This chapter is filled with weird names, all taken from the legends and myths, Odin's brothers, father and the mother of Thor.
As it turned out, In both comics and myths Odin lost his eye when he gave it to Mirmir, keeper of the well that granted knowledge to whoever drank from it.
All charecters, objects, legends and myths belong to their respective owners.
It had been a month since the Norns had interfered in the plans of Loki, and they were pleased that he no longer had his eyes on hurting Jane and the rest of the humans.
But with success came the next problem, and that was the problem of the next entanglement.
It had taken a week before Thor told Odin of Loki's whereabouts, in which he had chosen to finally tell his father about the dreams he and Jane shared.
The fact this his son, the future king of Asgard, were having shared dreams with a human was enough to bring upon them the biggest argument the two had ever had in their long lives.
Odin was of course pleased that they finally knew what had happened to Loki, but furious that his son had become so taken with a human that they now shared dreams, and the demand he came with was what started their now three week long argument.
He was no longer allowed to share dreams with her.
Out of spite Thor told his father the next day that he and the human still shared dreams, and that they would continue to do so as long it was possible.
The shouting had doubled in volume then, and it was not long before the servants told the story to the workers in the kitchen, who shared the story with their friends outside of the great fortress.
It took only a week before most people in the city knew the story of how the prince of Asgard had fallen in love with a human.
When the story returned to the castle, this time with the love part taking central stage it sparked another argument, in which he admitted something he had not even given any thought about yet.
"I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF I LOVE HER. HELL, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF SHE LOVES ME…"
That he admitted to that was enough to make Odin shut his mouth and their argument stopped for a few days.
Until three days later where he accidentally mentioned the Avengers to the Warriors Three, in which Odin overheard.
The little detail about love and Jane was forgotten as Odin started asking questions about the newly formed team, and when Thor mentioned that if he ever returned to earth then there would be a spot for him.
And so their argument began again, even Frigga being unable to calm her son and husband tempers.
When it came to the ears of Thor that Odin had decided to keep Loki's fate a secret to the people, and not tell them that he had betrayed the two of them, he was furious.
"The people have a right to know father, they will only grow more suspicious as time goes by"
"There is no reason for them to know, Loki and his betrayal will remain a secret"
"And what a secret that will be" Thor shouted back at him. "It is not that hard to notice that the Bifrost is gone, if not questions about Loki, then surely they will question why the bridge was destroyed"
"Listen to me, you will do as I say, I am you're father, and I know what is best, both for you and the people"
And so Asgard was filled with the distant shouting of the king and prince, a fight that went on for a month. A fight that would not have been stopped, and properly never would have been, had it not been for one thing.
It became suddenly clear to the Norns how Odin's entanglement affected the possibly future of Thor and Jane, how a fathers expectations could cloud the truth from the eyes of the king of Asgard.
The Norns took turns overseeing the arguments as they progressed, the best way to do so being the container with blue water, their scrying pool. Since it was not a very powerful device, and it could be anyone using it, father and son never felt that they were being watched, the energies of it overlapping with anyone else in Asgard using the same device.
It was simple, but it worked.
But after a month of watching two grown men argue about anything that they could think of it got boring. Verdandi began to wonder if it was possible to just reach into the pool and smack them across the face. Urd had the same idea, hers only involving slapping Borr for being the father of such a stubborn man as Odin.
Skuld spent most of the time she should be watching the arguments on watching the Cosmic Cube, just to see if any of the humans were actually stupid enough to activate it and cause the end of the world. So far no luck.
It was after a month that Odin finally made the choice that was the cause of his entanglement, his choice being to seek out a powerful sorcerer, and somehow find a way to block the dreams Thor and Jane were sharing.
Luckily the sorcerer was very popular among the people of asgard and was booked full for at least a month, not even the great king being a good enough reason to cut ahead in line.
But it was still amusing watching him trying to do so with her assistant, and he was sent away with the message to come back in a months time, then he might be lucky enough to see her.
The sisters were all sitting around the pool of water, watching as the great king made his decision.
