The Goddess Of Death

Cries and screams echoed in the air, the clash of steel against steel and Asgardian cannons firing nearly deafening everyone in the battlefield. In response, the Vanir countered with flaming arrows, with their seidmadr and seidkona simultaneously unleashing powerful blasts of energy from their position within the palace walls. The constant barrage was normally enough to tire a normal seidmadr, nevertheless, Vanaheim was proving up to the task.

On the ground though, there was only controlled chaos. Asgard's generals led their men in an organized assault to take Vanaheim's capital and palace. Smoke, sweat, and the metallic scent of blood permeated the air, and the cool winds from the realm's atmosphere was barely felt as the warriors from both sides clashed and roared at each other; adrenaline and the frightened screams of their opponents only serving to further encourage the Einherjar to drive them back in droves.

Amidst it all, icy blue eyes shone with bloodl.u.s.t as he slowly scanned the battlefield. The sight was beautiful, in the only way the deadly and unpredictable snowstorms and frigid winds of Jotunheim that could freeze an Aesir in moments could be considered beautiful, and he mourns at the fact that he seemed to be the only one who appreciates it.

Someone suddenly yelled from behind him, effectively disrupting the moment, and his lips pulled back in an annoyed snarl. Blood roared in his ears as Odin moved and proceeded to utilize Gungnir in its full strength. Powerful blasts of energy swept the Vanir clear off their feet and instantly vaporized the few of them unlucky enough to be near. He spun, and the powerful spear became akin to a golden blur as he struck, thrusted, and jabbed at his opponents. Blood spurted everywhere as he buried the tip deep within a wide-eyed Vanir soldier's gut before dragging it upwards, his horrified scream abruptly cutting off with a choke. Odin quickly kicked the body away from him, discarding it in favor of his next opponent.

Adrenaline fueled his veins, and he never felt more alive than now in the midst of battle. It's already been two years since the war was declared, and yet their bloodl.u.s.t has not yet been sated. The Vanir were fools, to think that they could take on the Realm Eternal on their own. Even Freyr with his admittedly powerful healing seidr cannot heal his men quicker than it takes the Einherjar to slay them. Asgard never forgives; they would do well to remember that.

That was, if any of them were still alive by the end of this.

The grass felt wet and slippery under his boots, and a quick glance revealed that it was simply blood soaking back into the earth. How fitting, the Vanir always believed that they were deities descended from the earth itself. Now, they were back where they came from.

A shout, and as if planned, multiple Vanir soldiers suddenly swarmed his position, their faces twisted in fury and desperation. Odin watched them approach before chuckling darkly. He immediately slammed Gungnir on the ground, and everyone within range was predictably thrown back like ragdolls.

Fools.

His gaze suddenly narrowed as one of the soldiers abruptly twisted in the air and away from the blast. He landed half-crouched with a pained grunt amongst his fallen companions, before suddenly bringing up his hands. Instantly, blazing white light erupted from his palms and begun rushing straight towards Asgard's King.

Odin immediately thrust Gungnir in front of him, and a golden shield shimmered into existence. The blast skittered at the edges harmlessly, before Odin was forced to sidestep as thick vines suddenly burst from the ground, snaking around his struggling ankles, arms, and neck before holding him in place. The soldier–now clearly a seidmadr– quickly flicked his fingers and the vines began squeezing and squeezing, the thorns in them effectively piercing his skin.

Odin snarled, his hand shot out, and a burst of his golden seidr quickly enveloped around the seidmadr's body before pulling him towards Asgard's King. He screamed and struggled as the golden tendrils of energy brought him dangling helplessly in the air before a huge hand closed around his throat, fingers squeezing slowly. The vines slowly loosened its hold as its caster weakened and choked in his grip.

"You must be one of Freyr's prized seidmadr." He remarked pleasantly, as if it was just a regular day and his hand wasn't literally squeezing the life out of him. "He must be ashamed by your poor performance today. I know I would be."

The seidmadr struggled in his grip, face turning blue, though his eyes were still full of hate. "Helvíti þér1." He spat out. "G-Give our Queen back!"

Odin's face suddenly contorted in fury and he immediately slammed the seidmadr face-first on the ground. "The Queen is no bargaining chip." He growled lowly, furious at the thought of fair and kind Frigga going back to these savages and being used against him. "She has earned her place among us. If anyone has the right to demand someone back, it is Asgard."

The seidmadr's eyes went wide in pain and Odin pulled his lips up into a smile, blue eyes glowing in rage and fingers squeezing tightly. "Valhalla will never accept you and your brethren for this level of betrayal, svikari1."

