The Trickster God
The start:
Loki is falling into the deep abyss of space. The air is buzzing with electricity. Rainbow energy fills the void. Where once there was the mighty Bifrost, now there is nothing but rubble.
His helmet is by his side and his cape, torn. His face is pale and his eyes, red. Nevertheless, Loki's smile is in place, shining as bright as the stars that circle him.
*Record scratch*
*Freeze frame*
"Yup, that's me. I bet you're wondering how I got myself into that situation. Well, it all started about a month ago..."
About a month ago:
When you age past a hundred years old, time becomes relative. Did you sleep until 11 p.m, or did you sleep an entire month? His father was good at that. Doesn't sleep for a year, sleeps for a month.
When you age past a thousand years, time almost ceases to exist. Is it Friday, or is it SÓLMÁNUÐUR? Especially living in a society filled with semi- immortals that had no respect for the Gregorian calendar.
Loki had planned. But as the saying goes, "plans always fall behind changes". When Thor's 1500th name day came, he had two choices. To help or not to help the Frost Giants invade Asgard. He had no way of knowing how things would go.
From what he knew, he could have already changed things. Rendering his knowledge useless. The butterfly effect and all of that. So, years before the start of the series of misfortunate events that would end up causing his death, all three of them, he started planning.
Loki visited Midgard now and then. Part of him missed the life he had before falling into the strange world of gods and heroes. Part of him wanted to make sure he never miscalculated the year he was in. The last part of him just really wanted to have fun, and there was no better place to have fun than Earth.
It was an incredible feeling to be part of medieval galas and, in the blink of an eye, be in a rave in Ibiza. Listening to Mozart's first concert and listening to Avicii's first concert. It was a thrilling experience, but in hindsight, he should have spent less time stealing his father's ale, and more time planning.
He visited Kamar Taj periodically. Practised his sorcery, and evolved. He studied with his mother and sparred with his brother. He felt he was as ready as he could be. So he let them in.
The throne room is spacious, covered in gold. Colourful ceremonial banners of the Nine Realms adorn the extent. The place is crowded with Aesir and representatives from across Yggdrasil, all filled with excitement. The warrior Three enters and stride to their place of honour at the front of the hall.
"I hope this goes quickly. I am famished!" The oversized Volstagg exclaims.
"Noooo!" says Fandral in feigned disbelief.
"Are you attached to the pretty face of yours? Because one more word, and you won't be!"
"My, my, we are hungry, aren't we?" Fandral turns to the others and, in mockery, pronounce.
Hogun just observes the whole interaction with a grim face. By his side, Lady Sif has a similar expression around, but it is less of a grim, and more of a disgusted one.
"Fandral, is it true that famous Warriors Three are ready to meet any challenge?" She then asks.
"Name it Lady Sif!" The always ready for competition Fandral declares.
"Keep your mouth shut…"
Hogun has a happy half-smile on his lips.
Loki and Frigga enter. He takes his place at the front of the hall, alongside the others. With another blast of the horn, the crowd goes silent as the Einherjar Honor Guard moves into formation. They part to reveal Odin, sitting atop his throne. Clad in full ceremonial armour. He holds his spear, Gungnir, before him.
Any trace of weakness in him is now gone. He exudes all the power and majesty of a Ruler of Asgard. Frigga joins him at his side. He looks around the hall, casts a glance over to the Warriors. Thor is nowhere to be seen. Everyone looks at Loki.
Sif has a mortal look.
Odin and Frigga have a questioning one.
Fandral shots him a knowing gaze.
Hogun and Volstagg, indifferent ones.
Loki shrugs. Odin isn't pleased. A murmur spreads through the crowd.
Volstagg asks "Where is he?"
"Well, you know him, he's just fixing his hair. If I know my brother he's probably looking for a majestic entrance. He said he'd be along. It is not like a father will punish him or anything…" Loki utters the last part.
"Nevertheless, Odin looks like he's ready to feed him to his Ravens. He should appear soon, or not at all." Completes Fandral.
