Empress of Yggdrasil

A trip to Jotunheim

It all began at the end of one deadly battle on Jotunheim. Many died on that day, on both sides, but mostly many Jotuns. Odin had vanquished one of their most powerful warriors, and lost an eye in the fight.

But he had another plan behind this particular battle. His spies had told him that King Laufey, worried by his newborn's health had send it to the temple, so the priests and priestesses could pray for the heir to the crown.

If he could possess such a pawn on his chessboard, this would allow him to insure his claim on Jotunheim. And peace, of course. Peace was important too.

After his Crimson hawks killed all the remaining guards, servants and priests, Odin found the little one, abandoned on the cold ground. He took it and the baby cried a little as the All-Father touched it for the first time.

Ah, this was a girl.

How perfect.

Frigga had just given him a son, and here, he was found the Princess of Jotunheim. Together, they would allow him to join their realms in a durable peace, and the Jotuns would be subdued under his rule for good.

Had it been a boy, he still would have taken him, but it would have made things more complicated. No marriage possible. No children bearing his blood and Laufey's. He would have raised the boy as his son, as Thor's brother, and lied to him about his true parentage, until the day where he could use him properly, and put him on the throne of Jotunheim.

Here? The girl could not see Thor as her brother, as she would become his bride, eventually. So she would know who she was, what she was from the start.

Odin had heard one of the servants call the little one "Loki". If such was her name, she could keep it – it would be easier once she would reclaim her title as heiress of Jotunheim, and Queen of Asgard, as Thor's wife.

This was what Odin had planned.

But this never came to pass.

Queen Frigga had always wanted a girl. And so, when Odin brought her Loki, she was delighted. Such a pretty little thing, with beautiful blue eyes. Of course, it was not her true form, but it would have to do, as Asgardians were not ready to have the little Jotun princess running through the palace's halls, all blue and red.

How sad it was that Laufey would abandon such a precious treasure, but she would see that the girl received all the love her birth parents could not give her. She had to admit, though she loved her husband dearly, she did not like his plan to marry Thor and Loki. Sure, the young princess would make a fine bride for their son, but this did not mean they would want to. They might find love elsewhere, and be utterly unhappy with their arranged union. Her heart hurt at the thought they might do so much harm to such lovely children.

Time passed, centuries too. Thor and Loki seemed close, but as siblings would. Frigga knew her husband had ordered her to raise them as the future king and queen of Asgard and Jotunheim, both combined in one powerful force, but it seemed unlikely. Still, they were still children, maybe things could still change.

Thor and Loki both wanted to become great warriors, and were currently obsessed with the Valkyries. Frigga remembered fondly her friends from long ago, all dead now. Loki would have been welcomed in their ranks. Thor too, had he been a girl. When Frigga had told him they only accepted women, he had started crying, while Loki laughed triumphantly. They had new friends now. Sif, a young girl from a noble Aesir family, had joined them, along with two other boys. The Queen smiled, thinking that, maybe, she could ask Queen Freya of Vanaheim for one of her daughters.

And so she did.

Freya came with her eight daughters to the palace, the whole little troop neatly organized as if they were truly Valkyries. Odin did not like the idea, as he was worried one of the girls would catch Thor's eye and ruin his plan. Frigga, on the other hand, thought it was much too soon to speak of marriage and romance, though she could see Freya's ambition and her hopes to put one of her daughters on the throne of Asgard.