Child Of Ice

Chapter 12

Loki was now on Jotunheim, surrounded by ice and snow. He swallowed hard. Was he really about to do this? He was tempted to leave and go back to Asgard, but he promised Laufey he'd return. "Hello, your majesty." Startled, he spun around and saw the same Jotun he stabbed in the arm. The only reason he knew was because of the bandage on his arm.

"It's alright, Prince Loptr. I'm here to escort you to the palace."

"Oh, um...thank you. You can just call me Loki, and I apologize for stabbing your arm."

"It's alright. We were fighting, so I don't blame you." Loki nodded. Then the Jotun said, "Follow me." Loki nodded again and followed the Jotun into the palace. They entered the throne room where Laufey was. Laufey stood up with a smile. "Lop- Loki. I'm happy to see you again," he said.

"I'm...glad to hear that," Loki replied. There was an awkward silence between them, then Laufey said, "I'll show you to your room." Loki nodded once and followed Laufey to a tall, stone and ice hallway behind the throne. As they walked, Loki saw images of Jotuns farming, fighting against invaders, and a Jotun that was much bigger than other Jotuns.

"Um...Laufey?"

"Yes, son?" Laufey asked, turning to Loki. Loki kind of cringed a little. He was going to have to get used to it. "Who is this?" He pointed to the large Jotun, and Laufey chuckled. "That is Ymir. He's believed to have created us. It was said that he was as tall as mountain and had a portal in his mouth."

"Interesting."

"So you've never heard of Ymir?"

"No, I haven't. There isn't much information on Jotunheim in Asgard. The information Asgard has, however, paints Jotunheim in a negative light."

"That's not surprising in the slightest."

"Did you and Odin always hate each other?"

"Until the war, no. We merely had fragile tolerance for each other."

"What was Jotunheim like before the war?"

"I'll show you." Laufey led Loki farther down the hall to a room with a small model of the kingdom made of ice. The palace was tall and beautiful and to Loki's surprise was in the middle of the village. The village had tall houses that seemed to be made of stone. There sculptures of people talking and children playing together. It seemed...so full of life. Life that was sadly lost in the war.

"We used to be a happy and prospering realm. A realm that was peaceful. We only wanted to expand our trading system. That's why we went to Migard. Unfortunately, Odin didn't like it."

"And...the war began," Loki muttered. "Yes." Loki looked at the model, letting the information set in. All those innocent people died because Odin was threatened by Laufey expanding trade. Laufey noticed the grim expression on his face and said, "Let's show you to your room."

Loki nodded and followed Laufey out of the room and down the hall. At the end was a large staircase that was way too big for Loki. Laufey was about to pick Loki up, but to his surprise, Loki teleported up to the top in a cloud of green smoke.

Laufey chuckled to himself and walked up the stairs where Loki was waiting. "You're quite good at magic," he commented. "Um, thank you. My mother, er, Frigga taught me. She loves me as her own and did her best. I don't want you hate her."

"I never hated Frigga, and I'm glad she took good care of you." It was true. He never met Frigga, but he's heard that she was kind and compassionate. He was glad to know she loved Loki. For the first time, Loki gave him a small smile.

It warmed his heart and smiled back. Then he led Loki down the hall to a large wooden door. Laufey opened it, revealing a bedroom. The bed was a normal size Loki and was against the far wall covered in animal skins with a window above it. The ceiling was high and was covered in frost.

A wardrobe was against the left wall next to another wooden door. "I know it's not what you're used to, but I hope you're comfortable. By the way, did you bring any of your things?"

Loki responded by snapping his fingers, and a couple of bags appeared on the floor. "Oh," Laufey chuckled. He should've known. "I'll leave you to get settled. I'll check on you later."

"Alright. Thank you," Loki replied.  Laufey smiled warmly and replied, "You're welcome, son." With that Laufey left, leaving Loki alone.

Sorry for not updating for awhile. I was preoccupied with school and work. I'll try update more often. I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story so much. 😊