One With Gods [Loki]

The Calm

ANNA

Things quieted and I surveyed the damage, the hall outside the cell was in shambles, it wasn't any better inside. Sofi and Lee sat on the bed as I paced the room. Though they seemed tiny wearing two of my spare shirts, they were the size of toddlers. They were toddlers. 

"Daddy why is mommy not feeling good?" Sofi asked.

"She's a little overwhelmed, Princess." Loki responded kindly to her.

"Over wamed, Wee, over wamed." She repeated to her brother.

"Overwhelmed." Loki said again, nodding.

I couldn't accept it, my babies... weren't babies any longer. They could walk all on their own and talk. Their limbs were longer and they had teeth. Their hair was longer and their eyes were wide.

"Daddy, can I eat?" Lee's breathy voice asked and I stopped in my tracks. 

"I'm so sorry Lee, You're hungry I forgot. Mommy's sorry. I'll go get you some food. You're big enough now you can have something other than milk."

"Uhh, okay!" He said enthusiastically.

"Be good for daddy while I'm gone." I turned to leave, I felt Loki's sad eyes on me.

"Darling, wait."

"Hmm?" I asked.

"It'd be better if they went with you." Loki spoke. "You can get them a change of clothes and feed them both in the kitchen."

"Yeah I wanna go with Mommy!" Sofi yelled.

"A-are you sure?" I asked my husband. "You don't think its safer here for now?"

Loki shook his head. "They told us the conflict is over." 

I nodded. "Alright then," I held my arms out for my children. "Come to Mommy!" They climbed off of the bed and ran over to me. I balanced them on either side of my hips. "It's getting late, I think we'll go back to my hall to sleep." I told Loki.

He stepped toward us and wrapped his arms around us in a hug. "See you all tomorrow."

The palace was a wreck. I tip toed over fallen pillars and broken marble. Guards were scurrying around but that was it. On my way to the kitchen I saw the sisters walking solemnly. "Look it's your aunts, Agatha, Ygritte, and Illain." I told my children.

Illain caught me in her gaze and stopped her sisters. I let my children down to stand on their own. We made our way over to the sisters. "This is Litre and Sjofna?" Agatha asked, her blue eyes wide. Illain bent down to speak with her niece and nephew.

I nodded. "Whatever happened here made them grow."

"You weren't in the battle?" Ygritte tilted her head, her normal sharp eyes were cloudy.

"No, was it bad?" I asked and all three of them shared a look.

"We lost our mother, Frigga has gone to Valhalla." Agatha said mournfully.

I felt tears come to my eyes. "No, it can't be..." If only Loki, or I was there maybe it could have been different.

"We're on our way to prepare her body for the ceremony. The three of you can join us if you please."

I looked down to my children and felt numb from the shock of everything that has happened. "We'll meet you soon. Growing so fast makes them hungry."

"Of course," Aggie nodded. "See you soon." She said and they were off.

I ushered my children to the kitchen, it was empty like the rest of the castle. I guess Odin sent everyone home. There was a food keeper, not unlike a refrigerator, and I got out some rice and beans to heat them up. I've taken on so many jobs, friend, sister, agent, but the only one that mattered at the moment was mother. While the food heated I looked at my children who stared back at me. "Do you remember your Grandmother Frigga?" I asked tilting my head.

Sofi nodded vigorously and Lee spoke softly. "She sang and would read us fairy books."

"She's gone now? Is she gone?" Sofi asked.

They were so developed, you'd think they'd actually lived three years and not just three months. "Yes, that's right, and do you remember Aunt Aggie said she's in Valhalla now?" I asked and both toddlers nodded. "Well, we don't have to be sad that Grandmother Frigga is gone because she was protecting what she loved. She's in a place where she's comfortable and happy." I tried to explain as best I could. I'm sure one of the other Asgardians could say it better.

"She's gone. But I miss her, can I miss her?" Sofi asked.

I smiled softly as I served them their food. Lee started eating and Sofi paid more attention to me. "Of course you can miss her. I have a trick to help when you miss her, too."

"What is it Mommy?" My daughter asked.

"When you miss her go find a book she used to read to you or sing one of the songs she would sing." I ruffled her curls.

"Hmm, okay!" She giggled and started to eat.

"Do you like the food, the rice and beans?" I asked them as I prepared them two cups of apple cider.

"I think I like it, Mommy, rice and beans." Lee spoke.

"Rice and beans!"

I felt a little sadness at the fact that I didn't get the chance to feed them myself. I sighed longingly and put the cups of cider down in front of them. "This is apple cider, it's very sweet."

Sofi grabbed the cup with both hands and I had to catch her hand before she dumped all the contents on her face. I smiled, at least there was something I could still teach them. They both drank cautiously so they wouldn't spill sticky juice everywhere.

"Mommy I wike app cider." Sofi told me.

"You like apple cider?" I repeated.

She nodded vigorously. "Yeah, yeah! What about you, Wee?"

Lee smiled. "I like it."

The finished up and I took them to where I sensed the sister's life signatures. They were in Frigga's room. The sisters were gathered around their mother and everything became too real for me. I ushered my children to Illain's arms and stepped outside of the room. Tears poured from my eyes. The woman who came to be a real mother to me was gone from my life. While I was too young to understand my real mother's passing, this one impacts me. And though I live on Asgard where they find dying while standing for something is honorable and they don't cry; I spent nearly two centuries on earth where every death was sad. Ygritte joined me in the corridor and I tried to hide my crying.

The second oldest sister put her hand on my shoulder. "She-"

"I know I'm not supposed to cry, it's just how I was raised." I cut her off.

She shook her head. "No, I was going to say she wouldn't have wanted you to hold back your emotions."

I was stunned for a moment, but then I smiled. "What happened here, anyway? Who was that prisoner?"

Ygritte told me everything she knew. How Jane brought a lot more than a 'sickness' to Asgard. Soon after she was finished Sofi poked her head out of the room and grabbed my hand to drag me back inside.

"Mommy, she's so pretty!" Sofi exclaimed.

I looked at my mother-in-law. She looked like she was enjoying a nice slumber. "She is." I confirmed.

"Sjofna and Lee are great helpers." Illain smiled down at her niece and nephew.

"It's almost time for the send off." Agatha was looking out beyond the balcony where the sky was darkening.

My children and I walked with Thor and Jane to the ceremony. Jane's eyes never met mine, and Thor was happy to see his niece and nephew but the sadness showed in his eyes at their abnormal age. The sisters would meet up with us later. All of Asgard gathered near the water where at least fifty boats floated. Glittering lanterns shown across the land. I closed my eyes and whispered my goodbyes to Frigga, when I opened them a flaming arrow flew towards the boat she was in and fifty more followed.