"The king is hardly with him alone," Lieutenant-General Yngvarr told him. "General Týr is with him along with a full complement of guards, and King Loki has Gungnir as well as all of his own seiðr. On top of that, the talks are taking place on Niflheimr, so the jötnar would be stuck if they did attempt anything. Your brother will be fine."

The words cooled Thor's anger somewhat, but they did not extinguish it entirely. He still did not like the idea of Loki meeting with Laufey and other frost giants without him. The Einherjar, even the king's guards, did not know his brother and his tricks like he did. Loki was always pulling strange and unexpected ploys, thinking his seiðr would protect him and Thor had to interfere on most occasions to ensure Loki was not harmed. If his brother did something like that without him there to save him... Thor hated to think of what might happen. And instead of being there to help his little brother, he was stuck here instead.

"I think I'm beginning to see why your coronation was called off," Lady Agent Hill commented, looking at him. "You are far too reactive to make a good leader."

The words stung and Thor physically drew back from them; shocked. He hardly even knew Lady Agent Hill for an hour, how could she feel able to make such an assessment already? Besides, this was hardly a normal situation! His anger rose within him, but before Thor could give voice to it, the man of Fury was speaking again.

"So your king is seeking peace once more?"

"Aye," Lord Birgir confirmed. "A war of the kind like the last between Ásgarðr and Jötunheimr is not what anyone needs, and it could be even more disastrous than the first war. We may have been more punitive than we realized at the end of the last war, taking something from the jötnar which was thought to be simply a symbol of their power and their only means off-world. In reality, it turns out 'twas also vital for the health of their Realm and the very survival of their species. Without it, both the jötnar and Jötunheimr have been slowly dying this last millennium."

Thor blinked at the words, shocked. He had heard the stories of the war, countless times as he had used to beg the warriors and his father to tell them over and over again, so both he and Loki could act them out; being the brave æsir warriors fighting the frost giant monsters. Only they would go all the way and slay all of them so they could never rise again.

This was something Thor had never heard before. He was certain no one had ever mentioned that either the frost giants or Jötunheimr were dying. He knew he would have remembered it as it would have ruined all of his fantasies! Suddenly Lady Sif's words came back to him, and his eyes grew wide.

"The Casket of Ancient Winters," Thor whispered.

"Aye," Lieutenant-General Yngvarr confirmed, but there was also a warning in his gaze and Thor swallowed back what he wanted to say.

"You punished them too harshly and only made the situation worse; the jötnar more desperate," the son of Coul realized.

"Aye," Yngvarr replied. "You have experience of this?"

"Germany after World War One," Lady Agent Hill said. "We and our allies were too harsh on them, and we made them desperate enough they elected a true tyrant to power. It led to World War Two, which was even worse than the first."

"'Tis what we are seeking to prevent," Lord Birgir said. "Give them enough to begin to rebuild, and perhaps create the beginnings of a new relationship which can lead to more over the course of the next few centuries and millennia."

"And should they use the opportunity provided to attack Earth again?" the man of Fury demanded.

"Then we will come to your aid once more," Lord Birgir promised. "King Loki will consolidate Ásgarðr's role as protectorate of Mið- Earth. To attack you would be seen as an attack on Ásgarðr."

"Make no mistake," Lieutenant-General Yngvarr added. "Though King Loki does not wish for war, he will fight if Jötunheimr does more than merely declare war verbally. Prince Thor can confirm his brother is a skilled warrior and talented tactician."

"Aye," Thor agreed, though he would not have worded it so strongly.

Battle skills were not his brother's strength.

"As I understood it, there has already been an attack on Ásgarðr," the son of Coul said.

"A mere incursion by three warriors, all of whom died in the attempt," Birgir explained. "We have no proof they acted with official permission and the means they used to do so was opportunistic and cannot be used again. King Óðinn was happy to leave the matter there and, while King Loki agrees, it will be used in the negotiations as it shows the first actions were Jötunheimr's, though 'twas not what led to the declaration of war."

"What was?"

"That would be my response," Thor admitted. "I took Lady Sif, the Warriors Three and Loki to Jötunheimr to demand answers from Laufey. It... did not end well."

"King Loki went with you?" the man of Fury asked.

