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I was never going to live this down. I swallowed back a grimace as I lowered a tray of glasses before Loki and the Grand Master.

Mercifully, Loki didn't smirk or make a comment. There seemed to be something else weighing on his mind as he worried his lip. Not anything weighing so heavily that he couldn't take the drink I offered, though.

"Surely she can join us now," Loki appealed to the Grand Master, "The fight's about to begin."

"Taken a liking to this one, huh?" The Grand Master waggled his eyebrows. "I can always have her sent to your room later."

I blushed furiously at the intention behind his words, as Loki's lips turned up in grin.

"As enjoyable as that sounds, I'd like her company now, if that's alright."

"Sure, why not," the Grand Master waved his hand, grabbing hold of my wrist and jarring me forwards, so that I tumbled into the small space between he and Loki. The tray, which contained two more glasses that had luckily not crashed to the floor when I fell, was taken from me by another of the entertainers. The Grand Master leaned over me. "If I'm being honest, I've taken a liking to this one too."

I wanted to punch him. Punch them both. For Christ's sake I was sitting right there but they were speaking as though I wasn't.

"I need to speak with you, Alivia," Loki said, low in my ear.

"You had all of last night to speak with me," I said, his words drumming up anxiety in my chest. What did he have to say to me? Regret at the words he'd shared last night? More lies and tricks? "You could have picked a better time than now."

"It's about the ring—"

"You know, it's very rude to speak over the proceedings. I worked very hard on this Contest," the Grand Master said suddenly from beside me.

It was then that I noticed that the Contest had commenced.

Through the glass of the box we were seated in, I eyed the massive holographic projection of the Grand Master that addressed the mass of people gathered in the stadium.

"Alivia, I've spoken to Thor—"

"See Sparkles down there? If you don't pipe down you're gonna be the new Sparkles," the Grand Master silenced him.

A few moments passed again. Loki's thigh was pressed against mine, and the slight touch brought my mind to last night. A shiver crawled up my spine.

"Alivia," Loki tried again, his words a whisper at my ear, "I really must speak with you—"

"You're about to lose your entertainer privileges," the Grand Master said flatly, eyeing Loki. "You know what? No, you've already lost your entertainer privileges."

He hefted me up like he was confiscating a toy, and a tray was promptly pushed back into my hands.

"Sorry, sweetheart, looks like you're gonna have to wait until the next fight to see Sparkles and my Champion in action."

Loki shot me a sorry look, as I was shepherded into another room. I cast a last glance over my shoulder at him. And then, ran directly into somebody. My tray, which was luckily by this point empty, clattered to the ground.

"Oh, God I'm sorry," I mumbled, stooping to collect the tray. When I stood back up and met the eyes of the woman across from me, I paused. Her gaze was wide and unblinking, her brow furrowed deeply.

"Kára?"

That word hit me like a punch to the gut. Silence hung between us as she waited for an answer, and I tried to grasp at what to say.

"That's my—You know... Knew my mother?"

"Your—Your mother? Kára had a child?"

My chest swelled with eager anticipation. This woman, whoever she was, she'd known my mother. Known who she was. A loud clatter made me realize I'd once again dropped the tray. This time I didn't bother to get it.

"Who are you?"

The woman cast a furtive glance around at her surroundings, before grabbing hold of my arm and hefting me into the crowd.

I lost track of where we were going, but eventually, the woman pushed me down into a seat. She fell into the one beside me, and placed her hands on a wheel. I started. I was so flustered and disoriented, I had even realized we had boarded a ship.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked frantically. I suddenly realized this woman might've known my mother, but that didn't mean they'd been friends.

She eyed me, and her lips quirked into a small smile. "Relax Kárasdottir. I'm only taking us somewhere more private to speak."

Apparently, somewhere more private meant two hundred feet above the stadium where the fight was taking place. I didn't even lower my gaze to watch it. I was too fixated on the woman across from me.

"Brunnhilde."

"Excuse me?"

"My name. It was Brunnhilde." She turned to face me, hefting up her sleeve. An intricate tattoo design leafed up her forearm, and I gaped at it. "I was a Valkyrie. And so was your mother."

"A Valkyrie? What—Who are they?"

"Who were they, you mean. I am the last of them. Unless—I'm afraid to ask, but... Your mother, is she..?"

My jaw hardened. "She's dead. I'm sorry."

"Then it is true. I am the last," she sighed long and deep. "The Valkyrie were Odin's shield-maidens. Kára and I fought among them. They—They all perished. Everyone but I."

"And my mother?"

"She was gone well before the Valkyrie were extinguished. Years before, she became plagued by terrible nightmares. She didn't speak of them much beyond fire, destruction. She set off in search of answers and I never saw her afterward."

That was another blow to my stomach and chest. I felt violently ill. She'd had the same dreams as I. But why? What did all of it mean?

"Can I ask... How did you know? That she was my mother?"

"Well, truth be told, when I wound up in Sakaar, I always hoped I'd see her again. For a moment I thought—I thought perhaps that you were her. Either you look exactly alike or my memories of her have faded considerably."

For some reason, the knowledge that I looked like my mother set my face aglow with a vibrant smile. Satisfaction pumped through my veins as I practically beamed. I could hardly wait to tell Thor, to tell Loki. There was a slight pang in my chest when I remembered I wouldn't be able to tell Odin. But that sour feeling was immediately trumped by my excitement at finally having the answers. Not all of them. My powers were still a mystery. But after a long while, I finally felt hopeful that perhaps I might find their source.

Nothing could take away from the pure elation flooding my body. But then, my eyes lifted. Well. Maybe one thing could take away from my good mood. Across from me, midway through leaping into the air, I met the eyes of the Hulk. He seemed to see me, but pay me no mind at all as he slammed back down to the earth, pummelling whoever his poor opponent was.

So that was the Grand Master's Champion.

I stood, my gaze fixed on his hulking green figure. I was so going to tear him apart. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?

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