Sorry it took so long to get to Asgard. One thing you must know about me is that I apologize for almost everything. So sorry about that. Haha...
Disclaimer: I only own the original characters (namely Kiera, Niva, and Jadef), and the rest belongs to Marvel.
Chapter 2: Asgard
Kiera gaped at him. She had absolutely no idea who he was or what he was talking about. Taking a few deep breaths of fresh air, she finally realized she was not, in fact, dead. This was surprising. The fire in the barn was the closest she had ever gotten to being killed by her own flames. But somehow, she found herself nowhere near the destruction she had caused. She vaguely wondered if anyone back home would connect her with the barn fire when she snapped back to the reality in front of her. Slowly, she stood up and approached the man, whose back was to her. He seemed to be staring off into space.
"Excuse me, Sir," she said, briefly pausing to cough. Her lungs were still aching from all the smoke she had inhaled. "Where am I?"
"Asgard," the man repeated, without further elaboration.
"And where is that, exactly?"
The man did not answer. Instead, he turned to face her. He gazed into her golden eyes, though it felt to Kiera more like he was staring directly into her soul.
"I'm sorry," Kiera said, not knowing exactly what she was apologizing for. "I was just in a burning barn and all of a sudden I'm here and I have no idea how I got here or where 'here' even is, so could you please answer me?"
The man smiled and turned back to stare off into space some more.
"As I previously stated, you are in the realm of Asgard."
"You're not answering my question."
"You were calling for help, and I came to your aid. Are you suggesting I send you back to where you came from?"
Kiera gaped at him. Someone had heard her screams for help? But how could he –or anyone – hear her from…wherever they were? And why would this random man care about what happened to her anyway? He seemed to have much more important things to do.
"Sir, I'm very sorry, but I have no idea how you heard me, and I still don't know where I am or how I got here. What is 'Asgard'?"
"I see you know very little of the nine realms outside of Midgard, young one." The man turned once more to face her. Kiera wasn't sure whether or not she should be insulted. "I have sent a message to Frigga, our queen, concerning your arrival. She is prepared to meet with you. I am certain she will be able to enlighten you much better than I."
"And who are you?"
"I am Heimdall, the Gatekeeper."
"And you want me to meet with the queen?"
"I assure you that she is a very kind woman," Heimdall replied.
"How did I get here?"
"I am Gatekeeper. You needed a way out, so I opened the Bifrost and provided one."
Kiera was becoming more and more confused the more questions Heimdall answered, as well as overwhelmed by the ever-growing list of new vocabulary words. "How could you hear me?"
Heimdall's lips curved into a smile. "As Gatekeeper, I see and hear everything in the nine realms. I have seen your gift, Kiera, and I have seen it destroy you. I have seen your grief and your loneliness. I have heard your silence and your tears. And I heard your cry for help."
Kiera looked away, tears filling her eyes. She could not remember the last time a person had acknowledged that they cared about her. Biting her lip to stop herself from crying, she looked back up at the immense figure before her. "So you brought me here? How is that supposed to help me? Other than the not being burned to a crisp part."
"What I can tell you is that here in Asgard, should you choose to stay, you would have the extraordinary opportunity to begin anew. Unless you would rather return to Midgard."
Kiera hesitated, considering his words. Was he suggesting that she stay in this strange place? From their brief conversation, she assumed that Asgard must be some other planet, as difficult as that was to believe. A planet made of solid gold, if the rest of this 'realm' was anything like the room she stood in. One thing was certain – she had nothing but despair waiting for her back in… 'Midgard.' What did she have to lose?
"Okay," Kiera replied, standing up straighter in order to appear more confident in her response. "I'd like to meet with your queen. Point me in the right direction."
"Straight across the bridge is the palace. The queen is expecting you. I do apologize; it is quite a long walk."
"Thank you, uh, Hime-doll," Kiera replied, butchering the pronunciation of the gatekeeper's foreign-sounding name. She had only taken a few steps forward when her eyes bulged in surprise.
Before her was a long, shimmering bridge that looked nothing like any bridge she had ever seen before. It glistened with infinite colors that seemed to dance. She looked down over the edge of the bridge and saw that beneath it was a vast black chasm that seemed to go on forever with a raging river churning within. The river flowed until it disappeared in a surging waterfall that fell deeper into the chasm. Kiera quickly looked up for fear of falling in, suddenly dizzy. As she looked on past the bridge, her breath caught in her throat as she saw the true beauty and grandeur of Asgard's palace looming in the distance. The buildings surrounding it were strange and beautiful, shimmering gold in the sun. The jewel-encrusted parapets of the palace itself rose up into the clouds which reflected brilliant colors. Golden beams seemed to shine from the palace walls themselves. It was more beautiful than anything Kiera had ever seen on Earth.
