A moan escaped Amber's lips when she tried to open her eyes; the light was too bright and her eyelids itched. She rubbed them before trying again to open her eyes and look at the mysterious place where she appeared to be.
The first thing she saw was a tall, gold tinted ceiling but when she tried to sit on the bed, her bones clearly complained. She moaned again feeling her muscles stiff and every single bone still aching but all his discomfort seemed to vanish as by magic as soon as she realised the unusual features of that room.
It was huge. And sumptuous. And definitely unknown. Definitely not a hotel room or anything else she could recall having seen before.
Everything, every single detail seemed like having been dipped in pure gold: the walls and their elegant friezes, the massive columns, even the ever recurring patterns of the pavement made of solid marble.
Maybe she was dead and that was Heaven!
She shook her head trying to focus on noises or smells but the only noise she could hear of was a faraway sound like that of a busy city but there was something definitely strange with it, odd and unfamiliar. The smells were delicious, anyway, like cherry blooms and freesias.
There was nobody around in that huge room so she decided to get off the bed and have a look around; it wasn't easy, she lumbered as if she had slept for very long time. She managed to put her feet on the floor and the cold marble sent a jolt throughout her body then she slowly tried to get up testing her balance in the process: yes she felt self confident enough to move some step around.
What about that bed? She had never seen anything like that! Its shape was most unusual and resembled that of a huge sled with his wooden parts entirely decorated with intricate carvings: it was huge as everything else seemed in that place.
When she walked in front of a full length mirror, she realised she was wearing a simple night gown she had never owned before. The neckline and the hem were elegantly embroidered with a pale green leafy pattern; she shuddered when a sudden, cool waft touched her skin. She immediately grasped the cloak that was lying on a wooden armchair besides the mirror and wrapped herself in the heavy, warm cloth.
The room was bright because there was a huge, multiple mullioned window opening on a wide balcony. She padded outwards feeling the coarse consistency of the balcony pavement under her feet and reached the stone parapet grasping It with her hands; she really needed it because the sight made her sway severely: beyond the blossomed trees that were smelling so good, she could catch a glimpse of a fabulous world that had nothing to do with what she had known so far.
Her room was somewhere in much higher position that anything else so she could have a nice view: the houses seemed to shine in the sunlight, some had glass domes while others were built in the middle of perfectly groomed gardens. The streets were straight and some had a portico running aside, others passing under bridges with elegantly carved parapets, the squares were perfectly designed and sometimes adorned with gurgling fountains in the middle.
There were people swarming around, some on horseback and kids playing in the gardens and in the squares chasing each other and laughing.
Water seemed to be everywhere: the place in itself seemed like an island encircled by a huge sea. There were even waterfalls plummeting from exceptional heights thundering down in the sea.
Amber's mind refused to acknowledge the name of that place. It was simply impossible. It was just a dream, she was probably still hallucinating because of what happened... the alien attack and all the rest.
Yet, the most revealing detail was just there, just a little on the right, beyond the gates guarded by huge statues in perfect rows: the glittering bridge that connected the city to the solitary observatory on the other side.
The rainbow bridge. The Bifrost.
- What are you doing there? - The low, warm voice startled her.
Amber turned around and saw Thor walking to her, he was frowning looking straight at her.
- I woke up and... I wanted to have a look around but I feel so confused now. - She shook her head wrapping herself in the cloak keeping it tight around her shoulders.
- You are not supposed to leave your bed without the doctor's consent! - Thor showed her the way back to the room: - Now, please, come in.
Well, discussing with the God of Thunder was pointless so Amber pounded back followed by Thor's attentive look and sat on the huge bed.
Thor's look softened and a smile peeped out behind his beard. - Good! So, it looks that you feel much better. It is good.
The girl fidgeted with the cloak while trying to focus on the situation: - Thor? What am I doing here? Where am I? It looks like Asgard but it is impossible! Am I hallucinating? - Good attempt, Amber... Do you think that asking a potential hallucination if you are hallucinating is the right way to find out if you are really at Asgard or not? - The girl thought while waiting an answer.
Thor sat on the small wooden armchair next to the mirror and looked at her, then he shook his head. - No, you are not hallucinating and this IS Asgard.
Amber felt like she was about to faint. She was REALLY at Asgard but she couldn't remember anything on how she got there! - So... would you like to tell me how I ended up here? Well... not that I am not feeling well here, I mean... it's simply beautiful, it's amazing but... Well... I think I am missing something!
