Chapter 7
When Coulson arrived on the Command deck, the first thing he saw was a tall, beautiful woman wearing an expensive-looking gown in shades of green, with a gold-toned breastplate and matching vambraces. She looked regal— no other word applied— despite the anxious look in her eyes. This contrasted oddly with the agents who were carefully taping off an area around her with yellow caution tape and safety cones. He looked inquiringly at Nick Fury, who was standing at parade rest with an indecipherable look on his face.
“She told us that if someone tries to touch her, she’ll lose the connection, and it’ll be a pain to re-establish it,” said Fury sotto voce. In a louder tone, he said, “Your Highness, this is Agent Phil Coulson, Agent Natasha Romanov, and Agent Clint Barton. Agents… this is Queen Frigga of Asgard.”
The woman inclined her head graciously. “Agent Coulson, my older son has spoken well of you. Thank you for your generosity to him during his late exile.”
Coulson bowed slightly in return. “Thank you, your Majesty.” He felt slightly guilty, because most of his “generosity” at the time consisted of letting Thor have enough rope to hang himself and his collaborators. Well, that and not having Clint go for a kill shot. “It was an honor and a privilege,” he added. This part was true; being part of a documented alien First Contact had been a huge rush. He’d read everything he could find about Norse gods, scrutinized every second of video, questioned Selvig, Foster, and Lewis exhaustively for every crumb of information they had as they waited in vain for Thor’s promised return. In retrospect, he’d been more than a little blinded by the glamour of it all, and had failed to adequately think through the implications of what they knew.
There was a twinkle in the queen’s eyes, as if she’d deduced something of what he hadn’t said. “Thor has always had a very overpowering presence.”
As if on cue, Thor rushed onto the command deck, trailed by Maria Hill and a wide-eyed Agent Rose Arden. “Mother!” he exclaimed happily, striding toward her with his arms outstretched.
“Careful, Thor!” Frigga cautioned, raising one hand palm out in a warning. “I am not here physically, but only in my astral form.”
Thor stopped so quickly it was almost comical, though the downcast look on his face was anything but. “Of course, Mother; I… forgot.”
The queen smiled at him reassuringly. “It can be easy to do so at times.” Her face then became serious. “Thor, what befell your brother? Odin said he’d suffered some injury which was delaying your return, and the mortals knew not how to treat it.”
Thor winced. “It is… complicated, Mother.” Then he brightened. “We did learn that Loki was not acting of his own will, but was under a geas forcing his actions. Once freed from this control, Loki was repentant and ended the invasion.”
A surprised and relieved smile dawned on her face. “Oh, that is such wonderful news, Thor!” Then her smile faded and a puzzled look took its place. “But… why did Odin not mention…?” Then she shook her head firmly, and said, “That does not matter now. May I speak to Loki?”
All the humans and Thor exchanged uneasy looks. The queen’s gaze sharpened. “What is it that you are refusing to say?” While still polite and well-modulated, there was definite command in her tone.
Natasha Romanov stepped forward. “Your Majesty,” she said in a tone both formal and compassionate, “Loki collapsed after stopping the Tesseract from forming a portal in our airspace. He’s unconscious now. Our doctors aren’t sure how much of his condition was caused by this effort, and how much is the effects of prolonged ill-treatment in his captors’ hands. He’s extremely malnourished, and shows signs of… other abuse.”
The queen’s face paled. “No! Oh, my poor Loki.” Then she collected herself, and stated firmly. “I would see my younger son now. Will you lead me to him?”
“Of course, your majesty,” said Coulson gently. “But there’s something we need to tell you before you see him. He’s been… changed.”
Looking even more distressed, she asked, “Changed? How so?”
Coulson hesitated; explaining to an already-upset goddess exactly what happened to her baby boy while sliding past the “I shot him with an unknown weapon, and it’s just dumb luck that this wound up freeing him instead of killing him” was going to take delicacy. Frigga was probably well aware of the exigencies of war, but given her current state of maternal protectiveness… she might react badly to this revelation.
Thor barged in. “The weapon which freed Loki from his geas also transformed him into a boy again. He appears as he did back when he was around 700 years old. It also returned him briefly to his Frost Giant form… But do not fear! He is now back in Aesir form again, and remains so despite being unconscious.” He frowned. “Mother, you once told me that the Aesir live 50 years for every mortal year. Is this also true for Jotnar? The Son of Coul has suggested that perhaps they live longer than us, and this explains why Loki appears so young now, but this is hard for me to believe. Is it so?”
Frigga’s jaw dropped. “What?” she exclaimed, looking completely dumbfounded.
“It is okay, Mother; Father has already explained to me about Loki’s true parentage,” Thor said reassuringly.
The queen drew herself up. “Thor Odinson, pray tell me exactly what your father said about Loki’s ‘true parentage’.”
Thor looked uncertain. “He… told me that Loki was the son of King Laufey of Jotunheim. Father found him abandoned in a shrine, left to die because he was a runt, no larger than an Aesir babe.”
Frigga shook her head. “When he first brought Loki to me, Odin only said he was a child of high birth, orphaned by the war. He said nothing of Loki being Jotun… Had I known this… there is much I would have done differently.” She lowered her eyes as if she were searching her memories, an unhappy look on her face.
When she raised them again, there was a spark of anger in them. “Tell me, Thor, when did Odin entrust you with the truth of Loki’s race and birth?” she commanded.
Thor shifted uneasily. “It was after Loki… fell… from the Bifrost. Father came to me to explain what led Loki to turn against me.”
She shook her head. “You mean when Loki deliberately let go on the Bifrost in a quest for self-destruction. Let us have no more of pretty lies in this family, Thor; they have served us ill.”
“I agree, Mother. This has always been my preference, but Loki…”
Frigga laughed harshly. “Loki! Loki is far from the worst liar in this family. Beside Odin’s lies, Loki’s most egregious falsehoods are but childish fibs, or a diplomat’s tact! Indeed, now that I think back on it, I believe Loki might be the most honest of us all.”
Looking half baffled, half indignant, Thor opened his mouth, but Frigga cut him off with a gesture. “No more,Thor! We can speak of this later; I would see my other son now, no matter what his color or size.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They walked to the infirmary in a pack, with Frigga surrounded by a protective circle of Avengers and agents. When they reached the ICU module Loki had been placed in, Coulson saw Steve Rogers was sitting in a chair by the bedside, leaning back with his long legs stretched out before him. When the entourage arrived, he hurriedly sat up. When he saw Frigga, he immediately rose to his feet, and nodded at her. “Ma’am,” he said politely.
“Mother, this is Steve Rogers, Captain of America. He graciously volunteered to watch over Loki while I was engaging in the Midgardian post-battle ritual called ‘debriefing’. Steve, this is Frigga Allmother, Queen of Asgard.”
The captain’s eyes widened, but managed a slight bow and said, “Your Majesty”. Rogers seemed slightly unsure of the correct etiquette for addressing alien royalty.
Frigga smiled reassuringly. “Be at ease, Captain. I would thank you for your aid to my sons.”
“It’s nothing, ma’am. I just didn’t want him to wake up alone.”
She gave Steve another smile, though she couldn’t resist craning her neck in an attempt to get a better view of Loki. Rogers, always the consummate gentleman, pulled the chair out as if to offer it to her.
Coulson coughed. “Um, Captain Rogers, the queen isn’t actually here; she’s projecting her image from Asgard, and any physical contact will, er, disrupt the transmission.”
Steve blushed. “Sorry, ma’am.” He picked up the chair and stepped back away from the bed, giving Frigga a clear path to Loki’s side.
Frigga stepped forward immediately, and anxiously examined her younger son. Behind his oxygen mask, Loki was nearly as white as the sheets. Multiple tubes, wires, and sensors were sprouting from his emaciated body, and a screen on the wall depicted an ever-changing array of numbers, symbols and wavy lines, most of which Phil couldn’t begin to decipher.
As if Loki didn’t didn’t look pathetic enough already, his burned arms were elevated on armrests attached to the railing, draped with non-stick gauze. Fortunately, his hospital gown concealed the disturbing scarring on his body.
From where he was standing, Coulson could see the shock and horror on Frigga’s face. Thor took a step toward her, reaching out to her before recalling the situation and dropping his hand, a look of misery on his face.
“Excuse me, I must get to my patient,” said a polite but firm voice. Coulson turned to see Dr. Noha behind the Avengers. She was a fair-skinned woman wearing a brightly-colored hijab with her scrubs and lab coat. “I am told his mother is here, yes?”
“Yes, she is,” Phil told her, motioning her forward. Looking back to the stricken queen, he said, “Your Majesty, this is Dr. Noha. She has been treating your son. Dr. Noha, Queen Frigga of Asgard.” It occurred to Coulson that he was becoming almost casual about performing royal introductions.
The smallish woman walked up to Loki’s bedside, and bowed slightly. Frigga, who had regained some of her composure in the interim, nodded back, and said “Please tell me of my son, Lady Noha.”
The doctor took a deep breath. “He shows signs of being abused for a very long time. The MRI shows multiple healed fractures inflicted over the course of many years... and some very recently. In addition, there are scars which indicate deliberate torture— repeatedly.” She gave Frigga a look of deep sympathy.
