Planting the seeds
Chapter 5:
When Loki and Thor returned to the common-floor, he saw that the rest of the avengers were there, obviously waiting for them. As soon as he and Thor entered, all five of them looked up at them. He saw several looks of hesitation, though there were also some glimmers of concern.
"Hey," Steve began, getting up from the couch he had been sitting on.
He carefully walked towards the two of them.
"How you feeling?" He asked. "You gave us quite a scare there... But I can kind of understand, I mean..."
"Yes," Loki said dryly. "My apologises for reacting so poorly to learning that my father is actually my grandfather, my brother is actually my uncle, and that my mother is so insane that she was imprisoned for a millennia by her own father."
Steve shuffled nervously.
"Sorry..."
"It is fine Captain." Thor replied. "My brother is still dealing with his... Emotions."
"Maybe we should sit down." Steve offered.
The three of them joined the rest of the team without a word.
"Well," Stark began. "You didn't break my tower again, so that's a plus. But you did break that band thing that kept you from the rest of your magic."
Thor tensed.
"Is that all that matters to you Stark...?"
"It is fine Thor." Loki interrupted.
Thor glanced at him.
"You just experienced a magical and mental breakdown, and all this mortal can care about is his tower!"
"I am not offended." Loki replied calmly.
"Hey, it's not that I don't care." Stark said. "I was just trying to defuse the tension, try to take your mind off things."
"Appreciated." Loki replied. "At least you are being honest."
"Hey, no problem." Stark replied.
He then lent in closer to Loki.
"But if you want to talk, I have experience with shitty dads."
This actually made Loki chuckle.
"Thank you for the offer."
Barton cleared his throat.
"Okay, now that we've confirmed Loki is okay, what should we do about Hela?"
Thor frowned.
"Father wishes for me to take Loki back to Asgard, as he fears that he will betray us for Hela."
"But your not going to do that, are you?" Romanov asked, much to Loki's surprise. Why should she care whether or not he was taken back to Asgard?
Thor shook his head.
"Nay, I shall not. I fear that it will only do more harm than good for my brother, and I trust him not to side with Hela."
Barton's eyes narrowed.
"How do you know he won't betray you?"
Thor was about to stand, but Loki pushed him back down.
"Because Barton, I would rather side with my brother, who actually gives a dam about me, than a woman who only wants me for my power." He replied.
Barton winced, which brought Loki some satisfaction.
"Wait, how do you know she wants you for your power?" Banner asked.
Loki sucked in a breath.
"Because, she spoke with me in my dream."
The results of this statement were several exclamations of shock and horror.
"So... She can just... Go into our dreams?" Stark asked incredulously. "How?"
"She possesses a Vanir Mirror." Loki replied. "A very powerful magical artifacts. With this, she is able to see and hear us at any time, any where."
"Shit." Stark said.
"Oh, great." Barton muttered.
"She can also enter our dreams." Loki continued. "Though this takes much more concentration, but it can be used to intimidate us, invade our minds, or even kill us."
"Great." Stark muttered.
"Is there any way of stopping her from using her mirror on us?" Steve asked.
Loki nodded.
"I can make us all talismans, though I will need several herbs from Vannaheim."
"I will go and retrieve them." Thor replied. "You are still banished to this realm, and I doubt Father will allow you to leave, even for this."
Loki nodded. He then summoned a piece of paper and a pen, and wrote a list of what he would need. He handed it to Thor.
"Get these as soon and discretely as you can." He said.
Thor nodded.
"I shall brother."
And with that, the thunderer left, leaving Loki with the five remaining avengers.
"Well," Loki began after a long and awkward pause.
"I will be going to the training floor to, as you mortals say, blow off some steam."
And with that, he too went towards the lifts and went down to the floor that had been turned into gyms for the team's training.
Hela stepped out of the portal, Fenris at her heels, into the cold that she had not felt for a thousand years. She looked at her surroundings to see the familiar temple, where she had given birth to her son.
