Avengers The Captain's Secret Book 2: Waiting for Thor

Part 9: The Village of Ida

It was beautiful! "Heimdall!"

"Yes, quite charming for something built so quickly, but we do rely on the trees for support." Heimdall looked around.

We crossed a bridge and came into the village. Many came to greet Heimdall and froze at the sight of me.

"Heimdall?" a woman asked.

"You all know Sif," Heimdall introduced. She gave a curt nod. "This is the steward of Asgard that I told you about," he nodded, presenting me with a wave of his hand. "Lady Lesedi Rogers." 

I smiled. "Hello--" 

"And this little one is her son, Steven."

"Hi!" He waved. 

A little girl came out from behind her mother. "Want to go play?"

"Yeah!" 

The little girl took him by the hand. and they were gone. The small crowd waited for me to say something, so I said what any mother would.

"Be careful!" I called after them. I felt the crowd ease, and some women even smiled.

"This is Ingemar Utgard-Loki...a refugee." Heimdall introduced slowly. I gave a look of thanks to him for that. There was still a bloody and bad history between the Asgardians and Jotunir. He did not need to bear the brunt of that. 

"Hello," Ingemar nodded. Some young women stretched to look at him, and I wanted to laugh. Ingemar was handsome and learned; if he could just stop pursuing me, he probably could have found someone by now.

"We will see you all at the fire tonight," Heimdall nodded, and led us on, but then stopped by a woman who was sitting at a larger hut with a group of younger women, cutting vegetables. "Haldis, would you bring food and drink to my quarters, please? I am sure all are tired from the journey."

"Right away," Haldis smiled. 

I stopped. "Can I stay and help?"

The women all looked at Heimdall.

"I don't see why not," he nodded. "Sif, would you stay with her?" Sif's look was one of outrage. "Please."

Sif looked at the women, and with a smile that looked strained, sat with us.

I sat with the women and began cutting vegetables. I  hadn't done this since I was back home on Midgard.

"You look so sad," Haldis asked.

"Oh, just remembering," I told them. They were quiet, looking at me expectantly. "I used to live on Midgard and I used to do this to make stew for my father and me."

"You and Loki?"

I laughed, "The man who raised me is named Phil....Phil Coulson." I felt a lump in my throat. "He's...he's long gone now."

And then the questions began. Who was I? Where did I come from? What of my mother? What of my husband? Who is he? Where is he? Finally....why am I here?

By the time the evening stew was put on, I was laughing with the women about things we all shared--cooking, men, children, dresses. 

"Why did you want to be a warrior, Sif?"

Sif's eyes flared wide at us, but then continued to cut meat she was given. "I guess...I guess I just liked combat, weapons. I thought it was all intriguing. When I saw men wield and fight, I thought how much I wanted to do it, too." The women seemed a bit puzzled. "Thor helped me make it happen, and we have been friends ever since."

We all looked at each other. The way he said his name was more than just comraderie. I had always known this, but to see the knowing smiles and eyebrow raises of the other women just verified it all. Sif had feelings for Thor. I knew that ever since Jane Foster came to Asgard. She would say her name with a type of sting that made me cringe.