The bitter wind cut through her like knives as the old woman pulled her
cloak more tightly about her against the chill night air.  Winter was
coming and the temperature was dropping quickly.  As she turned a
corner, a sudden impact nearly knocked her to the ground.  As she
recovered herself, she saw a young boy who had come running around the
corner without seeing her.  She helped the lad back to his feet

"You run as though the Assassin of Thor himself were on your heels.  
where are you off to in such haste?" she asked him.

"I am going home, I am late for supper", he replied.  "Who is the
Assassin of Thor?"

Incredulously, the woman drew back.  "Surely you know the tale of
the rise of Thor's Assassin and his fall in into darkness?"

The boy shook his head, "I haven't heard of him before tonight.  Can
you tell me about him?  Who was he?"

"That is a long tale and you are already late", she said.  "Hurry home
before your family misses you."

"I am already late, it won't hurt to take a bit longer.  Could you
tell me, please?"

Looking into the boys pleading eyes, she sighed.  "Very well, have a
seat and I will tell you the tale."

Eagerly, the boy folded his legs beneath him as the woman took a seat
of her own.  When she was settled, she thought for a moment.  "Where to
begin?  Ah, yes..."

"It all began with a young man named Mikel.  He was a stout warrior
who hailed from a small village long since lost to history.  He fought
bravely to defend his home from all invaders, man or beast,
and those who sought to conquer his people.  He fought side by side
with his brother Kaolin and the bond between them was unbreakable.  
Unfortunately, the brothers could not defend their home from the great
serpent that plagued their village.  The great beast was only appeased
by the willing sacrifice of innocent lives to satiate its great
hunger.  As Mikel neared the age for his Rite of Passage, when a
young man begins the path to becoming a true warrior and man of the
village, his world was shattered.  The time had once again come to
appease the great serpent, and Mikel's beloved Niobjorg was chosen
to be the sacrifice.  They had grown up together as children and he
had begun courting her in recent years.  The love they shared grew
daily and they were rarely seen apart.  He loved her with all his
heart and would not allow her to be consumed to satisfy the beast's
hunger.  He spent the night making his preperations and girded
himself for battle.  His beloved was offered the serpent the following
morning, and Mikel stood before her, defiant in the face of certain
death.  The men whom he had fought beside all these years rallied to
his side, vowing to aide him in his fools hope of slaying the serpent.  
A terrible, bloody battle ensued and his allies were soon laid low as
the beast tore through them with great zeal. Kaolin made
foolish move and is swallowed whole by the serpent.  Distraught over
the loss of his brother, Mikel succumbed to a berserker rage and
began savagely slashing at the beast.  The serpent lunged forward and
took Mikel's legs below the knees with one swift bite.  Even mortally
wounded, he defended his love with the last of his strength.  This
valiant display of courage did not go unnoticed.  Thor, son of Odin,
watched with great interest.  When Mikel fell and the serpent moved
to claim its prize, the God of thunder descended to Midgard and
engaged the beast in battle.  They fought for nearly an entire day
before Thor delivered the killing blow with his hammer, mighty Mjolnir."  

"Impressed by the noble efforts of the fallen warrior, the thunder God
took pity upon Mikel and carried him to Asgard.  Thor beseeched Volund,
Norse God of the forge, to craft new legs for Mikel and bestowed a
sturdy suit of mystical armor to the fallen warrior.  So impressed was
the Thunder God in this mortal, that he took it upon himself to make
the young warrior his disciple.  Centuries passed as the bond between
master and pupil grew.  Mikel no longer remembered his beloved Niobjorg
as his memories were clouded to ensure that his studies went
uninterupted.  Over these years, Loki the God of Lies whispered treason
to Mikel, telling him that Thor wass simply using him to achieve his goal
of conqering Asgard.  Thor knew of this and began to fear his student
as Mikel had grown mighty and was being swayed by Loki's words.  The
pair were banished to Midgard in order to isolate their potential
treason."  

"They arrived in Paragon City and began their lives as
champions of Midgard in order to regain the trust of Thor and reclaim
their place in the golden halls of Asgard.  The God of Lies assumed
the name Lokie when the local media butchered his name in the newspaper
and Mikel became known as Thor's Assassin as that is the only name he
had known since beginning his apprenticship.  Together they became
allied with a faction of heroes known as the Legends of Justice, a clan
of mighty champions whose deeds were worthy of song.  Their exploits were
legendary, especially the monumental battle between Thor's Assassin
and Nemesis.  Mikel pried the fallen villains staff from his hand and
has made the powerful totem his own, it is a much a part of him as
Mjolnir is to Thor."  

