(LOKI)
The steed's owner had no issues letting me take him back to Don, though I didn't share my mission with anyone. If the Vanir at the fortress caught word of Gorr's arrival, none of them spoke of it or acted the least bit fazed, though they somewhat notoriously kept their emotions well-hidden. It was never an easy task to infer what any of them were thinking, and even years of better practice with conduction didn't give me an edge.
Now that I traveled alone, part of me hoped to stumble across another hidden Vidar and have another taste of the future to see if I'd made the right choice. That was impossible, however; I didn't know the realm well enough to stray from the path. Freyr didn't answer any of my psychic calls, either because he was still angry with me, or he didn't think I would be much use from afar. Both made me feel adolescent and ignored.
The horse raced through the forests to our first campsite, stretching his limber black legs with abandon and showing me all his power. The wind biting my skin welcomed nostalgia as it did before. Memories of Thor were never far away when on horseback.
Perhaps Vali's request wasn't too far-fetched. After all, if he learned to care and respect an animal, surely that could help temper his inner beast? I planned to have a serious discussion with Sigyn when this was over about when the boys could earn responsibility.
But it wasn't over yet. Dreams of pastoral living would have to wait.
The night sky was hidden from me by a thick blanket of clouds, keeping me from seeing Mother's star again. I needed her encouragement more than ever. Losing my family was already a torturous thought, but the idea of them losing their lives while I remained, destined to mourn them forever? That was horror I couldn't invent on my own. Mother would have something insightful to say about second chances or having faith in myself—nothing I imagined was adequate comfort, however.
I arrived at the hilltop overlooking The Don City sooner than expected, just at moonrise the following day. From my perspective, the grand fortress was practically abandoned. People didn't teem through the streets like ants—they were absent. Torchlight surrounded the outer wall, but the center of the city wasn't illuminated at all, nor did the usual sound of music or buzzing commerce float above the area.
My gut twisted into a sickening knot. What do they know that I do not?
"Forward," I said to the animal. He was keen on my apprehension and approached the closed gates cautiously. They seemed taller than I remembered from only a few days ago, though that might've been because I'd never seen them shut. Unlike the entrance to my home fortress, the wood and stone used to create these were intimidating. The city's last defense against intruders had to be formidable.
The eerie quiet left me turning my head from side to side as if ghosts watched me from all angles. I was alone, yet couldn't be. The air was thick with oppressive fear. I dismounted and deliberately stepped with my toes since it felt inappropriate to disturb the silence.
My heart jumped with me at the bark behind the gate. "Who goes there?"
I froze with my hands up and tried to control my breathing. "Please, I mean you no harm."
"Show yourself. Step closer." He sounded strong, but young. A guard whose purpose was to watch for visitors. The shaking in his tone gave away his inexperience.
I did as he asked without argument, though. Had he posed a real threat to me, I would've been killed already. The torches on either side of the doors grew brighter as I stepped between them.
The boy gasped. "You. It's you! You've come!" His voice muffled as he clearly turned to direct someone else. "Fetch Senator Freyr. The Jotun man is here!"
I smirked, though it did make me wonder how my bloodline was so obvious, or even if Freyr described me as such to the people in my absence. That didn't matter, though. It was a relief to be welcomed.
The gates creaked and three men shoved against one side, taking uniform, labored steps to force it open. I led the horse inside to a young woman who readily took the black steed to a temporary stable. The few people present beyond the doors stared at me with wide eyes that traded glances amongst each other, saying nothing and everything in their Vanir way.
Urgent footfalls on the gravelly road crunched closer until Freyr announced himself. "Loki. You've come to your senses."
I shrugged, but it warmed me to see him. "Something like that."
He smiled and deflated his lungs as if he hadn't really breathed in days. "Come back to the court hall with me. There isn't much time left to finalize our plans against the beast."
I bowed my head toward all the friendly folk who welcomed me inside and took my place next to Freyr, who didn't waste a second with more informal greetings before heading in the opposite direction once again.
"Just one question, Uncle."
"Hmm?"
"How do the people here know I'm Jotun at first glance?" I cocked my brow at him.
He laughed and stroked his chin. "What other grown man have you met with no beard since you've lived here?"
"Ah. That would explain things." I nodded at the few people we passed on the way to the court hall. Every one of them bowed in response. "Are you going to share why my appearance was expected, or am I to assume you made a fortunate guess?"
Freyr didn't bother glancing my way as he debriefed. "Aye. The day after you left, a council of elders nominated Hriedmar as a seer. He was allowed to drink of the river and help the realm prepare. Didn't receive much of a gift, though—he merely reported the same understandings of Gorr that Regin first spoke of. Last night, Regin pleaded for one more chance to see his fate, convincing the elders that he could no longer be distracted by who their enemy was and focus on what was to come next. They agreed."
