Chapter 860

Ever since the Dark Elves invaded Asgard, Odin, the All-Father, had been gravely ill.

He could barely see. He could barely hear. More importantly, he was no longer capable of handling the affairs of state.

The court had been shocked at first, but no one found the situation particularly mysterious.

After all, the man had two sons.

One had tried to overthrow him.

The other had abandoned the throne to pursue a woman on Earth.

If anyone had to endure children like that for centuries, eventually even an immortal king might decide he’d had enough.

Then the ministers discovered something strange.

Odin’s illness was not merely severe.

It was remarkably selective.

Bring him a stack of state documents and ask him to discuss military affairs, and the All-Father suddenly couldn’t see, hear, or remember anything.

But leave him in the palace theater with a performance, some wine, and a comfortable couch?

His eyesight returned.

His hearing sharpened.

His laughter could be heard from halfway across the palace.

It was almost miraculous.

The ministers could hardly blame him.

Odin had spent the first half of his life conquering and defending the Nine Realms, building Asgard into an empire.

The second half had been spent dealing with his sons.

Perhaps the old king had simply reached the point where he wanted to retire in peace.

The ministers were sympathetic.

Unfortunately, the kingdom wasn’t.

A king could take a vacation.

A government couldn’t.

Someone had to make the decisions.

Under ordinary circumstances, the answer would have been obvious.

If the king was too ill to rule, the Crown Prince would serve as regent until his father recovered—or until the Crown Prince ascended the throne himself.

Unfortunately, Asgard had two princes.

And both were spectacularly unsuited to the job.

Loki had betrayed his father and framed his brother.

He had eventually realized the error of his ways and sacrificed himself, which had recovered at least some of his honor.

Thor, meanwhile, had abandoned Asgard entirely and gone to Earth.

To find a girlfriend.

His father was practically dying, and the Crown Prince was on Earth courting women.

What was a kingdom supposed to do with that?

Then again, perhaps it was for the best.

Even if Thor returned, there was little reason to believe he could manage the mountain of paperwork and political maneuvering required to govern Asgard.

That left the court with a much more dangerous question.

Who could rule in their place?

A regent from outside the royal family was theoretically possible.

In practice, no one was stupid enough to suggest it.

Odin had never authorized such an arrangement, and the ministers had collectively considered the relative hardness of their own necks versus the shaft of Gungnir.

They valued their lives.

Besides, everyone knew Odin was probably pretending to be sicker than he really was.

He simply didn’t want to deal with politics anymore.

But there was one important distinction between tolerating Odin’s retirement and challenging his authority.

The last time someone had tried to take advantage of the All-Father’s absence, they had discovered exactly how quickly a supposedly bedridden god could kill a traitor.

So the court remained paralyzed.

Without the king’s approval, major decisions couldn’t be made.

Some matters couldn’t be postponed.

Others couldn’t safely be acted upon.

The longer this continued, the more dangerous the situation became.

Someone had to take charge.

That was when Sif, one of the Crown Prince’s most trusted retainers and his presumed future bride, offered a solution.

Asgard still had a queen.

Odin might be ill.

The princes might be absent.

But Frigga was still there.

"In extraordinary circumstances, we should return to the old system," Sif proposed. "Let Queen Frigga assume responsibility for the kingdom’s military and political affairs."

The ministers considered it.

They searched the archives.

And, to everyone’s surprise, the precedent actually existed.

It wasn’t even particularly ancient.

Before Odin, Asgard had been ruled by Bor.

Under Bor’s reign, the king and queen had governed together.

When Odin inherited the throne, his own ability had been sufficient to establish a much more centralized system of rule. Frigga had been perfectly content to remain within the royal household and leave politics to her husband.

But circumstances had changed.

With Odin incapacitated and both princes absent, restoring the old arrangement wasn’t unreasonable.

Frigga was Odin’s wife.

She wasn’t an outsider.

So the ministers approached the queen and presented their proposal.

Frigga reacted with horror.

Then outrage.

Then she covered her face and began to weep.

"My husband still lives. The Crown Prince still lives. And yet you ministers would abandon your duty to the royal family rather than shoulder your responsibilities!"

Her voice trembled with indignation.

"Instead, while my husband lies gravely ill, you seek to place me in a position where I would appear to betray him. What exactly are your intentions?"

The ministers immediately dropped to their knees.

"Your Majesty, the All-Father no longer has the will to attend to affairs of state!"

"The Crown Prince has abandoned the kingdom!"

"Asgard is facing an unprecedented crisis!"

