Frigga

She silently wondered how Rahl was doing, seeing how this was his first time leaving their home world. Probably not well. Her first days on Earth had given her a migraine so brutal that it almost made facing her enraged uncle seem like the more reasonable option.  But he was strong, strong enough to be considered her greatest ally amongst the thousands that followed her. Rahl would be fine, as long as he got some well-deserved rest once they returned home. For now, she had more pressing matters to attend to.

“My journey to Asgard goes far beyond something as simple as a renewal.  Dormammu’s reign of terror has ended, and I have claimed my birthright as true ruler of the Dark Dimension. That wretched creature holds no power in my court, nor will he have any say in my political arrangements. I have come here to forge an entirely new alliance, free of the bloodied past of my homeland.” Clea explained, watching as the All Mother rose to her feet and moved towards her.  “The drawing room would certainly be the most suitable location, I agree.”

With the Mindless Ones constantly threatening to break through the barrier that protected their borders, the sorceress certainly understood why Odin had been called away.  “Threats against the Dark Dimension do not coincide with my schedule, nor would I expect them to do so for the All Father.  No offense has been taken, I would be happy to wait with you until your husband returns.”

Clea followed Frigga out of the room, waving for Rahl to follow behind them.  Trying the food in other dimensions was usually an odd experience, and not one she was particularly interested in at the moment. “Snacks will be fine,” the sorceress replied simply.

Something her sons did not agree with.

“I shall guide you there.” Her hands made a settling motions at the guards that moved from their stationary position to follow. They were simply going to the drawing room and it made Asgard seem more peaceful if she did not have them follow. “Could you please go alert the medical team to be ready for when our king and brothers return?” She smiled reassuringly at their nervous looks before shooing them with a flick of her hand. Odin could yell at her later, he would know she had sent them on their way. “I am glad to hear that then. Come, this way.”

Frigga walked slightly in front of Clea, not enough to imply her being lesser but enough to guide. Politics were…tiring to say the least. Often times it was a clever trick of body language and sweet words. Loki and Fandral had often been sent to entertain guest for that exact reason. She carefully whispered a spell that would send a note to the kitchen for snacks. One of the servers would bring them up when they were ready. Fruits, cheese, and crackers would suit this occasion. And a spot of tea could never go wrong when trying to sooth nerves.

“Ahh, I must admit I am surprised you can feel that. You must be a very powerful wielder for the spell is very simple in its creation.” The amount of magic required was practically nonexistent, it had taken Loki forever to be able to detect such a thing. “It is a simple detector.” She carefully held out her wrist, pausing in front of the study doors. “Our King is mighty and wise, as is required of the All-Father but that does not mean I like to let him into battle. Since I am not allowed to join him on the battlefield due to my position this is how I keep track of him.” Frigga laughed quietly. “It allows me to make sure he is alive and gives me clues to whether or not I need to send reinforcements to him in order to make sure he stays that way.” She shook her head. “A simple trick for comfort and security.”

The search loaded and Jan’s phone up the pictures of the search for “flower child” on Google.  “Here,” she handed the screen to Frigga.  “You can scroll down with your finger to see more. This is a flower child.  They’re old fashioned, is the best way to put it.” People living today who dressed like they were fifty years in the past.  Wearing too many fake or real flowers in crowns and on their clothing, ponchos, burlap, and all sorts of things that shouldn’t make their way out of a costume party  or “decades day.”  “I wouldn’t call them lovely, per se.  A big part of hippie culture, as far as I can tell, is not bothering to shower.” A fault which could be forgiven if their politics weren’t both loud and obnoxious.  “It’s hard to explain if you’re not from Earth,” she concluded.  Frigga probably would conclude that she was being too hard on the whale-saving radicals.

Oh.

“Ah, so they are Midgardian.” She summarized, looking vaguely unimpressed at the screen. With such a name she imagined they would be a bit…well…more. In the very least look a bit more like they had not come from battle. “Bathing is not so much a requirement as a luxury in our culture.” It was hard to bath during battles. No, bathing was more a welcome home gift then nothing else. “Though I cannot imagine going to long without it. Many a times have I forced Odin to bath if only to drag his mind from the war so he could come back refreshed.” She finished scrolling, handing back the phone. “I was expecting brighter colors, honestly. They look nice from the pictures but so does a sleeping Huldra until they roll over onto their stomach or side.” Her shoulders went up in a shrug before she glanced around the room.

Frigga chuckled. “That’s probably because our bodies do not differ that much from each other. Well, in the terms of growth and nutrients. The quantities might be different but the type is the same.” She grinned. “The baby wants, what the baby wants. My father use to tell tales of all the strange things my mother would demand. She was an Asgardian but she was raised in one of the settlements because my grandparents were both warriors. He swore she only wanted food from her childhood despite her claims of hatred of it when she was an adult. Use to laugh up a story about it.” Her smile grew fond. “It is best to sooth the baby’s desires while remembering their health as well.”

So Wanda stayed mostly to herself, hanging the “IT’S A BOY!” banner and arranging the presents for the expecting parents and the expected baby on a table.  Wanda had done her shopping almost two months ago, when she had happened upon the ETSY shop while looking for hand crafted runes.  There had been a shop which made soft fleece plushie toys of characters and celebrities, including a custom option.  She had ended up ordering two custom made, one of Janet as the Wasp and one of Hank as Giant Man so Henry would have little soft figures of both his mom and dad.    Next to the other things people had bought and brought for snacks, her gesture seemed inconsequential.  

It was just as she finished arranging the presents that a commotion came from the kitchen and the fire alarms sounded.  Wanda couldn’t see from the living room what was going on.  Vision left the room immediately, and Wanda was left to hobble on her crutches over to the kitchen.  Before she could see the state of things, Wanda could smell smoke and heard the sizzle of a fire extinguisher.  When she came around the corner, she saw the burnt-out blender covered in white foam and the smoke coming from the oven.  It was pretty obvious that two of the snacks had been utterly ruined, but the first thing out of Wanda’s mouth was a reflexive, “is everyone alright?”  

As the smoke died down, Hank felt himself relax—at least, he felt his pulse slow and his shoulders drop back to their normal position.  “What on earth happened?” he asked to anyone who might have an answer.  When he was sure that it wouldn’t spontaneously catch fire again—some moments after Vision had put out the fire alarms—Hank approached the blender.  He unplugged it, then tipped it up to look inside.  There wasn’t a whole lot left of…whatever it was Susan had been making in here. Icing for the cake?  Dip?  A side? He dismantled it from the blender base, which was also covered in foam, and brought it to the sink to rinse out. Whatever it was, it was no longer edible.  

As clumps of black and smelly snacks washed down the kitchen sink, Wanda made an appearance in the kitchen. Hank periodically managed to actually forget that she was their house guest.  Most of the team had moved out when the new facility had been built, but what with Vision getting kidnapped that same weekend, she’d prolonged her stay to stay in the loop.  Now she was recuperating in the same spare bedroom.  It wasn’t like they didn’t have the room.  But she hadn’t exactly made her presence known most days. He would every so often find that things moved about where neither he nor Jan had left them, or there had been different activity on the Netflix account, or someone had hijacked the leftovers he’d wanted to eat himself.  

She was startled from her thoughts by a sudden commotion. There was now a fire in the kitchen. Perhaps she would have to go hunting after all. Her hand raised to put it out but fell once Hank told her to move. She carefully guided Susan back, confused why Hank was making worse of a mess. Did he not have the power to instantly stop it? She opened her mouth to suggest she just put out the flame just to snap it shut when he started to coat it with a white foam. “Susan.” She whispered quietly to the other. “should I have just went ahead and put out the flame before he start to coat everything? I feel like a bigger mess was just created.” Her eyes darted to the clock before looking at the mess in the kitchen.

Well they certainly did not have much time.

Frigga rolled up her sleeves, heading towards the center of the mess. Lips already forming the words of a cleaning spell. It would take time to complete of course but it could get the worst of the damage. “I am afraid I am unaware of these “Girl Scout Cookies” but I know cookies are good so they must be a delight.” Though why the girls who had chosen the life of a scout were making cookies was beyond her. “Perhaps we should split up? Half of us clean the other half cook?” She smiled gently at Susan, gesturing the embarrassed woman to her side. “I feel like you are an excellent cleaner, my dear. I have heard things about your husband and messes.” Granted mostly they were in rants but details.

Thor’s mother was wise, and it was something he hoped he would inherit from her one day. Unfortunately, he still acted on impulse instead of thinking things through - so maybe it would something that he could learn in old age. But his parenting instincts were very similar to what she was describing, and if they could agree on how to raise children, maybe he wasn’t too far off? Usually it was Leia who cried when she wanted to be held, and Luke would make noise if he was bored. He always felt like he knew nothing in front of his parents, but having her approve of his actions made him feel good.

“Of course,” Thor said as he stood up to grab a blanket. It was a soft blanket so the babies wouldn’t get sores from the hard floor. He laid it out next to their playpen and he picked up Leia first. She was still making discontent noises, but her crying stopped when Thor placed her on the ground. By the time he had her settled on the blanket, Luke had already pulled himself up and was trying to make an escape from the playpen. “Not so fast,” He laughed.

But that was neither here nor there.

She watched fascinated as Thor began to interact with his little ones. It was a scene she had dreamed of, granted, the palace walls had surrounded them in her dreams. It was a shame Odin was behaving in such a manner. She could only hope the twins grew slowly so she could enjoy having them run and play through the halls. Have Odin sit on his throne while two pairs of eyes stared on adoringly. Hopefully the fates would allow her that gift before her time came to an end. She chuckled slightly as Luke fought to follow his sister. Scrambling up the side of his play pin.

It was like Thor and Loki, except Thor often times could follow.  He had always been so tall.

“True, thank you my darling.” She rose from her position on the couch, heading towards the playpen. There was a mixture of toys. Some of them from Asgard, some from Midgard. She carefully gathered four, two from each land, before gracefully sitting on the floor. Her legs tucked under her while she magicked her skirts out of the way. It would be easier for them to reach her this way. Plus the feel of the fabric might put them off depending on what they were used to. She carefully spread the toys out in front of her, jumping when one of them started to make noise. Frigga stared at it before glancing at Thor. It has seem to grab the children’s attention but….

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to focus on helping Frigga down the stairs. Their sudden materialization was a welcome distraction. One at a time she stepped down, hand still firmly on her shoulder. Once she was sure the queen had her footing, she moved to the next one.

“I think everyone believes in magic a little. Some people, like Stephen, just decide to act on that belief.” She chose her words carefully, sparing a glance towards the woman. Her hard expression was unreadable. “After all the worlds I’ve been to, the people I’ve seen, I can’t discount something because it seems impossible. Everything up until now, by definition, shouldn’t have existed.”

Sue sighed, staring down the corridor ahead of them. It was different than the rest, like it had a life all its own. A feeling she couldn’t quite explain in words. “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have been so forward. The priority is containing the infinity stone.” Her grip on the queen’s shoulder faltered, but she didn’t let go.

And that at the core was magic. It was not trusting your sight, for it often lied, but instead trusting your feelings. Loki was good at illusion but only with those who did not feel. Magic was always in the air, twining around all of them. Gently waiting to be pulled, to control the universe it incased. There was a reason all the stories had the fates using string or string leading the path. The Greeks had been wise from what she could tell from reading. It was sad to find out that death was their ultimate fate.

She glanced at the other, smiling at the wisdom in her words. They were so young but their ability to understand and grow was exceptional. Often she agreed with Loki that Asgard was too slow. That slowness might lead to their end, but it was up to Thor to speed them up. “Aye. Though everything that exist is meant to exist. In the grand design nothing is useless and nothing is made without purpose. Even the tiniest creature serves a purpose in the grand scheme.” The hardest part of reading the threads was understanding what they shown. One must open themselves to the possibility. “Loki’s betrayal, though tragic, served a purpose.” A frown crossed her face. “His escape also will serve a purpose though what, I do not know.”

Mostly because she did not wish to know what she had released on the world.

She led Susan further down the path, making sure the path fell away behind them. “Well…you are in luck. Containment is important but where the stone will be held is where the threads are read.” She reached a hand up to gently squeeze Susan’s. She was technically not allowed to speak of what she saw due to her king’s law but they had done a great service to them. Jan was fond of Susan and the woman had proven her worth time and time again. Besides, a simple word of hope would be best. And if nothing else, the strings could be altered. Retied, a difficult task, but all things were possible if one believed and was strong enough.

“Sometimes the time is simply not right or the preparations are not in place for children. I had two of my own before I ever gave birth.” Frigga pushed open a door at the end of the hallway, leading them into a workshop. “We will drop off the stone and I will read the strings. I am afraid I must draw some strength from you. I am currently not strong enough to do it myself.” She slipped out from Susan’s hand, moving over to an ornate jar, covered in runes. “This will store the stone since it cannot be solidified. Whenever you are ready dear, we can begin the transfer.”

“Oh is there a reward on their heads? I could show you where you would collect when your shield brothers finish.” It was not odd that bounty hunters would come into their docks looking to grab a piece of the Asgardian wealth. Granted there were often few jobs available. It was nothing for the warriors of Asgard to take on a bounty or two if they were bored. It was a good exercise of skill. She had even taken on a few in her younger years when she was not bound by the duties of Queen.

Not that Odin would let her now anyway, something about a waste of her skill.

Her fingers drummed lightly on the hilt of her sword, pride swelling up into her. “It is the unique mixture of magic and technology that has advanced us so.” Her king might be resistant to witch craft in battle but even he could not deny its uses. “It is only recently that such a system has come into place but it has grown rapidly.” Well, recently for an Asgardian’s timeline. Others had shorter lives so it might have occurred before she was born. It was always so hard to judge such things from appearance alone. “Between the techs and the magicians they are able to diagnose and treat certain ailments. Though often times it is best just to let them heal as they will.”

               “I tried one time to buy her a dress.” Hank sat at the kitchen counter next to a small mountain of wrapped and unwrapped gifts, fumbling a few yards of silk into gift wrapping paper.  “She changed everything about it.  She cut the skirt, put one of those loopy things in the back, and that frilly stuff underneath.  It’s like mesh netting but stiffer.”  He looked between Betty and Susan to see if either of them knew what he was talking about or knew the word for it.  “Now I just buy her fabric I think she’d like.  It probably saves her work if she doesn’t have to redo someone else’s.  Or my own poor taste.”  Both ends of the roll were then tied off with ribbons, giving the cloth an overall tootsie-roll effect, and added it to his pile of wrapped stuffed animals; bath salts; pearls—it was infinitely easier to buy jewelry for her; and the new stingers he’d fixed for her to use once she felt up to being the Wasp again.  Several months in her hero alias had made him abundantly aware of the fact that her weapons had the tendency to jam under certain circumstances.

               “You may have figured this out yourselves,” since they’d insisted on bringing gifts, “but she’s next to impossible to shop for.” Hank picked up one of the sleek gold stingers to measure, then cut the wrapping paper.  “And it’s not that she has money, that’s not what I mean.  She’s an impulsive shopper, so if she even thinks she wants something, she already has it.”  The only thing he’d consistently been able to keep up with had to do with her super hero whom she loved.

She turned back to the others once the banners were hung. These parties were not so different from the celebration of a new life back at home. But there was a lack of hunting, something that was apparently common. Midgardians tended to shy away from hunting it seemed. Well, at least the ones she had encountered. Perhaps it was different in different places of the world. She moved to take a seat by Hank, swishing her skirts out of the way. She had thought this would be a traditional feast and dressed as such. Her light green gown covered her entire form, leaving only her hands and neck bare. Her fur cape had been discarded on the back on the couch. It was for outside which they weren’t going.

“I had no problem shopping for Jan.” Frigga remarked, gesturing to the pile of gifts wrapped in cloth. It was strange that the Midgardians used paper, as it seemed wasteful. But she could appreciate the colors and patterns found on the paper. “It is a mixture of baby toys and things to protect her and the child.” A few wards into a bracelet for her and a cuff for the child was practically child’s play. A very useful gift but a very simple one. “I have found that thinking outside the box and creating things yourself tend to be the best course of action. It comes from the heart, making it stronger.”

