Rise of the Champions - Chapter Twenty-Seven
Author: Milady Dragon
Thor slept badly, and it was not because he was in an unfamiliar bed.
Loki had been gone for weeks. There was no telling what his brother's madness would have driven him to. He tossed and turned, his imagination – while not the greatest of his strengths – teased him with scenarios during which Loki was the cause of many a type of chaos. Even as children, before madness had taken him away, his brother had been the author of many japes that had been on the verge of malicious. After he had gone mad, when he'd discovered his true parentage, that had morphed into something that had crossed into evil.
Thor had not known about what his father had done. His father had explained that he had had taken the infant Loki into their household as a hostage against the King of the Frost Giants, the Jotun, but had kept the child's origins secret, choosing instead to adopt him into their family as his younger son. Thor had not known a time when Loki had not been in his life, as his only brother, and he had loved him fiercely and, he'd believed, loved him well.
Perhaps he had been a little overbearing in many ways, but that had always been the way of things with him. Subtlety was not something at which Thor excelled.
He found himself roaming the halls of the Baronial Residence well before sunrise, the specter of his thoughts following him relentlessly. Memories of his childhood with Loki haunted him, as they had these last eleven years, wondering if he had done something wrong to cause his brother to abandon him and their Mother. He did not question why Loki would hold such a grudge against Odin; after all, from the very beginning, Father had lied to Loki about who he was and where he had come from. Yes, Mother had been complicit yet, at the same time, she also had not had all of the details of how their parents had gained a second son. Mother had said that she had come to believe that Father had had an illicit liaison behind her back, and that Loki was the product of that union. Odin had done nothing to dissuade her of that, perfectly willing to allow her to assume that of her husband.
Thor did not know what he was angrier about: the fact that Father had been so prone to that sort of behavior that Mother would have come to that conclusion in the first place; or that Father had allowed that conclusion to stand in the first place.
His wanderings took him out into the city. New Andrade was a modern metropolis, large and sprawling, a mighty seaport for both trade and for the warships of the Western Lands. The streets, at this time of night, were mostly deserted; only those whose employment had them up at these hours were about, and he was often greeted with nods and cheery calls of good morning, which he gladly returned. He had eschewed his armor, instead dressed in what would have been casual in Asgard: breeches, boots, and tunic, Mjolnir hanging from a loop on his belt, his hair tied back from his face with a leather thong. He most likely still resembled a stranger to the city, but that did not matter. What mattered was the relative solitude his meanderings brought and, if that solitude was disturbed at times by friendly folk out and about, Thor did not mind.
Thor disliked inaction, and that was what he was being forced to endure until some sign of Loki could be discovered. The Baronial Council had agreed with his appeal to join in whatever action was taken when Loki was found, for which Thor was quite grateful. They could have very easily refused him, as he was a stranger without much standing within their country, and yet they had overwhelmingly acceded to his request. It boded well for relations between the Western Lands and Asgard when Thor came to the throne of his own country.
However, Thor felt the need to act. He pondered his choices as his steps took him toward the outskirts of New Andrade, where many of the residents of the great city had their habitations, wanting to come up with a course that would allow him to be of some use. There was not much he could do, not until new intelligence came to the fore.
And yet, there was perhaps one thing he wished to do.
By the time he arrived back at the Baronial Residence, Thor believed that he knew what he would, indeed, do this thing.
The sun had risen, and the front of the Residence was bustling with the business of a new day. Thor took the steps up to the entrance, greeting and being greeted in return by workmen and soldiers and others who would have reason to be at the Baronial Residence at this time of the day. He had been out and about for hours, he realized that he had lost track of his time so lost in thought he'd been.
There was another person at the desk in the foyer, a young woman with brilliant red hair and cherubic features. Thor would have supposed her age at perhaps sixteen years, and yet she was in a position of protection and guard, and that would have spoken of her competency to sit in that chair.
She smiled, revealing a pair of rather fetching dimples. "Your Highness," she greeted, standing. That was when Thor was able to notice the wand and knife at her waist; the young woman was perhaps not as young as she appeared, as she would have had to have been a Master Wizard if she had been gifted that blade.
An inquisitive chirp sounded at somewhere around waist level, and Thor turned his attention to the dragon that had managed to sneak up on him. It was a brilliant green, with silvery eyes that shone with curiosity. With a smile, Thor reached down and carefully scratched the dragon on the muzzle. "You are quite a handsome one," he commented as the dragon cooed at the attention.
