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Beneath

Chapter Two Hundred Nineteen – Rule

Thor woke with a lurch, in the middle of a dream that was already fading from his mind and with the certainty that he was supposed to be somewhere. His first thought was that while he'd been sleeping soundly in luxury, Asgard's warriors were out fighting – dying – without him. A remnant of his dream, it had to have been, he realized as his sleep-addled mind cleared.

The feeling didn't go away, though.

Perhaps, he thought as he took stock of the day to come and the days and months leading up to it, he simply didn't know what to do with a day that held nothing urgent. Important, yes. His meeting with Tony Stark was critically so, but although he fully intended to honor the spirit of immediacy of Loki's pronouncement over Geirmund by going to New York today, there was not yet a set time for it, and if for some reason it couldn't happen today, there was no harm in it happening tomorrow, or the next day. No one was attacking Asgard. No desperate plays to bring the war to an end. No enemies to track down and capture, no treaties to sign, no Jotuns to be on guard against, no pronouncements, no hastily-arranged trials for his dearest friends.

Still sitting up in bed, he took stock of his surroundings. Peaceful. Quiet. Lonely, just as his mother had said last night. Frigga had probably not been referring to Jane's absence, but he felt it keenly now. She had been here for such a short period of time, and now she was already gone.

Loki, too. He'd missed his brother deeply, and Loki had returned for not even a week before leaving again, now on Alfheim establishing a new life for himself. So many things he wished to be able to share and discuss with Loki, even if he limited it to things Loki might possibly not object to. Reminiscing about Baldur was now high on that list; the last time – the only time – he and Loki had done so, long ago, was a fond memory. Brought up in the right way, at the right time, perhaps Loki might be willing to do so again.

His other closest friends were waking from their first night in prison, if they'd managed to fall sleep there in the first place.

Lonely indeed.

Staying in bed all day wouldn't change that, so Thor got up, and threw open the heavy drapes dampening the morning sun. He ordered a simple breakfast, dressed, ate – and drank a glass of orange juice courtesy of Loki – then headed to the throne room. The treaties were signed and the fugitives captured, but there was still much to be done.

When he arrived, some forty or fifty people were already gathered in small groups near the throne, including, in the largest group, his father. The sight gave Thor pause, literally, his pace slowing as he approached. He could curse Loki for putting these thoughts in his head, these doubts about his position, what his father really thought of his rule, who that throne really belonged to. Such thoughts were unfair, of course. Some of those ideas had been prompted by Loki. Others he'd come to all on his own, a result of the rude awakening of his banishment to Midgard. He glanced up at the throne; the last person to sit on it was Loki. He would have laughed were it not for the somber faces around him.

"Good morning," Vafri said as Thor joined the group his father was in, along with Domari, Krusa, Isolfur, Bragi, and a few senior clerks.

"Ah, there you are!" Bragi said with a broad smile. "I was just beginning to wonder if we should send someone to wake you. No matter, you've made it, and with a little time to spare. It reminds me, though, the protocol staff need to sit down with you soon so we know your preferences and can establish procedures. Today, in fact, if your schedule permits. I'll inform them to be prepared to meet with you, whether today, or the coming days. Today may not be ideal, if you're planning to go to Midgard, too."

"I…yes. Tomorrow may be better." Thor glanced around at the others. It was as though he'd slept a week instead of one night while life on Asgard continued without him, and no one was filling him in on what he'd missed. The clerks then started peeling off; he caught the end of a gesture from his father sending them away.

"Assembly is due to begin in half an hour," Odin said once the clerks had scattered.

The confusion lasted only a couple of seconds. "I knew I was forgetting something."

"The protocol office can deliver your schedule to you each evening so you can prepare accordingly."

He nodded. His father had never been without work in the evening, or in the morning. Odin had probably never simply turned out the light and gone to bed, or risen and strolled down to the throne room, as he had just done. The thought of ending every night that way, beginning every day that way…it was smothering. "I'll speak to them about it," he said with a sober nod he hoped did not betray his inner turmoil. There was no time for it now, anyway. While it was usually true that a king was never late, a public Assembly in which the public had been specifically invited to participate, when much of that public had a great deal of recovery work ahead of it, should probably begin at the scheduled time. It had been his idea to invite direct questions, and he'd forgotten about it entirely.

He realized then that Isolfur had been saying something and he'd missed it. "Sorry?"

"I said we can't blame you for forgetting, with everything else going on."

"Thank you," Thor said, though he couldn't help thinking that his father hadn't forgotten. Odin had surely reviewed his schedule before going to bed and as soon as he'd risen, exactly like always. With effort, he turned his attention back to the day ahead. "Is there anything I should know in advance? Or anything I need to know that should not be discussed in public Assembly?"

"Finnulfur had hoped to speak with you," Bragi said. "As had I, in fact. I think we still have time."

"All right. Let's do it now. Someone send for Jolgeir, too. I want him to go to New York to arrange for my meeting with Tony Stark later today."

Krusa stepped away to inform a clerk to take care of it, and Thor headed to his office with Bragi, somewhat surprised that Odin made no move to join them.

"Things look to be back in order here," Bragi said as they entered.

