Title: Kingdom Come
Story Summary: The long-fought war between Jotunheim and Asgard has finally been resolved, and Kings Odin and Laufey rule the Nine Realms side by side. This is the truth Thor has grown up knowing, and he cannot place why he should expect things to be different. But after a chance run in with a mysterious Jotun in the woods, everything Thor knows will be changed forever. Plagued be dreams of another reality, and feelings not his own, he will learn that there is more to his world than he had ever known.
Rating: T
Story Warnings: yaoi, general confusion
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Avengers. Balder is sort of mine in a he-hasn't-t-been-portrayed-in-the-movies-yet kind of way.
Chapter 1: Kingdom Come
Notes: A long-awaited gift for my sister , I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post. It's almost finished writing, so I thought I'd try out the first chapter. Enjoy. ^^
Run, run, run away
Buy yourself another day
A cold wind's whispering secrets in your ear
So low only you can hear
Run, run, run and hide
Somewhere no one else can find
Don't you fret, my dear
It'll all be over soon
I'll be waiting here for you
Run fast as you can
No one has to understand.
The Apple Ceremony. Witnessed by all, occurring twice every year. Each time the Gods would go to a different Branch of Yggdrasil, but the ceremony would be broadcast to every other Branch in any case. Still the prestige of being able to witness the Apple Ceremony live was immense, and this time, it was Midgard that had the honour.
Thor didn't understand why so many flocked to see it. And yet, at the same time, could not explain why it was that he found himself unable to resist always being present at the Ceremony, although he never allowed himself to get too close to the occasion. It wasn't like he couldn't see perfectly well watching the screens from metres away. Speaking of which…
"Aren't they incredible? I mean, not to toot my own horn, but since I got involved helping to develop the technology-"
"Since both you and Bruce got involved, Tony…"
"Yes, yes, since I, with a little help from Bruce, got involved in the development project for the screenings, can't you just see how far they're come on? Look at the quality on that!" Tony Stark, technological genius extraordinaire, gestured wildly towards the giant, holographic screens with his metal hand, the planes of smooth silver gleaming in the afternoon sunlight. Steve narrowed his eyes at the boy, irritated on behalf of the third, the quiet Bruce who always minded being overlooked far less than Steve did on his behalf. Thor was sat on a short wall behind them, Tony leaning on it just to his left.
"Whoever the creation of the technology is down to, it is a most impressive work," Thor tossed forward tactfully. Bruce smiled at him in shy thanks; Tony's smirk just grew wider.
"Some of our best work yet, Bruce," he said cheerfully, slapping his companion on the back, thankfully with the flesh limb. "We're headed for great things after this, mark my words!"
"Your words are often nothing but thin air," Steve scoffed, but even he no longer had any real anger in his voice, only admiration. Tony grinned at him, almost sweetly, before a sudden fanfare announced the start of the show. Thor shuffled uncomfortably on the wall as he watched the eight figures emerge onto the stage, the zoomed in images of their faces as they moved gracefully onto the stage displayed with perfect clarity on the surrounding screens. The rulers and gods of all the nine Branches.
Odin came first, walking in from the left, and was met in the centre by Laufey, who came in from the right. There had been no effort made to disguise the height difference between them, it was still clear to all who beheld them that they were of equal power, despite Laufey's towering build. They met in the middle and gave each other a short bow, before standing to face the crowds. Next came their most trusted companions, Laufey's youngest son, Byleistr, and Heimdall, clad in his golden armour that shone in and like the sun.
Next came the women, the Queen Frigga and the Lady Sif, both clad in glistening, bejewelled gowns. Thor frowned at the appearance of these two in particular. There was something in Frigga's face, in her slightly downturned lips and seemingly worried eyes that riled his mind, and set him on edge. Then again, who was he to presume to understand the moods of the Queen? Sif too set him on edge, but it was far harder to pinpoint just what it was about her that upset him.
There was something about the too-delicate tilt of her head, the docile folding of her hands, and the carefully curling hair that tumbled down her back that didn't sit right in his mind. Which made even less sense than the queen. It was fully expected that the Gods would act as their position dictated, so why wouldn't Sif dress like the noblewoman she was?
Thor shook his head, attempting to clear it of thought as the final two members of the inner count came onto the stage. The heirs to the Yggdrasil: Helblindi Laufeyson, and Balder Odinson, two immeasurably different beings, both in appearance and personality. The towering, well formed Helblindi, his body clearly made for battle and power, alongside the more slender Prince of Asgard, whose silver hair was tied neatly behind him to hold it back from his face, and allow his cool blue eyes to survey all that was before him. Although he clearly lacked the same physical prowess of Helblindi, and even of his own father, it was well known throughout the branches that Balder was a commander of magic, well versed in spells and made him just as formidable as any of the Jotun royals.