The son who had rejected her.
Hela gritted her teeth. She was still trying to recover from the rejection. Part of her felt she would never recover.
But not to worry. She knew he would come around. Deep down, they both wanted the same thing. Revenge. Revenge against Odin and all of Asgard.
Now, she had to focus on achieving her revenge. And it all began here, in Jottenheim.
The frost-giants had as much reason as any to hate Odin, considering all that they had suffered from the old fool. She was going to convince them to join her cause. And once Loki came around, he could take his rightful place as King.
Hela grinned. It would be the perfect revenge against Odin. He had desired to make Loki a puppet-king to control the frost-giants. Well, he wanted Loki as king of Jottenheim, so that was what he was going to get. Unfortunately for him, the puppet would have no strings.
Hela was broken out of her musings by the sound of approaching footsteps. Just as she summoned a sword to her hand, a frost-giant burst threw the door leading into the main chamber of the temple. Fenris began to growl, but Hela silenced him. It took her a few seconds to recognise him.
"Halt intruder." The giant began. "How dare you come to this sacred place with... You." He hissed the last word.
Hela grinned.
"Hello Skjold." Hela replied.
The frost-giant in question scowled. They had briefly known each other during the war. He had been one of Laufey's most trusted advisers. Though they had only spoken to each other a handful of times, it was evident that he recognised her.
"We believed you dead." Skjold said in disbelief.
"Evidently, I am not." Hela replied calmly.
Skjold scowled.
"So you have been alive, whilst my King grieved for you. I suppose you ran off with King Laufey's child once you saw the destruction brought by your war." He spat.
Hela scowled.
"I did not leave willingly. Odin banished me, and I was unable to escape until now."
Skjold clenched his fists.
"Why have you returned here? Have we not suffered enough from the house of Odin?"
Hela frowned.
"I have come here seeking an alliance..."
Skjold scoffed.
"Just as you did a millennia ago?" He asked sarcastically. "Because that went oh so well."
"This time will be different." Hela retorted.
"I have no reason to trust you." Skjold spat. "My King died, without an heir, because of you and the rest of Odin's spawn."
Hela raised an eyebrow.
"What do you believe happened?" She asked.
"I know what happened." Skjold retorted. "The elder son of Odin came here with his friends and slaughtered many of us. And then, the younger tricked Laufey into believing he would help us take our revenge upon Odin, only to be betrayed by the wretched son of a..."
Hela threw a dagger at him, narrowly missing his head.
"Do not speak of him in such a way." She hissed.
Skjold sneered.
"Why, protective of your little brother?"
"He is not my brother." Hela growled.
Skjold scoffed.
"Regardless of your feelings towards your traitorous kin, the damage remains the same."
He gestured angrily around them.
"It is civil war, out there. Faction upon faction are trying to claim Jottenheim, the throne that had been left empty from Laufey's death, and it is all because of the house of Odin."
"What if I were to tell you that I can fix this?" Hela said calmly.
"Oh, and how will you do this?" Skjold demanded.
Hela grinned.
"I can unite the factions together, and put the rightful King of Jottenheim upon his throne."
"We have no King." Skjold retorted. "Laufey had no other children, besides the one you bore him. And Odin killed him long ago."
Hela's grin widened.
"No, Laufey's son lives still." She said.
Skjold's eyes widened.
"What do you mean?"
Hela sneered.
"Do you truly believe Odin would not concoct a horrible scheme involving my child?"
"How so?"
"Think about the younger son of Odin." Hela began. "You have seen him, have you not?"
Skjold nodded.
"Well," Hela began. "Did he not look quite different in comparison to his brother?"
Skjold frowned.
"You also look very different to Thor Odinson."
"That would be because we do not share the same mother, and our mothers looked very different. Now, how did the two men look?"
"Well, while the thunderer was gold of hair and had eyes of blue, the trickster had hair as dark as night and eyes of emeralds." Skjold replied. "But you also have hair of night and eyes of emeralds."
