Chapter 21
With Clint’s help, Loki managed to stall for two more days, but even Thor had his limits.
“You can’t put this off forever,” he said, a sympathetic tone to his voice.
“I know,” Loki sighed, “I was really hoping I could put it off a little longer, though.”
“Come on,” Thor held out his hand, “I’ll stay until you’re ready for me to go.”
“I’m not a child.”
“Oh, of course not,” Thor teased him playfully, “Just don’t forget your pajamas.”
Loki feigned the most serious expression he could muster, “What’s wrong with my pajamas?”
Thor laughed, punching Loki’s shoulder, “Let’s go.”
“Alright,” Loki relented, allowing Thor to embrace him, before lifting Mjolnir to the sky.
Jotunheim looked just the same as it had always been.
Cold. Desolate. Isolated.
The only difference was that this time, a scorched mark covered the ground where the castle had been, with bits of stone and ice scattered for what looked like miles.
The Jotun that greeted them introduced himself as Helblindi stared freely at Loki for a few moments before Thor told him to lead the way.
As the Jotun led them through the streets of the Jotun city, Loki noticed Helblindi’s gaze drifting repeatedly back to him.
“I’m sorry,” Loki said finally, stopping in his tracks, the discomfort growing impossible to ignore, “Did you want something from me?”
“Apologies,” Helblindi turned around to face them, “Mother told me to be respectable, but it’s hard not to be curious. Are you really the son of Laufey?”
“I am,” Loki answered cautiously.
“So it’s true,” Helblindi hummed to himself, then addressed the pair of princes, “Mother will want to speak with you immediately.”
“Who’s your mother?” Loki asked, glancing at Thor, but he just smiled like he knew something Loki didn’t.
“Queen Rey.”
That didn’t really answer the thousands of questions that were suddenly popping up in Loki’s head.
When they opened the doors to what looked like a makeshift throne room, a group of Jotuns were standing on a slightly raised platform talking amongst themselves. Helblindi bowed to them at the base of the platform respectfully, then spoke.
“Loki Laufeyson has returned.”
Loki hadn’t been expecting one of the Jotuns to rush over to him and hug him before he could even greet them formally.
A sobbing mess, the Jotun drew back to hold Loki at arm’s length, a joyous smile on her tear-streaked face.
“My nephew is alive!”
“W-what?”
“Thor told us everything,” the Jotun said, still wiping tears away.
“But . . .” Loki glanced at Thor, who still had that stupid grin on his face.
Ah.
“I assure you, my br—Thor has given you a biased perspective,” Loki started to explain, “He’s always only ever seen the best in me.”
“I told them the truth, Brother.”
“Your version, I’m sure,” Loki replied, and turned back to the queen, “My deepest apologies, but your excitement is unfortunately for naught. I am indeed the son of Laufey, but I was also the one that killed him, and sent the Bifrost to destroy this realm.”
He couldn’t meet Rey’s gaze, so his eyes drifted to the ground, focussing on a spot in the patterned floor, “I came here to try to make up for my mistakes.”
Rey cleared her throat, and Loki forced himself to look up. He noted that the other Jotuns had left the room; the Queen must have dismissed them sometime during his explanation.
“I know. Your brother didn’t leave anything out,” she said, and added sternly, “You have too little faith in us, young prince.”
She straightened, “but I suppose that is to be expected. It appears as though our stories are tangled in the threads of Fate. It has not been kind to us lately.”
Her expression saddened, “My brother thought you dead, and it filled him with so much hate. He’d always been a little too quick to anger, but this was different. He seemed hollow; his only purpose became to destroy Odin.”
“Why?” Thor stepped forward, suddenly defensive, “He left Loki to freeze to death!”
“Is that what he told you?” Rey asked.
“Small, for a giant’s offspring. Alone, left to die.”
“Yes,” Loki answered, “A half-blood runt.”
“No,” Rey’s heartbroken tone stopped Loki short, “He would’ve never done that.”
She wasn’t lying, Loki realized with a start.
Which meant . . .
Maybe Odin should’ve been named Liesmith.
Thor didn’t take that well.
“Are you calling my father a liar?!”
“I’m calling him more than a liar,” Rey responded, pinning Thor with an icy glare, “He killed my sister-in-law, and stole my nephew from his home realm.”
Thor snarled something incoherent, leaping forward, but Loki held out an arm to stop him.
Before, Thor would’ve ignored that and went ahead and attacked anyway, but now, Thor stopped to stare, still angry, but subdued and confused, at his brother.
“She’s not lying.”
Thor blinked, and gritted his teeth.
“Are you certain?” he bit out.
“As sure as your cape is red.”
Thor huffed, but shifted his glare to a slight frown as he looked back at the queen.
“Regardless,” the Queen spoke as though Thor hadn’t just tried to attack her, “I am grateful that I am able to see my nephew again.”
“So you will mend the ties between Jotunheim and Asgard?” Loki asked.
Hadn’t she just called Odin a murderer?
“Of course not,” Rey scoffed, “Not while Odin is King. But you—“ She glanced meaningfully at Loki, “I believe we can mend the bond between you and Jotunheim.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Well,” Rey answered, “You can start by calling me Aunt Rey. Or just Rey, if you like. None of that Queen stuff.”
“Rey, then,” Loki accepted with a dip of his head; “Aunt Rey” sounded far too informal.
“We’ll have a feast, of course, to celebrate,” Rey continued, “If you would like to, Thor, you may stay until tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, of course!” Thor answered, automatically, and Loki half expected him to grab him by the arm possessively.
“As for Loki, you shall stay until the palace has been repaired. I imagine by then you will have learned much.”
Repaired?
Loki thought not to scoff out loud.
The scolding spot on the ground? It needed to be rebuilt.
It would take weeks, maybe even months, but he dipped his head to accept it all the same.
Rey opened the door to the throne room, and called Helblindi over, “Will you be a dear and show them to their rooms?”
“Sure, Mom.”
“Oh,” Rey stopped him before he could leave, grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him back, “Loki, this your cousin Helblindi. Say hello, Helblindi.”
“I brought them here,” Helblindi protested, his face flushing a deep blue, “They already know.”
“Just making sure,” Rey nodded, and let him go.
Helblindi led them down the corridors to a pair of doors made of ancient wood, covered in intricate frost patterns that reminded Loki of the patterns on his arms.
“Um,” Helblindi stood awkwardly to the side of them, “These are your rooms, I guess. If you need anything, my room’s two doors that way.”
He pointed farther down the hall.
“Any questions?”
Thor pursed his lips, thinking, while Loki shook his head.
“No,” Thor said finally.
“Okay,” Helblindi said, “See you at the feast, then.”