Feet spread apart to shoulder width. Check the arrow—straight. Nock the back. Pull the sinew. Now, take a breath.

The practice field was busier than usual, filled with recent soldier graduates who wished to join the ranks that would be changed tomorrow. It was their time, as it once was mine. I used their fading voices to gauge the wind's direction and strength as it carried their words to my ears. Because my time as a minor officer on New Asgard was spent mostly developing programs for defense strategies, it had been too long since I took up archery. I felt like a young child at play.

Like Father taught me, I gave all my anxiety, frustration, and tension to the arrow and sent it downfield. It whizzed forward, cutting the air cleanly, perfectly aligned with the center of my target.

Yet a competing shot knocked it off-course at the very end, sending it to the ground in an anti-climactic clack.

"You can beat me at daggers and magic, Lokison, but you will never land an arrow like I can." Ragfrieda, youngest daughter of Heimdall himself, walked to my right side with her bow still in formation. Not a moment later, she sent another downfield and landed it where mine had been headed.

"Shit, Riggs. You could at least warn me when you're about to ruin my record for the day." I smiled at her with the side of my face, trying to avoid showing her the heat rising in my cheeks.

She rolled her golden eyes, but satisfaction painted her expression, not annoyance. The deep ebony of her skin juxtaposed the light blue of New Asgard's clear sky, making her shine. Her hair, always done in what looked like thousands of tiny plaits, was tied in a bundle on top of her head with an ornate mustard yellow scarf, matching her armor's colored bits. She adjusted the yellow-gold breastplate of her armor and took another arrow from the quiver slung across her back. "Why would I do that? Did you bet with Astrid that you'd make that last shot?"

"No. I know better than to bet with her. She cheats." I winked at Riggs and took up another arrow of my own. She was right about her skills, of course, but that wasn't an excuse for me to slack with practice. "Can't blame me for wanting this last session of the training season to be fairly clean. Uncle Thor might be using it to decide which rank I've risen to, you know."

"Right. As if your destiny hadn't already been decided for you long before you came here today." Riggs shot two more arrows at the same time, parallel on her bow, showing off yet again.

"I heard my name," Astrid said. She strolled toward us with her head high, cocking a brow with the same attitude as her simper. The cut of her short auburn hair wasn't too different from mine, only her choice to keep it short was a matter of style and not a social statement. Unlike Riggs, she didn't bother with gussying up for attention and focused on performance whenever her feet touched the practice field. "Come on, spit it out. Why do my ears itch?"

"Lokison's upset that I killed one of his arrows," Riggs said, dragging her finger down her cheek to mimic a tear.

"And that's my fault somehow?" Astrid clicked her tongue and whispered something to Riggs. Despite us all being firmly in adulthood, the two of them never quite grew out of quiet gossip.

I shook my hair from my face, aiming once again. "I'm determined to finish this season with a victory."

"Oo, don't mess up," Astrid said, crouching over my right shoulder.

"Better concentrate, Lokison," said Riggs.

A waft of her pleasant soap came over me. I smiled quietly and used their tease to my advantage. Wind's that direction now. Better shift the angle.

Astrid started clicking her tongue again like a clock, which only made Riggs do the same.

Enough games. I blocked them from my ears by thinking about a waterfall and shot the arrow with precision. The tip kissed the edge of the center point, which was good enough for me.

"Bravo, bravo," Riggs said, clapping half-heartedly.

"I'll have you know that anyone else would struggle the same way if they had armor as heavy as mine." I knocked on my chest, letting it ring. "I have no regrets."

"Fair enough," Astrid said, patting her entirely leather ensemble. "I don't know what the plans are for you tomorrow, but you certainly look like a captain already, Vali." She tipped her head toward me, respectfully acknowledging my efforts.

"You think so?" I quieted my voice to keep the younger soldiers from eavesdropping. "I admit, I'm hoping this is my year for it. Eight years of service since my endowment...it's high time I had a bit more authority, all things considered."

"Well, we'll find out tomorrow, won't we?" Riggs opted not to best my final shot and mercifully proceeded downfield to retrieve her arrows.

Astrid patted my arm with the back of her hand. "So—how long are you planning to wait now?"

I furrowed my brow. "Excuse me?"

Her peachy complexion was deceptively innocent—the impishness of her freckles gave her nature away. "You waited too long last time and lost your shot. Do you really intend to do that again?"

"Waited too long for what?"

She sighed with a groan and came closer. "To make your move on Ragfrieda, you idiot."

My heart jumped. "What? I mean..." I snapped my face toward Riggs on the field, though she was definitely too far away to overhear. "Shit. Are you serious? She's...you know..."

"Available? Eligible? Unattached? Uncommitted? Free? Single? Use whatever word you like."

I peered over my shoulder again. "But...what happened to Jacob?"

"Who cares? The point is, you have a small window. Why not open it, hmm? Might be your last chance. G'day, Vali." Astrid winked and walked past me toward the palace as if she hadn't stopped to chat with us at all.

Whatever confidence I gained by my good shot with the arrow had quickly disappeared. It lingered in the space between Riggs and me, grasping for a chance to hold her close and reveal the many years I dreamt of her...

I shook my head quickly. Not here. Not now. It wasn't appropriate to proposition her in such a public place, and I wasn't ready to let down my own guard. She deserved a more well-thought out confession than the whirlwind of history running through my mind, from the first time she touched my hand with tenderness after a loss, or when we learned to dance and she fell against my chest. There was never a right time to tell her; her fair share of suitors—all good men who had no lack of honor and, therefore, no reason for my disapproval except for the fact that they had her affection and I didn't—kept me from the action that Astrid teased me for. Was my admiration common knowledge? Jealousy was unbecoming on anyone, so I buried mine in a few love affairs that never lasted longer than a year. No matter how wrapped up I was in someone else, the fair daughter of Heimdall triumphed over every one.

