Amenadiel naturally knew what SF Express represented.
Angels of Silver City did not run such services, nor did their authority extend into certain territories. More importantly, he recognized Garfield's voice immediately.
The third prince knocking on his door early in the morning was never a good sign.
When Amenadiel opened the guest room door, he was greeted by a formation of Asgardian guards standing rigidly in the corridor.
A faint sense of unease rose in his chest.
Last night, he had sensed Angela slipping out quietly for a time. Something was wrong.
"What is the matter?" Amenadiel asked calmly.
Perched atop an Asgardian guard's shoulder, Garfield leaned forward and peered inside the room.
"Where's Angela?"
Amenadiel's expression tightened.
He answered cautiously, "Did something happen? If Angela caused trouble, I am willing to take responsibility."
Garfield stared at him for two seconds, then sighed inwardly.
You don't even know what happened, and you're already volunteering to take the blame.
Fine. Let's scare you a little first.
"Ahem." Garfield cleared his throat. "It's like this, yesterday, Angela molested an Asgardian general."
"Impossible." Amenadiel shook his head without hesitation. "Angela doesn't like men."
"…Damn it." That settled it.
It really was Angela. Garfield immediately backed down.
"That was a joke." He said smoothly. "So, may I ask if Angela is present? We need to speak with her."
Amenadiel shook his head again. "Earlier this morning, an Asgardian maid came for her. She said Queen Frigga invited Angela to breakfast."
"…" Garfield's pupils shrank.
This is checkmate. He glanced at Fandral and gave a subtle signal with his eyes.
Withdraw.
Fandral understood instantly. He straightened and bowed politely. "Excuse us for the disturbance."
Amenadiel nodded graciously. "No trouble at all. Would Your Royal Highness like to stay and sit for a while?"
Garfield waved a paw dismissively. "Angela's matter isn't settled, so no. Besides, this prince doesn't like men."
"And angels don't either." He paused, then added sincerely,
With that, Garfield and his entourage retreated briskly down the corridor.
Amenadiel watched them leave, then scratched the back of his head. "So… that's why the third prince prefers the elves?"
After a moment's thought, he muttered, "Perhaps I should ask Father whether we can exchange two younger sisters."
They turned a corner into an empty passage.
Garfield sighed deeply and patted Fandral on the head.
"Fandral, this one's tricky. My mother is fond of Angela. That beating you took… you're just going to have to endure it."
"But~" Fandral frowned.
"Think about it." Garfield continued mercilessly, "You were beaten by a woman. You can't beat Lady Sif either."
He paused. "And in the future, you definitely won't be able to beat Hela."
Fandral's concern, however, was elsewhere. Unlike Garfield, he didn't know Angela's true identity. His worry was genuine.
"But if the Fairy Queen doesn't know her background." Fandral pressed urgently, "What if Angela has ulterior motives?"
"What if she harms Her Majesty?"
Garfield sighed again and knocked lightly on Fandral's helmet. "Fandral, you should take some cod liver oil for your brain."
He explained patiently, "Knocking you out and wandering around counts as espionage at most. Without evidence, people can always say it was curiosity."
He leaned closer. "But attacking the Queen outright?"
"That would be suicide. Neither Silver City nor that world has the guts for it. Understand?"
"…That world?" Fandral echoed, confused.
"The Ten Realms," Garfield muttered.
Fandral froze. "The Ten Realms? I've never heard of such a place."
Garfield's expression darkened slightly. So even this is buried history.
It seemed the matter of the Ten Realms was another secret Odin had deliberately concealed.
Garfield waved a paw dismissively. "You're still young. You don't need to know."
"Don't ask." He added sternly. "Don't think about it. And especially… don't go asking Heimdall."
After a pause, he straightened. "I'll go see my mother myself. We'll find out exactly what Angela is up to."
After speaking, Garfield flew straight toward Queen Frigg's residential level, his expression unusually sly.
If you're told not to ask… especially not Heimdall, Garfield thought, doesn't that mean Heimdall definitely knows?
He hadn't said it out loud.
But Prince Garfield hadn't forbidden Fandral from asking.
"Fandral." Garfield mused silently, "You're smarter than you think."
Then he dismissed the thought with a snort. No, this feels more like the prince reminding himself.
As expected, the Odinson family is truly wise.
Watching the orange cat vanish into the upper halls, Fandral felt a complicated mix of admiration and unease.
Compared to Garfield, even Loki seemed merely cunning.
Yet when it came to the throne of Asgard, Fandral's loyalty never wavered.
Thor only Thor, was the king Asgard needed.
With that conviction firm in his heart, Fandral turned and made his way toward the control chamber atop the Bifrost.
Heimdall stood there as always.
Golden armor gleamed like a sacred relic, reminiscent of some ancient holy knight. The guardian sword rested at his side, its presence alone enough to still the air.
Fandral approached and stopped beside him.
Originally, his steps had been full of purpose. But now, staring at Heimdall's stern profile, his resolve faltered.
Maybe I should leave.
Yet curiosity… treacherous, refused to let him go.
He stood there, silent.
After a moment, Heimdall placed his sword into the control slot and stepped away from the console, turning to face him.
"Fandral." Heimdall said calmly, "What troubles you?"
"Yes—no—well—"
Seeing Fandral's words stumble over themselves, Heimdall frowned slightly.
"Fandral." He asked with genuine concern, "Are you unwell? Bewitched, perhaps? I once heard a human folk remedy~"
"No!" Fandral blurted out. "I'm not bewitched."
He hesitated, then admitted, "It's just… there's something I want to ask. But His Highness Garfield warned me not to speak of it."
"Especially not to ask you."
That caught Heimdall's attention.
The guardian of the Nine Realms was not immune to curiosity, far from it.
"If you have already come this far." Heimdall said slowly, "Why not tell me? Let us see whether I truly know."
Fandral swallowed.
Lowering his voice, he asked, "Do you know… what happened with the Ten Realms?"
Ten Realms.
They were etched deeply into Heimdall's memory, more than five hundred years old.
A time when Asgard, under a young and ambitious Odin, had sought to conquer far beyond the World Tree.
He knew what followed.
And he also knew that the truth had long since been sealed as a taboo, spoken of in the same breath as Hela's name.
As Odin's confidant, Heimdall had never ceased watching.
Far beyond the Nine Realms, in a distant exile-space, the remnants of the Ten Realms lingered…
Waiting for the day they might return to the World Tree and strike Asgard from the shadows.
Heimdall could not speak of it.
He dared not.
Yet now, after a thousand years, the name had surfaced again. Did this mean war was approaching?
Odin was old. His divine power had waned.
Thor's power was incomplete.
Hela was absent.
Loki could not hold the line alone.
If war came now… whether Asgard could survive was no longer certain.
Heimdall's expression darkened, his brow furrowing deeply.
Seeing this reaction, Fandral's heart sank. I shouldn't have come.
He turned, intending to leave quietly… but a firm hand seized his arm.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream