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Chapter Text

Camp Skaldfjord was abuzz with activity. The training was becoming more intense with every passing day. Those who had put their names in for the tournament were filled with an especially potent fervor. Before Thor could truly notice how quickly time was passing, there was only a week left in their training camp. The first rounds of the tournament were to begin the very next day in several of the training rings with the various captains there to judge and notate who was the winner of the bouts. Though the tournament battles were open to being watched by the other recruits, Thor didn't think there would be much of a crowd. There was simply still too much going on in preparation for deployment for many people to have the time available to watch hours of battle.

Occasionally, as Thor passed on runs or going from one class to another, he could spot the battles raging. The first round of the tournament was a series of battle royals. Each fight was between twenty or so participants at a time and went until only one was standing. It was a faster way to remove the weaker combatants before launching into one-on-one matches for the semi and final rounds. Since the tournament prize was an honorable, prestigious, one-of-a-kind commission, the number of participants was most of the camp.

Thor wished there was more time to check in with his friends, but most of them were in different training groups than he and Loki, so there wasn't often time. It felt like every minute of the day was accounted for by training of some sort. At most, they could sometimes eat meals together, but they weren't given much leeway to chat. Thor could only hope that they were doing as well as he anticipated.

One night, Thor woke with a start and frowned at the familiar shape of his brother leaning over him. "Loki? What time is it?" he asked. Waking Thor in the middle of the night was getting to be an unfortunate habit of Loki's.

"Nearly two hours past. Tyr's been asleep for about an hour and a half from what I can tell," Loki said. "So get up and get dressed. Something dark." Thor blamed the fact that he'd just woken up for why he just stared for a minute. "Thor, let's go!"

"Are we going to sneak into Tyr's tent?" Thor asked even as Loki pulled him up by the arm.

"Of course. How else do you expect us to be in the same battalion? Luck?" Loki asked.

"When you said you had a plan, I was thinking it was going to be more advanced than just sneaking into our brother's tent in the middle of the night," Thor said. He didn't have many dark garments, but he did have a few items that should serve well enough for late-night escapades.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Why complicate things?" Loki was dressed all in a very dark green and black. Thor had to settle for the darkest brown pants he owned and a winter shirt he'd never actually worn before but was the only color other than white he had. It would be a bit hot, especially with a heavy cloak on over top, but it was essentially the only option he had. And he wouldn't be wearing it for very long anyway.

Loki's hands glowed green, and he performed a complicated gesture. Thor shivered as the strange tingle of magic swept across his senses. He wondered if it was anything like how other people felt static but couldn't be sure. It usually took a few million volts before Thor noticed most electricity. His brother's seidr washed from his head down to his feet in a wave before hitting the ground and dispersing. "What did that do?" he asked as the light quickly faded.

"It will muffle sound and help others to not notice you," Loki said. "I use it all the time. Should last about an hour or so."

"... why do you need a spell that encourages others to not notice you?"

Loki raised an eyebrow. "How else do you think I play all my pranks on people?"

"Hadn't thought about it much, to be honest."

Loki sighed as if he was heavily put upon. "The things I put up with. Bring up some clouds, would you?"

"Clouds."

"To block out the moonlight, yes," Loki said as if it were terribly obvious. Thor supposed it probably was to people not just pulled out of bed ten minutes prior. "I was trying to time this for when it was just naturally cloudy, but we're running short on time, and it doesn't look like we'll get that lucky. But, not that big a problem when my dear brother can just make clouds when I need them."

"Oh, I'm your 'dear brother' now, am I?"

Loki rolled his eyes. "You know very well you are. Don't do rain, by the way. Easier to leave tracks if everything's muddy. Just the clouds."

"I'm not an idiot, Loki," Thor said as he closed his eyes to concentrate. Luckily, weather of pretty much all types boiled down to a few key factors. And most of those things could be manipulated by affecting the temperature. Thor supposed he should thank his Grandmother for how easily he found it to cool large areas. Thor dropped the air temperature up above so that the water vapor in the sky condensed into thick clouds.

When he thought the cover was impenetrable enough for their task but wasn't about to pour rain, Thor opened his eyes. "Happy?"

Loki peered out through the front of the tent and up at the clouds. "It'll do. Come on."

The two of them made their way through the sea of tents carefully and silently. Tyr's tent was larger than most and arranged near the center of the camp. It was even set up on a wooden platform that had been quickly constructed. Tyr's personal flag was flying up above his tent as well as the banner of Asgard.

Loki guided them around any fires that were still burning and was quick to change their path to avoid anyone who was patrolling through the camp. If nobody saw them, nobody would be able to say they were doing anything wrong. Not that they were doing anything that bad, really.

As they got closer to Tyr's tent, the number of people up and walking around increased. Thor caught Loki by the arm and guided him down behind a small stack of boxes. "Hold on a minute, Loki." He closed his eyes again and focused. Holding his hand out, he dropped the temperature around them until the water droplets in the air started to condense.

Fog rolled across the ground and quickly started to thicken. "Have you been watching my practice with ice seidr, Thor?" Loki asked quietly. "You're getting very good with your temperature control."

"Maybe I have," Thor said. He couldn't help but smirk a little and cracked an eye to look at Loki. "I figured I might not be able to make ice cover my hand, but I've always been able to make air cold. Just never tried to do it outside of making lightning storms."

"I'm impressed."

"Glad you approve, brother."

The fog became thicker and thicker at Thor's urging, but there was only so much humidity in the air for him to manipulate. If he went too cold, he'd form ice or freezing drizzle, and that would not help them go by unnoticed. "I think that's as thick as I can make it," Thor said after a minute.

"Alright, let's go," Loki said as he stepped out from behind their cover. "Keep close. We don't want to lose each other."

The brothers didn't have much trouble dodging patrols or anyone else as they continued through the camp -especially with the soup-like fog covering the area. Thor wondered if he would be questioned about the odd weather tonight. He quickly decided that a story about disturbing dreams would serve as a cover story. It would hardly be the first time his dreams had caused unusual weather patterns. Typically the result was raging storms, but there had been a particularly memorable span when he was three hundred when it began to snow in the middle of summer. It all melted quickly, of course, but he still heard about it even all these centuries later.

Loki's spell proved its worth when their boots on the wooden step up to Tyr's tent made no more sound than stocking feet on a rug would. Thor glanced around and saw no guards. Or, at the very least, there was nobody near enough in the fog to clearly see. So, the brothers slipped in, and Thor carefully lowered the flap back down so that it wouldn't swing and create eddies in the fog.

Tyr's bed was slightly off to the right side of the tent. Their brother's armor was on a stand at the foot of his cot, along with a chest filled with neatly packed clothes. A writing desk was shoved to the left back corner of the room. Loki glanced at Tyr, who was soundly sleeping, before starting to make his way over to the desk. Thor decided it would be best if he kept an eye out and lingered near the entrance.

There was a strange tickle near Thor's left ear, and then he heard Loki's voice like a whisper, «Keep an eye out.»

Thor couldn't quite help but rub his ear against his shoulder. He could feel on some level that he wasn't fully aware of, that the link between him and Loki was left open so that he could respond. It was different from when Jormungundr spoke to him all that time ago on the beach of Midgard. There the snake had been projecting his mental voice like shouting into the void. Here, the communication spell was like opening one of those radio channels the Midgardians used. That meant Thor could speak back without his voice. «That feels so strange... Like you're whispering against my brain.» It had been a while since Thor and Loki had used this method of communication. Loki hadn't seemed willing to do it for centuries before Thor's coronation. Thor had never thought to ask why but now he had a feeling it had been yet another sign of things to come that he'd ignored.

«Oh, you'll be fine. This is better than whispering and waking up Tyr. And you know he would,» Loki said as he cautiously flipped through papers.

«I'm not debating that. But that doesn't mean it doesn't feel weird.» Thor peered out between the flaps of the tent. «How hard is it going to be to switch our appointments?»

«Not very hard. Mostly it will be just switching a few papers around. That would be more subtle and harder to prove than trying to forge Tyr's handwriting and physically change our spots but nobody else's. This way, it'll just look like a few things got misplaced or shuffled, and we accidentally happened to end up in the same battalion. Who can blame anyone for such a simple, understandable mistake?»

Thor glanced over at where Loki was as quiet as possible with his rummaging. «Won't they investigate?»

«Investigate what, exactly?» Loki asked. He moved a few more papers around when he apparently didn't find what he was looking for. «Who got a few sheets of parchments mixed into the wrong pile? That's far too easy to do at so many different times there's no point in trying to figure out where exactly it happened.»

Well, when he put it like that, it did seem like a difficult endeavor with little reward for the trouble. There was a loud huff from Tyr's bed, and both younger sons of Odin froze. Thor looked over, but Tyr only shifted under his blanket before settling again. «This is nerve-wracking,» Thor said.

«It's not that bad. Don't be a baby.»

«I'm not a baby. You just need to hurry up.»

Even though Thor wasn't facing Loki, he could feel the eye roll that was directed his way. «Don't you roll your eyes at me, little brother.»

«Can't prove I did.»

«I know you.»

«Oh, shut up. I'm trying to find our names in a very long list of people here.»

Thor glanced over his shoulder to see Loki's eyes dimly glowing a golden color as he went through the various pages of parchment. «Why are your eyes glowing?»

«It's a basic spell to see in the dark. Now hush.»

Thor didn't even realize that Loki knew a spell like that, although he probably should have. It did seem terribly useful. Though Asgardian eyes (and Jotnar eyes, for that matter) were better than Midgardians, the dark was still a problem. Thor wondered what other little tricks Loki had tucked away that he'd never shared. Maybe he should get a list together.

After another few minutes of rummaging around, Loki carefully stacked all the papers into the neat piles he found them in. «There. That should do. Nobody should notice until weeks from now, and by then, it'll be too late to bother fixing.»

«Then let's go before someone catches us.»

Loki silently crossed the room and, though Tyr shifted again, they slipped out without any incident. It was easier to sneak back to where their tents were situated than it had been to get to Tyr's. The number of people only became fewer as they left the center of the camp. Thor allowed the fog and clouds to disperse after they reached the safety of his tent. "I'd call that the successful execution of a flawless plan," Loki said as he brushed his sleeve.

"I still think calling it a 'plan' is a little bit of an oversell, brother," Thor said as he stripped out of his cloak and the thick winter tunic he'd worn. "All you did was switch around some papers. I don't even think you really needed me for this."

"I might not have needed you there, but it never hurts to have a lookout," Loki said. "And someone to blame should you get caught."

Thor tossed his pillow at Loki's head. "I love you too, brother."

"My goodness, so harsh," Loki said as he ran his hand over his hair to put it back in place. "If it makes you feel better, I doubt someone would seriously blame you over me for doing something sneaky."

"I can be sneaky."

"You can, but you never are," Loki said.

Thor would have protested that further but then decided it was pointless. He was careful with his image, after all, so it shouldn't be a surprise. He deliberately kept the idea of 'sneaky and underhanded' far away from himself. Future leaders shouldn't be thought of in those sorts of terms. Besides, as King Loki would no doubt attest, being known for being full of crafty tricks and guile would make it harder to implement those same skills. If everyone expected you to slip away to achieve your own goals, it would make it harder to actually do. Because they would all be watching you for that exact thing.

"Have you been watching the preliminary bouts at all?" Loki asked.

"Haven't had the time. You?"

Loki shook his head. "No point until they've narrowed down the prospects considerably."

"I think Tyr already has some favorites."

"Oh good. I hope none of them win. They'll be just as boring and overprotective as he is," Loki said as he folded his arms across his chest.

"As a bodyguard, that would be their job, Loki."

Loki made a face. "Still say I don't need one. Especially now that we'll be closer together. You'll keep me safe."

Loki had said that with a bit of a teasing tone, but Thor couldn't help himself from taking his words very seriously. "With my life, brother." Loki's playful smirk fell into something more somber.

"Now, why'd you have to go and get all serious on me? Honestly, Thor. I was only joking. Don't go and get your fool self hurt on my account," Loki said.

"I know you were joking. I wasn't."

Loki reached over and smacked Thor's shoulder. "Well, stop that! I don't need a dead brother."

"Nor do I."

Loki looked mildly flummoxed on how to answer, so he just said a hasty goodnight and left the tent. Thor was probably too proud of himself for getting the last word in for once, but he couldn't help it. Thor fell back into bed and gripped his pillow tightly, it was late, and days started early in camp Skaldfjord.

The following day, Thor and Loki were called to Tyr's tent. Thor was immediately worried that their actions had been discovered, and they were about to get an unpleasant disciplinary action. He really didn't want to muck out stalls or run around the camp a dozen or more times. Loki was the very picture of innocence, but Thor noticed that his right hand's fingers were fidgeting slightly where it was resting behind his back. One of the few tells that Loki had that he was worried about being caught doing something.

