These Things We've Gained: Eternal Love, Building Hope, Just Honesty

by Tales of Suspense

In the aftermath of "These Things We've Lost" people strugggle to create a new normal. (Slice of Life)

19. Chapter 19

- Chapter 19 -

Outside The Bounds Of Time

Vanaheim Royal Palace Guest Chambers

The brilliant fuchsia sjel-seidr teleportation fire receded back to the floor. In the wake of it James stood with Lady Sjofn by his side. In union Lady Audhumbla, Lord Gin, and Elder Gorynych turned to look at James. Loki was sleeping on the bed between the three older rulers.

"I have brought him, my Lady." Lady Sjofn bowed respectfully to her Matron. She was glad that James had been granted an audience with Lady Audhumbla to ask to speak with Lady Loki. The firehawk needed his mate, but his mate needed to be more knowledgeable than she previously was.

James bowed politely to the elders surrounding Loki. "Sirs, good Lady," he said by way of greeting, "I need to speak with Loki. Can she be wakened?"

"What is it you wish to speak with her on?" Lady Audhumbla didn't ask because she believed that James would come to them during this time without good reason. She just wanted warning for anything that might upset her litil-svass.

"I need to brief on her the day. I also have a message for her from Jay, and I need to check-in with her to see how she's doing. I also need to ask her permission for some leeway on a promise made." A wider smile spread across his lips then. "I also need to check in and see how the children are doing. It's been quite a while since I've seen them."

"They have not yet lived through a whole day. You need not worry." It pleased her that James had come not just to deliver information, but to see to Loki as well. The timeless Lady liked how James cared for his family. It was admirable in her eyes.

"Thank you for that, ma'am. I do appreciate it." It had been years to him since he'd seen his nieces and nephews, and James missed them dearly.

"Let me waken Loki for you." Lady Audhumbla laid a gentle hand on Loki's shoulder, gently touching her granddaughter with a flare of her sjel-seidr. "Litil-svass, it is time to awaken now."

As soon as her grandmother called to her, Loki woke up. She didn't want to get up right then though. She was warm and comfortable. Her emotional distress at what had befallen her firehawk and her son was muted at the moment. Everything was a little muted. There was a decided hesitation at the thought of having to face what happened again. What Anthony and Jay did were some of the hardest things to accept in all of her years. None of it could be undone. Loki could only hope to assist her beloved firehawk and her son to heal from these wounds, instead of undoing the injuries all together. She turned her face towards the pillow and mumbled. "I don't want to wake up yet, Amma."

Chuckling softly, the timeless Lady commanded her sjel-seidr to turn into a Restoration Spell. She guided the spell over Loki to brush her hair and clean her face. "You have a guest. You needs must awaken." When she was done making her litil-svass presentable she commanded her sjel-seidr to break down the spell and return to her.

The fact that there was someone else in the room besides her grandparents instantly woke up Loki fully. She started paying attention to who she was in the room with and found James to be near. Sitting up and turning so that she could face him, she hoped that he would have news of her beloved and son. "James!" A little disappointment struck her that Anthony wasn't with him. Her husband was often in the company of James. Her Amma's hand on her shoulder stopped her from getting up to go to him. "Where's Tony? What of Jay?"

"Anthony is working on several projects at the moment. Jay is with his grandfather right now. Do you have some time to talk?" James approached the bed carefully, not wanting to spook his sister-in-law. He made sure that his soul song of stillness was playing strongly with the undertones of hope present in it. When she didn't panic he unfolded his seidr to mount into a quick Conjuration Spell that he snapped to release. A chair formed next to the bed where Loki was resting. When it was done he stowed his seidr back.

"Will you tell me what they're doing, and when can I see them?" James being present didn't alleviate her worry. It only heightened Loki's desire to see her husband and son sooner rather than later.

"Unfortunately Anthony is still recovering from being unwell, so you won't be able to see him just yet. Once he's done with what he's working on, then he should be well enough to return to you. You can see Jay and the rest of the children as soon as you're healthy enough to do so." James kept a reassuring smile on his face.

"If he's well enough to work on a project then how can he not be well enough to return to me?" It raised Loki's hackles once again that she was going to have to go through James to get to Anthony. She was still calm enough to not be tempted to yell. With James yelling felt petty and childish anyway. He was always calm, always collected. Coming at him with anything less than a cool demeanor would prompt him to treat her like a child. Loki never liked that, particularly since she was so much older than him. The infectious calm that almost always surrounded James was pushing at her again. She took a breath and tried to calm down.

"Anthony is recovering still and performing necessary restitution to those he wronged. He and I are working as swiftly as we can, but it will probably be a few more days. Once his restitution is done he should be ready to see you again," a harder edge entered his voice as it did when he was explaining things to Loki that she didn't want to hear, "That has to come first."

Normally Lord Gin wouldn't like someone using a harder toner with his litil-svass when she was so upset, but he found that he didn't mind what was happening. James was using a harder tone with Loki, which was true, but he was also singing calm loudly through his soul song. There was very clear hope in that song. The song made what James was doing acceptable because he was keeping Loki calm so that he only had to harden his voice a little. How are you able to sing with your soul? There are only a few beings who can do this. You don't look or act like one of them. Is it even possible for you to be a colossal?

Lady Audhumbla listened to her Lord husband's thoughts and wondered to herself if James could be one of the colossals. They were ultra rare beings as well as giant sentient beasts. James was no beast though. She knew that she'd look poorly on anyone who tried to level such an insult at him. The colossals were beings that even the Norns respected. While she was waiting she peered again into the currents of time surrounding James, hoping that the firehawk had removed his flames. She was disappointed to see carmine and orange flames still swirling about him. He was still blocked from her view. That still displeased her.

"What restitution?" This wasn't something anyone had mentioned to her. Har husband hadn't harmed anyone yet, and she was hopeful that he wouldn't harm anyone since she was as well as she could be. Now Loki needed to know what James had Anthony doing. Whatever it was, it still kept him from her.

"There are three parties that he's making restitution to. SHIELD, Vanaheim, and Asgard. We've completed some of the restitution for Vanaheim and Asgard, and should be done within a few days. I handled Anthony's restitution to SHIELD today, so that's done also." Sitting back in the chair, James crossed one leg over the other, making himself comfortable for this talk.

"For what actions is he making restitution? What labors is he completing to accomplish this restitution?" Loki didn't like the thought of Anthony being bound to anyone by debt.

"He's making restitution for weakening SHIELD and constructing weapons of mass destruction which he then aimed at them. For sending weapons of mass destruction through Vanaheim's trade routes to Asgard thereby making it look like Vanaheim had launched a surprise attack on Asgard. And for constructing, deploying, and coming minutes away from using weapons of mass destruction against Asgard. For SHIELD there were gifts of materials, knowledge, and the whole of the Iron Legion. For Vanaheim and Asgard there will be upgrades to various infrastructure sections. We've already upgraded the power converters in Asgard proper and Vindrvelsignet, as well as upgrading the gleipnirs themselves so that they're more efficient, powerful, and have greater capacity. We're working on new communications systems for Asgard. We're also working on other parts of the power grid, defensive systems, and a new shield for Asgard. This is the whole list." Summoning the tablet that had the full list of Anthony's restitution on it from his interdimensional pocket, James bought the list up quickly. He handed the tablet to Loki so that she could see for herself what her husband was doing.

Loki's eyes were a little wide when she took the tablet from him. "Weapons of mass destruction were sent to Asgard?" Worry quieted down her voice. Her husband wore a temporal Arch Crown, was a temporal King of Everlasting Machines. She understood that if he chose to aim weapons anywhere then that place was no longer safe. What about father, and mother, and Thor?!

Unfolding his seidr from his core, James mounted a Learning Spell which drew his memories into it, and a Wavering Visions Weave. He outstretched his hand, palm up, and released the spells together over his palm. A movie of the unmanned 'godkiller' icosahedron platforms that were deployed and one of what they were made to do played for Loki. All the while she had a half distressed, half sour look on her face.

"Your fires of creation," she whispered, disappointed, "weren't meant for this." Once the short movie ended Loki asked the question that was at the forefront of her mind. "Did Asgard's defenses catch them?"

"No, they didn't," James hurried on to the next half of his sentence as he saw his sister-in-law's expression fall, "I did. I intercepted them with Jay's assistance and tossed them into the singularity beneath Asgard. Anthony isn't allowed to have those kinds of weapons, so he's not getting them back." He broke down the spell and weave and stowed his seidr back again.

An appreciative smile touched Lord Gin's face. Asgard's defenses alerted him that there were small unknown incoming craft. They hit the singularity before he could determine what they were, they were moving so quickly. The matter was something he had planned on dealing with when he returned to his tower. The old High Lord was glad that the matter was already well-handled.

Normally she didn't like how James would arbitrarily decide what Anthony could and couldn't have, but this was different. She too didn't want her husband to have these kinds of weapons. "What's happened this day?" Loki sat back against the pillows in her bed. They propped her up comfortably.

"Before I brief you on the day, I have a message for you from Jay. He wanted me to tell you that he loves you, and that he's sorry for everything that happened. He's afraid that you might be angry enough at him to abandon him."

Loki placed a hand over her chest, warmed at the message. Her son truly was a good boy. "I would never abandon him, not ever. Especially not since I'm not angry with him. I love him. I'm so proud of him. I hope that he's well." A little smile crept across her face. "I have so much I want to say to my son."

This was the message of love that James was expecting from Loki. She had accepted Jay as her own, and he couldn't see that ever changing. It was what Jay should have expected but the digital boy still felt guilty over what was done during the Dark Days. The smile that spread across his face was genuinely caring. His sister-in-law really was wonderful. "You should know that he doesn't look like what he did this morning." Loki's loving look gave way to worry, so James moved to alleviate it. "The body you gifted him with was too big for him. The size difference was causing a dissonance that was causing him to abandon the body to hide in walls when he was distressed. He was also neglecting the body by depriving himself of food and sleep, and when I checked I found that he'd had a years' long panic attack which was threatening the integrity of his mind." Before Loki could lunge forward to grab a hold of him he answered the questions that he knew she had. "Odin and Frey worked together to remedy the size of his body, which helped the dissonance greatly. They used the same magic on him as they did on you to remedy your health concerns. They also helped me explain to Jay what these sorts of behavior would get him. They were very helpful and friendly today. Jay is quite fond of them. He's with them right now." Unfolding his seidr again he mounted two versions of the Learning spell and the Wavering Visions Weave, letting the spell soak up the two sets of memories he wanted to display. To his right he released a spell and a weave to create an image of Jay in his new body. The boy was laughing and running between Frey and Odin giving both of them hugs.

