FREYJA
I was not ready for Midgard. Not by a long shot.
"Freyja, you have to get up." A small voice said from my side, rousing me from an uneasy sleep. I groaned and rolled over, burying my face in the warmth of my pillow, silently willing the voice to go away, but despite my best efforts, it persisted. "Freyja?"
"Go away Sigurd." I mumbled, drowsy and drained from the emotional toll my little stroll down memory lane last night had taken. It had been far too easy for Loki to break me, and he hadn't even been trying to.
"In case you've forgotten," A colder voice drawled "We're going to Midgard."
"Good morning, Loki." I said with just a twinge of bitterness. I was beyond embarrassed by my meltdown last night. Of all the people on Asgard, Loki was the one it was the most dangerous to be vulnerable around. "Go jump off a cliff, would you?"
"I have quite a large selection to choose from up here in the mountains." He noted, but as he spoke my ears just barely picked up the scrape of metal. "Any recommendations?"
At the last moment, my body sprang to life and I threw myself off of the bed. I landed in a crouch on the floor, looking over my shoulder just as Loki dumped a metal bucket full of water where I had just been.
"That's not fair!" He complained as I straightened up, my eyes alight with rage. "You can't just..." He was cut short as I slammed my elbow into the soft flesh of his stomach.
"Okay, I deserved that." He admitted in a raspy voice, doubling over as Sigurd exploded into a fit of giggles. "At least you're awake now."
"How soon does Eira want us gone?" I asked, stretching my back with a satisfying pop as I strode over to my dresser and began rummaging around for clean clothing.
Loki ushered Sigurd toward the door. "Sigurd said Eira said we should be on Midgard by noon, at the very latest."
"I could've told her." Sigurd grumbled as he stepped out the door.
Loki hummed in amusement as he clicked the door shut. If I didn't know any better, I'd say there was a trace of fondness in his gaze when he looked at the boy.
A contented sigh drifted from my tongue, and for just a moment I was able to forget about the recent events: Loki making all my memories resurface, my visit with my Mother, it all got pushed aside by the muffled bickering between Loki and Sigurd.
Returning my attention to the task at hand, I began to shift clothes around in my dresser. It took me maybe ten seconds before I realized I had no idea what to wear. What was Midgardian fashion like? Surely it couldn't be that different from Asgardian clothing.
I pulled on a cotton shirt and put light chain mail over top. My burgundy leather jacket and boots followed suit, and made my way quickly to the door, with my sword at my hip.
When I opened it, I was greeted by a rather strange sight: Loki was shouting something about "fine Asgardian leather" and "gouging out eyeballs" while Sigurd shrieked with delight and clung to his leg.
"FREYJA THE CHILD IS ATTACKING ME!" Loki shouted, trying to pry the boy off of him but to no avail. He looked at me with a mix of desperation and confusion, his emerald eyes saying, A little help here?
"Sigurd," I said calmly, strolling past them. "Let him go and I'll bring you back a souvenir from Midgard."
I threw a glance over my shoulder and chuckled lightly as his eyes widened and he quickly backed away, giving Loki an apologetic look. Works like a charm.
"When is Eira briefing us?" I asked Sigurd as I approached the cafeteria.
The boy thought for a moment. "I think she said three hours from breakfast."
"Three hours to do what exactly?" Loki implored, quickening his pace to keep up with Sigurd and I.
At his question, Sigurd's face lit up. "We can all go to Freyja's clearing!"
Loki and I both groaned at once, knowing fully well that whatever peace and tranquility may be found in the forest would be immediately broken by the energetic young Asgardian. However, it was my last day here for who knows how long and I couldn't find it in me to deny Sigurd this one thing.
"Fine." I relented. "But first breakfast for you two."
"And yourself?" Loki implored with a curious expression. His eyes said it all. He was beginning to notice my... lack of appetite.
I did my best to seem nonchalant. "I'll eat when we get to Midgard." Apparently that was a good enough excuse for him, because he let the subject drop.
After breakfast, I allowed Sigurd to take my hand and lead me out of The Mountain Hold. Through the woods we went, with Loki trailing glumly along behind us.
"Have the dandelions started blooming yet?" Sigurd asked with idle merriment as he kicked a stone down the path. "Spring has already begun. Although it's still pretty cold..."
I tried to tune out most of the young boy's aimless chatter, drowning his ramblings with my thoughts. At some point, I fell into step beside Loki. My steps matched his, although I could make out just the slight differences between our footfalls. His every step was heavier than mine, and where years of staying hidden and stealthy taught me to pick my feet up, he dragged the toe of his boot on the ground ever so slightly before picking it up again.
"Deep in thought?" He asked, hands clasped behind his back and eyes trained ahead. Loki didn't drop his gaze to me, nor did I look up at him.
I let out a thoughtful hum as we entered the clearing and the warm glow of the sunlight streamed through the canopy. "I am. I have a lot to think about."
Sigurd cried in delight as he skipped through the clearing. "The dandelions are blooming!"
Sure enough, when I peered closer at the forest floor, all around me small dots of yellow mixed with the green. They must have come up since the last time I was here, with Loki. I chuckled. "I'm sure you're simply delighted."
