Life in a Gilded Cage
Chapter 7
Meanwhile Asgard was in chaos, the tesseract was missing, and it had vanished without a trace being left behind. Two days they had all been searching for a hint of how it had happened or who had taken it. Heimdall had seen nothing, no one had entered via the repaired bi frost. That meant little though, as Loki had proven that there were much older ways in and out of the world.
It had been an average evening, they had been feasting in the main hall. Everyone was there having a great time, the mead flowed freely, as did the food and the woman. Thor was distracted, worried about his brother still and what was happening to him on earth. He was drinking himself into a black abyss, somewhat away from the others. Spurning any attempt from friend or family to distract him from this foul mood. He tried to pretend to himself he hadn't just condemned Loki for the same actions, drinking to try and forget his troubles. There was wrongness with the evening that he felt in his bones that even the drinking couldn't distract him from.
Frigga came over to see her son, "Loki will return and he will be your brother again. Have hope my darling Thor."
Thor smiled mournfully, "I hope that you are right, mother."
"Odin, he won't stay mad at your brother forever, you wait and see." she promised.
"Loki isn't evil, he didn't mean to hurt anyone. He just lost his was for a while, he has a good heart. I know he does! When he stabbed me, he could have killed me if he wanted to, yet he made sure that he didn't do any lasting damage. Why would he do that if he wanted us dead?" her son said.
"We should have told him about his parentage sooner. Perhaps if he had grown up knowing he was different, not fretting about it. Then his mind wouldn't have been so fragile in the end." she answered sadly.
"You believe Loki just lost his mind temporarily, don't' you?" Thor pleaded the same tune he'd been singing since Loki had been locked up, desperate to know it wasn't just him. That there really was hope to save the soul of his fallen brother.
Frigga hugged her son tightly, trying to comfort him. "I know sweetheart, I know."
Thor wanted to lose himself in his mother's arms and cry for his lost brother, for his father, for everything that was going on. But he couldn't, he heard something, sensed it perhaps. A shadow of sorts, he stood and listened.
"What's wrong my son?"
"SILENCE!" Thor bellowed, waiting as the room fell instantly to obey his command. He looked quickly at the guards, "Check on my father and the treasure room now!" he barked. He was on his feet in an instant, off to the trove of stolen treasures. Thor searched frantically, over turning tables, smashing objects.
"What's wrong with you!" Frigga demanded.
Thor searched around until he saw the empty podium, searching his mind he worked out what should be there. The tesseract was gone, vanished, even after the Allfather had cast the strongest of dark magic around it to keep it from harm. "Oh no!" he muttered pointing.
Frigga sobbed, "Call out the guard! Find the intruders! Make sure the All father is safe!" she howled.
Odin was unwell, he had been for a long while now, ever since Loki had been lost to them. The guards found him once again lost in the Odin sleep, deep in the healing coma of his race. The loss of Loki's sanity had snapped him out far too early before, now he had completely collapsed so deep into the slumber, he was hardly breathing. He'd been fighting the state for a long time, determined to last out Loki's sentence until he could trust his son again. His family gathered around Odin, they all feared that this sleep would be his last. The All Father was dying of a broken heart. The loss of his adopted son affecting him more then he had ever thought possible.
Thor stood by his father's bedside, now tempory King of Asgard, it wasn't how he had ever wanted to be king! "Oh father, don't leave me please!" he begged. He gripped his father's hand tightly, noticing as he did so a small pinprick on his father's finger. The King had been poisoned, Thor's heart froze. Whomever had been here had known them all too well, and how to get in and out of Asgard completely unseen.
The question had to be asked, and he hated himself for even thinking it. The new King went to Heimdall, but before he even spoke the guard shook his head. "This was not the work of your brother, my King."
"Could you not be watching an imitation of him?" Thor asked.
"Your brother is talented, but not talented enough to keep the pretence up for more then a few hours. Not the days that he has now been on Midgard." Heimdall said gruffly.
Thor felt so guilty for even suspecting his fallen brother of the trick, but he knew that others would be thinking the same.
