Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the Avengers

Authors note: Thank you to those of you who reviewed and welcome to the new followers and favourites.

Chapter 35

With the restrictions put in place for Dahlia, they couldn't leave the city and as much as Dahlia and Micah enjoyed breaking rules sometimes, especially if they could get the upper hand on Akio, they didn't want to push it when it concerned the wedding of the heir to the throne and Dahlia didn't wish to stress Hela out if she went missing. They stayed in the city of Druolia, visiting the markets and shops and seeing the people, and as much as Micah was known as a mischievous prince, it was very clear that his people loved him.

They had been gone hours. They had shopped and Micah told stories of his people and his childhood, like how he used to climb the palace walls as a dare just to prove that he could. They had ended up in the lower eastern part of the city, standing behind a crowd of children who were sat on the ground watching a traditional puppet show. Thanks to her now being a goddess, Dahlia had the all-tongue and could understand what they were saying in their mother tongue but the story didn't seem to make sense to her.

She was leaning against a wooden pillar in front of a building that sold fabric, Micah stood to her left and seemed to sense her confusion coming from the show so he moved closer, standing slightly behind her so he could whisper without others hearing.

"They are telling the story of the rebellion, of the love story within it."

"Your great, great, great grandfather's rebellion, the first king?" she questioned quietly.

"Add another great and you would be correct."

"What love story? You never told me a love story about the rebellion."

He smiled and she looked to him, turning her head so her focus was on him instead of the puppet show. "The love story between Armanis and Ylivea, my great, great, great, great grandparents and first king and queen of Durilia. Behind the rebellion, behind the bloodshed and war with the Kree, their love story lay and was the source of all that we are today. The story goes that my grandfather was an orphan, he had no parents, grandparents, siblings, no one. They were all killed by the kree and back then, it wasn't uncommon to be an orphan when you came of age. The children and young adults would create homes with each other, watch out for each other but my grandfather was the one who was brave enough to take all the risks, to steal food, medicine, any supplies they needed from the Kree. My grandmother was very well trained in medicine from a young age, she would risk her own life getting to those who needed her help. Both were stubborn and strong-willed and they were both childhood friends. They relied on each other for strength, comfort, love. My grandfather is seen to many as the greatest warrior this land has ever known but we have documents at the palace that show another side to him, a side only my grandmother could see. He loved to draw, he wrote poetry about her, he wrote fables to tell to children, his stories brought everyone together. It is said that when they were young, they lay eyes upon each other and became the closest of friends almost instantly and that friendship grew into love and no one ever stood a chance of getting between them. What started the rebellion was his love for her. Before they had confessed their feelings the Kree came, rounding up a small group of people to experiment on but they knew the women were taken for more than simple experimentation."

Micah gulped as he lost his smile.

"They took the women against their will?" Dahlia questioned, knowing it happened in war. She knew that soldiers used women for their own desires when they were away from home, whether the women wanted it or not.

Micah nodded.

"Then they are not men. My father has always taught me a true man respects his family, respects women and a true man would never force himself on a woman. They're monsters, not men," Dahlia said.

"I agree completely. The story goes that my grandfather stepped in when they tried to take her. Growing up she was very beautiful and was desired by many so it led to her living a life mostly in the shadows knowing even the Kree found her desirable. My grandfather stepped in and killed seven Kree, most with his bare hands and a sharpened rock made to look like a knife. That single event gave my people hope, made my people remember who they are; not slaves, not weak-willed creatures but people, people who have strength and honour. Word spread and my grandfather became an icon, a leader, he vowed to end the Kree's control on our world. They travelled together, freeing slaves as they were hunted by the Kree. They took refuge with allies, creating hideaway towns for the children and the few elderly left to be safe. He created an army and one by one, the towns and cities fell from the Kree's control. It took many years and my grandparents fell in love, true love. They realised they were never friends, they were always destined for more, they were each other's first and only love."

Dahlia smiled and he smiled in return.

"She was very stubborn though, even in the darkest of battles she refused to leave his side. She swore that her place was by her husband's side and if he rode into battle then so would she. They faced many creatures, monsters, Kree, trials, they faced everything together." He then lost his smile and Dahlia did too as she guessed the story was going to take a turn. "The Kree knew they were losing, it was coming to the end of the war and my people had their own ships and weaponry, there was only one city left to take. Druolia."

