Chapter 11
MUSPELHEIM
It was a group of the usual suspects. Sif and the warriors three had been ready to go moments after they received the summons. Loki had entertained the thought of leaving Thor behind but his plans were thwarted. The thunderer had been waiting for them next to Heimdall at the Bi-frost with his arms crossed and a stubborn set to his jaw.
With a sigh Loki had dismissed the thought of trying to convince him to the contrary. He’d simply turned to Heimdall to relay their destination as well as Anya’s, who had silently accompanied them.
They landed on Muspelheim some distance from the cave. The fiery planet rotated so slowly they couldn’t afford to wait for a more favorable spot to land. It had been a long, hot journey and no one was in a very good mood. They were all camped out under an alcove, the heat an uncomfortable constant between the cracks along the ground that bled magma and the mountains that were lit in eternal flames. Instead of huddling around a campfire, at the center of their campsite Loki had conjured a blue flame that emitted cold air. It was an ingenious creation if he did say so himself.
He spread out the map for them all to see, keeping the parchment hovering above the ground to avoid it catching on fire. “We should be entering the caverns just over that ridge by midday.” What he didn’t tell them about was the river of fire just over that ridge. There were ways to cross it easily, but it wasn’t an obvious bridge unless one knew what to look for. He was counting on that delay to seal Asgard’s fate. There was a possibility in desperation Thor would use Mjolnir to hurl himself over the divide but not even the God of Thunder could carry all of them. It would require multiple trips and a further delay, regardless of the outcome.
Thor was frowning thoughtfully at the map, his blue eyes moving from it to the ridge in the far distance. “Do you know what we will find?”
Loki was tempted to roll his eyes. Nothing in the archives nor anywhere else held any information. His knowledge stopped at the cave entrance and no one from Asgard had been here searching for Surtur since the fire demon had been confined all those thousands of years ago. But it was a fact that few AEsir would know so instead of snapping Loki grasped for patience with both hands. “The map only indicates the entrance, not what lies within.”
Thor nodded as if he had known the response, looking over the other warriors and authority in his tone. “Then you will remain here while we scout ahead.”
“Try to keep in mind who is king and who is not.” Loki lifted a single eyebrow, his tone dry.
Thor’s jaw was set to control his temper since he was trying to not start an argument. “I am well aware, brother.”
“Then allow me to plan our strategy.”
Sif interjected between the pair of them, asking, “What is our strategy?”
Thor glanced at her and Loki gestured loosely at their surroundings. “We are running short of time. Your method shows prudence but we have not the time for it. We will all go at first light.” Thor’s mouth moved as if to protest before his lips pressed together tightly and he nodded stiffly once. Loki huffed and shook his head. “You so obviously wish to lead, why give up the crown?”
Sadness flickered in Thor’s blue eyes as he replied. “Because of what lusting for the throne did to you.”
Loki’s face went blank as he asked, “Meaning?”
Thor made a gesture to encompass Loki from head to toe. “Look at what happened to you, Loki. Brother I do not recognize you…”
Loki started laughing. Loudly. Not as deranged as he was capable but it was still an uncomfortable sound. Not the light, melodious sound from his youth but something much darker and filled with bitterness.
The warriors all stiffened, but it was Sif who was bold enough to ask with concern in her voice, “Sire?”
Loki ignored her, shaking his head as he gave Thor an incredulous look. “Recognize me? You never knew me, favored son.”
“Brother, we have--…”
The trickster cut the thunderer off effortlessly, completing the predictable response. “Had a thousand years together.”
Thor nodded firmly in agreement. “Aye. We sat next to one another in the dining hall, trained under the same arms master.” Sif flinched at the mention of Tyr but kept her peace. “You have accompanied us on every adventure since you came of age. We fought in the same battles. How can you say I knew you not?”
Loki’s green eyes narrowed, his body stiffening and speaking carefully. “This is not a conversation you wish to have, Thor.” His words were laced with warning, his eyes not moving from Thor’s.
Thor felt everything inside of him clench as he struggled to hold on to the last tattered shreds of memories of their shared childhood. The perfect image in his mind had already been cracked and torn by the revelation of Loki’s perspective of Asgard in comparison to his own. But he’d desperately clung to the belief that he hadn’t wronged Loki as severely as the rest. “Brother I would know of these imagined slights so that they might be dealt with.”
