Chapter 2

The feast began with much vigour and carried on well into the night. Ava was seated opposite her mother and beside Thor. Her father, Odin himself, and Frigga took up the head of the table and celebrated happily.

It was a ceremony full of familiarity, a formality between friends like some secret pact shared long ago and upheld that day. Maybe all retired generals got the same treatment but there was something behind the laughs and stories that suggested much more than a simple working relationship between Odin and Erik. They were friends. Good friends. But friends with a history that Erik did not want his daughter to be part of; he wanted her to be part of the peace and prosperity of Asgard and not the wars that brought them into their time. Slowly Ava began to understand that it was not Odin he did not want her to meet, but rather his past. And now that one had been introduced along with its sons and wife, surely the rest would follow no matter how hard her father's strong arms tried to fight it.

The young woman turned her attention to Thor as a servant filled her wine glass. "What was your gift to my father?"

The man laughed. "The chair he sat in during all the long meetings. An old man needs a good chair."

"And you want a new one." Loki spoke up from across the table.

"Don't demoralise the gift, brother. It is a fine chair."

Ava smiled. Her friends sat a few tables over and kept hissing her name to get her attention.

"Your friends are very eager for you to join them." Thor nodded at them, causing a small wave of swoons around their table.

Ava shook her head. "I think they want to join me here. Many are very big fans of yours."

"Of me?" Thor laughed. "Why on earth would they be fans of me?"

"You're a prince."

His smile stayed but the laugh vanished. "Nice to know they are fond of my abundant personality."

Ava smiled. Being around Thor felt safe. He was a bright beam of sunlight, strong and penetrating. His brother, on the other hand, was like a shadow. Tall and upright and took your attention from the brightness but never seemed to want to overcome it.

"I think your friends" Ava saw Sif and her warriors three down the table "want your attention."

Thor laughed again. "They see me more than enough. Besides, I think it is more about stopping Volstagg from eating the table than it is about anything else."

Before any reply could be made Odin had stood up and the whole room fell dead silent within a matter of moments. The Ruler had white hair and a gold patch covering his eye. He stood tall, even in his age, and was obviously proud of his people and of his land.

"Friends!" He spoke loudly, his voice encompassing all else. "We are here to celebrate the career of my comrade Erik Sijur." He turned to the man seated beside him. "It has been a great honour, my friend. I hope you now find the peace and quiet the years in my service have robbed you of. You have upheld your family name and the city of Asgard and you have done more than your duty ever required you to do." Odin returned his gaze to his guests. "I raise my glass to you, Erik."

Ava lifted her cup, took a small sip and clapped for her father. He winked at her across the table and she laughed at him. They had always had a good relationship, even after Niklaus had died. He was the one who had explained to her that it was not her fault that her mother had become distant, that it did not mean her love had diminished, only that her soul was now weary with sorrow. He had taught her geography, about the other worlds and of the Bifrost. He had shown her how to wield a long knife and track game when out with a hunting party.

After the meal, Ava went straight to him and kissed his cheek. "I am proud of you, father."

He pinched her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Thank you, daughter. It is good to know that tonight I will sleep without having to worry about tactics and preparations."

"You will sleep without dreams for the wine in your belly, not because you are now old and retired."

Erik shook his head at his child. "Do not get cheeky."

Ava squeezed his hand and left him to all the others who wished to congratulate him. She found her friends and spent the rest of the night with them, talking of what it was like to meet Thor and whether he was as charming in real life as he was in their minds.

"He is a good man" she had told them "headstrong and loyal."

And once that topic had been exhausted they spoke of future parties and the latest dances that would be performed at them. Toward the end of the evening, when everyone was a warmer for the drink and had eaten their full, the young Sijur found herself alone at the edge of the party, standing at the brink of a large terrace and watching the night as it cleared.

The rain had stopped an hour ago and the clouds were letting patches of night through.

Ava stepped out into the open and walked out a way, the hem of her dress catching in puddles and the wet fabric sticking to her ankles. She looked up at the sky and saw the stars huddled together against the post-rain chill.

The young woman wrapped her hands around her elbows and held her arms close to herself. The small gaps of starlight were breathtaking; it didn't matter about the clouds passing over them – they were always there. Light like that does not vanish. It cannot be overcome by shadow and doubt. It cannot be killed. It cannot be taken. It remained. Like the soul of one much loved.

Footsteps followed to where she stood and Ava looked sideways to see Loki, his green cloak wet at the end but his boots much more confident in the water than her sandals were.

The young woman closed her eyes and inhaled. "I love that smell."

Loki watched her out of the corner of her eye. "You're going to find those shoes very slippery when you step back inside. The floor is unforgiving when wet."

"I shall probably be more centred than some those who took the opportunity of free wine a bit too vigorously." Ava looked back at the party. Thor was raising a toast to a friend of his, laughing as he did so.

The young woman glanced at her feet for a brief moment. "I apologise if I was too familiar with you earlier this evening. I was not instructed on how to meet a prince, only that it would happen one day."

"You have nothing to apologise for. You have done better than most. Anyway, it is better to be honest than rigid with formality."

The girl smiled. "Though I had not met you, you and I have had an encounter before. I doubt you remember."

"Oh?"

"You were at a party when I was younger and I was having my first glass of wine. You couldn't have known this at all but you did ruin it for me." She was smiling, remembering some far off memory. "You were a boy and I think you were just trying to scare a group of girls…but you did so by turning the contents of my goblet into three snakes."

Loki laughed, the sound bursting from him.

Ava joined him briefly before mentioning that she was absolutely terrified of snakes; more than anything else in the entire universe. "I could not move until you made them vanish. My friends all took off screaming and laughed about it all night."

"What did you do?"

"I went home and cried." She laughed as only one with hindsight can.

