The Goddess of Death

She was just an ordinary woman – astute and efficient in her job, but sometimes brash in her decisions, according to her peers. In her free time, though, she loved watching her fair share of movies and was oddly fond of the superhero genre. There's just something nice about the fact that the world has someone to rely on whenever there's trouble, and no one else had perfected the superhero genre more than Marvel Studios. But Marvel was only a past time, a fleeting interest to make use of her spare time, and had no overall impact in her life whatsoever.

… All right, she partly lied. It was much more than a fleeting interest, but not really something she considers an obsession. She watched the movies, studied the lore and the theories, hummed the theme on random occasions, but she's not fanatical enough to read the comic books. To conclude, she was just an average fan.

Then came Thor: Ragnarok. She had been so excited, the trailer looked amazing, and she had always loved the Thor series out of all of the MCU movies. This was something she won't pass up, and so she saved money for the tickets and went to the premiere.

The movie was really good. Best of all, Loki was not the only interesting villain anymore (though he'll always remain her favorite), now there's Hela, the evil goddess of death who was also Thor and Loki's older sister (which surprised her when she first found out. After all, wasn't she Loki's daughter in the original myths?) She found it interesting that Loki now had someone he actually looked like in the family, and that someone was actually a legitimate child.

She enjoyed it immensely, and found herself wondering what exactly happened to Hela when Asgard was destroyed. Was she dead, or will she be back?

Turns out, that was the last coherent thought she had before everything went wrong.

At exactly the end of the movie, a hysterical man suddenly burst into the theater, screaming and waving around a gun, and shot her in the chest before immediately being shoved to the floor by security. But the damage had already been done. She - who had been sitting several seats and aisles away from the man and therefore, should not have been shot any more than the rest of the people in the room - could only conclude that either she's really unlucky or there was some other force at work.

Her adrenaline's still high after watching the movie, which explained why she did not entirely register what had happened until she was already lying on the floor, the impact and excruciating pain in her chest completely taking her by surprise. She had gasped and curled up, her throat and lungs filled with blood, her whole body trembling in agony.

All around her, people screamed and panicked, with only a few brave people staying to try to help her and call 911. She wished she could have remembered their faces, so that she may thank them for their help after she recovered, but the pain was too much. She soon succumbed to the darkness that was beckoning to her, the people shouting for her to "hold on!" fading until there is nothing left but blessed silence.

As she had said, Marvel was only a past time – a fleeting interest – and had no overall impact in her life whatsoever.

Why then, did it make an impact in death?

...

"Rise, young one,"

  "Rise, young one," 

  "Rise, young one," 

"...and  instill  change  ." 

  ... 

...Pain.

Burning, raw, mind-numbing pain.

There was no air in her lungs, and yet she was alive and struggling. She gasped and tried hard to breathe in as much air as possible, but there was nothing.

She must have blacked out at some point, because the next thing she knew, she was gasping and crying as sweet, sweet air started to fill up her deprived lungs, her eyes uncontrollably leaking tears as she focused on breathing steadily and trying not to be sick.

  'BREATHE!' 

'I'm trying!' She almost cried before doing her best to focus on what the voices told her. Finally, the black slowly crept out of the edge of her vision until she could finally see, albeit through tear-filled and blurry eyes. Almost immediately, sound resumed and loud voices and some soft murmurs quickly assaulted her ears, causing her to scrunch up her face in pain.

What the hell happened? Why does she feel so weak?

Panic built up when she discovered her eyelids felt unusually heavy, (Was she drugged? Drunk?) it took an embarrassingly long moment before she could finally open them to find out where she was.

That was a mistake.

The first thing she registered was that everything her eyes gazed upon was so bright. It was in fact so bright and blinding that she found her eyes again leaking tears as she squeezed them back shut. In doing so, she was then hyper-aware when she felt her body being cradled by the warmest arms she'd ever felt, and she hesitantly opened her eyes again to meet a dark-haired woman with exhausted but fierce green eyes and a gaunt face. The woman then murmured something, but the sound that came out of her lips were odd. However her voice, calm that it was, soothed her enough for her to close her tired eyes and try to give in to the darkness once more.

"Vér munu kallhanar... Hela." What an odd sound she produced. It almost sounded like another language...

Suddenly, it felt like her brain whirred into action at the realization, and she could only gape when she physically felt her brain rearrange the sounds to translate the words into English: "We shall call her... Hela."

... What.

