The Time Between

Eisa sat in the large window seat in her shared bedroom looking out over the garden. The rain had slowed to a light drizzle, but the sky was still cloudy, the sun muted. She watched as sparrows bathed in the puddles that had formed on one of the stone pathways below. She wished she were one of those little birds, hopping about, getting clean, and playing in the water. They looked so happy, completely ignorant of the tragedy that had occurred.

She pulled her knees up and hugged them tightly, the ache in her chest started anew. If she had any tears left, they would be falling, but she had cried so much this day, her sobs were dry. The little birds were dancing on the stones, in complete bliss, enjoying the simplicity of a little puddle. She envied their obliviousness; she would give anything to forget this past week.

"Will you come down and eat? I snuck in your favorite. There is a lemon tart downstairs with your name on it." Groa stood tentatively in the doorway.

"No, thank you." Eisa did not look away from the birds.

Groa took a deep breath, "Eisa, please?"

"No, thank you," she repeated.

"Well, if you will not come downstairs, may I join you?"

Eisa shrugged her shoulders, "Do whatever you want."

Groa walked over and placed a kiss on the top of her sister's head before climbing in to sit across from her. She looked out the window, "The rain is finally slowing down. Maybe the sun will come out and give us a rainbow. I know how excited you get when you spot one."

"I am not a little kid anymore, Groa. I do not get excited by the sight of rainbows or the mention of lemon tarts."

"I am sorry," she looked at her, "I am just trying to make you feel better." Eisa was still dressed in her black funeral clothes from this morning, her tattered green ribbon in her fist, her cheeks tearstained, and her eyes red.

"Perhaps you could come down and play a song for us? Or we could go for a walk together. Oh, I know, we could-"

"No, thank you, Groa. Please, I am tired, and I just want to be alone."

"Very well. I will let you grieve in peace, but if you do not eat soon, I will tell Father."

Eisa shrugged her shoulders again. She knew Groa was bluffing. Brita was the tattletale, not Groa. How can anyone stomach food at a time like this? How can anyone do anything?

She heard laughter from downstairs. Her father had invited people back to their house after the memorial at the palace. None of these people were friends of the prince. They were just looking for an excuse to imbibe on someone else's ale. The thought of people downstairs eating, drinking, and telling jokes made her sick to her stomach. Anger boiled to the surface and overflowed as she stood and stomped over to the bedroom door, slamming it closed with a loud bang.

She stood back and waited for the wrath of her father or stepmother to land on her. Slamming doors in her father's home was a surefire way to earn a punishment. Standing with her hands balled at her sides, she waited for the reprimand. When it never came, she was surprised that she was a little disappointed; she was looking for a fight.

Deflated, she stuffed her ribbon under her pillow and flopped face down on her bed. The thought of never seeing Prince Loki again started a whole new round of heavy sobs into her pillow. With a desperate ache in her chest, she recalled the night he died:

She was getting ready for bed when the lights from the Bifrost illuminated the night sky, not a totally unusual occurrence, but this time the lights stayed on. She ran to the picture window at the end of the corridor outside their room and watched as the lights flashed on the rainbow bridge from a distance. Too far away to make out any detail other than the portal acting very strangely. It looked as if it was burning. The bridge itself pulsed with the force of the energy running through it.

Then she watched in horror as the end of the bridge exploded, causing a massive wave to come crashing to the shoreline and Himinbjörg to drop into the void of space, cutting off their access to travel to the other realms. She could only stare in disbelief as the sky finally calmed, revealing the end of the Bifrost Bridge, broken and jagged, jutting out over the Sea of Asgard, leading nowhere.

The next morning the bells in Asgard rang all day. The King and Queen had lost a son in the accident. The realm had lost a Prince. Eisa lost all hope that one day she would catch his eye and win his heart.

oOXOo

The days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months.

Eisa missed the way things used to be. Her home life had become quite unpleasant. Her father and stepmother argued constantly, and Finna was always in a hateful mood. Groa had gotten married and moved out.

There were rumors that Thor had fallen in love with a mortal during his brief banishment. Hushed whispers and pitied looks followed Finna everywhere she went. With the Bifrost destroyed Thor had very few places to hide from her. She had finally cornered him alone in the Queen's garden and demanded that he quit dragging his feet and choose a wedding date. It was there Thor finally admitted to her he had no intention of ever marrying her, that he had loved her once, but now his heart belonged to another.

