CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Paige gasped as she gazed upon the grand golden gates of Asgard at the end of the Rainbow Bridge. Tall, glistening in the ambient starlight, they opened without a word, soundlessly. Thor grinned back at his friends. With a laugh at their expressions, he led them forward into the world of Asgard.

"It is quite a walk to the palace," Thor joked. He gestured far ahead to where there stood a great pyramidal structure, or set of structures. "Usually I would just fly, but..." After he trailed off, he stopped, turning to look at them again. "No, no. We'll take one of the patrol vessels."

As he spoke, what Paige swore to be a flying viking ship zipped overhead. Thor laughed again. Glancing around at the others, she was hardly surprised to see only Thor not hesitating. But she didn't hesitate. Somehow, something deep in her knew this place. She felt it in her essence, in her magic. She had come home.

"Come on," Paige said.

Thor led them down a fan of stairs until they reached a great courtyard of tile and stone. Trees stood tall around them, their white flowers blooming in the night. Silence dominated Asgard. But as they continued on, being led through the courtyard down a long pathway to a wall of stone, they heard a raucous.

Thor grinned. He opened a door into a great guardhouse only to find warriors of Asgard drinking mead and feasting. Upon the entrance of the Avengers, they silenced themselves in wonder. But as soon as they'd quieted, another song began, and attention turned from them.

A tall man, fair haired and blue eyed wearing green clothes and golden armor, walked forward. "Midgardians? Thor you bastard. Bringing these people among us?" But then he laughed. "I love it!"

"Fandral, you would do well to learn to watch your tongue," said another, darker haired and dark eyed. "Princess Gersemi is with them!"

"As always, Hogun is correct," replied Fandral. He bowed.

Paige rolled her eyes. "I'm not Gersemi. Though, I'm starting to see this is going to be a trend."

Fandral and Hogun turned immediately to Thor. Fandral spoke up. "Not Princess Gersemi? She's not-"

"She cannot-"

Thor laughed. "She is."

"Um, hi, Avengers here," Tony waved. "Yeah where can we change? I'd like to get out of this, stat."

"Forgive me, Stark." Thor nodded. "Fandral. Hogun. We need to borrow a ship."

Hogun nodded. He gestured to Thor and led them through the tables around the outside. A roaring fire lit the relatively small hall through the center. Even Clint found himself smiling at the antics of the off duty soldiers as they passed them by, though he did find himself dropping back to walk by Paige at the back. Fandral followed them.

They walked back into the night. A massive open space occupied by resting airships greeted them. Hogun walked up to one and set up the stairs to let them on. He and Thor decided they could all fit on one if they were careful.

"It's strong enough," Fandral agreed. "We just need to make sure everyone stays inside the boat." He eyed some of the more skittish members of the party. "Keep the women on the inside."

Natasha raised her eyebrows at that and big her tongue. Beside her, Clint snorted. With his arms crossed, he looked to the ground and shuffled in place, suppressing laughter. But Paige didn't keep her mouth shut.

"I'm not afraid of that thing," said Paige quickly. "I certainly don't need to be put in the center."

Thor laughed. "Of course not, Paige. Come on, my friends. Up we go."

Tony let the others take the stairs while he himself floated up. With a jolt, he landed on the deck. Clint crouched down to keep a hold on all the gear near the back where Fandral took up his spot to drive. Paige, stood to his other side across from Clint. She could feel herself shaking from excitement.

"Are you ready?" Fandral asked the group with a smirk. "Here we go."

The skiff lifted off gently Natasha and Bruce both joined Clint in a crouch for safety, but Thor stood chatting near the front with Steve and Tony. Hogun leaned against the prow. As it went higher, Paige's smile only grew. She felt a tingling in her body. This was what it was like to fly.

They reached the palace quickly. Fandral set the skiff down gently inside the main entrance at the foot of the palace. Sif stood outside, chatting with a robust red haired man wearing steel armor. She laughed at something he said. Guards moved a ladder in place for the Avengers and non-flyers quickly.

"That was amazing," Paige said breathlessly.