However, when they arrived, Thor was relieved to see that it was nothing so dramatic. Their armor had simply been delivered along with a choice of different accessories, including helmets. Thor barely glanced at the selection in front of him before grabbing his customary feathered headgear from the table. "Nice feathers," Loki said.

"Feathers are a classic," Thor said as he put his helmet on his head. He turned his head to either side to show off. "See? It's very noble."

"Oh yes, it doesn't look at all like a bird slammed into the back of your head," Loki said as he looked over the table of different options. Thor rolled his eyes and looked between the different red cloaks he could pick from. Finally, Loki reached out and took hold of a familiar golden helmet with long swooping horns. He considered it for several minutes before putting it on. "How's this?"

Thor imagined that Loki was probably expecting some joke. And the impulse was definitely there. He wanted nothing more than to fall into familiar banter and say it made him look like a cow even though it was explicitly untrue. But something about seeing Loki in that helmet after so long was abruptly and overwhelmingly nostalgic. Thor just couldn't do it. "It suits you."

"Really?"

Thor nodded. "Yes." The horns were attention-getting and perhaps a little ostentatious, but that was Loki. For all his skill at subterfuge and taste for the elegant, he was as much a show-off as he accused Thor of being.

Loki looked down at the table where the remaining helmets still sat. "... Father has horns on his helmet," Loki said softly.

Thor was a little taken aback by that. While he was well aware that Odin's helmet had horns, he hadn't ever realized that might have played a part in why Loki chose to adorn his armor with the same type of symbol. "It does," Thor said. "He'll be proud to see you carrying on the tradition." After all, their grandfather had also worn horns into battle.

Loki cleared his throat and went to where his armor was waiting for him on a stand just to the right. "Yes, well, someone has to if you're going to go with feathers of all things."

"At least I won't look like a cow," Thor said, utterly unable to resist this time.

Loki made an offended noise and tossed a wad of nearby paper at Thor's head. "Rude." Thor blocked it with his arm and a chuckle before reaching for his own commission.

The two of them quickly got dressed and allowed the helpers to come in and make any last-minute adjustments. Even a slight pinch when moving could end up being a massive problem later on, so they had to double and triple check the fit of everything. Luckily the smiths of Asgard knew how to make armor, so the most that had to be adjusted was minor. Such as the length of straps or shaving down an edge here or there.

With the final fitting taken care of, Loki and Thor left the command tent. "Since we have a rare moment, I need to talk with you," Loki said. "In my tent, come on."

Thor was grabbed by the arm and dragged through the rows until they reached Loki's tent. Thor was practically pushed inside, and then Loki went rummaging through his things. "What's this about?" Thor asked curiously.

"The messaging enchantment is just about ready," Loki said. "I need your help with the next bit, however."

"Oh, alright." Loki could have just said.

Loki brought out a pendant carved from wood and polished to a high sheen. The wood itself was the rune for travel and message, and Loki had carved further runes into the surface before painting them with some sort of golden substance. "Channel your seidr into it, Thor," Loki instructed.

"Alright. Luckily it's wood..." Wood was very resistant to electricity after all. With Thor's still admittedly shaky grasp of more advanced seidr techniques, the possibility of destruction was always rather high.

Thor closed his eyes and focused on the piece of wood in his hand. "Just keep going," Loki said before laying his own hands over the top of Thor's. Thor felt the chill of Loki's own seidr ripple across his hand and flowed into the pendant while Loki murmured something under his breath. "Alright," Loki said after a minute.

When Thor opened his eyes, he didn't see any obvious change to the pendant except that the wood's grain stood out a little more. Almost like the surface had been scorched. "Once more," Loki said as he pulled out another wooden pendant. The second was nearly identical to the first but not exactly. The smaller runes were different.

After repeating the process with the matching token, Loki handed the first one back to Thor. "To use it, just hold it in your fist and think of me."

"How far should it be able to reach?"

Loki tilted his head to the side and seemed to think. "I don't think more than ten miles, but for our purposes, that should be plenty."

Thor put the necklace on beside the protection amulet his mother had given him and tucked it under his shirt. "More than enough. Everything will be fine now that we'll be able to keep in touch with one another. Promise me you'll call if you need my help, Loki."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Thor, I'm not that much younger than you."

"But you are. You're my little brother, and you will call me if you need my help on the battlefield," Thor insisted.

"Yes, yes, of course. I wouldn't have bothered making this communication enchantment if I didn't intend on using it," Loki said.

Thor narrowed his eyes. "... and don't just use it for mischief like to wake me up in the middle of the night and pester me nonstop."

Loki put a hand to his chest. "Brother! I am hurt at such a horrid accusation. Why I would never!"

This time Thor rolled his eyes. "Oh, yes, you are an innocent babe who would never think to do such a thing. Truly I have wronged you, brother. My deepest apologies," he said with as much sarcasm as he could muster.

Loki sniffed. "I suppose I forgive you. Even though you are so cruel to me."

Just then, the bell signalling the hour rang, and Thor cringed. "Ah. We're supposed to be in class, aren't we?"

"Yes," Loki said with an equally unhappy face. "I imagine we'll be running laps around the fjord again for being late..." Thor groaned, but if they delayed much longer, they would only have to do something even worse.

Chapter Text

Thor looked up from where he was fixing a leather strap on his pack when Loki came in to flop down beside him. Taking up the near entirety of Thor's cot in the process. "You're back. Is the tournament done?" Thor asked. Seeing how the entire contest was to find a bodyguard for Loki, he'd been allowed to attend the finals as a spectator. He'd not been excited to witness it so much as felt himself obligated (something he lamented to Thor for hours the night prior) and had been gone all day. "What's wrong?" Loki had a strange expression on his face. "Did someone you didn't like win?"

"I'm just... surprised about who won," Loki said. "I'm glad now that I didn't bet on the outcome."

"Why? Who won?" Thor asked as he braided several strips of leather into one thick strap.

"Volstagg."

Thor looked up. "Volstagg? I didn't even realize he was in the finals," Thor said. He'd known, of course, that Volstagg had been participating, but then nearly everyone had tried to win the commission.

"Me neither, and then he's throwing Elof the Berserker into a water trough because he outweighs the man by about half," Loki said. "They've started calling him the 'Lion of Asgard' because of the roar he gave when he threw Elof out of the ring. And he's enjoying the new name, of course."

"Well, it sounds like an impressive feat," Thor said. Before, Volstagg had given himself that name (along with many others with varying degrees of seriousness), although Thor had been of the opinion 'Lion' had always fit rather well. Especially with his wild mane of fiery hair.

"It was... I just... I wasn't anticipating Volstagg would make it to the final round, much less win it," Loki said.

"He's been a guard for decades," Thor said. "Surely, he has some skill behind him. Else he'd have been reassigned by this point."

"Yes, but Volstagg wasn't a captain or anything like that. I would have thought if he was so talented, he'd have increased his own rank at some point."

"Well, I suppose you can ask him why he hasn't advanced his rank before this later. Skill isn't the only defining factor in such things," Thor said as he tugged on the leather strips to tighten the braid. "After all, you will be spending a bit of time with him from now on."

Loki suddenly looked stricken. "I shall starve."

"I'll smuggle you some cakes when he isn't looking, brother," Thor said.

"Oh, Thor! You do care!"

"More than you can possibly understand."

"So solemn," Loki said. There was a pause, and then Loki reached over to brush his fingers over the leather in Thor's hands. The strips seemed to sparkle with green static before braiding themselves into one tight strap.

"Thank you," Thor said. "But I have a feeling you did that because you want my full attention for something? What's the matter, Loki?"

There was a long moment of silence before Loki sighed and pushed himself fully upright. "... we are deployed the day after tomorrow." Thor nodded, not entirely sure yet what was bothering Loki. He hadn't seemed this apprehensive during the other reality. Then again, even at that point, Loki seemed to have been hiding quite a lot.

"Are we... are we sure this war is ours to fight?" Loki asked. Before Thor could really think about the question, Loki rushed to continue. "I mean, I know we have a duty to honor our alliance with Vanaheim. But, Alfheim is supposed to be protected by Vanaheim, so... by that logic, shouldn't we also have a duty to protect Alfheim? And yet we're here to fight the Alfr for Vanaheim..."

Thor frowned and thought about that for a moment. "It is complicated. I'm not sure I can say anything that will really allay your fears."

"It's not fear," Loki said with a bit of petulance.

"Worries then," Thor said. "We will have to simply do the best we can and hope that this is ended quickly with as little loss of life as possible."

Loki frowned. "I don't like it."

"I don't think anyone 'likes' it. This would be a much more enjoyable war if it were with invaders and not within the Nine itself," Thor said. "Then we could band together. Be united and sure of our convictions."

"Could we?" Loki asked. Thor blinked, not quite sure what part Loki was questioning. "Could we be sure of our convictions? Nothing is permanent. Not even our own thoughts and ideals. Look at our own Grandfather. Bor established Valkyries and then later decided women should not fight at all and banished all the women he himself had empowered. Father is the one that brought the order back, not Bor."

"That's a little different. Whether you feel women belong on a battlefield is a separate issue to the cause of defending your home from danger," Thor said.

Loki shrugged with one shoulder and pulled some fibers out of Thor's blanket. "Yes, but... what is the danger often changes. Some would say that I am a danger to defend Asgard from..."

"Those people are idiots who do not know you but cling to old grudges," Thor said.

"Is that not what this war is? Old grudges bearing bloody fruit?"

Thor thought about that for a long minute. "Perhaps... perhaps you have a point. But, it's not our place to question things like that."

Loki gave a wry smile. "As the ones that are going to fight and kill and possibly die... I think it is most definitely our place to question the why of it. Whether or not it is truly necessary. And, you will be King one day. So, these are things you will have to think about."

And, well, Thor couldn't really think up much of an argument against that. Although it did not do much to solve the crux of the problem either. The conflict of fighting people under one's own rule (even if it was not direct governance) and supporting one's allies and families was not easily dealt with.

Three days after they left camp, the 28th Battalion was settled in the woods of Ydalir in Alfheim. The forest was filled with large yew trees and an abundance of game. Boglina was a long lake at the foot of the mountains that curved around the Eastern edge of the forest and teemed with fish and waterfowl. The mountains had a few mines that produced a steady stream of various ores. Ydalir's wealth of resources needed to be protected, especially as the forest was located only a few days' march from an Alfr city that had already had rioting.

There was a pass through the mountains that the 28th fortified. There were other ways to get into the forest -most notably the Western side, which was nothing but forest and fields- but the pass was a major travel route. Watchtowers were erected to monitor the lesser-used trails through the mountains, but an entire company was focused on the East Peak pass. The three other companies were separated into their own camp sections and assigned their own areas to defend. With the chaos of establishing the camp along a fairly large area, Thor and Loki managed almost a whole week before Tyr called them both into the command tent.

Tyr looked less than happy as he stood in front of them with his arms folded. "Care to tell me when you two did this?" he asked.

Loki's face was a picture of pure, innocent confusion. "Did what, brother?"

"Loki, I know for a fact you were assigned to the 25th Battalion. So what, exactly, are you doing here with the 28th?" Tyr asked.

"Merely following the orders that were handed to me," he said.

"You aren't fooling me, you little brat," Tyr said with a frown. "There is a reason you two were to be sent to different fronts."

"A stupid reason," Loki said. "I am not in any greater or lesser danger here versus there. Both are battlefields, and both shall see casualties. There is no guarantee no matter where I am."

"A single poor battle could nearly wipe out an entire Battalion, and then the throne itself will be without an heir," Tyr said. "The law is to prevent such an occurrence."

Loki folded his arms over his chest. "With you planning the battles here, that seems a highly improbable outcome," he said.

Tyr's face was turning a bit red, from frustration or anger or perhaps both; Thor couldn't tell. "We can all of us protect each other this way," Thor said. "Who better to protect one's brother than... well, one's self? After all, the whole reason for all that tournament fuss was because you couldn't be on two battlefields at once to protect us both, right, Tyr?"

"You two think you're clever, but you're not," Tyr said. "I'll be writing to father about this, and I'll be arranging for you to go where you were meant to be, Loki."

Loki made a face. "It seems an awful waste of precious resources just to ferry me from one place to another. Perhaps you should just let it be."

"Perhaps you two need to remember who's in charge of this army!" Tyr snapped. "Both of you are on latrine duty until I straighten this out." Thor couldn't help the grimace. Dealing with the latrines long enough to use them was bad enough. Maintaining them was definitely going to make him gag. Tyr saw his reaction and seemed less than moved. "Maybe you'll think about this next time you try to circumvent the laws we are all governed by. Being Princes doesn't mean you just get to ignore the ones you don't like!"

