Avengers: Legacies

The Return of the Son

King's Port, Royal Palace, Asgard

Tait Thorson had not seen the towering spires of the palace nor the sprawling streets of Asgard for many months. His diplomatic mission to the outer reaches of their galaxy had taken much of his time, and he was grateful to be home once again. The gilded towers gleamed in the sinking sunset, almost as pale gold as his wavy, long hair. He walked along the deck at a leisurely pace, but that did not fool his traveling companions, his closest friends. They watched the slow steps, the twitch of his brow, the placement of his hands beneath his fur-lined cloak.

"Easy, Your Highness. We shall reach the dock in no time. Eager to be home?" Alisa Hogunsdottir, the daughter of one of his father's closest friends, said in a gentle voice. Everyone in the kingdom assumed she would be his bride one day for how close they were.

"More like eager to see a special someone. That earl's son, right? Matthias, was it?" Randolph Fandralson teased. He elbowed Tait on his way to sit on a crate adjacent to where Alisa sat. Her dark eyes flashed a warning towards the fair-haired courtier, but he ignored her. Randolph had that knowing look on his face, and Tait refused to engage in this conversation once again. Randolph would just win, and the other boy knew it. Tait scowled and stepped up between his friends. His best friend, Sirian Heimdallson, stood at the bow, his gold eyes flaring bright in the sun.

"Pay Randolph no mind. He would not know love if it bit him," Sirian murmured, tossing Tait an easy smile.

"I hold nothing against that buffoon. He simply needs a break from the rest of us as we do from him," Tait replied. He shared a smile, indulging in it.

"I can hear you," Randolph protested.

Alisa chuckled, sliding from her seat, and joined Tait and Sirian, standing between them. She took in the marvel that was their home, and she sighed. "It feels good to be home. I hope my father has gotten on well while I've been away."

"I just hope nothing momentous has happened since we have been gone. I'd hate to miss out on all the gossip." Randolph sidled up to Tait's other side. "I wonder if the princess fares well. I wonder if she has missed me."

Tait snorted. "I doubt it, Randolph. Unlike you, dear friend, my sister is a talented, driven person. She has kept busy, no doubt. I hope she has not changed much since the last time I saw her. I hate missing from her life, and her from mine."

"I do admire your love for her. She is lucky to have you for a brother, but I wish you would stop insulting me and hurting my feelings. I feel deeply for her." Randolph watched Alisa roll her eyes. "I do!"

"Oh, please, Randolph," Alisa said. "You fall in love with more women by the hour than most people do in their lifetimes. I bore witness to it every day on our travels, and with everyone's best interests at heart, I say let the infatuation go."

"Easy for you to say. You won't be marrying for love, not if your father or Tait's parents have anything to say about it," Randolph shot back. That shut everyone's mouths.

Tait didn't even attempt to glare at him, nor did Alisa. He would have to marry a bride, not a groom, for the future of Asgard, for the throne, and it sunk something heavy deep into his bones. A burden, covered in a film of guilt. Alisa was ideal, well-spoken and intelligent, honorable and kind, not to mention loyal and devoted. She would make the perfect bride for him, but he hated that he could not love her the way she deserved. It saddened him, and he thought it must sadden her as well. He loved her, but it wasn't enough.

"Look," Sirian said, breaking the silence. "Our Majesties and Her Highness approach the dock."

In the distance, Tait picked out the small forms of his father and mother, Sigyn's dark hair. Jubilation had his feet leaving the deck, the air pushing him up from the planks of the ship. He shot off to the dock, leaving behind the protests of his friends. He would help them later, but now, he had to reach his family, to be in their presence once again.