When he first woke, Loki savored the fact he did not immediately need to rise in order to head to Niflheimr and have to deal with his birth father. Not to mention he would also be able to deal with his brother's friends today and punish them for all they had ever done to him, only made him feel even better.

Combined with the fact he had slept as well as he had, it all put Loki in a particularly good mood indeed and, when he rose, 'twas without any of the dread and unusual exhaustion of most of the past few days. The only damper on the situation was the bright ball of agony deep within him which was his magical core. Yesterday's events had taken their toll on him and overtaxing his already weakened core was now coming back to haunt him. Luckily, his punishment for today's trial, while magical in nature, would not require seiðr use on his part.

It spoiled his good mood somewhat, but Loki clung to some of it as he performed his ablutions and moved to his closet, curious to see if something new had appeared. There was, and it had clearly been designed with today in mind as 'twas stylized after the outfits Thor's ancestors wore in their official portraits. 'Twas still customized to his personal tastes and build, but it clearly harkened power, a fact echoed in the ancient golden runes filigreed on top of the black and dark green layered leather tabard laid over the silver tunic underneath. 'Twas finished off with a green cape. He truly would need to speak with the tailors at some point, as these were the ancient runes only a trained seiðkona should know and, even then, only one who had studied the arcane. What was someone like that doing working with the palace tailors?

Loki donned the robes with a thought and then added his new headpiece. The overall effect was truly impressive, and he admired how much emulating a simplestyleof outfit could confer on him so much authority in and of itself. He looked forward to utilizing it to the fullest after the end of his short reign. He was also certain Thor's friends would not fail to notice the complete and utter lack of armor on the outfit. While they would normally scoff at it, in this case he was certain they would not fail to receive the true message.

He did not require armor to face them now. Not anymore and never again.

Loki did so love when clothing and his appearance could say so much without any words whatsoever. 'Twas one of the things Thor had yet to learn; the power of appearances.

With a smile, Loki took off his new headpiece and carried it out to his meal.

"Majesty," Lord Ragnvaldr greeted, standing near the Einherjar in Loki's dining chamber. "I was wondering if I could have a few moments?"

Loki motioned towards the table as he moved to his usual seat. "The kitchens keep sending me far too much food."

"Thank you."

Oddly, despite the different location, having the advisor present for this meal did not feel so strange as Lord Ragnvaldr had joined them often enough when Loki had broken the fast with his parents. 'Twas also nice not to be the only one seated when there was more than simply him and Livunn in the chamber.

"Did you have a good evening, Loki?" Lord Ragnvaldr asked while they selected their food from what had been sent.

"Hmm, quite," Loki replied. "Skáld Bragi's reputation is well earned."

"Aye, I heard 'twas quite... enlightening for a lot of people."

Unsurprisingly, it seemed the ancient advisor had a well-honed information network, and Loki looked over and smiled at the knowing look he received.

"Lord Bragi's specialty is seiðr," Loki explained. "I thought that particular tale might be of more interest to most than some of the others."

"While also still nicely showcasing the true power of a well-trained seiðmadr."

Loki tilted his head in acknowledgement as he took a bite of egg.

They ate in silence for a few moments before Lord Ragnvaldr unrolled one of the parchments he had brought and laid it between them. A quick glance informed Loki 'twas a decree of indentured servitude for Lord Hogun, already prefilled with the date, a list of offences and the sentence declared. All he had to do to make it official was to sign and seal it with his seiðr.

"I have drawn up one for each of the accused based on the old templates," Lord Ragnvaldr explained. "I will have them sent to your study for you to complete after the trial."

"Thank you," Loki said. "I believe there are special... accoutrements we shall require."

"'Tis actually why I wished to speak with you this morning rather than waiting until later," Lord Ragnvaldr said. "All of the old documents said we possessed these accessories."

"And we do not?" Loki asked with a frown.

"Nay, we do, but it would seem they require activation, and a certain amount of maintenance on the spells."

"I see. And?"

"And at present the only ones we have which are fully initiated are ones the dökkálfar have enchanted, which I am told means only they can activate and maintain them."

"Aye," Loki confirmed.

The dökkálfar were quite particular and secretive when it came to their seiðr, much to his annoyance even if 'twas one of their few traits Loki could understand well.

