Author's Note: Welcome to my story. I hope you enjoy it.
≈≈≈Prologue≈≈≈
The scouting party from Asgard was growing weary from following their leader, Volstagg. The general consensus among the party was that Volstagg was going to stay out in the wilds until he found what he was looking for; what that was, they could not guess. They had been on this particular mission for two weeks and his determination had not dwindled, even though there were no signs of any intruders. At least, there had not been until this morning when one of the trackers had spotted a small trail. They had been following it now for three hours and from all signs, they were closing in on the intruders.
Volstagg finally paused and pointed towards an opening ahead. Those closest to him could not see anything, but they did not argue. Volstagg motioned silently, indicating he wanted the group to split up and surround the glade. Glad of something to do, the group split up. As they neared the glade it was apparent that someone was indeed occupying the area. The scouting party drew their weapons out and waited for a signal.
Volstagg led a small group closer to the glade until he could see who was there and what they were doing. A small party of cloaked figures was seated around a fire. Hoods covered their heads making it impossible to determine who or what they were. Volstagg counted fourteen in the group. A small smile crossed his face, as he knew his party easily outnumbered the group. He moved even closer and shouted out, "Who are you and what business do you have with Asgard?" Signaling his men as he spoke, the warriors quickly surrounded the small party.
One of the figures rose slowly and turned to face Volstagg, no sign of any weapons. A soft voice finally answered, "We mean no harm. We are traveling to Asgard with intentions to meet with Odin."
Volstagg grunted. "Really? Then why are you skulking on the outskirts of Asgard instead of simply coming right to the gates?"
"Skulking?" A soft laugh erupted from the group, this one a feminine voice. A second person rose and moved to stand next to the first, this one much shorter than the initial speaker. "Hardly skulking". She began to move closer to where Volstagg stood, followed closely by the taller one.
"Who are you and why do you hide your faces? Do you fear that we will recognize you for the enemies that you most likely are?" Volstagg's voice was demanding.
The taller of the two pulled his hood off to reveal an aquiline face. "Not enemies Volstagg. We do travel in peace. I am Mythean of Cartherion; we are Vanir.
Volstagg was surprised they knew his name, but allowed no sign of that to cross his face. That they claimed to be Vanir surprised him. He almost wished Hogun had joined him on this particular venture for he would know if this one spoke the truth.
By now the pair had almost reached him. The woman still hid beneath her hood. Glittering eyes shone out, but little else could be seen. He noted the rich fabric of her cloak, black at first, then seeming to change to a subtle shade of blue. They stopped a few feet away. She finally spoke again, ""You really do not need that," She pointed to the sword he had pointed at her.
He did not lower his blade. "Truly? You are fortunate we did not simply kill you."
The woman reached up and pulled the hood back, allowing her face to be seen. Jet-black hair framed her face, a smile danced upon her lips, but it was the ice blue eyes that captured his full attention. "You would have been dead had you tried," Her voice was soft, with a slight accent he did not recognize.
Volstagg laughed at her claim. "You think so? We easily outnumber your party." He signaled the others to step forward. The troop of close to one hundred warriors moved out of the shelter of the woods.
Now the woman smiled, her eyes danced with delight. "And I command the Thirteen," The rest of her party had risen and come to stand behind her. "I am Katirya, daughter of Beythran."
Volstagg could not conceal the surprise at that announcement. He knew of Beythran, for Freya had been known to visit her often and many times he had been in the party escorting her. The reference to the Thirteen stymied him. They were simply legends, or so he had thought. That her daughter stood before him and claimed to command these provided an interesting puzzle. He looked curiously at the group and spoke his thoughts aloud. "But you are not armed, thus thirteen against even thirty of my warriors," he shrugged at the obvious conclusion, "the chances for your survival are doubtful."
"Indeed? Not all weapons are blades such as yours." As she spoke, her right arm swept upwards and a fog began to surround the glade; shrill screams could be heard beyond the glade. The rest of her party, the Thirteen as she had called them, suddenly disappeared.
His men began to shuffle uncomfortably at the unnatural events. Volstagg shot them stern warning glances. The men settled, but just as quickly as they had disappeared, the Thirteen reappeared outside the circle surrounding Katirya, only this time they were clearly armed. His men crowded closer to the center.
"Magic!" He spat at her. "I would sooner fight with a sword than trust to magic!"
"Do not discount that which you do not understand." She lowered her arm and the fog dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. "But we can discuss this later. For now, I would rather continue on my journey to Asgard. As Mythean indicated, we are traveling to Asgard to speak with Odin. I seek to reaffirm the alliance of Catherion and Asgard. I would seek council with him as well as extend our respect at the loss of Freya."
