Page 55 of Thor
“More likely we woke him from his nap.”
Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr clopped down the street and as they neared the shop they shrunk to the size of bison, then to the size of horses, and finally to their normal sizes. They stopped outside the backdoor of the shop.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been out for a race across the stars hasn’t it boys?” Thor scratched their backs and the goats bleated and pawed at the ground animatedly.
Thor helped Elle from the chariot and hoisted the heavy chest full of her belongings off as well. He carried the chest to the door and returned to unharness the goats.
“I quite enjoyed the ride,” said Elle. “Perhaps we can make it a regular thing.”
Thor stared at her. “You jest?”
She shook her head. “No. It was quite thrilling. And if Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr like it, why not? Mortals take their dogs for a walk, why can’t we take the goats for a run?”
Thor couldn’t love her more. He’d never taken a woman on his chariot before, but with Elle, like everything else with her, it just felt right.
“If you think that is thrilling, wait until you experience the rush of the wind on your face as we ride down the coast on my bike.”
Elle nodded. “Sorry, but I’m sure nothing will compare to being pulled across the nine realms by two enormous thundering goats.”
She was probably right.
Thor opened the door and hefted her chest onto his shoulder. The goats butted in and ran straight for their water troth.
“Manners!” Thor called before taking Elle’s hand. “You’d think they were raised by animals or something.”
Elle laughed. “I think teaching them some manners will be quite an adventure for the future.”
The future.He could hardly believe he was talking about it with someone.
Thor led her out to the shop floor and up a winding metal staircase to his apartment above. He pushed the door inward and Elle stepped inside. She stared, wide-eyed as she took in his place.
“What the...”
Thor chuckled and walked through the entrance to the living room and set her chest on the plush white rug.
“Where did you find all this?”
Thor looked around at the gold and cream interior of his apartment. He’d spent close to a hundred years procuring the items for every inch of his place. Sculptures from Norway. Tables and artifacts from the Netherlands. An authentic four-poster cherry wood sleigh bed complete with posters carved as dragons, from Sweden. Every single item of his apartment had been purchased from a private collector, or procured from a museum. A glass china hutch stood in the corner usually holding his helmet, armor, and other weapons. As far as Thor was concerned, he’d made his apartment as close to Asgard as possible. He walked to the China hutch and began taking off his armor and placing it back where it had sat untouched for centuries before that day.
He unstrapped his breastplate and slung it over his head. “Mainly in Europe. Though not from Asgard, it’s all Norse, and I was able to build or fix everything that was in poor condition. Everything except the kitchen of course, that’s state of the art.”
Elle walked into the kitchen and ran her fingers over the granite countertop. “You do remember that I can’t cook, right?”
He unstrapped his shin guards. “It still looks nice. And if you ever want to learn, you’ll have the best money can buy.”
She raised her eyebrows and smirked like there was a joke he wasn’t in on.
She stepped into the dining room and Thor removed his boots and followed her in.
She stared at the table shaped like a Viking long boat. The sixty-foot boat had taken a lot of finessing to fit into his apartment, but it had been worth it.
“It’s called an Oseberg ship,” said Thor. “It was discovered in a burial mound in Norway. I had to resurface the wood. I think I did a decent job.”
Elle stared at the glass covered boat. “This is... amazing,” she said. “How many people does it fit?”
“Thirty, on each side probably. I’ve never had anyone over to use it so I’m not totally sure.”
Elle walked along the table running her fingers over the backs of the chairs. “A real Viking ship. With dragon’s heads carved in the front and back. Incredible.” Her gaze traveled over the intricate scrollwork and Thor felt a sense of pride at her admiration.