Yngvarr had to admit to feeling uneasy as he observed Prince Thor following his brother further into King Loki's chambers. Though all seemed well at present, some of the comments he had overheard recently left him feeling uncomfortable leaving his king alone with Prince Thor. The biggest threats could oft come from within, as Heimdallr had proven so recently. Given the situation, he would rather err on the side of caution, even if it could cost him Prince Thor's trust.
His duty was more important than his position.
"Be extra attentive and go in at the slightest indication something might be amiss," Yngvarr ordered the two men he had selected to remain in the outer chamber tonight.
"Lieutenant-General," they both replied.
Though they did not say it, Yngvarr could read the curiosity in their eyes. There was less surprise than he might have thought, though, and ordinarily it might concern him. 'Twas entirely possible, however, they had overheard the same comments as him and followed them to their logical conclusion. Or they might even think him reacting to Heimdallr's actions. Regardless, their lack of surprise would make them react sooner and with less hesitation, which was good.
With a final glance at the door which led to their young king's personal chambers, Yngvarr left the outer chamber. Livunn, he knew, was also still within, so she could call his men if necessary.
"I need to see if I can find General Týr," he told his remaining men in the corridor. "Send for me should anything transpire or King Loki leaves his chambers."
With those instructions he left, hoping to still catch Týr in his study. 'Twas not a given seeing how their preparations for war had been scaled back, but Yngvarr was mostly confident his superior would be utilizing the time to begin his reassessment of the army. The reply he received when he knocked on the general's study door confirmed his suspicions.
"I had not been certain you would still be here," Yngvarr said as he entered.
"Ha!" Týr replied, glancing up from the parchment he was working on. "With a king who will notice if I fall too far behind in my parchmentwork?"
"If it makes you feel any better, he has been buried in it as well," Yngvarr replied with a smile.
"It would depend."
"On?"
"Whether he enjoyed it."
Yngvarr laughed. "Based on the glazed look in his eyes when Lord Ragnvaldr was done with him the past few days, I do not believe so."
"Now you are making me feel bad for him."
"Think of your parchmentwork."
Týr glanced down at it with a glare before a speculative look entered his eyes and Yngvarr had to suppress a groan, knowing what was coming next.
"In light of the fact you may be leading the army soon, it may be good training to familiarize yourself with some of these forms and reports," Týr said.
"I have my own parchmentwork, most of which has been left undone given the enhanced security precautions."
"Ah, but it would appear those will soon be coming to an end."
"I would prefer to keep the additional guard on King Loki, if he will permit it."
The way the general's attention sharpened was heartening for Yngvarr, as it proved that, despite their conversational topic, his superior did not even consider him to be attempting to worm his way out of the additional work. In a way, he would actuallypreferto do the parchmentwork, if it meant his king was the safer for it and he did not possess such doubts as to his king's safety.
"Has something else happened?" Týr inquired.
"Nay, nothing quite so drastic," Yngvarr hastened to reassure. "'Tis more what was said."
"Said?"
"Aye, when King Loki went down into the dungeons to carry out the punishment of the four traitors."
"I dread to ask how they reacted."
"Much as you would expect based on the trial. There were more accusations of the king having usurped Hliðskjálf and being envious of Prince Thor."
"The latter is a very common belief, I am discovering."
"Not to the extent they believe King Loki to have acted out of spite, I hope."
"Nay, that seems confined to those we have in the dungeons, as far as I can tell."
"Thank the Nine."
"Were they as insulting and arrogant as before?" Týr asked.
"Worse even, with all but Fandral actively resisting my men when they moved to secure them for the ritual."
"I cannot believe I will say this, but I am very pleased to have that as otherwise their punishment would be extremely difficult to actualize."
"I do not believe King Loki would have sentenced them thus if it were not for the ritual."
"Oh?"
"'Tis something they kept accusing King Loki of," Yngvarr explained. "Enjoying their predicament and carrying out the punishment. Initially, he merely said ensuring justice done was always pleasurable, but later he admitted he enjoyed exacting revenge for the wrongs committed against him."
"Who does not? Had they betrayed me thus, as the main person against whom they acted, I would be enjoying their situation even more than at present."
"You went down to see them," Yngvarr realized.
"Aye, in a foolhardy attempt to learn why they acted how they did."
"I assume you did not find what you sought."
Týr snorted. "Nothing but more theories on how King Loki had stolen Hliðskjálf, or questions as to why I was allowing any of it."
"That I have not yet had," Yngvarr replied. "They seem far too focused on King Loki when he is present to think of anyone else."
"Obsessed?"
"Aye, 'tis a good word for it."
"It would concern me if the collars did not seem to work as well as they do."
"And the basic commands King Loki gave them, which cannot be overruled, were quite thorough in ensuring not only the safety of the royal family, but those of others as well. In addition, it prevents them from attempting to escape."
Týr was looking at him with slightly wide eyes now and Yngvarr could well understand the sentiment. King Loki, it seemed, was not someone to cross. He was quite thorough in his punishments and ensuring one could not escape from them.
"I had initially thought he had gone too soft on them," Týr admitted. "But after making Sif kneel involuntarily when I ordered her to, well, it has rather altered my perspective on it."
"It does make you pause to wonder what would be worse, execution or indentured servitude. As I was saying, though, I believe King Loki selected this particular punishment because of its seiðr component, since the traitors are renowned for having made many disparaging remarks as regards to seiðr over the centuries."
"King Loki does seem to possess an interesting ability to tailor his punishments according to whom he is punishing. Which begs the question, what is the special component of Heimdallr's sentence?"
"I had assumed 'twas losing his sight, but King Loki did inquire whether Heimdallr was bored yet when he saw him last."
"I see, something to consider," Týr said. "But as to your original point?"
"What? Oh, aye. During one of his exchanges with the traitors, King Loki responded to an accusation he had utilized his superior strength against Prince Thor by stating they had never seemed particularly concerned when his brother had used his strength against him."
It took a second, but Yngvarr could see the moment the full meaning of his words dawned on the general. Týr's eyes widened and his mouth opened silently, once or twice.
"Are you absolutely certain 'tis what he said?" Týr asked, urgently. "There was no room for misinterpretation?"
"Nay, none."
"Norns, how did we ever missthat?"
'Twas a question Yngvarr had been asking himself for the past two days. Over and over again.
"All I can think of, is that King Loki hid it, he seemed rather dismayed he had uttered those words where they could be overheard," Yngvarr finally replied. "Though the complete and utter lack of response from the traitors indicated they did not think anything of it."
"Indicating they were well aware of the situation and approved, maybe even considered it normal."
"It would go a long way towards explaining how they went so wrong."
"Aye, but it leaves me with a far larger problem."
"Of that, I am well aware," Yngvarr sighed. "Even now, King Loki is in his chambers with Prince Thor. While his personal servant is in there with them, and I have two men in the outer receiving chamber, it leaves a lot of room for something to transpire."
"King Loki showed no fear of Prince Thor?"
"Nay, none. They acted much as normal and, had I not overheard what I had, I would never have suspected anything amiss," Yngvarr said. "Even if I now wonder that mayhap I should have."
Týr frowned. "You believe you missed some early indication?"
"Thinking back, I do recall seeing King Loki brace himself a few times around his brother, though mostly when seeing the prince for the first time in a while. Thor's reaction is oft a bit more... exuberant."
"I do recall Prince Thor knocking Prince Loki off his feet more than once when they were younger. I had always thought it to be inadvertent."
"I am not suggesting 'twas not, but mayhap it set a precedent," Yngvarr explained. "King Loki can be very hard to read most of the time if he does not wish you to be able to do so. Therefore, this reaction strikes me more as being automatic, and not considered something which needs to be concealed. They even spoke of it the other evening when Thor miscalculated a move and bounced off King Loki's shoulder when he was attempting to simply bump it."
"He bounced off of the king?" Týr repeated in disbelief.
"Aye," Yngvarr recalled with a smile. "I do not believe he could have so much as bruised King Loki in that state, no matter how much of his strength he exerted."
The image seemed to be too much for his superior as the general began to laugh and laugh. Yngvarr allowed himself a larger smile, glad he could bring some pleasure along with all of his grim news. At this rate, King Óðinn would need another sleep after he had dealt with everything which had arisen while he was asleep! The mere thought of discovering one of his children could be harming one of the others made him feel physically ill.
"The situation is not humorous, but the mere image of PrinceThorbouncing off of King Loki is," Týr said.
"I believe more than one of my men had to forcibly contain their merriment, and King Loki definitely did not even attempt to," Yngvarr replied.
"He laughed in his brother's face?"
"Aye, which is why I hesitate in my assessment."
"It may still be correct, but it would indicate the situation is not as dire as I had feared. If it were, King Loki would not dare to so openly laugh at his brother's expense."
"There is also King Loki's apparent penchant for revenge to consider," Yngvarr added.
"There is that. If he truly wished to avenge himself on Prince Thor, he had ample opportunity to do so which no one could have gainsaid him on. All he would have had to do was leave him on Miðgarðr."
"So, what do you believe we are dealing with here?"
"Given what you have observed and what we know of both Óðinnsons, I am inclined to believe it a case of Prince Thor having become overly reliant on his superior strength, and this having become a normal component of his and King Loki's relationship."
"Would it not be visible elsewhere then?"
"Oh, 'tis," Týr stated.
"You have observed something yourself," Yngvarr realized.
"Thor has spent part of his time since regaining his power on the training fields, where I have kept a close eye on him, even when not involved in his remedial training."
"And he used his physical strength to his advantage outside of a training scenario?"
"Not quite, but 'twas implied he could do so."
"The other gave way?"
"Aye, whether out of deference to Prince Thor's authority or for fear of the follow up to the threat, I do not know."
"King Loki might be less inclined to do so," Yngvarr realized.
"'Tis what I now fear," Týr agreed.
"Well, if 'tis part of a larger pattern, it will make it easier for you to have words with Prince Thor on the matter. You can begin with something less threatening than questioning him on whether he is laying hands on his brother."
"The thought had occurred to me," Týr admitted, before he shifted. "Do you believe you will be able to convince King Loki of the need to continue his protection without raising your concerns of his brother?"
Yngvarr sighed. "I thought to mention Heimdallr as his actions were mostly unrelated to the war with Jötunheimr, even if he kept attempting to claim King Loki allowed the jötnar into the vault."
"It may work, but King Loki has historically been notoriously good at evading or abandoning his guards. Well, other than Höðr."
"He has oft been far more mobile and less predictable than he is now, though."
"True. I simply hope he does not decide to overrule our concerns."
"Is he still as prone to that as he was before?" Yngvarr asked. "It has seemed to me, he is listening to most of the High Council at present, even if he does not follow all of their advice."
Týr paused for a moment, before nodding his head. "He is being more open than I would have expected of him before."
"And you have scaled back your antagonism," Yngvarr smiled, drawing a scowl.
"One cannot quite argue with the king as readily as one does with a young, upstart princeling. Besides, King Loki has enough to deal with without needing to question my loyalties."
The words killed Yngvarr's merriment. They were far too true, which spoke to the precarious nature of their current position.
"What of your investigation into this ljósálfr tailor?" Týr asked. "Have you been able to uncover anything?"
"Unfortunately, there does seem to be more than is at first apparent," Yngvarr replied. "Höðr was able to witness her sending a small parchment through an unguarded portal to Álfheimr."
"Unguarded?"
"It appears to be quite a small one and thus deemed unworthy of investigation by King Óðinn for his project of determining the Yggdrasill's health."
"Did you detain the tailor?"
"Nay."
"Nay?"
"King Loki decided he would rather discover what information she is after, and how she is obtaining it."
Týr pulled a face. "While those are noble intentions, it does mean she can keep sending Queen Sága information."
"I did mention it, but King Loki did not feel it likely to be particularly sensitive information given Álfheimr's position as our ally."
"Allies do not spy on each other!"
Yngvarr smiled. "King Loki told me you should speak with Lord Aðalgrímr if you truly believe that."
As he had known they would, the words made his superior grumble and mutter, but Yngvarr knew the point was very well made. Much as none of them liked to have words on it, the truth was all Nine Realms utilized such tactics on a regular basis. Ásgarðr included.
"Impertinent whelp," Týr finished.
Yngvarr smiled. "Please ensure I am present if you ever decide to inform King Loki of that particular assessment of him."
"Unlike our traitorous five, I am not nearly so stupid. I assume you will utilize Höðr in your new assignment?"
"Unless you have any objections?"
