Frigga came to a stop in front of Loki's cell, and the youngest son of Odin sat up, setting his book down with a smirk. "Well hello there mother. How did the revelation go?" He asked with a sharp, cutting glee. "I could hear the thunder from down here, though there was a tragic lack of lightning or shattering walls to follow it up." Frigga just smiled passively at him, making Loki frown.
"Did you expect me to be angry at you for alerting your brother and I to your niece's existence?" She asked, an eyebrow raised. "Your father made a decision as King, yes, but I am not locked to his will son. Rey is here now, your brother's attention focused on her rather than his anger towards your father." Loki raised an eyebrow.
"A girl then. How exciting." He said with brittle brightness. Frigga shot him a look that gave him pause, one full of knowing and clarity.
"You cannot force prophecy to happen when it's convenient for you son." She said kindly. Loki blinked, and tried to keep his face blank. "I recognize that you had more immediate and petty concerns." She continued. "But you are not as subtle as you think you are."
"I don't know about forcing anything." Loki replied, abandoning pretense. "The prophecy seemed fairly cut and dry, and he certainly isn't going to her mother's home galaxy anytime soon." Nobody went there. It was chaos on far too many fronts. "I have no intention to manipulate things any further, even if I could, confined to this cell as I am."
The look his mother gave him at this was almost impressively unamused. "You just threw the entire courtly politics of Asgard and, to a lesser extent, the whole of the Nine Realms into upheaval from that cell my son." She pointed out wryly.
"And it's not even dinner time yet." Loki drawled.
"Indeed." Frigga took a step closer to the cell. "Now let me be very clear, son. If I get even a hint that you have pointed your niece at the Mad Titan, or vice versa, your father will be the least of your worries, the Hulk the least of your enemies." Loki grimaced. "I love you. And I always will." Frigga continued. "But she is a child, and she deserves better than to be a pawn in your attempts to guard yourself."
"If the prophecies are to be believed I'm sure how much say you have on that front." Loki pointed out, voice carefully neutral. Frigga raised an eyebrow.
"Perhaps not. But there's no reason to throw Rey at him before she has even seen her second decade." Loki hummed.
"No, I suppose not. Very well Mother. What will be will be, you have my word." Frigga gave him a long look with more compassion behind it than Loki was entirely comfortable with and nodded.
"Thank you son. Now, are there any more Asgard shaking secrets you're keeping and planning to reveal as petty vengeance? I wish to know how many more shocks you intend to make your mother's poor heart endure." Loki gave a chuckle.
"None at the moment, but I promise to make you the first to know if any occur to me." He said, amused. Frigga inclined her head, lips quirking in a small smile.
"Thank you son. Enjoy your book." She said, turning and leaving the dungeon. Loki sighed and stared after her, then returned to his reading.
Frigga made her way to the infirmary in steady and thoughtful silence, considering all that had gone on over the course of one short day, and what it might mean for the future of her kingdom and her family. Rey's presence was hardly a problem in the traditional sense, but it opened up a wide variety of doors for future problems that she wasn't entirely certain of how to deal with. Ideally she would have had her husband here to help her navigate them, but Odin could be remarkably stubborn, particularly when faced with challenges to actions he had made in earnest for the good of Asgard.
And he had, indeed, staved off a potential war. The man known as Sidious was an extraordinarily petty and possessive individual, and the news that Asgard was sheltering the woman made from his flesh and blood, that she had conceived a child with a god, would have drawn his attention with a violent fervor. And while the might of Asgard was more than a match for all but the greatest of his tools, the man's war machine was vast, and his knowledge of Dark power rivaled by few. Blood would have flown from Asgard, even if their victory was all but assured. She knew that, and Odin knew it. And so her husband had chosen to discard Miramir and her daughter to prevent that war. A bastard and a foreigner in exchange for the lives of hundreds, perhaps thousands of his own citizens. Easy calculus for a king.
But the math had changed now. And even if it hadn't, Thor would never allow it to come between him and his daughter. Their eldest was a good, if rash, man. Now that he knew Rey existed, he would burn all of Yggdrasil if it meant her protection. And that, fundamentally, was where the difference lay. Odin was king, first and foremost. The banishment and imprisoning of Hela, the binding of Thor's power, were ample evidence of this. He strove to be a good man and a good father, and he was certainly better at both than his father Bor had been. But Odin would always weigh being a father against the good of the realm. And Frigga wasn't sure that Thor had it in him to do the same. Perhaps that was for the best, or perhaps not. It was hard for her to say as his mother who wanted him to be happy above all else, to have people he loved and cared for, who loved and cared for him in return.
