AN: I started writing this right after seeing the movie when it came out. Since then I've watched it again and discovered Thor actually spends two days in Asgard before returning to Jane. I would appreciate it if you could ignore this bit of information and pretend Thor's return to Midgard is much more immediate. Thank you.
Munin locked his black little eyes on the suspicious hunched figure before him. On the short list of targets Loki could not sneak up on Odin's ravens where tied for first place. "Hello old friend" Loki hissed, 'Judging from our numerous past skirmishes you will not be making this easy on me. I have a tasty morsel of meat in my pocket, but the likelihood of –"
The bird flung itself at Loki's forehead sending the god in a momentary state of disorientation. It then landed on the golden plate on Loki's right shoulder. Loki's left hand shot for it but the bird moved out the way just in time, leading Loki's fist right into the plate. The God of Mischief let out an undignified yelp, which the raven mimicked before taking flight. But Loki was quick with a spell, encasing the unfortunate raven in ice midflight.
Loki caught the ice cubed bird with both hands and laughed. "I've learned a few techniques since our last battle. Did you know I was a frost giant? Though I would not be so surprised. The allfather was quite liberal with that information with everyone except for me."
A ruffle of feathers behind him told Loki he was not alone in the hallway. He looked up to see the raven's companion Hugin eyeing him from a light fixture. It craned its neck and made a noise that sounded eerily like 'Loki'.
"Ah, you save me the trouble of finding you. It appears you remember me as well. But how well?" he extended an arm to the raven, "Tell me, am I friend or foe?" Hugin ignored the arm and secured its talons into Loki's left shoulder. Loki eyed the bird suspiciously and waited for the bird to pluck his eyes out. He took several minutes of blinking and head tilting as sufficient signs of cooperation. A wry, but relieved smile appeared on his face as he took out a chunk of meat from his pocket and fed the raven. "Very good, you'll get more when I'm through with you two."
With both ravens in his possession he set off to his destination, a minuscule room hidden behind a tapestry in Frigga's private quarters. There were a few of these rooms in the castle intended to hide members of the royal family in case of crisis, each connected by secret passages hidden in the walls. The one Loki made his way to now did not connect to these other rooms, but Odin did not know the location of this room. It was intended solely for the Queen and her children should some dark powers turn the king against them.
The room itself was a small rectangular shaped space with no windows. A wave of his hand activated several rather antiquated Tiffany style lamps, imported on Frigga's request from Midgard, illuminating the room. The furnishings consisted of an upholstered armchair, a writing desk and chair, and a small table to hold up a golden birdcage.
He locked Munin in the cage, thawing him out with a snap of fingers, but let Hugin roam freely around the room. It was almost as he remembered it, save for a few minor differences. All personal belongings were removed, though he could not remember what the items had been. The armchair was at an odd angle, to which Loki righted. A vase of assorted wilted flowers placed on the desk told assured him the room had and would remain undisturbed. In his memory the room was filled with small stacks of books, but he did not see a single one here now. Loki wondered if those books where now sitting in his cell.
He, however, was not in his cell. He was at this moment sitting in the chair, presumed dead, and very much free to do whatever he liked. Taking on the guise of Odin had been risky, both in the sake of his still healing wound and potential discovery. The Allfather walked into the throne room a hair of a second after Thor had left. A quick illusion turned Loki into a concerned guard returning the King's missing staff to the original owner; a stupid but necessary move on Loki's part.
Loki was now free to orchestrate his plan. There was just one simple yet fatal flaw, and that flaw was that he had no plan to exact. He, the God of Lies and Mischief, the Talented Liar, The Sly One with a silver tongue stared at the high ceiling with a wide empty mind. He tried to fiddle with what he had in his arsenal. Thor is preoccupied, Odin thought him dead, and the capture of the ravens prevented him from discovering otherwise. But most importantly Frigga was not an obstacle.
While he was imprisoned schemes came in abundance but Frigga's presence prevented any action. Odin, Thor, and his former friends he could plow through without blinking, but to be on the offensive against his foster mother was a far different matter. Shouting threats and insults were miniscule offenses, but to deal a lethal blow was an act he doubt he could accomplish.
Loki sighed. The world at his fingertips to burn and nothing comes to mind. Hugin hopped into the arm of the chair and let out another 'Loki'. Loki tried to ignore the bird but it just nipped at his fingers and croaked his name again.
"I have no more to give, little raven. You have an appetite which rivals Valstagg's. But fear not, you have permission to devour my corpse as it appears I am destined to rot in this room. Feel free to leave the brain to deer old Munin as its lack of proficiency is what seals my fate."
At the sound if its name Munin trashed about in the cage alternating croaks of 'Loki' and 'Corpse'. "If you continue to mock I will keep you locked in that cage much longer than originally intended. I can assure you being confined for a long period of time is quite disagreeable."
"LOKI. CORPSE. LOKI. ODIN. CORPSE. LOKI. LOKI. CORPSE. ODIN. CORPSE. CORPSE. CORPSE!"
The words themselves were bad enough, but the eerie whine in which they were enunciated grated on Loki. "Will you shut up," he hissed with viciousness.
Munin disregarded the fuming god, deciding instead to dance about the cage croaking a chorus of 'COOORRRRPSEEE! ODIN COOORRPPSSE!'
"IF YOU DO NOT SHUT UP I WILL FEED YOUR CORPSE TO ODIN! YOU WILL …" Loki paused, "I am arguing with a bird. Loki, you are yelling at a bloody bird. Odin's bloody bird no less!"
In one sleek movement Loki rose from the chair, silently padded to the cage, waited a moment, and then slammed both hands on either side of the cage. The raven shot to the back of the cage in sheer panic. A whine came from the thin metal as Loki crushed the bars under his fingers.
Being this close to the cage brought back a memory from his youth.
"Why did you capture father's ravens?" he had asked his mother.
"We need them for today's lesson," she whispered in his ear.
He looked at her quizzically. "What are we to do with them? Are we are to use them as targets? Father would not take kindly to me killing them."
"No, my son," Frigga laughed. "They are to look at, to examine. Today's lesson is in deception by means of transformation. But you must be perfect in your execution as I suspect your father would favor his ravens dead than I teach you this skill." Young Loki's eyes widened, but Frigga gave him a wink. "It will be one of our many little secrets."
"But what if he sees through my illusion, mother?" An enraged image of Odin came to mind.
"I see no reason to punish you for not mastering a skill he does not want you to know."
Loki came out of the memory with a smile. Of course she knew he'd master the skill. He had mastered the skill every day of his life without knowing it.
Munin resumed its mantra of 'Loki-Corpse-Odin' while Loki wove threads in his mind. Odin never did catch onto the childish prank of his youth. A wicked smile appeared on Loki's thin lips, an amused hum escaping his throat.
"Why rush to destroy Asgard? It isn't going anywhere. And coincidentally neither are you, my dear bird." Munin made a string of incoherent screeches of displeasure. "Oh, don't be so cross. You know it's your own damn fault.
Odin was not happy with Heimdall, and as usual Loki was to blame. He watched the conversation perched on Odin's shoulder, opposite to Hugin on the other.
The Gatekeeper looked up at Odin on the throne. "My king, I merely did what was my duty,"
"Oh? And it is your duty to undermine my command?"
"That was not my intention, Allfather. Thor claimed to have your blessing to leave. "
"I GAVE no such blessing!" Odin's voice boomed in Loki's ear.
Heimdall spoke his response slowly piecing together what he believed was the truth. "Then you are correct in your accusation, my liege."
"My accusations are always correct, dear Heimdall. You've committed treason on behalf of my son far too many times this day. Your importance to the survival of Asgard is the only reason you still stand here before me. But hear me, Heimdall, you continue to commit acts of treason your body will not have a head to hold up that helmet of yours."
"Yes, my king." Heimdall turned to leave before Odin called him back, giving him new duties. He was not set his eyes on the perimeters of Asgard, and nowhere else. Loki did not know how to take this ruling, weighing it heavily in his mind before deciding he benefited from it.
"Now, busy yourself with your duties and be gone from my sight until I express my need of you," he dismissed the Gatekeeper coldly.
The Allfather slipped into thought. He sat gracelessly in silence for a long time, until Loki grew bored and ruffled his wings a little too closely to Odin's cheek. Waking up from his stupor he addressed his ravens in a crackled voice.
"Munin, you will oversee Asgard and report, as is your usual. Hugin, you travel to the dungeons and retrieve the Lady Sif, Volstagg, and Fandral, and be quick about it." Hugin set off right away. Loki rose high in the air, making huge circling swoops in the air, and promptly disregarded Odin's commands as soon as he was out of sight, opting instead to tuck himself away in a corner.