She suddenly jumped though, as she felt her hands tingling. She turned away from the group, walking a few paces towards the gold and stone wall surrounding them. Paige hid one hand, but looked at her right. Sparks of purple energy leapt between her fingers. Too much excitement. She had to calm herself down. The magic's pull was stronger here. With a growl under her breath, she wished she could reach for her phone. But she risked shorting it out.

"Paige," Clint commented, walking over. He stood a few feet away. "Come on. Thor's got us going somewhere inside."

She turned and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry." Putting her hands inside her leather jacket, Paige followed him. "Where are we going?"

"You're asking me?" Clint snorted.

The palace entrance stood three times the height of Thor. It went as a grand, columned hall for about seventy five feet before it stopped at a wall of the same height composed of dark brown and gold marble. Thor led them to the main, double golden doors in the center of the wall. Sif and Hogun walked beside him, the Avengers following, and Fandral brought up the rear with Volstagg.

"Remember it?" Fandral asked Paige. "You were born here."

Paige turned to look at him. "No. I don't. Should I?"

They were cut off as Thor opened the golden doors. Paige hadn't thought it possible for a room to be larger than the one they'd just been in, but this one was, and it was all gold. It sloped like an amphitheater down to the far end where sat a throne, upon which a man, old but well armored and still heartily muscular, sat. Beside him stood a woman to his right. Her hair, brown with a bit of honey blonde, had been intricately braided down her back across her brilliant yellow dress. Several other men stood around the throne.

"Thor! You brought Midgardians here?" Odin stood from his throne and walked down as his son approached.

While Sif and the Warriors Three knelt on single knees, Thor merely bowed his head. He glanced once to his mother, who Paige noted gave a smug little smirk and shook her head, before turning back to Odin. "Father, they are great warriors. They wish to aid us against the Dark Elves. For the Dark Elves will go for Midgard as well as Asgard."

Odin glanced from Thor to the Avengers. He looked them over one by one until at last he looked upon Paige. "What is this?" He turned to Thor. "What sorcery do you dabble in, Thor? Did Lady Gersemi go to Earth?"

"Nay, father." Thor smiled wide. "I found her. Hnoss!"

Clint muttered, "I mean, technically I found her."

Murmurs rippled through the gathered Asgardians. Frigga's face had gone stricken white and she stepped down from beside the throne. "Sif," she said. "Find Freyja. Bring her here immediately."

"Of course, My Queen," Sif said. She bowed and raced off.

Odin still hadn't spoken. He merely gazed at Paige until she found herself glaring back defiantly. Clint noticed and nearly laughed. "Listen, your majesty, she's not Hnoss. She's Paige, and she's an Avenger like the rest of us."

Odin looked at Clint quickly. Then he turned back to Thor. "You neglected to tell us you had found her!"

"I didn't want anyone to know until I was here," Paige butted in. "Listen, your majesty," she copied Clint, "I may be some long lost princess but I'm not here to be some circus act. My name is Paige Wilson. I'm here to help fight a war. I'm here to help win a war."

Odin nodded. "Alright, Paige Wilson, with what weapons do you fight?" He walked forward, each step echoed by the pound of his golden staff on the tiled floor. "Sword? Shield? Gun?"

Paige shook her head. "I have magic."

Odin glanced at Frigga and back. "A typical Vanir weapon. Who taught you?"

"No one."

"What?" Frigga walked over to her and stood beside Odin. "Though some show inherent talent, seidr is learned, not inherited. Are you saying you taught yourself?" Turning to Odin, she frowned. "Just as Bragi spoke of."

Tony interrupted. "Okay, hold on. I'm sorry to interrupt, your royalnesses. But this is getting all very confusing. I think we could all use a recap, Asgardians and petty Earthlings. Maybe take it back a few steps, or decades, and explain what's going on here."

"Later," Odin ordered. "For now, Thor will show you to the guest wing in the palace. Find rooms. Sleep. You will be sent for." He turned to Thor. "Show them out."

Thor did so. He and the Warriors Three walked them to what amounted to an Asgarian elevator, using similar technology to the Skiff airships. They went up into the palace and soon were placed in a wing devoid of life. A massive open hall fifty feet by fifty feet was flanked by dozens of rooms on three sides, with a fountain and plants in the center. Thor told them to choose rooms.

"Sleep," he reminded them. "I'll do my best to find out more of what is going on."