MAGIC AND CROWNS ; loki

xvi. crash and lost

- - -

"Cora?"

"Hey, Brunnhilde, long time no see"

- - -

Two days ago

Cora walked through the gates, the gates that lead her to the magnificently glorious, undying and mystic land, Valhalla.

The heavenly realm was practically infinite, a lot of people were sent there in the daily after they had passed the series of trials and errors everyone had to go through to determine when they'd be worthy to join the angels on paradise, as the realm is always growing in population, it expands itself as it goes.

The place was divided in communes, most creatures stayed with their own species, humans with humans, elves with elves, giants with giants, etc. Even then, there were a lot of mixed regions, where people detached themselves from what they thought they knew and accepted the rest of their eternal lives, surrounded by beings regardless of their body, only caring about the soul

Cora was making her way towards one of the oldest districts, mostly vikings resided there, plus other creatures who sympathized with the nordic lifestyle.

She finally arrived and hurried towards her favourite bar, 'The Magno', and yes, it was ran and owned by Alexander the Great, or Alejo, for the friends. Don't let it fool you though, after a few centuries of being evaluated he finally passed to Valhalla, leaving behind his old conquering schemes and welcoming a new phase, the one where the only things that mattered were being the most renowned bar in the neighbourhood and his weird and innovative concoctions.

Cora went for the first time when her mother died and the crown fell upon her, too overwhelmed by grief and the chaos Freya's death had unleashed all around the realms, she drank away her pain and befriended Alejo, who let her crash at the back of the bar for the night, when it was too late in the night.

Since then she made it somewhat of tradition to visit him once per year, always on Magno's birthday, and that day had already come about, so when the man drying cups saw the woman walking through the doors, he didn't know if he should be excited or worried as hell by the double visit he was getting in the same year

"Coralina, what in Hel are you doing? When I was complaining to Lenora I was purely jesting, I didn't mean it for you to literally come here" stressed the man when Cora approached him, worried that he had drawn away the woman from her duties

"Good to see you too man, don't worry, I didn't come here for you" she assured, giving him a quick hug. Alejo feigned hurt at her words, but then furrowed his brows as a way of asking her who she was there for if not him

"Are the Valkyries here yet?" Asked Cora, answering his question. Alejo's face fell as it dawned on him what that day was, he was still proud of Cora for finally spending it with the other victims of the battle, he knew how hard it was for the grey-eyed woman.

"They are in the back, I'm very sorry, my condolences, queen" he said softly, she brushed him off with a small kind smile and said her goodbyes before going towards where the warriors would be

Cora had never joined the other valkyries in their commemoration of that battle, their last battle.

Sigrún died, and, at first Cora couldn't comprehend how, you see, Valhalla's royals could only die if it was their choice to do so, the most used method was the 'Stergne Gate', or 'Door of the Star', residents of Valhalla and royals of the realm could go through it and would become one with the universe, in the shape of a star. Since the royal family had Valhalla's blood coursing through their veins, they didn't go to heaven when they died, because they'd had access to it during their lives (even if the palace lied outside of the gates). Apart from the door, any other approach would work on them, a bullet, a blade, poison, anything, as long as the person chose their own fate.