1 The Beginning

He had finally done it.

Everything he had gone through, fought for, loved for, had finally led to this moment. He had succeeded, emerged victorious and yet, he did not feel such an emotion.

Thor did not feel as though he had succeeded.

The weight that was on his shoulders, still there crushing down upon him. Yet instead of being lighter, it only felt heavier, the responsibilities he now bore greater than ever before. He was King, the ruler of Asgard, he had defeated Ragnarök, but the trials and tribulations he had yet to face were clear in his mind.

The Cosmos had become far more dangerous than when he was young, new and more dangerous enemies rising to prominence. Ancient and lost entities once again on the move.

Asgard may have a second chance, but the danger they faced was greater than ever before. Now he was King, the one meant to lead them through these dark times and guide them towards a prosperous future all until that final moment.

But he did not know if he could such a thing.

As he looked upon the map of the continent of Asgard, Thor's gaze trailed across every inch of it. Asgard was surrounded by enemies on all sides, just as it always had. The alliances forged by himself and his father meant nothing now.

Asgard was alone.

"My King." Thor turned, tearing his gaze away from the map and looked down the corridor upon which he stood, to see two figures walking towards him.

One, a horse-like being clad in the armour of his youth. A red cape unfurled out behind him as he walked towards him.

At his side, a young woman with blonde hair, clad in the silver armour of a Valkyrie.

Both holding a golden hammer with an axe head upon the back in one hand. Weapons identical in shape, size and design, the power within them unmistakable.

"The army is ready, brother." Beta Ray Bill said, both coming to a stop beside him. "Where do we go now?"

"Have your people settled well, Bill? Thor asked, momentarily ignoring the question, providing himself more time to think upon it.

"They have." Beta Ray Bill nodded his head. "I thank you for opening your kingdom to us."

"It was the least I could do for my sworn brother," Thor said. "You thought by my side in Ragnarök, helped my people in their time of need, providing your people with a place to truly call home does not begin to settle the debt I owe you. But I shall endeavour to do so by affording them all the privileges and rights of an Asgardian. The Korbinites are now my people and I shall give my life to protect them."

Beta Ray Bill bowed his head in thanks, Thor then turning to the young woman on his other side. Her gaze was fixated on the map, the details upon it, a look of wonderment and curiosity in her eyes.

"And you, Frigg? Are your people settling in well?" His words broke Frigg from her trance, turning to face Thor, quickly nodding her head.

"They are, we lived for Asgard for many years, though the layout is slightly different to what many remember," Frigg explained.

Thor nodded his head in understanding. "When my people have been found and returned to Asgard, we shall all work to expand Asgard further, providing more homes for all here." He told them, but that would take time. "For now though, we have many tasks before us."

He reached out, resting his hand against the map, directly over the mark that denoted Asgard.

"I rebuilt everything, but not everything is the same as it was," Thor explained. "Our alliances with the Elves, Dwarves, Vanir and the scattered Aesir kingdoms has been forgotten. I do not know how this has come about, but nonetheless, the fact remains that Asgard is now surrounded by enemies that wish to see it destroyed."

"So it is war?" Frigg asked, quite eager at the prospect. She had heard tales of Asgard's conquests in the past, but she had not partaken in them herself.

"I am not gifted in diplomacy like my brother, Baldur. But I know war and battle better than most." Thor told them. "The army is ready and so we match to secure our borders so blatantly invaded by the Trolls. We shall reclaim the land that was once ours."

"Let me and my sisters lead this conquest," Frigg asked eagerly, grip around Stormbreaker tightening. "We shall beat back the Trolls to their mountain holds and then take the holds themselves."

"No." Thor shook his head. "I need you and your sisters by my side."

"Why?"

"The Asgardian people are scattered across Midgard, waiting for me to return them to their homes. That is precisely what I shall do, but I know, that Midgard is not the place it once was. There are many dark and dangerous things upon that realm, not just those who fight for the cause of evil, but those who champion even justice. The weapons you and your sisters wield, Jarnbjorn, Mjolnir and Stormbreaker, are recognised weapons. You may be unknown to them, but those weapons are not and the people of Midgard will not what they symbolise."

Thor then turned to Beta Ray Bill who nodded his head. "The Trolls will be beaten back to the mountains, they will regret entering into our lands."

"Only to the mountains," Thor stressed. "Yours and Friggs people did not come to this world, only to engage in war and I will not ask them to do any more than protect our lands. Once the Trolls are beaten on the field, they will cower away in their mountain holds. By the time they have gathered the courage to once more venture out, the people of Asgard shall be returned home and once more, the golden legions shall march across the fields."

Turning away from the map, Thor began to march down the empty halls of Asgard, Frigg and Beta Ray Bill moving in to stand at his sides. He remembered all the pathways, moving through them seamlessly, even with both eyes closed, the two ravens upon his shoulders, Huginn and Muninn acting as the eyes and ears that he used to view the world around him.

Coming upon the entry to the throne room, Thor pushed them open, striding inside to find two people waiting for him. Both women, one a tall ginger-haired woman, two weapons attached to her hips, one being the mace of his old friend, Hogun, the Hridgandr. The other, a weapon he knew intimately well, Mjolnir.

The other, the shortest of all those gathered, with light red hair, almost looking pink in certain lights. Resting upon one shoulder, was the large battle axe he had wielded in his youth, the Jarnbjorn and at her hip, the severed head of Loki.

For the first time in a while, silent and unspeaking.

Thor strode past them all, the spear of his father, Gungnir answering his call, striking against the palm of his Uru-forged hand of the Destroyer Armour. Coming out onto the balcony, Thor looked down upon those gathered below, thousands of bodies gathered in a single area, all clad in armour and wielding weapons of all shapes and sizes.

All looked up to him.

"I remember a time when Asgard was a place for people of only one creed, one race, one religion. That was until I saw what it could be under the guidance of a man respected by us all. He gathered Gods of all worlds, those enslaved by the God Butcher and created a safe haven for all. And the Korbinities, forced to flee their homes, pursued by the Fire Demons, servants of Surtr. Forced to wander the stars, losing many more as they tried to find a place they could call home." Thor's words silenced them all, the harsh reminder of where they came from and what they had gone through still fresh in the scars they bore.

"We have all come far, the scars we wear, no longer chains that held us down, but something we draw strength from. The hardships and suffering of our pasts do not bind us, do not hold us back, do not stop us from continuing to march to a brighter future." Thor proclaimed loudly, the dark clouds rolling in overhead, the rumbling of thunder echoing across the land, yet Thor's words could be heard clearly. "We have all found a home, here, in Asgard. Perhaps not in the past, but here and now, we are all one people, Asgardians, each and every single one of us. Equals and of one race!"

At that point, a bright strike of lightning shot across the sky, illuminating off all the pristine armour and weapons down below.

"Now we are threatened once more! Surrounded by enemies on all sides, the Trolls are the first of many to come! A warning must be sent! We are not divided! We are not weak! We are strong! We are united! All shall know that the people of Asgard, that we, the Asgardians are not vulnerable!" Thor roared out.

Down below, weapons were smashed against shields, spears hit against the floor, feet stamping down, all creating a rhythmic sound that blended in with the rumbling of thunder and flashes of lightning that erupted in the sky.

"Gather your courage! Gather your weapons! Prepare yourself! The Trolls have brought war to us and we shall answer in kind!" Thor proclaimed. "All shall know, we are the beginning of a new age! An age in which Asgard shall not be threatened again! An age in which all may live together in peace! We! Are! The beginning!"

Thor thrust Gungnir into the air, the storm that raged above erupting out in full force.

"WE ARE THE BEGINNING!"

Yet the sound of a thousand voices screaming out in unison drowned out all the sound, echoing throughout. Carried along with the wind and spread throughout as a message, a warning, a signal. All would know and all would fear the new force in the Cosmos.