Author's note: I hope you continue to enjoy this story. It is becoming a rather large undertaking as different plot twists keep popping up as I write.
Chapter 7: Exile
~œ~ Jane ~œ~
"Oh my god!" Jane's voice rang out as Katirya left the room. "Are you seriously going to let her just walk out like that?"
"I thought you didn't want her to go with us," Sif asked archly.
"No, but to let her leave, seriously... someone needs to keep an eye on her. She clearly cannot be trusted. She says we can't find it without her. Why?"
The brothers exchanged a glance, not needing to talk. Loki nodded, then left the library quietly.
"Jane, Darcy," Thor spoke to the two women, "let us see if we cannot discover a more precise location for this stone, while Loki goes to find Katirya."
"No, I want to know why she thinks she can find this crazy stone and we cannot?" Jane insisted. "Darcy clearly has found the general location. With a bit more research, I'm certain we can find it. Look what Erik and I had already discovered without her help."
"Jane…" Thor tried to placate her.
"No, don't 'Jane' me. Face it; she has lied to you, to us." Jane rolled her eyes. "She has as much admitted it. So, why do you continue to even attempt to listen to her, let alone believe her? Who is to say she was not behind the attacks back on Earth at Tony's place? She could have done that if she is that good with her magic as she says she is."
"Jane does have a point," Erik commented.
"But, Katirya almost died back there," Fandral spoke up, "during the attack."
"Yes, but that was one of her own people," Jane sighed in exasperation, finding it hard to believe that Thor and his friends were continuing to believe Katirya, "they clearly do not trust her, or she might have just set the whole thing up. I cannot believe you are still trying to stand up for her. What is it about her that makes you want to think she isn't the mastermind behind all this? You have said as much yourselves, that things really got crazy once she showed up."
"Uh, Jane?" Darcy piped up, "I really don't think this is a good idea. I mean, to stir things up like this. I think that Katirya has a point, if what I've read is true. We need someone who can…"
"You're siding with her too?" Jane looked at her friend; completely bewildered that Darcy would even consider this.
Darcy shrugged, "I don't know whether to believe her or not, but it seems like she knows more about these stones than we do, and from what I've read, we need someone who understands them."
"Loki clearly knows about them. He used the Tesseract to take over Earth, until the Avengers stopped him," Jane contended, "and he used the scepter, so why can't he be the one to help us? I still say we leave her here, under guard, so then we would know for sure she isn't behind all the problems."
Thor considered both comments before responding. "Darcy is right. Kiri knows more about the stones than even Loki or I do. She was raised to control at least one of them, so she has more understanding of them than any of us except Thanos."
"Who is this Thanos?" Erik asked, "why is he so important to these stones?"
"I know that!" Darcy chimed in, "he was the one who put the Six Infinity Gems into the Gauntlet. He was defeated, and then the Gems were distributed to various parts of the universe for safety. The Gauntlet is actually here, isn't it Thor?"
Thor nodded, "In the vaults. My father kept it there."
"So, if he was defeated, how come he's back?" Jane asked, "if he is back that is. I still say that she is behind all this."
"Until we meet up with him, we will not know the answer," Thor answered, choosing to ignore her comment about Katirya. "For now, I think we need to see if we can find out more about this one Stone that Darcy has discovered."
"I suppose," Jane was reluctant to let the topic go, but decided to for the moment.
The group returned to skimming through the books Darcy had selected for another hour without finding any further information.
Darcy looked up from the book she currently had to finally break the silence, "Guys, it just doesn't seem like we are getting anywhere. Thor? Who hid the stones? Was it your grandfather, that King Bora Bora?"
"King Bor," Thor corrected her with a laugh, "but my father knew something of them. I wonder…"
"Wonder what?" Jane asked.
"I wonder if there might be something in my father's chambers that might shed some light on this," Thor rose from his seat and walked over to Jane. He leaned down and lightly kissed her on her forehead, "Jane? Why don't we head up there and see if we can discover anything. Ian, Erik and Darcy can accompany us."
"And what about us?" Volstagg asked, his face expressing relief that they did not have to continue searching through the books. "Can we spend some time in the practice yards?"
Thor nodded, "Yes, but do not forget to go down to Earth to escort Tony Stark and Ms. Potts here for the feast."
The four friends quickly left the library. Once outside, Sif paused, "You guys go on ahead. I'll join you shortly."
