The Goddess Of Death

With that conversation done, Hela – hammer back at her hip – headed back inside the palace towards the Great Hall, where the feast is currently being held. All the participants' families and relatives will be there so it will likely be crowded. The King and Queen too, since they are the main hosts. Hela only postponed attending because of Fenris but now she has no more excuses.

She almost sighed; she always did hate parties. And now her parents would likely want her to brandish and flaunt her new weapon around, which she of course couldn't not do without offending the Allfather.

Sorry in advance, little brother.

"Well now, whatever's got the ceremony's champion so down?"

Startled, Hela looked up to see a black-haired boy looking about her age sitting on the stone railing overlooking the courtyard, a bored hand on his chin while he gazed at her out of the corner of his eye. She raised an eyebrow curiously at him, until he remembered protocol and jumped down from his perch, landing squarely on his feet before saluting and bowing, "Greetings, my Princess."

"Greetings as well," She smiled at him in amus.e.m.e.nt, "I don't recall feeling down, nor being the 'champion'. Perhaps you've mistaken me for someone else?"

He immediately straightened up from his bow, an easy grin on his face. "I can never mistake the person who brought back Fenris the Giant Wolf all by herself; therefore I am pretty certain I got the right Princess."

Hela raised an eyebrow and shrugged, "Fair enough. Can I ask who you are though, since I'm pretty sure I haven't seen you around before…?"

She cut herself off when she noticed him staring at her in bewilderment. She frowned and he startled, "I apologize for staring, Your Highness. I just cannot believe the rumors are true."

She frowned suspiciously, "What rumor?"

He smiled apologetically, "That you talk strangely, Your Highness."

She almost sighed, "That's the second time this day, ever thought that maybe you are the ones who talk strangely? That reminds me, you didn't answer my question."

He suddenly bowed and saluted again, "Forgive me, allow me to introduce myself." He smiled up at her, "I am Lucas Einarsson, and I believe you have not seen me yet because I am a trainee from the other unit. We probably have different schedules."

Hela nodded slowly in understanding. That makes sense, especially because there are many trainees who dreams to become Einherjar, which is the highest and most important honor a person not from a noble family could get, particularly because you get to serve and protect the royal family themselves. They are kind of like the ultimate soldiers.

Now since there are many trainees, they have all been divided into several units. Hela is a part of Herryk's unit whose training schedule is in the mornings. Other units have schedules in the afternoon and evening, so there are most likely many more that Hela haven't met yet. The thing is, every single unit participated in the Coming-of-Age ceremony, so it makes sense that she just hasn't seen Lucas among the hundreds of trainees.

However, he did say his name is 'Einarsson', which means that he's the son of Duke Einar, who is the fourth most powerful man in the Realm Eternal after the King, Queen, and Princess herself.

The reclusive Duke Einar, who reportedly rarely left his home unless the King himself summoned him. Because of that, there aren't a lot of news about him and his family. She doesn't even know he had a son.

Good thing Lord Lucas doesn't seem to be a loner like his father. "I see." She smiled, "Greetings My Lord, how is the Duke these days? I didn't see him in the ceremony earlier."

"He is fine," He replied with a smile, though his words sounded like it was rehearsed. "He is a busy man and has opted to remain in our home to work."

"I understand. A Duke's duties are very demanding." She gestured to the nearby entrance of the Great Hall, where she could already hear laughter and clanging of silverware inside. "Are you not going to the feast?"

He shook his head, "I already went earlier, and the food is as excellent as ever, Your Highness."

"You should thank the cooks for that; they always do a wonderful job."

"Then I will be sure to extend my appreciation." He suddenly grinned mischievously and surprised her by lowering himself to a full bow, bending at the waist. "We are always extremely grateful for the generosity and kindness of the Royal Family. Especially you, Princess. My congratulations for the excellent catch, you bringing back a Giant Wolf will undoubtedly go down in history and will be very tough to beat for future generations."  

