Hotel Valhalla [Magnus Chase Series]

Dear Frigg

A Weekly Advice Column

Dear Frigg:

  I am the mother of two wonderful boys. My
problem isn’t with them, but with a third boy they met at school. It seems every time they’re together, this third boy coaxes my younger son into playing a prank on my older boy.
  While the pranks have
been harmless, I’m wondering if I should
intervene before things get too out of hand.
  Or should I just let boys be boys?

Signed, Three’s a Crowd

Dear Three’s:

  For the love of Odin, learn from my example
and intervene!
  Like you, I have two sons, Hod and Balder.
  Growing up, Balder was the best of the best—handsome, kind, cheerful, brave,generous, and tidy—and everybody, including
Hod, loved him.
  He looked out for Hod, because Hod was blind and because he loved him.
  All would have been fine had my boys not
started hanging out with another boy, named Loki.
  Loki pretended to be their friend—but he
secretly despised Balder, so whenever he had the
chance, he tried to hurt him.
  But Balder was safe, for when he was a child, I asked everything in the world not to hurt him.
  Everything agreed, and so Balder was invulnerable.
  Or so we all thought.
Sadly, I overlooked one tiny plant: mistletoe.
  Loki used my oversight to his advantage. He
fashioned an arrowhead of mistletoe and convinced Hod, who trusted him, to shoot it.
  Hod didn’t realize he was aiming at his brother.
  The mistletoe missile hit Balder and…well, Balder has been in Helheim ever since.
  He could have made it back to me if it weren’t for Hel’s unreasonableness.
  But that’s another story.
  So yes, you could “just let boys be boys.” But
ask yourself: Is it worth the risk?

Sincerely, Frigg

________________________

Dear Frigg:

I like a girl, but she doesn’t like me.
  I’m thinking of asking
this other boy who owes me a favor to see if he can make her go out with me.
  Do you think that’s a good idea?

Signed, Pining

Dear Pining:

  It’s terrible to be in love when the object of
your affection doesn’t reciprocate. But the truth is, you can’t “make” a girl go out with you, and you certainly shouldn’t try.
  I remember when a boy named Loki tricked my
friend Idun into going on a date with a giant bully named Thjazi.
  Idun never would have gone out with Thjazi if he’d asked her himself.
  In fact, when she realized who the date was with, she felt totally
trapped.
  Is that how you want your special girl to
feel? I sincerely hope not!
  Still tempted to pursue your plan? Maybe you
won’t be when you hear how Idun’s story ended.
  While suffering through the date, she managed to
send word of her predicament to her warrior friends. She had lots of friends, and not just because she gives out apples of immortality.
  Anyway, they came storming to her rescue.
  Once she was safe, they turned up the heat on Thjazi and made sure he would never treat a girl—or anyone else, for that matter—with such disrespect again.
  So I urge you, Pining, to think twice before you move forward.
  Remember, your girl probably has friends, too.

Sincerely, Frigg

_____________________

Dear Frigg:

  My coworker and I are having a disagreement. We do all the work, and our boss takes all the
credit. I’m sick and tired of it.
  I say we should stop working and let him take the blame, but my
coworker says that will end badly for us.
  What do you think we
should do?

Signed, Frustrated

Dear Frustrated:

Your situation reminds me of two friends, Mimir and Honir, who were chosen for an exchange program to another land.
  People there loved Honir, because he was good-looking. They believed he was smart, so they came to him for
advice, which he gave willingly.
  What the people didn’t know was that Honir was as dumb as rocks.
  It was Mimir, highly intelligent but lacking in charisma, who was feeding Honir the solutions to their problems.
  This system worked fine until Mimir got fed up
and stopped helping Honir. When Honir’s advice suddenly went downhill, the people realized they had been duped.
  They raged at Honir. The simpleton explained it had all been Mimir’s idea.
  So they went after Mimir and…well, let’s just say he ended up in deep water and leave it at that.
  So before you lose your head over this, I
advise you to consider your situation carefully.
  Will your boss really end up bearing the blame?
Or will he point the finger at you?

Sincerely, Frigg