"He was not yet king and he attempted to extract us peacefully," Thor explained. "He nearly succeeded as Laufey was initially willing to let us go."

"So what changed?" Lady Agent Hill inquired.

Thor looked down. "I responded to a provocation and battle ensued."

"I assume there were casualties."

"Not on our side, only injuries," Yngvarr said. "On their side, however, King Loki estimates there might have been nearly three hundred slain."

"Three hundred!" the son of Coul exclaimed. "But you were with, what? Six?"

"Aye," Thor confirmed.

"How?"

"Mjǫllnir can be a powerful weapon if wielded correctly," Lord Birgir told them, reluctantly. "And all six are skilled warriors, some of our best."

"But you would still imprison four of them with Ásgarðr on the brink of war?" the man of Fury questioned skeptically.

"A warrior who commits treason is of no use," Lieutenant-General Yngvarr stated. "And they can do more damage than good if they refuse to obey at a critical time."

"So you want us to trust you to keep the jötnar away from us and to let Thor go?" Lady Agent Hill checked.

"Aye, please," Lord Birgir responded.

"And how will we know if the peace talks succeed?" Director Fury asked.

"If you would like, we can send an emissary once they have been completed."

"If you promise they will not be attacked or taken captive," Lieutenant-General Yngvarr added.

"If all they do is come to speak with us, then I can promise that. Will they come here?"

"They can, or they can appear elsewhere," Birgir replied. "The Bifröst can reach any place on Miðgarðr, you need merely tell us where as H- our gatekeeper can see where you are at the time and send the emissary there."

"Yes, about that, we are not comfortable with an all-seeing person watching us," Director Fury stated. "Can he not look to Earth?"

"Nay, I am sorry, but the gatekeeper is a vital position in order for the Bifröst to function. It can only be opened from Himinbjörg and so, for people to be able to return home to Ásgarðr or for others to visit, the gatekeeper must be able to see and hear into other Realms. Without that ability, we would only be able to send people away from Ásgarðr and not retrieve them without a serious security risk," Lord Birgir explained.

"'Tis also how we were able to tell Laufey-King had invaded Miðgarðr before," Yngvarr added. "And why the other Realms have left you alone, as they knew any incursion on their part here will be seen and met with the full force of Ásgarðr's might."

"What I don't understand is why you care about such incursions."

"We wish to see peace within the Nine Realms and, as one of the planets on the Yggdrasill, that includes Miðgarðr."

"And if we weren't on this world tree of yours?" Lady Agent Hill questioned. "Would you care?"

Lord Birgir smiled. "Agent Hill, the universe is vast and inhabited by countless quadrillions of beings of all manner of descriptions. Even Ásgarðr could not hope to protect all of it, nor would we wish to. But the Yggdrasill ties nine particular Realms tightly together and we are all bound to one fate. Should the Yggdrasill die, we would all perish. Therefore we are naturally more concerned with the other eight of the Nine Realms."

"I still don't understand how this supposed tree is meant to exist or work. It makes no sense."

"Ah, I am not well versed enough in the magical arts to be able to explain it."

"But you still believe it exists?" the man of Fury asked, skeptically.

"Do you only believe in that which you can fully explain? Or are you satisfied with what someone else from your Realm can explain, and of which you have seen ample proof yourself?"

"I can think of a few things," Lady Agent Hill admitted.

"Mostly Stark's," the son of Coul muttered, making Lady Agent Hill laugh.

"If you would like, I can inquire and see if someone more versed in knowledge of the Yggdrasill is willing to come explain it to you," Lord Birgir offered.

"You would share that? It sounds like it would be valuable information," Director Fury said.

"Simply because you know of the Yggdrasill does not mean you can necessarily affect it. There are very few people ever who have even been powerful enough to do so, and most are figures of myth and legend even to us. Nay, 'tis more in the larger aspects that the Yggdrasill is important, like Miðgarðr as a whole, and 'tis there the knowledge should be freely accessible to all."

"And you wouldn't require anything in return?"

"An exchange would not be required, though it would be beneficial if you would like to continue contact with Ásgarðr now it has been reestablished."

"And if we want contact with the other seven Realms? Or six if we ignore Jötunheimr."

"It could be considered, but I would caution you to think over it carefully. Once you make it known Miðgarðr has moved on to that form of contact and communication with other Realms, it will be hard to take it back and word will spread far beyond the Nine of your planet."

"And you think that would be bad?" Lady Agent Hill asked.

"Even we do not know all that is out there as the galaxies are large and very well populated. We believe some of Ásgarðr's greatest enemies of old may yet exist out there, and some of them may see Miðgarðr as an easier and more convenient way to attempt to access the Yggdrasill than any of the other eight Realms belonging to the World Tree."

"It sounds like you're trying to scare us into agreeing with you," Director Fury stated.

"Not at all, but there is a reason why Ásgarðr made Miðgarðr its protectorate and, though you have evolved much in recent centuries, there are still species with far superior technology who would not hesitate to take advantage of you," Lord Birgir replied.

"So all of this pretty much boils down to your asking us to release Thor, take your word on the fact that those who attacked my people will be punished, get some... what was it called again?"

"Weregeld," the son of Coul said.

"Right, weregeld, and a promise to let us know how the peace negotiations with Jötunheimr go. Oh, and to see if someone will come explain the Tree World to us," the man of Fury summarized.

"That sounds accurate," Lord Birgir said. "I would also add that in returning Prince Thor now, you would also be making a gesture of good will to Ásgarðr's future king."

Thor nearly winced at the words. If he ever managed to regain his titles and powers, neither of which was for certain at present. Besides, if Loki somehow managed to broker a new peace treaty with Jötunheimr, Father might decide Loki would make a better king and make him heir. It would be highly unconventional, but entirely possible. The mere thought left a bad taste in his mouth and he could not imagine having his little brother as his king.

A small, dark part of his mind could not help but wonder if this had been Loki's plan all along. Lady Sif had said his brother likely had a plan and it definitely rang true for Thor. Loki always had a plan, plans within plans normally, to the point where 'twas both exhausting and almost pointless to try to figure them all out as the very process of doing so could affect and alter the nuances that they were.

"Very well," the man of Fury finally decided. "But you tell King Loki we are not a penal colony and we don't want any more of your people dumped here as punishment, do you understand?"

"I will be certain to relay the message to the king and ensure King Óðinn is informed of it when he wakes as well."

The footsteps of Loki's security escort echoed through the empty stone halls as they walked the corridors of the old negotiating temple on Niflheimr. Loki wore the same outfit he had the first day of his reign, but he had put a series of warming spells on the cloak, knowing this one was more impressive than his best warrior outfit. The royal tailors were working on another outfit for tomorrow, but for today this would do, even if he had noticed more than one of the others shivering when they had glanced his way. They had warmed the place slightly, but because of the temperature range the jötnar felt most comfortable at, they could not do so any more than they already had.

"Your Majesty," Lord Aðalgrímr greeted as they entered the main hall.

"Lord Aðalgrímr, General Týr," Loki replied, glancing around the chamber.

As the temple had been designed with the jötnar and eldþursar in mind, not only were all the ceilings high and the entryways wide, but this chamber had been built with a split-level floor. The left half of the hall was set a good few feet lower than the right half and the main table passed the two with a level top and different length legs so everyone could sit at it comfortably. The chairs, of course, were of different sizes on the two halves of the chamber. The table had been dressed with a two toned cloth. Traditionally Ásgarðr would have been represented with his father's gold to sit alongside Laufey-King's blue, but someone had changed the gold to green, probably Lord Aðalgrímr. Loki approved as 'twas another simple and minimal reminder things were different now than they had been before. It also lent more credence to the impression they wished to foster that Loki might be chafing under the weight of being the second prince, under both his father and brother.

Elegant stone chalices stood on the table at each seat alongside empty rolls of parchment and writing materials of various sizes and types. A smaller table stood off to the side and held a variety of beverages and food, mostly hot on the æsir side and cold on the jötnar end. Behind each end of the table, the wall was decked with a nearly full-length banner of each realm. The one for Ásgarðr had clearly been made anew the last few days as Óðinn's name and sigils had been replaced with Loki's and his eyes paused on it for a moment. It felt odd and nearly disconcerting to see; yet something else he had never expected to transpire. A strange part of Loki wanted to ensure he obtained the banner after the talks, as it likely would never be used again and a lot of artists would have worked on it the last few days to ensure 'twas finished on time. Especially since it had correctly used his favorite symbol. Loki strongly suspected Livunn's hand in that.

