The Goddess Of Death

Rustling papers were the only sounds to be heard in the room as Hela diligently perused her books before occasionally jotting down notes with a quill. After that war council, Odin had proceeded to officially declare war between Asgard and Vanaheim in the throne room, and everyone present – both civilians and servants alike, quickly spread the news. Everyone now seemed to hold their breath as the King practically commanded the Bifrost to go on lock down, which prevented anyone except the soldiers from going in and out the Realm.

This had the anticipated effect of further worrying and frightening the civilians, though while everyone else seemed to pray for the war to not be terrible enough for the Realm to draft them into service, the soldiers and the trainees felt nothing but excitement at the prospect of a good fight.

Asgard truly was a warrior race through and through.

With that thought, Hela knew she was likely the only one here in the palace who wasn't excited nor even remotely happy to fight in some random battlefield, but that doesn't mean she wasn't prepared. Knowing it'll be highly relevant and useful in the future, Vor had started teaching her Vanaheim's history and terrain while Herryk had begun selecting members of their cohort to advance to leadership training. Unsurprisingly, she's automatically part of said training for being a member of the royal family, so in addition to her combat training, she's now also being grilled regarding tactics, decision-making, and strategies. Both of her instructors had given her a mountain of homework all related to warfare and geography, which was what she was trying to do right now.

Thankfully, she was done with Vor's homework and now poured all her attention on Herryk's. He had given them all a set of scenario-based questions and they must answer in essay form; this was probably to gauge their decision-making skills and understanding of a situation. Hela tapped the quill on her chin, frowning at the last question:

'What trait do you seek to cultivate most in your men?'

"Now that's a broad question." She murmured. Soldiers need a lot of traits to survive and win, but this question only needed one, and it should be the best. "What is it though…?"

After a moment's thought, she carefully wrote down her opinion.

'I believe it is best to cultivate adaptability in my men. Anyone can follow orders or be disciplined, but it's difficult to train people how to adapt and react to new situations. My men must be experienced enough to come up with clever tactics of their own in case they are ever in a situation where the leader or commander is not present or they are isolated from the main army. Quick and clever thinking can often win the day.'

After a long moment, Hela finally sighed and stretched, her back popping audibly after the strain of bending over her books for who knows how long. Tired eyes slowly glanced around and counted the empty cups of tea scattered around the desk haphazardly. Three cups, which means she's been cooped up in here for three hours now.

Had it been that long?

As if on cue, someone knocked on the door politely. "Make that four." Hela muttered under her breath wryly before raising her voice, "Come in!"

The door opened, and Hela knew without looking up that it was Astrid, the old servant who had been captured and injured in her rooms during the assassination attempt three months ago.

She was looking better, Hela noted. Of course, it's also already been three months, so they've both kind of settled into a routine. She remembered when she had sought the woman out to inquire about her well-being after hearing she had been released from the Healer's Ward back then. To her surprise, Astrid had immediately thanked her and sworn an oath to serve her faithfully after that incident for showing mercy.

She had explained that servants were typically punished for failing to protect their masters, and in a major incident like this, the rules would have dictated Hela to punish her or even discharge her from service entirely, which would bring eternal shame to Astrid because no one would hire a servant who failed to protect their master. It wasn't even her fault!

And so she decided to accept her oath. Hela thinks it's about time the rules changed anyway.

Since then, kind and patient Astrid had been assigned in her retinue as her personal servant where she was expected to wait on her and be attentive to her every need. It had been uncomfortable at first, but Hela soon got used to the feeling and actually got to enjoy her company. Astrid was obviously happy to serve her, so who was she to deny her that happiness?

Hela broke her train of thought when Astrid moved closer to carefully set the steaming cup beside her. She gave her a thankful grin before accepting the offered cup. "I can't believe it's been four hours already… You can rest, you know?" She pointed out. She doesn't want Astrid to constantly monitor the time just to satisfy this odd quirk of hers.

"I am alright, Your Highness." Astrid smiled brightly, "You are hard at work, so serving you tea is the least I could do." Her brows then furrowed slightly at the sight of the other cups before beginning to clear her desk of them, much to Hela's amus.e.m.e.nt. To her credit, she had insisted on removing them since the beginning, but Hela liked the way it reminded her of her desk back in her first life, which was always full of empty cups of caf. Every cup represented an hour, so she's always able to keep track of the time. She was weird that way. Astrid thankfully adapted quickly with her odd quirks, and in place of caf, which doesn't exist yet, she was always brought steaming cups of tea every hour.

