Never a Bride (working title) Chapter 1
So I'm working on a Thorki fic, and I decided to put my first chapter up on Livejournal to get some feedback. Mind you, its unbetaed, and will likely be edited in the future. But, if you like it, tell me what you think! If you don't like it, tell me how it can be improved :)
Title: Never a Bride
Author: LadyMizra
Characters/Pairing: Thor/Loki, Odin, Laufey, eventually all the Avengers and more Asgardian chars
Rating: Currently very PG/PG-13, may increase later on
Word Count: 3213
Disclaimer: Work in Progress
Warnings: While this is -not- a female Loki fic in the sense that Loki is female, Loki will be pretending to be female for an extended period of time. However, it is highly unlikely that Thor and Loki will have sex while Loki is female, so don't get your hopes up. Also, Loki has not been adopted by Odin, and is a prince of Jotunheim, therefor there is no incest
Summary: Peace is being negotiated between Asgard, Midgard and Jotunheim after Laufey tried to invade Earth in retaliation for his attack, similar to what happened in Thor. A political marriage is on the table to cement their newfound, yet fragile peace.
Thor felt relieved as he sat down next his father, that the chairs were not made of ice. If you could call them chairs at all. They were made of some kind of black stone, with lines and geometric patterns etched into the armrests and the back. The only thing it lacked were legs, sat directly on the ice and gravel floor. It was just big enough for one to sit inside with their legs crossed. Thor wondered why the Jotuns had seating small enough for them. ‘Perhaps for their young,’ he thought, nose crinkling.
As he glanced around the icy building, Thor thought that Jotun building practices were highly impractical. Shelter was built to stay out of the elements. If the shelter was made of the elements, it defeated it’s purpose entirely. Maybe the frost giants weren’t affected by the cold, but he was. The chairs, however, seemed to be a little less cold than the ice, and Thor was glad for that. Even with his thick, fur-lined cloak, his backside would have frozen off otherwise.
The building they were inside didn’t seem to have a purpose, either. It was large, empty, with no furniture but that which was brought in for this meeting. And it was in the middle of nowhere. There wasn’t a village, city, or structure of any importance for leagues in all directions. Thor thought they should feel insulted that King Laufey had not invited them to his palace (assuming he had one), or at least someplace of importance. But Odin had pushed aside these concerns, calling them petty. “This is not the time for making idle grievances. Peace must be assured between us, before this restlessness spreads further.” Thor had only nodded, feigning agreement, but in his heart he would rather see Jotunheim blotted out, rather than cow to their demands.
A low table separated the two races. Odin and Thor were seated, with a small regiment of Einherjar stoically looming behind them. On either side of Laufey, were two younger Jotnar, who by their dress, Thor assumed were his sons, and behind him stood several warriors of his own. None of them wore much. Laufey wore a partial helmet, that looked the same as all his men wore, except it appeared to be solid gold, as was the rest of his meager armor. Nothing covered his chest, or any Jotnar’s chest for that matter, however, or most of their legs or feet. Laufey -did- wear gold chainmail over a dark blue leather skirt, but it only reached his knees. Thor wondered if the leather was from a Jotun. Were they cannibals?
“After.... much thought, and discussion, I cannot in good conscience agree to the treaty as you proposed.”
Tensing at Odin’s statement, Laufey pulled his lips into a thin line. “Do you wish that I pay you and Midgard more gold? If you’re demanding more, you will have to give us more time.”
The All-father shook his head. “The gold is sufficient. However, I am reluctant to return the Casket.”
Laufey bared his teeth, but didn’t make a sound. A moment of awkward silence passed between them, and Thor fought the urge to match the Laufeysons’ scowls.
“Without the staff, there isn’t even a possibility that we could use it as a weapon. The trade is fair. Do you think we would let you hoard -all- the treasures of Jotunheim?”
“Asgard hoards nothing!” The tension broke uneasily at the boom of Odin’s voice, Jotnar warriors instinctively placing their hands on the hilts of their weaponry. The Einherjar moved to draw their blades, but Odin stayed them with a lift of his hand. Generous, too generous, Thor believed.
“I said I was reluctant to hand over the Casket. I did not say I wouldn’t.”
“Then why can you not agree to the treaty?” Laufey leaned forward, the reflection of the ice shifting his eyes from crimson, to maroon.
“I have one more stipulation, and I believe that it will foster a -lasting- peace between our people. Perhaps even amity.”
The frost giant monarch smirked, eyes falling on Thor. The Aesir prince frowned, locking eyes with the Jotun. He felt uncomfortable under the foreign scrutiny.
“That will not be an easy task, considering how ‘highly’ your heir regards us. His hands are already stained with more Jotnar blood than one can measure. If he ever gains amity for us, it will be in his senility.”
If it wasn’t for the stern eye of his father, Thor would have thrown Mjolnir at the Laufeysons, who mocked him with their laughter. But Odin did seem displeased at Laufey’s remark. No one should insult the house of Odin.
“Do you have a daughter, Laufey?”
Laufey’s smile peeled off his face, eyebrows burrowing down in confusion. “What is that to you?”
“I propose a marriage, between my heir and your child, if you have one suitable.”
Thor’s felt the pull of panic in his stomach, eyes widening with shock. What was his father -doing-? He couldn’t seriously expect him to marry a Jotun. If it was his choice, he wouldn’t marry at all, but he had long ago accepted that as heir to Asgard, it was his duty to continue his family line. But how could Odin think that doing so with these -monsters- be a good idea? “Father--”
“Be silent.” Odin’s tone gave no room for argument, and Thor could only sit there quietly, his mouth agape in shock. He wasn’t the only one, thankfully. The Laufeysons looked worried.
And Laufey himself seemed surprised by Odin’s offer as well. He had no comment, and waited for the All-father to continue.
“With one of yours by my son’s side, Asgard will eventually have to think more favorably about your people. And I doubt that you would want to be hostile then, to a realm in which your child resides.”
“So you would hold my offspring hostage? To force us into compliance at your whim?”
“She would one day be -queen-. Would bear my son’s children, -my- grandchildren. We would not treat her as a prisoner.”
Another pointed look was sent in Thor’s direction. “And what of your son? He is obviously not pleased about this idea. He has slaughtered many of my people. How can you guarantee my child’s safety?”
Odin set his jaw firm, looking first at Thor, then back at Laufey. “I swear that I would do everything in my power to ensure the safety of your daughter. And my son would not dishonor me by being the first to prove that promise false. He knows his duty.”
The words were heavy, and Thor could not rebuke them. He wanted to say something, to refuse, to tell his father this plan was ridiculous, but he -did- know his duty. He could not disagree with the King in front of the Jotnar.
Laufey and his sons stood up. “I need a moment to discuss your offer. We will return shortly.” They went outside, though their guards stayed behind.
Thor tried to take the opportunity to speak, but Odin cut him off. “We have nothing to discuss.” Gritting his teeth, fists clenched over his knees, Thor struggled to stay calm, a familiar, yet horrifying feeling of helplessness consuming him.
The last time Thor had felt truly helpless had been 8 years ago, when the incidents that started the war took place. A band of rogue Jotnar tried to steal the Casket. Of course they failed. Of course they were just stupid, drunk, or young, and definitely not sanctioned by Laufey. But Thor hadn’t listened to his father. He had been foolish then, too arrogant and proud. He led the Warriors Three and Sif into Jotunheim, risking their lives on a forbidden and dangerous quest. And after he had insulted, then slaughtered many of Laufey’s warriors, Odin came for him.
He was deemed unworthy, of Mjolnir, his title, of Asgard, and was banished to Midgard. Though he quickly made friends with Jane, Darcy and Eric, he remembered how overwhelmed he had felt. The dread and hopelessness he had felt then, was creeping back into his heart now. And while he had been able to prove himself worthy back then, he could think of no way to convince Odin this was a bad idea, especially when he wouldn’t even let him speak.