It occurred to him that he and Odin where alone. All he had to do was swoop in and stab him in the back, ending his life forever. But to end such a mighty being while he sat alone and sulking on his throne seemed undignified. There would be no glory. Besides, he would never know what the king wanted with his former friends if he was silenced.
When Hugin brought them in they all looked worn and swollen from battle. To Loki's shock Sif seemed the least weakened as she would have gotten the most action in Thor's plan to escape. It was she who broke the ice, "Allfather…"
"Enough, Sif. I've no patience to deal with trifle matters nor do I intend to punish those acting on orders from my son. Your task is to retrieve Thor from Midgard. Tell him…" Odin paused, mulling an idea over in his mind. "Tell him I only wish to talk. And that he is free to return to Jane Foster afterward if he so wishes."
Fandral began thanking Odin for his pardoning of their treason, but Loki was not interested. Bringing Thor back would be problematic. His brother would learn Odin did not give him leave and eventually they would start to question Loki's death.
He dove behind a pillar and transformed into Thor. Transitioning from the small frame of a bird to a human shaped creature is a difficult maneuver on its own. Transitioning from a small frame of a bird to a human shaped creature not only two inches taller but several pounds heavier than your original form is devastating. Doing all that in one motion while landing is a nightmare. If anyone where to witness his first few steps they would assume the God of Thunder had one too many horns of mead in his system. He nearly missed the group while he tried to right himself in this larger form.
"My friends, where are we off to?" he called after them warmly. "Not fighting another battle I hope." The voice from his throat was familiar and bittersweet to his memories.
"We were told to bring you back," Volstagg replied. Fandral nodded in agreement. Sif eyed him suspiciously.
Well you don't need to anymore, now do you? Because you think I'm standing in front of you at this very moment. Loki translated this as: "You need not, for I am here," adding a wide smile and a signature chuckle. He then winked at Sif, winning over her suspicion. Simpletons, Loki thought, I shall treat you as such to keep you busy and out of my hair. "But if it is work you care to accomplish may I suggest assisting Asgard in recovering from the invasion." Loki looked up at Odin, "…if that is alright with you, father."
"A wise decision." Yes, I know, I thought of it. And instead of focusing on such things you decide to send four of your greatest warriors out of Asgard to drag that witless oaf back here. "I will give you specific tasks to complete momentarily. But first I must speak with my son alone."
Odin descended the throne. Father and son walked in silence through the halls with seemingly no point of destination. Odin's new contemplative nature was beginning to bore Loki. After a long while Odin spoke, "Asgard is in ruin and you decide to wonder back to Midgard? I take it Miss Foster is to blame." The words, though blunt were softly spoken; an acceptance, not malicious accusation.
Loki matched the tone, "I know not when we would meet again. With the frequency death has come to us I could not leave Jane without explanation. My place is here, father. Asgard is in need of my talents. You could not do it alone."
"Could I not?"
"Mother …" the word caught in his throat. He could not think of whatever he wanted to say.
Odin finished the thought for him, "…would not wish for me to do it alone."
The two gods stood in silence. How jovial and warm the Allfather was. He knew Odin's warmth would not be so freely given were he in his natural form. Loki swallowed hard to stifle emotions and made an attempt to change subjects.
Odin beat him to the punch. "You should retire for the evening"
"But father, do you not want to know what became of Malekith?" He tried to remember what Thor told him earlier. The Dark Elves in London? Malekith presumed dead in Svartalfheim? Something about an In Turn named Ian?
"I've heard a version from Heimdall. Now is not the time for telling tales of battle."
"If that is your wish," then it saves me the effort of coming up with something on the spot. He had a feeling his brother added several embellishments to the tale such as Mjolnir traveling through realms. He did not think that was possible.
"We've lost much in but a few hours. You've done your part, and require rest. Your body must mend and your soul must grieve. Asgard will still be here in the morning."
Loki thanked him and went in the direction of Thor's chambers, and then created a portal which took him to Frigga's hidden room. Munin shouted 'CORPSE' upon his arrival and Loki returned the greeting by just missing it with a throwing dagger. The bird got the message and stayed quiet for the remainder of the night.
Odin was right; Asgard would be there in the morning. Asgard would be there waiting for him to burn whenever he wished. He saw no need to rush.