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Tony sighed, shaking his head at Arthur. "You always have a point. It's infuriating, I can't even argue with you."
Arthur chuckled. "If even you feel outmatched, maybe I should reward myself with a nice, big steak for my recent improvement in rhetoric?"
"I'll take one too," Tony quipped absentmindedly, then turned his attention back to the massive alien structure before them. "What do you think we'll find inside?"
"If there's a star map, we should hand it over to Dr. Selvig. Like him or not, the guy's got serious expertise in astrophysics. Sure, whatever we find might be beyond anything he's encountered before, but at least he'll be starting from a higher vantage point than the rest of the scientific community."
"Mm."
Tony nodded, then suddenly turned toward Arthur with a smirk. "Drink?"
"Tempting," Arthur admitted, then glanced at the time and sighed. "Actually, forget it. I should probably just head home and sleep."
Tony squinted at him, grinning. "I heard Natasha's complaints."
"About what?" Arthur asked warily.
"Oh, just... stuff." Tony shook his head with an exaggerated sigh. "I didn't expect you to be so self-sufficient in your training regimen."
Arthur rolled his eyes. "I have no idea what you're insinuating, and frankly, I don't care." With that, he turned and walked off, vanishing into thin air before Tony could respond.
Tony blinked, then chuckled. "Did he just teleport? Did I hit a nerve?"
He folded his arms, still smirking, until a new thought made him groan. "If that ever works out, what the hell am I supposed to call his wife? That age gap is ridiculous..."
Arthur, meanwhile, had no clue about Tony's existential crisis.
When he arrived home, he pushed open the door and glanced around. No sign of Lily. He let out a small sigh of relief.
If she had stayed up waiting for him this late, he would have been very annoyed.
Just as he was about to head to bed, a sudden flash of light flickered on the floor.
A circular glow appeared, runes pulsating along its edges, the unmistakable activation of a teleportation matrix.
"Hmm?" Arthur paused, eyes narrowing as he examined it. His brow furrowed. "This looks like the teleportation signature from Star-Lord's ship..."
He rubbed his chin. "Did I accidentally trigger it, or is something else going on?"
Whatever it was, it wasn't worth a special trip to investigate. Knowing Quill, it was probably nothing life-threatening. After mulling it over for a second, Arthur decided it wasn't worth losing sleep over.
And with that, he went to bed.
The next morning, Arthur woke to the smell of something delicious.
Still half-asleep, he wandered out of his room to find Lily in the kitchen, wearing an apron and setting dishes on the table.
He walked over, picking up a plate. "Malekith?"
Lily smiled. "Yeah. The millet porridge is still cooking, I'll go get it."
"I've got it," Arthur said, already moving toward the kitchen. "It's hot."
Arthur balanced the plate in one hand while gently pulling Lily closer with the other. "I've got the rest, just sit tight and enjoy breakfast."
"Then I'll go call Aunt Frigga."
Lily was never one to sit idly by, especially when Arthur was busy. Just waiting around made her restless.
Arthur smiled, letting her be.
Breakfast was abundant, featuring dishes Frigga had never tasted before. She praised them endlessly, clearly delighted by the new flavors.
Just as they finished eating, the doorbell rang.
Arthur activated the Eye of Horus, scanning the entrance. Standing there, looking slightly out of place, was Thor.
Frigga had already sensed his arrival. She smiled knowingly.
"Who is it?" Lily asked, noticing their expressions.
"My son," Frigga said warmly.
Arthur had already gone downstairs to open the door.
"This is my first time here," Thor announced as he stepped in, embracing Arthur in a firm hug before glancing toward the second floor.
"Go on up."
Arthur led him upstairs, briefly introducing him to Lily before guiding her back to their room.
"What's going on?" she asked, puzzled. "You guys seem… off."
"Shh."
Arthur held a finger to his lips before shifting the conversation. "Speaking of which, if we both have time in the future, I was thinking, how about we do some traveling?"
"Of course! We should see the whole world!"
Lily's eyes lit up. "I always thought I'd be exploring alone, but then you showed up."
Arthur rubbed his nose, then smirked. "And what if traveling the world isn't enough? Would you want to go beyond Earth… maybe explore a little farther?"
"Like Xandar?" Lily blinked. "But aren't you still wanted there?"
"The bounty won't last forever," Arthur said confidently. "The universe is vast, and I want you to see more of it."
"No matter where you go, I'll follow you."
Lily leaned against his chest, whispering softly.
The two lost track of time, caught up in their own world, until a knock on the door snapped them back to reality.
An hour had passed.
When they stepped outside, they noticed Frigga and Thor both had slightly reddened eyes.
Arthur glanced at Thor, who sighed. "Mother says she doesn't want to return to Asgard just yet. Can she stay here with you for a while?"
"Of course," Arthur nodded without hesitation.
"Alright then, I'll head back," Thor said, his tone subdued. "The issue is resolved, but I still need to report to Father."
Clearly troubled, he didn't linger. After giving Lily a brief nod, he activated the teleportation circle in Arthur's room and vanished, returning to Asgard.
"He told me about Loki."
Frigga finally spoke once Thor had left. "Is he… still alive?"
Arthur nodded. "The one sitting on Asgard's throne? That's him."
"If he's managed to deceive everyone, then he is the King of Asgard," Frigga murmured, before shaking her head with a wistful smile. "Unfortunately, Loki has the intelligence for the throne, but not Thor's courage or sense of duty. He's still a child who refuses to grow up."
Arthur remained silent. This wasn't his place to comment.
Frigga sighed softly. "Everyone is still alive, yet everything feels different. Maybe this is what Ragnarök truly means." Then she turned to Arthur, her voice gentler. "Arthur, let's go find Odin. I find myself missing him."
Arthur nodded. He took a moment to reassure Lily, who, despite her reluctance and her dramatic fear of what she called 'Asgardian hell', finally let him go.
As Arthur and Frigga stepped onto the teleportation circle, the room fell silent.
Lily pouted, sighing as a mix of unease and longing settled over her.
But then, she thought about Arthur's promise, traveling among the stars, seeing the universe together.
And just like that, her mood lifted again.
(End of Chapter.)