Hi guys! Welcome to "Of Fjords and Flurries" another chapter in the continuing saga of vacations for the Avengers. This is based on my own travels this summer and takes place in the same 'verse as my other fics, so please go and review those if you aren't familiar with them. All names outside the Avengers have been changed for privacy reasons.
ENJOY!
'Hvordan går det? Jeg heter...' The audio tape droned slowly. Steve furrowed his eyes as he repeated the phrase. Norwegian was nothing like any language he had heard before, and trying to grasp all the phonemes was like trying to make sense of one of Bruce's formulas.
The countdown to landing clock on his video screen ticked silently away, and to Steve that signaled impending doom. He had spent months trying several different mediums of learning Norwegian, but no matter how many video tutorials he watched or Duolingo lessons he went over, it just didn't seem to stick.
Why couldn't they speak French instead?
A flight attendant approached him in the dark cabin. "Du snakker veldig godt norsk." She said, smiling.
Steve blushed and removed his headphones. "Uh.." He cleared his throat; this would be his first practice run. "Takk." Was all he managed to stutter out.
"Er du Norsk?" She proceeded to ask.
The answer is so obvious. Steve thought, but tried anyways to answer. "Nei, jeg kommer fra USA, men jeg reiser til Norge." He then smacked his forehead with his hand. Of course I'm travelling to Norway, this is a freaking SAS flight to Bergen.
The young lady smiled. "I don't encounter many americans who take the time to learn the language. Don't worry, english is widely spoken, and anyone would be happy to help you practice your Norwegian if you asked. Where are you going in Norway?"
Steve straightened. He loved telling people about his plans, and after the success of the last trip to Australia, he felt a lot more confident in his preparation of this year's adventure. "Well, we spend a day in Bergen, then go out to Voss, Flåm, Geiranger, then Oslo."
The flight attendant smiled. "I live in Flåm, it's a very small city, only about 300 people live there. My father is the harbormaster, and my sister works at the Fretheim hotel as a receptionist."
"We're staying there for a few nights, I'll let her know you're doing well."
"My name is Gjertrud, and my sister's name is Kari. Enjoy your trip, I know you'll love Norway."
As Gjertrud moved on down the aisle, Steve looked over to where his friends were seated. Tony had seen the entire encounter, and flashed Steve a sly smile and a thumbs up, pointing back in Gjertrud's direction. Steve shook his head and ignored Tony. Everyone else was asleep. He really hoped that they would enjoy this trip, it seemed like the last two were a big hit. And then there was also the surprise, he held off telling them about the surprise week in London he planned since Coulson had given them two weeks off like the previous year when they were in Australia. Unnecessary, but Steve decided to roll with it. They had to fly back through London anyways, might as well make the best of it.
But in front of them now was the land of the midnight sun, home of the vikings and fjords. Steve rubbed his hands together in anticipation, noticed the countdown clock inching closer to their destination, and started up the Duolingo lesson again.
10/10 Would recommend Duolingo for any level language learner