fossilised | I come from a land of ice and snow

I come from a land of ice and snow

Asgard sat atop the branches of Yggdrasil since time began, and little had changed in their society in the years since. Each Asgardian was long-lived into the millennia, their lands were fertile, their people brave and strong. They had their vassals, their allies, and their enemies. Yet even those who opposed them respected the might of the Golden Dias, and the royalty who sat upon it. Currently that was Odin Borson, though he grew weary more easily now and had begun to consider passing the throne to his eldest son.

He had been blessed with many children, but only two that he considered worthy of his lineage and status. His firstborn, Thor, strong and honourable and everything an Asgardian warrior should be. His second son, Loki, was not natural born, though none knew that but his wife. He was different, a creature of magic and mayhem, of sharp intelligence. Both were worthy, but together they would take Asgard to a new prosperity, he was certain of it.

Midgard, where the mortals dwelt, was a land raided every few centuries for stock. It was seen as a breeding ground, much like a corral for cattle. Mortals were lesser, short-lived and weak, they were fit only as slaves. The last raid had taken place when Loki had been but a baby, nearly a thousand years ago, but the mortals that had been taken had been bred and cared for so that a healthy slave population still thrived. Slaves were given a weakened mixture of Idunn's crop with their food, to extend their natural lives to at least a few centuries in order to make them worth the effort to train. They had no rights, but they were taught well that this was their natural position.

All slave children were raised in a central pen and taught the same when small, those that then displayed talent at cooking, riding, hunting, housework, artisan skills, or singing were then measured off to be specially trained for higher masters. Every five years those who could afford to buy a slave, or those of high enough status to simply demand them, came to the corral and chose. Those who were chosen were special, were envied, and those who were not ended up working the fields out in the far reaches of Asgard, the most menial of work.

Anthony and Steven had been friends since they were little and being raised in the large pens together. Both had excelled, Anthony at crafting and Steven at warrior's skills, but neither were chosen when they were five, nor ten, nor even fifteen. Now, at twenty, it was their final chance to be chosen before they would be assigned to one of the meanest farmers beyond the borders of the great capital. Steven woke Anthony as the dawn rose, mingled excitement and nerves on his face.

"Anthony! Wake up, I've got news! I heard the overseer talking to one of the passing guards, and Princes Thor and Loki are coming to the corral today."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She was threatening to tell his mother?

Something universal across all species and all worlds was the desire of boys to not be told on to their mothers, no matter how old they got. Though it would be better if Frigga found out the truth of this situation because she would likely help him to keep Anthony, she knew how important the slave had become to him, than the All-Father would if he were the one to be called on.

"Such base threats only prove your low character."

It felt wrong to even say this to any iteration of Frigga, his mother was the wisest and most moral person he knew.

"If you will not deal with me and the rightful consequences of your actions, then do as you will, I have no interest in your petty machinations."

Frigga nodded gravely, though Loki could not see her do so. “Allow me to offer one small word. You above most have the potential for grate ness and yet you walk along the razor’s edge. One way, you may step into the light and be a boon and a blessing for yourself and your people. But if you are not careful, you may tumble into the abyss and into ruin. You must take care, you must learn to swallow your pride and not be proved by petty slights. Only then will you become the great man I have glimpsed in this small meeting.”

She did not wait for a reply and dropped the portal, though Loki would feel the tugging of her magic against his, following the line of it from his heart to the core of the tree of life from where he had been born.

Frigga turned towards the girl beside her and affectionately touched her cheek. “My words would do well for you to heed too, daughter. There is much chaos in you. Should you ever feel yourself starting to tumble, know you may come to me, always, and I will guide you back to your path.”

She stepped away after that and from her heart shot forth golden and emerald strands of seidr towards a massive gaping wound of a slash in the fabric of reality. Frigga’s skin turned translucent and her eyes filled with countless stars.

“Frigga, All-Mother. It is I, It is you. I seek with you an audience.”

Loki already felt an affection for the All-Mother that was clearly from the bonds of seidr that seemed to slot into place with one another when they had first met, but she had no illusion that she was anywhere near the level that she was. She was a master of her craft and much older than Loki, perhaps she would be there in a few millennia, but now she was only a novice to watch on with wide eyes as Frigga channelled to another reality with seemingly no effort at all.

