Servant of Jotunheim

Choice

I spent the entirety of the night silently pleading to the many gods of Valhalla to spare the life of the man I love, and my prayers had indeed been answered.

After hours of watching over him, the sun rises on Asgard and the King finally begins to open his eyes. He sees me sitting up in the bed next to his in the healing room.

Loki: "What happened?" he asks with a hoarse voice due to the injuries on his neck.

Me: "We are alive and that is all that matters" I smile.

Loki: "Where is Helbindi?"

Me: "He is gone" I answer his question briefly, not wanting to dwell on that fact or be forced to think of him again.

I reach over and hold his hand when the Queen Mother enters and places a gentle kiss on both of our foreheads. She had also been there tending to the many wounded soldiers that night.

Frigga: "If it were not for the fact that you somehow miraculously survived last night, I would be quite displeased with the both of you for doing something so utterly reckless".

She lifts the bandage from my shoulder to look at the mark that the King had given me, which is still rather sore.

Loki: "It was my idea, mother. I told her of my true heritage and believed that if I marked her then it may have at least bought us enough time for help to arrive".

Me: "We are truly sorry, Queen Mother".

Frigga: "You may call me Frigga from this moment forward, my dear" she smiles at me before she leaves us alone once more.

Loki: "You must have done something incredible to have earned that honour?"

Me: "I am certain I do not know what you mean, my King?" I laugh.

Loki: "Tell me what really happened, Valanya?"

Me: "I did what I had to do".

Loki: "You killed Helbindi?"

Me: "Yes. You were defeated in battle the moment you lost consciousness and with him now dead, by definition neither of you have a claim to me. I am now free to choose for myself".

Loki: "And what is your choice?"

I get out of my bed and climb in next to him, placing a tender kiss upon his cheek.

Me: "I choose you, my King. Always".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thor and Frigga walk through the palace towards the council room where the may speak privately. Once the doors are closed, she feels the need to bring up a more serious matter.

Thor: "How is he?".

Frigga: "He will soon recover with some much needed rest. Now we may speak freely, I need you to do something for me that is of the upmost importance".

Thor: "Which is?"

Frigga: "I need you to send word to Jotunheim informing them of Helbindi's demise. They would not dare retaliate due to his trespassing breaking the rules of the peace treaty".

Thor: "Will that be all, mother?"

Frigga: "No. I also need you to inform Lord Surt of Anya's death".

Thor: "The girl has perished!?"

Frigga: "Shhhh! No, she is very much alive, but we need the frost giants to believe that she died by Helbindi's hand so they will never come to Asgard in search of her again".

Thor: "What do you believe her father would do if he were to discover that she was the one who ended his life?"

Frigga: "We do not know and that is what worries me the most".

Thor: "I suppose her father will continue to rule over Jotunheim in the absence of an heir?"

Frigga: "That is why we must keep her survival a secret, even from our own people. The less people that know the truth the better".

Thor: "What are you saying?"

Frigga: "She will soon be safely hidden where no one will ever think to look for her".

What Thor did not know is that Frigga was intending to hide Anya in plain sight for all to see and she would remain there on Asgard.

She would no longer have any connection to the race that had caused her so much suffering, in place she would now be entirely of her mother's heritage.

Frigga knew that Anya would need a convincing story and had to maintain the ruse that she was a simple princess, from a far off realm who was there on Asgard courting the King.