Also posted on my archiveofourown account.
Fire Demons look like Frost Giants but with red bodies and blue eyes, not like they do in the comics.
This is a completely different take on the family; Loki is very much in love with Angrboda who isn't as bitchy as some people portray her. She loves her husband and children and will protect her home to the death if need be.
Angrboda is black because in my head she is and why the fuck not? So Jormungandr, Fenrir and Hela are biracial. Angrboda used magic to make her more human so she can be with Loki, who doesn't know she actually is a Frost Giant.
In Life and in Death
"My love, there is no need to fret. I will go out and check with some of the village men if you are so worried." he placed a hand on his wife's dark shoulder as she stared out of the window into the woods that surrounded their home. Her amber orbs darted to look at him, filled with worry, and he smiled to lift her spirits. It worked, but only a little as she returned the smile.
"You know if you do Hela won't go to sleep until you return."
He grinned at the mention of her name; his precious daughter and youngest child, and the most normal out of his children. He loved his sons-Sleipnir and his half-brothers Jormundgandr and Fenrir-but their sister was different. While they were either an actual animal (Sleipnir) or two boys who spent their entire day as animals of their choice only shifting back to their true selves at night (Jormundgandr and Fenrir) Hela was a child. An actual, normal child who wasn't sick or half dead. She was born with the talent for magic, had the ability running through her veins. Her brothers did not, and had promising futures in using swords rather than arcane gifts.
He had heard the tales of Ragnarok, of how the world will be destroyed and reshaped. In a cycle that could be stopped, but no one knew how. He knew that he would be a big part of it, and so would his children. Or rather the three he had with the love of his life who stood in front of him now. When he married Angrboda, against his father's wishes, he had been warned that his children would not be like others. It was the reason why Odin didn't want him to marry the Witch of the Iron Woods; they would cause the destruction of the Nine Realms.
When Jormungandr had been born, he had come out a normal babe but decided to scare his mother when he shifted into a long green snake when he was three years old. His brother, Fenrir, shifted much faster than his brother but only when he had finished breastfeeding at a year old so he wouldn't hurt her when he fed, either way Angrboda had panicked and thought his magic-which he did not possess as they would later find out-had come in early when she returned home from hunting to see him on their bed; he took on the form of a wolf cub, and had freaked her out. She had thought their son was a normal wolf and had snuck in until he shifted back, gave her a giggle, and went back to his animal persona. He had laughed loudly when he heard of it when he returned from Asgard. Angrboda was not amused.
But Hela had been different. They had been warned that she would be dead. Half dead, to be more precise, but dead nevertheless. Ill, sickly pale, half of her body just bones and no organs, all pushed onto the right side of her which would cause her terrible pain and her hair half white, half black with only one eye but when she was born she was healthy. She was round, fat, with rosy cheeks and fully human with tufts of black hair and the roundest green eyes he had ever seen. Both sides of her body were flesh and skin. She had taken on most of his looks, except for the tanned skin which was a mixture of her parents. Both of them had been surprised, and had swiftly taken her to Asgard for a explanation.
His father had been as shocked as they had been, and turned to the Norns for help. They had kept silent on the matter, but only told the God of Mischief that it had been a lucky mistake. A mistake which could change the course of the future of the Nine Realms.
Hela was different, and special.
"I will tend to her before I leave so you can have a peaceful night to yourself, without me like you've always wanted, and needed." he laughed at the expression that passed over her face but once she realised he had been joking she slapped his arm playfully. How many times had he joked about making love to his wife?
"Go on then, she's waiting." she glanced to the side and he followed, seeing their five year old daughter standing in the doorway of the front room, watching them with her large green eyes. He smiled and walked towards the small child, arms out for her.
"Daddy." she said, running into them. Loki picked her up and held her close, allowing her to nuzzle her face into his neck. "Sleepy."
"I know, vennen." he whispered against her ear as he placed a soft kiss to her temple. "Let's get you tucked in, hmm?" she nodded into the crook of his neck and he sent a look filled with warmth to Angrboda before he disappeared out of the room and down the hall to the left to the bedroom that belonged to his daughter. The door was wide open so he didn't have to let go of her to push it closed. The room was very small, but big enough to fit in a double bed, wardrobe, bedside table and lots of stuffed toys-from family and friends-scattered around on every surface.
He placed her under the fur covers and sat down on the bed, waiting until she was comfortably lying down before beginning to conjure up magic in his palms, pointing them towards the ceiling, where it gently hit the polished wood and began to spread, showing the stars, constellations, and animals that would run above their heads. Any animal he could think of and Hela would watch, her face showing awe and Loki would watch her, his own showing the amount of love he possessed for the child in front of him. He loved his family just as much, his sons and wife, but his daughter was precious to him like any daughter would be to their fathers.
Hela patted the space next to him and he laid down next to her, arms wrapped around her as they watched the magic show on her ceiling. Sometimes she would point at animals or constellations she didn't recognise and he would tell her all about them. She would make her own and when he didn't see what she did the child would stand up and describe the picture she made while he tried his best to get her to lie back down. On some nights she would ask questions about animals, like how big were whales and if one day she could play with the dolphins that would swim above her. But moments like this were spent watching his magic; the colours of green and purple she requested. She liked them, because they reminded her of him, green being his colour, and purple being her favourite.
She would be fast asleep before long, and he would kiss her temple and tuck her in, making sure she had actually changed into her white nightgown before going to bed for the night. When he was satisfied she was comfortable he would leave, keeping the show on as a night light, closing the door before checking on his two sons then joining his wife in bed.
"Daddy?" he nearly didn't hear her, as she had whispered which was something she had never done before, instead speaking loudly so all could here. "I love you."
He smiled and kissed her temple. "I love you too, Hela."
He watched her from the other side of the ship as Thor reunited with Banner. Her entire being was wrapped in a long purple dress which reached the heels of her boots, and her hands were covered in black gloves. Her long black hair completely covered her face, but it didn't shield the large, green eyes that reminded him very much of his own.
She was an enigma; she was Hela's handmaiden, her ally, but had helped him free both his brother, co-worker and whoever that woman was from the Arena. He had been seated next to the Grandmaster but across the seat, watching the fighting between the green Golem and the axe-wielding God who happened to be his brother, when the ground began to shake underneath them. He had been minutes away from enacting his own plan to free them both-although he didn't want to bring Banner along he knew Thor would insist-when it happened, so rightfully he had been confused until a piece of the Arena wall had been blasted off and out stepped Hela's handmaiden.
The girl walked with purpose towards the confused gladiators-even Banner had stopped fighting to wonder what was going on-not even stopping to look around at the shocked faces of the attendees or even up at the box holding Loki and the Grandmaster. He watched, fascinated, as the girl waved her hand which glowed orange with strands of purple and the Avenger went limp, dropping to the stadium floor with a crash, beginning to shrink back into the form of Bruce Banner.
She had stopped right in front of Thor and loudly proclaimed "Tada!" with the amount of sass befitting someone like her before she broke into a coughing fit as she inhaled the cloud of dust that flew their away from Banner hitting the sand floor. Loki stared down at her, impressed by her entrance, when he noticed the Grandmaster staring at him.
"Is she yours?" he had no idea what he was talking about until he looked back down and saw that she was staring right at him, or rather the box. He noticed the similarities right away between them; pale skin, black hair, and eyes that looked green from where he was sitting. He stood up and walked slowly to the barrier keeping the gladiators from attacking them instead of each other when he noticed that she had pulled out a throwing knife and with startling accuracy threw it right towards them.
It hit the barrier, piercing it straight through and lodging itself. Loki stepped back as the others, except the Grandmaster, jumped back with yells of fright and then to his surprise, the barrier broke. Shattered, even. He looked back down at his brother and the girl and noticed the smirk which grew on her face before she turned away and walked back towards the hole in the wall, Thor following her. He began to wonder if they were just going to leave the unconscious Banner there before she flicked her wrist and he began to float behind them.
"My turn." he muttered with a grin and pulling out his dagger he drove it straight into a servant's back. Everyone in the box began to shriek and panic, the Grandmaster staring at him in shock but he didn't seem too surprised. He must have heard plenty about Loki Laufeyson. Before anyone could react he jumped out of the box and teleported away, ending up right in front of his brother and the girl as they made a run for it with Banner and a lady who was currently glaring at him. "So, why wasn't I informed of this plan?" he grinned.
He didn't expect the girl to answer before anyone else could; "Because no one cared nor wanted to tell you, now make yourself useful and move!" she pushed past him and charged forward, driving another dagger straight into a guard's neck who had began to stop them. Thor brandished his axe and with a almost frightening glare at Loki he rushed to help followed by the woman. Banner kept floating, protected by the magical barrier she had placed around him. Loki sighed and pulled out his own throwing knives emitting magic, running straight into the chaos with a mad grin on his lips.
He stirred, his eyes fluttering open as he took in the sight of his room. Angrboda continued to sleep on next to him, her back facing him, her body moving under the covers telling him she was in a deep sleep. He looked behind him, blinking the sleep out of his eyes as he thought about what made him wake up;
BOOM!
The explosion shook the foundations of the house and he grabbed at the bedsheets with one hand and the other his wife who shot up, awake and alert. "What was-?"
"The children!" Loki threw off the covers and stepped out of the bed as quickly as possible, his bare feet barely touching the cold floor as he grabbed his shirt from yesterday and threw it on followed by his boots, preparing to flee his home with his family if need be, running out of the door and down the hall to each of his children's rooms.
"Jormungandr!" he threw open the first door and looked at the bed across from him. It was empty, except from for the scrunched up bundle of covers on the mattress. "Jormungandr!"
A head, a long, green snake like head, poked out of the covers and at the sight of his father he shot out; off the bed, across the floor and up his body as fast as he could move, wrapping himself snugly around his neck, tight enough to hold on but loose enough not to strangle him. Loki was used to him doing that, so it didn't feel as uncomfortable as it did the first time.
"Hold on." he rushed to the next room, throwing open the wooden door and before he could shout for his second son, a small black blur threw itself at him. He wrapped his arms around the trembling form of his third eldest child. "Fenrir, hush it's-" another 'boom' went off closer to their home and he looked down the hall to his daughter's room. "I can't carry you all. Boys, go to your mother."
The two shifters left their father's comfort and went to find their mother as Loki ran to Hela's room, bursting in and frantically looking around for his daughter. He noticed that he acted more protective with Hela than with his sons. Unlike them, their sister couldn't shape-shift and blend in with nature, and she hadn't mastered her magic to protect herself from anything, not even whatever was happening outside. How was he going to protect her from the chaos?
"Hela!" he stared at the bed, noticing that it was empty and the room, from a first glance, was void of any presence except for his own, until he caught sight of the toes peaking out from underneath the bed itself. "Hela?"
The feet shifted and her head poked out; "Daddy?"
"Come, Hela." he kneeled and opened his arms for her, she crawled out and ran to him, clutching her favourite blanket which Angrboda had made while she had been pregnant with her and stuffed toy gifted to her by Frigga when she was born. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tightly as he picked her up and held her close.
"Loki!" he turned at the sound of his name and rushed out towards the direction of the voice, coming to a halt when he reached his wife, who was comforting both of his human-like sons. Jormungandr, and Fenrir, had inherited their mother's Frost Giant red eyes the colour of blood when they shape-shifted but their normal selves had her hazel brown eyes. While Fenrir had raven black hair like his own, Jormungandr had red; the same colour their mother's natural colour was, not the black she used in the form she had taken.
"We have to get them out of here, to safety until we find out what's going on." he informed his wife. She nodded and pulled the war hammer off her back; that's when he noticed that she had thrown on her battle armour. "What are you doing?"
"I must protect my people, Loki!" she took one last look at him and charged out of the house.
"Angrboda!" he sighed angrily. "Boys, come on and stay close!" he followed his wife out, running out into the snow beneath his face before pulling to an abrupt stop. The entire village was on fire; women and children running into the forest, screaming as the attackers charged forward, being held off by the men of the village, trying their best to protect the innocent. His blood went cold. No...
"What do we do now?" Banner finally asked when he had been caught up on the events leading up to their escape. The girl stood up, walking towards him and Thor, crossing her arms.
"Introductions first, considering none of you know who I am." she grinned and gave a mock bow. "The name is Leah, handmaiden to the Goddess of Death, Queen Hela of Helheim and Nilfheim. Also, I am the one who secretly destroyed your hammer, sorry about that by the way."
"Mjolnir? You didn't destroy it, Hela did. We watched her." Thor was even more confused than Loki was. He would have definitely noticed a girl in the alleyway with them, especially one with the power to destroy Mjolnir of all things.
"Please, she doesn't have that much power, especially since your father locked her up for a millennia and restricted her magic. I, however, wasn't in prison and my magic flows freely. However she told me that either way I would be more powerful than her whatever that means. So-" she shrugged. "I am her handmaiden, one of my duties is if someone tries to assassinate her I will take her place. So the Hela you met in that alleyway? Me. I used my magic to shapeshift into her and took her place. I was surprised when you threw Mjolnir at me by the way, and my reflexes kicked in. I caught it and...accidentally destroyed it in surprise; but I didn't mean too it was my reaction to you nearly killing me! I did get cake when I returned though, and I did get to see your brother being thrown into a dumpster. Now that was hysterical."
"You accidentally destroyed a powerful artefact?" Loki was amazed, and was trying to ignore the little addition at the end. He had been a live or over an millennia, more so than this girl, and she had destroyed one of the most powerful weapons in all of the Nine Realms. How much magic did this girl wield?
"Yes, but it's okay! See?" she pulled a small pouch from her side which he did not see before and opened it, pouring the contents onto the floor. Small, fragmented pieces of Mjolnir and it's handle toppled onto the ground beneath them. "Took me forever to gather it all."
"You gathered every last piece of my hammer?"
"Yes, I had the time. My mother was too busy celebrating my success to notice. Sorry, again." she gave him an apologetic smile and clasped her hands together, grinning.
"Mother?" Valkyrie exclaimed, staring at her in suspicion. "You just said you are her handmaiden!"
Leah's head slowly turned to look at her, eyes narrowed, grin disappearing; "And daughter, funnily enough. Adopted daughter, by the way. Just so you know before you start comparing me to her; you should never compare children to their crazy ass parent or parents, and vice versa depending on how well raised the child is, isn't that right Blue Eyes?" she said, turning to Loki, tossing her hair over her shoulder as it fell to cover most of her face.
"Blue Eyes-?" he looked at her confused and she crossed her arms.
"Yeah, because your eyes are blue, I think? I remember them when they were green though-or do you prefer Crazy Ass or He Who is an Idiot?" she sighed and rolled her eyes at the expression which crossed his face; angry at the disrespect he was being shown and puzzlement at the last nickname suggested.
"None of those." he stood up. "I prefer my name; Loki."
"I know your name. I just don't remember anyone saying it in that tone." she sighed, muttering someone coherent under her breath. "So; you're Thor, Loki, Valkyrie I assume and Bruce Banner. Yes I know who you are; we've seen and heard everything. All the events of the passing years, we've seen."
"Wouldn't your mother be concerned for your whereabouts?" Banner asked. She looked at him, a smile on her face.
"Not much; she's too busy trying to start Ragnarok then wonder why I am. Skurge however, he will probably be searching the entire Nine Realms for me. He is my mother's champion and my bodyguard; he's a nice man, towards me anyway. Other people he doesn't give two-well, you know what I mean."
"We need to stop Ragnarok." Thor turned the topic of conversation around.
"Well, from what I was told about it we already have one of the contestants. You do have sons do you?" everyone turned to Loki, who glared at the floor angrily.
"I haven't seen my sons in a long time; one is on Midgard and the other is-...somewhere. I don't know where."
They wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for the intervention of Odin.
"If we're working together to stop my mother, then we'll have to split up and find them before she does. If one of them is on Midgard some of us should go there, and the others stay to find the location of the other. I can use my magic to track down Fenrir, so I'll stay. If he's as big as I have been told, then Mr. Banner will stay with me and I can help with the aftermath; shrink him back down. Thor, Jormungandr's your nephew and will probably recognise you so you go with Valkyrie. Loki can choose, I don't care."
"I didn't know you were in charge of this whole thing, girl." Loki sneered as the others agreed with her plan.
She glared at him. "Someone has to be."
"We should father first, if he survived Asgard's destruction." Thor stepped in before an argument broke out. "He'll know more about Ragnarok then us."
"Fine, I'll track him down if he lived; he'll probably somewhere on Midgard so that narrows down the search. Thor, and Loki, will come with me to talk to him but we should find the brothers. Valkyrie, do you think you and Mr. Banner can search Asgard and find any survivors? Heimdall, more importantly. He can help us track down Fenrir."
"You think Heimdall survived?" Loki asked.
"I know he did." she grinned, but it was not a friendly one. "To Midgard, then?-Wait, who is driving this piece of garbage?!"
Loki sent a dagger through the neck of an attacking Fire Demon. How he was able to avoid being touched was beyond his comprehension, but he was trained by the best of the best. His mother taught him magic and how to use stealth to avoid being seen, that also meant dodging the attacks of his enemy.
He turned his head for a moment to see how far the people of the village were, and saw that they were deep in the woods now. He breathed a sigh of relief-
"Daddy!" his eyes widened when he caught sight of his daughter. One of the approaching Fire Demons stopped and took in the child, his eyes glancing back and forth from father and daughter.
"The girl." his gruff voice scratched at Loki's eardrums. "Our King wants the girl."
Loki's eyes widened at the words and he turned his head to face, that's when he noticed a few Fire Demons rush at his daughter. "Hela!" he sent a burst of magic towards them, cutting off access to her. "Hela, to me!"
She rushed into action and ran full speed at her father who picked her up and pivoted around, running straight into the forests, in the opposite direction of the women and the children. "Loki?!"
He turned his head to see one of the women of the village, one of the healers, clutching the hands of Jormungandr and Fenrir, watching him. "Run, now! Take them and run!" at his command she turned and ran, pulling his crying sons along, both shouting for him as she disappeared into the depths of the forest after the other inhabitants of their home.
"Daddy!" his eyes widened even more as a Fire Demon got too close and took a swing at them. Loki threw his arm up to defend his child when an axe stopped the approaching weapon from hitting. "Mommy!"
"Angrboda..." he whispered and she smiled at him, her face slowly beginning to turn blue, her hazel eyes turning a dark shade of red. He took a step back, holding Hela closer, to avoid being touched.
"Run." she let out a loud war cry and sent the end of her axe into the face of the Fire Demon, taking him off guard. That gave her a chance to send her axe right into his face, making Hela scream. Loki pushed her face into his neck and turned back around, sprinting into the forest once more as they followed him, Angrboda holding them off one by one.
"Mommy..." Hela murmured and he stroked her hair with one arm as he ran.
"Heimdall!" he yelled into the sky. "Heimdall, open the Bifrost! Heimdall!"
He kept running, even as it began to snow hard. "Daddy!" he heard Hela's voice yell in his ear as a warning and he unsheathed a dagger, turning and throwing it at an approaching Fire Demon, hitting it in the chest.
It let a scream, staggering back, giving Loki more time and space between them. What he wasn't expecting was the approaching end of the hill and the branch underneath the snow that snagged his foot and sent him crashing down onto the wet ground and down the hill. He let out a surprised shout accompanied by Hela's scream.
Loki felt his grip on Hela loosen as he attempted to brace himself and he watched as she fell out of his arms and rolled down the hill alongside him, her hands letting go off both her blanket and stuffed toy. He grunted as his body hit rocks and the ground beneath him, and he finally came to a stop at the bottom, groaning.
He pulled himself up onto his hands and knees, groaning as he searched frantically for Hela as the Fire Demons came to a halt at the top of the hill, beginning to descend slowly, the snow melting underneath their feet. One of them threw down an axe, the weapon of choice that had belonged to his wife. It embedded into the ground, and he grew cold once he noticed the blood staining the steel and the snow beneath.
"Angrboda, my love..." he squeezed his eyes shut, letting tears escape the corners before he opened the again, his vision blurry. "Hela..." he grunted again, clutching his side as he noticed something out of the corner of his eye to his left-
"Wow, you look depressing." Leah noted as she approached the two, taking in Thor and then Loki's outfits. Thor had went for a simple denim grey jacket covering another black jacket, for some strange reason, which covered green and purple shirts with jeans and boots. He didn't look too bad, while Loki went for a black suit; all black, no other colour, not even green.
Leah, noticing it was a nice enough day, had went for black boots, purple leggings, green sweater which didn't even fit her and had sunglasses resting on her nose and across her eyes. "Ever thought of adding, you know, colour to your assemble? A splash of green, considering it's your favourite colour."
"I want to make an entrance." he smiled and she laughed.
"Yeah right. It's warm out, you're going to get attention drawn to us-that's your plan, isn't it?" she looked at him, amused and his smile turned into a grin which made her laugh harder. She turned to Thor, who was watching both of them with a look that made Loki glare. He wasn't softening up to her, he wasn't. Thankfully she turned her attention to him. "You too Thor, you picked a colour for a reason stick to it."
"You didn't." Thor argued. Leah rolled her eyes and gestured to her legs.
"Purple, duh." she clasped her hands together. "Okay, so this-" she looked up at the building in front of them, "Is where Doctor Strange lives; he did some strange shit last year-ha, strange get it? Anyway; we just pop in, ask for help, and he can direct us to Odin."
"Do you know this Strange?" Thor asked as she approached the door. She looked back at him and shook her head, the same familiar grin growing on her face. Loki was getting sick of seeing it, and her, thinking she knew much more than everyone else.
"Nope." she pounded on the door with her fist; "Hello! Mr. Strange!-What? I have manners." a few seconds later the door seemed to open almost by itself. Leah raised an eyebrow at them and walked inside. Loki, with a sigh, followed his brother inside as the door slammed shut behind him.
"Thor." a swish of red cloak made them turn and a man stepped forward from behind a pillar. "Follow me." he turned and the three of them to a room before stopping. "Not you two." Loki and Leah stopped and Thor, giving them both confused looks, walked in after him. The doors swung shut after him and Leah crossed her arms, frowning.
"Rude." Loki sighed and decided to lean against the wall while Leah stood patiently staring at the door, glaring hard at the wood.
"What are you-?" he began until he heard his brother and the Wizard's voices clearly through the door. His eyes widened in surprise; "Did you do that?"
"Yes, now shush I'm trying to listen." she stepped closer to the door.
"So...Earth has wizards now, huh?" the God of Thunder tried to start the conversation.
"Tea?"
"I don't drink tea."
"Oh, what do you drink?"
"Not tea."
"So, I keep a watch-list of individuals and beings throughout the Realms that maybe a threat to this world-" a chuckle followed, "-your adopted brother Loki is one of those beings." the accent of the Doctor grinded against her ears and she frowned.
