The Princess of Ice

Chapter 2

     Cass silently sat at the dining table next to her father who was at the head of the table. Around them were all the right hands of her father and the best warriors. The only one that wasn't there was skorri who had made some excuse. Cass didn't really care until she finished her meal. Soon enough she couldn't stand all the banter and political talk of the men around her. She finally stood up with a glare. "If you would excuse me, i am finished with my food." she growled quietly before leaving, her handmaid on cass's heels. Cass walked into her room and told her servant to give her the armor and cloak. The handmaiden quickly dressed her and as soon as she could, cass fled the castle.

    When cass had reached the stables, skorri was already waiting for her with three horses. Wait, three? She walked over to skorri to notice a young man standing with. Skorri turned at the sound of cass's footsteps and smiled at her. "Ah cass! You decided to join us!" he said before cass nodded. Skorri gestured to the young jotun who gave a friendly smile "this is my nephew, bersi." he said and cass nodded a greeting to bersi who went to shake her hand but she promptly turned and jumped onto her horse. Skorri gave his nephew a pat on the shoulder before jumping onto his own steed, bersi in tow.

    Skorri took the lead of the group. Cass looked up at the sky to see the sun was setting and some clouds were moving in. her father must be getting angry she concluded and continued on her small journey with the two jotuns. They travelled in silence for a few moments before skorri broke it. "Bersi is training to join the royal guard." he said and glanced back at the young trainee and the princess. Cass glanced at bersi with a raised brow. "Is that so?" she asked and bersi gulped. "Well uh yes." he responded and cass nodded. "Well good luck. Only the elite soldiers get to be on the royal guard." she stated which just raised bersi's anxiety a little bit. He kept glancing at the princess only to see her focused on the road ahead of them.

    Cass watched the trail they were taking before she realized they were getting close to the border they shared with the fire giants. She looked to her right to see the border about a mile or two out. She grew curious of the land beyond but shook it away. If she stepped foot in that kingdom she would either be badly injured or killed. Bersi looked at cass one last time to see her staring at the border. He smiled a little bit, thinking of a conversation topic. "The fire giants are intriguing, yes?" he asked and cass quickly turned to him and nodded. "Very. i've never seen one in person. It would be nice to befriend one." she said and bersi nodded. "Interesting creatures. I don't see how they can stand the heat. It burns your skin and puts you through so much pain!" he exclaimed and skorri laughed. "That's what makes them so different from us young warrior. Did you ever hear of the battle of the giants?" he asked and bersi shook his head but cass nodded. Skorri looked back at cass and smiled "mind if i tell him?" he asked and cass shook her head. "No go ahead." she said. Before skorri told them the story he led them up a hill onto a ledge. They quickly dismounted and skorri tied the horses up while bersi and cass took a seat on a log. Skorri sat in front of them on a rock and smiled.

    "Long ago, before either of you were born and yggdrasil was still young, the fire giants and frost giants lived in peace," he started. "But one day they noticed that cattle and farms had crossed paths with others. The fire giants are furious with the frost giants and demanded that they take back their cattle and farm before they were forced to. The frost giants refused saying that the land was free. The fire giants were outraged by the response. One rose above them all and brought his people together. His name was surtr. With him as their leader, the fire giants attacked the farms and herds of the frost giants. In retaliation, the frost giants froze the fire giants so called land. One frost giant led them and he was your father cass, laufey." skorri said while he gestured to cass. Bersi had an amazed look and skorri continued his story,

    "The war went on for centuries, the fire giants burning what the frost giants had and the frost giants froze whatever kept them alive. But soon enough, laufey saw the error of his ways and went to surtr with a plan. He proclaimed they could split the land and set up a magical barrier. Surtr eventually agreed when he saw the state of his warriors. So they brought together their best sorcerers and together they fixed their lands and raised the barrier." skorri ended the story but cass had tuned out. She was staring at the glowing barrier and watched as a hunting party of fire giants on their horses ride by. She saw the lead one. He was in better garb then the rest. He wore a long cape and it flowed behind him almost as if it was made of fire. Soon the hunting party stopped because the leader had gotten distracted by the barrier. He looked over and saw the ledge then saw the three frost giants. He made eye contact with cass and it almost seemed as if he smiled at her, then they went on their merry way hunting a boar.

    Cass turned her attention to skorri once he said her name. "Cass?" he said and she looked at him. "Hm?" she asked and skorri smiled slightly "very interested in them, aren't you?" he asked and cass simply nodded. "We should head back." she stated then stood up and untied her horse. The two other followed and they had a silent ride back to jotunheim.