"He looks exactly like Edward." Looking at his happy face she thought she should have expected Jay's face to reflect Edward's and vice versa. The boys spent so much time together, acting just as her other reflected children did. They were closer than non-reflected siblings. There was more there, and this was it. It didn't bother Loki to see Jay in a newly sized body. What she did find unnerving was how close and friendly Odin and Frey were behaving to one another. Her grandparents had told her that they were reconciling their differences. This looked like a true peace, not just mere reconciling. It upended her way of thinking for all of her life. Loki admitted to herself that it upended more than just that. What it might mean for their Kingdoms was anyone's guess now. "They seem happy."

Switching over to the second set of memories, James showed Loki a montage of how her father and uncle were behaving throughout the day. Surprise tinged her seidr whispers at first, only growing stronger until she was staring in surprise at her suddenly noncombative family members. "How did this happen?" Who was able to accomplish what I never could?

Breaking down the spell and weave, James stowed his seidr back. "To my understanding, each of them was horrified at what befell you because of their actions. They've decided to change their ways so that something like this never happens again." He motioned to Lady Audhumbla politely. "It was your grandmother who straightened them out so that they could begin working together."

Turning to her Amma, Loki asked her question quickly. "Amma, what did you do?"

A gentle smile spread across Lady Audhumbla's lips. "Jay allowed me to view his memories of you and your time spent with him, as well as his time spent with the firehawk. These were what I showed to them. It was not I who convinced them of the error of their ways. It was you, minn litil-svass."

Embarrassment burned across Loki's face as her gaze drifted down to her hands resting in her lap. "Oh." Her voice was quiet but full of mortification at her private dealings having been seen. Her time with her son, and her husband, was her own. Maybe it's for the best, she thought by way of coping with the embarrassment. If whatever they saw was enough to turn them towards peace, then it had to be for the best. Yes, definitely. It wasn't enough to fully ease her embarrassment, but Loki knew that it wouldn't be before she thought about it.

A more powerful effect than normal was needed, so James focused his soul song of stillness through his voice and towards Loki. His voice was going to carry the seriousness of his sentiment. "There's no need to be embarrassed; not with your grandparents, and not with me. We all care about you, Loki."

There was a seriousness bearing down on Loki that Lord Gin could hear clearly. It would have been manipulative if the message had been anything else. It was a message of love and support though that felt like it was trying to overcome entrenched stubbornness. It was a message that he and his Lady wife and brother had been trying to impart to Loki for centuries. They only had so much success before Loki's natural strong will came into play. Lord Gin could see Loki's embarrassment lowering as the red in her face lightened. The seriousness in James' voice was reaching Loki with the message that the old High Lord wanted his litil-svass to hear. He continued to watch James and think about how a man might be using these skills.

Abrupt alarm filled Loki's mind quickly as she thought about the times with her husband and son that none of them wanted. She looked quickly back to her grandmother. "You didn't show them the chair! Please tell me that you didn't!"

"They were shown the memories of the chair and all of the sessions from yours, Anthony's, and Jay's perspectives. I even provided them with a mock session to satisfy their need to know." James kept a reassuring smile on his face as his sister-in-law slowly turned back to him with a look of horror on her face. "They are keenly aware of what happened to you, and why."

Cold tears streaked down Loki's face. "Oh no." Her gaze fell like her mood, landing on the floor unceremoniously. She had never wanted to hurt them like that. Leaving tiny caltrops in her father's boots or placing a single bean, that her uncle was allergic to, in Frey's food was the extent of her desire to cause them pain. It was only ever to remind her father that he'd stepped on the wrong person; to remind her uncle that his actions had consequences. She never hurt them to hurt them, and never more than they could withstand. She certainly never went after her mother. This was too much; it was past too much to her. "How could you do that?" Her voice was miniscule. "I never wanted to hurt them like that."

"Loki, you know very well how I could do that." She looked back to him somewhat venomously, but before she could speak he did. "If I had told you that something terrible had happened to Jay and he's now scarred because of it, and then failed to elaborate, would that be enough for you?"

Loki's anger took a hold of her, and she snapped. "Of course I'd want to know everything that I could. He is my son, my own!"

Moving too rapidly to be stopped by Loki, James unfolded his seidr to mount a Conjuration Spell and a Learning Spell that drew in his memories. He released the two of them above his palm, holding the spells in his hand. A small movie of the SHIELD conference room began to play. Odin was sitting with Frigga near the far end while Frey was sitting at the end of the table.

Frey looked discontent, "You should've let me take him in, Odin. I offered to raise the child as my own. The babe wasn't fit for your purposes. You should have given Loki to me."

Anger streaked across Odin's face, tensing his frame and sending him out of his seat suddenly, "He is my son, my own! I wouldn't give him to you now and I wouldn't have given him to you then. He belongs with us in Asgard. He is mine!"

The small movie paused. "My son, my own," James repeated calmly after them, "You know very well why I did what I did, because you would have demanded the same thing as them." Again, he focused his soul song of stillness through his voice to Loki's ears. "Odin may not have been the best father, but he still loves you as his own, as you love Jay. Odin is trying to change his ways, and you might be surprised at who he's trying to become."

Utter shock replaced the anger in Loki's thoughts. She'd never heard her father speak so forcefully about her before, and in public no less. For the few seconds before he stood, as he faced the camera in the room, there was a rage plain on his face at the very notion that Loki should have gone to Vanaheim instead of Asgard.

James started the movie playing again. The scene changed to the inside of Anthony and Loki's house and was clearly from James' own perspective. Odin had fallen to the floor and was curled around the pain in his chest. The event proceeded as it had the first time, with Frey dropping to his knees to try to remedy the problem and Frigga ordering the drengr into a defensive line around them. When it was done, something happened that brought more surprise to Loki's face. Her seidr whispers were filled with surprise when she heard them speak, saw Odin with two eyes for the first time.

Frey spoke first. "Borr attacked you."

"Yes." Odin answered honestly.

"Does he do this often?" The younger King worried openly.

The hesitation on Odin's face lasted only a moment. "Frequently. I used to think it was the violence of my own emotions, that if I deadened them then I could put the beast to sleep. After yesterday, there's no going back to sleep."

Frey patted Odin gently on the shoulder then. "We will find a way to break this curse, brother." The movie stopped playing again.

"What curse?!" Loki was alarmed by that. It was something that she didn't know about.

Indeed. I should like to know more as well, Lord Gin's thoughts were surprised as they hadn't been in hundreds' of thousands of years. I shall discover more once we are done here, Lady Audhumbla replied through their mental link.

"Lord Borr placed a curse in your father's heartstring. It attacks him violently while pretending to be him. That's as much as I know, however." James needed to know more, and he was going to have to find a way to get that more. He needed to know if it was something that could simply be removed if he got some sleep and was able to prepare himself adequately. There was one last thing that he wanted to show Loki from the day, so he started the movie playing again.

Odin looked like he'd been jabbed in the face. Little tears covered his eyes as he looked down at the missive from Loki in from of the Tree of Gems. He covered his eyes. "Oh, my child..."

"Brother, let me see it." Frey plucked the note from Odin's hand to read it while Jay looked slightly alarmed.

Putting a hand on Odin's shoulder, Frey smiled. "Brother, even if Loki can only be your daughter now, her love for you is unchanged. I'm glad."

Creeping closer, Jay spoke firmly. "Of course, mother loves you. She always will. That will never change."

When Odin silently dismissed the note to his interdimensional pocket Jay looked worried. "Did I say something wrong, Afi Odin?"

"No! No, no, you didn't." The elder King wiped away the tears and cleared his throat. He went to one knee and held out his arms for his grandson. "I'm so glad to know that Loki still holds affection for me."

A stunning smile crossed the little boy's face as he put his hands on either side of Odin's face. "It will be alright. Mother still loves you; she'll always love you. Don't doubt that." His seidr filled his grandfather's eyes with pale white-blue runes as the Learning Spell was used.

When the pale white-blue light in Odin's eyes died down he pulled Jay in for a hug. "Thank you. Thank you. I needed to see that. I worried over that." He picked up his grandson again. "There, we can be tall again."

Breaking down the spells back into seidr James stowed the seidr back into his core. Loki looked pensive as her gaze drew away again. The red in Loki's face was almost entirely gone, so he pursued a quick tangent. He focused on his honesty so that it would resonate through his voice, through his song. "Would you like to take off your glamour? Wouldn't you be more comfortable without it?" Again, she went to speak quickly but he was faster. "You're safe here. You're safe with us. No one will harm you while any of us are near. If you want to be comfortable, then please be comfortable." His soul song rang with the seriousness of his sentiment. It was a support for Loki that he felt she needed.

A small amount of hesitation filled Loki's thoughts. This was one of the things she liked most about James; the fact that he could give her a non-judgmental safe space away from any embarrassment where she could be herself. She wanted to take off her glamour, but hesitated too since they weren't alone. She almost chastised herself when she realized that she was hesitating in front of her grandparents. They had seen her thousands of times without her glamour, this was no different from those times. With clear purpose of thought she uncurled her seidr to peel back the glamour which gave her the pale skin that let her somewhat fit in with Asgardians. Pale Asgardian skin gave way to cobalt Jotenheimr skin. The stiff ridges that marked her as a member of the Jotenheimr Royal House rose up as the glamour receded. The blood of the Royal House of Islending ran through her veins. A deep sigh gusted out of her as relief from the constant pressure of her glamour washed over her. "That is better."

"Good, good. You deserve to be comfortable in yourself." A reassuring smile stayed on James' face.

He noticed how James was keeping a comforting expression, but Elder Gorynych's smile was filled with pleasant surprise. He fully expected his litil-svass to politely but firmly decline to do anything with her glamour. Though it was Odin's seidr, Loki stubbornly refused to simply do away with it and wear her own skin. Though she'd only known James for a few years she was still comfortable enough with this man for her to remove her glamour. It impressed and intrigued the old wyrm. It must be his ability to wield soul songs. Elder Gorynych could hear the soul song coming from James. Like his brother, he had no idea how a man might wield a soul song. Those were the province of the bestial colossals. He is no stone beast yet wields such power. How pray tell? His gaze went back to Loki from James. She looked comfortable. That pleased the Elder greatly.

