“Stephanie!”  Alley screamed.  “Billy, help her!”   Alley tried to stand, but her battered leg was too weak - she groaned and fell back to one knee.  Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to stand - and although the pain was incredible, she stood and stumbled over to her girlfriend and lover.

 

Billy slung his rifle and rushed over.  No no no no no! He thought.  I just found the two of you - please don’t let it end this way!   He knelt and ripped off Steph’s jacket to see the wound...  The bite the Lindwurm had left was savage - it looked almost like a shark bite, except the flesh had been torn partially from the bone, and the flesh around the bite was blue tinted and smelled foul.  The Lindwurm’s poison!  Oh Gods!  Billy pulled out a bag of field bandages and started working to save Stephanie’s life.  Stephanie’s breathing was ragged, and she was losing a lot of blood very quickly - she didn’t have long.  Billy worked fast.

 

Alley watched in a panic, tears falling as Billy worked frantically to save Stephanie’s life. Oh gods, please save her!  She prayed, Not now... not yet!   She knelt and helped apply pressure to Stephanie’s wounds, so Billy could work on something else.  As Stephanie’s lifesblood kept spilling from her body, it was quickly becoming apparent that they were fighting a battle they couldn’t win - but they didn’t stop trying. 

 

Just as things were looking more than grim, both Billy and Alley realized the cave was filling slowly with light.  They turned, and both Billy and Alley sighed with relief.  Standing behind them, limned in a golden glow of light, was a beautiful woman with Nordic chainmail, and long hair of shining gold bedecked with countless amber beads tied within its braids and loops.  She was over six feet in height and built strong - like a warrior - and carried a leather bag at her side.  Billy and Alley could tell they were in the presence of a goddess - and Billy recognized her with ease - anyone in Valhalla knew the beauty of Sif, who was second in beauty only to Freya - and not even second to her in some minds.  Concern was written plain across Sif’s face, and she approached quickly.  “Is she still with us?”  She asked, her hands moving quickly to inspect Stephanie’s wounds.

 

“Yes, ma’am.  Please, if you can help her, please hurry!”  Billy said.  “She’s lost a lot of blood.”

 

Alley looked at the gorgeous blonde giantess work on Stephanie... That must be Sif – Stephanie’s mom...  Wow – she’s pretty.  The thought came unbidden, and Alley upbraided herself for even thinking it when she should be concerned over Steph - but she couldn’t control the thought - the goddesses presence was so powerful it was impossible to NOT think it.

 

Meanwhile, Sif looked down at her adopted daughter, Stephanie.   Still breathing... she thought.  “Good; I am in time.”   She laid her hand upon the still form of Stephanie, her adopted daughter, and chanted a spell of healing.  She felt her divine magic stir, and power flowed down her arm and into her little boy-who-would-be-girl.  The nearly severed arm and ruptured shoulder knitted itself back together, the flesh healing and the bones realigning the way they should be.  Within seconds, Stephanie was lying on the ground, whole, covered from head to toe in bruises which seconds ago were lethal injuries.  She coughed once - twice, then woke and tried to sit up.  “Welcome back, my daughter.”  Sif said.  “You had a close call, kiddo.”

 

Stephanie gasped and started awake...  She hurt from head to toe - but her left arm and shoulder hurt the worst - she could barely move it.  Sif was kneeling over her, and Stephanie strongly suspected she was the direct cause of Stephanie still being amongst the living.  “Mom?  You saved me?”

 

“I did what I could, kiddo - but if it wasn’t for Billy here and Alley, I’d have been a bit too late.  I knew he was going to be a good choice for you two.”

 

“What do you mean?”  Steph asked.

 

“I mean exactly what I said, hon... Now get up.”  Sif stood, and assisted Stephanie to her feet.  “You worked hard to attain your prize – don’t you want to claim it?  It’s right there - go get it.”   Sif pointed towards the carved box of ash, and Stephanie nodded, smiling. 

 

Steph looked longingly at the box - her heart nearly bursting with joy - and then turned away.  Alley and Billy were watching her, staring at Sif, and it was obvious they were worried sick and frantic.   She gave Alley, and then Billy a hug, and whispered “I’m gonna be okay... wish me luck?”  to the pair.  

