THE INCARNATION


Chapter 19: Year Sixteen: Promises


"Father will not approve of our meddling," Loki observed to his mother as they made their way from the seam in space from Midgard to Asgard. Carrying not only his mother but two fragile infants along with himself was a challenge but they arrived in Asgard without any hindrances. Loki carefully held Thor's son to his chest, Frigga's magic settling on him and around him with a pleasant, familiar hum of power.

"Your father can banish us both if he is displeased. These babes would have died without our intervention. I will not stand by and permit harm to come to these babes and Thor needed his family," Frigga answered with a frown. Carefully, she lifted up her long skirts so she could climb the back staircase into the palace. With her other hand, she cradled Thor's small daughter.

"Mother, how much longer before Thor will return?" Loki asked. It had been so many years since he had voiced this question to her, but he could not hold it in any longer.

"I do not know," she answered, her eyes growing distant. "Your father… remains displeased with Thor's decisions on Midgard. He is pleased with Thor taking responsibility and learning to be a husband and father, but Odin does not see this as naught but a temporary diversion and youthful frivolity unsuited to one of Thor's station. He would have been more pleased if Thor sought to spend his days in the protection of Midgard rather than immersing himself so fully in the lives of the mortals. He did not expect Thor to so easily forget he was once a prince."

"You realize how hypocritical that sounds? Or what Thor would feel to hear it?"

"Aye. I did not say I agreed."

"If I am understanding you properly, Father wished for Thor to become mortal without becoming mortal? He wished Thor to dwell on Midgard without taking on the lifestyle and values of the Midgardians?" Loki asked, incredulous.

"Your father is not pleased with how long Thor's banishment remains. He expected Thor to prove himself much sooner than this. Thor has proved surprisingly patient and kept a stronger leash on his temper than your father ever believed possible. This both pleases him and irritates him and I believe this banishment proves as beneficial for your father as for Thor and yourself. He is not ready to admit such to himself, but he has been given much cause to reflect on his own values and his relationship with each of his sons. He has learned to value you more than he ever had before and he has recognized the overreliance he once placed on Thor. He is forced to recognize Thor's gifts apart from his role as prince and see more of who his son can become. He is also forced to recognize your gifts as a prince and acknowledge what a king you could be."

"I do not wish to be king."

"Neither does Thor."

"A dreadfully inconvenient situation. I shall thank the Norns I am the second son. I shall endeavor to come up with some manner of mischief to remind the All-Father just why he also should be glad I am the second son. It would benefit no one to impress him overmuch."

Frigga laughed and reached over to kiss him on the cheek.

"It will have to be some great feat of mischief to make him forget all you have already accomplished. The gathering of the Infinity Stones alone is a feat worthy of warrior songs for generations to come. Your father is deeply impressed."

"Ah, yes. I used deceit, trickery, and sly scurrying through the universe to steal glowing rocks from their inept keepers. Truly a feat Asgard will laud before all their warriors. It is a pity, then, that my deeds must remain secret for all time," Loki answered with a scoff.

"Loki, you used the gifts you have to keep Thanos from at least four of the Infinity Stones. If we can manage to gather the remaining two, then you will have played a direct hand in preserving the lives of at least half the universe. This is a feat the greatest warriors and army of Asgard could not have accomplished, for they would have sought to accomplish their task through open warfare and direct bludgeoning. Rather than quietly removing the Stones from circulation, they would have called all the greedy eyes of the universe to their scheme and welcomed in competition from among all the galaxies to find their mates."

"'Tis only too true. I can see the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three descending on the Midgardian underground fortress, weapons drawn, demanding their one-eyed chief to surrender their Tesseract or face the edge of their blade. Truly, it would have been a sight worth beholding, if anything could be seen other than carnage."

"Instead, we have a working treaty with Midgard – the first ever developed , I might add – and the mortals have no idea they guard only a cheap imitation of the Tesseract," Frigga answered, her voice warm and overly pleased, in a way only a mother's can be.

"Unfortunately, this also means my storage is so full of ancient relics that it has become quite cumbersome to hold onto and if I die, they will all be lost to the space between spaces forever."

"Such a tragic outcome for all involved," Frigga answered, one eyebrow arched in recognition of his sarcasm.

They had not gone halfway through the family wing when they were interrupted by a familiar voice booming through the hall.

"LOKI!" Roared Odin's furious voice. "What have you done!"

Frigga gave him an apologetic glance and reached out to take the babe he carried. "I'll be in my chambers and I will set up a new nursery for these young ones," she whispered to him. She placed another kiss on his cheek and whispered, "Do not worry."

