{"sf1_id":860210,"sf2_id":null,"title":"The Trickster's Granddaughter","author":"StGeorgesHorse","words":13003,"posted_at":"2015-05-12T22:01:00.000Z","tags":["Bear","Bestiality","Cervine","Deer","Female","Human","Legend","M/F","Magic","Male","Norse","Norway","Norwegian","Transformation","Vaginal","Wolf","lupine","mythology","sex","tale","troll","ursine"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/860210-the-trickster-s-granddaughter","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/860210","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=860210\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#33 of Miscellany\n\nA little story (30 pages/13,000 words) that came from a suggestion by :iconRovain. Enjoy.","content":"A little story (30 pages/13,000 words) that came from a suggestion by  Rovain Enjoy.Amund was lost. Not with that\nemotional melancholy that strikes people on occasion, but with an honest to\ngoodness lost in the woods kind of feeling. He had left his village three days\nprior to hunt for deer and other game, and now he was so badly turned about\nthat he had no idea where he was. IT was a woods and he was lost.Rest was all he could do at the\nmoment. His quest for food had been largely futile. In the passing days he had\nseen little more than rabbits and squirrels and while one of those had\nsustained him during his journey, such a small morsel would hardly feed a\nvillage. He needed to find a new supply of game.Now he was lying on a thick bed of\nmoss, a rotten log serving as his pillow. Sleep failed to come to him now for\nhis mind was aware of a multitude of sounds coming from the dark forest around\nhim. Even trying to force sleep to come was largely ineffective. No matter what\nhe did, his eyes refused to stay shuddered. Seeing nothing in the dimness with\nthem open was far better than what his mind's eye saw with them closed.Part of his wakefulness could have\nbeen instinctual. The sounds were hardly the normal fare, but were a collection\nof strange symphonies and cacophonies of harsh guttural sounds that both\npleased the ear and distressed it. Whatever the source, they came from neither man\nnor beast, leastwise none from his realm of experiences. These sounds were more\nakin to those told in the tales and legends of his people. Amund was not a superstitious man\nbut he was growing closer to making that claim with every waking moment.For three days nothing had made\nitself known to him and now it seemed as if the entire forest had come alive. He\ncould hear trees bending as if in the wind, and the ground beneath him seemed\nto shake and rumble. And yet, despite the frightening array of omens, he found\nthat he couldn't move a muscle. It was as if the ground under his flesh and\nbones had decided to claim his body as its own.When he saw the dim figure of a doe\nslip into the clearing he knew that there was an enchantment, for a white doe\nwas even rarer than a white stag. He struggled to reach his bow, but his arm\nwas as dead as stone, and felt nearly as heavy. He blinked to free his mind\nfrom the illusion walking towards him and instantly regretted it. In the place\nof the deer was an immense white bear, taller than an ursine had the right to be,\nand as horrifying to look upon as any imagined terror.He closed his eyes as it lumbered\ntowards him, mouth agape and ready to gnaw him to pieces. It was an ignominious\nway to die, helpless under the thrall of a spirit bear, and since no one was\nhere to help him or know of his death, no songs would be sung for him. There\nwould likely be nothing left of him to burn to the great gods either. He was\ndoomed to live out his afterlife in the forest realm as a fossegrimen, though\nhis musical ability was hardly enough for that. He would end up as something\nfar more sinister.The breath on his face was hot, and\nalmost unwillingly he opened one eye and then both. He was staring up into the\nface of a wolf, equally white as the others had been and gleaming enough to put\nthe winter snows to shame. Its eyes were piercing; rapturous blue orbs that\nheld infinite power, wisdom and longing. The longing part seemed to skip straight\npast his mind and direct itself a little lower on his anatomy. The wolf opened\nits jaws and again, in anticipation of his coming demise, Amund closed his\neyes.\"Does my appearance disturb you\nso?\"He cracked open one eye again,\nclosing it back up at the sight he saw. The voice was in no way dulcet, nor was\nthe face he was gazing at beautiful. It was anyone's guess if it ever had been.\nThere was obviously some dark sorcery at work, but what it was and who this\ncreature was were neither questions he had answers for, nor ones he had the\ndesire to learn to truth to.\"Yes. What are you?\"\"What kind of question is that\nyoung hero?\"\"A good one. I just saw a wolf, and\nbefore that a bear, and before that a deer, all dressed in white. And then I\nsaw you.\"\"And yet, in all that, all you saw\nwas me.\"\"So I repeat myself. What are you?\"\"Is that a proper question to ask a\nlady? Might not you ask who I am first?\"\"My apologies. Might I have your name?\"\"No! Why would I give you my name?\nIs there something wrong with yours?\"He lay there confused and in\ndefeat. Whatever this thing was, it seemed intent on driving him mad.She smiled; a hideous thing on a\nhideous face. \"You might know me as huldra. That is not my name, but what I presently\nappear to be.\"His eyes went wider. Huldra had an\nevil reputation. His own great grandmother was purportedly a huldra, though no\none held that tale to be true. However, there was the old cow's tail in the\nfloorboards of his home. It looked ordinary; a dried husk of hair, hide and\nbone from some long dead cattle slaughtered for its meat. But still...\"If you are huldra, what do you\nwant with me?\"\"Want? What could an old woman like\nme want with a young thing like you? To boil your flesh to make my supper?\nRender your fat to make my salves?\"She could tell he was having\nterrible thoughts about how he was going to die. \"Or maybe I have a proposal\nfor you that may end up coming to the mutual benefit of both of us.\"The look of disgust on his face was\nobvious. He knew he was going to have to fight for his life if he got free, and\nthe thought of combat or any close personal contact with this witch-woman was\nabhorrent to him. By reputation alone he knew he had to flee, but his muscles\ndidn't respond whatsoever.\"What do you want from me?!\"\"A few things. You are young and\nstrong, and this world is not for the weak. There are dark purposes floating\nthrough the forest, and down under the earth. Realms are fighting upheaval and\nthe Gods are restless. If ever there was a time for a hero it is now.\" She\npulled one of his arrows out and peered intently at it, touching it from end to\nend.\"I'm no hero!\"\"Heroes aren't born young fool, but\nforged. They meet their destiny in a clash of steel and a shower of sparks.\"\"And what do you get out of this?\"\"There is always a price to pay\nyoung mortal; always terms to be met. I can let you up to go back to your\npeople empty handed, or you can rise to be something greater than you could\never imagine and feed them for a lifetime.\"\"You would do this for me?\"\"You make me sound almost\naltruistic young man. That I am not. I will get something too.\"\"What could I possibly offer you\nthat...?\"His words were cut off as she undid\nthe leather cords that laced his pants together at his waist. She was far\nstronger than she looked, and much more so than any old woman had the right to\nbe.\"What are you doing?\" he cried.\"Where there is strength perhaps\nthere is less substance in the matter floating around inside the skull. What do\nyou think I am doing?\"\"Removing my pants!\"\"Then all is well, for that is\nprecisely what I am doing.\"\"But why?\"\"Are you so obtuse that you don't\nknow the way of a man with a woman?\"\"I know how that works. But you're\nan old hag!\"\"Such an unimaginative mind. Close\nyour eyes and maybe you can still manage to get some enjoyment out of it.\"\"No!\"The old woman sighed. \"And such\nemotion. I think you are wasting your abilities. Close your eyes and do your\nbest to ignore me.\"He tried, alarmed that the touch of\nher fingers was stirring his loins to action. He should be completely repulsed\nby her, and yet his body was reacting in a positive manner. He clamped his eyes\nshut and tried to imagine the most beautiful lady he could. He only hoped that\nhis experience today didn't ruin him for the future. The idea of a wrinkled old\nhag stripping naked was among the most unappealing things he could imagine.\nHaving her on top of him was even worse.It seemed obvious he was going to\nhave to go through with her desires, regardless of his feelings on the matter.\nHis fears were realized when he felt her straddle his middle. Strangely, the\nfeeling was more pleasant than he figured the act was going to be. Even odder\nwas the aroma of fresh cut herbs. And flowers. Suddenly he was smelling the\nwafting odors of walking through a summer  meadow!He opened his eyes and was thunderstruck\nby the sight in front of him. The old woman had vanished, to be replaced by a\ngirl of unblemished beauty. But girl was not the word, for her skin was as\nwhite as rime. Her eyes were those pools of fathomless blue.\"What are you?\"\"Child, you see but you do not\nunderstand. In this form I am ljósálfr.\"He froze. Where there was one being\nof mythology, there were bound to be others. The sounds! He had heard tales\nthat among humans; normal folk couldn't hear or see those beings not\nconstrained by the natural laws that men knew. There was some unspoken rule\nthat kept the beings on separate planes...for the most part. Many an unexplained\ndisaster was attributed to trolls and dwarves, said to be getting even for some\nimagined slight at the hands of normal folk.Her eyes should have been a\ngiveaway, but he was too overwhelmed to consider the possibilities of the\norigins of such unnatural orbs. Despite the legends and lore that imbued his\npeople's beliefs, many wiser men dismissed the stories as silly superstition.\nOne of those superstitions was presently settling down over his cock with\nexpert ease.The groan that escaped his lips was\ninvoluntary, for the warmth enveloping his manhood was extraordinary. He had\nfooled around with the village girls before, for finding a wife meant finding\nsomeone who was compatible to your way of thinking, but most of them simply\nhoped to ensnare him by becoming with child. He was too wily for that.He wondered suddenly if that was\nthe intent of this creature; to gain his seed and impregnate herself? Was that\neven possible? He knew so little about the fairie creatures, and even that\ncounted for naught. What was passed down from sage to sage often was reworded\nto suit the new keeper of the knowledge, so who knew the real truth behind\nthose who walked on the other side?His concerns dissolved into morning\nmist as she leaned down and kissed him. She whispered in his ear. \"Shall you\nbehave here on out or must I keep you imprisoned with my power?\"\"That depends. Are you what you\nreally appear to be or are you that old hag?\"\"Men! All they think about is the\nbeauty only the eye can see, and not the loveliness of the heart below the\nsurface. So I will tell you this; I am as you wish me to be. Whatever you see\nis what your heart desires at any given moment.\"Her skin was pale and smooth, her\nlips red and fierce, and her hair hung like silk threads to fall about his\nface. He closed his eyes, wondering what other forms she could take and when he\nopened them again, things had shifted once again.The wolf was staring him in the\neyes and it was highly obvious that his cock was now inside it, or her, as the\ncase happened to be. He was growing alarmed and very much distressed. Tales of\nmatings with animals were in his lore, but never had he ever taken them to be\ntrue.\"What in the name of Odin?\"The wolf managed to smile, a rare\nthing indeed. \"I told you, everything you think of for me, becomes real. You\nsee what you wish to see, and feel what you wish to be real. And my, aren't you\nan adventurous sort.\" The white wolf jerked her hips a few times to make her\npoint.Amund on the other hand couldn't\ndecide whether to close his eyes again and keep them shut, or to force himself\nto keep them open. The alternative was finding something even more imposing\nsitting on his pelvis.The wolf seemed amused. \"Whatever\nyou think of on the outside, it still remains me on the inside. You have\nnothing to fear from any form I might take.\"His confused mind clung to the form\nabove him and tried to stay the course. Strangely, he found the experience to\nbe pleasant enough, for the wolf form seemed to have a snugger fit, with just\nenough room for his manhood and nothing more. He had never encountered a hole\nsuch as this in all his life and wanted to desperately see it through until his\nseed came shooting out. He would feel properly humiliated later. For now, he had an adventure to handle.,He suddenly found his arms free from\ntheir paralysis and swung them up and grabbed onto the furry form sitting on\nhim. He pulled her down and raised his now functioning knees as he clung to her\nlike a long lost lover. If he ever made it back to the village, it was a story\nhe was never going to be able to tell, but he knew that any woman he chose to\nmarry after this was never going to be able to compare to this wonderful\ncreature.The wolf's front paws were on his\nshoulders and her head was licking his face much like any real lupine would do\nwhen encountering a lost companion. Her back legs were on the ground,\nstraddling his hips and her tail was wagging like a flag in the wind.He latched his fingers onto her\nback legs and used them to pump her up and down over his raging cock, suddenly\naware of the lust rising inside him. It hardly mattered who or what she was,\nthe need become so great that he had to rise up to meet her in this\nsexually-charged contest of wills and bodies. He sensed his oncoming bewitchment\nand ran headlong to greet it.His hips bucked as he thrust into\nher lithe form with the madness that sometimes strikes a warrior during battle.\nThe strength of the madness matched the will behind his present motions, as his\nrock hard cock slammed into her with repeated blows. He was glad for the soft\nmoss under his backside, or else he would have been carelessly tearing up his\nskin in the process.He worked away for an interminable\namount of time, reaching a climax several times but feeling no desire or need\nto stop. In his weakened condition he should have collapsed long before it did,\nbut his body carried on tirelessly.The wolf held patiently still the\nentire time, for she wanted what he had to give, and was willing to get it in\nany manner he desired to give it. She had not lied about her forms, for humans\noften saw things only as their minds could cope with perceiving them. Only a\nfew open minded individuals could see the strange folk, and their fellow humans\ncalled them mad or shunned them as seidhr. This young\nman was blinded by his upbringing, despite his mixed blood.She knew who\nhe was, even if he did not. His ancestor was not of his kind, and she was aware\nof the joke the family maintained in keeping a real cow's tail hidden in their\nabode. Some stories were jokes perpetrated by her kind, to keep the humans\nguessing at the world around them which they seemed determined to ignore. It\nwas their loss; blaming such veils and deceptions on decrees from the All-Father.\nIt was always easier to blame your ignorance on someone else.Amund was a\ngood lad, strong and wise enough for his age. Now that he was beginning to\nunderstand the other world that co-existed with his, he might prove to be the\nhero she was looking for. If not, she would still keep him around. His energies\nin bed, albeit a bed of moss, were phenomenal. His erect phallus was very good\nat reaching itches untouched in years. She was\nsurprised that her present form remained unchanged, after his apparent\ninfatuation with her younger, humanoid form, but variety was going to be\nsomething he was going to have to get used to. She was waiting to see if he\nbraved the bear form, but his mind seemed to have locked onto just this one.\nThat too was good, for it meant he had the willpower to make a choice. His\nfuture may rest on that ability.Her thoughts\nwere scattered as he suddenly rolled them together, pinning her on the ground\nand allowing him the freedom of being on top. Forceful too, she thought,\nanother good trait. And then her eyes rolled back in her head as he took her\nwith a force unfelt within her body in many seasons. She let him do as he\npleased, knowing that every ounce of his fluid she could entice from him was\none step closer to getting what she desired. Most of his sperm are human, and\nthe other small percentage much more special. Her body would sort them out.The young man\nwas going at it like a maniac. Luckily for him she was tough, tougher than any\nhuman, though not as hardy as a mountain troll. Then again, she had far more\nbrains and greater good looks than that lot. One could not be all things\nwrapped into one. That, it seemed, was an actual decree from the All-Father.\nStill, she had come out pretty lucky all around.  She blamed that on her grandfather.Amund's persistent\npounding was making her body rage with desire, and she was glad she had been\npatient to wait for him to grow up to the point of becoming a man. Love was a\nrare thing between mortals and her kin, but it did happen. She figured if she\nwas going to lose herself over someone, it would be one of her choosing.And now, the\nblood rang in her ears and pounded through her heart like liquid fire. The old\nlusts were strong, regardless of the years. She was truly old, and her hag\npersona only a reflection of that age. Her real face was the youthful one, for\nher kind never dimmed before going out. They were vernal and vibrant to the\nend.Amund was\ngasping hoarsely as he continued to work her over, craving to have her time and\ntime again. She knew he was strong, but even the best lovers needed a break. To\nthat end she geared herself up, timing her climax with his last one, bringing\nthem together in a clash of hot, steaming bodies that filled the clearing with\nthe desperate sounds of rolling bodies and cries of desire.When he opened\nhis eyes again, the youthful face peered down into his. \"For the first of our\ntrysts, I'd say that will do.