LJ Presents: The Hole in the World Tree
Children reveal their true feelings through play. Honestly. Sit and watch a child, just for a while, as they put their toys through their paces. Listen to what they have to say. No matter how innocent the game, you're observing how the little one really feels about the topic at hand. Their creativity, their dreams, their still-forming beliefs, everything about them is on open, unfettered display. It's amazing. And it's especially important for parents to listen because, through play, kids also indicate what's bothering them.
When LJ introduced Torunn, daughter of Thor and Sif, into her epic canon, my ears well and truly pricked up. The princess of thunder was the most autobiographical of all her characters - estranged parents, raised between two homes, somewhat awkward in the affairs of "mere mortals", longing for real friendships. I figured that, were there ever a time to really listen to our weekend games, this was it. And I'm so glad I did. Because I wasn't shown my daughter's concerns - I was shown how happy she truly is with her life.
LJ presents:
THE HOLE IN THE WORLD TREE
Written and directed by LJ
Novelisation by SF
"Families don't always agree," Loki said, his tone smooth and beguiling. "It's a sad truth in life, be you Aesir or be you mortal. Disagreements between Odin, Thor and myself - your grandfather, father and uncle - are why I've kept a respectful distance, these past 14 years, from you, dear Torunn." He smiled pleasantly. "Still I kept watch from afar and, when I saw Amora threaten you, I could not stand idly by. And it helped you curry favour with Thor, did it not?"
Torunn was confused. She was still feeling a little dazed from her second encounter with the Enchantress and wasn't sure what to think. But this Loki, her... uncle... spoke the truth. He had saved her, and his intervention had improved matters with her parents. Add to that the fact he was family and surely - surely - she could trust him?
"As I helped you," Loki continued, "now I need you to help me." He gestured to the crystal statue of a horse propped against the hearth of the fireplace. "This talisman has a singular ability, Torunn. It can burn holes through Yggdrasil itself, creating pathways between the Nine Realms ungoverned by Odin, unseen by Heimdal. It is on this score that Odin, Thor and I disagreed - they believe the realms should be forever separate, that Asgard and Asgard alone should possess the power to move between them unfettered." He placed a consoling hand on the young hero's shoulder. "I would think you, of all the beings in the universe, understand what a cruel restraint that is."
Torunn nodded. She had spent her entire life moving between Asgard and Midgard, pulled from one dimension to the other by her parents' separate lives and responsibilities. She had come and gone at their beck and call, never enjoying the freedom of deciding her own living arrangements - her own fate! Years of resentment bubbled up inside her... a righteous rage she'd not know she felt... toward not only her selfish parents but her pig-headed grandfather, whose iron rule created the situation in the first place. Now her uncle - a man cast out of their family over the very same issues, and to whom she owed her life - had come to seek her assistance rectifying this injustice? The princess of thunder knew just what do to.
"My sword," she said, bowing low and respectfully before Loki, "is yours, dear uncle."
Meanwhile, in Equestria, mighty magic was being cast. Princesses Celestia and Luna had combined their energies with that of the All-Father, Odin, to generate a "heart's tether" that would catch onto Torunn no matter her location. However, the nature of the magic was such that only the missing girl's parents could follow it - the Avengers, to their dismay, had to let Thor and Sif fight alone. "And well that is, for this is a family matter," Thor tried to reassure them. "And think on it this way: should the Lady Sif and I fail, the Avengers will be the realms' best chance of surviving Loki's scheming... whatever it is." He shook hands with his allies and then fell into step with Sif. Taking a deep breath, the somewhat-estranged parents grasped the crackling, glowing end of the "heart's tether" and were pulled through space!
They landed, with a bump and a crash, in Svartalheim. Home of the dark elves, the realm was known to be honeycombed with secret pathways to other places. Thor and Sif did not know it, but that meant the walls between Svartalheim and its neighbours were the weakest - making it the perfect place for Loki to begin his tunneling project. The heroes found the trickster god boring a hole in mid-air with the crystal horse's powerful beam... and Torunn fighting off the dark elves seeking to stop him! Thor and Sif waded into the fight, trying to make their way to their daughter, but she and Loki vanished through the newly-created portal and disappeared. Bashing elves in all directions, they plunged in after the duo.
