Like all the other realms before, Thrúd had heard lots of Alfheim while living in Asgard. She learned about their emphasis on art and architecture and unwillingness to share the light that resided in their own realm; a thought that seemed silly at first until she remembered that she herself came from a family who kept valuable resources to themselves.
With the constant squawking dying down, Thrúd had expected to feel the solid stone or marble floors of one of their illustrious temples under her feet but was instead greeted with the unsteady shifting of sand.
The last of the ravens vanished and she found herself inside a canyon. Nighttime had blanketed this side of the realm, but she was able to tell that the walks surrounding her were narrow, forming a natural hallway.
But above all else, she noticed a distinct lack of the light of Alfheim.
Hugin swooped in front of her face before clumsily steadying himself on the sand, a set of glowing eyes looking up at her.
Thrúd squinted in confusion. "Where are we?"
"Alfheim. Like you wanted."
"Well, yeah," she huffed. "But I kind of meant somewhere close to the light of Alfheim? You know, like Sindri said?" Her shoulders slumped. "I swear, if this is another prank of yours, I'm going to-"
"No pranks. Nothing of the sort." The bird's voice assured her. "Do you know much about the people who dwell in this realm?"
Thrúd thought for a moment. "I know that the Elves don't get a long all that well."
"A bigger understatement has never been said. Even by your father." Thrúd was about to argue that comment, but she knew it to be true. "These people are at war. Have been for longer than nearly anyone can remember. Their battlegrounds are anywhere and everywhere in this place."
"Thanks for the history lesson, but what does that have to do with anything?"
Hugin flapped his wings and propped himself on top of her shoulder. "There's a chance that they could be fighting in the temple where the light is right now. You'd never be able to focus long enough to put the hammer inside for as long as you need to without defending yourself."
Thrúd looked down at the hammer on her hip, still glowing from its appointment with Sindri. His instructions to her rang in her ear on how crucial it is to not use it offensively until the remainder of the process is complete.
"I'll go scope the place out," Hugin continued, "make sure that the coast is clear before we head over."
The goddess blinked in surprise. "Wow. That's actually really thoughtful of you."
Hugin twitched his head. "Don't sound so surprised. I'm nothing if not completely chivalrous. Even Odin himself was stunned by my-"
Before he could finish his boast, Thrúd shrugged him off her shoulder. He squawked in protest as his wings flapped to right himself in midair.
"Just get to it, would you?" Thrúd demanded, any sign of her originally gratitude all but gone. "And be quick about it." She added with a slightly paranoid peek in both directions.
Not needing to be told who she was on alert for, Hugin did as he was told. Before she knew it, Hugin's black-feathered body vanished into the night, his glowing eyes joining the stars. Once she was alone, Thrúd shook her head. "Fucking bird."
"But it sure is nice to see that you two seem to make a good team!"
Thrúd nearly jumped at the unexpected voice. Turning so fast that her hair whipped around to the other side of her face, Thrúd instinctively hoisted Mjolnir over her head in a battle-ready stance, the instruction to not use it completely forgotten.
Behind her, she found a man-made platform that seemed to be half the size of the mead hall that her father frequented. Tucked behind a small rock formation was a workshop fit for a blacksmith; complete with tables, benches, and a wide assortment of tools hanging from inside the kiosk. The owner of this site waddled from one end of it to another, her hands filled with a hammer and a cluster of spikes.
Thrúd let out a breath of relief as she lowered her weapon. She stepped up onto the platform and walked over to the workstation. "We tolerate each other is all," she corrected Lúnda. "But yeah, he does come in handy sometimes."
Lúnda set her load down. "Nah, I don't believe that for a moment, lil lady!" She laughed. "You like that lil birdy's company. I can see it in yer eyes."
Not wanting to argue the matter any further, Thrúd changed the subject. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be helping with the Týr statue in Midgard?"
"Skjoldr gave everybody the day off. We're ahead of schedule on that thing, so he decided to treat us." Lúnda plopped her gloved hands down on her table, shaking her head affectionately. "That kid sure is somethin' else. I've got a good feelin' about him!"
Thrúd let out an amused snort. "What I really meant was," she gestured to the work area, "do you really need another one of these? You've gotta be running a monopoly on the smithing business by now."
At this, Lúnda let out a shrug. "What can I say? My customers love convenience." Suddenly, her one good eye fell, her face losing its usual cheerfulness. "And, uh, this station weren't originally mine. It was Sindri's. Feels wrong to let it just gather sand while he's dealin' with everything." She cleared her throat. "Speakin' of, how is he? Didja go see him again like you said?"
"Yeah," Thrúd said after a beat of silence. "I did." She turned her back to the dwarf and leaned back against the table, holding herself up with both hands on her sides. Thrúd remained silent for a few moments more, trying her best to find the words to describe how Lúnda's friend was currently handling his loneliness. "He's, er . . . he's struggling."
Lúnda's mouth pressed itself into a firm line as she nodded in understanding.
"I told him about the project over in Midgard. Said there was room for more help if he was interested," Thrúd added, hoping against hope that that bit of information would relieve the dwarf of some of her sorrow. She wasn't surprised when it didn't.
"That's about all I coulda hoped for," Lúnda said. "Listen," she began, "I know you weren't lookin' to be all buddy buddy with Sindri when you went out to find him, but . . . thank you for at least bein' there for him. A distraction from all this is what he needed to keep his head on straight, and I'm glad you provided it."
"I mean, I didn't find him so I could be there for him," Thrúd admitted. "I just happened to need his help."
"Being needed can do wonders for somebody who thinks they have no place to go. I don't know what kinds of mischief you two got into at his home-"
Thrúd felt it best not to mention how she destroyed his door, how he dropped her into a pit, or how he sent her on a bunch of life-threatening missions in the hopes of getting her killed.
"-but whatever it was, I'm sure that deep down, he appreciated the company."
At this, Thrúd let out a humorless laugh. "Don't expect him to say that anytime soon."
Lúnda shook her head. "He'll say it when he's good and ready."
If we ever see him again at all, Thrúd couldn't help but think to herself.
"But, anyways," Lúnda said, changing the subject, "what brings ya out and about in the Alfheim desert, lil lady? Off on another adventure?"
Thrúd shrugged and held a hand over Mjolnir. "You could say that. I have one more thing I need to di before Mjolnir is fully ready." Lúnda leaned against the table in rapt attention. "Sindri told me that now I have to hold it inside the light of Alfheim for thirteen seconds in order for his work to become permanent."
"The light of Alfheim?" Lúnda repeated, leaning away in shock. For a moment, she looked ready to give Thrúd her own advice on how to handle the upcoming situation. But after reminding herself that Thrúd was in possession of her father's hammer, her demeanor calmed itself again.
"Well, it sure is a good thing that you got that hammer with ya to fend off those Elves. They've been at each other's throats in that temple over there since Ragnarok ended."
Lúnda hadn't expected this bit of news to deflate Thrúd's motivation, but it did. The young goddess let out a long, almost pained breath as her shoulders slumped. "Great," she snapped.
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Lúnda said, "Well it shouldn't be a big deal, should it? You oughta be able to make quick work over there if you use-"
"If I use the hammer for offense prematurely, Sindri's work on it will become useless. And he was very clear about it being impossible to replicate."
"Oh," Lúnda acknowledged. "Well, that ain't the best spot to be in."
"No. It's not," Thrúd agreed. "But Hugin went off to the temple to see if the coast was clear. He'll be back once they're done killing each other over there."
"Well, there ya go!" Lúnda chirped brightly. "I told you that you two make a good team!"
"And I told you that he has his uses. Occasionally."
Ignoring the jab, Lúnda wondered, "So, whatcha gonna do until he comes back?"
Thrúd blinked, not having considered the idea yet.
She can't train with Mjolnir. Any accidental motion could result in Sindri's work disappearing forever. Exploring was also out of the question. She couldn't run the risk of Hugin returning to find that she'd wandered off and waste more time trying to find her. Or worse yet, risk running into Grámtrist and have no way to defend herself against his attacks.
"I, uh, I guess . . ." she trailed off. "I guess I just have to stay put until he gets back."
Lúnda nodded in understanding. "Well unfortunately, I can't stay here for much longer to keep you company. Got other locations that my customers like to visit. But," she walked over to her workshop and reemerged with a stool, "feel free to take this or whatever else ya think you'll need to make yourself comfortable until he's back. Got some spare wood in here too if you get cold and need to start a fire."
Thrúd smiled at the dwarf's good will and generosity. She reached over the table and grabbed the stool from her stubby arms. "Thanks, Lúnda," she said, "but this should do just fine."
With a salute, the dwarf vanished from sight, off to assist her other clients. Maybe Kratos or Freya, Thrúd thought.
Stool in hand, Thrúd turned around and walked back to where Hugin had dropped her off. She set the stool down and sat herself on top of it, letting out a large breath as she did. With nothing left to do, Thrúd propped her elbows on her knees and waited.
And kept waiting.
Then she waited some more.
Before long, just like her time in Muspelheim as she waited for her opponent to arrive, she lost track of time as she waited. The reminder of her adversary made her on edge. She sat upright and twisted her head in all directions, making sure that Grámtrist was nowhere near her.
She only slightly relaxed when she didn't find him.
What made her more on edge was the lack of an annoying raven chattering in her ear.
Even more time went by and before long, Thrúd found herself getting another stool from inside Lúnda's workshop and setting it across from her first one. A seat for Mjolnir. She set the weapon down on top of it and sit herself down on her original seat, leaning even farther forward and studying it as if she were first laying eyes on it for the very first time.
And in a way, she was.
The light emanating from the hammer still hadn't died down despite the amount of time that had passed since Sindri's work on it. The new markings and symbols that swirled across its faces almost made it a completely new product. Not unrecognizable, but different nonetheless.
No other person had so much as laid a finger on it since its conception who-knows-how-long ago until Sindri mere hours ago. What would her dad think of her allowing him to tinker with it? To potentially tarnish its legacy after barely any time had passed since she began to wield it herself?
She shook her head of those thoughts, doing her best to convince herself that this was the only course of action in order to reach her goal of both solidifying her father's legacy and helping people realize he was more than a fat, drunk murderer.
For that to happen, she needed Mjolnir safe. For it to be safe, she needs to take it to the Light of Alfheim. Simple as that.
And before she could get to the Light of Alfheim, Hugin needed to return and inform her that the coast is clear; a task that more than likely didn't need to take nearly as long as it was.
She understood that the realm was at war and that battles could sometimes take days until the ending was sighted, but something felt off about Hugin's absence. Even if the Elves were still fighting, Hugin would have returned by now to let her know.
The urge to leave by herself grew until she fidgeted in her seat. She did her best to fight it and remain where she was, but more thoughts intruded.
What if something happened to him?
Could he really just be waiting somewhere unnoticed by the Elves until the heat dies down?
What if Grámtrist finds me in the meantime?
That last thought sealed the deal.
There was no way she was going to remain here in the open with Mjolnir more vulnerable to destruction than ever before. Thrúd formed a crudely constructed plan before she even rose to her feet:
Put Mjolnir in the Light, find Hugin, let Grámtrist find me again so I can kick his ass properly.
During her pondering session, she found that her fingers had entwined themselves and were providing a resting spot for her chin. She dropped her hands and looked at Mjolnir still sitting across from her, now more determined than ever to see her mission through to the end.