Hela laughed awkwardly at the praise and waved it away, "I didn't take you for a flatterer, My Lord."

"It is not flattery if it is the truth. And please, call me Lucas." He smiled and gestured to the hall, "You should go, Your Highness. The King and Queen have been looking for you."

"Truly?" She looked to the doors in slight trepidation and thought she felt the hammer at her hip grow heavier. "Then I will see you around, My Lo- Lucas."

He nodded and hopped back to his perch just as Hela turned and made her way to the hall. Any curious thoughts about meeting Lucas were drowned out by the boisterous laughter and yells she could hear even beyond the huge doors.

She could feel the wide-eyed and admiring gazes directed at the hammer from the guards by the door. She felt Mjolnir humming in delight at their appreciation and she internally rolled her eyes in amus.e.m.e.nt. "Open the doors." She told them, and the guards almost scrambled to do just that.

The doors opened, and before she could stop him, the guard quickly announced her presence to the entire room.

Conversation stopped, and everyone's gazes immediately turned to the doors, their eyes wide. Hela, in turn, winced slightly. She had been hoping to just slip by or something.

"Your Highness!" One trainee blurted out, and suddenly, the whole room is chorusing with 'your highnesses' and 'princess.' Hela almost sighed at the display; sometimes being royalty is tiring. Everyone must always maintain proper behavior and decorum around her, some so blatantly fake it's nauseating.

"No need for that," Hela smiled kindly, and a few relaxed, "You may go back to what you were previously doing."

A moment passed where they only stared at her, before they gradually went back to do their own things. Hela in turn walked swiftly towards the head table, where the King and Queen watched her approach. She saluted, "Father, Mother."

"My daughter." Frigga gestured at the chair beside her. "Do sit down; your father and I were just looking for you."

"I know, Duke Einar's son told me."

"Ah, I see you have met Lucas." Frigga smiled widely, "Charming young man isn't he?"

"I suppose." Hela picked at her food, the lingering stares of almost everyone in the room making her lose her appetite. Frigga placed a hand on her own, halting the movement. She smiled warmly, her eyes shining with pride. "I never got to say it earlier, but I am so proud of you Hela. You did very well despite encountering numerous complications and difficulties." She nodded to the hammer at her side, "I see Mjolnir has already chosen you. That is good, it will serve you well."

She nodded shyly, "Thank you, Mother, Father." She then suppressed a wicked grin. "Though I did hear somewhere that my new weapon isn't originally a reward, but was supposed to be my weapon for the ceremony itself?"

To her great amus.e.m.e.nt, Odin growled out something that sounded suspiciously like " Vor ." Frigga side-eyed him before gazing apologetically at her, "Hela, we are so sorry for leaving you to fight out there without any proper weapons. Had I known, I would have commissioned something myself."

"It's alright, Mother." She smiled kindly at her. "Everything turned out well in the end, so no harm done."

"Just as well, especially because you have truly proven yourself worthy without any need for special weapons." Odin finally spoke, before glancing at his wife. "As I said, you should have trusted in our daughter's abilities, Frigga."

Frigga's gaze suddenly hardened at the reproach. Sensing things were going to get even worse; Hela quickly excused herself and left the tense atmosphere before she gets dragged into it. Peering into the crowd, she began searching for familiar faces while trying not to look too desperate about it when some curious eyes remained on her person.

"Your Highness!" Hela whirled and found herself face to face with Minister Vifil himself, Tyrkir's father. "Greetings, Minister Vifil." She smiled cheerily.

"I just want to say congratulations for bringing back such a marvelous beast." The Minister laughed heartily, "Everyone may say otherwise, but I believe you when you said you can control it. I cannot say the same for Minister Hrolf though."

At that statement, Hela laughed as well. Everyone knows Minister Hrolf – also known as the Minister of Security – is obsessed in maintaining the safety and security of the palace. A huge unknown such as a Giant Wolf suddenly appearing must be driving him crazy. "I hope I haven't gotten on his bad side because of that."

