Chapter 87: Home

Brigid and Loki spent the entire night with Thor and Astrid. After months of torment, it was heaven to have their family reunited once more.

"My dear ones, Mama and Papa missed you so," Loki said as he held little Thor on his lap.

"Where did we go, Papa?" Astrid asked.

"You went away for a long time, but now you are safe, and we will never let you go again," Brigid said. "but now I think it's time for someone to go to bed."

"Aw, but we're not tired," Thor protested.

"Tell us a story!" Astrid piped up, nearly climbing up on Loki.

"Yes, a story it is my dear princess," Loki said.

Loki and Brigid gathered the children into bed and laid them under blankets.

"Why don't I tell you the story of the Ugly Duckling?" Brigid asked. "Uncle Tony used to read it to me every night."

"Yes!" the children said excitedly.

Brigid conjured the storybook and read to the children. As she read, Loki noticed that she was barely looking at the pages. The children watched her as their eyes drooped and they held back yawns.

"Papa?" Thor asked.

"Yes, little prince?" Loki replied.

"Are we going to go home?" Thor asked.

"Very soon. And when we return, you have a brother and sister waiting for you," Loki whispered.

"Yay!" the children said wearily.

Loki and Brigid kissed their childrens' heads as they dozed off and Loki sang them a soft lullaby:

Day is gone, the sun has fallen

The moon and stars are risen

Weep not, child, they are your company

Until the sun returns and you are with me

Again

With their children sleeping soundly, Brigid and Loki departed the room and closed the door.

"I never thought I'd see them again, or my father," Brigid said.

"I never underestimated a mother's love," Loki said. "Your father would be proud of you."

Before Brigid could speak again, Loki heard heavy footsteps. Brigid hastily switched back into her disguise as an anonymous servant as Thor approached them.

"Brother, I've been looking all over for you," Thor said.

"You sought so desperately for my company?" Loki asked.

"Very funny," Thor asked. "Where have you been?"

"With my children," Loki replied. "In case you haven't noticed, I haven't exactly gotten to be with them for the passed few months."

"My point exactly," Thor said. "I thought that it was time that you should be with your children again."

"What are you getting at?" Loki asked.

Thor smiled. "Let's go home, brother."

Loki smiled tearfully. "You know I don't have a home, brother."

"Asgard is your home," Thor argued. "With me, your children."

"And Brigid," Loki said. "And where is she now? She's gone. She gave herself for me. I have no place without her. She was my home."

"There's nothing I can do to change your mind, is there, brother?" Thor asked.

Loki shook his head. "I only ask that when we return I may say goodbye to her in our way."

Thor nodded. "It will be done. Brigid will receive all the rights of a proper Asgardian princess."

The next morning, Loki and Thor were looking upon a familiar sight.

"Brother, welcome to New Asgard," Thor said.

New Asgard was not golden and shiny as Asgard was. It was cold, wet, rocky patch of land. However, the surviving people managed to survive as they planted golden apple trees to continue their immortality and traded with local Midgardians. As Loki stepped off the ship, he was greeted by two familiar faces.

"Hey, man? Remember me? I'm Korg, this is my buddy Miek."

"Hello, Korg and Miek," Loki greeted.

"Thor, man, good to see you!" Korg greeted, clapping Thor on the back.

Thor embraced the giant rock monster. "Korg, where are the kids?"

"Ah, yeah, there inside, man. They're having fun. We discovered this food called pizza and they love it!, man!" Korg said as Miek nodded.

"You let my children eat Midgardian garbage?" Loki asked, his voice shrill. "Thor, where are my children?"

Thor led Loki to a large brick house. "It's not a palace, but it'll do. Children! Children!"

Almost instantly, an army of children came to greet Thor and Loki with cries of "Papa, Mama!"

Like a wave, the children swept over Loki, knocking him off his feet.

"Careful, now, little ones!" Loki laughed. "My goodness you've all grown!"

"Papa, did you save Thor and Astrid?" Frigga asked.

"Why don't you ask them yourself?" Loki replied. "You can come out now, little ones."

"Boo!" Thor and Astrid cried as they emerged from their hiding spots.

The children embraced their lost brother and sister.

"Thor, Astrid, you should meet your new brother and sister," Loki said.

Loki brought the young prince and princess over to a cradle so they could see their new brother and sister sleeping inside. "This is your brother, Ikol, and your sister, Maria. Love them as your brother and sisters have loved you."

Thor and Astrid nodded.

"Papa, where's Mama?" Bruce asked.

Loki sighed and knelt before his son. "Mama went away but she will return to us one day, my dear prince. I promise."

"Fenrir!" Loki called.

The Asgardian warlock entered, spear in hand. "Yes, my king?"

"Take care of the children while I speak to my brother," Loki said.

"With my life, my king," Fenrir replied.

Thor took Loki aside. "I know it must be hard for you to tell your children their mother is dead. Whatever I can do for you, brother, I will."

"Please, just spare them the torture of seeing their mother burn," Loki said. "They're so young, their eyes don't need to bear such things."

"Of course, brother," Thor said.

Later that night, all of Asgard had come for Brigid's funeral pyre. Brigid was placed in a white dressed with gold hem and a sword placed in her hands. Her hair was braided and a veil placed over her face. Her boat slowly rowed out to sea as Valkyrie, Korg, Thor, Fenrir, and Loki all shot ceremonial arrows at her boat, setting it aflame.

"Brigid, I bid you take your place in Valhalla, where the brave shall live forever," Loki recited. "Nor shall we morn, but rejoice for those who've earned a glorious death."

Thor nodded and Brigid's boat turned into silver dust in the stars.

Fenrir stood beside her king. "My king, I am truly sorry for your loss."

"I may have lost my love, but you haven't," Loki said.

"What do you speak of, my king?" Fenrir asked.

Loki stepped aside to reveal Barton wearing a sling on his arm.

"Clint?" Fenrir asked.

"Fenrir?" Barton asked, open mouthed.

Fenrir went straight up to Barton and slapped him. "You tortured my king and queen! You raped my queen!"

"To be fair, he broke my arm," Barton said.

Fenrir smiled. "Did it hurt?"

"It was excruciating," Barton said.

"Good," Fenrir said before she filled Barton into her arms. "I missed you, Clint."

"I missed you, Fenrir," Barton said. "Is it possible to make up time lost?"

Fenrir smiled. "I think anything is possible, Barton."

Fenrir took Barton into their arms and their lips met once more.

The next morning, Thor came to wake his brother when he heard terrible cries.

"My king! My king, no!"

Thor rushed down the hall and barged in the door to find Fenrir sobbing over Loki.

"Loki, he's not..." Thor said fearfully.

"Dead," Fenrir cried.

Thor looked and found a vial closed in Loki's hand. "Poison! Brother, no! Please, come back!"

Thor's cries were for naught. Loki was gone and the last of Thor's family was gone with him.

That afternoon, Thor stood alone on a cliff as Valkyrie came to his side.

"I'm sorry to hear about your brother," she said. "I didn't know him but he did turn out all right."

"He just wanted Brigid," Thor said. "He really meant to die for her. If I hadn't let her die, he'd still be here."

"You cannot blame yourself," Valkyrie said.

Thor shook his head. "I once told my father that Asgard deserves a wise king. I cannot be that king. I can only serve Asgard as a good man. I cannot stay here and burn another family member."

"What are you saying? We need our king!" Valkyrie said.

"And we've got one," Thor replied, nodding to Valkyrie.

"Me? Rule Asgard?" Valkyrie asked incredulously.

Thor nodded. "You are a true leader and you have shown it."

"What will you do?" Valkyrie asked.

Thor shook his head. "For the first time, I have no idea, but I am free to be who I am rather than who I'm mean to be."

Valkyrie nodded as Thor surrendered Stormbreaker. "The weapon of a king. Rule well, my friend."

"I shall. For Asgard," Valkyrie replied.

"For Asgard," Thor replied. "Thank you, old friend."

Thor turned and left, leaving Asgard behind him for a new path. Once Thor disappeared Valkyrie entered the palace where she was met by a guard as she took her makeshift throne. Once on her throne, Valkyrie's disguise melted to that of Loki and her guard to that of Brigid.

"Did he buy it?" Brigid asked.

"As if I were selling gold," Loki said.

"Welcome home, King of Asgard," Brigid chuckled.

Loki smiled as he sat on the throne, Tesseract beside him as Brigid took her place with him as King and Queen of Asgard, God and Goddess of Mischief, once more.

EPILOGUE

Brigid and Loki watched over the balcony as their children played in the gardens below.

"They're so like you," Brigid said.

"Well, Frigga is like you, I've always thought," Loki said. "Please, stop fretting and come to bed, my queen."

"As you wish, my king," Brigid replied.

Before Brigid and Loki could make their way to bed, they heard a terrible cry. "Mama! Papa!"

Brigid and Loki raced down to the gardens only to blocked by a barrage of fire. Dodging fireballs, they raced into the courtyard below to find Tony and Bruce laying motionless in a pool of blood and the rest of the children missing.

"Not my firstborn! No! No!" Brigid cried.

Brigid screamed in terrible agony as she held her fallen sons. Brigid felt a rage inside her and it spread like a virus to Loki. She and Loki conjured knives only to be blocked by a hooded man. Using his magic, the man forced them to drop their weapons and held them in a hold.

"Greetings, king and queen of Asgard. Allow me to introduce myself," the man said lowering his hood. "I am Mordo and I bring you a message. Dormammu is in need of your services."

A/N: Uh-oh! How's that for an ending? What does Dormammu want? What will happen? Keep up for the sequel! I hope you enjoyed this one. This is for my readers, reviewers, followers, favorites, etc. This story is for you and would be nothing without you! Enjoy!