The Bifrost Bridge, Chapter 4

Chapter IV

Sitting at breakfast the next morning, Hanne asked, “Mama, may Silje and I go swimming? Silje told me about a pretty lake that’s not far away.”

“Well, Hanne, we are guests. It’s up to Queen Lena,” answered Queen Inga.

“That sounds good. It looks like it is going to be a lovely day to be outside. You may go, but I want you to be escorted by a few guards, especially after what happened the other day,” said Queen Lena.

“Yes, Mama,” replied Silje. “May we ride our ponies to the lake?”

“Yes, that’s fine. I’ll have the cook pack a picnic basket for you,” Lena told them.

“C’mon, Silje,” Hanne nearly shouted with excitement. “Let’s go!”

The two little princesses got dressed for riding and then ran to the stables where Buri, one of the stable boys, stood saddling their two horses. Lady Weilew was there petting Draumer’s mane.

“I hope you both enjoy the lake,” Lady Weilew told them, as she gave Silje a hug for good luck. “Now be careful and watch out for danger. Buri will go along with you to tend to your ponies this afternoon.” The stable boy smiled and bowed his head to the princesses.

“Yes, Lady Weilew,” agreed Silje. “We’ll see you later.”

Silje, Hanne, and Buri mounted their ponies and rode to the gate where a royal escort awaited them. Three of the men were Norwegian soldiers, and three were Danish sailors from King Eric’s ship.

Silje smiled at Hermod, her favorite guardsman. He rode an imposing black horse and looked very fierce with his helmet on. Many were intimidated by his seriousness, but Silje knew him as a nice soldier with a graying red beard. He always maintained a stern look on his face with everyone else, but he secretly let Silje see his soft side. At times, whenever no one else was looking, Hermod would stop to give Silje a quick smile and then resume his duties.

“Hello, Hermod,” Silje greeted him. “We are riding out to my favorite lake today.”

“Yes, Princess," replied the soldier. "Looks like a good day for riding.”

“Is there danger nearby?” asked Hanne, when she saw the escort group.

“Well, you have to be careful about trolls,” replied Silje. “A smelly one chased me the day before you arrived, but they usually stay under the ground until night time.”

“A ground troll chased you? That is odd. I’ve never seen one up close. Were you scared?” asked Hanne.

“I sure was. And did he ever smell,” Silje giggled then, holding her nose.

Hanne laughed. “Well, I hope we don’t see any ground trolls today.”

“The smelly old trolls would be too scared to bother us with Hermod and his men nearby,” replied Silje.

“That’s good,” Hanne answered with a nod to the imposing gentleman.

“Hermod, please tell the guards to open the gate so we can go!” said

With a signal from Hermod, the gates opened and off they went. The group trotted out of the ring castle tunnel, but slowed down to a leisurely pace once they got to the bottom of the hill so Hanne could enjoy the new scenery.

Later, as they were riding down the forest trail, Hanne noticed two ravens circling above them.

“That’s strange,” she observed. “Those two birds are following us.”

Silje looked up and saw the ravens circling. After a while, one of them flew away. The other raven then started flying from tree to tree, following behind the group.

“The raven seems to like our company,” commented Silje.

“Yes, it does. I wonder why it’s so interested in us?” replied Hanne.

The girls quickly forgot about the bird when they arrived at the large meadow where they could see Silje’s favorite lake.

“This looks great!” exclaimed Hanne. “Let’s go swimming first.”

“Yes, that sounds good to me,” agreed Silje.

When they got to the lake, the escorts staked out the girls’ ponies and set out the picnic lunch and blankets while Hermod spoke with Silje.

“While you swim, we will patrol around the lake for your safety. Here is a whistle your father wants you to wear around your neck to alert us if you need anything. Buri will stay close by to tend to the ponies. Enjoy the lake.”

“Thank you, Hermod,” replied Silje.

Hermod bowed his head and then rode away with the other escorts. They formed a patrol and kept watch from a short distance.

Buri guided Draumer, Solskin and his pony to a grassy area near the shore while Hanne and Silje swam and played in the lake. After a while, Hanne noticed a raven perched on a nearby tree branch. It seemed to be watching them. She stared back at the beautiful black bird, wondering why it was so interested them. She decided to wave at him to see how he would respond.

“What are you doing?” asked Silje

“It’s the black bird again. Don’t you think it strange that he seems to be following us?” asked Hanne.

“That is strange,” Silje responded, cupping a hand over her eyes to see the bird above. “I’ve never noticed one follow me before. Maybe it likes you.”

“I guess so,” agreed Hanne. “I’m hungry. Let’s get out now and eat.”

As the girls came out of the water, Ratatosk, the squirrel, scampered up to them.

“Hey, hey! Ho, ho! What’s up, Princess Silje?” asked Ratatosk.

“Who is that?” Hanne inquired.