And so began a not-really-merry chase through the realms. Thor and Sif found themselves touring Hel, Niffleheim and Musphelheim without rhyme or reason. Loki and Torunn were, frustrating, always a few steps ahead and usually leaving as they arrived (dimensional travel, of course, warping the passage of time as well). The Aesir heroes clashed with ghosts, beasts and fire demons eager to blame them for Loki's actions, and yet followed him still. The valkyries of Vanaheim and light elves of Alfheim helped speed their quest, as did Konkar and his Jotnar. Finally, Thor and Sif emerged in Nidavellir to find their errant relations in thunderous conflict with the forge dwarves.
"Loki!" Thor roared, swinging Mjolnir and charging his brother. The trickster put down the horse - which continued to emit its blazing beam - and blocked the blow with his Chitauri staff. Sif, meanwhile, picked a path through the furious dwarves swarming to attack Torunn. The young hero had sorely underestimated her shorter opponents; they had forged her sword and armour, and so knew the Aesir's weaknesses. Still Torunn fought valiantly and, had her cause been just, Sif would have been proud. Instead she stepped to the fore and met Torunn's steel with her own, demanding the girl stand down. With unexpected viciousness and fury, Torunn struck back - and the battle between mother and daughter began!
Sensing a conflict far beyond them, the dwarves fell back to a defensive position and watched. Operatic levels of love and resentment flowed from the combatants. Thor and Loki fought in near-silence; too many years had passed and too much hate had flowed for them to banter with, or even insult, one another. Sif, conversely, kept reaching out to Torunn only to be rebuffed. "Uncle Loki and I wouldn't need to do this if not for you," the younger woman spat. "It's not enough to keep your daughter in chains, is it? You and grandfather have to keep all the realms in lock-step with your beliefs! I can't believe you'd treat so many people, so many species, like children! Well, not anymore!"
"You are a foolish girl," Sif snapped, her legendary temper getting the better of her. "Use your brain! What happens when you drill too many holes through a tree? It becomes weakened, Torunn, and can no longer support its weight. That's what Loki's plan will do to Yggdrasil! The World Tree will be shot through with bore holes and its limbs will lose their strength. Resting in its branches as they do, the realms will lose purchase and topple into the infinite - reality will be destroyed! That is why we govern travel, so that all might be safe!"
Torunn listened, but she did not want to believe. The conflicted hero turned her gaze to Thor and Loki, watching carefully. In her father she saw nobility and resolve, just as always, and in her uncle... the glee on his face, the twisted smile, unsettled her. Beyond them the horse's fiery gaze continued to pierce reality and, beneath their very feet, Nidavellir lurched sickeningly as the effects of Loki's mad ambition began to manifest. Tears welled in the warrior princess' eyes and her face burned with shame. She turned on her heel and ran, losing herself between the dwarves' mighty metalworking equipment, unwilling and unable to face her parents... and the truth.
Sif's heart ached for her daughter, but her duty was clear. She ran in the other direction, toward Thor and Loki, and added her strength to that of the thunder god. Together they overwhelmed their foe, causing him to stagger back. Sif pressed the advantage while Thor, following her unspoken cue, spun around and hurled Mjolnir at the crystal horse. Loki howled but it was too late. The enchanted uru hammer decimated the artefact and shattered its shards to the four winds. Nidavellir settled somewhat; Yggdrasil had been damaged but its wounds were not beyond repair. Realising he was undone, Loki fled into the shadows of the underground caverns. Thor and the dwarves gave chase while Sif went in search of Torunn.
A mother's intuition cannot be fooled - especially when that mother is also a great hunter and warrior. Sif found her daughter nestled alongside an enormous set of bellows, curled up and crying. She did not approach the girl but spoke softly to her. "I understand your shame, Torunn," she said, "and your pain. We have asked much of you, these years, that your father and I might fulfil our duties not only as Aesir but as parents. This has been difficult for you, yes, but it has also tempered you - like a sword in these very forges. It has made you who you are: a child of two worlds, in love with and able to defend both. But like any weapon you have a weak point, and that is your sadness. This is what Loki exploited and you should not let that trouble you - many are the people fooled by his silver tongue.
"I am sorry for your sadness, my sweet Torunn," she continued, "and wish I had known more of it that I could have lifted it from you sooner. Thor and I would do anything for you, my precious darling. You realise it not, but you have always been our greatest priority. Neither of us could live without you and the time we are away from you is like daggers in our hearts. It is our selfish need, our selfish love, that pulls you in two directions - not our lack of care or callousness. We love you too much, Torunn, and want only for all three of us to be as happy as possible."
