Home Again
Odin gazed down grimly at the sullen Leif standing before him. The boy had committed a grave offense. Despite all of Odin's efforts to prevent this, he had strayed, stealing the Casket of the Ancient Winters and helping his father, Loki to escape.
"Why did you do this?" Odin asked quietly but Leif did not answer. He remained silent and refused to look at Odin as a sign of defiance.
"Leif-" Thor was about to berate his nephew angrily again but Odin gestured for him to remain quiet. It will not do for Thor to further aggravate the boy. Odin wanted to know Leif's reasons for doing this, not to push his grandson further away.
"Why did you do this, Leif?" Odin repeated his question once more and this time, Leif turned to the god. Odin could see a tinge of hurt and anger in the boy's eyes.
"He is my father. I did not want to see him trapped, caged like some weak and helpless animal." Leif snapped angrily as he glared at Odin.
"Leif," Odin said calmly. "Loki is my son. I loved him as much as you do."
"Well you made a fine show of it!" Odin stared grievously at Leif as the boy made the angry retort.
It seems that the boy can be as obstinate and spiteful as his father is when he wishes to be.
"Loki was imprisoned for his crimes. It was a harsh punishment, but the sins that he had committed were equally as grave. I had not meant to keep him in that state forever, Leif. It was supposed to only keep him from causing any more harm until the day he truly repents." Odin watched grimly as his grandson's resolve faltered and the boy simply stood there, speechless and unsure of how to further defend his actions. "And now, you have released him and equipped him with even greater power. Although your intentions were good natured, your actions will undoubtedly trigger off a series of events that will place many lives in peril, including those innocent people who live in your former home, Earth." Leif jolted up in horror at Odin's words.
The boy cannot stay here any longer, Odin thought sadly to himself. It will not do him any good to remain in Asgard while the people here point their fingers accusingly at him for his actions.
"The consequences of your actions will be devastating, and your offense is so grave that I am afraid you may not stay in Asgard any longer." Odin continued solemnly, much to the shock of Leif as well as Thor, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, all whom were present in the great hall as well.
"Father, this punishment may not be necessary-" Thor began in an anxious voice to defend Leif but was stopped by Odin, who held his hand up as a gesture for silence.
"You will be sent back to Earth, where you will have to atone for your actions. And until you prove yourself worthy once more, you may not return to Asgard." Odin finished firmly and no one else in the hall dared to argue again. They knew that the god's decision was final.
"I volunteer to leave for Earth along with the boy, Father," Thor spoke up quietly and Odin turned to his son with surprise.
"Thor!" Lady Sif, who was standing next to Thor, muttered urgently to him in an effort to stop the god but to no avail.
"I had not been able to keep an eye on Leif properly, as I had promised. I volunteer to return to Earth with him, to guide him and to defend Earth if Loki tries to invade it again." Thor declared with determination in his eyes and Odin nodded. He knew that his son can be extremely stubborn once he had made a decision. Besides, it might not be such a bad thing if Thor followed Leif to Earth. He will be able to keep the boy in check as well as keep an eye out for his wayward brother. Odin then dismissed the gloomy party in the hall, saying that Thor and Leif will leave tomorrow morning, once he had conjured up enough magic to open a portal for them.
After Leif, Thor, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three had left the hall, Frigga turned to her husband anxiously.
"Do you really think that sending the boy back to Earth will be the correct decision?"
Odin gazed into Frigga's concerned eyes and gave a comforting smile.
"Yes, my wife. The boy needs to grow up. The trip to Earth will do him a lot of good, as it had done for Thor in the past." Odin said in assuring tones and his wife returned a tiny smile.
XXX
Leif was back in his room, lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling in despair.
When they had been dismissed by Odin, Leif had stormed back to his room, effectively ignoring the stares and murmurs of his uncle, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. He had wanted some peace and quiet, some time alone for him to reflect on what he had done as well as the possible consequences of his actions. However, Thor had most irritatingly decided not to give his nephew that peace. The god had followed Leif back to his room and barged in, despite the boy's futile efforts to close the door.
"Why did you do this Leif?" Thor had bellowed furiously, glaring at his equally provoked nephew. "Had we not treated you as part of our dearest family since the day you arrived? Had I not done everything I could to make you feel at home and welcomed here in Asgard? How could you betray Father, betray me, betray all of us?"
"Family?" Leif retorted scornfully. "You are not my real family, Uncle…" The boy then gave a disdainful smirk at Thor's shocked expression. "Yes, I know. Loki told me. I saw for myself when I handled the Casket. I am a Frost Giant, not an Asgardian. You all were never my true family!"
"So because of that, you decided to help Loki escape and steal a dangerous relic, giving him the power to destroy Earth?" The Thunder God asked incredulously, stunned and hurt by Leif's words.
"Yes," Leif replied simply, glaring defiantly into Thor's eyes.
"That is not an acceptable excuse, Leif!" Thor roared furiously and stepped closer to his nephew. However this time, Leif did not flinch and back away.
"Oh? Then what is acceptable? Sitting there to watch as you and Odin chain my father to a rock in a filthy cave while declaring about how much you love him all the time?" Leif shot back coldly, much to his uncle's vexation.