Hela grinned.
"Is it not strange, that two who have fair hair and blue eyes would conceive a child with hair of night and eyes of emeralds? And is it not strange that a man who was presumably born from the Asgardian Queen's secret pregnancy at the end of the war would resemble me so strongly when I myself more resembled my mother than my father? If you compare myself to the two men, then Thor looks more like the half-sibling than I."
Skjold frowned for a long time in concentration. Then, his eyes widened. His eyes examined her closely.
"No." He breathed. "Are you... Are you saying that...?"
"Yes." Hela replied. "Loki is my son, Laufey's son, and the rightful King of Jottenheim. Odin took him, seeking to make him a puppet-king when the time came. Unfortunately, Laufey's son proved to be too wayward for him."
Skjold shook his head.
"Regardless of the man's true heritage, he is still the one who killed Laufey. He is a kinslayer, and no one will accept him as king."
"Yes, they will." Hela retorted. "We only have to convince them that Loki was a victim in this, just as much as they were. If they see that he too was a mere pawn in the All Father's games, then surely they would be more willing to accept him. Especially if he promises them justice for the death of his Father and their king."
Skjold frowned.
"But would he not be loyal to Odin still?"
Hela scoffed.
"After all that he had suffered, I doubt it."
Skjold was quiet for a long time.
"Yes, this could work." He said.
Hela grinned. The frost-giants were very loyal to their own kind. She was sure that once they heard Loki's side of the story, they would put the blame of Laufey's death upon Odin where it belonged.
"But why is he not here himself?" Skjold continued.
Hela frowned.
"Despite his hatred for Odin, he remains loyal to Thor."
Skjold scowled.
"Then how can we trust him?" The giant demanded.
Hela grinned.
"He shall come around. I know it. The desire for revenge will convince him."
Skjold frowned, but nodded.
"Very well." He said. "Then how have you planned on taking down Odin and all of Asgard?"
Hela grinned.
Loki had found himself in one of the gyms. He had spent the last several hours taking his frustrations out on what the midgardians called a "Punching-bag". He had become hot and discarded his shirt long ago. His mind was still a mess of thoughts and emotions. And at the centre of it, was that song.
Now, after Hela had visited him in his dream, he remembered the song all too clearly. It now flowed threw his mind, echoing in his thoughts.
Mischief Son, I'll shake your belief,
Once you discover, that you're Father's a thief...
She had been manipulating him. All his life, this song had given him comfort. It had helped him during some of the darkest of times. But now... It only brought him pain.
She had been manipulating him. Whispering on the wind of how Odin was lying to him. She knew that he did not remember the words. But the whispers were enough to plant the seeds in his mind.
For we are the prof, of how he lied for, centuries...
His entire life was a lie. The truth was always held just out of his grasp, and he did not even know it.
Laufeyson, Odinson, Laufeyson,
Odinson, Laufeyson, Odinson...
She had even tried to turn him against Thor. She had seen his envy of his brother, and had attempted to manipulate it for her own ends.
Mischief Son, your spirit will hate him,
The son that was born, to my father the traitor...
She claimed to love him. But he knew the truth. She only wanted him for his power.
Mischief son, each day you grow strong,
Each moment I'm planning, for I know Odin grows older...
But what was she planning? What did she intend to do with him, once she gained his power.
For the child of my body,
The flesh of my soul,
Shall die fight, for the birthright Thor stole...
Was that it? Did she wish for him to die for the throne of Asgard? For the throne that she believed was rightfully hers, and that she believed Thor stole from her?
Loki clenched his fists.
That was what it all came down to. The bloody throne of Asgard. He honestly could not care less about the dam thing. He had never truly wanted the throne. He had only ever wanted to be as loved as Thor.
But no, he would never be loved as much as Thor.
He was only a pawn in the fight between Odin and Hela. Both claimed to love him, and yet both only used him until he was a mere shell of himself. He had been manipulated for his entire life, and he was tired of being manipulated!
