A/N: Okay, this was very late coming, was asked to do this some time ago by a close friend. This centres heavily pre Thor, Thor and Avengers time zone. I do hope you enjoy the adventures that follow. There will be some comic timeline thrown in but I've tried to keep it close to the movies as well.

Summary: The adventures of life are a wondrous thing. Learn the true value of friendship and love, for Valkaife, knowing your true feelings are what can awaken the strongest magic. What does Midgard have to do with training though?

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters owned by marvel. I do own my characters and the storyline however.

Please enjoy, the updates of this should be at least once per week, if not three times a week. Happy reading! Normal chapters will be longer than this!

Prologue.

Orethina watched with a content smile across her lips from the palace windows of Asgard. The woman, unmistakable as a Goddess held herself with dignity as she watched the child growing flowers in one of the many gardens that surrounded the palace. Orethina was proud, proud of the flower girl that sat without a care in the world as she picked up small seeds, pouring magic into the seed to create a flower of perfect bloom.

"She has been taught well," a second woman placed a hand on the shoulder of Orethina.

"My Queen," Orethina was bowing to the other woman instantly, ashamed slightly at being caught unaware of the Queen's presence.

"Rise Orethina, have I not asked you before to call me Frigga my friend?" she asked.

"We are not children as we once were my Queen," Orethina remained the loyal subject beneath Frigga, but rose from her bow, her gaze returning to outside the palace walls.

"She still needs your guidance," Frigga noted, her gaze now on the child that had gained Orethina's interest.

Orethina had long mentored the child, teaching her to crawl, to walk and to speak. She had taught her the magic she so needed to one day grow into her role and take her place amongst the Gods and Goddesses.

"She spends far too long trying to grow up and learn all she needs. It was only yesterday I stumbled upon her studying the art that she will be known for. I know not where she found the material, I have never seen it before, I feel more than just the Gods watch over her."

"Then what do you feel?" Frigga questioned the Goddess.

"Proud to have her with us, I feel the Druid's are sending her that which she needs to grow," Orethina glanced Frigga briefly upon her explanation, smoothing her cream dress down in the process.

"They have given us a great gift already," Frigga smiled, straining her neck as another two more familiar faces to her were spotted hidden in the garden, having only recently turned up.

"Your boys do enjoy mischief," Orethina chuckled.

"Thor is but the follower in these small endeavours. It is Loki that leads his brother," Frigga smiled, unable to hear the scream from below, nor hear the crying that followed from the child as she ran from the garden. Nor could she hear the laughter of her own two boys, though the actions of each were enough to understand that the young girl was upset and her two young boys found it greatly amusing.

"Valkaife will grow to dislike the young Princes should this continue," Orethina's tone changed only briefly, remembering she was in the presence of the Queen.

"I'm sure they will see eye to eye once we have the children begin their combat training," Frigga smiled, showing Orethina that she was confident that the future Gods and Goddesses wouldn't cause friction within Asgard. "Come, Freya awaits, young Sif is anxious to take up arms."

Orethina gazed once behind at the garden where two boys were running around laughing, neither showing a care in the world for the future that awaited both the young Gods.

"Stay strong Valkaife," Orethina whispered into the air, leaving the window and following behind the Queen.

A song of a bird broke the tears of the young Asgardian Goddess, her head picking up and meeting her gaze with the colourful red, purple and blue bird. She did not know what species the bird was but the bird brought a smile to her face.

"Algaro," she named the bird, a sob catching in her throat.

She dried her tears on her dress, smiling up instantly at the guest bird that had flown to the room the youngster resided in. The young Goddess presented the book she clutched to herself to the bird that flew down and perched on her shoulder.

"They pick on me all the time," she mumbled, knowing how unlike a Goddess she was acting. If any of her elders saw her how she was she knew the trouble she would be in. She should rise above sorrow, focus on what she could do and what others could not.

"They are being children, which you are not," the bird spoke, its beak shifting as it formed words to the Asgardian.

"But Alga-"

"You let them upset you over a few conjured snakes? You live amongst Gods child, you are accepted by all and you let conjured snakes upset you? There are far greater things than a cheap trick that happen in the nine realms. You are making yourself a target to those boys by showing you fear what they throw at you."

"Then what do I do?" she sniffed, rubbing her nose, causing a red hue to stand out as she picked at it and continued to sniff.

"Show them you are not a target. All they want is a reaction, if you ignore it, they won't bother you anymore and you can play," the bird – Algaro spoke calmly, rubbing it's head against the wet cheek of the youngster. "A Goddess shouldn't be reduced to hiding and tears Valkaife."

"I can't retaliate," Valkaife sighed, drawing her silver locks in front of her eyes, hiding any more unshed tears. "They're Odin's sons. I'd be sent away."

"The Allfather would not send you away child. You were a gift from us to the Gods. The Allfather has always wanted a child born my kind, you were the first to have the blood of Asgard flowing through your veins with the blood of our kind. He wouldn't send you from the palace. Learn to shift and show them what a real snake can do, okay?"

The words picked up the younger girls spirits instantly and her hair was pulled back, a smile falling across her pale face, the emerald and eyes shining from previous tears as she grinned happily at the words. The book that was clenched in her arms was unfolded and she ran a hand over the wooden cover with old and worn engravings on the front entwined in coloured vines and branches.

"You're not limited to a few shifts as many of us are, the Asgardian blood will allow for much more. I hear your masters have taught you many-a-thing."

"I can grow a small tree," Valkaife's smile never left her face as happier memories surfaced from her recent growth spurt. She couldn't grow a tree, nor could she meld nature to her will as she would eventually learn to do, but she was taking the baby steps needed for what she would become when she was older.

Valkaife the Lifebinder. Goddess of Nature and Life.