"I'll make you proud, dad," she said to herself before she finally rose to her feet. Thrúd lifted Mjolnir off of its stool and hoisted it high overhead, summoning a grand display of lightning and sparks around her body. "RRRRAAAAAGGH!" She screamed as loud as she could muster before allowing the power of Mjolnir to propel her sky high, leaving a singed mark in the sand below her.
Mjolnir still raised over her head, Thrúd came to a stop once she was high enough to see the majority of the Alfheim desert, just as she had in Vanaheim. Without Hugin, she had no way of knowing where exactly this Light of Alfheim was held, so she decided the best course of action was to gain as much altitude as possible to make her best educated guess.
After all, if this Light was so important that it divided the Elves to the brink of all-out war, it should be pretty easy to spot. Her theory was proven correct as she twisted her body around in the air and found an impossibly long, elegant ribbon of light coming out of the roof of an ornate temple and stretching into the stars.
Aiming Mjolnir at the roof of the temple, Thrúd soared downward at breakneck speeds until she burst through the roof, disregarding how long it took construct this ornate architecture as she did so. She found herself in a large chamber with the Light going all the way to the bottom, too deep for Thrúd to see. Circular platforms were constructed around the light at different levels with multiple walkways spiderwebbing in all directions stretching out of the donut-like platforms.
She got her feet underneath her in time to land on one knee, the lightning fizzling out a few moments after. Rising to both feet, Thrúd raised Mjolnir with both hands, prepared to risk the safety of the hammer to fend off the horde of feuding Elves.
The barren emptiness of the entire chamber only just processed inside her head before she was able to let out another war cry.
Thrúd had expected to find fancy art and architecture inside due to the realm's reputation, but she had also expected to find the Elves tearing each other's throats out of their bodies. If there was a battle going on, then that would at least explain Hugin's absence.
But if he wasn't here, then where was he?
She looked in all directions, only mildly put off by the ethereal hum of the Light of Alfheim being the only sound that she could hear. "Hugin?" She called out. "Are you here?"
This was probably the only time she was hoping to hear his annoying voice inside her head and chastise her for her lack of patience and recklessness at bringing Mjolnir into a potential battlefield while it was still vulnerable.
He would have been absolutely correct on both accounts, but Thrúd was too worried about him to care.
"Hellooooooo?" She let her voice ring out one last time before she set her eyes fully on the Light coming out of the floor she stood on. It must have been at least twenty feet in diameter and, from her point of view, infinitely tall. And maybe it was.
Shaking her head, Thrúd determined that she could marvel at it later. Despite her growing worry of Hugin's whereabouts, she logically knew that she could look for him after she put Mjolnir inside the light. Pushing aside her worries, Thrúd walked over to the Light. Before she knew it, it she was right before it.
Being this close to it, the Light almost seemed like a tangible object. The hum got progressively louder and denser the closer she got to it, giving her the uncomfortable inclination that it was a living thing.
Thrúd resisted the urge to reach out and touch it with her bare hands. She was far from a professional on it, but she was willing to bet the results wouldn't be ideal.
Instead, Thrúd decided that it would be best to get what she needed. Thrúd looked side to side, ensuring that she was alone. Determining that she was, she let out a long breath. "Alright," she said to herself. "Thirteen seconds. Here we go."
Mjolnir, still glowing on its own, was plunged into the Light.
Thrúd cried out in alarm as the Light seemingly tried to push the hammer out as if it was made of some kind of elastic. Keeping both hands firmly on the handle, Thrúd kept the hammer submerged inside and she began to count.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
A large set of hands wrapped around her wrists, holding them in place. An equally large hand held onto her shoulder, preventing her from moving at all.
Thrúd let out an alarmed shriek as she attempted to shake herself loose from the assailant, but their grip was too powerful.
"I suppose I really should thank you," Grámtrist's tinny voice cooed in her ear. "You have ensured that Embla's journey to the Light will be as short as possible. Soon, she'll finally be free."
