Bleeding Hearts

The world was on fire, blood flowing down the dirty, grimy street like a stream. Bodies, they were everywhere. Screams echoed ever loudly, filling Laufey's ears, filling the entirety of his mind. Children were weeping and being slaughtered mercilessly. Mothers were screaming as their babies were ripped from their arm and killed. His men, dying; all falling like flies one after another, beneath the blows of Aesir axes and hammers.

He screamed as he fended of crashing hammers with his cracking blade. His hands were bleeding, his muscles were aching and no matter how hard he tried to protect his people he failed, over and over again.

"Laufey!" There was a scream that curdled his blood.

He slammed his heels into his enemy and toppled him. Whirling around, he saw Farbauti on the ground, clutching his bloodied abdomen. Another faceless, nameless Aesir stood behind his Queen.

"No!" He screamed.

Mangy, rotted bony hands burst from the ground beneath and grabbed at his feet as he ran. Stomping down, cracking and snapping bones.

"Save me…help me…Laufey!" Farbauti sobbed; blood pouring from his lips as the Aesir raised his hammer.

"No! No! Stop!"

He tripped and fell. Bloodied bony fingers flew to latch cruelly at his arms, his legs. Their horrid nails dug into his aching skin and tear at him as he struggled. And he knew not knowing how that they were mocking him, playing with him and that they could so easily tear him apart and destroy him but they didn't, because they derive pleasure and satisfaction from his agony and anguish.

He wrenched one arm limb free only to be caught again by a dozen cruel hands. He fought and he fought, his wild gaze sweeping desperately to Farbauti as the Aesir smashed Farbauti's head beneath his powerful hammer.

Laufey would have screamed if he could, he would have wept if he could at the horror before him.

Then with a deafening crack through the ice, nails latched brutally at his throat. When he looked down, he could see the cold dead face of his people, looking at him through the ice, with eyes wide and blood dribbling from those gaping lips black as the abyss.

Laufey roared; ice dagger bloomed from his right hand, striking out, he knocked over the bedside table with a crash.

Pinching fingers gripped his wrist and wrestled him down. Laufey screamed and struggled.

"Laufey!" Strong hand knocked his blade out of his hand.

Laufey cried, whirling around to be met by a pair of familiar eyes. Farbauti was sitting by him along the bed, staring at him with concern. Laufey panted; his heart beating harshly against his chest.

"Do not fear" Farbauti said gently. "You are safe"

"Forgive me…" Laufey pushed himself up to sit, his head was pounding. He wipes a shaky hand down his face in exhaustion.

His dreams have been cold of late. He'd seen his people die a million times. He'd seen Farbauti dead, with his child carved out of his belly. He'd seen Loki raped, stabbed and killed, Helblindi and Byleistr tortured and burn, screaming for him to save them.

"What… what is it…?" Laufey asked when Farbauti continue looking at him. "Is Thrym al-"

"He lives still. Fear not" Farbauti said, trying his best to keep any annoyance out of his voice. He did not want to antagonize Laufey further. Laufey's undying devotion for that man would forever sit sourly with him. "But I've brought you another news" He continued.

"Aye"

"Loki has returned"

The words that left Farbauti lips were ones Laufey had longed to hear, and all at once, feared to hear. Farbauti must have seen his fears, brief as it was before he masked it but he must have seen it.

"Wh-where is he now? Is he alright?" Laufey meant to get off the bed when Farbauti stopped him.

"He is alright. It is you that I fear for"

Farbauti scooted closer to him. He lifted his fingers to take Laufey's slender face in his hard hands.

"My King…" He rests his forehead against Laufey's. "My mate… Forgive me for I know not how to comfort you when you are hurting. Forgive me for I know not how to chase your fears away. But I swear to you, I will not let you come to harm"

"I do not fear death. I do not fear harm or pain" Laufey said, caressing Farbauti's horn that curled towards the side of his head. "I fear for you. For our children. For our people"

"Is that why you fear to sleep? Is that what plagues you every night?"

"Aye"

Farbauti smile, pulling back slightly to gaze upon Laufey's scarlet eyes.

"Victorious or not…we will survive…" Farbauti brought Laufey's hand to the slight bulge over his abdomen. "And you will see this child grow"

Laufey smile, his fingers mischievously trailing downwards. Farbauti laughs, shoving him back.

"Come on" Laufey teased.

"If you can be quick" Farbauti said.

