It was an...experience being prince to one of the most technologically advanced civilizations in the universe.

My current predicament was a great example.

“Excuse me.” I said as a woman holding an arm full of garments passed my way. I hadn’t meant for her to stop for me, it was just something that happened.

“Prince Siegfried.” The woman said, bowing low while still holding on to what was obviously a clean set of bedsheets. At least it looked similar to that.

“Where would I get a haircut?” I asked. It was something that my memories did not answer for me. In fact, my mother normally just showed up to my rooms with a barber, or hairstylist rather, and I suffered with getting a trim.

Although I would not get only a trim today. No no no. I was planning on going way out to left field. I was planning on getting a proper haircut, for a proper human. My physiology didn’t matter, and although the Asgardian culture did lean towards longer hair, I wasn’t breaking any rules, nor being too progressive.

I just didn’t feel like putting in the work required to maintain such a beautiful mane.

But the beard? Oh yes that would stay.

“I’ll retrieve her shortly, my Prince. She will meet you in your chambers.” The servant said dutifully, and then stood there waiting for something.

“Thank you. You may go.” I told her, remembering that she needed to be dismissed from my presence. I may have grown up with people pandering to my every move, but that wasn’t universal for my other life.

“Thor!”

I turned to the voice, instinctively. Mentally, I berated myself as soon as it happened. Then I recognized the voice first, and the person second when I finally saw her.

It was Jane, the real Thor.

I smiled at her, because she was extremely attractive and I knew her attachment to me. Although it was not the smile the previous must have given her, because she faltered walking towards me.

“You are Thor now. I am Siegfried.” I corrected, gently.

She frowned, before something caught her eye. I traced her gaze to my arm, or my new metal arm. I still hadn’t found out what it was made out of, or what it was capable of. Maybe I should check on that.

“I never wanted that!” Jane exclaimed, almost angry at me.

It took me a moment to realize why she was defensive about the topic. She was head over heels for the Thor she met on Midgard. She knew how much the hammer meant to him. She knew how hard he fought, and perhaps she knew he gave his life for her. She didn’t want me to think she took it from me. She wanted to see me happy.

It was noble, honestly. It meant that she knew how to love properly. Or at least, she would support you for what you wanted in life.

Unfortunately for her, I was not the Thor she knew. And I wouldn’t ever be.

“I know.” I agreed. “And I do not hold it against you.” I added, to placate her.

“Then why haven’t I seen you yet?! You haven’t come to see me! To thank me for saving your life. To apologize for me being stranded on a planet I am not wanted on. To ...talk to me. Nothing.” Jane said.

Well when she puts it that way… I can see where she’s coming from. That would suck, especially if she thought I still cared about her like the previous me did. This is going to be awkward.

“I’m sorry, you’re right. I owe you my life, thrice over I believe.” I told her, nodding towards her. “In my defense I am not who I was two days ago…” I said, trailing off. I was unsure of how to continue.

“Twice! And what do you mean you aren’t the same? It’s just a hammer, damn it. You’re still the man I knew!” Jane argued.

“No I am not!” I replied, a little too angrily. She didn’t know. What right did I have to be angry at her?

Jane looked to be on the verge of punching me through a wall. I couldn’t blame her, I wasn’t communicating what happened very well.

“Listen! Mjolnir isn’t what you think. It holds a cosmic storm my father couldn’t defeat. When he couldn’t defeat it, he sealed it in the hammer. He made the worthiness enchantment intentionally vague, and it had many consequences he didn’t expect. You are literally Thor. It took all the memories I made with it from me. I am not the same person you knew because I am missing lifetimes of memories.”

The explanation just flew from my mouth. It was word vomit, plain and simple. I left out very important parts, such as what the exact wording of the enchantment was, and what Thor represented.

But Jane understood, almost immediately.

I could see her high intellect processing the information. She was beginning to understand exactly what it meant. She was finding out what I wasn’t. I was not the man she was falling in love with.

