Legendary

We celebrated our first harvest of quick-growing vegetables with a feast. I hadn't realized just how much I missed the warm sun, the feeling of earth on my feet as I helped with the harvests, gentle breezes, the smell of green things. That summer we got two crops of linen in, I got two crops of cotton, and there was a huge abundance of fruits and vegetables, as if the soil was celebrating too. We worked harder than ever; when we weren't spinning or weaving or helping bring in harvests, we were in meetings learning strategy and tactics or practicing or scrimmaging. Free time was reduced to a few minutes around bedtime or meals.

I was outside, enjoying dinner on the grass in the waning sun with my friends when the golden cock Gullinkambi strutted past us to the top of the stairs leading to the main entrance to the Great Hall. And crowed. The sound echoed in the sudden silence. At first, nothing happened. It was if all Valhalla held its breath. Then an insidious pain crept over me, intensifying until I was wracked with it, and I lost consciousness.

When I woke up, I was still on grass, but in an entirely different place.

I sat up and surveyed the area. We were on Asgard again, I could see the citadel, and I could tell something was very different. I bit my lip against an unpleasant feeling as wings split the back of my blouse, which was weird; I hadn't been wearing my cape. I felt.. heavier. More solid. The people of Asgard were spilling out of the citadel to help us. As I looked around, dazed, Tony asked if I was ok. I was, he was, nobody seemed to be anything but confused... Then I realized what was different and pressed my hand to my neck. There it was.

A heartbeat. I placed my hand over Tony's chest and felt his heartbeat.

"My friends?" Thor was puzzled as he saw me, but he took a step back when he saw Tony and Bruce. Only the valkyries had been able to leave the halls of the dead.

"The cock crowed at Valhalla," I said simply as Tony helped me up. "We seem to be mortal again. I thought the second rooster was for the gods, but it got us instead."

Thor's mouth gaped open as Magni joined him. "The dead have been raised?" he asked us, and Tony nodded.

"Apparently. Well, at least us," I said absently as I poked my finger with a knife. A bead of rich warm crimson blood appeared on my finger instead of pearly ichor. I looked around quickly, then down to my finger again. "Holy shit, you guys."

"When does the fight begin?" Magni asked tensely. His father patted his shoulder.

"Not yet. Find your mother, tell her what has happened," he directed, and as Magni jogged off, Thor's commanders began to arrive. We listened as they reported the sudden appearance of the honored dead who weren't as dead as had been assumed. Also, piles of personal possessions had been found.

"The halls of the dead are truly empty," Odin said as he approached. Thor bowed to his father, and out of respect for this moment, I took a knee. The rest of the einherjar who were in the vicinity instantly followed suit, and after a long pause while the guardsmen adjusted their thinking, they too knelt at the appearance of their king emeritus. Odin gazed around; I realized with a start that this was the first time he'd seen the mortal realm since his death. He smiled slightly to see me and placed his hand gently on my head, then smoothed the feathers of one of my wings. "My valkyries."

"Can you put the wings away?" Loki asked, and I started. I hadn't seen him.

"I don't know," I said frustrated. "They're different now." With an effort I managed to get them to get them to fold tight to my back. "They act like real wings," I realized. "Before, they were a construct. Their nature has changed." I nearly swore. I didn't need to learn how to use my wings again. Loki snickered, and I concentrated briefly. My left wing popped out and shoved him off balance. I smiled.

"They have grown," Odin observed, gently extending them. Understatement. They were more than double their previous size. "Flight will be different." I had visions of valkyries going splat like fledgling birds as we learned to fly with our altered equipment and wanted to cover my face.

Sif arrived with Frigga, Steve, Bucky, and Emma. Bucky beelined over to me while Steve and Thor exchanged a hearty handshake. I was glad, I could really use a hug. After marveling at my new wings--and not all the valkyries I could see had them--we tuned in enough to hear that the first order of business was to get quarters for all of us and collect our possessions so that we could claim them. Thor put Magni in charge of this and escorted his parents and our little group of newcomers inside the citadel. Sif assigned us rooms but it was kind of academic until we had some possessions. It had been early evening in Valhalla, slightly earlier in Folkvangr, and nobody was terribly tired. Plus being alive again was weird and taking some effort to adjust to. At least Serena and I were ahead of the curve on this one, since we'd taken a physical form in the mortal world frequently.

