by Joan Holub
2 Frost Giants
THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS OF the academy scrambled up the steps built into the side of the huge, high stone wall that surrounded Asgard. This wall had been partly destroyed during a recent war but had since been fixed. From atop it they could all look down to the ground far below.
There upon the snow, three large figures stood next to a reindeer-drawn chariot. Skade recognized them at once. “Oh no!” she breathed.
“Frost giants!” shouted a black-haired, dark-blue-eyed boygod named Loki. Because he was standing right next to her, his voice hurt her ears. He’d almost sounded excited as he’d pointed out the trio. But then, this boygod trickster loved nothing better than trouble.
And knowing those three down below as well as she did, Skade figured it was more than likely they were here to make exactly that! Each stood about five times as tall as any of the girlgoddesses, boygods, dwarfs, light-elves, and humans who attended Asgard Academy.
“Giants can shrink themselves as small as any Asgard student when they want to,” huffed a voice Skade recognized as Ull’s. “They know there are rules against showing off bigness here at the academy. Which means they’re just trying to scare us by appearing as humongous as they can!” Skade’s eyes darted sideways to see that Ull, Balder, Njord, and Freya’s twin brother, Frey, were standing just behind her left shoulder.
Other students along the wall murmured agreement and began hurling insults at the giants below: “Show-offs!” “Bullies!” “Rule-breakers!”
Skade sucked in a breath. Hoping to calm the students around her, she called out, “Hold on! They may know Odin’s rule that giants must shrink themselves when they visit AA. But they aren’t actually on school grounds right now. So the rule doesn’t count since they’re outside the wall.”
She knew a lot about giants and the way they thought. Because she was one! A half-giant, anyway, which meant she could only magically enlarge herself up to twice her current size. Her dad was a frost giant from Jotunheim. Her mom, a goddess of Asgard. Growing up, Skade had spent summers in Jotunheim and the rest of the year in Asgard attending a different school before being summoned to this academy along with twenty or more other half-giants and giants. Plus students from other worlds.
As the minutes ticked by, those three frost giants continued to stand alongside their chariot, arms crossed while silently staring up at the students and teachers on top of the wall. Skade looked left and right along the wall for her three podmates but didn’t see them. What are these giants up to? she wondered. Could they simply be waiting for Odin and his wife—Ms. Frigg—to show up?
Just then something poked Skade’s arm. It was Thor, nudging her with Mjollnir, his famous magical hammer. The red-haired boygod jerked his chin toward the giants. “Do you know who they are?”
She nodded. “The one on the left is Nott, the bringer of night,” she said, pointing down at a beautiful grown-up giantess with midnight-black hair. Given what her job was, the color of Nott’s hair had always seemed fitting to Skade.
Next she pointed to the giant on their right. “That’s Dag, the bringer of day.” He was a grown-up too and had bright sun-colored hair. Their chariot—the very one they were standing beside—flew them, the sun, the moon, and the stars across the sky, where they took turns creating light and darkness throughout the worlds.
“And that giant who looks about our age standing in the middle?” asked Ull.
“Skrymir,” replied Skade, wrinkling her nose. He had nothing to do with day and night, so she figured the other two had simply given him a ride here for some unknown purpose. “Don’t let his youth fool you,” she went on. “He’s highly skilled in magic and one of the sneakiest giants in all of Jotunheim. He can create illusions, making you see things that don’t really exist.
“I remember this one time in Jotunheim, Skrymir made me believe I saw a pond coated with thick ice that was just perfect for skating. When I tried to skate across it, though, I discovered that the ice was actually as flimsy as cloth. Crack! I fell right through.”
Somehow, gasping and choking, she’d managed to swim to shore. Skrymir had laughed like crazy as, shivering with cold, she’d climbed out. He’d never even apologized for his dangerous joke either.
“No way!” said Balder, looking upset on her behalf about that long-ago prank.
“Yes way,” she said, nodding.
In truth, Skrymir kind of reminded her of Loki. She darted a quick look at that blue-eyed Asgard student and saw that he was studying the giants closely. Probably thinking up some sort of mischief. Since coming to the academy, Loki had caused plenty of that. He’d cut off her friend Sif’s magical golden hair, for example. Which had resulted in the wheat crops in the human world of Midgard nearly dying off.
