Legendary

I shoved the helm back a bit as I surveyed the field. Valhalla kind of sucked. This was my third scrimmage, and so far it wasn't much of a challenge. I half expected to run across my budding nemesis, but hadn't seen him yet. Hard to miss him, broad shoulders, the tiniest butt, really cool-looking armor. He seemed to be fairly modern, or at least he sounded fairly recent, and American. We hadn't spoken much, he seemed to think he was pretty special, but I hadn't even broken much of a sweat putting him down. I trudged over the landscape taking care to look for booby traps as I sought the main battle. There were always clever, sometimes fiendishly clever, booby traps. It was easy to split from the host during these things due to the topography and the individual nature of combat, which was more like a series of one-on-one battles than an organized charge. Wayland had given me a helm that was only a little too big and a breastplate, and I had the two swords that I'd bought after Hogun had taught me how to use them. My stock with the smith rose considerably when I'd shown him what I could do, and he promised me better armor and put me on a list. Since anybody who was killed in the battles here in the afterlife never stayed dead, the armor wasn't really necessary but these guys wouldn't go out unless they were properly arrayed for battle, and that included armor. Besides, it still hurt to get wounded.

"I was wondering if I'd see you today," a familiar voice said, and I stopped walking at the hail from my special opponent. I wanted to roll my eyes; he'd warned me of his approach rather than taking advantage of the element of surprise. I had to be more alert; most of the warriors wouldn't have relinquished that advantage. And he might get smart and bring a friend one of these days. He used a shield, sword, and armor and sounded mostly friendly, but there was an edge to his voice.

"Here I'd thought somebody had beaten me to you," I said with resignation, turning to face the man and bringing my swords up. It would look cooler if I spun them as I talked, like in a movie, but that was just showing off. You'd be in a world of hurt if you fumbled one, even though my hand to hand was good. The man slashed at me, and it would have really hurt if it had connected. Then there was the usual feinting, thrust/parry stuff, but then the man added some taunting, and it kind of worked. He irritated me, and this time when I skewered him, he didn't 'die' on my swords to fall to the ground but disappeared with a pop of blue light. Weird. I walked on after a brief surveillance of the area, which revealed nothing out of the ordinary. One big advantage of combat here was that nobody bled. It was nice; much less mess. You didn't feel guilty or deal with bloodstains. I rejoined our main force and fought on for some time before finding myself isolated again. I left my latest opponent on the grass and turned back toward the sound of battle. A striking Asgardian woman appeared out of nowhere and demanded to know what happened to her general.

"That guy?" I asked, puzzled, gesturing to the body on the grass.

"No," she bit off. She held up a shield that I recognized. "This belongs to him yet he is not among my troops or the slain." Whoops. Looks like I'd run afoul of the goddess Frigga, who owned the other afterlife that we in Valhalla scrimmaged with.

"I don't know," I admitted. "He got my temper up, and when I struck him, there was a flash of light and a popping noise, and the man was gone."

My explanation didn't improve her temper any, apparently. She scowled at me and slashed with a sword that just appeared in her hand, bisecting my abdomen below the breastplate. I gasped a little at the searing pain and cut back angrily. She also disappeared in the pop of blue light. I clamped my arms over the cut to keep my intestines inside and fell to my knees, then onto my back. I stared up at the bright blue sky, panting against the pain, waiting to 'die.' On my back, everything stayed pretty much in place, and I kept my swords in my hands. If I didn't release them, when the war game was over and the slain were revived, I wouldn't have to go hunting for them or reclaim them from the pile that would be collected.

Time passed, and I started to wonder when the battle would be over. Wounds would heal at the conclusion, and I was hurting an awful lot. A shadow fell over my face and I opened my eyes, looking up to see Thor of all people, checking the fallen. I wheezed a greeting and he frowned, bending to remove my helmet. "Alex!" he exclaimed, dropping down beside me and glancing at the great slash that just about cut me in half. "I was unaware that Father had brought you to Valhalla. What has happened here?"

"I pissed off your mom somehow," I managed to say. "How are Sif and Magni?"

"Sif misses you," he said absently. "You were the closest friend she had on Midgard, so when you fell, she took Magni back to Asgard. He cried for days after the battle and has not yet regained his enthusiasm for practice."

"Tell him I said it's not an excuse to slack off. And tell Sif hi for me."

He smiled. "I shall." The smile faded. "Tell me what passed between you and Frigga." So in short sentences, I told him what had happened.

