Asgardians

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9th March 2012, Asgard

(Jasmine Sayre POV)

The girl looked shocked for a minute, and looked at me with wide eyes, "Wife?"

I nodded, "Oh, yes. We've been together for thousands of years. Is it that irregular here? Because I'm pretty sure that it was a normal practice between Valkyries back when they were still alive."

The girl looked lost, and I patted her on the arm, "Why are you so insistent in pursuing Thor? I have barely spoken to him since I came here, and yet the first thing you did when you saw me, was declare me as a threat in your mind."

The girl looked away, and I groaned inwardly; damn, looks like I'm getting involved in Asgardian drama, after all.

After a couple of seconds, the girl looked back at me, unashamed, "I guess that Love can make someone a little stupid."

Dear lord, she's even acting like a teenager, "Love? Are you saying that you're in love with Thor?"

The girl nodded, "Yes, of course I am."

I snorted, "Do you even know what love is?"

The girl gave me a look that was half confused, and half outraged at the fact that I'm questioning her feelings for Thor, "Of course I do."

I shook my head, "No, you don't. What you're feeling right now is passion, affection, attraction perhaps, but nothing more. Love is something built over time, because trust me, when you truly love someone, you'll know it. It will take you by surprise at first, the realization of how deep your feelings are towards someone. It goes through you like the water of a river after a storm, filling you and emptying you at the same time. You feel it throughout your body, in your hands, in your heart, in your stomach, in your skin, in your soul. Do you feel this way about Thor?"

The angry look on her face disappeared, and was replaced by a thoughtful one, "I…I think so…"

I shook my head sadly, "If you have to think, then you haven't felt it. I remember. After over five thousand years of life, I remember the exact moment I felt it towards my wife. The comfort, the warmth, it was like time itself had frozen, and I realized how much I loved her. We both had our issues, our differences, but in the end, I loved her. I'm sorry, but I can't see it with you and Thor."

She was trying to deny my words, "No, I am sure of it. I love Thor, I have loved him since I was a little girl."

I gave her another sad smile, "Then tell me, what is it that makes you love him so? What is it that he does, what character trait does he have, that makes your heart soar so much that you declare your love for him so readily?"

"He's brave, powerful, strong. He's kind, even if he's sometimes rash. He does his best to protect his people, to show Asgard's might. He believed in me. He didn't laugh when I said that I wanted to be a warrior, a fighter, but he encouraged me and helped me along the way."

I shook my head again, "Think about your answer for a second. You're not describing a person, you're describing a hero, an idea, a goal. You admire him greatly, and rightly so, but I don't think you see his flaws, his naivety, his disregard for his enemies lives, his entitlement and arrogance. You see only half the picture, and should he ever show interest in you, you'll be disappointed. Love isn't just a feeling, it's so much more, and to truly love someone, you need to know everything there is to be known about them. Their insecurities, their aspirations, their dreams, their failures, their weaknesses. Everything you could possibly like and dislike. It's why falling in love takes so much time, and perhaps why some people who get married never truly feel it."

"But what if I do love him, what if I start loving him in the future?"

"You're attracted to him, you admire him, his prowess as a warrior and his kindness alike, but you will never know if he's right for you or not, unless you start living for yourself. As far as I can tell, you're passionate about two things, Thor and the way of the warrior. And that's not even true, both of them are the same passion that you've confused together. You want to be a warrior, and that's good, but there has to be something more, something that you enjoy. Start living, become something more than just a warrior, and Thor will eventually start seeing you as more than just a comrade, but as a woman. Perhaps, you would have moved on from your infatuation, and perhaps, you'll start seeing his flaws more clearly. You never know what the future has in store for us."

She looked down, "Perhaps, this is the way, but every time I look at him, I see the mortal girl, and it hurts."

I shrugged, "Jealousy is a natural feeling, and unless you act on it, or obsess over it, you're going to move on. And it's not like the mortal will stay for too long. Thor is infatuated with her because she is different, because she saw what was underneath his mask as the Crown Prince of Asgard, and still liked him. But in the end, she'll barely live for a century if she's lucky. No matter what happens, unless somehow, she becomes immortal, this relationship will end in tragedy. Any relationship, be it romantic or platonic, with a mortal will end in pain and suffering. Trust me, I live in a world of mortals, and I have lost many friends to the sands of time. After being hurt too many times, Thor will learn that tying himself to a mortal will bring him nothing but heartache, and he will start looking back to Asgard."

Sif was calm by the end of my explanation, "So, I don't need to worry. She'll be nothing more than a fancy, a page in his story."

I nodded, "Yes, but that's not what I'm getting at. Stop thinking about Thor, and what would please Thor, start thinking about yourself and what makes you happy. In the end, if Thor starts showing interest in you, then you're welcome to continue, but in the end, don't tie yourself to an impossible ideal, you'll gain nothing but misery."

The girl smiled at me, gratefully, "Thank you for your advice, Morrigan. You are a very wise woman."

