Just then, before Odin could do anything more about the absence of Thor, noise is heard from the back of the hall, up the steps from the lower level. Everyone in the throne room stops talking and faces the end of the hall in curiosity.
Thor appears from the end of the hall. He strides cockily into the hall behind it catching his hammer behind his back. The crowd erupts into loud cheers and applauses. Thor, seeing the crowd loving him already and cheering and reaching for him, felt his anxiety dimmer away. He wasn't as nervous as he originally thought, not after seeing how much the citizens of Asgard adore him.
He is one of Asgard history's most iconic and beloved figures. When he stepped into being the next in line for the throne, he was then like a meteorite. The Royal Asgardian family has always been quite distant, and then suddenly this boy embraced it… and the citizens couldn't get enough of it.
Thor spins his hammer with a flourish, holding it up before the crowd, basking for a moment, relishing the adoration from the crowd, from the entire realm. He loved the attention, but at the same time it was quite overwhelming. That much attention, thousands of people screaming his name, cheering and reaching for him. It was a lot to process and take in, being loved by the entire realm. It was very nerve wracking to get so much attention and adoration. Sometimes he wonders why it's always him the people are screaming for.
Thor snaps out of his thoughts and pushed down his anxiety, whipping the large crowd into a frenzy.
This journey Thor was about to embark on is not going to have a happy ending… so it is believed.
"Oh please," Sif said quietly annoyed and scoffed rudely to herself watching Thor making a fool of himself.
Odin watches sitting on the throne, lot liking this showy display and expressed it very visibly. He couldn't understand why Thor is embracing this public affection and shaking hands with them. He and everyone else in their family's history has always been distant. Why is Thor giving in to the attention the public is giving him, and how come he's so popular with the crowd? Odin just wishes that will just Thor stop acting like a child and be mature for his own coronation ceremony. This is one of the reasons why he is fearful of letting Thor become king of Asgard. His childish behaviour and lacking in maturity and responsibility. He questions if Thor will have the guidance and wisdom to rule Asgard and keep the peace. If this is how Thor will act when he's king, well, he hopes that he won't put Asgard in great danger.
He hopes that Loki will be enough to counsel and guide him as he matures.
Will they be enough to raise Rakis into a young, brave and strong god when he and Frigga will be unable to? All these thoughts worry Odin greatly.
But, nothing will ever prepare Odin for what a superstar Thor will eventually become. What happens to Rakis and Loki along the way.
…
As the sound of the cheers echo from above, the odd, cold breeze picks up in the Vault. The Guards rub their limbs to warm themselves. They grow increasingly uneasy, sensing something's not right. They exchange a look, then walk the length of the Vault's hallway to its end, where a casket sits undisturbed upon a pedestal. Large shadows suddenly loom over them. They look up and shout in terror as they raise their weapons.
…
Thor finishes stirring up the crowd, then reaches the front of the room, kneels on one knee before his mother and father. He knows he has to do this. There's no way he can back out now. He will do anything to make his parents proud, and becoming king is his biggest moment of his entire life. He can't screw this up. He takes a breath and tries to control his emotions. This was it.
Frigga casts him an admonishing glance. Thor winks up at her. She can't help but smile. She has never, ever been more proud of her son than she is now.
Odin strikes Gungnir upon the ground with a deafening loud noise. The crowd falls silent.
Rakis jumped startled by the loud noise and fought back his tears, scared. Loki notices Rakis' tensity of his muscles increasing and felt him shaking ever so slightly. Loki squeezes his brother's shoulders and pulls Rakis back, closer to his body, trying his best to reassure Rakis that he's ok.
Odin glances at Loki, then Rakis, noticing his anxiety and trying to put on a brave front. Loki casts his father a smile and nods stating that Rakis is fine and continue with the ceremony now that Thor has settled down.
Odin nods slowly and turns to face his eldest son. He speaks with quiet, effortless authority. He raises Gungnir before him.
"Gungnir. Its aim is true, its power strong. With it I have defended Asgard and the lives of the innocent across the Nine Realms since the time of the Great Beginning. And though the day has come for a new King to wield his own weapon - that duty remains the same. Thor Odinson, my heir, my first-born."
Everyone in the room is dead silent and not dared to speak or move a muscle as Odin continues his speech.
"So long entrusted with this mighty hammer, Mjolnir. Forged in the heart of a dying star, from the sacred metal of Uru. Only one may lift it. Only one is worthy. Who wields this hammer commands the lightning and the storm. Its power has no equal - as a weapon, to destroy, or as a tool, to build. It is a fit companion for a King."
...
The bodies of the Guards are flung to the Vault's floor, now strewn with ice. We don't see their attackers clearly, just catch glimpses of them in the shadows - but they are large and blue skinned. One of the creatures lifts the Casket off its stand and turns to go. But, as they do, the intricate lattice work behind the Casket starts to separate and retract, revealing something standing in the shadows behind it. As the creatures walk away, a fiery glow rises behind them. They turn back around. Now it's their turn to scream.
…
The ceremony continues as Thor is still kneeling down in front of his parents wearing his ceremonial armour.
