"How should we present him? We mustn't let him speak to anyone but the most vital."
A rough voice was the first thing Loki heard as he slowly regained consciousness. For a moment his mind was too groggy to comprehend his situation. He seemed to be slung over someone's shoulder, of that much he was certain. He blinked, focusing his vision. Icy ground moved beneath him, a pair of blue feet made a path through the snow.
Loki's mind jerked to awareness and he let out a small gasp, luckily blown to silence by the howling wind. He dared not move, lest alert the Jotun of his state. In vain, he attempted to reach for his magic, yet there still seemed to be a barrier keeping it out of his grasp. Albeit, the wall seemed thinner, perhaps if he pushed hard enough it would shatter. He had no intentions of allowing the Jotun populous to hear his lies.
Deciding to follow through with his idea, he focused inward. The Jotun continued to speak around him, their words barely registering in his mind
"I say bring him to that fool king first but we must get our words out. This could allow us to usurp him, if it rattles enough."
"Would you, Brandr, take his place? You know that many would support you. You served under Laufey when Odin was but a child, you are still in your prime. That false-king Eitill is far past his prime, you would be the better choice by far."
The last Jotun's words seemed directed at the one carrying Loki. For a moment he disregarded them, focusing too heavily on his to do much more than superficially listen, although something about the last Jotun's words nagged at him.
The Jotun carrying him, Brandr as he was addressed, spoke in a musing tone. Loki continued to listen with only mild interest or concentration, the off feeling continued to distract him, although he could not place it.
"I suppose I do still have many years of youth left for me. I would gladly take-"
The nagging sensation clicked into place within Loki's mind. A blast of energy sent the Jotun sprawling. The barrier guarding Loki's magic shattered violently just as his mind grabbed onto the Jotun's words and made sense of them.
…when Odin was but a child…many years of youth left…
As magic hummed anew through his veins Loki could feel his grasp over his mind slipping, emotion taking over, fear screaming in his head. It was as if someone else controlled his movements, some small part of his mind not filled with magic enhanced dread fought against the power humming through him, but to no avail. He could only watch, as if a passenger trapped in his own body, as he stalked towards the largest Jotun, the one they called Brandr, the one who served under Laufey, the one they considered young yet he was older than Odin.
His sudden realization of how little Asgard truly knew about Jotun's biologically, the same spike of uncertainty that had crushed the barrier to his magic, was seemingly the sole thought his body could focus on. Loki heard his own voice, harshly magnified, no longer just hinging on madness but soaked in it.
"You, tell me now, how long to Jotuns live."
Brandr stared back at Loki, shock etched into every foreign line in his face. The Jotun stayed silent for a moment too long, the madness of Loki's own mind controlling his body lashed out. Brandr yelled in a deep voice as he was sent violently into the air, slammed back down again hard and pinned with an invisible force. Loki's body drew closer, hissing out its question once more.
"How long do Jotun live."
Magic crackled through the air, catching on the wind and filling the air with a dangerous hum. The Jotun's red eyes gazed at Loki, fear hidden poorly behind haughtiness.
"That is not for an Asgardian to know."
Loki heard a shriek of rage, only seconds later realizing it had come from his own mouth, and watched is horror as his arm reached for the Jotun. In desperation he fought against the madness writhing within him but it seemed far too strong. He could do nothing as his exposed pale skin made contact roughly with blue Jotun flesh. Within a few seconds he could see his own skin changing, blue overpowering the pale lie that he wore, ridges forming on his hand. He had no way of telling when the change would reach his face. Loki's eyes moved to meet Brandr's and again his voice rang out.
"I have every right to know. Tell me."
The crackling magic around Loki's body changed in frequency for a split second. His body moved without thought, the Jotun attempting to sneak up on him was thrown upwards, high into the massive spikes of ice hanging from the outcropping they were under. His eyes moved back to Brandr, who openly winced. After, seemingly, a moment's more hesitation, he finally spoke.
"Far, far longer than Asgardians, if you truly care to know…What…what are yo-"
His low voice was cut off as another shriek ripped from Loki's lips. A blinding shockwave of magic detonated from his body. Melting the snow around him in a fifty foot radius, killing the Jotun party that had grabbed him.
