Chapter 16: Dig In Your Heels and See How It Feels
Skadi wasn't sure at what point she had blacked out. She knew it was shortly after Skurge had forced her to stand, the searing pain in her thigh becoming too much to swallow the moment she was forced to put pressure on it. She did remember coming in and out of it, hearing swords clashing, and guards screaming but besides that nothing. Nothing but vivid dreams of her having to face Peter and explain how she lost the Zune. She tried explaining it, she didn't mean to, her father had just died and then she had to watch as Loki fell from the Bifrost and then Hela- but, Peter wouldn't understand, casting her out.
She eventually forced herself awake, beginning to hear the things going on around her and feeling herself laying down on something soft and plush. Snapping her eyes open, feeling all the sweat on her body from her dreams, she noticed that she was in her room. The window was open, a soft breeze blowing the curtains back and forth. Had it all been a dream? Trying to sit up proved that it hadn't been. She could feel the bandage wrapped around her thigh and looked down to see the bandage that covered her torso up to her shoulder. Wincing has she did manage to sit up, she gulped, seeing Hela standing off at her balcony.
Hela had must've heard her gasp, but didn't turn to look at her, merely tapping her finger nails against the railing. She had a satisfied smile on her face as the wind blew her hair back.
"I've missed this view." She spoke, suddenly, almost spooking Skadi with how normal she sounded. She let go of the railing, stretching her arms out, before placing them back down. "Care to join me?"
Her tone didn't leave Skadi much room to say no, so the girl slowly rose up from the bed. Her body felt like it creaked as she now sat up, her bare feet now placed firmly onto the stone floor. She felt so stiff she couldn't help but ask aloud how long she'd been laying in that bed. She was surprised when Hela casually replied back, "You were asleep for nearly two days, now come, I have things I'd wish to speak to you about."
Skadi's eyes widened. Two days? She'd been out for two days? Flashes off all the things Hela could manage to do in that small amount of time sparked through her mind. She could only image 'this view', she had wanted to share with her. It would be like the stories of Ragnarok, like the ones her mother would yell at Thor for telling his young sister and giving her nightmares for weeks about. The buildings would be on fire, men dead in the streets while mother's tried to keep their children safe from monsters. It would be just like the garden.
Skadi's feet dragged across the floor as she made her way shakenly to Hela, her eyes closing as she finally reached the balcony. With a deep breath, she opened them slowly, blinking as she saw that Asgard wasn't on fire. There were no bodies, or no sound of people crying. She looked up at Hela in confusion. The view was in fact beautiful as the sun set in the sky, causing the golden buildings to shimmer and shine in the distance.
"As a girl I would stay up for hours just looking out my window," Hela spoke, now moving to lean her arms on the railing. "Mother would always scold me because I was too tired in the morning to properly pay attention to my lessons. She didn't understand that I could care less about learning how to make proper stitches instead wanting to go out and see the rest of the world."
Skadi watched cautiously as Hela then pushed herself up. She moved past her and towards the girl's closet. She opened the oak doors, immediately sneering at the different dresses that hung up inside. Moving the dresses around, Hela mentally criticized each one she moved past.
"You actually wear these?" she questioned, pausing to shoot the girl a bewildered look.
"No, Father- well, er, Loki had them made for me." Skadi defended, but cut herself off, not wanting to form familiarities with this woman. She stood in her spot, ready to fly out of the window if need be.
"Oh right, I heard about that." Hela nodded, at first confused by the girl's quick change in people to blame for the atrocity that housed her closet. "I asked around to find out what I missed. It appears our dear Father continued to only use his children for his own needs and then throw them out when he was through with them. I've never heard of these Kree before, they came after my time, but I can relate to you. Casted out, only to be used as a pawn in Odin's game. He's done it to all his children and yet the blonde one is still so far up Odin's ass that-,"
"Don't talk about Thor like that!" Skadi shouted, shutting the woman up.
Hela raised an eye at the girl, slightly annoyed to being talked to that way but also slightly impressed. "I was just trying to create small talk, and find you something to wear. I've heard that's what sister's do."
"We aren't sisters," There was a slight tone of sarcasm in her voice, setting Skadi off more. She didn't even realize her powers beginning to set off. The temperature began to drop, causing Hela too look around the room curiously. She swiftly grabbed the simplest dress and threw it at Skadi.
"Get dressed and when you're done my guards will bring you to me, I want to show you something." Hela paused as she moved to the door, stopping before she reached it. Her head lightly craned back to look at her little sister. "Also don't dare try to escape, I'll know. I've given you my kindness and you don't want to become part of the people who haven't been given it. " Hela ordered, moving back towards the door.
Skadi watched as she opened the door, clenching the material tightly in her hands. As the door opened, she stared in horror at the sight in the hallway. Instead of the usual guards Loki had posted outside her room, two skeleton humanoids stood, dark sunken eyes peering into her room until Hela closed the door again.
As the door shut Skadi could feel how her body shook, letting herself collapse to the floor breathlessly. Still clasping onto the material she couldn't find it in herself to breathe. She had no clue what to do. She could easily fly out of the window but how serious was Hela's warning? She saw how ruthless she was back at the Bifrost and even back on Earth.
If she could just get to the Bifrost and get to her friends and Sif, then maybe she could come back with help and stop Hela? No, she couldn't drag them into this. Hela would surely kill them the moment they stepped foot on Asgard; the woman had destroyed her brother's famed hammer for crying out loud. There was no other way but to play along with Hela and whatever game she intended to play with her. But this wouldn't be like Ego again, no, she wouldn't fall for her kindness.
After putting on a brave smile and the dress picked out for her, Skadi opened the door, heart pumping the moment the guards made eye contact with her or well she made eye contact with them, seeing at the were just skeletons and had no eyes. She followed as they led her deep into the castle, towards the throne room. The halls were oddly quit, no sign of the palace's usual servants and keep bustling about. There were no warriors in the training grounds with their swords clashing, no lady's off in the gardens adding flowers or just taking a stroll, or lord's heading off to discuss politics in their meeting halls. There was nothing but an eerie silence.
Entering the hall, Skadi had seen the handy work Hela had caused upon her arrival. The murals on the ceilings now rubble on the ground, Hela tearing down the lies that her father told. No one remembered her. She chalked up her siblings not knowing her as simply not recognizing her at first glance, not Odin failing to teach them all of their proper history. They all grew up with goblets and garden parties and worst of all: peace treaties. She scoffed at the thought; Odin was proud to have it but ashamed of how he got it.
The pictures now changed. It was no longer the story's Skadi was told of as a child about how Asgard and the nine realms had come to power by peace. No, instead she saw the image that was blood red, Odin standing up in front of an army with Hela to his right. The two road into battle together, Odin on his horse while Hela road on a giant wolf.
"We were unstoppable." Hela spoke, rising from her throne as she saw Skadi staring up at the wall. She moved to stand in front of her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder once she met her to ease the look of confusion and horror read across her face. "I was his weapon in a conquest that built Asgard's empire. One by one, the realms became ours but then simply because my ambition outgrew his own, the favor of our people grew for me compared to him, he banished me, casted me out and locked me away like an animal."
Skadi was left uncomfortable by Hela's sudden shift in behavior. She came off as kind as she explained Asgard's true history to her. Her hand was careful not to be too harsh so not to irritate her wound. Her voice was soft, reminding Skadi almost of her mother's. The tone of her voice couldn't stop Skadi from feeling somewhat sorry for Hela, knowing that her father had casted her out so easily. She knew that Hela wasn't lying either for Odin had done the very same to Thor, and almost herself; Skadi wouldn't even get started on all the wrong Odin did to Loki even. But Skadi reminded herself to not fall for it, Hela was just trying to get her to her side. Even knowing the truth behind Asgard and knowing that her father had done nothing but lie to his children and people for generations, Skadi knew that she couldn't fall for Hela's tricks.
"Before that Asgard's warriors were honored, their body's buried as heroes beneath this very palace. I've risen them up to rejoin our conquest." Hela explained, letting go of Skadi and moving towards a hall that broke off from the throne room.
Reluctantly, Skadi was forced to follow knowing that Hela was taking her to Odin's vault the moment they headed down the right corridor. Skadi had only been in there once before as a child and she hadn't gotten to fully see it. Her father had been down there with her brothers many times, teaching them history lessons that now Skadi questioned if it was another lie.
Her mother had been giving her sewing lessons and once they were over it was time for dinner. Her mother took her down there to retrieve the boys from their own lesson. She'd been jealous as they ate and the boys talked about how they learned about their grandfather and how he defeated the Frost Giants. Skadi didn't want to sew, she wanted to go into the vault and hear it from her father herself, not from an over excited Thor.
Walking into the vault, Skadi looked at all the different objects her father collected throughout the years. One of the first things that caught Skadi's eye was a golden gauntlet that held what looked like all the Infinity Stones. Gasping, she stared at it in disbelieve, knowing for a fact that last time she checked the power stone had been safely on Xandar. Hela could see her shock and walked up to the gauntlet. Thinking she was going to use the stones, Skadi moved forward, ready to fight her. She stopped though when Hela pushed the gauntlet forcefully off its display.
"Fake," she called out, sounding unamused. She turned to her little sister, rolling her eyes as she continued. "Most of this stuff is fake, or weak." Hela noted, before giving herself a chuckle pointing to a glowing blue cube.
She motioned for Skadi to come to her, beckoning her to look at the cube. She remembered seeing the girl using some sort of ice magic back at the Bifrost when she tried to fight against her and then again in her room with the temperature of the room. Intrigued, she questioned the girl, "What are you the goddess of again?"
Skadi looked at her cautiously, unsure what the cube was and what it mattered with what she was the goddess off. She felt like she was back in the Kyln and Hela was Dara, questioning her about her powers. She could see Hela becoming impatient as she waited for an answer. Swallowing, knowing that it was in her best interest to just follow along and do whatever the goddess of Death said, she spoke up hesitantly,
"Winter," she said softly.
"And why is that?" Hela questioned, going further to explain herself, "Father made me the goddess of Death because of my swift actions and strong ability in the battle fields. So what have you done to make you the goddess of winter?"
"I, I- I'm not sure," Skadi stammered, not sure herself as to why her father had named her the goddess of Winter on one of her birthdays. She'd never questioned it as a girl, she just figured it was because out of all the magic's she'd study ice magic came easiest to her and she excelled in the practice; it felt naturel to her. "I just figured it was because ice magic was the one thing I was really good at, I was also born during the winter season."
"Hm, and do you know what this is?" Hela hummed, motioning her head to the object in front of them.
She frowned but was not surprised that her father didn't want her to reach her full potential. She could feel the girl, radiating with untapped power that was waiting to explode and wouldn't allow the girl to go without exploring her full power any longer. The girl scowled, shaking her head no.
"This is the Casket of Ancient Winters; a weapon once used by the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. They used it to vanquish their enemies and fought against us to try and conquer the realms. It can produce an infinite icy wind that can freeze whole cities in a second; with the right user it could send an entire world into an ice age. I'm surprised that as the goddess of Winter, Odin never once mentioned this to you."
Hela watched as the girl eyed it cautiously, as if it would hurt her. She felt uneasy, as if the object was calling out to her to touch it. She'd raised her hand but retracted it, afraid that it was some sort of trap. Hela chuckled, shaking her head at the girl and nudging her forward.
"You can touch it if it pleases you," Hela shrugged, eyeing the object as it glowed brighter when Skadi's hand was close to it. "If you truly are the goddess of Winter, it won't hurt you."
Skadi felt brave as she reached forward, feeling that she had to touch it. She wanted to know why her father never brought her down to show her this. She would bet that Thor and Loki were taught about the Casket of Winters when they were children and felt bitter.
Power surged through her as her hands clasped around the handles of the casket, causing her to jump back in surprise. Hela's curious eyes watched her reaction closely, noting how the girl didn't seem to be in pain; she was lot stronger then Hela thought originally. Smirking she placed a hand one the girl's shoulders, watching as Skadi's eyes were focused on the casket as if it was showing her an entirely new world.
"I'll have one of the forgers use this to make you a weapon. This shouldn't be locked up when there is someone perfectly capable of wielding its powers." Hela informed her before moving passed the girl.
She continued her walk, seeing the space stone resting safety inside the Tesseract down the hall. Skadi followed her with her eyes, letting go of the casket and suddenly feeling weaker but wanted to see more. This could finally be the tour of the vault she always had been denied as a child and she wasn't going to pass it up.
"I've also heard you've had experience with an Infinity Stone." Hela pointed to the Tesseract. Hela didn't stop to see the girl's fearful face staring at the Tesseract and continued on her way only stopping when she found what she had been looking for. "Now this, the Eternal Flame,"
Hela reached her hand into the fiery caldron picking out a flame to hold in her hand. It didn't hurt her, she was used to the fires of Hel, and her magic protected her from it after all since she was the goddess of Death. With the flame still resting in her hand, she looked to Skadi,
"I know you have doubts, I can sense your grief, and your distrust. But trust me when I say I know what it feels like to have your father turn away from you and toss you away like you meant nothing to him." She flickered her fingers, showing off how powerful she was; not just anyone could hold the Eternal Flame as long as she could without being consumed by it. She continued when she saw Skadi's watchful eye,
"You were looked over by Odin simply because you were meant to be his perfect little princess and not a fierce warrior like our brothers. But our brothers were so easily taken down with his training and guidance. I offer you mine and together we will make Asgard once again what it used to be, and share our ways with the rest of the realms. Now are you with me, sister?" Hela asked, clenching her hand into a fist, putting the flame out.
Skadi looked her over, knowing that there was no room to refuse her oh so gracious offer. She just needed to time to come up with a plan to take her down. Maybe once whoever Hela gets to turn that Casket of Winter thing into a weapon that could be all she needed to bring Hela down? Putting on her bravest face, Skadi nodded to her sister, "I'm with you, sister."