The two warriors stood at the top of one of the nearby hills, looking down at New Asgard below. It was quiet on the hill, far from the pleasant noise of the Asgardians' new life on Earth. Nothing but a soft breeze was making a sound on that hill. Which was good. Valkyrie needed the silence to think.

"So, you're leaving?" she finally asked. Thor nodded, slightly. She crossed her arms and looked back down at New Asgard. "Huh." These were the first words she had spoken since Thor had told her he was leaving with the Guardians. Well, actually, she had invited him on a walk. Then she had stopped talking. Her finger was tapping against her forearm, she was agitated. Not quite as agitated as she had been, when Thor had initially announced it (he was fairly certain she had been very tempted to tear his head off there and then), but her anger had apparently not softened by much.

"You can't leave. Your people need you," she finally stated, turning to him. "Especially since our population has just doubled! They need you now more than ever."

"They haven't needed me for the past five years; they don't need me now."

"But you're their king!"

"And you're the one that founded New Asgard. You're the one that built the first settlement, that created work for us, a new way of life for us! If it weren't for you, we'd probably still be refugees with no home, no life, no normality. We would have been scattered if it weren't for you."

"But…" Valkyrie trailed off. "But that doesn't make me their king. You have a duty to your people."

"Yes. I do. That's why I'm leaving."

She silenced, frowning deeply.

"That makes no sense."

Thor sighed, rubbing his face with his palms. "Ok… Ok, Valkyrie, you cannot tell me I've been a good king for the past five years. I was wallowing in my own… my own self-pity."

"You were in mourning, Thor. You lost… everything."

"That doesn't excuse my behaviour. Many others lost a lot too. Rabbit lost his whole family."

"Unlike him, your family hasn't come back, Thor."

Thor looked slightly annoyed when she pointed that out. "My point is," he said, "I do not feel suited to be king of Asgard. Of New Asgard. I must earn that right. And I can stay to help rebuild, but after that? How can I earn it after that? I'm leaving the Guardians, to help protect the galaxy. For a while, at least, until I've regained my honour. Remembered what it means to lead. Made something of myself again, proven myself."

"That's not what the people want."

"They don't deserve me as I am now."

"They don't... Thor, you defeated Thanos in battle! You- you went back in time and got the infinity stones, to bring the other half back! How do they not deserve you..."

"I did it all for the wrong reasons, Valkyrie. That's how. And I lost a dear friend in that battle. That should not have happened. It shouldn't have happened to him. I don't care what a wizard says, there were so many on the battlefield that day, it didn't have to be him."

"His death isn't your fault, Thor. You can't exile yourself for that."

"I'm not exiling myself. I'm making myself worthy."

"You're already worthy."

"I'm a worthy warrior, Mjölnir has affirmed that. But I'm not a worthy king. I have to do this. I must remember what it means to do what's right, not because I have to avenge someone, but because it's... It's just right."

"So what happens to us?"

Thor smiled weakly.

"You don't need me. You and the other Asgardians have all been able to live your lives without my presence, without my help. I doubt my absence will affect anyone."

"It will affect me."

"I... I know... Look. I wasn't planning on leaving Asgard without a leader."

"Yes you were."

"Yes I was. But on this walk, I was... thinking... It may be too much to ask, but perhaps you could act as regent in my absence. Your choice, of course, but..."

"Regent?"

"You've already been regent for the past five years. Unofficially, of course, but... As said. Valkyrie, New Asgard is thanks to your hard work. Not mine. Until I'm suited to be king, until I come back..."

Valkyrie looked back at New Asgard.

"What if they don't want you back when you return?" she asked.

"Then I will acknowledge their will. I am their king. I live not just to rule them, but to also serve them. Do what I think is in their best interest. If they say you are what they prefer... I can honestly not say that I disagree."

Valkyrie's lips quirked upwards for a moment. Then she looked back at New Asgard, slowly nodding her head.

"Fine. Fine, we'll do it your way. But one difference."

"Yes?"

"There will be a feast before you leave, a farewell party of sorts. We've earned that right, haven't we? To wish our king farewell and good fortune on his travels away?"

Thor smiled.

"Of course. It would be my honour."

Uh, I enjoyed Endgame, but it was so close to being perfect (in my opinion), that when some things weren't right, it just... irritated me. The scene with Thor and Valkyrie near the end was one of them. I realise they did it, so that Thor can go have his own space adventures with no strings attached, while also tying up any loose ends with Asgard, but it just doesn't feel quite right. (And yeah, if they had gone with a scene like the one I've written, the film would have been longer than necessary, buuuuuut... ugh)

Honestly, if leaving with the Guardians was about restoring his worth as King of Asgard, that I could understand better (they're a warrior race, so honour and duty, etc. is all extremely important to them). But just... Handing it over, dumping it on Valkyrie? That irked me. Maybe I'll like it better on second viewing, but for now, while it's still fresh on my mind, have a fix fic of sorts. Might write more, if I start realising what else bugged me about Endgame.