The far-off sounds of a battle echo in the depths of the palace below. Sif and the Warriors Three reach for their weapons, as Thor races from the hall. Thor enters, then stares shocked at the sight before him. Sif, the Warriors Three, and Loki hurry in behind Thor and stop short. Shattered and melting ice is strewn about the floor. We don't see the blue-skinned bodies of the Frost Giants clearly, just catch glimpses of their twisted and smoldering remains on the floor. They've just lost a savage battle. Badly. Amidst them, shrouded in shadow, stands the black metal creature, a fiery glow coming from within it. It's The Destroyer.. It holds the Casket in its hands.
"The Destroyer." Sif Announced.
"I thought it was but a legend." Volstagg praised.
Odin steps in behind the Asgardians, as the Destroyer sets the Casket back on its pedestal. It moves back to its post,the faint, fiery glow extinguishes within it.
Fandral looks around the Vault, ill at ease.
"I've never been inside the Vault before. It's said the Tesseract was once held here." Fandral reported.
"The Tesseract? I thought that was but a legend too!" Volstagg proclaimed.
"Shush!" Sif hissed at the Warriors three. Odin surveys the destruction.
"The Jotuns must pay for what they've done!" Thor barked.
"They have paid with their lives. The Destroyer did its job, and the Casket is safe. All is well." Odin answered in a level way.
"All is well?!" They broke into the Weapons Vault! If the Frost Giants had stolen even one of these relics-"
"But they didn't."
"I want to know why they-"
"The Casket of Ancient Winters belonged to the Jotuns. They believe it's their birthright."
"And if you hadn't taken it from them they would have laid waste to all the Nine Realms!"
"I have a truce with Laufey, the Jotun King."
"He just broke your truce! We must act!"
Odin turns to Sif and the Warriors Three. "Leave us." Odin said with firm persistence. Thor's comrades exit. Odin eyes Thor, as Loki watches.
"And what action would you take?"
"March into Jotunheim as you once did, teach them a lesson, break their spirits so they'll never dare try to cross our borders again!" Thor proposed.
"You're thinking only as a warrior!" Odin scolded Thor.
"This was an act of war!" Thor declared.
"It was the act of but a few, doomed to fail." Odin explained.
"They got this far!" Thor proclaimed.We will find the breach in our defenses. It will be found, and it will be sealed. "As King of Asgard, I would-"
"You are not King!" Odin retorted. "Not yet."
Thor sees in his father's face that he's pushed this as far as he can. He backs away, then leaves, pushing through the doors so hard that they slam backwards behind him. Odin watches him go. As Loki goes to follow Thor his mother pulls him to the side.
"I really need to speak with you." Frigga insisted. "You are getting of age."
"What is it mother?" Loki wondered what could be this important.
"I saw how lonely you were as a child and I made a spell to find you a true love." Frigga answered.
"Mother you didn't." Loki doubted with all his might that his mother didn't do it.
"No mother ever wants to see her child sad and lonely I have the power to change that so I did." Frigga avowed. "I was having second thoughts about it when you got older but Before I could stop it your name and her's was already written in the stars."
"How will I know?" Loki questioned.
"When you see her you'll know you'll feel it." Frigga replied.
"Is there no way to brake it." Loki asked.
"Do you really want to. This spell can not be broken it's for eternity, she will love you for who you are not who you are going to be." Frigga proclaimed with a small smile and walks away leaving a dumbfound Loki.
Thor stands in the empty hall, bearing the signs of the festivities cancelled due to the events of the day. Anger and frustration rising within him, Thor upends one of the massive tables. From across the room, as Loki walks in.
Sif, Fandral, and Hogun follow Volstagg as he enters in search of his dinner.
"Redecorating, are we?" Sif wondered.
Volstagg surveys the overturned tables and food, aghast. "What's this – ?!" Volstagg stammered.
"I told you they'd cancel it." Hogun commented.
We thought that was just you being your normal cheery self." Fandral joked.
Volstagg looks about the floor, despairing.
"All this food – so innocent, cast to the ground. It breaks the heart!" Volstagg mourned.
Thor strides away from them to the far end of the hall. Loki calmly moves towards him. "It's unwise to be in my company right now, brother." Thor warned Loki.
"Who said I was wise?" Loki questioned Thor.
"This was to be my day of triumph." Thor claimed with a gloomy sigh.
"It will come. In time…If it's any consolation, I think you're right. About the Frost Giants, about Laufey, everything. If a few of them could penetrate the defenses of Asgard once, who's to say they won't try again. Next time with an army?" Loki explained.
"Yes, exactly!" Thor shouted.
"But there's nothing we can do without defying Father." Loki noted. Thor considers this, looks at his hammer, a gleam in his eye.Loki can guess what he's thinking, grows concerned. "No… stop there! I know that look!" Loki voiced.
"It's the only way to ensure the safety of our borders." Thor commented.
"It's madness!" Loki avowed.
"Madness? What sort of madness?" Volstagg Chimed in.
"Nothing! Thor was making a jest!" Loki replied to Volstagg.
"The safety of our Realm is no jest. We're going to Jotunheim." Thor Announced.