The words were similar to the ones from Midgard, right before Loki used the Destroyer without thinking clearly in a fit of renewed rage. Poorly chosen words that almost guaranteed to get a reaction even if Thor still didn’t realize why. Loki loosened his control over his barbed tongue but kept a stranglehold over his temper as he gently refolded the map and sent it into magical storage. “Ah yes, of course. Because if you did not experience them then of course they did not occur. Very well, let us discuss my imagined musings. We will start with my place at your side during meals. I remember quite clearly losing my place centuries ago.” Glaring at Fandral who was studying his lap. “Was it two or three hundred years ago that I was told to move down?”
Fandral didn’t look up, speaking softly. “Three.”
Loki gestured loosely, agreeing. “Your friends were more important so being the good little shadow I made room for them at your behest. I stayed to the side and spent my time in the libraries. Ah, but you could never allow that. Thor must always be the center of attention. How many times would you drag me away from my own research to go gallivanting off on your adventures?”
Thor argued weakly. “An effort to include you.”
A devilish little smirk snaked across Loki’s face. “Perhaps, but I was never included as an equal. Always the one accused of jealousy; following where I was clearly unwanted when I would have preferred to be left alone.”
The thunderer was quick to shake his head, distress in his voice. “You were never unwanted, brother.” Sif flinched again. She wasn’t the only one.
Loki’s eyes grew cold, his voice hard. “Do not attempt to defend your actions with clarity you did not hold back then. I lived those centuries. Unless I was useful in aiding you in achieving your glory you had no time for me. Yes, I was to stay at the back and know my place.”
“I said that but one time--…”
The trickster sneered, his tone acidic with resentment. “Agreed. The words changed each time they were uttered but the meaning was the same. To assume my place at the back of the group as your shadow. As your favored magical pet. To utilize my sly nature, my lying tongue, and my tricks to do the dirty deeds that your honor could not allow. But you certainly enjoyed the victory even as you criticized my methods in assuring it. How many adventures during feasts boasted your own feats but omitted my contributions?”
Glances were exchanged all around but no one denied it. Thor felt the image shatter completely, realizing he hadn’t been the loving brother he’d thought he was. Thor nodded and lowered his head. “So you waited until I was mortal to enact your revenge.”
Revenge. How petty did Thor think he was? As if that had been his intent.
Yet even as Loki corrected Thor on that false assumption he couldn’t keep the bitterness from his voice. “I spent over a thousand years being trained to think as a prince. To hold the arrogance and entitlement of a leader over the realm. The son of a king…who was nothing more than a substitute. Spare parts, to utilize a mortal phrase. I was permitted to follow at your heels by Odin not so we could both return victorious, but to assure that you did so. A handful of minutes that I was on the throne, merely as caretaker and steward after your banishment, and those here couldn’t contain themselves. How quickly they scampered to your side. I was merely the second son, but they, father, all of Asgard wanted you. Needed you.” Everyone was studying their boots except Thor who was staring at Loki as if he’d never seen him before. “Had they known their place and remained on Asgard I never would have had need to send the Destroyer to delay your return.”
Thor just slowly shook his head in confusion. “Loki…why not tell me your intent?”
Loki tilted his head slightly, tone caustic. “Because I knew you. If we have a commonality, it is our innate selfishness. It was all about your glory. The mighty Thor. Upon your return you would immediately demand I relinquish the throne to you.” Loki knew Thor wouldn’t have even entertained Loki using it just long enough to accomplish what he needed.
“It was my right--…”
It was rare when Loki would initiate the brawl but this was the exception. Loki leapt the difference between them, giving Thor just enough time to stand. The others jumped to their feet belatedly but didn’t interfere, watching Loki grip Thor’s shoulders and snarl in his face. “What of mine?? He had no right to keep such a truth from me. To destroy the very foundation upon which I tread.”
The others all exchanged confused glances but none of them dared to make a sound. Loki bared his teeth even as Thor held onto his wrist guards firmly, answering him with barely veiled pain. “Just as you did so to me by lying to me of his death.” A lie that Thor had later discovered, and how he wished it was still a lie now.
Loki hissed venomously. “I wanted you to feel what I felt. The pain. The utter devastation.”
