The Saga of Hela

Loki walked a dirt trail leading towards a lone cabin on the outskirts of the central city of Asguard.

The cabin was situated midway on a hill facing a small lake. It looks like the picture in the comment section; I am not too good at describing it.

"Who's there?" Asked an old voice as he neared the cabin.

"I am Loki Odinson. I come seeking answers," said Loki as he waited for the resident to open the door.

The door opened to reveal an older man who looked to be in his late 60s or early 70s. He had straight silver hair that reached his mid-back and a beard that reached his stomach, both of them with small braids to keep them away from his face and mouth. He wore a simple brown shirt and black pants, which hid his bulging muscles and scars.

"Welcome to my humble abode, Your highness," said the man as he let Loki enter the cabin.

Loki looked around as he entered the cabin. It was a simple hall with a chair facing the fireplace and an old Asgardian sword on display above it. The floor was covered with furs of different animals with the heads of said animals decorating a wall like trophies. There was also a mannequin with a set of old Asgardian armor diddled with scars and repairs.

"What can an old man like me do for you, your highness?" asked the Old Asgardian, breaking Loki out of his observations.

Loki didn't respond but stared into the man's eyes as he worked his magic. The older man was slowly losing his inhibitions and fears.

"Tell me everything you know about Hela," demanded Loki.

The older man sighed as he went to the kitchen to get a large barrel of beer. Loki just let the man do whatever he wanted.

The older man brought the barrel to the table in the hall and drank a Jug of beer before gesturing for Loki to sit on the opposite chair.

"A good lass she was. A great general and would have been a great, nay the greatest king Asguard would have had in generations had she not fallen to the madness of war." said the older Asgardian as he started having flashbacks to the time he spent under her command.

Loki smiled, having hit the Jackpot on the first try.

"Who was her mother?" asked Loki.

"Nobody knows. Odin disappeared on his coronation day and returned after a week with a little babe claiming to be his daughter. Bor was so mad that he nearly smote the fool." chuckled the Asgardian.

"Odin disappeared on his coronation day?" asked Loki, intrigued.

"Aye, back then, he was like that bull of an older brother of yours, always drinking and picking fights left and right with no regard for consequences and being a nuisance to everybody." said the old man as he drank another Jug of beer.

Loki's smile changed to one of mockery.

"What happened after he came back with Hela? And what happened to Hela?" asked Loki.

"He denied the crown and spent a hundred years completely disregarding everything and scouring the nine realms. He seemed desperate to find something. Bor raised Hela and taught her everything about war." The older man stopped to take a sip of beer.

"The way she moved and fought was beautiful and filled you with hope. She learned everything Asguard had to offer and made changes in the army, making it more efficient and some things in the administration that helped Asgard sustain itself better, and then Bor died, and things went to shit," sighed the old man.

Loki waited for the older man to continue.

"Bor, like the kings before him, ruled the nine realms through fear, and his death signaled the start of a rebellion and war. It was a chaotic time, and it fell on Odin to quell the chaos." the old soldier sighed as he looked at the lake, reflecting the evening sigh.

"Odin sought to leave a scar on the nine realms so deep that no one would ever dare question the authority of Asgard and for some reason felt that was the only thing he could do for Hela." after saying that, the older man took a larger sip of his beer as if he was preparing himself to what he should say next.

"Hela started to believe in them. She began to think that the nine realms were her birthright and that everyone in them should serve her at her feet. It wasn't bad. Heck, she took better care of her soldiers and troops but slowly, she started turning ruthless; she killed more than necessary. She took Odi's misplaced belief and made it her doctrine. She stopped caring for her troop and viewed them as nothing more than tools to aid her in her conquest." the old man took a deep breath.

"For as bad as Hela was, Odin was worse. You are lucky you weren't born then, little prince," said the old man solemnly.

Loki also had a solemn expression. He was reading the older man's memories as he recalled them to tell the tale, and what he saw horrified him.

"Why did Odin stop?" asked Loki.

The older Asgardian chuckled, and Loki did as well as he saw it in the man's memories.

"Only a woman can ever truly stop a man's madness, and the All-mother is well deserving of her title."

"True," said Loki as he agreed.

"How was the relationship between Hela and the All-mother?" asked Loki.

"As I said, the All-mother is well deserving of her title. She was able to battle her way into Hela's heart. She became one of the very few people she trusted." answered the old Asgardian.

(A/N: Figga is not perfect, but in my opinion, she is one of the wiser characters in the MCU. I might be describing her as a saint, but she is a frigging Asgardian, for crying out loud)

"Where is Hela now?" asked Loki.

"I don't know. After your father married, the conquests stopped. Asguard started signing treaties less severe than those signed before, but Hela was unsatisfied. I overheard many arguments between the two, and one day he sent her and valkyries on a mission somewhere. I haven't heard of either of them since then." said the older Asgardian as he started sleeping, courtesy of Loki.

"Thank you for your co-operation," said Loki as he left the cabin.

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Author's Note area:

The pool will be up until the next chapter (next week), and depending on the results, the story will change, so do take it a bit seriously.

Also, Wanda is off the table. I have plans for the resident scarlet witch.