However, Astrid had obviously had enough of the mess. Hela sent an apologetic grin in her direction, before the faint sounds of marching suddenly caught her attention. Hela quickly stood up from her desk and headed to the window where she had a front row seat to the view of a whole battalion of Einherjar steadily marching across the Rainbow Bridge and towards Heimdall's Observatory. She watched solemnly as the soldiers disappeared one by one, likely transported to Vanaheim as reinforcements.

As she mentioned, it had been exactly three months since the war council. At Frigga's suggestion, Asgard had immediately sent an envoy to Vanaheim after the meeting as a last attempt to negotiate peace between the two Realms. Odin reluctantly agreed as a tribute to his own wife's origins, but Vanaheim wasn't willing to negotiate at all.

Asgard had been buzzing with the news of war after that. The Vanir were no longer allowed to come and go between both Realms as ordered by the King, and so the Vanir living in Asgard were stuck worrying for the families they left behind. Worst of all, they were also being ostracized by the Aesir for being the 'enemy', and only the fact that Frigga offered her protection for the Vanir that they were still safe, albeit terrified.

Frigga had confided that she had been saddened to know many of them had opted to leave the capital to live in other towns or the forest so they could avoid the constant hate directed at them, but she understood. These were troubling times, and they could only hope that it will end soon.

Hela knew better though, because this war will not only stay in Vanaheim, but will spread throughout the other realms until Asgard was fighting all eight of them. It was like being caught in a raging river, she was helpless to fight the current and could only let herself be dragged along with it. Sooner or later, she will be involved in the fighting, and there was nothing she could do except fight for her life and win at the expense of others' lives.

Lost in her rather morbid thoughts, she didn't immediately notice Astrid approach and stand beside her, watching the soldiers with a resigned expression on her face. Hela glanced at her curiously, "Something on your mind, Astrid?" She asked softly.

The old servant startled at the attention before looking down sadly, "Well… I-I have always wanted to visit the other Realms." She confided hesitantly, "Vanaheim was my first choice, but it seems that's not possible anymore."

"Oh." Hela glanced again at the scene outside before sighing, "Truth be told, I have always wanted to visit another Realm too. I figured I'll do so once I can defend myself properly. After all, I'm not stupid, I know it's dangerous for someone of my status to go off alone. But then this happened." She gestured vaguely to the soldiers before quirking her lips up in an odd way, "I wanted to visit Midgard."

Astrid gazed at her questioningly, "Midgard?" She echoed, "Forgive me, My Lady, but there isn't much to see there. Last I heard, only creatures of unbelievable sizes and primitive mortals occupied it. The unpredictable freezing environment alone would be dangerous for you. Jotunheim would be a better place to visit."

Hela only looked at her in amus.e.m.e.nt, before shrugging. "You say that, but I know Midgard will surprise us one day." She simply said, again with an odd smile on her lips. Astrid only stared at her mistress before ultimately passing the moment off as one of her quirks.

The Princess turned back to the window, but not before saying something that made Astrid freeze in shock. "As soon as this war is over, I want to go to Vanaheim. Maybe I can stay with Lord Freyr, and then I'll fulfill my dream and head to Midgard and maybe even meet one of those mortals you say," She mused lightly.

Speechless, Astrid stood frozen, believing that she had misheard. After Hela continued gazing out the window and paid no mind to her, she finally registered the statement and her heart suddenly swelled with happiness. Her lip trembled, and she slowly bowed deep, unable to express the sheer gratitude welling up inside her.

After all, they both know that wherever the Princess goes, her personal servant will follow.

These small moments of hope and happiness should be cherished in these dark times. And if Hela had something to look forward to after probably several years of fighting? Then all the better.

Right now though... "Astrid, I'm going out for a while. Can you prepare some clothes? The inconspicuous kind. And a cloak." She added. Astrid frowned at her suspiciously, and Hela only gazed back with innocent eyes.

She sighed before shaking her head fondly, "As you wish, My Lady."