“It was petty, brother.”
Loki’s lips twitched suddenly, his moment of humor disconcerting. “Of course it was. Do not pretend to be surprised that I am capable.” Just as quickly as his mood switched in one direction, it moved in another as his mind spun around that moment in time. In all this time Thor didn’t move. He didn’t retaliate or struggle. He listened. Loki’s voice deepened, his eyes distant. “That was when I knew I had to act. I had to distinguish myself, to make myself useful to Asgard. You would never aid me in such an endeavor, which made you an obstacle.” A manic light filled Loki’s eyes but Thor calmly faced the storm of emotions. “No longer would I be a stolen relic. I would be vital. Needed. Irreplaceable.”
Something like devastation flashed in Thor’s eyes but he didn’t even attempt to speak in defense of Odin or Asgard. He knew what Loki was talking about and he was ashamed to admit it hadn’t occurred to him. Loki hadn’t been popular amongst the aristocracy. If it had been known that he was Jötunn all it would have taken was one poorly planned trick to ruin Loki’s life. With the truth known, Loki would have been forced to walk on egg shells for the rest of his very long life.
To be a male spell caster, one is looked down upon as a second class citizen. But while that caste is disrespected, there are worse fates on Asgard. The Jötunn were a conquered people and by many not even considered people. As a prince, mage or not, a noble could never demand Loki being indentured for a crime grave enough…but as a Jötunn it was not an unreasonable request. Odin would have done so to preserve the honor of the family. Because in the end Odin would always do what was good for Asgard and the family honor…even if it meant sacrificing a son to do it.
…unless Loki could perform an act so profound it would never be a consideration.
Loki tugged once sharply to be free, Thor not releasing him. The trickster sagged suddenly. “And when it all went so wrong…he banished you for such a small matter comparatively. I could only imagine what he would do with me.” And he had let go.
“And you returned to harm the mortals as reparations for what was said and done.” Thor spoke as if he were just restating fact.
Loki couldn’t hold back the wall of rage.
Green and gold magic coiled and exploded around Loki, throwing Thor and everyone else back several feet. Loki turned away, bending with clenched fists and screaming words so quickly it was impossible for them to follow. All of them sat there with wide eyes. It had been so long since anyone had heard their native tongue that wasn’t filtered through Allspeak, a language that allowed them to communicate with and understand the other races, that they couldn’t even understand him. Loki stood several paces away, his back turned, and breathing heavily with fists clenched at his sides.
The world around them rumbled, never ceasing, yet Loki breathing in controlled intervals was deafening to them. His voice was rough when he did speak. “AEsir fight their own battles.” That familiar phrase that had been drummed into them since childhood. Thor thought it was out of place now, not seeing the significance. Loki’s voice lowered, green eyes full of darkness. “…I wasn’t there to fight you.”
“Your methods secured a response from Asgard.” Thor’s response was softly spoken, full of reproach.
“Indeed, I wanted Asgard’s response.” Hogun’s expression turned thoughtful even as he remained silent. As if something that hadn’t fit in his mind suddenly did. Loki regained his seat, emotions hidden once more as he gestured and restored the blue flame. “And so you appeared, Midgard’s champion.”
“You forced my actions, Loki.”
“Hmm…yes. I suppose I did.” Loki bared his teeth in that classic smile of his that hid everything and for once they all saw the smile for what it was. A smile that they had seen for centuries that had been dismissed for amusement. “Before we detoured, you mentioned how coveting the throne changed me. This has always been me, Thor. You just did not wish to see it.” He sat up straighter with the authority of a king, his eyes daring Thor to contradict him. “We will journey in a few hours, I suggest sleeping while possible.”
Thor was missing something. He wasn’t sure what it was but there was something hovering beyond the words that he didn’t understand. As if Loki had offered all the necessary clues to discover the solution but it was still a puzzle he couldn’t solve. Instead of retorting or instigating yet another fight he would take a page out of his brother’s book. He would allow what was said to settle and hopefully the answer would present itself. Thor chose to remain silent and followed Loki’s suggestion.
HELHEIM
Farbauti’s brow furrowed in concentration as she asked, “What did he say?”
