Chapter 2
ASGARD
The day was quite temperate outside of the palace of Asgard. Within the throne room the courtiers were on one side and a few council members were on the other. Even the warriors 3 and Sif were here, they frowning at one another as they tried to figure out who had sent the note insisting upon their attendance in court.
Activity ground to a halt as the double doors opened to the throne room, what everyone assumed was a specter entering. Thor had returned to Asgard just two days ago to report Loki’s death and the circumstances surrounding it before leaving again. The scribes had already committed the fact of Loki’s assumed ascension into Valhalla within the Hall of the Dead. The boat was being prepared as an official funeral rite though no body had been recovered.
Eyes widened throughout court, Odin stiffening almost imperceptively from his throne. Nothing was said. No one dared to even move as the familiar figure decked in leather, a combination of green and tarnished gold, walked the distance to the appropriate place and stopped before the steps to the throne.
Blank, unreadable expressions were on both faces, assessment flowing back and forth before Odin spoke without surprise. Without inflection. “So it was all a falsehood.” The scribes had written down every detail. Thor’s glorious battle to stop the dark elves and save the whole of the universe. Loki’s noble sacrifice to save the first prince of Asgard. Odin had announced before court and all of Asgard that all of Loki’s crimes had been forgiven to ensure Asgard’s second son a smooth transition into Valhalla. “Why have you returned, Loki? No one was searching. Thor reported your death, a fitting warrior’s end. You could have slipped away with ease.”
A retort would have been expected. Everyone in the throne room was waiting for a viper’s remark of some sort to pass Loki’s lips since it was almost unheard of for the youngest son of Odin to not have something pithy to say.
Odin wasn’t actually on the throne. The true All-Father was long past the point of a response. Currently it was one of Loki’s magical tricks, a shade, on the throne. Unlike one of his less impressive illusions, this one could be talked to and interacted with. A whipcord of magic was holding Gungnir aloft so that it appeared as if the shade held it.
Loki didn’t reply to the shade. This farce may be his plan but he hated this part. It shouldn’t be necessary, in his opinion. He shouldn’t have to justify himself to these…people. But he knew that what should be and what was were two different things. For his ascension to the throne to be successful and not result in a civil war, a little theater was necessary.
Hence the necessity of those present. Some were influential amongst the warriors. The rest held sway of the nobles and Advisory Council for the king. Sif and the Warriors 3 were here simply because those fools would never believe anything they didn’t see for themselves when it concerned him.
His lips were pressed tightly together as he slipped off first one gauntlet and then the other. Each hit the stone floor, the sounds of their impact echoing through the silent throne room. A flick of his wrist magically unfastened the many buckles and ties that kept his light armor in place, allowing him to easily slip off the jacket and jerkin until he was standing before them all in just a green tunic over his leather breeches.
Sif’s eyes weren’t the only ones that widened, but she was the one bold enough to cross the distance. Looks were exchanged amongst the Warriors 3. They’d all been in battle with Loki for centuries. None of them remembered such a wound on the mage. It was possible it was just an elaborate trick, which is why she approached. She, more than anyone, knew that Loki’s illusions didn’t hold up to touch.
She pressed her hand lightly against the ugly tear in the tunic, seeing and feeling the scar tissue left behind. The barely sealed hole that went from back to front that was still in the process of healing. Thorough without inflicting pain, her dark eyes flicked up to meet the trickster’s who didn’t once flinch away. He may not enjoy anyone in his personal space but the whole point had been to show a truth that none would believe just by hearing it. Not from his lips.
Turning back, Sif bowed her head respectfully to the king who had watched silently. “A mortal wound, sire.”
The old king stood from his throne and walked soundlessly down the steps, Gungnir held in hand. The only sounds were the audible thumps of the end of the spear on top of each step. His blue eye kept moving to the half covered wound that gave silent testimony to an AEsir death, yet the body before him was living. “Loki?”
Loki knelt suddenly, head ducked low, and a sharp gasp tore through the crowd as Sif jerked back several steps in surprise. Every eye was focused on Loki so no one noticed Odin become transparent for the span of a blink of the eye. The trickster felt the flicker in his illusion and immediately put more focus so that ‘Odin’ remained solid.
Loki didn’t pause in speaking, his voice as smooth and rich as ever. “I returned as soon as I had healed enough to survive the journey. I humbly come before you All-father to beg your forgiveness. I will complete any task or submit to any punishment; any station you will my life I will gladly accept if eventually I may be allowed to return to Asgard.”
It was surreal. All that was happening were but fanciful musings that many had had but no one had believed Loki was even capable of. The second prince had always been too arrogant. A man incapable of sincerity. A man who held too much pride and seemed to look down on not just their society, but their king as well. Odin’s voice was still without inflection and no one could figure out what he was thinking. “Any?”
