- 1 month ago
Loki, in his eon of planning, had met with every matriarch from every noble family every night for several generations, earned favors with their husbands, brothers, and fathers ― but most importantly, he had brought the Odinson to his side. Yet, his stream of good fortune had only just started. The Allfather had transported Asgard away with the [Bifrost], but he left himself behind amidst the mass teleportation.
The emerald prince briskly walked through the castle halls, watching as servants, guards, and Valkyries alike were all in a panic, all rushing to Heimdall's call en masse. For the very first time in Asgardian history, the Allfather was fighting alone, which was an opportunity the second son could not pass up.
Cold, bleak stone doors stared back at him with as much ferocity as has ambitions. He found himself in a once-in-a-lifetime chance, right in front of the entrance of the treasury without a single guard in sight. Every door below the main floor within Odin's castle was enchanted to not open unless given explicit permission by the Allfather himself, but the deviant god found a loophole in his father's all-powerful magic.
Odin, in all his arrogance, never expected outsiders to be able to make it all the way through to his castle, thus only enchanting these doors against other Asgardians. Many nights were spent by Loki trying different things, different items, even different kinds of magic to see if he could ever outwit a being who was a self-proclaimed omniscient. Countless failed trails later, the devious prince had found his answer after talking with a local locksmith in town.
Most doors only locked from the outside, to keep unwanted intruders out and to let anyone on the inside exit whenever they so wish. Even the almighty Allfather enjoys this leisure, as a crack of yellow light slowly peaked out from the doors opening inward. Loki's smile stretched from one cheek to another, as a school boy's delight filled his heart. On the other side of the double doors was a tiny snake, barely reaching above his knee caps, but was grateful to see his master once again.
Eagerly slithering towards his 'father', the itty-bitty 'World Serpent' coiled itself around Loki's arms as he bent down to pick up his cohort-in-thievery. He had finally made it inside of the sacred treasure room… no, Odin's treasure room. Millenia of wars across the 9 Realms had ensured the Allfather had stockpiled not only the rarest of treasures, but also things of great power, sealed away to never see the light of day again. There was a single mystical item the God of Mischief was after ― a sword so powerful, it had completely drained the Allfather of all of his strength, and left the king in a semi-permanent Odin Sleep in order to regain any semblance of his once-great prowess the last time he wielded it.
The great treasury was filled with shelves upon shelves of Uru metal, which was once the rarest metal exclusive to the world of the dwarves, but this exclusivity was transferred to Asgard soon after Odin secured his rule over the 9 Realms. Rows upon rows of wooden shelves filled with neatly-stacked grey ingots, which Loki could only assume was meant to fuel his father's next war.
Like an optical illusion, he thought he was looking through an infinite mirror, since the amount of Uru metal in sight was practically endless, as if Odin had left nothing left in Niðavellir. It truly seemed like several mines' worth of the precious metal was excavated and stored away here. Had Loki not noticed the ceiling, he would've assumed this room expanded to infiniteness, and not have been able to see the other side of the secret treasure room.
Although there were 9 Realms' worth of treasure here, the space Odin had set aside for his conquests was not as big as the prince thought. With as big of an ego he inherited, Loki expected entire floors dedicated to each realm from his father. Instead, everything Odin deemed of value was closed off from the rest of the world, which Loki summarized was due to the growing paranoia the King of Asgard had for his bloody rule.
Searching endlessly throughout all of Asgard, Loki had crossed off all possible places the King of Asgard could have hidden away his greatest adversary's weapon. Since the treasury was only accessible by Odin himself, the prince guessed that was the most likely place, and after seeing the treasures the Allfather had hidden away, his confidence only grew tenfold.
The sacred sword which not only left his father near enough a permanent cripple, but also nearly wiped out every Asgardian in the process.
