The world of Midgard was a strange place that Daehyun didn’t often prefer to visit if he could help it, but despite his inclinations, Odin had other plans for him.  Because he was a Valkyr, one of three, it was his task to retrieve the souls of the slain heroes from the mortal world to bring to Asgard, or more specifically to the hall of Valhalla for Freya and Odin’s choosing.  For some reason, his efforts had been intensified of late and he could only suspect that Odin believed Ragnarok was approaching in the near future.  He vaguely recalled hearing rumors of Mimir’s head speaking more than just what Odin asked of him.

                It was not a comforting thought.  Since time immemorial, the Twilight of the Gods had been foretold but to have it possibly upon their doorstep was not something Daehyun had ever really thought about.  He’d been collecting souls intermittently for centuries without change so had little reason to believe it would arrive…

                So had his siblings for that matter, not that they were helping him currently.  His older brother Himchan was often on another errand from Odin directly and his younger brother Jongup was still on… probation from his folly ages ago.  Why he wanted to befriend a human prince was beyond him, but it had landed him in hot water; a mistake he had yet to earn a reprieve from Odin’s displeasure, leaving Daehyun to bear the brunt of the work in collecting Einherjar.  “He probably did it on purpose to keep from having to come down here himself,” Daehyun muttered uncharitably.

                He took the Bifrost path opened by Heimdall when he realized who was approaching, and headed for the mortal world, leaving the beauty of Asgard behind for the moment.  Garbed in shiny fitted plate mail with a winged helm covering his silver blonde hair, bearing an ornate long sword at his hip, he looked quite the warrior he was.  Not that he fought all that often.  Valkyrs weren’t supposed to intervene in the affairs of the mortals or the gods beyond what they had already been charged with.  Would they ever have enough Einherjar for the war though?  It was a useless question really.  No one knew; not even Odin who relied heavily upon the wisdom and occasional prophetic ability of both Freya and Mimir.

                When faced with those thoughts, he retracted his disgruntled statement about his brother almost immediately since he wasn’t even sure that Jongup had a devious or ill-intentioned bone in his body.  While they didn’t always see eye to eye, none of them did after all, the youngest Valkyr had a knack for making them smile.  One of these days, he was going to have to get him back down to Midgard to resume his duties.  Maybe after this run, he could speak to Odin about it…?

                Daehyun floated down into the clear blue sky of the mortal realm and paused, letting the wind drift around him as it tugged at clothes layered under the armor and teased his light brown eyes.  The helmet cut the worst of the wind down and shielded his face from the sun, but he still felt the effects of the weather, even if he hadn’t materialized fully just yet.

                Holding perfectly still, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to listen for the voices of the humans below.  They always had a running stream of words flowing at any given time, a never ending cacophony of thoughts that jumbled together until nothing was coherent anymore…  Theirs were the voices he’d much prefer to block out all the time, making him bemoan his ability more than once.  Still, on occasion, one would rise above the rest and those were the ones he was searching for.

                For a rare few, death hounded them, giving the Valkyr a moment of insight before that inevitable fate.  It allowed him to be there to the soul from the body as opposed to having to retrieve them from Hel’s domain.  She was touchy at the best of times and not particularly inclined to let any Odin sent Asgardian into her realm…

                Easily, Daehyun let the sound of a feminine voice pull him along, the timbre young but knowledgeable; a scholar or mage perhaps?  It was unusual that he would be drawn towards a woman, but not unheard of.  They simply didn’t often have the traits Odin favored in his heroes though there were exceptions…

                Which human city would it draw him to this time?  “Let’s get this over with,” he sighed resignedly, wondering how long his stay would be on this trip.

                “But I can do this, father!” the young woman explained determinedly, hands balled into fists at her side while she glared at the older male seated in front of her, dark eyes flashing at the restriction he’d most recently imposed.

                “No, Amber.  This discussion is over,” he responded just as firmly, leaning forward with his palms resting on either side of his throne as he regarded the young woman before him.  His lips pulled down into a frown at her choice in appearance: pants and a jerkin, quality material by all rights but unsuited for the young noblewoman she was.  He was fortunate she hadn’t yet decided to butcher her lengthy hair, even if it was pulled up and back in more of a peasant fashion…  “You are my daughter, the Princess of Artolia!  Not some hire sword to be used in the Knight’s Tourney.  We have men enough to compete without your presence being necessary.”

                “That’s not fair,” she huffed, refraining from stomping her foot like a spoiled little girl.  Neither tears nor a tantrum would suit her purpose at all and so she stared at him, trembling with anger as she ignored the awkward glances of the handful of courtiers and nobles present in the hall with them.  “You allowed me to learn magecraft when you saw that I was gifted and then gave me leave to learn the sword as well.  Why would you restrict me now when I can match any one of them out there?!”

                “Because I am the King and it my right to protect you,” he growled back, standing before her swiftly, tall frame dwarfing her considerably more slender one.

                “I can protect myself!” she reminded him, hand reaching towards the sword and staff ever present on her person.

                Her father reached to stall her hand, grasping her wrists with a deft touch to keep her from drawing either.  “I am protecting you from yourself, my dear,” he assured her sincerely, troubled hazel eyes meeting hers.

                The Princess blinked quickly, still fuming at his refusal to let her compete in the annual Knight’s Tourney, but at least it was tempered by his actual concern for her.  “But-”

                “Amber.  You are my only child and the heir to my kingdom.  If something were to happen to you…”  He let the words trail off as he brushed her cheek with the backs of his fingers.  Just as quickly as it had appeared, the moment was over and her father became King Vornigan, the ruler of the Kingdom of Artolia, once more.  “Now go get changed for supper.  The hall is no place for you to be seen in those clothes,” he gestured towards the main doors, already dismissing her as he turned to his side.  “Chancellor,” he called, gaining the attention of an older, wizened male who watched the exchange with interest.

                “Your Highness?” he answered, bowing with respect, gaze carefully averted from the Princess.

                She didn’t linger behind to hear what they were going to discuss.  Princess Amber was much too angry for that.  Tensely, she stalked out of the throne room, bypassing the guards who pretended not to have overheard their discussion, and stormed through the doors.  “It’s not fair,” she muttered again, taking a deep breath in front of the doors that were closed behind her by additional guards on the outside.

                As unfocused as she was on anything outside of her immediate predicament, she would have had to be blind and deaf to miss the procession of outlandish fighters approaching the throne room.  Mercenaries…  Her expression said as much when the apparent leader paused in front and gave her a once over quickly, returning the expression with considerably more amusement.

                “What business do you have here?” she demanded tersely, in no mood to be diplomatic or pleasant.  It didn’t help that he loomed over her, muscles apparent under the light armor and revealed by uncovered arms, making him at least marginally intimidating.

                The mercenary laughed, inviting amusement from his men with some reservation before a gesture silenced them.  “We have an audience with your King little warrior woman,” he assured her, refraining from actually patting her on the head when the guards nearby cleared their throats in an obvious warning.  His expression turned even more thoughtful at that and he inclined his head towards her.  “Your ladyship,” he acknowledged, gesturing to the side as he waited for her to move so they could pass.

                Offended by his lack of respect, Amber glared at him for a moment longer and finally opted to step aside begrudgingly.  It didn’t take her long to concede that she certainly didn’t look like the Princess as she was now.  Somewhat embarrassed and just as much entranced, she watched the decently sized group of men… no, fighters, go by.  There were a couple women among his ranks and Amber felt her eyes widen upon seeing them.  They paid her no mind whatsoever but there was one other who caught her eye; a young man who stood slightly taller than the rest of their number, though he looked young for his present company.

                Bringing up the rear with a massive broadsword strapped to his back nearly the length of his body, the tall and slender male paused to nod at her respectfully, short black hair framing his young face neatly.  There was no mistaking that he’d seen combat though as he carried himself with the confidence she’d observed in the older knights of the castle.  “Highness,” he murmured softly, lips pulling into a bemused smile and she jumped at the sound of his voice, not expecting the mellow timbre in the least.

                “Humph,” she scowled, feeling like they were all mocking her.  She would much prefer to be like them and have the freedom to fight if she wanted to or at the least, not be stuck in the castle on as many restrictions as her father could come up with until it was time to marry her off to some Prince or other.  “Stay out of trouble,” she instructed, for lack of anything better to do, and her heels to stalk off again, glad to be anywhere but near them.

                Behind her, the tall mercenary gave her retreating form a half-hearted salute.  When he turned to follow his Captain, he met the expressions of the guards who were watching him intently.  A grin broke across his face and the young man actually winked at them, leaving them floundering as he stepped into the throne room to join his companions.

                Daehyun watched the pair depart with interest.  Surely she could not be the one that he had heard, could she?  The Mercenary group he had just viewed seemed considerably more along the lines of what Odin preferred.  Not all were mere cutthroats and a fair few mercenaries had a code of honor amongst themselves that rivaled even the knights.  “Interesting,” he hummed to himself, letting his eyes wander over the guards who continued to stand watch, oblivious to his presence.  It was not them he was here for after all.

                What was it that he had heard?  The snippet of sound that would herald her death.  It hurts!  Father!  Something’s wroooaaaaAAAGH!

                The Valkyr shook his head and sighed.  That was not helpful in the least.  For the moment, it appeared all he could do was watch her.  Lamenting his role once more, he resignedly followed after the Princess to keep an eye on her.  Doors provided no actual barrier for him so he walked right into her room and tilted his head to the side when he caught her in the midst of changing.  “Oh brother,” he sighed, rolling his eyes and turning to focus on her room.

