I.

a family is a warrior's shield, and the knife between their ribs

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    THE WOMAN'S HAIR GLISTENED A FIERCE RED IN THE FIRST LIGHT OF DAY. She stood under a looming tree, its twisted branches outstretched above her, gently showering her in leaves the colors of dried cherries and summer sunsets. The horse of the reigns she held gently shook its head and nickered happily as she stroked its silver coat. The mare eyed her, its head tilting to the side, listening to her hum.

    The woman adored the beauty and feel of mornings. The warmth from the first rays of morning light fought the cold sharp air that irritated her nose and chilled her breath. The light danced off the fog that lingered after darkness, making everything around her look like a hazy dream. It was quiet, too, as if she were far away from the city, hidden away in the soft fog.

    It was the crunch of leaves behind her and the trepidation that emanated from the horse that broke the glamour of the morning solitude, alerting her of the presence of someone else.

    "Ylva," said a man, his voice tired and rough. He was huddled tightly in his cloak, his nose red from the chill in the air, and his dirty blonde hair frizzy and unruly on his shoulders. "I don't suppose you'd change your mind."

    Ylva spared a look over her shoulder. Her electric blue eyes clashed with icy blue ones that squinted in the light. She looked away, and stroked the mane of the mare, easing its tension.

    The man sighed. "It is my duty as your brother to protect you, and I must warn you, traveling to Vanaheim and back is no easy task."

    "It's a good thing you'll be there to protect me, Calder," she replied, tired of her brother's attempts to sway her out of the trip. "Or will you slack on your self imposed duty, my darling brother?"

    Calder huffed and pointed a finger at her, as if she had eyes at the back of her head and could see his every movement. "Don't use my own words against me."

    "Maybe choose better words to drive your point."

    "This is ridiculous," Calder said, crossing his arms. "You can't come with us."

    "It's rude to agree to something and then back out at the last minute," Ylva replied. She turned away from the mare and fixed her brother with a challenging gaze. "What would sweet Fandral say?"

    Calder's brows shot up, his mouth slightly open. "Oh you're joking, you must be." He placed his hands on his hips, disbelief and disgust washing over his face. "Sweet Fandral?"

    "Yes, my lovely Calder?"

    Calder's mouth clamped shut, and Ylva laughed at his tension rigid body. The man in question walked up to the siblings, his cloak billowing behind him, and his golden hair and silver armor gleaming brightly.

    "So you're the one who lured my sister into this?" Calder asked, throwing his hands up in frustration. "And you should really announce yourself before sneaking up on someone, the sight of you is enough to cause heart failure."

    Fandral strutted passed Calder, not bothering to look at him, and up to his horse. A common exchange between the two. "It's an issue of beasts, and you're not really a hunter." He winked at Ylva. "But, your sister is the best tamer we have, and so we need her."

    Calder bore his gaze into Ylva's own, and she knew her brother was about to gravely test her patience.

    "The only thing my sister has been taming these recent years is her unquenchable thirst for wine. And ale. Also mead."

    Ylva's almond shaped eyes narrowed. "You make it seem like I'm a drunkard." She placed a hand on her hip. "I assure you, I've possibly surpassed that."

    "Unless you propose to --- Wait. Ylva!"

    Ylva laughed, it was light and sweet. "I'm merely jesting."

    Fandral shook his head at Calder. "You should know by now that there's no talking your sister out of things. Give up."

    "Your sister, my sister," Ylva spat, annoyed. "Have I died? Am I here, a ghost?"

    "Oh and what a beautiful spirit you are, sweet wolf," Fandral teased, and Ylva knew he said the words only to get a rise out of her brother.

    It worked, because Calder's lips pulled up as if he tasted something bitter, his upper lip snarled back. "Keep your charms for the maidens at taverns and not my sister."

    Fandral's gloved hand clutched his chest. "Sorry my lovely Calder. Jealous are you?"

    "Where are the others?" Ylva asked, bored of the conversation around her and eager to set off.

    "Still stuffing their guts most likely," Fandral replied, sighing. "I'm half expecting Volstagg to show up with a whole roasted chicken dangling from his mouth."

    Fandral was only half correct.

    Volstagg had arrived with Hogun, the burly man trailing loudly behind the shorter one. Entangled in his long auburn beard was bits and pieces of chicken, bread crumbs, and something that Yvla surmised as cake. The actual whole chicken was packed away in a sack with other foods, and slung over Volstagg's shoulder.

    Calder had snickered at Fandral's pale face wrought with shock and clapped him loudly on the back when Volstagg offered him a piece of chicken.

    "Just like old times!" Volstagg bellowed when his deep set eyes spotted Ylva. His voice dropped an octave. "It's not the same with your brother tagging along in your place."

    "I can still hear you," Calder groaned before stepping away to ready his horse. "Let's not dress up her role, now that you have an actual warrior."

