You did not know how many minutes had passed when Heimdall finally awoke from his frozen state of mind and rose from the bed.

All this time he had kept his eyes closed as if he were meditating.

You had not dared to say a word. He seemed perfectly calm. You didn't want to destroy the peace in his head. It was probably the first time he got so much peace without being forced to be lonely.

A deep breath left his lips.

Your eyes wandered up to him.

You had spent most of your time reading his poetry.

In each line you could find a little more of Heimdall's despair. And the more you read, the more you began to loathe the All-Father.

As your eyes found the gods sun-kissed profile, a feeling of warmth chased through your stomach.

He was handsome, no doubt about that. And with his vanity, he certainly made a point of always looking good.

But even if he were less washed and more marked by hard work, his face would still be one you longed for.

Embarrassed, you turned your eyes away from him.

Perhaps it was the newfound humanity in him, or simply the time you had spent together, that made you suddenly find him so attractive.

Heimdall seemed to notice that you had looked at him. He frowned discontentedly.

"What are you staring at?", he asked in his usual biting tone. Don't mock me.

Immediately you shook your head.

"It's not that.", you rose from the bed. "I guess it's time for me to go."

With a gesture he turned his gaze away from you like from a toy he had lost interest in and let you go. He was too busy with his own thoughts to discuss anything now.

You were already at the door when Heimdall jerked his head in the air.

With bated breath he listened. His eyes widened.

"Wait!", with two quick steps he had caught up and grabbed you by the shoulder. Quite.

His hand pressed to your mouth as he pushed into the corner behind the door.

His breath was uneven.

Again and again his gaze jumped to the floor.

Worried, you frowned.

But all of a sudden you realised what he was so upset about.

Steps approached.

From his reaction, it could only be one person who could stir his mind like that.

"The Allfather...", you whispered into his palm.

Heimdall's grip on your face tightened.

"He must never know of you.", he whispered.

It was not clear if it was a warning or a threat.

But you knew it wouldn't do for Heimdall to be caught in the company of the one person he could do nothing against.

If Odin learned that his son was not infallible, he would certainly use this knowledge against him.

And you didn't want to be the reason Heimdall got into trouble.

Your eyes darted around the room.

There was no place to hide. All there was was the bed and the wardrobe, but both would have been a poor hiding place.

The windows stretched from floor to ceiling, but none of them could be opened. So escape was not possible either.

You were trapped in the room. Much to Heimdall's misery.

But the god was afraid.

His breath was as fast as if he had run miles. Beads of sweat shone on his forehead.

Your eyes were fixed on his chest, which was rising and falling like mad.

Carefully you dared to reach out and touch him. A wild heartbeat pressed into your palm.

It was so alive.

So frightened.

So human.

In the end, he was just a boy who was afraid of his father.

The steps grew louder.

"You need to hide.", Heimdall grabbed you by the collar, turned on his heel and tried to find a place where an adult sized human would fit.

But just like you he found no way out.

"You have magic!", you gasped.

He frowned, answered.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"Make me invisible."

"I'm not a magician!"

"You teleported us here. Do it again. Teleport me away."

"No, I can't.", his gaze jumped over his shoulder to the door. "The All-father came to see me. He knows I'm here."

"And if you teleport just me?", your fingers dug into the surprisingly soft fabric of his tunic.

"I... I can teleport things with me. But not single things."

You groaned in frustration.

"I thought gods are supposed to be unspeakably capable.", you mumbled.

"Hey, I told you we have limits as well.", he rushed over to his closet to tear the door open and push you in. "Now keep your mouth shut for once, will you?"

The doors fell shut.

Darkness swallowed you.

All that remained was one long line of light that allowed you to take a peak back into the room.

Heimdall wandered restlessly up and down in front of the door. It seemed as if he was still unsure whether he would get you out of the closet again.

But the footsteps were already so close that there was no time left.

Hastily he grabbed the door handle to greet the Allfather before he could knock.

You held your breath.

Unimpressed, Odin stood before his son.

He was a man of high age, simply dressed for being the lord of all the gods. In a plain white shirt and leather trousers, one could have mistaken him for a simple farmer.

"Heimdall.", his voice was gentle, almost friendly.

But the way he spoke revealed that he had a suspicious nature.

Heimdall bowed, his eyes avoiding to meet that one eye of Odin that wasn't covered by a black patch.

"Allfather.", he said. "What a pleasure to see you."

It surprised you to hear him talk like this.

So obediently, so hesitant. Almost as if he was nothing but a mere peasant in the face of his own father.

Almost rolling his eyes, Odin raised his hand to silence him. It was as if he was bored with his politeness. As if he had better things to do.

He had come with a request. And he wanted Heimdall to serve his purpose.