She patted Hank on the shoulder before rising and moving closer to Susan. The other woman, Betty, had seemed uncomfortable with her. Which was strange considering they had not really met for long before. The woman had simply been a scientist that had helped with the tree. With traces of magical energy that could not be explained. Either way, it was best to allow space, she would hate for the other to feel uncomfortable even if she was Hank’s friend. “Is there anything you guys need me to do?” Vision and Wanda (who also did magic and that was a wonderful surprise!) seemed to be okay. Looks could be deceiving though.

She watched as the Midgardians went through, making sure they were fine before following herself with Clea. Her boys could handle themselves. They made an excellent team and they had the habit of being in sync like lovers. She accounted that to them spending so much time together in their youth. A yawn tried to claw its way up her throat but she pushed it back with a firm shake of her head.

Image was everything.

Frigga surveyed the damage while Thor gave the others the details. Had she felt a bit stronger she would have offered her help to clean up this mess. But at this point she would be more of a harm then of help. “Thor, I am afraid I will have to return to Asgard. I will not be able to assist with the damages and I apologize.” She stumbled a bit as she took a few steps forward, just to be steadied by the blonde one, Sue was it? She heard the other offer to take her home and help extract the gem. Odin would probably never allow the second part to occur but having an escort home would be nice.

When Sue was ready she raised a hand and called out to the heavens. “Heimdall, take us to Asgard.” And with that the familiar warmth of the bridge flew down on them, taking back to the golden city.

With a nod towards her friend she stepped through to the Sokovian battlefield. The aliens had been taken care of here as well, though not without  repercussions of their own  The land surrounding the Hydra base, as well as parts of the base itself, was devastated and littered with bodies.

She turned to Thor as he briefed them on the details, sparing a glance at the All Mother beside him. Her face fell in concern. As strong as the goddess made herself out to be, Infinity Gems were not easy to control. The World Tree had nearly been killed through just extended contact. Absorbing a gem… She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know what that would do to a person, Asgardian or not.

The All Mother took a step forward and stumbled. Sue flung out an arm to steady her before she fell. “If you wouldn’t mind,  I could escort you back to Asgard and help extract the gem.” She smiled at Frigga, keeping a firm, but gentle grip on her shoulder. The woman was too proud to accept an offer for help out right.

Everyone had gathered together and exited through a portal that, thankfully, was blissfully kind to Dakota’s stomach. Her feet were swiftly on more familiar Earth ground before the others began discussing where they might go, with Frigga and the blonde Storm woman mentioning Asgard. As fun as a trip to the ancient realm seemed (actually, it seemed terrible given that she had no interest in dealing with another Bifrost trip so soon), it made far more sense for her to stay at the base.

“I, uh, wouldn’t mind sticking around here.” Others looked to her and she shrugged, gesturing with the pipe-like item she had found before to the countless piles of rubble. “They’ll probably need all the hands they can get to help clean up.”

Plus, cleaning up meant getting to look for more fun discarded stuff and seeing what info popped up. There was no way she had the whole story about why everyone was at that base. HYDRA had to have been more than just at the wrong place at the wrong time. If that place was the center of something like this, there had to be more going on there.

As ruler of the Dark Dimension, she was the pillar that supported her people. If they did not have faith in her ability to rule them, everything she worked for would fall into ruin. There would be bloodshed, violence; a mad struggle for power that would surely destroy them all. 

The sorceress could not falter, or show any sign of weakness. Regardless of how much pain she felt, or the injuries she’d sustained….She simply had to carry her burden in silence.

“You don’t have to be a Queen on Midgard,” Clea said, quietly enough that only Frigga could hear.  From the moment of her birth, the sorceress’ noble blood had forced her into a role that she could never truly move away from. Lady. Queen. But on Earth, none of that mattered. Humans didn’t care about the politics of other dimensions in the slightest, so what did it matter if she was royalty? Here, she could just be Clea; perhaps Frigga could benefit from that sort of freedom as well.

Once Fandral and Thor were through the portal, the sorceress closed it easily behind them. Unfortunately, that moment of distraction was just long enough for the All Mother to lose her footing. She stumbled and almost fell to the ground, but Susan caught her before any real damage could be done.

As the light of the Bifrost faded, Sue suddenly became all too aware of the convoy of brightly coloured guards surrounding them. When they saw that their queen was visibly unharmed, the tension in the air seemed to relax. The crowd parted like water as she stepped forward, with Sue following tentatively behind her. Her hand still rested gently on the queen’s shoulder, and as there was no motion to remove it, she kept it there.

They moved in stoic silence towards the bridge, where a horse drawn carriage was waiting. She noted with a smile that the horses had wings. One of the guards moved to open the carriage, while another assisted Frigga into the coach. Once she was safely inside, Sue climbed in after her. She couldn’t help but peer out the window in awe as they took off. The fairy tales she heard as a child were coming to life around her. Asgard never failed to amaze her.  It was as if they were on their way to a ball, though the only one that looked the part was Frigga.

When the carriage landed in front of the castle, the same guards opened the door and helped them out. Sue gave the pair a thankful smile before turning to follow the queen. The halls were long and winding, with torches placed every few feet to chase away the shadows.  Each corridor looked nearly identical to the last. Frigga moved with purpose, clearly knowing exactly where she wanted to go.

