More bad news came in the morning when Lady Eir informed the Allfather that a third man had succumbed to his injuries. Loki would now have to face the Holmgang against three men. The families of the deceased would have the right to select their champions, usually a relative. Odin held an audience early that morning.
"I have one very large issue to address and it will take up much of my time at court today. So I will first handle a handful of smaller matters and get them out of the way now." He explained.
"First, the approval of 1000 new swords for the army has been granted. The messenger will travel to the dwarves today to deliver the contract." Odin began. The people gathered were quite like crickets.
"The next item of business is the retaining wall on the western side of the city. The hill there is oversaturated with rain and has become a mudslide hazard. Residents in the three blocks surrounding the sector are to be evacuated immediately." Small rumblings rippled through the crowd. It had been a wet spring this year.
"Lastly, I announce my son Thor's betrothal to Princess Luka. Their wedding shall take place in 3 moons hence." The people at court exploded into gossip. It was an obvious tactical move of protocol and everyone knew it.
"Now, to address the main topic of court today. Guards, please bring in my son, Loki." Odin ordered. Loki was escorted into the throne room, flanked by half a dozen guards. The families of the dead men all sneered at him.
"Loki my son, you are accused of the murder of three men. What happened?"
"I happened upon four men carousing with one another just outside the palace feasting hall."
"And what were they doing?"
"Speaking slander against Thor and against Luka. They called her a whore, among other things." Loki said. "I defended the honor of the future Queen of Asgard, as well as my own."
"Did you challenge them in Holmgang?"
"No, I slaughtered them while they were inebriated and unarmed."
"Then you shall face the Holmgang today. How did you kill them exactly?"
"With a rock and my bare hands." Loki said.
"Then those will be all the weapons you and your opponents today shall be granted. This will be a fight to the death unless your opponents all yield. You will face all three champions before the sun sets this day. That is my ruling as your King."
"My King, I am Liam, brother of Luke. What is to be the order of the champions?"
"Alphabetical." Odin said. No one was surprised by this. Tyr's surname was Wanderson. It was yet another subtle way the King stacked the deck in Loki's favor, however marginal. As frightful as Tyr was, the other two champions were not to be dismissed. Garth son of Cobler and brother of Gram, was a seasoned warrior and very skilled at wrestling. Likewise too, was Liam son of Firharm, brother of Luke. He was one of the best axe men in the realm. Then there was Tyr, Hegarth's brother. The man was a beast and a champion in all skillsets of being a warrior. Only Thor was stronger.
"The Holmgang will commence in three hours. Court dismissed." Odin declared. Loki was led away by the guards back to his chambers where Frigga was waiting for him. Thor and Luka joined them soon after.
Inside Loki's room, a fight broke out.
"I will fight." Luka said.
"No you will not! Thor speak some sense into her." Loki said.
"Loki is right Luka. You cannot fight these men."
"It is necessary. Loki, you have to fight Garth, a fight which you may not survive and if you do you would not be in any kind of shape to fight two more immediately after. Since you are the guilty party you cannot be afforded a champion under normal rules. Thor can be my champion but not yours, and in order for him to be my champion I must be yours. We are the same person. My stakes in the outcome of this fight are equal. The only way you survive is if all three of us fight, each taking one opponent."
"Liam will kill you." Loki said.
"Must you have so little faith in me?" Luka said.
"I have the same faith in you that you do in me." Loki said. "If I barely make it out of the first round alive…fine. Step in. I'll live in shame for the rest of my life." Loki said.
"You'll live." Luka said. Thor frowned at her. He did not want her to fight but if she didn't Loki would die. But now she could die to and that really frightened him.
"Please tell me you have a plan to defeat Liam." Thor said to her.
"I have a plan to defeat Liam."
XxXxXxXxXxXx
Half of Asgard came to watch the second prince of the realm fight for his life. The coliseum was full to capacity. The people cheered when Garth entered the ring. To one side there was a giant pile of rocks in varying sizes. Garth walked to it and mulled his choices before selecting one of good heft and shape. The sound of the crowd when Loki entered was a little more mixed. Some cheered, some booed. Some agreed with his action to defend Luka's honor while others called it an abuse of power and demanded justice. All were aware of the bigotry laced through these proceedings.
He selected a rock as well. He looked powerful, deadly, ready to kill, and ready to die. He walked to the inner ring and gave Garth his best warrior face. The horns blew and the fight began. Garth rushed Loki, flinging the rock at his head. Loki dodged it and hurled his own. Garth dodged it as well. The two men collided punching and jabbing. They were of equal build, but Garth had rage. Garth got in a good punch to Loki's left eye, making a cut above the eyebrow. It bled, clouding his vision. Loki pounded his fist into Garth's right kidney over and over again. Both men ended up on the ground wrestling. Garth was dominating him. He pummeled Loki in the face over and over again, bashing his head against the sandy ground. Loki tried to reach for one of the rocks they'd throw at each other, and then it became a race over who would get the rock first. Garth reached out for the rock craning his neck and that was when Loki leaned up and sunk his teeth into the man's throat. He latched onto the sizable Adam's apple there and ripped it out. Garth gasped for breath as the blood spew out of him onto the ground. Loki pushed the dying man off of him and stood, covered in blood and victorious.
