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Beneath
Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Three – Diplomacy
"This isn't at all what I thought it would be. To be king."
Odin said nothing; Thor's words contained neither surprise nor question. Bragi was on his way to meet Heimdall for a journey to Jotunheim, and would meet them back here in the palace immediately upon his return.
"Do you know what I thought it was like?"
"Ordering people around?" Odin asked, easily recalling a younger Thor, untouched by real war, who'd struggled with responsibility but had no problem exercising authority.
"Yes," Thor answered with a laugh. "That and having fun. I thought other people did all the hard work. I thought I would be enjoying myself. Sitting in on the occasional boring meeting about trade or taxes or property rights…and then having fun. Was I wrong about that entirely, Father? Are there any fun parts at all? Because I'm still waiting for it to become fun."
Odin settled himself in a chair, glad to be off his feet for a while. Thor was clearly worried, about Farbauti coming to the treaty signing, about how he would handle that, about how Loki would handle that, about his first major act as king of an Asgard at peace. Odin wasn't worried. Worry was tiring, and unconstructive. He would worry when the time for the signing was upon them, but for the moment, he would rest. "I've been king for so long I don't really remember what it's like to not be king. I do enjoy returning to my chambers to fresh clean linens on the bed each night. I appreciate never finding anything on my plate that I find unpalatable. When I tell someone to do something, it gets done…unless it was you I was telling and then…fifty-fifty. And if I want to buy the woman I love the largest sapphire ever mined in the history of Alfheim…I can. There are advantages."
Thor thought that over, and found nothing noteworthy in it. He already had those things, had always had them. During the war of course he'd not spent much time on his fresh clean linens and he'd eaten whatever was available. And he'd never tried to buy the largest sapphire ever mined in the history of Alfheim, but he supposed, probably, he could if he wanted to.
"It's a responsibility that never leaves you," Odin continued after a moment, looking back over his long tenure as king. "Not when you travel, or enjoy dinner with your family, not even when you sleep. When exactly did you think I was having all this fun that you imagined you would have?"
Thor looked at his father, gray hair, increasingly wrinkled skin, and felt embarrassed. "I didn't think you were having fun."
"But you thought you would? Why?"
He glanced away for a moment, but then figured he may as well say it. Since having the throne thrust upon him, it had been easier for him to be open with his father than he had before. "I thought you were just old," he answered with a bashful smile.
Odin gazed upon his eldest son and the chagrin on his face, and thought perhaps he should be offended. Instead, he saw Bor looking down at him sternly, and laughed. Thor, he saw, relaxed, and waited for him to speak. "I had forgotten," he said. "I, too, thought my father was old, and didn't enjoy the privileges of his life enough. In time, I came to understand. So will you."
The more he considered it, the more he no longer understood himself, and what exactly it was he thought he would be gaining in becoming king. After all, he'd long lived his life essentially as he pleased. Fighting, adventuring, women, drink; if the desire struck, he'd been free to pursue it. Now he hardly had a moment that wasn't marred by worry and self-doubt. If he made a mistake, the consequences could be disastrous for all of Asgard and even for the realms beyond.
He'd made it through the war. Not without blemish on his record – he would never forget the failed attempt to save Jormik Sutadottir and he was certain there were other occasions when his decision may not have been the best one – but he'd made it, and a peace treaty was already in place, ready to be signed. But now he had to deal with the Jotuns. The queen of the Jotuns, most likely. He knew of her only what Loki had told them, and Loki had advised him not to even speak to her. How does a king not speak to a queen? he wondered. Especially if that king wants to improve relations between the two realms? He had to speak to her. And he was, he admitted to himself if to no one else, nervous about it. He knew how to fight Jotuns, not how to hold political talks with them. Loki had really gotten under his skin with that. He was right about Helblindi, too. In his mind, he'd let those few ambiguous words from the eldest Laufeyson convince him that if he could only get Helblindi alone he would prove himself reasonable and open-minded and the two of them would easily come to an understanding, perhaps even forge some version of a friendship. They shared some things in common. They were both princes, both eldest sons…though according to Loki, Helblindi was disfavored by his father, who preferred the younger brother for the throne. He shifted uncomfortably on the desk where he still sat, acutely aware of his father's presence. Thor had no experience with a younger brother being favored over him.
It was a farce, really, this idea that he could find a common bond with Helblindi Laufeyson.
Even if he somehow figured out how to make conversation with Frost Giants, the line of challenges beyond that one was long. He'd thought he would inherit an Asgard with a millennium of peace behind it, Frost Giants to fight if ever felt like it, perhaps an occasional conflict to be called in to assist with, but otherwise a well-run realm that needed little from its king other than staying the course. Instead, his Asgard had severely battered defenses and significant loss of life, strained relations with all of its longtime allies, burned cropland, lost livestock, entire villages that no longer existed. Taxes and trade and property rights and a host of other issues he knew next to nothing about would be occupying his day for years to come. He had no qualifications or skills for any of it.
Yes, I'll have my advisors, he reminded himself, as his father, too, had reminded him. He'd had them during the war, and he'd been grateful for them. But he'd also been frustrated with them at times, and in the end, the decisions were still his.
Fighting came naturally to him. Not diplomacy, not politics.
What if I would rather be Asgard's champion than Asgard's king?
The voice was small and quiet, but felt loud in the silence of the office. He glanced Odin's way, but averted his eyes when he saw his father's gaze resting on him.
What if I don't want the throne?