\"\"First?\"\"I did not\nmumble, now did I?\"\"No. I think\nI'll be worn to bone at this rate.\"\"We will find\nyou food. I am not a harsh mistress, not by any means. I would never wish for\nyou to lag in your duties.\"True to her\nword, he saw a deer enter the clearing, the first real sign of a solid meal in\ndays. Yet even then, he stilled his hand. He couldn't bring his hand to draw\nhis bow.\"What's\nwrong?\"\"I saw you as\na beautiful doe. How can I chance killing another creature without knowing if I\nstrike something of great beauty instead.\"\"Great beauty?\nYou flatter me young man. However, sometimes a deer is just a deer.\"\"But I could\nnot eat all that, and I have no way of getting it home.\" He fell silent a\nmoment. \"If I could even find home now.\"\"Home is where\nyour heart is. Keep it close and you shall never be lost. As for your\ncompassion, you do yourself credit, yet all things must eat, and even the wolf\nmust rend flesh to survive. Do not lose sight of reality young Amund.\"It was the\nfirst she had used his name and he noticed.\"You called me\nby name. This encounter wasn't by chance, was it?\"\"Very few\nthings in life are. The nornir see that all threads are woven together and only\nthe very few escape inclusion in their great tapestry.\"\"I see.\nActually, no I don't. You've had your eye on me and you dare blame something as\nridiculous as the fates?\"She stuck her\nfinger to his mouth. \"Shhhh! No one dares to defy them. And just mentioning\nthem may bring them down on you. What is written is written, and unless you\nwish them to cut your thread of life early, I'd suggest you keep quiet.\"He was taken\naback by the seriousness she expressed. He had thought the fates to be nothing\nmore than legend, and yet, here he was with a legend and they had made love for\nhours. She was as real as any other creature he had met and perhaps more real\nthan many he had seen over the years.\"What aren't\nyou telling me?\"\"Much. And I\nwill continue to keep it a secret until such time as the situation becomes\nirreversible. But the one thing you do not want to do is to mention them\nagain.\"He shook his\nhead in wonderment. \"Did you lead me here just to play tricks with me?\"\"I lead you\nnowhere. I simply followed you on your quest.\"\"Why don't I\nbelieve it to be that simple?\"\"Because you\nare wiser than you think. The scarcity of game around your village was my\ndoing. Now that we are together, that matter has been allowed to resolve. Your\npeople will not starve on account of me.\"\"Why didn't\nyou just come to my village and ask for me?\"\"Think of all\nI have told you and all you have seen and answer it for yourself.\"He mulled over\nthe possibilities. He had seen her in many forms, most of which were likely to\ncause the villagers to go on the attack. Even in her most lovely form, the\npeople he knew would have reacted quite badly to seeing her. And her presence\nin his village might very well have attracted the notice of the nornir, the weird\nwomen of legend. But what of him? Did they have plans for him? HE was a nobody,\"I think I\nunderstand. But can't you tell me what this is all about?\"\"No. You must\ntrust that I mean you no harm, and you must trust that I will do or be anything\nyou want until this is over.\"\"Will I die?\"\nThe question was serious spoken and taken equally in earnest.\"Yes. We will\nall die given the passage of time. But if you mean because of me and what I\nhave planned, then the answer is most likely no. But you must do as I say, for\nwe are the edge of a sword and we must remain together until the blade is\nswung.\"\"Swung? Swung\nby whom?\"\"That remains\nto be seen. If I could predict that, then the nornir would be out of a position\nruling over our lives.\"                He\ngave up asking questions. He was hungry and seeing the deer made him acutely\naware of his need. But he did find that he needed to ask one more question. \"Do\nyou have a name?\"\"I do, and you\nwill learn it in time. For now, you may call me gjenfødelse.\"\"Rebirth? What\na strange thing to be called.\"\"Then just\ncall me Jen if you wish. I care not a whim for your thoughts on that. YIF you\nwish to call me something of your own choosing, then use one of those.\"\"Fine. I\ndidn't mean to irritate you.\"\"You didn't.\nNot yet. Just try to keep pace with me, alright?\"\"Yes Jen.\"\"That's\nbetter. Now let us find you some food.\"She took him\nto a stream, where the crystal clear water flowed over rounded boulders and\neddied in deep pools. In the swirling waters below he could see fish; large\nsalmon swimming idly along in the currents.\"I have no\nhook or line to snag one with.\"\"True. But you\nhave your wits, if you know how to use them.\"He considered\nhis choices. Diving into the icy cold water wasn't high on his list. The chill\nwould numb his fingers and grabbing a fish was therefore improbable. He had his\nbow and a quiver of arrows, but assuming he shot a fish, he would lose both the\nfish and his projectile. His clothing however had several lengths of leather\ncord. Tied together they might make a good tether.It worked,\nthough the cord on the shaft of the arrow threw off his aim. But by placing the\ntip of the arrow into the water, he was able to compensate for both the extra\nweight and the refraction of the water. He managed to\nimpale a large one and haul it to the surface where it splashed and fought\nuntil a rock ended its struggles. He made a fire, dressed out his catch and set\nit to roasting. He was so hungry he nearly declined carrying out the last step.\"You did\nwell,\" she said encouragingly. \"You must have the ability to make do with those\nthings you have at your disposal. Wishing you have the right tool is not\nsubstitute for making one that will work just as well.\"\"Thank you for\nthat. And thank you for showing me this spot. I doubt I shall ever come this\nway again, but you can never tell.\" \"It is part of a greater kingdom, this pool.\nEven the lands you live in are not what they seem. Your petty kings know so\nlittle about the land they claim as their own.\"\"And you do?\"\"Of course!\"He shut up,\nknowing he would only be showing his ignorance if he continued to ask\nquestions. In just a short while his knowledge had grown to the point that he\nnow knew he knew nothing. The world around him was filled with greater variety\nthan his logical mind had allowed for, and his present lessons where opening\nhis eyes to all the possible wonders that existed around him.Wonders and\ndangers alike.They shared\nthe fish, whose delicate flesh was enhanced by the smoky fire. Well fed and\nfeeling a little surer of himself, he forced himself to make another inquiry. \"Jen, why me?\"\"Why not you?\"\"Please answer\nthe question.\"She sighed.\n\"Because I have information; word from the crows that have seen things written\nin the great book of the nornir.\"\"Odin's\nravens?\"\"All things\nare from the All-Father, the ravens being no different.\"\"You are\navoiding the question.\"\"You wise up\nquickly boy. Yes, from his ravens. There are ways of bribing them, and in\nreturn they will go out of their way to do something for you.\"\"So you asked\nfor information from the nornir, and since they worked for Odin, the three old women\nthought nothing odd of it?\"\"Essentially.\nFor anyone to know their fate is a tricky thing. In trying to avoid it one\noften ensnares themselves even deeper into fate's workings.\"\"And you?\"\"Me? I'm right\nin with the flow, only my purpose is not to contradict the words thus written,\nbut to interpret them in my own fashion.\"\"To what end?\"\"Young man;\nAmund; let this matter unfold. The less you know, the more likely the success\nof it. If it works, you will find yourself a great man among all the kinds, and\nyou will live out your life in a way never heard of in the mortal world.\"\"If you say\nso. I never wished for greatness you know.\"\"Yes, I know.\nThat is one of the reasons I have chosen you. Men who crave power will do much\nto achieve it. They draw attention to themselves as they gather armies and\nweapons to themselves. Much blood has been shed over petty arguments and\nstruggles for power. My plan is far slier and less sure, but the compensation\nat the end will be just as great.