It was just weird. Smells seemed more intense, my vision a little richer. Sounds seemed to have an extra emphasis. My skin seemed more sensitive. I took a quick look in a mirror and saw that I was unchanged from what I'd looked like in Valhalla, at least. That was good. Aside from the wings, of course. They tended to drag on the floor unless I made a special effort to keep them up, and they extended well more than a foot over my head. Ungainly things! And how was I going to sleep? If anybody suggested a perch, I was going to punch them.

There was a knock on the door, and I opened it to Modi. His eyes got big when he saw the wings. "I thought Magni was joking," he muttered. Then he hugged me, which was unexpected. "They are bringing in the things that came with you to claim," he said. "They will be ready for you shortly. I wondered, however, if you'd like a moment to test your wings?" I would. He led me to the top of a tower, presently deserted in all the excitement, and I tried to jump up into the air like I had when it was just my cape. Modi watched my failure silently, but had some suggestions to make from his observations of wild birds. So I warmed up the muscles, getting used to the feel of it, stood on the crenellations, and jumped; I hovered briefly above the tower floor before dropping down.

"So I'll need more muscle," I muttered.

"Or get used to using it differently," Modi suggested. "And birds glide a lot, they're not always beating their wings." We chatted a bit more before going down.

It was good I had Modi with me. I found my clothes, personal items including my spinning wheel, and my cape, now a ceremonial item. Modi snagged a page to take these things back to my room, then we went over to the tables with weapons. I smiled to see my bundles of arrows, the spears and javelins, my armor, all the rest of it. I paused for a hug from Torunn, who had come up with Loki's guard, and the two of them managed to lug my gear around. I found my tools, but not my stock or the anvil; Magni came over, looked at us, took my helmet and shield from me, and said that the heavy stuff was in the courtyard and would be left there until workspaces were assigned. Loki strode over, amused.

"Oh, great," I said. "Just who I wanted to see." I pulled out a sword and handed it to him. "Emma's alloy for weapons, as tough as she could make." He smiled slightly, testing the balance, then resheathed it.

"And your excellent work," he said. "There is an assignment for you. Now come." I followed him over to Odin, standing in front of the great golden throne. His ravens perched on the arms and watched everything.

Odin started to laugh when he saw me and my helpers. "I had no idea that you were so productive," he said, and I shrugged. Then the smile dropped away. "Do you still have the ability to go between realms?" I concentrated and shifted to the yard at the embassy on Midgard, then back. He sighed in relief. I wasn't surprised; if our abilities came from the World Tree, I expected that they'd persist despite my change of state. It was just harder as there was more of me to move. "Excellent. I am posting valkyries to Midgard since you still have the abilities to shift between the realms at will. While you are there, I want you to make observations regarding the state of affairs and how they have addressed the end of Fimbulwinter. Loki may have additional requests. Train there and observe; report to me each morning." His austere expression softened. "And if you have the time, I give you leave to contact your descendants. Just be discreet with your knowledge." My eyes lit up and he smiled. "Now go, Heimdall will send you and your things. These might as well go with you," he said, gesturing to his grandchildren. Modi and Magni looked thrilled; it would be their first trip out of Asgard. Loki led the way, and soon we were walking along the Bifrost bridge, both beautiful and bizarre.

Heimdall's normally impassive face showed hints of amusement when we showed up. A page had brought the bundle of my clothing and personal things, and I carefully picked up my cape before tucking my bundle under my arm. Heimdall opened the Bifrost to us, and after an somewhat unpleasant ride, we ended up in the driveway of the embassy. Arriving at the embassy with all three of Thor's heirs was a shock for the staff, but the presence of a valkyrie with inconvenient wings was even more upsetting to them somehow. And when Loki explained that the cock had crowed in Valhalla several of them looked faint. But their staff was efficient and put my stuff in a guest room quickly. The princes and I got a tour of the full embassy--I'd never seen the whole of the mansion before--and when we got back (Magni held my wingtips off the ground when I forgot) Loki had my picture and genetic and biometric markers taken for official embassy credentials and identification. Torunn was excused to take her brothers (who were also issued their own credentials) on a tour of the city. I smiled. Here was something that she could do that her brothers could not. Loki sat me down with the chief of staff for a lecture on embassy protocols. It was dry, but I paid attention. I was paying such close attention that I didn't know my wings had disappeared. Loki noticed, though, when he brought a pot of coffee in for me.

