Chapter 9: Chapter nine

Almost half the enclave’s residents departed before the start of the meal, leaving only the guardians, and a handful of braver members behind. Even so, they made no attempts to interact with the Dökkálfar who sat at tables on the far side of the room. 

Ard Tiarna Cináed may have left with his guards, but thankfully, he’d been kind enough to leave behind the handful of servants who were charged with preparing, and serving the meal. After they left, I would need to convince those who were already employed here to remain, or find others to fill those positions. 

When the feast drew to a close, I ordered the guardians, and Skutilsveinr to remain behind as the residents of the enclave quickly exited the hall. 

“Stallari Nyx, Guardian Monroe, Guardian Captain Peterson.” I called out, gesturing for the three to come to the front of the hall. 

When Nyx dropped to kneel in front of me the two guardians showed visible hesitation. After a glance at the form of the kneeling knight, Guardian Monroe lowered her body to the ground, mimicking the pose of the Stallari beside her. Despite her mistake in kneeling beside the high ranked knight as opposed to behind, I wouldn’t fault her for the attempt at proper etiquette. 

Ignoring the two women for now, I turned my attention to the sour faced captain of the guardian force. Captain Peterson did not portray the image of a protector, with his stomach bulging over the top of his waistband, and receding hairline. I knew for a fact that he pushed most of his work load onto his subordinates, leaving him free to spend his days indulging in imported liquor, and flattering the former lord. 

“Captain Peterson, I do not blame you for the faults of the previous lord, nor will I punish the guardians for their inability to protect this city.” 

The captain's face reddened, his mouth opening, but I held up a hand to silence him. 

“Harpies infest the park, Fir Darrig thieve in the subways and Boogie’s snatch children off the streets! These are all things a guardian force is in place to prevent!” I said, my voice rising with each word.  “And as I have recently come to learn, a colony of goblins inhabits the sewers. Three nests were discovered by Ard Tiarna Cináed’s guards, with a high possibility of more.” 

Gasps, and low murmurs sounded from the gathered guardians who exchanged wide eyed glances. In comparison the Skutilsveinr remained silent and stoic as they gazed attentively at where I stood. 

“As it currently operates, the guardian force is incapable of dealing with these creatures.” I trailed off as I looked at the captain, seeing in his expression that he knew what was coming. I waited a moment, giving him the chance to speak. I didn’t want to force him out, and risk lowering the morale of the guardian force any further than it already was, so hoped he would be smart enough to take the opening I gave him.  

“Your highness, all this is true.” Captain Peterson said, giving a half bow. “The guardian force must undo a great deal of change, and grow stronger if they are to protect this city. At my age change is difficult for me, so I would ask you to allow me to retire as Guardian captain.” 

I inclined my head, giving him a consoling smile. “This small moon is grateful for your many years of faithful service, and hopes you enjoy a peaceful retirement.” 

“Thank you, your highness.” 

My jaw clenched reflexly in response to his parting words, but I said nothing as the former guardian captain quickly retreated from the room. Thank you wasn't a sincere means of showing gratitude, in fact it could be considered rather insulting, similar to saying sorry as a form of apology instead of my apologies or my sincerest regrets.  

Looking down at the guardian who knelt before me, I saw her body filled with tension, her eyes not focused on me, but the Garmr who laid beneath the table behind me. I could see the fear in her brown eyes as she fought to break away from the burning stare of the canine. 

 I folded my hands over my stomach and waited in silence, curious to see if she possessed the mental fortitude to disengage her mind from the shadowy nightmares that would be plaguing her psyche. 

Guardian Monroe’s physical appearance was that of a woman in her mid forties, though I knew her to be nearing her hundredth year. The guardian was almost two years younger than me, yet she was a middle aged woman whilst I was still a teenager on the cusp maturity. 

“Wake her,” I ordered Nyx after it became apparent that Monroe would not be able to free herself from the Garmr's gaze. 

 My lips pressed together as I watched Nyx reach up to cover the woman’s eyes with a hand, and pinch her shoulder. What a shame. If she were stronger I may have permanently granted her the captain’s position. 

“Guardian Monroe, I am naming you as temporary captain of the guardian force. You will be reporting directly to Stallari Nyx.” I said, when the guardian appeared to have regained her senses enough to respond.

“I am honored, your highness.” Guardian Monroe said, her voice hoarse as she gazed numbly down at the floor. Her face was pale, but she did a remarkable job of quickly regathering her composure. 

