She probably should have asked a few more questions before agreeing to this. Well, she had asked questions, she just wasn't sure anymore whether they had been the right ones. But it was Jane, right? She trusted Jane. Jane wouldn't give her a job she couldn't handle.
Even if Jane was suddenly married to a freaking god (or at LEAST an alien of some sexy sort), and suddenly had this teeny, adorable, half-god, half-humanish son. Okay - realistically it wasn't all that sudden, Jane's life changing; but to someone more on the outside than in - like Ella - it had seemed like the blink of an eye. And as she stepped onto the breathtaking Rainbow Bridge with her new boss and his mother of all Hammers, she wondered if maybe it had been simply the blink of an eye for some people. The Aesir. Crazy.
She was feeling a little light-headed from the particular method of transportation that one takes between realms, though Thor (Jane's god/alien/hot husband) insisted that it'd gotten easier for Jane the more she traveled that way and so he was confident that it would be the same for Ella, too. He also confided that he was hoping, with Ella maintaining a post on Asgard, Jane would need to travel by Bifrost less often.
There were two horses waiting for them, her and Thor, and though she'd only ridden a horse once in her life she managed to mount the smaller one with little embarrassment. The horses began walking of their own volition, or at least that's what Ella hoped - since she had done nothing purposely to indicate that the animal should move forward. Thor seemed at ease and so she forced herself to be as well. She let her dark eyes slide across the horizon as the horses ambled down the Bridge toward land, enjoying the feeling of her long, chocolate-brown hair bouncing along with the horse's easy gait.
Ella could do little more than half-listen to Thor as she gazed at her surroundings in amazement. Just…sheer brilliance. The bright, gleaming colors of the Asgardian sky outlined golden architecture ahead of her. Black nothingness practically swallowed her from behind. She swore she could hear massive amounts of running water, though she saw none. Was this what space sounded like?
She realized Thor was still talking and silently scolded herself. She'd be here for plenty of time to check out the scenery and ask questions. Right now Thor needed her to focus on her duties. Her duties…to the soon-to-be queen and to the little prince. She looked over at the giant, gorgeous hunk of metal and brawn that Jane had managed to woo and he was looking at her, amused, as though he understood that she wasn't really paying attention. "Take your time, Lady Ella; we have a great deal of it ahead of us. Asgard is a magnificent place, is it not?"
"Seriously, Thor. It's unreal. So beautiful...and peaceful. How could anyone ever want to leave a place like this?" Oh hi, insensitivity.
Thor smiled wistfully. "Even the Aesir are not immune to faltering in our gratefulness. Family matters, sometimes even petty dealings can cause us to forget the beauty that surrounds us. I know I will never make that mistake again." He swallowed and continued softly, "I hope that Jane can come to feel that this is her home, too, in time."
"She wants to, Thor. We both know that. We'll get there. She loves you too much not to."
Thor looked down at Ella gravely. "I hope you are right." He sighed. "And I hope you will come to me if you begin to feel isolated, as she does."
Ella cringed. "I will. My hope is that we'll be a balm for each other. Something familiar when not much else is, at first. Hopefully having some time outside the home will help Jane, now I'm here to watch Modi."
The corners of Thor's mouth twitched up at the mention of his son. "Yes, Jane and I both wholeheartedly believe your duties to Modi will be beneficial for all of us. Asgardian child-rearing customs did not all seem to sit well with Jane, and it did not take much discussion on the subject to convince me as well. Modi will grow up as royalty; it is a harsh environment. He will need a haven. He will need someone with keen perception who can teach him balance from the beginning. Perhaps this realm could use more of such an approach from more fathers and mothers. Jane felt strongly about choosing you and inviting you to live in the palace; and though you and I do not know each other well yet I have a feeling I will enjoy your presence here as well."