"Why the rush?"

"Loki demands an audience with the full court in an hour. You wouldn't want to be late"

"An audience at this hour?!"

"Aye"

It was not more than an hour later that Laufey found himself sitting upon his throne of ice and steel with the entirety of his bustling court. Torches were lit along the walls, illuminating the darkened hall. Farbauti and Lord Tyr stood on either side of his throne.

"I've asked the guards who receive him at the gates" Tyr whispered. "They say he carries a gift with him. Wrapped in bloodied cloth and smelt of death"

"I know" Laufey said.

"Perhaps we should have a private audience?" Farbauti asked.

"Loki demands this, and you know he will not be denied"

"Aye. But we know not what he will say"

"The dice has already been cast if this gift is as we feared. So let him speak as he will" Laufey raised his hand, silencing the court in an instant.

"Norn help us all" Tyr whispered.

"Let him in" Laufey commanded.

The ornate door creaked open with a resounding boom. Harsh silence descended upon the hall, as the soft steps of boots sliced through the hall in a deafening thud. Loki glided in, and in his arms was a rounded bulk wrapped in black velvet. The scent of death, the scent blood and decaying flesh were at once plain.

Whispers filled the hall once again. But with a glance from those merciless red eyes, warriors were cowed, tongued stilled and the lesser Lords of the court shrunk back into the shadows. Loki sneered at the cowards and fools.

The golden chains strapped to his hips clinked.

A hundred pairs of scarlet eyes followed the ill omen prince, bowing as he passed as if fearing that they would be cursed without these pretentious acts of admiration. Loki paid them no mind as he walked fearlessly down the long sprawling hall.

Laufey stilled, straightening up from where he sat as he watched his first born.

Loki wore a cloak of raven feathers as if a raven that heralded news of ill omen. His long black locks were combed neatly back, with gems weaved into that silken darkness. The golden chains that adorned his furs clinked as he came to a halt before his King and dam. Those scarlet eyes that bore into Laufey were as cold as it had ever been.

The restrained excitement and anticipation in the atmosphere was almost tangible. All eyes was upon them.

"This is the audience you seek" Laufey said.

"Yes my King. And I thank you for your generosity"

"Speak then"

Loki smiled, letting his scarlet gaze graze over the entire court.

"My brethren…I seek only to bring you hope and a future. I seek only to prosper you and not to harm you, and for that, I have brought back to you the Casket of Winter have I not?" Loki turns back to Laufey. "And now I bring you yet another gift!"

With a move, he held the end of the velvet cloth, and cast its content across the court. The head of Odin Allfather smacked the ice covered ground with a thud and rolled to a halt before Laufey. Blood smeared across the silvery floor.

At once the entire court broke into an uproar of excitement, joy and horror. For a moment, Laufey could only stare at the pale face of his enemy.

"The head of Odin Allfather!" Loki declared over the roaring noise.

"What have you done?!" Someone screamed over the deafening crowd.

"Silence you fool!" Shouted another

"You bring us war!"

"The tyrant is dead!"

"They will slew us all! This is folly!"

"You coward! And you dare call yourself a warrior?!"

The entire court was descending into chaos as Jotuns scream at each other.

"Order! Order!" Tyr bellowed, trying and failing to calm the crowd.

Laufey stood to his feet, for a brief moment he saw fear and uncertainty in Loki's face and in that moment he was once again a child, desperate for recognition in the face of contempt. For that brief moment before the cold mask of indifference slips back in place Laufey had seen his true face and it hurts him. And all at once, he wanted to give to Loki the entire world.

"Order!" Laufey thundered, raising his hand over the chaos.

The crowd calmed.

There is no turning back now Laufey knew. What peace the two realms had shared over a thousand years had been shattered the moment Loki decided to ornament his court with the Allfather's head. The wrath of Asgard is a terrifying thing. Jotunheim will be wiped out this time if the Aesirs are not brought to their knees.

Loki will have his war.

"You have been accused of bringing us war and death" Laufey said. "What do you say to that?"

"I say that I will deliver you! I say that I have gone before you and made a way for you! I say that I will bring to you life, and life in abundance!" Loki declared.

The crowd murmured, growing louder and louder once again.

"I tell you my brethren! I have seen a realm carved out of pure gold and gem. I have seen a realm flowing with milk and honey, where the greens grow in overabundance and the animals are as plentiful as the snow beyond our walls. I have seen a realm full of magic and wonders beyond your wildest dream! A realm where children could play and laugh and grow to have children of their own! A realm where plague and death will never touch you! And I will give her to you!"