It was not hard for Frigga to get in contact with herself.

She had been watching her sons with a troubled heart. She would have liked to have kept them close and out of trouble, but past were the days when she could swaddle them both and stop them making those mistakes. She just hoped they didn't make too many that they couldn't come back to her.

"I am relieved to hear from you, though it makes my heart heavy that it has become necessary. An audience is yours, is mine, for however long you wish it."

“Thank you,” Frigga said, her voice strong despite the monumental effort it took for her to make this connection. She was not showing off for Loki, but using this as a teaching experience. “I have not come to speak with you in passing judgement, but rather to discuss a way in which we might seal our Realms from one another. There has been much talk of sickness from our young, which is understandable as none have come to know yet the differences of each plane in the working of Yggdrasil.”

Neither plane was wrong. Neither was evil. Their ways were simply their ways and each and every one had a place to live. The tree was about balance and there could be no balance without perfect opposition.

“When your sons and their property have returned to your plane, I hold hope that you will conclude the spell I will prepare at the end of this commune. It pains me to shut doors between realities when there is much to learn and share, but this may be wise to keep our husbands from demanding retribution for the foils of our dear children.”

"It is of the utmost importance that our planes be severed from one another," she replied with firm agreement. Though it was sad to cut off all possible contact from anywhere, this was one of those times where it was necessary. Their philosophies in life were simply too different to allow for the trade of information, it would only lead to war and ruin for them both. "My sons have overstayed their welcome and should be returned at once, and then I will conclude the spell set in motion."

At least having that to do would give her the time she needed to think on how to handle her youngest son and her husband. There could be rough seas ahead for the two of them and she wished to mitigate all she could.

"I will prepare to pull them both through, the time has passed for us to wait on their choice to return home."

“Thank you for the pleasant, if far too brief audience,” Frigga said, and though she could not be seen, she pressed her fist to her heart and bowed just a little. She never saw herself as an example. She had made many mistakes in her lifetime but she had learned much from Orin’s mother and hoped to pass this on to Loki. One did not need to comprise herself to be a good mother and queen if one thought like the title proclaimed.

Mother to all.

She took a step back as the portal closed and her skin returned to a normal and healthy peach. Her cheeks flushed as she patted her skirts and held her hand out for Loki to draw her towards the window.

“I will need you assistance with this portion of the spell. It will take great effort to close the seams. Are you willing to help?” She already knew the answer and so they began.

Only a few moments later, Thor found himself tumbled up in his tent in the courtyard of the palace, Steven grunting to cut his way out of the canopy that enclosed them both. “What sorcery is this?!” he shouted, sending slaves scurrying away from his fury.

Loki and Anthony also found themselves in the middle of the courtyard, the bright morning sunlight harsh after the cold of Jotunheim. He did not do anything so undignified as struggle with his tent, he just cut his way free with a cold and vicious fury. He had been betrayed, he had been whipped away by a spell regardless of his desire to stay and take vengeance, as though he had been nothing more than a babe having a tantrum about a favoured toy.

He grasped Anthony's arm none too gently and hauled him up too, giving him half a push towards the palace proper.

"Go. Run. Discover what madness has befallen us and return, I must deal with my brother."

He stalked over to the other tent and began to cut Thor free, fire blazing behind his eyes and tone one of shaking anger. "Cease this shouting, it makes you look the fool, do you not recognise your own home when you see it?"

Run Anthony did, arm bruised from Loki’s less than careful way with him, though it healed before he was in the shadow of the doorway. His feet, wrapped in boots that had not been meant for a winter campaign, and hastily thrown on now, squeaked on the polished floors. There was only one person whom he trusted his gossip from, and that was Bruce.

Of course, not even the All-Fatherms favoured slave could know the heart of the queen as she was working in secret to most. Only her own slaves knew the breadth of what was happening within her chambers and they were among the most loyal in all the palace.

Thor, however, snapped away the blade his brother held and cast it down deep into the soil so it would be difficult to fetch again. He was tired of his brother making slight of his intellect and he pushed him down into the grass as well.

