That night, my sleep is fitful. I have so much on my mind that I can hardly sleep for an hour without being awakened by my continuously racing mind. What was I thinking?! Why did I come to Asgard? There is no future for me here! I may be Asgardian in body, but in spirit and in soul, I am and always will be Midgardian.

I roll over in the bed that feels like it's made of clouds, my eyes open, but unseeing. I know next to nothing about Asgard and her people, and yet I'm here, claiming to be Asgardian! I won't fit in at all, I'll stick out like a sore thumb. What am I going to do now? I can't return to Earth because the Tesseract is the only means of transportation between worlds right now. I'll have to wait until the Bifrost is rebuilt. And who knows how long that will take?

And that isn't even the worst of my problems. What on Ear- Asgard- am I going to tell Thor when he asks about my family tomorrow? I literally have nowhere to go. I've got one free night at the palace, and then beyond that, I might as well be a beggar in the streets. Wait, does Asgard even have beggars?

I groan and roll over again. How is it possible to be in a bed that feels like a fluffy cloud and not be able to get comfortable? I sigh and stare at the ceiling far above me. I don't think I'll be getting any more sleep tonight. I slowly get up, looking down at the silky Asgardian nightgown that covers my body. It's a beautiful white, with gold edging that reminds me of something I'd see a princess wear. Asgard certainly knows how to treat their guests.

I make my way to the balcony of my huge room, standing at the railing and looking up into the sky. The breeze caresses my face gently, and I can't help but gaze in awe at the amount of stars visible from Asgard. I've never seen these constellations before- no Orion, Big Dipper, or Little Bear. And oddest of all are the two beautiful, large moons in the sky. It is an absolutely gorgeous sight. I smile slightly as I imagine what Jane Foster, an astronomer, will think when she sees this. She'll probably be practically drooling over it, and will wish she'd brought her instruments. I shake my head, remembering going stargazing with my family in years past. My family had always appreciated the night sky to some degree, but I had always had a love for the stars that transcended that of the rest of my family. I would stand outside in the dark for what felt like hours, gazing at the beauty of the twinkling masses of stars. Somehow, I had always felt closer to God out there.

I close my eyes, tears welling up in them. I miss my family so very, very much. I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye, and now, they are gone forever. I have to make a new life for myself here, and I don't even know where to start. I have nowhere to go, no one to talk to, no one to call friend. I am truly and utterly alone.

And it's my own fault.

How did one choice lead to this? One action, and in a single second my entire life is ripped away from me. Why am I so foolish? And yet, how could I have known?

My tears spill over in my pain and confusion. God, why? Why did I not listen? How could I be so stupid? The one person who actually knows the whole truth is a known criminal, a fallen prince, and is in the dungeons of the palace. And I can't trust him anyway. I'm alone in a world I know next to nothing about.

I stand there, head low, tears falling freely for what feels like an hour. But I can't stand there forever. Eventually, morning will come, and my free night in the palace will be over. I straighten, lifting my head and wiping my tears. It's time to be strong. It's time to make another plan.

Taking a deep breath, I walk back into my room and change into the outfit that was laid out for me last night. It's a two-piece dress, with a strapless white underpiece that falls almost to the floor and a royal blue over-garment of the same length that ties in the front in a crisscross pattern. It takes a few minutes to get into it, especially in the dark, but I manage. Then, I make my rumpled bed with some difficulty, seeing as it is incredibly large, and then look around the room to see if anything else needs straightening. Nope. These people keep their rooms remarkably clean.

I sigh, wondering what to do next. I work fast and well when I've got something on my mind, and at the moment I feel like I could take on an army of messy rooms and clean them all in two hours. I think best when I'm moving around, so I decide on a brisk walk through the palace halls. Stepping out of my room silently, I walk down the hallway, immediately setting my mind to the task of figuring out what I need to do next. My first order of business needs to be finding a home, or at least temporary shelter. I know that if I tell Thor I pretty much lied to him, he'll try to help me find a home. But I know the questioning will go beyond that of just, "Why don't you have a home here?" I'll be asked questions that I won't be able to answer without lying, and I hate lying. So I need to figure out another solution.

Besides that, I don't know the customs of Asgard. I won't be able to fit in at all. I'm sure I've already raised several eyebrows just by being here; how much worse will it be when I try to live among and interact with the people I must now call my own?

I need serious help. And I have no one to go to.

As the sun rises, I return to my room, having reached a few conclusions. First, if I'm going to get help from someone, it cannot be Thor or Odin, because they both need to be kept in the dark regarding my heritage and the future. I can trust the Queen, but I have decided that I will not tell her about my predicament unless she asks. If I ever meet her, that is. I cannot just go spouting out all my problems and secrets to people, especially not to the Queen of the Nine Realms. While she will understand and help me, it would be incredibly rude of me to impose upon her in such a manner.

Second, I need to stay away from the royal family as much as possible so that I don't run the risk of accidentally revealing the future. If I could stay in the city, that would be far enough away to be safe. What would be even better is if I lived in one of the little villages beyond the city- I could work for a living with one of the village families and not have to worry about the future for at least another year, when the Dark Elves attack.

Third, if I cannot settle in here on Asgard, I need to return to Earth as soon as possible. But I have to try my best to settle here, because on Earth there is a much larger risk of ruining the timeline, seeing as the Avengers will have many threats to face there in the years to come. And knowing myself, I would inevitably end up in the middle of many of those situations if I decided to go back.

I step through the doors to my large chamber, and take in the enormity of the room once again. It's huge, at least the size of my apartment back home in Kansas City. It has a vanity, a four-poster bed, an enormous walk-in closet and a huge chest of drawers, a lovely desk and chair, and a balcony overlooking the city. And breakfast, waiting for me on the desk.

I raise my eyebrows in delight at the aroma of ham, eggs, and toasted bread. The food looks amazing. I immediately sit down and scarf it like a dying wolf, relishing the exquisite taste. Where has this stuff been all this time?!

Once I'm finished, I walk over to the bedside table and grab my phone. Only 87% of the battery is left. I sigh, wishing I'd thought to bring my charger. But of course, there is nowhere to plug my phone or Apple Watch in here, anyway. I'll have to learn to live without access to the internet. I groan. I did not think this decision through at all...

Sighing again, I rub my forehead. Now what to do? I've taken a walk, cleaned my room, and eaten breakfast. The sun is up, and my free night in the palace is over. I have to find—

Suddenly a knock sounds at my door. I jump, instantly getting up. "Come in!"

A handmaiden opens the door and drops a curtsy, keeping her eyes on the floor. "Her majesty Queen Frigga requests your presence in the gardens."

...say what again?

Author's Note: Well, this should be interesting.

Thank you so much for reading!

Signing off, AuthorsDream.