Mornings in Asgard were quiet and simple. A lifetime ago Loki would wake earlier than most to take a stroll through the serene corridors. This time offered room for contemplation and meditation with minimal intrusion. A goodnight's rest and a refreshed mind could bring resolutions to days past.
But this morning brought him an unrested body riddled with aches and crooks from sleeping on the cold floor. An unappreciated wakeup squawk from the hostage raven ended what little sleep he managed to steal, catching his mind off guard rendering it all but useless. He hoped slipping into past habits could right his mind in time for the kitchens to serve breakfast.
The faint smell of smoke still hung in the air in the streets of Asgard. Scents of burnt chemicals, plastics, and metal were familiar to a battle hardened warrior such as Loki, but those odors with undertones of his own soil were horrifically alien. The streets where clear of the blood and gore that surely had been there a day before. The dead safely whisked away. He wondered how many souls accompanied Frigga to the afterlife.
"You look troubled, my lord," a woman called from the tavern door. "Forgive me, but we are not so used to seeing our beloved Odinson in anything but a smile."
He wanted to tear into her. My mother is dead. My father is not my father and he hates me. I've lost three kingdoms, one of which I did not even know was mine. My real father is dead by my hand to appease the one that was not. I am a monster by birth and you expect me to dance about and be happy for your amusement! This is what Loki would have said, and at a high volume, spitting words down on the unfortunate woman. But Loki kept quiet and let Thor speak warmly, "Asgard is troubled, so I am troubled."
The woman spoke of the dead in clichéd words of comfort. Every word out of her mouth had been heard a thousand times by billions of other beings. You do not really care, Loki thought, you are merely speaking to ease your own mind. This is what you think you should say because it has been said to you. It lulls you into thinking I view you as an adequate person because you pretend to care for me. Your words will not bring anyone back, nor will they undo actions. 'You might want to take the stairs to the left.'
"What?" The woman had asked a question. "I'm sorry; could you repeat what you've just said? My mind was elsewhere."
"Would you care to break your fast with us this morning?"
"The tavern is open this early?"
"The tavern is not, but my table is open."
Did this woman seriously just ask the successor of the throne to dine with such common filth? Back in the castle kitchens he could have anything he wished, from artisan breads, exotic fruits, and even imported delicacies such as the Midgardian breakfast cereal with the little multicolored marshmallows he enjoyed so much. Loki was simply revolted, Thor graciously accepted her offer.
The family consisted of the mother and father and two young children. The foods were eggs and cooked meats. The décor was as not flashy, as expected, but clean and inviting. There are harsher Hels in this world, thought Loki. The longer he stayed the more he enjoyed himself. He shared old stories of conquests and battles, which were all true, although told from a different perspective. He even warmed to the food, which was expertly prepared and quite good though it sat heavy in his stomach. On his third helping he discovered the children took turns flapping his red cape to mimic wind. He took it off and told them about the Midgardian profession of a Matador, encouraging them to run into it. A worried look from the mother ceased this play, but not before doing it twice more each child. To repair his image he helped her with the washing, restoring the good mood in the house.
He stayed until the sight of Hugin told him he was wanted. He left, spewing promises to return, but not before receiving a kiss of the cheek. He remembered Frigga doing much the same thing to both her sons. It reminded him of who he really was and what he was really doing here. He wondered if they would offer the same hospitality once he donned a green cape.
The raven lead him to the king's private dining quarters. Odin sat at his table, his half-finished breakfast disregarded on a plate in front of him, while the Lady Sif stood dutifully on the other side. Upon his arrival he walked in on a conversation between Odin and Sif.
"…the Infinity Stone?" Loki did not catch the first half of Odin's question. He mimicked Sif's stature and waited for her response, hoping to catch a clue.
"It's been delivered, my Lord," Sif answered.
"And what of the other tasks I've assigned you?" Other tasks? What other tasks are you having her do?
"They shall be completed by the day's end." She made eye contact with Loki. There was distrust in her eye again.
Loki turned his eyes to Odin, "What is this I hear about an Infinity Stone? He have two here in Asgard, if I am not mistaken." I am not mistaken, and it is very much a problem if that information gets out. Especially since our defenses are nearly nonexistent right now. One could easily sneak in and…
"Never you mind. How did you sleep?"
"Like the dead, father," said Loki with a proud smile. An imperfectly timed yawn tried escaping him, but he turned it into a question. "What tasks do you have for me to complete this day?"
"I have just one very important task for you today." From the way Odin looked at him Loki thought he might have accidently shifted back into his own skin. It was sly and vindictive; a look, though familiar, was not often worn by the Allfather.
Much to his relief the voice which came from his throat was still that of his brother's. "I shall complete it to the best of my abilities, father. What is it?"
"As you must recall you recently committed acts of treason by escaping with two prisoners in an enemy ship. An enemy ship in which you did not control very well."
No he did not. "I admit not."
"I trust you are aware of the immense physical damage your actions resulted in."
Far more than there would be if that buffoon let me pilot it. "I assure you it was not done purposely."
"It appears a statue of my father Bor seems to be among the list of casualties."
You've just decapitated your grandfather. "It is truly unfortunate…"
"Broken into pieces it is, some large, others small. It may take the better part of a day to mend them together. You will assist in repairing said statue, along with a group of master craftsmen, of which I've personally selected." Odin then explained someone would come to collect him, giving a specific time and location.
"Would it not be better to commission these craftsmen to sculpt new statues?"
"Yes, of course. But I chose not to do that."
"I do not understand." Yes, please great one, tell me why you believe yours is a better idea.
"You have defied my commands quite publically. Regardless of how erroneous they may have been they were still orders from your king. The people of Asgard would not take kindly to a king that does not punish his son's wrongdoings, don't you agree?"
"You wish to humiliate me?"
"Consider it a tribute toy your fallen brother."
For once he and Odin were on the same page, but Loki was not too keen on serving Thor's sentence for him. He had a full blown argument to counter those words, but not one that Thor would give. His mind raced to find something more suitable for his brother's tongue.
This pause gave Sif a chance to speak. "My Lord?" He'd forgotten she was there, and from the look on Odin's face, he did too. Oh Sif, have you taken over my role of changing subjects to diffuse feuds between father and son? "May I ask what is to be done with the body?"
Body, what body? He looked to Odin to see a similar quizzical expression.
"Loki's body, my lord," Sif clarified. Oh right, my body.
"What do you expect me to do with it, Sif?"
"If there are no plans we would like to perform a small service for him, my lord."
Loki was shocked and questioned her without thinking. "Why?" he spat. "You never even cared for…" he paused. "…him."
"True, I disliked him greatly" she began, "but that does not mean I do not recognize his importance. He was a fierce warrior and I doubt any of us would be here were it not for his quick thinking. We once considered him a friend, and I do not forget that."
"Such fond words you have for your enemy, Sif." How nice of you to finally recognize my importance. Such a shame you could not admit it when I walked amongst you.
"I find it strange such words do not flow from your mouth, Thor."
"Enough!" Odin stood, and began to take his leave. "I'll allow you to organize a small ceremony, Sif, if that is what you wish. I however will not be in attendance. I have mourned him once already, who is to say we will not do so a third or fourth."
The heavy door closed behind him, leaving Sif and who she thought was Thor alone in the room. She asked if he wanted any involvement in the service, Loki declined. She then asked if he planned to attend, to which Loki answered negatively as well.
"Thor, you are allowed to feel sorrow over the loss of someone you considered your brother. Are you so sure you will not come?"
As curious as Loki was he thought it bad luck to attend one's own funeral. "There are many misdeeds in which I need to forgive him for before I can feel the gravity of his passing. I am not quite ready to say goodbye."
She seemed satisfied with this answer, giving a little nod of understanding.
Loki sighed as he ascended his umpteenth flight of stairs. No doubt Odin choose his retrieval destination solely on how far and difficult it was to travel. A quarter of the way in he settled into his more familiar form, crunching little twigs and leaves under his own boots.
