Odin slowly turned around. He said nothing, and his expression said even less. Loki couldn't bear it, so he kept talking. Now that he had started, it was like floodgates had opened and there was no way to shut them.

"Fandral thought no worse of the Jotnar than I did a month ago. I'm sure he could have thought no worse of me than I thought of myself when you and Mother first explained everything to me, for I knew what I had done and he could only guess."

Still, Odin didn't speak, though his brows furrowed and he began walking towards him. Loki managed not to take a step back, but his voice grew slightly higher and his words poured out even faster. "I swear I didn't want the Jotnar to have the Casket. I knew the Destroyer would stop them. I did it because I thought you and Mother couldn't see Thor's hotheadedness and arrogance, and I thought spoiling the coronation would make those qualities obvious to everyone." The moisture in his eyes was starting to make the image of Odin somewhat blurred. "I was bitter and spiteful, and it seems so ridiculous now that Thor's discovered his kingly qualities. So I could hardly watch you execute Fandral for a crime I enabled, all while you didn't know I was guilty of one far worse."

By this point, Odin was within an arm's length of him. His gaze hadn't wavered once. "No, Loki," he said. The words lanced through Loki's heart, and his tears finally spilled over. Was this how it had felt for the other version of himself? Had that Loki deserved it as much as he did?

But Odin wasn't done. "I have already said that I had grave misgivings about entrusting Thor with the regency, even for a short time. I confess I was grateful for an excuse to postpone one more Odinsleep. However, I wouldn't want to make a habit of it, so I am glad we are agreed that further delays are unlikely to be needed." He walked past Loki to a spindly table near the door, on which sat a tall pitcher of wine and two goblets.

"But—" Loki spluttered, trying to wrap his mind around this. He felt like he'd just been outmaneuvered at a game of hnefatafl he didn't even know he was playing. Odin should be furious with him! "But how could you be glad? I consorted with Asgard's enemies! The guards at the Vault died! The three Jotnar I duped died! I exposed Asgard to ridicule before all of Yggdrasil and made our defenses appear flawed."

"You mistake me," said Odin, pouring the wine. "Though I was able to use the outcome to Asgard's advantage, it is not what I would have chosen. You have always been exceptionally bright, Loki. Perhaps too much so for your own good. Can you not imagine why I might want to downplay an event that some, including a younger version of Thor, would gladly use as a catalyst for war?"

"Of course you don't want another war—"

Odin waved an impatient hand, nearly sloshing some of the wine out of the goblet he was holding. "It wasn't about war or peace. There are far more ways to avoid a war than to start one, if your aim is to avoid war." His gaze fixed on Loki again. "It must have been very distracting for you to watch your brother go from throwing a temper tantrum to weeping with joy at the mere sight of the people around him in the blink of an eye, but did nothing about the earlier events of that day ever strike you as odd?"

Loki frowned while Odin regarded him over the rim of his goblet. He quickly went through the coronation, its disruption, and what followed in his mind. It was odd for an attack on the Vault to be treated simultaneously as an event worth calling off a coronation that was a mere word away from its completion for and as a matter too trivial to merit further investigation. Even odder not to resume the ceremony afterward.

The answer struck like a blow from Mjolnir. "You knew."

The corner of Odin's mouth twitched in a rather grim smile, and he held out the second goblet, which Loki accepted with numb fingers. "I suspected."

Loki raised the goblet and drained it.

"It was either the work of my clever and frustrated son or someone else who has mastered a cloaking spell powerful enough to hide from Heimdall's sight," said Odin. "If the latter, better not to tip my hand too quickly. If the former..."

"Better to act like it was nothing, because your initial response would set the expectations for how the culprit should be punished if caught by anyone other than you."

"Very good." Odin sipped more of the wine, apparently savoring it.

Loki felt very frustrated indeed, not to mention irritated at having been described as such. "But how could you be so certain—I could have had any number of terrible motives for bringing Jotnar into the Vault!"

"You could have, yes," Odin agreed. "None of them seemed especially likely. Don't forget that I grew up with elder brothers whom I loved and hated in equal measure too."

Loki grimaced, thinking of what he'd shouted at Fandral earlier. "Not equal."

"No," said Odin. He sounded wistful. "Perhaps not. But that is the nature of brothers. They can bring out the best in you and the very worst." He reached up and gripped Loki's shoulder. "You ask how I could be certain of you? I chose to trust in your better nature, and you have borne that out."

"Then what is my punishment to be?"

Odin actually chuckled. "If I tried, I could not craft one more effective than your conscience already has."

Loki was struck by the incongruity between his father's response to the two crimes confessed today. It should be a relief that Odin's anger had only been on his behalf, and that he had gone to great lengths to keep suspicion he had more than earned from falling on him. It would be absurd to want to be punished for what he had done. And yet he couldn't be satisfied with this outcome. "You were prepared to execute Fandral after less than a minute of deliberation," he said. "And Thor told me a little of what he lived through the first time. His tantrum was only the beginning. Mere hours later, he had started a war with Jotunheim, and he said that you punished him by stripping his powers and banishing him to Midgard as a mortal."

Odin's eyebrows lifted. "You would prefer that I do the same to you now?"

"Why not?" Loki gestured out at the view of Asgard at the other end of the room. "I set the stage for Thor to start a war. Only intervention from an Infinity Stone stopped that from playing out."

"Was war your goal?"

"Of course not, but—"

"Then why should I punish you for what might have been? Fandral is my subject and he put my son, his companion of many years and one to whom he swore oaths of loyalty, at great risk. Thor held the responsibilities of Crown Prince, was a hair's breadth from holding the responsibilities of King, and he threw them aside for a chance to soothe his wounded pride. You don't need some great punishment to understand the gravity of your actions." His tone became stern. "To craft one for you would be both overindulgent and reckless. How would the people react if, a day after I satisfied their curiosity about your origins and praised you openly to them, I were to declare you unworthy of your title and powers and cast you out of the realm?"

Loki's insides twisted and he looked down. He knew that would not go well.

"I will hear no more talk of punishments," said Odin, patting Loki on the shoulder and turning to face the fire again. "We shall carry on as a united front. If you are burdened by your guilt, I suggest you ponder what you are prepared to do to put things right."

X

Walking down the Hall of Images, which included several depictions of Asgard's history as misleading as those on the ceiling of the throne room, it took about half an hour for Frigga to calmly and gently explain what Odin had hidden with a fiction about a Jotnar invasion. Sif asked most of the questions; Thor just walked and absorbed it all. He had made vague assumptions in this direction after learning that Hela existed and had slaughtered the Valkyrior, but there had always been more pressing matters to deal with than learning the details, both before and after he picked up the Time Stone, so it had fallen to the back of his mind.

He was not pleased with his father's decision to paint over the whole thing with lies, but even he had to admit that Odin had done it with good reason. If no one remembered Hela, then there would be no unrepentant tyrannical figure for the more bloodthirsty of the people to rally around. Easy way out or not, it had ensured peace within the realm for nearly all of Thor's life—except for the part where it left Asgard entirely unprepared to face Hela if she ever returned.

Sif was most horrified to learn that the women she looked up to had been killed by the once Crown Princess while Odin was occupied defending the palace (and specifically his remaining sons) from the onslaught of her supporters.

When she had finished answering all questions, Frigga clasped Sif's hands briefly, pulled Thor into a hug (he wasn't in the mood for it at first but melted within seconds and found himself returning the embrace with all his heart), and left them to attend to her other duties. Thor watched her go.

Sif touched his arm. "How long have you known about Hela and Baldur?"

"Father told Loki and me about Hela right before he died in my time, and moments later she broke free of Niflheim, destroyed Mjolnir with one hand, and attacked. It was about two weeks for me between then and when I came back, but I think it must have been longer on Asgard. She killed so many of the people, including Hogun, Volstagg, and Fan—" He broke off, clenching his fists. The very thought of Fandral still made him furious, but it was harder to hold onto that feeling when thinking of how he had died. "I only learned of Baldur the day Mother and Father told Loki of his origins, but I didn't know Hela's supporters were responsible for his death until today."

