I tried to go back to sleep, but after twenty minutes of tossing and turning, I still felt as restless as before I made it onto the ship. Finally, I sighed in defeat, once again lacing up my sandals to go outside.

I hesitated once I reached the top of the Bifrost, glancing over to see Heimdall standing in front of the swirling cosmos. He wasn't wearing his usual armor; his helmet was leaning against the wall beside me. Instead, he wore the simple civilian clothes I barely recognized, his hair tied behind his head. “You did a good job today,” he spoke softly, his back still turned to me. “Even if it took some time.”

I looked down, my cheeks warm and my eyes tearing up. “I didn't know you were awake.”

“I am always awake, in some way. I am Asgard's gatekeeper, my child. I cannot risk a breach of our security simply because I am not awake to see,” he explained simply, a distant fondness in his voice. “I just came up here to think. Clear my head.” I stayed silent, but slowly walked to stand next to Heimdall. He barely moved, but his head tilted slightly as if to acknowledge my presence. “I am curious as to why you were so panicked at my apparent disappearance,” he mused.

I smiled slightly, shrugging. “I don't know. I guess… I would hate for anything to happen to you and for me not to know. I couldn't stand the thought of you going missing or… or dying and for me to just be oblivious.”

“Impulsive indeed,” he smiled warmly, crossing his arms lightly. “Sometimes I wonder if you truly are my own daughter.”

The smile slipped off my face slowly, and I felt that same unrest creep back into my head. I gazed out into the mass of stars and color that seeped together into a beautiful galaxy, my jaw set and my chest tight. “What do you see?” I asked softly, eyes never leaving the view in front of me. “Out there?”

“Everything. I can turn my gaze onto any planet. Most of it is white noise, but there are times when those small specks of life become something more. Where ordinary people do extraordinary things, and become legends in their own way.”

“Do you ever wish you couldn't?”

Heimdall hesitated before answering. “No. But I do wish I spent less time focused on life out there, and more on you. On Asgard.” He breathed out a laugh. “But it's my duty. And I have to uphold it.”

“Do I have to go?” I finally asked, struggling to keep my voice from shaking.

Heimdall turned, his face slightly pained as he smiled. “Yes. I wish that you didn't. I would give anything to keep you here with me, but this was bound to happen. I just…” he faltered, taking a breath before continuing. “I just didn't think it'd be so soon.”

“I'm scared,” I whispered, trying to ignore the tears forming in my eyes. “I don't want to leave you. I don't know what's going to happen.”

“I know,” he muttered, holding open his arms as I began to cry. “I know. Come here.”

I buried my face in his chest, finally allowing myself to feel completely overwhelmed by my mission. I knew that I shouldn't be afraid, and I knew it had to be for the best. But, at the same time, I had never known life outside of Asgard. I had fooled myself into thinking I would live here forever, finding glory in battle and comfort in this planet. Instead, I was going to be sent off to protect a planet I had no connection with, to fight their battles from the sidelines. And it terrified me.

“I don't want to be part of that white noise,” I choked out, tears spilling onto my cheeks. “I don't want you to forget about me.” Heimdall shifted slightly, his chin resting on the top of my head.

“Asariel, I could never forget you. You are my daughter. You have changed my life far more than you realize,” he said firmly, briefly kissing the top of my head. “I will always be here for you. Always. And as long as I'm here, you will never be alone.”

I nodded, still softly crying. “Will you tell me a story?” My meager question was accompanied by a watery laugh, and I smeared the tears away with slight embarrassment.

Heimdall smiled, nodding before lowering himself to the ground. “Come,” he beckoned my down with him, and I folded my legs while he pointed out into space, still trying to wipe away the tears. “There is a planet, so distant you can barely see it with your naked eye. And it's far more difficult to discern it from the rest. But that planet holds promise. The people there are beyond anything most have to offer. They are small, seemingly insignificant, and yet, they are convinced to rise above themselves. And soon, they will have someone capable of helping them achieve that. Someone who is anything but insignificant.”

I leaned my head against his shoulder, letting my eyes drift shut.