"I was, however, given this," Lord Ragnvaldr continued, unrolling another parchment and handing it to Loki. "Lady Dagrún told me we do not have any seiðkonur capable of performing the necessary spells, but she believed you may be able to do so."

At first Loki could not believe his eyes when he realized what it was he held, but a closer look confirmed it. This was a complete set of instructions on how to perform the requisite enslavement rituals, along with a list of all the possible exceptions and safety features which could be built into it. Such as saying a victim could disobey an order if it would mean saving their life or that of another. It seemed he would be utilizing his seiðr again sooner than expected, but Loki could not bring himself to care. Not given this.

"I also thought it might be preferable as it gives us control over the details of the spell, if I am reading it correctly," Lord Ragnvaldr continued.

"Hmm, it would," Loki agreed.

Given the state of his magical core, Loki knew he really should not be doing seiðr of this level, let alone four times, and not to mention dökkálfarian metal seiðr which he had never performed before, but he knew himself better than to even try to resist the impulse. Seiðr was his greatest weakness when it came to willpower and always had been. Besides, it would look odd if he refused now of all times to take the opportunity to perform such seiðr.

Not to mention the power it would give him over Lady Sif and the Warriors Idiot later if 'twashisseiðr powering the enchantments. Besides, he relished the thought of proving to them once and for all precisely how powerful seiðr was not only in general, but his own in particular.

"Shall I order the blacksmith to commence work on a new set of collars, cuffs and chains then?" Lord Ragnvaldr inquired with a small smile.

"Hmm," Loki replied, biting his lower lip as he looked over the instructions once more.

He would need to draw up a list of...

Blank parchment appeared out of the corner of his eye along with a quill and Loki absently took both and immediately began to transcribe the runes which would need to be engraved directly into either the collar or the cuffs. There were, of course, the ancient ones for power, obedience and service. Servitude and submission were also added along with another rune which would allow him to build in some protections and exceptions. It would not do to give the guards too much power over their prisoners as the temptation might prove to be too great for some, especially given what crimes Thor's friends were being sentenced for.

A careful glance over the list had Loki adding a few more runes, especially for Lady Sif's protection. 'Twas not until he had finished his list and looked up once more that he realized the parchment and quill had appeared from his left, while Lord Ragnvaldr sat to his right. He sent Livunn a quick smile, though he was certain she was used to his absent mindedness by now when it came to his studies and all things seiðr.

"A good list," Lord Ragnvaldr said, and Loki turned to find the advisor looking over his choices.

"Any others you would recommend?" Loki asked.

"Nay, I believe this should suffice while at the same time preventing any unpleasantness. I shall pass it on to the blacksmith so he can commence work on them as soon as possible."

"Any indication yet of the expected turnout for the trial?"

"I was informed people are already starting to arrive."

Good, Loki had been hoping for it to be well attended. Not only would it make his vengeance all the sweeter, but the more who saw the trial itself, the better word of what had transpired would spread, and he could use that at present. He truly did need for people to know what Thor's idiot friends had done so they would understand why they had needed to be punished so harshly.

Not that he had been in much doubt of the attendance today, the æsir enjoyed witnessing justice performed. Even if 'twas only justice in name.

Loki shoved the thought aside and returned his focus to his meal.

"Majesty," Lieutenant-General Yngvarr said, stepping a little closer as they walked down the corridor towards Valaskjálf. "Will you be approaching the prisoners during the trial?"

At first, the question confused Loki as he knew Lady Sif and the Warriors Idiot would be chained as any other prisoners were, but then he realized 'twas probably more their number which concerned the head of his guard. Between the four of them and their guards, there would be a lot of chains going in a multitude of different directions. Plus, their training alone made these four prisoners particularly dangerous.

"Nay," Loki reassured him. "There will be no need for that."

"Thank you."

Loki turned his head slightly to look at Lieutenant-General Yngvarr. "They will likely react adversely."

"Given how they behaved before, I considered it likely and so have ensured their guards are aware of the increased possibility."

Loki inclined his head in acknowledgement as they reached the back entrance of Valaskjálf. He could already hear the buzz of the crowd and it seemed louder than it had for Heimdallr's trail, but Loki supposed that made sense as not only had there been more warning of this trail, but the people already knew about it from what had been said and shown at the former gatekeeper's trial. Hopefully, he would not have to work as hard in order to both be believed and understood this time around.

He had to admit his success with Heimdallr's trial had made him a lot more confident, even if his personal situation was a lot worse. He had hoped the pain would die down after rising, but after the Yggdrasilli ignition yesterday, his magical core was a bright ball of agony deep inside of him. Loki quickly glanced down at his outfit, ensuring everything was still in place as he wished to appear both ceremonial as well as regal. He made a few quick adjustments before striding through the back entrance and into view near Hliðskjálf.

The sound level in Valaskjálf instantly dropped as people turned to face him. 'Twas as exhilarating as 'twas terrifying and Loki tried not to let either emotion show.

Well, he was definitely being seen now, even if 'twas not quite how he had always wanted to be. Despite that, he would take it as being seen now, thus, meant it was highly unlikely he would simply vanish from view and memory again afterwards. Not with all the strife and upheaval which he had already courted during his short reign. In a way, 'twas almost for the best as it meant there was no time to slow down and focus on other things as people might have been wont to do otherwise.

Besides, there was a lovely perfection to the god of chaos presiding over so chaotic a time.

Slowly, calmly, Loki made his way to Hliðskjálf, Gungnir held tall and proud in his right hand, eyes sweeping Valaskjálf as he walked. At first glance, it seemed as full as it had on Thor's coronation, which was more than he had dared to hope for, and he took heart in it. For one reason or another, people wanted to be here, today, to witness this.

Well, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three would not be able to say they had not had their words heard. Not that Loki thought they would appreciate the audience, not at the end anyway. At the start he was certain they would delight in it, but if they truly thought they could take him on, the wordsmith and silvertongue, in a game of words, then they were even more deluded and stupid than he had ever taken them for. Not that he expected them to be in their right mind for long. Lady Sif's temper, in particular, would be easily roused and soon claim what little reason and rationality she possessed.

If six days in the dungeons nursing her anger, pride and imagined slights had not already done so for him. Loki rather hoped not, as he wanted that pleasure for himself.

'Twas as he reached Hliðskjálf that Loki's eyes fell on his brother. Thor stood sandwiched between Uncles Vili and Vé, and near Lords Ragnvaldr and Óðr, and he knew far better than to think it a mere coincidence.

The group stood near the base of the stairs, but off to one side. Close enough to show solidarity, but not so close as to draw any undue attention to Thor, though how people craned their necks proved they were aware of his presence nonetheless. He debated saying something, but he feared it would come across poorly, better to simply start the trial. 'Twas what everyone was here for, after all.

"Bring in the accused," Loki ordered as he sat down.

Since he knew they would notice and be irked by it, Loki leaned back a little more than he had during Heimdallr's trial. 'Twas a little closer to the sprawl he would oft adopt on quests when bored or unimpressed with a conversation or speech.

He was certain they would notice.

The doors at the end of Valaskjálf were opened and in came his four former companions, all trussed up similarly to how Heimdallr had been and each with their own little phalanx of guards. The result was a rather large and noisy procession which drew every eye in Valaskjálf, which Loki wished he could take credit for, but 'twas all down to normal procedure and Lieutenant-General Yngvarr's hypervigilance as he was certain both Lady Sif and Volstagg had more guards than necessary. He wondered if Hogun and Fandral were offended or if it had escaped their notice. Probably the latter.

The sheer size of the crowd clearly startled Thor's friends as their eyes grew wide when they glanced around Valaskjálf, taking in all of the people. A cry from one end drew Loki's attention and he caught sight of an Einherjar holding back Volstagg's wife, where she had clearly made an attempt to move forward. Nearby, and urging her back, were Fandral's parents and Lady Sif's father. Of the children, at least, there was no sign. Given Volstagg's wife had tried to take them down to the dungeons with her, he assumed this had more to do with how Lord Ragnvaldr had arranged the trial than anything else.

When Loki turned his attention back to the Warriors Four, he could see they had spotted Thor and, from the looks they were giving him, Loki knew they had not fully grasped their current situation. A prince of Ásgarðr could not stand by any accused of treason, not when it included an attempt to usurp Hliðskjálf. Especially not if the intent had been to put the prince in question on Hliðskjálf instead of the rightful king.

Then, finally, Lady Sif turned her head to look at him and Loki coolly met her heated gaze head-on. She had never been particularly good at disguising her emotions (she considered it misleading at best and deceitful or conniving at worst), and now was no exception, much to her detriment. It allowed many of those present to witness for themselves the anger and loathing which flickered across her face. Sif only realized her mistake too late, when the first mutterings in the crowd drew her attention.

