Bitches be going to Narnia. Oh yeah. And by bitches, I mean the resident Norse homos. They're gonna fuck some shit up, Thor's going to be his endearing, stupid self, Loki's going to cause chaos while being an utterly sneaky, untrustworthy bastard, and it should be glorious. I hope. I leave that for you readers to decide. Here's hoping! Do remember to leave some feedback, yeah? I appreciate it greatly. 3
Disclaimer: Thor, Loki? Yeah, they aren't mine. Marvel owns them, at least the MCU and comic/tv/etc versions, and Disney owns that. Otherwise, that's mythology's glorious love child. As for Narnia and all it encompasses, also not mine. Seriously, that's kinda obvious.
"If you sought a clandestine approach, then I fear we are doomed to failure. Your footsteps are like those of a wild beast on a rampage to slake their unquenchable hungers. Could you not attempt to tread more softly? It's almost as if you've never hunted before." Lightly toned mockery filtered through his ears, muffled by the whirl of icy wind and the crunch of frost on stone beneath his feet. Thor grunted and paid it no mind, catching a mischievous grin from the corner of his eye. Of course Loki took amusement from this, the playful wretch. He had no fear of frostbite to weigh him down. But that was the least of Thor's worries. Failure was a far greater presence within his thoughts, clinging to the meat and bone as he trudged up the snow covered cliff side, Loki right on his heels. The prince's presence did soothe him, to an extent, but it also served as a reminder of why he was doing this in the first place. His own cursed shortcomings.
Thor had to prove himself, for both their sakes. Within his actions would be the evidence of his trust in Loki, and the respect he had for his magical abilities. He couldn't fail. He just…couldn't. Perhaps Thor had been forgiven for his transgressions, as Loki claimed, and part of him prayed that this was true. It gave him some peace of mind. Peace was a fickle mistress though, and he craved something more substantial. Actions spoke louder than words. He'd sworn to present a tangible show of penance as proof of his sincerity, both to himself and his intended, and by the Norns, he was going to do it. It was the whole reason he'd scoured the realms for clues and ideas, listening to every rumor that passed through the loose knit weave of gossip at court, and why the Jotun prince had helped him in his quest to breach the gap between the worlds and come here, the place he knew fate wished him to be.
"Narnia," Thor muttered, feeling a lash of cold whip his cheek. He wasn't certain how he knew, but this was where he'd find the key to his success. These mountains were his best chance. Things weren't any less difficult now though, despite their relatively smooth arrival. Clever Loki had found a portal to this world in the forests of Midgard, and it brought them here with relative ease. He should have known things would go sour after that. They were on the mountains his sketches had depicted, yes. But where was the witch? All he saw was snow, strange trees with green needles in lieu of proper leaves, and a dusty grey sky promising more of the miserable cold. It was hardly comforting.
"Need I remind you, this was your idea." Loki stepped up beside him gracefully, pulling the furred collar of his cloak away from his face. The snow didn't embitter him at all. He was in his element, and Thor freely admitted to himself that this was likely for the best. What good would it do them if they both suffered from the raging elements? "You might as well be an open book, Thor. I can practically hear your thoughts. They claw and scrape against the confines of your abnormally thick skull." Fingers that felt nearly warm in the frigid air brushed his vambraces, bypassing the metal and crimson belly to travel down to his knuckles. "Are you really so concerned? We've come this far. What left is there for you to do, but slay the witch and claim her treasures."
It wasn't going to be that simple. Thor knew that, and so did Loki, the teasing imp. "You think this won't be a challenge for me?" His foot crunched through a layer of snow and almost sent him careening down the way they'd came. Loki's hand was all that saved him from this embarrassment, latching onto his wrist and roughly tugging him forward with a strength that was surprising, given his smaller form. Then again, lots of things about him surprised Thor. He should be used to it by now. "You see? The mountain alone gives me trouble!" Lips twitched, threatening to smile. Thor glowered at the horned prince. "We can't all tread across the snow with elven grace, Loki. You have a natural affinity for this world."
By the Norns, he sounded like a sullen child. The amused expression Loki bore did no favors for his current petulant nature, and he grimaced at the sound of chuckling, blue fingers laced through his own to lead him higher up the sloping forest. "My affinity, as you say, is one of my borne talents. Would you deny your wits, whatever ones you possess, or your mighty strength? They are as much a part of you as my ability to walk across the snow without stumbling about like a drunken oaf."
