A Day to Remember |3996 B.C.E|

Since being reborn, I'd never celebrated mine or anyone else's birthdays… it just wasn't something people did. Which is rather strange when Asgards normal state is that of moderate revelry or celebration- whether that be over one battle or another, or just for the sake of it.

Regardless, there were two occasions that occurred at the same time every year, that of Odin waking from his Odinsleep around May, and celebrating the new year around January 1st (Being Marvel, the calendar seemingly followed Earth's own for whatever reason). Both of these caused the normally festive land to enter a real party mode, and were very hard to miss. Because of this, I had a semi accurate idea of my age… four years old, give or take a few months.

I knew they had to have more accurate records, but knowing wouldn't change anything, and I didn't care whether I had a birthday party or not… I got plenty of gifts and attention already, and everyone my age was too different from myself anyway.

Today we celebrated the new year- the only time Hela, Fenris and I would visit Asgard… mostly at the insistence of Odin. I'm not sure why, but it was fairly obvious that Grandmother was banned from entering Asgard, though by her own admission she rather enjoyed not being forced to attend this annoying gathering of obnoxious mouthbreathers- her words, not mine.

Aside from today, the closest I would come to Asgard otherwise would be during the Odinsleep- where I'd follow mother as she slaughtered any who thought to take advantage during such a time.

Back to the present…

The entire place was in celebration, with mead flowing like water, meat being cooked and served in enough quantities to easily satisfy Fenris, and many a brawl underway. Overall Asgard was in party mode, as revelry abounded around this golden paradise.

I was even given my own mug of mead, with nobody seeming to worry about a child getting drunk. I did get a slight buzz, but didn't notice much else… It tasted pretty good though. 

There were many competitions set up during the day, as I competed in archery (I could string and fire a bow, though not aim to save my life), ax throwing (I was at least half decent… if obviously lacking the muscle to truly compete), arm wrestling (I was stronger than anyone three times my age or under) and a game set up by mother where she'd stand in a ring and allow an unlimited amount of opponents to try and land a blow- with the prize being a blood stained sword she found rather striking (no pun intended).

Nobody won or even came close to winning at the last competition… with the possible exception of the valkyries if half of them weren't too busy fawning over me and Fenris- leaving the half that weren't, outmatched and on their asses.

Overall it was turning into quite a fun day, as unlike what I'd expect during such intense competitions, the losers always took it with humility or were fired up to do better next time, quite a bit different from the saltiness which had become so common in what I remembered. And at the end of every one of them, people would eat and be merry- strengthening new bonds and creating new friendships… It was rather nice and helped me to unwind from the month of off and on battles.

A few more hours of celebration, and about six more mugs of mead, led to it getting dark and causing everyone to pile into one of the halls inside the palace for a grand banquet.

…If everyone here didn't have such a fast metabolism, they'd still be stuffed from eating throughout the day. As is, Hela and I were seated to Odin's left as he stood up to make a speech to the entire hall while lifting a flagon of mead "We all have survived to greet today in celebration… though our many enemies have tried hard to make it not so. We have persisted through storms many would have been smothered by… and survived the flames of competition and war to emerge stronger than ever. We are of steel and magic, strong and powerful. We are Asgard… and we greet this new year not with fear or uncertainty, but with confidence and expectation… expectation of a brighter tomorrow and a greater future!"

The hall exploded with cheers, as the ground rumbled while the tables, chairs and utensils vibrated from the force of peoples combined voices. Many people repeated bits and pieces of his speech, being of steel and magic, and we are Asgard being particularly popular.

Odin smiled while using his free hand to motion for quiet from the crowd, a hushed silence filling the hall- "Today we celebrate another year of prosperity… of greatness and triumph!" Cheers erupted once more, and only when it had quieted a minute later did he continue "To my greatest warrior, and beloved daughter, Hela!" Mother raised a hand to wave, as again cheers echoed from all around "To the instrument of my will; the Valkyries!" And again "TO YOU, MY PEOPLE! AND TO ASGARD!" 

Likely waiting for this exact moment, multiple enormous trays were carted out, with each and every one being piled high with either exotic meats, giant pastries and cakes, or several pools worth of alcohol.

