Death's Hand I
Asgard – Two Days Later
Two days passed since Doom's seizure of the Odinforce and subsequent, if not brief, control over the planet Earth. In that time, Odin did what he could to resurrect the fallen Asgardians. Those killed during Doom's siege of the shining city had to remain dead, sadly. He just could not justify sacrificing more innocent lives galaxies away. Those killed during Hela's attack, however, he was able to reawaken, since they died during Ragnarok. Thus, while Asgard wasn't at full capacity again – and wouldn't be for some time – it was once again filled with gods and goddesses, all of which were eternally grateful to their king for remembering them in this day of rebuilding.
When they returned to Asgard, Thor found a silver necklace with a J hanging from it. It didn't look like anything an Asgardian woman would wear, thus it was safe for him to conclude that it must have been left by one of the heroes. Yet, none of them – to his knowledge – wore jewelry during missions. Also, it was found in the observatory, and none of the ones who freed the observatory from Master of Evil control had names that began with the letter J. "Intriguing."
"What is it, Thor?" Sif pondered.
"Someone else was here when we were gone." He showed her the necklace in question. The diamonds embedded on the J gleamed brightly in the waning sunlight. "I know not who it belongs to, but I reckon it holds some sentimental value."
"Mayhap. However, let us not concern ourselves with that. Come. Let us rest our bodies and minds after the past days' horrendous ordeal." She wrapped an arm around his and tugged him back in the direction of the palace.
Thor's injuries still ached, but he was feeling much better than he was a few days ago. However, his eye was still missing. His mother, in a bid to lighten his mood with a bit of levity, teased that it made him look even more like his father. To that, he smiled, but it was hollow.
Thor simply could not bring himself to feel joy at the moment. His brother's betrayal, his niece's slaughtering of hundreds of thousands of innocent Asgardians, and her subsequent assault on Midgard with his nephews; it all left a sour taste in his mouth. One that would indeed not be cleansed for some time. That cleansing process would not start until Loki was returned to Asgard to answer for his treasonous acts.
Such a time came far sooner than he could have hoped. A mere day after Odin dispatched a pair of Valkyries to apprehend the traitorous god, they returned with him bound and gagged. "Allfather, we have Loki," one of them reported.
"Excellent, Bryst. Bring him forth."
The two warrior women literally dragged an oddly amenable Loki toward his adoptive father, who would serve as his judge.
"Loki Odinsson. You have been charged with treason against the throne of Asgard, a crime befitting of execution. As I caught you in the act of aiding enemies of Asgard, I have no need to hear your defense, as there is no defending against that which was done in plain sight. However, I would hear of your reasons for this treachery."
The muzzle was removed from Loki's mouth, allowing him to speak.
For a very long time, Loki said nothing. He merely looked up at the ceiling, which had a mural depicting Odin's and his father's greatest triumphs over their eons as rulers of Asgard.
Odin waited patiently, knowing that his son would speak only when ready to do so.
Thor, however, was growing impatient, and more so by the second. Finally, after ten whole minutes of nothing but tense silence, he snapped. "Speak, you damnable snake!" His booming voice echoed through the silent court, each word bouncing the golden walls like it was an echo chamber.
Again, Loki didn't respond. Instead, his gaze continued to linger on the mural above him. Finally, after twenty agonizing minutes, he spoke. "I have a reason to have betrayed the throne."
If they were expecting him to actually elaborate on what that reason was – and they were – they were disappointed. Odin and Frigga remained patient as they waited for more, yet their sons were on the brink of lashing out.
"Why you," Balder ground out through gritted teeth.
"Enough, my sons," Odin warned. "Allow your brother the chance to speak."
"What? With all due respect, Father, this... this scoundrel deserves no such dignity. He betrayed us all into the hands of Doom. There is no valid reason or excuse that he could conjure forth that could and would explain that away. Just put him to death. Do not deign to subject yourself to this man's lies."
Odin remained silent, even while Loki chuckled to himself.
"What is so funny, dog?!" Tyr roared.
"Tyr, please," Frigga pleaded.
"No, Mother. I have had all I can stand of this. For millennia, we have give Loki chance after chance to change his ways. And yes, he would improve for the better for a little while, but as surely as the sun does rise each morn, he returns to his wicked ways. This time has been worse than ever before!"
"Tyr speaks truly," Thor agreed. "For more years than I can remember, we have overlooked Loki's transgressions. And every time, he has taken advantage of our forgiveness and betrayed us. Each time worse than the last." He looked down, lips tugged toward the floor. "Mayhap 'tis time we ceased."
Every word felt like he was trying to swallow fire from the hottest inferno. It hurt him to his very core, but it was the truth and needed to be said. Loki had done nothing but abuse their forgiveness time and time again, to their detriment. This time, he crossed a line that should never have been crossed. Once he did, his fate was sealed.
