CHAPTER ONE

 

The citizens of Oslav came out of their shops and their homes to greet Queen Freya as she led her palace guards home from Nirvana. They cheered for their queen but their celebrations were restrained because of the sight of the three wagons that carried twelve funeral boxes which trailed behind her. The funeral boxes meant that twelve of those who had ridden with Queen Freya to the nirvana by the river had met with aggressors that had taken their lives. The citizens were desperate to know who these aggressors were and why this had happened. Before reaching the palace, approximately one hundred or so arm lengths, Queen Freya reigned her warhorse to a stop and dismounted. She looked around her at those on both sides of the street and waited until they were silent before she spoke.

“I have behind me three wagons, each carrying four funeral boxes. These men had their lives stripped from them because of the aggression of a lord of the Kingdom of Sintland, Lord Bjarn of Norrberg Territory. The violence started here in Oslav when Lady Thora and Associate Oddissa were attacked on the streets of our city. Violence also occurred at Nirvana. We arrived at the nirvana by the river to witness that two days before Nirvana House, the house that I had built for my champion Lord Vidar, had been sacked and burned to the terra. Those living in Nirvana House escaped with their lives because the master of linens of Nirvana House had been sitting alone in the courtyard mourning the death of the master of her house. She raised the alarm and they fled and preserved their lives.

“I was accompanied to Nirvana House by King Kolbjorn of Sintland leading sixty of his palace guards. When we arrived at Nirvana and witnessed the destruction forty of his sixty and twenty of our thirty rode to catch and punish those who were responsible for this abomination upon a house of a territory of our kingdom. They found them camped no more than a half day’s ride from Nirvana and engaged them. They returned victorious but not without the loss of lives. We lost nine of our twenty and Sintland lost twenty-two of their forty but they had in their possession two heads. One they believed was this aggressive Lord Bjarn of Norrberg Territory and the other the traitor Harald from Oslav that had conspired with him against Lord Vidar and also against me.

“I am most disappointed to report that one of the heads was not of who we expected. One was indeed the head of the traitor Harald but the other was not that of Lord Bjarn of Norrberg but an imposter. He employed this imposter so that he could be seen elsewhere and deny any involvement with the sacking and burning of Nirvana House. This is the sort of treachery that I am facing. This is the sort of treachery that still continues to come for me to strip me of my life.

“In the days that followed, Stockberg palace guards who had aligned themselves with this Lord Bjarn spoke words against me that resulted in a clash between Stockberg’s palace guard and our own. Several of Stockberg’s palace guards came for me but, because I am not weak, I put an end to five of them and our place guard put an end to seven more. In this fighting we lost three more of our own. I sent King Kolbjorn and his palace guard back to Sintland and I have decreed that he or none of the lords from the territories of the Kingdom of Sintand are to ever set foot on Norgland soil again unless it is by invitation. I will make it known to all the lords and nobles of Norgland territories that such invitations are to be first approved by the palace before the invitation is permitted to be extended.

“I need all of you to rally behind me and agree that you are my eyes and my ears on the streets of Oslav. Anything that you witness or hear that is amiss or alarms you I beg you to report it to a member of our palace guard. We had men wearing cloaks that hid blades beneath them coming and going from the house where the traitor Harald was born and the citizens of that street hid in their homes and no one spoke a word of alarm to anyone. Their silence resulted in the death of Lady Thora and the injury to Associate Odissa. To continue further in this manner might well result in my death. Until it has been established who is to sit on the throne in my place should anything happen to me the Kingdom of Norgland will be thrown into chaos.

“Your kingdom, your city and your queen needs you to stand vigilant. We are facing an enemy that is of means and power and the king of Sintland has stood down and allowed this lord to operate in Norgland with impunity. There exists a peace agreement, signed by King Kolbjorn and me that forbids aggression of one kingdom against the other but King Kolbjorn by not reigning in this rogue lord of his has demonstrated that his name written by his hand on this peace agreement means little or nothing. Like my champion, Lord Vidar the brute who plucked my unconscious body from the terra at the beginning of our Black Winter, I am honor bound by my word on this peace agreement.

“I am not asking you to pick up a blade and stand at the ready. I am asking that you employ the use of your eyes and your ears to protect yourself, to protect your neighbor, to protect your street, your neighborhood, your city, your kingdom and your queen.”

Queen Freya, holding the reins of her warhorse, walked the remainder of the distance to the palace stable. She was followed by the wagons carrying funeral boxes and the remaining eighteen she had led to Nirvana to bring home the body of Lady Thora. Those on the street stood in complete silence as she walked past them.

CHAPTER TWO

 

Queen Freya was greeted in the palace stable by Odissa, the queen’s associate, by Mikel, the captain of her palace guard, and by Grimsen, the master of the palace stable. She passed the reins of her warhorse to a lad who led it away and she approached the three.

Odissa stepped forward and embraced the queen and whispered, “Welcome home,” in the queen’s ear while the other two took a knee.

“Stand,” Freya commanded. 

After they stood she embraced Mikel and he began to cry. After a five or six heartbeats she released Mikel and found his eyes, “I am most sorry that you have lost your wife. I cannot begin to tell you how the tragic news of her death affected the rest of your family in Nirvana. I cannot begin to make my apologies that I was not here for you sooner. I cannot begin to make apologies that I took away the young priest Urik that could have comforted Rana and perhaps prevented this horrible tragedy. I cannot begin to make apologies that I did not fully realize how distressed Rana was.”

Mikel wiped his tears from his eyes with the heels of his hands. “You have nothing that you need to apologize for. The source of most of Rana’s sorrow is at the other end of the path that begins at the bottom of the rise on the other side of the river across from where Nirvana House once stood.”

Queen Freya wiped away her own tears and replied, “That might well be the truth of it but I did nothing. I would have not even acknowledged that Rana was in distress at all had Odissa not pointed it out to me before I rode to Nirvana.”