Riggs returned to my position on the field and passed me a handful of arrows, having graciously retrieved mine without asking. "Five shots and a single hit on the bull's eye. Twenty percent not terrible for being out of practice."

"It's dismal. I'm glad destruction from a distance isn't the skill expected of me." I deliberately avoided touching her skin when taking them, afraid she'd read my mind and heart without trying.

She organized the different colored fletchings in her quiver without looking at me. "Are you still going to Narvlheim tonight?"

"Aye. Father wants to ensure I'm on time and won't make a fool of myself. I suppose the pressure of sleeping under his roof will mean I won't have a chance to sleep in."

"My father says the same. So much pressure." She slung her weapons across her back. "I'll walk with you to the Bifrost if you like."

Every opportunity to spend time with her alone sent bouncing fear all through my gut, and this was amplified with my newfound knowledge. I'd have to extend my thanks to our mutual friend if I finally obtained the gumption to do as she suggested and make a move. If.

I extended my arm toward the field gate. "Please do."

"So stuffy, Lokison." Riggs strutted past, snaking her hips in a manner that felt deliberate, if only because she hadn't retrieved her arrows the same way.

"Stuffy. Proper. Polite. What's the difference?" I swallowed hard and fought to keep my focus on the back of her head and none of her lush curves. Now that Astrid put the idea at the forefront of my mind, my tongue felt unbridled and at risk of spilling truths before I was ready. Least I could do was pretend a bit longer.

We had to pass through the main palace on our way to the Bifrost, which always felt a bit like traveling back in time compared to the rest of New Asgard. Humans held on to their culture by sharing their most advanced technologies, though they sacrificed anything that wasn't sustainable. Old materials that poisoned the uninhabitable places of the realm were outlawed and remembered only as cautionary evidence to treat the world better. Metal and glass could be melted and re-used; water and wind would spread power through the masses. Bright lights in the streets and steady infrastructure kept everyone safe. But New Asgard's palace was built like the old one, lit with torches and candles in cold marble walls; at least, that's what Father told me it was modeled after. I could hardly remember the first time I'd seen the old Asgard before it crumbled to dust and changed all our lives.

The usable land of Earth, formerly Midgard, was small enough that everyone knew each other and communication across distance was somewhat a thing of the past. King Thor stressed a need for the people to connect on a personal level that required physical presence. Therefore, the old magic Vanir called conduction was a skill that all but disappeared, along with the human gadgets called telephones. While Heimdall and his seer kin maintained the ability to oversee all life in Yggdrasil, the new Bifrost was truly a bridge for all people, as it was intended to be in ages past.

Riggs and I both gave pleasantries to the workers on our way. The doors were in sight. Still, I took a moment to smile and acknowledge another young squire headed the opposite direction. "G'day Wallace. Do you remember me?"

"Of course I do, Sir," he said, snapping his ankles together and bowing sharply. "How may I help you, Lord Vali?"

I laughed. "Oh, stop that. Tell me, how old are you now? Enough to join the ranks yet?"

He nodded with an excited bounce of his head and shoulders. "Mmhmm. I mean, yes, Sir. This is my year, Sir."

"Please. Call me Vali only." I stepped back for him to acknowledge Riggs; they nodded toward one another. "I suspect we'll see you tomorrow as the ranks are called, yes?"

"Indeed." His closed-lip smile was restrained and nearly giddy. It suited the way he sheepishly looked at the floor as he walked away.

"You're doing that thing again," Riggs whispered.

"Doing what?"

"You're introducing yourself to people like they don't know who you are." She stood in place while I opened the palace doors for us to exit. "Believe me, there's no need for it."

"That's not true." I waved her out and cleared my cape before meeting her side again. "Mum taught me never to assume anything like that. No one is so important, everyone knows who they are. Except King Thor, I guess. And your father."

"And yours." Riggs grinned. "Don't discount yourself too quickly. You're hard to miss."

"You flatter me." I thanked the sunset for painting us orange and pink already, because it was becoming more and more difficult to hide as she spoke.

The Bifrost's marble building matched the palace's décor, trimmed with gold and white, more grand than any human monument of our time. Through the tall entry doors was a commodious room of huge cogs and wheels that tracked all known pieces of our universe. While it was beyond the understanding of human's reach of technology, they were welcome to explore it and built their own version of a seer—on top of the roof was a common observatory, and engineers actively milled about making giant telescopes.

"Well, here you are," Riggs said, stopping short of the platform that would take me home.

I stepped beyond her and turned to see her face. "You certainly look satisfied for ruining my shot."

"Who, me?" She feigned surprise and gasped. "I was only putting good use to what I've learned after years of watching you."

"Next time we meet, I will not be so easily marked, Riggs. You cannot see my every thought so clearly."

She cocked a brow. "Not yet. But you are too predictable, Lokison. It will take much to surprise me."

I wanted so badly to pull her in and prove her wrong. Meet her supple lips with mine and chill her omnipresent heat. Perhaps if I did, we would physically sizzle, steaming the Bifrost like she steamed my dreams.

"It may take less than you think. Just you wait." Keeping my position pointed toward her, I stepped backward until the portal activated.

Whatever tomorrow's new ranks would bring, it didn't matter much to me. My future was a blank slate. Well, blank of all except the girl whose arrow never missed my heart.