Freya

Chapter Twenty Four: Odin's Last Requests

I didn't wanna further traumatize anyone after last chapter with a super long wait on the next chapter, so, here it is! Also, time for another Loki's POV! Haven't had one of those in a long time! Remember to vote and comment cuz I stayed up all night to finish this for ya :)

Loki's POV

While I held my Frigga in my embrace, all I could do was delve into my own feelings regarding Odin's death. I didn't want to feel anything, for he wasn't my father; he was the man that had ruined me. I should be happy that he was dead. But at the same time, I was fighting back a sort of emotion that got me choked up and left my chest a bit constricted.

No. I would not feel pain or loss for Odin's death.

But what about Frigga? She was obviously in an immeasurable amount of pain. As soon as I had heard the news from Thor I went to hers and Odin's chambers, and saw her sobbing over her husband, who had looked simply like he was in the Odinsleep, but paler and less peaceful. As soon as she'd seen me, she'd practically collapsed into my arms. Despite my every effort to distance myself from her, she accepted me as if I hadn't waged war on Earth, as if I hadn't demolished every bit of respect everyone had for me. To her, I was still the Loki everyone had known before Thor was banished.

I'd come a long way since then, but it didn't matter to my mother.

Suddenly the doors of the throne room opened, and Thor strode in quickly, Freya in her ridiculous Midgardian outfit at his side.

As she walked in, I saw her eyes graze over everyone and immediately sense the solemnity of the situation.

"What's wrong?" she asked cautiously, looking wary and the tiniest bit fearful.

Frigga lifted her head from my shoulder, holding her hand out to Freya so she could tell her.

"My dear," she whispered. "Odin has passed on to Valhalla."

Freya stood there, her face blank, before what her grandmother had said registered in her mind.

"What?" she asked shakily, and I saw her hand begin to tremble within Frigga's. "N-No . . . that can't be possible . . . I just saw him not even an hour ago." Tears began to spill from her eyes, and Frigga exited my arms, taking Freya in hers. I could see what she was feeling in her red-rimmed eyes. She hadn't been back that long and hadn't even gotten to know her grandfather. I looked at Thor, who had been studying me, but averted his eyes when he saw I was looking. He was watching my reaction, but whatever he was looking for obviously wasn't there.

"It's alright, dear, it's alright," Frigga murmured to my daughter, who had pushed back her tears, trying to choke back her emotions. I was struck by how she could be in so much pain, but still be in a stable enough state of mind to let her motherly instincts show.

We let Freya have a moment, then she straightened up, swallowing back her tears and putting on a brave face, making that same feeling of pride as I'd had for her in the fighting arena resurface. "I'm sorry for your loss, Frigga," she said softly.

"Oh, dear, we all lost someone today, be it a husband, grandfather, or father," Frigga said, taking Freya's hands in hers again. At those words, Thor looked at me again, and I ignored him.

"Now, before we do anything else, I have to say something," Frigga said as Freya went to stand by her brother. She leaned slightly on him, and he put a brotherly arm around her.

"The Allfather had two last requests, just before he passed on," she told us, struggling to keep her composure. "The first was for Thor." She turned to him, and he took her extended hand, eyes shimmering with unshed tears for Odin.

"The responsibility of taking care of all the nine realms is yours now, and it will weigh you down until your time to journey to Valhalla comes, as well," she said to him. "Be patient and loving to every soul, especially to your queen." At that she smiled warmly at him, and Thor's eyes lit up.

"He blessed the marriage?" he whispered, and I remembered hearing something about complications over his wanting for Jane, the mortal, to be his wife and, eventually, queen.

"Yes, my son," she told him, and he embraced her. This was both a happy and sad day for the son of Odin, it seemed. "He personally requested that you marry her. Her mortality doesn't matter, as long as she will help you become a better man and king for your people."

Thor released her and she kissed him on the forehead before he stepped back, eyes shining with tears of joy, now.

"The second request was for you, Loki." Frigga turned to me, and I looked at her, puzzled. What kind of request could Odin have for me, his estranged "son"?

"Live everyday for your family," she said, and I felt my children's eyes dart to me. "Sometimes they can be all you have left. He didn't want you to make the same mistakes he did, leaving him with a loss that could never be restored while he was alive," she said honestly, probably quoting his exact words.

I looked at Freya and Freyr, their diamond-silver eyes gazing at me. I realized that I had already estranged them, leaving them without any person to truly call their father, just like Odin had admitted he'd done to me.

Frigga then excused herself with Thor, to notify people of the Allfather's death and prepare his funeral. Soon after the funeral, I knew that Thor would head straight to Midgard to give Jane the news of his late father's consent of their desired marriage.

Sif and the Warriors Three left as well, Sif giving me one last meaningful look before switching her gaze to Freyr and Freya, making sure that I knew what she was implying before leaving.

Talk to them. They need you. Although I knew that Sif didn't particularly care for me or my children, she clearly understood the deeper meaning of Odin's words, and also knew what I had discovered:

I had to piece my family back together.