Dungeon of Niflheim-Chapter 789: Shivali’s requests

Shivali opened up the doors to his study revealing a bright blue and silver room furnished with items fashioned of ice and crystal. At one end there was a large desk littered with several stacks of official looking documents and behind it was a chair rivalling the grandeur of his throne albeit being far more comfortable.

Two smaller desks, ones fitted for his progeny or wives to work from lined the side walls and alongside tall standing bookshelves and few pieces of priceless artworks they made up roughly half the study.

The other half was dedicated to conversation, important meetings and if need be leisure. Two large sofas easily able to handle individuals even taller and heavier than Shivali with an equally large coffee table sitting between them.

Shivali immediately took a seat on one of the sofas and gestured for Frost to sit on the other. He then placed his hands under his chin, leaned forward and scrutinized Frost with a firm unyielding gaze.

"My daughter, my youngest, my fierce, volatile, yet also kind Khione will soon come to me and ask for permission to leave the confines of the Niflheim realm." There was a quiver in his lips and mist in his eyes as Shivali spoke. He had known for a long time that his little volcano would eventually need to leave the nest. Something he understood but also dreaded. As a doting father he feared the day she would leave his side, the day when she would no longer be his little girl but a strong, independent woman just like her mother and elder sisters.

For a man who had been alive since the conception of the world, 22 years was but a blink of an eye alas Khione's time had come. She had reached the point of stagnation, further training in a confined realm would only limit her potential and stifle her ambition. If he wanted to see his daughter reach the peak of her capabilities he needed to let her fly freely and without limit.

"Meeting you, seeing your potential and hearing stories about your life in Nova I knew that she'd come to understand the limits of living in a well rather than the ocean." Shivali revealed a deep insight into his daughter's wellbeing and admitted to manipulating the situation somewhat thus relieving Frost of any possible burden. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

The Primordial Ice King then seemed to have a sense of internal strife, the two sides of his parental love for Khione duking it out for dominance before eventually reaching a difficult conclusion. "I wish to ask you for a favour Frost….actually two favours." He said with resignation, his body appearing to have aged several years in that moment.

"….I'm listening." Emotionally Frost wished to immediately agree to any request Shivali asked of him, he was his uncle and one of the most powerful Gods in existence after all. Logically however he understood that these favours would likely not be easy to complete and therefore he needed to know what exactly Shivali was offering in return for his aid.

Such an attitude could perhaps be regarded as callous towards the man who may one day become his father in law, but this conversation was not between those with a personal relationship but rather a professional connection given the tone and space in which they held it.

An exchange between two rulers rather than an uncle and a nephew.

Shivali's lips curled upwards in response, he respected Frost's attitude, finding it worthy of his identity.

"The first favour involves Khione. I'd like for you to serve as her guide as well as her place of shelter when she ultimately decides to leave Niflheim. That way the two of you can get better acquainted and I can have some peace of mind." He stated, wanting to encourage the interactions between Frost and his daughter even after he left Niflheim.

A couple days was nowhere near enough time for the two of them to get truly acquainted with one another. For this engagement to work they needed to learn more about one another and have time to foster their feelings.

Frost frowned slightly, he already expected this scenario and to be honest he wasn't all that against it by this point. The more time he spent with Khione the more he found himself enjoying her company. She may be aggressive, volatile and incredibly rude but she was also adorable, naïve and hardworking. They shared a lot of similarities and because of that he could envision a strong friendship with her in the future.

"As long as Khione agrees I'll gladly welcome her into my abode but serving as her guide…." Frost in his capacity as the ruler of a Dungeon and the lord of a budding territory was quite the busy man, he didn't have the time nor the strength to properly guide someone as strong and adventurous as Khione.

"I don't expect you to accompany her into areas that would pose a threat to your life rather I simply want you to help her transition out of her ignorance, to serve as a form of emotional support as she adapts to the world around her."

Shivali believed that Khione wouldn't recklessly throw herself into the danger zones across Nova during her first experience rather she'd stick close to what she found familiar, learn and educate herself before setting out. Frost and his territory would serve as a homebase, a place where she could feel safe and secure without the need to return home, something her pride wouldn't allow unless she achieved her goals.

"You wish for me to serve as her educator, less of a physical guide and more as a theoretical one." Frost nodded his head in understanding. Shivali was asking him to act like Khione's guardian, serving in the same role that Maya did for him albeit without the strength to protect her from danger.

"In a sense yes. I know you're not exactly the most experienced when it comes to living life in Nova given your young age, but I believe Khione can trust you and that she'll feel safe and free if she's by your side rather than with a contingent of my soldiers." If it wasn't detrimental to her development and personal enjoyment Shivali wouldn't hesitate to assign his most powerful soldiers to serve as her protectors hell he'd even petition his wife Frejya to join her on her little excursion. Even now he continued to battle against his desire to have his darling baby girl safely by his side.

Frost however, the son of his best friend, the man he'd come to accept as his daughter's future husband, someone who wasn't afraid to challenge Khione and who had earned her respect despite being weaker than her was an acceptable compromise. He strongly believed that he would never allow any harm to come to Khione as long as it was within his power to prevent it. He trusted him to protect his baby girl as she blossomed into the young woman she was destined to become.

Frost felt a weight placed on both his shoulders as well as inside his heart. Shivali the mighty Primordial Ice King was entrusting the safety of his daughter to him, a heavy task.

"…I accept uncle, I'll provide her a place of comfort and teach her all I have learned about living in Nova." Eventually he agreed to Shivali's first request -not as though he could reject it in the first place. All he had to do was replicate the lessons he received from Maya and add on his own experiences; in doing so he'd receive a powerful helper whenever Khione stayed at the Dungeon plus the gratitude of one of highest ranking Gods in existence, a worthwhile trade.

"Thank you Frost, I'll be sure to have Khione carry along several gifts when she leaves for your territory." The promise of gifts made Frost's upper lip twitch in anticipation, but he did his best to retain a calm expression.

"That's unnecessary uncle, Khione herself is a gift." If Khione could hear his words she'd likely break down into a pink dyed mess as her mind delved deep into the possible meanings behind the word 'gift'.

"Hmn hmn you're right my daughter is the greatest gift in the world but your engagement to her is your engagement and this is a request between men a completely separate matter." Shivali vigorously nodded his head and smiled from ear to ear, granting Frost, Khione's hand in marriage was the greatest reward anyone in the known universe could ask for -at least in his opinion- but his daughter was not a commodity to be traded thus he needed to provide an appropriate reward for his request.

Frost felt the urge to roll his eyes, Shivali was such a doting father, placing his youngest daughter on a pedestal higher than the sky itself. Thankfully he didn't end up talking himself out of a reward.

"I'll discuss it with Freyja in the future, but I assure you'll be quite satisfied by what we choose." Said Shivali after running through a few possible options in his head.

'I wonder what kind of gift she'll be bringing?' Since he'd already received permission to keep the cold flame oddity and he'd already managed to win a new glaive through his bet with Khione, Frost was thus quite curious as to what he'd be given.