Alpha
[Asgard]
His scent was intoxicating. If it wasn’t being expelled from the woven cloth from his bedding, it was masked on his green and blackened desk. It felt wrong, and it felt right as he walked towards the desk.
Two moons had passed, and Odin had retreated into the shadows. He didn’t speak to anyone, not even his wife, Frigga, nor his son, Thor. Instead, his mind was plagued by Loki’s fall. A memory that he verily wanted to discard but found that he could not. How could he when he had the few that he could hold onto?
This is his room, Odin mused as his gaze was filled with green and black. This was his room, he added as an afterthought. The mere thought of thinking such a statement in the past tense sent a shiver down his spine.
It had been many years since Odin ventured into Loki’s room. It had been so long, that he can’t even remember. Yet, in the far corners of his mind, he remembers the many occasions that he would visit Thor in his chambers.
He can’t help but look down at his old and frail hands as guilt clenches his heart. It’s not long, till his arm starts trembling and his legs start quivering.
But he accepts it. These are just desserts. After all, his son was the victim, not him.
As he stares into nothing, he expects his weary eyes to shut, to reminisce the horrors of Loki falling. Yet, instead, he heard the quietest shuffling. Calling upon a power he hadn’t done so in many years, he allows seidr to course through his core before waves of yellow flicker around his fingertips.
Immediately, Gungnir materialised. “Who goes there?” he voiced aggressively.
The shuffling stopped, but Odin could still sense that he was not alone. “If I have to ask you one more time… I will have no choice, but to eviscerate you,” Odin snarled.
“It is us, sire,” a frail but brave voice chorused.
Calling upon his seidr, Gungnir vanished once more. Odin let a sigh loose when he realised that it was Lorelei and Amora, Loki’s courtiers. “What are you doing here? This room is out of bounds to everyone… even courtiers,” he said with a feral scowl. “The missive was clear, was it not?” he asked as agitation crept into his voice.
“The missive was clear sire,” Lorelei answered with a curtsy as her sister followed suit.
His vision narrowed. “Then, why are you here?” he roared. He knew that his anger was misplaced, but with recent events, he couldn’t help but feel on edge. If it wasn’t Loki’s fall, it was the wretched rumours that seemed to be muffling throughout the capital. “Is it because of the rumours? Did you have the urge to pillage and plunge the second prince’s treasures?” he asked aggressively.
“We missed him, sire,” Amora answered quietly. “We are but mere sisters with no father nor mother. We have no one, but ourselves. We have no friends. Yet, Prince Loki took pity on us…to nurture and guide us. After all, we bettered our seidr craft with his knowledge.”
Odin nodded in kind. He remembered when he found the two sisters on the outskirts of the capital. Young and in rags. He wasn’t sure what, but something had compelled him to give them a home, and now, knowing that they spoke of Loki in such a fond manner, he was content that he made a wise decision. “Thank you,” he added softly. His voice was a little tamer than usual. “I never did understand his infatuation with green and black,” he added with a soft chuckle as his gaze shifted towards the contents of his son’s room.
“A flair for style,” Lorelei said with a short smile. “The Second Prince… is… was the proudest being upon Asgard.”
Upon Asgard, he mused. “You have not heard of the rumours then?” Odin darkly added. He wasn’t sure what came over him, but there was a sudden urge to know. A quiver of desperation clenched his heart. If they were to know the truth… would their thoughts of Loki change?
“That the second born is a Frost Giant?” Amora asked with a shrug of her shoulders as her hands scaled the dressing table. “Is that meant to mean something to me?” she asked as she turned to face Odin.
He couldn’t help but gawk at her sudden admission. He noted that she held a firm stance as she spoke towards him. Such thoughts and words would result in repercussions. Odin couldn’t help but admire her bravado. Upon shifting his view, he noticed that Lorelei also seemed unfazed. “I-” started Odin.
“You thought, that upon discovering that he’s a remnant of our arch nemesis… that we would act differently?” Lorelei asked grimly. “Because it’s difficult to imagine that we are more than mere courtiers… the possibility of being friends is too shocking of a notion to be even considered?”
“Is it that hard to imagine that we simply wanted to be here because it brings back the good memories of the second prince?” Amora asked.
“Only the most fascist bigots would act in such an unsightly manner,” Lorelei continued in an angry tone.
“Agreed sister,” Amora answered. “Yet, it’s more than that. There’s a minute group that are… bigots and fascists – as you have said, but there are those who will simply edge on such vulgar language and thoughts just to antagonise the second Prince’s name.”
“Wretched swine,” Lorelei sneered as she faced her sister. “Lest we forget Sif and the Warriors Three. The pathetic trio plus the sleaze of their little group… We thought Prince Loki’s infatuation with green was serene… that little clique that follows Thor’s beckoning call are rich in green.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the ones that started the very rumours that flock through Asgard,” noted Amora. “They have always been jealous of Loki. The freedom he has ascertained is not something that comes by easily.”
