Part Two : Chapter Thirty-Five.
Come Home.
"Can I at least shower first?" I asked, staring after Stark and Thor who both seemed rather eager to go out and eat. The others followed them, but they too, trailed a little behind. We must look so out of place. A group of worn out people walking in the middle of the ruins of Manhattan's streets in search of a Shawarma restaurant.
"It's just right around the corner, come on." Tony said over his shoulder. With a sigh, I trailed behind him and joined the others. Steve and I walked next to each other. Tony soon joined us, his attention directed towards me. He opened his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it.
"I misjudged you, Stark. I'm sorry." I apologized.
"I'm sorry, too." Steve agreed.
Tony half-smiled. "Thor told me what you did...Thank you."
"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?" I teased, smiling. My stomach began to feel uneasy and my skin seemed to boil. I glimpsed at the hot, blazing sun and was more than eager to get out of its way.
"Don't push it, Smurfette." Tony grinned, snapping my attention back to him as he patted my shoulder. He then quickened his pace, leaving Steve and I behind confused.
"Smurfette? I don't understand. What does that even mean?"
**
Word was just received that Loki has been locked up again in a better prison. Better for them, not Loki, I assume. The way he looked at me, the way his green eyes stared into me horrified, haunted me. Not wanting to think about it any longer, I shook the thoughts away.
Everyone seemed to be at peace now or at least trying to be. Thor devoured the food he ordered in content. Steve, who sat next to me, was sleeping in an uncomfortable position. Natasha and Clint ate their food silently, occassionally sneaking glances at each other. Tony leaned back in his chair, staring off into space, while Bruce munched on his food. As for me, my plate was left untouched. I still felt as if I was burning up.
"Are you going to eat that?" Thor asked with a mouth full, pointing towards my plate.
I shook my head, shoving my plate towards him. Thor stared me down. "Are you well?"
"I feel like I'm boiling up." I murmured tiredly, resting my head in my hands. "Maybe if I just close my eyes..."
The snow whirled around violently in response to the chilly, unbearable wind. The sky was dark and gloomy. A cold, uninviting atmosphere. No one but a frozen figure was in sight.
The figure was cloaked, and as I approached it, I noted that it was a woman. Her hood was off, revealing her wrinkled, gray skin. The way her mouth was opened led me to infer that she died screaming and in pain. Her eyes were closed, facial expression frozen in an afflicted state.
I reached out to touch her, wondering who she was and why she brought me here. My fingers met with the frozen layer of ice over her face. What was this place anyways?
Save me.
My hand reeled back and I let out a gasp. Her pitch black eyes were as cold and lifeless as this place, open wide in fear. Stepping back, I realized that she wasn't dead. She was alive, but she was frozen.
Save me.
"I-I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want." I whispered shakily. Her eyes followed my every move, pleading with me.
Save me.
The glaciers around us began to melt, collapsing and destroying everything in its path. Ice shards began to break as the ground beneath us shook. This world was slowly falling apart.
"Tell me who you are."
Ria.
**
When I opened my eyes, I found myself staring up at a white wall illuminated by a light that was too bright for my sensitive eyes. As I let my eyes wander, moving my head this time, I found myself lying on a small bed near a heart monitor.
I panicked, remembering the last time I woke up in a hospital. Who are you? I mentally asked myself.
I'm Astryd Friggadottir. I was born in Asgard and mainly raised in Midgard by a lovely man who I consider to be my true father. I've reunited with both of my brothers. I've met wonderful, inspiring people. The last thing I did was offer Thor my food after battling Thanos's forces.
I finally let out a breath, not realizing that I had been holding it. I remember everything.
Deja vu struck me again as Erik's worried face hovered over me. "Astryd, you're awake."
"What happened?" I wondered, sitting up, dazed and confused.
"We don't even know for sure. You just closed your eyes and didn't want to wake up as much as we tried." Thor replied, appearing by Erik's side. He smiled. "And trust me, we tried a lot."
Bruce walked in, along with a S.H.I.E.L.D doctor who I instantly recognized. It was Dr. Stanley, who has been assigned to be my doctor since I arrived here. He smiled at me. "Nice to see you again, Astryd."
"Results came in, leading us to conclude that you were in a short coma -for only a few days- due to how much you exerted yourself."
Days? I thought incredulously. I've been out for days. I glanced up at Bruce. "Can you elaborate a little more please?"
"You see, your body and the tesseract's energy aren't compatible. It's far too powerful for anyone. So when you used a lot of it, you exhausted yourself physically, despite your advantage of being Asgardian. I'll be honest with you. The only reason why you're still alive is because you have the tesseract's energy in you." Bruce explained more thoroughly.
"It seems to me that you and I are surprisingly alike." Bruce then added, putting down his clip board.
