Drop of Blood
Jarvis was preparing a bottle for his new charge when Howard Stark finally arrived at the manor having been delayed at the labs. Mrs. Stark was already asleep, exhausted from the labor of childbirth. The doctors were relieved that they could leave soon, now that Howard was there to follow up with them over how the procedure went. It was still another half an hour before Howard made it to the tiny bundle in Jarvis's arms.
Jarvis handed the child off to his father, making sure the other man had Anthony securely in his arms before stepping away. Howard had his usual impassive expression but with the slightest hint of softness around his eyes. Jarvis stepped out of the nursery but didn't go far just in case. He stood by a window and wondered about little Anthony and how he would grow; If his parents would grow with him.
A slight movement brought Jarvis's attention to the window next to him that overlooked the woods that lined the manor. Light snow fell gently from the night sky illuminated by the moonlight peeking through the clouds.
Odd, he thought to himself, snow in the middle of May. Howard called for him to return and he obeyed, the peculiar weather leaving his thoughts as a soft cry took all of his attention.
Soft ripples traveled the water's surface as Loki submerged himself, washing dirt and blood from his pale skin. The movement caused the pool to twinkle as the moon's light danced along with the tiny waves. He could still faintly hear Thor and his imbecile cohorts being drunk and loud at their nearby camp, ruining an otherwise peaceful night. He could be studying in the archives or practicing illusions with mother but Thor just had to drag him on another of his "hunting expeditions" that are nothing more than a group of idiots drunkenly attacking wildlife.
These woods had plenty of dangerous creatures roaming the brush at this time of night but Loki wasn't worried. Even without his signature daggers, he is never fully unarmed. So when he saw something below him moving he froze ready to strike whatever had snuck up to him in the water with his deadly magic.
When the water settled he finally could make out what was out of place in the water and his eyes widened. Right, where his reflection should be on the water's surface the perfect image of a tiny infant lay sleeping peacefully wrapped in cloth. Loki didn't dare move and disrupt the picture as he waited to see what would happen. The child shifted like someone was adjusting it in their arms, shocking Loki into disrupting the water and distorting the image.
He was then on high alert scanning the woods around him for anything or anyone that could be causing this illusion. He found nothing even when he reached out searching with his magic. All he found was a few small woodland creatures and Thor and his friends. He checked the water and nothing changed, the child still slept unbothered even when Loki skimmed his fingers lightly over its image.
Strange magic was happening here and Loki couldn't be sure of its intent. From what he could tell there was no castor and no energy signature he could easily trace. It simply… was. He debated just teleporting straight to mother but decided against that action. Something told him he needed to be discreet and not alert Thor or anyone else of his dilemma. He would have to wait until the trip ended and they returned home in a few weeks.
He quickly finished washing and changed back into his clothes before returning to the camp. He put his mask of indifference back on when the drunks threw taunts at him for bathing. Barbarians the lot of them; content to sit in their own filth. It was going to be a long hunt.
When they finally arrived back at the palace Loki slipped away from his brother in favor of finding his mother, the blond-haired oaf none the wiser. He finds Frigga in her quarters alone reading but she puts the book aside as soon as her son enters the room.
"Loki, my dear, I'm glad to see you back home safe." She smiled gently as Loki embraced his mother before sitting in the chair beside her. "Why aren't you feasting with your brother? You know he likes to celebrate after a hunt." She interrogated. Loki holds back a cringe at the thought of being stuck with those idiots for any longer.
"I wanted to see you, mother. Something… something strange has been happening to me. Some sort of magic I don't understand." Her face grew serious as she looked him over, not just at his physical appearance but no doubt looking for any hints of the magic he speaks of.
"A strange magic? I can't detect anything out of place in your mana and no trace of someone else's. What are you experiencing?" Loki tells her everything starting from his interrupted nighttime bath to the present, relaying all his observations. She mostly let him talk, and only interrupted a few times with questions. Her expression grew direr the more he explained and that was worrying.
"My son… this situation is more difficult than you know." She takes his hands in her own and he looks at her questioningly.
"Mother, what do you mean…?" Loki asks bracing to hear that he's been cursed or something of that nature. He wouldn't be surprised with the number of people he's pissed off over the last few millennia.
"You have not been targeted by any mage but this is magic. Very old magic from Yggdrasil herself." That is not what Loki expected to hear. "You've heard of soulmates, yes?" He nods, everyone has at this point of age. What this had to do with seeing a baby in his reflection he doesn't know.
"Two souls tied together by the tree of life herself, halves to each other's whole. Many millennia may pass before one crosses paths with their soulmate. For immortals, this isn't very daunting and if neither of the souls prematurely loses their lives most have a decent chance at finding their soulmate. Once you do meet them something clicks and you just know. I still remember when it happened with your father and me so long ago." She looks away, the past playing out in her golden eyes.
"Mother? Why are you telling me all this?" Loki asks, bringing her back to the present. She looks at him sadly before continuing.
