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)

24. Chapter 24

- Chapter 24 -

Outside The Bounds Of Time

Vanaheim Royal Palace Guest Chambers

The timeless Lady sat regally by the bedside as her litil-svass napped. Her posture, expression, and the angle at which she held her cup of tea was as perfect as millions of years of practice could produce. She sat listening to her subordinate as Lady Sjofn gave an in-person report on the firehawk and his Elder Brother.

"There is a fifth soul song. He has used this new soul song on the firehawk. It excited the things around him. I heard it call the firehawk back from sudden pronounced unconsciousness." Lady Sjofn knelt before the superior Lady with her left fist and knee on the floor and her right arm laying stiffly across her right knee.

"Another soul song?" Lady Audhumbla's eyebrow arched delicately. "Is there aught else you have witnessed?"

"Yes, m'Lady. I have witnessed something disturbing." Lady Sjofn kept her head bowed as she spoke.

"Disturbing? What could that be?" The timeless Lady couldn't imagine James doing anything so disturbing. The firehawk was a different matter, however.

"James was meditating with the firehawk. It felt little like ordinary meditation. I could feel his soul stretching out to touch the firehawk's soul. I witnessed him doing this with Crown Prince Thor as well. I did not feel it for myself, but the movement through the time space between them felt much the same as the touch of a colossal." Serious questions flowed through Lady Sjofn's thoughts. Most, if not all, of them had to do with James Rhodes and the unusual abilities he displayed.

"I see." She considered for a moment the very real possibility of James being a colossal. It still seemed a little outlandish to her since she knew of no way for a man to become a colossal. Ah, but that is the problem, is it not? We know too little. Her Lord husband's voice was a low metallic rumble in her mind. She couldn't disagree with him; they did know too little. "The firehawk needs to withdraw his fires that I might see more. This must be our goal, Lady Sjofn; to get the firehawk to relent."

"M'Lady, may I speak freely?" There was something that she had to impart to Lady Audhumbla. She felt its time had come. Lady Audhumbla would ultimately decide if it was important or not.

"You may. I trust you have something of import for me." Lady Audhumbla liked the fact that Lady Sjofn both was willing to share her opinions but kept the sharing to those things that she felt were important.

"I cannot tell who it is that might be responsible, but I do not believe the firehawk is responsible for the fires through time." Lady Sjofn waited now that she'd given her initial opinion to see if her Lady would want to hear more.

That was an unexpected and interesting prospect that brought Lady Audhumbla to a halt for a moment. "What brought you to this belief?" That would explain why the firehawk has recovered but not removed the fires. Who could it be though? Why are they hiding?

"The fires are in too many places where the firehawk has no reason to have them. They are even in places that the firehawk does not know of. I have looked through the progression of time itself and found that many of the fires to be recent. Some of them only appeared after certain events not involving the firehawk. The colors of the fire are also suspicious. What brings me to this belief most forcefully is the firehawk himself. He is rarely able to maintain concentration on any one thing when he is not engineering or smithing. He simply does not possess the mental focus to maintain such a barrier, and so I do not believe he is maintaining it." Pausing for a moment, she readied to put forth a radical proposal. "I believe that James knows who is doing this, and why, as many of the fires appeared after he passed through an area near them. He has an associate that he works with named Herb Willems. He also wields the soul songs of colossals. There are others that he has hidden from me, his other associates. I know only the names Morgan and Arno. I believe there to be others, nine or ten in number. Most firmly, I do not believe the fires will be extinguished until James or his associate is satisfied."

Setting down her cup of tea, Lady Audhumbla held out her aged hand. "Show me," she commanded.

Reaching up with her right hand, Lady Sjofn grasped her mistress's hand. She commanded her sjel-seidr to be at ease and extend towards her Lady so that her Lady could merge their seidrs.

The memories were quick enough, but entirely enlightening to both Lady Audhumbla and Lord Gin. The timeless Lady couldn't disagree with her handmaiden. The firehawk seemed like a poor candidate for whoever was maintaining the fiery barricade that they couldn't get through. James wasn't a firehawk, at least she couldn't see that he was one. It was almost certain that he was one of the colossals, and his associate as well. How it happened had to be determined, as well as what he was and wasn't capable of doing. At that moment Lord Gin wondered if maybe James was using the firehawk's abilities to shield the firehawk himself. He didn't want to think that there was another adult firehawk in the Nine Realms doing this. Unfortunately for them, James had managed to keep this firehawk so quiet that they didn't realize that there was a firehawk until his Lady wife stumbled across his nest. We must discover if there are other firehawks besides the eleven we already know of, and who James' other associates are, the rumbling metallic voice of her Lord husband perfectly encapsulated her thoughts on the matter. Ymir told them that there was only ever one firehawk per galaxy because they were extremely territorial and vastly powerful. Neither liked the thought of another, possibly unstable, adult firehawk to deal with. Working together with his Lady wife and his blood-brother, they believed one adult firehawk could be overcome at extreme expense and sacrifice; two could not. More than that and it would become a slaughter on their side.

Shaking them from their worried thoughts, Lord Gin spoke through their mental link to his Lady wife, Give Lady Sjofn my appreciation. She has brought us vital information this day, and at her own expense.

Ja, minn kaerr, hon hefur. (Yes, my beloved, she has.) Lady Audhumbla released her handmaiden and sat back. "This is extremely important information. You have done well in bringing it to us despite the injuries you received. Your exemplary service is appreciated." Inclining her head slightly she smiled. "We thank you for your service, Lady Sjofn. Return to your duties and continue to keep a careful eye on the firehawk and James."

Standing quickly, Lady Sjofn came to the position of attention then bowed to her timeless Lady. "Yes ma'am. Thank you, m'Lady." With that she stepped backwards into the currents of time and allowed her body to dissolve in the currents. She made her way back to the firehawk, stepping through the small, sjel-seidr door that James allowed her to construct. Anthony was still pacing the room discontentedly. Panic edged his mumbling voice. "Anthony, would you care for pizza?" She made the offer hoping it might calm his nerves.

Stopping short at the sound of someone else's voice besides his own grumblings, Anthony looked up. He thought about it for a moment, wondering why she was standing against the wall again. She seemed to like to stand there, but he couldn't tell why. After another moment he decided that there still wasn't anything he could do to stop his older brother from telling Loki some very frightening details about him and his childhood, maybe even showing her his true face and eyes. They were things he'd 'accidentally' neglected to inform his wife of. Lady Sjofn was still waiting for him. "Do you like movies?" he countered her offer suddenly.

"Mov-ee? I do not know what this is." It was another attempt by Anthony to distract himself from whatever James was going to do. She could see it plainly.

He waved his hand at her, grinning. "I have some movies in my interdimensional pocket. If you can get some pizza, I'll set them up." His gaze drifted down, and more panic edged his thoughts. "Yeah. We'll do pizza and movies, it'll be great." I want Loki, but I don't want Loki to know that!

23May2023 – Night

Aboard The Skithblathnir In Flight To Vanaheim

Glancing to the door to one of his guest chambers again in his personal quarters, Frey hoped again that Frigga and Odin would come out soon. They were almost back to Vanaheim, and he had barely been able to set this situation right. Frigga and Odin needed time to themselves though. He knew that, and even supported it. That didn't mean that he wanted to be patient. What he wanted was to see if there was anything that he could do for Odin, what healing he could provide. Without the door to the guest chambers opening, Frey did another lap around the settee that he was orbiting. Managing this situation without ale was starting to wear on him. In the next lap around the settee, he found Sean in his path.

Stepping over, Sean put his arms around Frey and extended his calm-filled seidr to cover them both. It didn't comport with the decorum that he needed to remember, but he could feel Frey spinning himself up. His lover's imprinting in Sean's seidr core gave the young Satska Soledras very good info on what Frey was feeling. When Frey's desire for alcohol began to strengthen as the pale monarch's impatience built, Sean knew it was time to intervene. "You don't need ale to get through this."

Wrapping his arms around Sean and thought, No, I just need you. The pale monarch thought briefly back to his opinion yesterday. After surviving the trauma that was Idunn's mage's journal through the Learning Spell he thought that he was glad to have Sean. He had a taste of having someone by his side through the tribulations of life instead of pulling himself through alone. Now that he had that taste he was hooked. This moment, where Sean chose to come to Frey solidified his earlier opinion. This was so much better than being alone. Sean was so much better than any bottle of ale.

A pleased smile crept across Sean's face as he listened to Frey's emotions change. The need for ale was dissipating while the need for the young Satska Soledras was increasing. The door to the guest chambers opened then, and he stepped back from Frey, giving him a sweet smile as he did so. When he turned towards the door he found Odin and Frigga coming through it. Both looked a little worse for wear, particularly around the eyes. They've both been crying. "Is there anything I can do to help either of you?" Sean kept his tone light and neutral.

