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ALL THE STARS: PART I

02. land of ice and snow

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The beating of the hooves of their horses against the rainbow bridge formed a steady rhythm that drowned out all the thoughts that threatened to overwhelm her. When they finally reached the Bifrost she wished with all her heart they could've stayed on their horses forever. But sadly she wasn't granted her wish...

They dismounted and she gave her black steed a pat on the neck before following the others. She had changed her silk dress into her silver armor, made from the lightest and yet most impenetrable steal. She wore a blue cape to keep her from freezing to death in the land of ice and snow. Unlike the rest of her companions she did not carry a weapon. Her weapon burned like the brightest star within her, always prepared it lay waiting beneath her very skin.

Heimdall was waiting for them, as she had expected him to. He had probably foreseen their arrival from the very moment they left the palace.

'Leave this to me,' Loki said, not awaiting anyone's reply before stepping forward. 'Good Heimdall-'

'You're not dressed warmly enough,' the guard interrupted him.

'Sorry?' Loki questioned.

'Do you think that you can deceive me?' Heimdall stated calmly, yet firmly.

Loki chuckled somewhat nervously. 'You must be mistaken...'

'Enough,' Thor interrupted his brother, taking a step closer towards the guard. 'Heimdall may we pass?'

Freya watched closely Heimdall as they awaited his answer, her heart beating like a war drum in her chest. His golden gaze weighed heavy on her shoulders.

'Never has an enemy slipped my watch until this day,' Heimdall finally spoke. 'I wish to know how that happened.'

'Then tell no one where we have gone until we've returned,' Thor said. 'Understand?'

Heimdall gave a small nod and upon having been granted permission, they entered the masterfully crafted hall which contained the key to opening the Bifrost. Thousands of small mechanisms were built into an enormous arch to ensure a safe opening for the Bifrost.

'What happened?' Freya heard Volstagg question Loki behind her. 'Silver tongue turned to lead?'

The warriors chuckled among each other but when she turned to look at Loki she saw an ice cold gleam within his gaze. She inhaled sharply and looked away. If only they knew how much their teasing hurt the younger prince...

She had only traveled through the Bifrost once before. When her parents were still alive, they went to visit Vanaheim, the home world of her mother. She could barely remember what the realm looked like, but she could still feel her mother's hand holding her own as they entered the Bifrost. And when the rainbow bridge transported them across the galaxy, it felt as though stepping out into the sun on a warm summer day.

Heimdall took his place upon the golden platform that stood in the middle of the arch. Using his sword he set the mechanisms into motion. A bright light flashed through the room as the bridge opened itself before their very eyes. Countless colors swirling together to form their transport.

'Be warned,' Heimdall spoke, 'I will honor my sworn oath to protect this realm as its Gatekeeper. If your return threatens the safety of Asgard, the Bifrost will remain closed to you. And you'll be left to die in the cold waste of Jotunheim.'

'Couldn't you just leave the bridge open for us?' Volstagg questioned with a nervous chuckle.

'To leave the bridge open would unleash the full power of the Bifrost and destroy Jotunheim with you upon it,' Heimdall replied steadily, as if talking about the weather.

'I have no plans to die today,' Thor spoke.

'None do,' Heimdall simply replied before pushing his sword down and opening the bridge to them.

Before she could do as much as blink, Freya was taken away by a whirlwind of colors and sounds. A thousand galaxies flashed past her eyes. She tried to catch her breath while taking in the beauty that surrounded her but before she could truly take it all in, they had already arrived in Jotunheim, home to the Frost Giants.

The sudden cold fell heavy on her and a shiver crawled down her spine. Despite the warm cloak she was wearing, the wind cut through her like a knife. Tiny white snowflakes danced around in the ice cold wind, everything else around them stood unmoving. She held up her hand and watched as a snowflake landed in her palm and melted away. Tall mountains of stone and ice surrounded them. Pillars of black rock stood like a forest of stone around them. If it had not been so dark, she would have thought this place to be beautiful.

'We shouldn't be here,' Hogun whispered, as if seeing the snow was what he needed to finally realize they were betraying the throne.

No one answered because there was nothing to say. By crossing the bridge they had already committed treason and so to back without doing what they came for would be useless. and instead they watched their surroundings carefully but except for

'Let's move,' Thor spoke.