"I don't stumble." Grunting, Thor gave the hand in his own a squeeze and carried onward. Loki's words were no more harmful than a wooden dagger in the hands of a child. There was a soft sting, almost immediately relieved by the warm feelings of adoration and care. With anyone else the taunting might have been cruel, but as always Loki treaded a line between humor and lovable mischief. He knew just how to spin his words. The skillful silvertongue. "If the snow doesn't cease, we may have to make camp. It would be unwise to wander through this realm at night, when its threats are unknown to us." The idea of being attacked by beasts and creatures should excite him. It didn't. Thor's only goal was to find the witch and defeat her in combat. Anything else was a deterrent, and what's more, he wasn't alone here. He had to think of Loki's safety above all else. Proving his intentions wasn't worth the risk of letting any harm come to his future consort, though Thor knew he was more than capable of protecting himself, if need be. He wanted to avoid unnecessary action. An odd mindset to keep, which didn't go unacknowledged.
"Whatever creatures come forth, I doubt they'd offer much trouble." A red stare turned his way, probing and thoughtful; whatever it saw, Loki took no time to question. "If we find nothing within the hour, we'll stop to rest for the night. There's no reason to throw ourselves in danger's clutches." Quiet footsteps fell in sync with his own and made an almost musical sound, Thor's heavier tread like a beating drum in comparison to Loki's whispering one. It was these sounds that followed them higher up the mountain and then disappeared with the land's flattened terrain. Wherever they were, there were no more cliffs to scale. Dense forest closed around them now, thick with shadows that clung to the trees and cast their rippling grey veils, deathly shrouds of silence and tarnished snowflakes, falling even heavier from the dark sky. It was a less than warming sight. Thor didn't hesitate to draw Loki closer to his side and wrap his cloak around him, though he needed not the extra warmth.
"The snow could bury us if we wait too long. Have you no spell to track the witch to her home?" The sooner they arrived, the better. He wanted to claim his prize and return to Asgard with a pleased Jotun on his arm. In all the Nine there couldn't be a happier man, if he but succeeded and proved to Loki how greatly he cared.
Winding his arm around Thor's waist, Loki contemplated the white coated trees. "I brought you to this world only because you were out of options, Thor, not from some misguided desire to help you. You know my opinion of this quest already. But it hardly matters. Without something of hers to use as a focal point, tracking her with seidr would be futile. We'll have better luck taking the hunter's approach." It was a long while before he spoke again. Or, at least, that's how it appeared to the thunderer. "I wonder…."
Like a fool, he questioned him. "What? Did you think of something?" Was there a way to make his task easier? …No. Thor saw quickly that this wasn't the case. Loki was breeching another topic for discussion, one he realized he wasn't going to like. "Loki…." growling a warning, he made to silence the Jotun as best as he could, with wayward kisses to his lips and jaw. But it didn't work. Loki stopped beneath a bower of glistening pine needles and clasped the front of his armor, warning flickers of icy green at his fingertips. The spell to immobilize him, if he thought it necessary. Thor could fight off the effects, and had once before, when they fought each other back in Asgard. Both of them possessed the memories, just as they both understood the delay would offer Loki what time he needed to say his peace. "Very well. Say what you will, and be quick about it. We don't have time to linger."
"We have all the time we need," Loki contradicted him. "You're the only one in a rush, Thor. It's your schemes that led us to this mountainside, and your sentimental nature that slow us down now. If we're going to continue forth, then I need you to be alert, you oaf. This….brooding?" He gestured to golden features, the shadows haunting Thor's vivid blue eyes. "Clearly I'm not the one who needs to speak his thoughts. I can see what lurks beneath the jovial mask you attempt to wear, and I grow tired of it. What is this sudden insecurity of yours? I never imagined you the fearful sort. You have ego enough to fill Asgard's treasury from ceiling to floor, yet in the face of the unknown you bemoan like a pampered child." Thor bared his teeth at the insult. Paying no mind, Loki rubbed his thumb over chapped lips and applied a bit of pressure, his other hand cool and soft on Thor's cheek. Comforting, in its own right. He half expected a smack to follow up the tenderness. "Thor. Is the possibility of failure so prominent in your thoughts that they tarnish your every waking moment by my side?"
