When Ylva woke from her dream, she had the familiar metallic taste in her mouth.
She desperately tried to cling to the images of the hunting wolves, but the happenings of the last days hit her instantly.
Ylva lived in the royal palace.

Loki Lauffeyson had replaced and probably killed Odin.

Ylva was now the god of evil's personal servant.

Obviously, the start into her new life could have been better. Ylva sighed at the sight of her in the mirror. She looked pale and tired, and her hazel eyes stared back at her with a rushed expression.
Ragna Ragnasson had accepted Ylva's raise without questioning. Kari and the twins on the other hand couldn't stop questioning her, but Ylva simply told them she had caught the Allfather's attention while walking through the hall.
Instead of working in the kitchen, Ylva was assigned to the Allfather's private quarters.
She was dressed in a long violet gown, simple but pretty, and her hair was tamed into a long braid down her back.
Nervously, the woman made her way up the tower. She had no experience as a maid, but she did not know what Loki was expecting of her.
Hesitantly, she stopped in front of the large door. Four guards stared down at her, and Ylva tried to look confident.

"The Allfather already expects you" one of them declared and pushed the door open.

Once inside, Ylva was impressed by the beauty of the big, wide quarters of the King.
Odin sat on the large bed, grinning like no one would ever imagine the Allfather to smile.
Ylva was confused. Wasn't she able to see past his illusions? Or could it be the real Allfather?
No, it was Loki. The air around Odin was flimmering, and when Ylva focused, she could see the trickster in his true form.

"My King" she curtsied and waited for his command. She was getting more and more nervous.
"You have seen me again, haven't you?" Loki exclaimed, getting up from the bed.
"I tried another, slightly different kind of illusion, but you're even able to see past that. Impressive. Are you sure you are not a witch?" he asked cheerfully.

Ylva wondered if being called a witch by Loki was a compliment or an insult.
"No, my king" she simply answered.

"Impressive" Loki repeated, taxing at her from head to toe.
"You are the only one I allow to enter those private quarters. After all, I need to have some place to be myself" he explained. Ylva almost chuckled. With his charming demeanor, it was almost easy to forget how deadly the god of lies could be. She had to cover up the bruises around her neck with powder before starting her work.

"Apologies, my King, but I have no experience and only little time for getting instructions. May I fetch your clothes?" Ylva asked, trying not to let herself intimidate again.
Loki was even more handsome in his simple dark green tunic, the young woman caught herself thinking.

Loki smiled again and walked towards her. Even without his armor, he looked like he could snatch her neck without effort nor remorse.
"When we are alone in here, you may call me Loki" he said in a generous demeanor and added "do not worry, dear Ylva. I shall forgive your lack of education and take care of it myself. I will teach you everything you need to know"

Ylva nodded and nervously played with the ring on her finger. The last sentence almost sounded like a threat, she thought.
"Today is my free day. The Allfather has to rest one day a week, which is the perfect opportunity for me to spent time with my new servant."
Again, the way he pronounced the words made them sound like they were filled with hidden meanings.

"May I bring you breakfast?" Ylva proposed calmly.
"Yes, you may. And I command you to take breakfast with me, dear" Loki demanded with a grin.

The girl had turned from a potential threat to his new shiny toy, Loki thought. It was interesting to see how much she differed from the other servant girls. They were always smiling, chuckling, chatting like hens, but meek and stupid.
He had never really paid attention to them anyways.
Ylva was obviously used to a harder life. She was not round and soft, rather slender and muscular. Loki truly enjoyed the way she reacted to him. Ylva was definitely afraid of him, but she wasn't showing it. She was not crying nor shaking in terror how he would expect women to do.

Although Loki enjoyed being King, he admitted he was lonely. He had to play Odin the whole day, and he could not reveal himself to anyone. He could not have company without risking exposure.

Loki was truly lucky, he thought. Ylva could serve him in many ways, and she was definitely nice to look at.

The girl came back with their breakfast, consisting of fresh fruit dipped in honey.
She closed the door behind her, and Loki gestured towards the chair in front of him.
„Sit down and eat, Ylva" he demanded.

The servant obeyed silently, and Loki watched her biting into a strawberry. She had perfect pouty lips, he thought. He noticed a little scar on her chin. The Ladies of the court never had any scars.