"I loved him Leif, Loki is my brother." Thor said sadly, staring at the sullen boy.
"Well, Loki doesn't see it! And I don't either!" Leif replied tartly. "If you really love him as much as you claim to, then prove it! Would you be willing to give up the throne of Asgard for him?" Leif taunted while Thor seemed flabbergasted by his words.
"Wha-" Thor stuttered, not sure of how to reply. "That is not the point Nephew! Stop trying to avert the topic!"
"Oh it is the point Uncle. It is the point that Father had been sore about all this time." Leif said quietly, his voice shaking with anger. "Now get out of my room, I want to be alone."
Thor gazed sadly once more at Leif and left the room without another word, knowing that the boy would not listen any further. Once his Uncle was gone, Leif had then plopped down onto the bed, too tired and dispirited to do anything else.
Leif knew that he was in the wrong. He knew that he should not have stolen the Casket and released his father. As Odin had said, his actions would lead to the loss of many lives. However, the thing that was biting into his heart the most was how his father had lied and betrayed his feelings. Leif was bitter and sore about that fact and he had taken out his frustration and anger on Thor. Thor was right, Odin was right, and Leif knew that he was wrong. Leif gave another unhappy sigh and thought about Odin's sentence.
Well, being sent back to Earth isn't that bad.
Leif had missed Earth despite having grown fond of Asgard in his brief stay. At least he would be back in his old home planet, and he might even have a chance to see Oliver and Eleanor again! However, despite brightening up at that thought, Leif still had a tingling uncomfortable feeling at the back of his heart. After all, being allowed to go back to Earth and being banished back to Earth were two completely different matters altogether.
XXX
Thor watched as Leif bade his friends a sad farewell. Despite all the things the boy had done, he had forged a firm friendship with the Warriors Three and Lady Sif, and they were sorry to see him go. The God of Thunder observed quietly as Leif attempted to grin and cheer the forlorn Fandral and doleful Volstagg up by commenting that they could come visit him on Earth if the Bifrost was ever repaired.
The boy had offered to show Fandral around the town and to introduce him to pretty girls he knew if the swashbuckler ever came. He had also added that there were a lot of interesting and delicious food on Earth that he could recommend to Volstagg and the enormous man had managed to give him a weak grin. Leif then thumped a dejected Hogun on the shoulder, which was a rare sight as the warrior is usually expressionless, and said that it would be nice if the man came to visit him as well. Finally, Leif gave Lady Sif a kiss on her hand, a tradition the boy had learnt during his stay in Asgard and bade her goodbye.
"Farewell Leif. Please behave on Earth and listen to Thor, would you?" Lady Sif gave Leif a rueful smile and he grinned weakly in return. Somehow Leif had a vague feeling he will not be listening much to his Uncle Thor.
Thor placed a firm hand on Leif's shoulders and led him down the hall to Odin, who was waiting quietly for the both of them. Leif had remained silent throughout the brisk walk, not quite ready and willing to talk to his uncle yet. Odin stared gravely at the boy once he reached.
"You will now leave for Earth as punishment for your actions. However, always remember that Asgard will be your home and that we will always welcome you back with open arms once you have atoned for the sins you have committed." Leif nodded glumly at Odin's words and the god chanted a string of magic words, whisking the boy and Thor away in a portal back to Earth.
XXX
Director Nick Fury was sitting in his office as he always did, listening to Phil Coulson's passionate report about how the agent's plan to integrate Captain America back into the modern world was progressing along excellently. Nick soon drifted off into his own world, bored to bits by Phil's enthusiastic rattle of how Steve Rogers had taken interest in the pet rock fad in the 70s.
It had been almost two months since that boy, Leif, had left for Asgard and life was getting really peaceful around here. Other than the usual minor missions to address some petty threats that were disturbing the country's peace, there had been no other crazy, maniacal super villain that had tried to take over the Earth. There had been no further need to assemble the Avengers since the day the boy was gone and Nick sincerely hoped that this will remain the case for a long time.
"Yes, Captain Rogers has an extremely high aptitude for learning boss," Phil continued earnestly. "I am sure that he will soon be able to-"
Nick Fury never managed to hear what Captain America will soon be able to do, however, as at that very moment, Phil's speech was interrupted by another deafening shatter of the director's office windows. Terrified witless by the enormous crash, Phil Coulson had fell and sprawled face down across the ground while Nick, who was caught by surprise by the noise, had hurtled forward and spread his upper torso over his desk.
"Greetings Director Fury," Nick heard the deep solemn voice of Thor and turned around furiously to berate the god.
"Thor! When will you ever learn to enter the building through the doors? I do not appreciate it when my office windows are smashed every time you-" Nick Fury started off heatedly but stopped suddenly when he saw that the God of Thunder was not alone. Nick stared incredulously at the black haired, green eyed boy who was now timidly standing behind his uncle's large body and flashing a weak smile at the director.
Why? Why is the boy back? Oh my god, this is a bad sign…
Nick Fury forced himself to remain calm as he glared at the guilty looking Thor and pointed to Leif.
