Chapter 11
"Loki." Frigga declared, running forward and embracing her son.
"Brother." Thor barked a loud, but genuine laugh.
Odin remained silent, watching Loki, and Kari sighed in relief that he had stayed as he promised to. She smiled slightly as she too walked forward after Thor to Loki.
"Mother please, are you attempting to choke me? Is my return such a burden to you?" Loki joked as he gently tried to pry Frigga back from him.
"I was so worried for you." She was crying as she checked him over. "You have lost weight."
"I am fine." He rolled his eyes but smiled at her. When Thor came close to him however, the smile fell. "Allfather." There was a slight mocking in his voice, something not missed by Thor.
"Loki, thank the Norn's you have returned finally."
"Yes, well I heard the day arrived for you to take the helm so I thought it best to return, at least this way when the shit hits the wall, I can know which direction to run." Loki smiled sarcastically. "Father, you look like Hela is about to pay you a visit."
"I think her male counterpart just has." The old man grumbled.
Loki retorted with a false smile. When finally his gaze fell on Kari, the sadness in his features was blatantly clear. "My queen." He gave a small bow of his head.
Thor shifted uncomfortably as his brother and wife shared a momentary stare. "Loki, you must be hungry, join us for dinner, tell us of all you have seen."
Loki took a final moment to look at Kari before turning to Thor and giving him a dismissive glance. "Well, I am somewhat peckish." He gave a toothy grin. "Shall we?" He took his mothers arm and walked out the door with her before anyone else could say anything.
Kari fell into step with Thor, who seemed somewhat bothered. "He seems at odd with me." Thor was somewhat upset.
"You knew if he ever returned, it would not be good at the start. You are king now, remember." Kari kept looking forward as she spoke.
"But still…and what of you?"
"What of me?" She turned to look at Thor, her features expressionless, but inside she was terrified he would see through her.
"How are you with this?"
"My opinions on this do not matter. He has returned, he was never banished, he chose to leave, so in that respect, it was up to him as to when he would return, and he has chosen now."
"I do not know what to think." Thor admitted.
"Nor I." Kari admitted.
"Kari?" She looked up at her husband. "I…is there…Are you alright with this?"
"Does it matter? Be the one to tell him he is no longer welcome home because you are not comfortable with him reminded us all how this was never the original design." They spoke no more of it after that.
Throughout the meal, Loki spoke mostly with Frigga, only speaking with Thor when he asked him something directly, and smiling tauntingly at Odin, but glancing at Kari also, who never actually spoke directly with him.
"Are you planning on staying long?" Odin demanded more than queried.
"I was under the impression this was my home was it not?"
"Of course it is Loki." Frigga smiled at her younger son before rounding on her husband.
"Then I would like to think I have returned for good."
"So after your little sabbatical, what, you thought to simply arrive back and carry on where you left off?"
"Well you left me with little choice old man, I was being forced into a position where you pitted Thor and I against one another in a cruel fate and I knew for all involved it would be best that I leave for some time. And going by the manner in which Thor is defensively all but pissing on his wife to claim her, I think my actions to have been the correct ones, don't you?" Loki snarled through gritted teeth.
"I am not…" Thor silenced with the look Loki gave him. Though Loki held the name of the God of Lies, his gift lay in being able to call out the lies in others, not simply in shrouding himself in his own.
"I came back because a century is long enough to be without my home. I expect Thor won't mind now that his coronation is over if mother were to assist me in finding another wife, since as you are no longer king Father, you can't pawn her off to someone else the nigh before. At least I have no other brothers for you to do that with anyway."
"Loki!" Thor warned.
"Though I have to say it is all so interesting to see how things have panned out. Thor, you hid your feelings so well, can I ask did you conspire with father to take Kari from me, or was that simply happy coincidence, I am curious to know?"
"I never wanted what happened to happen Loki, and well you know." Thor clenched his fists angrily.
"So it all just so happened to all come up smelling of roses for you, well Thor, you are to be envied." Loki scoffed. "Though I would have thought by now you would have a little blonde haired bundle of joy to call your heir by now. Tick tock."
"Do not start brother." Thor warned, his voice low and threatening.
"Ooh!" Loki sneered. "I struck a nerve."
"Loki."
"Come now Thor, you are so like father, I am surprised you do not act as though she is a broodmare, to be filled constantly so to boost your ever tender ego." Thor rose to his feet. "And there it is, that anger you know you have been dying to let out." Loki beamed, relishing in the conflict he was causing, he had yearned for it since he saw Thor's adoration for Kari the day before, since he realised just how much Thor loved the same woman he did.