Just like before, pity shone from her eyes.

Alfathers I hated the pity. I could even see it in the servants, when they thought I wasn’t looking. I did not need their pity. Nor was I some flower that wilted under the circumstances of life.

I was fucking Yggdrasil, a mighty tree that would soon reach into different realms.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” I retorted almost as soon as she got done with her apology. “It is what it is, I will adapt and overcome it. Now, not to be rude, but I have a haircut to get to.”

I turned away from her and immediately began walking to my room/royal apartment. I didn’t turn around when I heard the footsteps. But I did roll my eyes when she screamed at me.

“We’re not done here!”

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“I actually like it.”

I turned my head back and forth in the mirror of my bathroom. Servants were currently cleaning up behind me, sweeping the floors and taking the chair they brought out of my room. I did my best to ignore them as I judged my makeover.

I no longer had the long hair of a typical asgardian. Instead it looked remarkably like an unremarkable human. Short on the sides, and slightly longer than that on the top, with it blending perfectly down into my beard.

I looked in the mirror to where Jane leaned on a post, bored with me looking at myself. At least she complimented me on it.

“Thank you. Simple, easy to keep up.” I replied with a grin.

It was the flash of gold that alerted me to another presence in my rooms. She knew that she had been seen, as she had allowed it. I doubt I would know she was here if she hadn’t announced it.

“Normally I have to drag you into a chair for you to tame that unruly mane.” Frigga, my mother said as a hello.

I turned away from the mirror and strode over to her immediately. I drew her into a big hug. “Hello mother.” I greeted with a grin.

For all the memories I didn’t have, I still remembered her and her unparalleled kindness towards myself and Loki. There was a reason that Loki took to her lessons so well. Frigga was the greatest enchantress in all of Asgard.

Oh shit, was The Enchantress a thing here?

“Hello my son. How is it treating you?” Frigga said as she let go of me. Her eyes were on my left arm, telling me what she was talking about.

“I am not sure yet. I hardly know it’s there.” I told her honestly, before remembering something important. “Mother, have you met the newest Thor?” I asked.

“We passed each other in the hall.” Frigga said with a grin that spoke of trouble. “She thought I was a servant.” Frigga’s grin turned into an all out smile.

I turned around to Jane to see her mouth open and almost hitting the ground. “You’re the queen?” Jane asked, a little dumbfounded.

I really needed to hear that story. I bet it’s hilarious. I can only imagine what she said to the Queen of the Nine Realms. It’s a good thing Frigga had an excellent sense of humor.

I couldn’t help but snort in response. “Jane, this is my mother Frigga.” I introduced with an even bigger smile than my mothers on my face.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Jane managed to squeak out. She was not the aggressive, dominating, smart woman I had become used to in the 2 hours since I met her. No, she was acting like a mouse under the gaze of a hawk, and I was loving it.

Frigga nodded towards her but turned back to me. “Well I enchanted it dear, what else would you expect?” She asked arrogantly, but humorously.

I laughed at that. “Of course. I should have known. Then you wouldn’t mind telling me a little about it?” I half-said half-asked her.

She rolled her eyes, and looked like she wouldn’t answer. “Well it isn’t uru if that is what you mean. The small bit of the Destroyer armor you brought back found a new use. I thought it poetic.” Frigga answered.

I looked down to my arm, surprised. That was supposedly a metal that was more impressive than uru.

“Wow.” I commented.

“Exactly. I formed it to be an exact replica of your left arm.” Frigga added. She sounded very smug, like she was extremely proud of what she had accomplished.

“How does it move?” I asked, curious.

“Magic, life force, does it matter? It is tied to you and will perform exactly as your other did.” Frigga answered, flippingly.

“And how did you make an exact replica? Surely you haven’t memorized the dimensions of my body…” I said. My brain took me to all the wrong places with that sentence.

