Chapter 13 – Homecoming
DISCLAIMER: We do not own Marvel... unfortunately... xD
Author's Note: In which Thor returns to Asgard. :D
To Selina: I'm really glad that you're enjoying this fic, thus far! ^-^
To Wesa: Well, you're in luck, because here's the next chapter. Today. :P
~ Amina Gila
When Thor appears on the Rainbow Bridge with the Tesseract in hand, he's not at all surprised to see Heimdall there to greet him. "Welcome home, my prince," he says, tilting his head. "I know your brother remains on Midgard, but he is hidden from my sight. I have heard talk of him."
"He doesn't wish to come back," Thor answers bluntly. He suspects that the Gatekeeper already knows some of what happened to Loki, if not from his brother than from the Avengers who know a few of the details. He has, no doubt, been watching them.
There's something distinctly regretful in the golden eyes which look at him. "I expected as much," Heimdall answers. "Go. Your father has been waiting for you for a while. He has asked after you in your absence."
Thor nods, walking down the Rainbow Bridge towards the city. He could fly, but he doesn't want to. He feels almost guilty for not following his instructions. His father instructed him to bring Loki back, and he didn't. Of course, that was before they knew what had happened to Loki, but Thor can't help but feel that he failed. It's still the middle of the day, and Odin is sure to be in meetings with the councilors, so Thor finds himself wandering to his mother's gardens.
It was hard, so hard, to walk down the Rainbow Bridge knowing what happened to Loki when he fell into the Void. The things done to his brother fill him with a quiet, helpless rage, and he wants to do something, anything. He wants vengeance and may the Norns have mercy on Thanos when Thor finally finds him. The Titan will suffer for what he did to his brother, Thor swears it. He exhales harshly, letting the peacefulness in the garden wash over him. It's been a while since he was last here.
"I did not except to see you here, my son." Thor starts when his mother's voice breaks through his tumultuous thoughts, fingers clenching around the Tesseract. He can faintly feel Loki's energy when touching it, and he doesn't want to let it go, not just yet.
Frigga approaches him, a welcoming smile on her face. "And you found the Tesseract." Her bright blue eyes, so much like Thor's, are filled with relief, but he can also see her apprehension.
"Hello, Mother," Thor whispers, suddenly realizing just how much he's missed her. He puts the Tesseract down on the edge of a nearby fountain, so his mother can embrace him.
"How was your journey, Thor?" she questions, pulling back. "Where's your brother?" He knew it wouldn't take long for her to ask. She mourned fiercely after Loki fell into the Void, and she couldn't even bear to hear Loki's name for several months without breaking into sobs.
"Loki is… well, Mother," he reports, "But he has chosen to remain on Midgard." He can see the question in her gaze and knows that he might as well explain everything from the beginning. "He was not at fault for the attack on Midgard," Thor elaborates, sitting down on a nearby bench. Frigga joins him, her posture suddenly tense. "I managed to break through to him, and he told me that he encountered a mad Titan by the name of Thanos in the Void. He forced Loki to do his bidding with the Mind Stone."
Frigga has paled, and Thor is suddenly thankful that he didn't include any of the horrifying details which Loki had whispered to him or which have come out over the past couple months. "I know of him," she finally admits, "But I believed him long gone. I must speak to your father about this development."
"Wait…" Thor is hardly able to conceal the horror and disbelief rising up within him. "You know about Thanos and what his plans are?"
"And more," his mother acknowledges, still as pale as before. It makes Thor wonder if she knows the methods Thanos employs to break people. Norns, he hopes not. What happened to Loki isn't something he can even come to terms with fully after so long. He doesn't want his mother to suffer the same.
"There is a slight complication," Thor tells her, eyes falling on the Tesseract. "Loki has somehow bonded himself with the Space Stone, contained within the Tesseract. It didn't kill him, and he says he'll be alright, but it's… strange."
Frigga sucks in a breath, reaching for the Tesseract before Thor can even blink. She cradles it in her palms, and he knows that she can feel Loki's energy just as he could. "That's impossible," she whispers faintly. "For one as strong in seidr as your brother is, such a bond could well have killed him unless his own seidr is weakened or damaged…" Thor can see the exact moment that it fully sinks in that Loki was grievously harmed at some point after he fell. A look of pain and grief crosses Frigga's face, before it's replaced with fury.
"No one," she says in a low voice, words laced with a rage so potent that Thor is tempted to edge away from her. "No one harms a prince of Asgard!" She turns towards him, beckoning for him to join her. "Come with me," she instructs firmly. "I must relay this to your father at once, and you ought to give him your full report of the goings on, on Midgard."
Thor obediently follows her, and they walk together to the throne room where Odin undoubtedly is. Despite the meeting in progress, Frigga resolutely strides inside, Thor trailing meekly behind. A flash of surprise crosses Odin's face, but he holds up a hand to silence his councilors. "My king, I would speak with you," Frigga states calmly. "Thor has returned from Midgard with grave tidings."
Thor notices a hint of something like concern flicker through his father's eye, before he motions to the counselors to leave. They do, murmuring amongst themselves as they depart. "Thor, where is your brother?" queries his father the second the door closes. "You were supposed to return him to Asgard." It must be obvious from their expressions that Loki is still alive, and Thor winces imperceptibly at the scolding. He knew it was coming, but he doesn't regret disobeying. "It should not have taken you this much time to put an end to Loki's schemes."
