Matilda sat by herself in a large room made of gold. The sun was just rising, but she had stayed up the entire night. She looked out to the sunrise with mixed feelings of loneliness and homesickness. She stood up and walked onto the beautiful balcony that overlooked the hustling city below her.
Asgard, this place, was to be her home now. After this little incident that Matilda had called 'the Tesseract Incident,' Odin had forbidden her from visiting Midgard for a long time. She couldn't see her friends grow old and eventually die, couldn't visit her closest friend Daemond, nothing. Matilda felt like crying, but her tears dried hours ago.
A servant walked into the room and stayed near the door,
"The all-father wishes to speak to you, Matilda" she said before retreating back out into the hall. Matilda groaned and returned from the balcony. She dragged her tired and bruised feet to the large washroom connected to the room she was given. The only reason she wasn't in the dungeon right now was because thor had saved her hide from the All-father's punishment. Even after all that she did against him, he still stuck his neck out for her. And she hated it. She didn't want to be protected like some child.
She turned on the faucet to the gold sink there. She had helped them design new washrooms thanks to Midgardian indoor plumbing. She filled the sink to the brim and finally dipped her hair into the water. She soaked it for a few minutes while forcing mirrors to show her the back of her neck. The scar lingered over her spinal column and appeared similar to the scar over her chest. And the bullet that nearly killed her was still stuck someone near it. She mixed several bottles of soap and started rinsing her hair, avoiding any water and soap near the scar. Once she was done, she casted a wind spell that blew her hair dry. Oh, how she missed simple human creations, especially hair dryers. She decided to not put on any of the makeup left for her. Why should she when she has no one to impress?
Matilda sifted through her wardrobe, bored of everything in it. Oh, how she longed for her old clothing. She wanted her simple black hoodie and a pair of sweats so she could go in in her 'formal' attire. The thought of her walking into the throne room in her sweats made her smile. She might not be human anymore, but that doesn't mean she couldn't dress like one.
She finally selected a simple tunic. Though, nothing was truly 'simple' in her wardrobe. She wore clothing that the royals would wear, which meant it was intricate and ornate. Oh, how much she yearned for her sweats. She slipped her sleeping-tunic off and pulled out a small piece of fabric. She fitted it uncomfortably around her bosom and slipped the tunic on. As much as she hated them, she also missed simple bras. But all her bras were either totalled during training or were declared 'inappropriate' and disposed of. So, she has resorted to using these simple wraps she constructed out of scrap pieces of fabric that Figga allowed her to have.
Another servant walked in and bowed,
"Matilda, the all-father-"
"I know, already. I was told this only a few minutes ago. Allow me to dress properly first." She glared at the servant until he left the door and closed the door after himself. She chanted something and blue runes etched over the wood of the door. She pulled out a dark fur skirt and clicked it on. She checked herself in the mirrored glass next to her wardrobe. Her eyes were bagged and she looked exhausted.
"Good enough." She pulled her hair out of her tunic and left for the mead hall.
"Good morn, maiden Matilda!" Thor helped Matilda into her chair. She nodded slightly and looked at the others around her. Most of them had blonde hair and blue eyes. She snickered at the thought of her old Midgardian high school History classes about Hitler and his utopian attempts. She choked on her water-down mead thinking of how much he would want to be here. Thor's hand on her back broke her from her satirical thinking.
"Matilda, what is the matter? Are you alright?" Matilda nodded and looked around. Everyone had stopped their talking and stared at her. She stabbed her strawberry with a fork and shoved it in her mouth, chewing it so the juice would run out the side of her mouth. Most of them looked away and continued with their own conversations. Thor sighed and shook his head.
"You are but a curiosity, Matilda. You shouldn't act so eccentric." Matilda looked up at him.
"I may act as I please. I am not tethered to anyone. I have no husband or lover, so suck it." She picked up another strawberry with her fingers and ate it whole. She cleaned off her fingers and smiled sarcastically up at Thor. Thor narrowed his eyes back at her.
"You should watch your tongue before you end up in the dungeon" he said. Matilda stuck her tongue out at him,
"What if that was my plan, hm?" She chuckled and returned to her plate of strawberries. Thor watched her out of the corner of his eye as he returned to his own plate. Quickly enough he got pulled into a conversation with Sif and lost track of Matilda. She took the moment to slip out of the room and out to the balcony overlooking the realm. She approached a figure at the end of the balcony and bowed quickly.
"All-father, you wished to discuss something with me" she asked. Odin kept staring out to the great beyond and nodded.
"Indeed. The time is looming of which I must fall into my slumber. I have a request for you." He turned to face Matilda. Matilda stood straighter and nodded,
"I am all ears- I mean...yes, sir." She held back the smile trying to leech over her face. Odin motioned for her to come closer, and Matilda complied. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they stood together on the balcony.
"You must refrain from visiting Loki. You have been very cooperative, though saucy, through the circumstances. You must wait a while longer, but I promise you it will not be long. Thor will take over in my place and make sure that our deal is kept." He rubbed her shoulder with his hand. Matilda continued staring forward, a feeling of frustration filling her slowly. She finally nodded and turn to return to the hall,
"I shall try. Of course, if the Chitauri decide to invade and try to kill him, I'll make sure as many of the bastards are dead." The sound of a thump made her turn. Odin was collapsed on the ground, passed out. Matilda ran into the mead hall and called for help.
Thor sat in the throne of Asgard, watching Matilda pace around below him. He rolled his eyes.
"Don't you have a book you can read, Matilda? Or maybe, you can take a nap." Matilda looked up at him and shook her head.
"I've read every book here on Asgard I can get my grubby hands on. Of course, your father's wish of me not returning to Midgard makes me mighty bored. I promise I wouldn't take over the realm" she sent him a smile. Thor frowned at her remark.
"That is nothing to jest at, Matilda. Loki nearly succeeded at his attempt. I fear you would be more than capable of actually pulling it off. I will not allow it, and that's the end of that." Matilda looked down to her feet and pouted. She looked at Thor one last time before walking out of the throne room. She passed Sif and the warriors three and shook her head. Once Sif and her comrades got to the foot of Thor's throne they kneeled. Thor's frown changed to a small smile.
"What bring you to me, comrades? Surely there is something you can also do."
"My lord, we were only here to express concern over Matilda's recent behavior" Sif said. Volstagg continued,
"She is very eccentric. She may be mad, my lord. We believe it would be best to keep someone closer to her." Holgun kept silent, but Fandral added in.
"Maybe a blind date should be set up. That may distract her." Sif looked at Fandral and rolled her eyes. Thor buried his face in his hand.
"Leave her be. She seeks solitude. She reacts to attention in such a manner as to depict herself as mad. She is still my apprentice and I will not allow you to talk about her in such a negative tone." The group below him all looked at one another. Again, Fandral spoke,
"But maybe we should help her find love-"
"She fears a romantic relationship for reasons I shall not repeat. And that is the end of that subject." Thor glanced up to see if Matilda was hiding anywhere. She wasn't. Thor stood up and tilted his head. The others stood and looked around.
"What is wrong, my lord" Sif asked.
"She can't leave this room. Did you see her leave whilst you came in?" Sif and Holgun both nodded and Thor ran past them and out of the room.
The guard fell into Matilda, his throat slit. She stood him against the wall and locked his joints with a spell. She removed the key to the dungeon and unlocked the door, slipping in and closing the door as silent as the shadows. She slipped past each cell and turned down a hall to cells sealed off with wards. She noticed a guard approaching her way and she slipped into the shadows, a small pocket knife in her hand. She jumped the guard and slit his throat as well, sitting him in a chair and locking his joints.
Meanwhile, Loki sat on a simple bed in one of the warded cells. He saw the guard hurry past him and thought someone was trying to break out again. He looked over to the stack of books that were left for him by various people and the guards. That blue-haired girl and his idiot brother both guaranteed that he would be treated right. Loki's thoughts trailed off as he saw the same blue-haired girl who helped him back on Midgard. She glanced into his cell and turned around. Loki stood up and walked over to the wall of magic between them. Compared to when he last saw her when he was dragged off to this place, she looked more tired or stressed.
"Well, well, well. Look at who decided to show up" Loki said with a smile on his face. Matilda smiled back.
"I came to visit." she took a breath and coughed. The place reeked of death and other things. Made her think of the allies back on Midgard. Loki chuckled,
"Do not take a deep breath down here. It still makes me gag. What brings you to the deepest pits of misery in Asgard, maiden of darkness?" Matilda looked up to his eyes. He didn't look as though he was getting much sleep, either. Well, that makes two of us.
"Like I said, I'm here on a visit-"
"One visiting wouldn't slit the throats of the guards. Are you here to break me out?" Loki walked over to and sat down on his bed. Matilda narrowed her eyes and looked up and down the halls.
"That was stress management" she commented before walking down the end of the hall and pulling a stone off the wall. The wards all vanished and Loki poked his head out from his cell. Matilda continued,
"I shouldn't even be down here. I read your notes on how to cloud Heimdall's sight, and a few other things. Asgard should get more books. I read all of them whilst in the healing room for the first two weeks of being back." She approached Loki's cell and nodded. Loki grabbed a few possessions, including his helm, and peeked down the hall again. He turned back to the woman in front of him, a smile on his face. Matilda held up her finger.
"If you leave, take me with you. I don't want to be stuck here forever." She looked around again and smiled. Loki nodded and put his hand on her shoulder,
"Then prepare your belongings. I shall collect my own and we may head out." Matilda turned to him and nodded again. She hurried down the hall and out the dungeon. Loki took one more glance around and vanished in a veil of shimmer.
Matilda waited in Loki's room. It had been hours since they last spoke, and he was nowhere to be seen. She peeked out the large window to see it has grown dark, much like her belief that Loki had actually waited for her.
Then, it came to her. He left her here, alone. Alone to deal with the others and their rage at the fact that Loki was missing. They might even think that she knew where he went, and she would spend the rest of her miserable days being tortured for information she did not have.
She ran back to her room and dropped her bag on her bed. She thought for a few seconds before deciding what she would do. She swallowed hard, and ran down the hall.
Matilda was bound behind her back and on her knees in front of Odin. His face was filled with rage and his voice laced with fury.
"How dare you disobey my order. Do you know what you have done?" Matilda looked down, keeping silent. Odin slammed the butt of Gungnir on the ground.
"You not only freed Loki, but you changed Thor's armor with tunics, turned all the fruit in the market into poisonous snakes, and various other crimes. What do you say in your defense?" Matilda continued to remain silent. She shook her head and kept staring at the floor. Odin sighed. He was disappointed in the girl in front of him. He didn't want to punish her, but he had to. He finally spoke,
"You are banished from Asgard. Only by my wish shall you ever return." MAtilda looked up, tears in her eyes. She finally spoke,
"Where shall you banish me? Midgard is my birthplace. There is nowhere else you can kick me to." The guards chuckled at her remark. Odin slammed Gungnir on the ground again.
"There is one place. A land of which your powers originated. You shall be banished to Jotunheim until I deem you worthy of return." Odin stood, and the guards forced Matilda to stand as well. They released her hand-binds and handed her her messenger bag of which she packed earlier. Matilda looked at the guards with pure malice in her eyes. Odin escorted the guards, Matilda, and Thor, who decided to tail along to try to stop his father.
"Father, this is madness. Just throw her in the dungeon for a few weeks, she will learn" Thor tried to convince his father. Afterall, it was in his own exile that he met Matilda and her comrades. But to be banished to the realm of the Jotuns would be the equivilant of a death sentence. He was frustrated at Matilda for releasing his brother, but not enough to want her dead. They approached the end of the Bifrost where Heimdall stood. He looked at Matilda,
"You learned how to block my sight of yourself. An intelligent woman, you might be able to survive in the arctic realm that awaits." He looked at Odin and stepped aside. The guards forced Matilda to the very edge of the rainbow path, some of it crumbling beneath her feet. She looked down, then raised her head to glare at the group watching her.
"If I die, I hope my death shall curse you for eternity. Ignorant people shall suffer unimaginable plights in the wake of my death-" She felt something wrap around her. Pure blue light surrounded her and cut off her air. She closed her eyes and felt herself fall into nothingness.
She awoke in snow. It felt nice on her burned skin. No, it wasn't burned.
Matilda sat up and looked at her bare arms. They were pale blue with lighter markings etched across it. She gasped and tried to will it away, but its vise was so much stronger. After several minutes, she stopped trying to push her brain through her ears and stood up. Her skin felt as though it were on fire so she decided to dive into the snow again. Whilst almost swimming through it, she found her bag. She held it tight against her as she started wading through the thigh-high snow. She looked to the dull green-blue sun and groaned. This was truly miserable. But at the same time, she felt more comfortable than in Asgard. No more judging eyes and whispers, no more standards to upkeep, no more daily training with the brainless oaf. She wondered if she would find the palace of this realm, and if they had books. And also if they would welcome her with her powers, her knowledge and inside information of the politics and backdoors of Asgard. She thought of all the ways she could lead an army of Jotuns into Asgard and slay all those who thought her but an incompetent harlot from Midgard.
Finally, the small village next to total destruction came into view. Yes, she decided, this will be my home now.
Thor took a breath and didn't release it for a minute. Odin slipped the Teseract back into his tunic.
"Father, she will die out there. She is ill-prepared for what's there." Odin turned to return to the golden city.
"Ah, that is where you're wrong, Thor. She has not but the blood to survive. I recommend visiting the library and reading up on Jotun magic. You will see where her blood truly originates." Thor took one more look at where Matilda stood, then turned to follow his father. Heimdall returned to his post and started his gaze at the young Midgardian.