The crowd cheered.

Malekith smirked.

"Have I not given you the head of the tyrant who humiliated us, who slew our people and burn our cities?! Have I not given you the Casket of Winter that was robbed of us?! Have I not proven that I am not just words?! Have I not proven that I do not just speak of revenge, but I deliver it?!" Loki was no longer looking at Laufey as he spoke over the cheering crowd. "So I tell you now, I will not just speak of Aesir blood, I will deliver them to you! I will not just speak of Asgard's glory; I will give her to you! Fight with me! And Asgard will be yours!"

"Long live Prince Loki!" Someone bellowed over the thundering crowd and in the next heartbeat a hundred voices took up the same chant.

Fears, doubts, logic were no more and only the name of the one God who will rain down chaos and destruction, who will litter the universe with the bodies of deities, who will turn gold into ash and uproot Yggdrasil herself if that was what it took to stand above all, remained.

"Loki!" "Loki!" They chanted loudly, drowning out the angry words of faithless heathens. "Loki!" "Loki!" "Loki!"

"I will give you a realm of gold! I will give you a valley of abundance! I will give you a future! And I will give you victory!" Loki roared. "For if I am with you who could ever stand against you!"

"Loki!" "Loki!"

Laufey watched silently from his throne as Loki was bath at long last in the admiration that he had always craved.

Thunder roared, lightning flashed across the skies and the rain poured, beating down hard on the mud covered ground as if someone had tore the heavens apart. The ground tremble and groan, and trees were uprooted from the sheer might of the hurricane that ripped through its plain.

Thor sat silently in his work chamber, a thousand thoughts dashing through his mind anguished mind. Simply the thought of his father's death was enough to make him weep, but yet, he had not shed even a single tear. His rage and his grief froze hard inside of him.

He is the King of Asgard. He is the symbol of strength and power for his people. He will not and cannot crumble now.

The Jotuns have made their move. This is the perfect excuse for Asgard to destroy them utterly and completely without looking like the aggressor realm. Isn't this what he had hoped for from the beginning when he had kept Loki alive on Asgard? An excuse to utterly destroy the Jotuns? Since when had he changed his mind about those savage beasts?

Thor tightened his jaws as he stood to his feet. He has a duty to do. A realm to lead, a war to fight, a victory to claim and a vengeance to be paid with interest.

The thunderstorm raged ever fiercely beyond Thor's golden walls. When the heavy doors leading to the throne room groaned open, a harsh silence descended.

The crowd parted as Thor entered with Gungnir in his battle hardened hand. The soft click of his boots resonated. All eyes were upon him, but he saw none of them as he walked up the dais and stood before his throne.

Sorcerers hurried to his side to cast an enchantment so that all of Asgard may hear his voice. So that he may speak to the soldiers in the field and yard and those in their barracks, the servants in the halls, and the people of Asgard in their homes and those that had gathered outside the castle walls.

Cerulean gaze, graze over the full audience before him. The rain weeps in his place and the sky screams with his rage, as he stands calmly before his golden throne.

Hadn't he always known the ending to this tale from the very beginning?

"Today will be a day that will be remembered as a day of atrocity" Thor spoke, his hard voice echoed through the entire realm. "Mere hours ago, the Crown Prince of Jotunheim, Loki Laufeyjarson, has slain my father, in cold blood where he lies unarmed and defenseless. For over a thousand years, Asgard, under the reign of my father, has shown mercy and compassion to the realm of Jotunheim. For over a thousand years we have given them peace. For over a thousand years we have shown them mercy! And this is how Jotunheim has repaid us. With the head of my father. Your King"

There was a sob from the audience.

"It is my father's mercy that kills him. It is my mercy to allow a Jotun in our midst when I knew better that has brought this anguish upon us. And for that I am deeply sorry" Thor said. "I cannot give life to the dead nor can I undo the wrong that my folly has caused. But I give you my word that this atrocity will not go unanswered. As of now, we are at war with Jotunheim. My armies are prepared. We will move once I have paid my father the respect he deserves and send him into the next world in a blaze of flame. I cannot promise you a short war. I cannot promise you a war with no innocent death. I cannot promise you gold and silver. I cannot promise you a time of plenty from this point forth. But I give you my words that my warriors and I will not stop until we have their surrender no matter how long it takes. I give you my words that my warriors and I will not stop, until we have put every last one of them in chains or we will blaze every inch of that forsaken realm of ice to the ground. And I give you my words that I will make them pay for what they have done to us!"