Frigga banished her dour thoughts as she entered the infirmary. Rey needed a happier grandmother than that, particularly now.
A quick glance alerted her to the location of her son and granddaughter, and she walked briskly to them. Rey was sitting on the bed, tense and looking young as the royal doctor scanned her, Thor hovering nearby, trying to be visibly present for his daughter but also unobtrusive for the doctor. It was an amusing sight, particularly from a man of his size, and Frigga allowed herself a smile before walking to examine the results of the preliminary tests.
The good news, such as it was, was that Rey was less damaged than might have been expected. The trauma and stress of her childhood on Jakku had stoked the embers of Rey's lineage. She was not healthy, not by human standards and even less so by Asgardian. But, her parentage had ensured that she wasn't emaciated, that malnutrition, dehydration, and exposure hadn't done permanent damage to her.
It also meant that Frigga was going to have to keep a close eye on her, and tell Thor to do the same. Not all demigods inherited power. Indeed, Frigga would go so far as to say that most didn't. But in those that did, generally they came into that inheritance at a slow and steady rate as they matured. Jakku had forced Rey to draw on more of that power than she should have in self-defense, though she hadn't known that was what she was doing. That power wasn't spent or gone, she'd cracked open a seal rather than drained a reservoir, and it meant that, as Rey's body recovered and got to where it should be, she'd start showing that power in more overt ways. Potentially destructive ways, if those charged with her care didn't stay on top of things.
"What in the Nine Realms have you been eating Princess?" The doctor asked, frowning at a chart projected in front of her. Rey flushed and looked around for her bag, reaching into it and fishing out a sealed bag of white powder and green-black shapes.
"The powder turns into bread when you put it in water." She said quietly. "The blocks are plant matter." The Asgardians processed this, and while he hid his anger well enough Frigga suspected that this whole visit had been adding to a list of overall reasons to smite Jakku in Thor's mind.
"I see." The doctor said quietly. "May I take this? Analyzing it will help determine what nutrients you have been getting and thus what you need." Rey flinched instinctively at the request to relinquish food, then looked at her father. After a moment she nodded shortly, handing over the package. "Thank you Princess." The Doctor said gently, taking it from her carefully. She set it down, then looked over the final scans. "Well, the good news is that nothing seems to be of immediate concern. Your bones and organs are…healthy enough, and will recover in due time. Sooner rather than later I suspect, if you're anything like your father." Rey blinked, surprised that the exam was over already.
"Speaking of being like your father, no strenuous activity." The doctor continued, eying Rey and Thor sternly. "I recognize that you may not be used to rest and relaxation Princess, but that is exactly what your body needs right now. That, and strictly following the diet plan that I'll draft after you leave." Rey shifted awkwardly but nodded. "I will be relaying that order to Lady Sif and the Warriors Three Prince. I haven't forgotten your adolescence." Thor bristled.
"I would never hinder my daughter's recovery." He said firmly. Frigga could see him visibly restraining a stronger outburst, and briefly marveled at how far he had come in a few short years. Jane and Midgard had done him good, it seemed. For her part, the doctor softened.
"I'm sure you wouldn't intentionally, my Prince." She said, nodding. "But Rey is not Asgardian in full." She glanced at Frigga, the 'not yet' unsaid but heard by the adults in the room, then continued. "And you have not had to deal with someone whose body was damaged by a lack of nutrition, hard labor, and intense heat rather than battle or challenge. The signs of recovery will be different, and she will likely look recovered before she actually is." Thor paused, then inclined his head in understanding.
"I'm fine." Rey said stubbornly, with the time honored tone of a teenager repeating themselves to an adult who isn't listening. The doctor shot her a look.
"You are your father's daughter. Nature over nurture indeed." The woman said dryly. Rey flushed again, looking sullen. "Nobody is blaming or mocking you Princess. These are simply the consequences of factors beyond your control. If you want control, and to avoid visiting me more often than you have to, you will listen." Rey hesitated, then nodded.
"I…I understand. Thank you." She said meekly. The doctor smiled, nodded to Thor and bowed to Frigga, then took her leave. "That was…faster than I expected." Rey murmured as the woman left. Thor chuckled.
"Magic is useful in such matters." He said with a nod. "...would you like to meet my friends, or would you rather see your rooms?"