Her eyes snapped open, and so she saw how the woman's arms trembled when she handed her to the others with ease. Another woman then laid her on a table to clean and thoroughly inspect every inch of her, and so she got a front row seat when the woman lifted her tiny arms in the air to clean her sides and underarm. 

Wait a minute, tiny?!

Her brain abruptly screeched to a halt as she tried to process the fact that a very short limb was attached to her own body, and that the limb has pudgy-looking hands, and tiny fingers. She tried to wiggle them, but found that the action took more effort than she anticipated. 

Shouts and sudden cries of alarm made her head immediately whip to the side, which caused the woman tending to her to curse and her neck to hurt like hell. It doesn't matter though, not when she took in the frantic scene happening in front of her eyes.

The first woman she saw - who she now realized was her new mother - was now slumped on the bed, her head lolling to the side. Worst of all, her green eyes, previously so bright, fierce, and alive, was now staring lifelessly at nothing.

'She's gone...' Her distressed mind uselessly supplied. 'No, no no!'

  'A LIFE FOR A LIFE.' 

She promptly blacked out.

…

The servants were all wearing black.

Hela gazed at them from her cot blankly, the servants continuing to care for her even though one of their mistresses just died. She wanted to tell them to go and mourn, but she only felt her throat close up.

Her new mother was dead. She hadn't even known her and yet everyone said she died of childbirth, that Hela killed her, and she knew it's true.

Rumors had spread of the event, and eventually reached the ears of her new father. Hela only heard all this secondhand, but she had heard that her father quickly put a stop to it by saying her mother was already sick before she became pregnant.

It doesn't ease the immeasurable guilt she felt. Why was she allowed to be reincarnated, and the woman was not?

She couldn't help the whimper and tears that came out, which prompted a servant to carry and attempt to rock her to sleep. Hela could only bury her head on the servant's shoulders and close her eyes, more tears trailing down her cheeks, and sent a prayer for the deceased soul.

'I'm so sorry...'

...

She was constantly sleeping, and when she wasn't, she was eating and answering nature's call, and she couldn't control it. A result of being in an infant's body, which was why it took her a while to become aware again of her surroundings. The newly-named Hela soon discovered that everyone had mostly returned to normal, their robes and clothes now a normal white color. She tried to put the incident behind her as well, and decided to finally pay attention to the most important detail in this new life.

She's now a baby. Worst of all, her new mother had called her Hela before she died. A name associated with a certain evil goddess of death she just watched a movie of.

Was she truly Hela now? There is still a small possibility that she wasn't even the same Hela and just had a similar name, (how she hoped it was true) so all that's left is to confirm it. She made a mental note to write all this down later.

Alright so... Number one: Hela-in-the-movies was royalty.

This was easy to confirm. First off, they kept calling her a 'Princess'. (Her translator brain usefully supplied the unknown word. She didn't really know whether to be worried or fascinated by her newfound ability.) Additionally, the information she gleaned from listening and observing made it obvious that she had been reborn into a royal, wealthy, and powerful family; judging by the titles and names bestowed upon her by the servants, her nursemaid, the guards, and the whole freaking kingdom when her new father presented her to them a few days after her mother's death.

(She tried hard not to think about how she had been scared shitless when she woke from a very long and nice nap to suddenly find herself presented before thousands of people like a piece of meat being dangled in front of hungry wolves. That memory was best left forgotten.)

Not to mention, everywhere she turned – or been carried, if you want to be more specific – people would bow and murmur, "Your Grace", "Your Highness", or even, "Princess." If nothing else, that cemented the fact that she was reborn as royalty, and even a princess to boot! 

And speaking of that, it didn't really take her long to realize that she had been reincarnated. After all, it was a bit hard to ignore when one's body had obviously reduced to an infant's, and that it looked like she ended up in a place where servants, warriors, and guards are still considered the norm.

However, this was just not something that should be possible. Reincarnation was just a thing used in stories or old myths. Unless there was a semblance of truth to those old myths. Was this what happened every time a person dies? He or she gets reincarnated into another life? Because she refused to believe she was the only exception to that rule.

Now, she would have been glad and even proud to say that she accepted this realization easily and with no fuss, but that would be lying. What really happened was that she experienced a full-blown panic attack; the kind that left her breathing hysterically and crying like no tomorrow as everyone around her panicked as well. All she could think of was that she was dead. Worst of all, she was killed while watching a movie, of all things. She had unwillingly left her family behind when they needed her the most, her whole life… everything was gone the moment that bullet pierced through her chest. There was no act of heroism, no last stand, she didn't even get a say in. She was just… dead.

No matter what she does, her old life was gone the moment the bullet embedded itself into her chest. There was no use to dwell on the things that could not be. For one, she doesn't know how to go back. Besides, it probably wasn't wise to start telling people that she reincarnated. Knowing old times, she wouldn't be surprised if people started accusing her of being a witch or something.

She doesn't know why she was reincarnated, but it's best to make the most of it. She will live this second life to the fullest, and the prospect both excited and terrified her.

With that settled, it didn't take long for her to try to learn and adapt to their ways.

The first thing she did was establish that while she's a child, she's mature. She had no desire to be coddled or babied. It was not hard to prove it; she already has the mind of a person in her twenties. Unfortunately, she completely forgot about breastfeeding.

It was certainly a cinch in her plans, and it was difficult not to throw up right after, but she prevailed, thank the heavens.

After that, it didn't take long before she began trying to teach herself to walk and move properly again. Being unable to control your own limbs was a frightening experience, and one she did not wish to endure any longer than she had to. The first few attempts made her look like a dying eel, however, with constant practice and with age; she soon regained control of her motor skills. The look on her new father's face the first time he saw her walk towards him unsupported had been brilliant, to say the least.

It was also the first time she saw her father, Odin. And what a memory it was to see the literal King of the Gods being so worried when she accidentally tripped while trying to walk towards him. (The feeling of his strong but careful grip when he caught her still burned in her mind.)

It made her wonder if that would be the look on her mother's face too if she was still here, but she quickly banished the thought from her mind. No sense to linger on what ifs.

That's the moment Hela decided to accept her new name and family. However, her title and the meaning of it, she still couldn't accept. 

That was because she swore to herself that she would never end up disgraced and imprisoned in the underworld like the real Hela. Sure, she escaped in the end, but she cannot imagine living in literal Hel for who knows how many thousand years, all alone and surrounded by the dead, then escaping and being treated like a villain by her own family.

There was absolutely no way in hell she will take that lying down. She will change her future, and what better way to do so than by starting now?

...

Number two: Hela-in-the-movies lived in Asgard.

This was easy to confirm as well. Hela just had to toddle her way to the window and peek. The servants were too happy to see her move around that they didn't find it strange that she headed straight to a window to look at the outside world.

And what a world it was. Right outside her window was a view of the Bifrost itself, with a huge round building with a tall spire at the distance that she could only assume was Heimdall's observatory. And all around it, stretching for miles as the eye could see, was an ocean.

If that wasn't enough to confirm that she's in Asgard, she doesn't know what was. Though she did also try to peek out the windows on the opposite side of the palace when a servant luckily carried her around, and she was not surprised to see a whole city sprawling for miles with huge mountains and forests surrounding it in the distance. What did surprise her was the fact that she can't see any gold on the buildings and structures or even tall statues when that was what Asgard was known for in the movies. The city just looked like it was made of ordinary materials such as wood, stone, and metal.

Where did all the gold go? 

She didn't know why she was so bothered, but she felt like this was important somehow. And so Hela found herself toddling her way to the library in search of more information, all the while dodging and hiding from servants who would attempt to get her back to her room. It took her a long time, but she finally found it when she decided to trail behind a man with his nose stuck in a book. Following him in, she padded into the gigantic chamber full of towering bookshelves that looked even taller with her current size and gaped in disbelief.

Simply put, the room was huge. So huge, in fact, that it shouldn't even be called a room. It has three floors, with each the size and length of half a football field, and every inch and corner having bookshelves as tall as trees. The first floor was clearly a reading area where all the tables, chairs, and sofas were positioned and occupied by a few people (Hela found herself eyeing what looks like the fluffiest couch she'd ever seen that offered a view outside a tall and equally as elegant window.) The second and third floors consisted of massive bookshelves and the occasional sitting areas.

Staring at her surroundings, she almost forgot the reason she went here in the first place, and quickly hid as people walked past her position. If they found her here, she's sure she would be carried back to her rooms. Why else would a child sneak into a library unless she was lost?

Sneaking wasn't hard. The library was huge enough that even chairs could hide her whole body. All she had to do was sneak past everyone and hide behind one of the massive bookshelves. Grinning widely at her success, Hela proceeded to reach for the nearest book and opened it to a random page, where she quickly found a massive cinch in her plans.

The books were written in another language.

Eyes wide, Hela began pulling every book out of the shelf and opening them, with her eyes greeted by the same strange symbols written in the first book.