"I CAN MAKE CROWNS!" He exclaimed, clearly overjoyed by the very notion.
Loki had to do a double take of that statement. "I beg your pardon?"
"You're going to be king!" Sigurd raced around, plucking flowers from the ground. "How do you not know what a crown is?"
"I know what a crown is, child." Loki sighed, collapsing in the grass. "However I don't see how you intend to make one out of plants."
"Watch and see!" Sigurd invited, sitting a short distance away from him. With quick, nimble fingers he wove the slender green stems together in a looping pattern. Loki and I watched in partial fascination as he slowly turned the individual flowers into a long strip of dandelions.
Loki opened his mouth to protest as Sigurd wrapped the yellow and green tapestry around his head. "I need to see if it's big enough." The young boy explained. Whatever the prince was going to say died on his lips.
I stretched out in the grass a few feet away from Loki. Propped up on my elbows, I tried to take in everything about this moment. The sun, the grass, the early spring chill warded off by the sunlight, Sigurd, even Loki who wasn't brooding for a pleasant change of pace. It was perfect.
Every last detail seeped into my mind, and I folded the memory up neatly and tucked it away, a treasure to always keep with me.
"Finished." Sigurd announced, placing the flower crown on Loki's head. He looked strangely peaceful, almost tranquil, with it on. The usual hardness of his face was softened. If I looked hard enough, I could ignore his menacing demeanor and envision him as a normal Asgardian.
"All hail Loki, King of Asgard!" I announced mockingly as Loki gave Sigurd a nod of thanks. "Dead is Odin! Long live the king and his weed hat!"
"Sigurd," Loki said with a smirk. "Make her wear one too."
"Mmm, that's not happening." I laid back on the grass, preventing anyone from reaching all the way around my head. "Good try though."
I allowed my eyelids to droop closed, but I only got a minute or so before a shadow covered the sun. I cracked one eye open to see Sigurd smiling down at me, fidgeting with a second dandelion crown.
"No." I said firmly. "Absolutely not. I'm not putting that thing on."
"Freyja..." he began.
"I told you no! It's humiliating!"
"Freyja..."
"Loki can pull off wearing a weed in his hair! His hair is a mess anyways!"
"I'm choosing to ignore that comment for your sake." Loki remarked dryly, giving me a withering glare. "My hair is fabulous."
With a nervous shuffle, Sigurd pulled my attention back to him. "Please?"
I groaned, trying to force the image of his large, innocent eyes from my mind. He and I both knew he had already won. "Fine."
"Thank you!" Sigurd cried with glee. "I promise, it will look good."
For the next ten minutes, I sat perfectly still and allowed Sigurd to arrange the flowers on the top of my head. When he was done, Loki created a magic mirror for me, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn't look awful.
"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Loki held the polished silver object up to my face. My reflection blinked back at me, but I would never guess it was me. I didn't look like I was ready to strangle someone at any moment. It was unnerving.
I glanced up at Sigurd. A wide grin spread across his face. "You two are matching now."
"So it would seem." I responded blandly, standing to my feet and brushing stray blades of grass from my trousers. "Let's get going. Eira will be expecting us."
______________________________________________________________________________
"Freyja, Loki, Sigurd." Eira guessed as the three of us stepped into her office.
"In the flesh." Loki told her, stopping beside me as Sigurd dashed across the room to harass Jari, who stood in the corner.
Eira hadn't exactly assembled a large send off crew. Along with Jari and herself, only Calder and another member of the council, Gunvor, occupied the space.
"What in Valhalla are you wearing?" Calder asked me gruffly as he raked his fingernails across a rash peeking above the neckline of his shirt.
I ran my fingers lightly along the petals of the dandelions in my hair. "A send off gift."
He grunted and continued to scratch at his skin with more force than was probably necessary. I wonder what happened to him.
But at the same time, I didn't really care.
"As I'm sure you're both aware," Eira began, words directed at Loki and I. "Your main job on Midgard is to rally supporters. The supporters will give us food, food will keep us from starving to death, so on and so forth."
She paused, words lingering in the air. "However, the process of using the tesseract to bring it all here one at a time is ineffective, to say the least.
"Now, during Loki's time on Midgard he managed to keep a portal open for an extended period of time to let his army through. Isn't that correct, Prince?"
Loki stiffened and scoffed indignantly. "Is it so hard to believe that I am capable of doing things properly? I led an invasion! Of course the portal stayed open."
"What made it do so?" The elderly woman pressed.
"Well," He traced the patterns on the sleeve of his jacket with the tip of his index finger. "The main thing that kept it from collapsing in on itself was Iridium, but by now the sample I used will be back with S.H.I.E.L.D."
Jari stepped up next to Eira, hovering at her right shoulder. "Who or what is S.H.I.E.L.D? It keeps coming up. It was in Arvid's letter, and now they have this Iridium."
"They are hardly of concern." Loki assured with a dismissive wave of his hand. "The real threat would be The Avengers."
I snorted. "Does everything on Midgard have such weird names? Or just things that are either dangerous or important?"
