Fractured

There was something incredibly mighty about the little Lila Barton that Thor found himself impressed by. It made sense, given the kind of warrior her father was but to see such strength in someone so young as she reminded him fondly of a time long past. A time so simple where everything was bright and full of hope and wonder. More than that, despite her ferocity and determination, she still held so much innocence in her heart. It was a trait that he sorely wanted to protect at all costs. Her older brother, Cooper, was much more aware of the circumstances of their visit here and he could see the weight of that burden in his eyes. A weight he had carried when he and Loki were not but lads and their father grew frustrated with their frivolities. A need to protect his younger sibling from the horrors of what truly plagued their current predicament. So when Lila had drug Thor away for fun and games, Thor gave Cooper an unspoken promise – he would help keep her at ease until their father had been returned to them.

But as the week passed, Thor began to worry that he may fail in his task. Lila was young, yes, but she was smart. Much like her mother. Surely the young child would figure out that there was something amiss. And for Thor, balancing his own worry about the innocence of little Lila with his own frustration and concern about the lack of progress on returning the missing allies made it very hard to shield his own emotions from someone as bright as the little girl. It was ever so evident as they sat around for tea – one of Lila’s favorite activities with the God. “You miss Daddy too, don’t you?” she had said quite matter-of-factly as she “poured” him another cup of tea.

“What makes you say that?” he asked, although he knew full well that he did, in fact, miss the archer. Eating poptarts was not the same when he knew they would be there waiting for him. But more than that, the team did not feel whole with two members missing in action. Each member brought something unique to the team, whether they knew it or not. For Stark he brought the leadership and for Barton, he brought the heart. Both were sorely missed. “Because you look sad,” Lila replied with a small shrug of her tiny shoulders, “Mommy looks the same way, but she likes to pretend that she’s not. But don’t worry, Cooper told me that Daddy promised he would always come back and Daddy never breaks a promise.”

“Never ever?”

Lila giggled. “Never ever, ever.”

“Your father is a very noble man, indeed. One of the most noble warriors I have ever had the honor to call my friend. After all, it was he who introduced me to the delectable Pop-Tart.”

Lila giggled like a maniac. “Daddy always loves Pop-Tarts. Maybe we should go get him some so when he comes home he can have some with us!”

The laugh that came from Thor was as joyful as Lila’s giggle. “I am sure he would very much appreciate such a treat. Shall we venture to the store together and retrieve them for him?”

Thor was almost sure that the ferocity of Lila’s nod would have detached the girl’s head from her neck but of course it did not. But she did beat him to his feet and was already running towards the door. Her excitement about such a meaningless task was enough to quell Thor’s thoughts about the plight under which her father was currently suffering for surely whatever held him back from returning was not something he voluntarily remained in. But what Thor was certain of was that Barton would be happy with Thor’s ability to keep his daughter smiling and laughing as if nothing were wrong. While his stay with the Bartons at their little farm had been brief, he would never forget the look of happiness on Clint’s face when he saw the smiles light up on his children’s faces upon his return home. His children’s happiness was one of the few things Thor knew made Clint happy beyond measure and was surely one of the many things that kept him fighting through whatever hell he was being put through. A hell that Thor himself was eager to end and make whoever put his friends there pay for their crimes.

He was pulling on the coat of his civilian clothes (something that Natasha had helped him understand so that he could blend in better with the people around them) when he felt Lila tugging on his pants. Apparently she had asked him something but with his mind distracted he had not heard her. “Yes, Lady Lila?” he asked as he looked down on her.

“Can we fly to the store?”

It didn’t take a genius to understand what it was she was asking. On the one hand he knew that Lila would very much enjoy the ride and he knew that he would be able to fly them no problem. However he did know how Barton worried about the safety of his family and he was unsure if taking Lila for a flying trip into the city would be such a good idea. “Perhaps we should ask your mother if she would permit such a thing.”

“Pleaseeee!”

Thor chuckled to himself as he saw the pleading look on the little girl’s face. How could anyone say no to such a look of want? “Very well. But we shall keep this between us, yes?”

Lila was ecstatic and as he picked up Mjolnir so that they could travel to their destination. Surely one trip would not hurt, right? He opened the door so they may depart but stopped from moving when he saw a familiar face on the other side. “Lady Sif!” he greeted with both surprise and excitement, “What brings you to Midgard?”

“You, Thor,” she replied as matter-of-factly as normal. Her eyes briefly darted down to the young girl who was now holding Thor’s hand rather tightly but appeared not at all timid in front of the warrior, “Heimdall sent me to bring you to Asgard immediately. He says he has something to tell you and would have brought you home straight away if you were not in the company of the little one.”

“Did he say what was wrong?” The look on Sif’s face was enough to tell him what he needed to know. She didn’t know all the details but she could not say. “Heimdall warned me that certain ears should not hear certain things.”

If there was any doubt as to wha the matter would be for Heimdall to send Sif to retrieve him, that resolved it. Since Heimdall could not see where Stark and Barton would it meant there had to have been very powerful magic that was shielding them from his gaze. Something that Heimdall had told Thor that he would be working diligently on to find the source of. For whatever could blind Heimdall was dangerous to all the realms. Knowing the urgency of such news Thor was ready to leave, however the girl clinging to his hand reminded him that he needed to do one thing first. “Lila, I must return to Asgard immediately. Shall we go find your mother....?”

“I want to go to Asgard!”

The sudden announcement had both Thor and Sif shocked. “I do not think that is such a wise idea....” Thor began, even though he could see the pouty face of doom starting to appear on the little girl’s face.

“Please, Uncle Thor, I want to go! I want to see the rainbow bridge and the gold castles and all the magical creatures you’ve told me about. Pretty please? I’ll be good! I promise!”

The pleading face returned in full swing and Thor looked to Sif with an expression asking for assistance. Sif just returned a helpless gaze such as his and he knew he would have to decide there and now. Surely Laura would not mind, right? “Very well, but you have to stay close to either me or the Lady Sif and be very mindful. Do you understand?”

Lila nodded as her smile returned to her face. He gripped her hand tightly and led both Lila and Sif to the front lawn before calling upon Heimdall to open the Bifrost and bring them to Asgard. Thor was unsure of how Lila would handle the transportation as he held her tightly to his chest but the laughs and screams in delight were enough to let him know that she was rather enjoying herself. After all, she did want to fly. The trip ended almost as soon as it began as their boots hit the floor of the gateway and Heimdall stood ready for them. “I see you have brought a visitor,” he greeted as his golden eyes landed on the little girl.

Thor was careful as he sat her down and again as he kneeled down in front of her. “Lady Sif will show you around. You remember what I said?”

“Stay close and be mindful,” she repeated.

“Atta girl.” He patted her on the shoulders before standing and letting Sif guide her away down the rainbow bridge towards the Eternal City. Heimdall watched them and waited for them to get a ways away before turning back to the prince. “As you have guessed I have a lead as to what is obscuring my vision of your lost teammates. Sif has been helping me to find the source of such a power and it led us to Hel.”

“Hel?” Thor asked as Heimdall nodded at Thor to walk with him towards the city. “Yes. There has only been one other person who could hide themselves from my gaze and I wanted to speak with him about who else might be able to conjure such a shield.”

“Loki.”

“Indeed. Sif and I travelled to Hel but when we spoke to Hela about finding him, she informed us of a truth we did not know.” Heimdall came to a stop as Thor noticed Fandral, Volstagg and Hogun heading their way. “It seemed that Loki was not among the dead. Not in Hel and not in Valhalla.”

“You mean to tell me Loki is....alive?”

“Your brother is a slippery bastard,” Fandral stated as they got closer, “Evidently he posed himself as your father to rule Asgard. We may never have noticed if he hadn’t tried to commission a large statue of himself in the center of the courtyard for all to see.”

“Where is my father now?”

