Planning
"My brother?" Loki gasped, his eyes trying to burst out of his skull "Thor? He's still alive"
"Indeed" I confirmed, remembering the drink I had with Thor and the fight with the miserable fucking Booskans we had to deal with. It was a really fun night.
"And he didn't take your head off?" he wondered, eyes full of disbelief "How drunk was he? Did he know what you are?"
"He knew" I nodded before munching on a loaf of bread.
"How in the hell did he find out?" Loki sat back in disbelief, "And how are you still alive?"
"Will you relax?" I told him, rolling my eyes "I'm still alive because I told him who I was"
"I'm not sure whether you are either brave or incredibly stupid," he moved next to me. I pulled a blank face "A mixture that runs in both sides of your family."
"And if I wasn't so tired, I would think that you are insulting me" I crossed my arms. Loki chuckled.
"More like I am insulting Volstagg. I knew Layla. She was brave"
"She had to be brave to put up with you lot" I smiled. I then patted Loki's leg "I know you are worried about me meeting Thor. Given that he is a meathead jock that doesn't like Frost Giants, I can assure you that he wouldn't hurt me. He saw me fight. Hopefully, he knows better"
"I noticed that over the last month. Layla taught you well" he agreed, "I would hate to ever cross you and I pity the poor son of a bitch that does."
"Aww, that's very sweet of you." I grinned.
"So..." Loki stared down at his feet, "What did you say to him?"
"We talked and kicked Booskans ass and had a drink" I sighed.
"Just a drink?" he gave me a look. Was he jealous?
"Just a drink. And you know what? It was kind of nice. Apart from the giant furballs, The pub was quiet. We had a few ales together. It was nice and then once the sun was up, I came home." I then moved closer to Loki "And FYI, Your brother, is married now. To... I wanna say Sif. No idea." Loki chuckled at this.
"Who would have thought that my brother would settle down" Loki looked down at his lap "I have always wondered what happened to my brother" Loki admitted, "I helped him escape 10 years ago when our sister took over Asgard"
"He told me that too. He seems to miss you"
"Doubt it" Loki mumbled "As much as I would love to hear more about my dear brother" Loki gave me back my cloak, "It's stupidly early. You should be going to bed."
"So should you, Loki"
"I'm fine"
"You look like shit. A little sleep can go a long way." I sighed. Loki shrugged, turning his head away from me.
"As if I can sleep down here. In a few hours, my punishment starts all over again" he grumbled. I wish I could help this man.
"Please try. for me" I batted my eyelids. Loki chuckled.
"I make no promises" Loki winked at me. I smiled as I stood up.
"I'll say hi to your brother next time I see him"
"Thank you, Aurora."
I tried not to show weakness as I left the dungeons. I hated leaving Loki in his condition. I wish that I could help him. The poor man probably hasn't had decent sleep in god knows how long. God only knows when the last time he had a hot meal in his stomach was.
"I wonder if I can talk Hela into getting him something better" Anything would be better than what he has now. At the very least I should try and get him a bed.
Before everyone else could wake up, I ran into my room and crawled into bed. I feel like Loki made a good point. I was bloody knackered. Maybe I should try and get a bit more rest before I went to find Thor.
"Aurora?" a gentle voice drifted into my bedroom. I rolled my eyes. Perfect timing as always "Are you still awake?"
"Yes." Even though I didn't want to be. I still feel like I could sleep for another week. Hela stuck her head around the door.
"Good morning. How are you feeling?" she smiled softly. She brushes my hair out of my face. Sighing, I rested my cheek in her icy palm.
"My scratches itch. Fuck me, do these itch!" I ran my other hand over my face. Hela quickly removed it.
"that is because they are healing, darling" Hela comforted me "And they are going to. You will be all better by tomorrow"
"So, how can I help you, Hela?"
"I'm on my way to a council meeting with the others and you could be a great help to us."
"Why do you say that?" I wondered. I hate politics.
"It will be nice to have a fresh perspective on things," she admitted, "And I've seen you in battle. I'm sure you have a few strategies to share with us. Please?" I know that at the very least, Morbius hates me. I have no doubt he wants my ass dead. But saying that, I had Hela's protection. Something tells me Hela can be a scary bitch when she wants to be. And helping out at the meeting might earn me a little more respect. Which is never a bad thing. Though I was supposed to be meeting Thor and Sif tonight, who is saying that I can't still do that? Besides, Thor and Sif aren't going anywhere. I never said what time I would meet them.
"I guess so" I shrugged. Hela squealed as she pulled me onto my feet. I quickly got changed into something cleaner "I'm going to have to catch up on a few things first. Talk me through everything"
"We need a larger territory. And while we are on our way there. Our attack on Jotunheim was just the beginning. Although, it didn't exactly go as I thought it would. The King of Jotunheim was shallow and useless."
"Why would we need to expand territory?" I asked as we left my bedroom. As we walked, I put my hair into a low ponytail.
"To protect Asgard. You see, someone is bound to want to take Asgard back from us. And you know who would want to do that?"
"Everyone outside the realm?"
"Armies would be sent in by the thousands. If we expand our territory, then they are going to be walking into our domain. We will be able to add more slaves... I mean willing workers to our order. Although, we do need to establish a wall. Something to keep the bastards coming in, but to keep them from getting out. We need to decide where to go next."
"And where do you think we should go?" I asked, deciding to ignore the slave comment. Hela looked at me strangely.
"That is what we are going to discuss. As it is not exactly going to be an easy feat. Now, shall we?" Hela stood in front of a set of double doors.
Once in the war room, I followed closely behind her and took the empty seat between Hela and Skurge. If dumbass vampire bitch wants to come after me, He's gonna have either one of them to deal with. safety on both of our parts.
"Hela," Morbius bowed his head before glaring at me "What is she doing in here? I was under the impression this meeting would be private." His eyes glared at me. I gripped my dagger on my thigh. I hate this man.
"And it still is," Hela put her foot down, "Aurora has the same right to be here as any of us. And I require her insight. She may see a possibility we don't," Hela then clapped her hands "So, without further ado, let us begin"
I gave a thankful nod to her and got comfortable. I didn't like the thought of Hela taking over the realms. Not all of them are scum. Well, maybe the Muspels. but they don't really have anything to offer other than ash. The Midgardains are flawed. Actually, Flawed isn't even the best word to describe them. They are an absolute fucking mess. They beat the shit out of each other because of differences in opinions? Because someone has more than someone else? Because someone was fucking someone else's spouse? Perhaps they are too stubborn to pull their heads out of each other's asses? Even if they could realize that they are capable of change. Despite humanity's flaws, that's no reason for them to become slaves or 'willing' workers. Saying that I would rather hang out with Midgardians than Muspels.
"Aurora?" Skurge snapped me out of my headspace "Where do you think we should take next?" he asked.
"I really think we should try for Jotunheim again," Hela stepped in, pointing to a map. Why did she invite me here if she won't let me voice my opinion "Here? This is Arnarfell. It's a major port town. It blocks off the only waterway out of Jotunheim, which shuts down their ships. Fence number one."
"We would be walking into a massacre, Hela!" Morbius scoffed "We don't have the numbers"
"May I remind you that we have a Hybrid in our ranks now? And one whose fighting skills are much better and more calculated than ours. Plus, she knows the lands better than us" Hela said, smiling at me.
"It is still one hell of a long shot, Hela," Morbius sighed, leaning over the map "Yes, Arnarfell is a port town, but what makes you so sure we would be able to take it a second time around?" I took a good look at the map while Hela and Morbius argued. Arnarfell is a major port city but you have to march through the capital to get to it. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for whatever may come.
"Not that I am one to agree with the walking corpse but Moby Dick is right. Going back to Jotunheim would be like beating a dead horse." I stated, raising my voice.
"Excuse me?" Hela shot me a look. Along with the other two that I caught off guard. I think they were hoping I would stay quiet "Auro-"
"Hela, For once I would like to hear the runt speak," Morbius was just as eager as the others to hear what I had to say. I growled at the vampire. What I wouldn't do to stake him "Why do you say that, Aurora?"
"If you have already been through Jotunheim main port then why go back? Especially after what happened. I saw the aftermath of that battle and there were more Frost Giants left standing than you guys. You need to wait for your numbers to grow before you can hit Jotunheim again"
"What makes you think bigger numbers would help?" Morbius crossed his arms.
"The Frost Giants know that you will tire out eventually," I explained, "No offence but you don't have an ounce of our stamina. What you need to do is gather more men. Take a small force and when they think they are winning, attack them with the rest."
"Sitting around doing nothing won't exactly help our cause either," Morbius jumped down my throat. However, he was a lot gentler about it "What do we do in the meantime?"
"Take the smaller villages" I looked over the map laid out in the middle of the table. I pointed to a village that was close to the portal to Asgard "Sanda would be a good start. It could easily serve as a test run for what we do in Jotunheim. While Sanda isn't all that big, it is one of the capital cities in Jotunhiem. If we take Sanda, then we would be more than prepared for Jotunheim." Sanda was a fair-sized city and I hated it. Its leader needed to be brought down a peg or two. And I had an ex in that town that needed an axe to the face.
"Aurora does have a point, Hela," Skurge took my side. And by the looks of the other two, they may be coming around to my idea, too, "But, of course, You do have the final say in this. Do we go for Sanda?" Hela thought for a moment, not nearly as seething as she was when I upstaged her. (Firstly, it was her idea that I came here. She asked for my opinion) I could see it in her eyes. She knew I was onto something.
"The last time I was in Sanda, the population wasn't nearly what it used to be. Minimal casualties." Then, a little smile graced Hela's face.
"Skurge, prepare a battle plan."
"Right away, My Queen" Skurge gave her a nod. I let out a yawn.
"And you, young lady," Hela shoved her finger in my face, "You need to be getting to bed. It's late for you and we need to do some scouting."
"Hela..." Morbius teased, "You're doing it again."