“Are you feeling alright?” Sue asked gently, eyeing the woman with concern. She wasn’t sure the kind of toll the infinity gem would take on her body. She doubted Frigga would tell her if she wasn’t. The queen was too proud. She didn’t hold the respect she did by showing weakness; she was a goddess, the All Mother.

Sue bit her lip, pushing back the temptation to delve further into her thoughts. She was here to help extract the Aesir, to help Frigga. Everything else was an afterthought until the gem was safely contained. Still, curiosity continued to gnaw at her. It wasn’t like she could discuss these things with Jan; she had her own problems, with the baby coming. She could see the guilt in her friend’s eyes every time the pregnancy came up.

“Can…Can you see the future?”

Even if she had to ride in the flying carriage (a bit show off in her taste but it was the quickest way).

Frigga smiled softly at the guard who offered her his hand. He had been with her for a very long time. He had become her personal guard after Loki was brought to her. Odin had been concerned for her safety though he swore no one knew the truth. The walls have ears and eyes after all and it was always best to be on the err side of caution. She gripped the hand as tightly as she could, nodding away his concerned look. She must truly be weak if her grip was enough to cause such a look. But it was well, they had won. She scooted across the seats, leaning against the wall once she had reached it. Sue would be fine. Her eyes watched the kingdom as it passed by. God it was always so beautiful.

As the headed in the castle she felt a familiar pull at the back of her mind. The mind link she had set up between her and her husband eons ago was thrumming with his desire of her time. Her body knew which way they were going so it was easy enough to pay attention to the energy that was filled with pleasure and satisfaction. She smiled fondly, responding quietly to his request.

“My love I returned safely. What do you wish for me to do with the stone?”

“Protect it, I trust you to keep it safe. I am glad you are home my Queen. I look forward to seeing you tonight in our chambers once your guest is settled. Heimdall assured me that you were fine but I worry. Now pay attention, your guest ask for your attention.”

“I recognized the walking stick from our medics in the ports.” She dipped her head to gesture towards the stick. “I occasionally do volunteer work there.” Generally when they were overloaded or had a case they could not heal with traditional means. Not everyone was gifted in magic so her skills made her a specialized resource. Had Loki not been so focused on being a fighter she might have taught him more healing magic than fighting magic. Her child wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps though and who was she to refuse him.  “So I figured you were hurt and a foreigner since you went to the medics near the ports. So you were either lost or taking a break.” She chuckled. “Most people tend to go for the hills for a picnic instead of the side of the road. I figured if you were lost I could help you. I live here after all.”

Frigga offered the green woman a gentle smile, offering a hand to her. “My apologies, it was rude of me not to introduce myself first. My name is Lady Frigg. I am a warrior here on Asgard.” She gave the other a teasing wink. “But obviously not a busy one if I have time to casually stroll the market as I was.” She moved her hand back to rest in her lap, heading turning slightly when she heard a crying child.

Frigga was the All Mother, and one of the few people that made her feel truly at ease. The last thing she wanted was to lose her, but they had to contain the alien threat; thousands of human lives would be lost if they didn’t. The sorceress watched the other woman as she moved towards the altar, knocking back aliens as she headed towards what very well could have been her death.  “You’re stronger than the Aether, I know you can succeed!” she yelled after her.  

Enemies approached as they noticed her position, and Clea entered a defensive stance, circling with them in order to leave her back less exposed. There were two of them, both armed with some sort of blade; close range weapons. They would have to get in close in order to make a fatal strike, while she had the advantage of a much longer reach. One of them, the largest, lunged towards her, but she met his attack with the hilt of her spear. Pushing backwards used his own momentum against him, allowing her to sink her weapon deep into his chest as he stumbled. The second one tried to flank her while she removed her weapon from his companion, resulting in a swift kick to the knee. He fell quickly, and she took him out before he could manage to recover.

Clea looked towards the altar, the apparition currently fighting two of her companions barely registering. All she could feel was the force of the Aether, radiating outwards in waves that were almost strong enough to force her backwards. Frigga’s mouth was open in a silent scream, agony evident on her features. The sorceress wanted to call out to her, to do something, but she could only stare as scarlet seeped into the All Mother’s features and all but consumed her.  Minutes passed before she noticed the chanting; ancient words laced with magic, causing the portal they’d entered through to shrink into oblivion behind them.

Clea raced towards the altar the second the portal was closed, steadying Frigga before she tumbled to the floor. By the Vishanti, she looked exhausted… “Are you alright?” she asked, looking around to make sure no aliens were currently attempting to sneak up on them. Fortunately, it looked as though all of the remaining creatures had been killed.  She dropped her borrowed weapon back onto the ground.

As he was flying into a hoard of aliens, he caught a glimpse of this red energy sealing off the portal. He looked down to see the spirit of Bor stopped and staring at as the dimension was being sealed off by Frigga. He hoped the Aether wasn’t eating her alive - he didn’t really know what it did, but if his granfather had to seal it in another dimension, it couldn’t have been a good thing. He knocked some aliens down into the abyss below while he made a sharp turn and landed back on the ground next to Fandral, who was standing there staring intently at their foe.

“What is it?”

Fandral was quiet and unresponsive, and Thor knew that as the face of calculation. He figured something out.

“See how he’s standing away from the edge? He will always turn before he gets too close.”

Thor hadn’t noticed, but he would take his friends word for it. “What are you thinking we do?”

“He can phase through us but not solid objects. If we can get him towards the edge, he might be dumb enough to follow us off.”

“We both jump?” Without hesitation, Fandral nodded with a quiet ‘yep’.

