A/N

I use a lot of Game of Thrones stuff to influence my perception of Asgard. Then that got me thinking. Obviously Game of Thrones exists in these universes (I made it explicit in a couple of chapters), so how would these Asgardian traditions transfer over?

This is the story of how that happened.

Disclaimer: Obviously, George RR Martin came up with this stuff and I used it, not the other way around. Also I have no idea how long it took for him to write book one. The setting time is an estimate. But I get a *little* leway; this is fanfiction world, remember that.

***

~New Mexico, some time in 1991~

Olivia hadn't been down to visit Midgard since at least the 1940s. A lot can change in 50 years and she wanted to have a look around. Loki was back home, a bit busy with a few things. Olivia didn't mind going alone. New Mexico was a place she was interested in visiting for whatever reason. It piqued her interest.

She was at a little coffee shop in mid-morning. It was summertime, so people sat outside the shop to enjoy their drinks. Olivia wasn't very partial to coffee, probably because she didn't have it on Asgard. Though, she picked up some vanilla bean something or other and sat outside. No one in a million years would recognise her, but she looked like an average mortal woman in her early twenties.

Olivia sat at a table by herself with a book in her hands called "The Eyes of the Dragon" by Stephen King. She noticed it at the coffee place's bookstore and decided to have a look. It was pretty interesting so far.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a man sitting down at the table next to her. He pulled out a journal and opened it. He seemed to read something in it before pulling out a pencil.

Olivia wasn't above using magic to look at people's things when it interested her. She knew it was an invasion of privacy, but she couldn't help it.

In the man's journal, he had a bunch of notes in bullet points, as well as a few lines connecting them. It was planning.

That man might be writing a book. Olivia deduced. He looks lost. Maybe I could help him.

She stood up and walked over to the man, a little nervous. Would he shoo her away? Maybe.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"Can I help you?" The man asked.

"I was wondering if you were planning on writing a book. It looks like you have planning in your journal."

"Actually I am."

"Is it a fantasy?"

"Yeah. I'm planning on calling it 'A Game of Thrones.' I have the basic idea down, but there's a few things I'm kind of lost on." The man said, a little solemnly at the end.

"Well, maybe I can help. I'm not exactly a writer, but I do know a bunch of really obscure things from different mythologies you could use." Olivia said.

"That would actually be nice. Sure. Just a few things, though." The man said. Olivia pulled her chair over and sat down. "I should probably introduce myself. George Martin."

"Olivia... Thompson." She said, shaking his hand. Her last name probably might be a bit odd in a foreign land. This was one she used as a pseudonym when on Midgard. It was a common last name, she discovered.

"Are you from Britain, by chance?" George asked.

"No?" Olivia answered.

"Oh, I was just wondering because of your accent." George said.

"Oh! Well, my... Foster family is from Britain." Olivia lied.

"Interesting."

"Anyways, is there anything in particular you might need help with?"

"A few odds and ends, really. Languages are supposed to be a key aspect, but I'm not sure what to call them." George said.

"I do know a few obscure languages. Norse Mythology is my best area of expertise, so I studied that a lot. Let's see... It was said that in the realm of Vanaheim, there was a language used in a few villages called Valyrian. I know a few terms in the language." Olivia started. Really, she was fluent in most of the languages she would talk about, but she figured knowing a few sparse phrases would be more plausable for a mortal. "Mmm... Sikudi nopazmi is the phrase Seven Hells, often used as a swear. There's also a phrase sometimes used as a greeting. Valar Morghulis, which means All Men Must Die."

"That's a bit morbid." George pointed out, writing in his notebook.

"Yes, and I don't really know why they would say that. But it was usually followed up by Valar Dohaeris, which means All Men Must Serve. Again, I'm not sure why exactly. Kessa is Yes, Naor is No, and Avy jorrāelan is I Love You. That's all I really know." Olivia finished.

"I think one more language would work. Do you have anything more primal?" George asked her, finishing his scribbling.

"Well, in the realm of Alfheim, there is a large group of more primal light elves that speak the Dothraki language. It's far more crude with less simple phrases. I mostly only know swears and insults in it, but I know a few basic things. M'athchomaroon is Hello, Hamas is a farewell, but literally translated, it means Hunt Well and Farewell. They have an interesting way of greeting loves. Shekh ma shieraki anni is used when addressing males and means My Sun and Stars. Jalan atthirari anni is used when addressing females and means Moon of My Life. As far as swears and insults, Ki Fin Yen means What the F, and a personal favorite insult is Ifas Masi Yeri, which means Go Walk With Your Mother, which can basically mean go have sex with your mother."

"So, an Oedipus Complex?" George asked.

"Yes, basically." Olivia said with a short laugh. "The spelling is a bit weird for some of those as well."

She pretended to reach into her bag, but really magicked a notepad and pen. She pulled them out and wrote down the words and phrases she just repeated. She passed the paper to George before putting the notepad down.

"That's extremely helpful, thank you. Now, I was hoping to add in some sort of polytheistic religion with multiple gods." George started.

"I mean, it's a little known fact that some Norse Gods and Goddesses have informal titles. We-They have wedding vows based around them." Olivia kicked herself for slipping. She made it a rule that if she slipped three times, she would need to make her exit. Better safe than sorry. George seemed to take no notice.

"Really? What are they?" He asked.

"Well, in order of the wedding vows, there's the Father, which is Odin. Then there's the Smith, who is Thor because of his legendary hammer, and the Warrior, who is Tyr. As for females, there's the Mother, who is Frigga. The Maiden, who is Freya, and the Crone, who is Hel, mostly because she was referred to as half-dead. Me personally, I don't 100% believe that, but they are traditions. Then, lastly, there's the Stranger, who can be refered to by either gender, hence why that's usually Loki and based on the myths that he isn't Aesir, which I heavily doubt. The vows themselves basically are just 'Father, Smith, Warrior. Mother, Maiden, Crone. Stranger. I am hers or his, and he or she is mine from this day until the end of my days.'"

"You certainly know a lot about this stuff." George said, still writing.

"My mother used to study old Norse artifacts and she left behind a lot of research when she died." Olivia said, spitting out the lie before she could even think too hard about it. Gods, Loki's rubbing off on me maybe a bit too much.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." George said sympathetically.

"She died when I was a baby as did my father. My foster mother was good friends with her so she kept the research. My... Boyfriend is her son. I was always told they weren't my real family, so it was like I was just a friend who spent the night every night." Olivia said. "That was probably too much information, I'm so sorry."

"No, you're completely fine. It seems like a lot for one person to go through."

"I've gotten used to it. I'm very happy with my life right now. Anyways, enough about me. Is there anything else you need?"

"Well, I need two girl's names that sound fantasy-ish for one character's handmaidens."

"Mmm... Well, my mother was named Iri. That's exotic enough. Maybe add two Rs. Irri. And my foster mother had a... Nanny when she was little named Jhiqui. It's a very weird name, I know." Olivia said, continuing to somehow flawlessly spout off half lies. Jhiqui was one of Frigga's handmaidens in reality.

"Interesting. Anything else?" George asked.

"Well, there is one thing. One of my mother's research involved a song supposedly from a village in Asgard called Castamere. It was a legend about the village that was destroyed. My mother found a very old song written on leather called "The Rains of Castamere" about this event. It's haunting, but the song itself is beautiful."

"Do you know it?" George asked.

"I can hum some of it." Olivia said. She started humming the first few stanzas, remembering the dances held on Asgard that would play this song. The amount of times she and Loki would dance to it...

"That was lovely." George commented.

"Thank you. There are words, though they're not sung as often."

"What are they?" George asked. Olivia thought for a moment, trying to remember the lyrics.

"And who are you, the proud lord said, that I must bow so low? Only a cat of a different coat, that's all the truth I know. In a coat of gold or a coat of red, a lion still has claws. And mine are long and sharp, my lord, as long and sharp as yours. And so he spoke, and so he spoke, that lord of Castamere. But now the rains weep o'er his hall with no one there to hear. Yes now the rains weep o'er his hall with not a soul to hear." Olivia sang quietly.

"That's so weirdly beautiful and haunting at the same time." George said.

"It was said the people of Asgard would dance to it and it was sacred to the Vikings when they danced to it because of that." Olivia said.

"Now the question is how do I incorporate it?" George asked. Olivia thought for a moment.

"You plan on having these two houses at war, right? What if there's an event of some sort and this song starts playing as it is sort of the song for one house, sort of off setting the other house. Then a whole bunch of people get killed or something like that?" Olivia suggested.

"That's actually a good idea. I'll expand upon that when the time comes." George said.

"Well, thank you. Tell you what. I'll write the lyrics down for you so you can put them into your book to share with others." Olivia said, reopening her notepad and writing down the lyrics. She tore the page out and handed it to George.

"Thank you." He said.

Dove, Mother wants you back home. She said she wanted you to help her with a few things. She heard Loki say in her mind.

I'll be there in twenty minutes. She replied.

"What time is it?" Olivia asked.

"It's a little past noon." George told her.

"Ah, I need to get going. My foster mother wanted me home around two. It's a long drive back home." Olivia said.

"Oh, well, then I guess this is goodbye." George said. "Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome. I wish you success with your book." Olivia said, before waving and exiting the coffee shop. She walked for about ten minutes before she hid behind a building in the small town. She changed back to her normal clothes and looked around in case anyone were to see her.

"Heimdall, take me home, please." Olivia said. A moment later, the Bifrost enveloped her as she was shot back home.

***

A/N

I love thinking of small things like this. Now I'm just imagining how George RR Martin must have reacted when that twenty-something girl from the coffee shop was actually an Asgardian when he saw her on the news in 2012.

It just makes me laugh.

Also, I totally sounded like a huge nerd throughout most of this. Knowing the languages and lyrics.

I looked up half of it, I swear!!

Though that Gods and Goddesses thing I 100% bullshitted my way through. I'm actually pretty proud of that. There's literally no correlation between the two, but I just made it up on the spot.