I chuckled, bitterly "Wisdom comes at the price of pain and experience, pray that you never become too wise, for to be so means that you made many mistakes, and experienced much misery."

She hesitated for a second before turning away and exiting the balcony, leaving me alone in front of the view.

Behind me, I heard another voice, "It was a nice thing you did for that young woman."

I immediately recognized the voice, it was Frigga, the Queen of Asgard.

I chuckled, "Perhaps she'll even stop constantly staring at your son so much. I still don't get how your son doesn't see her doing it all the time."

"Thor can overlook a lot of things. It's why he used to always fall for Loki's tricks."

Well, what a way to bring down the mood. I chose to change the subject, "The palace looks different than the last time I was here."

"How so?"

I shrugged, "It's a lot less sinister, less militant, there are a lot more decorations and so on. Was that your doing?"

She nodded, "I didn't want to live in a military encampment anymore. I have seen too much war to appreciate the old décor."

"And were you also the one that covered the murals in the throne room?"

She stiffened at that, "You mean Hela's murals?"

I nodded, and she shook her head, "No, that was Odin's decision. Odin's conquest had left the nine realms in disrepair, everyone wanted to forget, so when he changed his mind suddenly, for no reason, and started offering relatively fair peace treaties, everyone jumped on board. Everyone wanted to forget this period, and in a way, only a few remember. Odin's lifespan, and mine as well, are very long compared to the average Asgardian. The majority of the population was born after Hela's banishment, and those that were alive before that, either do not want to remember all the death, or they just forgot. For all our long lives, we tend to forget quite easily."

"Did you ever meet her?"

She shook her head, "No, I had never left Vanaheim during the entirety of the war. I acted as a healer back them. Hela practically never left the battlefield. Very few survived encounters with her. By the time my betrothal to Odin was announced, the war was almost over, and Hela was already banished by Odin. I believe you had a hand in that."

I nodded, "She was a good fighter, though a bit of a one trick pony if I was honest, but she wasn't the most difficult opponent I had to deal with."

The Queen of Asgard looked away for a second, "The stories they told of her remind me of yours, if I was honest, I expected you to act like her, a bloodthirsty monster who's always eager for a fight. Someone who wishes nothing more than to rule. I often wondered why you chose to stay in the shadows, protecting humanity, and not ruling them."

I chuckled, "I never liked fighting, or killing for that matter. I'm good at it, but in my heart, I was always an academic, trying to discover the borders of magic, and how to use it properly. Magic has always been my passion, not war or conflict. Although, when you get powerful enough, you get dragged in no matter what you prefer. But ruling a planet, it's so much work for little to no reward. Yes, I could probably take over the planet in a month, but the amount of work needed to actually rule isn't to be underestimated. Conquerors often forget about what comes after they have won. It's too much work for me to do for thousands of years without stopping. I mean look at Odin, he's always tired, and you would never guess that I'm older than him. In the end, it wasn't worth the hassle and it just wasn't something I saw myself enjoying, let alone keep doing for thousands of years."

"Sometimes I wish my children shared the sentiment."

I burst into laughter, "Thor will never be an academic, it's just not his preference to do so. He can be a splendid king, in time. I can see it, Odin can as well. Only time will tell if he'll realize his potential. Loki, on the other hand, was meant to be an academic, to study sorcery to his heart's content, but unfortunately, Asgardians look down on men who use magic, and after living in Asgard for so long, he wants to be acknowledged. It's why he wants to rule so much, even if he won't find joy in it should he ever succeed."

Frigga looked sad at this, "I tried my best, teaching him my magic, my craft. But it was never enough."

I grabbed her hand, "You raised your children splendidly, Frigga, never doubt that. But now, they are grown enough to make their own choices, and their own mistakes. Loki might be a product of his environment, of a brilliant mind trying to blend in, in a world where physical strength is celebrated. He's a lot like Odin, in his youth, the same manipulative mindset he has, the same lust for power. It's funny, in a way, that Loki claims to despise him so, not realizing how similar they both are."

"Perhaps they are, but a mother will always worry for her children."

I shrugged, "Then spend time with him. No matter the punishment, and believe me, Odin will try to be lenient, especially when Loki was affected by the Mind Stone during his little invasion of Midgard. But do not forget him, even if he wants you to. Visit him every day, even if it's just to talk, give him books, get him talking to you. It's the only way I can see for you not to lose your son to his own darkness. He loves you the most, with Thor being a close second, no matter how much he tries to deny it."

Frigga stayed silent for a second before bursting into laughter, "It seems that you do not only offer your wisdom to the young."

I chuckled, "Perhaps I don't." I said as I turned around. "I believe it's time for me to leave. I have a family to get back to as well."

She nodded and brought out her hand, and the Tesseract appeared. I touched the cube for a second, and opened a portal to my mansion in New York, where Selene and I lived.

"Farewell, Morrigan."

"Farewell, Frigga."

I stepped into the portal and arrived back to Earth.