Of course. She's living in another world entirely, it's bound to have a different language. Unfortunately, the symbols looked like runes. You know, the kind of things you find when it's the middle of the night and you ran out of things to search and somehow end up in websites about protection spells, incantations, and tarot cards? (Look, she had weird nights, okay?) 

Apparently, her translator brain doesn't translate written things, only spoken ones. 

Though that does lead her to question just how she can speak their language fluently but she cannot read them. Was it perhaps the result of the Allspeak? She should probably look into that further.

She barely suppressed a groan. Knowing from experience, it was very difficult to learn foreign languages, but knowing how to read and write impeccably will be an advantage if she were to start navigating this world. The last thing she wanted was to become an illiterate.

Nodding to herself, Hela grinned determinedly.

…

It took several days and various reports from her servants before Odin was convinced that his three-year-old daughter was actually serious about learning and promptly hired an instructor.

Her teacher, an old woman called Vor, was stern, no-nonsense, but very wise. The moment they met, they immediately dived straight into the lessons without preamble, which was just the way she liked it. She never did liked wasting time. And the sooner she learned how to read, the better.

Vor looked confused at first when they first met and discovered that she would literally be teaching a baby, but Hela soon convinced her by introducing herself with enough formality and manners that it made her look like an extremely smart child, but also with enough mistakes that the instructor couldn't resist teaching her.

"Before we start, you must know that runes are not simply a language; it is an art. Every rune has meaning, importance – and when used in seidr – it has power."

She raised a hand automatically, even though it's just the two of them. "Excuse me, but did you just say 'power'?" She asked, trying her best not to slur her words with her unpracticed tongue.

Vor immediately frowned, "We do not usually say 'excuse me,' it is informal. You say either 'pardon me' or 'I beg your pardon.'"

She blushed, forgetting her situation for a moment, and responded appropriately. "I beg your pardon, but did you mean magic power or metaphorical power? And what is a seidr?"

"Every rune possesses power. While it is part of our language, it is also considered as a tool for seidmadr and seidkona to channel their seidr. And as for your other question, seidr is an ability few Aesir possess that has the capability to alter destiny and reality itself. The King is a known practitioner of it."

Her eyes grew wide at that information. "Father has magic?! Can it be inherited?" She suddenly grew excited, "Do I have it too?"

So many questions, and it just made her glad she decided to learn about this so early; at least the revelations are out of the way.

Vor only stared at her earnest face before hiding an amused smile, "That is something you have to find out for yourself, Your Highness."

Hela could only grin excitedly in response.

Gladly.

…

Number three: Hela-in-the-movies was the daughter of Odin and an unnamed mother.

Thankfully, she knew her true mother's name because of the servants gossiping about Queen Angrboda's death, because the woman who birthed her sure wasn't Frigga, whose golden hair and blue eyes were a direct opposite to Angrboda's own black and green. This must mean Frigga will arrive here soon to set the events leading to Thor's birth in motion.

She knew Frigga needed to be here so she can give birth to Thor and raise Loki. Perhaps it's even a good thing, because that means Hela will have them as future siblings. She always had a soft spot for Thor and Loki ever since she first watched the Thor movies. Out of all the Avengers, Thor fascinates her the most. However, out of all the villains and every single character in the MCU, Loki will always be her favorite. Some might even say she had a crush on him and his real life actor, but now she felt a bit horrified at the idea. If she's Hela now, then Loki will be her younger brother. Never mind if he's adopted, that's just wrong!

She forced herself to get rid of that thought. She's going to be their elder sister. Any sign of infatuations has got to go!

Shaking her head, she released a breath and shoved that thought in the deepest recesses of her mind. Alright, first order of business, forget that whole crush thing! She doesn't need that complication in her life. 

...

Number four: Hela-in-the-movies was a warrior.

It suddenly struck her one day when the servants brought her to watch in the training grounds (though she suspects most of them only want to swoon at the men sparring down there and almost laughed at the love-struck expression on their faces). The thought ruined her good mood though.

Will she end up getting trained to fight in a war like the original? She had been trained in martial arts in her past life, but it's obvious Asgard's way of fighting was different and not at all like she's used to. But that's not even the most terrifying question.

Will Odin really make her his right hand and Executioner if he paid her too much attention like the Odin-in-the-movies apparently did?

'Well then,' Hela pursed her lips. 'That only means I have to do my best to avoid earning his attention.'

Unfortunately, Fate doesn't seem to like that decision. As evident when four-year-old Hela woke up one night to a sweaty hand covering her mouth and a sharp dagger pointed at her throat, with a furious Odin standing still at the doorway of her room. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to stride in and kill the assassin and was only held back by the sight of his daughter held at dagger-point.

As for her, Hela instantly recognized the assassin as one of her servants and felt a momentary pang of anger and disappointment at the betrayal before deciding to help her father out.

She suddenly moved and dug her teeth on the hand as hard as she could. The servant shrieked in pain before the sound was abruptly cut off by Odin stepping in and decapitating her; the swiftness of the action shocking Hela into silence. 

The sight of the severed head rolling towards her feet still haunts her to this day.

...

Breakfast was always a solemn affair, especially when it was just the two of them and the quiet servants. Her father only paid attention to his work, while Hela tried to stay silent and focus on her food. Only rarely do they talk, and it was mostly just greetings.

It's different now after last night's assassination attempt. Odin seemed willing to engage her in conversation, and Hela found herself both confused and oddly happy at the new development. That was, until he said something that made her freeze.

"You want me to learn how to fight?"

Her father nodded. "Self-defense is an essential skill the royal family must acquire. You know what happened last night, do you really think it would stop there?" He held her gaze, "I cannot always be around to protect you, daughter."

Of course she knows that, and she can't deny that this is an excellent course of action. Not to mention, she remembered the fear she felt when she saw that dagger hovering at her throat. She was not at all eager to repeat that experience again. But with this... it would seem that Hela will still be the warrior the original princess was, in spite of her attempts to avoid going down that route.

Satisfied with her silence, Odin continued. "What I am proposing is to train not just to defend yourself, but to become a full-fledged warrior. I am aware you are still quite young and they will not go easy on you. However, I am confident of your abilities. I had heard you have been diving head-first into your lessons like a starving man would to a feast. If you treat your training like you do your lessons, there will be nothing to worry about."

It's not even a request any more. It's clear he already decided it. He probably already contacted the instructor too. Hela resisted the urge to sigh and only smiled outwardly, taking care yet again not to slur and to pronounce the words carefully. "I see. I accept, Father. I enjoy all my lessons; adding one more won't be a problem."

He suddenly smiled, pleased, and Hela couldn't help but stare.

In all the time she had been here, her new father never sent anything her way but a passing glance. The only time he broke that exterior was when she walked for the first time, and even that was so quick. That made it clear that Odin was someone that's very hard to please. It frankly made her happy just seeing him smile at her before quickly chiding herself for behaving like an attention-seeking puppy. 

"Then it is decided." Her father then brought his attention back to his food and the papers covering his side of the table, and Hela slowly relaxed.

And that's that.

...

While she was waiting for Odin to hire a fighting instructor, she continued to learn under Vor's tutelage. After meeting each other everyday for 2 years now, it's no surprise she quickly grew fond of the old woman. Vor was strict and no-nonsense, yes, but whenever she displayed her curiosity and determination to learn, she could just see a soft smile flashing underneath the harsh demeanor. She learned that Vor highly values those truly interested to learn which, according to her, was few and far between in this kingdom, which was comprised mostly of warriors and 'stubborn oafs'. Her words exactly. Though she was beginning to agree with the wise tutor.

Asgard was known as the home of warriors and soldiers, therefore all they wanted to do here was to go on adventures, spars, fights, and feasts. It was very monotonous, and she quickly found herself bored to tears. Only the lessons with Vor served as the highlight of her day.

According to her teacher, there were twenty-five runes in all, and learning about them and their different meanings and symbolism had been difficult, but at last she repeated them enough that she could probably recite them all in her sleep without fail.

Along with that, she also learned how to speak like a true royal. Speaking mostly comprises of formal words with almost no contractions. Vulgar words or expletives were also not spoken freely here, which caused her many problems in the early days. She even started speaking formally even in her own thoughts! It was all very strict and proper, but at the same time, learning it was interesting.

Though everything she learned weren't all positives, as she later found out.

Vor had been in the middle of one of her history lectures, mentioning several different stories about Buri (her great grandfather, as she had been told) who preserved the peace in the Nine Realms, Bor (her grandfather) who defeated the Dark Elves army, and the adventures of her deceased uncles Vili and Ve when she finally couldn't take it anymore. She had slowly been growing very anxious ever since she found out her new identity. Was there a current god who presides over death? Who could possibly have the power to pull a soul from Earth and stick it to the infant body of Hela? Most of all, what was the state of Earth now?