“It’s Ratatosk.” replied Silje. “He’s cute, but a little annoying.”

“Any gossip? Any gossip?” Ratatosk queried with a slight tilt of his head.

“Why do you want us to tell you gossip?” asked Hanne.

“Stories!” the squirrel exclaimed. “I need juicy gossip for good stories.”

“Why?” Hanne asked.

“I’ve got a job, and it is big, big, big!” said the squirrel “Huge!”

“What is your job?” the Danish princess inquired.

“I run up and down the cosmic tree and tell stories to the evil hawk and Midgard serpent. The stories keep them busy and help make the universe safe. Safe! Safe!”

“So why aren’t you doing your job right now?” Silje asked, raising an eyebrow.

“The hawk and the serpent like to sleep a lot in the summer.” answered the squirrel. “That gives me time to hear the gossip for more stories. And I can gather acorns too!”

“Silly squirrel,” replied Silje. “There are not any oak trees around this lake.”

“Did you hear any good gossip yet?” asked Hanne.

“Not yet, not yet!” replied Ratatosk. “Know anything good?”

“Nothing comes to mind,” Hanne answered. “Go find some food. Maybe we’ll have news for you later.”

“Right, right,” replied Ratatosk, as he started to scamper away. “Go, go!”

“He’s such a silly squirrel, Silje.”

“He certainly is,” she agreed.

The two girls got dressed and sat on a blanket while they ate their picnic lunch. The picnic basket contained berries, goat cheese, bread, and a small jug of honey mead. It didn’t take long for them to devour everything in the basket. They then sat and talked as they combed one another’s hair.

“I brought something I want to share with you” Hanne told her cousin at length.

“You did? What is it,” replied Silje.

Hanne reached into a bag she had brought with her and pulled out the golden necklace she had worn when the Danish ship had arrived.

“How do you like it?” asked Hanne

“It is beautiful,” assessed Silje. “Are you sure you should have brought it out here?”

“We will be careful. Look how it shines in the sunlight!” replied Hanne as she held it up against the light. “It is said that the light elves of Alfheim made this necklace for the goddess Sif when she turned ten. Sif, herself, presented my mother with the necklace years ago to bless her marriage to my father. My mother was instructed to present it to me on my tenth birthday, so now the necklace is mine.

“How exciting!” exclaimed Silje. “I have never seen a necklace quite like it.

“As you know, the elk rune symbolizes protection for the one who wears it and the yew leaves symbolize life. Sif said that the necklace has special powers to protect the one who wears it. Someday Sif will come to visit and talk to you about the powers of the necklace and how they work. Until then, you should be careful when you wear it,”

“I should be careful?” asked Silje.

“Now that I am the owner, I am going to break with tradition and give it to you. And since I won’t be here for your tenth birthday, I am going to give you the necklace right now.”

“You are giving me the Sif necklace?” questioned Silje in disbelief. “I don’t know what to say. Won’t you parents be upset?”

“Don’t worry,” replied Hanne. “They may not approve, but the necklace is mine and I want you to have it. Besides, you are family and the horse you gave to me is blessed with magic. I want to give you something magical too.”

“I do not know what to say,” uttered Silje.

“Just think about our friendship whenever you wear it.”

“Oh, I will!” promised Silje squeezing Hanne in a long hug.

“Let us see how it looks on you,” urged Hanne with a grin.

“All right,” replied Silje. She turned around and held up her hair while Hanne fastened the necklace around her neck. Once the necklace was fastened, Silje twirled around and posed for Hanne.

“The necklace suits you,” assessed Hanne.

“Thank you, Hanne. I will always treasure it,” said Silje.

“You are welcome. Perhaps you will pass it along to a daughter or a niece someday.”

Silje nodded in reply, and then looked up at the position of the sun.

“It’s getting late, Hanne, we should start heading back home.

“Yes, you are right,” replied Hanne.

“Look! There’s that raven again. I wonder why he is still here,” exclaimed Hanne.

“I don’t know. As I said, I guess he likes you,” Silje responded.

The princesses looked around to see where Buri or their escort guards were located, but there was no one in sight. Silje blew the whistle. No answer. She blew the whistle again, and still no one appeared.

“Hermod! Buri!” called out Silje. “We’re ready to go home!”

“You don’t think they went back to Tunsberg without us, do you?” asked Hanne.

“No,” answered Silje, with a note of concern. “Hermod would never leave without us, and Buri would never leave the ponies for long. Let’s go ask Ratatosk if he knows where they are. I think he’s over there in the trees.”

“Yes, let’s pack up our things and go find him,” said Hanne. “Something is definitely wrong.”

They quickly packed up everything and headed towards the trees when suddenly, the raven flew overhead calling out, “Cawwww!”

“It’s a trap!” cried out Ratatosk. “Run! Run! Go! Go! Hurry! Hurry!”

