2 War I
(Odin POV)
I am currently walking along the halls of Asgard towards the throne room. My father has summoned me, most likely to discuss the current political tension and the war that will start or already has.
I am currently 20 years of age. My training all these years has proven to be very fruitful. I have reached the level of master in the use of: the sword and greatsword, the spear, the Warhammer, the one-handed axe, the war axe, the bow and arrow as well as daggers of any kind. I still need real battle experience in a war, but that will come with time. My unarmed combat skills have sadly reached a plateau. Not because I am not getting better, I still am thanks to the Essence of the Blank, but I don't have anyone that knows some of these martial arts that I know of from the human soul.
I am interested in Krav Maga, Muay Tai, Wing Chun, MMA, Kung Fu and more. I wish to learn these but no one in Asgard knows something like that. I might have to develop them myself in the future. My strength is second only to Bor at the moment. I have surpassed my brother Cul. But Cul is not dangerous because his base power is so high. Cul is dangerous because he gets stronger the more fear he collects.
I can also feel myself grow stronger every year. The more I train, the more I gain from it. The more I get hurt and lose, the stronger I become when I stand back up. My endless stamina and endurance as well as my immunity to pain has become legendary in Asgard's forces. Brandi, the general of Asgards forces, whom I train with, has remarked that my tenacity is second to none. No matter how much damage I take, no matter how painful my wounds should be, I don't stop fighting. The only way to stop me is to knock me unconscious or kill me. And that has gotten increasingly difficult over the years, at least for normal Asgardians.
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I reach the throne room and the guards open the giant door for me. I walk in and see my father sitting on the throne with my Mother sitting next to him. My brothers Cul, Vili and Ve are already here and the council is waiting for me apparently.
"Father, you summoned me?", I ask.
"Yes, Odin. Come sit, we have much to discuss.", Bor says in his deep, demanding voice. I can hear the slight urgency that has made its way into his tone. I sit on my smaller throne that is situated next to Father's. This has already sparked jealousy with Cul and I can see his growing anger towards me. I don't care about that, though. Cul is a hard man to like, even as his brother, he is very dark, self-absorbed and cruel. To the point where I don't want to be close to him or have contact with him.
"Tell us the situation Teit.", Bor commands one of the advisors.
"My King, Jotunheim's displeasure with Asgard and the Aesir in general seems to have reached its maximum. Lorey the current leader has managed to rally most if not all of the other Frost Giants to his cause and they are preparing for war.", Teit says.
"What about the other realms?", Bor asks.
"Vanaheim is currently neutral as far as we can tell. We don't have much knowledge about what their leader thinks. Heven is neutral as well since they don't see our struggle as worthy of their time. They are less likely to ally themselves with the Frost Giants since they dislike them so much.
Alfheim as well as Nidavellir does not support Lorey and the Frost Giants. They dislike them far too much for that. But they have asked to stay out of this war for as long as possible.", one of the generals says.
"That leaves only Svartalfheim and Muspelhiem.", Bor says.
"Yes, The Dark Elves and Fire Demons respectively loathe us and wish nothing more than to bathe in our blood and take Asgard for themselves. We might face a three-way war this time around."
"Don't worry Father, I can deal with the Ebony Elvelings myself. Say the word and you shall have all their heads.", Cull says. I can see the bloodlust in his eyes.
I look at Father and see that he is thinking about it. But his logical reasoning wins over his desire for a good and long fight. Sending Cull to another battlefield would mean that he would get to fight more himself, but it would also mean that he would have to thin his forces on too many fronts. Father loves to fight, but he loves to win more, so eventually he shakes his head.
"No, not yet Cull. At least not alone. You will get your chance to quench your thirst, but right now we need to make sure that our enemies understand what it means to fight against Asgard. You will take a third of the forces as well as Vili and Ve and follow Brandi."
"And where will we head to?"
"To Svartalfheim. Those elves need a reminder not to mess with Asgard."
"But your Majesty, Svartalfheim hasn't even done anything aggressive yet.", one advisor mentions. He is one of the newer ones who hasn't seen war and is still very fresh to politics and the 'old' ways.
"It is imperative to pour water on the smoking wood before a flame can develop. We will strike them head-on and hard. Make it a short but brutal start to this war. We will have enough to deal with, in Jotunheim. Odin, you will accompany me with another third of our forces.", Bor says and looks at me.
"Yes, Father."