Frigga steps forward. "Not Loki," she corrects. "Thanos. He found Loki in the Void, and the Norns only know what was done to him before his mind was broken by the Mind Stone." Her voice falters, and she pauses, taking a deep breath. "His seidr was damaged so badly that he could bind to the Tesseract without killing him."
Odin's face remains impassive, but Thor knows that he's not unaffected. "Thor, tell me what has transpired," his father instructs.
"When I first confronted Loki, he was behaving oddly, not like himself," Thor begins, getting right to the point. He doesn't need to go into extremely detail unless it proves to be necessary. "At one point, he asked – practically begged – me to knock him unconscious. I did, and when he awoke, he… explained." He doesn't say 'fell apart' because, even if it's true, that's something that doesn't need to be shared. If Loki wants them to know, he can tell them himself.
He inhales slowly, bolstering himself to continue. "He was captured by the mad Titan known as Thanos and forced to comply through the use of the Mind Stone. We stopped the Chitauri invasion, and when closing the portal, Loki somehow formed a bond with the Tesseract. We remained with the mortal warriors who helped us defend their realm. Loki wished to stay there, and I saw no reason to force him to return to Asgard against his wishes, especially with the millions of Chitauri out there, waiting for the chance to invade."
As he finishes speaking, silence greets him. His father seems pensive, and his mother seems even more horrified than before. "We must find Thanos," Frigga all but beseeches. "He must pay for his crimes, not only against Loki, but against the universe as a whole. As the protectors of the Nine Realms, we cannot let him succeed."
"He has had centuries since he supposed demise to collect allies," Odin says quietly. "It will not be an easy battle, nor one which we can win easily."
"Then we must fight to the last man," Thor offers hesitantly. "It would be better to die than stand aside and do nothing."
"We will not do nothing," his father states firmly, "But it will not be easy to muster the strength we need to combat him. Thanos has millions at his disposal. We are not that strong."
"Can we get allies from the other realms?" Thor queries. He shifts uncomfortably. It feels strange to be discussing this, discussing their weaknesses and inability to defeat a foe, one who is numerically superior. It wouldn't matter normally, but this is different. The universe is counting on them. He wonders, briefly, how his parents know of Thanos. Why would they have thought him dead? It's a thought he quickly brushes aside. It shouldn't really matter.
"For now, yes," Odin answers "The problem will arise if and when he obtains more Infinity Stones. With them, the odds will be against us."
"There is always another option…" Frigga murmurs thoughtfully. Thor frowns, because it's clear that she's referencing something, but he doesn't know what.
"No," his father all but snaps, "We will not be asking for outside help after what happened last time."
Thor's eyes narrow. "What do you mean by 'last time?'"
Odin gives Frigga a disapproving look, but she's not fazed. Finally, his eye flicks back to Thor. "Centuries ago, Thanos was causing disruptions in the Nine Realms," he explains. "You were but a child, you wouldn't remember. While we were still at war with Jotunheim, I sent forces to confront and stop Thanos. His planet was destroyed, and his people decimated. It was thought he died, but apparently, he did not."
Thor is fairly certain that a large part of the story is missing, but he simply nods, trusting that whatever it is isn't important enough for him to know. "Husband, we have one chance to stop Thanos. We must get allies wherever we can find them."
Odin purses his lips, looking between Frigga and Thor. "Leave us, my son," he says finally. "Your mother and I must discuss this."
Thor dips his head in a bow before leaving the room. Somehow, he has the feeling that his parents are going to be arguing about this, whatever exactly this is. He agrees that they need allies, but it's as if his mother is suggesting a particular person who his father doesn't wish to involve. If Loki were here, perhaps they could investigate, but since he's not, Thor wanders in the direction of his quarters. When a decision has been made, he'll be informed.
**w**
Helheim is probably the last world Hela would ever have chosen to reside on, but it's not as if Odin asked her where she wanted to go before casting her aside. She'd become uncontrollable, untamable, and therefore she ceased to mean anything to her so-called parents. It's quiet here; it always is actually, and there's nothing she can do here to entertain herself. Well, except for amusing herself with the souls of the dead.
Ever since childhood, Hela had been able to see ghosts and spirits, and later, she'd learned how to use her dark seidr to reanimate the dead bodies, giving them enough of a mind to fight on their own. But then, somehow, her power had sprouted and grown, manifesting itself as more than a simple manipulation of the dead and escorting souls of the departed. Instead, she's become a death bringer. She should hate herself for being a monster, she does to an extent, but she hates Odin even more for casting her aside in favor of his perfect golden son.
She regrets what happened on Titan, more than she could ever say. One moment, she and her Valkyrie army were holding off Thanos and his allies. The next, almost everyone – and everything – around her was dead, and her seidr was wilder than she'd ever before experienced. She's not even sure exactly what caused it. The air had felt… different in a way she couldn't quite express later. There was a power there which she now thinks had influenced her. Instead of trying to understand, Odin cast her aside, labeling her "dangerous."
Hela longs for the day when she'll be finally free from her prison and able to claim her birthright. The throne belongs to her; it always has, and if her younger brother insists on fighting her for it, then so be it. She'll destroy him and anyone who stands in her way. And then, once she's queen, she'll rip apart everything Odin has built and do it all over again as she wants it. The Nine Realms will be hers.