The Minister winked at her, "Do not worry, I will make sure to convince him of your innocence."

Hela bowed in mock solemnity, "I wish you luck on such a difficult task, Minister."

The Minister laughed again before walking away. Hela smiled in amus.e.m.e.nt before continuing her search for her friends. Unfortunately, everyone she passed took turns congratulating her, forcing her to engage in small talk for every one of them.

Finally ! Hela grinned in relief when she finally spotted Tyrkir, Ornulf, and a brown-haired burly boy she recognized as their fellow trainee Gudrik at the end of a long table, everyone giving them a wide berth. Walking more confidently now that she has a destination, she came closer and watched as Gudrik immediately stopped talking when he caught a glimpse of her, before putting a heavy hand on Tyrkir's shoulder. "See you two around."

Grinning smugly, Gudrik stopped to salute her before passing by. Hela absentmindedly gave him a slight nod before continuing to approach her friends. "Tyrkir, Ornulf!"

Tyrkir visibly startled to see Hela suddenly standing right next to him and hastily placed his right fist over his heart in a salute, and she noted that he was trembling slightly. "Your Highness!"

Ornulf looked over as well, "Princess!"

Titles again… Hela visibly sighed. Why are they always so polite with her? "Hello to both of you too." She smiled wryly, "I thought we are friends? So please, none of that 'Your Highness' stuff or any kind of title."

They stiffened, "…S-Sure!" Ornulf shrugged and Hela noted the slight stutter. "Though you'll probably have a hard time beating it out of Tyrkir here."

Hela noted the interesting choice of words, and the fact that Ornulf looked more hesitant than usual. "I'm sure it wouldn't come to that, right Tyrkir?"

Said boy remained silent for a few moments, and Hela turned to him worriedly, "Tyrkir?"

He shook his head and turned away. Hela debated on making him spill, but backed down in the end. Maybe he'll cool off by the end of the feast. "…So what was Gudrik doing here?"

There was a slight pause, before Ornulf shrugged. "Nothing important. He's just bragging as usual, said he caught a bear. Who cares though, if you caught a Giant Wolf?"

"Fenris wasn't exactly my catch, though." Hela reminded him.

He waved it away, "Details."

Hela glanced around the amount of food on the table and swiped a piece of bread from a basket. Chewing thoughtfully, she noted that everyone is still giving them a wide berth. There was also a rather tense feeling in the air, and she frowned heavily. "Why's everyone staring at us?"

Ornulf didn't look up and shrugged again, "I don't know."

Hela looked at him and raised an eyebrow. He's acting strange today, and she can't put a finger on it. She turned to glance at the other person in the table, "Tyrkir?"

No response. Hela tried calling for him again, but he didn't even look up or apologize, which was odd, given that it's the respectful and overly polite Tyrkir they're dealing with here. Glancing at her apologetically, Ornulf repeatedly nudged him, which finally annoyed him enough to yell out. "I just don't get it!"

Hela stared in surprise, "Get– what?"

He gasped and immediately covered his mouth, clearly not meaning to yell that. He glanced nervously at her and she gazed expectantly. He visibly steeled himself to continue.

"I… I just don't get why you're here." He mumbled.

"Why wouldn't I be here?" Hela asked him patiently, brows knitted as she tried to understand what he's trying to say. "Tyrkir, you know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know," He sighed in frustration, "I just… why are you here with us? Why are you wasting your time?"

Hela gaped at him in disbelief and immediately glanced at Ornulf to help.

Ornulf doesn't look surprised, instead he just turned to his friend, "Do you want to take this outside?"

Tyrkir nodded silently.

Hela stared. Seems like they both feel this way. Whatever this is. Silently, the three left the bustling hall and she led the way to one of the nearby rooms for privacy. Locking the doors, She then turned to face them, Mjolnir humming almost in concern at her belt.

"…Alright, what did you mean earlier?" She attempted a neutral tone. "I don't understand."

