an. So I've been missing again, sorry. As per usual work gets in the way and I just haven't the time to sit down and do anything with this story. Hopefully things cool down before holiday season kicks in this November and I can get the rest of this story out. Lack of feedback has also discouraged me besides the same few who do, which I thank you so much for your feedback!
Chapter 10: All Our Times Have Come
Skadi had been right; the next few hours had been nothing but torture. She'd never seen anything quite like this before in her life. She'd felt herself dowsing off a few times but would quickly be awoken by the crowd of lords and ladies reacting to what was happening on the stage before them. Skadi had been sitting on a plush chair next to her father, who'd been lounged out on a couch as a handmaiden fed him grapes. Skadi had long drank all the wine that had been sitting on their little table, it being the only thing that was helping her get through whatever it was she was watching.
They'd finally made to the third and final act. The first being about Loki learning the truth about his parentage and about how he was really the prince of the frost giants and that Odin took him as a baby. Skadi couldn't help but grow sad seeing that act, even with how badly it was acted. She could only imagine how Loki really felt during all of this and how it led him to go to Thanos and make a deal with him to help him retrieve all of the Infinity Stones.
Act two was nothing but a mess, showing how Loki was on Earth and fighting against some team who called themselves the Avengers. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at how it'd been thrown together, trying to somehow justify the chaos Loki brought down to Earth with him. What he'd done was wrong, no matter how hard Skadi hadn't wished to believe that. It was at the point when Loki began to summon down the Chitauri did Skadi begin to chug the wine.
And now there she was watching as 'Loki' laid down his life for Thor as they fought against the Dark Elves. She couldn't help but roll her eyes as she heard woman from the audience letting out sobs. Skadi knew that the play had to be almost over by now and kept looking back through the crowd, hoping that Sif would be back soon, hopefully.
Sick of watching as the actors for Thor and Loki overacted the prolonged death scene, Skadi let her eyes focus on the crowd. She was brought back to pay attention to her father as she could hear him whispering along to the play.
"I didn't do it for him," He whispered before eating another grape.
Skadi looked at him in disgust, before turning back to the play as the Thor let out a loud wail as Loki finally died. As the actor playing Odin stepped out he spoke,
"And so, Loki died of his wounds. Giving his life for ours. He fought back those disgusting Elves, brought peace to the realm; Loki, my boy," He said, as a child walked out onto the stage, painted blue. Skadi had to bite back a laugh at how badly the paint was applied and how hilarious the entire thing had been. Feeling herself about to crack she had to look away.
The man kept talking but Skadi's attention was elsewhere. As her eyes once again swept the crowd she could help but let out a startled gasp. She had expected to see Sif, but was shocked to see someone else entirely. She saw her brother, Thor, standing there looking at the stage in the same disgust she had been looking at it with. She had just looked over his features not believing that he was home, wanting to run up to him and hug him tightly.
Thor could feel eyes on him and turned away from the stage. His facial expressions matched Skadi's, shocked to see his sister sitting there staring at him back. It'd been years since he'd seen her and years since he'd accepted that he'd never see her again. The god of thunder almost didn't recognize her at first.
He was brought back to the stage as the crowd began to clap and cheer. Thor and Skadi watched Odin as he stood up, clapping vigorously at what he thought was a job well done. Odin looked down to Skadi, annoyed and confused as to why she wasn't clapping; he had this play made especially for her to see. He could see her attention elsewhere and following her eyes as he began to take a sip from his cup, noting how she had drank all the wine from the vase. His eyes widened, trying to not spit out the wine that was in his mouth.
"Father," Thor spoke as his father stared at him, unable to hide his shock.
"Oh shit," Odin cursed under his breath.
"Thor!" Skadi stood up, not hearing her father's curse or seeing his discomfort. She was just so happy to see Thor after all these years. She ran up to him, hugging herself to his side. He smiled down at her, hugging her back with his hand that hadn't been holding Mjolnir. Skadi noted the giant horn like crown that he wore on his back and looked up at him in curiosity.
"My son Thor, he has returned!" Odin said, but almost fretfully. "Greetings my boy!"
Skadi noted how shaky he was and how more unlike himself he appeared compared to what she'd noticed over the last few days of her being back on Asgard. Thor gave her a tight squeeze before letting her go. He began to walk towards one of the many guards littering the balcony. "That appeared to be a very interesting play, what's it called?"
"The tragedy of Loki of Asgard. The people wanted to commemorate him" Odin said, sitting back down.
"Hmm," Thor nodded, handing off the object on his back to a guard. "Indeed they should, I like the statue too. It's a lot better looking than he was when he was alive though. A little less weasely, less greasy."
Thor earned a chuckle from Skadi, missing her brother's teasing each other. She stopped when Thor shot her a short look, silently telling her that something was off. She moved to stand closer to her brother, wanting to question what he was on about. As Thor turned to look at the guard he handed the crown too.
"Do you know what this is?" He questioned his father.
"Oh," Odin stared at it, almost pretending to be amazed by the object. "That's the skull of Surtur, it's a formidable weapon."
"Do me a favor," Thor addressed the guard. "Lock this up in the vault so it doesn't turn into a giant monster and destroy the whole planet."
Thor sighed, moving to walk back to his sister. He knew that she had no idea what was happening and he pitied her. He had no idea how she got back here, or how long she'd been fooled to believe that everything around her was truly as it seemed. Thor was angry, it was one thing to pull the wool over his eyes but to pull it over his little sister was another. She'd done nothing to deserve being lied to after all these years and hated to be the one to break it to her.