"Such a stubborn man" Verdandi sighed, and yet still amused. "It is times like these I am glad there is no possible way to enter our domain"
"Yes, we would be bombarded with foolish requests all the time" Urd agreed, currently knitting a new shirt for her younger sister.
"Cant we just do as we did with Loki, enter his mind and convince him otherwise" Skuld asked, eying the shirt out of the corner of her eye.
The older sisters shared a look, silently debating if it was a good idea, the end decision being what it became.
"Afraid not little sister, Odin's mind is a sharp one, and unlike Loki far to powerful to enter without angering him" Verdandi told her sister. "But a good question"
They were all silent, watching as Odin retuned to his fortress, gently kissing his wife on the cheek, yawning as he sat down and started to eat his dinner.
"Even a king must sleep" Urd suddenly blurted out, dropping her knitting, much to the great relief of her younger sister. "If we can not enter his mind, then we can enter his dreams"
Verdandi and Skuld looked at their sister as she started to walk back and forward, mumbling loud enough for them to hear. After listening to her mumble about dreams and sleep, and how it was a very tricky task for them safely to enter the dreams of other creatures. The mind when awake was easy enough, but a dream was more tricky, longer down then the outer layers of the mind. Go to short and they could alert the target, go to far and they could hurt him in a number of different ways.
"We could use his thread" Skuld suggested.
"No. the threads are a link to observe past, present and future, they do not allow us to enter a dream. This is one of the many reasons it is dangerous for us to walk in the dreams of any creature, they are fragile and hard to find in the many roads of the mind" Verdandi told her sister. "We have tried a few times in the past, with very little luck"
The three tried to come up with a solution to the problem, on how to enter a dream and not harm the intended in the process. It was Urd who found the solution.
"Of course, how could I forget" and then she was gone in a flash of light, leaving to somewhere in the past.
"Where is she going"
"To get what we need, she remembered what is needed to safely enter a dream"
"What, what is it?"
Another flash and Urd was back, this time cradling the lost eye of Odin, from the battle with the frost giants, in her hands.
"One way, to obtain the eye of the one whose dreams you wish to enter. Only their eye allow you to see so far, they are the hidden gateway only we Norns know about when needed"
"That's why it is so dangerous" Skuld shuttered. "In the past or present, losing a eye hurts"
"Were you seen sister" Verdandi asked.
"No, in the original timeline the eye was thrown into the Well of Mimir. I grabbed it a few seconds after"
"Good, but it must be returned once it have guided us into his dreams. Everything must be left the way it was"
"If I may sister, I would like to go alone"
"And why is this"
"I think I know the reason as to why Odin is reacting to Thor's decision the way he is, if I am wrong we can always seek out another dream"
Verdandi and Skuld looked at each other, silently holding council between the two if Urd was to be allowed to do so. A common thing to be done between the sisters when one had decided something else outside of the three, then the other two would make the decision if it was the thing to do.
Skuld looked at her older sister and agreed, Verdandi did the same.
"We have agreed, you are allowed to go forward with you're plan as you wish. Should it fail we will try another time" The future and present Norn agreed. "You are allowed to enter the first dream as soon as you wish sister"
The sisters retuned to watching the king of Asgard, awaiting when he would venture into the realm of dreams.
Thor had long since returned to his bed chambers, once again another of his drinking cups crushed in his hand, Odin's own drinking cup sharing the same fate.
As the king of Asgard walked into the chambers he shared with his wife, she was already in bed, reading another book from the great library the fortress in which they lived contained. Frigga wore a pair of old reading glasses, made to her by a visiting dwarf as a thanks for a vision she had of him finding treasure where he did not think about looking for it.
The look she gave him over them was enough to stop him in his path to the closet.
"When will this silly argument between the tow of you stop. You are both grown men" she went back to her book, frown on her face.
Odin sighed as he found his sleeping clothes, having heard the same question for a long time now.
"I am only doing what is right for Asgard, when the time comes the boy will be king, that is his destiny"
"Perhaps he have found another road to follow"
Odin stopped, putting down his night patch on the table as he looked at his wife.
"You agree with him then, you think I am wrong"
Frigga put down her book, and smiled at her husband.
"I think the two of you are stubborn, and neither will really listen to what the other have to say. No matter how loud you yell"
She did not say much else. Her glasses was placed upon the night table before she turned her back to him, already on her way into dreams of her own. Goodnight were shared as Odin laid down besides her.
Odin stared into the ceiling of his bedroom as he laid besides his wife, thoughts not allowing him to sleep.
He too was getting tired of their fights and arguments, but he had to convince the boy that the road he had placed upon him was the right one. When the great Borr had passed he had taken up the responsibly as king, just as his father expected him to do.
Thought of his father and son was on his mind as he finally went to sleep, only allowing a tiny grunt of discomfort as a silver mist appeared in their bedroom, taking the shape Urd, eye hanging around her neck.
She placed a gentle hand on Odin's forehead, the path to his dreams becoming clear to enter.
Odin would not sleep well that night.
What seemed like hours was only a few minutes, but to Odin he walked around in the silver mist for what seemed as an eternity. There was nothing, only him and a path for him to follow through the mist. He tried to walk back, but there was no path behind him, only the mist.
A child's laughter caught his attention, and somewhere outside of the path a light was born, showing three little boys playing a game.
"Odin, you're cheating, stop that" one of the boys whined, trying to get the older boy of the three to follow the rules they had invented.
"I am not, prove it" he taunted back.
Ve looked to his brother Vili for support, but the other boy instead stood by Odin's side.
"You are just being a baby, a baby that cant take losing" Vili teased.
"Am not" he jumped after his older brother, trying to get whatever it was the older boy had won.
"What are you doing Odin" a sudden voice asked.
The three boys stopped their playing, and turned to greet their father Borr, the second king of Asgard after his father Buri, their grandfather.
"Just playing a game father" the younger Odin replied, moving his younger brothers behind him so they could be spared their fathers wrath.
Older Odin watched as Borr slapped the younger Odin across the cheek.
"How many times do I have to tell you Odin, you have no time for these silly games. One day you will be king, and to be king you must work hard with you're studies. Come now, go back to you're room, a tutor will be there shortly"
"Yes father" younger Odin mumbled, still holding his aching cheek.
Borr turned to the younger brothers.
"You two, go play in the garden, and don't interfere in Odin's studies. I have high expectations of him"
The scene became clouded, hiding his family from view and forcing him to walk further along the path.
He was confused, why was he dreaming about this. He could hardly remember the minor things from his childhood, the game he had just witnessed being one of them.
Another scene appeared, this time in the great throne room, Borr sitting on the throne.
"Odin, what brings you to seek audience with me on this day"
A much older Odin stood before his father, but he still looked unsure if it was wise to talk against his father.
"I have a request father" he looked around quickly, feeling the eyes of everyone in the room upon him.
"Go on my son"
"I request that Ve and Vili are made my advisors"
Borr looked surprised that it was nothing more, and a pleased smile came onto his lips.
"Nothing more" he laughed. "Very well then, a vise choice my son. Just as I expected of you, just as expected"
No one else but older Odin saw the smile falter on the young boys face. Then the scene became clouded once more, another appearing further up the path.
The three boys were no longer boys, instead they were all grown men. Visiting their father on his death bed. Odin's brothers had said their goodbyes, and It was now his turn.
"You will be king now Odin" the old man coughed, weak and tired in his old age. "I expect you to do great things son, with you're brothers by you're side you will do great things. All of you"
Ve and Vili smiled at their fathers praise, Odin giving a final bow as the old man allowed the final sleep to claim him.
Odin turned to his brothers, sorrow etched on his face, but ready to face what ever would come.
"Come brothers, let us inform the people, together"
"Lead the way brother"
And the mist swallowed them, leaving no trace.
Older Odin stood where he was, allowing the old memory to take its place among the new ones.
He remembered that, but had allowed his father final words to only be to him as the years had passed. He felt ashamed, how could he forget that the dieing king had included his brothers in his final wish as well.
The answer came as everything exploded in light, the great palace of Asgard appearing before him, engulfed in flames.
