NOVEL WEB An unexpected conversation!
*Vol.1: Tales of a God.
Chapter 25 - An unexpected conversation!
Here is the new chapter!
Thanks for waiting!
*Name Caption (You can adopt {ð = d} and {Þ = Th} to make it easier):
Ásgarðr = Asgardr.
Balðr = Baldur/Balder (first son of Odin and Frigg).
Gullinbursti = Frey's Boar.
Höðr = Höder (second son of Odin and Frigg).
Kostr = Known as the 'Viking Wedding'.
Miðgarðr = Midgard.
Njörðr = Njord (father of Frey and Freyja).
Skaði = Skadi (mother of Frey and Freyja).
Skiblaðnir = Skidbladnir.
Þjazi = Thjazi (Father of Skadi and leader of a clan of Jotuns).
Þórr = Thor.
Valhöll = Valhalla.
Without further ado, enjoy the chapter peasant!
- Location: Ásgarðr / Valhöll.
Pov. Third-person.
In Valhalla's hall, a celebration was taking place. Today, the birth of one of Odin's sons was celebrated, consecrated with many titles, some being:
The drunk calamity.
The killer of giants.
But the main thing?
The strongest Norse god.
Now, the vast majority of people avoided Prince Thor due to certain people who now accompany him to all celebrations. Who were these people? It was Loki's children...
One was known as the 'god slayer' and the other was known as the 'bad omen'.
No one liked the people that Prince Thor had established a kind of friendship... But that friendship had become... Tolerable for most.
Anyway... As today was Prince Thor's name day he was expected to be at the party correct?...
Well... Not exactly.
"... Where is he?" asked someone.
It was Odin, who had asked his wife, Frigg, about the whereabouts of their son Thor.
"...He said that today he had something important to do...So he only stayed in the morning and left right after the banquet at lunch " replied Frigg.
"But… It's his name day! Beyond that, Skadi and Njord said that today would be a good time to talk to Thor about… The proposal" said Odin.
"I tried to contact Thor through runes, when he answered me he said he wouldn't come. That morning party was enough *sigh*" Frigg said, giving a tired sigh.
"He is my son! Even though he is technically illegitimate, he is entitled to at least one day of celebration! And he just wants a morning of celebration? I cannot do that; it would be considered a disgrace to others! The Thor's image, was damaged more than enough..." said Odin, irritated.
Why was Odin angry?... Due to Balðr and Höðr being his sons with Frigg, this meant that they are the successors to the throne of Asgard, with Balðr being first in the line of succession, therefore the 'legitimate' heirs are treated 'differently'. The 'illegitimate' children, on the other hand, had fewer privileges than the 'legitimate' ones.
A good example?... It's the name day parties.
At the 'name day' parties of his 'legitimate' children, ALL races in the kingdom of Asgard MUST participate.
At the parties of his 'illegitimate' children, attendance was optional.
Thor's parties were quite popular, at least among the parties of Odin's 'illegitimate' children, especially after the skirmish at Útgard castle. Everyone wanted to be associated with Thor, it was mainly out of interest, but Thor had made friends with some very influential people in the realms.
However... All that changed after the centenary of Balðr.
"I understand my love… I told him the same thing. But the answer he gave me… He said he was 'tired' but that he would make an effort to return by the end of tonight, right after finishing his scheduled chores," explained Frigg.
This did not seem to have calmed the 'all father'.
"Don't worry Odin... I'm sure my nephew must be doing something important enough to have to ignore the festivities on his own name day," said a voice.
It was Loki with a knowing smile.
"... This is not a joke Loki," said Odin, annoyed.
"Well... I never said it was~" replied Loki.
"...But regarding the 'proposal' of Njord and Skadi... Skadi lost patience and asked me to tell her where Thor lived in Miðgarðr. She said she would 'pick him up' or, if he's busy, talk to Thor in Miðgarðr... While she talks to Thor, Njord has offered to pick up Freyja," said Frigg, in a marrying tone.
"Honestly...I still don't like this" said Loki, with a frown.
In Loki's mind, this was nothing in favor of the Aesir... Literally, the leaders of the Vanir gods would gain a 'living weapon of extortion', while the Aesir would gain practically NOTHING.