Midgard, Kiera corrected herself. If she was going to live here, she had to start adjusting as soon as possible. She took a few hesitant steps forward, as if she were afraid that the shimmering translucent bridge would collapse if she dared to take a step. When she was confident that the bridge would not snap under her weight– slight as she was – she turned back to look at Heimdall. He had turned his back again, gazing at nothing and at everything.
"Heimdall!" Kiera called.
He turned to look at her.
"Thank you! For everything!"
Heimdall nodded and pivoted back to his post.
Kiera started forward on the bridge, trying not to look down into the chasm below. However, she struggled to keep her eyes from watching how the bridge changed and surged with color with every step she took. Maybe she was imagining things, but there seemed to be colors within the bridge that Kiera had never been able to see before.
As Kiera walked closer and closer to the magnificent palace ahead, her mind suddenly began to doubt everything that was happening. Maybe this was all a dream and she would wake up to one of the children at the Wilson's poking her awake, a game they liked to call "waking the dragon" which they thought was a hilarious play on words due to the pyromaniac rumors. Maybe it was real but she was about to be arrested for trespassing on another planet. Each theory became more ridiculous than the last. She resolved that she would keep going to meet the queen.
Suddenly, she realized that she was about to meet royalty for the first time. And this was no Queen Elizabeth of England, this was a ruler of another planet. ('Realm,' she corrected herself again.) How did one behave in front of a monarch, much less an alien one? Should she curtsy? Kiss the queen's hand? Her feet? She then became aware of her wardrobe – jeans and a t-shirt was hardly appropriate for a place of such grandeur or for meeting royalty. But there was no way she could change now, so it would have to do. And what would she say to the queen? Kiera was only sixteen years old, and not very practiced in speaking to people. Those around her had avoided engaging her in conversation, and she had mostly kept to herself. Her conversation with Heimdall was the longest amiable discussion she'd had with another person in a long time. And now she was expected to speak to royalty?
After what seemed an eternity of torturous thoughts, Kiera found herself stepping off the bridge onto a wide street of gleaming stones. She continued walking, thoughts of what was to come haunting her. She became aware of two guards in golden armor who matched her stride on either side. Her eyes strayed to the right and the left at the people milling about town; buying fresh flowers at a small stand, weighing strange-looking fruits in either hand, and laughing in small groups. Their clothing was shimmery and rich-looking, adorned with golden beads and intricate patterns. As they passed, many people stopped to look at Kiera. She was keenly aware of their eyes sizing up this tiny, unimpressive person who looked so completely out of place among them.
Before long, Kiera was staring at the towering doors of the palace. She stopped for a moment, completely in awe. The doors, as most of the other structures she had noticed so far in Asgard, were made of pure gold, glittering with jewels and embellishments. They looked enormously heavy. She did not have the faintest idea how even these two strong-looking guards going to get inside, much less herself.
As if on cue, both doors slowly opened, revealing a grand entrance hall. Intricate tapestries depicting glorious battles lined the walls and gold and silver banners hung from the ceiling. The floors looked to be made of an ornate stone Kiera had never seen before. Kiera's footsteps echoed in the vast expanse of the hall. The only other people in the room were the two guards, who were now standing by the front doors. They did not seem eager to help her figure out where she was supposed to go to meet the queen. Kiera took a few more steps inside, hoping they would get the hint and help her to her destination. The guards remained stationary, staring straight ahead. Finally, she gave up and decided she would try to find the queen on her own.
There was one problem: She did not know what the queen looked like.
However, the idea of walking through an alien palace, though terrifying, was also very appealing. Surely she would not get into trouble by doing this – unless she accidentally burned down the palace, of course. Quickly pushing that idea to the very back of her mind, Kiera advanced toward a grand staircase at the back of the hall. Atop it was an enormous throne. Kiera cautiously climbed the steps and gazed in awe at the throne. She turned around and marveled at the great expanse of the hall from the position that the royalty took during elaborate galas and ceremonies that no doubt took place in this very room.
Kiera turned down a corridor, expecting the stoic guards at the door to rush after her. When they did not, Kiera resolved that she would not get in trouble and continued walking. She passed what seemed like an infinite number of doors and tapestries. There was no sign of the queen. The only sound she heard was the dull echo of her footsteps on the stone floor.
She turned down another corridor, wondering how people did not get lost in a place like this. If the rest of Asgard was this enormous, how was she supposed to find her way around? Lost in thought, she was stunned as something hit her hard and knocked her to the ground.
