A Lesson on Pride 2

Chapter 2

"Unarmed… every single one of them… minus the guards whose duty is to protect, and we slaughtered them all." Sif murmured with defeat and guilt filled her eyes, "Us warriors whose duty is to serve our king has never slaughtered any living being on that level."

She raised her eyes to meet her comrades, "What have we done?"

The Warriors Three and Lady Sif had just returned from the attack on Alfheim's capitol and are now resting in of the many rooms given to them by Odin for their bravery and loyalty. Each took a seat facing each other still thinking about their actions and whether or not it is just or unjust.

Sif looked at them and knew they were all affected by their own actions. Hogun could barely keep his composure, Volstagg did not look nor touch the plate of food in front of him and instead stared out at nothing, and Fandral looked as if he will never be his merry self again.

"There was nothing we could have done without disobeying Thor," Fandral drawled out, "As warriors of Asgard, we have pledged our loyalty and our blades to the king."

"But to protect the people safe from chaos and keep the peace between the Nine Realms, not slaughter them all without proper reason and allowing them to prepare for any upcoming battle." Sif thought for a moment, thinking if she should say what is on her mind or not. Instead, it is Hogun who says what she was thinking about.

"Thor is no king." He simply stated, "This battle was done out of spite and pride. He has no honor as King for he does not honor what it means to be King. His actions has caused the peace his father, Odin Allfather, worked so hard to create, fall to ruin because some Alfars just happen to jest with a drunk Thor. Thor has put his pride before his people and the Nine Realms. I will not lay my life for one who does not honor and respect his place."

"Hogun," Volstagg grumbled behind the thick mass of his beard, "What you say now is against our King. You can be set up for treason like Loki."

"Hogun is stating his views," Fandral pointed out, "Loki acted upon his views and attacked Thor. Thor is still our king and we all owe him everything from our lives to our blades."

"Fandral, I saw Thor kill an entire family and they had no weapons. How could a peasant family with children as young as five deserve the fate Thor has given them?" Sif had tears in her eyes.

All the men in the room stared at Sif. Sif never cries, not when he broke her arm, got shot with three arrows, or when she got half her body burnt with the flames of a dragon. She never cries and here she is, tears spilling from her guilt ridden eyes.

Hogun moved to stand behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. He looked at Fandral and Volstagg, and then he drew a deep breath and said, "We must get Thor off the throne."

The room grew silent as each person thought about what Hogun said. Hogun rarely talks about what is on his mind and when he does, it is something that should be through through carefully.

"I agree with Hogun," Sif said while wiping her tears away. "Thor must be punished for what he has done to the peace of the Nine Realms and to the Alfars. He has killed innocents for his pride."

Fandral and Volstagg both quietly said their agreements and had a determined look upon their faces.

"How are we to get Thor off the throne?" Fandral questioned, "And also to be punished?"

"I have heard rumors in the kitchens," Volstagg scratched his beard thoughtfully then said,"The reason why Thor had Loki executed was because Loki wanted the throne and attacked him for it, but Loki said that his motives were to ensure that Thor does not go to war. Of course everyone knows Loki would much rather be sitting on the throne than Thor and Thor believed that Loki was lying. However as much as I distrust Loki, I cannot believe that he would do such a thing this big."

"I must agree," Fandral nodded, "If Loki wanted the throne, he would have known that Thor's actions would give him a straight path to kingship, but he did not. He tried to talk Thor out of it, only he could have gotten frustrated and chose to attack Thor before Thor set out to war."

"I remember guards talking about the day Loki visited Thor and begged him not to go to war," Sif had a narrow look on her face. She was thinking of ways to get Thor off the throne while keeping herself, her comrades, and the Nine Realms safe. "Thor pushed him away and Loki backed down without a fight. After Loki's attack, the guards posted outside of Thor's room experienced being attacked and having wounds that would have killed them, but it was all an illusion."

"Loki is in the past now." Hogun sat down next to Sif, "We must concentrate on now. I do not know what you are going to do, but I will not follow a king whose pride is more important than peace. I am going to go into the city and rally the citizens. I know not if you have heard, but they are starting to fuel flames of rebellion to get Thor off the throne for his prideful decisions. I shall help them until peace is restored."

Hogun stood and took off the insignia of Thor and threw it down and walked away. Sif, Volstagg, and Fandral took their insignia and disposed of it and quickly followed Hogun into their new mission.

