Life in Folkvangr

The following morning, Freya and Dreufey bid goodbye to Idun, Thor and Odin on the hilltop behind Sessrumnir.

Thor called on his two enormous goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr. They were grazing on the dew-soaked grass but came over to Thor as soon as they were called on. Thor gave them a good rub of their fur before harnessing them to his chariot. Then he told Idun to get into his chariot with him.

Idun ran over to Odin and Freya to give them a formal kiss on their hands. Then she gave Dreufey a hearty hug. "Take care, and good luck on your new mission," she said.

Idun climbed into Thor's chariot where she sat down in front of him. Thor hit the reigns to set Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjostr in motion. The two goats accelerated across the field with thundering hoofs. Then they jumped into the air. They took a sharp turn towards the snow-capped mountains to the north where they soon disappeared out of sight.

Odin turned to Freya. He took her hands in his.

"Thank you for everything," he said.
"Oh, Odin. I'm sure we'll solve this problem too."
"I sure hope so."
"Give Vili and Ve my regards, and not least Frigg. She's a wonderful woman."
"She's a wonderful wife, indeed."
"And don't you ever forget that."

Freya gave Odin a hug and a kiss on his cheek.

Odin turned to Dreufey.

"A lot is riding on your success," he said. "But don't you worry too much about that. Thor will be intercepting deliveries to Jotunheim, and my brothers at Gimle will do what they can to get their fortress finished ahead of schedule. You're not alone in this."

Odin took Dreufey's hand in his. Then he kissed it.

Odin stepped away from the two ladies. There was a flash and a rumble, and he too set off for the skies, transformed into his eagle shape.

Dreufey and Freya followed Odin with their eyes as he climbed ever higher until he disappeared into a low hanging cloud to the south.

The two ladies headed for the bridge connecting the hill to Sessrumnir.

"We'll have you off on your mission too as soon as we get you fitted out for Nidavellir," Freya said. "Have you decided on what outfit you'd like to have made for you?"
"No, my lady. I didn't find any of them very interesting."
"It's not up to us to set the fashion in Nidavellir, I'm afraid. Let's go through those sketches once more. We need to settle on something."

Back in Freya's quarters, Freya asked one of her maids to brew a pot of tea for them, and to bring some biscuits as well. Then she went over to a table by a window where she had a small bag prepared for Dreufey.

"This contains the recipe for the shampoo you need to use while in Nidavellir. You'll also find a bottle ready prepared for you. I suggest you start using it right away so that you have the right complexion by the time you set off on your mission."

Freya pulled out a small transparent jar with contact lenses in them.

"These are the best of the best. They won't suddenly get out of place, and they dilate and constrict naturally in reaction to light so that it's next to impossible to notice them. No-one will think that your cat eyes aren't real."

She put the jar back into the bag. Then she handed the bag over to Dreufey.

They went into one of Freya's many salons where they sat down in a sofa. Freya's sketchbook lay on the table in front of them, ready for them to study, but a manservant came in with the tea and biscuits that Freya had ordered before they had time to open the book. He poured tea into their respective cups and put a biscuit on each of their plates.

Freya thanked the manservant who responded by bowing politely before he left the two ladies to themselves with the teapot and more biscuits on a silver tray.

They returned their attention to the sketches.

"I never got used to wearing pants in Munich," Dreufey said. "So, it has to be one of these skirts."
"How about this one?" Freya asked.
"It's very masculine. Don't you think?"
"That's how they dress in Nidavellir these days. There's not much we can do about that."
"Maybe this grey skirt with a white blouse," Dreufey suggested.
"You should choose something that hides your bust a little better."
"But I'll never look like this skinny model, no matter what we do."
"Still. Ivaldi's sons like women that look like that. If you are to get close to them, you should make an effort."

Dreufey didn't like Freya's condescending tone.

"Maybe you should choose some other agent. I'm clearly not right for this mission," she said.

Freya took a sip of tea. She appeared to consider Dreufey's proposal seriously. But after giving it some deliberation, she came down against it.

"No. It has to be you."
"Then, let me go the way I want."
"Okay. What will it be?"
"I kind of like this one. I remember wearing something like this back in Munich during the 1940s."
"The nineteen-what?"
"Thirty years ago."
"Oh. I see. So, you'll feel comfortable in that outfit."
"It's not my favourite style. But it's not bad either."
"Good. I'll have this ready for you and delivered to your chamber in a few days."

Freya offered Dreufey another biscuit. Then they continued with small talk for another half hour before Dreufey found it best to leave.

"I'm sure you have other things to attend to than drinking tea and eating biscuits with me," Dreufey said.
"That's right. I have much to do, but nothing as important as your mission. I hope you take full advantage of your time here at home. I want you fully energized for your new adventure."

