Lost and Found

Loki took in a deep breath as he watched the clouds roll by high above him, lying in the palace gardens with his arms folded behind his head. Thor had gone out hunting, so the palace was peacefully quiet. For now, anyway. Today was the day either Thor or Loki would be chosen to be king, and even though Loki had an inkling of who would be chosen, he still held out hope that maybe he'd be chosen. But he didn't want to think about that right now. He just wanted to enjoy the peaceful air around him. No parties, no boisterous laughter, just the calm wind blowing through his hair and the snap of a twig to his right... 

"Sigyn, you're terrible at sneaking up on me." Loki chuckled. 

"Ugh, I almost had you." His beloved's face came into view above him, a cute little pout on her lips before she lay down beside him. 

"No, you didn't." Loki chuckled. 

And then a swan fluttered down and landed on his left side, tilting her head as she folded her wings. 

His eyebrows raised. "You perfected transformation, I'm impressed." 

Amora laughed as she changed back into her normal, enchanting form, lying on her side with her chin propped up on her fist to look him in the eye. "It's the only thing I could manage, but I quite like it." 

"It suits you." Loki snorted. "Beautiful, elegant, annoying as all hell--" 

"Hey!" She smacked his shoulder as the three shared a laugh, the young enchantress plopping down on her back to watch the sky with them. 

"It's a beautiful day." Sigyn sighed pleasantly, and Loki turned his head to see a beautiful smile on her face. 

"Of course it is, Thor's not around." Loki smirked, making the girls laugh again. 

"Oh, come on, he isn't so bad." Amora chuckled. "A little boorish, perhaps, but he means well." 

"He's an idiot." Loki puffed. "How much you wanna bet he'll come back with a bite from Jormungandr on his arm because he accidentally fished him out, again? Honestly, Amora, I don't know what you see in him." 

"Well, I definitely know what he sees in me~." Amora purred, sweeping her hand across her body to show off her curves. Many young men fell for her the moment they laid eyes on her and she knew it. Well, everyone except those who were in very happy relationships, like Loki. 

"Yes, because he's a predictable, idiotic oaf." Loki scoffed. 

"Now love, he still has some growing up to do." Sigyn chastised him. At his dubious expression, she sheepishly added, "A lot of growing up to do. But he will, just be patient with him." 

Loki sighed heavily and looked back up at the sky. "If you could have anything you want, change anything to make it better, what would you want?" 

Sigyn looked curious at his change of subject but played along. "Well... I would love to be a singer, to travel the Nine Realms." She smiled wistfully and absently played with Loki's hair, something that made his pale face flush. "But I also want to make the people of Asgard happy, to have other creatures from the Nine Realms visit and watch as their children play together." 

Loki smiled softly. He thought she would be a perfect singer. she already hypnotized him with her siren-like voice. And of course, her sweet heart would beg her to do something good for the people of the Realms. 

"I want to be a queen." Amora spoke up, breaking his train of thought. 

"If you marry Thor, I swear to the Norns." Loki stated bluntly, making Amora laugh. 

"Darling, I don't even like him that way...!" Amora snickered with a small shrug. "He's a little too reckless for my taste. And besides, we all know you're practically guaranteed to inherit the throne at this rate, anyway." 

Sigyn sat up and gave Amora a hilariously serious glare. "You're not marrying Loki." 

This time, Loki joined Amora in their shared fits of laughter. 

"Ew, no! He's all yours, honey." Amora waved her hand.

"You could always just marry the Dark Elf king, I don't think he's married yet." Sigyn teased, her jealous aura quickly easing up. 

"He's several centuries older than me, and besides, me ruling that dark place??" Amora snorted. "Pass. I'd much rather have someplace like Asgard. Like Vanaheim! Vanaheim doesn't really have a proper ruler, since Queen Frigga is here, so maybe I'll be appointed there." 

"Always so ambitious." Loki chuckled. 

"At least one of us is, dear Loki." Amora smirked at him, sitting up as well. "Thor is much too immature to take the throne, and unless Odin is incredibly stupid, your dreams are already coming true." 

Loki frowned at her words. "Actually... I'm fairly certain Thor is going to get it anyway." 

Amora scoffed. "That's absurd." 

Sigyn frowned. "Well... he is Odin's eldest, so unless he's disinherited, he's still in line for the throne." 

Amora rolled her eyes at her logic before the three perked up as trumpets began to sound, signaling the return of Asgard's prince and his hunting party. 

"Joy, Thor must be arriving." Loki said dryly. 