Several minutes later, Laufey and his sons returned. They took their seats silently, their faces set like stone, and Laufey paused long before he spoke.
“I have a condition.”
“Name it,” Odin answered.
“I will give my child’s hand in marriage to your son, but you must lift the sanctions you placed on us a millenia ago that denied us trade among the realms.”
Thor heard his father take a sharp breath, and he couldn’t blame him. It had been a thousand years ago, the first time Jotunheim tried to invade Midgard, that their trade rights, and of course, the Casket of Ancient Winters had been siezed. Asgard was the only realm with access to a Bifrost, so all trade between realms went through them. If Jotunheim was returned trade rights, then they would have access to the Bifrost, and even if that was only for their goods, it couldn’t be safe. Who knows what they might do, what they might sell, or sneak across their borders. Or into their borders. Maybe this means Odin would refuse? Thor wouldn’t have to marry some ugly, overgrown, blue-skinned fre--
“I accept.”
Papers were signed, words were said, but Thor was unable to focus. He didn’t say another word, and didn’t look up from his lap until everything was over, and Odin touched his arm to remind him that they were leaving. He kept quiet as they passed across the dark frozen wastes, as they were spirited back in a flash of pale colors to Asgard. Even as they past along the bright bridge of the Bifrost, he found himself unable to speak, as if one of the bright stars below in the glittering heavens has lodged itself in his throat, burning and aching, though it was probably just the acid from his stomach. Momentarily, as he looked upward, the colors of sunset stained against his home, the golden castle that reached high into the familiar sky, was enough to pull him down from his panic. But it was not enough.
It wasn’t until they were inside, and alone, the Einherjar gone to deal with their other duties, that Thor spoke. “Father, you will hear me,” he said, following behind the King down a wide golden corridor.
Odin stopped, the snow caked on the edges of his red cape melting onto the floor. “And what is it that you would say to me?”
“That this is mad! You can’t trust them, you can’t believe that this union will do any good. It is foolish enough to return to them the Casket, but to bring one of them here, to make me wed one of them? You can’t expect me to agree to this!”
“I expect you to do what is necessary to ensure -peace-.” Odin turned, taking a step closer to his son. “You do not understand what Asgard risks if this war continues.”
“We don’t risk anything when we know we have the upper hand. They know we could destroy them, yet you are acting as if we are the ones outnumbered, giving them all these concessions.”
“Jotunheim is not the only realm watching right now. Do you think the rest of Yggdrassil is unaware of what’s going on? Unaware of -your- transgressions?”
Thor paused, casting his eyes down from his father. A tense inhale preceded his speech. “If they are watching, they have seen what I have done to -right- those trangressions.”
“What you and your Midgardian friends have done,” Odin is quick to amend. “But perhaps you have also forgotten that Midgard is not the only realm in need of mending.”
Yes, nothing -had- been done to reconcile with Jotunheim after Thor’s incident. No payment or apology had been offered for the death and destruction he had caused, but by how they decided to retaliate, Thor thought they deserved nothing.
The SHIELD brothers has been busy while Thor was away. They had unearthed the Tesseract, and unfortunately their tinkering led to the accidental activation of its power. Jotunheim had been brooding, lying in wait for an opportunity to strike back against Asgard, and here it was. Unbeknownst to all, the Casket was not the last of Jotunheim’s relics. They had a staff, one containing one of the lost Infinity stones, and with it, Laufey was able to open a doorway between it, and the Tesseract. A doorway to Midgard.
When news first broke of the invasion, Thor remembered the knot that formed in his throat, a tight choke hold that almost made him leap towards the Bifrost without his father’s permission. There was no need to deceive his father in the end. He was sent down to aid Earth’s forces while Odin prepared an army of his own, if indeed Midgard fell.
But it did not. The brothers of SHIELD proved to have unearthed more than the Tesseract. While he had been familiar with the lady warrior Natasha, and the eagle-eyed Clint, Steve Rogers, or the Captain of America, was new to him. They said he had been found, buried in ice and snow with the Tesseract. He turned out to be a formidable opponent, but more than that, a man Thor could respect.
