In the Garden of Asgard

Recorded: November 29, 2013
Characters: Frigga, Loki
Location: Asgard - Palace Garden
Summary: Frigga counsels Loki.


The Palace Garden is perfect in many ways, though on occasion there are plants that need to be dealt with. Frigga is no Gaea but she certainly prides herself on her gardening skills. She's walking between some rows of nasturtium and violas, holding her hands above the flower petals and gently feeling them, one by one. She's only stopped a few times to look at ones that, to anyone else, looked as healthy as the others. Today there are no attendants with her other than her usual guard detail at the garden entrance, and her dress is a vibrant green to match the bushes and flowerbeds.

Loki was in the garden reading, his back against a cherry tree. His legs are partially propped up, the book open on his lap, one limp hand resting on its pages with the other one in the soft grass as an ant crawls across his upturned palm. The trickster has dozed off while reading, and has made himself mostly invisible, only a strange displacement of light indicating that he is there.

If there's one thing Frigga knows, it's when her best pupil is using his tricks nearby. She stops at the end of the flower row and eyes the odd light displacement under the distant tree. She smiles in calm amusement, then pushes both arms forward, palms open. The delicate heads of the red and yellow violas leap from their stems and carry on a non-existent wind to the spot where her son sleeps, each one finding a convenient place to nestle on his body. Soon the invisible trickster looks like a very visible man made out of flowers.

Loki's hand twitches just before his head jerks up, dislodging some of the flowers as he looks around blearily, having been awakened from a deep sleep. Lifting his hands, he flicks the flowers from his body, then spies Frigga. "Hello, mother." he says quietly, as if being too loud would get him into more trouble. "You look lovely as usual."

Frigga chuckles at Loki's sudden awakening. "My son, you make a fine addition to the palace garden." Her hands lift again, and the flowerheads return to their stems. She resumes her calm examination of the flora in that area, staying close so he can hear her talk. "I have not heard tale of you in some days. Staying out of trouble, I hope?"

Loki smiles slyly. "Why mother I do sometimes believe that you do not know me at all. The art of causing mischief is to do it in such a way that nobody is aware that you've done anything at all." he closes the book and sits up straight, running a hand over his hair. "I believe I have adjusted to the new body, though I am a bit displeased at being inches shorter. But enough about me. How have you been? I trust all has been well?"

Frigga shakes her head at Loki's words. "I know you better than you think, my child. Just as I know each flower in this garden." She stops near a crop of trefoils and kneels to examine a few that are wilting. "As long as my children are doing well, so too am I. And if you wish to regain your years, I am certain that I could seek a remedy for that, although you would be the first with the desire to age instead of youthen."

Loki sets his book aside, flicking his eyes up to hers. "Then I am doing well. I was taking some time to catch up on reading. Am I interfering with something? I can go if you do not wish me to be here. I still know not how you feel about me at this time."

"Then I fear that you do not know me as well as you think, my son, for I have already said as plainly as I can that I love you no matter what you do." Frigga lifts the wilted flower into her hands by its roots, gently lifting it to look at the browning stem and wrinkled petals.

Loki looks at the wilted flower and swallows, the fear that it represents her depleting love for him. His mind races, a million thoughts entering his head, his imagination running away with each and every one of them. He takes a shaky breath and reaches out to touch the flower with slightly trembling fingers, a flicker of green magic flowing from his fingers to bring the flower back. He feels as though he is a child again, afraid and feeling as though the ground beneath him could fall out from under him at any moment. "I…"

Frigga watches Loki's hand and the flower's restoration. She smiles softly, returning the plant to its place in the garden. "You, my son, try entirely too hard to please those who are already pleased with you. That is where your fault truly lies." The All-Mother rises to her feet and continues to walk the row, beckoning for Loki to walk with her. "That, and your mistreatment of the mortals of Midgard. Why do you so wish to be revered as a god before them? What difference does their fleeting approval make? They do not live long enough to truly appreciate all that we are capable of."

Loki rises to his feet in one smooth movement, falling into step beside her. Once he towered over her, but now he's not quite so much taller. "Is that not our purpose? Are we not supposed to show them that we are their gods? What is our purpose otherwise? Why are we gods if we have no one to worship us?"

"Why is it so important that you are worshiped," Frigga wonders aloud as she continues walking. "What do you gain from it?"

"Humans are made to be ruled. They crave the structure of someone telling them what to do, herding them like sheep. They descend into chaos if they are left to their own devices. Why would we not want to provide them with that which they so desperately crave?" He deflects the question as probably expected. "We could make them so much better, and those who do not comply will be destroyed."

Frigga shakes her head. "That is not the answer to the question I asked." The All-Mother stops and turns to face Loki, directing her calm, scrutinizing gaze in his direction. "What do you gain from their worship, Loki? Why is it important to you?"

Loki stops and blinks, swallowing as she asks her question again. He looks a bit timid at first, but then takes on his cocky attitude as defense. "Why do you question me when Thor shows off his abilities and they worship him as a god? Why am I not just as worthy as Thor?" he begins raising his voice as his emotions begin to get the better of him. "Why am I never good enough? Why is it always THOR? WHY IS IT A PROBLEM THAT PERHAPS PEOPLE WOULD WORSHIP LOKI INSTEAD OF THE ALMIGHTY THOR? PERHAPS THEY SIMPLY NOTICE ME!!"

Frigga maintains her level of calm scrutiny despite Loki's sudden tailspin of emotions. When he comes to the end of his tirade, she offers him an even-tempered response. "Since the day you learned to move under your own power, you have competed needlessly with your brother. If you truly wish to know why the mortals love him, you need only witness his deeds on their behalf. He does not force himself upon them. He goes where he is needed, and outside of that, he leaves them alone. It is the same for all of us, Loki. I used to watch over their daughters and give them guidance on becoming mothers. I never declared myself a goddess, though they worshiped me as such. I helped them in our hour of need, and once they no longer needed me, I left." She glances out across the garden. "They need Thor because of the troubling times they live in. They would need you as well, if only you sought to help them."

"I DID help them, and they hurt me. One of them used a weapon that fires metal projectiles. They shot me in the shoulder, and then one of the people who claim to be heroes grabbed me and carried me off, then beat me until I could no longer stand. I did nothing to deserve it! It is not the only incident in which I have helped and they attacked me instead of accepting my help because they had read books written about things that have not happened! Things that were from even before my birth!"

"You speak as if those actions represented the sentiments of all mortals on Midgard." Frigga sighs and reaches up to put a hand on Loki's shoulder. "I am sorry that your brief encounters with them have been unpleasant, my son. There are always those who reject us. I am not beloved by all mortals and neither is your brother."

"You are beloved by all of Asgard. I am simply Thor's little brother who tags along. Nothing I do is good enough so why should I not just do what I want?" he tilts his head to touch her hand with his cheek. "Humans are but flickers of light in comparison to us, but they harbor such cruelty."

Frigga shakes her head. "Your happiness depends too much on what others think of you, Loki. I wish that this were not so, but I know it is who you are." She takes her hand from his shoulder and lifts both to send glimmers of golden light down into the garden's rows. Each flower blooms brighter than it did moments ago and fills the atmosphere with the fragrant scent of spring. "Surely you cannot tell me that in all your time on Midgard, you did not find a single human better than what you have described."

Loki looks down and away, shrugging. "There have been a couple, but that is all. Even they were not at all interested in my well being, rather the well being of themselves and their own people. I hear what you say, mother, and I swear I try to follow , but I just cannot seem to stop myself from going too far."

"You can, and you will. When it becomes important to you, you will. Until then, I can only pray that your impulsiveness does not bring on your permanent demise." Frigga turns away from Loki and heads for the garden entrance, signaling a nod to the guards. They straighten up and prepare to escort her to the next place of business for the All-Mother.

Loki frowns and jogs after her. "Mother, please don't walk away from me again." he says in a small voice. He kicks himself internally. Why is he being such a pansy? He takes a breath and finds his voice, which echoes through the garden a bit louder than he intended. "DON'T WALK AWAY FROM ME!"

Frigga stops mid-step at the thunderous sound of Loki's demand. The guards at the entrance each put a hand on the hilt of their swords and move a few steps closer to their queen, but she holds up her palm to keep them at bay. The All-Mother turns to face her child with a wordless gaze that speaks volumes: A piercing stare meant to discourage further acting out from a tantrum-throwing child.

Gritting his teeth, eyes watering, Loki looks nothing like the pristine prissy prince he normally is. He meets Frigga's gaze, then turns away, balling his hands into fists, letting his magic flow around him and cause some of the flowers to turn green and grow to enormous proportions, then strides off back toward the palace, head held high to regain his sense of presence.
Frigga shakes her head and sighs at Loki's silent tantrum, and while he walks away, she uses her own power to restore her garden to its standard beauty. The guards relax once she gives them a signal, then together they turn and head out to the city streets.

The young trickster just can't seem to get himself sorted out. It would be easier if she would reject him, ignore him as Odin does. He can deal with that, but he can't seem to deal with the constant disappointment he brings to her. When he sees she's walked off, he turns and presses his back against a tree and looks up at the sky, sighing.

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