“Throw your hammer at his axe, see if it’ll knock out of his hands,” Fandral shouted before they were about to phase through the spirit. The battleaxe, they learned, was solid. He saw Mjolnir fly through the air, and it didn’t quite fall but it startled Bor’s spirit. Once again they were being chased.

“We’ll have to go back around,” He heard Thor shout.

So they stopped and went around again. They were much faster than the hulking ghost so when they stopped at the edge, Thor had more time to get a precise shot. “Now!” Fandral called out, and Thor threw the his hammer. This time, the spirit didn’t keep a grip on it and it clacked on the ground before sliding off the edge.

The spirit stopped for a second to watch, but when he turned back his eyes went from a eerie black to an angry red. Fandral didn’t want tell Thor he suspected the removal of his weapon would get this exact reaction. There had to’ve been a trait dating back to Buri [Bor’s Father], where whenever they lost their weapon, they would go into an uncontrollable Rage. Thor wasn’t nearly as bad as he used to be, but he had seen him display a similar reation many times on the battlefield. The stories of Odin weren’t any better.

Bor approached quickly and Fandral didn’t have time to think of how dumb he was until he saw Mjolnir whiz past his face and felt the strong grip of Thor pulling him off the platform. Fandral was face up when he saw the spirit fall off seconds later. All the blood in his body rushed to his head and he lost his hearing for a few seconds as he descended downward. They didn’t actually fall for very long - Thor was much more alert. He blamed his brief introspective ‘aha!’ moment. He finally got his bearings again once he landed upright on the platform.

“I suppose everyone is ready to leave?” The white haired woman spoke, she had already created a portal.

She watched as the Midgardians went through, making sure they were fine before following herself with Clea. Her boys could handle themselves. They made an excellent team and they had the habit of being in sync like lovers. She accounted that to them spending so much time together in their youth. A yawn tried to claw its way up her throat but she pushed it back with a firm shake of her head.

Image was everything.

Frigga surveyed the damage while Thor gave the others the details. Had she felt a bit stronger she would have offered her help to clean up this mess. But at this point she would be more of a harm then of help. “Thor, I am afraid I will have to return to Asgard. I will not be able to assist with the damages and I apologize.” She stumbled a bit as she took a few steps forward, just to be steadied by the blonde one, Sue was it? She heard the other offer to take her home and help extract the gem. Odin would probably never allow the second part to occur but having an escort home would be nice.

When Sue was ready she raised a hand and called out to the heavens. “Heimdall, take us to Asgard.” And with that the familiar warmth of the bridge flew down on them, taking back to the golden city.

It had been so long since his infancy, he couldn’t remember anything. He remembered being told he was fussy and always ready for action. The twins weren’t unlike him and Loki as children. Leia wanted to physically be part of everything while Luke sat back and absorbed everything around him. When one was upset, the other was as well…yeah, a lot like him and Loki. He didn’t know what that meant for their future, but hopefully he and Jane could provide enough love and support for them so neither would feel cast out for any reason. His mother would also help see to that.

“Of course,” He said, offering her a seat on the couch by the babies. “Please, sit.” Thor sat down as well after she was settled. “So far they are able to walk short distances. Their muscles are much stronger than human babies at this age. They cannot yet talk, but they are…babbling? I believe that’s the term.”

“Really, fascinating. I was several decades before you began to toddle about.” She laughed, leaning slightly against her son. “Though babbling you had down pack rather quick. Your father boasted it was the mark of a strong king.” Even though Thor had not been her own, watching him and his father bond was always something she treasured. Punish the man not the babe. She smiled reassuringly at him, resting her hand on his knee.

“You do what you feel is right. Parenting instincts are the strongest thing in existence.” Frigga smiled, dragging her son into another hug. “In my experience it was easier to just let you cry until you settled yourself down. There is a difference between I need you and I just want attention. If I had tried everything and you still had not settled I would let you cry.” She pulled back to kiss him on the forehead. “Though occasionally you just desired to be held. It was trickier once Loki came to be but holding you both always brought me so much joy.”

“Unfortunately he is right Clea, the stone tends to lash out when it feel threatened. If we bring too much active magic too close, it might trigger a response.”

With the amount of energy currently radiating around her, the sorceress didn’t want to know what kind of ‘response’ the stone would unleash if threatened.  It would be best to avoid magic all together, while in the vicinity of such a powerful object. The sorceress nodded in response. “I see. Perhaps I should focus on physical forms of combat for this battle, then.”

Clea allowed Frigga to grab her tightly around the waist, not particularly minding the closeness between them. The All Mother was one of the most powerful Asgardians in existence, and yet, instead of fear, her presence only ever brought comfort. She would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy spending time with her.  As Susan approached, the sorceress wrapped her arms around her as well. “Hello,” she said, since she hadn’t really had an opportunity to say it earlier.

The flight towards the portal was exhilarating, and far faster than anything she’d ever experienced before. She could move quite quickly under her own power, but it paled in comparison to the strength of Mjolnir. She grinned back at Frigga, unable to contain her enjoyment despite the seriousness of the situation. Had they not been about to enter a realm full of hostile aliens, she’d probably have asked to do it again.

The world they entered was tinged in scarlet, the sky a similar red to that of the Dark Dimension when it had been under the influence of Dormammu.  It had turned blue, with her rise to power, but the original shade still reminded her of home, somehow.

