Thor held the Dragonborn’s gaze for a long moment. His eyes narrowed, lightning flickering in their depths, a power to match hers. The corner of his lip turned up in the slightest smile. How could he feel betrayed by someone so clearly divine? She was as much an Asgardian god as he was.
Or perhaps the Lord of Thunder was, once again, distracted by the lethal mix of power and beauty.
“Father, if I may?” Thor spoke up at last, turning from the Dragonborn to the All-Father. He waited for Odin to nod, giving him permission to speak. “This woman has a point. She is of Asgard, my King, and so are the dragons. War has torn the surface of heaven for many centuries now. Perhaps this Dragonborn is the key to opening negotiations between our races.”
Odin stroked his grizzled beard, closing his one eye for a moment, then fixing it critically upon Ardith. He was a god of war, yes, but the All-Father was also a god of wisdom. He had sacrificed much in pursuit of both aspects.
“You have a point, my son,” he said, with a hint of wry amusement in his voice. Perhaps he, like so many, had forgotten that Thor had inherited some of the All-Father’s vast intelligence and thoughtfulness. “But this woman has slain many of our warriors. Should we trust her to speak for us, if we send her back to the dragons’ domain?”
“Send me with her, father,” Thor said, quickly. “As Prince of Asgard, I can speak on our behalf, and I can ensure that the Dragonborn does not stray, should she allow it.” He turned his gaze on her again, tilting his head as though to ask, silently, if she would accept him as her traveling companion.
Odin thought for a long moment, looking first at his son, and then at Ardith. Then he spoke.
“What say you, Dragonborn? Will you open negotiations, that there might be peace between our peoples?”
FOR a moment, genuine confusion tinted her expression. It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered Odin to be wise and thoughtful -- the entirety of Asgard knew that he was. She just hadn’t thought that he would really listen to her. Perhaps she did have some power after all. Her confusion became mottled by surprise as Thor volunteered to journey with her, and her eyebrows raised as he seemed to be asking for her permission to be a companion.
“I --” she began, before closing her mouth and swallowing hard. Her blue eyes glanced down to her chains. This...if this worked, it could mean freedom from this war for both sides. No more chains to be had. No more slaughtered dragons, and no more slaughtered Asgardians. She was half of both.
“I am..I am no pureblood, no ancient creature whose wings darken the sky. My blood is mixed, both dragon and Asgardian. Rather than claim a bias to either side, all I wish to do is bring peace between them. Between my two homes. Between my two peoples. I find myself in the unique position of being able to do just that.”
She seemed to stand straighter with the last words she had spoken. She had discussed this with her dragonkin -- if given the opportunity to negotiate peace, would they? Their answer had been a resounding yes. The slaughter was needless, and it had dampened the reputation of the dragons. If anything, they just wanted it all to be over.
“Let us open negotiations. I will take Thor with me. Together we shall journey straight into the temple of the dragons and end this senseless murder. He shall need to pack well -- the wilds where the dragons live are fearsome. They will likely desire some token of peace, as well. Some treasure or artifact that can solidify the negotiations.”