7
Loki/Odin was sitting on the Golden Throne listening to a few cases dealing with Asgardian law from those who had appealed to him as a last resort for justice or those who simply wish to ingratiate themselves to him, to gain status and curry his favor, in their hoped advancement in his court. With Amora at his side, in the place her father always stood, he learned just HOW well she actually was versed in Asgardian law.
The last case before him was of a somewhat wealthy land owner named Eskill who had the poor misfortune of making a wager with Lord Erlick on a horse race, which he lost, and now did not have the money therewith to pay the wager. Eskill was pleading for more time to pay off the debt while Lord Erlick was insisting that Eskill and his family be given to him as thralls and his lands as well. Now Loki/Odin knew why Amora despised him so much, the man gave off an aura of slime and Loki/Odin felt rather dirty in his presence. The only question he had was why she'd married him in the first place as she usually had good judgement about others character. There was no doubt in Loki/Odin's mind as to why Lord Erlick wanted the family as thralls as the man Eskill had a very young daughter, along with two much older sons, and the daughter was a beautiful child. Loki/Odin was about to make a decision when his two ravens flew into the Golden Throne room to circle the throne and Loki/Odin. Cawing excitedly the ravens landed one on each of Loki/Odin's hands.
"Well done my pets" Loki/Odin smiled, "go to your nests until I have need of you."
With that the ravens flew away to their respective nests and Loki/Odin was silent and began to chew on his mustache, "My Liege what will be your decision on this matter of the debt owed to me?" Lord Erlick stepped forward to gain Loki/Odin's attention. The sour look on Loki/Odin's face let him know he'd stepped out of line, "Whatever I decide to do Lord Erlick will be done at a more opportune time as now there are more pressing matters that need my attention."
Loki/Odin rose from the Golden Throne and slamming Gungnir's pointed base into the floor, "I will call you both to stand before me at MY good will, now both of you be gone!"
Both men bowed and left the Golden Throne room as Loki/Odin reached for Amora's hand which she took in her own as they exited the throne room, "What did the ravens' say to you that you would spoil that bastard Erlick's plan for those children?"
"They said that Thor and Balder have found the dragon's horde behind the third water fall in a gigantic cave and it seems the real reason no one ever discovered the horde until now is that the dragon devoured his treasure. The mountain may have actually been a dragon after all."
Loki/Odin was silent until he entered his, or Odin's chambers, and went to the long table where the maps of the western borders still laid.
"When Thor and Balder return from their mission you and I shall see this wonder for ourselves."
The young Einherjar dived into the river before transforming back into an otter and he gasped at the frigid iciness of the water and he quickly transformed. The oily fur and body fat of the otter warmed him up enough to dive below the water's surface as he swam down river. He did not see any large pillar like rocks of gold at the river's bottom but coming to a sand bar he noticed something strange about it. Upon investigation he discovered that the sand and small grit weren't sand or grit but gold, small grains of gold eroded from the mountain.
Quickly he surfaced, transformed back into his man shape and requested a bucket. With this both Thor and Balder's interests were piqued and though they thought this request strange, Balder had an Einherjar throw a wooden bucket to the lad. Who shape shifted back to being an otter and disappeared under water. Moments later the youth returned, and handing the bucket to Thor, climbed out of the river. All on board ship gasped when they saw what filled the bucket, "By father's beard!" Balder exclaimed as he thrust in his hand to bring out a handful of golden mud, "There is no further need to explore here let us return to Asgard and show this wonder to father."
Dropping the golden grit back into the bucket Balder stared at the golden muck that still stuck to his hand as the long ship headed back to the city proper. The wealth of this mountain was unimaginable and if the people who had lived here knew of this wealth they would have fought to the last man to defend it instead of running away. Or, they would have killed each other off in their greed to possess such great quantities of gold and precious gems, despite the great wealth that already exists in Asgard.
Tyr led a company of Einherjar through the streets as they had found the would-be murderous thief's foot prints down a dark side street that ended at a sewer grill. Tyr sent a man back to the palace to fetch a map of the sewers in order to learn where all the service entrances were. He silently cursed his misfortune as now there was no real way to know just where this thief had gone. After a moment's thought he sent most of the company of men down into the sewer, while keeping three men with him as he waited for the map.
When they descended into the sewer the Einherjar split in half going in opposite directions and every time they came to a junction half would follow the branch off while the rest kept going down the main line. Finally there was only one man traveling down the main pipe when he came upon a body, face down in the muck. The dead man was cloaked in a black travelers cloak and wore the collar of a thrall. The Einherjar saw a nearby service ladder and climbed up it. He'd come out on a busy market street and spotted another group of Einherjar. Calling to them to inform them of what he'd found he told them to find Tyr and bring him to this site and to help him bring up the thrall's body.
