Chapter 14: tale of Jotunheim

The ambassador from Alfheim and another elf arrive shortly after breakfast. Loki tells the guards to make sure they are undisturbed and to bring some Alfheim delicacies. The ambassador and the other elf bow once they are alone.

"King Loki, this is ex-Ambassador Takir. He was ambassador before me and might have some insight to offer."

"Ambassador, I appreciate your foresight. Ambassador Takir, I thank you for coming on such short notice."

"King Loki, if I can be of service I would be happy to have made the trip."

The exchange of information takes place after these pleasantries. Neither realm wishes to appear weak so information is shared carefully. It is an exchange with the finesse of a chess game. Eventually, the exchange of current information finishes. Loki gains the information that Svartalfheim seems to have problems of its own. Several high placed dark elves seem to have been poisoned or to have caught some sort of illness. This has led to them having to be in seclusion. Exactly what is going on Alfheim does not know. Several high placed, and therefore powerful, dark elves supposedly ill shortly before the break-in. Being ill would be an alibi they could use to go about doing other things. Unfortunately, I can't just go barging in demanding proof they really are ill. We already have problems with Jotunheim. We don't need problems with Svartalfheim as well.

"Ambassador Takir has requested to speak with you privately if that would be acceptable Your Majesty?"

"Unusual, but I am certain he has good reason. Thank you for coming so quickly and bringing such interesting conversation," Loki responds. The elven ambassador bows. Loki summons an escort for him and turns his attention to Takir.

"What is it that requires privacy?"

"Jotunheim is a sensitive topic, so I felt it best if we were to speak in private. I thank you for your patience. King Loki, forgive me if I speak too bluntly but I am glad it is you who is in charge of resolving this crisis. You respect peace and knowledge. Asgardian perceptions, while understandable, lack information about the Jotuns. If you could hear of the Jotunheim I knew then maybe it would help."

"You are right that I desire peace. If you can give me an alternative perspective of the Jotuns I would be glad to hear it."

The ambassador sighed gently. Loki has a feeling the aged elf has experienced something that, somehow, still pains him even though the war was long ago.

"Jotunheim is a harsh place Your Majesty."

The ambassador looks at Loki. They know I've been there. He wants to hear how things stand. For his sake, I grieve at the news I have to give him.

"I know not of Jotunheim before the war, Ambassador, but now it is a wasteland."

"Then the news of what happened during the war is true…I shall not waste your time with mourning. At any rate, my knowledge of Jotunheim starts with Laufey's father. As you know, Alfheim does not engage in formal relations with a realm until one of its citizens can travel between realms. We speak with those who invent inter-realm communication, but that is usually all."

"Alfheim's commitment to non-interference and peace is well known," Loki agrees."Laufey's father united the clans and became Jotunheim's first king. He used skill in words and magic as well as traditional war. After uniting his people he set their best minds to creating more of a stable civilization. The beautiful city of Utgard was one result. It featured a palace for royal matters, a library, a center of medicine and a gathering place for mages. He made it Jotunheim's center and settled with a queen there. He chose a queen who was skilled in magic and intelligent. His queen bore two sons. The eldest, Loptr, was the most powerful mage I have seen besides you. The younger child, Laufey, is a powerful warrior.

The king encouraged the most intelligent and strongest Jotuns to come to Utgard. Among them was a unique woman named Farbauti. Farbauti's family had an interesting affinity for heat. They could ease the cold in confined spaces, call water from ice and otherwise ease Jotunheim's harshest conditions. Farbauti has some of her family's ability and is one of Jotunheim's most formidable warriors. She did not fight in the war because she became pregnant before the invasion of Midgard.

The king hoped that Farbauti would marry one of his sons. Loptr's magic and mind had made him his father's and most of the peoples' favorite. Laufey's warrior skills, while useful, would have been more honored before Jotunheim's unification. When Farbauti met the brothers bonds were formed. She and Loptr immediately loved one another as brother and sister. They became what is known on Jotunheim as 'heart-siblings'. They were so close they seemed twins who had heard their mother's heartbeat in the womb. It is said the strength of a heart-bond is capable of overcoming any challenge. Jotun are usually private about the power of sentiment, so such a statement shows how powerful such a bond can be. She fell in love with Laufey due to his skill as a warrior. The brothers were close because their skills reinforced one another. Farbauti made them closer because she shared skills with both.

Loptr felt other realms existed and that relationships with them would help Jotunheim to thrive. Loptr reached out to Alfheim. I was the one appointed to speak with him. He was intelligent, witty and had a dry humor. I learned that Jotun are fiercely loyal: family bonds and heart bonds can overturn rules. This can make law on Jotunheim chaotic compared to other places, but removing that loyalty would take away their heart. Jotun are fiercely stubborn or they would not have survived. Jotun are intelligent or they would not have made a civilization.

Loptr and other Jotun mages looked into world-walking. He was careful and did not underestimate the dangers. He even sent a few objects to Alfheim and myself as a tests to make sure he had the way correctly. One of them was this."

Takir held up an icy box with some sort of matrix. It reminds me of a Jedi holocron from Star Wars. A way of imparting wisdom to the next generation?

"He said that he wanted me to keep this for him until he came to retrieve it. He decided that, as Jotunheim's most formidable sorcerer, he would world-walk to Alfheim. We had plans for trade. All he had to do was prove he could make the journey."

Elves, like Jotuns, are not inclined to show strong emotions in public. That Takir's eyes fill with sadness is akin to an Aesir declaring grief.