"What reasons have you for being here Loki? Is it to taunt us for how events have unfolded? Or is it to punish us all for the wrongs against you? Kari and I were not to blame for this, but in your words, everything you have said has been against us, not father, sure your words refer to him, but you hurt not him, but us, and Kari most of all." Thor growled. He turned to indicate to his wife only to see her seat empty. In their war of words Kari had slipped out unnoticed. "Mother." Frigga nodded and left the table in search of the young queen. "Why have you returned Loki?" Thor turned to look at his brother once more.
"I am honestly here because I wish to be and because I too want to be able to find some comfort at night in the arms of one I can love and attempt to love me back."
"What do you mean by that?" Thor demanded.
"Exactly what I said." Loki rose from the table. "A pleasure to be home." He raised his chalice. "To your reign Thor, and may it be a long one." Tipping back the chalice he finished its contents. "I think I shall go back to my rooms and get resettled." He grinned before walking out of the room leaving Thor and Odin staring at him, both angered and confused by his words.
"No good can come of this." Odin stated as the door closed.
"I think you right." Thor agreed, walking off to find Kari, not liking how Loki had seen through everything so easily.
"You will have to deal with him Thor."
"This is his home as he stated, I cannot take that from him."
"Then he will be your downfall."
"I think him honest when he says he wishes to take a wife." Thor stated, knowing that though it was the truth, there was something very wrong about it.
"Oh I know he is, that is clear, but to what end, for he clearly is still angry that Kari is yours."
"I warned you of that father, I told you he loved her, and now he will throw that at us at all opportunity."
"Get her with child immediately Thor, end this madness."
"I can do no more than I am doing father." Thor sighed.
"I will speak with Freya, she will intervene if I ask her to."
"Father, you cannot force Kari to bear child."
"Her actions last night at Fandral's comments suggested that there would be no forcing required."
"A lot has changed in that time father, Loki's return…"
"Has no bearing on your marriage or your duties as the monarch." Odin rose to his feet. "Kari is your wife, and as queen, it is her duty to carry your child, she knows this. Freya will simply give you an elixir, she can take it herself, or you can give it to her, either way, she will come to carry your son."
"She has as much chance of carrying my daughter father."
"Have you not noticed, in seven generations there has not been a daughter born to the Aesir king?" Thor paused, oddly enough, there was truth in his father's statement. "Leave your mother to deal with Loki and his wife to be, and you worry about yours."
Kari paced the private rooms, not knowing what to make of Loki's actions at the dinner table. She felt angry and guilty simultaneously, Odin's constant badgering was solely based on pressurising her into having a child, but Thor had not been to blame for that, and in fact, it was her that suggested the idea to begin with. But Loki had also realised Thor's love for her had stemmed from the time that she and Loki had been courting. The accusation Loki had made sent a chill down her spine, had Thor conspired with Odin to sabotage her and Loki's betrothal so that he could have her for himself?
Frigga entered the rooms of her son and daughter-in-law, looking for signs of Kari's presence. When she found none she wondered where it was that the young queen had ran off to, and slowly closed the door out again as she left.
After Kari heard the door click closed, she came out from her hiding spot and thought to herself. She thought of how her family was reacting to the evening's events at present. Frigga would no doubt go to Loki once she realised the futility of searching for her, to try and get the younger prince to rein in his venomous comments, and if Loki was anything like he was, he would be in his rooms gleefully relishing in the hurt he caused his brother and father, though also upset at how he was hurting also. And Odin would be trying to feed Thor's anger in an attempt to get Thor to get Loki to feel it necessary to leave the palace again as fast as possible.
There was also a chance the brothers had already come to blows, but that was not very likely, the severe lack of lightning or indeed and sound of destruction in general implied they had yet to do so, but they would, of that she was near certain.
So she thought of where she should begin her assessment. Loki would not talk freely with Frigga present or at risk of her arriving. So thor it would have to be. it did not escape her notice that her first instinct was to go to her old suitor and not her husband. Just as she opened the door to go in search of Thor, he arrived in search of her.
"Kari, I thought mother would be here with you."
"She came, but as it was not she whom I wish to be in the presence of right now, I eluded her."
"That is not the easiest of feats. So where is she now I wonder? I hope she did not go outside."
Kari looked out the window at the dark Asgardian sky, un able to see anything, but the raindrops smearing the glass told her that the realm was currently forced to endure an unintentional downpour. "My guess would be that she will be with Loki."
