A Gods Favor

The Coronation

Elora stood at the bottom of the stairs, Yrsa, Loki and the queen in ascending order to her left. Sif and the warriors three across from them smiling as the crowd cheered and Thor entered Cape billowing behind him he smiled and waved to those gathered, tossing Mjolnir in the air to show off. She held in a small laugh as he caught the hammer and pointed to an attendee, making their friends laugh and roll their eyes. When she glanced at Odin however she could tell he was not amused and bit her own lip to keep from smiling.

Thor approached the foot of the dais and knelt, setting down his hammer and removing his helmet before winking at Frigga, who only shook her head before Odin rose.

"Thor Odinson, my heir, my firstborn. So long entrusted with the mighty hammer, Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, its power has no equal as a weapon to destroy or as a tool to build. Tis a fit companion for a king."

The king continued to speak but Elora's focus wandered to Loki. Just as Frigga had asked, she hadn't told anyone about the possibility for her to stay, to settle back in Asgard as her home, but oh how she wanted to. So excited at the prospect her body had been nearly vibrating for the last two days. Hopefully he could forgive her rejection, give her a chance to explain and understand that if she thought she had any other choice she would have never.

The hall grew quiet and Elora realized Odin had stopped speaking, his gaze far away as he sensed something. No one moved, no one spoke, unsure of what to do as the king remained still.

Suddenly his eyes went hard and he whispered, "Frost Giants." before jabbing the Odin spear into the ground.

Quickly the crowd was dispersed, guards ushering citizens out and away to their homes for safety while Sif and the warriors three approached the queen to escort her to her chambers.

Odin snapped his fingers and pointed to his children. "With me."

Elora began to hike up the layers of her silks skirts and follow when a hand on her arm stopped her.

"You're not a warrior, El, go with mother." She looked up at Loki, whose face was hard as he tried to push her up the stairs toward the queen.

"No," she pulled from his grasp and started to walk again. "But I'm a healer. One who specializes in healing battle wounds, I think it would be a good idea to have me around."

"Not against frost giants!" He hissed following her closely.

"It seems like this is my chance to learn."

"No," Odin's voice carried over his shoulder but he did not stop walking. "The destroyer has been activated. Your services will not be needed, Elora. Please, go and wait with the queen."

Odin and his children entered the vault to find it silent and covered in ice as the destroyer backed into its resting place. They didn't speak as they descended the stairs and Yrsa couldn't help but be grateful that her father had told Elora not to come. She had seen so many deaths and would see so many more, she did not need to be subjected to frozen carnage before them now, especially because there was nothing to be done.

"The Jotun's must pay for what they've done." Thor growled as they approached the end of the vault where the Casket of Ancient Winters still sat.

"They have paid," Yrsa gestured to the room around them. "With their lives. The destroyer did its work. The casket is safe and all is well."

"All is well?" Thor turned to face her. "They broke into the weapons vault. If the Frost GIants had stolen even one of these relics-"

"They didn't," Odin cut him off.

"Well I want to know why!" Thor's voice raised in anger and Loki only watched a feeling of satisfaction growing as he watched his brother dig himself a deeper hole with their father.

Yrsa stepped to Thor placing a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him but he shrugged it of and began to pace.

"I have a truce with Laufey, King of the Jotuns."

"He just broke your truce! They know you are vulnerable."

Odin turned from the casket and surveyed his children before stopping his cool gaze on the crown prince. "What action would you take?"

"March into Jotenheim as you once did," Yrsa couldn't help but roll her eyes at her oldest brother's foolishness. "Teach them a lesson. Break their spirits so they never dare try to cross our borders again."

"You are thinking as a warrior, brother." She exclaimed, coming to stand beside him in front of Odin, noticing now that Loki had been oddly quiet since they'd entered the chamber.

"This was an act of war!" Thor continued only to be cut off by Odin again.

"It was the act of but a few, doomed to fail."

As the king and crown prince continued to argue, Yrsa looked to Loki. He seemed unbothered, at the fact that the frost giants had gotten this far and at Thor's outburst. Eventually he met her eye and a conversation passed between them, wordlessly.

"You don't seem concerned by any of this." Her eyes bore into his as she gave him a stern face.

"What do I have to be concerned about?" He shrugged and gestured to the room, the dead intruders around them.

"Our brother making an absolute ass of himself right now?"

His head tilted and he crossed his arms. "Are you surprised?"

Yrsa started to walk to Loki when she heard her father raise his voice for the first time.

"BUT YOU'RE NOT KING! Not yet." Odin walked calmly past his children, up the stairs and out of the vault before Thor stormed after him.

"You check on mother, fill her in on all this and I'll go after Thor?"

Yrsa sighed. "Very well."