For a moment he thought that he had awakened, but then he saw a foe that he could never forget.
It was the day the great fire demon Surtur had attacked the city, hoping to kill the people of Borr, the warrior who had bested him in battle so long ago.
Most of the city was engulfed in flames, people trying to put out what could be saved.
And by the demons feet he saw his brothers, dieing as they had struck down by the great demon. The two held no interest for him, and so he took upon the task to ransack the city some more, not noticing a younger Odin kneeling by the side of his brothers, trying desperately to save them.
"Come on Ve, don't you dare die brother. Vili, get back on you're feet. This is not the end" but the tears in his eyes spoke the truth better then his words.
"You expect to much of us brother" Vili laughed, blood spilling from his mouth. "This is it for us, we are of no use to you any longer"
"NO, I still need you're help ruling. Without the two of you I will not know what to do… please don't die"
"Relax older brother" Ve coughed, sitting up against the wall. "It is time you lead on your own"
"No…"
"Yes brother, but you will not be alone" Vili smiled up at him as the two of them started to glow, their bodies giving of a golden glow. "We will be with you, always"
And then they became the Odin force, the great power that he alone wielded to guard and protect all of Asgard.
And as he struck down the demon the voices of his brothers were in his mind.
"You will do great things brother, alone as well as when you had us. We expect nothing less from you. We are now you're power, use us wisely"
And as the demon was killed before him everything went dark again, the path forward being his only light source.
When he blinked his eye he felt the tear sliding down his cheek. Happiness that he got to see his brothers final act once more, sadness that he had allowed it to become buried within his mind.
He allowed his feet to take him further, only stopping when he came to a familiar cave, a cave he had only been in once, located in Norway.
Gaea was in the bed, still recovering from giving birth to Thor. She smiled gently down at the small boy, laughing as he started to suck his thumb.
A younger but older Odin stepped out of the shadows, looking shy and slightly scared of what was to happen.
"It is ok Odin, come hold our son" the mother of earth called, smiling as the young god gently picked up his son.
He gently stroked the young boys cheek, smiling as he grunted in his sleep.
"Treat him well Odin" he looked up and saw that she was ready to leave, her part in the agreement fulfilled. "I expect you and Frigga to take good care of him"
She walked over and placed a gentle kiss to the boys head, smiling as he turned in his fathers arms.
"And promise me that you will never tell him of me, he need not learn of who I am"
"But you are-"
"I expect you to hold this promise Odin. Promise me this"
The Cave became mist as Odin nodded, and Gaea left, to become one with earth once more.
When he looked around the path was gone, only the small platform he was standing on remaining. He sat down onto it, head in his hands as he allowed all the memories to come back to him.
It was the soft light that made him look up, yet more tears as he saw the scene before him.
He was in Loki's childhood bedroom, sitting on the floor and playing with the young boy.
He chuckled, remembering how Frigga had told him to spend some time with their younger son, while she took over Thor's lessons for the day. It was Loki's birthday after all.
"Father, why is it only Thor that gets to do lessons in how to be king, cant I be king" the young boy asked his father, while turning a spell book in his hands.
"No my son, Thor is the first born, and the rules are quite clear on that"
"Oh" the young boy mumbled, looking down at the spell book in his hands, his eye becoming narrow.
"BUT" Odin quickly said, trying to make the young boy happy. "Instead of being king, we will train you in the arts of sorcery, and you will grow up to be a powerful advisor to Thor" he smiled, convinced that the boy would accept that.
"Yea, that could be good too" young Loki answered back, opening the book in his hands, a pleased smile on his lips.
The mist changed the scene once more, revealing a older Loki, standing before his fathers throne.
"What is this I hear Loki, you're teachers tell me that you tricked the other children"
Loki, now a teenager, did not look embarrassed at all. Instead he almost looked proud.
"It is nothing to speak of father, I was just trying out a new trick. I did not mean to harm my fellow classmates"
"IT IS NOT NOTHING" Odin yelled at the boy, who did not even move as his father yelled at him. "You are a child of the king, and you have to follow the rules, just like anyone else. When you go to that school you are to act as a prince, not some simple ruffian"
Loki looked up at his father, the smile gone from his face.
