"And your defensive screen?" Frigga commands.
Without having to think, a simple flick of your hands conjures a strong, steady shield of transparent icy-blue light in front of you. Frigga unleashes a torrent of magical attacks, and you hold it in place. As her attacks grow stronger, and more relentless, you plant your feet, and a bead of sweat trickles down your forehead, but you don't budge.
Finally, the attacks stop.
"Very well done my dear. I am impressed by your progress in only two weeks."
"Has it only been two weeks?" you ask, wiping your forehead with your arm. "It feels like it's been a month."
Frigga lets out a bright and melodious laugh that echoes around the great golden hall.
"I am sure that it does feel that way when separated from your love and your child."
You think about Loki. You wonder how he's doing on his own with the family. You hope everyone is still in one piece.
"Have you given any more thought to your token, dear?" asks Frigga.
"My token?"
"Yes, dear. The gift you intend to give Loki upon his return."
"Oh. Um, actually yes, I have," you say, your cheeks turning red. You had spent the last week thinking critically about what you could possibly give to Loki. Believe it or not, a thousand-year-old God is difficult to shop for.
"And what have you decided?" Frigga asks with a smile.
"Actually, I was going to ask you for your help, Your Highness," you say bashfully.
"Of course, dear," she says, arching one brow, intrigued.
"I was in the library a few days ago and read about a warrior's enchantment. It seemed old. Ancient, even. But it was an enchantment that summons a warrior's weapon back to its sheath...I was wondering if there was a way to, maybe, change it a little?" you ask.
"Hmmm...a fascinating idea. What did you have in mind?" Frigga replies.
"I'll be right back," you say, disappearing in a flash of blue. When you land, you find yourself in your room. Reaching into the top drawer, you pull out the dagger Loki left behind.
You had insisted he leave right away, and he hadn't had the chance to take it with him. And you find yourself glad that he hadn't.
Grabbing the dagger, its sheath, and the tome of enchantments you had taken from the library several nights earlier you teleport back to the great hall where Frigga waits patiently. You walk up to her and pull Loki's dagger from its sheath, handing it to her.
"My, what a beautiful piece!" Frigga exclaims, holding it in her hand. "Its balance is impeccable."
"My family gave that to Loki last year for his birthday," you say. "And I gave him this," you say, holding up the finely crafter leather weapon belt and hip sheath.
"A thoughtful supplement," Frigga smiles. "And the enchantment?"
"Here," you say, opening the book to the page you marked. "See? This spell would return the sword to its sheath if it ever lands on the ground. Can we do the same to Loki's dagger? Enchant it so that it immediately returns to its sheath if it hits the ground? So he never has to summon it again?"
Frigga's smile widens as she reads the page before her.
"This is a clever, clever trick my dear. And just the type of gift my son will treasure. You and he were truly fated."
You feel your heart flutter at Frigga's praise. Over the past two weeks, you had come to see her as a mother figure, and you enjoy the rare moments of uncensored commendation.
"It will take time. And it will require advanced magic," Frigga says, furrowing her brow as she inspects the dagger, her glance flitting back and forth between the weapon and the book. "But I do believe it can be done."
"That's great!" you exclaim. "Can I...can I help?" you ask timidly. You know your magic isn't strong enough to enchant the dagger by yourself. But you're hoping that you can at least be a part of the process.
"Of course dear. This will be done in two steps. I will prepare the sheath and return to you once I am ready for your assistance with the dagger itself."
You eyes shine in anticipation and excitement.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," you say.
"Please dear, just Frigga."
You nod and watch as Frigga begins making her way from the great hall, Loki's dagger, sheath, and the tome in hand. You furrow your brow for a moment, confused. It's only mid morning. You usually train with Frigga until well after lunch.
"Frigga, are we done for the day?" you call after her.
"Hmm? Oh, yes dear. Did I forget to tell you? You need to rest before your duel tonight."
"My duel?"
"Go, child. Get some rest. Be back here at sundown," Frigga calls out as she leaves.
Although you're confused, you aren't going to argue with a day off. Eagerly, you scurry back to your bedroom and run a warm bath. Sinking below the water, you let your muscles relax and drift off to sleep. You wake only once the water cools enough to cause you to shiver slightly.
