A/N: Hi all! I have no excuse for how long it has been since this was updated except that Eagle and I are no longer writing together. Until this changes the best I can do is post what we have written. I hope you enjoy chapter 2 and apologies to any finnish people who might read this. I had to use google translate and lost the correct translations done by a lovely person Eeva L. I hope these translations give you a laugh at least!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
Chapter 2
The dry, desert soil crumbled beneath Frigga's boots as the slope increased from a gradual incline to a steep bank. She held the sleeping Thor closer as she tried to balance, her gaze alternating from her footing to the promising lights across the dry riverbed. Her discouragement and uncertainty was giving way to thankfulness: that Thor was shaken, but unharmed; that a Midgard settlement was so close; that Farbauti was still willing, and not yet lapsing into the odd, stubborn state of refusal that sometimes possessed her.
Her moment of reflection distracted her, and she placed her foot on a loose bit of shale. It gave way, and she stumbled, her legs curling awkwardly beneath her as she fell to the ground and slid several feet down the bank in a most undignified manner. Behind her, Farbauti gave a soft snort of laughter; a surprising sound in the cold night air.
Thor, now cradled in Frigga's lap, blinked and rubbed his nose. "Can we eat now?"
She kissed his forehead and pointed across the shallow canyon. "We will have something to eat when we come to that house."
Thor's eyes followed the trajectory of her arm, then turned upward to the still, winter stars. "What about our house? When do we go back?" He looked at his mother seriously. "Is this a grand adventure?"
The last two words, a reflection of her husband mirrored in her little boy's sweet baby-speech, were more than enough to make her pause. Was it a grand adventure, a deed that would be preserved in songs and eddas? Or was it the cowardly act of two terrified women?
"I think," she said slowly, putting Thor down and carefully getting to her feet, "That this is an adventure… but only time will tell if it is a grand one."
The foursome continued forward, the boots of the two women sending puffs of dust swirling into the darkness as they crossed the canyon floor. Then, it was a short but steep climb up the opposite bank, during which Frigga decided that traditional Asgardian skirts were entirely impractical for anything other than formal occasions.
As they crested the ridge, breathless, dusty, and rather out-of-sorts, the lonely lights of the solitary house greeted them, seeming—to Frigga, at least—to recognize the weary travelers as kindred spirits; for they were all of them night wanderers.
Hopefully the occupant would be of the same mind as the house, but Frigga was too weary and footsore to pause and reconsider. With a last glance behind to reassure Farbauti, the exiled Queen of Asgard reached up and knocked loudly on the bright red door.
