Sorry it's been a while. I would love nothing more than for you to review :D
"It's too cold outside." Nathaniel complained to Laura, eyes in a deep scowl.
That morning they had woken up to a rather chilly day. Ever since the boys had been given their swords, they wanted to be outside to practice. Laura had come up with every excuse in the book to keep them inside, but nothing made it easier than the cold weather.
It was gradually beginning to warm up as the sun slowly got higher and higher in the air, but obviously not soon enough for Nathaniel.
The evening before, Volstagg and Captain America had nearly come to blows after an argument about what they should do next. Captain America wanted Odin to do something about the other realms immediately, but Volstagg all too willingly defended the king's decision. Thor, being the mediator, had to acknowledge both sides, but in the end, he also sided with his father. More out of duty than belief. Loki stayed out of the conversation altogether, even when everyone else voiced their opinion.
However, by the next morning, the two of the them creating the most conflict had settled down and now the only conflict was between Laura and Nathaniel.
His mother nodded down at him "I know. It's going to be a lot colder in the next few weeks."
Cooper, having experienced winter several times where he could remember it, wasn't complaining. He was upstairs still, entertaining himself silently.
Nathaniel folded his arms up at his mother, as if it were her fault. Hawkeye put a hand on his son's shoulder with a bit of a smile and led him away towards the kitchen. Thor glanced over at Loki through the window. Nathaniel was especially peeved because he was outside without any side effects.
Even though Odin had specifically forbidden him to speak of Loki's request or even let on that he knew about it, Thor couldn't stop himself from thinking of it. Several months ago, he knew he would have accepted his brother's death as justice, even if grief would have accompanied it. But not right now. Not if Loki asked for it. He was catching glimpses of the best friend he'd had before and silently hoped that might continue. Seeing Hawkeye with his children made him wish Loki could only remember the good times they'd had with Odin. But Thor had to remind himself that they may not be remembered as kindly by his younger brother anymore.
Today, Tony and Banner were going to try a few tests on the scepter. They would have done it before, but Captain America had warned them about upsetting the Asgardian power over it, which was more of a false sense of security than anything. They had no idea if it would really help to stop Thanos from sending more people to Earth, but it was their best bet.
"Why did SHIELD send him?" Tony asked suddenly. He was looking down at a book and not really paying much attention to the others at the moment.
"I don't think they sent him." Hawkeye said, walking back from the kitchen "I think the WSC did. SHIELD trusts us more than that."
"People like Fury?" Tony asked "That might be the funniest joke I've heard all day."
"Does he know you're reading that?" Banner asked, nodding at the book.
Tony glanced above it, eyebrows up. Thor looked over and realized he was holding one of Loki's books.
"Well, it was sitting here." he looked back down at it "And there are a few interesting things in it."
"You can read it?" Hawkeye asked.
"No, I skipped the 4th grade." Tony replied.
Hawkeye rolled his eyes "No, I meant because it was in different language when I saw it."
"Oh, well, this one is in English." Tony said.
This earned another eye roll from Captain America and then he spoke.
"Anyway, even if they can't prove we have the scepter-"
"Unless they find it." Tony interjected.
"We need to be a bit more careful." Captain America continued, giving him a look "Marking ourselves as criminals isn't going to get us anywhere."
"Should we leave?" Banner asked "Here?"
"Well, one side of me says yes, because we seem to be attracting a lot of attention." Hawkeye said sarcastically "But I don't think we're going to find anywhere else that is undocumented."
"And if we left now it might look like we're trying to hide something." Black Widow replied. Her head was resting on her fist as she looked at them. Hawkeye nodded.
"Can your dad open portals?" Tony asked, glancing at Thor.
The God of Thunder shook his head "No. That is not a power that anyone should have. Asgard has the Bifrost to travel, but we use it sparingly." he paused "If there is a desperate need, my father can gather dark magic and conjure someone to another realm. But it is at a high cost to himself. That is how I came to Earth to retrieve Loki."
"How many other Bifrosts do you think there are amidst the different realms?" Tony asked sounding a bit too prophetic.
"None. There are other methods of travel, but there is only one Bifrost. Asgard is the leader of most realms, even if they are not among the nine we guard. We don't know much of the dark realms. As my father said, we never confirmed the existence of Thanos until now." Thor glanced over at the door as Loki came through. To his credit, he didn't fade off as if they were saying something offensive.
