The long-awaited day had arrived... in truth, only a few hours had passed during which Elizabeth slept. But she was very dramatic, and that wasn't going to change.
She was finally able to leave her confinement in the room. Thor himself came to get her. She had truly been bored; her sleep hadn't even been enjoyable. It was strange, she knew it, but she didn't remember. She gave up trying to figure it out and followed Thor outside.
— Will you let me go now? — I asked.
— Why do you want to leave?
— I can't stand when something shines more than I do, — I said, pointing at myself, — and here everything shines. — It was obviously a joke. — I'm going blind, Thor. This is the city of sparkles. So much love for gold, I just don't get it.
— That's because you're almost always in black. Is it your favorite color? — He asked.
— Actually, no. Black and white aren't colors, — I said, shrugging. — I like many, but I think blue might be a favorite. What's your favorite color, Beach Boy?"
— I like the way you talk sometimes. — Did he just dodge my question?
— Why?
— You just say what you think, no matter who you're talking to. You just... shoot.
— That's also a big flaw, — I told him. — Imagine if your father said everything that came to mind. There'd be no peace in the nine realms.
— You're right. Though I don't know what Father thinks, — He laughed. — Alright, we've arrived.
— Are you going in with me?
— ¿Scared, Elizabeth?
— Not at all. — Is that a Blondie Phrase? Who knows.
— Then go on in
I walked slowly until I was almost at the center of the room. Queen Frigga seemed amused by how slow I was going. The All Father doesn't look much different. How must I look? Pff. Oh well.
— You may come closer, Lady Elizabeth. Asgardians don't bite, — Thor said.
— ¿How can I be sure of that?" – I was going to say I could swear he bit Jane during their goodbye kiss. But that was a blatant lie.
— I don't know what you're thinking, but your face looks like Loki's before he stabbed me when we were kids. — He looked at me. — Don't say anything, just keep walking.
— Yes, Prince, — I rolled my eyes. I reached the great staircase below the throne and stayed there.
— Good to see you again, — Frigga said.
— Elizabeth, we've spoken and concluded that you'll need to stay in Asgard for a while, — Odin said.
— ¿May I ask why? — They're probably putting me in a cell.
— My dear wife said you have great potential for witchcraft, so it's been decided you'll be trained by her.
— ¿Am I the new Loki? — I blurted out without thinking. And all I heard was laughter.
— You'll stay until you've learned enough. I'll be informed of all your progress. I hope you don't let anyone down after all, you said you wanted to help.
— I understand — ¿I'm so powerful that it's better to have me as a friend? Yeah, right. — How long will that take?
— That depends on you, darling. — How beautiful the queen is.
— ¿Can I return to my world for a bit? like... Vacation? I don't need much, just five days in December. I have to be in an operation.
— Yes, but as my wife said, it depends on you. — And that was the end of that.
— That's a long way off, Lady Elizabeth, — Thor said as he approached me while "escorting me out" — ¿Who are you going to heal?
— It's a secret. — I sighed. — If Odin spoke with Fury, ¿Who do you think would win that conversation?
— My father, of course, – He said proudly
— ¿And who's going to tell my father I stayed? — I asked. — ¿Are you going to Earth to tell him?
— I will — Thor pointed to himself and started shaking his head. — We can't use others' dark energy to travel anymore.
— There's the Tesseract — I looked at him doubtfully
— No, we can't use it.
— ¿Scared, Thor? — I started laughing — So I guess Heimdall has the cube to repair the Bifrost." — sigh — You should go train, Thor, you and your friends. The nine realms began to fall into chaos once the bridge was gone. You need to end that war and lead them well.
— I'll go train, don't worry, — He smiled — And I'll take my companions. But I think you need to start your training, ¿right, Mother?
— Yes, come with me, Elizabeth.
I followed the queen for a few minutes until we arrived at a large library that anyone would wish to be in. It was majestic. Too majestic. Frigga saw the look on my face and smiled.
— I guess this was Loki's favorite place — I looked at all the books — I mean, your son's, my queen."
