Tale as old as Time

Broken promise

Once upon a time, there was a princess who chose to live with her father, in a very dark and misty kingdom. The princess was called Sigyn, and she was the most beautiful young lady in the Nine realms. She had long red hair and eyes as blue as the seas of Vanaheim. She was very kind too, always thinking of others before herself, and willing to help anyone that might need her.

Her father, Iwaldi, was a smith, brother to the king of Nidavellir. He had a good heart, though his temper was as fiery as his forges. From a first marriage with a dwarf lady, he had two sons, Daenne and Nabbi, while he had Sigyn a few centuries later, when he briefly married the queen of Vanaheim, Freya.

Daenne and Nabbi were strong and skillful smiths, but they were not very sociable, and often prone to violence. So they never worked in the shop, their father fearing they might scare the customers away.

Freya had promised Sigyn's hand to an Asgardian warrior called Theoric, but the young lady did not care much for him. They were too different, and at the thought of living her whole life by his side, the princess shivered and felt nauseous.

The more Theoric insisted, the more she wanted to flee away. He did like swords and weapons, but was taken aback when she told him she made them. It was not appropriate for a lady to work in a forge, he said. When she was his wife, she would never have to work another day of her life, he said. But Sigyn did not want that. She loved working in her father forges, and create beautiful blades, or hammers, or magical trinkets. It made her feel useful and gave her a purpose. She was very proud of her work, and no one could take that from her. Not even her husband, and surely not Theoric.

No, she would find a way to avoid such a fate. She was sure Theoric could find another bride – many maidens lusted after him, even in presence of his supposed-to-be betrothed. He could pick one of them, but not her.

One day, her father was called away in a distant realm to create more commercial opportunities for the Dwarves. Iwaldi trusted Sigyn with the shop, and his sons with the forges, though his daughter also a skillful smith and jeweler.

He asked his children if there was something he could bring them from his travels. Daenne asked for gold, Nabbi for precious gems, while Sigyn asked for a rose. She loved Nidavellir, but there was no flowers in the Dwarven realm, and she missed them. Iwadli smiled at her simple request, and agreed to it.

However, days passed, and then weeks, but there was no news from their father. Daenne and Nabbi were too taken by their work to realize time had passed, so Sigyn decided to act by herself. She closed the shop, prepared her best horse, a sword in case she would meet bandits or trolls, and went looking after her father.

She looked for him in all the realms, but no one seemed to have seen Iwaldi. Once she reached Asgard, Theoric saw her, and once again, demanded she stayed by his side, as a good little wife was supposed to.

"I am not your wife yet, my Lord", Sigyn reminded her betrothed, trying to escape his unwanted advances.

"But soon you shall be", the Crimson Hawk reminded her, offering her his most dashing smile, "Your father should not have let you work in his forges, or read all those books on magic. It spoiled your mind, obviously. Bake me a pie, and join me in my rooms for dinner"

Sigyn had no experience in the matter of love, but as the daughter of Freya, she was no fool. She perfectly knew what her fiancé wanted from her, and she was far from ready for this kind of thing. Besides, she firmly believed sharing such intimacy should be sacred and only between two people who loved each other deeply. That was not the case with Theoric. She did not love him, and she was pretty sure he did not love her either. He just wanted a royal bride to show off to his friends, and give him children that would allow his family to brag about their royal blood. No romance or feelings were involved in this union.