Odin was tight lipped, his jaw filled with tension. He had been alive for thousands of years. The last generations had grown up with All-Speak as their primary language but he had been raised during the time when the AEsir spoke their native tongue for centuries before learning All-Speak.
Hela glanced over at him for just a moment before translating, “No. It’s not the reason. But if I had one it’s because you love them more than me. I followed you because you asked it of me. I was dead to you until you had need of me. I died for you. Yet still you return to them without even seeing to my body properly.” Hela’s eyes returned to Odin to see his reaction as she spoke the last. “Brother is as hollow a title as father.”
If it was possible, Odin’s lips thinned even further.
ALFHEIM
Anya looked out the windows to her guest quarters with a small smile on her face. The realm of the light elves was so much milder than Asgard. Though she supposed that the temperature would vary during the seasons but right now it was temperate and calm. Beautiful.
From her vantage point she could see the elves moving along the pathways with a calm, graceful pace as if they had nothing pressing to do. There was a gentle knock at her doorframe and she turned away from the window to answer it before remembering that these were guest quarters to the community housing. Little details like doors didn’t exist at the main entrance to a room, only to bathing chambers, because light elves weren’t overburdened with modesty.
“Enter.”
A moment later a beautiful light elf flowed into the room. Her hair was a flowing white-gold that almost brushed the small of her back and her eyes were the most piercing blue Anya had ever seen. She tipped her head ever so slightly in Anya’s direction. “I am Sigyn.”
Anya dipped into a small curtsey. She didn’t know this elf from any other yet this one felt like an aristocrat of some sort to her. “Anya.”
Amusement touched the smallest corner of Sigyn’s mouth, the gentle smile that only an elf used moved her lips. “I am Et’ana. I believe your AEsir translation would be queen.”
After blinking in surprise several times Anya performed a deeper curtsy. “Your highness.”
“I did not tell you this so that you would bow to me. We are not a monarchy. It is merely a title.” Sigyn gestured almost dismissively, waving off Anya’s show of respect.
There was a time when she had been truly ambitious and had thought to apply for citizenship to Vanaheim in hopes of one day being a Queen there. But then the previous Et’ana, Azni, had adopted her so that Sigyn could be Queen of Alfheim when the older woman had passed on from this life. Her role didn’t quite sate her ambitious heart but she would do her duty, regardless.
Sigyn was not, however, a sheltered woman. She’d been to the other realms. The commoners of Asgard did not venture from their world without cause and usually one of the upper class were behind it. The Alfheim queen decided to get to the point. “I gather you were sent here for a purpose.”
Anya nodded almost immediately and pulled out a sealed envelope. “Ah, yes. This is for you.”
Sigyn barely even glanced at Anya as she broke the seal and read the contents. Her lips pursed ever so slightly before she folded the letter and asked, “Why did he send you here?”
“I don’t understand.”
The small elf smile made another appearance as she clarified, “This isn’t even sensitive information. Any number of means could have been utilized to deliver this yet he sends you to act as a personal courier. My curiosity is peeked.”
Anya shrugged slightly. “He asked that I deliver it.”
“And you obey without question?” Sigyn’s blue eyes narrowed as she studied this woman, wondering if perhaps the whole point was simply to get her out of Asgard.
“Of course.” A statement of fact, offered without hesitation and unconditionally.
“Hmm…” Sigyn turned away slightly, staring distantly as she thought through possible reasons. “What is the current state of Asgard?”
“I apologize but I am not at liberty to say.” Anya pressed her lips together, silent emphasis to her words that she would not betray her realm or her king.
“You would say nothing even if it were to mean a death sentence to remain silent?”
Sigyn could see the fear in this AEsir’s eyes. Yet, again, Anya replied without hesitation, “Yes. I am loyal to my king.”
“Most curious…” Sigyn’s question had been only a test of Anya’s resolve. She crossed to a window as she muttered this to herself.
Anya watched her silently for a moment before asking cautiously, “What is?”
“King Loki, even before his ascension, had amassed quite the reputation. Mischievous, cunning, unpredictable, powerful, and brilliant. From my understanding of your kind, this is not the sort of man that is respected or appreciated on Asgard.” Sigyn had answered while looking out. Now she turned and pinned Anya to her spot with her gaze. “You, however, are quite the conundrum.”
