Mr. Jarvis had said she was not allowed to enter Howard's laboratory, but other than that, Sigyn was free to explore the mansion, so she did. Almost everything she saw seemed… odd to her. Also, the women she had seen here yesterday were now nowhere to be seen. When she entered the courtyard with the pool, she found Mr. Jarvis trying to lift a metal bar with two discs attached to either end. He grunted loudly, so Sigyn assumed he was struggling to pick it up, and ran up to him to help. He was already holding the thing above his head by the time she reached him.

"Mr. Jarvis, let me help you!"

"No need for that, Lady Sigyn," he said, and dropped the bar.

"What are you doing? And what happened to your clothes?" He had been dressed like those half-naked women.

"Nothing happened to my clothes. This is my athletic wear. Do Asgardians not have a regimen of physical fitness routine?"

"We usually train with weapons. Not with these…"

"Barbells. I heartily recommend them for an effective strength training."

"Barbells," she repeated, looking around, and spotted a weapons rack on her left. Finally, something familiar… There were staffs, and rapiers. She grabbed one of the latter.

"Are you a swordsman, too?" she asked, surprised.

"I'm a fencer. Before you ask, fencing is a gentleman's pursuit, and my hobby."

"I have a friend who prefers rapiers, Fandral. In some ways, Howard reminds me of him, actually."

"Really?"

"Yes. Only, Fandral is a great warrior, and has the grace to stay away from married women, at least… You seem like an honorable man, Mr. Jarvis. Like someone who wouldn't approve of things Howard do. Why did you choose to serve him?"

"I owe him a debt."

"What sort of debt?"

"A debt of gratitude. Perhaps one they I'll tell you all about it."

"If Howard Stark was able to evoke gratitude in someone like you, I'm sure that's a fascinating story."

He smiled, but made no reply.

"What is it, Mr. Jarvis?"

"Nothing, my lady. It's just… I have a feeling that your story with Mr. Stark will turn out to be even more fascinating than mine."

…

The next day, Mr. Jarvis took her to a hangar, a place where Howard apparently kept his vehicles. Sigyn had assumed they would travel by land, and was quite astonished to see that mortals, too, now had flying ships. They seemed so primitive, though. When she shared her concerns with Mr. Jarvis, he said these were the safest planes in the world, for they had been designed by Howard Stark himself. She wasn't sure if that was supposed to make her feel better.

They were also slow. Mr. Jarvis had said the journey would take approximately 12 hours. I should have brought a ship from Asgard, she thought, but there wasn't much she could do about it now, so she decided to while away this journey by studying a map of Midgard Mr. Jarvis had provided her with. Before coming here, she had thought Heimdall had taught her everything she needed to know about this realm. She couldn't have been more wrong. She studied the borders, the names of the countries and cities. She knew her mother's village, Tonsberg, was in a country named Norway, but there were so many others. Mr. Jarvis was happy to answer any questions she had, but even he didn't seem to know why mortals drew so many borders and had so many rulers. In other realms, everyone was content to be ruled by one king or queen. Midgard, on the other hand, was much more diverse than she had thought. Soon, she decided that she actually liked this. In Midgard, anyone could find a place where they could fit in. It had to be good to have options.

Once their plane landed—there was another hangar that belonged to Howard in New York—she followed Mr. Jarvis into a car, and they went to another big house. Sigyn didn't know what was so great about this city, but most buildings were taller than the ones in Los Angeles and more importantly, the cooler climate was a welcome change.

"My wife is most eager to meet you," he suddenly said as they climbed out of the vehicle.

"Your wife? I didn't know you were married, Mr. Jarvis."

"Edwin!" A red-haired radiant woman in a flower dress opened the front door. "Welcome home!"

"Hello, darling. You look gorgeous, as always."

"Thank you!"

They shared a passionate kiss, and in that brief moment, Sigyn concluded even a blind man could see how deeply they were in love. She thought of Loki. Was he still angry with her?

They turned to her. "Ana, this is Lady Sigyn of Asgard. Lady Sigyn, this my wife, Ana."

"Hello," Ana said and flung her arms around Sigyn. Not knowing what else to do, Sigyn hugged her back. Mr. Jarvis shot her an apologetic look, but Sigyn smiled to let him know that it was alright. In fact, Ana was the friendliest mortal she had met so far. Sigyn just had been caught unprepared.

Ana released her, and studied her from head to toe. "You're not what I imagined!"

"What did you imagine?"

"I don't know, someone with antennas and webbed hands, perhaps. Edwin said you came from space!"

"Well, I'm an Asgardian. But there are creatures who fit that description in other parts of the universe."

"Oh, you must have had so many adventures! I can't wait to hear all of them… Come inside, you two must be starving." She led them into a dining room, and as soon as they sat down at the table, started serving food. The smell of beef filled the air quickly.

"What is this? It smells delicious."

"Goulash," Mr. Jarvis explained. "It's a traditional Hungarian dish. Ana is Hungarian."

"Hungary," Sigyn recalled. "It's in Europe, right?"

"You're a quick study, Lady Sigyn."

"So, you're from Hungary. And you're from England… How did you two meet?"

The husband and wife looked at each other and smiled. "Why do you think Edwin is so loyal to Mr. Stark?" Ana asked.

"Does this have anything to do with that fascinating story about your debt of gratitude to Howard, Mr. Jarvis?"

"It does, indeed," he replied, but clearly it was all he was going to tell her.

Sigyn took a spoonful of goulash into her mouth, and decided that it tasted as good as it smelled. In the meantime, Ana had started asking her husband questions about Howard's business. Sigyn decided to pay more attention to their conversation so that she could learn even more about Midgard. Soon, she found out Howard preferred to live in New York, but had been in Los Angeles for an important event called "the Academy Awards," and was expected to give a presentation in Washington DC after that.

Then Mr. Jarvis asked Ana how she had been doing during his absence. Sigyn learned that Ana loved cooking, taking care of their pet dog, Benny, and had recently started taking classes in sculpting.

"Are you an artist?" Sigyn asked, intrigued. After warriors, artists were the second most respected group in Asgard.

"I like being creative," Ana replied. "Be it drawing, painting, sculpting, cooking, sewing, or knitting. I used to work in a tailor shop in Hungary."

"Which is most fortunate, because Mr. Stark and Miss Carter say Lady Sigyn will need a less conspicuous wardrobe," Mr. Jarvis broke in.

"Is my armor too conspicuous? I thought mortals wore armor."

"Well, not anymore."

"No need to trouble your wife, Mr. Jarvis," she said, and in a flash of green light, she turned her armor into one of the dresses she had seen on mortal women.

Ana squealed cheerfully, and clapped her hands. "Oh, that's wonderful! Can you teach me how to do that?"

She decided to be honest with her. "I'd love to, but this spell requires at least three decades of practice."

"I see," she huffed, but much to Sigyn's relief, she didn't seem too disappointed.

"Besides, it's not like I can conjure new clothes out of thin air. This is merely an illusion; it is still my armor."

"What about your sword?" Mr. Jarvis asked. "Perhaps you could make it look like an umbrella? And your shield a purse?"

"That's not necessary. Every sorcerer and sorceress has a personal pocket dimension to hide their belongings. I can hide my sword and shield there and summon them immediately when needed."

"Delightful," Mr. Jarvis said with relief, as if he had just resolved a troublesome matter.

"Still, you're going to need an actual wardrobe," Ana insisted. "This is going to be so much fun!"

Sigyn concluded that Ana Jarvis didn't want to miss any opportunity to get creative, and thanked her politely. After dinner, Ana showed Sigyn to the room where she would be staying. Sigyn still had so many questions, but decided to give this newly reunited couple some privacy. She changed into a nightgown and slipped into the bed, but sleep didn't come easily. She spent most of the night lying awake.

Her third night in Midgard. It would get easier, she knew. But right now, she missed her sister, father, friends, and Queen Frigga terribly. But most of all, she missed Loki.

…

Mr. Jarvis was quite busy, so now it was up to his wife to educate her in the Midgardian ways and help her adapt. The two women quickly warmed up to each other. The Jarvises' puppy, Benny, seemed to like Sigyn as well. She loved watching Ana train him. This morning, for example, Ana was trying to teach him to play fetch in the garden.

"Good boy!" Ana exclaimed when the little beast finally took the stick she had thrown at him and brought it back.

Sigyn chuckled. "He's adorable. Does his name have meaning?" It wasn't uncommon in Asgard to give pets and mounts names, but those names usually had a significance.

"We named him for Benny Goodman."

"Benny Goodman? The musician?" she recalled. The Jarvises listened to his radio show every evening. Sigyn had no idea why mortals loved sitting in front of a box and listen to strangers they couldn't even see, but it was one of their favorite activities.

