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….
But the main thing was, it was completely unclear what I should do.
I mean, how could all this have happened? What did Thor do to be exiled and stripped of his powers? How could he do something like that in principle?
It's Thor! Odin didn't punish him even when he smashed the Bifrost! Or rather, will smash… would have smashed in the future where I set him up… Doesn't matter! It's still Thor!
In the past, he was scolded slightly at most, no matter what nonsense he did or what trouble he stuck his head into. What could have happened in my absence for this to change so drastically?
And what do I do now?..
Lost in thought, I didn't notice trampling a whole path, walking back and forth away from the campfire.
My companions watched me warily but didn't pester me with questions, probably sensing with their female intuition that the moment was inappropriate.
For this I was grateful to them and was almost ripe to give explanations.
That is, I would have put it off for another five-seven minutes, but then I would have definitely given them!..
Or waited until they got tired of waiting and went to sleep… But morally I was ready for the revelation, yes! This is accurate information!
And everything would have been wonderful, but… my solitude in the evening twilight was unexpectedly interrupted.
"Hello, Loki."
A stately woman in an exquisite closed dress of white and gold tones stepped out of the darkness, and how I didn't jump three meters from fright, I have no idea!
"M-mother?.." the word slipped off my tongue faster than my short-circuited mind could fully realize the guest's appearance.
Outwardly, her age fluctuated between thirty-five and forty-five. Soft features, a kind, warm gaze…
I felt like a schoolboy caught by the teacher putting a tack on her chair before class.
"Yes, son, it's me," Frigga smiled.
"But…" by sheer force of will, I pulled myself together, frantically trying to figure out how to behave and what this meeting could turn into for me, "how did you find me?"
"You hid very well from the eyes of your father and Heimdall, but don't forget, it was I who taught you magic," notes of mischief appeared in her smile.
Not like mine; Frigga's mischief was kind, not, ahem… nasty, but… a certain family resemblance was felt.
"That's…" reflexively raising a hand with an uplifted index finger, I nervously bit my upper lip before overcoming and humbly accepting from fate this vivid demonstration of my own brainlessness, "I didn't think. But may I ask," finally pulling myself together completely, "why are you here? It seemed to me I stated my position fully enough in the letter."
"I…" she lowered her eyes, "forgive me…"
"It's too late to apologize. And for what? Just… circumstances developed this way. Besides, frankly speaking, you are the only one who definitely has nothing to apologize for. You never singled out either me or Thor."
"You are both my sons," her voice trembled.
"Perhaps," I nodded, trying to dose the cold in my voice, with which only the former Loki could speak on this topic, "although all this doesn't matter now. More importantly, why are you here?"
"I want you to come home, Loki," sighing deeply, clearly foreseeing the upcoming argument thanks to rich experience, Odin's wife answered with dignity.
"Home? Does the Ruler of Asgard demand the imprisonment of Laufey's spawn in Niflheim, according to the old treaty?"
"Loki!" a flame flared in the goddess's eyes and voice. "Stop it! Your father took your departure hard, but he is not angry and was not angry with you!"
"My father is a monster whom mothers use to scare naughty children!" I interrupted the woman.
"And if you meant the Allfather, then of the two of us, I'm the one who should be angry! But you haven't answered why you need me? And by the way, since we're talking about Asgard, explain what Thor is doing in Midgard, and stripped of his powers?"
"That is…" she looked away, "punishment from Odin."
"Punishment? For what?"
"When you left, Thor was the first to notice your long absence and went to your chambers. And there he found the note…"
"Oh…" a dozen pictures, one more colorful than the other, rose before my eyes. "Did he try to drag Odin by the beard?"
"Worse," Frigga didn't accept the joke. "He took his friends and broke into Jotunheim."
"But… why?"
"He thought you were there and wanted to bring you back."
"Oh…" I covered my face with my hand. That was even stupider than the canonical version.
"But he didn't find you there; instead, he met Laufey…" the goddess continued mercilessly.
"I'm already scared…"
"They almost perished, but Odin managed to save them at the last moment. But after that, Thor, on edge, told him everything he thought…"
"…" I was silent. I was simply silent.
Like, how? How, Carl?!
I did a good deed, bailed from the world, firmly knowing it would be better without me. It was an Act, Surtur take it! Who else is ready to admit such a thing about themselves?! I removed myself, I left the throne to my brother, I even got a job in the social sphere, I am literally helping disabled children overcome congenital ailments! What the?!… How?!… What for?!…
"We are on the verge of war with Jotunheim, and Thor provoked it. For this, he was stripped of his powers and exiled to Earth," the woman continued, but…
"Wait," I raised a hand, "just a minute… You have… a war. And Odin didn't come up with anything smarter than to exile and strip of powers one of the best and strongest warriors of Asgard?"
"You know how quick-tempered Father can be," Frigga sighed.
"Oh yes," now I believe Thor could unleash such a war, family idiocy is traceable. One acts first, thinks later, just like the other!
"That is precisely why we need your sanity more than ever, son," the illusory body of the Queen of Asgard came close to me, looking into my eyes. "This morning the Allfather fell into the Odinsleep…"
"You don't mean to say…" a terrible guess pierced me.
"Yes," the woman closed her eyes. "Asgard needs a king, and only you can take this place now."
"Excuse me… what?"
So… all that mega-intrigue in canon was unnecessary? It was enough just to take and leave for everything desired to just fall into the God of Mischief's hands by itself? Are you kidding me?!
"Son, your home is entering troubled times. And it cannot do without its King. It cannot do without you."
"Uh… um…" one phrase beat in my head like a gong: "I hate the Marvel Cinematic Universe!" And also a passionate desire to get checked for prophecy somehow.
"But I can't! I have business here. I have…" I quickly scanned the surroundings for options.
"A child!" I rejoiced sincerely, discovering Laura, who along with her mother and Yuriko had been watching the discussion spellbound all this time.
"A very good child!" catching a darkly nervous inspiration, I closed the distance between me and the girl in two steps and put my hand on the top of her head.
"It knows how to wrinkle its nose. And be significantly silent. Have you ever seen children who can be silent for longer than two minutes? She is perfection itself! I can't abandon her!"
….
If you want to read ahead by 20+ chapters from here you can visit my Patre-on.
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