"For mortal beings things are different. They weren't blessed with time to wait so their odds of meeting their soulmates were much slimmer. The Norms took pity on the magicless mortals and wove a powerful spell so that when mortals look into their reflection they see their soulmate and their soulmate sees them. This gives them better odds of finding each other in their lifetime."
"I don't recall ever reading anything about this in my studies," Loki says, not sure what to make of this information. Not wanting to believe what his mother is trying to tell him.
"The Aesir had no need for such information and the only documentation of this event was in a book in Vanaheim that was destroyed in the last war. No need until now, because this has never happened before to my knowledge." She said solemnly.
"What do you mean this has never happened before?" Loki asked, hoping for an answer that doesn't exist.
"Loki, my son, you are a clever boy, always have been." She says practically confirming what Loki has already figured out. Loki stands abruptly nearly knocking over his char.
"This can't be, how can I be mated to a mortal ?" Loki asked knowing there isn't a real answer.
"We can't begin to understand the Norns. But, my son, you know what must happen now?" She said guilt in her tone. Of course, Loki knew.
"Father…" he said softly.
"Yes dear, you know I can't keep something like this from him." He hated it but knew she was right.
On the way to the throne room, they detoured to avoid the boisterous dining hall where Thor resided. Frigga kept sending her son looks of pity but Loki ignored them as his mind reeled. How could this happen? Why him? Is he destined to be a disappointment through and through? Weak and an even weaker soulmate. He will be a disdain to the kingdom even further. Thor would never let him live this down. Hopefully, the Allfather can think of how to fix this and without making Loki into the kingdom’s spectacle.
Loki and Frigga enter the gold plated throne room and she rushes to Odin’s ear and whispers. Odin looks to his son and shock quickly appears on his wrinkled face before it is once again masked. He gestures for the room to clear and soon all who remain are Loki, Frigga, Odin, and Heimdall who has suddenly appeared at the Allfather's side. Loki holds back a glare aimed at the gatekeeper.
"Loki, is what your mother speaks of true?" Odin asked.
"Yes, Allfather," Loki says his indifferent mask firmly in place.
"This is troubling news. A Prince of Asgard and a mortal… this cannot be left." Loki mentally flinches.
"Father-"
"Loki you may think me harsh for this but know this. Everything I do is because I know it's what’s best for you and this kingdom. Remember that." Odin continues cutting off whatever Loki was about to say.
Here it comes. Banishment. "Father, I’m sorry-" He puts up his hand to silence me.
"No apologies, Loki. I can’t fault you for what is not in your control." But you can think less of me. Loki doesn't say this but he does bow his head unable to look Odin in the eye. "Heimdall. Locate this mortal and see that this problem is corrected." At this Loki snaps his attention to his father.
Frigga speaks up, "My king you can’t possibly mean to-"
"I must," Odin says resolutely.
"It is his soulmate, Odin." She argues. It doesn't matter.
"It is a mortal ." None of this matters.
"But, Odin- " He will do as he wants.
"It wouldn’t even live long enough to see Loki reach full adulthood, Frigga. I cannot let a mortal have power over a member of this family. There is much we don’t know of mortal bonds and what they entail. I will not risk this kingdom even for Loki." Loki felt his heart harden even more.
"Yes, father, I understand," Loki says emotionless.
Heimdall's deep voice rumbles from his place at Odin's side, "My king, who shall be sent?"
"Whoever won’t ask or wonder the reasoning behind their mission." Loki saw an opportunity to prove his loyalty to his father and ensure no one else ever knows of this.
"I will do it, Father," Loki spoke up.
"Loki…" Frigga said sadly. She was ignored.
The Allfather just looked at him calculating. "Would you be able to handle that, my Prince? Even without time to form a true bond, it takes a strong will to kill your own soulmate."
"I will and I must, Father. It is not a task I could live with leaving for another. This is my problem to fix". After a moment and mother looking at him with resigned sadness, Odin speaks.
"I despise it." Loki holds his breath involuntarily. "But... that does seem to be the ideal option."
Loki knew his father cared not for Lokis’ feelings but the risk of someone else leaking information to the kingdom. An embarrassment best left avoided.
"I won’t let you down Allfather." With a nod and one last look to his mother Loki left for the Bifrost with Heimdall.
Loki struggled not to think of what he’s about to do while he walked the familiar road to the Bifrost. He focuses on the path before him and the strength of his posture. They arrive at the platform too soon and he faces the gatekeeper finding himself already being studied under that uneasy gaze. Loki could detect a hint of pity in the man’s orange eyes and fixed him with a hard glare.
Heimdall closed off the little bit of emotion in his eyes and asked where he was sending him. Without warning, Loki poked a finger to Heimdall’s temple making him tense. He dropped an image of the infant into the gatekeeper's mind just outside of his fortified mental barriers. The man gave Loki a hard look, a warning, before walking away to overlook the void. Searching.