However, Loki didn't say anything. His gaze fell on the side table and then up at Tony. With a deep scowl, he walked over immediately and snatched the book from the mortal's grasp.
"Hey, whoa. Wait, uh, I was..." Tony half reached after it, but Loki already turned away from him with a glare.
"Good read." Tony said after him.
"Musn't touch." Loki replied scathingly, without turning back around.
"Oh. Ow." Tony said, touching his chest dramatically.
Volstagg, surprisingly, had a small smile on his face, along with Hawkeye and Black Widow. It was more about seeing someone come back at Tony with a good amount of spite.
"I want to go out." Nathaniel moaned to his mother again.
"You can go out, but you have to put on your coat and shoes." Laura replied, picking up some papers from the counter and stacking them neatly.
"But I can't fight with a coat on." Nathaniel maintained.
"Nathaniel." Hawkeye said with a small scowl and raised eyebrow "Stop it."
The little boy growled in frustration and began stomping towards the stairs.
"Sometimes I think I need to go and work for SHIELD and you stay home and watch them." Laura said, folding her arms "Then when I come back maybe they'll listen to me."
"When they get like that, just say no. Stop compromising." Hawkeye replied, smiling.
"Do you hear that?" Captain America asked.
After that statement, as was expected, everyone went silent. And, also as expected, there was quiet music playing from somewhere.
"Just a kid upstairs, Rogers-" Tony was cut off as it suddenly increased loudly in volume, making Laura jump.
Loki blinked several times and then leaned to look out the window. After a moment, he turned around and quickly went out the steps. Thor followed him first.
The music was similar to the ones they played on Asgard as the Warriors left for battle, but much more grand. There were loud trumpets and from the sound of it, large drums.
The two Asgardian brothers were staring at a small group of guards that surrounded a man and woman. They were adorned with lavish clothing, a tall fan like head dress extending from the woman's gown. She had dark hair that was wrapped around her head in a braid. The man stood taller than her, head held high with a very large smile. He looked to be younger than Odin, but for sure older than Thor.
Loki himself was staring at them with amazement, his own smile beginning to creep over his face. Even if Thor has wanted to ask a question, no one could have heard it above the loud music.
The warriors had joined them at their sides and Captain America came up next to Loki, scowling since nobody seemed to be concerned.
"Who is this?" he asked. When nobody answered, he pressed "Thor. Loki."
"These people are not a threat." Loki responded, without looking at him. For the first time, his face actually looked delighted.
"To us or to you?" Captain America asked. The God of Mischief ignored that and began to walk forward. He approached the man and woman and the guards moved out of the way accordingly.
Once he was a few yards from them, he went to one knee in a bow. Thor watched in surprise as that symbol was only given to royalty.
His brother got to his feet as the man walked towards him. He had a staff that only came up to his chest, unlike Gungnir. They were only about a foot from each other when he pushed Loki away with it. The God of Mischief looked mildly surprised.
"You." the man said, still walking forward, face completely stoic "You disobedient, foolish boy. You come to this undefended world with an army, wreak havoc upon its citizens and expect something to come of it? I would have put you in prison too." he shook his head for several seconds. Then he smiled and leaned forward to put both hands on Loki's shoulders with obvious excitement "It's good to see you."
"You as well." Loki replied with a small dip of his head and side of his mouth curved up.
"You look good." the man said, releasing him as his wife stepped forward.
"A bit thin." she said pointedly, but she smiled just the same as she reached forward to hug him "But very well."
The man laughed under his breath until they let go. He put one hand on Loki's arm, face turning solemn.
"My condolences on the loss of your mother, Loki. Asgard will mourn her for many years to come."
Loki's eyes flicked down for a moment "Yes, I..." he paused and then looked back up "Thank you."
The man patted him once and then began to walk past him towards the others standing outside. Thor shared a look with the other Warriors, eyes baffled. Loki glanced after the newcomer walking away, eyes brightening just a tad.
"Is Hena here?"
"Who do you think knew you were here?" the man asked with a small chuckle "Yes, she'll be along."
Loki looked back at the group of guards as a woman suddenly ran out and jumped at him with a squeal. Surprisingly, the God of Mischief didn't fall backwards, although he did stagger back a few paces as he caught her embrace. The man's wife smiled and then turned to follow her husband, dress held up as she walked.
