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 Eleven: Sidr

Ellie leaned against the stone wall with a hefty cup of ale in her hands. After an hour of eating, drinking and mingling with who you were sat next to, there was entertainment. Not exactly light, Ellie would've argued. There had been several poets, a fire-dancer and an elvish lady who sung in notes which only a bat could hear.

Ellie scratched her ear lobe. It was a pleasant evening. To her delight, Thor approached her and began chattering about his family. Though tipsy, he was articulate and leaned into her. Warmth prickled her arms and belly and she took a sip, watching him with dancing eyes. "For your Midgardian brain, I have condensed my heritage for you," Thor said. He wiped a large hand down his beard, removing the spots of ale. Ellie raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Yes, as I was saying… the frost-giant Ymir erupted from the melting ice! Oh, but how tired he was. He slept and conceived many children during his slumber."

"How?"

"Obviously with magic," he bristled. "There is more than one was to birth a child when you are a mighty being."

Birth must've been extremely painful for a man.

"Push, Jane!" Sister Helen urged. Ellie stood behind her superiors and watched the lady give birth. The girls around her gasped, and one fainted. It was Friday afternoon and the Nuns had taken the children to the Royal London Hospital for a lesson in the beauty of life. The act was hardly beautiful.

Ellie's mouth dropped open as the sight of a contorting, tearing lady-area. Out slid a slimy heap and the room was filled with crying. She stared at the Sisters; nauseous and confused. They were praying and thanking God despite the blood.

Ellie was eight years old.

She sipped her drink as the memory flashed in less than a second of present time. "Okay, so Ymir was, like, defrosting and gave birth to giants. I'm following you."

Thor nodded. "Then, a cow was conceived. Her name is Audumbla and she became Ymir's wet-nurse. All of his children drank her milk and grew big and strong. Like myself."

"You drank her milk? How old are you?"

"Nay. Nay. I'm only 954."

Ellie's eyebrows felt like they were half-way up her forehead.

"I was raised on the milk of her descendants. But that doesn't mean I am not worthy of the power the first Gods possessed," Thor said. As a prince, Ellie found he lacked the humility of the commoners. What did she really expect? The British Royal family must be similar… not in cow milk sense, but in pretentious nonsense.

"Audrumbla's milk melted the ice and revealed the first of the Gods. Buri! What a great being he was. His first-born was even greater. His name was Bor and with his wife, he created the Aesir."

Ellie looked up at the royal table. Odin leaned towards Freyr, his hand rested on the table and the other around a goblet. She squinted and swore she could see a golden aura rippling around him. "Your father…" she murmured.

"Bor's three sons are Ve, Villi and Odin."

Giant's blood. Thor was a ginormous man, but he was able to pass a human man. She became curious as to what power giant's blood gave him. Even Loki, as lithe as he was, demonstrated the strength of a stronghold. Ellie rested her head in her palm and looked back at Thor.

Ever since the hushed meeting with Odin, Thor and Loki became attentive to the situation involving Ellie. It was unusual they were forbidden to watch council meetings. Irked, Loki had persuaded Thor to speak with Ellie.

"I hear that Catholics believe the first humans were named Adam and Eve." Thor hid a smirk.

Ellie smiled slightly. "Yes. We also believe you must be married to have children." Thor tilted his head slightly. "Marriage is quite a big thing."

"How mundane," he snorted "I gather no goat is slaughtered? No bedding ceremony? Or swords exchanged?"

"We don't need swords in modern England."

Almost insulted, Thor placed a hand on his sigil. "What does one do if his lover is found in bed with another?"

"Death would be preferable," Ellie giggled for the first time that night. She had to admit that some of the Asgardian morals were aspirational. If she ever went home, she would have to take them with her. "I think breaking up is the best way to end it. Not murder."

"Is it murder if they deserve it?"

A loud snort came to Ellie. "Of course, it is! When the sun goes down, does it still exist?"

Thor chuckled at her, rocking on the balls of his feet. "You have funny words, little Midgardian."

Waving her hand, Ellie brushed his words away but held the smile on her face. "Carry on with your story, your highness. Your father was the son of a giantess and how you're 954 years old."

"Oh, yes!" he cried and as soon as the loud words came, his voice dropped to a whisper. Across the hall, Loki watched his brother, attempting to read his lips. The few words he understood were nothing to do with Ellie's task or a secret meeting.

His dark brow rose.

Thor placed another goblet in front of Ellie, urging her to finish the one in her hand. "Odin came to hate the giants. He and his brothers attacked Ymir and drowned him in the sea of Blue Blood. Thousands of giants were slain, and the only giants left was Bergelmir and his wife, who found a boat and sailed for many days. They came across a land which they named the Middle Abode."

"Midgard?" Ellie said.

"Clever, human!" Thor raised a glass to his lips, chugging the last of his drink. For a moment his eyes went hazy with alcohol. He threw the goblet and it clanged off the wall on the other side of the hall, making Ellie jump.

"Atrocious aim, dear brother," a sleek voice called.

Loki's narrow gaze slid over the stain of ale on the wall and to Thor. On his arm was an elderly lady dressed in a grand, ruby-red gown. Jewels beset her curled hair and bracelets.

"Brother!" Thor cried. "Come hither! Speak with me."

With a forgiving smile, the elderly lady unhooked her hand from the prince. Loki's lips turned up humbly and he bowed his head. For a moment, he watched her hobble into the lower-hall and begin a conversation with one of the elvish knights. Ellie couldn't find it in herself to pull her gaze away. She saw a gentleness about him, one which was lost when he spoke to her.

It was Frigga's wish for her children to speak to most guests. Both were kingly men and had to remain humble in their superiority. Loki did it so well. As did Thor, although he did enjoy talking about himself.

When Loki arrived beside his brother, it took Ellie a moment to find her words. They hid in the pit of her stomach and crawled out roughly. Stood next to one another, the princes were a sight to behold. Ellie felt her cheeks tint, but it was hidden by the flickering torch light.

Both brothers had removed the doublets they were wearing. Their silk shirts were crimson with gold detailing and the puff sleeves were held together with gold cufflinks. In their black belts were sheathed ceremonial daggers.

Ellie coughed. "Matching outfits?"

"Sumptuary law requests it, Lady Eurelia," Loki said.

Ellie shifted her weight and took a quick glance at her goblet. "Of course. I remember you telling me."

Thor ridiculed his brother's words. "Oh, it was you Mother asked to teach the Midgardian manners? Thank Valhalla."

"I'm glad I didn't have to spend time with you either," Ellie scoffed and crossed her arms.

"Chastising a prince…" Thor said. "Should have you on the whipping block."

Eyebrows shooting up, the human stuttered a response, "the what?"

There was a sudden booming laugh. Ellie realised it was coming from both brothers. They leaned into each other, Thor with his hand on Loki's shoulder and flashing his teeth proudly. Ellie glanced around her. The princes gained enough attention by just breathing.

"Tis be a joke," Thor assured. "We knew Mother would ask one of us to teach you instead of a servant. I was thankful it was Loki, I just wished to return to bed after the dinner."

Loki raised an eyebrow. "To make it even, I'm sure Mother will come to you next time."

"Not all of us are creatures of the night, brother. That's why she asked you."

"Come now. I'm not a bat."

"You have hair like one."

Loki hooked a slender finger around one of Thor's braids. "At least mine isn't like a dog. What are those golden things called on Midgard?"

Ellie held a hand to her lips. She looked back at Thor, examining his large stature and shimmering hair. It was thick and wavy, startlingly similar to… "a golden retriever?" Loki clapped his hands together, his eyes lighting up.

"A retriever?" Thor repeated, affronted and clearly offended. "Thor, son of Odinson retrieves for no mortal."

Loki, wickedly pleased with himself, laughed. "But you retrieve the reaction I aspire."

