Author's Note: This story takes place just after Sif comes to Earth to apprehend Lorelei on Agents of Shield and after the ending scene of Thor: the Dark World where Loki is glamored to look like Odin.
This was originally intended to come out much sooner, but I became caught up with school and my attempts to perfect this fic more.
For those of you waiting for updates on my other fics, I thank you for your patience and continued support and I assure you that it will be rewarded soon as I am working on updates for both Watson's Angel and Ms. Jekyll and the Iron Princess.
Enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I do not own either the Agents of Shield show or the Marvel movie series. This is just my take on potential loose ends left hanging by the two.
The warrior woman had her pinned down and, effectively, muzzled. No matter how hard she tried to speak, the red-head could not get sound to come out. The last words she would speak for the next millenia or so were to be an unfinished jibe about the warrior's crush? So unfair.
The dark-haired warrior spoke. "No, Lorelei. It won't be that easy for you. Odin means to have you lead an army. Under his orders."
Lorelei worked hard to ensure the smirk stayed hidden in her eyes. The warrior woman - Sif - was under the impression that Odin was immune to Lorelei's powers. She was wrong. Odin had never been able to resist her - he is just a man, after all - and no man could resist her. Well...no man still alive, that is. And her collar would have to be removed in order for her to control an army...oh, this would be far too easy.
The pair arrived in the control room of the Bifrost where Heimdall stood stoically staring out at the vastness of space. "The king is in the throne room - he wishes for you to bring her to him immediately."
Nodding, Sif pulled Lorelei by the arm.
The guards opened the doors to the throne room for the women. The king was sitting on the throne with his head leaning against his hand in a rather bored manner. Huginn and Muninn sat perched upon the top of the backrest. At the opening of the giant doors, he immediately sat up straighter and adopted a stony expression.
Sif dragged Lorelei to the foot of the throne where she then pushed her to a kneeling position. Bowing in respect, "My king, I have brought you the criminal Lorelei, as you requested." Then she paused, as if wanting to say more.
Knowing full well what she wanted to say, but wanting to make her say it anyway, "Yes, Lady Sif?"
She hesitated, as though unsure what would happen if he didn't like what she wanted to say next. She searched for a long moment to find the diplomatic way of approaching it before finally giving up. Diplomacy had never been her strong suit. For that matter, it had never been a particular strength with Thor or the Warriors Three, either. She would say that the fact that the five of them were still living was a miracle - given their combined propensity for starting fights - but that would be giving a certain individual far too much credit.
At the king's look of exasperation, Sif spoke up. "Sire, I do not think it wise to do anything with this criminal. Unless of course you mean to kill her or lock her up."
Raising an incredulous, yet somehow still amused eyebrow, the king challenged, "Oh?"
"You bested her once before, Sire, with the help of the Allmother but -"
Angrily, "I had no help. I resisted her once, and I shall do it again." Before Sif could say anything further, "You may leave my presence once you have unchained her."
Shocked, Sif opened her mouth once more but was cut off by a glare from her king. "Yes, my liege." Sullenly, she unchained Lorelei.
As she moved to leave the room, she heard the Allfather's voice. "The collar as well, Lady Sif."
Grudgingly, she did as she was told. The man had to be going soft - probably due to the recent losses in his family. And he'd been doing such a good job until such time as he decided to make Lorelei the commander of the army.
Lorelei remained kneeling on the floor as Sif exited the room. She'd had to resist the urge to taunt or strangle Sif. She didn't want to tip anyone off to her advantage before she and the king were alone in the throne room. But with Sif gone..."Thank you, Allfather." She turned her gaze upon him and layered her words with all the siren quality she could muster.
The king seemed unfazed by her magic, so she stood up and walked over to him, all the while maintaining that sultry look for which she was famous. As she reached his throne, she put her hand on his as she started to circle around the side of the throne so that she was leaning over the armrest and on his shoulder. "Thank you ever so much for this gift, my king. But is not all that armor uncomfortable? 'Tis just you and me here - there are so many better activities in which we could be engaged right now, do not you agree?"