Loki shook his head shortly as if trying to visualise the memory clearly. "I do not remember but that does sound like something I would have done when I was younger."

"God of Mischief indeed."

Ava looked up at the sky again and saw the clouds pulling themselves together for one last downpour. You could smell it on the wind. "It's going to rain again."

Loki looked up and saw the clouds knitting themselves together again. "Sooner rather than later I fear."

Ava looked up to see the last of the stars before turning to head back to the party. The first drop splattered on her cheek and then the rest dropped itself in a last assault.

The young woman quickly turned her head down and gasped for the cold of the rain. Then she began to laugh and turned her face back up. She heard a laugh beside her before the words to hurry back inside came through the water.

They turned and began to hurry towards cover. It was a good thirty meters behind where she had stopped wandering out and felt like a mile due to the rate the rain was coming down. Loki was already laughing lowly when they got there but she joined him soon after.

He was right in saying her shoes would not bode well when wet on the floors. She slid a foot before a hand caught her, fingers around her elbow. Ava steadied herself quickly and started to laugh sweetly, like air.

The young man's hair dripped wet though and his cape was drenched but he was otherwise was okay, his body fairly dry beneath his thick leather-type clothes.

Ava, on the other hand was drowned. She wiped her hands over her face and then quickly under her eyes in case the makeup that had been applied ran off. It had. Golden streaks covered her fingers and she laughed as she wiped it off.

Her dress stuck to her but was fortunately not so light that it went see through as some of the other girls' gowns might have.

She laughed again. She seemed to be laughing a lot that night. It felt good. Even if she had laughed all the day before it would have felt refreshing, healthy for the soul. The rain sounded like a thousand soldiers marching to battle. It would stop in an hour knowing the summer weather in Asgard.

"I would offer you my cape but I am afraid its condition is just as bad as yours."

"And probably just as cold." Ava shook her head. "I am sure you're getting a very bad impression of me. Just don't tell your brother; the fewer of you that know the better."

Loki raised his hand and a servant was quickly beside him. The man unclipped his cape and handed it to the man. "Please fetch some towels and bring them to the sitting room." He turned to Ava. "Come. Let's at least get you warm before you head home."

Frigga took that moment to come searching for her son and found him wet beside the drenched daughter of the guest of honour. She stared at the young man with a quizzical look only mothers can give before turning to the girl.

"Ava. Are you alright?"

"I am fine, thank you." She replied politely. "I just wanted to see the stars but the rain hadn't finished with Asgard yet."

She smiled. "You must be freezing. Loki, have you had a chance to get some towels brought?"

"Yes."

"Good." Frigga put a warm hand on her son's arm. "I will attend to our guest. You go get into something dry as well. I will bring her one of my dresses to wear home."

"Oh, do not worry." Ava stopped her. "I live in an apartment that is just up a level or two. It would just be a minute or two."

"I insist, Ava." The queen replied. "I would hate for you to get sick just because you wanted to see the stars."

The young woman opened her mouth but Frigga put a finger up to stop her. Loki seemed to be trying to hide his amusement at his mother treating Ava so well, even if it was against the guest's will. Sometimes you just have to love someone when they refuse it because it is what is best for them, because you know it is the only thing keeping them sane.

"Goodnight, Ava." Loki said evenly.

The girl smiled. "Goodnight, Loki. Please apologise to your brother and father for my not being able to give them a proper farewell."

"I will."

Frigga put a soft hand on Ava's shoulder and guided her to a warm, wide room with a huge fire. On a table sat a stack of towels and beside them a long sleeved cream dress.

The queen stayed at the door. "I will leave you to it."

"Thank you." Ava said quietly. "I appreciate it very much."

Frigga nodded warmly. "Let one of the servants know if you need anything. Just leave your dress here. We will deal with it."

"I can take it back with me. It is really no trouble."

"Ava, let me be a good host." The woman smiled. "You are in no one's way and you are being no trouble, stop trying to reduce an effect that is non existent."

Frigga shut the door quietly before the girl could reply or apologise or do whatever it was that suddenly buzzed into her head.

Ava stood at the door and felt like the woman had seen into her soul. She had never wanted to get in anyone's way, doing things herself if she could help it. Things like hair and makeup and cleaning had always been things she had compensated the workers for but favours…they were all together different.

Ava turned away and went back to the table with a silent smile. The night was turning out to be very memorable. The princes were good young men and though she had seen more of Loki, Ava knew that Thor was a man of honour as well. They had both been good to her; the eldest with his unjudging nature and youngest in the way he approached her and helped her even when he did not have to. They both had their stereotypes as warrior and sorcerer respectively but Ava had seen little of this. She had just seen two men. Two people who seemed little different from the many other Asgardians she knew.

The young woman petted her face with a towel and unpinned her hair, running it free with her fingers. She stood by the fire as she unpeeled her dress and let it sit in a sad little puddle on the floor. The outfit provided was comfortable and warm even though her hair left wet marks on the shoulders and down the back. The girl folded her wet gown and left it on top of the towels she had used before heading to the door and slipping back out. Ava headed off quickly, skirting the party and hurrying up a few flights of stairs before reaching her destination.

It had been an eventful evening, one she was sure never to forget. The young woman knew the apartment was empty. Her parents were still at the party. She went straight to her room to change out of the queen's dress. She held it for a moment, letting its fabric play through her fingers.
Ava looked up to her window with a quiet smile. The rain plummeted outside and the moonlight struggled its way through.
The next day would be sunny and warm; it always was after such a downpour.
Everything always was.

Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter. Please review and let me know what you thought; all constructive criticism welcome.
Remember that you can ask me anything on my tumblr . Most of my inspiration is put down there so hopefully something there inspires you too.

Thank you for reading.
P.