Hockey Pucks & Pixie Dust

14 - Conditions and Consequences

No matter the circumstances — good or bad — Sindri enjoyed her time with the queen. Whether they chatted over a meal or Elvinia offered compassion in the form of wisdom or a shoulder to cry on, she acted as a pillar of strength to everyone within her kingdom.

Sindri ensured to dress properly for the occasion. She might have been a bit on the fringe, living in the human world, but the queen held Sindri to the same standards as everyone else. Not only did that mean ditching the less restrictive and more casual clothing; Sindri was expected to wear a dress, which the queen kept several of in a wardrobe set aside specifically for her adoptive daughter.

She took her time through the palace, no less awed than when she visited the first time. Magic saturated the air, humming and vibrating in time with the heartbeat of the realm itself. Motes of light disappeared as new flecks took its predecessor's place, shimmering in the fairy lights hovering in specially crafted lamp fixtures. Tapestries hung throughout the hallways, each telling a story of bygone eras, enchanted so the images came to life and re-enacted romantic tales or epic adventures.

Perhaps Thayer had been on to something when he said Sindri didn't know what she wanted. This was a tranquil realm with everything she could hope for — immortality, spells, and beauty everywhere she looked. Yet Sindri still wanted to go back to her world and take back the one thing she'd be cheated from: a chance at freedom. That was what she hadn't been able to say when Thayer put her on the spot with his confession. The yearning wasn't about her humanity so much as she'd fled Iceland for a chance to forge her own path. She hadn't wanted to become another man's property because her father couldn't pay his debts, but to have the right to choose for herself.

Everything had been taken from her — her free will when her father announced under threat of a beating and exile she'd marry Ivor to keep them from entering forced servitude, and her identity when Loki had cursed her at the shrine. Everything came with conditions and consequences.

Upon arriving at the grand hall, Sindri remembered her manners, dipping her head to the sentries on each side of the grand wooden doors stretching from floor to ceiling. Intricately carved vines and flowers adorned the surface, making Sindri feel like she were about to pass through a veil and never return. The guards wore armor of light metal, molded to the shape of their bodies but never weighing them down.

The female, taller than most human men, had to look down to address Sindri (who wasn't at all short in her realm). "The queen is waiting for you, m'lady."

"Thank you." Sindri dipped into a small curtsy as they opened the heavy doors and allowed her entry. The main hall was no less grand than the rest of the palace, but it was larger, reaching high into a dome of wood and fairy lights overhead to resemble stars. Orange, red, and gold were the queen's chosen colors, giving the space the appearance of being on fire. Like her and her molten lava hair and personality, she set everything aflame with merely a glance or touch.

Elvinia sat upon a chaise, flipping a leaf in a leather-bound book. Her amber irises glanced over the pages when Sindri approached, and the queen set the book on a nearby accent table and smiled. "Emma! You have been away for quite some time."

Sindri didn't even get a reply onto her tongue when Elvinia rose and glided across the room before gathering her surrogate daughter in a warm embrace. She smelled of spice and smoke, like a cozy campfire at night.

"I'm sorry," Sindri whispered, wrapping her arms around Elvinia's narrow waist. "It's hard to come here too often when I know what lies ahead."

The queen tucked a loose strand of hair behind Sindri's ear and rubbed her arm. There was no disappointment to be found on her angular face as she beamed in delight. "I understand, my child. Living between two worlds has been difficult. You can never leave one behind, nor can you forget either half of yourself."