I always wanted to write the scene of Tony and Loki in the tower... and the opinion of a third person regarding their exchange. It was fun!
I try to do things different in every story, but eventually I was going to begin running out of ideas, so yeah, sorry about the cut scenes.
Goddess
I didn't become a goddess for the power, I became one to stand by my match, as equals.
A low moan escaped my lips when I woke up. Surprisingly enough I wasn't as hurt as I was afraid I would be, which meant, most likely, that someone had caught me when the backlash of my shield threw me into the air. Taking advantage of the fact that, apparently, no one had yet noticed that I was awake I focused my magic, which was half-depleted, and began canvasing the helicarrier. It took no time for me to realize that Loki wasn't on-board, which wasn't really a surprise; what did surprise me was when I found out that all the Avengers-Initiative-Candidates except Stark were missing as well. Who happened to be beside my bed!
My eyes snapped open instantly the moment I realized that.
"Good, you're awake." Stark called to me seriously. "We need to get moving."
"What...?" I had no idea what was going on.
The next thing I realized was that on the bed beside mine was someone I knew well.
"Aunt Kathryn!" I cried out in shock as I stumbled out of the cot I was on and to the one she laid on. "What the hell happened?!"
"Well, your honey decided to make off with the rest of the people with those creepy blue eyes." Stark said in his usual snarky way. "Agent, Coulson, thought it was a good idea to try and stop him on his own, and then the legendary Sphinx decided to step in when Reindeer Games nearly skewered him with the shiny stick-of-destiny of his."
"Wasn't the scepter supposed to be sealed?" I inquired.
"Yeah... we never really got around doing that." He shrugged. "And something tells me it would have hardly made a difference in the end."
He was probably right, with my magic being Loki's no seal of mine would have been enough to stop him in the end. But I still worried about my aunt.
"What happened, exactly?"
"I don't know the details." Stark said, more quietly than usually. "Her shoulder was badly hurt, the doctors are saying she might never be able to use that arm again." He hummed slightly before adding. "Still, her actions saved Agent's life. According to what he said, Loki would have stabbed him through the chest if she hadn't interfered."
"And where exactly is the Son of Coul...?" I began, then remembered something else. "Why did you say we needed to go?"
"It's part of the same." Stark shrugged. "I, being the genius I am, was able to deduce that your honey intends to open the portal-of-doom above my awesome tower in New York. Agent and Capsicle rounded the troops and got on their way in the quinjet. By the way, that includes Barton, Natashalie said to tell you your idea worked just fine on him. I told them I would catch up. Had to fix a few imperfections with the suit beforehand... and wanted to see if you may want to tag along." He obviously noticed my mix of disbelief and distrust for he added. "Look, I know we got off the wrong foot; and after the way I put my foot in my mouth yesterday you probably don't want to so much as look at me. But this might be your last chance to get your love back, it's why I'm asking. So, what say you?"
I made my choice in a second, really, there was no choice to make. It would always be Loki.
"Lets get going then." I declared. "And you better not drop me Stark!"
Stark just laughed as he followed me out of the infirmary.
We made a stop as I went to see Maria Hill. I handed her a small crystal vial I had, full of gray dust; explained briefly that it was healing-stone-powder and how it was to be used. Half of it (equivalent to a stone) ought to be enough to fully heal my aunt's shoulder, the rest could be used to help the agents that were hurt during the attack, get better.
"Where are you going?" She asked as I was leaving.
"To get my match back." No more answer was necessary.
xXx
In the end Stark did drop me, though it was actually part of the plan, or the approximation of a plan we managed to make on the way to New York. It was relatively easy for him to let go of me while we rounded his tower, and from them I just needed to teleport the right way to land on the roof of his tower. It took very little effort to hit Selvig on the back of his head with enough force to knock him out. I would have liked to stay long enough to help him more, if just for Thor, but things needed to be done and I couldn't delay.
So I teleported once again, directly into Stark's penthouse. I briefly saw him land on the second level of his viewing deck as machines activated, taking his armor off; while Loki observed him from the lower level. I made sure my cloak was fully up and that I had what I needed in hand, then I stepped back, hiding myself in the shadows (this time without magic, as that close using a spell might just end up calling Loki's attention rather than the opposite).
Loki walked right past me, focused completely on Stark, who walked into the penthouse as if he had nothing to fear, at all.
"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity." Loki drawled.
"Uh... actually..." Stark hesitated for a fraction of a second before smoothing out his expression and diving straight into things. "I'm planning to threaten you."
I could hardly believe he'd just said that. It seemed absolutely insane.
"You should have left your armor on for that." Loki commented.
"Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage." He said, like it was a minor issue, one that didn't really matter. "You've got the uh... blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink?"
Talk about non-sequiturs... it made me wonder if he actually had a plan or he'd just been bluffing when he said he could distract Loki long enough for him to lower his guard and be more receptive to my part of the plan.
"Stalling me won't change anything..." Even Loki was in disbelief.
"No, no, no... threatening." Stark insisted, moving to stand behind the bar, and he truly served himself a glass of something alcoholic. "No drink? You sure? I'm having one."
"The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that." Loki reminded him, taking a quick look out, as if waiting for something. "What have I to fear?"
"The Avengers." Stark told him as if it were obvious. "It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' type of thing."
"Yes, I've met them." My love replied.
It was obvious he wasn't buying Stark's 'threats', but they were distracting him, which was the point of everything. I tightened my grip on the object in my hand as I got ready to do my part. Silently praying to any Higher Power there might be for it to work... since I had no other plans after that one; and we were running out of time.
"Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one." Stark shrugged. "But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the Demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger-management issues; a couple of master assassins; supernanny with a side of ninja and something else just for good measure; and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them..."
At some point during his speech, as Loki turned once again towards the glass-wall, he'd done something beneath the stone counter, though I could not see what exactly. He'd told me about it, how he had bracelets that would help him get another of his suits, since the one he had in the helicarrier was too banged up to be useful in the upcoming battle.
"That was the plan." Loki declared in obvious satisfaction.
My brow furrowed almost involuntarily; because really, my match was too good a strategist to truly believe that angering every able fighter was a good way of beginning a war. Which made me think that it might be the part of him that kept fighting to help us and complicate matters for the Titan... I hoped that part would also come when the time came for me to act. All my plans and hopes would mean nothing if my love didn't help.
"Not a great plan." Stark commented almost off-handedly as he stepped around the counter, drink in hand. "When they come, and they will, they'll come for you."
"I have an army." Loki retorted.
"We have a Hulk." Stark shrugged.
"Oh, I thought the beast had wandered off." My match seemed suddenly interested.
It really had been part of his plan, and even though Romanoff had never reported her 'findings' to Fury, he had still gone ahead and done the damage. Still, Stark had faith that Dr. Banner would find his way to us, I hoped he was right, we would need him when the chitauri came.
"Yeah... you're missing the point." He finally approached my love, never once turning to look for me, appearing as non-plussed as ever. "There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. 'Cause if we can't protect the earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it."