\"He sat silent\nfor a while. He contemplated her words, knowing full well he was deep over his\nhead in matters too arcane for his mind to grasp. He could accept some of that\nfate, for she was pleasant company in so many ways, and yet...Where was this\njourney going to end? He could almost hear the tales of his adventure and\nwondered if people would be thrilled or disgusted by them. Making love to a\nwolf was not within the acceptable standards of his people, even if the\nshe-wolf wasn't actually a wolf. The thing that bothered him was that he found\nit enticing, so much so as to do it again. And the bear... What would his dearly\ndeparted mother think of such a thing?Nothing, as\nlong as she knew naught about it. He could only hope that her spirit never\ncaught wind of his slip into moral decay.Jen was\nwatching him, seeing the thoughts flicker through his eyes, the windows to a\nman's soul. She knew he was going to be hesitant to engage with her, and using\nthe art of trickery and disguise had maneuvered around his moral objections.\nShe had not lied when she said her appearance was in part a matter of his own\nimagination. She had her grandfather's gifts and she had learned how to use\nthem well.She had no\nintention of telling him many of the things that were in his future. Not all of\nthem were clear, for they had not been fully written into the great book. She\nwas planning on slipping between the lines, meeting the requirements of the\nwritten words while still turning the end results to her advantage. And Amund's\ntoo of course.She had given\nhim her heart, though he knew it not. Not yet.\"Jen?\"\"Yes?\"\"Can we; you\nknow - do it again?\"She hid her\nsmile and feigned ignorance. \"Do what?\"\"You know...\"The smile was\nallowed to spread across her face. \"As often as you like.\"This time she\ntook a moment to strip him entirely out of his clothing. He was going to have\nto rethread the leather cords he had removed earlier, and what better way to\nassist him later than by having the items off now? It was a poor excuse, though\nshe knew the situation hardly needed a good one.Men were\nsimple when it came to their needs. There were several important things to\nremember; always let them think that anything was their idea, always keep them\nhappy in bed, and never let them out of your sight once you had sunk your claws\ninto them.The\nshe-creature started by kissing him deeply, pushing her power into him and\nforging an ever stronger bond between them. He responded with fiery passion.\nShe knew she had the advantage of him, but her methods were for the best. He\nwould come to no harm from her or her machinations, not if the matter was\ncarefully guided. Sex was as\nmuch a part of her craft as was any of it.It was, as a\nmatter of fact, one of the more enjoyable parts.She slipped\nfrom his mouth and wound her way down his body, leaving little kisses behind in\nthe wake of her passage. Her tongue curled across his flesh, caressing it with\nmoisture as she made her way to his crotch. His cock was already standing at\nattention, but then, that was what it was meant for; to be the sole target of a\nprowling female's needs.She engulfed\nit with her mouth, knowing that she could entice him into greater action with\nthe proper seduction. Any female could take a man the normal way, but her kind\ngrew bored with only one method, and thus her abilities would dazzle his mind\nand ensnare his heart.She ran her\ntongue up and down his shaft, feeling him shudder as the wet end of it ran\nacross his tip. She went down on it until she had the entire thing in her mouth\nagain. She stroked it, pumping it like she wanted him to cum, but using her\npower and her talent to prevent him from doing so. Not a single drop of his\nseed could afford to be lost, and it was going to go where it was needed most.That didn't\nstop her from torturing him just a little. She kept bringing him to the brink\nand then forcing him back down. To her it was just good fun, but to a dewy-eyed\nhuman it was the most extraordinary thing he had ever endured. To be brought to\nnear fulfillment of his sexual needs, only to be dashed time and again was\ndriving him crazy. It was just as she intended.That was when\nshe turned into a bear. The weight on his legs suddenly grew nearly\nexcruciating. He opened his eyes to see the bear giving him the most lascivious\nlook he could have imagined coming from an ursine. She was still sucking on his\nmanhood, which at this moment looked rather more like she was preparing to eat\nit. iT unnerved him, but the pleasure flowing through him stayed any other\nemotions he might have contemplated having.His qualms\nsubsided as she moved her bulk and positioned her backside on his lap. She\nlaughed to herself, for her form was unconsciously of his choosing. Apparently\nhe had a death wish, for she knew that no normal man would consider this a good\nidea. Then again, he was well aware that this wasn't a real bear, but some\nfears were hard to overcome regardless of what the mind knew. Knowing in one's\nmind wasn't always accepting to one's brain.She looked like\nthe great bear of the far north, the one with the white fur and fierce\nreputation. And yet her fur was as soft as the winter ermine's and her body\nsupple and willing. In his present state it was a body perfect for the barely\ncontained sexual rage she had cultivated within him.She settled\nher feminine parts squarely over his and dropped down, impaling herself in a\nmanner that she found delightful. In the next instant she dropped down and\ngrabbed him up, rolling as he had done before and this time putting him on top.\nThis way she knew she wouldn't hurt him by accidently flattening him. Besides,\nit would make him feel superior to be on top.The fast\nturnabout in their positions made his head spin, but he had to admit it felt a\nwhole lot safer this way. It was odd though. He felt like he was making love to\na bed and not a person.She had her\nhaunches pulled up and her back feet clear of him, to avoid any inadvertent contact\nwith those formidable claws. She was so large though that he could only plant\nhis face in her chest fur and nuzzle it. She did bring down her front paws and\nenveloped him with those buckler-sized appendages. The claws on either side\nentwined with each other, meshing together and saving him any accidental impaling.Amund found\nout that bears are just a tight as wolves, a surprising fact for his addled\nbrain. He hooked his fingers into that unblemished, snowy white fur and let the\nberserker rage take him. His judgment came unglued as the last vestige of his\nmind had this one singular thought; I wish my friends could see me now!From there on\nhe might as well have been an animal. If such a thing were possible, he was\ndoing little more than raping this ursine sow.  She was more than equipped to handle his fury,\nfor she had worked him up just for this. She desired to see if he had the\nspirit to blindly attack even the most outlandish of creatures, and while he\nhad nothing to fear from her, his blind attack on her present body was just the\nsort of headlong violence he might encounter later on.For now his\nantics were simple tickles to her; pleasing tickles at that. A great snow bear\nwas a tough creature. A mere human could do very little to prove any match to\nsuch a beast unless armed with steel. His only weapon at the moment was doing\nlittle more that scratching at itches long in need of scratching. She almost\nhated to play him as she was, but the end result was going to be to the benefit\nboth of them.His love\nmaking, at the moment, was restricted only by his imagination. She thought it\nfunny to let him flail as best he could with her bulk on top, but had kindly\nhad a change of heart and rolled them over so that he was on top. Men preferred\nthat, and in this case, she could hardly blame him. His feet\ndangled off the backside of her which was just as well, for it gave his toes\nsomething to purchase. They dug into the soil as his fingers clung tightly to\nher fur. She had to give him kudos for the effort he was putting into this.\nAgain, she thought to herself that her choice of human had been a good one. The\nbattle did not always go to the strongest or the race to the swiftest, but\nhaving the right proportions of those traits went far in further her goals. And\na little mix of something special in his blood helped all the more.She propped\nherself up on her forelegs and gazed down at him as he ravaged her body. It\nwould have been more fun for her in her more petite human form, but it wasn't too\nbad as it was.  A bear had far smaller\ngenitals for their size than a lot of creatures, so his cock was actually\nsnugly fitting into her otherwise enormous frame. One thing about the human\nmales was their proportionally large manhoods.She let him go\nas long as he could.  She did have a\ndeadline, but she had allowed for enough time for such dalliances. In fact,\nthere was a risk, if he tired out too quickly, that they would be done well\nbefore the appointed time. Still, a creature like her knew of spells and remedies\nto increase a man's virility. She hardly thought he would need something so prosaic,\nbut if the need arose, and he could not, she would.  