The resplendent realm of the gods, Asgard, was trapped under a strange cloud of silence. The normally lively realm of the Norse Gods was without its endless feasts, without the legendary brawls and fights.
The entire realm seemed to be holding its breath, as if waiting for something.
The golden halls of Asgard have seen much since their ancient creation: Countless wars, bloody conquests, and peace—a golden age of peace for the nine realms under the rule of Odin, the All-Father.
Everyone expected that golden age to last forever and extend into the age ruled by Odin's son, Thor.
Yet because Thor could become king, something happened, something that shattered the peace, or at least threatened it.
The palace of Asgard, its very vaults had been attacked, the fearsome Jotnar of Jotunheim, an ancient enemy of Asgard, had dared to attack the vaults of the gods while Thor was to be crowned king.
Everyone knew that something was bound to happen, and the Asgardians all waited to see what Odin, the wise and powerful All-Father, would do in response.
And their mighty king, too, was thinking about what to do. He knew that he couldn't ignore it. If the king ignored such an attempt on his treasures, it would make him look weak. Yet, he wasn't willing to start a war.
He was fully aware of the state of Jotunheim and the desperation of the Jotnar for their casket.
He understood that they were desperate, so if he pushed them too hard, they might do something foolish.
He understood Laufey's problem because he now faced something like it. The people demanded he do something, and now he needed his wisdom to figure out what that was.
Yet, as he had the wisdom to know he needed to act with care, neither of his sons truly understood the situation.
Thor, always someone more willing to swing his hammer than use his head, was raring to do something; he was festering with hurt pride.
And Loki, he who thought himself the smartest of all, was trying to see how he could use this situation for his benefit, without thinking about the potential cost.
Odin, for all his wisdom, failed to realize the true foolishness of both his sons, before it was too late.
For while Odin was deep in thought, Thor was deep in his drink. He was joined by his trusty companions, all of whom confirmed his words and thoughts, but all of them too drunk to truly think about what they said or agreed with.
Thor slammed his goblet onto the table, golden ale sloshing over the edge and onto the polished stone.
"They dared to enter our vault," he growled. "During my coronation. Do you understand the insult that is? To me? To Asgard?"
"They should be punished," Volstagg muttered, already flushed from drink. "In the old days, we'd have marched before sunset."
"Exactly!" Thor shouted, rising to his feet. "We should not sit idle while Jotunheim mocks us!"
"But we are not in the old days," Sif said cautiously, her voice sharper than the others. "The king forbade retaliation. We must trust his wisdom."
"And let Laufey believe us weak?" Thor spat, nearly overturning the bench. "Is that what Odin calls wisdom?"
None answered him. Not at first.
And then Loki spoke—quietly, calmly, as if reluctant.
"I understand your anger, brother," he said. "Truly, I do. But what if this was not an act of war?"
Thor turned to him, his fury barely restrained. "You think it wasn't?"
Loki tilted his head, a thoughtful frown playing across his face. "The Jotnar were desperate. Desperate creatures take desperate risks. Perhaps Laufey didn't sanction the attack. Perhaps he cannot even control his people anymore."
Thor said nothing, but the fire in his eyes flickered.
Loki stepped closer, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial tone. "If that were true… would it not be wise for you to go? To speak with him directly? See the truth for yourself. The All-Father may not act, but you could. Quietly."
Thor narrowed his eyes. "You suggest I defy Father?"
"I suggest," Loki said gently, "that you protect Asgard. If there is a weakness in Jotunheim, we must know it. If Laufey plans more, we must be ready. Call it… reconnaissance. A small party. In and out."
Thor glanced at his companions, all watching, all waiting for his word.
And though the thought had not begun with him, it felt right.
Righteous.
"I will go," he said. "We all will."
While Loki hadn't planned to go himself, he wasn't able to say no to this now, so all he could do was try to make sure Thor made as many problems as possible for himself.
…
Heimdall stood silent as ever at the edge of the cosmos.
The Bifrost Observatory hummed with latent power, its mechanisms still and waiting. The gatekeeper had sensed the shift in the realm's rhythm—when Thor grew quiet, and Loki began whispering.
So when they arrived, cloaked in defiance and heavy with weapons, he was already waiting for them.
"You would go to Jotunheim," Heimdall said, his golden eyes fixed on Thor. It wasn't a question.
"We must," Thor replied. "Laufey has insulted Asgard. This cannot go unanswered."
"It is not your place to answer it," Heimdall warned, his voice as cold as the void. "The All-Father has given no such command."
Thor stepped forward, fists clenched. "Then we go not to answer, but to ask. We go to speak, to demand truth. To see who dares challenge us."
Heimdall's gaze swept over the group—Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg, Sif… and Loki, who stood behind the rest, silent and unreadable.
"You tread dangerous paths, Prince of Asgard," Heimdall said. "But I see no treason in your heart. Only pride. And perhaps… something else."
He turned slowly toward the controls. "You are not the only ones defying orders this day. I will open the Bifrost."
A great pulse of rainbow light erupted from the mechanism as the bridge awoke.
"But know, I can't hide this from the king."
…
Odin learned of his son's foolishness as soon as they committed it, yet he also knew he couldn't stop it before things got ugly.
"Damn fool," he hissed as he got up from his throne, he had work to do.
-----
The roar of the Bifrost consumed them, flinging their bodies across the branches of Yggdrasil. Moments later, they crashed into the wastes of Jotunheim, wind and snow and death greeting them with open arms.
The ground crunched beneath their boots—ice and bone ground together by centuries of frost.
Dark shapes moved in the distance, massive and watching.
"They know we're here," Hogun muttered, hand on his weapon.
"Good," Thor said, stepping forward. "Let them come."
And come they did.
Laufey, king of the Jotnar, stepped from the shadows with his warriors flanking him like living glaciers. His crimson eyes flicked to each of them before settling on Thor.
"You've come a long way, Odinson," Laufey said, his voice sharp as cracked ice. "To die."
Thor lifted Mjolnir slowly. "That depends on whether you answer my question. Who sent your kind to Asgard? Who ordered the breach?"
Laufey bared jagged teeth in something like a smile. "We go where we please. No one orders us. Not even you."
And just like that, the frost broke.
Spears of ice hurtled through the air.
Thor shouted, leaping forward, and Mjolnir sang as the first blow struck.
The battle had begun.
The battle ended almost as soon as it began. Thor had only just realized that he was losing before he was winning as his Father and the mighty army of Asgard arrived.
The storm of battle froze in place—not from fear, but from the blinding light that erupted behind the warriors of Asgard.
With a crack like the sky breaking open, the Bifrost opened again—not at Heimdall's hand, but Odin's.
The All-Father descended in full armor, mounted on his eight-legged steed Sleipnir. The golden runes on his armor glowed like living fire in the eternal cold of Jotunheim. His single eye burned with fury—not at the Jotnar, but at his son.
"Enough!" Odin's voice echoed across the realm, louder than thunder and deeper than the roots of Yggdrasil.
The warriors fell still. Even the Frost Giants halted, uncertain.
Thor, still breathing heavily, turned. "Father—"
"Silence."
The word carried such weight that even Laufey stepped back. The king of the Jotnar narrowed his eyes.
"This was not an act of war," Odin declared. "It was to be peace."
"You call this peace?" Laufey hissed, gesturing to the shattered ice and fallen warriors.
Odin didn't look at him. He only glared at Thor.
"You've broken a fragile truce. You've embarrassed this realm. You've disobeyed me."
Thor stood his ground, jaw tight. "They came to our home—"
"And you brought war to theirs," Odin interrupted, voice now cold and measured. "You are not ready."
He turned to Laufey then, finally acknowledging the Jotnar king. "We will leave Jotunheim. If there is a next time… it will be war indeed."
Laufey gave a grunt of bitter amusement. "Then go, All-Father. Take your child and leave our realm."
Odin's eye lingered on Laufey for a heartbeat longer—then the Bifrost opened beneath their feet, sweeping Thor and his companions away in a rush of cosmic light.
-----
Back in Asgard, silence fell once more.
But this time, it was filled with shame.
Thor stood in the observatory, still gripping Mjolnir. The others stood behind him, heads bowed.
Odin descended the steps toward him.
"You are reckless, arrogant, and unworthy of the mantle you seek to claim," he said. "Your actions endangered not only yourself, but your realm. You have forgotten what it means to rule."
Thor looked up. "I only wanted to protect—"
"You wanted glory," Odin snapped. "You wanted to be seen. To be praised. That is not the mark of a king."
Loki stepped forward, ever so slightly. "Father, perhaps—"
Odin held up a hand. "No more words. Not from you either."
He turned back to Thor.
"I strip you of your rank, and your power. In the name of my father, and his before, I cast you out!"
With a roar, Odin raised Gungnir, and the runes on Mjolnir dimmed.
Thor shouted as he was flung backward, pulled toward the Bifrost by Odin's will alone.
The hammer followed, tumbling after its master.
"As long as he is worthy," Odin whispered, "he may yet reclaim it."
-----
Back on his throne, Odin was troubled, having to banish his son brought back memories of old. Of his first child, another child that followed the wrong path… even if he was to blame for that.
Hela.
She had been his pride and glory until he realized that he was wrong, that war was wrong. That day changed everything.
He feared that Thor, in his recklessness, would follow in her footsteps; he knew the warlike nature of his people, and he feared that should they once more start on that path, they would return to the old ways.
Thor wasn't young, but he was acting like it, and maybe he was still young enough that if he got a taste for how easy war could solve his problems, he would solve them all that way.
He sighed. Really, he had failed raising him… but Thor wasn't the only one he had failed… With another sigh, he stood up and made his way to the vault and his remaining son.
-----
Far from the golden realm of the gods, in the realm of mortals, Earth was an island. An island nation.
And within this nation stood a great white city. As if plucked from a dream and placed into reality, it stood surrounded by green plains and forests, as well as a small bustling town.
The brilliant white city was home to an equally white castle, and that castle housed a great tower.
Within the realm of Albion, that tower had a name.
Lance of the Heavens.
At the very top of this tower stood a woman of unmatched beauty, her long golden hair swaying in the wind as she stood, watching the sky above.
The night sky was dark, and thick clouds hid the stars. Yet that woman's bright green eyes beheld far more than just the clouds themselves, as she could see right through them and gazed at something far beyond.
"You owe me a favor, Odin," She whispered into the wind as lightning filled the skies.
(End of chapter)
The thing with doing a crossover, even though this one is barely that, given that everything is happening in one universe only. Is that I can't assume everyone knows fuck all.
Do people know who Galahad is? Gawain? Or do they know the events of Thor 1? Well… I can't know that, so I kinda gotta assume the worst, so this chapter is mostly for those who would have no idea about Thor getting kicked out.
I did plan to focus it more on Odin, thinking about the changes happening on Earth, and whether or not it is safe to send Thor there, given that Arthuria is running around.
But in the end, I just went with this poor attempt at a recap and info dump.
But that aside, who is that mysterious green-eyed woman at the end? And what did she mean about her words?