"Loki..."
Frigga gazed at Loki with anguish written across her face, her beautiful eyes filled with an indescribably complicated mixture of emotions.
Loki lowered his head even further.
His legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed to his knees. His eyes were tightly shut, and his entire body trembled faintly, yet he could not bring himself to look into his mother's eyes.
"You..."
Frigga's lips moved, but no words came out.
She had already changed out of her magnificent court gown and donned a practical suit of light armor. The sword she had not wielded for hundreds of thousands of years, not since becoming Queen of Asgard, was once again strapped to her back.
After a moment of silence, Frigga ultimately left those words unspoken. Instead, she quietly studied Loki.
All traces of his usual refinement and elegance had vanished. The green robes he always kept immaculate were now covered in dust and blood.
Seeing the guilt and exhaustion etched across her younger son's face, Frigga let out a weary sigh.
"Loki, are you hurt?"
There was none of the condemnation he had expected, nor any hysterical rebuke. Her words sounded more like a regretful sigh. Tangled emotions filled her eyes, veiling their usual clarity beneath a faint mist.
Frigga gently rested a hand on Loki's shoulder. The faint warmth of her palm seeped through the torn fabric and into his skin, yet to Loki, it felt unbearably hot.
She offered neither forgiveness nor punishment. Frigga could not bear to add further reproach while Loki was already drowning in guilt. More importantly, she understood better than anyone that this was not the time to settle accounts.
Her words were as gentle as a spring rain, and Loki felt his nose sting.
"I'm sorry..."
If he had not been so desperate to prove himself, Laufey could never have been lured to Asgard. None of this catastrophe would have happened.
Frigga closed her eyes and drew a deep breath as she watched Loki stand there, lost and broken. In the end, she reached out and helped him back to his feet.
"Now is not the time for remorse. Tell me what is happening outside."
"Outside..."
Loki looked at his mother, so different from the woman he knew, now every inch the valiant warrior. His expression darkened.
"Asgard's warriors have... been completely wiped out."
"What?!"
The news struck Frigga like a bolt from a clear sky. The hand gripping her sword trembled, and disbelief filled her face.
"We had so many exceptional warriors. How could..."
She paused before cautiously asking the question she feared most.
"Then... what about Thor?"
"After my brother regained his divine power, he clashed with Laufey head-on. He lost. Right now... I don't know whether he is alive or dead."
Faced with the hope in Frigga's eyes, Loki turned his head away. He did not dare lie to her.
Clang!
The queen staggered and abruptly drew her sword, driving it into the floor. Only by leaning against it did she manage to remain standing.
"To fall in defense of Asgard is the God of Thunder's glory."
After a moment, Frigga straightened her back once more. Her face revealed neither grief nor joy. Loki studied her closely, but he could find no trace of any other emotion.
"Asgard may fall, but it will never be destroyed. We will always retain the courage to rise again."
"Loki, I want you to tell me everything happening outside, exactly as it is. I need to know what must be done next. You will not exaggerate or conceal a single detail. Can you do that?"
Frigga's rare severity stunned Loki. For a moment, he felt as though he were standing before one of the invincible Valkyries of Asgardian legend.
"All of Asgard has been completely frozen. Nearly all of our finest soldiers have been defeated and sealed inside the ice. They will freeze to death soon."
"The Bifrost has been destroyed. Heimdall used the last of his magic in an attempt to help Thor escape, but he failed. Laufey froze him as well."
"And Thor's friend from Midgard..."
"He suppressed Laufey several times on his own during the battle, but in the end, even he was defeated and... killed."
Loki let out a quiet sigh. Even mentioning Fenris still filled him with a faint sense of dread.
For such a powerful being to emerge from a place like Midgard was extraordinary, but...
From beginning to end, Fenris had barely even looked at him, save for the times he had seemed ready to split Loki apart with a single swing of his axe.
If not for Odin and Thor drawing Fenris's attention toward Asgard, Laufey might never have gotten the chance to kill Loki. Fenris would have finished him first.
"Heimdall as well..."
"Was the Midgardian the man your father blessed?"
"Yes. It was him."
"A brave and fearless warrior. He has earned his place in Valhalla..."
"What about Father? Has he still not awakened?"
Loki rose unsteadily and walked toward the center of the chamber.
Odin lay upon a brilliant golden bed surrounded by carvings of divine beasts. His remaining eye was tightly closed, and he rested in perfect stillness, his breathing calm and even.
A golden barrier of energy covered the bed, protecting Odin from harm.
"Father..."
Loki lowered his head and looked at the once-mighty Odin lying helpless before him. Something deep within his heart seemed to stir, and he could no longer hold back his tears.
They rolled down his cheeks in great, heavy drops.
"Everyone says that even while you sleep, you can still see and hear everything happening around you... Please wake up. Please save Asgard."
"I was wrong. I truly was. I really don't know what to do anymore..."
Drip.
A tear fell upon Odin's forehead, landing on his eyepatch.
Grief filled the chamber, but Odin remained motionless.
"Haa..."
Loki quickly steadied his breathing and forcibly pulled himself free from his emotions.
He wiped the corners of his eyes and seemed to become the eternally elegant and unflappable God of Mischief once more.
"Mother, we have very little time left. We must leave immediately."
Loki swung Gungnir and shattered the thin energy barrier protecting Odin with a single strike. He then lifted Odin onto his shoulders and carried him on his back.
"Loki, what are you doing?"
Frigga was startled and immediately reached out to stop him.
"Asgard is about to fall. Father cannot wake, and we no longer have any chance of victory."
Loki seized Frigga's hand and met her gaze. In his eyes, she clearly saw an unwavering determination.
"We still have a small number of troops stationed along the borders. Our priority must be to escape, wait for Father to awaken, and then gather our strength to reclaim Asgard."
"If we remain here, only death awaits us."
Frigga tightened her grip around the hilt of her sword.
As Odin's wife, she had already prepared herself to die in battle that day, sharing Asgard's fate to the bitter end.
She had imagined every possible calamity. In countless outcomes, Frigga had fallen in battle, but not once had the Queen of Asgard fled.
"You mean we should... abandon Asgard?"
"Run away by ourselves and become homeless fugitives?!"
(End of Chapter)
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