A spark of something appeared in my love's eyes right then as he approached Stark; I knew he was about to make his move; but before he could, Stark made his:
"Oh, and I was forgetting, one other person we have on our side..." He called as he gave a step back, readying himself.
"Really?" Loki asked testily, noticing something had changed, even if not what. "And who might that be exactly, you?"
"No." Stark smiled widely as he waved his hands dramatically to Loki, or past him, to me. "The Goddess of Devotion!"
Loki reacted instantly, spinning around; I reacted before he could finish turning, dizi flute to my lips, I began playing. It was a melody of my own making, the only I'd ever composed in flute, there were no sheet music, I'd memorized the combination of tunes when creating it. I'd then gotten Lady Frigg's help to make a quick trip to Midgard and get a golden locket made, with a design of heart made of Celtic knots inlaid on the front, in the inside a chip with that very melody recorded. 'Trail of the Angels', I called it.
I focused all my strength as I played, willing my magic to infuse the flute and each note I played with it. After the first minute Loki seemed to finally stop fighting the power, at least physically; in his eyes I could see the battle was continuing inside, in the way the blue and the green fought over control of his eyes, and his soul...
Several times I made to put the jade flute down so I could have at least one hand free to cast a sleeping spell; it was the final part of the plan. But whenever I so much as slowed down my playing, my match seemed to lose a bit of control, so I couldn't stop. As I approached the end of the melody I began growing desperate. What was I supposed to do? I could continue playing, that wasn't the point, but I couldn't exactly keep playing forever...
The answer came from the place I'd least expected it. I was so focused on my beloved and the music, at some point I completely forgot about Stark. Right as I was reaching the final notes he made his move, ripping the scepter from Loki's hands, twisting it in his hands, before using it to hit my match in the back of the head as hard as he could. My beloved dropped to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut off (which, if things had gone right, was a rather apt comparison). I could only hope...
I turned to look at Stark, who immediately dropped the scepter to the floor.
"What?" He asked.. "It didn't look like what you were doing was going to be enough. Besides, you said that the whole point was to get him unconscious, right?"
I let out a breath. He was right, of course. There really was nothing else to do for the time being, so I just dropped to my knees, pulling my love's head onto my hand and slowly began healing him, and not just the hit on his head, but many more bruises and cuts he had all over his body. He truly had been hurting for a very long time... it made me hurt myself.
Stark just stood there, finishing his drink in silence as we waited. The plan better work... because if it didn't, I just didn't know what else to do...
xXx Loki's POV xXx
It was as if the clouds had parted, as if the restricting invisible cloth that had been smothering for spirits-know-how-long had finally been ripped away. Even before I truly woke up I knew things had changed. Then as I pushed myself towards consciousness I felt something I hadn't in so very long: petite fingers carding slowly, lovingly, through my hair. I also knew whose lap I was on, even before I opened my eyes and met her hazel ones.
"My Nightingale..." were the first words out of my mouth.
She looked at me intently, almost into me... then, seemingly finding what she was looking for, she smiled at me, a smile so blinding as I hadn't seen in a very long time; since before everything had begun to go wrong. As she folded over herself, over me, burying her face in my chest and crying, it took me a few seconds to fully understand what she was mumbling.
"You're back..." She sobbed. "I have you back... Oh Spirits thank you! I'd begun to fear this day would never come..."
I was about to ask her to clarify until suddenly my mind fully refocused and I realized how right she was. I had been lost, not only from her, but also from myself, for almost a year. It might not seem like long for most of those who lived thousands of years, but to me, without my match, it had felt like an eternity.
"My Maverick?" She asked after a long silence, straightening just enough to look at me.
"I thought I would never get out of that darkness..." I admitted quietly. "Regardless of how hard I tried, nothing seemed to be enough."
"You did what you could." She assured me. "The Agents you had taken over are alright now, out of the mind-control, same with Dr. Selvig. And the Avengers have assembled..."
"I threw Thor off that flying fortress..." I muttered guiltily.
The mind-control was worse than I ever imagined it could be. And it wasn't just the actions themselves, though I knew those were bad enough. It had gone beyond that, because I hadn't only pretended to hate Thor, I had genuinely felt that emotion. As unthinkable as it might seem to me in that moment, it was still true. I could still remember what I'd told to my brother once, what seemed like so long before:
"I may get envious sometimes, but never doubt that I love you..."
I could only hope he still remembered those words, still believed me. Otherwise I had no idea how we were ever going to get past what had happened.
"With Mjolnir in his hand, you and I both know no fall would have killed him as long as he had that." My match reminded him calmly.
And really, she was more than a goddess, she had to be more... there was no other way to explain her absolute goodness... her faith in me. I had no idea what I had ever done to deserve having someone like her at my side, but I would do my best to never lose her.
"I tried to kill his friend and..." I added, as the memories kept coming back, and then one in particular hit me and I was horrified. "I stabbed your aunt!"
"I know..." She ran a hand down his cheek soothingly. "I left Agent Hill one of my vials with healing powder to treat her and anyone else that may have gotten hurt during the fight. The Son of Coul is just fine and on his way as we speak."
I truly couldn't understand her, how can she love me that much? How could any being in the universe love another so much? Less than half of what I'd done should have been enough to push her away, to destroy anything she might feel for me; it would have, had it been anyone else. Yet she remained there, faithful... I remembered the words Stark had pronounced at the end of his corny speech, the last person he had on his side: Goddess of Devotion indeed!
"And on that front." Stark called our attention right then. "Rudolph, Princess, we have an awful dark hole opening over our heads and aliens rushing out.
"The chitauri are here." I moved to my feet almost automatically.
"That's what I just said." Stark muttered almost petulantly.
"Ready to make the Mad Titan pay?" My Nightingale asked me as I helped her to her feet.
"It will be my absolute pleasure..." I couldn't help the dark smirk that must have appeared on my face as my armor manifested. "But are you planning on going like that?"
She wasn't wearing appropriate clothing.
"What?" Stark turned to look at us again, his armor having assembled on him by then. "But I thought that the little lady... well..."
The whole thing actually made me wonder just how many suits of armor he had available... it seemed like a good precaution, and something most Asgardians would never think of. There was no doubt Midgardians could be resourceful when they wanted to... but I was digressing, and the Man of Iron was still looking at my match with the same expression of disbelief... he had underestimated her, and probably not for the first time.
He didn't say it, he didn't dare to, but it was still pretty obvious that he thought she was staying behind. Like every good little wife... Maybe he was another who underestimated her because of her size... I wondered if no one had told him about her training, and her almost legendary stubbornness (really, even Mother wasn't that bad!) I did not know, but it hardly mattered in the end. Fact was, he did not know her. At least he was intelligent enough not to try to stop her... or even begin to believe I would.
She was still smiling as she took a step back, waving one of her hands around her body in a specific pattern even as she used the other to unclasp her cloak and let it fall. It never touched the floor, vanishing into a subspace pocket along with her dress which was replaced by the battle-attire I so loved on her. Violet really was her color, but it was more than that, I had spelled each piece of the ensemble, to protect her better than any armor ever created.
