Lore: When a Trickster Meets His Match

Chapter Five: Before the Wedding Bells Shrill

Sigyn did not speak to Thor the next morning as they were seated at the long table in the banquet hall. Though they sat right beside each other and were addressed in the same breath by the royal bakers and patissiers, the princess pretended that he did not exist. She did not glance at him as a large tray of desserts were presented to the royal couple or then when they were bid to try each dessert and choose the ones which they liked best. Although his fingers pressed desperately across the back of her hand as he passed her a spoon so that she could sample the schoggisauce - a rich, chocolatey sauce that was divine over each dessert upon which it was drizzled - or even when he reached up to tenderly dab a napkin against the corner of her lip when some powder from the jam-filled spitzbuben tarts edged the corner of her mouth. She muttered only a quiet thank you and returned to sampling the desserts. When she had commented on which she enjoyed, agreed to whatever suggestions were made by Frigga on which desserts would be suitable for the starters and the main course of the banquet menu, she had not snuck even a single glance at the man she would soon call her husband. She did not turn in the hallway when she heard him call out her name. She tried not to think of him as she was forced into yet another unsuccessful dress fitting. She did not look for him each time she took her meals in the grand Feast Hall, but instead spent this time with her mother and father and her other kinsmen from Vanaheim who had travelled here early in spite of the impending wedding date. No one commented on her change in behaviour, though each noted it curiously. Particularly her concerned parents, who tried to sign it off as pre-wedding jitters.

The next morning was set to begin in the same way. Sigyn woke from another night of restless sleep, having found no help from the pot of chamomile tea that her mother had suggested and no peace from the lavender oil that Frigga had bidden her servant to rub on the princess's temples and neck. She took her breakfast silently by the window and ate in the small portion that she'd been told to have, though she found that her appetite reflected the little she was allowed to eat, and she watched as the male servants were sent outside to clear the frost from the panels of her windows. They groaned and grunted as they cut away at the ice, which seemed to grow thicker and more difficult to thaw as the days rolled by. Then the princess was ushered into the next room, stripped of her nightgown, bathed and rubbed with fragrant oils, and then dressed in a new gown. There was not much choice in what gown she could wear but the thought of wearing red was aberrant to her, so she chose a blue gown instead.

It was not a very beautiful gown; it was built more for travel and outdoor activities. The modest hem, cropped sleeves and lack of finery seemed to mirror the function for which it had been made: the tunic beneath it was long and made from the fur from the hardiest of stoats and it was accompanied by a long cloak that was meant to be worn by someone who intended on going riding. Although tentative to question a royal's actions, Grimhilde pointed out this fact as she braided the princess's hair.

"I will not be riding," Sigyn reassured, "I'm just going for a walk in the gardens."

"Will you be needing an escort, my lady?" Grimhilde asked, already holding her breath, "I should ask the prince to organise for you - "

"No," Sigyn forced her voice to be stern, "I will not be needing any assistance from the prince. Promise me you won't bother him, Grimhilde. Promise me."

Grimhilde seemed uncomfortable making such a vow but she could not refuse her charge. It wasn't just the fact that she was not supposed to question the orders of the one to whom she was submitted, but it was also that she genuinely liked and cared about the princess. Being the one servant who had watched the young princess sprout and grow into a bloom of maidenhood, she did not want to upset the princess further. She only hoped that this walk through nature would help to clear the princess's head - and so she promised that she would not tell Thor about it. Instead of trying to hinder her and persuade her against this course of action, Grimhilde packed a small bundle of the delicious biscuits made from sugar, flour and honey - called tirggel - and walked the princess to the palatial doors that open out onto a view of the gardens. When they were opened at the woman's command, Sigyn's lungs burned in the cold air. Her breathing stammered for a moment.