CROWNED ➾ MARVEL (discontinued)

⇝ broken promises ⇜

EVA WAS DREAMING.

And it was finally a nice dream.

It's surprising that she was having a nice dream after Loki had gone off to battle and the fear of the war and her lack of fighting was really getting to her.

But maybe the universe decided she'd deserved a break-even if only for a couple of hours.

Young Eva walked alongside her mother and smiled up at her side. She was a strong woman, a tall one, too - her posture was always straight, and she had an aura of invincibility.

"Eva," her mother called, and she blinked into attention at the squeeze of her hand.

"Yes, mama?"

Her mother smiled down at her. She had a warm smile. "Have you been keeping up in your history studies?"

Eva's nose scrunched as she thought of her grandmother. "Yes, mother."

"Good," Sigyn praised. "Tell me, little princess," she swung down, grabbed Eva by the waist, and propped her on her hip, so she could get a better view at the vast land before her. "Where are we?"

Eva glanced around, squinting as if it'd give her a better view. She'd seen the waterfall and the armory and the fountain many times before but always made her feel strange. It made her feel protected.

"Where you train," Eva provided, remembering seeing her mother disappear here many times. And Eva would try to follow, but Frigga always caught her.

"The proper name, Eva," Sigyn urged.

"It's..." Think! "The Ground of the Valkyrie, Mama."

"Very good, Eva," Sigyn praised, turning from her daughter to the place in front of them. "You will train here, one day."

"I already train," Eva said. "With Uncle Thor and Auntie Sif-"

"Differently, Eva," her mother said. "You will train differently."

Eva didn't understand, so she just pursed her lips, following her mother's eyes. What did she see that Eva didn't?

When she turned back, her mother's eyes were on her, and that look of certainty was press on her face. "You will lead the Valkryie," she told her. "You will be the strongest woman on Asgard, my little princess."

"No, mama," Eva said, shaking her head. Sigyn watched her, concerned. "You -"

Piercing pain in her head forced Eva upright in bed, but rather than be completely irritated that of course, something would wake her up, Eva just smiled.

Finally. finally, she thought. Her mother. She could see her mother, now, and it was like she was finally coming out of the woods. She was so close to Eva Lokisdittor, she could feel it.