All The Little Pieces

The Visitors

Elizabeth stood at the window, staring down at the legendary city of Asgard spread out below her. Her earlier guess that the room was extremely high up had proven correct. She was near the top of a huge building, in what appeared to the be very centre of Asgard. Marble balconies and terraces jutted here and there from the sides of the building sloping away below her. Far beneath on the ground surrounding it, beautiful gardens with walkways, lush green shrubbery, and brilliant flowers of every color bloomed. A tall white stone wall enclosed the area as far as she could see.

On the other side of the wall, houses and buildings, gardens, and roads sprawled in the warm sun. The city culminated at the white wharf. Sunlight sparkled off the deep blue water. The Bifrost Bridge was a shimmering rainbow, stretching to a golden orb at the ultimate edge of the world. In spite of the circumstances, the view was exquisite, and Elizabeth surveyed the whole scene in awe.

She tapped her fingers absently on the windowsill, waiting for the knock on the door. Elora had told her earlier that she would have two visitors, and that they would tell her everything else she needed to know but had slipped out before Elizabeth could ask for more detail. She had eaten, taken a bath and put on the soft brown dress they brought her. Her hair was beginning to curl at the ends as it dried in the fresh breeze wafting across the room.

Even though she was anticipating the knock, Elizabeth still jumped at the hollow booming sound. She turned and crossed the room to open the door and tried to contain her surprise. Two men indeed; one was the man she recognized from her brief moment of consciousness of the Bifrost, and the second could be none other than the god of thunder himself.

Thor smiled and bent to kiss her hand. "My lady. I am Thor of Asgard, and you are Elizabeth, of Midgard?"

Elizabeth smiled back nervously. "I am, Sir, um, your majesty, uh, I'm so sorry, I-"

Thor's smile deepened. "Prince Thor is perfectly fine," he said with a chuckle. "If we were on Midgard, just Thor."

The other man's long black hair swung forward as he inclined his head, and his penetrating golden eyes gazed intently at her. "And I am Heimdall. I am pleased to make your acquaintance under better circumstances than last we met."

Both men stepped into the room and Heimdall closed the door. Thor gestured to the chairs. "Please, sit. You must be tired from activity today after so little for a week."

All three of them sat and Heimdall leaned forward, elbows on his knees and fingers tented. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm doing well, thank you," said Elizabeth. "A little headache, but not bad." She felt ridiculously tongue tied.

Thor smiled. "Elora told us you may have headaches for a while. If you are in any pain, let her know. She excels as our healer. Medicine here is quite different from Midgard."

Elizabeth nodded. "Thank you."

"Elora said she explained to you that the Bifrost has not been working properly." Heimdall straightened in his chair. "At this point, we do not know what caused it to open a portal where you were or for it to throw you onto the bridge. What I do know, is that over the last few days, it has been getting much, much worse."

Elizabeth frowned. "Will it be safe for me to go home? I have a new job and they'll be looking for me."

"Unfortunately, not right now," replied Heimdall. "Earlier today, I tried to open the Bifrost, and there was no response. Even if it did open, I would be afraid that it would not send you back safely, but might fling you into another world. I dare not, my lady."

"I...I, do we know when it might be safe...?" Elizabeth trailed off as Heimdall shook his head.

Thor leaned forward and took her hands in his. "Elizabeth, I know this is all unexpected and you want to return home. Heimdall has always been a faithful keeper of the bridge, and he will find a way to right this. Until then, you are our honored guest. My father is in other realms and may not be able to return with the Bifrost in this state. For the moment, I rule in his stead. I have already had rooms prepared for you here in the palace, and all you need to do is ask for whatever you need."

Elizabeth nodded numbly. "Thank you."

Heimdall frowned at her expression. "I'm sure this is troubling for you, and I wish I could give you better news. Is there any other way we might be of service?"

"No, not right now." Elizabeth drew a deep breath and tried to force her voice not to shake. "Thank you both."

The men rose from their seats. Heimdall looked at her sympathetically. "Do not worry," he said. "I will find a solution and we will return you home as soon as we can."

He and Thor bowed and stepped out the door, closing it softly behind them. Elizabeth sank down on the edge of the bed and drew a deep breath. Her hands were shaking, partly from excitement, mainly from worry. Her flat was paid in advance for three months, but by now, her job should have started. Even if she could get back in the next week or two, it would be gone. She took another deep breath. Normally being somewhere like this would be a dream come true, but instead, she felt trapped in an unknown world.