Loki's Daughter

Heimdall

Hela woke up with the feeling of something pushing her side. She cracked her eyes open and squinted as she was met with daylight. A little ball of fur was running around and happily yelping at her as she sat up. Hela yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Fenrir?" she murmured. The pup barked and tackled her back onto the bed. She squeaked and giggled as Fenrir then ran around her again.

She looked toward the balcony to see a completely clear day. The sun was out and bright, lighting up the room. The storm had passed.

Hela tossed the blankets off her small body and stood from the bed. Fenrir stopped running and sat at the edge, his tail wagging and his eyes locked on the small girl. Hela laughed. "Okay, okay. Let me get dressed and then we can go get breakfast."

Fenrir yelped happily as Hela went to her closet to find something to wear. She pulled out a black dress with frills and ran to the bathroom. She shut the door and looked in the mirror with a sigh. She grabbed a brush off the counter.

She could hear Fenrir running around her room and hoped he wouldn't break anything. Hela ran the brush through her raveen hair and hummed softly as she stared at the mirror. Now she knew who she looked like. Her narrow features and sleek black hair were her father's, as were her eyes.

There  was a crash from her room and a yelp from Fenrir. The young girl groaned and rolled her eyes. "Stop running around!" she called, quickly pulling the small nightgown off and tugging on her dress. Hela threw the door open and looked at Fenrir.

The pup was lying on his back, apparently from falling off the bed. Hela laughed softly. "Smart move, little brother," she murmured and walked over. She picked him up and slipped on a pair of shoes before leaving her bedroom.

Fenrir squirmed slightly in Hela's arms. She put him down and watched as he ran alongside her in the halls, yelping and barking as he went. Hela giggled and ran after him quickly.

Hela knew where she was supposed to go. The stables, where she would find her three other brothers. Hela ran past the gardens and pond, down the small slope that would take her to the stables. She ran inside and down the stalls, toward the last one. Her brothers were waiting for her there.

"About time," Vali said, a grin on his face. Hela rolled her eyes and grinned back at him as she sat on the stall. "Now that you're here, we need to work out a plan to find Father."

"We'll never find him on our own," Nari said. He brushed the white-blonde hair out of his face with a sigh. "He could be anywhere. The palace alone is huge. Eight years and we still don't know where everything is," he pointed out.

"It's not like we can trust anyone with this, though, Nari. We're on our own," Vali countered.

Hela listened to the two bicker for a moment. She sighed and slid from her seat, walking over to Sleipnir. She stood in front of him and laid her head over his. The eight-legged horse let out a puff of hair and closed his eyes. "What do we do, big brother?" she whispered.

Sleipnir's eyes opened and stared at her in an intense gaze that left Hela hypnotized. He turned his head and stared out the window of his stall. Hela's eyes traveled with his and stared at what he stared at. "The BiFrost," she whispered. Vali and Nari still argued loudly behind her. "The BiFrost," she repeated, "Heimdall." Her eyes widened. "The Gate Keeper."

"The Gate Keeper!" she shouted. The twins stopped their fighting abruptly and they all turned to her. "Heimdall," she said, "He'd know where Dad is."

Vali shifted from foot to foot. "Yeah, he probably does. But that doesn't mean we can trust him. He'll probably tell Uncle and then we'll all be in trouble."

"We don't know that. And Vali, he's our only lead," she pressed. She clenched her fists and bit the inside of her lip. "He can help us."

"He can also get us in trouble," Vali said, sighing.

Hela was about to say something, but didn't get the chance. A guard walked in and looked between the children. "Heimdall requests your presence," he said. He looked around at the five children and added, "All of you."

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

"Do you know how dangerous a task you've made for yourselves?"

The five of them stood in a straight line on the BiFrost, all staring up at Heimdall. Fenrir let out a quiet whine and backed away behind Hela's leg. Hela's eyes fell to the small pup for a moment before they came back up to the man in front of her.

"Please, Heimdall, we just want to find our father," she insisted. "You know he's a good person now. He isn't like he used to be. He isn't bad anymore. Please, help us find him." She stared up at the large man pleadingly.

"We've never got to meet him, Heimdall," Vali pressed, "We want to meet him. We just want to be a family again. A real family."

The five stared up at him and for a moment Hela thought she saw pity in Heimdall's eyes. He let out a sigh. "The prison you search for lies deep beneath Asgard's surface. He sits down in the pits of the prison, where only one cell stands, and he stands in it. To find the place you will need three keys."

Hela listened with large eyes, and she was sure her brothers were doing the same. Heimdall looked between them all. "The first key is with Thor. The second is with Frigga. The third and final key lies with Odin himself."

She bit her lip, already wondering how she was supposed to get the keys from them. "Where are the doors the keys open, Heimdall?" Vali asked, stepping forward and clenching his fists. Heimdall's gaze fell to the young boy.

"Somewhere in the dungeons," he replied, "Each key opens a door that goes down another level." He folded his arms behind his back calmly. "You will know the doors when you see them, but they'll be hard to find."

"Can't you show us?" Nari pressed. He stepped forward with his brother, anxiety in his dark eyes. Heimdall's all-knowing eyes flickered to him.

"No," he stated, "I have done nothing but told you a few Asgardian facts." A grin slowly appeared on the giant man's face and he winked at them. For a moment, Hela was entranced by the gleam in the man's eyes. "Now, all of you go back to the palace. I've work to do, as do you."

Heimdall turned and walked inside the BiFrost casually, leaving the five alone and dumbfounded. After a moment's hesitation, they began to walk back to the palace.

"So, how are we going to go about this?" Vali finally asked. He looked up at the setting sun and sighed through his nose. "How are we going to get those keys?"

Hela frowned at the rainbow bridge beneath her feet. "You and Nari begin searching for the first door tomorrow morning. I'll begin working on getting the keys from Uncle, Grandmother, and Grandfather."

There was a silent agreement between the three of them at that moment and they sighed. Hela took her twin brother's by the hand as they walked and the five of them stared at the city. They now knew where their father was. They now had a plan.

I apologize for my lack of updates lately but I've been busy. This chapter is somewhat short but necessary for the story. Hopefully now I can start updating at a faster rate. On the other hand, I'm considering starting another story called "Loki's Warrior". I'm not sure if I'll go through with it, though.

I am, however, going to need a cover for it. If any of you can make covers, would you be so kind as to send me a private message?

If you like the sound of this new story, tell me so I can know if anyone would actually give it the time of day.

Thank you all for reading and for your wonderful comments, I appreciate them greatly.