Thor stared for far too long, but it was obvious that the two of them knew each other well as Loki set her down, the first real smile upon his face for a long time. She talked excitedly to him, although, by now Thor's attention was on the man approaching them. He touched his staff to the floor.
"I am Valder, King of Anaheim." he said, head held up "And this is my lovely queen Svleiva, who deserves most credit for anything good in my kingdom."
The woman, Svleiva, glanced at him with a few small, amused shakes of her head.
"Thor, Prince of Asgard." Thor said with a scowl and the two of them gripped each other's forearms in greeting.
"Yes." Valder replied with a respectful nod "Again, you have my condolences on the loss of your mother. I hope you are finding some comfort in your time of grief."
Thor slowly nodded, face obviously still confused.
"You four also appear to be of Asgard." Valder said gesturing at the Warriors. They each confirmed this with a nod.
"And Midgardians." he said to everyone else "I apologize for coming here unannounced, but I needed to have words with Asgard's representatives." he glanced out at Hena and Loki "And my daughter sensed Loki was here."
"You know Loki." Thor said intently "How?"
"I can fill you in on that later." Valder said "And when there is a moment. I would like to thank you properly, Thor of Asgard. For now, if we might, I would like to enter your household and speak with all of you."
Hawkeye glanced at the others and then extended an arm towards the house. Valder nodded appreciatively in return.
Hena and Loki were finally walking closer to them, although not intentionally. The young woman glanced up and looked at Thor.
"Is that him?" she asked, eyes wide "Wow."
Thor's eyes flicked side to side as she looked over at him for several moments.
"Really?" Loki asked flatly, breaking her gaze. He stared at her stoically.
"What?" Hena asked indignantly "I've never seen him before; I'm allowed to show a bit of awe."
Loki rolled his eyes and began to walk away with a shake of his head.
"Hey!" Hena went after him quickly.
Valder glanced over at them with a smile as he walked up the steps to the house.
Thor looked after his younger brother for moment, wondering if he should leave him out there.
"They'll be alright." Valder said from inside, as if reading his mind "My men will keep watch."
Captain America frowned after him as if he didn't quite believe that.
"I'll stay." Fandral offered quietly to Thor.
"I will too." Hogun said.
Thor nodded at them quickly before following the king into the house.
Nathaniel had come back downstairs and was staring at the king from behind a corner. He saw his dad and took a run for him. Laura must have gone upstairs with Lila. Valder watched him with obvious amusement.
"Lovely boy." Svleiva said. Hawkeye glanced up at her but wasn't quite sure how to respond.
"Indeed." Valder agreed. Then he looked at Thor "Have you any idea why the walls of the realms have weakened?"
Thor looked a bit taken aback that this would be the first question to come up.
"Hang on a moment." Captain America said, putting a stop to it "I think we'd better discuss why you're here before we jump into that."
"I apologize, we can begin there." Valder replied with a dip of his head.
"Good, then how did you travel here?" Thor asked, voice less sharp than the soldier's next to him. As they did not currently appear to be a threat, he was far more concerned with how they got to Earth. If they were able to open a portal, that meant it was a skill available to any realm.
"We have a mechanism similar to Asgard's Bifrost." Valder replied "It is generally more limited than that, however. We can only travel to the realms that surround us. But with these weakened borders, it was much easier to slip through."
"I have not heard of Anaheim. You are not of the nine realms." Volstagg said, scowling.
"No." Valder paused "If you are referring to the nine that Asgard protects, we are not. Anaheim is farther off than that. A break off from an older realm. This is why we have our own way to travel should it be forced upon us. We are a realm of peace. We do not seek any conflict with others."
"But how is this possible?" Volstagg asked "I was not aware of other realms outside of our nine."
"There are few, but we exist. Much smaller than other realms, although we are generally not less powerful. Many dark beings reside on the outer ridges so we are careful where we stray." Valder replied "They have been restless this past while."
"You know them?" Captain America asked.
"We know of them." Valder replied "But we do not associate with them."
"Do you know of Thanos?" Thor asked boldly.
Valder looked at him grimly "Yes. I have heard that name. I truly hoped he wasn't to blame for this."
"But you're not here because they're 'restless'." Captain America asked.
Valder turned and pointed out the window at the young woman with a sudden smile.
"Hena, my daughter, believed she was able to feel Loki's presence here. Fortunately, she was correct. That is why we came."
"How do you know him?" Thor asked again "Loki never traveled outside the nine..." he trailed off with a small realization.
"Loki came to our realm several years ago. Not purposefully, I will add." Vandral said "You can ask him about that. Him and Hena became friends, but when he left, she lost her connection with him." he looked back again "Until now."
After a moment, when everyone looked a bit confused, Valder continued.
"Hena has the ability to read others minds and forge a link so they can communicate." he explained "It's a power our line of family possesses."
"Magic." Tony said under his breath, leaning against the wall.
"Yes." Valder replied with a swift glance at him. Tony's eyebrows shot up as if he hadn't expected him to hear.
"From the way you spoke out there." Volstagg said, nodding over at the window towards Loki "It seems you know what's he's done."
Valder looked at him pointedly with a slightly irritated scowl "What Loki has done is a tragedy, but please don't speak of him in that manner." he said "Yes, I know what transpired here and I know that he is currently a prisoner because of it. However, I am surprised of your treatment of him. As if he were only a traitor to you."
"That's what he is." Sif replied.
"I mean no offense, but I remember friends being a little bit more supportive than that." Valder replied "You certainly were when Loki's older brother was banished."
Thor's eyebrows furrowed at him, wondering how this man could possibly know about that. Sif did not debate it since she didn't really know anything about the king, but she stared at him stubbornly.
"All of that aside, I wanted you to know that you would have Anaheim's support from this point on." Valder said "We are peaceful, but we also stay on the side of light. We will help to maintain that."
"That would be welcome." Thor replied, still sounding wary "Forgive me if I seem untrusting, but I will need to speak to my father of this."
"Odin? Of course. I would be willing to speak to him as well if he finds it necessary." Valder said.
"Then I shall tell him that." Thor replied.
Anaheim's King dipped his head "Thank you. I know he grieves as well. It is never easy to lose a realm's queen."
"How do you know about that?" Volstagg asked.
"Asgard is very well known to all realms." Valder replied "We watched her spirit join Valhalla. That news traveled quickly." he let out a deep breath "It was not pleasant to hear. I had great respect for your mother."
"Thank you." Thor said with a nod.
"I owe you thanks for bringing Loki from Asgard." he said "That is a true act of kindness not many would have been capable of."
"I must admit that was not my first intention." Thor said.
"That doesn't matter. Loki's aura..." Valder shook his head "His aura is much darker than when we parted last. I saw it the moment we came."
Svleiva nodded from his side as well.
"He has meddled with darkness." Thor replied.
"Or darkness has meddled with him." Valder countered "Loki is not a dark being in any regard. At some point, I wish to return him to Anaheim to remind himself of that."
"That will not be possible. Loki remains an Asgard prisoner." Thor said.
"I will have words with Odin on this matter." Valder interrupted "I will not see his potential wasted like that." he looked at his wife "Will you call Hena please?" then he returned his gaze to Thor "Your father has always been a wise man. I will convince him."
As the prince and king continued talking, several of the others waited for Svleiva to go and call for her daughter, but she never left her husband's side. However, no more than two minutes later, the young woman and Loki were walking up the steps to the porch.
The group remained in confusion until finally something dawned on Hawkeye. He tapped the side of his head and gestured at Valder. Tony silently went 'ahhh' while nodding.
"And suddenly texting was taken to a whole new level." he muttered to Banner.
Valder and Thor looked over and their conversation faded off as Loki and Hena came through the door. The king immediately looked happier.
"Here she is. This is my daughter, Hena." he said, holding out a hand to her.
The woman smiled at them and gave a small wave "Hello."
"Umm...greetings." Tony replied definitively.
Standing next to Loki, Hena was at least a head shorter than him. Her frame was tiny, even without comparing it to any of the others. She had dark brown hair that went several inches below her shoulders and very warm brown eyes. And from the corner of the eye, she seemed to have a strange faint glow around her.
"We have another daughter. Her name is Mazi." Valder said. He glanced after where Nathaniel had disappeared "Looks to be a little bit older than your son." he breathed out and turned to Thor "Now, are you planning to attack those who are behind this?"
"Not at this time." Thor replied carefully "Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for them. They have already invaded realms."
"If these attacks are organized, you have a much bigger fight coming." Valder said "If such a thing should happen, please know that Anaheim will stand with you. And, if you would, keep us informed. We can lend aid where necessary." he glanced at his wife "We should return home. Allow them to continue with their task."
