When it came time for the man to speak, there was jeering on all sides. The man was darkened by an aura that was not his own, one that was so potent that he could See it from where he sat with Pepper and the other Avengers. Frigga stiffened by her husband's side and turned her questioning gaze toward him. Hela narrowed her eyes and flicked a hand, beckoning him forward. He brushed Pepper's arm as he got up, and she followed him with her eyes, as did the rest of the Court. He came to stand by the would-be prisoner, who narrowed its eyes.
"Merchant," The man growled. The audience gasped as a collective. No one dared to look Death's Messenger in the face, and to speak so boldly was considered an action of the guilty… or the brave, the Merchant snorted internally.
"You stand before me, accused of a crime that someone else committed, good sir." He knew the man would be able to hear, whether the monster inside wished him to or not. "This hurts a great deal, or so I am informed."
The monster forced the man to reach for his throat, but Tony sidestepped and dug inside the man's chest, calling the monster to him. It wasn't easy, as the thing had rooted its host well, and if he succeed, a dying man would be left behind. He never did like collateral damage. He found it to be useless, and a waste of resources. Still…. He came back to a roomful of astonished people with the monster squirming in his grasp.
"Fetch a Healer and take this man to your Infirmary." He called out to the Guards. He didn't bother with a response before he turned to Odin and Frigga.
"The man who resides in that body is very near death, but does not need to die this day. He is not the guilty one you seek."
"He was used?" Odin growled, angry that he'd been played.
"One of Thanos' minions took on the man's face and fed on his energy. He needs to be restored and the true culprit taken care of."
"I understand." Odin muttered. "Do as you must, and the man will be provided for."
"My thanks, Allfather." Tony dipped his head. "I will require the use of your son."
Odin's brow furrowed in confusion, but Frigga brightened.
"Indeed, Merchant. Loki will be a fine apprentice. Thank you for hosting him."
"If I can find him, then yes, he will." The Merchant chuckled.
"Loki!" He hissed to the room at large, knowing the boy would hear.
The boy didn't respond and no magic disturbed the air. Tony rolled his eyes and Searched. The boy's essence was easy to locate, and Tony barked a laugh of irony when he caught sight of the boy's situation. Soon enough, Loki and the three boys he fended off were in the courtroom, and when Loki realized where he was, his eyes widened and he barely managed to dodge the fist aimed for him. The boy had previously climbed a tree with no feasible path up, and so the Asgardian boys, with no magic of their own, settled for throwing things. Now that they were all on the same level, Loki was in trouble.
"Get back here, you argr coward!" The lead boy snapped.
The Merchant rolled his eyes and padded forward on silent feet. The wrestling boys he came upon had no regard for the court or their guests, and were trying their hardest to get past the barrier Loki had set. Apparently the second Prince was fet up with their antics, because a flash of green magic sent the boys tumbling across the room.
"Get up from that, and then call me a coward." He growled.
The young prince turned to face the Merchant, who stood behind him with Thanos' monster in one hand.
"I apologize for my lack of response, but I was… occupied." The boy's ears heated up and shamed roiled through him.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Asgard's future." Tony snickered darkly, approaching the three boys as they struggled to their feet. He waved Loki's spell aside, but the boys remained frozen.
"Do you know who I am, youngsters?" He asked. Loki gaped openly. He did not expect the Merchant to interfere, but he was rather glad the man felt it was appropriate.
"You are one of the Midgardian heroes who defeated the Second Prince." The lead boy offered.
Loki rolled his eyes. Had these fools no sense at all?!
"I am he," Tony chuckled. "My official title among the Realms is the Merchant of Death."
"How dare you!" One of the other boys snarled. "My parents have told me many tales of the great Merchant, and you dare lay claim to those legends? You are of Midgard!"
The audience gasped as one and the guards raced forward. Tony shook his head, a smirk on his face.
"I have no time for your childish games, and your respect for an adult is mediocre at best. You should leave, before you insult any more of our guests."
"And who are you to order us around?!" The lead boy hissed, spurred on by his friends' approval.
Tony had already started walking back toward Loki, who waited by Pepper's side. The boy reached out and grabbed Tony's free hand. Magic swirled around them, the same color gold that lined Asgard's halls.
"My name is Anthony," He snorted. "and I am the Merchant."
The two magicians and the prisoner disappeared, leaving a stunned audience.
"Escort these children home," Frigga snapped. "and tell their parents of their misdeeds. If they are not properly punished by their guardians, then I shall oversee it myself."
A group of guards surrounded the trio of boys and they were gone in an instant.
"I apologize," The Allfather turned toward the displeased crowd. "This is not how we normally teach our children to behave, certainly not how they act toward adults. I will do my best to take a more active role in the future of my kingdom, but as you know, I cannot raise other people's children. Nonetheless, this situation will be resolved, and formal apologies issued from all three families."
Disgruntled mutters broke the silence, and Queen Hela rose to her feet.
"There is no need for an apology, as that will simply soothe the parents' egos and have them think the situation amended. I require nothing but your respect, and I'm sure the same goes for all Realms, at the very least. Good luck changing the whims of your people, Odin Borson, because it will not happen overnight."
She disappeared in a swirl of black and purple.
"Holy shit!" It was a while before the fanfare surrounding the event died down and the servants left the team alone. Clint burst out laughing the second the door closed and was joined in spirit by the rest of the team. Natasha cracked a smirk and Bruce snickered along. Phil rolled his eyes and Steve shook his head.
"That was inappropriate, and I doubt they're allowed to behave that way at home. They'll have their hides tanned for sure." The super-soldier lamented.
"Yeah, but did you see what Loki did? A flick of his hand and they couldn't even get to their knees, let alone stand up.
