Disclaimer: I don't own Thor, Avengers or Tin Man.
A/N: This idea came into my mind and it wouldn't go away until I finally finished it.
A/N: Spoilers for all three.
A/N: Follows the events up till Thor the Dark World except that Loki fakes his death in order to escape.
Azkadellia was staring out her window wishing that on a day like today she could be outside in the sunlight, but it wasn't worth it. If anyone saw her she was either be subject to glares or sympathetic stares. It had been three years since she had been freed from the witches control, but the kingdom still treated her the same way they had before. The only difference was that it was little subtler now since her parents had made it clear that they weren't going to imprison her or put her on trial for her crimes. So like always she was going to have to enjoy the sunlight from afar she supposed that it was fitting.
"Hello," someone said close to her ear and she could feel someone's warm breath on her neck. She swung an elbow hard into the person. This was the first time that someone had managed to get in her room. Her room was well protected by both magic and guards. She was more secure in the magic than in the guards since she was sure that some of them still wanted her dead for crimes and hated having to protect her from what they probably thought was justice. The elbow missed and hit only air. She turned around ready to attack with her magic, but stopped when she realized who it was.
"Loki," she breathed. She hadn't seen him in so long, not since she was a kid. Loki smiled his smile that she knew that most other people found irritating, but she was fond of Loki, even of his demeanor. Although she supposed it also had a bit to do with the fact that Loki was more genuine around her than he was around most other people. Did he know? He had been gone for so long, but did he know? He always seemed to know everything. She wasn't sure whether or not she wanted him to know or not.
"It's a beautiful day outside." he said nonchalantly putting his hands behind his back, but it made her think that maybe he had been watching her longer than she had originally thought.
"Yes it is." she said wondering why Loki had come back.
"You really shouldn't be inside on such a day," he said. She wondered if he didn't know or if he knew and wanted to make her say it, either was possible. Loki could be a very hard person to figure out if he wanted to be.
"Yes well as nice as a day it is I-"
"Remember what I am princess and do not lie to me, he said with a pleasant smile. Yes, he was the god of lies, or at least that what he liked to call himself. He was a bit arrogant, or actually rather a lot. Then again, he did look rather the same as the last time that she had seen him except for a different darker look in his eyes, even though he was smiling.
"You know." and she knew in her bones that it was true, Loki knew what had happened to her the past years.
"Of course I do princess, I know all," he said with an arrogant smile that made her roll her eyes. Despite how strong he was, or knowledgeable she knew that he didn't know all.
"And..." she said bracing herself for the reaction, but Loki merely frowned and said.
"And what?" he suddenly had an apple in his hand which he took a bite of then with a wave of his hand it disappeared again. It had been a green one, she wasn't quite sure what exactly his affinity for all things green and black meant.
"Do you not care?" she asked. Normally she did not having to ask for an opinion since the opinion a person usually had was usually plainly stated on their face, or in their posture. She had learned to read those very well, but Loki he didn't look distressed, or angry, or really anything.
"I think it's time we both got a little sun." he said and grabbed her hand. Before Azkadilla could ask what Loki meant by that she found herself being tugged and suddenly in a new location. The location was a green grassy hill with the sun beaming down on them and wildflowers all around. There was no one around, no one but the two of them so she didn't have to worry about anyone seeing her.
"Where are we?" she asked because she couldn't place it.
"Don't know, but I came across it a few days ago."
"You've been here for a few days?" she asked not liking that it meant he had been there a few days and hadn't seen her, but she chose not to say it.
"Yes, I needed a change in scenery and thought I'd come here. It's a little different from the last time I was here though." he said but not in any kind of derogatory way towards her, or even sympathetic towards her. Az frowned.
"Did you teleport me here?" she asked not sure how she felt about that. On the one hand, it was nice to be out in the sun without having to worry about someone trying to kill her, since she was pretty sure they were well away from anyone else. But if her family came to look for her then they would probably sound some alarm making others think she was in danger.
"Yes and before you say anything, there is an illusion of you looking at the window that should fool everyone for a few hours if needed." Az looked around for a moment at the grassy hills thinking that she should get Loki to take her back. But the sun was too nice and if her family wasn't going to go crazy looking for her, she figured that she might as well enjoy it while she could.