"So, today…" James went beat by beat through the day, only leaving out his interactions with Anthony and Lady Sjofn. He answered Loki's questions when she had them, illuminating her as he went. She wasn't happy with much of what she was hearing, particularly when the true defenses of the house were broken down. It wasn't all bad to her though. James and Director Fury drew her attention and tart smile. It made him happy that she seemed pleased with his dealings with SHIELD. There was something there that he needed to watch out for. "Do you have any more questions for me?"

"The coalesced machine solution is truly disposed of? The soldiers are also gone?" Loki needed to know that before she could move on.

"Yes. Both have been destroyed, and as many of the slaves have been rescued as was possible." He smiled pleasantly at that. It was something good that came from a day of not so good things.

"That is well then. Will Jay be well?" Her son was dealing with so much more than she'd known about. She wasn't well pleased with that. Making sure that he had the assistance and aid that he needed should have fallen to her. It rankled her that James had taken care of this in her place. All she could do was admit that she was glad that Jay would be getting what he needed.

"I can't see the future, Loki. All I can promise is that he'll get everything that he needs. If I can't provide it for the boy then I'll find those who can. Now that I have access to the Elder Realms it should be easier for me to find qualified people to fulfill those goals." James offered her the careful honesty that he offered to almost all of his family. Only Herb got unvarnished honesty.

In truth it was the only thing that Loki could promise as well. She wanted to be able to ensure Jay's health. Since James had already spearheaded the push to heal her son she was going to have to work with him instead of separately from him. The irritation at having things happen in an undesirable way was set aside to be mulled over later. For the moment there was still the matter of her beloved that she had to know more about. "What of Tony? If you've been handling the house and testing grounds all day, then who has been tending to him?"

"I've been watching after Anthony, with assistance," he turned his head to the side to speak over his shoulder quickly, "Lady Sjofn, could you come over for a moment?"

Lady Sjofn?! Loki's gaze followed to where James was speaking to. Sure enough, the feminine and muscled form of one of the elder Norns was approaching her. As one of her Amma's eight original handmaidens and one of the two leaders of the Norn's flying cavalry, Lady Sjofn's sudden presence was not to be discounted. The bedridden woman remembered all of the wonderful times that she had flight lessons when the great Lady Sjofn was the one instructing them and remembered how much respect and effort meant to the ancient Lady. She tried to sit up straight so that she could at least attempt a respectful bow.

"Be at ease, young one. I believe we can forego the normal formalities in this moment. You are recovering from a powerful healing. Let us remember that." A genuine smile crossed Lady Sjofn's face to see her unusual pupil once again. There were those among the Norns who felt that the braettpar shouldn't be allowed to join the ranks of the Norns because they were half man and half woman, instead of wholly woman. The elder warrior had never held that position. If a braettpar, like Loki, could wield the pink sjel-seidr and was willing to take and uphold the sacred oaths then there was no reason they couldn't be a Norn. Norn herself had never turned away a woman to fight by her side just because the woman was a little more masculine than her peers. Norn welcomed any woman to fight by her side so long as the woman had the will to fight. Lady Sjofn had always respected her Matron's mother not just as the greatest of all warriors, but as a fair and wise individual. Norn had passed that wisdom on to her Matron, Lady Audhumbla. It was the Matron of the Norn's Army who decreed that the braettpar could have a place as a Norn. With that decree the braettpar just had to meet the same standards as any other candidate for the Norn's Army. For a brief second as she looked over Loki, Lady Sjofn lamented that her unusual pupil hadn't finished her training. All Loki had to do was pass her final test and take the oaths and she would be a Norn. The elder warrior lamented because she knew that Loki would make a distinguished Norn. Norn's Army was losing out on a powerful warrior, and every Norn knew it. Her destiny lies elsewhere. You must accept this, she reminded herself.

A small and respectful bow was still given by Loki. She respected Lady Sjofn too much to not even try to uphold proper manners. "Kennari (teacher) Sjofn! It's so good to see you again."

A little chuckle left Lady Sjofn's lips. "I am your kennari no longer. I have taught you all I was able to. It is incumbent upon you to use those teachings wisely."

She nodded to the elder warrior solemnly. "I have tried to." A little hesitation slowed Loki in asking her questions. "Have you seen to Tony, my husband? Are you assisting him?"

"I am lending my assistance and aid to James," Lady Sjofn motioned to James before speaking again, "as he oversees the recuperation of the firehawk. The Matron assigned me as a Norn Emissary to him." There was something that she felt her previous student should understand that she didn't seem to yet. "James has ensured that the firehawk is recuperating well from his illness."

"What illness though?" Loki looked back to James. "You said he was unwell. Unwell how? What's befallen him? What more happened that I don't yet know about?"

Taking a deep breath, James looked Loki in the eyes. "The fear of losing you and the children, the anger of what happened to you, the sorrow and grief of what he had to do to save you," and missing the rest of his family, "and several other things combined together to overwhelm him. Such potent negative emotions sickened him, and he has to recover now." His sister-in-law was alarmed by what she was hearing. "He'll be better in a few days, with Lady Sjofn's assistance. This isn't a permanent sickness. It will fade."

"Oh." Her gaze drifted down to her hands again as they were in her lap again. There was an intimate and uncomfortable understanding of what her beloved was suffering through. Loki never wanted anyone else to suffer through what she had to, and certainly not her husband. Much of it had to be her fault, she was certain of it. It all came down to how she treated her beloved firehawk as he was attempting to save her life. It was some of the worst behavior of her entire life. Loki was so ashamed of just how badly she'd treated Anthony.

"As easy as it might be to hold yourself responsible for what's happened, I wouldn't if I were you. In fact, I don't. It wasn't your fault. Your mind is broken. It was then too. That has to be taken into account. It cannot be ignored. You haven't been in a fit state of mind. Until you are, your actions have to be viewed through the lens of disability. Accommodations have to be made. To view it differently, and to not make accommodations for your disability would be morally and ethically wrong. It would also be extremely cruel and counterproductive." James gave Loki a very serious look. "I don't care to be those things, and so you'll get the consideration and accommodations that you need."

This was the uncompromising support that Lord Gin thought must be part of seeing to a firehawk. He was glad to see that Loki was receiving it as well. It was again interesting to him as he considered an aspect that he hadn't before. Stamina. If the firehawk's roaring, and James containing it, was any indication it took a tremendous amount of energy to see to a firehawk. James was already spending this energy. Loki too needed a tremendous amount of energy to see to. James was spending that energy also. Then there were the children, and their needs. James cared for them too. Lord Gin would have wondered how well James was, but he wasn't showing any signs of exhaustion. It looked like he was caring for himself as well. The old High Lord was seeing an impressive amount of stamina that he wondered at the source of. Perhaps he seldom sleeps. An appreciative expression came over him. Whatever the source, he was still very glad for it.

Keeping her shoulders level and her back straight was tiring Loki out. Leaning back against pillows again, her expression was unhappy, and her eyes were moist with sorrow. When she looked up to James again she couldn't argue with his results. He was always able to calm Anthony in a way that she just couldn't. The fact that he had that ability, and she could never cultivate it always bothered her. It also meant that she couldn't argue, she just couldn't. His results were always too good to argue with. James is taking care of Tony. He will be well, you know this. Accept it, you know there's no other real option. "When will I get to see Tony again?" Her voice was small as she spoke without looking up.

"Outside of the timeless rooms, it should only be a few days. Things are progressing along well. Anthony must finish his restitution for Vanaheim and Asgard, and then he should be stable enough to see you and the children again." Reaching over, James took one of her hands in his and held it, squeezing it tightly. "Just a few days. That's the schedule that I've set for him, so that he can get back to you as soon as he can while being as healthy as he can. Frey and Odin have already seen to much of his physical health. Occasional fevers are all that's left. Tomorrow I'm going to be setting up counseling for Anthony with a special counselor from SHIELD. I'm going to ensure that he makes it to those appointments. He's going to start dealing with what's causing him to be sick and do it in a healthy way. I promise you, Loki, things are getting better. I will do everything I can to make sure that they continue to get better."

Little tears trickled down Loki's face. She wiped them away quickly. None of her grandparents had said anything yet, which meant that they didn't feel like speaking over James. He had earned their approval, which meant that her desires to have Anthony back right away weren't supported. Without their approval she wouldn't be able to make the changes she wanted to. She couldn't get to Anthony yet. That hurt her less than it would have if she hadn't known that James was taking care of her beloved firehawk. Nodding her agreement, Loki found that she didn't want to argue. She's had enough of arguing for the rest of her life. A miserable little sigh gusted out of her lips before she looked up. "Is there anything I can do to assist you in seeing to Tony?"

"Just a few things. Be patient, do what you need to do to be healthy again. We all want you to be healthy, and no one more than Anthony. I'm working on getting him to the point where he's healthy enough for you. Work with your grandparents, be as healthy as you can for Anthony. That would help him most."

It wasn't the active role that she wanted but it was all she could get. Loki nodded again, wanted so badly to see Anthony immediately. It just wasn't going to happen though. "Is there anything else?"

From his interdimensional pocket James summoned a small gleipnir that was glowing orange at the top since it was filled with Anthony's seidr. "Use this to see to your bond with Anthony while you two are apart." He handed it over to her.

Taking the gleipnir from James she noticed that this wasn't the arc reactor that she was accustomed to. Extending her own seidr into it she found it filled with the comforting seidr of her beloved, but that wasn't all. At the center was a series of rotating disks that she could feel trying to move her seidr along. This was something she'd never seen before. "What is this?"

"Anthony was displeased by the gleipnirs we found, so he designed a new one. This is a micronized version of it."

A little smile touched Loki's lips. This was what her beloved firehawk's fires of creation were meant for. It was so stress relieving to have even that much of him near her. "What else is there that I can do?"

"Only one more thing," James took a breath and set himself for convincing Loki to let go of one of the more important things to her, "I need you to give me permission to speak with whomever I see fit about what you did during the invasion, before and after."

