Hel sat upon her throne in the darkness of her home sitting once more at the long dinner table of the dead. Her living hand holding a goblet of wine, and the dead hand resting on the arm of the wooden throne, Hel boredly drummed the dead fingers upon the wood, watching as her dear guests of honor, Balder, Nanna, and Lit spoke to one another.

The sounds of her gigantic gates opening filled the air, and the dead looked up, but the goddess did not. She suspected it was Odin's helper Hermod, here to take his prize, for she had told him to never come back unless everyone wanted Balder back, and only a fool would disobey the goddess of death. Unless he was here on other business

Indeed, it was Hermod who stepped in, a victorious smile upon his face. "My Queen." He bowed down to her. Hel raised her hand to stop him. "Is it done?" Her gentle, yet crackling voice filled the air. "Yes, my lady." He smiled. Hel's living eyebrow raised. "So Thokk has changed her mind?" She tried not to smirk. She knew of her father's trickery. And if this man lied to her, there would be... Hel to pay.

"My lady, Thokk was none other than Loki in disguise. He is the one who does not want Balder to live." Balder let out a sigh as the son of Odin informed them of this. "So why are you here, Hermod the Nimble?" Hel's living eye was narrowed. "Well, Loki no longer has his right to speak." The goddess of death contemplated this. "What do you mean?" "He is bound, my queen." Hermod was looking down.

Hel knew that there was something he was nervous of speaking. "You act as though you are afraid. What has made you this way, son of Odin?" Her cracked voice questioned. Hermod looked up at the goddess, slight confusion upon his features. "Narfi is not here?" Balder's pale face turned to horror. "Narfi? But he is just a boy!" He gasped. "SILENCE." Hel's voice filled the air, her hands gripping the throne as she stood up. "Explain what happened, Hermod." She hissed, much like a snake.

Hermod took a breath, and began to explain. "Loki became very drunk at the Autumn feast and began to insult us. We drove him out, but he brought up a promise of the all-father, and Odin let him stay. He began to talk wretchedly, and when we told him to leave for the second time, and before he left, he left a curse of death." Hel rolled her eye. Her father was rather stupid when drunk. "Tell me of my father's imprisonment. What did you do?"

Hermod began to speak once more. "Twas Kvasir the wise, who imprisoned him. He caught Loki after he played a trick upon us. They lead him to a cave where Narfi and Vali were. Loki begged to release them, but Kvasir did not listen. He said words in Vali's ear and transformed him into a wolf, much like your other brother, Fenrir, but his sanity went with it. He slaughtered Narfi, who died very bravely. Then they tied Loki with the entrails of his dead son. Then, they hanged a snake above his head, so the snake's poison would pour upon his face. Sigyn, his wife is there, to collect the poison. He is to remain there until the end of days, Ragnarok."

Hel's hands were shaking as Hermod finished his tale. "So Narfi is in Valhalla?" Her voice was bitter. Hermod nodded. "It would seem so." He whispered. "Get out. Balder shall stay." She hissed. Hermod was about to speak. "UNTIL LOKI UTTERS THE WORDS 'Release Balder' BALDER SHALL REMAIN HERE UNTIL RAGNAROK DESTROYS US ALL! AND I PRAY THAT MY FATHER HOLDS HIS TONGUE!" And Hel turned, and walked away, the wineglass she had been holding, dropping to the floor, leaving the living and the dead to mourn of their failure in the hall of the dead.

The Goddess then walked into her chambers, and stayed there for days.