Another time, to save himself, he’d handed the supersweet Idun over to an eagle-giant named Thiazi. Idun was the keeper of the golden apples of youth, which kept all the girlgoddesses and boygods at AA healthy and young. Though she’d eventually escaped, in her absence all of them had grown old practically overnight.
And that wasn’t all. He’d once tried to steal Freya’s magical falcon-feathered cloak!
Sure, he’d helped get metallic replacement hair for Sif, which had saved the wheat crops. And he’d brought Idun and her apples back in the nick of time to stop everyone from remaining old forever. Plus, he’d returned Freya’s cloak. Still, Skade couldn’t let go of the fact that he’d tried to hurt her podmates and then laughed it off. Unfortunately, despite his trickster ways, he was charming. As a result, he often got away with his pranks. Same with Skrymir. Which wasn’t really fair.
“I’ve been expecting them, actually,” Loki piped up suddenly, still eyeing the silent giants. Those nearby who’d overheard turned to look at him.
“Why? What do you know?” Thor demanded, and Skade saw him grip his hammer more tightly. It was so heavy that no one but this superstrong boygod could lift it. Anytime he threw it, it always did what he told it and then returned to him.
“Frost giants haven’t been much of a threat since you acquired Mjollnir,” said Loki. “But Odin suspects they’ve been regrouping. Maybe getting ready to wage an attack on one of the worlds.” Loki thrust out his chin. “Since I’ve got a bit of frost giant blood myself, he sent me to do some spying, er, scouting. And I reported back what I saw to him,” he added boastfully.
“Which was what? Tell us,” Thor commanded.
Loki’s eyes sparkled. “Sorry. Secret intel. Can’t share.”
At this, Thor snarled like an angry bear. Loki wasn’t his favorite person. Not by a long shot.
Though it was true about Loki being related to the frost giants, he couldn’t enlarge at all as far as Skade knew, even though he was a skilled shape-shifter. And he seemed to switch his loyalty between the worlds on a whim, depending on what fun there was to be had by choosing certain sides at any given moment.
Since Loki wasn’t trustworthy in her opinion (or in just about anyone’s opinion), she doubted his reports about anything. She was kind of surprised that a smart god like Odin would ask him to act as a scout. Of course, Odin knew better than anyone how sneaky Loki could be. So maybe that trait made him a good choice as a spy.
“Loki’s told Odin whatever he found out. That’s what’s important,” Skade reminded Thor, despite her doubts about Loki’s trustworthiness. Her words seemed to calm the red-haired boygod, which was a very good thing. Because this boygod had a well-deserved reputation for having a quick temper!
“Are they ever going to speak?” asked Njord, gesturing to indicate the three still and silent giants below.
“I wish they’d just leave,” said Balder. “If they’re here to pick a fight, that is.” Then to Skade’s surprise, he yawned. Which seemed like a weird thing to do in the middle of so much excitement. It would only be normal if one were Mr. Sturluson.
“I’m just glad they’re not fire giants from Muspelheim,” murmured Frey.
Balder nodded. “Me
too.” Then he yawned again.
“Hey, are you turning into Mr. Sturluson Junior or something?” teased Njord, echoing Skade’s earlier thought.
Balder looked sheepish “No. Sorry, I just haven’t slept well the past few nights. Frey’s right about the fire giants, though. Could be worse.”
“Yeah,” Skade agreed. So far the worlds of Niflheim, Helheim, and Muspelheim had all gone against Odin’s wishes by not sending students to Asgard Academy. Skade and her friends couldn’t help feeling rather glad about that. After all, Niflheim and Helheim were both realms of the dead. And Muspelheim was full of fire giants led by a cranky boygiant named Surt. She wasn’t sure which was worse!
At this, Loki sent her a sideways glance. “I don’t know. We’ve all heard that Surt’s got a fiery sword that can do some pretty cool stuff. I’d like to see it in action sometime.”
They all stared at him in shock. “Are you nuts?” Ull asked him.
“Yeah, that sword of his is supposed to be bad news,” said Skade. Loki was the boygod of fire. Although unrelated to fire giants, everyone knew he had a strange, unsettling interest in them and their world.
Just then, there was movement on the wall as three new arrivals grandly made their way forward to confront the visiting frost giants at last. First came Asgard Academy’s two principals, Odin and Ms. Frigg. Behind them loomed Heimdall.
Odin was easily recognizable by the black patch he wore over one eye and the two black ravens that perched on each of his shoulders. Aside from being principal, he was the leader of the Asgard gods and the supreme ruler of all the worlds, though not all the worlds obeyed him all the time.
The tall, broad-shouldered, and brawny Heimdall gripped an enormous sword at his side, battle-ready at all times. His huge musical horn was slung across his shoulder by a leather strap. Shaped like a ram’s horn, it was made of polished gold with etched markings decorating its length. Really, he was a terrific security guard. Just his frown was usually enough to scare off enemies. Not these giant visitors, though.
The crowd went completely quiet as Odin called out a greeting. “Giants of Jotunheim, why have you come to Asgard? What do you want?” At this the three giants frowned, looking even fiercer.
Ms. Frigg laid a hand on Odin’s arm, and he stopped speaking. Her long blond braid shone brightly, as did her smile when she stepped forward to address the giants. “What Odin means to say is: Welcome. We hope you come in peace.”
At her words, Nott and Dag turned their gazes to Skrymir. A crafty look came over his face. Although he smiled big, Skade wasn’t fooled for one minute. She wouldn’t trust Skrymir any more than she’d trust Loki! Did he think Ms. Frigg was a pushover because she was nice? Wrong. She was every bit as smart as Odin, which meant supersmart.
“Sure we do!” Skrymir’s voice rang out. “Odin and Frigg, and all of Asgard, today I bring to you an offer of friendship.”
Skade’s eyebrows shot up. Huh? Since when did giants—particularly that boygiant—desire friendship with the gods?
“Skrymir is here representing the students of Jotunheim Academy in hosting a special sports competition in Jotunheim. It’s this weekend on Enchanted Mountain,” added Dag.
“Right. And I’ve come to invite some of your students to participate,” said Skrymir.
“What kind of sports competition?” asked Ms. Frigg as Heimdall and Odin frowned suspiciously.
“If you’ll allow us into your stronghold, Skrymir can discuss all the details,” Nott suggested.
“We can listen to your offer from the top of this wall well enough,” Odin informed him. “Please continue.”
Smart move, Odin, thought Skade. It would be nice to be able to believe these giants came in peace, but she wasn’t at all convinced. Unfortunately, most giants were still looking to settle old scores. Therefore, not all, but some, were a constant threat.
“Ymir’s knuckles! What is this special competition? Just spit it out!” Thor shouted impatiently at the giants when no one responded to Odin right away.
At the mention of Ymir, the faces of all three frost giants turned winter-white and blustery. They leaned forward, fists tight. “Don’t. You. Even. Mention. Ymir,” growled Dag.
Ymir was a frost giant who’d lived in ancient times. After he died, the nine worlds had been built from him. Literally. Sky, clouds, mountains—everything had sprouted from Ymir. From his hair, from his fingers, from you name it. For instance, Midgard, the world of the humans, had been built from his eyebrows. Sort of icky, and Skade could understand why many frost giants were still kind of mad about all that.
As everyone knew, Principal Odin’s purpose in bringing students from different worlds together at AA had been the hope that they’d become friends, thereby serving as a good example that might teach all the worlds to get along. Although life at AA wasn’t all happy rainbows and unicorns, students were gaining a better understanding of one another. Still, right now she could sense old feelings of distrust between various Asgard students and these giant visitors swirling around in the frosty air and colliding like tiny pellets of hail.
“Explain your offer or leave!” roared Odin. At his booming voice, the ravens on each of his shoulders flapped away to circle overhead.
“Speak!” Heimdall growled at the giants. “The ruler of all the nine worlds is a very busy guy.”
Ms. Frigg whispered something to Odin. Whatever it was seemed to calm him down.
