“Faster.”

Oars crashed into the water with ferocity upon command, rousing a new spirit among the men as the scent of battle enflamed them. To Brími, it infected him every time with a greater euphoria than the fragrance of sex or the taste of fear from a conquered foe. And with the burning in his arms and the boom of the drums, it took all his strength to remain disciplined from jumping into the sea and swimming to the enemy. He glanced down to see if his sword was in place before the crack of a whip struck just behind his ear, reminding him of the mission. “Eyes forward, Brim.”

“Loose,” Captain Skúli ordered.

A burning arrow pierced the mist in front of the ship, and a moment later knocked into a tree. It was a sign they were close to the shore, inspiring the men to row faster. Once the light from the flame came into view, everyone stopped and equipped themselves, dropped the anchor and jumped ship the second it slid onto land. Marching up the bank, Brími stripped the arrow from the tree as they passed it, giving it back to the archer. Finally, after several months at sea, they had entered Kielder Forest.

With the light of dawn blinking across the horizon, he knew they had to be quick. They trekked a league or so staying near the shore before he could hear the morning greetings of the village near, and thanked Thor they were downwind of their prey. Once the scout returned the captain split them into two groups, the second in charge of lighting the huts on fire to draw the villages' soldiers away. Brími stayed with the captain. Moments later with the rising of the full sun, smoke coiled into the sky as if chasing it. They waited until the shouts collected towards where the huts were burning, and then charged through the wooden gate with a great roar.

Coming into what appeared to be the market, they found themselves standing across from mostly slaves and a handful of women. Suddenly, another scout came running from the northwest.

“Boats! Boats!” Ari said. The captain swore, ordering half of the second group to deal with the slaves and the other half to join him.

They rushed to the harbor and were met with a handful of spearmen easily slain, only to then hear the cries of dozens of more as they clashed together against their force. Without shields or armor, many of them fell in the first wave, but the villager's skill with spears gave them an edge and there were many more of them than the Nordic horde. Finally, after a few more skirmishes, they began to advance and force the villagers back.

Stepping back from the fighting, the captain turned to Brími. “Take some men and check the huts for anyone hiding. I don't want to be surprised again.” Brími nodded, taking Ari and a few others.

They scavenged the homes not far from the shore and found nothing. Eventually, they came upon a Longhouse with a wooden floor. Suspicious, Brími tore the place apart for any hidden trapdoors with no success. As he was leaving though, he noticed an eye-shaped opening between one of the slacks and stared into it. Adjusting to the light, he saw the flicker of movement and a small pair of eyes of a young girl looking back at him. Instantly, the softest of gasp escaped.

“What was that?” Ari asked. For a moment, the girl's gaze locked together with his as if frozen in time, until at last he blinked and looked away.
“Nothing.” Brími said. “Let's go.”

Returning to the rest of the raiding party, they found over half of the village's men dead and the rest either tied up or unconscious. A couple of the men stood around the women, while the rest brought together any loot into a pile near the center of the village.

“The village is empty, Captain.” Brími said.
“Good.” He cleaned the blood off his knife before sheathing it. “Kollr, how many men did we lose?” A large bald warrior stepped up while looking around.
“I'd say about eight. Damn spears caught a few of them off-guard.” Skúli grunted, then sighed.
“How about the booty?”
“Mostly iron or brass. A few trinkets of silver and gold. Decent amount of livestock.” A gnarled look stretched Skúli's face as he looked down on the villagers.
“Winter's going to be harsh this season.”

A sudden scream shook the men as they turned to see an old woman in tattered robes and a staff in one hand. Her wrathful expression had an unnatural bony look with bright amber eyes that spoke of secrets unknown to man.

“Brigands! Thieves! Murderers!” She shrieked. “How dare you seep these ancient stones with innocent blood?!”

Brími felt a pang of guilt from her judgment, even though he knew there was nothing he could do. The captain simply turned away from her.

“Ari, Kollr, silence the old bird.”

Without hesitation, they unsheathed their weapons and began walking over to her. Yet the hag did not flinch, but glared headstrong at them.

“Should've stayed hidden, love.” Kollr said. Once close enough, he placed his ax to her neck. “Kneel.” She did not. Her eyes defiant, she simply grinned. “I said knee–...”

Without warning, a flood of bile poured from his mouth as he grabbed his stomach. Ari too double over in pain and did the same. The old woman began softly chanting strange words and other men fell sick. It seemed to travel from one man to the next until at last it neared the captain and Brími. Nothing appeared to stop it.

“Free yourselves and take vengeance upon these evil beast!” The old lady screamed. At once all the ropes binding the slaves loosened and a second battle begun as Skúli's men tried to fight them and the sickness. Brími found himself unaffected and did his best to avoid the bile while defending his friends. Soon after, almost all of them were dead or dying.