Thor smiled and in that very moment Amber realised he wasn't wearing his usual suit of armour: no metal bits, no red cloak, no Mjolnir but a simple wool cloak over a dark red shirt and a pair of leather trousers. Even his hair was almost loose, barely tied in a small ponytail and a couple of tiny braids. Then, the God of Thunder became serious again and leaned towards here making the armchair creak under his weight: - Don't you really remember anything?
Amber struggled to remember but all her recent memories were confused: she remembered she had met with her friend Diane at Max Brenner's for a milkshake. Their plan was to stroll the city centre and have wild shopping but just going out from H&M they had heard a loud boom coming from south and then they had saw a thick column of smoke rising to the sky.
A terrorist attack! That had been the first thing they had thought but then they saw small spacecrafts darting around and shooting bright blue bolts.
That could not be possible! That had been the first thing she had thought: she had heard about the alien attacks in London and New York but well... those were strategic cities but Melbourne? Come on! It could be important in the Southern Hemisphere but there was no supersecret installation there worth to destroy everything!
Yet, the attack seemed to be concentrated in only one point.
She remembered the air becoming electrified and then a sudden thunderstorm gathering in the same point.
Thor had arrived! Thor would have fixed everything!
Diane was screaming like a true ditz when she saw the core of the battle approaching. She remembered telling her to run away and then seeing Thor battling the small spacecrafts that where whirring around.
Thor had landed a few meters from her screaming to go get a shelter, then he threw himself back into the battle.
The entire thing had lasted quite short time, then the noise of the battle was replaced by the alarms ringing almost everywhere.
She remembered Thor landing again a few meters far from her, then running to her asking if it was all ok.
They were friends, Thor and her, although she had never disclosed that detail to anybody, even less how they had met.
Before she could answer him, the battle had surged again and a burst of bright blue lasers had shattered all the windows around. Millions of shards had literally rained on the people running everywhere and those of a nearby window had hit her.
She didn't remember much more except falling down and seeing her T-shirt becoming red with blood.
- No. - She shook her head: - I don't remember anything except all the windows blowing into pieces and myself falling down. I thought I was going to die.
Thor was serious while shacking his head slowly: - No. But your injuries were very serious. You wouldn't have enough time to reach an hospital and even if you had reached the nearest one, I doubt your doctors could save your life.
She felt uncomfortable and brushed her chest realising there was a bandaging under the gown. - So, you brought me here? How long ago? How long have I slept?
- Almost ten days.
- ALMOST TEN DAYS? - Amber stood up alarmed. - Oh my God! My parents... they will be crazy by now!
- Sit down, please! - Thor's voice was friendly and calm and yet, the subtle command couldn't be ignored. He was a prince by all means.
Amber sat down looking at him in despair.
- Your parents have been contacted. They've been told that you require special treatments but your are out of danger and you will be free to go home in a few days. - Thor stood up and approached the bed sitting down next to her. - You do not need to fear, Amber, you parents do know where you are and they know that our technology is way more advanced than yours. You'll be fine in a few days. - He gently touched her left arm.
- Is that true? - Amber seemed puzzled. - Is that true that it is all ok? That you will be sending me home in a few days?
- Yes, it is! - Another of those bright smiles lighted up Thor's face. - Of course, you will be free to go as soon as our doctors say that you are ok. It's a matter of a few days.
Amber felt mixed feelings: she was eager to tell her parents that she was safe and sound but in the meantime, she wanted to visit Asgard, to see it, to see where Thor resided when he wasn't saving the Earth.
- Do you think... I will be allowed some more days, once I am fine? I mean... I am at Asgard and I would like to see it! - She asked timidly.
Thor sighed shacking his head again and resting his big hands on his tights: - I have no idea, Amber. It is my father who allows visitors to stay and you know, I need to be frank with you, he doesn't like Midgardians here around. - He still remembered quite well how much annoyed he was when he had brought Jane and that the only reason for letting her stay had been she had the Ether inside her.
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
- Yes? - Thor's thundering voice resonated in the room.
- Prince Thor, your father is requiring your presence in his chambers. - The muffled voice of a guard came through.
Thor stood up arranging his cloak around his broad shoulders: - I must go. You must stay in bed, ok? - He looked at her from his tall stature. - I will have the servants bring you a meal and books from the Royal Library for your pleasure. I will come back this evening!
Thor left Amber's room closing the door quietly and following the guard to his father chambers, in the tallest pinnacle of the palace.
The royal palace of Asgard was a huge building easily spotted from anywhere in the realm and contained an uncountable number of halls, corridors, entryways, staircases and chambers. Those of the royal families were situated at the highest floors; Thor passed past his brother Loki's chambers and sighed barely perceptibly. They had been deserted for so long, since Odin had ordered Loki to be detained in the dungeons for all his crimes. It wasn't the first time Odin had ordered so but that time it was lasting longer than usual and Loki didn't seem to find a way out.