Loki was looking for [Rungnir], Surtr's demonic hell sword which was made from the same star as Odin's holy spear, [Gungnir]. Never once had the prince seen Odin feared his own mortality like that time, but it was justly deserved given how arrogant and pathetic he was in the final siege against the hell giant. Knowing how paranoid his father grew after killing the [World Ender], perhaps merely seeing the sword would cause enough grief for the Allfather to give up his throne.
After spending countless winters with Odin under his imposed peace throughout the 9 Worlds, Loki could not help but feel pity for the aging cripple. Peace through absolute might was nothing more than a dictatorship ― but to most, it was peace nonetheless. Not wanting to start his legacy the same way his father did and most likely plunge Asgard into a civil war, Loki sought out [Rungnir] to threaten Odin, and Odin alone.
Hearing the stories of his fellow Asgardians, whether it was from a mother or father, brother or sister ― there was always someone missing from the family. Until very recently, every matriarch buried their father, brothers, and sons, the cycle continuing until Odin was sure everything who could threaten his rule no longer had the means to do so. The Allfather had even gone so far as to create a religious reason for their sacrifices, to ease their pain of lost ones by imbuing them with a sense of honor of death in battle.
There was no honor in purposely causing a mother's grief.
Passing rows upon rows of Uru ingots, entire shelves were dedicated to housing the ultra-rare metal. Upon getting further into the treasury, he finally started seeing weapons from the other realms. He quickly made his way through the narrowing hallway filled with every kind of weapon, be it spears, bows, crossbow, lance, sword, or axes, but every one of them were categorized by rarity and special enchantments.
The further he went, the rarer the material and the higher their respective previous owners' ranks. Finally, near the end of the hallway, his eyes were instantly drawn to the carefully chiseled statues of ancient Asgardian warriors.
It seems that when Odin left the other realms, he not only left them ravaged and starved of any precious resources, but he took trophies from those he conquered.
The first statue was clearly from his time 'negotiating' with the dwarves, as per the label. The warhammer of the previous dwarf king, [Heat of Niðavellir], made of not just precious Uru metal, but also naturally forming crystals which could only be found in the core of their world. The handle was carefully hammered only by the cleanest craftsmanship, with quality beyond even Asgardian handiwork, which enwrapped a beautiful blue crystal with huge blunt ends on both sides.
From the last elf king, Odin was 'gifted' with the national treasure from their royal capital… so 'peace' among their worlds may continue. The Álfheim statue had two open palms which securely held a golden scepter, the [Peaceful Reign], which was supposed to symbolize elves' continued alliance with the Asgardians.
The other worldly treasures were… missing?!
Cold sweat started pouring down Loki's head and back, fearful of his entire lifetime of planning coming apart at the seams. Only the Allfather could access this treasury, but most importantly, Odin had secured himself almost all of the world treasures of the other realms, not including his very own holy spear. It seemed even in his crippled state and aging mind, he was still prepared enough to know to stash these sacred items on his person.
Without [Rungnir], negotiations with the Allfather would almost certainly fail, as the only threatening bargaining chip he thought he would score was now squarely on the other side of the table. Loki's mind racked itself into overdrive, quickly coming up with different outcomes, given the giant hole in his flopping masterpiece. He had done so much, gone so far as to break into the treasury during a state of emergency; there would be no going back for him now.
Running on such a precious, narrow time window, he looked at the two treasures still left. Seeing as the war hammer would not be of much use to him, he grabbed the scepter and looked to the final statue at the end of the hallway. Where he assumed would be the resting place for both [Rungnir] and [Gungnir] was predictably incomplete, as the statue had both hands grasping only air, with something clearly missing.
Unlike the other statues, the one representing Asgard was clad in Odin's personal war armor.
From top to bottom, the golden armor shone a mystic blue even under the crimson torchlight. Nordic runes were etched into every surface, from the helmet down to the boots, periodically glowing. The last time Loki saw the armor, it had withstood 3 whole strikes from the [World Ender]'s full might. Not only was Odin pushed to his limit that day, but the Allfather bled in battle for the first time. The prince understood that day, his father was just as mortal as any other man.
