Maybe Jeanne was a bit too enthusiastic.
I may have been somewhat joking when I told her to get the rope. Maybe I expected her to maybe sort of drag Hela along.
What I did not expect was for her to actually tie Hela up and hold her up over her head.
It was kind of comical because of how…well, weak Jeanne looks. I mean that in the nicest way possible, Jeanne looks like a normal girl her age; her arms aren't very big. Yet she was holding an entire person above her head without issue.
In fact, she was smiling brightly.
I think at some point, Hela realized that there was no escape and no amount of argument was going to get her out of this.
The look on her face was… interesting as she silently stared blankly from her new position.
Well, I suppose it didn't matter in the end.
We stepped out onto Asgard—my Asgard.
The rebuilding had been going well.
Most of the destruction had been cleared up, and a significant portion of Asgard had been rebuilt. There were still scars, of course.
The World Tree had a hand on it.
A scorched mark that didn't quite disappear.
And with how big the damn thing was, it was impossible to miss.
The Palace had mostly been repaired, at least from an outside perspective. The opulence had returned, looking like a proper, godly palace.
Frankly, I don't think it lost out to Asgard from over there.
It was just…different.
Jeanne set Hela down, and the woman didn't even have the mind to utter a curse or demand to be released.
She just stared.
She didn't show her emotions much. Other than when she was annoyed or angered, that is. But I could clearly see a whole array of them flash across her face as she took in the sight.
"Asgard…." She whispered, like the name was foreign to her.
It must have been slightly jarring, because it was significantly different than her own home. But at the same time, the essence was all but the same.
Conceptually, it was Asgard.
As a goddess of Asgard, an Aesir, it was her home.
She barely batted an eye as Jeanne untied her.
I waved at a group of Einherjar passing by who excitedly greeted us.
Being a hero has its merits, it seems.
She looked at them intently as they passed by, like one would an exotic animal, like seeing a horse with crab legs.
Something so familiar, yet also so different.
"Would you like to go take a look, or would you like to go back to Kamar-Taj? I wasn't actually going to force her completely. More so…put the choice right in front of her face so she couldn't lie to herself or ignore it.
I was an idiot; I wasn't an asshole.
Something something, you can show them the door, but you can't make them walk through it. Or something equally wise that I could tell myself that made me feel good.
Her silently taking steps forward seemed to answer my question.
Her head snapped up as a Valkyrie flew past.
There was a split second where she stiffened and maybe even panicked slightly but relaxed as she continued flying by.
Overall, the atmosphere here had improved significantly since I had last been here.
People were now back home; children were running around. You could see the normal residents going about their regular lives.
Ironically, seeing Einherjar, spirits, gods, and whatever else lived here acting normal didn't seem out of place.
Maybe I was just used to living in Youkai Japan, so this didn't startle me at all.
Hela inspected it closely, walking down the cobblestone road.
No one stared, at least maliciously. I wasn't an unknown face; people greeted us and brightened up as we passed by, but no one really paid attention to Hela.
Well, except one person.
Or an animal I should see.
There was an apple tree at the center of a square, with a little fence around it for decoration.
A red deer was plucking an apple from it, and everyone treated it as if it were completely normal.
A child of Duneyrr.
I remember the knowledge that I gained when I sat on Asgard's throne. Duneyrr, one of four ancient great stags, notable for their red fur.
He was the last of his kin; the others were hunted and killed. He merged with Yggdrasil to give his children a reprieve, a safe haven.
And he abandoned that to come to Asgard's Aid during the war.
As such, his reward was that he and his children were treated as sacred across the Nine Realms and forbidden from being hunted or killed without cause. Obviously, if one of them attacks you for whatever reason, you're allowed to protect yourself.
But they had more than just good will stopping it.
While within the Nine Realms, Yggdrasil itself offers them a magical protection.
It looked at us, then it came hopping over.
Did it remember me?
It let me pet it, and it didn't mind that Jeanne did either, brushing up against her just as easily.
This must be the younger of the lot, maybe a child even by their standard.
It looked at Hela and pushed its head into her thigh, basically asking for affection.