The desk had been replaced and the rest of the furniture returned overnight, and if the items on the desk weren't exactly as they had been, Thor didn't care. He had never taken the time to adjust the space to his preferences; he didn't even particularly have preferences when it came to offices. Perhaps he shouldn't even be using this office. But it was the king's office, the king's desk, so should he really be using any office other than this one? Thor had the sense that the day was off to a terrible start even though nothing so terrible had happened, and now he didn't even have Jane's company to look forward to later in the day. That thought, though, sparked an idea, and he sprang up from the chair he'd just sat down in and hurried to the door to signal to the nearest person. Soon he would be holding a steaming tankard of coffee.

"How fares Asgard, Bragi?"

Bragi's eyes flared, lips puckering in an exaggerated reaction as he shifted and settled in his chair. "Asgard survives and is recovering its strength. You'll get a more detailed answer than that in Assembly."

"I mean following yesterday's events."

"Ah. I don't suppose I'm well-equipped to speak for many others on that. I can tell you Edny has shed tears. It was a long time ago, but something like this makes it all fresh again. She was disappointed to learn Loki had already left Asgard. She wanted to speak with him."

Thor nodded. "I wish he had stayed long enough for that. It probably would have been good for him."

"And there will be questions. Olof and her family came over yesterday evening, before the pronouncement. She wanted to know if we were allowed to speak of him in public now. Halma didn't even know he existed, and she was full of questions."

"How is that possible?" Thor asked, drawing his head back. Halma, Bragi's granddaughter, was still shy of a hundred years old, born long after Baldur's death, but still, to not know he'd ever even lived seemed unimaginable.

"We didn't speak of him," Bragi answered with a shrug. "Her parents didn't. Her teachers didn't. Stories go around, of course. Someone mentions 'the two sons of Odin' and someone else whispers there were once three. I've observed it happening a couple of times myself, when the young people involved don't realize anyone else is in earshot. Everyone must find out eventually. Halma's a quiet thing. Happiest in the company of a book, sticks with one closest friend, doesn't go out much…she's probably the last to hear about everything. She told me when she read the register yesterday she first thought someone had composed that story as a mead-fueled jest and managed to sneak it in."

It was as surreal as anything else he'd heard lately. He'd never given thought to what those born after Baldur's death knew or didn't know, though he'd never assumed they wouldn't even know the simple fact of Baldur's existence. Surreal and sad. Unfair. Like everything else surrounding Baldur's death. "They can talk about him," he said. "They should. And tell Halma that when things settle down a little further, she can ask me about him, if she wants. I think…that might be good for me. Or get the whole family together, if you'd rather. When's the last time you had me over for dinner, Bragi?"

"A good century or so?" Bragi said with a laugh. "It's a fine idea, though. Edny and I, and the rest of us, we'd be honored. In the meantime…much as I prefer to ignore it, the clock does continue its counting."

Thor drew in a sharp breath. He'd forgotten. With no one attacking, with Jane and Loki both gone, it was too easy to let himself drift through the day. But an Assembly before a busy people was due to begin in less than half an hour now. "Go ahead."

"I'll report on the status of the various ambassadors in Assembly, but one detail I thought was more appropriately mentioned in private. Livondra is anxious to meet with you. And she's going to be disappointed that it didn't happen yesterday."

"Yesterday was impossible."

"I know. But she brought a gift for Lady Jane with her. A selection of Alfheim's finest teas, from King Nadrith himself. She had hoped to personally deliver them to Lady Jane."

"Why would Alfheim's ambassador…." It sounded absurd until he remembered what Loki had told him last night. "Nadrith is trying to protect himself. He's trying to curry favor," he said, then relayed the tale about Nadrith's requirement for Loki's visit.

"Nadrith and Gullveig are the two biggest losers from this war, in terms of their public standing. I suppose we know Nadrith's chosen tactic to try to regain ground."

"I don't like that he's using Jane as part of a tactic. He'll be sorely disappointed to learn she's already returned to Midgard and I won't see her again for several months." In this, at least, Thor could sympathize.

"So your father told me. That she had returned, at least."

"It would be disruptive to her work and to the others who live there in isolation for her to come and go."

"You must be disappointed, too."

"Yes," Thor said, but then mustered a smile. "For her, though, I'm happy. It's a great honor that she was offered the opportunity to work where she does for these months."

"Then of course she must embrace it. We should all be so fortunate, to be able to serve in places of great honor. To be able to look back with satisfaction, and, dare I say, pride, in our contributions, be they great or small."

"Yours are great, Bragi. Loki got Asgard out of this war without capitulation almost single-handedly, but without you, I fear we would have already collapsed by the time he became involved. Who else knows the conduct of both war and peace so well? And you have a certain…pragmatism, that does not always come naturally to me."

Bragi chuckled. "You refer to those we dispersed to other realms in secret?"

"And other things," Thor said with a nod. He would never think of that plan without also thinking of the loss of Jormik, though, and could not share Bragi's humor. "Have they all returned to Asgard yet?"

"Only a few of them. We have to take care, we still don't want to expose them. We'll bring them back slowly, over the coming months."

"I would like to meet with them. Express my appreciation. They should be rewarded somehow."

"They volunteered. They did what they did for Asgard, and that was its own reward. But yes, I agree, though again it must be kept quiet, for their safety, to preserve their good names from those who may be less pragmatic about what they did. A word from you would mean a great deal to them, I'm certain. And perhaps they could be financially compensated. Most of them gave up employment to do this, and they were not put on an official payroll."

"Yes, of course."