No…no no no…I can't-I can't outlive everyone I care about I-…No
Loki could feel his mind, his magic, lashing out, yet was powerless to stop it. The world seemed tinged in red fury; he felt his body, his mad mind, rebelling against it all. Against the world that seemed to mock him at every turn, against the Jotun and their lifespan, against himself for being cursed to live as a monster for thousands upon thousands years more than he had imagined.
The small, coherent, part of his mind seemed to collapse under the weight of it all. And, once more, Loki was engulfed by magic and emotion, adrift within his own head as his body acted of its own accord.
A storm began to brew around him.
00000
Tony decided that Loki was a piece of shit when it comes to describing things because traveling via the Bifrost had been nothing like he had ever imagined possible. As he, Thor, and Sif landed in the golden observatory, Tony indulged himself, taking a moment to grin with child-like glee at the space where, only moments before, he had traveled via complex wavelengths wrapped up in a pretty rainbow package.
Alongside him, Thor and Sif moved towards Heimdall, who greeted them with a nod. They returned the gesture as Tony refocused on the situation just in time to hear Heimdall's first words.
"Greetings Thor, Lady Sif, and…Anthony Stark, yes?"
"Yeah, wait…how do you know my name?"
Tony frowned suspiciously, mind jumping to conclusions. But Heimdall merely smiled.
"I can see everyone within these nine realms; I know the names of most beings, certainly one as influential on Midgard as you."
A slight blush rose to Tony's cheeks but before he could stammer out a thank you to the god, Thor cut in.
"Gatekeeper, I trust you know why we visit you."
Heimdall turned his full attention to Thor and nodded solemnly. He gazed out at the stars for a moment, silently, before turning back and speaking.
"Yes, and I will aid you but you must first speak to the All-Father, you must tell him what has occurred."
At Heimdall's words, Tony frowned slightly although too uncertain of his position, for one of the first times in his life, to contradict. To Tony's relief, Thor bristled, heated tones not quite masked in his reply.
"I'm not certain we have time for that, much as I would like to meet with my father, time is of the essence. We must find Loki; we don't know what state he's in."
"I understand that and that is exactly why you must meet with Odin. If Loki is in an unstable state then you must decide how to deal with him, leaping headfirst into this is not ideal."
Thor's voice hinged on desperation, next he spoke.
"Heimdall… this is-this is my brother. I've lost him too many times before-I don't wish to do so again."
The observatory was silent for a few moments, all eyes lay on the Gatekeeper. Finally, with a sigh, Heimdall spoke.
"I understand the urgency but you still must meet with Odin. Before you protest further, impress upon him the urgency of the situation and perhaps you can cut your meeting short."
Tony watched Thor's stormy expression apprehensively. The god nodded slowly then, much quicker, began to spin Mjolnir. Within the span of ten seconds he was gone, making his flight to the grand golden palace of Asgard and leaving Tony and Sif behind. Tony heard a soft laugh from Sif and turned to face her.
"Well, I suppose we should make our way to the palace then."
"I-yeah."
As Tony passed through Asgard, he again marveled at the sheer scale and technological advancement of it. It wasn't often he felt humbled but the sheer beauty of Asgard managed the feat well, he could spend week here and not get tired of it. The first time he had been in the golden city he had little time to look, Loki and he were far too focused on their own survival for Tony to marvel at the city. But as he walked through its streets with Sif he was able to grasp at least a fraction of the rich culture and life the Asgardians possessed.
As they passed by a courtyard a spinning silver sphere shot in front of Tony's path. Seconds later a trio of children appeared, laughing and pointing after it. One jumped to catch it. They all came to an abrupt halt at the sight of Tony, who realized how odd he must look in his normal clothes, with a red metal briefcase at his side. They stared at him open-mouthed for a moment, until the middle one, a small boy with a smattering of freckles over the bridge of his nose and reddish blonde hair, stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
Tony looked to Sif, who had also stopped. She nodded encouragingly.
"I'm Tony Stark, from Earth- I mean Midgard."
The children's eyes lit up.
"Midgard? I heard that was the place that worshiped us as gods. Do you?"
"I-no, no I don't. I wouldn't worship Thor…or Loki, that'd just be weird seeing as I live with them."
