I could see why. There was darkness in Odin, a darkness that only I understood, and I could see how it preyed on him, eating him from the inside. Still, that’s the price of godhood, folks. Maintaining Order isn’t easy, especially in a world in which Chaos is always struggling to regain the upper hand. The little world of Inland gave the Old Man comfort, somehow; that’s why he went there so often, although he also ventured as far as the realms of the Rock Folk and Ice Folk, always in secret and in disguise, telling no one where he went, not even Frigg – not even me.

Meanwhile, back in Asgard, things had settled down for a while. Heimdall still hated me from afar, but after his last humiliation he was afraid to say too much. Thor had his hammer to play with, Bragi was learning the bagpipes, Balder was working his pectorals and Frey was engaged on a romantic quest. More of that later. But Yours Truly had time on his hands for exploring the Worlds, and Odin was more than happy for a temporary change of scene.

You recall he liked to travel alone? This time, he wanted company. I was more than willing; besides, I was getting restless too. There’s only so much a man can achieve within four walls. I needed air. I needed new sensations. I was finally coming to terms with my current Aspect, and with the fact that bad smells, pain, cold and some of the more disgusting requirements of my physical body could be tempered by its insatiable capacity for pleasure.

Women and food I already knew – I had an appetite for both – but I guessed that the Worlds outside might contain considerably more than that. Besides, if I was to bring down the gods, I wanted to know their enemies. As it turned out, I got to know some of them just a little too well – but I’ll get to that later.

And so, when Odin suggested a little trip out of Asgard, I was happy to oblige. There were three of us: the General, Honir and Yours Truly. Remember Honir the Silent? The same young man that Odin had sent with Mimir to spy on the Vanir long ago. A vapid, indecisive type, better at sports than at thinking. Basically, an expendable, which was why Odin chose to take him along. As for myself, I like to think that Odin valued my company; or maybe it was just to make sure I didn’t cause trouble while he was away.