"And she just vanished?" he asked, perplexed. I nodded.

"I don't know what happened."

"This is not good." He shouted something and waved as I dealt with another wave of pain. He looked at me. "I have summoned a friend to guard you while I address this matter." Another shadow fell over me as I twisted with brutal cramping.

"Alex?" I heard a voice I'd thought gone forever. I opened my watering eyes with difficulty and saw Tony Stark, my former boss, mentor, and friend, confused, stricken, and grossed out by my wound, even though it wasn't bloody, just oozing the translucent, pearlized fluid that substituted. He knelt beside me but didn't know how to help and settled from flicking the hair away from my eyes. I heard Thor recapping today's events and adding a request to watch over me until he returned.

"Didn't know you were here," I managed to say as I writhed in pain.

"Yeah, I was brought here after my stroke," he said, capturing my hand, prying the sword out, and clasping it with both of his. "I've been building booby traps for these war games since then for Odin." I lost track of what he was saying as my vision dimmed and I lost consciousness.

When I woke up again, the sun was considerably lower in the sky and I sat up --or tried to. The wound hadn't healed. I gritted my teeth and refused to scream. "I don't know why that hasn't healed," Tony said, grabbing my hand again. "Don't do that again." Tears started to leak out of my eyes and I focused on the sound of approaching people. Thor's face was grim as he looked at me.

"Father," he said abruptly. "The battle is over yet she has not healed." Odin's face swam into view and he frowned.

"This must be Frigga's doing," he said sharply. "And she cannot be found." He asked me to clarify a few points, but there wasn't much I could say since I didn't know what had happened. And it was difficult to speak without sobbing or screaming or begging, none of which I wanted to do in public. He took my sword from Tony and examined it, but couldn't find anything odd; they were apparently just the formed steel they appeared to be. Despite my best efforts, I started to keen with the agony of the wound. After a moment, Odin touched the area with his spear and I screamed at the searing fire, but the pain faded away until it was just throbbing gently.

"Thank you," I managed to say, and he nodded before turning back to Thor. Tony's face was white, and he unclipped his cape to spread over me. "Afterlife agrees with you," I added. It did; he looked a lot younger than I'd ever seen him, younger than he had been when he became Iron Man. His vitality practically sizzled, even when he was at a loss as to what to do. But then I looked younger too, restored to looking late 20's, early thirties. It was nice. I liked having long dark hair again and a strong, skilled body at the peak of my abilities. I'd forgotten how good it felt. I saw Tony look up and jerk his chin at a new arrival. Loki looked down at me, then he frowned and waved. I heard a shout, and pretty soon I heard a couple other people arrive. What was this, a circus? I didn't want to have more people gawking at me.

"Alex? Sweetie?" somebody gasped, and I turned my head wearily to see Uncle Bucky crouch down beside me, dropping his sword but not his shield and positioning himself in such a way as to defend me against an attacker. If they could get through the crowd. I appreciated the gesture, though.

"Cool arm, uncle," I managed to say, admiring the way it shifted between metal and flesh. He patted my cheek and flicked Tony's cloak away. He got the meanest look on his face when he saw the damage.

"Why isn't she healed?" he asked in a not-quite-a-shout. "The battle is over!"

"What on earth is going on here, Odin?" I heard Emma but didn't see her. "When did Alex get here, and why didn't you tell us?"

"That is what we are trying to ascertain," the god said impatiently. "She was brought not long ago. I thought to surprise you." Whatever Odin had done was starting to wear off; I clenched my fists against the returning pain. One hand still held a sword, but I'd forgotten that Tony had the other one and squeezed too hard. He meeped but didn't let go. Credit where it's due. Bucky folded his cape and put it under my head as more people arrived. "Frigga, my dear," Odin said, sounding relieved. "Where have you been?"

"Forget that," Tony said impatiently. "You've got to fix Alex."

Frigga cast a withering look at me, then ignored me altogether as she told her husband what I had done. Apparently I'd managed somehow to send her to somebody named Hela. That didn't sound good. Odin explained that I hadn't meant to do it or even knew how it was done, but she refused to listen. It took the intervention of both her sons and Bucky's threat to switch sides to Valhalla's team before the goddess snappishly relented and healed the wound she'd caused. She might have done it just to shut me up. By that time I was in convulsions again and screaming, tears running out of my eyes.

