Chapter 37:
"I have changed my mind. I want you to attend Thor's coronation."
"Ah, so you are trying to execute me after all." Odin shot him a heated look. "What? I fail to understand your thought process."
"The people should know that you intend to fight for them. What better way to show your loyalty than by being present at your brother's coronation and behaving."
Loki smirked at his father. "Oh I will be on my best behavior."
"Be sure you do; Wilhelmina and Alrik will also be attending."
The smirk disappeared. "No."
"Why not?"
"I should not have to explain the obvious danger in exposing my woman and half-breed son to the prejudice majority."
"Arrangements have already been made to ensure that they are safe." He placed a firm hand on Loki's shoulder. It was the first physical contact they had had in a very long time. "We are the royal family of Asgard. If we cannot stand together, the war has already been lost."
Xx
Though Loki agreed with his father, he was not at all surprised to find that the title of family had not been extended to Jane Foster. It also came as no surprise that his elder brother would be enraged by this.
"Jane has been with us for nearly a year, and you have yet to acknowledge her for who she is."
"And who is that?"
"The future queen of Asgard."
"I will not hear of it!" He held up a hand to prevent Thor from interrupting. "I have allowed her to stay because it made you happy, but now I see that it was a mistake."
"What are you saying?"
"Jane must return to Midgard. This is no place for a mortal, especially during these times."
Thor stood staring at his father for an alarming amount of time. He was almost shaking with the effort it took not to smash something. "Jane is not a distraction, I love her. She is my family and she will be at my coronation!"
Odin shot up from his seat. "Do not disobey me!"
"Is that a command? Is that your final command for me as king?!"
Odin said nothing, but stood fuming as Thor left the room.
Xx
For the second time, the city was cleared as the Asgardians made their way to Odin's castle, leaving Heimdall as the sole protector of the realm. It was a risk they were all willing to take, in the name of unity. But this ceremony would not be like the last. There was a new feeling that floated in the air. It wasn't the gleeful excitement that had almost risen to frenzy at the last botched coronation. There was anxiety, uncertainty and a secret hope that somehow today would bring relief from the fear that threatened to suffocate them all. It was the same fear that shook men from peaceful sleep and had women clinging to their children. There was little faith. There was only the wait.
They all filed into the throne room and stood before the massive stage, a buzzing crowd awaiting the royal procession. The sounds of horns introduced the royal advisors and the warrior's three; making up the head of the procession.
What they expected to come next was Loki, the king and queen, then finally Thor. They would not be prepared for who actually waited on the other side of the grand doors.
Xx
Wilhelmina and Jane stood on the other side of the doors, waiting for their turn to enter the hall. This had all been a last minute decision made by Thor and Loki, and it made them uneasy. They were not servants or wives; they were the lovers of the royal sons. Though they both knew that they held much more importance to the men, they feared that the Asgardians would not immediately see the value they did have.
Mina shifted Alrik to her other arm and smoothed back his black hair. She was relieved that he was so young and did not understand what was happening around him. She looked at Jane, in her beautiful gown, her hair pulled up into an intricate bun laced with white flowers. If she didn't know better, she would have thought she stood before an Asgardian woman. She finally asked the question that had been clawing at her mind for days.
"Why are you doing this?"
"What?"
"You don't have to do this. You don't have to be in the middle of this chaos."
"I know I don't."
They stood in silence for a long while before Jane spoke again.
"When I was little, I loved looking at the stars. Sometimes I would climb trees because it made me feel closer to them, and I've spent my entire life, my entire career studying them. But in the back of my mind, I knew there wasn't a tree tall enough to get me as close as I wanted to be. Not just to stars, but to the universe. Turns out I didn't have to try, because the universe came to me. Thor and this world are all the things I dreamt about. Don't get me wrong, I'm scared. I've never been this terrified but it feels right…and this is going to sound corny but: I think I was destined for this, and I'm not going to let Odin or Thanos take the universe away from me."
They heard the horns. It was time.
Mina smiled at her friend and took her hand. "Let's go."
The whispers began as soon as they walked through the doors, but they trained their eyes to look straight ahead.
Whore…trespasser…bitch…slaves…!
And then came Loki, surrounded by guards yet clearly visible in full armor. This time, thousands of people were brave enough to raise their voices, though most remained silent. Loki heard their harsh words as though they were being said directly into his ear.
Traitor...bastard…criminal…monster…!
Odin and Frigga were acknowledged with reserved and respectful applause, but the arrival of Thor was met with cheers, but he did not raise Mjolnir above his head in triumph, instead choosing to walk calmly with his head held high. He knelt before his father and said his vows to the realm, and when he rose, he turned to see the crowded room kneeling before him, their fists covering their hearts. But this was not what he wanted from them.
"Rise!" His voice seemed to easily carry across the room and he watched them stand to their feet. One thing was for certain, they were terrified, and it was now his job to reassure them. "I do not ask you to kneel before me this day, nor any day until the war is won, and your trust restored."
A moment's pause. It seemed no one was breathing. "This is a difficult era that will pass. It will be recorded in our history as a time where we put aside the differences that separated us, and came together and fought for our home."
Just then, Alrik let out a shrill cry and all eyes turned to see the boy leaning desperately out of his mother's arms and reaching for his father. A few feet away, Loki smiled and shook his head at him before placing a finger over his lips, effectively silencing him. And amazingly, for a second, the people were uncomfortable with how normal it was and not at all like the monstrous behavior they expected from a Jotun. For a second, he was just Loki.
Thor gestured toward him.
"Loki is my brother and he is a prince. I do not ask for you to forgive his wrongdoings, but to lay down your judgment and let him prove his allegiance by spilling his blood for you all in battle. There have been lies and there has been betrayal, but I stand before you as your king with a vow that I will protect this realm and rule it honestly and with all the strength that is within me."
He bowed his head for them and held his hand out for Jane, and together they began the long walk down the aisle that led back to the doors. Thunderous applause washed over them and Jane squeezed his hand and tried to hide her growing smile. The gallivanting and arrogant Thor Odinson had transcended into a sincere and powerful king that would carry the entire realm upon his shoulders.
Xx
Hours after the coronation Loki paced the floor slowly and quietly, a dozing Alrik cradled in his arms. His days usually consisted of negotiations, observations, and hours leaning over a map of Asgard and its troops. This was their nightly ritual, and he would have it no other way. He looked forward to these quiet moments, and Mina joked that she felt replaced. Loki had a new love.
Their peace was disrupted when a guard burst into the room. "I HAVE AN UR-"
Mina stepped in front of him, her eyes like daggers cutting into his flesh. "I know you are following orders but I promise, if you wake my baby, I'll turn you into a bilgesnipe."
There was an audible swallow that came from him. He lowered his voice. "I have an urgent letter from the king that he wants you to read immediately."
As soon as Mina took the letter, the guard retreated out of the room. She read the words quickly, Loki patiently waiting behind her.
"Oh gods…"
"What's wrong?"
She turned to him and he was surprised to see a huge and beautiful smile on her face.
"Thor and Jane are getting married…tonight."