"My Lord!"
The cry rang across the throne room to Thor, who was still trying to see through the cloud that had suddenly enveloped Earth.
Hearing the sound, Thor turned and acknowledged the guard. "What is it?" he asked.
"My Lord," the guard repeated, coming to a standstill, "there is a Frost Giant here!"
Thor's eyes widened with surprise.
"How did it get here?" he demanded.
"I do not know, My Lord," the guard replied, "but he is requesting an audience with you, right away! He says his name is Yardaff Laufeysson!"
Laufeysson…I didn't know King Laufey had a son, Thor mused.
"Send him in," he ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness!" the guard answered with a bow, and he ran off.
Thor sat back down on his throne. Then, after a minute, he called one of his messengers.
"What is it, My Lord?" his messenger asked him when he came.
"Summon Lady Sif and the Warriors Three," Thor told him, "and my father and mother and Gatekeeper Heimdall, if possible. Tell them they are to come here, now."
"Yes, Your Highness!" said the messenger with a dutiful bow, and he ran off.
Moments later, Thor's friends arrived.
"My Lord?" said Lady Sif.
"My friends," Thor said, standing to greet them.
"What is so urgent, My Lord?" asked Hogun.
Thor chuckled in spite of the situation. "My friend, you needn't be so formal with me," he told his friend. "I am still Thor, your friend and battle companion." His smile faded as he answered his friend's question. "It would seem a Frost Giant has found his way to Asgard," he told them.
"A Frost Giant?" exclaimed Volstagg.
"Indeed," Thor said, nodding grimly. "What is more, this Frost Giant claims to be the son of Laufey, and has requested a peaceful audience with me."
"Surely, you did not accept? Lady Sif said angrily.
"I did," replied Thor. Then, over his friends' exclamations, he added, "As king, it is my duty to hold to proper protocol when dealing with those of other realms, including the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. If this one has come in peace, it would be a gross breach of etiquette for me to have him attacked."
"You cannot take risks with those beasts!" exclaimed Fandral.
"I am not taking a risk," Thor replied with a smile. "One Frost Giant is no match for the five of us together; should he prove dishonorable, we can easily overpower him."
Thor's friends said nothing, but their expressions were of worried gravity. Thor walked back up to his throne and sat down, just as Yardaff came in.
Thor and his friends' eyes widened at the sight; being of royal blood, Yardaff was large, even for a Frost Giant (which made Loki's being a runt even more noteworthy), and his facial markings, like bloody slits in his flesh, were as intimidating as his glowing red eyes. Ice formed beneath his feet, clouds of vapor surrounded him continuously, and his gaze was icy enough to freeze a person's heart. In all, Yardaff was a great and terrible specimen.
Thor took a calming breath as Yardaff came to stand before him on his throne, then rose from his seat once more, flanked by his friends.
"Frost Giant, identify yourself, and your reason for coming to Asgard," he commanded. "Your arrival here is a breach of the truce-"
"I hold no value to a truce designed by the wretched Odin One-Eye," Yardaff interrupted, his voice as harsh and chilling as a storm wind on an icy tundra. "My name, as I told your soldier, is Yardaff Laufeysson, and I am here for one simple reason." His facial features sharpened as anger crept into his voice. "Where is my brother?" he demanded.
There was silence.
Thor and his friends glanced between each other; none of them had any idea what Yardaff was talking about.
"Where…is my brother?" Yardaff demanded again, raising his voice and speaking even more slowly, with emphasis.
"We know not of whom you speak," answered Lady Sif. "No Frost Giant-"
"Where is he?" Yardaff roared. As the confounded group watched, the clouds of vapor around Yardaff grew thicker, and the ice beneath his feet spread toward them. Before any of the warriors could answer, Yardaff lifted Loki's helmet and threw it towards them. It bounced and clattered across the floor, coming to rest at Thor's feet. As Thor and his friends stared at the helmet in awe and recognition, Yardaff demanded, "Where is Loki Silvertongue?"
There was silence.
"My brother…" Thor cleared his throat. "My brother is dead."
"He is not your brother, he is my brother," snarled Yardaff, "and what do you mean by saying he is dead?"
"Loki died over a year ago," Lady Sif said, her tone suggesting shock.
Yardaff exhaled slowly and calmed down. "You were not aware, then…" he said softly, almost to himself, his voice going back to being cold and smooth.