I felt so happy when I smelled the rich, fragrant aroma and the first mouthful pampered my tastebuds. "You really are a god," I sighed, teasing him. My enjoyment was cut short when Loki asked what the hell had happened to the wings. He was concerned, and I had no idea what I was going to tell Odin, but they popped out again. "Damn," I said. "That hurts." After a conversation with Loki and the chief of staff, a man named Eric, we had the hypothesis that the wings were a response to emotion. We decided on emotion as the trigger, but it was also possibly a fight-freeze-flight response as well. I was obviously going to have to try for conscious control as well; another thing to add to my list of things to do. I didn't want to go outside the embassy dragging enormous wings along too. The chief of staff assured me that wings had not become commonplace on humans in the time since I'd last spent a lot of time on Midgard. For material guaranteed to soothe, the security chief gave me a manual of safety protocols to study. And when Torunn and the boys got back, they were dispatched to the public library to bring me more reading material. Finally, the boys quit dragging their heels and went back to Asgard. After studying the manual some, I was shown my quarters and, wing-free, I went to bed. I was exhausted. A real, bone-deep tiredness that came from having flesh, blood and bone again.

The next morning I got up early and tried practicing wing control. It wasn't easy, but every time the wings popped out they hurt less and I concentrated on how it felt when they erupted and retired. I had a tenuous control by the time I went down to breakfast. The successors to TV were all tuned to news programs and I got an idea of how Earth, specifically the US and even more specifically New York was dealing with the cleanup from Fimbulwinter. Their flooding had been a lot worse, but their spring and summer had been as successful as ours had been, and food was finally being produced in such quantities that the survivors were fully fed. Time on Earth was running on its own schedule again, and they were on their second summer. The cost of the winter had been high. Numbers were just being released that showed that the US population had been over 500 million before the three-year winter; after, it was the same as it had been in 2000, just over 282 million. Most of the deaths had come from exposure, but other significant causes were starvation and disease. Even mass burials weren't sufficient; cremations had been much more common. And this scenario had occurred all over the world. No country had been spared, and in poorer nations the death toll had been even higher. The infrastructure was in surprisingly good shape, as there had been no freeze-and-thaw cycles to destroy the roads or railways. Industry was revving up again as now the shipment of raw materials and finished products was possible, safe, and predictable again. And the winter had apparently provided a significant correction on global climate change. Temperatures were more in line with what had been seen in the 1970s and 80s.

After this introduction, I was glad to go out into the courtyard when I was invited to take part in weapons training. Luckily, the strength that I'd built up over the long Fimbulwinter had translated to my new body and I was able to show them what a valkyrie could do. But now I had a new worry-the wings. These were larger and more cumbersome than the cape wings and I wasn't sure how the physics worked. I had a strong, fairly heavy body, and birds were a lot more lightweight. And protecting these wings during a fight was going to be a bitch. The guard captain promised to think about working with the wings, and after I'd showered I poofed back to Asgard. Once on the Bifrost was enough, thanks. I stayed in the observatory, chatting with Heimdall, while I waited for Loki and we walked to the citadel together.

My report on Midgard conditions was met with dismay. Loki had reported on the strength of the winter and the lack of resources but not the death tolls, and there were a lot of people who had been handicapped by severe frostbite or other cold-related illnesses. "But on the bright side, the graveyards haven't been disturbed. So it looks like we're the only dead to rise. As far as I can tell, nobody's reporting a return of the dearly departed." My flippancy was quashed by a stern look from Odin, and he assigned more valkyries to the Midgard embassy. Dagny, Carol, and Heidi were among those sent to other embassies in the Nine Realms, but Irene was posted with me and a few others to Midgard. Serena was posted to Asgard. The guard complement was also strengthened by Thor. All the valkyries were told that our priority was to get control over our wings and find out how well they worked. We were a lot heavier than hawks or owls, even if our wings were correspondingly greater, and we had to find out our limits.

After the meeting, I hunted up Emma and explained my concerns about fighting with the wings. She understood and said she'd research a lightweight covering for the bones and major blood vessels in them; one strategic cut and I could bleed out fast. The blood vessels were large and close to the surface. I mentioned this to Odin before I left and he made it a priority for Emma. He also arranged for daily morning workouts for us so we wouldn't lose our group cohesion, and dismissed us.

Once I hit New York again, I had no fixed duties and made a beeline for the family cache at Avengers tower. I went to a couple of stores and bought some jeans, bras, shoes, and went to Mood Fabric, still in business and attended by a black and white French bulldog puppy, for fabric, notions, and a couple of patterns for tops that I could modify discreetly so that the wings wouldn't ruin every blouse I had. That night I fashioned a blouse that looked like it draped in the back in order to conceal the places where the wings erupted, partially over my shoulderblades.

When I got back the next day from Asgard, I asked to borrow a car and driver, and we set out across the bridge. As we drove, I made note of the changes. Poor New York. All the battles with the Kree, and the damage done by Fimbulwinter. Buildings were condemned and waiting to be torn down; there wasn't the population to support complete rebuilding. But farther out, the old mansions were still mostly maintained. I directed the driver to park on the side of a road, tested the fence, and climbed over it. I pushed through unfamiliar bushes and around trees, keeping out of the cleared areas, until I mounted a slight rise with a hole in the ground. I grinned. I was worried that it had been closed up. Climbing down wasn't the easiest thing I'd ever done, but after the obstacle course, it really wasn't hard. The interior of the bat cave was surprisingly similar to how it had been in my life, and I dropped to the floor by the computer bank. I was pretty much unsurprised when a hologram flicked on.

"Halt. You are trespassing on private property. Legislation enacted during the great winter allows for trespassers to be shot on sight. Identify yourself or face the consequences," the stern-looking man said in a Scottish accent.

"My name is Alixzandrya Barnes-Wayne," I said immediately.

"That is impossible. The individual with that name died centuries ago."

"It is possible," I corrected him. I waved my Asgardian identification that marked me as part of the diplomatic mission.

"Place your identification in the slot for verification," the hologram said. I did, and a red light scanned my card. I was startled for a moment by the appearance of apparatus designed to check the biometric markers, and there was a longer pause.

"Records are retrieving," the hologram said. The computer buzzed a few times and we waited some more.

"How is this possible?" the hologram asked. "Your genetic markers are the same as the original Alixzandrya Barnes-Wayne. Are you a clone?"

"I am not, although I don't really know what you'd call me." I took a deep breath. "I really am Alex. There was this thing in my afterworld, and I've been resurrected."

There was a long silence and the hologram didn't move. I wondered if it was stuck. "I believe this is beyond my capabilities to make a decision," it finally said. "I have summoned the master. You may be seated, but you may not leave until this matter has been addressed in a satisfactory manner."

Not wanting any perforations in my nice new body, I sat.

I looked over when the elevator door opened and a man tore out of it and skidded to a stop. "Is it really you?" he asked breathlessly. I stood up.

"I'm not sure who you're expecting, but I'm Alixzandrya Barnes-Wayne." I smiled hopefully. "Back from the dead."

The man stared at me and thumped down in the chair. "I kind of didn't believe it when my dad told me why we kept the caches around the city stocked. I thought it was some kind of game."

"It kind of was," I said. "The funds were sometimes used for frivolous things. I'd like to thank you for doing it, though. My husband is somewhere out there too and this has been our only method of communication. Odin told me I couldn't seek out my family, so this was as far as I dared push it."

"So you're really from Valhalla?" he asked. "And the extended winter? Was that really a harbinger of Ragnarok?" He looked a little freaked out, so I crouched in front of his chair and patted his hand.

"Yes," I said, and explained what had happened so far. "I don't know--nobody knows--if this just affects Asgard and its afterlifes or whether the effect is broader. I think we'll have a pretty good idea when that third cock crows. If the dead here rise too, I think it'll be a pretty solid indicator that it's a broader event." He thought about that and stood.

"Huh. I guess you're right. By the way, I'm Daniel Wayne," he said, flushing at his forgetfulness. "I don't know --" His hands waved, so I just moved in for the hug. His arms closed around me tightly.

"I'm so glad to meet you, Daniel," I said. And I was. I couldn't see a trace of Damian in his face, but it was a strong face. "I'm glad you're taking this so well. It's a lot to take in."

