5
Heimdall spotted the long ship's arrival when it was still miles away from the city and he sent one of the company of guards, which Loki/Odin had ordered to stay on the Bifrost, to the throne room to inform the Allfather of its coming. Loki/Odin walked out of the front palace doors as the long ship descended and he saw Amora climbing up from the ships' hold on the arm of an Einherjar. He met her at the foot of the gang plank, "Why have you returned so soon? I have not given word for anyone to return from the northern mountains."
"My father died before night fall my King and I am returning his body for his funeral" Amora spoke up with her eyes starting to tear up and race down her cheeks.
"Dead?" Loki/Odin play acted shock and disbelief and from the corner of his one good eye Loki/Odin saw the guards bring up a litter with the Vizier's blanket covered body on it, "You have my deepest sympathies child, he was a wise councilor, and a good friend."
"Thank you Allfather" Amora bowed her head to her King. "If I may take my leave sire, I must prepare my father's body for tonight."
"Yes, of course, you have my leave" Loki/Odin responded, "and all of Asgard will honor him tonight."
With a nod of her head Amora walked passed Loki/Odin as her father's body followed her with her entourage following it.
Dressed in his purple robes of his office and wearing the tall, narrow councilor's tiara upon his head, the Vizier was laid in his boat with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Not only were all the men and warriors of Asgard present but the Royal family as well. With Thor at his right side, with the Warriors Three standing behind Thor, and his older sons at his left, Loki/Odin gave the silent command to launch the boat. Two Einherjar shoved the boat into the canal and started it on its journey to the edge of the world. Thor cast a glance at Amora and he wondered how she was managing to keep herself composed. Loki/Odin shoved Gungnir forward and his second eldest son, Uller, set an arrow wrapped with a pitch soaked cloth into a lit torch then drawing the fiery arrow back he took aim and then fired it. His aim was true as it struck the bow of the funeral boat and the flames quickly spread. Amora released a brilliantly glowing soul orb and it floated up into the sky as she said a final farewell to her beloved father.
"Should you ever be in need my Lady" Loki/Odin offered sympathetically, "as you are a daughter-in-fosterage, have no fear to approach the throne."
"My thanks Allfather" she glanced at Loki/Odin briefly before returning her gaze back to the burning boat and saw a brilliant sparkle of light leave the fire consumed vessel before it dropped off the edge of Asgard into the nothingness of space.
Very slowly the crowd began to disperse as they offered condolences to Amora who graciously accepted them, even from Lord Erlick, whom she'd come to despise. With her servants following, Amora slowly made her way to her quarters and when she reached them she dismissed them all to be alone. While she did not feel like having anyone around her, it seemed as if she were being crushed by the walls of her bedroom, by the silence of being all alone as she sat on her bed.
"Amora" she heard a familiar voice in the dark and she turned towards it to see a glowing apparition of Loki standing at the foot of her bed, "come to me as you need not be alone, not tonight or any other night."
Tears burst from her eyes as she tried to speak to him, but she found she couldn't as her pain was too great.
"Come to me, and like I did in that abandoned nursery, I will protect you from the darkness that gnaws at your heart" the figure of Loki extended his hands to her as his face shone with assurance that her memory of that incident would drive her to him. He was not disappointed as she veiled herself with a spell of concealment and left her rooms as he dissolved the apparition.
Muttering a spell that would dull the senses of the guards outside Odin's chambers she walked passed them, opened the doors to the Allfather's rooms and stepped inside. She turned about and shut the doors and the guards were none the wiser of her presence as Amora turned around to see Loki standing behind her with his arms opened to receive her. With a soft cry she ran to him and felt the embrace of his strong arms as she wept upon his shoulder.
Gently Loki led her to Odin's bedroom and to the large bed of his step-father. He'd already pulled the covers back as he scooped her up into his arms while a green and gold light dissolved their clothes. He gently laid her down and laid himself next to her to hold her closely to himself as she wept in mourning for her father. He reached down to pull the bed covers over the two of them as he would wait till her depression passed, then he would gently make love to her, but for now he was her protector against the dark fear that ravaged her soul.
