Chapter 9
ASGARD
Thor stared hard at the double doors that had led to Loki’s rooms. He supposed since Loki was now king these were his former rooms next to his own. They were curiously locked but it didn’t seem to be a physical lock. He knew the wood would yield to Mjolnir but he didn’t want to put Loki in a mood by breaking down his doors.
“Prince Thor? Are you alright?”
Thor turned to regard one of the servants who seemed about to take one of the side corridors to some unknown destination. He avoided the domestic corridors, as most nobles did, so he wouldn’t get in the way of their work. “Aye.” She nodded her head slightly in acknowledgement and turned to retreat with a tray in her hands carrying a bottle of something. “I know you.”
She dipped her head towards him. “Anya, Prince Thor.”
Thor frowned a little. He knew her name from somewhere and he wasn’t in a habit of remembering the servants. She wasn’t a late night companion of his, her station alone would make his approaching her highly inappropriate. Then he blinked as he remembered. “You’re Loki’s servant.”
She paused before she answered carefully, not looking at him fully. “We are all Lord Loki’s servants now.”
He pressed a little more firmly. “You are his personal servant.”
Anya turned fully, her words formal and polite as she asked, “Did you need assistance, Prince Thor?” But there was an impatience in the words she chose.
Thor felt something in him twist. She wasn’t the first one to treat him with a careful, distant politeness but it had happened too often since his return to be a coincidence. But instead of addressing it he asked, “Why are Loki’s rooms locked?”
“They are no longer his highness’s rooms, Prince Thor.”
And he was really starting to hate his title, since it seemed to be the only way she would address him. A reminder of that distance while carefully maintaining a respect of his rank.
He remained insistent. “Then he locked them?”
Anya carefully put down the tray on a table in the corridor and crossed to the doors to brush her fingers against the symbols carved into either side, underneath the door knobs. “Runes, Prince Thor. Even a person without a drop of seidr in their blood can utilize runes for protection. In this instance the runes were placed so that the room remains undisturbed.”
He stubbornly clung to the question as he would with Loki since his brother in a stubborn mood often only answered exactly what was asked of him. “This was placed here by Loki?”
A slightly irritated look crossed her face for the barest of moment before she answered him. “By me, Prince Thor.” He gave her a surprised look and she clarified as she stepped back. “As you have stated I am his highness’s personal servant. When he was banished to the dungeons I protected his possessions.” There was an unspoken accusation not even hinted by inflection. That perhaps she had done what should have been done by someone else.
Thor frowned heavily as he asked, “Are you suggesting someone would have stolen from him?”
Her expression returned to one of formal politeness. “I suggest nothing, Prince Thor. Is there anything you require?”
“No--…”
She nodded briskly and turned to pick up her tray. “Then good day, Prince Thor.”
“Wait!” Anya obediently paused but she didn’t look at him. Thor was unable to keep either his frustration or his hurt out of his voice as he asked, “Why does everyone hate me?”
She glanced at him warily. “Hate is a strong word.”
He huffed, his emotions all over his expressive face. “Well they certainly do not like me.”
Anya blinked silently once before she felt herself relent. “I cannot speak for others and speaking of my impressions of those above my station is not permitted.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded his head once, decisive. “Then I permit it. Speak as you wish and you will receive no reprimand from me.”
Anya paused for another moment before turning and folding her hands in front of her body. This was a terrible idea and she was struggling to believe him. “What would you have me speak concerning?”
“Why did you lock Loki’s room?”
She considered her words carefully before replying. She would never betray a confidence from Loki. Not that he had truly confided in her but that he allowed her into his personal space spoke of an unspoken trust between them. “Servants may not speak unless it is requested of us but we have ears and we do hear. Nor are we noticed by aristocrats. Even after Lord Loki’s sentence to the dungeons Lord Odin was quite enraged. He order his highness’s rooms stripped and the contents burned. But he did not order that I do so.” A shocked look crossed his face. It wasn’t an act of open disobedience but it was an act that crossed a line. At the very least she could have been released from her duties. “A room cannot be emptied if one cannot enter. The delay was long enough for her ladyship to become involved and she forbid that anyone would enter without Lord Loki’s expressed permission. Since then none have.”
