You found yourself floating in a vast empty darkness. It was a peaceful floating. Somewhere in the back of your mind you knew that you should be worried about... something. You couldn't remember.
You couldn't remember quite a lot of things, and found that less disconcerting than it should have. The darkness and quiet was peaceful. You were filled with contentment and calm.
That wasn't right.
You were supposed to be worried about something.
Supposed to care about something.
The problem was that you couldn't seem to rise out of the haze of darkness and bliss you were floating in in order to remember what that was.
Then it came to you, a voice in the back of your mind. "Witchling,"
It was Loki's voice and that soothed you further for a moment. A single moment before you remembered.
Your husband, your children, they needed you. You had to get back to them. You had to make sure they were alright.
You tried to struggle out of the darkness, but you couldn't even tell which way was up. Or if there was an up. Everything was just floaty darkness. It had been comforting at first, but now it was stifling and you fought to get out of it.
You had to get back to Loki and the twins.
You just had to.
They needed you.
Even if they didn't, you wanted your family.
A light appeared in the darkness and you focused on it as it grew and grew.
Eventually a young woman with large black feathered wings protruding from her back stepped into your area of shadows, holding up a lantern. "Sigyn, daughter of Freya, known as Y/N of Midgard, it is time to come with me," she bid you, holding her free hand out to you. You saw a strange tattoo on her arm when she did. She was wearing armor and had a sword at her side.
"Who are you?" you demanded, though knew you would have to go with her, regardless of who she was.
"I am Astrid of the Valkyrie. It is my duty to escort the dead to the afterlife," she explained gently.
Your eyes widened and if you'd had a heart at the moment, it would've stopped beating in your chest at her words. You had had the feeling, but still couldn't believe it. So you asked the stupid question. "I... I died?" you asked her, horrified.
Dead?
You couldn't be dead.
You had a life.
You had a husband, children, a family. You had a duty, a throne to ascend one day soon. You had friends.
You had the best healing in the nine realms caring for you.
You couldn't be dead.
Not from childbirth of all things.
But then again... you had birthed two half-Jotun children after being injured in a battle.
The valkyrie nodded solemnly. "You died an honorable death, fighting for your children. Your husband placed a weapon in your hand." You looked down at your hand and saw that you had one of Loki's favorite daggers held in your grip.
You knew the legends from your hours of bedrest reading. The valkyrie led those who died to the afterlife. Those who were worthy went to the halls of Valhalla, the most excellent warriors, those who had died in battle.
Apparently childbirth counted as battle.
Damn straight it counted as battle.
"So I'm to go to Valhalla?" your words sounded foreign and hollow to your ears.
You still couldn't believe you were dead.
It didn't feel real.
"In the normal way of things, yes. In your case, only perhaps. There are special circumstances," special circumstances didn't sound good. Not good at all. You didn't want your afterlife to be determined by special circumstances. "Come, Lady," the valkyrie bid you again.
You hesitated a moment longer before you took her offered hand. You had no choice. You had to go with her. You couldn't just stay in the floating darkness for eternity.
She held out the lantern in front of her and began to lead you through the darkness. She told you it was the realm of Helheim, where all of the dead went. Valhalla was one of the districts, locked to those unworthy.
It felt like you walked forever and for no time at all, all at the same time.
All too soon you came up to a giant black castle.
Astrid led you inside and straight to the throne room. The layout was strangely identical to the palace on Asgard. Strange things your mind decided to focus on instead of more pressing matters.
Like the fact that you were dead.
That was kinda important.
You had to get out of here. Had to get back to your husband and children.
Loki wouldn't, couldn't, survive without you. He couldn't survive losing you again.
"Where are we?" you asked Astrid.
"This is the Queen of Helheim's palace. She asked to speak with you and assign you accordingly. As I said, you're a special case," Astrid told you as she led you to the throne room.
When you got there, you saw a woman on the throne with a huge wolf behind her throne. The wolf wasn't just huge, it was HUGE, not just big enough to ride on, but big enough to tower over everyone and even the Hulk would have a hard time beating it up.
The woman on the throne looked a lot like Lady Loki, same long back hair, same green and black clothing style. Same Asgardian feel.
"Welcome to Helheim, Sigyn of Asgard, she who was to be queen. I am Hela, daughter of Odin. We have much to discuss,"
