Ambition

The day was peaceful, the sun high in the sky, its rays reflecting off the golden city of Asgard. People bustled around the city as they carried on with their daily lives, everyone was busy, a bustling utopia for races of all shapes and sizes. The city was in a state of joy, with celebrations to commemorate the annual day that saw the unification of all Nine Realms well underway.

Everyone was happy and joyous.

"Gah, I hate this!" Except for one young warrior girl in the palace of Asgard that is.

Thor looked up from where he was practising his magic, his younger brother Baldur watching on in awe and even trying to copy his older brother, though failing miserably. The sight, however, did bring a smile to his face, especially when the young prince would pout in anger at his failure.

Then his gaze turned to the figure of the frustrated young girl on his bed and felt his smile widen even further. Sif, for all her attempts of appearing stern and like a true warrior, was still a young girl no older than him and therefore, prone to moments of childishness. Moments that appeared more frequently than she would like or ever admit to.

Their friendship had continued to develop, she becoming a regular visitor to the palace, training alongside Thor in many of his lessons. Mostly just practical lessons, such as sparring and weaponry training, but she did take part in a number of theoretical lessons, learning to read and write, learning the history of Asgard and even the lessons Thor had upon war. As a Prince, Thor was being educated in many aspects of being a King, Sif as a warrior in training and an aspiring Valkyrie, had taken a particular interest in the subjects pertaining to war and battle.

She was often described as being quite intelligent, picking up things a lot better than most, Thor had even seen a few scholars unsuccessfully try and turn her away from becoming a warrior. They failed miserably, Sif was deadset on becoming a warrior and nothing would stop her. As a result, her participation in anything not pertaining to battles, war and fighting were very limited.

The two found a bond in that, they both held deep desires to become warriors and it was even better that they both were of the same age. It also helped that the two had learned about one another in the time they spent together training and while they had their differences, they also had a lot in common.

Though as much as Thor was enjoying the time spent with his new friend, he could not deny that he was missing Loki. The two had been close for a very long time and while they still got along, training with one another in magic, there seemed to be a distance between them that hadn't been there before. He also wasn't blind to the fact that it all started when he and Sif both sparred against one another.

Even so, while Thor did miss running around the palace and sneaking out into the city with Loki, he did enjoy his time with Sif more at times. He and Loki were different people, but he and Sif shared many things in common which meant they often had similar ideas and thoughts.

However, he could not deny that there was some distance between him and Sif as well, especially recently. He hadn't asked her why, Thor didn't really know the reason behind it. Just that things seemed to be a little strained, Sif often just after one of their training sessions.

You see, too many, even Asgardians who truly prided themselves on their martial skill, the way Thor pushed himself to his absolute limits would even be considered concerning.

Yet, Thor never stopped.

No matter how many times Volstagg knocked him to the ground with a blow that would have killed most men, Thor got to his feet and continued to fight. No matter how many times he failed to grasp a piece of magic, Thor would keep trying and trying, sometimes even late at night till he could finally cast it.

His determination and perseverance were awe-inspiring and Sif tried her best to copy him. Always pushing herself beyond her limits as best as she could so that she could help lessen the burden Thor felt, pushing herself to stand beside him. She was not blind to how much pressure Thor put upon himself, nor how Odin seemed to ignore his son almost entirely.

Yet, every day she felt that gap between them growing wider and wider. She always knew that she would never be able to match Thor. He was the son of their King, Odin and the future King of Asgard. He had to be the strongest and match, if not surpass Odin in strength to ensure Asgard's future.

Still, she didn't let that stop her.

No matter how disconcerting it was to see her friend grow stronger and stronger, while she struggled to keep up, Sif continued to push herself forwards. She was a warrior and wouldn't stop, no matter what obstacle lay in her path.

But there was no denying how disheartening it was that no matter how skilled she became, Thor just continued to get stronger and stronger. His skills were a match for her own, but the disparity in athleticism proved too much for skill alone to close the gap. But she kept pushing forwards, just wanting for one moment to actually return things to how they had in the beginning, back when she and Thor could exchange blows equally.

It was for that reason, that she found herself very annoyed at this current time. "Are you alright, Sif?" Thor asked, Baldur also looking at Sif to see what was happening. When he realised that it was nothing of interest, he turned back to try and get the toys his brothers had made play fight, to do the same, though Baldur only made them wobble in place before coming to a stop.

"I'm fine, Thor," Sif replied, glaring down at the piece of parchment in front of her, hoping it would burst into flames.

"Really?" Thor replied sarcastically while sitting down next to her on his bed. "Because it looks like you are trying to glare a hole through the scroll. I doubt mother will be pleased if you destroy all your hard work in a moment of frustration."

Sif glared at him, but Thor only continued to smile at her and eventually, she sighed, collapsing against the pillows in defeat. "I don't get it."

"Don't get what?" He asked.

"You know what I mean." She waved her hand at the scroll left on the bed. "Why am I having to write up a report on the greatest wars of our history, it doesn't make sense. I'm not going to be a scribe, I'm going to be a warrior, a Valkyrie. I should be out training, not here."

Her little rant only made Thor's smile widen, he always enjoyed it when Sif acted like her true self. Not the stern warrior she attempted to emulate, but the child she truly was. It was endearing and a little adorable to see.

"Then shall we go do that?" Thor asked and Sif looked at him in confusion.

"Train?" Sif perked up when Thor nodded his head.

Standing from the bed, he looked to see Baldur was still trying and failing to make the toys move. "Yes, it might be best to have a break so that when you come back, you are able to fully concentrate on it." Sif groaned slightly at the reminder that the report still needed to be handed in, but that didn't stop the smile on her face from growing. She always enjoyed sparring, she was an Asgardian after all.

"Alright." Nodding her head, Sif got to her feet and started to pack up her writing equipment and scroll, placing them away on a nearby shelf for safekeeping.

"Baldur, Sif and I are going to train. Stay here if you want, or you can return to your room." Thor told his younger brother who looked up in confusion. When he finally registered what Thor had said, a large smile broke out on his face.

"Can I join you both?" He asked eagerly and when he saw Thor's face scrunch up in a way that told him that the elder prince was about to argue against it, Baldur continued. "Please, I've been training really hard and I promise I won't get in your way."

Thor looked at his brother and then looked at Sif who shrugged her shoulders, letting him know that it was his decision. "Alright." Thor accepted, seeing no reason to deny Baldur's request and even felt himself smiling when he saw Baldur celebrating in a childish way. "Let's go then."

As he opened the door to head to the main courtyard where he usually trained, he noticed the sound of a commotion. He looked to Sif to see that she too, was looking to see what was going on. Now the sounds of armoured footsteps would usually not be uncommon what with guards constantly patrolling the corridors. There was a certain urgency to these steps that were not usually heard and like the curious children they were, they could not help but want to know what was going on.

Looking around a corner, they noticed two guards helping a severely injured soldier, clad in bloody rags through the corridor.

"What are you doing?" Both Sif and Thor looked behind them to see that Baldur had caught up and quickly, Thor pulled Baldur against him and placed one hand over his mouth to keep him silent while Sif placed on finger against her mouth to show him to be quiet.

The young Asgardian prince nodded his head but was still unsure.

Still, with him agreeing to be quiet, Thor and Sif looked around the pillar again to see that the guards hadn't heard them and were continuing their path down the palace. Quickly, the three followed after them, with even Baldur getting curious as to what was going on.

"They're going to my father's office." Thor noticed as he recognised the corridor that he was on and that this was the only thing of note along this corridor. The palaces healer was on the bottom floor and from what his eyes could make out, the injured figure had undergone some healing magic. The fact that many of his wounds still looked fresh and weren't leaving a trail of blood was all the indication he needed of this.

"But why?" Sif asked as they watched the guards carry the man into Odin's office and shut the door behind them.

Sif and Thor shared a glance and quietly, rushed to the door and placed their ears against it. As they had expected, they couldn't hear anything, the door having its silencing runes activated to ensure no one could listen in to the conversations they were having.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Sif asked as she looked down at Thor who was trying to figure out how he could find out what was going on inside. Baldur himself was stood looking at the paintings decorating the walls depicting great Asgardian battles as they defended the Nine Realms from rebellions and invaders.

"I don't know." He replied, but deep down he knew that this was the start of something dangerous. In most cases, if a person was carrying important information and was in need of medical attention like that, then his father would go visit them in person, thus allowing them a greater chance of recovery in the case of suffering a mortal injury.

Whatever information that person held must be extremely important for his father to risk the individual's chances of survival just to gain that information as soon as possible and as discretely. The fact that he did it in his personal office which was covered in a vast array of defensive runes showed that it was sensitive and classified information that can't and should not be shared with the rest of Asgard.

"Are we going to train?" Baldur asked coming to a stop in front of Thor and Sif, the latter having sat down beside him.

"Just a few more minutes," Thor responded, racking his brain for a solution to learning how to hear what was going on in the room.

Yet, he couldn't find one.

Odin had made sure that his room was well-protected with guards walking the corridors, the fact that they had been dismissed told him that whatever was being talked about was strictly classified, a vast array of defensive runes placed on the door and if somehow they managed to get through all that, they would come face to face with the biggest threat of them all.

Odin, the All-Father himself.

And no matter how hard Thor tried, he couldn't think of a way to get around these defensive measures to learn what was going on. Every possible way he could think of was already thought of by the guards, by Frigga and by Odin. It was all but impossible to get in, learn what was being said and get away without being discovered.

Sighing, Thor stood up, Sif copying him. "Right, let's go." Baldur cheered and started rushing down the corridor with Sif and Thor walking behind him.

"We're not going to try and find out what's being said?" Thor shook his head and Sif frowned slightly, but she could see the frustration in Thor's eyes and knew that it was not due to a lack of wanting, but a lack of ability to do so. And if there was one thing she had learned, it was that Thor hated not being able to do something.

It was who he was.

She knew that it was his ambition to not only become the strongest King Asgard has ever had but the best King as well. He wanted to step out of his father's and grandfather's shadows.

Bor the original King had waged a grand campaign to unite the Aesir and formed Asgard, the shining capital that had beaten back every invader that attempted to take it. Odin had expanded Asgards borders and took over the Nine Realms, though in recent times had allowed those realms to gain some measure of independence.

Thor wanted to do more, that she knew without a shadow of a doubt.

He wanted to be better than his father and grandfather and carve out his own legacy. Sif knew that with Thor's determination and exhausting training that he could do exactly that, and she would be by his side to help him achieve his ambition.