Evolution

Chapter 14

They had been in Jotunheim for six months when Loki let Brynja ask Bel to take them on a tour of the temple to tell them of the history of the realm. Loki's hesitancy to be seen or to speak to any of the Jotun who occupied the temple on a daily basis had kept him from being willing to take such a tour before, but the changes Brynja had brought to his daily routine had made him more comfortable and he finally consented to hear about the Jotun perspective of history, including of Asgard's wars against them.

Bel walked them far from the hallways they were used to travelling through to passages deep in the temple with walls richly painted in murals telling the stories of Jotunheim. Bel passed the torch he carried in front of each section of the paintings as he spoke. Loki grew pale as he came to the story of the war against Odin, wondering if his own fate would be depicted. Brynja noticed him holding his breath and slipped her hand in his. There was no image showing a Jotun baby left on a rock to die. There was no illustration of Laufey's child at all, not until the birth of Halifrey. Loki was silent, lost in thought.

Bel glanced at his guests and read Loki's face, "History did not record your birth- you were not a lauded child of the king, this you must know. Your father was ashamed of your small stature and when you disappeared, he decided it meant that your fate had been sealed, no more discussion of you was needed. Laufey was not a compassionate king. Many were glad to see his reign end, though others were convinced it had not been cruel enough, that our defeat at the hands of Odin was a slight we could not live down, something that ought to have been swiftly and brutally avenged and those who had failed to die in the first war sent in as the first wave of sacrificial deaths." He turned back to the wall and continued the history lesson, glancing back occassionaly to make sure that both Brynja and Loki were still following.

As they returned to the upper levels of the temple, Loki was quiet. She did not know what he was thinking, but intended to find out once they returned to their quarters. Loki let go of her hand and caught up to Bel, intent on asking him about something in the history lesson.

Bel greeted an old Jotun as they passed in the hall. There was something about this new face that made Brynja leery. She walked a little faster, trying to move closer to Loki and Bel, now in conversation, tugging her shawl tightly around her as she did.

As she reached the old Jotun, he stepped from where he was leaning on the wall and separated her from the others, "And just what do we have here? Such a pretty little trinket."

Brynja curtseyed lightly and introduced herself cautiously, "Brynja of Asgard. And you are?"

He did not reply, but stepped aside as if to let her pass, "Ah, the Asgardian..." She nodded and went to step past him, but he grabbed her bare arm as she did, "See to it that you mind yourself, brat."

Brynja cried out in pain the moment his hand touched her skin. She writhed away from him, but he held her tightly until he finished speaking and then tossed her against the wall away from the Loki and Bel. He advanced towards her, but Loki moved more quickly and managed to shove by him and place himself as a shield over her. She was shaking, her arm tucked up under the soft grey shawl she had draped over her shoulders.

Bel thundered, "OTHIK!" and grabbed the old Jotun by the throat, throwing him down the long hallway, far away from Loki and Brynja. They began to fight.

Loki spoke to Brynja, "Show me what he did to you, Bryn."

She shook her head and managed to stammer, "My room. In the footlocker."

He tried to get her to stand up, but she could not uncurl her body as she instinctively protected her damaged arm. Loki adjusted his stance and placed one hand on her back, instructing her to wrap her good arm around his neck. He slipped his other arm under her legs and lifted her.