Also posted from my accounts on Archive of Our Own and (in Russian) Ficbook.

A perfectly crack case of Mime/Brünnhilde shipping. Not recommended for Wotan's fans, the Gibichungs' haters and Wagnerian purists in general.

Clouds thickened over a tall cliff, growing red in the rays of the rising sun. Eight warlike Valkyries were flying in the air around the cliff, and the ninth was on her knees, awaiting her final sentence. What was her fault? Only that she obeyed her father'a true will and not the command impressed on him by Fricka, the Valkyries' proud stepmother.

Not looking at his daughters, Wotan brought his spear on the ground:

"It is decided! You are a Valkyrie no more! You will fall into an enchanted sleep, to be won by the first man that wakes you up!"

"Ah! Father, have mercy!" cried the horrified Valkyries.

"Such is the fate of a traitress. The rest of you – keep away from the cliff unless you wish to share Brünnhilde's doom!"

"Father!" the culprit herself stretched her arms out. "Will you allow your most beloved daughter to suffer shame and dishonor?"

"You have known that woe betide anyone who inflicts my rage."

Brünnhilde wept bitterly; tears fell on her sparkling armor.

"Grant but one wish of mine…"

"Leave your wishes to yourself. I do not indulge traitors," Wotan cut her short and prepared to leave. But he was stopped by a desperate cry from the former favorite child:

"Oh, if only I was won by an old man who wouldn't need a girl's maidenhood! Then I would have a hope to soon be free!" and Brünnhilde collapsed on the ground half-unconscious, as if not hearing her sisters' sorrowful cries.

Wotan gave a deep sigh. He would miss his daughter dreadfully. If he hadn't sworn on his spear to protect Hunding… But now that the fate is sealed, it would be better if Brünnhilde could soon be relieved from the yoke of marriage, hateful for any Valkyrie. Perhaps as a widow she would fight among humankind, and one of her sisters will carry her back to Valhalla.

"Farewell, my child," he said aloud, feeling bitterness rise in his throat. "Dearest daughter!"

He embraced Brünnhilde one last time. She didn't dare to argue anymore – just sobbed quietly, and the sobs faded as magical sleep overcame the girl.

"I will put a mantle of invisibility over her," decided Wotan. "No woman, or child, or young lad would see through it… only an aged man would."

He raised his spear, and the cliff was covered by a cloud of gray fog. It grew thicker and thicker. It hid the figure of the sleeping Valkyrie and the few small trees nearby. The dark shadow of Grane who fell asleep along with his mistress seemed to dissolve.

Wiping away a tear, Wotan walked away.

Brünnhilde still heard his footsteps in her sleep. She had forgotten her last outcry and now dreamed of obeying a brilliant hero who would be her equal in courage. Anyway, the cliff is at quite a distance from human lands, few men come here. Only a truly brave warrior would dare to venture into Fafner's forest.

With this happy thought the Valkyrie fell into a deep sleep.


Little Siegfried broke his new sword again and threw the house into a true chaos, demanding another. Mime couldn't do anything about it. Why, why did that Sieglinde have to die? It's said mothers can control their children. And that boy does nothing but fight with him, break everything and run around in the forest. He searches for people – people indeed! No human would care for him like Mime!

Of course, Mime would have been glad to get rid of that burden. If it wasn't for the thought of Fafner's hoard… The gold that rightfully belonged to the Nibelungs. Siegfried Wälsung was to kill the dragon – and get Mime the helm and the ring!

He was stubborn and hot-tempered, but sure to grow up a hero. That's why Mime had to put up with him.

Today, too, he thought hard how to soften Siegfried. He could make a new toy for him, but the boy had broken all toys he had, so it was doubtful another one would help. Deciding that sweet forest berries are just what the kid needs, Mime took a basket, tiptoed out of the house and went into the woods.

He was afraid of it half to death. But Fafner spent most of his time sleeping while the outraged Siegfried definitely wasn't going to sleep at the moment… Moreover, maybe a dragon wouldn't notice a small dwarf…

To put it short, right now it was better to hide in the woods and not in the house…

There was plenty of berries, but many of them were still green, and Mime knew better than to return to Siegfried with a couple of handfuls.

Failing to gather almost anything on the nearby meadows, he resigned himself to his fate and walked further. He turned abruptly away from the dragon's cave. Still, for a long time he practically crawled on his fours and hid in the bushes at any sound.

And then, the moment the dwarf thought that a half-full basket would suffice for the little delinquent, that one shouldn't spoil him, he's insufferable as it is… a true dragon roar thundered very close to him. A thorned head appeared behind the trees.
Forgetting the berries, Siegfried and everything else, Mime screamed with terror and ran. Ring and helm are all very nice, but to get the hoard one needs to stay alive!