Climbing out of the tub and draining the water that remains, you wrap yourself in a towel, feeling much better. Heading into your bedroom, you look out the window and notice the sun hovering over the horizon.
Using your seidr to dry your hair and dress, you then twist the silver bracelet on your wrist, allowing the fluid silver threads to crawl across your body. You tap your tempular node twice.
"Hi Athena."
"Good evening, Miss."
"I was wondering...you can't contact anyone on Earth, can you?"
"Not when on Asgard, Miss."
You leave your room and begin heading towards the great hall to meet Frigga as you chat with Athena.
"What do you know about Asgard, Athena?"
"Do you want history, geography, politics, climate, or culture, Miss?"
"That answers my question," you say with a laugh, rolling your eyes at how prepared Tony had made your AI. Suddenly, a thought occurs to you.
"Hey, Athena, you know how Jarvis stands for Just A Rather Very Intelligent System?"
"Yes, Miss."
"Well, does Athena stand for something?"
"Yes, Miss, it stands for - "
"Lady Y/n!"
"Oomph!"
You miss Athena's answer as all of a sudden the wind is knocked out of you by Thor's rough embrace.
"Gods, Thor, take it easy will ya?" you say with a laugh, wiggling in his grasp to turn around and give him a hug back. After a moment, he puts you down on the ground, letting you go.
"What are you doing here?"
"My mother did not inform you?" he asks, grinning from ear to ear.
"No," you answer suspiciously. "Should I be worried?"
"You should be quaking, my lady! For I'm here seeking redemption!"
Your gaze narrows as your brow furrows. Thor is way too excited. It makes you nervous.
"Redemption?"
"Yes, my lady. Redemption for my loss in the dueling arena!"
"Oh no...," you say, your eyes widening as you realize that the duel Frigga had mentioned earlier that afternoon was going to be with Thor. And Thor clearly still remembers how you had beaten him at the palace a few years ago.
"Let us go, my lady. Our great battle awaits!" Thor says, grabbing your hand and bounding down the hallway, dragging you behind him.
"Thor, slow down!" you shout. "Let me go!"
"I will release you, my lady. But only if you agree to our first trial. A race! First to the battle ground!"
"Fine, whatever, just let me go," you laugh.
Thor lets go of your hand and looks down at you. You both stare at the other, then take off. He's clearly faster than you, but you had discovered a shortcut to the great hall earlier in the week. You're sure Thor knows about it as well, having grown up here, but you doubt he expects you to know about it.
Veering off down the hall to the left, you run as quickly as you can, hoping your detour past the larders will save you some time. And it seems it does, as when you come around the corner you glimpse Thor down the hallway, only a few paces away from catching up to you.
"You cheat, my lady!" he yells after you.
"It's not cheating if there are no rules!" you shout back with a laugh.
Thor quickly catches up and is only a pace or two behind you as the doors to the great hall are ahead of you both down the long hall.
Thor's speed quickens, and he passes by your side. You look down at the ground and notice the edge of his red cape. Thinking quickly as he starts to pull away, you stomp on his cape, trapping it beneath your foot. When Thor tries to take his next step forward, he trips, hitting the ground. You leap over his body, letting out a yell of victory as you fly over him.
"A dirty trick my lady!"
You simply let out a laugh as you burst through the doors to the great hall, where Frigga waits patiently inside.
"Oh yeah!" you shout. "So when's your redemption supposed to start?" you yell back at Thor, who stumbles in behind you seconds later.
Frigga lets out a laugh and Thor grumbles while his cheeks redden as he moves to stand next to his mother. You walk up to the both of them.
"So, I'm fighting Thor, huh?" you ask.
"While I enjoy sparring you myself, dear, I'd like to take the opportunity to observe how you approach battle with a much larger opponent."
"Sounds reasonable," you say, flashing a grin at Thor. "Although, I should warn you, I've beaten him before. So I'm not sure how much of a challenge he'll be," you smirk, rubbing it in.
"You just wait, my lady. You won't fool me again," says Thor. You've clearly ruffled his feathers.
"Are you both ready?" Frigga asks, placing a hand on each of our shoulders.
"Aye," nods Thor.
"Bring it on, Sparky," you say to Thor before teleporting over to the opposite end of the hall.
Thor gets into place, and you stare each other down for a moment. Frigga steps to the side of the room.
"The rules are thus: lethal weapons allowed, but no lethal strikes. Only critical wounds and lesser. We fight to three hits. Understood?"
You and Thor both nod at Frigga before returning your gazes to each other.
A tense moment of silence passes. All you can hear is your own breathing and the pounding of your heart in your ears. Despite your teasing, you know Thor isn't about to let you win easily, if at all. You consider your approach for a moment. Last time, you had let him come to you. He'll be expecting that. You need to take the fight to him.
"BEGIN!"
Frigga's shout lets loose your adrenaline, and in a flash of blue you disappear, reappearing immediately behind Thor, who clearly wasn't expecting your aggressive opening move. You shove your dagger in his side, careful to avoid any organs - in your months in medical with Bruce, you had become familiar with the layout of the body.
"Odin's beard!" cries out Thor as you leap backwards, pulling your blade from his side as he turns and swings his hammer.
"Sorry!" you shout, wincing at the feeling of your blade pulling through flesh.
"That is one strike for Y/n," calls out Frigga.
You begin circling Thor as his grip tightens on Mjolnir, blood oozing through his shirt. For a moment, you feel a twinge of guilt at stabbing him, but remember Thor telling you countless stories about Loki stabbing him as a child. You figure he'll be fine.
Abruptly, Thor lunges, feinting left before lunging right, ducking your swing and taking a wild swipe at your legs, knocking them out from under you. You tuck and roll to the side, but you aren't quite fast enough as Thor lands a punch square in your back, throwing you across the floor until you hit the wall, knocking the breath out of you as you feel an uncomfortable crunching sensation.
"Vertebral compression fracture detected, Miss. Shall I stabilize?"
"Shit, yes," you groan.
"Stabilization complete, Miss."
You feel the pain in your lower back ebb slightly as your suit constricts, creating what almost feels like a back brace. But you don't have long to recover as Thor is already on his way back over to you.
"That is one strike for Thor," calls out Frigga.
As Thor begins running towards you, you pretend to lay on the ground, more hurt than what you really are. You watch as Thor hesitates for a moment, slowing as he approaches. Taking advantage of his concern, you disappear in a flash of blue, reappearing directly beneath him, kicking straight up and tagging him in the groin before wrapping your legs around his knee, kicking it out from under him and causing him to fall.
Ignoring the searing pain in your back, you roll on top of him, and stab him once more in the other side with one dagger as you bring your second to his throat.
"I think that's three," you call over to Frigga.
"Thor, do you yield?" Frigga calls out.
"She cheats, mother!"
"What?!" you cry out. "How did I cheat? That wasn't even a real stab! I didn't even puncture any organs!"
"Hush, Thor," says Frigga, crossing the room to you both. "Lady Y/n has performed admirably. You have underestimated your opponent, son. Do you yield?"
"Aye, I yield," Thor grunts as he gently tosses you from on top of him. His brow furrows as he stands, and he holds a hand to his side as a steady stream of blood trickles from between his fingers.
You feel your guilt at stabbing him so deeply returning, and you hobble back towards him. With the adrenaline of the fight wearing off, the pain in your back grows, nearly making it impossible to walk. But you're determined to get to Thor and heal his wounds if you can.
Thor, however, sees the pain in your face, and the childish disappointment in losing vanishes from his expression immediately, replaced with brotherly concern.
"Did I injure you, my lady?" he says, limping his way to you as you hobble your way to him.
"Uh, yeah - you fractured my spine, Thor," you laugh as Thor winces. "But I'm okay. It's minor, and Athena stabilized me. Here, let me take a look at that."
"No, my lady. Let my mother tend to your wound first."
Begrudgingly, you agree and allow Frigga to heal you before turning your attention to Thor's stab wounds.
"You stab like a girl," he jests as you hold your hands over his side, like Frigga had shown you earlier in the week.
