LokiSon

Part 1: A Prince of Mischief and Babes, Chapter 9:

When Loki stepped into the Bifrost, he realized that he had never really told Heimdall where he wanted to go. 

Of course, the man knew he was going to return back to Midgard, but he never really gave a specific place in the realm. And Midgard was a big place. It was not like Asgard where it was just a piece of land floating in the middle of space. It was a large planet with a lot of places to see. 

But, when the rainbow of colors disappeared, and he was now on the planet, it took him only seconds to realize that Heimdall had sent him to the same spot to where he had first found Peter. 

But there were a few key differences. 

The first was that it was daytime here in Midgard, and it was very different then when he had met the lad. When he first met Peter, the night had been dreary, and so dark. But no, when Loki casted his eyes up to the sky, he was not met with a cloudy, rainy sky. He was met with a gorgeous blue, with some clouds sprinkled in between. It reminded him of the sky in Asgard, and it was not something he would say too often. 

As Loki looked around more, he took note that the carriage was gone, and the door that had swung open, revealing the man and Peter was shut. The alleyway was still grimy, no amount of beautiful sky and sun would fix that. Well, even the slummiest of places on Asgard looked better than any grovel here in this realm.But he was not here to focus on that. 

Loki looked down towards the main street, and he took note of the people he saw walking. As they passed through the alley, he was able to take note of the men riding horses, and the women walking with bread and fruits in their baskets. None of them glanced his way, which not entirely be a bad thing, but he thought it would be best to go unnoticed. 

It was not like he was really standing out any way. As he was wearing the same drab clothes that they were. He could not exactly walk through Midgard in his regular clothing like Thor and all his other people did. Well, he could, it would just be that he would be spotted easily. And he was not trying to do that. For Peter’s sake, at least. 

Loki had the urge to go inside of the building that Peter had come out of. It made the most sense, considering that he wanted to know just why the babe was in there in the first place. But something was telling him to simply let the blanket out of his satchel and see where it took him. 

So he did exactly that. 

The black haired prince peered over to the road ahead of him, and made sure that no one was looking his way. It did not really matter if any mortal saw him, considering that he could just kill them and none would think the wiser. But he would prefer not to. Loki did not take pleasure in killing- Well, that was not entirely true, he did. Just not the people who did not truly deserve it. 

If there was one thing about Loki, it was the fact that he hated a wrongful death. 

He clicked his teeth and unbuckled his satchel, sticking his hand inside of it to see where the damned blanket was. 

But in the darkness of the alley, he took note of the blanket out of the satchel, giving it one more look. 

Peter’s blanket was still glowing that bright green, with it being still powered from the potion. Loki did not know just how long the potion was going to last, but he knew that he needed to get his answers as fast as possible so he could go back to Peter. 

So, Loki simply let go of the blanket, letting it hover about his eyesight. He had a fear that the damned thing was going to fly away completely, but it stayed there, floating for a few seconds. 

“Okay…” Loki said to thing. “So are you going to move, or…?” 

Loki did not know if that activated it, but the blanket slowly began to move, hovering away from him. It began to move in the opposite direction of where the street was, which appeared to be part of the forest that the town was covered in. It caught Loki off guard at first, but he was quick to get his bearings, and he followed the damn thing.  Leaving the Midgardians walking the main street and the ominous building that Peter had come out of, behind. 

-000- 

Loki was beginning to get annoyed. 

He had left the main village and has been walking through the forest for about an hour now, and he still does not know just where the hell the blanket was leading him. 

The forest was just an average thing. With thick , tall pines, along with a few white oaks here and there. Loki has been in a thousand forests, and this one was so boring and drag he could not wait to get out of here. 

The only thing that was different about this forest was the fact that it seemed to be wet, unlike the village he had left behind. He assumes it was because it had either just rained a few hours before he had arrived, or maybe this place was always just moist or something. Either way, he hoped the bottoms of his boots did not end up becoming stained with dirt, as that would take forever to get cleaned. 

But the blanket just kept moving forward, and Loki could not help but sigh and let his mind wander. 

He wondered what Peter was doing right now. 

The young babe was probably asleep in his room, wrapped tightly in his crib. He knew that Freya was not one to go into his study when he was not there, even though he had told her numerous times that she was allowed, but Peter had taken a liking to the place. With Loki being who he was, that being the smartest mage in all the Nine Realms, he was in his study often. Practicing his magic, along with keeping up with his experiments. 

He would typically bring Peter along in the room with him, as it would be too much of a hassle to just leave him in the guest room and keep going back and forth to check up on him. So, he decided to get a crib and stick it in the corner of the study, so Loki could keep up with his work and keep an eye on Peter. 

But what he did not expect was for the boy to take a liking to his work as much. Loki knew that Peter was still a babe, but there was just something with the way his brown eyes lit up at the way Loki explained magic to him. Even though he knew that Peter did not understand a word he was saying, it was almost as if the babe wanted to know what he was saying. For Loki to keep on talking and explain to him how it all worked. How the world worked. 