•£• Loki •£•
Loki looked both ways down the hall once he exited the library. Seeing nothing, he turned right, that being the most direct route to the gardens. He hoped she had gone there. Exiting the palace, he saw a flash of blue and black off to the right.
Entering a flower garden, he watched Katirya standing in one section. Suddenly, he heard a dog barking excitedly. Seconds later, a large black tri-color collie bounded into the gardens, and ran up to Katirya. He recognized the dog as one that his mother had owned. There had been three of them he recalled, although he had not seen them recently.
He saw Katirya lean over to pat the dog on the head, then kneel down beside it wrapping her arms around the dog's neck. Burying her head in the ruff of fur around the neck, he watched as the dog rested his head on her shoulder. He could swear the dog suddenly looked directly at him. He felt a sharp pang of grief as he recalled learning of his mother's death.
He approached her slowly, not saying anything.
"Kiri?" he finally ventured to speak, once he was standing directly behind her.
"What?" her voice was flat, completely emotionless.
He moved closer, kneeling down beside her; he placed his hands on her shoulders. "What is troubling you?"
"Nothing… everything… I… " she stammered, not really answering. Turning around, she kept her arms around the dog and looked at him, "I don't know."
"What is it between you and Jane Foster? You clearly have taken a dislike to her," he decided to start with this issue.
Katirya released the dog and sat down on the grass. The dog lay down, placing his head and paws upon her lap. She absent-mindedly began to pet the dog, but did not respond to his question.
Loki sat next to her, and reached out to pet the dog as well, "I haven't seen you for a long time, fellow. Where are your brothers?"
The dog simply looked up at him with liquid brown eyes.
"There are two others," Katirya spoke up, "they follow me around when I am in the gardens. I am sure they are not far behind this one. They belonged to your mother, didn't they?"
He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
"She died saving Jane's life, you know."
This simple sentence stunned him. He looked at Katirya, "What? What did you just say?"
Katirya blinked in surprise, "You did not know this?"
"No, I thought I was to blame for her death? The way I was treated, no one told me… " he paused, speechless for a minute as he considered how drastically this changed things, "I blamed myself for her death. How do you know?"
"Thor did not tell you?"
"No, when I asked, he did not wish to speak of it. I thought I had brought about something that caused her death."
"How could you have caused her death? You were imprisoned."
"I sent that monster up there, to find Odin. I thought he found my mother instead."
Katirya shook her head, "No, it was Malekith. He wanted the Aether; it had nothing to do with you at all. Your mother created an illusion of Jane, refused to tell Malekith where she was hiding, so he killed her."
"But I told the monster which staircase to take," he insisted, "it is my fault. Had I not done that, he might have been killed before he ever reached the upper levels."
"Loki, truly that would not have changed things. Malekith wanted the Aether, nothing else mattered to him, and he was not down here, only his creature. If you wish to blame someone, start with Jane Foster. She was the one who found it. Or go further back; I still think the other person that is searching for the Stones is the one who forced the issue."
"Is that why you dislike Jane so much? Because she found the Aether?" he asked her quietly, picking up on her mention of Jane as he still continue to reflect on the fact his mother had died protecting the human.
"No…. well, maybe it does. Not so much that she found it, but the consequences that came about because of the Aether. Had it not been found, your mother might still be alive. I liked your mother," Katirya admitted, "so, yes, I am afraid I do place some of the blame on Jane."
"And all this time, I believed it was me; that I was the reason she was dead," as he digested the information, he considered how things might have gone differently had he known. But, he realized the outcome would most likely have been the same, the only difference was the guilt. He felt a genuine sense of relief at knowing this; then a sudden realization that he was angry with Jane Foster. Angry that she lived, while his mother had died. For what purpose? He now understood a little better why Katirya dislike the mortal.
"No, don't go there," Katirya admonished, clearly guessing his mind, "it will do neither of us any good. Jane did not cause your mother's death. I have to come to terms with it; we both do. Jane did not intend for the eventual outcome."
"I wonder what Mother would think of this entire mess we have managed to get ourselves entangled in?"
The dog on her lap barked, and seconds later the other two collies came bounding in. The three dogs began to jump all over Katirya, attempting to lick her face. She collapsed against Loki in laughter, "Enough!" They instantly sat, and looked askance at her.
Katirya laughed, "I imagine she is sitting up there with my mother, sipping a glass of good wine, and laughing at the predicament their offspring have gotten into."
"They still mind well enough, and seem to like you," he noted as he pulled her closer.