~*~

When I opened my eyes again, the sun had risen long ago. I sat up, slightly disoriented as I stared at the walls of my own bedroom. I strained my memory, desperately trying to remember something important before shooting out of bed, a strangled cry of annoyance escaping me as I nearly fell in the process.

Training. How could I forget about training? I mentally scolded myself, clumsily pulling on a simple shirt and pants, which I viewed as far more practical than the dress I had worn the day before. I glanced into the small mirror above my vanity, scrunching up my nose before raking my fingers through my hair, braiding the top before giving up and pulling it into a ponytail.

I was sprinting out of the Bifrost soon after, my heart pounding by the time I reached Alpha’s ship. I puffed out a few breaths, holding back a groan as I stared up at the door above me. As soon as I stopped, however, I heard someone clear their throat behind me, and I whirled around in surprise.

“Late morning?” Alpha asked, her posture relaxed and a smile tugging as the corner of her mouth. I sighed out in relief, rushing to try and defend myself before she held up a hand. “It's okay, it's okay. I know you had a late night. You worked hard. And unfortunately, you aren't going to get much of a break today.”

I cocked my head to the side, resisting the urge to bounce on my toes. “What are we doing?”

She shifted her weight, a tension settling onto her shoulders as she folded her arms. “We're leaving. Today.”

A stretch of silence settled between us, and I felt my heart drop. “What?” I asked, an anxiety building in my stomach as my mind raced. “We can't leave today! I… I can't just…” I broke off, taking a small step backwards.

Alpha approached me quickly, taking my hands in hers. “Listen. It's going to be okay. I'll give you time to say your goodbyes. You will still have ways to keep in contact with Asgard.” I glanced up at her, nodding slowly as she squeezed my hands and let go. “Take all the time you need, alright?”

~*~

I wandered towards the palace in a daze, trying to wrap my head around the idea that I was leaving. Every step I took felt forced, and I eagerly drank in every sight around me with growing nostalgia. By the time I reached the palace doors, I felt almost nauseous, sadness and nervousness twisting inside my stomach.

The guards at the door stood aside immediately, and I nodded once with a strained smile. Once I was inside the castle, I found myself almost jogging towards Odin's throne, a frantic need to see both Thor and Loki rising with every step. However, as I turned the corner, I felt relief wash over me as I nearly collided with Thor.

“Asariel!” He exclaimed, a wide smile breaking across his face. “I was just wondering where you were. Loki had something he wanted to tell you, I think.”

“I'm leaving.”

The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them, and I watched as the smile slipped off of Thor's face, replaced by a puzzled confusion. “You're leaving? Why?”

I tried explaining, but before I could even start, I broke down into sobs. Thor immediately pulled me into a tight embrace, ignoring my hiccups as he patted my back, somewhat awkwardly. “I have to go today. I'm never… I'm not going to come back. Not for a long time.” My voice shook badly, and I tried to clear my throat. “I have to say goodbye.”

I felt Thor stiffen, and I pulled away to study his face. “You're leaving today?” He bristled slightly, a defensive anger seeping into his voice.

I nodded, my throat still tight.

Thor took a breath, obviously about to launch into some rant before he stopped, his shoulders sagging. “Where are you going?”

“Midgard.” I smiled a little, nudging his arm weakly. “You always said you wanted to go there.”

“Maybe I have an excuse now,” Thor smiled in return, hesitating before hugging me again. “You'll be okay, right?”

“I think so,” I mumbled, taking a shaky breath. “I need to find Loki. Tell him. Heimdall probably knows already, but I still want to say goodbye.” I paused before continuing. “You know where Loki is, don't you?”

“I do. He said he was heading over to the cliffs. I'm sure you can find him there.”

“Can you try to find my father as well?”

“Of course.” His voice was stiff, but he flashed a smile when I glanced at his face. “Don't leave without seeing me again. Or giving a proper explanation.”

“I wouldn't dream of it,” I smiled on return, still forcing down the bitter nervousness that wrenched my stomach. Thor nodded before walking backwards a few steps, skipping slightly before turning completely and walking off. I turned back the way I had come, keeping my eyes down in hopes that the guards wouldn't notice my still reddened face.