"What?!" Fandral questioned.
"Thor, of all the laws of Asgard, this is one you must not break." Sif disclosed. Loki
looks on, intrigued by the proceedings.
"This isn't like a journey to Earth, where you summon a little lightning and thunder and the mortals worship you as a god. This is Jotunheim." Fandral commented.
"And if the Frost Giants don't kill you, your Father will!" Volstagg exclaimed.
"My father fought his way into Jotunheim, defeated their armies,and took their Casket! We'd just be looking for answers." Thor informed everyone.
"It is forbidden!" Sif implied.
Thor sizes up his friends,smiles. He proceeds to make his case with enthusiasm and charismatic conviction. "My friends, have you forgotten all that we've done together?" Thor questioned as he turns to Fandral. "Who brought you into the sweet embrace of the most exotic maidens in all of Yggdrasil?" Thor wondered.
"You did." Fandral stated.
"Who led you into the most glorious of battles…" Thor said to Hogun."And to delicacies so succulent,you thought you'd died and gone to Valhalla?" Thor said to Volstagg.
"You did." Volstagg and Hogun said at the same time.
He turns to Sif. "And who proved wrong all who scoffed at the idea that a young maiden could be one of the fiercest warriors this Realm has ever known?"Thor wondered.
"I did." Sif replied.
"True. But I supported you…" Thor said swiftly then turns to the others. "My friends, trust me now. We must do this." The others exchange concerned looks, realize there's no convincing him. "Come on. You're not going to let my brother and me take all the glory, are you?" Thor wandered.
Loki looks startled."What?" Loki asked.
"You are coming with me…" Thor trailed off.
"Yes, of course! I won't let my brother march into Jotunheim alone. I will be at his side." Loki declared.
"And I." Volstagg answered.
"And I" Fandral answered.
"And I. The Warriors Three fight together." Hogue shared.
"I fear we'll live to regret this." Sif made public.
"If we're lucky." Volstagg shrugged.
Thor, Sif, Loki, and the Warriors Three walk from the Palace,across the grounds. They reach a group of attendants who ready their battle gear for their journey.Loki slips away from the group, to speak to a nearby Guard and Hogun notices.
"We must first find a way to get past Heimdall." Thor stated.
"That will be no easy task. It's said the Gatekeeper can see a single dew drop fall from a blade of grass a thousand worlds away." Volstagg explained.
"And he can hear a cricket passing gas in Niffelheim." Fandral mocked.
"Jest not! He heareth all!" Volstagg proclaimed.
"Please. Getting past him should be simple enough now, since he seems to be letting Frost Giants sneak by under his nose." Fandral scoffed.
Volstagg, terrified, calls out to the sky. "Forgive him! He meaneth no offense!" Volstagg cried out.
Loki rejoins the group as Thor leads them onward. Thor and his band of adventurers, on horseback, pass through the massive Gate, leaving Asgard behind. They ride along the most astounding path in this Realm or any other The Rainbow Bridge. Wide and flat, it runs straight out from Odin's palace to the mists and black void of space beyond. In the distance far ahead, the Bridge continues on until it reaches Heimdall's Observatory. The band draws near the Observatory, where Heimdall himself, Gatekeeper of Asgard, stands at his post on the Bridge before them, blocking their way, staring them down. There is something other-worldly about him, even for this Realm. He holds a massive sword in front of him, his stern, intimidating face virtually concealed by armor. Something glints beneath his visor, like twinkling stars.
"Keep your weapons sheathed and your mouths closed. This is going to take subtlety and sincerity, not brute strength. Leave it to me."
Loki said as he dismounts and steps forward.
"Good Heimdall–"
"You're not dressed warmly enough." Heimdall disclosed. Thor, Loki, and the others trade looks.
"I'm sorry?" Loki voiced.
"The freezing cold of Jotunheim. It will kill you all in time, even Thor." Heimdall informed them. "You think you can deceive me? I, who watch all? I, who can sense the flapping of a butterfly's wings a thousand worlds away?" He fixes his eyes pointedly at Fandral. "Or can hear a cricket passing gas in Niffelheim?" Heimdall declared firm persistence.
Fandral looks gob-smacked. "That was just a bit of a jest,really…" Fandral trailed off.
"You must be mistaken. We're not–" Loki started.
"Enough." Thor said taking a step forward in front of Loki. "Heimdall, may we pass?" Thor Asked.
Heimdall stares him down. "For ages have I guarded Asgard and kept it safe from those who would do it harm. In all that time, never has an enemy slipped by my watch – until this day. I wish to know how that happened." Heimdall answered.
"Then tell no one where we've gone until we've returned." Thor replied walking past Heimdall as the Gatekeeper lets the group pass.
Volstagg walks beside the frustrated Loki, needles him. "What happened? Your silver tongue turn to lead?" Volstagg mocked.
"Get me off this bridge before it cracks under your girth." Loki told.
Thor and the others enter the Observatory, step onto a platform. Heimdall climbs into the large control apparatus at the center of the room and readies the Observatory.
