until we say it is."
He glared at his father. "I have a mind to try pest control on that Nidhogg. If it keeps on gnawing the World-Ash, that tree's going to die."
"That's the point," Wotan said.
Hillary pursed her lips. As she recollected, wasn't there just one Midgard Serpent? Then this overage, hypermasculine juvenile delinquent was persecuting the last member of an endangered species.
Allfather passed a hand over his bearded lips, forestalling her next protest. "Fru Clinton here is attending," he said with suspicious mildness, "to your sisters' education."
"You got those brats a nanny ?" Thor sounded as if he wanted to spit up all the ale he had already drunk. Hillary braced herself. Alcohol abusers frequently turned to family violence, and this one didn't look as if he needed much encouragement.
"They already know how to ride and choose and fight, if they have to, and to serve at table. What do Valkyries need with more knowledge, unless you give 'em a good hiding so they know how to obey? Look at Brunnhilde. You actually talked to her and taught her to read, and what happened? She started trying to use her judgment—that's a laugh, and wound up asleep on a mountaintop surrounded by fire and waiting for the first hero with the balls to come and claim her."
Hillary suppressed a hiss of pure rage (after listening to Phyllis Schlafly, Randall Terry, Jesse Helms, Orrin Hatch, and the other Neanderthals, you got good at that) because of an exultation that suddenly washed through her, making her feel taller and stronger than Thor.
Buddy boy , she thought, I think you just gave me my ticket home .
"You just pass me that gavel, mister," she demanded suddenly. "You're not chairing this meeting. Your father delegated it to me."
She pointed assertively at Thor's hammer. The girls watched, eyes round, appalled, but somehow hopeful.
"Now!"
He passed it over, so reluctant to have her touch it that you'd have thought it was Lorena Bobbitt's knife—or what it cut.
Wotan shrugged his shoulders. "She's good with the girls," he admitted. "They like her."
Hillary leaned forward, planting small fists on either side of Thor's hammer. "You bet they like me. I'm the only one around here who listens to them. Maybe you can tell me what happened to their oldest sister. They just cry. You didn't even let them grieve."
Thor glared at Hillary. "Gods don't grieve," he said.
Hillary glared back. "Tell it to the Marines," she suggested.
"Ask him ," he grunted.
" Him is hardly a polite way to refer to your father and Allfather, I believe he's called," she informed him. "The girls… I mean, your sisters… told me that Brunnhilde was your lather's favorite. Never quite forgiven her for that, have you? And that she disobeyed him and brought a woman into Valhalla. So what? I'm here, aren't I?" And I wish I were home ! Dammit, if she kept that lament up, she was going to sound like E.T.
"It wasn't just any woman, woman," Thor snarled. "It was Sieglinde ."
Hillary waited him out. "I wouldn't know Sieglinde from Jessye Norman," she told him. Since she Knew very little about Jessye Norman and Thor knew nothing at all, the score in this particular game of one-upmanship was tied.
"She ran away from her husband Hunding. Honestly, I don't know what Middle Earth's coming to," Thor grumbled.
"Did Hunding abuse her? If he did, I think your sisters did a very brave thing in giving her refuge." Hillary might not know how to embroider, but she certainly knew how to needle.
"You just don't get it, do you, woman? She ran off with her own brother Siegmund Walse's son, whom she hadn't seen for years. Hunding followed them and killed him. Very properly."
"That poor woman. And you stood for this?" She flashed a Look at Wotan with both eyes, and he deflected it with his one. Then, to her astonishment, he looked down, ashamed and saddened.
"My wife insisted. Uh…"
Hillary hadn't led her class at Wellesley for nothing. "Ah," she said. "You go in for a
He glared at his father. "I have a mind to try pest control on that Nidhogg. If it keeps on gnawing the World-Ash, that tree's going to die."
"That's the point," Wotan said.
Hillary pursed her lips. As she recollected, wasn't there just one Midgard Serpent? Then this overage, hypermasculine juvenile delinquent was persecuting the last member of an endangered species.
Allfather passed a hand over his bearded lips, forestalling her next protest. "Fru Clinton here is attending," he said with suspicious mildness, "to your sisters' education."
"You got those brats a nanny ?" Thor sounded as if he wanted to spit up all the ale he had already drunk. Hillary braced herself. Alcohol abusers frequently turned to family violence, and this one didn't look as if he needed much encouragement.
"They already know how to ride and choose and fight, if they have to, and to serve at table. What do Valkyries need with more knowledge, unless you give 'em a good hiding so they know how to obey? Look at Brunnhilde. You actually talked to her and taught her to read, and what happened? She started trying to use her judgment—that's a laugh, and wound up asleep on a mountaintop surrounded by fire and waiting for the first hero with the balls to come and claim her."
Hillary suppressed a hiss of pure rage (after listening to Phyllis Schlafly, Randall Terry, Jesse Helms, Orrin Hatch, and the other Neanderthals, you got good at that) because of an exultation that suddenly washed through her, making her feel taller and stronger than Thor.
Buddy boy , she thought, I think you just gave me my ticket home .
"You just pass me that gavel, mister," she demanded suddenly. "You're not chairing this meeting. Your father delegated it to me."
She pointed assertively at Thor's hammer. The girls watched, eyes round, appalled, but somehow hopeful.
"Now!"
He passed it over, so reluctant to have her touch it that you'd have thought it was Lorena Bobbitt's knife—or what it cut.
Wotan shrugged his shoulders. "She's good with the girls," he admitted. "They like her."
Hillary leaned forward, planting small fists on either side of Thor's hammer. "You bet they like me. I'm the only one around here who listens to them. Maybe you can tell me what happened to their oldest sister. They just cry. You didn't even let them grieve."
Thor glared at Hillary. "Gods don't grieve," he said.
Hillary glared back. "Tell it to the Marines," she suggested.
"Ask him ," he grunted.
" Him is hardly a polite way to refer to your father and Allfather, I believe he's called," she informed him. "The girls… I mean, your sisters… told me that Brunnhilde was your lather's favorite. Never quite forgiven her for that, have you? And that she disobeyed him and brought a woman into Valhalla. So what? I'm here, aren't I?" And I wish I were home ! Dammit, if she kept that lament up, she was going to sound like E.T.
"It wasn't just any woman, woman," Thor snarled. "It was Sieglinde ."
Hillary waited him out. "I wouldn't know Sieglinde from Jessye Norman," she told him. Since she Knew very little about Jessye Norman and Thor knew nothing at all, the score in this particular game of one-upmanship was tied.
"She ran away from her husband Hunding. Honestly, I don't know what Middle Earth's coming to," Thor grumbled.
"Did Hunding abuse her? If he did, I think your sisters did a very brave thing in giving her refuge." Hillary might not know how to embroider, but she certainly knew how to needle.
"You just don't get it, do you, woman? She ran off with her own brother Siegmund Walse's son, whom she hadn't seen for years. Hunding followed them and killed him. Very properly."
"That poor woman. And you stood for this?" She flashed a Look at Wotan with both eyes, and he deflected it with his one. Then, to her astonishment, he looked down, ashamed and saddened.
"My wife insisted. Uh…"
Hillary hadn't led her class at Wellesley for nothing. "Ah," she said. "You go in for a
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