Luckily Frigga ignored that. “Of course not. Your mind provided the answer love.” Frigga told me. She said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

I didn’t even bother continuing down that avenue she was heading. I knew I would never get a direct answer.

“How strong is it?” I asked, switching topics.

“It is one of the most durable metals known to us, even more so now that it is tied to your life force. I doubt it can be destroyed. But I already answered your question, it will perform as your previous arm did.” Frigga answered.

Finally, I got a direct answer. Unfortunately it led to another question. “But does that mean I can never get stronger than what I was?” I asked, worried that I wouldn’t ever be able to achieve my old strength.

“You are not listening, son. I suppose I will have to simplify. It will act exactly as your left arm, only it is made of metal. If you gain strength, it will also. Now, I tire of your presence, go to the sparring fields.” Frigga’s eyes moved from me, to my companion behind me.

A part of me wanted to object and tell her that she was in MY room, however my childhood reminded me of that folly. She was Queen, and she was my mother.

And I had a feeling she and Jane were about to have a nice heart to heart.

“Whatever you say mother.”

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Jarnborn’s weight on my back was welcome and nostalgic.

The enchanted axe’s handle stuck up over my right shoulder, ready to be drawn at any moment. I felt … safer now that it was with me. This was one weapon I was confident with.

Hofund was an amazing weapon, but it was a sword. While I was great with a sword, I was even better with an axe. At least that’s what my memories told me. I was about to test that theory shortly.

I made it to the sparring fields quickly.

It was, as it’s name suggested, a place where warriors would meet and train. It was also massive. It extended the length of about three football fields in either direction. All along the outer edges, practice weapons sat on a rack ready to be picked up and swung.

This was the sparring field for the royal guards, royal family, and elite asgardian warriors. Only the best of the best were allowed access to these fields. It was where I learned how to fight, with my fists, with weapons, with words… Everything. It was where I met the Warriors three, and Lady Sif.

There was a certain part of the field that was dedicated to learning new weapons. It had these machines, that were designed to teach you how to swing, stab, parry, etc. with your new weapon.

That’s where I headed.

At least, that’s what I planned.

“That will not help you.”

I turned to the voice, already knowing the owner. It was the voice of a bitter noble. It was the voice of a warrior. It was the voice of a Prince.

Tyr, the God of War, stood there alone and staring at me. He had thick black hair that was parted, and braided down either side of his face. His beard was just as dark as his hair.

Tyr is my brother, full brother. Son of Odin and Frigga, and second born. I always thought he hated me because I had earned Odin’s love and the title of Crown Prince. I also suspected he was jealous over the fact that I proved myself worthy of Mjolnir, although I had no proof.

“Hello brother.” I greeted him amicably.

Tyr grunted towards me, but otherwise did not greet me back.

“Why won’t it help me?” I asked him, willingly falling into the conversation.

“You are too advanced, we both know that.” Tyr answered.

It was obvious to me that my brother's stern face hadn’t changed in the slightest since I had seen him last.

“Loki managed to defeat me.” I replied. Saying it out loud caused a pain to run through my chest. Loki had destroyed my arm, and was willing to kill me. That was a lot to deal with, to be honest.

I needed power to survive and lead Asgard through what was to come. To get power, I had to start somewhere.

Plus, Frigga told me to come here.

“Loki did not defeat you. You lost to Loki.” Tyr corrected, like a military man telling you that the color blue was actually red because he said so.

“That is the same thing.” I sighed, trying to keep my temper in control.

“It most certainly is not, baby brother.” Tyr denied. “Your martial skills were not to blame, but rather your mind, your heart. You were dependent on that damned hammer, and you have allowed your true self to go undeveloped.”

“What is my true self?” I asked. Tyr was pushing my buttons, and he fucking knew it. My irritation rose. “And why the fuck does that matter in a fight to the death?!”

