Chapter 27 Helayna
HELAYNA
Chatting about the architecture and furnishings, Franz led us up a curving staircase to the second level of the house.
He paused before tall windows overlooking the front garden and circular driveway where we’d arrived.
Formal-looking chairs and sofas were arranged around the open space, mostly wood with a few cushions and pillows in brocade and velvet.
“This is what the staff calls the waiting area. When Queen Hrefna held court, her visitors waited here before heading up to her private office.”
He indicated another set of stairs opposite the windows leading to the center tower I’d noticed from outside. Stepping over to our right, he pulled a ring of keys from beneath his coat and unlocked the door. “The right wing contains your mother’s suite, along with a few guest rooms.”
“You keep everything locked?”
His shoulders lifted in a shrug that almost looked shy.
“It’s a habit I picked up from my mother, who ran this house most of her life before her passing nearly forty years ago.
She was born here and grew up under her formidable mother’s tutelage.
From all accounts, Grandmother Wilhelmine could have organized the world’s greatest army, but thankfully she was satisfied with running the house for Queen Hrefna.
At the height of Her Majesty’s rule, a hundred servants would have lived under this roof.
Now, we’ve been lucky to have ten people living on site. ”
“Did you know or meet Queen Hrefna?”
Franz started to laugh and then covered his mouth as if embarrassed.
“Goodness, no, Your Majesty. I’d need to be at least a couple of hundred years old to have met her, or even Queen Helle for that matter.
She never returned to Reykjavík once she left for the Americas, and that was before my birth. ”
“I’m sorry, that was probably a silly thought. I really know very little about my family, and what I might have known once upon a time, well… Those memories have been lost. That’s why I’m so anxious to find something my mother might have left to me.”
His cheeks reddened and he inclined his head with a slight click of his heels together. “Not silly at all, Your Majesty. We’re all so very excited to have our queen in residence again that I completely forgot the loss and grief you must be dealing with. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”
He looked so distraught I couldn’t help but reach out to lightly squeeze his hand. “Not at all. I’m extremely touched you cared so much for my family, even when you never even knew them.”
“It’s been the greatest honor of my life to see an Ironheart queen ascend the throne once more, Your Majesty.”
It still astounded me that his entire family had been dedicated to this house and my family. Despite only being human, without even a queen in residence, generations of his family had lived here. Waiting. Hoping another Ironheart queen might return to power.
“If you’d like the suites to remain unlocked at all times, I will do so at once.”
“That’s not necessary. I was merely curious. Your grandmother established such routines for a reason.”
He led us to the opposite wing and again unlocked the door. “This is Queen Hrefna’s suite. Would you like to explore on your own, Your Majesty, or would you like a formal tour?”
“We’ll explore on our own. Thank you, Franz.”
He took my hand and bowed low once more. “We live to serve House Ironheart, Your Majesty. Just inside the door, you’ll find a phone that will connect you to my personal phone. Please don’t hesitate to call any time of the day or night. Good night, Your Majesty.”
“Good night.”
As he headed back to the stairs, I reached for the doorknob, but Heimdallr’s hand was already there.
“Please allow me to search the rooms to ensure Loki hasn’t left anything unpleasant for you.”
My eyes widened but I nodded and dropped my hand. “I wouldn’t have thought of such a thing, especially since the suite’s been locked.”
“Exactly,” he said grimly. “We’ll probably want at least one of your Blood standing guard here at all times, both inside and outside the suite, just to be safe.”
“Agreed,” Dorr said. “I’ve already asked Lokken and Svar to take the first watch inside, while Gunnarr and Myrk patrol outside the house.”
“Very good,” Heimdallr replied. “Mixing wings and non-wings together during the nighttime hours is a good strategy. I’ll be back shortly, Your Majesty.”
“Helayna,” I said firmly.
His lips quirked and he inclined his head. “Helayna, my queen.” Then he slipped through the darkened doorway.
I leaned against Dorr and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Are you okay with him as Blood?”
Still in his dark alfar form, his chuckle sounded like boulders tumbling down a mountainside. “My opinion matters not, my queen. I’m okay with anyone you Call as Blood, whether god or not. Though I would have to draw the line at Loki.”
I shuddered. “Ugh, same. It’s even strange to think about him and Heimdallr being brothers, though they’re both so old—”
:I heard that,: Heimdallr growled. Though the sparkling rainbows in his bond gave away his amusement.
Dorr lightly brushed his knuckles across my cheek.
“You chose well, my queen. Not that I’m surprised in the slightest. He’s quick with his sword, as amiable as Lokken, and most importantly of all, he allowed you to feed as long as you wanted.
Even when it weakened him despite his stature as guardian god of the rainbow bridge and ásgarer itself.
Though I’m glad you restored him to strength before we arrived to find Loki waiting on your front steps. ”
“I’m amiable too,” Svar said as he and Lokken joined us. Though his vicious scowl made me laugh. “The only one who’s not amiable—”
:Don’t even say it,: Myrk growled in our bonds. Without any accompanying rainbows.
“Is Gunnarr when someone interrupts his dessert,” Svar continued.
:Very true,: Gunnarr replied cheerfully. :Though I can take cake with me on guard duty.:
The door popped open and Heimdallr stepped back, welcoming us to come inside the suite. “It’s very interesting that Loki appeared at this house, is it not? Almost as if he’s been waiting for you to make an appearance here.”
“He also knew about the cabin in Minnesota,” I mused. “But he didn’t say anything about the other house.” Deliberately, I didn’t say Vík out loud in case he had a spell or magic that might eavesdrop.
Which frustrated me enough to sigh with annoyance. I didn’t want to guard my words inside while merely talking with my Blood. Especially with an activated blood circle. Shouldn’t we be able to speak freely inside my own house?
