A/N: Hello everybody! Hope you all enjoyed a happy Easter this year. Here I am again and I bring a new chapter with me. I know it was a long wait and I apologise to everyone, but at least I'm back now. I hope this update cheers you up. It's kind of a filler, but it allows Jane's point of view to finally stand out which I think she earned with the Aether inside of her and all. So I'll shut up now and let you read. As always I sent out greetings to Libras' newest followers.

Thanks to all of you for still showing support. I'd be happy about a nice little comment or two.

The next day it was Asgard's sun that woke Jane from her sleep and not the familiar beep of her alarm clock. Her eye lids were still heavy from last night's wine and she buried her face into the furs and silk bed sheets with a sigh.

She opened her eyes and only slowly the last streaks of realisation hit her that she wasn't on Earth anymore. The excited hurry with which she jumped out of her bed reminded her of a child on Christmas and she felt relief that no one had been there to see it. She was not a morning person before her first sip of coffee of the day, but being in a new world apparently was enough for the moment to force her out of bed.

She made herself ready for the new day, carefully looking around the very impressive bathroom for any utensils she could use to wash herself and afterwards she made a mental note about asking someone for a hairdryer, or anything with the same function.

A look into the wardrobe left her almost as clueless. Frigga had given her a ton of beautiful dresses and she had promised to call her personal seamstresses to make more for her. The one Jane had worn for the banquet last night hang next to a collection of gowns made of deep blues, soft greens and silvery grey silk.

Even as a child Jane had never had those normal little girls' dreams of princesses and knights, but looking at her surroundings she had to say that it had a certain awesomeness to it. Perhaps less because it was a world out of a fairy tale storybook, or rather a book on Norse mythology, but more because she had never known that beauty such as that really did exist behind her charts and calculations.

And the view from her room was nothing less than breathtaking. For a moment she wished Erik would be with her so he could see the world he had known from his childhood stories. Asgard was real. Of course she had known that for much longer, superheroes with magical hammers and their mad sorcerer brothers didn't just pop up on Earth out of nowhere – well, not for most of the time - but still. Whatever doubts her sub-conscience may have had, it was all gone now.

She slipped quietly out of her room, curious to see if there would be anyone waiting outside her door, but the palace was surprisingly still. As she passed hallway after hallway, her feet carrying her through the yet unfamiliar place, she met only with a handful of servants. It seemed Asgardians were no early risers.

After about five minutes Jane had to admit to herself she was effectively lost, but did not stop walking. It was only when she found a balcony that she hesitated. Outside, her face like stone directed against the sun, was Fara. The Vanir still represented an enigma to her. Her character continued to be shrouded in mystery and Jane wondered what role she had played before Thor's banishment. The two women had never actually talked with each other, not in private.

She was uncertain whether she should proceed as the woman appeared so relaxed. She was dreading to disturb that peace, but then this might prove the only chance to really get acquainted with her. Careful not to make too much noise she stepped beside her, instantly warmed by the morning rays.

"Morning."

A second passed where Fara took a breath before opening her eyes. "Good morning." Her face was friendly and her voice calm, but the astrophysicist could have sworn the golden eyes that met her were blood-shot. The desire to slap herself tucked at the back of her mind. She felt as if she had stormed into the meditation session of a Buddhist monk.

"You're up early." She frowned. "Or at last I think it's early. I haven't managed to find a clock yet. This place is huge."

Fara had to smile at that, feeling her exhaustion pulling down her muscles. She had not slept well that night. "Indeed it is. I remember I needed a whole week until I could confidently find my way around when I first came."

"How old were you then?"

"Mhh, relative to human lifespan a little younger than you I should say.

"When you say 'relative to human lifespan', what do you mean? How old are you really?"

"Almost a thousand." She watched in amusement how the mortal's features lit up in excitement and her eyes beginning to sparkle. "But of course Vanir and Aesir have longer life spans than Midgardians."

"Wow." Jane had to swallow. "So Thor..."

"Thor is well over a millennium old."

"A millennium." The astrophysicist repeated in a low voice, her thoughts whirling around her mind.

Fara felt her own mood be lifted by the diversion the mortal woman posed. "Idunn's apples are what grant us such long lives. Has Thor never told you of them?"

"I think he mentioned one time being a lot older than me, but I'm afraid I didn't pay much attention to detail." She also remembered that conversation taking place on the roof of their old lab in New Mexico. That night he had told her of the wonders of his world, of Yggdrasil and the Nine Realms. But they had spent hours on that roof and eventually even her attention had been dulled by the ache of her tired eyes and the warm fire. Either way, his actual age came a bit as a shock to her.

"The things you could do in a thousand years." The places you could visit or the things you could learn. Jane saw the possibilities add up before her eyes until a pang at the bottom of her stomach reminded her she was no Aesir but human. With a bit of luck she could make another fifty to sixty years. Then a second pang reminded her of the Aether's presence within her. A few weeks were more like it.

Unnoticed by Jane, her expression had grown darker. Fara followed the woman's jaw tensing up and bit on her lip. "Are you scared?" Of course she knew what had caused the slight change.

Jane could have slapped herself in that moment. Her goal had been to learn more about the Vanir and instead the focus had shifted to herself and her lousy worries. She drew away her eyes, her gaze shifting over the landscape before them that was now covered in faint golden light.

Was she? Right then her head was almost bursting with new impressions and information about Asgard that there was barely time left to feel scared. She was a scientist; her hard training had taught her to keep a cool head in all situations. Her work came first and then her health, never the other way around. Of course she knew that was not the wisest of strategies, but that was who she was. Nothing and no one would be able to alter that stance over night.

"Let's say I haven't fully grasped it enough yet to be scared." She said in a dry tone.

Fara knew then why Thor had picked that woman. He could have chosen anyone from the goddesses in Asgard, yet he had lost his heart to that petite mortal. There was a silent courage within her, a certain authority that even Sif lacked. Something that encouraged instead of intimidating you. Something that gently evoked awe rather than demanding it. She was the queen to Thor's king.

They changed the topic after that, Jane finally thinking of things she could ask her. They both talked about their families and smiled understandingly as each related how her parents had died early.

The two women were actually not that different. Fara recognised a kind of stubbornness equal to her own in those brown eyes and Jane had to grin at the pathos that the seeress emitted when explaining to her the practice of magic. Magic and science were basically the same thing in Asgard.

"Your laws of physics apply everywhere in the Nine Worlds, but they can be manipulated. Gravity for example can be turned around or intensified by a hundredfold, just as you like." The Vanir's eyes sparkled as she demonstrated that manipulation when she conjured up a walnut and let it float an inch above her palm. When Jane later took it into her own hand she felt no less than the weight of an ordinary walnut.

It was then that Thor found them. "There you are." A grin illuminated his face. "Mother asks for your company after breakfast. Women's business she said." He stepped closer and with a tender motion drew Jane into a short kiss, almost appearing stiff before breaking away and taking a step or two back. The smile was still on his lips, but there was a sudden shadow in his eyes that started to alarm Fara, yet she could not read what it was. Jane did not show any notice of it, whether she had indeed realised the carefully hid coldness of his demeanour or not.

Thor began to lead the way. Jane had not taken one step when suddenly her vision turned a dark red, like a layer of blood covering the walls, the city, the sky and the faces of Fara and Thor. Sounds were muffled; shadows grew into large black spots – holes in the structure of her surroundings. She felt as if falling from a cliff, the way her stomach seemed to turn upside down, but a look down assured her of the strong marble floor beneath her feet.

"Jane?"

The red hue disappeared, the shadows retreated, the sensation in her stomach left her with the slight rising of bile in the back of her throat, but when she looked up again she was staring into the concerned faces of her companions. The colours were right, her feet steady on the ground.

"Jane, are you all right?" Thor was only inches in front of her and only then did she notice his hands on her upper arms, their grip tight but not hurting her.

"Yeah." She shook her head, realising it had been a bad idea when the taste of bile in her mouth only intensified. Jane hoped she would not get sick right there on the floor. "Yeah, I'm- I'm fine."

Thor did not seem convinced at all by the obvious lie. "Would you like me to accompany you back to your rooms?"

She declined, her tone to her regret sharper than she had intended. She just wanted to get on with the day. She knew her sudden harshness had stung him, could see the hurt in the god's eyes, but did not find the strength to apologise for the moment. Even she had no idea why she felt that way. Quickly she averted her gaze from his and tried to smile at Fara.

Silently they continued their way to the Queen's private chambers where a lavish breakfast awaited them.

The Vanir knew that saying anything then would not have lifted the tension and so she shortened her steps to fall a bit behind. Neither of them turned to her. When they reached Frigga's rooms she slipped through the door held open by a guard with a lowered head.

The Queen was already seated on the table's head, her regal form glowing amidst the small group of goddesses to both her sides. Only one equalled in her beauty and Fara could not help but feel a shudder at her sight.

Freyja was laughing when Fara stepped in as the last of the three. Someone had told a joke and now the goddess' lips opened to bell-like sounds, as light as the crystal-clear drops of rain in summer on the fields of Vanaheimr. That is what her laughter had always reminded Fara of, yet memory had over time dulled its beauty as well as that of its mistress.

Her hair, braided the evening before, now ran openly down her slender back in a waterfall of gold. Freyja was the sun and Fara a dark cloud that had been dismissed of the former's company, yet now dared to appear again next to her.

"Ah, here you are. I hope you do not mind if we all take breakfast together this morning." Frigga stood up from her chair and came to greet them with outstretched hands. Fara barely registered when she sank into a curtsey, her head remaining slightly lowered. She was aware of her former mistress' sight directed at her, piercing into her with cold intensity. She also knew that none of that ice would be discernible in the woman's fine features.

Except Thor there were no men present. Odin of course was too busy with affairs of state and Loki had, despite Frigga wishing otherwise, once again decided to remain absent. Fara did not know who to thank for it, but the tiny bit of relief it gave her felt soothing when she considered where and in whose company she was.

The astrophysicist's smiling eyes followed the conversation shyly as her hand lay in Thor's. The incident of earlier seemed forgotten.

Freyja's stare never left the seeress for more than a moment's time. But she never spoke to or of her, seemingly ignoring her presence. It was only when she caught Frigga once eyeing her with what she could only describe as pity that Fara knew Freyja's stare was not just a phantom of her own imagination.

"I have arranged for my personal seamstresses to attend to both of you afterwards. We cannot leave you without anything to wear and I'm sure you would like to choose your style of gowns according to your own preferences." Frigga smiled at Jane and Fara before giving them a wink.

"Thank you so much, but you really don't have to do this." Jane's courage only knew one barrier, it seemed, and that was Queen Frigga. Fara could hardly blame her and shared her awkward gratitude although she knew she deserved such generosity far less than the astrophysicist.

"That is so generous of you, your Majesty." Freyja exclaimed in a honey-sweet voice, her eyes meeting the other ladies' with raised brows. "They will be the flowers of Asgard." On the last bit she turned her head to Fara and all but directed her speech at her.

"They already are." Thor raised Jane's hand to his lips and placed a kiss on her knuckles, his smile somewhat crooked. He was not sure what to make of her words, as was the rest of the group.

Fara could not keep herself from wishing that the morning would soon come to an end. Her fingers were tense and it took her a moment to realise that she held them in fists underneath the table.

It was early afternoon when the seamstresses finally finished with their notes and measurements, leaving the queen alone with her two guests. The design patterns and sketches they had brought along were still lying on a table in the corner of the room and Fara gave a sympathetic smile to Jane when the mortal scientist let herself sink into a chair with a sigh. They had been standing for hours, much of the time with arms stretched out and different fabrics draped over their tense forms.

"Here in Asgard we often hold banquets and state dinners. Princesses and queens are of course expected to represent the realm's prosperity, even if it is through their wardrobe." Frigga spoke with a chuckle, though her eyes appeared tired. She was not a personality one should only judge by her looks, but she had encountered enough who did. She knew the difficulties women were still facing in Asgard.

Jane raised a brow at that. "I'm not a feminist, but that's not how any society should work."

"Women are regarded as men's equals in many aspects, but they have to prove themselves worthy of such responsibility. That is why Asgard's kings need strong women at their side, to be a symbol for others in the realm for unity and peace." Frigga's eyes turned to Fara and a shadow passed her features. "In the end however, the decisions are forged by men."

Jane watched that silent exchange curiously. "But why are you telling us this? We're no princesses of Asgard. Or are you...?" With a frown she stared at Fara. That might be the secret she was keeping secret with such fierceness. The seeress could not keep the laugh from escaping her lips at Jane's shocked expression and she firmly shook her head. Neither of the two noticed Frigga's eyes darkening.

"No you are no princess yet Jane, but Thor has made his intentions clear for everyone."

"Oh, err, so you mean he wants to marry me?" Her voice became almost a whisper at the end. Of course Jane had guessed relationships were handled the old-fashioned way in Asgard, but somehow the thought of actually marrying Thor had escaped her mind until that point. Her very human brain was suddenly flooded with a thousand different pictures and emotions.

She had never seen herself really as a wife or mother. Not that she disliked children, but marrying and creating a family had somehow never appeared on her list of goals. She was a workaholic, a coffee addict buried in stellar charts and diagrams – not the ideal recipe for an Asgardian lady.

And then came the question if she wanted to become Thor's wife at all. Yes, she had missed him terribly when he had left her without as much as an explanation and yes, she definitely had a major crush on him, so much that it made her feel like a teenager before her first date every time she saw him. But she was sure it was not enough to stand as a foundation for marriage. Perhaps if they could wait a few months until they knew each other better.

She felt odd, as if she could not think clearly anymore. Her logic seemed to have been left back on Earth.

Frigga sensed her inner chaos. "Of course you don't need to rush into things you feel uncomfortable with. Engagements in our world can last for many years."

"But that's what I don't have – years. For all we know I could be dead in a few days' time."

Fara felt oddly out of place, as if she was not supposed to listen to their conversation, but a look from the queen told her to stay in the room. Then the older woman walked towards Jane, her dress' train making her appear as if she were flying over the ground.

"Never doubt Thor. Never doubt any of my two boys. Many have done the mistake before and they all have paid for it."

"You still trust Loki?" Jane's breath caught in her lungs. "Even after all he's done?"

"I love my younger son as much as I love Thor." Frigga clutched her hands tightly. "But that does not mean I trust him blindly."

"Fair enough." Jane gave a sigh.

Fara too had stopped breathing. After Frigga had finished she released the air without making any sound, her lips drawn into a thin line. Outside the sun stood high above Asgard's mountain range.