It had been a year since Manhattan and Christie was Annerledes again.
She'd grown her hair out. Instead of the sweet shoulder length bob she once had, her wispy moonlight white locks now reached the bottom of her back. She tended to either have it plaited and tied into a high bun by the palace maids once a week, or she left it out out in a side parting when she couldn't be bothered. Most days she wore a long white dress that had delicate lace trimmings across her chest and back made of the finest silk. She both looked and felt more beautiful than she'd ever been before.
Ah, and who could forget the fact that she'd been promoted to a princess?
Well, the Royal Warrior Consultant / Palace Advisor.
Many Asgardians found Christie's sudden status elevation extremely unusual at first. To be fair, before the Manhattan incident, she was nothing but a Midgardian serving girl and nobody even knew her name. However on her return to Asgard, both Frigga and Odin had firmly insisted she be treated as royalty as thanks for saving their son; and word spread quickly around Agard. Of course, Christie accepted her new role without hesitation - anything was better than those kitchens. Speaking of kitchens, Jennie was back there by choice, but when she had a free hour she sat with Christie in her assigned boardroom and either assisted her with dealing with complaints from Asgardians, or she helped Christie assist the warriors with their next battle moves (particularly if Thor wasn't available).
Christie found it all an honour. She compared her position Yzma from Emperor's New Groove - that being one of her favourite films. She'd settled in well and honestly had no plans to return back to Earth anytime soon.
And as for Loki?
Christie hadn't spoken to him since that day of his 'exorcism'. She hadn't tried connected minds with him. She hadn't even visited him in the cells, as Odin strictly forbade it. Odin forbade anything that would give Loki happiness or comfort in fact. So Christie had to force herself fall out of love with him - and she silently swore to herself she would never love another again. It was the worst feeling she could've ever imagined, and her heart still ached at the thought of him being so close but so far.
The act of 'loving' took up far too much energy for liking, anyway. Emotions were to be controlled at all times.
So we join Christie a year on from Manhattan, where she'd slowly awoken on a pleasant morning. There were gentle gusts of winds in the air and not a single cloud in that beautiful blue sky. As soon as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes she bit down on her lip and stared out of her sweet bedroom window and over the town below, watching those huddles of happy families milling about in the cobbled streets she'd grown to love. Once again, as she did each morning, she squinted her eyes with the hopes of spotting Delilah or Renesme, still believing in her heart that they would one day return home.
But, as usual, she saw nobody - so she got up to prepare for the day.
Christie showered, brushed her teeth, slipped on her stunning dress and tied up her hair into her usual swirly bun, leaving some strands loose on either side of her face. She checked her reflection in the grand bronze framed mirror and sighed contentedly before leaving her quarters and gliding downstairs into the kitchens, where she knew that Jennie would be.
Jennie herself hadn't changed much in that year. Her deep mahogany locks were always plaited back and she was just as authoritative - but nowhere near as hot headed, which was a blessing.
This morning she was busying herself with pots and pans in the Palace Kitchens, as the hot steam clouded the atmosphere and the condensation dripped lazily down the walls whilst she worked. She briefly glanced up to see Christie leaning against the doorframe. "Oh! Annerledes, a little early for you," Jennie smirked, before turning her attention to a large pot of boiling water.
"Bizarre, right?" Christie yawned as she stepped into the kitchen.
"Utterly! How are you feeling this morning?" Jennie asked carefully, placing her ladle down on the countertop. Christie blinked her steely grey eyes at her innocent question.
"Ummm…fine…? Why?" she ended up frowning.
"Well it's been a year," Jennie murmured under her breath, picking the ladle back up and gently stirring the water.
"A whole year since…?" Christie persisted.
"Are you serious?" Jennie spun around and folded her arms, leaning back onto the counter behind her. "It a year today since Loki got arrested. A year today since you last spoke to him." She carefully lowered her voice. "A year since you did that little act of bringing him back to life?" Christie's heart begin to pound as her mind involuntarily flashed back to that time before she could stop it. Her surroundings began to blur into a mass of dull colours as she thought about Loki…his voice…his touch…his-
"Ah yes, how could I forget!" Christie cleared her throat loudly, giving a little shudder to snap herself out of it. "Well I still feel fine, thanks. In fact, I don't have any reason not to feel fine. Do you feel fine as it's been a year since you left Barton - the non reciprocated love of your life?" Jennie winced at the mere mention of his name and spun back around to face the now over-boiled water.
"Can you not?" she muttered as she turned down the fire intensity. Christie smiled smugly gave her a lighthearted shrug, having successfully swerved the conversation topic. "A whole year later and I still cannot believe that serpent Renesme did that to me!" Jennie spat in disgust.
"You can't? I can," Christie giggled, making her way to the pantry and pulling out a glass bottle of sweet berry juice. "She hated your guts by the end of that whole saga. They both did. I almost did, for goodness sake-"
"Yes, yes I know. Do you ever..." Jennie began - but then she gave a little shudder and stopped talking.
"Do I ever...what?" Christie frowned.
"Do you ever wish that we had stayed? I mean, Midgard…Earth…that was your home. Sometimes I forget that it was once mine too," Jennie mumbled quietly. Christie chewed the corner of her bottom lip as she thought about it. If she had stayed then she no doubt would've had a lot of fun missions with The Avengers, not to mention her sister was still down there, as was Tony who she trusted, as was Renesme and Delilah who had probably built their lives as S.H.I.E.L.D agents at this point.
However after Coulson's 'death', that being caused by Loki himself - from Christie's perspective, her mission was not yet finished and she was still willing to complete it, whatever that meant. Something within her hadn't yet found peace, and she didn't even want to think about returning home until it had.
"No," she finally answered, making Jennie's thick eyebrows shoot up in shock
"Really? I would've guessed otherwise! Ah Annerledes, ever the unpredictable," she grinned, shaking her head fondly. "Anyway, I must to get this breakfast done, the other serving girls have come down with some sort of illness so I'm on my own all mor-" Suddenly, Frigga bustled into the kitchens, wearing the most stunning long blue and gold embroidered dress. The gold looked as if it was liquid running through the seams.
But Frigga looked sad. She looked drained, and her face was full of nothing but sorrow.
"Morning my dears," she sighed sadly as she took the breakfast tray from Jennie with a small nod. "See you later." And with that, she swept straight back out of the kitchens before they could even respond. Christie let out a small hum once she'd gone.
"Where does she take that tray every morning? I know it's not for her, but I've always wondered," she murmured. Jennie turned around slowly, staring at her friend in complete disbelief.
"You mean all this time, you never knew?" she groaned with her hand clamped over her mouth. Christie shook her head quickly. "Annerledes…that tray is for Loki."
"I'm sorry - what?" Christie spluttered, placing her hands on the marble counter beside her to steady herself. "She's been visiting him this WHOLE TIME? FOR A YEAR?!" Jennie sighed pitifully and shook her head.
"I thought you knew this already," she muttered honestly.
"How was I meant to know that? I swear, nobody in this palace tells me anything," Christie hissed. She was starting to breathe quicker, and was now completely gripping the counter so hard that her knuckles flashed white. "I wonder if-"
"Oh for goodness sake Annerledes - don't even go there," Jennie shut her down with a roll of her eyes. "No, you can't go and see him."
"And why the hell not?"
"You know why! Odin forbade it! Even Frigga has to secretly visit, because if her own husband knew he'd go absolutely insane. You can give me that look all you like, Annerledes, but its true! Loki was nothing more than a no good cruel piece of scum and he's much better off where he's been confined," Jennie muttered furiously. "He got grace by avoiding the death penalty."
"Wow. Say how you feel, why don't you!" Christie muttered back. She let out a shaky breath and clicked her neck, then clicked her wrists by rolling them around, then her fingers, then-
"Annerledes, that's something you do when you're anxious. What are you anxious about? You've been doing it more and more these days," Jennie frowned, furrowing her dark eyebrows together.
"I…I don't know. Something is making me uneasy. Has been for a while now," Christie admitted with slightly flushed cheeks. Jennie froze and blinked at her.
"Something like…?"
"No idea. I just feel like something's gonna happen. Could just be paranoia," Christie tried waving it off.
"Or it's PTSD from your mind recognising the one year anniversary of it all. You struggled for a while after we landed, lest we forget. And you refused all healing help," Jennie pointed out quietly. Christie let out a little huff and shrugged, not wanting to get into it anymore. It just made her feel even worse.
"Maybe. Anyway - are you assisting me today?" she decided to ask instead, straightening herself up.
"If you want."
"I do want. Have you seen the list of people I'm meant to see? It's hell. There's a Madame…a Madame…Herja?" Christie hummed - which caused Jennie to accidentally drop one of the bowls so that it clattered onto the floor. Christie blinked at her in concern. "Are you-"
"Madame Herja's coming in?" Jennie spluttered as her face went pale.
"That's what I said, yes…" Christie frowned, bending over to pick up the bowl. "Why…? You know her?"
"Madame Herja is Sif's mother," Jennie answered quietly as she took the bowl from her. "She's one of the most powerful Seers on Asgard. She must have foreseen a new development on someone's destiny. I'm surprised she's requested an audience with you and not with Frigga-"
It dawned on Christie.
"I'm not surprised," she breathed shakily, causing Jennie to clamp her mouth shut. "She wants to see me because of who the development is about."
Brilliant.
…
Later that morning, Christie took a large breath in as she leant on the palm of her hand, swinging her slender legs over the arm of the throne-like chair that she was lazily draped over.
She looked just like Loki, actually.
She was only three consultations into her day and so far, all the complaints had been the same; inflation in The Market prices, Prince Loki deserves to go back to Midgard, Prince Loki needs the death penalty, blah blah BLAH.
It was all the same and it was exhausting.
This lady in particular was whining about the fact that Thor had promised to visit her daughter's school a 'long time ago' but had never shown up.