"You will learn, Thor," Odin said, watching the trepidation and doubt play out openly over his son's face. "Give it time, and remember you aren't alone in this. Lean on your advisors. Lean on me. I'm still here…whether you want me to be or not," he added with a chuckle.
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Father. I hope you weren't planning on a vacation any time soon."
Odin laughed again. "Where would I vacation? One of the realms we were just at war against? The charred Asgardian countryside?"
"Fair point," Thor said. And since his father was here, he realized he could be making better use of this time waiting for Bragi's return. "What can you tell me about Farbauti?"
/
/
Loki stared at the many choices in his dressing room, yet again. He'd always taken his appearance seriously, since sometime in his youth, and even in his childhood he remembered hating his clothes getting dirty. Clothing spoke before the wearer opened his or her mouth. Rarely had he spent this much time worrying about it, debating it, changing his mind back and forth about it, though. Some questions were basic. How imposing did he want to look? How comfortable did he want to be? How freely did he need to be able to move? Color had been easy: official public appearances meant green, obviously. Style had also been fairly easy, for he'd been doing this long enough that he knew exactly what level and type of formality every single thing he owned mapped to.
But everything had changed. He was confronted by that fact constantly here. He was still officially titled "Prince of Asgard." But "Prince of Asgard" meant "Son of Odin," and did he really want to declare himself as such, through his dress? It was a treaty-signing, quite a formal occasion, formal and official. Its outcome mattered deeply to him. That didn't mean he couldn't subvert it certain quieter ways, make it a little more enjoyable without jeopardizing the end result. One means of doing that was through his choice of attire, particularly since the likely presence of Farbauti had already ruled out a bit of innocent chaos he'd intended to create.
Farbauti had created a mess of his plans. A mess of his thoughts. He couldn't stop himself from filtering every possible choice through the prism of "what would Farbauti think." What would she think of him. Not in the sense of needing her approval. But it mattered, for reasons he could not quite piece together. He knew she would be watching him. Trying to pick him apart. She was a puppet-master, and a puppet-master was most successful when she knew the puppets. He didn't want to be picked apart. Not by anyone, but least of all by her.
Why can I not just dress as I please? Why can I not just be me? The answer to that question came to him clearly. He still didn't know who he was. He knew he claimed Asgard as his, in some sense, but that concept was rather lacking in detail. And beyond that, he simply didn't have the answers.
In the end, despite his attempts to resist it, he let Farbauti's expected perception of him dictate his choices. If he dressed in any way other than how an outside observer would expect him to dress as part of the House of Odin – regardless of the fact that his participation in the treaty-signing was not as part of the House of Odin and he'd taken pains to ensure he was recognized in the text as "Loki of Asgard" and not "Loki Odinson" – Farbauti would take note of it. From that observation, she could conclude that he stood apart from the royal family in some way. That a wedge existed between them that she might try to exploit. That he didn't belong here. Better, for Asgard's sake, that she entertain no such notions.
Layer by layer, piece by piece, he assembled his most solemn, formal attire, the same as he'd worn for Thor's intended succession. He topped it off with the same style of helmet, too – not the more severe version he'd shaped after his fall over the bifrost. And as for the green, well, Farbauti probably wouldn't know that it came from her cast-off rags.
It was strange to see himself in the mirror; he hadn't looked quite like this since he'd ruled Asgard, and he hadn't particularly thought of himself like this in a while, either. He wore it with an odd mix of both comfort and discomfort, familiarity and estrangement. He studied his expression and adjusted it until he was confident it conveyed only the comfort and familiarity, and the confidence that was their natural byproduct, and none of the other. It didn't come as easily as it used to, but it was there, and he could do this. The ceremony wouldn't last long, and no other formal activities were to accompany it; once over, guests might linger for a short while, but then they would depart and it would be over.
The feast would follow just a few hours later. He'd thought that would be taxing, but compared to the signing now, it would be a relaxing evening. With the best food Asgard was currently capable of putting together, and dozens of people he'd known all his life, some unknown proportion of whom thought him a traitor, not to mention Jane, who would spend the evening at Thor's side. Delightful. It would be delightful, though, compared to this.
And the best thing about it? He would be a free man, there only because he chose to be.
/
/
"Welcome to Asgard, Your Majesty."
"Thank you. But please, for you, my name is Farbauti. And yours is Odin, is it not?"
"It is. And while we speak privately, I am pleased for you to use it."
"Of course. Private and public are different matters entirely. I did have to remind myself of your name, you know," she said, taking stock of her surroundings as she spoke.
"It has been a long time," Odin conceded, though he knew there was no way Farbauti had actually forgotten his name. They were in a secluded area of the palace grounds, deliberately chosen for absolute privacy. Heimdall stood nearby, settling the Tesseract back into its container, and left as soon as it was secured, moving on to the area to be used for the reception of the other guests.
Only once they were alone did Farbauti speak again. "Indeed. And Laufey always referred to you as 'that thief.' It was an apt name, I suppose."
Interesting, Odin thought. Farbauti had said very little on the previous occasions he'd met her. She'd carried herself with pride, but adopted almost a meek posture alongside Laufey. Loki had described a different woman than the one he'd encountered all those centuries ago, and he was glad of the warning that had prepared him for her sharp, loaded words. "When something is discarded," he prefaced, allowing a pause, "it no longer belongs to the one who discarded it. And one who finds value in something discarded and retrieves it…cannot be called a thief."