"Is that what you believe?" It was the truth, despite his attempts to ignore these feelings. Thor knew it, and clearly Loki did too. There was little that escaped him. "Loki.." covering the chilled hand with his own, he gazed down into viridian orbs and stroked the bloodlines marked into Loki's skin, tracing them till they vanished beneath the warm green wool of his cloak. "You see too much."
"Am I at fault because you choose to hide your secrets in plain sight, just as you adorn your sleeve with your beating heart? Only a fool could be blind to them, Thor, and I am no fool." The Jotun turned away and continued their traipse through the building snow. Unlike Thor, he appeared to float across the pearlescent surface, just as he had that night on the lake, with all of Asgard's stars glittering above his head. "If you didn't want me to see, then keep your silence and wear a mask." He looked back over his shoulder; the rising moon slashed his cheekbones with pearl and streaking raven colored locks with diamond ribbon. "But I must warn you. Such talents are only becoming to those who embrace then with willingness and open arms."
Which Thor could never do. He was a warrior, bred for battle with the power of thunder churning through his veins. He was meant to charge and fight with bellowing roars, compassion his rare mistress at arms, more suited to matters of the throne. And those whom he trusted with all his heart. "I fear I would make a poor student." Patient steps carried him to Loki's side. Thor slung his arm around the prince's shoulders and breathed in the scent of fur and the natural musk that was Loki, fragrant like the earth and oddly spicy. "I appreciate you as you are. Can you not extend the same courtesy?"
"You think I don't?" Laughter wisped through the night air. "All seeing Thor. When will you learn? If I found fault with what you are, then why would I help you? Why would I bring you here, knowing you seek to prove that which is already acknowledged?" Loki pressed into him as they walked, the curve of his horns arching over Thor's shoulder. He was thankful for their heights being just so that this was possible, lest he be gored by one of them. They had rather sharp tips. "Fear not. You'll succeed, just as you always do. And when the witch's blood bathes the ground at my feet, you'll have your reward, and I mine."
The sheer simplicity of his claims was in that Loki spoke them with certainty. He didn't question that Thor would succeed, nor did he appear to mind that he'd been roped into these plans with his understanding of magic as a useful tool. Thor wondered, frowning at his smaller companion. "Why do you help me, Loki? You think this is a fool's mission, do you not?"
"I think it's pointless, since I've already forgiven you. But that's the point. You're arrogant, and stubborn. You'll never acquiesce because you believe you have something to prove, and trying to change your mind would only be a waste of my time." The snow grew deeper, reaching Thor's knees, and Loki's inner calves. It made their every step more difficult. Treading more carefully, for apparently even he was affected, Loki held his arm and offered a smile that was achingly beautiful. He looked….happy. "Dissuading you is fruitless, so I decided to offer my assistance instead. The sooner you succeed and bring me the witch's head, the sooner we may return to Asgard, your pride assuaged."
That was why he offered his help. That was why Loki walked with him now, and went along with a scheme Thor knew was ludicrous. The mockery didn't change the real intent behind his words. Loki only helped him because he wanted to, and because…he cared. Beaming, Thor ignored the sudden halt in his step and enfolded the cold figure more securely in his arms, resting his chin atop a glistening mound of snow speckled hair, lips finding the base of a ebony horn. "Thank you, Loki. I promise, when the witch is slayed all that she possesses will be yours. You have my word. Your pleasure is the only reward I need." Faith renewed, he had no choice but to realize his own potential and see that the Jotun was right. He'd triumph, all would be well. What other choice was there?
"If pleasure is what you want, then you'll have it. More than you can ever handle." Turning into Thor's kisses with a lazy smile, Loki swept a branch of pine out of the way and pointed past the mists and gloom, where the silhouette of a fortress of stone and ancient planks was just barely visible. It looked older than Asgard itself, roughly hewn from the mountain with torches flanking the walls and glowing like far away beacons, calling to them. And the entire area screamed with power. Thor felt the hairs on his arm stand to attention, much like when he used Mjolnir to call forth lightning and storms. He wondered what Loki could sense, glimpsing magic cusped in his sapphire palms. "I believe we've found your witch," Loki hummed. Excitement glowed in his eyes, inviting and crashing like crimson waves. The look stirred something within Thor and built his own anticipation to glorious heights, the fingers of his free hand stirring against Mjolnir's handle.
"Lets not waste any time then." He pressed a kiss to Loki's brow and lead the way, giving no more thought to any other possibility than success and glory. He'd triumph. That much was certain.
