Paternity

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I sat upon my throne in Jotunheim in silence. None of my subjects dared to approach, for it was obvious that I was in a wrathful mood. A day ago, the sons of Odin and four of their comrades had entered Jotunheim, violating the peace treaty between my realm and Asgard, and slaughtered many of the Jotuns. This was supposedly in retaliation for the Jotun's attempt to reclaim the Casket of Ancient Winters- never mind the fact that it was my people's property- though, in my opinion, it had more to do with the fact that the infiltration had interrupted the Crown Prince's coronation, and the boy was lashing out because of his humiliation. I would have had them all killed for their impudence, but Odin had intervened at the last moment, snatching back his wayward subjects, and denying me the pleasure of dealing with them. This was why I was angry. Despite my parting words to Odin, my people simply did not have the might to engage in another war. All our strength was lost to us with the casket. Curse Odin for his theft of it! My mind drifted back, remembering the last days of the previous war, centuries ago...

We were regrouping on Jotunheim after the cursed Aesir had driven us from Midgard. Our forces were depleted, and many of the survivors were injured. To make matters worse, we had heard rumours that the Aesir were pursuing us. I was alone in the throne room, as my generals were tending to the wounded as best they could. Suddenly, a cloaked figure walked into the room. I had no idea who it was, as I had not asked anyone to attend me. The figure was hunched over, and walked slowly toward me. A pair of emerald-green eyes met mine, and I recognised her. Farbauti. A serving girl who had- entertained- me some months ago, before I led my army to Midgard. That was almost a year ago now, so I could not fathom why she would seek me again.

Then I noticed the small bundle she held in one arm. "I come to present your son to you, my Lord." she said. Her voice was barely audible, and her expression indicated that she was in pain. The child could not have been born long, I surmised, as she was plainly still suffering the after effects of labour. She was very pale, and as she held the child out to me, her legs gave way under her, and her eyes fluttered closed "please... take care of him..." she whispered. She did not speak again. I looked at the child, still held in Farbauti's lifeless arms. He was nothing but a runt! I would have accepted a son under normal circumstances, but this undersized whelp could not possibly be of any use. I lifted it from Farbauti's body, trying to decide what to do with it. I called for one of my servants to remove the body from the throne room, hiding the infant under my cloak- no-one could discover that I had sired such a weakling.

Then one of my scouts rushed into the room, barely stopping to bow. "Sire, the Aesir army has just arrived on the outskirts of Jotunheim. They far outnumber us, my lord!" I took no further notice of the scout, as I needed to draw power from the Casket if we were to stand a chance. I strode into the temple where the casket was stored. The runt that I still held under my cloak began mewling. I had almost forgotten its existence! I could not carry it onto the battlefield, however, I did not want any of my people to know of the child's existence. I simply set it down, in an antechamber close to the room which held the casket, and decided to let the Fates decide the boy's destiny. I went to join my people in battle.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

After the battle, with the casket lost to us, the Aesir triumphant, and Jotunheim on the verge of collapse, I returned to the temple. The Aesir had ransacked the place, and everything of value had been stolen. I went to the small room where I had left Farbauti's runt. I expected to find a body. Instead, there was nothing. I cared not. The child would have been too weak to survive, and I would have other sons in the future.

I shook myself out of these thoughts, as my son Helblindi approached. "Father, another Asgardian has arrived in our realm!" I watched as the young man approached. It was Odin's second son. What could he possibly want now? And he wasn't even armed... "Kill him." I ordered. Helblindi stepped forward, smirking. I knew my son would enjoy killing a prince of Asgard.

"After all I've done for you?" the prince asked, wearing his own smirk.

I leaned forward slightly, eying the boy curiously. he met my gaze without fear. "So you're the one who showed us the way into Asgard?" Obviously I had known that someone within Asgard had guided my people into the city, but I had never expected it to be one of Odin's own sons.

"That was just a bit of fun, really." the prince shrugged. "To ruin my brother's big day, and to protect the realm from his idiotic rule for a while longer."

Apparently I was not the only one who could see that Odin's eldest was not a suitable ruler. I sat forward slightly. "I will hear you." I stated. This boy appeared to have some common sense, unlike the rest of his family, so I could at least listen to what he had to say.

"I will conceal you, and a handful of your guards," he began "lead you into Odin's chambers, and you can slay him where he lies."

The offer was tempting, but..."why not kill him yourself?" I queried, unsure of the boy's motives.

The prince's lip curled. "I suspect the Asgardians would not take kindly to a king who had murdered his predecessor." He took a breath and continued. "Once Odin is dead, I will return the Casket to you, and you can restore Jotunheim to all its, er, glory." I had leaned forward eagerly as he finished his speech. To have the casket returned, and Jotunheim restored would be beyond my wildest hopes. Before I agreed to this, however, I wanted to know why Odin's son would be so generous to a race he and his people despised. I said as much, and a curious expression flitted across the princeling's face. He looked vulnerable, afraid. He took a deep breath, and stretched out his bare hand towards Helblindi. I could not begin to understand his intent. Surely he knew that a touch from an armoured Jotun would be harmful to him?

Yet, as his hand made contact with my son's arm, his skin did not blacken and freeze as I had expected. The blue colour of Helblindi's skin actually appeared to be spreading across his. I sat, rooted to my throne, as the shift finished. i could not believe my eyes. I tried to make sense of what I was seeing, as my guards murmured in surprise. The boy was a Jotun, albeit severely undersized... it could not be, I tried to convince myself. Farbauti's runt perished in the temple. This HAD to be some sort of trick.

"When we came here a day ago," the boy, still looking like one of my people, said in a shaking voice, "one of your warriors made contact with me. My hand took on the blue shade that is only found on your people. When we returned to Asgard, I managed to make contact with the casket," he swallowed, "and I saw my true form. Odin discovered me there, and admitted the truth. I am not his son. He found me as an infant, in a temple here on Jotunheim, apparently abandoned."

He took a step closer to me, and lowered his voice, so I alone could hear. "He claimed I was your son, Laufey. Is it true?" I was too stunned to respond. Not only had Odin stolen the Casket... Eventually, I nodded. He deserved to know. "You were illegitimate." I stated baldly. "And a runt would never have been accepted." He winced when I said that, but it was the truth. "I left you in the temple because I was unsure what to do with you after your mother perished. It seems Odin took that problem out of my hands."

The boy appeared to be struggling to hold back tears. Honestly, how pathetic was he, to show weakness like that? I hoped he did not expect to gain anything from me by this revelation. I never felt sorry for the loss of the runt, I had a son to inherit my throne, and Helblindi was accepted by my people as my heir. I could not acknowledge this one now, even if I wished to. But the chance to destroy Odin...

"I accept your deal." I smiled. "When do you wish to carry out your plan?"

"This very eve." the boy hissed. "Before Odin wakes from his sleep." I nodded. "Prepare yourself and the guards you wish to accompany you," he continued. "I will draw you through the Bifrost at sundown." With that, he turned and walked away.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It was nearly sunset now. I had chosen several guards to accompany me to Asgard. Thrym and his son Geirmarr would remain at the Bifrost Observatory to guard Heimdall, and Thiassi and his daughter Skadi would accompany me to Odin's chambers. I was not overly thrilled at including a woman in my guards, but as Thiassi pointed out, she was the most skilled fighter among the younger generations, and she was very eager about being there at Odin's demise. I had charged Helblindi with ruling in my stead until I returned. He had wished to accompany me, but there was no-one else to guard my throne. The Bifrost descended, and the five of us departed.

Travelling through the Bifrost was disconcerting, to say the least. How did the Aesir do this so often? We re-materialised in the Observatory, and I noticed that their Gatekeeper was frozen. The runt's doing, no doubt. That would make Thrym and Geirmarr's task easier. Speaking of the runt... "Welcome to Asgard." he greeted us as he removed his spear from the device that controlled the Bifrost. He led Thiassi, Skadi and I toward the palace, and I signaled to Thrym and Geirmarr to stand guard on either side of Heimdall.

We made our way into the palace unchallenged. I presumed this was because Farbauti's runt was shielding us somehow, so any passers-by would not percieve us as we truly were. The decorative walls of the corridor that led to Odin's chambers froze as we walked by, but there was no-one guarding Odin. The prince had parted from us somewhere, but I did not care. I knew where I was going now. Odin's woman-or queen, I supposed- drew a blade as we entered. She had no real skill with a sword, but she managed to fell Thiassi as she took him by surprise. Skadi struck out at her, and she was knocked forcefully to the ground. Skadi stood guard over her, to ensure she did not move, as I walked to Odin's bedside. How I had anticipated this moment!

I leant over, and opened Odin's eye. "It's said that you can still see and hear what transpires around you" I formed a dagger of ice as I spoke "I hope it's true, so that you may know," I raised the dagger "that your death came at the hand of Laufey!" I prepared to strike a deathly blow, when I felt a searing pain in my back, and I found myself sprawled on the floor, several yards away from the Allfather. I raised my head in disbelief. Who could have...

The runt stood before me, holding Odin's spear. His expression was hard as stone. "And your death came by the son of Odin." he said emphatically. I met his eyes- Farbauti's eyes- as he raised the spear once again.

"Why?!" A burst of light rushed toward me. Then there was nothing.

The End