Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 611: The Handmaid

"Okay, they're still in here" he thought, referring to the emblems recovered by killing Hakon, who after all that had happened against the Xis, had taken second place.

After opening the door, which despite its exaggerated size was incredibly light and easy to open, Dag found himself in the middle of a long corridor made of the same bronze material as the ceilings in the previous room.

"You made up your mind, I see!" 

"Uh? Eh?!" 

A very close female voice caused the young warrior to jump, who bumped with his back against the wall, turning the other way.

Next to the infirmary door, Fulla had been waiting for him and now she was looking at him with her sensual green eyes, while Dag's gaze could not help but fall on the neckline of her dress, from which he could glimpse her abundant and firm breasts. 

Blushing on his cheeks with his usual awkward behavior, Dag straightened his back, pretending that the situation did not embarrass him. 

Luckily for him, Fulla started talking again, without asking him any questions.

"Follow me, I will escort you to the Alfather palace till the Hlidskjlf" Frigg's handmaid said, beginning to walk down the corridor.

Dag immediately recovered from the scare and followed her, accelerating the pace.

"Hlidskjlf... I know that name. It is the throne of Odin, the position from which the Alfather manages to look over each of the nine kingdoms. It is located in the upper room of the Vlaskjlf, the palace of the father of the Gods" he said, showing off his knowledge about Asgard, of which he knew many details, having learned the chapter that spoke of the divine city by heart when he was a child, being fascinated by its glittering palaces and all its wealth. 

"I see you already know many things about Asgard, Midgardian. But I'm not surprised at this... the wise Alfather would never bring a mortal here without being sure of his worth" Fulla continued, making a slight smile and trying not to show it to Dag, who noticed it, realizing that he had managed to break the ice.

"And you?" he asked, flanking the beautiful handmaid and continuing to walk beside her.

"And me what?" 

"Are you immortal?" he replied, driven by his innate curiosity.

Fulla remained a few seconds silent, smiling embarrassed and slightly accelerating the pace.

"I don't think anyone's ever asked me a question like that..." she answered timidly. 

"Yes, but... you haven't given me an answer yet" Dag replied, jokingly, unable to express in words what he was feeling while walking down the corridors of one of Asgard's palaces.

"Yes, I too have been granted immortality. I live and exist exclusively to serve Frigg, Odin's wife and Queen of the nine kingdoms" Fulla replied, reciting those words as if they were indelibly written in her mind.

"Have you been granted?" Dag continued, trying to look at his reserved interlocutor in the eye.

"Yes. Thousands of years ago, the Queen gave me this gift, promising me immortality and perennial youth and asking me for my eternal loyalty in return. From that day on, my mortal soul had a new beginning, but... this has nothing to do with you, don't ask me these things" she replied, who without thinking about it had responded freely to Dag and was talking to him about her personal life, which she had not told me to anyone, without thinking about the consequences.

"Did you accept slavery just to live forever? Mh, I don't know if I approve of your choice very much, you know?" Dag replied, continuing to ask questions and ignoring Fulla's request when she explicitly asked for a change of speech.

Although she had no intention of giving Dag all that confidence, Fulla, during that conversation, felt incredibly comfortable: even if she had never met her interlocutor before that time, talking to Dag was very pleasant and relaxing and she did not feel she was judged by him.

In addition, the young Earthly warrior's good looks helped generate interest in Frigg's beautiful servant, who, after taking a long, deep breath, answered his questions.

"It's not real slavery... just... look around you. We are in Asgard, the kingdom of the Gods. In my life, I have always served their will and since the Queen wanted me by her side, I have done nothing but continue to do what I was doing in Midgard, only more practically. I never regretted my choice and it's been thousands of years" Fulla said without going too far with the explanations, not knowing Dag's true intentions well. 

"It would scare me..." 

"What? Living in Asgard? You seem very comfortable here!" she replied, looking at the way Dag moved through the corridors.

"Be immortal!" he exclaimed.

The handmaid thought for a moment about what to answer, not being used to dealing with such topics, and continuing to walk up to a large staircase.

"Usually mortals fear death, I have never met someone who thinks the exact opposite" she continued, exposing her perplexities.

"You will never fall in love... you will never be able to see your children grow up or grow old together with the person you love. You're going to stay young and beautiful forever, that's true, but... what is life if it doesn't have a beginning and an end? That's the idea that scares me... having to live for eternity" Dag explained, gesticulating and making Fulla understand that his words came from the bottom of his heart.

Beginning to go down the stairs, she thought back to the words she had heard, thinking that Dag, despite looking like a normal Viking warrior and despite being so young, was actually a much deeper person and wasn't judging her just for her outward appearance, but was considering her point of view, which for the Gods she served daily, had no meaning.

"I was in love once" she said, breaking again the awkward silence that had been created, while other people who popped up here and there in the corridors of the tower looked at Dag in amazement, realizing with a single glance that he was not an Asgardian.

"Ah, yes? And then? What happened?"

"He was a young and strong warrior, like you. There was only one thing he loved more than fighting: winning. He was obsessed with victory and this led him to achieve increasingly important goals, but at the same time made his life so much harder, forcing him to face enemies beyond his expectations. In the end, he even forgot about me, never returning to our country house... I still remember the scent of fresh grass and the bleat of mountain goats..." Fulla continued, telling the short story of her life in Midgard and closing her eyes for a moment, immersing herself in some deep memories.

"And after that? What happened to him?" Dag asked again, fascinated by that tale. 

"More than a year after our last meeting, with the promise of seeing each other again, I learned of his death. One of the few companions in his raids came to my house and informed me of what had happened. He came in with arrogance and tried to... he tried to..." 

While the handmaid was trying to find the best words to end the story, Dag, without warning, touched her arm, drawing her caught off guard.

"You don't have to keep it going. I understood what happened and I'm very sorry" he said, trying not to make the girl feel uncomfortable after realizing that she had suffered physical violence from her boyfriend's comrade.

Fulla's gaze suddenly darkened, just like the brilliance of her eyes, showing all the strong feelings that those memories had caused in her mind.

A thin tear fell on the girl's cheek, who before it could fall to the ground, quickly wiped her.

"I don't even know why I'm talking to you about this. We just met and I already told you my story, not knowing anything about you. You'll think I'm a good-for-nothing or that I'm not worthy of being one of the Queen of Asgard's personal handmaidens. Please don't say anything to Frigg" the girl replied, after catching her breath and trying to hold back more bitter tears from that memory dating back thousands of years.

"And why should I tell her anything? You were right to vent, fear not. If you carry this heavy burden inside you since then, it means you've never talked openly about it with anyone. I am honored to be the first to know a little truth about you and I thank you for that" Dag answered, who with his sweet words made the handmaid blush while she suddenly felt very inappropriate, despite having a much longer life experience than that of the young warrior who was talking to her.

"Don't thank me, it must not have been a pleasant thing. Come, this way" she continued, whose expression had returned to normal, gesticulating with her arm and pointing to Dag the direction to follow.