Asgard: The Birth of a Prince

"Isn't he wonderful?" Frigga cooed as her eldest held her son. Hela sneered down at the sleeping babe. Even, as a little wriggling larva, her brother – this boy named Thor – resemble her parents more than she would. Fair hair and a welcoming smile. Bitterness brewed in her gut.

She was not impressed. She caught her father's countenance thriving with pride and false accomplishment.

No fields of blood and debris, no battle won. Only the birth of her rival, Thor. Odin, allfather to the nine realms had grown soft by his son's birth. No longer did he speak of conquer or destruction, no, he resolute in peace and benevolence. And it disgusted her to no end.

This child, who shined brightly in the eyes of her parents, would ruin all they had built, all that she helped build.

"Hela, you look like a natural." Her mouth puckered, trying to quell her grimace from her mother. She had to remind herself, that Frigga had been the one to teach and hone her skills in combat. Frigga had been the one to honor her accomplishments with celebration and enthusiasm when they returned home. And Frigga, despite all her wonderous power, did as many wives do, submit to her husband's wishes. Her purpose was to serve her husband and raise his seed.

Hela would not be confined to that life! She would submit to no one!

"I cannot wait until you start a family of your own." She handed the infant back into the hands of her mother, unable to stomach this farce of emotions any further.

"Doubtful mother." Frigga witness her daughter's escape and turned her worrying eyes towards that of her husband, whom had placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"One day she will understand." Frigga nodded at her husband's words. But in her heart, she agonized over her daughter and where her ambitions lied. Her future shrouded in darkness and prophesized as the beginning of all ends.

"I can only hope."

Jotunheimr: The Siege of Loki

"They left it to die." Hela peered down at the crying infant. A bit small for its species. She was unsatisfied with its vulnerability. "We should kill it, put it out of its misery." It would be a favor since it's family was probably long dead in their siege of this frozen realm. She raised her sword ready to execute a final blow to this monster, her hands already stained in hundreds of Jotun's blood. She stopped her pursuit at the raise of her father's hands.

Odin knew they were in the temple of Laufeyson. He made no comment as he held the blue dwarf in his hands. Gazing into its innocent face as this little babe began to change its appearance, he dared say it resembled the daughter next to him. A vision of this boy had filled his mind with the possibility of a future alliance. "Loki." He wheezed out, staring at the boy. He was determine to take this boy home, as well as the Casket of Ancient Winters.

Hela was aghast at the smile ghosting Allfather's lips, it was the look she had seen only recent years before. At her brother's birth. "Why did you go and name it? Are we keeping it as a pet?" Odin held the infant close, hiding his disdain for his daughter from Loki's eyes. How could she speak so ill of the innocence, so cruel of the defenseless?

"He is to be your brother." He stated, much to her vexation.

"We are taking in monsters now?" She sneered at the infant, who was flesh colored now, while twirling her sword in hand. Odin clutched the swaddled baby away from her direct reach, "Your humanity is showing Allfather, now isn't a time to be feeble."

"You don't see it! Here," he lifts Loki, "here is our future. We no longer need to blindly ravage our enemies, instead we seek truth. We seek peace. He could unite our peoples."

"Have you lost your mind, as well as your dignity?" She slammed her sword down, looking outraged. "We are Asgardians, we are ruthless and worthy. We rule with no restrain and no mercy. You have grown weak," pointing to the boy in her father's arms, "and now proclaim to be the savior of monsters while drench knee deep in their blood. A hypocrite you are father." Odin bit his lip in frustration. Hela spoke repulsive candor he would tolerate no more.

"The only monster here today is you." Hela's ambitions had poisoned her, every last bit. Her chaos and anger were a black hole that would eventually consume everything and everyone around her. He only spoke of the truth. He couldn't ignore the danger she posed to his kingdom. He struggled slightly as he saw the betrayal in her eyes. He raised Gungnir to strike her down in one blow. "And you will be imprisoned as such."

"And Hela?" Frigga asked, her voice was small. Her husband had returned home with maimed face and an infant boy, but her troubled daughter was nowhere to be found.

"Her name will never be spoken in my presence again. Her behavior was her own undoing." He handed her the child, and passed along her, limping towards the vault. His demeanor was ragged and sad. His stride showed the mark of a defeated man. Her husband, a great warrior king, the Allfather of Realms, failed his duty as a father.

Frigga brought the boy closer to her chest, breathing in his scent – a crisp day during a snowfall. His dark tresses mirrored the daughter she would mourn in his place. The boy giggled in her arms causing a half sob burst through her lips. Loki, her second son. He would be her most coveted child. Her beloved. A symbol of her daughter's sacrifice. A boy she would love until the ends of her time.