Your Hand To Hold

Chapter Twelve: Frigga's Plan

April 30th, 2012

         Three weeks later, Frigga had the first vision I had ever seen as we wandered the gardens that late afternoon discussing Hogun's upcoming natal day. She had simply frozen, reaching out to stop me as her eyes rolled back. I had not understood what was happening until one of the elder gardeners had seen and come over to help, explaining how to carefully guide her down, and that it was just a matter of time after that. It had been the second most frightening five moments of my life thus far as I had sat beside her, just holding her hand as I waited.

   She had come back to us just as Heimdall had burst through the hedges, his golden eyes serious as he exchanged knowing looks with her. They did not speak; Frigga had simply thanked him, confirming that she knew as well, and sent him on his way before she'd risen and urged me to follow her quickly. As usual, I had been made to wait outside of Odin's sanctum as she had gone to converse with him for what felt like ages; summoned only to be asked to go and collect Thor before the door had been closed once more. 

   "And you have been told nothing?"

   I shook my head. "Nothing. I am sure it has something to do with-"

   "As do I, Sweet Sister. Why the urgency and secrecy now, though? You don't think something has gone wrong, do you?"

   "I hope not. It is Loki, though..."

   Thor held the door for me as we entered, the room somber as Frigga sat beside the bed Odin had spent his Odinsleep in after his argument with Loki almost two years ago. It was an almost surreal feeling being back in that room, seeing her sitting there in the very same spot she had when Loki had been named acting king mere hours before everything had fallen apart. Shutting my eyes, I allowed myself a steadying breath before I moved to stand beside Frigga, Thor on her other side as we waited to be addressed by Odin. We waited in silence as he stood, staring out his window, Hugin and Munin upon their perches above him. After some time, he turned as his ravens took to the sky.

   "My son, Eibhlin; thank you for coming. I trust you both know what this is about?" We nodded in unison. "Then I will not waste time in going over what you already know and shall skip to what you do not. Loki has found his way to Midgard, though we are unsure as to how he has done so. He has managed to get his hands upon a scepter of great power, though that is not the worst of it."

   "Father?"

   "He has discovered the location of the Tesseract and plans to take it for his own yet unknown purposes."

   I looked up as the muscles in my neck, shoulders, arms, and legs all tensed so tightly that a headache began to build behind my right eye. The only part of me that seemed to remain loose was my stomach as it began to do summersaults as I waited for more to be said while Thor simply stood frozen at my side. Thor finally cleared his throat, asking what this meant to us, for Midgard.

   "It means that should we manage to move quickly enough and subdue him, we shall have a way to not only return you home without the use of Dark Energy but to rebuild the Bifróst."

   "Father, you told me that the Tesseract was simply a legend; a tale of a silly trinket gifted to you by my grandfather."

   "And to some extent, it was. I know not how your grandfather came to behold such an artifact, and until our war with the Jotun, it remained in my vault; the glimmering jewel of Asgard. Fearing that the Jotuns may come seeking revenge for the loss of their casket and young prince- though he was but a runt and unwanted- I took it to Midgard, hiding it within one of our temples where it would be safe. Or so I had believed."

   "And yet Loki has it now."

   I laid my hand upon Thor's arm, both to calm and silence him as I looked to Odin. "All-Father, are we certain that Loki has not partnered with or been led astray by someone into believing the Tesseract can gift him everything that he desires?"