"Tease me one more time," Hela warned her friend, taking my hand. Morbius backed away while Skurge laughed "Back to bed, Aurora."
"Okay..." I think I have pushed Hela's buttons plenty tonight. Besides, I didn't have that kind of energy in me anymore. I needed to save it in case I was caught up in battle again.
As we walked down the hall, I looked around the place. It was pretty. It was definitely an upgrade from the hovel I lived in. But I will admit that the moss cave was comfy and strangely warm. I wonder if Hela knew my mother. Loki and Thor both did.
"Hela?" I picked at my right hand. I couldn't help but be curious. I needed to know.
"Yes, darling?" Hela pulled my hands apart.
"Do you think Morbius will ever like me?" I asked. I chickened out.
"He will come around eventually" she assumed, opening the door to my bedroom, "The thing with Morbius is that he can be incredibly exhausting. But I believe that is because of his nature and the fact that he knows he is not from this realm"
"Where's he from?"
"Midgard. I went there to retrieve my little brothers. He helped me locate them when a stupid magician refused to help me. And I grew attached to him. Snuck him back here and the man has been my right arm while Skurge is my left arm"
"That explains so much" He's a Midgardian. No wonder he is a prick.
"But he will come around eventually. Tonight definitely helped you. I could not be prouder of you, Aurora. Even if you don't win over Morbius know that you have allies here."
"I know," I nodded, climbing back into bed, "You and Skurge."
"I won't speak for Skurge," Hela pulled the blankets over me, "But you do have me. As a Queen, I have the final say over it all. But until tomorrow, Skurge, myself and Morbius will be out scouting around Sanda. If you wake up in the middle of the night again and find yourself unable to go back to sleep afterwards, use the mirror to find us" I wonder why they are scouting so much. And why could they not take me to help scout Sanda? I know the place like the back of my hand.
"I'll think about it." Yeah, not happening. I'm off to visit her brother.
"Good" Hela kissed my forehead, "Until tomorrow."
"Until tomorrow" I shut my eyes and waited for Hela, Skurge, and Morbius to leave. Then, my eyes popped right back open. This burning the candle at both ends is painful. It seems I'm on borrowed time once again. It's not like I can't keep an eye on my bedroom. In the unlikely event that anyone will make the choice to come to check on me, I can always step right back through the mirror, Hela knows I go for a midnight walk around. That won't be the trouble. I wrapped myself in my cloak and pulled out my shard of the distance mirror "Alright, mirror. Show me, Thor"
Sure enough, the mirror showed me where Thor was. A large run-down estate. I smiled at the ruins in the background. The place is what I always pictured when Mother would talk about the old estate where she and Thor would hang out. Nevertheless, I stepped through the mirror and watched as a wagon started coming up the dirt road. The bloody mirror didn't exactly put me right at the front door. But I recognized it from the previous night.
"Excuse me, kind sir!" I waved the wagon down, "You wouldn't mind giving a girl a ride to the castle up there, would you?"
"Aurora!" Sif waved to me, much more excited to see me than Thor was. sulking in the background. It's like what Hela said. People will come around eventually. And I'm sure that goes for Thor, too. Eventually, he'll be ok with me.
"Sif!" I adored Sif. You wouldn't think that she wanted me dead when we first met, but she also got Thor to be okay with this meeting in the first place, so I'm not going to complain.
"Get in the wagon" Thor allowed, stopping the horses, "Why are you riding with us? You could probably get there faster on foot than we could with the wagon"
"I'm lazy and it's been a long day, Thor. Can't I relax?"
"So, What are you doing in Asgard?" he wondered.
"Sucking up to your sister and trying to make important friends," I told him, "But we'll talk more about that later."
Then, we pulled up to the front door of the castle. And my heart stopped at the sight of the man there to greet us. Thor stopped the horses again and got them to settle down before jumping down into the mud. I knew that face. My god, he looks just like he did all those years ago. Thor stood toe to toe with him, glaring into his eyes.
"Oh, goody. Insufferable prick." Thor grumbled.
"I've seen pieces of shit better than you..." The man smiled.
"Did I miss something?" I whispered to Sif. She smiled softly. After jumping off the wagon, she helped me down from the wagon. Because I'm starting to get worried here. I thought these two were friends. That's what my mother told me. I mean, I know if shit goes down, I can always fight my way out of it or jump back through the distance mirror, but I didn't like being caught up in the middle of someone else's problems. But then, in a strange twist of fate, a smile stretched across Thor's face.
"It's good to see you again, Fandral" The two hugged.
"And you as well, Thor" he glanced over Thor's shoulder at the newest addition "And who is this? It's not like you and Sif to pick up strays."
"Then what were you?" Thor argued.
"Thor..." Sif hushed him, "She's the whole reason why we're back here." Sif looked over her shoulder at me.
"This is..." Thor nudged me forward, but I knew I was in no immediate danger. Not here. He would never hurt me. Although, I don't think Thor was overly impressed about me approaching Fandral so boldly.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Frandal stared at me.
"You know, you could be nicer to me" I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I reached up to the man in front of me, "Hello Dash."