Hi! Here's the next chapie! It's a short one, but I hope you'll still like it!
ENJOY!
Chapter 22
With a smile, Thor strolled through the golden halls of the palace. At long last he was home! And now he came to think of it… he'd never really noticed how much he craved to be back. Yesterday, Loki had tried to survey the damage the Captain had done, but everyone had been so tired that they'd decided to continue in the morning. Right now it was about ten o'clock in the morning and Thor had just had the best night sleep he'd had in years. And even better! Finally he was able to put on his own clothes and armour again!
Hurried footsteps suddenly broke the silence in the hall. Thor turned around and saw Jane running towards him. She was wearing a beautiful, blue Asgardian dress and she seemed slightly worried…
"Jane? Is something wrong?" he asked when his wife finally reached him. Jane looked up while trying to catch her breath.
"No, no… not at all… Well…"
Thor frowned. He knew Jane wasn't very happy to be on Asgard.
"I was just wondering if I could go back to… eeer… Earth, you know…"
Thor pulled up his eyebrows, but Jane quickly continued. "Not to stay, of course, but since we're planning on moving here for a while, I need to fetch some stuff… Frigga's teddy bear for example… She didn't want to sleep without one last night…"
Thor smiled.
"I see…" he said, but his expression changed immediately.
"I'm sorry, Jane, but Loki ordered the Bifröst to remain closed. No one can leave without his permission."
Jane frowned. "But that's exactly what The Captain did…"
"Yes, I know, but you see, Jane, Asgard in pretty weak at the moment. We can't afford any danger coming in, or any warrior going out… It's only temporary…"
Jane nodded. She thought about that for a moment. "If I ask Loki's permission… There is a change I get to go back?"
Thor pulled up his shoulders. "I suppose… but I wouldn't count on it… His Highness is in a pretty bad mood…" he said with a smile. Jane smiled back.
Suddenly, two guards appeared at the end of the hall and rushed towards Thor and Jane.
"My prince, the King has asked your immediate presence in the throne room", one of them said while bowing his head. Thor frowned. He turned to Jane and softly kissed her on the mouth.
Jane blinked in surprise. "What was that for?" she asked while a slight blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Just to show you how much I love you…" Thor answered with a grin. "I'll see you tonight…"
Jane smiled and turned around. Thor followed the guards.
-xxx-
"Thor, finally!" Loki shouted when he saw his brother enter the room.
"I thought we'd planned the meeting for eleven o'clock…" Thor said while walking over to his brother who was standing around a table, together with the four royal advisors.
"Turns out our problems are far greater than we initially thought… " Loki said with a scowl. Thor pulled up his eyebrows and joined at the table.
"Good morning Lord Steldor, Lord Atlas, Lord Gunnar, Lord Argus…" he said while nodding at the four old men. They bowed their head. As long as Thor could remember, the four men had been the royal advisors. He knew that Argus and Atlas were brothers. Argus was the oldest and also the oldest of the four men. Atlas was the youngest. Gunnar had been a far cousin of his mother and Steldor was an old friend of Odin. He had fought in many battles and had lost his right hand. Now he had a new, completely functional golden hand instead. When Thor and Loki had been younger he used to tell them about his victories. They'd heard a hundred different stories about the loss of his hand. Thor had always liked Steldor most.
"So, what is the problem?" Thor asked while looking down on the map on the table which showed Asgard on top and the nine realms around it.
"Food, my Prince…" Argus said in a low voice. Thor looked up, not fully understanding what the old man meant.
"Food supply, to be particular…" Loki explained. "From Vanaheim…"
"What in the world could the Captain have done to get us in trouble there?" Thor asked with a deep sigh.
Steldor looked up. "Since King Loki left, there have been some attacks from rascal packs in and around the borders of Vanaheim. As a result, many of their crops were destroyed. Asgard send in food, but as you know, most of our food comes from Vanaheim. In other words, we were distributing food without getting any in return…"
"But we have a stock, don't we?" Thor asked.
Steldor nodded.
"Yes, but we have to many mouths to feed, we just cannot afford to hand out any more food, my Prince."
"But we also can't let them starve to death!" Loki interrupted. "And the pillaging continues!"
"The Captain realised that too, my King…" Atlas joined in. "With every delivery, he send troops along, but never enough. Our men were gravely outnumbered, because none has returned yet…"
Loki turned silent for a couple of seconds. "How many did he send in?"
"That's the problem, Sire…" Atlas continued. "The Captain kept sending warriors. He started with the new recruits, but when none survived or returned, he send the masters too."
"And none has returned?" Thor asked. Atlas shook his head.
"How many were in each troop?" Loki asked.
"The last one counted fifty new recruits and three masters, my King…" Atlas said.
Loki and Thor looked at each other in surprise.
"Fifty!" Loki repeated in disbelief.
"These robbers robbers must be greater than we think…" Thor said more to himself than to anyone in particular.
"How many men do we have left?" Loki asked.
The four advisors shared a look. No one wanted to answer the question. Loki noticed.
"How many!" he repeated angrily.
Gunnar, who had been rather silent, decided he had to say something too. "We only have the barely trained recruits left, Sire…"
Loki's eyes grew big… "And what about the masters?"
"None, Sire…" Atlas said silently. "None has returned…"
Loki groaned and dropped his head in his hands. Thor noticed his brother was getting mad.
"You mean to say that Asgard and Vanaheim are facing famine and we are as good as defenceless…" Loki said in a creepy voice.
"Yes, my King…" Gunnar answered, sounding a lot more confident than he felt.
Loki rubbed his eyes while trying to control the rage raging through his body. Of all people, the Captain should have been able to understand that sending in the masters was a stupid move! The young king clenched his fists. The map and cups on the table trembled. All four advisors instinctively took a step back. Thor tried to think of something that would calm Loki down, but since Frigga was still sleeping, he couldn't come up with anything. Just at that moment the doors opened and Arya walked in, flanked by two guards. Loki immediately forced himself to calm down. The furniture stopped trembling.
"You asked to see me, my King?" Arya said while bowing her head, pretending she hadn't seen anything. Loki took a deep breath and turned at the door.
"Yes, Yes… come in… We might need your help…"
Arya looked up in surprise, but walked over to the others
"My Prince, Lord Argus, Lord Atlas, Lord Gunnar, Lord Steldor…" she greeted before joining at the table.
"Arya…" Loki suddenly started. "What would you do if you knew that Asgardian knights, new recruits and masters, were killed or kidnapped across our borders?"
The young girl looked up, surprised that the King was talking directly to her. All the men at the table looked at her.
"Eeer… That depends on where they are, Sire.." she answered nervously.
Loki nodded. "Can you give an example?"
Arya raised her eyebrows. She had the feeling she was in class…. In fact, she was quite sure Loki was testing her…
"Eeer… Well… If they were on Jotunheim, I should send in a small group of highly trained guards, but only to negotiate and defend themselves if necessary. If they were on a world with which we have an friendly alliance, it depends on who is holding them captive. If it is the ruler of the realm, I would recommend a smaller group again, but If it is a bigger threat, I recommend bigger troops with mediocre guards and knights and one or two highly trained masters to lead them. That way we can always send in more when needed…"
Thor pulled up his eyebrows and shared a look with Loki. The young king had to admit that he was impressed too.
"Interesting…" he said. Arya couldn't help to smile. She had been really scared to disappoint her king.
The room turned silent. Everyone was looking at Loki, waiting for him to say something.
"That would have been a good strategy, if not for the fact that we don't have the power, nor the men to defend ourselves, let alone to save our own."
Arya's smile disappeared. She'd done it… She had disappointed her king…
"Nevertheless…" Loki suddenly continued. "That is not your fault…"
Arya couldn't follow anymore. Had she done a good or a bad job now…
Loki looked around the table. "Our biggest problem is food… without it we won't last until the next problem… How long do we have before we get trouble, Lord Gunnar?"
"Two weeks, maybe less, my King…"
Loki nodded. "And Vanaheim?"
"They're in trouble right now, Sire…"
Loki nodded again. "I think it is obvious then that we have to get rid of the pillaging first…"
Everyone around the table nodded in agreement.
"To do that, we need a proper army…"
"But we don't have any masters, Loki…" Thor reminded his brother. "Nobody to teach the new recruits…"
"Exactly… so that brings us to the first problem…"
Loki turned silent and seemed to think over the possibilities. There was one obvious solution, but Loki tried not to think of that.
"Arya…" he suddenly started again. "How good are your fighting skills?"
Arya frowned. "My king… I am only a woman…"
Loki and Thor sighed at the same time, both thinking of Lady Sif.
"That is absolutely out of the question!" the young king said slightly annoyed.
"Now seriously…" Thor continued. "There must be something you can do in a battle…"
Arya seemed to hesitate. Being a girl often meant that you weren't allowed to fight or become a warrior of sorts. But since she always dreamed of becoming the Captain of the Guard, she had taught herself a thing or two. Until now, no one knew about it…
"I am pretty good with a bow…" she admitted after a couple of seconds.
