"Your Highness, we celebrate your victory." "Try again next week, Ander?" "We are at your service." "That was a stunning display, Thor." "You were victorious, despite the trouble with your sword's grip." " Trouble?" " Plainly, it was too slick." "I'll reprimand the dwarves for you." "Good idea." "Sif." "You missed seeing my victory." "I left right after your opponents threw you back your weapon." "Well, there was a problem with the grip due to the dwarves' habit of..." "So now you're blaming the dwarves." "Whose idea was that?" "Loki's?" "Are you saying I shouldn't have won today's match?" "Not just today's." "A comment like that requires an explanation, Sif." "I'll tell you what needs explaining, Thor." "Why you have never once ceded victory to the Einherjar, the most celebrated warriors in Asgard!" "I am simply more skilled than they." "How can that be?" "They have battled the fiercest creatures in all the nine realms, and you have never even left the royal grounds." "You forget I also have the strength of Odin." "Yes, and the authority." "They have no choice but to lose." "Why do you have so little faith in me, Sif?" "I am the only one who has faith in you." "Everyone else treats you like a spoiled child!" "That is enough!" "You've never had an honest fight in your life." "Since you're a fair hand with a blade, perhaps you should make an honest man out of me." "Be careful how you jest." "Choose your weapon, wench." "A barn tool." "You think less of my skill than I realized." "Good-bye, Thor." "Thor was wrong about you, Sif." "You'll fit right in with the Valkyries." "You do your brother no favors, Loki." "Stop protecting him." "There we were, clinging to the side of a sheer mountain of ice, plumes of fire billowing up from the gorge below." "Fire?" "In Jštunheim?" "Dragons, love." "How many were after you?" " Seven." " Ten." "At least a dozen." "And Frost Giants were advancing on the horizon." "There was no escape, but..." "But the Warriors Three would not be so easily diverted from their quest, for the Sword of Surtur is worth risking both life and limb." "Well, look who it is!" "Greetings, Thor." "Congratulations on your victory in today's match." "Of course, his victory pales to those found outside the arena." "Perhaps you'd like to join us on our next quest, Thor." "You know he can't, Hogun." "He's not allowed to leave the kingdom." "You dare mock the prince of Asgard?" "Thor, we speak only in jest." "We're friends, remember?" "What crawled into his keg?" "Your Eminence, we managed to learn that the Valkyries have established a new training camp in the branches of Yggdrasill, west of Svartalfheim." "Father." "Skala, how could you come by this information when the scout tracking them has failed to return?" "We were able to follow Brunhilde after she had secretly met with Lady Sif." "Thank you, all." "This concludes today's council." "Gentlemen." "Now, Son, tell me what troubles you." "Father, I wish your permission to ride with the Einherjar on one of their patrols." "You know my answer." "But I do not agree with it." "You are the son of Odin, and, as such, you have different responsibilities than that of a warrior." "But at least a warrior knows the true limits of his abilities." "I see what brings you here." "You believe you've outgrown your training." "Some say the Einherjar let me win, Father." "Is that true?" "Yes." "Why?" "You chose to turn your training into public entertainment." "But this kingdom cannot afford to see its prince defeated week after week." "So you, too, doubt my abilities." "Being a king is not about drawing a sword in battle." "It's about avoiding battle entirely." "Hiding from conflict sounds more like one of Loki's strengths." "Perhaps he should inherit your throne." "Perhaps he will." "But as for you, there will be no leaving Asgard." "I am your king and your father, and you will obey me." "You may come out, Algrim." "I'm impressed." "You have detected me in shadow." "Not many can." "Truth be told, I can't either." "But I don't know of a time that you didn't come and check on me after I had a fight with Father." "Typically, because you would insist on pursuing some sort of foolishness." "And I always let you talk me out of it." "But not this time." "Thor, where are you going that you