                It wasn’t that she was unattractive, but he had no desire to share the company of a mortal in any way other than to send them to Asgard when they were fit enough to do.  At least she did seem to have some promise if her room was anything to go by.  Scores of books on magic and combat lined the shelves and the gear she did have looked well taken care of.  Various staffs were carefully stored around the room, each attuned with different spells but all meticulously cared for.  He would rather like to see her in combat actually.

                Daehyun wasn’t sure how much time he spent simply watching over her, but his interest sharpened considerably when he heard a quiet knock on her door.  She was just as startled as he was apparently and set down the book she’d been studying on her bed with a disgruntled air, throwing her long brunette locks over her shoulder in annoyance.  “Who is it?” she asked, pausing in front of the door warily.

                “It’s just me, your Highness,” an older sounding voice drifted through the barrier.

                Amber stifled a sigh and pulled the door open with a carefully neutral expression.  “Chancellor Kranth,” she curtsied politely, figuring her father had sent him to spy on her some more.  “How can I assist you this evening?” she queried, back to being the polite and well-mannered Princess she was supposed to be.

                Kranth seemed a bit nervous before he answered and gestured helplessly, “I hope you won’t think me too forward, your ladyship, but I couldn’t help but notice how upset you were at your father’s orders.”

                Amber was unable to school the tick in her eye that indicated she was not over it yet.  “I’ll admit I may have overreacted,” she tried to respond diplomatically.

                “And rightfully so,” he surprised her by agreeing, pressing his fingers to his chest lightly as he sided with her.  “May I?” he requested, gesturing towards her room and requesting permission to enter.

                Warily, she stepped aside and nodded, not entirely sure this wasn’t still some trick.  “What do you mean, Chancellor?”

                “I mean Princess, that I believe he may have been hasty in his refusal to see you participate in the Tourney.”  He held up his hand to forestall any comment she might have made, giving her a sidelong glance with sharp green eyes.  “Do not misunderstand me.  As the King and your father, he has every right to be concerned, for the Knight’s Tourney is no place for the unprepared.  It is dangerous your ladyship,” he reminded her pointedly, waiting to see how she would react.

                “Chancellor Kranth.  If you have come merely to remind me of what my father already insists, then I have nothing more to say to you,” she sighed, tired of this game.

                “Forgive me, Princess.  I had merely thought you might seek an alternative in competing is all,” he shrugged, thin shoulders moving fluidly as he turned to remove himself.

                “Wait,” she called, reaching one delicate but callused hand out to forestall him.  “Explain yourself.”

                “Of course one would not expect to see the crown Princess of Artolia in the Knight’s Tourney but that is not to say that she might also fall ill, leaving her indisposed during that time,” he murmured suggestively.

                “You would have me miss the Tourney?” she gasped, not seeing where he was going.

                “Yes,” he nodded simply, letting a sly smile cross his face as he added, “And I would doubt another contender to appear for the competition would hardly be amiss considering the many varied numbers that have already arrived to participate.”

                Comprehension dawned slowly over Amber’s face and she couldn’t help but smile at what he was implying.  It was a daft idea of course but it was also exactly what she wanted, which gave her cause for concern.  “But… why would you help me, Chancellor?”

                Chancellor Kranth bowed deeply, one hand placed over his heart as he responded, “Because, Princess Amber.  Your happiness is your father’s happiness and I live for our King.”

                She mulled his words over thoughtfully as he stood upright again and then nodded as if to herself.  “We will speak on this more later, Chancellor.  The Tourney doesn’t start until two days hence so that should allow me plenty of time to prepare.”

                “Of course, your Highness,” he bowed again, not quite as deep this time.

                “You may go,” she urged, mind awhirl with the possibilities.

                As Kranth stepped out and Amber started busying herself about the room, Daehyun tapped his bottom lip thoughtfully.  That was certainly unexpected and he had a suspicious feeling that not all was at it appeared.  If nothing else, he might well get to see her fight as he had originally desired.  With that pleasant thought, he nodded and granted himself the luxury of looking through the rest of the castle; intent upon finding something to do in the meantime.

(a/n: Confused yet?  haha  Feel free to ask any questions for clarification if so.  Also, the mercenary Captain I am toying with using someone but I hadn't chosen a particular idol which is why he was fairly nondescript thus far.  Additional Einherjar will be making appearances throughout the story and I am open to possible suggestions about who you might think would make a good mage, archer/thief, fighter, etc. for Daehyun to recruit in future chapters.  Either PM me or drop a line in the comments.  Do keep in mind their roles will be fairly minor and there's probably not much chance of a love interest or romantic development but if you've got someone you'd love to see make an appearance, I am definitely willing to consider it.  Thanks for reading and I hope you look forward to the next update - whenever that will be.  >.>)