Loki was surprisingly at ease when they left the command tent. Tyr had ranted at them a bit longer about the importance of the law and obeying orders on battlefields, but Thor had honestly tuned most of it out. Judging by Loki's look at the time, so had he. Loki was very good at pretending to listen while being scolded. "Why are you so chipper? We have to deal with latrines for the foreseeable future."

"Exactly. The foreseeable future," Loki said. "It's a disgusting task, but, at least, he's not putting me on a skiff tomorrow. This means he probably can't for whatever reason. If things get busy around here, we might not get a chance to be separated."

"... and we'll be cleaning used latrines or digging new ones."

Loki did make a face at the reminder. "Yes... that is the downside. Better than stable duty, though..."

"You're biased about that," Thor said. His brother, Thor was certain, would take any punishment over dealing with the stables and the horses they housed.

"Yes, and?"

Thor shook his head and split from Loki to return to his own tent. Loki had to go deal with something or the other and meet back up with Volstagg, who took his new job of protecting the second Prince of Asgard quite seriously. And he wasn't the only one. Everyone seemed to be taking Thor and Loki's safety more seriously than Thor remembered from his first life. Perhaps it was a side effect of them remembering that Loki had been kidnapped this time where before Loki had already wiped all of Asgard's memory of the incident. It was harder to say nothing terrible would happen when something already had, after all.

The camp settled in over the course of several weeks. About two months had passed when a scout reported that a force was approaching Boglina from the West. That side was reinforced, but then they were left to wait. They had the better position and plenty of resources. It was time for the first battle of the 28th Battalion. Thor had been trying his best to not think about this moment, even as he knew it was inevitable.

The different companies were arranged in blocks and lines at the top of one of the rolling hills on the Western side of Boglina. The woods were to their back and the mountains beyond them. The hill the army had planted themselves upon wasn't more than a dozen feet of a rise, but it would give the Asgardian forces a better field of view. Thor was on the front row of his company and towards the middle of the formation. So he could see the rows of opposing soldiers forming across the plain, several hundreds of yards from where Asgards forces were positioned.

Thor felt the tension in the air building like one of his storms, but he refused to give that sensation any of his power. He would control himself. A storm would not help this battle right now. «How many do you reckon that force is?» Loki's voice whispered against his mind. Thor knew his brother was somewhere on the Northern side of the formation but was too far to see. Thor did a quick count of flags on the opposing side of the field. Ten different banners were flying in the opposing forces.

«Ten flags, ten companies. Alfr companies range from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and fifty men. So, at best, we are facing a thousand and two hundred swords. At worst, fifteen hundred.»

«So, even at best, we are outnumbered.»

«Yes. But numbers aren't everything.»

«Very true. Don't do anything stupid, Thor.»

«You either, Loki.»

Thor watched as Tyr left the safety of the line to descend the hill. He was in his more functional armor than what he wore to court. The golden and silver metal had been polished to a high sheen. His helm had a particularly hefty kambr made of gold and flowed seamlessly into a snarling wolf down his nose. His cape fanned out across the rump of his horse, Sinir, and a soldier marched beside him with a single pike held aloft. Tyr's personal flag and the golden flag of Asgard were both on the wooden shaft and were flapping in the breeze. Tyr came to a stop about halfway across the open field between the two forces. "This land is under the governance and protection of Asgard! By order of Odin Allfather, leave immediately if you value your lives!"

From the enemy ranks, a female Alfr rode forward on her own mount. Her nearly golden skin had been decorated with crisply painted black geometric lines that seemed to flow over her armor as well. "We will not leave, Tyr Odinson! Nor do we acknowledge Odin Borson's claim as ruler of all the Nine Realms! This is not Asgard; you have no right to claim these lands!"

"If you do not leave, we will be forced to bloodshed. Do you really want such a thing?"

"We are willing to die for our freedom," she answered without hesitation. Thor looked out across her troops, and they all wore the same look of steely determination. He wasn't particularly surprised by that. The war was just starting, and morale always started high.

Tyr inclined his head. "Then we shall give you the good and noble death you seek," he said before turning his horse and making his way back to the Asgardian side of the field. The lady Alfr squared her shoulders and held her head high as she too wheeled her mount around and rode back.

«Well, we knew there wasn't likely a way to talk our way out of this,» Loki said in Thor's mind.

«Indeed not.»

Tyr retook his spot at the front of the formation and nodded to the warrior beside him. The sound of the battle horn echoed across the plains, and Thor took Mjolnir from his belt. Shouts and roars went up among the Asgardian forces as the Berserkers among them activated their staves and allowed their rage to consume them. Other weapons were unsheathed and prepared as the last note of the horn faded into the far distance. Thor reached up with his free hand to clutch the pendant Loki had enchanted. «If you need me, Loki, call to me. I will keep you safe.»

«I can keep myself safe.»

Thor didn't have a chance to respond to that as, in an instant, war was unleashed.

Arrows of multicolored light and bolts of energy flew through the air from both sides. Some smashed and shattered against armor or shields, while others found softer targets. Thor found himself rushing forward with the rest of his company. It felt like he only ran three steps before he was there. He smashed a sword into fragments with Mjolnir. The backswing sent the Alfr flying into the distance.

Thor ducked and blocked and sent opponents flying. He didn't dare throw his hammer. There was too high a chance of hitting an ally. The Alfr were quickly noticing how he sent their comrades smashing into each other. An arrow of shimmering red came from further in the constantly churning mass. Thor brought Mjolnir up, and the arrow the light had wreathed splintered and flew into the air.

Mjolnir sung as he swung her into heads and chest. Arms snapped when his opponents tried to block his hits. Blood spattered across Thor's face. An Asgardian near him had his throat cut out, and the pure force sent the man spinning to the ground where he didn't get back up.

Thor ducked under a spear and smashed his next opponent in the ribs. The crackling noise as the entire cage collapsed seemed too loud. Alfr blood joined the Asgardian portion, but Thor had to block a sword coming at him and didn't have time to wipe it off.

A blast of purple energy filled the air, and Thor felt the ends of his hair curl and smolder. Emerald green light washed across Thor, chasing the purple away. «Careful!» Loki admonished. Thor paused for just a second, but he couldn't see his brother amongst the crowd. Not even the long curl of his horns was enough to pinpoint wherever he was.

Thor would have looked a little longer, but he spotted an Asgardian about to be impaled and jumped forward. Mjolnir snapped the Alfr's neck. Thor grabbed the Asgardian from where he had stumbled over a body and fallen and hauled him back up. "Things are a bit chaotic," the man, who only looked a few decades older than Thor, said.

"I do believe war always is," Thor said as he kicked the leg out of an enemy that tried to get back up. "Watch yourself!"

The soldier nodded and shifted his grip on his sword before diving into a fight with a mace-wielding Alfr. Thor whipped around to smash a man's helmet in, having heard his war cry approaching. The screams of men fighting and dying were a constant white noise, and hot blood spurted into the air. Limbs went flying, and swords shattered. Armor was broken, and the ground soon grew unstable as it was covered with bodies.

Thor felt his arm beginning to throb, but he pushed through. Though he had been trained to fight, he rarely swung his hammer all day long. However, he would not allow himself to flag, no matter how tired his arm got.

Thor caught a glimpse of an amber flash and looked to the side to see Tyr cutting through a large swath of people. The sword he held in his hand was the source of the amber light. It was like a massive shard of glass that glowed like a beacon. The core of the sword was red, much like Tyr's eyes had become. Tyr swung the massive sword, and an Alfr who had been rushing forward was cleaved in half at the waist. It was like watching heated blade slice butter.

An enemy roared and came at Thor. He quickly dodged the axe that was trying to split his skull and swung around. Mjolnir broke the Alfr's back and sent him tumbling to the ground with a cry of pain. Thor followed through with a heavy hit to the head. It smashed across the already bloody ground in a spurt of gore. Thor spun around to face the next enemy trying to kill him.

There was a flash of dark red, and a bolt of pure power sizzled past Thor's ear. He wasn't sure if it was from a foe or friend and didn't have time to track the source to find out. A small group of Alfr was just in front of him, being a difficult and well-defended knot. Thor roared and took the risk to throw Mjolnir at the group of them. Lightning trailed behind his hammer and found plenty of metal to connect with. The screams of soldiers being electrocuted mixed with the heavy clap of Mjolnir smashing into the first target and continuing to go well past. Thor called her back even as he ran forward. As soon as Mjolnir was again in his hand, he swung around to break through a shield. The Alfr screamed as his arm broke along with the shield, and he was sent flying backwards.

«Careful with the lightning. I saw it from over here,» Loki said.

«Where are you?»

«Gah! About fifty yards to your left. There's a mage causing problems!»

Thor turned and saw the flashes of light that tended to accompany mage battles. Before he could do or say anything, there was a flash of green. Then, there was a genuinely heart-stopping scream. «And now he is not.»

«Just be careful, Brother.»

«I'm fine! My bodyguard is being annoyingly competent.»

Thor snorted but turned his attention to his own part of the battlefield. He moved forward to meet another group of Alfr that were clashing with Asgardian forces. Thor felt a stinging pain across his arm and glanced down for just a second to realize he had a slice across his bicep. He turned in time to see an Alfr flinging a dagger at him. Thor dodged to the side and ran to cover the distance.

Unfortunately for his newest opponent, Thor had more than a little experience fighting someone wielding daggers, and this man was not as skilled as Loki. Thor ducked and swung his hammer. A blade was coming at his face, and he bent back. Thor kicked and connected with something solid.

Thor righted himself and hefted Mjolnir in an overhead swing at the same time. The Alfr almost got out of the way, but Mjolnir caught his leg. He screamed as his calf bent in the middle under the force. Thor heard the whistle of an arrow and dove to the side. The Alfr wasn't so lucky. His scream abruptly silenced, and Thor looked over to see the arrow sticking out from his chest. Blood bubbled up from the Alfr's mouth as he struggled to breathe.

Thor rolled to his feet and looked for whatever archer had just tried to shoot him in the back. He didn't spot whoever the arrow had come from, but he did see an Alfr with a sword and shield approach. "Fine then. Come on," Thor said as he stepped forward to meet his next opponent.

The battle continued raging, and Thor kept pushing himself further and harder. Blood coated his hands and made it hard to keep hold of Mjolnir at times, but he continued to fight. The sun was slowly sinking towards the horizon line, casting the sky in bloody reds and angry oranges.

Thor occasionally caught glimpses of Tyr through the fray. His fiery sword occasionally changed to axes or maces, but each was a positively devastating weapon. Thor had long since lost count of how many opponents he had killed or maimed with no sign of them stopping any time soon. He forced that thought out of his head and launched himself at yet another soldier. Ducking under the man's axe, Thor cut up with his hammer. The man's head snapped back, and teeth flew through the air.

The Alfr hit the ground, and Thor had to jump over his body to meet yet another that was coming his way. Bones broke, and blood spurted, and it was all a blur. Instinct took over more often than not, and Thor sometimes ended up having to fight out of a group of enemies to return to where his own forces were.

As the light kept slowly changing to darker hues, the two forces slowly moved apart from each other. The injured were dragged back behind their respective lines for healers to tend to. Thor pulled back as well and went searching for his brothers.

Tyr wasn't at all hard to find; in fact, Tyr was the one that found Thor. His eyes were still red, indicating he had not yet relaxed his powers entirely. The enhanced senses of his so-called War Form, no doubt, were the reason he had found Thor so quickly among the crowd. "Thor, there you are. You're injured?"

Thor blinked and then followed his brother's sanguine gaze to his arm. He had entirely forgotten the cut there. The blood had dried in streaks down his skin. "Ah, it's nothing, Tyr. A scratch. Have you seen Loki?"

"I haven't. I was going to ask if you'd seen him," Tyr said. "I saw his seidr several times today, so I know he must have been using rather large spells."

Thor reached up to his pendant and held it tight. He thought of his brother. «Loki? Where are you?»

«I am making sure my so-called bodyguard gets medical attention... the fool went and took an arrow in the arm.»

Thor was mildly concerned but knew that Volstagg had definitely suffered worse wounds than that before. "He is at the healers' tent. Apparently, Volstagg got a minor injury." Tyr looked at the pendant still in Thor's fist with curiosity. "Loki made it so that we could keep in touch on the battlefield."

"I see. I suppose that would be rather useful. For now at least. Less so when I find a new placement for Loki," Tyr said.

"Are you sure it wise to send Loki away whilst we're at the beginning of a large battle like this, brother?" Thor asked. Tyr looked very unimpressed. "I'm just saying... He's quite skilled with spells, and Alfr generally uses more seidr in battles than we do-"

"Go get something to eat and rest, Thor. This battle continues tomorrow."

"Yes, brother."

Thor turned and was several steps away before he heard Tyr call for him. He paused and turned. Tyr looked uneasy. "If you or Loki need me, Thor, for anything, you know where my tent is. Come. Any time." Thor nodded. If he hadn't lived a life full of battle already, he would most likely take Tyr up on that offer. Though Thor still wasn't sure how well he would sleep tonight. It had still been quite some time since so many had died by his hands.

Thor looked down and frowned at the blood stuck under his nails. He would have to find some water and clean up better than he had. But first, he really needed to find Loki and make sure that his brother was not hiding any of his own injuries.

Chapter Text

Sleep was indeed hard to come by. Thor had grown used to battle after an entire lifetime of them already in his memories, which also meant that his mind had plenty of gruesome realities to draw from. He had not participated in an all-out war for some time. Even after the Bifrost was broken and skirmishes kept popping up throughout the Nine Realms, it was not like this. Those had been small battles that he was able to settle with just a few swings of Mjolnir. Some skirmishes had even been ended by him just showing up. And so, while things had been busy, none of the battles were dangerous or noteworthy. But, it seemed that reliving that first battle had also brought back the nightmares he'd long thought left behind.

Then again, even if he hadn't had memories of friends dying alongside enemies, Thor wouldn't have slept much. Because late at night, he became aware something had entered his tent. At first, Thor wasn't sure what had jerked him out of his half slumber to fully awake.

He stayed lying still in his cot and let his senses honed from many battles yet to be fought search for danger. There were no smells to indicate wild beasts or spilled blood, no noises of a thief rummaging through his things, and no breeze of air saying the tent had been cut or left open. But then he risked opening his eyes and spotted a pair of green eyes staring at him from the shadows. "Loki?"

There was a subtle shift of shadows, and a large black skogkatt slipped out from under a writing desk. Thor watched it cross the small space and jump. Halfway through the leap onto Thor's cot, the animal shifted shape, and Loki crawled onto the bed instead. "You're getting quite good at animal shifting," Thor said as he moved to the side for Loki.

"Some animals are easier than others," Loki said. "I think I just understand certain ones better. How did you know I was here?"

Thor shrugged. "Not sure. I just had that feeling I wasn't alone."

Loki grunted and nudged Thor off to the side. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's fine. I wasn't sleeping well anyway." Thor laid back down, and Loki settled in beside him. Really it was too narrow on the cot for both of them to be entirely comfortable, but that wasn't mentioned. Thor wondered what had brought Loki to his tent so late at night but had a feeling that if he asked outright, he wouldn't get much of an answer.

Thor closed his eyes and just relaxed. He had realized (although it took centuries and two lives) that the best way to get his brother to talk was to simply be quiet. Loki would eventually be unable to help himself and start saying what was on his mind. One just needed to give him the opening to do it. Which, admittedly, was probably why it so rarely happened in his first life. Thor also had a need to fill the silence but much less patience in general. So he would start to do so with whatever anecdotes or random asides came to him before his brother would work himself up to speaking.

After perhaps ten or fifteen minutes, Loki sighed and shifted to face Thor. "... brother?"

"Mm?"

"When you... when you killed Svadilfari," Thor immediately felt himself stiffen at that hated name, "how did it feel?"

"I enjoyed killing him," Thor said. "I would kill him a thousand ways and enjoy it each and every time. He hurt you. He is still hurting you. You've not slept without a dagger since that night. You still can't get near horses, and your own son's shapeshifting upsets you. I would gladly kill him each day for the rest of time."

"... I see."

Thor wasn't sure that Loki did. Because, while Svadilfari was the first person Thor had killed in this life, he was undoubtedly not the first-ever. And Svadilfari had done a horrible crime that was deserving of far worse than what he got. "But that wasn't what I felt today," Thor said. "Today was just... I'm not sure," Thor said.

Loki shifted, and Thor saw in the dim light his brother's questioning look. He sighed. "The men we fought today... they did nothing to harm either of us personally. There was no pleasure in killing them."

"You like fighting..."

"I do," Thor agreed. "And you like a good flyting match. But I did not enjoy ending those men's lives, and I know you have regretted saying some insults that were a bit too well aimed for the contest you were in."

Loki was quiet for several moments. "I... I don't know what I feel."

"What do you mean?"

"I... There was an archer aiming at Volstagg's back. I used my magic and blinded him... that was why the arrow missed its target and hit him in the arm. He was screaming because... to blind him I... the spell-wasn't right. I just-I panicked, and... they melted in his skull. He was on the ground screaming, and I cut his throat so deep I felt bone through the blade. Blood was everywhere... I didn't think blood actually spurted like that. And... and I don't know what I feel. I don't... I don't think I feel anything. That's not right, is it? You're supposed to feel something. I melted a man's eyes and nearly took his head from his shoulders, and I can't stop thinking about it, but I don't feel anything either... Are Jotnar truly monsters that feel nothing when they kill?"

"You know that's not true."

"Then it's just me that is a monster?"

Thor grabbed Loki by the back of his neck and put a firm pressure there. "Loki. That is even further from true."

"What's wrong with me, Thor?"

"Nothing is wrong with you," Thor said firmly. "Nothing, brother. Just because you don't know how to feel right now doesn't mean that anything is wrong with you. I have a feeling that once you've had more time, you will start to feel more than you want."

"I don't want to feel bad. It's my duty to fight and protect our people... I don't want to feel bad for that," Loki said softly.

Thor leaned forward to rest his forehead against Loki's. "Do you think you will feel bad?"

"... I should. Right? What I did... it was... that wasn't an honorable way to kill someone. It was brutal and... I should feel bad about it," Loki said. Although Thor noted Loki was speaking with the same tone as he did when trying to work out a complex equation or spell. Somewhat puzzled but not as if it was something genuinely bothering him.

"This is war, Loki," Thor said. "Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we're not going to always end every fight as cleanly and honorably as we would like," Thor said. He remembered several battles where he had taken a cheap but guaranteed route to winning. Especially when he was first young and not at his full power. "Survival matters more."

Loki stared at Thor for a moment. "I should go back to my tent."

Thor tightened his grip slightly on Loki's neck. "Stay, brother. For a little while, at least." Loki blinked almost as if surprised but didn't resist when Thor tugged him closer for a proper hug.

"The battle will continue tomorrow," Loki said. "We will need our rest."

"You being here doesn't mean we can't get our rest," Thor said. "And if we are together, we are definitely safer." It was a guess that Loki would, on some level, feel even less secure than usual, but Thor thought it might be just the sort of thing that Loki would respond to.

Loki seemed to think and then pulled his dagger out of somewhere to tuck under the pillow they were sharing a bit awkwardly. "Alright. I'll stay for a little while, but Volstagg will wake up and start looking for me, so I should be back before then."

Thor couldn't quite help a chuckle from escaping. "Concerned he'll be worried, brother?"

"He's a nag," Loki said with an exasperated sigh. "I think Mother got to him before we left..."

"And how would she have done that?" Thor asked. "Volstagg was chosen to be your bodyguard after we'd already left."

Loki rolled his eyes. "As if our parents have no recourse for finding out things before they actually happen," he said. "Although, I admit that's not very likely. Probably Mother sent him a threatening letter or something after Tyr told her who was picked."

"Or," Thor said, still amused, "Volstagg is doing his job to the best of his ability."

"... no, that can't be it," Loki said.

After a few heartbeats, Thor saw Loki's lips twitch. Thor pushed Loki's shoulder playfully. "Brat. Be nice to Volstagg, would you? He could be your friend rather than just your bodyguard if you let him."

"I don't need friends, Thor. I have you," Loki said.

Thor was surprised by that. "Loki."

"What?"

"What about the rest of our friends?" Thor asked. "Are you saying they don't matter at all?" He rather doubted that because Loki had been very upset that first Sif and the Warriors Three weren't as good of friends as they appeared on the surface. It had been one of that Loki's more common complaints after things soured. That Sif and the Warriors Three had been Thor's friends. "And what about Sigyn?"

"Sigyn is Sigyn. That's different." Loki shifted to rest his chin on the pillow to stare at the side of the tent instead of Thor. "But... No. The others matter. I do like having friends, but... do you remember Jensi?" Thor searched his memory desperately but couldn't think of anyone with that name, so he shook his head. "Thought not. He was my friend when we were little... then he wasn't. He just stopped liking me. I'm not sure why. There were a couple others just like him. They were my friend for a few days and then weren't. But you're not like that... you're my brother. You're forever."

"I am. I'll always be your brother."

"I was worried... when mother told me the truth. I thought... if you couldn't be my brother anymore that I didn't know what I'd do. If I lost Mother and Father and you and Tyr. Baldr and Hodr and Sister Nanna and everyone else... it was horrible," Loki said. "I can live without friends, Thor... I can't be without my family."

"You can have both. You do have both."

Loki turned to face Thor again. "They will come back more fierce tomorrow. With more spells, because they know we have fewer seidr users than they do. So you must be careful."

"Aren't I always?"

"Well, see, now I'm in a tough spot. I'm supposed to tell the truth, but I feel like you'd rather me lie..."

Thor pushed against Loki's shoulder again, nearly sending his slighter brother toppling out of bed. "Shut up!" Loki laughed. "You are such a brat."

"You wouldn't love me so much if I weren't," Loki said smugly.

"Debatable."

"Oh, come on. Don't be like that. Give us a kiss."

This time Thor did push Loki off the bed. There was a thud, but Loki was laughing even as he sat up. "How mean you are to your baby brother," Loki said with a grin that Thor was honestly relieved to see. It was far better than the blank, puzzled look from earlier. He hoped it lasted.

"Why are you only ever my 'baby' brother when you want something?"

"Because laws of the universe say that the youngest child gets whatever he wants," Loki said in the most laughably innocent voice Thor had heard in a while. It was entirely unbelievable and caused Thor to snort.

"Is that right?"

"It is, yes."

"How very enlightened of the universe to have such laws."

"It truly is."

Thor shook his head and held his hand out. Loki grabbed it to haul himself back up and crawled back into bed. "Brute," Loki accused lightly as he roughly pushed his way under the blanket. Thor grunted as Loki jostled him and managed to elbow him in the side. Thor might have thought Loki did it on purpose, but for the wince that Loki made, "Sorry. This cot is tiny."

"It's fine. Let's just go to sleep, huh? Like you said, the battle will continue tomorrow and likely be much worse."

Loki hummed and shifted around for a few moments before settling. "Goodnight, Thor."

"You as well, brother."

"Fan. Fan, wake up!"

Fandral groaned as his shoulder was roughly shaken. He only bothered to open one eye part of the way to see who was waking him at such an utterly ridiculous time of night. Fandral could hear the others that he shared the large tent with snoring or shifting in their sleep. "Astrild?" It was dim, but Fandral was fairly sure it was his best friend standing beside his cot. "Wha's'm matter?"

"How can you sleep after what happened today?" Astrild asked.

"'Cause 'm exhausted, Atti. I was swingin' a sword all day."

"And I was firing arrows all day, but I still can't sleep," Astrild said softly.

Fandral groaned. "Try harder," he said, although he didn't resist as Astrild laid down beside him. "Atti... these cots are tiny..."

"It's fine," Astrild said. "Just move your big butt over more."

"My butt is perfectly sized for the enjoyment of all," Fandral grumbled.

"Yes, yes, it's beautiful and pert," Astrild said. "And big."

"I can kick you out."

"But you won't."

"Don't be so sure." Astrild ignored Fandral entirely and got settled. After several minutes, Fandral decided to finally ask, "So why can't you sleep, Atti?" He made sure to keep his voice quiet so as to not wake the others in his tent. They were probably exhausted, too, plus they would likely react badly to Astrild and Fandral being in the same bed, even though they weren't doing anything.

Astrild at first didn't answer. Instead, he pressed closer to Fandral's back so that neither ended up pushed off onto the ground. Fandral heard a muttered answer but not the words. "Hmm?"

"I said that... I've never shot another person before." Astrild's voice fell back to nearly a mumble near the end, but it was just clear enough for Fandral to still hear it. "I mean, I know it's what we're trained for, but... it was... I don't think I like it."

Fandral carefully shifted and rolled over to face his best friend. "Astrild, what are you saying?"

"I don't know how you and the others do it, Fan... I just... how am I supposed to stand there and shoot people over and over all day long? Kill people?" Astrild gripped the blanket tightly in his fist, and Fandral noted the blood around his nails. He'd been chewing on his nails and cuticles again, and Fandral knew Astrild only still did that when he was distraught. "I'm a good shot, Fandral. One of the best. General Tyr said so. And I used to be so proud of that... but-but I don't want to be if the thing I'm shooting at is people!"

Fandral hushed Astrild gently and glanced at the rest of the cots filling the tent. Nobody had stirred even though Astrild had gotten a little loud. "It's alright, Atti," he said softly. "We don't have to like it."

"Of course we do; we're Asgardians, Fan," Astrild said. In the dim light, Fandral noticed Astrild's big blue eyes were growing watery. "What kind of Asgardian doesn't like to fight?"

