(VALI)

The training field was always busy, filled with people riding and fighting and yelling. Most of them were much older than me, taller than me, and completely ignored how I went from one section to the next. I ogled at the soldiers who lifted large bounders or logs as they grunted. Picked apart all the people on horses who could've been straighter in their seats. Every arrow that flew to the long row of targets couldn't compete with the imaginary ones I shot myself. Knives, axes, swords...they all called to me. Once I was allowed to join them, I'd surely be the best.

I headed for the final gate, which opened to a smaller field where Modi had his lessons normally, but an imposing guard in golden armor stopped me. The old woman who normally met us here was nowhere to be seen.

He barked, "State your name."

I gulped, craning my neck up to see all of him. He wasn't as tall or frightening as Thor, but I felt he could squash me easily. "V-Vali Lokison."

"This is a dangerous place for a young boy, you know. You sure you're supposed to be down here?" the man said, folding his arms as he glared at me.

"Aye. My mum wrote this note. She said if there was any problem, my father could answer for me." I handed him the scrap of parchment given to me as I left the chamber upstairs; fortunately, despite my protesting, she predicted how I'd need it.

Watching him read the note was torture, because I wasn't sure what it said. I wished he would trust me like the people at home did. Wished there weren't so many stupid rules. My palms went sweaty and I wiped them on my tunic over and over again. This was my chance to prove myself to more than just my family...prove that even if Narvi was smarter than me, I was tougher. I was special, too. Nothing was impossible as long as I could try.

When the man finished Mum's note, he looked at me with the same face everyone gave Modi—wide-eyed and suddenly more reverent than before. "You're part of this house?"

I shrugged. His question made no sense. "I...suppose so?"

"Who are you, again?"

"I already told you, Vali Lokison. My father won't let me practice things on my own, so I must join a class. Modi meets with someone here, so Mum wanted me to ask if I could, too."

The guard looked around as if to ask someone else, but we were ignored. "Um...Prince Modi's lesson was cancelled today, I believe."

"Oh." My heart dropped. Nothing to do, then?

"Tell you what." He looked over Mum's note again and sighed. "You're well-vouched for. I don't know if you'll like it much, but there is a small group starting soon with a few other pupils. How old are you?"

"Eight. Nearly nine, though."

"Hmm." He nodded to no one. "Most in this class are a tad younger. Six or seven. But I'd be impressed if you can keep up."

I shouted, "Oh, yes! I can keep up, I promise." My smile made my face twitch, like I hadn't really been excited about anything in weeks.

"You're certainly spirited, aren't you?" He opened the gate behind him, revealing the private field. "There's a squire at the back; ask him for help to get you started."

"Thank you, sir." I bowed my head and bolted past him, stretching my legs and sucking in the scent of fresh Asgardian grass. It was sweeter than what we had at home, and wetter, too. I worried if I stopped too fast, I might slide across the top—but once the thought crossed my mind, I tried it anyway. Instead of sliding, I tumbled onto the ground and rolled a few feet, dousing myself in thick dew.

"You alright?" the guard from the gate yelled.

I laughed instead of answering, stretching my arms and legs as far as they could reach. The sky above was a shocking blue—darker than usual, or was that my imagination? Either way, there were no clouds between me and the rest of the universe. I took a few fistfuls of grass and rubbed them into my hair, soaking it so I could slick it off my forehead and away from my face. When I stood, I swept the dirt off my black tunic, which hid any particularly wet spots. It was an appropriate warm-up, I thought, considering it was the most I'd exercised since running through the palace halls with Modi.

A flood of chattering came through the gate. Five other children, dressed in similar black tunics, too. They laughed with each other and skipped along the back wall to a red door; a young man, likely the squire the guard told me about, exited it at the same time they arrived.

"Are you all ready to spar today?" he asked with a grin.

"Yes," they sang together. The instant their voices rang out to answer him, a new fact became all too obvious.

Ugh. Girls.

None of them seemed to notice me, so I approached slowly and raised my hand. "Excuse me?" I halted when six pairs of eyes jumped to me in unison.

"Who are you?" the squire asked, stepping beyond the others. He puffed his chest to seem bigger than he really was. His short brown hair was unimpressive, as was his somewhat unsteady voice. He tugged the bottom of his leather tunic, which was the only thing about him that said he had any authority other than his height.

"He wants to join them," the guard at the gate yelled for me. He tipped his head at the squire. "Answers to Thor himself if there's any trouble."

"But I—" I wanted to correct him and say Father's name instead. The reality of how much power he had, though, meant I could use this to my advantage. I put my hands behind my back and addressed all of them, "That's right. I'm allowed to be here. You can ask Thor."

The girls giggled noisily behind the squire. More than one pointed at me.

"I don't like being laughed at," I said sharply, eyeing each of them. "Who are you to do so?"

"We are future Valkyrie," one of them said, stepping beyond the pack. Her short red hair messily blew around her face in several curls. "Why are you barging into our class?"

"I've never had a class here. All my training's been done on Vanaheim."

The girl next to the redhead scoffed. "Bet you chose this one because you couldn't beat the boys." Her deep skin nearly matched her tunic, though her yellow eyes glowed like gold. Almost like Tiwaz in the dark. She had no fear.

I clenched my fist. "I could beat any of them with one hand. With any weapon. With any magic. Boy or girl makes no difference to me."

For all that they were younger than me, they were quick on their feet and bit easily with words. "Looks like he couldn't even conquer the grass," the redhead muttered, to much laughter from the rest of them.

"Ladies, give the lad a chance. If he wants to spar, he can spar. You should practice with someone taller than you anyway." The squire looked at me squarely. "These girls don't come here to play. Are you up for the challenge?"

I kicked my head back to move my hair, which had flopped in my face from the wind. "Absolutely."

The squire smirked. "Introduce yourselves, girls, and I'll get your gear ready." He returned to the room with the red door, leaving me to face the troop alone.

"I'm Astrid," the redhead said, clearly acting as their leader. She huffed and stuck her nose in the air. "Daughter of Theoric."

Down the line to her right, the next three said their piece. A blonde with plaits named Erica, daughter of Hans. A brunette with strong freckles named Randi, daughter of Ton. The one on the end, a waif with a soft voice and nearly white hair, named Liv, son of Aren.

But on Astrid's left, the dark girl with gold eyes...she seemed to look through me instead of at me. "I'm Ragfrieda. I stand on my own. My father prefers I not give his name freely."

I squinted. "That's strange."

She shrugged. "I have a famous father."

"Not that. I was talking about your name, Rags." I chuckled and folded my arms. "Fitting, since it might be your job to clean up after I'm through with all of you."

She didn't appreciate my tease in the slightest. She certainly didn't take it in the spirit I intended the way Narvi would. Ragfrieda dropped her face in pain, letting one of her many small plaits fall forward across her cheek.

Before I could apologize, Astrid yelled and tackled me to the ground. "You take that back!"

"Ah—get off me!" I tussled with her as she yanked at my hair.

"Stop, both of you!" The squire ran for us, but the girl wouldn't relent. She twisted me to my stomach and pinned my arm behind my back. "Astrid, let him go."

"No. Not until he says he's sorry."

I wasn't completely unable to move, but if I used any of the tactics I might have at home, it would've only gotten me into more trouble. "I don't want to hurt you. Get off!"

"Say it!"

"Fine. I'm sorry," I said. She bent my arm a little more in a clear signal that it wasn't enough. "Augh...sorry. S-sorry, Ragfrieda!"

Astrid released me and stood from the field, and the other girls clapped for her. "Serves you right."

"What was that?" I flipped to my back and looked up at her from the ground. "You didn't even warn me."

"Does an enemy give a warning?" She slapped the hands of her friends, though the glare from the squire made her calm a bit.

"Are you alright there?" he asked me.

"Yes, I'll be fine. Just surprised." My face and ears flooded with heat, and I tried not to look anyone in the eye as I stood. Embarrassment I'd never known clouded above me. "Different rules than I'm used to, I guess."

"That one certainly makes up her own rules," he said while raising a brow at Astrid. "Let's agree to fight fair from here on out, shall we? I have enough pads and shields for everyone."

The girls followed the squire to the center of the field prepare for sparring, though I stood in place to gather my wits for a bit longer. Can't let this be it. Have to prove all of them wrong.

I didn't expect Ragfrieda of all people to tap me on the shoulder when everyone else was out of earshot. "I accept your apology."

"Oh." I blinked a few times and ended up slightly bowing to her, not sure what else I could do to show my regret. "Thank you. I truly am sorry for upsetting you; my brother and I neg one another sometimes...I suppose I'm not used to spending time with girls."