The map of the sewers and an Einherjar runner coming from the market place got to Tyr at the same time and after showing Tyr where on the map the body was found, he and his men left to follow the runner. When they arrived at the market street sewer grating Tyr ordered his men to form a human ladder on the bars of the service ladder to haul up the body. When they got the thrall's body laid out on the street one of the Einherjar recognized him.
"Commander this thrall worked in the King's library" the Captain spoke up, "I'm sure of it!"
Turning to an underling Tyr ordered him to run to the library and bring back the Head Librarian to make a positive identification of the body. Nodding his head the Einherjar turned and ran off to fetch the Librarian. Now all that was left to do was scan the shoe prints on the corpse to see if this thrall was indeed the attacker of the High Vizier's man thrall and recall the men in the sewers.
Even though Heimdall would have seen them when they arrived, Balder wanted to be sure that no one else did. So he ordered the long ship's Captain to land and hide in a thick grove of oak trees located at the back gates of the Palace and to remain outside this least traveled part of the city proper until night fall. When the sun set, Balder sent two Einherjar ahead to make sure there was no one present to see them disembark. When the men gave a signal that the way was deserted he and Thor picked up the stalagmite, wrapped in canvas, and hurriedly got off the ship. Guards called out to them and Balder identified himself telling the guards to remain silent as they were going to see the King. Explaining the fewer people that saw them, the less likely whoever was behind the attempted assassination of their father and Amora would know about their arrival through gossip or spies. The young soldier that shape-shifted brought the bucket of wet gold, also covered by canvas, followed right behind them as they kept to the shadows.
They managed to get to Odin's quarters without being seen, which suited Balder just fine until they came to the four guards outside the Allfather's antechamber doors. One Einherjar knocked on the door and announced Thor and Balder's arrival to which Loki/Odin bade them enter.
"What have you discovered this time my sons?" Loki/Odin inquired as Thor and Balder hastily entered with the bucket wielding youth behind them as the guards closed the doors behind them.
"Enough gold and precious jewels to make even the poorest thrall a wealthy man" Thor said as he set down his end of the stalagmite and Balder uncovered it as the youthful Einherjar set his bucket down in front of Loki/Odin and the Lady Amora and uncovered it.
"The legend of Great grandfather Buri and the dragon may not be a tale for children after all father" Thor continued, "the inside of the mountain is thick with enormous veins of gold and stalagmites as well as stalactites are embedded with all manner of precious gems and metals just like this one."
"So the dragon devoured its horde" Loki/Odin stared intently at each item before him as he thought upon the ramifications of what his brothers had put before him. Which this much wealth a man could very well purchase the swords of thousands upon thousands of mercenaries and a kingdom as well. Over his dead body Loki said to himself which is exactly what would happen unless they…"Have you told anyone else about what you have discovered my sons?"
"No father and we were careful to avoid being seen as we arrived and made our way here" Balder spoke up as he reached into his shirt to pull out the uncut emerald to hand to Amora. "An early wedding present from Nanna and me for you little sister as I know how much you like them."
Amora gasped as she saw the size of the emerald and hesitatingly took it from her foster brother and examined it more closely, then smiled at Balder, "Long as it been since I've been called that Lord Balder and you have my thanks for this gift."
"You are most welcome M'Lady."
"Where was this bucket full of gold taken from?" Loki/Odin asked of Balder as Amora studied her new gem and he briefly wondered what she would make from it and he had a good idea what he was going to do with this bucket of gold before him.
"We took it from the main river of the second valley father" Balder replied, "it did not seem necessary to explore any further as the gold in the mountain is finding its way into the valleys by erosion from the waterfalls."
"The bottom of the river was completely covered in gold grit my liege" the young Einherjar spoke up, "that came from a sand bar near the western bank of the biggest river."
Loki/Odin was silent from some time before he spoke, "It is obvious that whoever is behind these attacks on our people knows about the gold and the great cavern. It is also obvious that he isn't up to full force yet or he would be pounding on my doors himself."
Staring hard at the objects before him Loki thought upon these ramifications before speaking again.
"We must force his hand" Amora spoke up, "force him to make mistakes…fatal mistakes" she ended her words with a growl.
"Yes, we must" Loki/Odin returned her thought but added, "but we mustn't give him all that we know. Let it be known that we have found gold in the valleys but say nothing of the cavern you discovered."
"I believe it is time I sent those three legions of Einherjar to the valleys to patrol them, and send the people back to their homes so that they may use the gold on their properties to rebuild their lives. That should worry our traitor to no end as to how close we may be to finding out his identity."
"Yes father" both Balder and Thor saluted their father and made to leave.
