Idun was completely fine with Bragi telling their story. She had no true objections, though she playfully allowed her face to suggest otherwise. As long as they were like this, as long as there was gentle banter and tender looks, Idun could continue this journey for weeks.
She wasn't expecting it to end so quickly.
When she looked away from her husband and saw a world made of tree branches and deep winter sky, Idun truly did not believe her eyes. She hadn't been seeing things, but that was only because her gaze hadn't strayed from Bragi. Now she was seeing their home. There was a cold smell on the wind that promised fresh snow, and the stars were so very bright in the sky, and past all the lovely tree branches was a hall that wasn't hers. Not anymore. They had rebuilt it to make it theirs. And this couldn't be real, because despite her positivity, there had always been one grain of doubt weighing down her heart. How could they be here?
Idun looked back at Bragi, and she realized how. Bragi had done it. He was responsible for getting them home. In his own unique way, Bragi was a hero, though he'd never admit it. To his wife, Bragi was more a warrior than any of his brothers. He had battled the cold for her. Bragi had taken on the dead. For the first time in what felt like ages, Idun felt a tear run down her cheek, and it was warm enough to make her laugh right through it. "We're home," she told him, in case Bragi had doubts of his own. Idun laughed again as a few more tears fell.
They weren't tears of sorrow, but joy, and Idun welcomed them. She wasn't numb anymore. She wasn't frozen. Their lips weren't blue. She had held Bragi's gaze too intently to watch Niflheim fade into the background, but she saw the journey in the frost melting in his hair, in the red flush to his cheeks. Bragi set her down on the couch, but Idun curled her fingers at his collar before he could do the things he was telling her about. She pulled him close and leaned into a kiss that was no longer snow and blue lips and goodbye. There was warmth and promise and forever, and Idun smiled against his mouth as she kissed him, pulling away only once she was breathless.
"Don't be gone too long," she whispered. Idun wasn't going to move, but she didn't want him to move either, not even in search of blankets. It was with great reluctance that Idun released his shirt. "I'll miss you too much."