Thud.
Loki looked to see that he had accidentally broken the punching-bag. Great, now the avengers would be angry at him.
"Having fun?"
He looked to see Agent Romanov, leaning against a wall and staring at him.
"I am fine." Loki said. "Sorry about that." He added, gesturing to the broken punching-bag.
The assassin only shrugged.
"It's okay. Cap does that all the time. We keep a healthy supply."
The two stared at each other.
"Something on your mind?" She asked
Loki clenched his fists.
"Nothing." He said. "Just... Do you remember that song I was singing when you came into my room?"
Romanov raised an eyebrow.
"I remember it now." He continued. "For my entire life it had always been just on the edges of my thoughts, and I could never remember it. But now I do, and it turns out it was just a way for Hela to manipulate me using her dam Vanir Mirror."
He did not know why he was confessing all of this to her. He supposed he just needed to let it out.
"My entire life has been a lie. I am nothing more than a weapon, a pawn in the game between Hela and Odin, and I am tired of it!"
He could feel his body shaking. He looked at his hand in horror to see it was becoming blue, so he quickly calmed himself down. Thankfully, his skin returned to it's usual pale complexion. He looked up to see that Romanov had walked over to him. They looked into each others eyes, barely a foot apart.
"I know how it feels." She said quietly. "The people who made me... They taught me to only do one thing, and that was to kill who they told me to. For a long time my life revolved around this one order. I was only a weapon to them, just like the others who were trained by them."
They continued to look into each others eyes.
"Why are you talking to me, Agent Romanov?" He asked quietly.
"Barton was sent to kill me." She began just as quietly. "He saw that there could be good in me, so he gave me a second chance. This is me giving you the same chance."
Loki sneered.
"Your ledger is dripping, it's gushing red, and you think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything?"
"This is not about my ledger." She replied calmly. "This is about giving someone like me another chance."
"I am like you?" Loki asked. "How?"
"You are a victim." She replied. "A victim of other people's schemes."
"And you believe I can be redeemed?"
"We shall see." Romanov replied.
The two were silent for a long time. Finally, Romanov spoke again.
"Do you still need to blow off some steam?" She asked. "Cause I'm feeling in the mood for a fight."
Loki raised an eyebrow.
"Are you not afraid I shall hurt you?"
Romanov grinned.
"Like to see you try."
And with that, she sprung on him.
Steve and Tony were sitting in a room that had a window looking into the gym that Loki had taken. They had watched him beating up a punching-bag, and now they were watching as he fought against Natasha. They were doing this to ensure Loki did not accidentally destroy anything, or anyone. Or at least, this had been the idea at first. Now, they were only watching the match between the assassin and the Asgardian.
"They're pretty good." Steve observed.
"Yeah." Tony agreed. Somehow, Steve did not know how, he had actually gotten some popcorn to eat while watching the match. "Who do you think will win?"
Steve shrugged.
"I don't know. Loki's got the superior speed and strength, but Natasha has some tricks up her sleeve."
Tony nodded.
"How long do you think it'll be until clothes go flying and they do another kind of fighting?"
Steve spluttered, his face becoming red.
;Wha!?"
Tony chuckled.
"Oh come on Cap, just look at them. Surely even you can see the sexual tension. Remember when they were talking all up close?"
Steve cleared his throat.
"We don't know what they were talking about." He argued.
It was true. While they could look at them, they could not here them.
Tony shrugged.
"There's something going on. I can see it now."
"See what?" Thor asked as he entered the room, his arms filled with strange herbs.
"Hey Thor, did you get everything?" Steve asked.
Thor nodded.
"Yes. I had to go to Vannaheim, as I did not wish to draw father's attention by taking them from Mother's old garden."
He put the herbs on the table.
"Now, what were the two of you discussing?"
Steve attempted to speak, but he was stopped by Tony speaking first.
"We were talking about how long it will take for Natasha and your brother to do the dirty."
