Chapter 2
The battle against the Varingar was glorious, if not one of their more lengthy adventures. A mere three days was all that it took to destroy the packs.
"How many others did you say they'd brought in to slay these beasts?" Fandral asked with a laugh.
"At least a dozen teams have tried and failed." Volstagg replied.
"And we took them in days." Sif finished with pride.
"You need to come home more." Fandral said to Thor. "What could you be doing on Midgard that would half compare to this?"
"Perhaps you should join me there and find out." Thor replied.
"Yet another realm to be tormented by Fandral's lust? And here I thought you liked it there." Sif said with a smile. The conversation was brought short as the group reentered the city and found the King waiting for them at the gates.
"I've never seen anything like it. Countless men have taken on the Varingar, and failed, and you four wipe them out in days. Truly you are the finest warriors I've ever seen. The stories of your bravery clearly have not been embellished. You have my most humble thanks and that of my entire kingdom." The King said, with a bow.
"Your thanks is appreciated, but we're tired and eager to return home. If you would give us the gold you promised then we would gladly be on our way." Thor said. The king looked at Thor annoyed.
"Of course, of course, but there will be plenty of time to take care of such insignificant things in the morning. Tonight I insist that you all join me at the palace where a feast will be held in your honor." The king said. "I could not let you leave before my subjects have the chance to show their gratitude." Before Thor could say anything Sif was speaking.
"We gladly accept your gracious offer. Do you think that in the meantime you could provide us with some chambers where we could rest and refresh before the nights festivities?" She asked sweetly.
"Of course, my dear. I'm only ashamed that I didn't offer already. I'll have my servants make arrangements for you at once. If you'll excuse me." He said, excusing himself with another bow. After he was out of ear shot Sif turned on Thor.
"I know you can't stand him but do try not to actively insult the man. I doubt your father would appreciate you causing a rift with Svartalfheim while he slept." She said.
*/*/*/*/*
Even Thor had to admit that the rooms Auolies had provided them with were more than comfortable. Not only were they richly furnished but there were half a dozen servants to wait on him as he changed out of his armor.
"Is there anything else that we can obtain for you, my lord?" A servant, introduced as Llundy, asked. "Another drink, perhaps?"
"No. I believe I'll just retire with my companions until the feast tonight." Thor said. Llundy nodded and signaled to the other servants to follow him out. Thor stretched out on a bench and noticed that a young boy had stayed behind. "Yes?" Thor asked.
"Sir." The young boy said, his voice cracking. "I was just wondering if you would want to visit the dungeons while you were here?"
"Why would I want to see the dungeons?" Thor asked.
The boy muttered nervously. "I just thought that…"
"Garran!" Llundy yelled coming back into the room. "Stop bothering the prince and return to your work." The boy ran out of the room and the man came forward to apologize. "I am sorry if the boy offended you."
"I'm not offended, merely confused. Why would the boy think that I'd want to see the dungeons?" Thor asked again.
"Oh." He said sounding flustered. "Well our dungeons hold many different types of criminals. Some of our less distinguished guests have gone there for… amusements." He finished. Thor could see how uncomfortable the man was with the subject and dismissed him without any further question. Later on he told his friends of the strange encounter. Volstagg was sure that the boy had just been trying to show off and Fandral nodded his agreement. Sif told him to ignore it. Even still Thor couldn't quite shake the feeling that there was something wrong.
*/*/*/*/*
To the kings credit the feast was incredible. The entire city seemed to be in attendance, along with the greatest musicians and enough food that even Volstagg seemed satisfied. The joy and celebration was almost enough to make Thor forget the strangeness in his chambers. Until he saw the boy again. He was carrying a tray of drinks and bore the unmistakable traces of a recent beating. His left eye was practically swollen shut. Thor began to approach him when the servant from his rooms appeared at his side.
"How are you enjoying the festivities, my lord?" Llundy asked.
"What happened to the boy?" Thor asked, ignoring the question.
"A silly squabble between servants. You know how boys of that age are. Always needing to prove themselves stronger than the others." He finished with a smile.
"He didn't seem the type." Thor scanned the crowd for the boy but he seemed to have vanished.
"My lord, if you would follow me, the king has brought forth a cask of his finest mead which he wishes to share with you and your companions." Llundy insisted, pulling Thor across the room.
The party continued late into the night and may have gone on much longer, but when Fandral lost his ability to stand straight Sif announced that it was time for them all to retire. Thor grabbed an arm to support his drunken friend and made his way toward their chambers. Volstagg was cheerfully accompanied by a red-head girl that he'd been dancing with toward the end of the evening. Upon entering their room they all began to split apart and Volstaggs' companion tried to follow Thor.