"Worthy inclusion."
"Yeah, so...why bring him here to New York?"
"We're looking for my father."
"Oh, okay so if you found Odin you'd all return to Asgard promptly?"
"Oh yes, promptly."
"Great!" they heard a chair be pushed back, scraping against the floor. He noticed Leah shiver at the noise. "Allow me to help you."
"Wait!" Leah banged on the door. "We help finding someone else!"
The door swung open and Strange appeared, staring down at the girl, eyebrow raised. "Hela?" at the sound of the name the necklace around his neck began to glow. She hissed and she placed a hand over her chest. Loki was surprised to see orange emit from beneath her fingertips but when Strange stepped back, grabbing his necklace it disappeared and so did the pain, it seemed as she let go.
"No, his son." she pointed at Loki, who Strange glared at. "A long snake, Jormungandr. You may have read or heard about him."
"What Leah means-" Loki grinned almost madly at him. "-is we need to find my son before Hela."
Strange made a noise in the back of his throat and glanced back and forth from Loki and Leah. "Right, of course. Leah. I'll see what I can do." he turned from them and walked back into the room, this time leaving the doors wide open.
She raised an eyebrow at him and looked at Loki. "What was that about?"
"I have no idea." he walked in and she quickly followed.
Hela, because of her size compared to his own, had kept rolling until she hit the frozen lake and slid over it, landing on the ice and coming to a stop. "Hela..." she didn't move at the sound of her name, staying still. He began to take deep breathes of air as he began to panic; "Hela!"
It felt like a lifetime had went by until he heard her cry, making distressed sounds which hurt his heart. Loki began to crawl towards his daughter when he felt a foot hit him hard in the stomach, sending him sprawling onto his front. He coughed in reflex, groaning as he tried to push himself up and looking up at Hela.
One of the Fire Demons had began to make his way over to her, stepping onto the ice which began to melt with each step. "N-No! Don't!" another kick to the stomach sent him back down onto the cold snow beneath him.
He took deep breathes to sooth the burning as he looked back up and saw his daughter, having pulled herself up into a seating position, beginning to slide herself back away from the approaching Fire Demons, the rest following, the thick ice beneath them melting faster. "Daddy, help me!" she threw a hand over her face to protect herself.
Loki felt a growl tear through his throat and he pushed his body off the ground and back onto his feet, throwing himself forward. He unsheathed his daggers and charged across the frozen pond. Once he reached the first Fire Demon, who stared at him in surprise, he sent his dagger into his neck swiftly pulling it out and sending it into the chest of the next one. He twisted and turned as they turned their attention onto him instead; dodging and slashing at him in an attempt to protect his young.
In his rage he didn't see her pull herself up and walk towards him, until the last one fell and she grabbed his pant leg. "Daddy-"
His hand moved through the air-
"So, apparently my mother can't actually start Ragnarok because she's not the one mentioned in the prophecy, so she would be looking for another way to start it. Also, Fenrir went home? Whatever that means." was the first thing that came out of Leah's mouth when they stepped into the ship again, this time followed by Odin. Banner was sitting in the corner, talking quietly with a young man. Loki stopped abruptly in his tracks, nearly making Thor walk into him. The red hair and brown eyes were so familiar to him that his heart nearly stopped.
"Jormungandr?" at the sound of his name the young man looked up and the two made eye contact for the first time in years. He stood up, and Loki noticed how tall he had grown; he was nearly as tall as he was, and he stood at 6'2.
"Father?" Loki took a step towards him but the younger man flinched, stopping him in his tracks. Loki closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He still hated him; Loki didn't blame him, he did too. Jormungandr's back straightened; "Uncle Thor, Grandfather."
Loki wanted to take him by his shoulders and shake him; tell him that Thor wasn't his uncle, Odin wasn't his grandfather, and that he-he still blamed himself.
"Jormungandr!" Thor walked towards him and threw his arms around his nephew. "It has been a while!"
"It has, Uncle!" he hugged him back, patting his back just as hard as Thor was doing to him before pulling away. "Grandfather, it's an honour to see you again."
Odin smiled, and Loki was preparing himself for him to ruin the moment and deny being a blood related family member but the All-Father simply stepped forward and pulled his adopted grandson into a hug which he returned. "Jormungandr, you've grown up strong!"
"And you're still old as ever!" Odin just laughed and pulled back, smiling once more and then going to sit down in the corner of the ship. Jormungandr smiled and then his eyes settled on someone behind Loki. His eyes widened; "Impossible."
"Jormungandr, this is Leah!" Thor placed a hand on her shoulder. "She is helping her fight against Hela. I assume Valkyrie told you everything on the way here."
The young man shook his head and stared at her. "Of course, Leah. You-you looked familiar, I apologise." he sent her a small bow. She rubbed her hands together uncomfortably. Thor went to join Odin, Valkyrie following and Leah sat down next to Banner, smiling at him in greeting.
"Jormungandr, I-" Loki began but his son placed his hand up to stop him from talking anymore. He did.
"Not here." he looked around and walked to the other end of the ship, Loki following obediently. Once he was sure they were far away enough, and that the ship was in the air he turned to look at his father. "You were saying?"
"I'm sorry." he scoffed and Loki grabbed his arm to prevent him from walking away. "I'm sorry for letting your mother and sister die."
His eyes flashed with anger and the next thing he knew he was pinned to the wall, his son tightly grabbing him by the neck. "You abandoned our mother to her death, ripped apart by those things."
"I had to do it to save your sister." he replied and a growl escaped the man's throat.
"You did nothing to save her; if you did, where is she?!" his grip tightened. "Where?! Oh, that's right; she's fucking dead!"
"I tried-I tried to protect her." he didn't even try to remove his son's hand from around his throat. "I didn't want her to die; she-"
"Who put her there?" Jormungandr's face got closer to his father's. "Who. Put. Her. There?"
"I did." he replied calmly. He had never seen his son in such a rage since he was born; Fenrir had always been the angry one, the one who lost control very easily, passively aggressive he would say. Jormungandr was the opposite; aggressively passive. He didn't know about Hela, she wasn't around long enough for him to know. "It's my fault, I know. She would blame me, too."
"Damn right it is; you killed your own daughter, you sick bastard." he let go of his throat and stepped back, taking deep breathes out of his nose, glaring with pure hated at the man he called 'Father'. "It's your fault, and she knows it too. I'm not coming with you to get Fenrir if you're going." he turned and walked off.
Loki brushed his fingers against his neck, feeling the mark his angered son had left on his skin. "Are you sure you want to go after your other son now? After that show?"
Leah. He turned his head to look at her, expecting the same anger in her eyes like Jormungandr's but instead he saw sadness, pity, for him? He didn't know. "Yes."
She gave a nod and turned away only to stop in her tracks and throw over her shoulder; "It probably won't help but; I don't think she would blame you." and she continued to walk off. Loki watched her walk back to Banner and sit back down. He took a deep breath through his nose.
Home.
His magic connected with her temple and she dropped to the floor, hitting the ice hard beneath her, still. He froze, staring down in horror. What had he done?
"Hela, baby?" he dropped to his knees and picked her up, holding her close to his chest in his arms. "Hela?" t his time she stayed still, limp in his arms and his breathing began to pick up. He brushed strands of hair out of her face, looking down softly at her. "No...Hela, you can't-What have I done?"
He felt the ice crack beneath his feet and he stood up, breaking out into a sprint across the frozen lake as it cracked and splintered, falling apart. The bodies of the Fire Demons fell into the water and he kept running, even as the ice caught up to him. Loki knew that he won't make it to the other end in time, so with one last push, he threw his daughter through the air and towards shore just as the ice fell apart beneath him, and he plunged into the icy water.
