Alright, the setting in this chapter will be important in the future.
Hope you enjoy it!
Part 1 of Loki, Tony, and Bruce's magical excursion.
Tony jolted upwards, letting out an involuntary yelp as the bed seemed to twist, dumping him onto the floor as his one leg remained awkwardly on the bed.
Bruce blinked, blearily looking over the side of the bed, squinting. He stared for a few seconds before grasping his glasses, setting them on his nose to view the commotion with a much clearer sight.
"Tony, how, did that happen?" Bruce asked, voice thick before clearing to its normal tone.
Tony grunted, voice not coming as he cleared it from the thickness of sleep, looking at his awkward and precarious position with confusion, no matter how surprisingly impressive it was.
He twisted, managing to free his trapped leg and slump further onto the hard cold stone floor, managing to trap his hair under his head and yank firmly.
He grunted, sitting upright and rubbing his scalp where his hair had been pulled by the roots.
Bruce sighed, seeing his friend now splayed on the stone floor and finding it within his best interest to awake properly and greet the new day.
Tony yawned, jaw clicking as he lifted himself from the ground, fumbling around with his armor awkwardly, as sleep still clouded his logic.
Bruce rolled his eyes, feeling much more alert since waking then Tony appeared.
Bruce had to admit, how Tony seemed to get dressed in sleep hypnosis was fairly fascinating, impressive and slightly annoying having easily noticed the habit was quite possibly from drunken nights.
Tony looked at Bruce with a slight arched eyebrow, allowing Bruce to roll his eyes, throwing his arms up in defeat before moving towards the door and opening it to the hallway.
The sunlight was shining into the hall, illuminating it yet showing the dirty state of it. Bruce walked across the hallway, knocking quietly on Natasha's door.
He hadn't waited more than a few full seconds before it opened with a loud creaking noise of ancient bolts shifting the door.
Natasha was leaning against the doorframe, scattered lit candles in her room illuminated her hair in such way it seemed to glow even brighter and flicker.
One eyebrow was arched, yet the lack of cosmetics was obvious as well as the slight disarray of her hair due to the poor status of their rooms.
"Have a good sleep?" Bruce asked, trying to make small conversation while Natasha blinked slowly in response, "Considering." She spoke, giving a small sigh as Bruce smiled sympathetically.
"I assume you're going out with Stark?" Natasha asked, voice drawling ever so slightly in a way that was actually more similar to Loki then…well, Loki.
"Uh, yeah. We think that it would be better to hurry then to be late-"
"Come back before night, I think Roger's and I are heading out too, maybe see if we can get some cash from Clint's arrows." Natasha shrugged, leaning against the doorway calmly.
"Okay, uh-"
"Be carefully, Bruce." Natasha spoke, her drawling voice suddenly crisp and clear, her eyes burrowing into his as every pore radiated caution, "I mean it."
Bruce swallowed thickly, offering a small awkward smile as he tried to dislodge the lump in his throat, "I will, Natasha. I'll keep Tony safe." Bruce smiled, not comfortably with the icy look of Natasha's careful eye.
She stared only a few seconds longer before turning, closing the creaky door quietly behind her as Bruce let out a slow breath.
He paused, waiting for a few seconds before turning, opening their door and seeing Tony sprawled on the bed, just…lying there.
"Tony?" Bruce asked, hesitantly walking forward and staring at Tony as the other regretfully sat upright and stood up, wearing the same armor as the day before and stretching.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're getting up to go to school." Bruce smiled and Tony snorted, rolling his eyes. "Really? Brucie, I thought you knew me. I've never been to a public school in my life." Tony grinned, standing up and walking towards the entryway where Tony paused, pointing dramatically into the hallway.
"Onward Sir Brucie!" He spoke, the image ruined slightly when Bruce sighed, just walking past and ignoring Tony who had frozen in his sad mockery of Captain Morgan.
