SO, I KNOW IT HASN'T BEEN OUT THAT LONG YET, BUT I REALLY WANTED TO AT LEAST BEGIN THIS JOURNEY, SO HERE WE GO! YES, THIS IS SET IN THOR: RAGNAROK, AND YES, I UNDERSTAND NOT EVERYONE HAS SEEN IT. THAT'S WHY I PUT THE SPOILER WARNING IN THE DESCRIPTION OF THE STORY.
ANYWAY, AS ALWAYS, HOPE YOU ENJOY!
GOD BLESS AND GOOD DAY!
~THE LUPINE SOJOURNER
I was tumbling down toward the shore, bouncing off rocks as I went, in a thunderstorm. Blearily, I half-expected lightning (though Scotland was not known for a lot of lightning), but what I got felt more like a...vacuum, sucking me up like an alien abduction scene or something.
Needless to say, I was pretty freaked out, then all of a sudden, I was on some kinda ground. Solid ground.
Groaning and rubbing at my bruises, I sit up, aware that I was still dripping wet.
"What the frick was that?!" I grumble to myself.
"The Bifrost of Asgard." Comes a voice behind me. A deep man's voice, at that. I squeak, stumble to a standing position, and whirl to find, sure enough, a man standing there. A big man, with a shaved head and simple triangular tattoos over the skin. I back up nervously when I noticed the huge machine guns in holsters on his shoulders.
"The what of the what?" I ask, my back hitting the wall. Oddly enough, it was curved and almost like being inside a ball. The man continues walking slowly to me and I unconsciously shiver.
"I promise, I don't mean you harm. Please, do not be alarmed." I swallow, beginning to inch away from the guy, who holds his hands up placatingly. "The Bifrost acted on my desire to save you. I am sorry." I frown, halting.
"Saved me...from the lightning?" I ask. He nods.
"Yes." Unconsciously, I take a step away from the wall.
"How'd you know I needed saving?" He sighs.
"Well, there's an Infinity Stone, the Soul Stone." I raise a brow. None of this made any sense.
"And?"
"It's an incredibly powerful artifact. It allows the wielder to view anyone they wish." I blanch.
"You've been spying on me?!" I snap, suddenly livid. "That is so creepy!" He has his hands on his hips in a half-amused, half-exasperated gesture, taking a single step back.
"I have never seen you…"
"Naked?" I finish waspishly. He nods. "Regardless, it's creepy!" He sighs.
"As Guardian of the Bifrost, the responsibility falls to me to protect this place." He explains, gesturing around the area and I notice we appear to be in a ball-shaped building-pavilion thing with a conical attachment aimed into the nothingness of space. "As the Guardian, I must survey all nine worlds and ensure no threat approaches Asgard. You just so happen to be the Midgardian that continuously attracts my attention." I frown.
"Why?" He shrugs.
"You are intriguing."
"Me?" I ask. Just to make sure I'm hearing all of this right. "The nerdy girl who can't seem to stop daydreaming and writing about fictional scenarios?" He almost smiles.
"Yes." I lick my lips. So...a warrior from another planet has been spying on me, finds me intriguing, and somehow transported me here when I almost got struck by lightning. Oh, boy…
"...Okay...um...I suppose I should tell you my name."
"Roslyn O'Neil." He supplies with the good grace to almost look sheepish. I sigh.
"Course you know my name. Ugh. Well, can I get yours in return?" He nods.
"Skurge." I almost crack a smirk.
"'Skurge'?" I parrot and he nods again. "Okay. Nice to meet you, Skurge."
"Likewise. In the flesh." He replies, and this time there is definitely a smirk. I flush. That smirk was unnaturally good-looking on him. I scowl at him, despite the tiniest blush creeping up.
"Can you, ah, beam me back now? I'd really like to shower and get warm." He chuckles, which only increases the blushing to nuclear levels as he turns and grabs some kind of handle-thingy.
"Of course." Then, some magic thing happens and- -I kid you not- -a rainbow-tinted portal opens up in front of me. I gulp.
"Thanks." I mumble before jogging through it, only to be swept off my feet, undergoing the reverse of the sensation that brought me to...Asgard, was it? Either way, I was instantly back on the front step of my apartment. I shake my head, chuckling at this turn of events.
How had my life gotten so strange?
=#=#=#=#=
Researching Asgard, I found a lot of fangirls with blogs, posting pictures of Thor, who apparently visits Earth frequently and works with the Avengers. They all claim that they've met the man in person, and that he'd kissed most of them. I roll my eyes, then hit the 'previous page' arrow and continue looking. I then find pages about Asgard, the Bifrost, and Norse myths (now proven to be true).
Of course! I should have realized that back when Skurge was talking to me. Would have made that conversation a touch less awkward.
But, I mean, it's not like I could've been expected to know all about the Asgardians Norse peoples worshiped as gods once upon a time, right? The more I looked into it, the more I got unsettled. For one, a guy called Heimdall was supposed to be Guardian of the Bifrost, not Skurge. So...what had happened to Heimdall that Skurge had to take over? Was Heimdall dead? Was Skurge really supposed to be Guardian?
Thor hadn't been seen on Earth in a while, and the Avengers didn't have a comment. They seemed as mystified by it as the public was, however. "But, I mean, it's not like we have to keep meticulous track of our whereabouts at all times, you know? We all got our independence; Thor is no exception." Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye, said in an interview. So, the Avengers didn't know and didn't seem intent on finding out where the big guy is.
Interesting.
=#=#=#=#=
"Are you okay?" The voice of my friend and coworker at a local cinema, Briar Rose, asks worriedly, eyeing me strangely. I nod.
"Yeah, why?"
"You seem...distracted." She replies. "Whassup?" I shrug.
"Just got some stuff on my mind." I reply carefully. I didn't need Bri signing me up for therapy sessions cus she thought I was insane for claiming to have been brought to Asgard.
Which is the truth.
"Like what?" Should have known; Briar is never satisfied at vague, undetailed answers.
"Nothing too important, Bri." I muse, realizing I might just be overthinking this whole thing. After all, maybe Heimdall was retired or something and Thor was off saving the day on other worlds.
Yeah, that was it. I had just been overthinking things.
"It must be important if you've got frown lines that deep." She retorts. I chuckle, continuing to wipe down my concessions station.
"It's just something I thought could be a problem, but it's fine." I explain, unsure if I were talking to Bri or myself with that statement.
"You sure?" She presses. I nod.
"I'm- -" The doors then open and a voice I didn't think I'd hear again (except in my head) rings through the lobby.
"Rowena! I must speak with you!" I pale. What's Skurge doing here?! Bri puts her hands in the air, eyeing me with wide, confused eyes.
"Rowena…" She breaths, eyes locked onto my otherworldly stalker. "Who is that?"