(LOKI)
It only took a handful of days for word of our departure to reach the masses. Vali, while excited to have a place to call his own, lamented quietly about being far from his new friends. We assured him that regular portals to and from our realm would be created in due time.
The Vanir unanimously agreed to come with us. A few choice Aesir did as well—those who lost their families and opted for more sweeping differences between what they knew and what was to be. Other realms were poorly represented by survivors, yet they wanted to wait for their own lands. In the meantime, Thor and I saw to it that they were allowed to govern themselves in regions they dedicated on their own.
Thor insisted on making a ceremonious exit, again requesting that I wear my armor and address the people who saw me as a savior. Grid surprised me by embroidering cobalt and purple into the borders of my luxurious cape, forever memorializing the lost and the living. Narvi's violet would always represent him in our house—whichever hue Hela chose would be added someday, too.
Sigyn helped me dress for the audience and lingered around my face while coiling my hair in defined curls. "You have more gray than you did when we arrived."
"So you do."
"Seems faster than it should, don't you think?" She hissed and tapped on her belly. "I will say, she's anxious to join us. Whenever she shifts, a bolt of pain rips through my bones. Grid says it's to prepare for her, but I don't recall my body being quite so sensitive last time."
"Freyr believes Ragnarok changed all of us. Shortens our timelines, making them more human. Their bodies haven't ever been as long-lived as those in the higher realms; now that we're all on the same plane, it's equalized us. That could explain why you're more aware of your body's fragility."
"Evidently." She shook her head and returned to admiring me. "You sure whatever shelter's been planned is adequate if she doesn't wait to join us?"
"I'm sure. And we'll have more hands to assist us this time. You won't have to wait long to have a proper home again." I leaned down to tickle her ear with my breath. "And I've asked for help to ensure you one luxury—a tub large enough to completely submerge in. We'll build our home around it instead of hoping it will fit."
She laughed with the old melody of her happiness. "Oh, Lo. You truly do love me."
"I do." I rubbed her nose with mine before kissing her hard, each day reigniting the fire between us.
Vali, ever able to sense the least convenient moment to interrupt, cleared his throat to announce his presence.
We snickered and turned to him. "Yes, son?" I asked.
"Astrid wants to know when we're coming back."
Sigyn sighed and patted my shoulder. "This one's yours." She kissed Vali's temple on her way out of the tent. "Don't be too long. Thor's presentation starts at the palace site in ten minutes."
Vali looked at me with his face turned down. "It's just a question."
"We won't ever come back permanently, Vali. But I can see trusting some of the friends we've made here for extended stays. For your education, of course."
He shined a little, standing straighter with the deep breath he took of joy. "So I can still train with her and Riggs?"
I squinted. "Riggs?"
"Ragfrieda. The gatekeeper's daughter."
I couldn't help but laugh and kneel before him. "Well, well. I'm surprised Heimdall's let you become friends at all, little wolf."
"He's not so scary," Vali said with a raised brow.
"No. A gentle giant, I suppose." I turned his chin up to me. "Something I hope you'll become as well. Yes, you'll continue your training here once we're established. If you wish to join the ranks of Asgard's elite, you must earn it."
"Thank you, Father." He jumped into my chest, clutching my shoulders where the cape attached to my armor.
It was hard not to worry that his future would divulge from what I'd always dreamed of—would he ever want armor of his own? Would he make vows to his family, to me, to the rest of Yggdrasil the same way I did? If he chose to follow some human profession instead of the path I cut before him, I would have to keep myself from marring his success with private insecurities for why my example wasn't good enough.
Though that seemed a far-off possibility when he pulled away from my hold and glanced up at my formidable helmet. "When I'm older, will I have to wear horns, too?"
I chuckled with a wide smile. "No, little wolf. You'd have something all your own, if you want it."
He smiled before swallowing hard. His heart must've pained him by the way his crest fell. "I...I promise to make you as proud as he would have."
His words cut me deep, but not because it invoked Narvi's spirit—because it meant Vali'd somehow internalized an expectation that his brother was more worthy. I took his shoulders firmly and spoke to him like a man, since his humility marked him ready to hear it. "No. You will make us proud the way you were always meant to, Vali. Do not spend your life competing with a ghost."
He nodded, though he sniffed back hard. It would take many more repetitions before he would believe me. And I would gladly say it every day if it meant he knew his worth.
"Come, now. I want to show you your new home."
