Oh guys, I am so sorry this has taken such a long time! I wanted it ready for Christmas, and even that would have been late, but this is ridiculous, and I'm so sorry! I've got lots of excuses, but honestly, it was pure writers block that stopped this one. I've been writing a sentence a night, if that. It's been horrible.
I'm still not quite out of the block, but I was determined to get this up for New Years! (It's only 11:17 where I am, that counts!) This chapter doesn't have all the content I wanted, but it will all appear in the next few chapters anyway AND I've been hit with inspiration for a sequel! Or maybe just make this story reeeaaallllllly long. Review and tell me what you think :) Anyways, love to you all, and my new years resolution is to write far quicker – lets see if I can manage it!
xoxoxoxoxoxox
An army of frost giants could have stormed across the Bifrost and Loki would not have noticed. Norns, the Bifrost could have broken asunder beneath him and it wouldn't have drawn his attention.
He had Evie and – when a gentle hand came to rest on his shoulder – Tony too. He had everything.
There was absolutely no way for the prince to know how much time had passed until he felt his daughter's sobs lessen somewhat. She pulled back slightly – not letting go but enough so that she could actually look at him. Loki managed a watery smile, brushing her hair back from her face.
"My dear little bird, I do believe you are quite grown up."
Evie was hiccupping and unable to talk, but tried to return the smile at the comment. She had changed from the little child Loki had last seen, but whilst her looks had matured she was still the same. Tony's dark messy hair, Tony's squarish jaw-line, Tony's long nose and then Loki's bright bright bright green eyes.
Still his little girl.
"I have missed you so much Evelyn."
Evie sobbed and pressed her face against his neck again. "Never l-l-leave again! I c-c-can't lose y-y-you again!"
"You won't. I'm here, I'm here my brave darling. I'm not going anywhere."
"P-p-promise?"
"I promise it. I will never leave you again, my child. Never again."
"I'm n-n-not a child…"
Loki had to laugh, despite himself. "No, I suppose you aren't. But didn't anyone tell you that a parent always views their child as a tiny babe no matter how old they are?" He heard Tony chuckle softly from where he stood next to them – evidently making the link to the exact same conversation with Sleipnir – and blindly reached out a hand to pull the man down into the hug.
It isn't possible to freeze time, but if it was then this would have been the perfect moment. Both parents and their daughter, reunited at last. If time could freeze then there could be no better place to create a bubble of perfect happiness. Happiness and hope and love and that feeling of finally, of being a whole once more. A family unit made whole and full and finally together again.
Even Loki Silvertongue could not find the words to describe how it felt.
Time was immeasurable until Tony broke the hallowed silence.
"Uh...I think everyone is staring at us."
"Don't care." Evie's voice was muffled against Loki's shoulder. The green cloth under her cheek was dark and wet through with tears.
"My dear, I should probably greet the rest of the group – the last time we met we parted on somewhat unpleasant terms."
Evie sniffed and raised her head slightly. "Yes, I saw the footage." She managed a tiny grin. "As the Hulk said, 'puny God'."
Loki shot Tony a dark glare. "Did you have to show her that?"
"In my defence, Jarvis did it, not me."
The Prince didn't deign to reply, instead choosing to carefully stand up whilst keeping an arm tightly wrapped around his daughter's shoulders. Tony's hand moved from his arm to discreetly hold him around the waist – a gesture that seemed sweet and familial, but in reality gave the trickster something to lean on now that the pain was becoming rather too acute once more.
The rest of the group, Thor now included, were standing a little way off, trying not to intrude whilst at the same time wanting to witness the reunion. Tony couldn't begrudge them that; after all he owed each and every one of them for their help over the past seven years. They had wanted to see Evie happy as much as he did.
Loki looked…awkward as he realised that he was faced with all of the Avengers. More so considering there were still tear-tracks running down his cheeks. The group seemed just as self-conscious, though, which was something.
It was Fury who took the initiative and stepped forwards first. His single-eyed gaze was suspicious at best but as he approached, hands in his trench-coat pockets, it became more appraising than distrustful.
"Well. I don't think any of us thought this day was actually going to happen."
"Believe me when I say the same is true for myself, Director."
Fury folded his arms, taking in the God's still somewhat-battered appearance. "You feeling like trying to take over my planet again anytime soon?"
Loki smirked slightly, as if the question hadn't come as the shock that everyone else seemed to take it as. Thor, for example, looked horrified at the Director's bluntness.
"No, not any time soon. Give me a few years and then we'll have to see."
Tony snorted with laughter, which covered up Fury's low 'hmph' of disapproval. "Next time try going incognito through the US government, much easier and less noticeable." The inventor suggested.
The Director looked at Stark with a deep frown. "Don't give him ideas!" He then met Loki's gaze head-on.
"Pay him no mind – if I truly wanted to rule Earth I would simply take over Stark Industries." The attempt at humour lightened Fury's expression somewhat, and Loki continued, slightly more sure of himself. "Until that time, will you accept an offer of peace?" The prince stepped – possibly limped, Tony was certainly helping to support him more than he would have liked – forwards, extending a hand.
Fury raised an eye-brow haughtily at him. "Peace?"