His lungs filled with cold and he thrashed about to swim to the surface, to get to his daughter but he was unsuccessful on even breaching the surface. He just sank more, he felt his limbs tense and his vision grow dark as the water settled. Loki didn't know how long he had been in the water before he felt someone grab him and pulled him out, dragging him back to shore. He coughed out water at the sudden impact of someone hitting his chest and he jerked.
"Father, Father!" Thor's shouts in his ear made him groan in relief. "Brother, stay with me!"
He felt the snow beneath him and the nearing footsteps, the shouts of his father and others who accompanied them. "Hela..." he muttered. "Where's-Get...Hela..."
"Get my son back to Asgard!" Odin yelled and Loki closed his eyes, taking deep breathes as he was placed onto a stretcher and taken back up the hill.
"Hela, Hela..." be began to sit up but Thor placed a hand on his chest, pushing him back down.
"We'll find Hela, Brother. Just rest; we'll bring her to you, soon." he opened his eyes and looked up at his brother's concerned face. When they reached the remains of the village he nearly shouted. Everything had been burnt to a crisp, with only the foundations standing.
"Father! Father!" his eyes widened when he saw Sif holding the hands of two boys, who were waving and trying to get to him. The people of the village had been saved and brought back to their homes, and the woman who had protected his sons was telling the Goddess everything that had happened.
"Not yet boys, you can go to him when we go back to Asgard." Sif hushed them and he watched as they stopped struggling and stood there, giving him sad looks. He smiled and turned his head to the other side of him, only to see another stretcher but this one had a blanket covering the injured. A hand dropped from under the sheet and his heart stopped.
A gold bracelet covered in Asgardian writing was wrapped around the wrist of a familiar brown hand. "Angrboda-..." he went limp and his eyes closed as he sank into unconsciousness.
"The Iron Woods; it must have been pretty." their footsteps left trails in the snow as they walked through the trees. The sun glaring down on them, the leaves having no chance of protecting them from it's harsh rays. Like Leah had instructed, both Loki and Banner had been sent to accompany her on finding Fenrir. His youngest son, who after being released from Asgard when he reached of age, had went back home to the Iron Woods.
Leah had changed out of her purple dress they had first met her in and even her Midgardian disguise to wear simple leather armour. It had helped her move, she had said when he had first questioned her about it and he agreed. It did look like she could run faster if under attack. He had went back to wearing his own armour just without the cape, it would have gotten in the way. Banner, the poor man, had only blue jeans, a white shirt and a black jacket with shoes.
"It was." he glanced at her and saw she was taking in the sights before her; deer frolicking, butterflies flying around. He swore he saw an owl in a nearby tree, but he didn't point it out. He wasn't here to take in the scenery.
"So, you married a Frost Giant. Wouldn't she have-?" Leah began.
"She was afraid too, so she used her own magic to shapeshift into someone who couldn't hurt me. This is where we lived; she was known as the Witch of the Iron Woods, or Hag according to Midgard's mythology."
"Was? What happened to her?" she asked.
He came to an abrupt stop and both Hela and Banner did the same, staring at him. His eyes were closed and he took a deep breath out of his nose. "Loki-?" Bruce started but was cut off;
"She died trying to protect her people. That is all." he began to walk again, this time slower than before. Leah gave Banner a look to keep walking and he nodded, doing so, giving them time alone. She slowed down to match his pace and looked at him.
"What was she like?" she asked softly and he smiled at the memory of his wife; her hazel eyes, black curly hair, the courage and bravery she had, her kindness to others; she had been exceptional with children. They had loved her, and she loved them. She had been the best mother to their children, not picking favourites and instead focusing on how she raised them. "Good, from the look on your face."
"She was more than good; she was beautiful, generous, strong...She didn't deserve to die." Leah's smile dropped and she smiled sadly, patting his arm.
"No, she didn't." they went back to walking in silence. It would take them, without the Bifrost, a day to reach the village where his son lived so they prepared to make camp near a cliff that looked out onto the Iron Woods.
They set up three small tents, as Loki didn't want to share, and started a fire. Bruce went to work making dinner, saying he had done it a lot when he was on his own before the days of the Avengers and he would handle the food. He prepared some soup as the sun went down and the other planets of the Nine Realms accompanied by the stars rose.
Loki stood at the edge of the cliff, staring up at the night sky as the Realms version of the Aurora Borealis flashed across the sky. "Wow..." Leah breathed as she went to stand next to him. "I've never seen a view like this."
"Truly?" he asked, still staring at the colours in the sky.
She made a noise that resembled a hum in response. "Honestly, I haven't seen anything. The Midgardian cities, grass, trees...the sky. None of it; only fire and darkness. It's amazing to me."
He turned his head to look at her. "Nothing?" she nodded, giving him a small smile.
"Helheim isn't the most prettiest of places; neither is Nilfheim, so dark and gloomy there. I hate it; you had a better life than me, I'm afraid." his eyes flashed with anger but she didn't react.
"I lived my entire life as a stolen relic, to be used as some sort of pawn in Odin's game. I was lied to; I am a Frost Giant of Jotunheim, the son of Laufey. I was told I was born to be a King! You? At least you knew she wasn't your mother!" his fists clenched and he shook with rage. Leah, however, calmly stared at him.
"This is why I asked to call you an idiot." it was supposed to be funny but she smiled sadly. "I agree, you were lied to about your parentage. But being born to be a King? You and Thor couldn't have ruled Asgard as Kings together, your brother would have been given the throne as first in line. You, as the youngest, would have been second. But Jotunheim? The son of King Laufey, with no other children to rule in his name? Odin wasn't lying when he told you that you were born to be a King; you just weren't supposed to be King of Asgard. Do you understand?"
Loki's eyes widened at her words and he stared at the floor, all anger disappeared. "I never thought about that. But that doesn't explain why he used me as some sort of bargaining chip. He could have told me from the beginning, I would have understood."
"No, you wouldn't." he looked at her. "What if he had done? Told you at a young age that you weren't his son and Thor wasn't your brother; that you were Laufey's son and a Frost Giant. You would have closed off from them, your life would have been completely different than it was. You were loved, and still are, but you died the minute you learned of your heritage. Imagine if that had happened when you were child? You would have blamed yourself. You would have thought your blood parents didn't love you; so that means your adopted family didn't. Or, you could have noticed they loved you and whatever happened to you could have all been avoided."
"I-" he tried to think of a reason to defend what he thought but he couldn't, because she was right.
"I'm not going to try and defend the fact that he was using you, but everything else you got wrong." she turned and walked back to the camp and he let her, watching her go.
Deep down he knew that she hadn't been talking about him.
The next morning, as Bruce made breakfast before they would pack up and carry on, he saw her a few yards away, facing a tree. He raised an eyebrow and walked towards her, watching her summon magic in her hand and throw it at the tree. It didn't even leave a scratch, and she growled, angrily and throwing another one; this time it hit the tree, burning the bark to crisp.
"Leah-" she turned and threw magic at him but he raised his hand and deflected it, causing it to evaporate. At the sight of his own magic she flinched and stepped back, grabbing her hand.
It was only until she noticed what she had done did the fear disappear and be replaced by horror; "I'm so sorry, Loki! I didn't mean to do that, it was an accident. I swear!"
For the first time since he had met her he had never seen her more frightened then now. "Your magic is unstable. She never taught you how to control it?"
"She couldn't! She only taught me how to use every weapon you can think off; axe, bow, sword...she didn't have access to her own magic to help me so she told me to wipe away all emotions, and it'll help. It never did!" her eyes filled with unshed tears as she began to grow emotional at the thought of hurting him and not being able to have more stable control of her magic.
