Frigga personally led me through the castle; it wasn't a particularly long walk, while my throne room was located deep within my own castle. Odin, however, had clearly designed this differently. If it was even Odin who did it, it could have been his father, I guess.
Still, whoever did it clearly wanted it to be easy for people to see him in his throne room.
Behind another great set of doors, a great hall greeted me, and it was indeed a great hall.
One could fit a small house in here, and still have plenty of room to spare. Clearly, this room was meant for more than sitting on the throne and talking with a handful of people. This place was one meant for feasts.
Here, the king of gods could host the greatest of feasts for his people; here, they could gather to eat and drink, sing and dance. All under the watchful eye of their king.
However, it wasn't Odin who sat upon the throne; no, it was Loki, he sat there dressed in his finest, with great horns on his head and Gungnir in his hand.
Though despite how powerful the spear was, the hand holding it couldn't bring out its full brilliance, making my Rhongomyniad appear superior. Which it was.
I had no doubt about that.
Gungnir was powerful, but its essence fell far short of Rhongomyniad, a pillar of the world, connecting the two sides to one another. Power was one thing, but essence was what truly mattered.
Loki likely couldn't see such things, I suspected only Odin could.
As I crossed the great hall, Loki straightened his back and raised his head, trying to make himself look as regal as possible.
Frigga overtook me and moved with surprising speed as she took a position next to the throne. "Welcome, Arthuria Pendragon, Goddess of Midgard, to the hall of Asgard, from where the Nine Realms are ruled with justice and fairness." She greeted me.
She knew her son well and knew that he might start posturing excessively if given the chance, so she took charge and moved things along a bit faster. "You come with concerns that Midgard and Odin's treasures might be targeted by a dark hand. This is indeed serious enough to earn you an audience with the Lord Regent while the All-father rests."
"Indeed," I said, stepping forward, my eyes on Loki. "I came seeking answers, and perhaps reassurance, though I already fear what truth I may find."
Loki smiled faintly, though it was a smile without warmth. "Then allow me to reassure you, dear Arthuria," he said, his tone honeyed. "Midgard is quite safe, all of the Nine Realms are under my protection, and honestly, with you there, who could threaten it?"
I stopped a few paces short of the throne, Rhongomyniad resting lightly in my hand. "You flatter me, Loki," I said evenly. "But flattery won't change the fact that something stirs on Midgard. Explosions. Shadows. Odin's treasures being used. And Asgard's authority being ignored."
Loki tilted his head, his expression calm but his eyes sharp, calculating. "Ignored?" he repeated. He couldn't allow anyone to ignore Asgard; to take them lightly was to take him lightly. To not fear Asgard was to claim that he, Loki Odinson, wasn't worth fearing, that an Asgard under him was nothing.
I could see his hand tighten around Gungnir; clearly, he was taking my words to heart. His pride not allowing anyone to slight him.
Despite my actions having changed his fate, Loki was still Loki. Someone who wanted nothing more than to prove himself worthy. And now, something was threatening everything he had built since assuming the throne.
He descended the steps with slow, measured grace, the light glinting off Gungnir as it tapped once against the floor. "You speak of Odin's treasures. Which one, exactly?"
"Long ago, Odin hid a treasure on Midgard, away from anyone who might seek it, try to steal it. He hid it somewhere none could hope to use it — Midgard. But ages have passed, and humanity found it. They used it, and drew attention to themselves. The treasure is a cube of energy, the tool with which the Bifrost was made."
My words drew a gasp from Frigga. Her composure cracked for only a heartbeat, but even that was telling. "The Tesseract," she whispered, her voice soft yet filled with dread. "Odin said it was sealed — buried where no hand could reach it."
"It was," I said. "But time has a way of unearthing things best forgotten. Humanity found it decades ago, and now it is being used again. It has drawn the eye of something vast and cruel."
Loki's expression hardened. He might not know what the Tesseract was, but from his mother's words and tone, it was clearly important. A treasure of Asgard, and it seemed someone sought to steal it from under his nose!
Anger rose in his heart, Gungnir almost shaking in response to it. "Who, who dares sneak past Heimdal, who dares attack a realm under my protection, and who dares steal what belongs to Asgard?"
"Thanos," I answered simply.
The name hung in the air like a blade drawn halfway from its sheath.
Loki froze, the fury in his expression faltering as recognition, and something more profound, took its place. "That name," he said slowly, his voice quieter now, but far colder. "I have heard it whispered in the dark between realms. A warlord, a conqueror, a being who treats worlds as stepping stones."
Frigga's eyes lowered slightly. "The Mad Titan," she said. "A cruel madman who burns worlds and slaughters people in the name of saving them. If he has come for Midgard, I fear there is little that realm can do to stop him. His forces are endless and his power great."
I nodded at her words; they made it much easier to explain things to Loki. "Indeed, though he still fears Asgard enough to not attack on his own. He uses tricks to attack, his agents moving in the shadows to slaughter the people of Midgard and steal your treasures."
Loki's grip on Gungnir tightened until the runes along its shaft flared with pale blue light. "Agents," he muttered, his voice sharp. "Then he hides behind servants like a coward."
"He does," I said. "Mad the titan might be, but he dares not earn Asgard's full attention, at least not unless he knows for sure the All-father won't act."
Loki's eyes flickered, the faintest hint of unease buried beneath his anger. "Then he mistakes rest for weakness," he said, pride and anger in his voice. "The All-Father sleeps, yes, but Asgard does not. I will see to that."
Frigga inclined her head slightly, her voice calm but firm. "Do not underestimate the cunning of those who serve such a creature, my son. Thanos does not send brutes alone — he sends whispers. Lies wrapped in truth. If the Tesseract has already been touched, its echo will spread far beyond Midgard."
Loki turned away, the golden light of the hall catching along the curve of his horns. "Before the might of Asgard, all tricks and lies are meaningless, not to mention that Asgard isn't led by a brute. Any tricks I can see through."
Loki's arrogance was showing, but it wasn't a bad thing. Thanos might be powerful, but without any infinity stones, he wasn't that dangerous. Even with the space and mind stone, his power was somewhat limited. Sure, he could escape, but it wouldn't let him dominate the cosmos.
I decided to take advantage of that. "Loki, this is indeed good timing. You have already prepared the army of Asgard, and while the intended target was Jotunheim, it wouldn't be hard to move them to Midgard to defend it, showing everyone that Asgard remains strong and able to protect the Nine Realms."
Loki's grin flickered, then sharpened into something almost dangerous. He walked a slow circle around the dais, Gungnir tapping the marble like a metronome. "You propose we march an army across the Bifröst," he said, more statement than question. "Very dramatic, Arthuria."
"Since it is clear that those like this mad titan don't fear Asgard without Odin on the throne, perhaps something dramatic will be just what the universe needs to see that Asgard is more than just Odin himself." I said, stoking the flames of ambition within Loki.
Loki stopped mid-stride, and for a brief moment, I could see the spark in his eyes shift from irritation to intrigue. His ego had taken the bait.
"More than Odin himself…" he repeated softly, his fingers brushing along Gungnir's shaft. The weapon hummed faintly, reacting to his swelling confidence. "You speak dangerous words, Arthuria, but I find I like them."
Frigga's gaze narrowed slightly. She was a sharp woman and saw through my intentions, which meant we now had to align our intentions without Loki figuring it out. He might be clever, but he was blind to his mother's more devious side.
I looked into her eyes, and we had a wordless conversation.
"I think we should have Heimdal confirm these things before we do anything else, after all, the army can be ready in a short amount of time. So there shouldn't be an issue." She finally said, buying a bit of time.
Loki turned slightly toward her.
Yet Frigga was quick to continue, "It wouldn't look well for Asgard to overreact if this is a matter for Midgard, at least not without giving them a chance to ask for our help."
Loki nodded at that; he was very conscious about his image. To act too eagerly would make him appear weak; to act too late, he would look scared; timing was everything. "Wise words, mother, it wouldn't do to rush, wouldn't you agree, Arthuria?"
"Correct, we aren't in too much of a hurry. Clearly, they are still wary of Asgard and wish to act under the cover of distractions; even the mad Titan cannot destroy Midgard. But the biggest worry is the Tesseract. I would not have such a tool fall into his hands."
Loki rested Gungnir against the marble floor, his fingers tightening along the haft as he considered my words. "No," he said finally. "That would be… unfortunate. If the Tesseract truly is as precious as you two make it sound, it would be a… a glorious deed to return it to Asgard." He said, feeling even more pleased with this situation.
Loki's eyes brightened at the word glorious, hunger and pride twining together like gold threads in a royal banner. "Yes," he said, the word tasting sweet to him. "To return the cube to Asgard, to resecure it under my watch… the realms would remember that."
Frigga's look cut through the daydream. "Only if Midgard asks," she said. "We offer safety, not seizure. If you reach too quickly, the mortals will see a conqueror, not a guardian."
"What is your plan, Lady Arthuria?" Frigga asked. Changing the topic away from Loki's ideas.
"I, too, hope that Heimdal can confirm things, and then, should the worst happen, and the Tesseract be used to summon forth a host of the mad titan, I shall ride into battle and show them the might of Camelot." I admitted.
I didn't want to act too fast; there were too many things I didn't know. I needed to confirm if Thanos truly intended to steal the tesseract and open another wormhole like in Avengers.
It all depended on how much of that had been Loki's own plan, and how much had been the planning of the Other.
Loki leaned lightly on Gungnir. "Then it is decided, we shall watch the mortal world, and act if anyone dares covet what belongs to Asgard!" he smacked Gungnir against the floor, and a hum of power spread out through Asgard.
(End of chapter)
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