Chapter 1
Valkyrie's morning starts like any other.
She burns some toast, she washes it (and her hangover) down with a little hair of the dog, she goes to check on Aragon and take him for a quick fly around New Asgard (while struggling under the usual weight of guilt about how much progress they've yet to make now that she's King), and then she strays into the trees just off of the coastline to get more wood for their hearths and fire pits and forge and cottages and whatever else they need it for, which feels like just about everything, these days.
"Valkyrie?"
"Mm?" Valkyrie doesn't look up, still chopping wood.
"Do you recognize this freaky bug chick?"
Her head snaps up. Korg is holding who she recognized as Mantis, one of the guardians. She's unconscious and pale, skin covered in bruises that bloom across her delicate features. She's soaking wet, hair plastered to her face clothes coated in sand.
Valkyrie stares, skeptical. "She just...what, washed up here?"
"Pretty much! She was in a pod on the far rocks, where all of the junk usually collects. Not that she's junk. Definitely freaky, though."
"You've said." She drops the wood and brushes off her hands, leaning closer to look at her. Her eyelids are flickering, her face slack with unconsciousness. "The last I heard she was with Thor in space. Why. is. she. here.?"
"I wish I knew. The pod was only big enough for one person."
Valkyrie breathes out through clenched teeth. "Not a great sign, is it?"
"Not particularly!"
She lets Korg lower her into her arms. "Alright, well—I guess I'll get her inside. Can you look for Eir? She needs healing."
***
Mantis is laying on a pale paisley-printed couch, a thick quilt over her body. Korg hadn't been able to find Eir, so they end up at Thyra's, instead, which is about equivalent to going to a child with a wooden sword when you need an experienced warrior's help.
Thyra hasn't been able to wake Mantis up yet but Mantis has managed to stir and turn over by herself, which seems as good a sign as any. Thyra is kneeling by her side with a tincture of her smelling salts, trying to get her to awaken, while Valkyrie fiddles with the communication device Thor had given her before he'd left. She'd only tried to use it once before without much success, and she's similarly out of luck now, narrowly avoiding punching a dark wooden wall as she twists the stupid little antenna sticking out of the top. Hm. Bent antenna...
Valkyrie sets the device aside and moves to kneel next to Thyra, tilting Mantis's head with a gentle hand. Her soft skin stretches over her face more like a thin membrane, like one more bruise would be enough to break the surface, but Valkyrie knows she's far stronger than she looks. One of her antennae seems oddly bent, making her pallid face scrunch up slightly in pain when touched. "Do you know anything about her race? Their antennae?"
Thyra frowns. "There is not much to know. They come from small numbers on warmer worlds. Their antennae mostly aid in their empathic ability."
"So they're important, then. We're going to have to wrap this, maybe even splint it with something small. Do you know how fast they heal?"
"They live very long lives. Their healing for something like this may be similarly slow."
Valkyrie nods and gently tilts Mantis's head back to how it had been before.
Twenty minutes later her left antenna is wrapped in a shimmering woven gauze and splinted with a smooth wooden stick. Thyra has resumed her ministrations with the smelling salts and Valkyrie hasn't questioned the futility of it despite never having seen Thyra's excessive use of smelling salts and essential oils work even once before.
Thyra frowns. "I would've thought this one would have worked. Crushed sea salt and Ylang-ylang, should smell like home."
"I'm pretty sure her only home is that metal ship. Do you have anything rusty?"
Taking her seriously, Thyra gets to her feet and begins poking around in the kitchen, holding up old cans thoughtfully. Valkyrie sighs and stares at Mantis's placid face, the only movement the occasional twitching of her lips. "How long do they sleep for? Do you know?"
"Did you pay attention in your lessons at all?" Thyra calls, stacking pots and pans in a precarious stack that wobbles dangerously everytime she adds something new to it.
"I was busy training, if you recall."
"Obsessed with fighting even then."
"That's kind of what being a Valkyrie is, you—"
"What is a Valkyrie?"
Valkyrie looks down. Large dark eyes fanned by feathered lashes blink owlishly up at her.
"Guild of shield-maidens." She replies slowly. "...Are you alright? How do you feel?"
"What is binding me?" Mantis's voice is weak.
"Your left antenna is damaged. We wrapped it up to protect it."
Thyra appears to loom over her with her tincture, reaching over the back of the couch to wave it under her nose.
"Wh—?"
"Smell this, dear. It will help."
Mantis takes a hesitant sniff and wrinkles her nose, trying to turn her head away.
"Alright, Thyra, now that she's up, why don't you go help Korg and look for Eir, hm?" Valkyrie gently pushes her hand away.
"Are you sure? I have some oils here that—"
"Positive! Thanks!"
Valkyrie massages her temples, taking a moment with her eyes closed. When she opens them Mantis is still blinking at her.
"Thank you. Her smells were very unpleasant." She says, furtive like she's divulging a secret.
Valkyrie huffs a laugh. "Yes, they tend to be. Do you know how you got here?"
Mantis frowns, a tiny wrinkle between her eyebrows. "This is Earth, yes?"
Valkyrie nods.
"I do not understand how I ended up on this world. My last memory is on my ship with my friends. Someone was following us, I think, trying to board."
"Must've been a success." Valkyrie mutters, which doesn't help Mantis's frown. "How many clicks away from here were you?"
"We were jumping closer, trying to get away from the other ship....I am not sure."
"Okay. Alright." Valkyrie pushes her thick braid over her shoulder, getting to her feet. "Want food? We've got fish, fish, or fish."
Mantis perks up slightly. "Like sushi?"
Valkyrie tilts her head. "A little like sushi. When have you had sushi?"
"We had some before we left. I liked it very much."
"Great. I'll, uh, make sushi, then. Or something sushi-ish."
Mantis is sitting up on the couch by the time Valkyrie returns with her best approximation of seaweed-wrapped sushi rolls arranged in a little pile on a chipped ceramic plate. Her knees are drawn up and covered by the quilt.
She picks up a roll with her fingers and shoves the entire thing into her mouth, already grabbing another. "I have not eaten in days!" She says, words garbled.
Valkyrie hands her a water-filled mug and sits on the chair next to the couch, holding her own mug to her face. The curling steam grounds her.
"What are you drinking?" Mantis asks, eying her mug curiously.
"Irish coffee."
"What makes it different from regular coffee?"
"Whiskey." Valkyrie says, holding it aloft in a mock-toast.
Mantis wrinkles her nose again. "Oh. I will stick with my water."
"Probably for the best." Valkyrie says, pulling out the dinky little communication device again. She holds it aloft and lets it send out an open line that Thor can hopefully be able to connect to whenever he's able, which is really all she can do. She sets it on the table with a sigh, watching Mantis inhale her sushi rolls in record time and mentally cataloguing all of the responsibilities she has yet to complete for the day that will all probably have to go on the back burner thanks to this new...update.
Without food as a distraction they both fall silent, Mantis studying her with unreadable dark eyes. It makes Valkyrie shift where she sits, feeling strangely exposed. She stands. "Well, I'd better—" frantic beeping from the table cuts her off and she leaps forwards, grabbing the device and holding it to her ear. "Thor? Thor, are you there?"
"Valk—can—me?" crackles through the speakers, most of Thor's words too obscured by snow to make out.
"You're not coming through." Valkyrie says a tad desperate. Mantis leans forwards from where she's sitting with wide eyes.
"Attacked—reaches—ship!"
"Are you okay now? do you need aid?"
"We're okay, but—ship—Mantis!"
"I have Mantis! Her pod landed here."
"Thank the Gods—tell—relieved."
"Thor! Can I talk to my friends?" Mantis asks, standing up and moving to grab the device.
The snow gets louder at the sound of Thor passing the device off to someone else, but when Drax speaks he's slightly easier to understand. "Mantis, are you okay? We were—how—end up on Earth?"
"I am okay! A pod took me here. I do not remember anything else."
"She doesn't---no, I'm still talking!" a brief scuffle can be heard, then Peter's voice crackles to life over the line. "Mantis—remember?"
"No, I do not remember. Is the ship damaged?"
"Oh, it's damaged alright—looking—not sure when we'll—"
"Do you need aid?" Valkyrie asks again.
"No, we just need time—shut up—under control!"
A new voice, one Valkyrie recognizes as the Raccoon she had briefly met. "Quill thinks he can get us a new—idiot, of course, but Thor might—my turn to talk!" More scuffling, then "I am groot!"
Valkyrie snorts. "You could've just said that."
"We will come back—unsure—trust Valkyrie!" Thor says over the loud voices in the background, ending the connection with a loud beep.
Mantis is frowning again, eyes shimmering with tears. "Um. Are you okay?" Valkyrie asks slightly awkwardly, placing the device back on the table.
"Everybody keeps asking me that." Mantis says, moving back to the chair and pulling the quilt into her lap to pull at the loose yarn. "It loses its meaning when you ask it that much."
"Um, sorry, I just—you're crying?"
Mantis takes a deep breath. "Yes. I am relieved that my friends are okay. I am frustrated that I can't talk to them. I am doubtful that Peter will be able to get them a new ship. I am worried for Gamora."
"That's who they went off in search of, right?"
"Yes. She was—is—my friend."
"I may not know your friends very well, but I know Thor, and he's gotten out of much tougher situations, I've seen it firsthand. I have faith in your friends and faith in Gamora." Valkyrie does her best to give a reassuring smile, but she feels more like she probably just looks awkward.
"Thank you." Mantis says quietly, clasping her hands together in her lap. "You speak Groot too?"
Valkyrie can spot an attempt at changing the subject when she sees one. "Yeah, it was an elective. Kind of a blow-off class, to be honest."
Mantis tries a smile but it looks strange and strained. She also holds it for at least forty-five silent seconds, which doesn't help, either.
"...Uh, what're you doing there?" Valkyrie finally asks.
"I am smiling. Drax says that I am getting better."
"Oh. Yeah, very nice."
Mantis finally drops the smile, shivering and pulling the quilt further over her legs.
Valkyrie looks at the goosebumps on her bare arms. "You need warmer clothes. Something with sleeves. And wool."
She stands up and motions for Mantis to follow. Mantis peers around her room curiously, noticing the mix of things that had come with the place (wooden furniture, fish-themed wall decor, hanging chimes made out of seaglass), things that are from other planets (colorful guns, a green mask that looks like Hulk, decorative wall-mounts with intricately carved daggers), and things that are a bit of both. Mantis politely ignores the large shelf dedicated exclusively to rows of large colorful bottles of alcohol and follows Valkyrie to a small closet.
She reaches out to touch the jewel-colored sweaters, spotting a glimpse of shining white armor in the back and pulling it out. "Wow." She breathes. "Is this from Asgard?"
Valkyrie takes it from her and pushes it back to the back of the closet. "Mhm."
"It is very beautiful. Is it for the Valkyrie?"
Valkyrie swallows, not making eye contact. "Yes. That's what most people here call me, actually, besides 'King', Your Majesty', 'Your Grace', 'Your Highness', or any other awful variation on my title."
"What is your real name?"
"Doesn't matter." Valkyrie says, pulling out a dark green sweater. "What do you think of this one?"