((mild cw for language))

The scraping and squishing of hooves against rock and dirt caught Frida's attention, ears swiveling atop her head and heart hammering against her chest. There was someone else here? How had she not noticed? Frida turned to face the trailhead and narrowed her eyes, as if she might better see through the inkblot shadows of the forest. Nostrils flared to try and catch a hint of the intruder's scent, but she was downwind and the effort proved fruitless. She smelled only the sweet smell of petrichor and crisp, clean air.

'Oh shit, what if it's Skadi or Skogsra?' she wondered, slightly panicked. Had they been here the whole time? Had she gotten it all wrong? Frida scrambled to think of some sort of explanation to give her nieces for the sudden intrusion, lips parting on an apology. But when at last the mystery figure materialized from over the edge of the trail, it was not at all who she expected. She didn't even need to see his whole body to know who he was, eyes locking immediately on the face she would never be able to forget.

"You've got to be fu- are you kidding me!" Frida barked incredulously, ears flattening against the golden curve of her neck. She didn't mean to say the words aloud but they slipped out before she could still her tongue. "You again?" The newly crowned queen wasn't sure what she wanted to do - throw her head back and laugh at him, or launch herself at him and try to rip him to pieces.

His words serve no purpose other than to further infuriate her, and she grinds her teeth as anger swells inside her breast. How dare he have the nerve to imply ownership over this land? She'd not seen hide nor hair of him since arriving, and here he suddenly was as if from thin air, trying to steal what was hers? It seemed the universe was intent on dealing a cruel blow to her pride, and so soon after giving her just what she wanted.

He'd already taken enough - no, she'd already given him enough. She wouldn't let him have this too.

"Did you fall and hit your head, sweetheart?" Frida crooned, venom laced between the saccharine syllables. "You seem awfully confused about whose place this is." It took all her effort to keep her voice from quivering with anger and adrenaline. She almost managed, but faltered on the last few words, cursing herself internally for the slip-up. In an attempt to mask it she plastered a confident smirk on her face, peering into his eyes from beneath pale lashes. She looked a pretty picture but beneath her skin a wild beast gnashed at its chains, begging to be unleashed upon the smug bastard.

Quiet, she demanded of it, you'll have your turn with him eventually.