Perhaps sensing Garfield's thoughts, Frigg smiled gently and spoke first.
"Garfield, I hope you can understand this." She said softly. "The love parents have for their children. Some things are, in truth, very simple."
Oh.
So this is meant to comfort me.
Garfield lowered his eyes, hiding the flicker of cold amusement within them.
Simple?
If it were truly that simple, then Odin All-Father, treacherous old fox who had lived for thousands of years, would not have survived this long.
Everything he did was calculation layered upon calculation. Even kindness was a move on the board.
Garfield remembered clearly.
In the Marvel universe, Odin was not merely a war god or a king. He was a survivor of countless Ragnaröks.
Again and again, the Twilight of the Gods descended. Again and again, the universe reset. And each time, Odin learned a little more.
Until, in one cycle, he finally understood.
For the sake of begging fate, of breaking the curse, he split his own power in two. One half sealed away, one half passed on.
Thor was born soon after, not merely a son, but a contingency.
With that in mind, Garfield found it perfectly reasonable to want to slip away quietly.
He raised his head and smiled, perfectly polite.
"Queen, you are indeed kind," Garfield said sincerely. "Parents truly love their children."
"They are willing to endure and sacrifice things they would never accept for themselves."
He paused, then added casually, "Asgardians can live up to five thousand years, yes? With such long lives… have you ever had time to regret something?"
"Something you did wrong, but could no longer undo?"
The question caused Frigg to fall silent. Her gaze drifted somewhere far away, into memories long buried.
Nearly ten minutes passed.
At last, she nodded.
"Yes," Frigg said quietly. "I have. And in the future, Asgard will pay the price for it."
Hela snorted, fury flashing across her face.
"Whoever dares come to Asgard to cause trouble." She said coldly, "I will smash them to death with Mj~"
She stopped herself, then waved her hands in the air as if gripping an invisible hammer.
"My hammer."
Frigg chuckled helplessly.
"Hela." She said, shaking her head, "The hammer now belongs to your younger brother. And besides, even if you had it, you still could not win."
She looked at her daughter calmly.
"Even your father, and the other gods, are destined for no good ending."
Garfield froze.
"…That's impossible," He said slowly. "There are so many powerful beings in the universe. And they don't act alone."
"Surely you haven't offended the Living Tribunal, the Eternity race, and the cosmic gods all at once… right?"
ΩДΩ
"…" At that moment, Garfield came to a firm conclusion.
The so-called princes, sons-in-law, and regents of Asgard could keep playing their divine family drama.
He would take his assets, pack up his dignity, and flee to another universe while he still could.
Frigg looked at him thoughtfully.
"It is not those beings," She said. "But I am curious, Garfield. You know far too much. Did you learn these things… from that person?"
That person.
She did not say the Ancient One's name.
Garfield nodded calmly. "I have my own channels."
He glanced at the sky. "It's getting late. I should return. Queen, Hela, this time I've only been back for seven years. There's still much to do."
Hela's expression darkened.
"Smelly cat." She said coldly. "You can't wait to leave?"
Garfield's face darkened in return.
"Smelly Hela," He snapped back. "A man's career is important."
He waved a paw dismissively.
"I'll be placing nine great serpents in this sea. They'll guard the waters, keep away troublemakers, and prevent fools from throwing themselves to death."
He paused, then added, "If you need me, you can contact me through them, provided I'm still on Earth."
With that, he turned and stepped through the door.
…
Standing on the cliff above the sea, Garfield raised his paw. The ocean churned.
Nine colossal serpents rose from the depths, their massive bodies coiling together like a living hill.
"You will reside in this sea from now on," Garfield commanded calmly. "There are great sea creatures here. enough to feed you."
"But remember this, you may not kill without eating. You may drive away those seeking death. And if someone can still be saved, then save them."
As they descended back toward the water, Garfield continued, his voice steady.
"Hela will not come here for some time. If anything unusual happens, report to me. But remember, do not aid her in committing evil."
"You understand the difference between good and evil."
White-scaled.
Red-scaled.
Orange.
Yellow.
Green.
Blue.
Indigo.
Purple.
Black.
The nine serpents bowed their massive heads.
"Yes, Lord Garfield."
"We follow your command. We understand."
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream