- Chapter 5 -

The room strobed deep violet again for just a heartbeat before the color died away. The itching pressure deep in McCorrmick's eyes that came with it took another second to clear up. When the pressure faded, he could hear a strange whisper coming from Queen Frigga. It was like raw emotion noiselessly broadcast from her. Through the silence of her voice he could still hear how upset she was. Like the markings made of light on his skin and in the files he knew he should know what this was. It was another memory that he didn't think he possessed. Not knowing what it was didn't stop him from pausing the file quickly. The aggrieved woman was going to need a moment. Just as he heard the whisper coming from the Queen he heard an even odder silence from King Frey. There was a strange sphere of weirdly noticeable silence around the attractive King. The same sphere of silence was around King Odin. McCorrmick frowned down at his laptop. Lacking the memories that would enlighten him he was left without understanding. It had something to do with the light markings that were under his skin. He was almost certain of that. They were there, itchy and smooth at the same time. What worried him was that his vision had only gone violet once. It was before Skuld put her light marks on him. With them there, it just kept happening. I hope it's not my time, he thought. There was a small amount of fear in the thought. He wanted to make that eye care appointment right away. There was an honest hope in him that this was a problem with his eyes only. Even ugly glasses were preferable to a slow wasting death. McCorrmick wasn't ready to be betrayed yet.

As the recording was paused for no reason Frey frowned. He looked over to the Truthkeeper and found the lad looking at Frigga. He had a slightly confused and worried look on his face. The timing of his pausing the recording combined with the way the boy was looking at his beloved sister was suspicious. He turned his attention back to his beloved sister. The shock was only spreading through her seidr. It hurt to hear it. It hurt him more when he decided that he did need to tell her. It's probably time for her to at least know that it happened. Now isn't the time or place for details.

It felt as though Thor hit a thick wall at high speed. The sudden stop was violent and left him pained without enough air in his lungs. "No, no, Loki would not, he would not ..." he stammered. The words echoed over and over in his head, pinned in place by the voice of a man he greatly respected. "He drove Loki to suicide several times." Everything else stopped, and his world narrowed down to those words. He turned slowly to his parents. Thor needed them to get his mind unstuck from the terrible place those words left it in. His parents would know what to do, they always knew what to do. Mjolnir's normal soft ballad instantly changed into the soothing lullaby she sang whenever he was upset at something. Her song was ever-present in his life but was of no assistance to him then.

With her hands over her mouth Frigga sat quietly, her eyes wide. This couldn't be right. More than once? No, not my Loki. Not my beautiful boy, he wouldn't, I would've seen. Wouldn't I? She turned to her husband. Odin sat silently, a haunted look on his face. "Did you know?" she asked.

"No, I didn't," Odin was almost breathless. This knocked the wind from him with the swift efficiency of a surprise gut punch. Why, my son? You tried to die before you let go on the Bifrost? Why would you do this?! It can't be true. Please let it not be!

"I knew," Frey said quietly. He sat calmly, waiting for the coming storm.

Slowly, Thor turned slowly towards the source of that sentence. He was sure that he hadn't heard his uncle properly. He couldn't have. Frey would never keep that from them. To even contemplate such a betrayal was almost as painful as the knowledge of Loki's misery.

"I knew," Frey spoke with more force this time. His gaze was fixed firmly on Frigga. I will tell her this at least and hope that she'll forgive me for it someday. He'd resigned himself to telling her these things eventually. He still struggled with the disappointment of it. Even after so long there was still a large amount of painful disbelief that she'd missed so much, that she honestly hadn't known what was happening when it happened. It made it that much harder to deal with it each time knowing that he was the only person beside Loki who knew what was going on. It was easier over time to set the disappointment over her lack of knowledge aside since she didn't know Loki as well as he did. Truly, that was what disappointed him most.

What she just heard left her disbelieving Frigga turned slowly in her seat to face him. Shock and anger mixed intimately in her eyes. She rose to her feet slowly. "What did you say, brother?" Frigga whispered; her head tilted to the side slightly. She couldn't imagine why Frey wouldn't have told her. Why her son hadn't come to her was something else she couldn't imagine. She loved both her boys and they knew that. Had she known that he was so unhappy she would've done something immediately. That her brother kept this from her had prevented her from doing both what Frigga was obligated to do as Loki's mother and what she would've done anyway because she loved her son. This was a failure that could've been prevented; something her son didn't need to suffer through.

The atmosphere in the room felt like a brewing storm. No one besides Thor's family was speaking. The Avengers were looking from one to another. General Rogers looked almost angry. Dr. Banner was skittish. McCorrmick was unsure of what to do. It was his responsibility to show them these files. They hadn't made it through the first one before the interruptions started. Even without the interruptions this will still take days. I guess that's why she gave us more than time. Skuld showed him what she did. None of them would have physical needs, care about, or even notice the passage of time. Even the batteries on their phones wouldn't notice the passage of time since there was no time to pass. They would all stay put until this was done.

Until the cycle completes, his elder aunt whispered to him again. McCorrmick didn't understand what she meant by that. He wondered, Maybe what's in the next file?

"I know what Loki did. When it was done and how," Frey said in a quiet but firm voice. I didn't want any of this sweetling. I only wanted to keep this pain from you, to keep Loki safe and well. He felt a deep sorrow for his beloved sister. She loved both her children equally, even though Loki wasn't Odin's child by blood as Thor was. He was never sure of his decision to keep this from her. Loki begged him to keep it between them only. Loki was so broken the last time, alternately begging and trying to bargain with him, weeping the entire time. Ultimately, he agreed with Loki that telling Odin and Frigga would do more harm than good. Frey kept this secret, along with so many others. He kept his gaze steady, his bearing calm but firm. She was very angry with him; he could hear that burning anger spreading through her seidr. This didn't change his opinion that he'd only done what was right.

"You knew. You knew that my boy," Frigga's voiced choked with emotion, "that he tried, that he ..." she couldn't bring herself to even say such a terrible thing. Frey knew. He knew! And he said nothing?! "How could you, brother?! How could you?! I'm his mother. I should've known. I should ..."

"I agree with you, sister. You should have known, should have seen," Frey's voice was filled with reproach. It was the disappointment that was most biting. He hadn't asked for these secrets, hadn't wanted to lie to his beloved sister. He'd done everything that he could for as long as he could. Not letting his disappointment become anger was a constant struggle. He never wanted to be angry with her. It was particularly difficult now that he knew what his beloved sister's ignorance had wrought. "I agree with you, sweetling. I am truly disappointed that you didn't."

Frigga gasped again, her hands covering her mouth. The accusation and implication in her brother's words wounded her. She loved both her boys equally. It never mattered to her that she didn't carry Loki, that he wasn't Odin's by blood. Loki was her son; he always would be. Frigga shook at the thought of Loki being so miserable that he tried to harm himself. She grieved to think that she hadn't noticed his misery. As his mother, she should've noticed. It was her duty. "Why didn't you tell me? What happened? Why?"

A resigned sigh came from Frey as he looked down at the table. "Loki was," he searched for a single word but found them all lacking, so he used Loki's own word, "tired, I suppose, just too tired to keep moving. It's a long, convoluted story. One that isn't wholly mine to tell. Not here, not now." Frey turned his gaze to her, "If you still have questions when this is done, then I'll answer what of them I can." The weight of his long years pressed down on him. He felt old and tired, but he also felt the first tinges of relief. He carried these secrets for many years and suspected that he would be rid of them soon. This was just the first, Frey was sure of it.

When Frigga stood Odin also turned to face Frey. A sickening pain filled his thoughts. He glared at his damnable brother-by-law. There was a disbelief present in him when the mortal said it. It couldn't be right. He couldn't understand why his son would do that. Deep anger seethed through him as he listened to Frey confirm the acts by taking Frigga to task over them. The bastard should have told me. He wanted to call Frey out for it right then, but there were mortals near. This wasn't the place for that kind of argument. Once this was done then he and Frey would have that argument. He wanted to know what Frey thought he was doing by not telling him that his son was in danger. He needed to know what the boy's mental state was, besides unbalanced. A personal failure of this magnitude couldn't be excused of any parent, not even the King. Although Odin didn't know of it, it was still his responsibility. He was going to have answers about this from his wretched brother-by-law. Through shouting or fists, he didn't care which. His attention turned to his other son. Thor looked like he felt. Sick and wounded.