“Considering who their entourage is… is it that surprising?” Lorelei asked with a short chuckle which was shortly followed by Amora joining in. But within seconds the laughter died as a horrible realisation dawned upon them.
A moment had passed when Lorelei realised that her thoughts had ventured into the real world as words. “I apologise, my King,” Lorelei shrieked with a curtsy as Amora attempted to follow suit.
“We… I,” Amora stuttered.
“In a space of a few minutes… you have praised one son, and diminished the actions of another,” Odin haughtily said as he walked towards the clear window. Darkness and rain shrouded the great palace as his vision was obscured from seeing the beauty of Asgard. “Yet, as I stand and breathe… I can’t help but get a taste of the bitter truth.”
They said nothing. Instead, they just stayed still and waited.
“I see it now,” Odin said as he turned to face Amora and Lorelei with a short smile. “I see the influence my son has had upon you. The way you walk, the way you talk. The brimming confidence suits you well.”
“Thank you, my King,” Lorelei and Amora immediately answered with a curtsy.
Odin noted that their voice was much softer. At that moment, he realised that the pair weren’t privy to much praise. “The pair of you need not curtsy,” Odin said grimly. “Not anymore,” he added silently as he turned and began walking past them. Yet, as he did, he could hear a voice in the back of his head shouting at him to stop.
Two moons had gone by, and I had not spoken to anyone... maybe this is fate, he thought as he turned to face them. Rumours of Loki’s heritage had spread like wildfire through the capital. Yet, they had such an open mind to not care. And then suddenly, it all made sense. “You knew of his heritage before.” His voice was full of confidence yet tame as his longing gaze hoped for some clarity.
Lorelei paused before turning to face Odin. In the corner of her eye, she could see Amora staring into the distant night sky as she peered through the window. Shifting her gaze towards Odin, she said, “Yes… we both did.”
“From his ascension rites… his ascension into warrior status,” Amora commented as she continued to look into the distant night sky.
His cranny bones creaked as a turmoil of guilt was lifted from his shoulders because, at that moment, he realised that they had accepted him without his influence. Odin couldn’t help but be impressed. They were mere courtiers but were influenced by Loki’s prowess. Even now, they did not show a sign of weakness, nor were they fazed by his line of questioning. “His rites were on Muspelheim,” Odin replied with a nod as he remembered the day well.
“The burns he suffered… he reacted differently to them. What would be described as an injury to the skin caused by heat – it was something more than that. I vividly remember it… a memory that cannot be forgotten. Coarse skin and etched veins of deepened blue. Yet, it was more than that. To the normal eye, blue is blue. To one of us… who uses the art of seidr… Prince Loki’s were azure or cobalt. A subtle difference… but most notable,” Lorelei replied earnestly. “In that moment… apart from physically seeing him, our speculation was more or less true.”
“After all, we all know… that when death approaches for us, we traverse back into our original form,” commented Amora darkly as she turned to face Odin. “It’s one of the basic principles taught when learning transfiguration.”
“That’s… that was many years ago,” Odin noted in surprise.
“Give or take five hundred years… but our suspicions started even earlier,” Lorelei noted with a smirk.
“Oh?” Odin asked as curiosity piqued his interest. At some point, the trio found themselves sitting down. While Amora and Lorelei sat on seats, Odin found himself sitting on the edge of Loki’s bed. He wasn’t sure of when this had occurred, but he was grateful.
He leaned forward as he intently waited on Lorelei and Amora to continue.
The two sisters shared a look of concern before turning to face Odin. Odin’s eye widened when he realised that the two sisters were allowing their aura to seep and fester into energy that could be seen.
“We were jealous of him,” answered Lorelei. Almost immediately, Lorelei could tell that Odin wanted to respond. “Please let me finish,” she continued as she raised her hand to halt her King from interrupting her. “Me and my sister… We don't know who our mother or father are. We had nothing going for us… if it wasn’t being courtiers, it was practising seidr. That was it – day in and day out. There was nothing else for us. Yet, the second prince… he had a way with spells… he was more in tune with his core than all of us. Given the daily tasks the second prince had to endure… it was only natural that we were jealous when we practised so hard.”
“But it made sense,” Amora continued soothingly as her eyes welled ever so quaintly. “In the restricted section within the library – we found an old scripture shrouded in dust and cobwebs. Upon reading it, we realised that Jotun seidr is something more surreal when compared to Aesir. Their core is unlike Aesir. Where we can use seidr at will with no repercussions, it isn’t the same for Jotuns’. Their cores are different. Their wellbeing is a sacrifice for the raw tenacious power that comes from within.”
