CHAPTER ONE

[of the stars]

***

"We are all creatures of the stars."

- Doris Lessing

***

Asgard, Over a Thousand Years Ago

Freyja held her newborn daughter lovingly in her arms. Aesir and Vanir men and women alike had looked down on her, unmarried yet having a child. The Valkyrie goddess cared little about what they thought though. Despite the 'undesirable' situation, Freyja still held favor with Asgard's Court and Odin still trusted her to lead the Valkyrie to victory in any battle.

Making her way to the throne room, the train of her golden gown that appeared to be made of metallic feathers dragged on the ground behind her. Two Valkyries escorted their general, making sure that she and her babe remained unharmed in their brief moments of vulnerability. Freyja was to announce her daughter's birth to the Court, allowing the Allfather to bless her in the process. After her daughter's formal introduction to the world, Freyja would return to Valhalla with her daughter and the rest of the Valkyrie guard awaiting their next call to battle.

Freyja may have been the Goddess of Love and Beauty, but she was also the Goddess of War. She was all things beauty and grace, but she was not afraid to get her hands dirty. She found her own beauty in the bloodshed of war. Men and women alike displayed grand acts of loyalty, strength, and valor in war. War could be ugly and dirty, but also noble and graceful in its own way. War created heroes.

As looked down at her daughter though, the babe's blonde wisps of hair curling at the crown of her head, her eyes shut in a peaceful sleep, Freyja vowed to keep her daughter from war as long as there was breath in her body. For with the good, came the bad. With the beauty, came the ugly. And with the light, came the darkness.

The Valkyrie soldiers pushed the grand doors of the throne room open as their general walked in. Everyone was in attendance; the nobles, the common folk. Odin sat at the end in his large golden seat, his pregnant wife Frigga stood to his left. The King and Queen's young son Balder held his mother's hand and looked on with childlike curiosity. To the right of the King, however, stood a looming darkness of which Freyja was always wary.

Hela, the King and Queen's oldest daughter, looked on at Freyja, a wolfish grin on her face. The Goddess of Death always unsettled the Valkyrie general. She was everything ugly about war, while Freyja was the honorable side. Two sides of the same coin.

Doing her best to ignore the dark daughter of Asgard, Freyja reached the foot of Odin's throne and knelt on the ground, her infant daughter wrapped protectively in her arms.

"Allfather, I present to you my newborn daughter, Kelda. Please bless her with a happy, healthy, and prosperous future, my king," Freyja called out, bowing her head.

Odin stood from his throne and approached the warrior goddess. Freyja was a trusted ally ever since the quarreling between the Aesir and Vanir came to a halt. She was one of the reasons why the fighting had ceased, offering herself to be an ambassador between the two races of Asgardians. Her prowess in both magic and combat had made her an awe-inspiring general to the renowned Valkyries. Moreover, not only was she an ally, but a friend to himself and his family.

The Asgardian King reached out to his friend who passed her daughter over to him carefully. Pressing a blessed kiss on the infant's forehead, he spoke to the room, "I bless your daughter, Freyja. May she have a happy, healthy, and prosperous future indeed. Behold Kelda, Goddess of Winter Storms!"

The throne room rang out in applause and cheers at the newly appointed goddess of the King's Court. With that simple kiss from the powerful king on her forehead, the child would be blessed with a special power to aid her throughout her life.

Odin returned the babe to her mother who smiled down at her daughter. The infant, now awake from the thunderous applause, cooed happily, while other babies would be annoyed and cry at the noise.

Freyja remained in her kneeling position as the royal family led the procession out of the throne room and to the banquet hall. Once Hela had passed, the Valkyrie general rose to her feet and followed. The rest of the attendees were not far behind.

The feast that followed the Blessing of Kelda was a lively one. Ale flowed freely throughout the attending nobleman and common folk alike. Even the servants enjoyed themselves, mingling freely amongst those they served. Odin conversed with his army generals, Hela never far from his side. Frigga on the other hand, sat with Freyja, chatting about anything and everything. She gave some helpful advice to her close friend and new mother, offering her a helping hand whenever she may need it. While Odin was the iron will of Asgard, Frigga was the gentle touch. They complimented each other in a way that Freyja had never experienced with anyone, thus why she was not married.