Silence descended once again when Thor had finished and for a moment, all that could be heard were the deafening crash of thunder and the hard pounding of rain.

Then one by one, and then the whole mass, from the highest of noblemen in the throne room, to the most fearless of warriors and armies in the field and yard, to the commoners beyond the walls and the lowliest of pheasant on the street, they knelt.

Loki stops Malekith just before they enter the meeting room.

Malekith grinned.

"Betray me and I will kill you" Loki warned.

"You will have your seat in which to watch Asgard burn, Jotun" Malekith said. "You have given me a great gift. I will not forget"

Loki snorted. "Shall we then" He showed Malekith into the meeting room.

The cheering in the throne room was one thing, but the scene in the war council immediately after was completely another. The councils were ready to crucify and burn the ill omen prince where he stood, but Laufey silenced them all with a glare.

Beyond the private doors of the royal quarters, Laufey is a hard man and a harder King, sometimes much harder than he needs to be. He will tolerate no slights or challenges. And when he speaks in the council, all would heed his words without question. All but Thrym that is.

"Where is Lord Thrym?" Loki asked.

The question sliced through the silent room like a burning blade through flesh. No one dared speak a word and even the Queen was silent.

"He is unwell" Laufey looked at him.

Loki blinked.

Unwell?

With Thrym's overall personality, the man would need to be extremely unwell to not turn up when he will be the star of the meeting, but he did not push the question.

"And my brothers?"

"They are occupied" Laufey stated. "I ask that you pay them no mind. We will proceed"

Loki paused. Something is definitely wrong.

"Is there a problem?" Laufey asked.

"No my King" Loki said hurriedly.

There is no reason to stop this meeting simply for a few absentees. They do not have the leisure of time.

He rolled the map of Asgard across the large table. It was a large piece of old leather with faded lines. The edges were tattered and worn and the paint closest to the sides had faded into nothing. Weights were placed over six points of the leather to keep it flat upon the table.

Malekith leans closer to survey the faded map. And so they begin.

Loki spoke and they listened. Without Thrym, not many dared challenge his plan once Laufey bid for him to start. Over the hour, Loki spared glances at Laufey, trying and failing to understand what could possibly be going on in his dam's head. While it is true that Laufey generally prefer to listen before he speaks, this long silence was uncharacteristic even for him. It was as if Laufey had all but handed the control of Jotunheim's entire military forces to Loki.

Farbauti and Lord Tyr questioned him on several points while Malekith argued the most but he was nowhere as sharp of tongue as Lord Thrym would have been. And not even one of the council men dared contradict him much which meant that the entire meeting was over much sooner than Loki had expected and Malekith's first Kamikaze fleet would be ready to depart at first light while Lord Tyr mobilize the citizens in the ice city to evacuate underground for safety. Who knows when those savages would come.

The council was starting to fill out when Laufey stopped him.

"Loki. Stay" Laufey said.

Loki hung back, reaching towards the metallic wine jug sitting on the side of the table and pour himself measure as he waited till the last of those shuffling feet was gone and the door had finally snapped shut, leaving them alone.

"I see sire is with child" Loki said.

"Aye" Laufey seated himself.

"Congratulation is in order then. But do you really think now is the best time for a child to come into this world?"

"It was unplanned. A surprise"

"Ah…I understand" Loki took a sip of his wine as if he understood all there is to know about accidental children.

A flicker of displeasure flashed over Laufey's eyes but he said nothing to it. Only Loki would ever speak or hinted of that child he slaughtered in any way or form. It was a foul act that Laufey much prefer to forget.

"I notice you seem very agreeable with my plan" Loki went on.

"I see nothing wrong with it"

"I'm glad you approve. But are you sure you have naught to add?"

"Your plan is good and well thought out"

Loki turns to regard Laufey intently. He had been expecting Laufey to chastise him in some form or way. Laufey has always been very accommodating to him, but this is starting to seem ridiculous.

He had snuck away to Asgard without a word and while it was not unusual for him to sneak into another realm, surely sneaking into Asgard and robbing its vault was something. Or if that was a no big deal in the world of Laufey, then what of this war he had sought? Thousands upon thousands of life will surely be loss before this is over. Laufey is cold and ruthless when he is on the battlefield yes, but Laufey had never struck Loki as the blood thirsty sort that would sacrifice life without batting an eye lid. At least not when hidden away from public eyes. Surely Laufey would have something to say about that.

"Why do you look at me that way?" Laufey asked.

"What way?"

"As if you expect me to strike your hand for being a naughty child"

"Are you not going to?"

"If only I could" Laufey sighed. "If only you were still a child, I would send you away from the horrors of war so that you would never be tainted by its sight. If only you were a child, I would wrap you in my arms, so that you will never come to harm. But even as I say all this to you, I still wish I could protect you from all the terrors and brutality of this world. I wish I could protect you from everything. For Loki Laufeyjarson, my first born and heir…I only ever have to look at you to remember the day you came into this world, purple face and squalling your little lungs off as I held you close to my chest and I called you the treasure of Jotunheim"

For a moment Loki did not know what to say. He was startled speechless by Laufey's words. He looked down at his goblet, swirling the crimson liquid. His fingers tightened.

"If I were a child… the only monster would be the ones hidden beneath my bed…" He muttered. "You cannot protect me from this monster that stands before me in the mirror or the monsters that awaits me in the depths of Hel. You cannot protect me from my fate"

"I can try"

"…"

"I will fight for you. I will kill for you. I will die for you and in your place if I could"

Loki shrugged, placing the goblet down. "Is this all the business you have with me?"

Laufey's jaws tightened at Loki's casual dismissal, his fingers curled. He wanted to say more. But he knew he'd just be wasting his time. Loki sees only those that he wished to see. Hears only those he wishes to hear.

Loki poured himself another goblet of wine.

"No" Laufey sighs.

"Then speak your business"

"I have need of your seid if you will indulge me"

"With all the sorcerers in the entire realm at your disposal and you have waited for me? This must either be a grave or humiliating matter indeed. Surely it couldn't be troubles in the bed chamber" Loki teased.

Laufey did not even crack a smile.

"Follow me" He rose to his feet.

Loki finished his wine with a gulp and crossed the room to where his dam was waiting for him.

By the time Thor came to his father, Odin had been cleaned and bathed with scented water. A large piece of white cloth was placed over the severed neck and he was garbed in pristine white robes.

Frigga sat by her husband's bed, holding his hands, caressing over his rough knuckles. Her eyes were red and puffy. Pain, grief and rage edged into every line of her face.

And Baldur, little Baldur…he stood on the other side of the bed and simply looked at his father. The light and innocence in his eyes have vanished. And in place was a very adult pain and anger that was so wrong in a child's eyes. Baldur blame him he could tell. Baldur hated him he could tell.

And Thor knew he deserves it.

"Is the army ready?" Frigga spoke suddenly.

She was trying to be strong; as strong as a Queen should be. A Queen is not just a pretty face. A Queen is a sorceress, a warrior second only to her King. She is to be her King's last defense when the enemies have broken down the walls. She is to be her King's last defense when all the guards had been slain; and she had failed. She had not been there for him when he needed her the most.

"The armies are ready" Thor said. "You should rest"

"No. I will stay with him" Frigga said quietly, letting her fingers caress his icy hand.

Tears burnt anew at the back of her eyes and tried as she might to hold it back, she could not. She wept in grief, she wept in pain. She lowered her aching head and brought her fingers to swipe the uncontrollable tears away.

"Mother" Thor was at once at her side; a hand lid gently over her shoulder.

Loki walked down the darkened halls with his dam much like old times when he was still a child. Mist and smoke swirled beneath their feet, rising and curling against the wall.

Back when he was a child, Jotunheim's hall frightened him and he was so convinced at one point that the fortress herself was alive.

There was the chilling breeze that breathe down the narrow path, snuffing the torches with a sigh, and the groans that would follow him down the darkened hall. Shadows were every where, and on some nights, the statues would frighten him. Then there were the little sharp icicles that framed the pointed arch that connected one corridor to another; giving the distinct impression that he was imprisoned in a trap.

But as it turns out, Loki had not been too far off. Laufey's fortress is indeed a trap for all who dares stomp it. And it is alive under Laufey's command. The ice is his to command, to kill and to trap; to shape and morphed as he pleases. A true prison of ice; a maze without an escape should Laufey wished it.