"Peace. And…perhaps something of an apology? I believe the last time we met I made something of a mess of New York."
"That would be the understatement of the century." The Director tapped his fingers against his arm as he stared at the proffered hand, then slowly reached out and accepted it. "But I'd say that you've more than paid for your crimes." He shook Loki's hand. "It will be good to have Stark stop whining at long last."
Loki's anxious smile grew into a real grin and Fury smirked slightly.
"It's good to meet you properly Prince Loki."
"Like-wise Director Fury."
The grudging but genuine acceptance from the Director seemed to spur the rest of the Avengers into action, Clint taking more initiative than the rest.
He walked straight up to Loki, brushing past the Director and held one hand up, fingers clenched tight.
"Hey boss."
Loki smirked and completed the fist-bump. "Minion."
They didn't like each other. They would probably never like each other but it had certainly been worth the looks on everyone else's faces. However, the gobsmacked silence was broken by Tony's boisterous laughter and Steve managed a weak smile even if the others couldn't.
"Well…I think we can all safely say we never expected to see that sort of interaction between the two of you." He said slowly. "But then again, we didn't really expect for Tony to get you back either."
"No-one expected Tony to get you back." Natasha added, her tone of voice giving away nothing about how she felt about all this.
Stark looked between his friends in mock-horror. "Thanks for the faith guys." He caught Loki's expression and frowned. "What? You too?"
The Prince shrugged slightly. "I simply assumed that that was that. It was unreasonable to hope for anyone to find me."
"You could have given me some credit."
Loki shrugged again. Apparently he thought it was perfectly reasonable to believe that everyone had given him up for dead. Considering just where he had been it was probably a fairly reasonable assumption.
Ignoring Tony, he turned his attention back to Steve.
"It seems it's been a while since Stuttgart."
"Nearly twenty years by my reckoning." The Captain said slowly. "But it was a rather memorable occasion. It came as a bit of a surprise for us all to know that all of that was mostly a lie. You're an astonishing actor."
That caused Loki to glance at Tony once more; still his anchor, even in this. "You told them?" He sounded faintly accusatory.
"Hey, I had a child with Shield's most wanted criminal, what was I meant to say? I simply showed them the footage of when you'd told me the whole story."
"Hmmm." It didn't seem like the Prince could think of a come-back; after all, Tony more than had a point. However, something more troubling made Loki tilt his head towards his partner, speaking out of the side of his mouth whilst not breaking eye contact with the Captain. "Weren't we naked during that conversation?"
Steve flushed bright red as Tony grinned feral and sharp. "We certainly were."
"Ah." Loki smiled brightly at the scarlet Captain. "Right. Well. In future I shall make sure to conduct all my explanations fully clothed."
"We'd appreciate it." Steve shifted his weight awkwardly. "So, um, how am I meant to greet the second prince of Asgard?"
"However you wish. If it's any help; Barton broke my nose so –" Said Prince shrugged elegantly. "- I believe the human phrase is 'do your worst'."
"In America we usually start with 'hello'."
The remaining defensiveness in Loki's posture slowly drained away – something that was mostly only noticeable to Tony who was still holding him round the waist. "Yes, I believe that will be satisfactory. Hello Captain Rodgers."
Evie giggled, albeit tearfully. "Well this is the most awkward conversation ever." She was still gripping Loki's arm tightly, but the desperation had fled now that it was sinking in that he wasn't going to vanish infront of her. Something about her body language would also tell anyone who knew her well that she was leeching as much body heat as possible. "I don't recognise any of those constellations." She added, staring out into the emptiness beyond the Observatory.
Loki smiled down at her fondly. "You aren't in Kansas anymore, Dorothy."
"I got that reference!" Steve went red again as various smirks were aimed at him.
"Evie's right, though. That's a hell of a lot of unfamiliar stars." It was the first time Bruce had spoken, but he sounded calm enough given the trip through the Bifrost he had just endured. He stepped off to one side – studiously ignoring Loki for the moment, which was probably for the best – and peered out into the infinite mass of black. "That's…incredible. Are they all named? Do you know which worlds are out there? Can we see Earth from here?"
Thor laughed. "Do you wish to stand out here all night to hear the answers, or should we ensconce you in the library for the duration of your stay?"
Bruce grinned, still staring into the darkness eagerly. "Oh give me a break. This is stunning. Back me up here Tony!" He didn't wait for a reply, instead pointing out to the swirl of stars that spiralled in on themselves as a deep smudge of blue. "What's that? A collapsing galaxy?"
"The entrance to the void." Loki sounded nothing more than informative, but he felt Tony's arm tighten almost painfully around his waist at the words. For a moment he wondered why; why the man was suddenly clinging to him, why Thor's expression had dropped and why Bruce was looking as if he'd put his foot in it.
Then he realised, like a bucket of icy water over him, they knew. Not just Tony, not just his brother, but all of them. They knew he'd thrown himself into that emptiness.
It was…a humbling thought and for once he genuinely didn't know what to say.
It was Evie who broke the sudden silence – making it quite obvious that thankfully she didn't know what all the fuss was about. She hadn't been told that Loki had tried to commit suicide. "It's a very pretty colour; I'd like to take some photos at some point." It broke the renewed tension and Loki actually laughed.
