Disclaimer: I don't own this, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THIS?
A/n: WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS EXTREMELY OVERDUE AND MAY CAUSE YOUR EYES TO EXPLODE / START TO BLEED. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. I'm really sorry for not updating. Graduation put a lot of preassure on me. THAT'S RIGHT, BITCHES, I GRADUATED! ...Now only 8 more years of school left UUUUGGGGHHHH...Anyway, I blame the crappiness of this chapter on my melting mind. It's summer. Give me a break. I'm still getting over the aftershock of school, so please be nice.
Loki is now 10 and Thor is 13. This is set right after the beginning of the movie when Odin shows them the Casket of Ancient Winters. Now read on, my friend.
"That's IT, I've HAD IT!"
"Sissy, NO!"
Loki, startled out of his sleep, practically fell out of his bed. He sat up, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. Who was shouting? And as a better question, who was shouting at this hour? The young prince scrambled out of his bed and room, but paused before entering the hallway.
The hallway was empty. Loki found this odd, considering the fact that there were always guards roaming the halls, keeping it safe from intruders.
"Please, you'll wake the whole palace—"
The voices started up again.
"I'll wake the WHOLE DAMNED CITY IF I HAVE TO!"
The voices were coming from the main entryway. Curiosity urged Loki on as the boy quickly moved down the hallway in the direction of the voices. He was just outside the throne room when he had to duck inside an open door in order to avoid being seen by one of the guards. The guard rushed inside the throne room; Loki quickly turned invisible and slipped inside behind him.
The guard nearly ran over to Odin—who was looking ever-so-slightly puzzled about the disturbances in his palace. The guard practically fell onto his knees once in front of the All-Father. Frowning slightly, Loki tiptoed further into the grand chamber, all the while keeping a wary eye on his Father's birds. Their beady eyes seemed to follow him, dispute the fact that he was invisible.
"My...King...," panted the guard, bringing his fist over his heart.
"Who is causing such a ruckus this late at night, dare I ask?" asked Odin, rubbing his temples with his fingertips. Loki tried to get out of Hugin and Munin's range of sight by moving over to the side of the room. It didn't help; their eyes were trained on him, and he desperately wanted to throw something at them if they cawed even once.
"The Norns, Sir," replied the guard. (Loki wasn't sure, but for a brief second, it looked as if...fear crossed his Father's face. He would later blame it on lack of sleep, for nothing could ever scare the All-Father.)
Seconds after the words had left the man's mouth, the two huge chamber doors flew open with a loud BANG.
That was the first time Loki saw them. Bathed in the moonlight which was pouring in from the open windows, they seemed to have an eerie glow around them.
The three of them were frighteningly beautiful. The first woman was clearly the eldest. Her salt-and-peppered hair was thick and long, reaching all the way down to her waist. She had light blue eyes, high cheekbones, and a long neck. She was also thin and tall; she clearly towered over all the men in the court. She was dressed in simple attire; a brown dress that was slightly tattered and worn.
The second one was just barely shorter than the first. Her cropped blonde hair had spikes; the strands stuck out in every direction. Her eyes were fierce gray, and they reminded Loki of brewing storm clouds. She had high cheekbones as well, but unlike the first woman she had a pointed chin and thin lips. She was dressed more elegantly, wearing a dress made out of blue silk, which clung to her hourglass figure.
But Loki thought the third was the most beautiful of them all. She was clearly the youngest, looking no older than a teenager. She was quite shorter than the other two. Her vibrant red hair was pulled back into a braid. Her skin was creamy and flawless, save for the few freckles that dotted across her nose. Her cheekbones were high and she had a pointed chin, a combination of the two other women. She was dressed more beautifully than the others. She wore a white dress with gold and green hemming.
For some reason, Loki couldn't tell what color her eyes were. It didn't matter, because the yelling started up again.
"You!" shouted the blonde, pointing at Odin with an accusing right arm. "You son of a BITCH!"
The guard, who had still been trying to catch his breath, scrambled to his feet and moved out of the path of the blonde, who came storming up to the throne. Loki, now startled by this woman's outburst, wondered if he could slip out of the chamber like he did before. The doors were still wide open...
Odin calmly rose from his seat and descended the steps down from the throne to them.
"Urd, Verdandi, Skuld," his Father greeted, politely nodding at each woman. Loki was expecting this, for his Father was a respectful and polite man. However, what Loki wasn't expecting was Odin bowing to them. Now he didn't get down on his knees, he didn't bow low, but he still did bow.
It sent Loki's mind into a frenzy. Everyone bowed to Odin, and Odin never bowed back. He didn't need to—he was higher than them. He was a King. He was the one who demanded respect and got it. So who were these women who owned enough respect to have the All-Father himself bow down to them?
The one who he presumed was Urd smiled. "Hello, Lord Odin. It's a pleasure to see you again."
The blonde—Verdandi—glared at him as if he were one of the foulest creatures who had climbed out of Hel's dark abyss.
"A pleasure indeed," she said darkly. "You FOOL! What were you thinking, SHOWING HIM THE CASKET? NOW HE KNOWS!"
Verdandi's voice was so loud that Loki could feel the vibrations in the floor. He made a move for the exit, but the redhead's—Skuld's—eyes flickered over to him.
Loki froze. Her eyes. They were the same eyes he had seen in the forest years ago. Blue mixed with red, yellow, green...the whole entire rainbow. They were just as mesmerizing now as they were back then. He couldn't help but stare.
But then just as quickly, her eyes flitted away.
"He knows nothing, I assure you," replied Odin smoothly. "All I did was show him; nothing more, nothing less."
Loki was going to head for the door again when Skuld glanced at him again and ever-so-slightly shook her head. The boy blinked and frowned in confusion. She looked away, but jerked her chin a little to the right, motioning to Verdandi.
"That doesn't matter!" cried Verdandi, throwing her arms out at her sides.
As if blown by a sudden burst of powerful wind, the windows and both chamber doors were simultaneously slammed shut. Loki, along with most of the guards, jumped. Then he turned his green-eyed gaze on Skuld. She knew...?
"I've kept my mouth shut for too long!" said Verdandi, turning around and stalking circles around the throne room. "Did we object when you and the Frost Giants went to war? No!"
"They wanted war, Verdandi," Urd pointed out calmly, keeping her back to her sister, seemingly unfazed by her rage.
"Yes, and because of their foolery, they lost," muttered Verdandi darkly, rolling her eyes. "But that IS NOT THE POINT!" She whirled around and pointed at Odin again."You had to go and make one of the stupidest decisions that you could ever possibly make!"
Loki cocked his head, careful to move out of the way once Verdandi began stalking circles again. Frigga always told him that Odin always did things for a reason. So what could his Father have done which had the Norns (or at least, one) literally breaking down his doors in rage for?
"We are merely concerned about the well being of the city," said Urd.
"I am fully aware of my decision, Verdandi," said Odin sharply.
"I don't think you are!" shouted the blonde, rounding the King. "Are you saying that you are PREPARED for bringing this city to it's DOWNFALL?"
"I—" Odin started, but he got cut off by Urd.
"I must agree with Verdandi," the eldest sister said gravely. "Yet, there is a simple solution."
"Kill him," piped up Skuld. Her voice was high and musical; possibly the prettiest thing Loki ever heard.
"KILL HIM!" repeated Verdandi, throwing her arms up into the air. "Kill him, I beg of you, and save us from this hare-brained nightmare!"
"NO!" bellowed Odin. "I will NOT KILL HIM!" Loki instinctively took a step backwards. He had heard his Father shout before, of course, but never with this much vigor. Seated above on the throne, Hugin and Munin both ruffled their feathers, as if upset to see their King this furious.
"I gave him a second chance and I shall NOT take it away from him now," Odin continued. "He is one of my own, and he would NEVER betray us."
Loki tried to put all of this together. So Verdandi was worried about someone stealing the Casket of Ancient Winters, and his Father just said that he was one of his own...So one of the guard's or Council Members was planning a mutiny?
Verdandi threw back her head and laughed humorously. "Keep telling yourself that," she spat.
"Very well," Urd stepped in. "We shall respect your decision, no matter what we have to say ourselves." Urd threw a glare over her shoulder at Verdandi, who scowled.
"Thank you," Odin said gratefully.
"Just know this, Odin Borson," said Verdandi. "You bring your fate upon yourself. When Asgard crumbled, don't come to us!"
And with that, the blonde whirled on her heel and strode out of the throne room. This time, the grand doors opened gently, and Loki thought he heard a small bell ringing. The other two Norns soon followed after Verdandi.
Loki waited a beat before he too left the throne room, barely making it out before the large doors shut once more. He quickly made his way back to his chambers, turning visible once more. Just as he was about to open the door, he paused. Loki turned and entered his brother's room instead.
A/n: *Insert brotherly talk which Batty is too lazy to write here* Umm...Well, I am not proud of this. I feel like I just banged my head against my keyboard and this happened as a result. But I had to get the Norns in there somehow, so...You'll see more of them later, I promise.
I still fail at writing Odin. He's just...just so Odinish! There's something about his character which I can't grasp. :D But I do like Protective!Odin. Oh yeah, I can write him all day. ;)
More characters shall come in more chapters. As the boys grow up, they get more friends. Lol. Anyway, please review and I promise to do better next time!