So many things going on in my life right now... so little time to sit down and write. But I finally managed to work around my other obligations and complete the chapter.
Lael was silent as he walked surrounded by a group of Frost giants, led by Laufey himself. They were truly giants, and he couldn't understand how it was possible they were the same race. The tale Jane read must be mistaken, there is no possible way he could be the lost prince.
How could he be when he was do different from those around him?
The dark clouds his the distant sun from sight, plunged the realm in permanent dusk. But the darkness didn't hid the beauty of the frozen world from curious eyes of the newcomer. Tall towers of ice and stone, wide paths and strange looking homes.
In the book the realm was described as the frozen wasteland, but Lael could see signs of life everywhere he looked. Beauty in the coldness that surrounded them.
He wished Jane was here as well, to witness the wonders of Jotunheim.
But Jane wasn't by his side, she remained on Earth surrounded by men who harmed her, who injured her. Every fiber of his being demanded that he goes back and retrieves her. Brings her here where she would be safe. But without the Casket he is stuck on this realm that he belongs to, and yet he can't see it as home. Not when something is missing. Something he can't quite put his finger on, but it feels familiar.
Laufey now possessed the Casket once more, carried the blue cube in his hands as he led the small group towards his icy palace where his queen awaited their return. He knew the whispers reached her already, he could feel her emotions deep in his bones. It has been that way for decades. She was his chosen mate and they were bound to each other.
Blood red eyes looked down on the artifact in his hands, the item that was lost the same night he lost his son and heir. And now they were both back.
But the child was different. Small, fragile looking surrounded by others of his kind. It was not supposed to be this way. Loki was meant to return to Jotunheim with them after being born, instead he grew up on Midgard. Grew up as a stranger to his kind, raised without knowledge of their customs and way of living.
But despite his lack of knowledge of Jotunheim, of his true nature and things he should expect as he grew up into adulthood, the boy still found the most important thing in the life of a young Jotun. A mate.
The fact the woman in question was a Midrardian was not important.
What was important was for the youth that walked behind him be accepted by his people. And for that to happen one person needed to confirm his parentage and birthright.
It all depended on Farabauti.
Over the years they tried to have more children, heirs to the throne that would take his place, but they were never blessed with another child. They remained with only the one that was presumed killed by Odin himself.
As the group entered through the tall doors of the Jotunheim palace Laufey wondered how long it would take until the All-Father send an envoy to his realm. Perhaps even his hotheaded son that above everything loved battles, the boy who would without a doubt make demands instead of speaking with respect.
Asgardians were like that, after all. Held themselves above the other races of Iggdrasil.
She waited for them in the largest hall of the palace, the throne room where his tall chair made out of ice stood. His wife and queen. His mate.
"The Casket of Ancient Winters." female voice made Lael stop looking around and focus on the Frost giant that stood in the center of the room. She didn't sound like women he met until now; Signe's voice was like a loveliest melody... Jane's was as strong as the young woman herself and her laughter still ringed in his ears.
All around them stood others like him, but true giants. Not a runt like him. And Lael watched them curiously but carefully, he did not wish to insult anyone by staring at them openly. His magic was helpful, and with its help he could do many incredible things, but he didn't know anything about what they could do. They were larger than him, it was to expect they were also more powerful than him; magically and most definitely physically.
"The Casket is not the only thing that our people have regained." Laufey spoke to his wife before he turned and looked down on the small Jotun behind him, "Come forward child, and introduce yourself."
Growing up in the settlement with rowdy boys Lael knew better than to show any signs of fear. And a strange feeling inside, a little voice in his head, told him he had nothing to fear from these people. He was like them. They were like him.
Here he was home.
"I am Lael, son of Eldrid." his voice wavered slightly, but he stood strong in front of questioning blood red eyes of the tall Jotun woman in front of him.
Farabauti watched the Frost giant that was so much smaller then his kind, his blue skin and red eyes the prof they had an actual Jotun among them and not a Midgardian. A small smile appeared on her face as he introduced himself, when he included the name of his mother in his name.
"I can see the markings of my family on your face, the insignia of my mother and her mother before her. I recognize you as the child that was lost on Midgard the night I gave birth to my son, and Odin All-Father and his warriors attacked and banished us back to Jotunheim. You may call yourself Lael, son of Eldrid... but you are also Loki, son of Laufey and Farabauti, prince of Jotunheim."
The roar that followed startled the newly acknowledged prince, the cries of the gathered Frost giants that greeted their long lost throne heir. Their strong voices echoed in the large icy hall and carried out in the cold night. And those who waited outside, who curiously wanted to know if the whispers that spread were true, rejoiced.
They once more had what was once lost.
And as the gathered mass bowed in respect the sky over Jotunheim changed, clouds swirled and their colors altered into all shades of the rainbow. It was a sight that has not been seen on the icy realm for a millennium.
The Bifrost was opening.
Asgard is sending an envoy.
The group of guards was already moving towards the ridge where the visitors would be deposited. It was long since agreed the Bifrost would not open in the middle of the city, but on that particular place. In the centuries before the fragile peace was destroyed Odin has always respected that agreement.
It pleased Laufey to see the old man has not forgotten.
And while the king of Jotunheim was taking his rightful place at the throne Farabauti observed her son. He was a stranger to her, she knew nothing about him, but still she could see he was anxious. He no longer wished to be here and she was curious why.
He was among those who were like him, he once more had his family. Why did he wished to be somewhere else?
A gentle touch on his shoulder made Lael, who was also Loki, look up to lock eyes with the woman who was his mother.
