The room was beautifully silent for the Lord of Asgard. He would have it no other way for his sleeping paramour. Life had not been kind to her at all in the recent months. Unbearable torture was laid on her lap by the hands of Skaris, but she had suffered through it with all the grace of a queen. Grace wasn't something that Thor could rightfully lay claim to at the present moment. Anger had gotten the better of him in front of The Sky Pact. His father wouldn't have lost it like that.
Slowly, he made his way to Amora's bed and knelt down beside her. Gently, he brushed his hand across her still cheek and wondered if she would ever be the same after all that she had experienced. One could only handle so much pain without being irrevocably changed by it. Expecting anyone, even someone as strong as Amora, to walk away unharmed was asking much. Asgard's ruler was deeply aware of that, but he just wanted this time to absorb her beauty.
"Sweet Amora, I should not have let thou stubbornness sway me. At the moment you were entrapped, thou freedom should have been my only priority," Thor said in agony at the thought of the trauma in the hands of his wife. Dwelling on the matter would not be something he would normally do. Being a man of action had always been Thor's chosen road. All the power of his father flowed through him, but Thor was no healer. It was just as likely he could hurt her. Odin's powers did not come as naturally to him as Mjolnir.
Suddenly, a tingle rushed through the back of Thor's head. Someone was paying his realm a visit and Thor knew exactly what it was about.
Standing at the edge of the Bifrost Bridge next to Astlin was a shining immortal with golden hair and blazing white armor. Flames danced across the god's sword, but somehow they managed not to singe the visitor's golden cape. Thunder cracked forth from Thor's eyes as he descended to the ground and landed in front of Heimdall's replacement. Anger seemed to emanate from Thor's every pore, but it was all for show. Thor was actually quite happy to see Apollo, but he was far from pleased with his reasons for coming.
"Hast thou come to do Zeus' bidding?" Asgard's lord asked.
"Only in the most vague of senses. I have plenty of my own reasons for making the journey to the Golden Realm."
Folding his arms across his chest, Thor said, "We shalt see."
"Hostilities between our two realms serve no one's interests," Apollo said as he began to walk with Thor away from the bridge of many swirling colors. Fury was the one emotion that anyone was loath to rise up from Thor. Delphi's patron knew his father's stubbornness and that he would not back from a furious Thor.
"One might find humor in that fact that your visit here has come long after we needed you," Thor said with cool anger that really burned hot underneath his skin. It was soothing and overwhelming all at once. His previous conversation with Amora kept him from striking Apollo outright, but the Olympian (despite being a friend) deserved it. Along with any other friend of the Sky Pact!
"Zeus had his law and it was a law I had to follow. Did you not obey the decrees of your father?"
"Obedience does not excuse cowardice. Demons came to Asgard's aid before thou! Tell me what I should think?"
A trickle of flame edged on the eyes of Apollo. "You should think twice about who you left into your kingdom. I never knew you to be one to fall to desperation."
"Love stays my hand God of Prophecy and thou shalt be lucky for it!" Thor shouted getting only inches away from Apollo. "Sensibility, not desperation guided my actions. If The Sky Pact disputes my allies then so be it! I shalt not cower in the face of them."
Apollo bowed his head and shook it in frustration. "I didn't come here to ask you to cower, but to understand Thor. The interests of Asgard should be above your own anger. Believe me, it pained many an Olympian greatly in not being able to help you. And if Zeus had allowed I would have been right beside you battling your foes."
Thor sighed, seeing through his newfound power that the words of Apollo were true. "I know this my friend, but I have much to think on. Since thou is here come with me and pay witness to two enemies of Asgard receiving their just sentence."
The judges were three and had been hand chosen by the Lord of Asgard. They were Sigyn, Frey, and Freya. Frey was a golden bearded god of the sun, rain, and the harvest. Sigyn was Frey's niece and her domain of godliness was fidelity. The last judge was Frey's sister and Sigyn's mother. Freya was a beauty who ruled over fertility and had once been a Valkyrie. She had been there at the last battle against the Titrais riding alongside Brunnhilde and Moonstar.
