Loki: Storm of Swords

Chapter 22 - History Learned

Sif and the Warriors Three made their way to the great library where they heard Thor had disappeared to with the Grand Maester, Samwell Tarly. "What's he supposed to learn from a portly... um... what is Tarly again?" Volstagg queried.

"He's a maester, and you're one to talk about portly," Sif scolded as she looked through the rows of bookshelves and mountains of scrolls. "A maester is their version of a healer. The maester's are sworn servants of the High Citadel, where they train." Her companions all frowned at her. "What? Rhaenar and Ragna have been teaching me the ways of their world."

"You've really taken a liking to them," Fandral commented as he admired a statue of Baelor, that had been erected in an alcove.

"I could say the same about your and the Martells, and Loras Tyrell," Sif retorted and the dashing knight laughed.

"Indeed! Every night is a new adventure!" he declared proudly.

"Hush!" said a determined voice. "This is a library!" They turned and saw Samwell Tarly sitting at a table with Thor. Books and scrolls were scattered before them and parchment where the maester was writing. Thor looked up from his book and held it out to them.

"It took Maester Tarly a while, but he found a book for me in the common tongue about the War of Five Kings and the Targaryen Restoration," Thor said with a smile on his face. His friends were surprised that he seemed to at home in the library. The books were always Loki's area of expertise. "Says here that the war began when Rhaegar Targaryen kidnapped Lyanna Stark, Sansa Stark's aunt. Some said they were really in love, and others say that Rhaegar forced her. Is there proof, Maester Tarly, that they were in love?" The young Westerosi gave a shy smile as he contemplated this.

"I'm surprised you would ask that, your highness. You do not strike me as a romantic," Samwell commented. Thor's cheeks took a pinker shade, but he knew why the maester had made that assumption.

"I wouldn't normally be. But, I fell in love with a mortal. She has taught me that because of a short span, we must make the most of it," Thor answered. Samwell smiled as he glanced around at the Asgardians.

"Yes. You do live longer than us, don't you? That is what makes me wonder about the Hand and Lady Frostborn." The Asgardians all looked at him with raised eyebrows. "She is mortal. The Lady Sansa will die of old age (I hope), and what will the Hand be? Still a young man? How old is he, by your standards?" Samwell asked.

"By Asgardians standards, Loki would be almost thirty," Thor answered. Sam let out a light chuckle.

"With the way he acts, one would thing he was an old man!"

"He is over three thousand years old," Hogun said seriously. Sam stopped laughing as he began to make calculations on his fingers.

"So... that would be... what? A thousand years of your time for ten of ours? The Lady Frostborn has only just reached her... oh...? Twenty-fifth year? She is still young by our reckoning. But by his? She must be a child," Sam stated and Thor paused. Of course. Loki had married a mortal, so he would have to face the inevitability of his watching her slowly age and die. "Their children will be interesting," Sam then interrupted.

"Interesting?" Volstagg posed.

"Well, yes. They are neither mortal nor immortal, but the fine line in between. How long will they live? How long will it take before they start aging? Once they reach maturity, of course. They are such darlings now," Sam said. That was before he made a face. "Although, I better not let Lady Ragna Frostborn hear me say that. Another highborn lady complimented her along those lines, and she told her she was insipid and foolish for attempting to coddle her like that." Thor chuckled. Ragna Frostborn was definitely a piece of work. She did not any unwanted attention from those she knew were merely bowing and scraping.

"They're both smart children," Sif said in response and Samwell Tarly nodded his head.

"Aye, with their father being the way he is? It's not surprising," Sam said before he fished out another book and set it on the table. "This is a book that is dedicated to the God of Mischief, and his feats during the war. The author had a devil of a time getting the information out of him and the witnesses were also hard to track down." Hogun took that book and opened it. On the cover leaf page was a color painting of the symbol of House Frostborn with a phrase underneath it.

"We were made to rule," Hogun read and Sam glanced up.

"Oh, that's the saying of his house," he explained. When the Asgardians frowned, Tarly began. "Each house has a saying that defines who they are. The Targaryens have the phrase 'Fire and Blood'. For the Starks, it is 'Winter Is Coming'. Baratheon: Ours is the Fury. Greyjoy: We Do Not Sow. Tyrell: Growing Strong. Martell: Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken. And so on. There are many houses with many sayings. When Loki made the saying for his house, it was on the one year anniversary of the end of the War of Five Kings. Her grace had been pressing him for one, and he finally spoke it at the banquet that night. Now, it is stitched into all his banners, below his symbol, in Nordic runes."

"It says here that Loki stopped a massacre at a wedding in a castle called the Twins," Thor said as he held the book out to an image of Loki standing at the gates to a castle, holding a severed head.

"Yes, the Red Wedding. He used great magic that night. It was not the first time during the war he had used his godlike abilities, but it was a firm reminder of what he could do," Sam said. That was when they all heard voices coming from another area of the library.

"I don't think the Wildlings will be too keen on fighting another war. They are farming their lands, building their villages, and growing. I think it would be too much of me to ask Tormund for their aid in this fight," they heard Jon Stark say.

"It would be just enough. Do you think Surtur will leave them in peace? He will defeat us and then he will move onto them," Loki's voice came in right after. Thor stood up and glanced between the shelves to see the two men talking to each other before a statue of Daenerys Stormborn. Loki was leaning against the base, and Jon was standing beside him. "I supported you in getting the Wildlings their lands. Don't you think I want them to live in peace too? Hell! I want to live in peace," Loki said. Jon shook his head and folded his arms across his chest. "Jon, you know this. They live on this land, they must also fight for it."

"I still don't like it," Jon answered and Loki straightened up. He walked over and stood right in front of Jon, dwarfing the smaller man. He gripped the young Stark by his shoulders and gave him a light shake.

"We often are asked to do things we don't like. Trust me; I speak from experience. Luckily, Daenerys hasn't done much of that since she came into power. I know you hate asking your friends to do this, but, they must," Loki said. Thor had another déjà vu feeling as he observed Loki and Jon in close proximity. They both had their ebony hair loose around their shoulders, and their equally emotive eyes looking into each other's souls. Thor shook his head again, and that was when Fandral interrupted the mysterious conversation.

"This is a library!" he whispered quite loudly.

"Really?" Sam asked as he looked up from his books. Both Loki and Jon did a peek around the book cases and frowned at Fandral.

"The maester speaks the truth. This is a library," Jon said, cracking his knuckles.

"As you said, young Stark, this is a library," Loki immediately intervening. He pulled Jon back and smiled at the Asgardians. "Do not worry your pretty heads over our little talk. Some things just needed to be discussed." Loki looked pointedly at Jon Stark and the younger man shot him a look back. "How old are you?"

"Apparently not as old as you," Jon returned before he walked away. Loki glanced back at Thor and shrugged his shoulders.

"What can I say? I have aged beautifully," Loki teased, fluttering his eyelashes in Jon's direction before he vanished.