The Wizard chuckled. "Keep that up and Harper will follow you home." Her own grey eyes were as bright as her dragon's. "Is there something I can help you with, Prince Thor?"
"Indeed." Giving Harper one last pat, Thor straightened, giving his full attention to the Wizard before him. "I was in search of Master Richard. Can you help me in my task?"
She rolled her eyes fondly. "He's my father, and yes…I know exactly where he is at this time of the day." She offered her hand. "Mistress Alexis Castle, Great Order."
"Tis a pleasure, Mistress Alexis." Thor bent over her hand gallantly. "I would be most grateful if I may be allowed to speak to your father." He thought, perhaps, that Mistress Alexis would have been able to aid him as well; however, her father was Court Wizard, and the request should be made to him as ranking Wizard.
"Dad is either still in bed, or he's in his casting chamber, since this is a non-Court day," she continued, leading him away from the desk. Out of the corner of his eye, Thor noticed someone taking her place; it was Sir Kevin once more, and he gave a nod in passing. "However, Kate's out in the city so I'm pretty sure he isn't in bed." She smirked, as if enjoying an excellent joke.
Ah. Master Richard and Sir Kate were lovers. That was an interesting development. Thor had not noticed any sort of partiality between the two; that spoke well of their ability to compartmentalize their duties to the Baronial Court.
Mistress Alexis led him outside the Residence and then down the street. Thor was somewhat surprised that Master Richard's casting chamber was not within the Baronial Residence, it would mean that he would have to leave in order to perform his more powerful magicks. As if seeing his confusion, the young Wizard said, "When Dad's heavy into experimentation, he uses the casting chamber at home. Baroness Victoria has had to warn him about explosions within the official building…it tends to scare anyone who doesn't understand that magic can be rather…loud."
Now, that did make sense. Any sort of explosion could very well cause panic, visitors assuming that the Residence was under attack.
"Now, if Dad's writing," Mistress Alexis continued, adeptly avoiding a woman with five children who had chosen to take up the entirety of the width of the walkway, "then sometimes he'll go to his study in the Residence, although he complains that it's too easy for people to interrupt the flow, as it were. He hates being interrupted when he's working on one of his books."
"Your father is an author?" Thor did not have to pretend to be interested; storytellers in Asgard were very highly honored.
"He writes mysteries." Mistress Alexis looked proud. "His novels are bestsellers here in the Western Lands. It's how he met Kate – she's a former magistrate. It was how she'd paid her way through school, and she kept it up while working toward her Knights' Spurs. Dad was doing some research for a book, and he ran into her over the old case. That's also how they both met Baroness Victoria…she wasn't Baroness then, though."
Mistress Alexis continued chatting as they made their way down the street, Harper a green dot overhead. Thor laughed as she spoke of her father's misadventures, thoroughly entertained. Master Richard had had a storied past before rising to his current position of power, and Thor hoped to find one of his novels and read it at some point. When he said as much, Mistress Alexis told him to simply mention it to her father, and Master Richard would be glad to get him an autographed copy.
The house they were going to was not that far, which explained why Mistress Alexis had not bothered to Teleport them there. It was a three-story structure, built of red brick, almost as if it had once been some sort of storehouse. Thor found that more likely once they were within and out of the crowd; the interior of the lower floor was spacious, large windows letting in the sunlight and illuminating a living space that was furnished comfortably and not ostentatiously. A wooden staircase led into the upper levels, which Thor assumed were the sleeping areas. An expansive kitchen area was just off the living area, the entire residence open and pleasant to the flow of air.
There were also many bookcases, fairly stuffed with all sorts and sizes of reading material. There was a desk off to the side, where Master Richard must craft these mysteries that he was apparently so adept at.
It hardly seemed the abode for a Court Wizard, however Master Richard – through Mistress Alexis' tales – seemed not at all taken with the trappings of power. Which, in his opinion, was the best sort of high Court official.
"It's this way." Mistress Alexis ushered him toward a door in the far wall, one that was forged from steel and he assumed would have been strongly warded against intruders. However, his guide easily opened the door with a wave of her wand, revealing a well-lit staircase spiraling downward.
There was a rustling and, turning toward the sound, Thor noticed Master Richard's dragon curled upon one of the sofas, watching them quizzically. Then, upon recognizing Mistress Alexis, he sighed and laid back down, Harper joining him and sprawling across the larger dragon.
