- Chapter 32 -

With a little loving squeeze of Tony's hand, Loki let him go. The smoothie was grabbed from where Tony left it. Her seidr uncurled to compose a Dearth of Heat Spell. Releasing it into the glass flash froze the smoothie instantly. Her seidr curled back into her core leaving a slight ache, then Loki pointed to the silverware drawer. "Get me a spoon, Love."

A spoon was quickly retrieved for her. Tony waited until she had a few bites of frozen smoothie. "So that's what happened with each time? And what Frey did?" he asked.

"Yes. Are those good enough reasons to not be angry with Uncle Frey?" Loki nodded and took another bite. There were more reasons. She'd pull them out if she needed to.

"Those are reasons for me to never be angry with Frey again," Tony conceded. His thoughts drifted to what Loki had been dancing around him about. He knew what she wanted to do. It was a big favor for Frey, but probably not as big a loss as he originally thought it was. It's not really like I'd be losing anything by saying yes. Frey already takes care of my little treasures, this one as well. When she asks, I should probably say yes. If she ever asks. I'll talk to Rhodey about it. Tony jerked his thoughts back into the current argument and why it was happening. A frown crossed his face, and he pursed his lips. "That doesn't mean I'm not upset with you." He leveled a very serious look her way. "There are things you haven't told me. Everything we've gone through, the dark days we survived and you're still hiding things from me? I'm not ok with this Loki. I'm not ok with this at all!" He leaned back against the counter again. "I want the truth, all of it. Not what you think I can handle, not what you think will keep Goldilocks alive, not the bits and pieces you've given Frey. I want it all. I want it now." What he wanted was for her secrets to stop blowing up in his face.

.-.-.-.

"Uncle Frey, what are these 'dark days ', they speak of?" Thor asked. They sounded like something serious that involved Loki. He wanted to know right away.

Frey considered a moment before he spoke. "I don't know." He knew that Loki wouldn't want it mentioned. He knew very well that she didn't want anyone to know. She didn't want him to know, and that hurt most of all.

Frigga turned to look at Frey. He knew far more than he was saying. She could see that in the set of his face. He was hiding. "You know something," she said quietly. It scared her to know there was more that he knew that she didn't. What had already been revealed was awful enough. Whatever dark thing it was, it was also something that she needed to know. This moment wasn't the time for it, and she could see that he wasn't going to give her the answers she wanted. Once this was done then Frigga was going to keep after him about it until he relented and told her everything he knew. She would find a way to get the answers from him no matter what else was happening around them. Assisting Loki to heal from these wounds couldn't happen if she didn't know where all the wounds were.

Frey kept his expression calm. It hurt him to see the wary mistrust in his beloved sister's eyes. His seidr pulled in tightly again, sending the ache spiraling through his chest again. "I wish I knew. They refuse to speak of them. I've asked Loki, I've pressed for answers. To this day, I've received none. All I've surmised is that it was some sort of harrowing trial at the beginning of their relationship, something that threatened to tear them apart. I believe it ended just before Edward was born. They survived whatever it was, and have been inseparable since," Frey answered quietly. There is also that Loki was stricken with the incurable and Anthony's terrible rage more than likely stems from whatever healing was conducted during that time. There was no need to mention those. There were far too many questions that it might bring. Ones that he didn't have answers to yet. Chief among those questions was how a healing could leave such damage in its wake. How he and Anthony first met was something else he didn't want to mention, it would only serve to upset his beloved sister more. He worried that she might find out anyway. Frey sighed as he realized that they were probably going to be shown the same things he was shown. They would know. They would all know. Frey only allowed himself a small grimace after his beloved sister turned back around.

"Edward?" Pepper spoke without thinking as she turned around to look at King Frey. Tony hates that name, why would he name his child that?

"My first grandson. Loki and Anthony's firstborn son," Frey said and immediately cursed his slip of the tongue. It was so instinctive to think of them as his grandchildren. That's what they were in his thoughts and in his heart. He didn't miss the barely perceptible flinch from his beloved sister though. He clamped down tightly on his seidr again. He preferred its deep ache to her catching wind of what he was feeling. I need some ale. Maybe five barrels, or probably more...

