to please be understanding of her." warned Thokk. "She has faced many trials and is under a great amount of stress as well. She is quite angry and some of that is directed at you, my king."
"I welcome any comments she may have for me." replied Odin. "If what she has to give me is anger, so be it. You have my word I will not treat her harshly due to her current disposition."
Odin entered the room with Thokk. The room smelled like parchment and there were many books scattered about in a semi organized chaos. Ragna seemed to have only been in a light doze because as soon as they entered the room her eyes fluttered open. Ragna had Ragnar's woody coloring with the combination of his and Thokk's familial lines. She also had carnelian red eyes that neither of her parents had. Likely a recessive trait that they both possessed.
Though Thokk had mentioned that the girl had recovered considerably, Odin noted that she was still quite injured. True to Thokk's earlier statement, Ragna pulled herself into a sitting position with only moderate difficulty and propped herself up with the pillows behind her in her bed. Ragna's movement was somewhat uncoordinated. Odin assumed she must be under the influence of a potent painkilling potion.
"My child," said Thokk softly as ze walked over and brushed some hair from her face, "The King is here to speak with you as you requested, my little tyrant."
Ragna's eyes shifted over and she seemed to have finally noticed him standing there.
"Why did you come to see us, King Odin ?" asked Ragna. Her voice was cracked, speech slightly slurred, and her tone held more than a little venom.
"I wanted to check on your wellbeing. It was the son of a member of my court that did you harm and there is much that needs to be addressed in regard to your treatment here in Asgard. It made sense to hear from you."
"You care for a family of half-breeds then?" she responded. Odin noted how lightly the slur flowed off of her tongue and wondered how often it must be aimed at her. She did not flinch at its delivery.
"Yes," said Odin as he approached her bed and sat on the stool near her bedside. "I value you as much as any Aesir citizen of Asgard."
"Interesting way you have of showing it." said Ragna.
"Aye," said Odin. "I am noting that so far I have failed, there is much to be done. Would you honor me with your input?" It seemed there was more she wanted to say.
"I'm not the only person who's been beaten," said Ragna. "I have a friend. Signy. She fell for an Aes man she met at a bar. It was going well til friends found out she shared our blood. He could have left her, but instead he beat her. Because he had something to prove. Unfortunately for her, he was a commoner and the attack didn't gain the sympathy of any powerful nobles. The local authorities didn't do shit and she was too frightened to press any further. I don't blame her." Odin swallowed. He had not been aware of this specific case, but he could not claim to have not known about the violence. He had witnessed it and had actively avoided it. Cowardice, it was.
Ragna continued. "I want to be a teacher. So I study at the local college. And I put in practice hours tutoring children out of my home. Young adults too. I mostly instruct other Jotun halflings, a few Svartalf halflings as well. My pupils are bright, but a lot of them do not get half the opportunity that their classmates do. It's sometimes hard to get them to care about their studies because it's harder for them to get into college, harder for them to get good jobs. Asgard provides for all ir's citizens to exist, but some are blocked from excelling!"
I even had one student become pregnant and not even that was unaffected. If he were found out he would either be labeled seidberendr and faced at least social punishment or found to be Jotun and face similar social punishment along with his family. He chose to abort which would be fine if only his hand wasn't forced.
And some of them cover up their beautiful skin, with magic, bleaching, cosmetics, you name it. The same for altering their eyes. And it hurts them, psychologically and sometimes even physically. And they come to me and I can do little for them. It breaks them. They cannot look at themselves as they are in the mirror. I'm starting to be able to see it without knowing when I go out. I had one student, a girl at the cusp of adolescence, Aes in every way except her family lines, come to me, She'd been cutting her limbs across her familial lines. Had gone a bit deeper than she said she'd intended to. I was afraid for her life should that continue, but we were able to find her a mind healer to help her.
The laws seem just but the existence is cruel. And I think you know that, King Odin. so how can I know that you are going to do anything," said Ragna. "You've had some time and there is still such pain! Why now?" Ragna was crying now tear streamed down her face, but she held his gaze as she waited for a reply.
"Because I cannot afford to be neutral any longer" Odin said truthfully. "You are correct, it became personal and the problems in Asgard became ever more apparent. And I came to realize that my inaction has lead to great harm. You have my word that I will do all in my power to improve the conditions for Asgard's Jotunn citizens."
Ragna sniffed disbelievingly. "Entrust that I'll hold you to it."
"I'll be in contact and I expect nothing less," said Odin.