But SHIELD had assembled two others. When Thor has first met the craftsman they had called Tony Stark, he wasn’t sure what to make of him. It was clear he was intelligent, the sort which, at first, Thor would have assumed stayed in the smithy or the library. But he too was a powerful warrior, though that power came from the machines he had created.While one might look down on a warrior for relying on special tools rather then their own strength, Thor thought that the fact that he was able to create such wondrous technological marvels was proof enough of his strength, if not physical, of the spirit. Thor also reminded himself that he had Mjolnir, yet no one looked down upon him for using such a powerful, magical weapon. He deserved it, for the simple fact that he was able to wield it.
Tony also reminded him of Fandral, the cocky attitude, the ever present humor. And of course, his way with women. He often bragged of his past encounters, though never when the lady Pepper was near. She was his current woman, and she kept him in line. It was something Thor often teased him about, but not for long. Pepper had become increasingly busy with attending to Tony’s business matters, and so the inventor was spending more time with Bruce, usually in his.... laboratory, that’s what he called it. Unfortunately, the bond of brothers is not as easy to tease about as Tony’s often ineffectual tactics with women.
Bruce Banner was the last member of the Avengers, that is what Fury called them. Thor kept his distance from the man at first, not because of the green beast lurking inside the man, but rather because he was so mild-mannered, he was not sure how to approach him. He had a calmness about him, but it was thin, and beneath the surface there seemed to fluctuate a nervousness, almost to the point of timidity, mixed with in a simmering stew of anger. He could be, and tended to be incredibly kind and gentle, like a cool breeze under a hot sun. But in the face of injustice and cruelty, the man could boil into a hurricane, and though Bruce would never admit it, the Hulk was not the sole carrier of this righteous fury.
However, Thor could never shake that feeling that at his core, Bruce was not a warrior. He didn’t feel this made him less in any way, but he felt that Bruce was happiest when healing and mending. His presence often calmed the Avengers, kept tempers in check and acted like a balm to soothe the pain that they often suffered. It was such a situation, when Thor first bonded with Bruce, after a devastating battle, that while was won, left many innocents dead. Thor had tried to blame it all on himself, but Bruce reassured him, with his simple kind words and acknowledgment of understanding. In Thor’s eyes, it was not Bruce’s brilliance, or the Hulk that made him an asset to the team, it was his empathy and character.
The war was short, lasting only a little over a week. Steve led the battles, fighting with iron-cold furiosity. His decisions with quick and effective. But the final, winning blow was dealt by Tony, who bravely flew an explosive device through the portal to Jotunheim. He was barely able to make it back before the bomb activated, wiping out almost a quarter of Laufey’s forces at one of their bases. The devastation of that assault, and the threat of further retaliation, by not just Midgard, but Odin himself, ended the war, and Laufey soon contacted both realms to negotiate peace.
Peace they did not deserve, no matter what Odin said. Not matter what all the realms had to say, in Thor’s eyes. If this war had shown anything, it showed the barbarity of the Jotnar, and Thor did not understand why his father was so worried. Surely the other realms would understand that Jotunheim needed to be blotted out. Thor knew he had been wrong to disobey his father, but what he had done to the Jotnar was nothing in comparison to what they had done on Midgard. This peace Odin was trying to forge was a shamble. Thor had to resist. He could not marry the very monsters that slaughtered so indiscriminately.
“Jotunheim does not need mending. Any recompense they may have deserved is overshadowed by what they owe for the slaughter on Midgard. The realms are watching, but do you expect a positive reaction when they see us acting weak with our enemy? -Bedding- our enemy?” The last question is spoken with a distasteful sneer, as if Thor recoiled from his own words.
Odin sighs, and turns away from his son with the posture of finality. “You are still a boy. You have learnt much, but you do not know everything, and you have much to learn about what it is to be King. You will marry Laufey’s daughter.”