Thor awaited my family on a platform before the crowd. Modi stood slightly behind him, holding his head high, still reminding me of myself at that age. Stoic and constantly absorbing his surroundings.
I was grateful that Vali hadn't gravitated toward him. It seemed the future Valkyrie were more his speed.
An aisle cut through the spectators. I took Sigyn's arm and Vali stayed at her side; the three of us met eyes as much as possible on our way, bowing our heads slightly to anyone who did it to us first. Our most frequent new friends—not just Freyr and Grid anymore, but Theoric and Thyra as well as our old servant, Kara—stood at the front for the best view alongside Heimdall's many daughters and one son. It was eerie how much the procession reminded me of Thor's failed ascension to the throne years ago, when I walked with Mother and sabotaged his rise to power.
If I hadn't, none of us would've been who we were. Thor would've made a violent king. Mother might be alive, but I wouldn't have Sigyn. I couldn't imagine not becoming a father. Who knew if Modi would've even existed. Ragnarok would've have been the same if I hadn't won the soldiers' respect one by one. Like Odin said, life was a series of stacked-upon choices, working backward to single events that shaped our lives. I was grateful, despite all the pain of our lives, how fortunate we were to have made it so far. Our story was only just beginning.
We ascended the platform and stood in a line for the people to see. Thor raised his hand to command silence from the crowd before he spoke.
"Loki, former addressed King of Vanaheim, my brother, and my friend. We stand here to wish you off to a new realm, to rebuild our universe, with a command to steward your land in peace. Do you accept this charge?"
"Yes, I do." I smirked at the many people in the crowd below with smiles of approval.
"In your wake, we have brought you a gift." Thor looked to Modi, who handed him a thick volume.
The book itself was a piece of treasure, bound in bright green and yellow gold. An emblem of my helmet had been painted on the front as a crest. In my arms, it was heavier than even the stories of Odin's library, though I didn't dread opening it.
"We must begin our new Yggdrasil with true history. I give you the accounts of all respect and admiration from Asgard to you, Loki Odinson."
Sigyn saw how I froze and opened the cover for me. She only needed to absorb a few pages before she burst into silent tears and pointed for me to look, too.
No moving pictures, no grand illustrations. Only words—handwritten notes from soldiers I had treated on the field. Theoric and Thyra wrote a letter of their falling in love. Many accounts by the Vanir of my time as Senator, and even before when I'd defeated Gorr. One after the other, my redemption was chronicled, solidified by the quiet knowledge that Odin absolved me, too.
I turned to Thor again, blinking quickly to preserve my pride, though my sudden lack of commentary spoke for me.
"In your hands lies the record of your time spent on Asgard and Vanaheim, the works we did together, and the love we have for you. Thank you, Loki, for all you have done.." Thor opened his arms for a quick embrace, which I took willingly. He met Sigyn and Vali's eyes in turn, then waved for Heimdall to join us. "The House of Loki has dubbed their chosen home Narvlheim. I declare all who establish the realm shall hereby and henceforth be known as Narvir. Those who have made this their aim, please step forward."
The many groups who agreed to come with us shifted in the crowd to take their place. Sobs ensued in all directions, but they weren't in the same spirit as they had been in the past. It was precisely what we all hoped for when jumping through the Bifrost stream's last breaths.
Thor raised Mjolnir high above and asked me to hold it with him. "As King of Asgard, I declare the birth of Narvlheim!" He yelled in his signature fashion and struck the earth, opening a portal through the crackling sky. The power of Odin and my magic combined, making our own road to salvation.
I released the handle and walked against the wind of the portal. My cape flew behind me, making reality of a long forgotten dream: one to be powerful, beautiful, without sacrificing the trust and care of others. I had no fear that eyes waited for my failure. Didn't bother with casting an illusion of my worth. With Sigyn's hand on my right side and Vali's in my left, I led my family into the blinding light of possibility.
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Thank you all for reading! I am so beyond excited to jump into the next piece of the saga, which happens after a little time jump. We still follow Loki and Sigyn's story, but I hope you feel you've gotten to know Vali well enough to want to see how he turns out, and wish to see what Hela's like. Not to mention how a familiar foe threatens their cozy life on Narvlheim...
My book deal has been announced! Look for my queer second-chance romance, The Key, later in 2024, under my official pen name, Jo Morgan Sloan. Your commentary, kudos, votes, follows, etc, keep me going. Thank you so much! And I will start posting the next installment very soon!