Chapter 17: King of Asgard

Loki sat on the steps, silently pondering everything he had been told. Everything he had ever known was a lie. He feared Brigid would turn away from him if she saw his true appearance. Just as he thought of her, Brigid sat by his side.

"My intuition tells me that you have been troubled since Jotunheim," Brigid told him.

Loki nodded. "Your intuition serves you well."

"So, what troubles you?" Brigid asked.

Loki took a breath before he spoke, fearing Brigid's reaction. "My entire life is a lie. The man I called "father" is not who I thought he was."

"Odin is not your father? Then who is?" Brigid asked incredulously.

"My true name is Loki Laufeyson," Loki gulped.

Brigid shook her head. "Odin lied to you. If you are the son of Laufey, you would be one of them."

Loki gulped as he looked down at the hand the Jotun touched. "On Jotunheim, one of the Jotuns touched me. He should have wounded me. Instead, my hand turned ice blue, like them."

"What are you trying to tell me?" Brigid asked.

Loki shook with fear as he approached the Casket. "I need to show you who I am. Who I truly am."

Loki picked up the Casket and turned to Brigid. Brigid gasped as she saw Loki's skin change from pale ivory to midnight blue and his sky blue eyes ruby red.

"Well," Brigid stammered. "This is unusual. And it explains a few things. I thought green was your color."

Loki's brow furrowed. "You're not …afraid of me?"

It was Brigid's turn to wear a quizzical look. "Afraid of you? Why would I be afraid of you? Because you look like Grover from the wrong side of Sesame Street? You're my friend. And what you look like doesn't change that."

Loki's heart was touched by Brigid's words. Many on Asgard, himself included, saw the Jotuns as monsters. It healed his wounded heart and mind that Brigid saw only her friend. Loki set the Casket down and his Asgardian appearance resumed and tears welled in his eyes. "Midgardians never cease to amaze me."

"You forget I'm a Norn," Brigid added. "If you're Laufey's son, how did you come to be here?"

Loki frowned. "Do you remember how Odin defeated the Jotuns and took their Casket?"

"I remember the story," Brigid replied.

"I was abandoned by Laufey because I was not fit for the Jotuns," Loki explained. "Odin took me and used me for essentially the same purpose he used you. And now it doesn't matter."

Brigid smiled bitterly. "Yeah, hurts , doesn't it? Being used."

Loki snorted. "Yes, I suppose it does."

"So what happens now?" Brigid asked. "Where is the old block of ice?"

"Odin has fallen into the Odinsleep," Loki replied.

"The magical coma?" Brigid asked.

"You know it?" Loki asked, impressed.

"My mother did raise me on your stories," Brigid replied with a blush. "So while Odin is taking his little nap, who rules and when can I go home?"

"Excellent questions," Loki praised. "Why don't we go and speak to my mother about that?"

Loki and Brigid left the vault where they found Frigga in Odn's chambers. Frigga wore a grave look as she sat by Orin's beside, holding his hand.

"Mother," Loki greeted.

"Hello Mother," Brigid greeted.

Loki embraced his mother as he sat by Odin's side. "So how is he?"

"I'm not sure," Frigga replied, worry written in her voice and face. "He's put it off for so long now that I fear the worst."

"So why did he lie?" Loki questioned, still reeling from Odin's betrayal.

Frigga gently held her son's hand, with all the love a mother could show. "He kept the truth from you so that you would never feel any different. You are our son, Loki, and we, your family."

Loki nodded, touched by his mother's sweet words. "How long will it last?"

"We're not sure. We were unprepared," Frigga "But you mustn't lose hope that your father will return to us. And your brother."

Loki wore a quizzical look. "What hope is there for Thor?"

"There's always a purpose to everything your father does," Frigg whispered.

Just then, the Asgardian guards entered and presented Loki with Gugnir. Loki was stunned as he knew what this meant. In shock, he turned to Frigga, who confirmed it. "Thor is banished and Odin lies in the Odinsleep. Until Odin awakens, Asgard is yours. My king."

The company of guards bowed as Frigga bowed her head. Loki took the scepter as he caught Brigid bowing before him, a proud smile on her face.

With the staff in hand, Loki sat upon the throne of Asgard with Brigid at his side. "So, how does it feel, King of Asgard?"

Loki nodded confidently. "Well, I won't lie. It does feel damn good. And my first act as King, you will be sent back home to Midgard."

Brigid was touched. This was all she wanted for the longest time but now she wanted something different. "That's a fine thing. But I believe I still have a duty to my king."

"Brigid, you don't have to do this," Loki told her, taking her hand. "Your father will be missing you."

"I will see him again," Brigid said. "You saved me, you got me."

Loki embraced her, overcome with his affection for his friend. "My next gift to you is the library. It's yours. You will find ways to control your Norn powers and I will teach you to fight and use magic as my mother taught me."

Brigid shrieked like a schoolgirl as she pecked Loki on the cheek and hurried off to the library. As she watched Loki skip off to the library, Loki held his cheek and he felt something in him that he did not know was possible.