His mind wandered to the Infinity Stones. He knew there were two on Asgard, The Tesseract and the Aether, which meant there were four more to collect before he could use them in the Infinity Gauntlet, which was also conveniently sitting in Odin's vault. Plots filled with dastardly deeds were brainstormed, but he was unsure of the end result. Even if he managed to find out where the others were he still had to leave Asgard to collect them. It opened him up for discovery by one of the many allies of Thanos.
A shudder went through him at the thought of Thanos. What a terrible person to get involved with. Why did I do it in the first place? He made a mental note to run him and his allies into the ground when he controlled the throne, which brought him back to his original problem.
"I am in need of an idiot to bounce ideas off of." Loki's footsteps' doubled in sound, first stepping in time then finding their own heavier rhythm. The Thunder God to his right beamed at him. "And what have you to say?"
"Put the stones to the back of your mind. Something is not right here and you are ignoring it."
"Asgard is in ruin, Thor. Perhaps I've made you a little too much of an idiot."
"You're using your magic carelessly. Are you not concerned about someone seeing you?"
"Ah, yes. You are right." He turned to the air to his left. "Excuse me, kind imaginary sir, would you do us a favor and not tell dear old Odin you've seen me here?" He paused for a moment then turned back to the illusion to his right. "Can you believe this invalid? He dares he blackmail a 'son of Odin'. I'll tell you what," turning back to his left, "how about I let you live and call it even? Yes? Lovely! Good news, brother! The pretend man has agreed not to…"
Aside from Loki and his illusion there were no guards. There were no guards patrolling the halls yesterday, allowing him to capture the ravens. He couldn't remember seeing any on his morning stroll either. Heimdall may be forced be on the lookout for nefarious forces coming in, but he could do little for the ones already here. I'll have to make a point of letting Odin know of this.
"Tell me brother," the illusion began, "why do you wish to aid Asgard in its recovery when it is your goal to break it down and rule it?"
"It is honorable to take down a fully healed, strong kingdom. It sends a message to the others who would try to conquer us. And as you well know I am not in peak condition. My wound still heals."
"But you waste your energy on reckless magic. Instead of parading yourself in my skin you could be resting and ready to conquer in a day's time."
"Talk to me about something else, I am bored with this subject."
Loki had arrived at his destination, one of the old training grounds not in use anymore. Unlike the one near the castle doors this one was surrounded with trees and shrubbery, reminding Loki more of an abandoned garden than anything else. The cobble stone road gave way to dirt road, which was distinguishable from the dirt ground around it by small, ankle height stones to mark it. Loki stood in the center with folded arms, trailing eyes around the perimeter to make sure he was indeed alone.
"Do you remember this place, brother?" Thor asked, while sitting down on a large stone boulder. Loki wondered if it was the same boulder Thor used to hurl at him all those years ago. "Shall I tell you a story from our youth?"
"Do you remember that you are my illusion?" He was beginning to forget himself.
"Would you like me not to tell you?"
"No, please go on. This is where…"
"…you won your first victory against me. We were sparing and I chided you on taking lessons from mother rather than father. That she should teach you how to sew, and asked if you meant to attend court instead fight in battles. Even father joined in by saying you would look exquisite in a gown."
"Well, he wasn't wrong about that," Loki mused.
"And you flew into such a rage, wielding your dagger like a fiend. I fought to the best of my abilities but father's battle techniques proved far too sluggish and thoughtless when paired against mother's swift and precise movements. Your relentless assault ended when you disemboweled me right in front of father."
"You both made the same horrified expressions." Loki laughed." You also both failed to notice the dagger in my hand was really a simple twig."
"You are quite clever, brother."
"Yes, I know."
"Father did not think so. He..."
"…threw me into the dungeon." Thor stopped talking, his jaw set, and eyes dropped the ground. The whole expression was very unlike Thor.
Then it giggled and slipped into a posture more suited for Thor. "Mother set you free, though. Remember? But not before tearing into father for treating a child with such disregard. Odin may be the king of Asgard, but mother was certainly his most feared creature in the nine realms."
"Hmm, I'd sooner fight all the devils in Hel than be on the offensive to mother."
"Brother, there is no need to fear one who is dead." Thor flickered a few times and settled into a transparent shape.