— It's alright, — She looked into my eyes. — You can stop correcting yourself and treating me with such formality. I've noticed it doesn't come naturally to you, — She laughed. — But be careful how you speak to my husband. He seems to like you, but it's always good to be cautious.
— That's true, — I smiled at her.
— This was Loki's favorite place. He spent hours here. I taught him magic from a young age.
— He must've been a great student, — I took her hand. — At the right time, he'll choose the right path. Loki loves you very much, just like he loves Thor and Odin, even if he won't admit it. — That was my thought anyway, and I hoped it was true. ¿Why didn't Loki kill the Allfather and just send him to Earth instead? He must have had some affection for his family, even if he denied it ¿right?
— I hope so, — She squeezed my hand lightly and let go. — Well, from now on, you'll be my student. We'll start with the basics of magic. ¿Ready?
— Sure. — Was I really ready?
I studied the basics, just as the Goddess had told me. I decided to take a few books to read in my room—or rather, my astral self would read them. I arrived at my room and later received a kind of "invitation," if you can call it that, when a guard told me, "The King and Queen are waiting for you." I had to leave the room and follow the guard. I ended up in a hall with a giant table—it looked like a banquet. But only the Royals and Thor were there.
The next few days were pretty much the same. I trained and studied with Frigga, ate with the "royal family," and had some free time. I mostly wandered the castle halls. I was glad I'd learned a spell that gave me the "location" of my room. Otherwise, I'd have gotten lost for days. I wandered until one of Thor's friends caught me roaming.
— Well, if it isn't the girl from Earth — Fandral grabbed my arm and took me elsewhere.
— Heimdall, Thor's friend, is kidnapping me! — I shouted. — Help!
— I'm not kidnapping you — He turned to look at me.
— ¿Did you ask permission to take me somewhere else?"
— No
— ¿Did you tell me where we're going?
— No
— Then it's kidnapping. End of story — I stared at him — Too many battles have messed with your head. Poor thing. Or maybe it's the beer you drink after fights.
— Just walk, come on. — I followed him. I really could've escaped at any time... but I was curious why he seemed so happy.
— ¿Where are we really going? — I asked when we were outside the castle. — ¿Are you kidnapping me and going to feed me to a Dark Elf?
— ¿A Dark Elf? — The Asgardian stopped suddenly.
— Yeah, a Dark Elf. A Svartálfar, Älfeneel or Harudheeniksel. Whatever you want to call them.
— Dark Elves don't exist, Lady Elizabeth, — He said as we arrived near a training field. Thor, Sif, and the three warriors, or well, two, since one was beside me — We are here.
— Hello — I greeted the God — Thor, Fandral kidnapped me.
— I didn't kidnap you.
— Yes, you did. I was happily getting lost inside the castle, and you made me get lost outside it.
— ¿You've never left the castle? — Sif asked.
— No, I'm like a prisoner who's allowed to walk freely.
— 'Free' doesn't go hand in hand with 'prisoner,' — Said Hogun.
— Fine. Why did you bring me to a training field? Tell the truth. — I pointed a finger at him. How rude, Eli. — If you're going to feed me to an elf, you just want to kill me 'accidentally' in training so no one notices.
— Dark Elves don't exist. — Said Thor.
— Whatever. I don't care if you believe me. ¿Why am I here?
— I brought you because you said you'd tell us the truth and 'how you did it' when we met again, and somehow, you knew it wouldn't be long."
— Good point. — ¿Where did Volstagg get food?
— ¿Are you going to tell us?
— It's magic, — I said, crossing my arms. — ¿Isn't it obvious? ¿What else could it be? They're just portals, you know... — ¿Do they?
— ¿Does Earth have witches? — Hogun asked.
— You could say so... I guess. Humans aren't that useless, — I emphasized the 'that.' — It's just different magic. ¿Can I go now?
— ¿You're not going to tell us anything else?
— ¿Did you ask anything else? — I looked at them all. — I know what's going to happen in a few years, and trust me, you don't want to know. Even if you want to, you can't. I'm expressly forbidden, and I won't get in trouble with the 'Sorcerer Supreme' or with Queen Frigga.
— ¿Can you at least tell us what dinner will be? — Asked Volstagg.
