Chapter 3

The New Plan

Odin sat brooding on his throne.

Frigga's labor had begun the day before. While she was still able to move around she had been in good spirits; after all, this was something she had looked forward to for so long. But things had intensified during the night and she had retreated with her ladies into the royal bedchamber to give birth while the rest of the household waited anxiously.

Loki's nursemaid stood at the edge of the throne room, the infant prince in her arms. The last four months had shown a marked improvement in the child's health; at first he had been so sick that his new parents feared for his life, but with proper care he had recovered quickly and now resembled an Asgardian child of the same age. A tuft of black hair crowned his head, and enormous baby-blue eyes gazed from beneath a serious brow.

What bright eyes, Odin thought with a swell of pride. He'll be a clever boy someday.

He had already developed a paternal fondness for the foundling, though news of Frigga's pregnancy had thrown his plans back into the air. It was a hard matter; he had already made known his decision to adopt the son of Laufey, albeit only to Heimdall, and he wasn't about to back out. On the other hand, he wasn't about to dispossess his own child, either. To buy himself more time, he had decided to keep the boy's presence in his household a secret. A handful of servants had been brought into the matter, including the nursemaid, and had been made to swear a sacred oath to say nothing of the child's existence until further notice. He and Frigga, meanwhile, had discussed their options at length.

"It could be a girl," Frigga had mentioned at one point. If so that would simplify things; Laufey's son could be wed to the princess, uniting the kingdoms and providing an elegant solution to a number of problems. It was an excellent plan.

It had one flaw. What if it was a boy? Odin got up and began to pace.

His footsteps led him past the corner where the nursemaid waited. She bowed as he passed, but the child in her arms smiled toothlessly and gurgled. Odin stopped and held out his arms for the boy.

"Oh, my boy," he smiled. "Who could fret when they see that smile? You could charm a serpent."

Loki giggled and cooed, apparently quite interested in the shiny gold patch that hid the scar of Odin's right eye. He had already become one of the family; Frigga in particular never spoke of him as "Laufey's son," but referred to him as "my baby." If he had come from her own womb she could not have cared for him more.

Odin wished it were that simple for him. If he had been a man of lower rank there would have been no need to worry about alliances and inheritances; he would have adopted Loki long since and not worried what the next child would be. As it was, if it was a girl no one would have to get disinherited and it would only be a few decades, maybe a century, before Loki was his son by marriage. But until the child was born, Odin dared not make any permanent plans. He hated the uncertainty. Only a few more hours, he thought, maybe only a few more minutes. Then things could begin falling into place.

Footsteps echoed behind him and a servant appeared at the entrance to the hall.

"Allfather," he said breathlessly. "Lady Frigga has given birth. You have a son!"

All thoughts and plans vanished as Odin nearly ran through the corridors to the bedchamber. When he arrived Frigga was composed and sitting up in bed, smiling. A cloth-wrapped bundle was held in her arms, which Odin stooped close to examine: a puffy, pruny babe, bald and bleary-eyed, blinking and drooling at the world he had just entered. Odin fell in love at once.

"Your son, my love," Frigga said softly, handing the child to his father. Odin took him carefully and stared at him, entranced. After a moment the midwife, seeing the royal family comfortably situated, shooed the servants out and closed the doors. Odin and Frigga sat in silence for a while, gazing at their newborn son.

He was big, at least as big as Loki had been at the same age. The few hairs he had on his head were so light they were nearly invisible. He'll be fair-headed someday, Odin thought, beaming.

"How are we to call him?" asked Frigga at length. Odin chuckled as the child grabbed his finger with a surprising grip.

"He's a strong lad," he said. Frigga smiled.

"That's what they said the minute he was born. 'Healthy as a horse and strong as a thunderclap.'"

"Thunderclap," mused Odin. "Yes. A strong name for a strong man. Thor, that is what we'll call him.

"Thor," murmured Frigga, touching her son's forehead. The babe's little eyelids fell shut, and she gathered him back to herself. "Loki and Thor."

"Yes," said Odin. His moment of happiness passed, replaced again by uncertainty. "What of Loki? I had meant to make him my heir, but the law... and not just the law, my heart forbids me disinherit my own son."

"Loki is also your son," Frigga reminded him. "You said so the day you brought him home."

"But whoever heard of the firstborn being four months younger than his brother?" he fumed.

"They're not that distant in age," she said. "It's easy to tell now, but in a couple of years..."

Something clicked in Odin's mind.

"That's it!" he said and jumped up. "They'll grow up together... no one will ever know..." At last, a plan was falling into place! "No one knows Loki's here..."

"What are you talking about?" Frigga asked. She was staring at him, concerned.

"We'll bring them up as twins!" he said triumphantly. "We'll present them to the kingdom as if they were born at the same time. From that kind of distance, no one will be able to see the difference anyway, especially if they're swaddled. By the time they're old enough to ask about it, there will be no way to tell who's older."

Frigga was frowning. "You're not suggesting we lie to them?"

Odin faltered. "No, of course not..." The image crossed his mind of Loki smiling up at him; such a happy, trusting child, so cruelly abandoned by his birth parents. "We'll only be giving them an equal chance," he said. "Besides, it's no lie to tell him he's one of the family. He is our son. And Thor is his brother. There, I have said it, and so it shall be."

Three days later the crowd had assembled to witness the presentation of the new princes. A royal herald stepped forward and raised his voice. "Rejoice, people of Asgard! Lady Frigga has given to Odin Allfather twin sons, to lead his people in justice and peace!"

Odin and Frigga appeared, clad in their finest regalia, each holding a swaddled infant in their arms. Together they raised the children high, making them visible to all. The herald's voice was nearly lost in the joyous roar of the crowd.

"Behold, people of Asgard! Thor and Loki, the sons of Odin!"