The hour was late and the throne room of the palace had been cleared, only the inner circle had been permitted entrance this night. When the Allfather was sure the guards had retreated to what he'd decided was a safe distance, he stood from his throne and approached the man who kneeled humbly at the foot of his steps. "Rise, Sir Nathaniel," Thor instructed the Ridder of Asgard and from his perch, one single step, he visually measured the man before him. "You have journeyed here tonight for a purpose?" The king asked, as a way to begin the ritual.
"Yes, Allfather," Nathaniel's eyes met Thor's, though the ridder did glance behind the king to momentarily lock eyes with Eva. "I've come to claim my place among the immortals..." the normally approachable royal effectively stared into Nathaniel's soul and projected the subtlety of a hungry lion. "And with the power granted by you, Allfather, I will reclaim the realm of Helheim," he explained without hesitation.
"You wish to rule the underworld?" Thor inquired, then clarified. "To be the King of the Dead, an existence in the darkness - with only the hope of temporary respite," he told the man-who-would-be-king.
"I demand it," Nathaniel answered, all the nervous energy inside his body willed into the floor.
"Very well," Thor's posture relaxed a bit. "May the love of our queen follow you," the Allfather added, ominously. Thor's hand reached toward Nate, he snatched the other man behind his head and brought Nate's forehead to his lips. Thor kissed the dark-haired man's skin, then released him into whatever future awaited him. The mask of Hel, which he'd held in his fingers, was yielded then to Nathaniel, snug against his face with a magical gust. The God of Thunder turned and slowly returned to his throne, completely unaware of what might be in store for Nate next.
Nate's body had tensed at the Allfather's touch, then seemingly melted against the wider man's lips. His knees shook and the wind was knocked out his chest. He'd returned to his kneeling position out of necessity but hopefully played it as respect. Eyes pointed toward the floor, Nate summoned the strength to find Eva once more. He attempted to speak to her, professing his love once more, but his voice was inaudible. The edges of his vision were invaded by darkness and the fires lit within the throne room faded. Nathaniel's world was turned to black, while visions of Eva and Brayden simmered in his head.
Thor halted midway on the stairs when all sources of light within the throne room shrunk and vanished. A moment of absolute darkness passed, until Thor's eyes were drawn to his brother. Baldr's skin, and particularly his drawn sword, emitted a bright white light - which was still only able to illuminate the area directly around him. And the God of Light had moved, Thor realized, from his throne to next to Eva's. The queen sat and basked in his brother's aura and the Allfather nodded thankfully in Baldr's direction. He looked over his shoulder toward where Nathaniel had been and despite the darkness, Thor knew that the Hand of his Queen was no longer among them. Still, quite literally in the dark, Thor whistled and summoned (only because the bear allowed it) Minor - who also shown brightly in the dark. The galactic bear appeared with Stormbreaker in his jaws and took up a position opposite Baldr's. One could not be too careful.