Odin continues the last part of his speech in a effortless, quiet authority.
"Today I entrust you with the greatest honor in all the Nine Realms. The sacred throne of Asgard. I have sacrificed much to achieve peace. So, too, must a new generation sacrifice to maintain that peace. Responsibility, duty, honor. These are not merely virtues to which we must aspire. They are essential to every soldier and to every King."
The Crowd and the Warriors Three start to shiver and rub their limbs for warmth in the increasingly cold air of the hall.
Thor turns back to face his father. Odin looks upon his son with pride, but still hiding his incredibly fearful thoughts about the future of his family and Asgard.
"Thor Odinson, do you swear to guard the Nine Realms?" Odin asked, in a strong, firm voice to let his son know this is no game and he's dead serious on this.
Thor took a deep breath and saw the expression on his father's face. He displayed a strong and brave look to prove to his father that he isn't treating this like a game and he knows this is serious. It sometimes bothers him that Odin still thinks of him as a young boy.
"I swear," Thor replied in a strong willed, powerful voice he could get out.
"Do you swear to preserve the peace?" Odin asked.
"I swear."
"Do you swear to cast aside all selfish ambition and pledge yourself only to the good of all the Realms?"
"I swear."
"Then on this day, I, Odin Allfather, proclaim you-"
Odin hesitates, noticing a strange sight before him. Ice creeps across the surface of the large banners around the hall, making an eerie cracking sound. Thor, his comrades, and the crowd see it too.
Rakis begins to panic, feeling his heart pounding against his chest and was short of breath. He felt scared and trying not to have another panic attack. Rakis starts to whimper feeling his bottom lip quivering. He closed his eyes to try and fight back his tears as his body shook slightly.
Loki notices this, and despite his discomfort when it comes to public attention, he leans down turns Rakis around and pulls him into a tight hug, rubbing the small of his back. Rakis instantly received the hug and weeped into his open shoulder quietly.
Thor faces the embrace Loki and Rakis are having and his face softened as his heart broke for his little brother. Loki and Thor exchange worried glances as Odin looks off at the frozen cracks instantly concerned.
"Frost giants…" Odin murmured in fear.
...
The far-off sounds of a battle echo in the depths of the palace below. Sif and the Warriors Three reach for their weapons, as Thor races from the hall.
…
Thor enters the vault, then stares dumbstruck at the sight before him.
Sif and the Warriors Three, including Loki and Rakis hurry in behind Thor and stop short. Shattered and melting ice is strewn about the floor. They don't see the blue-skinned bodies of the Frost Giants clearly, just catch glimpses of their twisted and smoldering remains on the floor. They've just lost a savage battle. Badly. Amidst them, shrouded in shadow, stands the black metal creature, a fiery glow coming from within it. It is The Destroyer. It holds the Casket in its hands.
"The destroyer," Sif says quietly knowing right away who it was.
"I thought it was a legend," Volstagg added in such shock of what happened in the vault room. No one expected this to happen. Everyone stands there in the room trying to register what the Frost Giants did, and the fact that they entered Asgard. How could they have gotten into Asgard and get past Heimdall? Unless someone or something has led them into the realm, it's nearly impossible for the Frost Giants to get this far without being noticed. What possibly could have happened that allowed them to enter their land?
This made Thor very angry and pissed off completely that the Frost Giants entered their land and vandalized Asgardian property. He made fists that turned red. Thor clenched his teeth together and veins were popping out of his skin. His heart was pounding against his masculine chest in immediate rage, forming large muscles around his body. Thor just stared at the mess in front of him, hardly able to process this outrageous incident. His mind was beginning to be taken over by his hostility causing him to lose his sense of good judgement.
Odin steps in behind the Asgardians, as the Destroyer sets the Casket back on its pedestal. It moves back to its post, the faint, Fiery glow extinguishes within it. Fandral looks around the Vault, ill at ease.
"I've never been inside the vault before," Fandral explained softly, but surprised. "It said the Tesseract was once held here."
Volstagg faced Fandral in shock, "The Tesseract?! I thought that was a legend too!"
"Shush!" Sif intervened in a harsh tone as the others instantly went silent and closed their mouths.
Odin surveys the destruction.
Thor couldn't hold in his anger any longer. It was too much for him to bare and keep to himself.
"The Jotuns must pay for what they've done!" Thor bellowed as Odin sighs thinking this is exactly what kind of reaction he feared from Thor. He realized that Thor is too much of a boy to become king. But, he can't keep putting off his health to stick around to train Thor and be there for Rakis. No matter how much he feared letting Thor become the next ruler of Asgard, he needed to whether or not he believes his son is ready. Frigga is right, he can't avoid this any longer.
But, Thor is just a young boy. Fright wept over Odin as he thought about how his son would handle the safety of Asgard, seeing his terrible rage of emotion towards the Frost Giants situation. He is starting to second guess himself about Thor taking on so much added responsibility and stress be coming king. He wished Thor would just learn to grow up and stop letting his emotions guide his thinking and good judgement. Odin knows Thor is better than this, but the sad truth is, Thor is blinded too much to see that.
