Hey guys, this is my first attempt at a Thor fanfiction, and I just wanted to warn you Niffleheim might be a little different than what you would expect. I researched both Marvel's and Norse mythology's versions of the land of the dead and I have done my best to stick to a a mixed version of it with a few tweaks. I take constructive criticism well and enjoy reviews, so if you have something to say please feel free to do so. Let me know how I do with this first shorter chapter; I promise they will start to plump up as I go along.
Elizabeth gazed at herself in the cracked mirror, her lifeless green eyes staring back at her. Her cheeks were dangerously pale, and each breath brought a fog of cold air. Trying to remember the last time she smiled was like grasping at straws-fruitless and frustrating. Her mind hardly grasped the concept of time as it was. A crown of black and white frozen roses sat upon her head, as it always did. She silently held her hand up to the mirror, wiggling her fingers and watching the movement. She tore her gaze away from her reflection when a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in." Her voice rasped, and quietly she wondered when the last time she had water. Living in the land of the dead did not quite bring as much fresh water (though the land was covered in ice) and food as she had hoped in her long years as being held captive. She hugged her robe of furs closer as the great doors to her chambers opened, and wiggled her cold toes in her boots. It had become a daily process, trying to keep warm; it took everything she had each morning to roll out from under the bountiful covers on her bed to get ready for the day.
"Lady Elizabeth." Her handmaid bowed slightly, as always. Being a… normal resident of Niffleheim, she did not feel the biting freeze or needs of nourishment. She was free to come and go, without a need of multiple layers or worrying about whoever was controlling her bringing her water. "I'm here with saddening news."
"That with all the ice you cannot bring me a single goblet of water?" Her voice took on a bitter end, dropping down on her cool bed sheets she slept in for many years. Is the only thing I think of water now? She mused in her own head. It was the only thing that mattered to her now, she supposed, as she ran her hands over the thick covers.
"The Asgardians have located your position. They claim you belong to them." That was news to her. She was too young to have remembered how she arrived, but knew her mother came from Vanaheim. Her father had been absent all of her life, all of it that she could remember. Her mother would tell her about him though; he had been a gentle man with a soft voice. Her mother told her that he had cried when he held her in his arms the night she was born. She could almost see him, her description of her father was so clear.
"Now why would they be searching for me." She asked softly, laying back, her long platinum blond hair spreading out as she thought about this. Her handmaid wrung the sleeve of her dress worriedly, looking as if Elizabeth would become angry with the next bit of news. It's not as if she actually could do anything about it if she did become angry; how can you harm the dead?
"The Asgardians believe you to be their own, Lady Elizabeth. Our queen suspects they will be at our doors by tomorrow morning, and she will have to give you up as she does not want a war."
Elizabeth thought about this for a few moments. From what her maids had told her, Asgard was shining world with untold riches, gods, goddesses, and power. They were what ruled over the worlds of Yggdrasil, balancing powers and restoring order. She heard of the mighty hammer-wielding Thor and wise old king Odin in her mother's stories when she was a child, along with their beautiful queen Frigga and deceitful Loki. "Do you think I would be welcomed, Yana?"
"I think you would be, Lady Elizabeth. Others tell me you would be more comfortable in a land you wouldn't need to hide under blankets to survive in. And still yet others tell me the Asgardians will not be kind." Yana worried about her lady, and what would come of her in Asgard. She knew she was a gentle being at heart, and also knew that the men of Asgard were rowdy when consuming one too many glasses of mead. Yana didn't think Elizabeth would last long if she didn't toughen up.
"Thank you, Yana." Elizabeth murmured, staring up at the ceiling. She did not want to think of the days to come, as she would be either locked up in another room or forced to attend social events. Elizabeth wasn't one for making friends; when she was allowed out of her room (on the rare occasion), she opted to stay inside. People made her nervous, so she tended to keep to herself.
"Tomorrow I will arrive early to help ready you to leave. Our queen will hope that if we offer you, they will not be angry. They seem to believe we are keeping you here against your will."
Elizabeth resisted scoffing. Even when her mother was here with her, alive, they had to live within the castle and were not allowed to wander outside. If it was for her own good or they did not want anyone knowing their were here, she did not know. When she looked out her window, she could not see anything harmful except for the vast expanse of ice and snow, the gliding figures of the dead travelling to and from the castle.
Yana left silently to leave her to her thoughts. Elizabeth closed her eyes, focusing on deeply breathing as she played with her long gold chain, a diamond jeweled pendant hanging off of it. Whenever she touched it she felt her mother's strong and magical presence. She had told her a long time ago the necklace had been passed down for hundreds of years in Vanaheim, with multiple strong sorceresses holding it. Sometimes she liked to believe she could feel the magic from the past holders coursing through the pendant.
