Sigrid the Haughty

Prologue

Her name was Sigrid. She is part Aesir, part Giant. Her mother is Iðunn, the Goddess of youth, fertility, spring, and rejuvenation. Her father is an unnamed Giant her mother kept secret from her. All she was told about her father was that he was a powerful and noble Jotunn who died at the hands of the thunder God Thor. Sigrid wasn't sure if her mother didn't speak of him because of heartbreak... or something else.

The All-Father uses Iðunn for her green apples of immortality and immense healing abilities. When a God or Deity begins to display signs of aging or signs of weakening, they would seek out Iðunn and partake of her magical apples, thus restoring their youthful vitality. Iðunn was more beautiful than all the Aesir Goddesses, with hair the color of copper and eyes as blue as kyanite. Her daughter was no different in her beauty. Sigrid's hair was light brown, but just as long and gracious, and her eyes were the same shade of green as Iðunn's apples. Iðunn and Sigrid live in Asgard outside of Hrimthur's Wall per Iðunn's request to raise her daughter by herself. Odin agreed, as long as any Aesir God had unlimited access to her green apples.

They lived in a small cottage inside the mystical Asgard Mountains near the Plains of Ida just west of Valhalla and south of Hrimthur's Wall. The cottage was perfect for only two people and was pleasantly surrounded by the Sea of Marmora which drew in many of the creatures of the forest. Their cottage was covered in herbs and flowers, their garden was full of every fruit and vegetable that is their only food source, and there were always apple trees containing glowing lime green apples and providing shade and peace to their home. Iðunn is the Goddess of spring after all.

Sigrid has always lived this peaceful, carefree life. I mean, the biggest excitement and drama the mother-daughter duo has come across has been thieves and poachers trying to steal Iðunn's apples. For the most part, she was happy and content living on their own away from everyone. But Sigrid did crave adventure and thrills, danger and excitement. She wanted to meet new people and experience things beyond her cottage in the forest. She grew up around many of her mother's farm animals, including hogs and goats, horses and geese, and even wild deer and foxes. But she still hasn't met anyone her age or has anyone she can call a friend.

One evening, while Sigrid was picking the elderberries off the bushes in their garden, she witnessed something. Shooting crimson lights in the sky flashed in and out from the trees. The lights continued for some time and Sigrid was too curious not to follow them. The lights led her outside the Asgard Mountains and passed through the thickets of the forest. She reached a high peak and finally saw where those lights were coming from. The city of Asgard.

The lights shot past Hrimthur's Wall and seemed to be landing right in the middle of the city. They were under attack. Iðunn taught Sigrid all the dangers of the realms through her recreations in journals, and she studied them intensely. She knew of every potential enemy to be afraid of, but she had only seen them through her mother's drawings. This seemed to be either Vanir magic or Draugr. The Vanir were attacking Asgard? Sigrid could only see explosions and orange smoke. Suddenly, the sky lit up with glowing purple light — Bifrost, Sigrid assumed — exploding beyond the Wall. The blasts of the Bifrost and the Vanir magic were heard so loudly, it shook every blade of grass like a shockwave.

The battle had Sigrid shaken to her core. She couldn't move because her fear had taken over her. She felt numb and paralyzed all over her body. But the fight was just getting started.

The cry of battle was heard across the realm. Strong women's voices were screaming as they flew into the middle of the war. They were Valkyries, Sigrid knew. And they were even more magnificent and mighty than their drawings inside her mother's journals. They were so fearless, charging into battle without a moment of hesitation, their swords and scythes in hand, coming straight from Valhalla to protect the realm of Asgard. Nine of them, all unique with different abilities, flew over Sigrid's head. She had never been so amazed and awed before. She could feel their power and bravery like a thousand knives coursing through her body.

The Valkyries saved Asgard from the Vanir attacks and they fled from the battle. Sigrid didn't know how they traveled to Asgard, but she couldn't worry about that right now. She was only thinking of the Valkyries. Their might and strength, she had only dreamed of having that much freedom and power. From that moment on, Sigrid became determined to become a Valkyrie. She never wanted to be that frightened at the sight of battle again. She would gain courage, bravery, and strength that measured up to the Valkyries.

Iðunn tried to protect her daughter from the realms, but she knew she would have to learn how to defend herself eventually. But she wasn't expecting her daughter to be so ambitious as to become a Valkyrie. She was absolutely terrified at the thought. She did not wish for that life for her precious daughter, but she also did not wish to lose her or push her away from her. She consented to her daughter's training and called upon an old friend; Brünhild.

Brünhild is an ex-Valkyrie, exiled and stripped of her wings because she fell in love with the great warrior Siegfried, the slayer of the dragon Fafnir. She wanted to marry him. Unfortunately, Siegfried had cruel intentions and only married her to use her glory for himself. Brünhild discovered his deception, proclaimed vengeance, and killed him. She was a great warrior and a good friend to Iðunn. She helped Brünhild escape Valhalla and gave her a way out of Asgard. After Brünhild killed her husband, Iðunn assisted her in regaining her father's throne and becoming Queen.

Brünhild owed Iðunn her life and her kingdom, and she was more than happy to train her lovely daughter Sigrid. They trained for many years, and Sigrid was now fully grown into a beautiful woman and a noble Goddess. While Brünhild and Sigrid were training, they discovered her Goddess powers and abilities. Every God has their own unique abilities, Brünhild explained to her, and she needed to know how to control it and use it in combat.

Sigrid had the ability of astral projection and manipulation. She can create, shape, and control astral energy. With her astral energy, she can multiply herself and create as many duplicates as she wants. These duplicates appear ghost-like and are allowed to go through objects or physically touch them as they please. She can also create powerful creatures like a Dragon, a Wyvern, and even a Gradungr. The astral projections of herself cannot do the same damage as her physical self, but since they are purely projected energy, they cannot be harmed or killed, providing great distractions and defense for her physical form.

The only problem; Sigrid couldn't become a Valkyrie without the help of the All-Father.