Thor chewed on that for a moment. It honestly hadn’t occurred to him that father would have done such a thing. That his father could be petty. His mental image of the noble, golden king that he had looked up to since he was a child became a little more tarnished. “Why do you not like me?”
She kept her reply succinct. “It is not that I do or do not like you, Prince Thor.”
“By the Norns you twist words as much as Loki does!”
Anya felt her eyes narrow ever so slightly at Thor’s moaned words. But she felt herself freeze at a presence almost against her back. She wasn’t entirely surprised. Loki had over the years made it his business to ensure that she was treated well. Loki’s voice whispered in her ear, “Say what you will. I will not allow him to break his vow if his pride cannot take a bruising.”
Her confidence bolstered, she spoke, “A noble is just that. They are a child born to a privileged life. They receive an education, supported by their family. Their parents may choose their vocation or they may seek out their own. But you and Lord Loki are not just nobles, you are princes of the realm. The privilege that you receive is supported by the people. You receive the very best of education. Food. Shelter. Clothing. It is an enchanted life but it is also in preparation for a life of service to the throne. It was a service that was appointed to yourself by your father. He deemed you worthy of that burden. But you chose a different path. You chose to turn away from that burden.”
“Aye.”
Her jaw tightened a little. “To serve can also mean more than just ruling. With your skills as a warrior you would have made a fine general, skills taught to you with the support of the people. But you did not even choose to serve in that capacity.” Her eyes dropped for just a moment so he wouldn’t see the fire flashing there but there was no keeping it out of her voice. “Instead of repaying the citizens for the sacrifices they made for you, you turned your back on Asgard. You spit on the shoes of her citizens with your actions. With deed you said quite clearly that we were not worthy of you. You turned to the life of a rogue warrior, and left to fight for a realm and a people not your own.” Now she looked up, her professional mask firmly back in place. “It is not a question of if you are liked, Prince Thor, and I will not speak for anyone else save myself. I no longer respect you.”
“I thank you for your words.” Thor said this as a formal thanks but his face looked as if he had just put something particularly sour in his mouth. “Do you know if the warriors 3 or Sif still maintain their prior dwellings?”
Anya found this much easier to focus on, her anger cooling. “They each have been appointed suites within the palace. The corridor to the right will take you to the wing. The attendant will be able to direct you accordingly, Prince Thor.”
When he didn’t say anything further she turned to retrieve her tray, but still felt Loki’s presence nearby. Thor’s quiet question shocked her, and she felt Loki freeze as well. “Can I ever earn back that respect?”
“That, prince, is up to you.” She picked up her tray, taking her time to think carefully. “I respected a man who fought for Asgard. I respected a man who I thought took his duties as prince seriously. But a prince is more than just a man awaiting a throne, he is an extension of the king…and sometimes a new king needs support.” Anya felt Loki huff behind her and fought not to grin, knowing the annoyed/exasperated expression that would be on his face. “Were we to see a return of that man, respect would follow.”
Thor had decided to follow Loki’s advice and sought out his friends to gain the rest of the story of what happened. He was pleasantly surprised to be directed to a wing where the warriors had been given their own suites at Loki’s orders. The door opened smoothly, the blond warrior on the other side surprised as to the identity of his visitor.
“Fandral.” Thor held out his arm, fingers extended, in greeting. It was only the slightest of hesitations before the greeting was returned but Thor noted it.
The adventurer nodded with a smile, but it wasn’t the freely given expression of friendship it used to be. “Thor.”
They both let their arms fall to their sides, Thor asking with all sincerity. “How do you fair?”
Fandral tilted his head to invite Thor inward, moving to a long, narrow table that held an assortment of mead and wines. “Quite well. Our king is most generous.”
There were a series of chairs and benches surrounding the extinguished fire place, Hogun and Volstagg already seated. Thor took the offered mead with a nod of thanks as he found his own seat. Nods of greeting to the others were exchanged, he looking over the warriors he had called friends for most of his life.
“How is Asgard? Truly?”
No paranoid or secretive looks were exchanged. There was a tension in the air, but it was partly due to the recent attack. The rest he suspected had to do with his presence. Volstagg was the one who replied from his seat. “Surprisingly in good hands.”
Thor slowly released the breath he hadn’t even been aware he’d been holding. He knew that Loki had the potential for greatness but he’d been worried all the same. In the right mood, Loki was brilliant and his leadership flawless. In the wrong mood…
“Then he is holding the mantle properly.”