Laufey-King's banner had likely been pulled out of long-term storage and Loki could only hope 'twas still accurate. At least it still looked good, the colors bright and the silver and white thread gleaming. Immediately underneath the banners and slightly to the side of the heads of the table were another set of smaller tables. These oft held items pertaining to the negotiations and 'twas here Loki moved towards, the Casket of Ancient Winters held before him in his gloved hands. It would have been easier to put it in his pocket dimension for the trip over, but Loki felt he had already revealed enough of his abilities to the rest of the High Council and the Einherjar for now. So he had simply covered it for the ride to the Bifröst and carried it from there. Niflheimr's cold gave him the perfect excuse not to touch it with his bare hands, so he did not even have to expend any seiðr to disguise its effects on him either.

Loki placed the Casket on the small table and stepped back as two guards moved into position on either side of it. Their job was solely to guard the Casket of Ancient Winters. If anything were to happen, they were supposed to take it and run for the nearest exit in order for Höðr to extract them. Loki did not think it would come to that, but it had reassured General Týr's worries to have the plan in place, so he had not said anything. Besides, Loki did like having backup plans in place, so he could understand the sentiment.

The blue light of the Casket of Ancient Winters cast odd shadows on his banner and Loki appreciated the irony. All the more so because he knew it would be lost on everyone else.

"It feels very strange to see it out of the vault after so long," General Týr stated as he came up to Loki.

"'Tis the only place I have ever seen it," Loki replied.

"Right, aye, I forgot."

Loki's lips twitched, unable to think of precisely what might be running through General Týr's mind right now. By æsir standards, Loki was still considered very young, though he had officially reached his majority not too long ago. Even Thor was young and had still been underage the last time their father had succumbed to the Óðinnsleep, hence the reason his brother had never been regent before. It would have been far better if Thor had, as then most of the issues would have come out sooner and Óðinn would have known what his heir needed further training in.

"Feeling old, General?" Loki teased.

"Nay," the man scowled. "Simply remembering how very young you are."

"I assume the guard chambers are ready too?"

"Aye," Lord Aðalgrímr confirmed. "And fully stocked with food and drinks which are jötnar compatible."

"In theirs, ours has hot food and drinks to unfreeze our people," General Týr muttered, eyeing Loki's cloak. "Is that warm enough, my King?"

"Seiðr, General."

"Ah, of course."

"The jötnar party should be coming now," Lord Aðalgrímr informed them.

"Let us hope this works," Loki said as he made his way to the æsir head of the table, taking Gungnir back from the guard who had held it while he carried the Casket of Ancient Winters.

"If it does, we will be making history," Lord Aðalgrímr replied.

Loki had not even thought of that, but the man was right. If it worked, this treaty would be a significant enough departure from Ásgarðr's policy towards Jötunheimr for it to be noted and remembered on in the records of Ásgarðrian politics. The realization felt good, very good, and Loki was glad his efforts would have at least some recognition for once.

Well, if this worked.

Though it made the most logical sense, Loki was not fool enough to lose sight of precisely who his opponent was. Completely aside from the blood relation of which Laufey knew naught, 'twas not entirely outside the realm of possibility that Laufey would either attempt something stupid in a desperate bid to regain control of the Casket of Ancient Winters, or that the time between declaring war and now might have hardened the man's resolve to go down fighting. Loki had to admit a lot of their plan banked on it not being too late to reverse the damage to Jötunheimr's magical core. If it was, then Laufey might simply want to take as many of them down with him as he could, so Loki would need to be vigilant. Ásgarðr could not afford to lose him now, it would be one chaotic step too far. Luckily, he could sky walk and thus could be out of the chamber and onto the branches of the Yggdrasill with a thought if he was properly prepared, and he was.

Both to distract himself and to occupy his mind, Loki took hold of his chalice as he reached the table, leaned Gungnir against the seat and walked to the refreshments table. Due to the nature of the meeting, none of the drinks were alcoholic which suited Loki perfectly well as he was not as partial to Ásgarðr's warmed alcohol and instead much preferred the hot sweetened ridhoban drink which he filled his chalice with now. A quick spell and it would remain warm even in the chilled chamber. Normally there would be servants to take care of these tasks, but relations with Jötunheimr had deteriorated sufficiently before the last war to alter traditional rules for the talks between the two realms. Now as few people as possible attended, both to reduce the number of those who could cause accidental offense and to ensure there were fewer potential hostages if something did go wrong.

By the time Loki had returned to his chair, the distant sound of footsteps could be heard and the tension in the chamber soared.

"Calm," Loki reminded them all. "We need this to go well."

"My men will hold," General Týr responded as he moved to his seat.

"Given the last time, Laufey-King may try deliberate provocation should he truly wish for war."

General Týr scowled but did not repeat his reassurance, which Loki took to mean the man felt comfortable enough with these Einherjar to not feel the need to repeat any of the earlier instructions they had no doubt been given. Still, Loki knew as far as they were concerned, he was the weak link. Anything which appeared to be a genuine threat to him would be reacted to, and not without reason, but it meant he had to be extra careful not to place himself into a position which might make any of them feel he needed rescuing from. Which would not be easy as he could not appear to be shying away from Laufey-King or any of his men either.

Then the doors on the far side of the hall opened and in walked two truly impressive hrímþursar. As far as first impressions went, they definitely made one and it gave Loki hope. If Laufey was giving serious consideration to simply making a play for the Casket of Ancient Winters, then he would expect his birth father to have gone for a far more subtle entrance in order to try to lull them into a false sense of security.

Deliberately, Loki did not react until the two guards moved aside and Laufey-King himself entered into the chamber followed swiftly by a second, far younger jötunn. A quick glance at his kin lines as Loki rose to his feet and took hold of Gungnir, told him this was his sibling, Helblindi-Princex.

"Well met, Laufey-King, Helblindi-Princex," Loki greeted formally as he neared the halfway point of the chamber and the drop down in the floor. "Thank you for agreeing to these talks and I hope we can find an agreement which will benefit both of our Realms and avoid a war which will cost us both far too much."

As he spoke, Loki heard the door behind him open, but he ignored it, keeping all of his attention focused solely on his birth father. He knew it would be Lord Ragnvaldr who had awaited the arrival of the jötnar party in Himinbjörg and escorted them here with a few guards who would have now gone back outside to secure the perimeter.

Though Laufey had to be aware of the Casket of Ancient Winters' presence in the chamber, his birth father kept his gaze solely on him as he stepped closer and Loki felt the conflicting desire to both turn tail and run, and to press on and ask whether he was worth Laufey's attentions now. He shoved both aside and forced his face to remain neutral, showing nothing of what he was thinking. This was far too important to mess up with his emotions and their shared history, of which Laufey was ignorant. Rather than allowing it to be a liability on his part, he would make it an advantage to use against his birth father.

"King Loki," Laufey finally intoned, stopping but a short distance away.

The gaze left his own only to sweep over him and to glance at Gungnir. Loki kept quiet, not wanting to rush this and force Laufey's hand in any way. Unlike Thor, patience was a skill he had plenty of experience and practice with. It was amusing how things could be learned simply by remaining silent and letting other people fill the silence with anything and everything which came to mind, oft without filter.

"I must admit to being most surprised to hear of your ascension to the throne," Laufey finally continued, fishing for information. "I had not thought you heir."

"I was not," Loki replied, voice calm and seemingly controlled even as he allowed a muscle in his jaw to twitch, as if involuntarily.

Subtlety was the key here. If he overplayed it, Laufey would realize, so he had to be careful and lead his birth father with less rather than more.

"Thor was," Loki continued, having decided with Lord Aðalgrímr to be honest about this as it could only work in their favor. "But after the events on Jötunheimr, Father disowned and banished him."

The news clearly startled Laufey-King and those with him. Glancing over at them, Loki only allowed his eyes to linger on his sibling for a few seconds, simply long enough to take in the traditional hrímþurs features and familiar kin lines, before moving on to glance at the others. From the descriptions of both Lord Ragnvaldr and General Týr, he was able to identify Laufey's head of the warriors, Thrymr-General, that Lord Aðalgrímr had spoken of. Well, unless Thrymr had fallen out of favor in the intervening centuries and someone else wore his official attire.