"I'll prepare a proposal for your consideration. And in the meantime, speaking of honorable service…there's one more thing I wanted to bring to your attention."

"Go ahead." Thor resisted checking the clock built into the desk.

"I have been honored to fight for Asgard, to compose verse that it seems will outlive me, and to advise two kings. I'm not sure anyone has ever been so fortunate. But there comes a time when—"

"No. Bragi, no. Finnulfur tried to quit last night, now you? I've been told more than once, 'you are not on your own, you have your advisors.' One is soon to be banished from Asgard forever, another says he wants to leave, my friends are in prison, my brother on Alfheim…not you, too, Bragi."

"I didn't mean right this instant. And I promise I'll remain on Asgard. As long as my heart beats, you can always come to me with questions. But I'm slowing down, Your Majesty. I felt every one of my years during this war. I believe it's traditional, regardless. Your father and I have known each other all our lives. Many of us on the Assembly are of a similar age. When a new king comes to the throne, after his own period of transition, he must find a balance between the experience of the aged and the energy and fresh eyes of the young. Your father went through the same. Believe it or not, I was once a part of the energetic fresh-eyed young. Finnulfur and I won't be only ones raising this."

"I talked Finnulfur out of it."

"I haven't spoken to Finnulfur, but knowing him, his reasons were not due to age, but rather to the revelation of the mistaken judgement in Loki's trial. That man may act with the speed of one whose boat is already about to be lit, but he could run laps around me and somehow he wakes every morning with fresh eyes. I can only speak for myself, though, and I am your official negotiator. You will not talk me out of anything I do not wish to be talked out of. And I am ready for retirement, Your Majesty."

Thor sat back, hand over his mouth, but only for a moment. "I'm not only a new king, I'm king of a realm in uncharted waters. If you had asked me only a couple of years ago, I would have said I had no concerns about Asgard's relations with any of the other realms. Midgard is an irrelevant backwater, Jotunheim the home of savages trapped on their own world, our relations with each of the other realms is entirely harmonious, and I will always be able to count on my good friend Nadrith. Every single one of those has been turned on its head. Midgard is home to allies, and ones we must not take for granted. Jotunheim…I have no intention of ignoring them for another thousand years as no more to us than mindless enemies. Even if I wanted to, after seven hundred and fifty we won't be able to ignore them, and we can't wait until then to try to improve relations. All the rest…Bragi, I need you."

"You shall have me. But not forever. One way or another, you'll have to approve a replacement, and long before the Frost Giants regain full use of their Casket."

"We're going to call them Jotuns from here on, as they refer to themselves."

"Hm. You see? If you want to accomplish that, you'll be better served by those younger, fresher eyes."

That was worth considering. Those of Odin's age were, perhaps, too set in their ways to make such a change. And they would be gone by the time the Jotuns could travel freely again. On the other hand…were those his own age – or of any age – any less set in their ways regarding Jotunheim? Those his age and younger hadn't fought them in the Ice War, but they'd grown up steeped in those stories, told by those who had fought. "Do you think it impossible? That we could establish peaceful relations with them? Diplomatic agreements? Trade? That they could occupy chambers in the Ambassadorial Estates?" Thor stopped, because Bragi had a hand out and was shaking his head.

"You know," he said after a moment, "I was about to say it would be difficult, but not impossible. That was when I thought you were only referring to what we call them."

"Then you do think it impossible."

"Frost Giants sleeping on Asgard…," Bragi said, voice drifting off, eyes losing focus for a few long seconds. "I find it unfathomable."

"Jotuns."

"Jotuns, yes. What you said to Farbauti at the signing, then...making peace, knowing more of each other than war…. You were serious?"

"Of course I was," Thor said, surprised and a little offended. "You thought I was lying to her?"

"No, no," Bragi said, hand out again, this time to placate. "Not lying. Speaking…broadly. Politely."

"Bragi, you're the one who brought up ambassadors."

"I didn't imagine she would have any interest in actually sending one, much less accepting an Asgardian ambassador on Jotunheim. I was merely trying to pull the reins in a bit on how quickly she seemed to latch on to the idea of a return visit to Asgard."

Thor sighed in disappointment. "Right. I had forgotten about that."

"Your Majesty, it is not mine to determine policy, neither to determine what is possible. As long as I remain your diplomatic advisor, I will do everything in my power to see that your aims are achieved. To be blunt, though, vision matters. Forging a path when you cannot envision where it's meant to lead…in my experience that does not make for a reliable path, whether in war or in peace. I do not dismiss it, not when you ask me to consider it. It would require much thought, much planning. But who could have imagined even six months ago that we would have been at war with Vanaheim? And the Dark and Light Elves, they once would as soon have slit each other's throats as forge an alliance together. If that can happen…perhaps Asgardian and Jotun can sit down together in peace someday, too. You certainly can't meet Farbauti and believe the Frost— the Jotuns are mindless beasts."

"No," Thor said, the pressed his lips together against speaking aloud his thoughts as they came to him, that Farbauti was as sharp-minded and sharp-tongued as Loki. That Loki himself was the first and clearest piece of evidence that the Jotuns were not mindless beasts, even if some of them seemed to act like it. That reminded him of what Loki had said last night. "I must take care in how this is handled. Loki is, ah, not in agreement with me concerning Jotunheim."

"It isn't his decision. But I don't suppose he would be."

Thor's eyes sharpened.