"You're a trickster, not an entertainer of comedy."

"Lady Eurelia is laughing."

"It is mere second-hand embarrassment for you!"

A sudden banging of drums took the hall by surprise. The three whipped around, their attention drawn to the cleared space where a percussion were set up. It was another poetry performance, but it was the light-elves who were taking control of this piece. Freyr clapped his hands and introduced the speakers as Carriers of Song, being who sung stories and tales of old.

"For several moments, we must thank our host and beloved king: Odin. We are eternally grateful and present to you the history of our existence. Why we are bought together this night and why we must carry our faith for evermore."

"Hear, hear!" the light-elves cried.

Roused with excitement, the guests stood up straighter and craned their necks. Odin and Frigga took their seats and bowed their heads at the elvish lord.

A slender elvish-woman stepped forward, holding a long flute. Ellie, despite the alcohol, managed to translate her words.

"The Song of the Valkyries is a passage of our gruesome history," she said, her voice powerful and strong. Ellie's heart raced loudly and the hair on her arms stood up. "We watched the red dawn rise with its cloud-racked warriors who fought for our freedom. Those battle maidens rode the wild horses into the sky and met our enemies. We sing to the fallen soldiers who gave us chance, who gave us our light."

The choir held their instruments and began to sing: "widely is flung, warning of slaughter, the weaver's-beam-web is wet with blood. Now grey, the spear before the warriors of Valkyries fill the red-cloud of Randvér's-banesmane." Full of passion, the need to show their strength oozed into each note.

Odin took Frigga's hand. Freyr, his wife and children held onto one another. Every Asgardian was silently watching and enthralled by the story which not many survived.

"We have chanted," the choir harmonised, "charms full many about the king's children, we bode them well. We learn as we listen and speak the spells to spearsmen." The song neared its end. Ellie held a hand to her chest, her mind wandering to the dead soldiers. So many perished saving the light-elves. "With steeds unsaddled hence to battle with brandished swords!"

As the song finished, the words floated through the hall. They chimed against the golden walls, rising into the high ceiling and disappearing out of the archways in the roof. Ellie stared up as if the words called to her, inspiring her to rise up from the ground and be free.

"These creatures are enticing, aren't they?" Thor murmured to his brother. His voice was dulcet and playful, hinting towards desire.

Loki drained the last drops in his goblet. It disappeared from his hand and appeared on a servant's tray nearby. "Ravishing… rather like…"

"Forest nymphs."

"I was going to say a nixie," Loki said. It was a truth, universally acknowledged, that many creatures were capable of seduction with just their voice alone. Usually it was feeble-minded beings with little self-respect, but sometimes even the strongest will-power was no match for an ethereal creature. Loki could not deny how drawn he felt to the light-elves.

Thor watched the choir dispersing into the crowd. His brother's gaze slid across the room in a similar manner. "Seek out one of Lord Freyr's guests, brother. You won't regret it."

"Father would be furious," Thor said, but his voice was dripping with playful wonder. "Although…"

The dark prince's eyes slid across the hall. "Some say the Elvish voice can be as soft as silk."

Thor licked his bottom lip. "When they're enticing you into their silk sheets, Loki. Don't tempt me."

"It's just talking."

There was a pregnant pause. Ellie thought about talking to one of male Elves for a moment; drawn to how luxurious one of them could sound when flirting. Thor brushed past her. "Yes," he murmured. "Yes, talking doesn't do any harm."

Ellie stepped aside, making room for his large figure. He hurried, rather quickly, down to the lower-tables. She swore there was a spring in his step.

"Do you do that often?" she asked Loki, looking back up at him.

"Do what?"

She took Thor's vacant space, testing the boundaries left between herself and Loki Odinson. His preoccupied expression was dancing with excitement; near delight. "Influence him," she said and he lowered his goblet.

Loki eyed her, not moving much even when he took sip. "I don't influence anybody," he said distantly, "people do what they want to do. My brother wanted to speak to one of our treasured guests. You saw that for yourself."