She shook away the past thoughts, stuffing the necklace under her neckline as she sat up, looking around. The word was dark, mostly, but somehow she still knew when it was night time on any other planet. She gave a soft sigh as she stood, slipping off the thick boots they had fashioned for her when they realized she was more susceptible to the cold than they had thought. Quickly she hopped back into bed, snuggling under the multiple covers and willing them to warm up faster, something she did every night.
The next morning she woke to the insistent knocking at her door. She groaned softly, snuggling deeper under the covers, pulling the blankets over her head as she muttered softly to herself. Maybe if I pretend I'm still sleeping they'll go away, she thought to herself. It was a wish in vain, when they threw open the doors, sick of waiting for her to get up. One of the maids through a few of the blankets back, eliciting a long and high whine from her.
"Come, Lady Elizabeth. Today you will leave." Yana told her, brushing her hair back with her hand. Elizabeth sighed, sitting up after a moment but keeping the blankets wrapped around herself. A few extra torches were brought in and hung on the walls in an attempt to warm the room for her to dress. Elizabeth's sleepy eyes trailed across the room, the bright red and orange flames licking up towards the ceiling and struggling not to be put out. She could, however, feel a rise in the temperature after a while and smiled slightly. She wished they would have gone this far for her on any other day, at least when she was dressing for the day or was awake. She might have been happier here if they did.
"We have prepared a bath for you." Yana told her, taking her arm and leading her to the attached bathing house to her room, where more of the torches were placed. The water was quickly cooling, so she quickly washed her body while Yana tended to her hair. After the short bath, her hair was towel dried and a second maid brought in a long, black dress with sleeves that ran to her wrists. When the dress twisted, the torches light caught the gold that was interlaced within the fabric, glinting at who looked at it. Elizabeth couldn't help but reach out and touch the light material, smiling softly as she did so. Usually she wore men's clothing, as they were warmer and more comfortable. The heels that were brought in with the dress were also black, but the heels being solid gold, and her long thin gloves were gold. She silently wondered why she was being fawned over now.
Her long white hair was brushed and fully dried before an intricate braid was made, her shorter bangs framing her face. A soft blue was spread across her eyelids, increasing the femininity of her face. Her slender body fit perfectly into the flowing dress, and the heels cast her five foot four inch frame three inches taller. Elizabeth, for once, looked like the goddess she was meant to be as she stood in front of a full length mirror they had wheeled into her room. Her shoulders were squared back and her gaze even as she stared back at herself.
"Are you happy with your appearance, my lady?" A meek maid asked as she watched her. It was hard to tell when their lady was satisfied.
"I am." Elizabeth answered simply, before turning her gaze to Yana and the other maid. Her eyes held a glint of happiness in them, sparking Yana to smile up at her. Yana had known Elizabeth since the day she arrived with her beautiful mother, so she had the chance to see her grow up and mature. She had watched her childlike playful banter disappear as she grew, and when her mother died it had been the biggest change she had witnessed. Her mother had not stayed in Niffleheim, instead passing on to Valhalla. Yana knew Elizabeth was happy with her mother passing to a better place, but missed her greatly.
"Our queen would like you to be ready outside for when they arrive. She has sensed the Bifrost stirring for some time." Yana informed her, taking Elizabeth's gloved hand and led her outside her room. The long corridor echoed their steps as they walked. The biting cold made her wonder what it would be like in Asgard; she had grown mostly used to be cold, so if it was mild there how would she feel? Too hot? Uncomfortable?
"We will miss you." Yana said gravely. Elizabeth looked down at her, squeezing her hand gently. So many questions were still in her mind about her leaving; the main one being why. Why did they want her so badly that they were willing to come and fetch her from a different world? Nothing added up. Both of her parents were dead, and they left Asgard willingly, so why would they want her now?
Suddenly the skies above darkened, the light puffs of clouds darkening and gathering above them. They started swirling, before bright colors shot down in a circle, hitting the icy expanse of the ground. The winds pushed back everything in its path, the iciness cutting into her skin as she stood shivering on the shining steps of the castle. When the lights much similar to a rainbow died away, there stood five immaculate warriors, wearing armor and great golden helmets, all looking alike as they stared out at the frozen wasteland. One of the men saw her and moved forward to her.
"The All-Father requests your arrival in Asgard at once." He told her in a brisk manner, the warm breath from words coming out in a light fog. She studied the Asgardians features briefly, marking the proud look in his gaze before her gaze travelled to the rest of the men, the same proud look being in all of them.
"I've heard." She murmured, allowing the man to lead her back to the others after one last goodbye to Yana. She stood facing the large royal blue castle, seeing many of the people she had seen pass by stare in wonder at the Asgardian warriors. No matter how much she hated it here, it was home to her. She gripped her necklace tightly before she felt her stomach drop, being dragged up and away from her life and into a world she knew not what to expect.