A few moments passed and then Torunn, her face streaked with tears, ran out and embraced her mother. Arm in arm, they made their way back to the main antechamber and reunited with Thor. He and the dwarves were celebrating the capture of Loki, who scowled from out a mass of enchanted, inescapable chains. Like Sif before him, Thor hugged Torunn close. The princess apologised to him and to the dwarves - the diminutive smiths accepted it with characteristic joviality. Torunn had a second apology for her father: at long last, she confessed Loki's role in her "victory" over the Enchantress.
"I'm so sorry," she said emphatically. "I just was so happy that you had finally come to trust me, and were going to let me start really living my life on Earth. I was scared that, if I told you the truth, you'd take all that back and I'd be miserable again."
Thor smiled ruefully. "I am not happy that you lied," he said, "though I understand your reasons. As your mother has no doubt told you, Torunn, we regret the strain our duties have placed on your childhood. Months ago I admitted I'd been wrong to keep you cloistered due to my fear of Amora; now, I realise I was wrong in another regard as well. The princess of Asgard should be free to traverse Yggdrasil's branches as she sees fit, adventuring as I did at her age. So let my decree be heard by Heimdall and throughout the Nine Realms: from this moment forth, Torunn can call upon the Bifrost!"
A brilliant, rainbow-hued aurora exploded in front of their eyes. Heimdall had indeed heard Thor's cry and was, apparently, eager to grant his niece passage throughout the universe. Delighted, Torunn hugged her parents once again and leaped into the dimensional rift, riding it all the way back to Avengers Mansion and her delighted, relieved friends. Sif and Thor shared a fleeting embrace - duties, however pressing, can never truly override the heart's desires - before bidding one another farewell. He returned to Earth and his allies, she to Asgard with Loki - already grumbling about his fate - in tow.
The thunder god arrived on Earth in time to hear Torunn breathlessly relaying the story. "I have the most wonderful parents in the world - in all the worlds," she beamed. "I'm so very lucky that they love me, no matter my mistakes, and want me with them. Now I can go back and forth as I please, I can't wait to share even more adventures with them!" She did not know it but, with those words, Torunn had made Thor happier than he'd ever been in his long life.
-----THE END-----
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF
When LJ introduced Torunn, daughter of Thor and Sif, into her epic canon, my ears well and truly pricked up. The princess of thunder was the most autobiographical of all her characters - estranged parents, raised between two homes, somewhat awkward in the affairs of "mere mortals", longing for real friendships. I figured that, were there ever a time to really listen to our weekend games, this was it. And I'm so glad I did. Because I wasn't shown my daughter's concerns - I was shown how happy she truly is with her life.
LJ presents:
THE HOLE IN THE WORLD TREE
Written and directed by LJ
Novelisation by SF
"Families don't always agree," Loki said, his tone smooth and beguiling. "It's a sad truth in life, be you Aesir or be you mortal. Disagreements between Odin, Thor and myself - your grandfather, father and uncle - are why I've kept a respectful distance, these past 14 years, from you, dear Torunn." He smiled pleasantly. "Still I kept watch from afar and, when I saw Amora threaten you, I could not stand idly by. And it helped you curry favour with Thor, did it not?"
Torunn was confused. She was still feeling a little dazed from her second encounter with the Enchantress and wasn't sure what to think. But this Loki, her... uncle... spoke the truth. He had saved her, and his intervention had improved matters with her parents. Add to that the fact he was family and surely - surely - she could trust him?
"As I helped you," Loki continued, "now I need you to help me." He gestured to the crystal statue of a horse propped against the hearth of the fireplace. "This talisman has a singular ability, Torunn. It can burn holes through Yggdrasil itself, creating pathways between the Nine Realms ungoverned by Odin, unseen by Heimdal. It is on this score that Odin, Thor and I disagreed - they believe the realms should be forever separate, that Asgard and Asgard alone should possess the power to move between them unfettered." He placed a consoling hand on the young hero's shoulder. "I would think you, of all the beings in the universe, understand what a cruel restraint that is."
Torunn nodded. She had spent her entire life moving between Asgard and Midgard, pulled from one dimension to the other by her parents' separate lives and responsibilities. She had come and gone at their beck and call, never enjoying the freedom of deciding her own living arrangements - her own fate! Years of resentment bubbled up inside her... a righteous rage she'd not know she felt... toward not only her selfish parents but her pig-headed grandfather, whose iron rule created the situation in the first place. Now her uncle - a man cast out of their family over the very same issues, and to whom she owed her life - had come to seek her assistance rectifying this injustice? The princess of thunder knew just what do to.
"My sword," she said, bowing low and respectfully before Loki, "is yours, dear uncle."
Meanwhile, in Equestria, mighty magic was being cast. Princesses Celestia and Luna had combined their energies with that of the All-Father, Odin, to generate a "heart's tether" that would catch onto Torunn no matter her location. However, the nature of the magic was such that only the missing girl's parents could follow it - the Avengers, to their dismay, had to let Thor and Sif fight alone. "And well that is, for this is a family matter," Thor tried to reassure them. "And think on it this way: should the Lady Sif and I fail, the Avengers will be the realms' best chance of surviving Loki's scheming... whatever it is." He shook hands with his allies and then fell into step with Sif. Taking a deep breath, the somewhat-estranged parents grasped the crackling, glowing end of the "heart's tether" and were pulled through space!
They landed, with a bump and a crash, in Svartalheim. Home of the dark elves, the realm was known to be honeycombed with secret pathways to other places. Thor and Sif did not know it, but that meant the walls between Svartalheim and its neighbours were the weakest - making it the perfect place for Loki to begin his tunneling project. The heroes found the trickster god boring a hole in mid-air with the crystal horse's powerful beam... and Torunn fighting off the dark elves seeking to stop him! Thor and Sif waded into the fight, trying to make their way to their daughter, but she and Loki vanished through the newly-created portal and disappeared. Bashing elves in all directions, they plunged in after the duo.
And so began a not-really-merry chase through the realms. Thor and Sif found themselves touring Hel, Niffleheim and Musphelheim without rhyme or reason. Loki and Torunn were, frustrating, always a few steps ahead and usually leaving as they arrived (dimensional travel, of course, warping the passage of time as well). The Aesir heroes clashed with ghosts, beasts and fire demons eager to blame them for Loki's actions, and yet followed him still. The valkyries of Vanaheim and light elves of Alfheim helped speed their quest, as did Konkar and his Jotnar. Finally, Thor and Sif emerged in Nidavellir to find their errant relations in thunderous conflict with the forge dwarves.
"Loki!" Thor roared, swinging Mjolnir and charging his brother. The trickster put down the horse - which continued to emit its blazing beam - and blocked the blow with his Chitauri staff. Sif, meanwhile, picked a path through the furious dwarves swarming to attack Torunn. The young hero had sorely underestimated her shorter opponents; they had forged her sword and armour, and so knew the Aesir's weaknesses. Still Torunn fought valiantly and, had her cause been just, Sif would have been proud. Instead she stepped to the fore and met Torunn's steel with her own, demanding the girl stand down. With unexpected viciousness and fury, Torunn struck back - and the battle between mother and daughter began!
Sensing a conflict far beyond them, the dwarves fell back to a defensive position and watched. Operatic levels of love and resentment flowed from the combatants. Thor and Loki fought in near-silence; too many years had passed and too much hate had flowed for them to banter with, or even insult, one another. Sif, conversely, kept reaching out to Torunn only to be rebuffed. "Uncle Loki and I wouldn't need to do this if not for you," the younger woman spat. "It's not enough to keep your daughter in chains, is it? You and grandfather have to keep all the realms in lock-step with your beliefs! I can't believe you'd treat so many people, so many species, like children! Well, not anymore!"
"You are a foolish girl," Sif snapped, her legendary temper getting the better of her. "Use your brain! What happens when you drill too many holes through a tree? It becomes weakened, Torunn, and can no longer support its weight. That's what Loki's plan will do to Yggdrasil! The World Tree will be shot through with bore holes and its limbs will lose their strength. Resting in its branches as they do, the realms will lose purchase and topple into the infinite - reality will be destroyed! That is why we govern travel, so that all might be safe!"
Torunn listened, but she did not want to believe. The conflicted hero turned her gaze to Thor and Loki, watching carefully. In her father she saw nobility and resolve, just as always, and in her uncle... the glee on his face, the twisted smile, unsettled her. Beyond them the horse's fiery gaze continued to pierce reality and, beneath their very feet, Nidavellir lurched sickeningly as the effects of Loki's mad ambition began to manifest. Tears welled in the warrior princess' eyes and her face burned with shame. She turned on her heel and ran, losing herself between the dwarves' mighty metalworking equipment, unwilling and unable to face her parents... and the truth.
Sif's heart ached for her daughter, but her duty was clear. She ran in the other direction, toward Thor and Loki, and added her strength to that of the thunder god. Together they overwhelmed their foe, causing him to stagger back. Sif pressed the advantage while Thor, following her unspoken cue, spun around and hurled Mjolnir at the crystal horse. Loki howled but it was too late. The enchanted uru hammer decimated the artefact and shattered its shards to the four winds. Nidavellir settled somewhat; Yggdrasil had been damaged but its wounds were not beyond repair. Realising he was undone, Loki fled into the shadows of the underground caverns. Thor and the dwarves gave chase while Sif went in search of Torunn.
A mother's intuition cannot be fooled - especially when that mother is also a great hunter and warrior. Sif found her daughter nestled alongside an enormous set of bellows, curled up and crying. She did not approach the girl but spoke softly to her. "I understand your shame, Torunn," she said, "and your pain. We have asked much of you, these years, that your father and I might fulfil our duties not only as Aesir but as parents. This has been difficult for you, yes, but it has also tempered you - like a sword in these very forges. It has made you who you are: a child of two worlds, in love with and able to defend both. But like any weapon you have a weak point, and that is your sadness. This is what Loki exploited and you should not let that trouble you - many are the people fooled by his silver tongue.
"I am sorry for your sadness, my sweet Torunn," she continued, "and wish I had known more of it that I could have lifted it from you sooner. Thor and I would do anything for you, my precious darling. You realise it not, but you have always been our greatest priority. Neither of us could live without you and the time we are away from you is like daggers in our hearts. It is our selfish need, our selfish love, that pulls you in two directions - not our lack of care or callousness. We love you too much, Torunn, and want only for all three of us to be as happy as possible."
A few moments passed and then Torunn, her face streaked with tears, ran out and embraced her mother. Arm in arm, they made their way back to the main antechamber and reunited with Thor. He and the dwarves were celebrating the capture of Loki, who scowled from out a mass of enchanted, inescapable chains. Like Sif before him, Thor hugged Torunn close. The princess apologised to him and to the dwarves - the diminutive smiths accepted it with characteristic joviality. Torunn had a second apology for her father: at long last, she confessed Loki's role in her "victory" over the Enchantress.
"I'm so sorry," she said emphatically. "I just was so happy that you had finally come to trust me, and were going to let me start really living my life on Earth. I was scared that, if I told you the truth, you'd take all that back and I'd be miserable again."
Thor smiled ruefully. "I am not happy that you lied," he said, "though I understand your reasons. As your mother has no doubt told you, Torunn, we regret the strain our duties have placed on your childhood. Months ago I admitted I'd been wrong to keep you cloistered due to my fear of Amora; now, I realise I was wrong in another regard as well. The princess of Asgard should be free to traverse Yggdrasil's branches as she sees fit, adventuring as I did at her age. So let my decree be heard by Heimdall and throughout the Nine Realms: from this moment forth, Torunn can call upon the Bifrost!"
A brilliant, rainbow-hued aurora exploded in front of their eyes. Heimdall had indeed heard Thor's cry and was, apparently, eager to grant his niece passage throughout the universe. Delighted, Torunn hugged her parents once again and leaped into the dimensional rift, riding it all the way back to Avengers Mansion and her delighted, relieved friends. Sif and Thor shared a fleeting embrace - duties, however pressing, can never truly override the heart's desires - before bidding one another farewell. He returned to Earth and his allies, she to Asgard with Loki - already grumbling about his fate - in tow.
The thunder god arrived on Earth in time to hear Torunn breathlessly relaying the story. "I have the most wonderful parents in the world - in all the worlds," she beamed. "I'm so very lucky that they love me, no matter my mistakes, and want me with them. Now I can go back and forth as I please, I can't wait to share even more adventures with them!" She did not know it but, with those words, Torunn had made Thor happier than he'd ever been in his long life.
-----THE END-----
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF