A Gods Favor

The Lost King

It had been two months since Elora and Yrsa had followed Thor to Midgard. They had spent the first few weeks in London helping clean up in the aftermath of the convergence but when they had finished with that Yrsa had contacted the metal man.

Within hours Tony had arrived with an excited grin and an offer of housing for Yrsa and Elora. Apparently he had converted the tower Loki had chosen as the focal point of his attack to an operations building and turned several of the floors from offices to living quarters.

"The room right next to mine is available." Tony had said to Yrsa as he held out a hand to help her up the stairs onto a jet.

Yrsa had passed by the hand as if she hadn't even seen it, beaming as she looked around. "That sounds magnificent."

Now, several weeks later, Elora walked through the streets of New York. Her eyes and ears were glamoured so as to not stand out and she wished desperately she had chosen to wear her Asgardian dress and glamour that as well instead of the itchy and ill fitting Midgardian clothing Tony had provided. She despised the restriction of trousers but these at least had pockets. She'd made a habit of wandering through the city for a few hours every day with no real destination. The crowds, the sights, the vibrancy. She hadn't realized how much she missed the ability to pick up and travel somewhere new when the bridge was destroyed. But now she was on a whole new planet with no obligation and she was excited to explore.

As she walked idly she would let her hands run along the buildings and gates, her magic playing at her fingertips to get glimpses into the history and existence around her. She eventually made her way down a large busy street, deciding she would head back to the tower after this, and ran her hand lightly on a stone wall when a shock went through her.

A dark magic, familiar to her, was running wild behind the wall and without another thought she bolted toward the building's entrance.

When she passed through the automatic doors a woman behind a counter looked up at her.

"Hi, how can I help you today?" She said with a bright friendly smile but Elora just kept walking, her magic reaching out to find the source of the pulse she had felt. The woman stood as Elora passed the desk and tried to stop her but Elora waved a hand and a blue fog crossed her eyes before she blinked, looking around confused before sitting back down.

No one else tried to stop Elora as she navigated through the halls, following the string pulling her to the source. She stepped up to a set of metal double doors and pushed, finding them locked. On the wall beside the door sat a keypad similar to those in the tower so she scanned the hall and spotted a young man in the same outfit that the woman at the desk had worn so she reached out.

"You," she said and the manipulation magic honeyed her voice. The man looked up from the papers he was holding and his eyes glossed over as he walked toward her. "Can you open this door?"

The man nodded and pressed a number into the pad as Elora watched. When the light on it turned green she pushed on the door and turned to the man. "Thank you, now forget me."

The blue cleared from his eyes and she was gone.

A dozen or so elderly men and women sat at tables, some seeming catatonic while others babbled on randomly and Elora's gut sank. Why would his power be here? She thought to herself as she slowly started walking again, down the hall and to another door. She turned the handle on this one and found it unlocked as it swung open to reveal Odin sitting in a chair by a window, muttering to himself.

"My king," she said and ran to his side, dropping to her knees before him.

Odin glanced down at her, gaze still far away as he spoke. "The end is near, my dear. Do you hear her calling? I can. I can feel her waiting."

Elora shook her head, not understanding how he got here and what he was talking about. They had left him on Asgard and he had been hale and whole but now he seemed mad. With shaking hands she reached up and put her fingers to his temples reaching into herself to that warm ember she had been too afraid to touch since it returned. She wrapped her will around it and pushed it towards the king. However when it slipped into him it found not rot or decay, no nothing that could be healed, it found magic.

She pulled back in horror for just a moment because that magic too, the one clouding the king's mind, was also familiar but it couldn't be. So she steadied herself and stood, moving to stand behind Odin because unweaving this would take much longer than just a few moments. Before she began she cast an illusion around them to be unseen and uninterrupted. If anyone came looking for Odin there may be trouble so she prayed they would be left alone. Then she rested her hands on either side of his head and started.

-

"You cannot ask that of me." Elora said as she paced in front of Odin, who sat at the edge of the small bed.

"It is not a request, Elora, it is a command from your king."

"But your majesty I do not understand." She said and her voice cracked on the last word, the emotion of everything she'd just learned taking over.

"And I do not expect you to," Odin stood and rested his hands on her shoulders to stop her pacing. "This way, for now at least, Loki has his throne, Thor has his freedom and Yrsa will have her adventure while I have time to plan."

"And I am left with the burden of your secrets." Her gaze hardened as she looked at him.

"Unfortunately yes," He said with a sad smile. "I do not give you this burden willingly El, but I am afraid it must be yours until the time is right."

"And how will I know when the time is right, my king?"

He pursed his lips before dropping his hands and walking to the window to gaze out. "I will reach out when the time comes but until then, my dear, you should trust that your magic will guide you." He looked back over his shoulder at her. "After all It did bring you to me."