“You had a plate before you that was full,” replied Mikel.

These four were approached by Blomst, the master of linens of Nirvana House and by Mirakel, the master of its stable.

Mirakel stepped forward and aggressively embraced Mikel. “I cannot believe that my ma is gone,” he said. Mikel was speechless but Queen Freya observed a great deal of grief melt from the expression on Mikel’s face as he embraced the lad back. 

Grimsen stepped forward and briefly embraced Blomst. “I am so sorry for your loss. I had never seen you so happy as you were when you were at Lord Vidar’s arm.”

Blomst’s lower lip began to quiver but she forced a smile, “Thank you, Grimsen, and your observation was most correct. Your daughter Gift, her husband Magni, and your grandchildren are all doing very well. Magni’s ma, Lavinder, and I have become wonderful friends."

Grimsen gently cupped Blomst's cheek. "I have responsibilities that I must attend to but I will come collect you later and take you home with me. You will share a meal with me and Belon and it will be just like old times.”

Blomst smiled and replied, “I would like that very, very much.”

Oskar and Olaf a step behind had approached but they patiently waited until Mikel was ready to speak to them. Mikel asked Freya if she desired an escort to her quarters and the young queen declined, stating that she was content to have Odissa by her side. Mikel then indicated that Oskar and Olaf were to follow him. When the three were of a distance where she could not be heard Odissa whispered, “Mikel is in poor shape.”

“Oskar is here now and he has assured me that he is familiar with Mikel’s duties. He can bear some of these responsibilities and lighten the load on Mikel,” said Queen Freya.

“I have serious doubts that Mikel will step aside and permit Oskar to assist him. Mikel has not stopped and he has hardly slept since the body of Rana was found in the courtyard. He has had his belongings removed from their quarters and taken to Vidar’s old room in the servant’s quarters. Except what I chose for her to wear to her final bed, Rana’s coverings were ordered to be donated to the church for distribution to the poor. Rana’s jewelry and personal items of interest and value were collected and cataloged by an apprentice of Agot, the master of the treasury. They were then placed in a lined wooden box and this box was placed in the care of Asgot to be held in the treasury. It is to remain there until Mikel’s daughter, Sylva, comes of age.”

Queen Freya thought about this for a moment and looked as though she was about to ask Odissa a question but instead turned to Blomst and Mirakel. “Come with me you two. I will find you some stewards. Blomst, I will have them take your trunk to the room where you stayed when you were here last and Mirakel will stay in Vidar’s room next to you. They will bring you warm perfumed water to wash the dirt from the path and fresh linens to dry yourself. 

“Blomst, if I can impose on you, after you have freshened up would you be willing to take Mirakel over to the palace seamstresses and have him measured and new coverings sown for him? You decide what he needs and tell them payment will come directly from the queen’s purse.”

Blomst smiled. “It will be my pleasure, Queen Freya.”

“You know that is not necessary?” interjected Mirakel.

Freya smiled and replied, “I say that it is. We cannot have you attend the service when Rana is placed in her final bed with you wearing the same clothes you have had on your back for the last eight or nine days. It is a disrespect to Rana and it is also a disrespect to Lady Tove since you will be representing her.”

“It is charity. You can twist and turn the words in any manner you want but it is still charity,” Mirakel insisted.

The young queen continued to smile. “You may call it whatever you wish but I say that it is an expression of my gratitude. It is an expression of my gratitude for the uncountable number of smiles and the moments of laughter you gave Vidar during the last summers of his life. It is not payment for the work you performed as the master of his stable because you were paid coin for this work but I am immeasurably grateful for the joy you brought into his life. Please do not deny me an opportunity to express my gratitude.”

Mirakel nodded and returned her smile.

As they walked from the stable to the palace Blomst reached out and gave the young queen’s arm a gentle squeeze, an expression of her gratitude.

As they entered the palace they were greeted by Ivar, master steward of the palace, and six of his stewards all on a knee. They were told to stand and given instructions of how they were to accommodate Blomst and Mirakel. Ivar personally led the queen’s guests to their rooms a few moments later there was a knock at their doors by ladies bringing pitchers of warm perfumed water for their washstands and linens to wash and dry themselves. Two stewards entered with Blomst’s trunk and all four of the servants left at the same time.

Odissa escorted Freya only as far as the door to her outer private quarters. “I leave you here Freya. You smell like smoke from a fire and a most horrible mixture of odors from a cooking tent and a horse.” Odissa smiled. “I must say that it is most unbecoming for a queen and that you are in a desperate need of a bath and a complete change of coverings.”

Freya returned the smile. “It was certainly an experience. Riding a warhorse, eating the food prepared in the cooking tent, taking care of the needs of my body out in the open behind bushes or trees and sleeping on a field cot all facilitated the yearnings of this queen to embrace the village girl she had left behind. Our friend Tove was practically instrumental in accommodating the queen’s wish to again be, for a short time, the village girl she once was. I have so much to tell you.”

Odissa’s smile faded. “I have a great deal to tell you as well but we should wait for Mikel.”

Freya nodded and entered her personal quarters.

CHAPTER THREE

 

After Queen Freya had shed her palace guard tunic and under coverings, taken her bath and dressed in fine coverings befitting a queen she sent one of her ladies in waiting to find three pages. One page was to find Odissa, another to find Mikel of the palace guard and inform them they were to join her in the great hall for a meal. The third page was to inform the palace kitchen it was to prepare a simple meal for three and for the meals to be served with wine in the great hall.

The young queen found her way alone to the great hall and to her surprise it was the captain of the palace guard who arrived first to join her.

“How are you coping?” asked Freya.