"I can stay here." Hena said immediately, suddenly gazing at her father earnestly "I can be your messenger."
Loki looked at her and then glanced at Thor for a split second.
"Hena, no." Valder replied "I have others for that."
"Wait a moment, listen." Hena maintained intently "I can help them. Midgard seems to be their chosen place of attack, so they can use every person they can get. And I can make sure you know when to send help. Please can't I stay?"
Valder shook his head "This is not my realm. I do not have authority here. You would have to ask them."
Hena immediately looked at Loki, who would have had to state the same, but then she turned her hopeful eyes to the rest of them. Loki also looked over at Thor, waiting for an answer.
Captain America opened his mouth, likely for a polite refusal when Tony spoke.
"Yes, you are absolutely welcome to stay." he said.
Hena jumped in excitement, hands clasped together. Captain America looked at him, his face flat.
Valder let out a deep breath and glanced at Svleiva. His wife gave a slow nod, looking at her daughter.
"Very well." he said "Mazi isn't going to be very pleased, but I suppose we can keep her entertained for the time being."
"She can come here once in a while if she wants." Hena replied. She gestured at Loki with a small roll of her eyes "I'm sure she'd like to see someone."
The God of Mischief smiled slightly and vaguely shook his head.
"That she would." Valder replied "Very well, we will depart now. Good luck." he turned escorted Svleiva over to the door. Hena followed and then Loki went after a little bit behind.
The Anaheim guards had moved closer to the house, but as their king came out, they moved in formation with him.
"Loki." Valder called glancing back at him. The God of Mischief looked up, eyebrows raised.
"Keep her out of trouble." Valder said, grinning. Loki smiled as well, staying closer to the house.
Hena opened her mouth indignantly and ran after her father. The king hurried forward, laughing quietly. Svleiva looked back at her daughter, eyes sparkling.
"I'm not the one who needs looking after!" Hena said back to him, folding her arms.
"No offense intended, but when you get around him, he tends to be the more responsible one." Valder replied.
"That is not true!" Hena said back, arms folded.
"We'll return tonight for a celebration and give you a proper goodbye then." Valder said in amusement, ignoring her final objection "Until then, please be safe!"
"I hate you!" Hena called, smiling as she waved to him "Goodbye mother!"
Svleiva raised a hand in farewell, her face very good humored.
Thor stood on the porch with the Warriors, Tony, and Captain America. The rest of them were watching from inside the house. Thor looked over at the Warriors, mouth open just a tad, eyes scowling. Loki was only a little way in front of them so they didn't speak, but it was fairly easy to know what they were all thinking.
"This is actually fairly good news." Fandral said, hands resting on his hips "It means that other realms would be willing to fight with us."
Thor nodded slowly, but it was obvious he was not paying very much attention.
"But I've never heard of Anaheim." Volstagg said "And I know every realm there is."
"Evidently not." Fandral replied with a small smirk "Where is Thanos right now?"
His friend scowled at him "I'm just saying it would be best to report it to the Allfather as soon as possible."
"Already done." Thor said and Volstagg's eyebrows went up in surprise.
"Heimdall will send a guard with his returned message." Thor continued.
"Well, I've heard of Anaheim." Tony said and they immediately looked at him.
"You have?" Volstagg asked.
"We're probably not talking about the same one." Tony replied. He held up his phone above his head as if trying to see something.
"Why did you invite her to stay?" Captain America asked, without looking at him. He didn't sound irritated, but genuinely curious.
"I'm sorry, are we not trying save the universe here?" Tony asked, holding out a hand in frustration "Our best shot is getting all the good realms on board."
"I just hope they don't think they'll have any pull in what we decide to do." Captain America replied "At least not yet. I think it would be best if we keep things to ourselves first."
"I'm on your side on that." Tony said "But, you heard them. They remain neutral on issues."
"They're peaceful. That's not the same as neutral." Black Widow replied.
They glanced over at footsteps on the porch as Hena and Loki came back up. She walked in with a little more nervous smile.
"Hi." she said "I've introduced myself, but I don't know anyone's names but Loki and Thor, so I was hoping everyone could introduce themselves."
"Steve Rogers." Captain America said, reaching out a hand. Hena took it briefly, staring at him.
"You are not a mortal." she said and he raised his eyebrows slightly "But, at the same time you are. That is very peculiar. And, honestly, really confusing."
