Once Upon a Time: New Fairy Tales Paperback

“Where is this church? I haven’t the means to return to the old country.”


“The church is in the Story, my prince. There is no need to cross a sea. Only a need to listen.”


As they walked away from Ivar’s house, into the field of snow, H?kon rode on the old man’s shoulder, his talons gripping hard the heavy winter coat, and told the Story.

“Once there was a king with seven sons. He loved them so much ? 269 ?

? The Giant in Repose ?

that he could not bear to be out of their company. So when the time came for the sons to marry, he sent six out into the world to find seven wives, and kept the youngest at home, lest the loneliness for his children uncouple his soul from his body. The sons ranged across the land and had many adventures, at the end of which they found a palace with six beautiful princesses. After a period of courtship the sons set upon their journey home with their six beautiful wives.

Transported as they were by love, they had forgotten their youngest brother.”

Ivar grunted, but did not interrupt.

“They came upon the house of a giant, which was a mountain fashioned into the likeness of a cottage. The icy peaks were its shingles, the untamed countryside its porch. The chimney which released the smoke of the great kitchen fire was lost in cloud. The sons were remorseful of their forgotten promise and sought to make amends by presenting their brother with the giant’s head as a trophy.”

“A fine substitute for a woman’s love!” spat Ivar.

“If you don’t mind,” said the crow.

“Continue.” Ivar’s stride grew longer and more sure as he listened to the old story. His breath filled his lungs more easily, and a heat grew in his blood that he had not felt in long memory.

“The brothers called upon the giant to face them. After a few moments the door swung open, and the giant stared down upon them all with a frightful face, and all six brothers and all six of their wives were so terrified that they turned to stone where they stood, and their horses beneath them. The giant left them there, and went back into his home.

“After a year had passed the king began to despair of ever seeing his sons again. ‘It is well that I kept you here,’ he told his youngest, ‘for if I had lost you too there would be nothing left to tether me to this wretched world.’ But the youth was not content to spend the rest of his days hidden away like a prized trinket in his father’s castle while his brothers remained missing. He insisted that he go out and discover their fate, and bring them all safely home. Though his father ? 270 ?

? Nathan Ballingrud ?

protested, he wore him down in time, and at last he ventured down the same road they had embarked and been lost upon, promising his father that he would discover their fate and bring them home.”

“Brash youth,” side Ivar, but now there was pride in his voice.

“He had minor adventures of his own, including one in which he rescued a certain starving crow, who was then beholden to him.

Eventually, he found his way to the giant’s house, and in the garden he found his brothers and their six wives, their heads spattered with bird droppings and their ankles entwined by weeds. He crept secretly into the cottage at night and saw the giant talking to a girl in a suspended silver cage, who was as small to the giant as a canary would be to himself. The youth knew immediately that she would be his wife, for she was young and beautiful and she sang sweetly to the giant in a voice as delicate as the first cracking of winter’s shell.”

“Bergit,” Ivar said, his voice full and quiet. He was walking forcefully through the snow now, unhindered by age, like a horse breaking through the surf.

“Bergit the Lovely. You remember,” said H?kon, the approval plain in his voice.