Hey! Sorry for the huge delay between chapters-I was busy writing midterm papers and doing useless things like college, and LEARNING, and UGH. Just kidding, I actually love college, it's great. But here's another update for you! I'm not sure if I'll have one in anytime before next Thursday (HA! THORSDAY!), because I'm taking my midterm break in SCOTLAND! (And I may or may not be stalking a certain Cumberbatch on a certain charity bike ride some time soon...) But If you go follow my tumblr, I'll probably have some fantastic photos of the beautiful highlands and a few castles :) Now on with the show!
Disclaimer-I do not own any of the character's from Thor, they belong to the Marvel Universe and Norse Mythology.
A human.
Loki froze at these words. No human had ever entered into the realm of Asgard, not in the history of their existence. To have one show up now, with no knowledge of how it…SHE…arrived, was not only puzzling…but slightly unnerving. If something so weak and mortal could sneak past the all-seeing gaze of Heimdall, what was to say that something much more dangerous and threatening could not get into Asgard? How could a simple human, some pathetic Midguardian break past the protections that surrounded the realm?
Heimdall gazed upon Loki, sensing his confusion and frustration. He knew not of what was to come next, but if the future continued on the path that it was going down, it would only lead to good things for the realm. He watched the God of Mischief stare into the distance in wonderment, Knowing that he would play a part in her visit to the land of the Gods.
"My liege," spoke the Guardian, "I cannot show to you the future-it would drive even the strongest of men to madness-but I ask only one thing of you. Please, I beseech you, for the fate of Asgard, do not allow any harm to come to this girl. She is of great importance to us, and it would not bode well if anything unfavorable were to occur pertaining the girl. Fate has already been altered-your brother did not come. It falls upon you, Loki, to ensure that the future stays on its course." Loki did not react to the words of Heimdall at first, still in shock, still processing the presence of this girl. After a few moments, he turned to the Seer, a fierce look behind his eyes.
"Pray tell, Heimdall," he snappishly replied, "HOW am I supposed to watch over this girl? I am a Prince of Asgard, I am no servant!"
"Loki, I would have called for a servant if the future had called for a servant," answered the Guardian.
"And what about my dear brother?" demanded Loki. "His selfish tendencies once again interfering with MY life! How dare he not come when summoned! Once again, I must bear the mistakes and profligacy of my idiot brother!" Loki stormed the Bifrost, raven hair and tunic whipping in the gale, rage oozing from his pores. The God of Mischief had dealt with the brunt of his brother's laziness and impulsiveness too long. He craved to show the insufferable Thor a taste of what true power was, but oh no, that would be treason against family; in two weeks' time, it would be treason against the crown as well! How he ached to rid himself of the ties with his dim, battle-hungry brother, Thor.
"Heimdall!" The god roared. "I want you to find out how she got here, what power sent her here, and how to prevent this from further happening in the future. I do not care if you do not know, I want you to find out. That is an order!" Heimdall nodded slowly, acknowledging the young royal. He was already planning a search, but not on the behalf of the irate god. He craved answers, but not for the right reasons, at least not yet. Heimdall had a feeling that the God would come back with the right questions, and he would be ready for that day.
"I will begin at once, my liege," said the Guardian, saluting the young God. "Might I recommend that you speak to the girl when she wakes? She may have more information than I could offer; even with my sight I am limited." Loki glared into the fiery eyes of the Seer, and nodded curtly. He strode swiftly over to his horse, and with the grace of a dancer, pulled himself onto his mount.
"Of course, Mighty Guardian," sneered the Asgardian prince. He pulled his horse around in preparation for the return to the city, but stopped, and glanced over his shoulder with one last word to Heimdall. "I will be back; do not think that I will forget about your task. And please, Heimdall, for the sake of us all," Loki paused a moment, closed his eyes, and opened them again with a smile upon his face. "Do try to prevent further unwanted entrances to the realm." And with that, the dark-haired god and his midnight horse broke into a gallop towards the glowing city of Asgard.