Amund was\nfilling with the berserker rage, but unlike that which the seafaring Vikings\nheld dear to their fighting abilities, his was bent towards this Jen creature.\nHe was still struggling with what she was, for being a hulda seemed to be\nsomething minor compared to the abilities she was demonstrating before his very\neyes. That she was real was beyond question, but outside of that one, lone\nfact, he knew nothing more than that he wanted to make her his very own.If he had\nknown that through their shared connection she was clouding his mind, he\nprobably would not have cared. She was filling him with knowledge, secretly slipping\nit in under the strength of her sexual hold over him. She needed him to think\nthat what would come to his mind later had always been there. Men didn't pay\ntoo much attention to their brains when their cocks were working. All that ever\ndid was to interfere with the pleasure of the moment.Amund plowed\ninto that massive body until his cock ached and his muscles were on fire. This\nwas no simple sexual act but a conquest which he intended to surmount\nregardless of the consequences. Even though he knew she was allowing him this\nprivilege, he also knew that his future reputation with her rode on his\nactions. He had no intention of slacking off, not even a little.When he came,\nhe did so with a mixed feeling of relief and a subtle sense of pride. He so\nwanted to talk her into going back to his village with him, to show off what he\nhad done, but knew in his heart that she had far more important, and quite\nlikely more dangerous and sinister plans for him.She pulled him\nup on her body as he collapsed, and in the next instant he was cradled in the\narms of a lovely lass again. His only surprise was his lack of surprise in not\nbeing startled by all of these sudden transformations. In his mind he knew he\nshould be fearful, but after what he had been through, he felt in his heart\nthat if he was going to die because of her, it would come as the most glorious\ndeath a man could suffer.She lay there\nas his breathing ebbed to a more normal rhythm. His body still quivered from\ntime to time, and she smiled at that. He was a wonderful male for a human, and\nshe found his acceptance of her to be sweet and adorable; even if she were\npartly to blame for his easy conversion. She was using her power both openly\nand subtly, just like any good woman does. Just because she had more ability to\nmanipulate than any human female was beside the point. She was, deep down\ninside her, just like them. He fell asleep\nand she let him drift off to the land of dreams, knowing his presence there\nwould only help to solidify his feelings for her. She didn't need sleep, and\nyet she too would occasionally wander the dream realm, seeing what others\ndesired within their dark hearts; their dainty souls, and their often wayward\nminds. Humans were interesting, though stiff and unyielding within the confines\nof their limited intellects. Amund; now he was different. He had blood in his\nveins that only needed to be stirred into action. He had abilities he knew not,\nlargely because he suppressed those things that made him who he really was. It\nwas never good to not live to your full potential. Then again, humans rarely\nunderstood what that was. They bowed to lesser men thanks to the simpleton\nrules they applied to their lives. Amund would rise so far above his fellows he\nwould never catch sight of them again.She hoped he\ncould live with that. He was going to have to deal with it for some time to\ncome.She soon\njoined him in his sleep, entering his dream state and following him as an\ninnocuous looking hare.  In his mental\nimagery she could she him witnessing things he had never had even an inkling of\nbeing in existence; that is, before meeting her. They were creatures that existed\nin the real world, just not on the same plane as did he. Humans were quick to\ndismiss those things they did not see for themselves, despite the fact that\nthis world on which they lived was far larger and more diverse than their\nsmall, limited lives allowed them to comprehend. She, in her\nvarious forms, had taken to traveling, despite the urging of her mother not to,\nand in doing so, had found even her kind to be limited in their scope. Ruling\nover a small realm, even when granted with powers beyond the ken of man; this made\nher mother, and with her, her grandfather and great grandfather nothing more\nthan quiet little dictators overseeing the rule of a tiny little kingdom. There\nwas so much more to be had. But everyone had to start somewhere.She had the\nknowledge, the compassion and the art of trickery to accomplish much, but she\nstill needed to have a tool to work with. It was a crude way to define her\npresent lover. He was going to be so much more, and yet, the pragmatic side of\nher refused to give in totally to the emotional one. There were things that had\nto be attended to, and until that happened, there was going to be no room for\nextraneous emotional entanglement.  She\nfound that despite her self control however, the love she knew she was going to\nhave for him was seeping into every fiber of her being.She continued\nto follow as he traveled through vale and dale, into forest and meadow,\nseemingly unimpressed how each place merely phased into being at his whim. Here\nand there were members of the various other tribes; the elvish folk whom she\npreferred to take her appearance from; the dwarves with their long beards and\nfierce eyes; the trolls of the mountain; and the numerous other entities that\nhe would one day see for real. This was part of his test; to see how he\nintermingled and dealt with them on terms that he was as of yet unaware of.The elves\ntreated him coolly. They knew him for what he was and felt neither fear of him,\nnor a love of him. The dwarves too exhibited little fear of him. One blow from\na dwarfish hammer or axe would kill a man instantly. The trolls however gave\nhim a wide berth. He found this odd, she noted, for they were among the largest\nof the legendary folk and at times the most feared. They were not wanton in\ntheir actions, though prone to the stealing of females. They had very few of\ntheir own women, and were often lonely. Despite what others thought of their\nthievery, they only wanted kind companyto stave off their loneliness.She knew all\nabout that. She kept pace with him for a while longer, until he came to a\nclearing that was devoid of animated life. \nThere was a raging river running through it, and to the north, dimly\ndiscernible, a bridge across the frothing waters.Since there\nappeared to be nothing in the meadow to attract his attention, he strode\nforward, making for the bridge. She was curious what he would do, given that he\nhad no clue to where it led. Would he cross it?She was sure\nhe would not.She was dead\nwrong. He climbed up on the stone walkway between the meadow and the region\nbeyond and paused only to stare into the turbulent waters below.  She felt a slight shiver run through her. He\nwas acting either very bravely or very foolishly. At the moment it was hard to\ntell which it was. Among men, either action might be mistaken for the other.\nBravery was often carried out in a foolish manner.She ran up and\njoined him, remaining as she was in the form of a mild and timid beast. He\nlooked down, espied the color of her coat and smiled. \"Do you hound\nme in my dreams as well as the waking world?\"\"You know who\nI am?\"\"Should I not\nknow you? You seem to be cursed with the white fur. This is not the season for\nthe white form, and yet here you are.\"She reverted\nto her human form, this time of her own volition. \"You have\ngrown cannier since we have come together. You were much duller before.\"\"True. I feel\nlike a veil has been lifted from my face. I know this is only a dream, and yet\nthe creatures I see are real.\"\"In their own\nway, yes. They are images, just as you are, but they exist in realms different\nfrom your own. Does this make sense?\"\"Yes, I think\nit does. I have had dreams in the past, but they were never this real. And now\nI am at this bridge. I know I should not cross it, and yet I feel a strong\npull. Where does this path lead?\"\"To a place\nyou may wish to avoid for a while longer, for it leads to Helheim.\" \"I see. That\nis the home of the dead. It is where hero and villain alike go the spend\neternity. There are people I would long to see again.\"\"That will\nhave to wait. It is easy enough to get into Helheim, but not so easy to escape.\nYou must be worthy of that journey before you attempt to undertake it.\"He was still\nstaring into the waters below, watching the shapes shift and turn from one\nimage to another. It was as if the river was flowing with the souls of the\ndeparted.\"I think that\nI will wait, not on your advice, but because once I get there, I will not wish\nto leave.