Loki, Aralia, and the Omega Movement

Gundirth removes his cloak and wraps Viktoria’s body in it. More guards came to help disperse the crowd. The servants from Lord Makel’s home had come out of the house, but were promptly pushed back in. A guard was sent to the palace to fetch Lord Makel himself, and to inform him of his son’s death. Udor had been an only child. Lord Makel’s line will now end with him. Udor’s body was collected up and taken back inside his home. Gundirth decides to deliver the girl’s body himself to her family. He wants to tell them her last words. Ask them what they mean.
Gundirth thinks of his omega Rosemarie in this moment. Of the day she strolled into the feasting hall in full heat. She smelled heavenly. The entire hall had erupted into a brawl. In the end it was he and Fandral. Gundirth was on the verge of losing when she flew into his arms. She chose him. If not for Prince Loki’s intervention, Fandral would have taken her from him. She who is now his life’s greatest joy. She, who is the mother of his children. She, who has softened his stone heart, his stone face. She, who makes him smile. Gundirth looks down at the bloody lump on the pavement that was Viktoria and wonders how he had ever thought that forced claiming was an acceptable social practice.
Lord Makel arrived at the scene screaming, weeping, and grieving. He spent that evening holding his son’s dead body, crying into the corpse’s shoulder. His sadness turns to rage. Someone must pay for this he thought. Though his son’s killer is already dead, this is not enough for Makel. He needs a new target, any target. This sort of thing never happened before Princess Aralia started making her predictions, before omega’s started circumventing the natural order of things. She is responsible for this. And the girl’s father, he’ll pay too.
Captain Gundirth went to the King and gave his report. Odin sat in the throne room with rapt attention, a look of horror on his face as the details were laid out. When the Captain was finished, Odin had a quizzical look on his face. “Captain, there is one detail about this entire tale that is bothering me. How could they possibly know that she was an omega before her first heat?” Captain Gundirth is at first surprised by this question, then he shifts nervously in place. “Your Majesty, are you not aware of Princess Aralia’s abilities?” “Princess Aralia? What does she have to do with any of this?!” King Odin yells. “She has the ability, sire, to look at a child and know what they are before the change has taken place. She can look at a child and know that they are an omega and how soon they will go into heat. She has been making these predictions for the people of Asgard for years now, and to my knowledge, her predictions have never been wrong. She is famous for it, my King, I thought you knew.”
Aralia and Loki are in the garden with the children, when two royal guards and two servants appear before them. “His Majesty requests the presence of Princess Aralia and Prince Loki to the Throne Room immediately.” Loki and Aralia look at each other, alarmed and confused. As they hand off their children to the servants Loki whispers to one of them, “Find my mother.” With that, they follow the guards back into the palace.
Loki and Aralia appear before Odin and Captain Gundirth is called to repeat his report for their ears. Aralia bursts into tears, shocked and horrified. She had met with the girl just a few days ago. “I have been informed that you have the ability to look at a child and know what their cast will be before the change is upon them, is this not so?” “Yes my King.” “And that you have been deploying this gift for some time now?” “Yes my King.” “And when were you going to tell me?” Loki’s mind is racing a mile a minute, trying to think up an explanation that will not anger him further, but before he can formulate and answer Aralia speaks. “Forgive me my King, I thought you knew. I’ve been doing it for so long. I though everyone knew. Have I done something wrong?” “Your social tamperings have directly resulted in the deaths of two people.” “Father, Aralia cannot be blame for what happened today. That was not her fault. She has broken no laws. All she has done is given the people of Asgard an insight into their own nature when they need it most. Where is the crime in that?” Odin is silent for a very long moment.
Loki is correct that Aralia has broken no laws, but her activities, although kind hearted and well intentioned, have caused social unrest within the kingdom. He cannot allow it to continue. Frigga enters the throne room and approaches Odin. “My King, why are our children in front of the throne?” “An omega killed her would be alpha today and then killed herself. Apparently Aralia has the ability to tell what cast a child will be before the change happens. The girl’s family sold her to a noble family, so that the son could claim her when the heat took her. For some reason the girl put up a fight.” “The incident with the girl is sad but Aralia’s ability is not news, I told you about that years ago.” “You most certainly did not!” Odin and Frigga then proceed to bicker between each other. Loki’s face is emotionless, but inside he is smiling at his mother’s amazing gall. She is actually trying to convince the man that he is senile. Loki knows damn well Frigga NEVER told Odin about Aralia’s abilities. “She’s been doing it for 12 years Odin, the whole kingdom knows about her, she’s famous for it!” “Well apparently, I, King Odin, am the last to know!” Odin rises from his throne. “We will continue this discussion in private.” Odin storms out. A great weight lifts from Loki’s chest. While Aralia may yet face some sort of punishment, it will be minor. In all likelihood Odin will forbid her from giving out anymore predictions.
The crowd that witnessed the rape dispersed and the events of the day spread like wild fire throughout the city. By that night it was the topic of conversation at every tavern, kitchen, dinner table, and house of ill repute. Fights broke out everywhere all over the city as the people split into two camps. People that believed that Viktoria had a right to her vengeance, and people who thought that Udor’s death was unjustified murder. The next day private meetings are held throughout the city as people of like minds form groups. The people that feel that Udor was in the right are all like Udor themselves. Alphas that enjoy their privileged status and see omegas as nothing more than sex objects. They gather together to get drunk and complain about Princess Aralia and her meddlesome predictions. Lately all the omegas have been prearranging their bonding with nobles, leaving out warriors that would otherwise win the prize. People sympathetic to the plight of omegas gather to discuss omega rights. The idea that claiming is wrong and that omegas should have the basic right to choose their own mate are the primary topics. What none of these scatterings of small groups can see are their true numbers as a whole. There are many alphas that disagree with the way omegas are treated. Many of these alphas have omega children or childhood friends that became omegas and the abuse they have witnessed over the years has broken their hearts. The change of heart that has occurred amongst Aesir society is far greater than anyone can know.
Odin decides it is prudent to have the funeral ceremonies on different nights, to help keep the peace. Udor’s ceremony is held first. As Odin expected, a good quarter of the city lines the shores of the water to watch the burning. Every person in attendance holds a candle. The beach looks like it is on fire. The nature of his death bringing out many to show their respects. The following night is Viktoria’s funeral. Odin had expected a small turn out. The girl was just a scullery maid and under the law, a murderer. Slowly, as the time approaches, rivers of candlelight fill the city, moving towards the shore. There are candles also burning in many windows of many homes. Where Udor’s mourners had filled the beach, Viktoria’s mourners fill up the lower half of the Asgard. The city is on fire.
The next day Odin holds court it starts out with the typical items of business. Tax collection, providing supplies to the army and other mundane details are discussed. In the distance, a low roar begins. The people are marching on the palace. Men, women, children, alphas, gammas, and betas all. Inn keepers and stable hands, warriors and seamstresses, and every kind of person from every corner of society have come to beseech the king to change the law. Captain Gundirth deploys the royal guard to create a perimeter around the palace and conduct crowd control. His nerves are on edge, knowing that this peaceful demonstration can turn violent in the blink of an eye. When the crowd reaches the palace, the Captain holds up his hand to silence the crowd so that he may speak. “Please state the nature of your business.” The crowd murmurs, here and there ‘free the omegas’ is yelled along with ‘give us the right to choose’. The people part and a man steps forth. It is Henrid. “I am Henrid, The Unclaimed, and I’ve come to ask the King to give me the right to choose my mate and to ask that the act of forced claiming be rendered illegal.” A woman takes Henrid’s hand, and behind her she is holding another woman’s hand which is linked yet to more people in a long line stretching back into the crowd. “Who are they?” asks the Captain. “These are all the unclaimed Omegas of Asgard who wish to stand before the King that he may looks us in the eyes when he gives us his answer.” Captain Gundirth nods at this. “So be it. Follow me.”
Henrid and the others march into the palace single file. There are 49 of them, and some of them are very young. The group halts at the foot of the throne, Henrid is front and center. They all get on bended knee before their king, their left arms crossed over their chests in respect. The throne room is filled with courtiers, royal advisors, and various noblemen. Also in attendance is the entire royal family. Aralia looks at the group of omegas, and recognizes each and every single one. There are 7 young men and boys and 42 young women and girls. “State the nature of your business. Why is the whole of the city descended upon the palace this day?” Odin asks. “My King, I am Henrid The Unclaimed Omega, behind me are all the unclaimed omegas of Asgard. We come before you today to beseech you to change the laws regarding omega rights. Give us the right to choose our mates and outlaw the practice of forced claiming.”
“And why should I do that.” Odin demands. “I can give you many reasons my King. I could sight example after example of the injustices and humiliations suffered by my kind over and over again since the beginning of time. I could point out that well cared for, well-loved omegas are far more fertile than abused omegas. In fact, we which are prized as child bearers are often rendered to nothing more than infertile sex slaves as years of abuse take from us our desire to breed. Our heats ending in utter failure. You yourself have an Omega Queen yet have only one natural born son. But the best reason, sire, that I can give you to implore you to change the law is this. If you do not grant us our freedom, we will do as Viktoria did, and end our own lives.” At these words all the omegas pull daggers out of their pockets and place them to their own throats, including Henrid. “My King, we would rather die, than be raped. We would rather die than live our lives as sex slaves, and we are not the only ones. There are many bonded omegas in Asgard that have taken the suicide pact with us. If you do not give us our freedom this day, they like us, will end their lives. In a single day an entire generation of omegas will die. You must ask yourself, My King, how much do you truly value the least of your people?”
Odin says to Henrid, “You would slit your own throats to win this argument? That is not much of a victory, in fact it sounds like a defeat.” Henrid looks the Allfather in the eye, his jaw set in determination and says, “And what good does having laws that govern omegas when there are no omegas left to govern?”
Odin is silent for a moment as he considers Henrid’s words. He looks Henrid in the eyes, searching his expression. Henrid is not bluffing. He looks to the other omegas. Most of them are young people on the verge of the change, but a few of them are very young. Odin thinks of Frigga, his Omega Queen. He loves Frigga. She is the most beautiful, most cunning mate he could have hoped for. His queen, his wife, his rape victim. Odin has spent his entire marriage trying to repair the damage from the night that made her his. Though Frigga has said that she forgives him, he knows it is a lie. Deep down, she still resents him for what was done, enough so that she never again became with child after bearing Thor. Odin rises from his throne. He turns to look at Aralia. Three heats in thirteen years. She will bear Loki so many children Odin will need to build an extra wing just to house all of the grandchildren she will give him.
“I have considered your words and have made my decision.” Odin bellows so that his voice carries to the crowd outside. “I, Odin the Allfather decree that from this day forth, all omegas have the right to choose their mates and outlaw the practice of forced claiming. Anyone found guilty of forcibly claiming an omega will be put to death. This is my word and so it is the law!” Odin lifts his staff and pounds it into the ground.
The crowd goes wild. Henrid falls to his knees, hands to his face and tears in his eyes. The children behind him jump for joy. But not all present are happy. Several nobles and royal advisors yell out in disappointment and disagreement. Lord Makel is among them. To him, this is the ultimate slap in the face. His son, his beautiful boy, was gelded by some omega bitch not 3 days hence and she is celebrated for it! Lord Makel exits the palace vowing vengeance against the Crown and the omegas, especially that meddlesome bitch, Princess Aralia and Henrid the mewling quim.

Notes