"*sigh* While I understand your position brother... It will be necessary to secure the peace of Asgard" said Odin in a tired tone.
But that was not the whole reason for Odin... Because Odin offered his eye and willingly tortured himself in the branches of Yggdrasil, he received the 'gift' of wisdom.
But it wasn't necessary to have this 'gift' to see that the world was changing... Whether for better or worse he wasn't sure.
And there is nothing scarier than uncertainty.
Before the commemoration of Thor's Name Day, the 'gathering among the leaders of the other pantheons' took place.
The leader of the Greeks did not go, again...
And the tension between the Nordic and Slavic pantheon was growing rapidly. The reason was simple... Influence of territories in Miðgarðr.
It was very likely that this tension will evolve into two scenarios...
The first will be an all-out war between the two pantheons, with the risk of this war spreading to other pantheons, such as the Celtic pantheon.
The second scenario, and what Odin wants, will be a small dispute between two representatives from each pantheon to resolve a little skirmish.
"I just hope Freyja is reasonable about this possible 'Kostr'," Frigg said, concerned.
It was then that a voice roared in Valhöll's hall.
"ODIN! WHERE IS MY MOTHER?!"
Needless to say, Freyja was upset.
It was at this point that Loki chose to comment.
"*Humph* Yeah, quite 'reasonable'~," said Loki.
"Shut up Loki... I already have a headache to deal with" said Odin, rubbing his temples.
- Location: Miðgarðr.
Pov. Third-person.
After only a few minutes, Thor had returned to his home, and it seemed Skadi was still awaiting his arrival.
She looked unfazed.
"…All right, we can talk now," Thor said, crossing his arms.
As much as Thor was acting 'rudely', this was mainly due to Skadi's unexpected visit, someone he never talked to alone, in his home and, from Thor's point of view, demanding to 'talk'.
No matter what Skadi said to Thor at that time... For Thor, she wants something he has, and depending on what she asks it will come with a price.
After all, Thor initially suspected that maybe she wanted some weapon or artifact...
"…I'm not one to stall, so I'll get straight to the point…I want to ask if you could marry my daughter Freyja," said Skadi.
Thor... Didn't see THAT coming.
"...Huh?" said Thor confused.
For Thor this... It wasn't the conversation he had in mind.
"*sigh*... Maybe... Is this a good time to finally walk into your house and sit down to talk?" asked Skadi uncertainly.
Thor just gave an uncertain nod and walked towards the door... In no time did he say anything.
What the hell could he say?...
As soon as Thor invited Skadi into his house, he offered Skadi to sit on the sofa.
"Want... Want something to drink or something?" Thor asked uncertainly.
"Not really…thanks. But I think the sooner we discuss this, the better it will be for us," Skadi said seriously.
"Right... Why don't we start from the beginning?" said Thor, as he sat down in the chair across from the sofa.
Skadi looked a little confused.
"I already mentioned... I would like you to marry my daughter, I assume you know how the 'contract' works?" I ask Skadi.
"Yes, I know that part…" said Thor, narrowing his eyes.
For Thor, who had lived two lives, one of the things that were hard to get used to, was accepting to drink mead at a young age, like four years old...
Another thing?... It was the marriage between the Norse gods, and how it worked.
It was a kind of 'contract' between two families.
The 'contract' was called 'Kostr'.
Basically, the marriage consisted of two parts, the betrothal and the marriage, and this whole 'process' started with the negotiations, always taking into account the interests of the families of the groom and the bride...
If Thor were to comment on how this marriage worked... Basically, he would say that it's not exactly two 'people' 'joining', but rather two 'families' as a whole.
Everything started with the groom or his father, who carried out the proposal to the father or guardian of the bride.
If the bride's father or guardian were satisfied with the proposal, the suitor would have to 'pay' for the bride and in return, the bride's father promised to give the dowry after the marriage. Both the payment for the bride and the dowry was incorporated into the bride's estate.
The two men, the groom, and the guardian shook hands in front of at least two witnesses and set the date for the celebration of the marriage. The bride's consent could be consulted, but generally, this was not done.
And this was a summary of the 'arranged' Nordic marriage, called Kostr.
That was a big NO for Thor...
But... Thor knew a fact about Kostr...
Norse marriage between Norse gods only served to solidify alliances.
Now... Thor was just hoping to ask a question...
"I know very well what 'Kostr' is... I want to know why?" Thor asked.
It was then that Skadi understood.
"Since you know the purpose of 'Kostr'... It's easier to explain why. Let me tell you this if I or Njord die... There's a good chance the Vanir gods will rebel," said Skadi.
This seemed to have caught Thor's attention...
"...I thought no one would have that courage... After all, Frey has two of the most powerful weapons in the Nordic pantheon, the Sumarbrander, and the Gullinbursti..." said Thor.
And it was true...
Frey, basically, had the best 'toys'.
The Skíðblaðnir was a well-known flying ship, not only in the Nordic pantheon but in other pantheons as well...
But Frey had other things besides the flying ship...
Sumarbrander was a golden sword with a blade as hot as the surface of the sun, but that's not why the blade was known... What was its main skill? The sword was simply capable of dueling ALONE. That thing is very alive, and it doesn't need 'help' to be wielded.
But another thing that scared the others was the Gullinbursti... Basically, it was a golden boar... Immune to magic.
If the magic doesn't work the right thing would be to go to brute force, but... There's a little problem.
Now, Gullinbursti might not seem like such a big deal... But if Thor were to compare a god fighting that thing...
It would be like... A man facing a battle tank.
The tank runs over the man...
Gullinbursti will, LITERALLY, runs over the god.
Of course, this comparison was made with a 'weaker' god... But Gullinbursti was still a force to be reckoned with, and this boar only obeys Frey's commands.
It was these weapons that defined Frey's strength.
"While it's true about Frey's weapons...he...doesn't 'like' using them very much," said Skadi, embarrassed.
For some reason… This was not surprising to Thor. After all, the irony was noticeable...
Some of the most powerful weapons of the Norse gods... In the hands of the 'God of PEACE'.
"*sigh*... Where am I into this story?" Thor asked wearily.
That seemed to have alerted Skadi... For now, she has to choose her words carefully...
"First of all... Please just listen to me... If you have any questions, please save them for the end of the explanation," said Skadi.
Thor thought for a moment, then nodded in affirmation.
"Well…where do I start…First of all, it's a fact that the war between the gods Vanir and Aesir was the second bloodiest war in our pantheon. Both Njord and your father committed things... cruel... They had their reasons for being like that, but I won't go into detail. The problem was that... War leaves 'wounds', and even when both parties are reduced to numbers so close to extinction, the 'old blood' remains for some, but this is usually resolved with alliances between both parties. But... There is no 'rope' that binds the Aesir to the Vanir; in fact, since the end of the war, we have remained 'separate' from you Aesir... And as no 'bridge' has been created between us, the feeling of 'settlement of scores' grew stronger. This Kostr will be the first 'bridge' that will be 'created' to strengthen our alliance, but as it is it will be the first Kostr... One must choose very 'carefully' the people who will marry... Ideally, it would be between the 'royalty' of both races of gods..." explained Skadi.
For Thor, that was a pretty short explanation... But, it was clear that Kostr was needed as soon as possible.
Skadi herself had said that there was no Kostr between the Vanir and Aesir even after the war ended...
That was a mistake.
But again, what Skadi commented was a fact...
Must choose very 'carefully' the people who would marry... And generally, 'royalty' was ideal.
The 'royalty' of the gods after the war... It was very deteriorated and still had a grudge against the things that happened during the war...
Odin with his 'blood eagles'... where it was one of the bloodiest rituals Thor had ever heard.
Njord with his 'stretcher'... Where Thor noticed Njord's 'gooky creativity' with 'hooks'.
In short... No one wanted to marry the person who did these things to their 'relatives'.
So it seemed... That the responsibility would fall to the future generation of gods... The generation that Thor found himself with.
The generation of the Aesir, sons of Odin, was made up only of men...
And the generation of the Vanir, sons of Njord, was made up of a god and a goddess... The god was disregarded as a candidate for the Kostr for obvious reasons... So there was only the goddess left.
Freyja.
Basically... Freyja didn't exactly have a 'choice'... After all, waiting until Odin had a daughter was too risky.
Freyja, in theory, needs to marry an Aesir god that is a son of Odin.