The stairs downward were steel, and Thor's bootsteps rang has he accompanied Mistress Alexis down into the bowels of the world. While Thor was not a Wizard himself, he was conversant of Wizard ways, and knew that excavating within the ground was for the protection of both Wizard and the people who lived around them. Accidents did occur, and the earth would swallow the damage done in the case of such accidents.
He could feel the tingle of magic around him as a charge in the air, much like the lightning he could summon with Mjolnir, only much fainter. Thor supposed that they were passing through the wards that had been placed about the casting chamber, and he doubted that he would have gone as far underground if not for Mistress Alexis guiding him and allowing him access.
"Hey, Dad," she called down in warning just before they reached the bottom of the circular staircase. There was no door leading into the chamber itself; however, the steel door at the top of the stairs would have been security enough against forcible entry.
There was a strange sound, and Master Richard's voice floated toward them, "Oops."
She laughed. "It's not like you couldn't have heard us."
"Us?" Master Richard's head peered around the opening leading into the chamber. "I thought those couldn't be your footsteps, sweetie. Prince Thor, welcome to our home." He stepped all the way into the archway, nodding his head in respect. He was wearing clothes that were obviously meant for work, clean yet there were old stains on the tunic and a hole at the hem, the trousers well-worn and slightly baggy. There was a small smear of something on his cheek, and he seemed unaware of its presence. "Sorry, I was working on a potion."
"I apologize for ruining your work, Master Richard." That had been that noise; Thor may not have ever seen a magical potion made, but he did understand that they were ruined easily, hours of work lost.
The Wizard waved it off. "No worries. It's not something that I was going to succeed at anyway, at least not the first time. Why don't we head back upstairs and you can let me know what I've done to earn the honor of a visit from the Prince of Asgard."
Thor let himself be ushered back up into the living area, where their conversation would be made in more comfortably surroundings.
"Can I get you something to drink?" Master Richard offered, once Thor was seated on the sofa not occupied by the two dragons, Mjolnir set on the floor at his feet. "It's a little early for wine, but I have a particularly nice vintage if you're interested. There's also coffee and tea."
"Coffee would be most welcome." He had become quite enamored of the potent drink during his last visit to the Western Lands. Asgard did not have the beverage, which was a terrible shame. He could not convince Odin to have it imported, and had to do with whatever he could have brought to him by traders who plied their wares south of the kingdom. He had yet to perfect the making of it himself, although the Lady Sif had become quite proficient.
"I've got it, Dad," Mistress Alexis offered. "You and Prince Thor can talk while I'm making it."
"Thanks, sweetie." He kissed the top of her head, and she rolled her eyes as she left them to go into the kitchen area. "Now," he seated himself in the chair nearest the sofa, "what can I do to help, Your Highness?"
"I have a favor to ask of you," he began, hoping it would be well-received and not cause insult.
"I'm not exactly sure what sort of favor I can do for you, but please. Ask away."
Thor took a breath, hoping he was not about to cause any sort of offence. "I would ask if it were possible for me to meet with Grand Master Phil Coulson."
On his ramble through the city, Thor had come to the conclusion that he would wish to meet the Wizard who he suspected had survived duel with Loki in person...although he had been told it had been another Wizard his brother had faced and defeated; this so-called Dark One, an evil Wizard so much worse than Loki himself that Baroness Victoria would believe that Loki had done the Western Lands a favor by killing him. While no one had come out and given him the name of this man, it had not been difficult to deduce from the small clues he had been given and despite the conversation he had been a part of, that explained what had occurred all those years ago.
He could not say why he was very nearly certain that Grand Master Phil Coulson and this Dark One were one and the same individual. He needed to take the measure of this man, this Wizard, to judge for himself what manner of person had managed to live facing Loki in combat, as what his instincts were telling him was indeed true.
Thor was not entirely certain of his beliefs in the matter, however, and he needed to know. As it was, how then, had a Wizard so cursed become the leader of his Order? It was yet another mystery he felt he needed to unravel. His mother had stated that this Wizard had survived, and had become highly placed within the Wizard's Guild, and she would be in a position to know of this.
He had received, as it was called, mixed signals, despite the certainty of those who seemed to be involved that the Dark One had, indeed, been killed.
Some of those mixed signals had come from the man sitting opposite him.
Master Richard's eyebrows rose. "May I ask…why would you want to? I mean, I'm not sure I understand the request."