And quite besides anything else, the sheer cool perfection of his features had most of the women in the crowd, and a few of the men, letting out dreamy sighs. Thor barely spared a glance at Tony's screens, which he was certain were spending more time focused on Balder's face than they really needed to. He wasn't sure if they'd even shown Helblindi at all yet.
The royals assembled, the crowds began to roar, clapping and cheering as their Gods stood proudly before them, standing tall, the Æsir in shining armour, the Jotuns adorned with gemstones.
A few seconds later, a young girl came onto the stage, fresh, eager face filled with that well known mix of fear and awe; awe that she had been chosen for such a task, and fear of going wrong. Cradled in her arms, looking nearly too big for her to manage alone, she carried a golden bowl, filled to the brim with apples. The apples shared the same luminous glow of the golden bowl, and they illuminated the girl's face, both of which could be seen clearly on the screens.
Thor felt a tightening in his gut, a strange uncomfortable feeling that made him feel sick. He glanced around his friends; all three seemed fixated on the ceremony, although Tony's hand continued to toy with a piece of his arm that was coming loose. Having talked about it with them after previous ceremonies, Thor knew what they were feeling. Everyone who saw the golden apples of Idunn felt the same, a sudden desperate hunger, a sensation that they felt, that they somehow knew in their gut, could only be satisfied by tasting the almost luminous fruit contained within the bowl and now being cupped by the Allfather. The crowd held its breath, for a second, and then teeth were biting into the delicate fruit, and a cheer went up as Odin held the apple aloft, juices running down and across his fingers. The apple was then passed to Laufey who took his own bite, provoking another cheer.
In similar fashion the remaining apples were passed around, shared between each pair who had come onto the stage together. Thor stared at them, gaze intense, and he didn't realise just how hard he was gripping his arm until suddenly the ceremony was over, and Tony was shaking him, and he realised he had left nail marks in his own flesh from the tightness of his grip. He let out a long whistle of breath, sinking lower in his seat, watching as the last of the gods left the stage and, the event over, the crowds gradually started to disperse. Such a tiny event, yet so much publicity, Thor mused, feeling a sick feeling sink into his stomach.
"Sorry, I've got to go…" he finally spoke in response to his friend's questioning, tone vague and unusually elusive for the open man. Tony rolled his eyes at him.
"You always do this. Every Ceremony that happens, you always disappear," Tony complained, throwing his arms up in exasperation. Steve and Bruce were taking a gentler approach, concerned expressions on their faces.
"Try to come back as quickly as you can?" Bruce asked softly, and Thor smiled tightly, but genuinely.
"I'll do my best," he promised, before finally leaving them and hurrying back to the house they shared. Tony was right, this was a regular thing, and as a result they had formed a routine. Thor would return to the house first, grab his trusted hunting axes, and any supplies he couldn't forage for himself in the forest. The others would avoid coming home until he had gathered his things and disappeared into the woods for as long as he needed to clear his thoughts and wipe away the sick feeling in his stomach.
He always felt a little guilty when his head had finally cleared, and he was left surrounded by splintered bases of trees, fallen trunks surrounding him. He chopped it up as best he could and hauled it back for selling or for their own uses in the house. His way of apologising for his intense dislike of the Ceremony and the ill feelings it provoked in him.
The others would never ask him about why he disappeared, or try to understand why he disappeared, and for that Thor was thankful, seeing as he didn't understand it himself.
He just…
Thor mused on the subject restlessly as he entered the wood, fists clenching and unclenching. The scent of the apples, Tony and the others had always said, smelled delectable enough to be faery food, after which no mortal sustenance would ever be enough again. To Thor, it had always smelled like a kind of death all on its own.
As he made his way through the trees, Thor slipped the axe out of its holster at his waist, slinging it in his hand, grip loose and ready to hurl at any prey. His ears were pricked, keen and searching as he crept through the woods. He didn't actually need to be hunting; he had plenty both to eat himself and to sell for money to purchase anything else. If he was honest with himself, it felt like running away. Which was ridiculous – he had nothing to run away from. But this always seemed to be the case, whenever the Apple Ceremony took place, the inexplicable feelings of sickness rose within him, and he found himself want to run as far and as fast away as he possibly could.