"Not yet my sons" Loki/Odin stopped them. "I was informed that all the bodies of the Einherjar that died on N'as-Keroth have been brought back home and there will be a feast to commemorate their deeds of valor at the end of this week as well as your own my son" Loki/Odin placed a hand on Thor's left shoulder and briefly smiled, "I also intend to marry the Lady Amora then as well so it will be a day to be remembered."
At that moment Tyr was announced at the door and the oldest Odinson walked in with soldiers carrying a wrapped body on a litter with the Head Librarian following. Balder quickly recovered the bejeweled stalagmite and the bucket of gold grit hoping no one saw what they were.
"What's this?" Loki/Odin questioned, especially when he got a whiff of the sewers from the corpse, "Why have you brought this here to me?"
"We've found the thief and attacker of the Vizier's man thrall father. He was a thrall of the Head Librarian" Tyr continued, "and we believe he may even have been the Vizier's murderer as well as the High Councilor's blood was found on the dagger he carried."
"Then I am denied vengeance" Amora said coldly as she eyed the body then turning upon the Head Librarian she said icily. "How is it that a thrall, owned by you, could be part in thievery and murder and possible treason?"
"I…I do not know my Lady" the Librarian; a tall thin man with thick black hair, was sweating profusely, "he was always a lazy thorn in my side…I cannot believe he would have such ambitions, other than shirking his work duties."
"He was only the hand that held the knife my dear" Loki/Odin spoke up while still deep in thought after he dismissed the Head Librarian, "it is the head we still must find and properly deal with, and then you may exercise your revenge which is your right as the Vizier's only living relative."
"Let it be known that we have found the one responsible for the Vizier's death and are continuing to search for the reasons behind his attack on the Vizier and his man thrall" Loki/Odin said. "Let us keep silent the fact that he was only the tool of one more treacherous and perhaps, give whoever is behind all this a false sense of security before we catch him in our net and haul him in. Balder my son, inform the people of the western boarders they may return home then fetch back the women and children from the northern mountains."
"Yes father" Tyr saluted his father (as did the other Odinsons with an anxious Balder bolting out the door first) as he left with the body and then the others exited leaving the evidence of their search of the valleys.
"The jewels in this stalagmite are yours my darling Enchantress" Loki shifted back to his form as he poured himself a glass of wine, "and out of curiosity, what do you intend on making from them as I know what I want to make from this golden grit."
"I have needed a few new necklaces and earrings so that will take care of those, but as for this" she held up the raw emerald and muttering quietly as she waved her right hand over it while her left began to glow with a green light. Slowly the emerald started to glow and it seemed to soften into what appeared to be a gel-like substance which Amora began to shape and mold until it formed a face framing tiara with two upward and two downward horn-like spikes on either side of her head which flowed into a half diadem that would disappear into her thick luscious blond hair and would come to a point in between her eyes just above her nose. She placed it on her head and turned to look at him. "What do you think; shall I wear it on our wedding day?"
"Yes, you should as it suits you very well my dear" Loki grinned at her as he watched her creation solidify as a beautifully cut emerald tiara, "as I shall have our wedding rings and new armor for myself forged from this gold and whatever is left you may use as you see fit."
Thor accompanied Balder as he went to speak to the farmers and villagers about returning to their homes and the people were fearful and skeptical and others were angry that the 'Norns' that attacked them hadn't been found and punished for their butchery.
"Please listen to me" Balder pleaded with the crowd, "at dawn three legions of Einherjar will be sent to patrol each valley under the command of Thor, and The Warriors Three, and you will be safe as you rebuild your homes and villages."
"With what?" a man shouted from the crowd.
"Gold was found in the lake, rivers and streams and the fjord may also have gold deposits from the "dragon's back" mountain, you may use that to pay for building materials and the Einherjar will be there to protect you as you gather what you need and rebuild your lives."
At this news the crowd became animated and they excitedly chattered to each other as Balder dismissed them to their temporary shelters and then he turned to Thor, "Find your friends and have Tyr assign troops to you that can be ready to leave at dawn in long boats. I am going to find a ship to go to the northern mountains to bring back the women and children for the feast."
With that Balder turned and left Thor, who slowly left the buzzing crowd to seek out Tyr as he spotted an Einherjar guard walking by. Calling to the man he motioned him to approach him and then ordered him to locate his friends and have all of them come to his room to meet up with him as they were to leave for the western boarders. When the man left to deliver his message Thor went to Tyr's office of the guard to see about getting the ships and the legions his father had ordered.
Balder quickly found an unused air ship and commandeered it to fly to the northern mountains. As it made its way through the sky he stood at the prow of it barely keeping himself from screaming at the captain to go faster as the only thing he wanted to see now was his beloved Nanna and his son. Impatience made the trip feel like a horrid eternity until Balder saw the outline of the northern mountains and he smiled with anticipation.