However...
"… Be honest Skadi… Why, exactly, 'me'… And don't you dare lie," Thor said, narrowing his eyes.
The Vanir didn't have many options... But it was because the Aesir didn't have any women who were Odin's daughters.
There were far more options as a bridegroom for Freyja.
Not to mention that, among those options, two gods were first and second in line to the throne of Asgard.
Thor knew he wasn't just an 'illegitimate' child... He was the FOURTH 'illegitimate' child.
If Skadi took him as an option and discarded the rest of his siblings... then it only meant one thing...
"Be honest... Alright then... Because most of the gods 'piss' themselves out of fear when you're in the same room as them... It's more obvious when you're drunk," said Skadi, impassively.
Well... That was a very unique way of using words.
But it wasn't a lie.
Thor was remembered as a hero who defeated 1000 Jotuns... But after the centenary of Balðr, the hero adored by the people 'turned' into one of the most feared gods by the vast majority of the people of Asgard.
"So…let's face it…you want me to be some sort of weapon that will instill fear in this skirmish between the Vanir gods. By marrying Freyja, Frey will secure his rule by 'guaranteeing' a brother-in-law who is Aesir royalty, and powerful enough as a bonus..." said Thor.
"…in short…yes," said Skadi.
Thor looked at Skadi impassively.
"*sigh*... Do you realize this is the biggest bullshit I've heard?" Thor asked.
Skadi looked indignant.
"It's not bullshit! It's something that needs to be done for lasting peace!" said Skadi.
"No, it's not. You said you want to crush any idea of rebellion, but Odin won't be on the throne forever. Balðr will assume his rightful place and rule Asgard and all its lands... And my brother is adored by all, even by the Vanir gods. So the chances of anyone rebelling during Balðr's rule are extremely low," Thor said.
Skadi was silent.
"…That might be true, but only if Balðr assumes the throne sooner. And even if Balðr took over, there would still be a chance of rebellion—" Skadi said trying to explain.
But she was soon interrupted by Thor.
"And you think marrying Freyja to me is your best chance for peace? Even if I accepted… The way you're describing the situation, there would still be a chance for rebellion as well," Thor said.
"...True...But it would be a much smaller chance...And when Balðr takes the throne, the chance will be reduced from almost nothing to zero," said Skadi.
Thor was silent, reflecting because what Skadi had said made some sense... If a 'Kostr' occurs between the gods' Aesir and Vanir, the chances of rebellion are reduced; and after Balðr assumes power, probably the rebellion will never begin.
It was then that Skadi got up from the couch and started to approach Thor and did something that surprised Thor because he never imagined that the proud Skadi would do such an action...
Skadi knelt and bowed.
"Please…I just ask you to consider…" said Skadi.
Skadi, the Jotun ally of the Asgardians, is known for the most explosive temper of all... She was begging.
Skadi, despite being a Jotun, was Njord's wife and Frey and Freyja's mother... Therefore, she was part of the Vanir royalty. But it wasn't just among the Vanir that she was royalty... Skadi, during the war between Aesir and Vanir, was a kind of 'princess' Jotun, because she was the daughter of Thjazi, the leader of one of the oldest Jotun clans of the pantheon.
For a royal to kneel and bow, in addition to begging, for a 'bastard'...
Well... Desperate situations call for desperate measures.
"…Stand up, you're just embarrassing yourself…" said Thor.
Thor was in a…complicated situation.
"Out of curiosity... Why did you spare the trouble to ask me what I think about all this?" Thor asked.
Skadi didn't stop bowing but answered the question.
"It was on the advice of King Odin and Loki... They said you don't like to be 'kept in the dark' and 'dragged' against your will," said Skadi.
"*Humph*... So they learn..." said Thor, with a small smile.
Thor then looked at Skadi and his smile faded.
Thor rose from his chair and took Skadi by the shoulders and urged her to her feet...
Now Skadi was a little nervous, as Thor was by far taller, Thor hadn't stopped growing for some reason... And while Skadi was considered 'tall', with 6' feet...
Thor eclipsed with 8' feet.
In short... Thor was quite intimidating with just his height.
It was at this moment that Thor chose to speak.
"...Did you talk about this situation with Freyja?" Thor asked.