“But Father--”
“I will attend no more arguments,” the Allfather says, each syllable crisp on his tongue, like a whip warning Thor to go no further. “If you wish to discuss it more, do so with your mother.” Odin’s eye falls on Thor once more before he strides away down the corridor. “After all, it was -her- idea.
Title: Never a Bride
Author: LadyMizra
Characters/Pairing: Thor/Loki, Odin, Laufey, eventually all the Avengers and more Asgardian chars
Rating: Currently very PG/PG-13, may increase later on
Word Count: 3213
Disclaimer: Work in Progress
Warnings: While this is -not- a female Loki fic in the sense that Loki is female, Loki will be pretending to be female for an extended period of time. However, it is highly unlikely that Thor and Loki will have sex while Loki is female, so don't get your hopes up. Also, Loki has not been adopted by Odin, and is a prince of Jotunheim, therefor there is no incest
Summary: Peace is being negotiated between Asgard, Midgard and Jotunheim after Laufey tried to invade Earth in retaliation for his attack, similar to what happened in Thor. A political marriage is on the table to cement their newfound, yet fragile peace.
Thor felt relieved as he sat down next his father, that the chairs were not made of ice. If you could call them chairs at all. They were made of some kind of black stone, with lines and geometric patterns etched into the armrests and the back. The only thing it lacked were legs, sat directly on the ice and gravel floor. It was just big enough for one to sit inside with their legs crossed. Thor wondered why the Jotuns had seating small enough for them. ‘Perhaps for their young,’ he thought, nose crinkling.
As he glanced around the icy building, Thor thought that Jotun building practices were highly impractical. Shelter was built to stay out of the elements. If the shelter was made of the elements, it defeated it’s purpose entirely. Maybe the frost giants weren’t affected by the cold, but he was. The chairs, however, seemed to be a little less cold than the ice, and Thor was glad for that. Even with his thick, fur-lined cloak, his backside would have frozen off otherwise.
The building they were inside didn’t seem to have a purpose, either. It was large, empty, with no furniture but that which was brought in for this meeting. And it was in the middle of nowhere. There wasn’t a village, city, or structure of any importance for leagues in all directions. Thor thought they should feel insulted that King Laufey had not invited them to his palace (assuming he had one), or at least someplace of importance. But Odin had pushed aside these concerns, calling them petty. “This is not the time for making idle grievances. Peace must be assured between us, before this restlessness spreads further.” Thor had only nodded, feigning agreement, but in his heart he would rather see Jotunheim blotted out, rather than cow to their demands.
A low table separated the two races. Odin and Thor were seated, with a small regiment of Einherjar stoically looming behind them. On either side of Laufey, were two younger Jotnar, who by their dress, Thor assumed were his sons, and behind him stood several warriors of his own. None of them wore much. Laufey wore a partial helmet, that looked the same as all his men wore, except it appeared to be solid gold, as was the rest of his meager armor. Nothing covered his chest, or any Jotnar’s chest for that matter, however, or most of their legs or feet. Laufey -did- wear gold chainmail over a dark blue leather skirt, but it only reached his knees. Thor wondered if the leather was from a Jotun. Were they cannibals?
“After.... much thought, and discussion, I cannot in good conscience agree to the treaty as you proposed.”
Tensing at Odin’s statement, Laufey pulled his lips into a thin line. “Do you wish that I pay you and Midgard more gold? If you’re demanding more, you will have to give us more time.”
The All-father shook his head. “The gold is sufficient. However, I am reluctant to return the Casket.”
Laufey bared his teeth, but didn’t make a sound. A moment of awkward silence passed between them, and Thor fought the urge to match the Laufeysons’ scowls.
“Without the staff, there isn’t even a possibility that we could use it as a weapon. The trade is fair. Do you think we would let you hoard -all- the treasures of Jotunheim?”
“Asgard hoards nothing!” The tension broke uneasily at the boom of Odin’s voice, Jotnar warriors instinctively placing their hands on the hilts of their weaponry. The Einherjar moved to draw their blades, but Odin stayed them with a lift of his hand. Generous, too generous, Thor believed.
“I said I was reluctant to hand over the Casket. I did not say I wouldn’t.”
