Chapter 28: Aunt Freydis

The masked woman in the red Cloak said.” Welcome Eric, or should I say welcome Freya?”

I blushed despite the fact that my secret was no secret here and they probably all laughed as they used me back then, but I tried to concentrate and said. “I don’t care if you make fun of my secret and I told Astrid I am tired of being played and taken for a fool. It was you or one of you who wanted me here to discuss the very serious problems you have. I can leave right now.”

She got up from her Chair. “Eric you misunderstood. We are glad you came and I believe you came because you care about your friends. I know you well Eric. This is why we want to offer you a chair in the Circle. Our rules prohibit a man to be present but Freya would be welcome.”

“As much as it intrigues me and at another time I would have said yes, I don’t trust you to be frank and on top of all that I will not commit murder and acts of

terrorism. I sympathize with your goals and your cause very much especially in the light of my mother’s death but I believe there is another way to gain all your rights and much faster, and without any violence.”

“We don’t want you to commit crimes for us Eric, but our little theater here is our own little tradition as an answer to the oppressive laws of man. You always displayed a great sense of personal honor so honor us and let Freya take part so we can discuss the matters at hand we would not discuss with a man.”

“You sure know to make an argument, it is against all common sense and I should not indulge myself in this sick and unworthy behavior.”

“Come with me Eric!” the red cloaked woman said and waved her gloved hand and then, walked with billowing cape before me and out of the lighted circle into the darkness behind, before my eyes could adjust to the darkness I suddenly had a clear picture in my head how the room looked like. I saw doors and furniture, felt the ceiling and the floor. The sensation was gone as my eyes had adjusted and I saw what I just had felt and wondered if that was affected by the sensory organ growing in me.

The woman let me through a door in a smaller room with a dresser, mirrors and warm light from a few brass colored lamps. She pulled the hood back and rolled the mask of her face and I could not have been more shocked to see who she was.

My lips formed her name but I was so surprised I could not speak it, but then whispered.

“Aunt Freydis?”

Before me stood uncle Hogun’s wife! The merry faced, seemingly simple minded mid wife duty woman married to my uncle!

She nodded.”I told you I k now you well! I am the sixth First Daughter of Nilfeheim and we all have been Midwifes as it gives us the perfect reason to travel and talk to women behind closed doors without men present.” She gestured upwards. “Thus is Bredenberg Castle Eric, it is empty as the last male member of this family died almost twenty years ago, my father!”

It all made sort of sense and fit together, then I bit my lip and wondered if she knew. If my Aunt was a Bredenberg, then Snøfrid had to be a younger sister of her.” Aunt Freydis I have bad news for you!”

Tears glittered in her eyes. “Yes I know, my dear sister Snøfrid. I do not know what came over her. The attack was not planned at all!”

“I know what came over her. Or at least I am pretty sure I know. There is a dead alien Woman in my boat, she was out to kill me I think and she disguised herself as Sif and used some sort of psionic powers to make Snøfrid and the others do what they did.”

Aunt Freydis said. “I called you to tell you about a killer woman Brunar Bendixen hired, she was the one who installed Tech Stop projectors in his boats and then she disappeared. He hired her to protect his secret pearl business and to send a message to the Olafsons and Lindbergh’s. My source at the Bendixen Castle did not know about the psionics however.”

“We need to present the killer woman to the Assembly and get Hedda freed, before they execute her.”

“Hedda is in no immediate danger right now and she deserves some punishment for revealing the names of the others. While we wait for more of our members to arrive you will have time to become Freya. You should find everything you need in here. Your secret is known only to Sif, Elena, Astrid, Hedda and me and it is safe with us. Your Identity will remain hidden to the rest of the daughters, but all need to hear what you have to say and then we decide what to do.”

It was strangely elating and I was certain now there was something wrong with me. All the time I tried to proof to myself that I was a real Norse, a warrior in the eyes of my peer and yet the very idea to be Freya again excited me more than it was natural. I decided to talk to Dr. Dwyer about it after all. I had to find out why I could not get rid of this. I should have refused and told Aunt Freydis that I am a man and if they wanted my help they needed to accept me as a man or forget it. While I put on the dress I shook my head. Aunt Freydis! She was the meek and simple wife, Uncle Hogun was so afraid of to lose and she was the Leader of a secret society and while she still had the same rosy face and the somewhat corpulent body, she seemed a different person.