"Where...Where did you get this?" asked Thor, gesturing to the helmet.
Yardaff smiled. "My brother has been living with me in Jotunheim for the past three hundred and seventy days," he told them. "He told me he had cast a veil over Jotunheim so that none could see our activities…I understand now that he did that so as to make you believe him to be dead."
"He's…alive?" Thor breathed.
Yardaff nodded.
Just then, Heimdall's voice rang out.
"My Lord!"
Everyone turned to see Heimdall hurrying into the throne room with a haste that was unusual for him.
"My Lord, I thought you would wish to know, the veil surrounding Jotunheim has lifted," he said.
Then, he caught sight of Yardaff.
"Hold, Gatekeeper Heimdall," Thor said, raising a hand to stop Heimdall as he raised his sword. "This Frost Giant has come in peace."
"Gatekeeper," Yardaff said, stepping forward, "you say the veil around my realm has lifted?"
Heimdall hesitated for a minute, then nodded.
"Can you see where my brother has gone?" Yardaff pressed.
"Your brother?" Heimdall repeated, puzzled.
"Heimdall…it seems my brother yet lives," Thor said.
Heimdall's eyes widened. "Of course," he breathed, showing a level of emotion that was unlike him. "I should have known Loki's hand was in that veil…"
"Indeed you should have," Yardaff said. "Now tell me: Where has he gone? He has left Jotunheim."
Heimdall shook his head, slightly in shock. "I cannot say," he replied. "I've not seen him."
Suddenly, everything added up in Thor's head.
"Earth," he breathed.
Everyone turned to him.
"My brother has gone to Earth," he said. "A veil has just been cast over that realm, and…someone from another realm arrived there immediately beforehand."
Just then, Odin came in, in answer to his son's summons.
Yardaff immediately turned on him. "You!" he hissed.
"Frost Giant, identify yourself; I do not know you," Odin said formally upon seeing him.
Yardaff bared his teeth, and clouds of icy vapor started concentrating around his body, almost obscuring him. "I am the brother of the one you stole," he said, his words filled with such a cold fury that everyone present felt a little skitter of fear run up their spines, despite being hardened warriors, one and all. "I am the son of our late king, Laufey. My name is Yardaff."
Odin bowed his head slightly. "What is your business here?" he asked, his tone still coldly formal.
Yardaff clenched his fists. "I came here to find my brother, as he has left Jotunheim after a year and five days there," he answered icily. He took a menacing step towards Odin, and immediately, Thor, Lady Sif, the Warriors Three, and Heimdall readied their weapons. "You are a disgrace, All-Father," Yardaff snarled, his voice colder than a winter wind at the south pole, ignoring the warriors around him. "You are a shameless, despicable wretch. What you have done to my brother is unforgivable." He slashed his hand through the air, throwing a small chunk of ice that shattered on the floor at Odin's feet. "You take him in, call him your son, turn him against his blood-kin, keep him repressed and down-trodden, praise an arrogant, battle-hungry brat over him no matter how hard he works to win your favor, all without even telling him why, and when he acts out of desperation to prove himself to you, doing what he was raised to believe was right, you disown and banish him for it?" Yardaff shook his head furiously, the movement barely visible through the thick, icy fog surrounding him. "You disgust me!" he spat. "Your crimes against my brother will never be forgiven by any of my kind!"
"I showed Loki a mercy he did not deserve," Odin said, the coldness of his tone almost matching that of Yardaff. "I had hoped I would be able to purge him of the barbarity of your kind; I was wrong."
"Barbarity?" Yardaff exclaimed furiously. "It is you, All-Father, who is the barbarian, not us! You know nothing of us, save what you've seen in battle!"
"I know that it is your kind's lot in life to cause trouble for others," Odin replied. "Such was the case with King Laufey, and such was the case with Loki."
"Your very words betray your ignorance!" Yardaff snarled. "It is you, All-Father, who caused the troubles of which you speak! You brought all of it upon yourself!"
"Silence!" Odin roared. "You've no right to speak to me in such a way!"
"I've every right, and I would be shaming my ancestors if I did not speak out against you!" Yardaff shouted back. "What you have done is an unforgivable atrocity on its own, but to make it worse, you refuse to even acknowledge it!"
"I will not be-!"
"All-Father!"
Everyone froze. The sound, though audible in the throne room, hadn't come from anywhere on Asgard…and it was a voice none of the Asgardians present had thought they would ever hear again.