They got up from the sofa, and Freya followed Dreufey to the door.

"See you in a few days."
"Thank you for everything, my lady."
"You're welcome."

Dreufey went to her chamber where she dropped off her bag with shampoo and contact lenses. Then she headed downstairs for Sessrumnir's gardens.

Delighted to be back in the rose garden that she once was in charge of, Dreufey looked around for familiar faces.

She soon found Gertrud, her old assistant, looking as fresh and young as ever, with her long blond hair and blue eyes, elegantly dressed in a long green robe, much like the one worn by Dreufey.

"You're back! Oh. How wonderful!" Gertrud exclaimed on seeing her old boss. "How did your mission go?"
"Very well, thank you. Far better than I thought, to be honest."
"You'll have to tell us all about it."
"It's a long story."
"But all the better. Why don't you join me and my team at lunch time. That's about an hour from now. We all want to hear about your trip to Midgard."

Dreufey thought it an excellent idea. It would be great to take part in some of her old routines and meet people she hadn't seen in a long time.

"You know where to find us. Nothing much has changed here since last time you were here," Gertrud continued. "Why don't you go for a walk. You must have missed this place."
"I've missed it immensely."
"Well... see you in an hour."

Dreufey did as Gertrud had suggested. She went for a walk through Sessrumnir's many gardens. At times, she'd stop just to take in the fresh air and the beauty of it all. On seeing the pavilion where Freya had first laid out her mission to Munich some fifty years ago, Dreufey decided to go there again to take in the view of the village and river.

Nothing much had changed anywhere. The view was the same. The gardens equally so. Yet, life had gone on, with all its little dramas. Time had not been standing still. Not even the heavens are immune to the passage of time, and the joys and the dangers that comes with it.

This became all the clearer over lunch when Gertrud and her team started telling Dreufey of what had happened while she was away.

Dreyfey's old team had consisted of herself, Gertrud and three others; namely Helga, Vigdis and a manservant named Varg. But the new team, now headed by Gertrud consisted only of herself with Varg as her assistant and a newcomer; a manservant called Alf.

Varg was no more changed than Gertrud. His dark and curly hair, his brown eyes and his strong build was no different from what it had been back when Dreufey left for Munich. Alf had a similar strong build, but unlike Varg, he had blue eyes and straight brown hair.

Both men wore the usual blue uniforms with white shirts, embroidered in customary Vanir fashion. Nothing seemed to have changed at all, except for the disappearance of two familiar faces.

"What happened to Helga?" Dreufey asked.
"She hooked up with a tailor." Gertrud explained. "She's living out west with him in his house where he has his workshop."
"When did this happen?"
"Seven years ago, I think... Yes, it must be seven years. Their son, Ragnar, is six years old, and they married a year before he was born."
"Helga is married and has a child. Imagine that!"
"Three children. Two boys and a girl," Varg said from his side of the table.
"How wonderful!"

They ate a little more before resuming their conversation.

"And Vigdis... what happened to her?" Dreufey asked.
"She died."
"No! But how?"
"A drowning accident. She was out sailing with her husband, Ravn. Remember how they lived in a house in the village?"
"Yes."
"And Ravn had this boat that they sailed all over the place during holidays."
"He was a gold smith. Isn't that so?"
"Yes. Anyway... They were out sailing when a storm hit. They lost control of their boat. It hit a rock and sank. They drowned, both of them. Their bodies were washed ashore down the coast, some ten miles south of where their boat stranded and sank."
"When did this happen?"
"Two weeks ago."
"Oh my..."

Tears welled up in Gertrud's eyes.

"We think all too often that we're immortal," she said with a sob. "But we're not. It makes me feel like hiding away in some safe corner never to go out again."
"But then you're no longer in heaven, are you?"
"That's the truth," Alf said with a nod of his head. "If all you want to do is hide, you might as well live in Helheim."
"But that's where Vigdis and Ravn are headed now," Gertrud said with a sob.
"Come on. We buried them in the local graveyard. They're sailing the Elvigar back to us here in Folkvangr."
"The current of the Elvigar will bring them back," Varg added.
"A thousand year from now," Gertrud said, still not consoled by the words of her colleagues. "And who knows. Maybe they disembark in Helheim. Or maybe even Niflheim."
"Don't be silly. They're together, the two of them. They will stay the course, and it won't take a thousand years. They might be back in a few years. Maybe even sooner."

This consoled Gertrud somewhat. But just when they had managed to stop Gertrud from crying, Alf managed to point out that Vigdis and Ravn will be completely blank to their previous life once incarnated into their new self on arrival back to Folkvangr.

