MvDC MVFBB - Nubia vs. Lady Sif

Talented text and Marvelous music by the Avant-garde Aron Orson
Impressive inks and Captivating colors by the Magnificent MuscleGirlsArt

Backstage…

Sif [thinking to herself]: “Heimdall, dear brother, it is my hope that you somehow saw what transpired and informed any concerned parties. All-Father knows I and my fellow ‘competitors’ will need action taken outside our captivity as well…”

Nubia [approaching]: “Maiden of war, are you all right, present circumstances aside? I noticed you looked to be deep in thought.”

Sif [turning to Nubia, nodding]: “Aye, I appreciate the concern. Just putting my faith in our odds of someone outside our ‘hosts’’ purview catching wind of our situation and acting accordingly.”

Nubia: “Anyone in particular?”

Sif: “At most, my brother Heimdall, guardian of the Bifrost bridge, and all-seeing sentinel of Asgard.”

Nubia: “Ah, an Asgardian—going by the headdress you wear, I almost took you for another Valkyrie like Brunnhilde.” [Holds out her hand.] “Nubia, of the Amazons.”

Sif [shaking the proffered hand]: “Well-met, Lady Nubia. Sif, of the Vanir.”

Nubia: “I’m familiar with the name, thanks to the texts recounting my people’s prior encounters with the warriors of our world’s Asgard. Though if I recall correctly, said texts described you as being a blonde.”

Sif: “You would not be the first of the Amazons among our group with that preconception.” [Briefly brushes her fingers through a strand of her hair.] “I was a blonde, a long time ago, until Loki—my world’s—cut all my hair off out of jealousy for the relationship Thor had with me. Thor angrily demanded he pay recompense, so he contracted the dwarven craftsmen Brokk and Eitri to create a new set of locks for me. When he could not (or would not, we were never sure) pay them the full amount of gold asked, the smiths declared that ‘for the price of naught’, they would make ‘strands of naught’—hence, the dark mane I presently bear. But all was not lost—much to Loki’s chagrin, Thor took a great liking to my new tresses.”

Nubia: “It is good to know that between our two worlds, Thor’s lack of superficiality is a constant.”

Sif: “Aye, that it is. For another matter, it appears that you mark another distinction between our world’s tribes of Amazons. If I may inquire, would you share your story with me?”

Nubia: “I would not mind. With I and my world’s Amazons, we all were reborn in the Well of Souls, having previously been women mistreated by the early men of our world. In my case, I was originally born Zahavah, princess of an ancient kingdom on the island of what is now known as Madagascar. I also served as a general of our army, leading them in war against the rival kingdom of Aridai, but was betrayed by my compatriot, Azariah, over my refusal to kill Aridai’s infant prince.” [Looks somberly to the side briefly.] “He then slew both my parents and took the throne.” [Faces Sif again, while nodding in the direction of Wonder Woman nearby.] “When I was reborn, it was around the same time that Queen Hippolyta had crafted Diana from the clay of Themyscria; as such, the two of us were often considered sisters.”

Sif [briefly glancing at WW]: “Though not related by blood, I do see something of a resemblance between you two, admittedly.”

Nubia: “That has been mentioned to me a lot, I’ve noted. There is one other thing that distinguishes us—following my rebirth, the Well of Souls fell still; for many years afterward, I was the last Amazon born from it. In that time, I was given the task of guarding the one forbidden place on Themyscria: Doom’s Doorway. Under my watch, no one would enter, and no one would exit—with one exception, in the case of a manticore that escaped and fled to Man’s World. I pursued it to the settlement known as Chicago, where it threatened a schoolteacher and her class while they were visiting a museum. As it was my first time in Man’s World, Diana helped me adjust to its…peculiarities. That same teacher also proved helpful in this regard, to the point where we began a relationship together…one unfortunately doomed to end sooner than either of us had wanted. She was, fortunately, reborn an Amazon when the Well of Souls became active again. My time fighting alongside Diana in Man’s World has seen me face many powerful foes, and meet the most unexpected of allies, such as the Zoroastrian light god, Ahura-Mazda, who aided me against the demon-king Ahriman. Most recently, I have filled in for Queen Hippolyta when she needed to embark on a personal journey, and during my time as ruler, I not only spearheaded the full reconciliation of all Amazon tribes, but among other deeds reconciled with Medusa the Gorgon, even managing to lift the curse that had rendered her monstrous for so long, while initiating her as a new Amazon.”

Sif [nodding]: “I’d heard from Diana that your world’s Amazons were ones who embraced reformation of those who would be your enemies, and it pleases me to hear that it rings true. Perhaps my world’s Amazons could learn a thing or two—especially considering they’re more daughters of Aries than Aphrodite.”