They descended the stairs, gaining quite a few odd looks from various woman wearing cloaks of various textures, the ones who scoffed or scowled pointedly wore higher quality silks or extravagant clothing. Those who looked at them curiously wore more casual clothing, lower class then that of the obvious aristocrats. There was even a young girl, possibly not even older than 11 who wore a light brown cloak, dirty and patched many times, failing to hide her black skin.
It wasn't dark like an African's, but an honest shade of black, with a light pale of dark pink eyes, possibly even red as she ducked her head, trying to hide her face with her light grey hair.
"Tony." Bruce hissed under his breath, nudging Tony roughly to get him to stop staring at the young girl. Tony blinked, looking at Bruce in disbelief as they descended the last curving grand staircase, walking on the ground floor.
They exited the main doors, looking up and down the decently crowded streets, most traffic heading to the right where Tony knew the market district was, as well as the open fields of the Vanir.
"So, where were we supposed to go?" Tony asked, looking up and down the crowded road.
Bruce shrugged, looking around and moving off the main steps where they were gaining quite a few glances and jeers of mockery by the Asgardian males on the huge illogical work horses.
They quickly made their way to the left hand side of the street, sticking close to a few of the buildings built along the wall, peering in the slightly dirt clouded window.
"Is this an Alchemy shop? Is this really Hogwarts magical?" Tony asked in disbelief, blinking in shock.
Bruce looked in the window, squinting slightly while pushing his glasses higher up on his nose to peer in the window, spotting various jars filled with questionable liquids.
"Where were we supposed to meet him?" Bruce asked, and Tony shrugged, the two of them advancing further down the streets and noticing a few shops that seemed rather tiny compared to the marketplace.
"A pet store? What do Asgardian's have for pets, eagles?" Tony scoffed, looking in the window and blinking in surprise at the tiny puppies in the windows.
"Well, it seems that they have dogs. Hounds by the look of it." Bruce added, Tony wriggling one finger at a single puppy through the window, the tiny creature wriggling in excitement.
"Hounds are used for hunting alongside warriors on quests. Does Midgard not have same creatures?" A voice asked, causing the two to jump and look to the right.
Loki was leaning against the wall of the pet store, his new black cloak wrapped around his shoulders and the overhang of the door casting a slight shadow over him.
He straightened, looking at the two with an arched eyebrow before his eyes drifted to the puppies in the window, "Plan on a dog to do your dirty work?"
"I don't need a dog to do my job." Tony scoffed, causing Loki to actually laugh, giving him a hooked grin.
"I wouldn't expect you to have a dog that can match the intelligence you possess." Loki shot back, nodding to Bruce before turning, his black cloak slapping against his boots awkwardly.
The two followed Loki who turned at the nearest alley, weaving behind a few mead barrels to where two horses were tied carefully to a hitching post.
"So, what's up with the cape?" Tony asked carelessly, not overly caring as Loki twitched slightly.
"I'm afraid I do not understand." Loki spoke, voice slow and hesitant as if not wanting to continue the conversation. Bruce shot Tony an obvious look of caution which Tony ignored.
"Well, the cape thing. It's new, it takes time to break in leather and with how it's dragging on your boots, obviously you had something before. What happened to your previous cloak- turn it into a goat?" Tony asked with a slight snort.
Loki was still rather stiff as he almost robotically untied the knot pulling the reigns free.
"It was burned." Loki spoke almost emotionlessly, Bruce looking at Tony while the latter blinked rather oblivious.
"Wait- you burned it? Why didn't you just…like, fix it?" Tony blinked while Loki pulled a strap rather aggressively to tighten it to the familiar horse's belly.
"My magic cannot counter that of a magical flame. I cannot repair the damage a sorcerer or an enchanted weapon creates." Loki spoke, eyes narrowing slightly as he mounted a noticeably younger Hlýða.
Tony and Bruce looked at the remaining horse, noticing the significantly larger saddle.
"Wait, we're both going to ride that?" Tony asked in disbelief as Bruce swallowed, looking at the large Work Horse.
"Unless you wish to spend the rest of your day within the Hall, I'd suggest you mount and follow me." Loki noted, in an obviously colder mood since the cloak had been mentioned.
Tony mounted first, helping Bruce up with his superior strength, letting him set behind him as he let his horse walk after Hlýða.
They seemed to stick to the smaller paths between buildings and homes. Some small children waved to Loki, who gave a small smile back, but did not wave back.
They moved, and eventually the cobblestone path morphed into dirt and eventually a well worn path that traveled not across a plain, but a rather open forest.
"This is the path the caravans travel upon, it leads to Glὀi River." Loki explained, nodding off to the far left where between the trees the river glittered faintly.
"What does it mean? Everything your people name have meanings, right?" Bruce asked, and Loki looked over slightly curious.
"Indeed. Glὀi River translates in mortal tongue to 'The Glowing River'. It was named that centuries ago, as within the water reside Glfe. They are a type of frilled creature, elegant and glowing at dusk." Loki explained, looking out over the water with a slight smile.
"So, what does this Gilfe look like?" Tony asked, glancing over often, causing Bruce to try and stop the mouthfuls of hair he was receiving.
"Glfe." Loki corrected with a small smile, "They are slim creatures, long and thin with a single tail and many frills. They have one head, as elegant as an Elf yet with teeth as sharp as a drake. They are timid creatures, their scales boasted upon and once worn upon the highest of royalty." Loki spoke, looking out over the water with a small smile, "Of course, they are rather interesting, and humorous creatures."
Bruce and Tony looked out over the water as the path turned, drawing closer to the riverbank.
"I don't see anything." Bruce frowned, and Loki smiled once more. "Why should they? Warriors would boast about striking one down, why should they swim upon the surface?"
Tony frowned, looking out over the water and strained his eyes even further to see into the blue depths.
"Glfe, slἁc tashἁ." Loki spoke, his tongue clicking as even though it was casual speaking voice, it seemed as if it was a whisper, drifting out over the water.
"What, was that?" Tony asked, blinking in shock at the odd language as Loki smiled, looking out and pointing at the water.
From the surface a glimmering green tail appeared, an arched back revealing quite possibly the most realistic looking mermaid as Tony could ever imagine.
It turned, revealing the thin neck and humanoid face fit with the four thin needle teeth, its arms draped with long expanding fins that sprouted from its back to where its knees should have been.
It turned, looking at them curiously before diving, another surfacing in a pale shade of lavender, blinking its reverse eyelids and swimming closer, more surfacing and tilting their heads as if dogs.
"That's amazing!" Tony gushed, jaw dropping slightly in shock at the creatures. Bruce smiled, finding the oddness of the situation not nearly as shocking as it should have been.
"C-Chal'shka!" One of them hissed, jaw clicking to form the odd guttural noise that seemed surreal to come from such a beautiful creature.
Loki smiled, pointing to Tony and Bruce before speaking once more, his whispering voice echoing over once more. "Crἁ dei slashὀ ha."
They swam a few more times, moving around in circles and the odd barking before they waved once more, tails surfacing and lowering like a dolphin's before submerging.
Tony found himself waving as well as they vanished, and Loki found himself looking at the two curiously. "You are not like any warriors I have met in the past."
"Yeah, well…We're not from around here." Tony shrugged, and Loki rolled his eyes with an amused scoff.
"Any warrior would not think twice to loosen an arrow, a nobleman or a farmer would not marvel in said creatures. But you- you look upon it as if a sorcerer, you see the mystery behind such beings." Loki spoke with partial suspicion and partial amazement, "Of what land do you hail, in which a man can see Seidr and not wield it?"
Tony and Bruce looked at one another, before Tony spoke first. "We're…inventors, we use science to make things, I guess." Tony shrugged, and Bruce took it as his turn to try and explain.
"Where we're from, our science is the equivalent to your magic. We're scientists, with the right numbers and sequences we can travel to the stars, or make explosions big enough for cities." Bruce tried to explain, causing Loki to look at them with a gleam in his eyes.
"So you are sorcerers, wielders of magicks not spoken of in all the Nine Realms." Loki smiled, mood lifting with the knowledge of new power.
"Uh, I guess. But first- what was that odd language you were speaking? The one when you saw the Glfe?"