"He did kill Laufey and attempt to destroy the realm."

"So he did," Thor said with a clipped nod. It had been easy before, keeping this secret. He'd wished he could tell his friends, but knew he could not, and since at the time he'd either just lost his brother or just brought his brother back in chains, no one had felt the need to dig for some deeper cause of his fluctuating and sometimes stormy moods. Now he was going to have to be careful. "I disagree with Loki on this, but his opinion matters to me. And he told me he won't return to Asgard if we have Jotun guests."

"One of many things to be taken into consideration in future discussions, then."

Thor watched carefully for some indication of Bragi's thoughts on the matter, but he saw none. It bothered him briefly, before remembering what his mother had told him, that they might hold back on more personal matters, but would tell him their honest opinions if asked. Bragi, of course, had chosen the wiser path in his frustratingly neutral response, given the limited time available. Which was why Bragi held the position he did. "Allow me to rely on you at least little longer, Bragi. Can we put aside talk of retirement for now?"

"I cannot refuse my king. At least not for a little while. Let us not put it aside indefinitely. We can resume discussion of it in, say, two months' time?"

"Two months!"

"Not my departure, only to begin planning for it."

Bragi was right, he wasn't going to be talked into anything he didn't want to do. But planning could take a while. A long while. "All right. Yes. Bragi…I'm sorry. I wouldn't ask if not for the circumstances."

"And I wouldn't agree to delay if not for the circumstances. I understand. I simply wanted you to be aware that this is coming, and soon. Shall I send in Finnulfur now?"

Thor agreed and watched Bragi go with trepidation. It wasn't just Bragi, because it was true that many of his advisors were of great age. Was he about to lose half or more of the Assembly? People with centuries and even millennia of experience, people his mother assured him he could trust? To be replaced with people Thor knew barely if at all…like Geirmund?

Ahead of Finnulfur a servant entered with a silver tray she placed on Thor's desk, and from which she took the pitcher and filled a tankard for him. Finnulfur declined the offer to bring another tankard and remained standing while Thor took a testing sip. The older man held a folded piece of stitched faded leather, likely meant to hold documents although it appeared to be empty.

"I won't be long, Your Majesty. I bring you two matters, neither of which should take much time."

"You aren't retiring."

"Ah…no, that wasn't one of them."

Thor frowned. "Sorry. Go ahead." He took a long pull of the coffee and swallowed down the bitter richness that warmed his belly so differently from mead. It was a shame he had no one to share it with.

"First, I have been remiss in not providing you with this. It is, per royal instruction, given to the king two weeks after he has ascended to the throne. Under the circumstances…I decided that if it could wait two weeks, it could wait longer. Its contents are strictly confidential. I have no knowledge of them, as only the king may read them. Transferring them to you will be the work of but a moment. If I may?"

"Of course, yes, but…what contents?" Thor asked, opening the folded leather Finnulfur handed him, turning it over and around, finding no paper and no writing of any kind.

"If you will simply place your hand inside, yes, precisely, and then I'll place mine outside."

Thor did as Finnulfur showed him, and the space around his hand shifted and buzzed in the uncomfortable way that magic sometimes did. The empty leather binding rose, pushing his hand up and Finnulfur's with it, and when Finnulfur removed his hand and gave him a nod indicating he could do the same, he cringed at the peculiar crawling sensation of pages forming around his hand as it withdrew.

"What is—?" "A sealed book…passed only from king to king…." He stared down at the book in both awe and wariness. The story of Gatekeeper Glodir. What really caused the Upheaval that reshaped and even repositioned Asgard. The full power of Yggdrasil, that must never again be exploited.

"When you're ready to read it, press your hand to the front as I did and it will open for you – you'll find that it's sealed otherwise. Once open, its words will be visible to your eyes alone. You may return it to me for safekeeping afterward, or store it yourself, whichever you prefer."

Thor pushed the book with its nondescript leather binding to the side. "The second thing?"

Finnulfur's unusually crisp delivery fell away. What would follow, Thor knew, was not so simple as transferring custody of a book. He wrapped his hands around the tankard and drank, readying himself for more that he didn't want to hear or deal with.

"Late last night, a question occurred to me. It bothered me so much that it kept me from sleep. I consulted what records I could, and when dawn broke, I went to Adis, who consulted his records, and he confirmed my fear."

"What fear?" Thor asked before Finnulfur could continue. What fear could Asgard's First Records Warden possibly confirm?

"Prince Loki's rule is not recorded. The All-Father's reign shows no interruption. Anyone who wished to trace the history of Asgard's rule would find no mention of Loki at all."

"What? Adis ignored his rule, too? His staff? Did all of Asgard believe Loki an illegitimate king?"

"I don't know," Finnulfur said, looking physically pained. "I'm loathe to speculate, but I will point out that such wheels turn slowly on Asgard, and his reign came unexpectedly, in a time of chaos, lasted not even a full three days, and ended…under unusual circumstances. I know now that it is also true that those Loki judged last night were not the only ones who disregarded him as king. I regret that I did not realize that at the time, and that it therefore did not occur to me to intervene. To take some step that would have made his legitimacy clear. It would have been a simple thing."

Thor nodded absently. There were probably dozens of people who could have stepped in and done something to shore up Loki's position on the throne, including his and Loki's own mother, but no one could have known how quickly he would need such support. Or else they believed him a usurper and were unwilling to offer support in the first place. Of course, Loki could have also shored up his position himself, had he not run straight off to Jotunheim with that foolhardy plan of his.