"I saw you teasing him about sleeping with one of them."

"Bedding a light-elf? How shameful you are tonight."

"But they're like you. They're just a different species, still human-like."

"Human…" he repeated, his voice dropping to a whisper of disbelief. "Human isn't the word for them. They're not like you and they are not Aesir; like us. Besides, Thor would never bed one. Not truly, anyway. They're forbidden creatures in our universe. Like sunlight, you can look but never touch."

"How are they forbidden? Surely it's just sex."

The bluntness of Ellie took Loki by surprise. He had read about her religion, only briefly, but that was enough. Intimacy was sacred and strictly outlawed before marriage. He studied her and straightened slightly, moving an inch away. Loki was an individual who preferred his own space; everyone was always kept at a distance.

"I suppose you and the elves are similar in intimacy," he said. "Never would a human lay with an elf, but you have… a similar mechanism for intimacy. An emotional bond… an undying union."

Ellie felt slightly woozy. A wave washed over her rather gently. The noise in the room sounded like a soft lullaby. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Terrible," he said bluntly. "Completely terrible. If Thor created a bond with one of those elves."

"So, he just needs to not sleep with one of them."

"Not just bedding."

"I thought you said a bond…"

"There are other ways to enjoy a body, Eurelia. Surely, your God has allowed you to see how."

Her cheeks turned pink.

A sharp laugh emitted from Loki, exposing his white teeth. He closed his eyes, throwing his head back. His cackle turned into tutting and their eyes met once again whilst Ellie struggled to stop tripping over her words.

"I mean, child, that intimacy isn't just about bedding. It's the combing of someone's hair, cleaning their wounds, singing, laughing, smiling."

Ellie tried not to grin, feeling ridiculous and indeed childish. "Stop making fun of me."

"It's just so easy, little Midgardian." He coughed and finished his drink quickly. "Besides, Elves choose for life and they die of heartbreak. Thor's smart enough to not tempt fate."

"I think humans can die of heartbreak too. There's this story where I'm from called Romeo and Juliet. One of them dies and the other…"

"Takes their life. William Shakespeare. I'm aware of his tales."

"You are?" she was taken aback. "But you, I mean, I didn't think you knew anything about Earth."

"Are you questioning my highly extensive education?"

"Oh, no. God, no. I meant… I didn't mean to sound rude. When we first met, you seemed so confused and Frigga thought it was still 500 A.D."

The prince shook his head. "No. My mother and father have not visited Earth since before that. Our involvement is little, but my brother and I know much more than our parents. Our tutors were well-read and thorough."

"Can't say the same for your world," Ellie admitted. As a girl, she was taught sewing, the natural arts and Catholicism. Philosophy at university seemed the only path her education would allow her to take. "Think I missed the modules on Aesir."

"You settle in well for a stranger. Despite you shaking like a dog in the rain when the Lord Freyr sought your council."

"He's not the intense one. It's Odin."

Loki silently studied her for a heartbeat. She was looking across the hall again, avoiding his gaze. If he wanted the truth, she had to look at him. He cleared his throat. "Even in the privacy of a secret meeting?"

"Secret meeting?" she repeated, feeling almost childish. "There's just a lot at stake and I'm so… inferior."

Ellie's head bowed further.

"They didn't make you battle a warg, did they?"

"Like my first time was so bad? I mean, we lived, didn't we?" she tried to joke. Loki came an inch closer, hoping for her to tilt her head up. She glanced at his leather shoes and trousers. "It was…"

"What?" Loki itched to order her to straighten up; to tell him everything. He clenched his jaw slightly as he held his breath. Deep magic brewed inside of him. He flexed his fingers slightly and the hall's organised chaos quietened. A bubble of peace and gentleness surrounded Ellie.