She smiled with the edge of her lips. "I understand that. My brother does that to me sometimes. He's gotten better now that I'm a bit older."

"I'll have a sister soon." My hair kept falling forward, so I raked it back one hand at a time. "Guess I don't have much time to mature. That's what Mum says, anyway."

She twisted her right foot against the grass and looked at the ground instead of me, then extended her hand for a shake—not too unlike how Father did whenever we made some kind of deal. It was strange for someone outside of family to do it. "Truce?"

"Truce." I took it firmly, releasing when she did.

"You never said your name." Ragfrieda glanced at me with her face tipped low, staring through long, wispy lashes.

My stomach flipped over. A jolt shook its way from the top of my head to my toes. I cleared my throat. "Vali. My name is Vali. Lokison."

She raised her brow and hummed. "See you on the field, Lokison." With that, she jogged toward her friends, greeting Astrid with a hug. They whispered to each other, trading one ear for the other. Once done, they both turned to me and went back to the same high-pitched laughing they had when they arrived.

I shook my head and finally moved to join them. My eyes were open wide and my ears perked to anything. I might've been young, but I knew enough—over knives and arrows and hearty fists...girls were far more dangerous.

The moonri—I mean, sunset on Asgard came fast, ending the day on the training field with the others. Despite the rough way our lesson began, Astrid and I went head-to-head three times. I pulled ahead, besting her twice. The others didn't stand a chance, and once I'd gone against Erica, Randi and Liv one time each, they opted not to do another round. Ragfrieda was the only one to beat me at every challenge, which I chalked up to still feeling guilty about making her upset before we started.

"Think you'll be back tomorrow?" the squire asked, nodding in thanks that I helped carry the equipment back to the small room with the red door without being asked.

"Of course. If I'm still welcome, that is."

"Sure you are, Vali. I'm surprised you don't want to go up against Modi, though. Isn't he more your speed?"

The mention of his name made my heart rush a little; he was already wearing on me the day before, and now that I had a taste of making new friends who weren't him, it was even more reason to choose other activities. I shrugged at the squire, though the way he nodded with understanding in return told me something he couldn't really say out loud.

A deep voice yelled from the gate, making me drop the collection of shields in my hands. "Lokison!"

I snapped to attention in his direction, holding my hands above my head to prove I had no weapon, not that it mattered.

"Father, it's alright," Ragfrieda said, tugging at his arm. "Everything is fine now."

My mouth dropped in awe. This was her father?

Heimdall, the gatekeeper, marched toward me with heavy footsteps. The closer he came, the more I understood why Father treated him so cautiously when he came to our front door. He was far more imposing than Thor could ever be. His gold helmet threatened to scrape against the ceiling of the overhang that covered the back wall. "I won't tolerate anyone upsetting my daughter. Least of all you."

Every inch of me trembled even though I couldn't move much more than that. "Heimdall, s-sir, I meant no harm. I swear it."

"Father, stop," Ragfrieda said, making a pitied frown at me.

"You are to go home to your mother. Now." He stared at her until she finally did as she was told, though when she reached the gate, she turned to me again. Astrid pulled her beyond it and out of my sight.

I shook my head. "I won't do it again. A ap-p-pologized."

"My child is quite precious to me, Lokison." He folded his arms and stood above me like he did the sword in the Bifrost. Ready to crush me if he wanted to. "You must swear never to hurt her again. Not her mind, her body, or her heart. Ever. Is that understood?"

"I swear." I nodded quickly, imprinting the words on my soul as I said them. "I won't harm Ragfrieda. Ever. I'm sorry."

Heimdall's eyes flashed—not too unlike the way the girl's did, though his were a bit darker. Within him, I saw a thousand stars. Years upon years. Time immaterial, as Father would say. And he saw through me as if I were a pane of glass. He relaxed his arms and scanned me from head to toe. When he reached my face again, though it was subtle and possibly my imagination, he smiled—just enough to twitch the corner of his mouth. Even that, I saw Ragfrieda do. If their skin hadn't confirmed they were kin, she was certainly his twin in how they moved.

I finally let out the air in my lungs when he left the field completely, and the squire patted my back to bring me back down.

"You alright?" he asked.

"I think so." I shook out my arms and went back to helping him with the equipment.

A famous father, indeed.