Chapter 1 –
It was a small quaint house in the middle of the country. Her new found uncle had apparently been the one to discover this supposed treasure. She didn't like it and she liked him even less. There were three bedrooms and two bathrooms and it had a great big yard that was surrounded by a large white fence. The house itself was a pale blue color, not at all what she would have picked out and definitely not what her father would have liked. He would have made it a deep green to match her eyes. The tiny ranch sat on an acre of land on the outskirts of a great big city. At least that is what she heard her mother say as she pointed out the stable at the far end of the property, complete with a horse inside. It was a long, sleek black stallion. Pretty enough, but it wasn't her horse. Her beautiful copper red mare, Dea, was still at home which was where she wanted to be. Her father had gifted the gorgeous chestnut horse to her for her birthday last year. He took her to the meadows every day to practice and she was getting quite good at riding. She missed Dea but more than that she missed her father. They had been in this place for almost nine weeks and she was beginning to think that her mother intended to stay here indefinitely though she had yet to admit it. In fact, her mother didn't tell her anything which was the reason why she was sitting on the edge of the patio, her legs crossed as she stared at her hand in intense concentration reciting the incantation that her father had taught her. For a moment her hand began to fade like a transparent image floating in front of her. She smiled brightly as her body got fainter and fainter but then abruptly everything went back to normal.
"Phooey," Rowan whined as she crossed her arms tightly, "How am I ever going to spy on mommy if I can't get the spell to work."
"And why would you want to spy on your mother, half-pint?" his deep voice drifted down to her as his massive frame loomed above her.
"Oh, Uncle Thor!" she squealed as she jumped up from her place on the ground and hugged him tightly. "Is daddy with you?"
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Thor answered solemnly, "But he is not with me."
"Where is he? I haven't heard from him since before we left," She fretted mournfully, "Daddy has never ever been away from us before not for more than a day and not even that, not really. It is my birthday in two days. He can't miss my birthday. Something awful must have happened to him. What if he is dead?"
"Your father is not dead, half-pint," Thor promised, "I can assure you of that."
"Then where is he?" she begged, "Please tell me."
"You must speak with your mother," Thor insisted, "It is not my place to overrule her wishes."
Rowan pouted as she folded her arms once more, her dark emerald eyes narrowing as she stared at her uncle. "It isn't fair," she snapped, "I'm almost six, she treats me like a baby. Daddy would tell me. He always tells me the truth. I don't like Midgard."
"Neither does your father," Thor mused as he patted her on top of her mane of strawberry curls. "Have you named your new horse?"
"I don't want a new horse, I want Dea." She argued as she stomped her foot in protest. "I want to go home to our castle. This place is too small."
"It's not the stallion's fault, you know." The thunder god entreated as he took a few steps off the patio in the direction of the stable. "He'll be quite lonely all the way back there if you never go to see him."
"That's his problem, not mine." She sulked as she stared up at him with cold eyes. "Are you staying here with us, Uncle Thor?"
"For a little while," he smiled as he observed his niece tenderly, "you are so much like my brother. Not just his eyes, my dear, you have his spirit."
Rowan smiled brightly at being compared to her father which to her was the greatest compliment possible. She reached out quickly embracing him tightly once more. This time, he lifted her up in the air and spun her around as she giggled.
"I've missed that laugh," her mother's voice drifted across the patio as she walked closer to them. "Thank you, Thor, for coming. He is going to be staying with us for a few days, isn't that wonderful, sweetie?"
"When's Daddy coming?" she asked, ignoring her mother's question. Rowan watched as her mother exhaled slowly, she was obviously extremely annoyed with her father. But why? What had he done? And why was he staying away? She knew that her parents loved each other so why were they apart and why wasn't her mother telling her anything? "Rowan, please. I told you already your father is… he is indisposed…he will contact you when he is able."
"You all know something that you're not telling me!" she shrieked as she ran towards the backdoor. "I hate this place." She slammed it shut behind her as she darted toward her bedroom running straight into her mother's old friend, as she called him, who seemed to have no life other than to hang around their home constantly. She hated the way he looked at her mother, only her father was supposed to look at her that way.
"Hey, kid, where's the fire?" Hawkeye jested as he looked down at her thoughtfully. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Uncle Clint," she intoned sarcastically. She wasn't sure why her mother insisted that she call him that. He wasn't related to her. "I just want to go to my room."
"No problem, kid," he smiled as he patted her on the head. "I was just looking for your mom."
"What a surprise," she mocked as she pulled her head away and continued down the hall. She shut the door and dove onto her bed, placing her head under her pillow as she began to cry. How much longer was she going to be kept in the dark? A light tapping began outside her door as she sat up, rubbing the tears from her eyes. "Go away." She ordered but her mother ignored her as she opened the door carefully.
"Oh, sweetie," Natasha entreated as she sat down on the mattress. "I know this is hard for you. I'm just not sure what more I can tell you."
"You can tell me the truth," she pleaded, "I'm not a baby, Mommy."
"No, but you are still my little girl," her mother smiled as she combed a stray curl behind Rowan's ear. "But I guess you have a point. It's not right for me to keep this from you. It isn't fair to you." She paused for a moment as she seemed to be trying to collect her thoughts. "Do you know when you've done something that you weren't supposed to do and you get reprimanded? You have to go to bed early or you can't go horse-back riding." Rowan nodded in understanding as her dark green eyes gazed up at her mother intently. "Well, that's what happened with your father. He did something he shouldn't have and now he has to face his punishment for it."
"What did he do? What kind of punishment?" she probed nervously. "Why didn't you tell me when we first came here?"
"Sweetie, that's for your father to tell you when he wants to." Her mother answered sadly, her sapphire eyes glazing as she sat up and turned away for an instant. "When he can." She added softly as she moved to leave.
"How much longer before it's over?" Rowan pleaded hopefully as she watched her mother fingering the handle of the door before she turned back to her.
"I don't know," Natasha replied honestly, "Rowan, I've enrolled you in school here. You start in a couple of days. Try not to worry about him. Give our new home a chance. I'm sure you are going to make lots of new friends and it can be like a wonderful adventure."
"It can't be a home without daddy." She whispered mournfully, "I know you miss him, too."
"Your father made his choices and now I have to make mine," Natasha divulged, "This is our home now. Please try and make the best of it."
Rowan lied in her bed tossing and turning for what seemed like an eternity. Every time she fell asleep she had been woken up by a nightmare and now she couldn't fall back to sleep no matter how hard she tried. Finally, she crawled out of bed and tip toed down the hall to her mother's room. The door was open and she walked inside and climbed up onto the mattress. Her mother was lying there in bed reading a book. She set it down immediately as she gazed at her little girl.
"What's wrong, Sweetie?" Natasha asked, "You can't sleep, either?"
"I don't want to sleep alone," Rowan responded as she crawled closer to her mother. Natasha smiled as she lifted up the covers and motioned for her to climb inside.
"Neither do I," she divulged as she wrapped her arms around her daughter and tucked the covers around them. Rowan sighed contently as she snuggled next to her mother and began to drift to sleep. She dreamt of Asgard and being with her family. The three of them together, the way it was supposed to be.
"Don't you think a pony would be more suitable?" her mother asked a worried look in her deep blue eyes as she gazed at the reddish mare. Loki stood next to the horse as he held its reigns in his hand, a towering figure of a man, his long black hair blowing slightly in the gentle breeze that flowed along the valley.
"Nonsense," he told her as he winked at Rowan while she bopped up and down in her excitement. "This is our daughter we are talking about, my little spider. A force to be reckoned with, she needs an animal that fits her spirit. Isn't that right, little one?"
"Yes, yes. Can I ride it, Daddy? Can I?" Rowan squealed in joy as she petted the horse feverishly.
"Well, first you have to learn how to sit properly," he instructed as he picked her up and placed her in the saddle. "I will walk you with her until you get the hang of it. Why don't you join her, my darling?"
"Very funny, Loki," Natasha admonished playfully before her gaze fell back to her little girl. "Be careful, sweetie."
"I'm completely serious," her father insisted as he extended his arm out to her. "It is time both my girls learned how to ride."
"Absolutely not," she reiterated, moving away from the mare.
"The Black Widow is afraid of a horse? I don't believe it." He gasped in a mocking tone as he winked at his daughter once more.
"Why do her call her that Daddy?" Rowan asked inquisitively as she ran her fingers through her horse's luscious mane.
"It is a name your mother went by when she lived on Midgard." He explained as he took his wife's hand in his own, pulling her back towards the horse and kissing her gently. "Come on, my darling, let me teach you." Rowan couldn't help but notice the tender look that her father held in his eyes as he gazed at her mother. He always looked at her that way, like she was the only woman in the world. Her mother placed her foot in the saddle as she pulled herself up to sit behind her daughter. Rowan wasn't the least bit surprised. It was a rare day that her mother didn't give in to her father's wishes.
"You are going to have to think of a name for her, little one." Loki remarked as he began to walk the horse down the path slowly.
Rowan's eyes opened suddenly as she gazed at the figure standing beside the bed. At first she thought that she was still dreaming but then she realized that she was awake as she sat up. She opened her mouth in excitement but he placed his finger across his lips to signal her to be quiet as he sat down on the edge of the bed and hugged her fiercely.
"Daddy," she whispered as she squeezed him tightly.
"Shhhhh, Little One," his voice soft and low as he released his hold on her. "Lay down, we will talk in the morning." He reclined next to her on the bed, his fingers feathering along her strawberry curls as she snuggled back against her mother. She grinned widely as she cuddled between her parents. She watched as his eyes gazed adoringly at her mother. He moved his hand toward his wife but then stopped just short of touching her as he brought his arm back to his side, settling himself against the pillows.
"I knew you wouldn't miss my birthday," she murmured softly as she closed her eyes. Finally, things were the way they should be.