He began to toss his hammer up and down in his hand, and he finally stood next to his sister. He watched as his father handed off his cup of wine to a servant and made his way over to them. He clearly was uncomfortable with Thor being close to Skadi and wanted to send her off.
"So it's back to Midgard with you now?" Odin questioned, placing a hand on one of the pillars to steady himself.
"What? No! You just got here!" Skadi exclaimed, unsure why her father seemed to want his son to leave already. "No, you need to stay a little longer,"
Thor smiled down at his sister, missing her beaming up at him. He nodded his head, turning back to the All-father, "I agree, I think I'll stay for a little while. You know, to ease my mind a little. I've been having this recurring dream over the last few years, nearly every night I see Asgard in ruins."
"Just silly dreams," Odin shut him off as they looked at each other. "A cause of an overacting imagination."
"Hm, possibly," Thor shut him off as well, tossing his hammer now a little higher. "But then, I decided to travel the cosmos and investigate. And what did I find? The nine realms completely in chaos; enemies of Asgard rallying together, plotting our demise all while you, Odin, the protector those nine realms are sitting here in a bathrobe eating grapes."
"What?" Skadi questioned, turning to her father expecting an answer. He had told her that the nine realms were living in peace, that Loki was the cause of it because of his sacrifice.
"It is best to respect our neighbor's freedom." Odin stammered, turning to look away from Skadi and Thor.
"Oh yes the freedom to get slaughter," Thor said, throwing his hammer a little too closely to Odin, letting his fly past him and back into his hand.
"Why aren't you sending our forces to help? Why didn't you tell me this?" Skadi jumped in questioning her father as her brother did.
"Well you see, my dear, I've been quite busy-,"
"Watching theater?" Thor cut him off, tossing the hammer past him one more time.
"Well board meetings and such-,"
"You're really going to make me do it?" Thor continued to cut off Odin taking one bigger step towards him, "You're going to make me do in front of all these people; in front of our sister?"
Skadi jerked her head to Thor, hoping she misheard him. What did he mean our sister? She turned to Odin, narrowing her eyes at him darkly. She was sick of all of this run around and needed answers, right answers. She turned back to Thor, but not before sending Odin a threatening look.
Without a word, Thor looked firm, throwing his hammer out towards the mountains. Everyone on the balcony gasped and stared, alarmed and unsure as to what was happening. Thor took a step behind his father, not even threatened by the guards turning to him in alarm. They pointed their swords at him, giving him a chance to explain himself as the prince placed his hand on the back of Odin's neck. Even Skadi was thrown off, not sure what Thor was up too and why he was threatening to kill their father.
"You know nothing will stop Mjolnir from returning to my hand, not even your face." Thor hissed, gripping Odin's neck tighter.
"Thor, maybe you shouldn't," Skadi warned, seeing the guards edging closer.
"I'd listen to your sister," Odin gasped, seeing Mjolnir starting to head back.
"You mean our sister, brother," Thor quipped, watching his hammer coming closer and closer.
"Alright I yield!" Odin's voice changed, it now sounded all too familiar to Skadi's ears. It sounded exactly like Loki's.
Skadi watched as Odin jumped out of Thor's grasp, his face, following by the rest of his body morphing to show his true form. His voice now matched his body as now standing in front of them all was Loki who appeared to be alive and well after all. Skadi felt her jaw click as she clenched it in anger, her eyes aglow.
"What the fuck?" she exclaimed, ignoring all the gasps from the lords and ladies startled by the reveal and now along with her language that was not fit for a princess.
Loki slowly turned to face his siblings, trying to get his quick tongue to work and come up with some sort of excuse to justify his actions. Looking between both of them though he found himself for once speechless. He nervously smiled, as if they'd be happy to see him alive and well.
Out from the crowd came Skurge, covered in some gross, dripping green liquid, shouting as he cleared the crowed. "Behold! Thor Odinson-,"
"No, no," Loki snapped up at him and successfully shutting the man up. Loki turned around, angrily with a finger in the air, preventing Skurge to speak as he tried to defend himself. "You had one job; just the one,"
"Where'd Odin?" Thor questioned as Loki turned back around to face them.
"You just couldn't stay away could you? Everything was going fine without you," Loki complained, as if this was all Thor's fault and not his own. "Asgard was prospering and you've ruined everything. Ask them all,"
Before Thor could even respond, Skadi stepped up pushing Loki back causing him to nearly trip over the stairs that led to the landing where they had been sitting on during the play.
"You little liar!" She shouted, pushing him again. "What is wrong with you; answer him, Loki! Where's Odin?"
Thor joined her, backing him up as he scampered onto the landing, asking him if he killed him. Loki tried to defend himself, but to not avail as he stumbled onto the couch. Thor placed Mjolnir on top of his chest, not putting too much weight on him but enough to make him speak.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Loki squeaked, looking up to see both his siblings towering over him. "Alright, alright, okay, I know where he is."
Skadi and Thor shared one last look, knowing that they had to go find their father. Skadi wanted to cry, she'd been so close to being able to go back home and now this. She bit her lip knowing that she had to go with her brothers but didn't want too. As Thor made Loki stand, Skadi figured that she'd see them when she got back and that it shouldn't take too long to get Odin back on the throne.