By the time I reached Loki, I had felt myself relax significantly. I gave a small wave when he noticed me, quickening my pace slightly until I stood next to him. I bowed dramatically, flinging my arms out to either side. “Your majesty,” I grinned, peeking upwards to see Loki's exaggerated eye roll.

“Please tell me you're joking,” he grumbled, a small smile brightening his own face.

“We may never know.” I straightened, feeling myself falter slightly. “Thor said you wanted to tell me something?”

“Yes!” He swivelled around, quickly spinning me in the process to face the Bifrost. “Do you see that ship there?” He pointed to Alpha's ship, grinning widely.

“Yes?”

“That's the ship of the Alpha Legend. I saw my father talking with her only yesterday. I've been keeping an eye on it since.” Loki’s voice had risen in pitch slightly, clearly excited at his discovery. “Someone went up there last night. They built a whole staircase out of thin air. It was amazing, I could hardly believe it.”

“I have two responses,” I said slowly. “First, why are your hands always so cold? It’s almost summer!” Loki glanced at his hand, which was still touching my arm lightly, before drawing back with a laugh.

“Sorry. Go on.”

“Second… well, I think that person was me.”

Loki’s eyebrows shot upwards. “That was you? Really?”

I nodded, fighting back the smile that curled the edges of my mouth up. “It took a long time, let me tell you.”

“What were you doing going up to that ship?” Loki asked, excitement once again rising in his voice. “How did you even do it?”

“I'm not sure how I did it. It just… clicked I guess. But I actually do need to talk to you about that.” I took a breath, searching for something to say to ease the tension in my stomach. “I'm going to leave with her. The Alpha.”

Loki cocked his head to the side, his smile fading slightly. “You're leaving?” I nodded, making a point to stare at my hands.  “For how long?”

“I don't know. But a long time.” My voice had softened drastically, almost to a whisper. “I’ve been given a task. A responsibility.”

I wasn't looking at Loki's face, but I could basically feel the anger building off of him. “What responsibility?”

“I'm going to Midgard. To protect them from any threats.”

“That's not your responsibility! That's… that's Asgard's!” Suddenly, he stopped, stiffening next to me. “Odin told you to do this, didn't he?”

“It… this was going to happen since Heimdall found me. I can't just ignore that,” I tried to avoid his question, but he shook his head, his movements sharp and harsh.

“He did. That's why he was talking to Alpha.” I looked up at him, slightly startled at the anger that he had spit out with his words.

“Loki, Odin is the king. And I can't disobey, even if I wanted to.” His eyes shot over to mine, glistening with tears of his own. “Not to mention that Alpha asked me. I couldn't just say no.”

“You want to go?”

“It's not that. I just . . . I need to. I know that, and I need you to understand. Please.” I reached out and grabbed Loki's hand, but he retracted it slowly.

“When are you leaving?” He asked, hardly as a question, but rather a flat statement.

I swallowed, trying to take a breath. “Today.”

He closed his eyes, once again shaking his head. “Of course. Of course it's today.”

“Loki–”

“Asariel, don't go. Please.”

“I don't have a choice!” I burst out, my voice pinched as I held back tears. “I need to do this! I need you to understand that. I need you to… to…” I broke off, looking upwards with my arms crossed tightly. “I need you to be okay with that.”

“You belong here!” Loki argued, jabbing his hand out to the palace behind him. “You aren't human! He can't expect you to just leave and never look back to your home!”

“I'm not going to! How could I ever leave and just forget?” I took another step towards him, despite his stubborn scowl as he refused to make eye contact. I laid a hand on his arm, leaning over so I was facing directly in front of him. “You're my family, Loki. The closest thing to a brother I have ever known. I am never going to forget that.”

There were a few seconds of tense silence before he deflated, his eyes dropping to the ground. “I don't know how I'm going to survive without you around. You're my family too.”

I gave a lopsided smile, blinking to clear away the tears that had formed in my eyes. Loki smiled in return, his eyes still distant as he wrapped an arm around me. I shifted to hug him properly, closing my eyes. “I'll miss you. A lot.”