However, it seemed her tone betrayed her hurt, because they immediately scrambled to apologize. "We are sorry, princess, but we just did not expect you would want to associate with us." Ornulf explained awkwardly, "Compared to the others, we aren't exactly the most fitting companions for a princess. Especially since we are both… you know..." He looked to Tyrkir for help.

"Since we are both outcasts." Tyrkir muttered bitterly.

" What ?" Hela exclaimed, looking between the two of them. First Odin and Frigga were in a mood, and now them? "Who told you that? What do you mean?"

"Haven't you noticed?" Tyrkir gestured around in frustration. "We are the worst trainees. We can't even run for ten minutes! Not to mention our ranks! The son of a Minister is easily one of the lowest ranks possible. Ornulf here is practically treated like drit 1 just because he isn't born in a noble family!"

Ornulf looked away at that, but Tyrkir soldiered on.

"Even I was treated horribly just because I wanted to become friends with Ornulf," Tyrkir raged. "And now you went and became friends with us , and suddenly, everyone acted like they didn't do anything wrong! You even went and got us a room in the palace which definitely made things worse!"

Hela stared in shock. She had noticed that the other trainees often ostracized and avoided the two like a plague before she came along. And she had definitely noticed that the two boys always seemed behind the others in terms of training.

Wait a minute, what exactly happened with Gudrik earlier?

"What do you mean it 'made things worse'?" She asked worriedly, "Were you being bullied while I was not there?"

The two boys suddenly paled, which confirmed Hela's suspicions. How long was this going on, and why didn't she notice her two best friends being treated like that?!

Tyrkir shook his head frantically, "You are better off without us, Your Highness. I know you already know this, but I feel it prudent to remind you that it's a cruel world out there. Power and social status are everything. You would be better off associating with the Duke or the Count's son." He abruptly turned away to leave, fists clenched.

"Tyrkir, no!" Hela placed a hand on his arm in desperation, "Why bring it up now? Was it because of Fenris? Was it because I put you two in danger? If so, I'm sorry! I was stupid and careless and didn't think things through at all!"

He immediately denied it. "No, Princess, it's not about that."

Hela's eyes then hardened, "Then was it because of Gudrik?"

Tyrkir visibly stiffened under her grip before shaking his head again, "N-No it's just, you wouldn't gain anything from associating with us. We're holding you back. Not to mention, we would only give you a bad image and that's not something you can afford–"

"You think I care about that?!"

Tyrkir immediately cut himself off as Hela glared fiercely at him, eyes shining with unshed tears. "Do you really think I cared about my status, or the opinions of other people?! Dammit guys, I approached you because I wanted us to be friends!"

Tyrkir backed away as Hela stalked towards him, and Ornulf immediately tried to stand between the two. "Hela–"

"I don't care about your statuses or your abilities!" Hela laughed bitterly, "In case you haven't noticed, I am also an outcast. Though I admit it is through no one's fault but my own."

They looked at her incredulously, "How can you be an outcast? You are the Crown Princess! You probably have thousands of friends inside and outside the realm." Ornulf said in disbelief.

Hela shook her head, "I don't want to associate with anyone who likes me just because of my wealth or power. You two are the first people I met who doesn't care about any of that. You are my first friends." Hela told them honestly. "I just want people who genuinely consider me a friend and not like some prize to be won!

"I didn't know you were being bullied like this, but now that I know, I'll make sure they pay for what they've done." Hela's eyes glinted with malice, "I assure you, I won't let them get away with it."

The two had frozen at her outburst and now looked like she had smacked them across the face. Hela clenched her fists, she hadn't meant to lose it completely, but the thought of losing the only people she genuinely enjoyed being with…

She doesn't want to lose them, but if they won't change their minds, then she won't force them to stay.

"You don't need to do that!" Tyrkir shook his head frantically, "I… I just don't want you to regret becoming associated with us…" He bowed his head in shame. "Forgive us, Princess."

"I understand, don't worry about it." Hela glared at nothing, already planning on how to tear Gudrik a new one.

