A Conversation With Frigga [extended]
“I’d have to say it’s for reasons far more complex than that.” Something about Frigga’s tone was light and teasing yet heavy and deep at the same time.
“I doubt I’ll ever fully know his reasoning behind it,” you said, thinking back to Loki’s Frost Giant form and how beautiful it had been. Otherworldly, yet beautiful.
“Frost Giants are brutal and violent creatures,” Frigga continued, lifting the hem of her dress to avoid the wet snow near a small pond. “I had hope that by raising Loki under my care that he might avoid the more cruel aspects of his inheritance. Sometimes I believed that I never truly could dilute the potent savagery of his nature.”
“Until?” You prompted.
“Until?” She echoed back, confused.
“Well, you said ‘believed’. Past tense. Do you think differently now?”
“He has always denied any love he does possess for us as family. I know he loves us in his own way, but he has yet to say it aloud, especially after recent events. Yet our love was never enough to convince him to change. And yet he comes back from his warpath a changed man, changed in a way that only love can change a person.”
“You sound like you speak from experience.” You didn’t really want to think through the implications of her words, didn’t want to process what she was implying. This was a conversation for you to dissect later, not in the moment.
“I am married to Odin, you must remember,” she said with a little laugh and you joined her. It was a joyous sound, like a spring breeze through a meadow, and you got the sense she knew true happiness and had had quite a lot of it in her lifetime. “But I see you now, and I know that you understand Loki’s soul. You have given him reason to redirect his passion.”
“Oh, I think you have the Avengers to thank for that. Loki has really been redirecting his passion into bickering with Tony Stark. He’s got quite an arsenal of witty one-liners.”
“I saw the two of you dancing last night. He looked happier than he has in a long time, and for that I am eternally grateful to you. You’re truly a remarkable girl, y/n, beyond whatever powers the soul stone has infused you with.”
“Thank you, my queen.” You gave her a little curtsy, as it seemed the thing to do, and she laughed again, waving a hand as if to tell you to forgo the formality.
“I’d like you to know that you’ll always have a place here on Asgard.” Frigga picked a little purple flower from the garden, placing it behind your ear, giving you a beaming smile. “Anyone who does right by my sons does right by me too.”
“I sure hope Odin shares your sentiments,” you said before you could stop yourself.
“Odin can be…difficult. Nevertheless, I believe he’d extend the invitation too. Your smile does bring a sort of light with it, one he’d be glad to have brighten his throne room. And—although you may not believe it, being a friend of Loki’s—Odin does want what is best for Loki. Unfortunately what is best for Loki rarely coincides with what Loki wants.”
“I’m not particularly familiar with the idea of being a parent,” you confessed. “I didn’t have any of my own, and I’ve never seen the reasoning behind the distant sort of ‘tough love’ parenting style. It seems to create more divides than bridges.”
“I’d have to agree with you. Sometimes I wish I could turn back time and do it differently. But if I did that, I’m not sure we’d all be here today in the capacity that we are.”
You were saved from having to answer by a projection of Loki appearing in front of you, a sassy expression already on his face. Oh, this was going to be good, you knew it already.