"Nay, not so long as he keeps a close eye on Jötunheimr, even after the treaty has been signed. I would not put it past Laufey-King to attempt to undo the restrictions King Loki has placed upon the Casket of Ancient Winters."
"You think he would attack if he is successful?" Yngvarr asked.
"I used to think so. I am less certain after all of the time and effort they have spent negotiating the treaty, but 'tis still a very real possibility."
"Another reason I could utilize should King Loki prove resistant to the idea of being closely guarded after the treaty has been signed."
"Logic will most likely work as well," Týr replied. "How does the king fare otherwise?"
"The same as before, though the pressure of the treaty has been greatly reduced, it seems much of the regular tasks necessary to running Ásgarðr have been waiting to be dealt with until now."
"I would feel sorry for him if he did not seem to relish parchmentwork in the past."
"Aye, but if it puts him in a foul mood, you may experience some of the direct fallout."
Týr pulled a face. "Why do you think I am working on parchmentwork even now? I hope to appease him with some of it should he ask."
"I would recommend any of it which will provide him with more work be passed on to Lord Ragnvaldr first," Yngvarr replied. "For prioritization."
His superior snorted and Yngvarr merely smiled. 'Twas a good excuse and would avoid drawing the young king's potential ire, even if they all knew King Loki always insisted on the proper parchment trail for any work.
Loki frowned as he glanced around Glaðsheimr. "Has anyone seen Lord Aðalgrímr today?" he inquired, not finding his old mentor.
"I saw him briefly on my way here," Lord Óðr replied. "He said he would be a little late. He did not say why, though he seemed rather excited."
Excited? 'Twas hard not to start speculating given that word, but Loki forced himself not to hope. He could not afford it now. A quick glance at the others showed he was not alone in attempting not to do so.
"Is there any business which can be seen to in Lord Aðalgrímr's absence?" Lord Ragnvaldr asked.
"I have one item," Lord Óðr replied. "The Farmer's Guild have extended an invitation to King Loki and the negotiating team to an outdoor feast to be held in their honor to celebrate the renewal of our zisa supply."
'Twas a bit of a stretch to celebrate for that, but Loki knew if it had not been for the war with Jötunheimr, that he would have already met with each of the big guilds, regent or not.
"Very well," Loki said, before he looked to Lord Ragnvaldr. "Please schedule in any others who may wish to meet, though it would be good to remind them Father is improving and should wake sooner rather than later."
"Of course, Majesty," Lord Ragnvaldr replied.
"Sorry I am late," Lord Aðalgrímr said as he entered Glaðsheimr, an opened package in his hand. "But I bear glad tidings. Laufey-King and his people are happy with the final changes we made and have asked us to draw up the final copy and arrange for the signing ceremony."
Relief crashed through Loki and he slumped back in his chair, even as beside him Thor whooped and leapt to his feet. The sound level in the hall rose as the others reacted and Loki allowed it to wash over him as he closed his eyes, suppressing the mad desire to simply laugh and laugh and laugh which rose within him. He was aware enough to know it would not sound quite sane and he was not at all certain he would be able to stop once he started.
A hand touched his left forearm and Loki opened his eyes to find Uncle Vili glancing at him in concern.
"Are you alright, Loki?" the man asked.
"Hmm," Loki confirmed. "Merely relieved; very, very relieved."
"Rightfully so, but do not forget to revel in this either," Uncle Vili stated. "This isyourvictory and it will forever bear your name."
The words startled Loki for a moment but then he realized that, if anyone were to understand his position, it would be his adoptive uncles. True, they had always had each other and neither had possessed some of the disadvantages he did. Still, Loki allowed his smile to sharpen, and his uncle nodded in satisfaction. 'Twas odd to have someone encouraging his more selfish tendencies, but he liked it.
"Your Majesty, Lord Aðalgrímr," Lord Ragnvaldr said, cutting over the others. "I believe I speak for everyone when I say congratulations."
"Thank you," Loki replied, looking over at his old mentor and tipping his head at him. "How long to draw up the full, final treaty?"
"I have already had enough of the necessary parchment prepared and the requisite inks have been made," Lord Aðalgrímr replied. "Thus, only long enough for the scribes to transcribe the treaty and the necessary checks to be done."
