prologue
‘Your Majesty, we just received the signal: the royal family has left Jotunheim.’ a man, dressed in warrior attire, says as he walks up to Asgard’s leader. ‘Very well. Gather our troops. Tonight we shall attack.’ Odin Allfather orders one of the warrior’s commanders. The man nods before leaving the room. On his way out, he passes the queen. She sends him a small, regal nod before continuing her way to her husband.
‘Odin,’ Frigga calls for his attention. ‘Do you really want to do this?’
‘What else is there to do, Frigga. For centuries that Asgardian artefact— an artefact my great-grandfather swore to protect! —has been kept on Jotunheim. Now is the time to take back what’s ours.’
‘Odin, it is an ancient thing. I am fairly sure the current Jotuns don’t even realise they are in possession of a piece of your family. Kept in the walls of their palace, nonetheless.’ Frigga tries to persuade her husband. Her mind tells her this quest will be helpless/futile. It will take too long for Odin and the warriors to retrieve the artefact from the wall and escape Jotunheim. The walls of the palace are thick and said to be made of unbreakable ice. And yet, despite knowing this all too well, Odin ignores his wife and the legends. ‘Regardless. It is a piece of Asgardian history! It should and will be put in our vault, where it rightfully belongs.’ Odin says, a tone of determination heard in his voice. Frigga sighs silently. This cannot be avoided. Odin will march into Jotunheim and he will remove the artefact from its cold place.
At last, as night started to fall, Odin and his warriors left Asgard. Frigga was left standing on a balcony, waiting for her husband’s safe return.
It was a pair of silent footsteps and another pair of harsher steps that took Frigga out of her thoughts. Turning around, she saw the person she expected to be there. ‘Thor, Loki,’ Frigga acknowledges both of her sons. ‘Evening, mother!’ Thor said, his voice as booming as usual. ‘Evening, my sons.’ she said while looking at the two. Thor, her firstborn son. Naturally bold and loud. And Loki. Her son who is mostly kept to himself and twinge mischievous.
The two stare at their mother knowingly. Their father just left for a dangerous mission and all they can do is stand by and wait.