Fandral felt himself beginning to panic at the thought that his friend was about to break into tears. He didn't know how to handle such a thing. Not in the least. So he quickly pulled Astrild into a hug. "Shh. It's alright, Atti. Don't cry. Fighting and killing aren't the same things. Not wanting to kill people doesn't mean you're any less of an Aesir."

Astrild tucked his face into Fandral's neck and shoulder. Fandral tried to be comforting as Astrild cried against him. He grimaced at every somewhat loud noise that escaped, but his own body seemed to muffle the sounds enough that nobody else stirred. He rubbed Astrild's back and occasionally tried to mutter some sort of comfort, but for the first time in his life, Fandral wasn't sure how to comfort his friend at all. He hated it. Normally he and Astrild understood each other better than anyone and could easily talk about anything. But he'd never before dealt with a crying Astrild.

For that alone, Fandral decided he hated this war. For making Astrild cry and leaving Fandral entirely unable to help. But, there was no getting away from it. They would still have to get up the next day and fight. Kill more enemy soldiers and be expected to maintain composure throughout it all. They were in the middle of nowhere, and the only course for them was more fighting. And Fandral hated it. He wished, if nothing else, he could tuck Astrild away so that this would be the only time he'd come to Fandral in tears. But he couldn't do any of that. All he could do was provide what little comfort he could and make sure none of the men in the tent woke up to witness what was going on.

The sky was starting to lighten to a greyish blue, and only a few birds were awake enough to sing their calls. Sif probably should still be asleep for another hour or so, but she had woken up in a cold sweat after a nightmare she barely remembered. After a few minutes of just staring at the ceiling of her tent, Sif pushed herself up and grabbed her nearby bags. Since she wasn't apparently going to get back to sleep, she might as well not linger in her cot being uncomfortable.

Sif carefully made her way out of the small tent she had been afforded due to her gender. It had been squished awkwardly between two much larger tents that housed about ten men each and barely fit her cot, but at least she could change in and out of her armor without danger of being walked in on. And that was about the only accommodation afforded to her and the other female members of the army. Tiny one-person tents shoved in wherever there was a little extra space.

Sif nodded to a few guards on patrol that she passed. A few men took note of her but didn't say anything or attempt to send her back to her tent, which she was glad for. The camp was tightly compacted enough that Sif could make out the occasional noises from the slumbering warriors even walking out in the narrow paths.

After a few minutes of walking, Sif left the rough border of the camp and entered a thin copse of trees. There was a small natural spring there that made a pool before trickling down towards the lake. It wasn't as sheltered as she'd like, and the water was bound to be cold, but that was better than letting the sweat dry on her skin and leave her uncomfortable all day.

However, when Sif stepped through the underbrush, she realized she was not the first to come to the spring. A slightly older girl -well, closer to a woman at that point- was standing knee-deep in the water. Her long strawberry blonde hair was up high on the back of her head, tied in a knot with a carved stick holding it firmly in place. The woman turned fully, "Ah, I thought I was the only one who would be up this early. I saw you on the field yesterday, but I don't think I've ever seen you in training before all this."

Sif, a little taken aback, shrugged. "I've only ever trained under Lord Tyr before."

The woman narrowed her deep green eyes, and Sif noticed then that she had a decent smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. "Who're you?"

"Ah, Sif. Sif Dellingdottir."

"Oh! You're Brunnhilde's niece, aren't you?"

"We're not actually related-"

"Nonsense," the woman said before waving at Sif. "Blood is only one way to be related to someone. Don't just stand there. You're making me feel weird being the only one naked. Come on in. It's cold, but it certainly wakes you up."

Sif hesitated, but only for a moment, and then started stripping out of her night things and piling them up on a nearby log. She spotted the other woman's armor nearby. A Valkyrie, which Sif supposed wasn't that surprising. Who else but a Valkyrie would recognize her by relation to Brunnhilde rather than her own father? "What's your name?" Sif asked as she also twisted her hair up to keep it out of the way.

"Hrist," the older woman said as she splashed some water over her arms.

Sif stepped down into the water and gasped at the iciness that made her skin turn to gooseflesh instantly. Then, cursing but knowing that pulling back would only make the cold last longer, she fully stepped down into the spring. "Norns, it's so cold!"

"It is. Just encourages you to hurry, though," Hrist said casually.

That was definitely true, and Sif quickly set to washing the dried sweat off herself. "So what are you doing up so early, anyway?" Hrist asked.

"I'm usually up early, but... I just couldn't get back to sleep," Sif said. She wasn't entirely willing to admit to having had a nightmare. Plus, she didn't see the point as she didn't remember most of it. Most of what she remembered were impressions of horror and disgust.

"Ah, well, plus side to getting up early is we get the spring all to ourselves. And! Breakfast. So much breakfast. Before most of the men manage to rouse themselves. We can pick some of the best. Not the best, of course, those bits go to the Odinsons, but well, best of what they feed the rest of us, at least. Is this your first real battle?"

Sif, without thinking and a little surprised by how much this friendly woman talked, answered truthfully, "Yes."

Hrist nodded. "I thought so. You look only about a century or so behind me, and this is only my second battle," she said. "My first was at one of the outposts out beyond the Nine. I wasn't actually supposed to be in a battle, of course, but we don't pick when the locals are going to suddenly spring into a civil war, do we? That's alright. It wasn't so bad, and my sisters kept me away from most of it. Honestly, they're a little overprotective. I mean, we're Valkyries, well, I'm not yet, but I will be, so they don't need to protect me. I can do that myself. But Brunnhilde said that until I get my Dragonfang I'm not a Valkyrie yet, and so I have to be protected just like the citizens of Asgard. Which, I think, is stupid, but she's the senior, so she's automatically more right. Which is also stupid. Age doesn't mean you're right. Just means you're old."

Sif couldn't help but snort. "My brothers are a lot like that too."

"No doubt," Hrist said. "One of these days, we'll save them, and then we can say how we told them so. Are you going to join the Valkyrie? Well, I guess you already would have if you were planning on it. Is it much harder in the regular army than it is within the Valkyries?"

"I don't know, I've never seen how the Valkyries train to find out," Sif said. "I imagine you don't have to put up with stupid boys getting all offended about you, though. So, it's probably less annoying."

Hrist nodded. "Yes, that sounds like it would make practice frustrating, to say the least. On the other hand... punching an idiot in the face is very cathartic. At least, according to Brunnhilde. Never really had much chance to do it myself."

"Oh, it is," Sif said. "It's also very satisfying knocking them on their backsides over and over again. Gulbrand particularly hates it."

"Well, then, not all bad, indeed," Hrist said as she climbed out of the spring and grabbed a nearby towel to start drying off. "It's much harder to knock over fully trained Valkyries. If I've done it, they've usually let me do it."

Sif washed her arms while fighting the urge to shiver as best she could. "What company are you in, Hrist?"

"Uruz. You?"

"Ansuz."

"Ah, well, then I suppose we'll just be seeing each other from afar," Hrist said as she pulled her trousers and a shirt on. The fabric clung slightly to places on her body that were still damp, but she would add a layer of armor over it later on anyway. "Then again, Brunnhilde would kill me if I didn't at least offer... if you need anything, come and find me, eh?"

"I will."

Hrist smiled. "Good. Us women need to look out for each other. The army is full of idiots, after all. I'll see you later, little sister," she said as she gathered up her armor and sword. Sif watched as the older woman left for only a moment before turning her attention back to the task of washing. With how cold it was, Sif definitely didn't want to linger. Plus, the sky was starting to lighten, and the camp should be waking up any moment. After all... the fighting would start again soon.

Chapter Text

Thor felt the hot spray of blood against his cheek and neck even as he ducked to let the soldier's now headless body fly over him. When he straightened, he glanced to the side to see Tyr swing the glowing red axe he was currently wielding. "Watch it, brother! That nearly knocked me over!"

"Then move your feet more, Thor," Tyr shouted as the axe morphed into a shield with a massive spike in the middle. The enemy that had been rushing Tyr tried to stop, but the ground was too slick with bloody mud, and he ended up impaled on the point. Tyr gave a shove with his foot, and the soldier fell off to groan on the ground. Blood bubbled from his mouth before Tyr swung down his shield that now sported blades along the rim. The Alfr's head was neatly cut from his shoulders. "They are putting up more of a fight than I expected."

Thor heard a shout and faced the enemy coming at him. A single blow to the man's chest and the other soldier flew into the distance. Judging by the sickening crunch of bones, Thor doubted the man would be getting up again. Thor saw Liulfr in the distance smashing his maul into someone's head. A quick glance across the field was enough to spot Sif, Fandral, and even Bjarke.

However, he didn't see Loki, and it had been about an hour. Thor couldn't help but worry. He grasped the pendant in his fist. «Brother, are you well?» Thor asked.

«Oh, yes. Just wonderful,» Loki said sarcastically. Thor ducked under a sword and smashed Mjolnir into the jaw of the one trying to kill him. «I love being the target of arrows. Apparently, they've taken offense to my magic as well, brother!»

«Well, how many have you killed?»

«Forty or so, I think? I don't know! I wasn't keeping count!»

A glowing arrow flew past Thor's face to hit an Alfr soldier in the throat. Thor looked back to the small wall where the majority of the archers were posted. Astrild was there looking pale and tired. Thor raised Mjolnir in thanks, and Astrild nodded before drawing his bow again. Thor spun back around and got ready to face more of the enemy.

Hours later, as twilight put a temporary halt to the fighting, Thor washed the blood and sweat off of himself. He was exhausted in a way only prolonged battles ever made him. They had been fighting for months over this piece of land. The Alfr were superb healers and could save many of their fighters from all but the worst wounds. Plus, they had gotten reinforcements twice since the fighting started, while Asgard had only sent one round of relief fighters. Thor didn't particularly want to admit the battle wasn't going well, but he couldn't dodge the truth. The Asgardians were too well entrenched to easily lose their position, and the Alfr were too determined to simply give up.

"Thor. How do you fare?"

Thor looked up at Haldorr. "As well as can be expected," Thor said. "You?"

"I feel as if my arm will fall off."

"Me as well. The others? How do they fare?" Thor asked as he dried his upper body off.

"Gaut nearly lost his nose. Took a sword across the face. But he should be alright. He'll have a lovely scar. Sven's lost another two swords. That boy is terrible about that. Even worse than Gulbrand," Haldorr said. "Oh, and Lorelei caught an arrow with her shoulder, so she's out of the fight for a while."

Thor hummed in acknowledgement. "I didn't spot Hogun at all on the field. He's whole, I take it?"

"Haven't heard any different," Haldorr said. "If you're worried, we can all get together for an evening meal or something. It's been a while since we've managed it."

Thor thought about that and then nodded. "You're right. Pass it on to the others? We'll meet here by my tent."

"Right. We'll bring lots of alcohol," Haldorr said.

"Norns, please do," Thor said. He could use a drink. Several drinks.

Haldorr went off to find the others, and Thor reached for his pendant. «Brother, come join me and our friends for a meal and drink tonight at my tent.»

There was a slight delay before Loki responded. «What are we celebrating?»

«Nothing other than being alive.»

«Very well. I doubt I will be able to attend without my burr of a protector, though.»

«That is fine. Volstagg is most enjoyable company.»

Thor heard Loki's hum in his mind, but his brother said nothing else. Their friends started appearing at Thor's tent not even an hour later. They brought their own food and drink, and most looked weary. Gaut's face was bandaged, and Gulbrand favored his left side as he moved. Dagr had his forearm wrapped and Sif a black eye. Astrild and Jarl both had bandages on their fingers from broken calluses.

When Loki arrived, he very nearly collapsed into the seat beside Thor. He looked utterly exhausted, and Volstagg was indeed trailing him. Volstagg, however, seemed content to sit on the other side of the fire and didn't hover, probably knowing by this point that Loki would have something to say about that. "You look like crap," Gulbrand said.

"Those of us with seidr are being run ragged trying to fend off offensive spells," Loki said. "And on top of that, we also have to fight normally."

"I do see lots of flashes from the other side. All those are spells then?" Liulfr asked.

Loki nodded. "Some are defensive rather than against us, but most are offensive. Around midday, someone over there tried to call down a firestorm. It took me and Lorelei together to diffuse that one."

"Is that when she got hit with the arrow?" Haldorr asked.

Loki nodded. "Yes, she was facing away from the enemy line and looking up at the spell. She was lucky the arrow didn't go through her neck or spine instead. Last I heard, she was already complaining about the scar that'll be left behind."

"Sounds like she'll be fine then," Sif said.

"Why do we have to be eating so far from the food tent?" Volstagg asked as he tossed a chicken bone into the fire. "We've got to go so far to get more..."