So, after I decided to return. I braced myself. "Please tell me he saw victory."
"No. But he did see you." Freyr eyed me from the side of his face. "What changed?"
"Does it matter?"
"I think so. You might be a stranger to these people, but I know your nature. What's in your heart. You came back for a reason."
My trespass with the Vidar might've been considered a crime, so I hesitated to tell Freyr anything, yet the way he refused to look away made me feel like he already knew. I made sure no one else was in earshot. "I did. I…I couldn't help but remember…in the portal fields…"
He halted. "And the Vidar agreed? You, to see it for yourself?"
I hushed to a whisper. "Forgive me. I asked only because of what you said. Sigyn, Narvi, Vali—"
"But you asked, and it answered? What did you see?"
I deflated and hung my head. "Carnage. Poisoned skies ad the death of my family, sparing myself so I would be left behind to bury them." I folded my arms tightly and wished for Sigyn's soft form next to me. "It was torture."
He squinted. "And…?"
"And I screamed at the Vidar for showing me such pain without an answer." I kept walking, which forced Freyr to rush next to me. "I asked if it would make a difference if I returned here and tried to fight, if I reached out for Thor, of we asked for more help…and instead of a new drop from the river, it dropped a piece of fruit into my lap."
"Loki." Freyr yanked my left shoulder back, which he normally wouldn't dare do because of my injury. But now that he knew I'd been touched by the river, he didn't bother feigning surprise that I'd been enhanced. "You partook of Vidar fruit? Which color?"
"Which color?" I narrowed my eyes back at him. "Red. And I'm grateful I did, since the vision that followed showed me this place. It showed us all on the battlefield with Gorr. It was still a gruesome sight, and it had no resolution, but I awoke with a new sense of hope. Of duty. I owe the Vidar my service as an answer to what it gave me."
He stared for a few moments, then smiled widely. "Seems you asked the right question. Frigga rubbed off on you more than I thought." Freyr patted my shoulder where he'd touched before and nodded with approval; even if I had lingering doubt of the future, Freyr's unwavering faith in the Vidar's power was enough to sustain me as well.
Vanir warriors were not advanced in number. In fact, they weren't advanced in much of anything except age. Their experience of life, while their most valuable asset, brought me no comfort or assurance that they'd be prepared to fight. Gorr's supernatural weapon would make quick work of us. How could I turn them into the fierce fighters they had to be?
I was fortunate the two days spent in Don with the boys allowed me to make amends with the few sorcerers I'd met years before; my reputation now preceded me, and while I was clearly not Vanir, I did belong. My magic spoke for me. Before I knew it, men and women alike asked for my input on how to form full-body illusions, and others eagerly absorbed anything I had to share about my training as a soldier. Thor might've triumphed in strength, but I understood defense magic in ways he could never imagine.
"If you all learn this skill in the next day, and master it, we might have a fighting chance." I looked my many pupils in the eye one by one and felt their loyalty. They did not doubt nor argue with me. It was the respect I'd yearned for all my life.
Freyr did little to help plan. He didn't even act to advise me. He observed instead, like a hawk, and anyone who went to him with questions were quickly directed back to me. The only time he gave his input was after I penned a map of our battle plan, and even then, it was complete approval.
"We're ready, Loki," he said, nodding for me to acknowledge the crowd before me. "Give them one last assurance."
I stood from my seat and cleared my throat. The words came easily. Mother and Sigyn and even Odin spoke through me, giving the comfort I hoped to give others. It was our last stand. "This creature…he will come with greater strength than all of us combined, so we have little choice but to rely on the gifts this realm grants us. His formidable weapon is designed to kill each and every one of you—and when that fails, he will taint the air itself. You cannot escape it. Our only option is to defeat him. If you have loved ones, it is time to say your goodbyes. It is time, now, to steel yourselves for your realm. If we fail, we doom Asgard and all those in the lower realms who hold this heritage. He will be stopped here, on the fields of Vanaheim, and prove that we are indeed Gods and Goddesses, worthy of life, of longevity, and of the legends we have inspired!"
The Vanir cheered for me, hungry to fulfill their destinies. I waved my hand as if I were Odin, which was fitting given all my practice on Asgard, though this time the people answered to my real name and face.
"It is time for you to get ready, too, Loki," Freyr said, looking at me with soft eyes of a parent.
I nodded and bowed my head, dressing myself in strong armor I hadn't needed since before the boys were born. "I am ready, Uncle. Let the bastard come."