“He is safe,” Heimdall quickly replied, “After Loki was revealed we had him tell us where Odin is. He is resting and Baldur rules in Odin’s stead until he has healed and your brother has been confined to the prison below the palace until Odin can pass judgement.”

There was so much to unpack in just a few short moments but he knew he had little time to dwell on such matters. “I want to see him.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less. I will take you to him,” Heimdall stated before nodding at the Warrior’s Three. “I’ll be watching you three should you require my assistance.”

“We wouldn’t expect anything less,” Volstagg stated as they allowed Thor and Heimdall to pass them on the rainbow bridge. Thor was glad for the long walk to the palace dungeons. It gave him the moments he needed to come to terms with the shocking news that had been brought to his attention just mere seconds before. Loki. Alive. How had he not see that? How had he not known? He should have realized it sooner. Perhaps he was blinded by his love of his brother because despite all the lies and all the tricks, Thor really did love Loki. Worst yet Thor truly blamed himself for the path his brother had gone down. After all, it was his fault that he did not see how Loki suffered in his shadows. He was so blinded by ambition and the thoughts of grandeur to see that he had outcast his own brother. It was an ill he so desperately wanted to make right and perhaps bring his brother back to him. A chance he thought he lost when he watched Loki die. A chance he would not waste again.

But first thing was first – he needed answers.

Heimdall and Thor descended the stairs to the dungeons and passed by the full cells to the very last one on the left. Sure enough, there he was.

Loki.

Loki was sitting in an arm chair, reading a book when they walked up. His green eyes had glanced up and a smile formed on his face as he spotted his guests. “Hello, brother.”

“Loki,” Thor greeted back, although his voice was pained by both betrayal and joy to see him alive. Loki seemed to have caught the voice and stood so as to walk up the barrier separating them. “I am sure Heimdall here has told you of my return and now you come here wondering how you managed to fall for the same trick yet again.”

“I do not know when nor do I care as to how you managed this feat once again, brother,” Thor spoke, crossing his arms in front of his chest, “I have learned to stop questioning such matters many years ago. Although I am happy to see you alive, but I am not here for pleasure. I will cut straight to the matter at hand, Loki, and know that I have no time nor patience for any games or tricks. Two of my friends have gone missing and somehow their location is being shielded by some magic that prevents Heimdall from seeing them. A trick that only a fair few have the power to do. We know you have shrouded yourself from Heimdall’s gaze before so I need to know how it is done and who else possesses the ability to do such a feat.”

Loki smiled devilishly as he pushed himself to his feet and clasped his hands behind his back. “And by your friends you mean the Avengers. You must have come to care for them a great deal if you really do seek my advice.”

Thor just watched and waited as Loki seemed to pace. “You are correct, Thor, that fair few possess the ability to hide themselves from Heimdall. And I would be more than glad to share my knowledge, however I do not see how I would benefit from telling you what I know.”

“If you think this is a negotiation, brother, you are wrong. Just tell me who else has the knowledge and power to do so and I shall be on my way.”

Loki tsked as he shook his head. “Come now, brother. Surely you know this is going to play out. I have something you want and, in return, you have to give me something that I want.”

“And let me guess – it is your freedom?”

“You think me so predictable, don’t you? No, I have far greater wants than to be free of this prison. What I want is a promise that when I require a favor that you will come and fulfill it, no questions asked. Your word is bond, is it not, dear brother?”

Thor knew that such an oath was dangerous. And surely whatever his brother could want was just as risky as the promise. But he needed answers to find where his friends were being held and the gatekeeper of that knowledge was standing before him. “How do I know the information you will give us is worthy of such a promise, brother? It would not be the first time you have lied to get what you want.”

“See, now you’re catching on, dear brother,” Loki mused, “It only took a few centuries.”

“Loki…”

“Very well, I will add a clause. Should the information I pass on to you does not assist in your endeavor to locate your missing Avengers then you do not have to honor your own promise. Surely such an addendum should ease your mind that what I speak will be the truth.”

Thor turned his gaze to Heimdall, looking to his friend to find any problems with such an arrangement. “I would always be cautious when entering a deal with Loki,” Heimdall spoke as simply as that.

Thor heaved a sigh as he turned back to his brother. “Very well. Tell us.”

The way Loki grinned made Thor’s stomach churn but he had made a promise to bring Stark and Barton home safe, no matter what. If not for the Avengers but for the little Bartons as well. Whatever Loki wanted of him would be worth the smile on Lila’s face when her father was home. “The spell I used to shield myself from Heimdall’s gaze is not something any Asgardian can accomplish. It requires a magic that is not taught in the Learning Halls of Asgard. No, this magic comes from a group of witches that our Mother knew quite well.”

“The Norn,” Heimdall finished.

“Ever so clever, aren’t we, Heimdall? But yes, the Norns. I learned it from the books Mother kept around but there was one other Asgardian I knew that had learned from the Norns themselves. In fact, last I recalled, she had quite the interest in you, brother, all those years ago. You remember Amora, do you not?”

Amora. The Enchantress. How could Thor forget the blonde beauty who had her eyes set upon him from such an early age? “Last I heard she was still quite angry that you refused her advances. If I were you, brother, I would find her. During my brief time as King I noticed her absence in the realm. Perhaps she went to Midgard to find you?”

Loki seemed rather pleased with himself when he finished talking, which could only mean he knew that the information he gave to Thor would be well enough for him to honor his side of the deal. “Thank you, Loki,” Thor muttered before turning to leave with Heimdall.

“No….thank you,” Loki muttered mostly to himself as the prince left and a smile formed on his face. Thor could feel that dread but it couldn’t hinder the adrenaline coursing through him at the prospect of maybe having a lead. “Heimdall, can you see Amora?”

“If Amora is, indeed, the one shielding your friends from my vision then I will not be able to find her. But wherever she is, her Executioner is never far away. It may take some time but I will work on finding them.” Heimdall came to a sudden stop and Thor stopped with him. “Heimdall, what is it?”

“It is Lila Barton….I do believe you may need to go to her and Sif.”

“Why? Is everything alright? Is she hurt or in trouble?” Heimdall seemed amused by how concerned the Asgardian prince was of the little girl as he smiled and nodded. “She is fine, my prince, and quite well. You will see for yourself. She is in the fields to the North. Go to them. I will speak to the Warrior’s Three about beginning their search for the Executioner.”

“Thank you, my friend,” Thor said, putting a hand on Heimdall’s shoulder before finishing running up the stairs and throwing Mjolnir to fly to the fields. He followed the sounds of Lila’s squeals of delight as he got closer to land in the clearing. Frankly he wasn’t quite sure what to expect upon his arrival but when he landed, he surely wasn’t expecting what he was seeing.

He came to land next to Sif who was staring in shock and awe at Lila who had climbed on top of a Bilgesnipe and was riding it like one of the Valkyrie atop their steeds. “Your little friend here is quite the warrior,” Sif said with a smile as she turned to look upon the Asgardian prince, “She wanted to see the creatures and we happened upon this bilgesnipe. But instead of being afraid she went up to it and asked it if it would be her friend.”

Thor laughed as he shook his head. “She is quite brave. Much like her father. Lila, we must be off to Midgard. I believe we still have a quest for Pop-Tarts, do we not?”

“Can Billy come with us?”

“Billy?” Thor asked, looking to Sif who was laughing softly to herself. “She had already announced his name when she became his friend.”

Thor was unsure of what to do or say to such a request. “I am not sure it would be wise to bring….Billy….back to Midgard.”

“Please, Uncle Thor!”

And there was those dreaded puppy dog eyes she was quite good at mustering. It had to have been from the teachings of one Natasha Romanoff. He would be having a word with the Widow upon their return. He heaved a sigh as he glanced back to Sif, who simply shrugged in reply.

Barton, how do you do it?

TBC…