All rights to Joss Whedon and Marvel except the lovely Athadana and her story.

And so the story travels on...


Chapter I

Since the creation of the post, there has only been one Sorceress of Yggdrasil. Long ago, a woman was with child. Her husband had disappeared weeks before she discovered her baby, and she feared that without him, the child would be ridiculed for being fatherless. She was correct. Soon, as the people around the woman found that she was with child, they shunned her and forced her out of the village, for without a man, the woman was meaningless. That is after all, how it worked in many a situation in the realms.

The woman carried out her life in solitude, but she never felt truly alone, because she carried a small being in her womb. She lived in a small home on the edge of the great forest, where many dared not go to avoid the power held there. It was a lonely existence, but not an intolerable one. Just before the child's birth, however, the woman became gravely ill, and feared the fate of her child. Knowing that no god would help a fatherless child, she prayed to Yggdrasil, who answered her call, for a price.

In exchange for the mother's life, the child would live, but they would have to devote their entire life to the protection and preservation of the great tree. The mother agreed, and when the small girl was born, the mother passed on, leaving the child parentless, aside from Yggdrasil, who was to become the child's mentor and keeper. It was then that the job of Sorceress came to be.

The girl was named Athadana, after her great-grandmother, the tree told her. Athadana learned the art of sorcery from Yggdrasil, who also taught her many languages and magical works of all sorts. She learned about each of the nine worlds and traveled to all of them constantly, to keep up with each world's traditions and times. Many changes took place, many wars ravaged the worlds, and throughout it all, Athadana stayed by her keeper's side, spreading its wisdom and healing to those that it deemed worthy.

The legend that followed her was a great one, because the keeper of such a tree must be powerful. She made connections on every world, though not many knew her name, and she became a ghost within the walls, never showing her face to anyone but the ruler of each place, and only meeting during desperate times.

Over time, as the great tree aged, it became weaker, and the Sorceress had to heal its branches constantly. In this time of great desperation and uncertainty, she was captured and used by evil. this was an evil far greater than she had ever faced, and far more dangerous. The tasks she was given were difficult ones, that stole her energy and her pirde, leaving her only with the knowledge that Yggdrasil protected her every footstep. In the end, she had to face punishment for actions that were not entirely her own. However now the great tree needed her more than ever.

As the tree grows weaker, so do the bonds between the realms.

xJBLDx

When Athadana awoke, the pain was still there, although it had numbed to a dull throb. She blinked blearily and realized that she was lying on the floor in a bright room. She sat up, and rubbed the back of her neck, wondering where she was. She stretched and groaned with pleasure as she felt her back elongate and straighten.

She remembered then. Midgard would be her home for now, and luckily, she had visited recently, to make sure that the Silvertongue Prince did not try to hurt Yggdrasil. In the end it had been his lack of conviction that brought his defeat. She stood and wobbled on her feet for a moment, steadying herself on a chair that was beside her. She looked around the room that she had found herself in, it was furnished with antiques and old furniture of sorts, though she had seen older, and it seemed to be a parlor.

There was a couch with two chairs across from it and a coffee table in the middle, behind the couch was a hallway and Athadana walked to it, steadying herself on the furniture as she passed. She opened the door at the end of the hall to be greeted by crisp autumn air, afternoon sunlight, and a set of steps with an iron rail. She walked down them and turned to look down the street. New York City, a most conspicuous place, how interesting. She turned again to look at the building that she had ended up in. 344 West 22nd Street, a small plaque on the top of the mail slot said. Athadana smiled, it was a beautiful house, but this seemed like a lenient punishment for the Allfather to give.

Athadana shook off the confused feeling and went inside to explore the house that she had to live in for the time being. She discovered five bedrooms, all of which were furnished, but only two with clothing in the drawers. She picked the room with the better view of the street outside; it was the third door in on the hallway on the third floor. She traveled to the fourth floor next, and found that had been converted into what seemed to be half a workspace and half a studio. After passing back into her new bedroom to find something warmer to wear, she found the bathroom that was on the third floor and then walked downstairs, ending up in the entrance hallway again. Instead of turning left to go into the room that she had started out in, she turned right to find another sitting room with a baby grand piano in it. She ran her fingers over the keys, but did not play, as if the sound would ruin the perfect quietness of the house.

It took her nearly two hours to explore the entire house, in which she found a large kitchen and dining table, and a warm sunroom in the back to let in beautiful amounts of light. Being wary of the building, she inspected every inch, just to make sure that she found no trace that this was an illusion. She felt magic, but felt more clearly that it was Odin watching her, not a trick or illusion being casted.

She sighed and padded to the kitchen for a drink of water. She searched the cupboards for a glass and when she found one, she walked to the sink. After realizing that the knob that she turned caused hot water to come out of the faucet, she turned the opposite one and filled her glass with cool water. It slid down her dry throat, and she felt fresh again.

Athadana walked to the sitting room with the piano and sat down at the bench to look outside. She needed a library. She had kept up with events, not with science, books would help her try and understand the technology in this world. So, after changing into a pair of unexpectedly comfortable pants and boots, which felt very strange to her, but she had seen Midgardian women wear them, she set out to find a library.

xJBLDx

The books happened to be the best idea that she could come up with, however she could not take them home, for she had no identification card or a library card for that matter. So instead, Athadana decided to read what she could until the library closed for the night.

She learned about all kinds of machines that the Midgardians used, there were machines of washing and machines of drying and machines for washing dishes. Ovens that needed no manual labor to be lit and boxes to freeze or preserve things. Athadana was surprised by the cleverness of the Midgardians, for Yggdrasil had always told her that they were not the strongest race. As she read on, however, she realized that their minds were quite strong, though some people used that strength for different things. They were certainly very good at making things easier for themselves. They had utilities like this in several of the realms, but they usually involved magic, and the fact that Midgardians did not have that advantage made their inventions all the more remarkable.

The library closed and Athadana began the journey home, more informed than when she had left the house, and she walked home under the streetlights, avoiding alleyways and trying to memorize the route. When she arrived she opened the door, and realizing that she had not locked it, she searched for a key. She found two in a small basket that hung on the wall in the entrance hallway where she also found a note written on parchment.

The ink that covered the letter was red and Athadana almost believed it to be blood if not for the name at the bottom of the small page, the Allfather. She read the letter carefully.

Athadana of Yggdrasil,

Welcome to your place on Midgard, it is not the prison that you had expected, is it? This home will also house another prisoner, who is higher in class than you and is used to more comfortable living spaces. He will arrive soon. Remember that you are powerless and one word from me could get you killed. Play nice.

Sincerely,

King Odin and his councilors.

Athadana raised an eyebrow; she had never taken the Allfather as the kind of person to be sarcastic. In fact, she was shocked at how informal this letter was, and it seemed to be in the king's own writing, for she had seen his letters to Yggdrasil. After reading the letter over once more, Athadana decided not to be offended by his sarcastic tone, and instead wondered who the other unfortunate soul would be. If he was of a higher class, then there were only a few possibilities, since being Sorceress was a rather well adjusted job.

She pocketed one of the keys and left the other in the basket on the wall for the other person. Then, she turned and walked towards the kitchen, realizing how hungry she was. Athadana had not eaten in a long time; in fact, she could not remember when she had last had a decent meal that did not include her own flesh. Thanos was a sadistic fiend. She shivered and gagged just thinking about it.

She opened what she learned was called the refrigerator, and nearly shivered again as a wave of cool air hit her. There was plenty of food inside the box, and Athadana took out a small container with the word 'yogurt' written on its side. She peeled back the layer of what she assumed was some form of paper off of the top of the container and then searched the kitchen for a spoon, which seemed like the best utensil to eat the substance with. She looked at the packaging again before taking a spoonful of this vanilla 'yogurt,' luckily she enjoyed the taste of anything vanilla that they had given her once on Asgard on one of the many occasions that she dined in Valhalla. This 'yogurt' food was enjoyable, and before she looked down again, she was finished.

Athadana contemplated looking for more food, but decided against the idea when she heard her stomach churn. She would not be able to stomach a full meal after not eating for such a long time. So instead, Athadana put the spoon in the sink and the yogurt container on the counter next to it. She would wash them later. She moved into the room with the piano again, and ran her forefinger over the books that lined the walls, searching for something interesting or informative. She looked through several cookbooks, and then yawned and leaned back in her chair.

After a few moments she ventured upstairs, realizing how late it was, and padded into the bathroom. Luckily, she at least knew how to work a bathtub, so she ran herself a hot bath to clean herself off. She stripped off her clothes and folded them in a neat pile on the floor near the bottom of the tub. Before stepping in the water, she walked over to the sink to check and see what scents there were. There was a mirror that hung over the sink above the porcelain sink, and seeing herself made her want to break the damn mirror.

She was thin, you could see her ribs, and her face looked gaunt and paler than her dark skin usually was, her eyes sunken. Her lips were chapped; she noticed and wondered why she hadn't felt them before. She remembered the mark that Thanos said he had given her and she turned slowly, hoping that he was lying and that there was nothing there. There was.

It was like a vine, and it seemed to have thorns. It was raised a bit off of her skin, like a scar, but it was dark grey in color, like a tattoo. She wanted to test this curse, so she cast a healing charm on herself and screamed. The pain felt like Thanos' torture on one of the worse days, and it was horrible seeing the mark on her back grow and twist a little further. She did not remember ending up on the floor, but there she was, curled into a ball, naked on the cold tiles.

She shivered and stood up, limping over to the bathtub and setting herself into the now lukewarm water. It stifled the pain only a fraction. Before she realized it, there were tears running down her face and dripping into the water, they made the only sound in the room and she bathed slowly, running the cloth over her body as if she was a doll. She felt broken enough. She could see herself in the mirror that was across the room now and she hugged her knees to her chest. She wiped the silent tears from her eyes and stood from the bath tub. She limped to the mirror again looked her self, now healthier because of the spell, but scowling.

"Do not cry, Sorceress," she said, speaking at her reflection and raising her head a little higher. "You are strong, and this small pain will not damage you, you are the daughter of Yggdrasil, and you will not break, you will be a tree, and they will not cut you down."

With this she finished her bath and dressed in a nightgown for bed, since this was what she felt most comfortable in. And although her façade was strong and determined, nightmares plagued her in her sleep.

XJBLDx

When she awoke the next morning, the Sun was covered by clouds and it was raining. Athadana padded down the stairs in her sleepwear and into the kitchen for a small breakfast. She opened the cupboards and found a loaf of bread. She knew that many Midgardians ate toast in the mornings, so she put two slices in the toasting machine and waited for them to be done. She searched in the refrigerator for something to put over the toast and found, to her delight, strawberry jam, jumping when the toast suddenly sprang from the slots she had put them in.

She spread this on her newly golden toast and took a bite, savoring the familiar taste of the sweet jam. She sat at the counter and ate in silence as she watched the rain pour down outside. Perhaps she would go back to the library today, or maybe she would just stay home, the rain was rather heavy and she could hear thunder rumble in the distance.

There was a flash of lightning and a crash in the parlor and Athadana dropped her toast. She jumped out of her seat and tiptoed down the hall, turning into the doorway of the room that she had arrived in yesterday. There, on the floor, was a tangle of ropes and limbs and clothes and dark hair. The man did not make any move to signal that he knew that she was there so she inched closer, wondering why she held her breath or if she should have brought a weapon. She was close to him now, and by his lack of movement, she assumed that he was unconscious.

Athadana reached down and gently turned the man over to that she was looking at his thin face. She let out the breath that she had been holding in.

"Burdened with glorious purpose are we?" She whispered, staring iat the seemingly sleeping Lie-smith. She suddenly felt rather faint herself.

Ah yes, Loki Odinson, he was indeed higher than her and rank, and he was most certainly a criminal.