"Be warned. I will honor my sworn oath to protect this Realm as its Gatekeeper. If your return threatens the safety of Asgard, Bifrost will remain closed to you. You'll be left to die in the cold wastes of Jotunheim." Heimdall Announced.
"I have no plans to die today." Thor proclaimed.
"None do." Heimdall noted as he inserts his sword into the control panel, and the apparatus of the Observatory starts up.
The Bifrost energy quickens along the Bridge, feeding into the Observatory. Heimdall turns his sword in the control panel. The Observatory's giant turret swings around, aims toward a section of space. As a final step, Heimdall plunges his sword deeper into the control panel. The great turret Fires, the rainbow light of Bifrost energy blasts out of it.The Bifrost opens at the end of the platform upon which Thor and his five comrades stand.
"All is ready. You may pass." Heimdall Announced.
"Couldn't you just leave the bridge open for us?" Volstagg wondered.
"To keep this bridge open would unleash the full power of the Bifrost and destroy Jotunheim with you upon it." Heimdall informed them.
"Ah. Never mind, then.." Volstagg trailed off.
Thor starts towards the Bifrost, turns back to the others,grins. "Come on. Don't be bashful."
The others join him at his side, then step towards the Bifrost. Their bodies stretch towards the maelstrom, changing shape, as if every atom of their being is being elongated by the pull of it. In an instant, they're jerked off the platform and inside the vortex. A hole in the sky rips open, and the Bifrost comes shooting out of it. Snow flurries up when the Bifrost hits, as Thor and his band touch down. RUNES from the Bifrost are imprinted on the ice around them. Volstagg loses his footing, falling backwards. Thor quickly grabs him by the belt. We see the warrior dangling precariously on the edge of a sheer cliff on the planet's inner ring, opening up to the black abyss of space beyond.
"Come on, big fella. Up…!" Thor told Volstagg.
With an effort, Thor pulls the burly warrior back onto the ice and, tremendously relieved,Volstagg proclaims."This belt! This belt is now my lucky belt! I will never remove it! Even when bathing!"
"You bathe?" Fandral Asked.
Thor and the others turn and stare out in horror and wonder at the frozen alien wasteland before them. The whole planet is a massive flattened ring of jagged ice, slowly breaking apart. Huge chunks of ice calve away from its outer edges and float off into space. The planet's icy surface cracks and melts as far as the eye can see. The ruins of a Jotun city lies in the distance.
"We shouldn't be here." Hogun disclosed.
"Too late now." Thor replied.
"Actually, it's not. We could turn right around, hop back to Asgard, share a mug by the fire. Could be nice." Fandral verified.
Thor ignore him, heads off. Loki looks around, anxious. "Perhaps we should wait." Loki Chimed in.
Thor turns back to his brother. "For what?" Thor Asked in a dry tone.
"To survey the enemy. To gauge their strengths and weaknesses from a distance." Loki answered
"I'm liking that. Gauging, surveying. Particularly the distance part." Volstagg agreed with Loki.
"We know all we must. It's time to act." Thor said impatiently as he on. Reluctantly, the others follow.
"He's just got to swing his hammer…" Sif disclose.
The group trudges behind Thor across the frozen wasteland, shielding themselves from the howling wind and cold. Loki looks around them, anxious. Volstagg shivers.
Thor, invigorated, turns back to his comrades.
"It feels good, doesn't it? To be together again, adventuring on another world?" Thor questioned.
"Adventuring? Is that what we're doing?" Fandral murmured.
"What would you call it?" Thor Insisted.
"Freezing."
"Starving."
"Whining."
"How about a song to lift our spirits?" Thor asked and the others groan.
"No, not that!." Hogun voiced.
"Please don't make us sing again!." Sif insisted.
"If I have to listen to Volstagg'ssinging voice one more time, I'll fall on my own sword!." Fandral declare.
"Well, now I'm on board." Sif stated as she and Thor share a grin.
The party reaches the edge of the city – its ancient structures of jade and ice melting and crumbling, ravaged by warfare long ago. A Temple lies before them, across a central plaza.
"Where are they?" Sif questioned.
"Hiding. As cowards always do." Thor replied as him leads the others onwards towards the central plaza.
Loki reluctantly follows. They don't notice as shadowy figures move in the shadows of the structures nearby. The party reaches the plaza. They sense the Frost Giants in the shadows and crevices, surrounding them now on all sides. The Asgardians reach for the hilts of their weapons.
A Jotun Sentry calls to him. "What is your business here, Asgardian?" The Jotun's voice itself sounds like cracking ice.
"I speak only to your King. Not to his foot soldiers." Thor answered
"Then speak." Jotun Sentry replied.
Thor turns towards the source in a balcony of the temple, where Laufey sits, veiled in shadow, behind a cascading waterfall. The Jotun King is ancient, noble, powerful – too proud to reveal even a hint of the years of suffering he and his people have endured.
"I am Laufey, King of this Realm." Laufey Announced.
"And I am–" Thor started.
"We know who you are, Odinson. Why have you brought the stench of your blood into my world?" Laufey questioned.
"I demand answers." Thor replied with firm persistence.
Laufey stands, sizing up Thor, tries to piece this together. "You "demand?" Laufey grinned.