Part 10
Frigga participates in an activity unbecoming of a Queen.
Frigga was in her rooms, but her magic-created double walked through the halls down to the dungeons. She neared Loki's cell, hoping today was the day they would make some progress.
As she neared it, she heard voices, so, curious, she neared them, not showing herself. She knew it was unbecoming of the wife of the King of one realm, the younger sister of another, and the adoptive mother of a third to eavesdrop, but she could not help it. Turning herself invisible, she neared Loki's cell.
He was not lazing around, reading a book and ignoring everything like he had been the previous times. Instead, he was on an armchair, a form of the same type as her own in front of him. She recognized the young woman, Astra Lilidottir (for with the Vanir the name of the most highly ranked parent was used in second names instead of simply the father's), she had matched Loki at a duel of magic when he had come along with her to Vanaheim years back. Frigga assumed the girl was Vanir, so, seeing her potential, and her obvious position as one of the nobility, offered to teach her. Two weeks later, when the trip ended, Astra had thanked her for the lessons, through which she had sped along at an unprecedented speed, and as she and Loki were leaving, Astra had a small ball if emerald crystal on the tip of her finger, and she had asked Loki, "do you recognize me now, silver tongue?"
He had gaped, and though he refused to tell her, one of the few times, she assumed it was because the girl was a Vanir friend of his he had been sneaking away to practice magic with, likely with the girl under a disguise so as to not be accused of impropriety. Frigga knew he had found a pathway to another realm and had been using it for many years to sneak away quite regularly.
Now she listened and watched the conversation.
Astra had seemingly just arrived, and told Loki, "And good morning to you too"
"It's not like I have windows here to tell morning from night." Loki snarked.
"Well excuse you. I wasn't the one caught by a group of muggles trying the stupidest plan there was. Have you at least gotten the possession's remnants out of your head?"
"Yes. I did that the first week."
"After you got tired of screaming in frustration and ranting about how you'll murder them all so gruesomely when you get out. You pretend you're so tough but you're a cinnamon bun inside. Anyways, progress is good. At least you won't have to go all Jotun while I fiendfyre-e the remnants of the Titan out of you."
"Remains? Please tell me no more genocide."
"Don't worry. Officially it's Rose Potter, Midgardian Mage who decimated Thanos and his army while they were conceivably all on a civilian and ally-free planet. Too bad the planet's ash now, but Nova Corps, the closest government there, can be forgetful and forgiving with the right influences."
"Good. The reconstruction?"
"Without the casket I can only do so much on my own, but two out of five wings are done. The recivilization is a work in progress but most of it can be delegated to a few competent lieutenants I found. I check up on them once in a while but they're making good work."
"The nine realms?"
"Nothing big or new that I heard about, I didn't bother bugging some of the higher offices, but nothing too big. Thor's on Midgard with the Avengers."
"And how are things there?"
"Well, my work is never done, but since so few even saw you, much less knew who you were, Loki is still a never before seen Asgardian there, the one that lead the alien attack on New York was just an imposter illusionist mutant who is officially recorded as dead, killed by the Avengers. Thor is, of course, well known, but nobody who has made the connection has spread it, if any made the connection. Oh, the super spy Director, Fury, he called Carol to Midgard. Turns out they're old acquaintances. Rose Potter made sure to heal and endebt then empower the Midgardian, Coulson. So no official casualties directly by your hand, and I made sure to covertly collect all the things not from midgard so that some foolish scientists did not warp it into weaponry Misgard is not ready for. Teddy is asking about you"
"Yes, how is Edward?"
"He managed to project his power so it was visible to all yesterday. I somehow got roped into a night with the Avengers, don't give me that look, your pride is just sore. They had a game where they all tried lifting Mjolnir off a table. Oh, and we calculated that even Stark's overly grand wallet would not be able to buy just the raw materials for Mjolnir. Turns out Thor does have a magical core, he glows yellow. Teddy's second magical maturity is in two days, and both he and I will be furious if you aren't there. That and the wedding's in three."
"Yes, well, there's a reason I'm still here."
She gave him a deadpan look. "You can't get out, can you? "
"So what do your plans say about me being here?"
"Barton, that archer, thinks that I'm you, so you're staying in here until Thor gets verification you're still in here. After that, you're out. Because really, I've given you four months, you truly couldn't bust out of here? I've gotten out of worse in less."
"Well, in case you forgot, I am not you."
"Yes, and you were too lazy to learn from Dumbledore when he gave me private training, so your loss at lack of wardbreaking skill."
"And here I thought respect was given to one's teachers."
"When those teachers stop sitting on their asses on Asgard while their students do a planet-wide clean-up, sure. Frigga's been standing outside eavesdropping the whole time, but I have to leave, so go silvertongue your way out of it." And she disappeared, leaving to wherever she was.
Loki turned around in his cell and looked straight towards where a copy of Frigga was standing, stock still and invisible. "Hello, mother."
"Loki?"
"Yes, mother?"
"Why did you never tell me you had a student? Plural, it sounds like."
"Mother, both of my two students were born and raised mostly on Midgard, yet both of them are magic-wielders far stronger than I was at their age, or even centuries past their age. The one I was speaking to, if I was informed properly, just sent a double here, from Midgard, evading Heimdall's sight. Neither of them are Asgardian, and even before I found out of my birthright, I was not fool enough to think Odin would allow me to continue teaching such powerful students without forcing them under his own jurisdiction"
"So who are these students of yours?"
"The one you met is Midgardian, but has ties to Vanaheim, both of my students do. You met her, named Astra Lilidottir. My other student is named Ruby Gailsdottir, but I doubt you have encountered her."
"So that is where you had been sneaking off to the past few decades." Frigga mused.
And Loki turned away from Frigga, continuing to read his book. He really hoped Frigga didn't notice he only managed to disguise it as one book, so it seemed like he was reading the same book over and over. At least he managed to read through half of the Black library in his four month hospitality in the Asgardian royal dungeons, amongst the other material he was obliged to read.
Back on Terra, Rose sighed. What was it with her father figures getting themselves stuck in prison for something they didn't do? Sirius, now Loki, hell, even James got himself an overnight stay at a muggle prison when he was 18 from what she had seen the stash of memories her mother had left behind.