As he was already a thief and a traitor to the crown, he showed no hesitation moving toward the armor and dismantling it from the statue. He had very little time remaining, knowing the head vanguard of Asgard, Heimdall, would soon suspect why the second prince was not with everyone else. If he had to choose, Loki'd put his money on Odin having better defensive magic than Heimdall's cosmic sight.
Now with the scepter and Odin's armor stored in his inventory, Loki quickly made for the exit, firmly grasping the World Serpent. There might be other valuable treasures here, but leaving any trace of his presence would blow his plans apart before he could launch his great uprising. The mountain of Uru was left untouched, with Loki closing the stone doors right behind on his way out.
Back in the sanctity of his secret abode, the God of Mischief was pacing back and forth in his private room. Jörmungandr silently watched his father in deep thought, as the World Serpent coiled on himself to gather more warmth on the hardwood counter. He was allowed to roam free when his father visited, but he simply liked finding a warm spot to be in and watch Loki at work instead.
Drowning out everything else in the small room, the prince buried himself in his own thoughts, but was mindful enough to watch out for the furniture as he walked back and forth endlessly like an ouroboros. Right beside him, in a makeshift armor stand made of sticks he found, was Odin's war armor, [Pride and Prejudice], softly glowing with magic. The scepter was not far away, as the golden staff was leaning against the stone walls just another relic of the past it now was.
Having come so far in his plans to dethrone the Allfather, he often found himself in the 'And then what?' phase quite often nowadays. It was getting harder and harder to follow a carefully-laid plan, since he had to improvise on the spot many times. However, it was not like he had left the treasury with nothing. Odin's armor was still Odin's armor, which he had personally seen withstand the might of [Rungnir]. Except, without the sword also in his possession, there was a greater amount of uncertainty when the inevitable exchange of power would occur.
The announcement of a meeting with the Allfather had not surprised him in the slightest. Seeing as how hectic and on edge every Asgardian was at the activation of the [Bifrost], Loki had been feeding their fear and suspicion. More or less, he was rocking the boiling pot of resentment the matriarchs of Asgard had for war.
Never once had the [Bifrost] been used on the entire city, only for transporting Asgardians in and out of the other realms. After its activation, it was the talk of the entire city, from commoner to the nobles ― everyone had come up with their own reason for why it was used. As for Loki, he quickly started spreading the rumor of Odin preparing for another conquest.
Every family knew what happened the last time the [Bifrost] was used. Only 10,000 men and Valkyries returned from Odin's fight with Surtr, as everyone else just became a name on a memorial rock. For Asgard to lose almost a million of its fighting force as nothing more than fodder, the ideal image of the perfect Allfather was gone forever in the eyes of the grieving families.
All Loki had to do was remind everyone of their resentment, and everything else would fall into place. Each day, he would publicly meet with noblemen, offering drinks and conversing about a potential campaign in the upcoming future. By nightfall, after conducting dinner services with the families, he would speak privately with the matriarchs, confirming their fears with hapless stories from his 'sources'.
The title of prince had granted him the status of inside information from the crown itself, which every family head took in as gospel, as he continued to reaffirm their worst nightmares. Had Odin not set up restrictions in top-down information flow, Loki would not have been able to spread his propaganda as well as he was. The very infrastructure the king installed would be learned and utilized very effectively by his very own upriser, as the paranoia of an absolute ruler would always be the chains they tied their nooses from.
Once the dust had settled and Odin was dethroned, he thought long and hard about who would ascend to become the new Allfather. Although he considered himself to be the prime candidate, Loki suspected he would not gain many backings from the warrior Asgardians. In the eyes of the public, his brother must ascend, as Thor Odinson must become the next Allfather for true peace to be achieved.