Healers rushed to the fighting ring. Unlike Loki, the champions for the dead would be given aid to save their lives if possible. Garth was carried off and Loki walked over to a bench to take a moment to rest. His steps were wobbly and his face was already bruising and swollen. The back of his head was wet and due to his red hair it was hard to tell how much blood was there caked with sand.
"You'll not survive the next bout, let alone Tyr. I must intervene." Luka said.
"You won't survive either. I can't let you die." Blood tinged spittle flecked from Loki's lips as he spoke.
"Do not think that you are the only Loki that needs to prove yourself a warrior. I am deadly too." Luka said. Loki looked up at her through swollen eyes that were starting to seal shut.
"Give him hell." Loki said. Luka approached the center of the ring where Liam was waiting for her. A hush and a roar rippled through the crowd at the sight of her taking Loki's place. Liam objected.
"My King! This is not justice! I demand to fight Loki!"
"I am Loki! Or did you forget? We are the same person and my stakes in the outcome of this fight are the same as his! If he dies I die. I have to right to defend myself!" Luka shouted for the King and the people to hear.
"You lying manipulative bitch!" Liam said to her.
"Silence! Everyone!" Odin bellowed as he stood to address the crowd.
"It is true that my son committed the crime, but my daughter would also suffer the punishment. Though I changed her name for the sake of simplicity, she is Loki and you have challenged her to Holmgang."
"So be it." Liam spat. He turned to her. "You will never be Queen of Asgard. You were born a Jotun whore and you'll die a Jotunn whore."
"We shall see." Though Luka possessed magic, the rules dictated by Odin had been rocks and bare hands only. She had to abide by that guideline. She was dressed to kill in black leather pants and her long hair was braided and tucked up on the back of her head in an elegant style. Her hair had precious stones weaved all throughout it. She grabbed a rock from the pile, slightly bigger than her hand. They took up their positions and the horn blew. Unlike the first fight the two circled one another. They were well over a dozen feet apart. Liam leered at her. Luka threw her rock, not a Liam but off to the side distracting him for half a second. She reached back into her hair and grabbed the diamond and her hair band. Liam charged at her. She crouched down and using her fingers and the band to form a makeshift sling shot she took aim directly at Liam's eye. It passed through his right eye into the frontal lobe and beyond until it hit the back of his skull and stopped. Liam's body tumbled to the ground and slide forward on the sand, landing at her feet. There was no saving him. He was already dead. People in the arena rose to their feet. How did she kill him?
"Luka, what was that you used to kill Liam?"
"A diamond my King. The hardest rock there is."
"Very well. The match goes to you." The people cheered for her. She'd defeated a man twice her size and gotten out of it alive without a single blow or scratch. She'd even managed to kill him in a very lady like fashion. The people loved it.
"Your diamonds will not save you this time." Tyr said. The hulking brute walked onto the floor of the arena. He was a massive man, as massive as Thor in height and build. Unlike Thor, however, Tyr was a hot head who enjoyed bullying and demeaning his lesser, which was almost everyone. Thor appeared then and stood before his father. Tyr did not act surprised in the slightest to see him.
"My King, as the betrothed of the lady I request the right to be her champion and fight this fight for her."
"Request granted." Odin said.
"Don't run too far princess. I'll catch up with you later." Tyr said. Thor entered the ring and the two men glared at one another. Thor never liked Tyr. They'd always been competitors. Thor always surmised that Odin kept Tyr around to make Thor a better warrior. There was nothing Thor hated more than losing a fight to this smug selfish egotistical asshole. Moreover, Thor did not trust the man. He was too ambitious and his loyalty was questionable. Getting rid of him would save the royal family a lot of future headaches.
"I knew you'd protect that pathetic weakling." Tyr said.
"I love Loki. All of him. No less than you loved Hegarth, which is why I will take great pleasure in killing you." Thor said.
"Mjolnir will not save you here…princess."
"You're just jealous because my hair is prettier than yours." Thor said.
"Aaaaaaah!" Tyr charged him like a bull rhino. If real mountains could come alive and punch each other it would resemble what was happening at the center of this coliseum. Thor dodged a kick to his face and punched Tyr squarely in the liver. He followed with a haymaker but was blocked with a jab-right-cross and then a left hook. Thor threw a fake and then stomped on Tyr's toes, thrusting an upper cut as he looked down. His fist collided with Tyr's chin and several teeth went flying. Tyr surprised Thor then with a right hook across his left cheek. They exchanged punches for several heart pounding minutes. The barrage became a test of endurance, both for stamina and for pain. Both fighters were getting tired and ended up wrestling on the ground. Each worked to try to get the other in a choke hold until one of them succeeded. A strong bicep and forearm locked under a broken chin, squeezing with every ounce of power he had left.
"Do you yield?" Thor asked. Tyr did not tap out.
"Do you yield?" Thor asked him again. Tyr still did not tap out.
"Do you yield?" He asked on last time. Tyr thrashed but would not tap out. Thor snapped his neck then and ended him.