Steve's face became red again. Thor merely stared at him blankly.
"What would prompt such an idea?" He asked.
Tony gestured to the window, where Natasha and Loki still fought.
"Look at that. Can't you see the unspoken sexual tension?"
Thor stared at his brother and the assassin for a long time. Finally, he shrugged.
"Yes, I can see something between them, it is true. However, I doubt that anything will come of it."
"Why?" Tony asked
Thor sighed and sat down.
"Despite my brother's reputation, he has not had much in the way of a romanic life. While he has had the occasional lover over the centuries, they have never resulted in anything in the way of romance. Not since his adolescence."
"What?" Tony asked in surprise.
Thor nodded gravely.
"He has never quite gotten over his first love."
"Who?" Tony asked.
Thor smiled.
"She was a lovely young woman, of the Vanir. Loki adored her. She was the only one who never mocked him for his use of magic."
"You mean Sigyn?" Steve asked.
Thor blinked.
"He told you of Sigyn?"
Steve nodded.
"He told me that she was one of his closest friends."
Thor chuckled.
"Oh, they were far more than that."
"Who was she?" Steve asked.
Thor sighed.
"She was the younger daughter of the queen of Vannaheim, Freya. Mother would frequently take Loki on extended trips to Vannaheim to learn from their academy of magic. During these trips he met Sigyn, and they instantly hit it off. She was kind and loyal to him, and he the same. She would defend him whenever someone mocked him."
Thor then frowned.
"Then, rumours began to spread about them. Rumours that they had been... Intimate with each other. They were both members of great royal houses, so Father had to do something to prevent a scandal. His only solution was to banish Sigyn."
"What?" Both Steve and Tony said in shock.
"Couldn't Loki and Sigyn have just gotten married?" Steve continued.
Thor shook his head.
"Both were only in their late five hundreds."
Tony choked on his snack-food.
"Only in their late five hundreds?" He spluttered.
"To you Midgardians they would have only been what you would call teenagers." Thor continued. "They were not of age, so they could not wed."
Steve frowned.
"If they weren't adults, then Sigyn would have only been a kid. And yet Odin banished her?"
Thor shook his head.
"I am not making excuses for my Father's actions. Even then I thought that what he had done was wrong."
Thor sighed and stared at his brother through the window.
"I am ashamed that I have been so blind to my brother's true pain until now. However, even I could see the impact of losing Sigyn. He loved her, still loves her, so much that his interactions with woman never go further than a night or two of passion. He refuses to believe she could be dead, and still holds out hope that she still loves him as he does her. They had quite a profound bond."
Both Steve and Tony were silent for a long time. Steve could understand how Loki felt. His dreams were still filled with the memory of Peggy, and the dance they had never had.
"So wait," Tony finally said. "How olds Loki now?"
"Soon he will be 1048." Thor replied.
Toy again spluttered.
"A thousand and forty eight?"
Thor grinned.
;YES, quite young actually."
"And how old are you?" Steve asked.
"I am a century older than Loki." Thor replied.
Steve was silent, trying to process this information. Tony however, did not need as much time.
"So wait," He began. "What you're saying is that, Loki has been hung up on his height school sweetheart for almost five hundred years?"
Thor sighed.
"Yes, I am afraid so."
"Wow." Tony said. "If Loki loved this Sigyn so much, and he's been suffering for this long because Odin banished her... Thor, no offense, but your dad has got to be the biggest dick ever."
Steve did not argue. From what he was hearing, Odin was responsible for centuries of suffering, and the reason why Loki had done what he did. He felt that if he did actually meet the king of Asgard, that he would not be able to keep from punching him.
Thor sighed again and looked at his brother. He could indeed see something growing between his brother and Agent Romanov. Though he still did not believe that anything would come of it, save perhaps a night or two of passion. He knew that his brother's heart still bled for the love he had lost a long time ago. But part of him could only hope that something did truly come of this growing connection between Loki and Romanov.