was dismissed and sent to join Expressive Arts.
Without Archie at her side, Freya felt alone as she entered the classroom. Even having Orus hidden under her coat didn’t help.
But soon Freya discovered that this was the one subject that she actually enjoyed.
‘Greta, before you sit down,’ the teacher, Mrs Breen, said, ‘I’m going to ask you to sing something for the class. I need to find out what music group you should be in.’
‘You want me to sing here? Now?’
When the teacher nodded, Freya inhaled deeply. She loved to sing with the other Valkyries, but had never sung to living humans before. She closed her eyes, and imagined she was back at Valhalla with Maya at her side. In the next moment, a soft and haunting song sprang from her lips; an ancient song, sung in the tongue of Asgard by all the Valkyries since the dawn of time. It told the story of a great love between a young Valkyrie and a valiant warrior. So beautiful was the warrior’s face that the Valkyrie fell instantly in love with him and couldn’t bear to reap him. So she went to Odin and begged for the warrior’s life. Unable to grant the request, Odin took pity on the lovesick Valkyrie and told her to give the warrior her name before he died. In doing so, they could be joined together forever in Asgard . . .
As the moments passed, her confidence grew and she poured out her heart in the music. When the song was over, Freya opened her eyes. The only sounds in the classroom were gentle sniffs as tears shone in the eyes of most of her classmates.
‘Greta,’ Mrs Breen said softly, hardly daring to break the spell. ‘That was enchanting. What is it called?’
Freya shrugged. ‘It has no name. It’s an old folk song my mother taught me. It’s about a lonely Valkyrie from long ago that falls in love with a warrior she has to reap and the pain she suffers fulfilling her duty.’ She looked around the room and saw, once again, the expressions of confusion. Did no one in this world know what a Valkyrie was?
‘You have the most delightful voice,’ Mrs Breen continued.
Freya looked over the class and saw everyone nodding in agreement. As she walked to her seat, she felt a warmth from the students directed at her.
When the final bell rang, Freya was surrounded by her new classmates, anxious to speak with her. She was barraged with questions about where she came from and how she’d learned to sing so well.
As they pressed closer, Freya could feel Orus squirming under the coat as he was squashed by the clinging students. His soft caws of protest turned to louder curses.
‘I had better go!’ Freya said quickly.
As the girls drifted away to catch their buses, Freya was left in a daze. She was so used to humans being mean to each other, it threw her off balance when they were nice.
‘Let me out!’ Orus cawed.
Freya opened her coat and the raven flew out. He circled the air and landed on her arm. His feathers were a mess and he was panting heavily.
‘I am never hiding in your coat again!’ he cawed. ‘I nearly suffocated under there. And what was going on with all those girls? They nearly squished the life out of me! I was sure I was going to pass out!’
‘Sorry, Orus,’ Freya said. ‘I didn’t mean that to happen. They just came at me. I was surrounded.’
‘Freya, it could have been a disaster if one of them had touched you. You mustn’t let them get that near you again. But then I suppose that’s the price to pay for being popular.’
‘I’m not popular,’ Freya insisted. ‘This is just my first day. They were being friendly.’
‘You had everyone in that class enchanted. Even the boys.’
‘How do you know?’
‘I couldn’t see them, but I could hear them,’ Orus said. ‘You bewitched everyone.’
‘I didn’t mean to,’ Freya said defensively. ‘Besides, it’s Mrs Breen’s fault. She told me to sing.’
‘Hey, don’t get mad at me because they liked you. If anyone has a right to be angry, it’s me, not you. I nearly died in your coat,’ Orus huffed. ‘All I’m saying is, you’ve spent so long hating humans that when they’re nice to you you don’t know what to do. Enjoy this moment, Freya. You know it can’t last.’
‘Why? Are you saying they’re going to hate me once they get to know me?’
‘No, of course