His right hand braced on the table while Thor's left hand clutched at his stomach. Thor felt well and truly nauseous. His chest burned, and no amount of air sucked into his lungs was enough. His eyes closed as the room spun around him. Loki, his Loki, his Little Brother had tried to harm himself. He couldn't imagine his Little Brother doing something so awful, nor did he want to. He tried to take his own life! My brother tried to take his own life! How could this happen? Why wouldn't he say something to me?! Thor didn't notice the Warriors Three move. They were around him. He could feel their hands on his back.

"Thor, it will be well. All will be well. This wasn't your doing, all will be well," Fandral said soothingly. His dear friend looked like he was about to be sick. Unfortunately, he had no healing stones on him.

Vicious anger flowed through Thor at his companion's words. He didn't stop to think as he balled his fist, stood, rounded on Fandral, and punched his companion in the mouth. Fandral was knocked to the floor, blood running from his cut lips. He stared up at Thor, shock writ plainly on his face. Thor knocked Volstagg aside then went after Fandral who tried to scramble backwards. He wasn't fast enough and yelped when Thor bent down swiftly to grab him by the front of his leather vest. He dragged Fandral up to slam him back into the wall. The cold steel wall compressed under the blow. Shock transformed to fear for Fandral as he grabbed at Thor's wrists.

"Thor, please, I didn't ..." Fandral began.

"SILENCE!" Thor yelled at his companion. The rage poured off him. "All will be well? Not my doing?" Suicide was one of the worst failures any family in the Nine Realms could suffer. Thor pulled Fandral away from the wall only to slam him back into it. He understood very well that Fandral knew this before he spoke. The dent in the wall widened. That his companion would try to absolve him of that failure was as outrageous as it was dishonorable. "How will it be well? My brother, my Little Brother tried to harm himself, AND I DID NOT NOTICE!" Thor slammed Fandral into the wall again. This wasn't a failure that could be excused. The dent in the wall shaped to a decent impression of Fandral's shoulders and upper back. He leaned in, his face close to Fandral's, "He tried to die! My Little Brother tried to die, and I did not see! He is my Little Brother. It is my duty to protect him! How am I not at fault?!"

Surprise slightly widened Frey's eyes as he nephew went after his own companion. A little smirk crossed his lips. His nephew's companions had been in need of disciplining for centuries. If Thor wanted to handle it himself then he wasn't going to interfere. The smirk disappeared when Odin moved to handle it. Frey would've let the boy hit his idiot companion a few more times.

Surprise widened Steve's eyes before irritation in swiftly narrowed them. Thor's response to Fandral's comment was immature and uncalled for. It was disappointing to watch Thor use his friend as a battering ram. He stood up, intent on doing something about it. Steve wasn't strong enough to stop Thor with brute force. There were other ways to stop the fight. When Thor's father started moving around the table to intervene, he sat back down. This was a meeting, not a brawl. Thor needed to remember that.

A frown crossed Steve's face when he realized that this was the kind of immaturity Rhodey was talking to Tony about for several minutes. Thinking back of the conversation made it seem very much like Rhodey was trying to prevent violence not by excusing this immaturity but by pointing out its effects. Punching a child, even one that looks like an adult, wouldn't be something Rhodey would do. That has to be how he's looking at this. Unfortunately, Steve's thoughts led him to feeling more comfortable listening to Colonel Rhodes about what crimes Thor had committed under the UCMJ. That was a bad consideration.

Interest and surprise mixed in Natasha's thoughts. The reaction to a seemingly innocuous comment was instantaneous and violent. That Thor would assume responsibility for Loki's actions spoke to an interesting cultural view of suicide. She'd been trying to get a handle on his culture ever since they first started working together. Some of his views were incredibly old fashioned and conservative. Others were egalitarian and enlightened. Respect, honor, and duty touched on all of them. It was an interesting and nuanced blend. Unfortunately, at points it left her guessing about what he might do. Guessing wasn't what she wanted with someone who was capable of bringing as much force to bear as he was.

No more comforting words came from Fandral. There was only shock and nervousness remaining. He'd never seen Thor so angry. The comment wasn't meant to enrage, but rage was now twisting his companion's features into a terrifyingly foreign mask. He clutched at Thor's wrists. "Please, Thor. I meant no offense!" Thor snarled and Fandral closed his eyes, bracing himself to be slammed into the wall again. He was left waiting for a blow that never landed. When he opened his eyes, he saw Lord Odin standing above him, with one hand on Thor's arm. "Thor, that's enough," Lord Odin was speaking softly. As Thor released him, Fandral slid to the floor. He looked up in fear. "Thank you, my Lord, thank you," he said.