Loki made a gesture, and an entire chicken appeared on Volstagg's plate. "Try not to swallow it whole."

"Where did you get that from?" Gaut asked.

"Oh... nowhere important," Loki said dismissively. "Bjarke already had half of one to himself."

"Is that revenge for him trying to pursue Sigyn while you were gone?" Astrild asked.

Loki scoffed. "Hardly. That deserves much worse than a missing chicken. No, that was just for being a general pain in everyone's backside." There was a bit of laughter at that.

Thor noticed the last of their group finally step out of the dark. "Ah, Sven. There you are! I was wondering." He was accompanied by another warrior who had a large axe strapped to his back.

"Sorry, I had to listen to another lecture about losing my weapons," Sven said with a wry smile.

"Who's your friend?" Jarl asked.

"Oh, sorry. This is Bothi. Bothi, this is everyone," Sven said with a gesture.

"Yes," Loki said with narrowed eyes. "We've met. Shouldn't you be off fawning over Bjarke's fumes?" Thor looked closer, and sure enough, Bothi was one of Bjarke's usual lackeys. One of the better and stronger fighters that, for some reason, followed the bully around.

Bothi cringed. "Yes, well, me and Bjarke aren't really... getting along right now. On account of him trying to get me killed. Turns out, he's kind of a bastard."

"You don't say," Loki said sarcastically.

Bothi cringed again. "Right... um, sorry... for all that," he said awkwardly.

"Oh, don't worry... I'll make sure everything evens out in the end," Loki said.

"... glad to hear it," Bothi said quietly.

There was some laughter among the rest of the group. "So, how did Bjarke try and get you killed anyway?" Gulbrand asked.

"He kicked me in front of a sword. Nearly cleaved my head in two if it weren't for Sven here," Bothi said with a nod towards the blonde. Sven sat down beside Jarl, and Bothi sat beside Volstagg, who gave him a skeptical side-eye.

"It wasn't anything special," Sven said.

Bothi snorted. "You threw your shield at him. Who even does that?"

Jarl looked at Sven. "You threw your shield. Really?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, I wasn't close enough to do anything else, and I didn't have a sword on me..." Sven said, sounding embarrassed.

"You didn't have your sword?" Haldorr said. "No... I am both shocked and disappointed," he said dryly.

"Truly an event to marvel at," Fandral added. "The day Sven lost his sword. Never happens."

Sven's cheeks were pink with embarrassment. "Oh, shut up," Sven said. "All of you were trained for this. I wasn't."

"And you're managing quite well," Jarl said. "Ignore them."

"Out of curiosity... did you hit him with the shield?" Sif asked.

"He did," Bothi supplied when Sven tried to deflect the question. "Hard too. It was impressive. Didn't think you could use a shield like that. 'Course it then flew off never to be seen again, but it did its job, I guess."

"Yeah... I got a scolding about that too," Sven said. "Quartermaster said he'd stop giving me supplies if I didn't stop losing them."

"He won't do that," Loki said. "You can't send a soldier into battle without a weapon."

"Although he will yell at you... a lot," Fandral said. "They're very touchy about losing things."

"Ask him how he knows," Hogun suggested.

"Please don't," Fandral said.

"He misplaced a saddle," Astrild said.

"How do you misplace a saddle?" Sven asked.

"A question for the ages," Hogun said.

Fandral tossed a small piece of bread from his plate at Hogun. "I thought we agreed not to bring that up again?"

"I don't recall anyone making that promise, Fan," Astrild said.

"Betrayal."

Astrild rolled his eyes. "Sif. You've been meeting with that Valkyrie a lot, haven't you? Learning any new moves?"

"A few," Sif said. "Hrist is an easily distracted tutor, though."

"Well, at least you're getting some real-world application of it then," Dagr said. "You know what they say... no teacher like experience."

"Oh yes. This is the best environment for learning," Haldorr said sarcastically.

Volstagg tossed another chicken bone into the fire. "Just be glad we're here and not in Fensalir. Fighting in a marsh sounds many times more unpleasant than what we face here," he said as he picked up his tankard. "Soon enough, the Alfr are likely to retreat from here. There are more pressing places they will need to spend their forces."

"Doesn't that just mean we'll be reassigned, though?" Liulfr asked. "Since Tyr is leading this battalion and all? Seems unlikely they wouldn't send the God of War to mop up any difficult battles."

"Could be. Depends on what the All-Father has planned," Volstagg said. "Lord Tyr could be more useful in a surprise attack somewhere else. I don't pretend to know what the higher-ups are thinking or planning. I just do as I'm told."

"If you did what you were told, you wouldn't have nearly lost that beard of yours yesterday," Loki said.

Volstagg waved his hand as he drained his tankard of mead. He smacked his lips and put the cup down when he was done. "How was I to know you were about to set the entire place ablaze?"

"The 'get down now' part might have been a hint," Loki said dryly.

"Is that what the source of that fire the other day was?" Gaut asked. "Saw it off to the side. Thought it was one of their war mages or something."

"No, it was me," Loki said. "Took a lot more power than I was thinking it would, but it certainly sent the Alfr running."

Fandral got up from his seat with a groan. "Well, fun as this is... I'm about to pass out in my seat. I've never felt this tired in my life... I'm heading to bed," he said as he stretched his arms out and up above his head.

"I'll go with you," Astrild said. He held his hand out. "Help me up."

"Get up yourself."

"Faaan. Please?"

Fandral groaned but reached over to grab Astrild's wrist. A quick tug had the other on his feet. The two said their goodnights, and they headed off to their tent. Slowly the rest started wandering off to bed as well. Thor wasn't surprised their group had dispersed not long after eating. They all needed rest, and the fighting would pick up again in the morning.

Eventually, it was just Loki and Thor sitting there. Volstagg was there as well, but he'd started snoring not long after the others had left and was slumped in his seat. "How are you fairing, brother?" Thor asked.

"As well as can be expected, I suppose," Loki said. "I worry about Sleipnir. And Sigyn worries over me... I don't know what to tell her. I can't exactly promise to be safe while on a battlefield. And I haven't heard from Gerd in weeks..."

"Has Gerd said anything is wrong?" Thor asked.

Loki shook his head. "Not in so many words... but there was mention of taking Sleipnir to Asgard where it's safer. And that doesn't inspire confidence."

They sat in silence for several minutes. Thor didn't really have anything he could say to comfort his brother. Not in this situation. "... Tyr yelled at me for the fire spell," Loki said.

"Why?"

"It took a lot more power than I imagined," Loki said. "Volstagg had to drag me out of the battle. It took me fifteen minutes to recover. But I wouldn't have used it if we hadn't been ringed in like that. I'm not entirely reckless."

Thor nodded. "I know. He's likely just worried about you. Being so weakened on a field of battle is a recipe for disaster."

"Yes, well, like I said... it surprised me how much power it took," Loki said. He glanced at Volstagg before shifting closer to Thor. "It doesn't help that I've been having difficulty sleeping."

"The battles keeping you awake?" Thor guessed. "They are with me as well." Perhaps not as persistently as the first time Thor was a youth, but he was certainly not immune.

"The battles, yes... but also the horses," Loki said. "When they get injured in battle, I can hear them scream... it is hard to forget. I thought I was getting better about them, but apparently not."

Thor reached an arm around his brother's shoulders. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Loki. You are doing well."

"I hope this war ends soon," Loki said.

"As do I."

Several days later, Thor was again fighting through large swaths of enemy Alfr soldiers. Surely there had to be some end to the fighting. Thor ducked under a spear and spun to hit an Alfr in the hip. There was a crackling sound as bones shattered, and Thor was quickly moving on. He didn't have time to judge if his enemies were fully incapacitated or not.

Thor saw Gulbrand in the distance fighting against three Alfr. Thor couldn't get through the knots of people to help, so instead threw Mjolnir with all his might. Lightning streaked behind the hammer as it flew through the air. Soldiers went flying, and Gulbrand looked over with blood streaming down the side of his face from a cut on his temple. Gulbrand lifted his broadsword in thanks before turning back to his opponents. Thor called Mjolnir back to his hand even as he nearly got pierced by several arrows.

Liulfr and Hogun were fighting back to back amid a group of enemies quite a distance away. However, they seemed to be handling things, so Thor turned his attention to his own battle.

There was a distant flash of familiar green, and Thor turned but didn't have a chance to spot the source. An Alfr on a horse was coming directly for him. Tyr was suddenly there, and his glowing red spear went straight through the horse's chest and up into his rider. The scream was horrible, and Thor cringed. Tyr roared as he sent the horse and rider to the side. When he jerked his spear back out, it left a smoldering hole behind through leather, flesh, and even metal. "Pay attention, Thor," Tyr said.

"I am!" Thor snapped and turned to deal with someone trying to stab an Asgardian soldier in the back. Mjolnir made the Alfr's helmet clang and crumple inwards.

Suddenly Loki was there beside him. "Thor! I have an idea!"

"Loki! What are you-"

"Make it rain as hard as you can," Loki said. "Don't argue. Just do it!"

Thor was confused but focused on the sky above. He had been doing his best to avoid triggering actual storms. Fighting in the rain would only make it hard for everyone, including their own side. «What is this plan, Loki?»

«I need the mud for a spell,» Loki answered.

Well, if Loki needed mud, Thor could provide it. He saw Volstagg cutting his way closer with his axe, looking frustrated. Thor could sympathize. Keeping track of Loki was never easy. Thor lifted Mjolnir into the sky and unleashed the storm he'd been building. Lightning split the sky before slamming down into the enemy forces.

There were screams and the smell of ozone and burnt flesh. Another two bolts found targets before the rain finally began to pour. He heard a few people shout at him for it, but Thor trusted that Loki had a plan.

The rain fell in a torrent and soaked through everything almost instantly. The ground, which had already been churned up from boots and hooves, became a sticky sludge. An entire barrage of arrows came Thor's way, only to be interrupted by Sif slicing the shafts apart in the air. "Whatever you're doing, it had better be good," she shouted.

"Loki?"

Loki dropped to his knees in the mud and pushed his hands into it without hesitation. Gold and green light rippled across the surface of the wet ground in an ever-increasing arc. Almost instantly, Thor saw enemy Alfr starting to slip and fall over. No matter how they struggled, they couldn't seem to get back to their feet and got further and further entrenched in the mud, which seemed impossibly deep all around them.

The battle kept going, but soon the enemy retreated as more and more of their soldiers got irrevocably stuck in the mud. Finally, Thor allowed the rain to lessen and stop as the enemy retreated behind their lines. The Asgardian forces quickly captured those Alfr that were stuck but not dead.

"How did you come up with that spell?" Thor asked as he helped an unsteady-looking Loki back to his feet.

"Honestly? I've used it on Fandral a few times when he's been annoying me," Loki said. "Nothing upsets him more than dropping into a surprisingly deep mud patch."

Loki swayed, and Thor caught his arm. "Easy, Brother. I think you overdid it."

"Yes, perhaps," Loki said. "I've only ever used that on small patches of mud before... not a whole battle."

"You need to stop doing such big spells," Volstagg said as he took Loki's other arm. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"I'm fine."

"Volstagg is right," Tyr said as he came over to where they were keeping Loki upright. "I told you, you can't overextend yourself in this way."

Loki made a face. "But I have so much seidr... it seems a waste to not use it to our advantage."

"Not terribly honorable, though," Sif said.

Loki glared in her direction. "Oh, yes, this is definitely the time to worry about that, Sif," he said acidly. "We're at war. The Alfr are not going to resist using seidr just because you can't understand it, and neither will I."

"Enough. This is not the time to argue about such things," Tyr said firmly. "Loki. Go and rest. Recover your energy. Volstagg, ensure he does."

"Yes, Lord Tyr," Volstagg said with a slight incline of his head.

"I don't need a babysitter," Loki muttered, although he let Volstagg lead him away despite that.

Tyr sighed and shook his head. "I have to see to the surprising influx of prisoners we just acquired. The rest of you recuperate as well. Thor, get that cut looked after."

"Cut?" Thor looked down at his arm where Tyr was pointing and saw a deep line across his bicep. Blood was streaming down his arm, and he hadn't even noticed. "Ah... when did that happen?"

"It is easy to lose track of things like that in a battle, but it needs to be looked after," Tyr said.

"Yes, brother. I'll deal with it. I've no desire to make an injury worse." Though infection wasn't as pervasive a problem for Aesir as it was for mortals, it could still happen. Especially in the current conditions. Thor definitely would prefer not to have to deal with such things.

"Head down," Volstagg said. "You'll only make it worse if you straighten up."

"I'm really not that dizzy..." Loki muttered although he didn't bother trying to sit upright with Volstagg right there, ready to push him back down.

"I'm surprised you haven't passed out already like you did with the fire," Volstagg said. "You've gone even paler than normal. Honestly, do you think you're easy to lug around?"