“Then why can you not agree to the treaty?” Laufey leaned forward, the reflection of the ice shifting his eyes from crimson, to maroon.
“I have one more stipulation, and I believe that it will foster a -lasting- peace between our people. Perhaps even amity.”
The frost giant monarch smirked, eyes falling on Thor. The Aesir prince frowned, locking eyes with the Jotun. He felt uncomfortable under the foreign scrutiny.
“That will not be an easy task, considering how ‘highly’ your heir regards us. His hands are already stained with more Jotnar blood than one can measure. If he ever gains amity for us, it will be in his senility.”
If it wasn’t for the stern eye of his father, Thor would have thrown Mjolnir at the Laufeysons, who mocked him with their laughter. But Odin did seem displeased at Laufey’s remark. No one should insult the house of Odin.
“Do you have a daughter, Laufey?”
Laufey’s smile peeled off his face, eyebrows burrowing down in confusion. “What is that to you?”
“I propose a marriage, between my heir and your child, if you have one suitable.”
Thor’s felt the pull of panic in his stomach, eyes widening with shock. What was his father -doing-? He couldn’t seriously expect him to marry a Jotun. If it was his choice, he wouldn’t marry at all, but he had long ago accepted that as heir to Asgard, it was his duty to continue his family line. But how could Odin think that doing so with these -monsters- be a good idea? “Father--”
“Be silent.” Odin’s tone gave no room for argument, and Thor could only sit there quietly, his mouth agape in shock. He wasn’t the only one, thankfully. The Laufeysons looked worried.
And Laufey himself seemed surprised by Odin’s offer as well. He had no comment, and waited for the All-father to continue.
“With one of yours by my son’s side, Asgard will eventually have to think more favorably about your people. And I doubt that you would want to be hostile then, to a realm in which your child resides.”
“So you would hold my offspring hostage? To force us into compliance at your whim?”
“She would one day be -queen-. Would bear my son’s children, -my- grandchildren. We would not treat her as a prisoner.”
Another pointed look was sent in Thor’s direction. “And what of your son? He is obviously not pleased about this idea. He has slaughtered many of my people. How can you guarantee my child’s safety?”
Odin set his jaw firm, looking first at Thor, then back at Laufey. “I swear that I would do everything in my power to ensure the safety of your daughter. And my son would not dishonor me by being the first to prove that promise false. He knows his duty.”
The words were heavy, and Thor could not rebuke them. He wanted to say something, to refuse, to tell his father this plan was ridiculous, but he -did- know his duty. He could not disagree with the King in front of the Jotnar.
Laufey and his sons stood up. “I need a moment to discuss your offer. We will return shortly.” They went outside, though their guards stayed behind.
Thor tried to take the opportunity to speak, but Odin cut him off. “We have nothing to discuss.” Gritting his teeth, fists clenched over his knees, Thor struggled to stay calm, a familiar, yet horrifying feeling of helplessness consuming him.
The last time Thor had felt truly helpless had been 8 years ago, when the incidents that started the war took place. A band of rogue Jotnar tried to steal the Casket. Of course they failed. Of course they were just stupid, drunk, or young, and definitely not sanctioned by Laufey. But Thor hadn’t listened to his father. He had been foolish then, too arrogant and proud. He led the Warriors Three and Sif into Jotunheim, risking their lives on a forbidden and dangerous quest. And after he had insulted, then slaughtered many of Laufey’s warriors, Odin came for him.
He was deemed unworthy, of Mjolnir, his title, of Asgard, and was banished to Midgard. Though he quickly made friends with Jane, Darcy and Eric, he remembered how overwhelmed he had felt. The dread and hopelessness he had felt then, was creeping back into his heart now. And while he had been able to prove himself worthy back then, he could think of no way to convince Odin this was a bad idea, especially when he wouldn’t even let him speak.
Several minutes later, Laufey and his sons returned. They took their seats silently, their faces set like stone, and Laufey paused long before he spoke.
“I have a condition.”
“Name it,” Odin answered.