It was these three that would judge the crimes of the traitorous Hescamar and the villainous Bastion. The trial was being conducted in a pavilion where the Asgardians were circled around the chained man and raven. Frey was in-between the two goddesses as they looked down upon their captives from a high wooden platform. None of them were seated, but they didn't want to. They wanted to stand as high as they could above the two criminals.
All three judges were covered in cloaks of varying colors. Frey had discarded his traditional Viking helmet and was garbed in a flowing black cloak that billowed slightly in the wind. Freya and Sigyn's garments hugged tightly to their bodies and were moved only slightly by the breeze descending upon the pavilion. Red was the color of Sigyn's choice and cerulean had been Freya's desire.
At the feet of their wooden platform were the two doomed defendants. Hescamar had been imprisoned in a cage of ripping barbwire. For the past two weeks the raven had done his best to stay deathly still. The cost of which was barbs embedding themselves into the flesh of his feet. The raven tried to maintain his composure despite the pain he was feeling, but it was no easy affair. Blood had long since stop trickling from his feet as the barbs and skin had grown accustomed to each other.
Bastion had a metal ring around his neck that connected with chains on his writs, ankles, and waist. His face was horribly bruised and he had an almost shut right eye. Trying to move under the weight of the heavy metal was a feat even Atlas wouldn't attempt. Much like Hescamar he was trying to make the best of his situation. After all, it wouldn't be long before death claimed the two of them.
Crowds of Asgardians jeered and hurled every conceivable insult at the two defilers of Asgard. Frey walked to the edge of the platform and held his hands up for silence. Frey was a god who commanded a great deal of respect and so a wave of quiet rushed through the crowd. Pleased with the reaction he said with a booming voice, "Lo and behold these foulest of criminals that our Lord Thor hath asked us to pass judgment upon! Discovering the friend's guilt was a task for a babe, but their punishment was long debated."
Sigyn, the sometime lover of Loki, delicately positioned herself next to Frey and picked up where he had left off. "It was deemed by Lord Thor's chosen judges that death was too easy for such vermin, but we Asgardians are above such things as gratuitous torture."
"Hence our dilemma," Freya continued. "We finally did come to what we felt was a just punishment for both of these ruthless murderers."
The silence was yearning to crack and the two prisoners could feel the tension blanketing them. Hescamar kept his eyes to the ground and in the back of his mind he wished that Skaris was suffering as much as him. His betrayal of Asgard had only come out of fear. None of the mobsters her had paid witness to what Skaris had done to Odin and his fellow Raven. Not a single one.
"Our punishment is simple. We have decided to commend the fiends, Bastion and Hescamar, to those who would greatly enjoy such company. The foul raven shall be given to Adversary and Bastion handed over to Surtur," Freya explained.
Thor and Apollo watched the proceedings from afar. They were floating in the air and each was billowed in their own respective energies. Thor was surrounded by a field of lightning and Apollo by eternal fire. "Do you agree with their sentencing?"
The Lord of Asgard sighed. "Tis not my place to agree or disagree. The will of my people must be followed."
"I would have seen the Asgardians dealing with those two directly. It seems a bit strange to hand them off to others for punishment."
"I hath faith in the judges that I elected. My people hath had their fill of blood for quite some time I'm afraid."
"Then why enrage The Sky Pact and create the possibility of more blood being shed?" Apollo pleaded.
The lightning surrounding the Lord of Asgard flared up violently and Thor turned to Apollo. His face was twisted with the fury of pride. "I hath no reason to bow to cowards! Tell your father this. Let him and his allies develop the folly to attack Asgard and I shall see his precious home burnt to an inhabitable husk!"
The god of prophecy shook his head. "You are making a mistake Thor. We should be uniting. I sense a coming threat and this bickering will not help us against it."
"GO!!" Thor screamed.