'Don't cry, I can't stand it when people get emotional' was what he wanted to say but instead; "It's okay, calm down. I can help you as best I can." the smile he had received had made him feel happy, for some reason he couldn't explain.
"Okay." she wiped her eyes and he gave a nod.
"Let's begin."
Bruce, from the camp, looked up and watched them from a distance as Loki taught her how to use her magic without growing angry at her inability to cause damage. He smiled; he hadn't seen Loki so happy since he had met the God years ago, when he was trying to enslave Earth and kill the Avengers. Bruce learned forward, pushing his glasses higher up his nose. "Well, I'll be damned."
He didn't call them straight away when breakfast had finished being prepared, instead he left them be, beginning to eat his bowl and keeping the rest of it warm enough for them.
Leah pulled out her dagger and charged, dodging an attack from Loki with his own dagger which he had conjured up with his magic. He swept his feet underneath her, making her crash to the floor and his dagger press against her throat. "Again!"
This was the fifth time they had fought each other; he had told her that they would stop when she could beat him. She pulled herself up and held the dagger more tightly, and grinned at him as they circled one another, waiting for the other to attack. She moved first. He grinned.
Leah made the same move as last time, but to his surprise she jumped when he kicked at her feet, and she kicked at him in midair, catching him in the jaw. He staggered back, stunned before shaking it off and looking back at her. She grinned and threw a punch at his chest, which he deflected and threw back hitting her in the face. His eyes widened; she had been doing so well, he thought she would dodge him!
To his surprise Leah disappeared, showing it had been a holographic illusion, something she couldn't do before they had met and something he had been trying with no success for the past three hours. Before he could turn around he felt something collide with his back and he was sent sprawling. He turned himself onto his back only to feel her dagger press against his neck. She smiled and he smiled back before pulling away. He stood up and brushed himself off.
"Well done; I wasn't expecting you to have mastered that during our battle." she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Me too. When I kicked you in the face-sorry about that by the way-I tried and it worked!" she grinned. "So I teleported away like you taught me, and I won!"
"There's still more to learn, but Banner is waiting." he began to walk back to camp and she followed, walking alongside him.
"I don't know much about you; and if we're going to finish this journey together, we might as well get to know each other properly. So, I'll begin. Does your hair grow longer the more insane you become?"
He actually laughed out loud at that question because yes, it did. "Let's start with a more simpler question."
She sighed. "Alright; age?"
"1052 years old." he clasped his hands behind his back. She made a face which he noticed. He smiled, eyebrows furrowed; "What?"
"I was just-I mean, I thought my mother was your daughter because of the name and all, but she's older than you by many years. Another millennia, to be exact." he gave her a confused look.
"Why would you think your mother is mine?" she glanced at him and he knew immediately where the direction of conversation was going.
"I know about Hela." he looked away. "I'm sorry about your daughter."
"There's nothing to be sorry about." he picked up the pace and she tried her best to follow.
"He, your son, didn't mean-" he swiftly turned back around catching her off guard. She stumbled backwards and he followed, glaring down at her, eyes flashing with malice. She flinched and he smirked; yes, be very afraid.
"He meant every word. I killed my wife and daughter, and I don't want to talk about it with you. You will never understand what it's like to feel the way I do; your entire family hates you, blames you for tearing them apart. You're unloved by the people you used to care for." he took it one step far as he flew into a rage at the drop of a hat. He always did when speaking about them. "With your constant disrespect and disregard for anyone else maybe your parents were right to give you up."
His expression fell once he saw her face; her eyes wide, staring at her in surprise and shock and he regretted everything that had just came out of his mouth. Why was he like this? Why, around her, did he feel guilt? Why didn't he not want to hurt her just like he hurt the others around him?
"Leah, I didn't mean-" out of the corner of his eye he saw something flying towards her and he let out a shout of alarm. Without a second though to his safety, focusing on her own, he threw himself between her and the arrow which pierced him straight through the shoulder. Leah let out a gasp and turned her attention to their attackers. Her eyes widened and he followed her line of sight from his shoulder to blue, icy cold orbs through the treeline.
"Fire Demons." he whispered. What were they doing there? Were they working for Surtur like last time or Hela?
"Mr. Banner!" Leah shouted when he tried to run to their aid. "Get to the village and find Fenrir. Quickly!" he nodded and with one last look at the two of them took off. Loki breathed a sigh of relief; they wouldn't have to deal with the Hulk destroying the entire forest.
"We need to lead them away from the village." Loki said. "Follow me, now!" he began to sprint off into the woods and Leah followed, keeping up as the Fire Demons followed them through the trees.
"What are they doing here?!" Leah shouted.
"I don't know, but we have to keep them away from us and the people until we get far enough or until we can't anymore!" he replied, jumping over branches and rocks throughout the woods. They pulled to a halt when more appeared in front of him and Loki growled, running to his left which he followed.
"They're working with my mother no doubt; this is too much of a coincidence to be separate cases!" she yelled.
"That means Surtur and your mother are working together!" he didn't even notice they had ran through the abandoned village, as it was covered with vegetation, until they reached the top of the hill he had fell down all though years ago. "No, no, no..."
The people of the village had relocated, leaving the burnt remains of their previous settlement behind. He glanced back, noticing that more trees had grown throughout the wreckage of the place he had once called home. It was nearly unrecognisable, but the Fire Demons tearing through it after him was. "Loki!"
The sound of her voice made him turn back and keep running; this time he missed the branch, knowing it was there unlike the last time, and ran down the hill alongside Leah. However, because of how steep it was, they both ended up falling anyway. They rolled down the hill, grunting and groaning as they hit branches and rocks. Loki nearly saw the irony of it when they came to a halt beside each other on the ice.
Leah was the first one to move as Fire Demons foot came straight for her bed. She rolled out of the way and sent her dagger straight into his shin, making it roar in pain and fall giving her time to stab it straight through the neck, ending it's life instantly. "Get up, Loki!"
He pushed himself up and onto his feet, unsheathing his throwing knives as the other Fire Demons reached the bottom of the hill. Loki noticed, in horror, that the ice wasn't as solid as it was years ago and it wouldn't hold them all if their feet began to melt the ice. He didn't think Leah could swim, and if she could like he knew how, she wouldn't last long enough in the water for him to pull her out. He let out a frustrated yell and throwing his knives down, slammed his bare hands down onto the ice beneath him and felt for anything that gave him a sign that after all this time, it was still there.
"Loki..." Leah backed away as their attackers approached just as he felt that tugging in his heart and the ice began to harden under his touch. He let it in case him for the first time he had found out about his heritage and watched as his hands turned blue, the colour making it's way up his body. The patterns on his skin rising and his eyes turning the colour of rubies; "That's amazing." she whispered.
Leah watched in shock as he stood to his full height and with another growl threw his arm down straight down; shards of ice burst out of the lake and straight at a Fire Demon, piercing him through the chest. He went to walk manipulating the cold like he was born to do to freeze some more of their attackers as Leah used her own throwing knives to keep them at bay. The last one swung an axe at her from her left side, hitting her arm but she pulled it away at the right time so the weapon slashed through the fabric of her shirt and into her skin.
Her yelp as the Demon kicked her across the ice caused Loki to turn and grab a throwing knife from his belt, sending it into his hand. The Fire Demon who had been following Leah, with a yell, pulled it out only to be met with another knife to the chest, through the heart killing him instantly.
Loki turned his attention to Leah, who was grabbing her stomach, seeing the panic in her eyes he ran towards her. "He-he burnt through my armour!"
"Move your arm." she did and he saw that the Fire Demon had burnt through her armour, like she had said, until it reached her stomach showing her skin to him. It had left a foot mark which sizzled as it began to burn through her flesh. "Maybe I can-" he reached for her stomach with one hand and she began to panic.