“Upon taking the book out… the librarian made mention that the book was only ever taken out once… by yourself, King Odin,” remarked Lorelei. “At this point… everything made more sense. Your constant need to pry Loki from using the seidr art was not out of spite, but out of affection to prevent any prolonged damage.”
“Upon reading the old reports in the archives room, it became apparent that no Jotun was mentioned of wielding seidr,” Amora continued with a playful smile.
“Not forgetting the most important thing,” Lorelei said as her eyes glistened against the darkened shadows. “While the majority of Asgard might not know of your feat in seidr, we do. It didn’t make any sense that you would simply disregard it.”
He couldn’t help but let a small smile linger. “The pair of you… are very knowledgeable,” Odin noted as he let a sigh loose as his gaze roamed the room. “Queen Frigga… she always said that one way or another, the truth will always come out… I am a terrible father.”
“A terrible king,” corrected Lorelei sternly. She knew that as a courtier she was overstepping her mark. But she had come too far to simply stay soundless. She could feel Amora’s prying eyes burning into the back of her skull, but she didn’t mind. Her stance was fixed as her leer lingered on Odin.
Odin couldn’t help but shudder at the remark as he turned to face her. The more he stared, the more he saw Loki. Like him, she was tenacious, like him, there was a subtle waver of truth that hierarchy did not matter to her.
“A father is not immune from mistakes. Mistakes are a necessity. As a father, you can only do so much. Putting aside the fact that you may or may not love Loki. A father’s duty is to provide a roof over their son’s head, to provide them food, to provide clothes and a bed for them to sleep on,” Lorelei continued.
“A good father knows that as the man in the relationship – the onus is upon him to be perceived as the bad omen when compared to the mother. Your need to protect Loki from using seidr shows that,” Amora said after a moment.
“Your failings – are as a king,” Lorelei pressed grimly. “As a king, you are privy to audiences that the simple commoner isn’t. You have contacts, and riches that can open any door. Yet, you chose to cower as you did nothing to combat the historical discrimination that has been embedded in our culture about Frost Giants. You did nothing – literally, nothing.”
“Your failing as a king is what makes your failing as a caregiver worse,” Amora continued with a sad smile. “You grew complacent. It became normal, and slowly, over time… you cared less.”
“No wonder Prince Loki is seen as a villain,” Lorelei answered no one in particular as Odin’s gaze immediately shifted upon her. “Villains aren’t born, they are created,” Lorelei added in a lower tone.
Tremor and fear crept into his heart. He did love Loki. Maybe he did not show it, but he was adamant that he did love his son. Yet, he could not argue with them. How could he? When the truth was evidently there.
I did lose my way.
“You can sit and cry… if you wish,” Amora mulled darkly.
“Or you can begin to make things anew,” Lorelei said with a shrug of her shoulders.
Anew, he mused.
“Even in his dying wake… the Dark Prince of Asgard showed no signs of weakness. Even as he fell, the one thing all those rumours have in common is… that the Dark Prince showed no fear,” Amora said melancholically.
And then suddenly, he remembers. He remembers the day he found Loki, the day he held onto Loki for the first time, and the moment Loki shifted into Aesir on his own accord.
And he remembers the first thing he told him.
You are mine.
Confidence flowed as he stood a little taller. His shoulders arched back as he looked broader. “Thank you,” he said with the slightest shake coursing through his body. “Your council… is most appreciative. You have given me a new sense of direction, and I am grateful for your help.”
“Yes, Sire,” Amora answered with a small curtsy.
“It is a pity that the second prince’s name will go down as the one who attempted to kill his brother when the truth is much more,” Lorelei said sadly in a low, hushed tone.
It was an abnormal flinch. There was a twitch in his eye and arm. It was like a knee-jerk reaction, but all happening at once. His eye narrowed as he pondered upon what Lorelei said. Loki did send the destroyer… didn’t he?
Amora and Lorelei shared a glance of concern as they noticed the obvious confusion that was portrayed on Odin’s face. “During Odinsleep… you see all, do you not?” asked Lorelei.
“Some,” Odin answered quietly. He couldn’t help but consider his choice of word carefully as a thousand thoughts flourished in his mind. Did Loki not send the destroyer to kill Thor?
Immediately, the moment the word had left his mouth, he noticed that Amora’s and Lorelei’s aura had darkened as if a silent question had been answered.
Was there something that I missed?
How many times had Frigga said… to never judge a book by its cover?
His eye bulged as he stood a little taller. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Tell me.”
Amora nodded. “When Loki was sitting upon the throne – Sif and the Warriors Three attended and asked that they reverse your last will -,” Amora started.
“My last will … was banishing Thor,” Odin noted. Of course, they would, he mused darkly.
“Prince Loki denied it. With what has happened in Jotunheim… Prince Loki informed us that we were on the verge of war. If it’s true… that there was a fight on Jotunheim, then Sif and the Warriors Three would have been privy to such knowledge,” Lorelei continued dryly as she walked towards the window once more. She could feel the tears on the brim of her eyelid, but she refused to give in.