Nubia: “You will have to tell me more of your world’s Amazons, then. Now I must ask, your Thor must have interacted with mortals more than my world’s—were you ever involved in any of those affairs?”

Sif: “Aye, I’ve visited Midgard in the modern day on more than one occasion. For a while, Thor and I were locked in a great disagreement, accentuated by when Odin exiled him to the mortal realm in the guise of a human physician; for a time, he engaged in a love affair with a mortal nurse by the name of Jane Foster. Odin would later arrange for the two of us to meet after so many years apart; we grew close again, to the point where our love reignited, promising that we would wed someday.” [Frowns a bit.] “Unfortunately, Thor’s feelings of responsibility towards Midgard and its people had a way of getting in between us. I did try to be accommodating, even dwelling on Midgard for some time—but I would always prefer Asgard’s majesty. At a point, I tried to understand how Thor was drawn to the mortals when I merged my life-force with Jane Foster’s, preventing her from dying in the process. We eventually separated, allowing her to be with her own love, a man named Keith Kincaid.

With Thor, I met the alien warrior Beta Ray Bill, who I developed an attraction to, as he was granted his own enchanted hammer and we all fought together against Surtur the Fire Demon.” [Briefly points towards Amora nearby.] “My relationship with Thor was further tested by his falling under the enchantment of Amora’s sister, Lorelei, driving us apart in the process. It was during his journey into the realm of Hela, the death goddess, to rescue a number of mortal souls that made me accept his guardianship of both the mortal and golden realms. I at one point had to fight of the advances of the Celtic lightning god Leir, then later found myself acting as Asgard’s regent while Odin entered his annual Odinsleep. Eventually, after Thor and Odin held it off for so long, Ragnarok befell the realm eternal.”

Nubia [astonished]: “The ‘Twilight of the Gods’…and yet, you are here even now.”

Sif: “Thor was revived, and he traveled around Midgard, reawakening we Asgardians, who had been hidden within mortal forms. In my case…I had been trapped in the body of an old woman suffering from a terminal illness, while Loki had been reborn in the female body meant for myself. A more dire fate would await me lest someone intervened—when Loki would transfer his soul into his true male form, the process would kill my host. It was Jane Foster, who’d been attending to my mortal ‘prison’, who alerted Thor to my plight; he successfully managed to restore me moments before the woman I dwelled in passed. I then joined Thor and the other Asgardians after our home found itself floating over the mortal settlement known as Oklahoma for a time. Since then, Asgard has returned to its proper place, and I now assist my brother Heimdall in his duties from time to time.”

Nubia: “It appears that we are more alike than previously thought—we both have experienced great conflict, death, and rebirth, alongside those we love, and emerging stronger each time for it.”

Sif: “Indeed. I would be honored with a spar in the near future, should we and our fellow ‘competitors’ manage to pull off our stratagem for turning the tables on our captors successfully.”

Nubia [an anticipatory grin on her face]: “I’ll be looking forward to it.” [Hears the roar of the crowd.] “For now, let us play along and do what we can to satisfy these mortal masses. Best of luck, sword-sister.”

Sif [mirroring Nubia’s grin]: “Same with you, sword-sister.”

Main stage…

Promoter: “Ladies and gentlemen, if you thought we were done with the finest of both the Amazons and Asgard, you would be wrong! There’s more where our previous two contestants came from, beginning with our next Amazon from Multiverse-A! In her past life, she was a literal warrior princess, whose life was tragically cut short through treachery. Reborn as an Amazon, she’s served Themyscria faithfully as the guardian of the foreboding Doom’s Doorway and even as acting regent of the island queendom, to the point of overseeing the reconciliation of all the major Amazon tribes! Now she graces our stage, so give it up for one of the arguably greatest Amazons to pick up a sword, the legendary NUBIA!”

[Needle-drop: “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan.

Promoter: “Nubia of Themyscria, everyone! And now, her opponent from Multiverse-B…while not one of the fabled Valkyrior, she is still one of Asgard’s finest warriors, fighting for her fabled realm alongside the likes of her on-again/off-again Thor and Balder the Brave, as well as the entire galaxy beside the alien powerhouse Beta Ray Bill! She’s faced down the toughest the Nine Realms have had to offer, and even survived Ragnarok to fight another day! Here though, the only challenge she’ll be facing is if she’ll make it through each round of the competition, but if her track record is anything to go by, this lady of the battlefield will give it her best! So put your hands together for Asgard’s most famed warmaiden, the lady SIF!”

[Needle-drop: “Love Is A Battlefield” by Pat Benatar.]