Once they had reached the same place where Heimdallr had stood and their guard stopped them, Loki paused for a little longer, simply looking at each of them in turn, meeting their gazes head-on. 'Twas a subtle power play, proving this was going to happen on his terms and forcing them to wait on him while standing below him, clad in simple prison garments and chained like common criminals or animals.

"Lady Sif," Loki finally began, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Lords Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun. You stand here before Hliðskjálf and Ásgarðr accused of high treason, dereliction of duty in a time of war, and assaulting four warriors of Miðgarðr."

There was a cry of dismay from where their families stood and, while Loki did not glance over, he knew it had been Fandral's mother from the way the man flinched at the sound. The rest of the crowd did not react, the charges had been known in advance and thus expected. 'Twas not the shocking revelation of Heimdallr's trial.

"How-" Loki began.

"Nay," Lady Sif retorted, cutting across him and finally drawing a more audible response from the audience.

'Twas a grave insult to interrupt the king and something which would not aid her cause. Loki wondered if she had even properly thought this through. He waskingnow whether she liked it or not, she could not simply continue to treat him as they had before, even if they had not lost Thor's support as completely as they should have.

The latter was the true reason why Loki did not plan to call on his brother to give evidence. If the people were to sense Thor's ambivalence as far as his friends were concerned, then it could seriously damage his brother's standing with them and thus Thor's future ability to rule.

"Your disrespect is telling, Lady Sif," Loki stated, curious to see if he could bait her into outright renouncing him as Heimdallr had. "To interrupt your king so."

Though the fingers of her bound hands twitched and more than one muscle in her face spasmed, Lady Sif held her tongue and, inwardly, Loki smiled. Good, he did not want it to be over too quickly. After all of their centuries of bullying and insults, Loki planned to savor this and their punishment to the fullest.

For a moment it looked like Fandral might try to speak, but then the man closed his mouth once more. Loki wanted to sneer at him. Of the four, Fandral was the only one he felt he could have befriended under the right circumstances, but as 'twas, Fandral always seemed to fall into line with the others at the slightest pressure. It had always disgusted Loki and silently he had labeled it cowardice, though he had never said so aloud as he knew well how ás who had their honor challenged reacted, and he had never had the desire to bleed for it.

"I take it from your brief statement, you contest one of the charges?" Loki offered, turning his attention back to Lady Sif.

"I contest all of them," she snapped back immediately.

"All of them," Loki repeated softly, before he glanced to where most of the High Council stood. "General Týr, please convey Höðr's report on what he observed on Miðgarðr after becoming gatekeeper of the Bifröst."

"Of course, Your Majesty," General Týr said, stepping forwards. "After being assigned to his new post, Höðr kept an eye on Miðgarðr and personally witnessed how the human healers tended to two Miðgarðrian warriors Lord Volstagg had assaulted who had not made an aggressive move on either them or Thor, nor who had done anything else to warrant an assault."

"They were spying on Thor!" Volstagg protested. "They were hidden from view and skulking about as cowards always do."

Loki's eyes flashed at the words, more than understanding what Volstagg dared not come right out and say. He was usually the one of their group who would do the most reconnaissance and, thus, would have 'skulked' about. Yet again one of their little group proved that while they had no qualms in utilizing his skills and aid when necessary, they would continue to denigrate and ridicule both it and him for it later.

The crowd, however, agreed more with the sentiment of Volstagg's words. Ásgarðr and its damned notions of honor!

"They feared Thor's training and our technology, which was able to deposit him on Miðgarðr, seeming near alien to them," Loki countered, playing up their superiority and boosting their egos. "They feared he was the first of a larger group to come and they wished to learn more of this grave new threat. A fear you further escalated by your arrival and the subsequent attack upon their warriors."

"A true warrior does not hide himself away, but attacks from the front," Volstagg insisted.

"An æsir warrior, mayhap," Loki conceded. "But the mortals are hardly æsir and 'tis not for us to decide who is and is not one of their warriors. Those men work for their government, and they have demanded justice for what could have been perceived as an act of war."

Thatcaused a ripple of dismayed unease among the crowd, for while none feared the mortals, as Loki knew none of them realized quite how far humans had come in recent centuries, the threat of facing a second war while the situation with Jötunheimr was not yet fully resolved did not sit well with people. Especially if 'twas started by someone not acting on official orders.