The bed was warm and cozy, and more comfortable than she could have ever imagined; it was like floating on a cloud. She didn't remember how she had gotten back to a bed. In fact, she didn't remember much past getting out of work on Friday. She had said goodbye to her boss, David, on the way out…she had gotten in the rickety elevator and pressed the 'B' button to get to the parking garage…she had gotten into her black Honda civic, and kicked off her heels for the drive home…it was raining as she pulled out of the garage, and people with umbrellas were everywhere…wet-rain-wet-DRO-WET…she had gotten on the interstate, driving slightly under the speed limit due to the torrential downpour…RAIN-WET-slip-wet-SLIDE-WET-CRA-rain…she pulled off at exit 27B to get home…the road was dark and WET-RAINING-SLIDE-CRASH she had to take a detour…the lighting flashed brilliantly across the sky, illuminating the RAIN-WET-DROWN-BRIDGE in front of her…there was an awful crash of thunder and another crash, and a tree was down just feet in front of her, and she SWERVED-RAIN-SLIP-RALING-WET-CRASH was screaming as her bumper broke through the flimsy wooden barrier on the bridge, and she was FALLING-CRASHING-WET-DROWNING…
…COLD-GASPING-WET-DROWNING-BREATHING-WATER-DROWNING…
…SWIMMING…GASPING…DROWNING…WET…DYING…
She bolted upright in the fluffy bed, hauling air into her lungs like it would disappear. And it had, and it had been replaced by water, but it wasn't water anymore and she was breathing, and then she was screaming, breathing out all the air that she had gathered, and pulling more air in it was precious, PRECIOUS, and then it was out again in an ear-piercing shriek of terror, it sent shivers down her own spine, and the process repeated over and over again, she could not stop she was terrified she was dying she was…
"Peace, child peace!" urged a soothing voice to the right of the bed. She looked up at the voice, and stopped wailing mid-screech. A woman of the most exquisite beauty stood by her bedside. Shining copper hair framed a flawless porcelain face. Ocean eyes stared at the distressed girl with deepest concern; cherry lips puckered in a slight worried frown. The woman was willowy and had an air of serenity and tenderness about her. The pale blue tunic she wore was adorned with delicate glass beads in a range of color and shape. She reached into the apron tied about her waist and pulled out a petite green bottle, and approached the still-panting girl.
"Tell me, my dear," she spoke softly, "What is your name?" The girl shook, lips trembling and unable to form words. The woman held out the green bottle to the girl.
"Drink," she commanded gently. "It will calm the nerves." The girl slowly reached for the bottle, urged by the encouraging nods of the soothing woman. She barely managed to un-cork the vial, and when she did, she raised the bottle to her lips, tipping the solution inside down her throat. The effect was almost instantaneous. Warmth flowed down her throat, and spread calm through her veins to the tips of her fingers. The shaking died down, and her breathing relaxed into a regular pattern. She stared at the bottle in her hands, and then up at the woman.
"Was that…drugs, or something?" she asked bluntly. The woman let out a soft laugh (wow, even her voice is beautiful the girl thought) and took the bottle back from the girl.
"It was a healing tonic I developed myself," said the woman. "I am Eir, and I am the Goddess of Healing in this realm." The girl looked confusedly at the woman, and then slowly started to take in her surroundings. The golden ceiling above her head had to be at least fifty feet high. It was adorned with an elaborate chandelier that cast a glowing, warm light throughout the room. The room itself was coated in gold, from the beautiful chairs beside the bed, to the decorative tapestries on the wall, to the sheer curtains over the window. Outside, the girl could see a stunning landscape of rolling mountains and great golden buildings. However, she could not find it in herself to enjoy these sights, because they most certainly were not of Earth. She whipped back towards the woman, anxiety evident even in her calm state.
"Am I…am I…" she swallowed, gathering courage for her next word, "D-dead?" Eir smiled and shook her head, taking one of the girl's hands in her own. Her mothering feel calmed the girl slightly, but not enough to distract her from the pressing question at hand.
"What is your name, child?" asked the Goddess.
"It's ah…it's S-Sarah. Sarah…um…Mor…Morgenson," she stuttered out. "But where am I? I'm not dreaming, am I?" She gave herself a quick pinch on the arm, and flinched. "Ah, nope, not dreaming then. Well, what…where…I…I…What's happening to me?" She began to breathe more quickly and Eir rubbed calming circles into her palm. Sarah did not like where this was going, she wanted to get out, or at least find out what was going on.
"Sarah," said Eir slowly, blue eyes connecting with those of the frightened girl, "You are in Asgard. You were found, naked and unconscious, on the Bifrost by the Guardian, Heimdall. You were tended to and brought here for care. It is going to be alright, I am here to care for you." despite Eir's calming tone, Sarah continued to breathe heavily, her heart rate increasing and her palms sweating. It wasn't real, it couldn't be, Asgard was a myth, a story, a legend, and it was most definitely NOT real. But as many times as she blinked, trying to clear the golden walls and grandeur from her vision, it all remained. Her mind was racing, trying to come up with a logical reason for why she was in this mythical place, but nothing made sense. How could she be in a FICTIONAL place? It wasn't possible! She finally looked to the beautiful healer, and tried to calm herself down with deep breaths. Eir nodded, still clasping the girl's clammy palm tightly. Sarah shook her head several times, exhaling in frustrated puffs, before clearing her throat.
"D-do you know how I got here?" she asked desperately. Eir slowly shook her head, still maintaining eye contact with Sarah.
"I was only called here to be your healer," replied the goddess. "I was told nothing of your arrival, other than that you needed immediate care." The goddess paused for a moment, a thought crossing her mind. "What do you remember?" she asked. "Maybe that will help us to find out how you came to be in Asgard." Sarah nodded, and began to tell Eir what had happened.
"Well, I was at work, and I was going to leave, and I went to go get my car-" At this point, Eir tilted her head to the side in confusion. Sarah's mouth opened in a slight "oh" of realization-of course they weren't readily going to know about cars. "Right, um, it's like a…like a horse, but made of metal…and you sit in it and drive it…" Eir still looked confused, so Sarah decided to go on with the important parts of the story. "Anyways, I was driving home, and there was this terrible rain storm, it was coming down in buckets, and I could hardly see anything. So, I find out that I have to take a different route home…and I go down this windy road, and I got to a bridge…and my car was sliding, it slid right off of the bridge, and plunged into the water. I was drowning, I know I was. And I thought I had died, you know? But then…right before I went into the dark…it felt like something kinda yanked me upwards. It was the strangest feeling. And then…and then I was on that bridge, the, the what did you call it?
"The Bifrost," replied Eir. "It is the passage into Asgard, so it is not surprising that you ended up there." Sarah nodded, and continued her story.
"Yeah, the Bifrost. I remember it now, it was beautiful, but I couldn't really focus on it, you see, I was still drowning. I was still wet, and cold, and I couldn't get enough air into my lungs, but I didn't really realize that it was air. And…there was something else…" Sarah paused for a moment. "There was this…this face, this man. He was all pale and concerned looking, and he had really stunning eyes, and they were all on me. He looked so young but…he felt…old. But he was there, and then I woke up here." Sarah paused again, a slight furrow in her brow. "Does that help? Do you know how I got here now?" Eir took a moment, and to Sarah's dismay, shook her head again.
"I do not, my child," replied Eir. "But this man…he…he may know. I must tell the Prince that you are awake. I will not be long, I promise, I will return promptly." Sarah nodded, and laid back onto the soft covers, pondering her situation. Eir swept quietly across the room to the double doors, and exited into the hallway to meet the guards.
"Hall, Amund," she said, summoning the two guards. "The girl has awoken. Her name is Sarah Morgenson. Notify the prince immediately." The two guards nodded, and turned to leave, but Hall stopped, and turned back to face the healer.
"Does she remember anything, milady?" he asked formally. Eir shook her head, and the guard nodded, tilting his head in a show of respect to the goddess before turning on his heal and leaving. Loki was not a patient god, and it would not bode well if he were to wait any longer for the news. Hall and Amund swept through the great healing hall, and out into the bright light of day. They mounted their steeds, and raced off towards the great palace of Valhalla.
A/N
Eir-She is the goddess of healing, and the handmaiden of Frigga, Thor's mother and one of Odin's wives (we're gonna stick with one in this story, just for simplicity's sake)
Valhalla-You've all probably heard of this: the great palace in the sky where warriors who died in battle go. They say that there were 540 doors, each of which 800 men could walk abreast. This is also the palace of Odin, and would probably be where Thor and Loki lived until they had their own palaces (In Norse mythology, Thor comes to rule his own kingdom, called Thrudheim-but we're just gonna stick with Asgard for now :D)
Hope you liked it! Please review, let me know how I'm doing!
