Author's Note:

The second in the Para Net files. This lovely young lady was inspired by two main things, the Knights of the Cross, and the appearance of Odin in Changes. I decided that if one Religion got to have a trio of holy warriors based on the Christian concepts of Faith, Hope, and Love, then I could be part of giving another Religion it's own set of holy warriors to do much the same thing, based on the Nine Noble Virtues of Teutonic/Scandinavian/Germanic Heathenism, namely: Strength, Courage, Joy, Honor, Freedom, Kinship, Hospitality, Industriousness, and Ancestry

At least, as I know them. There are others out there with similar lists, and they will be added in to the Jarls of the Valknut as it goes along.

The school was on fire and I was trapped. I grasped my hammer tightly, glaring around me at the crow like beasts that surrounded me. They cawed and flapped their wings, razor sharp beaks stained with dried blood from past meals. To a one, they were six feet tall, dwarfing me by a good head.

At my feet lay six of the foul beasts, heads and chest caved in with the imprint of my hammer. It was three feet long, and the head was a cross between a medieval war hammer and a modern sledge. Inscribed on each side of the head was the Valknut, a group of interlocked triangles. My clothing was in tatters, but my pale skin was largely unmarked from their claws.

I raised my hammer up into a guard position and spoke. "In the name of Odin Allfather! In the names of the Gods of Asgard! Leave this place, foul beasts of the ether!" I shouted, my voice filled with holy power. "Ye have no place in the realm of Midgard, to beset the children of the Gods and Man!"

One of the giant crow demons cawed and threw itself at me. I swung and my hammer smashed bone with the crack of thunder. It flew away like a comet, much to the anger of its fellows. They all charged.

How did I come to this point? How does a pretty, Scandinavian-American young woman, barely in her twenties, manage to find herself fighting demons armed with a holy hammer?

By having Faith. Not just any faith either, but faith in the Norse Gods of old. I was born Astrid Torsen, in a small village in Minnesota that was populated solely by Scandinavian immigrants. I grew up with the old stories of Thor and Loki, Odin and Freyja, Tyr and Fenris, of Asgard and Jotunheim, and I believed, and I never stopped believing. Not when I got to school, or to church, or anywhere else that challenged that the Gods of my people existed. I was their child, born of Ash and Elm, the first man and woman, and then the Gods and Goddesses who came down and interbred with us.

Two years ago, the Gods answered my faith. I'd been out in the woods when Bifrost itself had landed at my feet, and down the rainbow bridge came Odin, Thor, and Freyja. They told me that they had heard the prayers and oaths given by those bringing back the old ways. Yet with bringing back the old ways came trials and enemies, but they did not wish their children on Midgard to face these unprotected. So they had chosen me, for my faith and loyalty to my Godkin to be the first of a new order they were creating to guard their Midgard Children. The Jarls of the Valknut.

There were to be nine of us, to represent the Nine Noble Virtues of Heathenism. I was granted my hammer by Thor himself. He named it Drengskapr, Noble Courage, and changed me to ever be strong in the face of fear, that I might make others bold. And I was sent off.

I'd come to this school because I was called. The Norns, Goddess of Fate, were tasked with seeing that I got where I needed to be. Events would happen such so that I could be at a place at a time when I was most needed. I'd been driving across country on my first spring break away from home, when my car broke down with a flat tire. Right outside a dinner and car garage.

Deus ex machina is a way of life for me, now. I still have my free will and all, but I tend to go with where I'm sent. I've always been needed.

It'd been sitting in the cafe, picking my way through greasy eggs and sausage and wondering how it was that coffee never changed in these places, when I'd caught part of the hushed conversation up at the counter. Another young girl had gone missing at the high school. I could tell the people were scared, and guessed she wasn't the first. Most people could have someone in their area disappear and not worry too much if they didn't know them. It took a half dozen before people really started to get scared.

I got up, Drengskapr hanging off my shoulder by a leather strap in my hand, and went over. With a friendly smile, I looked at the overweight farmer nursing a cup of too roasted coffee. "I hate to interrupt, but I couldn't help hearing that someone was missing. Would you like an extra person to help you look for them?" I asked sweetly.

His eyes locked onto my chest for a long moment. I have the bust line of a WWII pin up girl and the muscles that would make Xena wince with jealousy. Swinging a giant hammer does that to a girl. Did wonders for my metabolism though. A gift from Freyja, Goddess of battle and beauty.

His eyes stopped in confusion at the silver Mjolnir pendant hanging from a thick silver chain around my neck. I doubted he knew what the little hammer was, or what it meant. The symbol of my faith, as much as the Valknut on my hammer was. Finally, his eyes met mine with a look of pensiveness that was all too familiar to me.

"Ain't really no point in looking," he drawled out, hopelessness filling his voice. "Girls are gone, five so far. We've done scoured the entire area each time. Ain't a hollar or cranny we don't know about in these parts, and we ain't found a hair."

I patted his shoulder. "I'm so sorry to hear that. How long has this been happening?" I asked softly. The entire dinner was silent, all of them watching me, most of them managing not to look at my low cut tank top and tight jean cut offs.

"Three months," the coffee drinking farmer said. "My girl was the third to go."

I bowed my hand and squeezed his shoulder. "There are no words," I said, "I'm sorry for your loss."

Had I not been stranded here by divine means, I might have suspected the girls had just run away from this hicktown of hayseed and brawny farmboys. But I was here, for at least until tomorrow. I felt it in my soul that I was meant to be here and to help these people.

The dinner food was cheap, though I'd notice that cheap wasn't as inexpensive as it used to be. Times were hard, and people had to charge a bit more and tighten their belts to make ends meet. The food lay heavy in my belly and I felt the need to take a walk.

I pulled out my mini-player and slipped the earbuds into my ears, the steady beat of heathen metal started pounding its way into my head and my full hips started shaking in time to the beat as I strutted down the street. I think it had the same feeling for me that Christian radio did for believers in that faith. All I know is that it made my heart swell with pride and belief and the feeling of being closer to my Gods and Goddesses, my blood pump with righteous anger and power.

The school was on fire and I was trapped. I grasped my hammer tightly, glaring around me at the crow like beasts that surrounded me. They cawed and flapped their wings, razor sharp beaks stained with dried blood from past meals. To a one, they were six feet tall, dwarfing me by a good head.

At my feet lay six of the foul beasts, heads and chest caved in with the imprint of my hammer. It was three feet long, and the head was a cross between a medieval war hammer and a modern sledge. Inscribed on each side of the head was the Valknut, a group of interlocked triangles. My clothing was in tatters, but my pale skin was largely unmarked from their claws.

I raised my hammer up into a guard position and spoke. "In the name of Odin Allfather! In the names of the Gods of Asgard! Leave this place, foul beasts of the ether!" I shouted, my voice filled with holy power. "Ye have no place in the realm of Midgard, to beset the children of the Gods and Man!"

One of the giant crow demons cawed and threw itself at me. I swung and my hammer smashed bone with the crack of thunder. It flew away like a comet, much to the anger of its fellows. They all charged.

How did I come to this point? How does a pretty, Scandinavian-American young woman, barely in her twenties, manage to find herself fighting demons armed with a holy hammer?

By having Faith. Not just any faith either, but faith in the Norse Gods of old. I was born Astrid Torsen, in a small village in Minnesota that was populated solely by Scandinavian immigrants. I grew up with the old stories of Thor and Loki, Odin and Freyja, Tyr and Fenris, of Asgard and Jotunheim, and I believed, and I never stopped believing. Not when I got to school, or to church, or anywhere else that challenged that the Gods of my people existed. I was their child, born of Ash and Elm, the first man and woman, and then the Gods and Goddesses who came down and interbred with us.

Two years ago, the Gods answered my faith. I'd been out in the woods when Bifrost itself had landed at my feet, and down the rainbow bridge came Odin, Thor, and Freyja. They told me that they had heard the prayers and oaths given by those bringing back the old ways. Yet with bringing back the old ways came trials and enemies, but they did not wish their children on Midgard to face these unprotected. So they had chosen me, for my faith and loyalty to my Godkin to be the first of a new order they were creating to guard their Midgard Children. The Jarls of the Valknut.

There were to be nine of us, to represent the Nine Noble Virtues of Heathenism. I was granted my hammer by Thor himself. He named it Drengskapr, Noble Courage, and changed me to ever be strong in the face of fear, that I might make others bold. And I was sent off.

I'd come to this school because I was called. The Norns, Goddess of Fate, were tasked with seeing that I got where I needed to be. Events would happen such so that I could be at a place at a time when I was most needed. I'd been driving across country on my first spring break away from home, when my car broke down with a flat tire. Right outside a dinner and car garage.

Deus ex machina is a way of life for me, now. I still have my free will and all, but I tend to go with where I'm sent. I've always been needed.

It'd been sitting in the cafe, picking my way through greasy eggs and sausage and wondering how it was that coffee never changed in these places, when I'd caught part of the hushed conversation up at the counter. Another young girl had gone missing at the high school. I could tell the people were scared, and guessed she wasn't the first. Most people could have someone in their area disappear and not worry too much if they didn't know them. It took a half dozen before people really started to get scared.

I got up, Drengskapr hanging off my shoulder by a leather strap in my hand, and went over. With a friendly smile, I looked at the overweight farmer nursing a cup of too roasted coffee. "I hate to interrupt, but I couldn't help hearing that someone was missing. Would you like an extra person to help you look for them?" I asked sweetly.

His eyes locked onto my chest for a long moment. I have the bust line of a WWII pin up girl and the muscles that would make Xena wince with jealousy. Swinging a giant hammer does that to a girl. Did wonders for my metabolism though. A gift from Freyja, Goddess of battle and beauty.

His eyes stopped in confusion at the silver Mjolnir pendant hanging from a thick silver chain around my neck. I doubted he knew what the little hammer was, or what it meant. The symbol of my faith, as much as the Valknut on my hammer was. Finally, his eyes met mine with a look of pensiveness that was all too familiar to me.

"Ain't really no point in looking," he drawled out, hopelessness filling his voice. "Girls are gone, five so far. We've done scoured the entire area each time. Ain't a hollar or cranny we don't know about in these parts, and we ain't found a hair."

I patted his shoulder. "I'm so sorry to hear that. How long has this been happening?" I asked softly. The entire dinner was silent, all of them watching me, most of them managing not to look at my low cut tank top and tight jean cut offs.

"Three months," the coffee drinking farmer said. "My girl was the third to go."

I bowed my hand and squeezed his shoulder. "There are no words," I said, "I'm sorry for your loss."

Had I not been stranded here by divine means, I might have suspected the girls had just run away from this hick town of hayseed and brawny farm boys. But I was here, for at least until tomorrow. I felt it in my soul that I was meant to be here and to help these people.

The dinner food was cheap, though I'd notice that cheap wasn't as inexpensive as it used to be. Times were hard, and people had to charge a bit more and tighten their belts to make ends meet. The food lay heavy in my belly and I felt the need to take a walk.

I pulled out my mini-player and slipped the ear buds into my ears, the steady beat of heathen metal started pounding its way into my head and my full hips started shaking in time to the beat as I strutted down the street. I think it had the same feeling for me that Christian radio did for believers in that faith. All I know is that it made my heart swell with pride and belief and the feeling of being closer to my Gods and Goddesses, my blood pump with righteous anger and power.

My steps took me down the road until I reached the school. It was a small building, I doubted they had enough students to not be mixing their grades. I could feel the aura of something tainted around it. I didn't feel good or evil, my people didn't really have a concept of evil back in the day. But I could feel the rotting stench of death coming from the building.

A raven flew from the top of the building and cawed, glaring down at me. I gave it a wolfish grin. Ravens were sacred to Odin, likely the Allfather was watching this place. And if he was watching it, probably a good bet there was something interesting going on.

The school itself was closed, but I managed to find a side door that wasn't locked. Sunlight streamed through the windows, so I didn't have trouble seeing my way. It was still early in the day, which made me kind of surprised that no one was here. I guess after five girls vanished in the building, they weren't taking chances. I could feel the death in here, and it was not honorable or glorious, it was terrible, filled with fear and despair. But there wasn't as much as I would have expected, and some of it was old. Very old, but very potent.

This was not ordinary school. Something had happened here, years ago. Something bad. I turned off the music pounding in my ears and shifted my grip on Drengskapr so I could swing it in a sharp blow if needed.

I searched the school completely, and the only things of interest I found were a lot of what appeared to be bird droppings on the roof, and a locked door to what looked like a basement. I felt called to it, but at the same time knew now was not the time to go down there. Besides, I was dressed in some rather skimpy clothing and flip flops. Not the best outfit for fighting beasties and baddies.

Back at the garage, I found out my car would be ready sometime tomorrow morning. I thanked the mechanic, a rather portly man that had an even harder time not looking at my chest. I suppose I should be grateful for the things. Nobody notices the giant hammer.

"There's a hotel down the road you can stay in. Tell them Eddie sent ya, if Mitch is at the desk, he'll give ya a good deal, little missy," the Mechanic said with a leer.

"Thank you," I said, opening up the trunk of my car and grabbing a Rubbermaid tub and lifted it with one hand. It rattled and clanked.

"Whatcha got in there, Missy?" Leery Eddie asked, "Kitchen stuff?"

"Armor," I smiled sweetly, hefting it against my back and walking out like it was nothing. I was telling the truth too. A full jacked of chainmail, leather vambraces studded with steel spikes. Shin guards of leather backed with metal plates, and all of it lined with about three layers of Kevlar. There was even a Kevlar and steel helmet of the Viking style, and too complete the outfit, a silk cloak of ebony covered in Norse Heathen symbols, knot work, and art. A girl has to have style, after all.

I drew some looks as I walked down the street. Like I said, I'm pretty built in all the right ways, and farmers tended to have an appreciation for strongly built women that the rest of society didn't. Sometime I envied those little waspy women their slender builds. My thighs could crush a keg, but I looked very damn fine, and I wasn't over built, just well-built when it came to muscles.

Mitch was working the desk at the hotel, and he was just as bad about the leering. Till I let my Rubbermaid box hit the ground. It crashed loudly and the floor shook. His ruddy flesh paled and his eyes snapped from my large breasts to the large plastic crate.

"I'd like to get a room," I said sweetly, voice firm with conviction, "Eddie said you could get me a good deal for the night."

"Um, yeah, sure!" Mitch said, quickly digging around. "That' will be thirty," he said, handing me a sheet of paper to sign. I smiled, batted my eyes, and looked sweet. I might have leaned forwards too, showing off my chest and letting Drengskapr's handle thunk heavily against the desk.

"Twenty!" he squeaked.

"Thank you, you're so kind," I said sweetly, passing him a twenty I pulled out from my bra and handing it to him.

"N-no problem!" he said, eyes bugging out of his head.

I turned around and squatted, hefting up my Rubbermaid tub with little effort as I stood, my hammer and the room key in my right hand. I swayed my hips on the way out of the office.

"Sweet Jesus," I heard him mutter, I smirked. Jesus had very, very little to do with it.

"Sweet Freyja," I thought to myself. She's the one that helped me bloom into the woman I was now. I offered up a silent thanks to the Goddess of Battlefield Beauties and made a mental note to get some fresh strawberries to offer her soon.

The mid afternoon sun hung high in the sky as I entered my hotel room. Twenty bucks might have been overpaying, but at least it looked clean. I shut the door and turned on the TV. Nothing much was on, just the usual insipid dramas or bad news that filled the world. I left the news on. It reminded me of why I was doing what I did, and what I was chosen for.

I checked over the gear in my tub first. I might be a holy warrior of Asgard, but that didn't mean I could be lax about my armor. My hammer might be unbreakable, but my armor was of mortal make. Then I checked the jeans and long sleeved shirt, and denim jacket I wore under my armor. It got hot, but it was better than being unprotected.

After that, I grabbed a quick shower and a catnap. It never did to face the forces of chaos when you were tired. The bed was old, but it did its job. I'd slept on worse.

I awoke to the setting sun and braided my hair, then donned my armor. I wished for a moment I'd grabbed more stuff from my car, like the wooden case that held a drinking horn and a bottle of mead.

Instead, I settled on making the sign of the hammer before me and grasped my hammer Drengskapr. "Hear me, Gods and Goddesses of the Nine Worlds. You child seeks to do battle in your name. May she be granted victory and honor, to defend this Midgard and its people. Guide my hammer oh Thor, God of Thunder, and may it strike as Mjolnir does. Watch over me, Odin Allfather. Defend me, Lady Freyja. Hear me, Tyr, Frigga, Balder, Skadi, and all the others. They daughter goes to war in your Names!"

With that I slammed the butt of my hammer against the ground and let my words fly on my faith. I felt them leave in a rush and I knew my Godkin had heard and would answer. With that, I walked out of my hotel room, hammer hanging over my shoulder.

I was a sight, as the evening wind blew down the street and caught my cloak, billowing it out behind me. My chainmail rattled and clinked, held tight to my body by the leather belt buckled tight around my trim waist, a pair of seaxes tucked in it. A Valkyrie marched down the main street and people turned to stare.

"Did one of them Ren fairs come to town?" one of the locals asked. I ignored them. My steps were sure. I was a daughter of Asgard, chosen to defend the Heathen people of Midgard, and these people too. Their God had not come to their aid, but I had. Perhaps my deeds would be made known to them and they would know it was the Gods of their ancestors that looked out for them more than some dessert god from a land not their own.

The school looked ominous for being so small. I heard the cawing of crows coming from it. That explained the bird droppings. I wondered if they were the ones causing the disappearance or were guarding that which was.

I found the door I'd used earlier to be locked. It was a heavy wooden one, but I shouted and kicked the door with all my might. It cracked and hit the floor with a boom. I raised my hammer and moved in.

And the crow spirits jumped me, forcing me into one of the class rooms, which brings me back to where I started.

The crows swarmed, and I screamed a battle cry, blonde hair flying about as swung Drengskapr with all my might. Thunder sounded with the cracks of bones. "In the name of Asgard! In the Names of the Nine Worlds! By the Nine Noble Virtues! Begone from this place! Murder no more the children of this place!" I shouted, my voice like Heimdal's horn.

Power flowed out from me and struck them all, a crimson aura that crackled light lightning. The bird spirits writhed in agony as they died and I brought my hammer down on the ground. The very foundations of the building shook as if Mjolnir had struck the building rather than my hammer.

I didn't pause for a second to gloat. Instead I marched to the door to the basement and brought the hammer down. Moonlight framed me as the stench of rot and death and fear rolled up to meet me.

"By the Gods and Goddesses of Asgard!" I shouted in clarion tone, stomping heavily down the stairs, "Thy wickedness ends this night!"

First rule of being a holy warrior? Learn to talk Shakespearian. Sure it makes you sound like a large ham and that you're chewing the scenery, but damn it sounds cool, even when my high, girly voice does it.

At the bottom of the stairs I found the nests of the Crows, and in three of them were young women, clearly in bad condition and being used for the intent of making more baby crows. The other two lay dead and rotting in the corner.

Over them stood an even larger crow, this one at least nine feet and more bird than man-shaped. Its scream of rage slammed into me and rolled off. I raised Drengskapr high.

"Foul creature!" I shouted, "I would have words with thee!"

"Words?" the Bird screamed, "Death!"

It charged and I shouted another battle cry, dropping the hammer down on its head. It hit and bounced, but I gave it no time to attack before hitting it again, knocking it away from the girl. It screamed in rage and pain, but I marched over to it, raising Drengskapr over my head.

"No more shall you harm my people!" I screamed and dropped the hammer.

The girls whimpered as I came over to them. I couldn't tell if they had already been used by the beasts, or if they were still waiting.

"Are you alright?" I asked softly, kneeling before them. They nodded slowly, and I took that as a good sign. "I'm here to take you back home."

The next morning I loaded my car up and gave Eddie the Eye a smile. "Thank you so much for fixing my car," I said sweetly.

He looked at me, to where the girl's families were still celebrating the return of their daughters, or morning their loss. The bodies of the crow spirits had vanished, as such things are want to do.

"What are you?" Eddie asked me.

I stepped into my car, Drengskapr resting in the passenger floor. Smiling, I looked him in the eyes. "I am Astrid Torson, and I am a Jarl of the Valknut, tasked by the Gods of Asgard to defend this realm of Midgard and protect their children from all that would see them enslaved, killed, or worse." I said, my conviction ringing through my voice.

Then I drove off into the farmland outside the town, knowing that my deeds would be remembered this day.