Thor went straight to his room when it was stated that there would be no funeral feast to honor the Vizier as the Lady Amora was not up to it and the uncertainty of the monster Mangog's defeat left no time to prepare any sort of celebration. A few more days of rest and he would be in the western boarders looking for Norn raiders. His personal thrall helped him out of his armor and into his bed clothes, as his arms and legs were still bandaged, and his body was still stiff and sore from battling the beast. Thor requested a glass of wine be brought to him as he was not yet ready to retire and as the servant bowed to leave an idea came to Thor and stopping the thrall he ordered, "Have my brother Hermodr come to me as I need him to take a message to Midgard for me."
"Yes my lord, at once" the thrall bowed again and left his presence.
The thrall returned quickly with both glass of wine and the royal Messenger, Thor's half-brother Hermodr. Thor dismissed the thrall for the night and when he left he felt free to speak to his older brother.
"I need you to go to Jane Foster and explain to her that I may not be able to return to her for quite some time" Thor rubbed his cheek as he remembered the slap Jane had given him after she had found the Aether because he'd not sent word to her and he wasn't going to make THAT mistake again, "explain that I was summoned by father to defend the realm and that I must stop raiders from slaughtering our people in our western boarders, but tell her that I will return to her as soon as I am able…and why are you smiling so?"
"I'm a married man little brother" Hermodr mimicked Thor rubbing his face, "and I know exactly what this means. Of course I will go to your mortal female. Just hope she doesn't use her hand as her reply to your little message as I will relay it back to you."
She tossed and turned in her bed and then finally Jane Foster gave up and got out of bed to go to her mother's kitchen to brew up a cup of chamomile tea. Thor had been gone for hours and there was no word from him and he hadn't returned after being snatched out of the mall parking lot. She pulled on a flannel robe over her peach colored chemise to ward off the night chill that was in the air. Rather robotically she picked up the tea kettle from the stove top and walked it to the sink to fill it with water. When it held sufficient water she turned off the tap and took it back to the oven. Turning the front left stove burner on she set the kettle on it and went to the cupboard to find where her mom had her teas. She scrounged around a bit before she found the chamomile tin and setting it on the counter top she went looking through the silverware drawer to find the round tea diffuser and a spoon. There were a couple of cups upside down in the dish drainer and picking out the biggest one she set it next to the tea tin.
She sighed with worry as she filled the diffuser with chamomile and then set it in the cup. She wished she knew what had happened to Thor and what he was doing. The kettle began to whistle and picking up a hot pad she turned off the burner and picked up the kettle to pour in the hot water. As Jane did so she caught a flash of multicolored light from the corner of her eye that came from the patio and dropping the kettle on to the countertop she ran outside and flung herself at the form that materialized. She was about to kiss him when she realized that it wasn't Thor and with embarrassment she let go of him and backed up.
"Oh, ahem, I'm so sorry, I thought…"
"I know who you thought I was Jane Foster, but I bring a message from Thor and his apologies that he will not be able to return as quickly as he would like."
"Why, what's wrong, what's happened to Thor? Is he all right?" Jane felt like she was having a panic attack, "Can you take me to him?"
"I'm afraid I cannot do that my Lady as the Allfather has banished all mortals from the Realm Eternal" Hermodr continued, "Thor was called back by my King to deal with a threat to Asgard and he recovers from his wounds…"
"Wounds!" she gasped in fear, "How badly was he hurt?"
"His wounds, though extensive, were not fatal. He rests for now until he is fit to patrol our western boarders as they have been attacked by vicious raiders, who spare neither man nor beast. Until they are stopped he cannot return to Midgard."
"Oh, well tell…tell him I hope he gets better soon and ah, I understand about the other thing, just…just tell him thanks for letting me know what happened to him and that, um, that…"
"I'm a married man my Lady, I understand" Hermodr grinned and then backing up a couple of steps looked skyward, "Heimdall."
