Chapter 6
6
Thor leapt from his balcony, but flew to the Bifrost site in Central Park. From there he could call for the Guardian without alerting Luka as to his destination. He was worried about her recurring confusion; it was stressing her and might cause more serious problems. He thought consulting the Asgardian’s Goddess of Healing might give him a plan to help his Lady.
His visit did not go well. Eir was upset and appeared annoyed with her Prince. She stood, stiff-backed, her hands clasped at her waist.
“I told you at the start of this that taking her to Midgard was most likely not wise, my Prince. She experienced too much trauma there. Too many shocks could easily trigger old memories, Thor. Just the ones we’ve spent so much effort to repress.” Eir sighed.
“Memory is fluid, Thor. If she is kept calm and distracted, eventually the old thoughts will fade, replaced by new and the implanted ones. But, she’s never going to be the same person you remember. You must accept that. Nornir, boy! We even changed her physical liki!”
“How am I to keep her from thinking, Lady Eir? She was always so curious... and still is. Not being able to remember is frustrating her badly. I’ve tried to guard against triggering her. She still unconsciously does things, uses her seidr and it confuses her. I begin to believe we should have taken that away, too.” Thor nearly wept, tears standing in his blue, blue eyes.
“We could not, my Prince. It’s too much a part of her. It would have destroyed her mind; left her too damaged. She would have been as a small child, unable to care for herself at all.” Eir sighed, with a sad smile. “I know you would not want that.”
“Ymir’s tits, my Lady! No!” Thor winced, “Sorry.” He knew Eir did not appreciate cursing.
“Find something to attract and hold her interest, Thor. That is the best advice I can give. Keep her busy with something far different than anything she studied in the past.” Eir patted his arm. “Now, you should return as quickly as you may. Before you are missed.”
*
Asgard’s Crown Prince flew immediately back to the Observatory. He wanted no time wasted, so he avoided his usual companions. He understood the Lady Healer’s concerns, but still wished she could have given him a more solid plan to help him with Luka’s ‘cure.’
Even less pleased, Thor's arrival at the Bifrost was met with a caution from the Guardian. “There has been a slight incident, my Prince. Nothing to panic over,” Heimdall soothed when Thor’s eyes widened and he paled. “Luka is well. She slipped exiting the tub and fell. But is uninjured. Your mortals are caring for her until you return.”
“Send me back then, Watcher!” Thor barked. He was already striding across the floor to the gateway as the room spun. Not even waiting for the wormhole to pull him in, he leaped at the swirl of colour as soon as it spun up.
Though Thor had spent less than an hour speaking with Eir, and no more time reporting to his father on Luka’s progress, it was early morning before he reached the Tower. The Bifrost was capable of moving through time, though the Aesir rarely used it for such. Time did flow differently between the Realms over which Asgard held sway, but not by a large amount.
Instead of using his personal landing pad, (balcony), he opted for the main platform where the quinjets landed. Thus he was hurrying through the Avengers’ communal space to the private elevator to which only the team had access. Tony caught him as the inventor was coming out of the kitchen with a fresh cup of coffee.
“Hey, PB! You just getting back? Your Lady took a spill last night, and Pep...”
“I am aware, my friend. I have returned as soon as I was able. I must see to her immediately. We can speak later, if need be. Right now I am in a hurry, Tony.”
“Hey, hey, hey! Slow down, big guy! She’s fine; sleeping like a baby. Pepper has been with her all night.”
“Oh. That is exceedingly kind of your lady. Still, I must...” Taking his life in his hands, Tony stepped in front of the big god.
“You know, maybe if you showed up with breakfast and coffee, or tea, she won’t be so pissed at you.” Tony snickered. “Pepper, too.”
“They are angry with me?” Thor sounded worried. “I told Lady Luka before I left that I was unsure of the time of my return. It is early still. Most mortals have not yet arisen.”
“Yeah, well the rest of the team out on night watch got back a coupla hours ago. And Luka’s been asking for you. Pepper finally had Bruce make her one of his herbal concoctions so she’d sleep. So I wouldn’t go barging in there all flustered and upset. You are probably gonna get an earful anyway. I just thought food might take the edge off. You know?”
Face scrunched into a confused frown, Thor sighed heavily. “You are likely right. Is it too early for sweets, do you think? Should I bring something light instead?”
“If you can wait for about ten minutes, you can bring them pancakes with their drinks and there’s fresh squeezed OJ in the fridge,” Steve’s voice rang out.
“See, there ya go!” Tony patted Thunder’s arm. “We gotcha covered!”