Loki inhaled deeply, held the breath for a moment, and then exhaled as silently as he could. Thor returned to his opaque state on the boulder and began swishing his legs back and forth while staring at the sky above.
"I think," Thor began with a high, giddy voice, "the reason Asgard still remains under Odin's rule is the same reason you choose me to speak with rather than listen to the thoughts in your own head." His face beamed as a small giggle escaped his lips.
"You do not think, you are an illusion," spat Loki. A wave of his hand and Thor went away. The words, however, did not go away as simply as the illusion did.
Loki sighed, took the illusions place on the boulder, and rubbed his eyes vigorously with both hands. He twisted his appearance into that of The Thunder God, wondering how much longer he would have to wait to be retrieved.
Almost instantly he heard the sound of gravel under boots behind him. Sure enough when he turned around there stood a brawny young man dressed in worn, dirty clothes.
Loki gave his face the brightest grin he could muster, "Hello!"
The work was simple but tiring. The group was much larger than Loki originally thought. They divided into two sections, one above and one below. Loki was put with the men on the ground, in charge of hauling liquidly material to the craftsmen above. Heavy lifting and assisting were no tasks the God of Mischief would be caught doing in the best of moods, but Loki knew Thor would do them with a smile, and so he did.
Thor would be capable of completing such work barely breaking a sweat. But Loki was naturally physically weaker on a good day, currently healing from a nearly lethal wound, and simultaneously casting a constant illusion, all of which caused him to tire quickly. His work and mood suffered as a result.
Of course his fellow workers noticed this and began to chide the high born prince. Loki's anger bubbled in his stomach but only the return of friendly banter left Thor's lips. These men were commoners and such opinions from low minds were not worth breaking his cover. He decided to add them to the list of people he planned to decimate.
When his energy neared on empty he tried to convince his fellow cohorts to send him up to work with the others. They managed to grant his wish, but only after the last chunk of stone was attached to the top. When they hoisted him up he noticed they all went home for the day, leaving the Mighty Thor in the company of the artisans. Odin handpicked these men alright, but doubtful for their skill.
The remaining men seemed to not have any need of anyone but themselves. They stood in silence sculpting and molding the liquid into smooth shapes without assistance. Loki spent most of the time observing them, letting his aching muscles settle.
"Hello," he greeted one of them. The man gave a timid wave and returned to his work. Loki tried again, "You're the one that came to get me. I both thank you and apologize for having you go out of your way to do so." The man gave a nod and returned to his work.
Annoyed Loki tried to make him as uncomfortable as he could by staring at him intently as he worked. The man stopped and looked at him. Success. "I'm sorry to have bothered you, but I'm trying to figure out what it is exactly you do."
The man muttered something unsavory but reluctantly described the process in a whispered voice. "We take this liquid stone," he dipped his hands in the bucket, "and thicken it with our hands," his wrists glowed an orange color and soon the liquid turned taffy-like in texture. "Now," he said pulling the pliable substance out of the bucket and onto the hardened stone in front of him, "we mold it into the shape it needs to be." From the malleable substance he formed what would become an oversized fingernail. "To finish it off I will use my magic to harden the stone. We like to work in silence to better focus on this part. If not done correctly the stone will loosen and melt." Without another word he set his hands, glowing a faint orange again, on the stone and caressed until the stone's surface reflected.
Loki waited until he was finished, "So it's mostly magic," he said with genuine admiration. "Although it does not look like I will be of much help to you and your men."
"I doubt you would have much trouble learning, my lord." The man smiled, but briefly. His face went pale and his eyes sank to his feet.
"What is it?" Loki asked.
The man sighed. "I know who you are. I saw you change into your brother."
Now it was Loki's turn to pale. He could kill him, but not without the others seeing. It would be quite hard to explain to Odin why his son decided to end this one particular man's life. If only you were a Frost Giant, then there would be an excuse.
"None of the others know, I've told no one else."
"And why not?" Loki asked, in a very Loki-like rasp.
"Is it true you tried to destroy Jotunheim?"
Loki cocked an eyebrow. "How would you feel if I said yes?"