While it was true his gaze and posture were no longer stony, he still didn't appear to be under her spell. In fact, he seemed rather amused. This wasn't right. He was stronger than most men, true, but he still wasn't strong enough to resist her. It was time to turn up the heat.
The king began to lounge back in the chair - the very picture of calm and relaxed - as Lorelei began upping her advances. Eventually, she'd found her way onto the throne and the king's lap. She leaned in to whisper in his ear, "I am sure you have ideas. I know I do..."
"Of that, I have no doubt, Lorelei."
That voice. That wasn't the right voice - that voice haunted her at night, that voice held traces of amusement which the Allfather had never possessed, that voice belonged to a much more terrifying individual than the current king of Asgard -
The man before her fizzled into a different form. Still a man, though much younger, much more attractive, and much more dangerous. "Loki," she breathed as though she were afraid that if she spoke too loudly, it would all be proved true. "It cannot be..." Her voice cracked in fear.
The dark haired man smirked at her. Raising one eyebrow in mock query, "Oh? And why is that?"
Lorelei shivered at the low undertones in his voice. She squeezed her eyes shut and whispered her next words as though they were a prayer, "Because you are dead."
At this, the man laughed. But it wasn't a genuine, friendly laugh - it was dark and wry. "People have an amusing tendency to believe whatever they wish." He gestured to his currently healthy form, "As you can see, rumors are often false." A dangerous smirk appeared on his face, "Especially where I am concerned."
The siren woman scrambled off his lap and fell to the floor where she stayed, shrinking back in fear. "Where is the king?"
"I am the king." Humble.
"The real king."
His boastful expression cracked just enough to show an inner rage. "I am the 'real' king."
She shook her head. "Then why are you posing as the Allfather? Where is Odin?"
Effecting a mock grave expression and tone, he played at somber. "I am afraid he is in the Odinsleep."
"What did you do to him." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.
Loki rolled his eyes at the woman curled up on the steps before him. "I have hurt him not, Lorelei. Although, apparently the news of his adoptive son's demise was taken harder than I had thought was likely." A darkly amused look crept into his eyes, "Though I do suppose this is the second time he has fallen ill after something to do with me...he seems not to conduct himself properly under pressure..."
"Why not simply kill him?"
"Well I can hardly put up the glamor of a dead man, now can I?"
Lorelei's eyes widened. "You need him alive to maintain the image..." Loki gave her a bored expression. Another thought occured to her. "B-but what will you do when he wakes?"
That dark, wry laugh of his came back, echoing around her ears. "Oh, my dear Lorelei...I am afraid the Allfather will never wake again."
"So, you will pretend to be someone else for the rest of your life? What will you do when he is truly gone? Pretend to be Thor?" She expected a dark look. She expected him to call his guards and throw her back in prison. She expected a lot of things.
What she didn't expect was a smile. A real one. "Of course not - I think I would surely lose my mind if I were to impersonate my dear brother for any length of time."
Avoiding the obvious, 'I was unaware you were still in possession of the mind of which you speak' comment, she instead elected to ask him, "Then...why are you smiling? Can you keep the Allfather alive but in the Odinsleep indefinitely?"
He shook his head, but his smile never left his face. At her look of confusion he mocked, "What? Not even a half-hearted guess? Surely it cannot be all that complicated to surmise..."
"You want the throne for yourself - that much is obvious - but none of the Einerharjar would ever follow you as...well, as you."
He pushed himself off of the throne and crouched on the floor a few steps above her, further making himself an imposing figure. "Which is where you come in, siren." He spit the last word out as a taunt. A dare. Knowing she held no power over him.
In shock, "You think I would help you take over Asgard?"
He nodded sagely. "I am rather confident of the fact."
"Why?" She couldn't even fathom it. This man had tricked her, had imprisoned her, so why would he think she would ever help him? She owed him nothing.
"Actually, you do."
Pulled from her thoughts, "What?"
"You do owe me a debt." Before she could cut him off, "Who do you think caused the power surge that let you out of your cell? Did this not enable you to stretch your vocal muscles for a time? That sort of thing does not simply happen. At least, not without a bit of help. Of the magical variety."
Realization dawned in her eyes. "You wanted me to escape. Why?"
