Valkyrie: How to Fight a Dragon

~Previously~

She yelped as Nidhogg finally threw her off. His green eyes, once hazel, stared at her in a blind rage. His maw opened, grabbing her by the arm. His teeth punctured her arm as he threw her up in the air. The next thing Eira knew, she was staring into the open mouth of a dragon, ready to eat her.

"Eira!"

"Mother!"

And everything went black.

~Present~

Steve watched in horror as the blonde Asgardian arced through the air in some horrifying maneuver. The dragon that she had been fighting threw her up in the air, then swallowed her in one gulp. If Steve had to guess how long this dragon was, it was at least ten feet stall standing, about thirty in length. Its head was the size of a sedan, its eyes the size of serving platters. "Eira!" he cried

"Mother!" A deeper voice called beside him. A young man with auburn hair and hazel eyes stood beside him. Those eyes were full of horror, probably mimicking his own.

Something clicked in the Super Soldier's mind as he looked at the man beside him. "Ryu?" he asked.

"How comfortable are you with flying?" Ryu asked, looking the Super Soldier straight in the eye. "The only thing that I believe that will save her now is if we work together."

Steve couldn't stop the smile on his face. "I like the way you think, kid." He pulled his shield from his back and strapped it to his arm. "Let's do this."

Ryu changed into a dragon, the slender one that Steve was used to seeing. It wasn't long before the two were airborne. Nidhogg was turning to face his mother again, but there was something ... different about the red dragon that Ryu didn't notice until now.

His eyes were the same color as his adopted mother's. The same vibrant, soul-searching green.

"Grawugh!" Nidhogg reared onto his hind legs, his head snapping to look at the flying dragon above him.

"Kid, I hope you have a strategy! That dragon isn't going down without a fight." Steve leaned closer to Ryu's head.

"Of course I have a plan!" Ryu's voice was warped by the form he had assumed. "I'm going to swoop in low and save my mother!"

As if hearing his words, the iridescent dragon flew up, meeting Ryu wingbeat for wingbeat. She jerked her head toward Steve, then at her back. Her iridescent scales rippled in the firelight.

"Human. I may not be a fighter like my son, but I can still be of some use. Just direct me where you want me to go and I'll follow." Her voice was melodic, although warped like Ryu's.

Steve nodded and leapt from Ryu's back onto her's. She let out a battle roar as Steve urged her forward, diving towards Nidhogg. However, the red dragon wasn't going to go down without a fight. He let out a stream of fire, forcing the two airborne dragons to split up. Steve could feel the heat of the fire, hotter than he thought it would be.

The two dragons danced in the air while Steve kept attacking Nidhogg. The shield bouncing off his head and legs only seemed to annoy the dragon, so Steve aimed it right at the exposed part of its face.

The shield bounced off one of the dragon's eyes, making him scream and trash with agony. Now breathing fire as it thrashed, Ryu and Steve's dragon flew higher, avoiding the worst of the flames.

The flames from the dragon's mouth suddenly ceased, as if someone had stuck his head underwater.

"Now I see where Ryu got his bad breath from."

A familiar blonde suddenly appeared next to Nidhogg's head, hand on her hips in a scolding fashion. "Honestly, did it ever occur to you that you don't have anyone around because you stink like last centuries' dinner? Go take a bath and think about what you've done!" She pointed to her right.

Nidhogg roared, spreading his wings to their span.

"I know my place in this universe. It's time you learned yours, dragon!" Eira held out her hand toward the dragon. There was stillness and silence between the two, before Nidhogg collapsed. His hazel eyes were dull and lifeless. Running a hand through her soaked hair, Eira looked up at the three. "His reign of terror's over. You can come down now."

Ryu was the first to dive toward her. His mother was slow to follow, but descended at Steve's urging.

Eira grimaced at the fluid she was covered in. "Okay, that's just beyond gross. I know he just ate me and everything, but ... ew. Just ew." With a groan, she magically discarded her armor and changed into something less defensive. "Well, I suppose this is better ..." She sighed, discarding the black S.H.I.E.L.D. jacket. Now wearing a black tank, black slacks, and black boots, the Asgardian moved toward Steve.

"Nyla." The dragon Steve was on knelt, allowing the Super Soldier to get off her back much easier. She stood up again, bowing her head so it met Eira's outstretched hand.

"Thank you for caring for Ryu." Nyla straightened up again.

Eira shook her head. "No, I should be thanking you." She looked at the way she arrived in this clearing. "The fog will be returning soon. It would be best for the entire dragon race if I revived them. Well, except for that one." She gestured to Nidhogg.

"Mother, can you really do that?" Ryu asked as he changed back into human form.

With a cocky smirk, the Asgardian swept her hand in the direction the slain dragons lay. "Of course. This is one of the things the Stone can do, after all." Her smile faded and she sighed. "You can come out now, Barton. And bring the Avengers with you. It's over."

"I didn't think you'd actually retrieve the Soul Stone." Vision was the first to speak.

"Woah. Remind me to never piss you off." James gave the Asgardian a respectful look.

"And who's the guy behind you?" Sam asked.

Wanda answered the question. "Zaht vould be Ryu."

A streak of silver came flying towards them. "Zhe dragons are avakening. Vone is headed zhis vay."

The next thing to come their way was the silver dragon that was near the entrance. It roared, landing a little too close to the Avengers. Earth's Mightiest took on a defensive stance while Nyla and Ryu, both dragons, went to meet the silver dragon. Eira, in between the dragon and the Avengers, watched the dragon closely.

What happened next was something none of them expected. It raised a foreleg, talons ready to strike. A death glare in its blue eyes, it brought its paw down, swiping at the dragons. The slender forms of Nyla and Ryu went flying to a mountain, striking it with enough force to make it crumble.

Now with its competition out of the way, it turned its attention to the humans in front of it. With another strike, it brought its talons down on the Avengers.

But the blow never came. Eira fell back, landing heavily. With another roar, the dragon prepared its breath attack. However, the dragon never had the chance to unleash the foul black gas. Eira returned to her feet and forced its jaws shut. "I could use a little help here!" she called. The Avengers sprang into action, attacking the dragon.

The fight was over quickly, and the silver dragon fell to the ground in defeat. It resorted to a human form, of an older woman with silver hair. "You killed him ..." she whimpered.

"Because he took one of our members and nearly killed another in the process." Steve approached the woman. Her blue eyes looked up at him, glassy with tears threatening to spill out. "He went berserk and killed all of your kind. Including you."

Eira approached the woman. "What is your name?" she asked.

The woman sniffed. "Shigurd."

"Shigurd. I ask you to rule Niflhiem now. After all, there's no way I could possibly bring Nidhogg back after what happened. Death doesn't change a personality or belief, contrary to popular belief. Besides, I'm going to have to report to Odin about this, and it'd be best if I knew who was going to reign so I can tell him and ... I'm rambling." Eira turned around. "Well, I'm returning to Asgard like this for the first time in eight hundred years. If anyone wants to follow me, go ahead. If not, the Valkyrie at Valhalla will be more than willing to send you back."