Hela Takes a Holiday

by Rebekah Lewis

  Truthfully, she had no idea what she intended to do when she set out after Ragnhild. She'd assumed the woman might attack her, and she'd need a weapon. However, she had never raised a weapon against another. She wouldn't start now. She dropped the sword, but continued to hold the riders at bay with her palms toward them. They watched with rapt interest. Whispers in the dark surrounded them as they wondered if she would join them or deign to stop them from taking the woman behind her.

  In that moment, as her power hummed and willed itself around Hela and Ragnhild, she realized how to put an end to this before it truly began. They hadn't laid claim to any new souls as of yet, since Thor had been correct in his prediction that they would come to where she was first. Hela wasn't going to strike these souls down. What good would it do when they were already dead and could not be killed anyway? Nay, she wouldn't fight. She would do her duty.

  She would rule them.

  "You were not invited here." Her hair continued to whip around her as the ghostly riders watched from atop their mounts, their heads cocked in curiosity. A few seemed agitated, tugging at their reins and fondling the weapons they brought along for the hunt. They didn't intimidate her. She'd reigned over them since they had died.

  The snow fell heavier around her and Ragnhild and the wind whipped through the trees. The sound more terrible than the hooves in the night had been before. Thor's lightning struck closer as the god came nearer. She could sense him through the trees, awaiting her next move.

  "I am Hela, Queen of Niflheim, Goddess of the Dead, and you will listen to me." Her voice rang with authority she had always possessed but never understood. Then again, she'd never had a chance to truly do anything with her abilities other than watch over and guard the realm these souls were meant to be tethered to for all eternity. "Go back to where you came. Leave these people to celebrate the Yule feast in peace." Her voice echoed as though a dozen of her were speaking rather than the mere one. She lowered her arms. "Or you will be dealt with in ways you cannot even imagine."

  She wasn't sure what she would do if she had to follow through with the threat, but they obeyed. They turned their mounts and returned to the sky. When she was sure they were traveling back to Niflheim where they belonged, she returned her attention to Ragnhild, who cowered on her knees, sword forgotten on the ground beside her. She stared at Hela as if she'd never seen another person, mortal or otherwise, in her entire life.

  "How can this be?" she asked with a shaky voice. "A goddess, but you allowed me to treat you so horribly." She shook her head and lowered her gaze. "I should have been punished for all to see."

  This was exactly the sort of thing she'd hoped to avoid by not telling the villagers the truth. "Stand up." She bit in a groan as Ragnhild abruptly stood, as though afraid to displease her in any way. "I came to Iskygge to live a mortal lifetime, not to demand attention and allegiance. I will not start now."

  "But, if the others knew—"

  "My husband knows, and now so do you. Nobody else needs to. I will not upset whatever faith they believe in, whether openly or in secret. I will not be the cause of anything like that, do you understand?"

  Ragnhild nodded.

  "Good. Let us return to the feast and enjoy the night now that the threat has passed." They reclaimed their weapons and started to walk when Thor appeared before them, thankfully without another lightning bolt. Ragnhild, who had been in the process of sheathing her sword, shrieked and dropped the weapon a second time.

  "You sent them back!" Thor said merrily. "I never knew you had such fierceness in you."

  Hela shrugged one shoulder, but couldn't stop a grin from escaping at his shock over her display of power. "My powers returned, so they were reacting to that, I suppose."

  The god of thunder shook his head. "Your powers returned because you took them back. You reclaimed your place in the pantheon while also staking a claim to your place here."

  "I do not understand." She glanced at Ragnhild, who gawked openly at Thor, and then asked, "What does that mean?"

  "It means, eh…" Thor became aware of their bystander and stared back at her for a second before arching an eyebrow at Hela and continuing, "It means, when Loki didn't follow through with the terms he laid out, you had the power all along to revise them. Loki will sit on the throne in Helheim—"

  "Niflheim," she corrected.

  "Niflheim." Thor rolled his eyes. "When your husband dies, so shall you. When that happens, you will return to your duties without complaint."