He gave the woman before him a look of pure condescension. "Because Asgard needs to think the Allfather is foolish. If they think Asgard's security is down, they will automatically grow nervous. And then, when you become commander of the army, they will either believe that he controlled by you or that he is no longer mentally fit for the throne, making him vulnerable to your machinations. They need to believe they require a new king. And when you turn his army against him, the stress will become too much for him and he shall fall into the Odinsleep." He said all this with an overdone melodramatic flair. "Of course, this time it will be too late for the Odinsleep to do him any good. You will take over Asgard for a short time - mind you, it will be a very short amount - and I shall come back to stop you. I -"
"You will look the hero," she finished.
"Exactly. Even the disgraced son will appear as a king when he comes back to save the people from your reign of terror. Following this meeting of ours, I - as Odin - will give you a 'second chance'. You shall be placed under - what is it the mortals call it? Oh yes - 'house arrest'. You will be confined to the palace where you will have access to the Einerharjar -"
"What part of this plan is a benefit to me?" She could finally feel the fire returning. She was enraged - how could he think she would go along with this plan? If she did, she would be signing her own death warrant.
Still with the condescending smirk plastered across his face, "Because, dear Lorelei, when I 'save' Asgard from your mutiny, they shall all see that I - and I alone among all men - am immune to your magic. That the last time you were defeated, it was I who bested you, but that I graciously gave all of the glory over to my father. But instead of locking you back up in your old, 'faulty' cell, I will ensure you have safe passage back to Midgard."
"And how would that help me if I am to be collared once more?"
He leaned back against the steps, legs sprawled in front of him, still with that infuriatingly condescending smirk. "Thor is on Midgard. I designed your collar, therefore I - and I alone - am capable of setting the collar so that your...charms will be able to affect my precious brother, Thor."
Incredulous, "I would not have him as a mindless slave - he shall either love me truly, or not at all."
Lazily, "Well, then I suppose you shall have to find a new man to become infatuated with as he is in love with a mortal woman and I do not foresee that relationship ending for any other reason than her death. Nor do I believe that your murder of her would be taken as a token of affection..." He raised an eyebrow at her, "And what is this newfound aversion to controlling him?"
Lorelei blushed from embarrassment. "I was young and foolish -"
"Some things never change, Lorelei. You are still foolish." After a brief pause filled with Loki's very loud smirk, "But why should that stop you from attaining your goals? Take the help, Lorelei - he will never be yours any other way." His stare pierced her eyes.
"Why would you give him to me?"
With another eye-roll, "Because I wish to ruin his happy ending - why is that so difficult a concept to grasp?"
"Why not simply kill the mortal woman? If you give him to me, he will not know that he is being controlled and he will not suffer."
He smiled at that, "But I will know. And in the end, nothing else truly matters. Consider, if I kill the mortal, then her suffering is over - but if I take him away from her, her pain will be eternal. And in all honesty, Lorelei, that is simply far too entertaining an opportunity to pass up. She is a simpering, weak little thing who thinks herself good enough for a god."
After a long moment, she looked up at him. "I do not truly have a choice, do I?"
His frustration was beginning to show. "What is there to decide between? Help me willingly and spend the rest of your days with your precious Thor. Attempt to defy me, and I will take the help I need, ensuring that after I assume my rightful place as King of Asgard, the rest of your days will be spent in the darkest, coldest, most miserable cell you can imagine." He could see the temptation to jump at his offer brimming behind her eyes, but he waited a few moments before speaking again, "Well? What is it to be, siren? Prince Charming or captivity?"
Finally speaking up, "I await your command...my king."
As he watched her daydream-filled eyes, he knew he'd won. And the best part was that she suspected nothing, too preoccupied as she was with the visions of Thor dancing through her head.
She would do as he commanded, Asgard would fall, and then he would swoop in to 'save it'.
But Lorelei would never see a cell - and she certainly would never see Thor - again.
No longer did he harbor any ill will towards his brother or the - admittedly rather entertaining - mortal woman.
No, when Loki came in to take Asgard back from the siren, he would need to make a show of it.
Thinking she would finally have Thor within her grasp, Lorelei would play her part perfectly.
And then he would kill her.
It was good to be king.
Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed it - please review :)