The people of Asgard weren't stupid, and knew that something was different, that something wasn't like it used to be. Odin their king was simply not the man or the king that he had been most of his life, he was different, he was changed.
Some said that it was simply the trauma of losing a son and having the other be away so soon after losing his wife. That anyone would be different after that, that it was something normal. It was a logical explanation, yes, but somehow it didn't ring true. Those who were the oldest had seen Odin lose people before, and there hadn't been such a big change. Odin just wasn't that emotional to change like that.
Besides, the changes were not those of grief. The old man seemed rejuvenated in a way, enthusiastic for his responsibilities in a way he hadn't been in very long (or ever) and interested in his people and in helping them in a way that was unprecedented. Those who had been under Odin's rule for most of the king's life all agreed: that man who looked like Odin couldn't be their king. He was too different, despite the efforts of whoever it was of trying to act as Odin.
The thing was, who was that who was replacing their king? It could be some threat for outer space, an enemy, a stranger who meant only ill towards the people of Asgard. Only the people of Asgard were thriving under this new ruler. Where Odin's rule had been, specially in its first decades, plagued with war and conflict, this man knew how to placate potential enemies and end everything without the need for violence. This person was clever in a way the old man had never been, not even in his younger years. More... subtle.
He always found a way to get out of bad situations in a way that was beneficial for Asgard and avoided conflicts that although glorious, would create more damage than benefit. This was an intelligent ruler, far more than his (or hers) predecessors. He was interested in promoting education and the arts, and wanted to sever the gender differentiation that caused few girls to be warriors and few boys to be sorcerers or healers. This person cared.
And the identity of this person was revealed when he ordered an enormous statue of Loki. Of course, he simply hadn't died form his wounds, but elaborated an scenario if which he got to be the hero they all mourned, watched as they mourned him, and became king of Asgard as he'd always wanted.
And so, people knew, and they had a secret meeting (with Heimdall gone, it was easier doing things in secret).
"So.... Odin is probably gone for good. We should call Thor back, as he is the legitimate heir of throne."
Some voices disagreed.
"Do we want Thor back? He's always away, in Midgard or finding himself or whatever. He has been in a lot missions and fighting, but is that the kind of leader we want? When Odin and Thor were around there was always an air of tension. Now my crops are growing and we get theatre plays every week. I'm happy like this."
There were some nods.
"My boys are happier now, knowing that it's okay if they don't want to be soldiers like his father. If their king, the highest authority, won't look down on them if they choose to be artists or scholars, then they are free to be themselves. Loki has done some questionable things, but so have our previous rulers."
"Why did we dislike prince Loki anyway? Because he wasn't as manly as he should have been? Well, maybe an excess of manliness was what got Odin in all those wars. Maybe we could benefit form Prince Loki's approach."
And nobody could argue with that. Prince Thor seemed a decent man, but he always brought trouble with him. A being a good man or a good warrior didn't mean he would be a good king. It was much more complicated than that, and Loki could do it with ease, as he was also a very complicated man. And the people of Asgard knew that Loki could be a good king, as they were enjoying a peace and prosperity that they hadn't in a long time.
The Loki statue and the Loki plays seemed a small price to pay.
But of course, all good things come to an end, and Thor came back, snatched their king and before they knew it, a goddess of death had come and killed a bunch of their people. Surely it wasn't Thor's fault, but all that they knew was that just after his appearance they lost people they cared about, and even their whole planet. And Thor was powerless to get them off a planet that was going to disappear. He got them into trouble again, as he always did, no matter how well he meant.
The one who came through in the end, with a vessel that took them away from oblivion, was, again, Loki. There were some smiles, and some whispers or "our king" and "our saviour". Really, changing Odin for Loki had been good for them, and no one had cared too much about what had happened to the old man. They'd endured him long enough.
But the problem was, now that they had rebuilt their society in that ship, Thor was there too, sitting on his legitimate throne, and there was no reason for them to want to reinstate Loki. Ugh. And Thor would want to take them to Midgard, put them in the middle of all of its many issues. And maybe now that they had reconciled, he'd take Loki too, as he was a good fighter. Into the midst of the trouble, away from his people. Ugh.
As a group of young inconformists were talking about this in hushed voices, a voice coming from a mountain of rocks suggested something.
"Maybe what you guys need is a revolution."
And maybe they did.
Whatever they needed, to get the maybe not rightful, but best king of Asgard back.