The friendly girl with green eyes leads me away from Frigga and the others, taking me straight back into the elevator and using the controls to take us down to the ground level of the palace. I look over at her as we ride the elevator downwards. "So, you're Liv, right?"

She grins at me. "In the flesh!" Then her grin fades a little. "Sorry, that was inappropriate. Yes, I'm Liv. Victoria, correct?" she asks me. I grin back.

"Yes, that's my name, though you can call me Vikki if you like. And don't worry about it. That's actually a common saying on Ear-Midgard."

Liv gives me a curious look as we step out of the elevator and walk through the white stone area of the ground floor, headed for the wide open grand doors of the palace entrance. "Truly? How do you know?"

I blink, my face coloring. "Oh...um..." Great job, Vikki. Pay more attention to what you say next time. "Well, this may surprise you-" I pause again. "-actually, on second thought, it probably won't. I grew up on Midgard...this is my first visit to the Realm Eternal."

Liv halts abruptly, staring at me with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"

I nod rather hesitantly, and her eyes light up in another grin. "That's amazing!" she gushes, unconsciously starting to walk forward again. I smile a little uncertainly and follow, having expected disdain like I'd received from Eira and Malye.

"Well, not really-"

"You know, Asgard can get rather boring after awhile," she interrupts, apparently not realizing I had been trying to say something. I try not to laugh, and then I realize what she said. But she doesn't give me a chance to reply, seeming nearly ecstatic, to my astonishment. "I've always been fascinated with other cultures. Do you think, perhaps, you could tell me about Midgard sometime?"

She finally pauses long enough for me to get a word in edgewise. I shake my head, giving a very disbelieving laugh. "Asgard? Boring? Have you looked around lately?" I ask, gesturing to our magnificent surroundings. "Midgard is nowhere near as interesting as this beautiful place, but, sure. I'd love to tell you about it sometime." I smile at her. She mutters something under her breath as we step out of the palace and into the bright outer courtyard, then gives me another large grin.

"That would be wonderful!"

I take in my surroundings with as little gawking as possible as we cross the courtyard and walk through the massive gateway leading to the city, but I find it very difficult not to stare in awe at the amazing structures rising all around us. Liv hardly spares it all a glance, having grown up here, but I cannot focus on what she's trying to tell me about her interest in science and magic. Instead, I observe the beautifully dressed people, the strange buildings, and the interesting little habits of the people I notice that define the culture of the Asgardians. Liv maneuvers through the streets expertly, occasionally waving at a person or two that we pass. I try to take it all in, but it's impossible. There's too much to absorb in only one trip through the city. And we've barely traversed even a small part of the city-my previous trip through the city on the road from the Bifrost Bridge is enough to prove that.

After maybe ten minutes of travel through what appears to be the richest part of the city, I see a large, ornate building just ahead. It's made of a beautiful mixture of dark wood and the same white stone I saw on the ground level of the palace, with its own stables and courtyard. Liv pauses in her one-sided discussion to point it out. "There's your new home!"

I stumble and barely catch myself, gaping in astonishment at Liv. "What?! It's...huge!"

Liv laughs at my reaction. "Yes, it is! And you have your own room-we prepared it for you yesterday!" She starts lightly skipping, seeming more excited than I am. "I'm sure you'll love it!"

I look back and forth between what is apparently my new home, and Liv. "My own room?!"

Liv giggles again as we approach the gateway leading to the rather large courtyard of the home. "Yes. We all have our own rooms, and we are each allowed to decorate it to our own tastes." She opens the gates and skips up to the large oak doors of the huge home, grinning at me. Then she opens the doors with a flourish, giggling. "Welcome!"

My jaw practically hits the floor. The entryway is enormous, the ceiling seeming to be nearly a hundred feet above us. A beautiful chandelier hangs there, making me wonder just how much it would cost on Midgard. Before us, a ginormous stairwell similar to the one in the throne room of Asgard spills into the entryway, and two passages branch off to other parts of the home on either side of it. "Whoa...I mean, I know I keep saying that, but...whoa..."

Liv laughs and grabs my hand. "Whoa is accurate." She begins to pull me up the stairs. "And if you're going to live with me, you'll have to learn to keep up!"

I laugh too, allowing myself to get dragged up the stairs. "It appears so!" We reach the top in record time, and I barely have time to notice the large sitting room at the landing and a door leading to a library before she pulls me down the hallway to our right, passing several doors on both sides. At the fourth door on the left, she finally stops with a grin.

"This is yours," she says, opening the door and practically shoving me inside. I stumble through the opening, then stop and stare, my mouth wide open in shock. The walls are all paneled dark wood, and the floor has an enormous and beautiful rug lying on it. The bed is a four-poster, also of dark wood, set against the right wall with a lovely white nightstand on either side. A beautiful desk and chair are situated in front of a large window that lets light into the room, and also has a breathtaking view of the palace with mountains in the background. I am absolutely amazed at the beauty of the large room.

"This...all of this is for me?" I ask, my disbelief obvious in my voice. Liv giggles again, nodding.

