Page 21 of Winter Queen
"Are you propositioning me?"
"I certainly am not. I just don't want the ladies of the Court to faint." I nod towards one female Guardian to my right, who's obviously overwhelmed by staring at Thor's muscled body. She's fanning herself and blushes when she notices us looking at her.
"You're right. My wife wouldn't be happy about that."
That makes me stop in my tracks. "You're married?!"
Oh, poor women of this world. Yet another good-looking man who's no longer available.
"Of course, didn't you know that? Sif likes to stay at home though, making sure our daughter doesn't get into too much trouble."
"Wait, you have a daughter?"
"Didn't they teach you anything?" he grumbles as if offended by my ignorance.
"But I was told that Gods can't have children... it's not allowed."
"Which is why we adopted Pippa. She was born on Earth but grew up in my Realm. I've been trying to make her go and explore Earth so she can see where she came from, but so far, she's refused. Maybe I should get her to talk to you. You can have a bit of girl talk."
A bit of... Who does he think I am?!
I'm a little bit busy fighting a war at the moment, I don't have time to tell a girl to spread her wings and leave her parents' nest. Although I suppose that if she's human, she doesn't have wings. Look at me, already used to the idea of everybody in the Realms having wings. I'm adapting quickly... kind of.
I decide not to say anything and simply motion him to follow me out of the vestibule and through several corridors until we've reached one of the training courtyards. Storm's reserved this one for me, so we should be undisturbed here.
I try and ignore all the stares people are giving us on our way there, and sigh in relief when the doors close behind us and we step into the fresh, cool air outside.
Thor unbuckles his belt and I'm about to protest, thinking he's got some kind of exhibitionism planned, when I see that he's simply removing the sheath his hammer is in. He puts it on the ground and stretches his legs.
"It gets a bit heavy, sometimes," he admits. "But people want to see the hammer so I'll have to take it wherever I go."
No, I did not expect him to say that. Maybe some comment about how big his hammer is, how hard, that kind of thing. Instead, he sounds almost annoyed at how people are worshipping him.
"Do you need the hammer to do magic?" I ask, genuinely interested.
"No, although it helps direct the energy more efficiently. Lightning is a volatile force, and it's easier to control if there's a conductor. I could use a rod or something like that, but Beira decided to give me a hammer so now I'm stuck with that."
"My mum gave you that hammer?"
"Do you ask a lot of questions?" he retorts and I give him a disapproving frown - which he doesn't care about in the least.
"As much as I would like to answer all your questions, my wife expects me to be back for dinner, so let's start with your training. I'm told you can summon lightning - mind giving me a demonstration?"
I shrug. "Sure, but last time, I levelled an entire part of the Palace, so you may want to step back."
His eyes widen slightly before he smooths his expression into something between boredom and curiosity. What a strange man... God. Are all of the major Gods this intense? This arrogant?
Luckily, he follows my advice and retreats to one side of the courtyard while I take up position in the centre. I'm not quite sure what I'm doing; after all, last time I created lightning was a complete accident. I remember it started with little sparks around my hands. Maybe if I can reproduce those, I can summon proper lightning after.
I concentrate on my magic, coaxing her out of her cave. She stretches and yawns, but then jumps towards me, happy to be let free. I tell her that I need lightning, but she just rubs against my legs and purrs. Thanks, that's not very helpful.
With the other elements, I can usually draw from them in the environment. Water and air are the easiest, fire the hardest. But lightning... where am I supposed to get that from?
I look up at the sky. Not a cloud in sight, and especially no storm clouds.
I sigh. "I don't know how to begin," I admit.
Thor smirks. "Lightning for beginners, I get it. First of all, what is lightning?"