Ella realized that the horses had stopped. They were in front of a monstrous gold structure: the palace. "Holy. Shit." She muttered as a boy came up to them. Thor dismounted. Ella tried to be discreet in the fact that she was watching his form so she could copy him. Mounting up was easier, but she managed to not completely kill herself on the dismount. Her foot may have gotten stuck in the stirrup. Just a little. Her cheeks pinked, but she tried not to make a big deal about it. Thor patiently waited for her at the door while the boy led the horses away and managed to at least pretend he hadn't noticed. "Come, Ella. Lady Jane will be waiting." He held his arm to her and she allowed him to escort her through the huge - HUGE! palace halls. She suddenly felt extremely under-dressed in her simple navy leggings and pale, silver tunic-length tank top. She felt her stomach begin to flutter as she anticipated both Jane's reaction toward her and Jane's general state - and the sudden realization that there were loads of other people that she might run into in this place and what if they didn't like her? She supposed it didn't matter - what mattered most was Jane and the baby. Focus on them.
It had only been six [human] months since Modi had been born, and though Jane had a hard time from the start. From what Ella had learned during her last discussion with Jane, she'd eaten one of Idunn's apples while carrying Modi, had given birth in Asgard and as Thor was due to be crowned King soon, had taken up permanent residence there. She was surrounded by everything she wanted to study, given access to scholars and mages alike to continue research as she saw fit. However, that becomes tough when you have an infant suction-cupped to you at all times. Not to mention the fact that being completely without anything familiar after such huge life and emotional changes quickly began to take its toll on Jane's mental well-being.
It was actually a desperate Thor who suggested Jane make contact with a friend, Jane who suggested finding a nanny who would follow her guidance (talk about two people who could troubleshoot like nobody's business), and Thor who essentially made the call that perhaps they could find a person who could act as one and the same. Thor immediately came to Ella on Jane's behalf with their proposition, and Ella was still embarrassed about her initial reaction. She had laughed. Outright, hysterically laughed. It took quite some time, a lot of studying and another visit from both Thor and Jane (Modi's Grandmother the Queen had been quite pleased to look after him, it seemed) to convince her that it wasn't a practical joke and that she wouldn't get killed or something.
Thor was staring at her again, standing at a door and very patiently waiting for her to pay attention. She sighed. She hoped Thor didn't begin to regret this decision. Surely he understood how overwhelming it all was. He seemed to...
Now that she had pulled her head out of her ass, he gave a quick rap on the large door and then swung it open. Inside, she immediately saw Jane sitting on a fur rug and playing with the baby, who was sitting up and squealing with laughter at his mother's silly faces. She looked up at Ella and Thor. There was a light still in her eyes but her face looked so sullen, so tired despite her everlasting beauty. It was worse than all of those sleepless nights she'd endured in school and while doing research. It was different. Her heart broke at the thought.
Ella couldn't help but smile at her friend, though. And that's what Jane needed to see. What a sight to see her playing with a child - her own child! "Jane, he's aDORable." She blurted out.
Jane laughed. "That's all Thor's fault!" She picked Modi up with her as she rose and walked swiftly to Ella, enveloping her in a baby-squished hug. "Hi, El. This is Modi. Would you like to hold him?"
Ella giggled. Honestly, the kid couldn't get any cuter. White-blonde hair, which definitely did not come from Jane; bright blue eyes, cherubic cheeks - yep, this one was going to be trouble. Modi stared at her intently, a dimple giving way as he responded to her goofy grin. "Hi, Modi! I'd love to hold you, if that's OK with you!"
He didn't fuss as Jane handed him over, which was a relief. At 6 months, it could have gone either way and the last thing she wanted to do was make Jane feel like she was hurting her child for leaving him with someone else once in a while. She gazed down at Modi as his pudgy fingers pinched at her cheeks. "I think we're going to be best buddies, mini-Thor. I hope you have a lot of energy to play with me!"
Author's Note: Hi! If you've read this far, THANKS! Hang in there - Loki will turn up eventually ;) I don't have enough patience to write much more without him, so...yeah.
Also note that I am aware I'm bending both Marvel Universe and Norse Mythology to fit what I've done here. And I've done it on purpose, simply because hey - I can. I chose Modi because as far as I know, there was never a mother named for him. Jane and Thor will take a bit of a storyline backseat once the premise is set up, but it's worth explaining how a human manages to slip their way into the Realm Eternal, I think.
Hope you continue to read as updates come, and thanks again! xx