"I'd be upset you did not complete your task. I have no love for the Frost Giants," he replied with a crooked smile. "There are rumors," he continued, "that you died in the process, only to be reborn as a wild beast so out of control that you needed to be chained in the dungeons."
"I am, you could say, 'cursed'. But as you see before you my features are not that of a destructive beast." Not that you could see it anyway under all this blond hair and muscle. "Tell me more tales of Loki, good citizen."
"I fear I've said too much. Please, I will not tell…" His volume rose, Loki was losing him.
"Allow me to put your mind at ease. Ask me your questions and I shall give you my truths." Or lies you will believe are truths.
The man paused, thinking it over. Curiosity won him over and he began rifling off questions. "There are rumors that you were responsible for the queen's death."
"I was nowhere near the queen when she passed" You might want to take the stairs to the left. "Honestly to be accused of such a thing is monstrous."
"There are also rumors of your brother. That he has a human lover, and that he will leave Asgard to be with her."
"A partial truth. He does indeed have a Midgardian lover but his heart truly lies in his home realm. That is why I am here in his place. Mortals are such fragile, temporary creatures, and Thor knows this well. He wishes to spend as much time with her as he can. I suspect she also serves as a comfort for him in these dark times." Loki smiled warmly. "But father does not see it as such. If he discovers our arrangement not only will my hide be skinned, but Thor's as well. Do you understand why I tell you this?"
The man took hold of his hand, "I will keep your secret, for the sake of the realm."
Loki took his hand away and discreetly whipped it on the back of his coat. "What is your name, good citizen?"
"Egill, my lord."
"Ah, Egill," Loki smiled, "I will remember your name well, dear Egill."
The stars, much like Loki's aches and pains, were numerous. Attending one's own funeral may be bad luck, but viewing it from a discreet location seemed a safe compromise. Despite his effort to get there early he arrived just in time to see a small boat floating in the water. Any warm feelings from Sif's kind words that morning disintegrated. You just couldn't wait to get rid of me, could you? How dare we spend but a few moments to honor our dear Loki?
He'd transformed one of the fallen Dark Elf bodies, with a fortunate bone structure similar to his own. Up close they weren't all the same, oddly enough. A few blasts from a gun and an arm torn out of the socket suggested a struggling victim. One final touch, an afterthought really, he turned the skin the grey-blue color of a Jotun and added a few markings. He could not tell if they dressed the corpse in fine funeral clothes or merely wrapped it in a cloak. From his distance all that was visible was a vague lump of green sitting on an old boat.
Something flickered in the corner of his eye. He turned to see a hooded figure draped in an old brown woolen cloak. The figure clasped a simple walking staff in his hand. It was Odin.
"I thought you were not coming," Loki said called out in Thor's voice.
"He would not want us there," Odin called back, making his way towards him.
"No, I believe you are right." He said with a genuine laugh. "But if I were Loki looking at this scene now I would be terribly impressed and touched." Though I would not openly admit to it.
"The Loki of old maybe, but not the brute he returned as."
"You truly believe that?"
In the distance a flaming arrow shot through the sky and landed in the little boat engulfing it instantly. The flames curled in a fierce rage as the inferno drifted towards the fall in slow agony. Without warning the fireball disappeared, signaling the boat's descent.
The two gods watched this in silence, Odin giving no answer and Loki left bubbling with more questions.
Loki broke their silence. "If you could speak with him without any repercussions…" What would you say? Would you tell him how sorry you were? That you did indeed love him but did not show it enough? That given an opportunity to start over you would? "..would you want to?"
"There is no opportunity," Odin barked. "Do not waste my time with foolish questions."
Loki recalled Odin's words of the morning, "But who is to say we will not mourn him a third or fourth time?"
"This time we have a body."
"There are no final words you would say?" Surely in that wise, cruel head there are words for me. You must give me something. I cannot be right in thinking you cared nothing for me. Please tell me I am more than a stolen relic. You tried to tell me before but I didn't listen. I am ready to listen now.
"Any words for Loki have already been said to Loki and I will not repeat them again. It is futile to repeat words said to dead ears."
Odin made his way back to the castle. Loki lingered in the cold silence alone.