"Holy hell," Nathaniel uttered at Rán's appearance, a genuine surprise on a day of surprises. Upon a closer inspection, which was more the water deity's doing than Nate's, the new King of Helheim reasoned the identity of the woman.
Caltrops hadn't noticed lurkin' Loki until Rán gracefully exposed the trickster but Nathaniel hardly missed a beat. "Of course not," he spoke of his alignment with the Prince of Asgard. "His brother keeps him close because he dares not trust him," he fibbed, quite easily actually.
"Without the Allfather's aid I would not have been able to capture the crown of Helheim," he admitted with just a hint of humbleness in his voice. "But I've never served Thor," Nate skirted the truth but the former Hand of the Queen had always considered himself Eva's man. "We are allies and if were you to help us in our endeavor, we would both be in your debt," the God of Darkness teased and played a hunch. Hopefully, Ran only wanted a ticket out of Helheim and a bridge back to Asgard. "Thor thought you dead," he added. "The Allfather mourned your passing, he will be pleased-" "Rán!" Thor appeared at the door way, dusty and dirty but happy none the less. "You old sea witch!" the Allfather continued, with all the love he could muster for Heimdall's grandmother. The God of Thunder crossed the dilapidated throne room at once and pulled the woman into a one sided hug. "I feared the worst," he shared then quickly released the less-than-touchy sea queen. "I'm so glad..." he added with a smile then slapped Nate squarely on the back. "Good show, King of Helheim. Now let's finish this," he re-raised his axe then spotted Loki off to the side. "C'mon, brother, you're with me," he gestured for the mischief deity to follow.
Nate should have smirked when Thor's words seemed to confirm his earlier thoughts, but the new royal was lost in a bit of a haze. The contact with Thor... Nathaniel quickly shook off the sensation and turned to address Rán again. "Unleash your power so we might end this sooner, I, Nathaniel Zale - King of Helheim, humbly request it."