It wasn't something she could let go of. Loki had to protect her family and Asgard. Keeping them safe and happy was all she'd ever wanted. If she let go of that secret then there was no telling how far it might spread. If the Asgardian Council of Lords got a hold of it then it could cause a civil war in Asgard. It was a war that would consume her family's lives. If the true extent of what she'd done was known it could wipe out all life in the Nine Realms. Lives had to be protected, even if it was at her own expense. "No! No one can know! You know this."

"SHIELD already knows. Director Fury, Natasha, Clint all know; I have to assume others do by now, but I can only discuss what they know, not what I know. I can't represent your interests to them properly if I can't discuss those interests." James could see the irrational stubbornness rising up in Loki, the product of her broken mind. She might dislike it, but he wasn't going to leave until he'd received her permission. "I need leeway to discuss this with whoever I feel needs to know."

"There will be no argument." Millions of years of dealing with people gave Lord Gin a very good eye for a person's character. James was reserved and respectful, which spoke well to his character. The fact that he was trying to convince Loki, instead of coercing her also spoke well of him. It was the songs he was singing from his soul that truly represented him well. James was an honorable man, a caring man, a family-oriented man. The firehawk was already reaping the benefits of these things according to Lady Sjofn's reports. The old High Lord didn't mind entrusting James with Loki's interests as well, since James had already been seeing to his litil-svass. "Loki, you shall give him permission to do as he has asked."

Shock covered Loki's face as she looked over to her grandfather. "Afi, Asgard has to be protected. It could start a war. It…"

"If I have to take a stroll through Asgard again to chastise people with my axe then I shall. Your Amma and I are returning to the Nine Realms. Too long have they been without us." Sitting down on the bed next to his granddaughter, he took up her hand. "There shan't be a war."

"The cycle is turned and completed. The Inquiry to Enlightenment is passed for now. There shall be peace." Lady Audhumbla spoke when her Lord husband was done.

Like all the other times where she'd been outnumbered and alone, Loki recognized that she was outflanked by both her grandparents and James. Unlike those times though she couldn't see a way out that didn't involve Amma and her weaponizable disappointment. There was no clever plan this time to defeat her enemies, especially since her 'enemies' were people she cared for. Loki let go of her defenses, let them fall away from her thoughts. If Afi says that he'll intervene then he will. Asgard should be safe, but… "What of father, mother, and Thor?"

"Your parents are mending their ways as we speak. As for the boy… he'll need better teachings." Perhaps I should teach the boy myself, to ensure that he upholds justice and honor. Truthfully, Lord Gin didn't know much about Thor, beyond that he was the latest in his line. The boy's grandfather, Lord Borr, was such a horrendous disappointment that he hadn't even bothered to have his Lady wife look into the currents of time around him. Neither the boy's nor Odin's lives were well-known by him or his Lady wife. They were both so disgusted at the thought of what they would find that they'd never looked. We need to look into the boy and Odin, to see if anything else needs setting right, for litil-svass' sake.

We shall. Lady Audhumbla didn't care to look into either Odin's or Thor's lives, even though she was going to. She didn't care to see the disappointment that she knew was there. While they were her grandchildren, she still wanted very little to do with them. Miscreants, she thought sourly.

"I've been speaking with Thor more frequently of late. It's slow, but his behavior is improving. You've seen that yourself. You've even commented on it. Because of that I'm going to be giving him a permanent portal stone to my home, so if anything unfortunate happens in Asgard, he's got someplace safe to go. Your parents are welcome as well if they need a safe place. I can give them a permanent portal stone too, if you'd like." James tried to reassure her that they would be protected as well. "I know your uncle would take them in, but my home is also open to them. You don't need to worry. As I said, things are getting better."

That James was seeing to Thor as well was a surprise to Lord Gin, a welcome surprise though. If James found the boy to be worth taking on then he wondered again if he and his Lady wife should have looked into their lives sooner. James was a highly honorably man, as such his opinions and judgements were valuable to the old High Lord. Like Lady Sjofn, James was someone who Lord Gin felt comfortable entrusting with the Royal Family.

"You would take them in, if they were in danger?" There was no anger or insult in Loki's voice, only hope. She didn't like James taking the lead on things that were hers by right to do, but she'd always respected his honesty. If he said he was going to do something then he did.

A higher power had intervened on his behalf. All he could do was try to reassure Loki that this was for the best, to allay her concerns and speak honestly to her fears. "Absolutely. They're your parents, and your brother. They're part of the family, even if it's a part that's seen some conflict. I won't leave them behind like I won't leave you behind."

Her gaze drifted down to her lap again. "So long as they're protected then you have my permission to share this secret with any whom you see fit to know." Before she knew what was happening James was standing in front of her. "You look tired," he was saying, "You need more rest". Then he placed his hands on the sides of her head, and he pulled her forward gently.

She knew where this was going. Weirdly she didn't mind when James leaned over and gave her a small kiss on the top of her head. It helped spread calm through her. Despite being upset it still brought a little smile to her face to be openly loved. James was so unlike most of the people that she knew. It was only her grandparents, her husband, and James who she could confidently say still loved her even when they were doing something that upset her.

James turned her head so that she was looking up at him. He focused his soul song of stillness through his voice again and aimed it at his sister-in-law. "I'm going to go, so you can get some rest. Before I go I want you to understand that you have my promise that I will bring him back to you. Don't worry and don't be afraid. This is not permanent. You will see Anthony again."

Placing her hands over top of James' hands, Loki breathed a sigh of relief. She believed James as he gave her his promise. "Thank you, James. I'll do as you've asked." It wasn't going to be easy to focus on her own health when she rarely ever had. If it was what her husband needed of her then she was going to do it.

Pulling back, James smiled down at his sister-in-law. "Get good rest," he summoned a brown leatherbound, Midgardian, antique book, a copy of of Beowulf, from his interdimensional pocket and set it on the table beside the bed. "That's only for if you can't sleep. Be good while I'm gone." He smiled at the little chuckle that came from Loki as he turned to Lady Audhumbla, Lord Gin and who he believed to be an elder dragon. "Are the children," he motioned to a door across the room, "in there?"

"Yes, let me take you to them." Lady Audhumbla liked the reports that her handmaiden sent to her about James and the firehawk. They were detailed and thorough. She liked being able to see James actually interacting with Loki. What she liked most about the moment she just witnessed was the lack of nervousness. James wasn't afraid of her or her husband or their blood brother, and wasn't trying to impress them or mind his manners. This felt very much like the way he behaved normally, naturally. It was lovely to see. It was even more lovely to see how Loki didn't have any nervousness in dealing with James. That was as surprising as it was delightful.

The timeless Lady wrapped her hand around the door handle and extended her sjel-seidr into the door. She commanded the sjel-seidr to line up the two rooms in time. When the two rooms were aligned she opened the door and stepped into the large room with James behind her. The room was littered with play structures, toys and several constructs belonging to Lady Audhumbla. Food and drink in various age appropriate forms were sitting on a table up against the far wall. Near that table was a host of small beds and cribs that looked like they'd been used. There was even a Midgardian analog clock on the wall. It was just after 1900 in the evening.

The joyful sounds of children playing that filled the room stopped quickly as Edward said, "Hello, Amma. Hello, Uncle Rhodey." A smile spread widely across his young face. His was a face that looked like Jay's face. The only difference was the prominent gold streaking through the vivid green in his eyes.

James knelt down so that he was face to face with Edward. Extending his soul song of stillness to gently massage his niece's and nephew's backs so that they were comfortable enough to release their wings. He held his arms out and all of the children flared their wings out to fly right to him, giggling happily. He caught them all in his arms and gave them a big hug. James focused his soul song through his voice again, so that they would be able to understand him fully. "I missed you all today," he said with love in his voice, and for all the years I've spent in that room.

Surprise tinted Lady Audhumbla's thoughts. She knew that the children were powerful, that much was obvious. The children hadn't shown their wings at all that day. It was concerning since there was only supposed to be one firehawk per galaxy. The timeless Lady was looking at eight little firehawks, and was willing to believe that Jay was probably one as well. Nine firehawks, ten with the father, her Lord husband's voice rumbled through her thoughts quietly. Eleven with the one litil-svass is carrying. That is too many to be in one place, she answered. It was something that had only happened once, and so Lady Audhumbla was loathe to think it had happened again, but, Was Ymir mistaken? Her Lord husband paused for a moment thoughtfully, Mayhaps. I shall ask him when he returns to us.

Letting them go James spoke again. "Gather round." Then he waited as they all sat in a semicircle around his front. They were waiting for their briefing. He noticed how tired they all looked, like they'd played hard and were ready for bed. "Today has been a long day, and an eventful day. There are two things you need to know about." Pausing for a moment to put his thoughts in order, James started at the beginning for them. "The first, this morning I found that your brother Jay was unwell in his body. Your grandfathers Frey and Odin have relieved Jay of this unwellness, but, he looks very different now. He's Edward's twin." He saw Edward smile widely and looked to the boy to ask, "You knew?"

"He's my other half. No matter what he looks like, he belongs with me." Edward smiled brightly. It lit up his childish expression, causing his vivid green and gold eyes to glow. He could already feel Jay's deep happiness at having this new body. It was pushing at his mind. His other half had been brought back to him. This was wonderful.

"Ok. We'll discuss it later, alright?" James already knew that Edward and Jay were hiding things, but this sounded like there was more than he'd guessed at.

Nodding his head affirmatively, Edward smiled even wider. "Ok!"

Catching the attention of the other children, James continued explaining. He chose his words carefully. "The second, there were some very nasty things besides the guardians that were being kept in the house that you were living in. I took today to clean those things out, but that doesn't mean we're going back to the house. We're not. By now the house has been destroyed entirely." The children went to object, so he held up his hand to silence them. He began summoning their things from his interdimensional pocket and handing them out. Little blankets, dolls, stuffed animals, and toys were all handed out to their owners. "I brought these things from the house, but nothing else came with me. We're leaving the house behind. Do you have any questions for me?" While he welcomed questions from any of his nieces or nephews, it was normally Edward who spoke for the group. Sure enough, James saw that Edward wanted to speak, so he motioned for the boy to speak.

"Does that mean that we have no home now?" The young boy hadn't foreseen the complete destruction of the house. Anxiety spiraled through him again at what else he might not have foreseen. Edward hated that he was still so limited. Knowing what was going on was the only thing that was going to help him feel better.

"No. We're going to move you to Vanaheim while a new house is constructed. It'll be like a long vacation. Then, when the new house is done, we'll move you into your new home back on Earth."

"We get to stay with Afi Frey?! How long?" Edward already knew it would be for a while, but he wanted to know what schedule his uncle had placed on it.

The children seemed excited by this prospect, especially the triplets. It made James happy to see. "A month at least, possibly longer. I don't have a good estimate right now." All of the children cheered at the prospect of staying longer with the grandfather who spoiled them. It was then that a thoughtful expression came over Bjorn. He raised his hand and patiently waited to be recognized. "Do you have a question, Bjorn?"

"Who is Odin?" The little boy looked interested in who he'd asked after.

"Odin is your mother's father. Frigga is her mother. They're your grandparents." Being careful to keep his tone neutral, James let what he said sink in. Loki's parents were never mentioned to her children. Anthony had always forbidden it along with mention of the Starks who came before him. Like many other things that day it was time for that to end.

"I thought mom didn't have parents." Bjorn and his siblings, except for Edward, look confused at this. It was always a sad thought for the boy that his mother didn't have wonderful parents like he did.

A little chuckle passed out of James before he answered. "Of course she has parents, they just got," he paused for just a heartbeat, "lost on a long dark road."

"Does that mean that dad has parents too?" The thought of the sky turning purple seemed more reasonable than his parents having parents.

"No. Your father's parents went to their final sleep before he met your mother." Sadness always tinged his mind when he thought about his and his brother's parents. His parents were their parents because he refused to acknowledge their Stark parents as anything other than who they grew up next to. Christopher, David, and Howard were not their fathers. The Stark 'companions' were not their mothers. The Stark family was not their family. They were Rhodes now, as were the children. Very soon it would be time for the children to know it. They weren't Starks. He would never let them be Starks. He and his brothers were in perfect agreement on the matter of what the children were and weren't. They weren't monsters.

"Can we meet mom's parents?" Bjorn was suddenly intensely curious about what his mother's parents might be like, but it was his brother who had the next question.

Quickly Erik threw his hand up above his head and waved it excitedly. As much as he wanted to ask his question immediately he knew better than to blurt out his words. When his uncle acknowledged him he asked what was on his mind. "Afi Frey isn't mom's dad?"

"No, he isn't. He's actually her uncle, but that doesn't matter. He's your grandfather." James wasn't going to give up Frey as the children's grandfather since Frey had proven himself to be a good influence.

"If we have Afi Frey, does that mean we can't meet mom's parents?" A worried little expression crossed Erik's face.

"No, it doesn't. You don't have to choose between them. You'll eventually have all of them." The question couldn't surprise James since it came from Erik. He was a child of extremes.

The worry in Erik's thoughts gave way to a growing sense of greed. "We can have more grandparents?"

"I have to find a good place for her parents. I will, and then you'll meet them. Hopefully within the next year." The children were taking this very well, but Erik was clearly going somewhere with his questions. James could see where it was, and it amused him. It's the candy, isn't it?

"Will Afi Odin adventure with us? Does he like candy too?" This was very important for Erik to know. Their Afi Frey literally showered them in candy when they went adventuring. Having more than one grandparent showering them with candies sounded perfect in his young mind.

Thought so. James chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair. "I don't know. You'll have to ask him when you meet him."

The reminder that his grandparents were still lost caused his expression to fall somewhat. "Are you sure you can find them?"

"I promise you," James looked at each of the children, "I promise all of you that I can and will find a place for them in this family. You will be able to meet them." He held out his arms for another hug, then released them, and stood. "Now, it's late. Have you all had dinner?"

"Yes sir, we have!" Edward liked that his uncle was moving to bring their grandparents into the family fully. "And we've been to the bathroom." He motioned over to Lady Audhumbla then continued speaking. "Amma made sure that we're clean too. See!" Edward pulled back his lips to show his shiny white teeth. "'he 'rush'd oor teef!" Stopping showing off his clean teeth, he asked something important to him. "Isn't Jay coming back?" He wanted to fully link his thoughts to his brother's again. It had been too long since he'd done that.

"I'm going to get you all to bed, then I'm going to go check on your father, then I'm going to go and get Jay and put him to bed as well." Another reassuring smile crossed James' face. This was all very out of the ordinary for the children, but no one had thrown a tantrum yet. It made him very happy. Unfolding his seidr, James mounted a Conjuration Spell that he snapped to release towards the children. When it hit the children's clothing the spell changed the clothing into comfortable, soft pajamas, and zip up footie pajamas for the girls. All of the children giggled as the spell tickled over their skin. "Alright, there will be no story tonight," his nieces and nephews all made noises of disapproval, "but, there will be two stories tomorrow if you get to bed quickly tonight. How does that sound?" The disapproving noises quickly turned to cheers before they young boys turned and made for their beds. Edana and Adara fluttered up like little flame-haired pixies to land in their uncle's open arms.

Adara patted James on the shoulder and pointed to her crib. "We go. We go."

Edana also patted her uncle on the other shoulder like her twin sister and pointed to her own crib. "Bed, bed!"

Putting his nieces down and putting all of the children to bed wasn't really what James wanted. It'd been so long since he got to spend any time with them that he wanted to spend much more time with them. He couldn't indulge in that desire just yet. He still had things he needed to accomplish. With a little sigh, he took them over and placed them into their cribs, pulling the blankets up over them and giving them a kiss of the top of the head. They snuggled up with the dolls that he'd brought them. They were from Frey. Next he moved on to getting the boys into bed. James was pleased to see that Hunter and Forrest had gotten themselves into bed instead of hiding under it so that they could try to stay awake. Aren, Bjorn, and Erik were all sitting on their beds with the covers pulled back. Edward was laying in his bed with the covers pulled around his chin. He didn't look happy. Beginning with the twins, James gave each child a kiss on the top of the head before tucking them in. When he got to Edward he gave him a kiss, then asked why the boy looked unhappy.

"I want Jay." Edward's little voice carried through the room.

James ran a hand over the back of Edward's head, changing the plans that he had. Since it was so late the talk with Jay and Edward was going to have to come tomorrow morning, along with Jay's next check in. It was just going to be sleep for them that night. "He'll be in later. You'll all wake up together tomorrow."

"Do you promise?" The little boy knew that when his uncle promised something that he delivered on it.

"Yes. I promise you, you will all wake up tomorrow and be together."

He wanted to dream with Jay, so that they could discuss things and play amongst the stars. Maybe I can dream with him when he comes back. "Alright. I'll wait."

"He will be back." He spoke in a reassuring tone of voice. James gave the boy a kiss on the top of his head and a pat on the shoulder. Standing, he looked over all of the children and gave his orders. "Go to sleep. Be good while I'm gone." Then, with a sigh, he turned to leave. He still had things that required his attention. Lady Audhumbla dimmed the lights in the room and left with him. Her constructs stayed in the room to attend to the children should they need it.

With the door closed as they stepped back into the room with Loki, who was now asleep, James turned to face Lady Audhumbla. "Thank you for taking care of them for me. I appreciate your assistance in this."

"You are very welcome. Loki's children are our grandchildren as well. We could do naught other than to see to them. Is there aught else you need?" Lady Audhumbla asked after him with all sincerity. She had believed since she was a little girl that a ruler should serve those whom they rule. Both of her parents believed that, and taught it to her in their own ways. Being the High Queen of the Nine Realms made James one of her subjects. His needs were her concerns. Being Loki's firehawk's Elder Brother made him a member of the family. His needs were her concerns again.

"No, thank you. Having Lady Sjofn's assistance is more than enough." A relaxed smile touched James' face as he nodded to the good Lady who'd been keeping company with him for quite a while now. "She's been wonderful to have around. Besides being extremely helpful, she's calm enough to be left alone with Anthony. She doesn't agitate him at all. It's satisfying to know that he's safe while I'm attending to other things." Talking up Lady Sjofn to her direct supervisor didn't bother James. She deserved more than just that in his opinion.

It pleased Lady Audhumbla to know that her subordinate was acquitting herself well. Her standards were high of those who served her personally. To go above and beyond what would normally be expected was what she expected of Lady Sjofn, of all of her handmaidens. "That is lovely to hear. She has long been one of my best attendants. It pleases me that her tremendous skills have found use once more." Turning, she focused her attention on Lady Sjofn with an expression of satisfaction at her subordinate's behavior. "Your actions bring honor to Norn's Army. Continue to focus your best efforts on this assignment." Turning back to James she spoke again. "We shall continue to watch over Loki and the little ones until you feel you can continue your watch of them."

With a little bow, James spoke. "Thank you again." Then he turned to Lady Sjofn, but she beat him to the punch.

"Back to Anthony now?" The things mentioned to Lady Audhumbla about her conduct weren't necessary, but she appreciated them anyway. It was clearly James' attempt to represent her well to her commanding officer. She didn't need any commendations or extra recognition though. The opportunity to serve the great Lady Audhumbla was enough, for her Lady was the first daughter of the great warrior Norn, Matron of House Norn, the first Grand Marshall of the Valkyr, First General of the Asgardian Blood Hunters, and the High Queen of the Nine Realms. Lady Sjofn was so honored to serve such a grand individual that her service would be eternal.

"Yes, going directly across in time would be great. Thank you." Since Lady Sjofn was under his command please's and thank you's weren't strictly necessary. He used them with her anyway because he had a great deal of respect for the dusky female warrior. She could have been brusque with Anthony but wasn't. She could have been sullen at so mundane an assignment but wasn't. There were several things that she was, and several things that she wasn't. James appreciated Lady Sjofn for all of them.

The younger timeless Lady commanded her fuchsia sjel-seidr to turn into a portal into the room she had pulled outside of time. Lady Sjofn bowed respectfully to her Lady and waited for James to get through the portal. Once he was through the portal she bowed again to Lady Audhumbla and stepped through after him. So long as he still had work to attend to, then so did she.