Sigyn gave him a little smile. "Don't be like that, Loki." Then her smile became apologetic as she kissed his cheek. "I have to change for the feast, but I'll meet you there. I'm sure everything will turn out perfectly." 

Loki smiled gently at her. "You're always so positive." he said gratefully as she walked away. 

"Just for you, my Lie-Smith." She gave him that radiant smile of hers that never failed to make his heart melt. 

The two watched her go and Loki began to sit up when Amora leaned close to him. "Why do you think Thor's going to take the throne?" 

Loki looked at her then let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, I don't know, he's the warrior son Odin is always so proud of, he never questions father at all, he's so much better than I am, he gets away with everything while I get punished--!" 

Amora cut off his ranting, her voice soft yet confident. "You'd be a much better king than Thor. I mean, Thor doesn't even have a fraction of the power you possess." 

Loki looked up at her with a frown, his shoulders falling. "He's still Odin's favorite. As baffling as it is. When he looks at me, he just..." Loki grimaced and looked away. "All he sees is a disappointment, a magician, not a noble warrior who rushes into battle and inspires the troops with his strength alone." 

Amora took his chin and guided his eyes back to hers, deep green eyes with hints of gold glinting in the sunlight. "I think Odin is scared of you." Then she smirked. "He's an idiot if he isn't. You're no soldier or some magician with simple parlor tricks, you're a sorcerer. You won't just be a serpent in the grass. You'll be a dragon soaring through the sky." 

She looked up at the sky and he followed her gaze, watching as a falcon soared across the blue sky. Loki let her words seep into him, letting the pride he had been forbidden from feeling all his life fill his chest. He was powerful, more powerful than Thor. 

Just before the feast, he and Thor stood side by side before their father as he sat on his throne, Thor with that ridiculous feathered helmet and Loki with his own horned one. Thor had a confident smile on his face, one that Loki despised, but he kept his chin up and his face even. 

"The time has come to choose my heir." Odin announced to the crowd of people all around them. Sitting beside him was Asgard's most powerful weapon, the hammer Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, the symbol of kingship. 

Glancing to the side, Loki spotted his mother, his lover, and his close friend all standing together. Sigyn was smiling encouragingly, such a sweet smile that made his heart flutter. Amora, meanwhile, looked quite confident and for some reason wiggled her fingers in a very flirtatious way at him. But he quickly realized she was waving at Thor, who Loki noticed was waving back slightly. 

"Asgard has been blessed with two great princes." Odin continued, his voice filling the large throne room, and he reached down to pick up the hammer. "But there can only be one king." 

Loki sucked in a sharp breath and tilted his chin up a little higher, his hands folded behind his back to hide their shaking under his cape. For the first time in a long time, he felt hopeful. Maybe, just maybe, he could be worthy of his father. 

But that hope was snuffed out as his father held Mjolnir out to his brother. 

"Thor, my eldest son, you shall wield Mjolnir, and lead our kingdom into an era of greatness." 

Loki could only watch helplessly as his brother walked up the stairs to kneel before his father, loathing the barely-hidden excited smile on that oaf's face. He could hear the crowd around him roaring, but it was all muffled to him as he was left standing there, his hands dropping to his side limply in complete and utter devastation. 

"Carry her with pride, my son," Loki could just make out Odin saying to Thor, "and wield her wisely." 

"I will not disappoint you, Father." Thor grinned and stood up, holding the hammer up for all the world to see. 

The crowd's roars were renewed by the sight of Mjolnir. In the corner of his eye, he could see Sigyn cover her mouth, her blue eyes incredibly sympathetic, but Frigga's hand on her shoulder kept her from running to his side. He couldn't quite tell what Amora was feeling, her gaze locked on Thor and her face completely expressionless. If he weren't so caught up in his own crippling anguish, he might've thought it unsettling. 

"When Thor is ready to take the throne," Odin continued, forcing the crowds to quiet down, "Loki will be appointed as his loyal courtier at his side, to help guide him throughout his reign." 

The cheering resumed once again, but Loki felt nothing. He didn't even notice when Thor climbed down the stairs and returned to his side until he was yanked into a giant bear hug. Usually, he would fight Thor's painful hugs, but... he couldn't bring himself to care. 

"I did it, Loki, I'm going to be king!" Thor beamed at him, an idiotic, detestable smile planted on his face. But then it faded, probably because Loki wasn't responding at all. "Loki? Are you alright?" 

Only then did Loki's body catch up with his mind and he cleared his throat, waving his brother away. "Y-Yes, I'm fine, perfectly happy, even." he lied, cursing himself for his brief stutter. "Congratulations. I always knew you'd be chosen." 