Loki's eyes alit and he smiled, grinning as he prepared to speak, directing his horse towards one of the side paths from the main trail, and away from the main River.
"I speak the language of all- I gained the title Silvertongue by many as they see my gifts." Loki explained, Bruce and Tony exchanging a silent thought.
'Wasn't Silvertongue another title for Liar?'
"That's incredible." Bruce smiled, and Loki gave a small smile, "It is indeed useful."
"Can you speak like, any language? Or do you have to know which language it is you're trying?" Tony asked, leaning forward to try and look at Loki better as Loki looked at him curiously.
"The words I speak are all the same for each language. If I was speaking Elvish or Drake, the words would be the same." Loki explained, and Tony frowned, thinking.
He jolted upright, Bruce recoiling so his nose would not be hit as Tony snapped, stating loudly, "I got it!" He grinned, and cleared his throat before the oddest words fell from his lips. "Parlez-vous Français?"
Bruce looked at Tony in surprise, Tony knew French?
Loki blinked, opening his mouth and once more the odd language fell from his lips. "Hraἁ le shὀi de faíu. Hraí de flaὀ."
Tony blinked, before another whisper seemed to echo in his ears, and instantly he understood what Loki had said- in French.
"Of course I do, I speak any language."
"Whoa." Tony breathed, causing Bruce to look at him with interest. Tony looked at him with wide eyes and a breathless grin.
"Okay- that is pretty epic." Tony grinned and Loki gave a small smile, looking down awkwardly as if not used to such praise.
They pulled off the path, eventually actually spreading out and onto a small clearing shaded under the trees and cool dirt along the ground.
Loki dismounted, letting his horse wonder around as she obediently wondered over to the right, where hidden just from sight was a rather large beautiful rock pool.
"What is this place?" Bruce asked, dismounting before Tony did, Loki taking their horse's reigns and tying it to one of the trees.
"It is…a place of mine. I call it the Pool of Rún." Loki offered, and the two approached the pool where Hlýða drank.
The bottom was shallow, perhaps only a foot deep and layered by a thin dust of sparkling azure.
"That's comblainite, it's a compound mineral." Tony noted as he dipped one finger into the dust and let the sparkling blue drop back into the water, sinking to the bottom safely.
"It's beautiful." Bruce spoke, seeing tiny fish not bigger than his finger darting around in varying shades of greens and blue.
"Indeed." Loki smiled, letting out a low breath as he stepped forward, eyes narrowing slightly as his eyes locked on the water.
From the centre of the pool a serpent rose, hood formed by the twisting of water, moving around and around as its body spiraled up and it reared, mouth dropping open and hissing.
Bruce and Tony leapt back in shock, staring at the beast with awe in their eyes.
"Hey- I thought you had to speak to do magic." Tony asked, voice slightly demanding as Loki did not let his eyes off of the water serpent.
"Only a master can merely think and let magic do his or her bidding. I am advanced in the art of Illusion, this is the only form of Destruction I can perform without voice." Loki spoke calmly, the serpent hissing before darting forward to strike him.
Loki blew through his mouth, the beast chilling to ice before crumbling back to the pool, where it melted instantly and became water once more.
"Now." Loki spoke, turning and looking at the two baffled, yet awed men, "What would you like to know?"
Alright! Q and A time!
1. Algrim? Yes! I'm going to add in a chapter where he practically freaks out and stuff- im thinking a little uncomfortable around open flames now.
2. Romance? Besides the obvious, no. (Still is going to have a little 'Sigyn/Loki' interaction.
3. Silvertongue? I wanted to add in a little extra magic that could have easily been warped by the public opinion.
Alright! Now, there is a little hint in here (somewhere in the story), but will come into play soon...for a hint...
There is a little mention of it in Chapter 3 (Actually Chapter 4).
The only clue i'm going to give, is this. Heita translates to Gift.
Well, that's it! Don't feel obliged to search for the answer, but if you think you figured it out, then review and tell me what you think it is!
REVIEW! (please?)
~Oceanbreeze7