Afterward, Thokk administered the sleep aid to Ragna. Odin and Frigga stepped out of the room to give her some privacy, so they waited in the sitting room they were in before speaking with Ragna.
Odin didn't have a lot of emotional tells, but Frigga could read her husband well. To her, the guilt was apparent. Though Ragna had directed her speech at him, Frigga still felt much of the weight. Everything she said had been fair. It wasn't the right time or place to speak about it then, but she reached her hand across the settee on which they sat to grasp his hand firmly, if only for a few moments. A grounding gesture.
After a few moments Thokk and Ragnar entered the room. Ragnar made a gesture to hir and continued into the kitchen.
"We'd like to have dinner with us," said Thokk. "If you can spare the time."
"Yes of course," said Frigga. "It would be our honor. And we would like to hear from you as well. I could send for someone to bring us food?"
"It is unnecessary," said Thokk. "We can prepare it ourselves."
Odin had not expected this kindness. In his mother's culture, well his as well, to be invited into a home was to share in the responsibilities of that home. A common way to welcome someone was to prepare a meal with them. Frigga had no way of knowing this, he knew.
Odin's eyebrow twitched in something akin to amusement. It was a subtle gesture that few would notice. Frigga playfully smacked him surreptitiously. "I'm afraid I'm not much in the kitchen. Odin could help you though." said Frigga. Queen Frigga was a woman of many skills. She was a diplomat, she could weave, garden and fight. She however could not cook. Frigga was affluent and always had someone to cook for her, even before marrying Odin. She never had a need for such a skill, and never took interest in it.
"All of us, my Queen. It is a group activity. You won't have to do anything complex, I promise." said Thokk with a smile.
"Very well," said Frigga. After all, they were here to accommodate. She could take some humiliation. "Lead the way."
In the kitchen, Ragnar was already washing some root vegetables in a basin. "We will prepare a stew." he said. Either he and Thokk and a conversation earlier or he had signaled hir with his gestures. What an interesting communication system they have, thought Frigga.
"She is great with knives," said Odin. "I am confident in your abilities prep work."
Ragnar presented Frigga with a cutting board and pointed in the direction of the knife block. "May I demonstrate?"
"Go ahead" said Frigga, understanding he wanted to have direct permission to use a sharp object in her presence.
Ragnar picked up the knife and took a carrot out of the basin. He demonstrated proper cutting technique. His hand clawed while holding the vegetable to prevent bodily harm and cutting away from his body.
"Thank you, I should be able to manage," said Frigga after a moment. She took the knife, the next root vegetable and cutting board and followed suit. Despite her best effort the slices were uneven. It was going to be stewed soft regardless, so ultimately the task was simple enough.
"If you don't mind me asking, how do you know how to cook, my King?" asked Thokk. "Surely you have also had servants available throughout your life."
Odin hesitated, but decided to be open. It wasn't exactly a secret and he owed them some openness. "My mother and her sibling taught me."' said Odin. "As you may be aware, I am a seidr practitioner. Cooking is a good way to begin learning how to make certain elixirs with low stakes."
"I'd liken elixir-making it more to baking." said Thokk. "Accuracy and precision are vital."
"That is true," said Odin, "But I do like to get experimental. Though I promise not to do so with our dinner."
"If you could prepare the rose hips for desert then," said Thokk. "Ragnar also likes to get creative. Comes with the job I suppose. Which is why he isn't doing any of the more delicate tasks." Ragnar turned to hir and gave a half-smile.
The rest of the dinner preparation went by smoothly. In the end, they ended up with a thick goat and root vegetable stew served with barley bread. For dessert, there was a traditional rose-hip soup topped with sweetened cream.
Ragnar and Frigga laid out the food on the table in the adjoining room and they all sat down to eat.
"For drink, would you like ale or wine? We also have sweet cider and water." asked Ragnar "
"I'll have sweet cider," said Odin.
"Ale please," said Frigga.
The meal was delicious, and everything was quite agreeable. Frigga was especially entranced by the rosehip soup. After the completion of their meal, Frigga decided to return to business.
"Speaking with Ragna was informative and I am grateful she gave us the opportunity." she said "This must be difficult on you all. How are her parents fairing?"
"As well as can be expected," said Thokk. "It has been difficult."
"What Ragna shared was revealing," said Frigga. " And that information is invaluable. We would hear from you as well."
"There is not much I can add that Ragna hasn't told you," said Thokk. "Well, we are pretty well off. But we are self-employed," said Thokk. "That isn't possible for everyone. Most aren't as obvious as us in appearance. If they are, many use glamours and the like."
