His Queen | Book 1

Eight: Augur

Asgard was dark. There where no brasiers kindling with fires, or torches. There wasn't a person in sight. No sun, no stars, just darkness consuming Asgard. The mountains were tall black waves frozen behind the palace, black, not gold. Sigyn was the only one walking the palace halls, candle holder in hand. It was so dark, not even the weak flickering of the candle could penetrate it more than a few feet in front of her.

She felt fear, but her heart wasn't beating against her ribcage.

For some reason she was compelled to walk the corridor, not knowing where she was going. Her bare feet padded cautiously along the cold ground, until something wet touched her. She skipped back. It was water. She walked forward. The water rippled under her feet as she went forward. Lightning cracked somewhere and she jumped. "Thor!?" her voice barely came out as a whisper.

She was lost for sure. She didn't know which way she came from, or which direction she was going. She turned and turned and walked and walked, stumbling around in the darkness. Tears of fear were flowing down her cheeks. She collapsed into the water and screamed, but nothing came out.

This is Ragnarok. She knows it.

Then she heard a noise in the dark. She froze stiff a tree. Her breathing was loud and ragged; something terrifying was behind her.

Sigyn turned and for an instance she saw three figures. All women, giant, and shrouded in robes and giant hoods to hide their faces.

Sigyn sat right up in her bed. It was a bright morning and Asgard was golden again. The sun was beaming and birds sang their praise. She was caked in a layer of cold sweat, her heart beating in her chest and her silver hair glued to the back of her head. Sigyn fell back into her pillow and her white hair panned out. She took in gulps of air holding a hand over her beating heart to calm it. "It felt so real."

What were those things she saw? Did she see Ragnarok?

What a horrible dream. 

Her handmaidens came into her chambers shortly after, bringing her a tray for breakfast. Sigyn asked for a quick bath to be drawn to wash away the night terrors while she ate a light breakfast on her balcony. She couldn't get those three figures out her head. Their image burnt behind her eyelids every time she blinked; she saw them. What were they?

"My Lady?" her handmaiden stepped onto the balcony.

Sigyn looked up from her daydream. "Yes?" she picked up a warm cup of brew.

  "I found another flower." she held out a white thorns berry. Sigyn smiled brightly taking the flower. She thanked her handmaiden and set it on her tray. Her handmaiden went to leave, when she turned back. Hesitantly, the young girl said, "If I may ask, My Lady?"

  Sigyn looked up. "Go ahead."

The handmaiden looked everywhere but at the Princess. She said, nervously, "Who is leaving these flowers for you?"

Sigyn's eyes wondered away also. "I'm not sure." she replied. "A secret admirer perhaps. Why do you ask?"

"The other girls are talking, My Lady. The older girls fear it is a bad omen. The younger girls say there is someone secretly in love with you and they giggle about it." she confessed, shy. Her head was down and her hands held in front. She could be flogged for this, but her wild curiosity got the better of her.

"That's alright if they giggle. I'd prefer them to giggle, it's always good for the heart." Sigyn says. Her handmaiden lifts her head surprised. "As for the others, maybe it is a bad omen. We can never know." Sigyn gets to her feet. "Or maybe it's Thor." she suggested.