Unexpected

Swords and Spears

We left the stables behind, the groomsmen and stable boys bowing us away as we moved along the palace ground's lawns, circling around the palace. As we walked he explained the guarding watchmen and the history of the palace and grounds, telling me stories of Asgardian history that I'd never heard before and also tales of Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three, and himself as children playing games of war and the throne on these same grounds. His smile, genuine and warm, seemed to radiate the same kind of light as the sun overhead that warmed my shoulders and back. It was impossible for me not to smile back.

We heard the training before we saw anything, the sounds of clashing metals and the grunts of men hitting my ears, piquing my curiosity. It only took a few minutes for us to come to a large space covered in cobblestones and tamped-down earth where what seemed like two hundred men or more were fighting in pairs. It was like a scene from an action movie with the soldiers wheeling around, using swords and spears that seemed to be enhanced with some sort of energy that I'd never seen before. Blades flashed with the midday light as they spared, metal and wood clanging with each impact. Around the crowd of warrior soldiers stood a few men dressed in finer armor, probably the generals who were training the men, calling orders to them.

My eyes followed the weapons more than the skillful moves of the soldiers themselves, my eyes attracted to the light of the energy. It wasn't electricity or the same kind of energy from the Tesseract, Loki's old scepter given to him by Thanos, or the Bifrost.... It was different, purely Asgardian. It intrigued me as Loki walked me around the edges of the training yard.

"Of all the nine realms, Asgard's army is the most feared and best trained. Our weapons and training are superior to those of the other realms and our techniques and battle strategies have helped Asgard defeat enemies since before the reign of King Bor. These guards of the palace are the best that Asgard has to offer and those that protect our city and realm have been the instrument that has brought this realm its wealth and maintained the peace and prosperity that Asgard has known." Loki continued to explain, speaking almost as if reading from a book, his tone vaguely dramatic. His eyes dropped from the soldiers to look at me, lowering his voice so that only I could hear him. "Odin believed like his father before that war was the only way to peace, and Thor and I once believed it too. Over their reigns they had carved for themselves a kingdom based on might and strength in battle. Asgardian forces stole the source of Jotunheim's power, destroyed the Dark Elves, or so we thought, and seemed to bring peace to the realms, but in doing so we have overstepped ourselves. Our soldiers have a foothold in each inhabited realm."

I eyed the soldiers. Each one seemed fearsome. My imagination flew to what a battle would look like with legions of these warriors in einherjar armor of gold. Such a mental picture explained how Asgard gained its power and prestige and maintained it. Any enemy would want to think twice before facing such a foe as the Asgardian army.

Loki's tone had grown serious, "We promised protection to the realms and we truly do give it, but Asgard's hand should not be so strongly held over each realm. They are the nine realms after all, not Asgard and its outposts." His jaw was set and I realized how long he'd been thinking about this, noticing the successes and failures of Odin's rule. He truly looked kingly as he spoke with conviction and thoughtfulness, "Asgard has been too militarized, our forces too strong in the realms, playing big brother where we should be allies. Now that the Convergence is over and criminals have been taken down once more, I have set a decree to recall most of our soldiers and army back."

"Call them back to Asgard?" I asked. How many soldiers were out there in the realms? To call them all back seemed like a huge thing, something that the courtiers and citizens might not all be okay with, especially if they were used to the power that the army secured for them in the other realms.