Hours later, Thor had burst into the room, calling for his friends for the grand feast, only to find their tokens lying abandoned on the ground. Lighting burst and thunder clashed as rage, fury, and betrayal filled Thor as he stormed out of the room. He cancelled the feast and returned to his throne room and called for a meeting.

"I declare Sif, Hogun, Fandral, and Volstagg to be enemies of Asgard and order for their immediate arrest," Thor proclaimed, slamming Mjolnir on the arm of his throne. "Their punishment is exile on Midgard where their honor and power will be stripped and they will be the lowest of beings by living the rest of their mortal lives with the Menn. You Aesirs have a duty to your king and I will not tolerate those who disobey me, Thor King of Asgard."

Thor believed by reminding his people who the king is will secure his power and control. He watched the council people walk out whispering and shooting glances at him. Once or twice he had heard someone mention Loki, but he was not sure of it and did not want to call out anyone. A good king does not point and chose to punish someone for something he thinks they did.

Thor relaxed in his seat and knew that the Warriors Three and Sif will be caught soon and Yggdrasill will be kept safe from war and any other means of destruction. Yes, he has protected the peace his father had created and he felt proud. Oh so proud.

Unknowing to Thor, a secret meeting was held, military leaders gathered under a dark light of a tavern in the farthest reaches in Asgard. Voices never rose above a whisper even though there were as many as fifty men in there, most are soldiers seeking retribution against Thor. Thor, the many angry voices whispered, that child slayer is no king of mine.

No king of mine….

Sif stayed in the shadows of a corner in the tavern and watched the men sit together holding tankards of mead close, but rarely taking sips. They were whispering, whispering about what their next move is to get Thor off the throne. Sif chewed her bottom lip, wondering if she and the Three made the right decision to help ignite the rebellion to get Thor out.

She stepped out of the shadows and called the meeting to begin.

"Men," she cried out, "We have fought and won a battle in honor for our king. However, there was no honor in that battle, but only murder most foul. We have slaughter innocents in protecting the so-called peace the king, Thor, has made, or rather, forced us to believe. We, his men who have promised their life and loyalty to the king and his people, were instead used to protect his wounded pride over a drunken squabble."

Sif stopped for a moment to take a breath, the men's eyes still watched her as she continued and said, "I call upon your arms to bring down the king! The king, who destroyed peace for pride!"

The men cheered and took their tankards and drank it dry. They cheered once more and yelled, "Another!"

The Warriors Three walked up to her side and proceeded with their speeches.

Volstagg spoke first, "I have known Thor for the longest time. Not only am I his servant in battle, but also his friend. Since the crown has been placed on his head, I can see it has corrupted him. It has made him proud and arrogant. The Thor I know would not have called upon the excuse of 'protecting peace' to solve differences with another realm. I call upon your arms to bring down the king! The king, who destroyed peace for pride."

The men cheered again and as before, brought their tankards up and drank it till it was no more. Together they all yelled, "Another!" and a few fell out of their chairs laughing.

"Peace, men peace," Fandral took a few steps forward and smiled pleasantly, "I must say my sword aches for justice. It aches for the restoration of the peace Thor has decided to destroy himself for his pride. As king, Thor should be kind and to have humility towards everyone in the Nine Realms. Instead, he has allowed the possession of power take over him and with that, my comrades, has lead our friend Thor into a world in which he refuses to leave. Never would I have expected myself to say such words, but…. Men! I call upon your arms to bring down the king! The king, who has destroyed peace for pride!"

The men cheered wildly and drank their tankards till the mead has run out and began to chant "Down with Thor! Down with the King!"

Quietly, Hogun stepped forward, but no one noticed him. He stood there with an icy look that was seen by the men one by one. Each one quieted down and gave him a respectable silence and paid closely to what Hogun has to say.

Hogun felt all eyes on him, but he did not make any indication that he was going to talk anytime soon. Instead he closed his eyes and tilted his head forward. He murmured gently, "Let us give a moment's silence to Loki."

The warriors in the room bowed their head and remained silent until Hogun decided to speak again.

"Loki was Thor's first victim who died under Thor's pride. According to rumors from the guards who stood outside of the throne room, Loki went in and asked Thor to not go to war. Loki told Thor what is to befall the Nine Realms if Thor continues with his thoughts of battle. Alas, the lust for blood was too great for poor Loki's reason to overcome. Tis a pity it took us once noble warriors of Asgard to realize how Thor is demented; driven mad by the overwhelming power of the throne. By Loki's spilt blood did we then realize that this is not the Thor we had known all of our lives and that Thor we did know shall never return."

He grimaced as he calmly continued on, "As warriors we have promised the protection of Asgard and the Nine Realms. As warriors we shall carry on our duties and eliminate any threat. Now men, I call upon your arms to bring down the king. The king, who has destroyed peace for pride."

When he finished no one cheered, no one said anything. Instead they had the light of determination behind their drunken stare.

The Warriors Three and Sif then started to inform the men of their plan that was to be carried out the next day. The men seemed surprised at how fast they are to execute the plan, but did not complain. They knew that time is of the essence and the plan must go on in order to stop the chaos the God of Thunder has started.

After the planning ended, the men shuffled out silently and returned to their homes. Only the Three and Sif remained in the tavern.

"It is odd do you not think?" Fandral muttered out of the blue.

The others looked at him with a puzzled look. "What is odd?" Sif asked frowning as she ran some guesses in her head.

"Why is it that Heimdall has not done anything? Starting with Loki, he should have seen that Loki was going to mount an attack on Thor, yet he remained out of the picture. And now we are planning treason and Heimdall has not alerted Thor of our whereabouts."

Sif gave the thought a few moments before coming up with a possible conclusion, "Perhaps he has gone to Thor and told him of what he has seen, but Thor might have and would have turned him down. Thor believes that the power of a king makes him know all. Like his father before him. His pride is tarnishing his senses and if we let it grow, Thor will cause more wars than the mischief Loki could have caused if he was to be alive still."

"We must not fail. The peace of Asgard rests upon us." Hogun gruffly stated before making his way toward the tavern stairs where they have been residing since leaving their positions under Thor.

"I never knew Hogun had that much remorse inside him." Volstagg absent-mindedly thought out loud. "I would have not thought that the execution of Loki has weighted deep within him."

Sif put her hand on Volstagg's shoulder in comfort, "It is weighted deep within all of us. Not only do we have the blood of Loki stained upon our hands, but also the blood of innocent Alfars." Sif felt the rushing feeling of tears, but held them back. She kept her gaze to the ground and headed to the stairs.

Sif paused for a moment to say, "Volstagg, Fandral, please do not linger here and wallow in misery. We have our task ahead of us. It may not wash the blood of innocents from our hands, but it will help to save more blood from being shed from weary swords." Then she continued up the stairs and the two men could hear her room door shutting to a close.

"Fandral, I wish not to remain here any longer. My appetite leaves me and I long for rest." Volstagg gazed at Fandral and gave him a small smile, "Sleep well my friend."

Only Fandral stayed in the bar alone, the owner gave him full access to the liquor and went to rest himself. Fandral nursed a tankard of mead, taking a sip to drive away the cold in his heart. Behind him, the door opens and closes and the person takes the seat next to him.

"Where is the owner?" It is a voice of a woman, "It is cold as death outside and I would like mead to drive it away."

"Here," Fandral leans forward to grab a tankard and pours some mead out of a bottle and hands it to her. At this point, he can now take a good look at her.

The woman takes it with a small, sly smile and nods her head in thanks. She had pale skin of a noble, her hands were long and elegant, and she is the type of woman Fandral would have pursued under different circumstances. She was wearing a cloak and after she took a sip of mead, she took of her hood and shook out her long raven hair. Her facial features were bewitchingly beautiful and she had a small, knowing smile. Her eyes reminded Fandral of a lonely forest, but bursting in bright green hues on a sunny day.

"What is it that brings you here? You, a noble woman in the pig's trough of Asgard should be somewhere in a lovely home with a husband and little children running around." Fandral was not trying to banter her, it just happens when he sees a woman like her.

"I have lost my way and saw this place." She replied, she still had that small sly smile, but her eyes were lonely. "I decided that I would find a drink, have a conversation, then ask for directions to my destination."

"A lovely lady like you should not be wondering around here lost and during the dead of night," Fandral winked at her,"But you are more than welcome to stay here for the night. I am weary of the realm of dreams and it would help to have a lady, such as yourself, to accompany me."

She laughed, but the laugh was not of a noble lady, it was filled with cunning and sadly reminded Fandral of a witch cackle.

"Oh my dear Fandral, I know you, and I wish not to share a dream with you. You have something important to do tomorrow and so do I." She gave him a small knowing smile. She then leaned over and placed her hand on the side of his face and put her lips on his ear. The woman whispered strange words in his ear then leaned back and away from him.

Fandral looked at her in confusion, but was becoming sleepy began to fall into a deep slumber. Before he closed his eyes for a final time, she looked oddly familiar now that he thought about it. Of course, he thought, its….