The room echoed with heavy silence, a shocked air dripping from the very walls for several heart pounding moments before Fandral shattered it with a harsh laugh that quickly turned tainted with bitter shock, "What?" He managed, his very jaw practically dropping at the concept.
"Thor," Sif started, her tone slow and simple as if she spoke to a stubborn child, "Of all the laws of Asgard, this is one you must not break." She warned sternly, as Fandral strode past her, giving up on tactility entirely, "This isn't like a journey to Earth, where you summon a little lightning and the humans worship you as a god." He snarked disbelievingly, "This is Jutonheim!" Fandral exclaimed in incredulity, moving to say more but silenced promptly under Winter's furious glare.
"I'll have you know, there was more going on than 'a little lightning' " The white haired woman gave a mocking impression of his voice, supplied with aggravatingly sarcastic air quotes. "If the frost giants don't kill you," Volstagg interjected, aiming a look to Thor, pausing in the act of chopping up the delicacies to smaller pieces, "Your father will." He informed pleasantly.
Thor grinned in the manner he often did when he knew just one more sentence would get him his way, "My father fought his way to Jutonheim, defeated their armies, and took their casket!" Thor defended, taking in the various reactions with a charming glance about him. Fandral was simply shocked with disbelief, as was the expression of the majority of the room. Though, each different if only slightly, Sif was astonished and disappointed in nature, while Volstagg seemed distant from the idea, and assumed it was simply another of the countless, adventure driven quests that common sense would immediately deter. Loki, for his part, appeared rather tired, in an, I cannot believe this, sort of way.
Ah, but that man was such a good actor..
Winter, on the other hand, glared at Thor openly, the only one to hold her biting comments of disagreement upon the mere suggestion. It was upon his answer, however, that her sour temper over took her completely, angered words flying off of her tongue, "He had good reason! Damn it Thor, they'd declared war on the uncivilized humans at the time! They were massacring millions of unarmed innocent men, women and children!" Winter expressed bitterly at the memory, strands of disheveled white hair falling into her irritated features, "You had your coronation crashed." She informed sullenly.
"They have gotten past our defenses once, Lady Winter." Thor urged, conjuring up her nickname that few Asgardians had the privilege to name her thus. "Who is to say they won't do the same once again? We would simply be looking for answers!" He related passionately.
"It is forbidden!" Sif affirmed in as blunt and formal manner as ever, interruped by Thor as he gave a hearty sort of chuckle as he strode to his companions confidently, "My friends, have you forgotten all that we have done together?" He inquired favorably, stopping just before Fandral, before speaking in reminiscent memory, "Who brought you into the sweet embrace of the most exotic women of all of Yggdrasil?"
"Well," Fandral allowed with a smirk slipping across his features, "You helped a little." He admitted as Thor's laughter shook the very room as he clasped his friend warmly on the shoulder before he moved to the next standing along the line. It was strange, in Winter's opinion, the Warrior's Three's tendency to line themselves up in such a manner.
Then again, she couldn't count how many times Sif had excalimed how she couldn't understand Winter's informal manner upon the subject of the princes, and well, everyone else. Perhaps they were quite simply, too different.
"And who led you into the most glorious of battles?" Thor continued upon his inquisitive rampage, turning to the ever silent Hogun. "You did." The man admitted in an ill used voice, as formal in nature as ever as he regarded his old friend with warmth.
"And to delicacies you thought you'd died and gone to Valhalla?" Thor prompted with a grin to Volstagg across the room, the man having finished the stack of delicacies, the pile standing higher than reason would dictate. Truly, it was a bit impressive it still stood, or rather, that he'd conjured it up in such a short time. Volstagg gave a small sort of laugh upon the fond memory, "You did." He acknowledged with a likable grin playing across his features, "Yes!" Thor agreed excitedly, a wider beam spreading across his features as he turned to Sif victoriously, "And who proved wrong all who scoffed at the idea that a woman could be one of the fiercest warriors this realm has ever known?"
Sif gave a crookedly thoughtful look, joking in nature, yet holding the truth within the proud smirk across her features. "I did." She assured bluntly. "True, but I supported you." Thor answered good naturedly with a short laugh.
"What, and I did nothing?" Winter scowled, taking a seat beside Loki upon the steps with an annoyed huff. Loki smirked, looking up from his hand to shook her a grin, "You proved a woman could be the fiercest merchant this realm has ever known. Warrior, not so much." He answered pointedly, his charming grin making it all too easy to forget just what had irked her so about his actions so short a time prior.
"You've seen me fight before, I certainly proved that point long ago." Winter retorted right back, tossing a stray lock of hair from her features. "Why, I can recall a time when you were young, an adorable little thing, and I defeated three pirates with nothing but a broom, in front of countless Asgardians!
"Yes, well, you were never primarily a warrior." Loki pointed out softly, lifting his head as he observed Thor continue dramatically in his momentary speech across the room with a theatrical flair, gaining the approval of each of his companions in turn.
