6. A Prophecy and a Princess
A Prophecy and a Princess
Larissa
S peaking of the Hrun was forbidden.
It was the story of the Empress’ rise to power and the enslavement of the four other kingdoms of Evrópa. Larissa sat up straighter, unable to hide her own interest. Why would Pappa share this now when he never had before?
Pappa placed his hands on his knees, leaning forward toward his daughters.
“In the days before the end, mankind dwelled in madness. Then came Ragnarok and the defeat of the AEsir. When the fires burned out and the waters receded, only the nation of Evrópa remained. A thousand years ago, those descended from the AEsir were gifted galdr , the power of the gods.”
“Pappa,” Halla interrupted. “You’ve told us this story before.”
Larissa smirked; she’d been thinking the same thing.
Supposedly, after Ragnarok , mankind rebuilt with the help of the Norn, who taught them how to awaken the galdr within them.
Each kingdom possessed its own unique type of galdr .
Only those of Ancestral Blood could access it, and so they became the first monarchs of the lands.
With galdr running through their blood, they led unnaturally long lives, ruling for centuries instead of decades.
Larissa knew there was magic in the world, but she doubted man’s ability to wield it. If they had, wouldn’t the other monarchs have stood a better chance against the Empress?
If Pappa was bothered by the interruption, he didn’t show it.
Instead he smiled. “Be patient, Halla. I’ve taught you the history of Rúna, the first queen, and how she helped establish the five kingdoms, but you only know them as they are today.
United in captivity under the Empress’ authority, but more divided than ever. ”
Pappa paused, and Larissa’s eyes darted toward the open window. She resisted the urge to draw the curtain from unfriendly eyes.
“The first queen of Perle, Rúna, had a daughter, Stjarna. She taught her daughter to respect the Norn and to fear the complacency of the other monarchs. Peace is a fragile thing—hard-fought but easily overcome. The Norn foretold destruction to Rúna. Stjarna carried with her this prophecy of doom; it compelled her to be ever-watchful, even as a new generation of Kings and Queens forgot the warning of the goddesses. Only Queen Stjarna and her husband, with no children to inherit the throne, remained from the old reign. Then the northern King of Diamant passed his title on to his only daughter, the Crown Princess Shiko. She is known today as the Empress.”
Larissa knew that her own face mirrored the shock on Halla’s. But where Halla’s shock mixed with wonder, Larissa instead felt fear. How did Pappa even know the Empress’ real name? Before she could ask, Pappa continued on.
“The other monarchs accepted her, of course. They all traveled to Diamant to witness Shiko add her thread to the Taep?str?s Friearsamningur , as all had done before her.”
Unlike Larissa, Halla had no qualms about interrupting. “What’s that?”
“A grand tapestry that the Norn gifted to the first monarchs. Every monarch since has woven their reign into its pattern. Once crowned, Shiko took her seat at the loom. She drew a dagger and sliced through the tapestry, ripping apart its seams and centuries of history.”
Halla gasped. “Why would she do that?”
“To declare war. The Norn themselves had woven the power of the kingdoms into the tapestry. When Shiko destroyed it, she shattered the ties that bound them all together, revealing what lay behind her facade of peace. Shiko possesses the galdr of illusion, the ability to make anyone see what she wishes. With it, she’d hidden her armies from the visiting monarchs until they were surrounded.
Only through Queen Stjarna’s quick thinking was she able to lead the other monarchs to safety, although their guards were slaughtered as they fled.
“The monarchs of Perle, Safír, Smaragd, and Rubin had only one choice: to break their vow of peace and overthrow Queen Shiko, who had declared herself Empress. Having agreed to this plan, the monarchs went their separate ways to return to their lands and prepare for war. Unbeknownst to the King and Queen of Rubin, Shiko had already infiltrated their kingdom, corrupting the lower-ranking members of Ancestral Blood. She convinced them to partake in a dark form of galdr that granted them the power they needed to take the throne, but it cost them their humanity. Rubinian’s natural galdr is shapeshifting, but those who sided with Shiko lost the ability to control their power.
They became monsters, subjected to Shiko’s will. ”
A long howl echoed across their farm lands. Larissa wrapped her arms around her chest, feeling the goosebumps on her skin. As much as she wanted to, it was harder to discredit Pappa’s stories in the dark of the night.
“The monarchs of Rubin returned to civil war and fell with their kingdom. Then Shiko turned her gaze to the vast forests of Smaragd. It stood in her way of conquering the southern kingdoms. When her armies arrived, the King and Queen bent to her will, believing that their pacifism was the only way to maintain peace for their people. Shiko agreed to their terms. No harm came to the people, but the King and Queen were executed as a sign. The old ways were dead, just like their rulers. That left only the Kingdoms of Perle and Safír to stand against Shiko.”