“However, the healed wounds are of lesser concern than the severe malnutrition, and the burns over approximately 12% of his body. It is too soon to tell exactly how deep the tissue damage goes, and the fact the injuries were caused by an unfamiliar energy source adds to the uncertainty. But whatever the cause, burns place additional demands on the metabolism, raising the amount of caloric intake needed. We are trying to find the correct balance of mineral supplementation to nutrition to prevent cardiac arrhythmia, but this is a trial-and-error process. His current mix is working, but it’s not going to be enough to meet his needs long term.”
Dr. Noha looked up at the queen in appeal. “We are physicians; we want to heal all those who come into our care. But when we are dealing with a different species we know nothing about, and an individual who is in such a fragile state, who has experienced so much trauma… Please, anything you can tell us would help.”
Frigga took a deep breath. “Healing is not my specialty; nor am I physically present to aid in Loki’s care. Lady Eir is a skilled healer, but her knowledge is of the Aesir form. Nor can she come here before the Bifrost is restored.” A thoughtful look crossed the queen’s face. “But… I know of someone who can, who is also knowledgeable about Jotnar physiology and healing. It is just a matter of persuading her…”
With a suddenly decisive air, Frigga turned to Thor. “Watch over your brother, son. I will send someone to his aid as soon as may be.”
“But Father said for me to return with the Tesseract as soon as I could…”
She snapped. “Thor, right now your father’s wishes are of little interest to me.” From the look in her eyes, the All-Father was going to get an earful at the next opportunity. “Loki’s wellbeing takes precedence right now; remain with him until you are relieved.”
Thor bowed his head submissively, and said, “Yes, Mother. Father did say that I was to aid the mortals in battle, and Lady Rose Arden informed me that my sharing my knowledge with them will help their warriors improve their skills, so I should finish this ‘debriefing’, should I not?”
Coulson picked up his cue. “Thor’s information would indeed be very useful to us, your Majesty.”
Frigga smiled gratefully at both of them. “That is a good plan, Thor. Thank you again, Agent Coulson.” She took one last look at Loki, then vanished.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frigga opened her eyes and stepped back from her scrying station. Her first impulse was to contact Gerd immediately, but she was wise enough to know that she should eat first. Depleting herself would not help Loki in the long run.
So she went out to her sitting room. Her attendants immediately looked to her for direction.
“Fulla, please fetch me some food suitable for restoring my energy; I will be doing more seidr work this afternoon. Nya, please go to Lady Eir and request that she attend me as soon as possible, bringing Prince Loki’s medical records on data crystal.”
The two women bowed and murmured assent. Frigga went to her desk and sat down, deep in thought. Her other ladies, reading her mood, went back to their assigned tasks. None approached her until Fulla brought her a tray. Frigga thanked the young woman, dismissed her, and set about consuming the exquisite food without tasting a bite of it.
Odin had lied to her. Her mind kept circling back to that thought like a moth to a flame. Though it really should not have been so shocking: Had not she and Odin lied to both their sons and Asgard about Loki being their biological child? She winced mentally remembering the platitudes she’d tried to soothe Loki with after he’d learned the truth. No wonder Loki had given her such an incredulous stare! But at the time she’d been so distraught over Thor’s exile and Odin’s medical peril that Loki’s upset over such a minor detail had seemed excessive, even self-indulgent. He had parents who loved him, so what did it matter that he wasn’t genetically related to them?
But later, when she had time to think— far, far too much time to think about conversations she believed she’d never get to have— it wasn’t that simple, was it? The fact that he’d been lied to all his life alone had to have been devastating. Frigga thought about her own sense of betrayal at Odin’s lies, and realized how much greater cause Loki had for grievance on that front.
The revelation that he was Jotun must have been yet another stone dumped on Loki’s already reeling psyche. Frigga winced mentally. How many times had she blithely ignored jokes or lurid stories about the “Frost Giants” from courtiers, Einherjar, servants, even from Loki and Thor’s nannies? Over and over for centuries… What must Loki have thought when he discovered that he was one of these “monsters”? What must he have felt?
And then to have Gungnir placed in his hands, and with it responsibility for every life in Asgard, at a time in which the war with Jotunheim had been restarted… how could anyone struggling with such shocks to his sense of self have made wise, considered decisions under those circumstances?
Her ruminations were interrupted by the arrival of Lady Eir, trailed by Nya. Eir approached Frigga with unusual formality, kneeling before her and murmuring “My Queen”. When she lifted her head, her face was composed, though her eyes were watchful. As she rose, she glanced at the remnants of Frigga’s meal with an educated eye, undoubtedly drawing the correct conclusion about Frigga’s use of seidr.