The second prince, for the longest time, held a deep, jealous grudge for the favorite son of Asgard. As time droned on and campaigns drew out, Loki grew to hate his past self for ever wanting any kind of approval from his father. He grew to loathe the name of Odinson and refused to be associated with it. Against Surtr, the [World Ender], he bore witness first-hand to Odin sending his own wife to die on the front lines, rather than leading the charge himself. From that day forward, he swore he would only accept his own mother's love.
Even for the fortunate ones who did survive, the lives they led afterwards was one filled with misery and hellish agony. The mystical 'Valhalla' was the only consolation for the families left to grieve, but Loki was sure they would rather have their sons, brothers, and fathers than to have whatever honor and mythical place Odin spoke about.
To think that despite his best efforts, Loki would never surmount to the greatest propaganda machine Asgard had ever heard of: Valhalla.
Still, Loki was as patient as he was crafty. If it meant waiting for another century or so, then he would bide his time until then. Without Surtr's sword, Loki did not have the means to overpower the Allfather, let alone convince the nobles to agree to his coup d'état against the longest reigning king. However, the one silver lining to this was he knew for a fact his father was left too crippled and weakened to wield the cursed sword, and his own holy spear was nothing more than a crutch now for the ailing king.
"I will do what I must, Father," Loki promised himself. He would show every noble concrete evidence of Odin's apathy during the meeting; only then could he advance his own plans.
- After the meeting
"IMPOSTER!"
- Boom-Thud-Thud-Thud!
- *huff…*huff…*huff…*
Veins bulged against his temples.
His heart ached against his chest, beating faster and faster in his ears.
Hot sweat ran down his forehead and coated his palms.
The secret underground room was a mess; shelves of books were thrown down and their contents spilled onto the ground. Broken glass was scattered across the ground, which made it difficult for Jörmungandr to move around. The tiny snake kept to a single corner of the room, laying low, watching a new side to his usually calm and collected father.
His throat was hot and dry, as unsteady breaths continued to exist as the only sound within the room.
What was meant to be the start of the downfall of the longest ruling dictatorship was now so far away. Everything was going as planned, even down to the questions he expected the nobles to ask, but the reaction and answers Odin provided were far beyond even what he considered outliers.
Everyone of importance was at the meeting today, all except for his father.
There was no conceivable way he was possibly found out… at least until his father mentioned Jörmungandr in passing. He considered every possible way his plan could have gone awry, but only a few stuck out to him, given the way Odin acted today.
…and to be honest, he only really believed in one: his father had been replaced by someone else, but that would require enough magical prowess to fool even Heimdall. Despite his strong dislike for the stiff vanguard, Loki had to admit the cosmic sight the watchmen wielded saw beyond any form of trickery possible.
The odds of an imposter fooling all of Asgard, including Heimdall, was none. The fact not only was the [Bifrost] activated, but [Gungnir] was also by his father's side, both combined to show there was no possible way someone else could fake the same authoritative powers over Asgard. Collecting his thoughts, Loki concluded his father was still there, albeit not the Odin he remembered for so long.
The second theory he crafted was Odin knew all along about his coup. If the Allfather knew about Jörmungandr, then he must also know about Loki storming the treasury for the other realms' treasures. Following that line of thought, the only possible reason the prince could come up for Odin acting un-Odin like today was to completely shut down all the progress he had built up with the nobles over the decade.
There might be a few veteran families who would complain about the lack of upcoming combat, but the majority of them would be going home for a restful sleep for the first time in centuries. Everything Loki had promised his people had been made a reality by the person they conspired against. Loki was dropped by the wayside, as the Asgardians completely forgot about the second prince as soon as they heard the sweet, impossible words coming out of their Allfather's mouth.
As expected, Loki would never have gotten the backing of any noble family. It seems a diplomatic approach would never suffice under the rule of Odin. Years of effort and planning went down the drain, all because Odin saw fit to personally humiliate Loki on the inside. The Allfather must have seen everything the God of Mischief was doing from the very beginning, waiting for this specific meeting to pounce.