.-.-.-.

Tensing slightly, Loki felt their bargain activate again. The seidr in her blood produced a powerful urge to tell him what he wanted to know. She could ignore it, but the urge would grow swiftly more powerful the longer it was ignored. It was the alarming speed it happened with that always caused her to act quickly. Having the urge simply overwhelm her would lead to her telling him everything. It only ever happened once. That couldn't be allowed to happen again. It was with careful use of phrasing and overly broad statements that she was able to talk around him while still obeying the terms of their bargain. Much of it was made possible by his ignorance in many things. If he didn't know there was something to ask about, then he couldn't ask for the truth. Unfortunately, his natural abilities made it necessary to educate him. That education made keeping her secrets very hard for Loki. She took another bite of the frozen smoothie, rolling the diced strawberry around on her tongue savoring the sweet flavor. Strawberries are the best. She was about to speak when she decided to take another bite.

.-.-.-.

Skuld's harsh song began to play overtop of the file's audio, reminding them again of their guilt, of their sickness in wanting to blame others. You are guilty, whispered out through the lyrics.

The mortals, Sif and the Warriors Three stood and looked for the tell-tale shimmer. Odin stayed seated, saw that Frigga and Frey did as well. He was pleased to see that Thor kept to his seat also, only looking around. It was nice to see the boy acting with some wisdom.

Frigga glanced quickly over to Thor to see if Skuld was re-entering the room near him. She didn't want Skuld anywhere near her children.

"The music is from the file. The file was intercepted with this track laid over it," the young corporal said. When he was decrypting the file he thought it was odd that the music track was there. The same track was in a few of the files at the end as well. He thought those were odd also. It wasn't odd anymore. The elder aunt was generous enough to put markers by the mistakes you've made. She led you to your guilt, emmika, now pay attention. A soft snickering followed that thought. He could hear her snickering through the markings under his skin. I do understand that you are honorable and would never find their suffering amusing, ma'am, McCorrmick thought respectfully.

In the seeing of this is their punishment, Skuld reminded him.

There was a tinge of what felt like genuine amusement in her thought that disturbed him. It wasn't what he was expecting. May I ask what Agent Barton is guilty of? Please forgive me, but I don't understand, he asked her in return. The young man disliked that she didn't answer him. In his quiet space he berated himself. Of course, she isn't going to just hand you the clue, you widget. This is a test. You have to find it.

"This is it. This is what we're here for," Thor said.

Show us, whispered out through the lyrics as the singer angrily came at the listener; accusing the listener of lording over the only way out while the singer was unprepared. Singer and listener had no other way now but what the file held.

Very clever Skuld. Odin listened to the lyrics of the song. The Norn's message was clear. This was what they'd been called to witness. He hoped he might be able to discern what justice was being sought, what it was that she thought they owed.

.-.-.-.

"It's fine," Loki shrugged. She tapped the spoon against her lips, thinking. "It was Amma that changed things. It took her ten years of arguing with me to do it. 'If you continue on as you have been you'll waste everything you've learned, all the training you've done, all of our time together.' In the end, it was that last argument that moved me. I knew that I couldn't be selfish and waste the time they gave me."

Before she continued Loki took another bite. The urge to speak was lessening as she continued speaking. "So, I did it. I left Asgard. I took only my mage's journal and the clothes I was wearing. I didn't know where to go at first. Then I remembered the bargain I'd made with Frey. I went to him and told him that I was leaving. He asked if I was running. I told him I was. I was so very nervous." Loki nodded, munching on another bit of strawberry. The glass was almost empty. "Frey told me that I could stay with him while he found someplace for me to go. He walked with me to my room, gave me a hug and told me we would speak in the morning. I left before the sun rose to places even Frey knows not."

.-.-.-.

This had Frey's utmost attention. When Loki came to him, it took him most of that day to arrange accommodations for his dear nephew at a monastery out in the high plains of Gylnegress. The monks at that monastery kept an impressive library and agreed to take on Loki without question. When he went to get the boy the next morning the room was empty. There was no sign that Loki was ever there. Frey never found out what happened. Loki would never tell him.

