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Asgard
(Palace)
Thor, accompanied by a few guards and Heimdall, arrived at the palace.
The palace was grand from the outside and even larger within. Thor was still not entirely used to this place. Inside, the palace was vast and tall, with long corridors lined by golden pillars.
Heimdall and a few trusted guards escorted him. They walked until they reached the gates of the throne room, where Odin's throne rested.
The gates were absurdly tall—so tall that even a giant could have walked through them with ease. Thor thought the height was a bit exaggerated, but still fascinating.
Heimdall then dismissed the guards.
'You may leave now, return to your posts,' Heimdall said.
The guards nodded silently and walked away.
Thor stood in front of the door, wondering why he had been summoned. He then asked Heimdall,
'Heimdall, do you think I'm in trouble for sneaking out of the palace to train without telling Father first?'
'I cannot say for sure, your highness,' Heimdall replied. 'You did leave the castle, but I was always watching. It didn't take me long to figure out where you went.'
'Ah,' Thor muttered, remembering Heimdall's gifted ability to see everything happening anywhere in Asgard. Thor considered it an unfairly powerful gift—one he wished he had himself.
Heimdall continued,
'Your mother came to me, worried about your whereabouts. So yes, it is possible, your highness.'
'Mother?' Thor grew uneasy. If it had been his father, he would have felt more at ease. But his mother… he hated troubling her.
'Come, Thor,' Heimdall said, opening the massive gates to the throne room.
The gates groaned as they swung open, the sound of reinforced wood echoing.
Inside was the throne room, lit by small braziers lining both sides of the long corridor. At the far end, atop a fan of steps, stood the throne itself—appearing to be made entirely of pure gold.
Guards stood at the corners of the chamber, holding shields and spears. And on the throne sat his father… Odin.
He wore a golden formal robe, not overly extravagant. His straight brown hair fell to his neck, and over his right eye was an eyepatch.
Thor found it hard to believe anyone could ever surpass his father. To him, Odin was truly a god—intimidating, exuding both strength and wisdom at once.
Thor approached and knelt before the throne, Heimdall stopping at the foot of the steps.
'I found him, Your Majesty,' Heimdall said respectfully.
'Thank you again, Heimdall. I am grateful for your service. You have been a good friend to this realm for many years,' Odin replied.
Heimdall was about to kneel, but Odin stopped him.
'There is no need, Heimdall.'
Then Odin asked,
'Where was he this time?'
'Your Majesty, he was once again at the training fields. I believe his highness is far too eager to gain strength,' Heimdall explained.
'I see… you may go,' said Odin.
'Yes, Majesty.'
Heimdall bowed, turned, and left, leaving only Thor and Odin in the throne room.
'Father…' Thor murmured, worried.
He expected punishment for sneaking out of the castle without permission, but no scolding came. Instead, he only heard a few words from his father:
'Thor, you have been leaving the castle unsupervised far too often. I have many enemies—powerful ones—who would like nothing more than to see me harmed.'
'I know, Father, but—' Thor tried to explain.
'Do not think I am unaware of the weight you carry. The burden you feel was once mine as well,' Odin said.
'But I cannot allow this to continue, Thor. Which is why… I must tell you a story. Come with me,' Odin said, rising from his throne.
He descended the steps and gestured for Thor to follow.
'Come, Thor.'
'Yes, Father…'
Thor's small legs struggled to keep pace as he followed Odin down the corridors until they stopped at the entrance of another chamber.
At the door stood a boy with pale skin and short black hair.
'Loki…' Thor muttered, rolling his eyes.
Loki had been waiting for his father and brother to arrive.
Odin approached his other son.
'Forgive me for making you wait. Thor was later than expected,' Odin said.
'It's fine, Father… I don't mind,' Loki answered as he stood, though his voice carried a faint hint of hurt.
'I'm used to it,' Loki muttered under his breath.
Odin led them toward a chamber forbidden to most within the palace. He opened its heavy door.
'What are we doing here?' Thor asked, sensing this was no ordinary room.
'Where do you think Father is taking us?' Loki whispered.
'I don't know…' Thor replied.
The chamber was the treasure vault, where Odin stored relics from countless battles across the ages. Asgard had fought many wars in its long history, and some of its spoils were kept here.
The brothers stepped inside, their eyes widening in awe at the weapons and artifacts lining the chamber.
Loki's eyes gleamed with curiosity.
'Do not look too closely, and do not touch anything,' Odin warned.
He led them to a particular relic—a glowing blue cube that looked as though it were carved from ice.
The Tesseract.
Odin began to recount an old tale of war, one involving the giants of Jotunheim.
'There is a realm of ice and snow, its landscape filled with frozen mountains and endless white deserts. In that eternal frost, life struggles to exist. One day, that frozen realm threatened the world of mortals. They marched from Jotunheim into Midgard, seeking to drag it into an age of ice. But the mortals could not face such a threat alone.'
'What happened to the mortals?' Loki asked curiously. Thor, though he already suspected the answer, wanted to hear it from his father's lips.
'Our armies drove the Frost Giants back to their realm. The price was steep, but in the end, their king fell, and their source of power was taken. After that, Asgard withdrew and returned home… to Asgard.'
Odin's voice grew firm as he looked at his sons.
'Time passed, and here we stand now. Asgard has managed to maintain a fragile peace across the Nine Realms. But the day will come when one of you must rise to defend that peace.'
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