It is then that Mjolnir roars up into the hall, Thor strides Cockley behind it, catching the hammer behind his back. The crowd erupts in cheers. Thor spins the weapon with a flourish, holds it up before the crowd, basking at the moment, relishing the adoration, whipping his audience up into a frenzy.
"That was a good one, 8/10, but I have seen you do better, brother! It was lacking some finesse." Loki states with a laugh.
"Ow, come on! Did you see the spin, the no-look catch? That must be worth something!" Thor protests.
"Yes, an 8/10!"
Odin watches from the front, not caring for his sons' antics. Frigga smiles. Sif fumes. The Warriors Three don't seem to understand.
Thor finishes stirring up the crowd, then reaches the front of the room, falls on one knee before his mother and father. Frigga casts him an admonishing glance. Thor winks up at her. She can't help but smile. Odin strikes Gungnir upon the ground with a deafening BOOM. The crowd falls silent. Odin speaks with quiet, effortless authority. He raises the spear before him.
"Gungnir. Its aim is true, its power strong. With it, I have defended Asgard and the lives of the innocent across the Nine Realms since the time of the Great Beginning. And though the day has come for a new King to wield his weapon, that duty remains the same. Thor Odinson, my heir, my first-born."Odin started.
"So long entrusted with this mighty hammer, Mjolnir. Forged in the heart of a dying star, from the sacred metal of Uru. Only one may lift it. Only one is worthy. Who wields this hammer commands the lightning and the storm. Its power has no equal, as a weapon, to destroy, or as a tool, to build. It is a fit companion for a King."
"Today I entrust you with the greatest honour in all the Nine Realms. The sacred throne of Asgard. I have sacrificed much to achieve peace. So, too, must a new generation sacrifice to maintain that peace. Responsibility, duty, honour. These are not merely virtues to which we must aspire. They are essential to every soldier and every King."
The room's temperature drops. People start to shiver. Thor turns back to face his father. Odin looks upon his son with pride.
"Thor Odinson, do you swear to guard the Nine Realms?"
"I swear."
"Do you swear to preserve the peace?"
"I swear."
"Do you swear to cast aside all selfish ambition and pledge yourself only to the good of all the Realms?"
A moment of hesitation before his answer.
"I swear."
"Then on this day, I, Odin Allfather, proclaim you--" Odin stops, something strange is occurring. There is ice creeping the surface of the banners around the hall. The crowd notices it.
Frost giants…
A guard barges into the throne room, he is short of breath, his clothes are torn. There is blood running down his face.
"Frost giants, in the vault…" he says before collapsing.
Loki is the first to react, he runs towards the fallen soldier like a flash. Green flames emerge from his hands, the bleeding stops. He turns to his brother.
"Go to the vault, take your warriors with you, I'll follow soon." Loki's face was a concerned one.
Thor runs past him.
He had planned, he knew people could suffer or die, he was ready to accept that if it meant the survival of Asgard, his family, and himself. That didn't mean he wouldn't try to save this man or any other that he could.
Healers came to his side, the soldier would survive. He went after Thor.
Thor freezes, shocked at the sight before him. Sif and the Warriors Three hurry in behind Thor and stop short. The floor is wet. Glimpses of a massacre that is now over.
Amidst the chaos, shrouded in shadow, stands the black metal creature, a fiery glow coming from within it. The Casket of Ancient Winters on its hands.
"The Destroyer." A stupefied Lady Sif murmurs.
"I thought it was but a legend." Speaks Volstagg in awe.
Loki enters the room, Odin by his side. As they step in behind the Asgardians the Destroyer sets the Casket back on its pedestal. It goes back to its original position, the glow inside it fades.
"I've never been inside the Vault before. It's said the Tesseract was once held here." Says Fandral
"The Tesseract? I thought that was but a legend too!" A still-awed Volstagg exclaims.
Odin and Loki survey the destruction.
"Let us give the All-father and Thor a moment. This is a king's matter, I'm not a king, I cannot wait to not be king." Loki sings that last part. Everyone is used to his weirdness, after an entire millennium of acquaintanceship.
The Trickster God
Outside the vault, the Warriors Three, Lady Sif, and Loki make their way to the dining room. Loki and Sif start a conversation. The other men stop to watch the interaction, this is always entertaining.
"Why are you mad at me now, Lady Sif?"
"Why do you act like that? You know how Thor will react, he will cry for blood and vengeance, Odin will deny him, he will go behind his back and get in trouble. Drag us in as well."
"If my brother is to be king, he needs to learn that the answer is not always to smash things with his hammer. Laufey and father have a truce, this was an act of few, foredoomed to failure. They wanted the Casket, it remains safe, no harm done!"
By then they were already seated at a table with cups of ale on their hands.
"I can not believe you. You always have to say that you don't want to be king. Over and over we hear that. Yet you seem more suited for it than your brother. I loathe you."
"Well, you hated me before, is loathe worse somehow?" Loki turns confused to the men at their side. "If I knew that having sex with you would make it worse, I wouldn't have!"
The Warrior Three spit their drinks. To say they are stunned is to say Yggdrasil is a plant.
"Was it that bad? It couldn't be that bad." Says Fandral.
"It wasn't bad" They respond at the same time.
"It was far from bad! That thing with the thing, it was amazing!" Loki blurts.
"Yes, yes it was, but I still loathe you. And yes loathe is worse than hate!" Sif responds.
"Why?"
"You run from responsibilities. Imagine what you could do for Asgard if you put all the energy you spend running around, doing things a teenager would do, into something productive!"
"I am helping Asgard, in my way! I like to have fun, but that doesn't mean I am running from responsibilities! I go to places that teach me things. If it wasn't for what I learned, that guard would be dead."
Loki, then, gets up. His gaze scans the hall until stopping in the form of a sullen Thor. Hammer in his hands, shoulders down. Anger in his face.
"If you excuse me, gentleman and lady, I have to try and do something impossible. I'll try to appease my brother's temper." Loki moves from the table in Thor's direction.
"It's unwise to be in my company right now, brother."
"Who said I was wise?"
"This was to be my day of triumph."
"It will come. In time."
"If a few of them could penetrate the defences of Asgard once, who's to say they won't try again. Next time with an army?" Thor rages on.
"I know, you might even be right. But do you want to be known as the king that broke the peace of a thousand years?"
Thor contemplates this, looks at his hammer, a gleam in his eye. Loki can guess what he's thinking, grows concerned.
"Besides, there's nothing we can do without defying Father!" Loki says, but the look on Thor's face only solidifies. "No... stop there! I know that look!"
"It's the only way to ensure the safety of our borders."
"It 's madness!"
"Madness? What sort of madness?" Volstagg joins the conversation.
"Nothing! Thor was making a jest!"
"The safety of our Realm is no jest. We're going to Jotunheim."
"What?!" Fandral is not far behind.
"Thor, of all the laws of Asgard, this is one you must not break." Sif gives the insight.
"This isn't like a journey to Earth, where you summon a little lightning and thunder and the mortal's worship you as a god. This is Jotunheim." Fandral cries.
"And if the Frost Giants don't kill you, your Father will!" Volstagg reminds.
"My father fought his way into Jotunheim, defeated their armies, and took their Casket! We'd just be looking for answers." He insists.
"It is forbidden!"
Thor sizes up his friends, smiles. He proceeds to make his case. Enthusiasm in his voice. Claiming charismatic conviction.
"My friends, have you forgotten all that we've done together?" He turns to Fandral.
"Who brought you into the sweet embrace of the most exotic maidens in all of Yggdrasil?"
"You did."
He points at Hogun.
"Who led you into the most glorious of battles…"
Embraces Volstagg.
"...and to delicacies so succulent, you thought you'd died and gone to Valhalla?"
"You did." They confess at the same time.
He turns to Sif.
"And who proved wrong all who offed at the idea that a young maiden could be one of the fiercest warriors this Realm has ever known?"
"I did." Sif deadpan.