"There is something you should know my liege." He commented.
"My father trusted your council, I see no reason to not do the same as he." Thor answered.
"This is not to be spoken of to anyone else, only the All father and myself know of this. But as it will soon become important to you, I must tell you about it now. Before our guest arrives."
"Make sense old one!" Thor snapped, his head pounding already.
"You are not the only child of the All father!" Heimdall choked out, still fearing the wrath of his King.
"WHAT!" Thor roared, "My father was faithful to my mother!"
"Your mother knew he went traveling to be with other women, she guessed that some children might have been spawned from these meetings. What no one else knows is that Laufey also used to visit Midgard for the same reasons."
"What are you trying to tell me?"
"That you and Loki are not alone. In total there are seven children of Jogan and Asgard. These children are special, powerful and together they are the strongest beings alive. Each one a piece of a larger power. The tesseract is gone, somewhere in the darkness between the realms. To follow it, you must find these other children." Heimdall ordered.
Thor sat on the edge of the steps, this was all too much to take in right now. He finally understood how his brother had felt all those years before. "Seven children? We have five brothers and sisters out there?" he asked dumbly.
"And you need to locate them all, and soon. Your first sister will be arriving in around 90 seconds. I'd step back if I were you." He warned.
"Stop talking in riddles!" Thor commented tiredly. Just as a thunder cloud appeared above his head. "What is going on?" he demanded. The rain was soaking through his skin, he was the lord of the storm, yet this one was not one of his creations.
Heimdall counted down from ten to one, as Thor was crushed under the weight of a girl falling out of the eye of the storm. She was pretty and slim, long dark hair, pale skin, dress in the clothing of Midgard. Something Jane had called jeans, and a tee shirt. She was clearly terrified, staring around herself trying to orientate where she was. "Where am I? Who are you? What did you do to me?" she demanded sharply.
Thor struggled his exhausted frame upright. "I am Thor, currently the King of Asgard, this is Heimdall our wise gate keeper. You are on Asgard, and safe. How did you come to be here?"
Rose laughed bitterly, "Asgard? I'm sure it is! Did someone forget to take their medication this morning?"
Thor took a step forward, but she shrunk away in a second. "You will not be harmed, I promise this. What do you remember of your journey?"
"I was falling, it was dark, so cold and dark." She shivered thinking about the horrible place she had travelled through before sanity set back in. "You must have grabbed me!" she shouted, turning on Thor. A picture of fire, so sharp, so angry that the God took a step back despite himself. "I demand to know where you have taken me, and why!" she snapped, "I will sue your ass off for this, after I kick it from here to next week!"
"You are on Asgard, I did nothing to you. Please look!" Thor said pointing behind of her.
Rose glared at him, and turned around to see the glittering golden city of the Gods behind her. "Oh my god!" she whispered softly, "You drugged me! I'm tripping out cause you drugged me, you douchbag!" She didn't dare believe it, that she had come home not after all this time.
She pulled the power of the energy back around her, the storm still crackling overhead. "Let me out of here, or you will regret it!" she ordered.
Thor drew his hammer, "I have no wish to harm you, and I believe that you are my sister."
"Let me out now!" Rose screamed, the weather crashing more harshly around of her. The earth starting to shake under their feet, spurred on by her increasing anger.
"Sister, please stop this insanity!" Thor begged, rolling his hammer in his hands. Loath to harm another family member, not again, not like he had Loki. His heart couldn't stand finding and losing a sister in the same hour.
Rose attacked him now, trying to destroy the ground beneath his feet. A gaping crack appeared beneath them both, the lightning crashing around him threatening to do more harm. She wanted blood, she wanted out of here, and she wanted them both right now!
Thor called the lighting to his own weapon, "Sister don't make me act I beg this of you!"
She was too scared and confused to respond. She threw the force of her untrained power after him, if he didn't act now he could die. With great sadness, Thor channelled the lighting directly back at her body. The power of the blast knocking her uncontous. Thor put away his hammer and scooped her up. "I am sorry my sister, my blood kin, truly I am."