As the two women conversed, Balder, the rambunctious prince, ran to his mother's side. His curiosity about the baby finally winning over. "Mother, can I please see Kelda now?"

Frigga, a tad shocked at her son's sudden interruption, simply looked to Freyja as the decision was up to her. Freyja nodded to Frigga and turned towards the young boy. "Of course you can meet her my prince." Freyja shifted on the bench seat of the table, allowing Balder to sit between his mother and the warrior goddess. She angled her body so that the young prince could get a good look at her beautiful babe.

Balder reached over, his small hand gently caressing the baby's hand. Kelda's closed eyes opened at the touch and looked at Balder. She cooed happily, wrapping her tiny fist around the young boy's finger. Balder smiled brightly at the blonde child.

He looked up to the two mothers who watched the scene in amusement. "When can I play with her?"

Frigga and Freyja chuckled at the young prince's eagerness for a new friend. "You cannot play with her yet, sweet boy," Frigga told her son. "You have to wait until she is older." Balder frowned at the news before his bright smile returned. Turning back to Kelda, he whispered to the baby, "That's alright, Kel. I can wait. Then, we'll be the best of friends."

***

Unfortunately, not even a full year after the blissful events of Kelda's blessing, Asgard was engaged in the ugliest battle that Freyja had ever fought.

Odin, having conquered Nine Realms, decided to stop with the birth of his son, Thor. The Asgardian King knew that greed would steer them wrong in the end and only lead to Asgard's own demise. He called off any future commands and further plans for invasion. However, some did not agree with his newfound ideas of peace.

Hela saw her father as weak for stopping his invasion plans when there was so much more to be accomplished. She rallied supporters in her favor, vowing to usurp her father from the throne and continue their conquest where they left off.

Freyja, as the general of the Valkyries and ally to the crown, was trapped between a rock and a hard place. She must fight for Odin, in support of him. Not only to uphold their alliance but also because it was the right thing to do. Keeping Hela from waging war across the universe was the best way to protect her daughter. Kelda was the most important thing in her life. Yet, there lay the issue at hand. The Valkyrie Goddess did not want to abandon her daughter for war. She knew how dangerous the Goddess of Death was, what kind of power she could wield. Freyja would be lying if she said there was not a small part of her that was afraid she would never return to her daughter's side.

Freyja knew she had to fight though. Therefore, in order to protect her daughter, she said her goodbyes to the golden babe and took her to Frigga's chambers where the queen remained in the safety of the palace with her two other children. The queen wished her well, Prince Balder even vowing to protect her daughter in her absence.

Freyja returned to Valhalla to rally the Valkyries for the fight ahead. Hela rode her demon wolf, Fenris, to the Bifrost, loyal supporters at her back, and she needed to be stopped. As the Goddess of Death's army marched forward, the Valkyries flew down from the sky on their winged horses, swords drawn and ready to strike. Hela rose from her seat aback Fenris and into the sky.

With every necrosword that Hela threw, a Valkyrie fell. Freyja managed to avoid death as long as she could. This was war. This was her element. She should be thriving, but it felt as if Hela was always a step ahead of her. Unsheathing her two dragonfangs, she leaped from the back of her steed just as the obsidian sword took its life. Freyja tackled Hela to the ground, the sounds of Odin and Hela's armies fighting in the background.

Hela raised her foot, kicking Freyja in the gut and shoving her back. Freyja rolled, recovering from the hit easily. She charged ahead at the Goddess of Death, who threw her necroswords once more, but she was able to dodge them all. Freya's dragonfangs clashed with the obsidian ax Hela summoned.

"You knew this day would come, did you not, Freyja?" Hela seethed at the golden goddess. "I could always see the mistrust in your eyes."

Freyja used all of her strength to push Hela away. With Hela's midsection exposed, Freyja took the opportunity to slash at her. The warrior goddess felt her swords connect with flesh, but when she glanced at the blades, there was no blood. Fear flooded the usually confident general as she met Hela's eyes.

"What?" Hela teased maliciously. "Surprised that you cannot kill the Goddess of Death. My time here on Asgard has made me stronger. I will not perish as long as I stand on Asgardian soil." A loud cackle sounded from the woman as Freyja went to attack her again. And again. And again.

Every slash of her sword was met with a block. Freyja had never been so equally matched in combat. As a last resort, Freyja sheathed her dragonfangs and pushed out with her hands. A strong unseen force shoved Hela back, giving the warrior goddess time to collect herself. If she could not outmatch her in combat, the goddess hoped she might be able to rely on her magical ability to aid her.

Hela stood back up. "Is that the best you can do? I expect more from the Valkyrie general. Although, the fate of your troops doesn't say much for your leadership."

Freyja fumed at the mention of her fallen sisters-in-arms, the ones killed by the woman in front of her. If they were going to be making low blows, two could play at that game. "How does it feel? Your father turning on your once shared vision in favor of raising your brothers. Now, when you fall, they will take your place and you will have no one to blame but yourself."

The twisted smile on Hela's face fell at the verbal jab. She threw her necroswords at Freyja, but they disintegrated before hitting the warrior goddess as if blocked by an invisible wall. A smirk graced Freyja's feature, finally feeling as though the playing field had been leveled.

Hela tried to fire at Freyja a second time, only to fail again. The invisible barrier seemed to be growing closer to the Goddess of Death. Freyja reached out with hands, cupping them together. Any attack Hela tried to make was futile, the barrier now forming a dome around the dark daughter of Asgard. As Hela was subdued, Freyja allowed herself to glance toward the rest of the fight, seeing that Odin's forces were gaining the upper hand.

As Odin slew Fenris and started towards Freyja to assist her in handling his daughter, an idea came to Freyja's mind. If she could not kill Hela, then the next best thing was to trap her. Using all her power, Freyja concentrated on the space just behind Hela. A black portal opened, small at first but it grew bigger the more Freyja concentrated on it.

"What are you doing?" Hela frantically asked, glancing behind her. In desperation, she shot out as many obsidian blades as she could, attempting to break down the barrier that surrounded her. Unfortunately, Hela's efforts were succeeding. The more Freyja concentrated on the portal, the weaker she and her barrier became. Just as the portal fully formed, the barrier broke down.

Odin arrived at the fight just in time to force Hela into the portal Freyja created, but not before Hela could attack one last time. A weakened Freyja, never having used so much magical energy at once, could not have seen the necrosword heading her way.

The Allfather watched as the portal swallowed his firstborn daughter, taking her to Helheim where she would remain, imprisoned. Without their leader, her forces would fall and Asgard could move forward into a more peaceful era. However, peace did not come without sacrifice.

He heard the gasp before he turned, but when he did, he felt a sick feeling in his gut.

Freyja stood before him, the last obsidian sword Hela had managed to throw protruding from her abdomen. The light armor that all the Valkyries wore started to soak through with blood. Just as the warrior goddess collapsed, Odin caught her and laid her gently on the ground.

"We must get you to the castle, to the infirmary," Odin insisted, but Freyja stopped him.

"You know it is already too late for me. The portal weakened me. It will not be long. The only thing I ask of you old friend is to watch over my dove for me. Kelda will need someone to look after her."

"Of course Freyja. Rest easy knowing your daughter will be looked after," Odin promised. "May we meet again in the halls of Valhalla."

With a hesitant soft smile, Freyja closed her eyes. "May we meet again."

At the same moment that her mother took her last breath, a loud wail escaped Kelda back at the palace, for Freyja could not protect her daughter from the storm of war.

When Odin returned to the palace and informed Frigga of Freyja's fate, the queen wept for her lost friend. Kelda's wails had yet to cease, despite the ongoing attempts to calm the babe from the servants and Frigga.

An infant Thor remained relatively calm in the chaos as if knowing that the orphaned daughter of the Valkyrie general required more attention at the time. It was one of the only times Thor had ever been and ever would be so calm.

Balder attempted to understand what had happened from his spot on the bed, keeping a watchful eye over his baby brother as he was removed from Kelda's side when her cries began. He heard his father tell his mother that Freyja had been killed, but due to his young age, he could not wrap his mind around the finality that was death. As his father comforted his mother and the servant tried to console Kelda, he spoke up, "What about Kel? Where will she go without her mother and the other Valkyries?"

Glancing between his family and Freyja's orphaned daughter, he replied, "Kelda will be staying will us. I am going to take her on as a ward to honor my promise to Freyja. To offer her peace in her last moments, and to honor her as an ally and a friend, I vowed to look after Kelda."