"That gave me an idea."

"Yes? What?" Thor asked, startled back to the present and struggling to remember what Finnulfur had been saying before his thoughts had run off in their own direction.

"I thought I could raise the matter during Assembly, as part of my report. And…assuming you were so inclined, you could order the official Record of Rule to be updated to reflect his tenure as king."

"There's no need to raise it separately. Of course the records must be updated. They must be corrected. It has been ordered as of this moment."

"Forgive my presumption, Your Majesty, but I've already instructed Adis to amend all relevant records."

"Then—. Ah. The public Assembly."

"The public Assembly, yes."

"Finnulfur…I would not have expected you to be so crafty."

"I would not say that I am, Your Majesty. Neither shall I be disingenuous at all. Should anyone inquire why I raise the matter in Assembly, I shall explain that I believe it should be raised in public, so that Asgard's citizens are aware the throne was never occupied unjustly, that this is important for Asgard's stability. And you won't need to feign that you're hearing it for the first time. There need be no craft."

"Of course not." Thor did not know Finnulfur well, not as a friend, but he had never known the man to make public or even private remarks unnecessarily, for show. Unusual times called for unusual measures, perhaps, and this Thor was happy to agree to, and relieved, once he considered it, that he would indeed not have to pretend the matter was first being brought to his attention.

At the same time, he remembered as he regarded Finnulfur's solemn visage, it was Finnulfur's craft – Finnulfur's and his fellow magistrates' – that had kept Loki alive despite the judgement of guilt for a crime that required death. Perhaps he didn't know Finnulfur at all.

He thanked Finnulfur and followed him out, coffee in hand, and was pleased to see Jolgeir waiting near the door. A few minutes later Jolgeir was off to consult with Heimdall on Tony Stark's current circumstances, with instructions to travel to Midgard as soon as was feasible. This meeting could prove somewhat delicate, if Tony shared Jane's concerns, so he preferred to make sure Tony was prepared, with some time set aside free from distraction, when he went to Midgard.

With that he was rushing off to Assembly, hoping the day would keep him too busy to dwell on missing both Loki and Jane.

/


/

When Bragi finally called the Assembly to a close after a quick aside with Thor, over four hours had passed and Thor was in a daze. Citizens were still waiting to ask questions, but the time had run so long that many had come and gone, some returning, some arriving late, and questions began to be repeated. First Records Warden Adis assured those gathered that each question and its answer had been captured and would be included in the register along with any further elucidation. Another opportunity would follow at the next public Assembly, in three days.

Although Thor was watching for it, he could draw no conclusions from the crowd's minimal reaction when Finnulfur raised the issue of Loki's rule being absent from official records. Perhaps they didn't care whether or not Loki had ever been Asgard's rightful king. Perhaps they didn't care that it hadn't been recorded. Perhaps they were too busy worrying about struggles with lost loved ones, lost homes, lost livelihoods, trade disruptions, and ruined land to expend any energy on Loki at the moment. The latter thought had put Thor's own personal difficulties in perspective. He felt both Jane's and Loki's absence strongly, but they were both alive and well. He would see Jane again in a few months, and eventually – probably longer than a few months, perhaps much longer, but eventually – he would see Loki again, too. Many of his people had loved ones they would never meet again in this life.

Plenty of sympathetic looks and bracing smiles came his way, and people seemed eager to come before him and bow before departing, which wasn't required or expected, but Thor had no experience upon which to judge whether it was as unusual as it seemed. He wondered if they felt general sympathy for him, for the enormity of the tasks that lay ahead, or if it was the only way they felt able to express some form of sympathy for what he and his family had gone through the last two days in reliving Baldur's murder. If the latter, he hoped the largest measure of their sympathy was for Loki, and that he was receiving a token of it because Loki wasn't here and he was. Baldur's name was never spoken, nor was Geirmund's. When Krusa needed to speak for something Geirmund had done, he referred to "my staff."

Also weighing on Thor's mind as he acknowledged bows and exchanged a few final words with his departing advisors was that among those who had left partway through the Assembly was his father. He'd been surprised to see Odin sitting there, just behind the rows of the advisors, but as he thought about it he decided he would have been more surprised had Odin not been there. Listening to a heated exchange when Odin rose, he was left to wonder whether his father had exited to visit the facilities, or out of frustration, or some other mysterious reason.

It was only a little past midday and he was exhausted from having done nothing more than sit on his rear. As he finally emerged from the Assembly Chamber, he imagined himself abandoning all of this and meeting his friends for a few rounds of vigorous sparring to energize both his body and mind. His friends who were in prison cells at the moment.

"Jolgeir!" he called, spotting his former First Palace Einherjar in the large open hall outside the Assembly chamber, talking with one of the guards on duty. "Have you been to New York?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Jolgeir said, hurrying over. "Or rather, no, but I have been to see Tony. He was in a place called Bermuda, an island. He said he could meet with you now – that was several hours ago – or any time from five this afternoon, by our clock. He'll be back at his New York residence then."

"What was he doing on this island?"

"Buying a ship. He called it a yacht. He, ah, insisted on taking me out on it. I hope I wasn't wrong to accept. I did first ask Heimdall to bring me back if you were out of Assembly."