He felt the ship start its decent as they came closer to King Enar's palace hall which Balder could now make out its outline through the clouds and his heart began to race in his chest. At the sound of the ship's engines people began to come out of their tents to look up at the sky and a few people spotted him and pointed him out to others around them. When the captain landed the ship Balder leapt from it and asked the first person he came to where he could find the Lady Nanna and his brother Hodr. The old man pointed down a row of tents and asked if it was safe to return to Asgard and Balder yelled back that it was as he ran towards the tent the old man showed him.
"Nanna, Forseti" Balder called out as he skid to a halt and turned about searching everywhere for his wife and child, "Nanna!"
From a tent three down from where he stood Nanna, crown Princess of Vanaheim, stepped out to see who it could be that was calling her name and when she saw Balder she cried out in joy and ran to him. She fell upon him, throwing her arms about his neck to kiss him with all her might, as there had been no news from Asgard about the beast, she had spent her days in worry and fretting. He crushed her to his body as he returned her passion.
"What is it Forseti? What is going on?" Hodr questioned the boy as he had his nephew lead him out of the tent.
"Its father "The boy cried out as he let loose of his uncle's hand and ran to his father.
Embracing his son to him Balder kissed the top of Forseti's head, "Thor defeated the beast and it's safe to come back home."
News past quickly through the refugee camp about Thor's victory over Mangog and the Asgardians began packing the few belongings that they had managed to bring with them while the Einherjar that had been sent to protect them began to break down the tents and helping the elderly and infirm to get to the long ships and then board them.
Balder sought an audience with King Enar and thanked the dwarf King for his hospitality and promised that he would be generously rewarded by Odin for his aid and patience to the Asgardians. While the Dwarf King was a bit gruff with Balder initially he softened somewhat when Balder mentioned compensation and allowed the Odinson to leave with his blessings of continued friendship with Asgard.
The people were eager to return home and quickly rounded up what they had and the food bought by them from the dwarves and marched to the long ships to board them. Balder already had his family on the ship he arrived in and he watched the exodus of his people from the stern of the boat. He heard some squawking coming from one of the boats as a large bearded Einherjar carried a female aboard ship. He recognized the voice as belonging to the Lady Sif as she complained that she didn't need to be carried. The warrior just ignored her and set her down in a group of elderly women and Balder grinned at Sif's presumed indignity at the Einherjar's expense. When one ship was full of refugees it rose into the air and set its course for Asgard with Balder's ship rising up behind it to follow it home.
Thor had found Tyr and requested the three legions of Einherjar that his father wanted to be sent to the valleys in the western border lands. To have them at the Palace front gates ready to go at dawn and he requested long ships to carry them. Tyr told him that all would be done and Thor left his oldest brother to go to his own quarters. On the way he met up with the soldier he'd sent to find his friends and the man told him that he'd found all of them and informed them to be at his room. Thor thanked the guard and continued to his quarters. Once there he asked his thrall for food and wine for his friends as well as himself as he went into his bedroom. Taking off his winged helmet Thor tossed it onto his bed and just stood there in the middle of the room. All the men who perished at the hands of Mangog deserved the feast honoring them, but for some reason he felt unworthy of any honors. Only a few years back he would have declared that he and only he deserved honor as it was he and he alone that defeated the beast, but that was before he met Jane Foster. Before he'd been humiliated before the mortal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents by being unable to pick up Mjolnir, and, confused about what he would do during the rest of his exile until his friends came to tell him of Loki's duplicity. Were it not for his greed for glory; Loki would never have learned he was half Jotun, never would have learned that his family wasn't his family. Never would have been made enraged at the inequity of his life for being ignored by all but mother, and, Loki wouldn't be dead now because of his stupidity at thinking he could destroy the Aether when no one could before him.
His thrall interrupted his thoughts as he entered and set the requested food and drink on the small dining table in the antechamber before leaving. He didn't feel hungry but it had been a long day traveling to the western borderlands, getting the Einherjar readied and setting up a schedule of patrols and materials for camps, as well as food for the returning people who would be trying to rebuild their lives. He would need to have some sustenance for all that would be needed to be done. Just then his three friends entered and he began to explain that they needed to prepare for departure at dawn and what they would be doing once they got to the western borderland valleys.
"Let us start on this feast before Volstagg devours it otherwise we won't have a chance to even relish the smell of it" Fandrall quipped as the burly warrior started piling his plate high with food.
Loki transformed back into Odin's form and called for his two ravens that obediently came at their master's calling. Loki/Odin ordered them to rest on the great upsweeping arms at the head of Odin's bed and then handed the wing charm to Amora.