"You showing up at Natasha's bedside is a family legend now," he said, releasing me reluctantly and sitting in the chair again. "I always hoped for a visit myself." And he filled me in on his story--his mother had died a few years after his birth and his father hadn't remarried, so it was just the two of them and his dad's sister Amy, then Amy died from pneumonia early in Fimbulwinter and Batman had gone down keeping a food depot guarded against looters. Daniel looked young, a little younger than my current appearance, and he was the only one living here. The butler, Craig, had died of old age the year before and he hadn't found a replacement yet.

"Oh, son, I can't imagine keeping up this pile by yourself. You should close it down, move into the city," I said encouragingly.

"I need some distance from the business," he muttered. "And there's the Batman thing." I was worried about the boy; he seemed a hair away from breaking down. It was a lot of responsibility for a man just in his twenties on his own. Then I had an idea, of varying brilliance.

"I wondered if I could impose on you," I said gently. "And feel free to say no if it's too much of an imposition."

"You want to stay out here?" He cheered up.

"Right now I've got to stay at the embassy. There are fighting practices to do and I have to report to Loki and go back to Asgard. But with me--well, a parallel afterlife, Frigga's place called Folkvangr--was my uncle Bucky. And Steve Rogers. And Emma Harrington. And Tony Stark and Bruce Banner were with me in Valhalla. Tony, Emma, and Bruce are working on weapons for Ragnarok and they could really benefit from a higher tech environment. They all know that the Waynes have always been Batman and they can keep the secret. And I think you could use the company. My aunt's a great cook," I added for good measure. "So's my uncle, for that matter." Daniel lit up.

"Sure, whatever I can do," he said, nodding.

"I'll bring it up tomorrow," I said. "And I'd like to come back myself."

"This is your home too," he said. And he took me upstairs and gave me a tour. It was a little shabby, but times had been hard and it was too much for just one person to keep up. I fixed a late lunch for him and he told me about himself. Daniel had things that he had to do and said that I could count on his discretion, and I had left a driver by the side of the road, so we parted and I said I'd let him know as soon as I had news.

As soon as I got back to the embassy I went back to Asgard. Odin heard me out, talked to Frigga, and agreed. I could take the others with me the next day. My family and friends were excited to go back to the city. I told them a little bit about Daniel--I couldn't get the Elton John song out of my head now--and Bucky patted my hand. "We'll look after him," he assured me. "He's family too." I smiled. Emma asked what the food situation was and looked relieved when I told her there was plenty now.

We were chatting when Odin looked up to the ceiling. "The third cock has crowed. The dead are leaving Helheim." He looked at me. "I have seen the Norn," he said. "There will be a period of time before the prelude to the battle begins. When we hear of earthquakes that level mountains and uproot trees, get these people to the embassy and back to Asgard. Stay with Loki as long as you can." I nodded and he dismissed me. Back on Earth, I left a message for Daniel.

When I turned on the news, the only story was that the dead had returned to life. Not a physical resurrection in the sense that bodies were raised from graveyards; reports from all around the world stated that the dead were returning. They were just appearing, from ghostly portals.

Governments were panicking as were the people. It had the hallmarks of a disaster; the logistics were impossible. How were they to be fed and sheltered? I popped back to Asgard with the news. Thor sent emissaries to the rest of the Nine Realms for information. Several hours later, we got news that some of the realms were willing to provide assistance, as their populations weren't as great as Earth's and they had more resources. Thor came back to Earth with me to address the UN. Interestingly, the dead associated with the Abrahamic traditions--Christianity, Judaism, and Islam--hadn't made an appearance yet. It was all from pagan traditions or other major religions like Buddhism and Hinduism. And what a mess it was proving to be. Not everybody understood the modern languages, customs, or laws.

The next day, I went back to the manor with my uncles, aunt, and friends. Daniel had prepared bedrooms for them and there were plenty of spaces for everyone to work. Additionally, Daniel offered to supply them with whatever their work required. Then he smiled at me. "It's good that you warned me, or I might have had a heart attack," he said, and looked behind me, smiling. I looked around, and there he was. I slapped my hands over my mouth and my eyes overfilled. I couldn't stop my wings from snapping out. Damian stepped up to me.

"I always knew that one lifetime with you was never going to be enough, Alixzandrya," he said, holding my face in his hands.