With just 2 days left in their time off, Loki and Asta were eating breakfast. Loki noticed his wife's solemn demeanor.

"My queen, is something troubling you?" he asked.

Asta sighed. "A little. Now that Fredrik is here, I realize how little I know of my own family. My father wanted all signs of my mother gone and I barely knew his family as well."

"I see. I can certainly understand why that's disturbing you."

"I want to see Heimdall."

"What?"

"I want to see Heimdall. He can tell me about my heritage."

"Are you certain about this? There may have been a reason for your father's actions."

"Even if there was, I want to know. And no one is left to tell me, except Heimdall."

Loki took a deep breath, hoping he wouldn't regret this. "Well, then let's go today. Tony and Pepper will gladly watch Fredrik and there are more than enough bottles to last a few hours. Let's get your answers."

"Do you mean it?"

"Of course! I will do anything for you, my love!"

Fredrik's cries interrupted them then. Asta sighed again. "I'll get him, you get my parents."

After a feeding for the young prince, an explanation to the Starks, and weepy 'see you soon' to the baby, Loki and Asta were riding towards the rainbow bridge.

Once they arrived, Heimdall bowed his head. "Your majesties."

"Hello, Heimdall," Asta replied. "I need your help."

"Yes, my queen, I have seen that. But I'm afraid I cannot give you the assistance you desire."

"Why not?" Loki asked with annoyance in his voice.

Heimdall paused. "When Queen Asta was born, her father implored Frigga to keep her mother away, even from my sight. He decided if she didn't want to be found then no one would be able to. Frigga relented to his pleas and ordered me to keep her from my sight."

"She's hidden even from you?" Asta whispered.

"Indeed. I am sorry."

Asta straightened her back. "Well, if Loki or I requested you remove the blindness, you would have to do that as well, yes?"

The slightest raise of the corners of Heimdall's mouth didn't escape Loki's view. He was so proud of his wife for going after what she wanted.

"Yes, my queen. If you order that, then I shall be able to see all of that again. I serve the crown."

"Then, please, Heimdall. See her. Tell me about my family."

Heimdall's eyes seemed to glaze over and he took a deep breath.

"Asta, daughter of Gosta and Runa. Your father Gosta was from a farming couple, Jorgen and Agot, but after becoming a scholar, was selected to the king's council. Your mother Runa was born to a candle maker Enok, and Marte, a noble woman. Though, I do not remember a… oh."

"Oh?"

"My queen, I see now why this was hidden. Are you absolutely certain you want to know this?"

"I am. Heimdall, I need to know."

"Marte, your grandmother, was a noble woman, in the court of Laufey."

Asta gasped. "Laufey? She was a Jotun?"

"Yes."

"How could she have met my grandfather then?"

"During the war, he was also a soldier. They met and instantly fell in love. He brought her back to Asgard, since he could never live in the cold conditions there."

Loki, still trying to recover from this information, spoke. "But how did you not know?"

"It seems as though a powerful sorceress cast a spell to disguise her, even from me."

The king raised an eyebrow. "And who would have that power? Surely my mother would not have done that."

"No, but her sister would."

Loki wrapped an arm around his wife's waist. "How are you faring, darling? This is a lot to take in."

"Well, I can certainly see why this was all hidden. Did my mother know she was half Jotun?"

Heimdall's expression softened. "Yes, but she did not tell your father until she was almost due to deliver you. I believe his bitterness over being lied to is what caused him to lash out and never seek her."

Asta nodded. "Well, then. Thank you, Heimdall. I appreciate all of this."

"You are very welcome, your majesty. I am deeply sorry that you found out like this."

"No, it was time. There are no apologies necessary from you."

She turned and began to walk away.

Loki glanced at her and then back to Heimdall. "Thank you, my friend."

"No thanks are needed. Just be mindful of her now. This will take quite some time to process."

"Yes, but she is strong. I have faith in her."

They both bowed their heads and Loki ran after Asta.

The ride back to the palace was quiet. When they arrived to their quarters, they found Pepper, Morgan and Tony all sitting on the couch, Fredrik was sleeping happily in Tony's arms.

"Hey! How'd it go?" Tony asked.

"Loki, can you please tell them? I need to lie down with this headache," Asta said as she hurried through the room to the bedroom.

All eyes turned back to Loki.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, well, we definitely learned a lot."

Pepper sighed. "I'm guessing it wasn't great considering she could just heal a headache, so she actually just ran from us."

"I'll just give you the abridged version. The reason that Heimdall couldn't see Asta's birth mother was that Gosta begged my mother to have Heimdall be blinded to her."

"And Frigga agreed to that?" Pepper asked.

"Strangely, yes. But Heimdall is bound to the crown."

Tony smiled. "And there's a new sheriff in town."

