Loki sprinted out of the red barn as fast as his long legs could carry him. His sped across the farm field, away from the red barn and the old house, and kept running until he reached the guards, who were still waiting patiently where he had ordered them to.
While he ran, he had managed to turn himself back into Odin, so when he tripped and fell on his face, at least it looked convincing.
One of the guards helped him up from the ground. "Are you alright, my King?"
"Yes, yes. I am fine. I have not felt so alive in the last thousand years! It seems what I needed was a bit of action." Loki lied quickly. In reality, he had scraped his knees and arms into bloody masses, but he could heal that easily enough.
"What did you find, my Lord?" Vinn, the younger guard, asked.
Loki answered, "I found a stone from Svartalfheim. It seems like some sort of signal receptor. It must be destroyed."
He wondered if he should warn them about the strange effect the stone had had on him, making him re-live the moment of his death. He thought better of it, however, because he didn't care much what happened to the guards; one guard more or one guard less never made a difference.
He suddenly heard a scream coming from the barn. His head darted around, and a sudden feeling of dread filled his chest. Had he condemned the maiden, Kaia, to her death? He did not want to think about it. He usually cared little for humans, but he kept thinking about how much the young woman made him think of Frigga.
"What was that?" Vinn unsheathed the sword he had concealed in his human clothing. The other guard put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, then looked at Loki.
"What should we do, my King?"
"It is fine; I left a little mess retrieving the stone. It is nothing." Loki shook his head. "There were no humans injured, I assure you."
There was sudden, frantic yelling and the panicked neighing of a horse. Loki whipped his head around again, and he suddenly realised what a terrible mistake he had made, letting the girl see him. Why hadn't the potion killed her yet? Ten minutes had surely passed.
Worse, though, he was frustrated over the loss of the Hel potion. He wanted to return and observe its effects it had on the human. Maybe he would even be able to retrieve it or modify it to gain more power without dying. Then he could truly become the King of the Nine Realms.
He turned his head back to the guards to see them staring at him in open-mouthed stupor. "What is it?" He questioned.
"Loki." Vinn hissed.
"Do not give me false hope. My son is de-" Suddenly, Loki realised that he had completely lost his concentration while thinking about Kaia; his magic had faded, revealing his true form. He looked down to see himself in his usual leather coat black and gold and green armour. "Well, shit."
Both guards flew at him in the same moment. He unsheathed his dagger and prepared to intercept them. He caught the first guard easily, moving to the side and tripping him. The guard toppled, and Loki elbowed him in the back of the head, sending the guard sprawling. He turned to face Vinn, who was a much more skilled swordfighter than his peer. He managed to intercept Vinn's first attack on his dagger. However, not having another sword or a shield to defend himself, Vinn's next attack made contact with his shoulder, slicing through the leather. He felt hot blood trickle across his skin.
"My, you are good." He complemented, parrying Vinn's thrust and disappearing. He reappeared behind the soldier and caught him in a headlock, pressing down on Vinn's unprotected throat. "But you have forgotten that I have magic."
Vinn struggled, his face turning blue as he groped for air. Loki looked down at him smugly. "Now, here is my deal. Vinn – that is your name, right?"
The guard nodded his head feebly.
"I'll let you go, but you must promise to listen to me. Swear on your warrior's heart."
"I- s-swear." Vinn gasped.
Loki let him go. "That's more like it. I don't feel like spilling any more Asgardian blood."
"Traitor." Vinn hissed.
"No!" Loki spat back in fury. "I am not a traitor. Don't you dare accuse me of that." Regaining his composure, he cleared his throat. "I need your co-operation, Vinn."
"I'd rather die!" Vinn spat.
"I might just consider it." He laughed darkly at the panicked looked that crossed Vinn's face. "Look, I really don't want to cause any more trouble than I already have. I've caused more mischief than I can manage- and don't ever tell Thor you heard me admit that."
Vinn relaxed slightly and grinned. "I swear."
Loki felt himself smile lightly too. "I see I have your trust. I need you to listen careful, alright?"
"Do not think I trust you too much, Prince Loki."
"That's King Loki."
"You do not deserve that title."
"You don't deserve to live!" Loki seethed. Then he sighed, running a hand through his black hair, smoothing it against his scalp. He was already weary. "I thought we had an agreement."
"We do." Vinn sighed. "I am listening, my King." He said the final word with venom.
"Alright. My proposition is simple. You will return to Asgard as Odin. And- before you say anything- I do realise that I could just return to Asgard myself. However, there is something I would like to find out."
"What if I'm discovered by the real Odin?" Vinn inquired a note of panic in his voice. "What have you done with him, anyway?"
