“Bull, stop lying.”

“I’m telling you the truth!”

“As the proverb goes, ‘Lies have short legs’. Like you do- Oww!”

Maya punched Austin, her best friend, against his side. He yelped; his shaggy, red-brown hair fell over his tawny face.

“What was that for?” Austin flinched, rubbing his hip.

“I am being serious here; She’s real!”

“Sure she is.” Austin made a face. “You’re telling me that a demigod woman lives with you and that she fought off a series of undead warriors? And above all, that she’s extremely hot?”

“A bombshell.” Maya could still not get Val’s face out of her mind. How her blond hair billowed past her shoulders or how her fit body looked in Maya’s borrowed clothes.

Maya waved her hand over her heated face.

Val’s rich brown skin and shining golden amber eyes were unforgettable. Ask Maya; her mind still could not process it and she needed a drink to cool off.

“She’s not from this realm,” she whipped away the droplets that fell on her chin, “literally.”

“Did I understand you correctly?” Austin took a deep breath. “You want to tell me you got an attractive demigod girlfriend during the holiday week when the university was closed?”

“Yes!” Maya replied enthusiastically before catching herself. “I mean, she’s not my girlfriend (yet). We’ve only just met, and I am helping her out by having her stay at home until she gets better. Not that I am not interested. I just never was in any sort of relationship. You know what I mean?”

Austin pursed his lips and squinted dubiously at Maya.

“Listen, she’s unbelievably attractive, but as much as I wish there was something between us, there isn’t (yet). I’m just helping her out. Really.”

“Riiiiiight,” drawled Austin. He steepled his fingers before his mouth and took a breath. “You sound insane— OW!”

Maya kicked him against the shin. Austin let out his characteristic loud yowl that echoed through the spacious halls.

“Mean, you’re a mean woman!” complained Austin, jumping up and down, holding his leg. “Fine, I’ll believe you got a hot demigod girlfriend who had fallen from the sky and fought undead warriors!”

“Thank you.” Maya nodded with a sly smile. “Wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“Noooo, it wasn’t,” grumbled Austin, glaring at Maya with his green eyes. “So, where is she right now? What were you doing the whole week?”

“Oh, nothing much.” Maya fumbled with her thumbs. “We talked, ate together, and went shopping for a pair of new clothes for her. I tell you, I spent too much money on her wardrobe, but I wouldn’t have been satisfied not buying them. She looked so good at them. I’m so jealous of her body. Wish I had one like hers.”

Austin narrowed his eyes at her.

“What? You asked.” Maya put her hands on her hips. “I could talk for hours about her; tempt me.”

“I meant more like what you two were doing outside of being an annoying couple, although you claim you’re not one.”

Maya fiddled with her thumbs nervously. “We were looking for clues to restore her strength.”

Austin put a hand on his chin and leaned against the stairs’ railing, pondering. “Did you find any?”

“No.” Maya shook her head. “Other than the shield? Nothing,” she sighed. “Right now, Val is trying to recover her strength, but she gets winded a lot. It’s like watching someone going through rehab. I wish I could help her.”

Austin raised a brow when she looked at him expectantly. “What?” he asked.

“I mean, you’re the expert in Norse stuff. Most of the things I know come from you. Do you have any suggestions? I don’t have anyone else to turn to for this.”

Austin shrugged. “Nope, no clue.”

“You’re no help.”

“Hey, what did you expect? It’s all unique and unheard of.” Austin put a hand on Maya’s shoulder. “All you can do right now is to help recover her strength. Be there for her.”

Maya dipped her head to the side and clicked her tongue. “You’re just too lazy to help me.”

Austin spread his arms. “Guilty as charged,” he laughed. “Also, I’ve got a lecture. Smell you later, Maya.”

“Wha– hey, that’s not what friends should do! And I hate it when you make that kind of goodbye!”

“I know, and I love it!” cackled Austin and disappeared through another hallway and outside the building, his snarky laugh still echoing. “Good luck with your girlfriend!”

“Pah,” Maya scoffed and turned red. “She’s not my- ahhh… time to go home, anyway.”

—✩—

Maya hated taking the bus home in the afternoon.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Not only was it stuffy and crammed, but there were one too many boneheads driving with her. Thinking they could bump at her accidentally or pull on her coils because they were “unique and interesting”.

She couldn’t wait to get out, plop down and unwind with instant microwaved food.

“Mmm, lasagne sounds good right now.” Maya’s mouth was watering from the thought.

Though Maya once again forgot that she had a Valkyrie at home. The smell of freshly cooked food invaded her nostrils when she opened the front door.

The warm and spicy scent of beef, potatoes, carrots, swede, and leeks boiling into a stew made Maya blind from reverie. She opened the lid and saw that the meat and vegetables were tender, flowing with brown sauce.

Hunger pains gripped her.

“You’re. Home.” Val greeted Maya with a smile and put her hands on her shoulder.

Maya almost had a heart attack from the sudden touch and looking at Val’s new outfit.

It wasn’t something extravagant. Still, Maya’s heart could barely take it.

Val wore blue jeans and a loose t-shirt with the ends tied to reveal her midriff and abdominal muscles—with which she could shred cheese if you asked Maya.

In her hands, she held an apron she used while cooking—Maya cursed for being too late to see her in it—but she was also glad Val wasn’t wearing it.