“I am loyal, as I should be.” Anya folded her hands in front of her body, speaking what she truly believed.
Sigyn slowly shook her head. She’d heard lip service of loyalty for centuries but every time a test was put before these people they folded like cards. Until now. “You are so much more than that. You hold the loyalty of a lover yet you are not, nor do you hold interest for him in that manner.” She continued to watch Anya’s subtle reactions as she spoke. “You carry the protective instincts of a mother for her child, yet he is not a child to you. I would almost describe the bond you hold to be for a sibling, but you do not see yourself as his equal.” She tilted her head slightly as she searched for an accurate description. “You are…complicated.” Now she smiled ever so slightly. “Nor would such feelings be developed only by yourself and not him as well, unless you were…psychotic. Which leads me to think that he has sent you here for a reason. As he gave you little information and the message is a thin excuse at best, I would theorize that he has sent you here to protect you. Hence my question of the state of Asgard.”
“I can speak of nothing I have heard.” Anya spoke slowly, her mind turning over what she could or even would say.
“Then speak of what you can. Anything out of the ordinary.”
Anya’s brow furrowed ever so slightly. It wasn’t a betrayal to speak of the weather. Why would it be a betrayal to speak of a natural phenomenon? It wasn’t an unheard of occurrence, for the ground to quake, but the duration of it had been odd. “…some hours before my departure the ground started to shake. It was a deep rumble that did not cease.”
Sigyn looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding her head and departing swiftly.
MUSPELHEIM
It could have taken three days, easily, especially with the river of fire in the way. He was also the only one with the map to enter the specific cave entrance. But Loki found himself almost involuntarily taking the middle paths to save time while still allowing their approach to the correct cave to go unnoticed. He couldn’t even describe what made him do it. It was almost as if…
Loki immediately shied away from even contemplating the possibility that he was unconsciously sabotaging himself. He forced himself to remember why this was happening and why he was doing this. Yet even with that reminder he wasn’t immediately swept away in a blind rage. A small seed of doubt planted in that moment and took root. A worry that his resolve was weakening.
Their journey took two days in total. Now they entered the caverns with the quiet assurity of trained warriors, their senses on alert for danger. It was much cooler in these tunnels than the surface. Loki lobbed a globe of green magic into the air, to hover above their heads so they could see.
He slanted a glare behind him. “The first person who mentions tricks will owe me their head.”
Thor frowned at Loki in disapproval. “Loki…”
The others ignored the pair of them. Now that they were out of the constant heat, Volstagg sighed in relief even as he complained loudly. “Tis hotter out there than the worst days of Asgardian summer.” Loki silently rolled his eyes.
Thor glanced at the rotund warrior with amusement on his face, Mjolnir on his belt even as he remained aware of their surroundings. “It is the realm of eternal fire.”
Volstagg grumbled to himself, “But even at night…how are we expected to sleep in such conditions?”
Sif huffed and glanced back at him, asking tartly, “How are we expected to sleep with your snoring?”
Fandral was fighting a grin as he asked Sif curiously, “Only his snoring?” She instantly snarled at him wordlessly, refusing to acknowledge the unspoken chide that she snored just as loudly.
Hogun ignored everyone’s bickering, ever practical. “What do you believe we will find?”
The warriors all looked thoughtful for a moment before throwing forward suggestions. Suggestions not as strange as one might think considering all had been found over the centuries in various realms.
Fandral was the first to offer a suggestion with a grin. “Treasure?” Several of their adventures had ended with finding various treasure hidden in the realms.
A cold little smile touched Sif’s lips. “A dragon?” She remembered well defeating a dragon on Vanaheim.
“A feasting hall?” Loki rolled his eyes again at Volstagg’s suggestion.
Thor continued to look amused, his blue eyes sweeping over the tunnel as they walked deeper within. “Not everything revolves around our appetite, my friend.”
Loki’s snarky retort was a familiar comfort to all of them. A reminder to a time of just a few years ago, before they had all been torn apart. “Thor, we are speaking of Volstagg. Everything revolves around a meal.”
Fandral asked quietly, a hint of hesitant amusement in his tone. “Just as everything revolves around books, sire?” Depending on his mood, Loki could take a comment like that to heart with terrible results.
Loki replied coolly, but not to a degree that indicated he was offended. His eyebrow was lifted sardonically. “Are we really reveling in vices considering your activities on Vanaheim?” Sif snickered softly.
Thor tilted his head back to laugh. “Well said, brother.”
Loki’s look turned sly, reminding Thor of his own carnal adventures. “Two words, Thor. Vanaheim feast.” In this instance the thunderer didn’t even wait to find a room, too drunk to remember there were others present. Thor was no longer laughing but the others were. Except for Hogun, whose eyes showed his amusement.
“Loki.” Thor’s tone was full of warning.
Loki’s reply was silky as he asked. “Yes, Thor?”
Thor ignored the dangerous tone, as he always had. Whether Loki was prince or king, he wasn’t about to be intimidated by his little brother. “Less we will be discussing your own ventures on Alfheim, I suggest you desist.”
Unlike Asgard, Loki was very popular on Alfheim. It was a popularity that Loki had been ill prepared for. The women as well as the men were drawn to him for his mind as well as the rarity of his features. The light elves were known to aggressively proposition Asgard’s second son. Aggressive enough that more than once during diplomatic visits Loki had been forced to share the same rooms as Thor so he could sleep the night unmolested.
Even Hogun chuckled softly as red raced across Loki’s scowling face.
They came to a stop at what could only be the entrance to Surtur’s former cage. With a slight frown of concentration and a curious tilt to his head, Loki walked towards the empty panel where no doubt the power source had been contained. Lightly with his finger he traced the metal that reminded him of Midgardian circuitry.
“By the Gods…it goes on forever.” The others all took a turn looking within the interior that did indeed seem to go on forever. Loki wasn’t interested in where Surtur had been contained. He was much more fascinated by his discovery.
Thor noticed the trickster’s focus and asked, “What is it, brother?”
Frowning now, his tone filled with soft wonder as he answered Thor, “Uru…refined in a way unheard of.” There was a reason the magical metal was forged into blunt objects and large weapons. It was too hard to manipulate into something so delicate. At least to his knowledge.
Sif held herself stiffly, weapon in hand. “Can he be returned to his cage?”
Loki’s eyes flicked in her general direction before taking several steps back, moving his hands intricately. “Let us determine what was taken and we shall see.”
Hogun frowned and Fandral’s mouth moved as if to speak, all of them twitching as a transparent figure moved without acknowledging them. Loki grinned at their reactions, watching as his magic replayed the last few moments of the ‘power source’ being taken. His minion was speaking to someone and he expanded the spell.
“Is that--…”
“Hela. Yes.” Loki didn’t lose his grin but his jaw did tighten, recognizing Hela anywhere. But then again he wasn’t surprised. She didn’t directly interfere, at least not often. She toyed with people and put choices before them but for the most part she left their fate in their own hands…and the consequences that followed. His eyes drifted back to his minion. He wanted to know what the power source was. His grin slipped completely as he caught sight of what was removed.
Thor was frowning in concentration. “It glows as the Tesseract does.”
“I would imagine it does.” The image faded but Loki didn’t move. “It is an infinity gem. Considering the nature of his imprisonment, I would venture it was the Reality Gem.”
“Could we not use one of the others in Asgard’s vault?”
Loki shook his head slightly, responding almost automatically. “No. Each gem carries unique properties.” His mind was circling like a whirlwind, cursing himself a fool. Loki glanced to the right, at a narrow crevice that extended outward with writing along the wall. He needed a few moments away from their watchful eyes before he absolutely lost control. “I will investigate this tunnel here, to determine if there are alternatives.” He doubted the writing would be of use, it was just a convenient excuse. “Remain here.”
Thor puffed himself up slightly to object, but a withering look thrown his way by Loki had him deflating slightly. It reminded him that he had walked away from his right to the throne. Kingship was now Loki’s right and privilege and as his brother it was Thor’s self-appointed duty to support him. After a considered pause Thor managed to swallow his objections and nod. “We will await your return, brother.”
Loki nodded slightly, again internally surprised. He left the glowing orb with them and instead created a second one as he walked away.
Author's Notes:
A friend of mine asked me once what Loki had screamed at Thor and anyone else smart enough to understand. Couldn't resist. :)
Next:
Loki comes to a decision; Thor catches a clue