"I'll be sure to let Sif you know you think so," you shoot back in a low whisper.
Thor's face pales as he grimaces at you, and you wink at him as you focus on the open skin.
After several long minutes, you can't seem to summon the healing seidr you need to close his wounds, and you cast a worried glance at Thor, who is still oozing blood.
"You can do it, my lady. Be patient - it will come with practice," he says with a smile, seemingly unconcerned by his two stab wounds.
"I'm sorry," you whisper to him, stepping back and looking over to Frigga, sending her a glance that clearly begs for her help.
"Don't worry dear, we haven't spent much time with this particular type of magic," she says, kneeling over her son and quickly stitching up his wounds.
Once you and Thor are both healed, Frigga pats you both on the shoulder.
"You both fought well. Thor, this is twice now that you have underestimated your opponent. Take a lesson away from this, my son."
Thor bows his head, and casts a narrowed glance over at you. You wrinkle your nose at him, and he chuckles quietly.
"I will take my leave, for the evening," says Frigga. "Take tomorrow to rest, Y/n," she says looking at you and giving you a smile before she disappears in a shimmer of gold.
You and Thor are left alone in the great hall.
"So," you say, breaking the silence. "I beat you again," you say, playfully shoving Thor's shoulder.
"That you did, my lady. That you did," Thor says, sighing and shaking his head. "It seems that my brother has rubbed off on you. When I first met you, you favored incapacitation over stabbing."
"What can I say, Thor? It's effective."
"That it is. That it is," he laughs.
As your laughter fades, you're left once more in silence. You look up at Thor, and see distraction on his face. And you sense an awkward tension in the air. You're about to ask him what's wrong when he beats you to it.
"Lady Y/n, I want to apologize for my behavior the day of our arrival in Fensalir," Thor says, his wide blue eyes staring into yours.
"Apologize? For what, Thor?" you ask.
"I realize that I may have overstepped my bounds by embracing you in such an intimate manner in a private space. And I can't help but fear that I may have made you uncomfortable," he says, taking a small step away from you, putting additional space between you. "And I know that I have offended my brother."
"Thor," you say, taking a step to close the distance. "You have nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong and I wasn't uncomfortable."
You watch the tension leave Thor's face as his shoulders relax.
"Thor, you know that Loki is...possessive, right? He just doesn't understand the relationship that you and I have. But after you left I was clear. I told him that just because the two of you might not be on the best of brotherly terms right now doesn't mean that you and I aren't. And that he's going to have to deal with that."
"And his response?"
"He was accepting," you say.
"That is good to hear indeed, my lady."
You smile at Thor and hold out your arms. A grin spreads across your face as he picks you up beneath your arms and picks you up, spinning you in a small circle before setting you down.
"I must go now, Y/n."
"Why?" you ask sadly. Having been without Loki for two weeks, Thor's presence has been soothing. You don't want him to go.
"My father expects a report tonight on how my search for you and Loki proceeds."
"You can't be serious," you giggle.
"Aye, my lady," Thor says with a laugh. "I must not be late."
"I understand. But will you come back to visit me?"
"I will when I can," answers Thor.
"Thank you," you say, taking his arm and beginning the walk from the great hall towards Fensalir's great foyer and main entrance.
"You know, it may also help for you to speak to Loki too," you say.
"My lady?" Thor questions.
"Talk to him Thor," you say. "Tell him about your feelings towards me. Explain to him how you see me as a little sister. It might help."
"I...will consider doing so," Thor says.
"Good," you say.
You and Thor finish the walk to the entrance of the palace in a comfortable silence, your arm resting in his. Once you reach the main doors, Thor pushes them open and turns to you, taking your hand and placing a chaste kiss upon the top.
"You fought admirably tonight, my lady. My mother is teaching you well. My brother will be proud with your progress."
"Thanks Thor," you say with a smile.
You watch as he turns to go, but as he starts twirling Mjolnir to lift himself to the skies, you call out to him one last time.
"Oh, and Thor?"
"Yes, my lady?"
"If you ever stop hugging me I'll stab you for real."