Gaea's Avatar Thor Part I

In the beginning, Asgard had to fight for its place in the world. Surrounded by enemies on their continent, they had to become a race of warriors that could beat back their enemies and defend their homes.

It was not an easy task, but one that was hard-fought and brutal.

Yet after that, Asgard changed, preaching values of peace and prosperity, forming trade agreements and alliances with races in all the Nine Realms. They were a race of warriors that put away their swords and instead became a race of scholars. Their ways changed from war to peace, maintaining that peace through diplomacy and equality.

He had struggled with such a thing in the beginning.

Thor remembered the stories his father told him.

The stories of King Bor's repeated wars against the enemies of Asgard and how Odin had been by his side. Yet it was the warmonger ways of his father that turned Odin away from conquest and battle and towards peace. He had often emphasised not the glories of battle, but the losses that resulted from them. The thousands of Asgardians that gave their lives in King Bor's pursuit of power.

Yet Thor had still desired such a thing when he was young.

It made sitting quietly behind a desk, reading books and scrolls so difficult for him. He had never been very good at it, not like Loki or Baldur. Instead, he had to learn, to force himself to sit quietly and learn. As those like Loki and Baldur quickly progressed through their studies, joining Tyr as chief diplomats for Asgard across the Nine Realms, Thor still remained behind, struggling to grasp the basics.

But he was a stubborn man, one that rarely ever gave up and so, Thor pushed himself to succeed. He never quite achieved the skill and silver tongue of his brothers, but Thor had a simplistic way about him. Honest to a fault, rarely ever able to tell a convincing lie to a more discerning eye.

Yet it was that nature that made Thor such an asset in the often turbulent and difficult nation of Jötunheimr. The Jötnar were a simplistic people, struggling to survive from one day to the next. They had no need for fanciful words and grandiose gestures.

Thor had never been very gifted at that, often delivering the truth as they needed not as they wanted it. That form of diplomacy suited him quite well, and it suited Thor. It was something Thor took pride in that it was he, who was able to build strong diplomatic relations with the often aggressive Jötnar where those like Odin, Tyr, Loki and Baldur had failed.

Under Odin's rule, they had gone from a race of warriors to a race of scholars and diplomats.

Yet there was one fate Asgard could not avoid.

That was Ragnarök.

Though Asgard may have packed away their weapons and instead picked up scrolls and the pen. Using words instead of blades, their past and future had not been forgotten. Every Asgardian had prepared for the end of days and no matter how hard they tried to ensure peace amongst the nations, Ragnarök came about all the same.

And so, Asgard was forced to pick up their weapons and go to battle for the first time in centuries. They were defeated easily, but there was no sadness, no grief, no regret in those that died. Each of them had given everything they had in this battle, just as they had in life, now they were at peace.

Able to rest without worry.

Thor was no different.

-X- Line Break -X-

Looking out over the battle below, Thor frowned heavily as he clutched the staff in his hand, hood up over his head to protect himself from the sand that was carried upon the wind. Beside him, the well-dressed man wearing the crown of Egypt looked upon the sight with equal displeasure, though for very different reasons.

"Thawr," the man spoke, looking to him. "Do stop frowning. Though I have come to greatly appreciate your words and your advice, this is something that must be done."

"I understand that, my Pharoah," Thor said, the frown nonetheless remaining upon his features. "However, there surely must be another way to go about this task. If there is something truly valuable out here that belongs to you, then I should have been allowed to go and speak with them. Avoiding all this needless bloodshed."

The Pharoah, Rama-Tut dismissed Thor's words with a wave of his hand. "I sent riders, requesting they return what is mine. They refused." He muttered, completely nonplussed as the soldiers of Egypt slaughtered the Sandstormers.

"Your riders are hardly gifted in diplomacy." Thor retorted, frown deepening as the battle began to calm down. When he had been reborn in this world, the shock had been his main emotion, the shock that he was still alive despite Ragnarök having just unfolded before his eyes. He still remembered the sight of the Jörmungandr rising to its full height before crashing down, swallowing him whole.

Yet, as he grew into this new body, watching the world pass by, Thor did what he had been trained to do, guide rulers. He started off with the head of his village, acting as a guide to help them flourish within their harsh environment, just as he had guided many Jötnar Chieftans. From this, Thor gained much attention, eventually gaining his position as aid and advisor to the Pharoah, Rama-Tut.

But while he had the ear of Rama-Tut, it was not perfect.

Often, despite his advice, Rama-Tut like now would do his own thing. Then again, it was only his duty to advise, whether the ruler took his advice was another thing entirely. However, even though Rama-Tut did not take on board his advice and went about the slaughtering of the Sandstormers anyway, Thor would not allow men fleeing to be butchered.

Sand gave way as the solid ground began to rise up, forming a barrier between Rama-Tut's forces and the surviving Sandstormers. "What is the meaning of this, Thawr?!" Rama-Tut questioned angrily.

"The victory is yours, my Pharoah," Thor replied simply. "Show mercy to the survivors. They pose no threat to you."

"Lower the wall and allow my men to pursue them, I want them all dead." Despite this though, Thawr simply shook his head, refusing to do the bidding of the Pharoah.

"You refused to listen to my advice, nor did you allow me to negotiate with them, possibly avoiding this slaughter. They are defeated, there is no need to pursue them." Thor said, never once turning to face Rama-Tut who glared out at him.

Yet he never did or said anything more.

Instead, he remained quiet, turning to glare out at the retreating Sandstormers. He could order the execution of Thawr, but that would be impossible and would only alienate many of the common people. To many, Thawr was blessed by the Gods, possessing power over the weather and the earth beneath their feet.

He could open up large paths in the earth, make rain fall from the skies.

To many, he was a God that was given form and he walked the streets, helping those in need. He was a beloved member of his empire, one that kept the people and his generals in line. Rama-Tut would have a far more difficult time handling such a vast empire as the one he possessed, without Thawr's presence.

Executing him would only cause rebellions and revolts.

Not to mention that the power he possessed would make imprisoning him all but impossible. Not without revealing his unique weaponry and technology. He hadn't used them since he first arrived and conquered Egypt, back before Thawr was even born. Rama-Tut would prefer to keep them hidden until such a time that they were truly necessary to be revealed.

He would allow Thawr's insolence to pass simply because he was loyal.

Not to him, but to the people of Egypt.

Thawr was loyal to Egypt and worked to ensure the survival of its people. To do that, Thawr had to work and be loyal to him, the Pharoah of Egypt. Yet he now had his ship returned to him and the technology within it. Rama-Tut would work with it, preparing all the necessary steps needed to remove Thawr from his side should the need ever arise.