Frey looked awkwardly to his beloved sister and Elder Brother. There were wounds that needed healing that he wasn't sure he would get to heal. Stepping over to them, he asked a simple question of his Elder Brother in order to make a simple offer. "Do you have any scars from this? I can remove them cleanly for you so that you don't have a reminder of what happened."

Warmth spread into Frigga's smile. She held onto her husband's hand tightly. "There are none left on him. I removed them myself."

While Frey didn't doubt his beloved sister's ability to remove scars, he was still a little disappointed that he wouldn't be able to handle it himself. "This is well then. Is there anything I can do for either of you?" Odin looked distinctly uncomfortable with all of this, and Frey understood. He too was going to be uncomfortable when they learned about what things had befallen him. It only made sense to him that Odin was uncomfortable with anyone knowing.

"I've already looked, but I was hoping that you would make sure the babe is well." Frigga went over to her brother, dragging her husband along with her. She had gripped the imprinting earlier in her core earlier, as her husband slowly told her how her first son came to be. She had been actively sending her love to Odin ever since. He needed the extra support and would for a while longer. She had always believed that he used a magical ritual as he laid with another woman. The truth was so much more than that. Odin still believed that he had betrayed Frigga even when she herself no longer believed that. She had forgiven him all those years ago for that supposed betrayal a moment after he handed over Thor to her. Frigga could see the sorrow in his eyes as he handed their son to her. The boy let them stay together. Thor was a magnificent gift. She had always believed that if he was willing to give this of himself that she was willing to forgive him for it. However, her attitude had changed in light of the truth. As with Lord Borr forcing responsibility onto Odin, Frigga no longer believed that he had ever betrayed her. This wasn't her beloved laying with another woman. This was her beloved being assaulted by a being that was older and more massive than almost any other. She suspected that only Elder Gorynych was bigger that Gaia, but it wasn't by much. It was going to take time to pull him around to the understanding that he hadn't betrayed her, as it would take time to undo the damage that Lord Borr had done to Odin's mind. They would surmount these challenges together though, Frigga was certain. For the moment, she wanted to ensure that her youngest child was well. Everything else could and would be considered later.

Frey was happy to have at least this much to do. With Frigga standing in front of him he unfurled his seidr, formed it into a Healing Spell and covered his beloved sister with it. Looking through his spell he was able to see that the babe was healthy and developing well. The only problem that he was seeing was the babe was taking a large amount of seidr from Frigga. The babe was hungry, so Frey withdrew and broke down his Healing Spell, furled his seidr back and looked to Frigga. "We should sit and finish having our meal. It's been a long day, and you need to eat, Frigga. The babe is drawing a heavy amount of seidr from you." Motioning to the chairs and table somewhat awkwardly, Frey stepped over to his chair and abandoned plate. He wanted to use another Healing Spell on Odin, but there were no current physical injuries for him to deal with. It frustrated him that he couldn't heal this right away.

Sean came over to stand by his seat again, waiting for everyone else to be seated.

That she needed to eat more wasn't something Frigga could argue with. Her new babe needed nourishment, but she worried. On one side of her thoughts was the fact that if she wasn't eating pure food then she was risking corruption. On the other side of her thoughts was the fact that she trusted James and already felt her core absorbing the food and warming her chest. She remembered then how the warmth spread through her belly as well. Frigga worried over that before she remembered how healthy Frey's core looked as it broke down the food and absorbed it. Frey did just say that the babe is healthy. Perhaps Midgardian food doesn't cause corruption? I need to speak with a representative from the college's Holy Chef's Body. Surely, they'll know. Frigga wasn't sure that she wanted to repent her food transgressions before a member of the Culinary College's Holy Chef's Body, but she also didn't want to go down the path to corruption. Her babe deserved the best she had to give, which meant maintaining her own physical purity.

Odin was still raw from their discussion, so Frigga pulled out his chair and almost pushed him into it. "You should eat, beloved." He picked up his plate and quietly filled it.

The elder King looked a little dazed to Sean, so he discreetly angled his seidr out just far enough to bend into a Calm Heart Spell. Next, he extended a tendril out of his sarammr, and infused the tendril with the spell. The young Satska Soledras touched Odin with the tendril to impart the Calm Heart Spell into his the elder King's white seidr. The three monarchs sat, so he seated himself last. Out of his angled out seidr Sean bent four weak Runes of Repetition. He branded them across the bottom of the glass bottles holding their teas and smiled as the bottles refilled. They would only refill the bottles once more after that, but he felt that it was probably enough.

The refill of his raspberry tea pleased Frey. It gave him more to drink that wasn't alcoholic. The aftereffects of stress were still pushing him to have an ale or twenty, to drink until he wasn't sensible any longer. Since that wasn't an option, he tried to focus on something else, anything else that could distract him. Healing couldn't hold his attention since no one had any open wounds or poorly healed scars. The only other thing he truly wanted to focus on was disrobing his young lover and taking them to bed, which was also not a possibility at that moment. It left him uncomfortably trying to focus on a moment in time where he had very little power to make things better. At least the roast beef is delicious, he thought as he placed more of it on his plate. He didn't even know what kind of meat beef was but knew that it was more palatable than focusing on being powerless.

Profound embarrassment was still flowing through Odin's thoughts from telling his wife how he had to 'lay with' a titan to keep her in his life. The little sausages, butter crackers, and mustard were a palatable but paltry distraction from it. He noticed Frey's subtle glances over to him and thought that his Little Brother probably had questions. He found the thought of answering Frey's questions to be distracting instead of it furthering the embarrassment. In a heartbeat Odin jumped on that distraction. "You must have questions, brother. What are they?"

Frey was shocked that Odin wanted to say anything, but he recognized it for the opportunity that it was. This was the distraction that he needed, so he asked his first question. "How did you discover the tale of the 'King of Four Stars and the Great Mother'?"

"I found a memory cube in the basement of a monastery; the one located in the high plains of Gylnegress." Odin looked down towards his food, wondering if this was actually a good idea or not. He did a great deal of sneaking about as he tried to find a way around Frigga's disability.

"You were on Vanaheim?" That brought a sigh from Frey. "I'm sorry, brother, I should have been there to assist you." There was no way he could change that, so he moved on. "When did you realize that the beasts were a summoning ritual?"

"The whole story is the summoning ritual. There never was a kingdom from ancient times." Odin looked to Frey and continued. "In order to summon her the supplicant has to be powerful and have a potent need. Then they have to find the beasts. Each of the beasts represents something the supplicant must have; need, courage, conviction, desire." He paused for a moment. "I say represent because each of the beasts were, in truth, her."

The way Odin didn't say Gaia's name was vividly noticeable to Frey. It spoke to a depth of trauma that wasn't something to be taken lightly. Nor was it something that could be easily healed. Time, patience, and discourse were what was needed. And perhaps more of Sean's seeds of truth. "The blood, it was meant to empower the summoning ritual?"

"No. The blood allows her to be summoned. It's the key that completes the Summoning Rune. The supplicant has to power the rune themselves, but without her blood she cannot be summoned. Only a titan can summon a titan." Odin took another bite of the little sausage with mustard on a butter cracker. It was more wonderful with each bite.

Thinking about it for a few minutes, Frey wondered, "I wonder if I could persuade her to speak with me on yours and Thor's health?" He wasn't prepared for the response to his musings.

Odin looked worriedly to Frey, slamming his hand down on the table at the thought of Frey being subjected to what he was. "No! Leave her be! She takes your life from you, brother." Looking down discontentedly, his voice quieted. "What she takes you can't recover."

What all did she take? Will you ever be able to tell me? Placing his hand on Odin's shoulder, Frey smiled. "Not now, but when you're comfortable, we can make an accounting of what was lost. Only then can we determine how much can't be recovered." He squeezed his Elder Brother's shoulder before letting on. Odin's own words came back to him them. "There has to be a way. We just haven't found it yet, but we will."

What to say slipped Odin's mind in the rush of gratitude that overtook his thoughts. "Thank you, brother. Thank you."

They all went quietly back to their food for a few minutes before Frey mused aloud. "We've lived in so much pain for so long that I think we don't know how not to. It's time to forget that pain, time to remember how to live." Taking another bite of the roast beef and cheese, he continued musing. "Today was a powerful start to that, one we must continue."

"We must find a counselor for each of you. They can be granted the position of Royal Advisor if you like." There was so much for Frigga to be sorrowful over. Most of it was surrounding what she allowed to happen to Loki. Watching her two favorite men coming together to resolve their differences and heal from them was counterbalancing that sorrow. This new joy was making the old sorrow seem like something she could work to resolve, instead of wallowing in. It was picking up the notes of hope that James had for them earlier in the day and entrenching them in her mind. Something else came up then that she had honest hope of being able to discuss with her husband. "Beloved, what are these attunement crystals that Sean spoke of? The ones that will grow in Thor's heartstring?"

A little sigh slipped out of Odin's lips as he remembered that. It still wasn't something he wanted his son near. "I don't know entirely what's involved in it. What I do know is that the young titan will eventually grow crystals in their chest. It's part of them becoming an adult. It has something to do with the titans being made of living stone. The accounts I've read make it out to be swift and agonizing. The child titan is said to be so pained that they destroy the land around them."

The sudden worried look on Frigga's face prompted Sean to interrupt. "When I looked at Crown Prince Thor, I saw that attuning is a necessary part of a titan's lifecycle. It's part of what makes them a titan."

"What is it exactly? Can you tell me what you saw?" Frigga liked the fact that Sean was willing to volunteer the information before she needed to ask him about it.

"When the child is old enough, they'll begin gathering white seidr from the realm they live on. When enough white realm seidr is gathered, the child will begin growing white realm seidr crystals in their chest. This gathered realm seidr allows them to wield the rest of the seidr from the realm by changing their seidr to the realm's seidr. It's what makes titans so powerful," he nodded to Odin, "but Odin is correct, growing the crystals and changing their seidr over is extremely painful for the child. When the attunement is done, they're no longer a child. They're an adult titan." There was no way that Sean had to make this hurt less for Crown Prince Thor when his time came, mostly because the young man knew that he'd be dead by the time Crown Prince Thor was old enough.

"Will he truly live for so long?" This had Frey's attention. He was going to have to teach his nephew Healing Magics to help with this.

"Titans seem to live for eight to ten million years on average. She is considerably older. Since they live for so long it takes about a hundred thousand years for them to mature to adulthood. Crown Prince Thor is essentially an infant titan at the moment." While Sean didn't think there was anything he could do for the titan Prince, that didn't mean that there was nothing his clan could do. Maybe if I can get him insinuated into the clan, maybe. He would have support and oversight. I need to propose it to Eidesh. He almost sighed in frustration. He still needed to find a tactful way to approach his Lady about begging for Aidesh's aid for the clan. To approach his Lady, he needed to prove his worth and the worth of his work to her. If his work was worthy enough, then maybe he could ask for Aidesh's attention. That was, at least, what he kept telling himself.

"How old is she?" Frey knew that he needed to start instructing his nephew in as many things as possible so that the Asgardian Prince could take those lessons into the future. The boy is already almost twelve hundred years old! It felt like wasted time to Frey. Too much time had been wasted. To have wasted that time sniping at Odin instead of coordinating with him tinged the pale monarch's thoughts with shame that he shoved aside. Wallowing in that shame was wasting time as well.

"She's a little older than 4 billion years. She was born in the final days of the creation of Midgard." And no titan that she's produced has lived past ten million years. Sean didn't think he should volunteer that information as it sounded too grim to him. So, he volunteered something else instead. "Her kind used to walk the lands of Midgard freely. They only stopped when humanity spread across the realm." The slayers stopped them. Gaea is one of the last. There were reasons why he and his clan respected humanity. What survived in the old clan records made it clear that humanity was to be watched over and guided, never oppressed. In that moment Sean wished he'd looked more at the titan race and how it interacted with the human race, instead of just what the titans were. He wanted to see how the human slayers worked. They were as mythic as the beasts and gods they took on.

"So old…" Frey pondered it for a moment. He stopped when he realized that he couldn't fathom living such a long period of time. It was inconceivable to him. Looking back to Odin, who had a thoughtful look on his face, he made his offer. "Thor needs to begin instruction in many different things. There are things he can take into the future that will aid him when we no longer can. Any assistance or aid that you need from me you'll have. I've wasted enough time in useless pursuits." This was another reason for Frey to move forward and let go of the past. It was as compelling as any of the others, maybe even a little more so. This reason came with a deadline. Once they passed on to Niflheim they couldn't be there for Thor. For a few stinging seconds it ached to know that his nephew would face attunement alone.

"We should plan out what the boy needs. You're right, brother. We have both wasted time in useless pursuits." Shaking his head, Odin spoke again. "No more time can be wasted."

Frigga pulled out her terminal and opened up a blank scroll document that was heavily secured. She sent an invitation to edit the scroll document to her husband and to her brother. "Plans should be documented so that we can all see them." She typed out the first thing that she wanted Thor to learn, diplomacy. A little smirk touched her lips as she took a bite of the peppered turkey and spreadable herbed cheese. Both Odin and Frey had their terminals out swiftly and each were placing things on the list. The first thing Odin placed was conversation skills, while the first thing that Frey placed on the list was Healing Magics. Each began placing other things on the list. In between placing things on the list, or adding addendums to other people's entries, they took bites of their dinner.

This had gone from being an awkward moment to being a working dinner and it couldn't have made Sean happier. He wanted to grin but maintained a decorous smile instead. Yesterday the three monarchs that he was with were at each other's throats. Today they were working together to plan out something that desperately needed their attention. Since there wasn't anything else that he needed to do at that moment, he busied himself with discreetly using weak Runes of Repetition to make sure that they had enough food and drink. As he was doing that, he watched their seidr cores break down the food into seidr and absorb it. The cheese was rich in white seidr. Their cores looked healthier with every bite they consumed. There was a faint aura around their cores that stayed put no matter how the cores moved. It looked fine until he saw them eating Midgardian food. Now it looked like it was recovering from some illness; pale and thin in places and shining and robust in others. None of them were ill, so he wondered why their auras were so thin and pale. More than that Sean wondered what the auras were. After another minute of watching their auras shine, the young Satska Soledras looked at Frigga's new baby. He was pleased to see the baby looked healthy. The baby had an aura too, and it looked healthier than its mother, father, and uncle. Looking at Frey's aura only showed him what he'd seen the day before, nothing new. The more he looked at the auras the more he felt that they were doing something. What it was eluded him though.

Time passed without Frey noticing it. He ate, contemplated, altered the list, and then did it all over again. The only thing that broke the rhythm he had was Sean. Occasionally his young lover would flare out his seidr to the younger King to give suggestions like, An education in history might help, or, Does he know a craft? Making sure he knows a craft would give him a something to pour his emotions into. After every flare Frey would flare his seidr to Sean to stroke over his flawless skin. They were good suggestions after all, so he didn't mind them.

Eventually their time there ran out and acting Styraesmandr Varangr sent a message to Frey to let him know that they were minutes away from the skyport above Vindrvelsignet. "We're almost at the Dolph Skyport," he let them know before he saved a copy of the list to his terminal before putting it back in his pocket and smiled broadly at Frigga and Odin, "That's a good start for what we need to do."

Finishing up with his thoughts, Odin saved a copy of the list to his terminal as well. With both of them saving a copy of the list of things to teach Thor to their terminals, Frigga saved the document and shut down her terminal too. She put it in her pocket and looked longingly at the food. She had to leave it behind. The warmth infusing her chest and belly from eating the food spread to her smile. James not only sent them food and drink when they needed it, but what he sent was marvelous. "Thank you, James," she whispered, We needed this. What she had seen that day of James Rhodes left her feeling very comfortable having him near her children and grandchildren. The fact that he wasn't trying to impress them, was just behaving naturally, that cemented her respect for him. Placing a hand over her belly, Frigga knew that her newest child was going to grow up knowing James. The future is truly bright.

Frigga looked so radiant to Odin. Her skin seemed to be glowing. The pale spun gold that was her hair left the light glinting off of it. The light had also gathered in her glorious blue eyes. Her figure was more than perfect. It was womanly and filled with a ferocious spirit. She was his glorious golden goddess. Odin swallowed thickly when she turned to face him, smiling sweetly. He almost couldn't believe that after everything he'd done and was responsible for, of which she knew more of now, this goddess still loved him. It was amazing.

Odin was looking at her adoringly again, so Frigga smiled oh so sweetly at him. She went to him, cupping the side of his face with her hand. "Are you ready to go?'

As soon as she touched the side of his face Odin placed his hand over hers. "Wherever you go, I'll follow."

"We'll go together." Frigga took his other hand in hers and brought it up so she could place a kiss against his knuckles.

"Together," he repeated after her, "forever." Odin pulled her suddenly into a tight hug, needing deeply to know that she was actually there. This not being a dream was beyond important to him. As he wrapped his arms around her, he knew that this was real, it was all real. That she knew most of what he'd done and had forgiven him still caused his head to spin in amazement. Thank you.

