Wow, just wow, your response to the last chapter was amazing. Clearly I struck a nerve there :)
Here's the continuation of that scene, along with the rest of the 1st day of negotiations. Enjoy!
"Oh, Ásgarðr's king should not need to rely on Ásgarðr herself? Then how is he to know if something is wrong? Or if there is danger approaching which no one else has detected?" Frigga asked. "Or how is he to do what your brother did and transfer Heimdallr's All-Sight from one who is a traitor and would-be king slayer, to a loyal former Einherjar who was willing to sacrifice his life for the royal family, only to be severely crippled and was still willing to serve despite all of that?"
And now Thor felt even more like a little lad than he had already been feeling. He needed to learn how it was that his mother did this as it would be a capable weapon if harnessed properly. Not to mention how well it would put anyone who dared to speak or act out against him in their place. The way Loki still continued to both question him in public and try to influence his actions proved he had yet to master a technique which worked even half as well as his mother's did with himself and his brother. Or their father, now that Thor thought on it. He had seen his mother manage to put Father in place with simply a few well-placed words. It had been both entertaining and frightening to watch as his father was the most powerful man in the Nine Realms and there she was, his mother making him seem like a naughty lad just like himself or Loki.
"Well then, Thor, please tell me how you would have handled the situation without the Óðinnforce," Frigga challenged.
"What, with Heimdallr?"
"Aye. Imagine you were in Loki's place, and you had to find a way to both punish Heimdallr and ensure the Bifröst was still left with a capable gatekeeper who could ensure only those who were worthy or invited reached Ásgarðr."
Oh, Thor had not even considered that. He had realized what it meant for Höðr to possess Heimdallr's All-Sight, but not the fact that 'twas so very necessary and vital for the operation of the Bifröst itself. How else would the gatekeeper know to open it for those wishing to return to Ásgarðr after all? Or know that someone who was elsewhere was in trouble and needed rescuing or aid?
Thor swallowed thickly as he tried desperately to think of an answer.
"Well?" Frigga demanded, sharply. "What would you have done, Thor?"
"I do not know!" Thor snapped back. "I have not had the proper time to think on it."
"Do not snap at me, young man! All I have done is challenge your assumption that you do not need the Óðinnforce to be able to rule properly. Additional time would not make this problem any easier to handle as there is no other viable solution short of opening the Bifröst at predictable intervals to either every realm or those to which citizens of Ásgarðr have traveled, both of which would present a significant security risk. What Loki did is the only reasonable solution and 'twas one that no one else had even considered. 'Tis why Heimdallr had become both so comfortable and secure in his position as he did. He felt unique, and therefore irreplaceable and self-important."
The lecture and reproach made Thor glance down. How was it that when his father told him off, he was able to rouse his anger and argue his point while, when his mother did the same thing, all he wanted to do was sink into the floor? It did not help that he could not think of any good counter argument at the moment. He was certain there had to be another way to have handled the situation, one which did not rely on the use of seiðr, he simply could not think of it at present. Nor did it help that he was as incapacitated as he was now.
"I think I am beginning to understand why 'twas your father felt the need to punish you so severely," Frigga stated.
"What?" Thor asked, his head snapping back up in shock.
"Did you know I had gone to him after I heard of it and argued with him about it?"
"Nay, how would I?"
"Well, I did, but he refused to budge, saying he was a king first and had to think about the future of the kingdom and that 'twas vital you learn this lesson. I am now ashamed to say I did not agree with him then."
"But you do now?"
"Seeing how poorly you were prepared for Hliðskjálf, aye, I do."
The words stung and Thor flinched back from them, unaccountably wretched. How could his own mother speak thus?
"What? Simply because I do not think a king should be so beholden on seiðr?" Thor asked.
"'Tis not simply that, but the fact you are allowing your pride to interfere with seeing it, does play a role," Frigga confirmed.
"My pride?"
"What would you call it?"
"An alternative point of view."