The minx actually did a little turn, showing off (giving Stark a good view of all the knives on her person, shocking him some more).
The Man of Iron turned to look at me, then at my love, the same expression on each of our faces, then shook his head and turned his back to us even as he spoke into the comm.
"JARVIS, patch me in with Agent." He ordered, then after a bit he continued. "Agent, I'm in Stark Tower with the Little Princess and her honey... Yeah, We've got Reindeer Games back on the side of the good guys." He paused for whatever was being said from the other side. "Oh, and we've got an army of aliens spilling into our skies right now, so you better hurry!"
As he spoke my match offered me a vial with her re-engergizing elixir, I didn't even need to ask her anything, as I could sense her swallowing her own. It was a good idea, for us to be on top-shape for the upcoming battle.
"So, you ready?" Stark asked us right then.
"Lets set the bastards on fire." I decided.
We were all off right then, and the battle began.
xXx Nightingale's POV xXx
It took us almost a quarter of an hour before we could all be in the same spot at the same time. We'd finished with the first wave of the invasion relatively quickly, thanks to our variety of abilities, and together Iron Man, Loki, and a kid in blue and red spandex I'd never seen before managed to stop the aliens from getting more than a handful of blocks away from what we were calling 'ground-zero' (Stark Tower).
We'd all just reunited when Hawkeye went straight for my love, decking him straight in the jaw. Loki didn't even try to defend himself, just allowed the hit to connect and moved with it as much as possible, not only to reduce the damage to himself, but the damage Barton would have gotten on his hand.
For a few seconds, there was only silence. The only reaction that of the Black Widow checking on her partner's hand to make sure he didn't break it (he didn't). Loki just pressed his fingers to his split lip, ignoring the blood they came off in.
"Do you feel any better now, Agent Barton?" My love asked seriously.
"Not really." Barton admitted gruffly. "Why me?"
There was silence while my match apparently considered the best way to answer that.
"I could tell you I was as much under mind-control as you and played no part in you being taken, that it was just bad luck, you were in the wrong place at the worst time." Loki commented.
"But that would be a lie." Barton half-guessed, half-stated.
"It would, indeed." Loki admitted with a sigh. "Not the part where I was under mind-control, but just like you still had access to your talents, I had access to mine. I knew you were the best choice the moment I looked at you, for a multitude of reasons. First: If I hadn't chosen you, it's likely you would have died, like everyone else who was in that basement but your Director... Second: You had the necessary talents, and were the kind of man who could be put in charge of the others, and I needed someone like that. Third: When I touched you with the scepter, the Mind Gem, I could see flashes of your memories, your connections, I knew taking you would make things personal for a few people; and that was part of my secret plan. And Fourth..."
"Wait." The Man of Iron interrupted. "Secret plan? What secret plan?"
"The one that had us winning this thing." Romanoff dead-panned.
That surprised everyone except Thor and I and, somehow, the Son of Coul.
"I told you you weren't going to win..." Coulson muttered in contemplation.
"And you were completely right." Loki nodded. "The thing you missed what that I, the real me, beyond the haze the mind-control caused, never intended to."
Once again there was silence as the 'Avengers' fought against their pre-conceived notions to fully comprehend the truth of what my beloved had been doing all along.
"You were getting to number Four." I reminded my match, I knew that one was important.
"Right." He turned back to Barton. "Fourth: I knew you were one of very few humans who had the capacity of moving past something like that. Most would have crumbled under the mind-control, lost themselves. You didn't."
"How do you know that?" Hawkeye doubted himself, which wasn't good.
"You're standing right here." Loki said as if it were obvious. "You're a Warrior, not only in body but in mind. You didn't go insane, didn't have a meltdown. Your mind is yours once again and you can comprehend that I'm not the enemy, that the enemy is out there, and it needs to be destroyed."
"Yes, about that." Captain America called. "How are we going to do that exactly?"
"I can close the portal." My love announced as if it were nothing. "However... I believe it would do good to send a message first."
"What kind of message?" Several people asked at once.
"The one that makes the leader of the chitauri think twice before thinking of attacking your realm again." I pointed out, in sync with my love. "The one that makes every world think twice before considering moving against humans..."
"What are we waiting for?" Stark asked, all for it. "Lets blow up some aliens!"
Everyone agreed and a basic plan was traced. We would fight the chitauri for a while, maybe even an hour, before Loki went and made the portal collapse with the scepter. Unless we began losing control at some point, then we would do it sooner (we were not putting civilian lives in danger just to prove a point).
Even Fury liked the plan when it was shared with him. Later Maria Hill shared with some of us how Fury had gone straight to inform the World Security Council that his team had matters under control in New York; and how when one of them had even suggested the idea of a nuclear strike to end the problem once and for all she (my aunt) had shot him down fast and harshly enough to make the man fear her. Some people still remembered the Sphinx and what she was capable of; the last three years had also convinced them that fifteen years of civilian life had not lessened her abilities any, if anything they'd grown).
It felt good. Winning, protecting... I might still not consider myself a Warrior, but I knew without a doubt how fortunate I was to have been a part of everything that had happened. I wasn't an Avenger, nor was Loki; but after that day the heroes did consider us at least an unofficial part of their team. It felt nice. I knew Loki especially appreciated it, having people acknowledge his abilities, his prowess as a Warrior, and value him. That Thor was aiming those helped immensely. Now if only Asgard could learn from them...
xXx
We didn't go back to the helicarrier until three days later. Fury had wanted us back straight away but Stark had insisted that we all have a celebration in his tower, which he was declaring would be renamed Avengers Tower and inviting everyone to stick around before dinner was over.
On Thursday morning Miss Virginia 'Pepper' Potts arrived, and after making sure her boyfriend and everyone else was alright began explaining everything about a campaign she was setting up. The plan was for the 'Avengers' to go out and help with rescuing the civilians who might have ended up trapped in the debris during the battle, as well as helping the clean-up crews and the rebuilding. This was so the people would see the heroes out helping; would see them doing good outside of battle too and be more accepting of them. Stark Industries was donating a lot of money to help things too. It was all PR, really.
Fury didn't like it, at first. He especially didn't like that several of his highest ranking agents would be out and be identified; but eventually Aunt Kathryn and Maria Hill managed to convince him that as good as S.H.I.E.L.D. might be at black ops.; it never hurt having the public opinion on their side. So the plan was a go.
Loki and I used our magic openly and freely to clean up debris and get trapped civilians out of tight spots safely. At first people looked at us unsure, but eventually that changed. Loki said it was my size; after people moved past the idea of me looking like a defenseless child, or possibly being an alien due to my abilities, they couldn't help but find me adorable (the last part were Stark's words, not my love's).