“I doubt he has the ability to hear you now,” Heimdallr said gently.
“Especially after your additional blood offering to the ground and house itself. Your blood is laced with magic he can’t touch despite his own powers.
You carry divine goddess magic even a god of mischief will not be able to understand. ”
“How about the god of Bifrost?”
“I understand only my desire to give you anything you can possibly wish for or need before you must ask me to provide it.”
“Same,” Dorr, Lokken, and Svar said at the same time.
My throat ached as I gave each one of them a smile. “My Blood, how I love you.”
Lokken came closer to give me a soft kiss and then stepped back outside, quietly shutting the door. Taking in the room, I turned in a slow circle. My eyes widened.
The furniture looked to be as old as the house.
Wooden side tables with extravagantly curved legs and heavy gold details.
Curved chaises with brocade and more gilded wood.
A life-sized portrait of Queen Hrefna took up most of one wall with a massive ornate golden frame.
One eye flashed with silver lightning, and her silvery blonde hair hung around her shoulders like a cape.
She sat in the Ironheart throne, high on arched roots with green branches fanned behind her.
“It seems strange to have a large portrait of herself in her private suite.”
“At least it’s not hanging over the bed,” Heimdallr said. “Though you may wish to cover other things before lying down.”
Oh no. That didn’t sound good. I followed him into the next section of the suite with Dorr behind me.
A short hallway had two open doors on either side.
One to a closet room with the racks of clothing from the London tailors.
The walls were lined with other clothing that must have belonged to my grandmother.
Furs, silks, long formal gowns. Racks upon racks of shoes.
An entire wall of small drawers. I wasn’t even sure what might lie hidden inside.
“It’s so strange,” I mused. “Why did they keep her things exactly as she left them? I guess my mother had her own suite already, so it didn’t make sense to empty Grandmother’s things for hers, but it still seems odd. Especially after a century or more.”
The other door on the opposite side of the hallway led to a palatial bathroom.
A sunken tub the size of a small swimming pool tiled in creamy marble dominated the center of the room.
Padded benches lined one wall, opposite two double vanities with floor to ceiling mirrors.
It was beautiful, but at the same time it felt cold and sterile.
Why so many sinks and mirrors? Perhaps she’d enjoyed watching her Blood shave or comb their hair?
My lips quirked with amusement as I stepped into the main bedchamber.
Set inside the left tower, the large room was shaped like a hexagon.
Three walls were floor-to-ceiling windows without any covering.
They provided beautiful views of the ocean and back garden, but considering we were on the outskirts of the capital city with hundreds of thousands of humans living around us…
I didn’t care to be so exposed.
At first glance, the bed appeared to be humongous, but most of its size was the carved wooden frame made into a replica of mighty Yggdrasil. Its branches stretched out over the bed to form the frame. Heavy velvet drapes hung at the corners of the mattress. Not to my taste, but not so terrible…
Heimdallr’s lips twitched. “Turn around.”
I turned to see surely the largest mirror ever made. Floor to ceiling. No seams that I could see.
“There’s also a mirror above the mattress.”
“I guess Grandmother Hrefna might have been both a voyeur and exhibitionist. I’m not a prude, but all this glass gives me an icky feeling. Like someone could be watching—through the mirror. Is that possible?”
“Very likely,” Heimdallr replied. “Some queens are said to be able to use mirrors to communicate with each other or even travel through them like portals. In ancient Mesoamerica, obsidian mirrors were used by shamans to communicate with the gods.”
Goosebumps prickled my arms, making me shiver. “I wonder who she was communicating with.”
Dorr wrapped me up in a hug, sharing his body heat. “You don’t have to sleep in here, my queen. If it’s possible for another queen or god to communicate or even pass through the mirror, then it’s certainly not safe. Even if all your Blood stand guard around the bed.”
I laughed at the thought. “Don’t tempt me, but yeah.
I don’t think I care to stay in this room.
It’s just too weird. But I also don’t know if I want to use my mother’s bed.
That might be just as weird. What if it’s the bed where she became pregnant with me?
With Loki? Would she have conceived me here in her mother’s house? I have no idea.”
“Let’s go see the other rooms first,” Heimdallr suggested. “If your mother’s room feels uncomfortable too, then I’m sure there’s a guest room that might be less strange.”
“Or we can simply drive back to your home, my queen. Your comfort is paramount.”
“Okay.” I followed them back to the outer room where Svar waited by the door. “I hate to trouble Franz, but I don’t know if the other suite will have a phone.”
Though staring at the device, I wasn’t sure how it worked. It had a large dial with numbers. I had no idea what Franz’s personal number was. However, as soon as Heimdallr picked up the receiver and offered it to me, I heard a beep and then Franz immediately answered.
“How can I be of service, Your Majesty?”
“I’m sorry to trouble you—”
“Please, not at all, Your Majesty. I’m delighted to be of service.”
“I don’t mean to sound disrespectful in any way, but I don’t think I can rest peacefully in Grandmother Hrefna’s rooms. We’re going to go look at my mother’s suite and see if it might be more… comfortable.”
“I understand completely, Your Majesty. I’ve often… Well. We can talk about it on the morrow if you’d like. Would you like me to attend you and help you select a room?”
“No, that’s not necessary. I just wanted you to know where we might be.”
“Absolutely. There’s a similar phone in Queen Helle’s suite if you need any further assistance.”
“Thank you, Franz.” I placed the receiver back on its stand.
As I started to turn toward the door, I caught the portrait’s gaze of my grandmother.
Perhaps it was my imagination but now that I knew what her bedchamber looked like, I read a bit of a smirk on her lips.
As if she found it amusing I refused to sleep in her bed.
“Goodnight, Grandmother.” I couldn’t resist adding, “Your suite will be locked again first thing tomorrow.”