#a quest

There is one big headcanon idea I have which heavily focuses on Ursa coming into her powers as a Goddess of Death. And that is through a quest to restore a certain someone’s soul which eventually leads to her realising her destiny as the future Queen of Helheim.

Here’s my take - Ursa is around the same age that Atreus was during GOW 2018, and her father is visiting Kratos, so she’s just hanging out in the forest, playing with the wolves and having some good old fun when she suddenly feels something, something she’s only felt in the presence of souls. But this one feels incomplete, like it’s missing it’s other parts. She summons it, but doesn’t hear much as it’s a little worn and weak. Just that the spirit is "missing his ‘soul bits’” and that his name is Brok. Ursa stores his first soul part, his mind, in her marble and tells her parents about it, who is shocked to hear that their daughter found a piece of Brok’s soul. Realising how much this means to them, Ursa sneaks out and decides to look for Brok’s other soul pieces herself, eventually gaining the help of Sleipnir along the way as they go on their quest to find Brok’s two other soul pieces, luck and form and bring them to the Lake of Souls to complete him.

And along the way, Sindri shows up, not sure what Atreus’ daughter is doing out here all alone with Odin’s old war horse, until she speaks honestly about her quest. Sindri is stunned, but readily decides to help the little girl in anyway he can if it meant that his brother can finally have an afterlife, even gifting her a dagger embedded with the famine of Fimbulwinter itself. And at some point, and very sleepy Ursa will say "thanks Sin." Leaving Sindri feeling both touched and sad, as he truly does miss having Atreus as a friend but still isn't ready to talk to him. And maybe through his journey to save Brok’s soul with Ursa, he will be.

It’s essentially like Kratos and Atreus’ quest to spread Faye’s ashes, but instead, their trying to find the soul-bits of a dwarven friend, the child’s taking the lead, her main protector is an eight-legged horse, and instead of a talking head, she has a dwarf that is technically her great-uncle to offer advice. They bond over stories and old wounds that Ursa is just hoping to fix, although Sindri tells her that some holes are too big to fill. But that doesn’t mean she can’t fill it up halfway. They open up to each other, become protective and caring towards each other as they help not only overcome their trauma but also help Ursa realise her new powers and accept them (after all, summoning Hel-Walker and becoming a half-dead skeleton can be terrifying for an eleven year old.)

And throughout the WHOLE quest for Brok’s souls, she is eating up Brok’s vulgar mannerisms and loving it! It’s just a riot to her and is spitting swears and insults at all of her enemies like Perrito from Puss in Boots: The Last Wish; making Brok proud as peach of his great-niece, whilst absolutely shocking Sleipnir and appalling Sindri, who is low-key (hehe Loki) worried about what Atreus will say about all this when he finds out. 

They use Ursa’s Marble containing Brok’s soul as a sort of compass or tracker, but because the souls have no direction, they are always moving across the realms, and because it’s God of War, there’s always some sort of obstacle trying to hold them back at the last minute. I’m thinking Baldur returns as the most powerful and coherent Hel-Walker anyone’s ever seen and tries to kill Ursa as revenge against Kratos and Atreus, who denied him his own revenge. This could also imply that Hræsvelgr is slowly loosing her influence in Helheim (the only reason Hel-Walkers even show up outside of Helheim anymore is because Ursa summons them) further tying in that she is in need of a replacement. Maybe that opens up a power vacuum that Baldur wants to take advantage of: become the knew Hel so that he can bring forth a new Fimbulwinter, ultimately decimating the Eight Realms that the Fate Breakers sacrificed so much to save. So it is ultimately up to Ursa to claim her rightful throne as Queen of Helheim in order to prevent those like Baldur to abuse that power.

Then, as they finally find the last soul, finally able to see Brok’s spirit, Atreus, Angrboda and Kratos show up, and they are all just happy Ursa’s okay, are scolding her for running off without telling them, before tearfully saying hello to an old friend and returning to the Lake of Souls together to see him off for the last time. And as Brok leaves, he tells Sindri to look after himself and tells Atreus that he has one tough kid and that he should be proud.

And he certainly is.

Thursday 12/10, Pesachim 19: So Many Degrees

<Achievement Unlocked>

I lead within myself,

A quest for understanding,

The mind which reined in chaos,

Heart that was in tatters,

Only to return empty handed,

For the comprehension I craved,

Wasn't so entirely forth coming.

The mind and heart I wanted to understand,

Were far beyond those realms,

No wonder she couldn't handle me,

Who would, for that matter,

When it wasn't only the mind and heart,

But the entire soul that was chaotic.