The girls rushed to their ponies. With their hearts beating fast, they urged their ponies to a gallop in the direction of the castle.

They had just left the open meadow and entered the forest when a ten-foot-tall fire giant jumped out from behind some trees along the trail and growled. Its massive red arms spread wide, and its orange eyes glowed like embers. The princesses screamed in fear and turned their ponies around to ride in the opposite direction, but they didn’t get far when out of the bushes jumped Fenris, a horrible monster-sized magical wolf, baring its fangs.

“Surrender!” growled Fenris.

A very frightened Silje burst into tears.

Hanne, on the other hand, concentrated on remembering the training she had learned from her father.

“Whenever you are surrounded by the enemy,” King Eric would always say, “Take a deep breath and think carefully. There is always a way to escape. And never forget about your pony’s magic.” Hanne took a deep breath and said, “Don’t cry, Silje. We’ll be fine.”

“How can you be so sure?” asked Silje, trying to stop crying.

“Think of what I told you about Solskin,” Hanne answered.

Just then they heard a horrible laugh from above. The girls looked up and saw someone sitting up in a tall ash tree.

“What a lucky day! I’ve captured two princesses from the royal houses of Norway and Denmark!” he exclaimed.

“Who are you?” asked Hanne.

The girls could tell that this was no ordinary person. His eyes glowed and then he suddenly appeared on the ground in front of them. He was tall and slim, but very strong looking. He had a big grin that seemed to emphasize his strange eyes. He wore a fish-scaled armored tunic that was similar to what a Viking chieftain would wear.

"I am Loki, formerly of Asgard," he replied. "I’m sure you two have heard of me."

The princesses had indeed heard of the evil shape-shifting giant named Loki and the bad things he had done when he lived with the gods in Asgard.

While Silje stared in horror at Loki, Hanne drew her pony up next to Silje’s so that she faced the west. She leaned over quickly and whispered, “At my signal, ride as hard as you can to the west.”

Silje nodded in reply and wiped the tears from her eyes.

Hanne gripped the reins tightly in her hands as she silently said the words, "rísa til himins, ríða á vindinn yfir brúna,” that would bring the rainbow bridge to her aid. She then leaned forward and shouted, “Yaaa!”

Silje and Hanne both bolted on their ponies in the direction of the sun. The fire giant managed to stand in Silje’s path and yell with its arms held out wide. Draumer whinnied in fear and reared up on her hind legs, forcing Silje to fall off her back. Solskin had been frightened too, but the pony veered away with Hanne still in her saddle. Silje rolled to a halt in the meadow, and stood up as fast as she could.

“Keep riding, Hanne!” shrieked Silje as bitter tears ran down her face. Hanne looked down at Silje with her mouth gaping open in horror. It seemed impossible to help Silje escape, so Hanne turned away with tears streaming down her cheeks, and kicked Solskin in the sides to race towards the west at a gallop.

Watching Hanne gallop off caused Loki to burst in laughter. He thought it funny that the little princess believed she could escape him. Wanting to be cruel, he let her ride away for a minute while he continued laughing. He would enjoy seeing her face once she was recaptured. Once he stopped laughing, he called out, “Fenris, run her down. When you catch them, kill the horse and bring the little Dane back to me unharmed.”

Fenris growled and bolted after Hanne, with magical speed.

Looking back over her shoulder, Hanne saw Fenris quickly catching up with them. She knew it was now or never.

“Jump, Solskin, jump!” Hanne shouted. The pony leaped into the air its horseshoes glimmering.

Solskin amazed everyone as he and Hanne rose higher and higher into the air, soaring like a bird, up to the rainbow. Fenris howled over and over in anger.

The sounds of his howling grew fainter as Hanne drew closer to the rainbow. When they finally landed on the Bifrost Bridge, Hanne stared in amazement at her new surroundings and gasped as she looked back down at Norway. Solskin calmed after a moment, and then they were resting silently on the rainbow. Hanne could not think of how to get back to Silje, and the only other option she could reach was to continue forward. She wiped away her tears, kicked Solskin’s sides, and they galloped at all speed across the bridge.

Silje watched Hanne’s leap to safety in astonishment. She didn’t know what was going to happen to her now, but she knew that she would have to cooperate with Loki. There was no way to escape at the present moment and she didn’t want to endanger Draumur’s life. Taking a deep breath, she ran up behind Draumer and slapped her into a gallop and shouted , “Run away, Draumer!”

“You think you achieved something?” replied Loki, scowling at Silje’s daring. “Your pony may live for a while longer, but there is nothing you can do to help your kingdom’s troubles,” leered Loki.

“What do you mean?” asked Silje, confused by what Loki was saying.

“Well, your family did a wonderful job of angering the trolls the other day,” said Loki. “And let’s just say that I gave the trolls a few more reasons to be angry with your kingdom. They are ready to go to war against Norway, and with Fenris as their leader, it won’t take the kingdom long to surrender to us.”

