Vidar looked at Eitri and said,
"As a friend," Vidar replied immediately. "And as someone who values the craftsmanship and skill of Nidavellir far too much to threaten it."
Eitri observed him for a long moment, then nodded.
"Very well. Come. We will talk while you walk through our forges."
The forges of Nidavellir were spectacular. Anvils the size of buildings where dwarves worked metal with hammers that sounded like thunder. Rivers of molten metal flowed through channels carved into the rock. And above it all, the light of the star bathed everything in a golden-red glow.
"Beautiful," Vidar murmured, genuinely impressed.
Eitri smiled with pride.
"Nidavellir has forged the most powerful weapons in the universe. Mjolnir for Thor. Gungnir for Odin. Stormbreaker, which has yet to find an owner."
He stopped in front of a particularly large forge.
"And other objects. Objects of power that I sometimes wish I had never created."
Vidar caught the opening.
"Like what?"
Eitri glanced at him sideways.
"Do you come to ask about something specific, Vidar? I can see there is a purpose behind this visit beyond diplomacy."
Vidar decided to be direct. Eitri was a craftsman, not a politician. He would respect honesty.
"The Infinity Gauntlet. You forged it."
Eitri visibly tensed.
"How do you know about that?"
"I have my sources," Vidar replied. "And I have knowledge of the Infinity Stones. I know what that gauntlet is designed to do."
Eitri remained silent for several seconds, then sighed heavily.
"It was decades ago. A being came—shrouded in shadows, his face impossible to see clearly. He brought materials I had never seen before. Metal from the oldest stars. He paid in treasures that would have made a kingdom rich."
He walked toward a more private corner of the forge, and Vidar followed him.
"He asked me to forge a gauntlet capable of containing the six Infinity Stones. He spoke to me of their power, of their purpose. And I…" Eitri closed his eyes, "I did it. Out of pride. For the challenge. To prove that I could create something so magnificent."
He opened his eyes, and there was regret in them.
"Only afterward, when I studied the legends of the Stones, did I understand what I had created. A weapon capable of reshaping the universe. And I do not know where it is now, nor who has it."
Vidar nodded slowly.
"Did the being who commissioned it tell you his name?"
"No," Eitri replied. "But there was something about him… something powerful. He was not someone seeking power for today or tomorrow. He was someone playing a game meant to last centuries."
Vidar's stomach sank. That sounded exactly like Thanos or Odin.
"Eitri," Vidar said carefully, "I need to ask you something. If that being, or any other, returns seeking to forge something related to the Infinity Stones… send word to me. Immediately."
Eitri frowned.
"Why? What do you know that I do not?"
"I know that someone will eventually seek to gather all six Stones," Vidar replied. "And when they do, the balance of the entire universe will be at stake. It is not just Asgard or the Nine Realms. It is everything."
Eitri studied him with piercing eyes.
"You speak as if you know the future."
"I speak as someone who understands balance," Vidar replied. "And I can see the patterns. The pieces moving on the great board of the universe."
Eitri nodded slowly.
"Very well. If anyone comes asking questions about the Stones, I will let you know."
He extended his hand—huge and calloused from millennia of work.
"And Nidavellir remains allied with Asgard. But not as subjects. As equals."
Vidar clasped his hand firmly.
"That is exactly what I was looking for."