New Asgard had us travel all the way to Norway.

The countryside was a nice change of scenery. It didn't lessen the writhing in my stomach, though. While I hoped we could bring Thor back with us, I had a personal mission of my own. Bruce and Rocket could handle the recruitment, I was sure.

Norway was not Asgard, that much was certain. While a different scene, the atmosphere felt very somber. The buildings were not up to Asgardian standard, not made in shiny, gleaming metals. There was no Bifrost bridge to admire. No castle belonging to the ruler of our people.

It wasn't exactly a modern city like New York, either. New Asgard had settled near waters, with buildings made of brick. Asgardians were at work, most in civilian clothes.

To think, I saw myself as an outcast for choosing to live here. Maybe this would've been my fate regardless, if they are here now. But they did not have a choice, Ragnarok and Thanos forced them to flee. Our home is gone, all that they knew is behind them.

Rocket, Bruce, and I hitched a ride in the back of a pickup truck. Due to us all crammed in, the bed of the truck was lower towards the ground than usual. I was more than happy to jump out from the cramped space once the driver stopped.

Up close, the somber atmosphere grew...as did the fishy smell, and the odor of salt water.

"Kind of a step down from a golden palace for an Avenger highness and whatnot," commented Rocket.

"Hey, have a little compassion, pal," Bruce scolded the raccoon. "First they lost Asgard, then half the people. They're probably just happy to have a home."

I would have been, had I followed this path.

Among the many Asgardians who had adopted a civilian life, one of them happened to notice our trio—particularly Bruce. She wore a grimace on her face, as though she knew him from a past time. Angry face aside, she had a fierce prettiness about her: darker skin, hardened dark eyes.

"You shouldn't have come!" she warned us.

"Ah, Valkyrie!" Bruce greeted her in turn. "Great to see you, Angry Girl."

"I think I liked you better either of the other ways."

"It's a lot," I agreed.

Bruce motioned to Rocket and I. "This is Rocket."

"How you doin'?" the raccoon said in greeting.

"I'm Kiara," I beat Bruce to the punch. I took a long look around. "This is all that's left."

"There's more throughout the town," explained Valkyrie. "But we're half the number we used to be."

I swallowed. "I know."

Valkyrie looked pointedly at the three of us. "He won't see you."

"That bad, huh?" asked Bruce.

"We only see him once a month, when he comes for..." Valkyrie's eyes cast over to piles of beer kegs nearby. "Supplies."

"It's that bad."

"Yeah."

I clapped my hands together. "Well, Bruce and Rocket, you have this, right?"

"Wait, where are you wandering off to?" asked Rocket.

"Believe it or not, Asgard was my home prior to Earth. I...have family here. I need to be sure of that. Worst comes to worst, Bruce will let me know if you're having troubles with Thor."

Bruce and Rocket went off in search of Thor, I lingered longer in the port to be sure I didn't miss Mother or Father in passing.

Wait, duh, blonde moment, Kiara. You've had this powers for years, use it. My eyes lasted on each face long enough for me to determine if any were my parents. None were. I can't get down because of that. There are plenty others scattered around New Asgard. If I find one, they'll be able to tell me about the other.

After some time, I ventured away from the port, giving Valkyrie a parting nod as I went deeper into New Asgard. I had become accustomed to Earth's ways, a lot of the remaining people before me still seemed to be in a lull of some sort. Even five years later things felt as though they just happened.

While New Asgard was hardly shiny like my home realm, there was an old feel about it that made me see why the rest of my people decided to come here.

Mother, Father, I said quietly. I'm not trying to alarm you. I'm here, in New Asgard. Please, come find me. I'm searching for you. I need to know you're both all right. Please...there is a lot that's happened since my last brief visit home.

I tried shortened messages as my adventure continued. I heard nothing from Bruce, so both he and Rocket hadn't found Thor yet or they had and they were in the middle of convincing the God of Thunder to come back to New York. I hoped I didn't need to get involved.

"Kiara?"

I stopped as a woman feet from me stopped. I halted at the sound of my name. It took a few moments to fully understand what was going on. "Mother?"

She could only stand in shock as I ran to her. I pulled up short so I didn't run her over when I went to embrace her. She practically melted into my arms the moment we hugged. Her body shook from the fresh sobs I heard.

"Thank the gods you're alive!" she squeaked, pulling away, putting her hands to my face. I took note that her platinum blonde locks now had threads of silver throughout. I couldn't recall her having any gray hair when I last saw her.

My lip trembled. "I'm...all right," I said slowly. I wasn't sure I would have enough time to divulge everything that had happened. This was a brief visit, I'd need to stay a few days to fully tell Mother everything.

"These last five years have been the worst," Mother lamented. "Losing Asgard, moving here, having to adapt..."

"Earth grows on you. It did for me."

Mother offered me a sad smile. "It did." Her eyes widened slightly at my left hand. "A married woman now?"

I nodded. "Yes, Mother. I wish you and Father could've been there. But that's been a long time ago. Where's—where's Father?"

Mother was hesitant to give me a reply. "When we lost Asgard...Thanos boarded our ship. His followers, they started slaughtering our people. Those who could fight did. Your father...he is the reason I got into an escape pod and got here."

While Father and I did not have the best of relationships, to hear he had fallen...someone had to have punched me in the heart. The ache escalated so fast. "W-who killed him?"

"I don't, I don't know. Once I got into the pod, I think he ran off to fight for others trying to escape as well. I'm sorry, Kiara."

Father has been gone for five years. Mother and I are the only survivors in our family. But he allowed her to get to safety. If there was one thing Father was anal about, it was protecting his family. Doing anything in his power to be sure they were safe.

"Why are you here?" Mother asked after a time.

"I had to know. A friend of mine told me about Asgard and Thanos—he can turn into a big, green smashing machine."

"Oh, that fellow." Mother laughed nervously. "He scares me."

"He's changed since the last time you've seen him." We all have, in some capacity. "There's a lot you've missed out on, Mother."

"I would ask if you plan to stay, but I know you've got your husband..."

I nodded. "And a daughter."

Mother's mouth parted. "A daughter?"

"Yes. Her name is Gracelynn, and, Mother...she's one of the best gifts the world has given me during these five years. She's part of the reason why my friends and I are here. We have a chance to rectify our mistake, to bring those who dusted back."

"I'm...I don't know what you're talking about, Kiara."

"The rest of you must not have been impacted with Thanos attacking the ship," I murmured to myself. If that were the case, no wonder they'd be left in the dark. But surely if there was other life near them, plant life, wildlife, they would notice the difference when Thanos got his victory. I refused to say he earned it.

"Tell me about her, about my...granddaughter."

It was a topic I was more than happy to endlessly babble on about. I hadn't thought to bring my phone along for my ride, so I couldn't offer Mother a picture of her. But describing her enough made her eyes brighten at the idea. What I wouldn't give for her to meet Gracelynn. Even Father wouldn't have been able to resist my little girl.

We kept conversation light, straying from hammering more somber topics into the ground.

"Do you see our king any?" I asked Mother.

"Oh, no, rarely anyone does. He's...I've heard he's become something of a shut-in, when he does stay here. When he's not here, he's gone for some time."

I wasn't expecting Mother to give me a full report on Thor, but it was worth a shot to ask. "I see."

We've got Thor, said Bruce suddenly, almost as though he knew Mother and I were talking about the God of Thunder. Meet us at the ship.

Will do. I sighed. "Mother, I need to run," I told her. "Come with me."

"What?"

"Come with me, back to New York. You can meet Steve, and Gracie, and all my friends!"

Mother took a small step backwards. "Kiara, my life has been rocked time and time again. With you running here all those years ago, to Thanos and losing your father, I just...I just want to live life on my terms. When whatever mission you're on is over, how about you let me know and I will see what I can do then."

"O-okay. I can do that." I just hoped that I would be able to.

**If anyone had been curious about Kiara's family, well, we've got our answer.

P.S. Below is the woman I had cast as Kiara's mother.

I couldn't exactly put her in the Cast List, because, you know, her survival was something I wanted to keep under wraps.**