"Wear this and transform into a raven for you and I are going to the western borderlands to see this wealth for ourselves. Hopefully we'll find one of Karnilla's men, disguised as beasts, and discover what they have learned, if anything, about any strangers lurking about."
Amora did as he requested and immediately became a raven. He did likewise, and no one would have been the wiser, not even Heimdall, for the Allfather often sent his ravens out to bring him back news of the realms. Together they flew out the open balcony of Odin's antechamber and headed for the western border lands.
It was just as glorious a feeling as the first time, this feeling of flight and he sported a trifle with Amora as they went climbing and diving through the sky. When they came to the western valleys Loki and Amora flew straight for the third waterfall and landed behind some bushes on the mountainous trail where they then transformed into giant river otters. With squeaks and chirps they acted like playful otters as they dashed into the waterfall. Anyone watching them would have thought they were only animals at play and pay them no attention, but, once behind the two waterfalls they shifted back to their own forms and Loki, conjuring up a sun orb activated it and they began to explore the cavern.
"Even though Balder told the truth" Amora gasped as she saw the nearly solid gold cavern walls and the jewel encrusted stalagmites and stalactites "his words could not do this justice."
"No indeed" Loki answered back as he started down the carved stairway, his attention was upon the inner waterfall. "Shall we see where this waterfall empties out to as there must be another cavern below this one or it would be flooded?"
Once they reached the cavern floor they walked over to the falls and tried to look down the gap in the floor but could see nothing. Loki had the sun orb drop into the hole and could see a drop of about thirty meters before they could see a pool of water.
"Shall we get wet my dear?" As he transformed into a giant river otter and dived in, he heard a second splash as Amora followed after him. Mentally he ordered the sun orb to move in front of him and he started to feel the pull of an increasingly swift current. He was pulled under the water as the current became faster and faster and he lost sight of Amora and it was increasingly harder to avoid hitting the walls and the roof of the underwater cave as he swam with the swift current. He felt like a stone shot from a sling as he hit calmer waters and he surfaced to find himself in the lake. Now he knew how the golden monoliths came to be in the lake as they must have broken off from the cavern ceiling and walls due to erosion from the second waterfall and shot through the underwater cave opening. He looked around to try and find Amora but did not see her; she was right behind him, but, where was she?
He was starting to panic and he chirped several times for her but heard nothing. Then he dived under water to head back for the cave opening with the sun orb lighting the way for him and that's when he saw her. She had returned to her own form and was just floating in the swirling waters near the mouth of the cave. With a slap of his webbed feet against the water he rocketed towards her and when he reached her he could see that she was unconscious. He reverted back to his true form and wrapping his right arm around her waist he pulled her up to the surface.
"Amora, Amora" he cried out when he broke the surface and slapped her face lightly to try and wake her up but to no avail and he discovered that she wasn't breathing. Desperation gave him speed to swim towards the shore and the strength to pull her limp body out of the water. He started to completely panic but he fought the urge down and rolling Amora over onto her belly he began to push down, then up, where her lungs were all the while muttering for her not to be dead. Tears ran down his face as he felt hysteria trying to take control of him again when he was rewarded by her gagging and spitting up a mouthful of water. He continued to try and force the water out of her lungs and she vomited up more water, then coughed and whimpered. Rolling her over unto her back he slipped his right arm under her shoulders and pulled her to his breast to hold her tightly as he kissed her forehead and tasted blood.
From the light of a half-moon he could see a small but deep jagged cut at her hairline that freely bled and the blood was running down her face, "Get these herbs wet Asgardian, place them on the wound and the bleeding will stop."
Loki just about jumped out of his skin and he swore under his breath that a wolf (that could talk), most likely one of Karnilla's men in animal form, could sneak up on him, but, then he'd been wholly focused on Amora's wound and hadn't been aware of his surroundings.
The 'wolf' was indeed a Norn warrior as he shifted back to his true shape and tossed a small burlap bag at Loki who caught it with his left hand. Gently Loki set Amora down on the wet ground and he quickly arose to dash to the lakeshore's edge to dip the entire bag into the clear, cold water until it was thoroughly soaked, then returned to the fallen Amora. Opening the pouch he pulled out a small handful of the wet herbs and placed them upon the jagged cut. The Norn's words were true as the bleeding stopped almost immediately.
"Amora" Loki pleaded with her as he slipped his right arm under her shoulders and lifted her head to rest on his shoulder "please wake up, wake up!"
The Norn produced another small pouch and held it under Amora's nose and even Loki could smell the atrocious scent that came from it as it brought her back to consciousness. She coughed and pushed the pouch away from her face as her nose rebelled against its horrid scent as her eyes blinked and then she groaned from pain. Loki had to stop her from touching her wound, "You've a cut on your head my dear but I don't think it will scar."
"The last thing I remember was following you, then the current turned swift and nothing till now" Amora placed her left hand on Loki's chest and closed her eyes with a soft groan.
"The current was very swift and you must have hit a sharp rock or outcropping but you are all right now" Loki made to stand up and he pulled her to her feet as he did so. "Do you think you can stand?"
"Perhaps, after the world stops spinning around" Amora smiled weakly as she clung to Loki waiting for the dizzy spell to go away.
"Have you seen anyone prowling around these lands that weren't sent by your Queen or an Odinson?" Loki spoke to the Norn warrior as he held on to Amora as she steadied herself.
"No I have not" the Norn replied. "We will continue to spy out the land for you if that is your wish."
"It is, and the inhabitants of these valleys will be returning" Loki informed the Norn, "so stay out of their way but keep watch on them. Gold has been found coming from the mountain and they will be using that to pay for rebuilding. There will be Einherjar patrolling along with Thor and his three idiot friends to keep the peace. I hope to force this traitor's hand and make him reveal himself so that I, and the Lady Amora, can deal with him at our leisure."
Then to Amora Loki spoke, "Now I must get you back to the palace, do you think you can shape shift and fly? You're still wearing the charm, aren't you?"
"Yes I still have the charm, but, I don't think I can use it or fly" she groaned and closing her eyes she laid her head on his shoulder to ward off another dizzy spell.
Loki scowled in consternation, damn, what was he to do now? He could shape shift into an eagle and help her shift into the form of some small rodent and carry her back to Asgard proper, but if Heimdall saw the two ravens leave only to see an eagle and a mouse return, then he might become suspicious and he might suspect that Loki had not died on Svartalfheim after all. Unlike all the other fools that fell for his ruse, Heimdall (who was the only one to figure out that it had been him who showed the frost giants how to get into Asgard and the weapons vault) could not be so easily fooled. Taking her back to Asgard was out of the question, but the wound on her head needed the proper attention of a Healer and Eir would ask too many questions about how Amora acquired it in the first place. He had only one option left to him, he must go to Karnilla again.
Loki closed his eyes and concentrated intensely and in seconds he created an astral image of himself that he made appear before Karnilla's ivory throne and before Karnilla herself. He respectfully asked for her aid in getting to Nornheim and to heal Amora's head wound. In response she rose up from her throne and with mumblings and hand gestures she created a column of smoke that surrounded the astral images of him and Amora and them at the lake simultaneously. The column grew and swirled completely enveloping them and when it cleared Loki and Amora were standing directly in front of Karnilla's throne. Scooping Amora up into his arms he followed Karnilla as she led him to her chambers.
Thor dismissed his man thrall who cleared away the dishes and left over food after his friends left to make their own preparations and the thrall, who'd heard the news that on the end of the week, which was now only three days away, there would be a feast to honor the Vizier, the Einherjar that died on N'as-Keroth and to honor him for defeating the monster Mangog. The thrall even excitedly hinted that perhaps the Allfather was going to proclaim him King again and retire from the throne which would be the highest honor that could possibly be given to him. Thor walked to the balcony of his antechamber and stared out over all of Asgard which at one time he had greatly lusted after. How many times when he was younger had he bragged "When I'm King…" to anyone and everyone who was anywhere near him. He had abdicated his right to the throne after the defeat of the dark elves and at the time he'd known that that had been the right thing to do as he knew the truth, that he wasn't capable of being King. His mind was now unsure that had been the right thing after all if his father was going to marry the oft-married Lady Amora. Amora who at the worst was just like Loki, scheming, manipulative and a talented liar, but she had been deeply attached to her father, and to his man servant, and his death and the near death of the thrall had affected her greatly. As their mother's death had affected Loki, Loki who had saved his life from the Kursed when he could have just let the monster beat him to death. Could the death of her father have changed her as well?
Earlier Thor had gone to The Golden Throne room to spy on Amora as she stood by his father's side and she did know Asgardian law, she knew it very well and she was impartial in giving his father the letter of the law. Yet something was not right, and it was madding that he couldn't figure out just exactly what it was. There were so many questions assaulting his mind about the monster Mangog, about what Balder had said about his mother's father, and now these raiders in the western borderlands and the traitor behind them. As well as the dreams he was having about Loki. Dreams were Loki was still alive, but he knew that could not be for his brother had died in his arms. Only Jane's weakened condition and the on-coming storm had kept him from bringing Loki's body with him when he sought shelter for Jane in that cave. While Loki had died with honor, his body had been left to rot on Svartalfheim, denied a proper funeral by father, but, then his father hadn't allowed Loki to be at their mother's funeral. Loki didn't even know about her death until after the funeral. This thought resonated in him as he turned away from the view of the city, how could his father have been so cruel?
"Would my Prince require anything else?" the man thrall asked of his Lord.
"No, not at this moment I…I will be in the Library for a while" Thor walked out of his quarters as his man thrall bowed, perhaps what he was looking for could be found in the Chronicles he just needed to search more thoroughly.
When he reached the library Thor was greeted by a thrall who asked what service he could be to his Prince and Thor replied that he wish to read from The Chronicles of the Kings, in particular of the early days of his father's reign after the Vanaheim wars. The thrall bowed and went to fulfill his Prince's wishes. He soon returned along with two other thralls with three immense books which they placed on a square mahogany table and one left to find the Odinson a chair which he quickly brought to the table for his Lord.
Thor thanked them and sitting down began to slowly read through the first book and was surprised to learn that his father's first wife, the Lady Bertha, had not left his father after the hostage exchange. He had always thought that was the main reason she divorced Odin and left to live on Vanaheim with her son Freyr. As he read on he learned of series of bloody scrimmages between Asgard and Jotunheim that nearly bordered on all-out war. In the last great battle, five legions of Valkyries and five legions of White Elves from Alfheim under the command of Freya, the daughter of Odin, aided the armies of Asgard. At this Thor stared at the page with shock, for neither of his parents had ever told him that he'd had a sister or that she had once commanded the Valkyries. Why was he never told of his sister's existence? Reading on he discovered that Laufey, the Jotun King saw Freya's face and greatly desired her, so much so that the Jotun stopped the battle and sent ambassadors to Odin asking for Freya to be his wife. Laufey stated that he would cease all hostilities and make peace with Asgard in exchange for Freya. The former Queen and Freya both passionately rejected Laufey's offer but his father's decision to have the marriage take place in order to end the battles alienated both wife and daughter. Under pressure from his father Freya finally decided to marry Laufey, in order that there would be peace, and the Lady Bertha left his father cursing him for his robbing her of her two youngest children.
Continuing on Thor discovered that Freya conceived and bore Laufey a son, but because the child was not born a giant, but the size of a normal Asgardian babe, he rejected the child and ordered it to be cast out into the wilderness to be devoured by beasts. The child had been taken away from Freya and she refused to allow Laufey to touch her. She made to leave Jotunheim but Laufey stopped her and made her a prisoner in her own quarters. Three months after giving birth she died and her body was still on Jotunheim for Laufey refused to part with it. It was then that Laufey broke the treaty and made war on Earth and his father and the armies of Asgard stopped him, defeated him, and took the cask of Ancient Winters from him. It was also when he brought Loki back with him.
According to the Chronicler his older brother Uller led a company of archers after a group of soldiers and some Jotun Priests that had gone into a poorer section of the Jotun capital. There they forcibly took something from a house of a poor widow giantess and ran to the temple of Ymir. The archers whittled down the number of Jotun soldiers till they got to the temple, where they made a last stand, but Uller's men cut them down. Entering the temple they saw the Priests going through a ritual sacrifice and just before the High Priest made to slay the offering Uller and his men slew them all. When Uller went to check to see if the High Priest was dead he discovered something in the fold of the Priest's robe and sent for his father.
Leaving the defeated Laufey in Tyr's protection, Odin and Balder went to the temple and there on the altar was a naked Jotun infant, who was identified from the genetic clan scars upon his body, as the son of Laufey. However upon being held in his father's hands the infant's skin went from blue to pink. Balder claimed that this was the son of his sister Freya as the infant boy resembled her greatly. Odin then declared that the child was now his son and brought him back with him to Asgard. Thor continued to read and came upon a section that described the ritual to awaken the father of all the Frost Giants, Ymir. The ritual called for the blood sacrifice of a man or man-child, preferably a first born male, who would (while still alive) be disemboweled and all their bodily organs dropped down the mouth of the idol of Ymir, and then the living victim was stabbed in the juggler vein and the while the blood sprayed with every heartbeat, he was dropped down the mouth of the idol as well.
Thor could not read any further as he fought to keep the contents of his stomach down; the infant on the altar, the intended victim of such barbarism, was Loki, his brother. Thor stood up and backed away from the book on the table then bent over and vomited.
"My Prince are you all right, shall I call for a Healer?" A thrall walked up to Thor and inquired in concern for his Prince's health.
"No. I do not need a Healer" Thor answered after composing himself and wiping the bile off his mouth, "it is nothing…I…I am sorry for the mess."
Straightening up Thor left the library somewhat embarrassed as the last time he'd been that physically ill he was still a child. He still felt waves of nausea flow over him (knowing now what would have been Loki's fate if Uller had not seen the Priests take him from the Giantess) as he made his way back to his quarters.
