#laufaye

God of War AU where the instant Sif gets pregnant with Magni and Modi (they are twins here if they aren’t in canon) Thor gets him and his wife the fuck outta dodge because he doesn’t want Odin fucking his kids up the way he fucked Thor himself up.

They hide out on Midgard and Odin keeps trying to find them but Thor’s been his hatchet man for centuries and knows his tricks. Thor hangs up Mjolnir and takes up a crook, becoming a shepherd and farmer.

But, plot twist, they end up living next to a certain vagabond God of War and his Totally Not a Giant wife.

Now Faye recognizes Thor instantly and internally panics but decides that freaking out and running would only confirm any suspicions he has so she pretends nothing is wrong. Thor, meanwhile, is 98% sure this woman is a Jotun but smashing giants is not his goddamn job anymore so he also pretends that everything is fine.

Kratos and Thor grunt in each others’ general directions every once in a while and consider each other their best friends. Sif and Faye end up becoming friends even though there remains a layer of reservation that Sif can’t define the source of.

Magni and Modi grow up as vaguely wholesome Gym Bros who respect women, wrestle bears, and are constantly challenging “uncle Kratos” to wrestling matches, determined to one day beat him.

Sif and Faye get pregnant with Thrud and Atreus around the same time and help each other through their pregnancies, even though Faye knows her time is coming.

Thor sits Kratos down and reveals who he is. Kratos does the same. They come to the same conclusion: their children will never be safe in a world where Odin holds sway.

Thor takes up Mjolnir once more. Kratos takes up the Blades of Chaos again. They set off together, leaving Magni and Modi to guard Faye and Sif. They seek allies, those Thor knows have an axe to grind with Asgard and Odin. Freya, Mimir, as many others as they can find.

She changed the prophecy to be with Kratos

Tldr at the bottom

Something I've been thinking about for a long time. I believe Faye knew that Kratos was not supposed to be the father of Loki, but chose to defy the prophecy she told the Jotnar about. Let me explain:

1. The hand print in Jotunheim that Atreus and Kratos recognize. The paint is much brighter than the paintings around it. That would indicate it's fresher paint.

2. Kratos is not accurately represented in the Jotunheim mural. His name is written as Farbauti (which could act as a stand in name due to its translation), and his tattoo is not consistently placed, sometimes on his right side instead of his left.

3. Fimbulwinter is starting a hundred years sooner than expected. This could have been the prophecy's intention all along, however I find it strange that the giants felt an early apocalypse would be better considering prophecies tend to happen because someone tries to prevent them. If they had the power of foresight they would know this and allow the prophecy of Ragnarok to play out as foretold, guaranteeing the demise of the gods.

4. Sindri. "She chose you...BOTH of you." So she made a choice that went against something.

Put all of this together, and I think Faye had a way to get back to Jotunheim after the way to it was lost, which is plausible considering she's an important giant that may have been entrusted with an alternative entrance.She could have had something like the Bifrost that Freya gave Kratos, and it had only one use in case of some sort of an emergency, like if Odin found her and she had to hide for a while to lose him.

She was expecting someone, whose name was actually Farbauti, to come by some 100 years or so later, and they would have Loki together. But along the way she met Kratos and fell in love with him. After she realized she wanted him more than what the prophecy promised, she had another vision revealing that the events that Farbauti would have experienced would still come to pass, with some discrepancies. It's not far fetched to say that Kratos's disdain for prophecies and fate could have convinced her to say, "You know what? Fuck the prophecy. I'm having a nice family. And I’ll have a son who will grow up with a loving family, not one formed out of obligation."

Faye knew this would lead to her death coming sooner, as well as Fimbulwinter, but still chose to allow herself to love Kratos and have a son with him, changing the prophecy. She also gave up on the name Loki, deciding that her son was her son, not a product of fate, and therefore his name should be their choice.

With whatever alternative method she had to reach Jotunheim, she went back, painted Kratos's tattoo onto Farbauti (even placing it incorrectly to ensure he and Atrues would recognize him in every panel of the mural) and placed a new hand print on the steps to the summit for them to see as a final goodbye.

What about that panel? The one Atreus didn't see then? Well, there was no tattoo there. It's very likely that if she loved Kratos she didn't want to face the fact that she was dooming him to this fate and didn't want to address it out of sadness. OR OR OR she saw that that part wouldn't happen anymore, making it unnecessary to add the tattoo. She may have even covered it with the curtain in an attempt to tell them that it wouldn't happen.

Am I reading too much into little things? Maybe. Am I trying to answer my own question of whether or not Faye loved Kratos unconditionally or if she grew to love him because she knew she needed to? Probably. But damn, I thought of this and I had to get it off my chest.

Tldr: Faye joined Kratos in the "prophecy is stupid" mentality and chose her own family, then went back to Jotunheim to change the mural so Kratos took the place of whoever Loki's father was supposed to be.

1. Tsundere Kratos and Thicc Goth GF Faye

Kratos knew something was wrong the second he saw that smile on her lips, his own features etching with confusion. She never faltered in welcoming him when he came home, always happy to have him back and eager to learn about what he came across. He immediately suspected something had happened while he was out those three days, then dismissed the thought because he knew she could handle herself. As he went to question her, she already crossed the house to him, trying to speak yet seemingly struggling to find the right words. He let her take his hands in her own, even gave a light squeeze to try and help her ease into her words.

The concern showed clear on his face, his eyes watching hers as if to search for the answer to her silence. When he couldn’t find it, he waited until she could figure out what she needed to say.. and oh, when she finally spoke up, the news hit him hard. 

“You.. you are what?” He breathed, sounding as if he second guessed what he heard her say, but knew inside that Faye would not sound so nervous without something like this being the cause of it. He quickly glanced down to her stomach before meeting her gaze again, so unusually caught off guard by the fact that he felt the need to check, though he knew it would be too soon to see any evidence. They tried to be so careful in their exploits, and while the topic of having a baby had come up in the past, Kratos could not think about it without remembering what happened the last time he had a family. 

He never completely wrote it off, instead he would always tell her that he did not believe himself ready for it.