Okay, unfortunately I feel I need to address something here. Over the past few weeks, I've had a number of DMs from people asking me to write fic for them. And when I say asking, I'm being quite generous. They clearly assumed I had nothing better to do than to write fic for people I've never spoken with before, about characters I've shown no previous preference for.
So, let me be very clear about this: assuming that anyone will do anything completely for free for you is not only very rude, but quite insulting too. Yes, insulting.
Writing fic (much like making art), is a time consuming activity. Yes, it's one that I greatly enjoy and spend a lot of time doing, but that doesn't change the fact that it takes time. Free time. A precious, limited commodity. And you want me to spend mine on you, for nothing? Instead of working on one of the dozens of ideas of my own I already have?
Unless a fan fic author specifically asks people for ideas, don't approach them expecting/demanding fic. Especially about characters they've paid little to no attention to. Sure, discuss where you think a fic is going or where you think/hope the MCU might go, but don't provide ideas for fic you want and expect them to write it for you.
Most authors have far more ideas than they can handle at any one time. If you have a burning idea you can't write yourself, go find an idea forum, or an exchange forum (where you offer up something like art or editing in return), or approach an author who has explicitly requested fic ideas.
/end rant.
Sorry, but I felt I had to address that given the number of such 'requests' I've had on this site recently.
Oh, that was clever, and the perfect excuse to come within touching distance of the Casket of Ancient Winters. But it also revealed how closely his birth father had been watching him before, and 'twas quite telling for someone who had preferred to be uncaring of him. Laufey-King was clearly the observant sort who could pay attention to more than simply Thor and his loud, brash words and actions. Well, either that or his words earlier in the confrontation had drawn Laufey's interest. While the latter could work in their favor here, in that his birth father could see him more seriously as someone who could and would finally talk, it also meant Laufey was going to be far less willing to underestimate him than they had hoped.
"You flatter me," Loki replied. "To think I am powerful enough to imitate the feel of the Casket of Ancient Winters thus, let alone the wisps of power and presence of Mother Winter."
His words definitely startled them, and Loki allowed himself a small smile. He could not show them how good he was at disguising his true emotions. Due to their isolation, there was a chance his reputation as a very talented liar had not reached them, even if his infamy in this particular area was far less earned than most people realized. 'Twas astonishing simply how many people did not have the honor to own up to the simple truth they had been tricked rather than lied to.
And they said he had no honor.
"You can feel that?" one of the jötnar asked.
"Oh, aye," Loki confirmed. "I find it rather remarkable how many people seem to forget about Bestla Bölþorndóttir."
"Bestla?" Helblindi-Princex asked even as Laufey's eyes widened fractionally. "'Tis a jötunn name."
"Hmm, 'tis," Loki said. "It is also the name of Ásgarðr's last queen, spouse of King Borr and mother to Óðinn All-Father."
He did not go so far as to call her (him? they?) his grandmother, but they would make the connection.
"Óðinn is half-jötunn?" Helblindi-Princex demanded, looking over at Thrymr-General who nodded once.
Slowly, Loki walked over to the table holding the Casket of Ancient Winters, debating pulling on a slightly larger double and showing his command over it. Though the temptation was great, he resisted, knowing better than to display such a great advantage so early in the negotiations. Still, the desire was there.
"Hence, I am aware of the presence the Casket exudes," Loki said, stepping away slightly. "But if you believe my powers of illusion to be so great, Helblindi-Princex may come over and verify the Casket's actual solidity."
The idea would dismay General Týr, but these types of negotiations had to be a give and take in order to accomplish anything meaningful. Óðinn had taught him that a long time ago. And as far as concessions went, this was not a bad one to make. Aye, it had not been planned, but neither had they expected Laufey-King to be aware of his ability to create such good illusions. So even if they all knew he could not replicate the Casket of Ancient Winters well enough to fool those jötnar who had been in its presence before, this showed a willingness to meet them partway.