— ¿Do you really care? You'll eat it anyway ¿won't you?
— Yes, he will, — Said Sif.
— Alright, I'd better go. You need to end the war of the Nine Realms, and with me here, you'll stop training.
— ¿Do you know how to get back? — Asked Thor.
— You know, I'd better just watch you from afar and find out if you're that good. — Strategy change. I didn't know how to get back and had lost focus on the spell. — Carry on with your training. I remember the last time you fought the Jotuns and the Destroyer, you didn't do so well.
— ¿How do you know what happened with the giants?
— I saw clearly how they pierced you and how they ran away. Thor entered that creature and killed it. Odin's arrival and Thor shouting, 'Let's finish them together, Father,' followed by a 'Silence,' and how the Allfather saved your lives.
— Alright, let's train... you'll tell us how you know later. It's not just 'magic.
I watched them train for like two hours. ¿Why don't Asgardians get tired quickly? ¿Is it genetic? I'd love to have that kind of stamina. Even just a little more than I have. I was about to fall asleep when I felt someone next to me.
— ¿Who are you? ¿How did you get here? — Asked someone in armor. — ¿Why are you watching the Warriors?
— ¿Why wouldn't I? — I straightened up. — They're outdoors after all.
— I've never seen you before. — ¿And what's his problem?
Next thing I knew, I had a dagger at my throat. Just like those classic thief-interrogation scenes. ¿Could I fight an Asgardian? Who knows. ¿Time to find out? Yes... ¿ Why not?
I freed myself from his grip and managed to get the dagger away from my neck. He tried to attack me head-on, but I remembered everything I'd learned at SHIELD and from the Chitauri battle. I used his strength against him, disarmed him, and placed the dagger at his throat, just like he'd done to me. I was about to press it when I saw Thor approaching.
— Lady Elizabeth, don't kill him! — He ran fast, shouting.
— I have a strict rule not to kill living beings, Thor—'Maybe just maim,' I pulled the dagger away from my attacker's throat. — Wow, I'd forgotten about the Chitauri, — I whispered to myself. "Death surrounds you, Elizabeth Charlotte." My opponent gave me a weird look.
— ¿What happened? — Asked Sif
— How should I know? This guy just showed up and asked, 'Why are you watching them and who are you?' and next thing I knew, I had a dagger at my throat.
— Guard, — Said Thor. — I recommend you leave now if you don't want a worse punishment. — The man ran off.
— ¿How did you beat him?
— I used his strength against him. As you can see, I don't look like someone who can fight. No one sees it coming.
— Now I understand when you said you could take care of yourself, — Sif started laughing.
— This is all your fault, Asgardian, — I pointed at Thor's friend. — You kidnapped me, and I almost got killed. That's why I don't leave the castle.
— You just made up that excuse for not going out, — He told me. — Not my fault.
— Yes, it is. — We were about to start a fight when Thor stopped us. I wasn't going to start anything, but the drama was inevitable.
— You're acting like children. Stop
— Reminder, God of Thunder, I'm only thirteen, — I pointed at myself. — I have every right to act like a child."
— ¿You're thirteen? — Said Hogun.
— Yes, — I sighed — ¿Thor, can we go now? Please.
— Alright, — He approached me. — Friends, I'll see you later.
— I'm like a fetus next to your friends, — I looked around. — I'm a fetus in Asgard.
When we arrived, it was already dinner time. I prepared myself to say what I'd been holding back for days. I'd thought about it while watching the warriors train. They were all good friends, and I missed mine. I was afraid they were worried, since I had no way to contact them... at least I could try to send them a letter, ¿right?
¿But how do I send a letter from Asgard to Earth? ¿Who would be the mailman? ¿Death? ¿A Pegasus? ¿Would someone take a ship and travel to Earth just for a few pieces of paper? ¿Is there another way?
I hadn't tried to create portals to Earth. I didn't know if I could do that—it might be different from making them within a planet, or maybe you can only make them on the planet you're currently on. ¿Should I try it? I'd think about it.
I thought the whole way about the right words. When I finally stood in front of the door, I took a deep breath. You can do this, Eli. Be strong.
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