She looked fierce like the rest of their kind but he could see kindness in her eyes as she observed him.
"I want to return to Earth." he said softly, not wanting anyone else to hear him.
"What is there?" Farabauti asked curiously.
She watched as he closed his eyes as a single word escaped his lips, "Jane."
The Jotun queen did not need to know more to understand what was wrong, why he wished to leave his rightful home for the realm where he did not truly fit in. He was a thousand years old, the age their kind reached maturity and bonds formed. Just because he loved among humans and knew next to nothing about his true nature it did not mean he was free of the things that occurred naturally to all Jotuns.
Before Farabauti managed to speak, before she informed Loki she would speak to Laufey and ensure he is reunited with this Jane, a woman she could not wait to meet, commotion at the entrance caught her attention.
And many pairs of blood red eyes widened as a single figure walked in followed by two guards.
Some might call him brave for this decision, some would say he was insane for walking in the palace of Laufey without armed escort of Asgardian's best warriors, but to Odin the decision was simply the only right one.
"Odin All-Father, welcome to Jotunheim." Laufey's voice revealed no emotions, he was as cold as the throne he sat upon.
"The beauty of the frozen kingdom has not waned." Odin responded politely.
"The beauty of Jotunheim is even greater now that my son has returned to us and brought with him the Casket of Ancient Winters. I presume that is what brought you to my court king Odin."
A single blue eye landed on the small Jotun that stood on the right of the woman Odin knew to be Laufey's wife and queen. She was there that night, on Midgard, when he led his warriors and sent the Frost giants back to Jotunheim.
The boy looked small next to his mother. If not for his blue skin and red eyes one would not believe him to be a Frost giant. In size he matched mortal humans and Asgardians.
But below the cold skin lurked incredible power. Odin was shocked that he did not sensed it sooner, that he did not realized someone so powerful hesitated on Midgard. The title of All-Father was not just an empty phrase, it was a name he earned as the kind of Asgard that oversaw all nine realms.
And yet this little Frost giant managed to evade not just his senses but also Heimdal's all seeing eyes.
"Your son? The child that I was accused of murdering?" Odin asked.
"Until today we had no proof of life. Until Loki arrived on Jotunheim we held him as dead and lost on Midgard."
Farabauti stepped forward and all eyes turned to her, "Perhaps an explanation would help you understand how Asgard wronged us that night."
It was not an accusation, but still Odin felt the need to defend his decisions, "You arrived on another realm with an army. That could only mean one thing in my eyes."
"Now that you have only one perhaps you will watch more carefully and not jump to conclusions." it was an insult, although not meant as one. Still no one dared to laugh and Odin didn't held it against the queen.
"What were the true reasons behind your presence on Midgard?"
It was said that All-Father was all knowing but, as his queen was explaining some things about the Jotun nature to him, Laufey could see Odin never heard about them before. While their kind wasn't reclusive, they were never held in high regard by Asgardians, or any other race of Iggdrasil, so they never bothered to learn more about Jotuns.
"Magic." Farabauti's answer confused the Asgardian king, but he remained quiet and instead listened to the Jotun queen, "It awakens in the body of Jotun child born on Midgard as a coping mechanism against the too warm climate. If my son had returned with us that night he would have continued to develop as a Frost giant... instead his magic worked in a way it was necessary to ensure he can survive on that realm."
Odin continued to observe the unusually small Frost giant, sensing the flow of magic at the boys disposal. The incredible power he wielded, albeit unaware how to do it properly.
It was a dangerous thing, to have an untrained mage in the midst, but that could be easily fixed. The boy wasn't too old, he could be trained.
"Blue skin is not a usual thing on Midgard." he finally pointed out and seconds later watched in wonder as all that represented the Frost giants vanished from the young prince's appearance, leaving behind the paleness and bright green eyes.
"I was raised as a human... by a human woman."
"But your nature remains that of a Jotun. Which is why you feel the need to return to Midgard." Farabauti's words made everyone focus her, and no longer on Loki who still carried the appearance of a human.
"The Jotuns have no business being on Midgard." Odin had to protest, after all it was his edict that said all Frost giants found on that realm are to be seen as invaders and to be treated as such.
"He is a thousand years old, by our standards and his nature Loki is now mature. It was his reaching the maturity that woken the Casket of Ancient Winters, for only a mature Jotun can use it." Laufey stood up from the throne, the Casket that was resting on his right now in his hands as he slowly approached his wife and son.
"That still does not change anything. A Jotun should not be on Midgard."
"Still, he must return." Laufey handed Loki the Casket and watched the core of the cube coming to life, "And retrieve his mate."
"Jane." a name escaped pale lips of the lost prince and Odin turned to look at him.
"Once mature a Jotun shares his hunt with his intended mate. If she accepts the food it is seen as approval on her part. She is accepting him as the provider and protector. It is in our very nature, this need to be by our mates. And I will not have my son away from his own just cause she is mortal human currently on Midgard." Farabauti was passionate about the subject as she spoke. It truly didn't matter to her who her son's mate was, and she was ready and willing to go against anyone who dared to say anything bad about this odd bond and the woman Loki refereed to as Jane.
Odin nodded slightly before finally acknowledging, "We truly know very little about Jotuns. It is a true shame on our part, and I hope in time that will change."
It wasn't until he was back on Midgard that Lael, who was Loki, considered that Jane might not wish to travel with him to Jotunheim once he found her.
It wasn't until he was back on Midgard that the Bifrost opened the second time and the queen of Asgard appeared on the frozen realm, a golden apple wrapped in a soft cloth in her hand.