As Odin looked to Frigga she looked to her husband. Both shared a look of disbelief. Frigga thought that there couldn't be a worse pain than knowing how miserable Loki was, knowing what that misery drove her boy to do. Somehow, she was wrong. My beautiful boy, he ran from us, from me. Frigga was beginning to feel sick. Her seidr quickly unraveled to spin into a Regenerative Weave. It released into her smoothly, wiping away the gurgling sickness brewing in her middle before raveling back into her core. She couldn't imagine how far away she'd pushed her son that he would run from her. It wasn't something she wanted to imagine either. Having it displayed so bluntly was worse than anything she could've imagined.

The mask of stoicism Odin usually wore fell quickly back in place. It hid his anger and shame, his bitter disappointment. He wanted to meet the woman who called herself Amma. He was certainly interested in what things she taught Loki. However, he was terribly angry with her for usurping the title of Amma, and more so for convincing his son to run from him. He wanted to be angry at Frey for offering to assist Loki in leaving. He wanted it badly and was almost angry that he couldn't be angry at Frey. There was a grudging gratitude that Frey had taken care of his boy when he hadn't. At least Loki had someone. And Frey is family. He is family. That was a hard and disappointing thought. Odin was so disappointed in himself. He spent thousands of years trying not to be like his father. In the end, it seemed that he was just as cruel and distant to his youngest son as Borr was to him. It was no wonder that this woman was able to convince Loki to run from him. When this is done, I will find you, son, and I will make this right. Somehow, I will do this. I promise you. You and I will make things right again.

.-.-.-.

"You left before he could help you? Why go in the first place?" Tony asked.

When Loki finished off the smoothie Tony took the empty glass and spoon from her to put them in the kitchen sink. Loki tilted her head to the side, thinking for a moment before she looked back at him. "I didn't leave, so much as I was taken from Frey's palace."

"Taken? By who?" Tony wondered if there were others who he needed to prepare for. Who else do I need to hunt, to burn?

"It's not a who, so much as a what," Loki stalled. He isn't an Asgardian; he won't instantly call you a liar. You know that.

"Loki, you're stalling, stop that," Tony said, irritated. Her stalling was almost always guaranteed to irritate him. Suddenly he wondered if this was what his older brother felt when he stalled but instantly let go of the thought.

"It was Skuld Norndottir," Loki reached up and rubbed at her right temple. Oh, he's going to be so pleased by this. The sarcasm dripped silently from her thoughts.

.-.-.-.

What more he was about to discover worried Odin. What had already been revealed was awful, both his son's misery and his own failure to even discern it. There was more that he still didn't know. He was about to be shown. That was almost certain. "Loki has protected you from an Inquiry to Enlightenment," Frey said. What further madness would he find? It worried him not to have even the smallest idea of it.

"He's lying. He must be," Fandral said suddenly. He immediately regretted speaking when he saw Thor, Lord Odin and Lord Frey turn towards him with nothing but wrath in their eyes. Even Lady Frigga looked angry. All of them were about to speak. He flinched involuntarily in the face of that much powerful anger.

"She's not. Skuld attests to that," McCorrmick spoke quickly to hopefully cut them all off. At the same time, he paused the file and chose his words carefully again. "Everything you've seen is the honest truth. That they are the truth is why you're being shown these files. Unfortunately, sir, most of the main parties in this were deemed incapable." He gave the blond dandy a hard look before continuing. "The situation is perilous for everyone, but only a few have been trusted with it. Instead of appropriate handling, it was hidden. No one who Skuld had gathered here saw this danger developing. Now she's showing you." McCorrmick gave Fandral a harder look. "The only lies here are the ones you tell yourself." You are guilty, emmiki. Pay attention.

Leaping to his feet, Fandral all but yelled, "Incapable?! Are you calling me a coward? Shall we have a duel then?" No scrawny mortal was going to challenge his honor.

Looking down at his laptop, he shook his head slightly. "Dës emmiki(Stupid outsider.)," was whispered under his breath. It was with something approaching disinterest that McCorrmick looked back to the blond dandy with. Don't make me restrain you. I don't want to make an embarrassing display of it. "Proving which of us is better in a fight doesn't change that you refused to accept the facts. It won't make what's here any less true, and it won't make you any better of a man," he spoke slowly. He didn't react to King Frey's wolfish smirk at his comments when he noticed it.