"Oh, so now you would attempt to be diplomatic."
"'Tis true!"
"Nay, Thor, 'tis not. A true king admits when he is wrong and knows when he is not capable of doing things the way he would most like or prefer to. A good king will use any and all means at his disposal in order to do what is best for his kingdom and his people. Which does not mean recklessly running off and starting a war with a hostile realm for nothing more than wounded pride!"
"The jötnar invaded Ásgarðr!"
"A few jötnar infiltrated the vault, aye, but we have no proof they were here on Laufey's orders or that they were anything more than a few rogue jötnar attempting to steal back the Casket of Ancient Winters in a rather desperate attempt to save their very realm from dying. Would you not make such an attempt if it were Ásgarðr that had lost its heart?"
"I..." Thor trailed off. "Aye, I would."
"Even if your father had ordered you not to?"
"If Ásgarðr were truly dying without it? Then aye, I would even then."
"As would I," Frigga admitted freely, startling Thor.
"You would commit treason?"
"In those specific circumstances and if Óðinn had no good reason for keeping me from doing so, aye. But I would need for there to be a genuine chance of success, which the jötnar who came probably thought there was when the portal appeared."
"Portal, what portal?" Thor demanded.
"I had forgotten you would not have heard. When Loki went back to the vault afterwards, he discovered there was a portal there leading directly to Jötunheimr."
Thor almost hesitated to ask. "What type of portal?"
The sigh his mother let out made Thor hunch his shoulders. Seiðr studies were boring and tedious, especially when there were far more entertaining and worthy things to learn, like battle strategies or fighting techniques!
"Portals are connections that form between the Nine Realms via fluctuations and branchings of the Yggdrasill," Frigga explained briefly. "Once they form, anyone can simply step through them and be in the other realm as easily and quickly as they would be if they had used the Bifröst."
Even Thor could see why his mother would have thought 'twas rather important he knew this. Why had his tutors not made it this clear instead of bogging it all down with tedious theory and speculation?
"Are they spontaneous or can they be made or forced into existence?" Thor asked.
"We know they can definitely form spontaneously as it has been observed. Many seiðberandi additionally speculate it should also be possible for someone strong enough in seiðr to create one as well, but to my knowledge it has never been proven. Well, not without the aid of an object of great power such as the Tesseract."
"So 'tis purely random then?"
"Aye."
"So then 'twas spectacularly bad luck one opened directly into the vault," Thor stated.
"Exactly, which to me lends credence to the idea the jötnar who came through might have done so entirely of their own volition. The simple opportunity might have been too much for them to resist given how important the Casket of Ancient Winters is to their very survival," Frigga stated.
"Can anyone find a portal?"
"Anyone could stumble upon it, certainly, but to find one without such luck takes training and knowledge of seiðr. Your brother told Vé he can hear portals as they emit the song of the Yggdrasill."
Thor stared at her. "The Yggdrasill has a song?"
"'Tis something which Loki has mentioned before, back when he was first learning seiðr and was very young. He said at times he could almost hear music when he was studiously concentrating on what he was learning and reaching out with his seiðr. I did not know he had identified a source for the music, but I do distinctly recall the expression which would overcome him when he was able to hear it. It made his whole face go soft and it always made me think it had to be a beautiful song indeed to elicit such a reaction from your brother."
It did indeed as Loki had always seemed quite critical of a lot of music, oft only giving praise very sparingly even when they had some of the most renowned or accomplished musicians in to perform for court. With vocalists 'twas a different story entirely, but with pure instrumentals Loki had always seemed unusually picky, even for his brother. Thor could not help but wonder now if 'twas because Loki was comparing it, either knowingly or unknowingly, to this song of the Yggdrasill. If so, then he could understand why his brother might have found all living music wanting in comparison to the very sound of the World Tree itself. It made that particular quirk of his brother's so much easier to comprehend.
"Thus Loki was able to find the portal from its sound?" Thor checked.
"Aye."
"And would the jötnar have been able to do the same?"