"So, how do you feel?" Dr. Stanley asked, checking my heart monitors and everything else I was hooked up to. "Any nausea? Headache? Pain in abdomen?"
"I feel fine." I answered honestly.
"Then, I'll leave you be." He said with a smile, excusing himself before he left. Bruce followed after him, promising that he'd return later.
A phone began to ring, hurting my ear thanks to its loud cry. Erik sheepishly smiled, slipping his phone out of his pocket. He frowned as he stared at it. "It's Jane. I'll be right back." Erik excused himself. He turned to Thor just as he was about to leave. "Do you want me to give her a message from you?"
"No." Thor quietly replied, frowning slightly.
As soon as Erik left, I turned to Thor. "Why don't you go visit Jane? If you want, I'll join you."
"It's complicated." Thor answered. "I will return for her one day, but...now is not the time. Please."
I sighed, realizing that he didn't want to go there. I began to fidget with my hands. "I had a dream about another world. It was dark, cold and there was ice and snow everywhere. I don't know how else to describe it, but it was unpleasant to me...Do you know of a world like that?"
"Jotunheim." Thor nodded confidently. "Land of the frost giants. You've never been there, so I don't understand why you would ever dream of that place."
"Someone, a woman, took me there. Her name is Ria and she wants me to save her. I have a feeling that she can help me... if I help her." I said.
"I can take you there, whenever you like." Thor offered. His gaze averted mine and he stared off into space. I watched him confused, wondering why the sudden change of mood. With a sigh, he turned back to look at me.
"I came here for a purpose and it has been fulfilled. Loki will come with me." Thor said, making it clear that there would be no arguments against him taking Loki. If Loki and I were on different terms, I would've argued. But he hates me, so I won't.
"And why haven't you left?" I asked, knowing where this was heading. I kept my gaze straight ahead, not wanting to look at Thor.
"I want you to come with us, Astryd." Thor breathed, grasping my hand in his. I tensed up, gulping. "I want you to come home."
I don't know when and I don't know why, but my eyes began to pool with tears. They just wouldn't stop coming. Home. Such a pleasant and comforting word, but it can be heart-breaking when you realize you don't exactly have it.
"I can't. That's not my home." I cried.
"And neither is here." Thor tried to reason with. He wanted me to look at him. I could feel his heavy gaze on me, but I couldn't muster up the strength to do so.
His words struck me hard. They were right. This isn't my home. I've never fit in and I never will.
"Maybe, I just don't belong anywhere." I whispered solemnly.
"You belong with me, Loki and our parents. You belong in Asgard."
"But what about Erik? He's the only father I've got." I snapped, conflicted. Taking a deep breath, I apologized. I didn't mean to lash out at Thor like that, but I just couldn't hold it in any more. As I stared straight ahead at the blank wall, Phil's words sounded through my mind:
"When I was a kid, my mother used to tell me a story about a princess who on her way to a ball got lost in the dark forest, because another princess was jealous of her and used magic to get rid of her. The lost princess faced many obstacles in the forest that night, but she fought through each of them. Even though she thought she was alone, she wasn’t. The animals that hid from the darkness of the forest saw her fighting, and they soon joined her and gave her company. Her family worried over her, and finally, her father sent his knights to go find her. When they did, she had grown fond over the forest animals and didn’t want to leave them.”
Who would've thought that I could relate to a child's story. Then again, Phil had made up the whole story to give me hope, to give me something to look forward to. More tears spilled out. I missed him.
I finally willed myself to glance at Thor. His blue eyes stared into my similar ones.
"You don't have to stay there, unless you want to. But please, come home."
"Okay." I nodded, wiping the tears away."I'll come home."
“So what happened?” I asked, interested to know if the princess stayed or left with her family. I glanced up at Coulson, impatient for an answer.
“She had to make a big decision, but in the end, she chose both. She left with her family, but she always returned to the forest, the place that had first given her strength and love. The princess soon realized that she couldn't live without both of them, for they took part in making her the princess she is today.” Agent Coulson finished.
A/N: One more chapter left until Part Two ends! Eeek, I'm so excited to start Part 3. Tony & Astryd are now friends and poor Astryd doesn't even know who Smurfette is, haha. Anyways, remember when I mentioned someone returning? Yup, that was the Sorceress, Ria. She didn't exactly die & she will play a bigger part in Part 3. What do you think the Sorceress wants with Astryd?So...Astryd is going home. Do you think her visit there will be pleasant? Will she make friends or enemies?
I couldn't help but end this chapter with a flashback from chapter 4. Hope you enjoyed it! Something MAJOR (that most of you have been asking for) is going to happen in the next chapter, any guesses on what it will be? Please leave your thoughts below!
sorry for any errors. I tend to make them a lot. >.<