It could also be seen as a sign of weakness on his part, but Loki could live with that quite comfortably if it made his birth father underestimate him. Yet, even as he offered something, he also controlled the situation enough to select the one jötunn who had definitely never had a chance to use the Casket of Ancient Winters before and, thus, would be the least likely to be able to do so quickly. It also made any kind of forcible attempt less likely as, with Helblindi being the crown princex and heir, Loki figured Laufey-King would be less willing to risk his second child's life. Not that he would put it past the man to do so since Laufey had already proven himself to be more than willing to commit filicide if the circumstances made it worth his while, but his investment in Helblindi-Princex was nearly a millennium long. Therefore, even from a simple economic perspective, it made far less sense for Laufey to be careless with Helblindi's life than his birth father had been with his own.
There was a brief pause before Laufey-King waved his child over and Loki stayed where he was as Helblindi-Princex approached, needing to step up to the æsir side of the chamber to do so. Loki pegged his younger sibling at about ten to eleven feet tall and slightly slimmer than the other jötnar present. It made him wonder as to Fárbauti-Queen's size for her (him? they?) to have birthed one íviðja and at least one slightly smaller hrímþurs. Was it because she was on the slighter side, or was it all random? He doubted Laufey had been thrilled when Helblindi stopped growing at his current height, even though it had clearly been far more acceptable than Loki's own anticipated size.
Being this close to Helblindi made Loki wonder though how íviðjur dealt with being so small in a world full of giants. Did they rely on their seiðr to bridge the gap in almost every way, or were there special efforts made, and accommodations in place, for the íviðjur? The castle, at the very least, should have them seeing as 'twas where most of them ended up in their advisory capacity.
That Helblindi was nervous was incredibly obvious to Loki as his sibling's eyes were darting all over the place, from one Einherjar to another and then to him before starting their circuit over again. It made Loki wonder if Lord Aðalgrímr was wrong about his age. They had him pegged as being quite near his majority, but they were not entirely certain as 'twas not like there had been an official announcement to the other Realms at his birth, for obvious reasons. Once near both him and the Casket of Ancient Winters, Helblindi-Princex paused.
"Go ahead," Loki motioned.
"I... do not know how it will react," Helblindi admitted.
Ah, he was worried of making it do something which might get him killed.
"It will not do anything harmful unless you deliberately ask it to," Loki replied.
It did not hurt to reinforce he had some understanding of the Casket of Ancient Winters before they began the actual negotiations. It could stave off some of the more insulting ploys which Laufey and his diplomat might have been tempted to try. It would also save him from having to explain exactly how he knew it. At least until one of the jötnar decided to ask him outright.
Helblindi-Princex took the final two steps forward needed to bring himself into touching distance of the Casket. With a slight tremor in his hands, Helblindi reached out to touch Jötunheimr's heart. Immediately, the Casket reacted, lighting up as much as it did for Loki.
Seiðr rushed out from the Casket of Ancient Winters and Loki cocked his head to the side as he tried to read it. That Helblindi-Princex was not doing it on purpose was immediately obvious to him, but he was not quite certain what 'twas. Or even whether it was new, because if the Casket had done it when he had touched it he would never have known as there had been no one else around capable of detecting the seiðr. 'Twas quite handy as an alert system, though, and would allow Loki to learn should any jötunn manage to get at the Casket even when he had his back to it, which he would for most of the day. They had decided it best to leave the Casket of Ancient Winters on this particular table, both as it placed it furthest any from the jötnar and because that placed it in Laufey-King's line of sight whenever his birth father looked to him, hopefully providing a helpful reminder to the man as to why they were all here.
"Oh, that is..." Helblindi-Princex said, eyes wide.
Loki merely hummed and allowed his sibling a moment before he indicated back towards the table. "Shall we?"