Karnilla conjured up a small chest and setting it upon a small table next to her bed pulled a cord that hung from the ceiling next to the bed. A female thrall dressed in a plain white linen dress entered and bowing to her Queen asked how she might be of service.
"Bring me a bowl of pure water and three mil'sk blossoms from my throne" Karnilla ordered without looking up from the near conscious Amora.
"Yes my Queen, as you command I obey" the female thrall turned and left Karnilla's bed chamber to fulfill her mistress' desire.
"The wound is not serious and I can assure you that it will not scar your pretty face my daughter" Karnilla spoke comfortingly to Amora as she opened and looked through the small chest at miniature bottles of various types of powders and ground herbs. She selected three bottles and when the female thrall appeared with large porcelain bowl, a small towel draped over her left arm and with three mil'sk blossoms in her right hand.
Karnilla measured out small exact amounts of the three powders and threw them into the water bowl before returning the bottles to the chest, and by magic, sent it back to her magic vault. She took two of the mil'sk blossoms and tore the petals off and threw them into the water that now bubbled and swirled from the chemicals that reacted with it. The water grew calm and then Karnilla use the third blossom to stir the water and then she sprinkled Amora with the water. Karnilla had the thrall set the bowl upon a table near her bed and sent her to fetch a drinking horn that stayed near her throne. Bowing the female thrall obeyed and left to retrieve the horn. Taking the towel Karnilla placed it into the bowl to absorb water, lifting it out she wrung out the excess water and daubed it gently upon Amora's forehead wound to clean the herbs and the now dried blood from it.
The female thrall returned with the small drinking horn and Karnilla filled it with water from the bowl. She lifted Amora's head up from the pillow and bade her drink from the horn which Amora did but the water was now disgustingly bitter and she made an attempt to push the horn away from her lips.
"You must drink it all, my child, as it will clear your head and ease your pain" Karnilla firmly but gently ordered her daughter-in-hosterage.
With a scowl upon her face Amora took a deep breath and did as the witch Queen of Nornheim requested, drinking the foul concoction as fast as she could before gagging after the last mouthful was swallowed.
Karnilla laid Amora's head back upon the pillow and Loki grinned slightly at the sour look on her face but wiped it off when Amora looked at him before closing her eyes, "She will sleep now for a few hours and then she will be strong enough to fly back to Asgard proper in raven form when I send you back."
"Raven form…you were watching us?" Loki sputtered in surprise at this revelation.
"Of course" Karnilla rose up from her bed and turned to face him, "whoever it is that is making these raids upon your western borderlands clearly intends to make it appear that I am responsible for them. I will not be dragged into a war with Asgard by an unknown party when I have honored the Treaty of Blood for these past ages."
"When I do find out who is responsible, even though I have promised Amora that she may take her vengeance upon them, you will be able to exact your own "justice" on them as well. I'm sure Amora wouldn't mind "sharing"."
"No perhaps she wouldn't" Karnilla smiled with a slight cruel turn of her lips as she gently stroked Amora's forehead then turned to face Loki, "but then she may not be in any condition to exact revenge if you discover who it is."
"What do you mean?" Loki stared back at her incredulously.
"Well my son" Karnilla laughed, "She is at her time so if you wish to have an heir to your throne nine months hence you better strike now. When she awakens in an hour or two she will be very energetic so…" with a wave of her right hand over her left Karnilla produced a small clear vial with a greenish liqueur in it, "you will need this to keep up your strength."
"Strength" Loki looked at her somewhat offended but responded respectfully, "I have never needed help that way and Amora would be the first to tell you so."
"Even so, you will need this as it also increases potency" Karnilla held it up to him and after a short hesitation Loki took it, and, after removing the cork drank it down in one gulp. "Now I will leave you so you may have some privacy."
Karnilla stopped as she walked past him and cast a curious gaze at him, "Do you love her, my son?"
This caught Loki off guard and he stared at her confused. He took a deep breath, and then stood there silently as his eyes turned to his sleeping lover.
"I don't know, I…I have no means of determining that. Loki was an ignored shade, hidden in Thor's shadow, there has never been any female that knew I even existed…other than Amora. She would know what love was as she's had so many lovers and husbands, but not Loki."
"What went through your heart and mind when you saw her injured?"
"Panic" he replied. "I thought I had lost her and I didn't want to lose her as I lost my mother. I didn't think or care if anyone saw me bring her to the lake shore and force the water out of her lungs, even if it meant Asgard knew Loki was still alive and Odin in the dungeons. I just couldn't bear the thought of never having her."
"You are in love my son" Karnilla softly laughed and caressed his right cheek with her hand as she left him and closed the doors to her bed chamber. "This, a woman knows."