"Here?" she asked surprised. "This was the last city?"

"Yes. Back then it was the Kree's base of operations, where the worst of the worst happened and it's where my people were suffering more than any. The Kree knew my grandfather was coming, so they planned a trap. They had gone to attack another town, drawing my grandfather out and for the first time, my grandmother did not go with him. She was pregnant, pregnant with my great, great, great grandfather. Word has spread of the pregnancy and it seemed to have reached the Kree. They attacked the town and my grandfather defeated them but when they returned to base, they discovered it had been attacked. The defences there had pushed the Kree back, defeated them so the town wasn't taken but the Kree got what they came for. My grandmother."

"How? She must have been protected?" Dahlia asked shocked.

"She was but she saw a child in danger and couldn't stay away. She saved a little boy who went on to become one of Durilia's greatest warriors. The Kree took her and made it known that they wanted my grandfather to go into the city, to surrender and to be executed. According to the records, it took a hundred men to stop my grandfather from leaving. His friends, his advisors, those he considered family, all had to get him to think like the King they believed him to be than a man in love. He told them he never wanted to be looked at as a saviour or king, he just wanted his love safe. A day later, just a single day because he refused to be without her longer than that, they attacked the city. My grandfather walked into the city alone, even though the people there knew they would get in trouble, they bowed as he entered. He walked up to the scaffold the Kree had set up for his execution, they were going to chop off his head and on the scaffold was my grandmother begging him to leave. They searched him but couldn't find any weaponry and the leader of the Kree settlement here, Kovo, came and tried to beat my grandfather into submission but he refused to tell everyone watching to support to Kree. They set him up on the execution block but when the axe came down…nothing."

"What do you mean nothing?"

"The hours before my grandfather entered the city, his men smuggled themselves into the city, changed clothing and took the places of many Kree soldiers. The executioner being one of them. It took years' worth of planning and having the rare person escape the city as it was so well guarded for my grandfather and his men to even have an idea about how to get in or out. Years' worth of research that they planned to use to their advantage, they just never suspected they would have to put it all together in a single day and come up with a plan. The original plan was to infiltrate the city over time, to smuggle people out and have my grandfather's men take their places so they could get most of the vulnerable out so that the able-bodied could help take over the city. The early morning hours of the day they went, they smuggled people in and those most loyal kept them hidden as some began to kill Kree. After my grandfather arrived and he was on the scaffold, Kovo was mad that my grandfather's head wasn't taken and asked why, then the executioner swung the axe and the two Kree that held my grandmother's arms had their heads cut off as she ducked just in time. The army then attacked, coming out of the hidden tunnels and my grandfather and Kovo fought. Kovo was one of the greatest Kree fighters, we may hate them but we don't ignore how skilled they were and unfortunately, still are to this day. They fought as my grandfather pushed my grandmother to safety and Kovo almost won but at the last second, my grandfather stabbed him in the neck with a rock-shaped knife."

Dahlia gasped impressed. "The same one he used to kill the Kree at the start?"

"Yes. He kept it all that time, and when they searched him, they didn't find it as it was small enough to be kept hidden and it didn't show up on their scans for metal. He killed him and Durilia was now free, the remaining Kree fled. My grandparents were ruled the first rulers and their son was born into a world of peace and freedom and was the first true born leader. It was tense at the beginning, forming a society anywhere would be, especially creating actual towns and cities, an economy, laws, establishing a civilisation that other planets can look to and respect and do business with. It was difficult but my grandfather built the palace here as a symbol of their hardship and their victory. He's quoted as saying that he wasn't born a king and after the rebellion, he may have worn the crown crafted by his people after the war as a sign of their belief and allegiance to him but he was truly blessed and truly a king when his queen looked at him and told him that she loved him. Only then did he feel like he won."

Dahlia smiled then shook her head as she giggled slightly.

"What?" he asked smiling.

"For someone who once told me my heart changed him, it seems to me you already know a bit about matters of the heart."

He shrugged and due to how close he was standing, he was able to put his hand on her lower back without anyone seeing. "Hearing stories and feeling its affects are two very different things."

"Stop looking at me like that," Dahlia said trying to hide her smile as their eyes were locked and he was looking at her almost lovingly.

"Like what?" he asked with a grin.

"Like you want to kiss me. You can't, we have company."

"Fine," he sighed regretfully and moved his hand from her back and looked back to the puppet show. "Guess I'll just have to keep thinking about our kiss back at the palace." He then closed his eyes and had a satisfied smile on his face as he thought about the kiss, knowing Dahlia was watching and she struggled not to laugh.

"FIRE!" someone shouted and a nearby shop next to the puppet show caught fire. It seemed to come from the inside, as if something fell and broke the window, a candle of some sort that quickly caught the ribbons and banners dangling between the shops on fire.

Micah jumped in and grabbed two children who were close by as a fire-lit banner began to fall and he jumped with them out of the way as Dahlia held out her hand and allowed her magic to flow. "IMPERIUM IGNIS," Dahlia spoke loudly and clearly and the fire flew from the shop and the banners, leaving the destruction behind as it flew her way.

The fire seemed to swirl in a circle around her hand as she held her palm up and moved it in circles, creating a small tornado of fire in her hand but the more she moved it, the more the fire distinguished and soon enough, there was no fire at all.

"Is everyone okay?" Micah asked loudly.

Everyone began to nod and say they were fine as Dahlia looked to the shop window and banners and held up her hand again. "Reparo," Dahlia said and the windows and banners began to fix themselves.

It was as the window was repairing itself, piecing itself back together with even the smallest of shards, that Dahlia noticed the shop keeper holding his arm as if he was in pain. It was then she noticed the black bits of burnt clothing around his arm and knew he must have been burnt.

"Can I help you?" Dahlia asked as she approached him but the elderly man seemed spooked as they weren't as familiar with magic as Dahlia was.

"Tuzol," Micah said approaching the shopkeeper. "Are you okay?"

"Th-the-the wax melter. I don't know what happened, it just began to spark and I couldn't stop it," the man, Tuzol, explained.

"It's okay, no one was hurt, everyone is fine. It is you I am more concerned about. Allow princess Dahlia to help you, she has magic and is quite talented at healing," Micah said proudly.

"Allow me," Dahlia held out her hand and the shopkeeper hesitated but soon handed over his arm. She held it gently as she looked at the burns that had already begun to blister his skin. She then raised her other hand over the wound and the light began to shine. "Sana quid agis nocere, sana quid agis nocere," she chanted a couple of times and a crowd began to gather around them to watch her magic at work, healing a man she did not know.

After she was finished, she pulled her hands away and the shopkeeper took back his arm and looked at it to see it wasn't even red. "Remarkable," he said and showed a few people around him as the crowd began to murmur.

"Is anyone else hurt?" Dahlia asked looking around.

Everyone said no but the group of children who were so amused by the puppet show now had all eyes on her. "How did you do that?" a little boy asked.

"Who are you?" a little girl asked.

"Let's all get back to work and celebrating," Micah said loudly, knowing Dahlia hated the attention and most of the people moved on but the children continued to stare in wonder.

Dahlia, however, didn't mind children as their curiosities were endless and they meant no harm. She kneeled down to their height and they gathered around as she spoke. "My name is Dahlia, I was able to heal that man because I have magic."

She showed them her hand and allowed sparks of her purple aesir magic to move between her fingertips before turning her palm upwards and creating the illusion of fireworks in her palm.

"WOW!" the children said.

"She's here for the wedding," Micah said. "Dahlia here is the princess of Niflheim, Queen Hela's sister."

"Can you do lots of magic?" a little girl asked.

"I suppose so," Dahlia answered. "I have two different kinds of magic from my mother and father so I can do lots, yes."

"Can you show us?" a boy asked excitedly.

Dahlia glanced to Micah and he gave her an encouraging smile, telling her that it was okay. "Well because of my different magical powers, some I can do without words, others I can do silently. I'll speak so it doesn't scare any of you…" she held up her hand and spoke. "Avis."