"Tony told me that magic is more based on intention, so Loki saying what he did was a huge part of it." Pepper had done her fair share of snickering alongside the rest of the room, much to the bemusement of the Court.
A flash of bright light enveloped the room, forcing the group to shield their eyes.
"Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear." Bruce snorted.
Loki came racing out of the space the light created, clothes torn slightly and a frantic look on his face.
"Lady Potts, Lady Potts! You have to help! The Merchant was ambushed!" He wailed, throwing himself toward her. The strawberry blond caught the flailing boy in a strong hug, waiting until he was still to speak.
"What happened, Loki? Where's Tony?" Loki pointed toward where the light once smothered the room. Sure enough, Tony lay in a heap on the floor. He barely looked like he was breathing, let alone conscious, Pepper noticed.
"Listen to me very carefully, Loki. Can you hear me? I need you to go get your mother. Tell her to bring your Healers and hurry."
"Yes ma'am!" He called back, halfway down the hall as soon as she gave the order.
"MOTHER!" His howls rang through the castle walls.
Pepper raced to Tony's side, making sure the sleeves of the long coat she'd been given smothered her hands. She made the mistake of touching Tony while he was unconscious once before, and it was not an experience she was eager to repeat. The remaining Avengers nodded when she informed them of it.
"The Healers probably have experience with that, but if they don't then Loki or Queen Frigga must. They are magic users, aren't they?" Phil reasoned. Pepper prodded her fiance's shoulder, shaking him a few times before waiting to see if he'd react.
Racing footsteps made her step back and ward the rest off as Loki returned with Queen Frigga and the head healer, Eir, if she remembered right.
They didn't dare to move him, Pepper noticed, as swirls of magic wrapped themselves around his body.
Eir clicked her tongue in disapproval.
"The Merchant has not been keeping himself in the best of conditions." She offered.
"Metal pierced his heart as the result of a wartime incident." Pepper ground out. "There isn't much he can do besides his best to prevent it from killing him. That's why he built the arc reactor." She explained. One of the healers beside Eir narrowed her eyes in a shrewd glare.
"Midgardians always were frail," The girl snorted.
"I doubt you would be able to handle a barb to the heart either, Lanme. This man is brave, for being able to live with such an injury where many others would perish."
The girl, Lanme, went quiet and focused her glare on the swirls of magic.
The healers stayed for what felt like hours before Queen Frigga ordered them to step back. The group of women did as ordered and Tony gasped for a larger breath than usual, eyes wide open.
His attempts to push himself up were hindered by his exhaustion, and Frigga helped him sit up. He leaned forward, knees to his chest and puffing for air.
"Pepper!" He panted out, eyes unseeing. "Where's Pepper? Where's-." He broke into a series of coughs that wracked his frame and Queen Frigga stepped back to give him space.
"Your betrothed is well, Merchant. She has waited with your shieldsiblings for your return, despite efforts to the contrary. She is here, if you wish to see her."
Tony tucked his head between his knees and hacked out a few more coughs. Frigga waved a hand and Pepper nodded, approaching the group carefully for all her instincts to race over and squeeze him, just to know that he was alright. She sat beside him and shifted them around so that his head rested beside hers and his arm was around her shoulders.
"Can you breathe?" She asked. He bobbed his head and his breathing started to slow. It evened out a few moments later. The Healers left without further incident.
"Is there anything you require of me?" Tony lifted his head to find Loki crouched before them.
"No, Loki." Pepper answered for her fiance. "We'll be fine. You should tell your parents what you think of Midgad. I'm sure they've been waiting to hear about your time with us."
"Thank you, Lady Pepper. I will see you next sunrise."
"Sunrise it is, kiddo." Tony mumbled. Loki dipped his head and raced back to his mother's side. Queen Frigga wrapped him in a hug and they whispered lowly as she led her son out of the guest wing of the Palace. The Avengers had decided that Pepper and Tony would be fine once the Healers stepped back, after checking with Queen Frigga, and dispersed to their own quarters, each within shouting distance if needed.
Pepper untangled herself from Tony and got to her feet, her battered fiance following suit.
"You must be exhausted." She murmured softly. She could only imagine what had occurred when he and Loki disappeared to who knew where, likely Niflheim. Tony mumbled unintelligibly and pressed himself to her side.
"Come on, we can't just sleep in our clothes. Not when they left these nice pajamas out for us."
He snorted in response and she could imagine him rolling his eyes.
"Well I'm going to change and for that to happen, I need you to let go for a few minutes. We can do whatever you want after we get out of these clothes." She offered.
That earned her another snort and she rolled her eyes.
"Yes, I know you're tired. I meant more along the lines of cuddling or something. Get your mind out of the gutter, Stark."
"Kinda hard to do that when you're what I have to look at." He rasped. Pepper snickered as she threw off her jacket and top, replacing it with the soft, golden button-up shirt made of silk.
"You flatter me." She deadpanned as she went to turn off the lights.
"Always." He chuckled as they flopped onto the large bed.
"They sure don't do things by halves in Asgard, do they?" Pepper snorted. She bet the damn thing was made entirely of feathers with how soft it was!
"Especially not for the Royal Palace." Her fiance confirmed.
Tony's arm wrapped around her waist, pulled her so close he'd be smothering her if she was sleeping the other way. She indulged him, knowing that whatever he'd seen, it was going to be like when he'd gotten back from Afghanistan or after Vanko and the palladium poisoning. He had one of those nights every now and then, when all he wanted was human contact. Pepper drifted off to sleep, hoping that Tony wouldn't wake up before sunrise but knowing that he probably would. Such was life.