It will be made quite clear in this chapter, I think, but just to prevent any misunderstandings: Odin didn't kill himself to get to Helheim, sorry if it's what it sounded like the previous chapter...

And this chapter clearly shows how I got distracted from the original premise by Loki's family. :D

"Prince Thor?"

Thor was snapped out of his his thoughts while looking down at the landscape of the dark realm out of the palace window. He was in one of the guest suits where a servant took him from the crowded barracks with an explanation that as Thor's fate was yet to be decided, he was to be treated as a guest. Truly a marvellous move on the queen's part: Being in the company of fellow warriors, loud and sweaty and retelling their bravest deeds in the battle just won, that was something he knew well, something that would not let him focus solely on his current situation. But here, in the luxurious but deadly silent room, with the excellent view on the land, there was nothing to take his mind off of the dreadful reality. He wished he knew what Loki and Hela were talking about right now. He still hoped... he thought he saw something in Loki's eyes, something that promised him that his estranged little brother will try his best to get him out of here. That maybe – just maybe, Norns, let me keep my hope – he still cared.

Now though, Thor's attention shifted to his visitor in his temporary chambers. He knew he recognized the low, melodic voice from somewhere. And as he turned and came face to fa- well, to a pair of large perky breasts, he remembered. He looked up into almond shaped, blood red eyes staring down at him from an oval, feminine face of rich dark blue colour. Locks of coal black hair were pulled up in an intricate hairdo and flowing down in several shiny strands.

"L-Lady Angrboda," he stuttered a little. If someone had told him a few years ago he would be calling a jotun "Lady", he would thought him mad. He was still having problems coming down to terms with Loki's true nature. Not that Loki disgusted him – no, never, he loved Loki! - but... he preferred not to think of Loki's heritage. He was making himself believe that jotnar were more than mindless, bloodthirsty beasts, but centuries of thinking precisely that was making it hard to switch his views. And now, he stood face to face to a jotun – the only other jotun – he knew personally. Not that he had known of her true origins either back then. And neither had Loki...

"To what do I owe this unexpected visit?" he asked carefully, not wanting to make his situation even worse by angering the mother of the one who currently held his fate in her hands.

"I decided to make use of this opportunity to speak with you," she answered simply.

Thor nodded uncertainly, then remembered his manners: "Please, make yourself comfortable," he gestured to a weakly burning fireplace with three large, comfortably looking armchairs. She inclined her head in thanks and Thor opposite her.

...Only then he realized he should not have offered a frost giantess a seat next to the fire. Damn.

Luckily, she did not seem to mind at all – the fire was not really strong enough to warm the air around much and their surroundings were quite cool to begin with.

"How is your relationship with Loki?" she asked without preamble.

"Bad," he answered just as plainly after a moment of silence, staring into the fire.

"I heard he threw quite a fit when he found out you had died."

Thor smiled a little at that but the smile soon wilted. "True, but he still called me his enemy."

"What is it you want from him?" Angrboda was never one to beat around the bush. "And I mean in the long run, not to just get you out of this realm."

"I-" Thor frowned in confusion at the question – was it not obvious? "-I would like him to accept me as his brother and a friend once again.. To make peace with our parents who miss him, to stop his evil deeds on Midgard and come back home..."

"In short," she interrupted him, "you want him to go back to what he was and pretend the past few years never happened."

"No," Thor protested, "I-" then he went over his words quickly again. Did he really think like that? He tried not to dwell on Loki's true nature and often reminisced the good old times before the failed coronation, imagining how perfect all would be if those unfortunate events never took place...

"He will never again be the one you once knew," she said thoughtfully, "but it does not mean it is a bad thing. He has changed, he is changing still. If you wish he accepted you, you must accept him – his real self, not the one from your memories."

Thor stayed silent for a while, deep in thought, then he dared to look into the eyes shining like two rubies: "Why are you telling me this? Why are you helping me?"

She smiled mirthlessly. "Because out of you two, you might yet be the one seeing the jotnar in a better light. You are not the only one who needs to accept the new Loki." Thor stared at her disbelievingly. "He will first have to make peace with himself," she concluded, "before he can bear the acceptance from anyone else. And... you might soon have an eternity here to think about that."