On Asgard, magic was seen as weak. Only something that was made for women. Loki had learned a long time ago that women were just as equal as men, but unfortunately, society did not share that sentiment. But, if he ever did keep Peter, he would make it known that he did not care what the young lad would want to do. Whether it be to learn magic and be seen as weak, or be a warrior and be seen as strong. Hel, he could be both if he wanted to. But either way, Loki would support him. 

And the thought of keeping Peter made him giddy inside. 

They were so close to being together. If what he found was true, and he really was going to be able to keep Peter forever, then he would teach the young babe everything. All that he knew would go straight to the growing boy. Of course, Loki was still young too and he still had a lot to learn, but he would be willing to share that with the boy. 

With his boy. 

Loki smiled, closing his eyes as he walked. 

“Soon, Peter.” He licked his lips. “Soon, I’ll have my answers, then I’ll be home. And you’ll have the whole world to meet.” 

He then felt his face collide with the blanket, then he immediately opened his eyes. 

“What the…?” 

He was currently blinded by nothing but a bright green mixed with a dark scarlet. Loki immediately grabbed the small blanket with both of his hands, removing them from his eyes.

And he took note of the clearing in front of him. 

The path he had been walking on stopped, with the forest ending at a large clearing. 

The clearing in front of him was gorgeous to say the least. There was nothing but bright green grass that went up to his mid calf, along with hills and hills of green. And the green of the grass reminded him of a painter's green. Most of the painters in Asgard always made art with colors that were brighter than that of reality, but as he stared at the view in front of him, that was all he could think of. Not to mention, the flower sprouts here and there, with wild weeds growing the brightest yellow flowers he had ever seen. 

With the sky being a gorgeous blue, without a cloud in the sky, it honestly reminded him of the outskirts of Asgard. The only difference was that instead of more greenery passing those hills, there would be the open void of space waiting for them. It was definitely something his mother warned them about when they were young. It was the main reason as to why they were not allowed to leave the palace at times. 

But in between some of the beautiful hills, Loki took note of the small cottage that sat them. 

He took a few steps forward, squinting his eyes. 

Yes, the cottage did not seem all that big. It was tiny, looking to be the size of a singular room. It did not even look to be the size of his closet back at home. Though his closet was huge, he would give them that. 

And he did take note of the barn that was situated right next to it, with it being just a few sizes bigger than the house. 

Loki found himself licking his lips. He looked towards the blanket in his hands, and slowly raised it once more, letting it hover at his eyesight once more. When the blanket began to move into the clearing and towards the cottage up the hill, a sense of dread began to wash over him. 

As Loki walked through the clearing, he kept looking up towards the sky, taking note of just what beautiful day that it was. It was definitely better than the rain this part of the Midgard received. Though rainy days did have their purpose, there were also days where Loki would simply get a tarp and have a picnic under the sun. 

But soon, the black haired prince stopped walking on grass, and found a dirt path leading directly towards the cottage and the small barn, and he immediately took it. It was the same path that the blanket was on, which meant that he was certain that the blanket was leading him towards those two buildings. 

His heart began to race. 

There was no doubt about it then. This was the home of Peter’s parents. There were so many questions he wanted to ask them. The first being how the hell did they even lose a babe as perfect as Peter in the first place. It was honestly not that hard, as Peter was the kind of person that would be hard to miss. 

The second was… well, did they even want the babe, anymore? Loki did not need to answer to mortals, as he could just kill them and keep Peter, but he did not think he would be strong enough to raise Peter based on a lie. He could not look at the boy every morning and wonder if Peter would hate him for the fact that he killed his family because he wanted the two of them to be together. 

But he kept thinking about what Freya had said. Any Midgardian would kill to be with the gods. To live for thousands of years where the sun was always bright and the moon always full. Maybe Peter would forgive him. 

Loki would have no idea what to do in a situation like that. Luckily, he was a full blooded Asgardian, so he had nothing to worry about. All his worries as of late were for Peter. 

But he knew something was wrong the minute he got closer to the cottage and barn. 

The black haired prince kept walking up the path towards the house and the barn, with the dirt path converging into one giant space with the cottage and barn being on. The blanket stopped hovering for a few moments, and Loki stared at the thing. 

“Here?” He asked the piece of fabric. 

The blanket just kept hovering in front of his face, not responding. Of course, the only response he wanted was for the blanket to either keep going or at least give him something to work with, but no. It just kept hovering in front of him. 

Loki groaned before he snatched the blanket in the air and stuffed it inside of his satchel, clicking the bag shut. 

“Then I suppose this is the place, then.” He huffed. “Now, let’s go see who’s here…” 

The cottage looked as if it had seen better days. 