We managed a lot in just two days, working all of us together, practically around the clock, doing anything we could. I knew Loki and I would pay for it eventually when our bodies forced us to crash, we might be gods, but even we needed rest, and the use of my elixirs might give us more time, but it would also mean sleeping a long while eventually. Enough that we felt alright leaving things for the human volunteers and working crews on Saturday, when Fury decided he'd been left waiting long enough and demanded we went in for a debrief.
If anyone on the helicarrier thought my change of attire odd, compared to what I was wearing the two days I was there, no one said a word (Loki had insisted I stayed in my battle attire, as it sent a message, of me as a Warrior, as strong and willful, unlike the more elegant and less imposing gown I had arrived in). I also had all my blades on; and while civilians would never notice them, the helicarrier was full of experienced Agents, who definitely did. I was sending a message, like Loki had said, and the fact that all the Avengers walked around me and none of them seemed the slightest bit bothered by my clothes or weapons somehow seemed to be enough to set the agents at ease, which was good too.
The first part of the debrief went easy enough, with each of us explaining what we'd done during what had come to be known as 'The Battle of New York'. Fury even, somehow, had the patience to wait until we were all done before turning to Stark and I.
"I still cannot believe the two of you were insane enough to do what you did." He said straight out. "Taking such risks with no guarantee..."
"With all due respect sir..." Phil tried to interfere in our favor.
"Our lives, our choices." Stark snapped almost at the same time.
"If you had failed we would have lost two important assets, and right at the beginning of an extraterrestrial invasion!" Fury insisted.
"Sir, I honestly don't think..." Hill tried to stop him next.
And still Fury didn't understand. He opened his mouth, probably to continue with his rant. But I decided I'd had enough. I wasn't going to let him continue berating me, and putting down my match, he was already having enough of a hard time with his self-loath as it was. Besides, if I did not allow the people of Asgard, not even Odin himself, to say negative things about my beloved, why should I allow him?
"Shut up, now." I pushed a little magic into my order for good measure, it wouldn't last long, just enough to be useful. "You've had your chance to speak, now it's mine. First things first: If after all I've said and done in the last few days you still don't understand where my priorities are, I don't know what the hell you're doing leading a world-wide organization. Just so we're clear, my main priority is Loki, always has been, always will be. Saving the world is well and good, and while I may feel proud for being a part of that, I didn't get into this to save anyone but him. Got that?" I didn't actually wait for an answer. "Three years ago I chose to forsake any normal, human life I could have ever aspired to, out of love for him, a love I hadn't said a word of and knew not if it would ever be returned. But I did it, because even the slightest chance of it was better than nothing. I've gone against many people in Asgard at one time or another to stand by my husband, while he was there, and after his fall. I am called the Goddess of Devotion for a reason." I sighed. "I never chose to be a goddess for the power it entailed, that was never important to me. It wasn't even the immortality. Having lived with leukemia since age five I grew up being perfectly aware of my own mortality; if anything gaining immortality confused the hell out of me. But I did it, for him, for Loki; because if I was a goddess, I was his equal, and that's all I've ever wanted, since I was eleven years old! So, once again, I care very little about how things appear in your duty-only mind, everything I've done has been out of love, and I regret not a single thing!"
"What would you have done if it hadn't worked?" Agent Sitwell asked from a corner, intrigued.
"I knew it would work." I insisted. "It did for Agent Barton."
"And how did you know that?" Fury asked immediately. "You were unconscious when Romanoff sent in the report that the 'cognitive re-calibration' had worked."
I couldn't help it, I snorted at the too-official term.
"Who do you think told me what to do?" Romanoff snorted herself. "Or told me Barton was on-board when the attack began?"
"It not working was never an option." I told the Director simply. "I wasn't going to lose my match a second time, not when I could actually do something about it. And if I'd had to smash the stupid Mind-Gem to take him away from Thanos's influence that's exactly what I would have done. I was forced to wait for months on even the ghost of a chance... I wasn't waiting anymore..."
It seemed like Fury either accepted my answer, or at least he'd realized whatever he said would change nothing and there was no point on pursuing the matter any further. He changed the topic, though not exactly to an easier one:
"Since we never had a proper debriefing after the New Mexico fiasco, and we conveniently have all the people involved right here, right now. I would like to proceed with that." Fury declared after a few seconds.
It was true, actually. Jane Foster had arrived on Thursday, courtesy of one of Stark's planes. Her assistant: Darcy Lewis was with her. The two women had fit right into the group. Perhaps the most surprising thing had been how willing they'd been to accept Loki as part of the group, forget anything he might have ever done against them, or their town. I could understand it from Jane, to a point, if she loved Thor the way I loved Loki, I understood being able to accept pretty much anything to protect that love... but Darcy Lewis was another matter entirely. She was a civilian, so young, had had no preparation for anything that had happened to her or around her, and her only connection was one of friendship with Jane. And yet she took it all in, accepted it, and moved on. She was truly a special kind of person.
There was some tension after the declaration was made, especially from the two brothers. Loki forced his expression to smooth out after a bit as his face twisted into a fake smile.
"Where to begin...?" He muttered with false cheeriness.
"They already know about..." I couldn't bring myself to finish my sentence, just placing a hand on my stomach briefly as I spoke to him.
"Wha...?" That was enough to make him drop his facade. "How...?"
"It just... kinda came up." I tried to downplay it, but couldn't fully manage. "Some couldn't help but wonder how I hadn't noticed when things went wrong, being your wife and all..."
"You were grieving!" Loki practically snapped. "You were in pain, we both were... and then the Allfather decided he'd postponed his sleep long enough, and who-knows why Mother couldn't take the place of Regent anymore, but he chose to push Thor into something he wasn't ready for yet, and it all went to hell from there!"
Not a word was said in response to that, though Loki and I could both see the interest in the eyes of all of those present.
"I owe you no explanations." Loki stated looking straight at Fury. "Not you, and certainly not your organization. I care not what power you claim to be able to wield in this realm, that means nothing in Asgard, much less Yggdrassil as a whole. I will tell you this, though, as a... courtesy: I was grieving for losing my unborn child; then I had a mental breakdown after learning I wasn't nor had I ever been Aesir, but was in fact Jotun, once of the creatures we in Asgard are taught practically from birth to fear and abhor. The combination of those two things pushed me to do a lot of what I now realize were stupid things, at the time I just didn't think much about it. After my fall of the Bifrost, Thanos found me. I might not be the kind of Warrior the Allfather wanted me to be, but I believed I could withstand any and all tortures they could come up with... and I did, until it was no longer enough. Thanos decided that if I couldn't be broken physically, he would do it mentally, and he used the Mind-Gem for that. I knew it was coming, which is the only reason I could protect myself, somewhat. I took all my good memories, my love, the very essence of my being, and hid it in a corner of myself; a corner Thanos would never be able to reach. Then I set up a trigger, specific circumstances in which it would all be released. The trigger was my dear Nightingale, what makes her who she is... voice and music both. The conditions of the mind-control made things a bit tricky, but she realized that I needed to lose consciousness to break the control, and I needed her to remember who I was. That's it."
It actually wasn't, and I knew it, things were a tad more complicated than he made them seem, all the things that could have gone wrong... but he'd told Fury enough, it's not like my love would ever willingly share his vulnerabilities with anyone, much less people like those in S.H.I.E.L.D. Yes, he'd said enough.
xXx
We left the following morning. After a plentiful breakfast in Stark Tower, where we'd all been staying the last few days, in spare rooms Stark had announced would be remodeled for each of us (even Loki and I, I didn't know when it happened, how or why, but Stark had decided we were part of the team, and everyone in the team would have rooms in his tower).
The Infinity Stones were placed in a specially designed container (created by Stark, Banner and Selvig working together). I had checked both Selvig and Barton to make sure nothing from the influence of the Mind Gem remained (they might have known Loki wasn't evil, but they still couldn't bring themselves to trust him, which was perfectly understandable).
We used the Shadow Paths. Even with Thanos still being in the abyss, Loki believed he would be busy for a while licking his own wounds, so the danger would be minimal. Thor had already trusted me to get us through them before, it wasn't hard at all for us both to trust Loki on the way back (he had much better control of that method of travel than I did).
We stepped out of the shadows and into the broken edge of the Bifrost swiftly. Heimdall was waiting for us with our horses.
"It's good to have you back, my lords and lady." The Gatekeeper said solemnly with a respectful nod at the three of us.
Loki arched a brow at the respect with which Heimdall was referring to everyone, even him, but did not comment on it.
"It's good to be back." Thor told him with a nod. "We need to get to the palace, right away."
"We need to take the long way there." I corrected my brother.
All three men turned to look at me at that.
"The Allfather will know by now we're here." I explained as best I could in few words. "I don't trust him not trying t do something against Loki. Brother, you saw how he reacted to us going to get him back..."
"What's the plan?" Thor didn't doubt to follow my lead in that matter.
"We need to make sure people know we're back, that Loki is back, and what's happened." I told him. "We need to get our version, the true version, of things out there, before Odin has a chance to concoct his own, distorted version of things."
"I very much doubt the people knowing I'm back will help things much." Loki muttered.
"Oh brother..." There was an almost mischievous glint in Thor as he spoke. "You have no idea."
Even Heimdall was smiling.
"I took the chance while we were in the Shadow Plane and sent a letter to Ambassador Voronwë regarding our return, and the basics of what happened in Midgard." I added. "So that front is covered. Lady Frigg will be on our side, obviously. Now we just need the people... which is precisely why we're taking the long road to Asgard."
"A well-thought plan, Princess." Heimdall complimented.
"I didn't save my match from Thanos's shadow only to have the Allfather throw him into a cell the first chance he gets." I announced strongly.
My love just embraced me tightly. I could feel his disbelief at my defense of him.
*You love me too much.* He murmured into my hair.
*No more than you love me, or than you deserve.* I replied, leaning into his touch.
I'd missed him so much... at times it still felt somewhat unreal to have him again, to be in his arms; like he could vanish, turn into smoke at any moment. That terrified me...
We got on our horses then. In minutes we rode all the way to the city proper, then left the horses on an alley, where servants would be able to retrieve them afterwards, while we continued on foot, and going straight through the main part of the city, including the market. I vanished my cloak and with a wave of my hand changed from my battle attire to my dress. While my match might have been right about proving a point, in that moment I needed to present a different image, one the people of Asgard were more familiar with and accepting of (it was still more than what they were used to in an Asgardian Lady, but still less shocking than me arriving looking like a Warrior, like Sif).
"Just follow my lead." I told my love, caressing his face softly.
His brows were drawn together, he didn't understand what I was doing, but then again, he hadn't been in Asgard for a year, hadn't seen all I'd done in his absence, all I'd done for him... Voronwë was no longer the only one calling me goddess of devotion, and there was a reason for that. I knew he would understand soon.
Getting into character, so-to-speak, I practically skipped down the alley and to the very entrance of the market.
"It's such a joy to be back home!" I called with a squeal as I spun around almost playfully, loud enough to call the attention of a number of passerby, but not enough that it looked intentional.
My love could tell it was all part of some plan, so when Thor began walking after me, he simply followed. I could feel the tension inside me, how unsure he was at the reception he might get from the people of Asgard. I would have reassured him telepathically if I hadn't been distracted right then by a little friend.
"Princess!" A girl in a cute pink dress called as she rushed to me, briefly looking back, to other kids. "The Princess is here!"
The reaction from the rest of the kids in the vicinity was instantaneous as they left whatever they were doing and ran to me.
"Princess Nightingale!" They all called excitedly.
The head of the group was a little girl who looked no older than ten or twelve (though, being an Aesir, she was obviously older than that). Her dark golden hair held up in two curly pigtails, light-blue eyes shining brightly and her simply pale pink dress with white slippers.
Loki and I had met the children right after returning from our honeymoon. A magik storm had taken place just the day before, leaving considerable destruction in its wake (and thankfully we hadn't been around at the time, for I was quite sure the council would have blamed it on my match if we had been). It had been my idea to go see if we could be of some help, we'd ended helping rescue a group of kids trapped in a cellar (the building above them had collapsed during the storm, thankfully aside from some bruises and scratches they were fine. Zira (the girl in the pink dress) had been part of the group, and she'd grown attached to me for whatever the reason. She seemed to be delighted by the fact that I was so small, yet married and a princess already. She also loved the 'magic tricks' Loki would use to entertain her and the other children whenever we were around. She, and all of the kids really, were the very reason why I'd wanted us to take the long way home...
"Princess Nightingale!" Zira called one more time before practically crashing against me. "You're back! We've missed you! You were gone for days!"
"I know, I'm sorry, there were things I needed to do." I told her.
"Grown-up things?" She asked, fidgeting.
"Some, but not all." I told her with a smile, dropping to my knees before her. "There was someone who needed a little help finding the way back home..."
Before Zira, or any of the other children could ask who, they all noticed the shadow falling upon us, which made them look behind me immediately.
"Prince Loki!" Ferio, the light-blonde boy standing right behind Zira was the first to react.
Everyone's greeting followed his.
My match was still quite surprised by that, he never expected what followed, when Zira rushed around me and went to throw her arms around my love.
"You're back!" She cried out in the absolute delight that could only be attributed to children.
It was something the children had grown used to with me. Me being so small (especially when compared to other Aesir) made me seem less imposing to the children, more approachable. When I chose to kneel with them to talk and joke and laugh with them, it allowed us to connect. Before I fully realized the kids were holding onto my arms, my waist, my legs, then the braver ones took to hugging me. The smallest liked when I carried them, though they knew I didn't have the strength to carry anyone older than three years old or so.
With Loki it hadn't been quite like that. The kids liked him, but it had taken them longer to feel fully comfortable around him; not because he'd done anything wrong, but because they found him imposing... still, none of them had dared thug him until that day. It was an image I would always treasure, as I wondered if our daughter would look like that, someday, in the future, when she was ten years old and hugging her papa...