need such a weapon?" "Are you aware that there was a test of manhood for young warriors?" "A secret quest." "Yes, I know of it." "It's a rite of passage." "Warriors pursue it every year." "No one dies." "Because the object of the quest will never be found." "The test is not in finding the Sword of Surtur but in looking for it." "So, it is the art of trespassing you aspire to." "Yes, it is." "When it's in Jštunheim." "Thor, our truce with the Frost Giants is fragile at best." "They must not find you in their realm." "They won't." "You think too highly of those lumbering..." "Forgive me, Algrim." "That was thoughtless of me." "Rest easy, Thor." "But, if nothing else, let my people's fate serve as an example." "The Frost Giants are dangerous." "I know." "I promise to be vigilant." "And, Algrim, as always, this stays between us." "I will remain silent for as long as possible." "Thank you." "You are a good friend." "I'm doing it." "Now try your hand at influencing it." "Keep it to three words." "A spell's power is in its whisper." "A true master needs only to think it." "You find humor in this?" "Loki, you granted magic to water." "It became a snake, and a snake bites." "You did it perfectly." "I did?" "Don't you know how amazing you are?" "Metal and rock are easy, but to have an apprentice control water, it's a triple threat, for it is also mist and ice." "Amora." "Leave us." "Yes, Your Highness." "Do you need something, Brother?" "Yes." "How is your magic?" "It happens to be fairly advanced." "Why?" "Because we're stealing aboard the Thunder Runner, and we'll need your talents on our journey." "I lied." "I'm not very good." "This is it." "We'll conceal ourselves in the hold." "Conceal ourselves?" "From our friends?" "Friends who are not foolhardy enough to set sail with the sons of Odin on their vessel." " Now make haste before..." " A mere seven days, though it will feel like an eternity while in the throes of battle against the beasts of Jštunheim." "Bring us something, won't you?" "Perhaps a claw or fang of a savage white bear would please you." "It's astonishing, Loki." "This is a view of Asgard like we've never seen." "And one I never cared to see." "You always fret." "The Warriors Three have returned from this adventure for the last three seasons with nary a scratch." "But we're royalty." "We're not equipped to handle adventure." "Fear not, little brother, for I am a skilled hand with a blade." "I'll protect you." "Sif was right." "I've done him no favors." "Algrim?" "Sire?" "Is there trouble?" "No." "I'm just looking for my sons." "Have you seen them?" "Not for hours, my lord." "But it is not uncommon for them to be away from their chambers at this time of night." "Sire, have you found a reason to be concerned?" "Thor and I had an argument." "Quarrels are to be expected." "He is nearing the age of adulthood." "Yes, nearing." "He has yet to arrive, despite what he believes." "I'm afraid he may have done something foolish." "You would think that someone known as the "All Father"" "should possess the wisdom to raise two boys." "They are not your average boys, Sire." "Algrim, am I a good father?" "Do I shield them from too much?" "Though my children never had the chance to come of age," "I do believe that keeping sons too close could very well be what drives them away." "Some lessons, my lord, can only be learned with real consequences." "So, perhaps that is what you can teach them now." "Your counsel is wise, Algrim." "And, as always, appreciated." "Loki, wake up." "What?" "The ship lies still." "We're in Jötunheim." "Come back, and I'll kill you!" "It's smaller than I imagined." "Say, love, do you know where a gallant warrior like myself might purchase the claw or fang of a savage white bear?" "Another round." "Going after Nixies now, are you Fandral?" "Having established your standards, let's maybe try your hand at a nice, plump hobgoblin girl." "You jest, but in the later hours, who knows?" "Change that grim face, Hogun, or we'll make you go sit with the Greeks." "Spending a half fortnight in this rotting armpit, merely to steal stories, has lost its charm." "What hasn't lost its charm for you, Hogun?" "I believe I'll go turn in." "We're about to get a new story." "I'll secure us a little roasted mystery meat, boys, while you two spread out and see what can be overheard." "Do you know the one about the three explorers whose travels never took them beyond an outpost inn?" "Hello, friends." "Sire, what brings you this far from the kingdom?" "A drafty little bucket named the Thunder Runner." "Know of it?" "You stowed away?" "Upon our vessel?" "It gets worse." "And you brought Loki." "We'll all be drawn and quartered." "Relax." "Lift your steins for a toast, lads." "To frigid worlds and lost swords." "You took my ale." "You dare lay your foul-smelling paw on the son of Odin?" "Stay your hands!" "Fenris." "And I thought his paw was foul-smelling." "Enough!" "Barkeep, some fiend is making off with your cash box." "Excuse me!" "Who started it?" "Does it ever matter?" " Have you seen my sword?" " No." "Let's look for it." "Greetings, ladies." "Perhaps later we can..." "Have you seen a sword?" "Gold, bejeweled, perfectly balanced?" "Here, try this." "Well, it's better than nothing." "Did you use a little..." "You know." "No." "You're mine!" "That just breaks the heart." "Come on, come on, come on." "Well, lads, I'd say that's enough adventure for one trip." "Agreed." "Then let's put about ship and head for home." "With charitable winds, we can be there by morning." "Nay, friends." "We came in search of Surtur's sword, and we'll not return home until we find it." "You heard my brother." "On to Jötunheim." "While I commend your aim, novice, it is evident that one man has claim on your focus." "My apologies, Brunhilde." "No need to apologize." "We've all joined the sisterhood for similar reasons." "But this is Konurlifandi, a place where we sever our reliance on men." "Where we are free to reach our true potential." "Yes, ma'am. 'Tis why I've come here." "Then I offer this advice, Sif." "Men are useful for one reason and one reason only." "Beyond that, they should be disposed of." "Now return to the line." "I have to say, I'm close to weeping, lads." "Aye." "She was far from pretty, but she did perform her duty well." "A quality I've grown to appreciate." "Gentlemen, why linger?" "We have nowhere to go but onward." "How can you whistle?" "My lips are frozen." "I've never felt such cold in my life, yet you walk as if crossing the spring meadow." "There must be but one explanation." "I'm tougher than you." "Fine." "Then I'll let you fend off the first Frost Giant, little brother." "Stand guard." "I sense movement." "Snow sprites." "What would we do without your keen senses, Hogun?" "Hey!" "Thieving little pest!" "Keep alert, friends!" "Surtur's sword won't be looking for us." "Thor?" "You're not giving up, are you, Brother?" "I fear Algrim's right." " About what?" " The sword." "He said it will never be found." "What does Algrim know of it?" "He knows Jötunheim well, Loki." "It claimed his people." "It wiped them out as if they never existed." "Nay, it was the Frost Giants who claimed them." "The land itself is not to blame." "It matters not." "We hold no kinship with the ice." "Therefore, its secrets are safe from us." "Every secret has its clues." "Do you recall the many tales of valor we were forced to commit to memory as children?" "Yes." "I love those stories." "Verily." "I can recite Odin's great defeat of Surtur by heart." "I, as well." "Then you should recognize this valley." "'Tis where that defeat took place." "Yes." "Yes, I see it." "It began there." "Father held the only weapon that could rival Surtur's sword, his spear, Gungnir." "Yet he bided his time." "A wise warrior, Father knew his only hope was to tire the fire giant first." "So exhausted was Surtur, that to lift his sword, he needed both hands." " Thus exposing his chest." " Thus exposing his chest." "It must be there, at the foot of that mountain." "I cannot take another step." "Stand guard." "I hear something." "What this time, Hogun?" "A moth?" "A cricket?" "Perhaps a..." "Don't move." "Enter." "Sire, a visitor from the outer realm seeks an audience." "You manage affairs today, Algrim." "I have been, but this concerns Thor and Loki." "Show him in." "What news do you bring?" "News?" "I've come for compensation." "My dwelling was destroyed!" "And for what reason do you seek payment here?" "Because the sons of Odin were responsible!" "One of them left this!" "Brother, over there." "It's magnificent." "And large." "Very large!" "Who of us knew it would be that large?" "Not me." "I'm very surprised." "The dwarves called it Elderstahl." "They fashioned it to fit the hand of whoever wields it." "Hogun, can you break it free?" "Aye." "Stand back." "Brother?" "I've never felt such power." "This has moved beyond a harmless quest." "We must not be found in Jötunheim with such a weapon." "Why be concerned, Loki?" "I defy anyone to confront us, especially now that we are armed with this." "We must return to Asgard with due haste." "Agreed, but for that, we must first make our way north." "North?" "We need a new means of travel, so we'll acquire horses in Konurlifandi." "From the Valkyries?" "We'd be lucky to leave with our lives, let alone horses." "They'll never help us." "They won't, but Sif will." "So, it's Sif that lures you there." "No, Loki." "I'm just attempting to get us home." "That's all." "Hear that?" "We're heading to the Valkyrie training camp." "And passing from one frigid world to another." "Fandral, just how many of their maiden warriors have you angered?" "Let's just say I bear an unsettling resemblance to their archery targets." "We have intruders!" "They have the scent." "Let's go!" "Get down." "Look there." "Sentries." "We must find another means of crossing." "You remember the realm charts as well as I. This is the only northern route." "We've other trouble." "There." "Brother, they sleep." "We can just steal past." "Let's go." "Intruders!" "Stop the intruders!" "Run!" "Loki!" "Stay back!" "We are Odin's sons, heirs to the throne of Asgard." "We mean you no harm." "Just let us pass." "Go, go, go!" "They come again!" "I said stay back!" "No!" "I did not mean for that to happen." "I know, Brother, but we must go." "Inform the king at once." "Thor." "Say nothing, Loki." "It was not your fault." "Those beasts attacked us." "We were the trespassers, Loki!" "They were in the right, and now, two Frost Giants have died by my hand!" "What is your report?" "Your Majesty, Elderstahl has been found." "By whom?" "The sons of Odin, and they killed two sentries escaping to the North." "Father?" "Prepare my army." "We march on Asgard this day." "He should not be going in alone." "No man should go in there alone." "No man should go in there at all!" "Sif." "No!" "Wait!" "What madness brings you here?" "I need you." "You what?" "I need you to secure five horses for me." "I've no time for your hostility, Sif." "I just require your help." "No." "I came here to get away from you." "Now leave before you're discovered." "Listen to me." "I've just come from Jötunheim." "Terrible things have happened." "I must get home." "Why would you go to Jötunheim?" "To find this." "The Sword of Surtur." "Now, please, will you help me?" "On your knees, male!" "Or die where you stand." "There is a chill in the air." "A familiar one." "I'll prepare your chariot, my lord." "Geirmarr, I seek an audience with your father." "You may speak to me." "Then I will state it simply for your benefit." "You violate our peace accord by your presence here." "We no longer have an accord." "Thor made positive of that." "King Thrym, was our truce so tenuous that it could be broken by a youth's careless trespass?" "Careless trespass?" "He took up Elderstahl and slew two Northern sentries!" "He what?" "Odin, you knew not of this?" "No." "I'm afraid it changes nothing." "By his actions, Thor has declared war on Jötunheim." "Your Eminence, what do you seek in return for averting this war?" "All Father, the Frost Giants continue gathering in the valley." "They await the meeting of their terms." "Which are?" "I have until sunrise to turn over the Sword of Surtur." "He found it?" "Yes, and it was used to kill two Frost sentries in the North." "Sire, we must find them before the Jštuns do." "With your permission, I will accompany the Einherjar to escort them home." "How would you know where to look?" "They could be anywhere." "The slayings took place in the North, where the only sentries would be posted here at this bridge." "If they crossed over, the route to Asgard would take them through Svartalfheim." "You would be willing to go back there?" "To save your sons, yes." "Your selfless actions will not go unrewarded, Algrim." "Thank you." "Hear