  "Something tells me Odin explained this all to you ahead of time." Her lip twitched, fighting a smile. She'd been preoccupied with Björn being hurt and trying to keep everyone safe that she hadn't considered the possibility of Odin truly allowing the dead to ride without his direct involvement or interference.

  "Aye." He grinned. "It was a test, of sorts. You did splendidly."

  When Thor flashed away, and the weather changed back to a normal, cloudy sky, Hela glanced around at the snow piling up high around them. She recalled the wall of it surrounding the village, and knew what she must do. With a quick thought, she released the magical hold over the area and her power tingled beneath her skin as the wall of snow around the village began to dissipate. The women began their trek back to the great hall, and as they passed the outdoor fire where what remained of the cut-up Yule log sat in the cold, Hela snapped her fingers. Flame erupted as though there was never anything amiss. Ragnhild stared at her, but didn't say a word.

  "My secret should stay as such," Hela whispered to the woman as the doors to the great hall were thrown open, and cheering, happy villagers came out to see the fire. Björn, expression serious, came straight toward her. "I truly never meant harm to anyone. My father was playing his tricks. Though he did accidently startle the priest to death..."

  The woman nodded. "Aye, that was most unfortunate." To say the least. But she felt as though she and Ragnhild had reached an understanding. She didn't want the woman to be afraid of her, but to trust her. Mayhap they could even be friendly now.

  Björn reached them and threw his arms around Hela. Was he trembling? "I thought I would never see you again. Once someone opened the window, I could not keep everyone from watching…" He sighed. "I had feared the only way they would leave was if you left with them."

  "Shhh," she whispered and kissed him, one hand clutching the sword at her side, her other arm around his waist. "I'm here for a mortal lifetime. To grow old and die before returning to Niflheim having experienced life and death all of my own." And she wouldn't have it any other way.

  In the chaos of the night before, Björn had forgotten to tell Hela how he felt. That would be corrected as soon as she woke. There had been much celebrating in the aftermath of the Oskoreia. His father and friends weren't quite sure what they had witnessed, but they had stared at Hela with what he'd describe as respect and appreciation, but not with fear and confusion. His father had told Björn that Hela was the best thing that could have happened to him.

  He had to agree.

  Not able to stand being awake on his own anymore, he crawled back into bed and wrapped his arms around his beautiful wife. His goddess. He'd never forgive himself for the days he spent traveling out of fear that she would win his heart. To be fair, she had done just that, so it hadn't been unfounded. He was hers until death parted them. That, thankfully, wouldn't come for many years.

  Hela sighed contently and stretched, pressing her backside against him and he growled at the bear furs keeping their flesh apart. "My, my, someone is ferocious this morning," she said lazily, but she opened her eyes and a sly smile crossed her features.

  "Aye," he replied, grinning. "For my wife."

  "What will be done about that, I wonder?"

  He chuckled. Björn loved it when she teased him. However, the bed play could wait until he said what he had woken her to say. "I love you."

  She sucked in a breath. Had he said it too soon? Too quick? Was there a correct way to admit feelings to another person? H
e'd never said it to anyone else, and what if he scared her away? Even though she said she was staying, part of him acknowledged it was the twelfth day of her time in Iskygge, and she might still want to leave.

  "Björn." Her hands on his cheeks brought him from his thoughts. She giggled. "It is most difficult to know how to respond when you say something like that and then look like you swallowed a fly."

  He snorted, acknowledging that mayhap she'd described him accurately. "Did I say it too soon?"

  Hela sat up, clutching the furs to her chest. Her expression turned serious. "Nay, you told me when it was right to tell me. I have been feeling so many emotions for you that I have been at odds wondering if it was love or desire, or the desire to love and be loved in return…" She wrinkled her nose and laughed. "I cannot explain it well, but what I mean is, I love you too."

  His heart swelled at the words. He never realized how much was missing in his life without the love of a woman. He raised a hand to his chest where his anxiously beating heart resided. "What did I do to deserve you?"

  Tears formed in the corner of her eyes. "Sometimes, when I look at you, when you kiss me, I ask myself that same question."

  When they made love that morning, Björn was convinced that no one could be happier than they were in that moment. And that nothing, or no one, could ever attempt to tear them apart again.

  Epilogue

  Sixty-one years later…

  Hela opened her eyes and groaned at the frigid air around her. It reminded her of the time she spent in Niflheim. Their room had grown darker than she had ever seen it, and their bed firmer than it had been when they crawled under the covers. Was Björn awake already? She felt around for the warm furs, but there weren't any. She sat up and blinked.

  Something wasn't right.

  "Björn?" she called out and flinched, and then her hand went to her throat by sheer reaction. Her voice was different. So was her skin. Over the years, she'd allowed herself to age like the mortals around her, and her skin had become coarser, looser. Her voice, huskier. Now her skin was firm and smooth, her voice the way it had been…before. "Say it is not true…"

  Panic gripped her heart and she sat up, only to find she was on the floor and a pair of glowing yellow eyes were fixated on her in the darkness. She knew those eyes.

  "Níðhöggr?" she asked, dreading the truth. The reason for her being back. "If that's you…" Her voice shook. "Can you light the hearth, please?"

  The glowing eyes narrowed, but the dragon turned away and blue flames glowed from within its throat before he expelled it in the direction of the hearth, igniting it instantly, and filling the throne room with light.

  Her throne room.

  Had the past sixty-one years been a dream? A trick? As she stood, she smoothed out the simple white dress she’d often worn before her time on Midgard. Had she been wearing it before she left, or had it been one of the gray dresses instead? She couldn't recall. Had stopped caring what she wore or didn't wear in those days. At least her skin didn't have the blue hue it had started to take on before she left. Had her heart and soul been thawed in her time away? She hoped so.

  "You have returned." The bored voice had come from behind her. "How do you feel about the experience?"

  "Why?" she wailed as overwhelming grief tore through her. Being home meant her husband had died. But they had only laid down to go to sleep. He hadn't been ill. He hadn't been injured. "I am your daughter. Why would you deceive me so horribly?" What if her father had called her back because he couldn't stand to cover her duties any longer? What if Björn woke up to find her gone? It would break his heart. Tears fell from her eyes as she imagined the man she had grown to love with all her heart searching for her and unable to ever find her again.

  "Hela, I—" He grabbed her hands and held them steady. She hadn't even realized she had moved toward him, had tried to strike him. "Hela. I did not deceive you." His lips twitched. "This time."

  "Liar! You deceived me from the start, manipulating the weather, trying to turn Björn against me." She could barely speak his name without pain ripping through her heart.

  He had the decency to look abashed. "Mayhap I tried to at first, but once you gained use of your powers, I honored your wish. I kept him safe from harm until his body could not survive another harsh winter. He died, and I brought you back here."

  "You…what?" She wiped at her tears, blinking at him. "I was supposed to die with him—I…died?" She hadn't even felt it happening.

  Loki sighed and leaned against a pillar, so she sat beside him on her throne, raising her feet into the large chair and hugging her knees against her chest. Björn…he had died right beside her, and she hadn't even known. Had he suffered? Despair bore the weight of stone in her chest and she shook her head, denying everything. How had she thought love was enough when a mortal lifespan ended so swiftly?

  "I never intended you to die," Loki said finally. "That is what I failed to tell you before I sent you to Midgard. When it was time for you to die, you would be returned to Helheim. I never thought you would fall in love, that you would make it past the twelve days. I—"

  "You always thought the worst of me, Father." Hela stood again and paced the room. She had gotten everything she wanted, and now she was supposed to sit here in this cold, dark room and be grateful while never leaving again? Well, she was grateful for having lived a full life with Björn. They'd had three children, all still living, grown and starting families.

  Oh, gods. Her babies would have to grieve the loss of both parents at once. "Is there…a body left to pass as me?" When Loki raised an eyebrow, she added, "So my children don't believe I have been abducted or left them."