It was the only conceivable reason for what happened to today, and the only logical excuse Loki could come up with to keep his sanity. Perhaps trying to fight omnipotence was his folly from the very start, but to think the cripple would be greater in knowledge and wisdom after his debilitating fight to the death… Loki did not know what to do next, or what his father had in store for him after such treacherous actions had been made apparent between the two.
He was back to the question where all of his plans eventually ended.
"...and then what?"
The second prince found his brother right where he left him: in a bar, drinking on Loki's tab. Despite the outcome of today's meeting, Loki still had a last gambit of sorts in the form of the favored Odinson. Even though there was still some of those rooted jealousy he used to have, Thor was still the dependable older brother Loki grew to… tolerate.
The merry oaf was at his favorite local tavern, despite being allowed to request any amount and every kind of liquor he so desired for free back in their castle. Despite their lavish allowances, Thor's chosen drinking spot did not reflect his status as heir to Odin in the slightest. It was not like the place was in shambles and was about to cave in at any moment, but it simply lacked any form of sophistication other than the basic necessities.
Due to the national meeting, many Asgardians were given the last 3 days off, which would explain why the inside of the tavern was deserted. All the tables were cleaned with chairs stacked on top, and the only attendee was sitting by his lonesome at the bar counter. The greying barkeep was kept busy hauling entire barrels of ale in each arm.
Clearly, even though Thor's the sole customer, the mighty God of Thunder was drinking his entire stock.
"Loki!" A cherry-faced Thor greeted, swinging away from his chair and spilling some ale onto the ground. "Have you come to share a drink with me, finally? Come! Come! The ale tastes better with good company!" Thor beckoned.
Normally, he would pass on the invitation and would solely come here to bring the drunkard home, but after the twisted game he was made to play by Odin, a drink did not sound bad in the slightest. Hanging his outer coat on a nearby rack, Loki eagerly took a seat beside his battle-hardened brother for a pitcher or two.
"Has the meeting already passed, Loki? Awfully quick this time around, hmm? Or have you snuck out just to have a drink with your favorite brother?" Thor joked as he continued to permeate the air with his alcoholic breath.
The barkeep immediately poured ale into a wooden mug for the second prince, but when he brought it up for a taste test, it definitely tasted as good as it cost… which was dirt cheap. For someone like Loki, wine imported from Álfheim was the minimum bar he was willing to imbibe, but just for today, drowning out his thoughts with cheap alcohol was a pleasant plan.
"The meeting ended about an hour ago," Loki answered. He took the first swig of the ale, but all he tasted was a grainy, watered-down version of what he expected; still, the flavor was not terrible enough to make him gag. How Thor was red in the face from drinking such a terrible beverage was a mystery to him, but then again, his brother has been drinking for the last 3 days straight. Wishing he had something more flavorful to clean his palate, he wondered how this establishment was still in business.
"Such a short meeting! Maybe Sif can give me an even shorter version when I get home," Thor laughed. Bottoming out his pitcher of ale, the Odinson let out a longing sigh after chugging down the rest of his drink.
Eyeing his glass of ale as if the hops in it were still germinating, the second prince turned to face his warrior brother. "Have you considered…" Loki began, but dropped his tone to a whisper after seeing the barkeep was still there, "...have you considered my proposal?"
"Your *hicc* proposal…? OH! Errr…" The joyful outburst Thor showed earlier simmered down as his mind tried to process his slowed thoughts. "I haven't given it much thought… *hicc* since Sif is still learning how to be Mother's proxy. And also… *hicc* Father is in great health and I get to pass my days drinking; it's a peaceful time."
"I'm just worried about Father's health, is all," Loki calmly answered back. The barkeep was already filling another jug for the Odinson and too occupied to pay much attention to the second prince. "The Odin Sleep grows longer every winter," he whispered somberly, "I think because it is peaceful that it is the best time for a changing of the guard. All of Asgard regard you as a champion among champions already."
"Hmm," Thor grunted through the mug he was drinking from, "Maybe… But I am still the Odinson."