"Of course! I know it looks rather bare, but that is because we don't know your preferences. You can change anything you like, and add as much as you like to the room. All you have to do is ask Lady-" Suddenly, Liv's eyes widen, and she gasps. "Oh, no! I forgot; I was supposed to take you to the Headmistress first!"

I blink, trying to take everything in. She wasn't kidding about learning to keep up, was she? "Uh...right. Um, should I set my stuff down?" I ask, holding up my dead phone and Apple Watch, earbuds, pocketknife, and change of Midgardian clothes I'd been wearing the day I was zapped up to Asgard.

"Oh, of course. Here, you can leave it on your bed. You'll be back here soon."

I nod, quickly doing as she said, and then she and I exit my new room. Looking at the doors lining the hallway on either side as we pass them, I look at Liv. "So, I take it all of you sleep up here as well?"

Liv nods, pausing to point out the doorways. "Yes, that one's Fluir's, then mine, Astra, Eira, Andromeda, Leyja, Noma, and Zora. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to come to me." She gives me a pleading look with her next statement, shoulders falling slightly as though carrying the weight of years of experience. "Please do knock first." Then her expression returns to her usual cheerful smile as she starts walking again, taking me down the stairs. As we go, I decide to ask her a question I've been thinking about since this morning.

"Do you know Eira very well?"

Liv's smile fades somewhat, replaced by a more serious expression. "I know her well, but I don't know how she feels about me."

I nod. "I don't think she likes me very much...though I'm not sure why. We've barely met. Is it because I was raised Midgardian?"

Liv thinks for a moment, brows furrowed as we descend the stairs and turn to the right, entering a wide walkway. "Perhaps...it could possibly be jealousy, knowing her." She sounds rather bitter. "But whatever the reason, don't let her disturb you. She is that way with everyone."

I nod as we reach the end of the hallway, having already passed entrances to what appeared to be a sitting room of sorts, and then an odd room that appears to be some sort of classroom. Liv opens the huge oak wood doors leading to yet another room, and I gasp when I see the interior.

It's a library.

Liv grins at me, her cheerful countenance restored. "You will simply adore our headmistress," she says in a hushed tone as we enter the large room full of books. It's around the same size as Tony's library back on Midgard, but the look and feel of it is completely different. Instead of the bright windows Tony seems so fond of, there are only a few in this room, giving a darker, cozy feel to the place. There is a large but dormant fireplace at the back of the room, with a seating area in front of it. Every wall is shelved with books of all shapes and sizes, and as though the walls could not contain the amount of literature the room has to offer, there are multiple shelves standing in the center of the room as well. I can't help but be delighted.

In the seating area, a woman who appears to be middle-aged is reading a scroll. She looks up as we approach, a calm smile on her face. I can see a sparkle in her eye that immediately draws me to her. I quickly curtsy, as does Liv.

"Hello, dear," she says kindly, standing and setting her scroll aside. "You needn't curtsy so deeply for me. I am Lady Dahlia, headmistress of this young ladies' home."

I rise from my curtsy, smiling back. Her kind gaze puts me at ease almost instantly. Liv stands quietly beside me, watching our exchange. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady. I am Victoria Benton...dottir."

Dahlia nods. "The Queen tells me you were raised on Midgard. Is this true?"

I don't feel that I'm being mocked, but a blush rises to my cheeks all the same. "Yes, it is. This is actually my first visit to my homeland." I never thought I'd say that...

A rather mischievous smile crosses the headmistress's lips. "Well then, I suppose we'll have to take advantage of that, won't we, Liv?"

Liv grins. "Yes, my lady."

I raise my eyebrows, wondering what I just got myself into. "I'm in for it, aren't I?"

Dahlia and Liv give me confused looks. "In for what?"

"Oh, ah...nevermind. It looks like I'm about to get a crash course in all things Asgardian, though."

Liv and Dahlia exchange another glance. "Ah...well, if you mean that you are about to learn what it means to be an Asgardian, then yes," Dahlia says. I blush again.

"Yes, that's what I meant. I apologize...Midgard has a lot of odd sayings..."

Dahlia smiles, looking like she's holding back a laugh. "Oh, it's alright, dear. We'll do our best to help you adjust to Asgardian life. Run along now, I believe Liv is going to show you around?" She looks expectantly at my new friend, who nods and takes my arm with another grin.

"Come, Vikki! There is so much to see!"

I allow myself to be pulled out of the library, giving a farewell nod and smile to Lady Dahlia. Then I turn my attention to Liv, and the prospect of exploring what I can of Asgard.

"Where to first?"

Author's Note: Hey! I just wanted to say how much I appreciate you guys. You all mean so much to me, and you have greatly encouraged me in my writing journey! I hope you know that even if you think no one else appreciates you, I do. Each and every single one of you has impacted my life in an incredible way, even if all you did was read a chapter. Because every time you read a chapter, you add to the "reads" on Timeless, and that in turn boosts my confidence in my writing abilities. And that has greatly changed my life. So if you're reading this right now, please know that you've made a difference in my life.

Thank you.

I love you all 3,000!

Signing off, AuthorsDream.