    "That depends on your definition of warrior," Fandral prodded. "I'd rather have your sister whining about everything than your frightful face about."

    "So you agree she's not cut out for this?"

    Ylva rolled her eyes. She thought the argument about her going to Vanaheim had ended. "I've done this before and returned without a single scratch."

    Ylva had been forced into her mother's footsteps, and then begrudgingly tried to follow on her own. It was an arduous task, and she hated the suffering inflicted. Why trek about in mud when there was wine to be had?

    But when the offer came along again after many years of relishing in the luxuries of Asgard, Ylva snatched it up. She wanted something, anything, that would offer her more to her life. She wanted to see what Vanaheim held, even if that meant reprising her old role that left a bitter taste in her mouth.

    "Your sister's role is to keep the beasts at bay, boy, while the real warriors get the job done," Volstagg added to Ylva's defense. "The Warriors Three always does and while protecting our companions!"

    "I'm going to tell Lady Sif that you did not count her as a real warrior," Calder said, an evil smile tugging at his lips.

    Volstagg paled. "I did not mean that."

    Fandral said something to Calder, Ylva missed his words, but it was a taunt she was sure of because the two started bickering. Hogun said nothing as he watched the pair, his face grim.

    Tuning out the squabble, Ylva stepped towards Volstagg. There was gravy, dried and flaking on his crooked nose. She scrunched up the sleeve of her shirt and wiped it away, tsking softly as she did.

    Volstagg roared with laughter, his hands clutching his belly. "Oh, Ylva. Never change."

    Prince Thor arrived moments later, adorned in his signature armor of silver scales and intricately patterned metal. His cape was a bright red, adding color among all the other dulls capes.

    The boisterous Prince reminded Ylva of a bear; lovable, powerful, intimidating, prideful, and scruffy.

    "Where's your brother?" Ylva asked as she brushed his light blonde hair away from his eyes.

    Thor pouted, but the light in his stormy blue eyes betrayed his mock hurt. "I can't go minutes in your company without you replacing me with him. Aren't you happy to see me?"

    Ylva regarded him with a look of affection that she reserved for her brother. "You know I am."

    "Lies," a silky voice spoke beside Ylva, causing her to jump slightly in fright. "Don't feed his ego, Ylva, he needs to know that not everyone loves him."

    Loki stood beside Ylva, and she wondered how she neither saw nor heard him walk up to her. He was dressed in his usual green garb, his raven hair slicked back. His green emerald green eyes twinkled in the light as he gazed at her.

    "On the contrary, everyone does love me," Thor boasted, grinning ear to ear. He turned on his heel and marched off, not waiting for a response. The prince joined Calder and Fandral, who were still arguing, but now had Lady Sif reprimanding them.

    "There you are, darling," Ylva said to Loki, her rose lips widening into a smile. "Now we can finally leave."

    Loki's hand grasped her wrist before she could walk off, cold against her warm skin. "We're to encounter beasts today but there's nothing to stop us from coming across something much worse."

    "Which is?"

    "Entitled men that lust for blood," Loki replied. His grip on her wrist tightened. "You still have time to rethink this."

    Ylva's nose creased upwards. "You sound like my brother."

    "He's a smart man," Loki said, a smug smile on his face.

    "And here I thought you were the modest one of the Odinsons."

    "I aim to be different," he murmured. "What's your decision?"

    Ylva tapped her chin in thought. "Beasts are no problem, and I'm to be surrounded with the best warriors in all the realms if men are an issue. I'll be sure not to throw myself into danger." Loki said nothing, his eyes pleaded with her to forsake the quest. Ylva placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll be fine, I promise you. I won't leave you friendless."

    Loki's hand dropped, his lips pursed. "I believe that I am your only friend."

    "Whatever you say, darling."

    He rubbed the bridge of his nose, a light chuckle escaping his lips. "Only a few moments together and you're already a bigger pain than Thor."

    "What can I say? It's a natural talent."

    Loki gathered the reigns of Ylva's mare and hoisted her up. Following suit, he mounted his own black horse. "Try to keep up, will you?"

    "Show off," Ylva remarked, watching him ride off ahead of her.

    Her companions followed her lead, mounting their own horses and breaking into a gallop beside her.

    Soon Ylva was riding across the rainbow bridge. The waters beneath it splashed wildly as she grew closer to the Bifrost, a colossal dome of gold.

    Whether the quest was wise or not, Ylva wanted change, and she would have it no matter the cost.

Author's note!
Warrior's Three and Sif are my loves and I wish they had more screen time.

I am BEYOND happy to write this and share Ylva's story with you. I don't know why, but creating a story and all the characters and twists makes me so excited to share it with you??? It's so much fun and kind of therapeutic in a way. I know there's a lot of memes about authors/writers complaining about writer's block and stuff, which is a pain, but wowowowow there need to be more posts about how lovely it is to write for readers!!!

Thank you for reading the first chapter, and I look forward to continuing this story for you, my loves!