Lesser Gods

Asgard was far more beautiful that Raeyn ever imagined, though she saw it through the dark veil that constantly covered her face now-a-days. She had not said much these past few weeks, especially with Thor gone for so long. She and Steve spoke often, bonding especially since he had also lost the first girl he loved. But every so often a strange look would cross his face, and their once good natured conversation would become quite awkward when Steve would seemingly become angry with her for no reason. Dr. Banner was friendly as well, but he was busy with some scientific breakthrough to spend much time with her, Steve, and Phil. Even a woman who introduced herself to be Maria Hill stopped by, but she said Raeyn could call her Colina. It was lovely but everyone was so… pitying.

But now she was in the middle of Asgard, riding bareback on a horse behind Thor’s, with all those people and all those memories hundreds of millions of light years away, probably to never see them once more. And even though the thought of her late husband being brutally murdered by that monster, that power hungry bastard, she could see herself starting a new life in this beautiful realm.

She and Thor rode silently and slowly over the bridge connecting the newly repaired Bifrost and through the kingdom until they reached the castle that Thor had described to her time and time again, attempting to make her feel as if she had a home to go to. The Bifrost had been repaired with the remaining Tesseract energy within his reclaimed scepter, and as soon as Heimdall completed it, Thor returned to Midgard to bring Raeyn home. Apparently he had spoken much of her, for the entire Asgardian race seemed to want to get a look at her, and once they reached the castle, a woman who could only be Frigga was hurrying down to greet them, and instantly her warm motherly embrace was surrounding Raeyn as the woman cooed and sympathized with her. Raeyn relaxed in her grip, wondering to herself why the woman was so concerned with a girl she had never laid eyes on, who just so happened to have a sad tale tied into her life.

However, what Raeyn did not realize was that from over her shoulder, Frigga was mouthing an entire conversation to her son Thor.

“You did not tell me that she was with child.”

“It slipped my mind… I forgot its importance.”

“Forgot its importance! Is the child Loki’s?”

Thor nodded gravely, and with that, Frigga began to weep softly in Raeyn’s arms. The story of her son was growing too tragic for the goddess to bear.

Time passed, and as Raeyn’s belly grew and grew, Thor became more protective, Frigga wept more often, and Odin’s gaze would linger regretfully on Raeyn during meals and ceremonies. She was, of course, accepted into the house of the Allfather and practically treated like a princess — she, of course, did not realize it was because she was in fact, part of the house and a princess. The people, once told the tragic tale of Arik Calderson and his love, Raeyn of Midgard, fell in love with her and adored her just as they adored Thor. Many watched and waited, hoping the two would wed and live happily ever after, but Thor’s thoughts were stuck on the mortal without a memory, and Raeyn’s altered mind lingered on the Arik Calderson that actually never existed.

Their tale, however, was such: Arik was a young warrior when the Great War broke out between Jotunheim and Asgard on Midgard, and he fought bravely on the front lines. Tragically, he was wounded, and while trying to escape being trampled in the battle was lost and thought dead. The Asgardians left Midgard, taking the battle to Jotunheim where, as all knew, the Giants were practically destroyed. This was also the time where Raeyn’s father and mother decided to settle down in the Netherlands to start their family. Arik wandered the mortal world without purpose for centuries — it was not until Loki defeated Thor and the other ‘Avengers’ and took control over Midgard that he had any inkling of an idea that he was not alone. He traveled to New York, not entirely sure if he only wished for answers or to overthrow Loki for killing the true king. But before he reached the sky scraper known as Stark Tower, he ran in to a girl far too beautiful to be any mere mortal. She, strangely enough, was on the same mission as him — their lives, though completely different until the point that they were left alone in the large mortal world, in that moment began to run parallel. An underground rebellion was found, and Arik and Raeyn found a small place for themselves to call home. As time passed and the thoughts of overthrowing Loki grew, the two gods fell in love, decided to marry the Midgardian way, and by chance started a family.

But the time to fight Loki came quickly, and though the mission was an initial success, Arik’s life along with many other brave Midgardians was the sacrifice. And if this story was not horrific and tragic enough, Raeyn had to witness the entire thing.

But Raeyn seemed to move on. The memories did not hold the pain that once made them so much stronger than herself. Imagining Arik no longer brought thoughts of him softly caressing her cheek with his warm, comforting hand. She no longer felt his rough, calloused hand in hers when she let Thor guide her through the gardens of Asgard, delicately holding on to his forearm. Slowly enough, the memories had no power over her.

And then it was suddenly time for the child to be brought into the world.