\"\"What keeps\nyou from going now?\" she asked, filled with a sudden curiosity.\"You. I have\nbecome intrigued with the snare you have trapped me within. Here in this dream\nI see many things very clearly. I think that when I wake up, I will still\nremember all of this as it is.\"She shivered\nagain. \"If that is what you believe, that is what will be.\" \"Do you really\nthink so? I find this invigorating.\"\"Then revel in\nit while you can.  Some roads lead to\ndark places. There you will find your presence to be most distasteful.\" He chuckled.\n\"Yes, I see that humans are looked upon as lowly and of no value. The elvish\nfolk ignored me, the dwarves glared at me, but the trolls; they seemed to see\nsomething in me that I do not feel I am.\"\"And what is\nthat?\"\"I can't say.\nI felt like a wolf among the sheep.\"\"No one has\never called the trolls sheep before,\" she said drolly.\"They are not\nsheep, not by any means, and yet that is how it felt. Did you not see it?\"\"I did.\"\"Do you not\nfind it odd?\"\"It is only a\ndream after all. Do not place too much value on what is not real.\"\"If that is\nso, then why not visit Helheim? Surely it would be something I will wake from\neventually.\"\"You can die\nin your sleep just as easily as you can by the sword.\"He stared at\nher. \"Are you saying that if I go there now, I will die in real life?\"\"It's\npossible.\"\"Hmmmmm.\" He\nstared down into the waters again. \"What do you want from me? I seem to be\ntangled in your devices, and though I should say that terrifies me, I find it\nunusually appealing.\"\"Do you? Is it\nfor my body alone?\"He smiled and\nglanced up at her. \"There is something intriguing with the variety you offer.\nBut as I stand here, I sense that you are not what you claim to be.\" He held up\nhis hand. \"No, no; don't deny it. I don't know who you really are, and I think\nthat I am better off not knowing. That information will come out as it needs to\nbe known.\"She shook her\nhead. \"I think I have enlightened you too much Amund. Perhaps you had best try\nnot to remember this dream when you awake. Knowledge is a valuable resource,\nbut used unwisely it can kill a man as quickly as can a blade.\"\"Or a dream?\"\"Or a dream.\"\"Jen, if that\nis your real name. Why me?\"\"Because I\nchose you. No, it's not that simple. Threads are spun and threads are cut.\nWords are written and fates are set. And yet, if one is careful, they can weave\nsense into the world. Or they can work revenge. Sometimes you can do both.\"\"I see. Then\nperhaps I should wake up now, while I wish not to remember any of this.\"\"As you wish.\"\nShe leaned in and kissed him. He awoke with his lips pressed against hers.\"What was that\nfor?\" he asked.\"For being\neverything I had hoped you would be!\"They returned\nto sleep for it was dark in the forest. Tomorrow would be another day, and\nwhile he seemed ready, she wanted to hone him to a sharper edge than that which\nhad had demonstrated in the dream. His lack of fear there was tied to his\nbelief that he was untouchable while in that state. This was most vividly\nuntrue, but his belief gave him false courage, and it had proved to be enough\nto stave off any attacks. It was also very likely that all but the trolls had\nno fear of a human. There might not be a love for them, but there was also no\nother feeling except perhaps distaste. Humans were not considered equivalent\nwith most other creatures, even with those incapable of speech.In the morning\nAmund woke in the paws of a large white bear. It was amazing how safe he felt\nin those thick and powerful arms. He could hardly see any other creature being\nfoolish enough to attack such a brute. He stretched and yawned, shaking the\nsleep from his mind. He seemed to have a whole world twirling around inside his\nskull. Try though he might though, he could make no sense of any of it. It was\nas if he had no desire to recall the imaginary events that had transpired\nduring his nighttime unconsciousness. He remembered\nJen well enough, and snuggled in closer. He felt her shift, her breath coming\nin a great gasp as she yawned.\"Morning\nAmund. Did you rest well?\"\"I think so.\nIt's so hard to tell. I almost feel like I have been walking for many leagues.\nI see images, faint images of things that I don't remember experiencing. Was\nthis your doing?\"\"Maybe. There\nis a certain side effect to being in my presence. Some of your innate powers\nare going to manifest.\"\"Powers? I\nhave no powers!\"\"You are\ncorrect.\"\"But you just\nsaid...\"\"I did.\"\"I'm\nconfused.\"\"As you should\nbe. I don't need you thinking too much right now. Foreknowledge of coming\nevents may negate them.\"\"What?\"\"Right. We\nseem to be right where we need to be.\"He shook his\nhead. \"All women are alike!\"\"Yes, if they\nhave any value to them, they are.\"\"And what is\nyour value?\" he asked, a bit of spunk in his voice.\"I guess that\nremains to be seen.\"He gave up.\n\"Where are we headed, or is that a secret?\"\"We are going\nto Dovrefjell.\"\"You must be\njoking!\"\"Do I look\nlike I am joking?\"\"I don't know.\nI have never seen a bear's mouth close enough to know the difference.\"She batted him\nwith her paw. \"I am not joking. We are going to the mountains.\"He sighed.\n\"Why?\"\"Foreknowledge?\nWhat did I just say about that?\"\"I wasn't\nlistening.\"She swatted\nhim again. \"Oh, fine. So\nwe go to the mountains. I've never been that far in my life. I guess it'll be\nan adventure. I still don't know what you could possibly expect to find there.\"\"You don't. I\ndo. So leave it alone. I know what I am doing.\"And so it was.\nThe trip was long and arduous, even during the warm months that they made the\njourney. There was plenty of game, for which Amund was very appreciative of. He\nproved a skillful hunter, bringing down a deer with a single arrow. They both\nate, and in preparation for their travel, he smoked and cured as much as he\ncould to not waste his kill.When they\nfinally arrived at the foothills, she seemed to fall back. He had to wonder why\nshe would travel so far only to falter now that she had reached her\ndestination.\"Loverboy, I\nthink that from here on out, I will travel in my wolf form.\"\"Fine with me.\nAny particular reason?\"\"Yes.\"He understood\nher tone. She had a reason and it wasn't his to know. He had faith in her, but\nhis natural reaction was to feel fear. Whatever she was dragging him into, he\nwasn't going to like it. These mountains had an evil reputation, clear back in\nthe village where he had grown up. While he had, like with all things\nsupernatural, given such stories little credence,  now, as he gazed upon them, creatures lurking\nabout the towering crags seemed all the more possible. He could picture stones\nand boulders raining down on their heads as they worked their way to whatever\nspot she had in mind.He spoke his\nmind. \"Look Jen, don't you think that we'll be awfully exposed in those\nmountains?\"\"Yes we will.\nBut I know a place; a cave where we can take shelter.\"\"What good\nwill that do us? It may work for one night, unless your destination and that\ncave happen to be the same place.\"\"Yes.\"He asked\nnothing more. He knew more now than he wanted to. Whatever was in that cave he\nfound that he wasn't likely to find it pleasant. On the other hand, a little\ntime with her again might be in his future. She had been pretty coy about\ngetting intimate on their trip here. He chalked it up to the fickleness of a\nwoman. He had heard his elders joke about it, and he was beginning to think it\nwas true.Her wolf form\nwas as much fun as any other. And yet, he could feel it in his soul that any\nchance of connecting was slim at best. She was very intent on reaching their\nultimate goal. Once they were there, he was going to be at her mercies, for he\nwas as ignorant of her purpose now as he had been in the beginning. The cave was\nhigh up on one of the rising stone faces, a dark gaping hole against the\nlighter gray of the stone. There was a rough set of steps leading up to it,\nmeaning that it was visited by someone. Who that someone was; or even if that\nperson still lived, was difficult to determine from this distance.  He would only be able to say once they made\nthe climb up the side of the mountain.True to her\nword, she reverted to her wolf form and made the dangerous trek up the mountain\non four legs. She proved to be as sure footed as a lynx. His own abilities were\nfar less surefooted, and yet, he managed to steel himself to the task. Several hours\nlater he was pulling himself up over the lip of the floor of the snug little\nhole, glad he had made it and wondering how he would ever made it back down\nagain.Then again,\nthat would be easy enough. Gravity was all too glad to assist in his return.Jen had\nalready curled herself up in a corner, watching him as he stood and brushed off\nthe dust and gravel. He peered into the gloom and saw nothing of interest. It\nwas clean; too clean. If anyone or anything used it, they seemed to clean up\nafter themselves. There wasn't even an errant bone on the floor.Taking a cue\nfrom her, he lay out on the floor and made himself as comfortable as he could\non the unyielding surface. His mind was asking a thousand questions, but his\nmouth was wise enough to relay none of them. This cave hardly seemed worthy of\nthe long trek and the fight up the side of the mountain. Maybe if there had\nbeen a wise man living up here, then he could see the value in their journey.