Thanks to the near frenzy caused by the children, the adults soon knew that Thor and I were back; though most did not know why we'd left, where we'd gone, or anything... most only knew we'd been gone because I tended to visit every other day (something about the children, their games and their innocence made me feel at peace and happy). And of course they soon enough noticed the presence at my back.
Nobody made a single comment about our absence, return, or the unexpected appearance of my match, until Araibel, a young woman who usually watched over the children as they played, approached me discreetly while some of the boys distracted Loki.
"Will things be alright now, my lady?" Araibel inquired.
She was a very particular girl. Young, still looking in her mid-to-late-teens, her hair the darkest I'd seen in anyone in Asgard (almost brown with honey-highlights and golden tips), she tended to wear sleeveless dresses, also unlike most young women, and her skin was a beautiful golden tone. She'd told me once she wanted to be my handmaiden, even though she wasn't from a noble line, but from one of farmers (families that didn't enter royal service unless it was to pay a debt); she was also still much too young to enter service, though she'd promised to present herself in the palace the day after she turned off age.
Araibel was also, for whatever the reason, one of very few people I trusted. Not with everything, but then again I trusted no one but my match with absolutely everything. Still, she knew more than most. Knew about my origins, some things about the early days between Loki and I, even about the bracelet on my right wrist (which was becoming increasingly unnecessary the more I ate Iddun's apples... or so we thought). She even knew about my love being Jotun, something she hadn't breathed a word of to anyone, knowing it was sensitive information, same with my miscarriage (I could only imagine the kind of things a society like the Asgardian one would have to say about my having lost an unborn child... thanks to my studies I knew enough about how ancient human civilizations interpreted such things). I trusted Araibel to help me get out the 'right' version of the story.
"They will be, eventually... I hope..." I admitted quietly.
"What happened?" She dared ask. "When you didn't come for the third day in a row I began fearing something might have happened, and all the Lady Sigyn would tell me was that you and Prince Thor were on a secret and highly important mission, and I was not to say a word about it to anyone, for your safety."
"The need for secrecy was actually less a matter of safety, and more the fact that there was so much we didn't actually know." I admitted. "If you waited three days then that means that when you went looking for me, Thor and I were actually still here on Asgard, we did not leave until the fifth day." I sighed. "You know I like visiting Heimdall, and I usually do so after coming to the market. That day Heimdall told me something I wasn't expecting. After all these months with nothing to go on but faith, he'd finally found Loki. He was on Midgard, involved in something we did not understand, though the Tesseract had been found at the same time and was connected to it all somehow."
"The Tesseract?" Araibel asked, only familiar with the legend of the object and not its truth.
"It's a long and complicated story, and most of it is secret, I'm afraid." I told her with a sigh. "But I can tell you this: There were two sides fighting for possession of the Tesseract and my match ended up straight in the middle of them, being used by both in one way or another; though one side he was more aware of and playing with rather than being played with..." I shook my head. "Like I said, it's complicated."
"It was bad." Araibel guessed.
"He was hurt." I admitted. "Badly, probably worse than even I know. An inhabitant of the abyss used him to lead his army against Midgard." No need to scare her by revealing just who that abyss-dweller had been. "Somehow, in the midst of all the craziness he managed to call enough attention from the humans that they gathered a team of individuals with extraordinary abilities who were ready just in time to combat the alien army when it arrived."
"Mid... Midgardian Warriors?" She sounded as shocked as I expected.
"Yes." I nodded. "They call themselves Avengers. Each has incredible abilities, either because of training, something they were born with, or an accident they've turned in their favor. They're as strong and willful as any Asgardian Warrior I've ever seen."
"Did you... did you know about them... well, before?" She asked.
She was referring to become I'd come to Asgard, of course.
"I knew some existed, of course." I nodded. "I shall tell you and the children about them some other time. Some of the stories I've heard about them are quite incredible." I shook my head. "But no, I did not see any of the ones I'd known about beforehand. From the ones I did see... I'd heard a lot about Iron Man, though I've found he's quite different in person, both better and worse if you can believe that. I'd heard rumors about the Hulk, though I never imagined the soft, kind man that was behind that creature. Captain America... that one is as much of a legend in Midgard as Thor and Loki have ever been one here in Asgard; I think one of these days I'll go to Asgard and get some Captain America comics to show you and the children, I have a feeling you'll love them. And the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D... I knew Aunt Kathryn was working for them, but I'd never met any of them before in person."
"Sounds like you had a quite interesting adventure." Araibel decided. "I'm sure the children will love to hear all you can share about it."
"I will, probably in a few days." I decided. "Right now we're on our way to the palace."
I didn't say more, but still knew Araibel was intelligent enough to read between the lines, at least to a point. She knew there was a reason we'd chosen the long way, and she would probably be able to guess some of it (it was no secret that some people, even in the palace, did not like me... though the depth of the Allfather's dislike had somehow been kept more under wraps).
Yes, I was sure Araibel would be sharing with everyone how Thor, Loki and I had fought with a group of Midgardian Warriors against an alien army. And that I would be back soon to share the whole story in a few days. By the time I actually returned there would be adults waiting to hear all about it and not just children. There was no way the Allfather would be able to stop the story from getting around. Which was exactly the plan.
Which meant I had the people of Asgard on my side, and Alfheim, Vanaheim would follow Lady Frigg (therefore being also on our side), Helheim was quite obvious (with its Queen being my stepdaughter and all that), Nidavellir tended to stay neutral on most matter unless they felt threatened, and Jotunheim's King had declared us kin...
It was one thing I had taken care off as soon as I was back in enough shape after Loki's fall. Things had been bad back then. I'd heard the talk all around, from servants and nobles, of how Jotunheim might be planning an attack. Everyone was afraid a new war might be coming, and some were beginning to blame Loki... I wasn't about to allow that. So I decided to take matters into my own hands:
It had been some god-awful weeks, training with Thor was beginning to get frustrating, but there was no one else brave enough and with enough of an open mind to try and help train me (this was before Sif and I had our first fight, and from then our spars-training).
I was in my formal attire, though with all my blades strapped on, my cloak charmed to protect me from the biting cold I expected to find in Jotunheim. Heimdall was already expecting me when I reached him at the end of the broken Rainbow Bridge.
"I hope you realize, princess, that what you plan is quite dangerous to your safety." He stated seriously as he watched me get off my horse.
"I know that, Heimdall." I nodded.
"Since you will refuse to listen to my warnings and desist of your objective, would you at least consider taking guards with you?" He asked next.
"You know I have to do this." I told him softly. "I have heard the gossip going around Heimdall, and not just about the threat of Jotunheim declaring war on us, but also of what the Allfather might do. He might disavow Loki, pretty much offer him to stave off war!"
"That is only a last-resource..." Heimdall began.
"If Odin loved my match as he ought to, as any good father would, it wouldn't be an option at all." I said darkly. "As it is, unless something is done now, all will be lost. Loki might as well die in the abyss because he will have something worse waiting for him, were he ever to find his way back!" I couldn't help the dark thought that followed from crossing my lips. "Hell, if it comes to that I will drive my own dagger into my heart and save us all the trouble!"