It took only a few minutes before he was signaling for Loki that he was ready to transport him.
"Oh, I’m not traveling the Bifrost. This is a stealth mission. Just tell me the location and I’ll handle the rest, gatekeeper." With a tired sigh, Heimdall told Loki what he needed to find the mortal and in a wave of green, the trickster was gone and in a forest on the other side of Asgard.
He made sure no one was nearby before walking through a secret pathway hidden in the space between a tree and a cliff, the only indication of it being there is a shimmer in the air where light passes through it and gets lost. Then he's walking along the branches of Yggdrasil herself.
Loki always wondered if his father knows he does this because he has never said anything and Heimdall never let on whether he informs his king whenever his youngest son disappears from his Vision. Loki has mastered evading his watchful Eyes and even when he steps down from Yggdrasil onto Midgard soil in a different, much younger, forest, he makes sure he is hidden from sight. No one gets to see what is about to happen but Loki himself.
After checking how far this pathway is from his target using a simple locator spell, Loki teleports the rest of the way. He appears at a house, grand by mortal standards. He assumes. Loki walks right into the building invisible to the eyes of the mortals around him. There aren’t many of them as it is the middle of the night after all. Just the help seemed to be awake at this hour.
He listens in on conversations in his search for the child. Two of the workers saying something about bringing up a bottle to feed Young Anthony catches Loki’s attention. Anthony… He follows a man carrying a tray with said milk container to a room on the fourth floor of the building. He slips into the room right behind the man and a woman is stood rocking a bundle of blankets back and forth.
She grabs the milk from the man and speaks quietly, "Really, Jarvis, Anthony isn’t even a month old and he’s already passed onto us. He won't know who his parents are until he’s old enough to be told."
Jarvis looked to the door and shushed the woman whose voice had grown in volume. "Rita please watch your tone. I understand your grievances but Sir has a company to run." Loki zoned out at this time. He doesn’t care much for the chattel of mortals.
He will wait for the older mortals to leave the child unattended before he acts. Loki ignores the tender way the mortals coo at and care for the child who has since stopped crying. He has yet to look at the thing. Thankfully It’s not too long before the child is asleep and left alone in the dark of the room.
Steeling himself Loki approaches the crib. He has a spell ready that will make it appear like the child simply stopped breathing in its sleep. The incantation was on the tip of his tongue and his hands ready to do the motions needed to finish this once and for all but before he could execute the spell Loki felt his whole body freeze.
The infant’s eyes were open and staring at him. He couldn’t breathe. The child just stared at him with what could almost be intelligence in its big brown eyes. Too much intelligence for being only a few weeks old.
Loki pulled out a knife, his hands far too shaky to pull off the spell. With heavy hands, he slowly reached into the crib and lined the knife up with the child's heart. It will be quick and painless, over before his little body knows what happened. He looked at the child with what he hoped was hate in his eyes. Weak. Insignificant. Mortal. A smear on his soul. How could this thing be his other half?
The thing in question reaches out and touches the tip of his blade, cutting its fragile skin immediately. Tears well up in his eyes at the pain and blood drips down its tiny hands. Loki’s heart lurches without his permission. The child lets out a soft cry and Loki slips the knife back into a dimensional pocket. He feels incredibly ancient and like a juvenile at the same time.
"Shhh, it’s okay," he tells the weeping infant. He rubs a finger over the cut and all traces of it disappear. The child is still scared from the shock of pain and continues to cry. Loki creates a dusting of green lights in the air above the crib and the infant stares in awe, his fear forgotten. He contorts the magic and it takes the form of a kitten. Loki smiles at the giggles caused by the magic kitten bouncing through the air chasing the lights.
After a few more moments of this Loki sighs heavily and with a wave of his hand the child falls back into a peaceful sleep.
Loki makes sure he appears back at the Bifrost when he makes it back to Asgard so that it is reported back to his father that this is where he reentered the city.
Heimdall is still there as expected and he looks at Loki like he's never seen him before. Damn. Forgot about him. Loki levels a challenging look at Heimdall. He matches it.
All Loki says is, "It is done."
"Are you sure of this Loki?" The other man replies.
"It is done, Heimdall," He reiterates. Another minute of staring each other down. With a deep sigh, the gatekeeper relents.
"If he asks I cannot lie to my king," The gatekeeper warns.
"Do what you will, I do not care." With that Loki left turned and strolled off the rainbow bridge and back to his quarters.
Heimdall sighed again once alone, truly exhausted. He peered once again at the tiny mortal that has managed to be spared by Loki. He wonders briefly how this little infant will somehow come back to bite them all in the ass.
When the Allfather asks Heimdall what came of the situation all he says is that Loki did what he had to. The Allfather accepts that answer asking no more.
Back on Midgard, Jarvis is befuddled by what looks like a drop of blood on an uninjured baby’s jumper.