Outside The Bounds Of Time

Vanaheim Royal Palace Guest Chambers

The cybernetic hound dog bounced happily around the room. When James stepped through the portal the dog stopped bouncing to look at him. It began bouncing around him, doing laps around his ankles while making a host of dog noises. "Yes, I know you're happy. I'm happy to see you too, but I need to talk to Anthony." The cybernetic dog didn't stop its bouncing though, so he scooped it up and carried it over to its doggy bed. A set of little slides and a bucket of ball bearings sat at the end of the little bed. James patted the medium sized dog on the head and focused his soul song of stillness through his voice again. "Be good," he told the machine creature before turning to Anthony who was focused on his latest project at his workbench. The cybernetic dog sat on its bed and wagged its stubby tail happily.

James went over to see which project Anthony was working on. They'd already finished the power converters, gleipnirs, city transformers, and household power meters in Asgard city proper and Vindrvelsignet. Anthony had said that he was done with the new communications software, and defense systems software. James just needed to look over them before they were turned over to Frey and Odin. Now the new engine designs for Asgard's and Vanaheim's fleets, upgraded shielding unit designs for the Asgardian and Vanaheimr fleets, and an upgraded shield design for Asgard were needing to be completed. He found his younger brother engrossed in designing the new engines. Lightly he placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder, "Anthony," and called his name. The restitution was mostly done. It was time to move Anthony into the next phase of recovery. Unfortunately it was going to involve taking several steps backwards from the progress they'd made. His younger brother needed time to think through what was coming, so this had to get done. A harder look came over his face to be instantly replaced by a consoling expression. Just don't go into a rage state.

When his older brother entered the room with him was when the quirky engineer registered that he wasn't alone. He didn't startle when a hand was laid on his shoulder. He just turned to look slowly at the person he knew was next to him. "I'm almost done with the engines. I hope you don't mind, but I just upscaled the engines I designed for the orbital weaponry. It was simple to adapt them over." His stomach dropped when he saw the practiced look of consoling that his older brother was wearing. There was more bad news coming in his direction. "What's goin' on, Rhodey?"

Taking a deep breath, James began. "You have your restitution mostly completed. What's left won't take you very long, so there's something else that we need to handle. Something that it's past time for us to handle."

"Past time?" Anthony couldn't think of anything that they handled, until it popped into his mind forcefully. There was only one bit of 'unfinished' business that they had. It was really business between his older brother and his wife, but he still didn't want it to happen. No, no, "Loki cannot know!" Panic spiraled through his thoughts. Anxiety rode on the panic's wake.

"Herb already filed our request with Justice Roberts' clerk. He should have it by now and should be reviewing it. We'll know in a few days whether our motion succeeds. I see no reason for it to fail, and there's no reason for it to be dismissed or quashed. In a few days, I expect to be able to sit down and have the talk with Loki."

"You already filed a motion for it, but, but… there was no emergency declared… you didn't tell me, you…" The light and life drained out of Anthony's eyes as the color drained from his face. He tipped backwards on his chair headed limply towards the floor.

As his younger brother went limp James caught him quickly and lifted him in his arms, This was the best response that the older man could have expected. The little dots of black rot beading up on his forehead combined with the sudden increasing fever told him of his younger brother's overwhelming distress. "Don't worry, kid. This will all be over soon enough." He spoke quietly, soothingly, to his younger brother as he carried the catatonic engineer over to the bed in the room. Extending his seidr, he used it to pull back the blankets. James laid Anthony down and frowned as a trickle of black rot went down the side of his brother's face. Before cleaning his younger brother, he stripped his brother down to his underwear so that he would be more comfortable. Using his soul song of stillness to swirl around Anthony's head into a vortex, James brought the vortex down over and around his catatonic brother. The black rot dripping down Anthony's skin crystalized as it was thrown from where it formed. With his brother cleaned, the older man pulled the blanket up over his brother. He turned and used his unfolded seidr to collect and ignite the black rot. Silver and gold edged garnet flames engulfed the murky crystals. The flames withdrew leaving behind shiny, opalescent, white and silver stones that hummed with power. They were far from the first jorthsteinn that had come from Anthony.

James spoke to his brother softly. "I'm here. You're not alone, kid." With his already unfolded seidr he retrieved a clipboard and some paperwork that he had waiting for him on his desk in the corner of the room. He moved around to the other side of the bed and sat down on it, leaned up against the headboard then looked down to the paperwork. His pen came out of his back pocket. He had the time to wait for Anthony to come back to himself. James was going to use that time wisely.

23May2023 – Night

Aboard The Sa Ljodraen Berserkr Above Midgard

Now that his acting styraesmandr was settled over the fact that he had two eyes again and Frey had been properly greeted as the Lord of Many Hands, there were other things to handle. "Styraesmandr Asulf, come with me to my onboard office. I'd like a report on how the hunt for the coalesced machine solution went. There are things we need to discuss." Odin set Jay down next to Frey and ruffled his hair. "Stay with your Afi Frey and be a good boy."

"Yes, Afi Odin. I'll be good." Jay smiled up at his grandfather. He was so excited to be standing on the bridge of a spaceship that he was coming close to vibrating again.

"I know you will." Odin smiled, turned, and went through the door to his onboard office taking Styraesmandr Asulf with him.

Jay watched the two of them go. The acting styraesmandr looked like a Viking to the digital boy; he was tall, muscled, and had long red hair that was braided back into a ponytail and a thick red beard with little shiny metal accents woven in. The metal looked nice against his tanned skin. Jay hoped that his meeting with his Afi Odin wouldn't take too long. He was going to put the time to good use that it took his Afi to speak with the Viking commander.

Acting Styraesmandr Asulf was glad to be going into the onboard office. The ethereal young man with Lord Frey was unnerving him, not that he would ever admit that. He certainly wouldn't. The yellow dots of seidr on the young man's face were pretty but not terribly interesting. It was the fact that the young man's eyes were covered in crystal that drew his attention because attention was the problem. He had the young man's attention for a moment as that young man surveyed the situation around him and Lord Frey. In those few heartbeats acting Styraesmandr Asulf felt like the young man was looking into his mind, into his very soul. The young man didn't belong on the ship and the acting styraesmandr wanted him off.

Odin sighed quietly, sitting at his desk, and motioning for his acting styraesmandr to sit in one of the chairs opposite him. There were things to discuss, more than just the coalesced machine solution. His Council of Lords needed to be kept from his fleet like the coalesced machine solution needed to be kept from the Nine Realms. Despite wanting to spend more time with Jay, Odin had to take this report. Unfortunately night had fallen, both on Midgard and Asgard. James would be there soon, he was sure, to take Jay back to his siblings. His time with his grandson was running down swiftly now. All he could do now was to hope that this wouldn't take too long.

23May2023 – Night

Aboard The Sa Ljodraen Berserkr Above Midgard

The fact that Jay was on the bridge of a spaceship brought another large grin to his face. He tried to stay next to his other grandfather, he truly did, but that wasn't using his time for the best. The semicircular large console that had two people sitting at either end and one person in the center was calling to the digital boy to come and examine it. The console was almost taller than he was though. How to look over the console's clusters of buttons, screens, and mechanisms was what he gave thought to.

The security drengr stayed behind, with Frigga posting two guards outside the door to the bridge; two guards inside the door to the bridge; two guards outside of the door to the office. The current Asgardian Queen stood quietly with the rest of the drengr as they waited for the Lord they were protecting.

The bridge crew of the Sa Ljodraen Berserkr were all tensely sitting in their seats attending to their duties silently. None of them knew what to make of the situation. Their Lord had arrived with two eyes instead of the one they knew, he arrived with a security detail led by their Lady, calling a man they'd gone to war against 'Brother' and with a young child he identified as his grandson, and a young man with crystalline eyes. Any one of those things was concerning to them. All put together it was enough to unsettle them. In that moment their duties became settling, something familiar to lean on.

Turning to his beloved sister, Frey flared his seidr out to whisper, It will be late when we return to Vanaheim. Do you want to have a late dinner?

Perhaps an early breakfast instead? Frigga was entirely used to her brother inviting her to meals just because he wanted to spend time with her. These whispers didn't feel like that though. Her brother wanted something.

If we have a late dinner we could go ahead with asking Sean what questions we have about the meeting yesterday, and what he saw, his seidr whispered to hers. Frey threw out the prospect of questioning Sean knowing that she wouldn't refuse. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jay take a sidestep towards the control console that had the bridge crew at it. The boy's hands were in his pockets, and he looked like he was trying not to draw anyone's attention. He had Frey's attention now.

That was manipulative, brother, she thought to herself. Frigga's seidr whispered to him, I think Odin will like that. I have questions for Sean as well. Do you think he'll be willing to answer them? Jay was shuffling quietly over towards the control console with a shifty expression on his little face. What are you doing, child?

I think that so long as we're polite and not demanding that he'll probably be willing to. He was forthcoming yesterday, Frey's seidr whispered in another long flare. He was very forthcoming last night, he thought to himself with pleasant memories.

I'm going to have to tell them that I can hear them. This is just rude all around. Uncomfortable anxiety eased into Sean's thoughts. It made the five heavy quiet spaces squatting in his mind more able to be felt. Nervousness skittered under his thoughts. His time was running out. He could feel it slipping through his fingers. At the end of the line were five explosions waiting to blow out his mind and leave him permanently brain dead. I need to move faster.

Creeping over slowly, Jay had finally made it to the outer edge of the console. Raising up onto his tip toes and holding on to the top edge of the console, Jay pulled himself up so that he could see over the edge. Only his eyes and most of his nose made it up over the top of the console. As he looked down at all of the different buttons and screens his vivid green and silver eyes widened in delight. His gaze worked its way up to the woman manning the station. Jay waved at her, but when she went to speak he got to it first. "Shh, please. I'm sneaking." The woman nodded slightly with the barest hint of a smile on her face. Lowering himself quietly then, Jay waved goodbye to the woman and shuffled quietly towards the next station in the center of the semicircle. A quick glance over at his grandparents made him think that they hadn't noticed that he was looking at the console yet. He wanted to get in as much observation of the console as he could before he was called back.

Biting the inside of his cheek was the only thing that kept Frey from laughing out loud. Flaring his seidr to Frigga again, he whispered, He's sneaking. A little smirk danced on his lips.

Frigga too had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. This is wonderful, she answered his flare with her own.

