WHAAAAAAAT? AN UPDATE SO SOON? Yea fams. It's kind of a "shorty" compared to the other behemoths I tend to upload, but I needed to put this up because I saw everyone very W-T-F at Astrid's new powers so... here it is a bit more of clarity on the matter :3

Besides, I watched the third movie and I feel like my soul has left my body. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT'S OVER ))): so I needed to get back to writing to fill the hole inside my soul, thank you very much.

PS: I updated the Cover~ Let me know what you guys think!

Enjoy.

Astrid felt her entire body burn while the world around her remained in the darkness. She didn't know what was going on, only that she was once again feeling excruciating pain that caused her entire body to thrash in despair. Her chest was tight, and the air felt far too thin for her to breathe. Something was wrong. Was she dying? The last thing she remembered was Hiccup's concerned expression. What would be of him if she died? Would he blame himself? No. No she couldn't die. She had too much to do. She was so young, and now there was Stormfly…

Stormfly had lost a rider before, hasn't she? Would the female Nadder even handle going through that kind of grief again? No, she wouldn't. Astrid was fairly certain that if she went down, so would Stormfly. That wouldn't do. She had to get up, even if she had to set herself aflame in order to do it.

Suddenly, her blackened world was lit up violently, causing the girl to gasp in surprise. She wasn't moveless anymore. In fact, she was standing on a great and extensive hall, which was so bright it took her eyes some painful seconds to adjust to the light. She lowered her eyes to her hands, analyzing them confusedly as the pain that had been wrecking her body had suddenly lifted, leaving her body in a numb state. She felt groggy, walking towards one of the gigantic pillars to support herself.

With her head lowered, while trying to catch her breath, Astrid finally noticed she was not dressed as she had been the last time she remembered. With wide eyes, she inspected the pearly robe that hugged her curves, the delightful fabric - which happened to be made out of silk - was soothing against her skin, and she could feel the flower crown that sat atop her head while her golden curls fell over her shouldes - the hair she always kept tight in braids, as any shieldmaiden should.

She had never dressed like this. Just where the hell was she?

"Well oh well, I suppose your name is a incredibly fitting one," a feminine voice sounded, startling Astrid and making her turn around towards it, "You truly are a divine beauty, lass."

Astrid gaped at the woman standing only a few feet from her, whose warm smile managed to bring some peace to her troubled mind. The woman's hair was as golden as Astrid's, only longer - reaching the end of her back - and with volumous waves that had a few intricate braids within. Her body was one most of the women back at her village would envy; slim with accented muscles and amazing curves, which were at display due her revealing outfit consisted of a golden armor that covered mostly her voluptuous bosom and her lower parts, along with pieces that covered her forearms. There was presence of silver fur within a few parts of the armor, these being on the lower piece, at the ends of the piece covering her forearms, and on her golden boots, which reached and covered her knees with silver plates and fur. On her head, a breathtaking golden helmet with stunning golden wings sprouting from its sides adorned her face, which was in display due the heart shape opening present in the frontal part of the piece. Her traces were delicate, with full lips and a perfect nose, and her eyes were of the prettiest shade of blue Astrid had ever seen. They almost looked like Stormfly's scales.

The woman also had a sword strapped to her waist, and a shield resting on her back. She looked like a warrior, and Astrid couldn't help but to think that was probably the most breathtaking sight of a warrior she had ever seen. She almost looked like a…

Wait just a moment.

Astrid's eyes widened in horror, her dazed state melting into one of despair, "Are you a Valkyrie? Did I die? Oh no no no no, I can't go to Valhalla now, I need to-"

The woman raised a hand, silencing Astrid with ease, "At ease, child. You're not quite there yet."

"Oh, thank Odin…" Astrid breathed out, but soon she was raising a brow and questioning again, "Wait, what do you mean I'm 'not quite there yet'? So I am dying?"

"You are going through a harsh transition at the moment, one that is pushing your body over its limits." The Valkyrie - well, she didn't confirm Astrid's question, but she would go with that for now - explained, causing Astrid to frown even harder, "The pain might be too much for you to bear, so I brought you here to ease your suffering until the transition is complete."

"Transition? What is that even supposed to mean?" Astrid was startled, she didn't remember any transition going on, "And brought me here, where…? Who even are you?"

"So curious, and yet, making all the wrong questions," the woman shook her head, "You are smarter than this, Astrid Hofferson."

Astrid's eyes widened again, "You know me?"

"Of course I know you, my dear. We share a soul. I am you." The woman smiled again, despite Astrid's shocked expression, "Well, perhaps you from another time, that is."

"What… what do you… mean?"

"You've already been told this tale, child, or you do not recall Valka Haddock's narrative?" The blonde warrior crossed her arms against the shinning armor covering her chest with an amused look on her face, "My name is Torhilda, but you may call me Hilda."

Astrid blinked, "Uh, pleasure…?"

"Pleasure is all mine, now," Hilda started walking towards her, shortening the gap between them, "tell me, Astrid, do you remember Valka Haddock's tale?"

"Uh… about… about her past?"

"Yes, but a specific part of it," Hilda pressed on, stopping in front of Astrid and towering over the girl, since she was at least a head taller than her, "One addressing a certain dragonborn forefather."

Astrid numbly nodded, "The man who was a hunter but became the first dragonborn in order to unite the species, right…?"

"Exactly," Hilda seemed satisfied, placing a hand on one of Astrid's bare shoulders. The girl shivered slighting when she felt what appeared to be a spark of electricity leaving the woman's hand and traveling through her body, "The one who started it all, blood of Hiccup Haddock's blood, and also the first Dragon Whisperer. That man's name was Asgier, and his bravery was what set the path his descendants would trail until the prophecy was fulfilled and the war would cease, for both men and dragons."

"Yes I… I remember… but why are you…?"

"Asgier was my husband," she smiled brightly, removing her hand from Astrid's shoulder as the girl gaped at her, "I am the first woman who believed in him. Who offered him support until he drew his last breath." Hilda caressed one of the shocked girl's golden curls, looking directly into her shocked blue eyes, "And through you, my child, my soul is once again wandering on Midgard."

"W-what?" Astrid choked out, "I… what… reincarnation?" Hilda nodded, "But… but how…?"

"Odin has grown disappointed on humankind, as the humans sought to fight and hunt down those magnificent creatures not only for survival, but also for sport. The prophecy was his way to put an end to this bloodbath, and my husband and I had been chosen to fulfill this important task… but alas, we failed to do it, and succeeded on disappointing Odin." Hilda sighed heavily, stepping back, "The All Father, however, is a merciful one… and allowed us to try again, but only when he judged for the moment to be right, and this moment didn't come for a long… long time."

Astrid felt dizzy all of the sudden. All of that… it was just crazy. Maybe she was hallucinating due being on a near death state, it only made sense since-

"You are not hallucinating, dear," Hilda interrupted her rampaging thoughts, once again catching her by surprise, "All of this is very much real."

"How did you…?"

"Like I said, we share a soul. I know of all of your thoughts, as much as your feelings," a teasing smile spread the older woman's lips, "Just like the ones you harbor for that boy."

Astrid flushed considerably, lowering her head and allowing her bangs to cover her eyes. Stupid transparent feelings.

Hilda chuckled, "Don't be so hard on yourself. There is an actually good reason as to why you felt so drawn to that boy, other than your own blooming affection, that is."

Astrid scoffed, "And what would that be?"

"Hiccup Haddock, the man who was tasked to finish what we couldn't, shares a soul with my husband." She easily explained, once again causing Astrid to gasp, "Asgier lives on through him, as I do you, and our current task is to guide the both of you through the correct path this time. This, is the second chance the All Father gave us."

"I'm… I'm part… of Hiccup's prophecy?" Astrid could feel her heart hammering against her ribcage, which was still somewhat numb, but still able to feel the erratic motion of her chest.

Hilda nodded, "I was as ignorant as you back in my time. I thought my husband was the only one Odin had chosen for this hazardous task, hence why I tried my best to support him on his path, but I didn't support him correctly." Hilda sighed, "Asgier failed to convince the humans, because he was practically doing it alone. I stood at our home, tending to the children, to the house, to the village… while he traveled and attempted to teach. A lone man riding on top of a dragon, without anyone by his side to help people see he wasn't just someone who had gone crazy. It was too much of a big responsibility to bear alone, so he needed someone by his side to succeed." Hilda shook her head, and Astrid was able to see the guilt on the woman's tormented expression, "I never went through the transition to become like him. I suggested it, but he was adamant on not doing it. He feared I'd be in danger if I was by his side, and we had small children to care for. I was fascinated by dragons, and loved and cared for them deeply, but never truly bonded with one. The potential the All Father had gifted me… never to be awaken."

"So the first dragonborn failed… because he tried to shoulder the responsibility by himself?" Astrid asked, to which Hilda nodded. The girl scoffed yet again, "Makes sense your husband is inside Hiccup, he's just as boar-headed."

Hilda seemed amused by the girl's annoyance, "That he is, hence why he needs you. Us. I failed to convince my stubborn husband, but you clearly does it differently with yours."

Astrid flushed up again, "Wait- he's not my husband!" She pointed out, causing Hilda to roll her eyes and smile, "And yes, I do have the habit of hammering that thick skull of his until he sees reason, but… then that means… I'm supposed to become like him? A dragonborn?"

Hilda nodded, "Once you do, your true abilities will surface, and with this newfound strength, you are supposed to fly and fight by his side, until this war has come to an end."

"And… and how long… is that going to take?"

"I'm not sure, dearest." Hilda took Astrid's hand, pulling her to walk by her side through that vast and majestic place, "It might take years. Dagur the Deranged is but the tip of the iceberg. Out there, there are many worse men ready to cause harm to both dragons and men, terrorizing villages and hunting down flocks. These men must be stopped, otherwise, peace will never reign, and that just won't do."

"That's… a lot to take in, to be honest."

"I know it is, and I apologize to be dropping all of this on you this way, but we are running out of time," Hilda came to stop in front of Astrid again, her sparkling blue eyes shinning with seriousness, "You and Hiccup must unlock your true abilities and embrace who you are meant to be. The way you are right now… you won't be different from easily crushable flies near someone like Drago Bludvist, since a man as foolish as Dagur was able to take you down so easily like it happened."

Astrid frowned, her pride hurt, "I already embraced who I am, I don't need to become half-dragon to do that."

Hilda chuckled, "Oh you naive child, how innocent you are."

"Hey!"

"All your years of training and devotion have definitely done wonders for your fighting skills, but to tackle this war as it needs to be dealt with, you'll need much more than just the expertise on throwing an Axe with precision."

"Uh, and what exactly do we need to do that?"

"I just said so. Embrace yourselves, and unlock your true potential." Hilda winked, "The rest will flow like a river."

Astrid in other hand, only groaned, "Dammit, why everything needs to be so complicated!"

"It's called living, sweetheart. Otherwise, you'd be just existing," Hilda softly said, caressing Astrid's chin and gaining the girl's full attention, "It will get less complicated soon enough."

The girl nodded numbly, in a trance by the woman's beauty. Hilda seemed to be glowing, it was a bit overwhelming. Did she really share a soul with her? Sounded too surreal, like a dream. Hilda was the vivid representation of what the Valkyries of legend looked like, the same Valkyries Astrid had always admired - The glorious warriors who led the worthy men into Valhalla -, so all of that was being a bit too much for her.

Hilda however, didn't let that slide, "I am not a Valkyrie, Astrid Hofferson," she stepped back, while Astrid remained rooted where she stoodt, "we are."

There was another gasp, followed by a loud, "What?!"

"A Valkyrie shall descend into Midgard, born into a human family until she has found Odin's Spear. Together, they shall guide the lost into a path of peace, and once all is done, she will escort the Spear through the gates of Valhalla, where the All Father awaits." Hilda recited in a soft tone, a small smile playing at her lips, "Or so we were told."

Astrid's mind raced as much as her heart. So that was the original prophecy? She was a reincarnated Valkyrie, supposed to escort Hiccup through the gates of Valhalla once their life came to an end? Could all of this get any crazier?!

"Good you asked, since we are only having this talk, because you are actually transitioning into a dragonborn at this exact second."

Astrid's eyes bulged considerably, "I'M WHAT?!"

Hilda only nodded, "And also at this exact second, Dagur the Deranged has unleashed his madness upon Hiccup and your kin," she informed, causing Astrid to stop fussing and immediately scowl, "Hiccup is severely wounded, and they are horribly outnumbered. They need you to balance things out."

Astrid ran her hands through her loose hair, dropping the flower crown, which disintegrated before touching the floor, "For the love of- how can I balance things out?! You just said we weren't ready! And I'm transitioning, which makes me pretty much useless by what Valka described of her own experience!"

"Don't fret, child. All will be just fine." The Valkyrie smirked and Astrid watched sparks of electricity coming from her body, "After all, I have a reason for bearing this name."

The young girl felt her mouth open in awe as electricity continued to build up around the Valkyrie, her eyes glowing with a static blue while her glorious blonde hair moved wildly against her shoulders. Astrid felt a jolt of excitement as the pieces of the puzzle started clicking. She knew the meaning behind the woman's name: Thor's battle.

"Rise, Astrid Ansfrida Hofferson," Hilda commanded, her voice booming across the immense hall like thunder, "Be reborn, and show those fools what happens to those who defy the Golden Valkyrie marked by the God of Thunder himself."

Astrid felt electricity course through her veins, causing every fiber of her body to shiver as she felt power ignite something unknown inside her. Her pristine outfit disintegrated like the flower crown, melting into her previous ruined outfit as her eyes burned, shifting between blue and bright yellow while a smirk of her own formed on her lips, practically mirroring Torhilda.

A storm was coming Dagur's way, and boy, was it a wild one.

Boy, I like to go hard, don't I? Heh.

Look, this is my chance to shove as much Norse Folklore in this as possible, so I ain't missing my chances okay HAHAHAH. People be giving Astrid the Valkyrie nickname in their stories, and I straight up make her into one. I don't know how to play :3c

Hope you guys enjoyed this "insight into the future". Be ready for what's coming~

See ya!