Clea followed Frigga to the altar, dodging attacks from several aliens along the way. The All-Mother slashed at a few with her dagger, distracting them long enough for the sorceress to snatch one of their weapons away from them. It was a spear, similar to the ones favoured by the royal guard. Weapons training hadn’t been necessary for someone in her social position, but when your father was the commanding officer, it was amazing what you could accomplish just by batting your eyelashes in front of the newer soldiers.  She’d finally received real training from Wong when she’d come to Earth, but her youthful attempts at rebellion had certainly given her a helpful starting point.

Clea immediately stabbed one of the wounded aliens and thrust them aside, knocking back several others with the dull end as she continued towards the altar. The strength of the substance inside grew stronger as she approached, hitting her like a never ending wave. She gritted her teeth in an attempt to fight off the overwhelming discomfort.

The sorceress hid behind a pillar with Frigga, watching as the aliens forgot about them and went on to attack the others.

“Clea, my dear, one of us has to hold the power.”

She stared at the other woman, taking a moment as the weight of the situation sank in. Something as strong as the Aether could rip them apart in seconds…so which one of them would be the most likely to survive under those conditions?   Clea’s heritage gave her an immense amount of power, yes, but she lacked the experience necessary to be able to contain something so large. Frigga had the appropriate training, and the power radiating from the substance was closer to her type of magic.  

Thor knocked back a few enemies in the path of his mother and Clea as they made their way to the altar. He could feel the power of the Aether nearby - it was something he couldn’t describe. Like it was calling out for someone to free it from its cage. It had been sitting dormant for thousands of years - of course it wanted to be free. Of all the infinity stones, it was the one of least concern, yet was truly sentient…

All the fighters made a fair perimeter around the alter, and as he was smacking down a small group of alien creatures, he heard Fandral calling.

“Thor, isn’t that your grandfather?”

He turned and once the altar had been touched, he didn’t see by who, he saw a great ghostly figure forming above it. Most definitely some spell put on it by his grandfather to ensure no one would retrieve the Aether. The ghostly figure landed on the ground and went to swing his mighty battleaxe at Clea and his mother and Thor leapt into action. He tackled the spirit, and nearly fell off the platform flying through it. Fandral grabbed hold of his arm before he slid into the abyss below. “Thanks,” He muttered before rising to his feet.

The Spirit now had its attention on the two Asgardians.

“What is our plan here?”

“Distraction?” Fandral offered.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a white figure forming above the altar. He was facing the front of it, and immediately he realised it was taking the form of Bor.

“Thor, isn’t that your grandfather?” He called out. His friend was battling some aliens on the other side, where he couldn’t see very well. The figure landed on the ground and raised his ghostly battleaxe to take a swing at the women working with the Aether. Before he could leap into action, he saw Thor come out of nowhere, attempting to tackle the ghost.

Fandral ran to the edge of the platform and grabbed Thor before he could fall off. “Always leaping before you look, eh?” He heard the prince mumble a ‘thanks’ before getting back up. At least they had successfully gotten the attention of the spirit.

“What is our plan here?” He heard Thor ask.

There really wasn’t much they could do. They couldn’t physically take down the spirit, but if he was going to use the battleaxe on Frigga and Clea, that meant it was at least half a physical item. He may have slept through most of his classes, but that he learned fighting in the abandoned caves of Svartalfheim with the Warriors Three.

“Distraction?” Fandral said. They could figure out how to get the weapon away once Bor wasn’t a direct threat to the sorceresses working with the Aether. He saw Thor smile and agree.

She reached the altar, slowing down until she was walking the final steps. The power was even greater than she imagined. She felt it like electricity racing down her skin. She could taste it in the air. With another deep breath she took the final step, resting her palms on the altar. It would be easier to take in if there was a balance. That was the one thing she always taught, wild could be tamed if one brought it magic. Frigga startled though, hands rising for only a moment when she felt a presence next to her.

No.

She stared at the man who had told her she was to become queen in sadness and anger. Of course he would go to such lengths to protect the thing he swore he destroyed. She turned her eyes away from the axe swinging towards her, trusting the others to protect her. If her hands left now who knew what would happen. She felt the Aether crawl inside her, fighting for control. She felt her mouth open in a silent scream but she did not push it away. She curled her magic around the wild strands, forcing it down. Forcing it into balance.

Frigga felt her skin burn but she soldiered on, letting more and more in until the red was seen against her skin. When the last drop had entered her she turned and faced the portal. Enough was enough. She raised her hands and began to speak ancient words that meant little to her. But that was the power of magic. It could be rooted so deeply that the words came out without a conscious thought. With a final word she clenched her hands into fist, watching the portal close as her hands did. It almost felt better. She could still feel it inside her, wrong, but it was not burning now.

“It’s more a mark of being a flower child, here,” Jan explained.  Flowers were nice as an odd accessory if they were tastefully done, but she’d rarely seen someone with a bouquet of flowers in their hair either on the runway or the red carpet, unless they were trying to make a very pointed nod to hippie culture.  “If you want your hair done, they offer deep conditioning and blow outs, styling, that sort of thing.”  Jan somehow doubted that Frigga would take her up on any of those options; they weren’t as majestic as what she was used to.  She also found it hard to so much as imagine Frigga with her four-foot long golden hair blown out or waved.  

Jan followed Frigga through her musings, the offers for face, body, hands, feet, “oh, you know a wrap might be nice, too.  An avocado is…a fruit.  But not a sweet fruit.  It’s creamy, so it’s good for your skin and hair.”  She didn’t know why it was so good, but it was a staple in most salons and spas.  “And the honey is, I think, an ingredient, not just honey on your face.  Most of these will be creams, but yes, the mud is real mud.  The trick is in the minerals.”  She continued to look, mostly at the massages and facials. 

She considered the options given. The blow out sounded painful and she rather liked the style she had now. Her hand maiden had done an excellent job after all it would be a shame to potentially ruin the cut of it all. “Perhaps a deep conditioning? That sounds nice.” Though that lead to the question of what exactly made it deep. She knew what conditioning was, but the deep part was new. “And I have been told that conditioning often keeps your hair soft and Odin likes that.” Some nights when they had a moment to breath he would sit there and just run his fingers through whatever was down. It was always so relaxing so she tried to keep her hair soft just for that reason.

“What is a wrap? And I apologize for so many questions. Normally they have a description next to it.” She gestured to the menu shrugging hopelessly. That might have been a trait found in restaurants but it certainly would have been helpful here. She hated being a bother to anyone. Well, except JARVIS, he seemed to enjoy helping her out. He had been the greatest asset during her first stay here in the tower. Made her feel like less of a bother.

Frigga nodded, mulling the information over. “So in terms of putting fruit on your face” which sounded like a strange idea to begin with “you want creamy and not sweet?” Then would bitter fruits also be advisable? She has some olives in the fridge after all. They were considered a fruit to her knowledge. “I will certainly file that away for later. We have many fruits on Asgard that fit that profile.” She smiled to herself. It could become a whole new trade and maybe one day it could be a trade opened between Asgard and Midgard. They were slowly and steadily rising up more to become one with the whole universe.

“I see. So the mud is not something just randomly found on the sidewalk but something more specialized?” She mused it over. “If we are doing facials I thing I will stick to the honey. It is more familiar to me.” Plus if the ingredients were similar to what she had back home it might be a practice she could take back. If she was particularly lucky she might be able to convince Sif to join her. But it had to be a very good day for that to occur.

It went without saying that Gamora could pull her own weight. She could also pull others’ weights too, up to and exceeding the typical load that could be carried by a Zehoberei female of her size and weight. But that was when she was in good health. When she was injured, like she’d been two days ago during a particularly vicious bandit attack in Asgardian space, she wasn’t good at carrying much of anything, including herself.

At least, that was what she was learning now. Her teammates had left her on Asgard to recover while they went to pursue the bandit leader, and Gamora was just now getting the hang of hobbling around with a walking stick, favoring her left ankle, which had practically been crushed during the fight. It was only thanks to Asgardian medical technology–and her own bionic skeleton and muscular enhancements–that she was already back on her feet, and back on the road to recovery. While Gamora understood why Peter and the others had left her, she also couldn’t help but feel annoyed. At a loss. Useless. And quite frankly, bored.

She had prevailed upon the medical staff to allow her out of the infirmary this morning with the promise that she would leave all her weapons there (she snuck a few knives on her person anyway) and not exert herself too much. And she’d done fairly well keeping out of trouble and exploring. As she made her way up from the lower docking and trade area towards the palace, she even stumbled upon a market where she’d bought an authentic Asgardian meal–the roasted leg of some sort of game animal–for lunch. Now, however, it was well into the afternoon and Gamora realized she should start retracing her steps and heading back to the infirmary. There were two problems with that plan, though. The first: she still wasn’t up to full strength and the aching of her injured leg was rapidly getting too strong to ignore. The second: she had no idea how to get back to the infirmary.

If only they knew.

She caught her reflection in one of the passing mirrors, chuckling at the bright green eyes that stared back at her. It was one of her more favored tricks, a simple change of her appearance allowed so much more movement of freedom. Many a times she had stopped an assassination attempt from foreign dignitaries by simply overhearing their plans by masquerading as a guard. It was a risky trick, but one she had perfected. After all if it wasn’t dangerous than everyone would do it. Besides she had only changed the color of her eyes and dropped her age count a bit. It was not the most dramatic appearance change by far.

Frigga wandered through the crowd, only stopping to buy the sweet nut pastries that she remembered from her childhood. Though this time she was buying from the old baker’s daughter instead of the man himself. He had earned his retirement though and his daughter was a lovely lass. Had her sons not been so enraptured by the Midgardian females she might have tried to introduce them in a couple centuries. But no matter. She gave the girl a sweet grin, handing over the money and leaving just as quickly as she arrived.

She let her feet take her down familiar paths, noting the new stands as well as the ones that had disappeared. It was entirely possible that they had travelled to another place in order to sell their wares but it was so hard to tell. She licked the sweet honey from her fingertips, pausing when she noticed a flash of green out of the corner of her eye.

Well what did we have here?

It was a woman, probably one not from this realm judging by her appearance. Not that it was surprising, Asgardian ports tended to be open to all. The interesting part was the walking stick she had. That was from the medics of Asgard. Frigga looked her over, cheating a bit by using her magic to figure out what was wrong. It was a leg injury and by the looks of it a bad one. It was interesting that the medics had even let her out at all. She watched the woman for a few more minutes before making her way over. Maybe she was lost?

who starts putting up decorations in october?

who buys the advent calendars?

who places mistletoes all around the house?

who wraps the presents for other people?

who puts the final star/angel on the top of the christmas tree?

who’s the one that hates eggnog?

who’s the one that bakes christmas cookies for guests?

who sends out the christmas cards?

who knows all the words to twelve days of christmas?

who’s the better snowman builder?

who starts snowball fights?