There was something in his tone that communicated to the prince the he knew exactly why he was asking, and yet it was a confidence he could not confirm nor deny. Thor knew of the laws of the Wizard's Guild, and had to assume that this information would somehow break one of those laws.
And so, he decided to be forthright with Master Richard, to explain exactly what he'd guessed about the Grand Master's connection to Loki.
"I do believe he is the one that Loki was to have killed in ritual duel, despite hearing to the contrary," Thor replied, "and yet he lived. If Grand Master Phil Coulson is indeed this one, then his life is undoubtably at risk from Loki." He sighed. "My brother does not take defeat easily."
Master Richard blew out a breath. "I don't know Grand Master Phil, so I wouldn't be able to introduce him to you." Indeed, he did not confirm nor deny Thor's suppositions, which spoke volumes to the Prince. The Wizard's expression flickered between so many emotions Thor could not read any of them.
Thor was disappointed by this, although he had considered it may be the case.
"However," the Wizard continued, "I can contact my own Grand Master, Stephen Strange, and see what he can do. I can't promise anything, but if you're determined to meet with Grand Master Phil then he would be the one to talk to about it. Although, I can't say if he really is who you think he is."
Thor felt that he knew he just had confirmed it, but could not say it aloud. Perhaps he had sworn some form of vow of secrecy over the events of the past, especially if this story of the Grand Master being once so evil was in truth. "That would be most kind, Master Richard. I would be grateful to you if you would not mind interceding on my behalf with your Grand Master Stephen."
"Come on, then." Master Richard stood. "My mirror is just over here."
It was a plain-seeming mirror, hung upon the wall by the desk. It looked to be a simple piece of silver-backed glass without frame, and there was nothing that told of its magical nature.
Master Richard stood in front of the mirror, muttering under his breath. As Thor watched, the mirror became murky with fog that flowed across the surface of it like a cold night on the border of Asgard and Jotun, the mist icy against bare skin.
And then, the mirror cleared, and it no longer reflect back the image of Master Richard and his home. Instead, the room that now shone within it was some sort of library, with many books on many levels within the depths of the magical glass.
It took some time for anyone to appear within the mirror, long enough for Thor to begin to wonder if anyone was at home. The man who stepped into sight was rotund, his dark hair shaved close to his head, facial features marking him as from the Eastern Empires. His clothes were dark, and plain, and his expression was one of irritation, as if he had been interrupted during important business.
"Yes?" the man answered gruffly.
Master Richard did not seem to take offence by this man's rudeness. "Master Wong," he greeted the stranger, a tiny smirk on his face as if this Wizard's attitude was amusing. "Is Grand Master Stephen available?"
"No." If it were possible, this Master Wong sounded even ruder than before. "He's off on Guild business. I'll tell him you called."
"Actually, just tell him that Prince Thor of Asgard wants to get an introduction to Grand Master Phil." Thor moved into sight of the man in the mirror, showing himself in proof of Master Richard's behest.
Master Wong sighed, his dark eyes darting toward Thor and then rolling in exasperation. "Now I'm a glorified scribe. Very well. I am expecting him back soon. I will give him that message."
"Thanks. Prince Thor can hang around here until Grand Master Stephen gets back. Just have him call my mirror."
Master Wong did not respond. The mirror's surface turned to fog once more, and Master Richard turned away from it. "Well, that went better than usual."
Thor cocked his head quizzically. "He is an unfriendly sort."
"Yeah, but that's just Wong, he doesn't like anyone. To be fair, he was actually pretty laid back this time. He's not one for fuzzy feelings."
"He will pass along the message to Grand Master Stephen?" Thor did not wish to doubt someone he had yet to meet; however, Master Wong had been a surly individual and the prince was not certain of his word in this matter.
Master Richard waved off his concerns. "Master Wong can be an ass, but he's trustworthy. If he said he'd pass along the message, then he will."
He chose to trust the Wizard in this. "Very well, I shall await the call."
"Then, let's enjoy our coffee while we wait. I hope you don't mind, but I have some questions about Asgard that I'd love to ask."
"Not at all. I shall enjoy answering them. And, if you have no objection, I should like to know more about the Western Lands." After all, anything that brought about understanding between their two countries would only be for the good. "And about these novels that Mistress Alexis say you are adept at writing."
The Wizard's face brightened. "Sounds like an even trade. Come on, have a seat, the coffee smells like it's almost done."
Thor was of the distinct impression that his day was going to be even more enjoyable than he'd believed when he'd been unable to sleep and had gone roaming New Andrade.
