Incredibly sorry that this chapter took so long for me to post!

...

Riley couldn't contain her bubbling excitement. She was returning home—her real home—and she would finally see the ones she secretly craved to one day meet. It just seemed...unreal. Like a dream of sorts.

Thor and Loki (Reluctantly) each took a hold of the Tesseract, and Thor gestured for Riley to join them.

"Why do you appear so apprehensive?" Thor asked her as she placed her hands onto the edge of the Tesseract. A cold energy of sorts surged into her body, running up her spine. "You will be welcomed as a hero."

Loki rolled his eyes. A hero, he thought, scoffing internally at the idea. Why lie futher to the girl? Asgard is no place for a mortal.

"I really didn't do much, honestly," said Riley modestly, but she was beaming brighter than a star.

Thor answered her in only a returned grin. At that moment, they were swept up into the Tesseract's power, and the last thing that passed Riley's line of vision was Steve Rogers, climbing aboard his motorcycle and waving goodbye to her. A swirling sensation erupted in Riley, tugging at her stomach and making her feel sick. A blue-violet color engulfed the trio, and Riley felt her feet lift off of the ground. She shut her eyes tightly, as to avoid losing the shawarma she'd consumed, and within a few seconds, they returned to solid ground.

Riley inadvertently let go of the Tesseract, and she crumpled in a pile on the floor, winded.

"First time using teleportation?" Thor guessed, bending down and offering his hand to her.

"Can't say I remember ever doing it," said Riley as she took his hand, returning to her feet. She gazed around, taking in her surroundings: The architechure suggested she had gone back in time, which was further heightened as a group of horses galloped by, all accompanied by men and women in capes and warrior-like outfits. The place was beautiful. Riley could not remember a time she'd ever seen some place more breathtaking...but then, she hadn't been many places before. People (Asgardians, no doubt) wandered about in all directions, wearing long dresses and robes.

"Asgard," she breathed, making a complete circle to get a good look at everything.

Thor's lip curved upward in a smile as he watched her. "What did I tell you, Riley Harrow?"

"It's even better than I pictured." Riley's eyes moved back to Thor, lit with awe. "Beautiful, actually. But...what now?" Her eyes had darted back to Loki, who was still chained up and glowering, his expression spiteful.

"Well, in your case," said Thor, taking her by the arm and leading her down the pathway, "you shall be led up to your room, where you will stay, for the time being. I, on the other hand, shall be dealing with my brother.

"His punishment, you mean," said Riley, looking to Loki once again. She couldn't, for the life of her, explain the strange feeling of pity that welled up inside of her. It didn't make any sense whatsoever...Loki had destroyed the city, killed handful after handful of innocent people, and attempted to rule the Earth. But for a purpose, she thought. He did think what he was doing was right...it made sense to his mind. She almost hoped that, when answering for his crimes, he would not recieve too harsh of a sentence.

Loki said nothing, but his emerald eyes flickered over to look at her, then away again. And yet, in that tiny, miniscule moment, a plea of sorts stabbed Riley in the heart, and the first sign of actual fear spread across his face like wildfire. Riley forced herself to not glance his way, for fear that she might ultimately do something stupid.

"Yes," Thor answered. "I shall return to you when the trial is over, but for the time being, I'm afraid you must stay out of the way."

Riley nodded, respecting his request. She knew that Odin, the AllFather, probably wouldn't be too happy with Thor that he had brought along the daughter of a criminal, and it would only make things worse if she were to show up and get in the way of Loki's sentence. She did not have an oppinion to voice, not here, in a world that was not her own.

Thor led both her and Loki up through the palace (He could not currently leave Loki by himself), then through a long, winding corridor, up to a pair of tall, dark double doors. The entire way there, Riley was met with curious and prying looks from Asgardians passing by, some simply confused and others cold and unwelcoming. In her black, casual outfit, she could have very well been running around shouting, "I'm not from around here!" She hoped that most of the stares were for Loki, not her.

"These lead up to two of the royal rooms." Thor's expression was oddly apologetic. "One of them is my brother's, but the one near it is open. I hope you forgive me...we do not have many places to house you, as your appearance here was not expected."

"No, no, it's all right," said Riley, avoiding Loki's eyes; she had a feeling it was most certainly not "all right" with him.

"I shall see you in a few hours or so," said Thor, backing away with Loki at his side. "Make yourself comfortable, Riley of Midgard."

"You can just call me Riley," said Riley. "Or, you know, Psychique Femme. But that's just my undercover name, so..."

She watched Thor turn away, vanishing back down the hallway, and looked back to the doors, sighing. It just felt so...weird. The idea that Riley Harrow, the half-human, half-Asgardian woman, formerly working as a writer, was now standing in the glorious palace of Asgard.

Riley trudged up the stairs behind the doors, making her way up to the bedrooms. It took no time at all to tell which was Loki's—she peered inside one of them experimentally and a cold chill greeted her from inside. She knew that the other bedroom was the guest's one, but curiosity got the better of her, and she stepped inside.

The ceiling soared upward to heaven, and dark curtains shielded any light from coming in through the window. The green sheets on the four-poster bed were made up neatly, appearing un-used for quite some time. Beyond a couch, a desk, and a chair, there was no other furniture. Riley drew her arms around herself as the icy temperatures coiled around her. She backed quietly out of the room, shutting the door softly, and moved to open the other bedroom door.

Mimicking the first room, the guest bedroom was built in the same structure, but it was far less cold. An open window in the corner blew in a light gust of wind, sending Riley's brown hair flying backward.

Riley laid down on the bed, rolling onto her back. The events of the day seemed as though they were weeks ago, but the dry (and fresh) blood on her skin reminded her otherwise. After a few minutes of empty thoughts, she got back on her feet and moved to the bathroom, to wash away the blood and clean her various wounds. The cool water felt amazing against her skin, tempting her, and she ended up stripping her clothes to take a long soak in the tub.

Minutes passed, one after the other. Riley sank deep into the cold water, watching the hands ticking away on the clock. Perhaps someone was putting up a fight in favor of Loki, coming to his defense...Or maybe his sentence was being slowly decided, carefully picked. Would it be painful? Would he be jailed away, or perhaps even put to death for his crimes?

Riley shuddered at the thought and pushed it away. She wasn't sure exactly how much time she spent in the bath, but after a while, she began to grow cold again and climbed out, fashioning a towel around her body. Thor should be coming up here anytime now, she thought to herself. Truth be told, what she really wanted was to meet some of the Asgardians, to chat with them and perhaps get to know them better. Of course, there was still that gnawing, fearful sensation in her gut that made her question...Would they treat her any differently?

She returned to her previous clothes (Much to her dislike; they were covered in a combination of dust, debris, and blood) and began to pace about the room, feeling trapped, as though she were locked in an enclosed, cramped cage. She picked up everything that was tangible, examined it, and put it back in its place. Finally, just when she'd begun to think Thor had forgotten her, there was a heavy knock on the door.

"How'd it go?" Riley demanded the moment he entered.

"Sorry I kept you waiting. I appealed to my father," said Thor, sweeping into the room, "and asked that he have mercy on Loki. He is my brother, after all."

"What was his sentence?"

Thor drew in a deep breath. "Loki is to be kept inside the palace, as he is now under...what was that word you humans use? 'Probation'?"

Riley blinked in surprise. "Is that it?"

"He is now being strictly monitored, and he cannot go to any other realm but ours. Should he be caught doing anything, there will be dire consequences."

"He killed countless people," said Riley, her eyes narrowing, "and that is all the punishment he gets?"

Thor placed one firm hand on her shoulder. "I know he deserves much, much more, but our problems are not yet over. We can only do so much to him without starting an issue with certain other worlds...Loki could potentially be in much more trouble; he never brought the Tesseract to the Chitauri, and—"

"—and they've promised all kinds of pain for him, if he failed to do so, right?" Riley finished.

Thor nodded, a little sheepishly. "Correct. That...that is another reason that I offered to have your presence here in Asgard."

Riley's eyebrows traveled up her head. "What do you mean?"