She stood up and stretched. "The tension in this family is unbelievable. Have a good day, prince Thor." And with that, she disappeared.

Thor remained seated, looking back into the flames. Well, at least he now had other thoughts to occupy his mind with than his own situation, as ominous as her mention of the eternity was.

Loki followed a few paces behind Hela as they marched through the rather narrow but tall corridors, ceiling hidden in the shadows. They neared their last set of doors and his stomach churned slightly.

Odin had no power over him, he repeated himself; as long as he is dead, his soul belongs to his daughter's jurisdiction, the Allfather could not arrest him – had no right to arrest him – even if he tried. But the reassurances didn't help any. It was not the king of the Nine Realms, the enforcer of the law, whom he feared to face. No, it was the man who raised him and called him his son for hundreds of years.

But – it did not matter, did it? Odin was not the one Loki was going to meet and he had no business with him. Hela will do the talking, it is a negotiation between two rulers. Yes, he has no reason to converse with him. It will be all right. He swallowed.

The guards opened the door leading to the courtyard. Just as Hela and Loki descended the steps, a clang of too many hooves for one horse entered their ears and through the raised gate rode in a majestic figure in an armour of gold, aura of power and confidence surrounding him. The horse on which the king was sitting was enormous, muscles playing under his grey fur, eight legs moving in a dignified trot, and his eyes, partly hidden under his thick black mane, were big and dark and shining with intelligence.

They met in the middle of the courtyard, deserted except for two guards at the gate. Clouds spent in Thor's attack were quickly coming back, making all shadows darker and every colour faded. The air was cold, but not unbearably so even for the non-jotnar, and completely still. Only faint sounds of rebuilding reached the castle walls and no voices managed to travel that far. Trills of the birds in the Realm of the Dead were unthinkable and not even a bat flew by in this everlasting half-light.

"Queen Hela," Odin addressed Hela respectfully when he unmounted his steed. "Prince Loki," he turned to his adopted son, unreadable expression on his face. Loki narrowed his eyes at him but was glad Odin soon turned his attention back to the queen; he was not sure how long he could hold the eye contact, despite the other having only one eye.

"King Odin, Allfather," Hela responded in kind, "I thank you for arriving at such a short notice despite your many duties. I do not intend to keep you for long. If we come to an agreement, this whole matter should be dealt with in a matter of a few rounds around my gardens," she gestured to a path leading behind the castle, "shall we walk?"

"Very well, Your Majesty, I am glad we can both agree on resolving this situation to the satisfaction of everyone as soon as possible." Then he turned to Loki, possibly to tell him... something, anything, who knows what, Loki did not care and beat him to it:

"Do not worry, Allfather," he bowed lightly, in a detached politeness, "your steed will be well cared for in the meanwhile." With that, he reached out for the bridle and Odin let him take it, deciding in the end not to voice out what he intended. Though in his face, when Loki for a fleeting moment met his eye squarely again, there was only deep sadness and... some kind of tenderness, something so uncharacteristic on Odin's face, suddenly looking old and so tired, that Loki averted his eyes and told himself he just imagined it. It was quite dark here, after all, surely his sight could have failed him, and who knew what such an expression could mean anyway – says the Trickster who prides himself on his ability to read people...

But then the king of Asgard was walking away with the queen of Helheim and Loki focused all his attention on the beautiful creature next to him. With one flick of his wrist and a bit of magic he at once removed the head-collar and the bridle as well as the saddle and plopped them down in a heap on the flat stones of the courtyard. The next moment he was hugging his son, arms around his neck and face buried in the long dark mane.

"I missed you so much, Sleipnir," he whispered affectionately and the horse whinnied softly in agreement, nudging his now tear-eyed mother with his huge head. None of them paid attention to their surroundings in the blissful reunion, so they did not notice when Hela glanced over her shoulder at them and smiled a warm, happy smile. Nor did they notice when Odin, much more discreetly and still with the tint of sadness, did the same.