The first thing that Loki noticed about the small building was just that: how small it was. At the bottom of the hill, the house had looked bigger, but he was a little ways away. But as he got closer, he took note of the actual size, along with the way that the cottage actually looked. 

Like the houses from the village, this house was made out of a dark stone. The roof of the tiny cottage was made out of straw, similar to a lot of other houses in this realm. But he has found that only the very poorest of people build their roofs with straws and grass, as it was easier for them. The rest of the houses were typically built with a wooden roof, as it was more insulated that way. Of course, the people of this world were primitive, which meant they truly did not even understand what insulation was. He would have to teach them one day. 

The barn was a different topic altogether. 

Unlike the house, the barn had been made completely out of wood. It seemed to be made out of the same wood of the forest he had just been in, with the wood being about the same color. Of course, the wood did look slightly worn, considering that there were animals on the inside, and he decided that he was going to take a look before he stepped into the cottage. 

The doors were wide open, so he took that as an opportunity to see what kind of animals were inside. But as he stepped closer, he really did not hear anything. Not a chicken clucking, not a horse clacking its feet. Not even a cow mooing. A barn should be full of noise, as there were wild animals on the inside. Loki knows that best considering that his mother was fond of animals, while Loki did not really care for them as much. He was not one to wish them any harm, he just either preferred hunting them, or having them in his stomach. 

A sentiment he and Thor shared. 

Loki put his hand on the frame of the large barn doors, and he peered inside. 

And there was nothing. No chickens, no cows, no horses. Not even a damned sheep. And the barn looked definitely worse on the inside than the out. It was clear that animals did indeed live here, as there were feeding buckets and stables all over the place. But there was no food in sight, and the stables’ doors were all wide open, with not an animal in view. 

Loki had a strange feeling in his chest, but he chose to ignore it. He left the barn behind and decided that the cottage was his next best bet. 

The cottage was not that far from the barn. Just a few yards away. It made the most sense, as it would be a quick trip, especially if it was in winter. He knew Midgardian winters were brutal, which was why he avoided the realm when it was in its winter months. He preferred warm weather over anything else. 

But Loki found his stomach full of dread as he kept stepping towards the house. 

The front door of the stone cottage was made out of dark wood. He was surprised the thing actually had a door knocker, considering that this place did not seem to be the type to have such a thing. The cottage only seemed to have a window as well, at least in the front, but it appears that the glass had fogged itself so he could not be able to see inside. Of course, if no one answers, he would just break inside, but it was always polite to knock. 

So, with a single breath, he brought his hands up towards the door, and knocked. 

And he waited. 

And waited… 

“Hello?” He asked. It came to a point where he started pounding on the door with his fist. “Is anyone in there…?” 

But when no one answered, he simply put two hands on his hips. 

“Well, that’s just rude.” Loki’s eyes suddenly looked down to the black metal handle, eyeing it. He let out a deep sigh, reaching for the thing. “What is my luck that it’s actually open-” 

In one swift movement, Loki turned the knob all the way, and the door swung open.

A wave of disbelief washed over him. “Well, I didn’t expect that, that’s for sure…” He swallowed. “All right, let’s do this.” 

He stepped inside. 

It took Loki only seconds to realize that no one has been here in a long time. 

As he looked around, he took note of any and everything. When he said that the cottage was small, he meant it. The room he was currently in only had one window, and that was the window that was right next to the door. It was not that cold out today, but the moment he stepped into the cottage, his body suddenly felt his cold. But it was a different kind of cold. One that was empty, barren. Something that he was not used to feeling. 

He took note of the very few things that were in the room, such as the table that was in the center of it. The table seemed to be made out of the same wood that the barn and door were made out of. There was a tiny bed in the corner of the room, along with what appeared to be a wooden frame. There was a small, black metal cauldron that was on the other corner of the room, along with a small stove for cooking. There was a tiny wall for hanging spoons and such, but other than that, there was not much here. 

Except, of course, near the bed, there was a tiny crib. 

Loki was mesmerized by the thing, and he immediately found himself walking over towards it. 

The crib was not all that big. It paled in comparison to the cribs that he had built just for Peter. The crib was made out of a different kind of wood, with it being dark, and frankly, weak. Loki clasped his pale hand at one of the wooden bars, giving it a small tug. The crib shook, and he wondered if he kept shaking it if it would fall apart. 

As he peered inside of it, all he could see was the wooden bottom. There were no blankets or pillows to keep a babe comfortable. No tiny bed to make sure a babe did not break their neck while they were sleeping. Whoever the Hel built this thing surely did not care about children, as this thing could kill a fucking child. Ridiculous. 

Yet it made him think… Did Peter sleep in this crib? 

Was this his parents home? 

“There has to be something here…” 

So, Loki began to look around. 

He needed to find something. He knew that the people who lived here left a long time ago, but he needed some kind of clue to tell him just where they went. Maybe they left some kind of letter, or something of the sort. 