"I don't understand this, Buck," the familiar voice of the thorn in my side said. Great. Just what I wanted. I saw Tony roll his eyes and wanted to grin, but I was trying to get my breathing under control again and stop sobbing. Frigga healed me, but she didn't do it nicely or gently, and it was taking my brain time to catch up to the fact that the wound was gone. I rolled my head to see a blond man frowning at my uncle and me. "Tony. Might have guessed you'd be mixed up in this."

"This is my niece, Stevie," Bucky said sternly. "Georgie was her great grandpa." The man--Steve Rogers?-- looked surprised.

As I struggled to sit up--my nerves were still protesting--Tony assisted me and quickly wrapped me in his cape. I was cold and the wool felt nice and warm. "You're Captain America?" I asked, and coughed. Bucky patted my shoulder anxiously. "Why aren't you using your shield more? That's your best weapon. I'd have thought you'd be more of a challenge." Wait, that sounded a lot bitchier than I'd intended. Bucky patted my hair and smothered a laugh. Mr Rogers looked angry for a moment, then smiled a little.

"I'm as surprised as you are," he told me."As to the shield, well, I need to learn to fight with all the weapons available to me." I hadn't recognized his famous shield since the color on it was gone; it was just a silver piece of metal, the star and concentric circles much harder to see without the red, white, and blue.

"Uncle Bucky, he needs work with the sword. Speed and skill both."

"Sweetie, not is not the best time to discuss his defects in training," my uncle said, stressed. "You've just been gutted."

I managed a smile. "Evil never sleeps." He laughed reluctantly, then two big dog-type creatures shouldered both him and Tony aside and frisked around me. It was Sigurd and Torburn. I gave kisses and the best ear skritches I could manage as thoughts of excitement, love, and welcome made themselves felt.

Odin, who'd been... discussing the situation energetically with Frigga, broke in, looking askance at the dogs. "Tonight, the two armies will feast together," he declared. "Before that, we will speak again on this matter to resolve it." His eye fell on me. "Rest," he told me, and nodded to Tony. He and Bucky helped me to my feet, and Tony turned me toward Valhalla, keeping an arm around me since I was still unsteady. I had rooms in the new annex, which was built to accommodate a slowly growing population of female Midgard warriors. I was dragging by the time we got there and having to lean heavily on Tony, who clucked at the stark light stone room I'd been assigned.

"What a dump," he said critically as I collapsed on my bed. I looked at him reprovingly. "Alright, it's not a dump, per se, it's just so plain. How do you not freeze at night? You've only got a couple of blankets. Why are you so under equipped?"

"Fireplace," I said, doggedly picking at the laces of my boots. It was a lot harder than it should have been. "And you know the population has been having a growth spurt as a result of the alien invasion attempts. Everybody needs stuff. I haven't been here long enough to collect anything." Tony shook his head and batted my hands away, doing it more quickly and efficiently than I was capable of just then, dropping my boots on the floor by the bed. He nudged me down and covered me with his cape again before turning toward the fireplace. I was out like a light. When I woke up, Tony was patting my cheek fairly gently. I didn't want to get up, I was nice and warm, light from the fire washing the walls.

"Up and at 'em," he said briskly, and I reluctantly sat up. "Brought you a few things. You've got a down comforter so you won't freeze at night. I boosted you up the list with that guy who's in charge of supply by saying that Odin was taking a personal interest in you. Frigga sent you a nice outfit for this evening, it just arrived."

"Are you sure it's not poisoned or anything?" I asked warily. "Cause she does not like me." He scoffed and said that I had enough time for a bath and that he'd be back to collect me before the meeting. I handed him his cape and thanked him for letting me use it.

"I didn't know you were here," he said quietly. "I'd have come found you if I'd known." He slipped out. I heaved myself up and padded to the bathroom. That was the nicest thing about the annex, each room had a private bathroom. Valhalla was so masculine in nature, and the guys over in the main hall did not keep the bathrooms nice. The annex was a building of stone that had a mica content so it sparkled softly, the rooms spacious, but it was chilly and clammy in the winter, which is what Valhalla was experiencing now. Obviously they didn't have any trouble with global warming. We'd had the latest battle over at Frigga's afterlife, where it was spring. It was odd that weather and passage of time in the two places didn't sync.

I still was a little tired and sore even after the nap and bath; "death" in battle provided a reset and I hadn't gotten that benefit. But I did feel better, anyway, and investigated the outfit Frigga had sent. It was a beautiful green velvet dress in a medieval-ish style, with long dagged sleeves, smooth lines, and some kind of pretty black and white fur trim around the neckline, hem, and sleeve hems. The Asgardian pendant that I'd been wearing at my death looked beautiful with it. The dress went over a shift of very fine, soft wool for warmth, fine wool stockings with ribbon garters, and there were pretty dress booties made from leather with an embroidered pattern on the toes. Over this went a thick cloak of the same fur that trimmed my dress, lined in soft white wool, and it had a hood. There was a pair of mittens, knit and felted, white with a patterned cuff. The annex was a distance from the main hall of Valhalla and it was snowing. It came with a black snood, unobtrusive, so I quickly braided my hair attractively and coiled the braid inside the netting. When the knock came at my door, I swung the cloak on, picked up the swords, and opened the door.

Tony was dressed as a Norse man in supple leathers, soft wool, and fur, although his clothing shaded between a copper color and rich brown. It was a huge difference between the bespoke suits and band t-shirts he'd favored in life, but it looked really good on him, and I told him so.

"You always look lovely," he complimented me, shrugging off my comment and offering me his arm. "I meant what I said earlier. If I'd known you'd been brought here I'd have been on your doorstep a lot sooner. The only time I see anybody I know is during the combat, or a special session that Odin takes me to."

Tony must be lonely. He always was, but here it was probably more acute. The Norsemen in Valhalla were a cliquish bunch, and the outsiders we had also tended to form small, tightly knit groups that were hard to break into. "Thank you. I'm glad to see a familiar face here. Who is over in Frigga's camp, beside Bucky, Emma, and Captain America?" I asked, releasing his arm as he held the door for me. The air outside was bitter and sharp, and I was grateful for the warmth of the cloak, putting the hood up.

"Those three, Pete's over there too," he said. We walked along toward the main hall in silence. I enjoyed the gently falling snow. We reached the main hall and he held that door for me as well. Inside, he hung our cloaks and escorted me to Odin's throne in the great hall. The queen sat at his right hand and Emma, Bucky, and Mr Rogers sat on some of the stools that were placed in front of her and to her right side.

"Pull up a chair, Stark," Rogers said, genially enough, but it made me bristle. There was an empty seat by them, and besides, this was Odin's hall and it seemed presumptive for somebody else to be giving orders. Tony's face was blank, I couldn't tell what he was thinking. I brought over a stool quickly, set it down with a thump at Odin's left hand, and nudged Tony toward it before getting one for myself. Bucky frowned. The west door banged open, and Thor and Loki strode in, greeting their parents and the rest of us. As Loki settled in on his mother's side, Thor drew up a bench beside me and was pleased to say that Magni had been happy to hear that I was in Valhalla and had vowed to pick up his hand to hand again. I smiled and asked Thor to tell him to be sure to put in some effort or I'd find a way to do something about it.

"And Sif has authorized me to share the glad tidings that she is with child again," he said proudly, and the three of us discussed this. Somewhat to my surprise, he was hoping for a daughter, vowing that if he got his wish, he'd bring her to me for training. Then he touched my pendant. "I remember giving you this, before you went away for additional education. A happy day. It powers have strengthened with your use of it." I'd worn it pretty constantly after the Joker had attacked me, taking it off rarely, going through a couple of chains and several clasps before Emma had made a chain for it out of one of her special alloys. He quieted when a severe-looking woman in a dress of black and green appeared out of nowhere and strode toward his parents. Loki turned blue, usually a response to strong emotions, and based on a certain similarity of facial features, it looked like this was his mother. She greeted the king and queen brusquely, and they asked her questions about the intrusion into her halls by Mr Rogers and Frigga. As she was speaking, I saw Peter Parker slip in and take the empty seat by Mr Rogers. I barely suppressed an eye roll. I respected his work as Spiderman and CEO of Stark Industries, but we'd never gotten along particularly well; personalities that just didn't mesh. When he was running Stark's company, he was content that I spent so much time in the labs and I was happier to be there. He'd done a competent enough job and I hadn't kicked up a fuss.

Then Odin asked me to explain what I'd done. I stood and addressed him as I stated that I'd been irritated by Captain Rogers and angered by Frigga's outburst of temper as manifested by the cheap shot she'd taken, that I'd never manifested any abilities for magic, and that the swords were not enchanted as far as I knew. Odin bade me fetch them for a closer examination, and I went to my cloak to retrieve the sword belt I'd brought over in anticipation. I handed the swords in their scabbard to Odin respectfully and stepped back, waiting, trying not to fiddle with my Brass Rat. As he drew the swords, his ravens looking at them as well, Frigga asked me where I'd learned to use them.