It took a moment and a call from his father for Helblindi-Princex to draw himself away from the Casket, but finally he did, retreating to the jötnar side of the chamber. Loki moved to his own seat and took his place at one end of the table, sitting directly across from Laufey who had the other head position. Lords Aðalgrímr and Ragnvaldr sat to Loki's right with General Týr on his left. On the other end, Helblindi-Princex went to his father's right and far closer than anyone else. Next to him was Thrymr-General while the unknown diplomat sat to Laufey-King's left. The other hrímþursar were spread out along the jötnar end of the chamber, all of them dressed simply in the kilts Loki had seen when on Jötunheimr. Those seated at the table wore fancier versions of them, with the general and diplomat also having a sash of some kind strung across one shoulder and their chest.
Helblindi-Princex wore something similar but was further adorned by a silver torque and a beautiful white fur. He also wore a silver circlet adorned with several ice gems of varying shades of blue, purple and white. Laufey-King was more simplistic at first glance, his kilt of higher quality but more militaristic and the torque and sash both in muted colors, signifying strength without being more than basically decorative.
Loki had to wonder how the far more colorful and decorative outfits of the æsir looked to them. Probably ostentatious and pompous, but he found he simply did not care. Nor would he allow it to affect his outfit choices for the next few days. He was here for Ásgarðr first, and thus he would maintain her traditions unless they directly conflicted with his goals or would cause true problems achieving them.
Before they could begin, the door on Laufey's side of the chamber opened once more and another hrímþurs entered the hall, holding a large pitcher. Loki could all but hear General Týr curse and he definitely saw Laufey-King's lips twitch at whatever he read in the general's expression. He had been warned about this by Lord Aðalgrímr the first time they sat down to discuss the negotiations. Apparently 'twas jötnar tradition to all partake of a drink only the jötnar seemed able to tolerate the taste of. Their history said it went back to a tradition started by Ymir himself (herself? themself?) way back when the first jötnar had attended their first peace talks, and now they refused to hold them without everyone partaking of the drink. Hence 'twas called Ymir's sýra.
Lord Aðalgrímr was half convinced the tradition was continued more because none but the jötnar seemed to like the drink and Laufey-King liked watching his enemies' expressions as they fought to swallow it.
If 'twas the latter, then Loki would be forced to admit he was impressed and liked the move. He would definitely pull something like that if he could. The true issue here, though, was one of trust for simply because they would all partake of the concoction from the same pitcher, there was no way to guarantee it had not been poisoned with something which did not affect jötnar, but which would have dramatic effects on æsir.
Luckily, Loki had the perfect protection against such a tactic, though it would deal him an almost critical blow to lose half of his High Council in one attack. It came down to divining exactly how far Laufey-King would go and, while Loki knew a desperate man would do almost anything to save himself, he did not believe Laufey had been pushed quite so far yet as his birth father had at first been willing to let them go on Jötunheimr, whereas a completely desperate man would have made a play for either himself or Thor in order to use them against Óðinn.
"Ymir's sýra," Laufey said as the pitcher was placed on the table beside him. "Thjærlðsöv."
Loki's first thought was that he could now understand why Lord Aðalgrímr, who was normally quite precise and proper, had not even made an attempt to pronounce the traditional blessing which went with serving Ymir's sýra. Then the sounds seemed to penetrate deeper and Loki felt his tongue already moving to say the word back to his birth father before he caught himself. He had no idea what had triggered the impulse, but it felt both right and natural to do so and he suddenly felt certain he would have gotten the pronunciation correct, as it seemed to have clicked in his mind somehow.
The realization made Loki slightly uncomfortable, and he had to fight back a wince and a twinge of panic at the hurt which radiated from deep within his core at the disgust and self-loathing which immediately followed on the heels of those thoughts. If he kept injuring his core thus, it would be in danger of snapping entirely... an event he would not survive intact, if he survived it at all.
"Of course," Loki managed to force out instead, though he feared his smile might actually seem a little more obviously false than he had hoped it would.
He and Lord Aðalgrímr had discussed the merits of performing this particular jötunn ritual for quite a while as the risks and benefits were both so great. In the end, it had come down to not only showing good will, but also making Loki stand apart from Óðinn quite clearly since his adoptive father had brushed aside this particular ritual the last time Óðinn had sat down with Laufey, before the temporary truce which had been reached had irrevocably broken down for good.