But the cottage was tiny. There were only so many places he could look. He started with the bed, lifting the thing up, trying not to squeal when a rat came from under it and scurried out the front door. Loki was not afraid of rats, but they certainly did not belong in a bed. Loki then looked around the stove, even opening the damn thing, then the cauldron, even looking under the damned table to see if there was anything. 

But there was nothing here. 

When Loki finished looking under the table, he sighed. 

“Nothing but scraps and loss here.” He said to himself, standing. “There is nothing here. Whoever lived here, they left long ago…” 

He shook his head, leaving the small cottage and stepping outside once more. 

Loki looked up towards the sky. 

It was still a beautiful day. There were now a few clouds in the sky, and when he looked back down towards the fields of grass in front of him, he saw how they shadowed patches into the land. It was calming. Soothing. Days like this, he wanted nothing more than to get a book from his library and simply lay in the grass, reading. And after he was done, he would take a nap. 

He could even picture it now. 

After a long day of meeting with his father, doing his duties as a prince, he would pick up Peter from his rooms. Some of the nannies would be tending to him, but he would need to choose the best ones in the kingdoms. Nothing but the best for his darling boy. And he’d get food from the kitchens and fill it up with bread and cheese and take the brown haired babe to the fields where the sea met the stars. 

They would sit there, with a blanket under them. Loki would be busy reading his book, with it being a novel or one of his studying books. But if it was a day like that, he would probably be reading one of his romance novels for the fun of it. And Peter would be next to him, either sleeping, or playing with that vial he seemed to be so fond of. He would feed Peter some cheese and bread, and the two of them would laugh the day away. 

In an even more perfect world, the rest of his family would join them. Frigga would put Peter on her lap, doing magic tricks in her hand, the same way she had done when Loki was a lad. And Peter’s brown eyes would widen with awe, the same way whenever Loki did magic in front of him. 

Thor would probably claim that sitting in the sun and eating would be boring, but if he knew that Thor was coming, he would pack a whole case of meat for the blonde. And Thor would eat the whole thing, claiming that he was tired after. The blonde would sleep under the sun a few feet away from them, cuddling his hammer as if it was a doll from their childhood. 

And Odin? He wasn’t really sure if his father would even be there.

He then felt his satchel begin to vibrate. 

His green eyes then widened. 

The inside of the satchel began to glow green, and he did not need a scroll to know that it was the blanket. In one swift movement, Loki reached inside of the satchel, pulling the blanket out. 

The blanket did the same as it did before, with it hovering in front of him, pausing for a few seconds. The black haired prince scrunched his eyebrows before he wondered just what the Hel was wrong with the damn thing, but it simply began to move forward, heading up the hill. 

“At least give me a good answer this time…” 

And he followed. 

But the blanket did not take him that far. 

Loki walked up the hill, but something in him had begun to change. He felt the bottom of his stomach fill with rocks with each step, wondering just what was waiting for him at the top. The blanket has been kind of helpful, but at the moment, all it has done is simply force him to walk through a grimy forest and to an abandoned barn and home. 

Perhaps Loki did not do the spell right… 

Nonsense. He was the finest mage in all the Nine Realms. He knew he had done the potion correctly. He had done it with Peter, after all. And if the boy looked confident, then so did he. 

And once he got to the top of the hill, Loki’s eyes centered on the tree that laid in the center. 

And at the very top of the hill, stood a massive oak tree. 

Loki did not know how he was not able to spot it from down the hill, especially a tree of that size in nature, but maybe it was because of the position he was coming up the hill. The tree appeared to be old, as it stood high in the air, with its branches sprouting in all directions. Loki thinks it to be a white oak, but he would need to get a closer look upon inspection. 

But the tree was tall, he could say that much. He was sure it went up almost one hundred feet into the air, perhaps even adding fifty more feet to that. The leaves on the tree were a bright green, as it was summer in Midgard. Though, as he got closer and continued to follow the blanket, he took note of all the leaves that were on the floor. The leaves were brown, and some of them green. Maybe the tree was getting an early start at Fall, perhaps? 

Either way, the tree was beautiful. It reminded him of the trees they had in Asgard, but it was very close to the Golden Apple Tree. Of course, the leaves were different, but still. All other plants in comparison paled to the Tree of Eternal, but that was a story for another day. 

Beyond the tree were more fields of grass, with the clouds casting shadows on the land. It was a peaceful day, but he found it odd how there were no sounds here. Of course, there was the wind blowing softly in his ear, and the grass mimicking their tune. The only other thing was the white oak itself. With it gently rustling as the wind gently danced through its leaves. The tree swayed gently under the sun, which reminded him of a natural kind of chime. It soothed him. 

There was a circle of shade right under the tree, and Loki thought about that scenario he created earlier. This would be a perfect spot to take Peter one day for that picnic. 

