Love in the Shadows (Book 2)

Chapter 20

"Castle on the Hill" - Ed Sheeran   

It's...just as beautiful as I remember.

    Since a forest is where we entered the portal on Zathea, a forest is where we come out of the portal on Revenia. Lush green grass covers the ground, meeting the dark blue roots and trunks of the trees, the leaves varying different hues of blue and purple, covering the top of our heads so the sky is barely visible to us. A little ways away we can hear a river that runs along the edge of the forest, the color a vivid light blue. The mountains in the distance, the open meadow I know is just beyond here, and the several towns scattered around the planet.

I'm home.

"Your home is beautiful Mia." Steve says, his hand squeezing mine to show support.

A breeze comes through, carrying the scent of the river. I take in a deep inhale, the memories of my life here coming to the forefront of my mind. I step away from Steve and come to a nearby tree. I place my hand against the trunk, feeling the connection I have with Revenia. I take in another deep breath, feeling the energy flowing through us as the bark slightly expands.

"Did that tree just breathe?" I hear Tony whisper behind me.

I can't help but chuckle, having to remind myself that there's a lot here that's going to get that kind of reaction from them.

I turn around feeling so grateful for what they just did for me. "Thank you guys...for making this trip with me." I say, tears pooling in my eyes.

They all give me a soft smile, and it's clear they were happy to help. They always have been.

"What now?" Thor asks, looking around.

Tony lifts his hand, pointing towards the area behind us. "There's a city in that direction. Is that where we're heading?"

I turn around, spotting our capitol town off in the distance. "Yeah..." I say, suddenly realizing something. "Listen guys..." I give them a cautious look, knowing they might not like this. "I think it would be better if I went on my own first."

"What?" they all say at the same time.

I bring my hands up, trying to keep them all calm. "We've talked about this before, I don't want to risk anyone getting hurt. I'm just worried that if we all show up they're going to be scared and attack before even realizing I'm with you guys."

"We're not going to go in charging or anything." Tony says, trying to reason with me.

"No but the Asgardian clothes might scare them a bit." I say looking over at Thor and Loki.

Loki looks down at his outfit before suddenly conjuring up some magic, causing his outfit to change into some simple slacks and button down shirt. He then looks over at Thor, like he's the only one who's at fault now. Thor notices Loki's change and then narrows his eyes before rolling them at his brother.

"Just let me get close enough to make contact with someone." I say, appreciating that they just want to help.

They all hesitantly look at each other, but I can tell none of them are going to object, especially considering I'm the only one who's ever been here before, so I need to take the lead on what to do.

Steve comes up to me, his eyes pulled down with worry. Not because he thinks anything will happen to me physically, but he's worried about my mental health if I go out there alone. "I'll be okay." I say, sliding my hand along his neck and pulling him down to me until I can press my lips against his. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

He nods his head, trusting me. He steps away, heading back towards the others.

"Do we just wait here?" Tony says as he nervously looks around. "The trees aren't going to start swinging at us if you leave right?"