Looking down in disgust, Odin didn't respond immediately to Fandral. He. He'd always known of Fandral's dislike for Loki, but he never imagined that he would speak so boldly in front of his Lord. "Silence. I will hear no more from you." Odin turned to his son. Thor was working himself into a rage. He understood his son's pain and shared it, but this wasn't his son's burden to bear. While he didn't know how or why this happened, he knew that it was his failure, not Thor's. "Thor, calm yourself. We have more to see, more to learn. You must calm yourself," Odin spoke softly.

There were tears shining in his eyes when Thor turned to face his father,. "Father, how can I be calm? How can you?" He didn't need to be calm. Thor needed to know why Loki did it; what he did. What he truly needed to know was why his Little Brother hadn't come to him. What he would've done wasn't something he could immediately bring to mind, but he'd happily do whatever was needed to make sure Loki didn't harm himself.

In an instant Odin reached out, grasping Thor by the back of his neck, and pulling him closer. "We have more to see, and I do not believe this to be the reason we've been called here. I believe the worst of it is ahead of us. We must prepare ourselves." Odin released him and stepped back. He sighed. It was a quiet and miserable sound. "This doesn't change that Loki must be brought back to Asgard for trial." He held a hand up to silence Thor as he moved to object. "This will be taken into consideration, but Loki must still be brought to account."

It was probably one of the most potent glares Frigga had ever leveled at her husband. She wasn't going to abide her son being tried for crimes committed in true madness. Her son was despondent enough to try to die. His mind was clearly not balanced enough for him to be held to account for his actions. When they returned home with Loki, then she was going to speak with her husband until he understood that. The damage Loki did was all able to be handled or undone. Loki would go to the healing rooms and stay with the healers while he recovered from this. Frigga didn't like that she was probably going to have to accept Loki being placed in a dungeon cell. However, the healers would monitor him while she began speaking with him to see what unbalanced him mind so terribly. Whatever hiding was done on Midgard, and Stark in particular, were of little concern to Frigga. This wasn't the worst thing she'd faced. No one was dead or dying, so she still had time to set this right.

A scowl almost touched Clint's lips. Starting a fight in a conference room over an honest remark was needless and stupid. Nothing Fandral said was that bad. It was what he saw when he turned in back towards the screen that wiped the near scowl off his face. Thor's mother had a glare on her face that made him duck down a little in his seat. It wasn't the fact that he was surprised the look wasn't melting the metal table in front of her that did it. It was that Clint knew that look. Laura occasionally wore it, normally when he had to deploy in the middle of a vacation. Like all the times he'd seen it on Laura's face, he knew that trouble was coming. It was thankfully not aimed in his direction this time. He almost felt sorry for Thor's father.

Then Odin turned to face his wife. After thousands of years of marriage, he was able to not shrink under the withering glare she leveled at him. He could hear the sour disapproval in her seidr. He did feel for her, as he felt for his son. Both of them felt deeply, loved wholly and unconditionally. He hated having to be the one responsible for acting reasonably. There were days that he despised being the Lord of Asgard. The laws of Asgard had to be upheld. Even he had to obey them. As the Lord of the Realm he was bound by more laws than the average citizen. It was always a burden and an honor to be the final arbiter of the law, to be the bearer of justice. The toll it extracted from him was a high one. The King's crown was a heavy burden for any man to bear. Odin moved back to his seat, ignoring the looks of the others in the room. Frigga sat quietly next to him, staring resolutely at the screen. He could hear her anger. Thor took his seat again. He was wiping at his eyes. The Warriors Three were seated again, slightly farther away from Thor now. Odin was about to speak to the Truthkeeper when Frey beat him to it.

"McCorrmick?" Frey looked at the fair corporal. The boy's hair color still looked odd. He wondered if the boy dyed it. It looked solidly colored with proper highlights. It even matched his eyebrows. The color looked unnatural against the boy's extremely fair skin. This pretty boy was more interesting than Fandral possibly taking a beating from Thor. He grew bored with Fandral and his compatriots centuries ago. The boy, on the other hand, was a bit of a lovely enigma.