"Yes, I suppose it is." He smiled down at her before stepping away – losing contact with Tony at the same time. It didn't show on his face just how hard it was to hold his own weight straight and tall, but the way he did so made at least his brother and lover aware of how painful it had to be. However, Loki wouldn't be Loki if he couldn't wrap himself up in a thick veneer of pride and royal bearing.
He inclined his head towards the Avengers – a formal bow that wouldn't have been out of place coming from the royalty of Tudor England – and met each of their gazes in turn.
"You have come a long way, and not by a pleasant method of transportation. Welcome to Asgard honoured guests." He met Natasha's sceptical gaze and smirked at her. "You may find it somewhat medieval, but it won't take Tony long to work out how to get WiFi here."
"Yeah, a nearby satellite would make my life so much easier in that respect." Said inventor grinned brightly. "But I'll make do for now."
"You would have finished it by now if you would just speak to Heimdall like I had suggested and discussed drawing a satellite relay though a partial opening in the Bifrost." Loki added, somewhat snidely.
The comment made Clint snort with laughter. He shrugged when the sound drew everyone's gazes. "Oh come on! They sound like an old married couple!"
He really had a point.
MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW
Loki, Tony and Evie quickly distanced themselves from the others and made their way back to Loki's chambers. No-one begrudged them this – they needed time to catch up, time to talk and time to simply be a whole family unit again. So Thor took the other Avenger's off to show them round – with Clint's over-enthusiastic help – leaving the three to themselves.
Evie hadn't let go of Loki's hand the whole time. As a fourteen year old she usually considered herself far too old to hold hands, but this was different. This was Loki. She could afford to be clingy around the mother she hadn't seen for seven years.
Since the only chairs Loki had were single the three of them sat on the large bed instead.
It's difficult. Trying to gather up seven years' worth of life and retell it all at once. They knew that it wouldn't all be able to happen in one go; that years down the line they would still be catching up on missed moments and lost stories.
There were more tears all round – understandably.
It wasn't exactly a situation that was in any psychology book, or that any of them had ever been in before. In a sense Loki and Evie barely knew each other; they had only been able to see each other twice a year and during her childhood no less. The girl had no memories from at least the first five visits after her birth, and the other early ones were hazy at best.
And now they had all the time in the world to get to know each other.
Sadness, relief, hope, loss, confusion, guilt, fear, joy.
So much emotion, so many emotions, and all wanting to escape at once.
It was exhausting and there was no shame in admitting that they all fell asleep long before they had finished saying everything they wanted to say.
MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW
Evie woke up the next morning groggy and with the sort of pounding headache that told her she had spent far too much time crying the day before. Why had she been crying so hard? In the fog of barely-awake she scrabbled amongst fractured memories of dreams and reality and slowly pieced back together the over-emotional haze that was yesterday.
A sleepy grin grew on her face.
"Móhðy..."
"Yes?" The equally sleepy voice came from beside her made her roll over with a grin.
"You're still real."
"It appears that would be the case." Loki smiled – tired, but awake – and reached out to cup her cheek. "Did you think I wouldn't be?"
Evie shrugged, almost embarrassed. "I dream that we find you, and then I wake up and you're never there. I did wonder for a moment…"
"If it is anything, I had the same dream all these past years. This time we can both be happy in knowing that it is real."
"Don't go?"
"I am not going anywhere, my dear." Loki pulled himself upright, only to be immediately tackled into a hug by his daughter. "And I never will again, Norns be willing."
There was a grumble from beside them – Tony grudgingly woken by their laughter. "Will you two be quiet? I'm trying to sleep here."
"Sorry Dad." Evie muffled her giggles, unwinding her arms from Loki's neck to dangle her legs off the edge of the bed. "Did we just fall asleep where we were sitting last night?"
"It appears that way." Loki looked down at his rumpled clothing and with a wave of his hand the creases smoothed out. It wasn't perfect, but better than nothing. He would have done the same for his daughter, but she had already disappeared into the bathroom with her rucksack – presumably having brought some fresh clothes with her.
He stood up and stretched, noting that sleeping in such an uncomfortable position had done nothing for the residual pain lurking, and attempted a small healing spell. It didn't do anything to numb the ache, but his legs stopped shaking which he considered a positive. Tony was still an unidentifiable lump under the covers – which he had somehow managed to grab and hog during the night – but the God pulled back enough of the blankets to find a cheek to kiss.
"I'm going to take Evie to get some breakfast – do you want to join us?"
"Mmm?" Tony barely seemed to wake up, burrowing deeper into the covers.
"I'll take that as a no. We will bring you something back."
"Mhmm."
Loki smiled and pulled the covers back – apparently yesterday's double Bifrost-trip had left Tony exhausted.
"Is Dad okay?" Evie re-emerged from the bathroom, changed and cleaned up. She looked defensive at Loki's critical glance at her clothing. "What? It's the fashion! And it's comfortable!"
"Those leggings need a dress over them, not a T-shirt, young lady."
"Everyone dresses like this!"
Loki folded his arms – a gesture almost immediately mirrored by his daughter. "Oh really?"