"Princess!" Heimdall seemed, surprisingly enough, honestly perturbed by the idea.
"I will not allow harm to come to my match, Gatekeeper." I told him in my most solemn voice. "I do not like the idea. I like life! Thank you very much... but I will not have my love coming back to Asgard, after everything he's suffering already, only to find even more suffering, instead of the home he deserves. I may not be able to stop the Allfather from doing as he wishes, but if all I can do to protect my match is keep him from those who might hurt him, that's what I'll do."
Heimdall didn't reply to that, I did not know if he didn't fully believe me, or was still perturbed by the idea that I was contemplating suicide as an acceptable alternative. And I knew it was crazy, I had said it a thousand times, that suicide is never the solution to anything... but the thought of everything my beloved had already suffered, of him fighting his way through the pain to get out of the abyss... only to be faced with something like what Odin was beginning to plan in his return to Asgard. It would be worse than what he was already going through. And, who knows? Maybe dying like that would earn him a place in a good afterlife, where he might be happy; being that it would be my doing I probably wouldn't get to go with him, but I'd failed him so horribly already, I wouldn't fail him again... which was exactly why I was going to Jotunheim.
"Like you said, that is only last-resource worst-possible-situation." I reminded him. "The main plan is this: I'm going to Jotunheim, as you know already. And back to your original objection, I am not taking guards because: first, I have nowhere near enough power to bring other people with me through the Shadow Paths, not yet... and the Hidden Roads would take too long. And second and most important: you must realize, like I do, that any significant group arriving right now on Jotunheim would only cause war to explode. I am hoping that arriving alone, and with the secrecy I am capable of, will allow me a chance. Perhaps I can convince whoever their new ruler is to stop the madness before it truly begins."
"If it is a child of Laufey, they will be able to see your bond to Loki." Heimdall warned me.
That caught me by surprise, and while I knew it was a risk, as they might choose to take their hate for my match out on me... it was still a risk I had, and was quite willing, to take.
"This is my choice." I declared, somehow managing to sound more confident than I felt.
"I hope you know what you're doing, princess." Heimdall admitted as he gave a step back.
To be honest, so did I.
Things actually went better than I imagined, or even had any right to expect. Heimdall was right, several of the Jotun were able to identify me as the mate of one of theirs; Winter Touch, they called it. Only one could sense who exactly my mate was. Luckily that individual turned out to be Helblindi, Loki's half-brother, and the new King of Jotunheim; and even luckier, he was far more understanding and merciful than his father, Laufey, ever was.
He accepted that in the end the two incursions were on Laufey, he should have known better than to believe that the son he'd abandoned as an infant would ever help him in any way, especially against the family and realm that adopted him. What had happened afterwards, with the Bifrost... I had done my best to explain the kind of mental breakdown Loki'd had. In the end Helblindi reluctantly accepted that they had been highly unusual and extreme circumstances. Thankfully, while there had been great destruction, not too many of his people had died (I wasn't given any numbers). We all chose to hold the same individual ultimately responsible: Odin.
Helblindi also decided it was high-time someone acted as Ambassador from his people in Asgard. He chose someone who wasn't a Jotun, knowing the Royal Court would have never accepted that. An elven lady called Elanor. The most important detail was that her ward would be traveling with me back to Asgard: the child, about a year old or so, was a Jotun, a runt (like Loki) and Helblindi's youngest. The Jotun King believed that with the right upbringing the child, Hákon, could one day become a proper Ambassador for Jotunheim; also, he had a better chance at a good life (at a life at all) in Asgard than in Jotunheim as most Frost Giants didn't think much of runts, and with him being so small it would have been harder to survive in such an environment. Elanor herself was sick when I found her, and I thought Helblindi worried for her, if only because if she were to die Hákon would be left without a proper caretaker (he had too much to do).
So after using magic to send Heimdall a message of what had happened, and that I would be back in a while, as I would have to take the Hidden Roads back to Asgard (I wasn't risking Elanor, and especially not an innocent infant trying to take them through the Shadow Paths). Heimdall somehow managed to pick up on my wish to keep some things under wraps, so while people in the palace knew I'd be absent, no one but maybe Lady Frigg knew exactly where I was or what I was doing (most probably didn't actually care). I will never forget the expression on everyone's faces when I entered the Throne Room and made my announcement on the day of my return:
The trip back had taken several days. I was dirty, exhausted, had had very little sleep (the Hidden Paths aren't a place where anyone would try to rest). I was sure I was projecting quite the image. My clothes covered in dust and mud, my hair knotted, the only reason my face was somewhat clear was because I had washed it with water of a river shortly after we'd made it into Asgard. Still, it was a powerful image (or so I wanted to believe).
Elanor, in her sturdy elven clothes and thick fur cloak, walked a few steps behind me, close enough that no one would stop her because they knew she was with me; but not so close that if anything happened she or Hákon (in her arms, hidden by the cloak) would be in danger.
We reached the hallway right outside the Throne Room in time to hear several people talking; and it was just our luck the very topic they were focusing on.
"We all know the risk." One man was saying. "The Frost Giants may be preparing themselves for war at this very moment, and without the Bifrost there is nothing we can do to stop them."
"Without the Bifrost we're stranded, but it's not the same for them." Another added. "As has been proven, at least some are capable of finding the the Hidden Roads."
"What we need is to find someone who knows where they are, and seal them." A woman's voice stated strongly.
"The Hidden Roads exist for a reason, Lady Councilor." Thor's voice stated. "We must not forget that. And if the Frost Giants were readying themselves for War, Heimdall would let us know."
"The problem with Jotunheim..." Another began.
I chose that as my cue, using magic to open the doors abruptly and stride into the Throne Room purposefully; everyone stopped talking automatically, turning to see who had arrived.
"Has been resolved, ladies and gentlemen." I declared as I reached the middle of the room.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Several councilmen demanded at once.
"Sister, where have you been?" Thor called worriedly.
"To appear before us looking thus!" A councilwoman reprimanded. "That's not how a princess of Asgard ought to present herself!"
"I hope the Court will excuse my appearance, seeing as I know the news I bring are of great importance and it was better I deliver them upon my return, rather than wait until I had been able to eat, bathe and rest." I stated half-sarcastically as I approached the group. "It is all for the good of Asgard, after all."
"Where were you child?" Lady Frigg asked, looking at me worriedly. "You were gone for several days and while Heimdall would tell us you were alright and had been successful in your journey, he wouldn't tell us where exactly you were or what you were doing."
"I was in Jotunheim, Mother." I addressed her in the manner she'd asked me to, after my marriage to Loki months before.
"Jotunheim?!" Several people reacted with shock to that.
"What you said when you came in..." Thor murmured, suddenly understanding. "You spoke of something being resolved..." He turned to one of the councilmen briefly and then back to me. "You were talking about the problems with Jotunheim..."