That was, until he got closer, and he took note of the pieces of stone that were under the tree. 

Loki scrunched his eyebrows at that, and squinted. He looked back up at the blanket to see if that was correct, but the piece of fabric went onward, not stopping. And as they inched closer, Loki knew instantly what they were: 

Graves. 

He felt his heat begin to race. 

Loki snatched the blanket from the air and jogged over to the tree, right up until he was only inches away from the pieces of stones. 

There were two large graves, with another grave to the side. The two large ones were only about a foot apart, and a few feet in height. They were not stylized or molded, not like the ones he had seen in other parts of this realm. They were dirty, with leaves and branches all around them. Loki noticed green mold sprouting from different sides of each of the graves. But the graves were not old. Loki would say that they have only been here for a few months, but erosion and time have definitely gotten the best of them. 

Loki looked at the engravings, trying to read them. There was no date, or even a message written on the graves, which saddened the black haired prince. But he did notice there was a name on each grave: 

Benjamin Parker. 

May Parker. 

“Huh.” Is all Loki could muster. 

He felt his heart begin to race. 

Loki then turned to the smaller grave.

This grave was not as big as the other two, but it still had its charm. It was the same style as the two large ones, with it being rectangular and having a rounded top. But the thing that made this grave different was that it looked to be new. There was no mold or anything of the sort on the grave. There was of course dirt and such, but it was a lighter color than the other two. And it appeared to be made out of a different kind of stone, with being paler. Loki wondered why. 

But since the grave was smaller, there were a bunch of branches and leaves covering the name. He wondered just how the hell could that have even happened, considering that the tree should be losing its leaves so soon, but he shrugged it off. 

The black haired prince knelt down on one knee, right in front of the tiny grave. With both of his hands, he began moving the branches and leaves, trying to see the name for what it was. But once he got the leaves out of the way, and his green eyes made eye contact with the name in front of him, the world stopped. 

He could no longer hear the wind in his ears. Hear the leaves rustle all around him. It was like the fields of grass no longer existed to him. The only thing that his mind could truly register was the name in front of him, engraved in the small grave in front of him. 

Peter Parker. 

His darling boy. 

Loki felt his throat choke. 

He did not recognize the last name, but he knew the first. 

This was Peter’s grave. 

“Hello?” 

The black haired young man was brought back to reality by the voice that had called him. He immediately jumped from the ground, and turned to the voice from behind him. On instinct, he released one of his knives from his sleeves, and pointed it at the person who dared sneak up on the Prince of Asgard. 

Loki took note of the woman standing before him. 

She was an older woman, there was no doubt about that. She seemed to be old for a Midgardian, as people from this realm tended to die when they reached fifty or sixty. But she reminded him of the Asgardian elders, so if he did the math correctly from Asgardian years to Midgardian years, she had to be at least in her seventies or eighties. 

The woman was not that tall. She was about the half the height that Loki was. With white hair growing from the top of her head, along with wrinkles on every corner of her face, she appeared not to be able to do him any harm. She wore a long, dark dress that went down to the grass beneath him, with a piece of wool covering her head, tied around her chin. Braids of that white hair fell over her shoulders. 

Loki looked down to the basket in her hands. The basket reminded him of the ones that his mother would make in her free time, with the plants from her gardens. The basket was made out of a dark red straw, with it having flowers inside of it. The flowers were white at the petals and yellow at the center, and he knew he had seen them before. He just could not put his name on it. 

Her blue eyes were wide as Loki kept pointing his knife at her, but he slowly lowered it when he realized she was harmless. At least, from the outside. But Loki never put his guard down, so he would be fine if she tried anything. 

He cleared his throat. 

“Hello.” He finally greeted her. 

Once he put the knives away, the woman let out a breath of air. 

“You’re not going to hurt me, are you?” She asked. Loki thought it was amusing with the way that she asked the question. So casually. “All I really have are these?” She raised the basket that hung on her right arm. “But there’s a whole field of them a few hills behind me. So they’re utterly worthless.” 

“I do not wish for your flowers.” His eyes fluttered down to them. “Though, they are lovely.” 

“They are, aren’t they?” The woman looked down at them, smiling. He took note of the sadness not only in her smile, but in her blue eyes. “Like I said, there’s a whole field of them. They grow right in front of my house. And during this time of year, when Fall is just around the corner, they fill the fields with white.” 

Loki simply hummed. “I see.” 

“Well, if you’re not here to hurt me, do you mind moving out of the way?” 

“Huh?” Loki tilted his head at her.

The woman simply gestured with her chin to the graves behind him, and it instantly clicked that he needed to get out of her way. So he took a few steps to the left, nodding his head. 

“Yes, of course.” And once he was fully out of the way, he put two hands behind his back. “My apologies.” 

“Nothing to apologize for, chap.” 

The woman then grunted as she slowly walked past him. The old woman then gently bent down in front of the graves, letting out a deep sigh. Loki surely would have thought that she would have broken her knees bending down like that, especially in her old age. Even the Asgardian elders needed canes, it did not matter just how strong his people were. So he wondered why hell did the woman not have one. 

But that did not seem to stop her. The white haired woman set her basket down next to her. She brushed away some more leaves and branches from the graves, in a much more elegant way than Loki had done earlier, and he made sure there were none in the general area in front of her. To the two graves in front of her, she began to reach for her basket, gently placing the flowers in front of the graves. The flowers made them look a thousand times better than they did before. 

She then did it to the smaller grave next. But for some reason, she appeared to do it more delicately. And that sadness in her blue eyes returned when she began to place the flowers on ‘Peter’s’ grave. 

So many thoughts ran through his mind. 

Okay, so who the hell was this woman? It was obvious that she had to know who these people were, this ‘Benjamin’ and ‘May Parker’ who were currently six feet under the ground. And just why the hell did Peter have a grave? Was there an actual baby buried under there? Or was it just an empty grave? So much of this did not make sense. 

But Loki was being an idiot. The person who had the answers was right in front of him. All he had to do was ask. 

So, he took a deep breath. 

In the quiet wind, Loki asked, “Did you know them?” 

The woman did not answer first, she just kept tending to the graves. After a while though, she sighed. 

“For a little while.” She shook her head. “We were neighbors, you see. Just a few hills that way,” She pointed in the direction behind them. “Is where my cottage lay. Live by myself you see. My wife died about a decade ago. Lived there by myself since.” 

“And they lived down there, correct?” Loki then gestured to the direction of the small cabin and barn. “Just went down there, and there was not a spec of life. Not even an animal in the barn.” 

“It’s been empty for a while, you see.” She explained. The white haired woman then shook her head. “Especially after the war.” 

“The war?” Loki pondered. 

The woman then looked up at him. She eyed the prince up and down, and it was clear that she was taking him all in. 

“You’re not from around here, are you?” she asked. 

Loki simply shrugged. “Just a man in my travels.” 

“Hmm.” She hummed. She then turned back to the graves, tending to them once more. “We were neighbors, you see. I lived by myself in my cottage, and they had a few farm animals and stock to get by. There’s a village a few ways away from here, but other than that, we’re the only two houses near each other for miles on end. You won’t find another house or village until about a day's travel.” 

“You’re pretty secluded.” The black haired prince observed. 

“Aye.” She nodded her head. “But it was nice for a little while. Ben and May built their cabin and barn here about the time around my wife died. They made good company. Obviously, it was mostly them just coming to me to see if I have a few vegetables for my garden, and in return they would give me eggs from their hens.” 

“A good trade if you ask me.” 

“It was, wasn’t it?” It was the first time that Loki had seen the woman smile. “And we lived like that for a while. And all was fine.” 

“Until the war.” 

“Until the war.” She repeated, nodding her head. “You see, Ben had a brother. Richard. Richard had married a woman named Mary, and the two of them had a son. But the king had drafted all its men to fight in the war, and Mary was a skilled nurse, so they decided that it would be best for them to drop the babe off here, to be raised by his aunt and uncle. And his name was-” 

“Peter.” Loki breathed. 

Loki felt his world pause for a moment. 

So this Benjamin and May were not Peter’s parents. They were his aunt and uncle. But why the hell were they both dead? And why the hell was there a grave for the young babe when he was still very much alive? 

The woman looked up at him when he interrupted her. Both of their blue and green eyes met, and he simply cleared his throat, gesturing to the small grave. 

“His name is right there.” He explained. Her eyes were still piercing in them, and he ignored the way that they shone in the shadows of the tree. “But what happened to them? His parents, I mean.” 

The woman then sighed. “It’s war. They died. There’s not much more to it than that.” She shook her head. “But from what May had told me, they never really wanted a child. Not to say that they were bad parents, but… They were always looking for an adventure. And children tended to keep people tied down. Ben had once told me that Peter was a blessing. He and May were always struggling to have a child, and when Peter got dropped on their doorstep, it was like a miracle.” 

Look shook his head. He eyed the two graves in front of him. “But… but what happened to them?” 

“Well, war does not stop because two people died. The King needed more soldiers, and they needed every man in the land. And unfortunately, although he was older than the young lads who were ripped from their homes, he was still a pup from the litter.” She sighed. “And for May, well, she was a nurse as well. A skilled healer than most. She could heal almost any wound that was in front of her. And when the generals found this out, they called for her as well. Which was rare, calling for a woman to fight in war.” 

“But… but who was going to take care of Peter if they both went?” A sudden emotion caught him. “Weren’t they all that he had?” 

The thought of Peter being all alone in the world, not having anyone to rely on. The thought made him want to go home and hug his boy. 

Suddenly, the woman looked regretful. 