Ana tossed the stick again. Benny went after it. "He's a Bernese mountain dog. Edwin had promised me to get one after…" her voice suddenly trailed off.

"After what?"

"After I got shot."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I had no idea. Was it an accident?" Sigyn knew that being shot wasn't a pleasant experience.

"No, it wasn't. It's alright, I'm fully recovered now. But Edwin…" She took the stick Benny had fetched. "Edwin was so scared for me. I think he still hasn't forgiven himself for what happened."

Sigyn decided not to ask her what had happened. "He loves you," she reminded her instead.

"Has he told you how we met?"

"No, but I know Howard was somehow involved."

"We met in Budapest. Edwin was serving under a general in the British Armed Forces, and as you know, I was working in a hotel tailor shop. One day I sold him a tie, and we were in love before we knew it. But then the war broke out, and Hungary allied with the Nazis. And they… Let's just say they didn't approve of my kind."

"Your kind? Aren't you a mortal, like everyone else here?"

"I'm Jewish."

"What does that mean?"

She thought for a moment, then said, "Judaism is a different religion…"

"So, they wanted to kill you because you worship a different deity?" she asked in horror.

"I wouldn't say a different deity, but… Look, it's not just about religion. I honestly don't know how to explain it to someone like you, I'm sorry."

"No, I think I understand. They didn't tolerate difference. Believe me, it's something they have in common with Asgardians. When I first came here, I thought it was a good sign that you had more diversity than we did, but perhaps I was too optimistic. Anyway, what happened to you and Mr. Jarvis?"

"The general Edwin served could have granted me safe passage out of the country, but he refused. So, Edwin forged his signature. The general found out, of course, and if it hadn't been for Mr. Stark, Edwin would've been executed for treason. Even Mr. Stark couldn't do anything about the dishonorable discharge, though. But he hired Edwin as his butler, and here we are."

"So, Howard saved your lives. Why? What did he want from you in return?"

The question seemed to have confused her. "Nothing. He did it because Edwin was his friend. So, how did you and your husband meet? His name was Loki, right?"

"We didn't meet. We grew up together."

"Oh, that must have been so romantic!"

"Ana!" a familiar voice interrupted them.

Ana smiled when she saw Peggy. "Peggy! It's so good to see you here!"

The two women hugged each other. Then Benny jumped on Peggy to greet her. She went down to one knee and scratched his ears while her eyes darted between Ana and Sigyn. "Mr. Jarvis says you two have been getting along well…"

"It's not everyday you get to enjoy the company of an alien. Would you like to come inside? I'll make tea, and—"

"Thank you, dear, but no. I came here for Sigyn. I'm going to take her to SHIELD."

"Duty calls, I believe," Sigyn sighed, and followed Peggy into her car.

The SHIELD facility was disguised as the building of a telephone company. Peggy said it used to be an SSR office in the past. They went through many doors, and finally came to some kind of vault. The Tesseract was being kept there, behind a glass wall.

"There it is. Are you satisfied now?"

"How many people have access to this vault?"

"This place is a Level 10, which means Howard, Colonel Philips and I are the only ones who have access."

"What about me? Do I have a… Level 10 as well?"

Peggy laughed. "What? No."

"You still think I'm your enemy, don't you?"

"Sigyn, if we thought you were enemy, we would've never left you alone with the Jarvises. But we're not going to give you access to every bit of highly classified information just because you came from above either."

"Fair enough."

"Still, we could use your expertise."

"What does that mean?"

"That means you'll be our first consultant. What do you say?"

Sigyn thought for a moment. She had come here to guard the Tesseract, but apparently, it wasn't going anywhere. The vault seemed impenetrable. And she had always wanted her mother's people to become more advanced. If she agreed to help them, then yes, this could be her life's purpose.

"I say yes."

"Great! Now, come. There's something I'd like to show you."

Peggy took her into another vault on the same underground floor. This one was much bigger though, and occupied with rows of tall shelves that stretched to the ceiling. Wooden crates filled these shelves, crates with numbers that didn't mean anything to Sigyn.

"The Tesseract wasn't the only alien artifact HYDRA experimented with. There were others they tried to weaponize, though with limited success. There's one in particular I'd like to show you. HYDRA called it the Obelisk. Howard was never able to figure out what it did. Perhaps you can tell us."

She stopped before a shelf, and opened one of the crates. Sigyn leaned closer to take a look.