 

Billy smiled and said “Good luck.”

 

Alley also smiled.  ‘You don’t need it, love - go get it.  Well be here when you get back.”

 

Stephanie staggered across the cave floor towards the pile of gold and treasure...  She was still woozy, and the floor was slick with her blood and Alleys, and the blood of the Lindwurm itself.  She reached the edge of the treasure horde, and reached for the box - half expecting an electric shock or something.   The box was fairly heavy, and made of ash carved with Norse depictions of wolves, serpents and a great tree.  It was locked, and she could feel that something powerful was inside.   Kneeling, she pulled out her gift from Sif - the Key to All Doors, and touched it to the box - and the lock clicked, popping open.  Oh my gods... this is it!  Stephanie thought.  I’ll finally see what I’ve been searching for all these years!

 

The anticipation was overwhelming, so she threw caution to the wind and simply opened the box... to reveal a single golden apple - a real apple, with golden yellow skin - inside.   Steph did a bit of a double-take.  “An apple?  That’s it?!”  She shook her head, chiding herself for her stupidity.  Apples throughout mythology held great power.  Undoubtedly this one would help her.  She turned to Sif and showed her.  “What do I do with it, Mom?”

 

“It’s an apple, dear.”  Sif said smiling.  “You eat it.”

 

Stephanie nodded, and put down the box, then stood and took a bite.  The flesh was crisp, and firm - and the taste was sweet and tart and tasted a bit like those honey crisp apples that were all the rage this fall in the supermarkets.   She took a bite, and chewed - and felt invigorated and refreshed.  It tasted good!   She took another bite, and then another - and soon the apple was gone save the core, and her hands were coated in sticky apple juice.  Other than it tasting great, nothing happened.   “What now mom?”

 

“Put the apple core back in the box and lock it – it’s not ours to keep.  When you leave here, leave the box here for its mistress to reclaim it.  And sit down - if you don’t you’re going to fall down, hon.”   Sif smiled, and pointed at the pile of gold.

 

Stephanie did feel a bit woozy... she sat down on the pile of gold, silver and jewels.  “This is amazing - there must be a million dollars here in ancient treasure.  How the hell are we going to carry any of it?”   As she mused over the loot pile she was resting on, a wave of dizziness washed over her, and she moved her hands to brace herself so she wouldn’t fall down.  “What’s happening?”  She asked.  “I feel weird.”

 

“Nothing bad.”  Alley said, with a smile on her lips.  “It’s what you wanted.”   Indeed, as Alley and Billy watched, they could see the years melting away from Stephanie’s face and body - changing from an older, middle aged age of 45 or so, to something closer to Alleys and Billy’s age - but those weren’t the only changes.  

 

Stephanie felt herself changing in more ways than her age - her stomach clenched as she felt something move inside of herself - and her bones felt achy and she felt hot and sweaty.  Oh my gods!  Is this what Alley felt like?  Ohmygodohmygod ohmygod....  She saw her hands seem to smooth out, becoming less manlike and more feminine, and felt her throat grow hoarse as something tightened and changed in her throat.  Her face felt hot - like a fever.   She bent over, trying to alleviate the clenching pain in her gut - and then it was over, although her clothes felt a bit... snug.   She looked up, and Sif, Billy and Alley were smiling at her - Alley was crying.   Her hair was falling in her face - as usual - but this time it was different.  Instead of being brown going on silver, it was a beautiful shade of red.  “Oh my gods!  Something happened!  Do I look okay?”

 

Alley and Billy looked at their friend and stared.  I thought I was pretty, but she takes the cake!  Alley thought.  She’s gorgeous!  Steph now stood a little bit taller than before, but her form and figure were undeniably female - not the ‘man doing his best to look female enough to pass’ she had going on before - and her new curves made both Alleys and Billy’s hearts race a mile a minute.  She was tall, statuesque, and drop dead gorgeous.  Her silver-brown hair was now a beautiful red, and her eyes looked clear and green.  Her voice was husky, but undeniably feminine, and just hearing it made the two of them break out in sweats.   She was every vision a young goddess. 

 

“You look great.”  Billy said, trying not to choke on his reaction, and damning his body for other unconscious reactions south of his belt. 

 

“Yeah, love.  You look great.  You’ll see.”  Alley was crying tears of happiness for her girlfriend.  She finally got it.  She finally got it.  Thank you!

 

Sif walked over and embraced her child.  “You are my daughter, Stephanie Walsh, and the day you come amongst us gods in Asgard as an equal, you shall be known as Sannyr.   My child, you have made me proud.”   Sif kept her stunned mortal daughter in an embrace for a few moments, and released her.  “Stephanie, I have some things for you - your birthrights - but they will wait till we reach the surface, and the sunlight once more.  For now, why don’t you and your friends glory in your success - and gather some treasures.  I will wait for you on the surface.  All three of you have done well.”  Sif smiled, and vanished in a golden glow of light.

 

Stephanie crossed over the room, and gave Alley and Billy a hug, and then broke away.  “I’ve got to put the apple core back in the box... and we should look around, right?”

 

“Yup,” Alley laughed.  “After all, you called dibs back in Stuttgart, didn’t you?”

 

“I guess I did.”  Steph laughed.  “Cool.”

 

Billy just watched the two young women, his heart nearly full to bursting.  It’s happening... It’s happening like the seeress said.   I’m lost with these two... If they’d take me, I’d never look back.  I don’t think I could resist.  Freya’s blood, is this what love feels like?  I feel like I’m tossed on a ship in a storm, waves crashing about me - and all I want to do is scream with joy at the storm, and bring it into myself.   I am bound to these two, now and forever - and I wouldn’t want it any other way.  Gods above, what will happen now?!

 

“Hey Billy - want some bling?”  Alley called out, holding out what looked like a jewelled necklace studded with pink pearls and gold.  “Or maybe something a little more classical?”  She said, holding out a golden cup.

 

“Sure!”  He said, shaking himself from his reverie.  “Cups, armbands and jewellery like rings are traditionally things the Norse love.  Let’s take a look!”  He walked over to the two women, and helped them sort out the vast pile of treasure, seeing if there was anything that caught his eye, beyond the two beauties he couldn’t shake from his thoughts even if he had wanted to.

 

*              *              *

 

By the time they’d looked through the pile of loot, it had become apparent that there was far too much loot to actually move in one trip.   Alley and Stephanie took a collection of jewellery - rings, necklaces, bracelets, and a few armbands, while Billy took a heavy gold armband that reminded him of Odin’s Draupnir, a necklace and two rings for himself, and some other jewellery he decided to save for a special occasion.  He also filled a hefty pouch with polished jewels - rubies, diamonds and emeralds.   Each of the heroes took several handfuls of gold coins as well - and each of the three had a pair of golden cups adorned with wolves and dragons - a matched set.   After all was said and done, they each had about 10 pounds of personal treasures - and about 100 pounds of mixed gold and silver remained to be taken.  

 

Alley had also found what she thought was the skeleton of a dead man - his bones and a leather backpack were all that remained.  The backpack was empty - and the only reason they could figure it survived was that it was some sort of a relic or divine birthright.   They piled gold inside it until the backpack could carry no more - about half the pile of gold - and were going to leave the rest, when Billy had an idea.

 

“Gimme a minute.”  He said.  Some of the gods gave their Scions bags and pouches that carried more than they should - like the eponymous bags of holding in Dungeons and Dragons.  Maybe this was one of them, he thought.   He concentrated, and studied the bag carefully - and found a small runic pendant sewn inside the bag cavity.  “Aha!”  Billy chanted a quick word in ancient Norse, and calmly swept the rest of the loose gold and silver into the bag - which now held about three and a half times more space than it did a moment before.

 

Alley and Stephanie watching him, eyes goggling.  He looked up and laughed.  “Magic bag.”

 

Alley smirked.  “Why not?   It’s the only way were going to carry some of this stuff anyway.”

 

“You know, what we’re doing is illegal as hell.”  Stephanie said.  “Don’t you have to report treasure finds to various governmental agencies and let them sort out how much it’s worth, how much if anything you get, and how much you owe in taxes?  We’re going to have to either bury some of this stuff for later, or sell it fast and I don’t see that happening.”

 

“Maybe not the backpack - but the small handfuls of coins we can sell in small doses at pawn shops and historical coin vendors, if were careful.”  Billy said.  “We could keep the rest to part with a few at a time to pay for what we need.  If I’m right the vast majority of the loot will be stored in a second space in a pocket dimension - so if anyone opened the backpack now they would just see an empty bag - the treasure would be somewhere else.  I think I can bring it back later when I use the magic rune word again.   I’ve seen treasures like this before in Valhalla.  I guess it’s magic didn’t save its earlier owner.”

 

“Gods pray is serves us better.”  Stephanie said.  Alley agreed, and they headed up and out of the cave.   It was a fairly stiff climb - all three of them were fatigued and sore - Alleys leg still ached badly, and Steph, who was wounded before she ate of the apple, seemed fully healed, even if her shirt and jacket would never be the same, and were definitely not G-rated in their current state of disrepair.

 

As they emerged from the dank cave, their vision was dazzled a moment by the brightness of the landscape around them.  When they had gone inside, it had been a relatively cloudy day - but now, the sun was peeking out and rays of cheerful sunshine were warming the land.   Sif waited patiently with a leather bag, and motioned for Stephanie to come over.   Alley and Billy went over to the sprites to see how they were doing, and to give Stephanie and her mom a moment of privacy.

 

Sif motioned for Steph to sit, and handed her some treasures - her birthrights - one by one.  A beautiful jewelled ring made of gold, and studded with jacinth’s and topaz, an elaborate combat dagger in the Norse style that was stylized to look like a dragon, and a small box wrapped in crimson tissue paper.  

 

“I can see you’re interested, so let’s get down to the presents, shall we?”  Sif said with a smile.  “The ring is the Anganband - the ring of Joy.  It will allow you to channel magics relating to health, the sun and plants.  Keep it safe - it has other powers that are too potent to be unlocked until you are ready.   The box in tissue paper is a gift from me for later.  It’s not exactly a birthright - more of something fun.   The dagger, on the other hand is a weapon - and a powerful one.  It is called Draugrfing - Dragon fang in the old speech - and it has a great power.  It is enchanted to help your aim and to strike deep when you hit your foe - but it’s most potent power is that of slaying dragons.  It lusts for the blood of wurms and dragons - and is most potent against those foes.   It will return to your hand on command, whether it is thrown or simply dropped, and it is also enspelled with an illusion - if you will it, it cannot be seen by most mortals.  Only those with unusually powerful observation skills, or the divine can see it - and not always even then.   It is a subtle thing, but useful when you need to keep it with you on an airplane.”

 

Stephanie was awed.  “Wow!   Thank you, Mom.”

 

“You’re welcome, kiddo.”  Sif said, standing.  “I’d love to stay, but it’s time for me to go.   You have everything you need at this point - and Billy can teach you the rest if you let him.  You’ve made me proud, my daughter - and I’m looking forward to seeing what you can accomplish next.”   Sif turned as if to go, and turned back with a wink.  “Remember to have some fun, too, kiddo - it’s gonna be a long haul if you’re always serious.”   With that, there was a golden flash of light, and Sif was gone.

 

Steph held her new treasures in her hands, unsure of what to do next.  A moment passed, and she started to put them in her pack, keeping Draugrfing at her belt - and Alley and Billy came over with the rest of the wood-sprites to see what was going on.   “I guess this is the part where we go celebrate?”  She asked.

 

Billy and Alley just whooped in agreement, and the Sprites cheered.  They headed back into town together to plan their celebration dinner, and their next move after this.  Without a specific mission to accomplish, their time was their own - and they had a vast hoard of wealth to explore all of Europe with, if they so chose.   Life was looking good.   About an hour later, they rolled into the hotel and headed upstairs.