The stoic and emotionless Death Goddess hesitantly reached out and rubbed the young stag between the antlers on its head, much to the creature's delight.
There was a faint rumbling in the sky, and a familiar figure came soaring down.
"Greetings, my friends!" Thor touched down upon the ground.
God, he really is just like Thor back over there, isn't he? Just…older? More experience? More Mature?
He definitely felt more self-assured in a way that came with time and wisdom.
Hela's eyes widened as she stared at the man.
Thor didn't balk or stare or ask questions right away, even as his eyes lingered on Hela. "Hello little one, did you get lost?" He patted the young stag's back. "These little ones wander all around and get lost within the streets; it's best to help them back to the forest; otherwise, they get confused and scared."
It didn't even struggle as Thor lifted it up over his shoulder carefully, if not affectionately.
I had a feeling this wasn't the first time this had occurred.
"Lady Hel, I almost didn't recognize you in that form. Did you come to visit?" Thor asked.
Hela didn't have an immediate answer; I think she was sort of stunned into further silence and having trouble.
"She wanted to try a new look for when she goes out in front of mortals. What do you think?" I spoke up in her stead.
"Aye, tis good. Though, I say you have nothing to be ashamed of. But I know how mortals fear." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Know that none of us despise your looks, my dear niece. You are as beautiful as any other goddess."
"Thank you?" Hela responded absentmindedly.
"My Father is within the palace; you are, of course, most welcome to come and go at your leisure!" Thor declared before flying off with the deer over his shoulder.
I had an inkling that he may have suspected something but didn't say it out of politeness.
"Why did he imply I was ugly!?" Her brain snapped back to reality.
"The you of here is named Hel, and she isn't ugly. She just has…a unique look." I most certainly wouldn't call Hel ugly; in fact, I found her rather beautiful myself. And if not just me, I knew that Thorum also found her very beautiful.
"That was…" She watched his retreating silhouette.
"Technically, that was your brother." I responded.
"He's very nice. Even the Thor back in your home is a nice person. He's younger, though, so you would be his older sister. Here, though, I think Thor is older." Jeanne tilted her head as she gave that further thought.
"Hel is the Goddess of Death, ruler of Niflheim. And she is a well-respected and appreciated goddess. She came to Asgard's aid during Ragnarok and against her own father, who schemed to destroy Asgard. Here, Hel is the daughter of Loki, God of Mischief." I gave her a brief explanation of the background of her counterpart.
"That…despicable place?" Hela could hardly believe it from her words. "Who would want to live there willingly?"
"Someone has to manage the souls that enter that realm."
Hela's lips thinned. "...and that someone is me?
I shrugged. "No one is forcing you to do anything," I reminded her because she was taking a lot of things personally from her counterpart's existence.
It must be jarring, so I was trying to judge or be mean.
Her words returned at least.
"This place is magical."
"You like it that much?" I raised an eyebrow.
"No, you fool," she huffed. "I'm saying it literally. It's more magical than what I'm used to. The technology here is primitive; it's almost entirely created through magical means."
Ah.
That made sense.
"Sorry to disappoint, but the greater universe isn't something touched here. Asgard here is attached to Earth, Midgard, the same as every other pantheon you're familiar with that has ties to Midgard. No one leaves the planet; there isn't conquest across the universe or anything like that."
She furrowed her brow as she digested that.
I didn't know if that put her off or not.
Maybe it was just weird enough that she didn't form an opinion.
From my own home, from Zelretch's memories, I knew how scary the universe could be, so I wasn't going to change that now that I had a ship that I could reasonably use to explore.
I could live a very long time; I would wait until humanity started to travel the stars.
"That man from before—"
"Thor."
She ignored me. "-- that was Mjolnir in his hands?"
"That's right."
She frowned slightly. "It's different from my Mjolnir."
"I think it's Thor's Mjolnir." I pointed out.
"It was mine first." She hissed, though it carried less heat than her normal temper. "But it never liked me."
She did mention that.
Like it was waiting for someone else, as she described it.
But also, I think it's a pride thing.
"At least he isn't embarrassing me." She harumphed. "If he's going to use my hammer, then he should be at least this level."
Hmm, did she gauge his strength just from that brief meeting?