"My chambers are this way." Volstagg said.
"I've been waiting all night to find a moment alone with you." She said to Thor, completely ignoring the larger man. Volstaggs' jaw dropped at the obvious slight.
"Your attentions are flattering but I am committed to another. But I believe Volstagg would be more than happy to-" Thor tried to say.
"I heard you earlier." She interrupted. "You didn't believe them when they told you how Garran got hurt. Would you like to know what really happened to him?"
"Who are you?"
"My name is Alyia." Thor didn't know what to make of the girl, so he decided to remain quiet and allow her to talk. "Llundy had three men beat him after he talked to you."
"All that for a perceived slight on Thor?" Fandral asked from the couch where Thor had laid him.
"There was no slight. Garran was about to reveal one of their secrets."
"So you decided to finish the job for him?" Sif asked, joining the conversation.
"He won't dare try again." She said, rising to Sif's challenge.
"Then you must have a great respect for Thor. To risk so much on his behalf." Sif stated doubtfully.
"I'm not doing this for him. The men who hurt Garran should be punished. The best way that I can see to do that is to reveal what they were so desperate to hide."
"Well what is it? Enough of this nonsense and just tell us." Volstagg said, still annoyed at having been used.
"There is a man they're keeping in the dungeons. Garran told me he is from Asgard."
"A bit of a disappointing secret." Fandral said from the couch. "Asgardians can commit crimes as well as anyone else. What did this one do?"
"I don't know. No one ever talks about him. Garran only knows he's there because his father cleans the empty cells. He often goes to visit him there." She said.
"I have no say in the law of this land." Thor said bitterly. "I don't know what your friend expected me to do."
"He expected you to save him. You're a prince, a hero; you're supposed to help people!"
"If he's been locked up then he probably deserves whatever is being done to-" Fandral began before the girl cut him off.
"This man is different. Garran told me that there's never been this much secrecy surrounding one of their prisoners before. The only people who even seem to know he's there are the high council and the people who come to torture him." She said disgustedly.
"Most people who merit that kind of treatment have done more than enough to deserve it." Volstagg said.
"No one deserves what they've done to him. He's losing his mind in there. Garran talked to him one day and the man tried to convince him that he'd once been a prince."
"He said what?" Thor asked, suddenly much more focused on what she had to say.
"He's going insane."
"No, what he said to Garran."
"He told him that he used to be a prince."
"What is his name?"
"I don't know. Garran never told me." She said.
"Well what did he look like? Did he have black hair?" Thor demanded.
"Thor." Sif said trying to get her friends attention.
"I don't know what he looks like." Alyia insisted. "I've never been down there."
"That's enough. You need to leave." Sif said, grabbing the girl by the arm and pulling her from the room.
"Wait. I want for you to bring your friend here. I want to know everything he does about this prisoner." Thor commanded.
"I don't know if he'll come." She said.
"Make him come. He wanted to talk to me and now he can. Bring him here at sunup tomorrow." The girl agreed and Sif quickly led her out of the room.
"I know what you're thinking." Sif said, coming back to Thor. "But it's not him."
"You don't know that." Thor said.
"It's impossible."
"Who else could it be but Loki?" Thor asked.
"Anyone. The girl said that the man was insane."
"No one has seen Loki in almost a year. This would explain why."
"Or perhaps he simply decided to stop attacking Midgard." Fandral said. "He could have decided that it was time to give up on trying to rule the realm and decided to live out the rest of his life on Vanaheim."
"Why would Loki have even come here? You weren't the only one to swear never to set foot on Svartalfheim again." Sif reminded him.
"Perhaps in his madness he thought to bring his fight to Auolies." Thor said.
"After all this time, why now?" Fandral asked.
"Loki's rage has led him to do many things that he never would have considered in the past. Perhaps it has led him to seek revenge."
"Revenge for what?" Volstagg asked. Thor turned to his friend in shock and Sif glared at him. "I'm sorry about what happened, I know that it hurt you and your family greatly, but a crime was committed and a punishment doled out. I'll admit that the punishment was overly severe, but it is a kings right to punish criminals as he sees fit. If Loki did come to Svartalfheim, to attack the king, then he deserves to be imprisoned."
"How can you say that?" Thor asked. "How could you believe Auolies did the right thing when you saw what his decision did to my family? It took years for Loki to recover from what that man did."