Standing in the center of bodies, Brími could only stare in disbelief as time and time again he could hear a man's last breath. It wasn't until he heard the clicks of wood against stone did he awake from this nightmare and look up to see the old woman in front of him...and a little girl.

“I have spared you from their fate for your moment of moral clarity. However, your blade still consumed the blood of my brethren. The bones shall judge ye.” Taking out a small leather bag, she dumped some bones onto the only piece of stone not covered in blood or vomit, and looked at the little girl. The girl sat on her knees to look at them, then up at Brími.

“Can we do it again, nana?” She asked.
“No.” The girl stood up with watery eyes and hid her face.

At that moment, Brími felt his body clinch like he was constricted by the serpent Jörmungandr himself, and he sword fell from his grasp. The little girl walked up to him, lifted his quilted leather coat, and drove a dagger into his stomach. He grunted in pain and looked down to see the darkest shade of blood pour onto the ground. He understood with it meant. Once the girl dropped the blade he was freed. She pressed herself into the hag's robes, quietly sobbing in sorrow.

“Be comforted, young man. You shall see the halls.”

He fell.



A sudden spear of pain erupted inside Brími's chest as an icy cold blanketed his entire body. Opening his eyes, he saw a midnight sky cloaked with gray clouds, and he noticed he could neither move nor hear the sounds of the world; not even the gusting winds as they swept the light rain against his skin. Yet as he searched, a pale green light came into his periphery, and the thuds of heavy feet boomed towards him. Finally, a shaded figure rose over him carrying a gnarled staff.

The light came from a lantern in the figure's hand, of which he lowered upon Brími. The figure paused, tilted its head, and pulled back almost as if disappointed. With a wooden thump of the cane, the figure stepped away out of sight.

“Come, my daughters.” A deep voice spoke.

Valhalla. A place where time almost stood still. A set of beautiful purple eyes sparkled with curiosity as they watched the events unfold before her from atop the tallest spire. A Valkyrie by the name of Victoria Starlight. Secret niece to Odin. All he had left of his beloved sister. Cosmos. Goddess of Space and Time. So great was her beauty that any who looked upon her would weep.

Her daughter was no less impressive. And as she watched, she tilted her head in bewilderment. These were not the actions of a murderer, thief and brigand. This was a mortal of honour. For too long she sat back and watched good men die for no reason. She sighed as the old hag threw the bones onto the cold hard stone. This was where she saw it, a point in time which could go either way. And the cards had dealt against the reality of Brimi's true fate. She felt a shift in the imbalance of time and space. A remnant ability passed down from her Mother.

Victoria's eyebrow twitched as they furrowed. She watched on as he suffered at the hands of the little girl stabbing him through the stomach with a dagger. Was this their way of revenge? Because it certainly wasn't justice.

“Come, my daughters.”

She sprouted forth her large brilliant wings, larger than average for a Valkyrie. The others were sure she was Odin's favourite by giving her the grandest set of wings one could have. And there she descended with a long and graceful glide down to the lower levels of Asgard.

She landed delicately and her light footed grace meant hardly a sounds was made from the impact. She regarded her uncle with a respectful bow. Other Valkyrie converged on them but Victoria was first to arrive on the scene. Odin's favourite earned a few glances of envy from her sisters as they lead the souls of the dead to Valhalla.

Victoria approached the dead soul of Brimi. "My Lord. Regarding this one." She knelt and within the palm of her hand appeared a strange parchment resembling that of a tapestry. She inspects it and indeed noticed something odd about it, confirming what she felt. "His life seems to have been cut short, I felt a disturbance in the timeline." She rose to her feet as she explained to her Uncle.

Odin turned around and with a thud of his spear peered into her eyes. "What have I told you about using your mother's powers? The future is never set in stone. She knew that. And you should know that." He spoke as he glanced around seeing no-one to overhear their conversation.

"But surely, you can see for yourself this isn't right!" Victoria pleaded for what must have been the umpteenth time.

"ENOUGH!" Odin barked. "You will send his soul to Hel. Do not disobey me again." He growled at her. Victoria felt her anger rise up during her conflict with her uncle. Maybe sometimes he may just be wrong....

Upon clenching her hand and turned to regard Brimi when she peered into his soul further, she was taken aback and felt as if she knew him somehow. Preposterous. He was a mortal. Yet still...something tugged at her. There was something definitely different about him but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was then she decided to make a stand, just as Cosmos did.

She looked up at Odin. "Do you ever think sometimes, you might just be wrong. Just. This. Once?" She regarded him with fiery eyes. She held out one hand over Brimi's body and breathed life back into his physical body on Midgard. His soul began to return, the boat it was on reversed. Odin enraged and cast his spear toward his niece. Family or no, she broke the rules, she disobeyed him for the final time. Not even Thor in all his arrogance was stupid enough to overstep the mark.

"YOU WILL BE PUNISHED!" Odin roared in all his rage, he picked her up by the collar and threw her to the ground beside Brimi. She looked up at him with a horrified gasp, her long wavy dark hair covered her shocked and fearful eyes as Odin conjures up a storm over head deriving from his scepter. With one thrust of his staff, chains formed around Brimi and Victoria, binding them together. As if Loki and Sigyn.

"You are hereby banished to the realm of Midgard! I strip you of all immortality! I take back your wings!" Victoria's body glowed golden, her wings vanished into thin air, her armour diminished as she cried out and begged for mercy, tears streamed down her delicate rosy cheeks.

And finally her sword that lay on her hilt disappeared as well. Victoria took one last look upon her uncle's face. "Uncle please!" She called out with the extension of her hand toward him. Some of the other hovering Valkyrie's gasped as she called him this. It only enraged him further as it broke his heart to set an example of his own flesh and blood. "This man will never again have the protection of the Gods! If you are so keen to keep him alive, so shall be it! You will be his only protector in life...and death......" With that Odin's voice simply faded away as her surroundings went dark and all around her vanished.

Victoria was transported across dimensions by the Will of Odin. There she lay on Midgard soil, next to a newly revived Brimi. She was struck of her Asgardian armour and weapons, nought but her long hair covered her naked form around her intimate areas.

The old hag and the little girl were walking away from Brimi's dead body, or so they thought, when suddenly a radiant woman had appeared out of nowhere next to him. And naked. In all their confusion as to this new arrival they failed to notice Brimi returned to life. The old hag removed her cloak and lay it on top of the brunette beauty with eyes as bright as the stars. She looked up with a sadness only saw on a grief stricken and tormented soul.

She instantly recognised the old hag. She glanced to her side and spotted the sword Brimi had wielded. She went for it, surely the old hag would not be so happy to see the man she'd just condemned to death, reawaken. She grasped it, she failed to pull it up the first time as she had now lost all her Asgardian strength that could lift up to 50 tonnes. She groaned as she pulled her arm with all her might, using the momentum to swing at the hag. "Stay back!" She screamed out at her. In her desperate attempt to get away from her, she knew she was more vulnerable than ever. The hag backed away as the former Valkyrie stood up holding the cloak around her and the sword in her other hand.

"You will allow me to leave or I will kill you." She growled at the hag with a menacing expression only a Valkyr woman could master. She nodded and Victoria turned to grab Brimi. She started to drag his body away from the village. He was very heavy, she missed her strength more than ever. "By Gaia! This is tough..."

After an hour of dragging him through the snow filled hills and shivering like Hel, she spotted a cave nearby and dragged his heavy ass inside. "This looks like a good place to rest." She spoke to soon when she heard a bear roar behind her. She jumped back and stumbled, slashing the heavy sword at the bear's face as he tried to bite at her. She yelled and side stepped as it lunged at her. She was smacked by its large paw and skidded to the ground, the cloak fell and uncovered her body. But she quickly rolled before it could take a chunk out of her. As she bear lunged for her again she thrust the sword upward with both hands firmly, she still had her skill, just not her strength. The bear was impaled through its throat and its blood splattered all over her snow white perfect skin. She panted and let it fall to the side of her. Victoria stared up at the cave ceiling with wide eyes. This wasn't her finest moment. But one thing was for sure, she felt more alive within the past 65 minutes than she had in her whole 1000 years of immortality. All because of some mortal male who felt familiar for an unknown reason...

His soul tethered like a thread to his body, Brími wavered underneath the waves of ethereal power spilling from the immortals surrounding him. With each flash of light from the descending maidens, he felt like he was going to ebb from his earthly body into oblivion. Reaching out he found himself stilled by the comfort of a being of perfection, her mighty wings sheltering him. He watched her as she studied his spirit and reached into his heart to pull from it a tapestry, her violet eyes looking confused.

"My Lord. Regarding this one," she said. "His life seems to have been cut short, I felt a disturbance in the timeline." Cut short? Brími thought. He then jumped at the sound of metal striking stone and watched the robed figure turn to the woman.
"What have I told you about using your mother's powers? The future is never set in stone. She knew that. And you should know that." I don't understand. The maiden stood surprised, compassion in her face.
"But surely, you can see for yourself this isn't right!"
"ENOUGH!" Odin shouted. "You will send his soul to Hel. Do not disobey me again." Brími's eyes widened in fear as the Lord of the gods judged his soul, turning to stare into this woman's eyes as if to plea for his sentence.
"Do you ever think sometimes, you might just be wrong. Just. This. Once?"

Suddenly, her hand sat over him and poured the same green light into his body. It felt like a thousand bolts needling the threads his soul into his flesh as the deepest cold overwhelmed every sensation he had ever known. All he could do was scream as life was returned to him, though it felt like death. The last thing he saw was Odin's spear thrust toward the Valkyrie in judgment and her armor shattering into flecks of light as she was thrown to the ground beside him. Seeing the fear in her eyes he sought to turn toward her, but then all was black.

Brími...Brími, my son...

A deep voice woke Brími as he began choking for air, hands reaching around his throat. The sudden breath of life burned throughout his body and he tried to turned toward the light. Small hands reached underneath him and helped him sit up, which allowed him to breathe deeper. Once he caught his breath, he turned to see a familiar woman sitting at his side. Without the light or her wings, he did not recognize her at first, but soon remembered what had happened. Yet her long brown hair and violet eyes captured and calmed him. He knew this face.

“Who...who are you?” He asked with a raspy voice.

Victoria saw Brimi stir in his slumber. She had dispatched the bear that protected his cave they were now occupying for warmth and shelter. She was trying to get a small fire on the go when his groans alerted her that he was once again conscious. She held the simple grey cloak around her once Asgardian clad armoured body. Her eyes trailed from the fire and to Brimi's face. It seemed he searched for some kind of recognition within her and he had found it as his widened eyes relaxed and his face lost all tension.

He then spoke in a raspy voice. To which she tilted her head slightly. She could understand him. Did that mean she could now converse in the tongue of all Midgardians or only understand the man whose soul she was now bound to. It felt...strange. The moment he awoke she could feel his presence in the back of her mind. She felt what he felt. Scared, lost and confused.

Did she really just give up everything she ever was for this mortal? On just a mere whim. She hoped her instinct would prove right in the end. She stood up from the pile of gathered timber in the room and turned to fully face him. Her long wavy golden brown hair cascaded over her shoulders and past her hips in loose curls, no longer held partially back by her winged circlet she once bore.

"My name is Victoria Starlight. I am-" She had to stop herself short there as she could no longer refer to herself as what she was no longer to be. "...I was...a Valkyrie." She explained with a heavy heart and her eyes lost all of their brightness and hope. Instead they gazed the floor solemnly as she thought back to how her own uncle treated her. Family betrayed each other so easily in Asgard. The Gods were undeserving of their mortal subjects prayers. They were nothing but treacherous tyrants.

She half expected him to unleash a barrage of questions that he was bursting to ask such an entity. There was little point in lying - telling him it was all just a bad dream. For it was real. His next question would be why. Why did she bring him back to life? Why defy Odin? She didn't know herself. It was just something she felt she HAD to do. If there was only ever one thing worth doing, worth fighting for in one's lifetime - for Victoria, this was it. She believed so strongly within the controversial untimely death of Brimi not written in his tapestry, that she went against everyone and all that she knew. Was she foolish or simply alone in her moral dilemma?

"You are no doubt wondering why I...brought you back from the brink of death..." She sighed as she walked a few steps around the timber to go up to the bear's carcass to pull Brimi's large sword from its corpse. She grasped the handle as if she knew how to handle a blade. But she no longer had that strength about her. The average Asgardian was capable of lifting 45 tonnes. She struggled to pull it free. "You are Brimi Surtrson. Although that is not your true name. It was given to you by House Gulbrand after seeing you fight with the will of the fire giant Surtr himself." She wiggled his blade from the bear's chest to ease it out. As she pulled it free, she inspected the impressive sword.

It was thicker and a bit longer than the usual Norse swords. It's handle longer and thicker, being wider at the middle. Doubled edged, one edge was filled with nothing but knicks that created a serrated set of interlocked teeth and the other side with runes.

"I know all this from reading your tapestry - this is created when your soul is brought into the world. A Valkyrie will read it upon one's death to ascertain whether they venture into Hel or Valhalla. And what I noticed from yours, Brimi Surtrson...was that you were never meant to die here today. Something is very wrong in the timeline. And it's my job to find out exactly what's going on." Victoria explained to him with a sad frown, even if that meant defying the very Gods. She knelt down to the fire with the sword. Having never been to Midgard, she only knew of how to start a fire from witnessing others do it. She never had the need to make fire back in Asgard. Each thing she had to do on Earth was all new and strange to her. She was never meant for this world and yet here she was.

She couldn't help but shiver as she tried to spark a flint from using a stone against the metal sword. She wasn't used to feeling the cold. It was another strange sensation. Her hands shook terribly as she gripped the sword and stone. After all she only had a simple cloak to protect her from the cold. Although, she could make use of the bear's fur once they had used it for food. Her priority was to keep Brimi and herself warm before they froze to death, which would defeat all purpose. Keeping them both alive would be tricky when she wasn't used to the ways of Midgard.