The kids exchanged shifty glances, the child who had caught the flying ball, a blonde haired boy with startlingly bright blue eyes, spoke up, voice in an exaggerated whisper.
"Why would you live with him? Wouldn't you be afraid he would kill you; he tried to before, right? That's what we heard."
Tony jerked back, affronted. Within a second Sif's hand was at the small of his back, pushing him forward and past the children. She spoke in an over loud voice.
"Alright, we better keep moving. You kids don't let that ball fly off too far; you might never get it back."
His shock kept him silent until they were out of earshot of the children, then he turned on Sif, who put her hands up in a calming gesture.
"What was-why did they ask me that? I thought Odin pardoned him or something?"
"He did, it's just… Some Asgardians do not forgive easily."
"Are you telling me Loki isn't even welcome in his own city anymore?"
"No-no of course he is. I'm sure most people do forgive him! Those kids are probably just repeating what they heard somewhere."
Unsatisfied, Tony huffed angrily.
They did not speak again until they were at the palace gates. The guards at the doors nodded to Sif, swinging the gates open. They entered the golden palace, Tony once again marveling at its scale, albeit begrudgingly.
"This way."
Sif motioned toward the left and they set off walking. They had walked for maybe five minutes before a regal looking woman pacing back and forth crossed their paths. Before she noticed them, worry lines were etched onto her face. They were almost upon her by the time she noticed them. When she heard their footsteps she looked up, recognition flashing in her eyes as she saw Sif, a warm, slightly strained smile instantly masked her worry.
"Sif, how good it is to see you."
"My lady."
Sif bowed, Tony bit his lip, wondering if he should do the same. She drew closer to them, still smiling. She looked Sif once over, nodded, then turned to Tony. She looked him in the eyes, Tony saw the intelligence and power in her gaze, something about it seemed familiar.
"I am Frigga, Queen of Asgard, mother to Thor and Loki. And you must be… Tony?"
Her smile seemed genuine then and Tony suddenly understood why she looked so familiar. He gulped; surprised that she knew his name.
"Yes…ma'am."
"Loki told me about you, I am honored to meet the person who has so greatly helped both my sons. My youngest especially."
The "meet the parents" vibe their meeting suddenly gave off made Tony lose his train of thought for a moment. He recovered with a hasty cough, silently cursing the blush in his cheeks.
"I-ah… thanks."
He winced at his own awkwardness but if it affected Frigga, she didn't show it. Instead she gestured towards a side hallway.
"Come, we can return to where Thor and Odin speak; together."
As they followed her, Tony caught a glimpse of Sif's smirking face and, realizing it was directed at him, looked at her. She raised her eyebrows at him, but said nothing, leaving Tony even more uncertain than before.
By the time they reached their destination Tony had made an assumption about how much Loki had told his mother, hoping he was wrong. But the mood darkened as the heavy golden doors slid open, the three of them entered.
At the end of the chamber stood Thor, across from him stood Odin. As they drew closer they could hear Thor's heated words.
"Father, it matters not what condition he is in, he's my brother and your son. We can't just leave him."
"And I don't mean to. But even if Heimdall could locate something that may be Loki, it could put us in a delicate situation."
"Worth risking Loki's life over?"
Before Odin could respond, Frigga made their presence clear. Thor turned, relief spreading across his face as he saw them. He motioned towards Tony.
"Tony, you are the closest to Loki, tell my father how important it is we save him from himself."
Tony opened and closed his mouth a few times, no words coming out. The nagging thought in the back of his head becoming more persistent. When he was finally able to find his voice, he cleared his throat.
"Ah…All-Father, I'm sure Thor as made the situation with Loki clear and I-"
"I wish to hear it from you."
Odin cut him off and Tony took a nervous step back. All were silent for a few moments.
"It's-I can't really explain it quickly but…Amora is now working with the Allan guy who poisoned him before and, recently Loki was captured by them and, we assume tested on with the scepter he brought to Earth the first time he came. Since he got back…we've been watching him carefully…but then he just snapped and took off. I'm not sure how else to put it. But, really it's that we do care enough to want him back, it's not just for his own good or the good of the realms. As important as that is, of course I mean that's priority it's-er…"
Feeling like he hadn't helped the situation at all, Tony went silent. All eyes were on Odin, who continued to scrutinize Tony. The quiet stretched on for a minute, then two. Tony began to feel as if he had said something wrong. Finally Odin spoke.