"Potentially, or one of their seiðberandi might have another means of finding them. I believe that Ásgarðr has guided your father towards more than one present here."
"Exactly how many portals are there on Ásgarðr?"
"I do not know, you would need to ask your father or brother."
Thor would make certain to do so. If he was to become king later, he would need to know all places from whence potential enemies would be able to enter the realm. He assumed his father had protections set up at each one already, but he would want to check them out for himself. One could not be too careful when it came to the defense of the realm.
"I should leave you to sleep," Frigga stated as she rose to her feet. "You look like you could use it."
"I do, the mortals would not let me sleep last night, I believe 'twas because I would not answer all of their questions about Ásgarðr and our ability to send people to Miðgarðr," Thor replied.
"I can understand how the Bifröst might be scary to them at their present level of development."
"'Tis actually a lot further along than I had realized," Thor admitted. "Some of their people are surprisingly knowledgeable. There was this one woman, Lady Jane, who was already well on her way towards uncovering the science that once led our ancestors to originally creating the Bifröst itself. They are not yet anywhere near it, but they are beginning to understand the basics behind it."
"'Tis surprising indeed, and you will need to tell me all about it, and this Lady Jane, once you have had some rest."
"Will you go back to Father?"
"Nay, 'twas about time for Lady Eir to come back and tell me to leave your father's chamber for a while," Frigga replied. "She is keeping a close watch on how long I spend there and how much I sleep and eat."
"We cannot afford to have you fall ill as well, Mother."
"I know, dear, which is why I shall go eat and partake of some fresh air before returning to your father to give him that lecture he so obviously needs."
Thor grimaced but did not try to convince her otherwise. He had long ago learned he could not change her mind on matters of this nature once she had determined they were necessary.
"I bid you a good day then, Mother, and I shall come find you once I wake once more," Thor promised.
"Until then, Thor," Frigga leaned forward to kiss his cheek before taking her leave.
Suddenly weary with all he had learned, Thor started to pull off his clothes as he made his way to his bedchamber, dropping the garments on the floor as he went. He then simply collapsed straight on his bed, rolling just enough to be able to pull the furs over him. He did not think he had missed his own bed this much since that particular adventure to Álfheimr where they had been caught out in the rain and had spent several days soaking wet despite their best efforts to find shelter. It had been a miserable time and by the end of it everyone had been in a foul mood.
As Loki had feared, it took nearly all day to sort out the minutia of the peace talks themselves and he was not entirely certain if 'twas the best idea to move straight on into discussing what had caused the breakdown in the old peace treaty. Patience had already worn thin and tempers were likely to be easily frayed as a result. However, covering this now would mean they would be able to start the talks tomorrow on a more positive note rather than spending the morning arguing over who had committed the worse offence.
A quick glance over at Lord Aðalgrímr showed the man seemed inclined to continue from the subtle signal he sent Loki's way. Still, they were not alone in this.
"Shall we continue on to discussing the events of the past few days before breaking for the day?" Loki asked, looking directly at Laufey-King.
His birth father looked at him in consideration before nodding his ascent. "I believe it would be best."
"Fine," Loki replied, taking a breath before continuing on in a neutral voice. "The first we knew of anything was when Óðinn All-Father paused in the middle of my brother's coronation ceremony and said 'jötnar'."
'Twas a slight lie, but Loki thought it far better than admitting King Óðinn had used the speciest slur frost giant. That would definitely not go down well.
"Father, Thor and I then went down to the vault," Loki continued. "There we found the remains of three jötnar and the slain bodies of two Einherjar. The Casket of Ancient Winters had been removed from its pedestal."
"How were the jötnar slain?" Helblindi-Princex inquired.
Loki's lips twitched at the question. He wondered if 'twas a deliberate attempt to fish for information, or simply an innocent question asked without realization of the security implications involved.
"One of the vault's security features," General Týr replied with a slightly less neutral tone.