After all, the bride's consent could be consulted, but usually, it wasn't... The problem is that Freyja is the goddess of LOVE.
There is no arranged marriage, which usually starts WITHOUT LOVE, with the goddess of LOVE.
For Thor, this situation was comparable to forcing a carnivorous animal to become an herbivore.
"I asked Njord to pick up Freyja so we could talk right after your name day celebration…But you weren't in Valhalla this afternoon, so I asked Frigg to tell me where you lived…" said Skadi.
"…That's not exactly what I asked. I asked if you had already talked to Freyja about everything... I'll be more specific, did you seek her consent?" Thor asked, frowning.
Skadi understood, and after a moment of silence... She answered.
"…No," said Skadi.
"*sigh*... Let's go to Asgard... I promised my mother I would join in the nightly festivities," said Thor, in a tired tone.
Skadi just nodded.
But before they left the house… Thor remembered one thing.
"*Whistle!* Fenrir! Come here!" said Thor, after he had whistled.
It was then that something came down the stairs quickly and jumped... towards Skadi, who didn't react in time.
For a few seconds, Skadi saw her own death.
But then Fenrir stopped his bite just half an inch away from Skadi's face,
But it wasn't because Fenrir wanted...
He was stopped by Thor who was holding him.
"*sigh* I already told you... No killing inside my house... The smell of blood is unbearable indoors" said Thor, with a reproachful tone.
Fenrir just whimpered.
Thor knew this was Fenrir's way of apologizing...
It was then that Thor remembered something else… And that brought a smile to his face.
"Wait here Skadi, I'll just get something from my forge," said Thor, as he placed Fenrir on his shoulder.
As Thor began to walk toward the room of the house that housed the forge... Fenrir glanced toward Skadi.
Skadi, as she was also the goddess of hunting, knew what an animal was feeling...
What was Fenrir feeling about her?... Well...
[... Kill... Bad female... Protect... New... Brother... Kill... Others... New brother... No... Let... Me... Kill… Them].
What frightened Skadi was the murderous feeling Fenrir gave off, even after being reprimanded.
It was clear to Skadi... If she becomes a threat... She will not stay alive for long in Fenrir's presence.
A short time later Thor returned with a small package.
"Fenrir... Was he upstairs all this time?" asked Skadi, giving Fenrir a wary look.
Fenrir responded with a murderous look...
"Yeah…He's usually a very heavy sleeper, so I have to whistle loudly when I want to call him, he's pretty lazy most of the day…" Thor explained.
While Skadi had understood... There was something else she was curious about.
"I'm a little curious... For who... Is this package?" asked Skadi.
Thor smiled back.
"It's a little 'gift' to my old man. I was waiting for his name day...But after today, I've decided it's best to deliver the gift I made 'specifically' to him as soon as possible..." said Thor.
Skadi was still curious... but chose not to comment.
In fact, Skadi's mind started thinking about the Kostr again...
"Thor... About the Kostr... Have you decided yet?" asked Skadi uncertainly.
"…I will only consider after you or your husband talk to Freyja…And I MUST be present" said Thor without missing a beat in his walk.
As Thor said this, he was thinking of all the probabilities of this situation...
Thor said this just to buy him time to think.
"Let's go... We've wasted too much time. Did you see if Hel was still with the rest of my brothers?" said Thor, opening the door to his house.
"Ah... Yes, she was sitting with her brothers, since the morning she has been with them... Balðr seemed to be taking care of her..." replied Skadi.
"Fine... At least it's not Hermod..." said Thor.
Among all of Thor's brothers, Balðr was the most 'responsible'... and trustworthy, along with Vidar.
It wasn't that Thor hated his other brothers… Far from it, he liked his brothers.
But... Sometimes Hérmod and Vali were more likely to cause trouble.
There was even a time when Hermod courted a woman... A married woman... Needless to say, the woman's husband didn't like it at all.
Anyway... At this point, Skadi and Thor left towards Asgard, intending to participate in the rest of the festivities in Valhalla that were taking place today, which was Thor's birthday.
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Well... That's it, folks!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Forgive me in case of grammatical errors... I tried. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I still haven't figured out how to link the images in the paragraph... Someone, please help!