"What are you doing here?" she asked as she laid down on the grass and looked up at the sky, in a way she hadn't done in such a long time. She jumped when she realized that Loki was next to her on the ground, but a few inches away also looking at the sky.
"I decided I wanted a change of scenery, so I came here for a bit." Loki said with a shrug. Az frowned she knew there was something more to it, then again it generally was with Loki.
"Are you planning to stay long?" she asked hoping to get more information. Loki though, just looked up at the sky, looking just as comfortable lounging on a grassy hill in the middle of nowhere, in a kingdom he hadn't seen in decades, as she imaged that he would on his own bed in his own kingdom. She forgot how frustrating it could be sometimes to get an answer out of him, but he didn't really lie to her. He did tend to stretch the truth, or omit things but never an outright lie.
"Why have you-"
"Sh!" Loki interrupted with his finger over his lips and gestured up to the sky. Azkadellia looked up at the clouds moving their way quietly and slowly across the sky. How long how it been since she had done such a thing, probably before the witch.
"Stop thinking so loudly." Loki admonished her with a shake of his head that she saw out of the corner of her eye. "Just relax, enjoy the day," he said. Az tried to focus on the clouds again, find shapes in it like she used to when she was a kid. She was more curious though about why Loki was there. Azkadellia found her eyes slowly moving from the clouds to Loki who naturally noticed and sighed.
"What?" he asked annoyed.
"Why are you here?" she asked again and Loki sighed.
"I needed to get away for a bit." Loki said still looking at the sky. "How are things going here?" she knew that he was asking to avoid having to answer, but she let it go since she did want to talk about it, particularly with someone who wasn't personally involved with anything.
"Everyone still is afraid of me or afraid of hurting me." she said simply.
"You were possessed," Loki stated.
"Most of the kingdom thinks that's a lie, told because I am royalty to get me out of trouble."
"If it was a lie that they surely would have made it more imaginative no?" Loki said nonchalantly.
"So you believe it?" she asked. Not everyone did, but most people were smart enough not to say it to her face, or in the presence of royalty.
"I remember that young girl I once knew and I knew that she would not become what they say, because even though we are alike, we are not that alike." Azkadellia frowned not liking the sound of that.
"What do you mean?"
"You really don't go to Midgard often do you?" Loki asked with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Midgard. Loki's word for the other side where DG had lived for most of her life.
"No, not really why?" Az asked with a shake of her head.
"Well I'm sure Midgard wants me dead, but they might settled for imprisoned."
"Why?" she said not liking the way he said that.
"I may or may not have killed several of them." he said nonchalantly with a light shrug like it didn't bother him.
"Wait what? You are the killer that everyone thinks I am." she said angrily sitting up on the grass to glare at him.
"I've killed." he said with a nod and still looked unbothered by the whole thing.
"What? Why?" she asked.
"Because I was angry, because I was jealous, because I could, pick one." he said for the first time his words and gaze having a hard edge to them.
"You promised to never lie to me," she said, not even knowing for sure how she knew he was lying, but somehow she knew. Loki looked at her for a moment surprised before masking his emotions again.
"What?" he said sounding only the tiniest bit confused, but she still heard it in his voice.
"You promised remember," she reminded him of the promise Loki had made to her when she was a kid. She had heard of his reputation and hadn't wanted to talk to him about her magic. But since her mother had been too busy and DG too young she had been his best option and he had promised not to lie to her. She wondered if he would lie again, but his lips merely formed a grim line.
"Fine." he bit out. "My mind may or may not have been slightly influenced at the time."
"What does that mean?" Az asked.
"What do you think it means?" Loki said snarkily and got up from the hill and started walking away from her.
"Were you possessed?!" Az yelled as his retreating back and Loki's footsteps continued for a few more steps before he stopped, although he didn't turn back around.
"It doesn't matter. No one would believe me even if I told them, and even if they did, it still wouldn't matter."
"Loki were you possessed?!" Az yelled and then used her magic, she didn't use it very often anymore because of the witch, to hold Loki in place so he couldn't run away from her. She strode up to him and turned so that she was in front of him. Loki simply glanced at her like he was amused.
"Why do you never say you mean?" Az asked frustrated. It would certainly make having conversations with him a lot easier if she didn't have to constantly try to figure out what he was saying.
"Because that's not who I am," Loki said, but despite the smirk on his face she could see a little sadness in his eyes.