“I know our home but I know not who brought us here! I was to meet once more with the princess for instruction. What have you done!?” Everything terrible that had befallen them lately was by Loki’s hand. And Thor had finally had enough of it.

As skilled as Loki could be with a shortblade and as dexterous as he was, he was no match for his brother in the physical realm. He was easily knocked onto his back and pinned, though he snarled up at Thor for the ignominy of doing this where others could see. People already disrespected him, if they saw him handled like a child then they would be even worse.

"I have done nothing, you knew my intent was to stay, why would I bring us back here? This is the work of our mother, her seidr is strong in the air."

It was humiliating to be tugged back like babies crawling towards a precipice.

"Allow me to my feet! I will not be shamed this way in front of all."

"--my prince?" That was Volstagg off to one side, looking incredibly awkward about interrupting. "The All-Father wishes to speak with you in private counsel." Thor only, not Loki.

“You promised me that you would return!” Thor bellowed, spittle flying from his lower lip. “You promised you would abide by my desire—. I am through completely with your lies, Loki! If you feel shame, that is your own doing.” He grunted at this red headed friendly and stalked off, leaving Steven behind to clean up. He did not need his slave to speak with his father, though he felt no desire to keep whatever they discussed private.

He was much too angry st the moment to wonder or worry anyway.

The halls of the palace echoed with each footstep and Thor stalked into the room his father tended to have his personal audiences in without mind for impudence. He did not take a knee, he merely stood in his armour and regalia, cross look never leaving his face.

“Father?”

He knew this would likely not go well. They had done a terrible and stupid thing. Thor ought to have known better. He ought to have kept his brother from this foolishness.

Odin felt tired.

He loved both of his sons, no matter what his youngest might think of him, and he had done his best to prepare both of them for their lives ahead. It seemed as if he had failed on both counts. Here stood his eldest son, a man in his prime, yet with the surly look of a chastised youth on his face and disrespect in his posture. And outside was his youngest, a man fallen to chaos for the slave he owned, and now unable to be separated from it without the wounds festering.

"The year you spent on my seat prepared you for much, but it seems you still have many lessons to learn. The All-Father cannot be swayed to foolish action, especially ones that might bring war, by the honeyed words of people he loves."

Even he ignored Frigga's counsel at times, for he had to do what he knew was best.

"You disappoint me greatly, my son."

Thor was stunned, colour touching his cheeks. “I—. Know. You know it wrong, Father,” Thor said, his posture changing though he still stood proudly. He did not question his his father knew of the last few days. Odin had forbade them for going after the slaves lost to the Midgardians for a month before Loki took it upon himself to go anyway and Thor had gone with to assist. He knew it was wrong but he had done it just the same.

Just like he had immediately gone to follow Loki to chase the magic user that had tried so hard to trick them, once their dead were buried.

Thor understood why Odin was disappointed but he wanted to plead his case just the same. “Loki can not be allowed to do things on his own, you know this. His mind was unclear and his desire for retribution was great. He believes himself ridiculed despite the success he had with the raid. He hears slights at the end of every tongue. This was important to him. He wished to reclaim his go out and I do not believe that a foolish pursuit! I was there to reign him in. I was attempting to negotiate for a way to pluck the diseased fruit from the branch of Yggdrasil! How does this disappoint you?!”

Bruce was present, and so was the slave that had been seeking him. Anthony looked furious at Thor’s words. Loki loved his brother and to be so shamed this way—. He felt a hand lightly upon his and Anthony struggled to hold his emotion back.

He knew he was part of the problem. He knew any twitch could get him dismissed or killed. There was a reason Odin had not ushered him out.

Odin glanced to the side, noting that the two slaves were still in attendance, and waved his hand to encase them in a shield of silence. A small magic, one he was capable of. Anthony was a part of the problem, and he would be dealt with in time, but he wished to speak to his son in private. He had matters to say to him that he did not trust the gossiping tongues of slaves not to wag about.

Only then did he fix his one steely eye on Thor once again, demanding explanation for his egotistical decisions, and not the excuses that he currently felt he needed to spout.

"If you believed that Loki needed reigning in and that his mind had become so unstable, why did you not come to your mother or I and explain his malady? A King asks for help in issues he is not well suited to, and you have made this worse by pandering to his delusions and driving a rift between the both of you."