"Better to enjoy yourself on Tony's new ship than sit around here waiting. Infinitely better than a four-hour meeting. You didn't mention Geirmund, though, did you?"

"Not a word. But there is something that Tony wanted you to know, if you've not heard it already."

Thor grimaced. Jolgeir's expression was serious; this was not some strange thing Tony had done that Jolgeir wished to share a laugh over. It was another complication. "Go ahead. Or would privacy be better?"

"I don't know. Perhaps?"

Thor ducked back into the Assembly Chamber and told the team of people cleaning it to return later. When he and Jolgeir stepped in, closing the heavy doors behind them, they were alone.

"He asked about the use of the Tesseract at the South Pole – he said he now tracks it – and I told him that Lady Jane had returned there last night, along with Prince Loki, who would be collecting items he'd left behind there. I didn't mean to speak out of turn. That was my understanding of events."

"No," Thor said, relaxing. This was not a complication at all. "You didn't. You've done nothing wrong."

"I'm relieved, but that's not all. He asked how much time Loki needed to pack, since he'd been in Loki's chambers and he knew they contained few belongings. He said he's detected the Tesseract's energy on Midgard only once since yesterday."

Several seconds passed before the implication sank in. "Loki hasn't left Midgard?"

"No. I asked Heimdall about it when I returned; he said that Loki was spending the night there, and planned to depart sometime today. He said he had informed Her Majesty, per Loki's request. Tony didn't know this, of course. He was concerned when he learned that Loki had gone to Midgard and not followed through on his stated plan to return promptly."

"He didn't contact Jane with his phone? She could have explained."

"He said it was too early in the morning there."

"Then he's concerned, but not panicked, if he felt he could wait to call at a more convenient time. He's observed Loki there, he must know my brother means those people no harm."

"He didn't seem panicked, no."

"And when Loki accompanied you and Finnulfur to learn about prosthetic limbs? How did Tony react?"

"There were some tense moments, but they were able to set it aside. Certainly Prince Loki gave Tony no cause to view him as a threat, not that I observed."

Thor harrumphed at that. "No new cause, at least. Did Heimdall say why Loki was staying the night there?"

"I didn't ask, and if he knew, he didn't volunteer it."

"All right. I don't see any cause for alarm. It was late. Loki must have decided to get some sleep instead of departing immediately. When I see Tony I can reassure him there's nothing to worry about. Anything else?"

"Yes, one more thing. Mr. Stark insisted on giving me a gift, and I thought—"

"What gift?" Thor's curiosity only grew as Jolgeir stammered out the beginning of an answer before collecting himself and starting over.

"It was a pair of short pants. Something they wear in casual situations. Outdoors, in warm weather."

Thor nodded, and had questions – on Asgard short pants for adults were for sleeping, for underclothes, or perhaps for swimming, and not something acquaintances bought one another – but Jolgeir was speaking again.

"When I was last in New York, we tried Tony's mead, Finnulfur and I, and we told him it was quite different from what we know in Asgard. I had thought he might enjoy trying the Asgardian version. Perhaps you could take him some, as a gift?"

"An excellent idea! Yes, I'll have some of the finest from our stores prepared. I should have thought of it before. Thank you, Jolgeir. But…why did he give you short pants?"

Jolgeir's shoulders moved in a shrug. "Frankly…I've learned not to ask too many questions about what Tony says and does. It's simpler that way. He said I couldn't come to Bermuda and not have them. He took me to a shop and had me measured. He wanted me to wear them – he was – but…I have my limits."

"He took you shopping and out on his new ship? How long were you there?"

"A little over three hours. We also had an excellent seafood lunch. As I said, it wasn't my intent to stay so long…but I confess the yacht was most enjoyable."

"I'm envious. I just sat through a meeting for four hours, indoors, with a constant barrage of questions I didn't have all the answers for. And no food in sight."

"It was a fine morning. Even though I had to endure being measured for short pants."

Laughter played at Jolgeir's lips, and it struck Thor then that, after the long trying months of the war, Jolgeir's terrible injury, and the myriad ways he'd served since without complaint even when he must have been doing the jobs of four or five men and still trying to figure out how to adapt to the loss of his arms…Jolgeir had had fun this morning, and the overlong Assembly had given him the opportunity. For every frustrating thing about this day, something positive had happened, too, and that was an improvement over most days during the war. He thanked Jolgeir again and urged him to go home, share his stories with his family, and recover from three hours of dealing with Tony Stark.

With hours to go now before he could travel to New York, Thor went back to the throne room, where he returned greetings but extricated himself from conversations because there, to one side not far from the throne, stood his father talking with Bragi.

"Held up on your way out?" Odin asked.

"I had to speak with Jolgeir. I sent him to arrange a meeting with Tony Stark. Did you know that Loki is still on Midgard?"

"Frigga told me this morning," Odin said as Bragi quietly excused himself. "He'll leave later today. Your mother was glad he stayed."

"Tony wasn't, but I'll tell him there's no need to worry."

"I hadn't realized Loki's days on the throne were not officially recorded."

"Neither had I. Finnulfur brought it to my attention, right before Assembly."

"You understand that recording him as Asgard's king will also require increased scrutiny of what he did as king. Why he is no longer king. That, too, will be recorded. Rather than a few moments of chaos and instability during my own long reign, now we will have Loki's blink of a reign, marked by nothing but chaos and instability."