“My father will never surrender to you!” exclaimed Silje.

“Oh, yes he will when he knows that I am holding you for ransom,” Loki sneered.

“Then you don’t know my father.”

“We will see, Norwegian,” replied Loki.

“Where is Hermod and the others?” asked Silje

Loki laughed and clapped his hands above his head and said a spell, “Láta þá falla sem fer.” The royal guards and Buri magically appeared in the meadow and collapsed..

Silje ran to Hermod, who hung his head in shame. As she looked into his worried eyes, she knew that he could not rescue her.

“Princess,” whispered Hermod, “we have failed you.”

“No,” Silje comforted him. “You cannot expect to fight against magic. You must go to my father and tell him Hanne escaped on the Bifrost Bridge. And tell him Fenris and the trolls are going to attack Tunsberg!.”

“No, Princess. I cannot leave you,” replied Hermod as he stood up and pulled a hachet from his belt. The other soldiers leapt up behind Hermod and drew their weapons.

“Release the princess or we will go berserk and fight to the death,” yelled Hermod.

Loki grinned as he shouted back, “You think you all can go berserk and earn your place in Valhalla?” The rogue god instantly vanished and then reappeared directly in front of Hermod where he knocked the Norwegian soldier to the ground with one back- handed slap across the face. The fire giant swung his axe at the others shattering and burning their shields as they all collapsed under the weight of single blow.

“We won’t give you a chance to earn Valhalla!” exclaimed Loki. “You are not even worthy of becoming slaves in Helheim!”

“Don’t kill them!” pleaded Silje as she dropped to the ground and embraced Hermod. “I order you and your men to go back to the castle and protect it from attack.”

“Princess, we cannot leave you here. Your father would never forgive me. Nor would I forgive myself if we were to abandon you to Loki,” said Hermod.

“You must, Hermod,” insisted Silje with tears streaming down her eyes. “Go and warn my father.”

“Enough!” exclaimed Loki as clapped his hands together and shouted, “Fljúga í fjallið!”

Silje gasped in shock as Hermod and the others magically disappeared.

“Where are they? What have you done with them? implored Silje as she stood up.

“Don’t worry,” replied Loki, with a chuckle. “They just have a long walk ahead of them. At least two days.”

“How do I know you are telling the truth?” asked Silje.

“You don’t know I am telling the truth, and you never will!” said Loki. He then gave a sharp whistle and his black horse appeared from the forest, pulling his red chariot. The fire giant’s huge horse, Svadilvari, followed behind the chariot.

Fenris, who had heard his father’s whistle, reluctantly returned. He did not look forward to hearing what his father would say to him about not stopping Hanne from escaping. He might have caught her if his father hadn’t laughed and given the girl the chance to get as far away as she did, but there was no way he was going to suggest that, knowing what a terrible temper his father had. He would have to think of a better excuse.

“I see the Dane has escaped on the Bifrost Bridge,” remarked Loki.

“Yes. The horseshoes must have been made by dwarves,” replied Fenris, hoping to defray his father’s temper.

“Not dwarves,” Loki responded with a scowl. “They won’t help anyone in Midgard. The shoes must be from those troublesome light-elves. The gods of Asgard will soon know we have kidnapped Princess Silje, so we must hurry.”

Silje, trying not to cry again, looked up into the sky, hoping it would stop the tears from forming. It was then that she saw the raven that had followed them earlier flying in circles overhead. She wished she could fly away like a bird.

The fire giant saw her looking up, so he looked up as well to see what had her interest. Recognizing the bird, he knew that this meant trouble.

“Loki, look up in the sky. I have seen that raven before,” said the fire giant. “Its name is Hugin, and it belongs to Odin.”

“All the more reason for us to hurry,” replied Loki. “Fenris, go lead the trolls to victory and then bring the royal prisoners south to Muspelheim.”

“Yes, Father,” said Fenris. He took off running like the wind, glad for the chance to escape before his father could scold him any further.

“Fafni, come with us,” said Loki to the fire giant. “I’ll need you to handle anyone who tries to follow or stop us.”

Fafni nodded and mounted his enormous black horse as it snorted smoke from its nostrils.

While Loki had been talking to Fafni and Fenris, Silje had looked around her, trying to find some way to leave a clue of where Loki was taking her. She saw two sticks on the ground. One stick was shorter than the other. She quietly placed the sticks together as a rune symbol, and then placed the chain holding her whistle around the rune.

“Let’s go, Norwegian. No time to waste,” said Loki.

Silje turned around and faced Loki as he rode up to her in his chariot. Silently, she hoped that he would not see the whistle and guess what she was trying to do. She had nothing to worry about though, because Loki simply picked her up and they were suddenly all flying away.