"Yes!" Evie looked down at her clothes, then back up, seeming slightly less certain. "I mean…well, usually I nick one of Dad's band shirts to wear over these, but I packed in a hurry." She shrugged, her doubt plain on her face.
"I suppose I am just not up to date with what a fashionable young lady should be wearing these days." Loki said gently. "You look lovely."
"Yeah, it's not really Asgardian though. I'll stand out."
"You are a Stark, I cannot believe standing out would feel unusual." Loki stepped forwards and rested his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "You are beautiful, and I believe it is a mother's prerogative to criticise what their children wear."
"Eh, you should have seen Dad's face last Christmas – to be fair that dress was pretty short." Evie wrapped her arms around his waist, face pressed against Loki's chest. "I missed you! I don't think I've made that clear enough."
"I fear we shall be telling each other that for many years to come."
Evie hugged tighter, then jumped back with a yelp as her T-shirt suddenly seemed to take on a life of its own – lengthening and changing. She looked down, then laughed.
"Móhðy!" The shirt was now something nearer a tunic. Knee length and to the girls eyes pretty much medieval. "You'd better be able to change that back!"
"When you wear it with something suitable, then certainly." Loki said lightly. His grin said it all as his daughter twirled around to admire how her new outfit now looked. It still wasn't really something the Aesir court would be used to, but he hardly cared about fitting in. And as much as Evie was trying to look annoyed, she was failing magnificently and in the end was just delighted.
"Hey, Möðir, are you…Oh. Uh… Möðir?"
Loki turned to see Sleipnir hanging his large head over the lip of the window, staring at Evie in confusion. Being outside the stallion's extra legs were obscured so he looked like any other freakishly large horse but Evie's eyes had widened to the size of saucers never-the-less.
"That horse just spoke!"
Sleipnir didn't miss a beat. "That human just spoke!" He left the window and trotted round to the large doorway that opened onto the pastures. Loki habitually left it unlocked so that the horse could simply nudge it open, which was exactly what he did. "Uh…Hello?"
Evie's astonished gaze took in all eight legs and understanding dawned across her face. "Oh. You're Sleipnir?"
"Evelyn?"
Loki watched with a fond smile as his eldest and youngest both eyed each other up critically.
"You're shorter than I expected." Sleipnir said thoughtfully.
"Yeah? Well you're…you're…" Evie frowned slightly. "No. Actually you're pretty much what I imagined. A bit less sparkly maybe."
"Sparkly?"
"Well, eight legged horse, son of the God of Mischief, you kinda get a mental image of some big black shiny stallion. Or glowing white. Even some sort of deep chestnut."
Sleipnir looked down at his coat then back up, as affronted as a horse could be. "And?"
"Grey? Really?"
"Personal comments this early in the morning? Well for the daughter of the God of Mischief you are tiny." Sleipnir nodded towards Loki. "Missed out on the 'tall gene' did we?"
"Missed out on the 'normal number of legs gene'?"
The stallion wrinkled his nose, then nodded at Loki. "Yes, she can carry a good argument and is annoying enough to be a little sister. She'll do."
Evelyn looked confused. "Huh? What? Am I being rated or something?"
"Don't take it personally darling, you should have seen what he put your Dad through." Loki put his arm around Evie's shoulders and pulled her forwards towards his eldest child. "Sleipnir, play nice."
The giant horse looked down at the girl and leaned his head forward to brush her shoulder. "I have not been able to be an elder brother since Nari and Vali passed. Hello little sister."
Evie slowly lifted a hand to rest on his long grey neck. The stallion smelt of hay and grass, his coat feeling like any other horse under her fingers. It was only the wisdom and age in his eyes that betrayed him as what he really was.
"I've got a big brother…" The girl laughed softly. "Wow…"
Behind them Loki had taken a few steps back to give them their space and was now close enough to the bed for arms to suddenly wrap around his waist.
"See?" Tony sounded drowsy as he rested his chin on the God's shoulder. "Big brothers can be a good thing."
"Have you met mine?" Loki rested his hands on Tony's where they sat on his stomach. He smiled as Evie hugged Sleipnir around the neck and the horse nuzzled against her shoulder affectionately.
"You've got an awesome brother."
"Hmm, you didn't have to grow up with him."
Tony laughed sleepily. "True. Very true." He pressed a kiss against Loki's neck. "Sorry, I'm going to have to sleep a bit more; I'm knackered. Two Bifrost trips in one day didn't really suit me."
"I can tell." The trickster said gently. "Rest some more, I will inform the others where you are."
"Thanks, Cupcake."
"Call me that again and I will turn all of your suits to…oh what are those things called…? Jelly babies. I will turn your suits to jelly babies."
"…Fair enough."
Tony snuggled back under the covers as Evie and Sleipnir said their good byes and the horse trotted back off into the field to do whatever it was he did all day – Tony would have to ask him at some point; what did an eight legged do with his time? He resurfaced just enough to give his daughter a good-morning hug, then sleepily waved them on their way. The growl from his stomach let him know that at some point he would have to get up and find some food too, but sleep seemed a much bigger priority right now.
He'd have breakfast later.
Or lunch.
Mmmm lunch….
MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW
"This is most likely going to be an awkward experience." Loki said, as he led the way towards the feasting hall. "No-one has seen me since my return, and I cannot say that they will be delighted to do so."
"Yeah, I figured that much." Evie subconsciously chewed on her lower lip. "Are we talking some nasty glares, insults, or will we be dodging rotten fruit?"
"I imagine an extremely tense silence, which Thor will then try to break with some jovial comment."
"I can cope with nasty silences and evil glares. I grew up trying to keep my photo out of celebrity magazines."
Loki stopped for a moment, looking down at his daughter. "This may not be the best of ideas. I am used to derision; I do not want to put you through Asgard's scorn as well."
"Pfft. Are you kidding?" For a moment the girl looked like a mini version of her father – albeit with long hair that she tossed back over her shoulders with a haughty sniff. "I can flounce like an over-grown turkey when needs be. I don't care if I'm a half-breed or whatever you guys call it. I'm a Stark. I'm better than the lot of them and I'll let them know it if needs be."
The trickster had to laugh at that, despite his misgivings. "You have certainly inherited your father's supreme overconfidence, little bird." He observed the familiar lift to her chin and the stubborn gleam that had lit in her eyes – usually things he saw in a mirror. "Mine too, perhaps."
"Never a bad thing. I'm quick with insults too."
"Hmm, I would advise against that; I have landed myself in hot water one too many times to lash out so readily now."
Evie stuck her hands on her hips. "Am I allowed to have any fun?" Her big smile belied the joke and if nothing else convinced Loki that she truly didn't mind facing down the curiosity and animosity of Asgard's lords and ladies.
"We will see."
They had reached one of the many entrances to the large hall and Loki paused before it. He knew there were likely to only be a few score of people there; somewhere around the hundred mark. It was the place for the wealthy and the warriors of Asgard to dine – if they so wished – for the main meals of the day, sometimes joined by members of the royal family. Usually most people ate at home with their respective families, but it made it easier for those without family or wishing to escape an over-bearing spouse to dine with friends instead.
How many times had Loki eaten in there?
It didn't seem so long ago that he and Thor had been sat there discussing the coronation which had never occurred.
"Móhðy?"
Loki was drawn out of the memories by a hand slipping into his.
"Hey, it'll be fine." Evie smiled up at him; big and bright and innocent – everything Loki felt that he could never be again. "We waltz in there, glare them down when they start with the high-school whispering and if it all goes to hell you can turn blue and ice them all."
She looked so earnest at that moment that Loki had to pull her into a tight hug, resting his cheek against the top of her head.
"I don't deserve you, my dear." He whispered into her hair. It was a hard thing to respond to, so Evie simply hugged him tighter in answer. "Alright. Shall we do this?"
"Yeah, let's kick snobby butt!" The girl pulled back and grinned up at him. "You ready?"
"I believe I am." Loki turned back to the door and – with a deep breath – pushed it open.
They didn't hold hands – Loki wasn't the type, and Evie considered herself far too old – but the trickster compromised with resting a hand on his daughter's shoulder.
He had been right about the number of people in the hall – not too many, but more than enough – and was also right about the reaction they were sure to get. For a brief few moments there was no noticeable difference in the noise level, before conversations slowly began to taper off. The silence that began to grow was oxymoronically deafening.
Loki was, sadly, used to this and although he could feel the heat of everyone's stares he simply looked straight ahead, not even really focussing on anything. Beside him Evie was looking around with unabashed curiosity – seemingly unfazed by the attention they were drawing.
"Brother, niece, join us!" Thor's loud voice was exactly what Loki had predicted, but for once he was actually glad for the blonde's obnoxiousness. Thor was standing the table they had always sat at, with both the group of humans, and his own Aesir friends. He waved as if the trickster could possibly have missed him.
The sound seemed to break whatever spell had fallen and mutters took up on all sides of the hall. Thor was certainly not oblivious to it, and in reaction was almost over enthusiastic in greeting his family members, practically dragging Loki over to the two spare seats in the middle of the group.
"Where is Tony? Does he not wish to break his fast?"
"He was tired after the Bifrost trip. I said I would bring him something back." Loki guided Evie to the central seat on the bench so that she would be safely sandwiched between himself and Thor before sitting down with Hogun on his right.
"And you, my dear niece? How is Asgard?"
"Haven't seen much yet. Way too happy to have my Móhðy back to be honest." Evie looked at the food spread out infront of them. "Uh…What is this stuff?"
Whilst Thor and Clint tried to explain the various foods Loki sat back and cast his gaze across the rest of the hall. There were equal measures between people glaring in pure hatred and those who had seen Thor's display of affection and decided not to be so open in their animosity. Loki knew all of the faces – could tell who would be problematic and who would fall into place once it was made clear that his family would not accept him being treated anything less than the prince he still was. The problematic ones…well, he could deal with them. Most wouldn't escalate beyond snide comments and harsh rumours. Any who would dare to be more openly hostile towards him or his daughter would face the wrath of the royal family. Namely, Prince Thor in a terrible temper.
Asgard had had far too long to get used to the idea that they could say what they liked about the youngest prince without repercussions. They would get a nasty shock when they failed to take Thor's new attitude into account.