\nBut there was absolutely nothing. Seeing that she intended to go to sleep, he\ntried to do the same.He slept\nfitfully, waking now and again thanks to the hard surface and the howling winds\nblowing past the entrance to the cave. During one of his snatches of sleep, he\nhad a dream of shaking ground and heavy voices.He awoke from\nthe dream to the same conditions. The voices belonged to the large ugly humanoid\nfigures who had to stoop to fit in the cave. He was so struck with their\npresence that all he could wonder was how they had managed to traverse the\nnarrow path leading to this apparently well visited shelter.\"Look at it!\"\ngrowled one of them.\"And it's\nlittle pet. They might make a good stew.\"\"Naw! Chief\nsays all visitors get taken below. He's been jumpy the past hundred seasons or\nso. Everyone gets interviewed before going into the pot.\"Jen was awake,\nbut she was hardly twitching a muscle. Amund jumped up and stood on guard.\"Who are you\nand what do you want?\"\"Oh lookie!\nThe little man speaks!\"Amund, having\nnothing else with him but his bow and arrow, knocked a point to the string and\ndrew it back. \"I asked you who you are!\"One of the\ntrolls, for that's what they were, spoke with a low gruff laugh. \"We are the\nheirs of the mountains, you little fool. We are the lords under the mountains\nlittle man. The better question is what you are doing here!\"\"I am a simple\ntraveler, following a route I was given by another. I had no idea that there\nwas anyone living up here.\"\"Lie!\" cried\none of them.An older and\nwiser one intervened. \"His words are true. He had no reason to suspect we were\nhere, though now that he sees us, his memory has been reminded of old tales.\nHumans see so little and know even less.\"\"If you say\nso,\" the other spit out. \"I say he should be cooked and eaten!\"\"You persist\nin talking like that and you'll be banned to the forest! Shut yer mouth now\nelse I inform the king of yer words!\"The silence\nwas immediate.\"Look here\nman. This is our cave. You came in uninvited. That means you're trespassing.\nYou'll need to answer to our king before we can do anything with you.\"\"And if I\ndecide not to come?\"\"You'll have\nno choice. It's either that or out the door and back down the mountain. You\nchoose. It makes little difference to me.\"Jen yawned and\nstood, happily licking one of the trolls' hands. He giggled and pulled it back.\"Silly ulv-hund!\"The others\nturned to look at the wolf. She was licking her lips and wagging her tail.\"I prefer\nbjornunge little white doggie, but you're cute!\"Amund wondered\nwhat she was up to. She was acting every bit the silly puppy. On the other\nhand, these trolls weren't acting very aggressive, outside of threatening to\nthrow him off the mountain.  Yes, there\nwas talk of throwing him into a cookpot, but none of it sounded very serious.\nSo perhaps this was the reason they were here. He was glad she had not told\nhim, for over the long trip, his fear would have grown. Coming face to face\nwith them wasn't pleasant, for they were very ugly, though hardly as horrific\nas he had heard.\"Let's get a\nmove on it. The king will make his judgment and then we have to deal with his\ndecision. The sooner that's done, the sooner we can go back to relaxing. I need\nmy head rubbed something fierce with all of this thinking I've had to do.\"\"So it's back\noutside again is it?\" Amund asked.\"Outside? Naw!\nWe're heading back down into the mountain.\"He shoved on\nthe back wall. The seemingly solid obstruction shifted and moved, showing a dim\nlight beyond. The human was shoved forward and the wolf followed, and behind\nthem a tight knot of trolls. The cave led into a long hallway that opened into\na small room and yet again into another hallway. Deeper and deeper they went\ninto the mountain before coming out to a huge cavernous chamber.It was lit\nfrom some unknown source, with a light that rivaled the full moon's glow. While\ndim, the light was more than sufficient to see about the room. In the center\nwas a large throne. On the throne was a large, particularly horrendous looking\ntroll. The two were\nbrought before him. He gazed down his long nose at them. He said nothing for a\nlong time.\"Human? Why\nare you here? Our mountain is not on the normal routes your type take through\nhere. There are far easier paths than the one that brought you to me!\"Amund was\nflummoxed. He had no idea how a person addressed a troll king. \"Your lordship,\nI was in that cave thanks to the advice of another. If I had known I would be\ndisturbing you, I most certainly would never have climbed up here to seek\nrefuge from the weather.\"\"From the\nweather? You just said that you were in my cave thanks to the advice of\nanother. Which is it?\"\"Both. I was\ntold of it should may way become tiresome. I felt the climb was worthwhile to\nhave a little shelter in a land I am a stranger in. Should I have known I would\nbe making a pest of myself, I would have avoided it at all costs.\"\"I'm sure you\nwould have,\" he said menacingly. \"I don't trust anyone who isn't a loyal member\nof my kingdom.  What is your purpose\nhere?\"\"To be honest,\nI can't say. I came following another.\"\"Another?\nWhere is the other human? No one mentioned another!\"\"I don't know\nthat you'd believe me.\"\"Try me!\"Amund pointed\nto the wolf. \"She's the one that brought me here.\"The king\nlaughed long and hard. \"A simple four legged animal brought you here? One of\nyou is stupid. The furry one has an excuse, but you! You are a fool of your own\naccord!\"The wolf\nambled to the side. A voice cut through the room like thunder. \"Who are you\ncalling stupid, Dorvegrubben!\"The king\nturned and paled. There was no noticeable lightening of his pasty, gray\ncomplexion, but his appearance was suddenly set to one of fear and loathing.\"Hellokina!\nWhat are you doing here! You were banned from my kingdom until the end of\ntime!\"She laughed,\nthis time sounding much more ladylike to match her human appearance. \"Yes, and\nit was you who banned me. And yet, here I am, invited into your halls by your\nown people. So, in my book, that means that the ban was lifted. I would not be\nhere if it weren't for your own people for I would still be outside you gates.\"The king danced\nand screamed. He raged and raged until Amund though his own ears were going to\nrupture. The other trolls looked on in dismay, aware that they had done\nsomething untoward and unprecedented.Amund held his\nhands clamped to the side of his head as the troll king continued to rage on.\nBut even as he was watching the creature hop about in fury, his mind was trying\nto wrap it around the name he had cried out. So Jen's real name was Hellokina?\nHe had never heard of such a name in his life. Hel-low-keen-a? It meant nothing\nto him, but it was obvious that this whole time she had been lying to him. Then\nagain, she had alluded that she wasn't going to be honest with him for his own\ngood.There was\nsomething going on that he couldn't comprehend. He pieced together what he\ncould. That she had been here in the past and had been obviously thrown out,\ncontingent on her never returning was quite patent. But when and why this had\nhappened was beyond anything he understood. Whatever the reason, the king was\nnearly insane in his present state.He moved over\nto his travel mate. \"What in the name of the elder gods did you do to him?\"She smiled\nevilly. \"Right now? Nothing.\"\"What about\nbefore?\"\"Nothing.\"\"I don't get\nit. Why is he having such a fit?\"\"Because if I\never came back my life was forfeit. But since I was invited in with you, I can be\nhere for as long as I want.\"\"I don't\nunderstand. Would you be so kind to explain all of this?\"She had to\nshout to be heard above the din. \"It was written very long ago, that if the\ntrolls ever allowed the progeny of the gods into their kingdom, it would be\nforfeit if they allowed them in a second time.\"\"You're a\ngod?\"\"No. Now shut\nup and listen. The fates made the decree. I worked to make it come true. The\nfirst time I was in here, I was invited by the trolls.\"\"I take it\nthey didn't know about the decree?\"\"Oh, they\nknew, but they chose to ignore it. All I had to do was make myself look like a\npretty little human girl and make as if I was lost in the forest. I was quickly\nsnatched up and spirited away beneath this very mountain.  Once I was here, I let the king know who they\nhad kidnapped. His rage was very nearly equal to what it is now.