Several twittering yellow birds appeared out of thin air and began to zoom around the air above the children. Flying in circles meant the children were looking up and spinning to watch them and they were giggling at the birds.

"Look at that one!"

"So fast!"

"Beautiful."

"It flipped!"

The children all began to talk at once and after a few minutes Dahlia made the golden birds disappear and the children immediately began to beg for more. Dahlia did a range of spells from conjuring flames to show them fire wasn't as scary as they thought after what happened, she turned objects into animals and back again, summoned things, even levitated the children so they could see what it was like to fly freely.

Of course, they couldn't spend all day playing with the children and entertaining them and those who stood around to watch. Soon enough, Micah reminded them that they had other matters to attend to.

"We have to be going, the dinner party is soon and if we have any hope of making it on time, we have to be leaving," Micah said quietly to Dahlia to not upset the children.

Dahlia gave a slight nod to show she heard him and understood. "Well, children, it's been very nice to meet you all but I'm afraid your prince and I have to go."

"Nooo!"

"Stay!"

"One more!"

The children spoke together.

"One more," Dahlia said holding up one finger. "Then we have to go."

The children nodded excitedly.

"Expectro patronum," Dahlia said holding out her hand and the glowing blue form of her Thestral flew out of her hand and grew as it began to fly in the sky before landing and walking towards them.

"What's that?" a little girl asked as the children tried to pet the Thestral but their hands simply fell through.

"It's called a Patronus. Back where I was raised on the planet Midgard, the magical community uses this spell for protection. You have to think about very good and happy memories for the spell to work. It's very difficult and not many can do it, even those that can may struggle to create an animal form so they can only create wisps of light. I learned it when I was thirteen and I taught it to some of my friends just last year. It becomes an animal that you share the deepest affinity with. Mine used to be a stag when I first did the spell but it changed to a Thestral. A Thestral is a creature on Niflheim but they do also live on other worlds. On Niflheim you can see them but elsewhere, you can only see them if you have seen someone die. They're misunderstood creatures, people avoid them because they don't look that pretty but they are very loyal. My friend Hermione has an otter Patronus and my friends Fred and George, who are twins, both have magpie Patronuses."

"It's so pretty," the same little girl said as they looked at the wisps of magic as the Patronus paid attention to the children and would look at each one of them before it kneeled down to the floor to sit so its head was closer to the height of the children.

"Time to go," Micah said regretfully as he'd much rather spend time there than at some dinner party.

"Unfortunately, that's all we have time for today," Dahlia said loudly so the children could hear and the Thestral Patronus disappeared into wisps of light.

"Awww," the children all said.

"Can you visit again?" a little boy asked.

"I promise I will," Dahlia said knowing she would come back one day, she just didn't know when.

Micah then held out his arm and Dahlia linked her arm with his as he picked up the bags from the shopping she did while they were out and they returned to the palace at a quick pace, knowing they were even shorter on time than what Micah originally said.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Dahlia said rushing out of her room dressed in a different dress and refreshed for the dinner party. Her sister and Falcon were already waiting patiently for her.

"You're cutting it close," Hela warned.

"I know, sorry!" Dahlia said as the three began to walk to the dinner party, Falcon stood on Hela's right with his arm linked with hers while Dahlia stood on her left as the guards walked behind them.

"So, I heard you dealt with a fire issue today," Hela said smiling.

"How did you hear about that?"

"Durilian guards told their king who then told me just in case we'd be worried about you using magic in the city. You always end up finding kids or troubled ones to entertain, just like the orphans on Niflheim," Hela said, still smiling.

Dahlia returned her smile as Falcon spoke. "No doubt we will return to Niflheim and the children you so nicely entertained today will be complaining to their parents that the toys and devices they have that once kept them fully entertained don't do so as much after being exposed to your magic."

Dahlia shrugged. "Hey, I can't blame them if they like a magic show. Besides, I promised I would visit and you never know, they might forget."

Both her sister and brother-in-law looked at her as if she was crazy.

"You're right, they probably won't forget. So, how are you, Hela? You've been on your feet most of the day."

"I'm fine," Hela replied. "However, I am considering charging people who ask me if I'm okay. I was thinking one Galifren for every time I am asked…or make the person run miles…or giving me a massage depending on the person."