"Yes, sir?" McCorrmick gave King Frey his full attention. It wasn't difficult to look the younger King in the eyes as his face was worth looking at. His mouth had the kind of desirable shape that he'd only read about. It was sensuous with inviting curves as well as a pleasant but not overly done fullness to the lips. At the moment he wished that the younger King would use his pretty mouth to tell everyone what he knew. With his commanding presence the King could probably run a smooth presentation. It would calm everyone down, he thought, then swiftly reconsidered. No, that would just enrage most of them. All of them. All of them would be enraged. I don't want to be in the room for that. He almost grimaced. Fiddlesticks. There was far worse than even King Frey knew. It was his responsibility to unleash the tsunami of pain that was about to crash down on them. There was no stopping it. Aideshan had commanded this test commence. None of the emmika gathered there could stop him. Despite his slight pity for the attractive emmiki, he tried to keep a pleasant smile on his face as he addressed the younger of the two Kings. He absolutely didn't want to make someone as observant as King Frey suspicious. I'm just a little corporal here to do good in the Marine Corps. Watch me smile.

"Who was your father, boy?" Frey asked. He wondered about the fair lad beside him. He wanted to know who their Truthkeeper was. You must be more than a pretty boy with a nice smile.

Don't ask me about my clan, emmiki. You have no right. For the sake of appearing normal he answered politely. "My father was Gabriel McCorrmick, sir," McCorrmick's voice carried with it a quiet yet distinct pride. For the ten years that Eidesh allowed them to leave their lands and mingle with the emmika, his father spent it as an officer in the Marine Corps. Like many others in his family, he had the qualifications to be an officer. Aiden wanted them to be officers together. Getting his hands dirty working in the field to help people was what he wanted. Manning a desk wasn't for him. McCorrmick wasn't deceiving himself though. There were problems at home that he was also trying to escape. Ten years had passed since he became an adult. Nine years since he was supposed to pursue a wife. Eight long years had the clan patiently waited for children from him. There was no pursuit of a love, no marriage to a spouse, no children for the clan. Only a single end was in sight for him. Eventually he would have to marry a woman he had no interest in and give the clan a child. Before that happened he went with his heart instead of his head and enlisted. There was much life to be lived with many people to be helped before he went home to carry out an unpleasant duty for those he loved most.

It was a slightly bitter irony that his choice and his talent with computers landed him a desk job as a decryption specialist. He was glad when SHIELD recruited him because it meant that he might have more opportunities to help people. The ten years was almost over but McCorrmick was still just a corporal. If he didn't hurry he wasn't sure that his life would have any meaning. It was a time-honored tradition in his clan to make their lives count for something. Doing as much for the clan as they could or helping as many emmiki as was possible were the best ways for them to do that. Policemen, private security, and military were what most of the men in his family did during those ten years. No one ever lived long enough to be a doctor, even though that was what he'd wanted to be when he was a little boy. Time and maturity killed any hopes of that. So, into the military he went.

"What did he do?" Frey wondered what about this boy would lead Skuld to choose him as a Truthkeeper. It couldn't simply be that he was the one to stumble across the truth. Truthkeepers were all chosen for a reason, it was never just because they were the first to the truth of a matter.

"He was a colonel in the United States Marine Corps before he retired, sir," McCorrmick smiled politely.

"Marine? He was a sailor then?" Frey assessed the fair lad. He'd been quiet so far, particularly for a Truthkeeper. The Norns' Truthkeepers shared the truths they were given by the Norns they answered to. For one of them to not speak was most unusual.

"No, sir. He was a marine, he wasn't a sailor. The Marine Corps is part of the Navy, but they're not the Navy. They're the Marine Corps, sir. Semper fidelis. Eternally faithful." The young corporal swelled a bit with pride. His love for the corps came with the understanding that they didn't truly understand eternal devotion, but they tried. It was something he was proud to be a part of. He knew that their devotion was why his father chose them. Their devotion drew Aiden as well.

"Your father was a leader in this corps? Why did he leave?" Frey's eyes narrowed slightly, still assessing the handsome lad. Eternally faithful? He considered for a moment. Faithful to whom? To Skuld? To the Norns? To this corps? What manner of warriors are they? Who does their faith belong to?