“He is my brother. He was shamed by his capture on Jotunheim already. How could I again come to you to have this new burden he bears removed?” Thor did not want to risk Loki hating him. It was truly just that simple.

He was an older brother. He had responsibility for Loki.

“I have not always done best by him. I have not always been kind. But he is my brother. He is my blood even if I know we share none. I handled him, Father. There will be no war. As wrong as those people are, as well we might defeat them, I know the price to be too high. Do not punish me for love.”

There were perhaps better words to have said there.

And herein lay the issue. Odin did not want to punish his children for acts of love, they were to be encouraged and his heart was glad that his sons loved one another, but as a King he must punish acts of disobedience that could lead to war.

"I do not punish you for love, but for disobeying the word of the All-Father and throwing our realm into the shadow of war. It will not be a severe punishment, for your motives were good and your mother has informed me of your wisdom in dealing with the Jotnar princess. Tell me, do you believe that to be unjust?"

If he did, then he was immature enough that Odin feared for the kingdom. He needed the answer to this question before he could move on, before he could lay a heavier burden on Thor's shoulders in a few moments if he proved himself mature enough to think like a king and not just a brother.

Thor did feel as if this was unjust. Not the premise, but the target. He had done none of these things. The moment he realized that this could start conflict greater than he was willing to handle, he had backed off, he tried to get themselves out of the situation. He did not quite understand that his father was asking him to take responsibility of another and that his time as ruler would require this daily. Not in the way Odin expected st least.

But Thor was willing to take responsibility for the crimes now to spare his brother. So he puffed up his chest, and nodded.

“For my part in assisting with this foolish task, and for not seeing how detrimental it could turn out to be, aye, Father. I will agree. Punishment is warranted. I love Asgard. I respect the throne and the burden of rule. I know you can not always act as my father when you are father to us all. I nearly allowed ruin to come upon us.”

He said this tight lipped, angry and not complicit. He would indeed take punishment but not entirely for the right reason.

It was not ideal, Thor still had much to learn, but it was better than an outright refusal and so he nodded. His voice stayed firm, but it was no longer harsh with anger, and he sat back on his throne a little further.

"Remember, Thor, that as All-Father you will have responsibility for all who serve beneath you. If they seek out a fight in a foreign land, it is you who will bear that punishment. For your punishment, you will work in the kitchens for one month as if you were the lowliest of their servants."

Not a slave, that would be a punishment far too far, but he could teach humility by putting him under the few free servants who worked there.

"Now, tell me, not as a brother but as a future King. What would you do about Loki?"

Thor popped an eyebrow. A servsnt? For a month? He could butcher and clean a month’s worth of food in a day and roast it all in two. This seemed more like an amusement, like he was being wagered a task. He straightened up, the corner of his mouth lifting. Thor was not like Loki. Loki would take this as an insult but Thor? He would use this as a challenge. For better or for worse, he would certainly learn a great deal in the bowels of the castle.

Hopefully.

A snap of Odin’s fingers stripped him or armour and removed use of Mjolnir, though Thor did not yet know it. His strength would be greatly diminished, though Odin had not stripped his very nature from him. His punishment would still be realitively easy.

His smirk faded when he regarded his father. This was not an easy question. The answer was even more difficult.

“I do not wish to say.”

“Thor,” Odin presses, his good eye gleaming. Thor looked more uncomfortable.

“I believe he must have his personal slave taken from him. But I also believe that would be a mistake. My brother... is unstable at times. Chaotic, as mother calls him.”

"Then if you cannot remove the slave and cannot allow him to remain, tell me what your solution would be."

Odin had possible solutions laid out for him, but all of them came with pitfalls and none were paths he wanted to walk. He could take the slave and have him sold or killed, but this would likely turn Loki against him for good and tip him properly down the path of ruin that Frigga had seen in his future. A path paved with blood for all involved. He could leave the slave with him and do naught, but that may also lead to ruin. His son loved this slave in ways a slave should not be loved, and time might see him try to do something foolish like attempt to free and wed him. Such disgrace could not be allowed. He could strip Loki of his magic so that he would not pose a threat, but such a punishment would be needlessly cruel. Frigga had advocated, even, for a tricky spell to give him a second chance at life, to turn back the clock and make him young once more. To allow him to keep his slave, but with a relationship that could never be sexual or inappropriate again. He was reluctant to do this, it seemed as if he feared to fail a second time, and such a spell could only be performed once.