“Me too.”

After another moment, we broke apart, and I furiously wiped at a few stray tears. “Walk with me?”

Loki raised an eyebrow, though he still seemed uneasy and upset. “Where to?”

I pointed at the ship once more, holding back a laugh as Loki's eyes widened, a smile slowly creeping into his face.

~*~

As we approached a small group of people by the Bifrost, I could feel my heart thumping in my chest. Before I could say anything, Heimdall quickly drew me in for a hug, despite my half-hearted protests as his armor cut into my stomach slightly. When he pulled away, he set his hands on my shoulders and nodded softly, as a question. I nodded back, smiling, and he kissed my forehead before turning back to the rest of the group.

Alpha stepped forward, briefly smiling at the Asgardian princes as they both gaped at her. “Are you ready?” She asked. I nodded, squaring my shoulders. Alpha smiled. “Well, first things first. I thought your father would want to be here to see your blessing.”

“Absolutely not.” Odin spoke from the back of the group. Alpha closed her eyes slowly, the muscles in her left leg tensing. She took a deep breath before turning to the king.

“And why not?”

Odin raised his chin, “It is not appropriate for her to be blessed by you, Legend. She is not of Asgard.”

Alpha’s eyes narrowed, a hint of a fiery ribbon wrapping a cursive L around her eyes. “Who I bless is not for you to decide. You have said it yourself. You do not accept her, and you barely accept me. I will not constrain to your wishes. It was my ancestors who put you into power.”

Odin’s voice rose to a minor shout. “You are only half Eternal.”

Alpha’s eyes filled with the same fire that solidified around them. She spoke with a deadly calm that I could barely hear. “Exactly. That’s why you should be afraid.”

Odin kept his head high, but swallowed, making no response.

“Blessing?” I asked timidly, looking up at Alpha, “I do not know what that is.”

“I’m going to attach you to the Eternal’s blessing that resides over Asgard.”

Loki let out a small gasp to my right, casting his eyes down with a faint blush of embarrassment as Alpha turned to look at him. “I’ll take it you know what that is?” She asked, amusement playing on her voice.

“I know it is the source of Asgard’s magic and everyone living in it.”

Alpha nodded, holding a fist out in front of her. “If this is Asgard, and the blessing that rests in it, if I attached you to it,” a ribbon of light shot out from Alpha’s fist pointing towards Loki, “and Heimdall,” another ribbon attached Alpha’s fist to my father, “and to Thor,” another ribbon joined the other two, “and Asariel,” a fourth joined, “you all would be connected to the same power source of Asgard.”

Thor looked up at Alpha excitedly, from where he was studying the ribbon of light pointed at him. “Does that mean I would be able to turn to a snake as Loki does?”

Alpha shot an impressed look at Loki before responding, “A blessing only magnifies the power you already have, I’m afraid.” Thor’s face dropped in disappointment, but he soon found the ribbon of light again and continued to stare at it. Alpha dropped her fist and all but the ribbon pointing at Thor disappeared.

“But I am already powerful,” I pointed out. Odin scoffed none too quietly.

Alpha pursed her lips for a pulse before she responded, “Yes, you are. But I’d rather you be as prepared as possible. Better safe than sorry.”

Heimdall nodded, adjusting his grip on the large broadsword he was carrying. “I would much rather you be as strong as possible before going to battle.”

Alpha met his steady gaze from the other side of the circle, “She will be more than ready. I swear to you that I will not allow her to go into battle without me by her side.”

My father nodded, throwing a glance at me. “Swear to me you will listen to Alpha Legend?”

I nodded resolutely, staring up into my father’s eyes. “I swear it.”

Alpha brought a hand up to her right ear, dipping her head to listen intently. “Yeah, okay. Go ahead and prep, I’ll be up soon.” She turned to look at me. “We’d better get a move on then.” Awaiting my nod of acceptance, she waved me to the middle of the circle and bent over slightly to stare into my eyes, her own alight with fiery, cursive L frames. “Close your eyes,” she whispered and I obeyed. She traced down the rim of my eyelid, looping around in the small indents of my outer eyes, swooping under my eyes, and finishing with a flourish just below my temple to imprint capital letter cursive L’s reflected over my nose, to match Alpha’s.