Loki could only hope his unique and incomplete shift would be enough to protect him should it be necessary. With a motion, one of the Einherjar stepped forward with a tray full of additional chalices. 'Twas the one thing Lord Aðalgrímr had recommended to try and balance out the power dynamics of this particular move; make the jötnar drink from chalices they had not arranged or prepared. Make it a risk for them as well.
Laufey paused for a moment, meeting Loki's gaze, before motioning for his guard to accept the tray from where the Einherjar stood at the edge of the floor drop.
"I do not know if you remember me, Laufey-King, but I am Lord Aðalgrímr, head of Ásgarðr's diplomats," Lord Aðalgrímr said, finally entering the conversation now the initial opening power plays had been done between the two opposing kings. "This here is Lord Ragnvaldr, Óðinn's chief advisor, and across from me is General Týr, head of Ásgarðr's warriors."
"I recall," Laufey replied, looking at each in turn, pausing the longest on Lord Ragnvaldr. "My child and heir, Helblindi-Princex, you obviously know. King Loki, may I introduce you to Thrymr-General, head of Jötunheimr's warriors, and Gunnlöð-Lairde, our main negotiator."
Loki looked at both jötnar in acknowledgement, even as he noted the lack of full title for Gunnlöð-Lairde. He wondered if there was any significance to it.
As they had spoken, the jötunn guard had filled each chalice, removing the larger ones from the tray before returning it to the Einherjar who brought it over to Loki's side. Not seeing anything different about any of them, Loki took one at random and held it before him as the others were distributed.
"To fair and fruitful talks," Laufey-King toasted once everyone had a chalice.
As he raised his chalice at the traditional words (and did they stick in Laufey's throat?), Loki was unable to keep from reaching out with his seiðr to check the inside of his mouth, esophagus and digestive track to ensure they truly were in his natural jötunn state. It felt like it could not be, but the reassurance flowing from Mother Winter pushed him past any lingering hesitations he had.
'Twas easy to maintain the direct eye contact Laufey-King seemed to want to have with him as Loki was fairly certain the concoction, whatever it was, could not be nearly as foul to jötnar as 'twas to others. The first sip proved him right and so he kept right on drinking, matching Laufey's pace even as he could not help but analyzing the Ymir's sýra. His first impression was that it was cold, which was not at all unexpected. The second was that 'twas thick and clung to the inside of his mouth and tongue like a thick syrup, almost cloying in a way and coating everything it touched and going down slow as a result. The flavor, all the flavors, were unlike anything which Loki had tasted before and he was not certain if 'twas entirely due to his unfamiliarity with the drink itself so much as 'twas due to the fact he had never tasted anything quite like it before and so he did not know how to interpret the messages he was receiving from his tastebuds. He did think there was a strange blend of both sweet and tart in there, along with the expected bite from the alcohol.
Loki lowered his chalice before he was fully finished as Laufey had done so. He allowed a small, satisfied twitch of his lips at the surprise he saw in those cold, red eyes.
"And here I thought the fruitful was solely relating to the talks themselves," Loki said, before glancing over at General Týr at the slight gagging sound the man made. "Problem, General?"
"Nay, my Liege," Týr rushed to reply, but Loki could see how the other man's fingers twitch towards his other chalice.
Given the thick nature of the concoction, Loki could well understand why if the taste was as foul to the æsir tongue as he had been led to believe 'twas.
"The general has improved since his first taste of Ymir's sýra," Laufey stated with a hint of laughter in his voice. "He did not manage to finish it the first time."
Aye, Lord Aðalgrímr had been more than willing to regale Loki with that particular tale, supposedly in the guise of warning him of exactly how poorly some people reacted to the taste their first time. He was not certain he fully believed 'twas Lord Aðalgrímr's main reason in relating the story to him though.
"I admit to not fully understanding why," Loki said, swirling his remaining drink once. "'Tis not nearly as... strong tasting as I had been warned to expect," he finished before downing the rest of the Ymir's sýra in one go, putting the chalice down and folding his hands before him.
Laufey followed his every move closely, probably trying to determine if he was being honest or merely putting on a good act. Not wanting to get into another staring contest with his birth father, mostly because Loki honestly did not know what he would do, he glanced over to Lord Aðalgrímr instead, indicating for the man to begin.
Before any of the true talks could even begin, there were all kinds of details and formalities which had to be presented and agreed to. If they were luckily, they might come around to discussing the sequence of events which had led them here, but Loki was not terribly hopeful they would reach so far today.
Though he had come to enjoy part of his time on Miðgarðr, Thor was truly pleased when the Bifröst deposited him back in Himinbjörg. The first thing he did was close his eyes and take a deep breath, savoring the Ásgarðrian air which was, in its own way, so very different from the Miðgarðrian air. 'Twas odd, he had been to all of the Nine Realms now and been off adventuring frequently and often for months or years at a time, and yet he had never missed home as much as he had this time. He wondered if 'twas solely because he had been entirely alone this time or if it had been because he had started to fear he would never be able to return after he had utterly failed to so much as budge Mjǫllnir when he had finally reached her.
Not that it truly mattered, he was home now.
"Welcome back, Thor," a slightly familiar voice said, and he opened his eyes to identify the speaker.
It took Thor a moment to realize the man wearing Heimdallr's armor, holding Höfuð and with the gatekeeper's golden eyes was not, in fact, Heimdallr. Once Thor realized that and managed to look past all of it, he realized who 'twas that stood before him.
"Höðr?" Thor questioned, startled.
He looked around for Heimdallr but could not see the gatekeeper anywhere, so he turned back to Höðr. Had he not been blinded when he had saved Loki's life from the mercenary attack?
"Where is Heimdallr?" Thor asked. "And how come you to have eyes like him, Höðr?"
There was a moment of awkward silence before Lieutenant-General Yngvarr stepped forward.
"Heimdallr was relieved of his duties and tried for treason, m- Thor," the man said.
"Tried for treason? Heimdallr?" Thor repeated, stunned. "Nay, he would never!"
Exactly what had transpired while he was gone?
"If you recall, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three were not authorized to visit you," Lieutenant-General Yngvarr said. "And... he tried to kill your brother, Thor."
Thor could only stare at Yngvarr in both shock and horror. Heimdallr had tried to kill Loki? Nay, he could not believe it, Heimdallr would never do such a thing! But this was the head of the king's guard standing before him and telling him this. Not only would Yngvarr never joke about regicide, but as the one in charge of Loki's protection right now, he might well have been there.
"Did you witness the attempt?" Thor asked, hoarsely.
"Aye."
Thor closed his eyes, still not able to reconcile the friendly and affable gatekeeper whom he had almost seen as a friend as someone capable of not only trying to kill his king, but of trying to kill Loki. Aye, his brother could be annoying and downright infuriating at times, but to kill him? It made Thor both sick to his stomach and filled him with a boiling rage.
"Where is he now?" Thor growled, eyes flashing over to Höðr. "And how can you see?"
"King Loki transferred Heimdallr's All-Sight to me," Höðr replied simply. "Heimdallr now has but normal vision."
Loki could do that? Thor had not realized, but then neither had he known his father could take his own power as he had, so clearly there was much about seiðr he did not know.
"And he has been sentenced to life in the dungeons," Lieutenant-General Yngvarr added.
Good, 'twas good.
Even if part of Thor raged at Heimdallr not receiving the executioner's axe. He had tried to kill Loki! As far as he was concerned, 'twas completely unforgivable, even if his little brother had not been acting regent at the time.
A horrible thought occurred to Thor which he did not even want to contemplate but, given that before he would have said Heimdallr would never have done something like this either, he simply had to.
"Was there anyone else involved?" Thor finally asked, unable to put his friends' names in the same sentence as anything involving an attempt on Loki's life.