“It’s the only thing that matters, child!” Tyr growled back towards me. “If you don’t realize that, you don’t deserve the blood that runs in your veins.”

I didn’t respond for a moment. What do you say to something like that? That was …

“You waste the spark inside you. Develop it, son of Jord, or else…”

“Tyr!” The deep voice of Heimdall carried across the field. The voice did not come from a specific point. It was ethereal, and full of anger. Why was Heimdall watching us?

I was too busy processing what Tyr just told me to think about that. As far as my memories were concerned, I was the child of Odin and Frigga, like the mcu version of me was. But Tyr was directly telling me that I was the child of Jord, like the comic book version of Odinson was.

Jord was a name used for Gaea, an Elder God of Earth, an immensely powerful being in the marvel universe.

“Frigga is my mother!” I argued as I started to close the twenty feet of distance between the two of us.

“There is a reason you are less than useless with magic! Reach inside you, and you’ll find the answer.” Tyr responded, calmer than I expected.

By the time he was done with his sentence, I was in his personal space. Allfathers I could punch him right in his strong jaw. I wanted to feel it give way to my fist. It was all I could ponder.

“You always were jealous of me. Now you spew lies from your mouth when I do not have Mjolnir. You wouldn’t say a fucking word to me if I did, coward!” I insulted. I was done arguing the point of my parentage. I was strictly into fight mode, with words or with fists. I was fucking ready.

Tyr’s eyes narrowed, showing the first glimpse of emotion. I smirked, knowing I had gotten to him.

“You still believe it is about the hammer. This is about you. You are a whining child…”

I was tired of watching his lips move. I was tired of his voice touching my ears. I was tired, and I was angry. There is one thing I was taught in both of my lives, that is universal.

Hit first.

And I did. I swung my right fist and it connected with the bridge of his nose.

It felt great and it hurt at the same time. It was like punching a brick wall.

Tyr proved himself to be the God of War, and rolled with the unexpected punch. We were so close together, that I could only barely roll out of the way of his retaliatory kick he sent towards me.

Adrenaline ran through me, speeding everything up and slowing it down at the same time.

I side stepped, and was about to attack again when Tyr rolled in mid-air and sent his other leg towards my head. It was a maneuver that belonged in a kung fu movie, and yet it worked perfectly.

Luckily for me, I had been trained by the very man I was fighting.

My left hook was dodged narrowly by Tyr, and he returned two quick punches. One towards my left ribs, that I blocked, and another left straight that I slipped.

I came up with a left uppercut, and that was my mistake.

It was actually difficult to keep up with what Tyr did next. All I knew was that he jumped, grabbed my arm, and then his legs were wrapped around my head. To put this in a little more perspective. My three two-hundred and fifty pound brother was choking me out with his legs, sitting on top of my standing body like he weighed as light as a feather. And I barely saw him move.

He squeezed, and my airway closed. Luckily, he didn’t cut off the blood flow of my neck. It would have been hard to do, considering my arm was between his legs.

I reacted as most would, and immediately dropped my head towards the ground, intent on slamming him on the ground beneath us.

His arm reached out and hooked on to a post that I hadn’t realized was there. I couldn’t slam him, and I used valuable energy trying to.

“Weak! Pathetic!” Tyr screamed down to me.

The adrenaline, and anger, turned to panic. I wheezed, trying my best to suck in some valuable valuable air.

“Reach down Odinson! Reach inside you!”

If I had been able to do anything other than try to breathe, I would have realized that my brother was trying to draw something out of me. Something I was convinced I didn’t have in the moment.

They say when you’re pushed to the edge, that you really find out what you're worth. Apparently I reached that moment.

There was something I could only describe as a spark. It vibrated my insides, and made my entire body tingle. What followed the spark, was a tiny flame. A flame that did not flicker, as small as it was, it burned true.

All of a sudden, I didn’t need to breathe as I thought I did. And I felt strong, Allfathers I felt strong.

It felt like I was holding Mjolnir again.

Although even that was inaccurate. As Thor, my strength came from Mjolnir and being the God of Thunder. This was a different strength. This came from inside, from the ...flame.

Was this what everyone kept hinting at? Life force, magic …

“You waste the spark inside.”

“Reach inside you!”

I just reacted, and pulled as hard as I possibly could. I heard a great ripping sound, and when I opened my eyes I saw that the post Tyr held on to was now in two pieces, and his eyes widened in response.

And then I sent us both forward towards the ground with more force than I ever expected to produce.

Immediately upon impact, I was worried for Tyr. There was no way anyone could ever survive what I just did to them. His back would be shattered.

Hell the impact was jarring even for me.

Yet when the literal dust settled, Tyr was laughing as he looked at the sky.

“Hahahaha, finally!” Tyr laughed.

I just sat there, confused. “What the fuck are you laughing about?” I asked.

All I got in response was a pointed finger. It was directed over my shoulder. I fell for it, like the dumb baby brother always does. Yet I wasn’t punished for it immediately. For once, Tyr was genuine.

My eyes widened as I recognized who Tyr pointed at. A man that hadn’t stepped foot on Asgard for hundreds of years by this point.

“Balder.” I breathed out.

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The gardens of Asgard were ...well impressive would be a disservice.

“Breathtaking, isn’t it?” Balder asked, as he walked without purpose. Or at least it looked that way.

“That is appropriate. It has been a long time since you walked here.” I answered, trying to get him to tell me where he had been, and why he had been away for so long.

“Ahhh yes. But I have always been able to feel it.” Balder said as he looked straight into the sky.

He was looking at the sun. I chuckled as I pieced together what he meant. Balder was the God of Light, and the sun was bright on Asgard, always was.

“Why have you returned, Balder? Why now?” I asked.

Balder sighed, but did not take his eyes off of the sun in the sky. “Ragnarok approaches Siegfried.”

Well I hadn’t expected that. It was supposed to come as some grand surprise in the mcu, how was it that Balder knew about it?

“Aye, father approaches the end.” I agreed. I realized that I might have reacted a little too nonchalantly than normal.

Balder slowly turned his head to look at me. He was confused, that much was obvious. “And what do you know about Ragnarok, Sig?” Balder asked.

I noted that I actually liked that nickname a little. It just sounded good. “The inevitable death of Asgard.” I answered, deciding to keep it short. No need to reveal that I knew about Hela’s eventual return. I absentmindedly wondered if Balder and Tyr had been beside Hela when she and Odin conquered the nine-realms.

“Inevitable. An interesting choice of words. Father would disagree with you. In fact, Ragnarok is the purpose for your birth, did you know that?” Balder said the first part with an intrigued look on his face, before turning contemplative by the end of the sentence.

“You imply that Tyr was correct.” I said, reading underneath the question. “Gaea is my true mother?” I asked.

“‘I seek an heir whose powers surpass Asgard.’” Balder obviously quoted. I had no idea what the fuck he was talking about. “That’s what Odin said to your mother, the night you were conceived.”

I frowned. Powers that surpass Asgard? That was fucking ridiculously powerful. There wasn’t a single iteration of Thor that held up to that right? That seemed a bit ridiculous.

“He got swindled on that deal.” I joked, smiling a bit.

Balder did not laugh, instead he just stared at me. “Power is measured in many different ways brother. Tyr has done you a great service. There is a small amount of energy in us Asgardians, given to us because of our parentage, and biology. Yet it is up to us to grow and harness that energy. Mine developed into a love of light. Tyr loves to make war. Loki is full of tricks. Mjolnir was a crutch for you, who was supposed to be the greatest of us all. You were over dependent on it, and have ignored your own energy.” Balder explained, looking me right in my eyes.

His body began to fade out of view. He was teleporting back to wherever it was he called home nowadays.

“It is time for you to develop it, God of Strength.”