"So tell me, love, has anyone in your family magical powers?" he asked curiously.
She swallowed and looked up. Her big hazel eyes met his, and Loki saw the obvious distrust.
"I only have my father. He has the Sight" she said hesitantly. Good girl, she knew lying wouldn't make any sense.

"Has he visions of the future?"
"Not often. But he can interpret other people's visions and dreams. He mostly knows things" Ylva explained as good as she could.

"What else does he do for a living?"
"He's a lumberjack, but we also have a few dogs, horses and sheep" Ylva answered, raising her chin. It didn't matter to her if Loki was the King. She was proud of her father and always would be.

"Why did you come to the palace, Ylva?" Loki asked, not reacting to Ylva's revelation that she was a lumberjack's daughter.

Ylva hesitated. She didn't actually know why she was sent to the palace. For 19 years, it had been clear she belonged to Vernwood. Her father had only recently decided she need to find a job and marry a decent man.
Loki noticed her hesitation, and mistakenly took it for defiance.
"I asked you a question and I demand you to answer, love"

"My father said I should have a job fit for a woman. And I should…" she swallowed, and Loki immediately became impatient again.
"What?"
"I have to find a husband" Ylva finished.

With delight, Loki saw the girl's cheek redden under her golden tanned skin.
He chuckled and bit into his apple, savoring her insecurity for a bit longer.

"How convenient the Allfather has taken a liking on you" he smiled smugly.
For the first time, he saw a smile lighting up her face. It softened her features, turning her into an unordinary beauty.

The rest of the morning, Loki patiently explained her duties. Nothing about him reminded her of the wicked monster people painted him to be, although Ylva knew he could turn into the god of evil within seconds.
But Ylva listened attentively, determined to do her job the best way possible.

A few times, Loki decided to test her magical skills and asked her to sit on chairs which were only his created illusions. As a child, he had often laughed when people sat down on thin air instead of wood.
Ylva simply raised her dark eyebrows and declined. Apparently, she had inherited the Sight from her father. She simply saw through Loki's tricks as if they were nonexistent.

For the rest of the day, Loki dismissed her with the instruction to come back the next morning.

Ylva rejoined the other servant girls, Kari, Astrid and Ana, who were already expecting her, bursting with questions as soon as she stepped in.
How the Allfather was, why he had picked her, if he was severe, if she had managed to please him, if she could return the next day - Ylva patiently answered, mixing lies with the truth.

Even Ragna listened curiously.
"Well done, Ylva" she said, patting the girl's shoulder, "It is an honor to serve the Allfather himself"
Ylva smiled and nodded. If only they knew, she thought.

"Really, why did he pick you?" Ana asked with disbelief.
"No one told him her father is a murderer" Astrid said, turning every one silent.

Ylva stared at her, shocked. "Excuse me?"
"Oh come on, even you know about the rumors. Bard Birgerson's hunting accident? Mother says no one dared to speak against your father, but everyone knows it's true. Akesson killed Bard" Ana joined in.

Ylva clenched her fists. Of course she had already heard of the rumors. Bard Birgerson was her mother's first husband and died on a hunting accident, a hunt her father had taken part of as well. It was known Ralf Akesson was in love with her mother, and some of the older people in the village still believed Ralf to be a murderer.
Nothing was ever proven, and Ylva believed her father to be innocent.

"It was an accident" Ylva said sternly, getting up from the table. Ragna looked worried, Kari guilty, the twins satisfied.

"If you think the Allfather will care about the rumor, fine, I guess I will simply tell him" Ylva declared and walked away.

All the way to her chambers, Ylva fought with the urge to cry. The twins were jealous of her position, but they ignored that Ylva had to deal with the god of evil himself. She had not chosen to be the only one to see him in his true form, she had not chosen her father, and he had not killed her mother's first husband.

It was unfair, Ylva thought bitterly. If she could be a wolf from her dream, she could run away. She would be strong, wild, untamed, always with a pack.

But Ylva wasn't a wolf. She was a girl with a rare gift that had put her in a very unfortunate situation.

Thanks to the nice guest who left a review :)

Btw, I apologize for all the language and grammar mistakes, English is not my native language.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

xoxo & Liebe Grüße