“They were. I know they had wanted to ask me, but they never did. They tried their best to fight it, but if they did not go and help the effort, they would be tried for treason and surely have their heads cut off.” The woman shook her head. “Which is the main reason as to why they headed down towards the village. Giving Peter up for the orphanage.” 

Pieces. It felt like all the pieces were beginning to come together. He swallowed. 

“And…and is he still there?” He asked. 

“No, he is not.” The woman shook her head. “I didn't even know they had left, or that they had put him in the orphanage. The only reason I knew was because they sent a letter to my cottage a few days after they left. Asking that I check up on Peter every now and then, making sure that he was all right.” 

The woman finally decided to get up from her spot, seemingly thinking that the flowers were all in the right place. She gently grasped at the basket. But when she tried to get up, she shook, and her knees fell right back to the grassy floor. Loki took a step forward, obviously wanting to help the woman, but she waved him off. 

She let out a deep sigh, before she finally got the strength to push herself off the ground, shaking as she fully stood. Loki would give it to her, he really did not see her coming off the floor anytime soon without help. Especially with a woman her age. So she had spirit, he would give her that. 

The woman let out a sigh before she stepped towards him. “My knees aren’t what they used to be…” She licked her wrinkled lips. “But where was I?” 

“You were speaking about how Peter was put in an orphanage.” He answered. He was dying to know what happened next. 

“Ah, yes.” She nodded her head. “But by the time that letter reached me, it had already been a few months. They had only had Peter for a few weeks before they were called. And so, when I found out that he was there, I had to walk these old bones all the way through the forest and to the village.” 

“And what happened then?” He asked. 

“Well, he wasn’t there.” She shook her head. “I walked there about a week ago. The man who ran the orphanage said that the babe had died because he wasn’t eating any of the food he gave them.” 

Loki raised a single eyebrow. “A man?” 

The old woman nodded her head. “Yes. He’s kind of like the caretaker of the children. He told me that the babe had died just about a month before my arrival.” 

Just about a month. 

About a month ago, it was the night that Loki had been wandering Midgard, and he had found Peter in that dark alley, left for dead in the rain. He would bet on everything that the man in question was the same man that had left Peter to die. 

He knew what he was doing after this. 

“I had sent letters to the army, asking for word of the two of them, wanting to get in contact. To tell them how Peter died, but when they got back to me, they said the two of them died in battle. May had accidently gotten struck by an arrow, and Ben had died by a gash in his side.” She shook her head. “I was able to accept that the two of them died, so I had these graves set up for them. They had no bodies, but just something for the world to remember them by. But I wasn’t able to do it for Peter. At least for a little while. I have so much shame. They trusted me with his safety, but I was too late. And now, he is gone.” 

Loki knew that the woman held remorse, but he found himself shaking his head. 

“It is not your fault.” He said softly. “You had no idea he was there. The letter got to you too late. They… they should have come to their senses and given him to you. At least for a little while.” The woman looked like she wanted to argue, but Loki did not let her. “Take it from me. You are far too old to be carrying such burdens, my Lady.” 

She shook her head, looking down to the floor. Her eyes crinkled as she looked down. “Burdens. They are a pain, are they not?” 

“Aye.” Loki nodded. “My… my mother says, ‘Time gets the best of us, son. Even people like us.’” 

The woman then looked up, with the corner of her lips spiking up. “Your mother sounds wise.” 

“The wisest in all the realms.” He nodded his head. 

The two of them did not say anything for a little while longer. Loki simply took a step forward, looking down at the graves in front of him. He was filled with so many emotions at the moment, he really did not know what to do with them. 

“Who are you?” The woman said from behind him. 

Loki turned. “Excuse me?” 

“Who are you?” She repeated. “You say you are a man in your travels. But before I announced myself, I saw you walking up the hill, following something. Now I know my eyes have gotten older, but I could have sworn I have seen you walking up the hill, following some bright light shaded green…” 

Loki fully turned back towards the woman. 

He could do a lot of things right now. He could either wipe her memory, which was something he was not entirely good at. He could very well accidentally cause permanent brain damage to the woman, causing her to turn into a vegetable. Or he could simply kill her and be done with it. 

But something inside of him told him not to harm her. Maybe it was because the story she had just told caused him to become somber, as there was already so much death here. Or maybe it was simply Peter in the back of his mind, telling him that it would be wrong to kill a person who was friends with the people who were his family. 

Or he could leave. Just call for Heimdall and be done with it. Leaving the woman stunned. That would be the easiest thing next to hurting or killing her, but he just found himself standing there. Trying to figure out just what to do. 

So, he did the next best thing: he reached into his satchel and opened the top, with it glowing that same green that it had before. Slowly, he rummaged through it, ignoring the way that the old woman’s eyes widened, and he gently pulled out the small blanket. The blanket was still glowing that bright green, but Loki could have sworn it dimmed ever so slightly. 

Loki took a step towards the woman. Her eyes were fixated on the blanket in his hands, with her also taking a step forward. 

She gently raised her hand to touch the blanket, but Loki immediately pulled back. Her eyes immediately went straight for him, but he found himself feeling embarrassed. Something in him did not want the woman to physically touch the blanket, as this was Peter’s. 

“Sorry, uh…” He struggled to find the words. “The blanket is enchanted. Magic. It might hurt you.” It was a lie. 

“I… I understand…” She looked like she really did not understand, but she did not argue further. “I’m not a witch, but I’ve seen magic every now and then in my old life. Amazing each time…But I know that blanket. May knitted it for Peter.” 

Did she now? Loki swallowed. 

“How do you have it?” 

Loki sighed, shaking his head. “I cannot tell you everything. As your mind is too feeble to understand, my lady. But I can promise you this-” He looked at the woman dead in the eyes, with his own eyes narrowing. He felt his entire demeanor change, with him puffing his chest out and standing straighter. “Peter is safe. And alive. He will have everything and want for nothing. That much I can promise you.” 

Loki did not know if his words were really going to resonate with the woman. As she simply kept staring at him. 

But without words, the woman took a few steps forward, wrapping her arms around the foreign prince. 

Loki’s air was choked out of his body, and he was honestly surprised that the woman had even done such a thing. All of the etiquette and grace that his mother had taught him since he was young came through, and he immediately looked down at the woman in disgust. 

Just who the Hel did she think she was? Loki was a Prince of Asgard, he was never supposed to be touched. Not even in the heat of battle, when enemies wanted to pierce their sword through his heat, he never gave them the chance. Just the thought of someone touching him made him want to squirm, and with the way that the woman kept holding onto him tight, he wanted to toss her down the hill. Though, she was old, so that would have surely killed her, but he really did not care. 

But before he was able to remove her from his body, he felt her body shake.

“Oh, thank you, warlock!” The woman’s cheek was pressed against the space between his chest and his stomach. So when Loki heard her sniffle, he cursed the Norns if she would get snot on his clothes. “I…I have had many nights as of late without sleep. Just thinking of where Peter could have gone. But I believe you. I do not know why, but I do. He will be happy, I just know it!” 

Loki let out a sigh, and he slowly lowered his arms. He did not wrap them around the woman, but he simply let them hang from his body. 

“Yes.” He agreed. “He will be very happy. I swear on everything that I am.” 

The woman did not stop hugging him. And he sighed. 

He looked up to the sky, through the leaves of the tree. The sun’s rays kept peaking out with every sway of the branches, and he tried not to blinde himself with the light. The wind had never ceased, as it still sung in his ears as the woman held onto him for dear life, not even speaking any more. 

But for the first time in a long time, he felt content. 

-000- 

Loki did a few things after that. 

The first was that the old woman had finally let him go. She had asked if she would ever see him again, but he told her that this was the last time they would ever see each other. And it was nothing personal, that was just the way that life went with Asgardians and Midgardians. Besides, she was an old woman, who barely looked to even have a few years left in her. She would surely be gone the next time he visited this godforsaken rock. 

She did not seem too upset at that, but simply wished him safe travels. And she reiterated the fact that she wished Peter a happy life, and he told her he would be in safe hands. And with that, the two of them parted ways, with Loki staying by the tree and watching her far off in the distance. 

He stayed by the graves for a few more minutes, taking them all in. He already knew what he was going to do with this land, and he was already getting the measurements with how much magic he needed to make sure nothing would go out of place. But before he left, he went back down to the cabin and placed a quick protection spell on the entire place, making sure that even the most prestigious magic users of this realm would not be able to get in. He did the same for the tree. 

The next thing he did was catch up with the old woman. She had told the truth about the flowers in front of her small cabin, with there being fields of fields of the things. Loki was never really one to flower pick, but they were pretty to look at, if he was being honest with himself. He cast another protection spell on the old woman’s cabin, making sure she would be safe for the rest of the few years she had left on this planet. 

The final thing he did was go back to the orphanage where he had found Peter. 

He waited for the dead of night, making sure everyone was asleep before he made his move. He casted a sleeping spell on all the children’s meals just hours before, making sure they would truly be asleep. There were only about a dozen or so children inside, so he made sure to transport them to another village far off from here, where they would be happier. It would definitely be a leg up from this village, where everything was gray and dull and dirty. And perhaps they would get a better start than what they had been given here. 

And once all the children were out, that just left the man that had abandoned Peter outside, and the rest of the staff. 

Loki locked all the doors. Sealed the windows shut. He even made them shatter proof just in case one of them threw a chair or something on the outside, trying to escape. 

And so, Loki stood in front of the orphanage in the dead of night. He reveled in their screams as the place burned to the ground. 

-000- 

END OF PART 1