"The Nine Realms are in danger!"

"How can Your Majesty remain within the palace while the kingdom falls into ruin?"

Frigga hesitated.

"But..."

She looked deeply troubled.

"I am merely a woman of the royal household. I have never governed. I know little of administration. If I make the wrong decision and bring disaster upon Asgard, will I not become a criminal in the eyes of history?"

The ministers lowered their heads.

None of them said what they were thinking.

Your sons are far more likely to earn that title than you are.

Besides, nobody expected Frigga to suddenly become an expert in every aspect of government.

Most of them had served for thousands of years.

They knew how the machinery of state worked.

What they needed was someone who could make the final decision—and take responsibility when those decisions went badly.

Sif suddenly dropped to one knee.

"Your Majesty need not bear this burden alone. We, your loyal servants, will devote ourselves completely to assisting you..."

She paused.

The ministers were already preparing to bow.

Then Sif added calmly,

"If Your Majesty finds any of us unworthy, you are free to appoint others in our place. We ask only that Your Majesty take the throne and govern."

The other ministers assumed this was merely a polite gesture.

They bowed in unison.

"Your Majesty, please assume the throne!"

Frigga hesitated.

"Very well..."

She looked toward the palace.

"But I must first speak with my husband."

She considered the time.

"His medicine should be ready by now. Come with me."

The ministers froze.

They exchanged nervous glances.

This was getting dangerous.

Marching into Odin’s chambers with the entire court to ask him to surrender political authority could easily be interpreted as a coup.

And a very short-lived coup at that.

But they had already come this far.

They had said the things that should never have been said.

There was no point backing down now.

So they followed Frigga.

They eventually reached a private garden.

The ministers stopped dead.

Odin was lying on a cushioned couch beneath the open sky.

He wore a loose robe instead of armor.

A bowl of grapes rested beside him.

He was watching a theatrical performance on a small stage nearby, looking so healthy and content that the ministers almost wondered whether they had entered the wrong garden.

There wasn’t a trace of illness on him.

Frigga coughed delicately.

"Darling."

Odin’s shoulders stiffened.

Frigga approached with a bowl of medicine.

"It’s time for your medicine. Take it now, and perhaps you’ll recover sooner."

Odin looked at the bowl.

Then at Frigga.

Then at the ministers standing behind her.

His expression changed instantly.

He collapsed deeper into the couch.

His eyes closed.

His breathing became labored.

He began groaning like a dying man.

The ministers stared.

That is some impressive acting.

Odin, meanwhile, was thinking furiously.

Why did Mother bring the entire court here?

Was Frigga about to expose him?

In front of everyone?

If she did, his peaceful retirement was over.

Odin’s body began trembling.

The ministers watched him with growing admiration.

The All-Father’s acting was almost convincing.

Frigga offered him the medicine.

Odin turned his head.

She moved the bowl.

He turned the other way.

She tried again.

He dodged.

After the third attempt, Frigga’s patience finally ran out.

She placed the medicine down.

"Fine. Take it later."

Then she turned her back to the ministers.

Her shoulders began trembling.

The ministers assumed she was crying.

Poor woman.

Her husband is gravely ill.

Her sons have abandoned her.

And now she has to take responsibility for the entire kingdom.

They couldn’t have been more wrong.

Frigga’s hand was around Odin’s throat.

She squeezed just enough to make the All-Father reconsider every decision that had led him to this moment.

"The ministers have asked me to assume responsibility for the kingdom," she said softly.

She leaned closer.

"Do I have my husband’s permission?"

Odin did not move.

Not even slightly.

"Approved."

The answer came instantly.

There wasn’t even a pause.

The ministers stared.

Frigga stared.

Odin stared at the ceiling.

The entire exchange had gone so smoothly that the ministers began wondering whether the royal couple had planned this together.

Frigga released his throat.

Then she turned back toward the court, her expression once again filled with sorrow.

"If this is truly what you all desire..."

She sighed.

"Then I suppose I have no choice."

The ministers bowed.

"Your Majesty need not trouble yourself."

One particularly straightforward minister stepped forward.

"Once the Crown Prince returns, you can simply return authority to him. Your Majesty will then be free from this burden."

Frigga’s expression brightened.

"For once, you’ve said something sensible."

She smiled warmly.

"You’re a loyal servant. I’ll remember that."

She patted him twice on the shoulder.

The minister beamed.

The others smiled as well.

Only Sif did not.

She lowered her head.

Very slowly, she took two steps backward, putting some distance between herself and the others.

Frigga’s ascension was now perfectly legitimate.

The court had proposed it.

The ministers had supported it.

And Odin himself had approved it.

There could be no more orderly transfer of authority.

Since Frigga was now formally acting as sovereign, the court also restored the old title of Queen Regent to something far more authoritative.

She was proclaimed Queen of Asgard, with her commands recognized as royal decrees.

From then on, Frigga could speak with the authority of the throne.

And she immediately began building a court of her own.

A new ruler needed trusted people.

Frigga had spent most of her life within the royal household and had little familiarity with the day-to-day machinery of government.

She also needed advisers.

So a new institution was created.

The Inner Court Privy Council.

Its members were exclusively women.

They lived within the inner palace and entered court through the northern gate, earning them another name:

The Northern Council.

At the head of it was the woman who had first proposed Frigga’s elevation.

Sif.

The new council quickly became far more powerful than anyone had anticipated.

From then on, ministers who wished to submit proposals had to pass through the council first.

Nothing reached Frigga without their approval.

The council could even approve, reject, or amend proposals on the queen’s behalf.

If Frigga worked diligently, that was merely an efficient bureaucracy.

If she became lazy, the council effectively became the government.

And Sif, as its leader, acquired a new title.

The Chancellor.

Or, more commonly, the Queen’s Right Hand.

But Frigga’s second major decision was even more significant.

She ordered the expansion of Asgard’s military.

And she restored the Valkyrie Corps.

This time, no one objected.

Asgard had suffered rebellions from within the Nine Realms.

Then the Dark Elves had invaded.

Both threats had ultimately been defeated, but they had exposed serious weaknesses in Asgard’s military.

The army needed more soldiers.

Rebuilding the Valkyries seemed entirely reasonable.

At least, that was what the ministers thought.

Then they discovered that Frigga’s Valkyries were organized differently from the old corps.

The new Valkyrie Corps was divided into two branches.

The Combat Division was exactly what its name suggested.

A fighting force.

Female soldiers were rapidly selected from Asgard’s various armies and transferred into the new organization.

The second branch was much smaller.

The Enforcement Division.

It was composed of the most capable and disciplined women among the new Valkyries.

Officially, they served as the queen’s ceremonial guard.

In practice, their purpose soon became obvious.

Five days after the Enforcement Division was established, a pair of mounted agents rode through the eastern gate.

They carried royal warrants.

Their target was a minister.

The same man who had cheerfully suggested that Frigga surrender power to Thor once he returned.

He was arrested.

Secretly.

He was imprisoned.

Secretly.

He was tried.

Secretly.

The entire operation was carried out by the Enforcement Division.

The court was stunned.

Then the charges were announced.

And everyone became even more stunned.

Corruption.

Abuse of office.

Secret dealings with rulers throughout the Nine Realms.

Accepting bribes.

Using his position for personal gain.

Even refusing to pay his tavern bills.

Apparently, the man had also been known to cheat at drinking games.

Normally, some of those accusations would have been laughable.

Unfortunately for him, every charge came with evidence.

Witness testimony.

Documents.

Financial records.

And even magical recordings.

There was no room for defense.

The minister was sentenced to death.

Afterward, Frigga addressed the court.

Her expression was one of profound sorrow.

"I have two sons."

She paused.

"Loki was not born from me, but I raised him as my own."

"I entrusted both of them to your guidance. I trusted you to educate them, support them, and help them become worthy rulers."

Her voice cracked.

"One is dead."

"The other abandoned his kingdom."

"My heart breaks when I think about what has become of them."

The ministers remained silent.

"Yet now you have placed the entire kingdom on my shoulders."

"If I make even one serious mistake, I will have failed Asgard. I will have failed my husband. I will have failed the kings who came before him."

She looked around the hall.

"Sometimes I wish I could dismiss myself."

No one dared laugh.

"When I first became queen, I believed Asgard’s greatest threat came from the Nine Realms."

"My husband conquered them."

"Then peace came, and I believed Asgard might finally become an eternal empire."

"Then the Frost Giants rose against us."

"Odin defeated them."

"After that came the Dark Elves."

"And Thor destroyed them."

Frigga’s expression hardened.

"But think carefully."

"The Frost Giant crisis was aided by Loki’s betrayal."

"The Dark Elf invasion succeeded because a Cursed Warrior infiltrated the Golden Palace and bypassed defenses that were supposed to be impenetrable."

She slowly swept her gaze across the ministers.

"Do you understand what that means?"

"Asgard’s greatest threat isn’t outside these walls."

"It’s here."