"Hogun taught me," I said, smiling slightly at the memories.

"Why would he do that?" she asked, sounding baffled.

"I taught him hand-to-hand," I said, not taking the implied slight to heart.

"You should have seen them fight, Mother," Thor said reminiscently. "It was a joy to behold."

"They were quite well-matched," Loki agreed, smiling at me. Frigga looked surprised. "Had she the time to devote to the study of the swords, I believe she easily could have become his master."

Then she frowned. "Where did you obtain that necklace?"

"Calm down, Mother, Thor and Sif and I gave it to her when achieved a significant educational milestone with distinction," Loki soothed. "She earned the right to wear such a precious gem." I was going to have to get the story behind that. I'd thought they were fairly common from the casual way they had always referred to it. She still looked at me suspiciously and I had a feeling that she'd be interrogating Loki later too.

"Where did you obtain the swords?" Odin asked, turning them over, the light fading under his hand.

"They're called dao, a type of Chinese sword," I said, looking at them with satisfaction. They were gracefully curved along the length of the blade and had a gentle curve to the handle, prettier than the ones Hogun had used. When they were placed together, the half-circle guards formed a perfect circle and the blades stood a little apart. You could fight with with the swords placed together like that, although it was difficult to keep the hilts together without slipping and there was more utility to using one sword in each hand. They fit nicely together in one special scabbard. "After working with Hogun for awhile, I bought my own set at auction rather than continuing to borrow his spare set. I like them, they're well-made. I was using them when I was killed, which is how I have them here, I guess." Odin nodded absently, then returned them to me.

"They are no more than what they seem," he agreed. Hela materialized by my side--it was creepy how she could do that--and seized my face between her palms. Her eyes unfocused, and I felt a probing sensation.

She made a chattering T sound that reminded me of Damian, who'd made a similar sound when he'd been irritated. "You humans and your gods," she sighed. "Where do your people come from?"

"Mostly from Scandinavia, the Celtic part of Great Britain, and Germany," I said in confusion. Out of the corner of my eye I could see that Odin leaned forward. "That's the family lore." My kids were much more genetically diverse, thanks to their father. She nodded, then her eyes snapped back into focus and she smirked at Odin.

"Long ago, someone of her family was distinguished by a god's blessing for great skill in battle. It is interesting that the blessing did not fade in time as most such do with the dilution of the bloodline. The blessing persisted, strengthening again, and appears to have culminated in this one." She gestured at me. I felt my eyebrows lift in surprise.

"And who blessed her thus?" Odin asked.

"Why, you did, Odin Borson," she said silkily. "How indiscriminate were you with your... blessings?" Frigga regarded her husband with suspicion and he patted her hand.

"Only a few worthy were so distinguished by me," he said acerbically. "And that was only when we reigned over our followers on Midgard."

"I have aided both you and Frigga this day," Hela said sharply, uninterested in his attempt to placate his wife. "It is time now for my reward."

Odin looked at her severely and nodded. "Your service has been substantial," he acknowledged, and thought for a moment. "So long as you do not cause mischief or trouble or intend to do so, for releasing my wife and her general from your halls, the promise to do so in the future if this happens again, and testing the blood of one of the Einherjar, I grant you a substantial boon. You may wander the Nine Realms at your leisure; if you cause trouble, the boon will be revoked and you will be once more bound to the halls of the dead." Wow. That was indeed a considerable gift. Hela thought so too; without a further word, she bowed slightly to Odin, nodded at her son, and withdrew. That seemed to be a signal; the hall was immediately set up for dining.

Odin and Frigga sat at the head table with those heroes who had most distinguished themselves in battle, including everybody I knew. I sat at the lower tables, feeling a little disgraced for zapping people away, and the valkyries began to serve the mead. There were the usual toasts and jests, but these happened during dinner so it didn't add a lot of time. I was exhausted from the day's events--disembowelment really saps your energy--and wanted to sleep, but you can't just shovel your food down and slip out, you have to wait til the meal is over and the music starts. I helped move most of the tables away and the stools to the wall just like everybody else, holding up the wall in a shadowy space between torches until the musicians warmed up and struck their first tune, which is when I made my escape. Odin intercepted me near the door. "Now, what to do with you?" he mused. His eye brightened after a moment.

And that, my friends, is how I became a valkyrie.