"Precisely. So, when Asta requested that the blind spot be removed, Heimdall could see everything to her past. Her grandfather was a candlemaker, and her grandmother was a noble woman."

"Oh!" Tony and Pepper replied excitedly.

"From Jotunheim."

"Oh?" they asked with surprise and shock.

"Yes, we were just as astounded. Apparently Enok met Marte in the war. He was also an Asgardian soldier sent to Jotunheim and they fell in love. He brought her to Asgard and they had Runa, Asta's mother."

"How did a Jotun noble woman get into Asgard?" Pepper questioned.

"Ah, apparently the most powerful sorceress known wasn't available, so they asked her sister."

Tony's face scrunched as he thought. "I thought your mother was the most powerful. So, your aunt did that? And it worked?"

"Apparently, the Freyrdottirs are all very powerful. And Tante Mea was jealous enough of her sister to agree to this and pull the wool over her sister's eyes and Odin's. And it's amazing that the spell covered Marte, Runa, and Asta's true heritage from Heimdall." (Aunt Mea)

Tony chuckled humorlessly. "Heimdall is taking a lot of L's today."

"Indeed, I think his pride was severely wounded at all these revelations. Regardless, Asta is now going through the confusion that I did when I found out that I wasn't what I was told all my life. She's strong, but I know how powerful this uncertainty is. Would you be agreeable to sitting with Fredrik for a bit longer?"

"Nooooo," Tony replied with a huge grin. "Take this awful kid away from us!"

Loki smiled. "As I thought. Thank you." And with that, he went to find Asta.

When he entered their bedroom, he found her curled up on the bed.

"My queen," he said softly as he sat next to her. "How are you faring?"

"It's strange. I think I should feel different, but I don't."

"You're still the same amazing woman I love. That certainly has not changed."

She sat up and put her hand on his cheek. "I know, my love. But I'm still so angry at my father. How could he hide this from me? I'm a quarter Jotun and never knew! How could I not know?"

"Frigga and her family are powerful witches. Just because my mother is the most powerful, it does nothing to diminish the strength of the others."

"So it would seem. I still can't grasp all of this. I'm part Jotun." She paused and thought for a moment. "Part Jotun…"

"Darling?"

Asta chuckled. "It just occurred to me. Odin scarcely had time to accept a full Frost Giant on the throne of Asgard, and the next in line a half. But Fredrik is more than that now." She laughed a bit. "He's actually more Jotun than Asgardian!"

Loki's eyes widened. "By the gods, you're right! He's actually 5/8 Jotun. Only my amazing wife would consider that in the midst of everything else."

Asta smirked. "Have you forgotten the Laufeyson family motto?"

"Goodness no. 'Fuck him. We don't like him anyway.' has been etched in my mind ever since you first uttered it." He paused and smiled at her. "You truly are a wonder. Are you going to be ok with all of this?"

"I'm fine. It's good to finally know my heritage."

"You know, this all makes a lot of sense. When you were pregnant with Fredrik, I worried constantly."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I was there."

"If I may continue?" he said with a playful roll to his eyes. "But I was concerned that a Frost Giant baby would be too much for an Asgardian woman to carry. You did it with no effort at all, and now I see why. You have Jotun blood as well. It helped you accommodate the baby, I'm sure."

Asta thought about that. "I suppose you're right."

"And why you can touch my Frost Giant form without being hurt."

"Yes, though, it's a little disappointing that it's not because we're soulmates."

"On the contrary, my love. I think this points even more to us being soulmates. Think of all the things that had to come together for us to find each other. I had to be kidnapped from Jotunheim and raised in the Asgardian palace. You had to have a grandfather fall in love with the enemy of war, have a child with her on Asgard, have my aunt disguise them, and then their child has you. And your father then has to get onto the council, so we can meet."

"Well, when you put it that way." She giggled a little.

"See? There may not be a finer pair of soulmates in the realms!" He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "So, are you feeling ok now?"

"I'll be fine. I just needed to be a little… dramatic first."

"Ah, perhaps you're more of a Tonydottir anyway."

"I'm worried that it's because I'm a Runadottir actually."

"Well, you are speaking to a Laufeyson, so I might win that one." He laughed. "Or perhaps it's being a Farbautison? Regardless…"

"Let's just agree that we have complicated families and move on. Though, they certainly are growing more complicated by the moment."

"Just another day in the life of Asta and Loki. Are you ready to see your family now?"

Asta cringed. "Yes, I suppose I was very rude to them."

"They understood, my lovely." Just then, Fredrik's cries could be heard. Loki chuckled. "But I don't think the young prince will be so understanding."

"Then I think it's time to take care of him." She put her hand back to his cheek. "Thank you, my love. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You needn't ever thank me. Jeg elsker deg, min dronning." (I love you, my queen)

"Og jeg elsker deg, min konge." (And I love you, my king)