Odin does see great potential in his eldest son, and knows he can become a wise king. Now he is beginning to doubt that Thor will succeed to become what he knows Thor is capable of. If his son continues down this path, Odin fears great danger for Asgard and for Rakis. He needs to grow up and start thinking before he demands immediate action.
"They have paid with their lives," Odin tried to explain to Thor, but he doubts that Thor would listen in a calm and reasonable way. "The Destroyer did its job, and the Casket is safe. All is well."
"'All is well?!'" Thor emits in a deep, loud roar, forgetting the fact that Rakis is currently in the room shaking like a leaf. All he can think of acting upon what the Frost Giants had committed in their land. He can't let them get away with what they did. Thor couldn't believe his father would be this ignorant to the situation and won't do anything about it. "They broke into the Weapons Vault! If the Frost Giants had stolen even one of these relics-"
Odin cut his eldest son off short trying to remain calm. He responded in a reasonable tone.
"But they didn't."
"I want to know why they-" Thor demands harshly but Odin once again interrupted him.
"The Casket of Ancient Winters belonged to the Jotuns," Odin explained to Thor who is not calming down, but in fact growing much angrier and refused to be reasonable. He did not want to listen to his father if he did not want to take action against the Jotuns. What confused Thor is why Odin is avoiding confrontation to them. They broke into the weapon vault. They entered Asgard and could've done far worse damage that just breaking an entry. Why wouldn't his father want revenge? Odin continued, "They believe it's their birthright."
"And if you hadn't taken it from them they would have laid waste to all the Nine Realms!" Thor yelled being unreasonable and acting foolishly like a young child refusing to listen to his parents guidance.
"I have a truce with Laufey, the Jotun King," Odin replied in disappointment of Thor's reaction to the situation.
"He just broke your truce!" Thor bellowed at his father, trying to talk some sense into him. "We must act!"
Odin turns to Sif and the Warriors Three, knowing that this is a private matter and they can't be here for this. He's already embarrassed enough that Thor is behaving like an immature child in public, and he didn't want Thor to continue to throw a tantrum in front of his comrades. Thor is completely humiliating himself and too blinded by his rage of anger to see what he was doing. That disappointed Odin greatly.
"Leave us," Odin demands in a soft voice. The Warriors nod and exit the vault in dead silence as Loki and Rakis stay behind. Loki squeezed his brother's shoulders knowing that he was very tense and upset.
Rakis never seen Thor so angry before and it frightened him. He wanted to step in and say something, but knew it would be highly inappropriate for him to take that chance. He felt so helpless which made him feel alone inside his head. Rakis began to beat himself up for not being brave enough to say a word when it could've been helpful for him to do so. During these past few months, there were times where Rakis felt the urge to say something but his inner demons got to the best of him and never did. This made him feel incredibly guilty for not speaking up and taking risks when he had the chances to.
Rakis felt light tears forming in his eyes as one trickled down his cheek. A part of him was so frightened by the Frost Giants situation that he was completely shut off from being vulnerable. He didn't dare speak a single word, no matter how much he wanted to. He did agree with Thor that the Jotuns must pay for what they've done, and wanted to openly side with him against their father, but he just couldn't bring himself to do so. This broke his heart that he wasn't able to stand up and be brave. It hurt him both physically and emotionally.
"And what action would you take?" Odin asked his son after fully knowing that the others were too far away to hear their conversation. He wanted to know what kind of answer Thor would give him, but already having a clear idea what it was.
"March into Jotunheim as you once did, teach them a lesson, break their spirits so they'll never dare try to cross our borders again!" Thor bellowed at his father, explaining his plan of action against the Jotuns.
Odin shook his head in full disappointment. He finally lost some of his calm spirit and reacted more harshly to his son, hoping his tone of voice will get knock some sense into him.
"You're thinking only as a warrior!"
"This was an act of war!" Thor replied in a strong willed and loud roar.
"It was the act of but a few, doomed to fail," Odin explained calming down from getting angry with his son.
"They got this far!" Thor yelled in anger amazed by the fact that his father still refused to listen to him. This always bothered him, how stubborn Odin can be in these kinds of situations.
"We will find the breach in our defenses," Odin said telling his son the plan that was the most reasonable thing to do now, but he knew Thor wouldn't listen. But, he had to say it anyways. "It will be found, and it will be sealed."
"As King of Asgard, I would-" Thor said trying another approach to this discussion. But that's when Odin lost it and finally snapped at Thor, knowing this was the best course of action to take to be able to get this through his head.
"You are not King!" Odin snapped in a harsh tone that lead Thor into immediate silence, dumbstruck by his father's words. Odin took a deep breath and relaxed a bit after yelling at his son like that. "Not yet."
Thor sees in his father's face that he's pushed this conversation as far as he can. He backs away, then leaves, pushing through the doors so hard that they slam backwards behind him. Odin watches him go in disappointment and much fear.
Loki takes a breath and notices that Rakis is upset emotionally. He rubs his brother's arms on either side trying to reassure him that everything's going to be ok. Rakis closed his eyes as he clutched his axe with both of his hands. Tears streamed down his cheeks trying to keep from having a panic attack right there on the spot.
...