by Saga Berg
Their daughter was beautiful. Her long, blonde hair was pulled from her face with a blue head band that matched her eyes. She walked next to another girl, talking and laughing. A boy jogged down the stairs behind her and reached out to pull her hair as he passed. Freja told him off, shifting her hair to the other side, out of his reach. Her friend offered support, sticking out her tongue, but the boy ignored her, his attention still on Freja. Svala smiled but Viggo stared at the scene, not amused.
Svala stopped and placed her hand on his chest. “Stay here, honey. I’ll go talk to her. We don’t want to scare her.”
He nodded, but kept his eyes on Freja, his face tense.
The autumn leaves whirled around Svala’s brown t-form platform shoes and the wind caught her olive green skirt so strong she had to hold it down. When Svala closed in on the stairs, Freja spotted her. She smiled and fought the tears as Freja tilted her head to the side and crumpled her face, as if trying to place her.
“Freja?” she said.
Freja walked down the last steps and nodded slowly. Her friend studied Svala too and followed after Freja.
“Do you recognize me?” Svala kneeled to face her daughter. The urge to reach out and touch her was overwhelming, but she fought it.
“I don’t know.” Freja narrowed her eyes. “I think I do, but I don’t know from where.” She lifted her gaze and stared at Viggo for a few seconds. “I recognize him too.”
Svala glanced at Viggo. He approached with caution, and Svala reached out for him before turning to Freja.
“We’re family.” She clasped Viggo’s hand.
Freja’s brows drew together. “What do you mean?”
Svala hesitated. With the age difference, she couldn’t claim to be Freja’s mother. “I’m your aunt. Your mother was my sister.”
Freja took a step back. “My mother is dead.”
Viggo squeezed Svala’s hand.
“I know.” Svala forced a smile while the tears burned under her eyelashes. Her voice broke. “But we’re here.”
Freja’s friend tugged her shirt. “We should go. We’ll miss the bus.”
Freja stepped back, but lingered.
“Freja, come on!” The girl studied Svala and Viggo with a suspicious frown.
“We’ll drive you home if you want,” Svala said. “We just want to talk to you. Is that okay?”
Freja observed Viggo. Her friend grabbed her arm but she didn’t move. She studied her father with a curious expression. Viggo squeezed Svala’s hand again, hard.
“Okay.” Freja nodded, eyes still on Viggo.
Her friend left, but kept looking over her shoulder until she crossed the yard and disappeared around the corner. Viggo let go of Svala’s hand and knelt in front of his daughter. The gravel crunched under his sneakers. “Look at you, you’ve grown so much.”
“Did you know my parents too?” Freja asked.
He nodded. “And I knew you. When you were a baby. Do you remember that?”
She shook her head.
Svala knelt too. “What do you remember, sweetie?”
“I remember... “ She focused, eyes narrow. “I remember the ocean.”
“That’s right.” Viggo smiled. “You lived by the ocean. What else do you remember?”
“The smell of paint.” She searched Viggo’s gaze for approval.
He smiled wider, and nodded.
Freja agreed to come with them, and go for a ride. Svala sensed she understood what that meant, but that she didn’t mind. She followed them to the car, and slid into the backseat without questioning it.
Out on the school yard, Freja’s friend returned with an older woman. The girl pointed at Viggo and Svala, and the woman walked briskly in their direction. Viggo opened the front door and got in, Svala joined Freja in the backseat.
Svala and Viggo’s eyes met in agreement in the rearview mirror. Svala reached over and secured her daughter’s seat belt. “We’re going for a ride, okay sweetie?”
“Okay.” Freja studied her with interest.
Viggo pulled out from the curb so abruptly, Svala knocked her head against the front seat. The woman outside ran the last few feet to the sidewalk and shouted for them to stop. Viggo pushed the gas pedal hard and the wheels screeched against the asphalt, leaving marks as the car accelerated.
“It’s okay.” Svala reached out and grabbed Freja’s hand. “You don’t have to be afraid.”
Freja watched the woman running down the street, still shouting for them to stop. People on the sidewalk stopped walking and gazed after the speeding car. One man waved for them to slow down, but Viggo kept driving faster and faster.
He reached a junction and made the mistake of checking the rearview mirror again. The crash was sudden; they never had time to register it. A black SUV hit them from the side, and their Volvo spun out of control. Viggo hit the brakes, and when the car jerked to a stop, he catapulted through the windshield and flew several feet in the air before landing on the road. Svala smacked against the front seat and then the back window, breaking her neck instantly.
Death meant starting over.
***
Present Time
Washington D.C
Svala left the coffee shop, half regretting she didn’t follow Viggo into the restroom. Her friends went downtown to catch a movie, but she needed to be alone, and took the first bus home.
Trym was out. She opened the freezer and searched for comfort food when a hard knock on the front door made her jerk back. She leaned against the cold freezer and closed her eyes. He made resisting him into an impossible task.
She considered staying where she was, but didn’t want him thinking she’d ignored him, so she walked into the hallway, but stopped a few feet from the door.
“Vig, please leave. Don’t make this harder than it is.” She slouched against the wall.
“It’s not Viggo.”
Svala snapped to attention and straightened up. She hadn’t heard that voice in years. Her heart pounded. She hurried up to the door, unlocked it, and swung it open.
She gasped. “Alrik?”
“Hi, sweetheart.”
She stared at his familiar face, then peeked over his shoulder. “What are you doing here?”
He took a moment to study her before he spoke. “I’ve come to tell you the truth.”
Author's Note
Thank you for reading Nordic Fairies, I hope you enjoyed reading about Viggo & Svala. The next part of Nordic Fairies novella series is already available if you want to find out what happens next. Find information on the other parts on my website.
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Kind Regards,
Saga Berg