Jane saw clouds form and begin to swirl about in the sky above them and she heard the roar of the Bifrost as multicolored lights enveloped the messenger and in a split second he was gone. Along with at least half the fears she felt which had kept her up all night but that did nothing to ease the longing she felt for Thor. Hopefully his return wouldn't take another two years like last time. With a sigh Jane Foster walked back into her mother's kitchen and back to her cup of tea.
It was the sound of a bird singing that woke Amora. She opened her eyes and looked about for the source and discovered an Alfheim Morning Treasure bird sitting on a tall perch next to Odin's bed. Its delicate head was crowned with long hairy-like gold feathers that framed its face. The rising sun was glittering off its pearl colored body feathers giving it a rainbow effect and it spread its wings while its long golden tail feathers rose up to create a complete circle of shining gold with blue trim at the ends of each feather. She lay there watching the bird and listening to its beautiful song and she smiled.
"Now that is one of the things I've always loved about you my dear" Loki walked over to the bed with two glasses of wine in his hands, "your beautiful smile."
He was wearing a gold colored bed shirt, that went down to his bare feet, with green trim with embroidered knot work of golden thread around the neck and down the front, which was open to his navel, and he sat down on the edge of the bed to hand her a glass of wine. Amora sat up, holding the covers over her bosom with her left hand as she took the glass from Loki and drank.
"I hope you slept well last night and I hope you like your morning present" Loki drank from his own glass. "I went to Alfheim last night while you slept and brought him back for you."
"You went to Alfheim! Didn't Heimdall wonder why Odin would go to Alfheim in the middle of the night?" She looked at him as if he'd lost all reason.
"I didn't use the Bifrost my love. I know of several places of time and space distortions where I can travel to and from all the realms without anyone, including Heimdall, noticing."
He laughed when he saw the incredulous look on her face, "I'll have to teach you the spell of complete concealment that Karnilla taught me years ago. And yes, not even Heimdall can see through it or hear anything. Otherwise Heimdall would know of our, or rather "Odin's", little affair with you as you can be…vocal."
"Not that you're any quieter" Amora shot back with a devilish grin.
"I hope you're up to it tonight as I'm having a private dinner with all my "sons" and I intend to announce my engagement to you to them first. Then when I honor Thor for destroying the beast I will again offer the throne to him. When the oaf refuses again, I will announce our engagement to the whole kingdom. After all, a King must have a Queen, and most importantly, an heir to his throne." Loki raised his glass to her and setting it to his lips drained it of wine.
"Won't your "sons" and Thor most of all resent you, or Odin marrying again, and especially to me?"
"I suspect they will think I've finally succumbed to senility and Thor may react negatively at first, but with your charm and my firm insistence, they will eventually come around. When the Lady Bertha divorced Odin, after he forced my mother to marry Laufey, there was some family difficulty with his older sons when he married Frigga. She managed to change their minds about her and they all came to love and respect her. So too shall they warm up to you, after all are you not their sister-in-fosterage?"
"You've got everything all planned out then haven't you?" She looked up at him with some doubts still in her mind.
"Everything, including what to do if my little disguise is discovered, and should I be imprisoned again…"
"Or more likely executed" Amora cut in.
"Then you are to flee to Nornheim and place yourself in Karnilla's care. She will protect you and my son, and since you haven't noticed yet, does the wine taste a might sweeter than usual?"
Amora took another taste of her wine and then smiled knowingly at him, "You are determined aren't you?"
A green and gold light cascaded over his body dissolving his night shirt as he set his glass down on the floor then set hers next to it, "Very."
Thor's steps were slow and cautious after he dismounted from his horse and walked into the portal of the Bifrost where Heimdall stood on watch.
"Is there any movement from the beast?" Thor asked as he walked up to the gatekeeper.
"None" Heimdall replied, "and let us hope that it never shows itself again. Eir will be displeased that you're up and about earlier than she'd like."
