Your Majesty - Loki x OC

24: The Dreamwalker

FREYJA

"You're a difficult woman to contact, daughter of Njord."

I didn't recognize the voice that spoke. My mind felt numb and fuzzy around the edges, like I had slept for a thousand years.

"It took magic overuse to finally get you to sleep."

"Who..." My voice broke so horribly I had to swallow and take a moment before trying again. "Who are you? Where am I?"

The answer to the second question became no more apparent even as I tried to clear the sickly green fog covering my vision. I was lying on my back, the strange haze obscuring my eyesight. I ran my fingers along the surface I was laying on, tracing the bumps and ridges of dried bone mixed with dirt.

"So many questions," The voice said with mock sadness as I found the eye sockets of a skull just to my right. "You're in Helheim, and as to the first inquiry, you probably wouldn't have heard of me."

I struggled to sit up, my entire body feeling as if it were carved out of stone. My neck popped and cracked as I looked around.

A figure separated from the green as my breath caught in my throat. It was obviously a woman speaking. Her green and black bodysuit was torn to rags and her eyes had dark circles under them as if she hadn't rested since the dawn of time. A knot of black horns grew from the helmet on her head.

"Oh yeah?" I challenged as I stood shakily to my feet. "I'm pretty good with names. Try me, antelope lady."

She seemed taken aback. "Just to make you aware of the person you're disrespecting," She stretched her arms out to the sides and with an impressive display of magic, two swords materialized out of thin air, gripped in her hands. "I am Hela, Odin's firstborn and the rightful queen of Asgard."

"Nice try." I laughed confidently. With practiced skill, I plunged my mind into hers, ready to yank out her every memory...

Her mind burned. It was like everything in her head was on fire, bright and hot and ready to incinerate all it touched yet it froze my soul like the claws of a Joten winter. I felt my legs buckle underneath me and I shrieked I agony. My back arched as my entire body contorted.

"You have great power in you." Hela remarked casually as she strode toward me. "But you still have lots to learn."

I tore myself away from her mind, the accompanying pain slowly receding. I was breathing hard, too hard. "Who are you?"

"Oh darling, I'm more powerful than you could know. I'm the goddess of death." She sneered, clamping a hand around my throat and hoisting me to my feet so my toes were dangling above the ground.

My vision flickered and the memory of Frey's death seemed to overlap with what was happening at the present. I couldn't tell whether it was a Frost Giant choking me or Hela.

A malicious smile crossed her face as she launched me twenty yards through the air. I crashed into the sea of human remains and I felt something crunch. I just wasn't sure if it was me or whoever I just landed on.

"You have a decent throwing arm, I'll give you that." I grunted as I struggled again to my feet. My hand flew to my waist and for a scary moment my fingers closed over only empty air.

But then, as soon as I began wondering where it went, my sword was there, and so was a piece of Frey.

Hela gave me a slightly unnerving grin. "Stubborn little thing, aren't you?"

There was her first mistake. Never call me little.

"You've made a dangerous enemy, goddess of death." I pointed my sword at her nose. "Why don't you fight me yourself?"