AFTER ARRIVING IN JOTUNHEIM, ASTRID IMMEDIATELY STORMED OFF TO WHERE SHE KNEW THE JOTUN'S THRONE ROOM WAS. She and her family had dealt with Laufey and his Frost Giants before, it was Ymir who trusted Odin to protect the casket centuries ago, and clearly, his decision was in vain. As Ymir couldn't be here to fight this battle himself, Astrid was taking that responsibility in his honour.

The Hod twins and the Asgardians rushed after her to match her fast pace. "Your Majesty, perhaps we should think about this?" Janus announced to Astrid from behind.

With a furrowed brow, Astrid spun around to face her guard with curiosity. "Since when did you become so concerned about a confrontation? You are usually in the frontline, yet here you are, trying to be as far away as possible," Her words were like venom, spitting out of her mouth at her prey - salt to a fresh wound. "Since when did Janus the Brave become so meek?"

Janus narrowed his eyes in a glare, though he knew better than to fight with Astrid, she was his queen after all. "This is not our fight. It is theirs," Jinx interjected, pointing to the six Asgardians. "Fighting will only worsen our relationship with the Jotuns."

"They worsened our relationship with them when they misused my father's casket!" Astrid argued.

"You were only a child!" Janus argued back, recalling the Battle of Tønsberg between Laufey, Ymir and Odin in 965 AD. "This is no one's fight but Ymir and Odin's!"

Astrid's hands clenched in fists. "Do you see them here, Janus?!" Janus quietened, taking a quick step back, his muscular arm stretching out in front of Jinx protectively. With a furrowed brow, Astrid looked down, her eyes quickly noticing a familiar glow. Her fists were glowing, the blinding light seeping between her fingers, begging to fully escape to fill in the darkness of Jotunheim. Her rings grew warmer against her skin due to the intense light being blasted at them. Quickly, Astrid took a breath and the light slowly vanished. She sent an apologetic look towards her guards. "I owe my father my life and I will not sit idly by as someone blatantly disrespects him."

Without waiting to hear their next argument, she turned her back on the twins and continued her journey to Laufey's throne room. She heard footsteps approaching her from behind. "Your Majesty-" she recognised the voice from earlier and interrupted them.

"Astrid."

The raven-haired god breathed out a smile. "Astrid. I-"

"If you're trying to convince me to stop, your attempts are in vain, Loki," Astrid spoke her mindset on only defending her family name. Although she detested Thor's arrogance and overall ego, she did relate to him as they both shared the same urge to protect their family's honour. Perhaps she was too harsh to him on first impressions.

Loki shook his head. "No, actually, I wanted to admire your determination respectively. You truly are a spectacle. I've heard many stories, all more fascinating than the last."

Astrid smiled to herself. "Are you saying my first-ever battle was lacklustre, Odinson?"

Being the God of Mischief, Loki immediately picked up on her teasing tone and a small smile, indicating she was only joking. "And if I was, Ymirdottir?"

Astrid stifled a laugh, her mind temporarily erasing any thought of Laufey and the casket and instead focusing on the playful conversation she was having with the Asgardian prince. "Well, who would've thought the God of Mischief could be so cruel," she jokingly planted her hand over her chest plate on her armour, pretending his words had broken her heart. Loki chuckled. Before he could continue, he watched as her smile turned into a frown. It was then that he realised they had reached Laufey's throne room, and it was seemingly empty. "Laufey! Reveal yourself! I know you are here!"

"You've come a long way to die," the deep voice of Laufey boomed into the deathly silence of Jotunheim. His voice itself sounded like cracking ice, a sound of danger and elegance all in one.

"I am Thor Odinson!" The blond Asgardian announced.

"We know who are you," Laufey's tone was consistent and demeaning as he addressed Thor.

Thor's expression turned sour. "How did your people get into Asgard?!" He asked, voice dripping with anger.

Laufey exhaled slowly, leaning forward in his stone chair, revealing one of his blood-red eyes. "The House of Odin is full of traitors."

The group shared puzzled looks, furrowed brows creasing the young warriors' skins with confusion. "Do not dishonour my father's name with your lies!" Thor roared, knuckles white as he gripped his hammer.

"Your father is a murderer and a thief!" Laufey declared, anger seeping through his cold tone as he rose from his throne and stepped into the limited light that shone on Jotunheim. His frame was lanky and tall, standing at a groundbreaking 10 feet in height. Blue skin glistened as if frozen, red eyes glaring down at the intruders. "He stole what was ours, and left our world in ruins. We have the right to reclaim the Casket!"

Astrid locked eyes with Jinx, a flitter of anger flashed through the blonde's eyes, one shared with the ginger warrior. Her guard nodded as if allowing her queen to unleash her anger upon her prey. "You are the traitor, Laufey!" Astrid exclaimed. "The Casket was a gift to use for you to do good and you chose to go against my father's guidance. The Casket will never be yours again. You have no right to claim something that you will use to make war against other Realms."

Laufey laughed, mockingly, his tone maintaining his icy attitude. "Then why did you come here? To make peace?" He spoke chillingly. "I see it in your eyes. You long for battle. You all crave it. To prove yourself. You, Astrid Ymirdottir, to prove yourself as a leader. Thor Odinson is a boy trying to prove himself a man. And the rest of you to prove yourself as warriors."

Thor narrowed his eyes. "This boy has grown tired of your mockery," the blond god takes a step toward Laufey, yet he doesn't get far as a fleet of Jotuns appears, blocking his path to the throne. All blue-skinned and red-eyed, standing at eight feet tall or over.

Loki stepped up towards his brother, his voice calming but still edged with nerves. "Thor, stop and think. Look around you. We are outnumbered."

Thor sneered, his gaze never leaving Laufey. "Know your place, brother."

Laufey smiled sickeningly. "You should listen to his counsel. You know not what your actions would unleash."

Astrid tilted her head with squinted eyes. "But I do," she spoke confidently, her palms stretched by her side, her hands and eyes glowing a bright white. "I would advise you not to undermine my abilities, Laufey. I fear you won't like the outcome."

The red-eyed god smirked. "Even you, God of Everything, do not know what your actions would lead to. Go now, while I still allow it."

"This is not the end, Laufey," Thor declared, his glare set on the Frost Giant before he finally took Loki's advice and relented.

"Run back home, little princess," Laufey spoke mockingly to the back of Thor's head. The group halted in their tracks, all suspecting the next actions from the God of Thunder.

Loki clenched his eyes shut in anticipation and frustration. "Damn," he whispered to himself. In one quick swoop, Thor swings his hammer, colliding the hard metal head into Laufey's face, sending him across the plaza in an instant. Astrid quickly draws a magic sword from her hands, anticipating the fight. The others reluctantly draw their own varied weapons and circle around Thor and Astrid.

"Silly hammer. Has a mind of its own!" Volstagg commented, his tone confident, but if one looked hard enough, they could detect a sense of anger behind his words. Anger towards Thor for engaging in a fight that never had to take place. Ice encompasses the blue giants, a shell of armour that reached up to their torso and leg and down their arms. The circle disbands and all fight against the giants. Astrid, being as powerful as she was, found the battle too easy. Suspiciously easy, in her eyes.

After slashing her way through countless giants, she ran towards Jinx and Janus just as they defeated their own. "We've got to go. They're planning something," Without allowing them a minute to process her order, she's rushing past them, ushering her telepathy to broadcast a mental message to the Asgardians that they should fold. The Warriors Three and Lady Sif immediately took action, killing off the last few Frost Giants around them before running away from the plaza.

Astrid neared a giant phased through an illusion of Loki and tumbled over the edge of the icy cliff. With a chuckle, she watched as the real Loki appeared from around the corner with a smug smile. "Impressive," she noted, gesturing him to follow after her.

As he began to run, a giant blocked his path. Without hesitation, Loki stabbed two daggers into his chest. The giant grabs ahold of Loki's exposed forearm. Expecting the worst, Loki gaped down at his skin, prepared to see his skin scorched by the giant's icy touch. But rather, he was met with a blue tinge to his skin, a flush of Egyptian blue that painfully spread down his arm until it seeped beneath his sleeve. Astrid watched in shock, just as Loki and the Giant did. Shaking off the shock quickly, Astrid took the giant's distraction to her advantage. With a click of her ringed fingers, the giant dissipated in a cloud of blue and grey dust. Still in shock, Loki looked from his now pale-coloured arm to the pile of dust where the giant once stood, to finally settle on the fading glow on Astrid's hand. "Thank you,"

"No problem," Astrid rushed out as she continued running, choosing to push the sight of Loki's blue skin to the back of her mind for now. At the moment, she was set on escaping Jotunheim with the others. Though she had the ability to create portals between realms, she hadn't mastered the skill of casting portals, whilst running and thinking countless thoughts. She tried, but the portals were only small enough for a few minuscule rocks to seep through the barrier. It didn't help when Thor would continuously conjure lightning and wind and crack the ground below them, exposing the black void of space calling for death. It especially didn't help when Laufey summoned his large pet, the Jotunheim Beast, from its ice cage, and ordered it to chase after the group. Astrid nearly tripped over all the cracks in the ground, if it weren't for Lady Sif to grab her arm and keep on her feet.

The warriors came to a dead-end — the tip of a cliff. No escape for the Beast or the ever-growing Jotun Army. The army crept forward at a fast pace as the beast crawl under the ground and met them at the edge of the cliff. If it weren't for Thor who had flown forward at lightning speed and shot through the beast's head like a bullet, they would've resembled leftovers. As he landed, the hundreds of Frost Giants and pinned between a painful death and an even more painful death.

Just as the army advanced forward to kill, a demeaning crack of thunder drummed above them. They all looked to the skies to see the opening of the Bifrost. Clad in battle armour and upon steeds, sat Odin and Ymir. Astrid and Loki both cringed at the sight of their fathers, yet Thor seemed ecstatic to see the Allfather.

Laufey uses a pillar of ice to stand before Odin and Ymir, sizing them up. Even though he knew they were two of the most powerful gods in the universe, the years had taken their toll on the two ageing deities. Ymir noticed his youngest child below and gestured for her to join the three rulers. Levitating, Astrid glided above the rocky surface until she appeared on the other side of Laufey and opposite Ymir.

"Laufey. End this," Ymir ordered.

"Your boy sought this out," Laufey spoke chillingly.

Odin nodded. "Your right. These are the actions of a boy. Treat them as such. We can stop this before there's further bloodshed."

Astrid furrowed her brow to convey her disapproval. "Father?" Ymir sent her a look to say for her to let this fight go. But she shook her head. "No, I'm not a princess anymore. You can't just look at me a certain way and for me to obey," Ymir went to object but his daughter cut him off. "If you don't make an example out of this, then I will."

"I surprisingly agree with the princess." Laufey sneered. Astrid grumbled, her anger bubbling inside her, making the Frost Giant grin evilly. "We are behind diplomacy now. They'll get what they came for — war and death."

"So be it," Odin spoke grimly.

Without warning, Laufey reveals a sharp icicle from behind his back. He swung the shard toward Astrid, intending to pierce the blade through her chest. But, Astrid held her hand out in front of her, a white blast shooting from her palms, sending the King flying backwards, along with several of the closest giants that remained circled around her guards and the Asgardians.

Thor watched in delight as the fleet of Jotuns fled from the cliff. "Now! We'll finish them together!" He exclaimed with determination.

"Silence!" Odin barked. He raised his spear, causing the Bifrost to open up once again. Ymir clings to Astrid's arm, hauling her over to sit behind him on his horse.

Just as the bridge enveloped the warriors and began to beam them to Asgard, Ymir spoke to his daughter quietly. "You have a lot of explaining to do."