A Change Only a Queen Could Feel
Frigga paused mid-step in her chambers.
The air had shifted.
Not violently.
Not magically obvious.
But emotionally.
"…Hel," she whispered.
She turned toward the window where Yggdrasil's distant roots glimmered faintly.
Something had changed there.
Frigga Questions Odin
That evening, Frigga found Odin alone.
"You felt it too," she said calmly.
Odin nodded.
"…Alexander entered Hel. And returned."
Frigga did not gasp.
She smiled.
"And?" she asked.
Odin told her everything Alexander had said—about the teleportation circle, the mishap, the sealed woman named Hela, and the conversation.
When he finished—
Frigga laughed softly.
"My baby made Hela laugh?"
Odin huffed. "That is not a sentence I expected to hear."
Frigga placed a hand over her heart.
"…Of course he did."
A Queen Walks into Hel
Frigga did not announce herself.
She simply arrived.
The shadows of Hel recoiled—not in fear, but recognition.
Hela stood as the green flames shifted.
"…Queen Frigga," Hela said coolly.
"What brings the All-Mother to my prison?"
Frigga smiled gently.
"I wanted to thank you."
Hela frowned. "…For what?"
"For being kind to my son."
Silence.
Then—
"…So," Hela said slowly, "Alexander made you laugh too."
Frigga chuckled. "He has that effect."
A Mother's Stories
They sat.
Frigga spoke—not as queen, but as mother.
She told Hela about:
Alexander's first crawl—straight to her, ignoring Odin His first word: mama How he fell asleep listening to her stories How he cooked for her, carefully watching her reactions Odin's jealousy over that
Hela listened.
Quietly.
"…He challenged Odin," Hela said.
Frigga nodded.
"Their match shook Asgard," she said proudly.
"And Odin won only by revealing power he never intended to use."
Hela's eyes widened slightly.
"…Impressive."
The Truth of Blood
"What is his bloodline?" Hela asked.
Frigga answered without hesitation.
"Dark Phoenix."
Hela inhaled sharply.
"…So that's why Hel reacted to him."
Frigga smiled softly.
"But," she added,
"He is not my son by blood."
Hela looked up.
"He was adopted," Frigga said.
"Yet I love him as my own."
She met Hela's gaze.
"Blood does not decide family."
Something in Hela cracked—just a little.
"…You raised him well," Hela said quietly.
A Dangerous Thought
When Frigga stood to leave, she placed a gentle blessing into Hel—not to break seals, but to warm the realm.
"As long as Alexander exists," Frigga said kindly,
"you will not be forgotten."
Then she was gone.
Aftermath in Hel
Hela stood alone.
"…Not related by blood," she murmured.
Her cheeks warmed.
She shook her head sharply.
"No," she muttered.
"That is foolish."
A pause.
Then—
"…Still," she whispered,
"making him fall for me would be…"
She stopped herself.
Scowled.
"…Ridiculous."
But Hel felt a little brighter.
And somewhere in Asgard—
Alexander sneezed for no reason at all.