Slipping in just under the wire, sorry about that, but I'm back on late shifts at work!

Enjoy the chapter.


The bustle of activity outside of Óðinn's sleep chamber would have alerted Loki to the fact that something was up, even if he had not already been made aware of the news. Despite that, people parted before him and Lord Ragnvaldr, and they were easily able to enter. With the full complement of Einherjar which still moved with him, their entrance was hardly quiet, and Frigga immediately glanced over from where she was helping Óðinn shift in his bed. She smiled at him, and he returned the gesture.

"Lady Eir," Loki said, seeing her closer to the door. "I understand Father's awakening has not been entirely normal?"

The head healer looked startled for a moment, before her eyes strayed to Muninn who was still perched on his shoulder. Loki could only imagine the figure he cut at present with her on one shoulder and Gungnir in his opposite hand.

"Aye, but your father appears to be doing well despite the alterations," Lady Eir replied, after a little shake of her head. "I am pleased with his readings and have no further concerns at present beyond the fact that there were differences between this and previous Óðinnsleeps."

Better than what Loki had been expecting, but he still feared he would have to maintain Gungnir until tomorrow as a result.

"I am glad to hear that, thank you, Lady Eir," Loki said, knowing she was probably as exhausted as he was.

Unfortunately, neither of them would get the rest they deserved, not with his shredded core. But, unlike him, she might at least get one night of relative peace.

With his only excuse at delay expended, Loki had no choice but to approach the foot of Óðinn's bed, now no longer domed by the golden healing spell. Frigga had helped Óðinn to sit propped up by the many pillows in his bed, so the All-Father was now in a seated position. Óðinn was looking at him with an odd expression which he did not know what to make of.

"Hello, Father," Loki said, though he included Frigga in his smile. "I am glad to see you finally awakened. We were greatly concerned for your health."

"So I have already heard," Óðinn replied, and Loki had to fight off a frown.

'Twas hardly the greeting he might have wished for, but he had long since ceased expecting the same welcome Thor had always received with Óðinn.

Still, he had been expecting more than this after all he had done since the All-Father's collapse in the vault.

Then, Óðinn's eyes flickered to Muninn, who was still perched on his shoulder, and Loki felt a sense of realization. Was the All-Father displeased that his condition had been reported back to Loki? It had only been done with Ásgarðr's best interests at heart.

Better to redirect the All-Father's attention from the subject.

"In the past, you have oft wished for a day after awakening," Loki began, subtly shifting Gungnir in his grip. "Would you like the same now?"

There, that was indicating to all 'twas no different from normal. Would Óðinn take the pro-offered choice to regain his bearings, or would the All-Father insist upon relieving him of his authority immediately? Loki knew Óðinn had never wished for him to be on Hliðskjálf in the first place.

"Aye, I would appreciate the extra day," Óðinn responded.

'Twas relieving and dismaying at once. It saved him the humiliation of being the one Óðinn had taken Hliðskjálf from instantly when the All-Father was clearly not entirely ready to do so yet, but, at the same time, all he wanted to do was relinquish his responsibilities and go crawl into a dark hole and not reemerge for at least a decade. If not a century.

"Unless you believe there is an urgent matter which cannot wait so long?" Óðinn continued, and Loki was acutely aware of how laser focused the man's eye was on him.

For a moment, he thought it odd, as Lord Ragnvaldr still stood by his side and Óðinn had always deferred to his advisor over Loki in such matters in the past. Then, he realized 'twas not about him, but rather about Hliðskjálf and respecting the authority thereof. No matter what the All-Father thought of him, at present even Óðinn could not help but treat him as king, not unless he wished to undermine his own authority and power to rule.

Even if 'twas the jötunn runt who was currently holding Gungnir.

'Twas at once a heady feeling and a disheartening one. Of course, Óðinn Borrson would not show him any respect in his own right!

The ripping and tearing deep within him had become so normal that Loki was almost numb to it, and he was no longer certain he could properly recall what it felt like to be without pain. Or with a strong and healthy core. One which he was not constantly aware of every second of the day and night.

"Nay," Loki forced the word from his throat. "There are no such urgent matters."

Or at least, there were no longer any such matters. Before, he had briefly considered mentioning them, but what was the point? Óðinn was as he had always been, and it had been both stupid and foolish of him to think he could ever make the All-Father think otherwise.

What a child he still so clearly was.