“I will give my child’s hand in marriage to your son, but you must lift the sanctions you placed on us a millenia ago that denied us trade among the realms.”
Thor heard his father take a sharp breath, and he couldn’t blame him. It had been a thousand years ago, the first time Jotunheim tried to invade Midgard, that their trade rights, and of course, the Casket of Ancient Winters had been siezed. Asgard was the only realm with access to a Bifrost, so all trade between realms went through them. If Jotunheim was returned trade rights, then they would have access to the Bifrost, and even if that was only for their goods, it couldn’t be safe. Who knows what they might do, what they might sell, or sneak across their borders. Or into their borders. Maybe this means Odin would refuse? Thor wouldn’t have to marry some ugly, overgrown, blue-skinned fre--
“I accept.”
Papers were signed, words were said, but Thor was unable to focus. He didn’t say another word, and didn’t look up from his lap until everything was over, and Odin touched his arm to remind him that they were leaving. He kept quiet as they passed across the dark frozen wastes, as they were spirited back in a flash of pale colors to Asgard. Even as they past along the bright bridge of the Bifrost, he found himself unable to speak, as if one of the bright stars below in the glittering heavens has lodged itself in his throat, burning and aching, though it was probably just the acid from his stomach. Momentarily, as he looked upward, the colors of sunset stained against his home, the golden castle that reached high into the familiar sky, was enough to pull him down from his panic. But it was not enough.
It wasn’t until they were inside, and alone, the Einherjar gone to deal with their other duties, that Thor spoke. “Father, you will hear me,” he said, following behind the King down a wide golden corridor.
Odin stopped, the snow caked on the edges of his red cape melting onto the floor. “And what is it that you would say to me?”
“That this is mad! You can’t trust them, you can’t believe that this union will do any good. It is foolish enough to return to them the Casket, but to bring one of them here, to make me wed one of them? You can’t expect me to agree to this!”
“I expect you to do what is necessary to ensure -peace-.” Odin turned, taking a step closer to his son. “You do not understand what Asgard risks if this war continues.”
“We don’t risk anything when we know we have the upper hand. They know we could destroy them, yet you are acting as if we are the ones outnumbered, giving them all these concessions.”
“Jotunheim is not the only realm watching right now. Do you think the rest of Yggdrassil is unaware of what’s going on? Unaware of -your- transgressions?”
Thor paused, casting his eyes down from his father. A tense inhale preceded his speech. “If they are watching, they have seen what I have done to -right- those trangressions.”
“What you and your Midgardian friends have done,” Odin is quick to amend. “But perhaps you have also forgotten that Midgard is not the only realm in need of mending.”
Yes, nothing -had- been done to reconcile with Jotunheim after Thor’s incident. No payment or apology had been offered for the death and destruction he had caused, but by how they decided to retaliate, Thor thought they deserved nothing.
The SHIELD brothers has been busy while Thor was away. They had unearthed the Tesseract, and unfortunately their tinkering led to the accidental activation of its power. Jotunheim had been brooding, lying in wait for an opportunity to strike back against Asgard, and here it was. Unbeknownst to all, the Casket was not the last of Jotunheim’s relics. They had a staff, one containing one of the lost Infinity stones, and with it, Laufey was able to open a doorway between it, and the Tesseract. A doorway to Midgard.
When news first broke of the invasion, Thor remembered the knot that formed in his throat, a tight choke hold that almost made him leap towards the Bifrost without his father’s permission. There was no need to deceive his father in the end. He was sent down to aid Earth’s forces while Odin prepared an army of his own, if indeed Midgard fell.
But it did not. The brothers of SHIELD proved to have unearthed more than the Tesseract. While he had been familiar with the lady warrior Natasha, and the eagle-eyed Clint, Steve Rogers, or the Captain of America, was new to him. They said he had been found, buried in ice and snow with the Tesseract. He turned out to be a formidable opponent, but more than that, a man Thor could respect.