"Most likely, but how is Jane Foster? Can you see her?"
"Yes" Heimdall chuckled, "she worries over you, even after sending Hermodr to her, and she misses you."
"Tell me Heimdall, have you ever heard of this Mangog creature before today?" Thor quizzed the gatekeeper.
"No, why do you ask?"
"At its first attack, it recognized us as Asgardians" Thor cast a puzzled glance at Heimdall, "but I do not recall either mother or father ever telling us any tale about this beast when we were children."
"Have you asked your father, the King, about it?"
"No, but perhaps I shall" and with that Thor exited the Bifrost thinking that is exactly what he should do, but, he thought a trip to the great library was in order first.
When he entered the library, the Head Librarian swiftly walked up to him and bowed, "How may I help you my Lord?"
"I wish to see the books on my father's earliest days upon the throne, his first two thousand years."
"Yes my Lord" the head Librarian bowed again then turned to fulfill his Prince's wishes.
The Librarian brought him back two very large volumes of the Chronicles of the Kings held by thralls who set them down on the same table Loki/Odin had used earlier and opening the first one in front of him he started to search for any reference at all to the monster Mangog.
The book began with the history of the final days of his grandfather Bor and a on again off again war with Vanaheim that continued even after his father assumed the throne. His father saw no benefit, no logical reason to continue the conflict and called a truce that ended the war with an exchange of hostages, the crown Princess Nanna for his older half-brother Freyr. He remembered vaguely his mother telling him about it.
His father never spoke of it, as it was the reason the Lady Bertha, his first wife, left him. Thor kept on reading and searching for even a tiny mention of the beast but came up empty handed. There were several references to a long and bloody war with an alien race but his father had gained victory over them and then had them imprisoned somewhere in space to pay for their crimes.
How could this creature know they were Asgardians? He knew it had clearly said that his father had imprisoned it nearly four thousand years ago but as he continued to search the chronicles he found no reference to a Mangog. Perhaps he should speak to father about it, but something inside him bade him be silent and the feeling disturbed him greatly. Why should he not speak to father? If father imprisoned the monster then why did he not say so when he ordered him to destroy it? Was his father becoming senile? Or was something else wrong?
His thoughts were interrupted when a thrall of his father came to him to say that his father desired him to come to his quarters for the evening meal and Thor left the books to leave with the thrall.
When Thor walked into his father's anteroom and saw his older brothers were also here for the meal as he saw them standing around the long table with his father looking at a three dimensional map of the western boarders.
"Ah, my son, good you've come in time to help with this conundrum" Loki/Odin looked away from the map to greet his youngest son. "We need to figure out not only who is conducting these raids but why as well. And possibly discover if the Vizier's murderer is involved with this."
"If they are I shall make them wish they were never born."
Thor turned to see the Lady Amora enter the room. She was still dressed in black and it looked as if she had been crying earlier as her eyes were puffy and somewhat red.
"Forgive me for being late my Liege, but I have been going through my father's possessions, and as he lived such a long life he has accumulated quite a lot of things, and writings as well. One whole wall in his bed room is nothing but scrolls which seem to be his personal journals." Amora curtsied to Loki/Odin when she neared the table.
All of the Odinsons bowed their heads to her and each offered condolences again which she graciously acknowledged. Loki/Odin offered his hand to her and she grasped a hold of it which got her curious glances from all the warriors present.
"I have invited all of you here, not just for discovering the real reason for these raids in our western boarders, but to tell you that I have asked the Lady Amora for her hand in marriage, and she has agreed to become my wife."
It became intensely silent in the room when it sunk in just what their father had said, and as Amora suspected, she was right about what their reaction to this news would be. Their faces were one of shock or shock turning to disbelief.
"I know how much each of you loved our late Queen Frigga, and as her daughter-in-fosterage, I too share that love and mourn for her as well" Amora looked at each Odinson as she continued, "I cannot expect you who are grown men, and those of you are older than me, to think of me as a mother. I hope I can be counted as a member of this family, as I have lost the only family I have ever known when my father died. As I know I can count on all of you to flush out his murderer and let justice be done for him."