“Not well,” replied Mikel. “I am doing much better now that Mirakel is here. The lad has taken to calling me Pa and I cannot begin to tell you how much grief that this relieves me of. He has even taken to referring to Sylva as his sister. I am most grateful but I am so sorry that it required the death of my wife Rana to make this happen.”

The queen nodded in agreement. “While I was there, those of Vidar’s family who had shared Nirvana House with him all sat at a table in a field tent and shared a meal together. It was Tove’s suggestion that we dine and tell stories of him and it was a most wonderful suggestion. It is my belief that the sharing of stories at this meal inspired Mirakel to think about you and Rana. The next day when we received word from Odissa that Rana had fallen to her death in the courtyard it disturbed Mirakel immensely. He had always scoffed that you and Rana had wasted so many summers being angry at each other and I think he realized, too late, that you and Rana were his surrogate ma and pa and that he had also wasted just as many summers.”

Mikel nodded. “The day after the Battle of the Throne Room when we were on the street Vidar attempted to explain this to Mirakel but his explanation was interrupted by a man with a feeble leg with two young boys in tow.”

Freya smiled knowing there was a story behind his words that she did not know. She suspected there were many stories she had not heard about the brute named Vidar who was her champion and to whom she owed her life. 

Odissa entered at that moment and from the doorway and said, “Freya your appearance has much improved.” After she had closed the door and as she approached Freya she smiled. “The odor of your body has also improved.”

This caused Freya to laugh and Mikel to smile. Odissa noted that it was the first time in many days that Mikel had smiled.

“Where do we start?” asked Mikel.

“Assassins,” replied Freya.

Odissa replied. “Hectir and I have identified only one other assassin besides than the one who is still caged in the palace dungeon. Her name is Ambir and Mikel, Hectir and I determined that she was not in need of a cage and she is now a servant under the palace’s master of linens washing linens.”

“I have two questions,” said Freya. “The first is who is Hectir? The second is why would an assassin continue to be a servant at the palace?

Mikel nodded to Odissa to provide the answers to the queen’s questions.

Odissa blushed but held the queen’s eyes. “Hectir is a page of sixteen summers who I enlisted by your authorization to seek out other possible assassins in service at the palace. He has been invaluable to me. If I may be so bold, I request that he be permanently assigned to me as my assistant.”

Freya nodded. “You are but to let the master of pages know that I approve of the permanent transfer of his position from her to you. If he is to be compensated for his work then the amount of coin he is to be paid I will leave up to you and you are responsible for its approval by Asgot, the master of the palace treasury.”

Odissa smiled. “Thank you. As to why the would-be assassin Ambir is not in a cage and is still in service at the palace requires a more detailed explanation. May we sit?”

Frey nodded agreement and gestured for them to sit at the table.

After they were seated Odissa began, “Shortly after you rode leading the palace guard to Nirvana Hectir and I began questioning everyone at the palace who had the authority to employ. Other than Ivar, the master of stewards, the only one who had employed someone new was Arik, the master of your palace kitchen. It had been a few days short of a full cycle of the moon from when he was approached on the street by a woman with a girl of seventeen summers accompanying her. The woman claimed the girl was a most fine girl but she was slower of mind and needed a safe place where she could be of service and asked Arik if he had a place for her in his kitchen. Like our most dear friend Vidar, Arik has a soft heart and he agreed to take this girl under his wing. He originally had hopes for Ambir to apprentice in the kitchen but after the passage of three or four days Arik realized that she was indeed slow of mind and this apprenticeship was beyond what she was capable. He reduced her to a kitchen assistant. She would instead do things like grind spices, peel vegetables, wash dishes and take out trash.

“While she was attending to her duties in the kitchen Hectir and I searched her room. We found three vials of poison in her trunk. They were not hidden because there were not enough coverings or possessions inside the truck to hide them. We sent a page for Mikel and Mikel had two palace guards detain Ambir and bring her to a holding room that is off the palace guard’s room.” 

Odissa paused and looked at Mikel. Mikel shook his head and indicated she should continue.

“Ambir, to say the least, was terrified and she required no urging at all to answer our questions. We learned that the woman Arik assumed was her ma was actually Alskat, the one who gave birth to the traitor Harald that conspired with Lord Bjan against you and Lord Vidar. She told us that she was from the town of Helsink and she had been snatched from the street by Harald for the purpose of his pleasure. When he had grown tired of her she was handed over to two others who then helped themselves to her favors while bringing her to Oslav to deliver her to Alskat. She spent many days in the home of Alskat waiting for the bruises on her face to fade, the swelling of her lips to go down and being coached by Alskat of what was expected of her. She was told that if she failed to perform her assassin’s task the two who delivered her to Alskat would find her, do the most dreadful things to her and then cut her throat.

“Ambir had made a friend, Elin, who washes linens, so we decided to remove her from the kitchen where she would not have the opportunity to employ the use of poisons and put her to work alongside Elin. Mikel and I secretly took Elin aside and explained to her what had happened to Ambir and asked her to keep an eye on her for us. Elin could not believe Ambir was planted as an assassin, stating her friend was not capable of harming a single thing but she would willingly watch her for any suspicious behavior. I have made inquiries since and Elin reports that Ambir appears to be much happier than before because she is working alongside a friend but she refuses to step outside the palace or even into the courtyard for those brief hours when the sun shines there.”

“Can you blame her?” asked Freya.

“I do not,” replied Odissa. “Do you now understand why this would-be assassin was not caged and continues in service at the palace?”

“I do. Has she been to see a physician?”

“She has not. She adamantly insisted there is no need for her to do so. I felt that she had already been bullied enough so I did not press.”

Freya turned to Mikel. “What of the assassin being held in a cage? Were you successful in smuggling his ma and younger brother out of Sintland?”

Mikel shook his head. “We were not. I had two of my spies that are fluent in the words of the north enter the town of Gefjun and approached the house where they lived but they were not there. My spies entered a nearby alehouse and with the liberal use of coin quickly made a few friends before asking about Hoyt’s younger brother. Immediately they were without friends but later, when one of them went to the back of the alehouse to make his water, he was approached by a server. He was told that the boy and his ma were taken by Lord Bjarn’s men. The server then suggested, for their safety, he and his companion make haste to leave the alehouse and perhaps even Norrberg Territory.

“The assassin in the cage when he was told this news was most despondent. He told me that he suspected Lord Bjarn might do something such as this. He further explained that Lord Bjarn has a most well known reputation for being ruthless and cruel. Our man in the cage said he was of the belief that his ma and younger brother were taken and killed because other than Lord Bjarn and his emissary they were the only ones who knew of his assignment as an assassin. Hoyt said that if he was caught and if he should talk then his words were but the desperate words of an assassin seeking to have his life spared.”

Freya thought for a moment. “A quarter of a turn after sunrise tomorrow, have him brought to me in the throne room.”

“To what end?” asked Mikel.

“I do not truthfully know,” replied the young queen. “I might set him free and see that he is escorted back to Sintland or I might even send him back to Ivar to again be a steward. I will decide after I have spoken with him.

“What has happened to the final man out of the six that attacked Odisssa and Thora on the street? Did he succumb to his wounds or did he live and confess?”

“He awoke and he confessed,” replied Mikel. “He awoke the day Rana was found in the courtyard and I was in no condition to interrogate this man. I wanted to exact revenge and take his life because I believed he and his five friends were ultimately responsible for Rana’s death. Odissa stepped in and took his confession in my place so this is better heard from her.”

Freya turned to Odissa. “What did you learn?”

Odissa smiled. “I believe that I actually was the better choice to question him. I saw fear dance lively in his eyes because he recognized me and I also recognized him. I was the one who dispatched him to the terra and I am certain the smile on my face at the sight of his pains and wounds made him most uncomfortable.

“You were correct Freya. The attack on us was one of opportunity. The men on the street had just studied a crudely drawn map and received their instructions from Alskat of how to get to the camp on the other side of the river from Nirvana House unseen. They were to join Lord Bjarn’s force but these overzealous men decided they would attempt to gain Lord Bjarn’s favor by taking the life of the queen’s associate. They had no idea who Lady Thora was when they set upon us.

“I have been thinking alot about the consequences of that attack on Lady Thora and me and I believe Lord Bjarn never knew what took place on that street in Oslav. I am of the belief that if he had known he had he would not have sacked and burned Nivana House when he did. He would have stood down and waited to find out what King Kolbjorns’s reaction was going to be. He had no way to know that King Koljorn with sixty of his palace guards was riding with you. Had Bjarn known I am certain he would have pulled his force back to Norrberg and waited for another opportunity. Instead, they remained where they were and Stockberg’s and Oslav’s palace guards rode upon their position and put an end to them.”

Freya nodded in agreement. “In Nirvana, after learning of Rana’s death, Mirakel crossed the river and walked the path up into the stand of spruce trees. Emulating his friend Vidar, he was looking to find solitude and a place to think and clear his head. Instead of solitude he heard men approach. Mirakel hid and four rode into the clearing where he stood just moments before. The lad in hiding observed Lord Bjarn walk to the edge of the path atop the rise to observe the tents and banners of Stockberg’s palace guard. This lord was most angry that King Kolbjorn of Sintland had ridden with me and against him.”

Odissa drummed her fingers on the table for a few heartbeats and then looked at the young queen. “Your position has not changed. Nothing has changed. The unrestrained Lord Bjarn of Norrberg is still out there and he still comes for you.”

“Yes,” replied Queen Freya. “Bjarn still comes for me and he will not stop coming until one of us takes our last breath.”

Just then the door opened and Ivar stepped inside. He took a knee and said that the servers were ready to place their meal. Queen Freya nodded her approval and servers entered with cups and a vessel of wine and others the plates of their meal. Freya thanked Ivar and sent him and his servers on their way.

CHAPTER FOUR

 

The three in the great hall waited until their servers had left and the door was closed.

“What Odissa has neglected to tell you is that this sixth man who attacked Lady Thora and Odissa has taken his last breath. It had been determined that he would be severely maimed but he would survive his wounds. The day after his confession to Odissa and Hectir he was found dead in his bed. A palace physician concluded that because of the foul froth around his lips and teeth and the distasteful odor from his throat this man had been delivered poison. There was no reason for the room where he was kept to be guarded for fear of his escape so we were unable to determine who secretly entered the room and administered this man the poison. This disturbed us at first but Odissa and I later agreed that it did not matter because we had his confession and we were presented with the privilege of not having to decide what was to be done with him.”

Queen Freya sat up straight and squared her shoulders. “You are incorrect. It matters a great deal who poisoned that man. It is most important we know who is responsible. There is a lord from Norrberg who comes for me, a man who has recruited and employed others to put an end to me. It may have been one of them who poisoned this man who you decided was conveniently murdered so you would not have to decide what was to be done with him.”

Mikel and Odissa hung their heads.

“We have to be most vigilant,” said Freya. “No, we have to be exceedingly vigilant because the man I believed was my friend, King Kolbjorn, who rode with me leading sixty of his palace guards was posturing and revealed himself to be nothing more than a coward. He lets this Lord Bjarn have free reign because he is most afraid of this lord. Kolburn stated on numerous occasions that Lord Bjarn is the wealthiest and most powerful lord of his kingdom. He is most afraid this lord might raise an insurrection against him. He is afraid that this lord who has aligned himself with many other lords of Sintland might challenge his throne and he believes that he does not have enough support from the other lords of his kingdom or enough palace guards to defend himself. He may be correct in his assessment because I suspect all the lords of his kingdom have also realized that he is a coward.

“Double your effort to find out who fed poison to this man. Double your effort because the life of your queen might very well depend upon it.”

After a brief pause Odissa said, “I was informed of the words that you spoke on the street as you returned to the palace. They must have been inspiring to those that heard them.”

Freya smiled. “Odissa, I spoke those words not to inspire the citizens of my capital but because I am afraid. I am afraid and I confess to you that this is the first time I have been afraid since Vidar professed to be my champion. I might well be rated the second or third with a blade in the kingdom but I am still afraid. I am afraid for my life because the one who comes for me, the one who is to take my life, might not come at me with a blade. It might not be someone who stands in front of me to face me eye to eye and raises a blade at the ready. It might be someone in the shadows with a dagger. Now I realize that it might be someone I will never see at all because they do this dirty deed with poison.”

“I will do all that I can to determine who fed this man poison,” said Odissa.

“Do we need to send palace guards to Nirvana?” asked Mikel.

“I do not think so. Lord Bjarn’s desire was to exact his revenge on Vidar and then upon me. He has taken my champion, he has burned his house to the terra, and now all that is left on his plate to satisfy his thirst for blood is me. The village was left completely unmolested and it is to his good fortune that he did. Lord Tomassen has a summer house in the village and his wife and two grandchildren were in residence. I overheard Lord Tomassen tell King Kolbjorn that if his family had been molested then the Kingdom of Sintland would have suffered financially for many summers to come.

“As it stands, Lord Tomassen is most angry. He is angry that Lord Bjarn is responsible for the death of his dear friend Vidar. He is further angered because Odissa and Lady Thora were attacked on the streets of Oslav. He was still further angered when he witnessed that Nirvana House had been sacked and burned. He admitted in front of many that had been most delinquent in his response to Lord Bjarn. Lord Tomassen is now amassing a force of war hardened blades for hire and when assembled they are to ride on Norrberg House to sack it and burn it to the terra as Bjarn did to Nirvana House. He has vowed that his force will not stop their ride until he is delivered the head of Lord Bjarn of Norrberg. His force will do this because the coward, King Kolbjorn, has stepped back and agreed to permit Lord Tomassen’s force to operate freely inside Sintland’s borders.”

“What else is required of us?” asked Mikel.

The queen thought for a moment and then replied, “Odissa, approach Grimsen, the master of the palace stable and ask him if he can provide stable supplies for Nirvana House that will not raise the alarm of Asgot, the master of the palace treasury. There are eight horses of the palace’s stable that are being stabled at the inn which is the new Nirvana house. They were stabled there to reduce the load of the palace guards who were returning from the nirvana by the river.

“After you have approached the master of our stable I want you to most discretely approach Arik, the master of our palace kitchen. If he does not already know, tell him what has happened at the nirvana by the river and ask if he has any kitchen utensils, vegetables, fruits, salts, grain and spices that he can spare. If he does, ask him to coordinate with Grimsen so that these supplies will travel together in a wagon on the path to Nirvana.

“Odissa, I will also need you, or your assistant Hectir, to calculate the payment owed to the carpenters of Nirvana for the construction of the funeral boxes. Please increase the cost of the construction to allow for compensation of the work that was put on hold to accommodate our urgent need and the cost of the materials at the edge of the kingdom. I need ensure that these payments are sent to the carpenters, especially Gumhild, as soon as possible.

“Mikel, I want you to stand back. I want you to take time to embrace Mirakel who finally recognizes you as his pa. Oskar is a most fine man and he knows full well what the duties of the captain of the palace guard are so let him step up and take some of the weight off your shoulders. This is a most horrible time for you, but understand you are still not without family and you are not without friends. You are loved and your daughter is loved.” 

Freya paused, for a moment looked away, and then looked back and found Mikel’s eyes. “Tove has requested that I ask of you if you would desire to send Sylva to Nirvana and I told–”

“Yes,” Mikel replied. “Sylva is a child of Nirvana House. Her mother, deep in her heart, believed this was where she belonged and she should not have been taken away from it. I share that belief.”

Freya smiled, “I named Tove, at the suggestion of you and Odissa, as interim lady of Nirvana. I tell you now what Tove has said to me. She is of the belief that Sylva, the first born child of Nirvana, will be schooled, serve as Tove’s right hand and when she comes of age she will secede her title to Sylva. She is to be titled Lady Sylva of Nirvana. What do you say to this, Mikel?”

Mikel produced a wide smile and replied, “I think that is a very fine intention. I cannot say that I am surprised that Tove was willing to step forward and accept the title as interim lady of Nirvana. I also cannot say that I am surprised that Tove would be willing to one day secede her title to Sylva. Tove is a most humble young woman and her humility might even rival that of my friend and teacher, Lord Vidar.”

Freya returned the smile. “I had that exact same thought when I was in Nirvana. She had walked me to the sleeping tent and as I watched her walk away, I realized she did not endeavor to be like him because she had already taken all his words and lessons and weaved them into the very core of who she is. She bears no animosity whatsoever that Vidar chose Thora over her to be titled in his place because she truly understands Thora was the better choice. Tove feels this way because she was so confident that her position as only the master of his kitchen did not matter, they were truly all equal members of his house.”

“Like him, she was comfortable in the shadows but strong enough to step out into the light when it was required of her,” added Mikel.

“Tove is not Thora, but I hold firmly to the belief that Nirvana will not suffer any the less for it,” said Freya.

“In her many letters to me, Tove often referred to Vidar as father,” said Odissa. “She did not refer to Vidar as her pa but as father.”

Freya smiled. “She said these same words to all of Vidar’s family as we dined together. Tove said that after he was attacked and still confined to his bed that one day she brought him his meal. He was sleeping and she did not wake him because when he slept he did not suffer the pains of his wounds. When he finally woke she insisted that she needed to quickly feed her master so she could not be accused of feeding him stew that was cold. He corrected her immediately, telling her that he was not her master. She apologized and said that perhaps father was a better word. She said that he agreed because he most often thought of her as his daughter.

“I tell you that Tove might well have only been the master of a kitchen but when there was a melee between of the palace guards of Oslav and Stockberg broke out and that dressed only in a cloak over a nightshirt and barefoot she stepped between me and King Kolbjorn when I had my bloodied blade raised at the ready against him. She bravely stood with my blade only a couple fingers distant from her face. It was her words that talked me down from my pillar of anger so that Vidar and Huldran could whisper proper advice in my ears.

“During those few days at Nirvana I have come to know Tove as I had never known her before. She is now of eighteen summers, now considered of age. I can look at her in one heartbeat and I see her as an apprentice in the palace kitchen. When I look at her in the next heartbeat she is the master of Nivana House’s kitchen. I looked again most closely at her face before I rode home to Oslav and I saw Tove as the Lady of Nirvana.”

CHAPTER FIVE

 

Queen Freya, having slept on a field cot in a sleeping tent for many nights, was anxious to get into her own bed. She longed to curl up on her soft mattress and wrap herself tightly in lightly perfumed bed linens. She could sleep the whole night and not once be awakened by the coming and going of men when there was a change of the guard. Just as enticing was being alone in her sleeping chambers and not having to hear the snores and body noises made by dozens of men. Some of these men were apparently proud of the volume or duration of the noises their body could produce. It deeply disturbed her at first that others were impressed enough to applaud and cheer.

It was indeed satisfying when she slipped under the covers of her bed but she could not drift peacefully into sleep because her mind was racing. First and foremost of her thoughts was that Lord Bjarn was still out there and desperate to put an end to the life of the village girl. It was the village girl who was ultimately responsible for the death of his first born son because her champion had made an oath to protect her. It did matter to Lord Bjarn that the village girl was now a queen. It did not matter to him of the position he was placing his own king because he was not afraid of him. His king was weak and a coward and Lord Bjarn had been permitted free reign to pursue his path to revenge.

After tossing and turning for a quarter of a turn of the sandglass she got up from her bed and went to her door. She intended to request one of the two guards who stood outside her door when she slept to find a page or a steward to bring her a small cup of wine but they were not there. She turned to look towards the stone steps that lead up to the corridor where her private chambers were located. A guard was climbing the stairs and he had a most pleasant smile on his face but Freya was not deceived. It was not his face that betrayed him. What betrayed him was the fresh blood that soaked the front of his tunic.

She closed her door and fled to her sleeping chamber where she retrieved her blade just as he entered her outer chamber. She greeted him with her blade raised at the ready. He laughed, drew his blade and approached her also with his blade at the ready. The young queen waited for him to make the first move and this emboldened him further. He moved on her aggressively but she successfully defended against him.

“If I am to die, am I permitted to know who employs this blade for hire?” she asked.

“You are permitted to know nothing. Drop to your knees and as you favor me it will extend your life for as long as the favor takes.”

Vidar whispered in her ear, “He is baiting you. He knows that if you wield a blade in anger you compromise your ability.”

“Vidar speaks true words,” Huldran whispered in her other ear.

Freya smiled. “If you get on your knees and place your blade flat on the floor in surrender I will let you live but I will place you in a cage where you will die slowly from hunger and disease.” With these words she switched from just defense to offense. Her opponent’s eyes quickly registered alarm. He attempted to defend and back away. Freya, remembering the altercation between Vidar and Mikel the day they first entered Oslav more than two summers before she cut him on his right arm and rendered him unable to wield his blade. He dropped his blade and dropped to his knees.

“Mercy,” he begged.

Freya smiled. “The employment of our knees has changed,” she replied. “Tell me now who it was that employed you for your assassin’s task. You can tell me now or, I make you a promise, I have people who are most loyal to me and they will endeavor to extract the words from your mouth by whatever means that is necessary.”

After several heartbeats, when the man in front of her did not respond, Freya said, “It is not my preference that you choose to not have a voice. I already know with certainty that you are in the employ of Lord Bjarn of Norrberg. I am not a cruel queen and I have no desire to know that a man will suffer but you are not presenting me with an option. I have a man before me that I have defeated, a defeated man that has been offered a choice to speak freely or face the efforts of those whose sole purpose is to make him speak.”

“I was in the employ of Lord Bjarn of Norrberg Territory,” he admitted.

Freya gripped her blade with two hands and with all her strength gave it a mighty swing. It contacted the neck of the man in front of her on his knees and completely separated his head from his body. When the body fell to the floor she reached out and gripped the head by its hair with her left hand. She walked with it, dripping blood for nearly all of the way, to the palace guards room. 

Those of the palace guards room were speechless when she stood in the doorway and tossed the head into the room and it rolled and bounced across the floor to where they stood. “This man was one of yours. He came at me in my private chambers and I put him down as if he was rabid. Send someone to my chambers to collect the rest of him and find out from where he came and who endorsed him and then bring them to me. Understand that I am fair, I am just and I am patient but understand that I am done standing aside.”

CHAPTER SIX

 

Queen Freya was followed to her quarters by Olaf, Hallis and two other palace guards. Two of the guards removed the headless body. 

Olaf said, “Hallis and I will stand guard outside your door so that you can rest.”

“I could not sleep before and I certainly cannot sleep now. Stand outside my door while I dress and then escort me to the throne room.”

Olaf nodded and he and Hallis stepped outside her outer chamber and closed the door behind them. Freya debated if she wanted to enlist her ladies in waiting to assist her with dressing. She decided that she would enlist them because she wanted her hair to be put into a single loose braid as it was when she rode to Nirvana leading her palace guards. When she was dressed and opened the door leading out of her personal chambers there was a third palace guard speaking to Olaf and Hallis. Climbing the stone steps was Odissa, Mikel, and Oskar. 

