"Jormungandr, his name was supposed to be- to be Jormungandr."
Frigga pressed a hurried kiss to the crying Loki's forehead, trying not to break her composure as she walked out, secretly motioning to the helper left behind in the room, meeting eyes with Eir as she swaddled the magically silenced child, shutting the door. Both Thor and Odin stood at her arrival, the latter bringing Gungnir up with a grim expression.
"Does the child live?"
Frigga held her heart steady as she shook her head. Immediately Thor let out an oath, turning away to punch the wall. Odin sent a disappointed look at the door.
"I am dishonoured further." Frigga only contained her anger from thousands of years of practice as he walked away, Einherjar on his tail, leaving her with her own usual guard of two. She waved them away without a word, waiting a few moments to pull herself together before walking out, journeying to the other side of the palace before taking a secret passage that led under the city to the most eastern point of the civilisation, running so fast that she almost flew. There, at the end of the passage, waiting in the small room with the babe, was the helper, her handmaiden Fulla.
Frigga cast her eyes across the room, feeling her heart swell and her eyes wet as she watched the children play and draw on the ground.
"Did that awful woman go quietly?" She whispered to Fulla as she shifted her grip on the baby Jormungandr, who was spelled asleep. Fulla nodded, sharp eyes on Hel as she giggled, blowing frosty air over her painting, both drying and wetting it.
"Gefjun wasn't happy that the children were being taken away," Fulla stood, somehow managing to clap her hands loud enough the three playing children stopped their antics, "Children, your grandmother is here."
Each looked at her with varying degrees of confusion and fear, which was to be expected after being raised on the horror stories of Odin Allfather – it wasn't much of a step to conclude that she was like her dratted husband. Frigga though, remembering her own children, swept down to the ground, going to her knees with a heartfelt smile.
"Hello children. I'm so glad to finally meet you all." Frigga felt tears come to her eyes as Fenrir grasped Hel's shoulders, the little girl tugging away, trying to come over to her. On the floor beside them, Sleipnir crawled over, making Fenrir emit a panicked noise before Sleipnir came to a stop in front of her, using her knees as steps to kneel, blinking bright blue eyes at her.
"Nana?"
Frigga beamed at the boy, taking him into her arms, hugging his small form to her own, not caring that instead of radiating heat, he was a cool bundle in her grip.
"Yes, I'm your Nana, little one. We're going to go somewhere – somewhere safe." She whispered, looking over to Fenrir, meeting his dark brown eyes without fear. The boy let Hel go, the girl coming over, joining her brother as Frigga stood, putting each on one hip. She glanced at Fulla, who had stood up, one arm holding the baby, and the other with a bag resting in the crook of her elbow. "But before we go – have you all met your new baby brother?"
At that, Fenrir moved, coming over and snatching the child from Fulla. To Frigga's surprise, Fulla only gave the boy a sharp look of warning.
"Be careful with Jormungandr, young prince," the handmaiden murmured as the black-haired boy shuffled backwards, holding the baby protectively even as he gazed upon the babe's face. "He is only an hour born."
"I'll take care of him," he quietly proclaimed, before kissing his forehead. Frigga felt her heart swell once more, watching the show of loyalty, before she stepped towards Fulla, taking the bag from her.
"Eir wanted me to say-" Fulla started, but Frigga interrupted her with an apologetic expression.
"Go back to the palace now," she ordered softly, "your help is much appreciated, my friend."
Fulla curtseyed, lowering her head, "Anything for you, my Queen." Then she left, giving only a small glance to Jormungandr, leaving Frigga with the children.
"Fenrir, could you come here please, and hold on somehow?" The boy nodded before coming over, shifting Jormungandr into one arm before gripping her dress. She nodded before shutting her eyes, smiling slightly at the tugging on her hair, and the face that pressed into her neck. Teleporting was precise work though, so she focused elsewhere, ignoring her surroundings as she focused on the land in Asgard, on the meadow that she called her own…
A burst of power.
A breeze along her face.
She opened her eyes to a starry horizon, and a gaping crack surrounded by flowers. Fenrir in front of her turned, looking around with wide eyes.
"What are those?" He whispered as Hel gasped, before giving a laugh, reaching out of her grip towards the flowerbed. Frigga gave him a warm look before stepping around him towards the crack.
"They are called flowers, sweet, but we have one more journey to make. Come hold on once more." Fenrir looked about to protest, but meeting her eyes once more caused silence. He came over, looking down into the bottomless crack.
"What is it?" He asked as Sleipnir made a noise of fear, Hel's laugh dying away as she gripped Frigga's hair more tightly.
"A crack between the worlds, that will take us to a place where you will be safe – safe from Odin, safe from Asgard, until you are old enough to face everything the Realms have to off-" all of a sudden there was a rumbling, and an earthquake that caused Frigga to drop to the ground, the young children rolling towards the crack, Fenrir tripping, letting Jormungandr go.
Frigga let out a cry, reaching out with her magic to catch them, stop them before they fell through the crack, or to at least reverse the process-
And failed, just as Thor dropped down into the meadow.
