The night before Evenson’s operation against Carter Slade...
"You want military support?"
Nick Fury’s face filled the entire monitor.
Evenson leaned sideways, trying to escape the overwhelming close-up.
"Director... could you back away from the camera a little?"
"For the last thirty seconds I’ve been looking at nothing but your face."
Fury gave an annoyed grunt.
A moment later, the image shifted, revealing him sitting properly behind his desk.
Whether he’d actually had his face pressed against the camera before was anyone’s guess.
"Explain."
On paper, S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn’t simply order the U.S. military into action.
In reality, its relationship with the Pentagon was... complicated.
Calling in military assets required favors, paperwork, and more political capital than Fury liked spending.
Whatever Evenson wanted had better be worth the trouble.
"I’ve completed my assessment."
Evenson folded his arms.
"Asgard is almost certainly in the middle of a planned coup."
"That means Thor, the legitimate Crown Prince, is now in serious danger."
"I need enough force to guarantee his safety."
Fury’s expression tightened.
Then relaxed.
Then tightened again.
Finally, he sighed.
"If you’re right..."
"I agree the precaution is justified."
"But have you considered what it means?"
He leaned forward.
"Protecting Thor means choosing a side."
"We would be interfering in Asgard’s internal politics."
Succession struggles rarely ended peacefully.
Backing the rightful heir wasn’t simply an act of protection.
It was a political declaration.
And Asgard wasn’t some unstable nation halfway around the globe.
It was an immensely powerful alien civilization.
From their perspective, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s actions could easily be interpreted as Earth’s official position.
That wasn’t a decision Fury intended to make lightly.
"I know."
Evenson nodded.
"Then why?"
Fury asked.
"Because you think Thor would make a good king?"
Evenson smiled.
"Not just a good king."
"A good king... for Earth."
That answer caught Fury’s attention.
Politics always came down to interests.
If Thor’s reign genuinely benefited Earth, supporting him became much easier to justify.
"What makes you so certain?"
"Thor is remarkably straightforward."
Evenson tapped his temple.
"He isn’t complicated."
"He doesn’t spend his life plotting three moves ahead."
Fury gestured for him to continue.
Ordinarily, those qualities would make someone a poor politician.
A dangerous weakness for a ruler.
But when that ruler belonged to another nation...
The calculation changed.
"And," Evenson continued, "he fell in love on Earth."
"Jane Foster."
"He’s completely smitten with her."
Fury narrowed his eye.
"You’re sure?"
"I’ve personally watched the Crown Prince of an absolute monarchy wearing an apron while cooking steaks for her."
Evenson laughed.
"He looked happier doing that than fighting Frost Giants."
"And the way she looked at him..."
"That wasn’t admiration."
"That was love."
Fury remained silent.
If that relationship survived...
If Thor eventually inherited Asgard’s throne...
Earth might one day have a human queen in Asgard.
The diplomatic implications were staggering.
Still...
One question remained.
"What about the other side?"
"What if whoever takes the throne instead has no interest in Earth?"
"If they’ll leave us alone..."
"It might be safer not to gamble."
Evenson shook his head.
"Loki."
"You’ve heard the name."
"I have."
Fury nodded.
"But I refuse to base policy on mythology."
A sensible position.
Human legends had distorted Asgard beyond recognition.
Stories accumulated embellishments over centuries.
Separating history from folklore was nearly impossible.
"Forget the myths."
Evenson waved them away.
"The important part is this."
"If Loki succeeds..."
"He won’t be a king who inherited the throne."
"He’ll be a king who seized it."
He paused.
"Think about the kind of prince he is."
"A man who spent his entire life living beneath the shadows of his father and brother."
"A man who finally gains power through a coup."
"What does he need more than anything else?"
Fury answered immediately.
"Legitimacy."
"He’ll need to strengthen his rule."
"Exactly."
Evenson nodded.
"And what’s the fastest way for a new ruler to build prestige?"
"...War."
The answer came without hesitation.
History offered countless examples.
Evenson smiled.
"So."
"Who do you think he’ll choose as his enemy?"
"How likely is Earth to become that target?"
Fury fell into thought.
After nearly a minute, he finally spoke.
"Ten percent."
"Would it be that high?"
From his perspective, Asgard had plenty of possible enemies.
The Nine Realms.
Neighboring civilizations.
Earth.
Assigning a ten percent chance already felt cautious.
Evenson chuckled.
"No."
Fury visibly relaxed.
Then Evenson finished the sentence.
"It’s considerably higher."
Fury closed his eye.
For one glorious moment, he imagined reaching through the monitor and strangling the warlock.
Instead, he forced himself to remain calm.
"Why?"
Evenson leaned forward.
"When Thor talks about Earth..."
"He doesn’t call it Earth."
"He calls it Midgard."
Fury frowned.
"So?"
"Do you know what Midgard actually means?"
Evenson didn’t wait for an answer.
"It means..."
"The Realm of Humanity."
"And in Asgard’s cosmology..."
"Midgard is one of the Nine Realms."
One of the realms under Asgard’s influence.
One of the kingdoms within Odin’s domain.
One that, from an Asgardian perspective...
Already belonged to them.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter