Gods And Monsters

Chapter Thirty:

Evening had fallen by the time Hel returned to the palace.

She was disappointed that could she not shut herself up in her room. The wedding was tomorrow morning, and she was required to present herself in the dining hall for a feast. And so, after a long day of hard work, she returned to her room to freshen up for dinner.

Hel stripped and drew herself a hot bath. Washing her hair and scrubbing the grime from her sweaty skin, she put great effort into suppressing her hatred of King Odin.

She had been given no choice in the matter, and for this violation of her rights, she loathed the Allfather. To pass the dull moments that occurred multiple times per day, she had entertained countless methods of ending his life.

Drying herself off with a towel, Hel contemplated the numerous dresses provided in her wardrobe.

The smoky, pale grey gown she selected was backless and scooped low across the front. Hugging only her chest and waist, the airy, feather-light material flowed down to the floor. The long, slim sleeves were fitted to her slender arms.

Loosely pinning back the top layer of her black hair, she left the rest of her curls to cascade over her shoulders and down her bare back. She dabbed a drop or two of wild lily scented perfume onto her neck and wrists, then accentuated her mismatching eyes with a contoured blending of brown eyeshadows. For the final touch, Hel slicked on a coat of blood red lipstick.

The marble floor was cold beneath her bare feet as she padded over to the towering set of French doors. She took hold of both handles and drew them wide open. Padding onto the balcony, she leaned over the wide, carved sandstone banister.

In her opinion, Asgard was at its most breathtaking after dark. The stars shone at their brightest and patches of harmonious colour illuminated the blackness. Vivid hues of red, orange, green, purple, and blue painted the night sky. The ancient structures of the city gleamed gold and moonlight glittered across the unpredictable sea below the Rainbow Bridge.

Sighing, Hel headed back inside.

To ward off the chilly night air, she donned a long, floor-sweeping coat. Drawn in at the waist with a few buttons and tailored precisely to her figure, it was a deep royal blue. The plunging, collared neckline slit was embroidered with a swirling border of dark and bright blue filigree, as were the cuffs.

At the very last second, she opted to retrieve Tyrfing. She cast a spell to extend the inner dimensions of her coat pockets, without the alteration being visible externally, and stashed her sword inside.

Her feet were wiggled into a pair of black leather, platform stilettos. The heels clicked against the stone floor as Hel made her way down the corridor. Once outside the palace, she sent a guard to retrieve her black stallion.

While she waited for him to return, she spotted Fandral approaching from the west.

His golden-brown facial hair was neatly trimmed into a moustache across his upper lip and a closely-cropped goatee along his wide chin. To many Aesir women, he was a catch. To her, he was an irritant.

The ends of his wheat-blonde hair brushed the upturned collar of his white tunic. His sage-green, leather jacket was embellished with intricate, gold threading, and on his legs he wore brown trousers, also fashioned from leather. The material was common of Asgardian attire, being so versatile and durable. Ideal for battle, yet well suited to formality. 

She rolled her eyes and sighed, irritated by his presence already.

He bent forward in a deep bow, then straightened, grinning flirtatiously. "Good evening, Lady Hela. I must say, you look ravishing, your highness." He winked at her.

Unresponsive, Hel didn't so much as look in his general direction.

"Can't you at least give me a chance?" He implored her, his quest for her affections undeterred. "We are to be married tomorrow, after all. And who knows? You may me find me to be a good husband; loveable, even. Perhaps, with time..."

She faced Fandral and took a step towards him, closing much of the distance between them as she raised her callous gaze to his.

His grey eyes regarded her warily.

Her withering glare shut him right up. "You. Repel. Me."

The palace guard had returned with her horse, which was her cue. Turning her back on Fandral, she hooked the toe of her stiletto into the black leather stirrup and hoisted herself in onto the saddle with the effortless grace that comes from many years of practice. Hel had been riding since age five, committing it to muscle memory.

Her feet were without a doubt as to where to place themselves. Her body was aware of precisely how much leverage was required, without hesitation.

Leaning forward, she caressed her steed's neck. He had a sleek coat of stormy, thunder cloud grey and round, enchanting onyx eyes. She sat upright in her seat and prodded him to start forward. Galloping along the rainbow bridge at full tilt, she rode on horseback to Heimdall's posting in front of the Bifrost dome.

From that very spot, he kept an eye on the entire universe, all nine realms, including the Realm Eternal. It was nearly impossible to escape his watch. Although, thanks to her father, Hel had a trick or two up her sleeve that would allow her to slip his guard if need be.