The Trickster's Bride

Chapter Twenty-Six: Skadi

Even safe in my fortress, atop my loving snowy mountains, I was unhappy. It was bad enough that Njord's bastard child had been welcomed back to Asgard with open arms. It was worse that she'd become a goddess, and been wed to the Son of Odin. She had no right to be awarded such honors.

But what really pierced my heart was seeing Kara. When she arrived at the Palace, I'd never been so close to murder in my life. I wanted to tear her limb from limb, and freeze her head so I could hang it on the mantel. And I wouldn't mind doing the same to Njord, who had caused all of this distress.

We'd been in a loveless marriage since day one. I hadn't wanted to marry him. I didn't want to leave my home to go frolic on the beach with him. He gave me my Freyja and Freyr, but that was the end of it. I was happier without him, but I had never forgotten how he had wronged me.

These venomous thoughts haunted me, for weeks after the wedding. I longed for vengeance. A direct attack on Kara would be fruitless, for she was always surrounded by her Valkyries. Killing Njord would not ease my sorrows, either. And if I were to attack Rani, well, I'd have all of Asgard after me. That little fox had enchanted everyone, weaving them into her spell.

But I would not give up. I lurked in my mountains, listening to their silence. The snow lulled my mind into ordered thoughts, and the whistling wind kept my heart in check. And then, it came to me. I could hardly believe I hadn't thought of it before.

I would put an end to Loki. Not only would it destroy Rani, but she would probably go down with him. He wasn't well-liked anyway, for all his childish jokes and trickery. It had been years since his last incident, but grudges tend to stick with you. Everyone already blamed him secretly for Balder's death. They believed Loki had talked Hod into murdering for vengeance. It wasn't true, of course, but Loki was somewhat of a scapegoat. No one would miss him except his mindless mother. And he wasn't even her true son!

I had come up with a foolproof plan. Loki was a Jotunn, the rightful heir to the Jotunheim. Odin had killed Loki's father and adopted the child, as a sign of peace between Asgard and the Jotunns. The Frost Giants, awed at Odin's power, had behaved, for the love of their long-lost prince. Jotunheim was naught more than ruins anymore. But they were a proud race. If they found out that their prince had been wed to a Midgardian, they would be furious.

It was common knowledge that Loki was a Jotunn. But over the years, everyone had forgotten that I, too, was part Frost Giant. They would never see it coming. The sweet taste of revenge already on my lips, I made my way to what was left of my peoples' homeland.

*****

Jotunn are shape shifters by nature. Some frost giants have limited powers, only able to mold the ice and snow onto their bodies. Others can take animal forms. Odin did Loki a justice, by enhancing the powers he already had. And as an ultimate disservice, Odin had given Loki reign over fire, as though to quell the ice within. But all Frost Giants, when near their own kind, will take the form they were born with.

Thus, as I traveled Jotunheim, seeking out the last of my kind, I knew I was close when I changed. Some say we are horridly ugly creatures, with our misshapen features and ridiculous size. Our bluish skin, they say, is unnatural. Our black eyes are a mark of evil. These judgments, I think, stem from fear.

I had already taken my giantess form when I came upon the band of Jotunn. I had grown about five times in height and thickness, and my skin changed from white to cornflower blue. My hair, usually light blonde, became black as night, to match my pupil-less eyes. My head had elongated, so that from my forehead burst icicle-like horns. Thus, when the Jotunn saw me, they saw me as one of their own.

"Who goes there?" the leader asked, peering at me through the thick snows.

"Skadi," I said, stepping into sight. There were not many Jotunn left, perhaps fifteen or twenty. But each Jotunn was equal to five Asgardians. So there were enough Frost Giants to make a small army.

"Skadi!" the leader exclaimed. I recognized him as Gymir, a survivor of Odin's wrath. "What brings you to Jotunheim?"

"I have come with some grave news," I said. Lies dripped off my tongue like nothing. "News that you, my brethren, deserve to hear."

I had the group's rapt attention. Some came forth to better hear me.

"Our dear prince Loki," I said, "has been dealt a severe injustice by the hand of his adopted father, Odin."

"What happened?" Gymir asked, long prepared for Odin to do them wrong. They feared Odin's wrath, but they remembered the bloodshed of the war. They remembered the loved ones lost. They only feared Odin would harm Loki if they rebelled.

"Odin arranged a marriage for Loki," I said coldly, "they wed him to a girl raised in Midgard."

A roar of protest rang from the Jotunn. How dare their great prince be married to a lowly mortal! Why, that was a true insult, not only to their prince, but to their very race.

"We must do something!" Gymir cried, his peers agreeing. "Odin must pay!"

I tried to hide my smile. The Jotunn would no doubt be destroyed by Odin and the Aesir. And when the smoke cleared, all fingers would be pointed at Loki. I didn't care about the Jotunns. I only thirsted for vengeance.

The Jotunn were planning to march to Asgard that very second, had I not stopped them. "Wait!" I cried. "Now is not a good time to attack."

"Why not?" roared Gymir angrily, his dark eyes gleaming.

"Trust me, I am as outraged as you are," I assured them. "But it is nearly autumn in Asgard. Why not wait until the heavy snows come? Then, we shall have a greater advantage."

Gymir and the others thought on this a moment, and realized that I was, of course, right. "Very well," Gymir said, "Sister Skadi, you are smart to plan ahead. We shall rally behind you, since you have a foothold in Asgard. We shall be ready."

A vicious smile came to my lips. "Perfect."