"You did the right thing, Odin," Frigga assured him.

Frigga was in a fragile state. Hela may have become corrupt and attempted to lay waste to the Nine Realms and beyond, but she was still her daughter. Odin assured her that Hela was not actually dead, but banished to another plane of existence held the same finality to her. Frigga remembered the early years with her daughter before she became the bloodthirsty killer that Asgard knew her as, before she killed Freyja and countless other Asgardian citizens in her plights. Frigga loved her husband, but as much as she tried to push it down, part of her blamed him for the way Hela turned out. If only he had worked for peace sooner, maybe it would not have come to this.

However, now, with the loss of her daughter and her friend, came something gained. There was no replacement for a child. Nevertheless, Kelda was an innocent who needed someone, anyone to raise and guide her. Frigga would be damned if she did not step forward. Having two other young children already and taking on a third would be difficult, but Frigga did not fret for she had the aid of her staff.

Despite the constant attention and attempts to soothe her, Kelda was inconsolable. Balder stood up and walked to where the one handmaiden rocked Kelda. The handmaiden sat on a chair by the golden girl's bassinet looking exhausted as the crying continued.

Balder reached over and softly caressed the babe's hand causing her to grip his finger as she had before. The young prince leaned down and kissed Kelda's forehead. "It'll be okay Kel. I'll look after you," he whispered.

At his soft reassurances, Kelda finally quieted down. Her response to his promise made Balder smile, as did his parents. Like Frigga, Kelda lost her family but gained something else.

***

Asgard, Seven Years Later

Odin and Frigga stood at the balcony watching as their sons and Kelda played in the courtyard. After the battle against Hela, Odin sought the help of a powerful sorceress to wipe the minds of the Asgardians so that they would forget his maniacal daughter and her attempt to usurp his throne. He also did it so they would not remember him as anything but a benevolent ruler, which he had always been to the Asgardians. It was the rest of the Nine Realms who would believe otherwise.

Not long after the fall of Hela came the war with the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. Having been silently strengthening their forces since Asgard besieged them the last time, Laufey was poised to attack Odin's home when it was at its weakest, and that just so happened to be after the civil war Hela waged. Fortunately, for Odin, victory came to the Asgardians in that battle as well, as well as the submission of Laufey. Although Odin came back from Jotunheim with one less eye, he also returned with one more son.

It seemed as if Odin was in the habit of picking up strays these days.

If Frigga believed herself to be overwhelmed with one young son and two babes, she knew nothing until she had three infants to care for. Luckily for her, Balder proved to be a great help and very patient with the younger three. Though, that was years ago.

Now grown into beautiful young children, they played the wars they were unknowingly born into. Balder and Thor dueled with their wooden swords as Kelda and Loki watched on from the sidelines. Odin was preoccupied watching the sloppy techniques of his oldest sons. They still had much to learn.

Frigga, on the other hand, watched as Loki and Kelda spoke quietly to each other. She witnessed Kelda create a small rose from ice. The blonde girl cupped her hands in front of her, squeezing her eyes shut, and when she opened her eyes and her hands a few moments later, there was the ice rose. Loki smiled at his friend, before gesturing for the ice rose. Kelda happily handed it over to him as he too copied her gesture.

Loki was so naturally gifted at magic though, that he did not require the same amount of concentration as Kelda did. Instead, Loki kept his eyes on the blonde girl in front of him as he closed his hands around the ice rose for just a second before opening his hands. Once where there was a rose made purely of ice, now sat a real, live rose.

Frigga smiled at the squeal of excitement Kelda released. Her smile grew when Loki offered the rose back to the young Goddess of Winter Storms. The queen knew that her husband had plans for Balder and Kelda when they grew older, but she could not help but appreciate the relationship between her adoptive son and the girl who was like a daughter to her.

Loki was not close to many other children of the court. He was close to Balder and Thor in his own ways, but the other two brothers were more rambunctious and extroverted. Loki preferred to keep to himself, reading books to increase his knowledge and practicing his magic. However, with Kelda, Loki came out of his shell more.

Despite Kelda's closeness with the youngest prince, however, Kelda would never neglect to spend time with the other two brothers. Growing up with the boys taught her to be tough and not run from a good fight. Therefore, when Balder and Thor finished their battle with their wooden dummy swords, Kelda was quick to step in and take on the winner, which was Thor this time.

Where Loki was quiet and bookish, Thor was rowdy and all brawn. Balder may have been older, but Thor could easily hold his own in a fight with his brother. The boy, deemed the God of Thunder at his blessing, loved that Kelda was not afraid to give as good as she got. She could not afford to be meek, surrounded by such strong personalities her whole life.

As Kelda stepped up to fight against Thor, she opted for a dummy spear opposed to a sword. Frigga watched as her husband straightened in interest at this decision, but Frigga knew why the young blonde made the choice. Frigga may not have been a warrior, but that did not mean she had not spent enough time around them to know how they operated.

Swords were favored by a variety of warriors as long as they could easily utilize their strength in battle. Other weapons such as hammers and battle-axes were favored by stocky, burly warriors. Kelda was not one of those warriors.

Kelda's lithe frame could not support the weight of a large sword, let alone a battle-ax or hammer. Spears were a more flexible weapon for Kelda. They served a dual purpose as well, able to be utilized for close-range and long-range combat.

The young goddess twirled her dummy spear around her carefully. It was not a perfect balance for her, but it would do. The children circled each other as the others watched on. Thor, of course, made the first move. He may have strength on his side, but he most certainly did not have patience or tact.

He swung at Kelda's left side, and she quickly danced out of the way. She shot her friend a teasing smile as he regained his balance from the swing. Thor narrowed his eyes at her before a similar amused smile stretched across his face. Charging at her again, Kelda sidestepped, but Thor was quick with another swing. The blonde girl blocked it with the shaft of her spear before her eyes glinted a bright blue for a moment. If Thor blinked, he would have missed it. He shot her a wary look.

Kelda simply smiled and pushed against Thor's strike, making him take a step back. It was then that Thor realized that he was standing on unstable ground. Giving him a push with the blunt end of her spear, Kelda sent Thor to the ground as he slipped on the slick ice she created at his feet.

Laughter filled the courtyard. Balder not even bothering to hide his amusement at Kelda's little trick and even Loki let out a few chuckles at his brother's misfortune. Kelda, although thoroughly satisfied, politely hid her soft laughter behind her hand. Even the Allfather and Frigga gave smiles at the amusement of the children.

Thor was taken aback by his abrupt fall, but when he snapped out of it, everyone was laughing. The fight was not over yet though, not for him at least. He smirked before hooking his foot around Kelda's ankle and yanking, causing her to lose her balance and join him on the ground. Before she realized what happened, Thor was standing over her with his dummy sword pointed down at her.

"I win," he said with a wide smile. Kelda huffed, a little peeved that she let herself get distracted.

Dropping her spear, she held her hand out for Thor to take. He grabbed her hand and pulled her up, careful to avoid the ice patch that was still on the ground. Once she was standing, she melted the ice patch away, leaving only a wet spot in the dirt as a reminder it was ever there.

Balder came over patting her roughly on the back. "Great job, Kel. I thought you had him there for a second with your ice trick. Maybe one day you'll beat the 'Mighty Thor,'" he teased. The trio laughed before Kelda went over to see Loki.

"So, what did you think, huh?" Kelda asked him, seeking his approval for her trick. "Good enough for the Trickster?"

He smiled a smile that was reserved only for her. "Yes. It was nice seeing Thor get knocked down a peg, literally."

This time Balder, Kelda, and Loki laughed as Thor rolled his eyes.

The group was interrupted as Frigga called down to them. "Children, it's time to come and get washed up. Dinner will be ready soon."

A choir of "Yes, mother" and "Of course, Queen Frigga" sounded as the rowdy group hurried inside at the queen's request.

***

Asgard, Four Years Later

Kelda sat in the library, diligently completing the work her governess had given her. She must have been working for hours already, as she could feel herself fighting the urge to nod off. The blonde girl knew that learning the history of Asgard was important—knowledge of the past keeps those from repeating past mistakes as whatnot—but she could not help but find it all incredibly boring.

Scribbling away on her scroll, she did not hear the footsteps approach her.

"What have you got there?" Balder asked from behind her, startling her from her dazed state.

Kelda felt as if her heart had leaped from her body at the fright that he had given her. She was utterly convinced she was a spirit now. "What the Hel, Balder? How many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me like that?"