"Ouch!" Kiera cried, landing hard on her elbow. She looked up to see what had run into her and found herself staring up at a boy about her age. He was tall with short black hair and was wearing a tunic of a brilliant green. In his hands he held what looked like a silver helmet with wings carved on either side. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Brother, give it back right this moment, or I'll - " another blonde-haired boy raced around the corner, toppling into the black haired boy. The two tumbled to the ground in a heap on top of Kiera.
"What in the name of Valhalla is going on here?" came a woman's voice.
The two boys untangled themselves and immediately began shouting over one another.
"Mother, Loki stole my helmet - "
"Are you seriously telling Mother on me?"
"Well, you won't give it back!"
"It was your fault, Thor! You threw my book out the window when I - "
"I did no such thing, Brother - "
"You came thundering in and would not leave me alone - "
"Mother, make him give it back - "
"Will you stop acting like such a child!"
"Me, act like a child? You were the one who – "
"That is quite enough from the both of you," the woman said, quieting the boys immediately. Kiera was able to see her now. She was beautiful, with perfectly curled blonde hair that cascaded in ringlets down her back. Her dress was magnificent – a pale blue with trim of a silvery hue and beautiful detailing on the neckline. It reminded Kiera of something royalty would wear in the movies.
The woman's eyes found Kiera lying on the floor. "I am very sorry for my sons' behavior. And who might you be?"
"Um, I'm Kiera, ma'am."
The woman smiled. "So you are the one Heimdall told me about. Thor, help her to her feet, please." The second boy stepped forward with a cocky swagger and extended a large hand toward Kiera who took it and stood up.
"I am Frigga, queen of Asgard. These are my sons, Thor and Loki."
Words completely escaped Kiera. After thinking so long and hard how she should behave when meeting royalty, she never expected to meet the queen while lying on the ground.
"I am sorry I had to meet you under these circumstances," Frigga said as if reading her mind, casting exasperated glanced toward the young princes. "Walk with me, dear. We shall find a place to sit and discuss things."
Thor and Loki took this opportunity to try to sneak away. Kiera thought Loki might have made it if not for Thor who was larger than his brother and whose footsteps thundered in the echoing corridor.
"Not so fast, you two," Frigga said. The boys turned back slowly. Though both looked to be about Kiera's age, they both wore the look of a young child who had just been caught coloring on the walls with crayons. Kiera found the sight slightly amusing and stifled a laugh.
"You will apologize for trampling poor Kiera."
"Mother, it was Loki who trampled her, I was merely trying to retrieve my helmet."
"If you were not such an oaf, none of this would have hap- "
"That is enough! You will apologize."
The princes muttered apologies and turned to run down the corridor.
"Oh, and Loki," Frigga called after them, "do give your brother back his helmet. He is rather fond of it."
The black haired boy hesitated before throwing Thor's helmet into one of the many rooms down the corridor. The door closed on its own as if by magic before Loki ran off, laughing. Thor pounded on the door for a moment before taking off after his brother, cursing loudly.
"Ah, my boys," Frigga sighed before continuing down the hall. Kiera followed, not sure of what to say. They walked in silence for a long time before finally reaching a room lined with ornate couches and intricate rugs. Kiera moved to sit on one of the couches but stopped, recalling that royalty always sits down first. At least she remembered that bit of information.
The queen sat on a plush chair in the corner of the room and motioned for Kiera to sit next to her. Kiera sat, feeling more and more unsure of what to do as each moment passed.
"Again, I apologize for that…incident," Frigga said.
"It's okay, I'm used to it," Kiera replied, thinking of the many times she'd been jostled around by the other children at her foster families' homes.
"So, Kiera, tell me a little about yourself."
Kiera had always hated this question. It seemed inevitable that this very question would be asked on every first day of school, for every icebreaker in every situation. And Kiera loathed it. What was she supposed to say, "Hi, my name is Kiera, my parents are dead, and I'm a pyromaniac"?
"Um…" Kiera did not want to answer the question, but did not want to be rude either.
The queen gave her a look that suggested that she sensed Kiera's discomfort. "Heimdall tells me you have a bit of a gift for concocting fire, is that correct?" she said, wasting no time in getting to the point of this conversation.
"Yes, ma'am."
"I trust that is why he decided to bring you here?"
"Um," Kiera said, not sure of what to say. "I don't know why he brought me here. Does he bring people here from Earth – Midgard – a lot?"
"In all my years he has never done anything like this. He had been keeping an eye on you and keeping us informed about your remarkable talents for a while now. We elected to bring you here because we felt you may be in mortal danger due to your lack of an education concerning your power. We hope that here you will be able to refine your magic."
"Refine my – what?"
"There are very few Midgardians who possess magical abilities, Kiera. Here in Asgard, there are many people who study magic. My son, Loki, studies magic with a tutor. He is becoming quite good at it, as you may have gathered from what just transpired, although he could learn to use it for good rather than to cause mischief."
Kiera remembered the door that had closed on its own.
"So, are you saying I could learn to control the fires?"
"With some education, yes. Heimdall told me a little of your past, Kiera. You must not blame yourself. With practice, you will learn to control your power and use it for good."
Kiera looked blankly at the floor. "Can he see to other…realms? Heimdall, I mean. Could he see me my whole life?"
Frigga placed a comforting hand on Kiera's. "Heimdall is our Gatekeeper. As such, he must be able to see to the far reaches of the Nine Realms in order to protect us from danger. But that also means he can see things that other eyes cannot, including one small Midgardian girl and her gifts, as well as her…personal tragedies. He obviously deemed you in need of some proper education to improve and control your abilities. They have no such education in Midgard that I am aware of. They are not as accepting of magic."
Kiera did not know what to say.
"If you would like, you can begin lessons with Jadef after you become accustomed to life in the palace."
Kiera jerked her head up in shock. "Wait, did you just say I can live in the palace?"
"I have arranged for you to shadow Niva. She is our servant who attends primarily to the princes. If you are willing, you may assist her in her work to earn an income. She is a very kind woman and I am sure she would take a liking to you. I am also certain we can find some appropriate garments for you to wear."
Kiera glanced down at her unimpressive wardrobe. "I'm sorry about the clothes."
"Oh, no apology necessary, dear. Perhaps Sif has some clothing that would fit you. You two look to be about the same size, although you appear shorter than her. Nevertheless, the alterations would be minimal." The queen paused, considering Kiera for a moment. "Do you have any questions, dear?"
Kiera had a multitude of questions. She was overwhelmed by all of the information flooding her brain. Had she really just gone from living in a foster home with people who hated her to living in a palace? Could this possibly be real?
Sensing that Kiera needed a little time to herself to process, Frigga stood. "I will take you to your quarters. Niva should have it prepared by now. Then I will send a servant to find some clothing of Sif's for you to wear. I do hope you feel welcome here. The servants are very friendly, and they will be happy to assist you should you have any further questions."
They wound around through the corridors until they finally stopped at a door next to a tapestry depicting the crowning of a royal monarch.
"My husband, Odin, the king of Asgard," Frigga explained. The door opened and a friendly looking woman appeared in the doorway. She was short, middle-aged, and plump, with auburn hair wrapped in a bun. Her dress was a deep blue, and lovely, with embroidered flowers on the hem. Kiera had imagined a servant's wardrobe to be plain and ragged.
"Excuse me, your majesty, I was just finishing up," the woman said, bowing out of their way.
"Kiera, this is Niva. You will be assisting her in her duties around the palace when you are not attending your lessons."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear," Niva said, a genuinely friendly smile spreading across her face. "Now, if you would please excuse me, Thor has requested I unlock the study door. It seems Loki was being Loki once again and locked his helmet inside as a joke."
Frigga sighed. "I wonder sometimes how you do not lose your mind looking after them day in and day out. I am thankful you will have an assistant." She glanced at Kiera. "Maybe with someone their own age they might try to behave themselves."
"We can only hope," Niva said. Then she strode away down the corridor and turned out of sight.
"Now," Frigga said, turning her attention back to Kiera, "this will be your room. You should find everything you need. Unfortunately, I cannot stay any longer, I must return to my husband. It truly was a pleasure to meet you, Kiera."
"It was nice to meet you too, ma'am," Kiera replied. Frigga smiled and left, closing the door behind her.
Kiera turned to look at her new room. A glittering fireplace sat at the far end of a great expanse of a room, much larger than Kiera expected from a servant's quarters. A giant four-poster bed with fine blue sheets stood in the middle. Books upon books lined the wooden shelves on either side of the fireplace. There were many trinkets and fixtures that Kiera could only guess their purposes. After taking it in for a moment, she sat down upon the bed. For the first time since her parents had died, she had her own room, people were kind to her, and nobody looked upon her with judgment. At last, she felt at home.
2013 EDIT: I fleshed this chapter out quite a bit and added a lot more detail, something I'm not especially good at doing in first drafts. It feels a lot more complete now. And it's much longer.