\"\"But what\nwould you want with this hole in the ground?\"\"Nothing.\"\"But?\"\"But what?\"\"You dragged\nme all the way to this hole in the ground just to exact some sort of revenge?\"\"Yes. But\nthere is more. There are many realms, and this is but one. And I cannot rule\nit, even if I can claim it. The king must be male. There is nothing written\nthat says that I cannot give the kingdom over to another.\"\"Me? Rule the\ntrolls?\"\"Yes. But\nthere's a catch.\"\"There always\nis.\"\"You must rule\nin the place of the present king.\"\"I assumed\nthat.\"\"And you're\nalright with that?\"\"I don't\nreally know. What would I have to do?\"\"You sit on\nthe throne and you make decisions for them.\"\"And what do\nyou do?\"\"I sit by your\nside, when it suits me, and I act as your queen.\"\"You're making\nthis sound pretty good, but I think there's more to it.\"\"Not really.\nYou rule in the present king's position just as he would have.\"\"Meaning?\"She smiled\nwickedly. \"Meaning that he would have ruled for another nine hundred years. So\nyou have to rule for the next nine centuries.\"His jaw fell.\n\"But that's impossible! I'll die before then!\"\"No. The rules\nsay the kind under the mountain rules for a thousand years. The fates wrote\nthat law and it's inviolate. Therefore, if you accept the throne, you will live\nlong enough to see your people live out nearly thirty generations before the\nend of your reign.\"\"And I'll live\nthem out with you?\"\"If you wish.\nOr you can have any female you care to direct your subjects to capture and\nbring to you.\"\"No, I think\nI'll stick with you, if you don't mind.\"\"I don't. But\nyou must say it. You must say that you claim this kingdom for your own.\"Dovregubben\nroared. \"Never! This was done with trickery you little whore!\"Amund had his\nbow in his hand again with an arrow knocked. \"Careful what you say troll. She\nis many things, but a whore is not one of them.\"\"Little man,\ndo you think your toy frightens me?\"The lone\nfemale in the room laughed. \"You should. I know you boys are busy with your\nlittle dispute, but take a look at the arrow he has pointed at you, oh great\nking.\"He stared hard\nat the projectile. \"I see nothing that I have to fear.\"She waved her\nhand and the tip began to glow. \"Do you see it now? That tip, which I fitted\nearlier, is made of solarsteinn.\"Amund had\nheard of those stones, but had never seen it before. \"A sunstone?\"The king cried\nout. \"Murderer! Villain!\"\"Not yet. You\nmay leave, or you may die. I personally don't care. But that stone will kill\nyou instantly. Now me, I think a big, ugly stone statue in the middle of the\nthrone room might be a nice touch.\"Amund was\ngrowing blinded by the light emanating from the stone. How he had missed it in\nhis quiver was beyond him. But then, she had abilities she wasn't letting onto.\nAnd that name of hers. He really had to find out who she was. There was\nsomething mildly familiar about it, but he couldn't place it.The king\ncontinued to hold his ground for another moment. His nerve finally broke and he\nran off down one of the corridors and was never seen again. \"So Amund, are\nyou up for a long reign?\"\"I don't know.\nNine hundred years living under a mountain hardly sounds like something I could\nhandle.\"\"But nine\nhundred years with me?\"\"Nine thousand\nyears with you would be too little.\"\"Well said.\nSay you'll be king and I'll tell you a secret.\"He sighed.  \"Fine. I hereby accept the rule of the kingdom\nof the trolls.\"There was a\nslight stirring in the room, but nothing else happened. \"It is done. You now\nhave extended your life well past what you would have lived as a normal human.\nAnd you're a king.\"\"A king of\nthese trolls!\"\"Yes, but a\nking nonetheless. And the rules don't say you have to rule from under the mountain.\nYou are free to come and go as you please.\"\"That's a\nplus, but what will I do for the next nine hundred years?\"\"You leave\nthat to me.\"He had a brief\nvision of her naked, and in a few of the forms they had made love in. If she\nwas capable of that, what else might she be able to do? Even as he thought of\nforms, she assumed their shape.\"You have a\ndeal!\"That night,\nthe couple was together in the quarters formerly occupied by the troll king.\nOne of the added benefits of being king were revealed the first time they had\nbeen shown to the room. It was filled from one end to the other with gold,\nsilver and gems.While not\nideal for a bed, it made for magnificent surroundings. Amund was running his\nfingers through all of the objects that overflowed from urns. \"I've never seen\nso much treasure in my life!\"\"These are\nmere baubles and trinkets. Trolls and dwarves love to delve into the ground for\nshiny metals and glowing gems. Luckily for me, they often miss the true nature\nof such things as sunstones.\"\"Yes, about\nthat. How did you make it glow?\"\"That stone\nsat atop Galdhøpiggen for three decades before I retrieved it. It collected the\nlight during the day. Properly spelled, it retains the light until called for. \"\"And you\ncalled it forth today?\"\"Yes. And I\ncould call it forth whenever I feel the need.\"\"Where do you\nget such power and knowledge?\"\"Are you sure\nyou wish to know that?\"\"If I am to\ncall you queen and wife, then I think I should know who you are. The troll\ncalled you Hellokina.\"\"Yes, that is\nmy true name.\"\"And your true\nnature?\"\"Whatever you\nwish it to be. I already told you that.\"He was growing\nexasperated. \"I know, but for real. Who and what are you? You mentioned gods. What\ngods do you share heritage with?\"She\ntransformed, but this time it wasn't so dramatic, though it remained as equally\nimpressive as any prior change, She looked human, much like her normal guise,\nbut she was taller and her features much more severe. She was still lovely, but\nif ever there was a Valkyrie, it was her. And yet, she was no Valkyrie. \"My name says\nit all Amund. I am the offspring of Hel. She is my mother, and I know the ways\nof the Helheim like you know the paths around your village. My mother's father\nis Loki. That is where the second part of my name comes into play. From my\ngrandfather I learned the art of trickery, going so far as to thwart some of\nthe designs set forth by the fates. No one may work against them directly, but\nwith intelligence, one can accomplish much they did not foresee even with all\ntheir great wisdom.\"\"So you have\nbigger plans?\"\"Much bigger.\nBut I wanted to settle down, and I could hardly do that without an appropriate husband.\nI am a near-immortal. I will die given enough time, but you humans; you live\nsuch short lives in comparison. Therefore, I felt that I must find a way of\nextending you life. Now, you will not die for a very long time.\"\"But will I\nage?\"\"There is that\nlittle kink I have yet to iron out, but I think I have that covered as well. I\nwould hardly have use for a dried husk, now would I?\"\"No, I suppose\nnot.\" He looked around, both bemused and bewildered. \"Is this all for real?\"\"As real as it\ncomes. So now, my king, shall you take your wife on your wedding night?\"\"But we haven't\nbeen properly married!\"\"No, but I'm\nsure great grandfather will oversee the ceremony if I ask him.\"\"Loki?\"\"No stupid!\nLoki is my grandfather. I speak of Odin, the All-Father.\"Amund suddenly\nfelt very small.He had gotten\nhimself in far deeper than casual sex with a strange woman. He suddenly found\nhimself entangled in the affairs of powers beyond his understanding. But then,\nhe had a lot of time to come to grips with it.\"I think I\nwould like that.\"\"Good answer.\nI can't say for certain how he'll feel, but I think he believes me to be\ninsignificant enough to allow, what I am sure he will call a dalliance.\"\"Speaking of\ndallying, shall we consummate as you suggested?\"\"Of course! I await\nyour desire to be reflected in my own ever malleable form\"He leaned back,\ncausing a minor avalanche of gems to rain down upon the floor.  He stared for a moment and then closed his\neyes. He opened them again when he heard her exasperated sigh. She was standing\nthere as white as can be, on four legs, looking as docile and as graceful as\nany real deer.\"You chose\nthis?\"\"Yes. After\nall of the danger and suspense, I think a little calm and relaxing conjugation\nappeals to my senses at the moment.\"She shook her\nhead and laughed. A voice coming from a doe seemed the oddest thing he had yet experienced,\nthough he knew he was being stupid making that rash call. Still, it was odd to\nplace voice with that mouth. \"I cannot\nbegrudge you what you have done this day. And it is the duty of the wife to\nplease the husband, is it not?\"\"Then you really\ndon't mind?\"\"Amund, for\nthe next nine hundred years, there will time for plenty of variety. I will\nassume the forms of animals you could only dream existed in this world. Until\nthen, I will allow you anything you are capable of imagining.\""}