…All as the hall for another time rumbled with peoples cheers, this time accompanied by chants of 'TO ASGARD!'. I cheered myself, but was far too busy afterwards working my way through a small mountain of sweets to care.

Grandmother made sure that I ate relatively healthy most of the time, so seeing the opportunity for what it was, I made sure to stuff my gullet with all of the sugary treats that crowded the tables. I was still smaller than most, and could easily weave through the crowds (or brawls) surrounding the plates, helped along by the valkyries or mother more than happy to help me get the best pieces.

In fact… I may have eaten a bit too much, oh no… I rushed out of the hall under the amused stares of a few. Seems after an hour's worth of stuffing my face, I was facing some trouble, and as I got outside I rushed to a nearby bush to hurl my guts out. 

*Coff Coff*

"Ugh… well well well, if it isn't the consequences of my own actions"

*Coff Coff Coff*

"Worth-"

*Coff*

"-It" 

You know… I'm starting to think the mead had more of an effect than I thought…

"Too many sweets?" 

?!

Turning around, I could see Odin sitting on the steps outside the hall, an amused smile covering his face as his only eye watched my miserable state with a good amount of humor. He took a long, loud sip from a mug of mead before saying "Too many of those will rot your teeth you know?"

I looked at him with a cheeky smile "Won't too many of those-" I pointed at his mug "-Make you go blind?"

He looked stunned for a moment, looking back and forth from the mug and myself, before cracking up into great guffaws "HAHAHA! It'll take a lot more than a little mead to claim my other eye… but I get your point. Enjoy your treats then." He returned my smile, before upending the entire mug and taking about two seconds to chug the rest of the mead. That mugs bigger than my head?!

"Ah…" He finished the drink and took a few moments to wipe the froth from his face. Done with that, he once again started a conversation "So… you've seen the battlefield already. How was it?"

The question changed the atmosphere from jovial to awkward pretty damn quick, with me not really sure how to answer such a strange question. "Uh… good? Actually…" I thought back on my hesitation, on how much weaker than mother I was "...It was messier than I thought it would be… and I was both stronger… and weaker than expected."

Odin listened intently, before rubbing his chin for a bit and responding "The messiness I can understand fully… Nobody is ever prepared for the blood, for it to soak into everything, and for that metallic smell to eventually become so familiar. Likewise the reality of death on the field of battle is never as clean and straightforward as we would like, as is the nature of war."

He raised a single eyebrow while looking at me "Being stronger than expected is, ironically, expected. We are of Asgard, and far beyond the limits of all but a few of our foes. But you also thought yourself to be weaker than expected? How so?"

I thought back on my results versus mothers, on her words about my foes being demoralized, tired and weak "The enemies I faced… no, calling them enemies isn't even correct… The fodder I faced was just that; fodder. Not a true threat or an enemy, just… weak. And yet I still wouldn't have stood a chance against all of them by myself."

Odin donned an amused smile, no doubt thinking of it as little more than a child's jealousy toward his mothers ability, or perhaps impatience toward my own growth and current ability "Well… with time that won't be a problem. My first time in a battle was far worse than your own, with me being over double your age, and still not getting out unscathed-'' He pulled his collar aside to show me a scar running near his left shoulder "-The point is to grow from your experiences, and take each of them as a learning opportunity. I may have started out with a bad showing, yet I dare anyone to say I am weak today."

He looked rather proud toward the end… but I knew just how many beings could look him right in the eye and call him weak. And that number was not low. Nevertheless, he was certainly in the upper tiers of strength all things considered.

…And, he was right about one thing. Treating them as learning experiences huh… honestly it rather reminded me of RPG's where the hero worked their way up to insane levels of strength by fighting gradually stronger foes. A childish thought perhaps… but I was a child so…

"...Then I just need more chances to learn?" 

As if the idea had never popped into his head, Odin seemed to have a 'eureka' moment, before nodding and saying "Precisely! And you'll certainly have them by following your mother around… but how much would you truly learn from such instances? Ones where your enemies are nowhere near their peak, and with the safety net of (albeit not truly dying) suffering grievous bodily harm?"