Thor hesitated. He hadn't thought of that. It was true that a king's acts were recorded in detail and, generally, made widely available for study. He didn't think, though, that in the end it would make that much difference. What Loki had done, some of it, at least, was so momentous it had surely already been recorded in great detail elsewhere. The records were probably a confusing and inconsistent mess, with some of them referring to Loki as king and some as prince. "We should have accurate records, even if they're…uncomfortable. Regardless of what he did, the throne was legitimately his, and that must be clear. It simply must be. Don't you agree he deserves that much?" Odin wasn't present for Loki's judgement over the Warriors Three and Sif, so perhaps his father had not given the issue thought.

"Gungnir was placed in his hands. It shouldn't have been, but it was."

"Father?"

Odin twisted his neck to gaze at the empty throne for a long moment, breathing deeply. "It was a disastrous mistake. Your mother was overwhelmed, and did not yet realize how disturbed Loki was. She thought she could reassure him with her words, as she always has. She thought putting him on the throne would further reassure him that he was every bit our son. But the power was too much for him, in his state of mind at the time."

"I…don't understand," Thor said, glancing toward the throne himself, as though perhaps he could see whatever it was his father saw there. Some shade of Loki, or of the power Loki had misused? "You don't agree that his rule should be recorded?"

"It is the truth," Odin said, his attention turning back to Thor, "and while some truths do not belong in the public eye, that one is unquestionably public. Of course I agree. But if you were thinking that this means only a few extra strokes in the Record of Rule, you must think again. Questions will follow, about things we previously managed to keep out of the public eye by handling Loki's punishment outside of the magistrates."

Thor glanced around them; much of what they'd kept private before was no longer private. Even this conversation, while not in public, was hardly in private. His father wasn't referring to Loki's origins, but to everything else, some of which of course tied directly back to him learning of those origins. "You're right. I hadn't thought of it. But I believe we'll manage."

"We will manage," Odin said with a slow dip of his head.

Thor's gaze, meanwhile, fell on Gungnir. "Can we speak in private?"

Odin held out an arm in the direction of the offices on the far side of the throne room, and they headed that way, ducking between the sheers. "Redecorating?" he asked when they reached his office, or rather his former office.

"You should have seen it yesterday. They put it to rights overnight. I took out some frustration on the desk."

"Hm. Did destroying something resolve the point of frustration?"

"No. But I do think it made me feel a little better. For a few seconds, at least."

"Perhaps a worthy sacrifice, then."

Thor shook his head. He hadn't considered the "rightness" or "wrongness" of it before. "It was unwise. Wasteful. And pulled people away from other tasks, all because my temper flared."

"I was fond of that desk. But sometimes flares of temper are understandable. And a desk in the end is no great loss."

"You're telling me you approve of me hurling a desk – your desk – into the wall so hard that it broke apart and damaged the wall?"

"Because I question you does not mean I disapprove, my son. Not necessarily. I question you to make you think. To evaluate your decisions. Had I not set myself a task the night before last, I might have hurled a few desks myself."

Thor did not quite manage to stifle a chuckle at the image.

"You think I don't have it in me anymore? I should demonstrate. But that, my boy, would be wasteful. Unwise."

Thor was certain that he once would have laughed at these words from Odin, certain he was hearing no more than a jest in his father's dry wit, but he had grown and now understood his father to speak in carefully chosen words holding layers of meaning. They stood there in silence, until Odin motioned for the chairs and they both took a seat in front of the desk.

"Why do you question me like this now? Have I done something you disapprove of?"

"Now?" Odin asked, drawing his head back. "I've long questioned you. Pushed you, on occasion. It is only now that you're paying attention."

Thor drew in a slow deep breath and leaned back in his chair. If that was true, then his father's behavior toward him had not changed; he had simply become aware of elements of it he'd never noticed before. Odin spoke in layers upon layers of meaning, then scrutinized the response…much like Loki. Little wonder he'd fared so poorly in listening to either of them. He swallowed uncomfortably as his confidence in the issue he'd been so eager to raise a few minutes ago wavered.

"The war is over," Thor said.

"So it is."

"And yet…you still carry Gungnir."

"So I do," Odin said, the barest hint of a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

Thor paused for another steadying breath. His father had to know what he was trying to say. Apparently, he was going to have to say it outright. "I am…concerned, that…because you continue to carry Gungnir, there may be some…confusion, about our roles."

Odin angled his head and let his gaze sweep across the staff. "I have not heard anyone express confusion. Has Adis failed to include your rule in the official record, too?"

"No." His eyebrows went up. "Not that I know of." The moment of doubt passed quickly. He headed the Assembly, he sat on the throne – if he had to – and they called him "Your Majesty."

"There's no reason for you to be coy with me. Say what you mean to say."

Another deep breath. Odin was right. It was well and good that he learned to think before speaking. But having thought, he should speak. "The confusion is mine. I was made king because you were in the Sleep and we were at war. It was never clear whether I would remain king upon your waking. The people need to know…I need to know who is king."

Odin gave a crisp nod. "Normally, you would not remain king, just as Loki would not have, even if he hadn't…fallen. But I had intended to pass the throne to you already. Now that it's yours, I see no reason to take it back."

"For now," Thor said, quietly.

"Do you expect to give me such cause later?"

"No." I don't expect to, at least.

"Then there should be no cause for confusion."