…

It pays to have a personal servant who has impeccable taste in fashion. Quicker than she had thought possible, Hela was soon decked out in a plain emerald green knee-length dress with a belt, travelling boots, and a long black cloak. Perfect for traveling unnoticed.

"Are you going to town again, My Lady?" Astrid inquired curiously.

She fastened the cloak across her c.h.e.s.t before answering, "Yes. I haven't heard any news lately, and you know what they say: it pays to be prepared."

Especially because Odin didn't let her go to any more meetings after her last one. She had no idea why, so now, she's perfectly clueless about what's going on in Vanaheim. As Vor once said: 'Ignorance leads to voluntary misfortune,' so why should she suffer unnecessary misfortune when Hela could just do something about it and find out what's happening herself?

"Please be careful." Astrid said worriedly. Hela gave her a thumbs-up, and Astrid took a while to realize it was one of the signs the Princess taught her that meant both an agreement and approval. Her mistress was strange sometimes.

"Remember, if anyone asks, I'm spending time with Fenris." Hela reminded her before gathering her energy and teleporting out of there, leaving Astrid quietly shaking her head.

Unlike illusion seidr, Hela had quickly grasped the ability to teleport. Frigga had reminded her not to use it so much since it was draining and would make her lazy, so she only used it to sneak out. The feeling of weightlessness before stepping out of her makeshift portal still disorients her, but she quickly shook it off and found herself exactly where she imagined going: the road leading to town.

She swiftly pulled her hood up before blending in with the crowd, who were all scurrying to and fro with their own hoods up. She looked around sadly; before the war, this place had been full of life and bustling with activity and noise as the people made their way to various shops and pubs. Now, there was an ominous feeling in the air, and everyone hurried to do their errands so they could quickly go back to the safety of their homes.

To add to the ominous and oppressive atmosphere, guards were also stationed across town, and Hela averted her gaze when a guard glanced at her, found her harmless, before moving on. She carefully matched everyone's pace and hurried off to her destination, watchful of any tails or pursuers. She wasn't exactly doing anything illegal, per say, but she couldn't exactly put any of her contacts in danger.

At last, she reached a dingy-looking tavern located at the farthest corner of town beside an alleyway. Hela paused and took a moment to cast a distortion spell on her face before entering. Ducking her head to avoid a low-hanging sign, Hela searched around the place and finally spotted another hooded man drinking by himself. She quickly slid at the seat across from him, "…Alvis."

"Ivanna." The man acknowledged with a grunt, and Hela almost smiled at the sound of her real name. Sometimes, the best cover was a name one could immediately respond to, and what better name than her original one?

Besides, she hadn't really thought of herself as Ivanna for a long time.

Hela quickly shook it off before raising an eyebrow, "So, what do you got for me?"

Alvis glanced at her with a hooded gaze before lazily wiggling his fingers. Hela rolled her eyes, "Oh right," before dropping three gold coins on his palm.

Familiar with their transactions and knowing the coins weren't fake, he swiftly pocketed it before answering, "They finally found Hoenir."

Hela widened her eyes in surprise at the news. She had heard from Alvis two months ago that Odin had expressed his wish to conduct a search for the other hostage of the Vanir to find out the truth about Mimir the Wise's death. It seems he's been found at long last.

"And?" Hela asked patiently.

"And apparently, he's just a witless fool who kept tricking the Vanir with his 'wise' decisions which actually came from Mimir." He replied bluntly before taking a swig from his mead. "The Vanir asked him advice the one time the old man's away, and unsurprisingly, he failed to answer it. The Vanir then executed Mimir, and Hoenir's been on the run ever since." Hela's thoughts whirled rapidly at the information.

If that's true, then Mimir died for nothing, and this war was nothing but a misunderstanding!

"Are you certain of this?" Hela demanded. "Better yet, does the King know about this?"

"Of course he does." It's now Alvis's turn to roll his eyes, "Nothing escapes the King's attention. Those ravens probably carried the information straight to him from Vanaheim itself."

Right, silly question. "Got any more?"

He held out a hand and Hela tossed three gold coins again. He caught and pocketed it again, "Asgard is slowly gaining ground, but the Vanir are giving them a hard time. However, if the battle continues in its current rate and the number of soldiers in both sides doesn't change, then victory will ultimately go to Asgard."

Hela frowned at him, "That's not information worth three gold coins."