"I see. Well, if Heimdall can locate what he believes to be Loki, then yes, the three of you may search for him. But be aware, if you do find him you must bring him here, not back to Midgard. No matter what previous deliberations you may have made."
Thor, Sif, and Tony exchanged glances, but all bowed. It was Thor who spoke for all of them.
"Thank you, father. If that is what you wish."
Odin nodded stoicly; the last look Tony got of him as he and the others turned away was of the controlled curiosity directed towards him. As they walked out of the hall Frigga came up to Thor, enveloping him in a tight hug, she looked up at his face tenderly.
"Be safe, please."
Thor smiled softly; it was a look Tony had never seen on the god's face before.
"Of course, I'm always careful, mother."
His words caused Frigga to laugh slightly. She released him, patting him on the cheek, and allowed them to exit.
Tony kept silent as they walked though the streets of Asgard, tuning out whatever Thor and Sif were talking about, something superficial about changes in the city, instead thinking back on his treatment so far. He'd have been blind to notice the odd looks people gave him, he couldn't blame them though; his clothes were so different from those worn here. But more than that, the kids seemed to meet him but he had the distinct impression they thought themselves above him. Frigga had been kind; Tony understood why Loki thought so fondly of her. He just didn't understand what she-
"Tony. Tony!"
Thor's voice jolted Tony from his thoughts; they stood now at the start of the rainbow bridge. The conversational and easy mood fell away as they took their first steps onto its shifting patterns. By the time they reached the observatory all three of them were on edge, tension settling into their muscles. Heimdall greeted them, a grim look on his face. He spoke before they could say anything.
"I believe I have located Loki."
"Where-"
"Jotunheim."
00000
Loki's massive snowstorm battered Amora, forcing her to create a barrier against it. Even then the storm took a toll on her energy, it wasn't long before her barrier flickered, leaving gaps in her protection against the wind.
"Damn."
She had to wonder what had set Loki off, she had watched from afar as he had taken out the Jotun holding him, wincing as the destructive shockwave barely missed her. The storm had started not long after that, only growing in intensity, and that was at least an hour ago, maybe more, she had lost count.
However long it had been, she had grown tired of it. Loki had far too much energy; it didn't seem natural for even him to be able to sustain this degree of magic for this long. She wanted to get closer, she had to see what it was doing to him, he couldn't die here, by his own mad hand.
Wind nearly knocked her down multiple times as she struggled her way deeper into the storm. Snow and ice whipped past her at alarming speeds. Her struggle lasted agonizingly long. Then she stumbled forward one last step, falling forward at the sudden lack of wind resistance.
She gaped for a moment. It was as if Loki had created a heart within his own storm, cylindrical walls of contained wind spiraled high into the sky around her. She stared at them before being drawn to the figure crumpled on the ground at the very center of the calm space. She approached Loki warily, eyeing him suspiciously. As she drew closer she became aware of the wracking motions running through his body, for a moment she wondered if he was crying. But before she could decide her next move he moved, leaping towards her at alarming speeds.
He tackled her, pinning her to the ground. She couldn't speak, caught unawares by what had just happened. His fingers pressed hard against her wrists.
"Go away!"
Loki's voice steeped in insanity, hitching and faltering. And, as she had never felt before, Amora feared for her life. One cannot reason or deal with a madman.
"No, I-yes, I'll leave…please."
She found herself pleading, her own fear echoed in Loki's eyes, which seemed disconnected from the madness of his body and voice. His green eyes brimmed with tears, fear and confusion screamed within them. But Loki drew his hand back, magic crackled at his fingertips. Amora attempted to free herself from him but to no avail. He brought his hand to her temple; magic jumped from his fingers to her forehead and rocketed through her body. She couldn't see, somehow she knew she wasn't dying, but she was slipping, she couldn't see, she could move, but she could still temporarily hear.
The last thing she heard before she blacked out completely was Loki beginning to sob, drawing slowly away from her.
AN: Oops my shipper is showing. How'd you like this chapter?