"General?" Loki prompted when it did not immediately look like Volstagg would speak once more.

"The next two assaults Höðr witnessed firsthand and were committed by Lady Sif and Lord Hogun at the Bifröst site, leaving one so gravely injured he may never fully recover."

The startled looks which crossed both Sif and Hogun's faces proved, at least, that neither hadintendedto cause such damage. Alas, intent hardly mattered now, and they should have known to modulate their strength when facing mortals.

"Do you still contest the charge of assaulting warriors of Miðgarðr, Lady Sif?" Loki questioned.

"Aye. Your witness is an old guard of yours," Lady Sif stated. "He could easily reinterpret and claim to have seen whatever you need him to have."

Anger rushed through Loki once more and this time he allowed it to show, hardening his face as he sat up on Hliðskjálf. He also tightened his grip on Gungnir once more to a full handed grasp, rather than the looser hold he had on it before, idly turning it between his fingertips.

"Watch your words, Lady Sif," Loki ordered, voice deceptively soft but it carried clear across Valaskjálf as everyone else present was dead quiet. "He is a highly respected and dedicated Einherjar who has given more in defense of the royal family and Ásgarðr than you ever have for all of your posturing and perceived self-importance. True, 'tis very well-known he has saved my life in the past, but that hardly implies he would dishonor himself by submitting a false statement to his king and the court.

Nay, I suspect 'tis the dishonor of your already sentenced coconspirator you miss. After all, we already know allhewas willing to do."

In this particular area, Loki knew he could say more with fewer words as memory of Heimdallr's actions were stillveryfresh.

The anger from the audience proved him right.

Lady Sif looked as if she wanted to argue further, but Fandral was able to catch her eye and subtly shake his head. The paramour was correct, 'twas not worth fighting this point. She would not win and 'twas not a very harsh punishment for this particular crime. Plus, they probably hoped to convince Óðinn to let them free once his adoptive father woke.

'Twas one fear Loki still possessed about his chosen punishment for them. 'Twas not, in and of itself, permanent in the same way execution was. So Óðinn could overturn it if he so chose, but he did not expect his father to do so. If there was one thing Óðinn took seriously, 'twas threats to Hliðskjálf andthatthey definitely had been when they had acted as they had. They could have destabilized all of Ásgarðr if they had succeeded.

"Now, on to the charge of dereliction of duty in a time of war," Loki continued.

"We did not!" Lady Sif protested.

It amused Loki that she thought she stood any chance of winning here against him, where the weapons were words and he was the undisputed master of them on Ásgarðr. Luckily, he greatly enjoyed her attempts as it allowed him to knock her back and down. Repeatedly.

Instead of replying verbally, Loki merely raised an eyebrow indolently and motioned for her to continue.

A master indulging a misbehaving pet.

"There had been no official declaration of war when we left for Miðgarðr," Lady Sif declared, looking quite pleased with herself. "Only rumors and hearsay, hardly a solid foundation for anyone to base a decision on."

Loki glanced about to see the effect of her words. They were true and, if 'twas all someone knew of the situation, they would sound more than reasonable. Indeed, it seemed to be what most people thought.

Fortunately, he did know more about the situation.

"I see," Loki said, before pausing for a moment as if to consider this, while he savored what was to come. "You are correct, the official announcement did not come until the feast that evening, after you had already abandoned your posts."

Lady Sif looked suspicious now, and well she should. She definitely knew him well enough to recognize when he was leading someone on.

"However, you and the Warriors Three are not simply any random person on Ásgarðr, now are you, my Lady?" Loki continued. "You are the chosen companions and fellow warriors of Prince Thor, and as such were selected to accompany him on his ill-fated trip to Jötunheimr."

"As were you!"

"Aye, I was."

Easy admission, not what she had been expecting.

It made Loki want to grin. He did so love causing chaos and havoc by not behaving as people expected for him to.

"You admit this even as you condemn Thor for going to Jötunheimr?" Volstagg began, clearly nervous as he glanced around.

"I protested the idea as soon as it was raised," Loki declared, eyes flashing to Volstagg, the man had been there. He knew.

Unless their sense of the chain of command had deteriorated so much they no longer saw it at all.