"Then I shall take the extra time," Óðinn stated, before holding out a hand towards him.

Loki was reacting out ere he had fully thought about it, but, when he had, he forced himself to continue. Though he might not wish to touch Óðinn at present, the facade had to be maintained, and they were essentially out in public with all the servants, healers and guards present in the chamber with them. In some ways, it reminded him of when he had first become regent, which was rather fitting in a way.

As Óðinn was still not entirely recovered, Loki leaned over onto the bed to give the All-Father a brief embrace, causing Muninn to squawk and fly from his shoulder to sit beside Huginn on the two perches behind the head of Óðinn's bed.

"I heard you managed to avert a full-scale war with Jötunheimr," Óðinn said once Loki pulled back and straightened once more.

"Hmm," Loki confirmed. "We have a new peace treaty once more."

"Well done."

Well done? That was all his tireless efforts first to bring Laufey-King to the negotiating table and then to achieve a treaty his birth mother would sign were worth? Could he truly not please this man?

The only reason he was able to maintain his composure was because they were before others and 'twas a form of acknowledgement they could witness. Loki was not certain of what he would have either done or said next had he not been spared from doing so. A commotion at the door distracted everyone and 'twas followed by Thor bursting into the chamber.

"Father!" his brother cried out.

And, just like that, Óðinn's attention shifted away from Loki and he could only watch as a tired smile crossed the All-Father's face at the sight of his true son.

"Thor," Óðinn greeted, voice noticeably warmer.

At least, 'twas to Loki. He doubted anyone else would notice it.

They never had before.

"Father, you have awakened at last!" Thor replied, striding directly towards the bed and the All-Father's side.

"And I see you have regained your powers," Óðinn said. "I am proud of you, Son, it could not have been an easy lesson to learn."

The anger and jealously coiled within Loki, snapping at the last of his control and wishing to break free. He had been the one who had spent the last seventeen days stuck on Hliðskjálf and looking after not only Ásgarðr, but the mess his brother had made on Jötunheimr. Thor, meanwhile, had spent nearly half of that time languishing on Miðgarðr and avoiding all responsibilities for his actions, as usual, leaving others to clean up his mess.

Ásgarðr and Mother Winter both reached out to try and soothe him, but Loki was in no mood to be easily placated. He was in constant agony, he had suppressed as much of his usual urges towards mischief and chaos as he could, he had worked long and hard to do that which was needed of him while Óðinn could not, and was any of it recognized? Nay, of course not, as he was not the golden child. The beloved idiot of the people.

The true son.

Agony lanced through him as another strand stretched and snapped deep within his core, and Loki was forced to lean his weight on Gungnir to remain upright. Mother Winter snarled at him even as her cold seeped into the new wound, slightly numbing it and Loki could only wish it could do so entirely. He would happily drift off to ice if it meant an end to the sheer agony of it all.

A touch to his free hand startled Loki back to the present and he turned his head slightly to find Lord Ragnvaldr giving him a concerned glance as the old man's hand rested on the fist Loki had unconsciously clenched his hand into. There was also a slight snap of seiðr in the air around him and Loki immediately moved to reign it back in. He could ill afford any unnecessary seiðr use just now, as it would only serve to deplete his reserves even further than they already were.

With an extreme effort, Loki pulled himself back under control and allowed his fist to unclench, going lax. Lord Ragnvaldr seemed to hesitate a moment more before the advisor's eyes darted around the by no means private chamber and the man relented. For that, Loki was thankful, as he did not wish to draw that particular kind of attention to himself right now. Not after everything he had done to prove himself to the people.

"Shall we return to the study and complete those other items, so Father does not have to deal with them on the morrow?" Loki suggested, belatedly realizing he had not said 'my' study.

How easily he was pushed aside, even in his own mind.

"If you are certain, Your Majesty," Lord Ragnvaldr replied, stressing his title oddly.

It made Loki swallow thickly, though he should not be surprised Óðinn's advisor of all people was adhering strictly to the rules. Lord Ragnvaldr was renowned for it after all, even at times when he really should be more flexible.

"Aye," Loki confirmed, sweeping out of the chamber after a single backwards glance at the three other royal family members, who hardly noticed their departure.


Loki sighed in relief once he was safely back in his chambers and away from prying eyes that evening. 'Twas nearly done, the whole sorry affair and it could not be soon enough for him. Inside, he felt like nothing but shards of broken glass; each shifting and stabbing him with every breath he took.

Luckily, Óðinn was awake and would take back Gungnir tomorrow, at which point Loki could inform both him and Frigga of his fractured core. The mere thought of ending the constant agony he was in was such a relief, in and of itself, he staggered over to the sofa before he collapsed where he stood.

The relief quickly vanished as he thought of Óðinn's words and reaction upon seeing him today. Loki sucked in a breath at the memory, but at least now he understood the continued favoritism and why he could never measure up in the All-Father's eyes.

He was not his son.

The stab of pain this caused was purely emotional, but 'twas enough and Loki slumped sideways, finally allowing himself to whimper and voice his agony. Away from the near constant observation he had been under as of late, 'twas an immense relief to do so. Both Ásgarðr and, to a lesser extent, Mother Winter reached out to comfort and soothe him but, if anything, it made him feel slightly worse as 'twas a stark reminder of how soon he would be cut off from Ásgarðr. With Gungnir went the Óðinnforce, and he simply could not see his adoptive father even considering otherwise. Not with how often the man had already seemed to be against his seiðr use and the power he had already possessed without it.

Ásgarðr clung to him all the tighter and seemed to be trying to reassure him, but Loki knew Óðinn. At least he would still have Mother Winter, even if his connection with her had dimmed dramatically since the return of the Casket of Ancient Winters to Jötunheimr. It did mean, though, that it radically altered his desire to go visit his birth Realm. Before, he had only ever thought of it in passing, simply because 'twas the one place in the Nine he had not yet been, but, even then, it had never excited him enough to actually do so despite the fact he had the means to both go there and do so completely undetected by both Heimdallr and the jötnar.

Now, however, now he had every reason to do back, though he would need to do so very carefully indeed to ensure he did not break his own treaty. Loki had hoped to be able to wait for a while before he did so, but the loss of Ásgarðr may push him to be a bit more reckless than he would like. Mother Winter's delight at his desire did not aid his willpower any and the... feel of her made him suspect that she wished for him to visit for more than merely to temporarily enhance their connection. Nay, there was something else there, but he did not know what.

He elected to focus on that and the possibilities it presented rather than anything else as he undressed himself by hand. His seiðr did not feel up to even so mundane a task and Loki knew Óðinn had woken not a moment too soon, as he knew he was near the end of his endurance. 'Twas to the point where even without having used his seiðr for the past few days, Loki was not at all certain he would be able to sleep for the pain. But even if he could not, at least he would not be required to focus on anything else for at least ten hours.


"Ah, Ragnvaldr, please join us," Óðinn said when his old friend was led into the dining chamber. "Breakfast?"

"Some of those eggs would not go amiss," Ragnvaldr replied as he took a seat, glancing at Frigga. "Good morning, Frigga, I assume you slept quite well last night?"

Frigga smiled at him. "Far better than before, aye. You?"

"I have slept well since the signing ceremony on Niflheimr," Ragnvaldr replied, ere looking at him. "We already knew you would recover by then."

"Speaking of the treaty, Frigga tells me we gave the Casket of Ancient Winters back to Jötunheimr?" Óðinn asked.

Normally, he would wait until after they had eaten to cover such a heavy topic, bit 'twas something which had been bothering him all night long.

"Aye, 'tis true then, that you did not see it all?" Ragnvaldr asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

"My sleep was not normal," Óðinn explained. "I know I saw much initially, but I do not recollect it all, and much of what happened in the end, I do not believe I saw at all."

"Ah. Well, in that case, I will ensure I have a more detailed summary of events later, though Ki- Prince Loki is best placed to give you the most complete overview of all which transpired."

The near slip caught Óðinn's attention as it proved precisely how long he had been asleep for. 'Twas somewhat jarring, as it did not feel quite so long to him, since he had not been as aware as he normally was for all of it. The other reason it felt odd was because he had never expected for Loki to hold Gungnir or sit on Hliðskjálf. Though he had raised both boys to rule, he had never truly considered Loki as a suitable candidate to be his heir. Not only because he was not truly his son and áss, but also because of his temperament.

Loki had never seemed suited for Hliðskjálf, either for himself or for Ásgarðr, so Óðinn had been astounded by what he had witnessed and heard from Frigga. Then again, he would never have expected Thor to be as unsuited as his son had proven to be either.