"Nit picking the hell out of life, I see." Winter muttered back, mock scoldingly shaking her head playfully, an attractive smile settling itself pleasantly upon her soothed features, Loki returning the soft smile in return. Thor's voice startled the pair as he bellowed loudly down the hall with confidence, "My friends, trust me now! We must do this! You're not going to let my brother and me take all the glory, are you?"
Loki blinked in unmanaged shock, his features dropping before he could tamper with their appearances, "What?" Loki managed aloud, stricken dumb with surprise to be included. Thor's face fell, misunderstanding the look completely, "But you are coming with me, aren't you?" He inquired as his victorious smile fell from his features instantly, to be replaced by genuine concern for his brother's company.
An honest smile spread across Loki's features, "Yes, of course." He answered hastily, rising to stand beside his triumphant brother, a wide grin across his features as he shot a glance to the Warriors Three, "I won't let my brother march into Jutonheim alone." He assured as Thor warmly clasped him on the shoulder, a grin once more settling itself upon his features.
"And I." Volstagg agreed, finishing the stack of treats with a flourished hand, leaving a trail of sprinkled fine sweet powder. After a pause of thought, Fandral turned to the brothers thoughtfully, "And I." He inclined his head in deep consideration of the deeds to come.
"And I," Hogun added hoarsly, "The Warriors Three fight together."
Ah, poetry.
Winter pressed her fingertips to her aching temples, closing her injured eyes with a sore wince. She was pressing herself too far, she supposed, making her aching eyes strain and stretch to the world about her. Color eluded her, forms doubled, hues danced.. Ah, if only her Power was as inclined to heal, as it was to destroy.. Reluctantly, Winter slid her fingers from her temples, pressing her soft finger tips gently against the closed lids in a massaging motion. A short moment passed before she gave up on it completely, it only making matters worse, seemingly. Giving a soft groan, she dropped her hand and lifted her eyes upwards. Astonishingly to find Thor expectantly looking at her.
"Winter, will you-" Thor started, a hopeful look about his features before Loki cut him off shortly with a defensive look, "I believe that Winter will not be accompanying us, brother." Loki answered for her, as annoying as that was. Winter slowly raised an eyebrow, taking interest. "Oh ho ho? Winter most certainly is." She clarified, standing beside Thor with a flourish, resting a hand upon her hip with a cunning look to Loki.
Loki folded his hands behind his back, peering past his brother's large form to meet Winter's suspicious eye, "I imagined you had disapproved."
"I did, yes. But hell, we're all having a bonding moment here, planning on committing treason and whatnot." Winter gestured widely with a hand, "Besides," She practically purred with a cunning look, "Who'll keep you all in line if I'm not present? That, and deliver witty one liners."
"We have quite a number accompanying us, any more shall raise suspicion." Loki insisted.
"On the contrary, I'm the perfect excuse, and you know it." Winter argued smartly, lying a hand over her heart mock dramatically, "Why, I'm the traveling merchant that requires a bit of an escort for a matter unrevealed upon the planet Knowhere, they are having quite a bit of a.. Spat, over there, hence the guard and royal company for tries of peace." She dramatically raised her hand in a flourish as she spun her tale, "We take transportation to Jutonheim from there. Trivial little thing, I already have a man there who owes me a favor or two, he'll supply transportation." Winter shrugged wincing as she recalled an image of those damnably creepy features of his, "He's a make up eating creep of legendary magnitude, who's slightly obsessed with putting me in a glass case, but, regardless.."
"You need me, you'll find, for all of this to work." Winter convicted with a smug look dancing across her features, "Unless, of course, you're attached to the idea of telling Heimdall, and in effect, Odin, what you intend to do, when they can still stop you? No? I didn't think so. Besides," Winter tossed a hand's gesture to the last woman across the room, "Sif could do with some female company around here, you belching men are not particularly good conversationalists."
"I require no female company in particular.." Sif puzzled aloud, at a loss for how her gender had leaped into the conversation.
"As a woman, I shall decode what she means in terms that men shall understand. She means to say," Winter cleared her throat dramatically, holding up a finger as if decoding some ancient language, "Hell yes."
"It would be unwise-" Loki started with an indulgent look about him, peering at Winter thoughtfully.
"Who said you were wise?" Winter perked an eyebrow, a smirk spreading across her features crookedly. Loki gave a dark, sulky sort of glare her way, receiving a bright sort of grin back, punctuated by a quick wink of victory on her part.
"I fear we'll live to regret this." Sif sighed, saluting in an Asgardian manner before she and her group departed through the main entrance way at their backs. "If we're lucky." Thor answered good naturedly, laughter slamming down the hall in a charming nature pursuing the forms of the departing brothers in the company of the strange traveling merchant as they disappeared down the arched doorway rising across the large, open room of beautiful design.
-Author's Notes -
Thanks so much, Dukechick79, it's amazing to hear that someone out there is interested in this story, despite how alone it can seem sometimes :) This chapter's for you, because I would have stopped if you hadn't said anything.