"But…is there not still an ambiguity? Before the public? Gungnir is carried by Asgard's king."

"I have not observed any ambiguity, either. Some heads have turned my way seeking answers, that is true, but it would be true regardless of Gungnir, as long as I still live and my period of rule is fresh. If it makes you uncomfortable, you may carry it, of course. I can find something else to steady myself with."

Thor watched as Odin stood, clearly pushing down on the staff as he did so. Thor hastened to stand as well, and Odin angled the staff toward him. Thor stared, transfixed, at this symbol of power and duty and rule. He'd rarely seen his father in public without it. Thor shook his head. He didn't actually want to drag Gungnir around with him everywhere he went, weighing him down and tethering him to the ground, and he didn't need another weapon, either, especially one he didn't know how to use. If he was king, then he was king, and he didn't need to go around clutching a visual symbol of it to prove it.

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

"I'll rejoin Bragi, then, if that's all? We were discussing how we might rebuild our ties with Vanaheim."

"Yes, please do. I'll be grateful for your assistance, Father. You know Bragi means to retire?"

"He told me even before the war. He's earned it. Circumstances have changed, though. He won't abandon you. He'll name a few worthy successors for your consideration, and stay on for a period of transition."

Thor wished his father a productive meeting, then sipped at his coffee and wondered how long Bragi had been planning to step down, whether the transition period was originally to follow his intended elevation to the throne nearly two years ago. Circumstances had indeed changed. And changed, and changed, and changed again. It was embarrassing to think back to how he'd strode through the throne room, grinning and tossing Mjolnir, playing to the crowd and basking in their adulation as though he was in the arena when he should have been solemnly approaching the heaviest mantle of responsibility in all the Nine Realms. It wasn't something to celebrate.

He frowned at himself and put down the coffee. It's something to mourn, he'd thought. But that was shameful. Better embarrassing than shameful, he reprimanded himself. He remembered his mother trying to gently correct him, to sober him, but she'd done it with mirth in her eyes and on her lips; she'd been caught up in his exuberance and enjoying herself, too. Loki…Loki he'd barely even noticed, though he knew now what Loki had thought of him at the time. His father hadn't been smiling. But Odin rarely smiled, even less so when speaking from the throne, and he hadn't paused for even a fraction of a second to wonder why his father looked especially stern. He thought, briefly, that he wished Odin had said something then, or shortly before. To be serious. To show an appreciation for the gravity of what was happening. But he knew it wouldn't have mattered, because Odin had said those things. So had Loki, and even his mother. And he had taken it seriously, in a way. In the dark corners of his mind where he tried hard not to linger, he'd feared what it would mean for him, for his ability to continue to do as he pleased despite becoming the most powerful man in the Nine Realms. He'd known the throne came with certain shackles that no amount of strength could break. He'd convinced himself he'd find a way around that problem. Mostly by ignoring it. Self-delusion. Loki had been the most annoying thorn in his side, constantly trying to drag him from that delusion.

Loki, of course, had a back-up plan.

He couldn't work up any anger over it now. Though it was still recent it seemed long ago, and Loki, though going about things in the wrong way, a terrible way, hadn't been wrong about him. It didn't particularly matter anymore, either. He was king now, and no one, not Loki, not his father, could say he wasn't taking it seriously. And while his father might not have directly said so, it seemed Odin did approve of how he was handling things, or at least didn't disapprove enough to take back the throne and make his reign a temporary one. He was king, the throne his.

Even as that thought ran through his mind, it bothered him. It should be a declarative, definitive fact. It didn't feel like one, despite Odin's reassurance.

It came to him as he reviewed their conversation. Odin saw no reason to take back the throne. The implication, though, was clear: Odin could take back the throne. And if his father could remove him from the throne at any time…then was he really king?

He shook his head at himself. He'd thought he had his answers. He'd been wrong.

He wished he could talk to Jane. He would even be glad to talk to Loki, even though Loki would surely ridicule him for not having immediately recognized the obvious ambiguity in Odin's response. He could not bring this to his mother. He certainly could not go running back to his father, like a child wheedling for constant reassurance. Under other circumstances he could have told his friends about it. He doubted they had much concern at the moment for his frustration with the lack of clarity in his position.

He started for the door as a thought took shape. He couldn't speak with them about this, but the potential rift between them was a problem thus far unaddressed, and, generally speaking, Thor preferred to confront his problems head on rather than avoid them. His schedule was open, to allow for his journey to Midgard, so now was the perfect time. He still might not be certain what his father was thinking, but he was determined to find out where he stood with his friends.

/


I know, I know, most of you are eager to see how things will go for Loki's final day at the Pole, but the poor man needs his sleep, so let's let him have it. (Jane, too.)

Previews for Ch. 220: As you might guess, Thor's friends do not greet him with eager hugs. And Loki has to wrap his head around how to deal with the expected morning gathering.

Excerpt:

Thor hesitated. "You know it will have to be…sincere."

Fandral's stiff smile turned brittle and decidedly unpleasant. "Are you saying I'm being insincere? That I would make an oath to my honesty and then lie before the Assembly? I have never lied, Thor. I have never misrepresented myself. Not about serious matters. If we speak of insincerity…that would be your brother."

"Fandral," Thor said, looking down for a few seconds to make sure he would remain calm, "now is not the most appropriate time to assail Loki's sincerity."