His words did their job in making Thor smile, but it was clear that he had not been convincing, considering how weak that smile was. Thor opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something else, but Loki walked away before he could and Thor's friends swarmed him soon after, preventing him from pursuing his brother. Not that Loki expected him to. 

Loki's fists clenched as the crowds continued to cheer for Thor, as his brother was praised by everyone while he was simply given his table scraps. He was nothing a serpent in the grass, doomed to slither across the dirt while those born with wings flew high above him. 

Sigyn quickly went to his side as he passed by, reaching out her hand, "Loki, I'm so sorry..." 

But he waved her away too. "I need some air." 

"Loki..." his mother called for him, but he just continued on, leaving behind the cheering crowds and the few people he truly believed cared about him. 

No one was around to witness his fit of rage, to hear his screaming curses as he practically tore his room apart. And when all was said and done, he just fell to his knees in the center of the chaotic mess he'd made, clutching his hair and trying to blink back the tears that refused to stop falling from his eyes. 

Maybe that was when it really started. When the seeds of hate began to grow into thorny vines that coiled around his heart so tightly, it threatened to destroy him. But all he knew now was that he had to prove himself, he would work twice as hard and prove he was worthy, not that idiotic oaf. 

And it was that drive that led Asgard into the prosperous era it was in today. But no longer was he driven by the need to prove himself to his father. No, that hope died long ago and he would make sure it would stay dead. He didn't need Odin to define him.  And when he finally let go of that obsession, of the anger that drove him mad, he was finally able to accomplish what he truly wanted in life. 

Loki smiled gently as he rode Sleipnir through the city, the stallion trotting slow enough to allow him to take in the sights all around him. It was nice to actually admire the arcitecture of the buildings rather than be blinded by the sun glinting off those ugly golden roofs. In the marketplace, Vanir and Light Elf merchants were setting up their shops while their children played with the Asgardian children. Sparks of magic flew through the air all around him and he watched with pride as Asgard's future looked on in awe and practically begged their new friends to teach them. 

This was the kingdom he wished he grew up in as a child. The kingdom he couldn't wait to show Sigyn. 

Sleipnir snorted at him when they finally arrived at the observatory and he climbed down, dropping his disguise to pet the stallion. "I'll be back soon, alright? And so will Sigyn. Aren't you excited to see her again?" 

The stallion whinnied with approval and nudged his chest as if to tell him to get going already. He laughed and pet Sleipnir's neck before he approached the Seer who was waiting for him. 

"Are you ready?" Heimdall asked, his hands wrapped firmly around the hilt of his sword. 

Loki took a deep breath as he summoned an illusion over him, taking on his younger appearance from just before he fell from the Bifrost, with shorter hair and a black suit he'd seen some humans wear. "I'm ready. 

Heimdall nodded and opened up the Bifrost with a twist of his sword. "Have a safe journey, my King." 

Loki looked back at him and smiled gently. "Thank you." he said before he was sucked into the Bifrost's swirling magic. 

Earth hadn't changed much since his last visit. It was still noisy, still chaotic, still... earthy. But he just told himself that he wouldn't be here for long, he just needed to find Sig and bring her home. 

He moved through the streets of New York with ease, keeping his eyes right on Stark's tower. Well, it wasn't quite 'Stark' tower anymore, rather the 'Avenger's Tower,' but he still thought of it as Stark's. When he finally got there, he stood in front of the tall tower and pursed his lips thoughtfully. It was a huge risk to use Stark's tech to find her, but as far as he knew, Stark's tech was the most advanced on this planet, and he might still have footage of Germany. 

But what if he ran into Stark? Or any of the other Avengers? Or Thor? 

The thought of running into his brother made his heart drop and his stomach twisted with nausea more and more with every possibility running through his mind. Being bludgeoned to death with Mjolnir, being thrown in the dungeons never to see Sigyn ever again, having his brother scream at him for his betrayal and trickery, blue eyes welled with tears of anger and despair at being 'tricked' again, oh gods, maybe this was a bad idea-- 

"Don't overthink it, princey." 

Loki snapped out of his distressing thoughts to find an old man in sunglasses standing by him, giving him a big grandfatherly smile. 

"You're not gonna find her just standing there gawking like a fish." he told him, wagging a frail finger at him sternly, though his voice was nothing but kind. "Just make sure you don't throw it away, alright? You can change for the better." 

Loki blinked in confusion as the man patted his shoulder and walked away, and he had a feeling that he should know that man. He turned his gaze back up towards the tower, and with the old man's words replaying in his head, he took a breath and used his illusions to hide from everyone's eyes, transforming into a falcon and flying up to reach the balcony.