His feet did indeed start to pick up speed, until he was racing through the forest, far too loudly to have even a hope of catching anything. Charging ahead like this, feeling the wind whipping against his face, there was no way for stressful thoughts to remain in his head, all sense of anything but the wind ripping through his hair, past his body, fled from his mind. He was so distracted from everything around him, he was completely oblivious to the figure that darted out in front of him, turning to face him in shock, before he crashed head over heels into them.
They tumbled down to the ground with yelps of surprise and pain, and Thor was struggling to push himself up, when his hand pressed down against the stranger's palm. There was a startled gasp of pain and surprise from the figure underneath him, and Thor opened his mouth to apologise when lightning suddenly shot up through his palm, and through his entire body.
Odin and Laufey were bent over a holographic tablet, discussing a matter that had arisen regarding Alfheim, when the feeling shot through their chests. Laufey was the first to recover, his red eyes glinting darkly as he regarded the Allfather, who still had his hand clutched to his chest.
"So, they have been found," he declared, rising to stand as Odin pulled himself together, also standing and descending the flight of steps that led up to his throne, and the Kings exited the room in search of Heimdall, doubtless already searching out Loki and Thor with his all-seeing eyes.
"It seems to have been so long…" Odin commented, face set in a frown. Not one of anger, but one of deep thought as he mulled over the idea of finally seeing his sons again- no, not his sons. Odin's son and Laufey's son. He glanced over to Laufey, glad he had not said such a thing out loud. Laufey had ended up being terribly possessive of Loki, whether just because of the younger man's unmatched prowess in magic or because of a sense of genuine kinship he did not know. They had had this argument before, however. Frigga had all but exploded in Laufey's face upon hearing his lay claim to Loki, and above that daring to tell the Queen that her time spent with him was meaningless in the face of his true blood and heritage.
Frigga had snapped at him then, eyes cold with fury as she dared him, dared anyone to tell her that Loki was not just as much her son as Thor was, as any of her other children were. Odin had pointed out that Thor was not in fact her son either. Even when Ragnarok had come and gone, Odin knew he would never forget the way Frigga had looked at him, speechless with shock and betrayal, before she gathered herself up, and had swept out of the room, haughty, cold, and without a word.
Just like Loki would have done.
It was as though Frigga, and indeed her relationship with Odin, had never recovered after such a comment. She still attended the ceremonies, still attended public events, but was tight-lipped and stern at all, and the second they returned to the palace she would sweep herself away, not to be seen again. The servants took her any meals. Odin didn't bother to ask them where it was his wife hid herself away.
He was pulled away from such thoughts, however, as the two Kings reached their destination, Odin pushing aside the intricate door that lay before them, and entering the room within.
Sif felt the run of magic through her body just as surely at the Kings had. The intensity of it made her stumble, and she berated herself for being such a weakling. Until she remembered that that was part of whom she was now. It was so long ago that she had abandoned her warrior's garb and weapons, and taken up the position befitting of her rank in the halls of the gods. Yet…even as she unclenched her fist from her silky dress, and smoothed out the fabric, why did she still feel disgust for her weakness, and longing for the days of battle?
Trying to brush the troubling thoughts from her mind in favour of the far more important news, she hurried forwards down the corridor she had been travelling down, altering her direction as she approached a certain room, which, upon entering, she found Balder, Helblindi, and Heimdall already inside.
"My Lord Heimdall," she greeted hurriedly, ducking her head respectfully, genteelly. "I felt…that is, have they-"
"Both of them have been found," Heimdall's deep tone echoed around the room, his eyes fixed on a distant point ahead of him. "They have made contact, and as such are now visible to me."
"Then we will waste no time in bringing them to us," a commanding voice spoke, and all eyes bar Heimdall's snapped to the door as the Allfather and Laufey-King entered the room. Sif dropped into a second curtsey, Helblindi and Balder making short bows to their fathers.
"Send out a search party immediately," Laufey continued where Odin had left off, nodding to his eldest. "Helblindi, you lead it. Bring them back as quickly as possible."
"Ah, Laufey-King," Sif spoke up, timidly, eyes casting down as the imposing frost giant turned his gaze on her. "I, I just wondered…" she spoke slowly, "considering what has happened…in the past…would it not be best to approach them more subtly? Rather than with full armed guards?"
Laufey was silent for a moment before he spoke again, answering the dark haired woman, "They are likely to resist either way. And Loki will discover anyone we send undercover within a matter of minutes. Better to send a force that can fight back than one which is easily overpowered," he decided, dismissing her concerns swiftly. "Helblindi, move out as soon as you can."
"Yes, father," the younger frost giant replied, bowing once again before exiting the room. Balder, who had watched the entire exchange silently now stepped forward, his head tilted delicately to the side.
"Father," he began, features eerie in their stillness as he focused his blue gaze on Odin. "May I request that I…" he trailed off, eyes still fixed on Odin.
The Allfather sighed, inclining his head. "You may not," he said heavily, "but I feel you will do it even if I order you not to." He fixed Balder with a matching blue gaze, which his son returned with blatantly suspicious innocence. Odin sighed gain jerking his head towards the door, and the corner of Balder's lips twitched, as he exited the room, turning down the corridor after Helblindi.
Sif watched them go, a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"If I may be excused, my lords?" she asked quietly, and the Kings bowed their heads in agreement. Sif left the room swiftly, having to steel herself to head towards her chambers instead of following Helblindi down to the stables. Maybe she could do some painting or weaving or something to occupy her twitching fingers.
It took several minutes, but the hand was finally snatched out of Thor's grasp. He was left staring at his empty fingers blankly, before gaping up at the figure before him. The figure was standing directly in the path of the sunlight, effectively hiding him from Thor's view. Thor's palm still tingled, as he attempted to form words and try to comprehend what had just happened.
"That…was…" he stared, before the words failed him and he trailed off, absently pulling himself to his feet before looking in wonder at the, slightly shorter, figure before him. Although no longer bothered by the sunlight, the stranger had snatched the opportunity to cover their face secretively with their hood, shielding them once again from Thor's view. "Excuse me, I…I don't know how to explain this but did you just feel-" Thor was interrupted rudely by the figure suddenly and sharply turning away from him, stalking away into the woods. "Hey!" Thor cried out, reaching out and grabbing them by the wrist once more.
The result was instant, the sensation shooting through them both again like a lightning bolt, almost bringing them to their knees. Thor's eyes were wide, and he didn't let the wrist out of his grip this time, even as noises of protest started to come from the hooded figure.
"I demand you release me!" a deep voice suddenly hissed, and the man - because now Thor was sure it was a man, pulled his arm so hard Thor felt something unpleasant click in it, causing the man to let out a hiss of pain.
"I'm sorry," Thor told him sincerely, although he didn't loosen his grip. "But I…I need to…" He was cut across by the sudden sound of hooves and feet, pounding through the forest, apparently demolishing the foliage as they went, the sound of branches snapping as loud as the thudding feet. Thor started to shuffle nervously, an implacable feeling of guilt making him suddenly restless. The hooded man seemed just as jumpy, dancing back from foot to foot, a hiss coming from under the heavy hood as the sounds drew closer to their location. Thor started to move away when the yell came.
"You! Halt!" came the sudden cry above the pounding of hooves, and Thor looked around once again to see who could be on the receiving end of such a command. Seeing no one as before, a feeling of shock sunk into his mind, and he turned wide eyed to face the small group of soldiers, armed soldiers, both Jotun and Æsir bearing down on him. He stared a moment more, still unable to believe that they could possibly be speaking to him when he heard a sudden curse from behind. He turned back to the hooded figure that had shrunk back, head shaking from side to side as he looked around seemingly for a means of escape.
"They're after you?" Thor spoke half to the stranger, half to himself, beginning to move away when another shout from the soldiers commanded him to be still once again. Both of them? Thor thought incredulously, head twisting between his cloaked companion and the soldiers.
Before Thor could open his mouth, before he could even say a word or process the idea that the soldiers were there for him or all people, he suddenly felt his wrist being grasped with electric sensation, and he was suddenly being dragged through trees and foliage by the cloaked man, who didn't even look back to the blonde as they ploughed forward, away from the guards. The figure before him seemed to be a strange kind of clumsy, Thor thought in confusion. Despite his clear ability to navigate the thick roots and bushes that provided coverage for the forest floor, he kept slamming into tree trunks, fingers catching along branches and leaves as they passed.
Thor's mouth opened to ask just what was happening, when he heard a sudden rustling from behind. He twisted his head to try and see, and almost killed himself tripping over a root and almost dragging down his fellow escapee in the process. But the glance had shown him all he needed to; the foliage springing forth thicker and faster than could possibly be natural. With another glance at the slender hands, Thor thought he could even make out glowing symbols on them, magic illuminating them and causing their path to be masked.
In light of that discovery, Thor's lips sealed shut, and he cautiously bestowed his trust onto the man dragging him forward, their tightly gripped hands still causing electric current to flow through his veins, bringing him alive in a way he hadn't thought possible.