Chapter 9

Hiccup could imagine how the rest of the Asgardians stood slack-jawed at seeing their prince in such a state. "Papa?" Thrud could be heard speaking softly in the now silent hall. She tried to run towards her father but Sif held her back and dragged her under the table. The looks of surprise were short-lived as Thor's thunder powers started crackling through the hall.

The lightning hit the ceiling and the carefully crafted decorations on the wall causing them to crumble. "Heather!" Hiccup saw Fishlegs shout as he fused with Meatlug to quickly create an impregnable armor. Fishlegs then dove and protected Heather and the panicking baby Razorwhip just before a pillar came crashing down on them. Meatlug's defense kept both of Hiccup's friends safe, yet the thunder was still wreaking havoc.

"Get the civilians back!" Hiccup heard Odin order before he used Gungnir to redirect the thunder. "Son get a hold of yourself!" Odin shouted desperately.

"You have some nerve to call me son!" Thor retaliated as his eyes narrowed. At least Thor was talking now and not shooting thunder over the whole room. "You think I wouldn't find out?"

"I don't know what you are talking about!" Odin answered while Hiccup and Astrid heard Frigg plead in the background "Thor, baby, please stop this madness."

Thor's eyes were narrowed as he stared at the Allfather. The God of Thunder then reached into the leather satchel on his hip and pulled out a blue crystalline object before throwing it at Odin's feet. The object bounced on the floor but did not break and the gang noticed that it was a crown made of blue gems decorated in the shape of snowflakes. Neither Astrid nor Hiccup thought they would see Odin turn pale. The Allfather's eye widened, his brows shot up, and he stared at Thor with a mixture of horror and, dare anyone say it, fear. "Where did you get this?" Odin asked as everyone waited with baited breath to see what would happen next. The guards had their weapons ready, but them using said weapons on their Crown prince was another story.

"Ah, so you do know what I'm talking about." Thor said as his voice got colder and static ran down his person. "When exactly were you going to tell me that I was not your son?"

That question elicited gasps from many still in the hall and even Frey's sword spoke up "Totally did not see that coming."

"Tell me...." Thor continued. "When were you going to mention this to me?" He inquired as anger seeped into his voice. "Now I know how Loki felt when he found out."

"Thor, you must understand. It's not so simple." Frigg now spoke as she pushed the guards out of her way to look at her son.

"It seems an awfully simple matter to me." Thor stated and as he stood there more gasps were elicited from the crowd left over in the great hall. His fiery locks were starting to turn as white as snow and the electricity surrounding his body spiked. "I know about the book, I know about the crystal, and I know what you did to my actual mother!" With each accusation Thor's thunder lashed out. Frigg shouted as one bolt came very close to her.

"Thor it wasn't like that!" Frigg pleaded from the floor where she had fallen down. "Please, you don't know the whole sto-AAAH!" The Queen shouted as Thor lashed out, unable to control his powers properly in the agitated state he was in. Frigg closed her eyes as thunderbolts danced around her and the guards. "MY QUEEN! STAND BACK!" Freya shouted as she came to stand in front of Frigg. Her gaze narrowed on the thunder that was being released from Thor's body and hammer, and then she touched the clear gem on her golden necklace. "Brisingamen should be able to contain Mjolnir's thunder."

The thunder was drawn into the necklace but Freya screamed when it became too much. The gem shattered and she was thrown back into a wall.

"Sister!" Frey's voice carried through the hall and was ladened with worry as he stared down Thor. "How dare you!" But Thor paid the man no mind and still had his eyes trained on Odin.

"Odin Borrson...." Thor's voice took on an eerie tone. It sounded like two people were speaking.

"No!" Odin gasped. "You can't be here!"

"But I am." Thor spoke in that eerie voice but now it sounded smug. "Hear me well, for I have returned. The crimes of your forefathers and yourself shall not go unpunished. The Nine realms shall tremble at my wrath!" A blinding flash engulfed Thor and when the light dissipated he was nowhere to be found.

"Odin!" Frigg shouted after she ordered the guards to tend to the wounded. Frey was at his sister's side in a flash as Frigg attended to her personally. "Where has Thor gone?!" The Queen asked, her voice clear enough over the chaos. Yet it was as if Odin didn't hear her. Astrid watched the old king bend down and pick up the crown with trembling fingers.

"It can't be." Odin whispered as he fell to his knees.

"Odin what is going on?!" Frigg asked again, yet no response came.

"The Allfather is not well.. We should let him rest." Jerry spoke as he crouched down near Odin. "Let me help you to your chambers."

"No.... no." Odin came to his senses as Jerry looked at him with worry. "Now is not the time for rest. We need to check on the book post haste."

"What book?" Jerry asked.

"The Book of Seals." Odin's face looked pale as he still held the crown in his trembling hands. "It should be in the Royal library vault."

"I will go check it." Jerry told his grandfather. "Hiccup, Astrid. Will you two watch over the king?"

"Of course." Astrid said. The group had been helping treat some minor injuries and approached Odin. "Sir, are you alright?" Astrid asked as she saw him holding the crown with trepidation.

"I didn't think this day would come." Odin whispered and then looked Astrid in the eye. "Young Valkyrie, I honestly hoped this day would never come, but she has returned."

"Who is she?" Astrid couldn't help but ask. The chaos around them forgotten. But before Odin could answer Heimdal came back with his report. "My liege" Heimdal said as he genuflected. "I have the report from the guards stationed at the Bifrost."

"Speak" Odin ordered as he had no time to dally.

"The guards that I had stationed around the Bifrost had all been knocked out. Several reported seeing Thor. It seems, my liege, that he has left through the Bifrost." Heimdal stated. "Another matter is that the Bifrost road to Niflheim has been closed."

"So she is going there." Odin mumbled but both Astrid and Hiccup still caught it.

"I need some help here!" Jerry called out as he entered the room with an unconscious Sigyn. Healers rushed forward to look at the injured woman and Freya stood up shakingly to confront Odin.

"Sister please rest." Frey urged her but Freya looked at the Allfather with suspicion. "It shouldn't have come to this." Freya muttered. "Mjolnir's magic should not have been able to shatter Brisingamen. This gem was forged from the heart of a dying star!"

"If it was only Mjolnir's powers then, yes, you should have been able to absorb it. But it wasn't." Odin told the injured Freya as he looked her in the eye. "Mjolnir was just a means to keep Thor's true powers under control. A medium if you will. But Brisingamen would have never have worked against her."

"We keep hearing about this her. This she." Jerry now spoke up as all in the hall were listening attentively. "Just who are you speaking of."

Odin took a shaky breath. It wasn't like him to be this frazzled. "She is the mother of all. The Creator of the Realms Ymir."

Meanwhile, in the icy cold world of Niflheim. The world of forever winter. The primordial realm of ice and snow. Thor's heavy footsteps reverberated through the palace of ice.

"Who is there?!" An authoritative voice called. Skeleton guards lined the throne room as Thor became visible to the reigning Queen of Niflheim. "Hello Hella." He greeted.

"You!" The Queen's eyes widened as she stood from her throne. "What is the Crown prince of Asgard doing here?"

"Reclaiming my birthright!" Thor spoke in that eerie voice and shocked Hella with thunder when she least expected it. "The Queen of Niflheim is none other than me." The voice proclaimed as hella fell onto the floor. "To think that one such as you would have been granted this position sickens me."

"You aren't Thor." Hella uttered as ice started to engulf her.

"You are right child." The person taking over Thor spoke as they looked down on her. "For I am the true Queen Niflheim. The true Queen of the Nine Realms. I am Ymir and the realms will face my judgement!"