Queen Freya began to walk and gestured for them all to follow her. She stopped at the station of the master of pages and requested a page be sent to the master of housekeeping requesting someone clean the floor of the outer chamber of her personal quarters and the trail of blood that led to the palace guards room. They then followed her to a meeting room which was off the throne room. This room contained nothing but a long table, chairs to seat twelve and a hearth that had long since been cold. The young queen sat at the head of the table. Odissa sat at her right, followed by Olaf, then Hallis. Mikel sat at her left, followed by Oskar, then the guard whose name she did not know.

Freya made eye contact with them all before she spoke. “Had I not been restless and unable to sleep, I would have not gotten out of bed to request one of the guards outside my door to see that I was to be sent a cup of wine, and I would now be resting in my eternal sleep. Had I not been restless and unable to sleep, I would have not seen that my door was left unguarded, and I would now be resting in my eternal sleep.  Had I not been restless and unable to sleep, I would have not seen a member of my palace guard approaching wearing a smile and a blood soaked tunic, and I would now be resting in my eternal sleep.

“I want to know if this man was indeed a member of my palace guard or an imposter. I want to know his name. I want to know where he is from. I want to know who endorsed him and have them brought to me.”

Mikel cleared his throat. “His name was Hinrik and he was in the employ of the palace guard. His letter of reference was written by a priest named Rack from the town of Mossberg. The letter of reference stated that Hinrik was a member of good standing in his church and since being released from king’s army at the end of the warring between the kingdoms and after the end of our Black Winter he had not found a trade or employment that suited him. The priest suggested he apply for training as a palace guard, Hinrik agreed and the priest wrote his letter of reference. I have a squad of palace guards on their way to Mossberg to collect this priest.”

“There will be no priest named Rack to collect and I will wager Hinrik delivered his own letter of reference when he presented himself to you,” responded Queen Freya. “Hoyt, the man we hold in the cage in the dungeon told our master of stewards he had served under a Norgland nobel from the town of Mossberg and he was released from servitude when he served long enough to repay his father’s debt.”

Mikel simply nodded.

Freya looked at Odissa. “How is it that you and your assistant Hectir did not uncover this man in your search for assassins?”

“I knew that the palace guard vetted their recruits and I did not believe it was necessary to question their choices,” replied Odissa. “It was an oversight and the error of it is mine.” 

“Huldran accepted the traitor Harald into the palace guard based on the letter of reference of the master of the palace treasury without checking his history or his temperament,” countered the queen.

“I should have questioned him as well,” volunteered Oskar. “He was fairly accomplished with a blade but I was too quick to excuse it because I was led to believe he fought with our army during the warring.”

“How is it that he came to stand guard at my door?”

“I placed him at your door because he was accomplished with a blade,” answered Mikel.

“What of the other guard who stood with him?”

“I found his body tucked into a dark corner behind a pillar,” replied the guard she did not know. “He had been stabbed and whoever did the stabbing knew what he was doing. The dagger had been driven up under his ribs and directly into his heart.”

“What is your name?” Freya asked.

“Ulfr,” he said with a slight smile. “It means wolf. My ma chose it because of the color of my eyes.”

Freya looked at his eyes and returned the smile. She turned to Odissa. “I think you can conclude your search for the one who poisoned the sixth attacker.”

“I was thinking that same thought,” agreed Odissa. “Although, it was my intention to keep the thought to myself because I have recently made so many errors in judgment.”

Freya again met the eyes of all those around the table. “Before I left to ride to Nirvana I remember telling you that you would not be called to task because I trusted all of you. I also said if you were required to make a decision and your decision proved incorrect you would not be held accountable because I sincerely believe that you always act in my best interest. Do not sit here judging yourself or your actions because I do not. I truly do trust you and I believe in you.

“It is not your fault for your errors. The man who comes for me is twisted in his thinking but he is most certainly not a fool. He endeavors to find creative new ways to exact his revenge against me. Those who sit here at this table with me cannot be expected to anticipate his next action because you, as I, have never before been exposed to this kind of hatred that has a will of its own. Lord Bjarn is the most wealthy and the most powerful lord in Sintland. His king is afraid of him so unless I threaten for our kingdoms to resume warring he will do nothing. Even if I make this threat I am not convinced King Kolbjorn will do anything to put an end to this lord’s actions because he believes he cannot survive the insurrection his demand might cause. If I make this threat and King Kolbjorn does nothing then countless men and boys will forfeit their lives for my life because it is the end of my heart pumping blood and my lungs taking and expelling air that this rogue lord desires. I do not believe that the life of the village girl is worth the sacrifice of so many men and boys.

“I sit here as angry as I have ever been. I sit here not angry at the people who surround me. I sit here angry at a man whose moral compass has but one direction and he is driven by revenge. He will not stop coming for me until one of us draws our last breath. It is my intention that Lord Bjarn take his last breath long before I take mine. 

“Lord Tomasson is building a force of war hardened blades for hire and he intends they are to ride against Lord Bjarn. He intends these riders sack and burn Lord Bjarn’s house as he did with Vidar’s house. He has vowed that his force will continue to ride until Lord Tomasson is presented with Lord Bjarn’s head. I like and I trust Lord Tomasson because I believe that he is my friend. He was first my champion’s friend and the sacking and burning of Vidar’s house was a step too far so he is taking action of his own accord. Still, we cannot sit here complacent and assume Lord Tomasson’s force will resolve our problem for us. We have to be strong. We have to be strong and then we must make ourselves even stronger. I believe there might come a day that I will face Lord Bjarn. If we do then we will stand face to face, blades at the ready, and I will have to take his life away from him. I will have to take his life away because if I don’t then he will take mine.”

Queen Freya sat silent for a moment in thought and then found Olaf’s eyes. “Is your list of the twelve we lost at the nirvana by the river and their families completed?”