Being forced to maintain his cover like this grated on McCorrmick. You have no right, emmiki. "Yes, sir. He commanded the Combat Logistics Regiment 15, but his talents were better used elsewhere. He retired from the corps to run security teams for medical personal going into warzones and disaster relief operations. It was what he wanted to do. It was what he passed away doing." The young man was used to the pain that came with thinking of his father's death. It still felt like an open wound after seven years. Aiden's passing only added to the magnitude of the wound. At least he was able to say goodbye to that piece of his heart. It wasn't an opportunity he had with his father.

"Passed away? He died. How?" Frey pressed. He noticed how the pale blue of the silver-blue in the boy's eyes darkened with the pain in his expression. It was quiet and clearly a familiar pain to the boy. He still grieves. He and his father were close.

"That doesn't have anything to do with today's events, sir," he said quietly. Outside of the Satska Soledras he didn't even have the authority to politely decline. McCorrmick wasn't eager to dig into that particular wound. His father's death had nothing to do with what they were doing.

"Answer me, boy," Frey smiled kindly, "Please."

To keep things moving smoothly McCorrmick knew that he was going to need to answer. Though he didn't want to discuss it there was still a little more pride that leaked into his voice. His father was his first hero. "He was killed in combat in a warzone. The basecamp his team was guarding was attacked. They were overrun. He and two teammates engaged the assailants to give the medical personnel time to evacuate with the wounded. They stayed behind to take out the attackers' vehicles so they couldn't pursue the evacuees. All three of them were killed, but all the trucks carrying the evacuees made it away safely." You know what it's like, he thought as he looked at King Frey.

He's young but comes from good stock. Odin took note of that. It was also beneficial information to have since he still didn't know much about the Truthkeeper. All he knew was that the boy was respectful and served Skuld. It wasn't much to go on. He didn't miss the look in Frey's eyes either. His damnable brother-by-law knew something that he didn't. Odin didn't like that.

Ah, so that's why the boy didn't back away. He was trying to follow his father's example. Frigga smiled a small but kind smile. The boy came from an honorable family with high expectations that he was trying to live up to. He was a good boy in her opinion.

The death of Gabriel McCorrmick and the last of his cousins was another demoralizing report that crossed Director Fury's desk. SHIELD monitored the McCorrmicks and Wolf Pack, Inc. as best as they could which wasn't as well as he wanted. They were Theta Level assets after all. At least that's what the paperwork that went to the World Security Council said. They were far more important than simple assets to the old spymaster. He'd been trying and failing to recruit them for decades. They could be safer inside his SHIELD than outside. The family was too tight knit to get one of them easily. That was why when the Marine Corps made the mistake of transferring the kid to an open recruiting environment he pounced on the opportunity. This kid was the first McCorrmick in generations to be recruited; the first of the Wolf Pack working for him instead of simply with. He wasn't as accomplished as those who came before him. That didn't matter when it looked like he was just as talented. The Director was hoping to keep the young McCorrmick for many more years to come. More than that, he was hoping this young man might be a way into the family to recruit more.

"Ah, our Truthkeeper is the son of an honorable warrior. To give one's life in defense of others is a noble death. I see why you speak of him with pride. You have much to be proud of." Frey smiled at the boy, "McCorrmick is a strong name." The young man returned his smile. "Your father would be proud of your actions." There was a knowing look in the lad's eyes that Frey didn't miss.

"Thank you, sir. I'm trying my best," McCorrmick held his chin just a little higher. The pride did well enough to cover how much it still hurt.

"May we continue now, Truthkeeper?" Frey asked quietly. He knows, of course he does. He sighed quietly to himself. He was well and truly trapped. There was no way he could get out of this.

"Yes, sir." As McCorrmick began the file again he honestly felt a little worse for King Frey. Caring about the attractive emmiki wasn't part of his test. A little pity shouldn't get me into trouble. The thought was kept in his private space just on the off chance that it might irritate the elder aunt testing him. The situation deserved a little pity though. The younger King knew that he was about to be exposed. There was nothing to be done about it. The young man would never say it. He was far too disciplined to let the words come out of his mouth. It didn't stop him from thinking it though. He's so screwed. McCorrmick was pretty sure King Frey wasn't the only one.