Loki laughed sarcastically. "Oh, you won't have to worry about my dear Father."
Vinn's eyes widened. "What have you done?"
"More than I should have, less then he deserved." Loki answered. "Don't distract me. Anyway, I will return to Asgard shortly to take your place."
"What are you going to do while I risk my arse for a false king?"
Loki sighed, playing with his dagger. He paced back and forth in front of the young guard. "I like you, Vinn. I respect your bravery. So please, do not push my anger further."
"Forgive me, my King."
"Are you done?" Loki brandished his dagger again. Vinn flinched. "Like I said, I will disguise you as Odin. I know that you are the son of an Asgardian Lord, so you must know enough to play King for a while."
Vinn narrowed his eyes. "How do you know that?"
"Oh, please. Do you not remember me? We used to play fight together, Vinn Cadmusson." It was true. Loki finally remembered where he knew the young guard from. He often remembered the faces of his sparring partners from his younger years.
Before his mother had taught him to use magic, he had often fought with the younger children because children his and Thor's age were much too strong for him.
Vinn laughed. "I do remember! I thought you did not."
Loki shook his head in pitying amusement. Vinn must have been the worst choice to pose as Odin, but it wasn't like he had another.
"Vinn, I need you to focus. Give me two weeks, that is all I want."
"Why?"
Loki thought of the potion. "There is something- I need to retrieve."
"Alright. I will not inquire further. And anyway, the concept of being the Allfather for a bit has a certain appeal."
Loki smirked. "Does it not? But you must avoid any situations in which magic is required. And avoid Heimdall even more. He suspects there is something wrong with Odin already. Thankfully, he did not see what I have done here because his sight is gone."
"Yes, and about that. Did you truly find the object that was causing trouble?"
"Yes." Loki withdrew the stone from his pocked. "Give this to Heimdall. And take him," He poked the other fallen guard with his foot, "With you. If you fail, Vinn, I will have to kill you."
Vinn put one arm across his chest and bowed. "I may not trust you, but I must respect you, Loki. I see quite a challenge ahead of me."
"Do not disappoint me." Loki waved his hand over the guard, and suddenly, he was facing his father again. He flinched when Odin spoke.
"Let us hope this works, for my sake and for yours. Good luck on whatever you aim to do." Odin/ Vinn grinned in a very un-Odinlike manner. Then he lifted his head, tucked the Dark Elf stone in his pocket, and called out in a deeper voice, "Heimdall, open the Bifrost!"
Loki stepped back to watch Vinn, now disguised as Odin and the fallen guard vanish with a thundering boom. He only hoped the sibling from the barn had not heard it.
Then he turned and walked slowly towards the red barn. Loki was the God of Mischeif, after all. And he had all lot of mischief to cause and even more of it to fix.
Something about the adventure he was about to have held more appeal to him than even Thor had when he had asked Loki to find the Dark World. He had a feeling that if he did not succeed quickly, there was a large rick of his brother finding out that Loki was still alive. And even though he planned to tell his brother someday, he wanted to relish his throne as long as possible.
His throne that now lay in the hands of a young, bubbly guard.
"And what in Valhalla have you gotten yourself into, Loki?" He mumbled.
He had to get his priorities straight. He would find a way to retrieve the substance. If he did not manage to, he would observe what happened to the Midgardian girl. If nothing happened, he would return home, relieve Vinn of his duties, and reclaim his throne. If Kaia died, he would cover up her death (maybe even frame her brother) and make sure Thor never found out about it. It was a simple, straightforward plan.
"Yeah, I'm screwed." He muttered in human fashion. He had heard Jane foster say it once.
It was then that he realised that he had stayed on earth because he would be free of Asgard. The Realm held too many memories for him now; his mother's death, the cell he had been kept in, the casket of the Jotuns, falling off the Bifrost bridge.
He wanted to leave his past behind. He had always thought death was the answer to what he wanted. But here, on Midgard, he could become anyone. He was no longer Loki, the fake prince of Jotunheim, stolen relic from a ruined Realm; he was just another human.
Maybe that was why staying behind a while longer held such appeal to him. Maybe he could simply forget.
There you have it! I know, the plot is a bit iffy, but give you'll understand Loki's choice in time. I know there are a couple loopholes here and there, like "Why couldn't Loki have just gone to Asgard and pretended nothing happened?" or "Why is he really staying behind? It seems un-Loki
The answer will come in time. Let the plot work itself out; I have it all planned, dear readers. I'm a master strategist, sort of like Loki. Except that I'm not planning on attacking New York with an alien army that can be easily destroyed.
-eaglenation, over and out.