And if anyone dared to say a thing about Evelyn…
Well, Loki was always considered the creative sibling.
"Do you not eat any more?"
The trickster was brought out of his reverie by Hogun's voice.
"Pardon?"
"It may have been a few years, but I would have thought you still need to eat. You cannot have changed that much." The warrior pushed a plate of honey cakes towards him. They had always been Loki's favoured breakfast food and the trickster met Hogun's gaze for a moment before slowly reaching out to take one.
"Why would you care?"
"I do not. But Thor does." And that was that. Hogun turned back to his own food, discussion over.
Loki nodded slightly to himself. That was pretty much what he would have expected from the stoic warrior. Hogun had stated precisely where he stood and nothing more or less. He hadn't changed much over the years.
The other three were sat too far away from him to communicate, but their glares spoke volumes about how they were feeling. They were going to have words at a later date. And by the looks of it they would want Loki alone when they did so. Them and everyone else in Asgard.
That was fine. He could work with that.
Just not now.
MWMWMWMWMWMMWMWMWMMWMWMWMWMW
Tony was woken up by a deep pain in his back and the over-whelming feeling of nausea. He groaned and rolled carefully onto his side, trying to remember if he had been drinking or not.
No, of course not. He was on Asgard; had brought Evie there. Of course he wasn't hungover.
The man sat up slowly, only to be hit with a wave of dizziness and for the pain in his back to flare like a warning signal. What the hell did he do yesterday? Break his spine? Sitting up hadn't helped and if anything he now felt worse. His breathing was short and the pain was centralising in his chest which…
Oh hell!
Realisation was like a bucket of icy water upended over his head. He knew these symptoms; Bruce had practically forced him at knife point to learn them incase this happened. Chest pain, nausea, short breath…
"Crap…" Tony half rolled and half fell off the bed, wondering desperately where his phone had gone. All he had to do was wake Jarvis up and the AI could take over the arc reactor and use it as a defibrillator. Or pacemaker. The man was unclear as to which was actually needed, but Jarvis would know and right now if he didn't get help of some form he would be in serious trouble.
The whole situation was surreal as he dragged himself across the floor to where he had thrown his stuff the night before. Why the hell hadn't he turned his phone back on after the Bifrost journeys? Why hadn't he foreseen this and had Jarvis awake?
It was terribly reminiscent of that time Obi had ripped the reactor out of his chest and left him to die. Although this time Dummy wasn't on hand and no-one else knew he needed help. Why hadn't he left Jarvis on?!
The pain was growing intense and the man's hands shook as he tried to open the zips on his bag so much so that he could barely move the fastenings. His sight was blurring.
Where is it…?
He couldn't do it. Tony collapsed onto his side, wheezing as his hand flopped helplessly inside the bag, still desperately trying to grasp for the phone. Great. Just great. He was going to die on the bedroom floor all because he'd forgotten to turn his mobile back on.
Brilliant.
And it hurt.
His vision was beginning to black in.
"Tony!"
There were hands cupping his cheeks, tipping his head back so that his airway was clear.
"Tony, what is happening?!"
That sounded like Loki. Shit, he was going to be pissed. He didn't know about the heart thing yet. Yeaaahhh….Tony should probably have mentioned it at some point by now…
"Here, don't worry, Móhðy, I've got his mobile."
Evie?
Oh no! Nonononono…He was not going to die infront of his daughter! She sounded so calm! No fourteen year old should have to sound so matter-of-fact when faced with their father having a heart attack.
Tony could hear them both talking; Loki asking frantic questions and Evie trying to keep him calm. Someone was manoeuvring him so that he wasn't lying on the floor, propping him up to sit against the wall with his knees bent up. And then;
"Don't worry, Miss Evelyn, I have it under control now."
Jarvis.
Tony had a brief and beautiful moment of relief before darkness swallowed him.
MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW
Heimdall frowned as his gaze tracked the ships progress.
There were only a dozen of them; the majority had been destroyed by the nuke Ironman had shot at the planet, but they were still more numerous than could be desired. They didn't seem to be aware of where Asgard was yet though; since their path was random and erratic, but they were steadily drawing closer as they ruled out other options.
The Watcher stepped down from the podium. It was time to inform people.
MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW
"Am I in the infirmary?"
It wasn't the most inspired thing to say, but was quite observant all things considered.
"Yes. The same room I was in, infact." It was Loki's voice, but there was a sharp edge to it that could be considered quite angry.
Tony opened his eyes to squint at the God sitting at his bedside. Yep, Loki looked pissed.
"Okay. I've got two questions: What happened, and why do you look like I'll be heading for another window in the near future?"
Loki glanced at him, disdainfully, then looked away. He was sat in the chair that Tony himself used to occupy when it was the God lying injured in bed.
"What happened was that you had a heart attack. The double trip to Earth and back was too much for you." The trickster's voice was flat, almost entirely unemotional. "As for why I wish to defenestrate you again; you seemed to have entirely failed to mention that you have a heart condition."
"I…Well, yeah, it's not like the subject ever came up." Tony went for defensive and knew it had been a bad move when Loki shot him an acidic glare. "What? I was rather more concerned with your health at the time!"
