Chapter 39: Odin's Challenge
"Loki, have you noticed that Narugami-kun hasn't been coming over for breakfast and dinner for the last three days?" inquired Mayura.
"Sure did. Peace and quiet at the dinner table is hard too ignore in this family," Loki drawled.
"I wonder why he's missed so many?"
"Probably the giants have finally realized that Thor's missing from Asgard and tried an attack. It would take them about this long to figure it out too. I think that human theory may be right... the taller the giant is, the stupider it is."
"You're not very complimentary on your own heritage are you?"
"No reason to be... they're the ones who wanted to boil me into soup to eat."
"That's true."
"Except for Utgortha-Loki... he's insufferably clever. At least he is with thought out plans. I'm not sure how clever he is thinking on his toes though..."
"Mommy, mommy... Mommy!" barged in Fenrir. "Please don't make me! It smells funnier than usual!"
Mayura was taken aback. She still wasn't used to the Great Wolf Fenrir looking like a cute little puppy calling her mommy. But outwardly, she didn't seem to flinch. "What smells funnier than usual?"
"My bath water! It smells all funny. Not like normal water."
"Nii-san! You have to take your bath,'' called Yamino walking into the room. "Ah, there you are nii-san."
"No, I wouldn't take a bath in that yucky water!"
"Yamino-kun, what did you put in Fenrir's bath water," Loki asked.
"It's a stronger flea dip, so I only have to wash nii-san once."
"You got fleas again! Fenrir! You march straight outside and take your bath, you hear me? I don't care how smelly it is. If you don't like how it smells... wear a flea collar, or better yet... don't get fleas!"
"Yes mommy..."
---Meanwhile in Asgard---
"And that's what has happened on Midgard," finished Urd, erasing the visions of the past off the smooth water of her well.
"I wouldn't have believed it."
"Loki has a wife! No Freya! Say it isn't so!" wailed one of the many goddess gathered. As a mass, the unattached goddess and their ladies began to mope and pout or cry.
Thor stood up and walked towards Odin. "Father, on behave of your blood-brother and my best friend, I ask you to consider a formal union between Loki and his currently hand-fasted wife Mayura."
"You have presented him with the past, but you have yet to give father a reason to consider such an audacious proposition. Not only is Loki banished, you ask Odin to allow a mortal to step foot into Asgard!" protested an outraged Heimdall.
"Father! Loki is not the same person he was when banished. And as you could clearly see, destroying the link between Loki and Mayura could cause irreversible and harmful damage."
"This is a one sided argument however. Thor... you have never agreed to Loki's banishment, and on Midgard found no reason to kill him when Ragnarok was still a threat. In fact, all the gods speaking for my blood brother have at one point or another supported and argued Loki's behalf. But I can not look upon this matter in the jaded light of friendship, for the betterment of Asgard and the nine worlds. Heimdall—the fated enemy of Loki—what have you to say about this matter?"
"The only thing you will learn from him is lies! He hates Loki—you have seen with your own eyes Loki's actions for the last seven years."
"I will listen to both sides. Loki's actions are very often false leading and hypocritical."
"And you are full of pride! Too much to admit that the Great All-father was wrong!" retorted Thor losing his cool.
"Silence Thor, you have overstepped your station."
"I will not be silent when I look at the sight of..." Thor faltered as he felt Verdandi's hand upon his shoulder. Much like his Sif would have done had she...
"Now Heimdall, what is your opinion upon the matter?" asked Odin amiably.
"It's true about Loki's changed behavior around his hand-fasted wife, Mayura. He is much more... open and forward. However father, his behavior is still the same towards anyone else. Loki's and Thor's relationship hasn't changed, nor has even the relationships between Loki and his children. He may have cleared his most current sin, but he will continue to be a problem in the future, causing havoc and endangering Asgard. Nor do I believe this change in his behavior to be permanent. How many young women have we seen Loki with?" Heimdall paused for response.
"Too many to count," replied a god in the back.
"And what happened with each one?" Heimdall pause again, this time for theatrical effect. "In six months to a year he got bored with them and tossed the girl aside. Now it's true that this mortal has attracted Loki's attention for a longer period of time, but like always he'll become bored and leave her as well. Then we'll have the same old Loki once again free within Asgard. Is that what you really want? Well is it Idun? Remember when he led you to become captured so he could save his own hide?"
"No" responded Idun, still shaken at the memory of her imprisonment.
"Perhaps Thor has forgotten who had shaved Sif's hair in the middle of the night? And how was Loki able to cut your wife's hair anyway? Was he already sharing her bed?" prodded Heimdall.
"I... I... That was... that has nothing to do with the current situation," sputtered Thor.