Her voice became colder.

"Right here in this palace."

The ministers lowered their heads.

"My husband entrusted this kingdom to you."

She slammed her palm against the armrest.

"And what have you accomplished?"

"Our military has grown weaker."

"Our defenses have become complacent."

"Our enemies can send spies directly into the heart of the palace and sabotage us."

She stood.

"How many more warnings do you need?"

"If Asgard becomes unstable, the Nine Realms become unstable."

"If Asgard collapses completely, every kingdom under our protection will rise against us."

She paused.

"Have you forgotten Surtr?"

Several ministers stiffened.

"The curse?"

"His Eternal Flame?"

"It is still in our treasury."

"Every day, it sits there as a reminder of what happens when we become complacent."

Frigga’s voice dropped.

"Since accepting this position, I have barely slept."

"I kept trying to determine what needed to be done."

"And eventually I reached a single conclusion."

"Prevention."

She looked directly at the ministers.

"It sounds simple."

"It isn’t."

"And enforcing it is even harder."

"Which is why I have appointed people to enforce it for you."

Her gaze shifted toward Sif.

"From this day forward, no one will neglect their duties."

"No one will deliberately undermine the government."

"No military commander will allow discipline to collapse."

"No soldier will be permitted to abandon training."

"And anyone who refuses to obey will be investigated and punished."

Silence filled the chamber.

The ministers slowly glanced toward Sif.

She stood beside Frigga in complete silence.

Even the three warriors who had known Sif for centuries—her old companions from Thor’s inner circle—barely recognized her anymore.

They had always known Sif as a warrior.

A loyal friend.

A woman who fought beside them.

This was different.

This was a ruler’s enforcer.

Now they understood what the Enforcement Division actually existed to do.

Investigate misconduct throughout Asgard.

Gather intelligence on officials.

Expose corruption.

Watch the court.

And uncover secrets.

Sif had earned yet another title.

The High Marshal of the Watch.

Frigga looked over the assembled ministers.

"Think carefully about everything I’ve said."

Then she rose from the throne.

"I’m giving you one hour."

She turned and walked toward the inner palace.

The ministers remained frozen.

There wasn’t much to think about.

They already understood.

They had placed Frigga on the throne themselves.

And she had no intention of leaving it.

Odin had ruled Asgard personally.

Frigga, however, appeared even more interested in power.

And considerably less tolerant of anyone who stood between her and it.

But what could the ministers do?

Force her out?

The Valkyrie Corps had already been rebuilt.

Its soldiers owed their positions directly to the queen.

Would they obey the ministers?

Or the woman who had personally appointed them?

And Thor?

Thor wasn’t returning.

But if anyone tried to attack his mother, how long would it take before the God of Thunder came crashing back to Asgard?

Not long.

And Odin was still alive.

If the ministers attempted a coup while the All-Father was supposedly bedridden, they would discover very quickly whether his illness was genuine.

The ministers had no intention of testing that theory.

Frigga returned to the inner palace.

The moment she entered, her solemn expression vanished.

"Sif."

She turned toward her newly appointed chancellor.

"You know, we never realized just how many treasures Midgard possessed."

Sif looked at her.

"Particularly political philosophy."

Frigga smiled.

"Apparently, no one in the Nine Realms can compare."

She walked to her desk and opened a drawer.

"I have two books for you."

She handed the first one to Sif.

"This one is for you."

Sif looked down.

The title had been magically translated into Asgardian.

The Book of Lord Shang.

"You are my chancellor and a senior military commander."

Frigga’s expression became serious.

"Study it carefully."

She picked up the second book.

"And this one isn’t for you."

Sif accepted it.

Frigga continued.

"Give it to the members of the Enforcement Division."

"Right now, we’re short on personnel, so there are duties you have no choice but to handle yourself."

"But after the organization stabilizes, you will transfer to the Combat Division."

She looked directly into Sif’s eyes.

"For your own future, there are certain things you shouldn’t involve yourself with too deeply."

Sif understood.

"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty."

She looked down at the second book.

Its translated title was:

The Book of Entangling Accusations.

Sif’s expression became slightly more serious.

Frigga smiled.

"Find some time soon."

She leaned back against her desk.

"Take a trip to Midgard under whatever excuse you find convenient."

"Bring me more books like these."

Sif nodded.

Frigga’s smile widened.

"And while you’re there, find Evenson Richter."

Sif looked up.

"Tell him we’re ready."

Frigga’s eyes gleamed.

"Ask him when he’d like to go collect the merchandise."

...