Bittersweet *Currently On Temporary Hold*

Chapter 23: Baby Blue

The queen of Asgard turned to you and smiled a warm smile of welcome.

"Hello dear. My name is Frigga. I've heard quite a bit about you. I'm happy to finally meet you." Frigga's gentle tone calmed your nerves, and her opened arms, to give a welcoming hug, gave you a rooted sense of happiness, and something else you couldn't quite put your foot on.

You slowly let go of Loki's hand and hugged Frigga. Her embrace was oddly familiar for some reason. You didn't know why, but it was one of those hugs that just felt right.

When you pulled back from the queen's hug, you stumbled a bit as a shock of pain shot through one of your arms, up into your wing.

"Ah!" You gasped, grabbing your arm just above one of the bandages, seeing a flash of some black marking, before it disappeared along with the pain. You doubted if you had even seen the mark.

Loki had rushed over to you to catch you before you fell; the pain in your wing throwing you off center. You saw that Thor had come over to you as well, which made you feel good. He was still your best friend after all.

"Are you alright?" Loki gently asked before his mother came over to you.

"What's happened to you dear?" The worried tone in Frigga's voice slightly surprised you, but it was a comfort of sorts to know that she seemed to care.

You mustered up the courage to tell the tale of your scarring experience in that dark room. You shuttered at the images you remembered; spitting your own blood onto the floor because it had filled your mouth with it's awful iron taste; seeing your muscles and bones in front of you, unable to look up, or away because you were so weary and weak; blacking out so many times because of the blood loss, the constant nauseous feeling in your gut every time you awoke; But somehow you were able to tell Frigga about what happened.

"I was sent out on a mission for S.H.E.I.L.D. In that time I was caught and captured by a man who wanted information on the Avengers and S.H.E.I.L.D. As a result to my silence, he tortured me relentlessly for a month, seeing unwillingness to give in. About a week or so ago, Loki, Thor, and the Avengers saved me, and brought me back to New York. I spent that week in the hospital, and just yesterday, I was released to go home. I'd probably be dead if it weren't for these two and the Avengers." Your solemn tone set a morose mood in the air as you dared not speak of what the man really wanted of you.

"I'm sorry to hear that dear. Is there any way we can help you?"

You looked up to see Frigga's eyes filled with oceans of sorrow. You felt bad for making her feel that way.

"Not if you can't change my molting cycle." You looked sadly to your wings where the missing feathers should be, "I won't be able to fly until October." 

"I'm afraid we can't change that, but we can make you as comfortable as possible." Frigga offered.

As if on cue, a royal guard entered the room and announced that the rooms were ready.

"Thor, Loki, will you show her to her room? It's the one to the left of Loki's old room." Frigga requested, "I have some urgent business to attend to while your father is away."

"We will gladly do so. Thank you Mother." Thor accepted, turning to you and Loki before starting to exit the room.

As you walked down the old hallways, you couldn't take your mind off of the fact that you were in a whole new world. It was puzzling to say the least.

"What troubles you?" You heard Loki pull you from your thoughts.

It took you a second to come back to reality before you answered with an incredulous edge to your voice.

"It's just unbelievable! I mean, I'm not on Earth anymore. I'm so far from home. I don't even know if I'm in the same part of space as Earth, or if I'm even in the same universe, but here I am, standing on this old, gorgeous floor, surrounded by ancient walls, in an archaic palace and city with its own history. It's own life! It's just wonderfully baffling!" You rambled to the brothers, who smiled at your enthusiasm for their home.

"I never thought of it that way." Loki said, thinking about all you had said.

"Quite an eye opening thing to say." Thor agreed.

A few seconds of comfortable silence passed before you and the brothers came upon a hallway with three huge pairs of doors on the left side.

"Here we are." Thor explained as you all stopped in front of a door.

"This hallway brings back memories." Loki reminisced as he looked down the hall.

"Thor smiled warmly at Loki before opening up the door to reveal a baby blue room, whose huge four poster bed stood in the middle on the back wall.
Drapery on the bed matched the walls, and complimented the soft, cream carpet. A gigantic window, which reached high to the ceiling, lit up the entire room. It was beautiful.

"This will be your room while you stay here, and it shall wait for your return I'm." Thor explained, "Its not too impressive, but it is comfortable."

"It's beautiful." You breathe out as you take in the room.

Stepping inside, you found a big fireplace that shared the wall with the door, and a roaring fire already warming the room.

Loki smiled at your happiness, before speaking to you.

"We'll leave you be for a bit so you can settle down. Alright?"

"Alrighty!" You answer chipper, but you're saddened a little by the thought of Loki leaving you.

"We'll see you later (Y/N)!" Thor called as he and Loki left, closing the door softly behind them.