Chapter 1
Connor and Murphy are racing each other up the stairs to get to their apartment. Both eager to get home and see their beautiful girlfriend. Despite the trouble those two have gotten into the past couple of years, she happily stays by their side through it all. They have been out of town for a week now, and the longing has been unbearable.
Murphy pushes his brother out of the way at the last second, beating him to the door. Then freezes with his hand on the knob, giving Connor an opening. He wraps his arm around Murphy’s neck and starts pulling him back by a chokehold.
“Knock it off knock it off!” Murph says with a hush. “There’s someone in there!”
Connor’s eyebrow goes up in curiosity. The lass isn’t the type for bringing visitors around their place. He releases Murphy and the two press an ear each against the door.
“Will you just get out!” The usually soft and kind voice of their lover is now like the edge of an excellent blade.
“I am not leaving without you by my side!” Is the response of an unfamiliar male voice. He sounds much calmer than she does, but there is an undertone of aggravation.
“I am not going anywhere with you!”
Murphy tenses, already reaching for the gun in his coat. Connor puts a hand out to stop him, the other pressing a finger to his lips in a shush. Neither of them plans on letting whoever this is walk away with their girl, but Connor wants to see how this will all play out.
There is an audible sigh from the male voice. “Darling, my little butterfly, the light of my life… this is all a big misunderstanding. My brother will tell you; I was not… myself. I am better now.”
The boys simultaneously grit their teeth. Who was this man coming around and calling her such sweet things? She had told them she had not had any serious relationships before meeting them. Was that a lie? If so, why?
“If you think I left because of New York you don’t understand me…” There is sadness to her voice that is so profound that it breaks the boy’s poor hearts. “You never understood me, that’s the root of the problem itself. More so you never tried to.”
“Of course I tried!” The stranger sounds insulted. “Did I not give you everything you asked for? Bent over backward to satisfy your every desire?” There is a pause, then another sigh. “Okay I gave you all but one thing, but we can talk about that when we get home. I wasn’t ready then… if it will bring you back though.“
Now she laughs. It sends a shiver down Murphy’s spine. She has never sounded like that. So cold. So uncaring.
“I only wanted it because I thought it would bring us closer again, and failing that at least I would have a purpose again.” The sound of footsteps indicates the woman is crossing the room to where the window is located. “I gave up my dreams for you.” That window has been jammed shut since the day they moved in. Neither of the twins was strong enough to open it. Yet, the silence is filled by the sound of it slamming open as easily lifting the lid of a bread box.
“To become something so much greater than what you had dreamed.” More heavy footsteps follow her across the room.
“You mean to sit around all day looking pretty for your family and doing cross-stitching. Yes, that sounds so much better than becoming the leader of a new generation of Valkyries!”
Now, this was taking a turn the boys had not expected.
“Valkyries?” Murph whispers. “Like those Nordic angel things?”
“Supposedly, the fiercest warriors of legend. They toom worthy souls from Valhalla and culled the bottom barrel scum from Hel.” Connor responds, forehead creasing as he contemplates.
“Ah, so we do at least half that job, maybe we should get a roadmap to Valhalla and a few worthy souls to transport, then we can become Valkyries ourselves.” Murphy jokes, trying to disperse the dark cloud filling the whole apartment building.
“I wanted you to be my Queen, my Goddess!” Now the stranger laughs. “But do not act as though that is all you did while I was out. Frigga told me of your voracious appetite for learning, and especially for practicing the things you had learned.”
“Oh, now she is no longer ‘Mother’? How sad she must be that her favorite boy has turned his back on her just because has learned he was adopted.”
Again, the conversation was not going in the direction Connor had expected, especially with that name. First Valkyries, now Frigga; the wife of Odin and Mother to Thor. By adopted would that make this stranger… no, that isn’t possible. But with the state of the world as it has come to be; the attack on New York a decade ago, the settling of Asgardian refugees a few years after that — Connor is getting the sinking feeling that their coffee shop barista, soft-spoken, sweetest girl in the whole world girlfriend might be more than she claimed to be. Could he judge her? They had quite the secret they were keeping from her as well. Everybody has something they want to hide from everybody, especially the ones they love.
“She has… she is not with us anymore.” That sounds like a tender spot she hit.
The boys glance at each other during the awkward silence.
Then, there is that soft, kind voice the two know, it is trembling, but attempts to comfort. “I am so sorry. I had no idea. I didn’t mean to… I didn’t mean that… gods, I know how much you loved her.”
“She only ever wanted me to be the best person I could be… and every day I failed her. The only thing I did that ever made her proud was marrying you…”
“No serious relationships my ass,” Murphy mutters. “Married? That sounds pretty serious to me.”
“Brother we have more important things to worry about than her marital status.”
Now it is their girlfriend who sighs. “She was proud of you all the time; I can promise that.”
“Please come back! I will be better to you, I swear it. Let me… let me have the chance to become the man she wanted out of me.”
“You don’t need me to be that person.”
“But I do! You always brought out the best in me; I need that… please…”
“Alright, haven’t we heard enough of this crap.” Connor starts to back off, about to kick the door in.
“Shhhh brother, this is getting good, it’s like those old soaps Ma watched when she had sent us off to bed. Except I have no idea what is going on.” Murphy is just as agitated, but not quite ready to make a scene, for once remaining more level-headed than his brother.
“Do you want me to beg? Because I will beg.” There is the sound of a desperate man dropping to his knees. “My butterfly… I will never do wrong by you again. My Queen… come with me, and we will live any life you dream of. My Goddess… I will give you everything you want and more. My love… please, life without you is bland. I miss you. I miss the color you brought to my world with your smile. I miss the music of your laugh dancing down the halls. Please, I need you…”
“Murph, if we wait any longer this guy may sweep her off her feet and steal her away from us. Hell, I’d probably fall head over heels for a man if he talked to me like that.” Too much information Connor. Too much information.
“Okay, okay, okay let’s do this.” Murphy sighs and scratches the back of his head. “How are we playing this?”
“Like we didn’t hear a thing.” Connor runs his hands through his hair, trying to appear his best. “Now look smart Murph, time to meet the competition.”
The door is opened to this stage; two figures lit by the purple and pink hues of the setting sun, which shines through the vast and open window of the living room, casting long shadows across the floorboards. A slim man clad in a black suit kneels before a woman in a billowing floral dress. His fingers grip the fabric so tightly the knuckles have turned white. A face can not be seen, for it is buried in the garment, face pressed where her legs meet in a fashion that would be lewd in another context. Her beautiful hands are comfortingly stroking long, dark locks of hair. Her own face is troubled and sad, tear stains evident on rosy cheeks.
The last words she can exchange with this old friend before her lovers interrupt the scene: “I cant Loki, I can’t.”