Thinking of Loki was always an unbearable pain for Thor so he simply pushed the thought back in his mind and followed the guard in front of the huge double door that was open for him.
He stepped in: - Father? Father... I am here. - He scanned the huge hall, then saw Odin on the balcony looking at the horizon. He joined him: - Father...
Odin was deep in his thoughts, his hands clasped behind his back and he took some time to answer his son: - My son. There is something we need to speak about.
Thor frowned and a number of thoughts swirled in his mind: about what? Loki, maybe? Did Odin decide to release him or maybe to have him executed? Or was there another threat from the Jotnar or the Dark Elves? Or what else?
Odin turned around and invited Thor in: - Come in. We'll better talk inside.
Thor wanted to push his father into speaking but he knew fairly well that urging Odin was a bad move.
- We need to speak about your mortal friend, Amber is her name, right? - Odin stopped beside a huge, round table inlaid with elegant patterns in a green stone similar to malachite.
- Amber? What's wrong with her? She will be leaving as soon as the doctors say she can leave safely. - Thor nodded and stopped next to the balcony threshold.
- She may not be allowed to leave still for awhile. - Odin frowned.
Thor looked at him puzzled: - I don't understand, father, I thought you have no pleasure in seeing mortals in your realm.
- Which is absolutely true, Thor, but... - Odin tapped his fingers on a small device that was lying on the table: - These are the results of all the exams our doctors performed on your friend and it seems that she isn't totally human.
Thor blinked, he hated when people told half of the things but of course he couldn't ask his father to tell everything in one go so he simply waited for the rest.
- She has Asgardian genes, Thor. - He finally came to the point.
How could that be? Thor widened his eye, then walked to the table looking at the device: - Asgardian genes? How can this be? - He shook his head in disbelief opening his arms letting the cloak gather behind his back.
Odin paused for awhile, then resumed his account: - Do you remember the last time we fought on Midgard?
The blonde god nodded: - Yes, father. You told Loki and me. I remember perfectly.
Odin nodded: - Well, after the battle some of our soldiers decided to stay on Midgard, to have a life there, marry Midgardian women and build a family.
- I do not understand, father. Wouldn't their offspring be different than standard Midgardian children? How could they just hide it? - Thor scratched his beard.
- Asgardian genes are recessive in time. The more centuries passed, the more they receded in a latent state until they simply became transparent. The Midgardian technology isn't still able to detect them so a person like your friend is fully Midgardian in the eyes of other Midgardians.
- So now? Do you have any plan? - Thor was truly surprised to learn such truth about his friend, she looked so much Midgardian in any sense and it was really complicated to spot anything Asgardian in her, let alone an entire genetic pool.
- She is the first descendant of our soldiers that we have ever found. We haven't been in touch with our soldiers from centuries, they are presumably all died in a way or another and if they haven't, for sure they haven't come in touch with their descendants who believe to be fully Midgardian by now.
It is a complicated decision to make: I may send her back to Midgard and allow her to go on with her Midgardian life or I may allow her to stay at Asgard and develop her Asgardian qualities.
Thor frowned and scratched his head: - Amber is completely Midgardian, I haven't seen any possible Asgardian capability in her. How can they develop?
Odin tapped again on the device on the table: - The doctors have said that staying at Asgard would help her Asgardian genes reboot again and gain strength. They are not sure that this means she will transform herself into a full Asgardian but for sure, she will develop skills that are beyond any mortal possibility.
- She would love it! - Thor smiled remembering what Amber had asked him just a few minutes earlier.
- It wouldn't be so easy, Thor, you know that one must earn ones entry in Asgard! One must prove to be worthy of it. - Odin shook his head and raised one finger. - I will think over it but until then, you must not mention anything about this to her, you understand? - He gave his son a severe glance.
- Yes, father, I understand. - Thor straightened his shoulders an nodded vigorously. - I won't tell her anything until you make your decision. She asked for the possibility to stay a little longer to visit Asgard.
Odin seemed like evaluating Amber's request: - She will be allowed to stay until my decision is made. If I decide she can know about her legacy, she will be requested to prove herself worthy of Asgard and if so, she will be given all means to develop her Asgardian skills. If I decide otherwise, she will be accompanied back to Midgard. - After a short break Odin ended: - That's all.
Thor didn't have any more questions for him, he nodded and left the room.
That news was incredible but nobody needed to know by now, especially Loki. He was locked down in the dungeons but he was still absolutely dangerous an even if in such position, who knew what he could do if he got to know of a Midgardian/Asgardian hybrid!