He wished to see what Thor would say.

“Give him purpose. Give him an ability to make for himself something great. His slave is his friend. He does not even see me in the light of friendship and only brings up our bond to manipulate. He rules well. His cull was perfection, all agree. Send him somewhere on a task that will take the full lifespan of his slave to complete. He will be better for it when he returns.”

Thor always thought in terms of task. He himself needed to be kept busy. A year of rule on the throne had shaped him away from loving his slave as totally as he had loved Steven. The affection was still there, as was the desire, but the love had run its course, or at least allowed Thor to understand slave versus potential mate.

He doubted a year of separation would do that for Loki, however.

"No purpose I could give him would not be seen as an insult. He would perceive it as being sent away from his home, he would make issue where he was sent, and he would insist on bringing his slave with him."

Which would be unacceptable. Not because they couldn't take their slaves places, that was far from the truth because they were expected to have their slaves in attendance, but because then it would spread his shame to other realms and other peoples.

"Tell me what purpose you believe would fit, that would require him to leave his slave for good without issue?"

Thor hadn’t thought that Loki would have to leave Anthony. If he went far away from Yggdrasil and all of her Realms, none need know him. There were other corners of the universe that did not abide by their rules. Thor knew it because Frigga often rewarded Loki with trips to those places when Odin brought Thor in campaign. It made Thor long to see them but he knew his place was here. And battle was fun enough to take his mind from it.

“You should not remove his slave from him. But he can keep his slave here and be trusted. Can he not be sent to another plane for a few hundred years?”

Thor immediately regretted saying that and was quick to do away with his words.

“Or perhaps have him wed? A consort will take the place of a slave easily, should it be the right one.”

At least Thor did away with his words quickly, for that was the cruellest of plans. If he sent Loki away to a different plane, he would surely see that as being sent away in disgrace. Out of the sight and influence of Yggdrasil, who knows what he would end up falling into over the next few decades? No, he needed to stay close at home.

"Now you are thinking desperately and not like a king. We do not force consorts on our children here, we are not barbarians. You will choose your own consort, as I chose mine, as Loki may choose his."

But an appropriate one, of course.

Frigga had told him that this other Loki she had seen was betrothed by force to the Thor there, it was abhorrent to him, much as slaves were to them.

“Then I know not the proper course of action,” Thor said, frustrated to the point where his teeth clicked together. He nearly had to pry his jaw apart with his fingers to keep from breaking his teeth with the force of his jaw. “If He were not my brother, I would have the slave disposed of and the offender flogged in front of the kingdom as is proper. But he is my brother and he is a powerful sorcerer and i know anything short of being left as is will ruin him.”

He left where he stood to get a cup of wine, always delighting in the All-Father’s drink as it was always carefully filtered against the bitter dregs served with meals.

“So what is the answer that will allow him to remain my brother and cause no harm?”

"I do not know."

That was an important lesson for Thor to learn, that even the All-Father did not always have all the answers. Sometimes there would come a situation to which there was no right path, to which every decision would lead to ruin, and yet he would still have to choose a path and stick to it with resolve.

"I am of the mind to place this decision on your shoulders, to teach you that judgement may have to be passed at any time on those you love as well as those you do not, and your leniency or harsh punishment may both lead to different wrongs. But I will tell you the counsel that I have received so that you may make your decision with all of the information that I possess."

This was a harsh thing to put on Thor's shoulders, but sometimes harsh lessons were needed as well as kind ones.

"My chief adviser has told me to kill the slave and deal with rebellion harshly, perhaps by the nature of imprisonment, banishment, or the removal of magic. My second adviser believes we should allow things to remain as they are and trust to Loki's intelligence to not bring disrepute to his name. My fifth adviser believes his instability has crossed too far and his magic must be removed now. My wife believes his insanity has taken hold, but there may be hope if he is allowed to live and grow again by the grace of a spell provided but once from the Norns. Each of these paths may lead to different ills and different gains, or you may find a new path, but the decision is yours."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject