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After the utter debacle in India, Gabriel returned home to the frozen North. He carefully pressed the lotus flower in a book on Seiðr, which in hindsight might not have been the best idea, but what’s done is done. Next he sat & studied the blade he’d been given to heal the babe. It was a superb weapon, there was no getting around that. A wave of his hand erased the etching, removing the traces of Saint Gabriel, Archangel. It was still a good weapon, but where the etching had been, it looked a little dull. He then stashed it away in his pocket dimension, where he could access it quickly if need be.
He scowled when he heard a loud pecking at his window, followed by a cacophony of cawing. A heavy sigh & rolling of his eyes & he was opening the window to let Huginn & Muninn in, Odin’s all-seeing ravens. Except one of the damnable birds (Gods be damned he can’t tell them apart) had a scroll tied to it’s leg. “Typical, not like there aren’t other ways to send messages…” Gabriel mutters as he tries not to get pecked. Once the scroll is untied they both screech & with a flap of their massive wings they’re gone leaving a mess of feathers & scattered parchment in their wake. With a sigh, Gabriel reads:
Loki, Your presence is absolutely required at a Royal function. You must return now so that you can be properly bathed & you have clothes made, not just conjured with Seiðr. Also, your Mother misses you. -Odin
Gabriel sighed, crumpling the parchment & throwing it into the fire. Great, just what he wanted, a surprise trip to Asgard. It was true, he rarely stepped foot there, mostly because he didn’t want to be found out for who & what he truly was. Because if anyone was going to see through his & Loki’s little trick, it would be Asgard’s Gatekeeper, Heimdall. Still, Frigga missed him, & she was the closest thing to a Mother he’d ever had in his entire existence. And he loved her with everything he had.
So that evening, as the sun set Gabriel walked into an open, empty field & the Rainbow Bridge came down before him. It was a strange way to travel, when he could still remember what it was like to fly, to let all six of his wings out & fly like the Messenger he once was. But that was behind him now & he found himself in the Bifröst Observatory in no time. Heimdall was twisting Hofund as he turned off the Bridge, “My Prince.” Was all he said.
“LOKI!” Suddenly Gabriel was nearly bowled over by a woman shorter then himself as she flung herself into his arms. His own arms went up around her, hugging her tightly.
There was amused laughter as a large hand clapped his shoulder. “So this is how you get such a warm welcome home, Brother? I simply get, ‘You’re dripping blood on my silk carpet & reek of bilgesnipe dung; go wash.’”
Frigga gave a watery chuckle, “Well you do drip blood on my silk carpets & smell awful!”
And with that they all laughed & managed to hug each other at the same time.
Gabriel, no Loki made no mention that Odin had not met him at the Observatory with Frigga & Thor. They tread carefully around one another, neither caring much for the other. Most of Gabriel’s dislike admittedly came from stories told by Loki, so Gods knew how true they were. But he’d been ‘in the family’ long enough to surmise they were likely true enough. He never wasted an opportunity to belittle the Trickster, Thor did his best to take some of the attention away from his younger brother as did Frigga. But some days there just was no avoiding it.
The reason for summoning Gabriel was for a gathering of the Aesir Gods, it seemed they wanted to have a wall built around Asgard; a fortification of sorts. Of course there was much feasting as they discussed their plans, & Gabriel only half listened as he ate. Builders came & went, offering their services, but the Gods all though they would take too long.
Finally a man approached, a very large man; surly a Giant himself. Now this wall was being built to keep these very same creatures out. Still, the Giant came forward & said he could complete the work in three seasons but that he wished a steep compensation; the hand of the Goddess Freyja in marriage as well as the sun & the moon.
Of course the table was in an uproar at that, ‘The hand of Freyja?!’ ‘The sun & the moon?!’ ‘He’s mad!’ Everyone was talking over everyone, except Gabriel. He stood & approached the Giant, & stood before him, barely reaching his knee. “You say you can do it in three seasons, but can you do it in one Winter? Aided by none?” He spoke up to the Giant, the table of Gods behind him fell deathly silent.
The Giant looked down on him in contempt, “You dare question my abilities, Little Princeling of Asgard? Aye, I can do it in one winter, but allow me the aid of my horse, Svaðilfari.”
Gabriel nodded. “I suggest you sleep well tonight, Giant, for tomorrow you work.”
The Giant smiled slowly & left the Great Hall & once the doors closed it erupted once more with sound. Everyone was screaming at Loki. Gabriel, ever the smooth talker he was managed to calm everyone down, reminding them what an impossible task was set before the Giant, even with the aid of his horse. Winter was just setting in, the ground would be freezing & the stones would be stuck within it’s clutches. At the very least they would get some of their wall built for free.
Soon everyone forgot about the Giant & Svaðilfari, but not Gabriel. He stayed on Asgard through the Winter, & as it neared it’s end he began to worry. For Svaðilfari seemed to be doing twice as much work as the Giant himself. The Stallion hauled enormous slabs of rock over the most uneven of ground & did not tire.
The last day of Winter was three days away & the Giant had only to finish laying the stones around the gate. Victory was within his sight. The Gods were in a panic, they couldn’t just give the hand of Freyja in marriage to a Giant nor could they just give away the sun & the moon. They were far more concerned about Freyja then the sun & the moon, which affected many more Realms then their own. Still, they came to Loki’s chambers in an absolute tizzy, threatening his life if he did not fix this mess right now, as this was all his fault to begin with.
That night the Giant & Svaðilfari ventured deep into the snow covered forest looking for the right shaped boulders. Suddenly, in a clearing a lovely mare pranced into the moonlight, she was a beautiful dapple gray. Svaðilfari took notice & though the Giant tried to keep a hold of him, he snapped his reins & ran towards her. With a snort she took off & led the stallion on a merry chase through the woods. And at times, there seemed to be two mares, she was so fast, & able to keep just that bit ahead of him.
The Giant was unable to finish his wall, & so was killed by Thor.
Several weeks later Gabriel emerged from the forest, an eight-legged colt tottering along at his side. All the Gods stared open mouthed at Loki & the colt. “I’d like to introduce you all to my son, Sleipnir.” Sleipnir gave a trumpeting little whinny.