"The rest of the forces will stay here in Asgard to function as reserve or support where we need them. But the main function will be to protect Asgard during this war. The Elves especially like to sneak and stab you from the back, if they get the chance.", Bor finished.
"What about Muspelheim, your Majesty?", someone asked.
"We won't focus on Muspelheim for now. Buri knows that these fire monkeys follow Surtur and he is currently not in any state to fight. But just in case, we have the last third of our forces here. Now prepare!", Bor says and everyone leaves except me. Bor told me to stay and so we are the last two in the throne room.
"What do you think of the strategy, Odin?"
"I believe it to be sound. But I would still not underestimate Surtur and Muspelheim in general. They are a formidable force and should they decide to take advantage of our problem with the multiple fronts, they could turn into a nuisance."
"You're right of course. I will have someone watch their actions. Do you know why you are coming with me to Jotunheim?", he asks me.
"I can only assume that you are grooming me to become the next King of Asgard."
"And you would assume correctly. You have shown marvellous martial prowess and intelligence. You are skilled in politics as well as logistics and economy and the like. The only thing you are lacking right now is the aura of a king."
"The aura?"
"Yes. You need to develop bloodlust and strike fear into the hearts of your allies but most importantly your enemies. You have impressive charisma and seem to pull people to your side, but I still need you to become more dangerous. A war is the best way to do that. You will earn many titles and your name will strike fear into the hearts of your enemies. And if that happens, you know that you are fit for the throne."
"I understand Father."
"Good. Then go and get ready. We're leaving soon."
"Yes."
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I got into my battle gear. I put on my armour and took a shield as well. The members of the royal family enjoyed the best quality weapons and armour but it wasn't as pompous as it would be in the future. Apart from the shield I also grabbed my sword and a war axe. I knew that the Frost Giants weren't called giants for nothing. Some truly were giant in stature and therefore I needed to have the tools necessary to take them down.
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So armed to the teeth, I made my way towards the Bifrost. There I saw thousands of soldiers waiting for Bor to lead them to battle. I approached Brandi, the general of the army.
"Brandi, how are the preparations coming along?"
"They are well, my prince. As soon as His Majesty, King Bor, gives the signal, we march."
"Good. Where are Vili and Ve?"
"They are not yet here, my prince."
"So, we're not quite ready yet. I'm sure they'll come any moment now."
After a moment of waiting, Vili and Ve came as well as Cull. Father was the last one to arrive. But when he came I saw that his entire aura had changed. Just like I remember from my past incarnations Bor is a beast when it comes to battle. He stood in front of all the troops dressed in his armour and helmet, holding his war axe in hand.
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After a powerful speech, the troops were finally dispatched and sent through the Bifrost. First, my brothers were sent to Svartalfheim to fight the Dark Elves. The Dark Elves were already aware of this attack, but we hoped to surprise them anyway. Then it was finally time for us to get dispatched as well. The Bifrost took us to Jotunheim, the land of the Frost Giants.
It is a cold and barren world with very little sunlight which contributes to a near-perpetual winter.
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The army arrived and as soon as we did, I knew that we were expected. There weren't any Frost Giants nearby, but I could feel that something was about to happen.
"Advance!", Bor demanded. The army advanced slowly because the snow, the cold and the chilling winds made it hard to move faster. I am alert and watch for anything that looks like a trap of some kind. On this first day ... nothing happened. I can tell that Lorey, the Frost Giant who leads them is not an idiot. He clearly knew that we were here and chose not to engage, to weaken us.
His plan must be to have the climate do most of the work and then pick us apart after that. But he would be disappointed. Not only could we get more supplies using the Bifrost, but I could also use magic to keep everyone warm. I knew that magic would come in useful.
So when we rested for the first night, I began to chant fire spells to keep the fires burning and not be put out by the cold and wet winds. I gained popularity due to this, but that wasn't my main concern right now. This game that Lorey was playing would sooner or later get the soldiers. Waiting for the fight can be more mentally straining than the fight itself.
We ate our rations and I kept watch since I never slept. Now it was useful instead of a bother. I could watch out for any threat and use my magic to hold enemies off, should the need arise. Again this was appreciated by the soldiers and by Bor as well. I created a few notification spells that would warn me if someone or something approached us.
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The next day arrived and we continued our way towards the place where our scouts had seen the most Frost Giants and their den at the moment. Frost Giants tend to lead a simple existence as hunters and gatherers. So they didn't have a palace that could be attacked like Asgard.
We came to the Frozen Forest and this was the moment when things changed. We were ambushed.