Indulging in the embrace supported Frigga's lightened mood. When she felt the slight shift of the ship slowing as it docked with the skyport, she pulled back. "Wake Jay, we'll be there soon." She drew herself up into her position as formadr of the drengr of Royal Guardsmen. The time that she would act as her husband's formadr was coming to a close for the day, but this wasn't going to be the only time. She was going to have to spend some time practicing with the Royal Guardsmen so that she was completely aware of their procedures. Frigga looked forward to it.

The thought of picking Jay up and walking with him again was soothing to Odin. Going over to the sleeping boy, he thought about breaking down the blanket that he conjured but decided against it. Instead, he carefully picked up his grandson in the blanket, and was warmed when the boy laid his head down against Odin's shoulder sleepily. The boy's shoes were gripped by Odin's seidr and dismissed to his interdimensional pocket. Turning back to Frigga, he smiled widely. "We're ready."

Sean looked over the remains of the platter of food on the table and had an idea. Angling his seidr out let him bend a Restoration Spell. The spell cleaned their plates off. Onto the plates he parceled out the remains of the food tray. There was enough left for each of the monarchs to have one full plate. Sean made certain to give each of them what they liked before he cleaned, refilled, and sealed the drink bottles with the various teas. Bundling runes were inscribed and empowered on the drink bottles themselves. Breaking down the spell came before he bent a Conjuration Spell. It released to create butcher's paper which he then runed with the Bundling Runes. He wrapped the plates in the paper and sealed it like James' instructions said to. The last thing he did was to grip the plates with his seidr and extend it out to offer their plates to each of the monarchs.

A polite refusal was on Frigga's lips when she decided that if she could take a little of this fine food with her then she was going to. It had shown itself to be healthy, and without corruption, so she had no problem with what they'd eaten. The herbed cheese was fantastic, and the broccoli and ranch dip were good too. "Thank you, Sean." Frigga gripped the wrapped plate with her seidr and dismissed it to her interdimensional pocket. There was a small thrill in Odin's seidr at being able to take a little of the Midgardian food with him. He dismissed it quickly to his interdimensional pocket. She suspected that she was going to have a difficult time getting him back onto a college approved diet. She would manage it though. He was going to be as healthy as she was so that they could raise their new babe, and probably even have more. Even Frey gripped and dismissed his plate of food quickly, bringing a little smirk to her face. She also suspected that he was going to be sneaking Midgardian food from Sean. She would have to get after him as well. It was all fine in her eyes. At that moment, the excellent food from Midgard wasn't high on her list of worries.

The plates were handed out, so Sean bent another Restoration Spell to be rid of the trash. Once it was cleaned up he cleaned the silverware, platter, ice bucket, table and chairs. All of it was gripped with his seidr and dismissed to his interdimensional pocket. He meant to return it to James clean and ready to use. Turning back to Frigga, he gave his assent. "I'm ready to go."

"Then let us be on our way." Frey liked that he had some of the meats, cheeses, crackers, fruits and sweet dip to take with him. He looked forward to having it later. With one last breath for himself Frey followed Frigga out the door to his chambers. Odin, carrying Jay, came after him with Sean bringing up the rear.

The drengr came to the position of attention when Frigga came through the door. She issued her orders. "Drengr, we resume our positions around the Lord. From here we make for the King's docking bay. We'll take a skammrass down to the Royal Palace," turning to Odin, she added, "unless the Lord has any objections." You've all done well, she thought gratefully of the drengr. They moved silently back into position around Odin.

"I have no objections." Odin thought over the day quickly and mused over how little the drengr of Royal Guard actually changed what he was doing. It felt like an outsized effect, but that was just because he found having them mortifying. In truth, they hadn't impeded him like he always thought they would. It occurred to him then that having a constant guard might not be so hard to do. It made Frigga happy that day for him to work so smoothly with the security drengr. It would probably make her even happier if he just accepted having a guard. The mortification at having a guard reared its ugly head then. He was still one of the most powerful Battle Mages in the Elder Realms. That fact hadn't changed. It made acceptance difficult.

A quick scan of Lord Odin showed Hirdmen Vilulf that the Lord was still well. The boy was sleeping on Lord Odin now. The boy needs it, he thought. It was all the personal thought he spared for the situation.

"Lord Odin, are you ready to move?" Frigga asked crisply.

"Yes," Odin smiled down at Jay and then over at Frey and Sean, "We're ready."

"Drengr, we continue to move with the Lord." Frigga led the drengr, with Odin and the others behind her, towards the King's docking bay. It was a short trip to there and the skammrass was waiting for them. The short ship was empty of everyone but them and the pilot. Frey took a few moments to arrange their descent to Vindrvelsignet, to the palace, with the pilot.

Even though Odin was gentle in setting Jay down in the seat to make sure he was secured, the boy still sleepily opened his eyes and looked up. "We're leaving the Skithblathnir now. We'll be at the palace on Vanaheim very soon."

"Oh, ok." Jay didn't want to go back to his parents just yet, but the day was almost done. "I'll still get to see both of you at the end of the week, right?" There was nothing he could do about the day ending, but there was something he could do about the future. He wanted to say that he was going to have a discussion with his father about visiting. However, he was honest enough to know that there was going to be some puppy-dog eyes, some pleading, and guilt tripping as well. Jay wanted to visit with his grandparents. He was going to figure out a way to get it done.

Ruffling the boy's hair gently, Odin smiled warmly. "Yes, I'm looking forward to it." Turning Jay's chair slowly, he pointed to the window. "We'll be descending to the palace. This will be the last chance for the day to view the ships and the void."

"Ohh! Thank you, Afi!" Jay leaned forward as much as he could so that he could see as much as he could.

It was time for him to withdraw to his seat, so Odin did. Looking over at Jay left Odin looking at the future. He didn't strictly need assistance or aid to do what he wanted to. He was going to ask for it anyway. He and Frey could get things done faster in his opinion. Flaring his seidr out to Frey he whispered a long message, I have two and a half days to secure Asgard before Jay has a need to be there. Odin accepted that he might need Frigga to be there for this to work. He admitted to himself that having her there would probably make him safer. Thor will remain on Vanaheim until my Council of Lords is deposed. We need to discuss how we can do this. Sean, are you listening? Sean?

The Lords needed his aid and Sean needed a distraction from the fact that he was flying again. Instead of holding the arms of his chair in an iron grip the young man turned his attention to the problem at hand. He extended his sarammr to whisper in their ears so that only they could hear him, I can pay attention if you consent to it. I don't want to eavesdrop though. He wanted to make it very clear that he didn't want to listen to their conversations for salacious reasons.

Flaring his seidr to Sean, Odin's seidr whispered, I consent. A moment later Frey did the same, adding in a soft stroke of his seidr down Sean's front.

The young Satska Soledras whispered to them again, What can I do to help?

Sean, I have two and a half days until I have to have Asgard secured for Jay to be there. I need to find a way to undertake this change quickly and permanently, Odin flared his seidr to Frey so that both of them could hear him.

We need a way to trap them, Frey whispered back to Odin.

And something to draw them into that trap, something they can't resist, the elder King whispered in return.

We could catch them in their traitorous acts. It would keep Sean safe to be away from them when we caught them, only bring him in at the end, the pale monarch wanted to risk his young lover as little as possible.

The caring in Frey's suggestion was obvious to Sean, but he knew that 'away' wasn't where he needed to be, so he reminded them, I need to be near them to view them. What if Odin summoned them to his office? They couldn't refuse that summons, could they? Their official duties could draw them in.

We would need a reason for the guards to be in the office. Perhaps a Royal Guard. I don't know if that would work, Frey liked using their duties to draw them in. It would be all very official then.

We must catch them in public, Odin felt like that was the safest way to do things, so that there are no blades in private.

I could come to visit with Sean. That would be public enough, Frey flared his seidr, then, You could greet me with your Council of Lords. Sean's abilities could be used then while we protected him. We just need a reason for Sean to view them, Frey liked bouncing ideas off of Odin, and liked that Odin was bouncing ideas off of him.

I can use my authority as Lady Audhumbla's Truthspeaker to view them, the young man whispered to them.

The 4th Era! It's just what we need! A brazen plan exploded in Odin's mind, as brazen as the traitor's actions. He leaned forwards and looked between Frey and Sean. We're going to hide this trap in front of everyone. They won't know until it's far too late, Odin began.

23May2023 – Late Night

The Landing Pad for Skammrassi in the Royal Palace in Vindrvelsignet on Vanaheim

The circular landing pad was made of smooth white marble. The crest of the House of Gimle was embedded in shining silver metal in the center of the circle. Plush grass and well-manicured spherical bushes, with pretty blue flowers on them, lined the edges of the landing pad. Interspersed in the bushes were large lights to guide skammrass down. High walls surrounded the large area with heavy turrets on the tops of the walls. Crisply carved stairs took people from the landing pad onto the white marble brick path leading into the palace. Along the sides of the path were large carved circular columns covered in dark blue flowering vines. A wall lamp was placed at the midpoint of each column on the side facing the path. Heavy turrets sat at the top of each column. Two white marble benches sat on either side of the path, at the center of the rows of columns. At the end of the path were two flowing fountains that were embedded in the walls of the palace. Four Royal Guardsmen stood at the end of the path, guarding the entrance to the palace. Four more guardsmen were inside the entrance. In the stillness of the evening a quiet man walked out of fuchsia strands of time. The strong silent thrum of his soul song of stillness kept the guards at the entrance from noticing him. He played calm loudly through his song as he sat on one of the benches to wait. Hopeful undertones punctuated the song.

It was still a few minutes until the skammrass set down and the passengers disembarked. James passed the time by unfolding his seidr to create four clouds of seidr that condensed, condensed again, and again, and again repeatedly into four seidr diamond cubes. They were garnet with carmine streaks here and there through them and the size of standard dice. Then he mounted a broad Conjuration Spell which released to cover all but one side of the cubes in a thin layer of cool rough-looking black stone with rounded joints connecting each face of the cube. At the heart of the cube, he set a line of micro-runes to create a line of power drawing from the bottom of the cube to the top. On the top of the cubes, he inscribed the uncovered seidr diamond face with the runes that would bring the user to Arno's home no matter where they were. It was his second home. He was grateful to Lady Sjofn for teaching him this. She was an excellent tutor. Without needing to travel to Arno's home, he used his memories to inscribe a half of a runic key into his second home around the rune that would open the portal to his second home. These four portal stones were going to assist in keeping Loki's family, his extended family, safe. Power sang from them. With them done they floated down into his hand and a small smile touched his lips. He gripped them with his seidr, dismissed them to his interdimensional pocket and stowed his seidr back into his core. The seidr he expended began to regenerate quickly. Just a moment later the skammrass touched down. He switched his constant soul song of stillness to the soul song of perception and stretched it out towards the short ship coming in for a landing. He could sense Jay there with Odin, Frigga, Frey, and Sean. The Royal Guardsmen were still there. He went to stand in the path coming from the landing area into the palace and switched his song back to the hopeful soul song of stillness to cloak himself again. Another drengr of Royal Guardsmen marched up to the area to wait for the passengers to disembark, so he stood off to the side to not be in their way. None of them noticed him.

Aboard the skammrass, Sean heard the same probing song that he heard before. The questioning song instantly held his attention because of how loud it was. The volume gave it clarity. James was searching for Jay. As soon as he found the boy the song receded. Sean, Frey's seidr whispered to Odin, what's the matter? He smiled at Frey and Odin who were looking at him concerned as they discussed their plan to catch a trio of traitors. I can hear James' song. He was looking for Jay. He's waiting for us at the landing pad, he whispered through his sarammr to them. The skammrass set down and Sean breathed a sigh of relief. He was almost on the ground where he was most comfortable.

Before either Frey or Odin had the chance to ask what Sean meant by hearing a song, Frigga stood and looked to them. "Lord Odin, we have arrived. It's time to exit the skammrass," she looked to the drengr surrounding her and Odin, "Royal Guardsmen Vilulf, Leifson, Ellingboe, Nyhus, Hartvigsen, Kron, Bielke, Ohlson, Sigmond, and Tryggsen; you have executed your duties with honor and valor in the face of some truly strange circumstances," she bowed to them, "The Crowns of Vanaheim and Asgard are grateful for your faithful execution of your duties," Frigga put a hand over her heart as she looked at the Royal Guardsmen, "We thank you."

Stepping a single step forward, Hirdmen Vilulf bowed to his Princess. "It is our honor to serve, m'Lady." He stepped backwards by a single step and back into formation.

Smiling warmly at the Royal Guardsmen, Frigga squared herself up and spoke. "Come drengr, we move with the Lord." After that she motioned for Odin to exit.

Quickly but gently Odin picked up Jay who was almost asleep in his seat. A little grumble was all he received when he settled the boy against his shoulder. A little smile made its way onto his face. In only a few minutes his time with his grandson would be done. He'd have to wait several days before he could see Jay again. Despite that, he was still so happy to have had the time that day with his grandson that he did. It was a grim and uncertain day, but still wonderful because of Jay. He wondered when he would get to meet his other grandchildren and knew that it would be as marvelous as meeting Jay was. As he exited the skammrass Jay sat up some, holding on to Odin with one hand and rubbing at his eyes with the other before laying back down again.

"I'mma wake," the boy mumbled before his eyes closed again.

"Huskarli Ohlson and Nyhus, secure the landing area." Frigga gave her order to the men she was proud to command.

The huskarli went before the Lord they were protecting down the stairs at the exit and out into the landing area. They took note of the other drengr of Royal Guardsmen, led by Formadr Tranum while doing their duty to secure the area. Once they'd secured the area, they stood positioned on either side of the exit stairs of the skammrass. Their formadr and Princess exited next, with Lord Odin and the others in tow. The rest of the drengr exited smoothly around them.

Frigga, Odin, and Frey instantly noticed the calm and hopeful tone pervading the area. They looked around for James but couldn't find him. Sean looked right to the source of the calming song. He found only a shadow by one of the benches. Sean could hear a new tone in the song. That tone was hiding James from view.

Since Frey exited but couldn't find James, he went straight to Formadr Tranum who was waiting for him.

Removing his helmet and bowing to his King, Formadr Tranum had a professional smile on his face. The evening breeze blew through his braided-back dark-brown hair and over his pale skin. His pale green eyes were sharp in how they took in everything around him. "My Lord, Formadr Aland sent me with this drengr. He sent this message, m'Lord," the formadr handed over a small scroll. After his Lord had read over the message, he asked, "How may we assist you?"

Stepping over next to Frey, Frigga prepared to hand over the drengr she was leading. Frey noticed her next to him and motioned to her. He tucked the small scroll with a brief report on the guard around Thor into his pocket. "This drengr has been led by Princess Frigga today. I need a fresh drengr, led by you, to act as a guard for Lord Odin. For the duration of his stay with us, and until he's returned safely to Asgard, I would like a drengr of Royal Guardsmen protecting him at all times. Have you any questions?"

"No, my Lord. It will be as you say." Turning to his Princess, he bowed respectfully then directed his questions to her. "Are you prepared to surrender this drengr, my Lady?"

"Yes, I am." The path behind Formadr Tranum was clear as far as Frigga could see.

Then Formadr Tranum asked his next question. "Do you have anything to report, my Lady?"

"No, there were no incidents of aggression during the day to report."

Nodding, he spoke again. "Excellent. Do you have any last orders, ma'am?"

"Today has been a long, strange, and grim day, Formadr Tranum. The last orders I have are that we, as the Crown of Asgard, and I, as Princess of Vanaheim, request that this drengr is commended formally for their stalwart devotion to duty. I have nothing more than that." Frigga wanted to make sure that her gratitude was known.

Bowing to his Princess, Formadr Tranum smiled proudly that ten of the Royal Guard would be receiving commendations. "It will be as you've said, my Lady."

"This drengr is yours now, Formadr Tranum. I know they will serve you as well as they served me." Frigga stepped out of the way of the formadr.

"Drengr!" the formadr called to the security drengr surrounding the elder King, "You have brought honor to the Crown of Vanaheim. I thank you for your service. You are dismissed back to the staging rooms now."

Hirdmen Vilulf led the security drengr from around the King of Asgard to form up in front of Formadr Tranum. Once formed up they marched away. The hirdmen was glad to be going. He was close to being dismissed for the day then he was going to make his way home. He'd spent the day with his brothers-in-arms, now the rest of his family was waiting.

Unraveling her seidr, Frigga spun a Conjuration Spell. She released it to cover her clothing. The spell swiftly switched back her clothing into the multi-tonal blue dress and cream slippers that she started the day with. Snaelda Asni with its sheath and belt were gripped in her unraveled seidr and dismissed to her interdimensional pocket.

The new formadr turned crisply to the drengr he brought with him and issued his orders. "Drengr, take up positions around Lord Odin. Hirdmen Steen, huskarli, we begin our watch." Silently, Formadr Tranum's drengr moved to the same positions that the previous drengr had. The formadr went to stand before the Lord of Asgard. "Sir, I trust that you've been made aware of how your guardsmen will interact with you?"

Nodding to the new formadr, Odin answered his question. "Yes, I'm aware."

"Sir, were you also made aware of the requests that we make of every charge we provide a watch to?" The formadr respectfully posed his questions.

Nodding again, Odin shoved down the embarrassment of needing a guard and being a charge, trying to tell himself that this was necessary and would make Frigga happy. "Yes," he lied well, "I have no problem working with the guardsmens' requests."

"Thank you, sir. Do you have any questions or concerns that you would like addressed now, Lord Odin?" When the elder Lord simply shook his head and said, "No," Formadr Tranum bowed politely said, "We're ready to move when you are, Lord Odin." He took up his place in front of the old King at the head of the formation and began the constant energy radiating through his spear. It was going to keep anyone from using the shadows when around the Asgardian Lord. His drengr began their spears radiating as well. No one could step out of the shadows to ambush them now.

Odin looked around one last time, but still couldn't see James so he started down the path to the palace.

The formation was moving down the path, so James stopped cloaking himself. He stepped away from the bench and raised both his hands so that the drengr could see them. Upon his appearing 'out of nowhere', the drengr stopped suddenly. They closed ranks immediately around Odin and Frey. James wasn't offended or frightened when he had eleven weapons pointed in his direction. He just smiled politely, and said, "That won't be necessary," before putting his hands down at his sides. He noticed that Frigga was wearing a dress again, with her sword put away. Someone else was leading this drengr. The good colonel switched to his soul song of perception and pulsed it in the area before switching back to the soul song of stillness. The pulse of perception allowed him to look to the current formadr of this drengr so that he could speak with them. "I'm just here to get my nephew put to bed, Formadr Tranum."

For a fraction of a second the formadr questioned how this man was able to ambush them. No one should have been able to use the shadows to travel around them. He stopped wondering and raised his weapon to deal with the reality of what was in front of him. "Identify yourself!" Formadr Tranum barked his order at the man he didn't know. He particularly didn't like how unafraid of them this man was or that he already knew the formadr's name. He stood there confidently with only a deep calm in his seidr whispers. Something about him unsettled the formadr, however, he couldn't tell what.

"Formadr Tranum, this man is James Rhodes. He's a friend of the Crown. Your Lord vouches for him." Frey stepped forward quickly. It was less alarming than he thought it should have been that James just stepped out of nowhere, but not the shadows. He knew that if it had been anyone else, he would have let the Royal Guardsmen deal with them. Turning to his guest, he smiled. There was a weird sort of relief in seeing James that Frey wasn't going to deny. I need to get him a Thegn's Badge, Frey thought suddenly then his mind brought something else up. How did he get past the guards without a Thegn's Badge? The Royal Guardsmen's spears forbid anyone stepping into or out of the shadows near them. The guards posted here would have noticed him. Wouldn't they? Something in that seemed very strange to him, since he knew his Royal Guardsmen weren't lax in their duties. How did he get here? "James, it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too," motioning to the Royal Guardsmen who were moving back into position in a looser formation around Odin, "On Midgard, it's customary to meet people traveling when they land. Is it different on Vanaheim? Should I wait somewhere else next time?"

'Next time' sounded good to Frey so that he smiled widely. "Here is fine. Let me get something for you to make this easier in the future." Unfurling his seidr, the pale monarch formed a Conjuration Spell and held up his hand. It released to create something that only his Council of Lords had so far. A rectangular piece of star-felled metal formed above his hand. It was half as big as his palm. One of the short sides of the rectangle arched up into a point in the center of the side, forming the top of the badge. At the other short end of the rectangle it pulled together to round out the bottom into a point as well. The badge was shaped into a shield. Across the shield etched the crest of the House of Gimle. At the top of the badge a brilliant sun was etched with rays of light falling down. Each of the nine rays had a pointed end. At the center of the badge etched a representation of the world tree, Yggdrasil. On either side of the world tree's trunk stood four featureless people holding hands. They stood in a garden with the sun's light falling on them. Between them stood a ninth man who was holding the two sides together. A ray of sun touched each of the nine people. In the boughs of the world tree were small apples that suddenly looked very much like planets to Frey. Three small sockets formed in a triangle pointing down at the underside of the world tree's roots. Three light blue circular gems formed in those sockets. A silver/star-felled metal alloy washed across the surface in a remarkably thin layer. A gold/star-felled metal alloy washed across the sun and its rays next, filling them in. The last thing the Thegn's Badge needed was the Holding Fast Spell which would allow the badge to adhere to James' shirt or vest. Frey formed the spell from his unfurled seidr and set it on the back of the badge then furled his seidr back into his core.

Motioning James over, the younger King showed him the badge. "This normally requires a long ceremony to bestow," Frey said as he looked up James, smirking slightly, "but it's a little late in the day for that, I think." He handed it over, adding, "This is a Thegn's Badge. It marks you as a friend of the Crown of Vanaheim. So long as you're on Vanaheim, this allows you access to places where ordinary citizens aren't permitted, like this landing area. Just place it against your clothing, and it will stay."

The Thegn's Badge fit comfortably in James' hand. He smiled at having it, as it was going to make his life easier. "Thank you. I appreciate that." He placed the badge where the breast pocket of a shirt might be. "Like this?" he asked the monarch who gave it to him.

"Yes, just so." Frey liked the thought of James having better access to him, and in turn him having better access to James. Like the phone, the badge was an extension of trust. There was so much calm coming from James that Frey wasn't as uncomfortable about it as he thought he should be. It was nice.

Thinking over that day let Odin come to the conclusion that giving James a Thegn Badge for Asgard was a wise idea. James was his link to Loki and the children, the guardian of his hope for creating a positive relationship with Stark, one of the bearers of the future. "That's a wise idea, brother." Odin unwound his seidr to array a Conjuration Spell. He conjured a rectangle of star-felled metal that shaped into a similar shield shape. Etched into this badge was a larger version of Yggdrasil. It too had apples on the branches that now looked similar to planets to Odin. There were stars under the branches and a wall at the far edge of the garden being depicted. The walls of Asgard. Standing in front of the trunk was a large featureless man with four small featureless people on either side of him. They all stood in a garden. A circle was etched into the tall man's chest. Eight lines came from that circle to touch the chests of the eight smaller people beside him. Beneath the roots of the world tree were three sockets forming a triangle facing up. Three circular gems formed in those sockets that were a vivid candy red. The same silver/star-felled metal alloy washed across the badge to coat it. Gold/star-felled metal alloy filled in the large man and the lines coming from the center of his chest to touch the other people. The Holding Fast Spell was arrayed and set on the back of the badge. With it all tidied up and taken care of Odin twisted his seidr back into his core. He held the badge out to James. "This will allow you the same freedom of movement on Asgard."

His grandfathers were using their seidr and it tripped Jay's sensors. The boy opened his eyes and sat up to see his uncle standing before them. He smiled and waved to his Uncle Rhodey.

"Thank you for this. I appreciate this as well," James smiled at the second badge. It too was going to make his life easier. Looking between Odin and Frey he added, "I have something for you as well," then he looked to Formadr Tranum, who was observing him. "I'm going to summon some portal stones. You'll be able to feel the power in them, but they aren't harmful to anyone." With that James turned back to Frey and summoned the four portal stones that he'd created earlier. The four little cubes came into his hand, with their power announcing their presence. James held up one of the cubes so that they could see it. "These are permanent portal stones; they go to my second home. It's very secure," he handed one to Frey, then to Odin, Frigga and finally Sean, "Just touch the rune on the top and a portal will open. There's no need to power it, the seidr within it will do that. Each portal lasts for five minutes, or until you touch the rune a second time, at which point the portal will close. Before closing it will flash three times to let you know when it's about to close." At the same time, he switched to his soul song of blessings and stamped the other half of the keys onto their hands before switching back to his soul song of stillness. Only they would be able to make those stones work. The monarchs took the stones and looked a little curious. "Loki was worried that there might be trouble," he looked to Odin and Frigga, "especially when you returned to Asgard. I offered to give you a safe place to go to if there is trouble. I already gave another one to Thor, so that he can be safe as well. Those are yours to have for as long as you like."

It's a free escape route if Frigga is cornered on Asgard, Odin flared his seidr to Frey as he looked down at the small cube in his hand. "Thank you, James. This is wonderful."

He's even honoring Loki's request to see to Thor, Frey flared his seidr to Odin in return. And Sean, he thought to himself.

The silver stamp on Sean's hand felt more permanent to him than the one that had appeared on the Elder Heal Meister earlier in the day. It was half of a key, with the other half clearly in the portal stone. He could see down through the densely packed seidr to little line of power that was going to turn the seidr into power for the stone. It was beautiful.

We'll have to give our gratitude to Loki for this, Odin had many things he wanted to tell his child. While the chief among them was that he and then she was always loved, his gratitude for this was definitely another.

After we're done here, we'll go to Loki. Hopefully we can see her. Frey was eager to see his niece. He wasn't going to deny that.

Gripping the small cube with his seidr, Odin looked up to James and dismissed it to his interdimensional pocket. "How was Loki when you spoke with him this evening." He sighed and tried again, "How was she this evening?"

He's adapting, that's good. "She was tired and worried about her parents and brother. It's late, but I think she might like it if you stopped by to see her for a few minutes." Thinking about it, James decided that he could help with this as well. He wasn't sure of the outcome, but he could at least give his effort towards it. "If you want, I could speak with Lady Audhumbla about getting you some time with her." James shrugged a tiny shrug when they looked a little disbelieving. "I'm going that way anyway. I have to get Jay put to bed, and the children are sleeping in a room just off of the room that Loki is in."

There wasn't even a thought before Odin leapt at the chance, hoping that James might have enough sway with Lady Audhumbla to get him in to see his child. He wanted to see Loki so badly. "I would be very appreciative of that. Thank you." After a quick moment of consideration, he asked what was on his mind. "Would you mind if we portalled to the door?"

"Not at all. There's just one thing that I have to do," James looked at Jay, who was looking at him, "I have something for you."

"Oh! What is it?" Jay liked the things that his uncle brought to him.

Holding up his hand, James unfolded his seidr and mounted a Wavering Visions Weave and a Learning Spell that absorbed his memories. "A message from your mother." He released the spells to form a small movie of Loki sitting in bed with a loving look on her face.

Loki's voice reached Jay quickly to alleviate his obvious and sudden nervousness. "I would never abandon him, not ever. Especially not since I'm not angry with him at all. I love him. I'm so proud of him. I hope that he's well. I have so much I want to say to my son."

The relief of knowing that his mother wasn't angry at him, that his parents weren't going to abandon him collapsed him back against his grandfather's shoulder, with one hand over his eyes. Little tears streamed down his face. "They aren't mad at me. They aren't mad at me," he repeated over and over again, "They aren't mad at me."

"They love you, Jay. That isn't going to change." James broke down his spells and stowed the seidr back in his core.

Wiping his eyes dry, Jay smiled a toothy little grin and looked at Odin. "Can we go now? I want my mother."

It was a sentiment that James thoroughly approved of. It looked like he wasn't the only one. Sean and the monarchs were all wearing approving expressions, so he looked to Frey. "Should I open the portal now?"

"Yes, please do." Frey was unsurprised and even relieved that Loki sent a message of love to Jay. With how afraid the boy was of being abandoned he needed such a loving message.

Turning away, back towards the benches, James unfolded his seidr to mount another Janni's Portal Weave. He snapped towards the benches to release the spell. A portal opened that would take them to the hallway where Loki's room was. He stowed his seidr back and looked over to the leader of the drengr. "Formadr Tranum, this portal leads to a hallway in the palace, would you care to send your men through first?"

"I think I will." Formadr Tranum wanted to know exactly who this man was, besides a friend of the Crown of Vanaheim. He looked like a half-dvergar to the formadr but was stronger even than the two Lords with them. There was something not right about this man. He flared his seidr to two of his to huskarli to order them to go and search the area though the portal.

The darkness of distrust colored Formadr Tranum's voice. James didn't mind that particular darkness since he could probably overcome it through his actions. He wasn't offended by it or by the formadr sending two of the huskarli through the portal to secure the area before Odin went through. He stood waiting patiently. A moment later the huskarli came back through the portal to report that all was clear. James knew that already.

Upon receiving his huskarl's report that the hallway was clear, but that there were two doors that couldn't be opened, he turned to James. "What lies behind the two doors that won't open?"

"My daughter is behind one of them. My son-by-law is behind the other. Norns are holding the doors shut. They aren't dangerous." Odin stepped in quickly.

None of the surprise that Formadr Tranum felt showed on his face. He maintained his bearing, saying instead, "Drengr, we move with the Lord through the portal."

Stepping outside of the formation, James led the way and stepped through the portal first. The formation moved through behind him. When everyone was through the portal James closed it, breaking down the spell back into seidr which he stowed in his core. The hallway was softly lit at that hour of night. He smiled back at Jay before he knocked with three sharp raps on the door to Loki's room. Almost immediately Lady Audhumbla opened the door and greeted him.

"James, it is so lovely to see you again. What brings you here so late?" The timeless Lady knew what Odin, Frigga and Frey wanted. What she wanted was to hear what James had to say.

"Lady Audhumbla, I would like to put forward a petition to allow Loki to have a few more visitors." He stood confidently, playing his soul song of stillness with hopeful undertones. "The first among them is Jay, and then Odin, Frey, and Frigga. I believe that this will benefit Loki by firstly allowing her to see that her son is well. This will lower her anxiety. Secondly, I believe Loki will benefit from seeing Odin, Frey, and Frigga because it will give her the opportunity for several positive interactions. Thirdly, this in turn will lower her anxiety over the long term. This will increase her overall health. Fourthly, this has the potential to begin healing older wounds in her psyche. She deserves to not think so poorly of herself, and this is a potential beginning to that. Fifthly, this gives everyone the reinforcement they need to go peacefully forward. And lastly, in a simpler sense, I believe that this would make Loki happy, which she deserves to be. Would you be willing to discuss this with me?"

Lady Audhumbla stood listening both to his reasons for wanting other people to have an audience with her litil-svass, and to the soul song playing out loudly from him. It was a song of calmness to be sure, but it was the unconcealed notes of hope within it that pushed heaviest at her mind. It wasn't some petty hope to sway her opinion to his way of thinking. It was hope for the future that he was offering to her, to any who listened to the song. She could feel how that hope was bolstering and soothing those around him. She could feel her own thoughts wanting to bend to that song. They are good and honest reasons, minn kaerr. Shall we grant them an audience?, her Lord husband interjected. I think we shall, she answered.

"No discussion is needed. Your reasons are good and honest. We shall allow them an audience. The guards remain outside, however." She looked at the guards with her sjel-seidr lighting up her eyes and waited as they moved into position around the door. Only when they were positioned around the door did she command her sjel-seidr to return to her core. Then she motioned for James and his guests to enter before returning to her litil-svass. Her Lord husband had Loki prepared. Nervousness was plain on her granddaughter's face. It was beginning to tinge the younger woman's seidr whispers. "Be at ease, litil-svass. All is well."

Loki wasn't sure what to make of what was happening except that it was something she'd been deathly afraid of. That it wasn't happening in any of the ways that she feared was the only reason she had any calm, until calm walked through the door. The calm washed over her in waves so that she knew who was in the room with her. James is here! He was one more layer of protection that she was grateful to have.

More surprise entered Loki's thoughts when she saw her father walk through the door carrying her son. Her father looked different now, with two eyes, and her son looked well, if smaller. "Jay!" Seeing that he looked well helped to ease her worry about him.

Jay was vibrating with excitement, so Odin set his grandson down carefully. He quickly summoned the boy's boots and set them down next to the door to the room with his seidr. He was so close to his child now, so wonderfully close to being able to apologize to her, but it wasn't time yet. He stood quietly, watching Loki interact with Jay. Now that he was up close Loki looked even smaller as a woman, however, the curls in her hair suited her very well. Loki's face was still very recognizable, only changed somewhat to accommodate her femininity. The curls and gender didn't disguise though that this was truly his child, and Odin couldn't be happier. The hole in his heart ripped open by him thinking Loki was dead was slowly beginning to close. It was amazing.

Loki must have discipline, the cursed beast in his heartstring whispered to him after hours of silence, discipline the child. Putting his hand over his chest, in his mind he whispered back sarcastically, No one cares to hear from you. The beast grumbled discontentedly and settled back into the darkness. You will never be forgiven. You don't need it, the beast growled in a parting shot at Odin.

As soon as he was set back down Jay ran to his mother's side, carefully climbed up onto the bed and got a hug from her. "I missed you today!"

Wrapping her arms around her son, Loki enjoyed having one of her children by her side. A few small tears slipped down her cheeks in happiness. "I missed you as well."

Pulling back and sitting up some, Jay looked at his mother very solemnly. "I've wanted to apologize to you for so long. What we did wasn't right, but it was all we had. I'm sorry for using it. I'm sorry for not being able to find better means. I'm sorry for hurting you."

Loki cupped the side of Jay's face, looking into his beautiful silver-green eyes and then looking on him lovingly before she pulled him into another hug. "I was never angry at you. I'm not angry at you. I'm so grateful to have time that I didn't think I would. You and your father gave that to me. Thank you so much!"

That his mother was forgiving of some of what he'd done didn't mean he expected her to forgive all of it. "I'm also sorry that I went behind your back and talked to Skuld. She... didn't turn out to be the kind of person I needed to help you."

She smiled as she stroked her hand down the back of her son's head. Having her Amma and Afi Gin and Afi Gorynych lay out everything that happened and where it happened had prepared her for this. "She was wicked. I'm glad that she didn't hurt you. You did well to follow Amma's lead."

"Amma's nice." Flaring his seidr to his mother, Jay's seidr whispered quickly, Afi Odin is nice too. We spent the day being tall together. We explored the house and went to your lab. I gave him the Tree of Gems, like I promised that I would. I think he really liked it. I visited his spaceship! I was in space! I made him a flower and one for Afi Frey and then I showed them how their ships sing. I also replaced the gleipnirs on their ships and introduced an aroma therapy system to the ships. It was so much fun! Amma Frigga had guard duty today, guarding Afi Odin, so I didn't get to spend as much time with her, but she was really nice too!

Loki chuckled at her son's boyish report. It was nowhere near the clinical specificity of a report from 'Jarvis'. She found that she preferred it. This felt much more like how Jay should be. It felt right. She flared her seidr in return, My gracious, what a day you've had. Noticing the clock on the wall showed her something she didn't want to see. Loki flared her said again, It's late, you should be in bed. She didn't want to let her son go, but she didn't want him to not get enough sleep either.

Pulling back again, Jay held his mother's hands and looked into her eyes. "Everyone here loves you. Everyone. Don't be nervous. There's no need to be. You. Are. Loved."

Loki wasn't sure what to say. Part of her wanted to say that she was in danger, except that her father hadn't called the guards yet. He had a little smile on his face that was warm and directed at her. She wasn't sure what to make of how things were going. Nervousness, confusion, and happiness spread out across her thoughts. She squeezed Jay's hands lightly. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I know you will, and I'll be near if you need me. Uncle Rhodey is right over there too!" You're safe, his seidr whispered to her one last time.

"I love you so much." Loki pulled her son into one last hug, then gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Have pleasant dreams tonight."

"I will!" Edward and I are going to dream about DUM-E. Carefully, Jay got down off the bed and with a little wave he turned towards the others in the room. Like a hug-seeking missile the digital boy went from person to person giving and getting hugs from everyone, even Loki's grandparents. The last hug he got was from his uncle before he found and picked up his boots. "I'm ready for bed now," he said, a little yawn working its way out of him, "Very ready."

Looking to Loki, James smiled reassuringly. He could hear the nervousness in her voice. He walked calmly to her, placed his hands on either side of her head, and pulled her gently forward. James placed a small kiss on the top of Loki's head so that she would know she was loved. As he pulled back, he focused his song through his voice, then said seriously, "You're not alone. There are more people here for you than you might think," and he smiled at her again. The nervousness receded enough for him to be comfortable in this. "I'll be back in just a moment." She nodded and he turned towards the door to the room that the children were staying in. He collected Jay as he walked over to the door, leading the digital boy by the hand.

James opened the door to the children's room quietly, slipping into the room without any of the children waking. The door closed silently behind him. Unfolding his seidr, James mounted a Conjuration Spell. He released it with a silent snap towards the bed that Edward was sleeping in. Beside that bed another bedframe appeared out of the seidr. A mattress, sheets, blanket, pillow, and pillowcase all came next, assembling themselves neatly.

"Do you think mom will be ok?" Jay fidgeted a little with his shirt hem.

Next, James mounted another Conjuration Spell out of his unfolded seidr. He snapped silently to release that spell as well. On the bed a galaxy themed set of pajamas formed and floated down to sit on the covers. "I wouldn't be in here if I thought she needed backup for this."

"You think she can do this on her own?" That was really the part that had the boy nervous.

"She isn't 'on her own'. Her grandparents are in the room too, and I'll be back in there in a minute." While he believed that his soul song would be needed, he also believed that someone needed to put Jay to bed. This had been a long day for the boy, he needed sleep now. James mounted a Restoration Spell then turned to Jay, guiding the spell over the boy to clean him for bed. Once the boy was cleaned, he stowed his seidr back in his core then spoke to Jay. "Come and put your pajamas on. It's time for bed."

The fidgeting with his shirt didn't stop as he got nearer to the bed next to Edward. Jay wanted to be there for his mother and his grandparents as they put themselves back together again. "I just hope this is what she needs." He pulled off his clothes and set his boots on the floor next to the bed. His uncle put his boots at the end of the bed while he put his pajamas on.

"What she needs is some time with her parents in a supervised environment. Her grandparents are a very good supervising body for this." He pulled back the cover and let his nephew get in before he sat down on the side of the bed. "Would you mind sharing your memories of your time spent with your grandparents with me?"

"Why?" Jay asked as he impelled his seidr from his core to write into a Learning Spell. Curiosity covered his expression.

"I need to ensure that all the interactions were acceptable or make corrections if need be." James was as honest with the boy as he could be. He didn't want to lie to the boy for no good reason since there were enough things that he was lying to the boy about for damn good reasons.

Touching his uncle's hand to release the spell, Jay smiled again. He liked that reason.

In an instant James could see all of Jay's interactions with his grandparents. Once again, the good colonel thought, These are the people I need. He thought it yesterday when he went to the SHIELD meeting room and saw the footage from the security camera. A wild and dangerous thought jumped into James' mind as the memories came to a close. A large part of him wanted to include them in his talk with Loki about Anthony. If they could understand the Stark bloodline then they could understand his other brothers. Their understanding could bring the family together, he thought calmly. Lady Sjofn would have to be aware first though. Can I do that? James also knew that to make it work he was going to have to track down a few more people. If Lady Sjofn knew then she could provide aid to him to get that done. As the idea expanded out into his mind, he decided to pull the trigger on something else that he'd been hesitating on. It could all come together smoothly. It will all come together smoothly.

James looked down at Jay and smiled happily. "What a fun time you had. That's so nice." He gave the boy a kiss on the top of his head before his nephew laid down and pulled the covers up over Jay. "We'll move your check-in to tomorrow morning. For tonight, have sweet dreams." Jay was tucked in and closed his eyes. James stood silently and moved back through the dimly lit room. He lamented that there wasn't enough time to do Jay's check-in before the boy was too tired to do it, but the day was just too busy for a child. We'll get it done soon enough. He didn't mind waiting for Jay. For the moment there were other interactions that he had to provide calm for. After that, there were monsters to hunt.

23May2023 – Outside The Bounds Of Time

Vanaheim Royal Palace Guest Chambers

Herb sat just behind James' shoulder watching as he typed out the next motion that they were going to file. His attention went back and forth between the legal motion in his hand and the one James was typing out. "Are we sure we want to use the nuclear option? We can't use it for another three months after that. Another emergency filing might be better."

"We just won the right to bring Loki in. I don't think Justice Roberts is going to look kindly on us filing essentially the same motion but asking for more without an emergency behind it. The others are going to be pissy now that they lost again. They'll fight anything else we file tooth-and-nail. This has to be the play." James kept typing out what he was going to do, "… any and all persons Conservator J. R. Rhodes sees fit to inform about the origin, health, disposition, and all other facts, critical and otherwise, of the dispossessed parties." He went back and changed 'about' to 'of', thought about it for a moment and changed it back to 'about' again, then changed it back to 'of' and left it. Wording was extremely important in this. He wasn't going to give the other Conservators the opportunity to hoist him on his own petard.

Even though he couldn't disagree with James' reasoning, Herb still didn't like using the nuclear option in the settlement. Though it meant that they could do what they needed to do, with only an after-action report due, it was still nerve wracking. What if there's another emergency? It always went through his head. The boys were prone to accidents, bad ideas, and mind boggling decisions. Not having the ability to just handle the situation left him feeling helpless more often than not. Having soul songs and magic, particularly the ability to heal, was slowly mitigating that worry. Herb was learning as fast as James could teach him, which was as fast as Loki would teach James. It wasn't fast enough for him. He looked down at the legal motion in his hand with hope, then to the legal motion that James was working on. Hopefully, once Loki understood she would begin teaching all of them much faster. He was looking forward to meeting her, to learning from her, to introducing the rest of the family to her. He was truly looking forward to there being fewer lies and secrets in the family. Altogether, the future was worth looking forward to.

The other man with a colossal's songs sat quietly, interjecting with a suggestion here and there. Lady Sjofn observed him as she observed James. Both were interesting to her, especially since they were being so unusually open around her. What others? And for what?