"That's true. Once the spirits disembark and set foot on land, they are incarnated into their new bodies, but they are also wiped clean of any memory," Gertrud said, her tears once again welling up in her eyes. "We've all seen it happen down at the port. The ghosts become flesh the moment they step ashore. They come alive, but their memory is wiped clean. They retain but a rudimentary memory of their past."
"That's a blessing to the vast majority of us," Dreufey said. "Imagine the burden it would be to remember everything from all previous lives. All our regrets would weigh on us. Vigdis and Ravn will be back here one day, and they will start their lives anew."

Alf ate a little more of his lunch before adding that he thinks the process quite perfect.

"I never tire of seeing old souls come ashore only to be incarnated into their preferred shapes. Old and frail become young and strong. Cripples become whole and fit. Everyone enters our paradise with every faculty in order and with a new life before them. There's no bigger blessing to be imagined."
"Even babies get incarnated into perfect children," Varg added.
"Yes... Have you seen how that goes? I once saw a baby ghost simply vanish into thin air. It lay next to its mother. When the mother got up to leave the ship, she let her baby alone, and I felt so sorry for the little thing. But that was of course how it had to be. The baby was destined for another mother who would give birth to it some nine months later. Even babies get a new shot at life."

Gertrud started crying, and Dreyfey's eyes filled with tears as well.

"It's all so sad," Gertrud said through her tears. "Yet beautiful as well. It's the perfect system. You're right about that."
"Only the dead are immortal," Alf added. "Mortality is the price we have to pay for living life to its fullest."

Gertrud was once again consoled.

"To hang onto our past is never a good idea," she added said. "Only ghosts do that, reluctant as they are to leave the past behind. That's why places like Niflheim and Helheim are full of ghosts. Even Midgard and Svartalfheim have a lot of ghosts hanging around, unable to let go of their past."
"But Vigdis and Ravn were not like that. I didn't know them that well, but I knew them well enough to know that they are most certainly determined to continue on to Folkvangr. They aren't going to disembark before they're back here, and once they're here they will choose their new bodies and get on with life once again."

Varg nodded in agreement. "Immortality is for ghosts and for Hel and the likes of her, eternally living in the cold dark underworld. Never ascending higher than Niflheim or Svartalfheim."
"That's true," Dreufey said. "Svartalfheim is part of the underworld. I almost forgot."

She lay down her cutlery. "That's where I'm going for my next assignment."

"Really!" Everybody around the table were once again focused on Dreufey.

"Midgard is just barely above the underworld, and now you're going even lower," Varg said with astonishment.
"Midgard wasn't that bad. I quite enjoyed my time in Munich."
"But still. It's hardly as nice a place as up here."
"Midgard can be heavenly. But you're right. A lot of people are relentlessly working to make it a terrible place. It's not like here, where no-one wishes anyone any harm."
"And Nidavellir is even worse, I've heard. Those Dark Elves are a scheming lot. I'm glad I'm not in your shoes."

Dreufey felt that everyone was overly negative about her prospects.

"Life can be made pleasant almost anywhere given the right attitude," she insisted. "I had a wonderful life with Adolf in Munich. Something similar might well transpire in Nidavellir."
"I hope so for you," Gertrud replied. "But I'm glad I'm not the one going there. No matter how important that mission is, I'd rather stay here in Freya's gardens."
"There's a lot riding on this mission," Dreufey insisted.
"I know. Someone has to do it. I'm just glad it's not me."

The others agreed. They were happy and relieved to know that it was Dreufey who was tasked with a mission to Nidavellir rather than any of them.

"We really do love you for what you're prepared to do for us," Varg said in all sincerity. "Let's give Dreufey a big toast for her bravery and willingness to sacrifice her safety for our wellbeing."

They raised their glasses and finished their lunch in an upbeat spirit. Everyone agreed that it had been an unusually interesting meeting and insisted on having Dreufey join them for all their other meals while she was still with them in Sessrumnir.

"Remember, you're still one of us," Gertrud said with a smile. "Even if you're now one of Freya's special agents."

Dreufey agreed to meet them at mealtimes. It would be a lovely distraction, and good for her, she thought.

On returning to her chamber that evening, she could not help thinking of Adolf, and the life she had with him. She felt herself blessed. He had been a wonderful companion. But it was now at an end. Sooner or later, he would arrive at Folkvangr, no doubt. But he would have no memories of her. Nor would she ever recognize him in his new incarnation because his appearance would be different.

Dreufey sent Adolf a prayer of safe passage. Then she turned to the view from her window. The sun was setting. The sky was red and yellow. Dreufey's life with Adolf was a closed chapter, and a new chapter was opening before her, with new challenges and new adventures.

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