There were no books she found that could answer her questions, and so her wise instructor was her last chance. She could only hope Vor doesn't think too deeply about it. Besides, something told her it seemed the right time to address these concerns. "Please excuse me, my lady, but I have some questions I was hoping you could answer." She then smiled sheepishly, "I apologize in advance because it isn't really related to the current topic, but it has been on my mind for several days now."

To her surprise, Vor suddenly straightened and visibly placed her full attention on her. "I always told you to speak your mind and ask questions, as that is a sign of intelligence. I certainly do not mind," She gestured for her to speak, "Ask."

All right... Hela steeled herself before blurting out the number one question that had been plaguing her. "What happens to us when we die? I know we get sent to either Valhalla or Hel, but how is that decided? Who decides it?"

She immediately had a bad feeling when Vor didn't answer immediately as she always does and only stared at her in concern.

She shifted nervously. 

"Why exactly would you ask about death?" Vor questioned in confusion, "You are still a child."

"I know, I'm merely curious..." Hela said as nonchalantly as she could.

The instructor just gazed at her a few seconds more before suddenly softening, "If you are asking because of your mother, you can just say so."

Hela went rigid at the reminder, and she immediately realized this conversation does look like she's just fishing for information about her mother.

"I apologize," Vor said quietly, "but I do not know where Queen Angrboda was sent. I would assume though, that your father sent her to Valhalla, as that is the afterlife Odin is in charge of.

"Some say childbirth is the greatest battle that could ever be fought. Rest assured Queen Angrboda certainly earned her place there."

That certainly took the guilt off her chest. Hela smiled sadly, "Thank you Vor, I am very relieved, though that's not actually why I'm asking. I'm just genuinely curious." 

"Oh. You don't kno-" Vor stared at her, before a conflicted expression crossed her face. She seemed like she was debating to voice something. Hela raised an eyebrow in question, but she ultimately sighed. "I see. Well then, you are indeed correct that we get sent to either Valhalla or Hel after death, but there is also another afterlife: Folkvangr."

Hela listened with rapt attention as Vor talked, "Valhalla is the place where all the great heroes and leaders who had been slain in battle go. The Valkyries, which are an elite group of women warriors serving under your father judge their worth before bringing those souls to Valhalla where they would feast for eternity. Folkvangr is another afterlife under Freyja. Freyja selects half of the souls of warriors to go to Folkvangr while the other half goes to Odin in Valhalla, though usually, Freyja only selects the souls of ordinary warriors and soldiers." Vor paused for a moment to drink some wine to soothe her parched throat, and Hela gazed at her expectantly.

"And what about the last one? Hel?" She inquired.

Vor frowned at her eagerness, "I would think you would be most interested to learn more about Valhalla, not Hel."

Hela stiffened as she realized her mistake, "...I already know a lot about Valhalla, as it is Father's jurisdiction, but Hel is a mysterious place."

Her instructor seemed to believe her, at least. "I see. Well, Hel is not really a good place. It is where the souls of neither the honored or dishonored go. Those who do not perish in battle, who has not done any heroic or noteworthy deeds, and who died only because of sickness or old age go to Hel."

Hela frowned deeply, mind turning that piece of information over and over. She... was under the impression that evil or dishonored souls go to Hel. It's why people associate it with the terrible afterlife "Hell" in religions. But to find out now that it actually wasn't and everything they know about it is wrong is...

Well, it honestly blows her mind and the Norse researchers, archaeologists, and priests should be hearing this right now, they're missing out.

Vor then frowned, "I am afraid I do not know who currently presides over that realm. Only the dead meet them, therefore, I consider it a bad omen to meet its ruler. However, there are rumors that its ruler is chosen by the Norns among the Nine, and that person will then have the title 'Hel'. It is also said that a Jotun is currently holding the position, though I would not put much basis on rumors."

Hela felt herself go pale at that information, the sound of Vor's voice slowly fading to the background.

The real Hela did preside over Hel. In fact, she was imprisoned there by her own father. But now, Vor says Hel's ruler was actually chosen?

What if she was chosen in the end? What if she still ended up trapped in there no matter what she changed?

What if it was unavoidable?

"...The Norns choose the ruler?" She asked quietly.

Vor's face suddenly twisted in an expression Hela couldn't read. "Indeed. They are the overseers of fate. It would be wise of you not to dwell on them. Fate cannot be controlled nor tampered with, not by the Giants, not the elves, not the Asgardians, and not by anyone." She pursed her lips, "If the rumors are true, then there is little else that Hel's ruler could do.

"After all, no one dares challenge the Norns."

…