But SHIELD had assembled two others. When Thor has first met the craftsman they had called Tony Stark, he wasn’t sure what to make of him. It was clear he was intelligent, the sort which, at first, Thor would have assumed stayed in the smithy or the library. But he too was a powerful warrior, though that power came from the machines he had created.While one might look down on a warrior for relying on special tools rather then their own strength, Thor thought that the fact that he was able to create such wondrous technological marvels was proof enough of his strength, if not physical, of the spirit. Thor also reminded himself that he had Mjolnir, yet no one looked down upon him for using such a powerful, magical weapon. He deserved it, for the simple fact that he was able to wield it.
Tony also reminded him of Fandral, the cocky attitude, the ever present humor. And of course, his way with women. He often bragged of his past encounters, though never when the lady Pepper was near. She was his current woman, and she kept him in line. It was something Thor often teased him about, but not for long. Pepper had become increasingly busy with attending to Tony’s business matters, and so the inventor was spending more time with Bruce, usually in his.... laboratory, that’s what he called it. Unfortunately, the bond of brothers is not as easy to tease about as Tony’s often ineffectual tactics with women.
Bruce Banner was the last member of the Avengers, that is what Fury called them. Thor kept his distance from the man at first, not because of the green beast lurking inside the man, but rather because he was so mild-mannered, he was not sure how to approach him. He had a calmness about him, but it was thin, and beneath the surface there seemed to fluctuate a nervousness, almost to the point of timidity, mixed with in a simmering stew of anger. He could be, and tended to be incredibly kind and gentle, like a cool breeze under a hot sun. But in the face of injustice and cruelty, the man could boil into a hurricane, and though Bruce would never admit it, the Hulk was not the sole carrier of this righteous fury.
However, Thor could never shake that feeling that at his core, Bruce was not a warrior. He didn’t feel this made him less in any way, but he felt that Bruce was happiest when healing and mending. His presence often calmed the Avengers, kept tempers in check and acted like a balm to soothe the pain that they often suffered. It was such a situation, when Thor first bonded with Bruce, after a devastating battle, that while was won, left many innocents dead. Thor had tried to blame it all on himself, but Bruce reassured him, with his simple kind words and acknowledgment of understanding. In Thor’s eyes, it was not Bruce’s brilliance, or the Hulk that made him an asset to the team, it was his empathy and character.
The war was short, lasting only a little over a week. Steve led the battles, fighting with iron-cold furiosity. His decisions with quick and effective. But the final, winning blow was dealt by Tony, who bravely flew an explosive device through the portal to Jotunheim. He was barely able to make it back before the bomb activated, wiping out almost a quarter of Laufey’s forces at one of their bases. The devastation of that assault, and the threat of further retaliation, by not just Midgard, but Odin himself, ended the war, and Laufey soon contacted both realms to negotiate peace.
Peace they did not deserve, no matter what Odin said. Not matter what all the realms had to say, in Thor’s eyes. If this war had shown anything, it showed the barbarity of the Jotnar, and Thor did not understand why his father was so worried. Surely the other realms would understand that Jotunheim needed to be blotted out. Thor knew he had been wrong to disobey his father, but what he had done to the Jotnar was nothing in comparison to what they had done on Midgard. This peace Odin was trying to forge was a shamble. Thor had to resist. He could not marry the very monsters that slaughtered so indiscriminately.
“Jotunheim does not need mending. Any recompense they may have deserved is overshadowed by what they owe for the slaughter on Midgard. The realms are watching, but do you expect a positive reaction when they see us acting weak with our enemy? -Bedding- our enemy?” The last question is spoken with a distasteful sneer, as if Thor recoiled from his own words.
Odin sighs, and turns away from his son with the posture of finality. “You are still a boy. You have learnt much, but you do not know everything, and you have much to learn about what it is to be King. You will marry Laufey’s daughter.”
“But Father--”
“I will attend no more arguments,” the Allfather says, each syllable crisp on his tongue, like a whip warning Thor to go no further. “If you wish to discuss it more, do so with your mother.” Odin’s eye falls on Thor once more before he strides away down the corridor. “After all, it was -her- idea.