Page 14 of The Magic of Vanaheim

A sudden wave of anger made Talvi clench his fists. What had Bergelmir been thinking, sending his son into this death trap? How was Håkon supposed to kill a powerfulvalalike Talvi with nothing but a flimsy costume and a hidden blade? And even if he succeeded by sheer luck, how was he supposed to flee?

He wasn’t, Talvi realized. This was an endeavor designed for a hero’s death and a skald’s song. Bergelmir hadn’t planned for Håkon to survive his deed. Talvi gritted his teeth. One day, he would make Bergelmir pay for failing Håkon.

Turning around, Talvi busied himself collecting soaps and towels. He wanted to give Håkon a chance to get into the basin and keep up his illusion of ignorance just a bit longer. With a soft splash, Håkon dipped into the water.

“Am I allowed to turn around again?” Talvi asked innocently, although the thought of having Håkon in his bath triggered all kinds of depraved fantasies.

“If you must.”

The words sounded choked, and Talvi’s heart bled for his betrothed. Sent away by his own father to die, he must feel vulnerable, desperate. And even in this dire situation, Håkon managed to remain calm. Submerged up to his chin at the other end of the pool, an inattentive observer would probably still not have seen through his ploy. To Talvi, however, Håkon’s true identity was glaringly obvious. How could he not recognize the most beautiful man in the Nine Worlds?

“Would you allow me to wash your back?” Talvi asked. Actually, he wasn’t just supposed to clean Håkon’s back. The bathing ritual involved the future spouses scrubbing each other’s entire bodies, which often culminated in a little foretaste of the wedding night. The sensuality of the ritual made it very popular with the soon-to-be spouses.

“No,” Håkon breathed.

Of course, he didn’t want to let Talvi get near him so that he wouldn’t notice that Håkon was decidedly lacking a maiden’s body. Shame. Admiring the tense line of Håkon’s shoulders, Talvi noticed Håkon had slung a thin cloth around himself, obscuring his body under the surface and hiding the swirlingtattoos of theJotunnwarriors from view.Clever boy.Talvi squatted down at the pool’s edge at a safe distance from Håkon.

“So, what do you think about Vanaheim,princess?”

A shrug.

“Well, I want you to know that whatever your father told you, you’re welcome here. It’s true, we’re not fond of Bergelmir, but we respect the children of Jotunheim. To be honest, I’m a little disappointed that your brother did not accompany you.”

“Brogar?” Håkon’s voice was high-pitched with incredulity. He glanced over his shoulder, most of his face hidden by his long hair. But Talvi could make out the elegant line of his nose; he longed to trace it, to sink his fingers into the light strands of Håkon’s hair. They looked so soft, so lovely.

Talvi chuckled. “Not this cowardly creature. I’m talking about Håkon, of course.”

“Oh.”

“Did he tell you we met when Bergelmir sent his ships to raid the city?”

A quick shake of the head, Håkon’s shoulders tensing some more.Oh, dróttning, I’ve long seen through your disguise.

“We might’ve lost that night if Bergelmir had been clever enough to allow Håkon free rein over his army, don’t you agree?”

Håkon shrugged.

“But he was delusional enough to entrust the whole campaign to Brogar. That’s why he’ll always lose in the end.”

Silent, Håkon turned away. Talvi understood. As a bastard son, he must’ve heard an endless stream of Bergelmir’s lies. Talvi could practically hear them:The king is infallible. Succession to the throne is dictated by the gods, and you are but a lowly warrior, incapable of commanding anything greater than a longship.

Talvi suddenly craved to be close to Håkon, to console him.

“Do you mind if I get into the bath with you? I’ll stay on my side, I promise.”

“Fine.” Håkon was back to this toneless whisper. Talvi didn’t like it at all.

Whatever dark thoughts Håkon was harboring, Talvi wanted to take them away from him. Undressing where he stood, he carelessly threw his clothes on the floor.

“I liked traveling to Jotunheim with my uncle when I was a child. I loved the cold fjords and snow-covered summits.” Håkon was watching him out of the corner of his eye again, and Talvi really hoped he was enjoying the show he put up for him. “I was looking forward to the Þing Tournaments for months because I couldn’t wait to see your brother fight. It was a pleasure to watch him defeat Brogar, how he put warriors from all the clans into their place.” Slipping into the bath, Talvi continued, a small smile curving his lips as he remembered how he drove his family insane with his obsession with Håkon. “Did you know he fought back theÆsirwhen they attacked Jotunheim?”

Uttering a small, frustrated sound, Håkon pulled the cloth tighter around his shoulders. “Of course,” he hissed.

“Are you proud of him?”

Håkon flinched as if Talvi’s words had been a surprising, stinging blow.

“Come over,” he rasped.