I leap forward, grasping the side of the Tesseract container's handle just as Thor twists the other handle, activating the Stone inside. In a blinding flash of blue energy I feel myself being sucked upwards. I gasp, gripping Loki's arm with my free hand as we are shot into space. Loki tenses in surprise at my sudden grip, but in a moment we appear in another world in a brilliant flash of a million colors, and I let go and tumble to the ground. Or to the...rainbow?

I quickly take in my surroundings as I jump back up, making sure I'm still invisible. Loki and Thor have landed gracefully, of course, and we seem to be standing on a floor made of a literal rainbow. Or, no, it's a bridge. A broken bridge.

The Bifrost Bridge.

Turning, I realize that we are surrounded by maybe twenty guards on horses. Each guards is wearing a set of golden armor that gleams in the sunlight, and each carries a sword. And directly in front of us is another man, with golden eyes and dark skin that compliment each other perfectly. He also is wearing the golden armor of the Einherjar- the guards- but his sword is much larger and more decorated than theirs. I know instantly who he is: Heimdall, Guardian of the Nine Realms. His all-seeing eyes glitter with ancient wisdom, and I suddenly get the creepy feeling he knows I'm here, despite my magical invisibility. That assumption is answered five seconds later, when he speaks.

"Welcome home, Princes Thor and Loki."

I breathe a sigh of relief.

"You may come out now, Victoria."

I groan. So much for that. I release my magic, and Thor's confused expression turns to one of surprise. I give the Gatekeeper a halfhearted glare. "Thank you for that," I say with obvious sarcasm. Heimdall merely chuckles in response.

"Victoria?" Thor asks. "I thought you were to remain on Midgard for now."

I sigh. "I intended to, but...I realized that it's safer for me here. I can explain later, if you like."

Thor nods, and the guards bring two extra horses forward. Thor turns to me. "You can ride with me. You have ridden before?"

I nod. "I have, but it's been years. Midgardians prefer other methods of travel."

Thor nods, then climbs into the saddle, hoisting me up behind him. I wrap my arms loosely around his waist, and we're off. The guards surround us, escorting us back towards the magnificent city at the end of the Rainbow Bridge. My eyes widen, and I try not to gasp at the sight before us. I have to maintain my act as an Asgardian. But the beauty of the Realm Eternal stretches from horizon to horizon, dumbfounding me. I never knew how truly large and magnificent Asgard was, but now, I'm seeing it with my own eyes! It is infinitely more beautiful in person than it is on screen. I try to maintain a calm face outwardly, but inwardly I am in awe.

I feel someone's eyes on me, and I look to my left to see Loki, still in chains and wearing a gag, smirking at me. I narrow my eyes at him, but that only brightens the twinkle of mischief in his eye. Despite this, however, I can see the tension in the graceful way he rides, and the rigidness of his shoulders and sharpness of his features speaks volumes. He's angry and tense, but I know he is hiding his fear. And I know that is partially my fault. Guilt strikes me again, but I refuse to allow it to consume me. I will have to compromise many times in the future, if I want to protect the timeline.

We ride across the bridge, and into the golden city. Strange but amazing structures rise up all around us, drawing my eyes in many directions at once. I do my best not to be conspicuous, but I can feel Loki's amusement every time I look at a new building or structure. Asgardians begin to gather as we traverse the city's most beautiful street, and within a few minutes there are people lining the streets, cheering. I smile at them, taking in the rich style of their clothing. They look like they stepped out of a fourteenth-century history novel, but they are as real as I am. It's truly astonishing to behold.

As we draw closer to the mountain of a palace, it seems to grow larger and larger in front of us. To my amusement, the structure reminds me of the pipes of an enormous organ, rising into the air at different heights and meeting at the highest point in the center. But it's still beautiful, despite its odd design. In fact, almost everything here is oddly designed, with strange shapes that I've never seen before abounding in the designs of nearly every building. Many structures I can't identify the use for, but I know I'll have ample opportunity to discover their purposes later. For now, I know I need to focus on the present.

Finally, we enter the huge and beautiful courtyard and approach the palace's huge golden gates. They are pushed open from the inside by six Einherjar, which attests to their enormous weight. We ride through, hardly slowing, into a huge hall of white stone. Many servants and guards await us there, and we all quickly dismount, the servants rushing forward to take our horses' reigns. Thor turns to me in the ensuing chaos. "I will arrange for you to be taken to your home on the morrow, but if you would like, you may remain here for the night."

"My home?"

Thor's brow furrows. "Yes, your home here on Asgard."

I hesitate, knowing this will come back to bite me later, then nod with an uncertain smile. "Thank you, my prince." I bow my head. He smiles at me, obviously distracted, then turns away to deal with his brother. He speaks with the head Einherjar, who says that Loki is to be taken straight to the dungeons, and then instructs a servant to take me to a guest room. In the meantime, our horses have all been taken away, and Loki is standing nearby, surrounded by a group of wary guards. He looks almost relaxed now, watching the proceedings with an observant eye. But I know it's merely a facade, to hide his true feelings.

The servant Thor had spoken to comes up to me. "Lady Victoria, I am to take you to a guest chamber."

I nod uncertainly, not wanting to leave the only two men I know here. But I have to be strong. I decided to come here, and now I have to deal with the consequences. I hold my head high as the servant leads me to a grand stairwell and starts upwards. Just as the ground level is about to disappear from sight, I look back and catch eyes with the god of mischief. Somehow, it gives me a boost of confidence.

I can do this.

I hope.

Author's Note: Um, so that wasn't the promised one day update...but here I am! So sorry, I got very sick. I'm recovered now though!

I hope you all enjoyed! More is coming soon!

Signing off, AuthorsDream.