"Not in that," Yngvarr replied immediately. "But as for the rest, well..."
Aye, that Thor already knew unfortunately. Not that he believed his friends had acted maliciously, only out of concern and with Ásgarðr's best interests at heart.
Thor hesitated, but he could not help but ask. "When Heimdallr... how did he try to..."
"Thor," Lieutenant-General Yngvarr began softly.
"Please, I need to know. 'Tis still so hard to believe. It is Heimdallr, I trusted him. I always did, without any hesitation whatsoever."
"We all did, well except for King Loki," Yngvarr explained. "I do not know what first made him suspicious, but whatever 'twas, I am thankful for it as it made him cautious and ensured we had precautions in place the night of the attack."
Loki was the first to suspect? In some ways it made sense to Thor as his brother had always been both slow to trust and suspicious by nature. Though he had oft despaired of it or teased Loki for it, now he was ever so grateful for that suspicious nature. It did not bear thinking of what might have happened if Loki had not warned his guard. Would any of them have seen it coming in time? He definitely would not have.
"Yngvarr," Thor said, looking at the man.
The lieutenant-general sighed and looked over at Höðr, who silently held up Höfuð and Thor felt his blood go cold. So, not only had Heimdallr broken every oath the gatekeeper had taken and forsaken all of his honor, but he would also have used one of the sacred relics Father had given him in order to kill Óðinn's second born. Thor's hands curled into fists as the severity of Heimdallr's betrayal fully sunk in, and 'twas all he could do not to charge over to the dungeons right now and pummel the former gatekeeper's face into a bloody pulp. Who knew, he might still do it later when all he had to do was descend down into the dungeons.
"My... uh, Thor," Lord Birgir began awkwardly, looking away as he held out a cloak.
Thor sighed and, much as it grated, he knew he had to address this now. "Please do as Father ordered and simply use my name."
"Thank you, Thor," Birgir said. "If you will put on the cloak, we can go to Iðavöllr."
"Why do you wish me to wear a cloak?"
"We believe it would be best if not too many people know you are back," Yngvarr explained. "Word of your banishment has spread as something had to be said when your brother ascended to Hliðskjálf and Heimdallr voiced the issue during his trial."
Oh, of course. Shame burned through Thor as he accepted the cloak and put it on. Though he still felt the attack on the vault had demanded some form of response from them, he was starting to realize he had acted recklessly. The realization that everyone now knew enough about it to know how severely his father disapproved was unpleasant. He was not used to thinking his actions were looked on with anything other than pride or admiration. It made him feel small and unworthy in a way he had not felt in a very long time, to think the people might be speaking ill of him, especially so shortly after they had all come out to cheer him on during what should have been his coronation.
Did they know his actions had brought Ásgarðr to war with her oldest enemy? Thor had no way of knowing what his father may have told people between his banishment and Father's collapse into the Óðinnsleep. And speaking of the war with Jötunheimr...
"Höðr, is my brother safe?" Thor asked, pausing at the edge of the rainbow bridge to look back at the new gatekeeper.
Lord Birgir and Lieutenant-General Yngvarr had told him where the peace talks were taking place on the way back to the Bifröst site on Miðgarðr since he had been worriedly asking them questions about it, not at all liking the idea that his brother was meeting with Laufey without him present to protect him.
Instead of instantly replying, Höðr turned his gaze towards the Void and took a moment to check before speaking. Thor appreciated the action, not that he did not know he could trust Höðr, at least with Loki's life as the man had already proven he was willing to sacrifice his own for Loki's.
"The king is well and busy discussing the minutia of peace treaty diplomacy ahead of the actual negotiations," Höðr informed him.
"Ah, thanks," Thor replied as he pulled a face.
Perhaps, if Loki was as well protected as Lieutenant-General Yngvarr promised he was, then 'twas better if he were not there. Thor hated those types of diplomatic discussions and always had to fight to both stay awake and appear alert. Loki was far better suited than him to deal with this type of situation.