A snap! and Odin slowly let the lifeless body slump to the ground. He glared down at it in disdain before releasing himself from the vines, which were now equally as lifeless as their caster. That done, he stood back and observed the battlefield again idly, noting that the Vanir's forces were slowly dwindling down, and the Einherjar have already occupied the capital and surrounded the palace. No doubt, their leader, Freyr, was in there commanding and healing his soldiers and seidmadr, for all the good it will do to them.

He had promised Frigga he would let her father live, and he does not intend to go back on his word. However, he still needs something to show the rest of the Nine that Asgard does not tolerate betrayal.

Perhaps the rest of the realm will suffice.

Victory was so near he could almost taste it, which was why it was such a surprise when a loud crack!–similar to a thunderclap suddenly sounded, before the space between the Vanir's palace and the Aesir's army tore open and two rips abruptly appeared out of thin air.

Odin only had the time to realize that those were interdimensional passageways or portals between realms before out stepped Fire Giants and Light Elves from the portals respectively.

"Your Majesty!" He heard General Tyr cry out in alarm before everything suddenly exploded in a synchronized blaze of fire and light, and he knew no more.

…

Heimdall stiffened in surprise, his hold on Hofund 1slackening before he gripped it so tightly the leather creaked. His head tilted as he listened to the echoing cries and screams from a realm far away before he stood and marched out the Observatory with all the speed he could muster.

He quickly swung up on a horse always reserved for emergencies like this and was soon bounding along the rainbow bridge and back to the palace. He passed startled guards, trainees, and servants until finally reaching the courtyard. A spare stable hand quickly took control of the horse as Heimdall rushed through the halls and towards the familiar double doors of the throne room before bursting through with an urgent call, "My Queen!"

Queen Frigga turned to gaze at him in surprise from her position in front of the dais, her startled ladies-in-waiting quickly fanning out behind her in defensive positions before relaxing as they recognized the visitor. "Heimdall?" She inquired.

"There is trouble in Vanaheim, My Queen." He reported after saluting. "Muspelheim and Alfheim has joined the fight and now, the King and the Einherjar are vastly outnumbered." He looked her in the eye, expressing in them the gravity of the situation. "The Allfather and General Tyr requests reinforcements immediately in the form of the Valkyries and any remaining Einherjar in Asgard."

Frigga paused, her eyes widening in understanding. "Any remaining Einherjar?" She echoed, "But there were none left after he took all of them. Unless…"

Heimdall nodded as Frigga went silent. They both knew what it meant.

"Understood. Thank you, Gatekeeper." The Queen inclined her head, before turning and striding out of the room, most likely to speak with her Ministers and Commander Herryk, the only high-ranking military officer remaining in Asgard. Her ladies-in-waiting quickly followed her out until only Heimdall remained.

He wasn't surprised that she didn't require a report. The Queen has powerful scrying abilities that could sometimes be far more detailed than his Sight, which only works if someone called him or he's completely focused on a particular event or person. She'll likely glean more information that he would've missed otherwise.

He let out a small sigh, longing to aid his King but unable to leave his assigned post. Being a Gatekeeper is a great honor, but could be terribly restricting in times like this. Besides, there was something almost… odd about this whole situation. He willed his eyes to See the realm again, taking note of the casualties, the state of the King and the General, the damages sustained from that blinding blast–

"A call to arms, then?"

He barely managed to contain his flinch of surprise as a familiar figure stepped out from behind a pillar. He must've been more troubled than he realized if he didn't See her when he entered...

"Heimdall," The Princess approached slowly, her bright green eyes focusing rather intensely on his sword, which he realized he still hadn't released from his tight grip. "It must be truly terrible, if the King called for trainees as reinforcements. Even those whose training are already near completion." She gazed up at him, her expression somber and yet composed. "What happened, exactly?"

He slowly relaxed his stance and grip, bowing as she stopped in front of him. "Indeed, Your Highness." He hesitated, before deciding to trust her with this s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e information. After all, she will soon see it for herself. "A third of the Einherjar had been wiped out in the initial attack of the combined might of the three realms."

Hela's eyes grew troubled at the information, but he noted that she didn't look surprised, before looking up at him again, "How did my Father and the rest of our men fare?" She asked.

Heimdall's gaze softened at her palpable worry and reported solemnly, "General Tyr tried to warn and protect him in time, but he was caught in the blast and is now in the healing tents. As for the rest of the men, they were singed and burnt, but the healers will do their job well."

