Timeless

◈ 21 ◈

I met Thor on the rainbow bridge when he got back from dropping off Jane. Strangely enough, he was wear a triumphant grin.

"What took you so long?" I asked as I approached him.

"Jane and I decided to end things, but when we got to her apartment, we had a 'last hoorah' of sorts. It was wonderfully intense."

I wrinkled my nose at his explanation.

"Oh, spare me the details, brother, lest you learn exactly what Brunnhilde and I get up to after one two many drinks."

He raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Okay, okay. I get it. But you did ask...."

"And I deeply regret it."

He smirked.

"Speaking of deep..."

"Thor!" I shouted, pushing him lightly.

"Sorry. I'll shut up."

"That would be much appreciated."

We started on our walk back to the city, taking our time and enjoying the light breeze.

"So, what happens now?"

I shrugged, puffing my cheeks and blowing out a thin stream of air.

"I'm not quite sure. Mother told me that typical Second Chances last no more than 24 hours, so I assume that we have twenty minutes at most. I suggest we use that time and visit our favorite places in the kingdom once more. After all, the timeline that we come from doesn't have an Asgard anymore."

He nodded.

"That is a very good idea. Where should we start?"

"I think I know of a few places."

✧✦✧

I ran my fingers over the books lining my old bookshelf and brought them back covered in dust.

"It's been so long." I whispered as I spun around slowly to get a full view of my old chambers.

Everything was exactly as I'd left it when I'd fallen from the Bifrost. The sheets were still pulled back and twisted in a heap at the foot of my bed from the morning of Thor's coronation when I'd been in too much of a rush to make my bed. My books still littered every available surface; the margins of pages filled with notes and their corners folded to mark my place. The surface of my writing desk was still immaculate and perfectly organized. My papers were stacked neatly in one corner of the polished wood, while my quill and bottle of ink were set up in front other corner. On my nightstand sat a small painting in a white frame. Four happy members of a small royal family were smiling up at me with hastily drawn pastel faces and bright eyes. Thor and I stood in front of Mother and Father, with their hands on our shoulders. Mother stood next to me, while Thor stood next to father.

My eyes filled with tears at the thought of these memories turning to ash as they were consumed by fire. I walked back over to my writing desk and picked up my notebook, stuffing a few papers inside that I selected out of the pile. Holding the picture frame and notebook in my hands, I closed my eyes and transported them to a safe spot on the Statesman. With any luck, they should still be there in the next four or five years when the time came for Asgard to fall.

Thor crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the doorway and watching me re-examine every inch of my chambers. When I was finished, I turned to him.

"Do you want to go to your chambers now?"

He shook his head.

"No, I remember them well enough. They hold nothing of real value to me."

"Then there's one last place I'd like to see before my time is up."

I opened a set of drawers in the corner of my room and pulled out a small box. Fiddling with the lock for a moment, I got it open quickly enough and peered inside.

"What's that?" Thor asked as he looked over my shoulder out of curiosity.

I shut the box quickly and turned around.

"It's nothing for you to worry about yet. Come on, let's go."

We left my chambers after I closed the door behind me, twisting the lock and leaving behind one of the last remnants of my childhood.