"I'm not finished," He drawled before leaning forward and whispering, "Now, I heard from General Tyr himself about the other Realms' allegiances. Alfheim and Muspelheim are firmly on Vanaheim's side since they hate Aesir guts. Jotunheim and Nidavellir preferred to stay neutral as always, Niflheim couldn't be bothered by it all for obvious reasons, Midgard doesn't even have the intelligence to know there's a war going on, while Svartalfheim was practically a deserted wasteland after what Bor did to it."

Hela, annoyed by the jibe about Midgard, breathed deeply before urging him to get on with it. "Your point?"

He smirked, "The point is that Vanaheim's allies are preparing to go to war as well. With the military might of three Realms against one, there's only one thing I can say about that, it won't go to Asgard's favor."

And he's right. Hela realized. She pursed her lips, before nodding. "Thank you, Alvis. I have to wonder though, how did you hear from General Tyr when he's all the way in Vanaheim and the Gatekeeper monitors who goes in and out the Bifrost?"

She watched then as Alvis broke out in a wide grin, "Unfortunately, my dear Ivanna, that information is not negotiable."

She snorted. Figures. She knew his information was reliable though, which was why she didn't question it further. "Alright, keep your secrets," She smiled and stood up, "Same time next month?"

"As long as you can pay." He waved her away.

Hela turned and walked away without a backwards glance. They both knew he'll be back.

…

Having nothing better to do, and celebrating a momentary freedom away from her studies, Hela walked around town and took a quick look at some of the shops there. She found a stall selling a yoghurt-like dessert with fruit, nuts, and honey known as skyr and bought one, once again lamenting how much she missed ice cream. You never really know how lucky you are until you're in completely different time period.

Skyr is a bit different and much healthier than ice cream, but she'll take what she can get. Hela also went and got a couple of apples for Dagny in a nearby fruit stall. She occasionally got the horse out for rides and even introduced her to Fenris one time. The poor horse had been completely terrified, and Hela had to resort to treating her with apples for the past several weeks just so she can forgive her again.

Speaking of which, she should probably get Fenris something too. The Giant Wolf had been completely standoffish and determined to scare anyone who comes near, so she hadn't made any real progress yet, but she swears she's getting there!

"If only she lets me near enough…" She muttered under her breath. The Wolf was stubborn all right, but Hela was equally as stubborn. She won't be outstubborned by a Wolf, of all things!

Decision made, Hela made a quick stop to a butcher shop and bought the biggest chunk of meat they have. Since everyone's afraid of Fenris, no one ever fed her, so she's forced to hunt on her own. Maybe meat she didn't hunt might be the way to her cold, sarcastic heart.

She almost didn't notice it, but a flash of familiar sandy blond hair suddenly caught her attention and she paused trying to hand over her payment. "Uhh… miss?" The butcher gazed at her weirdly while she stood frozen. "…Are you alright?"

"Yes, thank you." She sent a reassuring smile before quickly paying him and loading up the giant piece of meat in a sack they provided. The immense weight barely even registered as Hela tried to glance around for signs of that blond hair again. Everyone was wearing cloaks, so he must've walked by at the right time for her to get a glimpse of it. She quickly scanned the crowd before seeing someone duck down the alleyway. Her eyes narrowed. There!

She hurried after him, dodging the crowd and the guards who were still looking around for suspicious activity. She quickly reached the alley before ducking into it too, and she was immediately enveloped in darkness.

Weird. It wasn't even night yet it's extremely dark in here. Her eyes adjusted after a while and she carefully followed the winding path in between buildings, keeping her eyes peeled for the figure or for any danger. After a while, her feet felt the ground slope downwards and some stairs descending into who knows where. She frowned before continuing to follow it, now very alarmed. Just what was she getting herself into this time that needed her to travel underground?

It took a surprisingly long while before the path (now a tunnel) eventually ended and she could exit the alley, but when she did, she was immediately greeted with a wretched sight.

The path brought her very near the edge of the forest, and everywhere she looked there were houses in dilapidated conditions spread into this area of Asgard. They were hiding behind the buildings of the main street, and the smell of trash and bad body odor permeated the air and nearly made her gag. She quickly covered her mouth before walking through the badly cobbled streets.

