The room was quiet from the late hours that passed. January blinked her heavy eyes while brushing loose strands of hair from her sleeping son's pale face. The sheets were tucked around him in a cocoon of warmth while her tender hands brushed his cheek and made sure he was always breathing. Always. She refused to let him leave her.
"Sleeping?" The girl asked as she slowly approached the bed. She had been resting in a chair across the room with January's mother.
"He is." January replied, her voice nearly a wisp of air. "I hope his dreams bring him relief…"
Climbing onto the bed, the girl watched Asmond, locking onto his eyes that were closed. She frowned, touching his hands.
January could see how the girl grew solemn from the touch, her eyes becoming a fog.
"Now he'll have good dreams." The girl said, her voice quiet to mimic January's. It was a strange relief to January to hear her speaking in full sentences.
"How do you know?"
Looking up, the girl replied, "I told the monsters to go away."
A silence was held between them. The very first silence where both of them had nothing to say but read each other's eyes. January felt a hollowed pain when studying the eyes of the young girl. They were pleading eyes who had seen too much. Eyes that she had seen before, eyes that had begged for love. Her mother's voice continued to ring in her head. But the fear of losing Asmond had kept her from asking more questions.
"Who are you…?" January whispered, her voice unstable. "May I see what you showed my mother, sweetheart?"
"I'm just a child." The girl said, folding her hands in her lap. She looked over at the sleeping boy. "I'm just like him. We both see the monsters."
Despite her small voice, her words weighed heavy. January's mouth was cotton as she asked,
"What are the monsters?"
"They come when you're afraid." The girl replied, speaking as if everyone knew. "Bad people make them and give them to us. You can't see them unless you get given the gift."
"Princess…" January's voice trailed. Nothing made sense and she only wanted to wake from this nightmare. But why did she recognize those eyes…?
"Miss Taymor," a voice spoke, "we have to take your son."
January's head spun around to face a liaison who had intruded the room, disturbing the peace.
"No, my son is sleeping, he will not be moved!" January defied, upset that he would come at such an hour.
"There is no time." Dr. Volkov said upon entering, his face stern. The girl's appearance had instantly changed to that of a different child when hearing his voice. He gave a suspicious look towards her when January seemed to grow baffled, but all was cast aside when January's mother burst out,
"We had a few days before leaving for the SHIELD base! Why take him now?"
"We ran the test one last time and discovered that we must act now in order to save his life. We have a chopper ready in the back and we cannot waste anymore time."
The liaison took out Asmond's IVs and scooped him into his arms, instructing everyone to follow. The girl grabbed January's stiff hand as they walked along the halls and out the back. Her appearance was still unlike her own. It was an illusion of January as a child her age.
"I'll explain when we get there. Then you'll understand." January's mother whispered in her ear.
The emergency chopper flew them to SHIELD'S western division headquarters, the base filled with secrets and life. Medics rushed to transport Asmond into a medical room and get fluids pumping again. His body was failing and they were losing him fast.
The base was dark as midnight fell upon them. The further they made it to the medical room, the brighter it became, and the fluorescent lights gave January a migraine. She pinched the bridge of her nose and felt like crying again, but her eyes were too dried up.
Agents at the base began to recognize January from her previous work before and shortly after the birth of her son. It should have been a welcome reunion but her brain was too absent to notice them. Even as Asmond was pierced with needles, tested and unconscious, she could not understand the words that came from people's mouths and her vision was broken.
The girl's cold hand grabbed hers and she jumped to reality, the child's appearance returned to its normal state. They were there. SHIELD took them in and now it was nearly 4:00 am. Once again, the four of them were alone in a medical room, Asmond still sleeping while the rest of them refused to.
"Wh-What is happening to us?" January broke, her body caving forward in a heap of sobs. The girl pulled away, almost in fear of the crying.
Her mother was there in an instant, soothing,
"It's alright, Jan… we're alright."
"We are not alright!" The tears streamed. "Tell me what is happening! You seemed to know about Princess! Why won't you tell me?!"
"Shhh… shhh…" she wiped her daughter's tears. "I wanted to, but it's so overwhelming. It won't be what you expect."
"But I have to know! She knows about Asmond's monsters. If I can understand Princess, then I can understand what's going on!"
January's mother gripped her hands firmly, a fire in her eyes, a determination.
"What is the last memory you have before Asmond was born?"
January blinked, confused as she mumbled, "I… I worked here… for SHIELD and with Dr. Volkov. He delivered Asmond."
"And before that?"
"I…" January drew a blank, her mind in a fog. What had happened? Who had she been? "I remember… being afraid… I was taken away from Asmond's father and you left with me."
"Who had you been? Who had his father been? Do you remember?"
"I… no…"
"I thought not." Her mother whispered. "He took what memories he could to keep you safe."
"Who did?" January trembled. "What are you talking about?"
"Your husband. Asmond's father."
"My husband?!" January shrieked. "I am not married and Asmond does not have a father! At least I don't know who he is! What does this have to do with Princess?!"
Her mother placed her hands on her shoulders to calm her down. The girl watched from afar with wide eyes.
"January… Taymorsdottir. That's your name."
January frowned, "I don't understand–"
"Your father was an Einherjar in the palace on Asgard. You were once a great enchantress in that kingdom until your powers were stripped from you and you were banished to this realm."
January stared at her mother as if she had gone insane. She let out a humorless laugh. "You knew I tried to find realms during my search of other worlds with Dr. Volkov. Are you mocking me?"
"I would never. But I fear that your son's pain is the byproduct of your past life, and this girl has a similar story! I knew she was not human."
"Mum, you've gone insane! I can't take it anymore! Why won't you support me?! I'm already living in fear!"
"That is what you were banished for! You tried to discover these fear-induced mind monsters and Odin banished you for it!" She placed her palm on January's forehead, a warm pulse radiating as she tried to restore what memories she could from the dwindling Aesir magic she had left. "I always promised to watch over you… Loki begged me to. But I broke the promise of keeping it a secret. I cannot hold it up any longer." She brushed a tear from January's cheek. "Don't cry… he did not know you were with child."
January ran from the room, holding her head as the tears overflowed. Her mother stood, watching her depart. A shaky breath escaped her lips. She realized what she had done, all that she had said. It was so sudden. January did not deserve this.
Her head turned towards where the girl was holding Asmond's hands, and it was there that tears flowed endlessly. She understood who both of these children were.