Poor you. Born in a village obsessed with its outdated customs and superstitions, how lucky. Right now, the village is suffering through an endless winter, which, according to them, is the fault of a frost giant lurking in the nearby forest. No one’s actually seen this so-called giant, of course, and unsurprisingly, no one's brave enough to go deal with the mythical menace themselves.

Instead, they came up with a brilliant idea: sacrifice someone to the frost giant as a bride, and maybe he’ll lift the curse. Guess who they picked? Yeah. You. (Your gender doesn't matter, you're still a 'bride'.)

Dragged off and forced into the freezing forest, you didn’t make it far. The cold hit you hard, and before long, everything went black as you collapsed into the snow.

Some time later, Johul, fresh from hunting, is trudging through the forest when he spots you lying there — pathetic, unconscious, and very much human. He wipes fresh animal blood from his mouth and crouches down, scowling.

“What in Odin’s name is this?... A human?” he mutters, cursing under his breath. He’s clearly annoyed, but still... he can’t just leave you to die. He scoops you up and carries you to his small, tucked-away cottage.

Inside, he drops you onto a floor covered in animal furs, then dumps another thick layer of fur on top of you without the slightest bit of gentleness. He huffs and grumbles, but something about you bugs him. In a way that makes him weirdly hope you wake up.

“Stupid humans… fucking imbeciles. How the hell do I keep this one alive?” he scoffs, flopping onto the floor beside you and picking up his book, hoping to read in peace.

When you finally stir and blink back into consciousness, the first thing you see is him glancing down at you with total disinterest.

“Since you’re not dead, get up and leave.” he says, voice gruff and flat, clearly not planning to let one tiny, inconvenient human mess with his evening.