"In this time, Mikel fell in love with a stunning
raven haired beauty in the form of the heroine known as Sassy.  It was
no coincendce that these two found each other, as she was the
reincarnated soul of his lost love Niobjorg.  Their love was as
timeless as the immortality that Thor had bestowed upon Mikel during
his studies."  

"In time, Thor's Assassin learned to control the very
weather much the way his mentor did and became as powerful as the
Thunder God himself.  Unfortunately, in all this time Loki continued
to poison Mikel's mind against Thor, telling him that he had been
banished because Thor feared his power.  In fact, his brother Kaolin
had actually been Loki in disguise all those years before.  
Fueled by Loki's lies, Mikel
returned to Asgard and confronted Thor in the halls of Valhalla.  The
battle that ensued lasted for days and shook the very  
foundations of the Earth.  In the end, Thor fell at the hand of his
former student.  As Mikel held his mentor's body in his arms, he
realized the truth and that he had been deceived by Loki.  His cry of
anguish resounded through the heavens.  He sank into a dark depression
mortified at what he had done and wishing to atone for his act of
betrayal.  In atonement, he banished himself to Hel and took the name
Assassin of Thor to reflect his lot in life.  There he wallowed in
despair and self loathing, and they consumed him."  

"When at last he
emerged, he was not the same champion that he had once been.  He had
become cruel and treachorous and sought to destroy Loki for his
deception, no matter the cost.  He unleashed his great power as he
cut a bloody swath of destruction through both the Rogue Isles and
Paragon City, the lands he once protected with his very life.  He was
confronted by his friends and fellow heroes about his actions but could
not be disuaded in his quest for vengeance.  Even his dearest friends
Feral Kat and Deadrites were not able to reach his darkened heart, and
Sassy became heartbroken at seeing her beloved fall into darkness.  
His former colleagues were force into battling their friend and ally
as the last resort to end his rampage.  A terrible battle ensued and
many heroes fell at the hands of the Assassin of Thor.  The conflict
ended only when his dear Sassy was accidentally killed in the chaos.  
Suffering such a great loss for the second time, he cradled her broken
body in his arms and the sky wept with him.  He retreated back to Hel
and took claim of that cursed realm by way of force, sinking ever
deeper into his sorrow and despair."  

"In time he took a mistress in
the form of the lady Elina, who was yet another incarnation of his
beloved Niobjorg, whose soul was eternally linked to his own.  
With time, and the tender mercies of Elina, he came
to terms with what he had done and saw that he must assume Thor's
place in Asgard to atone for his sins.  Fearing his power and still
bitter over his treachery, all of Asgard joined together to repel him.  
But Mikel had become too powerful and he took the Golden Realm by
force, conquering the Gods and subjegating the Valkyries to become
his servants and handmaidens.  He had become the Lord of Valhalla and
rules Asgard with an iron fist, even to this very day."

The woman fell silent and seemed to withdraw into herself as she
finished her tale.  The boy also remained silent for a time until he
finally spoke "But what of Niobjorg?"

A tear rolled down the old woman's cheek as she seemed to retreat
within her cloak.  "She remains at his side even now, their love is
eternal.  While Mikel is immortal, his tyranny is tempered only by
the love of his lady in whatever form she takes over the years."  A
slight smile curled the corners of her mouth as she seemed to stare
off into the deepening dark.  

"Run along home, boy," a deep voice commanded. "You're mother is
waiting."  A tall rugged man, heavily cloaked against the creeping
chill air stepped from the shadows.

Stunned, the boy froze.  "Go home!", the man bellowed and the
startled boy dashed off into the dark.

"You frightened him," the old woman said without turning.

"I have little care for these mortals.  You have been gone for too
long, I came to bring you back," he said reaching out to caress her
cheek.  As he touched her face, her very skin rippled like a pond
distubed by an errant pebble.  The ripple washed over her body and in
a heartbeat, a stunning raven haired beauty stood where once there
had only been an old crone.  "You know how I miss you when you travel
the realm of Midgard.  It is time to go."

"Of couse, beloved," she responed and joined him at his side.

As he raised hand, thunder shook the heavens as he prepared to return
them to the golden realm of Asgard.  The woman took a last look over
her shoulder to see the boy peering around the corner to watch this
amazing sight.  She smiled and gave the boy a wink as she and her
Lord departe the Earth and left for Valhalla.

The boy stood in amazement and stunned silence.  Finally he turned and
ran into the dark.  He was still late for supper, and his family
would never believe what he had seen.