"You've said yourself I weigh nothing," Loki said.

Volstagg scoffed, and Loki heard him shuffling around while he tried to get the fire started. He'd said something about making Loki something to drink to ease the dizziness. Something Loki didn't need but wouldn't get out of having made for him. "You might weigh less than a bag of feathers, but that's still not easy to carry through the middle of a war. So do me a favor and stop making my job so much harder."

Loki rolled his eyes and tilted his head to look up at Volstagg. He hadn't expected the man in charge of guarding him to also be a complete mother hen. "It was a simple spell."

"If it were a simple spell, you'd not have almost fallen over when we pulled you up," Volstagg said without hesitation. The wood he was trying to use for the fire was wet from Thor's storm, and he grabbed some dried kindling from a nearby leather bag. "Stop being so hard-headed, your highness."

"Can't. It's a family trait."

"Yes, I suppose it is."

Loki frowned and glanced up. "I'm not sure you should agree with that, to be honest..."

"Oh, so I'm supposed to outright disagree with a prince instead?" Volstagg asked. "Can't really win then, can I? Might as well be honest if that's the case." Volstagg straightened as the wood finally caught fire.

Loki lifted his head the rest of the way. "You don't have to do all this for me, you know. Your job is just to make sure that I don't die in the battle."

Volstagg looked at Loki with a frown. "Not only are you hard-headed, you can't just accept help," he said.

"People already think I'm weak and unnatural... I don't need to make it worse," Loki said.

Volstagg sat on the log that Loki was using as a seat. "You're best off not worrying about people," he said. "If I worried about people, I wouldn't have the most wonderful wife in all the Nine. Or a strong, healthy son."

"You have a son already?" Loki asked in surprise. Volstagg and his wife hadn't been married all that long. Though hardly unheard of to have children right away, it typically took a decade or so for most couples to start.

"That's right," Volstagg said. His chest puffed up. "Alaric. Wonderful baby. Healthy appetite. Could scream a house down."

Loki snorted. "Takes after you then, eh?"

"He does, he does," Volstagg said cheerfully.

"Well... congratulations then."

"Thank you. Really, my wife did most of the work... but I like to think I passed on the best of myself," he said.

"And... aren't you worried that this war will... take you away from your family?"

Volstagg frowned. "I suppose that is a worry. But worrying isn't going to change that. In fact, spending all your time thinking about something like that happening will only serve to distract you and make it more likely to happen. Can't spend your time and energy fussing over things if there are people actively trying to kill you."

"I suppose..."

There were a few minutes of silence before Volstagg got to his feet again. "Well, I think we need something to eat. Never good to have an empty stomach."

"Food is your answer to everything."

"It's a good answer," Volstagg said with a sniff. "Can't go wrong. Makes you feel better. I'll be back. Don't do any magic until you're feeling better," he said with a wag of his finger.

"Right, right. You've made yourself clear."

"Yes, but will you listen?" Volstagg asked even though he was already walking away. "It's doubtful, my prince!"

Loki rolled his eyes. "He really is going to be the size of a ship if he keeps eating his emotions like that," Loki said to himself. He watched as the flames slowly dried and burned the wood on the fire. Despite what Volstagg said, Loki wasn't terribly inclined to move at the moment. He had overdone the spell a bit and wasn't about to submit to the indignity of falling over if he got up too soon.

A few minutes later, Lorelei sat down beside Loki with a flip of her hair. "I hear you caused quite the ruckus today. Never would have thought to use such a silly spell on a battlefield," she said.

"Yes, well, that's part of why I'm a better seidmadr," Loki said. "You don't think outside the box enough."

Lorelei scoffed. "I think outside the box plenty. But I'd be careful if I were you. The Alfr are starting to notice you and your tricks. I wouldn't be surprised if they try and assassinate you some time," Lorelei said as she flicked her fingers out to the flames in front of them. The fire fluttered a rainbow of different colors before returning to normal.

"Even if they were that stupid, they'd never manage it. I've a bodyguard," Loki said.

"Yes, we've all noticed," Lorelei said. "I must admit it does seem to come in handy having a big meat shield to protect you while working magic. It's not a bad idea, really..."

Loki shot Lorelei an unamused look. "I feel like you're grossly oversimplifying what a bodyguard is. Volstagg does more than just be a 'meat shield.' Not that it matters anyway as you'd have to be: A. Likeable. Or B. Important. To have a bodyguard in the first place."

Lorelei scowled darkly. "I am very likeable."

"Sure you are," Loki said with a laugh. "You're overflowing with friends. That's why you're here talking to me."

Lorelei got to her feet. "If you get assassinated in your sleep, I'm going to laugh," she said before leaving in a huff.

"I'm sure you wouldn't be the only one," Loki muttered even though Lorelei had already left.

Volstagg returned then, although he was frowning, and glanced over his shoulder. "I just passed that red-headed seidkona on the way back, and she said you were going to get your throat slit? Should I be reporting her to Lord Tyr?"

Loki chuckled and took one of the bowls that Volstagg held out. "No. She's far too cowardly to actually follow through with something like that. At least... too cowardly to do it herself. She's not the kind to get her hands messy. But, she was actually meaning the Alfr," Loki explained.

"Ah. I see. They'd have to get here first in order to do something like that," Volstagg said. "And then they'd have to get through me."

"A truly legend-worthy task," Loki said.

"Is that a slight against my gut?"

Loki shrugged. "Be proud of your girth, Volstagg. It takes a lot of muscle to haul around so much weight all the time," Loki said. He was only about half-serious but Volstagg either didn't catch that or chose to ignore it.

Volstagg grinned widely. "It does indeed! It's why they call me the Lion of Asgard!"

"Not... not quite," Loki said. "But I suppose you could loop that in somehow..."

Volstagg nodded and gestured to the bowl in Loki's hand. "Eat, Loki. You could use it after how much energy you used today. You don't want me to tell Lord Tyr you're not fit for battle, do you?"

"You had best not say anything of the sort!"

"Eat, and I won't have to."

Loki narrowed his eyes but decided the argument wasn't worth it. He wasn't terribly hungry, but Volstagg was, annoyingly, probably right. And he couldn't be told to stay off the field. It would just encourage those that said he wasn't fit to be there in the first place. So, he picked up his spoon and started eating.

Gaut hissed in pain and jerked his head away. "Stop moving," Hogun said. "You're the one who came to me for this."

"I know that, but it stings," Gaut said.

Hogun just rinsed out the rag he was using in the water bowl beside him before carefully dabbing the deep gash across the Dwarf's face. "If you'd just go to a healer, this would already be dealt with," Hogun said. Such an injury could be well on its way to being just a scar with a well-done healing spell on it for a day.

"I'm not going to a healer," Gaut said firmly. "It's not life-threatening."

Hogun didn't say anything and continued to clean the injury. Gaut had a habit of coming to Hogun for any medical issues that he couldn't handle himself. Not because Hogun was gifted in any particular way with healing but because Hogun wouldn't say much about it. Hogun wasn't sure if the avoidance of actual medical professionals was a Dwarven quirk or unique to Gaut, but unless his friend was actively dying, he'd never go to a healer.

"This will be a thick scar," Hogun said after a minute.

"Scars are nothing to be worried over," Gaut said. "They're quite attractive, actually. Show what you're made of."

Hogun hummed and rinsed his cloth again. "What happened to the one that gave it to you?"

"I returned it in kind... only I cut a bit deeper," Gaut said. He smiled, but then the grin fell into a more somber expression. "Not sure if he died or not. Wouldn't be surprised. Saw what I thought was bone at parts..."

"... then the scar was indeed honorably won," Hogun said. "You're still lucky it didn't take out an eye."

Gaut shrugged. "If the All-Father can rule the Nine with one eye, I can certainly manage my life with the same handicap. But it didn't happen, so it doesn't even matter. You hurt anywhere?"

Hogun shook his head. "Minor cuts and bruises."

"That's good."

The tent flap was pushed open, and Liulfr came in. "Ah, thought I'd find you here. Everything alright?"

"He's healing," Hogun said.

"Good." Liulfr let himself fall back onto Hogun's cot. "This is the worst, eh, Hogun?"

Hogun inclined his head. It was hard for both him and Liulfr to be on their Ancestral realm fighting this war. "Far worse than the idea of war in the abstract," Liulfr said.

"I think that's the way it's always going to be," Gaut said. "Whether it our home realms or not."

Liulfr made a face. "Probably right," he said. "It's really tearing up Astrild. More than I expected, honestly."

"Astrild has always been very skilled in certain arts of war, but he's never had a passion for it," Gaut said. "I imagine it would have been worse if he weren't in the back with his bow."

"... Yes, I don't think he'd have lasted a day if he had to actually cut someone's neck with his sword," Liulfr said. "But, I don't know... I guess I just thought he'd rise to the occasion or something."

"He's rising to the occasion just fine," Hogun said. "We all do what we must. How we deal with it after is our business."

Gaut nodded despite the glare Hogun shot him for moving. "Hogun's right. He's fighting well. That's all anyone can ask of any of us."

"I just hope that when all this is done... Flower isn't crushed down into the dirt," Liulfr said. "I know we tease him all the time, but I can't imagine him all broken down. I don't want to imagine that."

"Then we should support one another," Hogun said. "For now, Fandral is helping him. But, if Astrild needs more, we are here."

"We three are the odd ones out," Gaut said. "We don't have even a drop of Aesir in us. But I say that gives us a bit of an advantage here. We're used to keeping ourselves together in a place that feels strange. So we can help our friends do the same."

"It's not quite equivalent, Gaut," Liulfr said. "And I might be Vanir, but I was born and grew up in Asgard."

"But that doesn't make you Asgardian," Gaut said as Hogun put a fresh bandage around the wound across his face. "And, you're right, it's not the same. But I'm sure there's still some parts we can use here."

Hogun hummed thoughtfully. "Perhaps. It certainly couldn't hurt to try."

Chapter Text

With the surprise capture of so many Alfr, the fighting around Boglina started to die down. Not immediately, but Thor noticed that the enemy forces were falling back each day. Retreating at a steady and controlled pace. They obviously didn’t want to turn their backs, but they didn’t seem willing to fight for this spread of land with so many of their forces taken. It was a good sign that soon the territory would be secured.

Tyr was being cautious as they pushed forward. Thor figured he expected the Alfr to have left traps behind them. Perhaps even the Alfr would attack guerilla-style as the Aesir advanced. An understandable concern. Thor recalled that during his previous life, many times he ran across surprises left behind after an army had retreated.

After a week, the fighting around Boglina had all but stopped. The forces of Alfr had gone beyond where Tyr was willing to chase them, and the Aesir were ensuring the area was secure. That was an entirely different sort of labor and one that Thor was not as familiar with. He had done it before, of course, but not for centuries. Building walls and watchtowers and slightly more permanent lodging for the forces that would be left to guard this area was something other than what Thor enjoyed doing with his time. He was much better at breaking things than making them.

The Alfr that had been captured also had to be dealt with. Some would stay here, but the majority were being shipped off to more secure locations where they could be adequately housed. That process would take many weeks as they could only send so many prisoners off at once. But Thor was starting to hear murmuring from the other soldiers. There were rumors that, now that Boglina was secure, Tyr would be taking them somewhere else. Another battlefield that required his attention. It made sense, but so much had changed from what Thor had been familiar with that he couldn’t for sure say where they’d be sent to.

It was a worrisome situation, but Thor was sure that his elder brother would make a strong tactical decision. He was, after all, the God of War. He had trained his whole life to win battles and turn the tides. It was his Norns given calling.

Eventually, the orders did come down that they would be moving from Boglina. Although Thor couldn’t conceive of the reason why their company had been ordered to a small town in Asgard. One called Grafstadr. It wasn’t a place that Thor recalled having visited before, and he hadn’t honestly expected to end up back on Asgard until after the war was over. He was sure there was a reason for being sent there, but Tyr wasn’t sharing. Not terribly surprising as Tyr was still upset with him and Loki for their stunt with their troop assignments.

But, being sent to another realm did mean that they had to pack away their things. It wouldn’t be hard as a war camp wasn’t generally inundated with personal objects. Thor was packing some spare equipment into his bag and trying to make it all fit when Loki visited him. Thor knew he could fit all of his gear in the canvas bag. It had all come out of it, so it was definitely possible. He just couldn’t seem to arrange it in the proper order.

“Struggling are you?” Loki asked.

“I’ve got it,” Thor said as he shoved some bracers down the side. Or he tried to. The fabric wouldn’t stretch enough to allow the armor pieces to fit.

Loki hummed but didn’t point out that Thor still was struggling. Instead, he sat down on the edge of Thor’s cot and continued to watch. After a few moments, Thor finally shoved the bracers into the bag and straightened. “There. Told you I had it.”

