Loki

Chapter 25

Loki stood between the frozen Asgardian and the downed Jotun, panting heavily, catching his breath at about the same speed his mind caught up with what he had just done. Yardaff looked up at his brother, stunned; likewise, Thor, a short distance away, stared at Loki in shock.

Loki took a deep breath and exhaled heavily, straightening out of the braced position he had been standing in and lowering the Casket in his hands. He turned around to look at Yardaff.

Yardaff stood.

"Here, brother," Loki said, holding out the Ice Casket to the Jotun prince; "it has been too long since a proper Jotun wielded this."

"Loki!"

Loki jumped and turned at the call to face Thor, who was walking over to him.

"Thor!" Loki exclaimed, shamefaced. "I…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…I didn't go with the intention of doing this - I only meant to break down the barricades you had set up. I don't know what came over me." He stepped away from Odin and Yardaff, still holding the Casket. "You can step in now, just as I did, and release him - I won't interfere again."

Thor stopped a short distance away from his brother and looked at Odin. He was silent for a long minute. Then he said, "That's quite alright, brother; I won't release him. He was defeated fairly."

"Thor…"

"I said," Thor said firmly, turning to look Loki in the eye, "it's quite alright, brother."

Emotion rose in Loki's chest, almost bringing tears to his eyes. "Thank you, brother," he choked.

Thor nodded.

Loki nodded back, then turned back to Yardaff and held out the Ice Casket once more. Yardaff took it wordlessly.

Loki smiled as Yardaff gasped at the power that flowed through him from the Ice Casket's touch. "Even I feel its power when I hold it," he told his Jotun brother; "I can't imagine how it must feel to you." He inclined his head. "It is rightfully yours."

"Thank you, brother," Yardaff said.

Loki nodded, then turned to Odin, his mood and expression darkening. He reached out and took hold of the staff encased in ice, backing his touch with magic, and the ice around the staff and Odin's hand shattered. Loki pulled the staff out of Odin's grip, then raised his free hand and sealed the ice back over the hand he had had to release.

"I'll take that," he told the All-Father.

The ice around Odin's head and torso started to crack.

"Not so fast," Loki said, raising his hand again, and he reinforced the ice with a binding spell of his own. The cracks sealed over, and Odin was rendered truly helpless.

Loki closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. "It's time this ended," he said.