The Tower: Happily Ever After

The Stone Door

I took off, banking to the left, and spiraling around Sam.

"Show off!" He yelled, and seemed to gun it, speeding ahead of me.

Synergy increased the thrust and I took off after him.

We flew over the city and out, gaining altitude so we could see the forests and mountains and the circle of sea around the disc-shaped planet that fell into nothing but somehow impossibly never became depleted.

It really was beautiful and taking in the ethereal beauty of the world that was now my home, along with the adrenaline of racing Sam through the sky - I actually felt good. It was the first time I could honestly say I had felt truly happy since I gave birth.

We flew out away from the city, and over the forest. Sam seemed to be headed to the mountain. I wasn't worried. Asgard wasn't that big and the palace was visible from everywhere. Even without Synergy to guide us back, we weren't getting lost.

We reached some rock formations and Sam began weaving in and out of them, banking one way and then the other, spiraling under ledges and loop-di-looping. I followed along, screaming with delight like I was on a rollercoaster ride.

The natural rock gave way to what appeared to be man-made formations and then ruins. Sam pointed down to a huge door that just stood alone in the middle of a clearing.

He landed and his wings winked out and I touched down beside him, the armor retreating into the earrings once more.

"That was so much fun," I said, grinning at Sam. "Thank you."

"I am a genius," Sam said, approaching the door. "What the hell do you think this is?"

"I dunno," I said, following after him. "But I bet if you open it, Asgard won't be on the other side."

Sam laughed. "Well, now I definitely want to open it."

"No!" I squeaked. "Sam, there's magic shit there."

"Imagine if it goes to like... that elf one," he said.

"There are two elf places and one of them is apparently terrible," I said.

"Hey now, you really gonna paint a whole race with one brush, El? You're better than that," Sam scolded.

"I didn't say the elves were terrible," I said. "I said the place was terrible."

"Well that's not much better," Sam said. "You gonna just believe a bunch of people over your own eyes?"

I huffed. "Fine."

He touched the door and ran his palms over it. "It's weirdly warm."

"Sam, I have a really bad feeling about this," I said, hugging my chest.

"I know, I know," he said and pushed. It resisted, to begin with, and he put his shoulder behind it.

I stepped back as it started to creak open. "Sam..."

"Relax, would you?" He teased as the door slowly opened enough for him to slip through.

Sam stuck his head through. "Oh wow," he said and then the rest of him followed.

I took a tentative step forward. "Sam?"

He didn't reply and I moved closer. "Sam are you okay?"

When he still didn't say anything I ran to the door. "Sam?!"

"What?" He asked, stepping out from behind the door being me.

I shrieked and turned around and whacked him. "You asshole."