Finna was devastated to finally hear him say the words she had feared all along.

Viggo was enraged when his daughter returned home that night well past her curfew, escorted by a city peacekeeper, intoxicated, hair a mess, makeup smudged on her face, and vomit down the front of her dress. She had decided to drown her sorrows at the bottom of a bottle of strong spirits in a shady pub by the shipyard. Luckily, an officer on patrol recognized her as Lord Viggo's daughter as she was retching in the streets and brought her home safely.

Hurt and humiliated, Finna refused to leave her room for months, barely eating, and sleeping her days and nights away.

Odin tried to keep the broken betrothal quiet, hoping that Thor would give up the foolish notion of being with a mortal and fulfill his duty to the realm by marrying a proper high-born Lady and producing heirs. As time went on though, the rumors only became more rampant and Viggo had no choice but to put Finna on the market for a husband.

Every other one of Viggo's daughters was in high demand. They each had their choice from a sea of suitors. They got their pick of the richest and most handsome lads in the realm. Viggo even had offers coming in for his youngest daughter, even though she still had quite a few years of school left. But there was little interest in Finna. She was much older than the other girls looking for husbands, she was pretty, but she looked more like Viggo than Agda, unlike her sisters. She had Viggo's temper, and it was well known that she was no longer a virgin. No noble families wanted their sons marrying the scowling, used plaything of the prince that should have been married off ages ago.

oOXOo

Over a year after Loki's funeral, Eisa had been adjusting to her new normal. She moved her green ribbon from under her pillow to a little box where she kept the rest of her treasured keepsakes. She concentrated on her studies and took up new hobbies. She was making excellent marks in school, winning award after award for her projects. She had become Viggo's crowning jewel, he rained praise onto her and encouraged her thirst for knowledge.

"Knowledge is just as powerful as brawn, little Eisa," he would tell her as she showed him notes from her tutors.

Viggo relished the attention she drew when the family went out in public. But he was extremely protective of her. Her beauty had grown men earning prodding elbows and pinches from their wives to shut their gaping mouths. He kept her close to his side during festivities at the palace as men would line up to dance with her. Eisa was easily the most beautiful girl in Asgard, and Viggo was as proud as a peacock that he was her father. It kept his name in the mouths of the most influential people in the capital. Her hand in marriage was his ace in the hole, his key to unlocking any door he wished. People wanted to stay in his good graces, waiting for the day for her to be betrothed.

Not that Eisa had any knowledge of what was going on. She noticed the stares, of course, but thought it was due to her unusual hair and eye color. She was the only person she knew with amber eyes, and her hair was a rare coppery red. It made her self-conscious, honestly. She did not relish the attention the way Willa and Brita did.

Yulla and Viggo were no longer on speaking terms. She moved out of the manor, taking up residence with a woman from her past. Viggo moved himself and his four remaining unmarried daughters back to the palace. Much to Finna's chagrin. The last place she wanted to be was under the same roof as Thor. But Viggo wanted to be able to keep a close eye on the girls while living closer to work.

Finna kept to herself, only leaving her room to begrudgingly meet with possible suitors. Willa and Brita had stopped their unending teasing of their baby sister. Willa was busy planning her wedding. Brita was finishing her first year of post-secondary school and her betrothal had just been announced.

Eisa was enjoying palace life. She liked the new friends she was making and the use of the Royal libraries. Life seemed so much less stressful without Yulla constantly on her about her posture or her manners or some other trivial thing.

One sunny afternoon Eisa was returning home from school, enjoying her walk through the outdoor corridor heading toward the main building of the palace. She had decided to stop in and see her father at work and ask for some coins to buy herself some new art supplies. When she entered the palace, she was surprised to see the staff speaking in excited tones and scurrying back and forth. She made her way to the large hall outside of the throne room, the one that led to her father's office.

What she saw there brought her to her knees. She dropped her book bag and covered her mouth with both hands to keep from shrieking.

Lokiwas sauntering and smirking as he was being led, heavy chains clinking aroundhis neck and ankles, bound at the wrists, through the open doors of the throneroom. The large golden doors closed with an ominous thud behind the Einherjaras Eisa's vision went black and she collapsed onto the cold marble floor.