“They are privy to such knowledge,” Odin hummed. “I was there, after all,” he added gently.
“And as such, he needed everyone to be ready. To be prepared. Prince Loki had told Heimdall that the Bifrost is not to be in operation and that Sif and the Warriors Three should not leave,” Amora continued grimly.
Her voice was coarse and hostile. If this was another day, Odin might have done something about it. But having lost Loki, he couldn’t help but admire their loyalty to him.
“Prince Loki was desperate. He didn’t know anyone… he was a social outcast. So, he tasked himself with the impossible,” Lorelei said in a feral tone.
“It raged him… that his first command as regent was thrown aside. He saw red when he froze Heimdall with the Casket of Ancient Winters. He was the gatekeeper to Asgard, not to a mere prince… he had lost faith in him,” Amora continued as she ignored Odin’s gawking expression. “Then our prince proceeded to find out how he could go about reversing the matter at hand - Thor’s banishment.”
“The plan was simple,” Lorelei said. “Loki couldn’t simply rescind your last command. Besides, that’s not in Prince Loki’s volatile nature… so the prince… the acting King, had me and Amora research worthiness. We took the matters into our own hands and asked the council members and delved into some reading in the library. We reported our conclusions to the prince.”
“A state of absolute fear had to be reached,” Amora continued pleadingly. “Prince Loki would have no choice but to inform Thor that you had died… it pained him, but he had no choice. It was better than saying you fell asleep… for Thor would not have arrived at Asgard.”
“It was the best manner in which Thor could humble himself quickly,” Lorelei said silently before coming to a halt. A moment passed before she continued. “Knowing that you had died… it would make Thor think along the lines of what he did wrong to lose his father rather than wondering why he had been stripped of his abilities.”
“Then, there was the final part. The heroic act,” Amora continued. “Prince Loki got the destroyer to go after Thor.”
“Thor would be forced into such a corner… that he would have no choice but to fight for righteousness,” Lorelei ushered in a low, hushed tone. “There is no better righteousness than death itself,” she added in an even quieter tone.
A single tear trickled down from the empty socket hidden behind the eye patch. “I didn’t…”
“The irony is not lost,” Amora noted sadly. “Loki had assumed that Thor was still the same Asgardian that was fixated on the destruction of Jotunheim… yet it was not the case it seems.”
“His own doing… to do what was right… was his end,” Lorelei answered meekly.
“And he dealt with Laufey while all of this was happening,” Amora noted with a ghastly chuckle. “Prince Thor has returned as a hero… and Prince Loki has been discarded as a ravaged beast lost to time… not even worthy of a burial rite to Valhalla.”
“In the end… he was all alone… he had no choice but to manipulate matters into his own hands. He had no one in his corner… he didn’t know who he could turn to after the Warriors Three and Heimdall defected from their duty,” Lorelei said grimly. Yet, as she did so, she couldn’t help but let her lips curl upward. “Unlike everyone else though… he chose his own path,” she added with conviction.
“The mightiest death possible,” Amora nodded in turn as she eyed her sister. No words were needed. They were sisters by blood and kin. Yet, their eternal stares towards each other painted a thousand words that Odin couldn’t comprehend.
Instead, fury crept into existence. His aura darkened as curtains, and woven quilts fluttered against the turbulent winds created by Odin’s seidr. Fixtures that had been nailed and pierced began to quake and shudder.
Rage danced on his fingertips as his body allowed his Aesir blood to move more smoothly. He was angry, he was annoyed, and he wanted revenge.
Their actions have cost me a son. An action that can no longer be overlooked, he mused darkly as he walked towards the arched windows. He ignored Amora’s and Lorelei’s stricken stares.
Instead, he looked at the darkness that Loki found comfort in. His son was right in many ways, but wrong in a number. His greatest regret was not teaching them. But going forward… I will live by them, he mused grimly.
“You weren’t just friends to Loki… were you?” Odin asked with his back towards Amora and Lorelei.
“We were more, and we were less,” Lorelei answered cautiously.
“We were his concubines… we were his everything and nothing,” Amora continued soothingly.
“Devoted thralls to our master… till the end and beyond,” Lorelei confirmed.
His lips curled upward. Like me with my council… it seems you also had your own devotees, Loki, he mused. “The sun rises,” he said softly. “A new day is upon us… I think it’s time to cleanse Asgard,” he added with a wicked smile as he turned and walked past Amora and Lorelei.
Lorelei and Amora both turned to face each other. They had seen that sadistic look before upon the one they cherish. They couldn’t help but shudder at the thought.
“That…,” Amora started.
“Yes,” Lorelei answered.
At that moment, they realised that as much as father and son tried to distance themselves from each other, they were cut from the same cloth.