Tyrkir winced at her expression, "Just… don't take it too far?"

"Are you kidding?! She just said we are her first friends! Suck on that Gudrik!" Ornulf practically crowed in excitement, back to his cheerful self.

Hela narrowed her eyes. Even in Asgard, bullies exist . It's reassuring to see Ornulf's cheerful face again while Tyrkir slowly relaxed at his side.

"He always makes fun of us and the new recruits. As if he is any better." Ornulf snorted, but then glanced at Hela apologetically, "He also said some things about you…"

"Ornulf!" Tyrkir hissed.

The blond-haired boy immediately ducked in apology, but Hela already heard. "What things?" Hela asked curiously, but not surprised. She knew she doesn't have the best reputation because of her determination to become a warrior even though she's a girl and the fact that she's always cooped up in her rooms. She doesn't let any of those rumors get to her though. After all, she is already a grown woman, teasing and insulting children cannot affect her no matter how hard they try.

The two glanced at each other and then at her, most probably trying to gauge her reaction. Tyrkir started, "Well… he once called you a fool for trying to defend seidr use to the commander. Said it is for cowards and cheats."

Hela raised an eyebrow, "Well, nothing new there."

Tyrkir visibly faltered in surprise, and Ornulf quickly took over eagerly, apparently using this chance to insult the princess without repercussions. "He also said you are trying too hard, and that you will not last a second in a real fight, though we all know you definitely proved him wrong after the ceremony." He grinned, "He also said you have delusions of grandeur. 'A skinny girl like her cannot become a warrior,' he said. 'I bet the wind can knock her out–'"

" Ornulf !" Tyrkir yelled, and said boy's jaw clamped shut in horror. Tyrkir gazed at her fearfully, "We are so sorry, Your Highness. Ornulf just doesn't think before speaking sometimes. We did not mean any of that. Please do not punish us!"

Hela immediately surged to help him up when he tried to bow, "No, it is all right. It is not you who said those things, yes? It is Gudrik. You do not need to apologize, I asked for you to tell me, and you did. Thank you both for informing me."

Once again, the two looked stunned.

Hela smiled wickedly, "I will not confront him. It is childish. Besides, those cannot be called insults anyway, for how weak and pathetic they were. I bet I could make him cry with just a few words."

Ornulf practically guffawed. "If I have money, I'll bet it all on you Princess."

Hela laughed when Tyrkir looked like he's this close to strangling Ornulf. Mjolnir hummed in support and she patted it calmly before grabbing the two boys and hugging them as tight as she was able.

Thank god, she won't be losing any friends today.

…

As an apology, the two boys – each looking eager to make it up to her after the disagreement – escorted Hela back to her room. She shook her head when the door finally closed, knowing that she'll never grow tired of her friends' antics.

Giggling to herself, she dropped Mjolnir off on the table before heading towards the bathroom to shower. After a long day climbing mountains, accidentally covering herself with wolf drool, and attending a feast with the other trainees who haven't washed up either, she knew she smelled pretty darn awful.

Stepping into the bathroom, she quickly realized something's wrong. The bath wasn't filled up yet for one thing; everyone knew she preferred to shower twice a day so the bath was always filled up whenever she came back to her room. For another, the water jars had tipped over, spilling their contents across the floor, almost as if the servant who handled this left in a hurry.

What made them leave, though?

Turning around, Hela quietly sneaked back to her room, trying to extend her senses. The atmosphere felt murky, now that she thought about it. There was a general sense of unease, and she actually strained to get a feel of her own room.

Something is wrong.

"Heimdall," She called as quietly as she could. "If you could hear me, please get help."

She didn't know if he heard or that murky feeling prevented him from doing so, but if there is someone in her room, he or she already knew she's here.

The question is, who?

Steeling herself, Hela paused before stepping back into the room normally, looking for all the world like she was just heading to her dresser to search for a change of clothes.

With her back to the rest of the room, Hela closed her eyes and waited.

… Drit means "shit" or "crap" in Norwegian.