"This attack on your sovereignty was not authorized by me," Laufey-King stated unequivocally.
'Twas exactly what Loki and the High Council had expected him to say regardless of whether or not 'twas true. Unlike everyone else present on the æsir side, though, Loki already knew it to be a lie and so merely observed his birth father's expression to see how good of a liar that Laufey was. It turned out that he was a rather impressive one, not that Loki had truly expected it to be anything else as a king as notorious for deception and deceit did not become thus if he had always failed to make his lies believable. Still, 'twas better for him that Laufey denied any involvement in the attack as otherwise it would become known there had been an æsir involved and Loki was not entirely certain if he could believably spin things to make it look like 'twas either Heimdallr or one of his brother's friends and the absolute last thing he needed at present was to have General Týr instigate a hunt for another traitor. The man would not stop until Týr thought he had unmasked the perpetrator.
Therefore Loki nodded once as if to accept Laufey's proclamation. "Óðinn All-Father had also considered this possibility," he simply said.
What Loki would not say was that Óðinn had been willing to leave things at that. It would lose them any leverage the attack represented in the crucial who started it question that would inevitably follow during the actual negotiations tomorrow. The instigator would normally be expected to provide some sort of concession to prove their contrition that the act had led to the new declaration of war. While Loki knew better than to expect Laufey to actually offer any kind of apology, the fact the jötnar had made the first move could be enough to make his birth father accept a condition later on he otherwise might not without a matching concession on Ásgarðr's part.
"But your brother did not," Gunnlöð-Lairde said, leadingly.
"Thor did not," Lord Aðalgrímr agreed, deliberately leaving out Thor's title as they had agreed. "He decided, on his own and against his father's orders, to travel to Jötunheimr to obtain answers."
"Obtain is such a soft word for what he did," Laufey retorted. "Come charging in, demanding answers while insulting my people is far more accurate."
"As you say," Loki conceded, not wanting to get caught up arguing semantics at this point when Laufey's description was far more accurate.
"They too were the actions of one acting without the authority of the king," Lord Aðalgrímr continued. "As you say the jötnar killed in the vault were."
"There is a big difference between three nameless and faceless subjects acting in such a manner without authorization and a crown prince and heir doing so," Laufey countered. "Especially one who would have been crowned king but for a last-minute interruption."
And therein lay the real crux of the problem on their end. Though Loki knew well that any one of the three jötnar who had invaded Ásgarðr could quite possibly have been easily linked to Laufey, the efficiency of the Destroyer was such there was not enough left of any of them to make any kind of identification possible. Thus, while the first act had been jötnar, the bigger one had definitely been æsir. It would make the negotiations tomorrow interesting, to say the least.
"Your brother also came looking for war," Laufey-King continued boldly.
"He came demanding answers for the attack on Ásgarðr," Loki countered immediately. "He was concerned for his people and the safety of the Realm. If one group of jötnar managed to reach Ásgarðr, then there was always the possibility of more following."
"I answered his questions and told him to leave, giving him the chance to walk away without further escalating the situation any more than he already had."
"You made an accusation of there being traitors within the House of Óðinn," Loki shot back, knowing if he avoided mentioning it entirely that he could rouse his birth father's suspicions and he had seen enough to know he did not want that.
If Laufey were to start thinking Loki did not want it mentioned, then his birth father might start to make connections which Loki did not want Laufey to make. 'Twas not like there were a great many seiðberandi on Ásgarðr powerful enough to have opened a portal as he had, and he was practically the only seiðberandi other than Óðinn who could do it. Though Loki doubted the All-Father possessed the necessary knowledge to do so. Therefore, if Laufey began to grow suspicious, then 'twas entirely possible the man would be able to deduce Loki had been the mysterious Ásgarðrian who had aided him in bringing some warriors into the vault, and 'twas the absolute last thing Loki could afford. 'Twas one thing for Heimdallr to make seemingly baseless accusations against him, but if Laufey-King were to start saying the same thing, well then it all might become a lot more believable to people.