“Mmm, it is a good thing that seam is so strong,” Loki said. “Are you almost packed then? We’re leaving at first light, I heard.”

“Just about,” Thor answered. “You?”

Loki nodded. “I’ve managed. With a little less… brute force than you.”

“You used your seidr, didn’t you?”

“Oh, absolutely. I see no reason not to,” Loki said with a grin. Then his smile faded. “... Tyr came to see me just now.”

Thor half turned towards Loki. The way his brother had said that felt very ominous. “Oh? About what?”

“About my appointment. He’s written to father about it. They’re planning to reassign me,” Loki said.

Thor sat down on the cot's edge as he let that sink in. “... well, we knew he would do that. He said as much,” he said, although he wasn’t happy. A part of him had hoped that Tyr would become far too busy to actually see that threat through. How was he supposed to look after his brother if they were in different places?

Loki nodded. “He hasn’t told me where he’s sending me. I guess so that I can’t plan a way to avoid it.”

That made sense. “What are we going to do about this?” Thor asked.

“I’m not sure there’s anything we can do. Tyr won’t be so easy to outmaneuver a second time. He’ll be prepared,” Loki said. “But the chances of being sent to the same realm is… very small. I’m not even sure yet why we’re sending so many soldiers, you and Tyr included, back to Asgard.”

“So… the talismans you made won’t be of any more use,” Thor said.

Loki nodded. “The spell is unable to reach that far, and I haven’t ever cast a communication spell that is capable of more. We will have to rely on letters and things.” Thor wasn’t exactly happy about that. If he couldn’t be on the same field of battle as Loki to ensure he was whole, then at the very least, he wanted to be able to speak with him.

“Is there at least some way we could let each other know we were well even if we can’t speak?” Thor asked.

Loki thought for a moment but then shrugged. “There are some spells I’ve read about that can let you monitor the life force of a person, but I don’t believe it can cross realms either. And even if it could, I don't know such magics well enough to cast them quickly. And we have… tonight.”

Thor sighed heavily. He had been afraid of that. “... I don’t like that.”

“You know… contrary to what you seem to think, I am somewhat capable of taking care of myself,” Loki said. “And even if I weren’t, which, again, I am, I have my voluminous bodyguard that is taking his job very seriously.”

“I trust Volstagg. I do,” Thor said. Volstagg was a fine warrior. Thor had fought with the man at his side for decades and knew that to be fact. “But I still would rather be there by your side than not.”

“And I would rather be at your side as well,” Loki said. “But I suppose we’ll just have to do our best to not die while we’re apart. I think we can manage.”

Thor nodded in agreement. He was probably worrying over nothing. Loki had survived this war the first time with no more detriment to himself than Thor had. They escaped with only minor injuries, and nothing said it wouldn’t happen again. He was just being overprotective. He just had to convince himself of that.

"No word about yourself," Loki added, and Thor shoved his brother with his shoulder.

"Brat," Thor said. "... could you walk along the branches of Yggdrasil if you needed to? If things got bad?" Thor asked.

Loki seemed to think about that. "I'm not sure. Perhaps. I suppose it depends on where they are sending me. I imagine if I search, I might be able to find a place that I can use to step onto Yggdrasil, but that might take some time to find. It's not as simple to do as I think you imagine it to be. That's why almost nobody does it."

Thor wasn't really surprised but was still a little disappointed. "You promise me you'll be careful, Loki."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Don't be a worry wart, Thor. Of course, I'll be careful. Really, I should be saying that to you. Reckless as you are all the time. Don't run into a fight you can't win, alright?"

"I'll do my best."

The air smelled of brine and a bit of decay. Fog hung just above the ground, making it hard to see beyond one’s face. Bugs were chirping and buzzing about, and occasionally there was a fish splash breaching the water's surface. Mud sucked at their feet as the two figures slowly navigated through the shallow waterways. The marshes of Fensalir existed in two places. Two realms. One half of the great bog was in Vanaheim, while the other was in Asgard. The two planes were linked through a rare stable portal between the branches of Yggdrasil. That portal was one of the main reasons that Asgard had so wanted to conquer Vanaheim so many centuries ago. That and the Golden Apples, of course.

Currently, the pair creeping through the bog was on the Vanaheim side of the portal. Vanaheim was a bit warmer than Asgard, and the marshes encompassed more land. They tried to avoid splashing through brackish water and slipping on the thick mud as much as possible so as to be silent. Luckily, they didn’t need to speak to each other to communicate. Meili carefully and slowly crossed a particularly deep creek to reach a spot of firm land that a tree had once grown and died upon.

The trunk was all that was left of the tree, and Meili paused beside it and crouched down low. Hermod followed suit and put a hand to rest on Meili’s back. The two of them couldn’t see much, but just off in the distance, there was a warm orange glow in the fog. They had spotted several of them scattered throughout the marshes. Twelve so far. Likely that was only the beginning. Hermod and Meili exchanged a glance and watched as a shadow in the fog crossed the orange glow. They could see other dark shapes, although not with any real distinction.

The pair watched the camp for about twenty minutes for any hint of how many were there and what they might be up to. Unfortunately, not many details could be gleamed, so they eventually disappeared into the fog. They continued to creep through the foggy marshland for hours before finally leaving it and returning to solid ground. Meili removed his boots after climbing out of the marsh and started drying off his feet as Hermod dug into their packs stashed under a nearby tree’s roots. “That’s a large force,” Hermod said.

“It is. And they are heading directly for the portal,” Meili said. “An unexpectedly aggressive maneuver.”

Hermod hummed in agreement and tossed Meili a pair of dry pants and stockings. “It is, but maybe they hope that aggressiveness will help them end this war quickly. They haven’t the resources for anything drawn out.”

“Attacking Asgard directly is suicidally aggressive, though,” Meili said. “I could almost understand if this were a blitz attack meant to distract and divide our forces… but there have to be at least fifteen companies out there.”

Hermod winced at that estimate. It was a very rough one as the fog had obscured their numbers, and the pair hadn’t dared get close enough to confirm too many details. “I honestly didn’t think they even had that many fighting ready,” Hermod said. “I feel like this army might have been forming for much longer than just the initial death of Lady Rikvi.”

Meili hummed thoughtfully even as he pulled on fresh trousers. Hermod was now changing out of his wet and muddy clothes. Meili looked out across the foggy marsh, but they were now much too far away to even see the lights of the fires in the distance. “We should inform King Odin about this as soon as possible. It will take them time to move an entire army like this, and the bog will hinder them even more, but I don’t like how close they already are to our back door.”

“Agreed.”

The two of them looked out across the marsh again before starting to head in the direction of the portal. Odin would not be happy to hear of this force, and even less would he be pleased that he had to spend any actual forces defending the marshland. Fighting in a bog was never a pleasant experience. Hermod was glad that he was unlikely to be called to do it. He and Meili were much more useful for scouting out troop movements than being in the middle of a battlefield.

Even as fast as Hermod and Meili could travel, it took the rest of the night and an entire day to traverse the distance to the portal. Partially because they had skirted the bog for as long as they could to make the trip easier. Still, they did have to eventually travel into it again. Hermod, being the fastest on Asgard, carried Meili part of the way. The army of Alfr would take much more time to cross the distance. The number of people and the terrain were a hindrance, not to mention any equipment they might have with them. Meili was sure that he'd spotted some larger carts that were carrying supplies. Then, after crossing the marsh, they would be bottlenecked at the portal as only a few could pass through at a time.

The portal to Asgard was easy enough to find. The entire thing was surrounded by a henge made of giant stones, each of which depicted Bor. In the center of the ring was a large gnarled tree with a cracked open trunk. The tree looked like it should have been dead but was not. In fact, the branches of the tree were filled with leaves that shimmered with a strange iridescence. It looked almost like billions of fragile insect wings had been plucked and put in the branches. As a breeze blew through, the leaves fluttered and shined. It was pretty in a bizarre, otherworldly way.

Meili was the first to move. He stepped carefully into the cracked trunk of the tree, and Hermod saw the area shimmer like a heat mirage before his love was gone. Hermod took a deep breath before following Meili through.

When they stepped out of the tree, they were in Fensalir. However, this Fensalir, opposed to having a henge around the tree, had a half-sunken fortress. The Kings of Asgard had long tried to fortify this place, but the bog was too unstable to build upon. Everything had inevitably sunk. There were still walls here and there, including a collapsed tower, but mostly it was just the tree with its iridescent leaves. They still had to travel through the mountains to reach the King, but Hermod was fast enough and familiar enough with the terrain to do that in minimal time.

“I’ll be back,” Hermod said.

“I’ll keep an eye here, though I doubt they’ll reach the portal today or even tomorrow.”

“Who are you spying on this time?”

King Loki let out a single huff that sounded like a laugh but held very little actual mirth. “How is it that when you and Odin did something it was ‘watching’ and when I do something it is ‘spying,’ Heimdall?” he asked as he opened his eyes to look at the blinded guardian standing near the roaring fire.

“The intentions matter. Yours are not pure,” Heimdall said.

“And yours were?” King Loki asked.

“I never spied on others. I watched purely to know when Asgard’s intervention was required for the protection of the Nine Realms and her people,” Heimdall said.

King Loki made a face as if he’d had a revelation. “Ahh, I see. Yes, of course. The mighty, noble Heimdall would never just watch someone for no reason… You’ve never, say, watched me for no reason,” he said.

“You have long ago proven your treachery. You sit even now upon a stolen throne. My caution was more than warranted,” Heimdall said with utter certainty.

“Yes, of course you would think that,” King Loki said. “But to answer your initial question, dear Heimdall, I am watching my beloved brother.”

Heimdall’s brow furrowed above the blindfold he wore. “... the one that you tricked to coming here?”

“I didn’t trick anyone,” King Loki said. “Not lately anyway. The little… time travelling trick he’s done is quite a bit of magic. He clearly wouldn’t know how to do it. So he had help. Which is very interesting. Who do you think has the power and knowledge to do such a thing?”

“And willing to break the laws to do it? You,” Heimdall said flatly.

“Flattered,” King Loki said. “But no. As he said… the whole reason he did it was because I died. Torn up about it, he is. Somewhat curious about how I ended up dead, actually… but I suppose it doesn’t matter much. There are many paths that lead to the Mistress Death in any universe. So it wasn’t me. And we all know that Odin would never break his own laws like that,” he said with an incredibly sarcastic smile on his face. Not the Heimdall could see it.

Heimdall clutched his staff tight enough that the wood creaked beneath his fingers. “He wouldn’t.”

King Loki snorted. “Well, if it wasn’t me and it wasn’t him… whom do you think it could have been?”

“I tire of this game, Loki. Say what you wish to say plainly,” Heimdall said.

“What, like you have literally anything else to do besides talk with me?” King Loki asked. “We are both stuck with each other, Heimdall. I’d have thought you’d get used to me by now. But fine, if you really want me to say it… Frigga.”

“The Queen wouldn’t.”

“She would,” King Loki said firmly. “She has always loved me more than is wise.”

“Not always,” Heimdall said. “The Queen was far from thrilled when presented with a runt of a trophy to parade as a son.”

King Loki gripped the end of Hlidskjalf and seemed to almost launch himself out of his seat before stopping. “Charming as always Heimdall. It’s a wonder we never flyted before all this. You’d have made… an opponent of some sort, I suppose.”

“The Queen would not have broken such laws to send her son to a place she could not follow,” Heimdall said.

“Mmm, if you say so… but if she did… Well, that means she used her full power, which I don’t really need to explain to you. Imagine what that would do to the flow of time,” King Loki said. “Might have opened up a doorway we might be able to exploit.”

Heimdall pointed his staff in King Loki’s direction. “Enough with your foolishness. I’ll not indulge you any longer.” King Loki hummed even as Heimdall spun on his heel and stalked off into the biting cold and dark. Of course, Heimdall was right. Thor had admitted that it was Angrboda who sent him back. But, with that little thought planted in his head, King Loki was sure that his jailer would not be able to resist making certain. He would be occupied for a while, searching for a trail of magic that didn’t exist. And keeping Heimdall out of his hair was always so difficult when there was naught but ice and bones to work with.

King Loki had gotten very good about talking around the truth without actually lying. A necessity now that he was so limited. But, Heimdall paradoxically couldn’t bring himself to believe what Loki said, nor could he help himself from making absolutely sure. King Loki estimated that Heimdall would hold out for a few months before he began to search. Just to assure himself of his rightness, of course. And, having been blinded, that search would take much longer than it would have before. With his blinded jailer then occupied, King Loki would have a chance to move a few pieces around. He had been stuck in this dead Asgard long enough.

Of course, there was still the added complication of not knowing what Angrboda was up to. Because if Loki knew his ex-wife, and he did, she was definitely up to something. Much like King Loki himself, she was always up to something. But that could prove to be helpful to his own interests.