"So, let me get this straight," Jennie sighed from where she was sitting on a pile of pillows on the floor, surrounded by scattered writing pads and glorious glittering pens. She was the one responsible for taking notes, writing a compensation cheque, giving a prescription or writing a formal letter of apology under Christie's dictation, which she actually enjoyed. It gave her that sense of importance that she always so desperately craved. "You're genuinely upset that Thor was too busy to turn up to your daughter's school all that time ago?"
"A promise is a promise! My daughter was excited. I was hoping that he could at least state an apology or a reason as to why he let all of those poor children down, and the waiting list to see you was terribly long," the irritable lady said firmly, crossing her arms and looking mightily annoyed.
"I'm sorry ma'am - how long ago was this?" Christie swiftly interrupted with a risen hand.
"A little over a year ago or so," the lady huffed rudely. Christie rolled her eyes and closed them briefly whilst Jennie placed her pen between her teeth and amusedly watched on, already seeing where this was going.
"God help me," Christie muttered to herself. Then her eyes fluttered open again as if she had just woken up from a bizarre yet wonderful dream - and she plastered on the customer service voice. "Prince Thor couldn't showed up to your daughter's school because as he was helping to protect Earth from the madness of his brother and frankly, I'm somewhat glad he blew you out for that. Please do apologise to your daughter on my behalf for her disappointment - if, of course, she still cares. Which I presume…she does not." The lady went from looking irritable to clearly internally drowning in embarrassment. Jennie speedily ripped off a piece of paper, dipped her quill in a pot of thick blue ink and scribbled a quick formal letter of apology to pass over to the lady.
"Sorry for any inconvenience caused ma'am," she smiled falsely, sitting back in her beanbag as the lady huffed and stormed out, those large golden doors slamming behind her. Christie glanced over at Jennie, who swiftly caught her eye - and they both burst out laughing, the joyous sound echoing against the walls of the room. "What was that about?!" Jennie cracked up, wiping her eyes of stray tears.
"I don't know," Christie giggled, shaking her head. "But her attitude was atrocious."
"Utterly disgraceful!" Jennie smirked, ticking her off the register. "Oooh! Next is-"
The doors suddenly swung open bang in the middle of her sentence. In strode Madame Herja, Sif's mother. She wore the most beautiful black satin gown that billowed behind her as she swayed into the room. Her fingers were decorated with chunky rings and her pretty jet black curls bounced on her shoulders. She even held the same piercing unnerving glare as her daughter.
"Ladies," she breathed, revealing that raspy voice that sent immediate chills down both their spines.
"Madame," Jennie spoke quietly before gulping. "It's been a while."
"It has indeed. Sad to hear of darling Renesme's decision to stay back," Madame Herja spoke quietly, before her dazzling blue eyes darted over to Christie instead. "Lady Annerledes. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"And yourself," Christie nodded politely, sitting up straight. "How…how can I help?"
"There's been a development. A change in the winds, a sign in the waters," Madame Herja muttered as her eyes fell to the polished golden floors. She looked…just as sad as Frigga. "I had to come and alert you as soon as I could." Christie shifted in her seat nervously as her palms began to clam up.
"Why not The Queen?" she found herself asking.
"Frigga? She's as powerful as the rest of us. If anyone already knows what's due to happen, it's her," Madame Herja answered with a small fond smile.
That explained her sadness earlier.
"There is darkness. It's coming." Christie and Jennie exchanged worried looks.
"Darkness upon…?" Jennie prompted her anxiously.
"Everyone," Madame Herja murmured back. "And it all started with one man."
"Goodness me," Jennie groaned to herself. "Loki?"
"Who else?" Madame Herja muttered back to her coldly, although her eyes were still trained on Christie. "Lady Annerledes, darkness is coming to Asgard, then Midgard, then all nine realms." Jennie and Christie blinked at each other again before staring back at her.
"What do you mean? What kind of-"
"Your lover, Prince Loki - his actions and the deals he made with darkness sparked off a chain reaction," Madame Herja breathed. "Now it can't stop. Once you help save Asgard again, if successful - your fight doesn't end there. You must go home to Midgard, no matter how hurt you'll be. Your purpose hasn't come into fruition yet-"
"Hurt?" Christie repeated shakily. "Why would I-"
"Her purpose?" Jennie gulped.
"I cannot say anymore," Madame Herja cut her off firmly. "Annerledes - you must sacrifice. Love requires sacrifice-"
"Love?" Christie let out a small chuckle. "No, Madame Herja - I'm no longer in love-"
"You will always be in love. The bond you've made with Prince Loki will be both a blessing a curse for the rest of your life - but that's all down to perspective. Now, all he does shall affect you too," Madame Herja interrupted her sharply, not blinking once. Christie's breath suddenly hitched in her throat, her heart started to race and tears sprung in her eyes and her stomach began to heave. This was a pending panic attack - but she didn't understand why.
"I shan't panic you anymore, Lady Annerledes. But your fight is not over. Loki's actions will have a lifelong impact - but you must be strong through it all."