The Nibelung ran, not knowing where, he imagined the giant serpent was already reaching him with open jaws. He ran for an hour or more, until finally he sank, exhausted, on the grass.

There was no dragon nearby. The terrifying roar wasn't to be heard.

"I think he hasn't noticed me after all!" said Mime gleefully. Immediately his spirits rose, he stood up and looked around.

It seemed he had run far away. The neighborhood was unknown to him. But he saw no danger, and thought that he could rest here for a while. Until the dragon is certain to return to his cave, and Siegfried at home calms down and repents of his rage.

In this virtuous mood Mime got out of the small hollow where he had been sitting, and walked to a nearby meadow, finishing with all the berries as he did it. He noticed that it was already dusk – the meadow was almost completely hid by a thick fog.

Suddenly a dark silhouette was visible in the fog, and Mime almost died of fright – he thought it was the dragon. But in a moment he sighed with relief – it was merely a peacefully sleeping horse.

"You've scared me," Mime admitted. The steed didn't wake up. Just in case it could kick in its sleep Mime stepped away, and then he saw a cliff behind the fog.

"Not bad. I'll climb it and try to figure out where is the house. I don't want to spend the night here…"

Climbing wasn't easy, but the dwarf's long and grippy fingers, used to climbing in the underground caves, came in handy. After leaving several feet behind, Mime realized to his surprise that the sun is still pretty high. The fog that he took for a sign of approaching night hung only around the cliff and above the meadow with the horse.

Perhaps it was some kind of swamp vapors. The higher the dwarf got, the clearer became the air, and on top of the cliff there was no mist at all.

Mime was ready to look for the way home, when he saw that there was a warrior in full armor sleeping on the cliff. It must have been the stallion's owner… Odd, though: neither the bright sunshine nor Mime's footsteps woke him.

The dwarf at first wanted to leave at once and avoid possible trouble, when suddenly an interesting idea came to him. Why not try and steal some of the warrior's armor? He might have a good sword, too… He'll present it all to Siegfried, and the damned boy will finally be satisfied with his weapons…

Ready to bolt away at any moment, Mime bent over the sleeping form. And there was a major disappointment: the warrior had no sword. Nor did he have any other weapon.

"Well, at least the helm seems to be fine, Siegfried will like it," grumbled the Nibelung and carefully took off the shining helm with a large silvery plumage. He held it for a while, admiring the sun rays reflecting from the metal and the feathers, and then it dawned on him that the helm's owner continued to sleep like a baby.

"Now there is a clutz!" Mime laughed out loud. "I'll take your shield too. Siegfried, for all that I can't stand him, will watch over these trinkets much better."

Mime put away the helm, looked at the warrior again – and gave a start.

Long black hair fell on the stones. The face was pale and round with soft features… a face of a girl!

Hardly believing his eyes, Mime raised the shield. The unknown maiden's hands weren't overly delicate – she was obviously a warrior after all – but femininely elegant and dainty.

"How lovely she is!" said the Nibelung to himself. During the years spent on the ground he had forgotten the standards of the dwarf women's beauty (large, short hair, dry skin) and gotten used to features praised in the women that lived under the sun.

Meanwhile the girl still didn't wake up. Mime had never felt this awkward before. He became very attracted to the young warrior maid, but, in contrast to his brother, he always realized that his looks that were common in Nibelheim evoked nothing but taunts above the ground. When she does wake up, this beauty can throw him away single-handedly. Besides, time was passing, and Siegfried could crash the house to piece if he wasn't watched over…

"Fine, I will only take the shield. It's not of much use to you anyway, since you're such a heavy sleeper," said Mime. He took the helm and wanted to put it back on the girl's head – but, unable to resist, bent down and kissed her half-opened rosy lips.

Now the stranger moved, yawned and opened her eyes. Mime barely had the time to hide behind one of the stones that lay nearby.

"How wonderful is to see daylight again!" stretching her arms and standing up, exclaimed the girl. "How warm is the sun today! I wonder now: how long have I slept?"

She ran to the edge of the cliff and waved her hand happily:

"Grane, my true Grane! You are awake too!"

A loud neigh came in reply. Clapping her hands, the stallion's owner danced around in joy, stretching her numbed limbs. Mime couldn't help but see how gracefully she moved.

"But where is the hero that woke me up?" remembered the maid and looked around.

The Nibelung understood he couldn't conceal himself any longer. She'll find him sooner or later, and the fact that he had hidden from her like this wouldn't make her think better of the sudden rescuer.

He stood up and sat on the stone:

"I think it's me."