With that thought, Thor turned back to the rainbow bridge and mounted his stallion which he found waiting for him. Hopefully no one would recognize him, but then they should be making straight for Iðavöllr and he doubted anyone would pay them enough attention to take the time to figure out 'twas his horse. They were probably usually paying too much attention to him to notice his stallion.
As expected, they rode out swiftly and Thor spotted from afar the change in banners and standards flying high over the homes and shops of Ásgarðr. His brother's favorite shade of green was now liberally sprinkled in among the gold and the far more colorful ones of the merchants and traders themselves. It felt surreal to see as those banners and standards had always been gold for as far back as Thor could recall. He had known red ones were being prepared for after his coronation, but not a one was in sight now and he figured they had been put away in storage for later. He wondered what would happen with the green ones once Father awoke. 'Twas not like they would be used again since Loki was not the heir, or he was not meant to be if Thor regained his titles and powers.
The mood of the people once they reached the city itself seemed somewhat more subdued than usual, but not too bad at all and Thor noticed there seemed to be an unusual amount of hustle and bustle. He pulled his horse up alongside that of the lieutenant-general.
"What is going on?" Thor asked, indicating the people.
"Your brother has ordered all three tiers of warriors to prepare for battle as well as the commissioning of various weapons and armor from the local merchants and blacksmiths. In the event the peace talks fail and we are still at war with Jötunheimr," Yngvarr explained.
That made sense.
"Have we approached Niðavellir for weapons as well?" Thor asked, knowing Ásgarðr's blacksmiths alone would not be enough. Besides, much as he hated to slight anything æsir, he knew they could not deliver anywhere near the same standard of work as the dökkálfar could. Mjǫllnir itself was proof enough of that.
"Nay, but Lord Aðalgrímr's team have commenced talks with them in order to expediate the process should it become necessary," Lieutenant-General Yngvarr replied.
"Aye," Lord Birgir confirmed. "In fact, 'tis my next duty once I have spoken with some of General Týr's men."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Thor asked.
Lieutenant-General Yngvarr hesitated before he spoke. "We may need to test how strong you are before seeing what you can do."
'Twas a surprisingly diplomatic way of putting it for General Týr's second-in-command. Although, Thor mused, as one of the men who spent so much time around first his father and now, to a far lesser extent, Loki, he supposed Yngvarr was probably one of the more diplomatic warriors simply due to the fact the man was exposed to it on a near daily basis. Some of it had to rub off eventually. Thor knew some of Loki's skill had on him, even if only in their very most basic form, when he was not too upset or angry. The realization neither he nor Loki would be in the position they were in now if he had only done so more on Jötunheimr made him determine to try to do so more in the future.
He truly had acted poorly this time and Thor was still having some trouble wrapping his head around all of the consequences of his actions. Who knew becoming so angry at one single fr- jötunn could have such far reaching consequences as all of this? The simple fact it had reached out and changed even something so fundamental as the ruler of Ásgarðr was shocking. It truly was unbelievable.
Thor waited until they were inside Iðavöllr's gates before lowering the hood of his cloak.
"When is Loki due back?" Thor asked, looking at the diplomat.
"As 'tis the first day, I expect them to be gone until near dinner as I doubt things will get heated enough to require a pause today," Birgir replied.
"But he will be back for dinner? There are no plans to eat with the jötnar?"
"Nay, with the talks taking place on Niflheimr, and how tense our current relations with Laufey-King are, we did not think 'twas a good idea. Even the noon meal will be eaten separately in the outer chambers."
"I understand, thanks."
"If you will all excuse me, I need to prepare for my trip to Niðavellir."
Thor nodded at the diplomat and watched him walk away before turning his attention to Lieutenant-General Yngvarr, aware of the two Einherjar still following them.
"What now?" Thor asked, surprisingly uncertain of both himself and what to do.
"Given we are at war and that there has already been one attempt on King Loki's life, protection has been made mandatory for both Prince Vili and Queen Frigga," Lieutenant-General Yngvarr began.
