Chapter 1
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You are a Valkyrie. A female warrior, charged with fighting for the royal family and bringing lost souls of brave warriors to Valhalla.
Well, as of a couple of centuries ago you're a dead valkyrie. Fighting Hela all those years ago didn't exactly go in your favor, no matter how honorably you and your comrades fought. The thin dagger that had lodged in your chest was indeed impressive to have eaten through all of that armor. Or perhaps it was the force that it was launched with that was the truly impressive thing. Either way, your little metal friend had found a home in your ribcage.
Currently, you were walking through the outer walls of Valhalla alongside your warhorse, Yngvild. You were a little smaller than the rest of the Valkyries, yet somehow you had ended up with the largest warhorse. Midguardians would insist that he was an overgrown Clydesdale. In truth, he couldn't compare to any horse on earth. He was much more loyal and stronger than them, and you would venture to say that his pure chocolate mane was much silkier. That being said, this was the faithful beast that had fallen with you and you wouldn't give him up for the world. While you were saddened to see him wandering the land of the dead outside of Valhalla after your final battle, you were also relieved. You had raised him and trained with him as part of your training, he was a part of your family.
As you slowly walked, you unconsciously drifted to Frigga's garden along the southern outer wall. It was a monstrous yard that held what you believed to be the most beautiful plants in existence.
Your bare feet made hardly a sound against the worn stone path, and the flowing white dress you wore fluttered behind you as you lightheartedly jumped from the largest stone in the path to the next. The trees along the path gave occasional shade from the bright sun above. A ballad was stuck in your head, so you softly sang words you only half knew. Yngvild trailed behind, head dipping to search for the one plant that Frigga allowed him to eat the fruit from. Occasionally you passed by someone, but for the most part, the garden was devoid of people.
Carelessly you hopped straight into a puddle and cringed, and not for the fact that you just likely splattered mud on your purely white dress. You avoided pools of water whenever you could. Puddles, tubs, cups, it made no difference. They allowed the viewer to see the living world.
Once there was a time where you spent years just staring into the water, but as the state of the universe declined it simply hurt too much to watch.
You had watched the beginning of the end, the dawn of Thanos. Your prince being tortured at his hands. And more recently, Thanos attacking the ship that contained the last of the Asgardians. Seeing the royal family and your people come under such attack was emotionally trying, as even though you were dead you still felt the call to protect them.
You refused to look down at the cool water lapping at your feet and instead ran for the stables. As soon as your furry friend realized that you were running, he took off behind you with fruit dangling precariously out of his mouth.
Even though moments such as these were sobering, Valhalla was a relatively peaceful afterlife- days broken into segments of training, lounging, feasting... really anything you wanted.
"Littlest Valkyrie," Frigga's familiar voice called out to you before you could reach the stables.
"Yes, All-mother?" You replied, stopping and turning to the general direction the soft voice came from.
She was standing beneath a towering willow tree to the left of the stables, gaggle of children at her side. You have adored Frigga ever since you were a small child. She was strong, beautiful, and fierce, but was still feminine and gentle. Never having known your mother or father, you were raised by an assortment of valkyries, warriors, and court officials. As a child, she had doted on you and taught you minor feats of magic. As an adult, (when you or Frigga had the time), you went to her for advice or inspiration.
"The All-father has a task for you, please go to the grand hall once you have made yourself presentable." So she had noticed the mud. She kindly smiled at you, worry showing through her eyes.
"Yes, All-mother." You quipped obediently with a quick curtsy. Turning back to the stable, you pushed open the heavy oak doors with ease and lead Yngvild into his stall.
"All right, love, time for supper." You huffed out as you lifted a large pail of oats up over your head and into a high hanging trough on the wall. Just because you were a little shorter than the rest of the Valkyries didn't mean you weren't as capable. You checked to make sure he had water before giving him a gentle kiss right between his eyes, leaving him to his meal.
Swiftly you left the stables, heading to your room to change. As you ran, you occasionally waved or smiled back at friends who called out to you.
Reaching your room, you unlocked the door and slipped inside with a huff. Immediately you threw your soiled dress into a pile of dirty clothes in a corner. You picked up a cloth and dipped it in a pot of water to wash the mud off of your feet and legs, not having time for a bath. A summons from Odin was rare.
You flung on the first thing that caught your eye- a mid-thigh, royal blue, sleeveless dress. The matching sandals weren't hard to find and were easy enough to lace up. With a quick glance in the mirror to check your untamable hair for any obvious dirt or debris, you were back out the door and on your way to the grand hall.
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The grand hall was quite literally a large hallway with ornate tables and benches running the length of it, with Odin's throne at the very end. This is where many of the people of Valhalla came to socialize, feast, play, or gather when Odin called an assembly. Thankfully those were few and far between, usually on the topic of the state of the living universe.
Looking to the throne as you entered, Odin sat tall at the end of the hall, his eye raking the area. Searching. He locked on to you.
"Littlest Valkyrie, to me." His booming voice filled the hall the second you stepped foot onto the marble, heads turning in his direction. And yours.
Heart rate picking up, you tried to appear calm as you paced over to the throne. It took a minute as the hall was spacious, to say the least. As soon as you were a few feet away, you fell to your knees. The hall quieted- everyone wants to hear what this was about. Nosy bastards.
"What may I do for you, All-father?" Your voice sounded confident, though you were apprehensive about the situation.
Odin cleared his throat before speaking, seeming to be weighed down by something.
"Valkyrie- my son, Loki, is going to die a hero within the next day. I have seen it." A collective gasp rang out throughout the hall, chatter rising up again. Odin held up his right hand and all was quiet again.
"As with all of the worthy royal line who pass through the veil, I ask a Valkyrie to escort them safely to Valhalla and watch over them. I am asking you to be Loki's Valkyrie." Odin finished, lowering his hand and looking down at you, expectation seething from his single eye.
This... was not what you expected when you had been told that Odin had a task for you. You weren't sure what you were expecting, but this hit you like a truck. Being a royal's personal Valkyrie, even in the afterlife, was one of the highest honors that a Valkyrie could receive. And the fact that the royal was Loki? You weren't quite sure how to feel.
"Do you accept?" Odin asked again at your prolonged silence. You could refuse, some in your place had before. It was the afterlife after all. You had already fought and died for your kingdom. But to refuse an opportunity to have a purpose again such as this? You didn't know if you could ever forgive yourself.
"I... accept. Thank you for this assignment, All-father." You looked up at Odin.
"Then rise, Littlest Valkyrie, and prepare to bring my son." You felt a tendril of pride rise up at your nickname.
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As soon as you had received your assignment, you went back to your room to prepare.
Now that you were dead, you were more vulnerable to attacks from monsters of the land of the dead than you were alive. You had to dig through your wardrobe for armor other than your training armor- something that at least looked a little bit more... battle-worthy.
Once you did find the suitable armor, you realized quickly that it needed to be cleaned. You laid it out on your bed and drug out a heavy chest from the bottom of your closet, filled with swords, bows, daggers, and all sorts of weapons. Many of them had rusted over time, so you carefully chose a lightweight sword and a few daggers to clean and sharpen for your upcoming journey.
You spent most of the night slaving over your armor and weapons, making sure they were pristine and battle-ready. As soon as you finished polishing the last dagger you collapsed into a dreamless sleep on your large bed, being careful to not fall into any of your weapons or armor.
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Dawn's light filtered through your window, hitting your face and causing you to groan. Morning came quicker than you would have liked. You slowly sat up, taking a moment to remember your task. Once you did, you shot out of bed.
First thing's first, you got cleaned up and donned your battle gear.
You walked over to the largest mirror in your room and checked your appearance. Silver armor had been shined to perfection, and you had even dug out the royal blue cape that attached to your shoulders. Grabbing a brush off of your dresser, you combed your hair thoroughly and then swiftly braided it.
You looked almost exactly as you had when you entered the land of the dead. One very important thing was still missing.
With a deep breath in, you unfurled your white wings. Their total span was somewhere around ten feet when fully extended, and while they were mostly white, the downy feathers closest to you faded into a deep blue. It had been years since you had summoned your wings- you gave them a tentative stretch whilst staring at them in the mirror. You could feel every muscle, every feather even. It felt like it hadn't been more than a day since you last used them. Reaching behind you, you ran your hands over the parts of the wings you could reach and experimentally flexed each muscle. They weren't as strong as they normally were, but they were strong enough to face the task at hand.
Double-checking yourself to make sure that you hadn't forgotten anything, you pressed your wings to your side and walked out into the corridor.
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Quickly walking to the stables, you tried to avoid as many people as possible. You needed to keep your head clear of any distractions. Your poor furry friend has no idea that he's about to face battle again, but you intend to ready him for it. With a hint of dramatic flair, you threw open the stable doors and began searching for the appropriate saddle. It had to be large enough so that the prince may ride back comfortably while you protected him from above.
Yngvild was growing impatient as he knew you were nearby, sending a particularly annoyed whinny your way.
"You'll have more than your share of excitement today Yng." You called out to him after finally finding the appropriate saddle. Huffing, you picked up the heavy thing and drug it over to Yngvild's stall, and set it on the stall door. He trotted in place, clearly excited to go for a ride.
The stall door swung open with ease, even with the added weight of the saddle. You slid around the gigantic beast to the dusty chest in the corner, it opened with a low groan. The armor that laid inside still perfectly fit Yngvild, and only required a little elbow grease to look brand new again. It covered his most vulnerable spots, like his chest and legs. He stood perfectly still as you attached each piece bit by bit.
You pulled the chest over to Yngvild and used it as a step to get the saddle onto him. There was no need for a bridle, the two of you almost had a telepathic link. He understood spoken commands, signals, and your body language.
A young man sent by Odin appeared, informing you that it was time. You had seen him around a few times, his name was Javyk, and was a sweet boy. He didn't stick around long, simply telling you the slightly ominous message and taking off.
You swung your leg onto the saddle, using your arms to fully pull yourself up. You gently tapped his sides with your heels to let Yng know it was okay to move once you were fully in the large saddle, immediately lurching forward into the main hallway of the stable.
Once you had moved out of the stable and into a nearby field, you set off in the direction of the land of the dead.