The teenage prince sat on the table next to her, "Maybe you should be more aware of your surroundings, Kel."

The young goddess rolled her eyes. "Should you not be in lessons with your father? Learning how to become the future king and all the delightfully fun topics that come with it," the blonde girl drawled. She had been spending too much time with Loki recently. His sarcasm was beginning to rub off on her.

"You are right, I should be. However, as the future king, I have allowed myself a single day of rebellion against my duties. Therefore, I am skipping the rest of my lessons and we are going on an adventure," he said, standing from the table and holding a hand out to Kelda.

"We? As in you and me? I do not think so. My governess will hunt me down if I don't finish this assignment," Kelda replied shaking her head.

"Now is not the time to sit in the library reading dusty books about my great-great-grandfather and his cousin and his cousin's pet bilgesnipe. Now is the time to live. So are you with me?"

Thinking about it for only another second more, Kelda wondered why she was so opposed to not getting this work done. She would rather be anywhere but the library at that moment. Her eyes were tired from staring at old texts all day. Without any more hesitation, she grabbed the prince's hand and they were off.

With her hand in his, Balder pulled her through the palace, avoiding anyone who would question what they were up to. Once they made it outside, Balder slowed their pace but did not remove his hand from hers. For the first time she could remember, Kelda looked down at his hand holding hers and felt a blush rush over her cheeks, and it was not from the running.

The prince guided her to the wall behind the palace and to a crack in it that was big enough for them to pass through. Kelda had never been beyond the palace wall. She never had any need to leave and she was too young to explore the lower town of Asgard. Balder obviously knew where he was going though.

A few minutes later, the two came across a clearing, a grove surrounded by lush trees and speckled with an array of wildflowers. Kelda was awestruck by the simple beauty of the hidden grove.

"How did you find this place?" Kelda asked the young prince.

He scratched the back of his neck in a guilty fashion. "Alright, so maybe this is not my first time shirking my princely responsibilities. I don't really know how I came across it the first time. I just did and I never forgot how to get back. Now I use it as my thinking space, a place to get away from everything."

Balder finally released his hold on her hand to walk farther into the grove. Kelda followed him and tried to keep herself from thinking about how she missed the warmth of his hand in hers. He laid on the grass and patted the area beside him, encouraging her to do the same. Careful of her long dress, she followed suit.

"Why bring me here?" Kelda asked after a few minutes.

"What do you mean?" Balder asked in return, glancing in her direction.

Kelda turned on her side to face him, "I mean, you said this is your thinking place. Seems like a personal and private place to show to someone."

Balder was quiet a moment before answering. "Well, because you are my best friend. And friends share things. With you taking on your own responsibilities, I thought you could use a good thinking place too. And well, mine is the best." By the end of his explanation, he was smirking at her.

She returned his smirk with one of her own before it faded into a genuine, sweet smile. "Thank you," she said sincerely. He nodded at her in reply before closing his eyes as if he were sleeping.

Kelda rolled onto her back again and closed her eyes as well. The Thinking Place was doing its job. Lying here on the verdant grass of the hidden grove beyond the wall, Kelda thought. She thought about her schooling and training, Frigga and Odin, her mother and how she should visit the monument to the Valkyrie. She also thought about Thor and Loki, as well as her new friend Sif who was the daughter of one of Odin's generals. But mostly, she thought about Balder, and how her closest friend since the day she was born was suddenly becoming more to her.

***

Hey, everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I have never written a completely original chapter in any of my fics so this was a real challenge for me. I was venting to a friend of mine about how stressed I was typing this out and wondering if it was good or just plain sucked.

Since Kelda is Asgardian and will be interacting with characters from The First Avenger, I wanted to start off the story with some background as to how she ended up outside Erskine's cottage from the prologue.

In the last section of the chapter, Balder is about 16 years old, Kelda is about 13 years old, and Thor and Loki are both about 12 years old.

There will be about 7ish chapters of her in Asgard and another couple of chapters with her and the Erskines before Bucky comes in, but their relationship will happen sooner than Anna and Steve's in Prodigy (which won't happen until later as they are a major slow burn).

So, as I said with this being my first 100% original fic chapter, let me know what you think!

Thanks for the support!