Realization
“Look,” Loki explained as Eden practiced deep breathing. “It’s not very complicated. The former Goddess of Life and Youth, Idun, was killed in the Sacking of Asgard.”
Thor nodded. He had known her slightly, though she didn’t spend much time in Asgard. She and Odin hadn’t gotten along. Now, he supposed, that made sense, considering Odin’s past: waging war on other so many other realms with his daughter, the Goddess of Death. Yeah, he could see how the Goddess of Life wouldn’t have liked that very much.
“When she died, our—” Loki paused only for a moment, his eyes flicking to Thor’s face. “Our father Odin transferred the spark of her deity to another Asgardian—and he chose her.”
Eden came up for air. “But why me?” she asked, overwhelmed. She took a swig of the drink the Valkyrie had brought her.
“No idea. Well, shall we go?” Loki suggested.
---
Thor came to with her cool, refreshing hand on his shoulder. He shifted, groaned. “How much did I have to drink?”
“That’s exactly what Scrapper said!”
Thor squinted up into Eden’s face. “Oh. You. Five more minutes--?”
“Nope, nope. Wake up.” Her hand warmed and he remembered what had happened. A cross, a double-cross, the inciting of a revolution, the theft of a “party-ship”—Thor didn’t want to know—and an aerial battle, and the Valkyrie, Bruce, Eden, and Thor were speeding away, the wormhole poetically known as the Devil’s Anus in their rearview mirror. If the ship had HAD rear-view mirrors, that was.
He sat up straight. “Are the others okay?”
“Yeah—I woke Bruce up first, since he’s human.” She gestured.
Bruce was playing with some of the buttons on the walls. There was a *sproing!* and a Murphy bed popped out of the wall. “Gold,” Bruce whispered and hopped into bed.
“I hope those sheets have been washed…” Thor muttered.
The Valkyrie was looking at the navigational display. “This ship’s resilient, but slow. It’ll be several hours until we reach Asgard.” She glanced back. “Looks like Bruce is taking a nap. *I* want a drink. Care to join?” She grinned at the other two.
“Just a small one,” Eden suggested, and Thor agreed.
Turned out the Valkyrie’s idea of a small one and Eden’s didn’t exactly match, but that was okay: Valkyrie drank what Eden didn’t, and then took her bottle back to the front of the ship.
“Driving drunk,” Eden grinned and leaned back in her chair.
“Are you okay?” Thor asked her after a moment. “With the whole…” he gestured at her—“goddess thing?”
She bit her lip. “Yeah,” she said at last. “I mean—it’s like, it really explains some things, you know?”
He nodded, paused. “What did you think of your first airfight?”
“Well, I don’t like violence, but…” Eden grinned. “It was kinda cool, actually.” He chuckled. “Thank you.” She covered his hand. “For getting me out. For—everything.”
He took it. “I should be thanking you. I’m not sure I would have found the strength to escape without your—your healing touch, your friendship.”
She blushed. “I’m sure you would have.”
He shook his head. Something about her—just being near her—made him feel better. Calmer, more rational—less hot-headed, less foolish. When he thought about how she had suffered ten years of captivity and still had that patience, that serenity—that kindness… It was an astounding inner strength.
Eden slowly slid her hand out of his, and he realized he had been staring at her, a soft smile on his face. “Um… I’m pretty tired, so… I’m gonna try to get a little sleep.” She pressed a button on the wall opposite Bruce’s bed, and another one unfolded. “Unless—you want the bed?”
“No. Um—well—”
“We can share, if you want,” she offered, her face going red.
“Yeah—okay.”
Awkwardly, they got into bed and pulled up the blankets. It was a large bed, and Eden didn’t touch him as the Valkyrie kindly turned off the lights in the back of the ship. Thor realized that he wanted to put his arms around Eden.
He was falling for her.
Why hadn’t he seen it before? First chance he’d really been able to think about the future, he supposed. But it had been coming on for some time, he realized. She had been so kind, so sympathetic—not embarrassing him with pity, but supporting him with her friendship.
It was similar to the dynamic he’d had with Jane. Neither of them were fighters—neither of them needed to be. They had their own gifts. Like his first crush, Ranveig, the daughter of one of his father’s minstrels. She wouldn’t have hurt a fly, but she played a mean harp.
Eden was smart; she was resilient. He felt less hotheaded with her—less foolish. He felt—right.
He needed to tell her so. But he would have to find the right time. With that thought, he fell asleep.
---
“Almost there, guys,” the Valkyrie announced. All three nappers groaned as she turned on the lights.
Thor discovered something warm and soft in his arms: Eden. In his sleep he had pulled her to him like a teddy bear.
He sat up. “Sorry,” he rumbled, feeling awkward.
“Mm. ‘Sokay,” she answered with a sleepy smile.
“Eden, I—”
“Asgard straight ahead,” the Valkyrie interrupted them.
Fascinated, Eden climbed out of bed and scrambled up to the windscreen. “Wow,” she whispered. “So that’s--?”
“Home,” Thor replied.