Heimdall's observatory was quiet, the waters beneath it still and calm. Heimdall stood at the edge, overseeing the cosmos with his all-seeing gaze. Nothing could escape his notice, unless it was conceal by powerful magic. Even now, he saw Amora the Enchantress making her way through a busy town square on a faraway planet. He observed all he could about the square so he could give an accurate report to Odin.
All was calm, much to his approval. After the hectic panic of days past, they could use a period of quiet and peace to calm their nerves and gather their wits about them as their home was slowly repopulated. With hope, this period of inactivity would last a good while.
Suddenly, the waterfall stopped falling. "Hm? What is this?"
Then, seemingly on its own, the water shifted and formed what looked to be a staircase leading from the veil between Asgard and the dimension of Midgard. If he hadn't been watching it with his own eyes, he would never have believe it. "Impossible." He could detect no magical energy. Whoever was doing this, they weren't a sorcerer.
Then, six people emerged from the veil and quickly climbed up the watery steps. "No! It cannot be!" Heimdall drew his blade and prepared to defend the way into Asgard with his very life. He was outnumbered and outmatched, but it was his duty to defend the Bifrost Bridge, and that was what he was going to do.
When the first of the six reached the observatory, Heimdall lunged with a powerful bellow. "FOR ASGARD!"
Odin had remained silent throughout the outbursts, allowing everyone the chance to speak their thoughts. When it appeared that they, and Loki, had nothing more to say, he spoke. "Very well. In light of your testimony, Loki, I sentence you to life—"
"Father, please see reason!" Thor blurted. His brothers all murmured their agreement.
"I am, Thor. For I see more deeply into this matter than you or your brothers. There is more at stake here than simple treason."
Odin left it at that, leaving Thor frustratingly in the dark. What could he possibly have been talking about, more at stake than simple treason? What more was there that he was missing? His brow furrowed. "Very well. Loki, I hope you appreciate our father's undeserved kindness."
Loki snorted. "Our father? Why, dear brother, I do believe you are mistaken. The man on that throne is not, nor has ever been my father."
"This again?!" Tyr bellowed.
"The Allfather has quite literally spared your life from a deserved execution and you have the audacity to once again claim that he is not your father?" Balder seethed. "The temerity. The gall. The—"
"Fact of the matter, Balder," Loki interjected, "is that genetics disagree with you."
"No," Odin rumbled softly before anyone could retort. "Loki is correct. I am not his father. Frigga is not his mother. You are not his brothers. Angela is not his sister. These are all undeniable truths, and Loki is correct is stating them. However, have we not treated you as one of our own for your entire life? Everything Tyr, Thor, Balder, and Hermod enjoyed, you have as well. I have withheld nothing from you, have I? You lived a life of luxury, the finest Asgard has to offer was at your disposal. There was nothing that you could not obtain."
Loki's reply was noticeably delayed. Usually, the sharp-tongued liar would have had a razor thin reply waiting the moment Odin opened his mouth to speak. Yet, this time, he refrained from speaking again. "Except the throne," he countered, somewhat half-heartedly. "Everything except the one thing I wanted."
"Loki," Frigga spoke gently. "You would be a fine king, I know this to be true. But, our biological sons would have the right to the throne before you. But, you were never excluded."
Loki appeared to be ready to reply when he stopped. There was something in his eyes, Thor noticed, when he looked at their mother. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it seemed that something had broken inside the King of Lies.
Just then, Loki fell silent, all desire to argue his point seemingly dead on his wicked tongue.
Odin narrowed his eye as he watched the Jotun prince closely. "What is it, Loki?" Then, his gaze cut to the staircase, where six people were walking inside. "You! How did you get here?!"
The uncanny outburst drew everyone's attention to the top of the stairs, where the six were standing tall. There were four men and two women. They were all wearing some variation of the same black, gold, and white uniform. One man had tan skin, glowing yellow eyes, and razor sharp teeth protruding out of his mouth. He was wrapped in a hooded black cloak, and was holding a wickedly sharp scythe in his hand.
The man next to him was about two feet taller, had the same color skin, glowing yellow eyes, and protruding teeth. He was only wearing black pants, leaving his overly muscular upper body exposed. He wielded a massive war-hammer and equally massive battle ax.
The woman next to the first was blue skinned with long bluish-white hair and soulless white eyes. She had a pair of horns protruding from her forehead, which bent back and curled upward. She was armed with a large golden spear. The woman beside her was also blue skinned, and wore a hooded white cloak over her uniform.
The fifth man of the far right had tan skin and short white hair. He wore baggy, loose fitting pants and a very long black, gold, and white tunic. He, like the woman in the white cloak, was unarmed.
Odin knew well who these five were, but his attention was focused squarely on the sixth and – beyond the shadow of all doubt – most dangerous.
Thanos.
–End–
A/N: And there you have it. This took a lot longer than I intended, and for that I'm sorry. I'll try to get the chapters for the next story out at a more reasonable clip. If you haven't guess, the next story will by my adaptation of Infinity Wars, and I hope to have the first chapter up by mid-September at the latest. Hope you guys enjoy :-)