Thor winced visibly at his brother's name. "I knew no good could come of his return once I saw the way he looked at me."
"It was bound to happen." Thor stared at his wife. "You genuinely thought he would say nothing of what happened?" She laughed in disbelief. "Thor, think of it as though it were you, would you have said nothing this evening?" He did not respond. "Exactly, it is better it is said now and not left to fester. Now we can all work to begin to get passed it."
"Get passed…Kari he accused me of wanting you to be used as a broodmare." Thor stated indignantly.
"You said only last night we would soon rival Volstagg for children."
"I would never have forced you to bear a child you did not want." Thor's temper was rising. "You know better than that."
"At present I do not know what I know." Kari stated sadly.
"Kari?" Thor's voice became small. "I would never, what father was saying, I told him I would never allow it without your knowing."
Kari stared at Thor. "Without my knowing what?" His face showed he realised she knew nothing of Odin's plan. "Thor, what has Odin said?"
"He was going to ask Freya for an elixir for us, to get you to…" Kari felt dizzy, she ran straight to the bathroom retching. When Thor came to the doorway, she gave him a withering look which kept him back. "I told him no, I refused to consider a thing without you consenting fully."
"Did you get him to call off my betrothal to Loki so that you could marry me in his stead?" Thor gave an odd noise at Kari's question, his hurt at her accusation obvious. "I never thought of it like that, but it makes sense really. Those few days you and I spent here after the wedding, and how much you knew of me already, it was because of how you felt, when Loki said it…"
"Loki is only out to hurt us all, just as you stated yourself. He is only trying to cause mischief and chaos, just as his name suggests." Thor snapped back.
"And let me guess, because of it Odin feels he needs to go and it needed to happen yesterday?" Thor's face told her the answer. "Well then run along my husband and do as your father wishes." She headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" His voice was almost meek.
"My old quarters. I cannot bear to be in your presence at present not to mention, I fear my water to be spiked."
"I would never do such a thing, I wanted no part in it." Thor stated furiously.
"I will speak to you when you see sense again." Kari did not look at him as she spoke.
"And what is sense? I do not know what to think. Please Kari, please help me with this; as my wife, my partner, and my queen, please."
"Loki has every right to return and he has every right to be upset. We all know that, but yet you do not seem to be able to accept it. This argument has happened; now move passed it."
"But Kari…"
"That is my suggestion, you had asked for it; now do with it what you will." She walked out the door without waiting for a response.
Kari walked to her old rooms, which were next to Loki's; and she heard the raised voices of mother and son being mumbled incoherently through a connecting wall. Now just a regular guest room, the extra luxuries that had been there from her time residing within it were removed, but it was still very comfortable. She striped to her undergarments and got into the bed. She rethought over the evening as she tried to get comfortable, she should have known it would go as it had, Loki was not one to remain silent.
Thor's revelation of Odin's plan with Freya angered her, for the old prick to think he could dictate her life like that; she gritted her teeth angrily. She thanked the Norn's that she had not carried Thor's child, because with Loki's return and the stresses of now being queen and Allmother, Eir's statement of her being forced to bed rest would no doubt have been true. Curling up and pulling the blanket in tight against her, Kari attempted to fall asleep.
Thor stood staring at the door his wife had walked out of for what seemed an age. All evening she had stated that Loki had every right to return, with was true. But what would his return mean in general, and for them in particular. Odin had noted Loki's looking at Kari throughout the evening also, but then again, who could blame him. She had become even more beautiful and he had adored her so greatly before his leaving, did he adore her still? He shook his head in anger, he had not been as possessive of Kari as Loki had suggested, he had carefully kept himself in check. And now Kari was angry with him too. No doubt overtired from the lack of sleep the night before and now that she had heard of what Odin was planning, he knew he would be lucky if she even responded to his words to her at breakfast the following morning. He would just have to wait for her to speak with him again.
She had anticipated the conflict between him and Loki, and just felt it best to get it out of the way. He wondered if she had sensed Loki's return to be immanent with her restlessness the night before. Thor became angsty. He was used to having Kari to talk to when something bothered him, but not having her and her being one of the issues meant he had no one.
He needed to let her rest, then she would hopefully speak with him again, but he also needed to deal with what was happening. Kari was right, Loki needed to say what he had to him, and now, it was his turn to do the same with his brother. He reached the door and stormed out of the room in search of his brother, a loud crack of thunder filled the realm as he did.