"No need to be too humble, Brother," the God of Mischief cajoled. Hoping the alcohol in Thor's system was giving him new inhibitions, Loki began soothsaying, "I think the title "Allfather Thor, King of Asgard" fits you better." The barkeep's eyes rightfully shot a glare over to the second prince, but he ignored it to continue with building his brother's fake confidence. "You would have my wholehearted support."
"Allfather… Thor…" the God of Thunder repeated. He held his drink steady in his hand, letting the weight of those words linger for a bit in his mind. Gently setting down his drink, Thor closed his eyes to let his thoughts wander.
Smiling from cheek to cheek, Loki was pleased with his ingenious backup plan. Although he would not directly become the King of Asgard, as long as Odin's tyrannical regime was toppled and the old king rendered powerless, he would be satisfied. "Perhaps not anytime soon, but I am eagerly awaiting your coronation day. Father would be proud to have you become his successor."
A brief pause passed with more silence from the Odinson, as Loki patiently waited to hear his brother's conviction for the throne. Several more minutes silently passed following that, giving the second prince worry about whether he had overstepped his bounds this time around. Trying to follow Thor's line of sight, all he saw were the closed eyes of someone deep in thought. Panic began spreading inside of Loki's heart, believing his brother had finally wisened up to what the mischievous Asgardian was up to all along, just like their father.
- *SNORE*SNORE*SNORE*
A violent, deep snore erupted from Thor in the middle of their conversion, causing Loki to jump back startled. The second prince gently grasped where his heart is, feeling the accelerated beats from the sudden jolt to his being. There was too much going on today for his poor heart to handle anymore, and it looked like any progress for his future plans might've been slept off by his aloof brother.
Before he could even finish his sigh of disappointment, the barkeep slid a slip of parchment Loki's way. A quick glance at it made him regret it instantly, as he read the giant, long number totaled at the very bottom of the note. The tavern keeper held out his hand, staring sternly at the second prince as he waited for the royal family to pay their dues.
Loki stared aghast at the bill presented to him. Not only had the Odinson drunk enough ale to sustain a small army for several sieges, but the reason there was only cheap alcohol left was because Thor had drunk all the expensive stuff on the first day. Staring back at the barkeep, Loki's mouth opened and closed several times as he tried to find his voice, "Oh… I… Uh… Well you see… Ummm… Hmmm… Do you offer a frequent drinker discount?"
It was one thing to carry a chunk of armor and muscle with booze oozing out with every loud snore the latter made; it was another to make Loki foot the bill and be the one to carry said drunkard home. To think the same God of Mischief who was planning everything around Thor now had nothing to show for it made Loki think hard about his life choices up until this moment. In his infinite wisdom, he had refused to buy the wheelbarrow the bartender offered, but now, every step forward made him consider if it was too late to go back on his words.
Nightfall quickly set, nearly blinding the second prince due to his poorly developed navigational skills. By the time he had made it back to the castle, Lady Sif was waiting by the front gate with a lantern in tow. Dripping with sweat from carrying the 'living siege machine', he did not care in the slightest about his image when the upcoming princess effortlessly lifted her blackout drunk husband with a single arm.
"Thank you for returning my beloved Thor, Loki," Sif said with a respectful bow.
Slumping onto the ground like his body was made completely of liquid, his heavy breathing turned into shallow wheezing to try to catch his breath. Their trip from the tavern to the castle was barely an hour long by foot for an ordinary Asgardian, but Loki was not the average Asgardian. Unable to form any coherent speech in-between each wheeze, the second prince merely waved his hand and hoped it was polite enough.
"Will you be needing any help, Prince Loki?" Sif offered in good gesture.
Every inch of sore, untrained muscle told him to accept the offer, but he was not yet that desperate to forgo all of his dignity. At the very least, he accepted Sif's help to get him back on his feet, but the sudden rush of blood made him faint for several seconds. The pit of his stomach threatened to upchuck the half glass of ale he begrudgingly paid for, but he was able to force it down just in time.
