Growing Pains

Eleven

Frigga showed Helena many passageways and rooms on the way to Helena's own until she grew hopelessly lost. At last. Frigga led Helena to their destination. Her room. It was large, and filled with silver and gold objects.

"This was a guest room, but we can redecorate it to suit you." Frigga informed her, "What colors do you like?"

"I like green." Helena blurted out before thinking.

Frigga's face grew saddened.

"Um, and purple?" Helena added.

"Okay." Frigga said, shaking herself out of a trance, "I'll see what I can do. Are you tired?"

"No, I'm okay." Helena said, choosing not to mention this was the first time she had stretched her legs since being cooped up in a glass cell for so long.

"Well then, I have some matters to attend to, but you are free to explore the palace."

"Thank you." Helena said gratefully.

Frigga studied Helena's face closely for a moment.

"May I embrace you?" She asked after a minute in silence.

Helena paused. She hasn't been hugged in a while- since before Pietro- it had been a few weeks. Still, Helena missed her brother and sister's embraces, and Frigga seemed to truly care for her, even if Odin did not.

"Okay." Helena said quietly.

Frigga moved slowly and carefully as if afraid to spook Helena. Her embrace was warm and motherly and Helena closed her eyes for a moment. She had never had a mother-like figure before, and hadn't ever dreamed she would- let alone a grandmother.

When Frigga pulled back, Helena realized she had shed a few tears, so she quickly wiped them away, not noticing how Frigga did the same.

"Welcome to Asgard, Helena. You are welcome to stay as long as you wish."

"Thank you, your majesty." Helena said, trying to be polite.

"Please call me Frigga, if not grandmother."

Helena grinned up at her.

"Okay, Frigga."

Frigga patted her arm and gave her one last smile before leaving. Helena explored the room around her for a while after Frigga's departure. Eventually however, even the finest of Asgardian objects in the room failed to occupy her and save her from boredom, especially when there was a whole palace to explore. Helena stepped out her door and looked back at it. It looked exactly the same as every other door in the hallway, and probably the whole palace. Helena went back inside and looked through a jar full of ribbons. She grabbed a blue one and tied it to the outside of the doorknob.

"There." She said quietly to herself.

Then she began her journey. After exploring a few floors and only running into maids and servants who didn't spare her more than a quick glance and a smile, Helena came face to face with a guard. She had been studying a large and expensive looking mirrored vase on a table when she heard a noise behind her.

"Hey!"

The sudden shout scared her so much she hit the table as she whipped around. The table shook and Helena watched with wide eyes as the expensive looking vase fell off it and cracked into a million pieces on the floor. The owner of the voice that had startled her loomed over Helena.

"What do you think you're doing?! That vase has belonged to the royal family for longer than you'll ever live!" The guard hissed.

"I'm sorry, is there anything I can do-" Helena began, shrinking back from the scary looking man.

"No!" He snapped, glaring at her harder, "It was one of a kind. Irreplaceable."

"I'm really sorry." Helena said.

The guard narrowed his eyes at her.

"You are the daughter of the traitor, aren't you!" He said, telling her more than asking.

"I-"

His hand shot forward and grabbed Helena's arm. She jumped again as her eyes teared up.

"P-please let go." She said.

"You have no place here on Asgard, let alone freely roaming the palace!" He growled, gripped her tighter as she tried to squirm away.

The guard yanked her down the hallway.

"W-where are you taking m-me?!" Helena asked, still pulling away frantically.

"Where brats like you are taken care of." The guard replied ominously.

Helena began to struggle harder against him, and his tight grip slipped down to her wrist. She gave one last strong tug and managed to pull away, but in the guard's hand was one of her magic cuffs. The cuffs could only be taken off by other people, and in Helena's struggles, he had done just that. With only half of her magic being restricted, Helena twisted away from the guard, not wanting to harm him, despite how awful he had treated her. His hand grabbed a fistful of Helena's hair and pulled roughly, causing her to cry out. Black magic seeped out of her and threw the guard away from her. He looked at Helena in fear this time. Her breathing was so rapid she was practically panting as she grabbed the cuff from the floor and put it back on quickly, but the damage had been done.

"The Allfather will surely have you removed from Asgard after that." The guard snarled, standing up to go after her again, but Helena wasted no time in running away.

She ran past rows of doors and turned bend after bend until she hid behind a large sofa in a fancy looking room. After hearing the guard's footsteps run past, she snuck out of the room and began to try and find her own room. She hadn't realized she had climbed down a few flights of stairs during her run from the guard. Helena glanced at a door that looked like it might led to one of the hallways to her room. She opened it and looked through. It was dark in the hallway, so it wasn't leading to her room. She went to leave when she heard the sound of running footsteps behind her. Quickly, Helena jumped through the door, and closed it behind her. She took a few steps back from the door and realized she stood on a staircase.

Helena made her way down the staircase, blinking to adjust her eyes to the dark. There was a light ahead. She walked towards the light, but once she got there, she froze. The golden lights came from the walls of the cells lined up in rows.

She stood in the dungeons.