Summary: Hela Odinsdottir is not her original name, nor is it her first choice if she is truly reborn in the world of Marvel. However, if accepting it means growing up alongside her dear siblings and protecting her youngest brother from his horrible fate, then she will gladly wear this mask for as long as she lived. (Self-insert/OC as Hela, Kind!Hela, Big sister!Hela, Rebirth)

A/N: I have always been fond of the big sister Hela idea. Especially if you think about what would happen if Thor and Loki has an older sibling who cares about them. Maybe that's the key to prevent every bad thing that happened in the MCU... or maybe not. There is only one problem though: I know that the real Hela would never do that. Thus, this story is born.

oOo

"It is not denial. I am just selective about the reality I accept." - Bill Watterson

Chapter One:

The Beginning

She was just an ordinary woman – astute and efficient in her job, but sometimes brash in her decisions, according to her peers. In her free time, though, she loves watching her fair share of movies and is oddly fond of the superhero genre. There's just something nice about the fact that the world has someone to rely on whenever there is trouble, and no one else has perfected the superhero genre more than Marvel Studios. But Marvel was only a past time, a fleeting interest to make use of her spare time, and has no overall impact in her life whatsoever.

… All right, she partly lied. It was much more than a fleeting interest, but not really something she considers an obsession. She watched the movies, studied the lore and the theories, hummed the theme on random occasions, but not fanatical enough to read the comic books. To conclude, she is just an average fan.

When Thor: Ragnarok came out, she had been excited. The trailer looked amazing, and she had always loved the Thor series out of all of the MCU movies. This is something she won't pass up, and so she saved money for the tickets and went to the premiere.

The movie was good. Insanely good. She found herself praising Marvel for making the Thor series even better with this movie. Best of all, Loki is not the only interesting villain anymore (though he will always remain her favorite), now there is Hela, the evil goddess of death who is also Thor and Loki's older sister (which surprised her when she first found out. After all, wasn't she Loki's daughter in the original myths?) She found it interesting that Loki now has someone he actually looks like in the family, and that someone is actually a legitimate child.

She enjoyed it immensely, and found herself wondering what exactly happened to Hela when Asgard was destroyed. Is she dead, or will she be back?

Turns out, that's the last coherent thought she had before everything went wrong.

At exactly the end of the movie, a hysterical man suddenly burst into the theater, screaming and waving around a gun, and shot her in the chest before being shoved to the floor by security. But the damage had already been done. She, who had been sitting several seats and aisles away from the man and therefore, should not have been shot any more than the rest of the people in the room, could only conclude that either she's really unlucky or there is some other force at work.

Her adrenaline was still high after watching the movie, which explained why she did not entirely register what happened until she was already lying on the floor, the impact and excruciating pain in her chest completely taking her by surprise. She had gasped and curled up, her throat and lungs filling with blood, her whole body trembling in agony.

All around her, people screamed and panicked, with only a few brave people staying to try to help her and call 911. She wished she could have remembered their faces, so that she may thank them for their help after she recovered, but the pain was too much. She soon succumbed to the darkness that was beckoning to her, the people shouting for her to "hold on!" fading until there is nothing left but blessed silence.

As she said, Marvel was only a past time – a fleeting interest – and has no overall impact in her life whatsoever.

Why then, did it make an impact in death?

…

Pain.

Burning, raw, mind-numbing pain.

There is no air in her lungs, and yet she is alive and struggling. She gasped and tried hard to breathe in as much air as possible, but there was nothing. Only darkness and the pain.

She must have blacked out at some point, because the next thing she knew, she was gasping and crying as sweet, sweet air started filling up her depraved lungs, her eyes uncontrollably leaking tears as she finally found relief.

She paid no mind to the voices and murmurs around her as she focused on breathing steadily and trying not to be sick, the black creeping out of the edge of her vision until she could finally see, albeit through tear-filled and blurry vision.

The first thing she registered was that everything her eyes gazed upon is colored gold. The color was so bright and blinding that she found her eyes again leaking tears as she squeezed them shut. In doing so, she is then highly aware when she felt her body being cradled by the warmest arms she's ever felt, and she hesitantly opened her eyes to meet a woman's kind face, her smile the most beautiful thing she's ever seen.

The woman then murmured something, but the sound that came out of her lips are odd. However her voice, calming and kind that it was, soothed her enough for her to close her tired eyes and give in to sleep.

…

They called her 'Hela'.

The name sounded horrible. It reminded her of the fiery afterlife 'Hell', and of 'Hela,' the evil daughter of Odin from the MCU, both of which are not nice comparisons at all. However, it is what she is named by her new mother and father, and nothing she can do will change that.

Of course, just like any other fan, she briefly entertained the thought that maybe she is Hela, but ultimately decided that she's just jumping to conclusions. It is one thing to be reincarnated; it is another thing entirely to reincarnate as a goddess.

And speaking of that, it didn't really take her long to realize that she had been reincarnated. After all, it was a bit hard to ignore when one's body had obviously reduced to an infant's, and that it looked like she ended up in a place where servants, warriors, and guards are still considered the norm.

Now, she would have been glad and even proud to say that she accepted this realization easily and with no fuss, but that would be lying. What really happened was that she experienced a full-blown panic attack; the kind that left her breathing hysterically and crying like no tomorrow as everyone around her panicked as well. All she could think of was that she was dead. Worst of all, she was killed while watching a movie, of all things. She had unwillingly left her family behind when they needed her the most, her whole life… everything was gone the moment that bullet pierced through her ribcage. There was no act of heroism, no last stand, she didn't even get a say in. She was just… dead.

It frankly was difficult to believe, and it was a good thing when she finally managed to fall unconscious. It meant that she could escape thinking about it for a while longer.

The next time she woke, she found her hair being stroked by gentle fingers, and she looked up to see the same woman with the kind smile that she now realized was her new mother. She was presently singing softly, the sound sweet and calming. Her blue eyes gazed down at hers lovingly, and Hela then found that she is quickly growing fond of her, even though this woman can never replace her first mother.

Her soft singing slowly lulled her to sleep, and that is when she realized that it's going to be okay. Reincarnation cannot be so bad when she has this kind and loving woman to guide and help her back to her feet. Stories she read involving it usually presented challenges and hardships, sometimes even tragedies, but she felt that everything is going to be alright as long as she has this woman – her mother – by her side.

Now, growing up yet again, she found that reincarnation is truly an extraordinary phenomenon, and one she did not expect to experience at all. It is something she only ever heard of in stories and movies. It wasn't real. However, she still has her highly curious and inquisitive mind, a thing that has gotten her into trouble countless times before, and she found that her curiosity couldn't resist exploring and trying to find out all that she can from the new life she now led.

The information she gleaned from listening and observing made it clear that she had been reborn into a royal, wealthy, and powerful family; judging by the titles and names bestowed upon her by the servants, her nursemaid, and the whole kingdom when her new parents presented her to them.

(She tried hard not to think about how she had been scared shitless when she woke from a very long and nice nap to suddenly find herself presented before thousands of people like a piece of meat being dangled in front of hungry wolves. That memory is best left forgotten.)

Everywhere she turned – or been carried, if you want to be more specific – people would bow and murmur, "Your Grace", "Your Highness", or even, "Princess." If nothing else, that cemented the fact that she is royalty, and even a princess to boot! It is frankly very difficult to believe, and she first spent the next few days nearly catatonic in shock.

This is just not something that should be possible. Reincarnation is just a thing used in stories or old myths. Unless there is a semblance of truth to those old myths. Is this what happens every time a person dies? He or she gets reincarnated into another life? Because she refused to believe that she is the only exception to that rule.

The realization is shocking, but also something that she's extremely excited and curious about. Being reincarnated as a princessis incredible, and it looks like the place is even medieval when it comes to their looks and ways, so there is no denying that she is thrilled and very interested to learn more about this world and time she had been fortunate enough to have a second chance in.

Her old life was gone the moment the bullet embedded itself into her chest. She dearly misses her family, her friends, her life, even her boring job. But she knew it is time to move on. There is no use to dwell on the things that could not be. For one, she doesn't know how to go back. Besides, it probably isn't wise to start telling people that she is reincarnated. Knowing medieval times, she wouldn't be surprised if people started accusing her of being a witch.

She doesn't know why she is reincarnated, but it is best to make the most of it. And the fact that she is royalty just makes this so much better.

Every girl has dreamt of being a princess in her childhood. Especially when those Disney princess movies came out, and the fact that she has a chance to live that dream is amazing. She will be the best princess there is, and will not be the type to wait for a man to rescue her. She could even be a warrior, mainly because being a typical princess could be boring.

She will live this second life to the fullest, and the prospect both excited and terrified her.

With that decided, it didn't take long for her to try to learn and adapt to their ways.

The first thing she did was establish that while she is a child, she is mature. She has no desire to be coddled, or babied, or even, god forbid, breastfed. It was not hard; she already had the mind of a person in her twenties. But it took a lot of convincing before they finally accepted it. Princess Hela is not an ordinary child.

After that, it didn't take long before she began trying to teach herself to walk and move properly again. Being unable to control your own limbs is a frightening experience, and one she did not wish to endure any longer than she had to. The first few attempts made her look like a dying eel, however, with constant practice; she soon regained control of her motor skills. The look on her new mother and father's face the first time they saw her walk towards them unsupported had been brilliant, to say the least.

And with that, she finally decided that it's time to learn more about this new world and time she resided in, and what better way to do it than by reading about it.

Decision made, it didn't take long for Hela to toddle her way to find the library, all the while dodging and hiding from servants who would attempt to get her back to her room. It took her a long time, but she finally found it when she decided to trail behind a man with his nose stuck in a book. Following him in, she padded into the gigantic chamber full of towering bookshelves that looked even taller with her current size and gaped in disbelief.

The room was huge. So huge it shouldn't even be called a room. It has three floors, with each the size and length of possibly a football field, and every inch and corner having bookshelves as tall as trees. The first floor is clearly a reading area where all the tables, chairs, and sofas are positioned and occupied by a few people (she found herself eyeing what looks like the fluffiest couch she's ever seen that offered a view outside a tall and equally as elegant window.) The second and third floors consisted of the massive bookshelves and the occasional sitting areas. However, it is clear that it is a palace library just because the staircases, banisters, floors, furniture, and the chandeliers are all made of gold.

Hela found herself gaping dumbfounded, because if her new family thought that even the library and the bathrooms needed gold, then they must be filthy rich indeed to afford such a luxury. Which means she too is filthy rich. A very stark contrast to her previous life.

Staring at her surroundings, she almost forgot the reason she went here in the first place, and quickly hid as people walked past her position. If they found her here, she is sure she would be carried back to her rooms. Why else would a child sneak into a library unless she was lost?

Sneaking wasn't hard. The library was huge enough that even chairs could hide her whole body. All she had to do is sneak past everyone and hide behind one of the massive bookshelves. Grinning widely at her success, Hela proceeded to reach for the nearest book and opened it to a random page, where she quickly found a massive problem in her plans.

The books are written in another language.

Eyes wide, Hela began pulling every book out of the shelf and opening them, with her eyes greeted by the same strange symbols written in the first book.

Of course. She's living in a medieval world located who knows where, it's bound to have a different language. Though she's confused as to why it isn't the Old English she had been expecting to find. Instead, the symbols looked like runes.

Hela rolled her eyes and barely suppressed a groan. She already has trouble understanding normal Old English when she read Shakespeare back in school, but now she has to learn runes?

Learning another language would be difficult and tedious, but it looks to be necessary so she could live properly in this world. The last thing she wants is to become an illiterate.

But it's boring!

She scolded herself for whining. She had been planning to read books about this world by herself, but now she just had to ask her new parents to tutor her or something. It's not a big deal.

Nodding to herself, Hela grinned determinedly.

…

"Father, Mother, I wanna learn how to read."

Both her parents' eyebrows shot up in surprise at her sudden declaration over breakfast. She had been waiting for the right moment to ask as she pushed her food around (thin and tender slices of meat from a boar so she could chew it easily, freshly baked bread, and fruit. You can't get any more medieval than that) and saw her chance when there was finally silence around the table. Her mother glanced at her husband, before smiling at her daughter kindly, "Are you sure you already want to do that? You are still quite young."

And she knew it's true. Judging by her body, she's probably about two or three years old. But she can't wait that long! Hela nodded firmly, face determined. "I'm sure."

Her father sent a rare smile her way and Hela's eyes widened. In the time she had been here, her new father never sent anything her way but a passing glance. That made it clear that her new father is someone that is very hard to please. It frankly made her giddy just seeing him smile at her and chided herself for behaving like an attention-seeking puppy. She's too old for those things, geez.

"If she wants to learn, let her." Her father brought his attention back to his food and the papers covering his side of the table, her mother slowly following suit.

And that's that.

…

It took a few days before they finally found an instructor.

Her teacher, an old woman called Vor, is stern, no-nonsense, but very wise. The moment they met, there was no delay, they just swiftly dived into the lessons without preamble, which is just the way Hela liked it. She never did liked wasting time. And the sooner she learned how to read, the better.

"Before we start, you must know that runes are not simply a language; it is an art. Every rune has meaning, importance – and when used in seidr – it has power."

Hela raised a hand automatically, even though it's just the two of them. "Excuse me, power?"