"True. But I supported you…" He continues to the others. " My friends, trust me now. We must do this."
They start to realise that there is no convincing the God of Thunder. Loki is by his side, seemingly coming to terms with the fact that he will have to go with his brother.
The two brothers constantly drag each other into risky plans. Thor hauls Loki to battles, in search of glory and spoils. Loki pulls Thor towards parties and searches for sorcery relics. They never leave the other behind.
"Come on. You're not going to let my brother and I take all the glory, are you?" Thor asks.
"This is not glory, Thor, it's stupidity. I am okay with insanity, craziness and madness. That doesn't mean I want to die, brother."Loki exclaims." But if you are going anyway, I will be at your side."
"And I!" Volstagg shouts
"And I!" Fandral responds in a similar tone.
"And I. The Warriors Three fight together." Hogan completo.
"I fear we'll live to regret this." Sif cries
"If we're lucky!" Loki concedes.
The Trickster God
The company exits the palace. Walking across the grounds they reach the group of attendants who ready their battle gear. Loki separates from them. He approaches a guard, tells him what they are doing. He gives the man orders to look for Odin as soon as they leave, no sooner nor later.
Thor is in his full armour, silver breastplate with circles, red cape. Loki is in black a leather tunic with a golden necklace. His cape matches his eyes, emerald green. The warriors are in their usual attire. Swords, spears, maces, shields, daggers and hammers are ready.
They cross the Bifrost, from Odin's palace to Heimdall's observatory. The Gatekeeper of Asgard stands at his post on the Bridge before them, blocking their way, staring them down. There is something other-worldly about him, even for this Realm. He holds a massive sword in front of him, his stern, intimidating face virtually concealed by armour. Something glints beneath his visor, like twinkling stars.
"Keep your weapons sheathed and your mouths closed. This is going to take subtlety and sincerity, not brute strength. Leave it to me." Loki tells them.
"You're not dressed warmly enough," Heimdall says.
"I am particularly cold-resistant, good Heimdall!" Loki starts" I won't pretend to try and fool you, you can see everything."
"For ages have I guarded Asgard and kept it safe from those who would do it harm. In all that time, never has an enemy slipped by my watch… until this day. I wish to know how that happened."
"Then tell no one where we've gone until we've returned." Thor jumps in. "We seek the same answers as you."
The Gatekeeper nods his head. Thor was past him, the others follow. The group steps on a platform. Heimdall climbs into the large control apparatus at the centre of the room and readies the Observatory.
"Be warned. I will honour my sworn oath to protect this Realm as its Gatekeeper. If your return threatens the safety of Asgard, Bifrost will remain closed to you. You'll be left to die in the cold wastes of Jotunheim."
"Fair enough!" Loki delivers a smile. "By the way, any day now Billy Joel will have a breakdown at a festival. He needs help, but that doesn't make it any less historical! You should keep an eye on that."
Heimdall inserts his sword into the control panel, and the apparatus of the Observatory starts up. The world around them starts to twist in a colourful swirl. They are no longer there.
A/N
To " ILoveBlueAndRice", thank you for the suggestions, right now I am thinking that survival is the main goal. He doesn't wanna go. Also his mother, and maybe Thor and Asgard in the process.
"Mari", let us shoot for a three, thank you.
Never met anyone from Ethiopia, now I have a friend there, thank you "Justanotherfan"
I am trying to go for the "the more I try to change, more it stays the same" angle. I think the story will progress to the difference you are looking for. Because Loki's main thing is living in his brother's shadow, the SI doesn't have that. Thank you, "Yoghurt and C4" for the review. Cool name by the way.
"Khalucifer", it was a joke from a friend in Ethiopia, thank you for your concern
Yes, it is my first story, in my second language. Great advice. Right now I realize that the lack of a pattern might annoy someone. 1st person povs and 3rd person povs, lack of flow. But as I figure which way to go, I'll use that on 1st person pov's. " ScribbleGuy" thanks for the review.
These notes might be long, but I don't care. Question for chapter length: how short is too short and how long is too long?