Uncle Vili? Why would...
Oh.
Thor felt his face pale as he realized precisely how far down the line of succession they were. His uncle, who was normally a distant third in line, was now the official crown prince and heir as Loki had no children. Norns, that meant his cousin Baldr was now second in line. Or nay, wait, was Baldr not still underage? If so, that would make Uncle Vé regent of a regent if anything happened to both Loki and Uncle Vili. Normally Thor would think the thought ridiculous in the extreme, but given Heimdallr's earlier actions...
"By the Nine, when did things become so complicated?" Thor complained.
Lieutenant-General Yngvarr gave him a very sympathetic look, but Thor thought he could detect some censure there as well. Not that he could blame the man if there were. He had erred badly this time and he had to wince every time he thought about his confrontation with his father in Himinbjörg. It no longer surprised him Father had thrown him out of Ásgarðr and down to Miðgarðr. He would have done far more if anyone dared to speak to him thus, son or no, even as a prince, let alone once he was king.
"I know you said to treat you as your father has decreed, Thor," Yngvarr said. "But given the circumstances, I would like to insist you accept protection, for while you may not officially be in the line of succession or a prince of Ásgarðr at the moment, you are still both Óðinnson and Lokabróðir, and therefore would be a target during an attack. All the more so if the enemy were to realize your weakened condition."
"What are the odds of that?" Thor asked.
"Word will likely have spread and Laufey-King will no doubt ask why 'tis your brother on Hliðskjálf instead of you," Yngvarr replied. "Not to mention your punishment will work in our favor during the negotiations."
Thor sighed as he realized that, aye, knowing Father had punished him for his actions would help to appease Jötunheimr, given the number of dead as a result of his retaliatory attack for the frost giant incursion into the vault.
"Very well," Thor agreed, the memory of precisely how weak he currently was still all too fresh in his mind. Not to mention exactly how naked he felt without Mjǫllnir. "Is my mother with Father in the Óðinnsleep chamber?"
"Unless she has been ordered to rest or eat by Lady Eir," Lieutenant-General Yngvarr confirmed. "If you will excuse me, I too have some things to tend too while the king is on Niflheimr."
"Ah- of course."
Thor had to admit to being a little surprised at essentially being abandoned by the head of his father's guard at a time like this, but as he himself had said earlier, according to Father's decree he was neither heir nor a prince of Ásgarðr. He was certain the second-in-command of Ásgarðr's warriors had far more important things to tend to in a time of war than one disgraced son of the slumbering king.
'Twas a bitter realization for Thor to swallow and he quickly made his way towards his father's Óðinnsleep chamber, his two guards silent shadows behind him. The few servants and other guards they passed seemed surprised to see him and Thor avoided making eye contact with them, not wishing to see the emotion in their eyes. He had never felt so alone and isolated as he did now in his own home. He could not help but wonder if 'twas how Loki felt whenever his brother had been in trouble for his mischief and the people had found out about it. He suddenly felt a lot more sympathetic about it than he ever had before, having always simply written it off as the just consequences for Loki's chosen actions.
Poor Thor, things are finally starting to sink in regarding the true consequences of his actions!
As for Loki, well he's actually quite enjoying himself so far, deliberately messing with Laufey while also working towards his main goal as king. Always nice when you can combine some mischief with official business :)
Norse Mythology:
sýra - a fermented milk drink - my version is made up, but basic sýra was a real Viking drink (sounds tasty /sarcasm).
Lokabróðir - brother of Loki - apparently the i becomes an a in situations like this.
Original Characters' Names:
Gunnlöð - a (female) jötunn whose name means 'war-invitation' or 'battle-invitation' - yeah, I totally couldn't help myself :P
Other:
Lairde - while this is a title in its own right, this is also the gender neutral version of Lord/Lady & how I'm using it here.
Thjærlðsöv - this is a word I completely made up using some of the Old Norse characters since I couldn't find anything appropriate in the mythology tied solely to Jötunheimr.
Up next week: Frigga and Thor talk...