They looked up at a massive painting of the battle in which Odin had taken Utgard. Icy battlements shattered, the gold inlays in Asgard's forces gleamed, and the wings of the Valkyrior's mounts beat the air.

"I would have supported you in any case, but I understand your desire for an alliance with Jotunheim better now," said Sif.

"Why is that?" said Thor.

"If the Jotnar never invaded Asgard, if the Valkyrior didn't fall protecting Asgard from them, and if your brother is one of them, then why not try for something more than this truce, especially when we all have common enemies to face?"

"Why indeed," said Thor. Against all odds, he found himself smiling. "I am glad of your support." He glanced in the general direction of Odin's study many floors above. "I wonder if Loki is still speaking with Father."

Sif's expression fell into a cross grimace before she could smooth it back to neutrality, and Thor regretted saying it aloud. He appreciated the effort she was making at solidarity even so soon after Loki had wounded her with his accusation, but he wondered if maybe some time and distance would benefit them both. With that in mind, a bright idea occurred to him. He finally knew which of the items on his to-do list he should approach next.

X

Loki had barely left the study when a familiar booming voice hailed him from down the corridor. "Loki! There you are." Thor came jogging up to him. Loki found it absolutely obscene that his brother could manage to be in such a good mood at a time like this, when he still felt so unsettled after the meeting with Odin.

"What are you so pleased about?" he said.

"Barton and Romanoff return to Earth soon. I think we should go with them. We can have a break from all that's going on around here, and you'll be able to meet Rogers this time."

Loki's mouth had opened automatically to protest Thor once again making assumptions about how he would be spending his time, but then he actually thought about it and realized that he welcomed any excuse to get away from Asgard just now. "Agreed," he said, resigned. "When do we leave?"

Thor beamed and clapped him on the back. "As early as this evening, though it might make more sense to wait until morning. I'll go find Banner and see if he'll come. If he does, it'll be the whole team!"

"I'm inviting Brunnhilde," said Loki. Thor was always the one with a selection of hangers-on to choose from when heading off on an adventure. Now he could see how he liked it when Loki did it to him.

"Wonderful!" said Thor, his grin getting even wider. "It'll be the Avengers and the Revengers at the same time!" Loki suppressed a scowl, neither knowing nor caring what the Revengers were. Of course more company wouldn't bother Thor. But he did still want to ask her. She might be keen to get away from Asgard too.

X

Brunnhilde had once again stayed the night at The King's Spear, and the first thing she'd done on waking was find the nearest seamstress, leatherworks, and armory shop and buy herself some less conspicuous clothing. By this point, so many people on Asgard had seen her face that it might not make a difference, but she felt much more comfortable when she walked back out onto the street wearing sensible leathers anyway. The best part was that it actually smelled like leather, which meant her sense of smell must be nearly recovered.

She hoped the royal secretary wouldn't find out about it anytime soon, but next she started looking at some of the places on the list of suitable lodgings. If she chose one in the city proper, it would mean being close to the mead halls, but it would also mean being close to more people, and she hadn't decided which factor mattered more yet.

All of them felt more like home already than her flat on Sakaar ever had, which was annoying. She couldn't afford to get comfortable. At the moment, she was in the middle of exploring the third place, the oldest of the ones she'd seen, made of stone and with a large balcony that had a clear view of the palace gardens. She stopped a moment to savor the view and see if she could spot a certain archway in the middle of all the vibrant colors, when a white-crested raven landed on the balustrade next to her. If it had been all black, she would have given it a wide berth in case it was one of Odin's, but she approached this one with a hand held out.

It remained still and let her stroke its feathers, its eyes falling closed. She smiled. Even at her most cynical and asocial, Brunnhilde had always loved animals. The ones on Sakaar decidedly had not loved her back, and she had missed little interactions like this. They reminded her of her childhood. However, after a few seconds, green-gold light began to shine from the bird. She folded her arms and watched its shape grow larger and resolve into the outline of a tall, lean Aesir man.

"Are you ever going to show up as yourself?"

Loki smirked, the last traces of light vanishing. "Where would be the fun in that?"

"How long were you flying around looking for me?"

"Not long. I have a proposition for you."

"Oh yeah?"

He caught up her hands in his. "How would you like to come to Midgard with me? Thor's going too, but we can ignore him."

Brunnhilde snorted at the idea and idly twined their fingers together. "As fun as that sounds, I actually have a few things I need to take care of here."

"You're staying on Asgard, then?" he said, apparently so pleased at the thought that it overshadowed any disappointment over her rejection of his invitation.

"For now."

He looked at the unoccupied chambers behind her. "Is that why you're here?"

She shrugged. "I haven't decided."

He made a vague noise in reply. He seemed a little distracted. "What, checking to see if we're about to be ambushed again?" she asked.

"Hmm? Oh, no." He leaned back against the stone railing. "It's been an eventful morning, that's all."

She swung her legs up across the top so that she was sitting facing the opposite way from him. "What happened?"

He still held one of her hands, and he traced his thumb over the back of it. "It wasn't an accident, our landing in that square. Of the two people who could have done it, I accused the wrong one."

Brunnhilde hadn't been paying a lot of attention to the people they were with when Loki tricked her into hitching an instantaneous ride back to Asgard with him—aside from the hot redhead, anyway—but if it wasn't any of the humans, that left Sif and the blond pretty-boy...Fandral, if she was remembering right. "So, Fandral. Asshole."

Loki blinked. "How—? Never mind. If you're staying here while Thor and I go to Midgard, then there's a favor I'd like to ask of you."

"Punch Fandral in the face until he's not so pretty?" she guessed. "Would've happened the next time he tried his gallant warrior act on me anyway."

"No! It's not about him. It's about Sif."

Brunnhilde wrinkled her nose slightly. "What about her?"

"If you can spare an hour or two in the next few days, do you think you might offer to spar with her? She's nearly always at the palace training grounds in the morning."

"You want me to butter her up for you so that your apology will go over better when you get back," said Brunnhilde, eyebrows raised.

"Obviously," he said, lifting her hand to his lips so he could kiss the knuckles. "But she doesn't need to know that." The humor left his features. "She's dreamed of being a Valkyrie her whole life. If I'm being fair to her, she's probably come as close to it as anyone can without the official training. Just one bout against you would mean the world to her."

A large part of Brunnhilde wanted to refuse anything that further solidified her in the role of Asgard's long lost Valkyrie, particularly in the eyes of someone who definitely didn't need further assistance in hero-worshiping her, but unlike many of the people badgering her at the banquet, Sif had actually noticed that she didn't want the attention and hadn't crowded her. "I'll think about it," she said.

Writing a chapter that is one part the culmination of a major dramatic arc and one part bridge to the next arc is very weird. I worked really hard on getting the study scene perfect. Lots of feels and many drafts were involved. And then there was the whole second half of the chapter to do, which was absolutely not going to top the first half. Hopefully Loki remaining unsettled through the scene with Thor and even still a bit in the scene with Brun lent it some degree of coherence.

So yeah! Odin already had a pretty good idea of what happened at the coronation. At one point, I was trying to play out how a potential "Odin banishes Loki to Earth" scenario might go, and even though it included some exciting possibilities, it never quite fit, and I think this is why. The idea that Odin already knew was too good. Odin would have been disappointed if Loki never came and admitted it, and it's kinda not cool of him to give Loki an unspoken test like that, but he isn't the Crown Prince, so failing that test wouldn't be a huge issue. Meanwhile, ever since chapter 3, Loki's been worrying about what he saw in Thor's memories. The "No, Loki" moment. This confrontation ended up being the perfect opportunity to deal with that. I'm really enjoying how even when Odin is in protective dad mode, he's still moving pieces around his hnefatafl board, including his sons. His instinct is always to control things, for better or worse.

Thor, your ship is in the dock. Please get on board now. *facepalm* One Brodinson who wants his ship too much, and another who will not take his. Is this my legacy as a fanfic writer?

The drama's lightening up and the jokes are coming back. Good time for a trip to Earth. I doubt it's going to be a very long one, but I've been wrong before. Unlike last time, though, there will still be a few Asgard scenes while the boys are gone.