HFTS: So, I very quickly wrote this after publishing the final chapter of In Which the Truth of Loki's Children is Revealed (thank you so much for all the reviews and follows and favourites!). It's meant to take place around the time of the final battle between Heimdall and the Avengers. Hopefully it's not too vague.

So, if you're reading this and you don't know why Frigga is betraying Odin, or why Heimdall was fighting the Avengers, go read In Which the Truth of Loki's Children is Revealed (and the three other stories in this series). If you're still confused... my bad.

The Queen of Asgard looked out over the kingdom, watching a battle begin far beyond the city walls. She had tried everything to stop it. Almost everything. Never in her life would she have seriously considered it. She would have found another way. It was a dangerous, traitorous path. If it failed – if she was caught – the consequences would be harsh. But it would succeed. Her family needed it to. She would do the one thing she never thought she would do. She would commit treason, and kill the king. She already had.

But she was not some cold, impassionate killer. She was not an assassin, or a jealous wretch coveting power and fortune. In all honesty, she had no interest in the throne. But she was desperate. The idea of losing her family, her sons, drove her to do something vicious. Something from which there was no coming back. Her handmaidens – loyal to her and her alone – stood by quietly, ready to dress her for the journey she must make. They weren't aware of what she had done. She would never risk their safety. But they knew that what had happened was weighing heavily upon her.

If Odin were to ever wake… But he wouldn't. She was too good a sorceress, too practiced in her craft, to make such a mistake. He would sleep until the end of time, and everyone would think it a natural occurrence. The Odin-sleep had finally taken its toll. It was unfortunate. No doubt the council would deliver the news to the people in the coming days. Perhaps they would concoct a story to save his dignity. 'No, no, no, Odin didn't just pass away! He was… murdered! Struck a fatal wound. He managed to kill his attacker, but he could not recover. He died honourably, on his feet with weapon in hand!'

Frigga sighed, signalling to her handmaidens that she was ready. She could not let her emotions, her guilt, overtake her. She had to stop Heimdall. "Get the funeral preparations underway," she ordered, holding her arms aloft as the girls dressed her in armour. The helm was laid gently upon her head, with reverence and grace for the power it represented. Gungir was placed in her hands, and it was only her imagination that made it feel heavier than it was. "I will return soon. Without Heimdall, our defences are compromised. I will fetch him myself."

People stared as she passed by on her way to the royal stables, but she paid them no mind. They would find out soon enough. The stable hands nearly fell over themselves to fetch her horse. But Frigga stood tall, her head raised. No one knew what she had done. No one would ever know. All anyone would see is a heartbroken queen, doing her best to rule in her husband's stead. They would whisper and gossip about their poor queen, having lost her only child to an untimely accident, having lost her adopted son to madness, and finally having lost her husband to age. But no one would know.

She amended that thought when she stepped out of the Bifrost, and saw the look upon Loki's face. He would know. And no doubt he would tell Thor in time. But they would understand. She did what was best for Asgard. Odin had grown controlling and paranoid in his old age. He had made rash decisions which would have had terrible outcomes if not for the meddling of others. Because Frigga was wise, and she could see far beyond. Into the future. Into the past. Into the nevers and maybes and almosts. And she knew that this was for the best. It had to be.

HFTS: So, the chance of Odin coming back for vengeance is probably 0. Then again, this is the Marvel Universe we're talking about. Stranger things have happened.

So, what did you think? I did my best to portray Frigga as being a desperate, but pragmatic person. I imagine she would have first put Odin to sleep (a bit of powder in his tea, maybe?), and then made it look like he passed on in Odin-sleep.

But I wanna know what you think. Love it? Hate it? Have I made a drastic error in characterisation?