me well, Odin's son." "Asgard has made a grave error in sending you here." "The error is yours, Brunhilde, for I did not come alone." "You might as well have." "Hildie, my love, why don't we end this silliness..." "Silence, male!" "You will all suffer the same fate as Odin's last spy." "Do you honestly believe the prince of Asgard is here to spy?" "What I believe is that you have come to exert your dominance over the female who fled your embrace." "I came for horses." "That's all." "Please release us." "We must return to Asgard." "You mean, escape to Asgard." "I know of your thievery." "How you wish to deliver the fire sword to Odin so that he can further subjugate those who might rise against him." "I am all that keeps that weapon from falling into the wrong hands!" "Who are you to judge a hand's worthiness?" "Perhaps its rightful place is in mine." "Attention, wenches!" "You will release your prisoners now." "Loki, your brother currently enjoys his final breaths of life unless you sheath that weapon." "Loki, do it." "The fire sword must not be used again." "Hand it to me." "Prepare them for execution." "No!" "Hold your tongue, Sif, or you will join them." "What manner of witchery is this?" "Frost Giants!" "Slay them all and recover the sword!" "Hello?" "Anyone?" "Someone get us down!" "Hey!" "Murderer." "Now you die!" "Now, quickly, help me get these fangs." "Give them no quarter, lads!" "Stop." "But the giants!" "It's just like men to assume we need their protection." "Take this and go." "Sif, provide them with horses and escort them back to Asgard." "Yes, my lady." "And, Sif, only return to us when you are truly ready." "Why does nothing grow in this place?" "It was a final gift from King Thrym." "But I thought your war with the Frost Giants ended in Jötunheim." "The war ended there, but the killing did not." "They set glaciers in motion across the land, grinding away any hope that life might ever return here." "Counselor, I realize this is difficult, but we've been charged with a mission." "Of course." "Forgive me." "The children cannot cross this dead world without water, and the only source of it lies just ahead." "If they're here, that's where we'll find them." "Search the area." "Ander, you're slipping." "Your Highness, rest assured." "It won't happen again." "And to think the four of us didn't qualify to train with the Einherjar." "Thor, Loki, it's good to see you." "Algrim, never have I seen a friendlier face." "How did you know to come for us here?" "From the Frost Giants." "They have amassed in Asgard and threaten war." "They..." "You mean, because of me." "It was an accident, Algrim." "There was no malice intended." "Malice or not, they now demand the sword as recompense." "No, this weapon is a seeker of death!" "We cannot just hand it over!" "Your father agrees with you." "That's why he sent us." "Thor, you've carried this burden long enough." "Allow me to take it from you." "Gladly." "It is pure evil." "No." "It is the Frost Giants who are evil." "The pain, the persecution, the enslavement." "The eternal suffering they caused my people." "There was no end to their cruelty." "Algrim?" "And though this weapon has caused you much grief, there was a time when it offered great hope." "A promise of freedom." "This place haunts you, Algrim." "We must go." "Did Odin ever tell you that we came to him first?" "That we asked for help in our war against the Frost Giants?" "But he refused!" "We were forced to turn to Surtur and this sword for our very survival." "Only then did your father join the war." "Against us!" "He struck Surtur down and sealed the fate of my people!" "Algrim!" "Now I understand why I was spared." "To avenge the dark elves." "To deliver judgment!" "No!" "If you return home, I'll bury you in the ashes of Asgard!" "What do we do?" "We track down the horses and then find a way to stop him." "Odin's dark elf." "He carries Elderstahl." "We should seize it now before he reaches safety." "I gave Odin until sunrise." "We will wait." "Algrim." "Here, Sire!" "Why?" "You more than anyone should know why." "You still hold me responsible for the fate of your race?" "You could have defeated the Frost Giants!" "No." "That war could not have been won, even if I had sacrificed every life in Asgard." "You lie!" "We found a way to win!" "Surtur." "He was no savior." "He was a demon!" "He aligned himself with you only to conquer Jötunheim." "But he would not have stopped there." "By bringing him into your fight, you risked all the nine realms." "Easy to say when your people still live!" "The sun rises, Father, and Odin still possesses Elderstahl." "Begin." "Return fire!" "Release!" "We're too late." "Sif, Warriors Three, you must help hold the line." "Loki and I will save our father." "Be honest." "You can fight, can't you?" "Of course." "Have we never told you of the time..." "Can you fight?" "Yes, if we must." "Algrim, you will gain nothing from this." "It's enough that the war you avoided is upon you, and these walls which you protected at the cost of my people will crumble!" "That sword has taken its last life, Algrim." "Not as long as the House of Odin still stands." "Father." "Please, please, hold on." "I cannot forgive this betrayal, Algrim." "But I cannot forget the many years you were my friend and my family." "Monster!" "Brother, it's all right." "It's all right." "Stay with Father." "Your Eminence, I am Thor, son of Odin." "I humbly return Elderstahl to you and offer myself as your prisoner in hopes of ending this conflict." "Kill him." "Wait." "Where is Odin?" "Algrim, the dark elf, betrayed us." "My father lies dying." "And the dark elf?" "He is dead, slain by my brother." "I warned your father against giving him sanctuary." "There are many who seek this weapon, for with it, even the weak can rise up against Jötunheim." "So I accept your peace offering." "The war ends." "Father, we are on the cusp of victory." "Do not underestimate the might of this kingdom, Geirmarr." "Besides, we have what we came for." "And what of my fate?" "Two Jštuns died by your hand." "But you have saved countless others by returning this weapon to us." "Now go." "Tend to your father, son of Odin." "Loki." "You've been hiding in this temple long enough." "I'm not hiding." "I like it here." "I know you lament your actions, but you did what you thought was right to save us." "No, I sought vengeance." "Thor, I am convinced that, in Algrim's place, I would have acted no differently." "Who of us knows what we're capable of when family is threatened?" "Hopefully, we'll never again be faced with such choices." "I'm going to see Father." "Will you join me?" "I will." "Later." "Are you up for a visitor?" "Of course." "Come in." "How is your brother?" "He'll be fine." "And you?" "I will be fine, as well." "I imagine much is on your mind." "Father, I should have listened to you." "I was just so eager to prove myself." "And I should have listened to you." "Why?" "You came to me as a man, seeking to test your mettle." "I saw only a boy." "Because I was." "Father, due to my heedless actions, I ignited a war." "Yes, you did, and you saw what little it takes." "But then you also saw the value of peace, even when its cost can be so very great." "Such wisdom took me ages to learn." "Son, never has the House of Odin stood on firmer ground or been more revered." "You have done this kingdom proud." "We hadn't even gotten to Jötunheim when our troubles began." "Stopping for a little repast at an outland pub, we found ourselves surrounded by the most vile beasts of all the nine realms." "White bears?" "Wolves, love." "These fiends eat white bears for breakfast, as do I." "How many were after you?" " Seven." " Ten." "Thirty-four." "Lads, have I caught you filling their ears with lies again?" "Well, it was the dead of night after all." "With nary a torch lit." "Because I'm certain I counted at least 50." "He's right." "Fifty." "Fortunately, I knew the art of disemboweling." "They attacked with matted fur and dripping fangs, intent on feasting on Asgardian meat!" "So, naturally, they went after Volstagg first." "I understand your father continues to gain his strength." "He does, with new scars added to old." "Good." "I am happy to hear that." "And what's this I hear about you being recruited to train with the new Einherjar?" "As if you didn't have anything to do with that." "No, you've proven your worth." "Your acceptance was your doing." "Although, I am pleased it's no longer a mere maiden that bested me with a barn tool." "Care for a rematch?" "Absolutely."