Vor immediately frowned, "We do not usually say 'excuse me,' it is informal. You say either 'pardon me' or 'I beg your pardon.'"

Hela blushed, forgetting that they are currently in the medieval period, and responded appropriately. "I beg your pardon, but did you just say 'power'? And what is a seidr?"

"Every rune possesses power. While it is part of our language, it is also considered as a tool for seidmadr and seidkona to channel their seidr. And as for your other question, seidr is an ability few Aesir possess that has the capability to alter destiny and reality itself. The King and Queen are known practitioners of it."

Hela's eyes grew wide at that information. "My Mother and Father have magic?!"

Just what kind of medieval world did she get reborn into, King Arthur and Merlin's time? Is magic seriously a thing in this world? And if her new mother and father have magic, does she have it too?

So many questions, and it just made her glad she decided to learn about this so early; at least the revelations are out of the way.

Vor only sighed at her ignorance, "You have much to learn, Your Highness."

Hela could only smile sheepishly in agreement.

…

For several years, Hela learned nonstop under Vor's tutelage. She quickly grew fond of the old woman. Vor is strict and no-nonsense, yes, but whenever Hela displays her curiosity and determination to learn, she could just see a soft smile flashing underneath the harsh demeanor. She learned that Vor highly values those truly interested to learn, which according to her is few and far in between this kingdom, who is comprised mostly of warriors and 'stubborn oafs'. Her words, not Hela's. Though she is beginning to agree with her.

This kingdom is full of warriors, literally. It seems that all they liked to do here is to go on adventures, spars, fights, and feasts. It is very monotonous, and Hela quickly found herself bored to tears. Only the lessons with Vor served as the highlight of her day.

According to her teacher, there are twenty-five runes in all, and learning about them and their different meanings and symbolisms had been difficult, but at last Hela repeated them enough that she could probably recite them all in her sleep without fail.

Along with that, Hela also learned how to speak like a true royal medieval princess. Speaking mostly comprises of formal words with almost no contractions. Vulgar words or expletives are also not spoken freely here, which caused Hela many problems in the early days. She even started speaking formally even in her own thoughts! It is all very strict and proper, but at the same time, learning it is interesting.

Though everything she learned aren't all positives, as she later found out.

Vor had been in the middle of one of her lectures, mentioning one or two words that made Hela twitch in her seat, when she finally couldn't stop her curiosity. She had slowly been growing very confused and suspicious every time those words are mentioned, not to mention there's a niggling bad feeling at the back of her mind. It seemed the right time to address these concerns. "Please excuse my ignorance, Vor, but if I may ask, why do you keep including names and words like Odin, Heimdall, Yggdrasil, and Vanaheim as if they are all real? Are they not just myths?"

Hela immediately knew she said the wrong thing when Vor didn't answer immediately as she always does and only stared at her in bewilderment.

Hela shifted nervously.

It took a few more minutes of silent staring before Vor finally spoke again, "Norns, you are serious."

"What?" Hela could only stare wide-eyed in confusion.

"Child, do you not know the identities of your own mother and father?"

"I know they are the King and Queen of this kingdom."

"Yes, but their names?" Vor prompted impatiently.

Hela opened her mouth to reply before immediately shutting it. Huh. Why did she never ask them their names? She only ever called them Mother and Father and it probably seemed embarrassing to ask for the names of her own parents. Though it didn't really help that all the servants just called them either 'My King/Queen' or 'Your Highness.' "I suppose I never really asked."

"And no one informed you? Though I do suppose you are too young for a history lesson." Vor murmured that last part to herself, and Hela pretended not to hear. "Child, you are not simply the daughter of a King and Queen, you are the daughter of King Odin Borson and Queen Frigga Freyrdottir. Tell me you do not know who they are and we will have words."

Hela's jaw only dropped open in response.

Vor rolled her eyes and continued, "The words and phrases I tell you during our lessons are real; I do not even know why you think they are just myths. Vanaheim is one of the Nine Realms of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, and Heimdall is our kingdom's Gatekeeper and guardian of the Bifrost."

"A-And what…" Hela forced herself to swallow, the words almost lodging in her dry throat. "And what is our k-kingdom called…?"

Vor could only gaze at her in confusion and slight exasperation, "Our kingdom is called Asgard, and you are her Princess. Though I am beginning to doubt that, especially with your lack of knowledge about these things."

And just like that, her whole world came crashing down.

…

Thank you so much for checking this out! Please take the time to read and review, it will help let me know if I'm doing a good job or not. Constructive criticism is also welcome!