Author's Note: Hello everyone! This is my first Avengers fic and it's in the experimental stage right now. I'm posting it to see if anyone likes it, but I'm not going to update until I get at least 5 reviews. Hmm… it felt like longer when I wrote it, but oh well. If I get enough reviews then the next chapters will most likely be a bit longer. The real plot begins next chapter. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers (although I really wish I owned Loki :P). I only own the plot and my OCs.
Prologue
A mysterious figure stood in front of a crystalline pool, shrouded completely in a midnight blue cloak. "Aurora my dear, come forward. There's something I wish for you to see." Came a soft but distinctly male voice from under the man's, for lack of a better term, hood that his face in shadow.
A young girl who appeared about 16 stepped into the pale blue light emanating from the pool. She was tall for her age at 5'9" and possessed an almost ethereal beauty. She had pale skin, shimmering silvery white hair down to her waist, a slender, graceful build and long willowy limbs like those of a dancer. She wore a floor-length white robe with long sleeves embroidered with dark blue runes in an ancient unknown language. The most unique thing about her appearance though was her eyes. They constantly changed colors like a kaleidoscope, able to turn any color imaginable. At the moment her eyes had settled on lavender. She approached the pool and looked up at the cloaked man. "What is it that you wish to show me?" she asked curiously in a gentle voice like tinkling bells.
"Gaze into the pool and I will explain." The man replied. He waved a hand over the clear water and it rippled as images swirled to the surface.
Aurora peered into the water and watched the scenes unfolding before her: a desolate rocky world with horrific alien creatures, jeering and laughing as a hulking purple beast in gleaming armor tortured a tall, dark haired man wearing only a torn tunic and slacks that she recognized as Aesir in style; a strange band of mortals and one Aesir fighting off an invasion of Midgard by the same cruel race and finally, the dark-haired god being led in a muzzle and cuffs by the older blonde god, the mystical Tesseract handed to him in a glass tube by mortals in black suits. As she gazed into the bright green eyes of the younger god, she felt a deep pang of sadness and regret. Her eyes darkened to violet as the pool cleared once more and she gazed again at the man standing silently next to her. "I don't understand. What was all that?" she asked in confusion.
The man touched a finger to her forehead and she closed her eyes as information streamed through her mind. She learned about the two Asgardians Loki and Thor, the events that led to Loki's fall from the Bifrost and his subsequent arrival on the world of the the Chitauri, the Mad Titan Thanos, the year of torture Loki suffered before being ordered to Earth, the Avengers, the invasion, the destruction of the place Midgardians called Manhattan, ending with the Avengers' victory and Loki's capture.
She understood now what the pool had been showing her. Those were the events of one possible timeline. She also was shown an alternate timeline and knew at last what she must do. She opened her eyes with a soft gasp, blinking as she tried to process all that she had just learned.
"You now have the necessary knowledge to complete a mission that will change the course of the Nine Realms forever. That timeline was never meant to occur. The Titan Thanos tampered with forces that he ought not have. The true course that time must take may put the universe in more danger than ever before, but it is also the only way to prevent it from unraveling and plunging all of existence into eternal darkness. Loki, the Jotun raised as a prince of Asgard, born with immense magical potential, is the key to saving all times that ever were and are yet to be. However, in Thanos' cruel hands that potential will be wasted. Go forth young one and set him back on his rightful path. With the help of the Avengers and the God of Thunder, the pieces will be united, everyone's' destinies will be fulfilled and Thanos' true vision won't come to pass. Remove him from the fabric of time, but take care not to alter the path of other threads in the process or all life may cease to exist. You know well how fragile time is so be cautious of how much you reveal to the others. I would trust no one but you, Aurora, with this task. You may even discover things about yourself in the process." he explained.
It was a daunting task, but Aurora was determined to succeed. Despite being able to see the future, time isn't a straight line and therefore there were many things that remained unclear to her. What paths would be taken on this journey was a mystery but that made it all the more exciting. "I won't let you down." she promised. Then she disappeared in a blinding silver flash of light.
The Timekeeper gazed back into the scrying pool, his all-seeing eyes looking at the future that had been foretold since the dawn of creation. A single image was frozen on the pool's surface. Aurora didn't yet know how much this journey would change her and everyone involved. He let out a soft sigh. "Good luck my daughter." he whispered.