"You did not yell this way at Thor when he destroyed his bedroom with that idiotic hammer of his"
"He is still learning to use it, you can not expect the boy to control something so powerful in such a short time. You on the other hand, you are a master of illusions and magic, and know how to control it"
"You are already expecting to much of him" Loki muttered.
"What did you just say"
"Nothing father, nothing at all"
But as the mist took the two away Odin saw the look of hate upon the boys face, something he had not noticed back then.
The mist pushed him forward, wanting to show him one final thing, he obeyed it.
He was at the end of the path, a light appearing in the distance. This time it was his and Friggas bedroom, just before he went to bed.
Frigga was asleep, while he had gone out to get a cup of water. But as he saw his past self leave the room the door to the bedroom opened, revealing adult Loki.
He crept silently into the room, stopping to tuck in his mothers covers better, his love for her still alive.
This was years later he realized, a few years before the almost crowning of Thor as king, a time where Loki had grown more and more jealous of his brother. Odin watched as Loki walked over to the table where he had left his crown, picking it up.
"Soon father, soon you will see that I can bee the better son" he mumbled, staring to cast a spell. "Let whoever wears this crown grow tired, let them grow weak, let them sleep the slumber when the time is right. Let me have what is rightfully MINE" he hissed, dropping the crown and leaving the room once more. His foot was out the door as another opened.
"Loki, what are you doing here at this time of the night"
Loki looked panicked for just a moment, but quickly thought of something. A book appearing behind his back without Odin noticing, but noticed by older Odin.
"Forgot a book father, wanted a little light reading before bed"
It was a book that Odin had used as late night reading at the time, written by a famous elf author. Seeing nothing wrong he accepted the lie as truth.
"Good choice son, sleep well"
"Sleep well, father. Sleep well" a final look at the crown, and he was out the door.
Then everything went dark.
Odin shot up in his bed, sweat pouring down his forehead, hands trembling.
To see everything like that, events of the past lined up in row, telling him what he had not thought about for years.
His father, his brothers and Gaea, they had all had their own expactations for him, promises and legacies that had to be kept.
But as he had seen the memories pass before his eyes he had realized something. He had upheld his promise to Gaea, and raised Thor with Frigga the best he could. The Odinforce still rushed true his veins, the spirits of his brothers living true him.
And he was a good king, a wise king, and a noble king. He had protected his people the best he could, he had done well.
What they had all expected of him had not been for nothing, he had lived up to it.
But his fathers expectationas was meant for him and him alone, and it had been unfair to dump them on Thor without a second thought. One day the boy would be king, but not for many years to come, there was still many years left in him.
Which the final part of the dream had explained, and how he had felt his stengt returning in the last year, the enchant needing for Loki to be near for it to not lose its power.
He felt both rage and sadness, but in the end he only felt sadness for his sons betrayal, realizing that he to now felt just as betrayed as Thor had when he told the story of the Destroyer.
He could feel sleep taking over, his final thought awake being that he would speak with Frigga in the morning, and also to the people, giving them the full story of Loki's betrayal.
And he would speak with Thor, when the time was right, the boy was still angry at him.
As he closed his eyes he did not notice the silver mist taking the shape of Urd, a pleased smile on her lips. And then he was asleep, and Urd was gone.
The dreamscape of Thor and Jane that night was not a pleasant one, both of them opening their eyes, hearing the distant sound of thunder outside his balcony door.
Thor did not say much, and Jane was not sure what to say as they lay in each others arms, listening to the storm outside.
"I have had arguments almost as bad as Your's and Odin's, just with my sister"
It came out of the blue and Thor turned to Jane, watching as she stretched, then straddled him with a smile on her face.
"It is hardly the same" He sighed, dropping his head between her breasts. "I fear that father will never change his mind"
He smiled as she started to stroke his hair, dropping a kiss and leaning her forehead on his shoulder.