Loki's heaving chest was hot and sticky from all the sweat his clothes accumulated, for which he was thankful for having worn darker shades. Of all the male Asgardians, only Loki could bring the standard mean down for athleticism of the entire warrior race. Although he was brilliant in his own right, his wisdom was clearly not up to par, or else he would have purchased the wheelbarrow over skimping on a few extra gold pieces.
Finally regaining enough air to stand upright without sounding like a hyperventilating school girl, his dripping sweat had now turned cold in the night, sending chills down his back. Trying to reobtain his princely charm, he gave Lady Sif a sly smile, but carrying Thor back had disheveled his hair. "Good to see you again. I didn't think we'd run into each other so soon," Loki greeted.
"Yes… Well… I kind of live here now," the first princess reminded him.
"Right! Of course! F-Forgive me. It's just… been a long day," Loki admitted with a sigh.
"Ahh, I understand," Sif said, nodding her head in agreement, "Although I have learned much from Queen Frigga, today was an experience I don't think is teachable through words alone."
Not wanting to keep all of them out in the cold, Loki gestured toward the castle entrance. Walking in stride with the married couple, he felt like the odd one out next to the two warriors; one was the hero of Asgard and the other an ex-Valkyrie. "Yes… Today was… different than what I expected…" he said as they walked back into the warmth of the castle.
"Indeed. I had not expected the Allfather to be so kind and benevolent," Sif admitted. Her perception of the God-King was a man too powerful to understand the woes of his serfs, yet after meeting Odin in person, she was quite ashamed she ever thought of her king in such a negative way. There were many rumors about Odin's disconnect with the Æsirs he ruled, but today proved the falsehood of such dangerous rumors.
"Yes… Quite unexpected," Loki mumbled. He shook his head in disbelief at how a single day was enough to ruin several years' worth of effort, but more importantly, how easily all his work was cast away by the charming words the nobles desperately wanted to hear from their tyrant king. There was no cure for mob mentality, and as soon as Odin dangled what they wanted in front of them, there was nothing else Loki could do.
"He seems a bit different than what his reputation precedes him, no?" Loki asked, gingerly dancing around the subject to the next Queen of Asgard. "Surely someone who is able to defeat the [World Ender] must be more… destructive? Us Asgardians might not see it this way, but there might be others out there who view Odin as their [World Ender]."
Looking down onto the ground, Sif's body automatically walked forward without bumping into anything while her mind mused over the second prince's words. When she was indoctrinated into the Valkyries, the only enemies she was to worry about were the ones the Allfather declared. Under the tutelage of Frigga, Sif learned to expand her view while still being dutiful to her kingdom. It was only after Loki brought it up did she consider what outsiders view Asgardians to be.
"I do see the demerits of it; we Asgardians are warriors after all. If the Allfather was to command us to march into a new campaign tomorrow, I do not see anyone putting up protest against it," Sif agreed. She was no stranger to the long wars across the 8 other realms, as well as defending against invaders in her own home. "However, just because the Allfather can, doesn't mean that he will. The blood shed yesterday means there will be less blood shed tomorrow."
Loki admitted there was some truth behind what Lady Sif was trying to argue. If it were anyone else, he could be persuaded to believe as much, but the decision to start the killing was ultimately Odin's to make. The father whom Loki had grown to expect was a warmonger first and a king last.
For now, laying the seeds of doubt was enough for him. Asgard's newest power couple would be his ticket to dethroning the monster which sat on the golden throne. There would be some bloodshed with this plan, but it was Odin who took Surtr's sword to begin with. If the Allfather truly believed in peace, he would have kept the weapon completely sealed away, even from himself. Loki knew he was justified in plotting his own father's downfall.
"It is as you say," Loki said with a smile.
A/N: I hope the time skips was not too confusing. Did you enjoy Loki's antics? Was he too serious? Please tell me how you would like Loki to play this one out. Also, sorry for the wait.