Farbauti made a show of considering it – Odin knew it was a show – then inclined her head. "You may have a point. But do you mean to tell me that the Midgardians simply discarded the Tesseract?"
Odin grunted a humorless laugh. "Is that what we were discussing?"
"I thought it was," Farbauti said, showing her teeth in what perhaps passed for a smile on Jotunheim.
"Today is a busy day on Asgard, Farbauti. Our schedule is tight. Let us speak peaceably, but forthrightly. Finding out a truth that had so long been kept from him was understandably difficult for my son. I would be…displeased, if anyone attempted to make it more difficult for him. He prefers for no one else to learn this secret, and I expect his wishes to be respected."
No more than a second passed before Farbauti responded. "Let us indeed speak forthrightly, then. Was it ever difficult for you? To look into my eyes and know that I thought my firstborn child dead while he was learning to walk and talk inside your palace?"
"You thought your firstborn child dead because you left him to die. If you're looking for sympathy from me on this, you will not find it."
"I'm not looking for sympathy. I'm looking for an answer to my question."
Odin hesitated, but decided to answer honestly. "Yes. Sometimes it was."
"And were you never going to tell him? He told me how he found out. You would have let him reach the end of his days without ever knowing where he really came from?"
"I would wish to spare him unnecessary pain. He is my son."
This time Farbauti hesitated, and for a brief moment, her expression grew distant, some of its sharpness fading. Odin wondered if he had glimpsed something of the real Farbauti behind the persona she had projected here from the first second of her arrival, or if even that instant had been calculated. "I, too, once wished to spare him unnecessary pain. Since then, he has inflicted a great deal of pain upon Jotunheim, and upon me personally."
Odin waited, for what Farbauti had said, while concerning, sounded more like a rhetorical point than an answer, and the Jotun queen clearly knew the difference. It did not take her long to continue.
"It is sometimes through pain, though, that we grow. Jotunheim now looks toward the future, and one cannot focus on the future while glaring at the past. Revealing long-held secrets at this point is neither in Jotunheim's best interest, nor in mine. Nor in your son's."
Odin took care to release the breath he'd been holding slowly, imperceptibly. He didn't think he was imagining the firmer set of Farbauti's job as she spoke the last, though what it meant, he was unsure of. Ultimately, it didn't matter. He knew what he had just heard: they had an agreement.
/
/
"Loki," Nadrith said coolly, in the small meeting chamber in the palace where Loki had asked him to meet him. The Einherjar who had shown him the way departed, leaving the two of them alone. "What is it that you want now?"
"Peace, Nadrith. No need to be so testy. I wanted to thank you for your efforts as tutor. Lady Jane reports that she enjoyed your lessons."
"I didn't exactly volunteer for the duty, as you recall. Nevertheless, I'm glad she enjoyed it. I did, too. I was lonely and bored, and she was enthusiastic, and the first mortal I've spoken to in ages. If she's still here, I would be happy to extend her my greetings, but I'm afraid I've exhausted what little knowledge of architecture I managed to cobble together."
"She is still here, and will be at the signing. She doesn't know very many people here, and I'm sure she would be pleased to see a familiar face. I trust you found your family well when you returned home?"
One side of Nadrith's mouth quirked upward. "My son was so excited to see his papa that he rolled around on the floor for ten minutes straight. My wife scolded me for being captured. What do you really want, Loki? You're being uncharacteristically transparent."
"I want your permission to spend some time on Alfheim," Loki answered. He was being transparent; there was no real way to disguise this request as anything other than what it was.
Nadrith's expression, not unexpectedly, turned sour. "I don't need any more trouble right now, and lately where you go, trouble tends to follow."
Loki was ready for the resistance. "I understand that you're upset. I don't blame you. But may I remind you that I got you out of a war you never should have been in. A war you now know was a mistake. It isn't particularly fair of you to be angry at me for telling you something you needed to hear, simply because you didn't want to hear it."
"Ah, Loki. You are a master at making anything at all sound reasonable. I think I'm still fairly justified in feeling angry at you for that, and even if not, I can think of enough other reasons to be angry."
"Name one," Loki said with a smirk and a dismissive shrug.
"You tried to blow up one of the Nine Realms."
"It wasn't yours, was it?"
Nadrith laughed then, shaking his head, gaze wandering around the room, which contained a small collection of swords and shields mounted on the walls. "There is no one quite like you in the entire cosmos, Loki."
"Thank you."
"I'm not sure that was a compliment."
"Of course it was. You and I have our own sort of understanding, Nadrith. We always have. The less said on that, the better, but you know it's there. Think of it this way, if it makes you feel better about it. You're here on Asgard to sign a peace treaty. What greater symbol of peace and good relations with Asgard, despite everything that's happened, can there be? And I do swear to you this: I'm not looking for trouble, nor do I expect to find any. The last couple of years have been trying. I simply want to get away for a while and relax."
"'Trying,' yes. I can imagine. I had all that paper in my rooms here, you see, and I made a diagram. A simple little thing, but very instructive. Lackey's lackey's lackey, I recall. I erased one 'lackey' and wrote your name in instead, and I did some thinking. You do fall in with the most interesting crowds. So now you need a vacation. And you want to do that on Alfheim?"
"Did you hear that I deposited Gullveig in a horde of angry protesters? I doubt he would be amenable. And I like Alfheim," Loki said, deliberately ignoring the "lackey" talk, which he had no intention of revisiting.