I opened my eyes as Alpha straightened, smiling. “That’s it?” I asked bewildered, “I don’t have to say anything?”

A smile pulled at the corners of Alpha’s mouth. “That’s it. Words are too easily twisted to be insincere. I don’t really like bothering with them.”

“If that is all, my sons and I will return to the palace.” Odin walked away without another word, and Thor ran to give me a brief hug and whispered, ‘come visit soon,’ before following. Loki too embraced me, but more firmly and for much longer than Thor had. He murmured a ‘I will see you soon,’ before turning to follow as well, but Alpha stopped him, bending over to look into his eyes as well.

I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and wheeled around to face my father. He was smiling at me with water in his ethereal eyes. “I must continue to watch now.” I threw my arms around him, and he chuckled, returning the embrace. “I am so glad I got to raise you,” he whispered to me.

“I could not have asked for a better father,” I responded, barely able to contain my own tears.

Heimdall pulled away and looked into my eyes. “I cannot wait to watch what you are going to do.”

We broke away, and Heimdall started the short trek back to the bifrost.

“Asariel.” I wheeled around to Alpha, “I have some instructions for you and Loki.”

It was at that moment I realized there were fiery L’s on Loki’s face as well.

“I thought Odin would not let you bless them.” I reminded her, shocked, as I stared at Loki.

Alpha shrugged an eyebrow, lifting it for a moment before finding composure. “Odin does not like the idea that he is not in control. He is rash, and rarely does anything that does not benefit his glory and power. I want the two of you to report directly to me.”

Loki and I looked at each other, “Report to you?” Loki asked.

“Yes. I will teach the both of you to communicate directly with me, Asariel, about Midgard, and Loki, about the goings on of Asgard.”

Loki began to protest immediately. “But that would be treason!” he exclaimed, standing completely still in contemplation.

Alpha smirked ever so slightly, “Something tells me you would be doing that anyway. I think you get away with a lot more than anyone realizes.”

Loki nodded, though confusion shone faintly off of his face.

“Now you have to realize as well that Odin would not approve of either your blessings or your reports to me. You have to slowly use more and more power. You will feel when your face lights up, but do not let anyone see. It is tied partially to your emotions, so hide it as much as possible. Control yourself. Do you understand, Loki?”

Loki nodded again, looking up and abandoning his confusion.

“Now the both of you sit down,” Alpha commanded, following suit herself. “I’m going to teach you both to talk to me telepathically.” she waited until we had both obeyed. “Remember that everything is made of energy, miniscule, precise, and powerful vibrations. To send a message to me or each other, you simply have to send a vibration through the particles around you to get to me. Try it.”

I closed my eyes and re-acquainted myself with the fuzzy static that surrounded me. I gradually felt the same channeling, like thousands of roads moving at incredible speeds. I dropped a message into one of the channels, but it dissipated before reaching Alpha. I bit the inside of my cheek and took a breath. This time I threw the message along with the road. Again, it dissipated. The third time I rolled the message along with the road, close enough to be sucked in like a magnet, and felt a jolt of surprise as my eyes suddenly burned gold behind my eyelids.

Well done. Now we just wait for Loki. Don’t open your eyes though, we don’t want to pressure him.

Alpha’s voice sounded almost completely crystal clear in my head, as if she was whispering in my ear. But I did as she asked and waited. I thought it completely unfair that Loki succeeded only seconds after I did. It took me hours to even learn how to do this, and he was doing it in a matter of minutes.

“Are we all clear about what to do?” Loki nodded, and I spoke, “Yes.”

Alpha stood up, brushing off her cargo pants. “Then it is about time to head out, Asariel. Loki, thank you for your willingness to help me.”

Loki nodded, “Of course, Alpha. It is my pleasure to be of service.”

Alpha smiled at Loki, before gesturing to the ship. “Shall we, Asariel?”

I created another set of stairs, pointedly glancing at Loki as he walked slowly backwards, and my feet left the bifrost for the last time in a long while.