"I wouldn't touch it if I were you," Peggy warned her. "It kills everyone who touches it. Petrifies, to be more specific."

"Petrifies? Strange…" Sigyn mumbled, looking at the small, metallic item.

"Do you know what it is?"

"Sadly, no. But the craftsmanship seems somewhat familiar."

"Could it be a weapon?"

"I'm not sure." She extended her hand above the Obelisk.

"What are you doing?" Peggy asked warily.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to touch it." This thing didn't look like a weapon. If she had to guess, she would say it was a case, and it only petrified people to protect something valuable within it. She decided to see if she could deceive it by sending "friendly" energy waves and see what was inside.

But the energy waves she sent revealed some carvings she hadn't seen in a while. Disgusted, she withdrew her hand and backed away. So, that was why the craftsmanship seemed familiar…

"Sigyn?"

"That thing is of Kree origin!" she snarled.

"Kree? What's Kree?"

"A race of cunning, ruthless, barbaric warriors. They pretend to be civilized now, but Asgard remembers what they truly are."

Peggy raised her eyebrows questioningly, but seemed to have understood the gravity of the threat. "So, what does it do?"

"I don't know, and if we're lucky, we'll never have to find out."

"Is it already 'we' now?"

Signy sighed. She hadn't told them she was half-mortal. And she probably never would. She was scared of their reaction, to be honest. But then, they would never believe her concerns for this realm to be genuine unless she told them she had roots here, too.

"Where do these… Kree reside? Are they a part of the Nine Realms?"

"Fortunately, no. They're very far from here."

"And yet, they must have been here. Why?"

"Look, Peggy, there're some… rumors, alright? These are not formally acknowledged facts, but everyone knows there is some truth to them."

"Rumors of what? An invasion?"

"Something far more disturbing. Experiments."

"Experiments?"

"Rumor has it a certain faction of Kree experimented on different species in many worlds. Yours was one of them."

"Why would they experiment on people?"

"To create soldiers with terrible powers, soldiers who would do their dirty work for them. Their government still denies it, of course, but they cannot rewrite the history."

"What kind of powers?"

"I don't know. Brute strength, elemental manipulation, invisibility, flight… The possibilities are endless."

"When was this?"

"The experiments? Thousands of years ago, long before I was born."

"So, even if they had succeeded, those enhanced humans are long gone by now. We have nothing to worry about."

"Their descendants might still be among us."

Peggy nodded gravely. "Genetic engineering… If their DNA had been altered, then you might be right."

"Perhaps we can find out," Sigyn suggested.

"How?"

"I can ask Heimdall."

"Alright. Speaking of, what are your means of communication with your handlers in Asgard?"

Sigyn chuckled. Handlers? And Howard thought Sigyn was the one needed to work on her vocabulary… "I don't have any handlers, Peggy. Heimdall is our Gatekeeper. He has a unique gift; he can see every single soul, animal and plant in the Nine Realms. Nothing escapes his gaze. And my means of communication is… magic."

Peggy shook her head. "Magic? Why am I not surprised?"

"You still don't trust me. Allow me to show you."

She cast a projection spell. A projection of Heimdall appeared right before her, and she knew a projection of herself had appeared at his observatory in Asgard.

"Good day, Heimdall. How fares Asgard?"

"Be careful, my lady."

"Excuse me?"

"You're there as the guardian of the Tesseract, not as a consultant of SHIELD."

"I have not forgotten my duties, Heimdall. But I can help these people understand—"

"I will not tell you what you wish to know. It is something the mortals must discover themselves."

"But they're—"

"Find Howard Stark, and ask him what sort of experiments he is planning to conduct on the cube. That is the only duty the Allfather expects from you. And you cannot tell every mortal you meet who you truly are. Farewell, Lady Sigyn."

His projection disappeared. Sigyn turned to Peggy, who had been watching her with her mouth agape. Only then, she realized how unusual this must have been for a mortal.

"I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

"I am. It's just… It wasn't what I expected."

"I understand."

"Look, you don't have to be a consultant if it's going to get you into trouble. You say you don't have any handlers, but obviously there're people you answer to." Suddenly, Peggy had become much more… sympathetic.

"It's alright. I'm honored to be a consultant of SHIELD." Heimdall hadn't seemed very happy about it, but he hadn't exactly forbidden it either. "When will Howard return?"

"Tomorrow. Come, it looks like we're going to have to forge you an identity."