The sound of my chamber doors slamming shut was music to my ears and my shoulders instantly dropped from the sound. I'd spent four long hours calming people's worries and listening to the gossip that was already spreading throughout the kingdom.
Despite our performance Loki and I put on, some people still thought that I knew about his trick, so I heard numerous questions about if I suspected anything, someone trying to catch me in the lie.
My head was spinning, and my chambers seemed to be the only safe place without spying eyes.
I opened my balcony doors and took a deep breath, letting nature calm my racing mind.
Nature kept me calm, not surprising since I was its Goddess. The twitter of birds, the wind rustling with the leaves, and the smell of the current weather slowed my racing heart. Nature's call was always strong when I was indoors, it called for me when I was away.
So, when the bifrost bridge opened, anyone would think the brothers where back with Odin, but a darkness seemed spread over Asgard with its opening. A darkness that sent the animals of Asgard running, birds flying to the south, something I seen and felt from my seating post on my bed chamber's balcony in the West Wing of the castle. The wind whispered danger and the ivy surrounding my balcony said run. I knew then that whoever arrived to Asgard was a threat, a threat to be taken seriously.
I ran to grab the double ended pole blade that sat on its post next to the balcony entrance, ivy that grew from my balcony created a staircase for me to easily get to the ground. I started running towards the Bifrost once my feet hit the ground.
Once I got to the threshold of the bridge, a darkness like no other got closer to Asgard every second. I closed my eyes, imagining my silver and green armor wrapping around me, even the little ivy details engraved in the metal. I opened my eyes, the darkness closer than ever, a female dressed in green and black armor walked down the bridge, Skurge following close behind. If I didn't know any better, I'd think this person was one of Loki's tricks with how similar they looked, but the darkness said otherwise.
"Who are you?" I yelled, my voice dark and demanding, the winds raising along with my heart rate.
"I am Hela, Odin's first born, the rightful heir of Asgard, and the Goddess of Death." She said 3 yards away from me, her voice filled with anger. "Now kneel before your Queen."
"I'm sorry but," Flames came from my hand and spread to the pole weapon, igniting the silver into flames. "I don't kneel to you."
"Very well then," she's running her hands back through her dark hair, turning it into a glossy black helmet. Then she's sending a blade towards my direction, but I easily knock it away with a spin of my pole blade.
She starts to advance towards me, sending more and more blades in my direction, the pole weapon spun, knocking them away, flames surrounding as I did so.
The blades stopped as she conjured an axe, but all it took was that small second and my pole weapon is flying through the air and into her chest. I focus on the flames, spreading them across her chest, burning at her flesh.
She drops the axe to pull the pole out, as she does the flames wrap around her hands, she pulls the pole out and drops it onto the bridge.
Before I can blink, her hand is wrapped around my throat, lifting me in the air.
"Okay, I'm tired of your party tricks now." She hissed, squeezing my airways closed.
"And I, yours." I gasped out; vines slowly wrapped around her ankles. I squeezed my eyes close and the vines squeezed around her ankles, they yanked her out from underneath her feet; we both fall.
The wind picks up, my pole blade flying to my hand, but it was too late as one of Hela's own blades lodged itself into my chest. The wind goes still and my weapon clatters to the ground.
"At least you put up more of a fight then my own brothers." She hissed, getting to her feet.
"What did you do to them?" I choked out, blood coming out of my mouth.
She smirked, "Hopefully dead by now." Then she's kicking me into the water while my heart shattered.
The water was ice cold and rushing so fast that my weakened powers couldn't stop it, I knew before too long I'd be falling off the waterfall and into only Heimdall knows where.
***
I was falling in the middle of space, slightly unconscious until I was crashing into the ground. Sand and dirt flew up in the air with the impact from my body. My stab wound was slowly healing itself as I fell, but that was until I hit the ground and my wound opened right back up.
Once again, I blacked out while lying there.
***
