The Hybrid

The next morning, I woke up in my bed feeling a lot better than I did the previous day. Yay, I am not sick anymore. I don't have my fever anymore. I remember the last time I had a fever. Mama used to tuck me into my bed, stroke my hair and she used to feed me this horrible green herb stuff from a bottle. It used to make me puke but Mama would hold me. And when my fever ended, she would always make Frost Nettle soup. I wonder if Fandral will let me use his kitchen to make Nettle soup. That's assuming that Midgard had nettles. I don't know what is in this realm. Maybe Thor can find me a book on this realm.

I look down at the foot of the bed, that black wolf still lying there, sleeping peacefully.
"Morning Fluff" As much as I wanted to rub his belly a little more, I laid back down and basked in the warmth of my memories. When everything was good and the world wasn't falling apart. Back when things were simple then. He made some sounds and I felt the wolf at my feet roll over onto his back. I heard some movement and saw the Fandral was asleep in a chair "You better go wake him up" the wolf tilted his head at me. I then looked at Fandral. I whisper go get Fandral. The wolf seemed to understand when he got up and bolted over to Fandral, jumping on him and nearly knocking him out of the chair.
"Whoa!" Fandral exclaimed as he woke up fairly quickly. I then cackled. Fluff then jumped back on the bed and nuzzled his nose against my leg, licking my leg a few times "Fluff!"
"I said to wake him up. Not jump on him!" I ruffled the dog's head. The dog barked at me "Though that was brilliant"
"Not from where I was standing" Fandral mumbled, rubbing his face.
"I don't need to let you out, do I?" I smirked.
"I see you have your father's dreadful sense of humour," he sighed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He then got up and walked over to me "Good morning, Blue. It looks like your fever broke," Fandral looked me over, his hand gently on my forehead. Fluff growled a little but when Fandral glanced at him, Fluff backed down.
"Yeah, It broke last night. You can imagine Thor's relief when my eyes stopped glowing" I nodded.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I'm feeling so much better. For now anyway. Before Hela and her lovable band of fucknuts hunt my ass down and tear me to shreds." I rolled my eyes.
"That is not going to happen and you know it." Fandral hushed me.
"Let's hope not"
"I think we need to change the subject" Fandral clapped his hands "You wouldn't have any plans for today, would you?"
"Only that I was going back to the Calland hold. It is so beautiful. All the collective knowledge of the Calland family is in one place. It's breathtaking" I may have started fawning over the insane number of books I get to read.
"Okay, easy Belle. Don't overdo it" Fandral calmed me down "I wish I had that reaction when I first saw it," Fandral admitted, laying next to me "Volstagg spoke about it all the time that by the time I saw it, It was like a big book store"
"Last month, I would've given anything to be able to kill my father, but those were for my own personal reasons." I sighed, leaning my head back "Now, I am not sure. I wish I had known the man before... you know"
"If he had known about you, He would have loved you like he loved his other kids" he confirmed "Hrolf, Leif and Rolfe would have loved hunting with you"
"Bet I would have kicked their ass" I smiled. Fandral chuckled as he sort of agreed with me. I then picked at my hand "What was Volstagg like when he was with my mother?"
"Honestly, I didn't even know they were a thing. but I do know how he was with Hildegund. He was seeing light instead of permanent darkness. When they split, that light was gone." Fandral sighed. I wonder if Mama made him happy "When Hildegund chucked him out the first time, We all travelled to this realm. We needed a break. Your mother and Volstagg travelled to what the Midgardians call Sweden. Beautiful place. I will take you one day"
"So I was conceived because of one or both of them needing... company? Better than what I was always told" I sighed. Not that I needed that mental image in my head.
"Your mother called you a happy accident" Fandral pinched his lips together "I didn't know Volstagg was your father until Thor brought you to me" I placed a hand on Fandral's arm.
"It's ok to mourn him, Fandral. I wouldn't be able to blame you. He was one of your best friends."
"Were you ever told who killed him?" Fandral wondered.
"No. No one knows. As far as I am aware of" I shrugged. I have a feeling someone knows but for now, I will put that thought to the back of my head "So, did you have a plan today?"
"Once you are done at the Calland hold, why don't you and I go hunting again?"
"Nighttime hunting. It's been a while" I sigh, smiling "I would love that" I then grabbed my stomach as it rumbled "Sorry"
"Come on. I can hear your stomach begging for some food" Fandral helped me to my feet, holding out his hand "And we can see if the others are awake" I gladly accepted his hand and the two of us headed downstairs.

I did stumble a little as my legs were still a little wobbly after climbing up and down all those stairs to the hold last night. By the time we got to the bottom of the stairs, I didn't expect to smell food cooking already. When we walked into the kitchen, Sif stood at the stove, humming idly to herself.
"Good morning, Sif," Fandral sat at the table in the middle of the room, casually pulling out a chair for me.
"Good morning, Fandral," Sif smiled and then she spotted me "Good morning, Aurora. I hope you're feeling better."
"I am indeed. Thank you for asking" I gave her a nod.
"I hope you don't mind, Fandral," she apologized, "I got kind of hungry." I chuckled as Fandral rolled his eyes. Sif handed me some water.
"You never asked permission when we all lived on Asgard. In fact, I remember banning Tyr because the man burnt salad" Fandral scoffed as he gave some food to Fluff.
"How do you burn leaves?" I choked on the water.
"I have no idea. This was Tyr though. His cooking could bring down armies. He made a cracking roast pig though. Was the only thing he could cook" Sif smiled.
"He burnt leaves" I chuckled. The others chuckled with me. This was nice. It's like having a family again. Just how long is this one going to last "Is Thor still asleep, Sif?" I asked.
"Don't even get me started on him" Sif groaned.
"What did he do now?" Fandral got up and started to make a strange-smelling drink.
"When the oaf came to bed last night, drunk out of his skull. He was all... Thor and then he passed out in the bathtub. Oh, and his snoring! Have you ever heard Thor snore when he's been drinking? Oh my GOD! He is just the worst!" Sif ranted.
"And yet you married him" I leaned my head lazily on my hand. Sif poked her tongue out at me.
"I have drunk many times with Thor so yes, I know of his beast-like snoring" Fandral added.
"That was Thor?" My mouth hung open "I heard something last night, but I was so tired that I just assumed some animals were fighting each other in the woods."
"Oh hell no. Those beastly sounds were the drunken snores of Thor Odinson. And where would he have even found any alcohol?" Sif squeaked. Oops. My bad. I sat there quietly, trying to be as innocent as possible "Does he have a heightened sense of smell that only works for alcohol?" No. But I do.
"My wine cellar is well-hidden," Fandral swore, "There is no way he would have been able to find it"
"I wouldn't underestimate him," she laid her head on the table, "Trust me. There's no separating a man from his drink." Sif put her middle finger up to the ceiling. A feeling of deep guilt and shame washed over me.
"Urm... Sif" I tapped her shoulder.
"Yes?" she didn't even look up.
"About Thor drinking last night... Well... That might have been my fault," I winced, "I wanted a drink last night and I was so lost and miserable in the Calland hold that... I might have sent Thor to get me something. I'm so sorry, Sif. I didn't realize he was that bad." Oh. I feel terrible.
"But you didn't snore last night, Blue" Fandral pointed out.
"How would you know?" Sif asked. That was enough for her to look up.
"He slept in my room last night. I've had a fever since I got here the other night. Fandral has been making sure that I don't burn out or something. He has since I've been here. And Fluff has been the at the foot of my bed like a good boy." I explained. Fluff lifted his head at the sound of his name, barked and went back to eating "But I am sorry for you having to deal with him last night, Sif."
"Aurora, Don't worry" Sif placed a hand over mine "I am not mad at you. Just the oaf upstairs that can't handle his drink after 1500 years"
"If Thor is still passed out, I guess that means we not going to the hold today. Or at least not this morning." I sighed. Though that means I can go hunting.
"Just because Thor's a loud sleeper when he's drunk doesn't mean he won't bounce back like a rubber ball. He's been so used to dealing with hangovers that they're practically second nature to him. If he sleeps it off, he will be fine." Sif sighed "I know this may be hard to believe, but I did get him to stop for a while."
"No way" Fandral and I both spoke.
"Yes way" Sif took great pride in that, "He stopped for two weeks because I asked him to. And then it was our wedding and the idiot got drunk"
"Must have put a kink in the wedding night?" I sighed.
"And then some"
"Still, take the wins where you can get them, I suppose," I shrugged.

An hour later, Thor stumbles into the kitchen. his long hair hanging over his face. Sif rolled her eyes and got to making everyone breakfast.
"You look bloody awful" Fandral remarked as he sipped his strange black liquid.
"Nothing out of the ordinary for you then" I joked. I then turned to Fandral "Fandral, what are you drinking?"
"Coffee. My dear, would you like to try some?" Fandral offered me the cup. I sniffed it.
"Smells bitter" I scrunched my nose up. I then took the cup and took a little sip "Oh hell no" I tried to wipe my tongue "ewww"
"Not a fan then" Sif sighed as Thor grabbed some fruit. I shook my head.
"And people of this realm enjoy this sewage water. Actually, that's an insult to sewage water" I shivered. I will never drink that again.
"Well, this is black coffee. I suppose it is bitter" Fandral sighed.
"More like black death" I gagged.
"Maybe you should try it with milk" Fandral shook his head.
"I would rather drink sewer water" I declined. Fandral and Thor laughed "So Thor, Did you sleep well last night?"
"I did. Why do you ask?" Thor frowned at me.
"It's common decency to ask" I sighed "Also I heard you fell asleep in the tub"
"It did wonders for my back" Thor stretched. he then smiled and walked over to Sif and kissed her "Morning"
"Morning, I didn't think you would be up yet" Sif sighed.
"I smelled breakfast," Thor looked over at the stove, practically salivating over Sif's cooking. He tried to reach for a piece of meat.
"Hands off! It's not done yet!" she slapped his fingers away with a wooden spoon, "You can wait."
"I suggest giving Rory a double portion" Thor suggested, sneaking a piece of meat "Because we have a busy day ahead of us." I wasn't totally sure if I understood here. According to Sif, Thor was very full when he went to bed last night. He should be on his arse.
"I told you, Rubber ball" Sif leaned over to me. Okay, I will give him credit. It is an Asgardian thing. I don't have a hangover and I got drunk last night.
"Aurora!" Thor clicked his fingers in front of my face. snapping me back into my head "Were you listening"
"I heard you speak some stupid shit," I spoke with a dead look on my face.
"Blue..." Fandral nudged me from the side.
"I heard him..." I agreed, "Big breakfast for me" I mocked Thor's voice.
"Enough of your shit please" Thor spoke, crossing his overly-sized arms.
"Thor, Go easy on her. You tend to go overboard" Sif begged, tilting her head at him.
"If it makes you feel better, I'll even leave the Strombreaker here" Thor smiled at his wife.
"Good boy" Sif patted Thor's cheek.
"Urm hello! don't I get a say in this?" I waved my arms. while sweet for Sif to be looking out for me, but I needed to show Thor what I was made of.
"Sure. What do you want, Rory?" Thor looked over his shoulder at me. A little smirk made its way onto my face.
"I will only ask you this once. And once only... Do not hold back on me. I want you to try and kick my ass" I crossed my arms. Thor gave me a little bow.
"Scouts honour"
"Second Godfather wishes to speak," Fandral stepped in, "Blue... Are you sure you want to do that? You've only just gotten over your fever like this morning"
"I'm fine. Honestly. I get over things pretty quickly. I'm sure I can handle a little hand-to-hand combat with Sparkles over there" I grinned. I knew what I was capable of. Fandral grinned. And if I didn't know any better, I think I got a smile out of Thor and Sif.
"Fandral, Is there anywhere we can train without making a mess of things?" Thor asked. Fandral trapped his chin and then clicked his fingers.
"I think there's a clearing through the woods, just past the stream we hunted at yesterday" Fandral directed him.
"Thank you, my friend" Thor patted Fandral's arm "Come on, Rory. Eat your breakfast. When we are done, you go hunt for whatever you want" Typical uncle... Always encouraging bad behaviour and I was all for it.
"Goody. Can't wait to snap some animal's neck" I rubbed my hands together. Thor looked a little horrified.
"I didn't need to know that" he shuddered.
"Oh, it's in case I pass out in the middle of a battle and you need to revive me. I like the smell of squirrel blood. That's my favourite" I laughed as the colour drained from Thor's face "I'm kidding. Just splash water on my face"
"Hybrids are vile creatures," Thor whispered.
"You're not wrong," I let him have that one.
"Excuse me?" But Fandral had other thoughts "Nothing wrong with Hybrids"
"Except when they trying to make me throw up my breakfast" Thor crossed his arms. I pinched my nose and Fandral and Thor started arguing.
"Enough" Sif stopped them, "Could you not argue at the table? For once, I just want us to get through one meal together without you two wanting to kill each other."
"He started it" Fandral argued.
"I don't care who started it!" she pounded her fist on the table, "I'm ending it! Now, apologize to each other, so we can get on with the bloody day!" Thor and Fandral grumbled like two-year-olds and shook hands "Now while I go to the pantry, can you two manage not to kill each other while I am gone?"
"Oh, please. We're not children" Fandral rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. He is a child. Sif narrowed her eyes and left the room.
"Eat shit and die" Thor and Fandral flagged each other.
"Yes. fuck you" both started chuckling. Sighing heavily, I followed her to the pantry.

"Nicely handled, Sif." I praised as I grabbed the freshly baked bread for her "Oh this smells good"
"Those two drive me crazy when they are together" Sif admitted, "Thor may consider himself the leader of our group, but he forgets who pulled him together and got him to rediscover his purpose. That was all me."
"And I thought him avoiding hangovers was impressive," I applauded her.
"I keep thinking that I should just leave them to it. That they won't need me" Sif sighs as she looks to the door, smiling "But those two give me something to do. Those two need me just as much as I need them."
"They will not last five minutes without you" I agreed.
"We both know it" Sif smiled at me. It is strange to think that she was this amazing fighter on Asgard and now she is like this mother figure"Go, Sit down. I will bring everything out soon"
"Okay," I wasn't going to fight her. I do have a newfound respect for Sif. She has put up with everyone for centuries. The woman needs a break.

Tensions at the breakfast table never broke, but honestly, I think Fandral and Thor were as good as they were going to get. Seeing them be this civil may be like seeing a unicorn.

Once Thor and I both had full bellies, we headed toward that clearing Fandral mentioned. I had a feeling today was going to be fun. I stopped in the middle of the woods, Thor stopped with me.
"Aurora? Is everything -" I raised my hand to cut him off, taking in the sound of the wind rustling through the trees. As nice as that sound was, the sound of beating hearts in the distance was far nicer "Why are we being quiet?" he whispered, "Do you hear something?"
"Yeah" I smiled darkly, "I hear something that needs its neck-snapping"
"I did not need that image in my brain" Thor closed his eyes and went to sit under a tree.
"I would say I am sorry Thor but I'm not" I prepared my stance, "Ten, maybe twelve meters to the west. I'll be right back."

Before Thor could say anything else, I took off like a bat out of hell and jumped on a deer. Snapping its neck in record time. It wasn't as big as Fandral's kill but it was still big enough.
"Thank you, Deer" I covered my kill with leaves and branches. Hopefully, no one will take it.

I ran back to Thor in record time. He blinked in disbelief.
"And I thought you don't use your Hybrid powers often?"
"When I hunt, I do," I admitted, hugging myself "Are we not going to the hold today, Thor?"
"Maybe later" he decided, "But for now, you need to work on your hand-to-hand combat and mostly restraint."
"But I can fight"
"I have no doubt that you're a damn good fighter, Rory, but you need to keep that muscle up if you are going to go up against Asgard's army and Hela's army of the dead"
"I forgot about that little trick of hers" I clicked my tongue. The entire month that we walked, she raised her army so many times, that most of it was just walking skeletons.
"And who knows? Maybe you'll find a power you didn't know you had" Thor cracked his knuckles.
"Yeah, the family knowledge on Hybrids isn't exactly vast." I hugged myself. Maybe that's why Hela wanted me. Maybe I had magic.
"Did Hela tell you where she'd be headed next?"
"Sanda" I remembered, shuddering at the thought of going against Hela again, "But there's a possibility that once they take the smaller villages, they will be heading to Jouthhiem again soon after."
"What does she want?" he glanced over his shoulder "What's their endgame?"
"Hela wants to cast a dark shadow all over the 9 realms" I filled him in, "Anywhere she can get her hands on, she wants it. We can't let them have that, Thor. I remember what my mother used to tell me; Listen to the grown-ups, and if you see anyone scared or being picked on, you look after them" I started pacing. Had my mother been preparing me for this my entire life "Protect the small nice ones"
"She taught us all the same values" Thor smiled "Do you remember her most important value?"
"And most of all, have fun."
"We will stop her" Thor put a hand on my shoulder, "Time to train, okay?"
"Yeah, I want to kick your ass" He put an arm around me, a gentle smile on his face.
"You really are something else, Rory"
"Thank you, Uncle Thor," I laid my head on his shoulder "Love you, Uncle Thor"
"I love you, sweetie." Thor nudged me along, "Come on. Less sentimental shit and more Let's go beat the shit out of each other."