It struck her then; this was likely the poor part of Asgard. It was very weird to think Asgard even had poor people living in it when she had always imagined it as a very rich realm, but in hindsight, it makes sense. Why else would there be people in working class in the towns if everyone was rich?

She fought the urge to stare in shock at the amount of people sitting in the streets begging for food or money and the way their clothes seem to hang on their extremely thin frames. She never knew this place existed. Worst of all, it seems Odin wasn't even doing anything to improve the lives of the people here. She frowned heavily, making a mental note to speak with Frigga and rectify the situation immediately.

However, it still didn't answer the original reason she was there. If the figure was him, then what was he doing here, of all places?

She brought the hood lower as some children ran by, wary of any thieves or people that might recognize her. Perhaps coming to this place had been a bad idea…?

Something sharp suddenly poked at her back, and she stiffened. She didn't even sense anyone coming! "Why are you following me?" A voice suddenly demanded.

Hela initially stiffened at the feeling of a knife at her back, but sighed in relief immediately after hearing the familiar voice. "You made it difficult not to, since you're acting so suspicious." She sensed him stiffen as well, and she smiled before carefully turning around. "Hey Orn."

Ornulf stood blinking at her in surprise, before quickly moving to hide the knife he just threatened her with. "Princ– mmphh?!" Her hand immediately clamped on his mouth at his exclamation, and she shushed him. "Quiet."

He quickly removed it, "What are you doing here?" He hissed.

"Following you."

"Well, this isn't a good place for a Princess to wander around." He hastily grabbed her hand before dragging her back into the alley. She immediately planted both feet down to stop him, "Don't worry about me Ornulf, I know how to act around here," Especially since she hasn't always been royalty. "I'm just curious to know what you're doing here."

"That's none of– I mean, it's nothing." He seemed angry with himself, and Hela tried to peer under his hood but he quickly ducked his head. "You should get back, Hela. It's dangerous down here."

"Yes, I know. But first, where is here?"

"Nothing you should be concerned about."

She leaned closer and whispered, "As princess, it looks to me that this is exactly what I should be concerned about." Hela raised an eyebrow, "Now spill."

People were beginning to stare, and Ornulf shifted uncomfortably as people began gossiping. Noting that, Hela's eyes darted around their surroundings under her hood, ready to fight or flee if needed. 

He could only stare at her in frustration before sighing heavily, "Your prying is going to get you killed someday, Your Highness."

She waved it away, "No need to be so extreme."

He tilted his head skyward as if praying for patience, and she almost laughed. "I suppose you won't let this go now that you know anyway…" He muttered, and she only smiled. "Alright, stick close to me. I was serious when I said it's dangerous." He warned before trudging off; hood lowered once again. Hela hurried to copy his example.

"So…?" She pressed. He sighed again.

"As you have probably guessed, this is Asgard's lower levels." He whispered, hurriedly walking past two shady looking men. Hela followed him closely, "Everyone with something to hide goes here, so it's certainly not a place for royalty like you. Gods, Tyrkir is going to kill me…" He m.o.a.n.e.d miserably.

"Don't worry, if you want, we can just never mention this to him." She suggested.

He eyed her, "Are you sure?"

She shrugged, "It's your secret." She pointed out.

He laughed nervously before shaking his head, "In here." He nodded to another one of those dilapidated-looking houses, and Hela entered it without hesitation. She trusted Ornulf not to lead her right into danger, but if he ever did, she knows she can still protect herself no problem. Her eyes adjusted yet again to the darkness, and she immediately noted the poor conditions of the house, the extremely thin walls that looks like a strong wind could topple it, rickety old furniture, and most of all, a frail woman lying on her back on a straw pallet.

Ornulf quickly entered right behind her before closing the door. "Right…" He muttered before clearing his throat awkwardly, "I'm home." He called softly.

… Home?

Hela turned to stare at him in bewilderment, and he winced. She then turned her gaze to the woman who was roused by the noise and was now blinking up at them tiredly. Ornulf immediately knelt by her side and helped her up, all the while gesturing for the stunned Hela to take a seat at one of the rickety old chairs. "Hela, this is my mother, Inga. Mother, this is Hela."

Hela gave a hesitant nod, but was further taken aback when the woman's – his mother! – eyes started to widen in shock. "H-Hela?" She rasped, and Ornulf hurried to give her a glass of water. "You mean, the P-Princess?"