Reluctantly, Loki followed the sound of Odin's voice until he found his father in front of the door of Loki's own room, pacing with Gungnir in hand. When he saw Loki approach, he pointed his scepter in the direction of the gilded door. "You! Inside! Now."

Once the door was locked behind them and a sound barrier shielded the room from outside ears, Odin turned to Loki, a deep frown on his face. Loki's irritation grew at this terse welcome and he grimaced as he thought through all the possible ways to defend himself against what he assumed to be his adoptive father's grievances. He spoke first to prevent Odin's tirade before it began.

"It is my lawful right and duty to take Thor's babes as my fosterlings. You cannot deny me this," Loki stated, as firmly as he could muster. He gave Odin a defiant stare and dared him to argue further.

Odin paused from his pacing to stare at Loki through his one good eye, fierce and piercing. "Did I deny it?"

Loki opened his mouth and then closed it. He shook his head.

"I would prove the greatest hypocrite in the Nine Realms if I denied you that right. If you wish to adopt all of Thor's Midgardian offspring as your own, that is your right and you may do as you choose. No, Loki. Is it or is it not true that these babes are half-Aesir?"

"It is true," Loki gaped, unsure now of the underlying cause of Odin's ire.

"And yet they were born of Thor and his Midgardian woman."

"You are correct."

"Tell me, then, how two mortals produce babes of Aesir heritage?" Odin asked, his own glare daring Loki to explain himself.

Loki gaped for a moment as he struggled to compose his answer. He knew his actions and motivations would not please the All-Father and so he wished to present as little context as possible.

"I transformed Jane into an Aesir for a day," he began. "It was a fading spell and one which diminished within twenty-four hours, but that was enough. I did not take into consideration how the shift between forms would influence her child-bearing capacities."

Odin stopped his pacing to clasp the back of his great chair and his frown deepened. "Loki, you were able to transform a Midgardian into Aesir form so thoroughly that she produced Aesir young?"

"Yes."

"With only the use of magic? No relics or intermediary artifacts were used?"

"Naught but my magic," Loki answered warily, unsure what the underlying purpose of these prodding questions was or what answer Odin would consider acceptable.

Odin pulled out a chair and sank into it. Then he leaned against the nearby table, twirling his scepter in front of him and making the gold cast little flickers of light against the ceiling.

"Loki, I knew of your illusions and your gift of bending our perceptions to your created realities, but this – this is something else entirely. When you shift your forms, it is more than mere illusion?"

"I can shift by illusion or in truth. I can also conduct a partial or full shift."

"And you can apply this same transformation onto others?"

"Yes."

"Can you transform yourself or another into the exact likeness of another?"

"Yes."

Odin leaned back in his chair with a muttered oath and then he began to laugh. It was an unexpectedly loud, boisterous sound that bounced off the high ceilings of the room and made Loki start in surprise. It was so rare he heard the All-Father laugh and even more unusual for such an unrestrained expression to burst from the old ruler.

"Woe to the realm that counts Loki Odinson among its enemies!" Odin said and he wiped at the tears of mirth in his eyes. "I would assume, then, that if you wished, you could imitate my own person and masquerade as myself with none in Asgard the wiser. If you so chose, you could, quite literally, become Thor."

Loki gave a wary nod.

"By the Halls of Valhalla! I have never heard of such a gift!"

"The Skrull easily shift forms," Loki said. "Even mimicking the genetic material of their subjects."

"True, true! However, they cannot cast such a shift onto any but their own selves. The closest I have heard of this gift is what I may harness Gungnir to accomplish – such as the spellwork I used to keep you in Aesir form and to force Thor into a mortal form. However, that is only a translation of your form and not a transformation into an entirely different individual. You and Thor still resemble your true selves, only in the forms of other species. I am assuming that, if you wished, you could turn Thor into a bilgesnipe with none being the wiser for the change."

Loki nodded, a smirk growing on his face. "An excellent suggestion."

Odin chuckled for a few moments before he grew serious and he leaned forward on his scepter again, his gaze turning earnest.

"My son, I know you are a man who prefers to keep your own councils and keep your well of secrets tightly locked, but you must see the position I am in. I must think further on this gift of yours. Such a gift could cause the fall of entire realms and while I am right glad to have such a gift working for the good of Asgard, if you chose to use your gift against us…" he began and trailed off.

Loki's face hardened and he frowned. "You could also argue that Thor's powers would be quite formidable – if used against Asgard."

