Chapter Four
Your heart pounded so hard you could feel it pulsing in your throat and even in your tongue. Each step you took brought you closer to your impending doom. Until the sun had started to set, you had contemplated taking your chances and attempting to flee, as the end result if caught would be the same, death, but had where did the greatest chance of surviving lie? That was answered when several more Einharjar showed up with what were assumed to be messages from the Allfather, meaning there was next to no chance of fleeing without someone noticing. So instead you found yourself trudging through the sea of tents to the largest one which housed the Trickster Prince, hoping against hope that you would be allowed live if you were of enough use to Asgard.
You waited outside, hearing voices within, not wanting to eavesdrop, but the material of the tent making it hard not to. "There is nothing I can do to hasten the training, if I try to train them too fast, then they are more of a hindrance than a help, I am merely going to send them all to their collective deaths, now I am aware most of them will more than likely die, but there are a few that will actually aid Asgard emerge victorious." You heard Loki state in exasperation.
"The Allfather has made it clear, he needs more men immediately. The numbers we face are greater than we could ever have imagined." A deep voice answered.
"Well I want to send him something he can use, not simply Ice Blade Fodder." Loki retorted. "What of my brother?"
"Still nothing to report from Jötunheim your highness, I must report back to Svartalfheim to your father." The other voice replied.
"Tell him the best I can do is three months, any shorter and everything done here will have been for naught." Loki informed him.
Realising that the conversation had come to an end, you took a few steps back and waited, trying to act as though you heard none of it. The man that came out was dressed in full armour, had a heavily scarred face and glared directly at you. "What are you doing here? Get back to your tent." He snarled.
"I…I…" You gulped.
"Cnut, did it ever occur to you that I may have called upon Ragnar to be at my tent at this time for a reason, or that perhaps he may have something to speak to me regarding?" Loki asked in a cool voice. "Ignore Cnut Ragnar; he forgets his place from time to time. Please, step inside, I am glad to see you are punctual." Loki grinned, though you could see the gesture did not reach his eyes, unnerving you more. Walking straight passed the still glaring Cnut, you walked inside.
"He's a bit on the small side isn't he?" Cnut commented snidely.
"That he may, but he is also one of the more gifted and by far the brightest of young soldiers, so being small enough to dart between the legs of the Jotnar is nothing but a positive in my opinion." Loki countered. "Now run along and deliver your message and leave me to train my men."
You stood silently listening to the exchange, but your eyes glanced around the room of the tent. There were books and maps everywhere, mostly references and concerning war. A few of the titles were even the same as the ones you had studied before you had left home. One of the maps that was rolled open on the table caught your eye, and you glanced at it for a moment. It was of a hilly terrain, but the names were like nothing you had ever seen before.
"That is Svartalfheim." Loki's voice came from behind you, causing you to jump. Swinging around you saw him shucking off his overcoat. Your face must shown your confusion as he continued. "I assume you were wondering what land that is, it is Svartalfheim, where we are expected to land once we cross the Bifrost to be precise."
"In that terrain? That is madness." You responded incredulously.
"How so?" Loki questioned, circling the table between you, watching you as he awaited your answer.
"If we land directly between two hills we will be easily attacked from higher vantage points, we will be like fish in a barrel." You replied.
"Correct, you are as observant as you are creative." Loki commended. "You will go far in the army."
You barked a small laugh. "If I survive this, I will be going straight home to my parents, and after so long arguing with my mother on the subject, I will allow her to do what she has been harping on at me to do for the past two centuries and find me a spouse and settle down to a family of my own."
"Our mothers are quite similar it would seem, mine is of the opinion that Thor and I should be long wed also."
"Ah, the joys of your title and station, and yet most envy you." You joked.
Loki cocked an eyebrow. "And you do not?"
"Have you ever had one day in your life where you did not have to answer to someone, or have more royal duties than you could count to do?" you asked.
"Once, it was a Frigga's Day." Loki responded in jest. "But in all honesty, does such a life not appeal to you in anyway?"
"I rather my boring peasant life any day." You shrugged before leaning back, trying to give off an air that portrayed masculinity.
Loki spent a moment assessing you before speaking again. "I like you Ragnar, you are more honest than most everyone I have ever met."
"That is because you meet mostly the people of court, where the men seek rank, and women seek it even greater so, and with your position, it is you they are most likely to irritate with their seeking."
"And what is it you seek?"
"My way home."
"Well, the best way to do that is to ensure the whole unit works together and is well trained. Your idea on the gauntlet means men can learn faster without as great an injury. What other ideas do you have?"
"What is the rest of our training, and what does it entail?"
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There was no denying how impressed Loki was with your ideas, it took two evenings for him to go through everything, but it was worth it when you saw the flaws in the training that were easily altered, on a few occasions, you could even see the prince seemed slightly embarrassed at the sheer simplicity of some of your suggestions and how he had not thought of some of them himself, though he would never have admitted such.
"You truly are the greatest asset of this crop of soldiers Ragnar." Loki commented as he completed the letter to outline the extra expenses that would be needed to ready his soldiers more swiftly.
"It is good of you to say such kind words my prince, but again, I must confess, you give me too much credence. I am nothing great."
"You speak like someone with little regard for themselves and with very low standing, yet only some of Asgard's greatest soldiers went with my father to Jötunheim at the end of the last war. Tell me, who is your father?"
You froze for a moment before looking at Loki suspiciously. "I never said my father went to Jötunheim, simply that he fought against the Jötnar." You stated.
"You had not need to, you have stared at the Jötunheim map more than a handful of times this evening, and in particular to where their citadel is, so that tells me you know of it, and how else would you know of it but for your father having went there with mine." Loki smiled wolfishly. "It would seem that I assumed correctly."
"Yes, he went to Jötunheim. His name is Bjórr Eriksson." You conceded.
Loki thought for a moment, as though trying to place the name. "The soldier who lost an arm there?" You nodded. "My father spoke to Thor and I of him before. If he had not sacrificed his arm, my father would have lost his head instead of just an eye."
"I am glad that his sacrifice had such a positive outcome." You smiled. "And that it is remembered still."
"But I have hardly ever seen him in court and not in nearly half a millennia at least."
"He despises falseness and social climbing. He rather to hunt and breed a few hounds at home."
"I very much like the sound of your father; he is clearly a great influence on how you tend to think and your morals."
"I do not share his passion for the hunt though; I usually go along solely for the ride."
"You do not like hunting?" Loki asked curiously.
"I do not like killing things." The prince looked at you incredulously for a moment before you broke out in a fit of laughter.
"I fear you really are in a terribly ironic position here then Ragnar." He chuckled.
"Why do you think I am laughing so much? Though it is far easier to not wish to harm a majestic beast like an elk for merely existing than it is to not wish to harm those who would slaughter me and my family given a heartbeat to do it in." You became solemn as you continued to speak.
"And there in lies the difference. I myself prefer diplomacy, but that is not an option now, so we must fight and to win, we must fight harder and with greater skill that the Jötnar and the Dark Elves."
"Do you think we can be ready in such short a time as three months?" You were unsure if you even wanted to know the answer, and regardless of what Loki said, you knew there was no way he could give a right answer.
"Most will not be ready. They would not be ready whether I had three days to train them or three years, but some will, and with your suggestions, you have greatly increased our odds."
You hoped that Loki spoke the truth, and he was not merely living up to his name as the God of Lies to try and spare you the worry.