"Permanently?" Laufey-King demanded.

"Nay, Thor can regain his titles and power if he learns the lesson Father intended to teach him," Loki informed him.

"Which is?"

"That Father neglected to tell either of us," Loki replied with a twitch of his lips.

'Twas actually rather surprising Óðinn had not outright told Thor what he had to do to regain his favor. Loki was normally the one left floundering with Óðinn, not Thor. He actually found it both a surprising relief and not nearly as exhilarating as expected to finally see the tables turned. Somehow it still felt wrong even if this time Thor was the one on the receiving end of the behavior instead of him.

It figured he could not even enjoy this little pleasure which he had waited centuries to have. Which was probably why the Norns had chosen to bestow it on him now.

"How like Óðinn All-Father," Laufey stated with what could have been a smile or, just as easily, a baring of his fang-like teeth.

Loki was pretty certain 'twas meant both as a statement and a test. To see whether he would snap to his father's defense as easily and as recklessly as Thor had on Jötunheimr at the first hint of criticism aimed at Óðinn. Therefore all Loki did was tip his head forwards slightly as 'twas true. It was very much like Óðinn to do what his father had done.

"We would like to thank you for initiating and arranging these talks," Helblindi-Princex said, stepping forward slightly, though seeming to be more aware of the Einherjar positioned all around the æsir side of the chamber. "We had not expected a chance to truly parley."

'Twas both a compliment to him and implied criticism to Óðinn, Loki was impressed. He would need to keep an eye on his younger sibling. Or both of them actually, for much as Loki hated to claim any part of Laufey-King, the stark truth remained the man was his birth father and so from whom he had received half of himself, and he could not know if his propensity for cunning and love of knowledge came from Laufey or Fárbauti-Queen, whom he assumed was his birth mother. If 'twas Laufey, then he could ill afford to be caught off-guard.

"Assuming the promise to discuss the Casket of Ancient Winters' return was more than simply a lure to bring us here," Laufey-King added.

So, his birth father had no desire to play at amicability or diplomacy. Loki wondered if 'twas Laufey's true nature or merely a ploy to try to throw them off balance. If 'twas the latter, then Laufey would be sorely disappointed. Loki was more than used to dealing with difficult and uncooperative people and they had honed his ability to remain polite and diplomatic in the face of rudeness and insincerity to a fine art. If anything, this was familiar to Loki and played to his strengths.

"As you can see," Loki replied calmly, stepping aside slightly to gesture towards the Casket of Ancient Winters. "We have brought it along as promised."

For the first time since entering the chamber, Laufey-King looked away from him and, in a way, Loki was flattered. Though his birth father might have been dismissive in words, that action alone proved Laufey did at least realize where the power lay on the æsir side of the chamber.

The look which Laufey-King gave the Casket of Ancient Winters was almost hungry and, if Loki was not so attuned to the Casket himself, it would worry him greatly. But he was and so he could feel not only the power and sheer presence it radiated - and could likely be felt by all of jötnar blood, both hrímþursar and íviðjur alike - but also how it reacted to being near more jötnar. 'Twas an odd sensation which Loki could not fully clarify, but the Casket of Ancient Winters could definitely tell there were more present and that made it happy. Rather than pulling away from him as Loki might have feared, íviðja or not he had been raised æsir and so would appear as such as often as not, it almost seemed to cling to the traces of his seiðr he had allowed to linger on it all the more desperately.

It felt... it felt like the Casket was trying to thank him for bringing it to them. Well, so long as it did not start to favor Laufey-King or any of the others over him, then that was fine.

"Assuming 'tis real," Laufey-King stated, glancing back at Loki who raised his eyebrow in a silent question. "I saw your illusions on Jötunheimr. They were flawless until touched."

Writing from the opposite pov can at times be very fun! So where Loki thinks he's always saving Thor; Thor thinks he's always saving Loki. Round and round we go...

I hope you all enjoyed the start of the negotiations and meeting both Laufey & Helblindi.

Norse Mythology:

eldþursar - "fire giants" - often used to refer to the denizens of Múspellsheimr - I have used this term for the bigger of the 2 species on Múspellsheimr in this universe.

Up next week: The negotiations continue and Thor returns home...