"I am sure that we will need all the aid we can get, and I have learned it does not do well to turn down possible help."

"So you want me to fight another war?" Riley demanded. "Another?"

"It is only a request," said Thor, taking her hand in his. "You will have much time to think on it, I assure you."

Riley hesitated, letting the whole situation sink in. She'd barely managed in this war, and now he wanted her to fight in another? She hardly had any control over her powers, which were going from bad to worse...What if, this time around, she lost it...?

"We...would also have to train you some," said Thor, as if he had read her thoughts like a book, "as I have heard you are not the best when it comes to keeping your Asgardian side tamed, correct?"

Riley merely pursed her lips together tightly in defiance, knowing in her mind he was right, but not wanting to accept it.

"Where is he now?" she asked.

Thor blinked, surprised at the change of subject. "Being stripped of his title. He can no longer become a king, should there be another circumstance where the power falls to him." Thor wiped a stray speck of dirt Riley had missed from her cheek. "But worry not for him. Considering the price he should have paid, he is very fortunate. Are you in need of any nourishment?"

"What, dinner?" Riley shook her head; she'd already had the shawarma earlier, and after all that had happened, she wasn't feeling very hungry. "No thank you...But, I have to ask. Did you tell anyone of my arrival yet?"

Thor's brilliantly blue eyes darkened slightly. "I have spoken with my father about it."

"And?" Riley urged, preparing for the worst.

"And he is all right with it." Although Thor offered her a smile, Riley sensed something deeper in his words. Was he lying, or perhaps stretching the truth? It would come as a great surprise to her if Odin had just taken her appearance there in Asgard lightly.

"That's good," said Riley, eyeing him somewhat suspiciously. "Is that...all he said?"

"Well, you may speak with him tomorrow yourself," said Thor, running a hand through his beard, deep in thought. "I expect you are wanting to rest, after everything today?"

"Rest is good." Riley sank back against her bed, suppressing a yawn. "I could go for some sleep."

Thor nodded. "I assumed right, then. Meet me in the dining hall tomorrow, won't you? We will have much to discuss."

"Of course."

Thor swept over to the doorway once again, nodding goodnight to her as he shouldered his way out.

"And Thor?" Riley added.

"Yes?" said Thor, turning slightly to look at her over his red-draped shoulder.

Riley managed a small smile, which was far more than she felt like doing at the moment. "Thank you."

As she burrowed into the layers of covers and sheets, Riley's mind raced about in her head, preventing her from sleeping.

Well, there's a pretty decent chance that I'll be incinerated by Odin tomorrow, Riley thought as she turned restlessly onto her side, but maybe Thor's offer for me to aid them in their war will diminish some of his fury. Maybe.

...

Okay, so I'd just like to take a moment to apologize beforehand, in the event that I ever possibly disappoint. The thing is, Thor 2 is yet to come out, and I don't have a whole lot to work with currently, so from this point on, this story is now my guinea pig. If you know any more potentially helpful information about the next movie, please let me know, so I can make this as accurate as possible. I have a feeling that, now that I have no actual script and plot to go by, things may go downhill from here. Feel free to let me know (Not in flames, please) if you think I am getting OOC at any point, and I'll do what I can to correct things. Thank you!

Wow! All of you posted such amazing, kind reviews. Thank you for the motivation, guys! There are so many, though, that I'm afraid I will only be replying to the longer/less general ones.

MorWolfMor: Thanks! Riley isn't exactly as smart as she likes to think she is, but I'm not sure whether that decision to hit herself was clever or idiotic haha.

Stargazer1364: Haha, we can only hope that the bottle was already empty, or Tony might be pretty upset with her. And yes, I had a certain plan in mind pertaining to a couple of possible new OC characters, but you'll just have to wait and see! ;)

Viktorskrumpet: Thank you so much! Yes, once Loki can speak again, he'll be sure to strike up more disputes with Riley...he certainly seems to get a kick out of driving her mad (Apparently her anger is pretty amusing to others, ie: Stark). And that means a lot to me, I really hope that I do not let you down in the coming chapters!