The Benevolent Warrior (Fandral Fanfiction #1)

[18] Ashildyr The Brave

It had been hours since that princely character had crashed through the window of Isabel's and Ashildyr started to worry. He said he would come back.

Fleeing the rubble of the scene, she raced towards the small cluster of green in the distance: it was a forest,  one that had not been there before. How strange! Armour-clad warriors, a metallic monster and a forest that magically materializes out of nothing?
She ventured onward.
***
There were voices.
"When you're ready, Heimdall!" a female voice called out.
Ashildyr hid herself behind a tree,  keeping herself as silent as the grave. She squeezed her eyes shut when she heard a shwing of a sword.
"You can come out now,  rascal!" a rough voice taunted. It was a man. "Show yourself or I'll have you!"
Taking in a breath, Ashildyr braved the silence and stepped out into the light that dripped from the canopy of the treetops.

"Easy there,  Volstagg, old boy!" called another voice, utterly charming.
He reached out and lowered the man's sword. "We don't want to frighten her."
"Too late," Ashildyr muttered under her breath. She gestured to the younger man's attire. "So what're you,  like the Dashing Prince or something?"
He smirked and took a small bow. He took her hand and kissed it. "If you like," he said smoothly, "But my friends," he cast a look to the woman and man behind him, "know me as Fandral. And you are?"
She tried not to blush,  "Uh, Ashildyr Thomas,  from the diner?"
"Well,  Ashildyr from the diner,  it is my good honour to meet you. How is your your wound faring?"
She fingered the crusted wound atop her brow. "It's fine," she waved it off. "I'm fine. But what about you?" She eyed the slant of leg,  the way he put more weight on his other leg.  "You crashed through a window!"
He fluttered his gloved hand in dismissal. "You Midgardians certainly are ones for sentiment," he shook his head. "It never ceases to amaze me."
With a glass like shattering, another beam descended from the sky, landing right before them. It was like a shimmering mirage. Ashildyr ducked and fled for the cover of a tree again when Fandral caught her arm.
"No, wait!" he called. "Wait, come and see!"
She stumbled after him clumsily, her eyes locked on the rainbow shadow in front of her.
"What-what is that?" she gasped, pausing in her steps. Fandral halted.
"Why,  it's our transportation, Lady Ashildyr! To Asgard!"
"Wait, wait. Asgard?"
He opened his mouth to answer, but another voice overruled him.
"Fandral!" the woman called to him. "Let's go! Odin call us."
Fandral turned once again to Ashildyr and the sight of her eyes dimmed with disappointment did something to him. He moved to brush a strand of hair from her face, but thought better of it and recoiled at the last moment.
"Do be careful, Ashildyr The Brave. My world calls, but perhaps next time I'm bound for Midgard,  I'll come by and pay you a visit." He winked shamelessly. "You know,  to keep an eye on things."
She smiled, "Yeah. Okay, I'd like that."

He turned with a swish of his green cape and blended into the huddle of his friends. And then just like that, the mirage and the dream of a dashing prince was gone.