“It is. Nearly all were married and most left a wife and children behind. One had been pledged to marry and two left behind only parents and siblings,” replied Olaf.

Freya stared at Olaf for about six heartbeats. “Two left behind only parents and siblings?”

“There was no disrespect intended by my words, my queen. Parents and siblings will grieve the same as the wives and the children but they do not rely on the one they lost to put food in their bellies and to keep a roof over their heads.”

“The distinction is noted and you are correct, Olaf.” Freya looked around the table. “It was my intention that I visit the house of each man we lost so that I could personally comfort the families that each of those men made but I do not believe at this time that I am up to this task.”

“I will do this errand for you,” volunteered Odissa. “I will take my assistant Hectir with me and we will visit each of their homes.”

“Thank you. I want Olaf to first go over his list and decide what these wives and children need to survive. It is my intention that each widow is to be paid an allowance each full moon and the amount of the allowance is to be adjusted for the number of children in that house. You are but to let me know the sum Olaf purposes and I will draft the decree. I will get the signature of the magistrate of accounting and then I will get the signature of the master of the treasury.”

“I might be speaking out of place but you need to go back to your bed, my queen,” said Ulfr. “You rode all day and the excitement of this evening has caused you a great deal of stress but the excitement has passed and your body and your mind needs to rest to refresh itself.”

“Why have I not known you before this night?” ask Queen Freya.

Ulfr produced a slight smile and replied, “I prefer to observe from the shadows. I would not be here in this room at all except I was reporting to Olaf what I had found tucked into a dark corner when you came from your chambers and gestured that we all were to follow you.”

“Your words remind me of someone.”

“Who might that be?” Ulfr asked, still smiling.

“You know exactly of who I am speaking. How many times did you make the travel to his house?”

“Seven, eight or nine times, perhaps more,” answered Ulfr. “He was a most great man and he inspired people. It is no wonder to me that the most wealthy man in all of Norgland desires to avenge his death and the sacking and burning of that great man’s house.”

“Are you any good at keeping secrets?” Freya asked.

“I am very good at keeping secrets.”

“I am thinking I might have you assigned to be my personal guard.”

“I am honored but at this time I do believe that you are not in need of a personal guard. You have Associate Odissa who at one heartbeat stands side by side with you and in the next heartbeat she stands with her back against yours so you do not have to look over your shoulder. She has bested me twice with a practice blade which is one more time than you have, my queen.”

“When did I best you with a practice blade?”

“In the courtyard when I was just a recruit. I was a silly fool and I jested that a fellow recruit had been bested by a girl in a dress. I then received a great lesson in humility when you challenged me and at the very quick end of it you said that I had just been paddled by a girl in a dress.”

“That was you?”

“Yes,” answered Ulfr.

“The day when he took his last breath he reminded me of that day in the courtyard. He neglected to mention to me that you two had become friends.”

“It was I who took the first step. I witnessed the manner that you clung to his arm after you had challenged him with a practice blade and he successfully defended himself against you. I needed to know what it was that was so special about a brute that a most beautiful young queen would cling to him in such a manner. I had my answer by the end of the very first day after I arrived at the nirvana by the river.”

“Did he remember you?” Freya asked.

This question made Oskar smile. “I am of the opinion that Vidar never forgot a single face, a name, an action, or a place.”

Ulfr smiled and nodded in agreement with Oskar. “He definitely remembered me,” replied Ulfr. “He told me that my skill had much improved but I needed to train more. He placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me an open invitation for me to return to the nirvana by the river so that I could train alongside Mikel and Oskar when he trained them each morning at sunrise.”

“Huldran permitted Ulfr to make the travel to Nirvana any time he wanted,” added Mikel. “His skill with a blade improved very quickly but it was the change in his temperament that is most notable.”

“He taught me that there was a great deal that could be learned by observing from the shadows. He told me that I was a most fine young man but I should not always feel the need to stand on a stool so that I could be seen,” explained Ulfr.

Freya smiled and stood. “I think I am ready for that cup of wine I felt I was in need of a short while ago to encourage me to drift into sleep.” She found Mikel’s eyes. “Who stands at my door and Odissa’s door?”

“I am thinking it will be Ulfr and Hallis because you know them both and it will be a comfort knowing these two are outside your door. I need to send Oskar and Olaf home to their beds so they can rest because I intend to heed my queen’s advice to step back and spend some time with Mirakel before he leaves to return to the nirvana by the river. Tomorrow will be a most arduous day. It is the day at noon that I place Rana in her final bed.”

Freya nodded. “It will indeed be a most trying day. Blomst is here in the capital specifically for the service where Rana is placed in her final bed so, if it is not too much to ask, will you make an effort to include her as well?”

“Most certainly, it was already my intention,” said Mikel with a couple of quick nods of his head. “I accompanied them when she took the lad at your request to the palace seamstresses and he grumbled the whole time that he believed it was charity. I want to sincerely thank you for that act of kindness towards him.”

“There is no need to thank me but I still need to send someone to go to a shop to purchase a trunk to put his new coverings in.”

“I have already purchased a trunk for him and I was seeing to its delivery to his room when I received word that you had been attacked by one of my palace guards.”

“You will not have to worry of being attacked for the rest of this night,” said Ulfr as he stood and placed his hand in the hilt of his blade. “They will first need to get past my blade and then through me to get to you.”

“I have heard those words before,” said Freya with a smile.

“That does not mean they are not true words,” replied Ulfr.

All those in the meeting room stood. Ulfr and Hallis escorted Queen Freya and Associate Odissa to their private chambers and took up their station guarding their doors. Oskar and Olaf headed for their homes and their beds. Mikel went looking for Mirakel and eventually found him with Blomst in the servants eating room. They were conversing, drinking warm milk and eating toasted coarse dark bread slathered with honey butter.