Right to the Night

Chapter Forty-Three

Elisabete stared at him and watched as he beamed with delight. He walked over to her and took her hands in his and squeezed them, letting her know everything would be alright. She looked on at his face and could not believe what she was seeing. This man had always been beside her, assuring her that she was going to be a strong woman...and she was. She saw that his face was still as wrinkled as it was before and she could not help but laugh as if she were meeting with an old friend.

"I am sorry to have misled you in this way but I am pleased that you now have the privilege of knowing who I am." Búri told her.

"I don't understand. I confided in you so many things. Why have you stayed by my side?" Elisabete inquired.

"Because never in the centuries that I have lived have I ever come across a woman so admirable, kind, pure, and strong as you. Your heart is made of gold and if your reign had been longer...I know for certain you would have been the best queen this realm ever had." He explained to her.

The whole room sat in silence and shock over Búri's reveal. He beamed as he kept his eyes on Elisabete and the delight on his face made Elisabete chuckle lightly. In that moment, she knew everything would be alright for her...but she was still unsure about Loki. He squeezed her hands once before releasing them and turning around to look up at Odin and Thor.

"I order you to explain to us and the people hear about who you are this instant." Odin commanded.

"I was born long before you for I am the first god in existence here on Asgard," Búri began to speak. "I was here long before any civilization was formed. I looked down at the people who lived here and knew they needed a leader. I bore a son, your father Borr, and placed him here in Asgard. He took over and he was proclaimed king. He was the first Aesir and god to rule Asgard and shortly after, cities and villages were built as well as the palace we stand in today. I told my son to keep my identity a secret and he obeyed. I bestowed upon him the powers he had. He married a lovely peasant woman who he turned Aesir. In response to this, I was not angry. In fact, I believed she was deserving of it. She birthed you and when my son died, you took over. Then, you married the lovely and charming Frigga. And just like your father, she too was not Aesir, but high-born. You made her into one and married her the next day. You two were so young and full of life. It gave me joy to see such gods on Asgard instead of in Valhalla where we look down and keep an eye on all of you. I thought all would be well and I turned my eye from your family. It wasn't until you took Loki in as your child that I started to pay more attention."

"Why?" Loki asked softly.

Búri chuckled lightly as he snapped his head in Loki's direction. He walked over to him and stared into his eyes. Loki immediately felt uncomfortable and inferior to him and felt him staring into his soul, judging him.

"Because you were not born of a god. You were not truly an Aesir. However, Odin brought you here from Jotunheim and quickly performed the ceremony on you. This did not make me happy, I must admit that. But as you grew older and I saw the young man you were becoming, I was pleased. You seemed like the perfect king to rule. I must admit to you, grandson, that despite what this man has done to Asgard, there will be no greater king than him. He has single handedly transformed Asgard into its next golden age...one you were never able to create. He knows what it means to rule and has done a tremendous job, one which I must commend. He has helped the poor get the education they need, he has led programs to fix the destruction made to the cities, he has tried to make as many alliances as he could as well as making peace with several realms. He has done more for Asgard in these four years than you, grandson, did in the centuries you ruled as its king." Búri replied.

"You are aware of the horrible things he has done to all of us, are you not? How can you think a man as vile and disgusting as him could ever be a better ruler than I?" Odin scoffed.