LOKI'S GAME

The death of Baldr

Here we go again.

Torturing screams.

Waking me up.

It had been like this for weeks. The whole of Asgard could hear them, an infernal racket that woke everybody up at exactly sunrise. Sunrise. Odin help me, if someone doesn't kill him, I will. I mean I'd do it, happily too, in fact I might just do it. That will teach him a lesson, he can sit next to my daughter for the rest of his afterlife and contemplate how miserable he made me. Not only did his ear piercing morning screaming infuriate me, but he had that smug look that he ponced around with. His golden hair flowing in a wind that didn't exist, his golden skin that reflected light that wasn't there, the adoration he had off every single member of the Aesir and Vanir and everyone else living in Asgard.

Baldr. I hated him. Son of Odin and Frigg, favoured by all. Not a single worry or wrinkle.

Of course his inescapable racket continued for weeks and weeks.

But then one morning, it wasn't Baldr who was screaming. It was Frigg. Now everyone dashed up and ran to her room, there she was writhing in a night sweat, twisting and turning her sheets and furs in what looked like to be an arduous hell.

'Frigg, dear, it's okay, wake up!' Odin panicked as we all watched on.

She panted herself awake, 'Oh, oh!!!' She clung onto Odin like a lifeline.

'What did you see?' Heimdallr poked in, nosy fool.

'The death of Baldr' she declared. A gasp erupted from the room, a gasp from everyone apart from me. I instead smiled.

'So his nightmares were true then' Nanna worryingly said. Nanna being Baldrs beautiful and empathetic wife, clutching onto his perfectly toned shirtless torso.

'I am afraid so. We must protect him at once' Frigg announced, wiping the sweat from her brow.

'What am I to do?' Baldr piped up. Oh even the tone of his voice agitated me, like listening to Freyja's cats grooming themselves.

'Nothing, stay put, leave it to me' Frigg got up and looked as if she was ready for a fight.

'What can we do?' Heimdallr asked.

'Nothing, you all do nothing, this is my task' Frigg ordered.

'We have to help him!' Nanna pleaded.

'No, listen, stay here, protect him at all costs, I need to do this, alone' Frigg walked out, followed by everyone, one by one. But I stayed, pondering what to do. There was nothing more I desired right now other than to see Baldr lying in a pool of his blood.

Call me crazy, for I am.

...

Three days had passed. In that time I had grown full of rage. Every member of this family took turns to watch him, watch him while he slept, while he ate and while he relieved himself. Of course I was given a watch duty, a duty that boiled my blood. Six hours of listening to him tell joyous tales, stroking his summer sun and receive love and adoration. I almost wore my back teeth into stubs with the amount of clenching I was doing.