“Wise of you,” Wolf said arrogantly.
“How long will you be gone?” she asked.
“I´ll return as quickly as I can. And I want to find you in bed when I do, naked and with your legs spread, do you understand?”
“Not sure,” Freya said and he gave a low growl. “But then again, maybe I´ll decide to surprise you and you´ll find me doing something more.” She played with herself with her fingers and Wolf looked like he wanted to attack her and barely managed to stop himself.
“That sweetness is mine,” Wolf snarled, grabbing her wrist and he lifted her fingers to his mouth, licking them and Freya could feel herself go soft.
But then to her disappointed Wolf straightened and within the blink of an eye he had disappeared, leaving only frost behind.
“Soon,” came his voice, a hoarse echo in the room and the cold made her skin prickle. The castle felt so empty without him. It was strange that despite how large it was, Wolf´s presence always seemed to fill the space. She missed him when he was gone, wishing that he had allowed her to go with him.
Freya got out of bed, looking out the window and it was another beautiful day. No snowfall, just frost glittering deviously. From here she could see the lapis lazuli river and she decided to go down and talk to Ondina. She hadn´t talked to her in over a month and she had been without female company for several days, which was the longest she had gone in centuries. Quickly she put on her new favorite gown, a white high neck one with a silver leaf pattern that molded itself around her body.
Down by the river she relished in the automatic pull and just as expected it was the perfect temperature, not too warm and not too cold. When the water reached up to her waist she began making circles over the surface, faster and faster until the circle became transparent.
“Ondina, are you there?” Freya asked. “I need to talk to you.”
It didn´t take long until Ondina´s beautiful face showed up. Her kind eyes with their turquoise color were always arresting, no matter how many times Freya saw them.
“Freya,” she said, frowning but then she smiled. “It´s good to see you, I´ve been so worried. I went to talk to you yesterday but the other god´s told me you were gone and would never come back again.” She took a deep breath. “When I asked them where you were, they refused to tell me. Said something about it being a big secret.”
“I would´ve been surprised if they had told you,” Freya said, because most god´s couldn´t stand nymphs. Ondina grinned but then she bit her lip and squinted a little.
“What are you wearing?” she said. “That gown looks so good on you. And what is that in the background? Is that snow?”
“Yes,” Freya said eagerly and bent her face closer to the surface. “I´m in Ice Falls.”
“Ice Falls?” Ondina gasped. “Does that mean you´re with that cold Frost Bringer? You said you weren´t in danger!”
“It´s true, I´m not,” Freya interrupted her. “I´m safe and Wolf…he, he´s not cold or at least not in the way that you think.” Freya took a deep breath, not knowing how Ondina would react. Would she think that Freya was disloyal? “He has made me his queen.”
“What? You´re a queen now?” she asked in surprise.
“I know, right. Who knew that a little, old god like me would become a ruler of these lands?” She laughed and then she came to realize that Ondina was looking paler than usual, almost troubled.
“Is everything ok with you?” she asked and Ondina nodded nervously.
“Me? Yes, of course, although…” she shook her head as if she was about to say something stupid. “Do you remember that mortal I saved from drowning during the thirties?”
Freya nodded.
“I think I saw him by the shore a couple of days ago. Or at least someone who looked like him. But it had to be an illusion because he should´ve aged by now or maybe even be dead.”
“Have you seen him around some more?”
“No,” Ondina said. “Just that one time. And he wore different kinds of clothes and something was just different about him. Something was off.”
“Then it’s likely that it wasn´t him,” Freya offered. Maybe it was just someone who looked like him.”
“That is the most probable explanation, I guess…” Ondina said fleetingly but Freya could tell that she didn´t like that reasoning. “But enough about me. Tell me more about the Frost Bringer. Does he make you happy?”
“More happy than anyone has ever made me.”
Ondina smiled, looking like she was about to say how excited she was for Freya´s sake when she frowned.
“Wait, there´s something I don´t get. If you´re with the Frost Bringer now, then what happened with Philip?”
Freya lowered her eyes.
“That´s the thing, I´ve decided to let him go.” Ondina was such a gentle nymph, overly compassionate at times but she had a strong belief in standing by your words. Freya expected her to be saddened, take offense…
“Thank Titania of the Seven Streams,” Ondina said to her surprise. “Finally, I´ve been wanting you to do that for centuries.”
“You have? Why didn´t you ever tell me?”
“I did several times, but every time you almost bit my head off.”
Freya frowned. She couldn´t remember if she had. But maybe she´d repressed those conversations with Ondina. Perhaps there had been a few times when they were floating about in the water and Ondina had said that perhaps it was sensible to move on after some time. Freya seemed to recall that she had entertained the idea of submerging Ondina for just a little too long.
“Hm, maybe you´re right about that,” Freya murmured and Ondina gave her a look full of sympathy.
“You were still so in love with him but I knew it was a bad idea.” In a softer tone, she said. “The afterlife that humans go to, its…it is different. They