"He had some work done." Tony said, also extending a hand "Tony Stark."
"Charming." Hena replied, eyes still flicking back to Captain America.
"Natasha Romanoff." Black Widow said from her seat, sounding friendly. Hena nodded at her with the same amount of kindness.
"Bruce Banner." Banner said with a small wave.
Hena stared briefly at him, the same way she had with Captain America, but she didn't ask any questions. She smiled and waved just the same.
"And the rest of you are from Asgard?" she asked.
They all nodded in response before Fandral stepped forward.
"Fandral." he said, with a dashing smile "Pleased to meet you."
"And you." Hena replied evenly.
The rest of the warriors introduced themselves one by one, none of them quite as flirtaciously as Fandral, but that didn't seem to bother the Asgardian man at all.
"And you're Thor." Hena said, looking the God of Thunder "At least I hope so or Loki lied to me."
"Me?" Loki asked from her side "I hardly think that's fair. Either way, would you be surprised if I had?"
"Yes, actually, I would." Hena replied with clearly exaggerated irritation. Her tone made him break into a small smile and he looked down at the ground for a moment. Then Hena returned her eyes to Thor with a smile.
"Yes, I am Thor." he replied with a careful nod.
"Ha." Hena said towards Loki "Well, it is good to meet everyone. I'm Hena Anaheim, princess of Anaheim. Magic is my speciality, but I can fight if it needs be so don't be worried about that. And my dad would love to help out where he can, so just let me know what you need. I can communicate with my parents at any moment."
"We will then." Captain America said, leaning forward from the wall "Thank you."
"Absolutely." Hena replied cheerfully.
####
Small red sparks flew into the air from the fire a way off from the house. It was a very clear night. The stars were clearly visible, especially with the moon absent.
Thor watched the group sitting around the fire silently, eyes contemplative. Just like he had said, Valder had returned for a celebration. Svleiva, Hena, and several other people Thor did not recognize were gathered together. From the house, he could only hear quiet singing, but it was obviously joyous. There were a few of the guards Valder had brought earlier with them, playing drums softly. Someone else was playing a small instrument that looked similar to a flute.
Loki was sitting beside Valder and Hena, joining in with the soft voices with a peaceful expression. That was probably the most intriguing part of it all.
Sif came and stood beside Thor, her face resting in its usually unemotional form. The God of Thunder glanced at her and then nodded to knowledge her presence.
"How are you?" she asked, with obvious concern.
Thor smiled slightly at the floor "It seems that I am not as good at hiding my emotions as I used to be."
"Not trying rather." Sif replied with a small chuckle "Besides, you were never good at it anyway."
"But no one ever asked me how I was back then." Thor said.
"Perhaps they should have." Sif said.
Thor stood up straighter "Or perhaps as the future king of Asgard, I should not be as open."
"A strong king does not need to be impassive with their emotions." Sif reminded him.
"No, but he must control then." Thor replied.
"You do, but you extend much to others." Sif said "It is an admirable trait."
Thor took a deep breath as he looked back up at the warriors of Anaheim. Valder was on his feet now, standing in front of Svleiva. He offered a hand to her and the queen rose to her feet and took it. One hand on her waist, he took her closer to the fire, where the two of them began to dance to slowly quickening music.
Hena began to clap with the beat of the drum, smiling at her parents. Loki and then the others joined her until the clapping almost overtook the drums.
Again, the glazed look returned to Thor's eyes as he stared over. It almost appeared like pain, but something a little bit more complex.
"Do you believe them?" Sif asked quietly.
Thor nodded "Odin confirmed their existence. He knows little, other than they are peaceful. He will be coming to see for himself at some point."
"But you think they'll help us?" Sif asked.
"They will attempt to negate any conflict. I hope they will consider joining us in battle if the time arises." Thor returned his eyes to the fire. He was surprised to see that Loki and Hena had joined her parents. He hadn't seen who had instigated the dance, but he wished he would have. It looked like a dance traditional to Anaheim.
From this distance, Hena appeared to be laughing, head tilted up slightly. Thor didn't have to look closely to see that his brother was smiling. As they neared, Valder and Loki switched places, each taking the hand of the other woman for a moment and then returning to their original partner.
This is the chapter I have been so excited for a very long time. For those of you worried that it will change how the story is, it will not. Don't worry. Trust me, there is a good plan in place. I haven't let you down so far, have I? ;)