29 My Own Person

Freyr kissed the inside of Macha's wrist lightly. His aunt Hrod mentioned that an exotic woman attended her party. Freyr did not understand why his aunt would bother to tell him this, but when he came down to breakfast the sight of Macha captivated him. She looked uneasy sitting at the table while no one talked to her. Her bare neck moved slightly whenever she drank her tea. The slight movement of her neck made him want to reach out and kiss it.

Macha withdrew her hand and blushed. This was the first time anyone introduced themselves like that. Her skin remembered the heat of his kiss. Her hand covered the spot Freyr's lips had touched and she stood there stunned for a moment. Not wanting to appear rude, she introduced herself.

Freyr wanted to learn everything he could about this woman. She did not appear to be the sort of woman his aunt would usually be acquainted with, so his interest was instantly peaked. "How do you know the Valois family?" he asked in a curious voice. He offered his arm to Macha, and she took it.

As he led her towards the gardens, he gave her a dashing smile. He wanted to take her somewhere where their conversation would not be interrupted.

Macha had nothing else planned for the day, so she let her new acquaintance lead her towards the garden. "I'm friends with Luna and Tyr. I'm working as Tyr's secretary." The morning sun was refreshing and the grass below her shoes was soft compared to the hard floors of the house.

While they walked, she admired how Freyr walked with elegance and grace. Despite his refined appearance, he had broad shoulders and hardened muscles beneath his sleeve. His smile was lazy and enticing, making Macha feel warm with excitement.

A look of worry crossed Freyr's face. He made a slight frown and his brows furrowed. Freyr remembered that his cousin Tyr had Fenrir working as a secretary when he was with her. He was not sure if he wanted to ask, but if Macha was already with Tyr he would back off. "Are you Tyr's woman?" he asked in a serious voice.

Macha chuckled. "I'm my own person, not anyone's woman. To answer if I'm in a romantic relationship with him, the answer is no. Like I said, we're friends." She did not take offense to Freyr's word choice, but she wanted to correct him. She shook her head and thought about how this world was so progressive sometimes, but so backward other times.

Freyr picked a flower from a tree they passed and handed it to her. Relief spread across him, knowing Tyr was not dating this woman made his day. She was the first woman he had ever met that moved his heart with such passion.

She did not look upon him as a King but as a person. He found her beauty, movements, and open conversation refreshing. He took her hand and asked in a voice full of sincerity, "Would it be possible for me to get to know you more?"

This was the first time a man had been interested in her since she came to this world. Freyr was handsome and made her heart race. Macha's cheeks became pink, and she twirled the flower in her hand. "I suppose. I know nothing about you though," she said in a soft voice.

Freyr gazed at her delicate face, "That is fine. We will get to know each other with time."

****

Luna made her way through the hall, making her way to her brother's room when she saw her cousin Freyr. He was picking a flower from a tree and handing it to a small woman. Luna's hands cupped over her mouth when she realized that woman was Macha. "Oh, no!" Luna cried.

Luna ran outside. She thought about how inadequate Tyr felt when Fenrir left him. If Macha fell for Freyr that would double his insecurities, Luna fretted. Freyr was the king of Marseille and could give Macha anything she wanted. He also had a wonderful personality which made many women confess their love for him. Luna rushed through the house as she thought how even she found her cousin handsome.

Running outside, she hid behind a bush and spied on the two of them. They sat on a pair of swings talking. This area had a romantic atmosphere with scented autumn flowers which offered privacy. Luna overheard their conversation.

"Yes, but the books I read here are more academic because I am still learning your language. I used to read a lot of stories back in my world. One of my favorite books was a love story," Macha replied.

Freyr's long legs rocked his swing around in a small circle. "In your world are love stories popular? What happened in your favorite book?" His eyes never once parted from the captivating woman who sat beside him.

"There are a lot of different types of stories, but I liked the love stories the best," she explained. A smile touched Macha's lips as she recalled the plot, "The woman and the man did not like each other at first, but with time they grew to love one another. I liked that both had flaws as people, but learned to bridge them in order to be together. It was called Pride and Prejudice," she disclosed.

Throughout their conversations, he realized they shared many interests. He had a love of poetry, so he wanted to know if she enjoyed it too. "Do you like poetry?" he inquired with a hopeful voice.

This word sounded unfamiliar to her, so she confessed that she had never heard it before.

"It is a type of writing that expresses feelings and ideas with a style and rhythm. Similar to a song," he explained. He did not mind having to explain this to her, and he could tell she was intelligent. It was a feat to have learned their language so quickly.

Macha nodded her head, "Ah, yes. I do."

Luna wondered if she misunderstood Freyr giving Macha a flower. She turned around, about to leave, when he recited a poem about love. His rich voice then confessed that Macha was the most beautiful woman he ever met.

This had practically been a declaration of love and caused Luna to gasp. She had never seen her cousin act like this before. He usually tried to avoid women as much as possible because he found their constant confessions stressful.

Making her way out of the bush, she headed for the two of them. "Freyr, I didn't know you came to the house already. When did you arrive?" she called from a distance.

Freyr looked at Luna. He felt disappointed when he saw his cousin, but he was also relieved she appeared to be safe. He heard about her injuries and wanted to check up on her, but lacked the time. "Good morning Luna, I got in earlier this morning. I was just getting acquainted with Macha. I should visit you and Tyr more often. I did not know you had such a charming secretary."

After saying those words he flashed a quick smile that would make most women in Marseille faint.

Luna moved to Macha and made up an excuse, "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to borrow Macha. I'm going to have her fitted for a new wardrobe today." As if begging her friend to come, she pulled on Macha's hand.

Macha jumped up from Luna's tugging, "I love this dress Luna, thank you! How did the seamstress finish it so quickly?" She ran her hands along the soft fabric.

Freyr saw that he lost Macha's attention and excused himself. On the way back to the house he recalled everything they talked about. His heart cried out with joy and he could not stop smiling.

****

Luna took Macha to the servant's area. The sound of sewing machines stitching fabric filled the hall. When Luna opened the door Macha's vision was filled with a myriad of colors. Mama Ocllo's wall had fabrics, threads, beads, and ribbons of different textures and colors covering it.

To the side, there were huge racks of clothes that were half finished or in the middle of repairs. Mama Ocllo was a pudgy woman who wore a bright yellow dress. When the two entered, Mama Ocllo's eyes ran up and down Macha's figure. "Bah! The hem needs to be taken up. Take off the dress, I can't stand it!" Mama Ocllo said.

Macha looked at Luna. She thought the dress fit perfectly, but Luna moved to help her take the dress off.

Mama Ocllo undid the hem and brought it up with ease. Before she handed the dress back to Macha, she circled around the small woman and inspected her as if she were a horse.

Mama Ocllo even asked Macha to walk around and make various poses. The seamstress wrote Macha's measurements down on a paper before handing her dress back.

"Hmm... Mama Ocllo," Luna began while looking at Macha, "I want her to have clothes that she can wear at the office and for dates. Right now, the clothes I gave you last night are what she wears in the office."

The seamstress's eye bulged. "Oh my, oh my, oh my," she grabbed a desk to steady herself. "A grown woman wearing that? No, no, no. Not anymore. Mama Ocllo will fix this." She could not fathom why an adult would wear such childish, unappealing clothing. Mama Ocllo wondered why Macha had no sense on how to show off her beauty.

Leaving the seamstress's room, Luna led Macha to Tyr's room while giving her a tour of the house. When they reached his door Luna said, "Go visit Tyr, I have some things to prepare. He's pretending to sleep. You can keep him company."

Luna wanted to pat herself on the back. She thought she did a good job today and her brother owed her.