"Why is he back here?" Nick demanded, trying to keep his voice from shaking as much as possible. He had only needed to observe Thor's sheepish expression and how Leif shuffled his feet nervously to know that something bad has happened. Something really bad.
"Well?" Nick repeated grimly once more, although he dreaded the answer as much as Thor felt reluctant to tell him.
"I am afraid I have terrible news, Director," Thor said gravely. "Loki has escaped."
XXX
Leif soon found himself sitting at a large round table in a conference room inside the S.H.I.E.L.D building along with a group of disgruntled Avengers. Once the words about his father's escape had left Thor's mouth, Director Fury had ordered a flustered Phil Coulson to assemble the Avengers immediately for an important meeting. Phil had contacted and brought (or dragged, in the case of an extremely unhappy Tony Stark) the members of the Avengers into the room one by one, and now all of them were anxiously waiting for news about Loki's escape.
Thor started off first by gravely informing them of the situation and soon hurriedly passed the spotlight over to a terrified Leif, who had then recounted how he had helped Loki to break out of his prison. After Leif had finished, the room was in an eerie silence and he could feel all the dagger sharp glares that were being thrown in his direction.
"Could you remind me again about how you said the boy would not be a threat if he was brought back to Asgard?" An infuriated Tony asked Thor, who looked extremely disgruntled and did not know how to answer. "Well, you are right. The boy is not only a threat, he is a walking bomb. And he has now set off an even bigger and crazier bomb!" Tony snapped angrily. Leif felt himself sinking deeper down into his chair, desperately wishing that Loki had taught him how to teleport so that he could vanish on the spot.
"Well, there is no point about crying over spilt milk now is there?" Clint Barton commented dryly. "The most important thing now is to stay on our guard for any tricks Loki might play and to do our best to thwart his schemes." The other Avengers nodded in agreement while Tony still didn't seem convinced, but had most tactfully decided not to say anything else.
"Well, now that we sort of have a plan, what do we do with him then?" Natasha nodded towards Leif's direction and the boy felt every single pair of eyes in the room trained on him again.
"Lock him up. The kid is dangerous." Tony said simply.
"You can't do that! Leif may be Loki's son, but he has not done anything to harm anyone yet!" Thor protested indignantly, anxious to protect his nephew despite all the trouble Leif had caused.
"Oh really? No harm? Are you sure? So releasing a crazy mass murderer out into the world isn't considered causing harm anymore?" Tony retorted tartly while Thor seemed dumbfounded by what the billionaire had said.
"Tony is right," Nick Fury said grimly. "The boy is dangerous. We can't risk having him loose and joining Loki in his schemes to destroy the Earth." Thor looked even more aghast by the director's words and opened his mouth once more to protest.
"Leif may have committed an error but he has not hurt anyone intentionally yet. We can't just imprison him for something he has not done and may not even do in the future." The god said and looked around the table desperately for one of his friends to back him up.
"You know, I think Thor has a point there." Steve Rogers finally spoke up. "The boy may be potentially dangerous but it is true that he has not done anything to harm anyone's life on purpose. Perhaps we should give him a chance."
"A chance to what? Blow up half of the Earth?" Tony chimed in sarcastically and Steve glared at the billionaire.
"Oh, you are a fine one to talk. Your Stark Industries had helped to blow up the other half of the Earth in the earlier wars." Captain America snapped back in irritation.
"Excuse me? Who was the one who donned a spangly, flashy, horrendous outfit and travelled all over America with a bunch of singing, dancing girls to promote World War 2?" Tony replied scornfully, his eye brows raised in a mocking expression.
"It was a necessary effort to aid America in the war against the Nazis." Steve argued heatedly.
"No, it was propaganda."
Leif watched with amusement as Steve Rogers and Tony Stark engaged in a furious argument over whose participation in previous wars had caused greater damage, completely forgetting the reason why they were even in the room in the first place. Thor and Director Fury, on the other hand, had come close to blows while debating over Leif's innocence and whether they should keep the boy caged. Bruce Banner had weakly tried to intervene and calm the men down but failed miserably as all four men ignored him completely. The offended scientist had then slumped back down onto his chair and muttered under his breath how he should be the one who gets angry when a situation arises. Natasha Romanoff simply sat on her chair, rolling her eyes in disgust at the two pairs of bickering men. Clint Barton, who was sitting next to Leif, reached over and patted the boy sympathetically on the shoulder.
"This happens all the time, kid." The master marksman explained to the amused boy. "You will get used to it."
"Oh really? I don't see how this needs any getting used to." Leif turned and gave Clint a smirk that had resembled Loki's so much, it had caused the man to flinch involuntarily. "I find all of this extremely entertaining."
Leif turned to watch the spectacle once more, sniggering elatedly to himself while Clint stared at him in disbelief, still disturbed by the boy's words.
How could someone be so much like Loki? Clint thought to himself in bemusement as he shivered once more at the memory of that maniacal god. The master archer then started to wonder if Tony's suggestion of keeping the boy locked up would be the right choice after all.
To be continued…
Yay! Leif is back on Earth! The later chapters will be a lot more fun to write now and I am really looking forward to it! :)