Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Skulduggery Pleasant characters
Valkyrie. The name pops like a berry in my mouth. Dark and tangy, conjuring memories of food that I can no longer taste, half buried by the sands of time. She is no longer the child that I met at a funeral, the sweet young Stephanie girl. Her eyes glow with challenge and she uses her wit like a sword, parrying my blows and returning them. I have seen her change, like trees between seasons, familiar then new, gradual yet shockingly sudden. The girl who stole my hat is gone, replaced somewhere along the way by this stranger, this warrior.
I am sat in my armchair, with Valkyrie across from me. Quickly, before I can react, she grabs my hat and shoves it on her head, grinning wickedly. 'Valkyrie,' I say, reaching out, but she dances out of my reach, like a child playing a game, full of grace and glee, elegance and excitement. 'Come and get it if you think you can take me!' Her voice is teasing, childish glee still clear, but with a slight flirtatious undertone. I rise to the challenge. As I reach her, she whirls into my arms, crushing her lips to my skull, arms around my shoulders and I see stars and I taste magic.
She pulls away and if I had a heart it would be jumping out of my chest.
'What brought that on?' I ask.
She shrugs. 'I wanted to.' She bites her lip.
Without thinking, I pull her close again, tangling my skeletal fingers in her hair. As we pull apart, I speak.
'Valkyrie. I've been in love before and it hasn't worked out well.'
She rolls her eyes and I see again the girl she was juxtaposed with the woman she has become. 'Yeah,' she says. 'But I have something that they didn't have.'
'My hat?' I ask.
'No. An evil alter-ego that can kick some serious butt.'
I sigh. 'You can't always rely upon Darquesse, Valkyrie.'
She grins. 'I know. But I also have your hat!'
