Chapter Text
Once upon a time, there lived a prince…
Hah. My apologies, I’m sure you were expecting a fairy tale to begin in this highly embellished book. However, it’s a memoir. I’m sure you feel tricked, or perhaps “betrayed.”
Despite the fact that there was no guarantee or promise of there being a fictitious story in this book, you decided to pick it up and you decided to raise your expectations. Fitting, I suppose. Don’t worry, it wouldn’t be the first time someone decided to lay the blame on me instead of their own unreasonable assumptions.
Nevertheless, I will admit the title is a tad misleading, seeings as it’s named “Tales of a Prince,” but again, this is a memoir. I hold the right to name it how I want, because I am allowed to make the choice. And you can make a choice as well.
You can end your reading here, or…you can continue, and read what may possibly be the last, hurried scrawls of a disgraced prince. Still reading? Well, let’s start at the beginning, shall we?
Once upon a time, there lived a tyrant, the Odin’s-king of the realm of Asgard. He wished to conquer the Nine Realms, destroying their unique practices and cultures. And by doing so, he believed that they would all be united. Savages, he called them. Uncivilized. Wretched creatures who didn’t know the “proper” way to conduct themselves.
And so, one by one, he conquered, using his weapon to drown the realms in blood and tears, and “teaching” them how to become “proper,” until at last, he came to one realm that refused to fall: Jotunheim. While the other realms had fought bravely, until their only choice was surrender or total annihilation, Jotunheim had a trump card: The Casket of Ancient Winters. Should they use the Casket, the battle would almost certainly be lost. But the Odin kinghad an idea: if he sent a spy to gain the Jotun king’s trust, they could draw out Jotunheim’s weaknesses and catch them unawares.
And so, he sent his most powerful weapon to fulfill this ambitious duty: his daughter, Hela. Dangerous she was, but lately, her care for her father and loyalty to the throne had waned. She knew the way he had changed. A new bride, and a new baby boy he was trying for. Honestly. The tyrant might have thought of her as a mindless weapon, but she was clever. Clever enough to realize if she gained the trust of the Jotun king, Laufey.
Together, they could possibly end the tyrant’s reign once and for all, and she would be free to do whatever she wanted. Perhaps…she would finish his campaign, but instead of conquering Jotunheim, she would conquer the universe. And so, she went to Jotunheim. She gained the trust of the Jotun king, and together they had a child.
This child, this newborn prince, they believed, would be the first to usher in the new era created by the tyrant’s downfall. Unfortunately, the tyrant had been watching through the eyes of the Watchman after Hela refused to report back. And so, the tyrant gathered his army, and they marched to Jotunheim, catching them by surprise.
Hastily, Hela and the king hid the child in a temple along with the Casket, hoping the priests and the sanctity of the temple would ward off the child being endangered. A great battle was fought, and the Jotun were pushed to the mortal realm of Midgard before they were cornered in their own realm. Here, Hela and the king were separated. At this time, three very important events happened:
First, Laufey was defeated, after having gouged the tyrant’s eye out.
Second, Odin marched to the temple, spilling the blood of its priests over its sacred ground, and claimed both the Casket and the child as his new spoils of war.
And lastly, Hela, feeling the absence of her child, slaughtered the incoming Valkyrie, who were sent to hold her off, until the Odin king came and sealed her away.
Jotunheim fell, and the Laufey king and Hela were never again to see their child. What a tragic end… Ha. I’m simply jesting. I’m sure you want the rest of the details, don’t you? Im sure the curiosity is simply killing you on the inside. But don’t worry. After the Odin king had finished with Jotunheim, he brought the child and the Casket to Asgard, sealing them both away. But trust me, dear readers This is only the prologue. There are plenty more tragedies in the rest of the story.