She wouldn’t have survived seeing it. Her face was already overheating—fanning was getting strenuous.

Having bought the outfits for her and sharing some of hers, Maya thought she was prepared and used to looking at the Valkyrie by now—she was woefully wrong.

“Cooked some dinner. For us.” Val gestured to the kitchen area. “Sit, relax. I’ll be. There, shortly.”

Val carried two plates in her hands and gracefully placed them down on the table, one before Maya and one for herself.

She brushed back her hair on the left side and tugged it behind her ear. They were braided on that side, blending in well with her wavy hair.

“What’s wrong?” asked Val, noticing Maya’s stare. “You’re not. Eating.”

“Ah, sorry, I got distracted.” Maya shook her head and took a bite.

Maya rarely cooked because she was a terrible cook.

Instead, she mostly ate instant food, takeout, or poorly cooked dishes with eggs since they were the only thing she couldn't mess up… sometimes.

It was such a chore that Maya disliked whatever she cooked and just went with whatever she felt hungry for. Snacking a bit too much was also a bothersome trait. Her diet suffered a lot from it, but university drained too much energy from her, and she couldn’t help bothering about it after a long day.

She was terrible at handling stress.

With Val here, Maya got home-cooked meals nearly three times a day which tasted like they came from heaven itself. She would never trade her for anyone or anything else.

“What is the stew called? It’s good.”

“Lapskaus,” answered Val with her typical accent. “Norwegian dish. Easy to cook. Great for many. People.”

“Do you cook often?”

Blowing at her food, Val took a bite. “Yes, lots of. Dead.”

The word sent a shiver down Maya’s spine. “Dead? Like those Draugr zombies?”

Val grimaced irritatingly. “No Draugr. We serve only. Worthy Warriors. Cook and Serve. Food and Beer. Draugr are evil. Malicious.”

That was one of the longest instances she heard Val talk—even containing instances of her own life.

So far, Maya could barely get anything out of Val or help jog her memory. “This is my chance to help her.”

“Are there many of those, ehm, undead warriors?”

“Thousands.” Val took another bite. “Serving the All-Father. We bring them. To the Hall. When they died. Valiantly. Becoming Einherjar.”

“‘Einherjar’.” Maya knew the word. “Austin told me they are the warriors to prepare for the apocalypse. Valkyries scoop them up the moment they died in battle.”

Maya gave another look at Val. She often had to remember how special Val was. Despite her impressive background and appearance, she still looked like an ordinary woman.

Maya felt lucky to have her sit before her.

“Have you been a Valkyrie for long?”

“I- hmm.” Val placed down her spoon and ruffled the braided side of her head. “Not. Remember. I.”

“Oh no, not good. Her speech pattern is breaking!”

Whenever Val remembered certain things in her past, it impeded her ability to speak. It was as if her brain was blocking multiple accesses at once.

“Yesterday was so bad that Val could only smile and moved like a rusty robot waiting for a Windows update.” Maya shuddered at the thought. “Better change the subject, asap!”

“Valkyries are mostly women, no?” Maya spread out her hands and chuckled nervously. “Sounds like a lucky place to be, haha.”

“Idiot!” Maya grew red. “What in Hel’s name are you babbling about!?”

Val smiled brightly. “Your laugh. It’s adorable.”

“Ah, thanks, haha.” Maya couldn’t hide her pleased expression, though her face changed to a deeper hue of red. “Appreciate the compliment. I love your smile.”

“Fooooool!” Maya screeched inside her head. “Stop talking. You’re just embarrassing us!”

“I knooooow!” Maya yelled back. “What am I supposed to do!?”

“How should I know!?” Maya’s brain cried back; then it got an idea. “I know. Let’s go with Plan T. Just finish the food and stop talking!”

“Good thinking brain.”

“I know. That’s why I’m the smart one.”

Compared to others, Val was a slow eater. It wasn’t really something she found joy in—or in cooking.

She couldn’t remember much of her life as a Valkyrie, only glimpses and fragments.

It told her about the more stressful days outside of the battlefield. Moments when her cooking went unappreciated or how tired she often was afterwards.

Imagine cooking for thousands of unruly and undead feasting warriors and getting the occasional rowdy comment. That’s what her subconscious told her when she took a passive bite.

Yet watching Maya laugh from joy, her face turning red whenever she was flustered or her eyes twinkling whenever they locked eyes, made Val happy to be there.

Even more so how much she appreciated her cooking like no one else ever did. Somehow, the next bite had more taste in it. Seeing Maya finishing her meal with an expressive amount of pleasure was more than Val could have asked for.

“How was the food?” Val asked, resting her chin on her hand. “Did you enjoy it?”

Maya licked her glossy pink lips with dimples forming on the corners of her mouth. “A thousand times better than my cooking. Never leave, please. It’s too good.”

“Sure,” Val replied with a twinkle. “I won’t. I’ll cook for you. Every day.”

“I-” Maya’s cheeks reddened up to her ears, feeling more than a little abashed. “I’d like that. A lot.”

“HEL YES!” her brain screamed.

“Do you want. Seconds?”

Maya shook her hands before her. “It’s good, but I shouldn’t-” her stomach audibly grumbled. Maya covered her face in shame. “Yes… please.”

Val laughed and stood up. She rested her hand briefly on Maya’s shoulder and looked into her blue eyes. “Be right back, dúllan mín.”