Hostage to Love

Mourning

What had taken only an hour to gallop out took what felt like an eternity to walk back. Sleipnir knew something was up. This strange man leading him? His mistress, sitting like a statue on his back. This was not right.

Ari was barely aware of arriving back at the palace. The stable hands ran out to greet her, followed by soldiers of the palace guard.

Erik helped her down and handed her to the guards. He explained what had happened, and a captain was immediately despatched with a carriage to retrieve Peggi.

Word quickly spread, and soon Ari's hand maidens appeared, faces white and eyes filled, to take her away. She still had not spoken a word.

The court Chamberlain guided Erik through to an audience with the King. Once he'd recounted his tale again, Oran thanked him and offered him a reward.

"Sire, I wish nothing in return, just to know that Princess Ariadne is safe. If I may stable my horse, feed, and water him, then, when my son arrives with that unfortunate but heroic woman, we shall leave."

Oran was stunned and, truthfully, a little ashamed. No reward? Could this man truly have THAT much compassion? Compassion, it appeared, he did not possess for his own daughter. He nodded. "You may remain for as long as you need to. We shall be pleased to look after both you and your son as well as your mounts. Erik Gunnerson, we are indebted to you."

With that, Oran raised a hand. "So I have spoken, so shall it be." He rose, and Erik bowed, realising he was being dismissed. The King departed, and Erik walked out into the courtyard and back towards the stables. This was not how he gad EVER envisaged their hunt going!

Ari allowed herself to be taken back to her chambers. It was all just a dream, wasn't it? She would wake up and find she'd dozed off in the sun with Peggi. They would get on their horses and continue their quest. Suddenly, she sat up, fending off the girls currently washing her face of blood and combing her hair. Aesir! They'd never gotten near Aesir! For the first time sonce the attack, she began to cry. Great heaving sobs that wracked her body. Howling, she got up and threw herself onto her bed, thrashing at the pillows.

The hand maidens looked at each other, unsure what to do. This would have been something Peggi dealt with. They had no clue how to react, so in fear, they did nothing. Simply melted away into the shadows and left Ari to cry and scream alone.

Oran could hear her before he even got halfway along the corridor. Now, she was no longer crying. Now she was throwing glassware, smashing mirrors, ripping hangings, and curtains down. All the pent-up sorrow and frustration of the last weeks, focussed by this one tragedy, spilling out.

The guards and ladies stood outside in the corridor. As Oran approached, they stood to attention or curtseyed. None dared speak. He stopped, indicating to the nearest girl to approach.

"Is... is the Princess alone in her rooms?"

"Yes, Sire. I tried to go in, but she threw a vase at my head and screamed at me to leave. I'm so sorry, Your Majesty."

The king nodded and dismissed them all. Time for him to step up.

"Leave us, all of you. If I have need, I will make it known. Have no doubts on that score." He waited, hands on the door handles, as they filed away.

When at last, all were gone, he tirned the heavy brass handles and walked in.

The room was destroyed. Not a chair remained upright, not a table on all four legs. Curtains ripped, the looking glass she'd loved since childhood, now in a thousand pieces.

The floor was strewn with feathers from burst cushions and pillows, the walls adorned with wine stains from where she'd smashed the decanter against it.

In the middle of the floor, sat his daughter. Wild-eyed and unkempt. Tear stained and torn. Howling like a lost child, for that was how she felt. In that moment, all the loss and fear overwhelmed her.

"Ari." He said quietly, "Ari, it's me." He came and knelt beside her, reaching out to stroke her head. She flinched, and his heart twisted. "It's ok, Ari. I'm here." He tried to hug her, but she pushed him away.

"This is your fault." She stopped crying and looked him dead in the eye. "ALL your fault. If I hadn't been forced to leave, if I hadn't had to come back to collect my stuff, if Aesir hadn't been driven out of the palace by sorrow, none of this would have happened.

Oran tried to protest that it had been a wolf that killed Peggi. Wild, untameable, unpredictable. A true tragedy. For a moment, Ari looked at him.

"You're a monster. You know that? Loki may be alot of things, but he woukd NEVER sell his family. He would have fought to his last breath for her. You don't love me, you never did. This was all politics. From the moment mother died, you couldn't wait to be rid of me." She spat, and Oran slapped her hard.

"Ari that's Enough!" He roared."I came to offer comfort, and what do I find? An ungrateful, unruly CHILD. Act like the Princess you are. Accidents happen. Terrible accidents, ones we will never forget, but we just keep going. It is our duty. Your duty as a Princess."

Ari looked at him, suddenly realising just how cold and heartless he really was. "In that case, Your Majesty, I shall pack and leave. I shall not return and you need not attend my wedding. You can be sure that when the time comes, I will be every inch the Queen I need to be." She stood and walked to the remains of her dresser, then turned. "And for the avoidance of doubt? My name... is The Princess Royal, Ariadne Margarettadottir. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a wedding to pack for."

The cold finality in her voice, the cruel change of name, cut him to the quick. She was her mother's daughter in more ways than she would ever know. Margaretta had been the light of his life. Then Ari. Now, that too was almost gone.

He sighed and left the room. He would try again before she stepped back into the Bifrost. After she'd had time to calm down, she'd understand.

Ari stood, fists clenched, eyes closed as her father left the room. As she heard the door clang shut, she opened them again. She would wait for Peggi to return, settle her, and then she would leave. Her father? Well, he could go to Helheim for all she cared.

As she pulled together the few items she now realised she actually wanted, tears fell. Calm, quiet, regretful. This was not how she'd imagined she'd leave home to get married.

As she was finishing up, there was a huddle of people talking below her window. She looked out just in time to see the carriage returning with Peggi.

Scraping her hair into a ponytail, rolling up her sleeves, she left her room. With a pounding heart, she walked up to the captain. "Send for my ladies. We will take care of her."

"Of course, My Lady." He bowed low and was gone.

"You must be Olaf?" She addressed a man only slightly younger than herself. He nodded, removing his cap. "Thank you, Olaf. Your father is in the kitchen. Join him, be rested. You have been invaluable today. " she couldn't smile, but she tried to let him see her gratitude. He slipped away, and she took a breath.

Opening the carriage door. There, as if sleeping on the seat, lay Peggi. Pale as a winter afternoon. Colder.

"Come on, Peggi," she said quietly. "Time to rest now. Time to rest." She watched as they carried the last person in the world she could do without, into the palace.

This time, when Ari left, there would be nothing to come back for.