"And your brother accused me of having sent those jötnar," Laufey responded, seemingly dismissive of his former words.
Good. Loki had hoped Laufey would seek to distance himself from them because, if he did not, then his birth father would almost have to admit to having had prior knowledge of the attack on Ásgarðr. Otherwise, why would he know there was a traitor within the House of Óðinn?
"As I recall, you tried to be the voice of reason for your brother but, not only were you ignored, you were told to mind your place," Laufey continued. "Ironic then that 'tis you who sits here before me now rather than him."
And there it was, the expected attempt to flatter him into feeling favorably towards Laufey and the jötnar. It might have worked, too, if Loki were not quite so aware of the tactic nor so averse to being king long-term.
"One of your men then deliberately provoked Thor," Lord Aðalgrímr rushed to add, as if seeking to distract everyone from what Laufey had just tried.
Loki made certain to glance away as if uncomfortable at getting acknowledgement from the enemy where he was not used to receiving it from his own family. He hoped it worked as he was not able to see its effect on Laufey.
"A verbal insult does not justify a physical attack," Thrymm-General protested. "Thor was the one to initiate physical violence."
"In this attack," General Týr reminded him. "'Twas during the jötnar attack on Ásgarðr that the first casualties fell and they were æsir, not jötnar."
"You have two dead guards, while we have two hundred and sixty-four dead warriors," Gunnlöð-Lairde countered. "Your attack was the greater."
"Our attack was provoked and in response to your breach of the peace treaty."
"Additionally you, Laufey-King, were personally involved in the second attack," Loki added.
As the jötnar did not know how the Destroyer operated, they would not be aware Óðinn had deliberately ordered it to attack even though it would have done so on its own if given a few more seconds.
"My people were being attacked by invaders from a foreign Realm in direct violation of our peace treaty with them, of course I became involved and activated additional security features," Laufey retorted. "You would have too in my position."
'Twas not truly an argument Loki could disagree with, so he simply held Laufey's gaze for a while instead.
"Given the peculiarities of the situation, I do not believe we would reach an agreement on responsibility even with external mediation," Lord Aðalgrímr said, after a few minutes.
Laufey snorted and turned his head to look at the diplomat, allowing Loki to shift his gaze to the rest of the jötnar party. Helblindi-Princex was looking at him and quickly shifted his gaze, though Loki noted that his sibling's eyes turned to glance back in his direction shortly afterwards. He wished he knew enough about the jötunn princex to know what they might be thinking. As 'twas, it could be anything from surprise or disapproval to his challenging Laufey-King so directly, to simple curiosity about an æsir king, let alone one so close in age to Helblindi themself. The abruptness of his own rise to power and the throne could be making Helblindi think of how quickly things could change for themself. Loki wondered if Helblindi being king now would make things better or worse for Ásgarðr. Better, he would think from everything that he and Lord Aðalgrímr had already observed and witnessed, but he was not blind to the possibility all of it could be an act predetermined by Laufey-King himself in order to lure them into some kind of trap or sense of complacency.
Loki would need to ensure they did not concede to anything over the next few days in the hopes of appeasing Laufey-King, and then seeking to renegotiate once Helblindi-Princex was on the throne as it could all be a ruse on the jötnar part to make them think Helblindi would be more open to change and a lessening of tensions later when they truly was not and would not be.
"I believe that is a fair assessment," Gunnlöð-Lairde agreed.
Not that it surprised Loki as the only alternative was to take the blame themselves, which the High Council had known ahead of time Laufey would never do, even if it had all been premeditated on his part. Which 'twas - with more than a little provocation and aid.
For once, even Loki was tired of all of the word games, second guessing and counter stepping. 'Twas surprisingly tiring being the only one to know the full truth of what had happened and balancing everything out with all the different people involved who each knew different amounts of information and none of whom even suspected (at this point anyway!) that he knew it all.
"Given that, may I suggest we end here for the day and reconvene tomorrow morning?" Lord Aðalgrímr suggested.
"That would be acceptable," Gunnlöð-Lairde replied, after glancing at Laufey. "The same time?"
"Unless you would prefer a different one."
"Slightly earlier would be preferable, to take into account the increasing time shift between our two Realms."
"Very well, shall we say two hours earlier then?"
"Aye."
'Twas all very accommodating and, to some extent, it surprised Loki even though he knew Laufey had not initially wanted a war, though his birth father had not hesitated to declare one after Thor had attacked even when Óðinn had pressed for peace. Loki could understand that, however, given the number of jötnar casualties. When all was said and done, Laufey still had subjects who expected him to stand up for them to some extent. Still, the cooperation here of Gunnlöð-Lairde, at least, showed Laufey was still amenable to peace, though he did not doubt that his birth father would try his utmost best to obtain as much from Ásgarðr over the next few days as 'twas possible to get.
Loki almost looked forward to that particular part of the negotiations, as he knew Laufey would almost certainly be forced to accept things which his birth father did not want to and Loki would take all the pleasure he could from that without feeling guilty. The man had left him to die as a helpless infant for nothing more than being íviðja, so 'twas only right for him to get his revenge wherever he could obtain it.
"You will bring the Casket of Ancient Winters back tomorrow?" Laufey suddenly asked.
"'Twas my intention," Loki replied.
He could have used it as leverage to gain something, but he and Lord Aðalgrímr had agreed against General Týr's protests that it would be another gesture of goodwill on their parts if the jötnar had been behaving themselves, and Loki could not say they had not. All of their clashes so far had been mostly civil and only veered off course a few times and then never too far, all things considered. Overall he would term today a huge success, given all of the pitfalls they had navigated thus far.
"Good," Laufey stated.
With that his birth father rose to his feet, which seemed to be the trigger for everyone else to do so as well.
"If you would meet me back in the corridor outside, I shall escort you back to the Bifröst site," Lord Ragnvaldr said, looking at Gunnlöð-Lairde as he did so.
"Very well," Gunnlöð-Lairde replied.
"King Loki."
Loki looked over at the call and found Laufey motioning for him to join him near the center of the hall. He tilted his head for a moment, catching General Týr's concerned look out of the corner of his eye along with their prearranged signal to be careful and consider precautionary tactics such as utilizing a double or preparing to teleport himself. He had taken great satisfaction at having his former teacher and seiðr doubter wishing to rely on such tactics and powers now.
Curious despite himself, Loki moved forwards to join his birth father, forgoing the use of an illusion for now as it would indicate fear on his part should it be discovered. Besides, 'twas not like Laufey could burn him with his touch and, while a direct physical attack was possible, he was not entirely certain Laufey would have sat through a whole day of tedious talks simply to so blatantly kill him at the end of it. Or try to do so.
"Laufey-King," Loki acknowledged as he stopped not far from his counterpart.
The jötunn king took a step closer and Loki could almost feel the Einherjar stiffen from across the hall. The amused twitching of Laufey's lips told him that at least one of his guards was not as subtle at disguising his concern as he could be.
"Your guards are frightened for you," Laufey noted quietly.
"We are further down the line of succession than anyone ever seriously thought we would be," Loki replied, voice pitched to match his birth father's tone and volume.
He saw no reason to sugar coat things, not when they all knew exactly why there was so much concern for him.
"Aye, and here you stand facing one of your oldest enemies, well within striking distance," Laufey said, responding with the same brutal honesty.
Loki gave him a predatory smile. "The same can be said for you, and I guarantee, my striking distance is far longer than yours."
"Is it now, little fox?"
The kenning nearly undid all of Loki's composure as dark hatred swelled hard and fast within him and nearly rushed in over his rational mind. He shifted and moved his free arm behind him so he could clench his fist and force it still. 'Twas kept out of sight from his own people as well as his birth father by his cape.