Vëz emmik? Stupid outsider? I couldn't have heard that correctly. The boy's not Svartalfr. Thinking that he had heard it correctly caused Frey's smirk to grow wilder. Whatever their young Truthkeeper said it was casually dismissive without a hint of fear for what a fool like Fandral could do to a mortal. It was a beautifully unexpected piece of amusement that he was grateful for. The firm confidence of the beautiful lad next to him was engaging. Although he was curious about what the pretty boy might have said, he didn't question why he heard what he did. It was a stressful day. His mind was already drifting towards the dark eyes and moonlit skin that was still waiting for him in Darkfire. I'll have to wait until Loki, Anthony and the children are safe, then I'll go. Frey did and didn't want to give himself to the wickedest man of Darkfire. Unfortunately, even his grandchildren probably wouldn't be able to relieve his pain and tension over this event. Brotna Brandr would have to do it.

"Sit!" Odin's voice shook the room. He turned fully towards Fandral and wasn't pleased by the interruption nor Fandral's careless comments. Citrine seidr sparked in his eye as he looked over. He was growing tired of his son's companions.

The color drained from Fandral's face. "Yes, m'Lord." He'd never seen his Lord's ire aimed at him and didn't want it. He sat quickly and sunk down some into his chair. He glanced back to Thor and found no refuge. Thor was giving him a very hard look. Fandral suddenly wished he were still safe in his bed in Asgard, with a pretty tart and some ale. This wasn't a good place to be.

The corporal's words caught Director Fury's attention. "Danger from what? From Loki and his allies? What danger?" What can you tell me? Can you tell me anything?

"You have to see for yourself. That's why you're here, sir," the corporal replied politely to the Director. Because you didn't see it the first time it crossed in front of your face. Maybe a parrot carrying a sign would have helped. A calm smile stayed on his face as a host of one-eyed pirate jokes went through his head. I need to refocus. This is not helping. He could hear more low snickering from the unseen marks on his skin. The fresh dislike was stowed in his quiet space quickly.

"I don't need to know that Loki's probably crazy to know he's a threat!" Director Fury badly wanted to be out of there and planning a strike on the Malibu mansion. But is Loki still an enemy? The Director didn't like that the thought wouldn't leave him alone.

"Have a care in how you speak of my son, mortal," Odin said in warning.

"I care about the damage your son has already done. I care about the lives he's taken and what other things he's planning. That's what I care about," Director Fury wasn't going to be intimidated on his own ship. "Perhaps if you'd cared a bit more when Loki was a kid this wouldn't be a problem, but you didn't so now it is."

It was an honest assessment that McCorrmick wasn't sure he would be allowed to share. That it bolstered what his elder aunt said gave him hope. He opened his mouth and was pleasantly surprised. In an attempt to cut off the brewing fight he said, "Loki was never our enemy." No more than Skeletor ever was. No smirk accompanied the thought. That smirk would neither be professional nor understood. Only Agent Barton stood a chance of understanding.

"What?" Director Fury's attention went back to the young man. "Why do you say that?" God dammit. Once again, the only reason he was willing to entertain it was because of who it was coming from.

"You'll have to see that for yourself, sir. It's all very well laid out." McCorrmick turned to King Odin, "Sir, I understand that this is painful, but I need you to please remember to stay in your seat and keep a reasonable volume. Thank you." He unpaused the file again.

Still smirking, Frey leaned over to the young man and whispered, "Well done, boy." A dismissal for Fandral. A barely noticeable happy hum reverberated in him. A rebuke for Odin. Another tiny happy hum sounded. Both politely done! The boy took some mettle from his father. Glancing sideways at the pretty boy he thought, How lovely.

The comments and slight humming happiness amused McCorrmick. The younger King was mercurial as well as attractive. He smiled and thought, Maybe there's still hope for them, for everyone. Somewhere in the darkness he was witness to he wanted to believe that there was still a ray of hope. The only light currently visible in the future was a spark that would ignite a firestorm to would burn worlds.