She looked at Mavuika, looked at Hela, looked at Thor, and looked at Loki, scanning them one by one as if confirming whether they were truly standing before her.
"Mavuika." She spoke, her voice trembling slightly.
Mavuika stepped forward, reached out, and took Frigga's hand. That hand was warm and soft, exactly as he remembered it.
"Mother, I have returned."
Frigga looked at him, her eyes slowly turning red. "You have lost weight."
Mavuika smiled. "Have I?"
Frigga nodded. "In Midgard, is there no one to cook for you?"
Thor interjected from the side. "Mother, Eldest Sister cooks very well on Earth! She even made scrambled eggs with tomatoes for us!"
Frigga glanced at Thor, then looked back at Mavuika. "You know how to cook?"
Mavuika nodded. "I learned a little."
Frigga released Mavuika's hand and looked toward Hela.
Hela stood there, two steps away from Frigga, neither stepping forward nor retreating.
Her expression remained cold and stern, but within those deep green eyes, the ice was melting—not shattering all at once, but thinning little by little from the edges.
Frigga looked at her, not stepping forward to take her hand as she had with Mavuika, but standing where she was, tilting her head slightly as if examining a long-lost treasure.
"Hela." She said softly.
Hela's lips moved slightly. "Mother."
Two words, very light, very short syllables, but Frigga's eyes turned even redder.
She stepped forward, reached out, and gently stroked Hela's face. Hela's body stiffened for a moment—that stiffness was not resistance, but a lack of habit.
In the thousand years in the Underworld, no one had touched her face; the dead did not dare, the monsters could not, and she herself had no need for it.
But Frigga's hand was warm, as warm as a spring breeze, and Hela did not pull away.
Frigga smiled, that smile holding both relief and heartache.
"Come in. It's cold outside."
Hela paused for a moment. The palace of Asgard was spring-like all year round; where was there any "cold"? But she did not point it out, following Frigga into the palace.
Thor followed behind, and Loki walked at the very end. When Loki reached the doorway, he looked back at the garden. Sunlight spilled over the flowers, bees were busy among the blossoms, and there was the sound of birdsong in the distance.
Frigga's palace was not large, but every corner breathed her presence.
On the walls hung tapestries she had woven herself, featuring landscapes of Asgard, legends of the Nine Realms, and portraits of her and Odin when they were young.
On the windowsill sat several pots of succulents brought back from Vanaheim, and the bookshelves were piled high with books—myths, history, poetry, and several storybooks that Mavuika had loved to read as a child.
Frigga sat down on the sofa and gestured for the four children to sit as well. Mavuika sat on her left, Hela sat on her right, and Thor and Loki sat on the chairs opposite.
Servants brought tea and refreshments, then quietly withdrew.
Frigga picked up her teacup, took a sip, and then set it down. She looked at Mavuika and Hela, watching them for a long time.
"You two," she began, her voice slightly tight, "how long has it been since you came back together?"
Mavuika thought for a moment. "The last time Hela and I were in Asgard together was… after the Dark Elves invaded."
Frigga's hand trembled slightly. "And how long ago was that?"
Mavuika said softly, "Almost a thousand years."
Frigga was silent for a moment, then she reached out, taking Mavuika's hand with her left and Hela's with her right, gripping both hands tightly as if afraid they would leave again.
"A thousand years…" Frigga said.
Frigga continued, "When Thor and Loki were born, Hela had already left. When they were growing up—when they were learning to walk, talk, fight, and use magic—you were not there."
Her voice was choked with emotion.
"I know you have more important things—the peace of the Nine Realms, the inscribing of the Ode of Resurrection, the order of the Underworld—all more important than staying home to keep your Mother company. But—do you know? Every time I stood on the Bifrost Bridge, watching that light vanish, I would wonder, when will my daughters return?"
Mavuika's eyes turned red, and Hela's fingers curled slightly.
Frigga took a deep breath, released their hands, and wiped the corners of her eyes.
"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. It's good that you are back."
She turned to look at Thor and Loki. "While you were on Earth, did you cause your eldest sister any trouble?"
Thor shook his head immediately. "No! We were very well-behaved!"
Loki gave a soft scoff from the side. Thor glared at him. "What are you scoffing at?"
Loki said indifferently, "You tore down Tony's Villa, and you call that 'well-behaved'?"
Thor's face flushed. "That was an accident! Tony didn't even mind!"
Loki shrugged. "That's because he is magnanimous."
Frigga watched the two bickering, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly. "You are still the same, arguing since you were small, and still arguing now."
Thor said aggrievedly, "Mother, Loki was the one who started it."
Loki blinked innocently. "I did not. I was merely stating facts."
Frigga smiled. "Alright, stop arguing. Tell me about things on Earth. Mavuika has lived on Earth for hundreds of years, and I have never properly asked him about it."
Mavuika picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Earth is very interesting. Although humans have short lifespans, their civilization develops very quickly. Hundreds of years ago, they were still using horses and sailing ships; now, they are already able to fly into space."
Frigga was a bit surprised. "Fly into space? Without magic? Without divine power?"
Mavuika shook his head. "None. It relies entirely on technology."
Frigga was silent for a moment, then sighed softly. "Humans are truly not simple."
Hela had been silent the whole time, just listening quietly. Frigga looked at her, hesitated for a moment, then spoke.
"Hela, what is… the Underworld like?"
Hela thought for a moment. "Dark, cold, quiet."
Three words, not a single one extra. Frigga looked at her, her eyes filled with heartache and helplessness.
"You haven't been suffering, have you?"
Hela shook her head. "No. I am the ruler there; who could make me suffer?"
Frigga smiled gently. "You are still as strong-willed as ever."
Hela did not deny it.
Mavuika said from the side, "Mother, Hela is doing very well in the Underworld. The inscribing of the Ode of Resurrection—no one else could complete it; only she could."
Frigga looked at Hela, a bit more pride in her eyes. "I know. My daughter never disappoints."
The corners of Hela's mouth moved slightly—it was not a smile, but it was more real than a smile.
The family chatted for a long time, talking from Earth to the Underworld, from Asgard to the Nine Realms, from the past to the present, and from the present to the future.
Frigga asked many questions, Mavuika answered patiently, Hela occasionally interjected, and Thor and Loki added details from the side.