Dahlia looked to Falcon for answers. "Apparently I am worrying too much", he said into a sigh.

"Three times is worrying, fifty is obsessive," Hela said.

"Then I am obsessed with my beautiful wife and her health, guilty as charged, bring me before the court and I will confess to my guilt. But know I will continue with my actions and keep on asking you because I love you too much, you are lucky I didn't push harder when it came to us leaving Niflheim and coming to this wedding!"

Hela rolled her eyes and looked to Dahlia for support. "I'm on his side," Dahlia said gesturing to Falcon. "The Durilian royals knew why you couldn't attend if you chose not to and they understand. They worry themselves."

"Okay listen both of you," Hela said trying to be firm with her husband and sister. "I am not an invalid and I know you worry because of how much you love me but Durilia is the closest planet I consider to an ally of Niflheim and I don't care if they understand the reasoning behind my not showing, I will not dishonour our friendship by missing such an event. I am still mobile and while I can attend to my royal duties I shall. So, you have two options, accept that I will be continuing with my duties and move on or I will find a silencing spell that will work on the pair of you so that you can only ask how I am doing once a day. Understood?"

"Yeah," Dahlia agreed with a sigh as she knew her sister would, just as Hela knew they would allow her to continue with royal duties but that wouldn't stop them from asking how she was.

"Stubborn," Falcon almost muttered.

"Now that you knew when you married me," Hela said smiling and he leaned close and kissed her cheek.

The dinner was as expected, it was a political event but this time with a lot more speeches to the happy couple and speeches about their plans for the future and their dedication to each other and Durilia. Even though it was a joyous event, everyone knew it was political. Dahlia caught up with people she met at her sister's wedding and was still nervous at meeting new people but what made the nerves worse is when Micah introduced her to some of his friends.

She knew the likelihood of meeting his friends was high, even though she was only there for a few days and the wedding took up most of it. She should have expected to meet them and prepare but her thoughts on the way to Durilia and of the day were only on him. It was a strange feeling, meeting his friends who knew him since he was a small child. Did he feel this way when she introduced him to her friends the first time? Like an outsider looking in on hidden secrets, knowing looks and tales they laughed at as they told her, without truly finishing them so she didn't quite get their laughter. Perhaps he did feel that way and he was just so good at hiding it that she didn't realise. He did have centuries more training of deceiving people than she did after all.

The dinner party didn't go too late into the night, most people wanted to sleep for the wedding the next day and thankfully it was ending as Dahlia was tired of the speeches, of smiling in conversations such as politics when she wasn't truly interested. She was thankful to be in her midnight-blue thin-strapped silk nightgown and matching robe, curled up on the couch in front of the fireplace as Eva left for the night. For a desert planet, it did get rather cold at night and she knew she shouldn't be surprised, Micah had warned her of that.

Knocking on the wall behind the tapestry started not long after Eva left and she knew it was likely Micah. She waved her hand and allowed the wing of the fireplace to fall, opening the passage instead of calling for him to come in. As he saw her, he smiled and she returned the happiness but no words were spoken as she focused on the door and with a wave of a hand and a few words, her magic shimmered into the walls, allowing the privacy spell to take hold so they could talk without the guards hearing them.

Micah closed the passageway and walked to sit on the couch beside her, leaning down to give her a brief kiss and even went as far as moving her legs so they could be rested on his lap as he sat down. "It seems you made a big impression on my people today," Micah said. "I was asked several times about the fire you put out by nobles and my family and the servants are even talking about it. As well as the show you put on for the children. Apparently, many of the royals and nobles had to stop their children from approaching you to ask you to perform a magic show like you did for the other children. They understand the festivities of the wedding take priority but many are wondering when your next visit will be."

"It was just a little magic. If they look at technology amongst the stars or see wonders on their own worlds, they wouldn't be as impressed."

"Well, I am impressed and I spent months with you and I am very happy the people like you. It just shows there was no need for you to be nervous about your heritage, people love you wherever you go, they just have to meet you and they fall under your spell."

Dahlia rolled his eyes at his flirting as he reached for her hand to hold and he rested it on her knees on his lap.

