If Aldrif had known it was the day of her first real fight, she might have been more excited when the sun peeked through her window. She might not have dragged her feet, studying the light skittering across her room from the gold walls of Asgard's palace. She might have chosen to practice her magic or swing her sword, not to study her face and wonder if it would ever command respect or fear like her brothers.

If Princess Aldrif of Asgard had known what was about to happen, she might have chosen something more practical to wear than a flowing white dress.

But so far all she knew was that it was Thor's day-her brother's day-and she would... she would...

She would hate every second of it.

Aldrif buckled a decorative chestplate over the dress, the glittering gold more like her mother's jewelry than anything Thor or Loki might have gotten. Her eyes checked the mirror and then slid across her room, finding her true armor where it stood useless on display. She raised a lazy hand toward it, consideration on her face.

But no, people might make comments if she wore it. Comparisons to Sif. Even harder to take than the comparisons to her brothers because... well likely because Aldrif could remind herself of all the idiot things she'd seen her brothers done. Made her brothers done.

Instead, Aldrif's hand gestured to the sword thrown at the armor's feet. She pulled at the magic like her mother had taught her.

A shadow appeared.

Almost like smoke, but without any softness, the shadow reached across the room and seized the sword. It lifted the weapon with ease and brought it back to the princess who caught it and buckled it at her waist. The shadow then reached up and fixed a stray hair that had drifted too close to Aldrif's eye before trickling back to the ground and fading away.

Aldrif studied the mirror again and found herself standing taller. She may be young but she had her place in Asgard. She would have a place in Thor's kingdom. She would serve her people.

If she only could figure out how.

...

It was afternoon by the time she saw her brothers.

Thor, devouring half a table, grinned through a mouthful of food when he saw her arrive. She couldn't help but smile back as she slipped into the chair across from him.

He's your brother. He loves you. It will be alright.

"This is how you prepare?" She rested her chin on one fist, the other hand settled under the table and summoning magic. She reached out a shadow, letting it sneak along the table.

Thor laughed. "Of course! You've got to learn to keep your strength up, sister."

Her shadow reached Thor's plate, her brother's attention still on her as he raised his mug. Aldrif sat up a little straighter for a better view, torn between stealing an apple or just tossing it at his face. She would have to move quickly: if Thor threw the mug into the fire, the flash of light would reveal her plan. Unless maybe she-

"Oh, no, you don't."

Aldrif smiled at Loki as he appeared behind Thor and snatched up the apple for himself. Thor laughed again as he caught sight of her magic retreating and turned to give their brother a thankful cuff on the shoulder. Loki staggered slightly and Aldrif caught a flash of annoyance on his face but he recovered quickly. Back straight, he moved around the table until he stood halfway between Thor and Aldrif, giving his younger sister a wink.

"Nervous, brother? Not like you to miss Aldrif's little tricks."

"Have you ever known me to be nervous?" Thor scoffed. He pulled back from the table and then reconsidered, snatching up one more bit of meat from his plate.

"There was that time in Nornheim..." Loki teased.

Aldrif lost interest-yet another adventure before her time. She stood and snatched up a bit of meat pie and moved slowly to the door. She glanced back once, resting a free hand against the door frame, to see her brothers looking serious and deadly. Fire glinting off their armor. Thor tall and brilliant and uncaring and Loki just a little bit shorter and a little bit more sinister and a little bit too earnest looking for the conversation she'd thought she was walking away from.

The princes.

Soon to be only one prince.

And she hadn't even had a chance to prove herself.

Aldrif walked away, heading down through the massive halls of the palace until they grew narrow. The rooms upstairs had narrow windows but here there were none at all and she glanced behind her as it grew darker. Sometimes Loki followed her. Sometimes she found Hogun with the other warriors lurking in a corner, usually with the latter trying to convince Hogun to play some trick or do something stupid.

Aldrif sighed as she looked at her path again. She was going to be late to the coronation. Mother would disapprove. Father would think she was just like Thor. But what did it matter anymore?

The princess smiled to herself. She was being even more pessimistic than Loki about this. Thor was less protective than Odin: he'd helped Sif show that she could be a warrior, hadn't he? Maybe now she'd have more freedom. She could do.... something...she didn't know what... But everyone would stop seeing the useless little girl, the precious innocent princess. 

There would be stories about her. Real stories, not childhood tales.

Aldrif reached the vault and nodded to the guards. They were used to her showing up at all hours to look at her father's treasure. Sometimes she walked through and picked her favorite weapon, sometimes she studied the magic and wondered how hard it would be to recreate it, sometimes she brought a book with her and looked for ways to destroy the things.

Today she simply wandered through the vault, not really looking or thinking as she passed the displays and the pools of water set between them. The guards continued their rounds, hiding any confusion that she wasn't at the coronation. Maybe they thought she was fetching something for it. Maybe they just knew how to mind their own business. Aldrif smiled but suddenly felt lost again as she caught a hint of cheering echoing through the vault from the distant throne room. Was Thor king already? Good. The people loved him. Everything was good. It was fine. She was sister to a king and she could work with that. She could get what she wanted. If only-

What was that noise?

Aldrif spun around to find the floor crackling with spreading ice, growing nearer every second. She drew her sword and found it trembling slightly as she gripped it with both hands and the guards stepped quickly between her and the enemy. Where was the enemy?

One guard took a hesitant step toward the decorative pool of water, breath fogging as it grew quicker.

He didn't have much time to study the ice.

A monster leapt out and impaled him, blue skin sharp with icicles, its own arms formed into vicious swords. It shrieked and turned toward the second guard and the princess where they stood at the end of the vault, ready to fight. Its eyes widened when it saw Aldrif.

Two other monsters, both with the same blue skin, appeared beside it and charged toward Aldrif. Their eyes were on the relic behind her and she moved to block their view, the relic's blue glow reflecting oddly on her white dress. She ignored the thunder of her heart and raised her sword, stepping toward the enemy and brushing the guard aside as she called up her magic.

The monsters hesitated at her approach and one actually stepped back. Its red eyes flicked to the mass of shadows gathering around the hand she'd taken from her sword. Aldrif's eyes began to glimmer darkly and she saw a hint of fear in the monster's face.

"A trap!" It hissed.

Now what the hell did that mean?