Loki inwardly smiled as he watched her charm her way into the hearts of the Odinsons and even Thor seemed to warm to the thought of having Amora, The Enchantress, as a "stepmother" even though he suspected that they still thought he'd either lost his mind or was under some love spell.
It took some time for them to have any reaction but shock and it was Balder who spoke up finally, "We congratulate you both and wish you both happiness together."
"My thanks my Lord Balder" Amora bowed her head respectfully.
"Now let us turn back to the problem at hand shall we?" Loki/Odin led Amora to the maps on the table and released her hand "Our predicament is finding the motive behind these raids as well as who is perpetrating them."
"I have the assurance of Karnilla that these "Norns" are not any of her men" Loki/Odin explained to her "and other than being exceptionally fertile soil, there seems to be no reason that we can fathom for these attacks."
Amora silently stared long and hard at the map then reached up to move the image as she continued to examine it while the Odinsons bandied about different theories for the raids.
"Yes, there it is" she said softly as she touched a part of the mountain and the map image became larger.
"What is, my dear?" Loki/Odin asked, curious as to what it might be that she found.
"The dragon's head" she replied as she pointed to a particular rock formation that did indeed look like the fallen head of a dragon. Amora looked around at all gathered and softly sighed that they didn't understand, "Do you not remember the tale of King Buri's battle with the dragon that could not be killed? I remember Queen Frigga often told this story as it was Loki's favorite. He would beg her to tell it during our lesson times."
"Yes I remember it" Balder spoke up. "Even our mother told us the tale about how he turned it into rock when he could not slay it."
"Do you remember the only part never told?" Amora glanced around at the assembled men and then to Loki/Odin who looked at her as if she was daft. She produced a pair of earrings from under her cloak and showed them to Loki/Odin. "I constantly have to send a thrall up to your raven's nests to retrieve my missing jewelry."
"What does that have to do with the dragon?" Loki/Odin asked her incredulously.
"Like your ravens, dragons are attracted to bright shiny objects which they then steal" Amora saw the light begin to dawn in Loki/Odin's eye "they keep them in their nests and do any of you remember what happened to the dragon's horde?"
"That's why the raiders do not despoil the waters" Loki/Odin sputtered in revelation "they've found the dragon's horde!"
"That would also explain the viciousness of the attacks as well father" Balder chimed in. "What better way to be sure of secrecy, in order to salvage the treasure, than to terrify the inhabitants so that they abandon their homes."
"Balder, Thor, after dinner you will take a company of men to the western lands and search the waters there and if you should run across any of these raiders, bring back at least one for questioning" Loki/Odin commanded as he once again took a hold of Amora's hand in both of his. "It seems I have chosen my next Queen wisely."
At that point several thralls entered the antechamber of the Allfather with food and drink and began to set their chargers on the table and set out the mugs and eating utensils in front of all the chairs.
"But as for the nonce, let us eat" Loki/Odin voiced as his stomach grumbled somewhat and he led Amora to the chair to the right of his own, the place of honor next to the King, as his sons assembled around the table to wait for their father to give them permission to take their places. Amora was seated first and when Loki/Odin sat down he nodded his head for his "sons" to take their places.
Dinner went by in a very subdued manner because of Amora's presence, and as the Odinsons took their leave of the Allfather to return to their specific tasks, while Balder and Thor went to round up men and a long boat to head to the western borderlands.
"I think that went well, don't you my dear" Loki transformed back into himself after dismissing the thralls and ordering them to not disturb him unless it were for an emergency. He poured himself and Amora another mug of wine which he boldly poured in the red powder in her sight before giving it to her.
"I have the distinct feeling that they think you've gone senile as they are all aware of my reputation with husbands and lovers, and, they may even think I have designs on the throne as well" she took the mug from him and took a drink. "They may even think your life may be in danger now."