"A bow?" Loki asked in surprise. He knew it was difficult for a girl to get her hands on weapons, let alone lessons. The only reason why Sif had been able to practise was because of her friendship with the two princes. Queen Frigga had taken care of her lessons in the beginning, later she joint the warriors and became the best one Asgard ever had.
"Where in the world did you get your hands on a bow?" the young king asked. Arya turned red. How stupid could she be! Telling the King of Asgard she owned weapon, without permission!
"I eeer… I…." she stuttered. All eyes fixed on her.
I'm doomed… she thought just before opening her mouth to tell the truth. "As a child, I broke into the armoury. I wanted to prove to my… my father that I could defend myself."
"What!" Lord Atlas shouted. Arya bit her lip… In her head she was already saying goodbye to a career as Captain.
"Cool… I like that…." Loki said. Arya couldn't believe what she was hearing and she wasn't the only one. The four royal advisors were as surprised as she was.
"You broke in the weapon arsenal and you stole a bow?" Thor asked with a smile. "You could have stolen anything and you stole a bow?"
Arya looked up at the prince of Asgard. Was he actually thinking this funny?
"There's nothing wrong with a bow!" Loki interrupted throwing an angry glare at his brother.
"I'm not saying that…" Thor answered. Loki pulled up his eyebrows.
"I'm just saying that she could have chosen a sword or a spear… We barely use bows in a battle…"
"We don't?" Loki asked in surprise. He looked at Arya.
The girl slowly shook her head. "Bows are mostly used for ceremonies…"
Thor's smile disappeared when he had to think of his mother's funeral. There had been a lot of archers there…
"That's a shame…" Loki said, mostly to himself. He shook his head and focused back on the situation at hand.
"Anyway… Our warriors need to be able to do a bit more than that…"
Arya bowed her head. She couldn't believe she got away with this! But for some reason she still felt as if she had failed her king and prince…
"Thor…" Loki continued. "You think you can teach them?"
Thor looked up in astonishment.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the last time I fought with a sword is ages ago. I fight with Mjölnir… There must be someone else more fit for the job…"
Loki sighed. He looked up at his advisors.
"Any ideas?" he asked.
"What about you?" Thor suddenly said. Loki looked at his brother, his eyebrows halfway his forehead.
"You're a pretty good fighter, you can handle a sword and daggers…" The God of Thunder continued.
It stayed silent for a couple of seconds. Somewhere in his head, Loki couldn't believe that Thor was actually praising his fighting skills. It was almost as if he admitted that Loki was a better fighter!
"You really think I got time for that?" Loki asked a bit more unkindly than he meant. He just didn't really know how to react on a compliment...
"Just a suggestion…" Thor muttered in response.
"What about you, Lord Atlas?" Loki asked, ignoring Thor. The old man didn't know what he was hearing.
"It is not because I am the youngest of the four of us, that I am capable of teaching that young lot how to fight in battle…"
Loki nodded. "I understand, but can't you teach them some basics, some theory?"
Lord Atlas turned silent, not wanting to admit he'd never thought theory important...
"Maybe I can be of more help, my King…" Steldor suddenly said. Loki looked at the old man. He couldn't keep the thought of him fighting alongside Odin, out of his mind. But at the moment he needed to think of Asgard.
"All right, Lord Steldor… You'll start tomorrow morning."
Lord Steldor bowed his head.
"And Arya, I would like you to teach them how to shoot properly too."
Arya opened her mouth to argue, but Loki was quick to interrupt. He was getting enough of this boring subject. And the biggest problem was that the real solution was a lot easier, except for him…
"That was an order! You'll start tomorrow, together with Lord Steldor!"
Arya closed her mouth. She was really nervous and scared, but she bowed her head.
"Furthermore, I won't allow any banquet or feast until we have found a way to solve our food problem."
"What about Vanaheim, sire?" Gunnar asked cautiously.
"We cannot solve their problem yet. We first need the means to solve ours…"
"But, sire…"
"That's final!" Loki shouted. Everyone turned silent.
The young looked around the room. "You're all dismissed for today…"
The four advisors and Arya bowed and left the room. Thor remained.
"Loki…" The God of Thunder started with a serious voice. "Where are the Warri…"
"I said you're dismissed, Thor! Now leave!"
Thor frowned, but decided to leave too. When the heavy door had slammed shut, Loki let go of his breath. Rubbing his eyes, he walked up the stairs. With a deep groan he fell down in his golden throne.
It was driving him mad! He knew what he had to do! And he knew it was best for Asgard and Vanaheim, probably even for the other realms, but not for him…
Everything could be over for him if he gave in, but what else could he do?
I hope it wasn't too boring with all the serious stuff...
Anyway... Please Review!
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