Nadrith seemingly turned his attention to one of the shields for a while, and Loki stood there, waiting patiently, certain that Nadrith just wanted him to stew a bit. When Nadrith looked his way again, his expression was stern but Loki knew he had what he wanted. "You will come directly to my palace. You will kneel before my throne. Then we will meet privately, and you will tell me everything you know about Thanos."
Loki's practiced neutral smile turned brittle. Kneeling, Nadrith, really? So Nadrith wanted to exercise a little power over him and take some enjoyment in doing so, just as Loki had done to him. Loki hadn't done it publicly, though. But he could do this. Kneeling was, after all, what one did when one went before a throne. And what Loki knew about Thanos wasn't much, and he had no qualms about telling Nadrith "everything" – a redacted version of "everything," anyway. "I would be glad to," Loki said. Nadrith probably knew otherwise, but that was fine. "I'll bring a horse, if you don't mind."
"You're welcome to take one from my own stables, but if you prefer to bring your own, by all means." Nadrith's gaze flickered to the side before fixing on Loki, eyes narrowed. "Do not bring your horse inside my palace, Loki."
Without missing a beat Loki made a face of frustrated disappointment. "You take the fun out of everything."
"It is the sad duty of a king. When should I expect you?"
"Sometime in the next few days. Within the week."
"Good. I'll look forward to it. Perhaps even arrange an official dinner. Afterward, you can go where you like, stay as long as you like, unless you give me reason to change my mind."
Loki agreed and the two started back to the Hedge Garden where the signing would take place, though Loki turned aside once they were almost there, citing arrangements he needed to see to. There were no arrangements. He wanted a moment to think, and wasn't particularly eager to head to the signing area. Instead he returned to the same meeting chamber he'd requested Nadrith join him in.
He thought it odd that Nadrith would also mention a dinner. From Loki kneeling before his throne he got a public spectacle, a moment to force Loki to acknowledge Nadrith's superior status, which Loki had deliberately trampled all over during Nadrith's captivity. What more did he gain from making Loki join him and his retinue for the evening for dinner? It wasn't the pleasure of his company. Though he had once greatly enjoyed sparring with Nadrith – both physically and verbally – they were hardly on the best of terms now.
Nadrith, he thought, was clever enough to not take Loki's intentional – private – humiliation of him any more personally than Loki took being named a war prize…which was personally. He could get past it, though, if necessary. The point was, Loki reminded himself, that they both understood politics.
It clicked then. Politics, of course. He used to be skilled at looking outside himself. Now at times he got so wrapped up in himself he forgot that anyone else's circumstances existed. Loki hadn't realized just how effective his argument about Nadrith demonstrating his good relations with Asgard had been. Nadrith had even mentioned it before, if obliquely. He had done and was surely continuing to do everything he possibly could to ensure that he didn't face the crowds of angry protesters that Gullveig was, or more assassination attempts: owning up to his mistake while simultaneously shifting his share of the blame elsewhere, and subtly stoking old animosities toward the Dark Elves, also to shift the anger elsewhere. Nadrith hadn't mastered politics yet – if he had, he wouldn't have gotten himself into the mess he did – but he was good at it. And he knew that no matter how successful his political maneuvering, he was going to face some problems at home, if he wasn't already. Discontent, anger, and even instability were possible. Having Loki around making public appearances in Nadrith's palace suggested much more clearly than a peace treaty that Asgard had forgiven, that Nadrith and through him Alfheim was again a respected ally, and that all was well. Stable. Nadrith intended to use Loki to shore up his own position.
With nothing better to do for the moment, he lifted one of the old shields from the wall, twirled it, slid his arm in the straps, mimed a few mindless blocks from a series learned centuries ago while he let this new understanding percolate. He didn't have to go to Alfheim; he'd settled on it as his first choice but it wasn't the only option. Crouched down with the shield raised to block a strike from above, he decided he didn't care. He'd been used for worse purposes. He might even find a way to entice some mischief out of it.
Slowly, he straightened his legs and lowered the shield. That last position he'd been in was one of those taught for fighting Frost Giants. Defending oneself from a blow from a much taller attacker, and simultaneously thrusting a sword into a vulnerable part of the leg. The whole series had that particular opponent in mind, actually.
He replaced the shield, annoyed with himself. He'd spent enough time in this chamber, thinking about Alfheim and Nadrith. And he had never much liked fighting with a shield.
/
/
Conversation in the Hedge Garden, quiet and constrained to begin with, grew further muted. Frigga gave herself a moment to prepare, then turned to see Farbauti entering from the side, accompanied by Bragi. Not allowing herself even a second to consider avoiding it, she excused herself from Muspelheim's ambassador and started across the garden to greet the new arrival. Everyone was staring; they'd been informed that Farbauti was coming, but the novelty of seeing Jotunheim's new monarch, and on Asgard, being greeted by Asgard's queen no less, was considerable.
"Queen Farbauti," Frigga said formally to the much taller woman. "I am most pleased that you have joined us here today for this important occasion."
Farbauti stared down at her, inspecting her from head to toe, it felt like, finally examining her face for an uncomfortably long moment before speaking. "I am most pleased to be here. It has been many winters."
"It has," Frigga agreed with a nod. "Too many. The treaty that brings us here today is an excellent opportunity for us to renew our peaceful relations."
"About that, we shall see," Farbauti said over a smile.
Frigga easily kept her smile in place, but Frost Giant smiles, Jotun smiles, had always given her the shivers. "Can I offer you some chilled tea, or some juice, perhaps? We still have nearly half an hour before the ceremony begins."
"Your hospitality is noted, but no. I'm curious, Queen Frigga. On my earlier official visit to Asgard, when I accompanied my husband, I recall that I had the pleasure of seeing only one of your young sons."
Frigga's breath hitched in her chest, but only for a second. There had been no question, and she would make no answer, a lesson learned long ago from Odin, on how to avoid being baited.
"I was assuming that on this fine occasion I would see both of them. Speak to both of them. I have already met the younger boy, of course, on Jotunheim. But I have not had…the pleasure, of greeting your firstborn who now rules."
"They will both be here, of course," she said, feeling safer to speak now. "Thor was called away, and Loki is also attending to other business at the moment. They'll arrive soon. And Thor is looking forward to greeting you as well, Your Majesty. I don't wish to speak for him, but I know that he also considers your visit here an important opportunity."
"Asgard has suddenly taken a fancy to the idea of intangible opportunities, it seems. Jotunheim concerns itself with more practical matters. For example…I confess this is somewhat awkward, but…" Farbauti bent at the knee and leaned forward, bringing her face close enough to Frigga's that she could feel the cold; Bragi stepped away discreetly and Frigga couldn't help but stiffen. "Your younger son's name is under a ban on Jotunheim. We refer to him there as 'Lie-Bringer.' Perhaps he told you? But I trust you can see my problem. At the signing of the peace treaty, which he himself is to sign…I fear it would not be appropriate to refer to him as such. Perhaps…he has some other name I could call him?"
Frigga's smile was still firmly in place, but with few others able to see it now, it grew as frosty as Farbauti's skin. "He has no other name but Loki Odinson. And in fact, I do not see a problem. You are not on Jotunheim."
Farbauti straightened up, exhaling loudly, and Frigga wondered if the expression she wore was one of surprise. Her interpretation of body language was well-honed, but of the Jotuns she knew far too little to judge. "I never knew how clever you were, Queen Frigga. But then, I'm sure there are many things I've never known about you. Your entire family, in fact." Frigga saw a glance go over her head. "You make a point worth considering."
Farbauti's attention again went past Frigga, so Frigga turned then and saw Thor approaching. Loki was right. She will eat him alive, she thought, on edge from her own encounter with the Jotun queen. Thor did not know how to play the kinds of games Farbauti played, or how to keep his temper in check when pushed. She reminded herself, then, that he had matured into his role, and had perhaps gained at least some experience that would serve him well with her. Still, she thought, making eye contact with Bragi and signaling him over with a quick glance toward Farbauti, she would do everything she could to ensure Thor was never left alone with her, including in public. No matter how much he had learned, he still wore his emotions too openly, making it far too easy for someone like Farbauti to exploit them.
"Thor, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Queen Farbauti of Jotunheim. Queen Farbauti, it is equally my pleasure to introduce you to King Thor of Asgard. And now, if you will forgive me, I will leave you to your greetings while I see to our other honored guests."
Frigga took her leave with relief, and, deliberately taking a path behind Farbauti, caught Bragi's eye again and mouthed "stay."
"King Thor," Farbauti said. "It does not roll from the tongue so well. Perhaps in time it will seem more natural."
"I cannot disagree, Your Majesty. Sometimes when I hear 'Your Majesty' I still don't realize they're speaking to me. But I imagine a period of transition marks every time of change. How does Jotunheim fare?" Thor asked, finding himself relaxing from the nervousness he'd approached her with. Perhaps she was trying to challenge him a bit, with her reference to his title, but that little jab from her was nothing compared to the constant abuse and insults from every other Frost Giant he'd ever met, and besides, it was true. His blood still hummed in the way it usually did before battle – this was still his lifelong enemy, standing here on his realm, looking down at him – but he knew how to control that hum now.
"Ask again in a month. Or perhaps two. Chaos takes little time to create. Returning a realm to order so that it can recover from the devastation inflicted on it takes much more."
"I can see that that is true," Thor soberly agreed. "From the taste of it we've had here…it will take time."
"Hm."
An awkward silence followed; Thor wondered if he'd made a misstep, if Farbauti didn't appreciate him drawing a parallel between the destruction wrought on Asgard and the deeper level of it wrought on Jotunheim. He couldn't help studying her face in the meantime, searching for some resemblance to Loki in his other form, now that he'd had more of a chance to see Loki's other form, and he thought maybe there was something in the mark on her forehead, and the shape of her cheekbones. He found himself more fascinated by the idea of this being Loki's blood relative, here with Farbauti, than he had with the brothers, perhaps because of the difference in circumstance, perhaps because Farbauti wasn't informing him of the various ways she would like to kill him. He was about to ask another question when Farbauti spoke again.
"You came to my realm to make war, not so long ago."
Thor's head drew back at the abrupt change in the tenor of Farbauti's words.
"Why? What kind of king does that make you?"
"Your Majesty, I'm-"
"No, Bragi, that's all right," Thor interrupted before attempting to answer. "I was angry. Impetuous. And I did not appreciate the consequences of my actions. I do now…and I will not make the same mistake again. Now that I am king, and now that-" Thor paused, took a breath, started over. "I would seek to reestablish relations between Asgard and Jotunheim. To establish a new era of true peace between our two realms, not only the absence of war. And I hope that you would consider pursuing such a path as well. I know you have little reason to trust my word right now, but in time, I hope to prove that you can. Surely we can both benefit from knowing something more of each other than war."
"You think so? I'm less confident. Jotunheim needs more food. More good land. More good ice. Knowledge of Aesir seems…somewhat less important. But we may consider discussing this further, in time. You comported yourself better on your most recent visit to Jotunheim than the prior one, from all accounts, this despite continual provocation, which…I cannot apologize for. You understand, I do hope. We were at war then."
"I do understand, Your Majesty," Thor said, tensed muscles relaxing again. "I'm not unfamiliar with provocation. Perhaps with peace we can find a way to communicate without it."
"You're right. I don't trust your word. Not that you don't mean what you say; I believe that you do. Whether you will still say the same next month, that is another question."
Thor couldn't help a moment's distraction; the memory did not fully surface but he was certain Loki had said something quite similar to him recently. "My view on this will not change, Your Majesty. Return in a month and ask me again. You will hear the same."
"Return in a month? I am busy, and Asgard is far from my chief concern. Still, I will at least take it into consideration."
"Consideration is all I can ask, at the moment," Thor said with a smile he hoped hid his grimace. He did want to broach another meeting, a real meeting, but his remark had been offhand, not meant as an invitation specifically and solely for Farbauti.
"I would be happy to assist in coordinating a visit, Your Maejsty," Bragi put in, aware of the boot Thor had just shoved in his own mouth, Thor assumed. "If you could also consider designating an ambassador, we could hold some initial consultations."
"An ambassador," Farbauti repeated, before dragging in a breath and making a sound that Thor thought if he'd heard from an Aesir, he would fear that Aesir was dying. "We had no peace, no trust, and no ambassador between our two realms since before you were born, young King. You think you can change what flows in the blood of Jotun and Aesir alike?"
"I don't know. But we're talking, aren't we? That also hasn't been done in my lifetime, not like this. I feel a burden to try. And I hope I won't be alone in that."
Farbauti's gaze again examined him as though she was inspecting an object. "You're not what I expected, I'll give you that. You were so small when I saw you last. You're still small…but much bigger than you were. Still, I'm not going to hold my breath. I didn't come here for fanciful dreams. I came for a purpose. Two of them, actually. First, I want to formally apologize for the emptying of your rivers. That act was carried out by a rogue element of Jotuns whose leader has now been dealt with. Neither I nor my sons approved it. Know that if I had sent warriors to you, they would not have snuck about trying to make your children suffer hunger."
Having soaked up stories in his boyhood and beyond of Frost Giants kidnapping, killing, even eating Aesir children, Thor couldn't help his brief reaction of surprise, and unfortunately, Farbauti noticed.
"I see it is less that Jotunheim needs knowledge of Aesir than that Asgard needs knowledge of Jotuns. Few of my people would approve of what that small group did, even fewer if they stopped to consider the consequences. No, if I had sent warriors to you, they would have looked your warriors in the eye and killed them directly."
"I…understand," Thor managed to get out, trying to regain his footing in the conversation. Farbauti, actually, had helped, because while her final words were blunt, they were words that Thor understood, even if they made his blood hum all the more. "Your apology is accepted, of course. Though I hope there will be no more killing between us, either, whether direct or indirect." Farbauti of course probably didn't know that Thor himself had killed those Jotuns; he'd left none of them alive to report back what had happened, and Brokk had fled, perhaps making a report to Dirnolek but almost certainly not to Farbauti or her sons.
"On Jotunheim we find idle hope to be a waste of energy."
"I don't intend for it to be idle. You said there were two reasons you wanted to come to Asgard?"
"Yes. But for the second…I need to speak to the prince."
"The…ah…," Thor stammered, glancing around him for the first time since he'd arrived and spotted Farbauti. Everyone, it seemed, was present, even Jane, which meant it was almost time for the ceremony to begin. Loki was speaking with the delegation from Nidavellir. "I see that he's with other guests at the moment, and we'll be beginning shortly. Perhaps you could speak with me about it, on his behalf."
"I can speak with him afterward."
"Afterward there'll be little time. It might be better if I pass along a message."
Farbauti smiled, a recognizable smile, or at least Thor would have called it that on any of the other races of the Nine Realms. On her there was something about it that looked oddly off. "Which are you, I wonder? Protective? Or controlling?"
"I…it's not my intent to be either, Your Majesty. I'm simply pointing to the tight schedule."
"I will speak to him afterward. Now, Lord Bragi, since we have so little time as His Majesty points out, perhaps you could direct me toward the cooler area you mentioned. The sun here is harsh."
"Right this way, Your Majesty," Bragi promptly responded, leading Farbauti away.
In their wake Thor inhaled deeply, breath stuttering a bit on the exhale. He felt as though he would like to sit. Sit, or perhaps spar. Not stand here stoically before all these dignitaries feeling as though he was play-acting at king. He wasn't sure how it had gone, really, this largely unplanned meeting with Farbauti, but it didn't seem to have gone badly. He would have to ask Bragi his opinion later. But he was tired from it, from trying to keep up with the Jotun queen who he suspected could do this all day and never tire. His parents, too, had skills he clearly did not; his father, now speaking with one of the Fire Giants, had met her upon her arrival and seemed entirely unaffected by her, and his mother hadn't looked drained by her time with the Jotun queen, either. He was disappointed he hadn't been able to sway her from seeking out Loki; he'd hoped to shield his brother from that. It worried him, this unspoken thing Farbauti wanted to talk to Loki about, but he knew his father had extracted an oath from her that she would not reveal Loki's secret. Whether Farbauti would honor that oath was another matter, of course. That most Jotuns would not intentionally harm others' children – according to Farbauti – shed no light on this Jotun's sense of honor. With a taste of bitterness he reminded himself that she had left her own child, his brother, to starve.