"'Twas not my intention to offend," Laufey said a moment later, and Loki realized something must have slipped through, most likely on his face. "I have seen your skill in battle with knives after all."
That was a concession, Loki realized dimly, and he forced the hatred down. Laufey was very much attempting to regain the Casket of Ancient Winters the peaceful way, and the man clearly understood he could only do so through him. Loki simply had not expected for his birth father to be quite so upfront about it. Or at least so blatant, he supposed. But 'twas his own fault for allowing their past history to cloud his thinking on the matter. Laufey knew naught that the king he was trying to woo now was the same person as the infant he had left to die in the ice and snow of Jötunheimr well over a thousand years ago. And why would he? Laufey had probably long since thought that child dead and gone. 'Twas quite possible he had never even returned to the temple to check and see if his plan had worked. And why would Laufey? 'Twas impossible for a mere babe to survive something like that.
"Am I to take it you simply enjoy teasing my guards then?" Loki finally asked.
Laufey let his lips twitch upwards ever so slightly. "'Tis a small pleasure, to be sure."
Despite himself, 'twas a sentiment Loki could sympathize with as he had done it himself before, simply to see his guards or those of his father twitch. Thor had also been quite fond of it in his youth as well, oft attempting to see if he could break the concentration of the Einherjar meant to stand along Valaskjálf with a straight face. Most had outlasted his easily bored brother, but there had been a few memorable times when Thor's legendary stubbornness had kicked in and he had refused to leave until at least one of the Einherjar had cracked and reacted in one way or another.
"Besides, I do genuinely think we can achieve something," Laufey continued. "As I mentioned earlier and in my letter to you before, it did not escape my notice that, had you been in charge of the excursion to Jötunheimr, that there would have been no attack or casualties that day."
"There would have been no excursion to begin with," Loki retorted.
"Even better."
"In that case, I look forward to tomorrow's discussions."
Laufey's eyes went past Loki to where the Casket of Ancient Winters stood, before returning to him. "Me too, King Loki."
"Laufey-King," Loki nodded back, before turning and walking over to the Casket of Ancient Winters.
"Everything all right?" General Týr asked, coming over to stand beside him.
"Aye," Loki reassured as he watched the jötnar gather together and leave. "He was simply attempting to further ingratiate himself with me ahead of tomorrow."
"Of all the tactics he could have chosen to use, 'tis one of the better ones from my perspective, at least."
"You only say that as it makes him less likely to make an offensive move against me in the interim."
"True, but it also indicates Laufey might actually think negotiation will gain him what he wants," General Týr said. "It makes me more hopeful than I was before that this might achieve something."
"Such optimism, General," Lord Aðalgrímr teased as he joined them. "You may want to be careful, or we will think you possessed."
Loki laughed at the expression that crossed Týr's face at the mere suggestion.
"I merely point out that Laufey is not one to put this much effort into a deception," General Týr protested. "He is more direct in his actions."
"And as such the current ploy makes more sense," Loki concluded. "Aye, I do realize that and, if Laufey-King has not learned any new tricks, then 'tis a good sign indeed."
"But you do not want to take it for granted," Lord Aðalgrímr guessed.
"Nay, and besides, even if it means what we think it does, that does not preclude him from attempting to gain each and every advantage he can on the morrow," Loki added as he picked up the Casket after handing Gungnir to General Týr.
"Aye, the real work is only just about to begin," Lord Aðalgrímr agreed.
"I hate negotiations," General Týr groused.
Poor Loki, needing to remember who knows what and about what, while pretending he knows nothing on most of those topics! And then dealing with Laufey who's trying to play games of their own...
Also, remember I had decided on the whole Höðr/Heimdallr/All-Sight thing well before I saw Thor: Ragnarök and how they handled the Bifröst issue. I still say their way was a cheap copout that doesn't work with what was said in previous movies like Thor: The Dark World. So, yes, I didn't alter Frigga and Thor's opinions on the problem in this chapter.
Up next week: Loki returns to Ásgarðr and he & Thor meet...