"Hear me, and rejoice," a shrill voice called over the wreckage, "You are about to die at the hand of the children of Thanos."
Ebony Maw strode forward, reciting carefully his speech: meaningless lives contributing to the balance, universal scales, and salvation by the Great Titan.
Loki could do nothing, too far away to hear much else.
"Loki, we have to leave."
He looked back, the face of the petrified Valkyrie drawing his attention.
"Thor would want you to save his people."
Saving his people felt awfully to Loki like saving himself - self preservation, though it did come naturally, carried a new meaning for Loki. He found within himself a willingness to sacrifice… He supposed the change in perspective came as he now had more to lose. He had a family again, perhaps even friends, and place to belong, all of which he was at risk of losing. The high stakes made him feel younger again, like a green boy attached to too many people, mourning and guilty.
"Loki! We need to leave, now."
Right. He turned his back on Thor for what he hoped wasn't the last time, and fled.
PAGE BREAK
"We need to get to Midguard, I believe they still have the septre and mind stone."
"If Thanos gets his hands on these infinity gems there's no hope in defeating him, absolutely none-"
Loki seized her shoulder, "Help me! Think where they are. The reality stone is with the collector on Knowhere-"
"He had a stone already-"
"The power stone," Loki supplied, "From Xandar. He likely decimated that planet too. Where's the time stone?"
"Last I heard, on Midguard too."
"All the more reason for you to go. Find the Avengers, and warn them. His collecting the other stones is inevitable by now - the best you can do is help defend the last of them."
The Valkyrie paused. "Why only me? If this is because you think they wont have you-"
"No! It's not that." Loki's hand travelled down her arm, cupping her fingers gingerly and stroking softly. The Valkyrie tore her hand away as though she had been burned. The realisation had dawned on her.
"You! You have the Tesseract!" Loki looked to the floor, dejected. "You simply couldn't help yourself, let it be destroyed on Asguard-"
"Surtur does not have the power to destroy an infinity stone! Thanos would have found it regardless."
She threw him an accusatory glare, "Where is it, Lackey?"
Loki dared to look up. Her face was contorted with fury, and he felt genuine guilt bubbling up to the surface. "It's hidden, where Thanos won't find it."
She sighed. "You really are the worst, Lackey."
"Thank you, I'm aware. I still can't go to Earth."
"Loki, you can't abandon your people, and they are yours now. There's no saying whether Thor and Heimdall made it out alive. You may well be king."
The weight of the role sat uncomfortably in Loki's chest. He had just come to terms with his brother's rule, supportive even. Her pleading struck a nerve - he did not want to be king, he wanted a brother, and now he was facing a reality in which he was given the opposite.
It felt unreal - the probability that Thor was dead. He wondered if this was how Thor felt each time he had 'died' in his arms.
Regardless of his feelings, Brynhildr was right. For the time being, they were his people and it fell to him to protect the few who were left. He hated being proven wrong.
He sighed in concession, "Fine, I take responsibility for my people. What's left of them."
The current population of New Asguard was dwindling, barely a hundred at this point, all crammed into a lifeboat.
"And you're going to Earth?"
"I'll go to Earth, Thanos be damned."