"Then you are too late. Odin is dead."
"Indeed?" Katirya considered this news. "We had not heard of his death. Who rules in his stead? Thor?"
"No, Loki has assumed the throne. Thor has sworn to protect the nine realms."
"Loki?" She looked at him, almost as if she were trying to read his mind. "That is interesting. It seems we are coming at a time of great changes. Come, lead on my lord for Asgard is indeed our destination and I see even more clearly the need for council from the brothers."
AUTHORS NOTE: I am aware that Odin's wife's name is not Freya. However, if I use the correct name, it flags as an inappropriate word. Rather than risk the gods that oversee this site and have either the story banned or being required to change the rating on the story, I have use writer's discretion to use the name of another Norse goddess, Freya, who is sometimes confused with Odin's wife.
Chapter 1: Friend or Foe?
•£• Loki •£•
Loki paced one of the many balconies overlooking Asgard, periodically pausing to revel in the sight of the glorious city before him. He still could not believe his brother had so willingly given up the throne in favor of him.
His thoughts wandered over the many events that had led to this. Thor still did not know that he had made his confession to Loki and not to Odin. His choice to give the throne to Loki had been surprising to many and Loki had pretended to be surprised as well. When Thor had left the throne room after telling 'Odin' his choice, Loki had waited a short time before approaching his brother. A simple tale of his 'rescue' had satisfied his brother, and it truly had not been far from the truth. Thor had been so thrilled to see his brother alive he had not cared for details.
Odin had not appeared at dinner that evening, and when Thor went to find him he discovered his father had slipped into an Odinsleep. This time there was no Freya to sit by his side to guide him back, so the sleep had quickly turned to death. Thor had been quick to tell Loki of his choice and thus the throne had come so easily to Loki.
A horn announcing the return of a hunting party drew Loki back to the present. Moving swiftly to look down to the gates, he recognized Volstagg's bright red hair. He sighed softly, knowing that the warrior did not trust him; in fact, few of his brother's friends trusted him. Volstagg's response had been to search for intruders. Sif simply followed Thor like a puppy, while the other two had avoided him. This time it seemed Volstagg had gotten his wish and discovered some intruders.
He returned his attention to the scouting party, noting a small group surrounded by the warriors. The scouting party easily outnumbered their prisoners, but something about the entire procession bothered him. He watched as they entered through the gates into a courtyard. He could not discern much as they wore dark cloaks with hoods covering their heads. His perch was so high he would not have been able to see any details.
The troop halted as they entered into the courtyard. There was a flurry of movement as people ran out of the stables to begin attending to the horses. The prisoners had dismounted and gathered together. He was suddenly aware that one of them had turned their head and was staring straight up at him. He took a half step back, then stopped. There was no way anyone could have seen him, much less known who he was, not from that distance.
A soft feminine laugh almost caused him to turn around, but he knew he was alone on the balcony. He frowned… thinking, remembering time spent during his youth with his mother. Could it be? He stepped back to look down once again, not realizing he spoke, but the name "Katirya" floated through the room. The watcher lifted their arm in a small salute, bowed their head and whirled around, their cloak swirling about them as they began to follow after Volstagg.
He turned and began to head down to where they most likely would be held until it was decided if they were friend or foe. Many thoughts crossed his mind… What if it was a trap? Perhaps someone trying to enter Asgard and gain an audience with him?
Pausing for only a moment before leaving, he created an illusion of one of the palace guards. For some reason, he felt he needed to go in disguise first. He needed to discover the purpose of the new arrivals before meeting them as Loki.
He started down a staircase, pausing only when a guard came running up to him. "Have you seen the Loki?"
Loki shook his head, not replying.
"Well, get yourself down to the courtyard, Volstagg has ordered all guards to attend as he captured some prisoners on his latest rounds. I'm off to find Loki." The guard took off not bothering to see if Loki obeyed.
Smiling to himself as it continued to amaze him that no one saw through his little tricks, Loki continued his trek to the courtyard.
Author's note: I would like to thank everyone who is reading this story. I enjoy seeing the numbers grow of people visiting it along with the comments I have received. Please feel free to send me a message if you have any comments. I enjoy reading them.
I would like extend a big thank you to my good friend Judy who is taking the time to edit each chapter for me before I publish. Hopefully we are catching all the errors, but if you do find one, please feel free to contact me so I can correct them.