They headed into the direction of what seemed to be an old tower. One that once stood in glory and as part of a mighty palace, but was now nothing but a ruin.

The snow cracked under their feet as they moved and her breath formed a cloud in the cold air. Far in the distance she could hear the sound of collapsing ice and stone echoing through the sky and she shivered.

As they walked through the ruins she tried to see the glory of how the realm used to be. From the visions in her mind and the paintings in books she remembered what the home of the Frost Giants used to look like. And not for the first time, she felt saddened upon seeing the consequences of war.

'Where are they?' Sif questioned, looking at the empty landscape with narrowed eyes.

'Hiding,' Thor sneered, 'as cowards always do.'

But when they were only a few feet away from the tower a voice echoed through the air, deep and cold with hatred. She did not need to guess to know who was speaking. 'You've come a long way to die, Asgardians,' Laufey, the king of the Frost Giants, said.

'I am Thor Odinson,' Thor replied, raising his voice.

'We know who you are.'

'How did your people get into Asgard?' Thor questioned, his tone demanding.

A short silence fell as the king contemplated his answer and finally Freya saw where he was seated. High up in the tower, looking down on them from an old and decayed throne. 'The House of Odin is full of traitors,' Laufey finally spat.

'Do not dishonor my father's name with your lies!' Thor shouted in anger, tightening his grip on his hammer.

The king got to his feet, fists clenched. 'Your father is a murderer and a thief! And why have you come here? To make peace? You long for battle. You crave it. You're nothing but a boy, trying to prove himself a man.'

Freya knew that despite his apparent anger, those words were chosen carefully. Laufey was exploiting Thor's weakness, trying to provoke him. But they were meant as a distraction as well...She could hear footsteps in the snow behind her and knew the Frost Giants had surrounded them. She swallowed thickly and as if feeling her nerves, her power hummed beneath her skin, eager to be released.

'Well, this "boy" has grown tired of your mockery,' Thor spat.

Upon hearing those words Loki walked forwards, standing close to his brother to try and talk some sense into him. 'Thor, stop and think. Look around you, we're outnumbered.'

'Know your place, brother,' Thor snapped.

'You know not what your actions would unleash,' the king of the Frost Giants spoke. 'I do. Go now, while I still allow it.'

Freya turned her gaze towards the brothers. Thor was very obviously boiling with anger but Loki seemed calm and collected. She knew he had prepared himself for this moment. He knew exactly what he was going to say because he'd known exactly that this would happen.

And she was part of the reason why it was happening.

'We will accept your most gracious offer,' Loki said with a bow of his head.

Thor glared at him, a fiery anger burning in those crystal blue eyes.

Loki turned to walk away. 'Come on, brother.'

She stared at Thor, watching as he swallowed his anger and finally turned to leave. A shaky breath escaped her lips and she turned to follow.

But then one of the Frost Giants opened his mouth. 'Run back home, little prince.'

She winced, knowing perfectly well how Thor would respond.

Thor tightened his grip on his hammer before turning around. With a quick and hard swing he hit the Giant in his face, sending him flying into the wall behind him.

'Who is next?' The son of Odin taunted.

And then all hell broke loose.

She planted her feet firmly on the ground and watched as three Giants came running at her. The starlight coursing through her veins was easy to summon, as though it was grateful to be released. Her veins glowed white as the light escaped her hands and hit the Giants in the chest, sending them flying to the ground.

Everyone tried their hardest to fight the many Giants that came charging at them. She spotted a Frost Giant sneaking up at Hogun from behind. With a grunt she released the light from within her and knocked the Giant to the ground. The noise made Hugon turn around and send her a grateful smile.

'Don't let them touch you!' Volstagg screamed.

Freya turned to look at him, eyes widening when she saw the frostbite setting in upon his arm.

Suddenly her feet lost their grip on the ground, making her fall to her knees. Looking down she realized one of the Giants had placed his hand on the ground and turned the entire ground into ice. She gathered her power and placed her hand against the ice. The white light spread out across the floor like a fallen star, making cracks appear in the ice until it melted completely.

The Giant looked at her with surprise and she didn't give him time to recover, blasting him unconscious with a beam of starlight.

A pained scream came from her left and she searched for the source. Panic set her heart beating faster. A spear of ice had pierced Fandral's shoulder. Blood was pouring from the wound and colored his armor red.

Freya hurried forward without thinking, reaching him at the same time as Hogun and Volstagg did. The two warriors pulled the spear from his shoulder, making him scream once again. Meanwhile she tore up her cloak and pressed the cloth against the wound.

'Thor!' Sif called out, while putting her sword through the chest of a Frost Giant.

'We must go!' Loki yelled at his brother.

'Then go!' he shouted in return, too busy knocking down Giants left and right.

Freya shared a panicked glance with Loki, who shook his head at her. She knew there was no way they'd get him to leave. All they could do was go without him and hope he'd follow. She didn't get a chance to think it through much further because the ground started to shake. Her eyes searched for whatever new danger was awaiting them.

A giant monster had been released from his icy cage by the Giants. With a roar it came running straight at them.

'Run!' Volstagg screamed. He threw Fandral over his shoulder and sprinted into the direction where the Bifrost had dropped them.

She followed without hesitation, with Hugon, Loki and Sif right behind her. She threw a look over her shoulder, watching as Thor lost himself to the heat of the battle, smashing down every Giant who came near him. Every bone in her body was protesting for her to stay and help him but she knew she couldn't. The beast was blocking the way.

Despite its size, the monster was surprisingly fast. It chased after them with claws adjusted to sprinting across the frozen wasteland.

Freya focused her gaze back forwards and fastened her pace. She could barely find any grip on the snow covered ground and yet she kept on running for her life.

A flash of lighting lit up the dark clouds of the sky, soon followed by a second rolling of thunder. This time it struck the ground, making stones crack and ice melt. The monster roared as it fell into the ravine left by the thunder.

A smile tugged at her lips. There was only one person who could summon thunder like that.

The ice cracked and broke beneath her very feet and she tried her best to keep her balance while jumping from rock to rock. But they were forced to come to a halt. Before them was a huge ravine, the other side invisible from this distance.

'Heimdall!' Volstagg called out. 'Open the bridge!'

But instead of a rainbow bridge appearing, a claw appeared. The beast came crawling up out of the ravine, standing tall above them as it roared in their faces.

She winced but refused to look away, clenching her glowing fists, ready to release her light at any given moment. It wouldn't be enough to kill it but maybe her light could keep it away long enough for Heimdall to open the Bifrost and get them out of there.

But before she could make her move, Thor flew past them, straight into the beast's mouth and out the other side of its head. For a moment it stood there, as if it needed some time to realize what had happened. Then, slowly, it fell backwards and its giant corpse disappeared into the depths below.

Thor landed beside them and Freya was about to thank him when marching footsteps made her turn around instead. An army of Frost Giants had gathered behind them, far too many numbers for just the seven of them to handle.

They came to a halt and for a moment, all was quiet. Then, upon a command invisible to her, they all came rushing forward as one. She raised her hands, her skin glowing, ready to blast them with her light when a deep rumbling made the army come to a halt. Light flashed through the sky in a thousand colors as the Bifrost opened. A tall figure upon a horse was visible inside the light and as soon as the colors faded she could see it was Odin himself.

'Father!' Thor called out, raising his hammer to the sky. 'We'll finish them together!'

'Silence,' the Allfather hissed. The calm and collected rage was far worse than a shout of rage would have been.

Laufey made his way forward through the army. He faced Odin with his head held high and his eyes burning with ancient rage. 'Allfather,' he spoke slowly, 'you look weary.'

'Laufey, end this now.'

'Your boy sought this out,' the king of the Frost Giants replied.

'You're right and these are the actions of a boy, treat them as such. You and I can end this now, before there's further bloodshed.'

'We are beyond diplomacy now, Allfather,' the Frost Giant spat. 'He'll get what he came for. War and death.'

Odin gave the smallest of nods as Laufey's words rang through Freya's head. 'So be it,' the Allfather finally spoke and raised his spear to the sky. But instead of bringing it down to fight, the Bifrost opened once again. They were enveloped by swirling colors and led away from the land of snow and ice, back to the realm eternal.

Though, a small part of her couldn't help but wish they had never returned home at all.

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Hey guys!

Sorry it's been a while but school has kept me busy. I hope this was a chapter worth waiting for! I really like writing Freya using her powers because, let's be honest, they're really fucking cool ;) She's a total badass when fighting!

Please leave some comments and votes. I'd love to hear from you guys!

Much love,

Nelly