"Yes or no were you possessed?"Az asked sometimes the best way to get a straight answer out of someone who like half-truths was to ask yes or no questions.
"I'm not sure." Loki answered after a moment. Az frowned. How could you not be sure? Only she knew the feeling too. She had repressed the memories under so many layers of her sister telling her it wasn't her fault, she had started to believe it, but Loki's words brought it back.
"I was awake for part of it," Az admitted. She hadn't said anything to anyone else before because afraid that her family would hate her if they knew. She now felt less morally upstanding than she had before. "I would talk to her. I thought of her as my only friend." Az admitted and she felt disgusted at herself. How could she had thought of a witch that was possessing her as her friend.
"You were how old when you were possessed?"
"13." Az said. Loki nodded.
"A mortal's mind is particularly malleable at that age." Loki said without much feeling in his voice.
"What are you saying?" she asked lowly. If she didn't like his answer she wasn't sure what she would do, but she was sure it wouldn't be pleasant.
"Just what I said." At Azkadellia's glare he elaborated but not before he rolled his eyes.
"I don't know a lot about mortal's, but I assume that physically you are similar those on what you call the other side. There, the mortal's prefrontal cortex doesn't finish forming until their late 20's and that is your reasoning center. Since it hadn't finished forming you weren't able to reason as soundly as you can now. But particularly in your early teens, you are naturally malleable as you are trying to find out who you are. Even normal teens can be pressured in that age to act in a manner that they know is wrong."
"What you had that no one else at your age did was a voice, constantly telling you things. I assume things such like she was your only friends. She told you lies, or worse twisted the truth. But no matter what you said she was constantly in your head listening to your emotions and thoughts. How in the world can you fight that, especially when it appears that your entire family has abandoned you?"
Azkadellia stared at him for a long moment her mind trying to take in his words. He hadn't said anything emotional or even personal. His argument was completely logical and as such it was extremely hard to refute. But in another way it was personal. He had learned all about what had happened to her, that it appeared that her family had abandoned her after she had killed DG.
All the emotions were stifling, the rejection, his words and she wasn't sure how to handle it. Apparently her legs did though and she suddenly fell to the ground. Thankfully the ground was still grassy and it didn't hurt. She shook her head still trying to wrap her head around and still failing. She jerked as she felt something on her shoulder and found it was Loki's hand, he was sitting next to her. As soon as she jumped he lifted his hand away and she realized the touch seemed to be mostly to get her attention. He looked at her this time with a sad smile on his face.
"I don't...I can't..." she trailed off again not able to put her thoughts and feelings into words.
"I understand." he said softly. "more than I think anyone else can." he said solemnly. She opened her moth to ask a question only for nothing to come out. She swallowed and tried again.
"What exactly happened?" she asked. Loki looked away for the moment and spoke more to the green grass than he did to her.
"I fell down a long dark hole. When I stopped falling I found myself with a strange people. To make a long story short, I was given this tool, a scepter, which influenced minds. To what degree it did or didn't influence my own I'm not sure of." he frowned. "There was also the Tesseract too. I can't seem to separate myself from my actions. I can't seem to figure out how much of it was me and how much of it was my connection to the two objects." Az found herself reaching out this time and she touched his shoulder. He jerked and he whipped forward like he was about to attack her before he stopped abruptly, his form stiff and his eyes narrowed in anger.
"I would advise you not to touch me when I'm not looking." he warned her, hinting again that there was something that he was omitting. She let go of his shoulder and Loki seemed to relax a little.
"Is that why you're here? To figure it out?" she asked even though she had a feeling that that wasn't true. Loki shook his head.
"I just need someplace, some place to be, somewhere where I... Do you mind if I stay awhile?" Loki asked for the moment that was a crack in his armor and she could see his need to stay.
"Stay as long as you want." Yes, she didn't completely understand what Loki had done, and she had a feeling that he was omitting a lot of important details. She knew also that she probably shouldn't allow it until she knew the details. However, she did know that no one on the entire realm knew what she was going through the way that Loki did.
Loki smiled a genuine smile. He then summoned an apple into his hand, a red one, which he tossed it to her. She managed to catch and bit into it. She smiled gratefully at him and for the first time since she had become free, she didn't think about the field of the papay as she ate it.
A/N Please tell me what you think if people like it ( and if my muse agrees) I might continue it. If not, it's just going to remain a one-shot.