The mere thought of all he had to consider and look into was exhausting and made Óðinn tired.

"I will speak with Loki, of course," Óðinn said. "But I would appreciate your opinion, nonetheless."

"Of course, do you wish to discuss it now, or shall I come by your study later?"

"Later," Frigga replied immediately. "You have only just awakened, Óðinn, and there is no immediate danger from Jötunheimr. Allow us all at least one meal in peace before seeking trouble."

Óðinn smiled, glancing briefly at his friend before taking Frigga's hand. "Very well."


The pain woke Loki as it had all night long, and he moaned and rolled over; a desperate and futile attempt to ease his suffering. He was tempted to stay in bed until someone came looking for him, but he remembered Óðinn had awoken yesterday and so Loki would finally be able to give back Gungnir today.

The delight and joy of the thought was enough to rouse him more fully, and Loki forced himself from his bed. He thought of what to wear as he performed his ablutions and settled on one of the regular leathers he would have worn before he became regent. Óðinn could come to him at any point and he had no desire to look like he was still claiming his regency the same day it ended. It also made him feel better, more protected, than most of his new outfits, the vast majority of which had been designed to impress rather than protect, though the first few had been heavily armored as well.

"Morning, Majesty," Livunn greeted when Loki stepped out of his bedchamber.

"Livunn," Loki replied, moving to sit at the table. "I am certain you have heard, but from tomorrow we can go back to my usual routine."

"I had assumed it might be later, as you would take the opportunity to sleep in even more than usual."

Loki laughed; she did know him far too well. "Make certain to take the opportunity to relax yourself as well, I have not been the only one working longer and harder than normal."

"Thank you," Livunn smiled. "And we do what we must."

"Aye, we do," Loki agreed.

But that would be done soon, and he planned to do nothing other than rest and heal once he had returned Gungnir to Óðinn's hand. Who knew how long he would have before his adoptive father chose to try and pawn it off on Thor again. Somehow, Loki doubted it would be terribly long. Óðinn had always been pathologically incapable of seeing his heir's flaws. Regardless, there was little Loki could do about it, so instead he turned his mind to his regency as he broke his fast. Overall, he was quite pleased with how it had gone. While it could have been better or smoother, those tumultuous moments were all ones likely to make his short time on Hliðskjálf all the more memorable. Besides, he would be lying if he said he had not greatly enjoyed not only humiliating, but also sentencing both Heimdallr and the Warriors Four. All five of them had been thorns in his side for far too long, and he had greatly savored being able to have his vengeance.

Loki's mood soured as he thought back to Óðinn's reaction upon seeing both him and Thor yesterday. He had known 'twas too much to hope for that his adoptive father would be proud of what he had accomplished during the old man's sleep. At least now he knew why, and he was finally able to resolve to cease his pointless attempts at gaining Óðinn's favor. 'Twas clearly not his to be had, and he was better off focusing his efforts elsewhere. Mayhap, now he knew Thor was not interested in having him as his advisor, he could shift his focus more towards his seiðr studies. Uncle Freyr had always offered him the chance to study long-term at the main vanir seiðr academy.

Before, he had not been free to accept such an opportunity, and so Loki had not allowed himself to linger on the mere possibility. Now, however...

The mere thought of spending time on Vanaheimr, away from all of the duties and responsibilities he held as both king and prince, was sheer bliss. Besides, it might allow him to deceive himself into not noticing Ásgarðr's absence as much, if he was not actually on Ásgarðr. Clearly, Ásgarðr was not a fan of his thoughts as he felt her flick seiðr at him, as if admonishing him for the mere thought, but Loki was not certain what else he was to think.

Much as he wanted to curl his seiðr around his bond with her and never let go, he knew 'twas pointless. As soon as Óðinn held Gungnir once more, the All-Father would be able to sever his connection with her regardless of what Loki did to prevent it. Though he would love nothing more than to resist any such attempt, ultimately he knew how futile 'twas now he had personally felt the power which Ásgarðr lent her king, and he was in no condition to put up a true fight.

Nor was he in a position to even attempt it. He was wounded enough as 'twas.

Still, Ásgarðr attempted to soothe him and Loki could now also begin to feel Mother Winter stir at the back of his mind as well, and he knew if the two of them began to work together that he did not stand a chance, so he attempted to distract himself.

"What rumors currently pass around Iðavöllr this morn, Livunn?" Loki inquired, opting to forgo any of the heavier breakfast options after he had consumed some fruit.

Instead, he elected to have some yoghurt with grains instead, though a small portion of both.

"Most speak of your father's awakening," Livunn replied with a small frown, observing his actions.

"There is much relief, I assume?"

"Aye, everyone is pleased he has awoken once more, as there were those who feared he might never do so again after what transpired in the vault."

Loki wished to ask what those people thought when they entertained such notions. Had they worried what it meant to have Loki on Hliðskjálf at such a time? Or had it merely been concern for a beloved king which had driven those fears?

A chime indicated someone was at the door to his chambers and Livunn excused herself to see who 'twas. Loki used his solitude to clutch at his chest as the agony overwhelmed him momentarily. He would have to inform his adoptive parents of his injury today as he could not continue thus, and he would not risk his own health any longer. Not now that Óðinn had awakened and Ásgarðr was safe once more.

After that, well, he could see about mayhap traveling to Vanaheimr to complete his recovery, and perhaps see what Uncle Freyr's famed seiðr academy had to offer him. He would have liked to visit Álfheimr as well, but after Queen Sága's actions as of late, he was not entirely certain 'twas such a good idea. Maybe 'twas time to return to Niðavellir, Queen Hreiðmarr's words on Niflheimr spoke of a wounded pride he might be able to manipulate to his advantage with some careful words and strategic flattery. Miðgarðr, of course, was also an option as any people who would lock up Thor intrigued Loki, and it had been a while since he had entertained himself with the mortals.

They were generally far cleverer and more resourceful than most in the Nine realized.

So many possibilities...

"Who was it?" Loki inquired, sipping his tea as Livunn reentered the dining chamber.

"A messenger," Livunn replied. "He wished to inform you your father would like to see you in the king's study at the end of the morning."

And there it was, his summons. 'Twas later than Loki had expected, but that may well be Frigga's doing, as he knew his mother had always desired for Óðinn to take longer to recover after an Óðinnsleep, and that was when 'twas a routine one.

"Very well, it gives me time to attend the warrior testing General Týr has planned for this morning," Loki said.

'Twas an invitation the general had extended before he had left the king's study early yesterday afternoon. Though it had been extended when both of them had still expected Óðinn to be asleep today, it would be good to make one more appearance to the warriors as king, before he went back to merely being their second prince. Besides, 'twas an easy activity with no pressures for him to fulfill.

Óðinn could deal with all the remaining parchmentwork, he had done enough of it already. Not to mention, the All-Father had oft spoken of the importance of allowing the warriors to see they were supported by the king, so Óðinn could hardly complain at him doing so now rather than anything else.


As I mentioned above, I'm back on late shifts, so when I'm working on Sundays, the chapters will come out right at the end of the day, BST time. And before someone asks why there's a blog update for today when this is so late, that was meant to be yesterday's update, but it was past midnight before I was done, so it went up nearly 24 hours ago. But it does contain some bits of other stuff to come in the Song of the Yggdrasill series!

So, we finally see Óðinn awake. It's only taken over 2/3s of the fic to get here 😄

Now, the big challenge will be to ensure that I haven't put 'eyes' down anywhere relating to him. I've already caught one such mistake in this chapter!

One big thing to remember here is that we are very much in the head of whomever is leading a scene. So, when that's Loki, we're seeing things as he sees them, not necessarily as they truly are. The same with all of the other characters; all of their biases and prejudices play into this.

Still, I feel quite strongly about Óðinn and how he has behaved in a lot of areas, not least when he comes to Loki, so that is definitely an area that will be heavily explored. Both here and in the sequel, as it's not something that will be easily unraveled, or magically sorted in a super, unrealistically short timespan!


Old Norse:

Hliðskjálf - the high seat of Óðinn allowing him to see into all realms - i.e. Óðinn's throne

Iðavöllr - a meeting place of the gods - my name for the palace

jötnar - "frost giants"

jötunn - "frost giant"

áss - "one of the gods/æsir"

æsir - the gods of the principal pantheon in Norse religion - so Ásgarðrians here

vanir - one of two groups of gods (the other being the æsir), from Vanaheimr

seiðr - witchcraft, sorcery / a type of sorcery practiced in Norse society during the Late Scandinavian Iron Age - i.e. magic


Up next week: Loki returns Gungnir & his core injury becomes known...