"Aye. You speak truth, Loki. I cannot deny it. According to that same logic, there is none in the Nine Realms who could prove such a danger as your mother," Odin said, a thoughtful smile returning to his grizzled face. "I suppose the real challenge you pose is ensuring your loyalty remains with Asgard."

Loki rolled his eyes at Odin's too-familiar conclusion. It always came down to ensuring loyalty to Asgard, over and above any other.

"I must admit to a fascination with the potential of this gift," Odin mused. "My next Odinsleep, we need not fear an enemy coming to find the throne filled by an intermediary ruler…. If a warrior left a widow without an heir, you could intervene to ensure the continuation of their House… if an envoy was required in two separate locations at the same time…"

"No, no! Father, enough!" Loki spluttered between bursts of laughter. "Perhaps it is I who should be concerned of the dangers Asgard poses to my gifts! In one moment you fear I will masquerade as you and the next you plot convenient ways to force me to take on your visage and rule in your stead! No, it will not do!"

"Tell me you have not considered these uses and even more?" Odin asked, one eyebrow raised.

Loki grinned widely. "Of course not. I would never consider such deception!"

Odin chuckled and reached out a hand to clasp Loki's shoulder. "Of course not."

He rose to leave but not before a final glance back at Loki. "I am glad you have returned. Asgard has been all the emptier for the absence of nearly the entire House of Odin."

"I am afraid it will remain empty no longer. Now, the palace must make room for the newly formed House of Loki."

"Aye, so I have heard. If that is what you wish. I assume you will hold a public fostering ceremony?"

"As soon as the babes are well enough."

"Fine, fine."

"Before their fostering ceremony, I would request you to hold your own. It is time."

"So it will be done."

ooooo


Before all Asgard, and a few heavily bribed and disgruntled representatives from Jotunheim, Odin swore Loki into his House and claimed him as his son by law. For months beforehand, proclamations explaining the event were sent across the realms and inviting any who wished to attend the celebration. To say the revelation was as surprise would be an understatement. The greatest surprise to Loki was that the object of their ire was not Loki but the All-Father.

"Loki was placed in the line of succession and even placed upon the throne of Asgard, all without legal fostering. If any enemy had discovered such a breach, they would have overturned Loki's right to the throne and thrown Asgard into chaos!" the Vanir envoys cried.

"It is a breach of true Fatherhood," the elves cried. "How could you neglect to bind your fosterling to you in all ways! It was beyond cruel not to tether his magic to your House or give him knowledge of his true name. It is little wonder he has struggled to find his place in your House!"

"If the All-Father stoops to such deception, and in his own House, how can we trust any he places in Asgard," the Aesir exclaimed. "Perhaps Thor is a Son of Muspelheim and he has hidden it!"

The All-Father himself was forced to make trips to each of the realms to apologize for the deception and answer any questions directed at him. None were more angered than the royal family on Jotunheim. Long before the proclamation went out to the rest of the realms, Odin and Loki made their own private delegation to Laufey's House. The revelation of Loki's identity was enough to almost tumble the old enemies into another war.

"While I am honest enough to admit I find the idea of wars fought over my existence flattering, my vanity is not so great that I would like to see the reality of that idea actualized," Loki observed, once he and Odin had returned to Asgard and could speak in the privacy of the palace again.

"Laufey is a proud man. He may not have wished for you to remain in his House, but woe to any Aesir who interfered in the life of a Jotun," Odin answered.

"It was treasonous enough that I disobeyed his wishes and chose to live when he wished for me to die. To then choose to live on the realm of his greatest enemy was indeed a moral failing of the worst kind. It is little wonder he wished I should die before I could betray him in so many ways."

"Aye, well, at least he is more than happy to sign your fostering agreement and sever all ties between you and Jotunheim. If he refused and insisted you take your place as his heir, our negotiations could have truly disintegrated rapidly."

Since Laufey did not actually have any wish to admit Loki into his House or line of succession, he was only too happy to acknowledge Loki's symbolic death in his House and sign the parchments for the fostering ceremony. Then, in front of all Asgard, Odin All-Father swore Loki into his House. The parchments were signed and irrevocable. By law, if not blood, Loki belonged to Frigga and Odin. Forever. For all time. And none could question it again.

Loki attended the ceremony in his Jotun skin, much to the shock and dismay of his audience. However, he refused to cower or behave as if he was anything but a Son of Odin. He stood tall in his full ceremonial armor, despite the oppressive heat and uncomfortable weight of the regalia. Then, he faced Asgard as their Jotun prince, his sharp teeth shining in the flickering light of the torches and his red eyes daring them to defy the word of the All-Father.

Asgard may have complained bitterly in the privacy of their homes. They may have whispered in alleyways and scoffed at street corners, but they would not deny their prince or refuse a decree of the All-Father.

Loki randomly wandered through Asgard in his Jotun skin after that – sometimes simply to stir up trouble, other times to provoke and prod and make the Aesir feel uncomfortable. When he turned up blue at the fostering ceremony for the twins, none doubted it was anything but intentional. All Asgard and a few representatives from the other realms attended the festivities that day, curious to see the fosterlings of the Asgardian prince.

The babes were now strong enough to breathe on their own. Their delicate stomachs could digest their milk without assistance and the aura of Frigga's magic no longer enveloped them. The babes were dressed in identical gold robes and held before all Asgard so each could see the newest son and daughter bound to the House of Loki.

"Who are these young ones you bring before us?" asked the overly polite voice of the Councilor of the Harvest, the official charged with the establishment of Houses.

"I present to you Luke Foster and Anna Foster, born on Midgard eleven months ago," Loki responded. He rather wished the public announcements had not preceded the ceremony, just so he could have witnessed the initial reaction of the crowd for himself. Unfortunately, the ice had been broken, so to speak, months earlier and any lingering elements of surprise were smoothly glazed over by a veil of politeness and repetition.

"Who sired these young ones? Who was their dame?" The Councilor asked, smoothly following his prescribed list of questions for such a ceremony.

"Thor, son of Odin, a mortal, was their sire. Jane, daughter of Thomas, and Aesir, was their dame," Loki responded.

"From this day forth, do you swear to take them as your own? Henceforth, they will belong not to the House of Thor but the House of Loki?"

"I do."

"Do you solemnly swear to protect them, provide for them, instruct them, and guide them in the ways of the Aesir?"

"I do."

"What shall they be called in your House?"

"They shall take the names of my mother's kin. From this time forward, they shall be known as Freyr Lokison and Freya Lokidóttir. From this day onward, I shall be their father."

"Here this, all Asgard. On this day, the House of Loki is established and these babes, Freyr and Freya, fall under the protection of Loki, son of Odin, prince of Asgard. Do you hear and bear witness to this?"

"We do," came the reply of the crowd. "We hear, we see, we witness."

"Then let the celebrations commence!" the Councilor cried out.

Soon the crowd made their way to the feasting hall where the food and mead already flowed in abundance. Frigga claimed Freya as her own charge and eagerly cooed at the babe in her arms as they walked. Loki held Freyr and followed after her. The heat was now so oppressive, he could tolerate it no longer and he shifted back into his Aesir form. Immediately, he sighed in relief.

Once in the feasting hall, the House of Odin and House of Loki sat on the central dais, allowing all curious eyes and well-wishers to approach them to see the babes themselves.

"Fine children," Loki was told, over and over again, along with ample flattery and congratulations. He feigned interest while attempting to allay his boredom by pondering what thoughts were truly going through their heads. He could not doubt them overmuch, however, because in all truth, the babes were all that was lovely. Now, old enough for their eyes to open and blink into the dim lights of the feasting hall, all could see the exact shade of blue as worn by the eyes of the banished prince. Their hazel hair only now sprouted from their pale heads and their rosy cheeks were full and lively.

"They have more than a few traces of your magic in them," Frigga had surmised, once their innate magic began to materialize. They had yet to show any particular expressions but no discerning mage could miss the whispering hints of what would develop in years to come.

"Mine in particular?" Loki had asked, dubiously.

"Your magic lingered in Jane to sustain her transformation. It is your magic they have inherited and burns within them. Can you not feel it?" she asked him.

He could. He was simply hesitant to admit such out loud.

"Will father ever acknowledge them, other than before all Asgard?" Loki had asked her, in the privacy of their chambers.

She gave him a soft, earnest smile and nodded. "He will. He cannot help it. Once he holds them in his arms, he will be as tied to them as he ever was to you. He could hardly put you down from the moment he first held you and he could not wait to gather you into his arms at the end of his meetings each day. Give him time, Loki, and he will."

Frigga was right. By the time of their fostering, Odin spent nearly as much time with the twins as Frigga and Loki began to wish Jane had borne triplets instead. Still, in all this, Loki could not help but feel the glaring absence of Thor in all of it. Thor should have been there, by his side. Not only because the babes he now called his own were of Thor's own siring, but because, as their uncle, he should have been there to take on his own duty in their care.

Well, if Thor could not join them in Asgard, then it was time Loki return to Midgard. He had promised Thor regular visits with his children and that was one promise Loki intended to keep.