"Excellent," Loki stated, turning to look at the head of the army. "And how long would you like to prepare the security for the ceremony?"
"Given we have already utilized the location and the jötnar had no means of traveling there since, simply a little to check it once more," General Týr replied. "The rest will be following well established protocols for events of this nature."
Loki was surprised given the general's normal paranoia, but the man did have a point. Besides, Týr had been drilling his men on how to fight both the jötnar and the múspellssynir for the past two weeks, so that matter was more than covered.
"This is all suddenly moving faster than expected," Uncle Vé stated, echoing Loki's own thoughts.
"The sooner, the better," Uncle Vili replied.
"Hmm," Loki agreed. "Is two days hence too soon given we need to send out invitations for the ceremony to the other four Realms?"
"Normally, I would advise giving them more time, but I believe all would be happy to work with less time given the circumstances," Lord Ragnvaldr replied. "None of them want war, even if Niðavellir would profit from it in temporary trade."
"The invites are all ready and simply need a date and time, along with your signature, before they can be sent," Lord Aðalgrímr stated.
"Noon, two days hence?" Lord Ragnvaldr suggested.
"Aye," Loki confirmed.
"With a large celebratory feast that evening!" Thor proclaimed.
For once, Loki did not roll his eyes at his brother's desire to feast. He had no intention of minimizing this particular achievement. 'Twas to be the pinnacle and crown jewel of his regency, after all. The rest were all adornments in comparison, nice to have, but not essential.
"The preparations have already commenced," Lord Ragnvaldr informed Thor.
"Shall I release the third-tier warriors back to their regular duties?" General Týr inquired.
"It would be beneficial," Lord Óðr replied. "I have had reports of other areas missing them, which was fine under the circumstances, but if we are unlikely to go to war..."
"It would be prudent to have them returned as soon as possible," Loki agreed.
"Will we be looking for any type of trade agreement with Jötunheimr?" Uncle Vé suddenly asked. "I know we stated in the treaty we would allow some of their merchants to attend the Harvest Festival, but what of a larger and more official agreement?"
The question startled Loki as 'twas something he had not even considered, being far too focused on the peace treaty itself. At a loss, he turned towards Lord Ragnvaldr.
"Did we have one prior to the war?" Loki questioned.
"We did, though it had eroded over time due to disagreements and instances of power play," Lord Ragnvaldr replied.
"Hmm, Lords Óðr and Aðalgrímr, find copies of the old agreements and see if there would be interest from any guilds or market groups who benefitted from them before," Loki delegated.
"Of course, Majesty," Lord Óðr replied. "Some may seek to bring it up with you directly once word of the final treaty spreads."
"Understood," Loki replied. "Are you able to send the draft treaty for transcription to commence, Lord Aðalgrímr?"
"Aye," his old mentor replied, adding a note to the package before he stepped into the corridor.
Within moments he was back, so Loki assumed Lord Aðalgrímr had requested a servant wait for him there on his way in.
"Now," Loki began, once everyone was seated once more. "Lord Ragnvaldr."
"Majesty," the advisor replied. "As I believe most of you have heard, King Loki received a rather unusual request for aid among the King's Funds applications. It came from one of the eastern councils of the city, requesting funding to aid with basic road repair. It claimed the main thoroughfare used for trade and commerce was in a dire state."
"I have heard some of this," Lord Óðr said. "Is it true how bad it actually is?"
"Hmm," Loki confirmed. "Lord Ragnvaldr and I went to have a look after one of the negotiation sessions with Laufey-King. Its condition is atrocious and wholly unacceptable for even the outer reaches of Ásgarðr, let alone the city itself."
"How did this come to pass?" Uncle Vili demanded.
"The rumors and hearsay indicate insufficient repair funding after the rúfendr seiðmadr's attack, leading to council funding being diverted away from their usual purposes," Lord Ragnvaldr explained. "They also believed we did not care for the region due to a lack of warriors living there, as all subsequent requests for additional funding were denied."
"Surely, 'tis not true," General Týr said.
"This is what I have requested Lord Ragnvaldr investigate," Loki replied. "We found the road to be even worse than described and Councillor Vör to be very open to an audit of the council's budget."