She lifted her head and the brains fell across her shoulders. When she looked up at Loki, she was at ease. Warmth spread over her. It had to have been the alcohol. Her voice came quietly, almost like she was spilling a secret. "Freyr thought I could be his grand-daughter. Or some long-lost descendant. He was so hopeful. I swore there were tears in his eyes when it turned out I truly was no-one special at all."

Freyr believed a child could exist outside of his marriage to Coydis. Loki tapped a finger on his goblet, holding his magic still as he thought. It was unheard of that a miracle of such proportion existed in someone who meant nothing to the universe at all. Inside of his magic, Ellie emitted a feeling of despair.

"You shouldn't feel inferior," the prince finally said. "Inferior to whom? The Elves? The Aesir? We co-exist. That is all."

"Yeah," she said. Everything existed, not for a reason, but by chance. It was her chance that brought her here. "You're right."

"Tell no-one else of this. Not even your chambermaid. Walls have ears here and this… you… the stone brings enemies." Loki spoke quickly, dropping his voice. Ellie followed his distracted gaze to Lord Freyr. The beefy man was making his way up from the dance floor and towards them both. His wife was preparing to dance with Thor.

Ellie's heart hammered. "Dear God don't ask me to dance," she muttered and inhaled the entire goblet of wine in her hand. Loki Odinson raised an eyebrow at her and a grin danced on his lips.

"Lady Eurelia," Lord Freyr called. Loki pushed his goblet into Ellie's hand and disappeared from her side. He bowed gracefully, two braids of either side of his head fell with the rest of his raven hair. Freyr nodded to him.

"My Lord," Ellie said. "Uh, that was a beautiful song about the Valkyries."

"Bless you, child. It is always an honour to be in the company of the All-Father."

"Yes," she nodded, sipping the red wine. "An honour. How can I help you?"

"I wanted to see how you were finding your time here. My people and I are welcomed here this eve', but our time is short in these golden walls. I shan't be overshadowing your training or time here and… forgive me if I may but…"

Lord Freyr reached for Ellie and took her hand. His calloused fingers were soft and old. Wrinkles pressed overtime and years of fighting and smoothed his skin. She leaned back slightly, her eyes wide with confusion. As soon as the question in her mind began, it had disappeared.

A beautifully gentle buzz of energy crept up her arm and into her collarbones. It hummed along her throat and up the back of her spine. Into her mind, Freyr's Elvish empathetic powers swam and danced.

Ellie's pupils covered her iris. In the black hole of Freyr's sight she saw lights flutter and realised they were souls. It made her chest ache. Her lips parted.

"Lady Eurelia," called a voice, deep and harsh. Ellie pulled her hand away from Lord Freyr and held it close to her side. Heat prickled her neck. The All-father's thunderous gaze was unnerving at her side, but there was worry in his deep-set eyes. Lord Freyr bowed, his jolly expression now mellow and he returned to the high-table where Frigga held her hand out for him.

Ellie blinked. "My All-Father?"

"Forgive me. My sons have requested you hand, Lady Eurelia. It is one of the final dances of the evening and it is not in the interest of the court to have you in peculiar company but Asgardian royalty." Odin turned, his golden cape swishing.

Ellie was left feeling rather cold, her scalp rather itchy with…

Around her several Elves were staring. Not many noticed the exchange with Lord Freyr, but those who did were confused and in deep thought. Ellie met each other their eyes and felt consumed by their onslaught of inquisition.

"My Lady," another voice called, smooth and elegant. Loki Odinson stood in front of her. "Fear not. It is my brother who shall accompany you in this dance."

The human found her voice. "And that's not meant to give me fear?"

Loki smiled slightly again as Ellie moved past him and onto the grand floor. His dark eyes darted to the Elves who watched Ellie and when he turned, he saw his father watching her as well.

References:

Sidr – custom. Pre-Christian Scandinavians had no word for religion. Another word used is forn sidr (ancient custom) or nýr sidr (new custom).

The Song of the Valkyries [DARRA THARLIOTH] – a Norse poem written about the Battle of Clontarf (1014). It's shortened and used to support the fictional narrative of this story.