He winced again, "She's the one I kept telling you about, remember Mother? Her and Tyrkir."

His mother blinked slowly up at him before shaking her head silently in confusion.

Ornulf glanced apologetically at her and she immediately gestured that it was fine. No sense in worrying him when there's really nothing to worry about. After all, she still can't wrap her mind around the fact that Ornulf lived here and that one of her friends wasn't actually well-off.

His mother suddenly coughed harshly, and Ornulf immediately scrambled to soothe her. "Easy, Mother…" He murmured, before glancing at her again and her poor attempt to school her face into something close to neutral. He averted his gaze, "Before you say anything, I hope you were serious earlier when you said you would keep this a secret from Tyrkir."

Her eyes widened, "He doesn't know yet?"

"No, and I don't even want to know what he will do if he does," Ornulf laughed humorlessly, "After all, I'm poorer than drit. If he were to associate with me, I'd most likely drag him down. You too, though you already made it pretty clear you don't care about that."

Hela nodded vigorously, remembering their misunderstanding and her sincere response to her friends' worries about her status being dragged down for associating with two so-called 'outcasts.'"Tyrkir wouldn't think that of you," She said carefully.

"He was the most concerned about statuses back then, so I wouldn't exactly be surprised." Ornulf scowled at his l.a.p.

"Don't put words in his mouth, especially since he's not here to defend himself." She scolded before sighing, "So this is why you don't talk much about your home life except mentioning that you have a sick mother. You've been purposely vague."

He suddenly went silent and she immediately backtracked, "Not that you have to explain yourself! Everyone has their secrets," She certainly does. "If you want, I can leave now, head back to the palace, and forget this ever happened."

Ornulf immediately rolled his eyes before the words were even fully out of her mouth, "You say that, but we both know you'd absolutely hate it." He teased, and Hela could finally see traces of the Ornulf she knew and loved coming out the moment he realized she won't rat him out.

She grinned sheepishly, "You know me so well." Everyone knew she hated being out of the loop. It was why she began hiring contacts to inform her about the situation in Vanaheim. She gazed at the both of them resolutely, "Don't worry, I can keep a secret." Probably the biggest one anyone could ever have. "But is it really alright, though?"

Instead of Ornulf replying, his mother – who they have both forgotten was watching their conversation the whole time – slowly placed a finger on his lips, silencing him for the second time that day, before smiling kindly at her, "Any friend of my son is always welcome."

And damn, did that hit her straight to the heart. Hela would adopt his mother if Ornulf wasn't careful. Speaking of which, "But what I'm confused about is why you would refuse help?"

Her friend suddenly smiled bitterly, "We do still have some pride left, Princess. We don't need anyone's help, as my mother's condition isn't life-threatening. I can take care of her myself, it's one of the reasons I joined Einherjar training after all."

Suddenly, Hela understood. Ornulf was probably hoping for the compensation he will get as a soldier for the Realm Eternal. As much as she wanted to help, she reluctantly dropped the subject. She'll respect his decision. "As you wish."

Ornulf's gaze suddenly softened, "We appreciate the offer though," He said, "But there are many more who needs it more than we do." He then nodded to the door leading outside.

She nodded determinedly, "I definitely plan to." It was about time someone did something for the people here. Let Odin deal with his war and Frigga her Vanir; Hela will take care of Asgard's people.

Finally, she felt like she had a purpose.

…

Hela soon left a little after that and arrived back in her room by nightfall, but not before visiting both Dagny and Fenris and feeding them the apples and meat respectively. Both had been absolutely delighted, though the latter refused to show it. Typical.

Hela for once didn't bug the Wolf to talk or even to banter with each other sarcastically. Too preoccupied with making the necessary plans, she just left without saying a word, leaving Fenris to stare after her oblivious back with something akin to surprise in her eyes, and was that worry?

Nevertheless, Hela continued on unknowingly before finally entering the relative privacy of her rooms. She sat heavily back in her chair behind her desk. Astrid hurriedly helped her take the cloak off, practically radiating worry, "Did something happen, My Lady?"

At the question, Hela looked up at her before suddenly steeling her expression. "I need to speak with the Queen, Astrid. Prepare my clothes. And get me Healer Eir!"

 ...