"You could have told me! Dr Banner had to fill me in on what had happened and what the repercussions are!"
That made his hackles subside a little. "You…know, then?"
"Know what? That you sustained huge injuries in a foolhardy mission? That you have been having to monitor your living for the past five years? That…" Loki turned away, his voice breaking despite his angry tone. "That you have only a handful of years left? Yes, I know." He breathed deeply, staving off further anger. "I thought we would have decades together, Tony. After all of this, I thought we would have a life together. You could have told me!"
"And what would you have done if I had?" The man demanded. He half sat up, pleased when there was no corresponding pain. Jarvis had done a good job, all things considered. "What, exactly, would you have done if I'd just casually thrown it into conversation?" He waved a hand around. "Guess what? At best I've got five years to live! Ta daaa!"
"I wouldn't have had to find out via you having a massive heart attack!"
Tony flopped back down against the pillows. "Well I'm sorry! I guess I've just had a bit too long to get used to the idea of my own mortality!"
"Well I haven't!" Loki stood up abruptly. His fists were clenched by his sides and although he didn't look down at the man, his profile was angry. "You need to rest; the healers can not fix the existing damage, but they concur that your machine has stabilized you for now. Sleep. Evie will want to see you later."
"Hey, wait, what?" Tony tried to struggle upright again, only to freeze when Loki pinned him with such a furious glare that he was actually somewhat frightened. "You're leaving?"
"You need to rest." The trickster replied icily.
"Yeah, but…aren't you going to stay here…?"
"No. I have other things to be doing."
Loki didn't even give him a chance to say anything in protest. He was far too full of anger and hurt to even contemplate having a reasonable conversation with his partner about this. Instead he simply turned on his heel and left the room, leaving Tony calling out behind him. It was still too strange and too intimidating to walk through the halls of the palace, so instead he dematerialised and appeared straight infront of the door to his room.
A handful of years.
That's all they had left. The Norns had to be laughing at that! Those three twisted spinners of fate. They had known this was all going to happen. They had allowed Loki to be pulled out of that living hell because they were well aware he wouldn't be happy for long.
All the power of a God and it was useless against this.
He had always been able to heal himself – it was an instinctive thing – and had made an effort to learn to help with wounds sustained in battle since Thor and his friends were so foolhardy. In normal situations Loki should have been able to fix injured muscle without a thought. After all, Tony's problem was, in simplistic terms, merely damaged muscle tissue. Technically simple.
Oh, but was anything about that man ever simple?!
That bloody arc reactor! A medical problem that even Loki with only a basic knowledge of medical magic could have solved and the arc reactor would foil the whole idea. Even for someone like Eir, the injury was impossible to heal. Tony probably had no idea, or maybe pretended that it wasn't the case, but his reactor was everything.
It imbued him, blue light that had spread through his body with or without his realising it. Maybe he had known once – after all it had been poisoning him – but perhaps he had simply assumed that once the poison was dealt with he would be clear of the influence. Not the case.
Just because it wasn't having any adverse effects any more didn't mean that the reactor wasn't still sending its products through his veins. Loki had realised that the first time he had spoken with the man and had attempted to take him under his thrall. Tony was – rather unfortunately – somewhat impervious to magic.
It had never exactly been a problem before.
"Curse you...". Loki rested his forehead against the door next to his closed fist. The Norns were most certainly cackling as they slowly but inevitably lifted the thread of Tony's life to the shears.
"My prince?"
Loki almost visibly jumped, pulling away from the wood he had been leaning against. The voice was familiar, but the title and tone of respect were so unusual that the trickster had to turn to identify who had disturbed him.
"Heimdall..." His voice sounded broken and he was surprised to reach up and feel tears on his cheeks. Blinking hard Loki quickly scrubbed the shameful moisture away and cleared his throat. "Yes? What is it?" The imperious tilt of his head didn't have the same effect it once did.
For someone who had famously never liked the trickster, Heimdall looked curiously sympathetic. Loki managed a more convincing sneer this time.
"I do not want your pity, Heimdall."
"Call it empathy then.". The watcher said stoically.
"Is that any better?"
"I saw what is happening to your lover. I may be able to offer a suggestion."
"The Golden Apples of Idunn? Believe me, Heimdall, I've already considered them and they are not an option." Loki turned away again, only for the watcher's voice to draw him back.
"Not the Apples. I am well aware that they will grant immortality to a mortal, but they can not heal fatal injury "
"What then?"
Heimdall folded his arms, surveying the young royal critically. "All in good time, my prince. There are other matters to attend to first. The chitauri are coming."
That caused Loki to scowl, although not at Heimdall. "I am aware that they have been searching for me." He glanced up at the stoic guardian. "How long until they reach Asgard?"
"A few days yet. They haven't located us yet, but when they do they can get here almost instantly." Heimdall observed how Loki had to visibly hold himself together at that news. "Do you have a plan?"
"I...yes. Yes, I believe so. I will require some information from Tony to finalize things, but...yes.". He bit his bottom lip, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around his waist in a futile attempt at comfort. "Now, how can I save Tony? What have you thought of that I have not?"
Heimdall smiled grimly. "Let us all deal with the chitauri first, then you can concentrate on your human. Also, bear in mind that I cannot promise it will work, but it has a better chance than the Apples."