Loki’s shoulders hunched and shook ever so slightly, voice wavering. “Please, father, say I can earn back your love. Name my penance. My rebellion is ended and I will make any vow you require to prove this.”
Odin took a slight step back, using his staff as a means of support. Clearly the old king was as shocked as those present. But the king of Asgard was not one to remain off balance for long. Slowly Odin nodded before speaking. “You fought to the death to save your brother’s life, an act relayed to me by his own lips...actions that I have decreed redeemed you before Asgard’s eyes. That decree shall stand, for the honor of your actions has not been lessened merely because you survived.” Volstagg and Fandral were sputtering silently but neither were about to offer a differing opinion. Not to the All-father of the nine realms. Hogun looked quite thoughtful, grim as ever, but suspicious as he stared at Loki. Sif paled as she stared at her king. Even as Odin continued speaking, he seemed to weaken before their eyes. “You have returned to Asgard, desiring of nothing more than what is granted a commoner. The arrogant is now the humble--…”
Gungnir clattered to the ground, making those in court jump. With nothing to support him, Odin fell back as Loki lurched forward to catch him. The others swarmed around the pair but none dared to touch their sovereign as Loki carefully let him rest upon the ground.
“Fetch Eir!”
A weathered hand shakily rose and touched one of Loki’s cheeks, fresh salt on his skin. Green eyes met blue before Odin closed his eye tiredly. “You need no punishment, Loki. Thor has…has abdicated his crown and abandoned his people.” Sif felt the bitterness that had been festering with Thor’s absence grow in her heart. She shared a look with the Warrior’s three, all of them feeling a quiet betrayal with that truth. They all knew that Thor had returned to Midgard but none of them had known about this. Odin’s hand fell weakly away, his skin graying as his voice softened. “You will care for what he has forsaken.”
“Father--…” No one was sure what Loki was about to protest and no one would ever know as he choked on the word.
Odin’s voice was quite soft, but it instantly stopped the trickster from speaking. “Loki Odinson…” Everyone leaned in further, listening fiercely. “I name you my heir and crowned prince.”
Some dropped their jaws. Those that did had hoped that Odin would send Loki as a messenger to Midgard to demand the thunderer’s return. Others shuddered in fear of what would become of Asgard with Loki ruling over them.
Loki seemed to visibly fight with himself for something to say before nodding gravely while swallowing. “Your will, my king.”
“Lead Asgard…to glory!” It was like Odin used his last breath to speak, his body sagging in a last exhale as he stilled. A shocked hush fell over everyone present.
Loki dropped his head down to touch his father’s shoulder with his forehead even as Eir swiftly moved through the crowd and knelt on the other side. She didn’t even have to touch Odin. A silently uttered spell confirmed what she already felt. The shell before her held no soul.
The prince’s shoulders moved silently, one hand fisting the golden armor even as Eir slowly stood and bowed her head in sorrow. All those present bowed as well, mourning the passing of a king.
Loki’s fist tightened around a sharp edge of Odin’s armor enough to hurt to keep the tears flowing, his stifled giggles shaking his frame again and sounding remarkably like almost hidden sobs.
HELHEIM
Odin walked forward with his brow furrowed and feeling crushingly confused. He was aware enough that he knew he was missing memories but he had no clue what they were. He remembered Thor escaping Asgard with Jane Foster and Loki on a foolish quest to save the petite mortal’s life. He remembered a guard entering the throne room to announce that Loki had died on that quest. After that…
His conscious mind shifted to now. He had no idea how he had transitioned from one point to another. But he was compelled to continue walking forward. His jaw dropped as he entered the throne room and recognized the figure on the throne. He was in Helheim. His eye swept over those present before looking back to the figure lounging on her throne. “What is the meaning of this?”
Hela slowly raised her singular eyebrow at the incredulous tone. Her own tone was as if instructing a simple child. “This would be Helheim.” She was well used to this. There was often a period where amnesia would grip a soul as it shuffled loose the mortal coil. It usually faded after a few minutes or hours. Although if the death was traumatic enough sometimes it never faded.
Having her confirm where he was, he knew what it meant. It meant that he was dead. Odin visibly stiffened, arrogance puffing up his chest. “You would dare to address the King of Asgard so informally?”
A smirk tugged at the flesh side of her lip. “Well I am the queen of this realm. Besides…you’re not a king anymore. Loki is.”
“He--…” Odin trailed off, mouth parted and eye wide in shock, as the ruler of Helheim’s words sunk in. Loki was alive? Loki was king?
Hela mentally corrected that Loki would be crowned king within a few days but that was a minor detail. She chuckled dryly at his expression as she spoke. “My, my…speechless. How priceless.”
“Thor is in line for succession!” Odin’s indignant exclamation echoed through the vast throne room.