"We're arguing about nothing." Fandral said, trying to calm his friends. "There's no way that this man is Loki. Now can we forget this nonsense and go back to celebrating our victory?" He asked.
"I'm sorry my friends, but I cannot ignore this if there is even a chance that my brother is suffering." Thor said.
"Well, I won't stop you." Fandral said, getting up from the couch. "However I don't feel like spending my night watching you prepare for a reunion that isn't coming. So if it's all the same to you I'm going to go and find some of those lovely women from the feast." Fandral moved to the door and Volstagg followed close behind.
"I'll join you." Volstagg said. Once the two had left the room Thor went over and sat on the couch and put his head in his hands. Sif sat down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"He's still my brother." Thor said, turning to look at Sif. "Whatever else he has done, he is still my brother. If he's in trouble then I have to know."
"He'd never do this for you, you know." Sif said.
"That doesn't matter."
"Then I suppose I have no choice but to help you find out who's in the dungeon."
*/*/*/*/*
Alyia came early the next morning, as promised, pulling a reluctant Garran behind her. Fandral and Volstagg still hadn't returned from wherever they'd gone, so it was just Sif and Thor waiting to greet them.
"Well?" Sif asked. Alyia pushed Garran forward.
"I…I." Garran mumbled.
"Tell me about the man in the dungeons." Thor asked, trying to take Sif's advice and not scare the boy away.
"I've only spoken to him a few times." Garran said, hesitating over every word. "My father works in the dungeons and sometimes I go to see him there. One of his duties is to bring the prisoners their meals."
"Fascinating." Sif said to herself.
"Go on." Thor encouraged.
"A few times he's had me help him and that's when I met the prisoner. I don't think my father was supposed to tell me that he was there." Garran said, nervously. "My father told me that the king has him kept in secret and then he told me about all the things that people come to do to him." He said, grimacing at an unpleasant memory.
"And you've met him?" Thor asked.
"The few times I brought him his meals, he would talk to me through the door. He always wanted to talk to me. My father did open the door to his cell one time so I could take a look, but I only saw him for a moment."
"I don't suppose you know the prisoners name, do you?" Sif asked. "That would speed things along nicely."
"I never asked." Garran admitted.
"What did he look like?" Thor asked.
"He was tall and pale." Garran offered. "And I remember that he had green eyes."
"Was his hair black?" Thor asked, hopefully. Garran smiled at finally having a question he could answer.
"Black as night." Garran said. Thor jumped on his answer.
"I need to meet him. Show me the way to the dungeons at once." Thor commanded.
"I'm already in trouble for talking to you. If anyone even finds out I came here then I don't know what they'll do." Garran said.
"You've already gone this far." Thor said.
"We'll make sure that no one finds out that we learned this from you." Sif assured him.
"You're sure?" Alyia asked, putting a reassuring hand on her friends shoulder.
"We swear, now take us to the dungeon." Thor said.
They ran after Garran as he led them through the palace and down to the dungeon.
"It's through there." Garran said, pointing toward a door guarded by two men. "If you can get past them, then go through the main hall and take the second left. The tunnel will seem empty, but there's one cell at the far end and that's where he'll be."
"Two guards?" Thor asked, moving a hand to his hammer. "I think I can handle that." He said with a smile. Sif grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Perhaps a more subtle approach." She said.
"If you don't need me anymore…" Garran said.
"Yes, yes, go." Thor said, barely registering the boy now that they were at the dungeon. Garran didn't give Thor a chance to change his mind and ran.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Sif asked when Garran was gone.
"You heard what he said." Thor insisted.
"A tall man with black hair and green eyes, Thor, that could describe a hundred men."
"It also describes Loki." Thor said. "Are you going to help me or not?"
"I'll lure the guards away." Sif said, with a sigh. "Try to keep the reunion short." She said, walking off. Thor couldn't hear what Sif said to the guards, but it seemed to do the trick, and they were soon following her away from the door. He waited to be sure they were gone and hurried into the dungeon. He followed Garran's directions down the long hallways and soon found himself standing in front of the cell. For a moment he wished he'd asked Garran to get him the keys, but then saw the door wasn't locked. Instead runes were carved around the door. This was the strongest proof yet! No normal cell could hold his brother; they'd need one sealed with magic. Thor threw the door open and saw a man sitting in the center of the cell with his back to the door. Thor took a step into the cell and the man rose and turned around.
So does anyone have a guess for who is in the cell? Post them along with a review in the comments section. The first person to guess correctly will win a lock of Fandral's hair.