"I am listening."
Heimdall explained his thoughts and Loki tried to think ahead and see if the watcher was correct.
Maybe, maybe, there was a slim chance after all.
Once he dealt with the chitauri, of course.
MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW
There was a tower in the palace that was far taller than all the others. A pinnacle that sparkled gold in the sun and silver in the moon. From the top it was possible to see the whole city and the edge of the Bifrost beyond.
It was a curious place to find the king of the Gods, especially in the dead of night. And even curiouser to see that he wasn't the first up there.
"I remember the first time you came up here: you almost fell off."
"I was a child."
"Yes, one told specifically not to climb the towers."
Loki smiled slightly, hugging his arms around his knees - even in the summer is was cold so high up. "When have I ever done what I was told?"
"True."
"Heimdall told me we have but a few days before the chitauri arrive."
Odin sat down beside his son, following Loki's gaze out to the observatory. "I am aware."
"Father, I..."
"You'll receive the full might of Asgard's army to fight them off."
"No..." Loki was pale, more so than usual, as he stared at the Bifrost. "No. Father, I request the right of Holmgang."
He could feel the weight of Odin's stare.
"Loki-"
"It is my right. I deserve my vengeance. After all," He shrugged slightly. "I only managed to kill one of the wretched creatures during my time with them."
"I do not deny that it is your right, but I fear you are not in your right mind to be making this decision at this moment."
"Why would I not be?"
Odin sighed at the angry tone of voice. "I know what happened today. I know your lover has little time left to live."
Loki shrugged slightly. "He is a mortal. It is inevitable that he will die. I just didn't think that it would be so soon." He glanced at Odin out of the corner of his eye. "Heimdall gave me an idea that may, and I stress may work. But he was right in saying that it is hardly my priority now. I need to rid myself of the chitauri first."
"And you are not rational enough to make decisions about the coming fight in this moment."
"No, I guess not." The trickster laughed bitterly. "But I will not be in any better state of mind any time soon." He ran a shaking hand through his hair. "I will be the first to admit that I am barely holding myself together at the moment. I still cannot close my eyes without believing that I am back in that place. Nights are the worst, but even during the day a word, a sound, a smell and I am back there all over again. I can barely get through a day, and now I find that the one person who is holding me together is dying. I am furious with Tony for not telling me sooner; for making me find out this way. And I am terrified of losing him. He has spent all these years devoting everything to saving me whilst having to raise our daughter at the same time, and now I am not even certain that I can save him in turn. And if I cannot then…I am no fit parent to Evelyn. You should have seen when we found Tony; I could do nothing more than panic, whilst she just…just dealt with it. No child should have to be that calm in such a situation. I will not be a fit parent for her."
"Sleipnir would disagree. Odin said softly.
"When I raised Sleipnir I was not broken." Loki stated firmly. "And if I ever want to piece myself back together I need to confront those that did this to me. On my terms and in my own way."
To his credit, Odin didn't launch into the whole 'you aren't broken' spiel that Loki was expecting. Instead he cast his son a shrewd glance then looked back out at the observatory again. "You know that your mother and I are very proud of you, do you not?"
Loki shrugged slightly. "It is not your approval that I need to earn this time: It is my own. I want to be able to look at myself in a mirror and meet my own gaze. I want to feel strong again." He raised a hand, twisted his fingers and smiled as a small flame curled around them. "So I request the right of Holmgang. No help, no back-up, certainly no Thor with that damned hammer. I will do this myself."
"That weapon your human set off failed to kill the ones on the ships circling the planet; there will be a considerable number of them when they arrive here."
"I know." The trickster turned his head slightly and grinned at his father. "That will simply make it all the more impressive when I dispose of each and every one of them."
Odin chuckled, shaking his head. "I fear that anything I say to divert you from this will fall on deaf ears."
"Of course."
"Do you have a plan?"
Loki snorted. "I always have a plan. Not necessarily a good one, but hopefully it will do. It may involve some brute force."
"Well, that will make your brother happy." Odin leant over to grip his son's shoulder, a familiar fatherly gesture. "And if you fall in the battle? Who will take your place?"
"I severely doubt you will be able to stop Thor from doing so."
"It will be difficult enough to stop him from helping you deal with the chitauri anyway."
"Holmgang is law. No one may interfere until I either win or die. He will have to be reminded of that."
"I will have to remind myself of it too." Odin smiled slightly as Loki glanced at him, trying to gauge his expression. "Now, I believe you need to speak with your mortal. Things need to be put in place before the chitauri arrive."
The trickster sighed heavily but nodded. "He will not be happy to see me."
At that Odin laughed. "I doubt there will ever be a time when that young man is not happy to see you, Loki."
That gained a small smile, but a genuine one. "I can only hope so."
MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMW
The Other carefully scanned the unfinished charts infront of him. They had been mapping out the territory of Yggdrasil as they went along, and finally six of the nine realms had been scouted.
That left three. One of which would be Asgard.
The rest of the nine were pleasing though, and the Other kept them in mind for future endeavours.
Thanos might well be interested in new spoils…
MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWM
Happy 2014 everyone, hope it's a good one!