"Nor can we forget that time Loki encouraged us to make a bet against that giant in disguise. We almost lost not only the sun and moon, but the lovely goddess Freya as well." The gods gathered begun to murmur. "But there's no reason to need to dig up such ancient past. Remember what happened just last century? When he burned all of Tyr's clothes?"
"Yes... that's right."
"I forgot about that."
"Can someone like that really change?"
"It would be wise..."
"And everyone always forgets the good that Loki has done!" interrupted Thor.
"Like what? Name one thing good that Loki has done that wasn't a cover and or fixing up one of his trickery."
Thor paused in thought, and began to squirm under the pressure Heimdall's challenge created. "The time I... I lost Mollinjir. Loki was the one who created and saved the whole plot to get it back. I... I almost blew it three or four times," answered Narugami lowering his head.
"That doesn't prove anything! He might have been the one who stole your hammer in the first place! We still don't know how that slimy oaf of a gia..." retorted Heimdall, before he was irrupted by Odin.
"Enough... I have heard all I intend to hear. I will make my decision alone. Thor, tell my blood brother that I will speak with him and his hand-fasted wife tomorrow at noon. I will have my judgment then. You may all leave; I wish to think in solitude." The majority of the gods began to walk back to the central part of Asgard either towards their own homes, only a few walked towards the rainbow bridge to return to Midgard. Thor was also walking that way since he had left his goat pulled chariot back by the rainbow bridge. Only the Norns stayed, but they were already at home.
After the other gods had left, Odin began to walk towards Yggdrasil the world tree in silence to contemplate the questions before him. He had to admit that the sin upon Loki had been cleared, but Heimdall's and his own words rang true in his head. Loki's behavior in the past was not very commendable and these past seven years could have easily have been a scam on Loki's part to get within the good graces of the gods once again. Should he, could he take the risk of letting Loki back into Asgard? Odin didn't know. But if Odin was confused about this problem, his mind was doing nothing but loop-de-loops with the second. A mortal was becoming a god... and not just any god, but a second god of chaos, trickery and fire. It seemed impossible, completely audacious, but Odin had to believe it since Freyr had no reason to lie. The thought of having two unscrupulous gods of chaos and tricky knotted his stomach.
He had been sitting in quite contemplation for over an hour when the Norns approached him. As one they spoke:
Cleared is the weight of sin upon the soul
Dark or light, unknown future it will be
Until the bell of time will toll
Flowing shall his path be free
Untouched and yet forever altered
From choices not his own
Still heart un-faltered
Intentionally truth may be hidden or known
Always give for success
A price there must be
For valued less
Is the honor given for free
Beware, beware to the plight
Pride, Hate, Enmity
Forgiveness make to right
Prevention of extreme calamity
Destruction avoided may
For hope anew has shined
Find the way
As love eternal bind
The Norns walked away, leaving Odin unsure of what they had meant, or truly even said.
"Loki, why are we going down into the basement?"
"Because that's where we're going to tall with Odin," explained Loki.
"In a basement..." she replied disbelievingly. "But there's nothing down there, I checked it several years ago!"
"Ah, but you didn't know what to look for," he stated as he walked up to a large over-full length mirror. Giving the candle to Mayura, Loki tapped on the glass.
"But Loki, this is just a really big mirror!"
"Not everything is what it seems." As he talked, the image on the mirror changed. Mayura was no longer able to see the wall behind them. The mirror had taken on a uniform brown color, although their reflections and even shadow remained, nothing else had.
"What happened?"
"I opened the mirror for communication," replied Loki.
"You mean that that's how we're going to talk to Odin-sama? Through a mirror?! Fushigi mystery!" squealed Mayura jumping up and down excitedly. Loki just laughed, and saved the candle from Mayura's grasp. Mayura stopped jumping and stuck her tongue out at Loki, "Meanie... I've never talked through a magic mirror before! And everyone said they were made up for fairy tales. Hahah... are fairy tales the actual stories of fairies Loki?"
"Of course. Unfortunately some preposterous guy named Hans Christian Anderson got hold of them before they were ever written down and he gave them all unhappy endings. Grimm's Fairy Tales... yeah they're grim all right. "
"You mean the Disney endings are closer to the truth?"
"Yes... although they weren't quite that sugary sweet either. But the fairies don't mind. They rather have a little teeth rot than their heroes turned into pathetic losers. No one tells stories about losers after all."
Behind them Yamino smiled. His father's and... step-mother's behavior had relieved him of the tension and nervousness within him at the thought of seeing Odin for the first time since his entrapment under the seas of Midgard. Completing the family present on Midgard was Fenrir and ecchan also standing or floating—whichever the case may be—behind Loki.