For all answer I slipped my hand inside the bag tied to my waist (the same where I kept my flute and emergency medical supplies), bringing out a rolled up parchment with a double seal: mine and Helblindi's. Still in silence I climbed the steps until I reached the middle of the dais where Odin's throne stood; there I dropped on one knee dramatically, lowering my head just enough to be respectful, and raising my hand to offer him the parchment.
"What is this?" He asked, not moving to reach for it.
"A peace treaty with Jotunheim." I announced proudly. "Signed by the King of the Frost Giants himself: Lord Helblindi."
Chaos followed my announcement.
It took a while. At first because neither the Allfather nor the Council would believe that the parchment really contained what I claimed it did. Then when they began outrageous allegations of things I might have promised the Frost Giants to get them to sign, my 'true intentions' behind doing such a thing... etc. It went on until the Allfather reached the end of parchment and saw the name signed at the bottom: Helblindi Laufeyson... and then he began to understand.
He would never understand everything, of course, there was no way. He wasn't a proper father, wasn't part of a proper family, so how could he ever understand that Helblindi considered me as such, because I was married to his half-brother? We were family, kin, and that was far more important and powerful than any royal treaty...
Eventually Thor insisted on having the treaty countersigned, by him, then by his Mother, and eventually the Allfather signed it as well (though by that point it didn't actually matter anymore, enough members of the Royal Family had signed it already).
That had earned me a place in the Royal Council, more definitely than anything before might have (my marriage to Loki included). Even when I'd introduced Elanor as the official liaison with Jotunheim (Hákon was introduced as her son, with no mention made of his father or his possible future station, for his own protection), some still believed I had a higher standing when it came to that pact, because I was the one to arrange it, to sign it first, because I was the one Helblindi knew and trusted.
So yes, Jotunheim would definitely be on my side, and after what had happened in Midgard I wanted to believe they would be on our side too. Of course I also wanted to believe no such allegiances would ever actually be necessary; but it was good to have them, just in case.
The sound (so cherished, and loved, and missed...) of Loki's laughter brought me out of my trip down memory lane; pulling my whole attention in his direction. He was sitting on his ankles a few feet away from me, surrounded by children, and they were all laughing... though it was his laughter that captured my absolute attention.
"Yes... things will be alright." I murmured, more to myself than to Araibel.
xXx
In the end, our return to the palace went in a rather anticlimactic manner. I had been right when I said Odin would know already of our return; what I wasn't expecting was for him to have been completely neutralized as a threat before we ever did.
I never learnt fully what had happened. All Sigyn would tell me (which she'd been told by Karin, Lady Frigg's head handmaiden) was that the Allfather had been furious after our departure. He had attempted to send someone with the mission of recovering the Tesseract, taking down the one who had it (which supposedly would have meant my match... though we now knew he'd been elsewhere most of the time, leaving Barton and Selvig in charge). In the end the details mattered not, as no one had accepted the mission. It was unknown what the exact reason for the refusals were, and if they were all the same or different; though the handmaidens were convinced it was I, that after everything I'd done since marrying Loki I'd earned enough respect and loyalty that no one would so much as consider moving against me or mine. It was a dizzying thought, and I wasn't quite sure I fully believed it, still, I couldn't deny the joy and pride that I felt knowing that no one had been willing to even try to go after my love.
Things hadn't ended there, of course. Though the next part was even more of a secret, only the most trusted handmaidens knew, and even then only because it had been precisely Sigyn who had noticed something of and alerted Karin and the Queen. As it turned out Odin had attempted to curse Loki the same way he'd cursed Thor upon his exile. The combination of the considerable distance between the two and the fact that there was no true bond Odin could anchor his magic to, meant he failed on that too. Still, it was after that last part, that Lady Frigg decided it was high time her husband stepped down from the throne. While he might always have been a good King, he was much too obsessed with things, and there was no way of knowing how far he was willing to go to set things in a way he believed 'right' (not that there was much he could actually do, with the oaths Thor had already taken, and my own loyalties).
Which means, in simple terms, that when we stepped into the Throne Room that day it wasn't actually Odin sitting on the throne, but Queen Frigg.
We were actually taken aback a bit by things, but since nothing seemed to be actually wrong, we let it go (in that moment, eventually we dug until we found out at least the basics of what had happened, enough to understand the change). Lady Frigg did not insist on Thor taking the throne, she knew that while he was more prepared than he'd been the year before, he wasn't fully ready just yet, probably wouldn't be for a while... and she didn't mind, it was no problem for her to be Asgard's Regent for a few years, a decade even.
It took several weeks, but eventually we managed to settle back into a routine. I didn't stop going to Council meetings and such, but with Loki at my side, it was easier. He also accompanied me when I went into the city and soon the people grew used to seeing both of us, and sometimes Thor and his friends as well. Never before had the people of Asgard felt so connected to their royals, and they liked it (more than one had made mention of it).
Eventually Loki made a quick trip to Midgard, where he retrieved Jane Foster and Erik Selvig; then the three of them set to work with Heimdall and a group comprised of the very best scholars and spellcasters Asgard had, on restoring the Rainbow Bridge. In the end the work Jane did was considered a service to Asgard (like the year I spent as a handmaiden) and once the Bifrost was fully functional again she was given the chance to become a citizen. She took it immediately. We all knew it would take more than that for the people to accept her as a bride and one day Queen, but that day was a while away still, so there was time.
I knew it would happen. I believed in it. That one day Thor would marry Jane and she would become Crown Princess of Asgard, just like I was already a Princess. One day Lady Frigg would decide Thor was ready and he would be crowned King, he would make Loki his Regent and Head Advisor (Crown Whisperer, as some people called that position), and of course, Jane and I would be by their sides all the way.
One day the four of us would be family, maybe not by blood but certainly by choice, and together we would make sure that not only Asgard, but Yggdrassil as a whole was safe. It wouldn't be perfect of course. We knew there were still chitauri out there, and Thanos, and who knows what other entities that might one day come to believe they could conquer Midgard, could take on their heroes. That wasn't true, obviously. There were the Avengers, and others like the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the young man with spider-like abilities we met during the battle of New York, and spirits know how many others just like them that might exist around the world. No, Midgard wasn't vulnerable, at all; the realm was strong, and Asgard was beginning to learn that, was beginning to value their ally as such rather than a lesser one that needed to be protected always. With time hopefully the rest of the realms would come to see it that way.
Yes, a lot of things would hopefully come in due time. However, that day, at the beginning of the Spring, almost a year after the Battle of New York, we had something to celebrate, a day full of joy: a princess had been born: Rose Alfdis Lokidottir...
If things continue as I've planned thus far, we only have one more AU to go, and then it's back to the main timeline! (yeah, finally...). For that AU I've used an idea given to me by a reviewer (I'm sorry I cannot remember your name right now), about someone finding out about Nightingale's existence when she's still young, but things actually going well. That's the basic premise for the next story: Deirfiúr, hope you'll enjoy...
See ya in three weeks!
(And if you like AoS, please don't forget to read my other series: Menel, the first part is just finished!).