“Lady Eir,” Frigga acknowledged the healer with a nod. She rose, and asked, “Would you attend me in my quarters? I would speak with you in private.”
“Of course, my Queen.” She followed Frigga in silence.
As soon as the door closed behind them Frigga rounded on Eir and demanded fiercely, “Did you know of Loki’s true race?”
Eir stiffened. “My Queen, even though the King forbade examination of Loki under Soul Forge, I am not an idiot; yes, I soon discovered the truth.”
“And you never told me of this?”
The healer’s eyes widened, but she stood her ground. “My Queen… I assumed that you knew. You and Odin came to me together with Loki, asking my aid to pass the babe off as the child of your body. When I realized what he was… I thought that you were in Odin’s full confidence.”
Frigga gave a harsh laugh. “So did I.” She swallowed and composed herself. “I beg your pardon for my rudeness, Lady Eir. I should save my wrath for the one who truly deserves it, and you are not he.”
Eir’s face softened. “I have never had a child of my own, but I have dealt with many distraught parents. I have learned not to take personally the words of a frantic mother.” She paused, then continued diffidently. “And… how is Loki, my Queen? There are such rumors flying… and you did ask for his medical records…”
Frigga closed her eyes. “It is… not good. Loki has apparently been starved and tortured for a long time, and then performed a great work of seidr on top of it. His Midgardian healers seem well-intentioned, but their practice of medicine is so primitive… Loki is only barely alive, like a candle on the verge of guttering out. And if we cannot get a true healer to him soon…”
Eir’s face paled. “And without the Bifrost, we cannot go to his aid…”
Frigga eyes flew open, and she said fiercely. “Gerd can.”
“But no one has heard from Gerd since she disappeared after the trial…”
“I have. I offered her refuge in a place neither Heimdall nor Hlidskjalf could see, and where Skirnir could never go, even if he discovered where she was.”
“Then she owes you much. But— forgive my bluntness— will she be willing to leave her sanctuary to aid Prince Loki, after what he and your other son did to Jotunheim? She loves her people fiercely.”
“I am hoping that the fact that Loki is one of her people will move her to mercy, after I explain the story behind his sudden madness. And the fact that he is still…” Frigga suddenly remembered that she needed to get clarification on a crucial point. “Eir, how old is Loki, in Aesir terms? Do Jotnar live and grow on a different schedule than us?”
“I do not know all the details, but I do know that the Jotnar live longer than the Aesir and Vanir. I can tell you that despite his height, Loki has not gone through puberty yet. I suspect that Loki has used his instinctive shape-changing ability to “push” his growth when he began to fall behind Thor; his bones are less dense than they should be. The most recent test results I have suggested that he was close to beginning puberty, but I have not examined him for more than a century; I do not know what stage of maturation he is at now.”
Frigga nodded grimly. It hurt to think that she’d been so blind to her son’s needs, but it was a tool she could use to persuade Gerd. “No wonder Loki has not grown a beard yet,” she murmured wryly.
Eir shifted uneasily. “There is another reason for that. Loki is not male. Or rather, he is not only male. He… it was after he was severely gored by that bilgesnipe… in repairing his intestinal damage, I discovered that he has female organs as well as male. This trait is common among Jotnar, known among the Alfar, but rare among the Vanir, and even rarer for Aesir.”
Frigga felt stunned. “I… I changed his diapers when he was a babe. I never noticed… well, there was a slight difference, but it was almost imperceptible… You told me it was nothing to worry about!”
“At the time, I thought it wasn’t. Remember, I knew none of this then. It was only later, after I discovered Loki’s true sex, that I researched and discovered that this… anomaly marked the place where his vagina would someday develop.”
Frigga set her jaw. This didn’t matter; Loki was her child regardless. Her immediate task was to gain Loki the aid he needed to survive. Afterwards… she could weep and mourn. And then try to think how she could make redress to Loki for her many failings.
There was no more time to delay. “Please give me the data crystal containing Loki’s medical records. They contain this information you have just shared with me, do they not?” Frigga spoke in the most level voice she could command.
“Yes, my Queen. This is Loki’s full and complete physical history, made for my eyes only.” Eir produced the crystal from a fold of space and handed to Frigga with a bow. “If I may ask, how are you to get it to Gerd without the Bifrost?”
Frigga smiled slightly. “Rest assured, Eir, Gerd and I have developed a way to share the information on data crystals without physical contact. It has proved very convenient in the past.” She drew in a deep breath. “And now I can delay no longer. You may now return to your usual duties, Friend Eir.”
“As you wish, Friend Frigga,” said Eir warmly, responding to Frigga’s less formal terms of address. “May the Norns grant you victory.” Eir bowed and left the room, leaving Frigga alone with the task before her.