"Do you want to go inside?" Jeanne wrapped her arm around Hela's. "The Palace, to meet Odin?"
"...I may as well since I'm already here," she grumbled. "Since someone kidnapped me."
For some reason, she was glaring at me. "You know we both kidnapped you, right?"
"And I know very well that you're the one entirely at fault." She grabbed Jeanne's braid, yoinking it. Not hard, but like with annoyance. "Do you think I don't know that this one would do no such thing without your express order?"
Jeanne had the look of innocence.
Out of utter fury and anger, I pulled on Jeanne's cheeks.
How dare she reveal me like this!?
She stuck her tongue out at me.
She was going to get so bullied later.
Jokes aside.
"You okay with meeting Odin? While I was being flippant about it, this is your decision. I don't want to assume anything or force you into something you're not comfortable with." I just wanted to double-check.
"Do you think I'm some sort of coward?" She harumphed again. "Besides, I'm curious as to what this Odin is like. What manner of person built this place? I can feel the power seeping out from every pore of this place, under every rock, through every branch hanging overhead. I want to see the one who holds it all in the palm of their hand."
Was she feeling the collective faith of the Norse cosmology bubbling under the surface? The wellspring in which all the Asgardian gods draw their strength?
"...I'm sure it will be something worth remembering."
Odin is certainly…something alright.
Hela had a bit more confidence in her steps, like she psyched herself up.
Putting on a front, or maybe this was her default. Perhaps her earlier self was more distorted, a reflection of being out of one's depth.
The guards welcomed us silently as we passed, not even caring as we pushed open the massive doors to the palace.
I knew where Odin was; I could feel him.
He wasn't hiding his presence, maybe because I already told him ahead of time I was coming over with a guest.
Ironically, the palace was designed similarly to the other one.
And I knew exactly where we were going.
The garden that Frigga met me in before, where we had the little tea party. Hell, I think Jeanne would be an expert on the layout of this place more than I from her own experience at this point.
The Old Man was there, sitting on a bench.
The whole scene was rather peaceful.
Hela stopped as they got close.
The person she hated so much was sitting in front of her. Her own father, the one who imprisoned her in that decrepit realm.
A flurry of emotions she must be feeling.
The –
"Hoh, those are some nice legs." Odin rubbed his chin. "I bet you'd be able to choke me with your thick –"
"Ahem." I cleared my throat.
Odin stopped, looking at me in confusion.
Hela's expression was not a mix of shock and utter horror.
"...meet your daughter, Hela," I introduced.
"..."
"..."
"Well, fuck." Odin blurted out.
That's about accurate.
"I knew that all along." Odin coughed awkwardly.
"Yeah, doesn't that make it worse?" I asked.
Odin seemed to realize that now too. "Hmm. Let's pretend this never happened."
Hela was still staring at him incredulously.
"Let's see who's your mother? Skuld? Jodis? Reginleif? Asny? Bera? Ginnlaug? Herkja? Frida? Thorve? Ingun? Hrafnhild? Hild? Valgerd? Hungerd? Bera?"
"You said Bera twice." I pointed out.
"It was more than once, haha!" Odin let out a full laugh.
I let out a sigh as I rubbed the bridge of my nose.
"You—" Hela was about to say something but was interrupted by Odin again.
His expression softened. "You have Angrboða's eyes."
Hela stilled again.
"What...what happened to you!?" Hela trembled as she said that. It wasn't anger; rather, I think she just realized that Odin was well and truly in front of her and she couldn't reconcile the two of them.
Odin stood up, stretching his back. "Oof. I'm an old man; I like to have some fun. Don't get angry. I knew you were mine the second I laid my eye on you."
He glanced my way. "She's an uptight one. Let me guess, her old man is the asshole you mentioned?"
"Got it in one."
"My Odin is a king, a ruler, respected, and feared." Hela defended, oddly enough. "Not what you are."
Odin, to his credit, wasn't offended at all. "I was like that too, you know. It feels like a lifetime ago, though. How many thousands of years has it been? Odin, the Great God of War. Feared and respected among everyone."
Hela furrowed her brow in confusion.
Was it that unbelievable?
"...what happened to you?" It was gentler this time.
Odin showed a sad smile. "Come, sit with me." He pat the bench. "I would rather hear about you. It's not often I get to meet a daughter that I don't have. You two as well, come on, join me." He told us to stay.
Though, Jeanne and I politely took another bench close by.
Hela reluctantly, cautiously sat down next to him.
"What's your name?" Odin asked.
"Hela Óðinsdóttir." She said plainly.
Odin smiled. "I feel the death from you, a goddess of death."
"Hmph."
"I can feel the hate you have for me too. Tell me about that?"
"Tell you about that?" Hela repeated and finally scoffed. "There's nothing to tell. I was his perfect weapon. I was born and raised to be his sword that he pointed at the universe for conquest. I carved our names across the stars. And then, one day, he wanted to be a good person."
Odin listened without interrupting her.
"We spilled the blood of millions—billions—and he suddenly decided that it was enough, that all the sacrifices were meaningless, that all my effort was irrelevant. That I was supposed to just go along with it, that we should just stop."
She was working herself up, but Odin still showed the same calm and patient look.
"So, I refused." She crossed her arms. "He imprisoned me in Niflheim."
It left out a great many details, but it cut right to the heart of the matter.
"I too waged war across the world. The other gods—the other pantheons—feared my name. They feared the armies of Asgard. The Ruthless God of War, they called me. I sacrificed anything and everything for victory. I may have lost battles, but I always won wars. I was undefeated."
Weirdly, he didn't speak about it with the same fervor or reverence that Hela did.
"And then, I lost everything." He chuckled sadly. "I felt like I had everything under control, that victory was simply a matter of grasping it between my fingers. But I let the most precious thing slip away. My dear Frigga died, and it was my fault. That was the day my heart died as well. The day that the Ruthless God of War disappeared."
Hela didn't interrupt him either.
But she was much less composed.
Her wounds are much fresher.
"I'm retired now. My son is on the throne; I can just do what I want."
"You gave up your throne!?" Hela exclaimed in disbelief.
"Is that strange?" Odin retorted.
"...you really aren't my Odin." She whispered.
"Do you want to meet your siblings?" Odin suddenly asked. "Vidar is a good lad. He grew into a better man. He's the current king; he's got the head for it even if he isn't as strong as Thor. And there's Bauldr…hmm, he had some problems and he's being punished right now, but he's not a bad kid. And of course, you have plenty of half siblings across Asgard, hahaha!"
Hela's eye twitched, and she looked horrified by how easily Odin talked about his bastards.
Well, they say shock therapy…exists. But I don't think this is what they were talking about.
"I'll introduce you to some good lads! If you were stuck away for so long, you must be pent up!" Odin declared.
"Excuse me!?"
"Don't be such a prude; you're of Odin's blood, which means you're hornier than a rabbit!"
Hela let out a squawk of indignation and confusion, maybe more of horror, but that was a continuous thing.
"Or a lady, if that's what you want. We don't judge here. No, that's a lie; I will judge you if you pick a woman with small breasts. They need to be large and bouncy!" Odin laughed.
And like that, Hela, Goddess of Death, experienced her own death.
Emotionally.
Maybe even intellectually.
Spiritually perhaps?
Odin has that effect on people.
And like that, it was our cue to leave.
"I'll leave her in your capable hands for a bit." I grabbed Jeanne's hand. "She's been stuck in a stuffy temple for a while even after leaving her prison."
"Don't you dare leave me!" Hela's eyes widened, and she panicked.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," I said cheerfully. "Come along, Jeanne."
"You bastard, don't you dare—"
Hela's words disappeared as I took Jeanne and quickly escaped through a portal.
She'll be fine.
I think.
Hopefully.
I mean, it couldn't make things worse, could it?
I stopped caring. Not because I was being callous, but it was hard to care about anything else as my face was pulled right into the soft chest of someone I loved.
And then the fluffy tails wrapped around me.
I of course recognized Yasaka immediately.
And I found myself relaxing because I was finally home.
[Line Break]
A/N
Wilhelm returned and left Hela at Asgard to help kick her brooding and depression. I'm sure it'll be fine and nothing bad will happen.
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
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