"As for your next visit, I have these," he said.

He went into his pocket and brought out a small leather bracelet with a circular blue screen with bronze around it and a few buttons. Also in his hand was a small circular device joined to a smaller circle in the middle with three lines connecting the circles. In the centre was the same colour blue but it looked like a button with a couple of smaller ones to the side.

"It's a teleport. The leather wristband stays with me, I am able to teleport not too far as long as I have coordinates but this small device, the beacon, stays with you," he placed the small circular device in her hand and it was small enough that she was able to clench her fist over it. "They're connected so it means when you press the button in the centre, I will get an alert of coordinates and it will be much easier for me to travel the distance as it is a beacon. I would very much like not to have to go a month without seeing you again, this way we can."

She looked down at the beacon device and smiled before she pressed the button in the centre and it lit blue. His wristband lit up too with numbers and letters of the coordinates. He smiled and pressed a button to the side to deactivate it and showed her the same button on her own.

"It charges from the sun. Click this button here to see the charge. My own charges the same but every time I use it, it will need some time between uses for the core network to cool down. Perhaps a few minutes or a few hours depending on how far the destination," he said.

"Thank you," she said then teased. "You do realise I could have just teleported here to pick you up then gone somewhere else."

He hummed. "I do but I also know how cautious you are of people finding out about us. This way, you can find somewhere safe we can meet and people won't see you teleporting here. We can meet anywhere you like, someplace here, Niflheim, Midgard, anywhere. Call and I will be there and we can run away anywhere to the stars."

Dahlia moved closer to kiss him then snuggled into his side putting her head on his shoulder. "I know you don't want to hide but this is perfect."

"I'm glad," he said now one arm wrapped around her while the other held her hand. "I know this is going to be hard with distance and war and all the threats against your family but I want to try and make it work. Perhaps if we were to meet on Midgard, I could bring my friends and introduce them to yours and make some bridges."

Dahlia moved her head from his shoulder to look into his eyes as he smiled a knowing smile and she sighed. "Was I really that nervous?" she asked.

"No, I just know you. The threats that come with you being of mixed realms and the stories people believe of people of your birth make you nervous and on guard about meeting new people. I expected that but it was Galya who warned me before your arrival about you meeting people who mattered to me."

"Does she know about us?" Dahlia asked, quickly remembering Galya nudging him upon her arrival and smiling.

"She knows I have feelings for you. She's my little sister, she guessed and has been teasing me since I met you, it seems only to have gotten worse since my return. She suspects you have feelings for me and that we grew close in my time on Niflheim but she doesn't suspect we are courting. She told me she doesn't think we're foolish enough to do something like that under your father's nose," he said grinning.

"If only she knew," Dahlia grinned too.

"Truly though, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to my friends. Traze, Koltn and Janae like you, they told me so themselves. You won the boys over by being friends with those Weasley's, they love their products. I had to warn them about asking you to perform magic, they were slightly jealous those children got a performance."

Dahlia giggled. "I'm sensing ulterior motives for your friends and mine meeting here."

"Well, I said I would ask. It seems the boys aren't big fans on only having deliveries once a month from the joke shop. They have agreed to not bother you about it though and simply increase their order size. They would very much like to meet the men behind the creations."

"I'll consider it," Dahlia said with a teasing grin that said she had already thought about it and didn't think it too bad if they were to meet.

"I believe Janae may suspect us though," Micah said, seemingly not worried. "While the boys believe I had a hard time on Niflheim which led to me being more aware of my actions, Janae doesn't believe it to be enough. Her mother and mine have been best friends since they were small so naturally Janae and I grew up close, she's almost like another sister. Apparently, me smiling when I get a message and her hearing Galya tease me has led her to believe you're a part of the reason for me thinking more about my actions."

"Well, she's not wrong."

"No, she's not."

"You don't seem worried."

"I'm not," he shrugged. "She's one of my closest friends, she wouldn't tell anyone without reason. She hasn't asked me what's going on between us and I believe she hasn't so she can deny it to anyone that asks her if they get suspicious. There's no need to worry. Now let's talk about more important things like when's the next time after this wedding I will be able to see you."

Authors note: Please review