The sun hung low in the sky, its rays set at the perfect angle to shine through the large arched windows of Frigga’s private library. The golden light swam across her silk dress as she moved quietly between the shelves, looking for something interesting to pass the afternoon.
No sooner had she sat down when she heard shouts and cries for bloody murder making their way down the hall. Marking her page, Frigga walked to the door to dee what all the fuss was about, and was nearly knocked over by the young warriors three barrelling past her. They quickly apologised and bade her a good afternoon, then went hurrying on their way, running away from what the queen could only assume to be-
“Death to the Frost Giants! Slay them all!”
Sif was sprinting down the hall with Thor and Loki in tow, all waving wooden swords and chasing the three older boys. Sif stopped abruptly at the doorway.
“Good afternoon Queen Frigga,” she panted quickly, before zipping off down the hallway.
“Hello mother!” Loki waved to her and followed Sif.
Thor stopped running, dropped his sword and went to hug his mother.
Frigga took the blonde boy’s hand and walked back over to the sofa; Thor sitting down next to her.
“What are you reading mother?” Thor asked, looking over her shoulder at the large book in Frigga’s hands.
She closed it so that the cover was visible. The Prophecy of Ragnarok, it read.
“A story… about a family. Their… house burns down.”
“That’s terrible! Do they rebuild it?”
“They travel across the realms and… find a new home, eventually,” under her breath she added, “I hope.”
“Can I read it?” Thor smiled at her expectantly. Frigga got up and walked over to the bookshelves.
“How about we find something else for you to read? Here’s one about a warrior who goes to Jotunheim and kills the Giant king.”
Thor took the book from her hands and frowned at the cover, then looked up at her.
“Mother… why does everyone hate the Frost Giants?” Frigga was taken aback by the question. This was the last thing she expected to hear from her eldest son, who would run headfirst into danger and could turn anything into a weapon. The boy who had grown up learning that the giants were Asgard’s enemies for ten years, was suddenly questioning all he believed? Or at least, what he was meant to believe.
“Well… they did fighting against us in one of the bloodiest battles ever fought.” Frigga tried to smile at her son, who now looked so caught up in thought that she felt like she had lost him.
“But that was only their army. What about the women and children? They wouldn’t have fought. We don’t have any reason to hate them,” He looked back up at her, frowning in confusion and concentration.
“My dear,” Frigga bent down and cupped her son’s cheek in her hand, “what has caused you think this way?”
Thor looked deep into her eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. “I don’t really know mother, I just thought –”
“Brother!”
Thor and his mother turned to see Loki standing in the doorway, bouncing up and down on his toes, holding both the boy’s play swords. “You must come quickly! Sif and I have almost captured the giants. She’s got them cornered, but we need you to help us defeat them!”
He threw the one sword across the room and Thor jumped to catch it. He studied the wooden blade in his hand.
“I just thought,” he whispered, looking back up at Frigga, “that maybe there are some good frost giants.”
Frigga gave Thor a smile filled with all the love a mother could have for their child. She sighed and looked over at Loki, who was still eagerly waiting for his brother to join him.
“Yes, maybe there are some good frost giants.”
She kissed Thor’s forehead quickly, then sent him off to play.
“Be safe!” she called after the two boys, “Those giants can certainly be mean!”
“Not all of them,” Thor whispered to himself, as he and his brother raced down the hallway to their next battle.