"They are darlings, are they not? I enjoy their company. I find they are excellent listeners, never arguing with a thing I say," she grinned up at him, "unlike some mortals I know, and a few others.
"Kiri, Kiri, Kiri…" Loki shaking his head from side to side, "what am I to do with you? We do listen, but you have yet to tell us the entire truth. You speak of trust, yet you still have not told us the everything, have you?"
Katirya's smile disappeared as she hung her head in shame, causing one of the dogs to whine lightly, licking her hand, "No, not yet."
"Do you intend to?"
She nodded, finally looking up at him, sighing heavily, "I simply feel that I cannot trust anyone."
One of the dogs jumped up, and raced back towards the palace. The other two, waited just a moment before following in his wake.
"Well, why don't you start with me? Since no one else around here seems to trust me, would be nice for a change," he joked lightly, although much of his statement was based on his perceptions of the people of Asgard. He still felt that very few trusted him.
"Thor trusts you, and many of the people truly do. They have much of your past to consider and overcome; but they loved your mother, and I believe they will come to love you as much. You are very like her you know," Katirya spoke quietly.
"I am?" He was rather surprised by that comment. He had never considered that.
"Yes," Katirya looked up before continuing, seeing the three dogs returning, followed by the cook. She was carrying a tray with a bottle of wine, two glasses and a selection of sweets, fruit, and cheeses.
"Good afternoon," the cook addressed them, "I must say, it is beginning to seem like old times when your mother was alive," she bobbed her head to Loki, the nodded at the three dogs, "The boys would bound into the kitchen, letting me know she was in the gardens. Became a habit to bring out a tray with wine and cheese in the afternoon. I hope you do not mind?" Setting the tray down on the ground in front of them, she patted the three dogs. "I even put some biscuits on there for you three."
Loki shook his head, never having known this was a common practice of his mother's. "No, in fact I was thinking a glass of wine might help ease this confession I hope I am about to hear," he glanced up at the cook, "so you have been keeping track of Mother's dogs?"
"Aye, my king," the cook replied, "they have hardly left the kitchens since your mother died. Just started venturing out once Miss Kiri here showed up in the kitchens one day. They took an instant liking to her. Now they follow her around practically all day."
Katirya laughed, "That they do. Magda." Reaching into her belt, she pulled out the paper Edda had given her in the library, "that recipe we were discussing earlier? Edda found it," she handed the paper to Magda.
Magda scanned it quickly, "This will be quite easy, my lady. Did you want this prepared for the feast tomorrow?"
Katirya nodded, "Aye, if it is not too much trouble. I will try to come assist if I have time."
"Oh, do not bother yourself. I can manage. Now, if you will excuse me, I've got a feast to prepare," Magda pointed to the three dogs, "and if you need anything else, just send one of these fellows in. They always somehow manage to find a way to tell me what it is that is needed."
"Thank you, Magda. And I understand it was one of my favorites?" Loki asked.
"Yes, you and your brother would fight over who might get the last piece," Magda grinned at him, "there will be no fighting tomorrow, I hope. Now I must get back and see to supper."
As the cook turned and quickly headed back to the palace, Loki reached out and poured two glasses of wine, handing one to her, he gently reminded her, "You were about to say?"
"Um, yes," she paused to take a sip of the wine, "where to start?"
"Kiri, really?" he sighed, "how about with the Stones."
"Yes, the Stones. I think everything is tied to the Infinity Stones, as I have been saying all along. And the more that happens, the more convinced I am that this is true. These past few weeks, since I have been here, I've had time to consider all the things that have happened. I did try to explain…"
"Yes, but clearly leaving out various parts until you are forced to tell us. And somehow I still do not believe you have told us ALL the truth," he pointed out. He could feel her begin to relax, and wondered whether it was the wine, the dogs or simply sitting quietly outdoors. Perhaps she was finally reaching a point where she could trust him, and tell him the whole story.
She leaned into him more, sighing softly. "Correct, I have left a few things out."
"Just a few?" he asked archly.
"Well, maybe more than a few, but for a good reason. You see, I suspect the other person searching for the Stones is Thanos," she winced as she spoke the name, clearly troubled, "and if it is him, he has been controlling many people. More than I originally thought."
Loki looked at her, trying to decipher her rapidly changing moods. "Thanos?"
"Aye, but while I could be wrong, I do not believe I am. He hated your grandfather, and thus Odin. That hatred extends to you. I suspect he was behind your little escapade on Earth."
