Loki was the second one to wake, excluding the two guards who were standing watch. Tony was nowhere to be seen in the cave. Loki pulled on one of his cloaks and grabbed his scepter before going to the antechamber of the cave. Tony was there, attending to the horses. The golden eagle on Tony's shoulder screeched, making Loki cringe.
"Morning." Tony said without looking away from the horse he was brushing down.
"Good morning." Loki joined him in taking care of the horses. "I see that you have not scorned magic."
"You noticed that, unlike your brother and my old classmates."
"Indeed."
"I'm guessing that they're not appreciative of magic." Loki glanced at the other Aesir. His expression was neutral. "That's their loss."
"It doesn't help that the only ones from our age group who are adept at it are Amora and me. She only uses her magic to get her way." Loki did not let himself frown.
"I thought Kelda wanted to be a mage too."
"Her mother remarried a Vanir so they moved to Vanaheim. Last time we spoke she was still practicing, mostly focusing on controlling the weather." They had both been fairly young when she left. Loki would never admit that he felt like she abandoned him. By that point Lorelei had given up magic and Amora was already travelling the realm in search of teachers. There was no one left his age that wanted to practice the fine art.
"Elemental magic… I can definitely see her using that." Tony smiled and it somehow felt more genuine than all the others he had shown the group. "Let's go wake up his royal laziness and the rest of the group. I wasn't lying when I said I'd rather not spend the night out there." Tony patted his mare before returning to the cave proper. His eagle screeched shrilly, causing Frandral and Hogun to bolt up. Sif looked around, but relaxed when she saw Tony. Volstagg and Thor didn't even stir.
The eagle took off and landed on the footboard of the bed, screeching again, this time even louder. Thor turned onto his side and Volstagg woke.
"I'll wake him." Loki said before pursing his lips and walking over to his brother.
"Thur, wake up!" He nudged the older Aesir with the butt of his scepter.
"Go away, Loki. Your nightmares are no concern of mine." Thor grumbled and Loki did his best not to blush.
"I am not 600 anymore, Thur. Now get out of bed before we all leave you behind." Loki poked him harder and Thor swatted at the scepter.
"You are not mother."
"You should be thankful for if I was I would have your hide for being so petulant." He knew that would wake up his idiot brother. Thor's face turned bright red and he jumped out of bed, aiming a punch right at Loki's face. The younger god hopped backwards and used his scepter to vault over the fire. Thor edged around it. Loki raised his scepter, keeping his brother at a distance.
"Now, now Odinsons, no fighting in my home." Tony said while clapping his hands together and grinning.
"Stay out of this, Howardson!" Thor shouted before calling his hammer to him. Loki ducked down, already anticipating his brother's move.
"Do you truly wish to disrespect our host's home by going against his wishes?" Loki kept the fire in between them as Thor tried to close the distance between them.
"Home? This is a cave." Thor snorted derisively.
"That's right. It is a cave. And if you toss about that hammer it will cave in." Tony said before dumping water onto the fire, startling both princes. The wooden and metal doors flew open and cold air gusted in. "Now can we get back to Asgard? I'm sure the All-Father is waiting to hear news on Amora." Thor shivered violently, lowering his hammer and retreating to the bed to put on his undershirt and armor.
"Yes, we needn't waste any more time on Loki and his tricks." Thor said, assuming it was Loki's magic that had thrown open the doors. The younger god did not bother correcting him.
The group quickly got dressed and packed up their gear. Thor was still grumpy but did not try to fight again. Tony's pack was the largest as he grabbed various things off the shelves. After blowing out all the candles and saddling the horses Tony closed the wooden door behind them, placing a silent ward on it. When they were all outside Tony told them to wait a moment.
As the metal doors closed they disappeared into the wall seamlessly. Tony knelt in front of the cave, both hands on the ground. A strong wave of magic made Loki's shoulders tense. The cave shuddered suddenly before slowly sinking into the ground. Loki glanced at the rest of the group and could see how uneasy they were.
Good, let them see that not all those who did magic were women or dishonorable. Perhaps then they'd learn.
Tony pulled himself onto his horse; the eagle on his shoulder took off.
"I know a safe route back to the Bifrost point." Tony urged his horse forward, taking the lead. Thor grumbled something under his breath, but was otherwise silent.
True to his word the trip back was quicker. They only stopped at noon for lunch.
"Wow, I'd forgotten how that felt." Tony said as the light faded and they were in the golden solarium.
"You have been hidden from my sight for many years." Heimdall said, his voice giving nothing away.
"It's easier to travel unseen." Tony smiled charmingly and Loki held back a grin. He couldn't agree more.
"This realm has suffered in your family's absence." Tony looked at the all seeing god, but said nothing, only making his horse move forward. The eagle took off, heading to the city. Loki nodded at Heimdall before following the group down the Bifrost.
"Mother and father will be most pleased! We must see them at once!" Thor said, having regained his good spirits now that they were in Asgard again.
"And show up smelling like the forest and bedecked in fur?" Tony snorted. "No, I think I'll stop at my manor first." His horse trotted a bit faster and Thor was speechless, not used to being completely disregarded. Loki grinned openly. Evidently being away from Asgard meant losing stuffy court etiquette.
"I shall go tell Lorelei that we did not catch her sister." Loki told Thor, encouraging his mount to move faster. "I shall meet you back at the palace." Loki caught up with Tony. He glanced at the older god who contrasted so much with the city they rode through. Behind them the other gods split off, taking a different road to the palace.
Tony gave Loki a curious look before moving his horse closer to Loki's.
"Why are you following me?" Tony asked idly. The Aesir on the street were giving them curious looks.
"As I said I am going to speak to Lorelei."
"That's not your real reason though, is it?" Tony gave Loki a knowing look and the younger god's green eyes lit up.
"It's a reason, just not my main one."
"Why do I feel like the other reason has to do with me?"
"Because it does."
"You're not very forthcoming with information, are you?"
"How can you fault me for that when you aren't forthcoming either?"
"I've answered every question posed to me."
"You did so while giving away the least amount of information possible."
"What can I say? I'm a man of mystery." Tony grinned cheekily and Loki scoffed. "I'll assume that you want to see my home. Amora told me about your little trip there after my 'funeral'."
"Amora has a habit of talking far too much." Loki had learned that the hard way long ago.
"She's a giver." Tony chuckled under his breath before dismounting. Loki followed suit, but paused when Tony led them to the gardens. "Don't worry. The horses will be fine outback. The vermin and snakes only bother intruders." They let loose the horses before turning back towards the front of the manor.
They stopped in front of the ornate door that had two swords crossed over it. Engraved into the metal door was the image of countless other weapons, many of which were outdated and primal. Near the top of the door was an engraving of an eagle that was quite similar to the one that traveled with Tony. There was no handle.
"Are you sure you can even enter? Many have tried before and were injured for their efforts." Loki warned, shrugging off his knapsack and cloak. Asgard was far too warm for such attire.
"This is my home, my birthright. Of course I can open the door." Tony pulled off his thick gloves. He grabbed the hilts of both of both blades. Red magic cascaded over the metal. Black runes lit up and bled away too quickly for Loki to read them. Tony pulled apart the crossed swords at an excruciatingly slow pace until they flanked the door. The swords were shaking and inched back to the middle every time Tony's concentration wavered for even a moment. The metal eagle was starting to emerge from the door with a loud keening noise.
Loki took a step back, sensing the danger.
"Perhaps…"
"Not yet, old man." Tony grunted to himself before pulling both swords off and stumbling backwards. Tony jolted forward, ramming one of the swords straight through the door. "Told you I could do it." Tony grabbed the hilt of the buried sword and twisted it. There was a loud clicking noise and he pushed the door open. "Welcome to my ancestral home, Prince Loki."