Hogun lifted the mug in his hand slightly as if to toast in agreement with Thor. Fandral took his time sitting down and sighing before speaking quietly, not quite looking at Thor. “Far be it for me to say anything negative concerning your departed father so I will say…Asgard has been waiting a long time for someone like your brother.”
He hadn’t gone directly to his friends. He’d decided to look around, to see things for himself. He’d been to the Hall of the Dead to see his parent’s names etched in stone. He’d been to the private gardens to see the memorials that Loki had erected in their memory. It wasn’t the same and he felt heart sore by missing his father’s ceremony as he was sure Loki felt for their mother. Still, he did find a bit of peace in seeing them.
But he’d also looked beyond the palace. There was no remaining damage caused by the dark elves. Even with the fire damage he could see the difference in the structures, but it was the people he’d noticed the most drastic change. Men had their heads held higher. Women weren’t hovering over their children. There was a wariness, but he knew if he’d come here on a better day he would have been pleased by what he saw. “He has done all of this in less than a year?”
“Six month in truth.” Thor gave Volstagg a surprised look. “This wasn’t a good day for you to come back. Not that we do not welcome your aid. You missed an Asgard restored.”
Thor still felt a pang of hurt but knew there wasn’t anything he could do with his regret. The past was as it was, he could only move forward at this point. So his thoughts shifted to Sif’s rather cool reception and even the subdued reactions of the men around him. “Why do I feel Sif is angry with me?”
Fandral’s mustache twitched as he grimaced. The other men all studied their mead but he decided to answer the thunderer. “Probably because she is angry with you.”
Confusion crossed Thor’s face, his blue eyes hiding a twinge of pain. “Why? I was gone less than a year. We’ve gone on journeys longer than this.”
“You know how women are-…”
Hogun interrupted the younger man. “Tell him the truth, Fandral. Tell him the anger stems from his abandoning us for a mortal world.”
Thor studied his mead, brow furrowed as he tried to justify himself. “They were in need of my aid.”
“So were we.”
That paused Thor, his mouth slowly forming a grim line. Hogun was not a vocal man and even when he chose to speak, rarely was there much inflection in his voice. But he heard the passionate flicker in the grim warrior’s tone. “Tell me what happened, my friends.”
Sif pushed open the door and strode in, standing tall and letting the door slam behind her. She’d heard everything and was certainly ready to share her opinion. “Are you certain you wish to know?”
Thor stood up at Sif’s entrance, his mead on the table. Now he crossed his arms over his chest and nodded slowly. “Aye.”
Sif didn’t veer her gaze from Thor, raising a halting hand slightly in Fandral’s direction when the warrior rose to get her a drink. “Your father succumbed less than two weeks after your departure from Asgard.” There was a hint of sorrow to her tone, regret in her eyes. “In front of us, court, and your brother he passed on to Valhalla and had Loki not been there Asgard would have no king.” Now a growl wove through her words as the possible horrors were spoken aloud. “The commoners would have rebelled, the warriors would have retaliated as the nobles scrambled to find a suitable candidate. The realm would have been thrown into civil war. Do you truly believe we could have survived that? Asgard would have torn itself apart while you went back to flirting with your mortal whore.”
Thor stiffened with a jerk, snarling at such a slander aimed at Jane Foster. “Mind your tongue-…”
Sif interrupted him heatedly and perversely relished in saying this. “I will not. I never have and I never will. My king has given me full leave to speak freely and I shall exercise that allowance to its fullest.”
He snarled at her, “You are not speaking to Loki.”
She retorted sharply, “You are right. I am not and his authority supersedes your own.” Thor’s jaw slowly clenched but he didn’t interrupt her in return. Instead he listened. “You left us while we had barely begun to pick up the pieces. Our defenses were damaged, not to mention the injured and the dead. Loki fixed matters. Not even days into his ascension and he organized restoration. Aid. Temporary shelter and food for those in need. The guards were assessed and those that had held their positions for too long were given honorable leave. He has done more to strengthen Asgard’s might in one year than your father did in a millennia.”
The other warriors widened their eyes that Sif would dare to openly give her criticism to a king, dead or otherwise, voice. She certainly didn’t look regretful in speaking her mind, still standing tall and leaning slightly forward as she glared at Thor.
Thor listened to everything she said, but there was more and he knew whatever it was, was a personal matter to her. “And what of you, Sif? What is your grievance?”
Her dark eyes flashed. “Is that not enough?”
“More than just this vexes you.”
Storming the distance between them, both of her fists clenched and her arms shaking in an effort to restrain herself from punching him as she yelled, “We followed you! We risked our honor and our lives so that you could smuggle your mortal out and then you left us to pick up the pieces.”
“You understood--…”
Sif cut him off quickly, “We were not hired soldiers, we were your friends. You owed us more than to leave us to our fate.” Thor blinked, hearing the tense of her words. Were friends. But she wasn’t through. “Heimdall was thrown in the dungeons, a sentence Loki was gracious enough to rescind. We, all of us, could have been branded as traitors and executed. Or banished.”
Thor spoke softly, “If you had been banished to Midgard I would have come for you.”
Which certainly didn’t reassure her if the sentence had been death. “How can I truly believe that when you didn’t even maintain the bonds of friendship on Asgard?” Thor flinched ever so slightly. That one hurt. “You have no idea how much it galls me to admit that Loki has seen more to our wellbeing than you have this past year.”
The thunderer took his time before saying anything. He remembered this side of Sif. She was a naturally outspoken woman, but in certain circumstances she was very defensive. It was that she was so defensive of Loki that seemed almost out of character. Then the reason occurred to him and he couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face. “Thank you, Sif.” Sif blinked in surprise but could detect no deception in Thor’s tone. A second later she felt shock that she was even searching for it. Thor continued on, oblivious to her inner thoughts as he turned his attention to the others. “Thank you all for being his friends.”
Sif kept her jaw tightened stubbornly. “I do not embrace friendship with him for you.”
His smile couldn’t help but grow, pleased. “I know.” Then he sobered before admitting to them, “And I admit that my priorities have not been where they should be and for that you all have my sincerest apologies.”
A wry grin twisted Fandral’s lips as he moved back to the bar and pulled out a tray. None of them were ready to extend the hand of friendship so quickly. But they were warriors of Asgard. They could be civil to one another in light of the current circumstances. A few moments later he returned and claimed a bench as he laid out more drinks for everyone else. “I believe your brother considers us his minions, little more.” Chuckles were exchanged, Sif loosening up enough to claim a tankard for herself.
Thor just continued to smile and chose not to respond as he picked up his own mead. Loki was not a patient man but he was shrewd. Giving them guest quarters in the palace made sense. It kept them in easy reach while he was accomplishing repairs. But Loki had not only utilized their skills to restore Asgard but invited them to live here in permanent suites. Whether it was said or not these were people his brother considered friends.
Once they all sat back down Volstagg glanced at Sif and asked the important question. “Have we more grievances to air?”
She sighed forcefully. Protecting Asgard was more important than bruised emotions. “Not that cannot be delayed until after this threat to Asgard is resolved.”
“Then to the important question: are we to go to war?”
Thor was the one who answered with a slight nod. “I believe it is so. We merely have to find the coward who attacks us from afar.”
“Assuming that is agreeable with the war council.” It wasn’t the way that Sif had spoken, it was the grim reactions of the others that caught his attention. Not everyone had accepted Loki ascension with grace and the warriors of the war council made up the majority of the dissention. So Thor listened as the true state of Asgard was revealed to him.
Loki barely even glanced behind him as he heard Anya fussing over something. After a thousand years her presence in his chambers during certain times of day had become expected background noise. The fact that these were his new quarters and not his childhood rooms made little difference.
But today was different. The time was becoming critical and Asgard’s end an assurity. If there was one reason not to let this realm crumble, it was her. He turned to regard her as she took a light rag to a surface that didn’t require dusting. “If I told you to do something, would you do so?”
She didn’t even glance at him, answering him honestly. “Of course.”
He slowly lifted a single eyebrow as he asked, “Even if my request was to do something ridiculous? Something unheard of?”
Now she glanced up and paused in her work. “You have but to ask, sire.”
He glared at her mildly but she didn’t look apologetic for using a term to respect his rank. He had been insisting for centuries that he didn’t want her using formal addresses around him. It was an insistence she had yet to agree to. “What if I were to order you to Alfheim?”
She folded her hand in front of her. It was completely unheard of. Commoners without distinction didn’t travel to the other realms. They could be promoted to a different status or accompany their lord/lady in a domestic capacity. But they didn’t travel on their own, which was what he was proposing. She pondered his question for a moment, before responding with sincerity, “I would ask what you would need me to do while I was there.”
“…why?” She frowned ever so slightly at his question but he seemed completely mystified. But he also didn’t hesitate to complete the thought. “Why would you follow me so…blindly?”
She made a scoffing noise and went over to nudge one of his books back into place on the shelf. “I am not blind, I am simply returning the trust granted to me.”
“What trust?”
After a moment she turned. “When you were little, it was rare that you allowed anyone to hold you. Only your mother and I were allowed to do so without restriction.”
The current expression on his face required no translation. It seemed to scream ‘idiot’. “So because of the whims of an infant you will trust the decisions I make as a man and a king?”
She waved a hand around his room. “Even as you grew you still chose me to continue to service your rooms. Not even you father--…”
“He is NOT my father!” It was quite the undignified roar and it instantly silenced her.
If she was surprised at the vehemence of his reaction it didn’t last long because understanding soon crept over her face. “I gather by your anger that you discovered this, as opposed to being told.”
Loki felt his stomach drop. “You knew??”
She shrugged her shoulders the tiniest bit. “When you were quite young if the room was too cold you turned Jötunn blue.” She watched him pale an instant before he flushed red and his eyes sparked with the power of his magic as his ire grew. She calmly explained, knowing he perceived her silence as a betrayal, “I was forbidden to make mention of it by both the king and queen. A servant does not have the luxury of direct defiance…unless they do not wish to remain living.”
He turned so his back was to her. He couldn’t even look at her, nor understand how she could look at him with anything other than disgust. “Your king is a monster and you would still follow his commands?”
An angry look crossed her face before she stormed the distance between them. He heard her and backed up a step reflexively. She stopped suddenly at his retreat and though she wanted to reach out and shake him she clenched her fists to resist in impulse. “You are not a monster.” For the first time she realized just how vulnerable he looked. It was as if all the barriers between them had been torn down and she was looking at a lost, wounded boy instead of a man. She softened her voice and spoke with finality. “You’re. Not. I would not obey the slightest whim of a monster.”
He shook his head, adamant, “It’s what I am.”
Anya really felt like rolling her eyes. She didn’t but the impulse was strong. “Being a monster isn’t a birthright…it’s a choice.”
“You don’t know what I’m capable of.”
He looked so doubtful she lost complete control over her temper and her tongue. “Your mother—yes she was! Stop being an imbecile.” His mouth had parted to deny that fact but he snapped it shut again. “Your mother would never raise nor love a monster. She was a beautiful person, an honorable warrior, and she loved you dearly. You were her pride and joy from the beginning.” She smiled slightly. “If I were to say that I perceived you to be her favorite it would not be a lie.”
He hunched a little. “And what of Odin? He raised a Jötunn pet to make his first born appear better before the eyes of Asgard in comparison. Or to raise me to assume kingship over Jötunheim…I’ve yet to decide which is more likely.”
Now Anya rolled her eyes and made a big enough production of it that she saw his lips twitch. “If he did so and settled when your brother failed to assume the throne then that’s his loss. It’s no reflection of your worth but of his capacity as a…fool…” Anya grimaced as if suddenly remembering herself.
But Loki reacted better than she’d hoped. He took one look at her face, her words still echoing in his head, and burst out laughing. It was a far too short-lived reaction but it broke the serious atmosphere that had settled around them. He also noted the surprise that crossed her face. “I’ve told you for centuries, I prefer you to speak your mind.”
“Perhaps someday I will do so.”
Loki sighed softly. “Perhaps one day I will not see myself as the monster I believe I am.” He pulled himself together, his tone effecting an official air to it. “I will be traveling to Muspelheim soon. You will accompany us to the Bi-Frost to travel to Alfheim.”
She curtseyed, but there was no denying the excitement in her eyes. “Your will.” He ever so slightly wrinkled his nose at her.
Author's Notes:
The holidays are all over with so I thought a little treat was in order. Not true Thor bashing but certainly a good slap upside the head.
Next:
The case of the missing message; The war council