"Do you hear that?" Fandral says to Thor.
"Hear what my friend?" Thor says.
"I thinkā¦.I think I hear a maiden singing." Fandral says without conviction.
"Of course YOU would hear a maiden singing out here in the middle of nowhere." Sif teases.
"I hear it too." Hogun says. They all bring their horses to a halt to listen. They are on the outskirts of the dark forest, at the base of Mt. Vanhilda, which is just a day's ride from Asgard. They are on a hunting trip. Ever so faintly, on the wind, a beautiful voice is heard by the group.
"Lad I do believe you are right." Volstagg exclaims.
"What would a maiden be doing all the way out here? There is nothing in this area except wild animals and criminals hiding from the law." Thor thinks out loud.
"You are aware that women are fully capable of being thieves as well as hunters?" Sif admonishes him. Thor gives the lady warrior a cheesy smile.
"It sounds like it is coming from the creek near our usual camp ground. We should investigate." Fandral says.
"Surely you can survive a few days of hunting without rutting between some whores legs." Sif says to him. Thor looks between Fandral and Sif and their rising sexual tension. Those two seriously just need to fuck each other already.
"I am curious as well. Let us go see who our little song bird might be." Thor says to end the argument. The voice is beautiful and Thor can't help but wonder at the beauty of its owner. They reach their camp spot, but instead of setting up, they tie off their horses and follow their ears to the little creek nearby. There is a pond and a small water fall on the bedrock there. It is a place only known to a handful of people. The group makes their way stealthily through the brush as the beautiful song upon the air gets louder and louder. They all quickly dart behind some trees when they spy who the woman is. Well, more accurately, WHAT the woman is. It is plain as day from her cerulean skin that she is a frost giant, though her size suggests that she is just a child for that species. She is bathing in the icy creek water that is flowing with the spring snow melt from the mountain above. Though there are patches of snow still dotting the landscape this time of year, flowers have already sprouted here and there, giving a stark and stunning contrast.
Upon closer examination everyone realizes that she is not a child but a runt. Small for her species her full breasts and wide hips show she is fully adult and capable of bearing children. They know this because she is naked and on display as she stands beneath the little waterfall. Her voice is so lovely, it is haunting. The song she is singing is filled with longing and desire for home. It echoes off the rocks as she scrubs her skin in an absentminded fashion. Her long raven hair ends just at the top of her firm round hind end.
They all quietly admire her from their hidden position, listening to her sing. Even Sif who would normal object to spying on a naked woman cannot pull her eyes away. She is smitten too. Yet in spite of their mutual affection for this gorgeous creature, they all have the same questions playing on their lips. How did she get here? Who is she? What is she doing in Asgard (besides bathing)? Relations between Asgard and Jotunnheim have been very strained of late. There is talk of war. If the Allfather and King Laufey cannot come to some agreement soon, this beautiful creature would become an enemy. Under a proclamation of war, Thor and his friends would be required to slay the lovely lady for her trespassing. She could very well be a spy. The lady finishes her bathing and stops her singing. She steps out of the water onto the bank on the other side of the creek to find her clothes. Thor and the others look to one another. They will make themselves known after she has dressed, to protect her dignity. But that plan falls by the wayside as the sounds of breaking twigs and limbs alerts the warriors that there is something behind them. Thor turns round to see a gigantic ice bear face to face. Thor feels its spittle and hot breath as it roars. Thor tries to bash its head in with Mjolnir on instinct, before hauling ass out of the trees. Holy Shit! The other warriors manage to get a few good stabs into the beast's side before they turn tail and run as well. The injuries only succeed in pissing off the monstrous mammal. It charges them. They quickly regroup on the bank of the creek and turn to fight the beast when the lady from the water leaps on the bear's back.
Her whole left forearm is now encased in ice and has an ice sword protruding from it. She stabs the great beast straight through the neck. It thrashes violently and knocks her to the ground. She stands quickly to defend herself, only to be knocked down one more time as the bear swats her in the head during its death throes. The bear is dead. The lady is lying on the ground. She has a large gash on her right shoulder and she is unconscious.
The warriors all stand there dumbly for a moment looking at each other. Did that just happen? They are all still panting from the utter shock at being snuck up on by such a large animal. If her singing hadn't distracted them, they would have noticed. Thor is the first to snap out of his daze. The lady is wounded and needs assistance. Thor removes his great red cape and wraps her in it. Hogun snatches up the ladies belongings to take with them. Thor carries her back to their campsite where their supplies are located. Volstagg pulls out the medicine bag from his saddlebag. It will help stem the bleeding and patch her up temporarily, but she needs big medicine, and that can only be found back at the palace. Volstagg can feel the large knot that has formed on the back of her head.
"Her shoulder will heal. It is the head injury that concerns me. It may be nothing, or it could kill her. We must get her to the soul forge to know for sure, and save her if needed." He states.
"Aye." Thor says as the others nod in agreement. They make quick work of wrapping up her injuries. Thor makes the decision to fly her to the palace. It will be much faster than by horseback.
"Stay behind and carve up that carcass. Tomorrow night we will feast on bear meat." Thor says before taking off with one hand on his hammer the other cradling his sleeping beauty. It takes a little over an hour, but it is still faster than traveling on horseback. He lands right in front of the kitchens, which is near the healing rooms. He strides through the servant corridors straight to Lady Eir.
When the golden prince marches into the room, Lady Eir immediately orders him to lay her on the soul forge. Healers swarm from all corners of the room to assess the foreign creature. They remove the blood soaked bandaging from her shoulder and begin the work of patching her up.
"How is she?" Thor asks pensively.
"Her skull is fractured. If you had taken any longer to get here she would have been beyond our reach. Who is she?" The healer asks.
"I don't know. My comrades and I happened upon her in the forest. An ice bear came. It surprised the hell out of all of us. The damn beast almost killed me. She leapt onto its back and slayed the mighty beast all by herself." Thor says with both embarrassment and amazement. A small smile plays at his lips as he remembers watching the agile blue lady run the monster through in all her naked glory. Thor has to stop his own thoughts as he realizes things below are starting to stiffen. "Will she recover?" Thor asks.
"I'd like to know that as well." Odin booms as he enters the room. His demeanor is serious. Thor feels a dark chill run up his spine.
"Yes Allfather, I am confident she will make a full recovery. It will take a day of sleep and rest to mend her injuries before she rouses." Lady Eir explains. Odin steps close to the table to exam her. He can feel the power emanating from her. She is a great wielder of seidr magic, which makes her dangerous.
"As soon as you are done with your ministrations, you will bind her." Odin commands.
"Father why? She saved my life and that of my friends." Thor reacts.
"We don't know anything about her or who she is. She could be a spy, and I can sense that she is a powerful witch. I want to know how she managed to sneak into Asgard undetected. Until I have my answers she is to be treated as a prisoner. Is that clear?" Odin states rather than asks.
"Yes Father." Thor says quietly.
"Good. The negotiations with Jotunnheim are not going well. I expect an announcement of war any day. She is not to be trusted my son." Odin says most seriously. "Inform me the moment she awakens." Odin announces as he leaves the room. Thor stands there starring after his father. He understands his father's reasons for being so cold, but that doesn't mean he has to like them. He looks back at the slumbering maiden on the table and wonders how such a beautiful creature could possibly be a threat?