Apollo bowed and disappeared like a candle's wick being put out. Thor turned back to his people and looked down upon them with immense pride and concern. Was he doing the right thing by denying The Sky Pact? Could he potentially be dooming his people?
Illyana stood in front of Loki with her arms stretched out to their sides. Her legs were spread apart as well and Loki was eyeing her form. He had a hand to his chin and said, "Step back a few paces, but keep thou posture. It is required for this particular spell."
Magik just hoped that this time it was going to be the full spell that she was reciting. Slowly, she began to step backward and Loki, as if reading her thoughts, said, "Don't worry. I don't intend to test your strength of will today."
"Good because my promise of my sword coming down on your head is still valid," Magik replied.
Loki laughed. "And my eye is still open."
When she had finished her back pacing Loki held up a hand to signal her to stop and said, "Now begin the incantation. This will form a shield of ice and fire around you."
"Two elements?" Magik asked with surprise. "This soon?"
The Trickster God nodded. "After the display I received yesterday I am completely confident in the fact that you are more than capable of handling forming two elemental shields at once. Now begin."
Illyana bowed her head and closed her eyes. She relaxed her muscle and felt the tingle at the back of her neck as she summoned forth magical energies. Taking deep breaths she said, "Fire and ice. Ice and fire. Eternal cold and eternal heat. Provide me shelter beneath thee."
The shield was beginning to form around Magik. Ice was trickling up her legs and fire surrounded her hair. Loki smiled. "Keep going! You're almost there!"
"Elements intertwine and beat back all swine! Give your power! Give me your protection oh flame and ice. With my shield may the swords of my enemies no longer entice!"
With that final proclamation the mystical shield took form and surrounded Illyana in a swirling whirlwind of ice and fire. Shards of ice were intertwined with beating flames and Loki felt like a proud father as he watched her. "Thou hast done it! I hath no doubt that thou shalt be a fine sorceress under my tutelage. Belasco shalt fear thee before long."
"Indeed! Splendid work child!" Thor announced from above the two as he descended from the sky. "So it is with regret that I hath to temporarily interrupt it."
Loki eyed his brother suspiciously and asked. "And why is that?"
Landing on the ground, Thor walked over and firmly placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. "I hath fears that The Sky Pact may decide to wage war against Asgard for my refusal to bow to them. I want thee to go out and find other pantheons, no matter where, that may be able to help us in such an event."
"I'll go with you!" Magik said.
"No child. Thou commands The Rasputin and they are one of Asgard's primary defenses right now. We cannot risk that," Loki said as he turned to his brother. "I will do what thou asks, but know this. I will demand repayment."
Thor nodded. "As Lord of Asgard there is much I can grant you Loki, but know I will give nothing that will harm The Golden Realm or any of its occupants."
"And I would ask you to do no such thing. I hath put forth far too much effort protecting this realm than to waste it away brother. Hath you no trust in me?"
"Millennia speaks for thou brother," Thor smiled as he vanished away in a flash of lightning. A spark of his voice remained behind and said, "Do this task and thou shalt gain great favor with me Loki."
Priapus walked with Halls of Olympus enraged at how he had been made a scapegoat for Thor's anger. It had been with great pleasure that he watched the Lord of Asgard tell the leaders of The Sky Pact to take their arrogance and throw it into Tartarus. He was only the god of sexual endowment and no matter how much he might have wanted to there was no way he could exact any revenge for the centuries upon centuries of cruel jokes and humiliation he had suffered.
Then a cold breeze rushed through the expansive hallway that Priapus had been walking. It chilled him to the bone and then a voice whispered in his ear. "I can help you find vengeance."
The satyr god spun around in confusion. "Who's there? I demand that you make your presence known!"
"Silence your voice unless you bring notice to yourself."
Priapus turned in the direction of the voice and saw a proverbial devil. "You are the one they call Belasco. What business do you have here?"
"I have come to offer you revenge. Do you wish to have it?"