AN: (Holds a stuffed Turkey plushie) Hello everyone!!!! In honor of Thanksgiving tomorrow I've decided to release this chapter early so that all of you may enjoy. My hands are much much better now and I'm catching up on some writing both for my thesis and stories. There might even be a Black Friday surprise for all of you. ;)

I know not everyone celebrates this holiday but I just wanted to wish you all a wonderful day. Have fun with your friends and families and make lots of new memories!!

Chapter 15

The group said their farewells to Sutr and followed Sigyn out of the fortress. "Wait, where is Sleipnir?" Tyr asked as they came upon the fiery planes.

"At the Allfather's side," Sigyn answered plainly. "Your group was the only one that was already deployed and could easily make the detour. Odin is prepping his forces if anything is amiss in Jothunheim."

"Do you need a ride?" Hiccup asked as they sat on their dragons. The planes were near impossible to cross on foot and the gang did wonder how Sigyn got here so quickly.

"There is no need," She said as small light green magic circles started glowing under her feet. Dagur 'Oooohed' as Sigyn started flying. She apparently could easily keep up with the dragons and flew beside them with her weapon secured to her back.

"You can use magic," Dagur observed as he sat behind the twins while watching the librarian.

"Well of course I can," Sigyn shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"But Tyr said Asgardian warriors don't use magic," Dagur stated. "Yet here you are."

"Dagur, knowledge is power," Sigyn stated. "Why should I not employ every means I have to ensure victory?"

Dagur nodded and Frey took the silence that followed to ask "Sig, if you've donned that armor....... Does that mean......"

Sigyn looked rather solemn. Her lips were set in a straight line but she did nod.

"I feel like we're missing something here," Fishlegs mumbled.

"Wait, you guys don't know?" Tyr asked while looking rather shocked.

"Know what?" Astrid asked.

"The only reason Sigyn would actively don battle armor again was if the throne was threatened directly or if one, or more, of her Valkyries were in danger." Tyr explained.

"Wait.... Hold up....." Snotlout was surprisingly the one to catch on quickly this time. "Her Valkyries? The nerdy librarian is a Valkyrie warrior?!"

"Was...... I was...." Sigyn told him.

"You're looking at the former leader of the Valkyries." Frey jabbed his thumb in Sigyn's direction. "Sig could take on an army of a hundred or more men quite easily."

Sigyn blushed slightly but didn't refute the statement about a hundred men.

"But that still doesn't explain the magic," Dagur mumbled. "I was led to believe it was looked down upon."

"Oh it is." Sigyn huffed. "The meatheads over in the regular regiments still do not want to acknowledge the benefits."

"HEY!" Both Tyr and Frey seemed offended.

"You boys know I'm right!" Sigyn quipped. "Don't even try to deny it!"

"The Valkyries' aren't part of the regular Asgardian army?" Hiccup asked as he thought about Sigyn's statements.

"The Valkyries have multiple functions as a unit. Scouting, infiltration, espionage. The unit is usually considered to be the last line of defense between hostiles and the Royal family. Hence why every means of combat is employed. Both magical and physical." Sigyn explained as they came up to the spot where Hiccup and the gang had first appeared.

"Oh! I just realized!" Fishlegs exclaimed. "The Valkyries are like ninjas! THAT IS SO COOL!"

"If you say so." Sigyn stated. "I am unfamiliar with the term 'ninja' though." She then proceeded to blow the small horn that was fastened on her belt and the light of the Bifrost engulfed them all. Before anyone could blink they were now knee deep in snow and shivering.

"THERE IS SNOW IN MY PANTS!" Snotlout shrieked as he tried to not let certain parts of him become frostbitten. Toothless and the other dragons looked quite happy with the snow as seen when Stormfly started piling the white fluff on Toothless' head.

"This place looks............ desolate." Astrid observed as she watched the endless expanse of ice. "Why are we all the way out here?"

"After you all left, Heimdal had finished tracking Ve and Vili's whereabouts. He reported to Odin that they appeared near here. The Allfather dispatched five Valkyries to scout the surrounding region but we lost contact with them." Sigyn explained further. "I proceeded to volunteer for the extraction mission and he ordered me to take you with me as back up."

"You think there is trouble brewing in Jothunheim?" Frey asked.

"If there isn't, there soon will be if I find out anything drastic has happened to the scouts." Sigyn muttered as she pointed in a particular direction. "The Realm's capital is that way." How she knew the way was anyone's guess. It all looked the same to the group. Snow... Snow... and more snow.

Sigyn motioned for them to fly at very low altitude since their colorful dragons were sticking out like sore thumbs on the snowy white world. The dragons were mere meters above the tundra and Sigyn was remarkably still keeping pace with them. They had already traveled quite a long way and when they reached the capital they stopped near the outskirts.

"Oh....my," Heather said as she took in the sight. The Capital was as big as Asgard, at least the size she had seen when Jerry had taken her for a ride. But there was a remarkable difference between Asgard and Jothunheim's capital. The buildings here were...... to put it quite frankly..... Left in a dilapidated state. It was as if war had only recently ravaged them.

"Are you sure this place is inhabited?" Dagur asked. Her brother was having the same thoughts as her. Even the city's outer wall looked to be crumbling.

"It is," Sigyn confirmed rather sadly. "The Jothuns really have no other places to go."

"Why is that?" Hiccup asked as he thought that surely they would have been able to rebuild since their last war.

"We've all heard what happened after the last Great War." Sigyn stated. Astrid's eyes had narrowed as she still hadn't forgiven the Asgardians for their actions. "Of course," She muttered. "Chase a fleeing force to their homeworld and plunder it until its people are left in the stone age."

"War is never pretty...... and people can be petty," Sigyn said. The other Realms gave the Jothuns a scornful and dismissive glance, refusing to send any aid when they were asked. The Jothuns refused to bother with the other communities because all they would receive was a dismissal. Jothunheim has almost no resources to rebuild its capital and its people are living in poverty.

"Odin certainly felt really bad about what had happened to the Jothuns. Surely he offered aid?" Astrid asked.

"Oh, the Allfather offered aid. The Jothuns just would not accept it." Sigyn stated. "They are a prideful people, and accepting the aid of the race that destroyed them was not on the table."

"So what now?" Ruffnut asked. "We can't just stay on the city outskirts for much longer."

"We aren't," Sigyn stated. "I made sure we were seen from here. So far we have been non-threatening, as they must have observed. They should be sending a party to meet with us in a while." Sigyn's guess was spot on. Within the hour a regiment of ice giants stood opposite to them.

"State your names and your business Asgardians." The giant in charge growled as his eyes narrowed on the group.

"We are Asgardian and Midgardian representative." Sigyn stressed. "I am Sigyn, former Captain of the Valkyries. We are here because it is believed that the Jothuns are holding several of our people captive. We wish to start negotiations."

Astrid saw the twins quirk a brow for they clearly hadn't expected Sigyn to use the diplomatic approach. "We wish to speak to your King."

The other giants clearly looked either confused or alarmed now but the one in charged looked over the group with certain disdain still. "We have no quarrel with the Dragon race..." He said as his red eyes swept over the assembled dragons. "Nor with the Midgardians. His eyes then focused back on Sigyn. "The Asgardians are a different matter entirely. You have taken too much from us. What makes you think that we will allow you entry?"

"Because..." Sigyn said with her head held high. "The balance between the realms is changing. An old and very powerful force has awoken once again and my people are trying to prevent the mistakes of the past now. I know, after Ymir was defeated, that the Asgardians plundered your magical tomes and destroyed your civilization in fear that another like her would pop up. It wasn't right then and it isn't right now. You were as much of slaves to her as the other races. But we fear that she may have risen again and our scouts that we lost contact with might have the info we need to stop history from repeating itself. Do you all really want to become her slaves again and die in battle for a worthless cause?!"

Sigyn's emotional speech had the party of Jothuns whispering.

"The Mistress of the Wind makes a valid point," The Frost giant in charge muttered after a moment. Sigyn raised a brow as she looked up at the man.

"Do not look so surprised Asgardian. Even one so young as myself, know of the tales of the old Valkyrie Captain." The ice giant chuckled slightly. "If we did not hate Asgardians as much as we do, then it would have been an honor to share a bottle of Rishka with you."

"Our....... Government as of right now is in a bit of a precarious situation." The giant said. "The only reason I am willing to let you close to the palace is because your reputation as a warrior of honor is well known."

"Thank you for listening to my request," Sigyn stated.

"Your weapons will have to be left in our care for the duration of your stay here," The man stated. Sigyn took the warhammer from her back and the group did see the Jothuns tense slightly. The looked rather relieved when she willingly placed the hammer in the palms of the Jothun in charge. Sigyn indicated for Tyr, Frey, and the others to do the same. The dragons decided that their riders were safe enough and went back into their respective tattoos.

"Do you know what happened to our people?" Sigyn asked as they were being led towards the palace. From each side of the road the group could observe many Jothun eyes observing them in suspicion and fear.

"Yes...." The man in charge said and was silent for a minute as he escorted them. "But your pleas for their release might fall on deaf ears."

"How so?" Astrid now asked. She was actually very curious about the Jothuns. Not even the stories from her village, all those centuries ago, would have done these people justice.

"As I said, you came at a rather precarious time." The man muttered.

"But still, what does that mean?" Snotlout now asked.

"You can see that for yourself," The ice giant sighed as they had finally reached the palace and he motioned for the guards there to open the door. Inside the throne room the group was greeted to two Jothuns wrestling violently on the floor.

"May I present the Princes of Jothunheim, Helblindi and Býleistr."