"Rooms?" Rey squeaked out, eyes widening. Thor laughed.
"You're a princess, Rey. Yes, you get your own space in the palace."
"A space that is not yet prepared." Frigga said gently, raising an eyebrow at her son. "As we did not anticipate having another member of the Royal Family for quite some time." Thor paused, then grunted in embarrassment and rubbed the back of his head.
"Ah, yes. Forgive me, a lot has happened today. It felt longer. I forgot myself."
"It's okay. I would like to meet your friends anyway father." Rey said quickly. "I…haven't met many friendly people." Frigga felt Thor add another note to his list of reasons to smite Jakku and/or his father in the near future, though he continued to do an admirable job of keeping it off of his face. Rey's ignorance of her father's upset was probably helped by her upbringing. From what Frigga had seen, humans had not been particularly common on Jakku, and so Rey was not as familiar with her own species' body language as she was with that of species that didn't look human. A bitter irony, that. Rey hesitated again, drawing Frigga's attention back to her. "Will I be able to decorate my…rooms?" She asked timidly. "I…I couldn't do much with my shelter on Jakku. I would like it to not look like that." Frigga smiled and nodded.
"Of course. Your rooms should be ready by the end of the day, and tomorrow we can work on showing you some options to make them feel more personal." Rey gave her a shy smile. "Now, off you go. I'm sure you'd much rather be seeing the rest of the palace than lingering here." She said, shooing Rey and Thor alike.
OoOoO
Thor led Rey out to the training grounds, where he was unsurprised to see Sif and Fandral dueling, while nearby Volstagg and Hogun watched. Though judging by the light sheen of sweat on both men, they had not been idle.
Fandral was the first to notice the arrival of the newcomers. Or, more likely, he was the first to react. At least, if Thor judged the smirk on Sif's face as she deftly disarmed him the minute he perked up at Thor's arrival correctly. Fandral grumbled lightly in response but focused his attention on Thor. "Thor! We were worried about you! What happened this morning?"
Thor took a deep breath and stepped to the side, no longer standing in front of Rey. The young teen shifted anxiously as four pairs of eyes fixed on her, and Thor put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "My friends, this is Rey. My daughter." This news was met by a slight double take from Sif, a choked splutter from Fandral, Hogun's eyes widening a touch, and a noise of understanding from Volstagg. "Rey, these are my best friends. Sif, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg." He continued briskly, pointing at each in turn for Rey, who stared wide-eyed.
"Well met, Princess Rey." Sif was the first to speak, bowing formally. Rey blushed, looking uncertain of how to react to this.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Sif." She said weakly, waving a hand. Volstagg stood up and Rey's eyes widened as she was forced to register just how big Volstagg the Voluminous was. The large redhead grinned cheerfully though as he walked to her, and Rey quickly relaxed.
"So stiff Sif! She's a child, the daughter of our friend, not some visiting Elf!" He chided happily, holding out a hand. Rey blinked and stared at it.
"Rey grew up in a rather…isolated and hostile environment." Thor said gently, reaching out and shaking Volstagg's hand to demonstrate what the intended reaction from his friend did. Volstagg's face clouded for a moment, eying Thor for a quick second, then nodded to Rey.
"Apologies Rey. I didn't mean to put you on the spot." He said warmly. Rey quickly shook her head.
"It's alright." She said firmly. "I need to learn." She held out her own hand, and Volstagg gently shook it.
Fandral was the next to greet Rey, loud and charming (though carefully not flirtatious for once) but Thor's attention was drawn by Hogun, who met his eyes, glanced at Rey, and tapped the hilt of his weapon. Thor briefly grimaced and gave a short nod. He wasn't about to smite the entirety of Jakku, but…well, Rey had to have been giving her scavenged items to someone, someone had to have been benefiting from his daughter's hard work without properly caring for her. And that someone would learn a very harsh lesson soon.
But not yet. Now was the time for peace and relaxation. For his daughter to have his presence and support as her life was turned upside down. And given that Jakku hardly had a planetary government, and Asgard had very little diplomatic relations with that particular galaxy, he couldn't delegate the task of justice. It would have to come from him.
For now though he was content, watching Rey try not to giggle as Fandral got progressively more flamboyant in his etiquette towards the new Princess and Sif got progressively more exasperated. Let it never be said that his friends were not perceptive, or that they weren't good with children.
A good start, all in all.