"I don't know what went wrong. Jotunheim was plunged into mourning. The mourning only increased when the king and queen died trying to change Jotunheim's harshness. Laufey refused the device's return. He said that magic had ultimately failed and brought Jotunheim nothing. I think he mourned his brother. I think he also saw an opportunity for traditional warriors to gain respect again. That probably made him decide on the invasion. He spoke to warriors wishing respect and mages wanting to do something other than mourn. If Jotunheim could not be changed then perhaps another world could be.

This led to the war. As Jotuns died the survivors were rent with pain over those they lost. Stubbornness would not have allowed them to back down. It does not excuse them. The Midgardians should not have suffered. What I hope is this shows you, King Loki, that Jotuns can be else than what Aesir call them."

This is not a tale I saw in any books in the royal library. They do not seem like monsters. It is interesting to see a more nuanced portrait of them: stubborn but loyal, respecting magic and not very sentimental in public. It makes me wonder if they could be helped to regain their former splendor. It helps me understand them…and perhaps myself. Overall, I am most sentimental when alone with those I care for. The heart-sibling bond sounds like my feelings for Thor. I am stubbornly loyal to him. I also like magic and it seems to be in my blood. On the topic of blood, I also wonder about Farbauti. A woman from a family that has an affinity for heat…Where did that come from? It would be ironic if the title for me in those myths, god of fire, is apt. If keeping Heimdall's trust was not important I would hide this conversation with an illusion. If others could hide from him with illusions I could too. I must not risk it. I need to know I can call on him and he may become aggrieved if I hide things from him.

"Do you know more about Farbauti's family? I am curious about how they had an affinity for heat."

"All that remains of her line is Farbauti and her son Helbindi. Does it matter?"

There is definitely something here.

"It could be helpful in understanding Jotunheim's royal family."

"I will only speak if you promise not to harm them without cause. Your word as a mage King Loki."

"I swear as a mage to those conditions."

"This is based upon what Farbauti told Loptr and he told me. During the war with Muspelheim one of Surtur's sons sought allies. He came to Jotunheim and encountered one of Farbauti's ancestors. They became taken with one another and their magic allowed them to become close. Her clan refused to help Muspelheim with the war. He left her, but not before a child was conceived. It is unclear if the prince knew about the child or survived the war."

I'm a frost giant and a fire giant. It explains my ability to handle cold and my affinity for heat. If I can change into a fire giant could I use fire magic? The change would be dangerous. A fire giant's form is vastly different from a frost giant or an Aesir. It's amazing I was able to change into an Aesir from a frost giant. When father picked me up it was enough for my magic to guess at what an Aesir was. I didn't quite make it: I don't have enough muscle mass to be a regular Aesir.

I don't need to worry about becoming harmed changing into a frost giant as it is my original form. Loptr's device could offer me frost giant knowledge. Thinking of being in that form makes me squirm but I need to know them. It may help me to figure out if they can be more than an enemy. Maybe I can still serve as a bridge between Asgard and Jotunheim, but not how the All-Father planned. I don't want to rule here. I definitely don't want to rule there.

This elf knows Jotunheim. Perhaps he can give me some more insight on my past. Unaware of course because telling him my secret could be something the elves could use to gain advantage from Asgard.

"I am curious about Jotunheim's customs if you would not mind spending more time speaking with me," Loki used as a prelude to asking questions about various topics. Eventually, he got to what he wanted to know.

"Jotunheim had a temple from which the All-Father took the Casket. Did anything else happen there?"

"The Casket…Jotunheim's heart perhaps according to Loptr. All he spoke of it to me was that using it could make one king of Jotunheim. The temple was the Casket's home and a place for Jotuns to think."

"Was that all?"

The elf shook his head and distaste flashed in his eyes.

"One day Loptr spoke to me in a rage. He had just rescued an abandoned child from the temple. His father had outlawed the custom of leaving those thought too weak to die there. The custom especially disgusted Loptr because Farbauti's line had a hard time conceiving children due the interaction between the two types of magic."

Are you listening to this in your sleep All-Father? Do you think me more of a monster due to my fire giant blood? Stop. Such thinking helps nothing.

"Thank you for your wisdom Ambassador. I am intrigued by Loptr's teaching item. Is there any way you could leave it with me? I would use the knowledge to try to assist Jotunheim. My word as a mage."

"Loptr made the item only accessible to Jotuns. King Loki, trying to become Jotun would be dangerous. You would need to shape-shift from the warm-blooded form you have to a cold-blooded form. It could prove fatal."

"I need to understand them. This conflict needs to be settled peacefully."

Takir looks at Loki sharply. Loki wonders if the elf suspects something. The retired ambassador places the device wrapped in a spell on the desk.

"I would not do this for anyone else but my instincts tell me to trust you. Loptr would have liked you King Loki. I hope you can respect his people."

"I shall try ambassador."

The elf gives Loki and the item one last look. That uncertainty, uncharacteristic for an elf, emphasizes that Loki is being given something important. He might be letting me see that emotion for that reason. Elves are showmen sometimes.

With a last bow the former ambassador leaves Loki with the device. It glitters temptingly. I am uneasy about being a frost giant even if his story makes me feel better. This could help me help the Jotuns. I must be careful. If someone were to walk in on me in Jotun form it could mean my death and war with Jotunheim. I have so much to do: the tournament, a kingdom to rule and this. I will not be getting much sleep for a long time.

Thank you for reading Thank you also for any reviews, favorites and/or follows :)

Loki is called 'god of fire' sometimes and his Jotun form looks different from other Jotuns. This made me think about adding something to his background.

Loptr and Laufey's backstory came out of the desire to give Loki Jotuns he could relate to. Loptr is a bit of a tribute to Loki from the myths in his wit and magic. Laufey is like Loki in Thor in some ways: his bitterness convinces him to make bad decisions.