Hela only grew more worried and Heimdall cursed his inability to soothe her fears. Why does he only ever deliver bad news these days? "I see." She paused, before gesturing towards the doors. "Would you mind if I accompany you back, Heimdall? I wish to speak with you more, and I remember that you should not leave your post for longer than necessary."

"Not at all, Your Highness." He swiftly matched her pace as they journeyed back to the Observatory together. He met the stable hand again who handed him and the Princess their respective horses, the latter quickly swinging up on Dagny before leading the way.

"Can you tell me more about the initial attack?" She asked as they rode, "If we are truly going there, I need to be prepared."

He inclined his head in agreement. He trusts the Princess to be discreet. After all, not a word of their numerous conversations ever passed her lips before, and those were not even secrets. "Muspelheim and Alfheim had made use of interdimensional passageways to journey between realms. It was only now I See that Freyr had acted as a conduit so they could go from their realms and straight into Vanaheim, thereby catching the King and his men off-guard." He let his hands grip the reins tightly in a rare show of emotion. "I had thought Freyr had merely been healing his soldiers and seidmadr, but instead, he was gathering strength for summoning his own reinforcements this whole time."

"Freyr is a tricky one," The Princess observed. "Somehow, he knows how to deceive your Sight."

"I swear to you, it will not happen again." He vowed, "I will watch him closely from now on."

Hela glanced at him and he was relieved that she did not show any disappointment or anger for the incident. It had been so long since he failed that he had almost forgotten the crushing feeling. She nodded simply before gazing back ahead, "I trust you, Heimdall."

Warmth unexpectedly spread through him at the words, and he nodded tersely to disperse the feeling. "I am grateful for your faith in me."

Thankfully, she did not dwell further on the topic. "Father wishes the Valkyries to join the fight, correct?" She asked, her eyes visibly shining with curiosity and excitement. A typical look for her, Heimdall had learned after only their first three meetings. "I have only heard the stories. Where have they been all this time?"

"In Valhalla," He replied as they finally reached the Observatory. He held out a hand and helped her down from her mount, "They were the King's personal unit of shield-maidens, and were tasked with guarding Valhalla and guiding warrior souls from all around the Nine and into the afterlife."

"I see…" Hela frowned, "But what would happen to Valhalla, now that Odin recalled them to fight in Vanaheim?"

Ah. He could see why the Lady Vor was very fond of the Princess. She was always asking the right questions. "Hopefully, nothing. Though it will leave warrior souls not in Vanaheim ripe for the picking for the other afterlives." He assumed his usual position in the middle of the Observatory, sword held in front of him again with its tip pointed down. "I know for a fact that Freyja would be pleased to find more warriors in Folkvangr's fields. Hel's ruler will be, as well."

The Princess's head suddenly snapped up at the last part, her gaze surprised and wary. "You know Hel's ruler? Wait, can you See him or her?"

Heimdall hesitated, but his trust in her won out again. "My Sight is clouded when I turn my gaze to Helheim." He confessed, "All I know is that the current ruler is a Jotun chosen by the Norns. The dark realm is protected by forces more powerful and ancient than my Sight, and so I think it best not to delve into the affairs of that place."

Oddly enough, the Princess looked a bit disappointed at the limited information, but quickly shook it off. "We've gotten a bit off-topic," She shrugged sheepishly, though they've both grown so used to the random jumps conversations with the Princess often leads to at this point that Heimdall hardly even noticed. "When will the Valkyries arrive?" She asked. "I assume Mother is contacting them right now?"

"Indeed." He said after a quick glance at the Queen using his Sight. "The Valkyries will answer the call, and you and the trainees will leave together with them as soon as they are able. The King needs reinforcements now, and so it is best that you go and prepare yourself as well, Your Highness."

She smiled, "You're right." She inclined her head, "I realize this is extremely s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e information, and so I'm thankful you placed your trust in me."

"You are smart, Your Highness." His lips quirked up, "You would have been fine without me saying so." He was suddenly reminded of his suspicion that there was something odd about this whole situation, and he quickly told her before he changed his mind. "Be vigilant," Heimdall warned, "There may be other forces at work, especially with the way the Fire Giants and Light Elves arrived in Vanaheim so quickly. Even with using portals, it should not be that easy."

Hela straightened at the urgency in his tone, before nodding firmly, taking his warning and suspicions seriously. "I understand. I'll be careful."

And that, more than anything, only strengthened his faith in her. Icelandic translation:

Helvíti þér – F.u.c.k you

The Bifrost Sword.Icelandic translation:

Svikari - traitor