"The initial investigation to date has matched our records to theirs regarding what emergency funding they received after the attack," Lord Ragnvaldr stated. "We have also found detailed records of additional expenses within the council's budget, as well as a copy of several letters sent to Iðavöllr explaining the situation as it evolved and requesting additional aid, all of which matches what they seem to have paid."
"It could still be faked," Lord Óðr argued.
"True," Lord Ragnvaldr agreed. "Which is why we will be contacting all of the listed tradesmen and laborers, to see if their own records verify those of the council."
"What of our records?" Uncle Vé inquired. "Why did we refuse the additional requests for aid?"
Lord Ragnvaldr glanced at him, and Loki's lips thinned as he recalled the advisor's initial report to him.
"We only have a copy of the first of the letters," Lord Ragnvaldr explained. "The appended reply states that they were compensated as per the surveyor's findings and it had been their responsibility to spend the funding wisely."
"A blanket denial of even the possibility of an error?" Uncle Vili questioned, startled.
"Aye. And, what is worse, the figures listed on our end do not correspond to those the council records indicate they received."
"Someone is lying," Thor concluded.
"At the very least," Lord Ragnvaldr confirmed. "All records on our end list a higher damage count than the corresponding documents the council has. At first glance, this would seem to indicate there was greater damage than what was initially observed, however..."
"It could also be indicative of an attempt to embezzle money from the emergency funds," Loki stated, darkly.
"What a mess," Thor muttered.
"Corruption always is," Lord Ragnvaldr replied.
"Are you certain 'tis deliberate corruption then?" Uncle Vili questioned. "And not merely incompetence?"
"Aye, there are too many inconsistencies for it to be merely sloppy parchmentwork. The problem is this is not recent, so some evidence and information has already been lost and there is no telling at present how high this goes."
"Do we know whether 'tis simply restricted to this one instance at least?" Lord Aðalgrímr inquired.
"I fear it may not be," Lord Ragnvaldr replied, glancing over at Uncle Vé.
"It would appear Councillor Vör may have been unique in believing your request for additional applications for the King's Funds could be utilized to cover this type of work," Uncle Vé began. "Ever since the trial of the traitors and word of their sentence has spread, the palace has been inundated with requests for use of their services."
Loki closed his eyes, his fears coming true. "And there are some among those who would appear to have suffered from a similar underfunding?"
"Aye, so it would appear."
"From the same attack?"
"Mostly, but there do appear to be some... other irregularities."
The urge to curse and scream rose up within Loki, along with a desire to start laughing hysterically and to never stop. As did the urge to either cry or go curl up in a dark corner and never emerge again. Mother Winter seemed more sympathetic this time and it abruptly reminded Loki of the difference in how long the jötnar lived when compared to the æsir, and all that it implied. Could this be the onset of his puberty?
'Twas a surprisingly comforting thought even as Loki groaned mentally. At least it would explain his uncharacteristic urges in a far more positive manner than the alternative. That he truly was losing his mind, and all of both his own and Loptr's efforts to the contrary had been in vain.
With an effort, Loki forced his eyes open once more. "You have passed the details on to Lord Ragnvaldr?" he checked.
"Immediately," Uncle Vé confirmed.
"Do you require more people or additional resources?" Loki asked Lord Ragnvaldr as he turned to look at the old advisor.
"Nay, I believe the less personnel involved at present the better. At least until I know who we may trust."
Of course, it would not do to have the culprit involved in the investigation. They could sabotage it sufficiently to ensure they never uncovered who was ultimately responsible. Or those, plural, as 'twas unlikely a scheme of the scale as this appeared to be, could be perpetrated by merely one person. Well, not unless there were others involved who were exceedingly careless or neglectful. If so, he would see them punished as well for their failings.
"Very well, but inform me immediately if there is anything you require," Loki replied.
"Majesty."
Though he knew this particular issue was unlikely to be resolved before Óðinn woke, Loki felt no particular desire to feel protective of it. He knew his adoptive father would feel just as infuriated by it as him, and thus do all that which was necessary to uncover who was responsible. But corruption was neither pretty nor of as great an interest to most people and so would not garner the same type of response as the successful completion of the peace treaty with Jötunheimr would. Besides, 'twas Óðinn's mess and he felt no desire to fully clean up after Borrson, let Óðinn deal with it himself.
"Now, what other business is there?" Loki asked.
