Chapter 1 – An Unexpected Arrival

The halls and corridors of the Great Royal Palace of Valaskjalf were always filled with noise, from servants gossiping to guards training in the yard. However, those loud noises were not what were currently occupying Frigga's ears. Instead, it was the ever-diminishing sound of a newborn's breath which grew steadily weaker with each passing hour that claimed the Witch Queen of Asgard's full attention.

The source was the small child wrapped in a crimson cloth, who with each gulp of air entered a coughing fit so severe that Frigga feared each one would be its last. She reached out a hand to gently wipe away the tears that were building up in the child's eye, before its breath had grown weak it had been wailing for hours between its brutal bouts of coughing, so fierce the walls of the room had shaken, but now even crying was beyond the poor creature abilities.

"Hush little one, it will all be okay," Frigga whispered gently, wiping the tears away from a set of tiny eyes before placing her hand gently on the child's chest to feel how strong it was breathing.

In truth, Frigga had no idea if it would be okay. The healers had already left, dismissed by the queen after they had informed her that the child was physically fine, but for some reason was struggling to breathe as if the air itself was the problem. They had also delivered the troubling news that there was nothing they could do but wait and see if the little one's conditions improved on its own. The healers could not in good conscience use magic to affect the lungs of an infant so young as they did not know what the long-term effects would be.

And so, she had waited all through the day then all through the long terrible night that followed listening to each laboured breath as the babe before her seemingly appeared to be slowly losing its fight to stay alive.

"Good morning my love, I've brought you something to eat." Odin's strong voice caused her to turn her head, her husband had arrived just as the sun was breaking free of the horizon.

"Thank you, you can leave it on the table. I'll have it later." Frigga offered a small smile before turning back to the child before her, another gasping breath escaping its lungs.

"Come now my love you must eat and rest. You have been up all night; I will keep vigil whilst you rest." Odin placed the offered food on the table and gently placed a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"No, you have duties to attend to that cannot wait and besides I have already cleared my schedule for the day. Go I – We will be fine." She placed a hand over her husband's hand and gave it a gentle reassuring squeeze.

Odin stared into his wife's eyes for a few moments before slowly nodding with a sigh escaping his lips realising that this was one battle he would not win. He turned his attention to the small child, his remaining great eye filling with pity at the suffering of one so young, Odin knew he could aid the child but was bound by duty and responsibility not to use his great power on one so young.

"Do you wish me to send for the children to keep you company?" Odin offered, speaking quietly but keeping his one eye remaining on the newcomer to his kingdom.

"No, my dear, let them play. In case my fears are realised I would not want to introduce them to a brother only for them to lose him as soon as they meet." She sighed. "They are still so young, best to spare them that pain." Frigga's words were spoken softly, as if fearful that speaking them would make them come true.

"A brother?" Odin gently turned to face his queen, an eyebrow raised slightly above his eye.

"Yes, my dear. For if he should survive, who else would take care of him but us?" Frigga met her husband's gaze with a small smile and a look that conveyed that what she was saying was of course obvious.

"Of course, my love, how foolish of me." Odin released a sigh shaking his head, a second battle lost in just as many minutes, 'I am getting old' he thought to himself.

With that, the King of Asgard placed a gentle kiss on his wife's forehead and departed the chamber to attend to the seemingly endless parade of duties, petitioners, and crises that he had to manage every day. Whose numbers were even greater today since his queen was not able to lighten the load as she always did, he turned back before closing the door silently taking in one last look of his wife and the infant, praying to his ancestors for the child to be alright for his wife's sake.

As if his departure had been a signal the child began another coughing fit, one of the worst by far, they were shaking so violently that she feared that this would be the end. Not knowing what else to do and feeling helpless just staring at the child Frigga lifted the child gently out of the cradle, rocking it gently in her arms as she swayed back and forth.

Whilst the coughing subsided only slightly the child was no longer tearing up instead bright sapphire blue eyes stared up at her in wonder as if she had performed some great feat of magic in lifting him.

'I suppose this was the first time anyone has ever rocked him or held him, at least the first time he would remember' Frigga thought to herself, remembering the state Odin had found the child, locked in a metal pod utterly and completely alone in the universe. 'Until now of course' she smiled at that thought.

Deciding that if merely picking him up was enough to distract from his current state, then bringing him out onto the balcony for a short moment would surely benefit him. Gently holding his head and pressing him slightly into her body to ensure she had a safe grip on him she moved towards the balcony whilst gently swaying side to side in an effort to keep him calm.

The breeze that met them was a warm one, which Frigga was glad of, hoping the warmth with aid in the little ones breathing, she smiled down out the bundle she was holding. As she did, she slowly turned him, allowing him to take in the sight that was now before them, the whole of Asgard lay below them.

The high mountains stood strong on either side of them with shimmering snow-white caps, below the city itself was a gleaming golden gem buzzing with activity, and if one looked close enough the edges of the forest could be seen and clearly in the distance the spire of Himinbjorg, Heimdall's domain where there.

However, looking down at the child Frigga sighed and smiled to herself, the small child in her hands was completely oblivious to wonders that he could potentially bear witness to, no instead the small child was fanaticised by the pendant she was currently wearing around her neck.

She smiled as carefully took it out of the child's hand. Despite his troubles breathing, he still had the curiosity of youth, namely the habit of putting things in his mouth. He whimpered at her for a moment, but a loving smile and gentle stroke of his cheek was enough to prevent further declarations of dissatisfactions.

"Oh, my brave little boy, you are doing so well. Yes, you are." She lightly bopped his nose causing him to giggle slightly, an act Frigga slightly regretted as he began another coughing fit. "There, there. It's okay, it will all be okay." She spoke softly swaying side to side once more in an effort to calm him.