"Escapade?" He lifted one eyebrow sardonically. "I believe Odin would have considered it more like a major transgression on my part."
"But, Thanos was manipulating you. He used you to get at Odin in the best way he could at the time. He sensed your rage at Odin, the fact that so much had been kept from you, Odin's choice of Thor over you for the throne, you were vulnerable to his machinations… and I am almost certain Thanos did not expect you to survive. The fact he readily handed over the Mind Stone demonstrated his confidence in his powers. He felt he could easily retrieve it once you were dead. If the group on Earth did not kill you, he would have."
Loki considered her statements. He realized she was right, he had been angry, and when offered a chance to do something, he had been quick to jump at the opportunity, not thinking about anything but what he had wanted. "You seem quite certain it is Thanos, why? He was defeated by King Bor many years ago, and the Infinity Stones were removed from the gauntlet."
Taking a deep breath, she went on, "This is what I haven't told you yet. When the Council sequestered my mother and I, after I had successfully taken the Cronuth Stone, they…" she stopped speaking, and dropped her head, closing her eyes tightly. Clenching her fists, she raised them to her temples, grasping at her hair. Her fingers tore through the braids, ripping them apart in her anguish.
"They, what?" he gently prodded, trying to soothe her he wrapped his arms around her for comfort. "Why are you so afraid of them? You had the Cronuth Stone, and had called up the Thirteen. You have the powers, the powers that gave you the right to rule Cartherion."
"They lied to me. They said they had known all along that I had powers. I did not believe them. No one knew! Not my brother, my father… no one," she insisted, "my mother made sure of it. Yes, I had control of the Cronuth, but someone had clearly gotten inside the Council, and corrupted it. Turning it into a pawn for their purposes. I did not know who until that last day, the day they murdered my mother," she started to shake as she spoke.
Loki noticed a tear slip down her cheek. Gently, he wiped it from her face.
"They told me I was to be given to the One who now ruled the Council. They named him, Thanos. I must give up the Cronuth to him, and I …" she choked back a sob, "I was to be his bride. My powers, combined with his, passing on to my children… he would turn them to evil. I would rather die that allow that, so I refused, and then they murdered my mother. They threatened to kill the rest of my family if I refused to comply. I managed to escape, and thus came here."
He quickly saw one major flaw in her story. His hand cupped her chin, raising her face up. She opened her eyes to look at him. "You once said you came to take the Mind Stone so you could use it to regain your throne. Was that a lie?"
Shaking her head, "No, at first, when I arrived here, I thought I could use it to regain the throne. I considered using the Tesseract, but the power of it was not sufficient for my needs. I still thought I needed the Mind Stone."
"What has changed your mind? Or has it changed?" Loki asked, still unsure of her veracity.
"Oh, it has indeed changed. The first attack, here, in the Vaults…" she spoke hesitantly, "I knew Thanos was behind it. He has control of the Council. I believe it was Thanos that convinced the Council to stop the testing; he might even have been the one who was behind the killing of any child with extreme powers. The fact I slipped through… or maybe he did indeed know of me… either way, he saw something he wanted. His purpose for me is evil. After that attack, I thought if I had the Tesseract and the Mind Stone, I might be able to defeat him."
"So, you did intend to take both?" Loki's voice hardened. "You did not think to tell us?"
"No, I still thought I could do it myself," she replied.
"And what finally changed your mind?" he repeated his question.
"The attack on Earth. It came so swiftly, and from so many fronts. The Thirteen, the skrulls… Thanos was not present, but I was not ready for such an attack. The three Stones were there, but I could not use them to defeat his minions. How can I expect to defeat him, if I cannot defeat them?" Tears were starting to stream down her face. "That is why I said nothing about the dagger. I would rather die than go to him. I am afraid to leave Asgard, I feel safe here. The instant I leave, he will know. But I also know you need me to find the other Stones. I can sense them through the Cronuth."
Loki found himself being swayed by her story. Then he has to ask himself, was this the real story? She had told so many different tales, it was beginning to be difficult to know if it was possible to believe her or not. His mind raced through the various possibilities.
He finally asked, "Is this everything? Have you finally told me all of it? Or are there parts you are still leaving out?"
She simply shook her head in reply, and then buried her face in his shoulder.
He placed his hand upon her head, gently stroking her hair in comfort. Thinking back on his own personal life, the mistakes he had made, he realized he needed to trust her. She was an exile from her lands, just as he had been for a time.