Hela just slowly nodded as if in agreement, holding out her goblet for it to be filled with more wine. “Yes, he was. I believe your eldest abdicated to Loki upon his return to Asgard and retreated to Midgard with tail tucked firmly between his legs.” Slowly dawning horror crossed Odin’s face and Hela just shrugged casually. “Thor is allowed to choose anyone, after all. One of your father’s laws I believe. But the trickster is clever. He made arrangements so his ascension to the throne was more to Asgard’s palate.” Even she felt a flicker of annoyance on Loki’s behalf. If Thor had appointed anyone else it would have been accepted without hesitation. But because it was Loki only an act witnessed and indisputably proven would be accepted.
Odin looked down as the words were absorbed even though his mind was still reeling. Loki was king and he was dead. His brow furrowed again in confusion. “Why am I here?”
“You died, of course.” She took a languid swallow before explaining further when his confusion didn’t lessen. “You perished, Odin Borson. Are you really so surprised?”
That is not what he meant and she knew it. He meant: why was he in Helheim instead of Valhalla. “Five thousand years of winning battles and wars for Asgard’s glory and I am found unworthy of Valhalla??” His voice started as a rumble but ended with a roar of outrage.
Hela didn’t look the least bit impressed by his temper, leaning forward slightly and asking softly, “How did you die?”
“Loki--…”
She waved a dismissive hand, cutting Odin off effortlessly. “No. Loki is cleverer than that. Try again.” Hela didn’t witness what transpired but she understood the trickster better than the All-father ever had. Loki was far too angry to be charitable enough to kill Odin. The God of Chaos would do whatever was necessary to ensure that Odin never got what he wanted…and Odin wanted Valhalla more than anything. If Loki had killed Odin, Valhalla would probably have been an unavoidable fate for the AEsir king.
Odin’s blue eye became distant, remembering the rush of emotions as the lone guard revealed that his youngest had not survived the dark elves. The last moments slowly came to him and he spoke what he remembered softly. “I fell into sleep. If Loki lives and sits on the throne then it was his machinations that are responsible.”
“But how did you die?” Odin blinked and glanced at her in surprise. She gave him an irritated look and rattled off a definition that he should know. “Direct cause of death can have some bearing on your final resting place. His machinations, as you phrased it, may have triggered your sleep but they did not cause your death.” She smiled cruelly, mockingly, still looking at him as if he were an ignorant child. “You don’t really think Loki sat at your bedside to guide you back. Not after turning your back on him as you did.” She gestured grandly to the figure that was as real as it was transparent. “You succumbed to your body’s weakness.”
“I was judged by…” Odin stopped himself from saying it as his mouth set in a grim line. He was judged by Yggdrasil...and found lacking. Pain and failure fought within him but he would allow neither to escape.
“The boy truly did gain his creativity from you.” Her words were like a slap to the face. Odin stiffened but Hela ignored him, sipping her wine and looking thoughtful. “Your heir may have required tutelage to be a worthy successor to your legacy but you really should have focused more attention on the younger of the two.” Odin frowned at her. “Compassion Thor heels to…Loki does not and his power is undeniable.”
Odin rumbled gruffly. “Loki is not a man Asgard will yield to.”
Hela grinned brightly. “I would normally make a wager but the point is moot. He is king…and they are yielding.” She tilted her head slightly. “Perhaps what you mean to say is that Loki is not a man who yields to your Asgard. Your legacy.” Loki yields to none. He will set up his own legacy.
Her eyes swept over the form of the All-father. He was here for a reason. Hela continued the thought vocally, a vicious gleam in her eyes. “I wonder what found you unworthy. Not enough dishonor for Niflheim…just enough that Helheim was the only place you could go. An ordinary citizen’s eternity.” Odin flinched. “The wars that you fought that you in fact arranged. The lies that you committed that resulted in death. Or perhaps it was even more recent than that. Yggdrasil has always held Loki in high favor. Perhaps it was that you banished him to a lifetime in the dungeons when you knew of his innocence.”
Odin snarled suddenly, losing all of his prized control over his emotions. “His actions were his own responsibility to shoulder.”
She wagged a finger in Odin’s direction and corrected him. “Not when they are flavored and influenced by the will of another. Even AEsir do not hold a warrior responsible when they are not in control of those actions.” Then she gave him a longer look. “At least…not during your father’s honorable reign.”
Hela had always held more respect for Borr than Odin. From what she knew, Loki would have been better off raised by the elder king than Odin. Borr had always prized might among the warriors but knew a clever prince was vital for Asgard’s continuation. It was why Borr had gone against tradition and announced Odin as his heir, the youngest of three sons. No doubt Odin resented that his progeny by blood lacked in intellect compared to the progeny he took in. But then Borr wouldn’t have hesitated in smiting every last Frost Giant if Jötunheim had brought war during his reign so perhaps matters were better as they were.
Odin turned from her, shaking his head and trying to justify his actions with what he’d convinced himself was mercy. “The boy was mad. The choice was imprisonment or execution. I chose to spare his mother further grief.”
Hela huffed a laugh of amusement, her green eyes moving in a different direction. Perhaps in the direction of where Thanos currently was, the mad titan plotting the destruction of the nine realms. There was some truth to Odin’s statement, as there was in most things that he said. But the complete truth was that Odin was trying to spare Frigga and himself from that grief.
He had truly loved the boy Loki had been, but the trickster hadn’t been that sweet child in a long time. And the truth was that Loki had grown into a man that he didn’t understand. An embittered, jealous, angry man whose loyalty was questionable enough that he didn’t trust Asgard’s fate to him.
Hela nodded slowly. “Yes, driven mad from the months of silent darkness in the abyss as he tumbled between the branches. Further helped along by Thanos’ manipulations.”
He didn’t respond at first. If he had been alive, those words might have likely stopped his heart. Odin slowly he turned to stare at the Goddess of the Underworld in horrified surprise. “…Thanos…” He hadn’t known. Hadn’t even suspected the mad titan was behind all this but he supposed he should have. His face slowly crumbled in remorse. Loki would have had no chance on his own against Thanos.
She shrugged easily, amusement curling her lips. “Such a sly creature. He nurtured the seed of hate Loki held for Jötunn, hate taught to him by your people, until the boy hates his own existence. Then the Titan took the rage Loki held against you and refocused it into an irrational rage against all that you loved. He will seek not death, but obliteration to destroy all memory of the body that is his…and unwittingly complete the mad titan’s wishes.”
“I did not know…” What could have started as a plea was cut off quickly, his old eye assessing her and sounding full of reproach. “You could have stopped this.” She could travel between realms and needed no Bi-frost to accomplish it. Her magic was at the very least on equal terms with Loki’s, if not more so than his because of the knowledge she’d accumulated over thousands of years.
Hela rolled her eyes, unimpressed. “I am Lady Death, you old fool. I care not what happens to the rest of you. I am a selfish creature with selfish ambitions. I care about being entertained and when I am morbidly bored of this life I will set my army of the dead on the living, tip the balance, snap the world tree, and end you all.” Odin just continued to stare at her in horror and she shrugged again. “Why do you think I am so happy you have arrived? When that day comes, I will need a general to lead those armies. Who better than the AEsir who never knew defeat in life?”
“I will not do it.”
She bared her teeth in a feral smile. “I own your soul now, Borson. You have no choice.”
The old king was silent for a long moment before slowly nodding to himself, certainty in his gaze. “Thor will stop him.”
“Your son is as much a fool as you are. There is no stopping him. There is no controlling him. Loki is the God of Chaos for a reason. There is only choice. Loki chooses to set these events in motion…only by his choice will the nine realms be spared.” Hela’s voice was filled with mocking, though her expression turned sly the next instant. “Although, technically, you could have stopped him.”
“I?”
A formality entered her words, her body stiffening. No longer the trickster queen but now the sovereign over the dead. “No man, king or otherwise, has the right to deny funeral rites to an acknowledged child. You denied Loki his right to mourn his mother…a dishonorable act that Yggdrasil does not forgive easily.” Odin returned her gaze just as stiffly but refused to move or be moved. She quirked her eyebrow inquiringly as she questioned him, knowing he wouldn’t answer. “Did you know it was that act that tipped the scales for him? Ever since your lies were revealed, he balanced between hate for you and love. If you had allowed him that right, he would have slipped away from Asgard quietly.” His brow furrowed slightly as if to question the truth of her words but she just smiled knowingly. “Now he will make all the living pay for your actions.”
“Ragnarok is not real.” Odin spoke with finality.
Hela nodded in agreement. “True. A legend. A fairytale. But Loki is a clever boy, half mad from grief who hates his own existence and blames Asgard for her loss…I’m sure if anyone could accomplish it, he can.” She glanced at her nails before baring her teeth in a mockery of a smile. “I will even make a wager.”
“A wager?” Odin sounded wary, knowing it was never advised to lightly enter a bargain with Lady Death.
She stood up from her throne and flowed down the short steps. “You will find Borson that death can be quite monotonous after a millennium or two. Eventually we watch the living to occupy ourselves. It is always advised to keep me entertained. Even I will sometimes find a favorite if they surprise me…the boy has always been skilled at doing so.” She stopped in front of him, staring through him as if she could see every secret he had ever hidden. He was not entirely certain she couldn’t. “I wager that he will succeed in his endeavor, or perish in the attempt.”
Author's Notes:
Mwahahaha...(gotta love evil laughs). Odin gets exactly what he deserves. Well, if we want to really be fair there's a nice warm place for him to retire to but this works well enough, I suppose.
Next:
Loki learns an ugly truth; Sif and the Warriors 3 chat with the King of Asgard