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Odin stood among his treasures, silent. Thinking. Running his mind over recent events.
And ever they returned to the same place: Rubia, Valkyrie of the Twilight. A girl who may well hold the key to Fate itself.
His mind often returned to that day in the chamber of Fate, to the great Tapestry, as he beheld the crimson thread of young Rubia unwinding itself and finding a new place in the pattern. No other thread shifted. No part of the pattern appeared to weaken. Balance remained, despite the blasphemous act being inflicted upon it. Ever had the All-Father believed that tampering with Fate would bring ruin upon the nine realms of the World Tree… yet ruin had not come. Yggdrasil endured as it ever did. And all his thoughts pointed to young Rubia, Rangrid, as the cause.
A Valkyrie had changed her own Fate. And she didn't need to threaten the goddesses of Fate to do so.
What could that mean for Asgard? For the Aesir? For the coming battle at the end times?
Odin, bedecked in his gold and black armor, strode through the halls of his treasure rooms, looking upon his riches but seeing none of it. Ancient and powerful artifacts of the Dwarves, trophies of the Jottun and Elves, and the finest offerings of Man, all sat on pedestals around him, none with so much as a speck of dust, yet all ignored. His mind was turned ever inward, trying to untangle the mysteries of the universe.
But not so far removed as to lose his guard.
"You cannot hide from me, child of Laufey," said Odin aloud to seemingly no one. "Reveal thyself."
A quiet sound echoed from somewhere behind the All-Father, a clicking of teeth, as the goddess of mischief and trickery made her way into the room where Odin stood. Her emerald green hair stood out against her dark skin tone, though her green and black outfit matched it well. Her blood red eyes appeared at ease, but within them remained a spark of anger – Loki did not like to be reminded of her true parentage.
"Will one such as I ever sneak up on you, old man?" she said.
Odin smirked, "I may only have one eye, but it is usually fixated on the trickster of Asgard. Now speak: why do you disturb me in my private chambers?"
Loki shrugged, sending her hands far out to the sides. "I suspect you already know the true reason; nothing gets past you, does it? I'm sure you've heard the rumors…" Loki casually strode around the room, glancing at a few baubles but touching nothing. "It is said that I can smell trouble, but it is more accurate to say that I smell fear. And honestly… how could such an emotion be coming from Lord Odin's treasure room? I simply had to satisfy my base curiosity-"
"You are meddling in affairs that do not concern you, Loki" snapped the All-Father. "If you are wise, you will keep your forked tongue between your teeth… lest you find it cut out one day."
"Many have tried such a feat, my Lord… yet I still have it." Loki ran her tongue across her lips with a smile. "And fear not, I mean no harm. And if there is one being in Asgard that can keep a secret, it is I."
Odin narrowed his eye, frowning. "So it would seem."
Loki sighed, her smile faltering as she looked back towards the way she came in. "Alas, I… will be away for a time. Thora and Heimdalla have insisted that I accompany them on a journey through Midgard, so I suppose I will not be here to ~torment~ the gods for the duration."
"A journey?!" Odin turned to face the trickster, his eye wide with rage. "What sort of matter would demand the attention of both the Goddess of Thunder and the Guardian of the Bifrost? What nonsense would be deemed important enough to rob Asgard of its primary defenses?"
"I haven't the foggiest," Loki shrugged, casually turning on her heels. "But they are demanding that I come along, so there is that. All I recall is the ginger woman saying something about a… 'White Castle.'"
"Hmm…" Odin grumbled, looked down at the floor and clasped his hands behind his back. "If Lady Heimdalla deigns this to be important, then I shall not deny her wish."
"Always wise to be on the good side of the divine voyeur, is it not?"
"Consider yourself fortunate her ears are not as powerful as her eyes."
"Of course."
Lord Odin began his walk to return to the palace above, Loki following close behind. He gave no order, but it was well known to all Asgardians that the All-Father's treasure halls were strictly off-limits when he was not present within them. Neither god spoke for several feet.
"Lady Heimdalla expressly demanded I accompany them to keep me out of trouble, but Lady Thora said that my ability to shield anything from sight would be invaluable on our journey."
Odin said nothing.
"Normally I would have refused, but… I suppose I was in a good mood, so I agreed. They stand out far too strongly on their own, and mortals would find them in a heartbeat, so in a way…"
Loki stepped in front of the All-Father and turned to look back at him, eyes closed in a broad smile.
"…without my power, their Fates would be sealed."
Odin's eye went wide.
Loki turned and let herself out of the halls on her own, leaving the King of Asgard to ponder her words and what she meant. More specifically, the meaning hidden beneath them. Loki may be a goddess of mischief, but she was by no means a fool; there was no secret, no rumor in any of the nine realms that could escape the attention of the cunning woman. Loki knew that Rubia could alter her place on the great Tapestry, and she knew that most of Asgard remained blissfully unaware of that fact.
And she alone knew what haunted Odin day in and day out, the cruel Fate that awaited the All-Father himself, his doom at the conclusion of Ragnarok.
A doom… … … that no longer seemed set in stone.
Rubia, Valkyrie of the Twilight, had the power to change her own destiny. Was it too much to believe that she could change the destiny of another?
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Loki chuckled lightly to herself as she passed the final rooms of Odin's grandiose treasure halls, wondering what he'd make of her words. Her bait. For an old man, he was remarkably easy to guide in the right direction.
Yeah, she was stuck with those 2 idiots for awhile, but knowing that she could still make the All-Father himself writhe even while absent was immensely satisfying.
Loki moved quickly to exit the halls through the gilded entrance, but first looked to one side and barely held back a grin.
One of the pedestals was empty.
She quickly cast an illusion in its place to recreate the missing artifact. It was far from perfect – Odin would eventually see through it – but by the time he did the delinquent item would be well out of his reach. Loki also made a mental note to congratulate the man Watts on achieving the impossible; stealing from under the gods' very noses.
This was going to be fun.
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Author's Note: Welp, here's the bonus chapter – better late than never, I guess. Sequel bait anybody?
In all seriousness, this was a really fun AU to write for. Norse mythology is a rich field of lore and details to pull from, dense with story and conflict despite how little we know of its original form. And also surprising how many of the gods and goddesses have accurate Remnant stand-ins. I can honestly say I have no idea when I'll put out Chooser of the Slain 2, but rest assured that as long as I'm still alive, it is on the books (I'm currently working my way through one of the worst creative dry spells I've ever had to deal with, so I appreciate your continued patience).
Though there is one thing I will say: keep an eye out for "Thora & Heimdalla Go To White Castle," an upcoming comedy spin-off. My beta-reader-in-chief The Layman will be handling that one, and I for one am looking forward to the shenanigans of those wayward deities.
=^..^=