'Twas something he had never considered before, but now it had occurred to him, Loki could not help but think it might be right. It would explain a lot. They probably saw their unit as Thor did; a group of friends rather than a unit with a leader, a second-in-command (him!) and soldiers who had to obey said chain of command.

"You still went," Hogun spoke up.

"Of course, I went," Loki retorted. "My brother, who was also the crown prince and heir, was going. Some of us follow proper procedure in these situations rather than committing treason. I voiced my concern, and, when it was ignored, I sent word to Father, escalating my concern up the chain of command. I was not to know that, rather than doing his duty and following his own orders, Heimdallr would simply allow us to pass and open the Bifröst to Jötunheimr."

All true and, for once, all as a real and proper æsir would do it.

Hmm, Loki probably should have known 'twas doomed to failure for that reason alone.

"Had Heimdallr but followed his orders, we would never have made it to Jötunheimr," Loki continued.

"You still went, even then," Hogun persisted.

What did the vanir think to gain? Make Loki look ill before all of Ásgarðr? It would take something far more than adhering to proper protocol to achieve that.

"Of course, my brother was going and I had hoped to mitigate any adverse effects," Loki replied evenly, though he moved right on. The people knew enough of Thor's mistakes, so to linger on them now would only be detrimental, especially after the oaf's insistence on going to visit his friends the other day. "But 'tis precisely because I was present, that I know you knew Laufey-King had declared war on Ásgarðr, as you were all present when it happened."

A faint rustling from the crowd as they considered this new information.

"Óðinn never said anything on the matter," Lady Sif protested.

"KingÓðinn," Loki snapped back. "Did not have to. When the leader of another Realm declares war, then Ásgarðr is at war as to ignore it would be sheer stupidity."

"I did not think it constituted a valid threat," Lady Sif declared loudly.

"What you think does not matter," Loki stated bluntly, to some twitters from court. "You are neither the queen, nor a princess. You are a warrior, a member of the elite Einherjar, and therefore 'tis not your place to decide what does and does not constitute a valid declaration of war."

"There was still no official declaration by the time we left," Lady Sif persisted, and Loki noted her use of the word 'left' rather than 'deserted'.

"You were present for Laufey-King's declaration and knew how severely Father had punished Thor," Loki stated. "As such, you knew the rumors were more than mere speculation based or either hearsay or gossip. You knew 'twas all true."

"We had been given no orders," Volstagg tried instead, as heavy and ham-handed as most of what the overweight lout did.

"Strange, I distinctly remember giving you one when you came to this very hall the day you deserted, demanding I undo Thor's punishment."

The angry buzz from the crowd was louder this time, the situation no doubt easy to picture given what the people had already witnessed here today.

"Demand is such a strong word, Your Majesty," Volstagg replied, and it confused Loki for a moment until he saw the man glance over at his wife.

Ah. So Volstagg was attempting to mitigate the damage for his family's sake. While Loki was sympathetic to the situation she would face, being left alone with five little ones, Volstagg truly should have thought of that before he had committed treason.

"Is it now?" Loki drawled, leaning back on the rather uncomfortable seat Hliðskjálf was. "You came bursting in here, questioning where Father and Mother were, beforedemandingto see Mother. Then, when I refused, Lady Sif requested in a voice dripping with insincerity that I end my brother's punishment. My refusal to do so resulted in her attempting a physical response only to be halted by Lords Fandral and Hogun, after whichyoumade the same request and, while not sounding quite as false as Lady Sif, 'twas not far off. Oh, and all of this was accompanied by the fact you all refused to show the appropriate deference and respect accorded to the king of Ásgarðr upon first entering," Loki paused deliberately. "There, was that a better summation of the events in question?"

There was some nervous laughter from among the crowd and another groan from where the families stood. Volstagg opened and closed his mouth a few times as if not quite certain what to do or say.

"We could ask Lieutenant-General Yngvarr for his opinion if you wish," Loki offered, before his eyes flashed to Lady Sif. "Unless you would attempt to impugn his honor, too?"

"We were unaware," Fandral tried to explain. "We had expected to find Ó- King Óðinn on Hliðskjálf."

"Many were similarly caught unaware," Loki retorted. "Strange they did not react thus. Now, back to my original point. I distinctly recall ordering you to await my command after I denied your requests to end Thor's banishment. Therefore, you were given orders."

"False orders by a false king," Lady Sif declared loudly, causing an uproar among the spectators.