It was a truly beautiful morning. The sun glowed behind the tall mountains, the birds sang, and the wind rustled the boughs of the great Yggdrasill. The people were excited and hopeful for, today, was coronation day.  Today Odin would allow himself to retire from the throne and his mighty son, Thor, would take the first step in leading the Aesir into a new age of prosperity. Or so they thought.

The pre-coronation festivities were well under way with children laughing, couples dancing, and friends chatting. But best of all, the mead was flowing. No Aesir celebration was complete without glorious amounts of alcohol, and everyone was enjoying a mug, or two, or even ten. It had been an incredibly long time since the Aesir felt threatened by anything, and so they had no security measures in place that day. It was coronation day, reason for everyone to celebrate, especially battle hardened Valcare soldiers. But this is exactly what Loki had counted on.

When the time to pass the royal spear came, Odin and the royal family gathered around the base of Yggdrasill to begin the ritual. The only one who did not attend was Hel, claiming she was sick and chained to her bed. Thor knelt before his father in his ceremonial armored exosuit as Odin delivered a proud speech to the crowd before them. He then took the spear, tapped Thor’s shoulders and head, asked him to rise, and initiated the spears imprint function. The next person to grasp the spear as it dramatically hovered in the air would become its master, and thus have full authority in everything the Aesir had.

Then, suddenly Loki rushed behind his brother and plunged a crackling energy blade deep into his side.  Before Thor had even fell to the ground, Loki sprang forward and snatched the spear out of the air. The imprint process began immediately and with a powerful flash of light Loki stood before the frightened crowd, clothed in the royal robes and the Aesir crown resting upon his head.

Odin stared at his son, both furious but in awe of the audacity this boy had. By now Thor had partially recovered and rushed Loki in a fit of rage. A few others saw, and joined him but none could reach Loki before he smashed the end of the spear in the ground and released a destructive shockwave that threw his assailants across the stage, and caused great panic in the crowd. Some screamed and ran, others fell over in their drunken surprise, but most just stared in awe. Once he knew he had their attention, Loki announced the terms of his coronation. In a few moments, he would open the Bi-frost gate and allow swarms of Jotun through to wreak havoc. The Aesir had two choices, die a traitor to the crown, or pledge their service by wearing Loki’s colors. Those who showed their loyalty would be spared but all the others would become prey for the hungry giants. A truly unfair deal, considering the public’s custom was to wear Thor’s colors and insignia for the coronation that day.