After a few minutes, she stopped, at first because her efforts had yielded results the child's breathing had returned to normal, but more importantly because the little one's gaze was now fixed on the grandeur before them. Frigga's smile widened as she watched the boy's eyes widen in sheer amazement at the sights before him His head twisted in every direction to take in all it could: the sea of Asgard, the city below, the great forest, the tall mountains and even the sky which was filled with the vastness of space.

The little one's eyes were transfixed as the entire universe seemed to revolve around them which, as Frigga mused, in a sense it did. After all, Asgard was the Realm Eternal and did sit at the nexus of Yggdrasil the world tree. She gently aided the boy in his spellbound studies of the heavens, leaning back slightly to allow him to observe everything with greater ease, the act whilst slightly uncomfortable for Frigga was well worth the reward. The child in her arms had seemingly forgotten all about his breathing troubles, content to merely stare at the heavens.

Happy that the little one was now at least comfortable, Frigga had no issue with simply standing there on the balcony to allow the child to witness the grandeur of the world around him and the marvels of the heavens. What seemed to intrigue the child most was a small nearby Stellar Nursery that provided much of Asgard's light, the nursery was in its final stages and a few yellow stars were forming or had formed in its midst, where drenched Asgard in their brilliant golden rays.

Hours passed with Frigga holding the child and only occasionally having to move when something new caught his interest, but their gaze always returned to the yellow stars of the Stellar Nursery above them. It was only after midday had passed that Frigga had noticed that the child had finally drifted to sleep and that its breathing seemed more normal.

She gently returned inside and carefully placed the child back within the wooden crib that her eldest son Thor had only so recently given up. She smiled remembering how stubbornly Thor had clung to the crib when they had told him he would no longer be sleeping in it and was now thankful he had not broken it.

With a small wave of her hand, a light shimmer of her magic appeared around her hand, silently causing the crib to rise into the air and then move across the room to be positioned near the opening of the balcony. Thus, the child was allowed to stare up at the Stellar Nursery and the stars that had so clearly captivated him, and with that, she finally sat down to eat the food her husband had brought her.

A small, warm presence on her shoulder caused her to wake, she quickly discovered that it was that of her husband's hand. She blinked at the sudden lack of light and realised that she had fallen asleep in her chair, bringing her hand to her face she rubbed her eyes attempting to dispel sleep's last vestiges.

"Forgive me, I must have been more exhausted than I realised. What time is it?" Frigga looked at her husband, who merely smiled in return.

"Night set a few moments ago, so I believe you have been asleep for most of the day." Odin gently pushed some of his wife's loose hairs back behind her ear, caressing her cheek as he did so.

Frigga smiled and rose from her seat walking towards the crib, however it was soon clear that it was empty, and panic spiked within her, "Where is he?! Please, my love, do not tell that he has -" Frigga whirled around to face her husband.

"Peace my love, the boy is fine. Better than fine, in fact, his breathing is now normal, and his appetite has returned." Odin reassured, "He is with the wetnurse next door, I have only just sent him out."

"Thank the ancestors." Frigga sighed in relief. "So, have you learnt more about who or what he is, why he was in that ship to begin with?"

Odin's barrow furrowed slightly, and a deep sigh escaped his lips. "Yes, however not all yet, and what we have found is troubling."

"How so, my love?" Frigga gently rested a hand on her husband's cheek.

"It appears the child is Kryptonian and that his world, his people, are no more." Odin answered solemnly.

Frigga was shocked. Their homeworld was far beyond the Nine realms, true, but even she knew of the ancient and mighty Kryptonians whose history mirrored their Asgard had delved into magic and battle, Krypton had mastered science and logic.

Long before her birth, Kryptonian civilization had been the envy of all. For nearly 100,000 years their near-omnipotent empire had ruled most of known space. Before suddenly retreating back to their homeworld and isolating themselves from the universe. No one had heard from them or even seen a member of their society since before her husband's grandfather's reign began. Now, it seemed they were gone, all except for one small child.

"How did this happen?" Frigga's voice wavered with shock "What could cause the destruction of an entire people?"

"Themselves." Odin sighed. "From what little we can access of the ship's information, it appears the harvesting of their planet's core gave rise to a great cataclysm. The child is the sole survivor and inheritor of all their knowledge."

Frigga shook her head with sadness at the fate of a once mighty people. "Well, even more reason for us to raise him then. There are many that would want him and the knowledge he could possess. And few of them would be kind once they had him. We must protect him."

"You are, of course, right as always my love." Odin acquiesced to his wife's greater wisdom. "We shall protect him and raise him alongside Thor and Loki. He shall be a Prince of Asgard and safe in our care."

Frigga smiled and planted a soft kiss on her husband's cheek. "I had no doubt, my love, that you would see it my way." Odin chuckled in response. "Have you learnt anything more from the ship beyond that?"

"Unfortunately, very little" Odin grunted with frustration. "Mímir is with it now trying to unlock its secrets, but the ship's computer core is heavily guarded, and I believe that only a Kryptonian can access it."

"A pity. The knowledge would have not only benefited Asgard but would help us with the boy as well. We know so little about his people." Frigga sighed.

"True but we did find this within the ship." Odin lifted a small black object that appeared to be a pendant with an S-shaped crest on it, Frigga held it within her hand it was smooth to the touch and appeared to be made of a single solid black crystal. "And one other thing of great importance."

"Which is?" Frigga asked, returning the pendant to Odin's hand.

"The child's name." Odin gave a small smirk that caused his wife's eyes to roll. "He is called Kal of the House of El."

"Well, then in honour of his people we shall keep it. He will be known to all as Kal, Son of Odin and Prince of Asgard."