He had a treaty-signing to deal with, though, and as much as he might wish for a break, getting this over with would lift an enormous weight from his shoulders. And, he supposed, confidence returning as Bragi called for the attention of the gathered, in at least one measure he had to consider that encounter a success. He had just had his first true conversation with a Frost Giant in his entire life, and not a single drop of blood had been spilled.
/
/
Jolgeir escorted Jane to the area of the garden where she would observe the ceremony, along with a couple of uniformed Einherjar and several Asgardian officials. He had also escorted her from her chambers and kept her company before the time came for her to appear, not too soon, and not near the royal family, to avoid any complications – danger, she understood – of Farbauti taking particular notice of her. She had learned, while waiting with Jolgeir, that the Jotun representative would indeed be Farbauti.
And though she felt guilty for it, she was curious.
Recognizing her wasn't difficult.
Jane's eyes had sought that particular deep shade of blue as she rounded a bend through the hedges and a loosely gathered group of people that reminded her of a combined costume party and aristocratic tea party came into view. Farbauti and Thor were in a serious-looking conversation, Farbauti looking down on him from above, around eight feet tall, she thought. Yeah, the Frost Giants were tall. Jane wasn't at a good angle to see her face, unfortunately; she'd wondered if Farbauti bore a strong likeness to Loki in his other form, and possibly even in his Aesir form, if you knew to look for it. As for the "scantily-clad" bit, Farbauti didn't fit the bill, which was maybe just a stereotype, anyway; Loki probably wasn't the most reliable source of information when it came to anything about Jotunheim that might have a value judgement attached to it. She wore a light cloak of solid white, clasped about her neck, and for all Loki's talk of hair, the cloak's oversized hood draped in elegant waves loosely over her head and shoulders, giving no hint of what might be beneath it.
"That's her, Queen Farbauti," Jolgeir whispered, startling Jane out of her stare.
She nodded, and decided staring probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. "Does she look how you remember her?" Jolgeir had already told her that he'd seen her just once before, like Frigga, at the ten-year anniversary of the truce.
"I can't say. It was long ago. I know she wasn't wearing all that before. We were indoors then, inside the palace. I imagine she's not fond of our sun. I heard the ceremony was planned for the Hedge Garden to make the Fire Giants more comfortable."
She hadn't thought about it before, but wearing white and thus reflecting as much sunlight as possible was probably just a matter of practicality if you were a "Frost Giant" attending an outdoor event with guaranteed full sun in the middle of the afternoon.
"But to tell you the truth, they all look mostly the same to me, though she's the only one of their females I've ever seen."
Her back stiffened. Jolgeir was among the friendliest, kindest people she'd ever met, and even Loki spoke highly of him, in Loki-terms. Yet he, too, apparently bore prejudice against the Jotuns. Loki had said everyone on Asgard hated them, but it saddened her to think of Jolgeir being among that group. She supposed she shouldn't judge. For all she knew, the Jotuns did all look alike. Instinctively, though, she was certain it wasn't true. She could see some of Loki's same features in both of his faces, and she couldn't imagine that all Jotuns also had those seem features.
She saw Loki emerging directly from the palace then, looking more like royalty than she'd ever seen him, at least of the Asgardian sort, all decked out in blindingly shiny gold and a horned helmet that looked a little different from the other one she'd seen him wear. His eyes immediately land on Farbauti, and he promptly turned off to his right and engaged in conversation the first person he reached. A Fire Giant, clearly, even without Loki's description last night. Growing distracted, Jane shook her head minutely in disbelief. When did this become my life? "Um…did you fight in the Ice War?"
"In the later battles. When they needed reinforcements. I was already serving as one of the Palace Einherjar then. But I fought in the last battle on Midgard, and then on Jotunheim."
"What do you think of Farbauti coming here?"
Unexpectedly, Jolgeir visibly tensed, and glanced around him. "I…I'm not used to voicing opinions on such things, my lady. It is not an Einherjar's place. I will say, though, that I prefer peace to war."
"You would think everyone would."
"You would."
They fell into silence, and Jane began to look more closely at the motley collection of people chatting and milling about. She found Frigga speaking to a man and woman with elongated ears and the same bronzed skin tone as Nadrith. From time to time, though, Frigga glanced Farbauti's way. Odin she found talking with a man in a floor-length brown robe, showing no noticeable interest in the Jotun queen at all. Loki, now talking with all three of the Fire Giants present, stood with his back fully turned to Farbauti.
An older man at Farbauti's side led her away then. The white cloak parted for Farbauti's strides, and her legs, what Jane could see of them, were bare but for the wrapped and tied leather of her boots that went halfway up her calves. A moment later she took a drink the man obtained from a servant, and the movement of her arms caused the sides of the cloak to open more fully. She wore light tan leather snugly over her breasts, and a very short skirt-like leather wrap low on her hips. Mentally, she gave Loki a point back on the Jotun dress code; he might be unreliable when it came to them, but he wasn't wrong about everything, either.
She looked toward Loki again, but found Nadrith headed her way instead.
"Lady Jane. It's a fine day indeed when I again meet my best student."
Strange, Jane thought, when you were happy for another familiar face and that face had long pointed ears poking out through his brown hair. "Anybody listening would think you're trying to flatter me, but I know I'm also your only student, Your Majesty."
"Ah, don't go revealing my secrets, Lady Jane."
Nadrith's smile was perfectly friendly, but Jane's faltered a little – there were too many secrets here right now.
"Can I expect you to be the first Midgardian to visit Alfheim?"
"Um," Jane said, swallowing and trying to get a hold of herself, "I don't, uh-"
"I assure you I mean nothing impertinent. Loki was just asking me a little earlier about coming to Alfheim soon, and staying for a while. I thought perhaps you and King Thor might also care to visit at some point. You can see the canopies in person. Speak with the real experts. For a friend of Thor and Loki, and such a fine student, I would be happy to arrange it."
"Oh, well…it's a great idea. Thank you. I hope someday the timing will work," she said, finishing quickly since the old man who'd been with Thor and Farbauti was now calling for everyone's attention. Nadrith flashed her a smile – she couldn't help thinking it was the same smile she'd seen on many a politician's face instead of the one she'd seen when they were alone – and excused himself, heading over to the pair Frigga had been talking to earlier.
"If everyone would take their positions, please, it's time to begin."
/
Responses to guest reviewers: "Star": Thanks! And also for the "typo" point-out, missing "not's" are the WORST! (I skip words a lot when I type.) I fixed it. Also, yeah. Everybody needs a "Jane" is his or her corner. :-) / "cambriesules": Thanks, and glad to hear it's stood up to rereading. Thanks so much for all your kind words. (Though you don't want this on your bookshelf, it would break it, ha.) I really really want to write the whole Baldur story, "Eighteen," and I do intend to. Angstapalooza, ha. LOL, the steamy makeout session, I do my best to keep these characters too busy for such things, ha. So glad you're enjoying it so much. / "ladymouse2": That Line. :-) In everyone else's defense, Jane is also the only one in the room who has no responsibility for Asgard or for "interrealm" peace, so for her the perspective is just much simpler and clearer, her only concern is for Loki. And he's not used to being someone's only concern when politics is at play. It's quite a meaningful moment for him. "...he'll probably RUST," I got quite the chuckle out of that! :-) Ooooh, and the "stake of mistletoe," wow! Yes, that's what that moment was meant to be, a flash of "old times," when Odin says it will be Thor's responsibility, not Loki's, an instant of long-ingrained instinct. Thor *is* badly out of his depth, and you're so right about that pot. Something did happen when Loki was 3 (a tale to be told in "Any Other Child," if I ever write it). Unrelated to what happened when he was 5, yes, when Odin took him to the vault for contact with the Casket and later cried over causing him pain. What happened at age 3 is related to some of Loki's development in his first couple of decades. What happened at age 5, well, I suppose changed the course of his life, again, though by that point I'd say it was maybe almost a fait accompli that Loki wasn't going to be raised to rule Jotunheim. None of this is *directly* related to Baldur's death (etc.), but all things go together to make a life, so who knows? Love what you said about Odin's solitary and shamed tears. And, well...hope springs eternal? :-) (I never get sick of seeing your name pop up, ha. I enjoy reading your reactions!) / "Laura": Frigga is offended and angered to the depths of her soul that a mother could willingly abandon her child to die, and then to speak words that hurt Loki now? Grrr. Ha, yes, Loki could probably teach the Laufeysons a thing or two...but he wouldn't be interested in doing so right now, nor would they be willing to listen. / Guest (Oct. 15): That Line. Yeah. :-) She is indeed a rock to him. Based on who was standing where, Thor & Odin were not well positioned to see Loki's face. Frigga was. She isn't a mind-reader, but she's observant, and she knows at least that what Jane said meant a *lot* to Loki. Jane as "the Indiana Jones of space and time," what a lovely idea! Re Jane telling Frigga about the "real mother" comment, Loki didn't mention the comment but she did know his feelings already, the more significant part of that were her was that Farbauti would say such a cruel thing to Loki, to Frigga it's beyond the pale and her heart breaks that Loki had to listen to that. Thanks for what you said about the characters. They are all meant to have their own motivations, feelings, attitudes, complexities. I love writing Farbauti especially for this reason. Her feelings toward Loki are *infinitely* complex, and you're right, she has both political and emotional reasons for wanting to be there. Thanks for sharing your reactions and never apologize for a long review. :-) / "BreakingMyHeart": Um, um, um, LOL! I'm picturing Loki's reaction to that comment. :-) The trust they've built is pretty extraordinary given the circumstances. / "Glitter Queen": YES, I agree, perception of the passage of time would be a huge shift. Here's another angle to consider. In the last, what, 200 years maybe, the average lifespan in the developed world has pretty much doubled I think. And female life expectancy today in Japan is 86.4, in Sierra Leone 50.8 (per Wikipedia). Even things like that are a significant difference...much less 5,000!
BTW, I have up two more stories now, both short stories, mostly-but-not-quite done. They're both pretty different from this one (so may or may not appeal to you), and have nothing to do with it or any other of my stories. They are "Jane" and "Playground."
Previews for Ch. 194 "Treaty": Gather 'round. It's treaty-signing time.
Excerpt:
"Your Majesty," Odin said the instant he reached Loki's side, perhaps even the instant before. "Would you do me the honor of permitting me to escort you to the Tesseract? You must be quite uncomfortable here in this heat."
"Me? I think I'm one of the least uncomfortable people here. And I'm also not quite ready to go."