“The correct form of address is Smártungl, or my moon. Whilst I hold the title of Mírya, Princess of the Seelie High Court, my title as the Smártungl av Svartálfaheimr comes before all others.” 

The guardian nodded, her mouth opening and closing a few times before she verbalized her thoughts. “Smártungl, will er- ahem, will the Skutilsveinr be dealing with the goblins in the sewers?” 

I laughed, glancing at the Skutilsveinr. The disgust, and reluctance on their faces made it clear they weren’t pleased with the idea of entering the sewers, but I knew if I ordered it they would.  

Stallari Nyx cleared her throat. “My moon, perhaps this would be good exercise for the Garmr? We can patrol the city with the guardians to ensure any who escape the sewers are dealt with.”

“An excellent idea,” I praised. “The goblins will already be anxious with the number of Dökkálfar in the city, so I wish to have this matter dealt with swiftly. How many Garmr do we have at hand?” 

“Including your own, there are sixteen Garmr here who can hunt, my moon. The incoming Skutilsveinr of the Skjald-borg will bring another thirty one as they are all paired with a Garmr. They also bring fifteen Kertilsveinr, who can accompany the Garmr on the hunt.”

I nodded, feeling a pang of pity for the squires who would be sent into the sewers. “How long until the Skjald-borg arrives in the city?” 

“My moon, our last communication was three hours ago when the Skjald-borg crossed the border into Múspellsheimr. It will take about eight hours for them to reach Cathmor where they will pass through the veil.” 

Another five hours? I raised a brow, not expecting they would already be so close. Then again, even the Skutilsveinr who returned with Lady Isabel traveled with a swiftness that was beyond what I thought possible. 

Svartálfaheimr, and Múspellsheimr weren’t exactly close. In order to reach Múspellsheimr, they would need to travel through Álfheimr, or via the Alfreya sea. They wouldn’t be flying, as a burdened Peryton could only travel at speeds up to two hundred rôst per hour, with a rôst being close to a mile in distance. In order to travel the required distance  would take far longer than what Nyx estimated for their travel time.

Traveling via car would take even longer than flying due to being confined to the roads, and even traveling via train wouldn’t allow them to move through the kingdoms that fast. Not to mention they would need to switch trains at different cities, as there was no direct transport between our two kingdoms. 

Unless- “They are traveling via airship?” 

“Yes, my moon,” Nyx confirmed. 

My left eyelid twitched, and my mouth went dry. The mægen requirements to keep even a small airship afloat were exorbitant. I’d only traveled on an airship once, and it had only been a short trip for the ship's inaugural flight after its completion. A trip of that distance, traveling at speed would have a cost upwards of a hundred thousand gold stars in cores.  

When Maitane and I fled Níu Heimar she’d brought a small emergency money purse containing a hundred platinum moons, equal to a thousand gold stars each. Due to the rarity of Níu Heimar coinage in Manna-heim, the value of a gold star was close to a hundred dollars which went a long way towards supporting our living expenses. 

That faðir spent the equivalent of our living expenses for the past years on transporting a few Skutilsveinr was almost unthinkable. They could have traveled slower, and the cost would have been a few thousand gold stars at most.   

“Then we shall await their arrival.” I said, deciding to put aside the thoughts of wasted coin for now. “Spend the next hours with guardians going over maps of the sewers, and other underground tunnels where the goblins will probably reside. Our goal is to limit the number of human casualties, so I want sweeping patrols over the city until we confirm the eradication of the goblins.” 

“It shall be done, my moon!” 

After dismissing the Skutilsveinr, and guardians, I bid a hasty retreat to my rooms where I flung myself face first onto the bed. 

“Where is my scrying mirror?” I asked, voice muffled by the bedspread.

“It is in the receiving room, my moon.” Helma answered. 

The receiving room was empty when I entered, and I sensed no other occupants in the suite aside from the Víðarr. 

Plopping down on a lounge, I watched Helma approach the mirror, and remove the mirror’s control device from a cradle on the rear of the frame. 

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Taking the remote from her, I examined it closely. Oval in shape, and framed by a pair of silver antlers, the mirror's remote resembled its larger counterpart.

 As I sent a tendril of mægen into the reflective surface of the mirror, it shimmered and rippled before displaying lines of blue scripture. Touching my fingers to the mirror, I scrolled through the options which were reflected onto the larger counterpart.  

Scrying mirrors had advanced a lot over the years, thanks in part to the innovative nature of the Æsir. In the days of my ancestors, mirrors were used purely as a means of communication, but in the last five cycles, they became so much more. 

From the large mirrors like the one before me, or smaller personal ones, very few did not have a scrying mirror in their possession in Níu Heimar. Unless of course they were in Manna-heim where mobile phones, and televisions filled the function of the mirrors. 

The features of the mirrors weren’t quite at the level of the human computers. Níu Heimar did not have a World Wide Web, instead we had Mímir. Through the Mímir network, one could access a range of information, and content. However, it was more restricted than the internet of Manna-heim. Theater shows, episodic dramas, news reports, these were all accessible on the Mímir, but there was no search engine or websites as seen on the human internet. Mímir’s features were limited to those of a communication, and viewing device. 

“That's right, you heard it here first! Smártungl Elayna has officially been named the nineteenth princess of the Seelie high court!” A beautiful Svartálfar woman beamed at me from within the mirror as I selected a new broadcast from Svartálfaheimr. 

Seated behind a wooden desk, the woman looked no different from a human news reporter if one ignored her otherworldly features. Images of me as a child appeared behind the woman, all official recordings showing me posed alongside my fathers. There was even a short clip of me riding in front of my faðir on his Peryton in a procession leading to the temple of Máni where we would give our annual prayers to the primordial god who sired our race.  

 “Eleven years ago after the tragic death of her móðir, bjartr stjarna Luciana, the Smártungl disappeared from the public eye. Many questioned the disappearance of our treasured small moon, seeking to know her whereabouts, but the palace remained silent regarding her whereabouts. However, just moments ago the palace released an official statement announcing that Smártungl Elayna is currently residing under the care of the Seelie High King, and has spent the past cycle traveling incognito throughout the Nine as part of her studies. These travels have ended in Manna-heim, where she has been granted lands by the high king.” 

“Quite the narrative they’ve come up with.” I muttered. 

“It is what all have been told, even the Skutilsveinr.” Helma said, her eyes locked on the screen as the reporter continued to babble about how I would be spending the next months ruling over my enclave in Manna-heim in order to familiarize myself with the land of humans before returning home for my coming of age celebration. “Officially, you were sent away to tour the Nine under the care of Maitane. Your faðir performed a similar tour in his youth.” 

The news reporter continued chatting in the background, speculating about what events would happen during the next two months as the kingdom prepared to welcome home their Smártungl. Images of city streets with people waving banners decorated with the sigil of the Smártungl replaced the pictures of me behind the reporter, and I felt tears well in my eyes at the sight of the celebrations. 

Soon, the news broadcast ended, and I found myself staring at a line of writing that announced the next broadcast would be in an hour. 

I spent a few moments flicking through the different channels, amusing myself with comparing the shows to the human counterparts. After spending time in the human realm it became rather obvious many of the shows I had been familiar with as a child were copies of those filmed in Manna-heim, though with changes to suit the interest of the vættir races who would be watching. 

The selection of shows wasn’t great, with only around forty channels available in the Svartálfaheimr category. A few of the broadcasts for the other kingdoms of the Nine were all reporting the same news as the one for Svartálfaheimr, with a few variations, and most were much shorter segments. 

The Seelie ran the longest segment, as it also contained announcements that my aunt, and grandmother also received titles. Both were named as princesses of the Seelie high court, however they were not given a ranked title, which meant they were not granted a place in the line of succession. 

As the nineteenth princess of the high Seelie court, I was the nineteenth royal in line for the throne, behind the other ranked princes, and princesses. The fact I had been given a ranked title was unexpected, and a little frightening, as a widespread tragedy within the Seelie court might see me ascend their throne. Not a pleasant thought, and one I would do my best to avoid at all costs. It did however give me an extra layer of protection, as anyone seeking to kill me would not only incur the wrath of my kingdom, but the Seelie as well. 

I stared at the blue-haired Seelie reporter, silently wondering what such protection had cost my faðir. High King Locryn would not have done this based on my provocation, or out of a desire to irk Jarlkona Norell. No, if he wanted to do that, he could have simply given me an unranked title. 

Tapping the screen of the handheld mirror, I entered the call menu, looking over the contacts list. No names appeared, only a series of numbers, and letters which meant nothing to me, but Helma quickly guided me through understanding the code used for the contacts. It made sense they wouldn’t use their real names, as the Mímir network didn’t have any features to prevent someone from using another person's mirror. 

Neither faðir, nor athair answered my mirror call, with both being in the midst of a meeting with the nobility according to the maid who did answer. She did offer to fetch one of them, but I decided against interrupting their meeting. My questions weren’t urgent, as I knew whatever agreement had been made with the high king would already be decided upon. My input would mean little this late in the game.

Returning to the entertainment menu, I flicked mindlessly through the channels with content from Svartálfaheimr. Skipping past the various shows I did my best to gauge what the trends of entertainment currently were for the kingdom. 

Hunting, fighting, porn, fashion trends, oh- a cooking contest. Stopping at a show titled Royal Chef, I watched with interest as the contestants worked to cook a variety of dishes that would be served to three royal chefs to judge. After a few minutes of watching the amateur chefs being torn apart by the judges, I continued on my search for entertainment. 

Next I stopped on a broadcast with three women who were chatting about the current political climate in Svartálfaheimr. Their discussion appeared to be centered on the issues between Svartálfaheimr, and Álfheimr, with a focus on the princess who would become the new bright star of the great moon. Just as I was about to change the channel again, one of the women spoke up.

“However, a source in the royal palace has claimed that Smártungl Elayna has spoken up in disapproval of the match, and has suggested herself as the recipient of a royal concubine.”

I froze, fingers hovering over the surface of the mirrored remote. My words were only in opposition to the taking of the third princess as the bright star, not that I desired one of the Ljósálfar as a concubine for myself. What source was spreading such a rumor?

“Oh my, could it be?” Another woman gasped, a hand pressed to her mouth. “The palace recently announced our small moon has been traveling the Nine in disguise, perhaps she has fallen for one of the Ljósálfar royals during her travels? Is that perhaps why news of her has been received? The Smártungl knew that if the Ljósálfar royal hirð sent a concubine to the Ríkrtungl, they would be reluctant to send another, so she shrugged off her hidden identity to protest the loss of her beloved!” 

What utter rubbish. 

“Oh, but which could it be?” 

“Perhaps the second sun? I hear he is the holder of many hearts within Álfheimr.” 

“Ah, but what of the fourth? They match well.” One if the three women said with a misty eyed look. “She is the dóttir of the Ríkrtungl, and a Unseelie concubine, he is the sonur of the Ríkrsunna, and a Seelie concubine. They are perfect counterparts.”

“Hasn’t he been traveling himself this past year? I heard the fourth sun has been in Múspellsheimr.” 

“And our small moon has also been in Múspellsheimr as she was recently named their nineteenth princess!”  

 

I choked out a laugh, was this how human celebrities felt? Perhaps I should hire a public relations manager. Things were getting a little out of hand, but rumors of me falling in love with a Ljósálfar prince were better than me petulantly refusing to allow my móðir to be replaced. 

“Our little moon, shining alone in the night without solace, is found by a bright star who brightens her dark sky.” The woman who spoke clasped her hands in front of her chest with a heartfelt sigh. 

“Oh, Rani, that was beautiful!” One of her companions said with a gasp. 

“If only the palace had released a recent picture of our small moon.” The woman named Rani bemoaned, as they commented on how well our appearances would match together. 

I pondered that statement, wondering if perhaps it wouldn’t benefit me to have some images released through the Mímir. Humans often used the media to sway public opinion, so perhaps I could do the same. 

“Helma, do the nobles of our court give interviews on Mímir? Does faðir?” I asked, not able to remember  any times when faðir or athair gave interviews. There were public events that had been broadcast, but nothing like the interviews that human celebrities did. 

“Not that I have seen,” Helma said, her brows creasing. “The occasional royal speech is shown, and some nobles do broadcast their events.” 

“Summon Maitane,” I said, changing the channel away from the talk show, and searching for a news broadcast. I would need to find the correct platform for an appearance, a gossip show wouldn’t work for what I needed. 

Mai arrived quickly, and after a lengthy discussion we both decided it would be best to consult someone with more experience with the media. Fortunately, that someone happened to be a member of the enclave. 

Kelly Anne may have only worked for a local television network as a weather girl, but her knowledge of the industry would be extremely beneficial. 

After arranging with Mai for her to have Kelly Anne meet with me in the morning, I returned my attention to the news broadcasts, watching in real time as the story which had been fabricated on the talk show slowly spread to each kingdom.  

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