AN: Short chapter to celebrate a new semester! As always, reviews are love. And a quick pronunciation guide for this chapter…

Aelwyd – ILE-widd

Relygyr – RELL-ih-geer

Ealyse – AY-uh-leese

Vitorija – vih-TORE-ee-ya

Torygyr – TORE-ih-geer

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The crimson sky was devoured by soft shades of pink and orange as the sun began to rise above the mountains, casting swaths of golden light across the fields below.

Darcy peered into the distance at a small area of newly illuminated land. Barely visible in the still-faint light was a cluster of rustic wooden dwellings with thatched roofs and white walls that looked as though they had survived a hundred years of weather.

"Aelwyd," Thor supplied, a note of pride in his voice. "Hearth of Vanaheim. Home of Relygyr, son of Torygyr."

Darcy raised her eyebrows at him. "Home of Relygyr. As in the king?" She looked back at the buildings, her jaw dropping. "You're kidding."

Jane pursed her lips. "Thor, are you sure this is the capital?"

"Of course," said Thor. "Father and Loki and I used to attend great feasts here during the harvest season. Finest cider throughout the Nine Realms…but don't tell Idunn I said that."

"Odin and Loki," Steve said. "What about your mother?"

Thor's face seemed to crumple slightly from within, as though his boisterous cheer were held in place by a balloon that had just deflated. "My mother remained home out of respect for Relygyr's feelings."

Stark suddenly perked up. "He liked her?"

Thor shook his head. "Relygyr and my mother? Never." He began to walk down the side of the hill, holding Jane's hand as she clambered over the larger rocks. "No, my mother chose to remain at home when we visited so she would not remind Relygyr of his loss." He grimaced. "His wife, Vitorija the Fire-Hearted, died many years ago shortly after giving birth to her daughter Ealyse."

Jane looked alarmed.

"The king's wife died in childbirth, and you're bringing Jane here to give birth?" Steve interjected, looking utterly horrified.

Thor's eyes widened. "What? No, she didn't die in childbirth! I wouldn't…I would fight an army of frost giants with my bare hands before letting Jane put her life in danger." He shook his head again, shaken. "No, no, Vitorija died after she gave birth. It was in the midst of the Great War. The jotun had invaded Vanaheim, and Relygyr sent his wife into hiding in the wilderness with her family—members of a nomadic people known as the Pavir—for safekeeping. But their caravan was stopped when Vitorija went into labor. She gave birth to Ealyse safely, but her screams of pain and the baby's cries alerted a band of jotun to their position. They were attacked. It took three giants to finish Vitorija even in her weakened state; she was a master swordswoman. The jotun killed them all, except for one: the infant Ealyse."

"Why didn't they kill her?" Darcy asked curiously. "I mean, Laufey left his own son in a temple to die. I don't think the jotun are really into chivalry."

"It was not chivalry that saved her life." Thor scowled. "It was fear. Jotun legend told of a maiden born in a time of war whose death would destroy their entire army. The jotun were afraid that—" He was cut off by the blast of a horn from within one of Aelwyd's halls. He drew his sword abruptly. "Do you hear that?"

Their entire party stopped to listen. Darcy's eyes lit up.

"Are they calling Aslan?"

"I don't know who Aslan is," Thor said darkly, "but whoever he is, I hope he hears their call. That is the Horn of Nyklot." He passed Jane off to Stark. "Carry her. There is no time to waste. We must get to Aelwyd as soon as we can."

"What's going on? What's the Horn of Nyklot?" Rogers asked.

"The Horn is a rallying cry for the warriors of Vanaheim, summoning them to the city. It is a call for help. Aelwyd must be expecting an attack."