Slowly, and with several peaks at his grandparents, Jay worked his way around to the center of the semicircle control console. The man sitting there smiled politely to him when he pulled himself up on his tip toes and nodded without saying anything. The digital boy waved at the friendly man while looking at the console. Before he shuffled down to the next station he looked back to the man at that station. "You have a nice ship!" He tried to keep his voice down to a low whisper so that he wouldn't be caught.

By the time Jay got down to the last station in the semicircle the entire bridge crew knew what he was doing. Several of them had small smiles on their faces. Frigga was looking down at the floor to hide the twinkle in her eyes. Frey was biting his own lips to not laugh at his grandson's 'sneaking'. The boy was being so polite and honest about it.

Just as Jay went to pull himself up so that he could look at the last station the door to the office opened and all of the guards stationed at doors came to the position of attention. His Afi Odin was coming through the door, so Jay crouched down quickly to not be seen. Incredible amusement streaked through the boy's thoughts. He'd seen his younger brothers playing hide and go seek before. Previously it looked fun to him. Now he knew it was fun and wanted to keep playing. A little giggle slipped out of his mouth causing him to clamp his hands over his mouth and try not to giggle again.

As Odin came out of his onboard office he looked for Jay. His brow wrinkled when he noticed the boy's little boots behind the control console. Looking to Frey he saw his Little Brother cover his mouth in the symbol to be silent. A moment later Frey flared his seidr to Odin. It whispered, He's sneaking. He's been sneaking around looking at the console and being polite to your crew. The amusement in that seidr whisper was clear and restrained. Next his beautiful wife flared her seidr to him, whispering, He thinks he's been sneaking, and now he thinks he's hiding. I'm having a hard time not laughing. The amusement in her whisper was also clear and restrained. "Oh my, where is Jay?" There was amusement in his voice. Another hushed giggle came from behind the control console.

"He was here a moment ago. I seem to have lost him." Frey put a hand over his mouth as the urge to laugh flowed over him. He needed to be more dignified in public than that, but Jay's innocent 'sneaking' was just so amusing to him. Frey unfurled his seidr, formed it into the Learning Spell and let it absorb his memories, then released it towards Odin's shoulder. As he did he flared his seidr, whispering, Here is what you missed.

The spell touched Odin's shoulder and sunny runes streaked up towards his eyes to sink into his mind. In an instant he could see his grandson trying to sneak around the console and even giving one of his bridge crew a compliment on the ship. It was precious. More than that it was just what he needed after having to discuss the coalesced machine solution. Odin turned to the control console and was glad that he did. He didn't get a chance to speak before Jay jumped up and waved his hands above his head.

"Here I am!" Jay's voice was loud in the bridge, but he didn't mind. Instead of worrying about it he ran over to his Afi Odin with his arms out. He wasn't disappointed when he was picked up again to be set on his grandfather's hip. "I was hiding!" Another little giggle followed his announcement. Coming over to his grandfather finished the game of hide and seek that he was playing. It was ridiculously fun to play, and he wanted to play with his grandparents again sometime.

"You did very well in hiding. Did you enjoy yourself?" Odin asked the question that was most important to him right then.

The affirmative nod came with another little giggle and a wide grin. "I've seen my brothers playing hide and go seek, but I never had the chance to. It's so fun! I want to play with you again sometime." A more serious expression came over Jay's face. It occurred to him that there was something that he wanted more than that in that moment. It was something that was overwhelming his manners, so he asked. "May I look at your ship's systems, Afi? This is such a beautiful ship. I know its systems will be equally beautiful."

As a King and Lord of an Elder Realm, Odin knew that it was a serious request. He also knew that Jay was a little too good at keeping the secrets he found himself in possession of. He has no need to see them, but he won't do any harm with them either. He balanced out the two and then made his decision. "Will you safeguard what you see?" Odin already knew the answer but had to ask the question anyway.

It was another extension of trust that the boy took as seriously as all the other extensions that he'd been granted in his short life. "I promise that I won't disclose the details of what I see to anyone without your permission."

A grin spread across Odin's face. "I know you won't. I trust you." He walked over to the control console, setting his grandson down next to it. "Can you access the ship's systems from here?"

"Oh yes, easily." Jay reached out a small hand and with one finger he touched a screen at the station of the first person he snuck past. Silver fire spread across the console without harming anyone. His silver wings extended out from his back. Pale white-blue seidr filled his eyes until they were glowing. Extending his consciousness out into the ship, he silenced the alarms that automatically went off that the ship was under attack. Unsettling the crew wasn't what he wanted. Touring the interior of the ship was what he wanted. His wings fluttered and flapped lightly as he looked through the systems. "They're so vast, and yet so orderly." Jay continued to explore. "The wiring is curled like cursive. It's so elegant!" Throughout his exploration, music played in the background. The Sa Ljodraen Berserkr herself was serenading him with her own song. Looking up at his Afi Odin, Jay smiled widely. "Her song is so beautiful!"

Who Jay was talking about confused Odin a little. He wondered if one of his crew was singing in their quarters. It wouldn't surprise him. After all he was well known for being found in one of the gardens singing and whittling. "Who? What song?"

Jay looked up at his grandfather and held out his hand. "Come listen. It's so deep and mysterious."

Reaching out, Odin took Jay's outstretched hand. Instantly a cacophony of discordant noises erupted in his ears like a wall of sound crashing down on him. It was so loud that he almost pulled away from it. For the first minute he wasn't sure what song he was supposed to be finding amongst the noise. For the second minute he acknowledged that the overbearing noise had taken over his mind and he couldn't distinguish between the sounds any longer. It was all slurred together. It was in the third minute that something odd began to happen. Odin heard the base drum beat of the ammo loaders in their bays. They were running through practice drills. It was a fast thump followed by a slower one. Thump-thuump. Thump-thuump. Thump-thuump. Once he heard it he couldn't stop hearing it. It was able to usher in the soft crackling swoosh of the electricity moving through the wiring. Next came the string instrument-like sound of multiple doors opening and closing all at once. "I can hear it." His voice was quiet in the bridge. Slowly through the fourth minute that Odin listened he could make out more and more separate 'instruments'. Individually they were still a wall of noise. When he started putting them together he could hear the song of the Sa Ljodraen Berserkr. His grandson was right in his opinion. The song was deep and dark with mysterious undertones. "I can hear her singing," his voice was stronger this time, "It is beautiful."

Jay pulled back, pulling his consciousness back into his body and letting go of his Afi Odin's hand. The silver fires receded as his wings receded back into his body. There was something he wanted to do, a 'thank you' he wanted to craft. He impelled his seidr from his core to write into a wide Conjuration Spell and a Learning Spell, letting the spell absorb his memories of the song. Then he wrote a copy of the Trifling Regard Weave. Holding up his hands, he released the spells together between his upheld hands. Between his small hands a host of small parts began to form so he released the Trifling Regard Weave. The parts shrunk down and pieced together to form a tiny model of the Sa Ljodraen Berserkr. Jay infused the model with his seidr to power the tiny music box that was the ship. The song of the ship began to play softly. Around the musical ship formed a perfect sphere of seidr glass that amplified the song just enough for it to be heard lowly across the bridge. The last thing that Jay did was to brand a Rune of Shield, a Restoration Spell, and a Shield of Resists Spell on the very bottom of the sphere in a little triangle. They burned across the glass' surface in silver fire. When he was done he'd created a new song marble. This one was for his Afi Odin however, not himself.

Jay held out the marble with its mechanical music to his grandfather, offering his assessment along with it. "Many disparate things coming together without telling its story, like a deep cave filled with mystery. This is the song of the Sa Ljodraen Berserkr. It's your song."

Taking the marble, Odin held it up so that he could get a better look at it. The seidr glass that made up the marble was perfectly clear except for the protective magics branded across the bottom. The glass was amplifying the song coming from the flawless representation of his ship. It was more than beautiful to him. Odin looked over the shiny marble for just a moment more, listening to its song before he gripped it with his seidr and dismissed it to his interdimensional pocket. He bent over and picked up his grandson again. "Thank you, Jay. It's wonderful."

What is he hearing? Frey wondered what song there was in amidst the cacophonous racket coming from the little glass marble. If there was he couldn't hear it. It was another gift from Jay. Frey admitted to himself that he was a touch jealous, though he wasn't going to begrudge Odin such a gift. The song of the ship. Does Skithblathnir sing? What would her song sound like to Jay?

There was something truly unique about the boy acting Styraesmandr Asulf was looking at. Besides his Lord having called the boy his grandson he was able to access their ship's systems with just a touch. The acting styraesmandr had heard no announcement of a Royal Wedding in Asgard that would lead to a Royal Birth. It was improper in his eyes, for the boy was strange. He wasn't sure what to make of the fluttering silver ribbons that raised out of the boy's back. They looked a little like wings, but he didn't know how that could be. Even more concerning was the fire that spread out from the boy's touch. It burned only his memories, nothing more. The acting styraesmandr recalled a story that he learned in his higher education to become an officer. It was a story to illustrate the perils of absolute power; the legend of the firehawk. The firehawk had wings, a mastery of fire, and raw strength of seidr. Acting Styraesmandr Asulf didn't think the boy could be such a legendary creature, but he certainly reminded him of one. The boy was just one of many concerning things about this visit to the Sa Ljodraen Berserkr by his Lord. If his Lord hadn't been able to confirm his identity in the onboard office then he wasn't sure he would have accepted this. He probably would have tried to have the ship's security detain them as impostors. He was glad that it was his Lord and his Lord's grandson who he was dealing with. Trying to detain a firehawk-like being didn't seem like a wise idea to him.

"Are you ready to go to the engine deck?" Having Jay show him what the sum total of the Sa Ljodraen Berserkr sounded like put a smile on Odin's face. Everyone, everything was working together towards an achievable goal. It was a known factor, unlike the gleipnir. He wondered what the boy would think of an actual gleipnir. It was a solitary device. Besides standing alone, they were ancient impressive magical devices. They channeled seidr into usable power for any device that could be connected to it. Despite it being on his ship it was still a dvergar device. The dvergar were the only race who knew how to create new gleipnirs. Their Master Dwarves were the only ones who knew the secrets of a gleipnir's creation. Even Odin had never set hands on the gleipnirs powering his ship, his palace, or his realm. He used them and their power without knowing what was inside. Every Lord, except Lord Eitri, did the same. He couldn't put hands on them without angering Lord Eitri, the Lord of the Dvergar Peoples. That didn't mean he couldn't let Jay explore one. That was within his treaty with Lord Eitri.

"Yes, yes! I would like that very much." This was very exciting to Jay. He had heard so much about gleipnirs from his mother. She made them out to be very special. They were the means to convert seidr into electricity. They powered realms. They powered the ship that he was on. In his mind's eye he imagined something grand, powerful, and all around magnificent. His mother was very adamant that a normal gleipnir wasn't the same as his father's arc reactors. She was also very confident that the gleipnirs were impressive magical containers. He wanted to see one for himself, to explore its mysteries so that he could understand.

His smile was securely on his face, so Odin turned to acting Styraesmandr Asulf. "Styraesmandr Asulf, I'll be taking my grandson down to the engine deck to show him around, then I'll be departing for the Skithblathnir on a skammrass. Lord Frey and my security drengr will be accompanying me. Inform the hersir on duty that I'm coming down. Once I'm away I want the fleet returned to Asgard to continue with its normal duties, as well as what we discussed."

Acting Styraesmandr Asulf bowed respectfully to his King. "Yes, m'Lord. It will be done. May luck be with you, my Lord." His new orders slightly unsettled the acting styraesmandr. They didn't disturb him enough that he would commit treason by not obeying them. It was just that the cause behind them was unsettling the more he thought about what his Lord told him. Traitors. They're traitors. They won't get this fleet.

Warmth filled Odin's smile. Styraesmandr Asulf really was the best of his fleet officers. He could trust his fleet in this man's hands. "Thank you, Styraesmandr Asulf, for all that you do for the Crown of Asgard. It is neither unnoticed nor unappreciated." Since his orders were given he turned and strode out the door and into the hallway. The security drengr formed a perimeter around Odin once again as he moved. Frigga rotated to the front of the formation again as they moved through the hallways.

What's happened to you, my Lord? The acting styraesmandr wondered after his Lord, who had never been so friendly before. He also wondered if it wasn't the influence of the boy. He was a very joyful child. That sort of innocent joy could be enough to melt anyone's heart, in his opinion. Whatever it was, acting Styraesmandr Asulf also wondered if it wasn't for the best.

23May2023 – Night

Aboard The Sa Ljodraen Berserkr Above Midgard

The trip through the ship took less time since they were headed directly for the engine deck without stopping along the way. Odin continued to smile as Jay detected both two more gardens and one of the dining halls of the ship by scent. The old warrior felt his face twinge in an ache as he kept smiling. He wasn't certain when the last time was that he'd smiled so much. It ached to do so but was an ache that felt like him shedding his old unhappy self. That just made his smile brighter.

There was a decided amount of fun in chatting with his grandfathers as they walked towards the gleipnir that Jay was so eager to see. He hadn't been certain on what kind of person he was going to be meeting when it became clear that he was going to meet his mother's parents. He spent years listening to his mother's depictions of her interactions with her parents. At first he thought that they were just bad people, but then he kept listening to her. What she had to say became enlightening to him for reasons that Loki herself couldn't see. Jay could see it though. Taken in total the stories she told depicted a deeply damaged man who only knew harm as a form of parenting. It made him wonder what happened to his grandfather to harm him so badly. He strongly suspected that it was his great-grandfather, the Mad King Borr. Loki's descriptions of that man made it seem clear that he'd done something to his Afi Odin that left lasting psychological scars. Initially he was hesitant to deal with someone who had the kind of psychological scars that it seemed like his grandfather had. He'd seen how people like that could be unpredictable, volatile at any time. This wasn't what he expected though. His Afi Odin was being caring, patient, and generous with him. Jay thought that this was the kind of parent that Loki both wanted for herself and wanted to be. Thinking about it as he chatted and laughed with Odin he decided that he wanted to help bring his mother and her parents back together. It would require talking to his uncle about it, which he couldn't do at the moment. When he had a chance though, he would.

A comment here and a comment there were what Frey offered. Mostly he was letting Odin and Jay interact. For himself, he was watching both of them. Odin was continuing to do his best to be his own man. The younger monarch found the efforts to be admirable since they were honest and consistent. Jay drew an equal amount of his attention. The boy had let go of his quietude so quickly that Frey wondered if they were there only to keep the manner of his birth hidden. He wondered if Loki instructed the boy to hide himself or if Jay just did it naturally. The boy spent so long hiding himself. That isn't healthy. Frey was very glad that he and Odin were able to aid the boy to have a body that he was comfortable in. That comfort could be seen in how the boy carried himself. It was a direct connection between the level of comfort and the behavior he was seeing which made it all the more satisfying as a healer that he was able to be a part of it.

The little smile on Frigga's face hadn't faded. Even though she was guarding Odin she still found Jay's sneaking precious. Listening to him chat with her husband wasn't just amusing to her. It was hopeful. Odin was rarely this open, this friendly, or this chatty with anyone but her, and only then behind closed doors. Throughout the long years Odin had made attempts here and there to make himself an all-around warmer person. They had all failed as he eventually went back to being cold towards everyone but her. Frigga knew now that it was Lord Borr who caused those failures. Since she knew it she wasn't going to withdraw her support for him changing ever again. If he slipped back into the ice of emotionlessness then she was going to pull him out again. This time he would help her pull like he hadn't before. Neither wanted anything to do with the Mad King. Both wanted Odin's father gone for good. Frigga was determined to make sure they both got what they wanted.

"…and that's why Tim became Nightwing." Jay sighed, admiring one of his favorite characters. "I want to help people like that someday; people that are hurt, or stuck in bad situations, or are unhappy. I'm glad I was able to be taken out of the walls of the house. I have a chance to do that now. It's so exciting." He liked to discuss characters from his favorite movies and tv shows with anyone who would listen. Dissecting motives, actions, interactions, and whatnot always held fascination for him so that he wanted to be a superhero someday. Helping people had been a dream of his for a long time. That and he wanted to be stylish in a cape too. Capes were always a positive in his mind.

"It sounds like Tim and Bruce had a very complicated relationship. Both could use counseling, I think." Odin listened to Jay speak to pick up the undertones of what his grandson was saying. The bits and pieces about a Midgardian fictional character didn't truly interest him, though he did listen for any information about Midgard itself. The 'what' of what Jay was saying wasn't as interesting as the 'why' of it. The 'why' interested him much more. Jay had thoroughly analyzed this 'Nightwing' character and the characters around them. The points he made about those characters were insightful and more mature than could be expected from an ordinary boy. Though it was shallow Midgardian entertainment it reminded him of Loki in many ways. As a young boy, Loki had often made insightful and mature points regarding the politics, culture, and state of Asgard. Even though he wished he hadn't done it, Odin dismissed Loki's advice as coming from a child who couldn't understand those things yet. He was wrong to dismiss Loki, so now he listened to Jay and found many interesting things. What could I have found had I listened to Loki, he wondered as he walked past the guards and through the door to the room where the gleipnir was kept. The guards outside the room came to the position of attention as he approached. The security drengr on the interior of the gleipnir's room did the same.

As the door to the room housing the gleipnir opened Sean almost cringed. A loud hum filled his ears along with the voices of people who weren't present. He could hear the voices coming from the gleipnir, and the seidr that was pushing hard at the metal containing it. The seidr was dripping through in some places. Focusing on the heavy cube at the center of the room showed him dozens of people who were all contained within the magical metal bounds of the gleipnir. None of them were moving. Strangely enough there were several versions of Odin himself as he filled the gleipnir. Pulling his focus back, Sean stood back discreetly away from the gleipnir.

The very large room was brightly lit for all of its dark colors. Various shades of brown and black, with hints of dark grey covered the room floor to ceiling. In the center of the room sat a massive cube with guard rails around it. Power radiated from the cube along with a soft hum. The top of the cube was a medium brown which faded into a dark brown which itself faded into a deep black at the base of the cube. With a drengr of fully armed and armored security personal standing at attention in front of the cube, it became a stern and imposing sight.

"Hersir Vang, it's good to see you again," Odin smiled at another of his exemplary officers, "You and your drengr may stand to the side while I show my grandson the gleipnir. When I leave you will return to your duties."

Still at the position of attention, the hersir spoke. "Yes, sir!" He turned and motioned for his drengr to stand to the side of the entrance. They move swiftly and silently out of the way. He was glad that acting Styraesmandr Asulf had informed him of his Lord's approach to the gleipnir's room. He would certainly have challenged the Lord's identity if he hadn't been informed. His Lord somehow had two eyes again. Hersir Vang had always known what a wise and powerful mage his Lord was. It was part of the reason why he was so proud to serve on the Sa Ljodraen Berserkr. Now his Lord was powerful enough to replace his own lost eye. A small smile almost cracked Hersir Vang's lips. In his opinion, if there was anyone who deserved to be made whole again, it was his Lord.

Stepping forward carefully, Odin set Jay down and knelt in front of him. Every member of the gleipnir's security drengr came to the position of attention as their Lord knelt. "I know that you're a very careful boy, but I want you to be especially careful with this. This is the heart of the Sa Ljodraen Berserkr. It powers everything on this ship and allows for the powering of the smaller ships. It's essential."

"I promise, Afi, I'll be very careful with it." Once again Jay was almost vibrating with excitement, but he made himself walk to the gleipnir. He wanted to move faster but didn't want to give his grandfather a reason to think twice about showing him these things. He didn't want to have to be mischievous to satisfy his overbearing curiosity. Jay stopped right next to the gleipnir, scanning it quickly. The outside of the cube was comprised of a weaker alloy of star-forged steel than what his father worked with. Trace amounts of seidr were leeching through the metal. Putting his hands next to the side of the cube let him further analyze the metal. It was without any vibranium at all and appeared to be around two thousand years in age. Moving to scanning the interior, he couldn't find anything besides the seidr. The multiple unique seidr signatures he found made sense to him. He assumed they were from multiple people filling the gleipnir. Jay placed his hands on the side of the cube, extending his wings again. His seidr extended smoothly into the interior of the cube, filing it with silver fire. There were no moving parts, no reactor. There were only empowered runes which were scribbled childishly across the inside. On the whole this only provided a pathetic pseudo-containment of the seidr within it. Truly the most impressive thing about the runes were that they allowed for the seidr to be converted to electricity. This was nothing like what his father used. It was no reactor at all, and that was a problem.