“You’ll have to forgive me,” he said in a more moderate tone. “Recently I’ve gotten reports about suspicious activity in Jotunheim indicating that some there are gearing up to make trouble in Asgard. And now you arrive with this invitation.” He quirked an eyebrow and gave the giants a piercing look with his one good eye. “So I have to ask myself, why the sudden interest in a special event to bring all the worlds together?”
“Because when Loki visited us recently, he reminded us that friendship among the worlds is what keeps Yggdrasil healthy,” Skrymir explained. “And the good health of our sheltering tree means thriving worlds for us all.” This information wasn’t exactly news to anyone. Therefore, although he sounded earnest, Skade remained a little suspicious of his motives.
“So I came up with an idea,” Skrymir went on grandly. “To host a one-day event I’m calling the First Annual Jotunheim Ski Games! We’re traveling to every world inviting each to send a team of nine students.”
Odin nodded, now seeming both intrigued and pleased. “Nine or a multiple of nine is always a lucky number.” Stroking the tip of his long gray beard, he studied the three giants for several minutes.
The trio smiled big, waiting.
Finally, as if unable to bear Odin’s scrutiny any longer, Skrymir blurted out, “There’s no need to overthink this. Just say yes! It’s a real opportunity. A friendly competition.” Then he added slyly, “You’re not chicken, are you? Afraid your students will lose against ours?”
Students and teachers on the wall held their breath and looked at Odin. Would he be angry at these rude and goading questions?
To everyone’s surprise, Odin simply laughed as if AA losing was a ridiculous idea to him. “We accept your invitation.”
“Good,” said Nott, nodding.
“Then we’ll see you and your team in Jotunheim this weekend,” called Skrymir. With that, the three frost giants leaped into the reindeer-drawn chariot and shot into the sky.
As they flew out of sight, Odin announced, “Students of Asgard Academy! Ms. Frigg and I will discuss this matter and get back to you soon with our decision regarding which students will represent AA at the ski games in Jotunheim this weekend.”
With that, Odin, Ms. Frigg, and Heimdall departed, taking the stone steps down from the wall.
“We’d better get going,” Njord said once they were gone. Skade and some of the others looked his way. “To class,” he added.
“Oh yeah,” Skade agreed. “With all the excitement, I forgot school wasn’t over for the day. Hardly seems worth go
ing to our fifth period classes since there’s only a half hour of them left.”
Still, she, Frey, Loki, Thor, Njord, and Balder took off, scurrying up a branchway toward their fifth period class, Ragnarok Survival Skills. Along the way, all except Frey voiced the hope that they’d be selected for the Asgard ski team.
“I can’t go,” she heard Frey say. “After school, I’m going to tell Odin not to consider me. I’m heading out tomorrow with my Tree Lore class for a three-day campout to give aid to a field of blighted alpine bearberries.” The boygod of growing things, he took the welfare of the environment seriously, so it was no surprise he would choose this trip over the ski games.
Frey moved to walk alongside Njord, saying, “Do you have time to take Skidbladnir out to sea sometime in the next few days? It has to be sailed regularly or it starts making weird noises.”
“Like?” prompted Loki, overhearing.
“Creaking and groaning mostly,” Frey informed the group.
Hmm. Interesting. Skade hadn’t known that about the magical ship. Skidbladnir had been given to Frey recently by some dwarfs. It was amazing, and anyone would jump at the chance to sail it. Choosing Njord for the job made sense, since he was boygod of the sea. So it was no surprise when he quickly agreed.
Frey pulled the folded ship from his pocket and handed it over to Njord to place in his pocket. The ship was only the size of Njord’s palm now. However, when unfolded, it could grow big enough to hold a single person or an entire army.
Upon reaching their classroom, Thor pulled on the door. “Hey,” he called out in surprise. “It’s locked!”
“That’s weird,” said Loki. He rapped his knuckles on it.
While they waited for someone to answer his knock, Skade admired the dark, glossy door as she often did. An image of Yggdrasil was carved upon it with its three fat rings spaced out one above the other to encircle its trunk like bracelets.
The first ring—the top one—included Asgard (world of the Aesir), Vanaheim (world of the Vanir), and Alfheim (world of the light-elves).