He rubbed his chin, seemingly thinking of a way to solve the issue, and again it was as if a lightbulb went off above his head. "Hmm… in that case what you'd need would be somewhere you can fight without restraint." He muttered to himself for a moment before looking back at me "...And I might have just the place… if you'd be interested?"

I felt like I'd walked into a trap, but couldn't exactly back out. For how much he acted like a jovial grandfather, he was ultimately still my king, and saying no wasn't really an option… or at least the consequences wouldn't be worth it. "...What did you have in mind?"

He nodded at my quick response "Well you see, there is a city in the realm of Svartalfheim, currently being defended by some of the remnants of Malekith the accursed-" A look of intense annoyance crossed his face "-It is currently under a barrier deflecting any attempt at entry. With that damned magic at play, we have little option other than waiting for it to drop. So long as it stands, we are unable to advance further into their territory, as having them possibly drop the barrier to pincer our forces is an annoying threat… not to mention costly regardless."

A brief look of hatred passed over him "They are the last stronghold barring our progress in Svartalfheim. Should they fall… the realm will be ours." He looked back at me "And that's where you come in. They think they have us at a stalemate… all but assured that they are safe behind their walls… they are wrong. Beneath the city is a natural underground source of water, it being connected to every well in the city, thus allowing them to hold for as long as they have."

He now grinned like a man who had figured out the winning move "Now it is far too small to allow a regular soldier enough room to infiltrate through- thus their assurance. But…" He looked me over. "...Perhaps just the right size for you."

Holy shit… he wanted me to infiltrate a city and sabotage it from within?! I didn't know how their soldiers stacked up, nor how many there were… or even if I was capable of something so big! 

Seemingly understanding my thought process, he elaborated "You can think of this as a… test run of sorts. A reasonably easy mission that would garner a lot of glory, but also the perfect stage to allow you to test your limits without the safety net you'd expect. Your main mission would not be to fight, but would actually be to disable the apparatus creating the barrier, since once that's done our forces would take the city in under an hour."

Still…

"Before you ask, the city is estimated to have around six thousand active combatants. And remember that all of them will be forced to fight you in places where they cannot truly bring their numbers to bear… perhaps the only safety net you'd have other than surprise. So… think you can handle it?"

I rapidly thought up a plan based on what he'd told me. Infiltrate the city, remain in stealth until I can find whatever is creating the barrier, destroy it, and then fight to my hearts content pincering them between the forces stationed outside the city. Worst case scenario I escape back through the underground stream, if what he's told me is any indication, they shouldn't be able to (or won't) follow me.

This… should be doable. Alright fuck it "Yeah… I can do it. But I need more details."

Odin walked up and placed a hand on my shoulder- leading me back inside while filling in the blanks. All while I missed the calculative twinkle in his eye.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Odin POV

Perfect. 

Needing him for the city was obviously a lie. We'd have poisoned the stream and gotten in if it were truly necessary, no, the real reason behind all of this was to give him a chance to debut and show off the might of Asgard.

With the exception of himself and Hela, Asgard as a whole didn't look nearly as strong as the other major pantheons at present. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades created a deadly trio whose might was considered great enough to crush most opposition, in a similar manner existed Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva… another trio whose might sent shockwaves through the divine community.

Individual power was what mattered to the truly powerful. Armies meant nothing in the face of overwhelming strength…

And that is where the problems lay; Asgard had used numbers to fill many of those gaps, with the Valkyries technically counting as the third powerhouse among Asgards forces.

As in… all of them combined was considered on par with a single champion, and even then it was untrue as they didn't even come close. He had no doubt that he or Hela would crush them all with ease were it to come down to a fight.

Besides himself and Hela, no other in Asgard was aware of this discrepancy in strength… of just how high the ceiling of power seemed to go. Even he wasn't too sure, with beings of greater strength than even he or other pantheon's champions purportedly existing somewhere out there in the ether.

This is what he hoped to turn Ausar into… the quicker the better. The task he'd given had sounded daunting, yet truly would be something he could complete with ease. What mattered most would be the message it would send. Either that even the children of Asgard were strong enough to make powerful combatants- boosting the reputation of the regular soldiers, or, that even at such a young age, he was already beyond the strength most could even dream of.

Either option worked, and he smiled at the thought of the bright future Asgard had in store.