Dim torches flickered as they passed. It did not take Loki long to realize that they were headed for the healing room, but even so, nothing could have prepared him for what he saw.

Thrym…

"Leave us" Laufey commanded the healers.

Thrym's family had left the moment they were asked to evacuate into the tunnels. Thrym's family did not love him. Thrym's family did not care for him beyond the gold he could provide.

His mate could barely tolerate him for she could not accept that Thrym's heart would never wholly be hers. And for that she had taught their children to loath Thrym, taught their children to shame Thrym for his rumored 'infidelity'. But even so, Thrym had held nothing but love for them. And love in abundance.

This Laufey knows. Which was why he had summoned them. They would not have come otherwise.

"What happen?" Loki asked when they were finally alone.

"Fenrir…" One word was all that was needed.

Loki steps closer towards the bed where Thrym lay motionless as if he were asleep. Loki though, was not to be fooled. The healers may have patched Thrym up; clean him, and perhaps even place a touch of make up over his swollen face to spare their King from the true hopelessness of his wounds; but the hideous stench of blood and festering flesh that clung to the room told Loki the true extent of his injuries beneath the covers.

Thrym's injuries were well beyond the healer's scale.

"By right he should be dead" Loki thought.

"I don't think he is ready…" Laufey said.

Loki placed a hand over Thrym's sweaty head. Then he closed his eyes and whispered an enchantment in his mind. Gentle heat flowed from his arm to the very tip of his fingers and then into Thrym. He lets his seid flow, trickling over the punctured lungs, the broken ribs, the crushed liver and torn intestine. He lets his seid seep into Thrym's poisoned blood, festering wounds and decaying flesh.

Thrym was ripped apart from chest to groin.

Then he opens his eyes and pulls away.

"Will he be alright now?" Laufey asked. A tinge of desperation in his tone.

A heartbeat became two, Loki turns to look at his dam; his expression was unreadable and his eyes were void of any emotion.

"I cannot save him" Loki said.

Laufey stilled. The words twisted in his guts like a knife. For a brief moment, no thought pass his mind and then there was fear, then anger.

"Kill him" Loki said.

"No! He is not ready"

"No one is ready for death"

"I am not ready"

"Cease his suffering" Loki looked at Thrym. "Say goodbye"

"Not today! Not now!" Laufey cried. His chest tightened in pain. A pain that suffocates him and makes it hard to breathe. "No!" He upending the small table by Thrym's bed; smashing the ornate vase.

"He clings on because of you…" Loki knew, as he watched his dam without a single shred of pity or compassion or sadness on his face; and nor did he reach out to comfort his dam. He simply stood there.

And Laufey found that he wanted to rage at him.

"No" Laufey gritted.

"Then how long more until you are ready?" Loki asked. "A month, a year, a thousand years…you will never be ready"

"Get out!" He bellowed.

"As you command"

Loki reached one last time to touch Thyrm's face with a gentleness that seems so at odds with his cruel words and he leans down to kiss Thrym over his sweaty brows. "You don't ever have to forgive me, but I swear to you, I will protect him. I will protect them. I will protect this realm in your place…It's alright to let go. You've given enough. You've done enough"

Loki straightened up beneath his dam's vicious glare.

"I will take my leave" Loki bowed.

At the door he saw his dam pulls a chair to sit beside Thrym. Anguish and grief were so clear on Laufey's face. Loki looked away and shuts the door, giving Laufey and Thrym the privacy they need.

"Your dam grieves. He did not mean to shout at you" Said a voice.

Loki turns to Farbauti who sat a little way down the hall.

"Will you wait for him?" Loki asked.

"Aye" Farbauti turns to look at him with weary eyes. "I will never leave him to grief alone"

Before first light, they know that Laufey will kill Thrym. A war is coming. They have naught healers or resources to waste on a doomed man that lives from sheer will alone.

"A place has been prepared in the tomb. Your dam would want him there" Farbauti said.

"Dam would never command it. It is an insult to you if he-"

"I know" Farbauti knows that Laufey would never dishonor his Queen in such a way. "Which is why I command it be done"

The sacred tomb was the burial place for royalties. The others would simply be cast down into the great cliff face. From ice they are born, and to ice, they will return. Even a celebrated General would never have a place in that sacred tomb. But Thrym would. Farbauti didn't need to like him to know that Thyrm was more family than not.

Some had wondered if Farbauti have no dignity or pride, that he would stand by Laufey even when he knew that Laufey would never be wholly his. Some too had wondered if Laufey have no shame or honor, to dare desire for another when he was mated as was his duty.

Loki had always thought his dam and sire sentimental fools, to be taken by something so pathetic.

But he understands a little now. A very little.

What is shame or honor compared to the smile and laughter of your beloved? What is dignity or pride when compared to the warmth of your beloved or the thousands of little moments and cherished memories that you have shared together? They are but words…a whisper in the wind.

Without another word, Loki headed down the corridor and down more winding steps. Weariness was deep in Loki's bones. He was still recovering from that poisoning, but it matters not to him.

By the time he was down at the courtyard, tears of anger were rolling down his face. The ferocious wind howls and screams into the night and bellowed his raven feathered cloak and silken locks.

Malekith's kamikaze fleet are preparing in a distance. A thousand torches were alight in the city below as the citizens evacuate underground.

Those in the Northern region of Jotunheim though should be safe. The wind was much stronger there, the temperature cold enough to blister Aesir skin. And the Jotun armies will sooner wed Hela, the Queen of Death than let a single Aesir warrior pass beyond the ice city that would soon be morphed into a death trap much like Laufey's fortress.

Fenrir heard the sharp creak of the iron gates and the clinks of Loki's golden chains before he saw Loki crossing the yard. He raised his head as Loki appears through the mist.

"Ah…to what do I owe this pleasure"

"Who send you after Lord Thrym?" Loki asked. His voice was quiet but deadly.

Fenrir tilted his head mockingly. "Why…with that look on your face…I'd think you cared about him"

"Who send you Fenrir?"

"Wouldn't you like to know"

Loki hissed. At once, a hundred black iron chains burst from the ground.

Fenrir leaps to his feet too late. The cruel chains pierced his skin, seized his bony legs, his body and neck. He snarled; struggled and snapped at the unbreakable chains. Hauled and tugged in agony as they wound around him tighter and tighter like a python, until it creak his bones and sliced deep into his bloody flesh.

The rattles of heavy chains, the groans of cracking ice and the ear splitting yelp sliced through the murmuring night. With a flick of Loki's fingers, the great chains hauled Fenrir down with a mighty crash.

Loki steps closer. His scarlet eyes were absolutely merciless.

"Dam!" Fenrir cried in fear and agony. The chains continue to tighten about his neck.

"Do not mock me Fenrir" Loki whispered dangerously.

"Dam stop!" Fenrir whimpered.

Loki stops the chains from constricting as he stood before Fenrir's massive head.

"I will ask you again. Who send you?"

"Helblindi"

The clouds were thick and thunders rumbled. Thor stood at the front of Odin's entire court with his mother on his right and his brother on his left as they watch the boat that carried Odin sail away, carrying his father, his King into the next world.

Frigga watched the ship sail further and further away, tears threatening to spill again but she held it back. She needed to be strong. She needed to be strong for her sons, for the realm Odin loves so much, and the war that is to come.

Enough tears had been shed last night when she sat by Odin.

The thousands of little memories over five thousand years…from mere children to being his Queen, from the first night of their wedding, to the birth and death of their first born son, to the arrival of Thor, Odin's bastard and the birth of Baldur her second, to the first time Odin had taught her to ride a horse and the silly little jokes they would share in their cups; she remembers them...

She remembers him as a boy struggling to impress her. She remembers him as a boy scaling the high walls of her home to sneak into her room to visit her. She remembers the long sleepless night where they would just talk and sometimes a little more.

She remembers him defending her from Bor when the King disapproves of their marriage for she was merely a highborn lady and not those of royal blood.

She remembers her fury when Odin had brought Thor home to her. She remembers her sadness when Vali dies. She remembers her joy when Baldur was born...she remembers them all. The good and the bad, and if she had known all of this in her youth, she still would not have traded him for anyone else or for another life.

She took Thor's hand in her own, her chest ached terribly.

It was time…

Thor looked over at Bragi and gave a nod to signal for the man to light the arrow in his hand afire.

Bragi dipped the tip of the arrow in oil and lit it.

The crowd behind them knelt. The Kings and Queens of the other realm bowed to give their last respect as Bragi raised his bow and flaming arrow.

The fire flickered wildly as the wind blew viciously. Bragi pulled and suddenly the alarms shrieked.

The crowd gasped in horror and before Thor could even react, the first blast of fire fell from the sky.