Winter's Hearts

Bonus Chapter 2

You kept an eye on Asta as you rode away from the palace. She kept her happy, confident mask plastered firmly on her face until you were outside of the palace city, until she was sure that she wouldn't be seen by your subjects. Only then did that confidence crumple.

She picked at her hands while she tried to gather her thoughts. It was a family trait and you let her have the time and space she needed. She was still so young. She had the responsibilities of being both a princess and a valkyrie. It was one you knew well, even though you were queen now.

Asta finally looked over at you and you prepared yourself for a difficult conversation. "Mama..." she started. You saw the fear and nerves in her eyes. You knew it was bad if she was calling you 'mama' again. She hadn't called you that since she was a little girl. "I'm scared," she said softly, still picking at her hands.

You gave her a gentle, reassuring smile. "I know, darling," you said soothingly. "I know," you'd lived through the trials and knew what they entailed. Your daughter had no clue. It was against the rules to tell any trainee what they would be facing in the trials before the trials began. You thought it was a stupid rule, but it was a rule you hadn't been able to get changed, even being the queen of the valkyrie.

"Are you sure it'll be ok?" She asked. You heard the desperation in her voice. She needed reassurances. But you couldn't give her the reassurance she needed. You couldn't lie to her. Like her father, she could smell lies. He had taught both of the twins to do it, since it was a useful skill for royals.

So you gave her the only answer you could. "I know you will do your best. I know you have been training for these trials your entire life. I know you are strong and brave and determined. I can't make any promises, but I have lived through the trials. So what I can tell you is that you're ready. You just need to believe in yourself." You couldn't give her false promises, but you could remind her that she was ready. She'd trained for these trials her entire life.

You knew the day that she'd been born with Valkyrie's wings that this would be her fate. So you'd taught her from the moment she could hold a weapon. You did everything in your power to train her for these tests. She excelled at every challenge put in front of her.

She was ready.

"You're sure, mama?" She asked softly.

You gave her a warm, reassuring smile. "I'm sure you're ready," you couldn't predict what would happen in the trials, but you knew that she was ready to face anything that came her way.

Asta relaxed a little and gave you a hesitant smile. "And... after the trials?" She asked softly, hesitantly. She knew as well as you did that there were two paths for a valkyrie, even one who was a princess. Either she would be assigned to the throne in general, or to a single person in personal service. As you were assigned to Loki the day you'd passed your trials all those years ago.

"What assignment would you like, darling?" You asked her. Your entire life goal up until you took the trials was to be assigned to your best friend, your love, your Loki. He needed someone to look after him. Not all assignments ended up as romantic relationships. There had to be some care for the person you were sworn to protect, but there were situations were it was no more than a job to the valkyrie.

Asta hesitated and played with her saddle horn. "I'm a princess, so I know that it changes my options," she started softly, so hesitantly and afraid.

"No, darling. You can do or be anything you want to," you reassured her. "If you don't want to be a personal valkyrie, you can be assigned to the throne and be a lady warrior like your Aunt Sif," you reminded her.

"Princesses need to marry for political favor..." she said softly, her eyes cast down in fear. She didn't want to get married off to a stranger.

"Sometimes. But you know that your father and I would never make you marry someone you didn't want to," you refused all arranged marriages for either of your children. Though you had an idea where this was going. Asta wasn't as sneaky as her father and hadn't been quite as discreet at she had thought. She fidgeted as she thought through whatever tale she was going to try to spin. You gave her a knowing look. "You're considering Princess Zalaria from Alfheim, right?" You asked her gently. The princess was one of the younger daughters of the King and Queen of Alfheim. She'd been sent to Asgard as a diplomat and her parents had hoped something would happen between her and Cal. She'd been visiting the realm since she was a child and was close friends with both of your children as they'd grown up together.

They hadn't realized that Zala was not interested in men.

But she was interested in Asta. You'd noticed her that morning seeing your daughter off with hidden little touches of the hands that were hiding that they were romantic in nature. The girls hadn't started anything official until after the trials, but they were very close and clearly wanted to be more.

Asta turned a deep shade of purple. "I... how... It wouldn't...I" she spluttered.

You gave her a warm smile. "Your father is the god of mischief and stories, darling. I'm quite used to sneakiness from him and while you may have learned from the best, he is still the master of plots,"

Asta nodded, accepting that answer. "It... wouldn't be inappropriate?" She asked softly.

You shook your head. "It wouldn't be inappropriate at all, as long as it's what you want," you told her gently.

Her purple blush deepened and she nodded shyly. "It is," she admitted sheepishly. You knew then that your daughter would make it through the trials. She had too much to live for to fail. She had you and Loki, her brother, and a love that she wanted to spark.

She would be alright.