"Ragna has taught us much," Ragnar said while crossing his arms. "We thought things had changed. And perhaps they have, but enough."
"Yes. I spent my childhood between Asgard and Jotunheim." said Thokk. "I mean this without disrespect…"
"Please, speak freely." said Frigga, trying to put them at ease. Odin nodded. "We are asking for the truth."
"During King Bor's reign, things were more...uncertain," said Thokk. "Approaching the war, there was much animosity. Afterward, even more so. I can recall the mob deaths and the exodus many made back to Jotunheim. Despite King Laufey being a tyrant, it was safer than to live unshielded in Asgard."
"Your family stayed?" asked Odin
"Off and on" said Thokk. "The pressure of the time caused my parents to separate. They were both of mixed blood. My father passed as completely Aes and my dam looked more as I do. I split my time between the realms. I despised my time in Asgard as my father had me cover my skin and play at being a man. How I despised it! While life in Jotunheim was rough, I got to be myself." Odin found he could relate to that. Visiting Jotunheim when he was young was nice in a way that currently escaped words. Asgard had often held a certain pressure that at times felt suffocating.
"I lived here. Never in Jotunheim." said Ragnar. " In a small community made of people like us." he looked to Thokk, and then back to Odin and Frigga. "We had less, but I was happy to be around my own. During the war, many of us left. My parents returned home and died there during the war. I stayed and so did my sister," said Ragnar, "She...passes. She no longer talks to us, or any other family."
Frigga felt disbelief at that. They were such kind people, how could Ragnar's sister make that sort of choice. But then again, Frigga had never been, and would never be faced with such a choice. Her mother-in-law, who she held dear, had made a similar choice as well.
"Things seemed to get better," said Thokk. "I met Ragnar, and we started our family, right here in Asgard proper. Which wasn't so bad when I wasn't pretending to be someone else. Ragnar's pregnancy was rough, mainly due to external factors. It can be difficult to find a healer willing to treat you fairly here. Raising Ragna while avoiding the pitfalls of my father were harder yet. For example, we ensured she chose her own gender, but in effect her early years in school were more difficult. I personally thought if we worked hard and proved our worth we'd at least be respected."
"It didn't work," said Ragnar.
"No, It didn't." Thokk got quieter.
"Thank you for sharing that with us." said Frigga.
"We are looking for ways to address the inequity and I'm a problem solver by trade. What of a committee?" asked Thokk.
Odin perked up. "Could you explain further?"
"Our stories are just two out of thousands," said Thokk. "As King and Queen, you often hear out the needs of your people on a one on one basis during appointed times. To address the treatment of non-Aesir citizens of Asgard and in this case, especially those who are Jotunn. Perhaps you could form a committee of some kind. I'm an engineer, so I'm not entirely sure how to implement such a thing…"
"That is a brilliant idea. There is no need for you to figure out the logistics. It is my responsibility" said Odin. "You have been beyond helpful already."
Odin stood up and pushed in his chair. "Let me assist you in cleaning up."
"Thank you." began Thokk.
"Thank you both for the warm invitation," replied Odin.
While Thokk and Odin tidied the dining area and kitchen, Frigga accompanied Ragnar to check on Ragna. Fortunately, the young woman was sleeping soundly when they opened the door.
When it came time to leave, the stagecoach was out front. Ragnar and Thokk accompanied Frigga and Odin to the door.
"Thank you for having us and giving us the chance to speak. She's wonderful," said Odin "Her fire is admirable."
"Ragna is my heart," said Ragnar. "Always has been. We raised her to be proud," said Ragnar " We taught her that this was her home as much as it is for any Aesir. It wasn't easy for her. We didn't want to use magic to cover her up. We feared it would hurt her more, but perhaps I was wrong." Odin felt a pang of guilt at that. He hadn't felt he had a choice but inevitably his choice to cover Loki's true form may come at a cost. His own concealment had certainly cost him and he'd been aware of his heritage and exposed to the Jotnar in a positive light. None of which he could say for Loki or Thor.
"No," said Thokk, reaching towards hir spouse's shoulder and bringing Odin back to the current situation. "She doesn't regret it, so neither will we."
Hi, author here. Thank you so much for reading. I really appreciate reviews, no matter how short. It is one of the most exciting parts of fanfiction for me. I love interacting with readers so if you leave questions, I'd be glad to answer them! I appreciate your feedback!
