A Bit Different

Chapter 35

"The bridal tests have three parts." Frigga started. Her heels clicked on the polished marble as she took long graceful strides, pacing back and forth in front of Percy. They were in a big room, a chamber given to Persia for her duration of stay in Asgard. 

She loomed over Percy who was sitting on one of the couches as the queen lectured her, trying to work with the demigod's ADHD, still somehow calm and patient with her, even after her many lapses.

"Court, Household and War." She said, and dramatically stopped her pacing to look at Persia in her eye. One thing she had noticed was that all gods certainly had a flare for dramatics. The sudden stop, head turn, eye contact, it almost made her laugh out loud if it weren't a serious situation.

"What do you mean? Court, household and...war?" She asked, completely lost for once.

"Court tests Diplomacy. How well can you handle the politics and culture of our world? Are you capable of the duty of a heir and princess? In this test you are expected to play with the court politics and show how well you can deal with the pressure and make others bow to your whims.

Household tests Leadership. How well can you run the household? Will you be able to do the duty of a wife? This test will be more on how you deal with the authority given to you, how you can cope with other people. Can you run a household? We are the Royal family, but a wife must be able to do the duty of a traditional spouse.

War tests Strength. How well can you fight and lead an army, how well can you be a warrior? This will be the test which you will enjoy the most, I think. Here, as you may have guessed, you need to fight. Are you capable to lead your people if you yourself cannot fight?

Except for the Strength category, no test is decided. It will be a random choice regarding the qualities, something we will decide. As for the test for Strength you will, obviously, fight. Any lady of Asgard is within her rights if she challenges you to a duel. This is the only time where the families of Asgard can lawfully challenge you, and can either fight for Thor's hand, or settle a grudge against us.

But only women. Any woman, but a woman. Considering Thor's appeal, and the fact that he is prince, he has enough woman after him, commonwealth and warriors, both. These woman have been preparing for this very moment for many, many years. This will be difficult, that I will say." 

She finished on a grim tone, and avoided meeting Persia's eyes. She knew that she should be scared, nervous or worried, but fighting for your life for the majority of your life and dealing with hard things had made her very flexible. She could adapt to change fast, that she was sure of, so she was not afraid. 

The revelation both shocked and assured her. But there was a underlying fear, a deep-seated panic. What if she messed up, or wasn't good enough? 

"And what happens if......if I fail any of the tests?" She voiced her fear aloud. Her voice coming out shaky and scared for the first time in a long, long time. 

"You lose him." Frigga croaked as a tear escaped from her eyes. She hastily turned away, missing the look of pure horror cross the savior's features.