  He snapped his fingers. "There is now." She didn't want to think about whose body he'd altered to look like her. She let out a sob. How would she survive without her family? Before, she'd been alone, but now that she had experienced love, loneliness frightened her. All she had was time and emptiness. And a dragon. Níðhöggr snorted as though he knew he'd been lumped into her list of resentments and glared at her while gnawing vigorously on Yggdrasil's roots.

  Had she even told Björn she'd loved him one last time before he died? She told him often, but what if she forgot? Now she never could! As soon as the panic overcame her, it subsided as clarity snapped her back out of it. She could still tell him. Because of her, his belief in the Norse gods had never wavered, and it would make his soul hers to claim by right. He didn't die in battle, so Valkyries wouldn't take him to Valhalla. Björn would be here already, in Niflheim.

  Björn was in Niflheim. Forever. Just like she was.

  "Hela, that look on your face is quite disturbing," Loki said cautiously. "Why are you smiling."

  She wouldn't tell him. However, as daughter to a trickster god, she had learned a thing or two. "Fret not. Nothing is amiss, thank you. I achieved everything I meant to find in my time on Midgard. I was merely upset at the abrupt change."

  He didn't look convinced. "Are you certain?"

  "Of course I am. Leave me, please. I need to adapt again to this dismal fortress."

  He didn't remind her that she hated being alone, but instead cocked his head to the side and said, "Summon me if you change your mind, my daughter. I never meant to cause you pain. I only wanted you to shake off the misery that you wore like a cloak." He hugged her and then disappeared into the darkness as though he were never there.

  Once he left, Hela straightened and stepped toward the slivers of the mirror spread over the wall above the hearth. Her cheeks and eyes were a little puffy from tears, but she concentrated on her powers and it faded away. Smoothing back her dark hair, she turned toward her throne and took a seat once again. The frozen stone didn't trouble her, but she still hated that chair. She looked around at the pillars and stone and empty corridors she'd always loathed. Her home. Her prison for all eternity.

  Her duty. And it was time to take advantage of that.

  She sat back in the chair in her most regal of postures. Then,
she willed the soul of Björn the Untouchable to come forward, out of the depths of the realm for an audience with his queen. His wife.

  It didn't take long before the shadowy soul formed before her, an old man who had grown out his gray beard and had lived a good life. When he saw her, his eyes widened. His lips moved, and she remembered that souls didn't have voices in her throne room unless she allowed it. She willed him his.

  "Hela, is that really you?" He looked around, bewildered. "How are you young again, are we…?" He was rendered speechless again, but this time of his own accord.

  "It was always true. I am young again because when you died, my time on Midgard was over, and my father brought me home to Niflheim, as we knew would occur. We are in my fortress. Just you, and me—oh, and Níðhöggr here." She nodded toward the dragon who gnawed contently, eyes closed.

  Björn's face took on various emotions. Joy. Despair. She could tell the moments where he denied the truth, and when it was accepted. "Is this goodbye, my love? Is that why I am here, for you to bid farewell to the foolish mortal who surrendered his heart to a goddess?" He held his chin high. So much pride in that man, even in his old age. Gods, did she love him so. But she hated that the doubt Loki had once preyed on in him still lingered after all these years. Had he always feared she'd leave him? She couldn't ask, as she never wanted to know the truth of it.

  Hela stood and sauntered toward him. "I could never say farewell to you unless I knew I would see you again."

  His eyes sparkled with unshed tears, but still his pride won against his emotional turmoil. Hers barely stayed in check either.

  "This is my realm, and what I say is law."

  "What is the meaning of this?" Loki's voice boomed through the throne room.

  Hela sighed. Of course she would be interrupted. She turned to face her father's ire.

  "I knew you were up to something. Put that soul back where he is meant to be."

  "As I was saying." She returned her attention to Björn. Loki had never visited her again since she gotten her powers back, and while she had known he was bound to her old duties, he didn't get to come in here and tell her what to do anymore. She repeated, "This is my realm, and what I say is law. The souls that do not go to Valhalla come to me. As long as they remain in Niflheim and I am not releasing them and upsetting the natural order of things, I am obeying all of Odin's dictates."