Birthright

Loyal....

Heimdal stood and faced the crowd of people. "We need to go back."

"But the Queen said..." a voice floated out to him.

"Shut up!" Another jumped in. "Heimdals right."

"When do we go..."

"No! We have to stay...."

Voices echoed from all sides, and it threatened to descend into chaos.

"QUIET!!!" his voice silenced them all. There was a subdued hush, the command echoing around the huge chamber. "I know what our Queen said, and equally I know to disobey is treason. For that reason, I don't want to force anyone. However," he paused and held a hand up to silence the murmuring now resuming." However. Volstagg and Fandral are dead...."

"No!"

"Dear Gods in Valhalla...."

"Yes, they're dead. Thor, Sif, Hogen, and Loki... yes, Loki has returned, are as we speak, trying to regain control." He paused, collecting his thoughts. "They are aided by Asa Olafsdottir. Our Captain of his Majesty's Valkyrie. She, in most likelihood, will give her life for our freedom. We can not let that be in vain."

Heimdal walked amongst them, patting a shoulder here, smiling at a little.one there. "This is the greatest test our people have faced since King Borr defeated the Dark Elves. We must unite. We must defeat Hela and regain our kingdom. If we can not, then we must make sure she inherits as little as possible. Whatever it takes."

There was a murmur of assent amongst the people. "We are with you, Heimdal." Someone shouted. He nodded.

"Thank you. Always remember, whatever happens next, Asgard is not a place...."

"It's a people." They turned to see Hogen standing behind them, looking shattered and injured but very much alive.

"Hogen!" Heimdal made his way over, and they embraced. "Where is Lady Sif?" He was almost afraid to ask.

"Still in the palace. Trying to rally what remains of our army. Hela has decimated us. We have to get these people out of here." He looked around at the rag-tag population.

"No. We stay and fight. This is our home. These are our people." Heimdal nodded as the voices raised in support.

"Come on, let's go. The children should stay here, the elderly and the infirm should stay with them. Everyone else? Let's go. "

With a group air of confidence that individually no one really felt, they set off. As Heimdal brought up the rear, he looked at the people before him. Frightened but brave at the same time. This WAS Asgard, and he was damned proud of it.

Closing his eyes momentarily, he called to Thor. "We are coming, my Prince. Hold on, we are coming."

Asa looked up at the sky. She was aware she was no longer inside the palace, but where? Bound and gagged, she could do little to help herself. She was being half carried, half dragged, between two guards, each of them with an arm under hers.

Lying on her back, she was rendered more or less immobile. All she could do was wait. The shackles around her wrists were tight. The collar that was attached to the gag, even more so. She'd never felt more helpless in her life. She could only pray when the time came, that her end would be quick.

Hela, it seemed, had no such mercy planned. They reached the courtyard outside the main palace gates. Bodies lay strewn everywhere. Asgard's once proud army now decimated. It made her sick to her stomach and infuriated. If she EVER got hold of Hela... her imaginings were cut short as the guards stopped.

"Chain her. We'll deal with her once we have the others." Hela's voice echoed from the top of the steps. "Make sure she's conscious. I want her to see and feel EVERYTHING."

"Yes, my Queen." They intoned in a dead voice, and Asa swallowed. This was not good.

The sun blazed down on her, making her sweat under her Valkyrie armour. Impressive it may have been, sun wear it was not. She could feel the rivulets of moisture running down her face and neck. Her cotton shift under the breastplate, soaked.

She began to recite the Valkyrie creed. Then the names of all the gods. Then the Kings of Asgard, ending with Thor, since he was King in all but name. When she'd run out of them, she named all the horses in the stable.

When even they were used up, she just waited. For rescue? No. That was not the plan. After all, baiting Hela had been her assignment, and she'd done that. It was up to the rest now.

Heat, exhaustion, dehydration, and simple fear weighed heavily on her. She began to sag on the stone pillar she was chained to. "Please." She croaked, "a little water?" The guards, currently lounging in the shade of an overhanging balcony, stood and looked at her.

"Did she speak?" One, tall and thin with the demeanour of a rat, said. The other shook his head.

"Nah, just babbled nonsense. I have no idea what she said. Give her a gentle prod. Ask her again?"

The second guard, a large gruff man, walked over and kicked her hard with his armoured boot. She yelped in pain, her leg stinging from the contact. "What did you say bitch?" He growled at her.

"Water? Please?" She tried to sound as meek as possible. Given that she was chained to a stone pillar and baking in the sun, she was hardly a threat.

"Water?" He laughed. "I'll give you water you little bitch...." he made to undo his breeches with a sneer and she was horrified. Surely not?

He didn't get the chance. Before he could do anything, his comrade called across. "We have to go. We're needed in the throne room. Leave her. She aint going nowhere."

The guard looked down at her. "See you later dearie." He sneered, and the two of them walked away.

Asa sagged, her arms feeling like they were about to be pulled out of their sockets. She struggled to keep her eyes open, what with the glare of the sun and her extreme fatigue.

"Come on Asa. Get with the programme, " she told herself. "You're a Valkyrie now. You're not a baby anymore....."

The memory of a conversation long, long ago, floated into her mind. The first time she'd ever met Loki and Thor. They were twelve or so, well, in Midgardian terms. It would be the conversation that changed her life.

In a strange but timely coincidence, she wasn't the only one thinking about it that day.