{-Alfonse-}

Individually, each piece that they found made little sense at all. But when put together, they could determine where the heart was. Veronica and Eir volunteered to get that part of the plan ready that night, since it was still in the castle; Anna took them there and, in a couple of minutes, they were back again.

The next morning they started yet another search for Líf and Thrasir. Their first destination—the royal castle—seemed to be the last. Someone had been here recently and had found no point in trying to hide it.

It surprisingly didn't take them long to find Líf and Thrasir, either. They were just… sitting in the garden together, seemingly waiting for the group to come but didn't have their weapons.

"Have you no more will to fight Hel's battles for her?" Eir asked, sounding both confused and relieved.

Líf answered with a question of his own: "Do you really plan to kill her?"

"She will understand what it is like to die, as we all do at one point."

"We can't beat you," he sighed. "There's not even a point in trying anymore. Just… give us all a place to rest, alright? If we can't all be alive again then at least we can be reunited in death…" With a flick of his wrist, he opened a portal to the realm of the dead.

"I swear that Hel will not live long enough to hear of this," Eir promised solemnly. "It is time for your souls to find peace among the elders of the dead."

…

"Hel should still be here," Eir said when they reached the castle's gates. "By now she surely knows that Alfonse is not in your world. Without knowing where he is, she would return to her throne and wait for someone to bring him to her. She has likely sent most of her soldiers away, but I would still recommend being cautious."

She pushed the gates open a little at first, then much wider after she made sure no one else was near. She casually walked through the courtyard as if she didn't see what the rest of them were; how everything was set up for an execution and all the blood still remaining from the countless times it must have been done.

Eir only noticed they all stopped when she thought to look back. Her expression grew darker after she realized what they were all staring at. "I… suppose it is not the most common thing to see, and especially not expected in a place like this. Usually mortals cannot die twice, and an immortal cannot die at all. Yet even the other gods cannot stop death if she comes for them; every creature that breathes cannot escape her. So what, then, do you suppose happens to an immortal who resided in the realm of the dead even though she had never been killed before?

"Hel had assumed that, here, she could be killed for all of eternity, and thus Death's power will grow infinitely stronger. So every day, she came here to be killed. When she woke up, the process was repeated. For a long time, Hel's plan worked… until it seemed she had no more lives to give. One day her suffering no longer brought Hel more power; she lost all sense of immortality and became something even less than Hel's other subjects. She now walks as a husk, something that will simply cease to exist if killed again… a husk that stands before you as the princess of the dead."

None of them could find the right words to respond. What could they say to someone who'd been forced to die so many times? Could they even give sympathy, not even knowing what it was like to go through it once?

Eir didn't seem to mind their silence. "I will not deny that it was a painful experience, but there is no use in dwelling on such things. At least I can now say that making it through was worth it… if not just to help all of you and truly know what it is like to feel loved." She continued through the courtyard and gestured for the others to follow her. "Now come on. This is not the best place for mortals to stand around."

She guided them through the castle, leading them past everything that looked important. Eventually she stopped and opened up one of the doors; the room on the other side was spacious but had only a poor excuse of a bed in it. "No one should think to look for you here. I will announce to you when I return and do not allow anyone else to enter. I do not want to consider the possibility, but if news spreads and Hel knows our plans… following this hallway will lead you back to the courtyard. Return to your world and, whatever you do, do not let her take the prince of peace." Eir turned to Alfonse. "Hel will want proof that you are dead. Nothing will fool her long, but with your sword I should be able to trick her long enough to kill her."

Alfonse nodded and offered his sword to her. "Come back safely."

She gained the weakest of smiles. "I will do all I can to return to your world with you."

((A/N: For the record, if anyone's curious (contains spoilers): the realm of the dead was created with Angrbooa as its sovereign, but Hel promptly overthrew him because ~old people are boring.~ Subsequently, Thórr decided Hel should not be able to leave freely like Angrbooa could and chains her to the realm of the dead. Hel eventually realizes, with the help of Loki, that there are certain times when those chains are much weaker. She starts conquering worlds at this point, acquiring Eir. Loki tells her about the prince of peace and the power he could bring her after noticing what she did with Eir. Mostly unrelated, both Nifl and Freyr come to Hel to try to get someone from her, and she rejects both of them. Eir losses all her lives after Nifl but before Freyr. Hel conquers Líf and Thrasir's world and offers their redemption if they can kill the prince of peace. Skip A LOT (like, about a thousand years in the Order's world's time) and Hel goes into Askr for the first time, taking the life of Gustav's father and realizing who the prince of peace really is. Freyja, about two years later, comes to Hel with a nightmare and returns to the dream realm with that kid who died. Eighteen years after that and this story happens!))