Chapter 12
Amora all but collapses into the nearest chair, vanishing her shoes and rubbing at her absolutely throbbing feet with a groan - she's been up and down the entire palace nonstop, top to bottom, Warding the entire place without so much as stopping to use a bathroom so no more portals could be opened up anywhere in the building.
Practical shoes or no, her feet are killing her.
Loki slips a goblet of water into her hands, which she gratefully downs without a seconds hesitation - he's been busy dealing with courtiers, panicked nobles, trying to think of a way to work some magic into a piece of parchment to act as an Oath for a peace Treaty, trying to word that peace treaty at nearly the same time, and rallying the Einherjar where Odin so suddenly left off, and she's been casting Wards to cover the palace so there can't be anymore surprise Jotun guests - they're both exhausted, very hungry, and ready to scream for five people's utter stupidity, to be perfectly honest.
After a moment, Amora says "The palace is covered. I'll make a sandwich and head off to Jotunheim to see if I can work something out where it doesn't come to all-out war. Any ideas for what to tell them?" At least until Loki writes up a treaty for them, at any rate.
Loki hums, then says "It may come to serving Sif and company up on a silver platter to them." Were it any other circumstances, literally anything else, he'd think it was poetic justice - he doesn't have the time for even vindictive amusement at their predicament, however.
Amora nods her head in agreement, knowing full-well it could be their only option. The Frost Giants are almost certainly frothing mad, considering the nigh-on invasion and subsequent battle that claimed the lives of countless Jotuns. She'd want their heads stuffed and mounted on a wall, personally.
Loki hums, then says "I've spoken to Hogun about the trip, looked into his memories. Amora, Jotunheim is…dying. The Frost Giants live in crumbling ruins, the very land is decaying."
Amora frowns, then says "That's not normal, we've heard reports of even Muspelheim's landscape. All molten lava and rock…but the land itself isn't…what did this decay look like?"
Loki sighs, running a hand through his hair, and says "From what little Hogun saw…there's giant patches of ice just missing. The ruins aren't on any stable foundation, it's all…thawed, perhaps, from the inside out."
Amora frowns, asking "It couldn't have always been like that, right? Something had to have…wait a minute. The Casket, Loki, they went straight for the Casket. All the things in that Vault, all the potential weapons they could've grabbed, they went for the most obvious thing in there. Odin has his own power monitoring for any Jotuns picking up the thing…"
Loki frowns before understanding crosses his face, and he says "I think that thing is much more than the weapon he made it out to be, Amora."
Amora sucks in a sharp breath, asking "What if it isn't a weapon at all?" What if...it's just like right before her fifth year? Dumbledore was talking about a 'weapon' that couldn't fall into Voldemort's hands...when he only meant her.
The two of them share twin looks of utter horror, and Loki says "We have to get it back to them."
Amora says "It may avert a full-scale war. I'll find out what it really is, Loki. I'll…I'll stop this."
Loki grabs her by the arm when she moves to head out, and pulls her into a long kiss, before quietly murmuring "You've always managed to make everything alright, Amora. Asgard doesn't deserve you. After this mess is over, Thor can do the clean-up for a few decades."
Amora grins, and says "If it were up to him, he'd bathe the Nine Realms in blood for months on end, constantly chasing after groups of rogues and raiders because he refuses to even consider anything like recon or tracking them with magic."
"After this is all over, Thor gets back, and Odin wakes up, let's take a month to ourselves. Anywhere we want to go. Earth, Alfheim, Vanaheim, anywhere. Just the two of us. Call it our honeymoon period."
Amora nods, then presses a kiss to Loki's cheek and says "We'll plan this out more after I'm back, alright? At least, I already know one thing I want to do." Well, two things - the first being shoving it in all of Asgard's face that they're Soulmates.
Loki grins, but doesn't get any time to make a comeback as Amora Apparates away much louder than usual.
Laufey narrows his eyes in near-fury at the news that yet another Aesir has been spotted in his Realm, and asks "It's just the one?"
His best scout, Ertr, nods and says "Just one, King Laufey. A woman, sitting on a snowbank, with her feet stuffed in a snowpile."
Laufey raises his eyebrows now, thoroughly confused, and asks "What? Why in the realms would she be doing that?" He'd think that was some kind of joke, except the small team that went to investigate the sudden magical disturbance with him are all nodding their heads - either someone or something made them all see an illusion, or there really is a woman sitting and icing her feet on Jotunheim.
And he's not sure which would be preferable - a hidden force capable of using the magic Asgard is so known for scorning, or a complete unknown who apparently thinks Jotunheim is a winter wonderland.
When they get there, Laufey having gone to personally deal with this most interesting incident, he sees a woman with blood-red hair sitting contentedly in a snowbank, a pair of shoes sitting next to her. After a moment spent checking to make sure there's no illusions going on - there aren't, but the magic coming off this woman in waves tells him she can do far worse if so inclined - Laufey makes two ice weapons in his hands and asks "What is yet another Aesir doing trespassing in Jotunheim? Does Odin not think he's done enough to us?"
Glowing green eyes look up at him, making fear lock the Frost Giant King in place - because anyone with magic knows that color and it means death - and the woman deadpans "I'm no fan of Odin either, if you must know. He didn't send me here."
After a moment, Laufey steels his nerves and says "He didn't send the other five either. And yet they slaughtered dozens of us. One can only assume you're here to finish the job."
The woman actually snorts derisively, and says "If I were going to kill you all, you'd be dead already. Your scout wouldn't have seen me, and I certainly wouldn't be icing my feet while waiting for someone to come investigate the possibly-mad woman wearing no coat, no armor, zero weapons in sight, and with her swollen feet stuffed in a snowbank."
Laufey has to reluctantly admit, that's far too good a point. Deciding to clear up at least some of the mystery surrounding this woman, he pinches the bridge of his nose and asks "And, why, pray tell, are your feet so swollen you have them stuffed in a snowbank?" It's honestly the easiest question surrounding her, one that suggests it'll give the smallest headache with its answer.
The red-head hums, saying "I imagine I don't look like much, like this, and this is probably not the best first impression I could give. But my feet are twice their usual size because my newly-wed husband and I have been running around like mad trying to put out the fires born of five peoples' utter stupidity since the minute after we got married. I'm sure you can guess which five I'm talking about. Name's Amora, by the way."
Laufey narrows his eyes after the implications hit him, and he asks "So, you are here to…what, exactly? Threaten us into further submission? Wipe us out altogether?"
Amora shakes her head, saying "No. I'm hoping we can come to some kind of agreement that doesn't involve further bloodshed…and I'm hoping you'd be willing to answer a few questions." At Laufey's incredulous look, Amora shrugs her shoulders and says "I'm not the one usually sent for negotiations, sue me. That would be Loki, who's busy keeping Asgard from falling into total chaos after Thor's bone-headed move." Maybe it's not a good idea to directly blurt out the detail that Asgard's sanity is hanging on by a thread, but she's not looking to be a professional negotiator here. She's looking to get Laufey to believe she isn't here to wipe them all out.
Besides, if Laufey hadn't figured out that Asgard is not exactly the most stable right now, he wouldn't be the King of this Realm.
After a moment, Laufey says "Ask your questions, strange Aesir."
Amora nods, then makes a hologram of the Casket of Ancient Winters above her hand while asking "What is this? What is it really, instead of what Odin's told all of Asgard?"
Laufey's expression changes at once, desperation written all over his face as he lunges for the illusion - all the Frost Giants actually snarl and make weapons when his hand goes right through it, and Amora holds her hands up saying "It was an illusion. I take it that's not a weapon?"
Laufey snarls "Is that what he called it? That 'weapon' is my people's greatest treasure, most important artifact. It's how we maintained our realm, kept it and ourselves strong. It was once kept in our most holy temple, where it was used to strengthen our realm. Look around you, and see what its theft has caused!" He gestures around for emphasis, at the crumbling ice and destroyed ruins in the distance.
Amora starts cursing in Parseltongue, going for a full minute, and when she finally winds down she sees every single Frost Giant staring at her in utter shock. After a moment, Amora asks "If the Casket were returned to you, would you be willing to ignore Asgard for a few centuries? Pretend it just doesn't exist as you focus on healing Jotunheim?" Maybe not the best solution, but one the Frost Giants are more likely to agree to.
Instead of answering, Laufey says "There was something else in the temple when Odin stole the casket. My firstborn son, Farbuti and I's greatest accomplishment at that point." He was small, yes, but that was because he took after his mother - Farbuti's smaller than most of their kind, yes, but more talented with magic than any other. Also, she's his Soulmate, perfect in every way to his eyes.
Amora goes about as pale as the snow around them, then slowly closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose. After a moment, she slowly says "King Laufey, I can promise you your son is alive and well, has lived as good a life as possible. He is my Soulmate, you see. He wasn't on Jotunheim with Thor, and he holds no ill will towards you or your subjects." Loki is...Laufey's son. Odin took Laufey's son...and didn't even tell him the kid was alive?!
It's shit like this why they don't like Odin, it makes her want to bash her head against a brick wall.
Laufey gets a dumbstruck expression on his face, and asks "You mean to say…my son, who we hadn't even gotten to name, is still alive? He's on Asgard?" He's…currently the king?
Amora nods, saying "More than that, he knows what Odin didn't tell him. We don't know why Odin took him, and even less so why he never told him about his heritage, but he knows of his Jotun origins. I do have to admit we weren't aware who his parents were, though."
Laufey sags his shoulders, and says "As much as I wish to see my son again, my duty to my people and realm must come first this time. Jotunheim is dying, strange Aesir. Every day, a little more ice crumbles away into the abyss below, an abyss that wasn't there until the Casket was stolen. Our homes crumble, the very land beneath our feet becomes more unstable each passing second. Farbuti and I have prayed every single day that our first son was alive and well, but…what's left of my people's safety must be assured first before I can meet him." Life is cruel, he knew that, but this seems too cruel - having the choice between the possibility of saving his people from extinction or being reunited with his long-lost son.
The Aesir woman - Amora, she called herself - nods as if she understands, and says "He'll be fine for a few more days, Your Highness. Once everything settles down, we'll come visit you. He's usually got black hair, pale skin, and green eyes, but he can switch to his Jotun form at will. I'll be back soon...with your Casket, and hopefully a way to ensure Odin can't go back on this."