A sharp pain twisted Larissa’s stomach. She’d known all this, or at least bits and pieces from overheard conversations, but Pappa’s words painted the Empress’ betrayal in stark illustrations.
Part of her could not bear to hear the rest of the story, but a deeper part of Larissa that used to love Pappa’s stories needed to hear the end of this tale, however fantastical and outlandish it seemed.
Thankfully, Larissa didn’t need to say a word, because Halla leaned forward and asked, “Then what happened, Pappa?”
“During this darkest hour, Queen Stjarna sought a way to turn back the tide of Shiko’s destruction.
She called upon the Norn to guide her, but they declared that the Empress had already won.
Relentless, Queen Stjarna pressed the Norn for a shred of hope.
Moved to pity, the Norn revealed a possibility.
There was only one person who could end the Empress’ control of the five kingdoms. Stjarna’s daughter, granddaughter of Rúna, the Princess of Perle could save them all. ”
“But Pappa,” exclaimed Halla. “There is no Princess from the Perle Kingdom. Queen Stjarna didn’t have any children, you said so yourself!”
There was a long pause as Pappa’s eyes seemed to gaze inward.
Finally, he spoke in hushed tones. “No, little one. The Empress has perpetuated this lie to rob the lands of their last hope, but the inception of the lie began with Stjarna herself. When the Princess of Perle was born, the Norn spoke a prophecy over her. They foretold the fall of the kingdoms, claiming that the Perle Princess could one day right all of the wrongs, although it would come at a terrible price. So Stjarna and the King hid their daughter away, pretending to have lost her at birth. But all along, the Princess grew up, hidden from her people.”
“Wow,” Halla whispered, her eyes as large as their dinner plates.
“With the Norn’s prophecy that the Perle Princess might one day dethrone the Empress, Stjarna hid her daughter when Shiko attacked. Even when the last kingdom fell, the Princess was nowhere to be found. She survived, hidden by galdr, or time, or perhaps the Norn themselves.”
“Shiko crowned herself Grand Empress of Evrópa and decreed that speaking of the Kings and Queens of Old was punishable by death. Fifty years have passed since Shiko’s betrayal, since the Great Hrun .
Those of Ancestral Blood were killed or imprisoned.
Kingdoms became commonwealths. Many have forgotten the stories of old, and even fewer know that the Empress lives so long because of her galdr .
They do not understand, and so they fear what she is capable of.
The only hope we have left is in a Princess who vanished more than fifty years ago. ”
“Do you really think she’s still alive, Pappa?” Halla asked. She bolted up in bed, tossing her blanket to the side as though she might leap from the bed and begin searching. Shards of fear pierced Larissa’s chest.
Dangerous , she thought, seeing the excitement on Halla’s face. These stories are dangerous .
Larissa’s eyes burrowed into Pappa’s bowed head, urging him to look up and see the worry written on her face as she mentally begged him to tell Halla no.
When he did look up, he looked not at his eldest, but at his youngest daughter, weighing his words with care.
“Yes, Halla, I do. One day, she will awaken from her slumber. She will set into motion events that I doubt even the Norn could predict. There is one thing we know for sure, though. When she emerges, there will be a price to pay. There always is.”
“The prophecy isn’t very specific,” Halla said, crossing her arms. “Didn’t it say how the Perle Princess is supposed to defeat the Empress?”
“Why are you telling us this?” Larissa blurted out, if only to distract from Halla’s curiosity. “You can’t really believe that mankind has the ability to wield the power of the gods?”
“They do.” Mamma’s soft voice floated in from the doorway. “I’ve seen it.”
Larissa turned to see Mamma leaning against the door frame. She didn’t know how long Mamma had been there, listening to Pappa’s story, but she seemed less than pleased with how it had ended. Her thin eyebrows were raised in Pappa’s direction. “We didn’t agree on this story tonight.”
“They need to know,” Pappa said.
“You’ve seen magic, Mamma?” Halla squealed. “When? How?”
Mamma walked over to her, running her hand over Halla’s hair.
“Not magic. Galdr. When I was a child, a goddess visited my mother.
She had a task for my family. When I turned thirteen, my mother made sure that I knew the task would fall to me.
“ Mamma glanced at Larissa. “We wanted to tell you both at the same time. Halla is nearly thirteen, just as I was. Once she turns thirteen, I’ll tell you everything.”
“What?” Halla exclaimed, disagreements and protestations flooded from her mouth. But Larissa was watching Mamma who was watching her. Did she mean it? Had she actually seen a goddess?
“Mamma is right,” Pappa’s voice was firm. “Halla’s birthday is in a few weeks. When the season is through and the Inspections slow down, we’ll tell you everything.”