"Now what?" Loki asked when they landed. They were on the edge of a village with the forest behind them. It was the dead of night.
"Well, we make camp." Sif said.
"I didn't flee Asgard where I could cry in comfort to come here and cry in the freezing cold." Loki said.
"Quests never start out as exciting as they sound. We need to gather information and everyone here is asleep. We should get some rest, and at least here, you can get some time to think clearly and you have friends to keep you company." Sif said.
"This was a stupid idea. Thor has no idea where I am. He explicitly told me to wait in my room. Now I have defied him and he'll worry." Loki said.
"Oh please, after that little show to make him jealous, making him worry about you will probably make you feel better."
"It kind of does."
"It's not like no one knows where we are. Eventually he'll turn to Heimdall, who will rat us out and Thor will either come after us or let us continue our search for information." Volstagg said.
"Wonderful. If this quest doesn't pan out, I'm royally fucked." Loki said.
"Being fucked by a royal is the best possible outcome for you. I pray for it." Fandral said. Loki could hardly see Fandral's face in the dark, but he could practically hear him smiling like a rake. Volstagg chuckled.
"Well, I'll start a fire." Sif said.
XxXxXxXx
Thor finished the feast and bid the Lady Arwen a good night. The moment the elf delegation was out of sight he charged down the hall to see Loki. He wasn't sure what he would say. Should he apologize? Make promises he does not know if he can keep. Pleasure him until his eyes roll into the back of his head and forgets why he is angry with Thor at all?
"Loki?" Thor banged on the door. He knocked again and waited. The moments ticked by without reply, without even a sound. Thor decided to enter anyway. Loki was already angry with him. He entered the room which was doused in an orange glow from the fireplace. He went past the antechamber and entered Loki's bedroom, but he was not there. He checked the bathroom but found that it too was empty. He went round to all the little alcoves and closets and there was no sign of him. He went out onto Loki's balcony and looked out upon Asgard in all its evening golden glory.
Thor felt worry flood his chest. Either Loki was being a brat and defying him for what happened in the hall, or had run away. Things were already strained between them. Thor did not wish to add having to reprimand him in the morning. If in the morning, Loki was still gone, he'd have Heimdall track him down for him. Norns willing, Loki wasn't out doing anything rash or stupid.
Then jealousy reared its ugly head. What if Loki was with that elf? What if he was out letting some other alpha mate him. Was he already too late? Thor spun Mjolnir into the air and took off to the one man in Asgard that could tell him exactly where Loki was and what he was doing.
"You did not waste time getting here." Heimdall said.
"Where is he?" Thor asked with an urgent tone.
"He is on Alfheim." Heimdall said as though Loki had gone for a stroll in the park.
"Alfheim? How did he…I think I understand why father was always so furious with you." Thor said.
"Some of your most famous and memorable quests were done against your father's expressed permission." Heimdall said with a warm smile.
"Aye and his hair turned white while he was still young. What is he doing there?"
"Looking for the thieves and the ones responsible for their activities. It is the middle of the night there, same as here. He and the others are making camp."
"Others? So my friends are co-conspirators?"
"Aye."
"Are they in danger?"
"They are in danger of sleeping on twigs in the cold. Young Loki needed to feel that he could do something to fix this situation. Your friends know him well enough to understand that Loki is not one to sit idle. He likes to feel in control, so much so that he will find something to do even if it means sabotaging himself. For all the enemies that boy has at court, his biggest enemy is himself. Whether or not he finds the one behind these attacks is unimportant. The power is and always was still in your hands my king. What will you decide regarding the marriage offer from the elves?"
"I do not know. I love Loki. I have bonded to him and it is not a passing thing. I understand King Elwin's position, and I cannot risk the lives of thousands of Asgardians out of selfishness. I know what I should do as King, but do not have the heart for it." Thor said.
"Might I give you some advice?" Heimdall asked.
"Aye my friend."
"King Elwin is bluffing. It is true that while the elves despise war, they can be quite frightening a foe on the battlefield. Even his daughter can see that a match between you would be a sad lonely union. She does not want that for herself, duty or no. I watched your father make many personal sacrifices for the good of the realm in his life. Some of them were absolutely necessary, but this one is not. If you had only one decision in your entire life where you allowed yourself to be selfish, this is the one Thor. Choose Loki. If war comes, let it come."
"You surprise me my friend."
"My existence may be a solitary one, but I have learned much by watching people over the years. Elwin wants what every king wants, his legacy secured, his people safe, and his family left in better circumstances then when he came into power. He can accomplish all three in one move. You are young and inexperienced. You do not want war, but you do not wish to marry his daughter either. If war is declared, it will be declared by him. Let that be his burden, not yours."
"Thank you my friend. Please keep a watch over Loki. Make sure he does not freeze to death or get into too much trouble." Thor said.
"Yes my king."
XxXxXxXxXx
"What are strangers doing in our little village?" The elf woman asked the strange looking group of elves. There was something off about them. It wasn't the way they looked, it was the way they spoke, and carried themselves. She didn't like it.
"We are here investigating a series of raids perpetrated by Asgardian thieves. We believe they are using an implement of elfish magic to travel between villages and between realms. Many other villages not far from here have been hit in recent days. Have you seen or heard anything strange?" Loki said.
"The only strange thing that has come this way is you. Be gone from us." She said and turned her back on them.
"As you wish my lady." Loki said. The group moved on to the next home and were given a similar response and farewell.
"Your illusion isn't working. These people are going to band together and attack us, and I wouldn't blame them." Fandral said.
"Then stop speaking like an Aesir. Your speech patterns are giving you away." Loki said.
"Perhaps we should move on to the next village. We are not making any headway here." Sif said.
"Aye." Volstagg said.
"I don't see why any thief would come here. These are orchard lands. Unless the cost of a bushel of apples has gone up considerably there would be no reason for them to come here." Volstagg said.
"Except to create chaos for the sake of creating chaos. If we are right about the motives behind these attacks, then they will come here." Loki said.
"You think we should stay?" Sif asked.
"Yes. Based on the pattern of attack, this village is next." Loki said.
"If you were able to figure that out then the elves should have too. So where is the army to protect these people?" Hogun asked.
"Now that is the question to ask isn't it? The absence of the army implies either strategy or diabolical intent. Either we are smarter than the elves in figuring out the attack pattern, which I doubt, or the elite are holding the army back for a purpose. Either they mean to ambush the thieves when they arrive or they have no intention of helping these people at all." Loki said.
"If a noble of Elwin's court, or even the King himself were colluding with the thieves they would not want that fact advertised. It is all the more reason to not get captured by the local authorities." Fandral said.
"So what do we do now?" Sif asked.
"We return to the forest. We wait and we hide. We should stay concealed from everyone until something happens." Loki said.