"I remember when we were kids, she accused me of stealing one of her dolls. I told her I did dent steal it, but she wouldn't believe me, no matter what I told her. It took a week before she found the doll under her bed"
"Did she say sorry for accusing you then"
"No, accused me of just throwing it down there instead"
He chuckled, the first sigh of a laugh she had heard from him in weeks.
"My dad had to sit down with her and tell her that everything wasn't my fault, and that she could not put the blame on me for everything"
Thor waited for her to finish the story, smiling as she got him to lie down, with her on top, listening to his hearth.
"It took a week before she finally said that she was sorry, and for weeks after she would not let the doll out of her sight"
"It is a fine story Jane, but what purpose does it serve this situation"
She sat up, keeping him down with her hands on his chest.
"It got nothing to do with the situation, but I got you to stop brooding did dent I"
They looked at each other for a few seconds, and then he started laughing so hard that she fell of chest. She watched from her place besides him as he finally let go of the anger he had stored in his heart against his father in the last few weeks, his smile returning.
When he finally stopped laughing she brushed a finger against his cheek.
"Give it some time, things will work out"
"You don't know-"
"They will work out, I believe they will, so should you"
She gave him a quick kiss and snuggled into his body, kissing his chest as his shirt gave space for it.
As she started to laugh into his chest he looked down, amused as he noticed once more how cute she was when she laughed.
"What is so funny"
"Just a silly thought, but my sister would be so jealous if she knew I was dating a real life god"
The silence she did not expect, and his surprised face was what she saw when she looked up.
"What's wrong?"
The surprise became a smirk, and he rolled them over, trapping her body under him, hands held down by his own. Her blush just made him smirk even harder.
"So we are dating now are we, and you did not even bother to tell me" he teased her.
The blush became stronger, shy eyes looking down. When she did not speak he flipped them, her being on top once more.
"Jane?"
"I mean… if you don't want to-"
"I would love to date you"
She squealed and tackled him to the bed, kissing him senseless. A few moments later she got up for air, both breathing hard.
"But seriously, can you really call it dating when it is only in dreams we can see each other"
"The kiss just now did not fell real to you"
"It did, but I mean-"
"It matters not if it is only in dreams for now, it wont be long before I am back"
"If you ever get back" she grumbled. "The damn machine still wont accept any of the energy sources we try"
Thor bit his lip, not wanting to giver her false hope as an idea popped into his head.
"What's wrong?"
"The machine will accept any power source?"
"Yea, but we tried everything. Even a small sample of the new element Tony invented to power his reactor, did dent give it the right boost either" she gave him a look as she noticed his squirming. "Why are you asking"
"Don't get you're hopes up, but I went to see Heimdall the other day, to check on the progress of the Bifrost"
"I thought you said it would heal itself"
"It will, and Heimdall sees every piece that broke from the bridge. Most were scattered into the other eight realms"
"You think a piece of the bridge might be what we need"
"Even a small piece is a link to Asgard, and a link can very well be what you need as the power source"
She kissed him hard then, surprising him only a moment, then he was kissing back, teeth and tongue added to the mix. As he got up for air she instead attacked his neck, working harder as he moaned.
"I thought you did not want to do anything while in this state"
She did not answer back, but chose instead to yank his head back and kiss him again.
After a while they slowed down, and she had a smile on her face, as well as a blush and red lips, as she looked him in the eyes.
"Thank you"
Nothing else was said, and they spent the rest of the dream kissing and cuddling, not noticing the lack of thunder as time went on.
In another plane, in the home of Norns, Urd returned successful from the dreams of Odin. The eye of Odin returned to the Well of Mimir.
"Good work sister"
"Thank you"
"Now we will await the outcome, should be happening soon"
The three Norns watched as the thread of Odin started to slowly untangle itself, but still not done with its entanglement.
It would be a week before Odin talked with Thor, a week before he told the people of Loki's betrayal.
But until then the two did not speak a word to the other, with Jane and Frigga trying to convince the two to be the bigger man and just get it over with.
And the only thing the Norns could do was wait.
Damn, that was kind of like Inception, almost… or not.
And the kissing scene… yea I am not that great at writing stuff like that.
Hope you enjoyed it, see you in the next chapter.