"No, wait you'll-!" at the contact she flinched, preparing herself for the frostbite she would recieve but instead it travelled up her body, turning her pale skin the same blue that covered his own body. The patterns rose on her face and hands, but instead of her eyes turning crimson like his they stayed the same green, but more brighter. "I don't feel any pain...Did it work?-AH!"
Loki stood up and took a step back as she moved in the opposite direction, pushing herself away from him. "You're-"
"No!" she snapped, glaring at him. "I'm not! It's a mistake!-...Right?" her expression softened and he gave her a sad look of his own.
"I'm sorry, but it's not. I had the same reaction; you're a Frost Giant." she pulled herself up and onto her feet as the blue began to fade, bringing back her normal skin colour. His began to the same thing, leaving them both standing there, Loki staring at her while she stared at her hands, inspecting them. Now he knew how Odin felt when he watched him realise his heritage, who he really was.
"I can't be, she never told me. She told me she knew who my parents were! If she knew she would have told me that I was!" she shouted angrily. He let her, even when Banner ran up to them, stopping at the shore without Fenrir.
"Loki, Leah..." at the sound of her name she growled and marched off to calm down and he let her, walking to Banner.
"What's wrong with her?" he asked Loki.
"She just found out she was a Frost Giant, like me." he replied as she came back, smiling apologetically at the Midgardian.
"Sorry, I had to go and...take some deep breathes. Where's Fenrir?"
"That's what those red guys were for; they took Fenrir, to Hela no doubt." Loki sighed, running a hand through his hair. That meant they would have to go back to Asgard, or what's left of it, to rescue him and stop Hela from starting Ragnarok.
He then noticed the ripped fabric of her armour, showing a slash from the axe when the Fire Demon had tried to dismember her limb from her body. "You're hurt, here let me-" he felt his magic flow to his hand and he reached out for her but she stepped back, her eyes wide with fright.
"No! D-Don't...don't touch me!" he took a step back from her and looked at her hand, looking back and forth. He had thought she had been afraid of him, afraid of him hitting her, but then after time passed he began to believe that she was afraid of magic. Now, he was certain she feared someone's magic; his.
"You're afraid of my magic, why mine? You're okay with your own? I'm not going to hurt you, I have no reason too." he said softly and the fear in her eyes made him pause. This was the first time they had made eye contact for more than a few seconds and was close enough to see. He was staring into eyes like his own, so much like his own that...
"You'll hit me..." she backed away and his eyes widened. No, no, no... "Like you did last time! All I did was grab your pant leg and you thought I was one of them!"
"You-you can't be..." Loki whispered.
Banner made the connection faster than he could comprehend it himself and he froze, looking back from one another. "Oh my god...I thought but Thor told me-it's impossible."
His brain began to make all the connections itself, and the pieces of the puzzle began to piece together;
-"Is she yours?" he had no idea what he was talking about until he looked back down and saw that she was staring right at him, or rather the box. He noticed the similarities right away between them; pale skin, black hair, and eyes that looked green from where he was sitting.-
Her hair was as messy as his own, and her eyes hadn't changed a bit-how did he not know?! The Grandmaster had even noticed!
-"Yeah, because your eyes are blue, I think? I remember them when they were green though-or do you prefer Crazy Ass or He Who is an Idiot?"-
He had thought it strange at the time as they had never met previously but they did! Of course they did, if she would know that his natural eye colour was the same green as her own, and that the blue was left over from Thanos' control.
-"I know your name. I just don't remember anyone saying it in that tone."-
All the people who had said his name had said it with love or happiness to see him. No one she had met said it with such hatred and malice like people did in the present.
-"I can use my magic to track down Fenrir, so I'll stay.-Thor, Jormungandr's your nephew and will probably recognise you so you go with Valkyrie."-
When she had met Odin he had never mentioned the names of his grandsons to her when he told them about the Ragnarok prophecy. Beforehand she had called them 'his sons' not by their names, she had even said to Odin, Thor and Loki themselves that she didn't know their names and wouldn't plan to. But of course she would know them if they were related?
-"Hela?" Strange made a noise in the back of his throat and glanced back and forth from Loki and Leah. "Right, of course. Leah. I'll see what I can do."-
Strange had noticed immediately their relation to one another before Loki even did. Someone none of them had even met yet had recognised that Leah wasn't who she thought she was.
-His eyes widened; "Impossible." the young man shook his head and stared at her. "Of course, Leah. You-you looked familiar, I apologise." he sent her a small bow.-
Jormungandr, even if it had been a long time ago, had knew instantly that Leah was...
-"It probably won't help but; I don't think she would blame you."-
Of course she would know that; she didn't blame him. After what he did, she didn't blame him, even subconsciously she believed the fault wasn't his.
"I need to get back to Asgard." the terror in her eyes had disappeared, and he noticed the rage so similar to his own. They made eye contact and the rage was replaced with horror. Not that he was her family, but because of what he had become, and he could tell she was horrified. He didn't blame her.
Before he could say anything she rushed off, leaving the two standing in the snow together. She's alive.
The entirety of Asgard had been obliterated except for the palace, which although burned, still held. Thor led the way into the place they used to call home; Banner's clothes in tatters since he had just calmed down only minutes ago. They had defeated Surtur, stopped Ragnarok, and now they had to confront Hel-Death. They used to call her that as they didn't want to confuse both of them; it didn't matter until now. Not once through the battle did he see Hela.
Thor swung the doors open and at once, everyone noticed the thrumming in the air. It wasn't Death's; it was dark orange, with strands of purple threaded into the magic. Loki took the lead, marching forward, eyes looking around for the Queen of Helheim and her adopted daughter.
"The souls of those demons wasn't the only thing you took from the Iron Woods that day, was it?" her voice was clear as day as they neared the throne room and Loki swung the doors open. Hela stood in front of them, slowly walking up towards Death who didn't batter an eye at their appearance. Instead she stared down, almost sadly, at the girl.
"No." Hela came to a stop at the top of the stairs, and Loki noticed with dread that the scene looked so much like his own with Odin that it was horrifying. The words she used were even the same ones he used, except for some words changed. He was definitely his own daughter. "After the aftermath of the brutality, the souls of those Fire Demons called for me so I went to them. When I got there I noticed that the frozen lake had been destroyed, their bodies calling underneath the water. It was then that I noticed the small childlike figure across the lake, lying in the snow, still like the trees around her. I went to go and check if she was still breathing, and that's when I noticed that she was alive, and moving. She opened her eyes and looked up at me, crying out for her father. She had been abandoned, left to die."
His heart clenched at the next words. "Loki's daughter."
She whispered it back. "Why? You were surrounded by corpses of the innocent and those...things, why would you take me?" the irony of how similar it was to his own conversation with Odin nearly made him laugh, a bitter laugh. It was horrible to watch, more less having to be the one receiving the answers. Death placed her hands behind her back, keeping eye contact with her, an angry expression on her face. Loki knew why; Death was angry because she had to ruin the image her child had placed upon her. A pedestal she had no right to stand upon.
"You were an innocent child; left alone in the harsh wilderness with no parent in sight." Death stood up from the almost destroyed throne and walked down the steps towards her. The magic crackled in the air, and Loki felt something shift in him. Her magic was still unstable, she hadn't separated her emotions from her arcane abilities. She was growing more angrier with the minute, and with the power she had, more so than what he possessed she could destroy the entire palace with them all inside.
"You know exactly what I mean." her voice was cold, even when she tried to keep it neutral.
"I woke millennials ago, having survived the last Ragnarok cycle, and the one before. I had grown tired of seeing the destruction of the Nine Realms over and over again, so I did what I thought was for the best. I removed my name from the Book of the Dead. A mistake I did not know I had made until much later. I was imprisoned in Nilfheim by Odin for crimes I had committed, I was so enraged that I sought to rectify what I had done only to find my name mysteriously back on the pages. The Book of the Dead had thought I had died, and had placed my name back to finish Ragnarok like I was meant too. Or, your name.
Instead of your brothers being the only children of Loki like the past reincarnations, you were also born. You were supposed to be what the Norns prophesied; half-dead, and with the power to control souls like I do but instead-you were perfect, with no magic whatsoever connected to your previous role as Goddess of Death. Two Helas living in the same cycle would have destroyed the entirety of the Nine Realms, but this time the cycle would not begin again. At this point I thought I was better than everyone, including the All-Father himself, I did not deserve to die in this cycle. I would survive every cycle come to pass, even if I couldn't have the throne of Asgard and the Nine Realms with it. The only way to balance the cycle itself was to-" she pulled out a stone, a gem to be more precise.
"The Soul Stone." Odin whispered next to him and Loki froze in horror. He had been working for the very Titan that wanted all of the Infinity Stones, and his daughter...
"One night, when I went to collect a soul from your village who had died from an unknown illness I visited your home while your family slept. You were a small thing, only a few months old. I removed the magic from the gem and made you it's vessel. That way we both could live in the same cycle without disastrous consequences. The Norns were right; Ragnarok can be stopped, but all because of a mistake. And now you know."
"A mistake?" Death's eyes widened at her whisper. "I'm just a mistake to you?" the magic emitting from her crackled louder.
"You will never be a mistake to me. You're my daughter, I raised you. Granted not until you were a young child, but nevertheless I watched you grow up."
"No, I'm a blip. A blip in your perfect plan." her eyes narrowed, her fists clenching, her whole body shaking with rage. "Tell me what your real name is." Death remained silent, staring at her with such sadness Loki was surprised. Odin had looked at him like that when he had confronted him; full of love. He looked away, avoiding eye contact with everyone, staring at Hela in front of him. "TELL ME!"
"Leah. My real name is Leah." before anyone could react Death went flying backwards, slamming into what remained of the throne, destroying it and sending her smashing through the wall into the next room. Hela stood, arm outstretched, pulsing with orange hues which he knew was from the Soul Stone inside of her.
"Hel-" he reached out for her but Thor grabbed him, pulling him back. Hela walked towards the hole, the ground and the pillars holding the rest of the palace up shaking uncontrollably.
"She's going to bring the entire place on us." Valkyrie reached for her sword but Loki stopped her.
"All of you, get out of here." they let out cries of protest but at his glare they fell silence. "She'll listen to me, she remembers. I can try." he ran after her, climbing over the throne and through the hole, coming to a stop seeing Death on the floor, staring at Hela as she approached, fists clenched and emitting with the same dark orange hues as before.
"You took me for a purpose, what was it?" she growled, coming to a stop. Death stared up at her, ignoring Loki and Thor, who came to join them, axe in hand.
"I wanted to use you against Odin, Loki, Thor...everyone who ever cared about you." Hela glared harder.
"Everyone? One of them is dead." Death tried to pull herself up but Hela blasted her away again, sliding her across the floor.
"Yes, she is." Death looked back at her. "She knew what I had done...I promised her I would look after you."
"You could have told me who I was from the beginning, why didn't you?" she shouted.
"You would have blamed yourself. You would have thought your blood parents didn't love you; so why would I?" the magic disappeared almost immediately and Hela relaxed, her fists unclenching, her glare gone.
"I'm not like him." she all but whispered. "I don't want to end up like him." she turned and walked away, leaving Thor and Loki to deal with Death as she watched her walk away from her and from her father.
"Loki, my son." the sweet voice of his mother made him open his eyes and look around the room he was inside. It was his room in Asgard, the one he used in his youth, and the one he occupied whenever he visited Asgard with his children. Angrboda never wanted to go, as Odin still didn't accept her as his daughter-in-law, not like how he accepted his grandchildren.
"Mother." he noticed the face of Frigga, the Queen of Asgard and All-Mother of the Nine Realms, caressing his face gently. "Where-?"
"You're safe, don't worry. Jormungandr and Fenrir are worried; they're in the room, sleeping, finally. They didn't want too until you woke up, so they knew you were okay." he smiled and looked around his room, seeing Thor in the corner on a chair snoring. "He's stayed there, not moving. Odin is busy with funeral preparations."
"Angrboda." he didn't say her name as a question but as a statement; he knew she was dead. She nodded but noticed she wasn't making eye contact with him like she normally would. "Mother, what is it?" s he didn't reply, instead turning her head away and he glared. "Mother."
"My son...I'm so sorry." she whispered, her voice filled with grief and his blood ran cold as she turned and grabbed something, lifting and holding it out for him to see. A stuffed toy, cold to the touch.
"Hela." he grabbed it with a shaky hand and looked down at it's face. One of the eyes was falling out of it's sockets, like it used to look before that night. "She's-"
"We can't find her anywhere; she wouldn't answer our calls." she answered and he looked up, eyes burning with anger.
"So you haven't found her body?!" he sat up, glaring. "You have the decency to come here and tell me my own daughter is dead when you have no evidence!" his shouting had woken up Thor, who looked around for the sound before noticing Loki.
"Loki-" he began but his brother interrupted him;
"Shut up!" he snapped. "Where is the proof my own flesh and blood is gone?!"
"Loki!" it was his mother this time, face hard but her eyes shining with unshed tears. "We went to Death. She told us the truth; she collected her moments after you fell into the water."
His heart stopped; no, she's couldn't be. She was lying, she had to be lying. It was only until it dawned on him that the Goddess of Death herself had confirmed it did it hit him. A wail of anguish escaped his throat as he sobbed, screaming for Hela as Frigga hugged her son, apologising over and over again. Thor watched sadly from the sidelines as his brother grieved for the death of his daughter.
A few realms away, Death and Hela walked hand in hand.
Set during and after Thor: Ragnarok. I had this kind-of theory a while back when the idea started going around that Loki's children would be in the third movie that Hela (now going to be played by the wonderful Cate Blanchett) was actually Leah, from the comics who becomes Hela when sent into the past by kid Loki and not actually Hela, the child of a former reincarnated Loki, and isn't actually supposed to be The Hela that helps start Ragnarok. Enter my angsty ass.
Apparently to the Lego sets for the movie Fenrir is going to be in the movie, but I don't know about Jormungandr. They better make a reference to Fenrir being Loki's son or I'll riot.
I also wrote this for character development for Loki; Hela's reaction, walking away and understanding that Death did what any normal person would, is what he could have done. Hela is what Loki could have been.
EDIT: I honestly rushed to explain a shitty ending to this, so here is the true ending to what happens after Ragnarok:
Hela, finding out she possesses the Soul Stone, disappears. No one knows where, but Thor and Loki band together to find out where she went. Asgard is destroyed, and the two brothers are left to travel the Nine Realms to search for a new home although they pick Midgard in the end.
Steve, Natasha and SHIELD (especially Nick Fury) aren't very happy that Loki is there but after Thor sits them down, explains what happened and that they need to find Hela before Thanos does, they allow him to stay at the New Avengers Facility with them under a watchful eye as they all begin to track down Hela.
Avengers: Infinity War begins with Hela's return; she's 17 now, and much more experienced and different personality and look wise than she was in Ragnarok. She explains that she had travelled to different Realms and even different universes to find answers to stopping Thanos and only came back when Doctor Strange came for her, asking for her help to bring the Avengers and the Guardians together to stop Thanos who is heading for Earth to take the Mind, Time and now Soul Stones.
I WILL go back and edit the ending of this story, as I did rush it at the end as I was growing tired and wanted to post it right away to lessen the weight on my chest. More will be added but you'll see it soon.