"No, everything on Midgard is weird." He answered. "Just wait until you see a television."
Eira sighed. "On task please?"
"My apologies." I clasped my hands behind my back. "Do continue. This is simply a riveting discussion."
"You're going to get supporters," she continued. Whether she was oblivious to my snide comment or simply ignoring it, I couldn't tell. "Get the Iridium and give it to Arvid to make the portal. Once the food starts coming through, give it a few days then come back here. After that, you... Calder, I may be blind but if you keep scratching yourself I am going to throw a paper weight at your head. It's incredibly distracting."
"I'm sorry if my itching isn't going according to your schedule." He snapped, still trying to peel his skin off. "Would you like me to tell it to come back later?"
Loki snorted, and I shot him a look. I imagined myself tearing his skull open, and I shot a message into his head and tried to dump my thoughts into his. What did you do?
To my surprise, he heard me. Later. Before I could argue, I was thrown out again.
Back to the topic at hand. "Challenge accepted." I rubbed my hands together in anticipation as I returned my attention to Eira. "When can we leave?"
"How soon can you be ready?"
I glanced at Loki, who gave me a nod. I flashed a strained smile at Eira as my nerves made my stomach cinch up. "We already are."
"One moment," Loki butted in. "We can't exactly stroll into Midgard dressed like this." He gestured at his lean torso then at me. "How much do you know of Earth apparel?"
You could've heard a pin drop.
"Nothing at all, I take it." He sighed then rolled his neck. A wave of green light passed over his slender form, and as it went it ate away at his clothing and replaced it with what I found to be a strange outfit.
Shiny leather shoes, black trousers made of a fine fabric, a white shirt covered with little gold buttons and an oddly cut, green jacket. The strangest part, however, was the elongated diamond shaped piece of fabric hanging from his throat.
"What is that?" Calder asked, scrunching his nose up in disgust.
Loki smiled smugly. "This," he stretched his arms out to the side. "Is what the mortals call a suit."
I pursed my lips. "I don't have a suit. Is my outfit suitable for Midgard?"
"Far from it." Loki smirked. With a snap of his fingers, I felt a strange tickle run down my body, starting at the crown of my head and working it's way to the soles of my feet.
I glanced down at myself. Heat flushed my cheeks as I realized he had turned my usual clothing into an ankle-length dress the color of dried blood.
"Absolutely not." I asserted. "Either change it to something else, or I wear my regular outfit."
He tilted his head and studied me mockingly. "Are you certain? The dress looks quite..."
I never knew whether it was going to be a compliment or an insult. "Finish that statement and I cut your tongue out and shove it up your..."
"Alright! Alright!" He waved his hand and another wave of light passed over me. "Is this more to your liking?"
It was an unusual fashion. My legs were covered by a tight-fitting pair of black trousers made of a material unfamiliar to me. A dark red cover of woven wool draped over my slender frame.
"Much better." I examined my boots, which he thankfully didn't change. "What is it called?"
Loki pointed a pale finger at my chest. "That is a sweater." He then indicated the trousers. "Those are jeans."
"Once again, the strange names." I double checked to make sure my sword was still sheathed at my side. "Now can we go?"
Eira sighed and stood to her feet, using her desk for support. She shuffled forward until she was right in front of me.
"Be safe." She murmured, placing a skeletal hand against the curve of my cheek. "Arvid will be at a place called The Watson Hotel in New York. Your supporters will be gathering there. Get the Iridium, get the food flowing then come home safely. Am I understood?"
"Yes." I gently grabbed her frail wrist and moved her hand away from my face. "We will see all of you upon our return."
Solemn nods were passed around the room. Sigurd gave me a brief hug before running back to Jari.
"Take this," Eira pulled open the drawer of her desk and placed the tesseract in my hand. It pulsed with warmth as I inspected it. "Remember, I will be watching your back."
I would have laughed if I wasn't so worried that I would start crying. I hadn't been so on edge in a long time. Midgard. The place my brother died.
"Do you want me to do it?" Loki asked gently, leaning down so only I could hear him.
I took a shaky breath. "Just tell me where I need to go."
"Manhattan, New York."
How do I do this again? Oh right, just talk to the glowing box with my mind. As Loki curled his hand around my arm, I shivered and thought Manhattan, New York.
By the time I finished the thought, we were already gone.
Sunlight dug into my eyes, and I stumbled backwards, my hands pressed to my eyelids. My very pupils felt like they were on fire from the sudden shift from dark cave to unhindered sunlight. Grass cushioned my steps, damp with the early morning dew.
"Where..." I croaked, daring to remove one hand from my face to grope for Loki in the burning light. "Where are we?"
"Judging by the heaps of rubble," Loki's voice said to my right. I waited a moment for my eyes to adjust. "We are either in or near Manhattan. We may have to go on a bit of a walk though."
"Why?"
He grabbed my wrist and pulled my hands away from my face, forcing me to look around. "Freyja, we're in a park."
I blinked a few times and looked around. The tall buildings around us looked partially ruined, with great swaths of bricks littering the ground. "You don't say?"
He spread his arms wide and took a few steps back with a sly smile. "Welcome to Midgard, my friend."