The mirror shimmered again, and a man's silhouette could be seen. As the man walked closer, Loki recognized him to be Odin, his blood brother. "Greetings Loki, and greetings to you too my blood brother's hand-fasted wife. I have come to speak before you to present my judgment." Odin noticed Loki's blank or somewhat baffled look. "It seems as if your friends have petitioned on your behalf to my presence. And before all the gods of Asgard, I make my decision to their request."
At these words Loki became quite nervous. What could they have requested? On my behalf no less... I hadn't planed on confronting Odin for several more decades...
Mayura on the other hand was reasonably calm considering her total fascination with the 'magic' mirror. She was trying her hardest not to touch the smooth glass, but it was so very tempting. Unable to control her curiosity any longer Mayura poked the glass causing waves to run through the image in the mirror. "Mystery!"
Loki lowered his head and slapped his forehead. "Mayu-chan..." he sighed.
"It's really a magic mirror! Wow!"
"I'll tell you how it works later. Could you stop poking it now please?" asked Loki, grabbing her hand and looking into her eyes—hoping to convey how important this interview could be.
"I see you have an energetic wife Loki. She's very much your type." At that Loki snapped his head back towards Odin surprised. Odin laughed. "I see you missed that. Yes, she's quite your type... ever curious and impulsive. I've been told she's even had the boldness to lie to you on multiple occasions."
"Odin-sama, how can all the other gods of Asgard see this discussion? I can only see you, mister Odin-sama sir." Mayura fidgeted, unsure how to address the all-father of the gods after all.
Odin laughed. "Such a charming young mortal... isn't she Loki. But that's the subject of our discussion isn't it? She's not just an average mortal anymore. It's not everyday that a god marries a mortal. In fact, I believe this is the first case of such a union—unless my memory is failing me."
"No Odin, you're memory has yet to fail you," replied Loki calmly.
"Not only has this mortal married a god, I've been told she's becoming immortal through this bizarre hand-fasting."
"Yes." Mayura noticed Loki's uneasiness. It was like he was being charged as a heretic during the Spanish Inquisition—Mayura was quite pleased with herself for coming up with such an analogy. Unfortunately the analogy was apt enough. Loki's fate was already determined before the interview had begun.
"But becoming immortal is just the beginning, isn't it? She's becoming a goddess... and not just any goddess, but a goddess of fire, chaos, and trickery—a position already taken by you Loki. And here is the real problem. Should I allow the creation of another goddess? A goddess of mortal birth no less. There have been enough troubles within Asgard with just one such god... However, I have been informed that mine own judgment may be jaded in such matters. Therefore I announce merely the consequences... you mortal," pointed Odin, "will decide your fate. Prove that you are worthy to be considered a goddess."
Loki stepped back in shock. This wasn't the judgment he had expected from Odin. Mayura was the first to respond, "How can I do that?"
"You must go on a journey to recover one of the many items that have become lost over the centuries. To complete your quest, you must demonstrate the courage and bravery within your heart. But to retrieve this item will require justice, compassion, loyalty, steadfastness, quick thinking, and a certain amount of guile."
"Odin, no one god within all of Asgard displays all these traits! What you ask of her is..."
"Only what can be expected as a challenge for a mortal daring to become a god. Do we not require our sung heroes to display many of these traits as well?"
"Yes, but not all!"
"Ah, but they do not seek godhood... only glory and honor within our halls." Loki could only nod his head in agreement with Odin. For what he said was true. "Your quest mortal, shall be accomplished alone. There shall be no intervention of good or ill by a god after the start of your quest. However, you may gain as many companions as you wish."
"But she's not ready for a quest of that..."
"Well then, you better prepare your wife well. All will gather at the bottom of the rainbow bridge at the false dawn of the spring equinox. There we will take solemn oaths upon my spear Gungnir and I will explain the rewards of success as well as the consequences of failure. I will also relieve the subject of her quest as well as the time limit. Until then..."
The mirror shimmered and Odin disappeared. Loki and Mayura were once again looking at their reflections. "Loki, what does all that mean?"
"It means we have a lot of work ahead of us."
To LittleGreenWolf: As soon as I thought about Loki running away from a gaggle of little girls trying to wash his hair, I knew I had to put it into my story.
To Bibliomaniac: Yeah, imagining little Loki all dirty is hard to do, and yet at the same time it's so easy to. It just fits so well into his personality.
To ruby-dream: Stevrion's personality actually comes from my beta reader, although it is definitely stretched a little bit.
Alaska Boy: My shiny shirt!
To Ytak: Yes, I did do a lot of research into Norse Mythology. The dark fairies are my creation however.
To Lani-san: Wow! I've done that with other stories, but I never knew people did that with mine. I'm honored.